Last nights show was surprising on 2 fronts. The first being that I was uplifted and encouraged by the performances of Katelyn, Crystal, Siobhan and Lilly. The second being that the rest of the Top 10 Girls stage time had me looking forward to the Reese's Peanut Butter Egg commercial from the previous week instead of focusing on their performances. When a commercial for an extremely delicious but horrifically fattening candy is more appealing then the blaise song choices and lackluster performances of "America's" Top 10 Girls, you know there is a problem. Listen up Fox and 19 Entertainment or whatever you are called; it may be time to rethink the selection process. It may be time to seriously consider selecting quality singers instead of putting who you feel has the more interesting back story. Or trying desperately to make the group as diverse as possible. How about just selecting the Top 24 best singers in the bunch no matter their gender, backstory, or or commercial appeal. Sure I understand that there is a great deal of money invloved but look at Kelly Clarkson (since we heard some of her music last night it is only appropriate) as an example of what can happen when you go with talent over everything else. I don't know of anyone who watched the show in Season 1 who said to themselves, "wow, this girl is so commercial!" Last time I checked she's doing alright in the money making department and has a few awards to boot!
Getting back to the performances. I am baffeled at the continued inability of both the Guys and Girls to select songs that don't make them sound like they are 40 year old seedy lounge singers off the Vegas strip. My goodness people, what decade/century are you living in or for that matter, were born in? Under what circumstances does someone who is 17 years old or 22 years old look at a catalogue of songs and say to themselves, "this song from 1964 is perfect! I'll sing it exactly as it is written and perfom a carbon copy of the clip I saw on YouTube from when it was performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965!" Here's a helpful hint contestants since the Judges don't seem to be able to clearly or cohearently point you all in the right direction - Study clips of David Cook, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, or any other Idol contestant that either a) took a song everyone knows and has heard a million times and rearranged it in a subtle way to make it their own or b) found another artists rendition of said song and perform that version - just make sure to credit the artist! Make use of Ricky Minor and the band and seek advice and guidance when setting the arrangement, he has a wealth of knowledge. Just don't be afraid to tell the band to take it down a notch it is a singing competition afterall. And last but not least, sit down, think about what type of record you'd be proud to make, and pick some songs and arrange them to fit your intended style. If you need immediate examples, look to Crystal and Lilly as they have the inside track on this so far. If you need historical evidence, study clips of Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry or Carrie Underwood - 3 artists who knew who they were and knew what type of music they wanted to perform.
Now it's time for me to give my 2 cents about each performance.
First I want to direct your attention to the start of the show. As the camera was panning back from the stage I noticed one of the stage managers/producers was on stage pumping up the audience to yell and clap louder. Such pandering isn't necessary is it? I hope not. Unless the opening comedy act was truely boring. Yes folks, there is an opening act for these shows and it is usually comedy.
Second I'd like to disect what Randy "Valentine's Day Sweater Gift" Jackson said about Tuesday night's show. And I quote "Guys were hot last night. They had fire in their eyes." I'm not doctor but it might be time for Mr. Jackson to get his eyes and ears checked out because that statement made about as much sense as Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh.
In yet another move that shows that Ellen is getting more comfortable and was a good choice as Paula's replacement, she let the contestants know that "song choice is everything." Sadly, she would have to repeat that throughout the evening.
Kara and Simon, "sitting in one seat..." Perhaps a vortex is created by Simon's unbuttoned shirts (as Ryan pointed out it is a severly plunging neckline) that causes Kara's chair to be pulled closer and closer to his each time he sits down. Otherwise it's just plain weird and creepy that they sit so close together.
Fresh out of the hospital and onto the Idol stage was Crystal "Meth?" Bowersox. I kid! I kid! Referring to herself as a "tough cookie" Bowersox, whose condition was not revealed but is thought to have been caused by diabeties complications, wow the Judges and the viewing audience with a "going to church" version of Creedance Clearwater Revival's "Long as I Can See the Light." Ryan was correct when he started the show by stating "it Is On!" Crystal once again proved that she is a force in the competition despite the fact that she has a twin brother that as she put it "is a square, but I love him!" Randy, Ellen, and Kara all praised her "truth," "natural talent," and "that she's not "trying to be anyone else," while Simon (ye of the 2 story tall trailer) thanked her for "not playing the sympathy card" and stated that much like with Kelly Clarkson (there's that name again!), could very well be the "moment we realized we have a serious artist here."
Haeley "The Singing Goat" Vaughn ambled on stage next sporting one of her "homemade" hair accessories. I wonder if she made the ones that Katie has been wearing? Before she sang we got to peek into her life and learn that she's a "bubbly happy person"; she's pretty nervous on stage; and this weeks song lyrics mean a lot to her. She then proceeded to sing "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. To quote Nigel Powers, "There's only 2 things I hate in this world; People who are intolerent of other people's cultures and Miley Cyrus." He actually said the Dutch but it works better with Miley Cyrus. What the Judges failed to say accurately was that the song choice could have worked if she had any idea what the song actually meant or had the ability to convey any emotion other than exhuberent. Ellen nailed it when she stated that she "just memorized the lyrics." I kept asking myself, "why is this girl even on the show?" I couldn't come up with a single plausable response. Simon then stated that he wasn;t going to make it any worse than it already was. He then called it a "complete and utter mess" and "in theory it should work" but the irony of it was that "when she should have been climbing but in reality you fell off." That left Ryan to ask "what good did that do?"
Lacey was up next with Six Pence None the Richer's "Kiss Me." Her video package started off with ehr apologizing for her performance last week which I tought was sweet. What would be sweeter though is if she gave me one of her refurbrishing projects. I want to like Lacey. I think that she cool, has nice style and I kinda dig her voice. Unfortunately, her performances don't roll my socks up and down. Which is really bumming me out. While this week was better than last on many fronts I was a thrilled with the performance as Big Mike was - he was really gettin jiggy with it! Again, Simon summed it up perfectly when he said she "is taking part in the competition instead of actually showing who she is as an artist." If Lacey makes it through she really needs to find the right song and wow us next week. But that's a big if.
Katie, Katie, Katie. I'm embarassed for you as well. Here's a little advice Katie. No matter how much the judges want you to sound younger, you aren't going to so tell them that you have a smokey older sounding voice and that they should just live with it. What you need to be able to do going forward, if you go forward, is perform the songs in a manner that gives the appearance of youthfulness. How you do that in 90 seconds without acting like a clown I have no idea. But that is your goal. Kara suggested you use your experiences but when you're 17, how many experiences can you pull from? Anyway, Katie sang "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rea and while it wasn't terrible, it was frustrating. As my wife said, "there's something bothersome about her vocals." I agree. Something just isn't clicking. There is a disconnect there that I just can't put my finger on.
What can I say about Didi's performance of "Stand By Me" by Bill Withers that wasn't said last night. Well how about that I actually liked it! I like Didi and I think that she has a teriffic voice. Is she great on stage? No. Can she be great on stage? Yes. Was David Archuleta a train wreck each week on stage? Hell yes! He seemend to get by. Lay off Judges! Only Ellen gave her constructive criticism. If Didi wasn't too upset to get Ellen's meaning I'll spell it out for her - find a song by a particular artist that you want to do and then find the right song for your vocal stylings, abilities, identity and then work with the band to craft an arrangement that suits your talents or find an arrangement of the song by another artist that can give you ideas on how to play with the instrumentation or lyric sequence. Should I start charging for this awesome advice?
Okay, I own several pairs of fingerless gloves but who in their right mind wants to own a pair of "just fingers" gloves? Sure I've seen the likes of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian wearing them but they are pretentions a-holes. Is that the vibe you are going for Michelle? Disregard the fact that Randy (and I've mentioned this before the Dawg wore a purple on purple on purple suit that made him look like Barney or Grimace) thought you looked hot but do laugh at the cameraman's inability to find Vera Wang in the audience and instead focus on the first slightly Asian looking woman he/she could find! Lose the fingerlets and the look would have been nice. The look didn't fit the song however so it was like a walking juxtaposition. Michelle's video clip informed us all that she works with a children as a church choir director. Michelle then stated that she was going to rally switch things up this week. Because as the Judges said, she needs to take risks. What does Michelle do? She decides to sing "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed. Ryan, Randy, Ellen, Kara and Simon were all snowed by her selecting a "rock" song with Kara going so far to praise her for taking risks. For everyone who didn;t already know, Creed is a Christian Rock band from Tallahassee, FL. How is it considered a risk for a church choir director to sing a Christian Rock song? Please, someone tell me because I can't fathom it. Personally I thought the whole thing was a flamming bag of dog poo that I was forced to stomp out with my bare feet. Is essence - not cool!
Lilly is the f'ing bomb! That is all I really need to say but I'll say more. So far for me, she is the cat's pajamas! I loved everything about her performance of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come."
Katelyn is a bit of a techno nerd it seems. I think that ups her coolness factor a few notches in my book. What also ups her coolness factor? Her performance last night. Way cool! I was a bit miffed to learn that she had no idea that her version of Coldpaly's "The Scientist" was almost identical to Natasha Beddingfield's but then again, I didn't know she had a version of the song either. For everyone's viewing pleasure here is a clip:
With that being said, I still thought she brought it last night. If she can keep choosing song wisely and finding interesting arrangements then she could go far in this thing.
Paige "Picture Pages" Miles and her Crayola Crayons was up next and suffice it to say, it came up about 20 Crayons short of a 64 box. Paige has an amazing voice and seems comfortable on stage. She just can't pick the right song. If she figures that part out she could be dangerous. Singing Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away" which was co-written by Kara, Paige did a nice job with the vocals but as Kara pointed out, she didn't connect with the meaning of the song. And that connection goes a long way to getting votes. Just ask Adam Lambert!
Siobhan rounded out the night with "Think" by Aretha. The Funny Little Thing did it again this week. My actual notes stated this: DAMN! Who knew she had that kind of vocal prowess to nail every big note in that song. I was sure that I was about to witness a disaster akin to the sinking of the Titanic when her song oice was revealed but I was wrong. I loved how she said she figured out how to hit the note by "singing Kelly Clarkson (I know!) in the shower a few months ago." I also loved it when Ellen said "they say don't take on such a big song. They also siad don't mix sleeves with a blanket but look at the Snuggie." I couldn't think of a better way to sum it up myself. Thanks Ellen!
I'm off to order a Snuggie/Slanket. Tune in tonight at 8pm for the results to see if your favorite stays or is voted off in another outbreak of "the Crazies!"
~E
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
It's starting to feel like the a high school high jump competition
In week one the expectations for the Top 12 Guys were very high. As they stood on stage before their very first Idol stage performance, you could actually feel the jitters and nerves of Jell-O right through the television. It was expected that there would be nerves and that some of the contestants would not perform up to our standards or the judges but the level of crapitude (did I just invent that word or did I hear it somewhere?) that we witnessed was perhaps one of the worst overall first performance nights in the history of the show.
Week two dawned with the hope that the contestants would have found a way to channel their nervousness or stage freght or whatever into positive energy. Or at the very least they could simply just picture the audience in their nickers. The belief and hope was that everyone would walk out on that stage to perform and show the voting world what type of artist they intend to be and why they were selected as contestants in the first place. While it wasn't a resounding success there were rays of hope. Several of the contestants still appeared to be feeling the effects of the Idol stage much like Superman when he is near kryptonite or when he was forced to "Kneel Before Zod!"
After two weeks the Guys competition can be likened to a high school high jump competition. If any of you has ever witnessed one of these competitions you will get the picture. For those of you who have never had the pleasure let me paint the picture for you. Unlike in the Olympics where the greatest althelets in the world are competing, high school track is vastly different. Thus, when watching the high jump competition the bar usually starts out at roughly 5 feet to 5 1/2 feet. Each contestant gets 3 chances to clear that height before the bar is raised by at minimum a 1/4 inch. So consider that week one on the Idol stage is the starting height and each week the bar is raised and unfortunately, some of the contestants won't be able to clear the bar.
Back to week one on the Idol stage. In my opinion, nobody cleared the bar cleanly and nobody cleared the bar on their first attempt. In fact, several of the contestants not only didn't clear the bar, they also missed landing on the mat. While I don't necessarily agree with the ousting of Tyler and Joe, American felt that they didn't clear the bar on any of their three chances (or in Idol speak their 90 seconds of performing) and therefore, were not around for week two.
Week two dawned with the hope that the contestants would have found a way to channel their nervousness or stage freght or whatever into positive energy. Or at the very least they could simply just picture the audience in their nickers. The belief and hope was that everyone would walk out on that stage to perform and show the voting world what type of artist they intend to be and why they were selected as contestants in the first place. While it wasn't a resounding success there were rays of hope. Several of the contestants still appeared to be feeling the effects of the Idol stage much like Superman when he is near kryptonite or when he was forced to "Kneel Before Zod!"
After two weeks the Guys competition can be likened to a high school high jump competition. If any of you has ever witnessed one of these competitions you will get the picture. For those of you who have never had the pleasure let me paint the picture for you. Unlike in the Olympics where the greatest althelets in the world are competing, high school track is vastly different. Thus, when watching the high jump competition the bar usually starts out at roughly 5 feet to 5 1/2 feet. Each contestant gets 3 chances to clear that height before the bar is raised by at minimum a 1/4 inch. So consider that week one on the Idol stage is the starting height and each week the bar is raised and unfortunately, some of the contestants won't be able to clear the bar.
Back to week one on the Idol stage. In my opinion, nobody cleared the bar cleanly and nobody cleared the bar on their first attempt. In fact, several of the contestants not only didn't clear the bar, they also missed landing on the mat. While I don't necessarily agree with the ousting of Tyler and Joe, American felt that they didn't clear the bar on any of their three chances (or in Idol speak their 90 seconds of performing) and therefore, were not around for week two.
The show started off with all of the Guys lined up across a darkend Idol stage looking reminiscent of the poster for the "Usual Suspects."
Ryan informed the audience that the switch was due to Crystal Bowersox getting ill and having to be taken to the hospital. At roughly 10am the Guys were informed of the issue and graciously agreed to switch nights. Another switcheroo took place at the Judges table where Randy "Mr. Rogers" Jackson and Ellen "Conquering the Judges Table One Seat At A Time" DeGeneres flipped seats so that Randy and Simon bookend the table with Ellen and Kara in the middle (oh the jokes that could be made here....). Ryan and Ellen then partook in some humorous banter about American Gladiator and Bewitched as well as Ryan's appearance on Ellen's show where they shared a bed together due to Ellen being felled by a very bad back and some serious pain meds. I also noticed that the Red Coke Cups were back in place of the Vitamin Water Zero cups.
"Big" Mike Lynche was the first to try and raise the bar from last week. And raise the bar he did - at least for himself. Looking cool and comfortable of stage is a black on black 3 piece suit with pocket square, Mike performed James Brown's "It's a Man's World" like he was a member of the Rat Pack - which he isn't nor is he talented enough to really be mentioned in the same sentence but what can you do. Randy gave him a standing o and rightfully so if your Randy Jackson. Did he really deserve that kind of reaction? Probably not. While he was far and away better this week than last, he still has a long way to go to advance beyond just making the top 10. With what he has done thus far, he won't make it much beyond 10th place. But for this week, Mike easily cleared the bar (it's still set pretty low folks so don't run to the gift shop and purchase a Big Mike slanket just yet!) and set it higher for everyone who was to follow. Apparently all those Aaron curls he does when getting warmed up are starting to pay off.
John "Should Just Sing in Korean" Park followed Mike and to para-reference another James Brown song "He Ain't Got Soul (Seoul?) And He's Super Bad." His performance? of "Gravity" by John Mayer reminded me a lot of Lil Rounds from last season. She had all this potential but just couldn't figure out the Idol stage or how to select the song to best showcase what type of artist she wanted to be. Unless second rate copycat was the type of artist she was striving to be! I agree with Simon. John is looking at a early return to his pals in "Purple Haze" after clearly faulting for a second week.
Casey "Bucky Covington's Better Looking Brother" James hit the stage with his electric blue electric guitar and tackled "I Don't Want To Be" by Gavin DeGraw. Before he performed we got to see his video package and the only thing I really took away from it was "What's In the Box?" "Oh, What's In the Box?!?"
Casey's performance for me was no where near as good as Bo Bice's who's vocals are far better suited for the song. Bo also possessed a more polished stage presence and performance swagger than Casey has demonstrated to date. Were the vocals better than most of the contestants to date? Sure but there is more to it than just vocals. When your guitar skills outweigh your vocals on a song, it's time to choose a different song. Also, did anyone else wonder if Casey picked the song because of the lyrics? Here's a sample of what he sang: "I'm surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn. I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn. Am I the only one who noticed? I can't be the only one who's learned!" Is it just me or does that sound like he's referring to his fellow contestants? None of the Judges seemed to enjoy the performance, not even the the Cougar.
On a side not, the Judges have been offering up much more pointed criticism this season. Even if the criticism is more contradictory or flip-flops more than the Republican Party and/or Mitt Romney!
Alex "Vomit Bag" Lambert took his turn at raising the bar with his rendition of John Legend's "Everybody Knows." Looking like he just stepped out of the Spring Urban Outfitters catalogue (Mullet aside), Alex seemed to have his vomiting and nerves in check. He also shook that pesky zombie stare from last week. While he still lacked what Simon called "that killer instinct" he chose a good song for his abilities and actually had a much more comfortable and clean performance. The Judges gave Alex useful and constructive feedback as well as needed encouragement. The kid has potential, that's undeniable. Is he a dark horse? Don't ask Siobhan because she couldn't teel you! Hopefully going forward Ales learns his songs in human language and not in his "made up language" otherwise he'll continue to not finish the lyric and not convey the true meaning or any meaning of the verses he sings. Besides, does he really want to go through life with a vocabulary like Randy Jackson? Alex raised the bar for himself considerable next week and here's hoping he continues to do so.
Toderick "Ike Turner" Hall pirouetted onto stage next with his "Ike Turner" version of Tina's "What's Love Got To Do With It." Jacked up by his pre-performance push-ups, Toderick proceeded to beat the crap out of yet another tune in the name of "switching it up like you wanted." Calling out the Judges for conflicting advice is not exactly a good idea, even if it is 200% (argh, Randy's infecting my brain) accurate. Regardless, there is a time and a place to make a song totally your own and it's time to just sing Toderick. Because with a smooth voice like that (and sounding an awful lot like D'Angelo last night) he needs to just sing, use the stage and play to his strenghts (great observation on both counts Ellen!). Otherwise he'll never raise the bar, he'll just be singing in one.
It had finally come to the point in the evening that I was dreading. The point when I would be forced, for the sake of this blog, to listen to Jermaine "Kid N' Play" Sellers. Not only that, but I was apparently going to have to endure seeing him in a dinosaur onesy and hear him whine about the Judges not liking his song last week. What else did we learn about Jermaine? He's an old spirit. God is is homeboy. He's not Picasso yet. And he uses a steam mask to open up his vocals. He also looked like the love child of Eddie Murphy's Norbit character and Urkel. Going with that ultra current hit "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, Sellers stunk up the joint for a second week. The performance had as much life and The Adventures of Pluto Nash. The Judges were not pleased. Ellen was at a loss for words. Kara told him to look at the lyrics and try to decipher their meaning. Randy thought it was better but far from great and Simon was frustrated and disappointed. Would it be too much to ask that he doesn't get a third week on the show? Please!?!
Singing James Morrison's "You Give Me Something," Andrew "Breakin 2 the Electric Boogaloo" Garcia didn't "give us anything." It was if he was asleep on his stool. Now I'm frustrated and disappointed because he has so much potential to wow us each week. So far though he hasn't found his rthym with his song selection and really needs to step up his game.
Aaron "Peeping Tom" Carter, I menan Kelly followed Andrew. Aaron is big into photography because the "camera doesn't lie." No it doesn't. SO if the old addage is tru that the camera adds 10 pounds and 5 years then Aaron must weigh about 50 pounds and be 11 years old in real life. Taking a stab at singing a song ("My Girl") that is 20 years older than he is, Aaron takes a giant step backward from his performance in week one. Aaron tried his best to cover the fact that the song was out of his league by using the stage and going country with it but it just didn't work. And that last note? I thought someone was making tea and it had finally boiled. Ellen was spot on again when she called it "forgettable."
Tim "Abercormbie & Fitch" Urban hit the stage next wih "Come On Get High" by Matt Nathanson. As first I didn't recognize the song choice but once he got going I realized what it was. It was actually a good choice for Tim considering he doesn't really have any singing talent. Which was pointed out again by Ellen who was on fire last night. Asking him if he could act was priceless! And I doubt that Glee would hire him unless the part didn't involve singing. Simon was the only one whliked the performance. Granted what he was comparing it to was a flaming bag of dog poo! Perhaps one of Tim's four brothers or five sisters can sing?
Rounding our the Guys last night was Lee "Pants On Th Ground" DeWyze. Lee chose a song that probably very few people recognized but was perfect for his vocal abilities. "Lips of an Angel" by Hinder was right in Lee's wheelhouse and the former paint salesman who made lots of bad choices in high school (who didn't!) did a pretty decent job with it. Lee took a current (well more current than most of the others) song that he knew he could handle and although he was pitchy, he was as Simon declared, "Head and shoulders above everyone else." Lee needs to contact General Larry Platt and buy one of the belts he was selling at the Grammy's so he doesn't have to keep pullin up his drawers next week. Perhaps then he will be more comfortable on stage. Lee once again raised the bar for himself and for the remaining Guys. Now it's up to them to figure out how to get over it.
Overall not a very enjoyable show but better than week one.
Girls go tonight at 8pm provided that Crystal has recovered from her 3 nicotine patch overdose! She doesn't want to ruin her "Crest White Strip" smile!
~E
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Just to mix things up....
It appears that Crystal Bowersox's illness will prevent her from performing tonight. The producers have decided to have the Guys sing tonight and the Girls sing tomorrow night. Crystal has been hospitalized wth an unreported illness. Get well soon Crystal!
As a result, the Tim, Alex and Jermaine horror train will rattle on through the station one day early. Let's all pray for a miracle improvement in their vocal abilities.
Enjoy the show!
~E
As a result, the Tim, Alex and Jermaine horror train will rattle on through the station one day early. Let's all pray for a miracle improvement in their vocal abilities.
Enjoy the show!
~E
Voting Poll and Other News
Good afternoon everyone. I trust that everyone has recovered from last weeks results show and has come to grips with the fact that Tim, Alex and Haeley will be punishing us with their rather experimental vocal stylings for at least another night. You may want to invest in a pair of ear plugs of at the very least, keep the remote handy for quick muting.
As the title of this post suggests, I have been trying to arrange it so that we can vote right on this blog for who we think is going home. Many hours have been invested in finding a poll widget that is compatable with Blogger. You might notice that a poll is currently up on the site but it is one that I am not happy with nor does it appear to provide the functionality that I desire (i.e. ability to track who voted for who and keep the results secret until after the results are all in). The only poll that I found that offers the level of functionality that we need costs $200. Sadly, I don't have a couple of Benjamin's lying around that I can invest in this blog.
Where does that leave us? Well, it would appear that for at least another week you will need to e-mail me your votes. I know, I know, it's so low tech! I am in the process of researching other widgets that might allow for voting buttons or some other type of data gathering widget that does what we need it to do. We can also try the poll that is up on the blog now but as I stated, it does not have the functionality that we really need.
In other news I have noticed that "ColdHeartedSnake" is now a follower of the site. If this cleaver moniker belongs to one of you, please let me know because this blog is open to the entire blogisphere and it would be quite a feat if we had an outside follower already. Unless of course it is actually Paula Abdul! I also encourage everyone to signup to follow the blog as it will allow me to instantly notify you all when new posts are available for viewing.
A new project called "Takin Over Hollywood" starring former Idol castoffs Kristen McNamara, Nick "Normund Gentle" Mitchell and Tatiana "Psycho Drama Queen" Del Toro. I have embedded a clip for your viewing pleasure. Not much is available regarding the project but there is an e-mail address at the end of the clip if you want to be adventerous and find out more.
Danny Gokey's CD "My Best Days" officially dropped today. He's "Not My Bag...Baby" so I won't be checking it out but if anyone does, let us know your thoughts.
In other former contestant news, Anoop and Matt G. will be going head to head in a new Oreo Cakesters ad campaign. There is also a contest associated with the campaign so if you want to enter, head over to http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/cakesters/jingle.aspx
"We Are The Fallen" fronted by former contestant Carly Smithson will drop their debut album, Tear the World Down on May 11th.
Bucky Covington has a new single out as well, It's called "A Father's Love." Good for Bucky.....
Elliot Yamin was in Chile on Saturday when the 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit. He was there to perform at a music festival. He is okay but is running low on his Type 1 diabetic insulin. Hopefully he makes it out before he runs out of insulin.
And finally, Carrie Underwood received 6 ACM nominations. The reigning Perfomer of the Year will be trying to defend her title again this year. Go Carrie!
Well, that's all for now. Don't forget to watch tonight at 8pm on Fox. It a 2 hour show so remember to set your DVR's to record a few minutes past 10pm.
Update:
I forgot to mention that Chikezie Eze was arrested the other night and booked on felony identity theft. He was busted while attempting to purchase cologne at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. That's just plain sad.
Didi Benami could also be in a bit of trouble. Information posted on her MySpace page links her to Jason Reeves a friend and songwriting partner of Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. Playing favorites are we Idol judges and producers? Considering that they allowed "Big" Mike to continue on the show after violating the confiedntiality agreement but booting Chris Golightly for maybe/maybe not being under contract with the boy band Dream 5.
Simon Cowell is apparently engaged to Mezhgan Hussainy, a make-up artist on the show. Who know if this is true or not but what I can tell you is that if the picture of the ring is not a fake then she will need an assistant to help her drag that rock around all day - it's huge, just like his ego and his 12,000 sq. ft. mansion!
And one final bit of news, Adam Lambert is scheduled to return to the Idol stage in the spring. No specific date has been released as of yet.
~E
As the title of this post suggests, I have been trying to arrange it so that we can vote right on this blog for who we think is going home. Many hours have been invested in finding a poll widget that is compatable with Blogger. You might notice that a poll is currently up on the site but it is one that I am not happy with nor does it appear to provide the functionality that I desire (i.e. ability to track who voted for who and keep the results secret until after the results are all in). The only poll that I found that offers the level of functionality that we need costs $200. Sadly, I don't have a couple of Benjamin's lying around that I can invest in this blog.
Where does that leave us? Well, it would appear that for at least another week you will need to e-mail me your votes. I know, I know, it's so low tech! I am in the process of researching other widgets that might allow for voting buttons or some other type of data gathering widget that does what we need it to do. We can also try the poll that is up on the blog now but as I stated, it does not have the functionality that we really need.
In other news I have noticed that "ColdHeartedSnake" is now a follower of the site. If this cleaver moniker belongs to one of you, please let me know because this blog is open to the entire blogisphere and it would be quite a feat if we had an outside follower already. Unless of course it is actually Paula Abdul! I also encourage everyone to signup to follow the blog as it will allow me to instantly notify you all when new posts are available for viewing.
A new project called "Takin Over Hollywood" starring former Idol castoffs Kristen McNamara, Nick "Normund Gentle" Mitchell and Tatiana "Psycho Drama Queen" Del Toro. I have embedded a clip for your viewing pleasure. Not much is available regarding the project but there is an e-mail address at the end of the clip if you want to be adventerous and find out more.
Danny Gokey's CD "My Best Days" officially dropped today. He's "Not My Bag...Baby" so I won't be checking it out but if anyone does, let us know your thoughts.
In other former contestant news, Anoop and Matt G. will be going head to head in a new Oreo Cakesters ad campaign. There is also a contest associated with the campaign so if you want to enter, head over to http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/cakesters/jingle.aspx
"We Are The Fallen" fronted by former contestant Carly Smithson will drop their debut album, Tear the World Down on May 11th.
Bucky Covington has a new single out as well, It's called "A Father's Love." Good for Bucky.....
Elliot Yamin was in Chile on Saturday when the 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit. He was there to perform at a music festival. He is okay but is running low on his Type 1 diabetic insulin. Hopefully he makes it out before he runs out of insulin.
And finally, Carrie Underwood received 6 ACM nominations. The reigning Perfomer of the Year will be trying to defend her title again this year. Go Carrie!
Well, that's all for now. Don't forget to watch tonight at 8pm on Fox. It a 2 hour show so remember to set your DVR's to record a few minutes past 10pm.
Update:
I forgot to mention that Chikezie Eze was arrested the other night and booked on felony identity theft. He was busted while attempting to purchase cologne at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. That's just plain sad.
Didi Benami could also be in a bit of trouble. Information posted on her MySpace page links her to Jason Reeves a friend and songwriting partner of Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. Playing favorites are we Idol judges and producers? Considering that they allowed "Big" Mike to continue on the show after violating the confiedntiality agreement but booting Chris Golightly for maybe/maybe not being under contract with the boy band Dream 5.
Simon Cowell is apparently engaged to Mezhgan Hussainy, a make-up artist on the show. Who know if this is true or not but what I can tell you is that if the picture of the ring is not a fake then she will need an assistant to help her drag that rock around all day - it's huge, just like his ego and his 12,000 sq. ft. mansion!
And one final bit of news, Adam Lambert is scheduled to return to the Idol stage in the spring. No specific date has been released as of yet.
~E
Friday, February 26, 2010
Perhaps there were hanging chads?
Not since "America" accidentally voted George Dubya into office in 2000 has there been a clear case of WTF with regards to voting results. Was it a case of ballot stuffing? Hanging chads? Were zombies (yes folks that's 2 uses of the word zombie in 2 days) texting for their leader? Is that commercial for the new movie "The Crazies" based on actual events and somehow linked to last night results? We may never know the answer for sure unless....never mind, David Freidman has left the building and is not available to fly to Hollywood and partake in a recount. Such is life.
Except for my theory about "The Crazies." I'll tell you. I have a neighbor who acts suspiciously like the folks in that movie trailer. He was standing across the street staring at my building the other night when Alyssa and I went out to walk our dogs. He then crossed the street right towards us still staring at my building. I stepped aside to get out of his way and he paused as if he was going to just follow us. I walked a few steps and follow us he did. I stepped aside again and he darted by us a few feet and then violently spit on the ground and thrashed his Tedeschi's bag around and stormed up the stairs to his building which is right next to mine. Once on the stairs he began screaming obscenities in the general direction of his front door and then turned around to hurl several incomprehensible swears and other ramblings towards us before creaming at his door again and going inside.
What does this have to do with anything you ask? Plot. That's what. And I thought you might enjoy a little true life story from the streets of Chelsea (where I'll return shortly).
On with the plot. The show starts inncoently enough. Ryan looking dapper. The contestants all lined up and ready to sing together for the first time on stage. A little small talk, a little buildup and BAM! We are thrust right into the first big scene of horrific and gratuitous carnage, the lip-synch group number. Tonights bloodbath was to the tune of Estelle's "American Boy." Based on the destructive nature of these numbers and the fact that 19 Entertainment refuses to a) let the contestants sing live or b) get some quality guest singers to perform each week leads me to wonder why Toyota isn't the sponsor instead of Ford. Toyota doesn't mind sacrificing people for profits either?
Right on cue Ryan then quickly and methodically whittled down the first row of girls (victims?) until only the blond girl wearing high heels and the terrified girl-next-door were left and you all know how that always turns out. Terrified girl almost projectile vomits everywhere but the one wearing high-heels can't outrun her fate. Sure enough it was off with Janell's head as she was the first girl out the contest. Janell didn't seem to care so why should I?
As any good slasher flick does, we were treated to some feel good moments in between the scenes of destruction. Up first was Allison and her blood red hair. She sounded great singing her new song "Scars" and also offered up this little nugget to Ryan, "Should we do an incredibly awkward interview now?" God bless that quirky girl!
In order to ratchet up the suspense, Ryan then jumped feet first into eliminating the first guy. He passed up several choice victims - Jermaine, Aaron, Mike but managed to corner Tim and Joe. Tim, the hapless dweeb who wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place and Joe who was this years "nameless guy in the red shirt who gets picked to accompany the stars of Star Trek on a mission." For additional historical reference, take a look back over the majority of seasons on Idol and you will see a disturbing pattern of a high percentage of minority, and more specifically Hispanic, contestants being voted off the show in the first 2 weeks of voting. Yes there are exceptions - Anoop"gawg" for one. But the majority don't make it past week 2 - Jorge? In the first big twist of the night it was Joe who got stabbed in the heart by America's votes allowing Tim to scurry to safety for at leats one more week. I'm not pleased with this but as seems to happen often with these plots there is someone working with the bad guy and at this time I fear it is Tim. He will be back next week to murder another song and cause undue pain and suffering to millions of viewers.
The next girl to be hunted down was Chelsea's own Ashley Rodriguez (please see previous theory!). Paired up with Didi, who Vegas bookmakers have pegged at 7/1 odds of winning the whole show, Ashley decided to put up a bit of a fight on her way out. She was visibly angered and appeared ready to lash out at Ryan. Instead she decided to lash out at America by belting out a schrill and offputting encore that was far from "Happy." She may have been cute but she evidently couldn't handle the Idol stage and while she should have survived for at least one more week in place of Haeley it wasn't meant to be.
Kris Allen then appeared in his cameo role to provide Ryan with assistance in support for the people of Haiti and to pimp Idol Gives Back which will take place on April 21st. Good cause and okay performance of "Let It Be" but in my opinion, nothing beets the original, not even Archuleta!
The final act was upon us and it was sure to be a doozie. Let's set it up shall we. The final 2 contestants left standing were the bathrobe, gym socks and ankle boot wearing retro-rocker Tyler and the flannel-chammie shirt, dirty t-shirt, baggy jeans and mullet sporting "unripe banana" named Alex. To add some additional spice to the mix Ryan offers the judges an opportunity to throw one of them under the bus. In typical Idol fashion, Randy, Kara and Ellen all deflect the question and Simon steps up shoves Tyler with all his hairy chested might. This causes Alex to pee his pants and scream out profanities which are bleeped out. But before Tyler's career dies, he manages to jab back at the judges with "If I had gotten more constructive criticism during Hollywood Week..." which results in Fox cutting his song off to go to the news.
Alex, Jermaine, Tim, John, Paige, Lacey, Haeley and Siobhan all survived and cost many of us valuable points. After the finanl number were tallied here is how things stand going into week 2:
David 2 points
Yolanda 2 points
Scott 1 point
Kristen 1 point
Betty 1 point
Lois 1 point
Jon 1 point
Thanks everyone and if everything works out next week we will have voting polls operational for the guys and girls. I hope to have a test run ready by Monday.
~E
Except for my theory about "The Crazies." I'll tell you. I have a neighbor who acts suspiciously like the folks in that movie trailer. He was standing across the street staring at my building the other night when Alyssa and I went out to walk our dogs. He then crossed the street right towards us still staring at my building. I stepped aside to get out of his way and he paused as if he was going to just follow us. I walked a few steps and follow us he did. I stepped aside again and he darted by us a few feet and then violently spit on the ground and thrashed his Tedeschi's bag around and stormed up the stairs to his building which is right next to mine. Once on the stairs he began screaming obscenities in the general direction of his front door and then turned around to hurl several incomprehensible swears and other ramblings towards us before creaming at his door again and going inside.
What does this have to do with anything you ask? Plot. That's what. And I thought you might enjoy a little true life story from the streets of Chelsea (where I'll return shortly).
On with the plot. The show starts inncoently enough. Ryan looking dapper. The contestants all lined up and ready to sing together for the first time on stage. A little small talk, a little buildup and BAM! We are thrust right into the first big scene of horrific and gratuitous carnage, the lip-synch group number. Tonights bloodbath was to the tune of Estelle's "American Boy." Based on the destructive nature of these numbers and the fact that 19 Entertainment refuses to a) let the contestants sing live or b) get some quality guest singers to perform each week leads me to wonder why Toyota isn't the sponsor instead of Ford. Toyota doesn't mind sacrificing people for profits either?
Right on cue Ryan then quickly and methodically whittled down the first row of girls (victims?) until only the blond girl wearing high heels and the terrified girl-next-door were left and you all know how that always turns out. Terrified girl almost projectile vomits everywhere but the one wearing high-heels can't outrun her fate. Sure enough it was off with Janell's head as she was the first girl out the contest. Janell didn't seem to care so why should I?
As any good slasher flick does, we were treated to some feel good moments in between the scenes of destruction. Up first was Allison and her blood red hair. She sounded great singing her new song "Scars" and also offered up this little nugget to Ryan, "Should we do an incredibly awkward interview now?" God bless that quirky girl!
In order to ratchet up the suspense, Ryan then jumped feet first into eliminating the first guy. He passed up several choice victims - Jermaine, Aaron, Mike but managed to corner Tim and Joe. Tim, the hapless dweeb who wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place and Joe who was this years "nameless guy in the red shirt who gets picked to accompany the stars of Star Trek on a mission." For additional historical reference, take a look back over the majority of seasons on Idol and you will see a disturbing pattern of a high percentage of minority, and more specifically Hispanic, contestants being voted off the show in the first 2 weeks of voting. Yes there are exceptions - Anoop"gawg" for one. But the majority don't make it past week 2 - Jorge? In the first big twist of the night it was Joe who got stabbed in the heart by America's votes allowing Tim to scurry to safety for at leats one more week. I'm not pleased with this but as seems to happen often with these plots there is someone working with the bad guy and at this time I fear it is Tim. He will be back next week to murder another song and cause undue pain and suffering to millions of viewers.
The next girl to be hunted down was Chelsea's own Ashley Rodriguez (please see previous theory!). Paired up with Didi, who Vegas bookmakers have pegged at 7/1 odds of winning the whole show, Ashley decided to put up a bit of a fight on her way out. She was visibly angered and appeared ready to lash out at Ryan. Instead she decided to lash out at America by belting out a schrill and offputting encore that was far from "Happy." She may have been cute but she evidently couldn't handle the Idol stage and while she should have survived for at least one more week in place of Haeley it wasn't meant to be.
Kris Allen then appeared in his cameo role to provide Ryan with assistance in support for the people of Haiti and to pimp Idol Gives Back which will take place on April 21st. Good cause and okay performance of "Let It Be" but in my opinion, nothing beets the original, not even Archuleta!
The final act was upon us and it was sure to be a doozie. Let's set it up shall we. The final 2 contestants left standing were the bathrobe, gym socks and ankle boot wearing retro-rocker Tyler and the flannel-chammie shirt, dirty t-shirt, baggy jeans and mullet sporting "unripe banana" named Alex. To add some additional spice to the mix Ryan offers the judges an opportunity to throw one of them under the bus. In typical Idol fashion, Randy, Kara and Ellen all deflect the question and Simon steps up shoves Tyler with all his hairy chested might. This causes Alex to pee his pants and scream out profanities which are bleeped out. But before Tyler's career dies, he manages to jab back at the judges with "If I had gotten more constructive criticism during Hollywood Week..." which results in Fox cutting his song off to go to the news.
Alex, Jermaine, Tim, John, Paige, Lacey, Haeley and Siobhan all survived and cost many of us valuable points. After the finanl number were tallied here is how things stand going into week 2:
David 2 points
Yolanda 2 points
Scott 1 point
Kristen 1 point
Betty 1 point
Lois 1 point
Jon 1 point
Thanks everyone and if everything works out next week we will have voting polls operational for the guys and girls. I hope to have a test run ready by Monday.
~E
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Spelling Issues and Voting Results Thus Far
Good evening everyone!
I'm back and hopefully spelling better than I was at lunchtime. Man do I wish this thing had spell check. Oh well, I'm not getting paid so you will have to suffer through my spelling issues (although I'm starting to believe that Blogger sometimes spelles words however it wants - talk about ghost writing).
It's 5 minutes before showtime and I have not received votes from Margret.
Allison and Kris are on the program tonight along with the debut of the new "take a hike" song which will be "Leave Right Now" by UK Idol winner Will Young.
The leading vote getter thus far are Lacey and Haeley for the girls and Jermaine and Tim for the guys.
Enjoy the show and I'll post the points tomorrow morning.
I'm back and hopefully spelling better than I was at lunchtime. Man do I wish this thing had spell check. Oh well, I'm not getting paid so you will have to suffer through my spelling issues (although I'm starting to believe that Blogger sometimes spelles words however it wants - talk about ghost writing).
It's 5 minutes before showtime and I have not received votes from Margret.
Allison and Kris are on the program tonight along with the debut of the new "take a hike" song which will be "Leave Right Now" by UK Idol winner Will Young.
The leading vote getter thus far are Lacey and Haeley for the girls and Jermaine and Tim for the guys.
Enjoy the show and I'll post the points tomorrow morning.
Boys Don't Cry?...Well Tim Urban Almost Did!
This Is "Simon Stop Talking!"
Somewhat of a strange way to start the program last night for Ryan but I guess if Simon won't shut his piehole while Ryan is trying to do his thing you gotta call him out on it. Right?
Another bizarre quote to begin the show was Randy blerting out "The girls blew it out last night." Blew what out exactly Randy? Their flicker of hope at advancing? Their lunch? What exactly are you referring to Dawg because I have no idea!?!
I'm pressed for time....$%^&*(*&^%$ work! This is more important than work people!!!! So here it goes....
Toderick "Disappointed Kids In The" Hall started off the show with a rather bizzaro rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone." Hall may have made it a little too much of his own because the song was almost unrecognizable. He really overdid it but was very comfortable on stage thanks to his previous work with Fantasia. The judges didn't dig his performance but did kinda appreciate his taking a chance.
Aaron Kelly aka David Archuleta II sang second and despite everything going against him actually performed quite well. His version of "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts was pretty solid. Grandmothers (pantsless or otherwise) are going to be all over this kid and his pop county, wholesome dude vibe. Initially I just wanted to stuff him in a locker but now I fear I must take him seriously. The judges also seemed to love him.
Jermaine "Watch Out for the Bus" Sellers followed Kelly and made everyone in attendace wonder why on Earth he made the Top 12 Guys. "Get Here If You Can" by Oleta Adams was never meant to be sung like that! Personally I think he "churched it up" too much with far too many unnecessary runs and rise/falls but what do I know. Wait, I actually know quite a bit and darnit, I'm correct. He may be boarding that bus he used to run the band over with after that...
Tim "I'm No Chris Golightly" Urban ook the stage singing "Apologize" by One Republic. Hey Tim, what the f$%* was that? Please apologize to the following: One Republic for murdering their music; the band; to Chris for taking his spot; to the judges for making them look like fools; the producers for making them look like bigger fools; and to the viewing audience for making us suffer through a song that made Saw 1 through 6 look like puppys frolicing in a field of flowers. As Simon said, they "Made the right decision the first time." People were probably trying to leave. I know I wanted to leave the room but I couldn't look away.
Joe "No I Wasn't In Menudo" Munoz unfortunately had to follow Tim. Joe sang "You and I' by Jason Mraz. While I'd never heard this song before what was more important for Joe was that he performed it well. He looked at ease on stage and while his vocals weren't amazing, he held his own. His performance also ilicited the first "For Me For You" from Randy. Kara went so far to claim it was the best so far.
Tyler "Ghost of Jim Morrison" Grady slithered on stage next and performed "American Woman." Personally, I loved the performance. It was very reminiscent of Bo Bice who I loved in season 4. Was it predictible? Sure. Was it safe? Only if he performed it well which he did. Does he need to become more than one dimentional as a performer? Of course. Will he make it through to next week? You bet!
Lee DeWyze sang 7th for the Guys. He chose Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars." Here's some background on poor Lee from my perspective: He looks just like a guy (I had a much more applicable word but I edited it out) I unfortunately know so everytime I see him I want to punch him in the face; He chose a song I love and I'm positive I could have sung better - I'll even prove it at karioke some night if you want proof; and did I mention that I want to punch him in the face because he looks like someone I know and lothe? Okay. As for his performance I can say that I like his voice and the tone of his voice to be presice. That being said, he didn't roll my socks up and down. So I agree with Randy when he said, "Ah Dawg. Not good."
John "Doe" Park was up next and clearly misunderstood the importance of the first performance on Idol. Otherwise he would have picked a song that was more current and showcased his mad vocal skills. Instead he sang the jazz standard "God Bless the Child." I understand why he did it but he choose the wrog time to do it. Not that there is a right time unless the theme is jazz standards. He sang with absolutely no passion and the whole thing bordered on a motel lounge act.
"Big" Mike Lynch stepped to the mic next with Maroon 5's "This Love." Sorry Mike, I got no love for your rendition. Sorry. I want to like you but right now you are coming off as cocky and perhaps entitled. Yes you were comfortable on stage - sweaty pit aside, but Simon was correct when he described you as an opening act for the main performer at a concert. Step it up next week big man!
Alex "Won't Ever Get Confused With Adam" Lambert was on after Mike and sang "Wonderful World" by James Morrison. I don't know about you all but I was put off by his slightly psychotic zombie stare into the camera. His death grip on the mic was also disturbing. Clearly he has to get over the nerves and if he does, he could be a factor for many weeks because the dude has got some vocal chops. I wonder if Kara gave him a hug or if she was too busy stalking Casey who was up next.
Casey "Cugar Bait" James performed "Heaven" by Canada's own Bryan Adams. Casey sat on a stool and strummed his guitar and performed a bluesy, Bob Seagerish version that was safe yet well done. Casey has many things going for him; his looks; his style; his vocals; his hair; Kara's undying lust; a good back story. What he has going against him thus far is that he somehow has managed to channel the creepy pedifile stare of Constantine Maroulis. Simon and Ryan had the best quotes here with "Both cursed with good looks;" "Kara's cugar love;" and "Kara's HR meeting next week." Good stuff guys!
Last but not least was Andrew "Straight Up - No Cahser" Garcia with Fallout Boy's "Sugar We're Going Down." Andrew came out with his guitar and performed a nice acoustic version of the song. I enjoyed the second half more than the first and he clearly is going to get through. The judges didn't really enjoy it but based on everything else that they heard, his performance was one of the better ones.
Okay folks. Please e-mail me your picks. I also put a poll on the right side of the main page where people can vote for who goes home. Unfortunately everyone will need to create a profile in order to use this feature. I also don't know for sure how well it will work or if your votes can be properly attributed for our purposes. If anyone is game, give it a try so I can test this out. Thanks
~E
Somewhat of a strange way to start the program last night for Ryan but I guess if Simon won't shut his piehole while Ryan is trying to do his thing you gotta call him out on it. Right?
Another bizarre quote to begin the show was Randy blerting out "The girls blew it out last night." Blew what out exactly Randy? Their flicker of hope at advancing? Their lunch? What exactly are you referring to Dawg because I have no idea!?!
I'm pressed for time....$%^&*(*&^%$ work! This is more important than work people!!!! So here it goes....
Toderick "Disappointed Kids In The" Hall started off the show with a rather bizzaro rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone." Hall may have made it a little too much of his own because the song was almost unrecognizable. He really overdid it but was very comfortable on stage thanks to his previous work with Fantasia. The judges didn't dig his performance but did kinda appreciate his taking a chance.
Aaron Kelly aka David Archuleta II sang second and despite everything going against him actually performed quite well. His version of "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts was pretty solid. Grandmothers (pantsless or otherwise) are going to be all over this kid and his pop county, wholesome dude vibe. Initially I just wanted to stuff him in a locker but now I fear I must take him seriously. The judges also seemed to love him.
Jermaine "Watch Out for the Bus" Sellers followed Kelly and made everyone in attendace wonder why on Earth he made the Top 12 Guys. "Get Here If You Can" by Oleta Adams was never meant to be sung like that! Personally I think he "churched it up" too much with far too many unnecessary runs and rise/falls but what do I know. Wait, I actually know quite a bit and darnit, I'm correct. He may be boarding that bus he used to run the band over with after that...
Tim "I'm No Chris Golightly" Urban ook the stage singing "Apologize" by One Republic. Hey Tim, what the f$%* was that? Please apologize to the following: One Republic for murdering their music; the band; to Chris for taking his spot; to the judges for making them look like fools; the producers for making them look like bigger fools; and to the viewing audience for making us suffer through a song that made Saw 1 through 6 look like puppys frolicing in a field of flowers. As Simon said, they "Made the right decision the first time." People were probably trying to leave. I know I wanted to leave the room but I couldn't look away.
Joe "No I Wasn't In Menudo" Munoz unfortunately had to follow Tim. Joe sang "You and I' by Jason Mraz. While I'd never heard this song before what was more important for Joe was that he performed it well. He looked at ease on stage and while his vocals weren't amazing, he held his own. His performance also ilicited the first "For Me For You" from Randy. Kara went so far to claim it was the best so far.
Tyler "Ghost of Jim Morrison" Grady slithered on stage next and performed "American Woman." Personally, I loved the performance. It was very reminiscent of Bo Bice who I loved in season 4. Was it predictible? Sure. Was it safe? Only if he performed it well which he did. Does he need to become more than one dimentional as a performer? Of course. Will he make it through to next week? You bet!
Lee DeWyze sang 7th for the Guys. He chose Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars." Here's some background on poor Lee from my perspective: He looks just like a guy (I had a much more applicable word but I edited it out) I unfortunately know so everytime I see him I want to punch him in the face; He chose a song I love and I'm positive I could have sung better - I'll even prove it at karioke some night if you want proof; and did I mention that I want to punch him in the face because he looks like someone I know and lothe? Okay. As for his performance I can say that I like his voice and the tone of his voice to be presice. That being said, he didn't roll my socks up and down. So I agree with Randy when he said, "Ah Dawg. Not good."
John "Doe" Park was up next and clearly misunderstood the importance of the first performance on Idol. Otherwise he would have picked a song that was more current and showcased his mad vocal skills. Instead he sang the jazz standard "God Bless the Child." I understand why he did it but he choose the wrog time to do it. Not that there is a right time unless the theme is jazz standards. He sang with absolutely no passion and the whole thing bordered on a motel lounge act.
"Big" Mike Lynch stepped to the mic next with Maroon 5's "This Love." Sorry Mike, I got no love for your rendition. Sorry. I want to like you but right now you are coming off as cocky and perhaps entitled. Yes you were comfortable on stage - sweaty pit aside, but Simon was correct when he described you as an opening act for the main performer at a concert. Step it up next week big man!
Alex "Won't Ever Get Confused With Adam" Lambert was on after Mike and sang "Wonderful World" by James Morrison. I don't know about you all but I was put off by his slightly psychotic zombie stare into the camera. His death grip on the mic was also disturbing. Clearly he has to get over the nerves and if he does, he could be a factor for many weeks because the dude has got some vocal chops. I wonder if Kara gave him a hug or if she was too busy stalking Casey who was up next.
Casey "Cugar Bait" James performed "Heaven" by Canada's own Bryan Adams. Casey sat on a stool and strummed his guitar and performed a bluesy, Bob Seagerish version that was safe yet well done. Casey has many things going for him; his looks; his style; his vocals; his hair; Kara's undying lust; a good back story. What he has going against him thus far is that he somehow has managed to channel the creepy pedifile stare of Constantine Maroulis. Simon and Ryan had the best quotes here with "Both cursed with good looks;" "Kara's cugar love;" and "Kara's HR meeting next week." Good stuff guys!
Last but not least was Andrew "Straight Up - No Cahser" Garcia with Fallout Boy's "Sugar We're Going Down." Andrew came out with his guitar and performed a nice acoustic version of the song. I enjoyed the second half more than the first and he clearly is going to get through. The judges didn't really enjoy it but based on everything else that they heard, his performance was one of the better ones.
Okay folks. Please e-mail me your picks. I also put a poll on the right side of the main page where people can vote for who goes home. Unfortunately everyone will need to create a profile in order to use this feature. I also don't know for sure how well it will work or if your votes can be properly attributed for our purposes. If anyone is game, give it a try so I can test this out. Thanks
~E
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