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Inspirational Evening Recap -

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To kick off Idol’s “Idol Gives Back” charity event, tonight’s theme focused on songs of inspiration. The clips they showed of Ryan and Simon in Africa were very heartfelt. At the risk of being ‘gimmicky’, I truly believe that this show is using its influence for something good.

“It’s different than whatever you’re used to” - tour guide to Ryan Seacrest

“It’s just unbelievable. It’s just wrong.” - Simon, in response to the living conditions of an AIDS or malaria patient. Malaria is the #1 killer in all of Africa and AIDS has orphaned thousands of children.

At first, I thought inspirational evening would be cheesy… but it turned out some powerful performances.

Chris R.
“Change the World”
Chris started a little rough vocally, like his voice wasn’t completely warmed up. But, I thought he did extremely well taking a very recognizable and well-liked song, and turned it into his own without completely going overboard. I enjoyed his improv and nuances.

Melinda
“There Will Come a Day”
I thought it was an okay song, until the second-half and then Melinda broke out into some amazing vocals. I got goosebumps!! I almost got teary-eyed! Her beautiful, full voice coupled the lyrics completely moved me. Melinda is such a talented and sincere performer.

Blake
“Imagine”
Blakey has a voice that is easy on the ears. It kind of has a melting quality. There wasn’t a lot of originality or power within his song choice; it was a mellow John Lennon song. One that isn’t my favorite…

LaKisha
“Believe”
What a perfect song choice for LaKisha! For me, I thought she connected better with the audience this week. I heard a few pitchy spots, but overall much better over last week’s performance. I was surprised the judges were critical of her…

Phil
“The Change”
Vocally, Phil sounded perfect. His tone reminds me of someone, another artist… I can’t think of who… this was the thought that was running through my head the entire time. His wife looks so sweet. What a cute couple.

Jordin
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”
Jordin sounded a little pitchy at the beginning and the vibrato was a little forced. Maybe she was a little emotional? The notes in her upper range were spot-on, I’ll give her that… but it felt ‘cabaret’ to me. (For once I understood what Simon means by that HA!) But, the judges love her… I was surprised to hear Randy say that was the best of the night, of the season (whatever he said). Mr. TV Junkie and I were sayin, “Whaaaat?” when we heard that.

Since I’m on the West Coast, the recap will come later, but…

The vote is open! Don’t forget to call in for charity! I’ll be back tomorrow for the Results Show wrap-up!

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By TVJunkie Jenn | 1 Comment »
Filed under: American Idol, Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson, Jordin Sparks, Lakisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey

(Spoilers if you haven’t watched the finale yet.)

Although a fan of reality tv show, this season was the first time I caught Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice”. I liked this season’s twist in that it was held here in CA and in Los Angeles close to where I worked in Century City (a few blocks from Beverly Hills).

Also, my mom would always share anecdotes from The Apprentice - how they solved a problem, set up a project, or how candidates handled team ‘drama’. She thought it might come in useful during the required team projects I did for my MBA classes.

So finally, I caught a few episodes this season (okay, just the premiere, last week’s ep, and tonight’s finale) and really enjoyed it! Tonight’s final episode was held at the Hollywood Bowl (which holds favorite memories for me). Since I was an occasional viewer, I appreciated that they gave a brief overview of the projects they worked on and shared more personal info on the final two characters.

After last week’s projects, I felt Donald Trump made the right decision to select Stefani and James as the final two. Personally, I thought they made the stronger commercial spot and exemplified better team work. I was especially glad to see an empowered woman and an Asian entrepreneur in the final two.

Throughout the evening, both Stefani and James exhibited a lot of class and confidence. I couldn’t imagine having a 13-week ‘job interview’ being broadcast on national television! I don’t think I would have the same composure under the lights, camera, and face-to-face with The Donald. Huge props to all the contestants that made it onto the show.

The jobs that Trump offered were amazing - project manager at either a development in the Caribbean or downtown Atlanta. Incredible opportunities, huge amounts of responsibility, leadership, and know-how needed.

During the final round of questions, I felt that Stefani was a good match for her choice of opportunity pick because she had a background in construction and development law. She also came across as very self-assertive and well-spoken. Her strategy (if it indeed was her strategy) to lay low and not engage in confrontation worked to her benefit. I am excited for her that she was hired!

Line of the night:
“Stinky bums are funny…” Frank, one of the final four finalists

Technorati tags: Apprentice, Trump

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By TVJunkie Jenn | No Comments »
Filed under: Finale