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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Top 10: Pop/Gwen Stefani/Random Artist Theme

So here we go. The Top 10. The ones that are going on tour. I still can't believe that Sangina is going on tour with the group but what can you do.

LaKisha Jones - "Last Dance". Finally! It's nice to see Kiki having fun with a song again and showing some emotion when she sings. I've been missing this since the first week of the semi-finals. That was a great vocal, as always. Grade A

Chris Sligh - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic". It was interesting that Gwen picked up on his rhythm challenges. I have to agree with her. I've noticed the same thing in previous weeks. He missed some words as well. He sounded alright vocally. Overall, it was ok. Grade C.

Gina Glocksen - "I Stand By You". Perfect song choice for Gina. Her voice fits nicely. She showed some great vulnerability and real emotion in her voice. Good for her! Grade A

Sangina Malakar - "Bathwater". You know Gwen was pissed when he came out singing her song. His hair pissed me off. His voice pissed me off. He forgot the words. He's a total joke. I don't like how not even Simon can say anything because it really doesn't matter. Grade T (Harry Potter grades. T for Troll)

Haley Scarnato - "True Colors". I love this song and am excited to hear how she sounds on it. I think her voice could fit this song quite nicely. Hmm. It's not as exciting as I thought it would be. She sounds nice but that's it, just nice. There's nothing that really wows me in the performance. I would have liked to hear more power behind the high notes to really highlight the lightness of her voice and the power behind it as well. It was just a pleasant performance. Grade B-

Phil Stacey - "Every Breath You Take". Another perfect song choice for his voice. He is finally able to hit the high notes without shouting them. He's still having problems of beginning the song. Once again, he seems to find the song in the chorus and takes off from there; but the first verse is a little shaky. Grade B-

Melinda Doolittle - "Heaven Knows". Melinda singing Donna Summer. Do we really think she's going to mess up? You know she's going to be amazing as always. The outfit is hideous though. Another strong, fun, perfect performance. She's in a totally different league from everyone else. Grade A.

Blake Lewis - "Love Song". It's an interesting arrangement, more reggae than how The Cure wrote it. I thought the song was acutally a little boring. His voice is really nice but he needs to start picking a little more popular songs. At first I liked that he was picking out of the box songs but now they may be too out of the box. He should start returning back to more mainstream stuff. Grade B

Jordin Sparks - "Hey Baby". What? Why this song. There's almost no real vocals in it. Well she does add some musicality to it but it's still a horrible song choice, especially after coming off two really strong weeks. I guess it shows she can really sing different things. Horrible outfit too. She looks like a picnic table. Grade B

Chris Richardson - "Don't Speak". I'm surprised that Chris has the pimp spot. I'm surprised though. He actually sounds good on this song. He surprised me. I loved his R&B take on it. I think it could actually be a good R&B song. I'm looking forward to hearing his studio recording of it. It was good. Grade B+

This was an ok week. I felt like some of the song choices were pretty random and the No Doubt songs, for the most part, didn't work on this show. Gwen didn't really offer that much advice that really helped the contestants.

I think the Bottom 3 will be Chris S., Haley and Phil (unfortunately, I just don't think Sangina is going to be in the bottom although he deserves to be the one that goes home). I think Haley will be going home but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Chris S.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Sanjaya McPhee?

TMZ.com has a little article about a mystery designer that came up with this ideal album cover. Yikes!

The sad part is that Sanjaya's hair really does look like that.

Seriously, he's completely the laughing stock of the show and is bringing it down. He needs to go. Everyone make sure you vote for anyone except Sanjaya next week. We've all had enough.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

The Cryer Revealed!

My favorite part of last night's show was not any of the contestants, but the little girl that was crying hysterically when Sanjaya was singing. Believe me, if I was there I'd be doing the same thing. There's only so much torture a person can take before they begin to lose it. Anyways, LA Times has finally tracked down the little girl and revealed who she is. Here's what they have to say:

First things first: Who was the crying girl? After the show, I chatted with Idol’s newest superstar, the crying girl, Ashley Ferl, aged 13, from Riverside. For some long minutes after the show, Ashley remained in a state of inconsolable sobbing, unable to choke out a single word. However, through an interpreter (her mother) we were eventually able to learn some facts about the young superstar.

The family, I was told, obtained tickets on a website to attend a taping of “Smarter Than a 5th Grader” a day passage that included not just the taping of the show itself, but also the dress rehearsal of either “Grader” or “Idol.” The fates were kind, and the mother and daughter found their way to the “Idol” rehearsal, where Ashley’s waterworks began. Her prowess was quickly brought to the attention of “Idol” producers who summoned the clan to a ringside seat of honor at the final taping.

Her powers of speech slowly returning, Ashley revealed that while she was on stage she had been thinking that “this was the coolest thing ever.” Asked whom she was supporting in the competition she named “Sanjaya, Melinda, Gina and Jordin” as her picks, refusing to narrow her vote down to a single choice. All my journalistic powers of persuasion, cajoling, bullying and insistence that on her vote might turn the entire competition, that “Listen to reason, young Ferl, there can’t be four American Idols,” would not convince her to name a single favorite. To my every argument, she would only repeat her mantra, “All Four: Sanjaya, Melinda, Gina and Jordin.” And so the race begins in earnest, with tears at every step of the way.

Well, we'll see if she does indeed get called back. If she continues to cry I can see FOX giving her weekly seats just to make sure they get the tear factor in there. However, those tears could potentially keep Sanjaya in and we definitely don't want that. We'll see what happens tonite.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Top 11 - British Invasion Night

Here we are again. I was out of town last week and couldn't comment on the performances (no real surprises though). Now we're at the Top 11 for British Invasion night. What are the questions going into tonite's show: Will Melinda continue her dominance? Will Blake and CRich continue to be original? Will Haley be able to save herself with the performance of her life? Will Sanjaya stop sucking (and what the hell is he going to do with his hair)? Well, we're about to find out. As always, I'll be commenting while they sing so you're getting my initial response.

Haley Scarnato - "Tell Him". Wow, I'm actually very impressed with her tonite. Her voice has a nice clarity. She's having fun with the performance. She's able to transition between the low and high notes easily. She has definitely embraced who she is as a performer and isn't trying to be like Melinda and LaKisha. This was a really good performance from her, probably her best one yet. Good job! Grade B.

Interestingly, Lulu commented on her voice as not being a power voice but still having a place in the competition. I've always said that it's harder for women with the lower voices to do well because the belters always steal their thunder. While Haley doesn't have one of the lower voices her voice still isn't as strong as the belters. And yet, there is definitely a place for her here. She's the only one that has this kind of voice. There's a very pleasant clarity to it that makes it nice to listen to. It will be interesting to see if she can outlast any of the other women.

Chris Richardson - "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying". I'm glad he tried to do a really simple ballad today. I was thinking that he needed to prove he can connect and sing a ballad since all of his best performances have been uptempo songs. This performance is ok, but a tad boring. He sounds nice and controlled, but it seems a little too simple. He needs to let loose a little and really connect with the song rather than just sing it. The last couple of notes were really pretty. Good way to end it but overall a bland performance. He'll be safe though. Grade B-

Stephanie Edwards - "When You Tell Me That You Love Me". I've loved this song since I first heard it in Season 4 when Nadia sang it. I'm excited to see how she does. Well, it's a little softer than I would have thought she would do. I don't know that I believe the longing that the song is supposed to convey. It does become more believable in the chorus but she's also starting to miss some notes here and there. Overall it was just ok. I think Nadia performed it with a lot more emotion and feeling. Grade C

Blake Lewis - "Time of the Season". I've never heard this song before so it'll be interesting to see what I think. Oh, I have heard this before. He has a talent for picking slightly obscure songs but making them work. The beatboxing is worked in but doesn't distract from the overall song. His voice was on during the whole song. Overall this was a great performance. I really think that he's going to end up being in the finals against Melinda. Grade A-

The interesting thing about Blake is that I feel like I still don't really know what his voice sounds like. All we really know about Blake is his beatboxing but I don't know if I could pick his voice out in the crowd when the guys are all singing. He's really going to have to pick a song that lets his voice really shine.

LaKisha Jones - "Diamonds are Forever". Once again, she sounds amazing but is still lacking something in the performance. She doesn't have that emotion that she did during And I Tell I'm Ain't Leaving. This is real "cabaret" performance (as Simon would say). She always sounds amazing but there just isn't that pizzazz that the others have. She needs to really have fun with a song again. If she continues this way she's going to be out right around 7th place. Grade B-

Phil Stacey - "Tobacco Road". Phil sounds great on this song. It's a good choice for him. However he seems to want to do the rocker thing with it and it's not really coming off correctly. Chris Daughtry would have really rocked this song out. But Phil's voice really works nicely with this song. He finally back to the vocalist he was during the semi-finals. Grade B

Jordin Sparks - "I Who Have Nothing". Jordin is getting stronger and stronger each week. Wow! She's putting a lot of emotion into this song but everything is so controlled. She is tearing it up! Damn! Jordin is quickly jumping into the front runner position. She's finally picking the right songs to show off what she can do with her voice and it's blowing everyone away. This was awesome! Grade A

Sanjaya Malakar - "You Really Got Me". What was with the shot of the little girl crying while Sanjaya was singing? That was funny. I can't believe he went for a rocking song. There's no way he can pull this off. Oh God this is so horrible! There really are no words. And why is that little girl crying? I am more interested in her than his performance. That's not a good sign. Grade F OMG, she's crying because she lurves him?! WTF! Then again, she's a young Marsha Brady lookalike. She doesn't know he's a gay homosexual.

Gina Glocksen - "Paint It Black". Good choice. Very rocker song. Ah she sounds great on this song. It's rocky but still has some singing elements to it. I love her look tonite. She really chanelling her best Ryan Starr with this performance. I feel like she's losing a little steam towards the end though. She needs to keep the rock going and didn't really do that tonite. It was a good performance. Grade C+

Chris Sligh - "She's Not There". Sligh has a very smooth voice. It's pleasing to listen to and can work in many different genres. He's doing a good job tonite. He's having fun with the song and performing. His voice doesn't sound strained at all. Everything is very easy for him tonite. Good performance. Grade B

Melinda Doolittle - "As Long As He Needs Me". I am not a fan of her new haircut. She looked much better with the longer hair. I love her gentle performance so far. It reminds me of something similar to Barbra Streisand or something of that nature. This was a very different, controlled performance from her previous ones. It showed a softer side of Melinda. Amazing job once again. She just continues to wow every week. Grade A

I loved the guests today. Unlike Diana Ross they actually had some good critiques and helped the contestants really improve. I hope the remaining guests will help out the same way. I actually liked tonite's theme. I didn't think it would be that great because I didn't recognize a lot of the songs but there were a lot of good performances. I hope that the contestants are realizing what they need to do to win and are going out there fighting each week.

Well the best performance of the night was Jordin (two weeks in a row!) Melinda came a close 2nd and Blake was 3rd. I think the weakest and my bottom 3 for tomorrow are Stephanie, Gina, and Sanjaya. I would LOVE to see Sanjaya go home tomorrow but I'm scared that won't happen until next week so that just leaves Gina and Stephanie. Of the two, I think Gina has the weaker performance but Stephanie will be the one going home.

I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Top 12 Full-Length MP3s

As Ryan mentioned below, AmericanIdol.com is now selling studio versions of the songs performed each week by the contestants. I think this is a great idea. My only question is are they going to get rid of the Season Compilation CDs at the end or are there going to be all new songs on the CD? Either way, these MP3s for $.99 are a great thing. We get to hear the full versions of the performances that we liked, plus we get to hear what each contestant will sound like in the studio. Of the 12, I have Melinda, LaKisha, Blake and C.Rich. Although I've only listened to each one once, I was very impressed with Chris' song. It's very disco-y but sounds amazing. It's a fun dance song that his voice is perfectly suited for. (Interestingly, I think he can only sing faster, uptempo songs. When he does ballads we are able to really hear the limits of his voice. That'll be interesting to pay attention as the competition moves on). Melinda and LaKisha both sound amazing on their songs so you know that their CDs will be stellar when they're finally released. And Blake's is a refreshing new take on an old song. I liked the contemporary feel to it. I'm looking forward to getting these each week. My iPod is going to fill up very quickly.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Extended Length Audition MP3s

For the First time ever, you can get studio recorded full length versions of the songs you see on the show exclusively on Americanidol.com. The songs are available in extended MP3 format-works with iPod, iTunes, Zune, and all portable MP3 players. The clarity and quality is amazing. You've just got to hear it to believe it!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

It's So Hard To Say...

Goodbye, my love.

Brandon never really recovered from the his downward slide during the semi-finals. Which really saddened me because I think he has a lot of talent. And by talent, I mean a sexy face. Oh, and a hot voice too!

I will miss him, but my devotion will continue to run with my girl MELINDA!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Top 12 Breakdown

Before we finally begin with the final 12 tomorrow night I wanted to take the time to give my little analysis of the Top 12 and who I think stands a chance to win it all. Unlike last year, I think there are only a handful of contestants that could realistically win this year. The rest are just filler until we get to that point.

Blake Lewis - I've been saying all along that I think Blake is a refreshing contestant. He's very current and is picking songs that are also current and radio friendly. He, along with Chris R., is the first true male "pop" singer in the competition and I for one love it. It's nice to see something different from the guys. Pros: He's different. He's picking songs that are out of the box and haven't been done on Idol before. He also beatboxes which allows him to add new elements to each song he does. Cons: The beatboxing has the possibility to get old. Plus, will he be able to rely on the beatboxing once the theme weeks begin? Beatboxing during "Love Song" week? Probably not.

Brandon Rogers - In Brandon's initial audition he showed an amazing soulful voice that I thought would sound very nice on the Idol stage. However, since then we haven't been able to hear that anymore. I think that Brandon is letting his nerves get to him and that's affecting his performances each week. On top of that, his song choices haven't been that stellar. If he wants to make the full transition from backup singer to front man he's going to need to come out swinging and just go for it each week. Pros: He's got a great voice that, when showcased on the right song, will blow people away. Cons: Lack of confidence and poor song choices thus far make him a candidate for an early exit. He really needs to gather himself and just go for it these early weeks.

Chris Richardson - Like Blake, I think Chris is a true male pop singer. He's also being very smart about the songs he's choosing and is able to make a song fit his voice and still make it sound fresh. Pros: Like Blake, he's different from the rest of the guys. He's choosing more current songs which allow us to imagine what he'd sound like on the radio. His good looks and winning smile will also help carry him in the competition. Cons: His voice is a little unusual. While I like it, I can see how some people will quickly be turned off and will start complaining that he has a nasal quality to it. There's a fine line that he straddles on sounding great and sounding nasal. Will he be able to walk that line through the whole competition?

Chris Sligh - Chris has the best personality of the whole bunch. He seems like a fun guy to be around. Not to mention he's got a good, soulful voice. However, after the week of the semi-finals he has quieted down considerably. Does he think his comments to Simon may have hurt him? Will we see his witty personality resurface now that he's made it into the Top 12? Pros: He has a great stage presence and looks like he really enjoys performing. He also knows how to pick great songs that fit his voice. This combination will serve him well in the weeks ahead. Cons: While he's picking great songs, the songs aren't really showcasing his full voice. I have a feeling he's got a lot more there that we haven't seen yet. He's going to need to start pulling some surprises or we're gonna get bored pretty quickly. He also needs to rely on his personality for some part. I feel that Chris is a lot like Taylor, in that he's more about stage presence and performing rather than pure vocal talent.

Gina Glocksen - Gina reminds me of Kelly Clarkson in a way. She's got a strong voice that's part rock and part pop. She's made some interesting choices so far in the competition and has been able to handle them pretty well. It seems like she can sing most genres and still sound different. Is she the next Kelly Clarkson? No. But she does possess similar qualities that made Kelly stand out. Gina really needs to work on belting her high notes instead of shouting them. If she can do that I think she'll do really well. Pros: She's different from the rest of the women. She's the only pop-rock singer on the women's side. Everyone loves a rocker chick and she fits that role this season. Plus, she's relatable which I think will help her out for a while. Cons: Because she's the "rocker chick" I think she's going to have a hard time selling the themes each week. While she'll be able to sing her songs, her look will probably be changing a lot and people will get confused as to who she is and what she's all about. She's going to have to find a way to still pull off each theme with her edgier quality. Plus, if she doesn't control her shouting she's going to tire out her voice as the weeks go on.

Haley Scarnato - Haley is the surprise of the top 12. I honestly do not know why or how she made it in because Sabrina is definitely better than her. Haley has a nice voice but there is nothing special about it (or her). She's going to have a very tough time making it through each week, mostly because we know nothing about her. She has no personality and is completely forgettable. I don't think I've actually remembered her each week until she comes out on stage and I think "oh yeah. Her." Pros: Well she's got a good voice that's suited for Broadway. There's a nice "clearness" to her tone that is pleasing to listen to. Cons: In a group where many others have already shone and stood out Haley gets lost in the crowd. Unless she pulls out the performance of her life each week I don't see her making it past the 12th spot. There's just too much talent and bigger personalities that she can't get by.

Jordin Sparks - Jordin is a ball of energy that is fun to watch on stage. Every week she looks like she's having a great time and doesn't seem to be affected by anything (which is amazing considering her age). She has a great, powerhouse voice that allows her to easily navigate through songs. Her stage presence is fun and engaging. Pros: Jordin has a great voice that should carry well in the competition. Also, unlike Lisa Tucker (who had a similar voice), she has a fun personality and stage presence. I see Jordin being very much like Diana DeGarmo. She can sing anything and will just have fun doing it. Cons: Jordin doesn't really seem to be aware of how good she really is. She has yet to figure out who she is as an artist and therefore her song selections have been a little erratic. She needs to figure out what's going to work best for her and really showcase the talent she has.

LaKisha Jones - One half of the divas, LaKisha wants this (and needs this). She came out fighting from the very beginning and quickly set herself up as one of the top contenders. So far, she's lived up to the expectations that she's set for herself. Her big voice and almost perfect technique gets you excited everytime she opens her mouth. She's such a nice woman, you can't help but root for her and hope that she does well. Pros: LaKisha is one of the best singers in the competition. She has a big voice that everyone loves to hear. America loves a good belter! With all of the success of Jennifer Hudson recently, LaKisha will be compared to her and will that wave far into the competition. Cons: She make have already peaked. Her first performance was so full of emotion that the next two performance just seemed to lack something. Vocally, they're perfect but her stage presence and emotion of the song left something to be desired. She's going to need to bring back that intensity from her first song or she could suddenly find herself unexpectedly gone, just like JHud and Mandisa.

Melinda Doolittle - The other half of the divas, Melinda is the front runner to win the whole thing. Everything about her just screams star. She has a humble, winning personality, a fantastic voice, great stage presence, and genuinely seems to be shocked at how well she's doing and being received by everyone. How can you not love that? That is what made Kelly Clarkson so much fun to watch. You can see her confidence growing each week. She's picking great song choices, and even when the songs are overdone on Idol she still finds a way to make them fresh and new. Pros: This girl can SAAAAANG! She has jumped from background singer to frontman with ease. Technically, she's probably the best singer in the competition. She knows her strengths and is choosing the right songs to highlight those Cons: Honestly, I can't really think of anything that she's got going against her. I think that if she continues to be shocked by everyone's reactions, the public may start questioning her sincerity. However, if she keeps exactly what she's doing now she should have no problem taking the whole thing.

Phil Stacey - In Phil's initial audition I thought he was ok, but nothing special. In fact, I was actually surprised that they put him through. But in the semi-finals I was really surprised with what I heard. Phil has a really soulful voice that lends itself quite nicely to ballads. He also has a good, commanding stage presence that almost lends himself to being the rocker of the bunch. Although he had a bad performance last week, I think he'll learn from it and bounce back this week. Pros: He has a great voice that's different from the rest of the guys on here. When he's on he's one of the best. As long as he keeps picking the right songs he'll do really well. Cons: He still has problems starting a song. It's always in the wrong key. Once he finally gets to the chorus he's able to pull it together and nail the rest of the song. People are going to become less forgiving of this as the show moves on. He needs to learn to start out on key and stay there rather than using the chorus to find the correct key.

Sanjaya Malakar - While it isn't a surprise that Sanjaya is here, I have to say that he doesn't belong in the Top 12. He has a good voice and a winning smile but when he's on stage he shows no charisma or emotion. All of his performances seem to be nothing more than karaoke on a bigger stage; and even then, karaoke singers get more into the songs than he does. Pros: He's got a pretty voice and is probably able to pull the teeny girl/grandma votes. Cons: While his voice is pretty, it lacks emotion and power therefore he isn't able to do anything with it. The fact that he feels he should have gone home two weeks ago isn't helping build his confidence (as evident by him looking down at his feet pretty much everytime he performs and has to stand in front of the judges). There really is no reason for him to be in this competition now (other than the teeny girls keeping him in). That being said, I see him staying for at least 3 more weeks, leaving the competition in 10th place.

Stephanie Edwards - I was very happy to see Stephanie make it through. I had a feeling she'd be fighting Sabrina for that last spot because they were very similar in styles. I think Stephanie has a great voice. Her voice, looks and stage presence remind me a lot of Fantasia (but Stephanie's voice is more accessible to people). Pros: She knows to sell her performances and sound good while doing it. She's got another powerful voice and knows how to use it effectly. Cons: Because she's another power singer, she's going to be competing with Melinda and LaKisha. Unfortunately, Stephanie isn't at the same caliber. She's going to have to try really hard to distinguish herself from the other two. As always, song selection will be the key with her.

So there you go. That's how I think everyone stacks up leading into tomorrow's Top 12 night. It's going to be fun to finally compare the men and women when they go head to head. Based off of the semi-finals alone I make the following predictions: Haley will be the first to go home. LaKisha will be a "shocker" elimination. Melinda and Blake will go head to head in the finals. Melinda will win it all. I am definitely looking forward to everything starting!

Friday, March 09, 2007

Top 12 Shocker

So the biggest shocker of the Top 12 reveal wasn't Sabrina getting cut. It was that Haley actually made it in! I was so sure she was going home and that Antonella would be in her place (based off of fanbase, not talent). I thought Sabrina and Stephanie would be fighting it out for that last spot (with Stephanie winning in the end). When Antonella got cut I got excited that Sabrina would actually make it in and we'd have a very deserving top 6 women. But no! Haley somehow made it through. Someone with decent vocal ability and no presence whatsoever was able to pull a major upset and make it through. Well, she's definitely my pick to go home first next week.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Top 8 Girls

This is going to be very truncated because I didn't have time to do it last night.

Jordin I thought did very well. I enjoyed seeing her perform a strong, upbeat song and still have fun with it. She's definitely one of the better women and should have no problem making it into the finals.

Sabrina sang a song that I've never heard and it was ok. There were a lot of pitch problems and I felt she was screaming a lot of the higher notes. This could put her on the bubble for tonite.

Antonella sucked ass. Enough said.

Haley was ok but to be honest I don't really remember what she sang. Simon was right in saying that he can't remember her because every week she's the one girl I always forget about and have to go back to find out who i'm missing. I'm pretty sure she's going home tonite.

Stephanie was good but not as good as the last couple of weeks. I felt she was shouting throughout the song as well and this will put her on the bubble with Sabrina.

LaKisha sang a song that has been done so many times on Idol but yet it still sounded great. Here's the thing I've noticed about her though that I think is going to start hurting her next week, she sounds amazing but there doesn't seem to be a feeling or passion behind the voice. After the first week when it was all passion she didn't really wow anyone last week with Midnight Train to Georgia. The sing thing happened last night. It sounded brilliant but lacked the feeling. If she continues to do this she's going to get bounced sooner than later.

Gina finally returned back to her rocker roots and it was refreshing to see. All along I've said that her voice reminds me of Kelly Clarkson's and I can see her heading in that direction. Although last night Gina's voice also took on a (weak) Nikki McKibben vibe so that's something she needs to watch for. She needs to keep her voice strong while still maintaining the rocker edge to it.

Melinda was AWESOME! again last night. Technically, she's the best singer out there. She's picking perfect songs that are different from each other. She's no longer a background singer. I loved that she walked over the background singers and lead them in the song. It was great to see. She'll be around for a long time in this competition.

Antonella and Hayley should be going home tonite but I still think Antonella's fanbase is big enough to keep her in. Sadly, Sabrina and Stephanie are going to be fighting for that final spot and there will be an upset when one of them goes home with Haley tonite but Antonella stays in. I hope Stephanie is the one that makes it through.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Look! I Can Live Blog Too!

I guess this is the "something crazy about me" night, according to LaKisha. I think it's crazy that they let Ryan Seacrest wear that black turtleneck...c'mon, Steve Jobs is the only one who can pull that off! Bold names are the ones I voted for.

Jordin Sparks - K.Lo Jr., throwin' the "rock sign"?, always had the nose piercing?

Sabrina Sloan - good, that's it

Antonella Barba - as Katharine McPhee says "Over It"

Hayley Scarnato - cheesy! sounds like a TV theme song from the Family Matters-era

Stephanie Edwards - LaToya London's (less pretty) sister ...looks, voice, etc.

LaKisha Jones - Whitney copycat, and I think she wears a wig because her hair always looks plastic/shiny

Gina Glocksen - YAY! exciting and fun! break up the divas! that's what a rocker chick is Nikki McKibbin!

Melinda Doolittle - I can't say how much I love her. I love it, I love it, I love it! Winner in my book!

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Top 8 Guys

Blake Lewis - something by 311. I love the fact that Blake is actually choosing contemporary pop type tunes. Everyone is falling into the "Stevie Wonder/R&B" trap of singing the same damn songs that we've heard on every season so far. Finally someone comes along, knows exactly what his niche is and runs away with it. I've heard this song on the radio but couldn't tell you what it's called or what the lyrics are about, however I did enjoy the performance. Mostly I just enjoyed the mixing of the vocals with the beatboxing. It was seamless and sounded awesome. The song itself was mediocre at best but Blake did what he could to make it better. Grade B

SanGAYa Malakar - "Waiting On the World to Change" by John Mayer. Well he definitely out-gayed AJ this week. That hair has got to go! I love John Mayer, I hate Sanjaya Malakar. This was just awful. Sanjaya has a sweet voice but there's no power or emotion behind it all so everytime he sings you get that same uninspired quality. It always sounds like really bad karaoke (yep, I agree with Simon on this one). It's so far away from where everyone else is it's not even funny. Ugh! Grade F

Sundance Head - "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam. I've been waiting for 5 years for someone to bust out with a Pearl Jam song. They're my favorite band but I never thought anyone would do it because they're too rock for Idol. I was hoping Chris Daughtry would sing something but he never did. Finally, here it is. And..... it sucked so hard I can't even talk about it! There was no raw emotion that this song requires. He's just singing it. While I was watching I kept getting flashes of The Wedding Singer in my head. That's what he reminded me of, a bad wedding singer with mascera on. I'm so mad that the first Pearl Jam song had to be ruined by Sundance. Grade D+

Chris Richardson - "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban. As soon as Ryan said he was going urban I knew this was the song he'd be singing. And it's a good choice as well, especially after Ace sang it last year since they both have those higher, falsetto type voices. I thought Chris was a little off in the beginning but then really got into it by the mid section. I really enjoyed the runs that he added because it became a little more pop than country. While it wasn't his best performance I did think it was good. Grade B

Jared Cotter - "If You Really Love Me" by Stevie Wonder. After hearing this song so many times before we get Jared's version of it. I gotta say, I wasn't really impressed, nor was I disappointed. It was just ok. Nothing special, nothing bad. He did miss a couple of notes with bothered me but otherwise it was just a performance. I feel like there's a lot of "karaoke" tonite. Grade C

Brandon Rogers - "I Just Want to Celebrate". I like the funk vibe of the song and I think it fits Brandon very well. However, I didn't enjoy the performance. The vibe of the song is cool, but the song itself was pretty boring. I haven't been impressed with Brandon's voice since his very first audition. Tonite didn't do anything to make me love him. Grade C

Phil "NosPHILatu" Stacey - "I Need You" by LeAnn Rimes. Once again, Phil has shown that he has problems starting a song and finding the key. You can barely hear his low notes and they sound all awkward. He has weird facial expressions at the beginning as well. Once he finally got to the chorus he was back in the right key but there were pitch problems all over the place. Just about all of the high notes were off and he was shouting most of them. This was a horrible performance. Grade D

Chris Sligh - "We All Wanna Loved". Chris knows exactly what he should be singing with his voice. Once again, he's picked a perfect song for himself. I thought it was a nice performence. The vocals weren't overwhelmingly awesome but they're the best we've seen so far tonite. He always looks so comfortable on the stage. Grade B-

So there you have it. The guys have finally finished and it's up to America to decide which of them will make it into the Top 12. If I had my picks I would only move Blake, Chris R, Chris S and Phil into the next round. I agree with the judges that only 4 of them should be in the final round.

Based off tonite's performance I think SanGAYa and Phil should go home. However, both of them are pretty unlikely (because Phil has actually proven himself in the previous weeks and SanGAYa unexplicably has a big following). So that leaves Sundance, Brandon, and Jared. All along I've had a feeling that Sundance was going to be going out at the #13 spot, just missing the finals so I'll stay with that. For the other spot, I think that Brandon has a bigger fanbase than Jared (based off of his initial audition) so I think Jared is going home.

My final picks for the top 6 men are Blake, Chris R., Chris S. Phil, SanGAYa, and Brandon.

And I'm Telling You, It's All Coming Back To Me Now

J.Hud + Meatloaf = ?

That's right, they have put together a duet by the name of "The Future Ain't What It Used To Be". I haven't mustered the courage to listen to it yet, mostly because I want Jennifer to succeed so badly.

You tell me, is it any good? And if it's not, will this be able to slide under the radar until her debut album arrives?