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Xavier Derico-Smith Florida, USA, 27 years old
Holly Franklin
Toronto, Canada, 16 years old
Mandi Seekings Pukalini, USA, 21 years
old
Maxwell James New York, USA, 14 years old
Kevin Lumpkin
Texas, USA, 19 years old
Matt Skiallow Montevideo,
Uruguay, 16 years old
Nicole van Zanten British Columbia, Canada, 15 years old
Cara
Conte New Jersey, USA, 13 years
old
Chris Jehnert Maryland, USA, 17 year old
Melanie
Fudge Wales, UK, 27 years old
Rosco Mantle
Miami, USA, 24 years old
Marc San Luis New York,
USA, 21 years old
Justin Elias Cincinatti,
USA, 24 years old
Ross Hammond Minnesota, USA, 18 years old
Lee Jepson
Hampshire, UK, 20 years old
Murrell Farmer Kentucky, USA, 24 years old
NUMBER OF AUDITIONEES: 16
AS OF: 2nd January 2005
AUDITIONS CLOSE: 27th February 2005
To kick off the show tonight, we
will begin a look back at the journey of Matt Hutchison.
Matt Hutchison came into this competition as a rank outsider. He was filled in
a
group that was arguably the most talented. Group 3. His group not only featured
the
broadway diva Jenny Jackson, it featured the soul sister who came 4th in the entire
competition, Chelsee Albo, it also featured broadway dude Eric Starker, Jenny's
talented sister Heather Jackson, power pop singer Nick Chu, rnb babe Linda Glah
and
his competition for tonight Dave Vasquez. Not known at the time, but this group
would go on to provide 3 singers from the Final 4 of the competition. Chelsee,
Dave
and of course Matt....Matt's rendition of 'Smooth' got Matt alot of excellent
feedback from the judges. Looking back on it, Matt believed that it was probably
his worst performance. Matt made the top 3 that night in the public's vote but
just
missed out on it. After that it was not known to Matt, until 10 days later, that
he
would be given a second chance. The judges saw a spark in him and got him to come
back and perform. This time in a wildcard show filled with 11 singers and only
5
spots, it was gonna get ugly, but Matt definitely came out on top with his
rendition of "Message In A Bottle"....Regan chose him as his wildcard choice and
boy did that pay off. Week in, week out, Matt re-invented himself with each theme
and gave these unbelievable performances. In "Your Idol" week, he sang Jason Mraz's
"The Remedy' with his pure guitar instrumentals, to his amazingly well controlled
voice, it was a hit!...He was growing and growing, getting better and better,
building up a massive fan base. The fans loved how refreshing he was. During
"1980s" week, amid some controversy, when according to a fan on the forums
"Sunkissed", Matt's song "Walking In Memphis" who he had believed to have been
released in 1989, was actually released in 1991, however he redeemed himself with
this cool, calm and collected performance. Next up was "Rnb/Soul" week, the judges
were very interested to see how a rocker like Matt could handle such a theme.
BUt
to the judges suprise, he pulled arguably the best performance of the night with
"Fill Me In", not only did he take a chance with the tempo, the timing, the melody,
the instrumental use, but he extended himself vocally attempting to use "melisma"
(vocal runs)...it was such a popular performance that that week Matt polled highest
with the public's votes. In "Rock and Roll" week, people were now expecting Matt
to
deliver, and boy oh boy he did, with a husky rendition of a beatles classic "I
Saw
Her Standing There"...we also saw the birth of Matt's brilliant falsetto and the
ease of transition from chest voice to head voice. Next up was Movie Music week,
and it was definitely a defining moment, the fans saw Matt's ability to re-invent
a
song. He changed a whining rock ballad with grunt into a soft pure and beauiful
ballad as he re-invented "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing"...It was "Stevie Wonder"
week
and Matt chose "I Just Called To Say I Love You"...after that performance people
knew that this guy was the real deal, he was unique, he had a brilliant voice
and
had loads of charisma and personality. Next up was "The 1990s" weel. and Matt
once
again proved that he was a ball of suprises with an obscure song choice, a song
that most had not heard of called "You Do Something To Me"...the judges were
captivated by the purity in Matt's voice and his creativity in every performance.
Matt had made it to the final 5, things were looking awesome for the Manchester
boy. Final 5 saw Matt go back to the year he was born as he chose a novelty song,
"Eye Of The Tiger", a slight risk which the judges picked up on but to his credit
he survived and turned this once boring and repetitive song into a refreshing
arrangement. It was down to just 4 singers and with Big Band/Classics week, Matt
pulled off a subtle yet classy performance of The Beatles song "Hey Jude" and
then
in arguably one of the finest moments of the season, turned himself into a young
more hip rocking version of Frank Sinatra and delivered "New York New York"...which
earned him the highest votes that week. Final 3 saw him choose 2 songs himself
"Because I Got High" and "Love Gets Sweeter" but it was the judges choice of
"Everybody Hurts" that really won him a place in the final 2, it was everything
an
idol performance was about, big notes, big risks, big voice. And last week, Matt
chose 2 songs himself, Billy Joel's 'Just The Way You Are' and Bon Jovi's 'Livin
On
A Prayer'....Matt then sung his version of 'Free To Fly', and if he wins IDOL
ONLINE 2004, this will be the first single on his album. Here are Matt's finest
performances...
Can MATT HUTCHISON win IDOL ONLINE 2004?
tonight
with the world premiere of his interpretation of the winner's single "Free To Fly"
Give it up for DAVE VASQUEZ!!!
Let's take a look back at the finalists who were
voted out.
WEEK 1: "Your Idol"
VOTED OUT: Lucas Zago
LUCAS ZAGO
Lucas has recorded a special live acapella version of "Without
You", a song he
performed during the semi-finals in Group 4. He has also recorded a special audio
message in which he has told of his favourite performances by Dave and Matt and let
the public in on who he wants to win and why. Lucas was voted out and received 13th
Week 1 "Your Idol"
VOTED OUT: JEN ARSENAULT
JEN ARSENAULT
Jen has re-submitted a performance of hers that she did during
the semi-finals also
in Group 4. She was also voted out during the 1st week of the finals series and
received 12th place out of 65. Here she is singing "Are You The One"
WEEK 2 "The 1980s"
VOTED OUT: AMBER STASKA (Officially Withdrew)
AMBER STASKA
Amber withdrew from the competition after being offered a local recording contract
whereby a producer near where she lived wants to produce a demo CD for her, as a
result she had to withdraw. She received 10th place out of 65. She has re-submitted her performance
that won her a place in the final 13 during the Group 2 semi-finals show. Here she is singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
WEEK 3 "Rnb/Soul"
VOTED OUT: JUMOKE HILL
JUMOKE HILL
Jumoke was voted out during "Rnb/Soul" week after a brilliant performance of
"I Don't Wanna Know"...It was a shock to most fans who expected him to be safe as the judges praised him continously. He received
9th place out of 65. He has re-submitted that performance. Here he is singing "I Don't Wanna Know"
WEEK 4 "Rock and Roll"
VOTED OUT: JAMIE KEAMO
JAMIE KEAMO
Jamie was voted out during "Rock
and Roll" week, he was one of the real characters of the season and had a very memorable and brilliant voice. He has recorded
a special live acapella performance of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" which he sung in his semi-final performance
that got him in the top 3 during Group 2. He has also recorded an audio message in which he has said who he wants to win and
why. He received 8th place out of 65.
WEEK 5 "Movie Music"
VOTED OUT: CORY AMUNDSON
CORY AMUNDSON
Cory was voted out during "Movie Music" week, he was a fine vocalist with his eclectic choice of
songs during his time on Idol Online 2004. Cory received 7th place out of 65. Cory has re-submitted "Who Wil I Run To", a
performance in which he did the week before to be critically acclaimed for it. Here's Cory
Let's now take a look back at the journey of DAVE VASQUEZ
Dave came into this competition with the ambition to rise to the top and throughout his journey,
he certainly has done that. Dave started off in the same group as Matt. Group 3, known as the supergroup. Dave's semi-final
performance of "This I Promise You" was brilliant, and the fans and judges loved it. The immense power and passion in this
performance was overwhelming and it got him through to the final 13. He went through that night with Jenny Jackson into the
final series. For "Your Idol" week, Dave chose Robbie Williams 'Angels', which then became a definite signature hit for him.
With the incredible range and pure tone and control, Dave was praised unanimously by the judges. For "1980s" week, Dave took
a risk choosing a song by country legend Willie Nelson. But struck gold as it brought tears to judge Andrew's eyes. For "Rnb/Soul"
week, Dave proved that he was able to sing ballads and capitavte people by doing so, as he performed "One Last Cry" by Brian
McKnight, the amazing vibrato on this performance was something special. During "Rock and Roll" week, Dave was slightly aprehensive
about performing in this theme and nervous, but to his credit, he pulled himself together delivering a stellar performance
of Hoobastank's "The Reason", many fans believed that this was even better than the original version as he added an rnb feel
to it, Dave infused his own style into this performance which really built up his image and credibility as a genuine contender
in this competition. Next up during "Movie Music" week, Dave sung "Unchained Melody" and introduced us to his phenomenal,
sublime, unbelievable, incredible FALSETTO, it was just so pure, so controlled, so brilliant....He then performed "Lately"
by Stevie Wonder during "Stevie Wonder" week and was told that he needed to take more risks, and they wanted to see him sing
something other than a ballad. Dave was able to take constructive criticism on board and delivered a booming performance the
following week during "1990s" week as he sang Usher's hit song "My Way", he not only got the judges off their feet, but proved
that he was capable of singing music that was not a ballad. Dave was in the final 5, and had never been in the bottom 3, he
was sitting really comfortable. Dave took us back to the year he was born and performed a christmas song taking a very
big risk. He sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and infused his rnb/pop style into it prompting the judges to tell
Dave to "get his suit ready for the big finale" because he would get there if he kept performing as well as that. Next up
was "Big Band/Classics" week, Dave performed "When I Fall In Love" which was not reviewed as well as as Dave had hoped but
he bounced back with an upbeat classic of "Under The Boardwalk". During the final 3 week...Dave picked 2 power ballads for
himself "Angels Brought Me Here" and "Remember When It Rained" but it was the judges choice that brought most of the judges
to tears as he sung "The Prayer", a song originally a duet and in italian, it was no easy feat, and he did it with grace,
integrity, control and power. It certainly won him a place in the final 2. Last week he chose "Unbreak My Heart" and "She
Will Be Loved" showing that he was willing to sing songs outside of his comfort zone and take risks. Dave then sung his version
of 'Free To Fly', and if he wins IDOL
ONLINE 2004, this will be the first single on his album. Here are Dave's finest performances...
Can DAVE VASQUEZ win IDOL ONLINE 2004?
Let's take a look back at the finalists who were voted out after Week 5
Week 6 "Stevie Wonder"
VOTED OUT: VIDA FLOYD (Officially Withdrew)
VIDA FLOYD
Vida was one of the favourites to win the competition, but unfortunately
her luck ran out when she had to withdraw due to a new circumstance which left her with out a computer for 4 weeks, meaning
she had to withdraw from the competition. Vida has recorded a special live performance of "Naughty Girl", a song that originally
got her into the final 13 during the Group 1 Semi-Final show.
Week 7 "The 1990s"
VOTED OUT: JENNY JACKSON
JENNY JACKSON
Jenny was the broadway babe of the competition and was voted
out during "The 1990s" week in a shock result after delivering a brilliant performance of "The Prayer". Jenny received 6th
place out of 65. Jenny has re-submitted the performance that originally got her into the final 13 during the Group 3 Semi-Finals
show. Singing "Take That Look Off Your Face"...Jenny Jackson
Week 8 "Songs In The Year You Were Born"
VOTED OUT: NATHAN FOSTER
NATHAN FOSTER
Arguably one of the best singers in the competition, Nathan
was voted out after an amazing performance which left many fans speechless and in shock. Nathan delivered brilliant performances
week in week out and placed 5th out of 65. Nathan has re-submitted the song that he sung that week. Singing "Angel"....Nathan
Foster
Week 9: "Big Band/Classics"
VOTED OUT: CHELSEE ABO
CHELSEE ALBO
The queen diva of soul in this competition with her beautiful
presence, incredible control and great song choices, Chelsee did amazingly placing 4th out of 65 and being the last remaining
female in the competition. Chelsee has re-submitted her performance of "Fell In Love With A Boy"...Chelsee Albo
Week 10: "Choice"
VOTED OUT: TREVOR HOTCHKISS
TREVOR HOTCHKISS
Trevor was one of the favourites to win, with his smooth
rnb voice, his incredible control and his ability to capture an audience's heart with his performance. Trevor placed an incredible
3rd out of 65 singers. Trevor has re-submitted his performance of "Water Runs Dry"....Give it up for Trevor Hotchkiss
Well we have now recapped this amazing entire wonderful season. Before
we get to the big announcement....we have some things to say
First of all thanks to all 65 singers who originally auditioned, all judges, and guest judges who
gave their time to nurture and guide these talented individuals and a big thanks to all the fans who have voted and supported
their favourites and motivated these contestants to strive for the big prize and sing their heart out every week.
We wanted to give some fans their opinion
So we asked a female and male fan to each give their perspective
For the female fan, we looked no further than Tina Webster, who originally started the competition
as a mother of competitor, Amy Webster, supporting her and guiding her through the competition. However once Amy was voted
out, Tina took a vested interest and followed the competition religiously. Here is her opinion on who she thinks should win!
"Hi this is Tina Webster, I've followed the comp right from the start and want to Congratulate both
of you for making it this far!. My favourite performance from Matt has to be 'Eye of the Tiger' and for Dave I'm gonna go
with 'The Prayer' you both have Fantastic voices and I really can't choose this week who should win, you've both done so well.
So I will leave the votes to Your committed fans and look forward to seeing the outcome. GOODLUCK to both you guys. Whoever
wins Deserves it!"
We also have an audio comment from the male fan we chose to have their say on
finale night, Jeremy Sunabris. He has followed this competition since Day 1 and has been blown away by the talent. Here is
his comment on Matt and Dave and who he thinks should win IDOL ONLINE 2004
IT'S NOW TIME FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR
AFTER THE PERFORMANCES, THE PUBLIC HAS VOTED
AND IN THE END
The winner received 56.12% of the public's vote while the runner-up received 43.88% of the public's
vote.
After 5 months since the competition began, there can only be one winner
The winner of IDOL ONLINE 2004 is............
MATT HUTCHISON
Congratulations to MATT who is now going to be producing an album which will be released on
Soundclick in early March 2005.
The debut single is "Free To Fly"
track listing and album title will be announced at a later debut
Here is your winner, MATT HUTCHISON with 'FREE TO FLY'
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