This was a busy week for Idol. Three group songs for the contestants, two venues for the director, countless celebrities for the agents and enough video clips to keep the editors busy for months. At home on the couch, I felt exhausted.
During the season I can't recall ever not sleeping well. I was so tired at the end of each day -- and we didn't have all the gimmickry of today's Idol. These guys must be going out of their minds.
What a whirlwind. They were all so normal a few months ago and now celebrity run-ins are commonplace. It's a weird transition, I think. I remember being totally aware of the whole Hollywood world but never expecting to be a part of it. Then, suddenly I'm on a national TV show, jamming with music icons and shlepping it up with celebrities. It came so fast I was numb.
Then, months later, while getting ready to take off on a plane, I had a poignant moment as I looked out the window at the airplane in the neighboring terminal. There was a huge picture of Elton John on the tail of the aircraft and I was thinking, "I hung out with that guy." I think having your face on a plane puts you on the "holy s---t!" list and that finally put things into perspective for me.
Perspective on his iconic status, that is. I've never been much of a celebrity watcher or overly concerned about anything that was beyond my immediate circle of influence. But, that was really cool.
There have been a lot of cool guests on the roster the last couple of seasons. Quincy Jones is someone I really admire. I wasn't overly thrilled by the group number he wrote, but it had some interesting changes and rhythms.
With all the guests tonight, they squeezed a ton of people on the bill and really short-changed the viewers, I thought. Going through the whole charade of having a results show was so unnecessary with no one actually being eliminated and so much else going on.
But at least, I guess, one happy contestant gets another week's pay.
Answers to Reader Questions:
Who's your favorite on this season of Idol and why?
Can I vote for Jack Black?
Jon Peter Lewis was a finalist on the third season of "American Idol." His newly released debut album, "Stories From Hollywood," is available everywhere online and can also be downloaded at americanidol.com. Visit Jon's Web site for more.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-26-2007 @ 3:19PM
Robert said...
"During the season I can't recall ever not sleeping well."
So, you had a lot of good night's rest. That's good.
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4-26-2007 @ 4:33PM
DB said...
jon, i have been wondering this for a long time- do the contestants actually get paid? and approx how much? i would love a answer....debbie
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4-26-2007 @ 4:34PM
weRtheWuld said...
since being on Idol was so hard on you, its a good thing you got voted off so quickly!
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4-26-2007 @ 4:59PM
Jilly said...
Oh my, not another person jealous that you were on idol and they weren't??????????
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4-26-2007 @ 7:02PM
Karin said...
Jon, love, you are wrong. Elton John isn't a celebrity. Elton John is a legend.
You hung out with a legend.
But man, you sang his songs so well that you totally ruined my ability to enjoy the original tracks for quite a while after. How about a musical teamup-- JPL for vocals, Elton arrangement? And what the hey, throw in Clapton on guitar. (Hey, I can wish, can't I?)
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4-27-2007 @ 12:56PM
PN said...
It looked as if it was the season finale, but they have only 6 people left. But I could notice the effort and the careful planning to make the 2-hour special perfect. They were more serious about doing this charity show than anything else this season or even the craze on Sanjaya. What they should have done was announce the results first since you don't want to tick off the artists performing. Just get it out of the way, then focus more on the charity show. But it's American Idol--they do what they want.
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4-27-2007 @ 10:38AM
mlynnleitner said...
If this is really you, could you say hi to my daughter, she is such a big fan of yours.
thanks michelle
Reply
4-27-2007 @ 10:43AM
mlynnleitner said...
oh ya i forgot her name is mallory. she auditioned for a solo part at a college here in Missouri and got the solo part out of 60 other people. she sings fantastic and we are all going to hear her perform today 27th and she is only 12. You are one of her idols.
thanks for your time michelle
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4-30-2007 @ 6:24PM
Christy said...
Hey Jon,
Lovely blog, I actually enjoy reading them. (which is surpraising since blogs tend to bore the heck outta me.) Well, since you said it was alright to ask questions, I thought I'd ask one that I think/hope no one has asked yet. (since I don't really feel the need to bore you)
Are you excited in any way,shape, or manor about being a part of the Idol Camp?
^ My only reasoning for asking that is because I am attending Idol Camp, and I am really excited that you are going, so I was just wondering if you were excited at all about being a part of it.
P.S Its totally ok if you're not, haha.
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