Hard habit to break...

This morning's Richmond County Daily Journal features a preview of Bucky's performance tonight, courtesy of Rocky Covington and Debbie Gates, Bucky's mother:

Bucky and the other "Idol" contestants recently sat in with the surviving members of Queen and Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, Bucky’s twin brother, Rocky, said.

Bucky, who’s been depicted as more of a country singer on "Idol," has rockin' roots, as local music fans can attest.

"I've already heard him sing (his selection tonight) a couple of times in person," Rocky said. "He's definitely gonna rock."

In fact, "Paul Rodgers, the guy from Bad Company, really commended him on the job he did (on the song he practiced with Queen)," Rocky said.

"I feel confident he's going to ace it," said Bucky’s mother, Debbie Gates. "He's workin' on picking the right outfit out today. We know he can do that Southern rock thing pretty good, so I think he’s going to do well tonight."

It sure sounds like Bucky's going to bring it this evening! And you know what that means, don't you? We have to bring it on the phones, too--and we have to bring it more passionately this week than ever before.

Bucky's last two well-received performances have made casual viewers--including many who, frankly, were wondering why he was getting such a hard time in the press--stand up and notice. (Even some writers who weren't necessarily huge fans of his were moved by "Best I Ever Had".) And now that even the New York Times has called him "a country singer with a ragged charm", it's pretty clear that the tide has turned in an unmistakable way.

In other words, this is Bucky's most precarious week yet--and he's going to need our votes to stay in this thing.

Those who've been around the Idol block have seen it happen--a performer improves and blossoms week after week, and the fans drift into the habit of seeing him/her and assuming that their favorite will always be there. It's lovely to watch him winning new fans over, but it will only stay lovely if we remember to vote, and vote again. There's little doubt we're in for a great Bucky Covington performance tonight, but we must always keep the Law of Idol in mind:

Never assume anyone is safe, no matter how well they've performed, or what the judges say.

Always assume your next vote is the one that's going to make the difference.


Please, y'all, get those phones charged up. Call some friends and ask them to help you out with voting tonight. Make yourself a pitcher of sweet tea or a pot of coffee or whatever your favorite night time refreshment might be (ahem), and hit redial for as long as you can. The casual voters may or may not be there for Bucky this evening, so it's going to be up to us to take up the slack, and to make sure that we can keep our weekly fun happening as long as possible.

It's worth a solid two hours of your time. Tuesdays with Bucky Covington are a hard habit to break.

(If you need some voting specifics, please check out our old "Why Tuesday means everything" post in the archive, or hit the Richmond County Daily Journal link for a list of quick tips.)

Pre-show news later. Enjoy!