American Idol: The Best and Worst Performances of Elton John Night

by Seth Abramovitch 03/31/11 11:35 AM

We suspect this tiny dancer may be going home.

Hey, you know who it turns out writes really good songs? Elton John does! Elton John writes really good songs, and so right out of the gate, the Top 11 (it turns out Judges’ Save recipient Casey Abrams did not succumb to a massive coronary) came into this Elton-themed, double-elimination round ahead of the game. No goopy Celine ballads. No Luther Vandross retreads. No adult-contemporary favorites from the Mulan soundtrack. Not even the requisite selection from The Lion King! Just pure, infectious slices of piano-driven pop from the Mozart of white soul. And the kids really stepped up -- Casey even submitted to a beard fumigation! -- resulting in the strongest competition night of the season. Let’s talk about the best and worst.

The Best
Scotty McCreery sang "Country Comfort," a lesser-known track from John’s third album that, appropriately enough, landed squarely in McCreery's country-comfort zone. All I can say about McCreery at this point is that he comes off like the contestant who has to do the least to achieve the most -- and I mean that in the best possible sense. There’s an effortlessness in his performances that’s just about impossible to bottle or replicate, and while his traditional twang doesn’t quite have the crossover appeal of a Carrie Underwood, there’s still a massive audience for what he’s selling. He can even shout-out his grammy in the crowd and not make it seem like shameless vote-pandering! That’s charm. Like producer-extraordinaire Jimmy Iovine says, he’s a one-trick pony, but what a pony. Every little girl in the heartland is going to want one for her birthday.

I find it hard to believe that I’m typing this, but Haley Reinhart had a breakout moment last night with a ferocious take on “Bennie and the Jets” that at its best moments, seemed to lift the roof clear out off the Idoldome. I still have trouble with her growling -- it’s grating -- but she found the key to this potentially boring song in her free-wheeling phrasing and general lack of inhibition. Plus there was something kind of appealing in the serpentine way she ended the word “Jets.” Was it the best of the night, as Randy squeezed in at the last second? Possibly? Wow. I can’t believe I just said that.


The Worst
There was something once-compelling about Naima Adedapo and her back story as a toilet-scrubbing mom just hoping for a break. Well, she got her break, and now it’s beginning to feel like she’s overstaying her welcome. Creativity and risk-taking is one thing, but her themed performances are beginning to take on the feel of grotesque burlesque. From her ridiculous Jamaican-flag jumpsuit to her put-on Rasta accent, this reggae-fied version of “I’m Still Standing” -- an Elton song I can live without in any incarnation -- just made me uncomfortable. Extra docked points for dedicating it to all the downtrodden people of the world after Jimmy specifically told you to do so. If the impulse for choosing it was a selfish one, then commit to the selfishness; but don’t equate your Idol journey to the plight of earthquake victims. That just comes off as false. Not Irie.

I’ve ranked James Durbin among the best in this space, but after last night’s performance, I think he’s lost me forever -- much like Casey did when he utterly butchered “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” What’s going on with both these guys, I think, is a massive case of over-confidence, which manifests itself as unwatchable shtick. Casey seems to have finally realized that, and pulled things back considerably on his “Your Song,” but Durbin is still in The Me-Zone, and so what we get is this horrendously manic, pyrotechnic version of "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," replete with a baby grand barbecue. And the judges couldn’t get enough! Where is Simon Cowell to purr “self-indulllgent” when you need him? Sorry, Durbin. I’m burning my scarf-tail in protest.

You gotta feel for poor little puppy dog Stefano Lagone. Given a strict ultimatum from J-Lo to connect emotionally even if it means faking it (“Like I do, every second of my life!”), he launched into the most mournful, garment-rending rendition of “Tiny Dancer,” a song about groupie infatuation, you’ll likely ever hear. His tenor was a perfect fit for Elton’s original sky-high key, but then there’s that little business of Stefano reaching out to J-Lo at song’s end. You really don’t want your performance upstaged by a giant, mocking, Randy Jackson-induced laugh. Doesn’t bode well.

Predictions:

Sir Elton John plans dinner party for Prince William and Kate Middleton

http://www2.metrolyrics.com/2011-sir-elton-john-plans-dinner-party-for-prince-william-and-kate-middleton-news.html

March 28, 2011

Sir Elton John has reportedly planned a dinner party for Prince William and Kate Middleton. The singer, who was a good friend of William's mother - the late Princess Diana - and his partner David Furnish are said to have invited the couple, and David and Victoria Beckham, to the party to thank them for their invitation to the April 29 royal wedding. A source told British newspaper the Daily Mirror: "Elton loves entertaining and hosting people at his home. He is touring America at the moment but he flies between there and the UK and comes to his Old Windsor home whenever a short break in his schedule allows. "He has wanted to invite Kate and William to dinner for a while now to thank them for his wedding invitation. He always puts on the most incredible feasts fit for royalty anyway so they should feel right at home. "The Beckhams will be invited but it depends on whether his [David's] club will let him travel."...

Read more: SIR ELTON JOHN PLANS DINNER PARTY FOR PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON http://www2.metrolyrics.com/2011-sir-elton-john-plans-dinner-party-for-prince-william-and-kate-middleton-news.html#ixzz1ID4qV6DG
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Elton John Goofs Around in 'SNL' Promo

http://www.popeater.com/2011/03/30/elton-john-SNL-promo/

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By Zach Dionne  Posted Mar 30th 2011 11:30AM

Elton John is set to pull off a double play this weekend, hosting and performing as musical guest on 'Saturday Night Live.' Sir Elton is the first guest in the 36th season to perform this feat.

Although the episode promo with Jason Sudeikis [via Vulture] is shorter than the usual midweek clips hyping the upcoming show, there's some silliness going on and a goofy tribute to English comedy staple Benny Hill.

See Elton John's 'SNL' promo video here, and catch the episode on Saturday, April 2.

I'm like Elton John - only black and bald! Soul king Cee Lo Green on life as pop's most flamboyant showman

By Adrian Thrills
Last updated at 7:05 PM on 31st March 2011

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Visiting American singers tend to conduct interviews in the comfort of a plush hotel suite. Room service will be at their beck and call, as will an entourage of fawning flunkies.
But Cee Lo Green is far from typical. When I arrive at his London hotel, the Brit-winning soul star suggests we go shopping together. ‘Sitting in a hotel is too sterile,’ he explains. ‘I’d rather go out and experience the city.’
Shopping with Cee Lo is novel. Given his R&B roots and over-the-top image, one might expect the Atlanta-born singer to opt for some high-end bling. Instead, it is the more egalitarian, casual style of Japanese outlet Uniqlo — shorts, socks, a track suit — that takes his fancy.

Extravagent: Cee Lo Green wears his flamboyant feathered costume for this year's Grammy Awards, where he won Best Urban/Alternative Performance

Green, with his bald head, facial tattoos and cannon-ball physique, is hard to miss, of course, and his presence in an Oxford Street arcade inevitably attracts passers-by.
His fans are a polite bunch: ‘Sorry, but my girlfriend will kill me if I don’t get a picture,’ says one man. Another, a middle-aged father with teenage daughter in tow, is equally taken aback. ‘I’m usually too old for this sort of thing, but you’re a great singer,’ he enthuses.
Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of the man, but he takes the attention in his stride. ‘I like this mall, as it’s near my hotel,’ he says. ‘I always stop by when I’m in England. I’m pretty outgoing, and people relate to that. My music has a working-class hero quality to it.’
Cee Lo is not always so down-to-earth. Singing his hit Forget You at the Grammys in February (with Gwyneth Paltrow as a guest vocalist), he sported an extravagant, feathered costume inspired by Elton John’s appearance on The Muppet Show.

Outtake

Cee Lo will keep working with producer Danger Mouse in Gnarls Barkley, although he says their hit Crazy was never meant to be a single

His Brits performance found him in a white tuxedo. As one half of the rock-soul duo Gnarls Barkley, he also developed a penchant for dressing up as a Hollywood screen goddess. In the macho world of urban music, such flamboyance sets him apart, but Cee Lo sees that as a good thing.
‘People don’t pay me to be normal,’ he says, as we find ourselves a quiet spot in the bustling arcade. ‘I’m natural, but I’m also super. I’m super-natural! When you combine those words, it gives things a new spin.
‘People used to look at me in an odd way. Maybe I looked peculiar. But now I’m seen as being cool. Who’d have thought that would be the case? Who’d have thought Elton John could be reincarnated as a bald-headed black man?
‘I’m now reaping the fruits of my labours, but I’m still a farmer. You don’t stop ploughing the fields just because you can cook yourself a meal.’

Cee Lo talks like this a lot, adopting the cadences of the preacher-man in his pulpit. It’s a trait that can be traced back to his upbringing as the son of two ordained ministers in Georgia.
Born 36 years ago as Thomas Burton, he adopted his mother’s maiden name, Callaway, after his father died when he was two. His teenage years were troubled, and he devoted his time to petty crime until music gave him a more creative outlet.

Number 1: Cee Lo is a member of Gnarls Barkley alongside Danger Mouse. The duo had a massive hit with the song 'Crazy'

He joined rap group Goodie Mob, but was cast back into turmoil when his mother, Sheila, was left paralysed by a car crash. She died two years later, just as Cee Lo, then 18, was making inroads as a singer.
‘I went through a phase a lot of young men go through,’ he says. ‘I became skilled in the art of survival. I thought I was simply defending myself, but that power eventually became corrupted, and I felt I could take whatever I wanted. Once that kicked in, I was in trouble. I realised I was falling into a bad cycle, and I had to break it.’
An unlikely turning point arrived when Cee Lo became obsessed with Peter Gabriel’s single Shock The Monkey. A Top 40 hit in America, the song was accompanied by a video that featured the former Genesis singer daubed in face paint.

Latest release: Cee Lo's profile is set to get bigger with his new single Bright Lights Bigger City

‘That video drove me crazy,’ says Cee Lo. ‘It scared me, but it also touched a soft centre. Because of my circumstances, I had adopted a tough exterior. But that song showed me I had a sensitive side, too. I saw myself in this strange video. It showed me I could learn from the showmanship of Peter Gabriel, Elton and Boy George.’
From Goodie Mob, whose funky style put a fresh slant on U.S. rap, Cee Lo went on to make two solo albums before hooking up with producer Danger Mouse to form Gnarls Barkley. The pair’s global hit Crazy was the UK’s best-selling single of 2006 and the first song to top the charts on downloads alone.
But it is with his current solo album, The Lady Killer, that he has truly conquered the mainstream. Boosted by Forget You, which stopped Robbie Williams’s Shame from reaching No 1, and his Brit Award for best international male, he has become a star in his own right, a process set to continue with new single Bright Lights Bigger City.
His singing, full of conviction, has the same passion as Southern soul men like Al Green. It is that, as much as his flamboyant style, that sets Cee Lo apart. Like the man, the music has substance.
‘Soul-by-numbers isn’t my thing. My thing is rocking, funky soul. But I’m now a pop star, too, which is pretty remarkable.’ London’s shoppers would appear to agree.
Bright Lights Bigger City, is out now. Cee Lo plays the O2 Academy, Bristol, on April 13. See gigsandtours.com

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1372015/Cee-Lo-Green-Im-like-Elton-John--black-bald.html#ixzz1ID6zh7AV

Elton John Promotes Stint as 'SNL' Host and Musical Guest

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/blogs/rolling-stone-video-blog/elton-john-promotes-stint-as-snl-host-and-musical-guest-20110331

This Saturday night Elton John will join the proud ranks of MC Hammer, Olivia Newton-John, Taylor Swift and Desi Arnaz when he pulls double duty on Saturday Night Live by both hosting and serving as the show's musical guest. John doesn't have much of a background in comedy or acting, but he's actually sort of funny in these promos where he goofs around Benny Hill-style with Jason Sudeikis. Also, going way back, he was always one of the better guests on the Muppet Show. There's no word on what skits he'll appear in, but here's hoping he winds up a guest on the Miley Cyrus Show. Leon Russell will be joining John for at least one of the evening's songs.