Julianne Hough, the stage is yours. Performing My Hallelujah Song is her.
Worship the presence of Jimmy Kimmel
Me:Jimmy's also helping me with the Best Female Award. Right?
Jimmy:Yes. These fine ladies knew when to rock it, dance it away, sing it out and shine on stage. Here it is, the Best Female Artist nominees.
BEST FEMALE ARTIST:
Leona Lewis
Sara Bareilles
Lights
Carrie Underwood
Taylor Swift
Delta Goodrem
Natasha Bedingfield
Katy Perry
Joanna Martino
Britt Nicole
Natalie Grant
Krystal Meyers
Jimmy:12 nominees this year. This is gonna be fun to see who wins this award.
Me:Yes it will. Now the winner's song will be played live too so let's see who wins it right now.
Jimmy:Indeed. You can't go wrong with whoever wins this award, all these ladies deserve to win. First in 12th, Joanna Martino. In 11th, wow...Natasha Bedingfield. Sorry.
Me:In 10th is Natalie Grant, 9th is wannabe rocker but lovely girl Krystal Meyers.
Jimmy:8th goes to Katy Perry, 7th belongs to Britt Nicole and 6th goes to Leona Lewis.
(Audience shocked)
Me:Yeah, Leona was expected to win right? Well, not here. Here's the top 5. In 5th with 5.5% of the vote, it's Sara Bareilles.
Jimmy:In 4th, Delta Goodrem with 6.9% of the votes.
Me:Taylor Swift nabs 3rd place with 11.1% of the votes. It's now between Carrie Underwood and Lights. Drumroll please.....with 34.2% of the votes, the Best Female Artist goes to.........
CARRIE UNDERWOOD!
Jimmy:Lights was 2nd with 29.7%.
Me:There you go, Carrie Underwood is the Best Female Artist of 2008
WINNER:Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood performing Last Name right now. With 4 top 20 smash hits on the MWC in 2008, it's no surprise why she wins this award. So Small got to #7, All-American Girl was a #1 smash and spent 20 weeks on, Last Name rolled to 23+ weeks despite peaking at #19 and Just A Dream got to #5 in November. She clearly dominated the 2008 season and showed us that this former Idol winner is not a one trick pony.
RUNNER-UP:Lights
Lights will perform twice later for us, this is probably my favorite video blog of hers so check it out if you want. Anyway, she had 3 top 11 hits in 2008 with Ice #11, Drive My Soul the monster 8@1 hit and Last Thing On Your Mind going to #6 and now back in the hunt. She will be one of the favorites in 2009 with February Air and Ice videos on deck and Drive My Soul still blazing a trail.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the Dance song list. I was hesitant to do it, but I think I should do it because there were more Dance songs I enjoyed than years past.
But honestly, LOL at Shower Curtains for Dummies, I thought the video was a bit funny.
NOT a lot of Male contenders so I'll just get that out of the way. Here's the 5 nominees (Yeah, figure that out)
BEST MALE AWARD:
Daughtry
Ne-Yo
David Cook
Graham Colton
Jon McLaughlin
And the winner with 42.6% of the vote is....David Cook. Seriously? Wow.
David Cook & Carrie Underwood win Best Male & Best Female, first time 2 Idol winners won at the same time. Stay tuned because Joanna Martino joins me for Best Christian Artist Award after this break, and she helps me count down the top 20 songs from Christian Artists/Groups in 2008. First, Ednita Nazario takes us to commercial with No.
Well you're in luck. Later tonight I will post them with 100-91 on deck....but first.
Joanna Martino now joins me. First she performs Energy, the shortened version
Joanna:Hey guys, it's Joanna Martino from Steelroots Top 10 Countdown and also a singer too
Me:Welcome to the show Joanna, ready?
Joanna:Ready!
Me:Well, you are nominated in this category for Best Christian Act. Here's who you're up against.
Joanna:Let's look.
BEST CHRISTIAN ACT:
Britt Nicole
Skillet
Francesca Battistelli
Joanna Martino
Krystal Meyers
Natalie Grant
Fireflight
Switchfoot
Philmont
Red
Meredith Andrews
Barlow Girl
Joanna:Guys who read this, please go support these guys. They're awesome! I give it my seal of approval
Me:Well, shall we see who won? In 12th, Philmont.
Joanna:Not surprised, they'll be back in 2009 to contend. Switchfoot 11th? Come on guys, you slacked off. I love those guys. They were on our 100th episode.
Me:Cool. At #10 is Barlow Girl.
Joanna:Again, not surprised. They're young, they'll be back. #9 is Fireflight? Again, why? These guys are good...but yeah, tough indeed.
Me:#8 is Red.
Joanna:Yet again, not surprised. Didn't think they would win though, they should in 2009 unless Switchfoot beats them. #7 is Francesca Battistelli.
Me:At #6 is Meredith Andrews and at #5 with 10.4% of the votes, it's Skillet.
Joanna:Sad that they doesn't win but, I understand. I'm sadder because I'm #4 with 10.9% but thanks to you all for voting for me.
(Audience cheers)
Me:#3 with 14.9% of the vote is Krystal Meyers.
Joanna:Um, I'm surprised here. She should've been higher and should've won. In 2nd with 20% of the vote is Britt Nicole, that means with 26% of the vote, our winner is
NATALIE GRANT
WINNER:Natalie Grant is performing for us right now. I Will Not Be Moved made history as the first song to ever reach 15@1 on the MWC. It's no surprise why she is here (she will be extremely high on the Endchart so stay tuned for that)
RUNNER-UP:Britt Nicole also performs right now with Believe. Britt made her MWC debut one to remember by topping 5 times, an incredible amount for a debut song. She also scored 3 other top 25 hits but just fell short in the Best Female race.
We'll return with the Top 20 Christian Songs of 2008 and then it's the start of the main attraction, 100-91 on the Endchart. You want your popcorn ready, 2 smash hits are in the first set of songs. We'll have Rihanna, Lady GaGa, Ashlee Simpson and more when we get back...and Pink peforms too after the break.
On a side note, Natalie Grant also wins Best Comeback by a Soloist by beating out Pink, Christina Aguilera, Kellie Pickler and Vanessa Amorosi. But will she win Best Overall Comeback? She's got the toughest competition she's ever faced in AC/DC, Offspring, Metallica, Guns N Roses AND Britney Spears. Stay tuned much later for that.
Note, this is directly from Joanna who is my guest right now...not me.
Joanna:Mike had to step out for a minute so you have me doing this. First Pink performs So What for you guys
Joanna:I'll admit, it's not the best but she's serious about her return. Don't mess with her. She's not a CCM artist which is what I have been asked to talk to you about. The Lord knows that we can't let him down and we must stay positive. These 20 Christian Artists showed us that. Whether it's by instruments, voice or message, they did their thing and deserve to be on here.
1. Natalie Grant
2. Britt Nicole
3. Krystal Meyers
4. Skillet
5. Joanna Martino (Joanna:Hey, that's me. Love ya guys <3)
6. Fireflight
7. Flyleaf
8. Red
9. Meredith Andrews
10. The Devil Wears Prada
11. Showbread
12. Francesca Battistelli
13. Inhabited
14. Michelle Tumes
15. Hawk Nelson
16. Switchfoot
17. Barlow Girl
18. Steven Curtis Chapman
19. Michael W. Smith
20. Disciple
---------------------------------------
Joanna:Now the good stuff, the top 20 CCM songs of the year. Did your favorite make the 'spirited' list?
20. Disciple "Scars Remain"
19. Barlow Girl "Million Voices"
18. Francesca Battistelli "I'm Letting Go"
17. Fireflight "Brand New Day"
16. Hawk Nelson "Friend Like That"
15. Britt Nicole "You"
14. Krystal Meyers "Love It Away"
13. Natalie Grant "In Better Hands"
12. Joanna Martino "Energy" (I understand why I'm here. No known video, yeah....it's a bummer)
11. Inhabited "Open My Eyes" (Mike says he discovered this 2005 track this year, I'll credit him that)
10. Skillet "Whispers In The Dark"
9. Switchfoot "This Is Home" (I love these guys, they as I mentioned were on our show's 100th episode. We played only their videos on the entire Top 10 Countdown that day)
8. Red "Already Over" (You know I love this song right? We showed you this during the first of 7 first-time appearances on our show during the Summer)
7. Meredith Andrews "You're Not Alone" (I am honestly still trying to understand her myself. Mike says he loves her for many things, including the name Meredith. I don't get why he loves her partially for the name?)
6. Flyleaf "Sorrow"
5. Fireflight "Unbreakable" (Also was one of the new videos shown on the show in the Summer like Red)
4. Skillet "Rebirthing" (Mike my friend, you love these late bloomers don't you? I can see why this hit #1 4 times on your chart this year)
3. Krystal Meyers "Make Some Noise"
2. Britt Nicole "Believe"
1. Natalie Grant "I Will Not Be Moved"
Joanna:I can make a case for the top 6 all being #1. Mike chose Natalie for reasons mentioned in a previous post. Here's another song and it's from Leona Lewis with Run. Is this a Snow Patrol cover?
Joanna:Mike will be back after this with this year's #100-#91 songs and Linkin Park rocks us with an epic performance.
Um, yeah I believe...I know a lot of members in my family are.
Mostly why I posted the Christian list is because when I first watched Steelroots Top 10 in May or June when Britt Nicole was on, I decided to myself 'OK, let's see what she has to offer.' And then voila, a flurry of them started to come in.
I kept you waiting long enough! 100-91 on the Endchart right now! Linkin Park will open the show...with Busta Rhymes helping out on We Made It. Incidentally, it kicks off our Endchart. I provided a LOT of commentary for the chart. I hope you like it
100. Busta Rhymes Featuring Linkin Park "We Made It" (Blessed) USA [1,723 pts] Peak:#21 <#88 on the MWC> (45,992) [Airplay:#98]
This is Busta Rhymes's only appearance and his first since Break Ya Neck charted. This continues a streak for Linkin Park songs to make the Endyear at 9 years straight, the longest active streak going. We Made It made it as high as #21 during the Summer, but could advance no further and slipped down to a watery end after 30 shows of intensity. It's also the only hip-hop artist on the Endchart for 2008.
99. Elisa Jordana "Young Love" (Introducing Elisa Jordana) USA [518 pts] Peak:#33 <#100 on the MWC> (46,014) [Airplay:#93]
23-year old Elisa Schwartz AKA Elisa Jordana made her MWC debut just a few weeks ago and she's already #99 for the year with Young Love. She finished 9th on Redemption Song and is the first of 4 girls from that show on this year's list. Elisa is looking to make 2009 a year to remember. She hit #33 just last show after only being on for 4 shows, and could be a factor soon.
98. Lady GaGa Featuring Colby O'Donis, Akon & Chantelle Paige "Just Dance" (The Fame) USA [855 pts] Peak:#4 <#99 on the MWC> (46,019) [Airplay:#99]
It's a hot and cold effect with GaGa, one week she's red-hot and the next she's ice-cold. This had 2 runs to remember, one was a steady slow grind to around the 70s, the other a fast leap to #4 but a quick fiery crash a couple shows later and ended up spending 17 shows on the countdown. We'll see if Poker Face can do any better in 2009 which has already had some time on but didn't do much. (I think this is an older pic of her)
97. Ashlee Simpson "Little Miss Obsessive" (Bittersweet World) USA [1,654 pts] Peak:6@1 <#90 on the MWC> (46,942) [Airplay:#91]
Call it cute, call it fate, but call it a disappointment like no other. Ashlee was in cruise control when this came out, but then it bombed off quickly after 19 shows and 6@1 which didn't impress the Airplay folks kindly. At least she still finishes #97 for the year, not bad. She has had worse than this though, you never know what to expect from Ashlee. This is one of 35 songs that hit #1 in 2008. (No, she and Britt Nicole aren't related if you look at some of each of their pics, most notably their black-haired pics)
96. Nicole Atkins & The Sea "Maybe Tonight" (Neptune City) USA [2,421 pts] Peak:#20 <#73 on the MWC> (46,995) [Airplay:#100]
Her airplay may have been the weakest of the songs at #100, but reception has been well-given for Nicole. She played well and did a good job maintaining a decent run on the countdown despite never getting higher than #20 but logged an impressive 34 shows on which equals 17 weeks. Not bad for a newcomer.
95. Inhabited "Open My Eyes" (The Revolution) USA [1,316 pts] Peak:#2 <#96 on the MWC> (47,951) [Airplay:#96]
22 shows is what we were given from Sara Acker AKA Sara Delight and crew with Open My Eyes. Yes it may be a 2005 release but it struck my chart in 2008. This did quite a number for the time it was on and went as high as #2 but just couldn't cross the finish line to the #1 spot. Sara vows to rebound and get their first #1 soon.
94. Rihanna "Disturbia" (Good Girl Gone Bad) USA/Barbados [1,299 pts] Peak:#4 <#97 on MWC> (48,347) [Airplay:#97]
Rihanna had a 2006 to live for and a 2007 to remember, but had a 2008 to forget on the MWC. Only one song on the top 100 in Disturbia. She has not seen a lot of hope since Don't Stop The Music but she does make it 4 straight years of having a song on the Endchart albeit just at #94 for her highest. She did log 25 shows on with this song which isn't terrible, but to her standards it's not exactly memorable. (Maybe in 2009 this Techno-Rock direction she's going could finally give her a Top 5 Endchart appearance)
93. The Ting Tings "Shut Up And Let Me Go" (We Started Nothing) England [2,385 pts] Peak:#7 <#74 on MWC> (49,112) [Airplay:#92]
Katie & Jules were treating us to 42 shows (21 weeks) of seeing their kung fu/triangle video while wowing us with their moves and Katie's voice. The Ting Tings got to #7 with this track pretty quickly, but just couldn't pull the trigger. A follow-up single Be The One could also only manage #7 and faded too. 2009 will be left with some decent expectations for them, can they live up to it?
92. Barlow Girl "Million Voices" (How Can We Be Silent) USA [2,571 pts] Peak:#3 <#69 on MWC> (49,593) [Airplay:#95]
Lauren, Alyssa and Becca lead the charge for Barlow Girl at #92 on the Endchart after spending 19 shows in 2008 with this track that has quickly become their biggest to-date. Some say they're an edgier version of Everlife, others don't think so. Lauren has lead vocals in this song which even though the lyrics may be strange, the song impacted well by reaching #3. 2009 could see this as a #1 contender, who knows?
91. Lights "Ice" (Lights) Canada [2,783 pts] Peak:#11 <#59 on MWC> (50,380) [Airplay:#94]
2008 was a big year for newcomers, this is the first of 3 from one of them. Her name is Lights AKA Valerie Poxleitner. Lights's third song to chart was the Icy song Ice by freezing her way to 18 shows on in 2008 and perching herself to #11. A video is in the works so she could be a #1 contender with this.
Taking us to break is the artist who has had more hits than you can imagine. Yes, The Offspring take us to break...performing a classic in The Kids Aren't Alright. They'll be back later for a current hit.
Later today if I have time, I will post my Top 10 Most Overrated and Underrated Artists of 2008
I am a little surprised that all of them are this low though ... they are all great songs!
Chart performance is key remember. Disturbia only spent 25 shows and struggled to get anything going even though she peaked at #4. Shut Up And Let Me Go did 42 shows, but never really stayed on the top half of the chart and Just Dance I just wasn't as big on at 17 shows, maybe I jumped the gun on the song when it first came out. Remember, I do 2 shows a week so it estimates to 12-13 weeks for Rihanna for example.
And I have heard Rush Of Fools before, I plan to chart them in 2009.
Chart performance is key remember. Disturbia only spent 25 shows and struggled to get anything going even though she peaked at #4. Shut Up And Let Me Go did 42 shows, but never really stayed on the top half of the chart and Just Dance I just wasn't as big on at 17 shows, maybe I jumped the gun on the song when it first came out. Remember, I do 2 shows a week so it estimates to 12-13 weeks for Rihanna for example.
And I have heard Rush Of Fools before, I plan to chart them in 2009.
Oh, well that's fine. I was just a little surprised at those songs not being higher than at least 75 for the year.
I hope so. I'm not a huge listener to Christian music, but Rush Of Fools are good.