The Essential Blog ¦ The Essential Justin Guarini Website

Justin Guarini Announces Engagement

2008-10-01T04:50:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini announced on his Blogtalkradio show on September 30th that he is engaged to marry Reina Capodici, 26, of Doylestown, PA. The couple have known each other since high school but only started dating late last year. Ms. Capodici has a three year old daughter, Lola, from a prior relationship. They are planning a June, 2009, wedding.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Thoughts and Reflections on Visiting Troops in Afghanistan

2008-08-21T20:17:00.001-07:00

This week, The Justin Guarini Show on Blogtalkradio.com featured Justin talking about his recent good will ambassador trip to Bagram Air Force Base and other locations in Afghanistan. He includes some audio from the troops he met on the trip. Listen to the podcast of the show by clicking the player.

American Idol Season One Finale Nominated for Emmy's Most Memorable TV Moment

2008-08-19T11:07:00.001-07:00

The Primetime Emmy Awards are recognizing the Most Memorable TV Moments this year, and the American Idol Season One Finale with Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson has been nominated. What's great is that we get to vote for the winner, with the top 5 nominees being featured on the Emmy telecast.

So, you might ask, what is it doing in this list of nominees? Does it belong among "All in the Family" and "Seinfeld?" We say yes, it does. It was the culminating moment on the season that launched a cultural phenomenon that changed both television and music. It featured the most genuine moment of love and support from runner-up to winner we have ever seen. Seven seasons have passed and it still stands out as something you will remember where and when you saw it and how it made you feel.

So, sure, it's a reality TV moment. One that will stand thet test of time. That's the definition of memorable. You can vote for it at the ABC site.

American Idol visits Task Force Warrior Headquarters

2008-08-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Master Sgt. Timothy Garcia, NCOIC of S1, poses with former American Idol contestant Justin Guarini at Task Force Warrior Headquarters Aug. 10.

American Idol visits Task Force Warrior Headquarters

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By
By Staff reports
Leesville Daily Leader
Fri Aug 15, 2008, 08:58 AM CDT

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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -
“Thank you very much for coming, your visit represents the resolve of the American people as we stand strong and defeat all who attempt to bring us harm,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Jeselink, Deputy Commander of Task Force Warrior, to the four former American Idol contestants visiting Brigade Headquarters today to entertain troops, pose for pictures and receive tokens of appreciation for their willingness to sacrifice time and efforts to show support.

Soldiers who may not be fans of the mega-hit television show American Idol, may at some point in time phone home to have a loved one respond, “I can’t talk right now, American Idol is on.”

American Idol, a reality-competition television show airing on Fox, seeks to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions. Debuting in 2002, American Idol has since become one of the most popular shows on American television.

One of the guests to Task Force Warrior today, Justin Guarini, emerged as a standout during American Idol’s debut season, ultimately becoming runner-up to winner Kelly Clarkson in 2002. He stood out as a very gracious and grateful visitor. When Soldiers sought Guarini out for specific poses and numerous photographs, he responded kindly and with a willingness to cater to Soldier requests.

The entire group of celebrities had very nice attitudes and they were not at all pompous. When traditional military Certificates of Appreciation and unit coins were presented, each former-Idol appeared genuinely moved.

Nadia Turner, Top Eight Finalist of Season Four, who recently was chosen to be a guest co-host on “The View” with Barbara Walters and Rosie O’Donnell and has had guest appearances on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, spent time during the afternoon meeting and greeting Soldiers of Task Force Warrior.

Gina Glocksen, the ninth place finalist of the sixth season of American Idol, co-hosts the FOX Reality Show “American Idol Extra.” She was incredibly personable with the Soldiers, and her genuine candor and charming wit that made her a favorite of millions on the show came through to brighten the atmosphere at Brigade Headquarters.

Brandon Rogers, Top 12 on Season Six, performed as a backup vocalist on both Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera’s 2003 “Justified” and “Stripped” Tours. He makes guest appearances on the hit TV show “Bones” and is a travelling correspondent for the TV Guide Network, but took some time out of his schedule alongside other former idols to tour U.S. military installations in Southwest Asia.

Soldiers were smiling and laughing, and some spoke of anticipation to share the day’s experience with die-hard-Idol-fans back home. The visit was appreciated, and troops felt a thousand miles from danger if only for a few minutes.

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More from American Idols Supporting the Troops in Afghanistan

2008-08-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini's second note from Afghanistan, two of his photos, and a link to Brandon Rogers' photo album:

Here are 2 of the many photos that I've taken in Afghanistan. The first is of two ANA (Afghan National Army) soldiers outside of a base south of Bagram called "Morales-Fraiser".

They are stationed there with the French and American troops, learning from the Marines. They were very nice, and all they wanted to do was take photos with the girls that came along with us.

The HumV behind them is mounted with a "240-Bravo" machine gun on the turret. The Marines were nice enough to take us outside the base and let us fire the 240 at the mountain range, as well as a 50-cal gun mounted on another HumV that they let me drive out to the range. I killed a lot of innocent rocks with both...but all is fair in love and war. The interesting thing about the 50-cal gun is that standing about 20-25 yards away you can actually feel the imapact of the recoil in your chest. The velocity of the bullets is such that the soldiers can't really use it during local urban combat. The houses are made of mud, and the bullets would rip through at least a city block before stopping...probably taking a lot of innocent civilians with it.

The other photo is of one of our guards looking at the Afghani countryside out of a Blackhawk helicopter. The Blackhawk is our only method of transport from our base (Bagram) to the outlying FOB's (Forward Operating Bases). I swear the military has invented abbreviations for everything, for example: DFAC (Dining Facility), B-HUT(Barracks), not to mention the multitude of rank symbols. I'm proud to say that I can pick out most any rank (at least the basic rank, the various levels inside the ranks are still spotty for me)...anyway. The Blackhawk rides were amazing, especially when we rode with the doors open. The photo hardly captures the fact that Afghanistan is a beautiful mess of a country, but I took it with that thought in mind. The mountain ranges, the emerald lakes, and the vast stretches of desert dotted with lush valleys (most of which have large fields filled with Poppies & Marijuana) are a stark contrast to the abject poverty, lawlessness, and human rights abuses that prevail in the country.

ANA Soldiers at Morales-Fraiser FOB

Sgt. Page/Afghan Desert

Brandon Rogers' photo album

A Note from Afghanistan

2008-08-09T04:50:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini describes his feelings watching a "Fallen Comrade Ceremony" in Baghram, Afghanistan. See our previous blog entry for more details on his USO trip.

Justin here, writing to you for Baghram airforce base in Afghanistan. It's about 4:55 in the morning here and all is well. To say that it's been an amazing trip thus far, is to severely undervalue the experience. I've traveled to many places all over the world, but never to the Middle East. It's a truly beautiful place, even though it's a war zone. There are so many amazing experiences that I can't really fit them here. So I'll make you a deal. If you give me a day or two. I'll post the pictures I have, and even give you a little taste of the stories and experiences that we all are having here. I'm going to ask the other Idols with me to sit down and share their experience with me on tape, then I'll put it up on blogtalk, or my site. Cool?

My head is a little foggy this morning, so I don't think I could write too clearly any way. Besides, I like to talk my time with my writing. Would you believe it took 4 hours to write some of my Fancast blogs about Idol? Especially in the beginning when I was trying to describe (as richly and vividly as possible) my experience as an Idol.

I will tell you this though. I am up at this hour for a very good, albeit sad, reason. At around 2:50 this morning, there was a service known as a "Fallen Comrade Ceremony". An American soldier wsa killed in action and his body was due to be transported from the base back to the States.

Instead of just letting him go in the middle of the night, the soldiers here line the street the body is driven down. With practiced precision they stand rigidly at attention and salute as the casket, resting on the back of a modified HumV and draped in an American Flag goes by. It was a beautiful sight. The street was lined, on both sides with soldiers from the Army, Air Force, Marines, and even soldiers from other countries that are here supporting the fight. With guns slung across chests (almost everyone here lugs around automatic rifles at all times) and in perfect silence they wished their comrade in arms farewell. I'm not a soldier, so like the other civilians at the ceremony I stood along side the soldiers and placed my hand over my heart as the coffin drove by.
I was reminded of my own mortality, as well as where I was, and what our men and women (most of them younger than me) are going through and risking every day to preserve our way of life.

This trip has completely and irrevocably altered my perception of the armed forces...for the good.

More to come.

Justin

American Idol Performers Support the Troops on a USO Tour

2008-08-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Another way that Idol gives back, and this one really makes us proud. From the official Army website:

American Idol legends support troops in Southwest Asia
Photo by Dustin Senger

August 07, 2008

Justin Guarini, a former "American Idol" participant, signs autographs for Maj. Shelia Phillips-Hicks, from St. Robert, Mo., at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, Aug 6. Guarini earned second place during the first season of the hit television series. He was beginning a support tour of U.S. military installations in Southwest Asia; also on the idol tour: Gina Glocksen, Brandon Rogers and Nadia Turner.

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The 411 on the American Idol Tour - Salt Lake City

2008-07-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini goes behind the scenes at the American Idol Tour in Salt Lake City and talks with David Cook, David Archuleta, and Brooke White. Justin will be covering the American Idol auditions in San Franscico on July 17th, so if you see him, go say "Hello!" You may end up on TV, woohoo.

Revolve Acoustic EP - Review

2008-05-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that "the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." One of the most intriguing things about Justin Guarini's voice is that it consists of two opposing characteristics at the same time. It is at once raw edged and fluid. The fluidity has been on display in his recorded music, starting with "Justin Guarini," but too often, the recorded versions are sweetened and the rawness is lost.

That is not true of Revolve, the new three song EP Justin has released through his new label, Revolutionary Entertainment. The songs, "Sweet Time, " "Rock Bottom," and "When She Cries," are performed with a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment. Written and produced by Justin and his close friend, Shaun Ingram, the project is an examination of the complexities of relationships. On first blush, that description might seem rather commonplace, addressing well-worn themes, but these songs move beyond the typical "she loves me, she loves me not" lyric qualities of popular music.

"Sweet Time," a folk-soul song that could well have appeared on one of fellow Philadelphian Amos Lee's albums, opens with an immediately relatable expression of exasperation: "Haven't we done this once? Let's not do this again. All I want is sweet time, babe." In "Rock Bottom," Justin sings of destructive emotional obsession:

You shattered my innocence, you laughed at my tears.
You broke down my last defense, you wasted my years.
But you got something that money can't buy.
I feel just like a junkie, do anything, anything to make you mine.

The song then leads into a chorus that aggressively analogizes desire to facilitation of addiction, culminating with Justin's falsetto lamenting "You keep me fixed, you run my life."

The final song, "When She Cries," offers a blues-rock take on the male view of woman as cipher. It is on this song, perhaps, that the two opposing qualities of Justin's voice are put to their strongest test, displayed in the closing moments of the song.

Oh then she cried, then she cried, do you believe that she cried?
Oh, and a part of me died, a part of me died, oh, just a part of me died, oh every time.

When music is performed in this stripped down style, it cannot hide. Throughout the EP, the songs have the strength of storytelling and imagery. The lyrics avoid cliche, and the melodies linger. All this with the just the power of an instinctive voice and insightful songwriting.

If there is any frustration with this project, it is the prospect of not enough people hearing it. Unfortunately, no matter how compelling his music is, Justin doesn't have the platform to launch a new project that others from American Idol are fortunate to have. His work doesn't have the immediate public ear the way a David Cook or a Daughtry project does, for example. For some others, the fact he was an Idol will be reason enough to pass by a Justin Guarini project, regardless of its storytelling and execution.

It shouldn't be a zero-sum game. In fact, it isn't. This is good stuff - go check it out if you haven't. You'll enjoy it more than the empty calories of the Starbucks you might buy instead.

Revolve Acoustic EP - Digital Download Link

From Justin to David

2008-05-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

As much as we are tired of that play on words, it couldn't work better than in circumstances where the first runner up shares the stage with the current runner up, who sang for him way back in the first season. Justin Guarini interviews David Archuletta right after the American Idol Finale. Not to be left out, David Cook opens the segments with his own play on FJ2K. Don't stop with the interview - there's a great video to also watch of Justin accompanying himself on guitar as he sings the moving original song, "Missing You." We're pretty sure he wasn't singing about this season's AI, but you never know.

Justin Guarini to Host New BlogTalk Radio Show

2008-05-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

From the official site:

The Justin Guarini Show
Let your voice be heard! The Justin Guarini show presents a unique opportunity for fans to get in direct touch with the musicians they love. Tune in to hear signed and unsigned artists live, special guests ranging from producers to managers to agents that will help you figure out how to make your music your way and how to get it out to the masses. The Justin Guarini show is a free-flowing program that always has surprises in store for registered listeners, and is a must-listen for the independent artist and avid fan alike.

The first show airs on June 3, 2008. The call in number to talk to Justin live during the show is (347) 838-8745.

Click button below to go to the official site and listen to the show!

Two American Idol Runners Up Sharing the Stage

2008-05-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini and his Idol Tonight co-hosts have a conversation with Bo Bice prior to the Final Four elimination show outside the American Idol stage door.

Behind the Scenes at Idol Tonight

2008-04-03T04:59:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini, Kimberly Caldwell, and Rosanna Tavarez at the American Idol stage door on Idol Tonight.

Exclusive Interview with Antonella Barba

2008-03-28T06:27:00.001-07:00

A podcast interview of American Idol Season 5 contestant Antonella Barba, conducted by Justin Guarini, Season One runner-up.

read more | digg story

Idol Fever - FOX News

2008-03-23T08:58:00.001-07:00

Justin Guarini comments on the American Idol Top 10 in this video from FOX News Channel.

A Look At Things Sloshing Around In My Skull (podcast)

2008-03-14T05:51:00.001-07:00

A podcast by Justin Guarini, American Idol season one runner up. The subjects of the podcast are random and presented in an entertaining fashion.

read more | digg story

Because It's Funny, That's Why

2008-03-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

This amused us. Yes, it did.

Idol Tonight, hosted by Justin Guarini, Kimberly Caldwell and Rosanna Tavarez, airs every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. eastern and pacific, 7:00 p.m. central.

EDY'S(R) SLOW CHURNED(R) Light Ice Cream to Distribute One Million Free CDs Showcasing Today's Hottest Stars

2008-02-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

EDY'S(R) SLOW CHURNED(R) Light Ice Cream to Distribute One Million Free CDs Showcasing Today's Hottest Stars

- CDs will be distributed at participating grocery stores and will feature
unreleased tracks from former American Idol finalists -

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Your taste buds will sing with
the flavor of EDY's light ice cream while you enjoy the tunes of former
American Idol finalists when you purchase any two EDY's SLOW CHURNED Light Ice Cream products and receive a free CD featuring eight full-length
original tracks. This platinum pressing of one million CDs will include
previously unreleased tracks by former American Idol finalists including
Justin Guarini (Season 1), Kimberly Caldwell (Season 2), George Huff
(Season 3), Anthony Fedorov (Season 4), Constantine Maroulis (Season 4),
Nadia Turner (Season 4), Mandisa (Season 5 and Grammy Nominated Artist!),
and Chris Richardson (Season 6).

From February through April, CDs will be available at select EDY's
brand retail locations nationwide. Purchase any two EDY's SLOW CHURNED
Light Ice Cream 48 oz or larger OR Light Ice Cream Bars and receive a CD
free of charge ($7.99 SRP). CDs are located in the ice cream aisle and
ready for listening on your ride home.

"With the support of our retail partners, we are excited to offer fans
such an exceptional compilation from the music industry's brightest new
talents. Our goal in distributing one million CDs nationally is to provide
these talented artists with valuable opportunities for exposure and give
their loyal fans a chance to listen to their new and previously unreleased
music," said Brad Bridges of EDY's Grand Ice Cream.

The CD was compiled and produced by Nelly and Jeff Neben; Axis Artist
Management, Inc. (http://www.axismanagement.com/)

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc., and its subsidiaries
manufacture and distribute a full spectrum of ice cream and frozen dessert
products. Brands of frozen dessert products currently manufactured or
distributed by Dreyer's in the United States include Grand, Slow
Churned(R), Dibs(R), Haagen-Dazs(R), Nestle(R) Drumstick(R), Nestle
Crunch(R), Nestle(R) Butterfinger(R), Nestle(R) Toll House(R), Nestle(R)
Carnation(R), Nestle(R) Push-Up(R), Frosty Paws(R), Eskimo Pie(R),
Chipwich(R), Fruit Bars, Starbucks(R) and The Skinny Cow(R). The company's
premium products are marketed under the Dreyer's brand name throughout the Western states and Texas, and under the Edy's(R) brand name throughout the
remainder of the United States. Internationally, the Dreyer's brand extends
to select markets in the Far East and the Edy's brand extends to the
Caribbean and South America. For more information on the company, please
visit http://www.dreyersinc.com/. The Starbucks trademark is owned by
Starbucks U.S. Brands, LLC and is licensed to the Starbucks Ice Cream
Partnership, a joint venture partnership between Dreyer's and Starbucks
Holding Company. In the U.S. the Haagen-Dazs trademark is sub-licensed to
Dreyer's by Nestle.

SOURCE EDY'S SLOW CHURNED Light Ice Cream

EDY'S(R) SLOW CHURNED(R) Light Ice Cream to Distribute One Million Free CDs Showcasing Today's Hottest Stars

Carly Smithson and the Idol "experience controversy" - who cares?

2008-02-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

We were going to do a complete blog about how ridiculous the Carly Smithson "experience controversy" is, but Justin did it better. Check out his detailed taking apart of the relevance of this issue.

http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/02/_so_usa_todays_marco.html

Just to make part of the observation we had intended, the media bias toward Smithson seems to be that because the MCA/Universal album she recorded as a teenager flopped, she shouldn't be trying again through her Idol appearance. Here's the thing: no album scans a mere 400 sales unless there was a massive corporate failure to promote it. The Wall Street Journal has reported on the complete screw up that MCA made of this project.

The success or failure of a major label pop release depends first and foremost on how well it is marketed, and that falls primarily on the shoulders of the record label. Carly didn't have any control over what the money was spent on. She didn't have control over what singles were released and how they were promoted. It doesn't sound like she had much control over what songs she recorded, the producers chosen by the label instead making those decisions.

On Idol, she is seeking to make it on her own talent. If she's good, she should. It would be ridiculous to refuse to support her because of what happened with her contract at MCA. To the contrary, it's a reason to give her the second chance.

Carly and Justin Guarini recently had a chance to talk at the Top 24 party. They can certainly commiserate, both having had their first real shot at success jerked away from them by corporate incompetence. Both deserve their chance to emerge from the hole into which they were pushed.

Of course, we do note that Justin's advice might well have been to avoid being signed by 19 Entertainment/BMG at all cost. But Carly is female and white, so she will probably be just fine.

TV Guide Network Set to Premiere Its Highest Rated Series, ‘Idol Tonight’ for Season Three

2008-02-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hosts Kimberly Caldwell, Justin Guarini and Rosanna Tavarez Are Ready To Fire Up American Idol’s Biggest Fans With Brand New Show Segments, Interviews and the Network’s Biggest Marketing Campaign of the Year

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TV Guide Network®, a leading network providing entertainment programming to more than 83 million homes, is gearing up to premiere its highest rated original series and viewer favorite, IDOL TONIGHT on March 12 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Hosted by Kimberly Caldwell (American Idol season two finalist), Justin Guarini (American Idol season one runner-up) and Rosanna Tavarez (winner of Popstars), IDOL TONIGHT airs live from the doorstep of American Idol, satisfying viewers’ and fans’ appetite for the hottest show on television.

IDOL TONIGHT‘s marketing campaign will be the largest of the year for TV Guide Network. It will include a new logo, opening, and Idol theme weeks.

Justin Guarini and Rosanna Tavarez joke with
American Idol Vocal Coach Debra Byrd on Idol Tonight

In addition to featuring interviews with the most recent Idol eliminee, vocal coaches, fashion stylists, industry insiders and more, the show will include the following segments:

“Idol Flashbacks” will feature never-before-seen footage of the most outrageous auditions and former contestants.
“Idol Worship” will highlight current contestant reactions to fun fan questions.
“Where Are They Now?” will feature former Idols making regular visits to the IDOL TONIGHT set to talk about what they have been up to after leaving American Idol.

IDOL TONIGHT is the exclusive, live Red Carpet preshow to America’s favorite talent competition, American Idol and TV Guide Network’s highest rated original series. Last season the premiere averaged a .4 HH coverage rating, an increase of 33 percent compared to 2006.

About TV Guide Network

TV Guide Network reaches over 83 million homes and is the premier television entertainment network for viewers seeking the latest information on the best programs, hottest stars and latest trends on television. Headquartered in the heart of Hollywood at its TV Guide Studios, the network combines original programming with comprehensive program listings information - all of which deliver on viewers' need for an entertaining and easy guide to what's on TV. TV Guide Network is owned and operated by TV Guide Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc.

About Gemstar-TV Guide

Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. is a leading global media, entertainment, and technology company that develops, licenses, markets and distributes products and services that maximize the video guidance and entertainment experience for consumers. The Company's businesses include: television, publishing, and new media properties; interactive program guide services and products; and intellectual property licensing. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.gemstartvguide.com.

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Jamming with Drivetime

2008-02-09T14:20:00.001-08:00

Justin Guarini sitting in with a Philly area smooth jazz band called Drivetime in December, 2007. About five minutes into the second video, Justin does a version of My Funny Valentine that is completely different from the version on his Stranger Things CD. This is musicality at its core, folks, the ability to step up and completely change a song on the fly.

Justin Guarini's Insider Tell-All Blogs About American Idol

2008-01-27T10:34:00.001-08:00

Justin Guarini, the ultimate insider, is blogging exclusively for Fancast.com about American Idol. He's takes you behind the scenes and tells you what's happening when the cameras aren't on. Great stuff. Comments say it's better than the show. What do you think?

read more | digg story

New! Hot Tracks Album coming out in February!

2008-01-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

Justin has a new song that will be included along with seven other favorite Idol performer on a CD that is part of a HUGE promotion that Dreyer's/Edy's Ice Cream is doing, starting in February.

New Song "Get It" & Edy’s/Dreyer’s Ice Cream Promotion!
"Get It," a song from Justin Guarini’s upcoming release, has been chosen to be on a FREE CD available February thru May!

Edy's/Dreyer's Ice Cream is teaming up with 8 American Idol finalists from the past 6 seasons to offer fans one sweet deal!

When you buy 2 Slow Churned Ice Cream products you get a FREE CD compilation of some of your favorite American Idol finalists.

Look for an indoor display or on freezer doors at national & regional grocery chains near you!

Besides Justin, there will be tracks from: George Huff, Chris Richardson, Mandisa, Nadia Turner, Kimberly Caldwell, Constantine Maroulis, and Anthony Federov.

They are supposed to be shipping 1.5 million copies of this CD. Wow, that would make this a platinum album! Start making room for that ice cream!

The Best American Idol Blog, Dawg

2008-01-17T06:47:00.000-08:00

No, not us. Forget the couch cushion cowboys, the wannabes and the pretenders. The new king of American Idol blogs is from by someone who has lived it, from the inside, from the very beginning to the finale and six seasons thereafter. Someone who knows what Simon Cowell is really like, whether Randy Jackson's vocabulary is larger than six words, and whether Paula Abdul really . . . er, skip that. (He probably also knows if Clay Aiken . . . er skip that, too.)

Check it out: thebiz.fancast.com

Don't go expecting light weight fluff. He's bringing it ON.

And they're off . . .

2008-01-08T08:09:00.001-08:00

Ironically, the first American Idol show of the seventh season is called a wrap. As in Idol Wrap, on the TV Guide Network. The show, hosted by Justin Guarini, Kimberley Caldwell and presumably Rosanna Tavarez, features highlights and probably lowlights from the auditions as well in-the-know guests who share insights and gossip about Idol. It premieres Friday, January 11, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. eastern.

But for the writers' strike, the seventh season of Idol might well have seen the beginning of a distinct downward trend in viewership. With the dropping of season two winner Ruben Studdard and season five winner Taylor Hicks from J Records, and with more rumored to come, the shine has definitely come off the hit-making machine. In fact, with the exception of Carrie Underwood, no Idol has managed to maintain sales momentum from their prior albums. As anyone who follows Idol knows, the only thing that matters is how many units you move (tm Clive Davis).

Will season seven reverse the trend? Just as they learned from the unbelievably stupid way Davis and RCA handled Justin's first album (releasing it after season two ended, on the very same day the season two finalists' singles were released for sale, with no lead single and no video support), perhaps they will learn from the relative failure of both the season five and season six top two. This year's gimmick is to let them play their own instruments during the semi-finals. Only time will tell if this gimmick ultimately pays sales dividends.

Meanwhile, enjoy the TV spectacle if you will. Starting with the Wrap this Friday.

Help Is on the Way For the Holidays IX Was a Hit!

2007-12-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

The Help Is on the Way for the Holidays benefit concert this past weekend in San Francisco went off without a hitch and helped a great organization do even more good:

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presented the 9th annual “Help Is on the Way for the Holidays” on Dec. 2nd at the Herbst Theatre, ringing in the holiday season with song and dance from stars of stage, screen, and TV. Half a dozen decorated trees graced the stage and twice as many poinsettias lined it, along with boughs of holly. Beneficiaries of this year’s concert were Meals of Marin and Positive Resource Center. Producers Joe Seiler and Ken Henderson announced that REAF has distributed well over $2 million to AIDS service organizations, and that all performers donated their time and talent.

Justin received high praise for his performance from the San Francisco Bay Times reviewer, Sister Dana Van Iquity:

Justin Guarini sang Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On,” with a timely plea for peace: “War is not the answer.” Guarini’s mellow falsetto was flawless.

San Francisco Bay Times

What a great addition to the holidays and to the cause of AIDs services!

More Christmas Music (and a Josh Groban reference)

2007-11-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

The great thing about music, even Christmas music, is its diversity. For example, Josh Groban has a new Christmas album out and it is doing gangbusters in sales. Deservedly so, because even if you don't particularly care for his pop albums, in the Christmas music genre, "Noel" is the best major label Christmas album from a male singer this century (young as it is).

If you like your Christmas music performed with a little soul, while still staying true to the traditional melody, check out this live performance of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," by Justin Guarini at the Christmas at Bright Hope Concert in Philadelphia from 2006.

While Josh can be compared to Julie Andrews (because of the voice, people, the voice), Justin can be compared to Nat King Cole. No one's Christmas music collection would be complete without both stylings.

On a completely different note, check out this funny video. Someone took one of those My Scene dolls that was a clear rip-off of Justin's look, and made a stop-action video to The Click Five's song, "My Girlfriend Forgot Me This Christmas." The video is very well done and obviously took a lot of work to make. Kudos! (Only unfortunate thing is that embedding has been disabled for some reason.)

Youtube video: "My Girlfriend Forgot Me This Christmas"

Cheers!

Christmas Music!

2007-11-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

Some of our favorite Justin Guarini Christmas/Holiday music.

In 2005, Justin released a smooth jazz/vocal jazz album, and he and the band also recorded three Christmas songs. These were originally posted on drummer Jamey Tate's website (he arranged The Little Drummer Boy and My Favorite Things, and Greg Gordon Smith arranged I'll Be Home For Christmas).

Something very different, here is a youtube video of Justin performing a traditional spiritual called Motherless Child at the Christmas at Bright Hope Concert in 2006. It has been said that Justin doesn't merely sing, he inhabits a song, and this astounding performance demonstrates why.

Help is On The Way For the Holidays IX - Gala Performance!

2007-10-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini joins a number of other stage and screen stars to perform at a benefit concert in San Francisco on December 2, 2007.

The event is sponsored by the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation and benefits Meals of Marin and Positive Resource Center. A silent auction precedes the performance, and certain ticket levels are invited to a Dessert Party with the cast.

Official site link

Press release:

THE RICHMOND / ERMET AIDS FOUNDATION PRESENTS…
HELP IS ON THE WAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS IX
An ALL- STAR BENEFIT CONCERT
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007 - Herbst Theatre in SF

THE RICHMOND/ERMET AIDS FOUNDATION presents HELP IS ON THE WAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS IX - the kick-off event heralding the holiday season in San Francisco.
Beneficiaries of this year’s concert are
• Meals of Marin • Positive Resource Center

This year’s annual all-star holiday benefit concert features the talents of performers in fields of entertainment including Broadway, Film, TV, Recording, Jazz and Dance. This one-night only gala benefit concert will take place on Sunday, Dec. 2 at the HERBST THEATER, 401 Van Ness Ave.
in SF. There is a pre-show Silent Auction 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Performance begins at 7:30 pm.

The star-studded line-up features stage & screen stars including (as of 10/3/07):
LA TOYA LONDON American Idol / recording star
ANTHONY FEDOROV American Idol / recording star
JUSTIN GUARINI American Idol / Film (From Justin to Kelly) star
MARY WILSON Recording star / original member of The Supremes
SALLY STRUTHERS TV (All in the Family / Gilmore Girls) star
CAROLE COOK Broadway (42nd Street / Radio Gals) TV star
SHARON McNIGHT Tony-nominated cabaret star
KEVIN EARLEY Broadway (Les Miz) stage (Titanic / Assassins) star
TIM HOCKENBERRY Cabaret / jazz star
WESLA WHITFIELD Cabaret / recording star
SONY HOLLAND Cabaret / jazz artist
MEG MACKAY Cabaret / recording star
SHAWN RYAN TV (America’s Got Talent), cabaret star
LEANNE BORGHESI Cabaret star
MIND OVER MATTER Bay Area's elite Hip-Hop dance troupe
(Others to be announced.)

To get photos or bios of any of the performers go to
http://www.richmondermet.org/reaf10.1/events_12.2.07/castdetails12.07.htm

The show is directed by David Galligan. • Musical Directors: Richard Berent & Bill Keck
Producers are Joe Seiler & Ken Henderson.

PERFORMANCE ONLY TICKETS are $45 and $65 (GENERAL RESERVED SEATING).

GALA TICKETS (includes dessert reception following the performance) are $100.
There will be a post-performance dessert party with the cast in the Green Room of the War Memorial Building featuring complimentary wine, cocktails and desserts (9:30 - 11:30 pm).

For Gala and performance only tickets, call City Box Office at 415/ 392- 4400 -www.cityboxoffice.com

UNDERWRITER LEVEL TICKETS: include preferred seating and other benefits: $150 and up.
A portion of Underwriter level tickets help underwrite the costs of the production. Help is on the Way for the Holidays IX Underwriter ticket prices are tiered from $150 and up. Underwriters will be invited to the post-performance Cast Dessert Party in the Green Room of the War Memorial Building, featuring complimentary wine, cocktails and desserts as well a special reception in early 2007 to hand out the checks to the beneficiaries of this event.

To order Underwriter level tickets, visit www.helpisontheway.org or call 415 / 273 -1620

Since it’s inception in 1995, The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation has raised well over $2 million for AIDS service agencies in the Bay Area and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. 100% of proceeds from ticket sales have always gone directly to the beneficiary partners.

HELP IS ON THE WAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS IX is produced by The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, founded in 1995 by Barbara Richmond & Peggy Ermet in memory of their sons,
John Richmond & Doug Ermet, who both lost their lives to AIDS. In 1995 They decided not to get mad but get even when they launched a musical AIDS benefit to honor their sons and raise funds for AIDS service organizations.

To arrange an interview with any of the performers, with co-founder Barbara Richmond,
or Executive Director Ken Henderson, please call publicist Lawrence Helman at 415/ 661-1260.

CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

WHAT: THE RICHMOND / ERMET AIDS FOUNDATION presents...
HELP IS ON THE WAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS IX
An Annual, All-Star Holiday Benefit Concert -

WHEN: December 2, 2007 - Sunday

WHERE: THE HERBST THEATRE - 401 Van Ness Avenue in SF

SHOW
TIMES: 5:30 - 7:30 pm Silent Auction
7:30 Performance
9:30 -11:30 Post-performance party with the cast in the Green Room of
the War Memorial Building featuring complimentary wine,
cocktails and desserts. (Gala and Underwriter tix only.)

TICKET: $ 45, & $65 GENERAL RESERVED SEATING - (Show Only)
PRICES: $100 Gala tickets (Include dessert reception following the performance)
$150 up UNDERWRITER Level - (Preferred seating / Show & Post Party)
For Gala and performance only tickets, call City Box Office at 415/ 392- 4400 www.cityboxoffice.com

For Underwriter level tickets ($150 and up), call the REAF ticket line at
415/ 273- 1620 www.helpisontheway.org

PHOTOS: To get photos or bios of any of the performers go to
http://www.richmondermet.org/reaf10.1/events_12.2.07/castdetails12.07.htm

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation raises funds for AIDS service provider agencies, primarily in the SF Bay Area, through the production of quality entertainment events. Currently REAF produces three primary events, "Help is on the Way," "Help is on the Way for the Holidays" and a "One Night Only" series of benefit performances with the touring casts of Broadway shows appearing in the Bay Area as tour schedules permit. Almost all events include special silent and/or live auctions.

###

OMG, someone is doing what they love, call the blog police!

2007-10-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

So, Justin Guarini and Kimberley Locke are giving a concert tonight as part of the grand opening celebration of the Outlet Shoppes at El Paso. Predictably, TMZ.com (which stands for "this matters zilch") jumps on the news. This is followed by a number of other blog postings, mostly just TMZ news feeds or blogs run by fans of other Idols who somehow feel their own lives are made better by suggesting others are less than successful.

Hey, here's the thing: they love to sing. They love to perform. They get paid for doing both. It's a way better life than working for TMZ.com. When is the last time you made a crowd of people excited and happy that didn't involve you delivering pizza? Yeah, that's what we thought.

Everyone going tonight, enjoy.

A Fun Night for a Good Cause - Make-A-Wish

2007-09-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Make-A-Wish Foundation benefit was a real blast, and a lot of money raised for a good cause. Both sponsored children will have their wishes come true!

Justin performing the Commodore's classic "Lady." Think the audience was having fun? Oh, yeah!

Make-A-Wish Foundation Fundraiser Benefit!

2007-08-24T04:56:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini, Kimberley Caldwell, Mikalah Gordon, and Brandon Rogers from American Idol will be performing. Tickets go on sale this weekend.

The Missouri Theater is a beautiful restored theater in downtown St. Joseph, MO.

Official website:

www.stjoeidol.com

If you can't go, the website will have a link to donate for this great cause.

A Trip to David Hughes' Foreign Shores

2007-08-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

In 2005, Justin Guarini released an album of reinvented jazz standards. That album lead Justin to hire a friend of his drummer, a bassist named David Hughes, for a local LA gig. This in turn lead David Hughes to discover that Guarini had exactly the voice and the improvisational skills he needed for two songs on the solo album he was recording. Thus explains how an American Idol runner-up ended up making a guest appearance on a new contemporary jazz album.

David describes tbe album. "Foreign Shores," as "creative and original melodic jazz with funky grooves and energetic improvisations." Indeed, that is an apt description. There are funk, r&b, soul, and pop influences to be found across the album. The music is melodic enough to let you become familiar with the songs, yet not so familiar that the music fades into the background. The bass plays a prominent role, which brings out the funk factor. At the same time, this is not a "bass album," as David gives each of his guest musicians a chance to break out.

The song for which the album is named, "Foreign Shores," is a great example. It takes you on a journey, begining with a bit of banjo, a true American instrument, and then adds some chiming, Asian-inspired chords and a lively flute, throws in a drum section in the middle, and ends with extended improvisation that takes it beyond so-called smooth jazz (which, to some, means elevator music). "Snowflakes," a personal favorite of this blog's author, starts with a bright bass line joined by sustained atonal piano scales that add a slight touch of chaos - just like a snowfall.

"Your Sweet Voice" sounds more like instrumental pop and could easily be reinvented as a ballad heard on your local Adult Contemporary station. "Grace Peace Earth" is a meditation played entirely on the bass.

Then, there are the two songs for which Justin provides vocals. "Brazil" is David Hughes' own composition (should you be familiar with the classic samba version, this is not that). It is not all that common to include vocals on contemporary jazz recordings, so David explains how he come to include them on "Brazil:"

"From the start I only heard piano, then piano and flute. Then piano, flute and vocal. It is pretty typical for me that a melody comes quickly, but the actual arrangement gradually takes shape."

When recording the vocals, David had ideas in mind but knew he had a great improvisational vocalist, and wanted to bring that out:

"My arrangements tend to have sections that are very specific and sections that are very open to the musicians' ideas. On 'Brazil,' I instructed Justin exactly what to sing for the melodies, but during the solo trading I wanted him to be totally free."

That solo trading, between Justin and Katisse Buckingham on flute, ends with Justin's own flute-like vocalization taking off into the stratosphere.

The other song on which Justin provides vocals is "I wish," which unlike "Brazil," has written lyrics. David explains why he decided to cover a Stevie Wonder song as follows:

"I have always loved that song and I consider it a 'bass player anthem' due to the strong bassline with essentially constitutes a counter-melody. It would be extremely presumptuous to think Stevie's song can be improved, but it is nevertheless possible to infuse a little of your own musical personality by rearranging the song. I changed the chords and melody a little in the second half of the verse, because I like songs with unexpected harmonic progressions. The groove in the first half of the chorus is changed to emphasize what I perceive as the 'funkyness' of the song. I wanted the bridge to contrast with the energy of the choruses, to allow for a little relief. The last chorus modulates up a half step, it's an overused trick to kick the energy level up a notch, but if you do it right it's very effective and refreshing. I also added a few syncopations in the drums and bass, something inspired by Earth Wind & Fire."

He was very pleased with what Justin added to the song:

"Justin deserves accolades for his performance. I think the original key is Eb, and my arrangement starts out in that key, but then modulates up a half step...That is definitely high! I think Justin brought the perfect interpretation of the song to the table. He is a great musician who instinctively understands what the arrangement calls for on his behalf. He sticks to the melody enough to make is sound like a song and not just a jam, but improvises the right amount to keep the excitement up and make the song more interesting."

While not a jam, in the sense that term suggests a lack of direction, the horns and sax and Justin's singing make "I Wish" a hell of a lot of fun.

In other words, if you are a contemporary jazz fan, there is a lot to discover on this album. If you're a Justin Guarini fan, there is a lot to love on this album, beyond the tracks on which he sings.

Some final words from David Hughes on his guest vocalist:

"I was blown away when I heard [Stranger Things Have Happened, Justin's jazz album]! Greg Gordon Smith helped come up with some fantastic, creative arrangements of songs I've played a million times, and a few that were more unusual. Justin adjusts his voice quality to suit the mood and sound of the songs and his improvising is on par with that of a great instrumentalist. I would compare him to another great jazz vocalist, Kurt Elling, but since Justin is younger, there is a different timbre in his sound and perhaps a little more daring approach."

Daring? Yeah, that describes Justin as a vocalist. It's great to hear him in the company of accomplished and equally daring musicians. Pick up a copy of this album for all of the journey on which it takes you.

What's Going On?

2007-07-27T08:16:00.001-07:00

Whether you agree or disagree with the objectives of the Iraq war, it's stunning to think how many people in this country have now lived through two wars with a similar path - leading large segments of the population to ask the question Justin Guarini asks in his contemporary version of the Marvin Gaye classic, "What's Going On?" Performed live in Flint Michigan on July 21, 2007.

Justin Guarini at the Heart Expo in Japan on 07-07-07

2007-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

American Idol Runner-Up to perform a hymn for which he composed the music.

Justin is performing on the symbolic date of 07-07-07 at the Heart Expo, a charitable benefit taking place in Ishikawa, Japan.

The event is sponsored by Global Harmony, an organization founded by a Buddist monk known as Cealo. HH Cealo is a believer in "direct action," which means he doesn't just talk about the needs of the underprivileged or get his picture taken while visiting them as an "ambassador," he goes to the poor areas of the world and does whatever he can do to help as many as he can. This excerpt from his website explains in more detail:

His Holiness Gayuna Cealo is a Buddhist monk best known as an advocate for children and women in Burma and Cambodia, bringing much-needed support in the way of rice, vegetables, blankets, medical supplies, books, pencils, toys, clothes and most importantly, education for a self-reliant society. His hands-on, heartfelt approach has moved people from all walks of life to get involved in creating an infrastructure for change in poorer countries, including the President and Royal Family of Cambodia. The Prince and Princess were so moved by Cealo’s direct action and kindness that they have agreed to work with him to develop a new city for the future. They had originally heard of the monk giving hundreds of meals to street children, though this is an illegal act in Cambodia. (Permission from the government is needed before giving food to street children there.) Rather than fining him or putting him in jail, they asked to consult with him on what to do about the homeless problem. Such direct and positive action from a single individual to affect change made them realize this was a man worthy of listening to and learning from. “Giving food or money is not the only answerE he insisted. “If one truly wants to heal the sick and needy, one must give hope and a sense of purpose. This is true of all people, not just the poor. Access to higher education or vocational training is critical.

When Cealo met Justin, he declared that Justin was "pure of heart" and asked him to compose the music for one of Cealo's hymns, entitled "Hymn to Oneself #14." With the assistance of jazz pianist and producer Greg Gordon Smith, Justin recorded a moving version of this hymn. You can listen to it on youtube, accompanied by wonderful imagery.

The Hymn is also available for sale at the Global Harmony website shop, with proceeds benefiting the organizations' peace and child welfare efforts.

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

2007-05-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

The immortal words of Yogi Berra (go google him, youngsters) were never more true than describing this week's American Idol finale between Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis. A belter and and an all-around performer went at it, with the belter prevailing after the two were both required to sing the same power ballad coronation song. Now, where have we seen that before?

Oh, yeah, on the first season of American Idol, in the showdown between Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini.

The similarity was made all the more mind-blowing by the fact that American Idol Rewind ran its finale episode not more than a week before the regular AI episode, reminding viewers that Justin was actually screwed twice in his finale with two songs chosen especially for a young female singer, not just one. (We've talked about this before.)

Justin has been characteristically gracious about what was done to him. It is not part of his life philosophy to dwell on past bad acts of others. Even in our recent interview with him, where the subject of the two season's parallels came up, he merely commented on how they were "working out a lot of bugs" the first season.

Justin is also way too self-deprecating about his vocal performance, implicitly suggesting it was on par with Lewis'. As Debra Byrd made sure to point out to him when she appeared on the season finale of Idol Tonight, "You held your own, dude. I have to make sure you get props for that."

Indeed, he did. Justin has an incredible vocal range, and the only problem for him vocally with "A Moment Like This" was where the arrangement was placed relative to his head/chest voice break. We love to see what he and Greg Gordon Smith (his jazz album arranger) would do with the song without constraints.

In any event, Blake Lewis did the best he could with the song and surely knew (and probably hoped) he would come in second. What is somewhat bothersome is how free he has been to talk about what was done to him, relative to the straight jacket Justin experienced. If Justin had said this:

Lewis agrees. "'This is My Now" is definitely not my style, a song I would never sing if I didn't have to," he says. "It fit [Jordin] like perfectly. And I honestly think they should have had two songs that were tailored to both of us, but I'm so happy with being second place." link

he would have been pilloried. He has been pilloried, by press that has so far shown little regard for fair and balanced reporting.

So, we issue a challenge to the press. When you are talking about the Lewis/Sparks showdown and the producers' manipulation of the outcome, let's see you acknowledge that Justin Guarini was subjected to the same sort of set-up. If you don't think it reflects on Blake's talent, than how can it possibly reflect on Justin's? No person can shine when the people in control are shoving his light under a barrel.

Justin is right, though. They have worked out the bugs. The major bug they worked out was their fear of non-winners' success. Blake Lewis will not live out the nightmare that Justin did the end of the first season. He will have a successful album release, no doubt. More power to him. But, press, here's another request. Let's get our facts right when the inevitable comparisons are made by you come album time. As much as they appear the same, things have substantially changed. Thanks in advance.

Dishing the Idol Finale and Making Music with Justin Guarini

2007-05-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

Essential Justin caught up with American Idol first season runner-up Justin Guarini, who is currently hosting Idol Tonight on the TV Guide Channel. Despite his hectic schedule, Justin was gracious enough to spend some time talking with us about Idol, then and now, and the summer of music he has planned.

EJ: You’ve been a busy guy lately. Are you enjoying it?
Justin: Sure, of course! It’s always nice to work, no doubt about that. I’ve been working pretty consistently, mostly below the radar, but now this year, I’ve really gotten to work on a national level with TV Guide Channel and it’s lead to a lot of good stuff.

EJ: That’s great. From what I understand, next week you guys have a lot of Idol Tonight you are going to be doing with TV Guide. It sounds like you’re going to leave no Idol stone unturned.
Justin: (laughs) Exactly. We have four days, two hour shows each day that we’re going to put on the air. Then on top of that, there’s going to be a lot of press, we have radio junkets. We’ll obviously do the MSNBCs, the FOXes, the national news outlets, so it’s going to be very busy. But it’s that way every single year when it comes to Idol and, you know, I don’t mind because it’s an interesting balance because you have a lot of work but with that work comes a lot of exposure. I can’t thank TV Guide enough for helping me out, I mean they offered me this job and I took it and it’s really really helped bring my brand to a national audience again.

EJ: Right, well, they seem to like you, so it looks like . . . .
Justin: (laughs) Yeah, they’re nice. I’d really like to continue working with them. We’re working on hammering something out right now.

EJ: So, let’s talk about Idol a little bit. Very early on, you picked Jordin Sparks as the dark horse, and you’re looking pretty darn astute right now.
Justin: Yeah, yeah I picked Lakisha, I thought Lakisha was going to win because she started out so strong in the beginning, but, I think, yeah, I was (laughs) I was pretty right. But you know what I think it was? I sort of had some inside help, because I did an event in Arizona and was out to dinner and I randomly met some of Jordin’s relatives out there. This was way early in the competition. I think it was just as the Top 12 was getting started. And they were like we haven’t, you haven’t seen anything from Jordin yet, she hasn’t really started to sing yet. I thought, “Well, that’s interesting.” And, I started paying closer attention to Jordin at that point and you know, the numbers added up. She seemed like . . . I was waiting for her to do what her family said she was going to do and as she started to do it, it confirmed my suspicions that she would be a dark horse. And here she is, just like Kelly [Clarkson], actually, in the finale. No one paid attention to Kelly early on and it became evidently clear that she had what it took to be in the finale.

EJ: In fact, that is what I was going to comment on. It’s strikes me that there is a lot of comparison between the finale this season and your finale in the first season.
Justin: Yeah, yeah, you have a woman who is very much a singer, she is a great, great vocalist, Jordin is a great, great vocalist and somebody who is more of an entertainer, who sings well but is more of an entertainer. It’s an interesting parallel. From the top 4 on, it was almost the same thing although you have Tamyra [Gray] being voted off fourth as opposed to Melinda [Doolittle] being voted off third. So there is the same sort of shock value there. But, uhm, yeah, it’s interesting you know. Three girls, one guy, and the guy ends up being in the finals.

EJ: Although, I have to say, I think Blake Lewis ought to count his blessings that he doesn’t have to adapt “A Moment Like This” to his style.
Justin: (loud laugh) Yeah, no, it was tough that first year. They were working out a lot of bugs. Ever since then they have not had the finalists sing the same exact songs because they realize that just isn’t the way to go. They have two very different artists. You can’t make them sing the same songs. But, it’s just, you know, they’ve worked out the bugs and we’re really expecting a great finale this year. I think it’s going to be thee closest in Idol history.

EJ: You think so?
Justin: I’m going to go out on a limb and say that.

EJ: Go out on a limb. It would have to be, what, less than one percent to beat Season 2?
Justin: Something.

EJ: Something like that.
Justin: I don’t know what it is going to be but I think it’s going to be closer than Clay [Aiken] and Ruben [Studdard] even.

EJ: Okay, well, there you go.
Justin: Mmm-hmm.

EJ: So, have you heard anything about the finale you can share with us?
Justin: I’ve heard that Beatles songs have been cleared. So, it’s very possible Sir Paul may show up. I’m not sure, they may just be singing Beatles songs. But they keep very tight lipped about everything that’s going on on that finale, so who knows?

EJ: Even hanging backstage, you’re not getting any of the inside scoop?
Justin: (laughs) No, no, backstage is closed off to everyone but the producers and the contestants.

EJ: Let’s go back a little bit in time this season, because the earlier sensation was of course Sanjaya [Malakar]. And here’s another parallel to your season. The fervor that surrounded him, the pop culture fervor that surrounded him seemed an awful lot like what you experienced in your season. But I noticed afterwards, he’s on some shows, looks like he’s getting some stars in his eyes. It must have been really hard not to lose your head when you have that kind of frenzy surrounding you?
Justin: They kept us pretty insulated from a lot of that during the show and we didn’t see a lot of that during the show.

EJ: But afterwards . . .
Justin: Afterwards, for me, it was just work. I worked for almost a year, straight, going from the Vegas show to the tour to my album to trying to promote my album, and that little movie. It was straight work so I didn’t really have time to go to parties and do the things that Sanjaya is doing. But, you know, it’s was interesting, it really comes down to how you were raised and who you surround yourself with while you are going through that kind of craziness. Sanjaya seems like good people, very nice, and I hope he realizes that this is, uh, fame and fame is fleeting if you don’t respect it. And so, I think we’ll see some good stuff out of him, he’s a just nice guy on top of being a pop culture (laughs) sensation.

EJ: Enough about Idol, let’s talk about the music you are working on. I understand you are going to do some recording today. You released a “teaser” of a new song, “Eventually,” so . . .
Justin: Yeah, yeah!

EJ: Just how long do you plan to tease us?
Justin: (loud laugh) Well, trust me, I’d love to put all the music out right now but it’s, it’s coming together. The picture is coming together. I don’t want to rush it. Honestly. I’m going to the UK in about a month, writing and working over there for a couple of weeks, and it seems the more and more I write, the more and more I travel, the better and better the songs get. So, I’m just, it’s kind of like, uh, it’s kind of like a nice turkey. You know? (laughs) It’s just you gotta wait a while but it’s just so good at the end. Oh, that’s a horrible analogy.

EJ: Yeah, it was! (laughs)
Justin: (laughs) It just keeps getting better and better the more and more I work and write and as soon as Idol is over I’ll really be able to focus more on the writing process. It’s just, and you know, the picture is becoming clearer and I’d like to have an album out next year, but I’d really like to do it properly. I’d like to spend the next couple of months really writing and putting together a great demo. Then I’ll go and shop it to the labels both here and abroad. And we’ll see who bites. But it’s a process, you know? It was a process that was rushed the first go round and you see the results, so I am not going to make that mistake again. Fortunately for the people who want to hear the music, I’m going to be doing concerts over the next couple of months, and I’ll definitely be sneaking some of those songs in there.

EJ: Are you still considering some of the songs you did in [in concert in] September or are you evolving beyond those?
Justin: I think we’ve really, I don’t know. Those are on the table, but I think it’s more evolving beyond that. I love what Greg [Gordon Smith] has done. Greg is a phenomenal writer and a great arranger, and he is going to be at the concerts. He’s still my go-to guy for being my musical director. So he’ll be there and you know, we’ll probably put some of that stuff in the concerts. Kinda the good music. The picture just constantly evolves, the music is constantly evolving, so we’ll see.

EJ: I take that to mean when you say concerts, then, you mean actual concerts this summer?
Justin: That’s what I’ll be performing at, the festivals and the shows. It won’t be me touring alone. Concerts, festivals, things like that.

EJ: What I meant was that your band will be with you at these concerts?
Justin: Oh, yeah, yeah! Not all of them. Some of them, they will be, yeah. Actually, I think I don’t (laughs) I have to figure out which ones they’ll be at and which ones they’re not. I have to talk to [my manager] Nelly, she has all that information, I’m just so Idoled out right now, I don’t know much what’s going on beyond next Wednesday. (laughs) But there are definitely going to be some concerts that have the band there.

EJ: I know your fans are looking forward to that. I know you have to run, so let me just sort of wrap up a couple things here. You’ve got some concerts coming up, you’re traveling to the UK, what else are you going to do this summer? Do some hanging out at the pool?
Justin: Traveling to Japan in July, it’s going to be pretty crazy. Then, I’m just focused on the music, 100%, really, over the next couple of months, and I’ll be traveling the UK, Japan, and then around the US doing some festivals and some arena shows.

EJ: Are you going to be working on your music in Japan or is that a personal trip?
Justin: That’s actually for the Heart Expo. It’s another thing I’m doing with Cealo, the monk I wrote the hymn for. It’s going to be more of a personal trip, actually for for him. I promised him a year ago so I’ll be making the trip.

EJ: One last question. You have the movie, Fast Girl, coming out. Any news on its release?
Justin: Oh, yeah, you know what? I don’t know when it’s coming out. They’re just really finalizing everything right now. It should be out probably in the next couple of months. They are going full bore on it last I heard from the producers. It should be done inside of a month and then they start to distribute it and that will probably take a month, so I’d say easily before the end of the summer it will be out.

EJ: We got a message from someone who had seen a rough cut of it and she was very excited about it.
Justin: Oh, good. I’ve seen a scene from it, a scene, but it’s like movies can go, the only people who really see the movie before it comes out are the producers, until it’s finally finished.

EJ: Okay, then, well, thanks so much.
Justin: No problem.

EJ: Looking forward to seeing you [on Idol Tonight] next week and then hopefully catching you in concert this summer.
Justin: Definitely. Thank you so much and tell everyone I said hello.

Idol Tonight airs on the TV Guide Channel Monday through Thursday next week. Check your TV listings for air times in your area. Also be sure to catch a special Close Up, Justin Guarini, which premieres on the TV Guide Channel Saturday, May 19, at 3:00 p.m. eastern and repeats several times.

photo credit: JEBexcited4J

Have a cuppa, shoot a video, win a scholarship!

2007-04-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Justin Guarini is the national spokesperson for the Calm-A-Sutra National Scholarship Contest sponsored by the Tea Council of the USA, announced today. Justin says he's proud to be involved in a project that promotes a healthy product and education at the same time. Justin is himself a long-time tea drinker (he once said his only appearance rider demand was hot water and tea), so he is the perfect spokesperson to sing tea's praises!

Winners receive a $20,000 scholarship and a trip to New York City to appear on the Early Show with Justin!

Drink Tea. Win Scholarship. Experience the 'Calm-A-Sutra of Tea' This May!

Recording Artist and American Idol Runner-Up Justin Guarini partners with the Tea Council of the USA to launch the "Calm-A-Sutra of Tea," a $20,000 Nationwide Scholarship Competition

Tea Council of the USA, Inc. launches $20,000 Nationwide Scholarship Competition with Recording Artist and American Idol Runner-Up Justin Guarini

NEW YORK, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. announced today the launch of the Calm-A-Sutra of Tea(TM), a nationwide scholarship competition awarding one creative student $20,000 towards their education plus an all-expense paid trip to New York City, in an effort to further educate America's young people on the health-related benefits of drinking tea.

The Calm-A-Sutra of Tea is a nationwide search for the most unique and creative way to drink tea, specifically black, green, white and oolong tea, all from the Camellia sinensis plant, explained in a one-to-two minute homemade Internet video that incorporates some aspect of tea's many health-related benefits.

As the world's most widely consumed beverage (next to water), tea is great tasting and calorie-free. It contains flavonoids that are believed to be health-protective antioxidants, which ultimately makes drinking tea part of a satisfying, healthy lifestyle.

"While educating the public on the emerging sciences supporting the health-related benefits of drinking tea is one of the Tea Council's main objectives, we also strongly support America's young people seeking a higher education," said Joe Simrany, President of the Tea Council of the USA. "The Calm-A-Sutra of Tea scholarship competition is the perfect vehicle for this Internet generation to take advantage of in their search for scholarships and financial aide for the upcoming 2007-2008 school year."

The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. has also partnered with recording artist and American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini as the official Calm-A-Sutra of Tea spokesperson. An avid tea drinker, Guarini supports the Tea Council's platform on educating young Americans about the health benefits of drinking tea through the immensely popular and ever-growing trend of using online video as the newest form of mass communication.

"As a singer, drinking hot tea has served as an essential part of my daily vocal warm-up routine," said Justin Guarini. "In addition to the fact that tea is an overall healthy beverage, I'm really proud to be working with the Tea Council in support of education in America."

The participant who submits the most creative and unique video, which emphasizes the health-related benefits of drinking black, green, white or oolong tea, will be selected by a panel of Tea Council representatives to receive a scholarship of $20,000 and an all-expense paid trip to New York City for themselves and a guest in the first week of June when the winner is announced.

All entries must be original Internet videos created by the entrant and must contain at least one valid message regarding Tea's health-related benefits, specifically black, green, white and oolong tea. Open to legal residents of the United States and Puerto Rico, who are at least 16 years of age, all entries must be received electronically at http://www.teausa.org/calmasutra no later than May 28, 2007.
The winner will receive a check in the amount of $20,000 paid directly to the school or educational institution on the winner's behalf and an all-expense paid trip to New York City, which includes round-trip airfare and two-night hotel accommodations.

Final judging will be conducted by a panel of representatives of the Tea Council of the USA, Inc. based on the following criteria:

HEALTH-RELATED MESSAGE (50%; Entry must contain at least one valid message regarding Tea's health-related benefits, specifically black, green, white and oolong tea), CREATIVITY (20%), INDIVIDUALITY (20%) and POPULARITY (10%). Entries that contain any nudity, sexual content, inappropriate language, unsuitable behavior or adult material will be automatically discarded and not considered for submission.

For more information, please visit http://www.teausa.org/calmasutra.

ABOUT THE TEA COUNCIL OF THE USA:

The Tea Council of the USA is a non profit association that was formed in 1950 as a joint partnership between tea packers, importers and allied industries within the United States, and the major tea producing countries. It functions as the educational arm of the tea industry with a primary goal of increasing overall awareness of tea by providing information about its many positive attributes. One of the Council's primary objectives is the dissemination of key scientific findings about tea to the public. The Tea Council does this in several ways including: funding scientific meetings to bring tea researchers from around the world together to share key information and identify next steps for future research projects; and
working with health organizations and international scientists to disseminate information about potential positive health effects of tea consumption on a public level. Additional efforts of the Tea Council include outreach to the health professional community, support and monitoring of key scientific meetings internationally, and ongoing interaction with leading tea researchers.

Check out the Early Show video on youtube:

Can't wait to see that videos are entered in the contest!

Link

American Idol Country Night - No Excuses

2007-04-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

American Idol once again has Country Night, and most of the performances were, well, not so good. Of course, Melinda Doolittle did great. She proved, though, that it's not the music, it's the singer.

If you're called upon to sing a different genre of music, you've got to find a way to connect. That doesn't mean you have to suddenly start singing with a twang, wearing a cowboy hat and line dancing. But you do have to discover what you can do with your voice that compliments the style of the music. Remaking it entirely into your comfort zone doesn't count.

Here's a little seen gem. While the first season of Idol did not have a country music night, they did do a country segment in the (in)famous American Idol in Las Vegas special. Justin thrilled the audience by breaking out a warm baritone for this sincere, lingering version of Desperado. It was different from his usual style, and it was gosh darn good (to put it in country terms). Plus, he didn't use nasally as a form of singing, if you know what we mean.

Justin Guarini sings Desperado

Hooking Up on Myspace Can Lead to Artistic Pleasure

2007-04-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, we're not above using a little titillation to perk up interest. Heh.

This week, Justin debuted a brief version of a new song on American Idol Extra, called "Eventually." You can watch the video below.

As he explains, he wrote the song with a British writer/producer named Pete "Boxta" Martin. Although Boxta is making a name for himself in England, working some of the best artists in the UK neo-soul movement, Justin didn't hook up with him any old-fashioned way. He didn't have an A&R guy at a record label arrange a meeting; he didn't run into the guy at a concert or some industry function. He saw Boxsta's myspace icon on another writer's page and looked him up.

Myspace, not just for teen angst, garage bands, and dating site spam.

Justin Guarini debuts a new soul/R&B song called "Eventually"

One thing you can tell even from that short snippet is the difference it makes when an artist is part of creating the music from its inception. At the time, it wasn't noticeable, but comparing to now, you can see how little Justin enjoyed singing most of the material from his first album. It wasn't chosen for him as much as tossed at him with a "here, record this." Now, you can see how much Justin loves performing his new material, both this song and those written with Greg Gordon Smith. A light exudes from him on stage.

Something else intrigues us about this new song. If you think about it, "eventually" isn't exactly the most musical word. Among other things, you've got the rhythm issue. Is it "e-ven-tu-al-ly" or "e-ven-chally"? Then, it's just a rather vague adverb. You have to build a story around it because it doesn't exactly tell one on its own.

The title "Eventually" brings to mind a great groove track by Amos Lee called "Sympathize." "Sympathize" is similarly not a particularly musical word, and it needed a good story to sell it. Amos did pretty good, don't you think?

"Sympathize" by Amos Lee

We've only heard a minute thirty seconds of "Eventually," but it seems Justin and Boxta also found a hook that works. Justin the singer tells the object of his affection he's going to stick around because "Eventually" she'll figure out she should love him. Guess we have to wait for the remaining three or so minutes to hear the rest of his appeal, but here's hoping she figures it out by the end of the song. That would be "eventually" enough for us.

Justin Guarini to do live-in studio performance on American Idol Extra!

2007-04-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

A Fox Reality Original Series: 'American Idol Extra' with Host JD Roberto, a Live Performance by Guest Justin Guarini, and a Feature Segment with Kellie Pickler!
Thursday, April 5

6:30P ET with an Encore Performance at 10:30P ET

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In this episode:

Host JD Roberto will be the FIRST to interview the eliminated contestant from the remaining Top 9 to bring reality fans the whole “American Idol” story. In this episode, Justin Guarini (“American Idol” Season 1 runner-up) makes a guest appearance and gives a live in-studio performance! Watch as Justin’s “American Idol” knowledge is tested by a fan in the new “American Idol Extra” Superfan game. Plus, this episode features a special segment with former “American Idol” contestant Kellie Pickler (season 5). Tune in every Thursday, now through May 24, for all the drama and emotion, moments after the elimination results are announced.

ABOUT FOX REALITY

Fox Reality launched May 24, 2005 to become the first destination for lovers of unscripted programming. The channel offers major US network favorites, exclusive international reality programming, Original Series and Specials. Fox Reality offers reality viewers more of their favorite reality programming with RealityRevealed in Primetime with never-before-seen footage, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes secrets and more reality fun. Fox Reality distribution is set to propel past 35 million subscribers in its second year, becoming one of only four new networks to achieve that feat. Its programming is available on television, broadband, cellular phones and other leading mobile devices. It recently entered into a sweeping deal with Apple® to deliver upcoming original series to iTunes® (excluding American Idol Extra). To get more information on Fox Reality programs and schedules, please visit foxreality.com.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070404005791&newsLang=en

Sanjaya Malakar, Blake Lewis, Justin Guarini?

2007-03-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

American Idol has reached season 6 and seems to have run out of originality. Not that America's favorite cheese fest was ever all that original, but at least the cast of characters seemed to bring something different each season. This year, while there are a few good singers, for the most part, all AI 6 is doing is reminding us of AI 1.

Take the furor over Sanjaya Malakar. The consensus seems to be that he's progressing because of his style, not his singing. There have been the inevitable hair style comparisons to Justin Guarini from season one, because apparently no one else has ever had curly hair before. What really makes us laugh, however, are the self-declared Idol experts in the blogosphere who have suggested another comparison, namely that Justin succeeded on his looks alone. Well, no one ever said the ignorant don't have opinions. Fortunately for us, we have hard fact on our side. American Idol Rewind in itself debunks that notion. This week, Justin's skilled jazz phrasing is on display in his performance of Route 66. If you missed the show, you can watch the video below.

In case you've heard that Justin tripped up the lyrics, yep, it's true. He accidentally took Route 66 through Alabama, and in a split second, adjusted the song to rhyme "Alabama" with "Savannah." That took some mad skills. You'd never have known if he hadn't confessed to it later (or you live in either Alabama or Savannah and know the route doesn't go anywhere near you).

Putting aside Chris Sligh's blatant attempt to ride Justin's 'fro coattails, the other person evoking a Justin comparison this season is Blake Lewis. We've noted with wry amusement the championing of Blake because of his performance skills. He has indeed been doing a pretty good job in that regard. During the first season, although the show's producers have tried to re-write history with the help of an access-hungry media, Justin was at the top of many pick lists to be the first American Idol because he brought everything to the stage. He has that silky smooth bari-tenor voice and killer falsetto, he has the easy charm that captivates you before he even opens his mouth to sing, and he has the physical presence that takes charge of the stage. In other words, he's a true total package.

In the first season, interestingly enough, demonstrating this total package was discouraged. They wanted "presentation" singing - find your spot on the stage, stand there and belt out your song. Indeed, Justin was told not to dance. Imagine this season, Blake being told not to dance. What would he have left? The beat boxing can only be pulled out so many times.

The first season also had a teeny tiny stage and no live band. While Blake is a stand-out for his performance skills among his competitors, it's all relative. On tour, Justin finally was able to let loose and unleash the full power of his stage presence. If he were performing on the AI 6 stage, he'd show the audience why they should expect more from their prospective Idols.

But that is the reason producer Nigel Lythgoe will never again allow Justin to perform on the Idol stage.

You can watch Justin's tour performance of For Once in My Life below. Keep an eye out for the death defying leap down the stairs. You might want to turn down your volume a bit; the audio is loud.

American Idol Season 6 Top 12 Special

2007-03-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

TV Guide Channel is running a special on the American Idol Season 6 Top 12, which was filmed at the recent party celebrating the Top 12. Justin Guarini conducted some great interviews with the finalists. Among others, Jordin Sparks opened up to him about why she is "holding something back," and Melinda Doolittle shared with him a surprising revelation about how her audition was just a lark.

If Regis Philbin decides not to come back after his heart surgery, we know a young performer who has great interpersonal interviewing skills. ;)

Remember when American Idol had real star power?

2007-02-28T06:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a while.

Having American Idol Rewind airing at the same time as this season has really driven home the point that there has been no natural combination of vocal talent and performance ability on any season that matches one Justin Guarini.

Oh, there's been what Alan Greenspan would call "irrational exuberance" about various folks. None match the "wow" that Justin brought from the first time he stepped on the stage, all the way through a finale where, even as the producers manipulated it against him, he still managed to shine.

This is how you can identify a true star.

Justin Guarini's audition singing Sittin on the Dock of the Bay

Justin's "guide you my way" in Ribbon in the Sky provided the first spontaneous "umph" moment on American Idol, one every singer has been desperate to copy ever since.

Justin Guarini's Top 30 performance of "Ribbon in the Sky."

Off with the pretenders, we want to see the king again.

updated to make the videos work better

Revolution Shmevolution

2007-02-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

CBS Sunday Morning did a story this morning on The Grammys, American Idol, and how the music industry is faring. The story featured Idol's Randy Jackson doing his usual "blah-blah-blah" about how Idol has revolutionized the music industry. "The people choose what they want to hear."

Not quite, Randy. It's true that Idol has made life easier for a few music executives, specifically those at RCA who would otherwise have to do the work of breaking new artists, but Idol has not changed the music the people hear, just the identities of the people singing it.

The singers who have had the most commercial and radio success post-Idol (Clarkson, Underwood, and most recently, DAUGHTRY) are also the singers who fit most seamlessly into existing Top 40/Country radio formats. One could argue that Idol has actually increased the emphasis on commerciality of music, as people like Ken Barnes at USA Today obsessively report on a weekly basis about the number of "units" (tm Clive Davis) each current major release has moved. Former Idols like Justin who have a unique artistic voice merit either no mention or dismissive comment because their music can't be tracked on a chart.

Yet, compare RCA's "Justin Guarini" to Justin's self-produced "Stranger Things Have Happened." If Idol really revolutionized music, you'd be hearing the fresh sounds of the latter album when you turn on your radio. But of course, you don't.

If you want to talk revolution, consider the only real reason to tune into the Grammy Awards tonight - the reunion of The Police. It reminds us of another time popular music needed a kick in the derriere. We're talking about the post-disco malaise that was pop music in the late 70's. Outside of Michael Jackson in his creative heyday, pop music had fallen into predictability, following the same safe formula with singers and bands that sounded largely alike.

Then came "ROX-anne." New Wave hit. Popular music got vibrant again. For a while, anyway, until that, too, played itself out. The history of rap and hip-hop tells a similar story.

Idol, being ultimately about shortcutting the A&R (artist and repertoire) process, never had a shot of making that significant an impact on music. For that, we have to wait while the next new wave works its way up through the grassroots process.

Can we ask them to hurry up?

A Cultural Icon

2007-02-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Every male singer who croons is compared to Frank Sinatra.

Every sitcom with an ensemble of young actors is compared to Friends.

No one after them can ever be an original again.

Every guy with a soft curly 'fro is compared to Justin Guarini.

Justin is a cultural icon.

Here are a few comparisons we've seen in just the last week or so.

Chris Sligh, American Idol hopeful:

Yeah, we don't think so. Nice try, though, Chris.

Robin Lopez, Stanford University basketball player:

photo credit: maxpreps.com

Only if you close your eyes and squint real hard.

Corbin Bleu, star of High School Musical and Jump In:

photo credit: IMDB.com

If Justin had worn the 'fro when he was a teenager, this one might almost be a match.

Keep trying, guys. Someone might get it right.

Nah, it's already been done.

photo: Steward Volland, TV Guide

Someone else noticed, too

2007-01-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

It seems we aren't the only ones who have noticed the biases and stereotypes at work in the comments about Justin's hair. From darkparables.blogspot.com:

They also are unaware of their prejudices against non-normal physical attributes. Of course they are all into beauty and cosmetic surgery and looking good for the cameras. But it goes even further. For instance, on idol chat, Rosanna and Kimberly were mocking Justin Guarini's afro, comparing his hair to Bozo the clown. On E's commentary on the golden globe fashions, the hosts -- and Miss Jay a black person with transgender issues should know better-- got a lot of laughs mocking Vanessa Williams and Will Farrell's hair. Why? Because of the afros and curly hair. Why should curly hair and afros bring knee-jerk laughter? Yet, all over television there is a continued mockery about afros which shows that subtle racism is still alive.

Justin's reply, by the way, was to go along with the joke by patting his hair lovingly and saying something to the effect of "Why yes, I stole it and dyed it brown." The setting was light-hearted, and both co-hosts would probably be horrified to know someone saw their actions as "subtle racism." Still, it's worth thinking about how we continue to denigrate differences in our society, even if we do it unconsciously.

On a happier note, Justin is now a correspondent on the TV Guide Channel, appearing on Idol Chat and later on Idol Tonight. Putting aside the Afro issue, Idol Chat has been fun to watch. There's great chemistry between Justin and Kimberly and Rosanna (they keep cracking the show's crew, making you wonder if the show will in fact go on). We're waiting for them to let Justin loose behind the scenes at the tapings of American Idol. That should be a real hoot.

Truthiness and American Idol Bandwagons

2007-01-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

We interrupt our irregularly scheduled blogging for a little righteous indignation. . . .

Jessica Shaw of Entertainment Weekly is an example of the worst kind of entertainment writer - one with selective memory who confuses good reporting with her personal desire to look cool.

You might be wondering what inspired this mini-tirade against Ms. Shaw. A sentence. Actually, a quoted sentence of Shaw’s about Justin Guarini in a recent nationally syndicated article about American Idol. The article is a typical one that contains surface opinion, not in-depth substance, retracing - or more accurately, rewriting - Idol history. We’ve all seen them a thousand times by now. Anybody and everybody writes them, which means the writers eventually end up copying each other, repeating the same things over and over and over. Doesn’t matter if the first time something was said it was utter nonsense. If repeated enough, it becomes the truth (or, to borrow from Stephen Colbert, it's "truthy").

That's where Ms. Shaw comes in. Her quoted sentence became our proverbial last straw. So, we are speaking up. Might not be as galvanizing as Howard Beale’s rallying cry of "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!", but, well, it comes close enough for us.

Ms. Shaw’s sentence?

Someone like (runner-up) Justin Guarini, you knew this was never going to be someone who was destined for music superstardom.

As soon as we read it, a word flashed in our brain: Bandwagon. As in, “jumping on the bandwagon”. We looked up the word using Encarta dictionary, and found this:

jump or climb on the bandwagon; to join in something only because it is fashionable or likely to be profitable

Not sure “profitable” applies, but “fashionable” sure fits the bill. It has become fashionable to rewrite Justin Guarini’s history, to use him as the designated target for weak insults, unsubstantiated claims, inappropriate examples, and general fact twisting.

Ms. Shaw has the misfortune of being that one writer too many jumping on the bandwagon, tipping the balance, and spilling a sloppy mess of misguided entertainment writers in front of us. See, we remember what she said in real time, as she commented throughout the first season, and she was not short on compliments of Justin. She even rated his contestant's choice performance on the finale higher than Kelly's. We found a few examples of what she said then, to compare to what she says now:

Finale recap:

You had to know Justin would whip out Get Here for his song choice since his crooning of this lovey-dovey tune made Paula weep oh-so-many weeks ago. Though slightly less soulful than that tear-inspiring performance, Justin proved his vocal range and put every ounce of his soul into the song, proving that he picked the perfect song for his final show.

When Justin is on the stage, there is no way to not get sucked in by his Chippendale's dancer meets choir boy presence.

[T]the guy can hit those high notes and can belt out some impressive sounds. . . .

Final 4 performance of Get Here:

Singing Get Here, one of the original songs that landed him in the finals of the competition, Justin perfected his crooning, romantic voice and even impressed those of us who'd already heard him sing this one. Randy called it 'the best performance in this whole competition,' and Simon said it was 'a great song, fantastically delivered.' A

Route 66:

After last week on loser row, Justin needed a comeback song. He might have been served a little better by a slow, swoon-worthy Chet Baker number, but he performed the hell out of the ever-cool Route 66. He certainly looked the lust-worthy part in a fitted tuxedo with an untied bowtie, and the judges fell for him all over again. Simon hailed the performance as 'great,' while Randy pronounced, 'Justin is back. That was fabulous.' A-

Top 30 recap:

BONUS He's the only contestant whose voice has made Paula cry. Plus, it even seems like the other contestants want him to win because his voice is so awe-inspiring.

So it would seem she did take Justin seriously, despite what she may claim today. Jessica Shaw and those like her who assume the role of expert in the court of popular opinion are fortunate not to have to take an oath "to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Cuz, Ms. Shaw, et. al, your "truthiness" just wouldn't cut it.

A Little YouTube Love

2007-01-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

Gotta love YouTube. Not just because it’s where we first discovered that Mentos and Pepsi trick. We also love it because it is the great equalizer in the entertainment business. OK Go made a name for itself with their YouTube videos. Dane Cook made a career for himself through Myspace. No longer are our options for entertainment limited to what some corporate employee decides we should see. It’s all of America, people, and we love it!

Certain on-line music sources like AOL music and Yahoo Music take payment for placement (hey, you didn’t think Mario Vasquez earned his spot on that AOL "best of" list did you? Seriously??). Those places are, therefore, out of reach of the vast majority of entertainers. YouTube, Myspace, Google Video, etc., are open to anyone. Got a video? Got a song? Upload it and let the views begin!

Justin has some fans who've been diligently adding his performance videos to YouTube and Google Video for a while now. The comments on Justin’s YouTube videos reflect what a useful resource it can be for reaching people. Of course, there are the expected comments from hard core fans. But there are also the unexpected comments from people who either never saw the first season of American Idol, or saw it and forgot (or never acknowledged) what a great singer Justin is. We grabbed a few to illustrate our point. The comments are below the video player for each video.

Get Here (in concert 9/29/06)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-OyrUU3gSU

Melhill22
What a beautiful beautiful voice! I didn't watch first season! I just came across Justin here on this site the other night and he is AMAZING!!!!

An impromptu performance of "Sing" before the Georgia State House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaHTrV4_b3M

Yvning (5 months ago)
I didn't realize how amazing his voice was. It's only when he's away from AI that you see his TRUE talent come out! His best AI performances were his auditions because it was a capella and completely away from the BS...beautiful voice...what can I say? I'm shocked even now!

payette
Wow. I forgot about him, but he's awesome.

Motherless Child

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4psTz266YI

politicalguy2006
Even Simon would stand for that performance! Wow!
It's interesting. If Kelly had never entered AI, Justin would have had much more success than he has had post-idol. I have been a big Justin fan and I'm sad to see that his career is not what it should be at this point. He is so talented!

czarjon
Awesome.

There are loads of other Justin Guarini video on youtube. A good place to start: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=philates

The Justin Guarini 'fro

2006-12-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

We’ve been amused over the past few days at the ‘net reaction to some photos posted of Justin from his role in the upcoming movie “Fast Girl” (in which he co-stars with Mircea Monroe and Caroline Rhea). Justin plays a race car driver, and perhaps not surprisingly, the producers decided he needed a sleeker hairstyle. Not much room in those racing helmets, you know. So, they put Justin into a short haired wig. Take a look at the set photos:

Wireimage

Getty Images

Kinda knocked you for a loop, huh? It sure did several other bloggers and message board chatterers. The buzz ramped up, almost immediately.

Justin’s hair has been a subject of conversation ever since America was introduced to him on the first season of American Idol. Our Brief Mentions section on the website documents how often the subject of Justin’s hair comes up, seemingly randomly. Some people love it, some people hate it. Early on, Justin’s fans coined a term for his curls: jinglets. (Yes, Justin’s fans were the first to combine the first letter of their favorite Idol’s name with other words. Many other groups have since adopted the same practice.) There are many of Justin’s fans who adore those jinglets. But there is also a difference of opinion - some prefer a shorter crop, some prefer the wilder ‘fro, and some something between the two. The only style that was almost universally panned was an unfortunate foray into the “faux hawk” a couple of years ago. That one we pretty much blame on his then-girlfriend. We can’t help but chuckle at the fact she’s now playing a suspected murderess on Veronica Mars. Somehow seems fitting. ;)

Anyway you look at it, Justin’s ‘fro is part of who he is. Not as some fashion statement, but really part of who he is.

What is interesting to us is how many people still remain uninformed about the source of Justin’s soft Afro. Justin is biracial; his father is black and his mother is white. He comes by his hair naturally.

Unbelievably, there have been media and other comments about Justin’s hair that refer to it as “permed,” or “frizzy.” Of course, we all know the tired reference to a Simpsons character, which reflects a sad ignorance of the difference between dreads, which that character wears, and naturally curly hair. Curiously, the same comments are not made about various NBA players who have sported an Afro hairstyle in the recent past. Or, about Macy Gray, whose hair has taken on a life of its own as well. But then, they aren’t biracial (as far as we know). Should that make any difference? Halle Berry has talked about how being biracial (with lighter skin tone) poses its own unique challenges in our society.

It really bears no argument that people in this country are still judged on the basis of racial traits. Some of this can be subtle. There has been a lot of discussion about the way that many black women feel the need to conform to cultural expectations about an attractive appearance by straightening their natural hair. A few years ago, ABC's 20/20 did a story about an African-American woman who actually was fired because she refused to straighten her hair. She was told she failed to look “professional.”

Justin has always had a sense of humor about his hair. His most recent name for it (from a blog entry) is “thunder bush.” He has also described it as an "unruly child" sitting atop his head, “planetary,” and “having its own zip code.” No matter what, it is part of what makes Justin so unique, and so many people can’t help but continue to talk about him because of it.

Justin is proud of his heritage and we applaud him for that, even if we might once in a while wish he would get a trim. To quote one of our favorite songstresses, the exceptional Corrine Bailey Rae, “Don’t you let those other boys fool you. Gotta love that Afro hair-do.”

The ‘fro through the years:

Baby 'fro

First Idol Audition

American Idol Finale

Post Idol "groomed" at the Teens' Choice Awards (2003)

Short cropped at Rockers on Broadway (2004)

Current in concert (2006)

Word of the Day: Flukey

2006-12-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

MTV.com recently ran an article in which Idol alums give advice to the current AI5 group releasing albums. The article has the line “What did Kelly do right that Justin did wrong?”

How ridiculous is that? As if either of them had any real career direction control right after their season of Idol. They did what their handlers had them do. The question should be “What did Simon Fuller and Clive Davis do right with Kelly and what did they do wrong with Justin?”

Between the media’s superficial reporting and the general naivete’ about the way the entertainment business works, sometimes we just can’t help but yank our hair out by the roots. And while some women look pretty damn good bald, we’re sad to say we’re not among them.

So, in an effort to save our remaining coiffure, we offer as an answer to MTV’s question, this lesson in the entertainment business: It’s flukey.

That’s it, in a nutshell. It’s flukey. There are people with loads of talent who never make it big, while there are people with average (or low) talent who explode. Success does not equal talent, nor vice versa. Which category of success someone falls into can be a matter of fluke.

Yes, sometimes people with big talent are successful. Take Jennifer Hudson, about to appear in Dreamgirls and getting a lot of buzz. She is very talented, although she didn’t make it to the end of Idol. But, her anticipated success is as much the result of fluke as anything. If she hadn’t competed in the third season of Idol, if she hadn’t managed to escape the clutches of 19 Management post-Idol, if Bill Condon hadn’t finally gotten it together to shoot Dreamgirls when he did, she would probably remain lost in the shadows. Even with her Idol exposure, without the fact that Condon looked for his Effie when he did, she probably would have continued to fade into the post-Idol sunset. Her casting as "Effie" is the proverbial fluke. A career-making fluke, perhaps, but a fluke nonetheless.

After the first season of Idol, Fuller and crew have acknowledged that they held Justin back so that the winner could have her “time alone in the spotlight.” They did not allow him to release a single, or an album, or accept any of the various offers that were being sent his way. And he was getting a lot of offers, because at the end of the first season, Justin was a hot, hot property.

But anything hot cools down if the flames aren’t fanned, and after nine months of nothing, when it came time for Justin finally to have his time, the attention had moved on. The first season winner had her chance for the spotlight, and her project got priority, not only in terms of timing but in terms of budget and promotion. At the time, so-called “pop princesses" were a hot item in the music industry, the fluke Fuller and Davis took advantage of to create multi-platinum sales. What Fuller and Davis did right with her is get her music out there, and push it hard on radio and MTV. What Fuller and Davis did wrong with Justin is force him to hang in the shadows far too long, force him to record music that didn’t come from his artistic heart, and ultimately fail to make his success a priority.

When her first album was not surprisingly a success, the first season winner again got access to all the resources of a major label and the benefits of being made a priority at that label, and her second album has gone on to do exceptionally well. Her upcoming third album should at least start strong because of all those resources she has at her disposal. She doesn’t need flukes anymore. Nor will Jennifer Hudson if Dreamgirls is a hit.

By contrast, because Justin’s momentum was stolen from him, he has to make his own resources. He is working as hard and has both the breadth and depth of talent that deserves success. Whether he ever again gains a national stage, unfortunately, has less to do with his talent than the public might think. He will need one of those flukes.

So, is Justin’s Dreamgirls is out there? Only time will tell. If not, however, ever since he escaped the Idol machine, Justin Guarini has made a career to be proud of. A self-made career. And that part’s no fluke.

Justin Guarini debuts "Missing You" in concert

On being unique, a singer's singer

2006-11-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

It’s been a treat watching the early auditions of Season One on American Idol Rewind. A particular thrill was the never-before-seen audition of Justin Guarini singing “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.” It didn’t surprise us he decided to punk the judges with the whistling before launching into the song. Justin is a funny guy at heart. But, we’ll save for another day our thoughts about how his easy-going manner has been mistaken for cockiness by shallow thinkers.

This blog, we’re going to talk about being unique, and being a singer’s singer.

“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” is a familiar song. Everyone knows Otis Redding’s version. It’s a classic. So, these young folks were trying their best to sing it like Otis did. Except Justin. As Randy Jackson told Justin, he “took some good liberties with the song.” The song spoke to Justin in its own way, and he delivered it in his own way. Justin's version wasn’t that far removed from Otis’ version; it stayed true to the core. What this demonstrates is that Justin is an artist who understands where a song is coming from yet knows how to make it unique. That’s why so many singers fail when they try to take liberties - they simply don’t have that instinct.

Justin’s version of “Get Here” in Pasadena followed this same unique path. There is a reason that FoxesOnIdol designated this performance as the only truly “lights out” performance Idol has produced. The gut-wrenching sense of longing he created with those notes he sang, having no musical accompaniment to bolster him, and the way he left his audience at first shaking their heads, awestruck, and then on their feet cheering - no one has ever come close to creating an organic moment like that. The closest may have been season three winner Fantasia Barrino’s performances of Summertime, but even that was not truly organic as it relied on the contrivance of lying on the stage while performing with an orchestra behind her.

For all of what it offers, American Idol has not really been about finding unique talent. The winners (again, with the exception of Barrino) have been for the most part singers who are rather interchangeable with other artists who are out there performing. Indeed, despite its successes, the second album of the first season winner was not infrequently described by critics as being “generic,” or in one turn of phrase by Rolling Stone, sounding like someone "wearing her big sister's hand-me-downs." The winner of the most recent season similarly sounds very much like another very popular singer, Michael McDonald. The record label loves this about those singers, because it makes marketing them an easy equation.

Who does Justin sound like? (For that matter, who does he look like?) He has a bit of Marvin Gaye going on (pun intended) in his tenor range. Check out Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for a quick comparison. Still, Justin’s voice has a unique creaminess, and his lower register is more reminiscent of Nat King Cole. The problem with both those comparisons, however, is that those artists haven’t recorded for a long time. If you’re going to be similar to someone, on Idol it pays to be similar to an artist current in the minds of the viewers.

How clueless are music executives? When Justin sat down with Clive Davis, supposed music genius, Davis told Justin he wanted him to record an album of “white soul.” Justin should have won an award for not pointing out how disgustingly ignorant Mr. Davis was. We aren’t so polite.

But, those who love a singer’s singer get it. Check out this blog, where the author, a self-professed “singer at heart,” makes this comment:

Justin Guarini has got to be the most robbed candidate to come off American Idol . . . [b]ut a talent the size of this guy will always find a public, and these days it's in the world of indie jazz that Justin unleashes his mind blowing vocal prowess, as with this performance of "My Funny Valentine". Heaven.

It was heaven. Click over and watch it if you haven’t. It is way beyond anything you’ll see on Idol. Idol favors singers who belt out their glory-notes in the 1:30 the show gives them to perform. Justin, he’s someone you want to see in concert, where his “mind blowing vocal prowess” can be unleashed. Oh, by the way, he did that on the AI tour. Check out these videos and see what we mean:

AI Tour "Get Here"

AI Tour For Once in My Life

AI Tour Let's Stay Together

The First Time

2006-10-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend, American Idol Rewind wrapped up its audition shows by featuring the New York City auditions from spring, 2002. The highlight of those auditions was, of course, Justin Guarini singing Who’s Lovin’ You? The judges simply gushed, Simon Cowell in particular:

"Justin, you know, occasionally you're very privileged when you do a competition like this to hear somebody undiscovered who has a voice like yours. Welcome to Hollywood. Congratulations."

For whatever reason, the producers edited out the judges’ continued reaction after Justin left, where they called him "a star" and "superb," but they left in enough of the in-room comments that you get the point. Justin was a natural, someone who was going to be discovered whether it was through the Idol machine or otherwise.

Speaking of the Idol machine, the Atlantic Monthly has an interesting article about American Idol in its November issue ("Production Values" by Dale Peck). The article is primarily noteworthy for being one of the few mainstream print articles to call out the producers on their blatant manipulation of the results. Peck specifically mentions the season 3 finale, where Ryan Seacrest brought up Fantasia Barrino’s young daughter and placed her in Fantasia's arms after she finished her final song, "apparently in reaction to fears that Diana DeGarmo might pull out an upset."

The Rewind series will eventually culminate in a finale that was also manipulated, from the poor sound mix that minimized Justin’s vocals to the selection of songs specifically written for a female soprano (what male singer would otherwise sing a song about "waiting for that one special kiss?" Come on!) to Randy Jackson behaving so poorly toward Justin that Justin's fans will probably never forgive him. You have to ask yourself, if it’s so clear who should win, why do they feel the need to manipulate viewers? Well, we're reminded of the radio "expert" who commented toward the end of season one that RCA didn't want Justin Guarini because there wasn’t room in the market for two Justins (Timberlake being the other one, who of course was just starting to push his first solo album at that time).

Water under the bridge, right? Here are a few caps from the NYC audition show, with Justin then and Justin now. He’s still got IT.

New York City Audition, Spring 2002:

Introducing Episode 4 of American Idol Rewind, Fall 2006:

From Justin to Kelly to the World

2006-10-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

You may have heard of a little movie called "From Justin to Kelly." Actually, the full title is "From Justin to Kelly With Love." Not that it is appropro of anything in particular, but who knows, maybe someday you’ll win a trivia contest with that little bit of knowledge.

You’ll never catch us proclaiming that J2K (as it is fondly known among Justin and Kelly fans) is great cinema, but it was what it was and it has found an audience. They originally set out to make a spring break movie for teens and ended up making a made-for-TV movie for tweens. Too bad they decided to release it in theaters. If it had been shown on FOX, that network may have had their own version of a hit ala Disney’s "High School Musical."

Before you laugh and think we’re deluded, we have reason for making this claim. J2K has been shown a number of times on the ABC Family Channel. Every time, every single time, we see a flood of traffic to our website. All kinds of people, looking for info on Justin in general and the soundtrack in particular (which, by the way, we have on the site, including Justin’s solo which was inexplicably cut from the film although 1) it supplies a vital plot point and 2) it’s actually a decent song).

Not only that, but this little movie has legs that has carried it around the world. Recently, it reportedly aired in Germany. Once again, like clockwork, we were flooded with German visitors, looking for more about that curly haired cutie they saw in the movie. We’ve seen people from all over - the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Iran (yes, we said Iran), South Africa, and a multiplicity of other nations - come, seeking photos and lyrics and mp3s and anything else they can find. The international response to the movie is most interesting, because people seeing it overseas most likely were not influenced by the over-the-top negativity heaped on the movie by the venomous American press.

It’s a movie you can watch with your kids, or let your kids watch on their own, and you probably won’t have to de-program them from anything they saw or heard. Can’t say that about many non-animated movies these days, and it's a nice change from talking wildlife. So there’s reason alone to turn it on the next time it airs. That, and you may actually like the music. Really. That’s all we’re sayin’. We give it two Idol stars.

Success is getting to do what you love

2006-09-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

According to industry sources, only about 7 percent of all music CDs released in a given year sell more than 100,000 copies. If you performed in the top 7 percent of your industry or profession, would you consider yourself successful? Seems a no-brainer, huh?

Sorta puts into perspective the media's tendency to label various former Idols as "flops." Besides Justin Guarini, Kimberley Locke, Diana DeGarmo, and Tamyra Gray released first albums that sold between 100,000 and 200,000, putting them all into that top 7 percent category. Yet, according to most entertainment writers, their albums were not successful. A recent column in the Orange Country Register even referred to Bo Bice as an "abysmal failure," and his album went gold.

There was a very thoughtful article a few years back that called out others in the media for denigrating the professional achievements of the "other Idols" as somehow not worthy because they weren't multi-platinum CD sellers. As that article pointed out very, very few people manage to make a living in the entertainment business. Even some of the former Idols who are performing on cruise ships are nonetheless working in the entertainment business and doing a respectable job of it. There are plenty of people who would give a lot to be able to have that job.

It's true you don't see many of the "other Idols" on your TV or hear them on your radio or read advertisements for their world tours. It takes a lot of money to gain that kind of exposure, and those working outside the major label system just don't have the pool of marketing money to make that happen. But if instead of relying on the media to tell you, you do a little looking, you'll find that many of them are busy, making music and contributing to causes that are important to them.

Take Justin, for example. No, RCA was not a good fit for him. But once he waited out that contract, he went on to produce a jazz album that got strong reviews from sources like AllMusicGuide and The Philadelphia Inquirer (winning over a critic who savaged his first album). He independently raised the funding to make his third album, a soul/funk/jazz album that he's currently recording. He can say, with no promotional BS behind it, that this music is him - he decided what to record, how to record it, who to work with on the project, etc. He's earning the critical praise he's getting.

Over the past few years, he's also made numerous appearances on behalf of various public interest groups, especially those fighting the shrinking budgets in public schools for music programs. That cause took him to Congress, and to address an NAACP leadership conference. He's also made smaller appearances on behalf of children's charities, Habitat for Humanity, and AIDs charities, to name a few. These aren't just photo ops, because, well, we can't even find photos from some of them (and we've tried, believe us). Much to fans' chagrin, his full schedule has kept him from blogging as often as we'd like (hey, Justin, it's been how long since that last one?).

So, next time someone in the media decides you should think the "other Idols" are failures, just shake your head because you know better. Being able to do what you love always makes you a success.

American Idol Rewinds to the First Season

2006-09-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

The first season of American Idol is going to be broadcast in a newly configured show called American Idol Rewind. America's favorite fellow Justin Guarini recorded new interviews that will be used throughout the show. Although the first season launched the AI phenomenon, not that many people who watch AI today saw that season. Hopefully, the producers won't mess with it and create a false impression of how it all went down. They should leave intact the innocence and excitement that was that season. It's worth seeing.

There were two break-out stars of the first season: Simon Cowell and Justin Guarini. They were the ones who had people talking at the water cooler, on-line, and everywhere else. Sure, Kelly Clarkson eventually won, but she didn't generate as much buzz as Justin did throughout the season. In fact, it was because he was such a break-out that 19 Entertainment enforced the draconian first season contract to prevent him from releasing even a single before Kelly released her album. Never in the history of AI has it happened again that the other top two finalist has 1) not had an original song selected especially for his/her singing style, 2) not released a single shortly after the end of the season, and 3) been required to wait to release an album until after the end of the subsequent season. "How Not to Market Successfully 101."

Nonetheless, Justin has said many times that he's happy not to have won, because although the path has not been smooth, he's now making the music he wants to make without being accountable to the suits at a major record label. He's recording his third album, so it hasn't kept him down, that's for sure. Amazingly (to us), he's never been anything but gracious about his AI experience. He's even said nice things about Simon Cowell, the horrors!

Now people who have only had the impression imposed on them by the AI machine will be able to check out the first season and make up their own minds. Assuming, of course, that the show isn't edited to advance some other agenda. Justin was the one who defined "It," the whole package. Kelly may have been more consistent, but she was also (to be fair) predictable; Justin, by contrast, was not. Justin took risks, most of which paid off, some of which didn't quite. As TV Guide once said, he walked out on stage and you held your breath, you were so excited to see what he was going to do.

And then, there's the voice. The supple, sultry, soulful voice. The effortless way he conveys emotion, not relying on glory notes or melisma but on it coming from inside the very heart of him. The way he understands the songs (and us) and makes us feel them with him.

Oh, we could go on forever, but you get the point. Justin is a transcendant talent and we look forward to those who never knew him discovering just what hooked us and has kept us around for four years now. Good luck, Justin, we know you didn't win but you will always be a champion to us.

American Idol Rewind airs on FOX and Tribune Company stations. Check http://www.americanidol.com/rewind/ for your local station. Then, check out Justin's fabulous self-produced jazz album (real musicianship, people) at www.justinguarini.com.