Awards Show

With season eleven in the can, it’s time to hand out some awards. I wanted to get Kelly Clarkson to host the show, but I couldn’t get past the restraining order and get her signed up. I’ll just hand them out myself. The teleprompter app on my android doesn’t work, so I’m going to wing it.

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Public Awards

The first bank of awards is based on the results from the public voting, from the semifinals to the Nokia:

Idol: Phil Phillips

Top Male: Phil Phillips

Top Female: Jessica Sanchez

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Private Awards

This bank of awards is all based on my own personal opinion, not tied to the voting.

Most valuable contestant: Jessica Sanchez

Jessie received (by far) the most youtube hits, and she was the most nationally discussed contestant on the gadfly sites; also by a wide margin. THR (Hollywood Reporter) noted in their final netcast that articles with her name on them received more hits than everyone else combined.

Past winners:

Season 7- David Archuleta

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Crystal Bowersox

Season 10- Scotty McCreery

Most controversial contestant: Jermaine Jones

Not just the expulsion, but also becoming the first ever 25^th contestant in the semifinals. He wasn’t announced officially until he came out on stage to sing at the end of the show. Honorable mention to tent girl, who was patient zero when everyone got sick on group night after being outed for her own lengthy rap sheet.

Season 7- Carly Smithson

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Siobhan Magnus

Season 10- Lauren Alaina

Most polarizing contestant– Phillip Phillips

There were quite a few of these; Phil gets the nod because he finished the highest, and as such was polarizing the longest. Honorable mention to just about everyone else in the top 13. It was a polarizing year.

Season 7- Jason Castro

Season 8- Danny Gokey

Season 9- Tim Urban

Season 10- Lauren Alaina

Best looking contestant (male)- Phillip Phillips

I’m pretty confident that I have the right guy, based on what I read on the internet. Honorable mention to Deandre’s dreadlocks andColton’s creepy serial killer/new age televangelist look.

Season 7- Jason Castro

Season 8- Kris Allen

Season 9- Casey James

Season 10- Scotty McCreery

Best looking contestant (female)- Baylie Brown

She looks like a movie star (Denise Richards), or a pageant queen (most of them). Too bad she didn’t sing better. Honorable mention to everyone else; Idol was very attractive this year.

Season 7- Brooke White

Season 8- Kristen McNamara

Season 9- Didi Benami

Season 10- Pia Toscano

Best pure voice (male)- Joshua Ledet

Not close; he ranks with Adam and JD among the best pure voices the show has ever had.

Season 7- David Archuleta

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Lee Dewyze

Season 10- James Durbin

Best pure voice (female)- Skylar Laine

Range, power, and a sweet, thick tone; honorable mention to Hollie’s pure belter’s tone and Jessica’s all around versatility. Erika would have contended for this award had she not developed vocal problems.

Season 7- Carly Smithson

Season 8- Lil Rounds

Season 9- Crystal Bowersox

Season 10- Pia Toscano

Most entertaining also-ran (male)- Reed Grimm

Say what you want to about his weirdness, but he was the driving force behind the best group in Hollywood as well as in Vegas, and he became the first Idol to play drums during a performance.

Most entertaining also-ran (female)- Lauren Gray

Most of the entertaining female contestants made the finals, so there weren’t many to choose from. Most people would probably pick Jen Hirsch, and she deserves it, but I was more entertained by Lauren’s sweet, smoky tone.

I didn’t list “past award winners” for the last few awards. I don’t remember enough from the early shows to have a clue who to pick.

Survivor Award- Hollie Cavanagh

Obvious choice; Hollie was in the bottom two more times than anyone in Idol history, and survived all the way to the final four. Honorable mention to Elise Testone, who made it to the final six despite several appearances in the bottom three.

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Performance Awards

This bank of awards is all based on live performances, aired on the show or on the show’s website.

Most creative– Phil Phillips

Honorable mention to Reed Grimm and Skylar Laine, with a nod to Heejun Han and Elise Testone. Phil pulled away with this award late, when he put together a string of his best performances of the season – when it counted the most.

Season 7- David Cook

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Siobhan Magnus

Season 10- Casey Abrams

Most thrilling early peak– Skylar Laine

There were times when she looked like she would win it all, but she faded a bit late and finished fifth.

Season 7- Chekeze Eze

Season 8- Lil Rounds

Season 9- Siobhan Magnus

Season 10- Pia Toscano

Most consistent– Jessica Sanchez

By far. Honorable mention to Joshua; who might have done better had he been a little less consistent.

Season 7- David Archuleta

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Crystal Bowersox

Season 10- Scotty McCreery

Most entertaining live performer (male)- Phil Phillips

No offense to Joshua, but Phil brought the seat of your pants anticipation every time, while Josh tended to be too predictable.

Season 7- David Cook

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Casey James

Season 10- James Durbin

Most entertaining live performer (female)- Skylar Laine

With a nod to Elise Testone’s creativity, and Jessica’s consistency.

Season 7- Carly Smithson

Season 8- Allison Iraheta

Season 9- Crystal Bowersox

Season 10- Haley Reinhart

Flameout award (male)-Adam Brock

I expected him to cruise to the tour, but the producers and the judges gave him what might have been the worst edit in the history of the show during Hollywood Week and the Vegas rounds. He didn’t even get a wild card shot. I don’t blame the show completely, though. Adam said what he said, and he reacted like he reacted. Honorable mention to Heejun, who didn’t seem comfortable once he made the finals.

Season 7- David Hernandez

Season 8- Jorge Nunez

Season 9- Andrew Garcia

Season 10- Robbie Rosen

Flameout award (female)- Baylie Brown

She was an internet favorite who could have cruised to the tour had she sang even reasonably well, but she was horrible in her first live performance. Honorable mention to Haley Johnson, who trainwrecked so badly in the semifinals that she posted a video on youtube of the same song, to prove that she could sing it.

Season 7- Amanda Overmeyer

Season 8- Lil Rounds

Season 9- Ashley Rodriguez

Season 10-ParisTassin

Best audition (male)- Jairon Jackson

His original song went viral on the internet. Honorable mention to Phil’s second song (“Superstition”, with the guitar), and the formerly perfect Johnny Keyser.

Season 7- no clue

Season 8- Danny Gokey

Season 9- Andrew Garcia

Season 10- Casey Abrams

Best audition (female)- Ashley Robles

She blew up “I Will Always Love You” on the Aircraft Carrier, but stumbled in Vegas. She would be a decent flameout award candidate, actually, but she had problems with her voice so I excuse her. Honorable mention to Shannon Magrane and Jane Carrey.

Season 7- No idea

Season 8- Lil Rounds

Season 9- Didi Benami

Season 10-ParisTassin

Best Hollywood performer (male): Reed Grimm

Weirdly, an easy choice even though he didn’t make the finals. His two groups were standouts, and as I said earlier he played the drums during an individual performance. Honorable mention to Joshua Ledet, and those two towered over everyone else.

Season 7- David Hernandez

Season 8- Danny Gokey

Season 9- Andrew Garcia

Season 10- Casey Abrams

Best Hollywood performer (female)- Skylar Laine

Not only did she sing great; she was the only contestant who got sick and survived the cuts to make the semifinals. Honorable mention to Lauren Gray and Elise Testone.

Season 7- Carly Smithson

Season 8- Lil Rounds

Season 9- Lilly Scott

Season 10- Lauren Turner

Best live performance (male)- Phillip Phillips, “We’ve Got Tonight”

It probably won him the crown. I still don’t know what the heck he was doing with his hand. Honorable mention to Joshua, for several songs which were amazing, dynamic – and impossible to tell apart.

Season 7- David Cook, “Billy Jean”

Season 8- Adam Lambert, “Born to be Wild”

Season 9- Casey James “Jealous Guy”

Season 10- James Durbin, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”

Best live show single performance (female)- Jessica Sanchez, “You Are So Beautiful”

Honorable mention to Hollie (“Bleeding Love”, “River Deep”) and Skylar (several songs) as well as Jessica herself (several songs). Elise had a couple that should be mentioned as well, including “Vienna” and “Whole Lotta Love” (which I ranked second overall).

Season 7- Carly Smithson “Jesus Christ Superstar”

Season 8- Allison Iraheta “Someone to watch over me”

Season 9- Crystal Bowersox “Up to the Mountain”

Season 10- Haley Reinhart, “House of the Rising Sun”

Best Judge– Steven Tyler

By default, but I did sort of think he gave some honest criticism at times, not that it mattered. Tweedle Abs and Tweedle Dawg just kept drowning him out, almost angry that he tried to give some actual honest criticism. It was a horrible year for the judges. Jimmy’s Thursday critiques were the saving grace this year.

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THE BIG FIVE AWARDS

Enough preamble; it’s time to give out my five major awards for Idol’s eleventh season: The Chekeze, the Casey, the Allie, the Adam and the Carrie.

Season 8- Adam Lambert- “Satisfaction”

Season 9- Siobhan Magnus- “Paint it Black”

Season 10- Pia Toscano, “All in Love is Fair”

Drum roll…….

THE SEASON ELEVEN CHEKEZE AWARD GOES TO….

Skylar Laine

“Stay With Me”

Honorable mention to Joshua for “When a Man Loves a Woman” and, of course, Jessica for “I Will Always Love You”.

The Casey

Loosely defined, the “Casey” is for the best all around musician of the season. I picked Casey as the title for obvious reasons, as you will see when you look at the list of winners.

Season 7- Brooke White

Season 8- Matt Giraud

Season 9- Casey James

Season 10- Casey Abrams

Drum Roll….

THE SEASON ELEVEN CASEY AWARD GOES TO….

Reed Grimm

I hesitate to give a major award to someone who didn’t even make the finals, but his overall musicianship towered over everyone who made the finals. He was the driving force behind the best group in Hollywood, and he was the driving force behind the best group in Vegas. Honorable mention to Elise; who plays piano, guitar and drums and teaches advanced students. I’d give the award to her, but she was in Reed’s Vegas group and it was obvious that she deferred to him about musical decisions.

The Allie

I didn’t specifically define it last year, but I think of the Allie as a female contestant and the previous winners were all female; so the Allie Award is officially a female award. Here are the “Allie” award winners from season 7 to season 10:

Season 7- Brooke White

Season 8- Allison Iraheta

Season 9- Siobhan Magnus

Season 10- Haley Reinhart

Drum roll…..

THE SEASON ELEVEN ALLIE AWARD GOES TO….

Hollie Cavanagh

Skylar could have won in many years, but she wasn’t going to win over the little wood sprite blonde engine that could this year.

The Adam

The Adam award is for the “moment-maker” of the season. Think of it as the “entertainer of the year” equivalent.

Season 7- David Cook

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Crystal Bowersox

Season 10- Haley Reinhart

Drum roll…..

THE SEASON ELEVEN ADAM AWARD GOES TO….

Joshua Ledet

While I can’t say I was personally invested in Josh, he was easily the best live performer of the season. Phil’s body of work wasn’t as consistent, so he is relegated to second place here. Skylar would be my third choice, with Jessica and Elise right below her.

The Carrie

I added it this year, as the “most likely to succeed” award. I’ll add the previous years, not in hindsight, but as I would have picked them at the time:

Season 7- David Cook

Season 8- Adam Lambert

Season 9- Crystal Bowersox

Season 10- Scotty McCreery

Drum roll…

THE SEASON ELEVEN CARRIE AWARD GOES TO….

Phil Phillips

I seriously considered Skylar and Jessica, but at this moment Phil not only holds the crown, but he has about a dozen songs on the I-tune charts. His Idol single is at number one.

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That’s the show, folks. Be patient as you file out, and drive safely.