Welcome to THG’s new feature, in which two of our celebrity gossip experts debate topical issues in the entertainment world and you decide who wrote the winning argument! Today, THG Asks : Did Scotty McCreery deserve to win American Idol? YES by Free Britney Two words: 122 million. That’s the number of people who crowned the newest American Idol this week. Not exactly a small sample size. We could keep playing the numbers game – how many songs, how many aspirants he bested – but you get the idea. Some will say Pia Toscano was ousted too soon, and she probably was. Ditto James Durbin. But can anyone really dispute Scotty McCreery ‘s worthiness? Many of this year’s eliminations were controversial, but only relative to some of the contestants who outlasted them – not to Scotty specifically. He’s got an outstanding voice perfectly suited for country, and he proved it time and again. What he lacks in flair, he makes up for with talent. Slow, smooth and steady won this race, and deservedly so. NO by Hilton Hater Scotty McCreery is a fantastic singer. If I were going purely by voice, he’d have earned my vote as American Idol champion after his first audition. But forget what the judges say: This is not purely a singing competition. There are, and there should be, other factors at work. The legitimacy of Idol itself is at stake, especially with new competition such as The Voice and The X-Factor. It really needs to crank out a successful winner, and Lauren Alaina stands a better chance at sustained success than Scotty does. For whatever reason, male victors simply don’t do well on the charts. Kris Allen? David Cook? Lee DeWyze? Can anyone name a top 10 single by any of them? As evidenced by her duet with Carrie Underwood , Alaina has a long way to go. But she’s tough. She overcame a sprained throat to compete in the finals. She clearly wants this and I have no doubt she has more potential to be the next Carrie than Scotty has to be more than a one-month wonder. THG Asks you … did Scotty deserve to win?
Singer overcame vocal problems Tuesday night for a great performance of Carrie Underwood’s ‘Flat on the Floor,’ but our money’s on Scotty McCreery. By Eric Ditzian Lauren Alaina performs on “American Idol” on Tuesday Photo: FOX Contrary to our earlier predictions, “American Idol” on Tuesday night was indeed packed with surprises — just none that had anything to do with Scotty McCreery’s and Lauren Alaina’s performances . The two finalists, as expected, kept the penultimate “Idol” a strictly country affair. Instead, the shocking twists and turns took place before and between the singers’ onstage appearances (though, sadly, not even these oddities could turn the show into a particularly compelling viewing experience). Ryan Seacrest hit pause on the proceedings just minutes after they began, telling the audience (as had been widely reported online) that Lauren had severely strained her vocal chords but wouldn’t bow out of the competition. “I’m here. I’m ready to sing,” she said, attempting to maintain her composure. “And I’m fine — don’t worry about me.” So much for the possibility of Haley Reinhart rising up from the heap of “Idol” castoffs to challenge Scotty for the win. No sooner had the 17-year-old country boy finished his first performance than Seacrest rushed through the voting numbers and tossed to commercial. What, Randy Jackson doesn’t get to weigh in with a yo-dog this and for-me-for-you that? Steven Tyler doesn’t get to see how times he can say “beautiful” in a 15-second sound bite? As our MTV News colleague Jim Cantiello put it, “I guess ‘Idol’ producers finally realized what viewers have been saying for months: These judges are useless. Randy, Steven and Jennifer Lopez, in fact, wouldn’t get a chance to offer up their opinions until after the second set of performances, by which time one thing was clear: If you aren’t a country fan, this show was a super-boring affair. But a hoedown is what voters wanted in this “Idol” finale, and who are we to argue? Our job, instead, is to line ’em all up and lay down some grades. It’s time for our final “American Idol” report card of the year! Excellent Lauren Alaina : “Flat on the Floor” by Carrie Underwood Early in May, Lauren’s take on this track stood as a sort of comeback moment for the teen: After weeks of tentative performances in which the carefree and confident Lauren we knew seemed to disappear under the sweat-inducing reality-show spotlight, the singer stormed back. We had to stop ourselves from aping Randy and declaring, “She’s back, baby!” On Tuesday, she took that performance up a notch, not in spite of but perhaps because of her injured instrument. There was a welcome raspy quality to her vocals, and she overcame some initial nervousness to really let loose. Good Scotty McCreery : “Gone” by Montgomery Gentry When Scotty performed this tune a few weeks ago, we marveled at the kid’s swagger: He skipped around the stage, busted out a little call-and-response with the backup singers, and generally seemed to have reached a new level in his onstage persona . This time around, both by comparison and on its own, the performance was a bit of a letdown. Sure it had all sorts of energy, but Scotty mumbled his way through the early lines and didn’t soar to the kinetic heights he had before. It was a perfectly good performance, but it was by no means great. Scotty McCreery : “Check Yes or No” by George Strait Back in April when Scotty took on a Strait song , he let his vocals stretch further than at any point in the season. Yet he still stayed within his country comfort zone. It was a winning combination. “Check Yes or No” was another winner, though his vocals didn’t necessarily have the power to compete with all that instrumentation. Still, Scotty held his guitar like Elvis, wagged his eyebrows like a patient undergoing electroshock therapy and somehow came out looking like a future country superstar. With Scotty standing up there in a row with the band, the stage presented something of an “Idol” hero shot. Lauren Alaina : “Maybe It Was Memphis” by Pam Tillis We know Carrie Underwood’s heart was in the right place when she selected this song for Lauren. At least in genre, it truly is a great fit for the teenager. But mangled voice or not, Lauren doesn’t possess the vocal delicateness the song requires. Making up for the lack of artistic grace, however, was the grittiness with which her ailment had gifted her. Satisfactory Lauren Alaina : “Like My Mother Does” Call it a brilliant production move or contrived even for “Idol,” but Lauren’s ode to mothers was about as savvy a song choice as any contestant could ask for during a finale. There was a lovely little chorus, and who except the hard of heart can complain about the unvarnished, emotional hug she shared with her mom during the performance? Here’s the thing: By this point, Lauren’s voice really was struggling, the rasp giving way to a warble. Nonetheless, the judges fawned over her, with J. Lo declaring that the song might have won her the competition. Let’s not go overboard, but let’s also be clear: Anything can happen on Wednesday’s (May 25) elimination show. Unsatisfactory Scotty McCreery : “I Love You This Big” Maybe it was the video playing overhead, maybe it was the zombies waving their hands in the front rows, but this tune was undeniably, inescapably cheesy. When the song finally busted open, Scotty’s notes were flat, never soaring to the heights to which the song clearly aspired. Yet we have to give credit where it’s due. Scotty possesses the icy confidence you want in an ace pitcher: someone who can shut out the pressure, step on the mound and hurl some effing heat; and when a pitcher doesn’t have his best stuff on any given day, you need him to find ways to win. If you ask us, that’s what Scotty did on Tuesday. He didn’t have his best stuff, but his confidence in his gifts carried him through. Again, anything can happen, but we’ll call it now: Scotty McCreery for the win! Don’t miss a special edition of “Idol Party Live” Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, finale red-carpet coverage and the last “Idol in 60 Seconds” of season 10. Get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances
Forget song choice – American Idol finalist Scotty McCreery has a much bigger decision to make ahead of Tuesday#39;s big performance show. “Every time I look in the mirror, I#39;m going, #39;Should I [cut my hair]? Should I not?#39; ” McCreery said at a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday. “I#39;ve dreamed of being the next American Idol since I was 6-years-old … but either way, I feel like I#39;m going to win,” Alaina said. “If Scotty beats me, I#39;ll be happy because he#39;s one of m
‘Scotty is a genuinely nice kid, a good Southern boy,’ one classmate tells MTV News. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Tami Katzoff Scotty McCreery performs during his hometown visit in Garner, North Carolina Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images There are so many unusual things about “American Idol” finalist Scotty McCreery: his signature microphone technique, his preternatural ease onstage and, oh yeah, the fact that’s he’s both a kick-ass baseball pitcher for his high school team, the Garner Trojans, and one of the key members of Garner Magnet High School’s vocal ensemble, Die Meistersingers. Alec Hulmes, 17, has known McCreery since preschool, and they’ve lived in the same neighborhood and played baseball together their whole lives. On the eve of Scotty’s top-three performance, he told MTV News that ever since they were in elementary school, he remembers McCreery singing Elvis tunes on the bus while doing that “little eye thing.” And while they were amused, Hulmes said they often complain, “Dude, Scotty, shut up for one second! Just shut up! Stop singing!” But since McCreery’s epic run on “Idol,” things have changed. “Now every time he sings, it’s like, ‘Go ahead, Scotty, keep going, keep going!’ ” Hulmes laughed. The school’s “blue crew” started out as a student cheering section for football and basketball games, but over the past few months, it has transformed into an all-Scotty cheering section. The town of 27,000 just outside Raleigh, North Carolina, has also gotten fully behind their favorite son, with billboards, signs, banners and viewing parties. Garner Magnet High School student Jay Booth, 17, who has known Scotty since freshman year, said that these days, you can’t walk 15 feet in town or at their school without seeing some McCreery-boosting paraphernalia. There’s a packed-to-the-rafters viewing party in the school gym every Thursday night and announcements throughout the week reminding students to vote for Scotty. Check out Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina ‘s hometown visits! “I think Scotty is a genuinely nice kid, a good Southern boy,” Booth said. “He always cares about everyone else and is respectful to others.” Before he was picked for the show, Scotty had talked to his pals about maybe doing “Idol” one day. “We didn’t think anything of it, because it seemed like such a farfetched idea,” Booth admitted. Once McCreery did try out and made the show, his teammates saw the huge reaction and realized that it could turn into a very big deal. Yes, there’s the fame and the TV love and the potential recording contract. But preschool friend Kyle Tobin, 18, said there’s another fringe benefit that would warm the heart of any 17-year-old boy. “He used to joke about not being able to pull women,” Tobin said. “But [ when he came home last weekend ], all you could hear was women’s voices.” He might seem like a quiet, unassuming Southern boy on the show, but Booth said during football and basketball games, Scotty was always the loudest fan, yelling his support for the home team and ripping off his shirt even in cold weather. “He’s normally a pretty quiet kid if you don’t know him very well,” Booth said. “So whenever you see him at a football game screaming at the other team, it’s pretty funny.” Considering that he’s already heard some original compositions that were “far beyond” Scotty’s 17 years, Booth predicted that if his buddy wins (actually, when he wins), McCreery will make a true roots country record that would stick to the style he’s fostered on “Idol.” Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ Top Three Hometown Visits Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances Scotty McCreery Melts Hearts In North Carolina
Was there any doubt Scotty McCreery would take on “Country Comfort” last night? As the young artist himself said, it’s Elton John’s only country single, and he’s an aspiring country singer, after all. Randy loves the performance, which includes a shout-out to Scotty’s grandmother, but a similar dilemma faces McCreery that faces Thia Megia : will he need to mix up his song choices if he hopes to go all the way? Or is natural, impressive talent all one needs, even if such talent is only ever presented within the same genre? Scotty McCreery – Country Comfort
Team-M Taekwondo was invited by USA Taekwondo to perform at the 2010 US Open in Las Vegas, Nevada. After the performance, Team-M had to fly back to San Jose and prepare for another major performance in 2 days for the Vietnamese New Years celebration.
After the 2010 US Open Halfpipe Comp we caught up with some athletes for brief comments. Peetu Piiroinen, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Janne Korpi, and Scotty Lago. Cameos by IPod Iouri Podladtchikov, and Jake Burton. By Lauren Traub Teton for SnowboardSecrets.TV.
Marie Osmond’s teenage son committed suicide last night, this according to Entertainment Tonight.Michael Blosil, one of Osmond’s eight children, reportedly jumped from his downtown Los Angeles apartment building. ET says Michael left behind a note … Permalink
Filed under: TMZ Sports Scotty Lago — with the help of Michael Phelps — has hatched a conspiracy theory about those not-really-salacious pics that got Scotty booted from the Olympics … but it doesn’t hold up to us. Lago told us that Phelps told a friend of his about the … Permalink
