Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Oh, my, the influence Sanjaya Malakar has had.

Fellow season six contestant Blake Lewis posted a vlog on his MySpace page recently in which he introduces us to his pet dog. And the dog sports … what else? … a mohawk.

OK, I have no idea if Sanjaya inspired the mohawk or not. But Idol fans will never forget his ponyhawk peformance. And Sanjaya and Blake both were contestants during season six.

As for Blake’s vlog, he talks about his big plans for 2009.

But first, it’s flashback time at Idol Chatter. Time to take a look back at Blake’s days on Idol.

From the minute Blake auditioned for Idol in his hometown of Seattle, viewers knew he was a different kind of contestant. And not different in the bad way that Idol often offers up in its audition episodes.

First, Blake awed Randy and Paula with his beatboxing skills. Then he sang Seal’s “Crazy.” Slightly over the top, but good enough to make it to Hollywood. Randy proclaimed his beatboxing skills better than his singing skills. As it turned out, the combination was good enough to make it all the way to the Idol finale.

Blake wasn’t exactly a novice when he surfaced on the Idol scene as a 25-year-old. He told the judges during his audition that he’d been performing for seven years. Four of those were spent with the a cappella group Kickshaw. In fact, that group released an album, “Put It in the Microphone,” on which Blake beatboxes.

His shining moment on Idol came in week seven of the finals, when he inserted his beatboxing into the Bon Jovi classic “You Give Love a Bad Name.” The original spin on the song drew rave reviews from the judges. Apparently, the audience loved it too. The single was the show’s most often downloaded song of the season, according to a report in USA Today.

But his original spin on classic songs wasn’t always as well received. The very next week, he received criticism for changing up the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing.”

And you had to feel for Blake when the final song he got to sing in the Idol finale was the incredibly sappy “This is My Now.” It became a hit for Idol champ Jordin Sparks; it didn’t fit Blake at all.

Once off Idol, Blake fell prey to the curse that’s befallen all of the show’s second-place finishers except Clay Aiken. His first album, “A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream), didn’t do very well. Neither single charted in the top 100 (though “How Many Words” is really very catchy). The album failed to go gold. And Blake eventually parted ways with Arista Records.

But back to the vlog. There will be more Blake on the way.

In the video, he announces that he has signed with Tommy Boy Entertainment and plans to release his second album sometime this year.

“I get to make the electronic record that I’ve always wanted to make,” Blake says. “Tommy Boy is giving me the opportunity to make a record that I’m already proud of and it isn’t even halfway done yet.”

Now, as for the pet dog we meet in the vlog, Blake got him from Ginger’s Pet Rescue in Seattle and performed at a charity event to raise money for the shelter.

Very nice, Blake.

Anyone who wants to check out Blake’s vlog can head to his MySpace page. You can also listen to the songs from his first CD (make sure to check out “How Many Words”). He also has a separate Web site.

Now, a look back at Blake’s days on Idol.

Blake puts a modern spin on “Time of the Season.”

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Blake performs “Long Song” by the Cure, prompting a prediction from Paula.

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Blake’s most memorable performance on Idol, “You Give Love a Bad Name”

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