(07-08-2013, 06:08 PM)Tusk Wrote: 1.) Don't forget the clnsterf*ck going on behind the scenes, among the touring contestants AND the higher ups.

2.) Great for Candice she won the contest, Not so Great it happened during the most dysfunctional season in Idol history

3.) (Most of the time, this type of chaos is not conducive to focus or creativity)

4.) She will need to let this pass, unfortunately, before the real working towards her career goals begin

(07-08-2013, 07:19 PM)mercfan3 Wrote: I'm still listening to a few of Candice's. Love Song, particularly. And "Done" with Janelle. As well as Angie and Adam's Titanium, and Angie's "Diamond." (I don't care what anyone says, I LOVE that arraingement.)

But I'll say this, I think part of the reason why I didn't absolutely fall in love with Candice, is because I was never as crazy about her recordings as I was her live performances. I loved both Haley's performances and her studios. Jessica has one of my favorite studios ever from a contestant (Sweet Dreams.) But this season, I really didn't like them..even though I enjoyed the girls voices a lot. (My reality tv contestant playlist this year is essentially Amber, Danielle, and Michelle. The Voice stays winning with me.)

So, I'll rewatch Candice's videos. But I don't own any of her recordings.

Quote:Former 'American Idol' contestant David Willis renovates, reopens Mount Dora coffee shop


"American Idol finalist David Willis along with his wife, Olivia, bought and renovated the Mount Dora Coffee House in Mount Dora."

MOUNT DORA — When David Willis returned home after an amazing run on TV's "American Idol" in late February, he and his wife, Olivia, laid out the options for their next step. They decided that unless something popped up in their hometown of Mount Dora they'd move to California to continue pursuing music.

Something did come up.The couple bought, renovated and reopened a downtown coffee shop, renaming it Mount Dora Coffee House & Bistro. The business opportunity allowed them to stay here.

"I sort of stumbled on it," Willis said during an interview at the coffee shop, wearing a black chef's hat and sipping a lemonade. He and Olivia were looking for an apartment downtown, and the coffee shop at 342 Dora Drawdy Way has one above it. The room wasn't available, but the owner told Willis he wanted to sell the business and joked that the couple could live there.

David, 22, and Olivia, 21, dreamed of owning their own coffee shop. Both had worked as baristas in local coffee shops since high school and come from families with excellent cooks. Some menu items are made by family members, such as the carrot cake, a customer favorite prepared by Olivia's mother, Priscilla Hand of Mount Dora.

"No one has tried it and said it's just OK," David Willis said.

On "Idol," Willis wowed judges with his version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" during his audition and made it to the lightning round. However, he fell short of advancing into the top-10 male finalists.

Settling into life after the bright lights, the couple bought the coffee shop in early April and invested about $10,000 worth of renovations into the space to prepare for its June 1 reopening. David and Olivia mostly went the DIY route, channeling their creative passions into the décor. Vintage Edison lights hang from the ceiling, filaments glowing orange over the coffee bar. And the wall across from the bar is a three-dimensional puzzle of Lowe's scrap wood, an unconventional acoustic panel for the live music that resonates through the shop and out into Dora Drawdy Way from 7 to 10 p.m. every evening.

Every day except Sunday — when the shop is closed — Olivia and David start at 6:30 a.m., cooking made-to-order breakfasts in the back kitchen. Menu items include pancakes with berries, hash-brown-crusted quiche Lorraine and cinnamon French toast. They brew the shop's unique blend from Groveland-based Golden Hills Coffee Roasters.

The long days are tough for the Willises, who are trying to get the shop in shape enough to function without their constant presence — especially since David said he wants to audition for Idol again. However, the days aren't so different from David's constant going during Idol. And they really don't feel that long, he said.

"Because when you're doing something you're really passionate about," he said, "days fly by."

Quote:All-Star Game ‏@AllStarGame 8 Jul
American Idol winner @CandiceGlover to perform National Anthem & @MarcAnthony to sing God Bless America at #ASG, live on FOX on 7/16.

Quote:Pia Toscano ‏@PiaToscano 1h
Whose gonna be at the Nokia tonight for the Idol Live tour ???