American Idol Addicts

American Idol Season 11 - Auditions and Hollywood Episodes - Discussion

2012-01-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Idol fans! After a brief detour with X-Factor commentary, we're back for more Idol madness. I have to say, after suffering through the live episodes of X-Factor, I actually am looking forward to Idol returning to the screen. But, I'm sure I'll be suffering from fatigue once again by the time we reach May. In case you haven't heard, my wife and I do have a new addition in our lives and couldn't be happier! He's sure to be the number 1 priority from now on. But that doesn't mean, I will refrain from any Idol commentary. But, I'd look for it to be as bare bones as last season if not more. Probably less pictures and more like what I did for X-Factor this season. Day after commentary, real quick blurbs. For the auditions and hollywood, I figured I'd just keep this post up for us to discuss in the comments. (same as last year) I'm going to be late to the game this year as we'll be touring around our child to family and friends (out of town) the first week that Idol is on the air. So, I'll be sure to comment once I'm back and have watched the episodes. But, don't let that hold anyone up in commenting! If there's anything you want to say, just post a comment and I'll catch up. Once the live shows start, I'll try to keep on top of posting new entries for the performance shows. So, with all of that said, I look forward to continuing our Idol discussions this season. See you in the comments!

X-Factor Finale Part 1 - Final 3 Perform

2011-12-22T09:06:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! I have mixed feelings about tonight's episode. There is a clear winner out of these 3, but the judges still have me worried about the clearly less talented one winning. Maybe they've seen the voting tallies and are trying to "act" like they're behind the guy so they don't look like fools when he wins. But, I can't honestly sit here and say that he's impressed me every week and there is no way I'm picking him to be the winner of this show. And I'll tell you one thing. If he does win, I'm out! No sense in writing about this show or possibly even watching it when it's skewed to let sub-par people go home with the gold. ($5 Million gold at that) If the right thing is done, then we'll see. Anyway, let's get to the quick recap and picks!

Josh Krajcik - It was very bizarre to match up the contestants with the stars of (mostly yesterday) today. Alanis was definitely the best of the 3 but Josh was so-so in his performance of "Uninvited". Not his fault, I'm sure. The song did nothing to showcase his vocals. He had to sing it in that low key for the most time and then let Alanis shine. But when he brought out his audition song of "At Last" we were reminded of how truly talented this guy is. Any time it's just him and his guitar or piano, I'm in awe. Truly a gifted musician. I don't see him winning the show, but if he does I'd be totally behind it!
Chris Rene - Chris and Avril Lavigne eh? Yeah, I don't get the pairing. Seriously, if this show wants to reward me with 5 million dollars for not being able to sing and jump around hop for hop with Avril and pound my chest during it? Sign me up X-Factor! I surely can do everything that Chris Rene can do except maybe amateur rapping. 8 Months Sober, great! I'm proud of the guy. Stop shoving it down our throats as if that's supposed to draw in a sympathy vote! I understand that all 3 of these contestants did their audition song for song #2, but this is the 3rd time we've heard Chris perform "Young Homie" for us. And it's a catchy song don't get me wrong. I have no doubts it will be on his awful album. But it is truly his ONLY claim to fame. I've already expressed my thoughts on his last 2 weeks of showcasing a new "original" song and then "playing" piano. I was thoroughly unimpressed. And then to hear the judges plead with America to vote after this performance last night? It just doesn't add up to me unless it's already a foregone conclusion that he's going to win. We'll see what happens but I'm still not picking him!
Melanie Amaro - Again, we can't fault Melanie for being paired up with a has-been of the music industry (who apparently has written one of the most important songs of the last 50 years. REALLY? L.A.????). R. Kelly is a punchline that needs no set-up. His trapped in the closet 20 part song is proof of that. But nevertheless we were treated to a duet of "I Believe I Can Fly". It wasn't awful and they both can sing. And Melanie surely ran circles around her competition in round 1. So, no harm done! But, then she went back to sing Beyonce's "Listen". This is the performance that made me fall in love with the X-Factor format. She was so amazing in the audition and it was unbelievable that no one had discovered her yet. Allowing her to showcase it again with her newfound confidence should be the clincher in winning what was truly hers to lose from the auditions (without Simon's contrived ousting). She is an amazing singer and I agree with Simon. She should be X-Factor's inaugural winner and represent the show. No doubt in my mind that it's what SHOULD happen.

So, with that said there's no sense in drawing this out much further! Here's my pick!

X-Factor 2011 Winner -> Melanie Amaro

Like I said, if it's Josh, I have no complaints. If it's Chris? I'm out! (and I will have that nagging feeling to the end that it might be Chris)

So that's it! Hope everyone enjoyed my spontaneous decision to write about these live performances. It was a nice appetizer to the Idol season. I will try my best to keep up with Idol this year but I'm not making any promises. I do have that baby on the way and he'll be here very shortly! Things that once seemed like priorities (writing about TV shows, especially reality shows) may not seem very important at all anymore! But, if I do end up writing about Idol, I'll probably post up ONE post for the Auditions/Hollywood rounds and then we can all just comment there. And then, I'll resume for the LIVE shows. But I'm guessing it would be more of this X-Factor format and I wouldn't post until the next day. We'll see how things go!

Anyway, thanks for anyone who read these, hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll most likely see you at some point during American Idol 2012!

X Factor Final 4 Perform (Semi-Finals)

2011-12-15T09:26:00.003-05:00

Guys, I just don't know if I should even bother commenting on this show because it would be REDUNDANT!!! Yes, Steve Jones, I used the word correctly here because my comments will be very similar to last week. Between his misuse of words and his persistent rants for us to follow them on "TWITTAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" I really think the dude needs to be shipped back over the pond next year. Can I possibly miss Ryan Seacrest's MC skills? It certainly pains me to say it. It's actually made me miss Idol a bit. But, I'm sure that will all change once AI gets back on the air as always! Anyway, there are 2 REAL contestants here, 1 guy with a great "comeback" story and a sorta likability factor, and then there's Marcus. That's how I sum up these final 4 performances. If you want to read my redundant thoughts on each contestant for pure entertainment purposes, please continue on!

I don't care which one of them wins as long as it's one of them!

Melanie Amaro - There is just nothing left to say about Melanie's voice. It's amazing that she was never discovered before this. She definitely has grown with confidence over the weeks. I really enjoyed her "minor key" renedition of Mariah's "Hero" but I will say this. She had nothing to do with any "NEW SOUND" there. The musicians changed up the music but she sang Mariah's exact same melody. It didn't matter. She did it amazingly. And then "Feeling Good"...I'll admit I'm sick of hearing this song on reality shows, but I'm never sick of hearing Melanie's "SINGING" voice (I'll stress the "singing" part. More on that in a second). And when she ended with those high notes, I feared where she was going and then she hit it beautifully. Amazing vocalist and I'm still convinced Simon sending her home was all a ploy for "good" television. But then the TALKING. My wife and I just sat there after each performance talking Melanie through it, "Ok Melanie, now just sit there and smile. Don't TALK!!!" It's almost like she got some tips off-stage because that's what she did. But then, she saw a fan's sign in the audience that said "THE TRUTH". And she had to look at L.A. and ask him if he remembered when he said that about her. WHAAAT!?!?!? Melanie, why do you do this!? I know she doesn't realize that she comes off a little conceited when she does things like that. It's probably because she's so excited that she's there, that Simon brought her back, that her dreams are so close to coming true. But, whew, it does not look good on TV when she does those things. I think America has been looking past this though, and hopefully the votes will prove that.
Josh Krajcik - Melanie and Josh are 2 distinctly different types of amazing. Where Melanie has the beautiful voice and new-found confidence, Josh has an amazing ability to express his emotions while singing with that awesomely raspy voice of his. The Beatles cover? I groaned when I heard "Come Together" once again being performed. Every musician worth his/her salt wants to cover this song. But Josh's was just different enough for me to dig it. It felt natural, it felt like Josh and another awesome performance. But with "Hallelujah" he sealed the deal. Again, another song I'm tired of hearing on these shows, but when someone like Josh gets ahold of it and does it with his piano skills...(real piano skills, not the fake ones Chris had on display. More on that too) chills, chills and more chills!! It was amazing. The fact that L.A. Reid even TRIED to criticize it just showed how ridiculous this show can be when the judges have to defend their own contestant. There is no way to say that someone didn't FEEL that performance. Paula's tears for once were justified. And I would have slapped L.A. across the face if I was one of those ladies sitting next to him. Simon's critique you could see coming a mile away with the "appearing to be negative but then turn ridiculously positive" trick, but he deserved it. So good. I really can't decide which one of these 2 I would like to win. I decided that as long as it's one of them, it doesn't matter to me. They both deserve it! Maybe I'd give the edge to Josh because he has kept his post-performance comments to a minimum and respectful! But I still think Melanie doesn't realize she's doing it.

I will definitely ponder not wasting my time on season 2 if this person wins.

Chris Rene - Here's another case of I just don't know what else I can say about him. There is no doubt that he has a feel good story of having something positive happen after being involved in some bad stuff. And it's great that he has gotten this far. But, I don't think other more talented people should suffer because of that! I just don't get the appeal. I know he didn't pick Sugar Ray's "FLY" and the fans did (I really question America on that one. But I don't know what the other options were!). But man was it ridiculously silly! They all talk about how he's not a strong singer but his persona reflects in his performances. Maybe it does. But I'd rather see a great stage performer who can ALSO sing well! I still think he's a one hit wonder with his "Young Homie" jingle. And once I saw the clip that he was going to show some of his piano skills that he learned from his Dad, I wondered if he'd be doing a 3-Chord song and playing said 3 chords on the piano. In case you don't know what a 3-Chord song is, it's Alicia Keys' "No One"!! I started playing piano when I was 4, playing the melody of "We Are the World" by ear and impressing my family enough to get me started with lessons. I'm pretty sure I could play the C, F and G chords before I learned how to read. And once you know those 3 chords, you open up a world of songs that you can fake your way through. Ladies and gentelemen meet Chris Rene showcasing his "piano skills" in front of millions of people! It's embarrassing to real pianists that he considers this a real gift that he's inherited from his father and that the judges are going to praise him for bringing that gift to the world. And hey, I'm not saying that he sang badly or played the wrong chords (but his piano posture is awkward enough to make Lady Gaga looks like she is a traditional pianst!), it just wasn't worth BIG MONEY. I have this scary feeling that he could win this show, especially when Simon says stuff like, "you're the dark horse in this competition." And, I just don't think he deserves it. He has gotten this far, he has gotten recognition. His life will be better than it has been, let's stop things soon please! That being said, I hope he makes it to next week because there's someone else that really needs to go.

There's no point in watching television of any kind ever again if this guy wins.

Marcus Canty - He didn't pick the Boyz II Men tune, but he sure made it as cheesy as he could. And L.A. put the icing on the cake with the temptresses dressed in red dancing on heavenly clouds, and giving Marcus a silly flower to give to screaming girls (really girls rolling their eyes at how incredibly corny this was). I really hope America puts this guy out of his misery. This is painful. And it doesn't get more painful than having to endure an up tempo version of Wham's "Careless Whisper". There was a sort of irony when he sang the lyrics "I'm never gonna dance again" because once again we just saw everyone dancing around him as he jiggled his legs trying to appear like he's doing a lot more. You just can't put this guy in the same category as Melanie and Josh. It's like watching 2 different shows. And this one might have gotten honorable mention at a small town talent show. (In case you were wondering, the burping pig got 1st place)

We don't have to worry about judges' interference this week so it SHOULD be an easy night to figure out.

The finale will host Melanie, Josh and Chris. Marcus shall go home tonight. I can handle Chris going home only because it should ensure a Melanie or Josh victory, but it really has to be Marcus.

That's it folks! We'll see how things go tonight. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

X-Factor - Final 5 Perform

2011-12-08T08:35:00.001-05:00

Well, no doubt last week was a shocker for many with the whole Drew ousting. And many feel it was Paula and Nicole's fault. I'm not saying I'm a fan of Marcus or anything, but he did do better between the two of them in that face-off. And Simon is the one that put her in that position with the song choices every week. Everyone has had a week to settle down and now we're pretty convinced that Josh or Melanie will win this thing, right? Well, that's how I felt going into last night. It's still what I want, but I'm scared the show may be going in another direction. And for me, it may be an unredeemable direction! Let's divulge in our quick recap below.

The Great

Melanie Amaro - So Adele's ballad as a dance number? Eh, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that remix on a top 40 station or club on Saturday night. But no one can deny that voice of Melanie's. She sounded amazing on that track and even MORE amazing on the Whitney/Mariah song. She basically IS the new Whitney Houston which the world is sorely lacking. (crazy Bobby Brown!) 2 big issues with Melanie though. 1.) She's a TRADITIONAL singer and X-Factor is looking for something unique. While many love her, I just feel like something is going to keep her from winning. 2.) That mouth of hers. Once she asked L.A. to hold back his judgement so she could rant one more time, I was screaming "NO MELANIE SHUT UP!!! DON'T TALK, JUST SING!" It's so painful to watch. I mean, I understand she's emotional but someone has to tell her it's not helping her cause at all! She can say all of those things to the judges in private, not in front of millions. Oh and by the way, I'm now more than ever convinced that Simon not originally picking her was a total ploy for dramatic effect. There is NO WAY he would have sent her packing for Tiah Tolliver and that other girl I can't remember.
Josh Krajick - Okay, so the Rihanna song choice may have been weird, but I thought Josh sang it convincingly and well. The facial expressions on "Something" were a little too "Joe Cocker"ish but he sounded fantastic on it. There is nothing the judges will say that would make me think any less of Josh. He's an amazing singer and he's caught up in a ridiculously bitter judges brawl. That being said, he might be in danger tonight, but I doubt I'll be picking him.

The Decent

Chris Rene - Obviously, the show really wanted to beef up Chris's reputation in this episode of television. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the least talented singer up there. Simon even mentioned that. But, he does make up for it a little bit with his stage presence (on the T.I. song you could tell most notably) and persona. It was cool that he made up new words to the song and all of that. And I'll even say for the first 30 seconds of his "ORIGINAL" song I was captivated a little bit. I never heard his voice sound so good. But then I heard the chords he was playing, and the lyrics he was singing and I realized..."I could have written this song." Basic chord structure for millions of songs out there. And come on..."I don't know what to say. It doesn't have to be that way. What are you doing today? HEY?" Those weren't the exact words, but the rhymes were that bad. And then the chorus? "Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? UH UH UH UH UH UH UH UUH UH UH" Added the UH's for my wife. She was so annoyed by them! But the mood lighting, his positioning of the guitar resting on his knee as he sat cross-legged made it felt like he was welcoming in the whole world to his very personal life. And then the standing o's from the judges and all of a sudden you paint the facade that this was a REALLY REALLY legendary performance and maybe this guy is better than we thought! I'm not buying it folks. I will say one thing about his original song, the melody he wrote was very catchy. But the lyrics and everything else about the song were bland. For a 5 million dollar contract, I expect a bit more. And if the originality isn't quite there, I'll vote for an AMAZING VOICE (Melanie) every time. That being said, I'm afraid that this performance may have brainwashed his already large fanbase plus a few extras and he may actually have a shot at winning this show now.
Marcus Canty - I can't say anything really bad about Marcus's performances tonight. They were better than anything he's done since the audition so he proved he still belonged there. But I have to slightly agree with Simon on the 2nd song. "A Song For You" has been done by so many of these Idol/X-factorists over the years so there are many renditions. It seems like it has become the "GO TO" song when you need to impress people. And while Marcus did well on it, it's tough to forget how good Elliott Yamin was back in season 5 of Idol. I don't know, I just don't see Marcus winning this thing, but he did well tonight. It'll be a tough elimination night.
Rachel Crow - Rachel is Rachel. She's totally adorable. L.A. Reid was on my nerves tonight. His critique that Rachel was singing about girls? UGH...Come on dude, she's 13! But you gotta love Rachel's response that she was singing about Paula and Nicole. Very quick wit there! She sings amazing for her age. She would be a great singer even if she was older and sounded like that. But someone has to go home tonight, right? Yikes, I'm not even sure I know who to pick!

And I must say that I didn't understand why they were making such a big deal of this "TWIST" where they had to learn a new 2nd song. It was their "SAVE ME" song which they'd be singing tonight if they were in the bottom. So, wouldn't it be prepared already? Maybe adding a bunch of effects and lighting around it is the difference? I don't get it. But whatever. I'm so glad the Pepsi Challenge will be next week! Whew, I was afraid they might cut the whole thing! (you all are noting the sarcasm, right?)

Elimination Picks
I see a bottom 2 of Marcus and Rachel. It could be Josh in there but I don't want him there so I'm not picking him! So who will the judges pick out of those 2? Well, if there's any sense in the world, they'd pick Rachel to stay. Marcus as been there twice so he obviously wouldn't be resonating with the public. So, I'm most likely incorrect with this pick but it's what many of us want at this point.

Going home: Marcus Canty

We'll see how that goes! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

X-Factor Final 7 Perform

2011-12-01T09:41:00.001-05:00

So here's a question, how much butt kissing of the Jackson family can you do in 90 minutes? Well, we got our answer last night! Wasn't that a bit awkward to keep asking Michael's kids questions like that over and over again? They clearly were just going through the motions and would rather have just sat there and watched the show. But hey, any chance to see Tito again.... Anyway, we were treated to the soothing sounds of butchered Michael Jackson tunes all night. And we have yet another double elimination to look forward to! I guess this answers my questions of how they were going to narrow this thing down before the end of December! Anyway, here's my quick thoughts on each contestant and my elimination picks. I'm not as confident this week but how about me getting it right AGAIN last week? It's almost like I have cracked this show's code! We'll see if I can do it again...

The Great

Melanie Amaro - "Earth Song" - No doubt the best performance of the night. I didn't even realize the whole accent coming out last week was a big deal. The whole thing was just awkward to me! But hey, maybe it made her more endearing to viewers. She has the best voice in the competition and when she uses it with a "DIVA" authority like she did last night, it's magical.
Drew Ryniewicz - "Billie Jean" - I'm on both sides of the fence with Drew. Her performance was amazing and if it was the first time we heard her do that do a song, we would have been blown away. This is partly Simon's fault for keeping her in this niche, but why not try something up tempo once before it's too late? Back when there were 12 contestats, she easily could have tried a week and failed and people still would have voted for her. Now, it would be a huge risk if she does it this far in. But if she doesn't diversify herself at all, she probably won't be taking home that crown. But after that performance, no way should she be in danger.

I Want to Hate Him but he keeps entertaining

Astro - "Black or White" (with Original Lyrics) - I was really wondering how Astro would be able to totally change lyrics to a Michael Jackson song without feeling reprecussions, but somehow he found a way to balance MJ's lyrics with his own and spread a little positive message in the process. I had a feeling this is the song he would choose because it's one of the only Jackson songs with a little rap in the middle (and he used those lyrics). For once the kid looked like he was having fun out there and it didn't seem like the same ol' schtick to me. And for all of those people saying that he does the same thing every week just like Drew, I disagree. This seemed more upbeat than his normal "attitude rap" he's been doing. Don't get me wrong, I still despise the kid for his behavior a couple weeks back and it still could put him in danger. But, it's really hard not to respect his talent. He has some mad skillz and I think he'll be successful either way after this competition.

The Mediocre - All 3 of these performances were over-produced schlock!

Rachel Crow - "Can You feel It" - Hello spacesuits! Hello huge afro! Wow, that was a bit chaotic and too much going on on stage. Any time they have these overproduced numbers, it's hard to even hear the contestant. And I don't thing she sounded very well either on this one. I hate to say it, but she might be in trouble this week. But they'd probably keep her over Marcus or Chris if it came down to something like that. (don't know about Astro)
Josh Krajcik - "Dirty Diana" - I wanted to like it, I really did. The guitar solo was great but weird that he didn't bust the axe out until the solo. I could not hear him singing at all over the music. And the dancers? Whaaat was that!? He had an amazing week last week and I still think he's a favorite, so he should be fine. But let's pretend this week never happened!
Marcus Canty - "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" - All I could think about was Justin Guarini performing this in season 1 of Idol and all of his silly dance moves. It looked like Marcus tried to do the same thing. Of course, if you noticed, he barely danced at all. Just moved his feet up and down in place for awhile and then moved down from the riser and danced in place some more. Then he did his ridiculously out of place backflip and sang off pitch the rest of the tune. I don't know why they're convinced that this dude is the 2nd coming. He's really not. He doesn't sing very well either. I think he's in danger this week. We'll see.

The Flat Out Awful

Chris Rene - "I'll Be There" - One hit wonder. There we go, I said it. I think the judges/producers really thought there was more to Chris originally than there actually was. He had a great story, and a fun little ditty that he wrote. But everything else he has done on this show has been pretty darn bad. And what was up with that High School jacket with all of the bling or pins on it? Why on earth would Paula call that stylish? Is white trash stylish these days? Oh boy. The big question remains on if he still has that large fanbase that checked out his youtube video. Will they still vote for him after that mess? Maybe there are enough voters to get him away from the bottom overall vote, but I can't see the judges keeping him in this thing in a face-off. I'd root for anyone of the other 6 against him at this point.

Elimination Picks

Bottom overall vote prediction: Marcus Canty
Face-off prediction: Rachel vs. Chris
Wildcard: Astro
Elimination Picks: Marcus Canty and Chris Rene

This could be one of those weeks where there will be a shocker elimination like Rachel or Drew or something like that, but if there's any humanity left it will be Marcus and Chris. But yeah, there's that wildcard with Astro. Have people forgiven him or will they let him face the music once again? Should be interesting!

That's all I have for this week, hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

X-Factor Final 9 Perform

2011-11-23T10:02:00.001-05:00

Hello X-Factor watchers! Did you remember the day shift this week due to Thanksgiving? If not, you'll get to read my brief thoughts below. I have to admit, the first few performances were almost painful to watch due to all of the family love and preaching to the audience. And even when I thought we were clear of it, Josh had to take a moment to thank the audience as well! Maybe for some people this was endearing. For me it was absolutely cringe-worthy and "turn away from the TV in embarrassment for the contestants"-worthy. Of course, the only thing more cringe-worthy was the robot host unsuccessfully trying to keep the show moving. It's pretty creepy when he tries to add some humanity to his act. He'll awkwardly put his arm around a contestant and grunt, "mmmmm you did good!" Hysterical. Amazing that I'd actually be longing for Mr. Seacrest. Also, before I get into this recap. Does anyone else know Buzz TV for the various video game systems? Please tell me that the X-Factor Music combined with this host dude talking doesn't remind you of it!

Okay, I'm throught with all of my rants. Tonight's episode was decent but all of the giving thanks themed music was a little over dramatic. But we'll try to weed out the worst of the night! Here we go.

Best

Josh Krajcik - "Wild Horses" - All of my complaining throughout the night of awkward contestant moments ended when Josh came on stage for the finale. No elaborate production. Just him, his piano and his moving message for his daughter. At this moment, I started to believe that this competition is his to lose. I've always liked the guy since the first moment we met him and his mother. And just hearing him take on a song with the piano (nice chops there also btw. And have we seen anyone else play an instrument yet?) I could tell that this guy is a musician, an artist and a real find. I'll be rooting for him from here on out.
Melanie Amaro - "The World's Greatest" - I may have been rooting for Melanie too, but she totally killed me after her performance with her unstoppable rant about how this is the greatest thing to ever happen to her. Again, people may have thought this was touching, but I saw it as full-on Diva and inappropriate. Yet, the judges encouraged this behavior by giving her a standing ovation. It was so uncomfortable to watch!! That being said, you can't discount her performance for it. She is an outstanding singer and she took the audience to church! I have to say though, singing an R. Kelly song and declaring yourself the World's Greatest over and over again doesn't seem much like giving thanks. But whatever. She rocked! Just please Melanie, don't get weird again!

Good/Okay

Rachel Crow - "Believe" - This girl is cute as a button. No getting around that! From what I can hear, she was singing very well. But this again is the problem with the show and their stage production. It is way too elaborate. All of the gospel choir singers drowned out Rachel, and they didn't have her mic turned up enough. You could just barely hear it over the loud loud music and choir. How are we supposed to judge a contestant based on this? She's good though and people like her. We'll see.
Chris Rene - "Let it Be" mashed with his original "Young Homey" - It figures that Chris has to break out his original audition piece to be relevant again. He even acknowledged that his fans probably know the words to it before he broke out into it (except his mentor L.A. Reid who got caught flubbing the words. Classic.). I agree with Simon that "Let It Be" didn't really work. And basically, any song EXCEPT "Young Homey" doesn't work for him. He has his one hit and that might be all there is to him. Or maybe he needs to do more originals if he has them. Hey, if Astro can make up his lyrics every week, why not Chris too? He'll probably get by on re-singing this song and his emotional backstory that was highlighted once again this week.
LeRoy Bell - "Angel" - Say what you want of the Sarah McLachlan song, but it is a beautiful tune and very fitting for LeRoy to dedicate it to his mother who passed away a couple of years ago. I thought he actually did pretty well on it. Well enough to stay in the competition? I think so. There are some worse contestants that need to be dealt with. Not that LeRoy is bad, I just think we all have counted him out of winning for a few weeks now. But, I'm happy to hear him sing as long as he's still here.
Astro - "Show Me What You Got" (with Original Lyrics) I think we all kind of figured that Astro's "package" tonight would be all about being humble, apologizing to the viewers/fans and thanking his own fans for their support. As these shows always do, I believe they successfully spun it all around. He is just a kid and dealing with this kind of competition is probably tough for him to handle. But, I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from last week. And his forced smiles were a bit ridiculous! You could almost hear the producers telling him to smile as much as he can when he's out there. I thought it was also a little weird to have the parents defending his actions just because he's their son. Of course, their parental guidance is probably what made him act that way in the first place so it shouldn't be too shocking. If Astro had a lot of fans, then his performance was probably enough to keep them voting (and a few fans who never voted will probably vote now). I thought that compared to his other performances, this one lacked a bit. But it probably did the job. Simon's defense of Astro after his own almost dismissal last week will probably go a long way as well. But, for now, little Kanye West still has lost my support.
Drew Ryniewicz - "Skyscraper" - I'm actually so glad that Simon put L.A. Reid in his place on this one. Well, Paula did too. Once he said that the song was written for a 40 year old, how much crow do you think he had to eat when he found out that it's a hit song from recently former Disney star Demi Lovato? I try to stay up with current music as much as I can, so I knew that. But come on. L.A. Reid!?!?! You're a record producer dude! How can you not know what's currently selling? Drew did well on the song as she always does, but there were some awkward moments in there. And I know part of her charm is to crackle and not always hit the notes dead on. But some of those bad notes seemed a bit unintentional. It won't drive away her voters though. Plus, she showed a little more pizazz out there than her usual droll song choices. (Even though, yes, this song is still in her wheelhouse) She'll be fine.

Worst

Marcus Canty - "A Song for Mama" - Talk about predictability. The minute we knew this night's theme, my wife and I already knew that someone would be singing this Boys II Men tune. And how fitting that emotional Marcus would do it? This was another moment of awkwardness for me. Too much focus on his mother before, during and after the performance. Actually, after the song was over, I saw it in his eyes. And I just blurted out, "Don't you dare go over and do the cliche' 'Hug Your Mother after the performance!'" But there he went. And then it made Nicole an emotional mess so she had to get in on the hugging too. REALLY!?!?!? What is this show turning into!? Meanwhile, Robot Host dude is getting antsy to move the show along. Then each judge had to address Marcus's mother too. Come. Ooooon!!!! Ugh. Just painful television to watch folks. Oh, and the worst part? He sang AWFULLY!!!!! I don't know what people in the crowd were hearing. Maybe they were just bawling uncontrollably at the love between Marcus and Mama and not paying attention. There were so many bad notes in that performance that it was cringe-worthy. Will it be enough for Marcus to end up in the bottom 2? Ugh, I dunno. But it was bad, folks! Real bad.
Lakoda Rayne - "You Belong With Me" - Why? Taylor Swift? Why?!!?! What does this song have to do with "giving thanks" or "inspiration" or whatever!? I don't get it. If that wasn't enough, it was just awkward to listen to as well. You can tell why these girls didn't make it on their own when they auditioned, their solo voices are not that great and it's pretty painful to listen to. Harmonies? Very nice. Solo? Not so nice. Overall performance? Eh. These girls are not going to win. And yes, I feel bad that Paula will have lost all her groups but I just don't think the groups really resonated with the American audience this time around. And maybe part of it had to do with the X-Factor production team CREATING 2 of the groups. I have to think this crew is on the chopping block. Then again, we are losing 2 contestants tonight so it could be interesting to see what happens here.

Elimination Picks

Okay so 2 are going home and I think I fell asleep when Robot Host (seriously forget his name. Chris??) explained what's going on. But I think they said that the bottom vote getter IS going home and then the 2nd and 3rd bottom vote getters will face off. So let's see how that works out.

Bottom 3: Lakoda Rayne, LeRoy Bell, Marcus Canty Wildcard: Astro

Picks: Lakoda Rayne, LeRoy Bell

I think Lakoda Rayne will definitely be going home tonight. But it'll be a little foggy who is going to face off. I think LeRoy will definitely be one of them, but who will he face off against? Will people be in the same boat as me with Astro and note vote for him forcing him to face off one more time? It could be fun for the show's sake to put him there again and see how he acts. But Marcus was so unbelievably bad, that I have to believe other people out there agree. I can't see any of the big 4 being there yet (Drew, Melanie, Rachel, Josh) so then that leaves Chris as another candidate which isn't unrealistic I guess. I guess we'll just have to see how it plays out. But I've made my picks and we'll see if it's right!

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings, Happy Thanksgiving and see you next week!

X-Factor Final 10 Perform

2011-11-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

Hello X-Factorists! Another so-so night for the live shows. Last night's "ROCK SHOW" brought some good performances, some awful performances and some "that dude has some mad skills!" performances. No need in buttering everyone up. Let's just get to the quick thoughts and elimination pick, for which I'm 2 for 2 now! I don't see me doing it again, but we'll see.

The Great
"Great" might be a little misleading of a heading. Let's just say they were better than the rest but all of their baggage they bring with them!

Melanie Amaro - REM's "Everybody Hurts" - Love the song, love her singing the song. Amazing voice. No, it wasn't a ROCK song, but even rock stars have ballads so I didn't get the judges' arguments. However, I did keep expecting her to pick it up at the end of the song with the whole "HOOOOOOOLD OOOOON" part. This girl can "sang" though, so she's always going to be near the top of the list.
Josh Krajcik - Foo Fighters' "The Pretender" - The sound mix between the band and Josh's voice was pretty darn awful, but I could tell that Josh was really rocking this one out, and the audience seemed to thing so too. Josh seems to be the only one that REALLY embraced "ROCK WEEK" and did a relatively modern song and showed that he had the goods for this genre. Same as Melanie, he's pretty much good every week and one of the favorites. I fast forwarded through the pre-performance clip but I'm guessing we found out that Josh didn't take much of Nicole's advice (based on Simon's comments). It seemed to work out for him!
Drew Ryniewicz - U2's "With or Without You" - As much as it pains me, I'm still with L.A. on this. We need to see another side of Drew. Drew had her answer to L.A. rehearsed that she's keeping with her "genre base" but that gets a little boring don't you think? That all being said, she did one of my favorite songs and she sounded beautiful on it. No complaints, but I agree with Paula too. She has to take some chances, take advantage of that large fanbase! (All this agreeing with the judges probably diminishes my sidebar comment I'm going to make below!)
Astro - Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You" (w/ lyrics a la Astro) - I keep wondering each week if this is going to get old. But, then I just watched the spectacle of Astro with all of his new mad lyrics to a familiar beat/tune and I just can't help but be amazed by him. Yes, his whole schtick is a little ridiculous with the headphones and attitude, but this kid is a performer and MAD talented! A lot of it was the production value that X-Factor brings to the stage (literally), but Astro knew how to work said stage and he won me over yet again. Can he beat out the singers? I think there may be a strong shot that he can.

The Decent

Rachel Crow - Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - Not sure I was completely paying attention during this one, but I don't remember anything really standing out on it. It was just cute little Rachel singing a song that she might not quite be able to relate to yet. (not to sound like Kara DiaGuardi or anything) Great voice, lots of enthusiasm, not enough "rock grit"? I dunno.
Lakoda Rayne - Mash-up! The Outfield's "Your Love"/Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" - Harmonies sounded great, dancers were distracting and laughable. Major bonus points for singing the legendary Outfield tune. But will it be enough to save them from certain elimination? Others have sure gone out of their way to try and help them stick around. We'll see I guess!
Marcus Canty - Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" - Marcus let his inner Rock Star come out for the day and he put on quite a show. Simon may have overreacted a little bit too much to Marcus's "Mop the Floor" move under all of those ladies. He's supposed to be a Rock Star! Let him rock out and do silly things! But when all is said and done, I can't hold him to the same standard as the 4 I mentioned in the "Great" section above. He's a notch below them in my opinion.

The Forgettable

LeRoy Bell - Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" - Love the tune and it always makes me think of The Wonder Years. LeRoy sang it meaningfully and great, but there just wasn't much to it. It was slow, semi-boring and he went first. All of these are signs of trouble for LeRoy. And please, Nicole, we know he's 60! We're over it, stop reminding us!
Chris Rene - Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds/"No Woman No Cry" (let's be honest - It was the Fugees version of the latter) - I must have missed when Chris was singing "Three Little Birds" but I guess he mashed it up with No Woman No Cry using the similar lyric "Everything's Gonna Be alright". Anyway, Chris had a tough job this week (as he does every week) in finding what works for him. So, they took the Fugees rendition of a Reggae song and let Chris do his thing. I'm not going to get into the whole "is it a rock song?" because this is how these shows work. Contestants represent certain genres and they find ways to survive these rounds that don't suit them perfectly. Thart all being said, I can't say Chris was great because he wasn't. Far from it. I think he'll get by on popularity alone. But surely that's going to waver soon. He's really not that great outside of his comfort zone.

The Flat Out Awful

Stacy Francis - Meatloaf's (Or Celine's) "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" - Do people still think she is good? How can anyone listen to that performance and still claim that she's good? She never hit a single right note! Thankfully, Paula brought up her being flat the entire song. It's EVERY week! My favorite part of the show was seeing her facial expressions in reaction to all of the judges. Even when Nicole tried to give her positive feedback, she knew it was all for show. She was devastated! Well, she needed a wake-up call. These judges/x-factor marketing have been praising her as the 2nd coming and she has NEVER been that good. As long as she's on this show, I will not be sold on her talent. She will stay in this category until elimination. You would think last night would be enough to convince the world, but we'll see!

Sidebar

The judges are REALLY on my nerves. This is the 2nd week in a row that I've pretty much had to disregard most of their commentary and fast forward to the performances. If I heard Simon or L.A. complain about what constitutes a "Rock Song" one more time, I was going to delete the Season Pass from my DVR!

Elimination Pick
I have to make sure I don't let the pressure get to me here with this whole all-time perfect record of X-Factor elimination picks! (Hey, 2 weeks in may be the only time I can ever boast that "all-time" part!) I think I have a good idea who is going home, but it's that bottom 2 that could be tricky.

Bottom 2: LeRoy Bell and Lakoda Rayne

Elimination pick: - LeRoy Bell - It seems like he's kinda just been hovering along since we got to the live shows. I've said every week that he's not going to win. I can see it coming down to him and Lakoda Rayne, and the judges will spare Paula from losing her entire group right off the bat. They'll want to keep a group in the competition a little while longer.

But don't fret Paula, I think Nicole's team is right behind you. It was tough for me not to put Stacy in that bottom 2. I think she could be there tonight. If she's not there this week, then hopefully next!

That's all I have for now. Remember, X-Factor is on Tuesday next week due to Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

X-Factor: Final 11 Perform

2011-11-10T11:17:00.000-05:00

Hello all! Still don't know if anyone is reading these things and I'm very pressed for time today so I think this will be an even quicker recap with my elimination pick as well. (I'm 1 for 1 with X-Factor elimination picks! Probably should quit while I'm ahead.) Here we go!

Overall, I thought it was a pretty ho-hum movie themed night. It's probably because I was too busy watching the CMA Awards to actually focus on the show. (We'd watch 1 X-Factor performance during each CMA commercial break and sometimes skip the pre-clips and judges long-winded commentary) There really was only one person that blew me away and a few decent performances. Then there were the rest. I'll try and categorize then below.

The BEST

Rachel Crow - She really sang the hell out of that Etta James tune. Maybe I bought into the whole pizazz these shows always put into the final performance of the night, but I thought she was really good. And on a ho-hum night, that's enough for me!

The Decent

Marcus Canty - Much better than last week. Less dancing, more singing. He has a really good voice.
Drew Ryniewicz - She's still a frontrunner and she definitely sang great. I love Coldplay's "Fix You" but I'm with L.A. I didn't see how this was any different than her other performances. It was almost laughable when Simon said she's taking a risk this week and then you hear the opening notes of a Coldplay tune. We need to see a different side of Drew. Love that Paula had to eat her words when commenting on her self-made dress too (she thought Simon picked it. Classic)
Leroy Bell - I had counted Leroy out after last week, and I doubt he'll be winning this thing still. But his performance of "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was pretty darn great! So much better than the other stuff he's been singing. The difference? He picked it and Nicole didn't. If he keeps doing that, he'll be better off.
Astro - His new lyrics to Eminem's "Lose Yourself" were awesome once again. The dude is definitely skilled in writing some great little rap riffs. Even throwing in a salute to Joe Frazier was great in it too. I still think we'll tire of this eventually, but when he gets songs with such a great backing track like "Lose Yourself" it's tough not to be into it. But, I thought the additional tributes to Heavy D and Joe Frazier again at the end of the performance was a little much.
Melanie Amaro - Love "Man in the Mirror" and she sang it great. I feel like it's everyone's Go To song on these talent shows now so it's losing its power on me. Again, impossible for her not to be a frontrunner too. But, I'd like to see something else out of Melanie as well.
Josh Kracjcik - MAYBE, just maybe he performed the Beatles Classic with a little TOO much Joe Cocker in his performance. It almost felt copycat and inferior to the original. He is still great though, so I'm sure he'll have a chance to bounce back.
Chris Rene - So, I guess L.A. Reid is just getting all his people to write their own lyrics to rap tunes now? He changed up "Gangster's Paradise" to something else I couldn't really understand. But he definitely felt more at home on this tune than in his previous live performances. He even threw a "Young Homey" shout-out in the song for good measure. Definitely an improvement.

Okay but not Great

Lakoda Rayne - Ironically, on the same night that Keith Urban is paying tribute to a classic country artist on the CMA awards he's been classified by Paula Abdul as POP COUNTRY as they perform "Somebody Like You". Even more confusing, the clips show L.A. trying to figure out who they are asking if they're Pop or Country and then his critique tonight of the Pop Country song said that they finally figured out who they are. huh!?! Decent harmonies for the most part, but I don't really remember much of the performance. It's a shame for Paula getting stuck with the groups but I really think they're the weakest link on this show.
Stereo Hogzz - "Aint No Other Man" - REALLY!?!?!?! The song is designed to be sung by a woman. Christina Aguilera of all people. And L.A. never heard the song? Really? I dunno, great choreography no doubt. But, the vocal performance just didn't stand out that much to me.

Awful and Always Will be

Stacy Francis - Off Pitch the entire time and wearing some reject from Britney Spears "Oops I Did it Again" music video. And what was up with her whole dancing in the cage thing? She's not supposed to be that type of artist is she? So bizarre. The only props she can get is that she thankfully didn't sing "I Will Always Love You" from The Bodyguard. She would have gotten a longer paragraph here instead!

Elimination Pick
So, it really could be anyone going home tonight but I still think the groups are the weak links.

My call for the Bottom 2 are Lakoda Rayne and Stereo Hogzz once again. And I'm guessing Paula will pick the Hogzz to go home since it's their 2nd time there.

We'll see what happens! That's all I have for this week. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and maybe I'll see you next week!

X-Factor: Final 12 Perform

2011-11-03T10:04:00.001-04:00

Hello X-factorists! So the live show last night was a mix of some really good performances, some average performances, and some cringeworthy performances. I don't have a lot of time so I'm gonna break this down really quickly and somehow pick who is going to go home by the end (which is still a little confusing how this will work on a week to week basis).
The Awesome

Melanie Amaro - Naturally, we all need to get past the fact that Simon rigged her original ousting for TV spectacle. Her voice is unmatched. She's amazing. She can sing anything and proved that on "Desperado". Of course, I'm not sure how that is really a stretch from doing a Mariah, Whitney, whatever song. Yes, it's not originally a Diva song, but I mean...it's "Desperado"! One of the best songs ever written! She's amazing and definitely a contender to the end.
Drew Ryniewicz (or just Drew) - She sang a song by a rap artist and she sang it good. REAAAL good. That's all that needs to be said. Where Melanie's voice is pitch perfect and powerful, Drew's is ominous, emotionally scarred (at 14?? wowza) and mezmerizing. If possible, this competition could basically be between these 2 girls but I'm not sure how the eliminations are going to work each week. (Does 1 contender from each judge need to be there for the finale?)
Josh Krajcik - Performed Chrisina Perri's "Jar of Hearts" and it it oh so good. Love this guy too. I think he's in this for a long haul as well.
Astro - So I think we know what he's going to do every week. Take a popular Hip Hop song, keep the refrain but write/freestyle new verses. For now, I'm still hooked on it. This kid is very entertaining. Will it eventually get redundant? Maybe, but for now, I still put him up top. Hip Hop Hooraaaay! Get yo Freak on, Astro!

The Good

Rachel Crow - The girl is really good, don't get me wrong. She belongs in the "really good" category. But I didn't really get this performance of "Waking on Sunshine" with modified lyrics. Simon called it being inventive. Maybe and I'd always take his ridiculous excuses over Nicole's logic. But it still didn't work for me. Rachel's voice is fantastic though and people love her. She'll be fine!
Leroy Bell - I like Leroy. The dude has some mad skills. Of course, his talent is being wasted by awful song choices from Nicole. Seriously? LONESTAR??? Anyway, I don't think he was ever going to win this thing, but it wouldn't be a top 12 without him.
Lakoda Rayne - I can take or leave these girls. I'm not going to argue about how the dresses looked like Simon did. It was very vibrant in HD! Their harmonies are very good. But, this week they just seemed a little bland. Beautiful sounding, but bland. I think they have a little more in them, and I'm sure they'll have another week to show that.
Stereo Hogzz - For the choreography alone (kudos Paula), these guys were awesome. Again, great harmonies and group vocals. But their lead singer guy? Can you say "major pitch problems"?? Cringe-inducing! I also wonder if they got their Rhythm Nation inspiration from Tiah Tolliver's performance last week (what are the odds that I'd randomly mention that tune last week and then they perform the song this week?)

The Not So Good

Marcus Canty - This guy is fun and all with his dance moves, but I felt the whole performance was a mess. A whole lot going on, but not very memorable outside of that!
Chris Rene - Oh Chris, whappened to you young homey? I know he has legions of fans so he'll probably be safe. But this is 2 weeks in a row where he turned in a sub-par performance. I thought he started off pretty well with his rendition of "Superstar" but he lost it when the band came in. Ironically, Simon felt the opposite.
Intensity - So, they don't want to be considered "Disney" eh? Yeah, throw some little kid non-Astro rap in there. That'll butch it up! In fact, the harder they try not to be typecast, the more they are! This whole performance screams High School Musical and I've never seen a minute of any of those movies! I'm sure they'll have fans out there amongst the kiddies and tweens, but it's all just a little bit too much for me!
Stacy Francis - Ugh. REALLY!?!?!? Why do people like this sob story? Do people out there really buy into all of the drama? (aka as Nicole put it..."what she's been through") The only thing I can say about her voice is that it's powerful. But a powerful voice does not make a vocal "IN TUNE". And I would say about .01% of her performance was on key. Yet, she gets standing ovations in LIVE audience, and people at home shaking their heads in disbelief at home because that's what the X-Factor wants us to believe. I love Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain". I first became aware of the song when Kelly Clarkson sang it on Idol Gives back 1.0. I've heard Patty's original rendition as well. It's totally obvious that Stacy attempted to perform Kelly's rendition with her phrasing and alternate note options NOTE FOR NOTE! And Kelly did it so much better. Haunting, not overdone and just flat out awesome. People should know by now that if they want a good review from me, they should never try to imitate Miss Clarkson!

Of course, there are people out there that buy into the whole Stacy mess and I fear she'll be around for quite some time. So don't fret everyone, she's safe for now! I can barely keep the tears of joy from streaming down my face.

So that's all I have. Look at that, I finally was brief! So, I have no idea how eliminations will work. I did the math. The finale is supposed to be December 22nd. If one went home each week until then, we'd still have 4 contestants left. So, I'm wondering if each judge has to have 1 contestant left. So, say a group goes home this week. Does that mean that no group can go home next week and they're safe for 3 weeks or something? I just don't get it folks! I'm sure I can look up how it has worked in other X-Factor formats to stop all of the guessing, but I don't really feel like it! So I'm gonna break this down IDOL style for now.

If there is anything like a bottom 3, this is how I see it going down:

Bottom 3: Marcus Canty, Intensity, Leroy Bell

It's not who I'd put there, but I just think Stacy and Chris have a lot of support.

Elimination Pick: Intensity - Once a Mickey Mouse Club always a Mickey Mouse club! And I can't stand them! We'll get to Stacy eventually. The show needs a villain. These kids are just intensely pointless! Go back to school younglings!

So that's all I have folks. Not sure who is really reading this. And I still can't promise I'll do it every week. But I'll try my best. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll try to see you next week!

X Factor Season 1: Top 12 Revealed

2011-10-26T09:54:00.004-04:00

Hello American Idol Addicts blog fans! I have been questioned several times off the blog and on if I would be recapping X Factor. I had mentioned on my newest blog that we would see how things go and if anything, I’d maybe write something during the live shows. This blogging business is pretty time consuming! And my non-blogging life has gotten much busier, but I’m going to experiment with some quick commentary for the LIVE performance shows. If I miss an episode, please don’t get too upset! I’m trying my best, and there’s a lot going on!

That all being said, I really am digging the X Factor. It’s great to have Simon and Paula back on our TVs. L.A. Reid has been a much welcome voice of reason (most of the time) and his facial expressions are superb. I can do without Nicole and I don’t really understand why they went with her over Cheryl Cole. And how about host Steve Jones’ ability to keep the show moving along? It was hysterical when he cut off a “lost for words” Paula. Although, I was a little sad, because usually whatever Paula would eventually come up with would be pure unintentional comedy gold! Anyway, did I mention that talent on this show? So far it has been incredible! I feel like we usually say that about the Idol contestants at first too but these people seem like legit talent finds. Where have they been hiding?? Well for starters, the age range is completely different for the show (minimum age 13…that’s it!) so some people that NEVER would have been eligible for Idol have auditioned on both ends of the spectrum.

Anyway, I figured I’d list out the top 12 with a little bit of additional commentary for this week’s blog post. And we’ll see how things go from here! More after the jump!

I’ll have to admit, there have been some pretty intense moments in the past couple of weeks with some of the hard eliminations. We pretty much knew who was making that top 17, but there were also some hated contestants among them. And they built up judges’ attachments so much to some of them that I never thought they’d let them go! (Don’t get me started on the whole pre-conceived idea of Simon’s to eliminate Melanie only to get the judges all to agree that she has to come back to the show. If Simon saw the audition that I saw, they would NEVER purposefully eliminate her from the competition! ) 2 of my most despised 3 left the competition tonight, and once again there was meaning to life in this universe. But I’ll get to all of that! It’s going to be a tough competition as there are many contestants that I like. But there are clear favorites too. Let’s break it down!

THE BOYS – L.A. Reid’s Crew

Astro - Everything about this kid screams that I should despise him. I can’t remember his real name but he even has a nickname for his nickname: The Astronomical Kid. REALLY!?! His attitude is ridiculous and probably all for show. But when he grabs that mic and starts freestylin, I can’t help but nod along in rhythm and root him on. It was halfway through his version of Kris Kross’s “Jump” before I realized he had changed ALL of the lyrics to talk about his rise to “fame” on X-Factor. The kid is entertaining, you gotta give him that. He definitely belongs in this top 12. I can’t see him winning over an amazing singing voice (which there are several), but maybe that’s not important to the voting public or on the “X” Factor!
Chris Rene - This guy is definitely talented. Maybe his drug addiction story has been overexposed a bit. And I’m sure the X Factor crew have nothing to do with keeping him sober. It’s all on him. But he had us all hooked with his “Young Homey” song he performed at his audition. Apparently the YouTube clip has gotten millions of views, so they’d be ridiculous if they let him go this week. But his live performance? Yeah, I wasn’t too impressed. I think he just needs the right song and with the judges picking songs for them, they should be able to find something.
Marcus Canty - I loved Marcus’ audition even if his whole overdramatized “collapse” on the floor was…well…a bit OVER dramatized! He is a great singer and has some interesting moves up on stage. A compelling performer. The judges loved his performance last night. Again, I wasn’t too impressed. I think he learned some facial expressions from his mentor because he was creeping me out during the whole performance. But it was probably a no brainer to keep him over Phillip.

Eliminated: Phillip Lomax - I just didn’t understand if he’s this big crooner why he would abandon it for his first live performance with Smash Mouth’s “I’m a Believer”. Okay, I ‘m kidding about the Smash Mouth thing, but as my wife pointed out, the performance of this song in Shrek has essentially made us all forget the Monkees/Neil Diamond versions of the tune. I was half hoping Donkey would come out repeating “I believe I believe I believe!!!!” I never really approved of him making the Top 17 anyway. I’m all for crooning, but I just think that Buble has that market cornered and there isn’t much demand for more of it.

Let’s just take a break and let me say that I do think that 4 judges for THIS show makes sense. Since one judge is a mentor to a group, it leaves the other judges available to openly criticize the contestant AND the other judge. Definitely a different dynamic than Idol and has proven pretty entertaining as Simon gets to bash Nicole Schlingydoodle non-stop. And her retorts are flat out awful making Simon come off smelling like roses again. The more obnoxious Simon is, the more entertaining he is, plain and simple. So, I’m not sure why the American Idol producers tried to borrow this 4 judge idea from X-Factor. It serves a completely different purpose. At least they’re back to 3 now.

THE GROUPS – Paula’s Crew
I should start by saying that the groups was (is?) by far the weakest category. The fact that they had to create 2 super groups from other contestants speaks miles for how weak the category is. But, putting choreographer Paula Abdul in charge of the groups was probably the most brilliant idea ever. She did a good job with all of them and you can always tell how much she loves working with the contestants.

Stereo Hogzz - I just don’t know enough about these guys to even know if I like them. They did the whole Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness” but they tried to mix it up with the Kanye/Jay-Z song that samples pieces of Otis’ song. Whew. There was way too much going on. But hey, the choreography was good!
Intensity - Or as I like to call them, “The Mickey Mouse Club/Kids Incorporated 3.0”. What on earth!?! There are just way too many of them. I don’t get it at all.
Lakoda Rayne - Hey, all you have to do is perform a Dexy’s Midnight Runners song and you have me hooked! (okay, one song in particular, “Come on Eileen”!) This “super group” actually seems to have worked out. The girls have worked out their harmonies and have become a genuine group. They’re bringing a country flair to their song renditions and it seems to be working so far. I don’t know if I see them winning, but they’re definitely the best of the groups.

Eliminated: The Bieber Boys - I refuse to call use the Brewer name until they fixed those haircuts! It looks like the young one tamed his hair a little bit and this performance of “Rich Girl”/ “Faith” was probably my favorite of theirs, but I just couldn’t get on board with them. They were a bit too “cutesy” of an act for me. As L.A. Reid kept bringing up. Are they really worth $5 Million? Probably not. But hey, I’m sure there are tons of teenage girls and moms that like what they were doing out there. So, maybe they’ll be able to spin a Jonas Brothers-like career out of this.

THE OVER 30s – Nicole’s Crew

It really is a shame that some grouping had to get stuck with Nicole as a mentor. But, I guess better for the Over 30s who don’t need the help as much as other groups. But still, song choices, that’s all Nicole.

Leroy Bell - Is anyone else still having a hard time figuring out how this guy is 60 years old? He has a great voice and massive appeal with the country I’m guessing. Why Nicole had to stick him with a P!NK song, I’ll never understand. I guess she was trying to make him more “HIP” or something. Why? He’s 60! I don’t think he’s trying to target P!NK’s fans. He just wants to make a living doing what he loves and kudos to him. I think the voters will be in his corner, but Nicole needs to let him do his thing.
Stacy Francis - Well, we finally got to her. Yes, she is indeed 1 of the 3 contestants that I despise. Every time she cries about how hard her life is, uses her father’s passing as an excuse to sing poorly and advance rounds, or makes an aside to a camera about how her ex-husband/boyfriend/I dunno MAY have laid a hand on her??? I literally gag, throw things at the TV and want to pierce my eardrums. And then she sings and it’s even more painful than anything she could have said. DRAMA QUEEN!! I can’t stand her. I can’t stand any of them (Drama Queens that is). I mean, she actually made me prefer Fantasia’s rendition of “Summertime” to hers in a previous week. Everyone should know how much I despise Fantasia! I think there are some hidden fans of Stacy’s and I might be upsetting a few of them right now. But, I can’t help it. She is not targeting me as a fan, in fact she’s targeting Nicole Shingledingle with both of her index fingers, right now. Ugh, stop pointing woman! You knew you were going through!! UGH!!!! Yeah, this is going to be a fun time.
Josh Krajcik - Ahh Josh. What’s not to like about this guy? He’s incredibly grateful for the opportunity, he’s nice, sincere and oh right…..AMAZING VOICE!! He is definitely one of my favorites in the competition. His performance of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” was absolutely captivating. There is no doubt that he was advancing. Nicole, keep your advice away from this guy. He’s fine!

Eliminated: Dexter Haygood - Okay, I liked Dexter back in the audition rounds. But his story got old really quickly. I get that he’s homeless or at least he says he is. But come on. REALLY? He’s homeless? How is he paying that cell phone bill for the phone he used to call his buddies and tell them that he made it through the audition? And where do his buddies live? Do they not let him crash with them? I’m sure he’s not making a great living but come on he’s probably doing enough to get by! Anyway, really? Britney Spears and Katy Perry mash-up? That’s what you choose to perform? Or what Nicole chooses for you? How does that make one inkling of sense? It was time to go and Nicole finally did one thing right.

THE GIRLS – Simon’s Crew

Rachel Crow - Impossible not to love this kid. 13? And an amazing singer! She has a whole lot of pizzazz. That new hairdo of hers made me think she was the female equivalent of the kid from Jerry Maguire. Did you know he just turned 21 and celebrated his birthday in Vegas? How crazy is that!? Anyway, she could probably sing anything and still be as cute as a button. She proved that with mashing up a Justin Biebner tune with a Supremes tune. She may have an outside chance of winning this thing but there is some tight competition.
Drew (Ryniewicz) - 14, amazing tone, amazing ability to change up upbeat songs to heart wrenching ballads. She has taken Justin Bieber’s “Baby”, Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” and Irene Cara’s “What a Feeling” and almost made all 3 of them better songs. (Oh come on, Roxette’s song is perfect as is! But Drew was awesome with it too.) She’ll probably eventually have to show her upbeat side herself but there is no doubt that this kid’s voice is amazing. On Idol, I’ve usually been against giving the 15/16 year olds a shot, but I’ve never seen 13 or 14 year olds with the kind of talent on display on X Factor. Amazing. Definitely a front runner.
Melanie Amaro - I’m sure it was all for show, but Simon had me convinced over 2 weeks that he might actually do the unthinkable and send this girl home. Her audition with Beyonce’s “Listen” was absolutely flawless and had the Mrs and I just staring with our jaws dropped in disbelief of how good she was. It made absolutely no sense that Simon would send her home last week over the 2 we’re about to discuss. I’m convinced it was all an act to get us enraged tonight when we thought it might be a very strong possibility it could happen again. She sang Whitney’s “I Have Nothing Tonight” and yes, it’s overdone on these talent shows. But, that voice. Oh my God that voice! Incredible! If she didn’t make it through and one of these other 2 buffoons did, I would not even be writing this recap. The show would have lost all credibility to me.

Eliminated: Tiah Tolliver and Simone Battle -Everyone Rejoices! Simon’s pet project Tiah and the pop-princess wannabe Simone that can’t remember the words to an Elton John song. Ugh, these 2 could not get on my nerves more. The Tiah thing became Simon’s personal vendetta against Nicole and Paula to PROVE that he was right about her. She did have ONE decent performance during Bootcamp where I thought Simon may have been right. But most of the time I agreed with Paula. Her pitch was awful. Tonight’s performance of “Sweet Dreams” seemed like a reject out of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation tour. Of course, Tiah brought no Jackson singing or dancing talent to the stage so it was a disaster. Simone is too full of herself to even realize how ridiculous she looks half of the time. I really have no parting words for her as she was that awful. These 2 even getting to the live competition made no sense to me. So once again, I’m thankful that they’re gone and I still think it was one big con with the audience.

So, as always, I wrote more than I thought I would. Basically, I’ll probably be writing quick recaps the “DAY AFTER” the performances. The length of them will probably based on the time I have and the genuine interest there is out there of people watching the show and reading this. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I’ll most likely see you next week!

American Idol Season 10 Finale - Here we go again!

2011-05-26T07:47:00.001-04:00

Hello American Idol fans! Well, I took a chance and blew it once again!! But, deep down I knew I was making the wrong choice. But, my major flaw is that I usually pick who I'm rooting for and not for the most likely to win. I have speculated all season and some of last season on the impact of texting to the voting system and the demographics around who uses texting the most of all. I think it's safe to say after the past few years that this is scientific fact now. And if I'm doing this next year, please remind me to stick to my guns through to the end (if AI doesn't change the voting system, of course)! Anyway, let's pay our congratulations to the man (boy) of the hour!

Winner of American Idol Season 10 - Scotty McCreery!!!

Scotty was the more consistent of the 2 finalists, but I just enjoyed Lauren's growth on her way to the finale better. Like I have said before, I think they both have bright futures ahead of them in the country music industry. Maybe not superstardom like Carrie, but they're so young it's tough to tell where they'll be 10 years from now. I haven't lost my faith like last year in the show keeping us entertained. I may have finally lost faith in the voting system though. And it's no slight against Scotty and his talent. I mean, it's definitely more than teenage girls that love the kid. I think I even found myself voting for him a time or two throughout the competition. But, we saw those videos of his trip home, we saw the crying and screaming girls. The ones that would dedicate every second of those 2 hours to vote for the man. And I'm sure they were texting in one hand, calling in the other and using telepathy to do online votes through Facebook! It has always been ridiculous even back when it was all based on unlimited phone votes. But the texting is just so fast and you can send so many at a time, that it really does create an unfair advantage.

Sure, when you can brag about numbers like 122,000,000 votes in one night and .75 Billion votes for the whole season, I guess that's all Idol cares about. I read a comment yesterday (in protest of the Country Juniors Finale, which I wasn't) sarcastically saying that yes there were over 100 Million votes but only 20 million people that watched the show. It's kind of ridiculous, wouldn't you say? This isn't a democracy! It's a popularity contest! Always has been, again, just worse with texting now. If AI ever wants to see a girl win this thing again, they either A.) Need to change the voting system or B.) Find a way to appeal to the male viewers in a way that they can't help themselves but vote! C.) Have ugly guys that can't sing in the top 12.

That's really all I can say! Congratulations to Scotty! He still deserved his win. And he may have gotten a girlfriend out of the whole deal too! The Twitterverse and Internet were all into the gossip last night as there were some lingering moments during their embrace in Scotty's final song. And I believe there may have been a smooch in there too? And we definitely saw Lauren plant like 20 kisses in a row on Scotty after the song was over. Of course, this could have just been a lesson to Haley on how to be a good sport after losing!!

Anyway, I guess I'll dive into some of the highlights from the 2 hour finale and we'll call it yet another season!

Highlights (and Lowlights mixed in)

Once again we had our top 13 mixing it up with some big wigs and has beens of the music industry. Plus, there were other things thrown in to look back on the highlights of the season as well. Here's what I can remember and my commentary.

James Durbin did not end up singing with Aerosmith but he did get to "give Metal a chance" by teaming up with Judas Priest. I won't saw this is my favorite type of music. But I did love them singing "Breaking the Law" for a bit! And, James had to be so happy doing it. It's cool to see anyone's dream come true on stage.
Even Jacob Lusk! Don't get me wrong, he was still on my last nerve during the Top 13 performances. But the Gospel Number with Gladys Knight, that other guy, and the big choir wasn't too bad! Again, not something that is on continuous shuffle on my iPod but entertaining nevertheless!
Top 13 doing "Born this Way" again??? Okay, we get it. American Idol loves Gaga! Come on, this performance was done back in the top 13 results! They couldn't learn another song? It was nice to see the whole crew together again. It made me remember while there were some annoying contestants, as a whole and as people they were a pretty entertaining bunch of kids.
Top 13 Girls sing with Beyonce. I mean, that was pretty clear that Beyonce was going to come out, right? We've seen this act before. Most notably missing from the performance though was Lauren Alaina. My guess is with her "illness" incident, she probably didn't have time to rehearse with them.
Top 13 Boys with Tom Jones . Because Scotty was with this crew! They did a medley of some old songs. At first, naturally I thought it was going to be a Prince Medley but then they busted out into "She's a Lady" and had a feeling we'd be ending with "It's Not Unusual" with a Tom Jones appearance. I kind of feel bad for Tom. He probably has some other songs he'd rather perform when he goes on stage but is stuck ALWAYS singing that one! Anyway, other than that the highlight of this performance was watching these 6 boys trying to get through "What's New Pussycat?" without breaking out into laughter. You could see they probably had a hysterical time rehearsing that one.
The return of T(L)C - Ummm, was anyone really asking for the return of these guys? My wife blurted out in the middle of the performance "Who decided it was time to pull TLC out of the archives?!" and I understand it's sad that Left-Eye is no longer with us, but do we really feel that "LITTLE JON" was the right fill-in?! It was nice to here "No Scrubs" and "Waterfalls" again but it just seemed very random!
"Steppin Out" with Tony Bennett and Haley - All I could think about when Haley was performing with the legend, Mr. Bennett is that she probably didn't even appreciate who she was singing with the whole time. In fact, and excuse the language I can picture her in rehearsals saying "ARE YOU BLEEPING KIDDING ME!? I HAVE TO SING WITH TONY BLEEPING BENNETT!?!?!" The whole performance seemed so awkward and her smile seemed so fake. Did you see her hesitate when Tony reached out for a hug at the end? And how she barely grabbed his hand? Ahh good stuff.
"Live Like You Were Dying" with Scotty and Tim McGraw - So Josh Turner didn't make it to the finale. Oh well, if you can't get Josh you may as well go to the real deal with Tim McGraw! They had a good time trading lyrics in this one and it was fun to watch.
"Before He Cheats" with Lauren and Carrie Underwood. This one I totally called on the money, but I think anyone would have! And I was actually really impressed to see Lauren hold her own with Carrie. Carrie must have made Lauren feel a little more comfortable out there than usual so her nerves were gone and she was just having a good time.
Marc Anthony sings in Spanish! - I think we all noticed that J-Lo was missing for a rather large segment of the show. I started speculating that she was going to perform. Once Marc was called out to the stage and she wasn't at the table watching her husband, it was a no brainer that she would be coming out to do some provocative Latin Dancing. It was entertaining and of course, very random. And let's not forget the legendary Sheila E. was rocking those drums!!
Steven Tyler (sans Aerosmith) sings "Dream On" - We knew Stevie had to get up there before all was said and done. It's a shame the band didn't back him up but it was still a good time!
Bono and The Edge and that other guy perform a song from "Turn Up The Dark" (or whatever the Spiderman Musical is called). Man, they are trying anything to save this show aren't they!? I have to admit, we were behind and wanted to see the results LIVE, so we skipped through this.
Beyonce's solo performance was good I guess. I don't know why she had to be there 2 times though.
And then there was Gaga. I'll be the first to admit that this girl is very talented and her music is unfairly catchy. But I just do not understand all of the theatrics and outfits. I mean, it looked like she walked straight off of Naboo and the set of The Phantom Menace! And there was some moments in that dance with the man on the cliff that may have been "too much for Family Show" but darn it if "Edge of Glory" isn't stuck in my head!

We had our typical remembrance of bad auditions with the guy that wanted to be a DJ narrating. Some of it was funny as usual.
The clips of the judges were hysterical too. Randy's "in it to win it" and "what's going on with this show?" Steven's flirty ways. Man, he was so much more fun in the auditions. J-Lo being Flirted WITH. Good stuff. I still miss Simon! X-Factor in the fall people!
The finalists being able to choose their own FORD this year? That's pretty cool. Giving their principals/teachers a car too? Overkill probably but still a nice TV moment!

Man, did I miss anything!? I did all of that from memory so I guess there's a chance I did! It was an entertaining finale as usual with an anti-climatic ending. But, I'm glad that I stepped back into the Blog-Light and returned to my Idol blogging this season. I just think I am drawn to writing about this show. It's tough not to. And if I'm watching, why not comment, right!? The only thing I'm worried about in the future is having TIME to do it. So, the recaps may continue for LIVE IDOL Episodes, but they may continue to get shorter as time goes on. We'll just have to see how things go!

X-Factor is the fall. Will I be watching? Yeah, most likely. Will I be commenting!? That is to be determined. If I do, I'm guessing I'd just write about it here on the Idol blog if the Idol purists are okay with that! So, stay tuned on that one!

And hey, lots of fun discussions going on for other TV Shows on my newer blog, http://www.tvaddictsblog.com/. The Event is cancelled, but Fringe and The Walking Dead will continue on! And I'll be there to recap them. Promising shows are lined up for the next season with Terra Nova, Alcatraz, Awake plus others. Again, time available, will determine if I have time to write about them. But be sure to bookmark my new site if you're interested in television because most likely I'll be discussing it!

Also, this past week marked the 1 year anniversary of the LOST Finale and I wrote a post to commemorate it, also again looking toward the future of television.

So, I think that's about it! Thanks everyone for returning to the blog and keeping the Idol discussion alive. I had lots of fun! Congratulations once again to Scotty (and Lauren)! Fun season, anti-climatic finish but still a good time! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next year! (I think)

American Idol Season 10 - Scotty vs. Lauren

2011-05-24T23:09:00.005-04:00

Hello American Idol fans! Welcome to the American Idol Junior Finale! The Justin Bieber Country Spectacular! Baby lock dem doors and turn the crazy lights on high! The finale of the Simon-Less American Idol has arrived. The season overall? Not too bad, not too bad. They pulled me out of retirement for live show recapping, so that says something. But maybe it was to help fill the void of an actual critical judge! Anyway, we're here at the end of the road with 2 contestants that not everyone is thrilled about. Scotty, the country crooner that early on I thought would tire on us, but eventually became the hands-on Taylor Hicksian favorite to win the competition. Then there is Lauren, the early on favorite that we rolled our eyes at because of Nigel Lythgoe tweeting his support during the auditions for her. We immediately wanted to hate her, but she won us over with that charm (well, a lot of us). While she won us over though, she ended up lacking a killer performance to make us all swoon over her. But she became an underdog that people wanted to root for. People wanted her to have her moment and voted people that DID tire on us off of the show. And while many of us voted and voted for Lauren to be in that finale with Scotty, I wasn't sure if I would want to vote in this final performance episode unless she really sold me that she deserved it. Did she? We'll have to find out. I've been pretty much saying this was Scotty's competition to lose and he has seemingly dominated all season long. Can one night turn the tide? I just don't know. But let's find out as we recap this finale as we always do! ROUND BY ROUND!

First, a little business. I'm really on a losing streak with my predictions as of late. For a while I was unstoppable. Let's take a little trip down memory lane. Don't worry, I won't do what I used to do and recap each finale before I recap THIS finale! (Disclaimer, season 1-3 picks are not documented on this site, so you'll just have to trust me!)

Season 1 Winner: Kelly Clarkson

My Pick: Kelly Clarkson (not even a contest after Tamyra was booted and Kelly still would have won)
Season 2 Winner: Ruben Studdard

My Pick: Clay Aiken
Season 3 Winner: Fantasia (worst season EVER!!)

My Pick: Craptasia
Season 4 Winner: Carrie Underwood (Bo put up a good fight though)

My Pick: Carrie Underwod
Season 5 Winner: Taylor Hicks

My Pick: Taylor Hicks (nothing could stop the soul patrol!)
Season 6 Winner: Jordin Sparks

My Pick: Jordin Sparks (called that one real early. And yes, 2nd worst season ever!!)
Season 7 Winner: David Cook

My Pick: David Cook (I was never more proud of a pick when he took down the artichoke! Both present at tonight's festivities by the way.)
Season 8 Winner: Kris Allen

My Pick: Adam Lambert (though I was pleasantly surprised)
Season 9 Winner: Lee DeWyze

My Pick: Crystal Bowersox (I lost all faith in the American Idol voting system)

So there it is. I did not favor on the Teenage texting voting that has now become a major player in this battle. They're voting in their male hearthrob idols. It's all just a theory, but the evidence is pretty scary. Does that mean Scotty has this in the bag? And will I take the safe route and pick him? I'm 6-3 on a 2 game losing streak. Yikes. What to do. Let's recap and find out!

Round 1

Contestant's Choice of Previous Performance

Scotty McCreery - "Gone" by Montgomery Gentry - This originally was one of Scotty's best performances. He has never looked more comfortable on the stage and country rocktified the audience. He even got the crowd participating this time with the so catchy "BANG BANG" part of the song. (tough words to memorize too! Whew!) Loved the baseball swing to finish up the tune also, harking back to his baseball days back home. Good stuff. Not much else to say about it. Solid Solid performance.
Lauren Alaina - "Flat on the Floor" by Carrie Underwood - Lauren originally rocked this one too. Now, we had already received word that Lauren strained her vocal cords earlier in the week and there were even tweets that Haley was rehearsing to take her place. Ouch!! Of course, this disclaimer may actually go to HELP her earn a sympathy vote, but she might not have needed it. You could tell her voice was strained on this first one and she was having her breathing issues as always. But the performance was still rockin. There is one part of the musical arrangement that is just flat out bizarre. The first time, I thought Lauren messed up. Now, I know it's the band. There's not even a key change or anything so I'm not sure why they make it sound like that. And of all things, they played THAT part back during the "end of show" recap. Weird.

Loved that there wasn't judges feedback until after 2 songs. But, it was to make room for a ridiculous Coke Commercial and the traditional Idol winner singing the "Goodbye Song" to a montage of this season's clips. (Go David Cook! No Go to Usher Wannabe with his Ninja Marching Band Glow In the Dark Drummers! Dude, wearing sunglasses at night is sooooo 80s!)

Anyway, Round 1 was pretty easy to judge, and I judged them before I heard Randy's ridiculous and repetitive comments. He was a little more subtle about it. Scotty was the hands down winner of round 1. No contest.

Scotty 1, Lauren 0

Round 2

Famous Country Musician's Choice

Scotty McCreery - "Check Yes or No" by George Strait (Selected by George Strait) - I love the song choice. And it was a perfect choice for Scotty. He got to sport his guitar just like George does and sing his simple song about asking a girl if she loves him. The problem with the song choice is that there just isn't much to it. Of course, there's not much to Scotty's singing style anyway. It's the low voice that works for him and for most of it he stuck there. It worked for him. It was a Scotty concert, like Randy always likes to say.
Lauren Alaina - "Maybe it Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis (Selected by Carrie Underwood) - Pretty cool that Carrie picked a song for Lauren. And it probably wasn't just made up by producers since a picture of Carrie, Scotty and Lauren showed up on Twitter this past week! Of course, I'm sure she'll be performing tomorrow night! Anyway, this was a moment for Lauren to shine. Despite auditioning for synchronized figure skating with Jennifer Lopez with those crazy dresses, Lauren never sounded more country and at home than she did on "Memphis". Perfect song for her voice, and Miss Underwood should be picking more songs for contestants based on it! You could tell her voice was straining a bit here too but it didn't matter. She looked good, sounded great and the personality shone right through. When Lauren is firing on all cylinders, it's tough for Scotty to keep up!

I don't think this round was even close either. The judges can't just pick a clear person and take a stand like Simon used to. Yeah they gave Lauren the edge, but it was a BIG edge. Lauren came tonight to put on a show and show people something they have been hoping to see for a long time!

Scotty 1, Lauren 1

Cue ninja drummers and Coke commercial. Be POSEEEETIVE!!!! Seriously, how many downloads do you think this song is really going to get???

Round 3

The Dreaded Idol Song and Contestant's First Single

I'm not going to go and say that the 2 songs picked out by Jimmy Iovine were the greatest songs ever written. But they were MILES and MILES better than the crap we've been hearing for the 9 years prior. It seems like they finally got out of the mold of trying to write a "POSSSEEEEEETIIIIVE" themed song and just wrote a viable song for these contestants to sing. Something that speaks to them and their journey. And, by gosh, I think it worked.

Scotty McCreery - "I Love You This Big" - What? Not Inside Your Heaven? Not Do I Make You Proud? Not This is My Now? Okay, nevermind the song title is a bit cheesy! But the verse that Scotty sang seemed to speak to him and he sang it really well. I could have done without him putting his arms out every time he sang "THIS BIG," but it's tough not to do that with the lyric! Scotty did a good job on the song and he did nothing tonight different from the norm. He sang his songs the way he sings them and was a likable contestant in doing so. He performed them with his mature poise for a 16 year old and put on a good show.
Lauren Alaina - "Like My Mama Does" - But kids, this was Lauren Alaina's night! I mean, what better strategy of a song choice than to target all the mothers of America and the heartland with a song called "Like My Mama Does"?? And to top it off, she walked down and gave her crying mama a hug during it and sang to her. I mean, even if it was a shrewd business move, there wasn't a dry eye in the house or in this house (well, I kept it together, I was talking about the Mrs. of course!). The song sounded good and Lauren never sounded better. It seemed like we had been waiting all season for Lauren to have her moment and she saved it for "a moment like this" (oooohhh did I just really do that?)!!! The final competition performance of the competition. Lauren gets the standing O, gets moms crying, wins some votes over. Convinced me to vote for her for 30 straight minutes after the competition. (that's a lot of texting TWEENS!!! Yeah yeah, I'm sure some just text and text for 2 hours straight but whatever! And yes, I was still watching other TV shows during this text-a-thon! I multi-task with the best of them) Also, did anyone else see Scotty say to Lauren "That was beautiful." after the performance? If you missed it, he even told TV Guide the same thing afterwards (yep, Twitter, wonderful little tool)

Sorry Scotty-files, I like the guy too but I agree with the judges.

Scotty 1, Lauren 2

THE PICK

So, that's it. In my opinion, Lauren won the night. Does that really mean much though in the scheme of things? By the time a finale rolls around, usually these things are already decided. We have seen Lauren in the bottom 2 before. Never have we seen Scotty there. Dialidol.com has had Scotty dominating the entire season with the exception of one week (it just happened to be Lauren that week too).

This is where we need to call back on our 3 year history. David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee Dewyze. Ever since texting has taken over the nation and the American Idol voting system, it's been near impossible for a girl to win this thing. And a teenage male hearthrob has been in the final 2 each time. So, do I take the easy way out and declare Scotty the winner? Or do I go with my gut and have a little faith in America? Truthfully, I don't think either of these kids needs to win. Earlier on in the season, I would have said Lauren needs it more than Scotty. But both of these 2 have a future in country music. And they're so young they're only going to improve.

It's a tough call, America. But, really, what do I have to lose? I'm already on a 2 year losing streak! And I really don't think America wants to make Lauren cry. We've seen it before and it made all of our hearts melt. Therefore, I declare that the winner of American Idol 2011 is.......

(DRUMROLL)

LAUREN ALAINA!!!!!

(I probably just sealed the deal for Scotty)

In all honesty, I'd be happy for either of them if they won. They both seem to be very sweet individuals with a decent career ahead of them. I've been rooting for Lauren in this latter half of the season. And even when I rolled my eyes at her in the beginning, I couldn't help but be interested in her growth throughout the show. America likes to see a contestant improve throughout the show. America likes to have someone they can root for. If the past 3 years have indicated anything other than Male Idolism, it was that they didn't want the ALREADY ESTABLISHED STAR to win. They like the one that built up a following throughout the show. Oh sorry, I just started laughing and had to stop typing. I just accidentally referred to David Archuleta as an already established star!! Anyone remember that video he made right after losing Idol? The Crush song? Ooh, the video is good times. Anyway, you know what I mean. Probably applies more to the past 2 years with Adam and Crystal losing.

Plus, it's time for another girl to win, wouldn't you say!? And if Nigel has any input, he'll make it happen!

Anyway, I'm sure there will still be a lot of people who thinks Scotty has this in the bag and they have every reason to think that might be true. We'll see what happens!

But, it's finally time to close the book on yet another season of Idol. We thought I was done last year, but here I am again. Next year? Eh we'll see! I'll most likely skip the auditions again maybe just having one post and commenting time permitting. But, this season may not be over yet. I may find time to do a results show post for this final episode. And with that, I'll turn the floor over to the dedicated commenters! What do you guys think? Does Scotty still have this thing sealed up? Did Lauren do enough to win? Will Haley still end up annoying us all and winning anyway? Nothing would surprise me anymore! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you after the results!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 3 Perform

2011-05-18T23:35:00.000-04:00

Hello American Idol fanatics! Can you smell it? Smell that end of season excitement? I sure can! As enticing as it is to rip these contestants a new one or praise them week after week, I sure do look forward to taking a break from it too! But, alas, we have arrived at the top 3. And we still ask ourselves, HOW ON EARTH IS HALEY HERE?! I mean, come on, we had her pegged to leave us before the top 10! The only thing I can think of is she just got lucky. Because that personality of hers sure isn't winning her any fans. The voice, yeah it's good. But that mumbly, growly stuff she does still annoys the heck out of me! I know, we're not even into the recap yet, but what scares me is this. Now that she has made it this far, things are looking almost like a certainty that she could be in that finale. I'll get into my reasons why in the recap and after. And I may just change my mind along the way. Guess we'll all just have to read on and find out!

Before we get to the recap let me just throw one large complaint out to the American Idol team and/or FOX for making the top 3 show 2 hours! Ummm, total waste of time. I know I know, FOX had no programming to air from 9:30-10:00 but come on. Did we really need to see extended audition footage again of each contestant? Did we need Beyonce's crazy music video that resembled something out of a Lady Gaga wardrobe malfunction? Did we need to find out who won each round? Something usually reserved for Finale Week? The show has been done before and should have been done in an hour. But, we should get used to it. X-Factor will be following the same 1.5 Hour Performance, Hour result shows in the fall. (Same nights too, Weds and Thursday) That's just the new FOX model. But 2 hours?? That's pushing it Fox!

Okay, to the recap!

RECAP

Scotty McCreery

1.) Scotty's Choice: "Amazed" by Lonestar

2.) Jimmy's Choice: "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?" by Thompson Square

3.) Judges' Choice: "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers

There really isn't much left to say about Scotty. He does what he does out there. He is poised, he is polished, he is young. He has charm, he has a deep voice, he has personality and he showed it on all 3 songs. "Amazed" was typical Scotty. He did his thing and it was enjoyable. The Thompson Square was a nice choice by the judges. Although, I missed having the female lead harmonizing with him (even though she looks ridiculous with that skunk hairdo of hers)

umm pick a color and stick with it!

I agree with the judges though, he was showing some real maturity in his expressions (facially and vocally) in the choruses. By the time he got to the Kenny Rogers tune, it was already set in stone that this kid will be in the finals. We have known for weeks. He has just been having the time of his life and we've been enjoying it right with him. Something would be wrong if he wasn't there at this point.

Lauren Alaina

1.) Lauren's Choice: "Wild One" by Faith Hill
2.) Jimmy's Choice: "If I Die Young?" by The Band Perry
3.) Judges' Choice: "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack

Oh Lauren, I'm still a fan but I just don't know!! I really did think she did great tonight, but we all know she has been missing the big moment. She has always needed that moment to sell us on her stardom. I think she has star potential, but she's just too young to realize it. But, I'm not counting her out of the finale just yet. I was still inspired to vote for her a multitude of times. Anything to keep Haley at bay. Ugh. Anyway, song 1 was great. You could hear that great voice in there, it was just missing POWER! Sometimes she'd be drowned out by the band. My wife commented that she needs to work on her breathing. It's a good point and something most people take for granted in singers. That breathing stuff is important!

I really thought she was going to have her moment with Jimmy's choice. The Band Perry are up and comers in the Country world but have had a smash hit with "If I Die Young" ("You Lie" isn't too bad either if you're looking for some good downloads). When Lauren spoke about the song in the interview, I knew she got it. She knew how the song needed to be sung and it worked perfectly for her voice. She was singing it great. Maybe J-Lo was right and she just got caught up in the moment. But missing the key change really screwed her up from there on out. She was screeching some of the high notes. But gosh darn it if she wasn't so cute when she talked about missing the key change! In fact, she said "DARN IT!" That charm goes a long way folks and I hope it's in her corner when people vote tonight. I also hope people dance!! Song 3 was also very good for Lauren. Her voice is beautiful, and like I said, it's just missing an ounce of power behind it or something. Because I'm still hungry for a moment from her. But, is it too late? I just don't know. I have given up trying to figure out the voters besides highly favoring Scotty throughout the competition!

Haley Reinhart

Yep, I'm constipated again. Anyone got a cookie? num num num num!!!

1.) Haley's Choice: "What Is and What Should Never Be" by Led Zeppelin
2.) Jimmy's Choice: "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac
3.) Judges' Choice: "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette

Ugh. Do I have to talk about her? In all seriousness, I really thought Haley WAS in it to win it tonight. And if it wasn't for the fact that I can't stand her, I might actually have been impressed with her efforts tonight. But, that attitude just kills any kind of buzz I might have been feeling. Yeah, that was kinda cool that she got to get her dad to play with the band on the bold Led Zeppelin choice. I also thought it was kind of an unfair "voting" advantage to appeal to Dads out there with daughters that they'd like to jam with on
stage. And Haley was actually doing a really good job on the track and then it happened. I don't care how much the judges downplay it, Haley falling flat on her face was HYSTERICAL! Almost as funny as Cam falling into the kiddie pool on Modern Family tonight! She asked for it with wearing those shoes and prancing around the judges like she owned the place! My wife and I were laughing for the remainder of the song all the way until Randy started critiquing and didn't mention one word of it!

Yeah yeah yeah, the show must go on. I've been there, I've played through mistakes before! But come on, falling down is FUNNY and it totally takes precedence over the performance at that point. It's all anyone can think about. Will it hurt her in the votes? Eh, probably not. In fact, it will probably encourage VOTEFORTHEWORSTers to vote for her more.

Love the Fleetwood Mac song. Great choice by Jimmy (who made great choices all around). But, it also didn't do her any favors in the 2nd half when there wasn't much to sing. Just watching her sway around with the wind machine was ridiculous. I felt like we were in the middle of an 80s video. Speaking of which, has anyone seen the LITERAL VIDEO of Total Eclipse of the Heart? If you're not peeing your pants by the end, then you must have used the facilities before watching! Yes, I exaggerate but it's still really funny!

And the Alanis pick by the judges? Eh. The first thing I thought of was that Crystal did it last year and I remember she had to change the lyrics to a part of the song in order not to offense the family audiences of American Idol. Haley used the same lyric but she also did a carbon copy of the Alanis rendition of the song. Nothing really that impressive. Yeah, she can do a raspy chorus. Wooo. So can a lot of people. Don't get me started on the verses. She rambled right through them and you could not make out anything she was trying to sing. This is something she does a lot. I guess she thinks its artistry and part of her schtick, but come on, enunciate! Don't strand words together and leave out consonants that start words! It's ridiculous! It's irritating! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!?!?!?!? Why are you probably going to be in the finale!?!? Ugh. I'm at a loss.

ELIMINATION PICK

And that brings us to here folks. Here's the big question. Can 2 country contestants make it to the finale? Or will the voters be split between them? Even if the fans love them both, then they're probably voting for both and someone loses out. I can't see Scotty losing out, can you? I'm not saying Lauren has done enough to earn herself the #2 slot in the finale (in comparison to past season), but I also think she has a great charm about her and a very nice voice. She's just very young but has potential to be really really good. But, Haley has 2 things going for her. Vote For the Worst AND Country Music haters. With James exiting, she appealed to the Rocker vote this week by pulling in a little Led Zeppelin into her playlist. I guess we can throw the Alanis song into that grouping too. Of course, the fact that I can't find much to say about Scotty probably means that I think he's TOO safe, but I'm not even going there. He's definitely in. So it's one of the girls.

So, without knowing how this is going to go down and just having hope for how I want it to go down, I'm going to go with some reverse psychology with my pick.

Elimination Pick: Lauren Alaina - It breaks my heart to even put her name here, but maybe it would be better to see her leave tomorrow than to see her get so close to the end only to have Scotty win it all. I really hope that my pick gives a little superstitious luck to her and boots that arrogant curly haired cookie monster from the show!

And that's all I got folks. Tomorrow night we'll be treated to the trio's hometown visits. I already know what is in store for Scotty as I watched a little bit of it on streaming video. Let's just say that my finale results show performance prediction came true a little earlier than expected. ("Baby lock dem doors!") But I'll discuss that in the comments after Thursday's results! Sorry that I was out of town and unable to comment much after the recap was up last week. Don't you worry, I'll be here for this week's discussion!

And don't forget, next week's performance show is back on TUESDAY and the Season Finale is on Wednesday. I'm guessing May Sweeps ends on Wednesday so they're moving it up a day. Anyway, hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next week!

(Technical Difficulties) Top 4 Results

2011-05-13T15:04:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Looks like blogger has removed the top 4 post temporarily. I wasn't planning h to write too much about the results since I'm away from home. But I guess I'll just post something real quickly from my phone.

Bottom Line, I am more shocked that Haley is still in than I am that James is gone. But it still is a bit of a shock that he went home. Yeah with the Chris Daughtry comparison we sorta saw it coming. But I blame his misstep with Journey. I saw comments on and off the blog that people enjoyed the performance but I still thought it wasn't the best song choice for him, even if I love the song.

I hope this means Scotty and Lauren are locked in for
The top 2. But with them both being country and with Haley being the votefortheworst.com pick, there's a lot riding against it too. I guess we will see what happens.

Rest of results show was decent. The 2 big country songs for our top 4 are both enjoyable tunes. They sounded better than normal. Could have done without Enrique. Jordin Sparks was announcing to the world that she is a certifiable woman now. The song wasn't too bad. Nothing I'll be buying but nice to see she is doing okay for herself.

So that's all I have kids. Definitely a bizarre season with eliminations. But Scotty is still in it which is not shocking. But can he lose? I guess that's still a question we need to ponder. Your turn America! What do you think?

American Idol Season 10 - Top 4 Perform

2011-05-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

Hello American Idol enthusiasts and welcome back for yet another recap of this crazy show! Well, I'm stumped. We are down to 4 contestants and 3 of them are 3 that we figured would be sticking around to the end (ever since Pia got the boot). But there is one that has been quite the stubborn contestant that just won't take a hint! And for the Top 4 we have the bizarre combo of "Inspiring Songs" and "Lieber & Stoller Songbook". It's like taking random themes from previous seasons and throwing them into one show. Weird. Oh yeah, and OF COURSE Lady Gaga had to grace us with her bizarre presence. How can anyone take her critiques seriously when she looks the way she does? I mean, there are no words to explain the horns coming out of her face and the makeup that she put around her face and straight into her hair. I mean WHAAAAT!?! (For the record, I am not pretending to be any expert on make-up artistry and know that it was probably some kind of dye in her hair, but let me make my jokes!!) Talented lady (even if she ripped off Madonna for her first single off this new album), but I just don't see the appeal of her theatrics and outfits. But whatever. So, who goes home tonight? I have my guess, and it is just that...a guess. But we'll go through the recap as usual! Let's do it!

James Durbin - 1.) "Don't Stop Believin" - Journey, 2.) "Love Potion Number 9" - L&S
If there is any 80s song that has stood the test of time and reinvented itself generation after generation, of course it is the Journey classic. Nobody can get enough of the soothing sounds of Steve Perry. My wife and I even requested the band to play it as the final song at our wedding (complete with Sopranos ending). It's a fantastic cheesy song that everyone gets a kick out of and laugh at while singing their hearts out and raising their fists in the air and getting all squeaky with their voices. I have no doubt in my mind that this is what James was thinking when he picked the song. "ooooh yeahh...that will be really funny, yet realllly cool! yeaaah." For me? For you? For me? It didn't really work. I don't care what the judges say or how the in studio crowd reacted. They're reacting to the SONG, not James performing the song. James strained on those high notes. No one sounds good singing like Steve Perry except Steve Perry. Sorry! That's just how it goes. Anyone else that sings it, it's meant to be semi-joking, unless you're the cast of Glee and completely change it into a duet. And they did NOT try to sound like Steve in the process so it worked. Plus Leah Michelle took all the high notes. Works better for a girl wouldn't you say!? Not much else to say about that.

As for the Love Potion, well that was classic Durbin. If you hate Durbin, you certainly hated this. If you like him, you loved it just like every other performance he's done. One thing cannot be argued, this guy knows how to put on a show. Although, I can't help thinking he has an unfair advantage with utilizing effects and props and whatever. Sure, maybe they're all his suggestions and any one of them could suggest the stuff but it just seems like he's getting special treatment. Pyro-technics to sync with him jumping and landing on the ground. And how about the song seeming a little longer so he could do a dramatic 30 second pause before his final notes. Not to mention the crazy guitar solo that let him run into the crowd for his next shot. It just seemed a little TOO polished for the Idol stage. Am I crazy? But, don't get me wrong, he will totally be here next week. Unless the Chris Daughtry effect happens to him too. (or as Ryan likes to call him..."Daughtry" No Ryan, the whole band didn't get eliminated in season 5, just Chris!) After a couple crazy eliminations this season already, I just can't see that happening.
Haley Reinhart - 1.) "The Earth Song" - Michael Jackson, 2.) "I Who Have Nothing" - L&S

Oh, how I wish that this is the end of the road for Haley! She certainly has been on quite a ride for none of us expecting her to last long. Top 4? Impressive, Haley! And that's where the impression should end, in my opinion. Good singer? No doubt. But, the attitude is AWFUL! And that above anything is what turns me off from her. The first song was no doubt awful too. Too much growling. And her muppet alias morphed from Cookie Monster to Grover "Near!?!??? Faaaaaaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!" Too much screaming. And way way way way way too much talking back to the judges. They were fairly judging her and she was all obnoxious and "well...I didn't know that I should do that. That is NOT the end of my vocal range!!!" And then when the 4 were rounded up between songs they pretty much said it's a 3 way tie minus Haley. And Haley went all "oh well, thanks a lot!" A B-word came to mind watching her attitude through the whole thing. And I might have blurted it out at the screen. Enough already. I hope America has had enough. Go let her spend time with her BF Casey who will give her a standing O for apparently anything she blurts out.

Song #2? Yes, it was much much better. I'd say Jordin Sparks still reigns supreme with this one since it was her "MOMENT" song. Haley vocally was awesome on the song, but I already had a bad taste from her attitude leading up to it that I didn't care. And her facial expressions throughout the song did her no favors. I think I'm just over her so I can't judge this fairly! Moving on!
Scotty McCreery - 1.) "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning" - Alan Jackson, 2.) "Young Blood" - L&S

There is no doubt that "Where Were You..." is one of the best songs that came out of the 9/11 tragedy. The lyrics were simple and reflected what most of us were thinking as we lived through that awful event in our country's history. And I couldn't help thinking that where Scotty was when the world stopped turning. He was 5 years old. Sure, 5 year olds can feel pain too. No doubt. But I just couldn't buy Scotty singing this song. My wife loved it and I'm sure many out there did. Maybe, I'm a shallow person yet again. But, I felt like Scotty knew this song would give him an edge in the voting (like he needs it) and I really wasn't FEELING him sing it. I felt him being all "Scotty" up there with his droopy eyes and "pretending" to emote feelings. My favorite thing was how you could only hear one guitar playing a cool little rhythm as he sang. And sure he had a guitar in his hand. But, there was no way what he was strumming was turning into what we were hearing. It was all for show folks! None of this will matter in the end. Everyone loves Scotty. Everyone that knows the song loves the song. And most of the people that know the song and love the song are Scotty's fans. So this played to his strength big time. It wasn't awful, don't get me wrong. But, it was not his greatest performance either. And based on the judges' critiques you would have thought he brought the house to tears. He did justice to the song, but I don't want to over praise him for it. Now, if Alan Jackson was up there performing the song, I'd be a bawling mess still thinking about it!

Song #2 was just silly! Silly Scotty. I was laughing, rolling my eyes and laughing again. But gosh darn it if I wasn't tapping my feet right along to the craziness. His mannerisms and facial expressions were all over the place but it was classic Scotty. Really, I don't think the kid can do anything wrong at this point. He is a very polished and seasoned performer for his age. He has a lot of growing to do, but I think he has this competition in the bag. And, hey, he may deserve the win. But that doesn't mean I can't critique him along the way. We know the judges really won't. And damn, have we heard Steven Tyler say ONE bad thing during this entire show!? Ugh.
Lauren Alaina - 1.) "Anyway" - Martina McBride, 2.) "Trouble" - L&S

Guys, I just can't help it. There is something about this Lauren girl that makes me want to root for her. Which is so crazy because I was so against rooting for her in the beginning. (I know, I say it every week) Once I heard that she picked "Anyway" as her inspirational song choice, I knew she'd really have to bring it to hit some of those big notes. And big notes were what she'd have to do after her flub last week. Kids, she went to TOWN on that song! And, you see, here's a song that she could identify with! I felt it, and the big notes? They were all there. Wonderful performance by Lauren and I think it was just enough to keep her in this competition. Well, that and a huge round of sympathy votes from last week. That's my thought at least. She'll really have to wow the crowd next week to get to the finals but for now? I think she can be content with making the Top 3 which is a feat in itself. We'll see though.

Song #2 - Well this was a little saucy wasn't it!? She came own owning that stage. She got over her fear of being perceived as evil. (Okay, I found that tough to swallow. How could anyone not want to say the world EVIL in a song??? It's all in good fun!) And she just went out there had had fun with the song. I will say that the beginning was much better than the end. I think she lost herself somewhere in the middle when she started running to behind the judges table and back to the stage. But, she still put on a good show and it was just good to see her enjoying herself out there and singing well (for the most part). I think personality goes a long way in this competition. There is no doubt that Lauren, Scotty and James have a personality that America enjoys. I can personally attest that I do NOT enjoy Haley's personality as much as theirs. And her attitude tonight was flat out AWFUL. The camera is always on Haley. And more importantly, the MIC is always on!

I don't think it's any secret where I'm going with my pick tonight, is it? Hey, I knew who I wanted in the top 3, and I think it's going to happen. I went out of my way to vote a zillion times for Lauren to keep her in it so I did my part. (I can text with the best of 'em, teenagers!!) Because, I think either way, a girl is going home tonight. So let's make sure the right one goes home. An American Idol should be someone a kid can look up to and be inspired. (duh..."IDOL") I don't see that in Haley. Yeah, I'm usually all about "the best voice". But a good voice looks much better on a good personality, doesn't it? (I think I may have stolen that off of Steven Tyler's notepad) Here are my picks:

Safe: James, Scotty

Bottom 2 - Lauren, Haley (I don't know if they'll really tell us who the bottom is this week, so close to the end)

Elimination Pick: Haley Reinhart - Casey's beard misses you! Do us all a favor and go see it!

That's all I have folks. I think I may have overanalyzed some of that stuff just a tad, but I enjoyed myself! I'm sure you all have different opinions which is great! Unfortunately, I'm not going to be around much to defend myself or discuss with you guys. I'll be traveling starting tomorrow and not sure if I will have much access to comment. So you may be without my results show commentary as well. If I get a chance I'll throw in some small tidbits from my phone. But, I promise I'll read everything and look forward to your comments and opinions as always!

Hope you enjoyed MY ramblings as always too and I'll see you when I see you!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 5 Perform

2011-05-04T22:29:00.001-04:00

Hello American Idol fanatics! These 5 really brought it tonight didn't they!? Well, I guess I'd say for the most part it was a pretty solid show. I hate how they are content with keeping the show an hour and a half still. I don't think we ever had 2 songs each when we got down to the top 5. I thought it was top 3, maybe top 4 and they fit it in an hour. So we were treated to the judges talking on and on about who knows what? I love when they argued back and forth with Jacob about whatever and I was yelling at the TV "No one cares about him growing as an artist! We want him to go home!!!!" Anyway, so that's where we're at. THEN AND NOW the theme for tonight and the fabulous Sheryl Crow was there to guide these younglings along with Jimmy Iovine as always. Let's get to it!

James Durbin - Song 1: "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars Song, 2: "Without You" by Harry Nilsson - Love both songs. And I have thought James has really brought it every night. But I was very very confused by the love from the judges tonight. Sure, it was an emotional night but was anyone else laughing when he walked out of the pre-performance clip and Sheryl crow made a "WTF" face? And then he was sitting on a blue parking stop away from the camera? Call me insensitive but it was cracking me up! Hey, I've had my share of a long distance relationship but dude keep it together on camera! His vocals were all over the place tonight. And I'm sure he'll be safe because Randy dubbed him as the one to beat. Normally, I'd agree, and based on his track record I still think he's on his way to the Top 2. But, come on, don't dismiss his vocals because he was emotional. I would have been impressed if he was that upset and STILL hit the notes!
Jacob Lusk - Song 1: "No Air" of Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown fame, Song 2: "Love Hurts" by Nazereth - I've made it no secret that I'm ready for Jacob to go home. Tonight's performances just solidified my stance on it! The one man duet, the oversinging of "Love Hurts" - Yes yes, amazing vocal range. The man can sing, but can we really call him a man with his girly hip thrusting and fist pumping of female empowerment during "No Air"? I mean, I felt bad for him it was so ridiculous! (may have laughed a whole bunch too) And it was no bowtie outfit from last week but outfit #1 of the night was totally a sailor's outfit, right? Insert Joke as you must. If I can't take the man seriously, then I can't want him to be our Idol. If I'm wondering where his RuPaul outfit is, then I can't want him to be our Idol. Call me insensitive or shallow. I don't care!!! You're all thinking it too!
Lauren Alaina - Song 1: "Flat on the Floor" of Carrie Underwood fame, Song 2: "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers - And here's sweet little Lauren Alaina that everyone wants to root for and waiting for her to come out of her shell. Sheryl gives her one piece of advice. Stand in one place and ROCK the hell out of that Carrie Underwood song! And that's exactly what she did. I thought she did an awesome job and this is exactly the type of performance she needed to keep encouraging her voters to vote. Song #2, I really thought we were in for a moment with that one. And it did turn out to be sweet and beautiful if not a little pageanty. She did hit some high notes but did not even attempt to go for THE high note of "Unchained Melody" and I just don't know if you can sing that song without going for it. But it was a nice compliment to her Carrie song. I think she'll be fine tonight and shall be entering the Top 4.
Scotty McCreery - Song 1: "Gone" by Montgomery Gentry, Song 2: "Always on My Mind" by Elvis Presley - Scotty was in his zone once again! Song 1, he was commanding the stage and the crowd. He played his flute once again but didn't get too carried away with it, and he showed more vocal range than normal. A seasoned vet up there at 16/17 however old he is. He toned it down for the Elvis ballad afterwards and while it wasn't as "stand-outish" of performance he reeled us all in and told his story beautifully. Scotty did a great job and is definitely, yes Randy, "IN IT TO WIN IT YOOOOOOOOOO!"
Haley Reinhart - Song 1: "You and I" unreleased by Lady Gaga, Song 2: "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals - Okay, picking the Gaga song for her was a bit bizarre but I didn't think it was as detrimental as the judges thought. I've even heard of the "You and I" song that Lady Gaga performs and I'm not the "monster's" biggest fan either. What else is there to say about Haley? She drives a lot of us crazy with the growling and her weird vocalizing of some notes. But there is no denying in her talent. She has an amazing voice and range when used properly. The judges will say that she had a huge moment with the Animals song. And hey, maybe she did! She definitely wasn't my least favorite and she has grown on me enough for me not to hope she's going home this week. Crazy Voice with a Hint of Cookie Monster. That's what you get with Haley! (Note: Okay, I listened to "Rising Sun" again. It was really good. I undersold it in this recap. I admit it!)

Well, looking back at my commentary you'd think I didn't enjoy the night! I guess I'm just being as critical as the judges attempted to be tonight! Time for the picks! There's only 5 people left so no need to get into our breaking it down. I have my Top 3 and the fat that needs to be trimmed still. I think Haley has spared herself an elimination this week. So that leaves one person!!

Bottom 3: Don't think they'll do one. Jacob would be there. Maybe James, maybe Lauren or Haley. I dunno!

Elimination Pick: Jacob Lusk - I will pick him until he leaves the show! I really don't think there is any way around it this time. There's nothing saving him this week! I think he'll have a great future singing in Vegas with Chandler Bing's dad one day!

That's all I got folks! Lady Antebellum and Jennifer Lopez take the stage at the results when Jacob will EXIT the stage! Tune in to see if American gets it right. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you right here in the comments after the results!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 6 Perform

2011-04-27T22:24:00.000-04:00

Hello American Idol fanatics! Welcome to Carole King night! I know, we all dreaded it when the name was mentioned. Don't get me wrong, she has written some amazing songs over a 50 year career but a whole night of her songs? Yikes, that's a tall order. The night didn't turn out to be too bad in the end though. Not sure if all the kiddies out there will have loved it but it was an enjoyable night of music for me. Of course, not without some low points! So there are 6 contestants left and if you followed the discussions in the comments last week, you'll know that most of the people reading/commenting are are on the same page with who we think the frontrunners are. So, it's just a matter of trimming the fat at this point. Granted, there may still be a few shockers along the way, but I personally don't believe it's going to happen this week. And hey, if there's any week where I can feel confident about my picks, it's the week after I throw a perfect game with a perfect bottom 3 call and elimination pick of Stefano!! Seriously though, that's all I'll brag about it. It wasn't that tough to call last week! Anyway, let's get into the recap!

The Duets

We already figured FOX would find a way to keep the 1.5 hour shows going and they did so by throwing some duets at us tonight. I don't think any of the duets did anything to bring more votes in for them so it was just filler to me. But I'll give some short reviews of those. The duet I remember most from recent seasons was Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert doing "Slow Ride" 2 seasons ago. Now THAT had the power to advance Allison for a couple more weeks. Such a shame that Danny Gokey made it further than her! Oh well, let's get to this year's duets:

Haley and Casey performing "Is there something going on off camera?" - okay no really they were doing "I Feel the Earth Move". There have been rumors that these 2 are a having a bit of a fling off camera though, and that could definitely be implied by their interviews. Anyway, like I said earlier the performance was just a bit blah for me. Haley sounded better than Casey, but not THAT much better. So I'm done talking about it!
Lauren and Scotty performed "Up on the Roof" teaming up for the 3rd time. They actually sounded better than they had on their last 2 duets. They actually worked out a bit of a melody. Plus, this was just after both of them had very good solo performances so it was nice to see them back on stage again. Giving Lauren some more screen time with her "out of shell" self.
James and Jacob performed "I'm Into Something Good" and had a very gay time with it. You know, because gay used to mean happy back when this song was written! They tried to butch it up by pulling Miss Jennifer out from the table and singing to her legs. Hey, whatever works! But the thing was mad cheese and they knew it. But hearing that song brought back fond memories of The Naked Gun!

The Recap

Jacob Lusk - "Oh No Not My Baby"

Truthfully, I don't remember much about this performance. But let's talk about the clown costume! WHAT ON EARTH was he thinking? There is no way that's in style for anyone! Not even Perez Hilton! Sorry Jacob, major laugh points go to that attire. It was like taking a bunch of different colors and saying "what can I wear that matches the least?" I guess he performed okay, but like I said, not memorable enough for me to escape the bottom 3. If they do a bottom 3 this week. Oooh I have a prediction! They will split the group in to 2 groups of 3. And then Ryan will swap one person from each group and then announce the bottom 3! We've been watching this show too long haven't we? Granted, they have mixed it up on results show nights this year and tried some different approaches. So, maybe I'll be surprised.

Lauren Alaina - "Where You Lead"

Well, apparently, all Lauren needed to come out of her shell was a visit from Babyface AND Miley Cyrus in one week! They start trying to make her push her voice and she sure did! I was pretty proud of her this week. She was happily roaming around the stage and giving it her all. Even dancing with some 19 year old Matt Saracen look-a-like (bonus points for whoever knows what I'm talking about!) during the show. I was surprised the judges just kept giving her constructive criticism instead of someone flat out saying she was good tonight. Maybe that means something, but I could tell they were all proud of her. And I think Lauren may have been a little proud of herself with those tears of joy! She really needed a big week this week, and I think she got it. It's no secret that she's a favorite among voters since she's never graced that bottom 3. I think that trend will continue this week.

Scotty McCreery - "You've Got a Friend"

This song was always a favorite of mine to jam out to on the piano while strolling through songs in my Fake book. It's a good time. And Scotty, well I believe Scotty had a bit of a moment tonight! They told him to tone it down in the beginning and use a bit of an upper register. Babyface has some mad skills because it did the trick with Scotty. The first half of that song I was getting J-Lo's "goose pimples" all over! And then I felt like Randy thinking "man, that voice at 16!?!?!" Or maybe he's 17 now but whatever. If he keeps dishing out performances like that I don't see how he can lose this one. He does have some contenders though.

James Durbin - "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"

Unbelievable start to the song when he strummed his guitar once to get in key and then just sang with no backup. Then, the band kicked in. And while it was still really good, it kind of took away from the magical opening a bit. It made me think of if Bo Bice would have had the band come in halfway of his a capella performance of "In a Dream" back in season 4. But anyway, it was still amazing. This has become a 3-headed race to the finish. And it has Lauren, Scotty and James written all over it. Will one of these other 3 be able to play spoiler to the Dream Team final 3?

Casey Abrams "Hi-De-Ho"

Casey did his thing out there tonight. I loved the camera work and choreography of the performance. Roaming through the various band members but making it look like he was strolling down the streets of New Orleans. It was cool to see Casey riff on the piano, but it just made me want him to grab the dude's harmonica and play a riff after the next phrase and so on and so on. There's an SNL sketch there waiting to be made. So, Casey is very musically talented. I don't think anyone would argue. And yes he can sing, but he constantly feels the need to do all of that growling! And while it might be entertaining in the right environment, (When singing a Cookie Monster duet with Haley), it just seems to not feel right on Idol anymore. He isn't showing off his vocals in a singing competition and it's starting to annoy me! I love how Randy gave an extremely positive review and then while the Idol music was cutting off the judges, THAT is when he decided to start mentioning "less growling". Ugh. I think he'll be in the bottom 3 by default, but I don't know about the boot just yet.

Haley Reinhart - "Beautiful"

I could tell that Haley was in her vocal element during the performance but something weird happened. I was forgetting the performance WHILE it was happening. It just seemed to be missing something to me. Maybe it was missing me knowing the song and her not selling it enough for me to be interested. I don't know. Because like I said, I could tell she was singing well. And she even toned down the "crazy Haley" that made us all want to scratch nails on a chalkboard for relief. I don't know if anyone else feels like me on that one but if they do she may as well just be waving goodbye in that picture above. It's between her and someone else. So let's get to it.

The Elimination Pick

Safe? Lauren, Scotty, James (they have to be, right?)

Not Safe? Casey, Haley, Jacob

Bottom 3: Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk Wildcard: Naaa not this week

Elimination Pick: Jacob Lusk - I'm sorry. The bowtie did it for me. The yellow shoes didn't help. All he was missing was a red honker of a nose. I couldn't take him seriously for one second! And I don't think America will either. Throw in the fact that he went first and then made a fool of himself with James at the end, and it's as good as a done deal!

I wouldn't be surprised if Haley or Casey went home either so we'll see. If any of the other 3 went home, I'd be floored but if there had to be one this week it would be Lauren. And well, that's just not fair! She did so well tonight. And, as mentioned before, we all know she has lots of voters pulling for her. I wasn't quite convinced to pick up the phone this week so if she does go home, I'll take the blame.

That's all I have for tonight folks. Bruno Mars and Crystal Bowersox will be gracing us with their presence tomorrow night. I liked Crystal and all last year but let's hope she doesn't sing that dreadful "Farmer's Daughter" song and gives us something new! As per usual this season, I'll probably just give my results show thoughts in the comments here so be sure to come back and join the discussion!

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 7 Perform

2011-04-20T23:01:00.000-04:00

Hello American Idol watchers! We're back for the top 7 performances. The remaining contestants "soothed" our ears with the sounds of the 21st Century (and...maybe one cheated a bit with that rule). And don't worry, even though we only have 7 contestants left, they found many ways to keep the show at an hour and a half, instead of giving us 30 extra minutes of our lives to enjoy say...I don't know a Flyers playoff game or ABC comedies! I guess FOX is content with hogging 2.5 hours of its week with the ratings hog. Seriously though, they better not extend it to 2 hours next week and give the contestants 2 songs each already!

Anyway, the night wasn't too bad. Everyone was pretty much performing at the top of their game. If not with their voices, then they had their "Game Faces" on. Getting votes by winking at cameras or kissing judges you name it! So, in the end, who goes home tomorrow? I have my thoughts, that doesn't mean they'll be right but stick around and you can see my thought process in motion!

The Recap

There was no Will.i.am this week but no fear, they brought back the American Idol Rejects to the stage! Ashton (who went all Hollywood with her hair), Pia, Thia, Karen, Hoppity Boppity Singing too loud in her mic Naima, and off-key harmonizing Paul sang P!NK's "So What!?" And that had to be the collective expression of America who was watching the treachery on stage. Yeah, it's great to see Pia and Paul again but no favors were done for them putting all of those rejects on stage together. It sounded AWFUL!!!! So, I won't say anything else about it.

One fun thing that was done all night was watching the contestants make fun of each other in a light-hearted way. And, the best part is, they called out a lot of the stuff we have called out on this blog. Even if I'm not always impressed with the performances this season, no one can deny that they got a really fun group of kids this year. Off Stage, they all seem very likable and they seem to have become really good friends. And if they're acting, then maybe they have a future in that because I'm sold! So how did they perform? Let's get to it!

Scotty McCreery - "Swingin" written and originally recorded in 1983 - Did you like how Ryan clearly stated that as long as the song was RECORDED in the 21st century, it was eligible? LeAnn Rimes recently recorded a cover of the John Anderson song. I would cry foul on Scotty for cheating a bit and not going along with the concept of this theme week. But it's not like he sang something that was going to give him an unfair advantage over the other contestants. But in a decade where Country Music has really shot up the charts, why wouldn't he want to pick something more modern and catchy? I know he's old school country and everything but he could have even picked Josh Turner this week and no one would have questioned it! Maybe a Brad Paisley song (he has a low enough voice), Tim McGraw, Chesney. Plenty of people to choose from who had big hits in the 00's. And he goes with SWINGIN? Really!??! I love that the kids made fun of his "Flute Playing" mic antics. And he kept it up on this song. He sang the song as well as he sings anything else he does and he makes the facial expressions that the girlies love. But he really schmoozed it up with Ryan after the performance. Winking and giving the ol' puppy dog "hey, if you don't like my music, just look at this perty little mug ladies" eyes. Not the worst performance in the world and he'll get by on just popularity alone. But could he get a scare this week after singing a week song and going first? I don't think so, but it's possible I guess.
James Durbin - "Uprising" by Muse - Say what you want about James. Love him or hate him, he is bringing his all every week. Over the top antics? Check. Marching Band Drum Corps? Check. Ridiculous attire? You got it! Crazy rocker voice? Yep. James is in this thing to win it, and he seems to be taking the challenge of trying to upstage himself every week. Sometimes it fails but sometimes it works. I think it worked this week for the most part. Yeah, it was cool for him to raise the octave on the chorus. But the whole switching octaves for each phrase? That came off sounding a bit amateur. But he still brought down the house. Good stuff. I still stand by him being in the final 2.
Haley Reinhart - "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele - I figured I would totally hate Haley's rendition of the amazing Adele song. Small sidetrack, if you love great singers and great music, pick up Adele's new album 21. You'll listen to it at LEAST 10 times in a week and not be tired of it. Probably the best voice in pop music right now. (And that's coming from a Kelly Clarkson fan!) Anyway, I actually thought Haley did a really good job with the tune! I agree with Randy that there were a few sharp notes in there. But for the most part, her voice really suited Adele's musical style. And I also agree with J-Lo that a bit of Haley came out in the song too. Though, I don't think all that screaming was necessary at the one point in the song. Overall though, great job by Haley.
Jacob Lusk - "Dance With My Father" by Luthor Vandross - Well, I guess we had to see it coming that Jacob would take on Luthor since he gets compared to him quite often. He did seem a bit taken out of his element this week when he seemed to promise a very moving performance. Don't get me wrong, it was good but I really wasn't feeling it. And, it may not really have been his fault. Right in the beginning of the song the band started playing the wrong song! I heard it too, and Jacob tried to mention it without being too mean to the band. If you have DVR, rewind and check it out. It was totally the opening notes of the Adele song again. That would have thrown off anyone's performance. Though, I'm not sure it would have mattered. The song just didn't seem to work too well. I have a feeling Jacob may be losing some steam here. But we'll see.
Casey Abrams - "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5 - I was hard on Casey last week but I thought he did a much better job this week. And I thought he did well enough on his own that he didn't have to go the extra mile to seal the deal by smooching J-Lo. The moments leading up to it were completely awkward, but I guess totally worth it for the actual smooch. I didn't see it coming, and I'm sure no one else did. Pretty funny stuff. But the song itself? Nice job toning it down in the beginning to showcase the voice he actually has before breaking out into the rock and high fiving and, pun intended due to song title, heavy breathing. Casey should be fine this week.
Stefano Langone - "Closer" by NeYo - I don't hate Stefano. He seems like a pretty funny guy and he is a good singer. But there just comes a time when it seems like it's time. Doesn't everyone else feel that way? Yeah, he was fine. Everyone is trying to get him to come out of his shell every week and woo the ladies. Is it really working though? I just think he has done all he can do. Not much more I can say than that.
Lauren Alaina - "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans - Here we are again. The whole world, judges, Jimmy and America want Lauren to come out of that shell and show the world what she can do. Once again, she sounded good but there just seems to be another level hidden inside her that we all know is there. Apparently, she has the stage fright. And I know people disagreed with me last week but it seemed all too clear again this week that she was shocked to hear that she can sing better than Miley Cyrus. She had all the confidence in the world in that audition. So much it was annoying. And now that she's hit the big stage and competed against all these big singers, she is restrained. Like I said, she sang really well and people seem to really like her. But she needs to SLAY it! It was almost painful to hear the judges tell her what she needs to do and what she is capable of. But what else can be done? It seems the voting public want her there, but she needs to want to be there too or this will just be the same thing every week. STEP IT UP Lauren! '

The Elimination Pick

So that's it. I think there are 2 potential candidates to go home tomorrow. It could be mostly anyone as always, but there are 2 I'm pegging. And yes, I will pick one!

Who brought it and is safe? James Durbin

Weakest of the night (not bad just weaker than others)? Jacob, Stefano

Played to the audience for votes? Scotty, Casey

The Middle Ground? Lauren, Haley

Bottom 3: Jacob Lusk, Stefano Langone, Haley Reinhart Wildcard Pick: Scotty McCreery

Elimination Pick: Stefano Langone - I like the kid but he's out of his league now. It's time to pack the bags and come back next week for the next Reject Performance!

And that's all I have kids. David Cook and Katy Perry treat us to tunes tomorrow night. And I'll probably just jot my thoughts again in the comments of this post. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next week!

Check Out My New Blog!

I've been recapping any and all TV over at the TV Addicts Blog (www.tvaddictsblog.com). Mainly The Event, Fringe and The Walking Dead. Occasionally, I'll comment on other shows I'm watching. I'm already looking ahead to some other returning shows this spring as well as some potentially big shows in Fall 2011. Keep tuning in and join the discussions!

The Event airs on Mondays 9pm EST on NBC. (returns April 18th)
Fringe airs on Fridays 9pm EST on FOX. The show has been renewed for a 4th season so it's time to catch up on what you're missing! 3 more episodes this season! They're going to be fantastic!
Game of Thrones has started and is definitely a good time! The book is pretty great from what I've read so far as well. HBO, Sundays 9:00pm Be there!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 8 Perform

2011-04-13T22:54:00.000-04:00

Hello American Idol fandom! Well, it has been a week since Pia's ousting. Is everyone over it? I thought I was. I even bought into Nigel Lythgoe telling America that he wasn't surprised by the ousting because he has seen the results week after week. He knew Pia wasn't resonating with America. Well, I'm sure the lack of personality helped, but I think there was a bit of "America assumed she was safe" going on. And we can't forget the skewed voting system and "nice" judges that we all discussed last week either. So, that was before the show that I thought I was over it. Now, as I sit here after the show I can't help think that it is sorely missing someone with a WOW factor. No one can deny her amazing vocals. It explains why Interscope already nabbed her up with a record deal. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and throw my hands in the air questioning the contestants and the judges on their song choices. There were a couple stand-outs I guess but nothing that would make me run out and buy their albums. So with that said, I'm already looking forward to tomorrow night when a TRUE Idol can take the stage and show them how it's done. Kelly Clarkson will no doubt be singing her duet with Jason Aldean at the results show "Don't You Wanna Stay". Anyway, I guess we have to pick someone to go home so I'll see what I can do. But, just like what happened in the most recent seasons for me, I honestly don't care. Bring on Movie Night and inexplicably more Will.I.Am!!! (And go see RIO this weekend!)

The Recap

Paul McDonald - "Old Time Rock N' Roll" from the movie Risky Business - Look out guys, Paul has a black version of that crazy suit too! He sure had a good time up there didn't he? I like Paul. I've made no secret of that over the weeks. I love the song he chose also. He had a good time up there and he was entertaining. BUT, I couldn't help feeling it wasn't a good song choice. There isn't much melody or lyrics. And the melody and lyrics that do exist are repeated over and over again. What does that really showcase besides him having a good time up there? Yeah, I agreed with Randy that it could be a nice opening number for a concert. And it WAS the opening song of the night. But, will America remember Paul after the 7 performances that followed with THAT performance? I just don't know.
Lauren Alaina - "The Climb" from The Hannah Montana Movie - You gotta love that Lauren was shocked that Jimmy told her she's a better singer than Miley Cyrus will ever be. That's such a "duh" thing to say but it was hysterical that Lauren believes THAT little in herself. Seriously, the girl has really dropped down on her self-confidence scale from the auditions. I know I say it every week. I'm not really even sure what the judges were praising in this performance. Maybe the audio balance is different on TV than it is at the LIVE show. Because, all I heard was the backup singers drowning her out during the big chorus moments and the big notes. I could barely hear her hitting her high notes and that made me just think that she wasn't strong enough to handle it. It also did her no favors for Will and Jimmy to be instructing her to steal Pia's votes and then have her vocals sound the way they did. I think people still like Lauren but I don't know how much longer she can last on that alone. But seriously, isn't a guy going to go home soon?
Stefano Langone - "End of the Road" from the movie Boomerang - If Simon was here, you KNOW he would have said something about the title of his song selection being very fitting for the performance. Instead, we got Steven's nice "this isn't the End of the Road for you!" ha...ha... I don't know. Was I in a bad mood or something tonight? I mean, I guess he was good and you could tell he was putting his all into it, but I just wasn't wowed by his performance. I thought it was all flare and no substance. And of course there was the predictable high note that he hit where the band cut out to make it all the more dramatic and people just go crazy over it. And that somehow is supposed to erase the minute of average singing that led up to it? Come on! Early on, I thought Stefano might be a sleeper in the competition. I guess he might still be. But, for now, I think it is just an inevitability that he will be going home. If not this week, then some week before the finale. So why wait?
Scotty McCreery - "I Cross My Heart" from the movie Pure Country - I think Scotty would have done well with either of his song selections. Hey, even if he's predictable he is just doing his thing up there. I think his performances have gotten a little more polished over the week. He seems to have grown some confidence too. He's just up there singing and emoting and sounding all "COUNTRY"! I did feel once again, though, that those backup singers were drowning him out. And that's when I thought the mic levels may have been off and started to forgive Lauren. Here's what I have to say about Scotty. He's starting to make me a believer that his fans may carry him through straight to the end. And, I think he is the only one that is GUARANTEED to be successful after his Idol run is over. GUARANTEED! Now that Pia has been forced out, I think I can see Scotty making it all the way to the finale. I'm not really sure who else might stand in his way. But we'll see! Oh yeah, and he's still playing that flute every time he holds the microphone. Gotta love it.
Casey Abrams - "Nature Boy" from the movie The Boy with Green Hair, Untamed Heart and Moulin Rouge and a couple others. - I guess there is something to be said for going with your gut. I love to see Casey strum that bass, but I have to say. I just didn't get it this week. And it's not just because it was Jazz. I played in a jazz band for 8 years (high school, college) and loved it. So, I get jazz. And he really wanted to show off his bass playing this week. Great Casey. But you know you signed up for a singing competition, right? The voice? Not so great, save for a few moments at the end. I didn't understand the standing ovation from EVERYONE, including the judges. Steven Tyler looked like he had a childhood fantasy played out LIVE in front of him. I dunno. I just didn't get it at all. The majority of the song I was just thinking "What The censored word is he doing out there!?!?!" I may be in a minority or a majority. I dunno. But I didn't get it.
Haley Reinhart - "Call Me" from the movie American Gigolo - Well we must start by saying that Haley looked like the spitting image of a stained glass window tonight. Nicely done Haley! Way to bring some church into the place! (ba dum ching) Everyone who reads this knows I can't stand the cookie monster. That being said, I thought this song was well suited for her voice. Ironically, the judges decided to pick her as the scape goat for the night and lay all of the negative critiques on her. Hey that's fine, get rid of one of the girls. It's what America (errr teenage girl texters) is used to doing! It wasn't awful, it wasn't great. I just don't get why she got slammed for doing this when Stefano and Lauren and even Casey got praised for their performances. I honestly didn't see much difference. I guess one difference is Casey showed SOME talent on stage, just not much of his voice. I'm not going to sit here and defend Haley though. I would hate it if she won the whole show. So, it's fine by me if America sends her packing. Nothing really would shock me anymore.
Jacob Lusk - "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from the movie The Pursuit of Happiness - Speaking of bringing some CHURCH in the house! But before we get there, let me talk about the song choice on 2 levels. First, Jacob was going to to "The Impossible Dream". REALLY!?!?!?! Hey, I loved when Scott Bakula did it in Quantum Leap (when he leaped into an actor playing Don Quixote) just as much as the next sci-fi nut but American Idol!? Of course, something tells me someone did it on Idol before, but whatever! (Yup, Kelly Clarkson sang it with Diana DeGarmo and Craptasia and Ruben at the season 3 finale. But Kelly can sing whatever she likes! Plus, it's not like they were competing with it). Anyway, the fact that Jimmy Iovine had to pick this song out for Jacob kind of defeats the purpose of the contestant selecting a song doesn't it? Not only that, but it was in the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!?!? Isn't that a stretch of using the song as a MOVIE SONG? The song existed WAY before this movie ever existed. I dunno, seems like a stretch if you ask me but whatever. I thought Jacob did pretty well on it. How could he not? It's a GOSPEL song as it is, and he went to Church with it. Now, whether people's stomachs are strong enough to stand Jacob singing another Gospel-like song for another straight week. And yes we can't forget Clay Aiken put his stamp on this song back in season 2. That's another question. And I really don't have the answers anymore, if I ever did.
James Durbin - "Heavy Metal" from Heavy Metal - Well, Idol just pulls out all of the stops for these FINAL numbers anymore don't they? You have to wonder if the whole interview with Jimmy and Will with James sticking to his guns and not wavering on his song selection was all an ACT to go with James's "Rocker" vibe. Nothing would surprise me anymore with this show that brings out a famous Metal guitarist Zakk Wylde (of Ozzy and Black Label Society fame) to rock out with James and put on a SPECTACLE for the final show of the night. Hey, I'll be happy to admit that I am a Sammy Hagar supporter. Yeah, mostly the Van Hagar (Halen) stuff over his solo stuff, but I like me some hard rock every now and then. James really brought it and rocked the house. I thought it was quite the performance and overall spectacle. But, will America buy into the METAL on American Idol? I guess a good performance is a good performance and whoever supports James probably will still support him after it. If not more people. If I were to choose a final 2 from what we've seen so far in the competition I'd say that it would HAVE to be Scotty vs. James in the end. But, I'm not going to be naive enough to think that is what would happen or even if I'll care if that actually happens. We'll just have to see.

The Elimination Pick

Ugh, am I already burned out on the newly revamped Idol? Well, it's not so revamped as we're starting to see. The same problems still exist and so here I am complaining again. Maybe you guys out there liked it more than me, I don't know. But I seriously don't have the least bit of interest in picking someone to go home tonight. So I'm just going to throw a wild guess out there. We'll see what happens.

Safe? Scotty, James

Unsafe? Everyone Else

Bottom 3: Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk, Lauren Alaina Bonus: Paul McDonald Double Bonus: Stefano

Elimination Pick: Jacob Lusk

I really have no idea. It could be ANYONE. So why not throw someone out there that no one thinks will be going home this week? Haley got too much negative feedback for it to be her, right? That will just make people vote for her more. Especially since she was the ONLY one to get the negative feedback. Stefano and Casey both got standing O's so I have to think maybe I'm in a minority on them. Plus Stefano will get the sympathy vote for bottom 3 last week and Casey is still riding high on a judge's save (I guess). It wouldn't surprise me if Lauren or Paul go home. So that's all I got! A whole bunch of uncertainty! But, of course, if Jacob DOES go home, all you'll here is bragging from me!!

Packed Thursday night of TV so I really doubt I'll have time for a FULL on blog posting, but I will post in the comments of this post with my reactions of the elimination show if I don't get that time for a new post. So that's all I got! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you when I see you!

Check Out My New Blog!

The Event has returned and airs on Mondays 9pm EST on NBC. (returns April 18th)
Fringe airs on Fridays 9pm EST on FOX (returns April 15th). The show has been renewed for a 4th season so it's time to catch up on what you're missing!
Game of Thrones starts on HBO on April 17th. Not sure if I'll be recapping but I'm very interested in watching. 1/3rd into the book and it's great. Winter is Coming this SUNDAY!!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 9 Results, Officially Shocked

2011-04-07T22:33:00.000-04:00

It figures, once I write off writing results show recaps, the most ridiculous results show in Idol History has to happen! Yes, we have had shockers before but they have come in the top 5 or top 4 when a huge favorite to win is ousted. But never.....NEVER has the truly best singer in the competition with the most commercial appeal get ousted in the top 9. NEVER! Yes, I had her pegged for the top 2, top 3 at least. And she is out of here. It's one of those eliminations that make me wonder again "why is this show worth watching?" I just don't have an answer for you guys yet. But, I do have a pretty solid theory on what the problem is. And if you stay tuned after the jump, I'll get right into it. Ladies and gentlemen, click on to see our ousted contestant.

Eliminated: Pia Toscano
Bottom 3: Jacob Lusk, Stefano Langone, Pia Toscano
My Bottom 3: Stefano, Lauren, Haley
Dialidol.com Bottom 3: Stefano, Jacob, Paul

Not to mention that dialidol ALSO had Pia in the Top 3 of the night. So...WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED!?!?!? This makes no sense, right? The judges were in complete shock, right? They were crying, right? Well, they have no one to blame but themselves. I absolutely blame this on the new judging panel. I'm not going to go out and say that America, as a whole, are stupid. But clearly they do need some legit guidance. And this crop of judges, while entertaining, do not possess a voice of reason. Someone that everyone waits to hear their final word on a performance. Hey, maybe even if Simon critiqued Pia and said what she needed to work on, it would have gotten voters in her corner last night.

Something is off. And praising Stefano and Haley for the same crap they always do is just not helping anybody. It has been week after week of praising contestants. And don't get me started on the Judges Save. The concept is ridiculous as it is. I mentioned in the comments this morning that I feel it is just a plot to squeeze another 2 hour episode of American Idol out before they get to a manageable level of contestants. They griped so much about how they lost Chris Daughtry and Tamyra Gray in previous seasons. Guess what? TOP 5, TOP 4! Not TOP 11!!! 11???? Hey, Casey was shocking, I'll give them that. But wouldn't the ultimate shocker have been if Pia was let go? Guess what kids? She's gone! No save the show is screwed!

They have a real issue with that judging panel, and I hope this is a wake up call to them. But I'm thinking it's way too late now. This was supposed to be the season where they found another superstar. Someone actually deserving of the title, "American Idol". Really, who is left that deserves that title?

Jacob? No sireebob. He won't be marketable to the masses.
James? Maybe, but I don't know if I can consistently eat the food he's dishing out. And there is that screech. ugh
Stefano? I thought he might be a sleeper at one point, but he is regurgitating the same kind of tunes each week. If he started mixing things up, I might be able to get behind him.
Casey? I like him, but the WINNER? I just can't see it. And he definitely wouldn't be a superstar. He'd have his niche group of fans. And maybe he'd appear on a Jimmy Fallon Late Night Show to sing Rebecca Black's "Friday" one day. (you may have to put a little time to get that reference!)
Haley? God I hope not
Lauren? Well, she would seem to be the most marketable of what's left, right? But she's just too darn young. She had a spark in the auditions and even though I rolled my eyes at it, it's what made her somewhat appealing. She needs to get it back. But, I don't have high hopes for it. Maybe if she realizes that Pia is gone and she might actually have a shot at this, she'll gain some confidence.
Paul? Hey, I'd love it if Paul got his mojo back and kept the ball rolling all the way to the crown. That would be awesome. But, superstar? I just don't see it.
Scotty? It seems more likely now that Scotty will be riding the popularity train for a longer time. And it helps that he's a likable dude. And his first album will sell like hotcakes on the country charts win or lose. But longevity? We'll see.

That's it folks. One of those people will be the next Idol. No Pia. No Iggy Pop (Did anyone else think he was going to die on stage? Most equally awkward and creepy performance on Idol ever.) No Constantine (I'll admit it, I fast forwarded). Now, Pia wasn't without her flaws and I looked forward to watching her grow in the competition and at least keep things interesting. Right now? I don't know what's interesting of the remaining 8 that will keep me hooked. But that makes for a very important episode next week. Someone is going to have to rise from the ashes of a Pia-less American Idol and claim the spot as FAVORITE.

It's a whole new ballgame folks. We start all over next week. I look forward to hearing everyone else's thoughts/feelings on this elimination night. But for now, I'm done! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

Check Out My New Blog!

The Event has returned and airs on Mondays 9pm EST on NBC. (returns April 18th)
Fringe airs on Fridays 9pm EST on FOX (returns April 15th). The show has been renewed for a 4th season so it's time to catch up on what you're missing!
Game of Thrones starts on HBO on April 17th. Not sure if I'll be recapping but I'm very interested in watching this one (and reading the book).

American Idol Season 10 - Top 9 Perform

2011-04-06T22:40:00.003-04:00

Hello Idol fanatics and welcome back to another week of amateur singing dissection! So it seems like some of the contestants didn't get the memo that this was "ROCK N' ROLL" WEEK! Yes yes, I know that some of the best known ballads come from rock artists but COME ON!!! I'm not saying that all of those performances were necessarily bad, they just didn't really fit with the week's theme in my opinion. Some shined, some were just okay. But I think I have this week's bottom 3 pegged (or at least who it probably SHOULD be).

Before we get to the recap let me just rant about a few things. I said it after the results show last week (in the comments of last week's recap), what is up with all of the Will.I.am love on Idol? First of all, it's ROCK N' ROLL week! Don't even try to pass off that Black Eyed Peas crap music as Rock! (Mazel Tov!) Maybe Will knows something about being a performer, but the dude can barely sing, why has he been showcased on American Idol for 3 episodes so far? Makes no sense whatsoever to me! Gripe #2 - I think we have known this was the case for weeks now, but I finally need to raise it as an issue. While entertaining, the judges are bringing absolutely NO VALUE to the table. They are a group of praisers. Even Randy when trying to keep it real, still can't just flat out say when something didn't work. So, we are left to our own devices to weed out who really wasn't good.

Hey, I'm more than up for the job! And the best part? Simon can't steal my lines before I write them on this blog! So here we go folks! Let's find a contestant to give the boot!

The Recap

Jacob Lusk - "Man in the Mirror" - This was kind of unfair for me. I pretty much have Jacob written off from winning American Idol, but he FINALLY did something I enjoyed! It may be an odd choice as a favorite Michael Jackson son, but I have always loved "Man in the Mirror" ever since childhood. It's my jam! It's actually the first song I played when I heard he died. Great stuff. Anyway, on to Jacob, I guess I'll give him props for changing it from the more predictable "Let's Get it On" and he did sing it really well. How could he not? He has the voice and it's a great melody. This redeemed him in my book. But I still can't get past his facial expressions and bodily movement on stage. And I think something from his "Let's Get it On" act still made it on stage. What was up with all of those hip thrusts!?!!?
Haley Reinhart - "Piece of My Heart" - Last week I speculated if it was possible for the person I despise the most to make me do a full 180 and support her 100% from here on out. Thankfully, Haley did not make me carry that speculation through. After an outstanding outing on Elton John week, she returned to her good ol' awful growly self. This week was almost comical though. I feel absolutely certain that Simon would have called her out for impersonating the Cookie Monster through the chorus. "TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE OF MY COOOOOOOKIE BIG BIRD!!" Seriously, sing it like Cookie Monster, you can sound like Haley too. What on Earth is her obsession with that growl? It does NOT sound good. I think the only redeeming quality of this performance was one high note that caught me off guard. I liked that. The rest? Sesame Street. I don't know what the judges were listening to, and really don't care. I think she has gone straight back to the bottom 3.
Casey Abrams - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" - I know Casey really is an acquired taste. If there's a chance that some may never really see it. I still love the guy. (in a totally straight and manly way) This is the first time he has brought the stand-up bass onto the live stage, and I've been waiting for that. And of all songs to do it, a CCR song. I thought he sounded great. Yes, it was not a perfect vocal but with his style I almost feel like it shouldn't be. That's a little unfair to all the pitchy contestants out there that get called out on it. But this is Rock N' Roll man! Mess it up a little, make it raw! The one part I didn't really enjoy was when he tried to hit some falsetto notes and it just went all squeaky. I still think he's on a redemption train since the "SAVE" (which I still don't support even if I'm glad he's still in it). I don't think Casey will win, so saving him was kind of pointless. And would we really want a contestant that America voted off to win the show anyway? I almost feel like the Judges' Save has become a reason to make the show 2 hours for an additional week before they get into single digits. I just love how the whole reason for having the Judges' save was to keep people like Chris Daughtry and Tamyra Gray from getting booted. And they have yet to hold onto the Judges' Save to a point where something like that would happen (Top 5 or Top 4). Hence, further proving my point that it's all about fudging the TV ratings for Fox more than anything. Anyway, off my soapbox, I think Casey will be fine.
Lauren Alaina - "Natural Woman" - Oh, Lauren Lauren Lauren. No No No. Once I heard what song she was doing, I thought of this.

I always do when anyone decides to do this song. I really don't think anyone can top it. And Lauren does have a good voice but she just brought NOTHING to the song. She basically went through the motions and bored anyone that wanted to root for her. At least, that's how I felt. This is not the contestant with all the confidence in the world that walked into that audition room. I'm sure it's the age thing again like it is for other contestants that get to this point. They just can't hack it week after week. Anyway, I'm a little worried for Lauren tonight, but I'm not sure I have the guts to pick her as the one leaving us. We'll just have to see what happens.
James Durbin - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - Well, that's just great. James thought of his family and connected with the song and actually wept tears. I'm sorry to say, but I must have missed the emotional connection because once again I was bored. It definitely is good to show the softer side of a rocker, but I just don't know if this did him any favors. I'm sure the tears was all he needed to stay alive this week. It wasn't awful. It kind of reminded me of when Adam Lambert toned it down and did "Tracks of My Tears" a couple years ago. But, as we've mentioned, Tracks may be one of the best performances ever (by one of my most reviled contestants ever!). I don't think we'll be talking about Guitar after this week. My favorite part was when he said that he "wrote his own version" of the song. Ummm, wouldn't that be ARRANGED your own version? You can't write a version of a song already written! James will be fine this week.
Scotty McCreary - "That's Alright Mama" - Aw shucks, here comes Scotty again! I'm back into "how can you not love this guy?" mode this week. Yeah, he has his silly mannerisms that he brings to every song but at least he brought a little Rock N' Roll to the stage this week, unlike others! The kid idolized Elvis as a kid, so he did his thing. His voice totally fits with the King's vibe. But yikes, the way he holds that microphone. I swear sometimes it looks like he's going to play the flute, which made the "dee dee dee dee" part of the song that much funnier for me. But, I agree with J-Lo on this one. He WAS entertaining, and that's more than I can say for others tonight. So, he gets the pass for me again. Plus, America loves this kid. He'll be around for awhile.
Pia Toscano - "River Deep Mountain High" - Well, Pia promised to bring it and she did. She sang the song with all of the perfection that she could. One little problem. Remember when Chris Daughtry sang "Walk the Line" back in season 5 and was given credit for performing an original version of the tune and no one ever gave credit to the band LIVE for coming up with the version that Chris sang? Guess what folks? This Pia performance was note for note and arrangement for arrangement the Celine Dion version of the song. I'm starting to think Pia may have a limited repertoire. And I'm sure there will be lots of talk of how this was Celine's version of the song and Idol didn't give props to it. All they talked about was Pia bringing out her inner Tina Turner. I mean, it was an absolute carbon copy! I should know, my wife plays it all of the time! We know for sure that Pia wants to be the next Celine Dion. And if she keeps trying to do that by covering all of her songs, she WILL pale in comparison. I agreed with the judges on this one that she needs to work the stage more. All of this standing around in high heals and bubble pants won't give her the flexibility to really rock it. She was walking around like a pageant queen or something. (ironically, in the video I referenced Celine stands in place in high heels for practically the whole performance but still is able to rock it out) Pia has to really sink her teeth into a song and go nuts. I believe she can do it and I still think she has the best voice in the competition. Based on the rest of the competition, I still feel she has Top 2 written all over her, at LEAST top 3. We'll see how things go.
Stefano Langone - "When a Man Loves a Woman" - Ugh, here we go again. Stefano has picked a over the top ballad to try to woo the ladies out there. All I could think through the whole segment was "SERIOUSLY!?!?!". All of these ballads he is doing just are starting to string together in my mind as one long and dull song. Did he connect with the audience FINALLY as Jennifer suggested? I don't know, I tuned out halfway through the song. Look, we know Stefano will be leaving us very soon. His buffer zone got a lot smaller when both Naima and Thia left last week. I like the kid, but Stefano only has so much to provide. I think I have seen enough (actually, I think we've seen it all).
Paul McDonald - "Folsom Prison Blues" - You know if a contestant is going to end the show, that means they probably have come out of their shell do do something great this week. Paul McDonald, welcome back to the competition!!! This is the ONLY contestant tonight that I felt took the challenge of "Rock N' Roll" week seriously. Paul had lots of fun out there, sounded great and just flat out rocked to the Johnny Cash tune. I was so happy to see him come out and rock it! Just when we thought he was on his way out, he has pulled himself back into the competition. I'm surprised Randy and J-Lo didn't start trading back and forth with "WE HAVE A COMPETITION IN HEEEEEREEEE!!!!" I hope Paul learned something from the success from this performance (actually causing me to vote for him) and keeps the momentum going. I need someone to root for because no one else did that for me this week!

And there you have it America. Some shined, the rest...MEH. Let's figure out who is going home.

THE ELIMINATION PICK

Who was the standout? Paul
Good? Pia, Jacob, Casey, Scotty
Other people may have thought was good? James
Forgettable? Lauren, Cookie Monster, Stefano

Bottom 3 Picks: Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart, Stefano Langone Wildcard Pick: Casey Abrams

Elimination Pick: Stefano Langone

As much as I'd love it to be Haley, I think we have a lopsided top 9 right now between guys and girls. I'm guessing it's the guy's turn to lose someone. And, based on the fact that Randy actually ALMOST gave a negative review to Stefano, I would think most of America felt the same way. And as I already mentioned, we've pretty much seen all that he brings to the table. It seems like the right time.

I'm feeling pretty good about this pick, but I can see it going another way too. We'll tune in tomorrow to find out what happens. Before we close up let's go to Steven Tyler's most incomprehensible line of the night. Paraphrased of course...

"You know Janis Joplin was rocking to that song back in 1968. So, yeah, I think you did a good job tonight." And together we all say.....HUH!?!?!?!?!

So, for the most part, I think I have found that I just don't have the energy to be doing results show recaps this year. But I have actively been sharing my quick thoughts in the comments of these posts. So be sure to tune back in the day after the eliminations to check for my thoughts and everyone else's comments and thoughts too. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next week!

Check Out My New Blog!

The Event has returned and airs on Mondays 9pm EST on NBC. (returns April 18th)
Fringe airs on Fridays 9pm EST on FOX (returns April 15th). The show has been renewed for a 4th season so it's time to catch up on what you're missing!
Game of Thrones starts on HBO on April 17th. Not sure if I'll be recapping but I'm very interested in watching this one (and reading the book).

American Idol Season 10 - Top 11 Perform (Again)

2011-03-30T23:11:00.001-04:00

"Hey Kids!! Shake it loose together, the spotlight's hitting something that's been known to change the weather. We'll kill the fatted calf tonight so stick around!" Welcome to "ELTON JOHN night*" American Idol fans. And what a night it was. You really can't go wrong with Elton's "electric music" rocking us all night long. I think it has been quite some time since the last Elton themed night (season 3 I believe). I remember Billy Joel night in season 2 and remember being so depressed that THAT crop of contestants were butchering Billy's tunes. (ugh Josh Gracin, I'll never forgive you for your rendition of "Piano Man") Anyway, being a singing pianist myself, it was nice to see the piano on stage all night, complete with iPad Sheet Music! I need to get me some of that! And for the most part, the contestants continued to impress. Yes, there were some flubs from a couple of the predictable ones. And one surprise performance from someone I wished would just go away. But we'll get to all of that in the recap. But for now, 2 weeks straight I'm glad I'm back doing this writing gig! 2 go home Thursday night! Let's get on with it.

*Disclaimer: Lyrics by Bernie Taupin on "Elton John Night" Oh...and this show was brought to you by Coca Cola, NOT Pepsi Mr. Durbin and your Michael Jackson reference! Don't you forget who is paying for your flaming piano! (no pun intended, being Elton John night and all)

The Recap

Scotty McCreary - "Country Comfort" - Well, I've said it before. I think eventually the country may turn on Scotty. But, I don't think this week will be the week. But, I think I am going to have to start the criticism this week. First of all he's showing his age if he thinks he has to pick a song with the word "Country" in it to make it Country. Lauren, same age, proved you don't have to do that. As Jimmy said, most of Elton's music is easy to countrify. Country music tells stories. Elton tells stories. It's perfect. Anyways...Scotty was fine and his shout out to his grandma in the pre-recorded clip and the live performance sealed the deal for him this week. His singing was good if a little bit sub-par. The final low note was off but it won't matter. Just judging my my wife's reaction, she still loves the guy and he can do no wrong. I'm going to guess that much of the SOUTH will feel the same way and will keep dialing, texting and Facebooking Scotty to the Top 9. I still like the guy too, but he needs to step up his game a little if he wants to compete. There's only so much cushion left before the people will start to turn!
Naima Adedapo - "I'm Still Standing" - Speaking of that cushion! UGH, how awful was this? Complete with fake reggae accent? WHO DOES THAT? Let's start with the fact that I have absolutely no interest in Naima succeeding on this show. Let's continue with the fact that she goes out of our way for us to dislike her even more! The song was ridiculous. The reggae-ising of one of the tune just didn't work. And when watching the recap at the end of the show, I just laughed my way through her clips. BOTTOM 3 and if I have my way she'll be gone.
Paul McDonald - "Rocket Man" - "Y'all Ready?" and then we were. You have to love Paul's demeanor while performing. This is his bread and butter. Keep things toned down and just play and sing with that unique and soft voice. It was a beautiful performance. He definitely didn't reach for the all important high notes in "Rocket Man" though. TIMELESS FLIGHT. You gotta go for that. Even I can hit that Paul! I think Paul said he couldn't hit them TODAY so maybe his voice wasn't up to snuff tonight. But he found ways to work around it. I'm not going to say Paul stood out as much as later performers but I enjoyed his performance and hope that he outlasts some of the consistent under-performers! And you gotta love that crazy suit! Definitely fitting for Elton night.
Pia Toscano - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - So, I've gotten this far into this season's Idol blogging and have yet to tell the story of my wife and I auditioning for the American Idol experience in Disney last December. When I made it through the first round, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down" was one of the songs I choosed to sing for Audition #2. (Bohemian Rhapsody being the other one) The guy told me I was good but they filled their "Rock Guy" quota for the day. Never saw myself as a ROCKER, but whatever! My wife made it to the performance though! That southern country charm wins them over every time. She was great! Anyways, to PIA.

She actually had the same arrangement of the song that I auditioned with so I found that comical. But WOA....PIA is still amazing. No one holds a candle to her in the vocal department. I mean CRAZY CRAZY good. Yes yes, robotic, too many ballads, shmallads. She's awesome guys. Don't kid yourselves. I will argue until the day she is booted off the show that there is someone who won American Idol with good looks, an amazing voice and many many people talking about her robotical performances. Do you know who that is? Only the biggest selling Idol artist (self-proclaimed by Simon Cowell) to come out of the show. Miss Carrie Underwood. There is something to be said about seeing these "undiscovered talents" get groomed through the Idol process and even go on to get even more polished. I think Pia came out of her shell even more this week and promised a more upbeat song next week. Let's give her the benefit of the doubt. With a voice that amazing, she isn't going anywhere any time soon. And it is definitely hers to lose. And I'm not counting that possibility out.
Stefano Langone - "Tiny Dancer" - Yes yes Phoebe the TONY DANZA song! "Hold me close young Tony Danza" Ironically, and the Mrs pointed this out to me, Stefano sure does look like a young Tony Danza! Anyway, I'll admit that I got distracted during Stefano's performance and was talking about Tony Danza too much trying to figure out who really WAS the boss?! But from what I heard I thought he sounded really good. Seemed like he took Jimmy Iovine's advice to heart and connected with the audience and felt his inner Elton come out (seriously, no pun intended). I don't think he was the greatest performer of the night but he was good. Good enough after being in the bottom 3 last week? I hope so, because there were 2 that were dreadful!
Lauren Alaina - "Candle in the Wind" - Yes, Mr. Seacrest, Candle in the Wind IS the biggest selling single ever, but not the version Lauren sang. It's the version that was performed at Princess Di's funeral. But that didn't change the fact that Lauren really came into her own tonight. The song was perfect for her and she just knocked it out of the park. Beautifully sung ballad and showed her true star power. Enough power to win it all? We may have thought so all those weeks ago. I guess there's an outside chance it could happen, but I'm not going to declare that right now. She needs to string together a few more hits like this. A few more head turners. But, I'm definitely past being disgusted with her because of Nigel's tweets promoting her as the next greatest thing. She is very good and I liked deciding that on my own. And we must discuss the dress for a second. The Skirt Cape that she had on was hysterical, but not nearly as funny as Steven Tyler's best line yet on the live shows. If she keeps singing as good as this she'll be able to "afford the rest of that dress." CLASSIC!
James Durbin - "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" - Okay, let's get ONE Glambert comparison out of the way. When he said "I love putting on make-up" I immediately thought of Adam Lambert telling the world that he loves to play "dress up" and wanting to gag myself! But I can not say one bad thing about Mr. Durbin's performance tonight. OUTSTANDING is the word that comes to mind. The song requires a lot of pizazz and a lot of rocking. He started off up in the rafters, came down to the stage for the start of the chorus and then did a tour around the orchestra seats all to end up on top of the piano and cueing the piano to light on FIRE! Pure entertainment, all the while staying in tune and singing fabulously. This guy is an entertainer and that goes a long way. Amazing how annoying he was before the live performances and how he as grown on at least me. Definitely a front runner to stay in this competition for the long haul as well. BRAVO James.
Thia Megia - "Daniel" - The minute I heard Thia was doing this I could see those red tail lights leaving L.A. Don't get me wrong (I'm saying that a lot aren't I?), "Daniel" is one of my favorite Elton John songs and I love singing and playing it on the piano. But having 15 year old Thia sing it I just knew what we were in for. And hey, isn't the song about LOSING SOMEONE from the Earthly realm? Not losing someone who has flown across the country? I can understand that Thia took the song at face value because she could identify with her brother skipping town. But yikes, talk about making the song a little less impactful! Okay, my bad, it's about a blind Vietnam War Vet. But still! Here's the difference between doing ballads every week and blowing everyone away vs. doing ballads every week and putting the audience to sleep. And what was up with that arrangement? Those crazy drums? I'm sure they were thinking "Okay band, Thia is not going to help us at all and we need to pep this song up!!!" I promised I would never use this expression but #EpicFail!!! It might be time to WAVE GOODBYE Thia just like we could see Daniel doing.
Casey Abrams - "Your Song" - New Beard, New Look, New Outlook on life. Casey finally got to business on this one. Man, I love Elton John's music. "Your Song" is such an awesome song and Casey really really nailed it. I felt every word of what he was singing. You could tell he was really focused on giving a fantastic performance and he did it. Just enough CRAZY Casey in there with some screamy notes (all in good pitch) but most of the song soft with some nice runs and great emotion. Perfect Casey performance. He should be in no danger this week.
Jacob Lusk - "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" - It's starting to happen, at least for me. I'm getting worn out on Jacob, folks! I just couldn't digest it tonight. It's all starting to sound the same every week. And let me be the first to say that he really can't pull off the untied bow-tie look. It just looked like a sloppy half-dressed clown or something. Sure, the judges praised it. Sure, he sounded great with the great big voice again. But UGH, I don't know. I can't really explain it more than I have. Just redundant. He needs to try something different. But hey, great job meeting Mary J. Blige, I guess.
Haley Reinhart - "Bennie and the Jets" - Ugh, once I heard she was going last I knew we were in for a good performance from her. Who knew "Bennie" would end up being the absolute perfect song for her style? She really was great and it pains me to say it. The growling fit the song and her high raspy notes fit it great too. Can she possibly turn me into a Haley fan? It's just one performance folks, it would take a lot more than that! But, I sure do like an underdog story! What would be more of an underdog story than turning a complete hater into her biggest fan? It would be amazing, but I don't see it happening just yet.

The Pick

So there it is. Pretty good show! I have no idea who all 3 of the bottom 3 will be but know with 99% certainty who 2 of them will be. So let's figure it out.

Completely Safe: Pia, Lauren, Casey, James, Haley

Completely Unsafe: Thia, Naima

Most Likely Safe: Scotty

I hope is safe: Paul

Who did I leave out?: Jacob and Stefano

Bottom 3: Thia Megia, Naima Adedapo, Stefano Langone Wildcard: Paul McDonald

Elimination Picks: Naima and Thia - America, please save us from these 2 ever hurting our ears again! Let Naima know she should stop standing and let's watch Thia wave goodbye!

I just don't see how else this could go down. I guess there could be a shocker and Paul and Stefano may go home, but really. If there is any justice in the world it would be the 2 I picked. I feel like usually after a shocking elimination show things are a little less surprising the next week. So, it seems like things should go our way!

Prepare your Fast Forward buttons for Thursday night's show folks. In keeping true with the Elton John Week theme, they're bringing in Fantasia and Will.i.am.

....

Did you piece that together? Yep, me either. Makes absolutely no sense. And what is up with their love for the Black Eyed Peas dude? 2 results shows? SERIOUSLY!? And Craptasia? When will they learn that she is just no good!? Anyway, that's all I have for tonight folks. As always we'll see if I have time for a results show recap or else tune into the comments here for my reactions. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you when I see you!

Check Out My New Blog!

The Event has returned and airs on Mondays 9pm EST on NBC.
Fringe airs on Fridays 9pm EST on FOX (returns April 15th). The show has been renewed for a 4th season so it's time to catch up on what you're missing!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 11 Perform

2011-03-23T23:22:00.001-04:00

Hello Idol fanatics! We're back. And what a difference a week makes! I guess Motown week usually brings out the best in contestants. Everyone knows the songs, and people can really showcase their voices with them. There really is not one contestant I can point to this week and say they were horrible. No, I think the ones that will be in danger are the ones that are forgettable or unlikable. (i.e. the usual suspects) But, I will do my standard ritual of talking about each contestant individually before declaring my results! Let's dive on in!

Recap

Casey Abrams - "Heard it Through the Grapevine" - Finally, Casey showed us he can actually sing! When I saw him all dressed up I thought we'd be in for the standup bass tonight and a "Casey-ized" version of "Grapevine". While it was jazzed up a little bit, it was just Casey roaming the stage with a string section following him. It was a major improvement from last week and I think he'll be safe to move on to next week. I do want to see him tone it down a bit still, bring out that upright bass and give the crowd the blues for all the right reasons!
Thia Mega - "Heat Wave" - Any time I hear that someone is going to do this song I think of Kimberly Locke back in season 2 with the big flames behind her and always dread that we'll see that awful flaming background yet again. The Idol stage team finally did away with those thankfully. For most of the song I was impressed with Thia's voice. She picked an upbeat song and she was singing well. Nothing really stood out about it, until......the middle of the song. She start doing some "oohs and ahs" and started looking around and then started singing the middle of a chorus and then we realized, "oh she totally forgot the words!!" Of course, maybe not everyone noticed that she messed up half of the song's lyrics because certainly the judges weren't paying attention. They had already prepared their critiques after listening to the first half of the song (or maybe even the dress rehearsal). Not one of them critiqued her on forgetting the words. And no one may have EVER known about her forgetting the words until this recap if Thia didn't bring attention to it herself in the POST performance interview. OOPS! Granted, it's probably the only thing she had going on in her head the whole time so when she got off stage she just blurted it out to the cameras! So, 2 performances in, I thought Thia MIGHT be fine. 9 performances after her, yeah, it might not be looking good for her. Definitely bottom 3. We'll see if she goes home.
Jacob Lusk - "You're All I Need to Get By" - Well, I just thought she did a fabulous job!! Okay okay!! Kidding! Well, he really did do a good job, and I was HALF kidding about the she part. Jacob was able to sorta tone down the feminine tendencies that he has. And besides him having to adjust his jacket in mid performance after he raised his arms up, I can't really find many flaws. The dude went with my advice (or Jimmy Iovine's advice too I guess). I suggested he tone it down and only bring out the big guns in small portions to make it more effective. That's what he did and he soared with it. I love how Randy complimented him on doing that but his earlier critiques were that Jacob should ALWAYS be over the top! Way to contradict yourself ex-Dawg! (you know, because he purposefully doesn't say it now)
Lauren Alaina - "You Keep Me Hanging On" - I think Lauren has really stepped it up the past couple of weeks after a couple iffy performances prior. She was recovering from the flu last week and did pretty good. This week was even better. The wife and J-Lo both told me she was looking fabulous. I have to be careful because of the age difference so just note that I personally said nothing about it! I think Lauren has a strong fan base and will be "hanging on" for awhile. (ahhhh how many bloggers do you think used THAT little play on words this week?)
Stefano Langone - "Hello" - After last week, I felt like Stefano could be a real sleeper in this competition. He really does have an amazing voice and it was on display again tonight. But he's getting to be a little on the ballad-heavy side. The judges said he needs to connect with the vocals. I thought he was fine, but there's always room for improvement. Another guy that does not need to worry this week.
Haley Reinhart - "You Really Got a Hold on Me" - UGH, her again!? She is still here? Let me just ask you one question. Who wears short shorts? Oh right, Haley does! What on earth was THAT attire? And thus, the growling and howling and prowling continued. When they were replaying the performances at the end of the night I was thinking "Casey, oh yeah he was pretty good. Thia...yeah might be a little forgettable, Jacob...yup keep that jacket pulled down, Lauren....nice job! Stefano...HELLO! Haley...." I just started laughing. How can anyone take this girl seriously? ROOOOWLLL!!!! YOu REAAAAHHWWWLY Got a hooooooOOOOOooooOOOOOoooOOOOooooOOLDD oOOOOoooOOOOnn MEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee. UGH....put her out of her misery! Yes, she can carry a tune but she is causing us all torment! Please, end it now!
Scotty McCreery - "For Once in My Life" - How can anyone not like this kid? Even I was thinking at the end, "that is just too darn cute!" The 3 point shot from the Idol Mansion has to give him some street cred too. (though, how many times do you think he took that shot before he made it?) But Scotty keeps churning out the tunes. And no, he doesn't have the strongest voice in the competition but it sure is distinct. That low voice is so nice, I agree with J-Lo. And his high's aren't bad either. He definitely countrified his song convincingly. I have a feeling that he is very very popular amongst Idol voters. So popular, that there might be backlash eventually if he starts staying in longer than really powerful singers. In any case, Scotty has a record deal in Nashville waiting for him. And I still maintain that he'll be singing with Josh Turner at the finale, and then everyone can see what an established low voiced country crooner sounds like. That dude is crazy good.
Pia Toscano - "All in Love is Fair" - So, I'm sitting on the couch, staring at the TV in absolute awe of Pia's performance. What an amazing voice, what amazing control, how can anyone top this girl? And then out of the silence my wife says, "nice fake pony tail." WHAAAT!?!?!? So, naturally, that's all I remember now. But she did agree that Pia is amazing. There just isn't anything else to say. I totally agree with the judges. It's time for her to step it up. She probably showed in earlier rounds (pre-taped) that she could really rock the stage, but we have not seen it on the live shows yet. So, it's time to bust it out!
Paul McDonald - "Tracks of My Tears" - Well well well, what did I suggest for Paul last week? Stop dancing around the stage, pick up your guitar and tone it down. He certainly did that! Now, the performance is immediately going to draw comparisons to Adam Lambert's very memorable performance of the same song on the Idol Stage. (As not the biggest Glambert fan, I have admitted that this was his best performance and one of the best ever) So what can I say about Paul? It's still the same thing. You either like him or you don't. His voice is not the strongest in the competition, but it's distinct and good for what he wants it to be. I could probably go to a Paul McDonald concert and have a blast listening to him. He was really feeling the music and rocking it on stage doing his thing. But in a singing competition, people might look at him and just say "this guy's voice is awful!" It doesn't help him when he is placed right after Pia whose voice is ridiculous and in another stratosphere. That all being said, I think Paul made the right move and did great for the artist that he is. Now, it's just a question of how long America will tolerate him on the show. Could he be in the bottom 3 this week? Maybe, but I'm not sure he deserves it.
Naima Adedapo - "Dancing in the Street" - So you think you can sing? WELL THEN STOP DANCING! You're on the wrong show! Naima is another contestant who has already destroyed my enjoyment of her beyond repair. Sure, she sang a lot better this week. But once I heard she was going to bust out the African Dance in the song, I already dreaded the entire performance. I kept wondering after each phrase "when is it going to come?" And when it finally got there, I thought the Idol roof was going to collapse and rain was going to pour in. Either that or Naima's head was going to start spinning Exorcist style. What on Earth was that and why was it on my television!?!? I'm sorry if I'm insulting someone's culture or whatever, but there is a time and place for it and it is NOT in a singing competition. I'm done.
James Durbin - "Living For the City" - Well, James had nowhere to go but up after last week's Bon Jovi debacle. He certainly improved this week with the Stevie Wonder classic. He worked the stage, he did a little back step dance (not deterring from the SINGING! Big difference, Naima!) and he sang well. Yeah, the high notes can get a little irritating after awhile, but he hit them all and he sounded good. Not my favorite performer, but he is probably going to be in this thing for awhile and deservedly so.

Honestly, I really have no idea who is going to win this year. There is a plethora of talent (if only they had a plethora of piñatas to go with all of the talent!) I'm sure it will get easier as time goes on. But, it must be said that the talent in this year's finals is SO much better than last year's disaster. And with that, I guess it's time to get to the picks.

Elimination Pick

Who was good? Most of them

Forgettable? Thia

Laughable? Haley

Danced too much? Naima

May never be everyone's favorite? Paul

Bottom 3 Picks: Thia Megia, Haley Reinhart, Paul McDonald Wildcard: Naima Adedapo

Elimination Pick: Haley Reinhart - Don't even care if I'm wrong. I can't stand the girl. Knowing she has been in the bottom 3 twice now means that no one is too desperate to vote extra and save her. She is an acquired taste that no one wants to acquire. Time to go home!

It could easily be Thia too. Messing up the lyrics, going so early, people may just not vote for her because so many others impressed. It could easily be someone I didn't mention too. Someone everyone assumes will be safe and just ends up getting eliminated. I think it's too early for that to happen though. With people like Haley hanging out, I think everyone else can still feel safe. We shall see!

That's all I have for tonight folks. As always, I cannot guarantee I'll recap the elimination show. But as promised, last week I did add comments to the performance recap with my thoughts on the elimination. So, I will do the same if I can't get around to it. Stay tuned. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings, can't wait to hear yours and I'll see you when I see you!

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American Idol Season 10 - Top 12 Perform

2011-03-16T23:04:00.000-04:00

Well wasn't that a mix bag of disaster and awesomeness? Hello Idol fans and welcome back to another one of my "why did I get back into this?" recaps! They really did front load this week's "Songs from the year you were born" agenda with most of the bad performances. About 6 singers in, I was about to call it a day and give up. But naturally, I forgot about some of the people still in the competition, and they didn't let down. There were a couple surprises and a couple letdowns along the way as well. I'm sure people will disagree with some of my critiques but I can only call them as I see them, as usual. So, no more hesitation required. My brief thoughts, after the jump.

Naima Adedapo - 1984 - "What's Love Got To Do With it?" - There is making a song modern, and then there is this load of crap that was delivered to us tonight. They made it way TOO modern and besides Naima's butchering of the melody pitch-wise, the backing music barely resembled the song it was trying to modernize. And don't get me wrong, I do realize that Naima has a "sorcerer's grasp for melody" but I think she used her magic to make it sound terrible. Sorry, Steven. Bottom 3, if not worse.
Paul McDonald - 1984 - "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" - Great song, love the performer. Then why didn't I love the performance? I think I started expressing my concerns for Paul last week. His quirkiness just may not be the best fit for the Idol stage. I'm not sure why he feels the need to dance around the stage for ALL of his performances. I know some people enjoy it, but some songs like Elton's classic could have been done with a little less fanfare to far more effectiveness. And didn't I see Casey playing bass? Why not bring out an acoustic guitar and just sing the song with some real pain behind it? Paul technically sang the song fine, but his skill gets drowned out by the waves of flailing arms and body parts and the tempo of the song. It was just weird for me. If Vote For the Worst wasn't helping him out, I may for sure put him in the bottom 3 this week. We'll see.
Thia Megia - 1995 - "Colors of the Wind" - Does it annoy anyone else when someone refers to "I Will Always Love You" as Whitney Houston's song? Clearly, it was Dolly Parton's song first, but whatever. Why oh why oh why do you pick a Disney motion picture theme song when it isn't required by the night's theme!? I love a Disney song just as much as the next person but the songs just seem a bit too melodramatic for the Idol stage. I know in season 2 they did Disney night and if everyone is doing it that's fine. I know Jennifer Hudson sang "Circle of Life" before she was "Academy Award Winner Jennifer Hudson." But Colors of the Wind???? Come on! That may be the worst Disney song from the worst Disney animated film. It was also Thia's 3rd ballad in a row (if you don't count her jazzy twist to "Smile" last week) and it was just boooooooooring! We may be saying "See ya Thia Megia!" after tonight.
James Durbin - 1989 - "I'll Be There For You" - This had all the makings of a classic. James has turned around his image in the past few weeks. He picked an awesome song that has stood the test of time. He had J-Lo thinking that he was performing the song of his life to get her dancing like a fool and singing along. There is just one thing he forgot to do. SING WELL! I dunno, he just seemed to be going through the motions of a great performance, but the voice coming out just didn't impress me at all. I felt like I should be enjoying it but just couldn't place what was wrong. The singers that followed in the latter half nailed what I was missing. THE POWERFUL VOICE! Oh, and his missed his high note pretty badly. And, what's up with the scarf tail coming back? Even if it's hanging to the side a bit, it's still a tail!
Haley Reinhart - 1990 - "I'm Your Baby Tonight" - Ugh, I just do not see any appeal to this girl. I understand she has a good voice, but she abuses it with all of the growling and the theatrics and the stringing words together into nonsensical sounds. Her facial expressions are ridiculous throughout the performances. I think I'd rather listen to her parents jam it out on stage for a few minutes instead until she is voted off. I have no interest in critiquing her performances any more and no interest in her being in the competition anymore. But, alas, I'm sure she'll be fine for this week. The only redeeming part of her segment was when she tried to apply Clown Makeup during the performance by kissing her microphone and then smearing the lipstick all over her face. Why did Ryan have to come to her rescue!?!?

OH and what is up with the contestants so rudely interrupting the judges before they're all done critiquing? They go into 5 minute soliloquies about nothing while Poor J-Lo is trying to talk! Let the pretty woman talk for Pete's sake! For Marc Anthony's sake! And I'm fine with Steven Tyler taking the stage (it's been confirmed that Aerosmith will take the stage before season's end) but I have no interest in him singing with James Durbin. Whatever.
Stefano Langone - 1989 - "If You Don't Know Me By Now" - This was the surprise performance of the night for me. I always knew Stefano had a great voice, but I really didn't plan on ever really getting attached to his performances. Well he really slayed this song. He brought some raw emotion to it and just sang it powerfully and beautifully. He kept my attention the whole performance and not one eye roll. Can't say the same for the ones that preceded. Nice job Stefano!
Pia Toscano - 1988 - "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" - It really is almost unfair how crazy good her voice is. The Mrs. was a little worried about a potential 3rd ballad in a row for Pia. No fear, she brought the dance version to us. They gave credit to the producer working with her, but I'm sure they just took it off of Whitney's DANCE REMIX album of all her hits. Regardless, it didn't matter. She was just unbelievable. The American Idol stage was BUILT for singers like her. She has now tackled Whitney AND Celine on the stage. Just 1 to go for the trifecta. Mariah, you're on notice! (And no, I'm not saying she is better than any of those 3, just making the comment for the fun of it! But she is reaaaallly good)
Scotty McCreery - 1993 - "Can I Trust You With My Heart?" - Every time Scotty takes the stage I get nervous that it's going to be the week he just can't contend. But, this week I was quite impressed! Awesome performance for the young country crooner. Travis Tritt was before my time of getting into country music, but my resident expert wife told me that Scotty really changed up the song but did an amazing job with it. I'll take her word for it! I didn't even have to know that the version was changed to tell that he brought his A Game. I look forward to seeing what else he can do!
Karen - 1989 - "Love Will Lead You Back" - Here is another person I do not expect to win me over EVER during this competition. She had a chance when she said "I don't want to be known as the Spanish Singer on Idol this year." Yet, the first chance she got, she switched to Spanish during the song. WHY!?!?!?!?!?! Oh and the outfit and the hair? It looked like she was returning from one of the Apollo Missions during the 60's! This is another case of her voice being technically proficient, even impressive, but it just doesn't translate well to the stage. Maybe it's nerves, maybe she's just not as good as everyone else. But, I'm not impressed!
Casey Abrams - 1991 - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - I admire risk taking. I love that Casey told Jimmy Iovine "Is it a big risk? I don't care!" That's an awesome mentality to have. But come on, let's be realistic. You're not going to showcase your singing voice on the Nirvana anthem. And I LOVE the song. I'm part of the generation it defined. (I think) It was great that he brought out the bass and just wanted to rock. And he did sing well, and he did sing the song the way you're supposed to sing it. And he continued the trend of just being all around CRAZY on the stage. So, if that's what he is going for...mission accomplished. But come on, we know this guy has MAD vocal skills. We saw them on display BEFORE the live shows. I want to see him bring that to the live performances. Obviously, he'll be safe this week. He has a big following and he can afford taking these risks right now. But, based on some other voices in the competition, you might want to start showing off that vocal range, buddy! I'm counting on you to be a contender!
Lauren Alaina - 1994 - "I'm the Only One" - I'm sure the whole segment about Lauren having the flu was an "advanced notice" to the viewers so they didn't prejudge her performance in case it was awful. We already know the producers want Lauren to succeed. And hey, maybe they wanted us to know that she was sick but still was going to sing really well! Whatever the mission was, Lauren really brought it tonight. Last week was a disaster and she totally recovered. The low notes were a little rough, but when she went into the upper register, I heard nothing but beautiful music. And, that's pretty impressive considering this song is completely played out on AND off of the Idol stage. And if she WAS sick, then I had the same thoughts as the judges, you might want to STAY sick. Phoebe Buffay style! ("MY STICKY SHOOOEESS!!!")
Jacob Lusk - 1987 - "Alone" - Okay, first of all, I cannot believe that Randy did not mention that someone has performed this song on American Idol and made it an instant "if you ever perform this song on Idol you will always be compared to" performance. Miss Carrie Underwood practically turned into a star before our eyes when she sang it. So, I had to keep that in mind when MALE (with feminine tendencies - just sayin) Jacob came to the stage to sing the girly song. I'm not going to sit here and say that Jacob is not an amazing vocalist and that he didn't sing well throughout the song. But there IS such a thing as OVERDOING it, and I think we saw an example of that tonight. He seemed to be screaming most of the performance. It was still good and he'll be fine, but man...I'm gonna give you some advice the judges refuse to give you. Tone it down a bit and only overdo it in small doses! It's more effective that way. Oh yeah, and here's Carrie.

And that's how you do it!

THE PICK

So, as you can see, I was both excited and disappointed with tonight. One would think this one would be a simple one to call. There are 4 contestants that I think are eligible for the bottom 3 this week and maybe 3 that I think have a chance to get the boot. This is going to be a process of elimination.

Were great and no danger of elimination - Lauren, Stefano, Pia, Scotty

Good enough - James, Casey, Jacob

Can't Stand Her - Haley

Not great - Thia, Paul, Karen

Ouch and she went first - Naima

Bottom 3: Naima, Karen, Paul Bonus Pick: Thia

Elimination Pick: Naima Adedapo - 2 rough performances in a row AND she went first this week. Just isn't looking good for her!

My first instinct was for the bottom 3 to be Naima, Thia and Paul but I forgot Karen was in the bottom last week and she did nothing to redeem. There's a chance it could be the 3 girls again and Paul gets a pass. But he really wasn't that great this week and it was quite forgetful. I guess we'll just see how it goes! I'm done thinking about it for now.

Black Eyed Peas and Lee DeWyze tomorrow night. Doesn't get more exciting than that (note the sarcasm). As always, cannot promise a results show recap so if I don't, just look for comments on this post! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you when I see you!

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American Idol Season 10 - Top 13 Results

2011-03-10T21:46:00.001-05:00

Well kids, looks like I found a few minutes for a little blurb. I can always find time to pat myself on the back when I get things right! This one really was no shocker, and even the bottom 3 wasn't too shocking. So let's just get right to it! THE ELIMINATED CONTESTANT IS....

Farewell Miss Mini-Diva!

HEY! HEH!

Eliminated: Ashton Jones

Bottom 3: Ashton Jones, Karen Rodriguez, Haley Reinhart

My Bottom 3: Ashton Jones, Karen Rodriguez, Naima Adedapo

Dialidol.com Bottom 3: Ashton Jones, Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald

Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right? Ashton was the clear one to go across the board. It was great watching the judges pretend to deliberate during her "SAVE" performance. I really thought they'd get rid of that SHAM this year. I even caught Ashton roll her eyes right before performing, and it seemed like none of the contestants were too sad to see her go DURING her performance either. And if she acknowledged that she needed to choose better songs, why would she pick to sing the same Diana Ross song as her saving grace? I think her heart wasn't in it and was ready to go. Well, no love lost here Ashton! CYA!

The rest of the episode was okay. Diddy Dirty Money is a waste of existence. Adam Lambert was okay. I liked that he was toned down, but I wasn't too thrilled with his original song. It wasn't awful though. Seeing the Idol Mansion was fun although how about them all having to sleep in the same rooms? (girl's room and guy's room) AWKWARD!! Pretty cool pool table though.

The big question of the night though was, what is wrong with Casey Abrams??!? This is the 2nd time he has had to go to the hospital since the live shows have begun. Is this going to occur on a regular basis? Maybe there will be more news on this tomorrow.

Oh, and I totally forgot to mention it, the Idol Group song actually wasn't too bad!! That may be the first time I ever said that. You can't go wrong with singing some MJ tunes. But, at times, it seemed like they ACTUALLY were singing and not lip synching a pre-recorded track.

Most awkward moment of the night: When Jennifer Lopez told Haley that she sang well during the group song. Haley just started talking and talking and talking about how much fun she had. Meanwhile, Ryan was ready 5 minutes before to read the results. Whew, painful.

That's about all I have for tonight folks. Top 12 next week. Hopefully, they bring it better than they did this week or this whole return to Idol Blogging might get old, FAST! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

American Idol Season 10 - Top 13 Perform

2011-03-09T23:25:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends! We're back for the top 13 and I have to say, I'm starting to regret coming back out of retirement for this! This week did nothing for me at all. There may have been a couple good performances, but for the most part I was just utterly bored for 2 hours. And is it me or does the AUDIO feed coming to our TVs not sound as good for these live shows? I thought it was my surround system dying or something but it sounds fine on commercials and every other show. You'd think for a show being judged by how it sounds that it would be giving America the best sound to hear it! So I don't know. Maybe the judges were telling the truth for a lot of these contestants by saying they were great. But it certainly did not sound that way to me. By the way, did you know tonight's episode was pre-recorded? They wanted to make sure they fit all 13 contestants into 2 hours. Now, I'm not sure when it was ACTUALLY recorded but Steven Tyler wished someone a Happy International Women's day and that was yesterday (my wife made sure I knew!). So that's kinda bizarre. Anyway, I'm not really sure I'll have much to comment on below. (I say that a lot) So we'll just see how this goes. Could be tough to pick who is going home. The contestants sang songs from their "IDOLS" and Jimmy Iovine and his production team gave them some tips on how to improve their sound. The reviews after the jump.

Lauren Alaina: Idol = Shania Twain, Song "Any Man of Mine" - You always hate to go first on this show, especially with 13 contestants. You also should think twice about singing "Any Man of Mine" on the Idol stage. Mandisa did it in season 5 and it was her curtain call! Lauren was not very good tonight. And she made sure she did a lot of kissing up to Steven and calling Ryan "Peaches" to make up for it. Hey, I hope she lasts too. She definitely has the Idol look and can appeal to the masses...but that's if she sings well! She seemed out of breath, and even in her pre-performance video she seemed a little hoarse. And what was up with the Doublemint Twins singing behind her? That was creepy! I'm sure Lauren will be fine this week but she needs to step up her game. BTW, you have to love how she slammed other contestants for picking ballads in a not so subtle way. "I tried to do something up tempo, because you know everyone does ballads!" Nice foreshadowing for the night!
Casey Abrams: Idol = Joe Cocker, Song "With a Little Help From My Friends" (A Beatles song originally, naturally) - The build-up for this had the makings of a true classic for Casey, but he just didn't seem to deliver. Maybe, because he was hyped up to be singing as crazily as Joe Cocker himself would have done, and has done on the Idol stage. Don't get me wrong, he sounded good in the parts when he was singing. But the whole part with the chorus repeating over and over, it just got old really quickly. And yes, I know that's how the song goes. But you have to bring something really special to make that interesting! I thought Casey, at best, did a mediocre impression of Joe Cocker. Which makes me kind of think that this "Sing your Idol's Music Week" idea is not the greatest idea. All of these contestants are going to pale in comparison to their Idols! But whatever. I think Casey will be fine too.
Ashton "HEH! HEY!" Jones: Idol = Diana Ross, Song "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" - If she does that little "HEY!" between lines of the song any more, I just can't be responsible for what I do next. Ugh, it's so annoying. I'm sure it's like people saying "UM" during public speaking, and she doesn't even realize she's doing it. But she needs to fix it, pronto. Then again, maybe she won't even have the chance to do that. Because this performance was pretty much a snooze fest. Ashton has to drop the "DIVA-TUDE" and get a little younger and hipper with her musical selections. You need to pick songs that will appeal to the masses, and this just isn't one of them. That is all...
Paul McDonald: Idol = Ryan Adams, Song "Come Pick Me Up" - People are either in Paul's corner or they're 100% in the other direction. I don't think there is an in-between. Well, scratch that, because I may be in between after this one. I really like the guy and I want him to do well. Now, unlike J-Lo, I do know who Ryan Adams is. But I cannot say that I'm fluent in his music. And even if I wasn't, the song wasn't the issue. The song sounded like a really good song. But for the big idol stage with Paul's unique soft raspy voice, it just seemed to get eaten up. And the dancing, well I don't know what to say about it. I love it and I hate it all at the same time. I love it in the sense that, he's one crazy dude and he's having a good time. I hate it in the sense that, THIS is why some of America hates him. I'm sure Paul will be fine this week too, but I would ove to see him slow it down and do a nice ballad one week. That seemed to be where he shined. There must be only certain weeks where they'll be able to use their instruments in performances. That makes things fair I guess.
Pia Toscano: Idol = Celine Dion, Song "All By Myself" (originally an Eric Carmen Tune) - Well, we were saying last week how she is the 2nd coming of Celine and I believe I mentioned how Idol used to be looking for the next Mariah, Celine, Whitney. So glad Randy didn't let me down in American Idol Season 10: THE REMIX! YO! He brought up that same point but to the fact that Pia actually held her own with Celine's version of the tune. I mean, she sounded JUST like it. At first, I thought she was a little off on the high note, but I think it was because the shortened version didn't allow her to hold that note out as the band played the complimentary chord to make it REALLY soar. (look at me being all technical!) But, if one person shined tonight, it was Pia. But, I have the opposite advice for Pia than I did Paul. She needs to pick things up now. 2 power ballads in a row, it's time to see what else you got! Oh, and the dress. Was she wearing a CAPE?! That was kind of nuts.
James Durbin: Idol = Paul McCartney, Song "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Yet another song that repeats the same lyrics over and over again. I actually didn't think James was too bad tonight. So that's 2 weeks in a row where he has been slightly less annoying than I anticipated. I still hear an unmistakable similarity between his voice and Adam Lambert's voice (just a little less razzle dazzle to James's demeanor). And hey, NO SCARF TAIL this week! Just an American Flag vest while singing an Englishman's song!
Haley Reinhart: Idol = LeAnn Rimes, Song "Blue" - Well how could you go wrong with the producing duo ROCK MAFIA helping you out!? Bizarre. Anyway, something about Haley just really gets on my nerves. I can't even pinpoint it. She has a great voice minus the weird facial expressions and the over-growling. Add this week, the YODELING! HUH?! She sounded like 1930's Tarzan swinging through the vines with some of those notes jumping all over the place. I just don't know about her.
Jacob Lusk: Idol = R. Kelly, Song "I Believe I Can Fly" - The best part of this whole segment was seeing Jacob from back in the day when SPACE JAM came out and he had a crazy flat top, Kid n' Play style! But seriously, dude, your idol is R. Kelly? You may need some different inspirations in life! Once I heard that, I knew he was going to believe he could fly. He wouldn't be remixing to ignition (love that song!). Anyway, of course the judges were going to rave about Jacob. And how could you not with that crazy voice and that crazy range? Well, I'm not going to. I thought he got WAY too high with it and he stayed there way too long. It's like he inhaled helium to HELP him fly. He has a deep and powerful voice. He doesn't need to be doing those theatrics to prove anything. Stick to the ground next time Jacob.
Thia Megia: Idol = Michael Jackson, Song "Smile"(Originally a Charlie Chaplin song) - Now we get into the weird segment where every ballad had to transform into something peppier! Thia has a great voice too and you could hear that throughout the performance. But why on earth did they pick it up into some Jazz fest tune in the middle? It did not sound good at all! And may I take this opportunity to say that I miss Ricky Minor and the band! They went some new direction with the band this year and it definitely sounds noticeable. Poor Thia was seen crying back stage hoping for another chance. Awww, look at American Idol editing the show to make people feel bad! (it worked!)
Stefano Langone: Idol = Stevie Wonder, Song "Lately" - Here we go again. Song starts off decently enough and then turns into DISCO FEVER by the end. What on Earth did these producers tell the contestants?! Were they worried it was too many ballads so they had to pick up the pace? Anyway, Stefano has a great voice, but it just sounded bizarre for me. The judges seemed to like it so maybe all of you out there did too!
Karen Rodriguez: Idol = Selena (of course), Song "I Could Fall in Love With You" - I could fall asleep on YOU! After Karen's bilingual disaster last week, it came as no surprise that her Idol is Selena who happened to be portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in the movie. Convenient? Doubtful. Well, kissing up to the judge didn't do her any favors this week. The performance was a train wreck. Showing us that you have a creepy Selena Barbie Doll collection just made it worse! I really didn't think she was good last week, so this week didn't surprise me either. She could be a threat for the bottom.
Scotty McCreery: Idol = Garth Brooks, Song "The River" - It's tough not to like this guy! He picked a good song and he sang it as best as he could. He has that great country twang. But, he also got drowned out by the band. Yes, he was opening up to the crowd as J-Lo suggested. And he still is a big favorite with the people out there. Especially in the Country Western part of the country, right Steven? I don't feel Scotty is in an danger of leaving any time soon but I just hope he evolves a bit as the show goes on.
Naima Adedapo: Idol = Rihanna, Song "Umbrella" - I really thought with this being the last performance of the night that she was really going to do something special with it. And NEWSFLASH! Another disaster! Pitch was all over the place. Newsflash: Jennifer Lopez does not care about Pitch on a singing competition! The dancing was ridiculous, the Jamaican breakdown was bizarre. No fear, Randy wants more of it! Ugh, where is SIMON!?!?!?! The judges were pretty much a love fest tonight and I think Simon would have helped with his analogies of Cats falling off skyscrapers and what not. I must say though, Steven has Paula down to a tee! I'm going to have to start writing down his crazy critiques. Back to Naima, what was up with her saying she "OVERstands" instead of understands? Did she think that was witty? Wouldn't OVERSIT have been better? (Oh don't worry, I know it's really bad but look who I'm competing with for Laughs!) I had seen before the show on Twitter that the dial up number was going to be 36 to avoid the stigma of the number 13. Hmmmm....who is really going to remember to dial 36??? And especially with a performance like that? Man, can you imagine the fallout if Naima gets sent packing after having a disadvantage with the phone number? Whew, I'm actually starting to hope it happens!

I really did not have many great things to say about most of them, did I? It was a mess of a night. People are entitled to disagree with me, but I just wasn't feeling it and hope for MAJOR improvements next week. Well, we still need to figure out who is going home so let's get to it.

Safe this week: Pia

Weren't Awful: Scotty, Casey, Paul, Lauren, Jacob, James

Good voices outside of bad arrangements: Stefano, Thia

Totally Weird: Haley

Total Disasters: Ashton, Naima, Karen

Bottom 3: Ashton Jones, Naima Adedapo, Karen Rodriguez Bonus Pick: Lauren Alaina

Elimination Pick: Ashton Jones

I was going to go with Karen, but then I remember Jennifer Lopez pleading and begging and hoping Karen stays because she has one of the best female voices in the competition. I'm still waiting to hear it! I put Lauren as a Bonus pick because she had the disadvantage of going first and she wasn't very memorable. But, I think the 3 wildcards that got in are really the most vulnerable (didn't include Stefano in the list above). None of them really blew anyone away this week. And Ashton was the one that gave us more of the same. And I just don't think it was good enough. So hopefully, I'm right!

Anyway, I can't believe I got that many words out of a bad performance night. I don't have much more in me so I will bid adieu! Can't make any promises on a results show recap but we'll see how things go tomorrow (or even Friday if I can post something real quick). Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you when I see you!

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American Idol Season 10: Top 13 Revealed!

2011-03-03T22:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I lied! Looks like for at least THIS week I am doing a results show recap! But there were performances so I feel like I kind of need to say something! We had no idea how this episode was going to go down, but I gotta say that I am a fan of this format. Sure, they drew it out as much as they could to get some additional ad dollars. (Hey, if we need to watch additional half hours of Idol to keep shows like FRINGE on the air, bring it on!!) But I just liked the idea of a 1 week sudden death semi-finals. We have been theorizing for years on how the show could be improved. The road from auditions to the Top 12 seemed to take forever. I think we're a couple weeks earlier this season than usual and with a Top 13 instead. Hey, it's a good compromise! And do you know what the best part is? I picked 8 of the Top 10 correctly AND 9 of my 10 got through! Maybe, my threatening to retire has gotten me back on my game! We'll see. After the jump I'll reveal the TOP 13!

Season 10 Top 13 Finalists (my original picks in blue)

Top 10 Vote Getters

Scotty McCreary
Lauren Alaina
Pia Toscano
Karen Rodriguez
Jacob "Purple Shoes" Lusk
Casey Abrams
Thia Megia
Paul McDonald
Haley Reinhart
James Durbin

3 Wildcards

Ashton Jones
Stefano Langone
Naima Adedapo

Not a bad top 13 at all! I couldn't imagine a top 10 without Scotty, Lauren, Pia, Jacob, Casey, Thia or Paul and all of them made it via the voters. Great stuff! There is a lot of talent in this competition and it's going to be one crazy ride to the finish. Personally, I thought Ashton was the weakest of the 6 contestants that got one more shot. She was flat the whole performance of "You're Gonna Love Me". But, I figured she was a judges' favorite for awhile now. No question after Stefano and Naima's performances that they belong there. Stefano blew me away with "I Need You Now" and Naima's "For All We Know" was breathtaking too. Though, it was sad to see Kendra not make it after her amazing rendition of "Georgia on My Mind". No disrespect to Jovanny who brought back Jon Secada to America's collective memory, but I understand him not making it. If he's going to bring the sappy ballads all of the time, it wouldn't be too exciting! Though, he has inspired me to go find that box of CDs that didn't make the cut during my MASS iTunes ripping of years ago and find that Jon Secada CD of mine. That dude was the bomb back when saying "was the bomb" was in style!!

I also loved the interview clips they did with all of the contestants. They managed to make every contestant except Clint "Tears" Jun Gamboa likable. The dude was seriously hyper ventalating at his potential ousting? I loved every second of it. It was almost cathartic for what he did to poor Jaycee! No sympathy from me for that dude! I'm also happy to see that only one person I can't stand made the Top 13. And, I have a feeling that James Durbin might grow on me a bit. He doesn't seem as annoying as he did in the pre-taped shows. But the scarf tail needs to go!

Anyway, I'm not gonna ramble on and on here. Just wanted to share my quick thoughts on the results! Like I said before, usually Thursday nights is a heavy lineup of TV at Casa "V" so regular results show posts may not be a reality. But, maybe if they're warranted I'll find a way to do it. I have already found myself way more invested in season 10 than I ever thought I would be. I guess that's one hearty "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" and "WELL DONE" to the American Idol producers for finding a way to keep the show relevant! So that's all for now and really, I'll see you next week!

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American Idol Season 10 - Top 24 - Top 12 Girls Perform

2011-03-02T23:04:00.002-05:00

Well well well...looks like the girls might be a little BETTER!!! At least this week they were, and it's a pretty big week to be better. Hello Idol nuts, yep I'm still here again today! I was a little shocked to see how much some people "differ" (to quote Randy's favorite word this year) in opinion on some of the male contestants. So, I won't be surprised if I'm totally off tonight. But, I can't help how I feel! If I like what the contestants are bringing to the table, I'm gonna mention it. If I think they're wasting all of our time, then I'm at least going to write some books on why they are to make that time worth while! I thought the girls did really well tonight. And I think they did well enough to make the judges consider them over the guys for the wild card slots (if any exist. They're being really vague about it!) We'll just have to wait and see Thursday night when the Top is announced! But until then, I have some girls to praise and bash! So there is more after the jump!

Ta-Tynisa Wilson - "Only Girl in the World" - Really didn't expect much from Ta-Tynisa after seeing her last week for what I felt was the first time. Haven't been a big fan of this Rihanna song either. Tats was all over the place with the song rarely hitting anything that could be considered the RIGHT note. Not really sure what Steve and J-Lo were smoking. I guess they signed something in the "LIVE SHOW JUDGING CLAUSE" that suggests they must praise the first couple contestants each night. No fear...Randy "DIFFERED". That's great that Randy is going to fill in for Simon on these eps, but I really do miss Simon ripping these contestants a new one! That doesn't make me an awful person, does it?
Naima Adedapo - "Summertime" - I have always adamantly spoke out against Fantasia and the success she had in season 3. Granted, there wasn't much standing in her way. I guess Jennifer Hudson, in hindsight, may have been a better contestant. Certainly not Jon Peter Lewis or Matthew Rogers (HELLO!!! I just dropped some Idol Knowledge on you all!) But for Randy, Simon, Paula and Michael Slezak (formerly EW.com now TVline.com) to go on and on about how "Summertime" was the greatest performance EVER on American Idol, NO. It wasn't. I always will say that Kelly Clarkson's performance on Big Band night was THE best Idol performance that showed she was going to be a STAR coming out of the show. Hey, maybe it's because I knew Kelly knew how to read and she would be a better role model for aspiring young singers than craptasia. But what do I know? Anyway, to make a long story less long, I thought Naima did a pretty good job! Sure, it was a little "Won't you Let me Take You on a Sea Cruise" but who cares?! It was fun and a lot less melodramatic than Fantasia's version. Granted, she went 2nd and there was lots of great performances at the end so it may get lost in the shuffle, but I thought she did a good job. Nice voice, seems like a nice girl.
Kendra Chantelle - "Impossible" - I was really impressed with Kendra's voice. I don't think I ever heard Christina Aguilera sing this before which may have helped me judge Kendra unbiasedly. She really did some crazy singing in there. Very surprising voice that seemed pretty effortless as many of these girls did. Not sure if she'll stand out with the heavy hitters and girls that got more publicity but I wouldn't be upset if she did.
Rachel Zevita - "Criminal" - Okay, I totally understand the idea of "making a song your own" and why the judges hammer this point home. If you're going to take a well known song, you don't want to perform a carbon copy of it on the Idol stage. Granted, while I am well versed in Fiona Apple tunes, I don't know if all of America is. But that's not the point. Rachel turned this song into something completely different than the original recording and it was entertaining. I think she's a really bizarre cat but I didn't understand all of the hate. American Idol totally became hypocritical in season 8 when they NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER called Adam Lambert "TOO BROADWAY". So, what did Rachel do wrong to get that kind of feedback? I think the show would benefit from having a girl like her willing to take chances with her performance. Hopefully, America will give her another shot. Am I totally off base on this one? Did I hear something different than the rest of America? Don't get me wrong, not a pitch perfect performance by far but I really liked what she did with it. Oh well.
Karen Rodriguez - "Hero" - And then the judges go ahead and praise Karen for being bilingual? WHAAAAT? How about how boring the performance was? Yes, she sang it note for note perfect, but it had NO energy and it was "HERO", one of Mariah's most boring songs and inspirational glop. Is glop a word? It is now! Yes, there was a time when American Idol was looking for the next 90's Mariah Carey, 80's Whitney Houston or 90's/00's Celine and maybe it would still be great if they found a modern version of that. But THIS was not the way to do it. Some of those ballads just did not stand the test of time. "Hero" is one of them. Man, even Enrique's "Hero" would have been better, if not for the comedy of it all (all I picture is Jimmy Fallon with a mole - fast forward to 5:40 on videoAMERICAN Idol. Except maybe the ever growing Spanish speaking population in America. I think Karen is talented, but I just don't think this was the right performance for her. But, maybe I'm hearing things wrong again.
Lauren Turner - "7 Day Fool" - She hasn't gotten much exposure on the show since her audition but I thought she did a bang up job here. She was exciting, she worked the stage, she sang with soul, she has a great voice. But there are a lot of girls that had "REALLY" good performances so it's going to be tough to figure out who America will vote through. 5 of 12 is really tough to pick, don't you think!?
Ashton Jones - "I've Got Love All Over Me" - Randy stole my line on this one. I was thinking that she is a really great singer, but I really wasn't thrilled with the song choice. Of course, it was better than singing "HERO" but it's still not my cup of tea. Actually, TEA isn't even my cup of tea so I'm not sure where I'm going with that! I agree that Ashton has a very high ceiling and could be really good. She already is really good, but she needs to pick a song that will connect with the masses. I think she has a strong shot of getting America's vote, but even if she doesn't I feel pretty certain the judges will send her through.
Julie Zorrilla - "Breakaway" - Hands down worst performance of the night, right? Maybe it's a tie between her and Ta-Tynisa. Whenever I hear someone attempting a Kelly Clarkson song on the Idol stage, it usually ends up with me just remembering how great she really was and still is. Julie took the advice from the judges to heart to try and CHANGE UP a song. She rarely sang the melody of Breakway trying to put her "SPIN" on it. And she ended up just sounding foolish in the process. She's a good singer too, but did no favors for herself with the song choice or the rendition of said song choice.
Haley Reinhart - "Fallin'" - The last couple Hollywood episodes put a very bad taste in my mouth for watching Haley perform. She is so obsessed with fitting any possible run of notes into her singing to prove that she can sing, that the song becomes almost incomprehensible. And she mumbles some of the words in her "GROWLS" so that adds to it. I actually understood what she was singing on Alicia Key's tune, but that's probably because I've heard every Diva Wannabe on idol attempt the hugely popular hit before over the past 8-9 years of the show. The runs WERE good though and she definitely CAN sing, but the girl does irk me at the same time. And I know what we're going to get with her. The judges were split on this one. Randy DIFFERED again. But the best thing to come out of this performance was Steven's "If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong." Thanks John Madden! In order to win the game you have to score more points than the other team! I wouldn't be surprised if people like her and vote her in, but I'm not too thrilled with her for now.
Thia Megia - "Out Here On My Own" - Man, for 15 years old Thia is already impressing with her strategic thinking. She busted out the a cappella in her first live performance. Lights turned down low grabbing the audiences attention and then brought in the piano and nothing else. If you're gonna do a ballad and you want to showcase your voice, do something like THIS instead of what Karen Rodriguez did. Thia was fabulous and since she is already pretty well known from the earlier rounds, it should be an automatic "IN" for her to the Top whatever. Of course, the irony of all of this is that the song was from the musical FAME, but Rachel was the one that was too broadway. Ahh good times!
Lauren Alaina - "Turn On the Radio" - Well, I have been pretty hard on Lauren Alaina through the audition rounds and Hollywood rounds. It's for various reasons. 1.) She was a major kiss up to Steven every time she has been on screen. She already seemed full of herself at 15, now 16 years old. 2.) Nigel Lythgoe (returning this year as executive producer) tweeted that she was someone to look out for even going as far as comparing her to Kelly Clarkson. Clearly, American Idol has picked one of their favorite contestants and who they're rooting for in this competition. But damn it all if she didn't sell me on this performance! First of all, she went all POP-Country on us which was unexpected. This is Reba (formerly Reba McEntire)'s latest hit. My wife and I always joke about the music video where 55 year old Reba struts her stuff around a 30/40 something year old man talking about Twitter and Texting. It just didn't fit! This song just fit Lauren a lot better and was a good time! I almost started nodding along when they called her a hybrid of Kelly and Carrie, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. I really want to fight the urge to root for her because that's what the marketing Idol machine wants me to do. So I'm going to be cautious on this one. But it was hard not to like her after that performance. Even if she stole some extra screen time at the end to call Ryan "Peaches" in front of America. Weird.
Pia Toscano - "I'll Stand By You" - I knew Pia had the anchor slot, but I really wasn't sure if I should expect anything special from her. I know we have seen her a lot in previous rounds but I just figured she was another pretty voice with a pretty voice. I had NO idea she had the range, power and control of her voice that she has. I mean those last few notes were incredible. Ironically, I was talking above about finding the next Whitney, Mariah, Celine. Um, we may have a Celine on our hands here. That was crazy good! So, not factoring Pia into a top whatever, and now HAVING to factor her in it makes me really wonder who will move on tomorrow. So let's get to it!

I don't think there is any way that Thia, Lauren and Pia will not be in that top 10. So, then that leaves 2 slots and then wild cards. Where is this going to go? I have no idea. But, tonight has me feeling a little more excited about the girls than the guys, I must say. But once you mix in Paul, Casey, Josh Turner (err Scotty) and Jacob into that mix, it could be a really exciting top 10/12/14/whatever. I think we say it every year, and more recently I just keep ending up disappointed. So, we'll see! Let's do some picks.

Top 5 Girls Picks: Pia Toscano, Lauren Alaina, Thia Megia, Ashton Jones, Lauren Turner

Wild Card candidates:

Rachel, Haley, Naima, Kendra

Yikes, that's really tough. I like it more just picking 1 contestant to go home! I think 3 of the 5 are a given like I said but after that it's anyone's guess. I guess we'll just have to see what happens on Thursday night! Like I mentioned before, I'm going to skip recapping Results shows this year. So, if I have anything to say I'll be posting it in the comments here. So feel free to discuss if you agree, disagree or whatever with me! I don't mind people disagreeing! Makes things more exciting when I'm right! Just kidding. Next week, I can't promise that I'll be recapping on Wednesday night but I'll get some kind of post up before the results so just be patient. I'll do my best! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

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I've been recapping any and all TV over at the TV Addicts Blog(www.tvaddictsblog.com). Mainly The Event, Fringe and The Walking Dead. Occasionally, I'll comment on other shows I'm watching. I'm already looking ahead to some other returning shows this spring as well as some potentially big shows in Fall 2011. Keep tuning in and join the discussions!

The Event returns Monday, March 7th on NBC.
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American Idol Season 10 - Top 24 - Top 12 Guys Perform

2011-03-01T23:01:00.003-05:00

Hello Idol watchers. I'm baaaaaaack! Well, if anyone has been keeping up, I really never went away. I have been posting comments all season in my last post. Idol blogging has been a tougher habit to quit than I imagined, but I definitely didn't want to spend too much time writing about the pre-taped episodes any more. I also plan to not stray from my promise of being less wordy and less committed! Treating American Idol with such attention to detail the way I did LOST was really overdoing it, and I think is really where I became bored with it. So, I have been easing my way into this season. If you notice in those comments, I didn't even remember any contestant's names for the majority of the auditions and Hollywood. Now that we're into the live shows, my approach won't be much different. This is IDOL BLOG - UNPLUGGED! I'll post something for each performance show but you guys are on your own for the results! If I feel so inclined maybe I'll write a comment in the latest post but I really don't think those results shows warrant much analysis. But, long story short, I'm still here! I just don't see how I can let a season of Idol go by without at least giving my picks and a jab here and there at the contestants! So, I hope you enjoy my new blogging style for AI and I hope to keep discussing in the comments with all of you like in years past. Enjoy!

So, 5 of the guys are getting through plus however many wild cards the new judging trio are going to send through. I'm sure we could count the remaining weeks until the last Thursday before Memorial Day and figure out how many contestants we'll see next week, but that just isn't something I'm interested in figuring out! So, by the end of this post I will pick 5 guys that will be in the top 10 and take some guesses at who the judges will send through. Here's what I thought of the performances:

Clint Jun Gamboa - "Superstituous" - Ugh, I still want to punch this kid in the face. Every time I see those glasses I feel like throwing a shoe at my TV or something. Granted, in the end, it's not his fault that Jaycee isn't performing for America. That kid would have turned into Sanjaya times 20 and we never would have been able to get rid of him! But kicking Jaycee out of the group during Hollywood week still turned Clint into a villain for the rest of his stay on the Idol stage. Not sure what the judges were smoking but all I saw was a big ego flopping around that stage. I was bored for most of it and he went for the inevitable BIG SELL with his high notes at the end. PLEASE.... I'll put him down as a maybe for now.
Jovanni Barreto - "I'll Be" - Edwin McCain put together a nice little ditty that has stood the test of time......UNTIL NOW! Oh Jovanni. I hardly knew you before this week and I think I know you less now. This was a nice contestant to break Steven and J-Lo in to LIVE reviews. They both were riding the "YOU ARE ALL AWESOME" wagon and of course I was thinking "oh boy...here is where we are finally going to understand Simon's importance to American Idol". And then it happened, Randy dropped the "DAWG" act and GOT REAL! Don't get me wrong, he started talking about how when you do a cover song you have to be unique. Ummmm........EVERYONE on American Idol sings COVER SONGS until they do the dreaded Idol song. Dawg, you need to rethink your words. I think I know what you were trying to say but that wasn't it! I can guarantee with 99% certainty, that Jovanni will not sing another minute on Idol (unless he gets to on Thursday in an awful group performance or as his swan song)
Jordan Dorsey - "OMG" - He is on my "HATED" list with Clint. And he decided to do an Usher song? I love how he and the judges kept talking about how this song isn't HIM. Well, then why did he pick it? He complained about having to move around the stage, pick a different song where you don't have to BOUNCE! I know you only have so many songs to choose from but surely there was some R&B song he could sing. And yes, I still would have wanted to blow my brains out after hearing him sing it but at least he wouldn't have looked like an idiot. I just don't see America voting him into the top 5 guys. So, I'm going to say that he is a candidate for a Wildcard pick. Then again, I think they got rid of the rule that there has to be 6 guys and 6 girls in a top 12. So there is no guarantee that any more guys than 5 will be picked.
Tim Halperin - "Come on Over" - We have seen some good performances from Tim lately in the Hollywood rounds. THIS performance did not match up. It was all over the place. It may be just me but he seemed to be enunciating the words in the song very weirdly. Almost like he kept hearing Randy say to "not sing Karaoke. Make a cover song your own" so he started changing the accented syllables in words to put a new spin on it. Yes, and he put a new spin on the English language too. Good job Jim Halpert! errr... oh never mind. It was pretty cheesy. I don't have much faith for Timmy. Unless he's a wild card candidate.
Brett Lowenstern - "Light My Fire" - #3 on my 4 person HATE list! First of all, I may be diving off into a non-PC nightmare by saying this but how did a girl get into the top 12 guys competition?!?! Okay, so anyway, Brett certainly did light his HAIR on fire (oh come on, that joke was a given). He probably sang better than the 4 that preceded him but I definitely cannot take him very seriously as a contender in this competition. That being said, we'll just see if the judges make us tolerate more of him.
James Durbin - "You Got Another Thing Comin'" - So, is it me or did it sound like they added some "mic-reverb" effect to his entire performance? Sure, it certainly made him sound like a great singer but is that very fair? He definitely can sing the high notes. He's no Adam Glambert, and I was and still am not a Glambert fan. And come on...what's up with the Scarf Tail? He said he has to stand out in more ways than his voice. Oh you do, and for totally the wrong reasons! Of course, with everything we heard tonight, he may actually have a chance to make the top 10. But it doesn't remove him from #4 on my most hated list for the year!
Robbie "The Shnoz" Rosen - "In the Arms of an Angel" - What a manly song to sing to America. Really really manly. I love Sarah McLachlan, really do. But she is a woman and she sings very angelically about being in the arms of an "angel". Do you see the irony there? Robbie sang very NASALLY (and really, I actually meant that and wasn't looking for another reason to reference that ginormous nose of his!) as opposed to angelically. Those high notes and runs were painful. Totally agree with Randy that Robbie will be cringing when he listens back to it. Not only that, but it really felt like he wasn't singing with the band. Maybe that was intentional but it did not work at all! Nose thank you! (oops)
Scotty McCreery - "Your Man" by Josh Turner - OHHHH right, he didn't sing Josh Turner again, my bad! Not sure why I would think that! He actually sang "Letters From Home" by John Michael Montgomery. All I wanted for Scotty to do was to sing something OTHER than Josh to convince me that he has what it takes. And now I have decided. Scotty is a GOOD TIME! He is a down home country singer and the ladies love him. He will be with us for awhile. Now, I may be changing my tune several weeks from now when it seems like everything he does sounds the same. But for now, I'm on board! And I have a strong feeling that he will be doing a duet with Josh Turner at the finale (regardless of where he finishes in the Idol race).
Stefano Langone - "Just the Way You Are" (Bruno Mars, not the better one by Billy Joel) - Hey, the guy can sing. He sang a pretty straight forward interpretation of "Just the Way You Are" but with a hint of his Latin accent. Okay, there were no hints about it. It's there people! The judges and the audience seemed to be rocking and cheering along with Stefano. He has a pretty good backstory with the whole "being a survivor" thing and he has a good voice. I'd say it's a toss-up between him and James for the 5th spot in the top 5 guys.
Paul McDonald - "Maggie May" - I mentioned last week that this guy has solidified a spot amongst my favorites of season 10. Seeing him perform the Rod Stewart classic this week only strengthened my support for him. He's quirky, he's unique, he's a little goofy but his voice stands out amongst the majority of the other guys. Definitely one to watch in this competition. Actually, not having much to say about him is the greatest compliment I can give! He said it all during his performance and I loved it.
Jacob Lusk - "A House is Not a Home" - Man, Jacob is another one to watch. The dude's voice is just ridiculous and the personality to match is uncanny. Having Paul, Jacob and the yet discussed Casey in the top 10 or 12 or 15 or whatever will be a treat for as long as they're there. That's all I have to say!
Casey Abrams - "I Put a Spell on You" - Well, I had heard that he was going to pre-record his performance over the weekend after his hospitalization. But, it looked like he actually made it. Casey did a great job too. While his vocal wasn't technically as "PURE" as some of the previous contestants, he certainly made up for it with soul and character. Randy is right, there isn't anyone quite like him that has been on the show before. The man has some mad musical skills. I think he did a great job, but some of his performances during Hollywood week and his audition convince me that he has a lot of better performances on the way. Paul, Jacob and Casey. They are my "ones to watch" from the guys for now!

Yikes, I really don't think I know how to be short! It will be my season-long goal to make my contestant reviews as short as possible! But, when I get on a rant, there just is no stopping me.

Anyway, here are my Top 5 picks:

Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, Paul McDonald, Scotty McCreery, James Durbin

Wildcard Possibilities:

Stefano, Clint, Tim

Really could go either way with James and Stefano with rounding out the 5. Either way, I don't see either of them winning. It sounded like they already wanted to give Tim another shot to prove himself. And with Clint, Idol sure loves a villain!

Well that's that. Not much else to say for now. The Top 12 girls are tomorrow night, get excited! One last thing about my blogging this season. I can't promise I'll be posting these on the night the episode airs. It could be at some point during the next day but I'll try my best to stay on top of it! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and my great Idol return and I'll see you after the next show!

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The Event returns Monday, March 7th on NBC.
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American Idol Season 10: My Approach to the Coming Season (Auditions Commentary in the Comments Section)

2011-01-18T08:59:00.006-05:00

NOTE: My thoughts from every Audition Episode, Hollywood Episode, Vegas and TOP 24 Announcement Episodes are in the "COMMENTS" section of this post.

Greetings my fellow waning Idol Viewers! Have you had a good 8ish months off from the show? Yeah, me too! I think I made it pretty clear in my season 9 finale blog that I was not thrilled to be writing about the show anymore. And, with Simon's exit it seemed almost poetic to just drop the show. Well, my stance hasn't changed too much. But, here's the thing. I'd be lying (as all of us would be) if I said I'm not going to watch the show this year. Of course I want to see the train wreck that it has turned into! I mean, J-Lo? Steven Tyler? and Randy as the anchor judge?!?! Unitentional Comedy at its finest. They have made so many tweaks to this show in the off-season (in an effort to save it) that it may be almost unidentifiable! Well, after the auditions at least (I don't think they're changing much). Some of the changes may turn out to be good, who knows?

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this little interlude to season 10 is that I wanted to let you all know that I'm viewing this season with a "Wait and See" approach, in terms of blogging about it. I don't want to be wasting my time writing about a show that no one, mostly myself, has any interest in. I have threatened to do this for the past few years but never was able to back it up. I WILL NOT write about any audition episodes! I just can't. I force my way through it and there's not much really to write about! So, if anything, I will be writing about the LIVE PERFORMANCE shows. And it's really going to be based on if there's enough talent to keep me interested. And, if the judges somehow miraculously earn my approval/interest that may go a long way too. But, this will be a "NO FRILLS" blogging approach. No pictures or fancy formatting. Just a bulleted approach and my reactions to the performances. I'm going back to the way I used to review Idol if I do it at all!

But here's the good news. I'm leaving this post up for any commentary during the Idol Auditions. If you see something funny, want to roll your eyes at the judges or find the contestant you're going to support through the show, then please drop a comment. I'm sure I'll be dropping comments in here as well. Hopefully, that will work for the Pre-Taped shows. If it doesn't, OH WELL! :-)

I'm guessing everyone is going into this season with a "wait and see" approach with sticking around for this season as well, so I'm sure my approach won't surprise anyone.

In the meantime, if you're looking for my blogging on other shows (such as Fringe, The Walking Dead, The Event plus any other random show I decide to write about), go check out my new TV Addicts Blog (http://www.tvaddictsblog.com/)! After LOST, there was just no way to pick one show to bet the farm with. And since I love any and all TV, it seemed like the best approach! Enjoy!

So, that's really all I have for now, but tune into the comments of this post for discussion on the auditions if anyone feels so inclined! So, maybe I'll see you after Wednesday's premiere and/or after the first live show!

American Idol Season 9 - Popularity wins over Talent in Season Finale - Who won? [Recap]

2010-05-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

Well, American Idol fans, you know I'm not very thrilled right now. America has chosen incorrectly. And I may owe Adam Lambert an apology, because they may have chosen incorrectly 2 years straight (no pun intended with that last word). And hey, I liked Kris Allen too and was happy he won. But now, looking back it is clear what is happening to the show. It has utterly become a popularity contest. It is the only way I can explain what has happened and what is happening. There are many more Text Messagers out there than there were 8 years ago and there are many teenagers with cell phones. I think it could be skewing the vote a bit. Don't get me wrong, I like the person who won as a person and I am happy that he can make his dreams come true, but I cannot possibly agree with the results based on the 2 contestants standing. If you had asked me last week yes, I may have been fine with it. But when a contestant doesn't even show up to the finale, and we still vote him in, what does that say about the voting public? We don't care about the performances? We don't care if they're just going through the motions? Whatever, maybe I'm just getting tired of the show. It has been 9 seasons after all. Ladies and Gentlemen meet your 9th American Idol!

American Idol 2010 Winner: Lee DeWyze
My Pick: Crystal Bowersox

Good thing I wrote the highs and lows before I got the results. Because I'm not sure what else I can stomach to say! It was a very fitting conclusion to a very bad year of American Idol. (Okay, I found something to say) I am left uninspired to continue writing about this show in future seasons. That takes a lot too, I survived FANTASIA and wanted to write more! We are all left with a radio single of a song that was already an overplayed hit by the biggest Rock Band in the world. (U2's "Beautiful Day") But, hey, that's how it works. Crystal wasn't everyone's favorite person, and not everyone's favorite musical style. She may have had the goods, but that's not who America wanted representing them as their Idol. That's fine, I guess. I think this season was messed up long before we got to this finale, so I shouldn't be too upset!

The finale overall was a decent night. I get into more in my LIVE BLOGGED Highs and Lows. All of the Simon send-off stuff was pretty good. I do not think it was overdone at all. He will be sorely missed from this show. I am not sure what they'll do without him! Stunt casting with Sir Elton John? I've heard rumors. I may be inclined to check that out, but not sure if I'd be inclined to stick around!

Well, that's enough of me blabbing on and on, let's get into the fun part of the recap! My LIVE BLOGGED thoughts as we went through it! Here are the highs and lows.

Highlights

We start off with unintentional comedy of showing a video of Lee's hometown and everyone was wearing "VOTE 4 LEE" t-shirts. They know the voting is done, right? They couldn't make t-shirts for the results show that said "LEE FTW?" Ahh good times!
Kris Allen performs "The Truth" - minus the mic issues for the first 10 seconds, he did a great job. I always liked that kid! Well, not always, I thought he'd be kicked out of the Top 12 first. But he grew on me pretty quickly! That being said, I'm not gonna run out and buy his album either!
Loved the Simon retrospectives. It was very predictable they were going to do it and essential! The guy needs a big send off because the show will never be the same without him. Also glad they got Paula Abdul to come back and do some interview clips! If Simon gets Paula for X Factor, I would be recapping that show in an instant! But don't hold me to that!
Mike Lynche performs "Taking it to the Streets" with Michael MacDonald - Man, Mike sounds just like Michael MacDonald. Maybe he should form a Michael MacDonald cover band! My wife is on fire tonight. She said MacDonald looks like George Lucas these days. Good times.
Top 6 Girls sing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful", "Stronger" - Actually didn't sound too bad! So funny that I can't remember half of these girls' names. Namely Paige escaped me and Lacey! NICE, here comes Christina!! Oh wait, she only got to sing one measure of a good song! Now she's going to sing a new song that is kinda dull.
Christina Aguilera performs "You Lost Me" - Song was not good, but her voice is amazing. I always thought she was better in the Britney/Cristina battles of yore!
Ricky Gervais is awesome. That is all!
Top 6 Guys do a Hall & Oates Medley - You know what that means! The real deal can't be far behind! Here they come!! Philly is representin' on Idol tonight! They do have some awesome 80's jams in their repertoire.
Crystal Bowersox performs with Alanis Morrisette! - Crystal does a little "Ironic" which is my favorite of the Alanis tunes. Then they both did "You Oughta Know" and it was HOT!!!
Carrie Underwood performs "Undo It" - So much better than her last single "Temporary Home". Truly still the best example of an American Idol winning success story. And to make my night complete, I hear Kelly might be there too! (except I heard who she's performing with. I am not happy!) She did an awesome job. Kara should stick to writing songs instead of judging American Idol! (btw, I did write this before Ryan told us!)
Crystal and Lee were given the Ford cars they designed earlier. I would never drive anything that hideous but nice sentiment! Plus the Ford Music Video was tied to it and that always gets a highlight!
Casey James performs Poison's "Every Rose Has its Thorn" with Brett Michaels - Man, I keep hearing this guy is on his death bed, but he keeps making appearances everywhere! This performance is making me nervous like Brett is going to collapse any minute. Makes for very engaging TV. Great tune though, great performance.
General Larry Platt performs "Pants on the Ground" - Lookin like a fool with your pants on the ground! SPECIAL GUEST WILLIAM HUNG is there! Yeah, they may have gone too far but hey getting the hall of fame auditioners together is never a bad thing!
Paula Abdul is there!!!! Niiiiiice. While it was great that she was there, that comment about their LOVE CHILD was the worst joke ever! But M.C. Skat Cat got a shout out! Awesome. In the end it was very sentimental. But she needs to stop talking now! Great montage for Simon.
Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen perform "Together We are One" along with many previous top 12 contestants! Woa, Justin Guarini, Bo Bice, Ace Young, Jason Castro, The Artichoke!, Elliot Yamin, Constantine, I could keep naming people. But no David Cook? And yes my wife said it. Poor Kelly has let herself go. She's still my favorite! We almost had all Idols on stage, but one still had to miss it. This was pretty emotional!
Yeah yeah yeah, Great speech from Simon, "America is the real judge of Idol" That's all well and good but that doesn't mean the show will be as good!
Janet performs "Nasty" - I was gonna put the whole Janet performance in the Lowlights, but when she got into the hits, it got pretty good! Those dancers were a little bizarre though!
Crystal and Lee sing "With a Little Help My Friends" the Joe Cocker version - And of course Joe Cocker is there! The wife continues with the good calls. Randy needs Joe's Jacket, STAT! Awwww I think Crystal is awww struck right now by the "living legend" as she referred to him. Good stuff!

Lowlights

Top 12 Perform "School's Out" - Complete with Prep School uniforms and an awful sounding Alice Cooper. What on earth does this have to do with American Idol???? Classy tied up shirt and cleavage look was the epitome of class by the way, NOT!! (oh sorry, I thought I was back in grade school with that performance so I had to bring back some of the slang!)
Idol does not seem ready for this finale. They had Kris Allen's mic turned down and Ryan's turned up during the first 10 seconds of the performance. Yikes.
Siobhan Magnus in the Siobhan/Aaron duet. She always sounds like she has marbles stuck in her throat or something! And the Bee Gees looked kind of ridiculous in those Double Breasted suits (according to my wife!). Well Barry wasn't wearing it, but the other guy that I never knew his name was! Aaron, I have no issues with, but apparently he holds the mic kinda strangely.
Dane Cook pays tribute to Simon Cowell with a song called "Simon Said" - Had a chance to be a lot funnier and they ruined it with Tatiana Del Toro. Wasn't that last season? Yikes.
American Idol is using My Space. How retro of them!
Lee DeWyze performs with Chicago - I miss Peter Cetera. I really wanted to like it, because Chicago is awesome and all. But their singers don't match up to what they used to have. And I'm not quite sure Lee was even singing! Please tell me he's not going to win this thing!
Janet Jackson performs - I think it was a tribute to her brother but I heard some lyric about having a password to her phone? And why does she have BOY hair? And is she trying to SOUND like Michael too? This is very bizarre.
Have I mentioned Randy's attire tonight? Woa.
Jump the Shark Moment - These Idol finales have overdone the whole "let's perform a song by an old artist and then bring out the actual artist with the top 12!" It was cool in season 5. Some seasons after. But remember in season 4 when only Carrie and Bo got to sing with their idols? (Rascal Flatts and Lynyrd Skynyrd respectively)

And there you have it. One more year down in the never ending search for a superstar. We have months to forget this show exists only to be pulled back in in January. The only thing is, I'm leaning very much towards not returning. At least not 100%. It's been fun recapping the show for the past 7 or 8 seasons, but I think I have lost my interest in it! I think the show is slowly deteriorating each year from the show that it used to be. New Producers, new judges, new rules. I'm interested to see what Simon is going to do with X Factor in the fall of 2010. Like I said, if he pulls Paula into it, I may be intrigued to take up blogging that. But we'll see how it goes! I may check in on Idol from time to time but I can't promise to be your full time guide through the seasons. I thank everyone who has stuck with me on these journeys and I hope you have enjoyed my endless rants whether they were positive or negative and enjoyed them for what they were! Pure Entertainment!

I will continue to write about something, but I just don't know what yet. My slate has been wiped clean! So keep in touch. I'll be back! Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you around!

Ending Credits

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I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries. Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts. If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view. And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/

Check out my other Blogs:

LOST - http://www.lostaddictsblog.com/ (the show is over, but we're not done yet!)
FlashForward - http://www.flashforwardaddicts.com/ (one more episode!)

American Idol Season 9 - Final 2 Performances - Crystal Bowersox vs. Lee DeWyze [Recap]

2010-05-25T22:22:00.001-04:00

Hello American Idol fans and welcome to the penultimate episode of this, dare I say it, awful season! What better way to cap it off than with a ho hum performance night yet again? I am exaggerating a little bit. I thought one contestant really came to play tonight. The other kind of just was happy to be there. The question will come down to what America picks in their American Idol. Pure raw awesome Talent vs. A nice rags to riches back story and a great trail of improvement all the way through the show! Both very engaging and intriguing stories! Only one will stand at the end though! It was the BIG NIGHT! LIVE at the Nokia Theater! (I missed the more formal look of the Kodak Theater) I am still undecided on my pick but I'll figure it out in the end and you'll see who I am leaning towards by reading my LIVE Blogged recap! It's Simon's final night of critiquing! I already miss it, yet Randy still decides to BOO at his introduction. Classy, dawg. Let's get into the battle! 3 Rounds! DING DING!!

Lee DeWyze vs. Crystal Bowersox
(The Live Blogged Recap)

Round 1

"Contestant's Choice"

Lee - "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel:

I liked this performance when he did it during Inspirational Songs week. He still did it pretty well. I don't know if it was an Idol winning performance or anything, but he has his support base behind him now. Randy and Kara spoke of a little lack of energy. I liked Simon's analogy that he wants a Kiss on the Lips instead of a Kiss on the Cheek. We needed a little more for the final week. Really, who is going to replace Simon on this show?

Crystal - "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin

The new one compared to Janis all of the time does a reprise of her homage to Janis! I still think it's no contest in the talent department. Crystal has the edge and this round shows that! I still think she is awesome and the true deserved winner based on her natural gift. I still think Lee has the whole "I grew in confidence through the competition" thing going for him. But that Crystal performance was HOT! Kara said that Crystal has FIRE in her belly? REALLY?!?! Seriously, will people watch this show with no Simon?

After Round 1: Lee 0, Crystal 1

Round 2

Simon Fuller's (Executive Producer) Choice

Lee - "Everybody Hurts" by REM

I love this song. Lee is doing a much better job with it than "The Boxer". But 2 ballads in a row? Not sure that is his fault since Fuller picked it. He has that choir backing him up again! I don't know. I love the song, the performance was decent. But I just turned and looked at my wife and we both just shrugged our shoulders. I just feel like we should expect more in the final performance night, right? Will fans vote for this? Not so sure. Simon points out the Nokia theater, it being the end and that Lee might be nervous. He wants a 10 out of 10 for the final song. But really, Simon? THE DREADED IDOL song? When does anyone sound good on that?

Crystal - "Black Velvet" by Allanah Myles

Another great song choice! Arrangement started off a little bizarre. Crystal killed it from the middle to the end of it though! She is in this thing to win it! And Randy just echoed my statement. Should I be happy or embarrassed? Seems like the judges have Crystal's back tonight. Simon said that she nailed it even though he's tired of hearing it in the auditions. I would agree she did a solid job. But the last few contestants the judges have supported haven't fared so well in the finale! Hmmm... I gotta keep this suspense up until the end.

After Round 2: Lee 0, Crystal 2

Round 3

The Idol "Cover" Song??

Lee - "Beautiful Day" by U2

Wait a minute. They're releasing COVERS as singles now? I guess they realize how bad those songs were they were writing? And now Lee has to fill in Bono's shoes for his final performance? Oh boy. I know I hate the Idol song, but it's part of the experience. Which contestant can do the best with the crap they're given? This is not a good performance of a classic U2 tune. It seems like he's going through the motions. Definitely not the 10 out of 10 Simon was looking for. He is hitting all of the notes, but it's just kind of there. I just don't know. This almost made me not care about who wins AT ALL. What happened to this show??? The judges are on board with the performance and my wife was too. Maybe I missed something. It just didn't do thing for me. Oh wait...Kara is on my side! (ugh, I'm so depressed). Simon puts his 2 cents in for Lee even though he didn't seem too thrilled with the performance ("you made the best with it"). I agree that the guy has had an amazing ride to the finals. And it's a great break for him. But I don't know if he needs to win to get that break. But I think the fans and Crystal haters will rally to his cause.

Crystal - "Up to the Mountain" by Patti Griffin

Oh man, she is not going there! I love this song, but Kelly Clarkson's performance of it from Idol Gives Back is infused in my mind. It was so great. Okay, I got that out of my system. Okay, she won me over! It was fantastic! There's room in this world for multiple versions of the song. AMAZING. Not Kelly, but Amazing all in its own right. I really think she came to win it tonight, and she just might deserve it. Does that mean she WILL win? Well, I don't know. The judges rightly praised the performance. I don't think Crystal buttering up Simon and thanking him before he gave a critique was the smartest of ideas. That is the one knock I have for her. She has bad timing with when she decides to speak! But with 3 knockout punches to Lee tonight, is that all that she needs?

After Round 3: Lee 0, Crystal 3

The Pick

Well, I just don't know what to say. Crystal clearly won this night. Her interrupting of Simon with compliments before a critique definitely won't win her any votes. But up until last week, we thought Crystal had this thing in the bag, right? It's almost like the Idol producers somehow gave Lee a competitive edge last week to make this final showdown more interesting! But that is getting into a bunch of conspiracy talk. Lee is a fan favorite. And the teenage girls will swarm to his side. The Casey fans will now back him up. Anyone with an AT&T phone will be texting him (well, not me but that's besides the point). But, I'm sorry guys. I cannot in good conscience pick someone who didn't show up to the finale week! I like the guy and everything. But I just can't do it. I have to put my great record (6-2) of picking Idols on the line to pick the most talented in the end. And that pick is:

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX

I do not know how she ranks up with some of the winners in the past, but she was by far the best this season. And has an amazing vocal instrument and adds to that with her other instrumental talents. She gave a knockout performance tonight, and I hope fans do the right thing and reward her with the crown. "Up to the Mountain" deserves radio play anyway. I don't think we need a U2 Imitator single getting air play! Great run Lee, but I'm putting my money on the Mama Sox!

I am fully prepared to be incorrect on this, but I am fully fine with it. As I mentioned above, I have lost the will to care about this season and am thankful it is almost over! I am sure the finale will be a pretty fun spectacle as they always are. I'm sure "Pants on the Ground" shall return for an encore. Carrie Underwood will be there so it already sounds like an improvement over the season! And, of course, since they have finally come out and spoke on the air about Simon leaving the show, I believe we can expect some SIMON LOVE for his final episode. Maybe even a montage of his greatest insults! I'm on board! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I will see you after the results!

Ending Credits

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I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries. Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts. If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view. And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/

Check out my other Blogs:

LOST - http://www.lostaddictsblog.com/
FlashForward - http://www.flashforwardaddicts.com/

American Idol Season 9 - Top 3 Elimination Results Show - Who Got Voted Off? Who Will Be in Season Finale?

2010-05-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

Hello American Idol fanatics! We are finally down to 2 contestants. And it's no surprise really who went home tonight. One contestant had locked up her spot in the Nokia Theater weeks ago, the other one seemed each week to be inching closer and closer to sealing the deal. The 3rd one? Well at least the girls still think he's pretty! (And yes, he plays a mean guitar!) Ladies and Gentlemen please bid a fond farewell to the fallen idol:

Eliminated: Casey James
My Pick: Casey James

Farewell Casey. It's been entertaining but I think we knew where this competition was headed! The final 2 is officially set. The showdown will happen next week: Crystal Bowersox vs. Lee DeWyze And it's crazy to think that just 3 weeks ago we were already popping the champagne and declaring Crystal the winner. It's amazing what a trip home can do to instill some confidence in the underdog to make him a contender. With the momentum he has going into the finale, I actually think it's going to be really tough for Crystal to be able to latch on to her own momentum. Even with 3 great performances next week, I think American may have chosen their idol. They just want to see this guy succeed! And yes, as I get into below, his hometown video was definitely the most sincere of the 3. That will speak miles to voters around the country. Me? I don't care if either Crystal or Lee wins at this point. They both have been great down the stretch. Lee has improved immensely, Crystal didn't have anything to improve towards which makes Lee a more compelling story. Think Adam Lambert (with less pizazz) vs. Kris Allen last year. Anyway, I could ramble on forever but since there is no LOST next Tuesday, you may get a chance that I'll do that next week for the finale performance recap! Let's do what we do best and get to the Highs and Lows! (LIVE BLOGGED as always)

Highlights

Ford Music Video - Yes I always put it up here but after those first 10 minutes of the show (see first 2 Low Lights), anything was an improvement!
The contestants head home. I always love this part of American Idol. It's great to see them go home and get greeted by thousands in their hometown.
Casey went to Cool, Texas and had a great experience. Signed some dogs, thanked some doctors that saved his life and then did a concert that night for the fans. His Mom cried a bit. Good times!
Crystal went home to Toledo, Ohio and some crazed fan is gonna get her autograph tattooed on him. Dude, do they just let anyone be mayor in Toledo, Ohio? What was that guy wearing? I'm gonna have to forgive her for calling her concert "Bowerstock"...yikes Crystal! I forgive her, the town named it that! Crystal got some of her originals featured on the show too. Didn't sound too bad actually.
Lee returns to Chicago. He got to throw the first pitch at Wrigley Field. That's awesome! Awwww he went to his elementary school. So cute! He got some praise from his 1st grade teacher. Yep, Lee gets props for the best hometown clip. Seeing all of those people supporting you really has to instill some kind of confidence that you're impacting people on the show. No wonder he came back and slayed it in his performances last night!

Lowlights

Oh boy, Ryan is talking to the contestants. These kids are just rambling on and on! Lee turned his 2 minutes into a motivational speech of how to get ahead in life, and that wasn't even the question! Crystal and Casey aren't doing any better. Don't we have to have some hometown video clips to get to? This is painful! Now Crystal is thanking American Idol for curing diabetes. What is going on here???
Wait a second, Randy is giving his his summary of the season for these 3 now. I was wrong, this is worse!
Travis Garland performs "Believe" - This guy was discovered by Perez Hilton who was there to present him (or maybe it was pre-recorded I dunno). Perez claims that the guy is better than Justin Timberlake. Oh boy. Yeah, just what I thought. AWFUL. Are they kidding with this?? I have no other words to say on the subject. FAST FORWARD!
Justin Bieber performs "You Smile" and "Baby" - I don't care if this kid can sing. I just don't get the craze! Gotta love the groupies singing along up front. Such cheese! I think I'm too old to appreciate this and don't have kids yet where I have to pretend to! Oh and yes, he plays the drums. I get it, he's talented!

So that's all I have for you tonight kids. The big showdown is less than a week away. I, for one, cannot wait for this season to be over. It's been a painful ride but it looks like they may be able to salvage it at the very end. We'll see when we get there. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

Ending Credits

Please Click to Support!
I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries. Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts. If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view. And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/

Check out my other Blogs:
LOST - http://www.lostaddictsblog.com/
FlashForward - http://www.flashforwardaddicts.com/