Archive through May 06, 2003
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Archive through May 06, 2003
Squaredsc | Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 06:48 pm     sneeking in... i only saw ruben tonight and he can blow, almost sounded like luther back in the day before he went pop... sneeking back out. |
Tishala | Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 06:49 pm     he's still my favorite! wow, can that man sing! |
Maris | Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 06:50 pm     I loved Simons comment to him about how he can really turn on a smile and do it so well when he is singing a song but when it is over his face falls when he faces the judge. It was cute. |
Essence | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 06:42 am     Exactly Square.... I can listen to those ballads all day long (in fact I do sometimes). That's why I just love me some Ruben. He doesn't need to change up anything for me. All of the remaining are VERY good (except for Josh), but RUBEN IS THE MAN!!!
GO RUBEN |
Essence | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 07:31 am     RubenMania Ruben Studdard and his 205 jersey have become a national phenomenon. Welcome to the wild and wacky world of sudden celebrity. By Rosalind Fournier Coleman Woodson is good friends with “American Idol” finalist Ruben Studdard. They perform together in the band Just a Few Cats, and Woodson describes the 24-year-old singer as a “cool cat” with a great sense of humor and a penchant for quoting every movie that’s out. He has known Ruben can “sing his butt off” since the first time he ever heard him. Still, Woodson hasn’t quite gotten used to his friend’s new star status. “To see people screaming, ‘Go Ruben!’, people asking for his autograph, women getting flustered around him...that’s just weird,” Woodson says, adding, “It’s just Ruben to us.” From a “Go Ruben” billboard on I-65 (donated gratis by Alabama Outdoor Advertising) to those now-famous 205 jerseys, Ruben Studdard has quickly become the celebrity we love to love. On the days Ruben performs, people all over town are spotted in “vote Ruben” t-shirts and buttons. In a taped segment that aired on the first night of the “American Idol” finals, Governor Bob Riley read his official proclamation that March 11 would be known throughout the state as Ruben Studdard Day. Even the notoriously grumpy Lou Zaden, of Lou’s Pub on Southside, was spotted chanting “Go Ruben!” on the sidewalk outside his bar. And it’s not just Birmingham. An 18-year-old named Angel, who lives in Hawaii, started her own Ruben Studdard: the Next American Idol website, complete with Ruben screensavers for fans to download. A search of Internet message boards turns up fan mail from as far as Malaysia and a testimonial from another viewer (location unknown), claiming “My husband and I personally voted for Ruben 173 times.” Entertainment Weekly named Ruben in its top six “American Idol” picks as early as February 14, saying “Ruben Studdard has one thing AI’s 2002 wunderkind Justin Guarini doesn’t have: unvarnished talent.” Tracked down on a cell phone in the middle of rehearsing for the second round of finals, the big man himself sounded genuinely surprised to hear of his newfound celebrity. I could have sworn I heard him blush. He says he had no idea Ruben fans are cropping up around the world. “Malaysia?” he said. “No, you’re kidding.” No seriously. That’s not to mention the excitement you’ve stirred up at home. The marquis at the Alabama Theatre has your name on it. “Are you serious? No, it does not. That is amazing. My mom doesn’t tell me that stuff.” Did you know, I added, that Entertainment Weekly picked you way back in February as one of its favorites to win? “I’m going to stop listening now, or else I’ll get a big head.” According to Ruben, the contestants are working 15 and 16-hour days, so they don’t have much time to read magazines, much less Google themselves on the Internet. Meanwhile, when Ruben calls home, he says he just wants to catch up with his family, so they usually don’t talk about the show at all. But if Ruben is surprised to find out that he’s becoming a household name, he shouldn’t be. Reality television itself is probably at the peak of its popularity, with producers spitting out new show concepts faster than you can keep up, each more absurd than the last. Ever since the pudgy, cagey Richard Hatch contrived to outwit his fellow islanders on the original “Survivor” series (and then went on to drop his pants during a reading of the Top 10 List on Letterman), we’ve been hooked on these newfangled game shows. But the longer the reality craze plays out, the more popular it becomes to trash it. Asked what he thought of the latest crop of reality shows, Bruce Springsteen called it “the great, terrible Darwinian spectacle...the theatre of cruelty that has everybody fascinated at the moment.” Is “American Idol” any different from, say, “Joe Millionaire,” “Celebrity Boxing,” “Are You Hot?” and the like? In case you don’t know the premise, “American Idol,” now in its second season, invites music-star wannabes around the country to compete for a major recording contract. Only 50 of the thousands who turn out for public auditions are chosen to actually appear on the show; from there, the viewing public gets to vote for their favorites, slowly whittling down the ranks until the winner emerges victorious. For some perspective on the show’s success, I consulted a friend of a friend, Martin Ledford, who works in the music industry, lives in Los Angeles and watches “American Idol” religiously. “I’m not into the reality TV that much, but I liked this,” he says of the first time he watched it. “I thought it was sweet, kind of innocent.” He adds that he can’t help but admire the intrepidity of the contestants, because beyond mustering the courage to sing in front of millions of viewers, these amateur performers also subject themselves to public critique from the show’s judges—Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. (Cowell has earned the nickname “Mr. Nasty” for comments like, “you could lose a few pounds,” “you sounded like a cruise-ship singer” and “that was extraordinarily bad.”) “I don’t know if I could subject myself to that kind of criticism every week,” Ledford says. “Who wants to be told you’re horrible on live television? It’s easy to judge from your armchair, but that takes a lot of guts.” I was also curious to hear Ledford’s perspective on Ruben, free of hometown bias. “He has a good voice, he sings with feeling. I think the image is going to be interesting with him. He’s a big guy, you know? But the woman they ended up kicking off, Frenchie Davis, she’s a big girl,” he says, referring to the fan favorite who was disqualified for having posed topless on a website. (Since her removal, Frenchie has gone on record as a Ruben fan.) “[Ruben’s] certainly got a great personality that’s lovable and people find enticing,” Ledford continues. “He seems sincere, the judges obviously like him, and he’s turned in some good performances to date.” Ledford has hit on something when he talks about the innocence of “American Idol.” Like most of the so-called reality shows, “American Idol” is not particularly real—record companies do not hold open auditions—but in a way, it’s better. For one thing, “American Idol” is more democratic than the real entertainment industry, showcasing aspiring singers who look like a cross-section of young America. Most of them wouldn’t have gotten a shot like this any other way. Do you think record executives are combing places like Katy, TX; Bountiful, UT and Brookfield, CT looking for the next J.Lo? Or, for that matter, Birmingham. Andrew Wyatt, an account executive for ABC 33/40 who met Ruben shortly before his “American Idol” debut, calls Birmingham “the last place they’re going to look for talent. They look in Atlanta, they look in Miami.” This is not lost on Ruben, who “represents” Birmingham every chance he gets. He even wears a football jersey sporting the numbers “205,” as in the area code, during performances. “I talked to Ruben before he went on ‘American Idol,’ and he said one thing he was not going to do was forget Birmingham,” Wyatt says. “I think his whole perspective is to put Birmingham on the map. He really understands that this is a gift, and you have to use it for all it’s worth but still remember where you come from.” It’s a sentiment you hear again and again from people who know him, including Alvin Garrett, Ruben’s friend and business partner. “He’s always wanted to be a singer, and he’s always expressed he wanted to make it, but deep in his heart he’s a giver,” Garrett says. “His main thing is he wants to be representing Birmingham, letting people know he’s from Birmingham. He wants to help out other musicians from here. Behind the stardom, (he’s thinking), ‘Now I can really be effective in helping other people.’” Ruben was still relatively unknown, even in Birmingham, in the not-so-distant past. He sings in a couple of local groups, and he and Garrett own a small music-promotions company, the Music Caterers, which promotes Just a Few Cats and Freestyle Nation, a band out of Atlanta that has recorded with India Arie. But since appearing on “American Idol,” Ruben is a well-kept secret no more, and perhaps the best part of his story so far is the love affair that has sprung between him and his hometown. Like a winning sports team, Ruben has rallied the city around him. Says Alabama Theatre owner Cecil Whitmire, who put “Go Ruben” on his marquis: “He’s creating a big stir, and we think it’s neat that he’s making Birmingham look good on television.” When Ruben performs, a number of clubs around town host watch-and-vote parties: “The big man brought down the house!” Birmingham City Councilman Bert Miller was heard boasting, at one party held at The Arena. But no parties could be livelier than the ones thrown by Ruben’s own family. On March 11, the first night of the finals, a West End community center was converted into an impromptu screening room, wall-to-wall with Ruben fans, friends and family. They cheered their way through two hours of “American Idol” performances until Ruben’s turn finally came, last in the lineup of 12. This crowd shared Ruben’s cool confidence, taking it in gleeful stride when Simon announced that Ruben is “what this contest is all about.” Meanwhile, Ruben’s mother—easy to spot in a denim jacket emblazoned with “205” in red, white and blue sequins—held out a cell phone: “Ruben called,” she said. “He said, ‘Hey, everybody!’” Cassandra Winston-Griffin, a family friend who was there that night, said the scene was similar when Ruben stopped by his church during a brief break from the show. “He just went around the room hugging people, and the older ones were saying, ‘My baby! My baby!’” Winston-Griffin says, adding that children love Ruben, too. “He just has a contagious personality and a contagious smile. You can’t help but be in a good mood when you’re around him.” Ruben’s journey to stardom started inauspiciously. It wasn’t even his idea to audition for “American Idol.” A friend who sings backup for Just a Few Cats wanted to audition and talked Ruben into joining her. “I know a lot of people were dying to get on, but I’m not sure that was his approach,” Garrett explains. “He never talked to me about it, and we hang out all the time. He just casually went through the audition process, and he was like, ‘Oh man, I made it.’ Then he kept making it and making it.” And how. Ruben keeps hitting homeruns with the public and judges alike—even Simon Cowell sings his praises. “The judges see that he possesses all the qualities, as far as his vocal quality, his passion and the way he connects with the audience when he’s singing,” Garrett says. “I think he’s going to continue to get better and better. America is really going to fall in love with him by the time this is over.” Wyatt agrees. “The first ‘American Idol’ was just a big hype. This time I think people are actually voting on talent. If you look at Ruben, he’s a heavy-set male, but people are seeing he really has what it takes.” (Oddly, it’s men who keep mentioning the ‘big guy’ thing; meanwhile, female fans gush, and Paula Abdul keeps asking to hug him.) TV Guide called Ruben “a man of few words” and suggested he might be media-weary already. But on the phone, I found him charming—laughing, chatting it up about whether he agrees with the judges’ assessments of the other contestants: “It’s funny, because some people I thought were really good didn’t get the best responses. Everybody has their own opinion, you know what I’m saying?” Though he confirms that he entered the competition on a whim, Ruben says he’s giving it his all. “I decided once I got to the audition room that I was just going to try to make it as far as God would have me go.” At press time the group was narrowed to 11, and Ruben was still among them. Some have speculated that his career is already on a new plane now, whether or not he wins the competition. But friends say fame won’t go to his head. “It’s pretty exciting, but he’s handling it very well. He’s not changing and getting ‘Hollywood,’ he’s just being Ruben,” Garrett says. “You can kind of tell he’s staying humble and true to himself even with all the stardom that’s coming through the show.” Talent, charisma and humility are qualities that will probably serve Ruben well should this whole reality-TV thing turn out to be a passing fad. Either way, he’s not too worried. “I think everything else will fall into place as long as you don’t treat anybody any different than when nobody really knew you,” he says. How can you not love this guy? link |
Ladytex | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 07:47 am     I love that article, thanks for posting it Essence!! |
Marameko | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 12:27 pm     Thank you Essence great articale. Reuben is just so sweet! I want to pinch those dimples on his face, he is adoreable. I love the way he fgets drop dead serious after singing. |
Squaredsc | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 03:09 pm     ok coming out of sneek mode. essence thanks for the article, i loved it. now i do not watch the show, ive only seen bits and pieces and here people talkin bout it in chat, but i did catch ruben last nite like i said above. now, he sounded great. but, maybe its the song, but i was also waiting for him to really let loose on the song. has he done this previously and i just missed it? will they be singing again tonight or just doing the voting thing? i was also waiting for the smile to drop and for him to get ugly in the face. cause all great singers when they are feeling and sanging the song, will break their face down and that's what i was waiting for. i hope to hear him sing some r&b songs, like some luther or teddy or gerald or something. i think he can definately make it with the write producers and songwriters. |
Ladytex | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 08:16 pm     Okay, Ruben fans, time to mobilize. This crap ain't right, and y'all know it. What with the crap those people are saying that "Ruben's church is cheating" Waaaaaa ...... time to get out the vote and show those folks a thing or two. Yes, I'm ticked off, can you tell? |
Tishala | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 09:03 pm     Me too, Ladytex. I've never voted before on this show for ANYBODy, but I am coming out of my shell with a vengance on Tuesday night. |
Abbynormal | Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 09:23 pm     I must be waaaaaay out of the loop. I'm from B'ham and I haven't heard anything about voting parties or whatever for Ruben. Everyone obviously loves him, I have seen 4 billboards that I recall and lots of other smaller signs. They have updates on the local Fox news the night of AI, but I don't watch that station, so. I have seen a couple of people with 205 shirts, which I thought was cool. I will be burning up the lines Tuesday night and I told my mom she better too! We will have our own phone in party. It's nothing fans of the others (Josh, <snort> & <snark>) aren't doing!!!! |
Ladytex | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 07:01 am     I was cracking up this morning! I was listening to "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" and Tom was complaining that he'd had more calls this morning b!tching about American Idol and Ruben than he had when the presidential election thingy was going on! The gist of one of the many conversations about this was that the vote is gonna be mobilized next week. I love it! For those of you that may not know, Tom Joyner has a nationally syndicated morning show on many urban radio stations. |
Essence | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 07:06 am     LOL, Ladytex. I wish I could get TJMS here, but we get Doub Banks. I'm sure they were tripping off of it. They are too crazy. That's ok, Ruben will get his...and it will be good too. |
Squaredsc | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 09:39 am     im gonna vote too. and i get tjms here, mainly in the car on my way to work. |
Snee | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 09:46 am     PLEASE VOTE FOR RUBEN! i can't because sneeworld is not in the u.s. and i'm soooooo frustrated! dang! i also think it's so cute that we see ruben all smiley singing and then he's all serious facing the judges. i don't think the smile is put on; i think he really is joyous when singing and then just plain gets scared when waiting for the judges to comment. and whether or not he wins this thing (let's not give up phoners!) i'm going to be looking to buy his c.d. to paraphrase essence, i love snee some ruben! |
Cupcake | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 11:34 am     Snee, fear not! I promise to cast enough votes for "DA MAN" next Tuesday for all of Snee-world and Cupcake-world to be heard loud and clear. GO RUBEN! GO RUBEN! GO RUBEN! |
Snee | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 12:42 pm     thanks cupcake! you're as sweet as...well, a cupcake! |
Prisonerno6 | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 02:25 pm     I haven't been around here for a while, but I had to come back for a hit and run posting after the travesty that was Ruben in the bottom two last night. I've given this a great deal of thought (not much else to do while waiting for one's car to be repaired) and I think Ruben was the "victim" of two things. First, from what I've seen here and elsewhere, Ruben fans tend to be a lot less...fanatical than others. Now, being fanatical is not a bad thing (says the women who stayed up to 1 a.m. to watch the Patrick Stewart biography because taping the 8:00 show meant not watching AI in stereo...) but it means they tend not to be the type that sits and hits redial for two hours after the show. Second, I think Ruben's fan base overlaps significantly with Kim's; I've not talked to one person who didn't enjoy both of them. The people who might have voted for Ruben have been trying to save Kim instead. Josh, on the other hand has probably gathered a lot of the votes of the people who left recently -- his style is a lot more like Carmen's or Kim C's than are any of the others (and those two stayed longer than they should have IMHO, because they also have that fanatical fan base). So he isn't splitting with anyone, he's kept the votes he's had all along, he's probably gained some, and I won't even get into the whole Marine thing. I talk about AI to about a half dozen people on campus, and they are all Ruben fans. However, I'm the only one who has ever called -- and that was for Kim!!! Next week, however, I will have the cell phone in one hand and the land line in the other, and hitting redial for those two as fast as I can. I don't want Josh to win, because I don't think he would win on talent. I can be happy with any of the other three, because I can see the talent in them (even if, in the case of Clay, I don't care for the style). I'm also going to remind the other Ruben fans I know to send a few votes his way. So, get out the vote, people! Vote yourselves, ask your friends who like Ruben to vote, and then vote some more. Whether it's Ruben, Kim, or Clay, let's make sure that someone with the talent that deserves to win does so. |
Hermione69 | Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 02:33 pm     What a nice post, Prisoner. I am so glad to see you stick your head back in. I was also appalled to see Ruben in the bottom two, but I came to a lot of the same conclusions you did. This may end up helping him because it will certainly galvanize his fans! |
Marameko | Monday, May 05, 2003 - 07:59 am     Start exercising those fingers, locate redial, you have 2 more days to prepare.......The very idea that Reuben was in the bottom 2......hmph.......stomping around here. |
Squaredsc | Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 09:13 am     go ruben. so when do i vote? |
Essence | Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 10:24 am     Hey Square, lines officially open at 9:00pm but check here first so you know what number he is. I hope he does well tonight.
GO RUBEN!!! |
Squaredsc | Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 03:25 pm     ok thanks essence, i also have my cell phone charged and ready. oh, this won't interfere with buffy tonight will it? cause i don't miss buffy for anyone. |
Deedee | Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 04:02 pm     Get your dialing fingers ready! Only 1 more hour to the show. 2 more hours until voting time. To steal a few words ... Vote early, vote often, vote Ruben!!! |
Ladytex | Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 04:19 pm     Call some for me ladies! I have to do the mommy thing tonight and may miss all the calling because of a softball game .... the things we give up for our kids ... sigh |
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