American Idol Season 7 Tour in Houston Texas on August 24th, 2008


Howdy there Houston!

It appears that our very talented Top 10 singers have landed in the heart of Texas for two solid days.

And why, you might ask? Perhaps it has something to do with a singer by the name of Jason Castro, who hails from your great State.

Jason, as you very well know, is the Top 4 finalist from this season’s exciting American Idol show and I am sure the fans will be there in droves to cheer on their boy!

This blog entry is devoted to the Houston Texas fans. We hope that you will stop on by after the show and share some of your Southern hospitality and charm with us.

Also, we welcome your recaps of tonight’s performance at the Toyota Center, as well as your video and photo links. Even though we know that this is a very special couple of days for the talented Jason Castro, we are very Idol friendly here. We love all the singers and wish to promote all of them in the best possible way.

You can also email me your Idol memories via masterclasslady@hotmail.com

Bye for now and see ya real soon!
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About Masterclass Lady

Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli. When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler. She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8. In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman. In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins. In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright. In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins. Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici

12 Responses to “American Idol Season 7 Tour in Houston Texas on August 24th, 2008”

  1. As of this morning there are only two snippets of video from Houston with poor audio, hardly worth sharing. There are reports of David not feeling well, some have said a mild cold while others reported a stomach ailment. By all accounts he sang beautifully and his illness went unnoticed by the audience.

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  2. Hmmm Janey – I was noticing that David was looking very, very tired in the photos from his “Crush” video. I am sure – being the trooper that he is – he sang very well. But, man, he must be exhausted. The pace is frantic and he never “coasts” on that stage. He delivers with grace and passion night after night and that, in and of itself, can wear down his body. He is an extremely physical performer.

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  3. Yes MCL, the schedule has been grueling. Jeff stated that David left the after party in Tampa around 1:30am and was up at 4:30 for a flight to LA. He spent two days in the studio then back to Houston. I wouldn’t survive a day with an itinerary like that!

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  4. Oh boy – this is an unhealthy schedule! Lack of sleep =exhaustion. How do they expect him to perform and record when he is physically drained? No wonder he is sick – he’s sick with fatigue.

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  5. I read the post with the video the other day with Jason and he looked extremely tired. This pace puts so much fear in me to know that all these wonderful talented kids are being so used. This is from wikipedia about Judy Garland and some of her cronies

    [“To keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another, Garland, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly given amphetamines, as well as barbiturates to take before”]

    I would hope that with laws the way they are now that this sorta behavior is not allowed. But still I have so much fear for these guys.

    I constantly offer prayers for them, that they will be able to withstand the rigors of this life style.

    I especially worry because of David A. having his family being split from each other for such a long period of time. I bet they will be appreciating when the tour is over.

    I hope that more and more prayers will be uttered for them.
    caio Dorothy

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  6. DorothyJohnson – thanks for stopping by and adding your helpful comments. I canNOT wait for the tour to end; however, for these young singers, this will be a very difficult transition for them once the tour ends.

    These 10 singers are like family – Carly said so herself when I was chatting with her and Debra Byrd in Toronto. They are all really genuine, extremely motivated young adults and I sincerely hope that the music industry gives them the respect they deserve.

    I will go on record to say that I will personally purchase at leats one CD from each of the Top 10 singers. I have never done this before, but this year’s crop is extremely deserving of our continued support.

    Anyone care to match me? haha

    And, where are the Jason vids? I thought for sure I would have some, considering that Texas is Jason’s home state.

    I want to see all the singers, but, c’mon, Jason fans! Promote your boy!

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  7. Two videos of Jason from Houston, MCL!!

    Over the Rainbow, uploaded by Stefernie2 (definitely playing with the tune some!)

    And Daydream, also uploaded by Stefernie2

    (Why no “Crazy”, Stefernie2?!!)

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  8. Delivered by:ReReader

    Uploaded by: Stefernie2

    Performed by: Jason Castro

    Over The Rainbow: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=lJDjgHa_L4I

    I am very anxious to hear Jason’s performance deep in the heart of his homestate of Texas. And, according to Rereader, Jason added some melodic surprises in this song! Whoopee! Let’s see what we have here!

    Nice focused “oos” that are followed by “ahs” during the intro. It’s always a good idea for the singer to change vowels when he hums the melodic section of a song – it adds heightened nuance and, depending on the song, intensity to the performance. In this case, the open “ah” sound moved nicely into the first word, “Oh”. Very smooth beginning, Jason!

    And he is really trying to connect his phrases more efficiently, trying very hard to hang onto those vowels as long as possible. He adds some new melodic ideas to this song – a note or two extra – here and there. Good for him! So proud of him!

    He is still spreading that “ee” vowel though – oh well, it will come in time. But, man, that head voice sounded gorgeous, didn’t it? Really transparent and centered. And listen to the applause after this section of the song – well-deserved indeed

    I wish the audio had been a bit better in this video, but, at least we have a video, so special thanks to Stefernie2.

    A great performance, Jason. Bravo!

    Daydream http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=-R8nlLiRta4

    Jason sounds like he totally owns the Toyota Center stage in Houston. His voice sounds energized and animated and he delivers this wonderful song with a renewed sense of poise and confidence.

    This song performance is so musical and the forward momentum, that is so important in establishing the fluidity of the melodic line, is omni-present and constant.

    He encounters a little problem with his upper register when he sings the word “way” – he needs to think of “eh” and sustain his voice on that pure vowel, while making sure that his mouth stays nice and round and the jaw relaxed.

    However, he quickly moves past this technical glitch and continues the song with consummate style and sustance.

    I always love watching him during the instrumental segment – the way he acknowledges the crowd with that genuine and shy demeanor. No wonder the fans love him so.

    And he ends with a beautiful display of his head voice – gorgeous!

    Great showcase, Jason. Congrats form MCL!

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  9. A little Apologize from Houston. Keep in mind he’s a bit under the weather:

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  10. It appears the new glorious final “it” is here to stay:

    a longer Apologize:

    How does he do it?

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  11. A fun compilation of the tour from Houston. Notice the lyric change in SBM, imho “suicidal” never really fit and “in denial” seems a far better choice. MCL, please don’t feel you have to comment on all the performances as many are too short for study. I thought I would pass it on just for fun.

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  12. Janey – thanks so much. I will listen to them later. David is an amazing person, isn’t he? Sick or no – the show must go on. What a pro!

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