Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

The Austin, Texas musicfest South By Southwest is a must-visit destination for young artists searching for their one elusive big break, since it's an annual hub for A&R reps, talent scouts, and other music-biz types. But the many newbies hitting the convention this year ought to look up to one of this year's biggest SXSW acts, seasoned soul belter Sharon Jones, for three major reasons. One: She's one of the finest performers working the festival circuit today. Two: At age 54, she's living proof that it's never too late to become a superstar. And three: Her later-in-life success is evidence that sometimes a singer just needs genuine talent, not the fabled major-label machine, in order to make it big.

Sharon had trouble breaking into the biz in the 1970s--she claims label execs told her she didn't have a marketable pop-star image--but after teaming with the Mark Ronson-affiliated Dap-Kings and releasing music on their fiercely independent Daptone record label, she's unexpectedly found

Wednesday on "American Idol," approximately two people in the nation were shocked by the elimination of Lacey Brown.

OK, really now, no one was shocked, maybe not even Lacey herself, since she was the odds-on favorite to get cut, and anyone who's been following the show this season knows her lackluster performances never lived up to her early promise. Actually, I believe that with the right material and production, Lacey still could be a successful recording artist--she's got the image, the charm, the poise, and a unique tone to her voice. But "American Idol" clearly is not the ideal forum for her. Maybe the judges were right after all to pass her over when she auditioned for "Idol" the first time, in Season 8. Either way, the voters certainly got it right this time, unlike last week.

The other two contestants on the chopping block tonight--Paige Miles and Tim Urban, both of whom I'd predicted would get cut last week--weren't exactly shockers either. Tim in particular has been singled

Back in Season 7 on "American Idol," Fox made a big deal about the show's contestants finally having permission to sing long-forbidden Beatles tunes. "Idol" execs were so delighted by this development, in fact, that they dedicated not one but two nights to the Lennon/McCartney songbook. Well, I was just glad that it was just two days--not the proverbial eight days a week--because "Idol's" infamous Fab Four episodes were not so fab. In short, most of the contestants showed the Mersey band's songs no mercy, and as a result they had John and George and maybe even little-known fifth Beatle Stu Sutcliffe spinning in their respective graves. (Kristy Lee Cook's ill-advised bluegrass deconstruction of "Eight Days a Week" was particularly blasphemous.)

So this week, when intrepid "Idol" producers ignored their past errors and decided to forge ahead with plans to have the Season 9 contestants--arguably a weaker cast overall than Season 7's--interpret the music of that other legendary, seemingly

Saturday Night Live's the Lonely Island--the comedy trio of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone responsible for such viral classics as "I'm On A Boat" with T-Pain and "D*ck In A Box" with Justin Timberlake--are back in another awesome Digital Short, this time collaborating with the Strokes' Julian Casablancas on an ode to that pre-iPod audio player of our musical youth, the boombox.

However, unlike the Lonely Island's previous clips, "Boombox" is no light-hearted romp. This is serious stuff, people--in fact, this video almost comes across like a PSA. As Julian intones in the cautionary song, a boombox in the wrong fingerless-gloved hands can be a very dangerous thing.

Be afraid, music lovers. Be very afraid.

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After the shocking and saddening eliminations of my favorite two "American Idol" contestants of the season, Lilly Scott and Alex Lambert, the last thing I felt like doing on Thursday night was partying. Or so I thought. Because then again...what better way to mourn this week's bummer results than by pouring out a little Coke in honor of this week's castoffs, at Fox's official top 12 party?

The dozen Season 9 contestants (along with past Idols like Justin Guarini, Kimberley Locke, and this week's results show performers, Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre) all hit the West Hollywood nightclub Industry after Thursday's controversial show. And I was right there with them--cuddling up with real live Idols and with souvenir theme pillows, and drowning my post-elimination sorrows in "Idol"-logo'd buckets of mac 'n' cheese and martini glasses filled to their sugared rims with Idolicious cocktails. (A jalapeño-infused vodka elixir dubbed "The Judge's Wrath" seemed like an ideal adult beverage of

Hey, readers! Hear that? That faint whoosh in the background? That's the sound of the entire "American Idol" soundstage unhinging from its foundation, being hoisted high into the air, and jumping over a proverbial shark. Because on Thursday's all-important results show (the episode that determined this season's top 12), my personal favorite male and female contestants both went home. And with them went all my hopes of "Idol" rebounding this season after a shaky start. With the goosebumpily gravel-voiced Alex Lambert and the adorably indie Lilly Scott inexplicably and tragically out of the running, this show is going to get so shark-jumpingly bad that it might as well be filmed on location at Marineland from now on.

Look, I've always asserted, from the point of view of a real music fan, that "American Idol" got better--and more credible--in Season 7, when contestants were finally allowed to play instruments. That development opened the competition to a whole new type of performer:

Hall & Oates have always been cool, really, but Philly's blue-eyed soul duo is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance as of late, with the Gym Class Heroes naming one of their treks the "Daryl Hall For President Tour"; Daryl Hall getting artists like KT Tunstall, Chromeo, Diane Birch, and the Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy to guest on his online music/talk show, Live From Daryl's House; and Koot Hoomi and Robert Lurie paying homage to the duo on their tribute disc, The Dark Side Of Hall & Oates.

Another act that worships at the pop altar of H&O is the Bird & The Bee (the indie-pop duo of singer-songstress Inara George and Ke$ha/Lily Allen/Flaming Lips/Kylie/Peaches producer Greg Kurstin), who in fact love the '70s/'80s yacht-rockers so much, they've recorded their own full album of H&O covers, Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates.

B&B recently brought their H&O tribute to Los Angeles's sold-out El Rey Theater, and they made fans' dreams come true for

Despite weeks of hype surrounding this season's female contestants--predicted by pundits and judges alike to dominate "American Idol" this year--on Tuesday this week, most of the ladies' performances fell flat. Therefore, the often-underestimated boys suddenly had a good opportunity thrust upon them Wednesday, and in the end they actually upstaged the girls, even moving Kara to tears and inspiring Ellen to get up on stage to hug one of them.

Yes, after Wednesday, it's not entirely evident that the women will indeed prevail in Season 9. I still really resent "Idol's" arbitrary gender quotas--that the top 12 must consist of an equal number of girls and boys, like some sort of reality-television Noah's Ark, instead of just letting the best singers of either gender advance to the finals. But now I do think there are a few males this season that might pose a real threat to the girls, based on Wednesday's performances.

So without further ado, here's Wednesday top-eight boys recap:

Lee Dewyze