Welcome back ... Interested in joining our fine staff? Stop by the Stu- dent Publications Building. ARTS TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2002 michigandaily.com TwO COMPETE ON 'AMERICAN IDOL' FOR A RECORD DEAL WITH RCA By Ryan Blay Daily TV/New Media Editor Kelly Clarkson. Justin Guarini. Remember these names, because one of them will soon be a bona fide star. Despite its often-annoying hosts, Brian Dunkle- man and Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol" has man- aged to conquer this summer's ratings on not only Tuesday nights, but Wednesdays as well, a rare feat for the ratings-plagued Fox Network. "American Idol" and its hunt for the next American pop sensation started with 10,000 contestants. The three judges (Producer Randy Jackson, Pop wash-up Paula Abdul and the quick-witted Simon Cowell) pared the hopeful field down to 30, and then finally 10. The contestants (between 18 and 24-years-old), attempted to land a recording contract by singing songs from various avenues of pop music (songwriter Burt Bacharach and his songs were featured on one episode). Week by week the contestants dwindled as Courtesy of Fox viewers voted "Survivor" style for their favorite singer. Now the search is down to its final pairing, who will face-off tonight on "a live broadcast. AMERICY Twenty-year-old Texas native Kelly has THE SEA sung, among other songs, "Natural A SUP Woman," "Respect" and "Raining Men." She has survived numerous other hope- Tonight fuls (28 to be exact), including punkish Wednesda Nikki McKibbin, critical favorite Tamyra F Gray and Ryan Starr. Clarkson and Guarini are left to com- belting out power ballads by Aretha Franklin is also likely to make an impact. The difference between a teenybopper-style song and a more rocking beat could sway the voting, even after weeks of audiences falling in love with one singer or the other. Judges Simon Cowell (AKA the British guy who wants to be Anne Robinson), Paula Abdul - who tells everyone they did a great job no matter how they per- form - and music producer Randy Jackson (who namedrops as much as physically possible) have apparently convinced viewers to tune in on Tuesdays, since insipid hosts Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkle- man clearly cannot be attracting anyone with their amazingly stupid commentary. While Cowell has toned down the caustic criticism that earned him the ire of his fellow co-hosts as well as the viewers, Seacrest and Dunkleman were clear mistakes for their task. The only positive thing to come from them thus far was Jimmy Fallon's delicious parody of them at the MTV Video Music Awards. Their jokes are often Courtesy of Fox Kelly Clarkson sings the blues. Buckwheat sings. AN IDOL: ARCH FOR ERSTAR at 9 p.m. ay at 8 p.m. ox so flat and unfunny that even a wild screaming audience of teenaged girls remains silent at their hideous commen- tary. Which singer will prevail and join Dorothy from "The Mole 2" as the sum- mer's big reality winners? One thing is for sure, there will be countless plugs for Coca-Cola and Ford Focus. Our predic- tion is Kelly, but the contest is wide open and one bad song or emotionless delivery could change everything. Either way, pete on tonight's final showdown, the winner to be announced on Wednesday's episode at 8 PM. The two- hour Wednesday show, like the "Survivor" and "The Mole" finales, will feature the eight previously boot- ed finalists. The winner is set to receive a $1 million recording contract, not to mention the requisite 15 minutes of fame for appearing on an American reality television, program. Twenty-three-year-old Justin Guarini, a Pennsylva- nia native, enjoys Michael Jackson, hence his homage to the gloved one on "P.Y.T." He may best be known for his wild hair and soft eyes. His latest performanc- es have been his strongest (including "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" last week) although anything may happen in the final episode with the singers forced to perform two songs (the same for both) from the upcoming "American Idol" CD. The winner will release his or her first single on Sept.-17,inniusic stores nationwide. As usual, each will perform the songs, and viewers can vote by phonek for their favorite. Some'overzeal- ous people, perhaps with little else to do, have resort- ed to mass calling - often thousands of calls at a time. Fortunately, there has not been a significant sta- tistical alteration in the voting based on phone slam- ming. The twist of each performing the same songs may favor one or the other, since clearly Justin and Kelly do not share the same singing styles. Justin's x seduce-the-audience stare and love of R&B could benefit him, while Kelly's soul and voice capable of both have already achieved enough fame to last for a while. Anyone in the top 10 has a legitimate chance, including breakthrough stars Ryan Starr and RJ Hel- ton. Like the stars of the British "Pop Idol," and simi- lar American programs, finalists have already succeeded to an extent in getting name and facial recognition, something that will go a long way toward helping their budding careers. In a curious twist of events, recently booted idol-er Tamyra Gray signed a management deal with 19 Entertainment. Simon Fuller, the show's creator start- ed the company, his previous credits include the direction of Annie Lennox's solo career. Gray has not started recording a debut, but expects it to hit shelves in 2003. For the fanatics of the show, the 10 finalists of "American Idol" are coming to a town near you with a full fleged sixweek U.S. arena tour. The group will play songs from their upcoming album, American Idol: Greatest Hits, hitting shelves on Oct. 15. They will land at the Fox Theater in Detroit on Oct. 17. And the cream on the. "American Idol" marketing machine cake is the grand prize winner's album which will drop on Nov. 26. Courtesy of Fox Diva Las Clarkson. Courtesy of Fox Justin Guarini woos the ladies with his soft swagger. A cU ~S