Why is it that every year they adopt ONE format for the “boot” show and stick to it all season? Isn’t there a way to mix it up a little? Really, if I wanted to I could take what I wrote for the last show and just edit the names because the shows are all so similar.
Group song. . . show clips of each performance from the night before. . . bring out a few contestants and pronounce their sentence (sofa or bottom three). . . Ford commercial. . . bring out a few more contestants. . . announce the theme or guest for next week. . . take some questions from viewers. . . talk about Idol Gives Back and watch some clips of that. . . guest performer/former contestant. . . bring out the last three contestants. . . gather the bottom three and announce who goes home.
Group song always sucks --- I’ve never been to one of the tour concerts, but imagine that they don’t get any better and the only parts I’d enjoy would be when each contestant (except for the sucky one who always gets to go on tour) sings solo.
Chikizie - in the bottom three
Brooke - safe
Carly - safe
Ford commercial --- which I thought was the best and most creative yet. I remember a time when I hated these!!
Little David - safe
David - safe
Syesha - bottom three
Michael - safe
Announcement that Dolly Parton will be next week’s guest --- which makes me think that Kristy Lee will be sticking around for another week at least.
Questions from the viewers (go Danville, CA) --- the questions are mostly ridiculous (Chikizie are you single? Little David, why did you choose the song you sang last night? Simon, what do I need to do to take Ryan’s place? Brooke, if you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be? Simon, do you consider yourself to be the most attractive person on the show?) BTW: Chikizie is single, Little David already explained (twice) why he chose his song, Simon commented that you “don’t need a lot of talent”, Brooke would sing with John Mayer, Simon states that “it’s not what I say, it’s what other people say”. Touché Simon!!
Video clips of Kimberly Locke, what she’s been doing, etc., then a performance by the former contestant. Great performance, but unfortunate choice of wardrobe, especially for someone who’s just lost 40 lbs.
Ramiele - safe (this is where the Earth starts spinning off it’s axis for me)
Jason and Kristy Lee come out together --- Kristy Lee is declared safe and Jason is declared in the bottom three.
Before Jason has a chance to sit in the “bottom three” tractor seat, Ryan calls Chikizie and Syesha over to join Jason.
Ryan asks Jason if he’s surprised and Jason starts a mumbling ramble that Ryan interrupts by letting him know he’s safe.
Syesha and Chikizie are left holding each other --- you can see in Syesha’s eyes that she can’t imagine that it’s her time to go, but Chikizie has a resigned look.
Ryan tells Chikizie that he’s going home.
Chikizie ends the show by singing a repeat of the night before, this time even better.
This may be a tip-off to whether a guy or girl is leaving --- if one of the bottom two is a girl and both are asked to sing BEFORE they say who’s going home, then it’s the girl going home (because the girls always cry so much it makes it hard for them to sing after hearing the bad news), but if they wait, then it’s a guy going home.
Let’s see if that theory pans out!!
Anyway, just because I predicted correctly this doesn’t mean I’ve become a better judge of musical talent. It may mean that I’ve become a better judge of how the public will vote.
I’m already predicting that Kristy Lee won’t go home next week because Dolly will help her along. I do know that, from now on, it’s going to be very difficult to choose who should stay and who should go UNLESS David Cook keeps hitting those grand slams!! That guy rocks!!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Songs from the Year You (They) Were Born. . .
Last night’s AI highlighted “Songs from the Year You Were Born”, you being each contestant. . . which basically became “Songs from the 80’s”.
Ramiele came out first singing “Alone” from 1987 --- this little pixie is SO cute, and adorable and she absolutely wowed me during auditions, but she has not only NOT improved, I think her audition was a lucky fluke for her. Not so lucky for us because, as we already know, the HUGE Filipino contingency will keep her in the contest long after she should have gone home.
Jason was next, singing Sting’s “Fragile” from 1987. It was nice, I love the song, don’t know if he really could have changed it without killing it but if he’s to stay in the contest, he HAS to bring his “Hallelujah” abilities each week.
Syesha chose “If I Were Your Woman” from 1987 --- she was much better than last week (apologies to my sister who was blown away by her performance this week), but I’m not sure it will be enough to keep her here. She’s already been in the bottom three.
“If Only” from 1985 was Chikezie’s selection last night. He sang it perfectly --- perfect pitch, great phrasing. I really loved it but I’m not sure he’s a fan favorite.
Brooke tried for a repeat of her “Let it Be” performance by sitting at the piano for “Every Breath You Take” from the Police in 1983. I will say this: I hated it the least of all her performances. Kudos for beginning again, because you pretty much can’t fix it if you start off-key unless you just stop and start over. Could have put your ear to the keyboard and played that first note for yourself just before the camera got to you, but what can I say?
The Michael Johns we saw during Hollywood Week was back last night! He sang “We Will Rock You” from 1978 (one of only three songs last night NOT from the 80’s). It seemed as if some kind of weight was lifted from him --- he was lighter and looked as if he was enjoying being onstage. Hope it continues!
Carly sang “Turn Around” from 1983 --- not one of my favorite songs, thanks to the over-play it got on the radio at that time. She did a pretty good job, but it was not her best performance by far.
Little David sang “You’re the Voice” from 1990 --- I’m not sure there were more than ½ dozen people in the audience, including the judges, who had ever heard it. Nevertheless, as Randy commented, David could sing the phone book and make us want to go out and buy it. He definitely chooses his songs for their content and what they mean to him, not because he thinks the audience will like them. As usual, except for that one time, a flawless performance.
Lil’ Kristy Lee came out and proved that she has a brain (or she at least listened to someone else who has a brain). She chose “God Bless the USA” from 1984. She didn’t have to sing every note on-key (and good thing, because she DIDN’T) and she didn’t even have to remember the words because who’s NOT going to vote for her when she sings a song like that??? As Simon said “Brilliant song choice” however, if he DIDN’T say it was a brilliant performance. It wasn’t.
Last night they saved the best for last: David Cook sang “Billy Jean” from 1982. When I heard which song he was to perform, in my head I said “Whaaa??” I couldn’t imagine him singing a Michael Jackson hit. Boy, was I wrong!! He did to “Billy Jean” what Daughtry did to “Walk the Line”. For close to 30 seconds I wasn’t even sure what song he was singing. He sang it well, he definitely made it his own, and I’d listen to it on my iPod (and will) even though I’m not a particular fan of MJ (he creeps me out).
I ranked the performances as follows:
1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Michael
4. Chikiezie
5. Jason
6. Carly
7. Brooke
8. Syesha
9. Ramiele
10. Kristy
I’m guessing Syesha, Carly and Chikezie are in the bottom three tonight, not because they belong there, (my choices would be Kristy, Syesha and Ramiele). Even thought Kristy Lee should go home (followed closely by Ramiele) I think they’ll eliminate Syesha or Chikezie tonight.
Ramiele came out first singing “Alone” from 1987 --- this little pixie is SO cute, and adorable and she absolutely wowed me during auditions, but she has not only NOT improved, I think her audition was a lucky fluke for her. Not so lucky for us because, as we already know, the HUGE Filipino contingency will keep her in the contest long after she should have gone home.
Jason was next, singing Sting’s “Fragile” from 1987. It was nice, I love the song, don’t know if he really could have changed it without killing it but if he’s to stay in the contest, he HAS to bring his “Hallelujah” abilities each week.
Syesha chose “If I Were Your Woman” from 1987 --- she was much better than last week (apologies to my sister who was blown away by her performance this week), but I’m not sure it will be enough to keep her here. She’s already been in the bottom three.
“If Only” from 1985 was Chikezie’s selection last night. He sang it perfectly --- perfect pitch, great phrasing. I really loved it but I’m not sure he’s a fan favorite.
Brooke tried for a repeat of her “Let it Be” performance by sitting at the piano for “Every Breath You Take” from the Police in 1983. I will say this: I hated it the least of all her performances. Kudos for beginning again, because you pretty much can’t fix it if you start off-key unless you just stop and start over. Could have put your ear to the keyboard and played that first note for yourself just before the camera got to you, but what can I say?
The Michael Johns we saw during Hollywood Week was back last night! He sang “We Will Rock You” from 1978 (one of only three songs last night NOT from the 80’s). It seemed as if some kind of weight was lifted from him --- he was lighter and looked as if he was enjoying being onstage. Hope it continues!
Carly sang “Turn Around” from 1983 --- not one of my favorite songs, thanks to the over-play it got on the radio at that time. She did a pretty good job, but it was not her best performance by far.
Little David sang “You’re the Voice” from 1990 --- I’m not sure there were more than ½ dozen people in the audience, including the judges, who had ever heard it. Nevertheless, as Randy commented, David could sing the phone book and make us want to go out and buy it. He definitely chooses his songs for their content and what they mean to him, not because he thinks the audience will like them. As usual, except for that one time, a flawless performance.
Lil’ Kristy Lee came out and proved that she has a brain (or she at least listened to someone else who has a brain). She chose “God Bless the USA” from 1984. She didn’t have to sing every note on-key (and good thing, because she DIDN’T) and she didn’t even have to remember the words because who’s NOT going to vote for her when she sings a song like that??? As Simon said “Brilliant song choice” however, if he DIDN’T say it was a brilliant performance. It wasn’t.
Last night they saved the best for last: David Cook sang “Billy Jean” from 1982. When I heard which song he was to perform, in my head I said “Whaaa??” I couldn’t imagine him singing a Michael Jackson hit. Boy, was I wrong!! He did to “Billy Jean” what Daughtry did to “Walk the Line”. For close to 30 seconds I wasn’t even sure what song he was singing. He sang it well, he definitely made it his own, and I’d listen to it on my iPod (and will) even though I’m not a particular fan of MJ (he creeps me out).
I ranked the performances as follows:
1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Michael
4. Chikiezie
5. Jason
6. Carly
7. Brooke
8. Syesha
9. Ramiele
10. Kristy
I’m guessing Syesha, Carly and Chikezie are in the bottom three tonight, not because they belong there, (my choices would be Kristy, Syesha and Ramiele). Even thought Kristy Lee should go home (followed closely by Ramiele) I think they’ll eliminate Syesha or Chikezie tonight.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
. . . and Then There Were Ten
The show opened with the announcements about who the mentors would be this year. . . I’m a little scared. Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Neil Diamond will be spending time with the contestants sharing their vast knowledge. I’m not sure how much of a help Mariah Carey’s going to be. . .
Ryan also announced the songwriter competition, which I had totally forgotten about. Then, as my daughter, Krista, pointed out, Ryan pulled a “Heidi Klum” and announced “the votes are in and someone will be out”. For the rest of the night, I kept hearing Heidi proclaim “yaw in” every time Ryan directed someone to the sofas!!
The big part of this particular episode was that ONLY THE TOP TEN GO ON TOUR. I think that really sucks!! You wait for hours/days for an audition, you get sent ahead, you end up in Hollywood, you endure THAT nightmare, you make the top 24, more emotional turmoil, you end up in the top 12, go to the big stage and two songs later you end up NOT going on tour. And, it seems like every year someone like Kristy Lee (Sanjaya, Jasmine Trias) ends up in the top 10 (and on tour) for some unknown reason and another more talented contestant gets left behind. Maybe they should change it to the top eight or six go on tour. . . anything to keep the Kristy Lee’s and Sanjaya’s off the tour!!!
Ryan didn’t waste any time in bringing contestants onstage, one at a time, and giving the results.
Brook was rather quickly declared “safe”. Then, out came Carly, who he announced to MY surprise as being voted in the bottom 3. This year’s shocker!! Shades of the Daughtry fiasco!! Poor Carly was relegated to the tractor-seat chairs, barely able to contain her tears.
David Archuleta and Michael each came out and were sent to the safety of the sofas, no surprises there.
Next came the making of this week’s Ford video, which I didn’t hate (either the making of or the video). It was really cute!
David C. came out and got his “safe” pronouncement, then Kristy Lee was sent to the chairs with Carly.
Jason and Ramiele were declared “safe” --- a little surprised that Ramiele made it, but then reminded myself about the power of the Filipino vote (what kept Jasmine Trias on so long – Season 4).
The new segment, questions from the viewers came next. Boring, although this week Ryan didn’t blatantly ignore questions from the folks over 25.
Kelly Pickler’s guest appearance was next. I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would --- she was rather pixie-cute and those new boobs didn’t intrude on her performance too much!!
Ryan reminded us all about “Idol Gives Back” and showed a short clip of Fantasia and Elliott distributing mosquito nets (purchased with the $76 million that was donated last year). Fantasia was asked to sing by some of the townspeople where they were visiting and Elliott had a baby named after him, which brought him to tears. Nice segment.
Syesha marched out next to be sent to the safety sofa, then Chikezie and Amanda came out together. Chikizie was told “yaw in” and Amanda was told she also was voted in the bottom 3 --- another shocker for me.
Carly was declared “safe”, Kristy “safe” and Amanda was told “yaw out”. HUGE surprise (you could have heard my exclamation in the next county --- if you did, I’m apologizing right here). No way did I think Amanda would go home sooner than Kristy Lee.
I’ll be working up my courage all week to be able to listen to another of her performances, but I hope against hope that she’ll go home next week.
AND that the voting public comes to their senses --- Carly in the bottom 3??? Are you nuts??
Ryan also announced the songwriter competition, which I had totally forgotten about. Then, as my daughter, Krista, pointed out, Ryan pulled a “Heidi Klum” and announced “the votes are in and someone will be out”. For the rest of the night, I kept hearing Heidi proclaim “yaw in” every time Ryan directed someone to the sofas!!
The big part of this particular episode was that ONLY THE TOP TEN GO ON TOUR. I think that really sucks!! You wait for hours/days for an audition, you get sent ahead, you end up in Hollywood, you endure THAT nightmare, you make the top 24, more emotional turmoil, you end up in the top 12, go to the big stage and two songs later you end up NOT going on tour. And, it seems like every year someone like Kristy Lee (Sanjaya, Jasmine Trias) ends up in the top 10 (and on tour) for some unknown reason and another more talented contestant gets left behind. Maybe they should change it to the top eight or six go on tour. . . anything to keep the Kristy Lee’s and Sanjaya’s off the tour!!!
Ryan didn’t waste any time in bringing contestants onstage, one at a time, and giving the results.
Brook was rather quickly declared “safe”. Then, out came Carly, who he announced to MY surprise as being voted in the bottom 3. This year’s shocker!! Shades of the Daughtry fiasco!! Poor Carly was relegated to the tractor-seat chairs, barely able to contain her tears.
David Archuleta and Michael each came out and were sent to the safety of the sofas, no surprises there.
Next came the making of this week’s Ford video, which I didn’t hate (either the making of or the video). It was really cute!
David C. came out and got his “safe” pronouncement, then Kristy Lee was sent to the chairs with Carly.
Jason and Ramiele were declared “safe” --- a little surprised that Ramiele made it, but then reminded myself about the power of the Filipino vote (what kept Jasmine Trias on so long – Season 4).
The new segment, questions from the viewers came next. Boring, although this week Ryan didn’t blatantly ignore questions from the folks over 25.
Kelly Pickler’s guest appearance was next. I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would --- she was rather pixie-cute and those new boobs didn’t intrude on her performance too much!!
Ryan reminded us all about “Idol Gives Back” and showed a short clip of Fantasia and Elliott distributing mosquito nets (purchased with the $76 million that was donated last year). Fantasia was asked to sing by some of the townspeople where they were visiting and Elliott had a baby named after him, which brought him to tears. Nice segment.
Syesha marched out next to be sent to the safety sofa, then Chikezie and Amanda came out together. Chikizie was told “yaw in” and Amanda was told she also was voted in the bottom 3 --- another shocker for me.
Carly was declared “safe”, Kristy “safe” and Amanda was told “yaw out”. HUGE surprise (you could have heard my exclamation in the next county --- if you did, I’m apologizing right here). No way did I think Amanda would go home sooner than Kristy Lee.
I’ll be working up my courage all week to be able to listen to another of her performances, but I hope against hope that she’ll go home next week.
AND that the voting public comes to their senses --- Carly in the bottom 3??? Are you nuts??
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
They Made the Beatles Boring. . .
I was truly looking forward to last night’s show. Who wouldn't be??? After all, there were several really cool performances last week when the contestants were allowed to choose songs from the Lennon/McCartney songbook. This week they were given the entire Beatles collection to choose from --- surely something magical would happen.
This was what my grandmother meant when she would tell me: “Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched!”
Or, what Felix meant when he told Oscar: “When you assume you make an ass out of you and me.”
Somehow, nearly all the contestants managed to make an episode that was showcasing the BEATLES into a virtual snooze-fest.
Once again, I’ll score them: (1) fabulous, (2) okay, (3) please go home.
Amanda was first on stage, looking fabulous. Her choice was “Back in the U.S.S.R.” which, given a few minutes, I could have predicted she’d choose. This girl may be cool, but she really is beginning to sound like she only has one gear. She definitely has a distinct sound but every song sounds the same. It didn’t suck; I gave it a ‘2’.
Next out was Kristy Lee --- don’t they have stylists at this point? If so, hers should be fired. Kristy’s hair was straight out of a Dallas hair salon, her dress was hideous, and Kristy, only a VERY select few people on this earth can pull off the cowboy boots with a dress thing. . . and you’re not one of them. It ended up looking like what my girls and I call “the day after Christmas” when you go to the mall and every kid between 6 and 11 has on every piece of clothing they received on Christmas morning, whether it goes together or not. Add to that the fact that she pretty much killed “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” --- pitchy in parts and not in the right key for her and I gave her a ‘3’.
David Archuleta chose “The Long and Winding Road” for his performance --- brave, since it does have a lot of lyrics and he DID forget the lyrics last week. He redeemed himself with a flawless performance --- his clear, pure, sincere style, totally on-key and with just enough changes to make it his without disrespecting the original. I gave him a ‘1’.
“A Day in the Life” was Michael’s choice --- quite a risk because he had to cut it down to 1 ½ minutes. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work. It was pitchy in sections and he muffed the words (he really though at least one of the judges would mention that, but he was spared). I think Michael should start singing music he enjoys and stop inserting the emotional factor of dedicating songs to loved ones. It was disappointing to me because I’m a big fan. I gave him a ‘2’.
Brooke (a.k.a. Stevie Nicks, a.k.a. Oldest 24-year Old in the World) chose to follow her “judge-approved” performance last week with “Here Comes the Sun”. Due to the fact that she’s obviously a real hippy-dippy type, she chose a yellow dress (also hideous and a bit see-through) and a song with about 5 notes and 4 words in the lyrics. You see, very few people can sing that song and not sound like an idiot with lyrics like “Du dn du du”. It was the longest 1 ½ minutes of the night, especially when she started “dancing” (and I put that in quotes because it was very reminsent of the “whirling dervish” dancers you see at some concerts who actually were real hippies in their time). I gave her a ‘2’.
I was really looking forward to David Cook’s performance; he chose to sing “Daytripper”. Maybe it was the fact that it isn’t a real favorite of mine anyway, OR that the first part of the show had already soured the experience or the Peter Frampton touch he inserted. For me it was just okay. He looks and acts like a performer though. My score: 2.
Carly came out next to sing “Blackbird” (according to Simon first known as “Sparrow”) --- one of my favorites. She did make the song her own, and changed up the usual flavor of her performances but I was terribly distracted by the top she was wearing. To me it looked like she had just won the Kentucky Derby. And, since I’ve said this several times at home already, I hope she’s in the early stages of pregnancy. If she’s not it’s unfortunate because she looks as if she is. I gave her a ‘1’ only because her technique was flawless, even though she kind of choked over one part of the lyrics (I think the next stanza came up too quickly for her).
Jason sang the classic “Michelle” --- I sincerely wish he had sung it from a stool on a darkened stage. He’s so uncomfortable without his guitar that he ends up just looking awkward. His movements didn’t match the song. Sadly I gave him a ‘2’.
I was equally not impressed by Syesha’s performance of “Yesterday”. I liked the way she sat on the stage with the guitarist, but it seemed like she as trying to connect with him and not the audience. I have her a ‘2’.
Chikezie selected “I’ve Just Seen a Face”, starting out soft and serious and moving to a rockin’ ending. If he’d left out the bluegrass guitar he MIGHT have been able to pull off the harmonica, but it was a brave, out-of-the-box choice that worked very well. My score: 1.
Poor pitiful Ramiele picked “I Should Have Known Better” and she should have. . . I’m beginning to think her audition performance was a fluke because this little gal sounds more like Karaoke Night each week. My score: 3.
I predict Kristy Lee, Syesha and Ramiele will be in the bottom three. I’m hoping Kristy Lee gets sent home.
I’m also declaring last night’s show the most boring (so far) of this season. How that could happen with Beatles songs, I don’t know.
This was what my grandmother meant when she would tell me: “Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched!”
Or, what Felix meant when he told Oscar: “When you assume you make an ass out of you and me.”
Somehow, nearly all the contestants managed to make an episode that was showcasing the BEATLES into a virtual snooze-fest.
Once again, I’ll score them: (1) fabulous, (2) okay, (3) please go home.
Amanda was first on stage, looking fabulous. Her choice was “Back in the U.S.S.R.” which, given a few minutes, I could have predicted she’d choose. This girl may be cool, but she really is beginning to sound like she only has one gear. She definitely has a distinct sound but every song sounds the same. It didn’t suck; I gave it a ‘2’.
Next out was Kristy Lee --- don’t they have stylists at this point? If so, hers should be fired. Kristy’s hair was straight out of a Dallas hair salon, her dress was hideous, and Kristy, only a VERY select few people on this earth can pull off the cowboy boots with a dress thing. . . and you’re not one of them. It ended up looking like what my girls and I call “the day after Christmas” when you go to the mall and every kid between 6 and 11 has on every piece of clothing they received on Christmas morning, whether it goes together or not. Add to that the fact that she pretty much killed “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” --- pitchy in parts and not in the right key for her and I gave her a ‘3’.
David Archuleta chose “The Long and Winding Road” for his performance --- brave, since it does have a lot of lyrics and he DID forget the lyrics last week. He redeemed himself with a flawless performance --- his clear, pure, sincere style, totally on-key and with just enough changes to make it his without disrespecting the original. I gave him a ‘1’.
“A Day in the Life” was Michael’s choice --- quite a risk because he had to cut it down to 1 ½ minutes. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work. It was pitchy in sections and he muffed the words (he really though at least one of the judges would mention that, but he was spared). I think Michael should start singing music he enjoys and stop inserting the emotional factor of dedicating songs to loved ones. It was disappointing to me because I’m a big fan. I gave him a ‘2’.
Brooke (a.k.a. Stevie Nicks, a.k.a. Oldest 24-year Old in the World) chose to follow her “judge-approved” performance last week with “Here Comes the Sun”. Due to the fact that she’s obviously a real hippy-dippy type, she chose a yellow dress (also hideous and a bit see-through) and a song with about 5 notes and 4 words in the lyrics. You see, very few people can sing that song and not sound like an idiot with lyrics like “Du dn du du”. It was the longest 1 ½ minutes of the night, especially when she started “dancing” (and I put that in quotes because it was very reminsent of the “whirling dervish” dancers you see at some concerts who actually were real hippies in their time). I gave her a ‘2’.
I was really looking forward to David Cook’s performance; he chose to sing “Daytripper”. Maybe it was the fact that it isn’t a real favorite of mine anyway, OR that the first part of the show had already soured the experience or the Peter Frampton touch he inserted. For me it was just okay. He looks and acts like a performer though. My score: 2.
Carly came out next to sing “Blackbird” (according to Simon first known as “Sparrow”) --- one of my favorites. She did make the song her own, and changed up the usual flavor of her performances but I was terribly distracted by the top she was wearing. To me it looked like she had just won the Kentucky Derby. And, since I’ve said this several times at home already, I hope she’s in the early stages of pregnancy. If she’s not it’s unfortunate because she looks as if she is. I gave her a ‘1’ only because her technique was flawless, even though she kind of choked over one part of the lyrics (I think the next stanza came up too quickly for her).
Jason sang the classic “Michelle” --- I sincerely wish he had sung it from a stool on a darkened stage. He’s so uncomfortable without his guitar that he ends up just looking awkward. His movements didn’t match the song. Sadly I gave him a ‘2’.
I was equally not impressed by Syesha’s performance of “Yesterday”. I liked the way she sat on the stage with the guitarist, but it seemed like she as trying to connect with him and not the audience. I have her a ‘2’.
Chikezie selected “I’ve Just Seen a Face”, starting out soft and serious and moving to a rockin’ ending. If he’d left out the bluegrass guitar he MIGHT have been able to pull off the harmonica, but it was a brave, out-of-the-box choice that worked very well. My score: 1.
Poor pitiful Ramiele picked “I Should Have Known Better” and she should have. . . I’m beginning to think her audition performance was a fluke because this little gal sounds more like Karaoke Night each week. My score: 3.
I predict Kristy Lee, Syesha and Ramiele will be in the bottom three. I’m hoping Kristy Lee gets sent home.
I’m also declaring last night’s show the most boring (so far) of this season. How that could happen with Beatles songs, I don’t know.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
12 Aspiring Idols Singing on the Stage. . .
Apparently, I've caused a stir by changing my picture. My family is relieved that I replaced what they call "the convict photo". My mom likes this one better but wonders why I didn't take off my sunglasses. I'm okay with the new photo, but still think I can take a better one. Stay tuned.
Okay, I could do a blow-by-blow of the entire show like some/most blogs do, but anyone who's seen these results shows knows they're a huge waste of airtime, no one's really sitting on the edge of their seat and we all just want to know who's going home.
Not saying they weren't, at one time (say, Season 1) a little suspenseful and mildly entertaining, but pretty much after this many seasons we just want to know: who goes home?
So, in fast forward (and probably not in the correct order) we see the requisite cheesy car commercial (actually a little entertaining this one), everyone does a number together (they always sound horrible, as if they had 1/2 hour to rehearse) and Ryan asks people to stand up, rehashes their performance, then tells them each, in turn, to sit down. . . they're safe.
Blah, blah, blah back and forth with the judges about what they're thinking (they're thinking they want to know who goes home), then Ryan asks three people to stand, rehashes their performances, tells two, in turn, that they can sit down and asks the third (in this case, Syesha) to come to the stage as she is in the bottom three (no surprise to anyone, even Syesha). Syesha repeats her performance from the night before, but I couldn't bring myself to listen to it again.
More rehashing, more film footage, I think Kat McPhee sang a song somewhere in there (looks good, has lost a lot of weight, but didn't perform as well as most of the contestants sitting on the stage), then Ryan starts Part 2 of who's staying, who's leaving. You can probably tell that I fast-forward through most of this.
More people are declard safe and in the (almost) end, David Hernandez and Kristi Lee join Syesha as this week's Bottom Three.
Kristi performs (couldn't subject myself to that again, either) and David sings again (listened to him and he was actually better than the night before). If David had done as well the night before as he did in his "farewell" performance he might not have been voted in the Bottom Three.
David is still pretty sure he won’t necessarily be sent home.
Ryan lets Syesha rejoin the Safe Group, then lets David know that he IS going home.
I was actually a little surprised. Although I was really let down by David’s performance, I thought Kristy Lee should have gone home first, then David (probably) next week, unless he managed to redeem himself.
Kristy, however, has no chance of redeeming herself, so unless everyone else forgets their lyrics and sing off-key next week, I’m already predicting she’ll be next.
I’m still waiting for some surprises this season. At this point if everyone stays at the level they’re at and no one does the “wow” performance, you can almost plot out the order everyone will go home.
Hoping it doesn’t go that way and at some point I get surprised!
Looking forward to next week and more Beatles music!!
Okay, I could do a blow-by-blow of the entire show like some/most blogs do, but anyone who's seen these results shows knows they're a huge waste of airtime, no one's really sitting on the edge of their seat and we all just want to know who's going home.
Not saying they weren't, at one time (say, Season 1) a little suspenseful and mildly entertaining, but pretty much after this many seasons we just want to know: who goes home?
So, in fast forward (and probably not in the correct order) we see the requisite cheesy car commercial (actually a little entertaining this one), everyone does a number together (they always sound horrible, as if they had 1/2 hour to rehearse) and Ryan asks people to stand up, rehashes their performance, then tells them each, in turn, to sit down. . . they're safe.
Blah, blah, blah back and forth with the judges about what they're thinking (they're thinking they want to know who goes home), then Ryan asks three people to stand, rehashes their performances, tells two, in turn, that they can sit down and asks the third (in this case, Syesha) to come to the stage as she is in the bottom three (no surprise to anyone, even Syesha). Syesha repeats her performance from the night before, but I couldn't bring myself to listen to it again.
More rehashing, more film footage, I think Kat McPhee sang a song somewhere in there (looks good, has lost a lot of weight, but didn't perform as well as most of the contestants sitting on the stage), then Ryan starts Part 2 of who's staying, who's leaving. You can probably tell that I fast-forward through most of this.
More people are declard safe and in the (almost) end, David Hernandez and Kristi Lee join Syesha as this week's Bottom Three.
Kristi performs (couldn't subject myself to that again, either) and David sings again (listened to him and he was actually better than the night before). If David had done as well the night before as he did in his "farewell" performance he might not have been voted in the Bottom Three.
David is still pretty sure he won’t necessarily be sent home.
Ryan lets Syesha rejoin the Safe Group, then lets David know that he IS going home.
I was actually a little surprised. Although I was really let down by David’s performance, I thought Kristy Lee should have gone home first, then David (probably) next week, unless he managed to redeem himself.
Kristy, however, has no chance of redeeming herself, so unless everyone else forgets their lyrics and sing off-key next week, I’m already predicting she’ll be next.
I’m still waiting for some surprises this season. At this point if everyone stays at the level they’re at and no one does the “wow” performance, you can almost plot out the order everyone will go home.
Hoping it doesn’t go that way and at some point I get surprised!
Looking forward to next week and more Beatles music!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Lennon/McCartney Night
SO couldn't wait for last night's show --- after all, Beatles are: 1) classic and 2) what I would choose to listen to if I could only listen to one type/artist for the rest of my life.
After some momentary panic about whether the show was recording (Beauty and the Geek lost) I decided I would rate each performer as a 1 (best), 2 (mediocre) or 3 (can go home).
Syesha sang "Got to Get You Into My Life" - not my favorite performance, I didn't feel like she injected enough of herself into it. Score: 2
Chickizie chose "She's a Woman" and absolutely blew me out of the water. Started out all bluesy, O Brother Where Art Thou and ended up rockin' it out of the house!! I was really a little surprised that he had that in him. Score: 1
Ramiele came out singing "In My Life" - even though this is hands-down one of my all-time favorite Beatles' tunes, and I know she does well with the ballads, it wasn't my favorite with her. She may have already peaked. Score: 2
Cutie Jason sang "If I Fell" - another one of my all-time faves! Loved his rendition and feel like he really can't do much wrong at this point. Score: 1
Carly chose "Come Together" - not sure how fair that was since she admitted she sings it almost every week in her other life as a performer at the bar she works for. Not suprisingly, she did a great job and made it her own. Score: 1
David C.'s choice was "Eleanor Rigby" - not my favorite Beatles' tune. . . until last night! Wow!! Great vocals, totally made it a David Cook song --- hit it out of the park! Score: 1
Brooke sang "Let it Be" - I didn't really care for it only because she reminds me of Stevie Nicks (and she's still seems really old), but Simon loved it. Score: 2
David H. chose "Saw Her Standing There" - another all-time favorite. Didn't love his rendition. David may also have already peaked. Score: 3
Amanda, although she lost points with me for admitting that she'd never heard the song, sang "Can't Do That" - again this week, love her when she can do her "Janis" thing but I feel like she has trouble with real melody parts. Can't understand how you can love/do music and not have heard every Beatles song ever written. Score: 2
Michael's choice was "Across the Universe" - another of my favorites recently made popular again with the movie of the same name. This guy's starting to scare me, he's performing as if he doesn't have any more to give or learn. Score: 2
Kristy Lee sang "Eight Days a Week" as a country tune. Although this song always had a slight country flavor and could have been sung with a country bend, she made it sound like a cartoon. Very frenetic and (agree with the judges) Dolly Parton-esque. Score: 3
After some momentary panic about whether the show was recording (Beauty and the Geek lost) I decided I would rate each performer as a 1 (best), 2 (mediocre) or 3 (can go home).
Syesha sang "Got to Get You Into My Life" - not my favorite performance, I didn't feel like she injected enough of herself into it. Score: 2
Chickizie chose "She's a Woman" and absolutely blew me out of the water. Started out all bluesy, O Brother Where Art Thou and ended up rockin' it out of the house!! I was really a little surprised that he had that in him. Score: 1
Ramiele came out singing "In My Life" - even though this is hands-down one of my all-time favorite Beatles' tunes, and I know she does well with the ballads, it wasn't my favorite with her. She may have already peaked. Score: 2
Cutie Jason sang "If I Fell" - another one of my all-time faves! Loved his rendition and feel like he really can't do much wrong at this point. Score: 1
Carly chose "Come Together" - not sure how fair that was since she admitted she sings it almost every week in her other life as a performer at the bar she works for. Not suprisingly, she did a great job and made it her own. Score: 1
David C.'s choice was "Eleanor Rigby" - not my favorite Beatles' tune. . . until last night! Wow!! Great vocals, totally made it a David Cook song --- hit it out of the park! Score: 1
Brooke sang "Let it Be" - I didn't really care for it only because she reminds me of Stevie Nicks (and she's still seems really old), but Simon loved it. Score: 2
David H. chose "Saw Her Standing There" - another all-time favorite. Didn't love his rendition. David may also have already peaked. Score: 3
Amanda, although she lost points with me for admitting that she'd never heard the song, sang "Can't Do That" - again this week, love her when she can do her "Janis" thing but I feel like she has trouble with real melody parts. Can't understand how you can love/do music and not have heard every Beatles song ever written. Score: 2
Michael's choice was "Across the Universe" - another of my favorites recently made popular again with the movie of the same name. This guy's starting to scare me, he's performing as if he doesn't have any more to give or learn. Score: 2
Kristy Lee sang "Eight Days a Week" as a country tune. Although this song always had a slight country flavor and could have been sung with a country bend, she made it sound like a cartoon. Very frenetic and (agree with the judges) Dolly Parton-esque. Score: 3
Thinking that they had, once again, saved the best for last, out came David Archuleta. I knew in my head that, at some point, he was going to disappoint me. I guess my heart didn't want it to happen. He did warn everyone, in a way. He expressed some reservations about his upcoming performance of "We Can Work it Out".
Even when it happened, when he TOTALLY forgot the lyrics so early in the song, I didn't want to believe it. Did he just slur the words? Was it the cold he sounded like he was dealing with? No. The small but mighty David Archuleta actually forgot the lyrics. . . twice. . . no, three times. In any other season, this would have been an unforgiveable offense. However, due to the strength of this particular performer, I think he deserves at least another chance.
Even the better performances of the night had lyric "misses"; in David Cook's "Eleanor Rigby" it's "darning his socks" not "wearing his socks", in Kristy Lee's "Eight Days a Week" the lyric was supposed to be "always on my mind".
But David Archuleta's HUGE error was the brain fart heard 'round the country. I'm hoping he's allowed to stay until next week and learns a HUGE lesson --- no matter what, you MUST know the lyrics. I think if John and Paul were watching they'd agree he deserves another chance.
My score for David A.: 2 (hurts me to write that)
Send David Hernandez home --- I think he's shown us everything he has. And PLEASE send Kristy Lee home and put us out of the misery of having to listen to her again.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Season 7's Final 12
So, we're finally at the point of the season where it gets manageable for me to start writing.
After a (very) emotional episode (actually, there are a LOT of crybabies this season, it's been like watching "Project Runway"), America has chose the Final Twelve, which won't be easy because y'all know I've failed to "bond" with any of the girls this year. I'll give a quick run-through and include what I've referred to them as so far.
Amanda Overmyer (Janis Rocker Chick): love her when she does her Janis thing, but she doesn't seem to be able to really carry a tune (I know that sounds weird). Also, unless she's singing, she looks so UNBELIEVABLY uncomfortable onstage. . . it weirds me out.
Brook White (Old Carly Simon Chick): even though I used to be a BIG Carly Simon fan, I really don't enjoy watching or hearing this chick sing. Plus, to me she's the OLDEST 24-year old I've ever seen.
Carly Smithson (Irish Chick): going through a love-hate thing here. Loved her in auditions, but dislike the fact that she's already failed to break into the recording business twice. Seems like she's been given enough chances, even though there really wasn't another girl during auditions that could have taken her place. Plus, I'm really bothered by the Amy Winehouse look-alike that is her tattoo. I'm picking her to be the last girl in the competition.
Ramiele Malubay (Tiny Filipino Chick): really love this girl about every other performance. She's going to crash and burn, though, I just have a feeling.
Syesha Mercado (Thandie Newton): thought she would be great while watching the auditions, but I only like her about every third performance.
Kristy Lee Cook (Country Blondie): thought she should have gone home last night. If we had to keep a blonde, Alaina should have been the keeper.
Chikezie: no need for a nickname, his name IS his nickname. Love this kid, but I don't think the rest of American will continue to appreciate him.
David Hernandez (now known as Stripper Boy): liked this kid since auditions, but he shows signs of instability in his performances. Could go bad.
Jason Castro (Dreadlock Dude): love, love, love him. Love the way he sings and how genuinely humble he is. Love the fact that he had only sung for other people a handful of times before he auditioned. I think he resembles John Travolta (watch his facial expressions). Not creeped out by his dreads like Nessa is.
Michael Jones (Aussie Dude): have loved him since auditions; very smooth, consistent and really talented. I'm predicting he'll make it to the top 5 at the very least.
David Cook (Rocker Dude): love, love, love this guy. Love his singing, love his attitude onstage and toward Simon. Knows he's good but doesn't exude it.
David Archuleta: no nickname for David --- I've been blown away by his performances since auditions. He has NEVER let me down and I've downloaded all his Idol songs to my iPod. I've like him even better than Josiah since the beginning. He's my pick to win this year.
So, even though I hope David Archuleta wins this year I'd actually be happy with any one of the guys winning. They are ALL so good and all appeal to me for vastly different reasons --- it will be hard to see any of them go home, but if all the guys don't end up with recording contracts, then the world is just a crazy place.
The girls this year? Ehhh. . . not feeling it so much for them at all. Maybe things will change over the coming weeks.
Good to be back!
After a (very) emotional episode (actually, there are a LOT of crybabies this season, it's been like watching "Project Runway"), America has chose the Final Twelve, which won't be easy because y'all know I've failed to "bond" with any of the girls this year. I'll give a quick run-through and include what I've referred to them as so far.
Amanda Overmyer (Janis Rocker Chick): love her when she does her Janis thing, but she doesn't seem to be able to really carry a tune (I know that sounds weird). Also, unless she's singing, she looks so UNBELIEVABLY uncomfortable onstage. . . it weirds me out.
Brook White (Old Carly Simon Chick): even though I used to be a BIG Carly Simon fan, I really don't enjoy watching or hearing this chick sing. Plus, to me she's the OLDEST 24-year old I've ever seen.
Carly Smithson (Irish Chick): going through a love-hate thing here. Loved her in auditions, but dislike the fact that she's already failed to break into the recording business twice. Seems like she's been given enough chances, even though there really wasn't another girl during auditions that could have taken her place. Plus, I'm really bothered by the Amy Winehouse look-alike that is her tattoo. I'm picking her to be the last girl in the competition.
Ramiele Malubay (Tiny Filipino Chick): really love this girl about every other performance. She's going to crash and burn, though, I just have a feeling.
Syesha Mercado (Thandie Newton): thought she would be great while watching the auditions, but I only like her about every third performance.
Kristy Lee Cook (Country Blondie): thought she should have gone home last night. If we had to keep a blonde, Alaina should have been the keeper.
Chikezie: no need for a nickname, his name IS his nickname. Love this kid, but I don't think the rest of American will continue to appreciate him.
David Hernandez (now known as Stripper Boy): liked this kid since auditions, but he shows signs of instability in his performances. Could go bad.
Jason Castro (Dreadlock Dude): love, love, love him. Love the way he sings and how genuinely humble he is. Love the fact that he had only sung for other people a handful of times before he auditioned. I think he resembles John Travolta (watch his facial expressions). Not creeped out by his dreads like Nessa is.
Michael Jones (Aussie Dude): have loved him since auditions; very smooth, consistent and really talented. I'm predicting he'll make it to the top 5 at the very least.
David Cook (Rocker Dude): love, love, love this guy. Love his singing, love his attitude onstage and toward Simon. Knows he's good but doesn't exude it.
David Archuleta: no nickname for David --- I've been blown away by his performances since auditions. He has NEVER let me down and I've downloaded all his Idol songs to my iPod. I've like him even better than Josiah since the beginning. He's my pick to win this year.
So, even though I hope David Archuleta wins this year I'd actually be happy with any one of the guys winning. They are ALL so good and all appeal to me for vastly different reasons --- it will be hard to see any of them go home, but if all the guys don't end up with recording contracts, then the world is just a crazy place.
The girls this year? Ehhh. . . not feeling it so much for them at all. Maybe things will change over the coming weeks.
Good to be back!
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