Ok, so I have a confession to make. I didn’t watch any of the results show at all tonight. Thanks to modern technology, I don’t have to. I did attempt to watch a bit of the Pickle…because I really like Kellie Pickler. But she was a bit too country for me…just wasn’t in a country mood tonight.
Anyway, for some odd reason, America chose to keep Kristy Lee over Amanda this week. Now, I think both of them are equally deserving of going. It’s just a little surprising to me…I mean, I thought she had some sort of huge, misguided fan-base. Apparently not. Anyway….thank goodness Bride of Frankenstein is gone and here’s to hoping that Kristy Lee goes next week.
So, do we really need a SECOND week of slaughtering Beatles songs? Really? Lately, I’ve been watching clips on YouTube of Leona Lewis, the 2006 winner of Britain’s The X-Factor. And she is 10 million times better than any girl on this season of American Idol. She may even be better than all of the girls from ALL seasons of Idol. But that’s just my opinion. Anyway, check her out:
Can you tell that I’m trying to delay writing about Idol? Is it obvious? Well, I suppose that I must. After all, it is why I’m here.
Amanda Overmyer
For once, Amanda did the unthinkable…she actually made me NOT hate her. I didn’t even know that was possible. So, I still don’t like her…but she managed to not shriek throughout her version of “Back in the U.S.S.R.” tonight. And that’s an improvement, at least.
Randy thought it was pitchy, but liked the end, Paula says a bunch of nonsense that only half makes sense and Simon thought it was predictable and a mess and tells her that she’s verging on the edge of being boring. If I never see Amanda Overmyer again in my life, I would be happy.
Kristy Lee Cook
Clearly, Kristy Lee should listen to songs before actually choosing them. Her song choice for this week has entirely too many low notes for her…the girl has negative ability to sing them. She sounds flat throughout most of the song…I’m really not sure how or why so many people thought that she was the clear winner at the beginning of the season. If she doesn’t go home this week, something is VERY wrong with this show.
Randy calls it boring and safe and tells her that she may not have been singing the song right, Paula goes for the “Hey, you’re pretty” compliment and Simon tells her that she needs to be hypnotized because she isn’t a good performer. As always, the audience boos Simon for no good reason. Kristy Lee, please go home.
David Archuleta
I’m still waiting to get sick of David Archuleta. I keep thinking that it will happen…it hasn’t yet though. David has chosen to go back to his standard slow singing this week…and, well, it IS what works best for him. His performance this week is vastly superior to what he did last week – but then again, how could it not be? (After all, he DID remember the words this week.) David has the ability to be engaging even when singing slow songs though. And that’s a key element that so many other contestants this season can’t seem to successfully manage.
Randy seems very excited that David has brought it back, Paula says something about adversity and character building…I can’t even concentrate on what she says anymore. And Simon thinks that David is amazing.
Michael Johns
Michael may have turned in his worst performance of the season this week. He certainly did a bang up job of destroying a Beatles song. I mean, he sounded okay near the end…but what the hell was up with the beginning of that song? And what the hell was up with the camera spinning around throughout his performance? Was the cameraman trying to recreate a 60’s drug-induced state for us? All in all, I thought the Aussie did a terrible job tonight. Did you pick up on that?
Randy politely tells Michael that he sucks. Yep, that’s what he said. Paula also agrees with Randy. And Simon calls it a mess. Yes, Simon, it was. A giant, disgusting mess.
Brooke White
Brooke picks the first truly good song of the night “Here Comes the Sun”. She does a really good job with it. She’s still a little on the boring side, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s the only girl this year who can really sing. (Unfortunately, that’s really not a HUGE compliment.) Besides, at least she moves, smiles and seems like she’s enjoying herself when she performs.
Randy found her performance awkward and thinks that she didn’t connect with the song, Paula thinks she played it safe, but tells Brooke that she’s lovable. And Simon found her performance terrible and…wet?? What the HELL does THAT mean, Cowell??
David “Comb-Over” Cook
David is trying his hardest to be this season’s Chris Daughtry. He is in no danger of having that happen, however. His rendition of “Day Tripper” isn’t bad. It’s not great either though. I find David to be very annoying because he clearly thinks that he is MUCH better than he actually is.
Randy is in love with David and wants to have his Comb-Over Babies. However, I think he may have to fight Paula for that privilege. Simon, however, doesn’t think that David’s performance is as good as David thinks it is. I swear, sometimes, I think that Simon and I are the same person.
Carly Smithson
So, Carly really shouldn’t close her eyes during a performance. Because every time she opens them, she has a look on her face that says “I don’t know where I am or why I’m here”. I am underwhelmed by Carly’s take on “Blackbird”. It does nothing for me. It certainly doesn’t make me want to wave my hands back and forth and cheer constantly as the Idol audience does. What is wrong with these people? Are they all being fed crystal meth upon entering the theatre?
Randy calls it nice and cool…and makes up a word, Paula would go lesbian for Carly and Simon brings the only measure of sanity to this judges panel by declaring that he doesn’t like it. And, of course, the drug-induced audience turns on him.
Jason Castro
Castro sings “Michelle” this week. He does a fantastic job of it…and manages to move around on the stage more than he has the entire season. And, to top it all off, I’m pretty sure that he was baked out of his mind during his pre-performance interview.
Randy seems to have no idea what he thinks of Jason’s performance, Paula tells Jason that he’s hot, but is dependent upon his guitar for a good performance and Simon tells Jason that his face sold the song – which is not really a compliment in a singing competition.
Syesha Mercado
This week’s audience may be the most annoying audience in Idol history. Shut up you freaks! Anyway, Syesha does a version of “Yesterday” that makes me want to open my wrists. It’s good singing and all. It’s just so damn depressing. What’s up with that? I mean, I realize that it’s not the most cheery song in the world to begin with…but it doesn’t have to lead one to the depths of despair, does it?
Randy found it to be very good, Paula loved her vulnerability and Simon thought it was her best performance to date.
Chikezie
Chikezie has really grown on me. At first, I couldn’t stand him, but now I’m beginning to see that he really does belong on this show – unlike some other contestants. His performance this week was really strong vocally and he seemed to be having a good time. I think, however, that I could have done without the harmonica playing. I mean, Chikezie…you’re no Stevie Wonder, ok?
Randy is all over the place with his feelings about the song…he liked the fast part, didn’t like the slow part, might have liked the harmonica – he doesn’t really know. Paula seems to have seen into Chikezie’s soul or something. I think Paula may have suffered some sort of a stroke. And Simon liked it until Chikezie went all Stevie Wonder on us. After that, it went straight to country hell for him.
Ramiele Malubay
Ramiele…oh, Ramiele. My love for the Asian Sensation has left the building. I think she started off pretty well in this competition…but has been working really hard lately to prove to us that she has no personality on stage. Her performance this week was just odd. What was up with the hobbling across the stage? Was that supposed to be sexy? Playful? It looked to me like someone had possibly attacked her Nancy Kerrigan style before the show started. And if she finds herself going home this week, I’m sure that she’ll regret choosing a song called “I Should Have Known Better”.
Randy liked it but didn’t like it -which seems to his standard reply to everything this week. Paula declares it to be better than last week…but the way that she says it leads me to believe that she doesn’t really believe it. And Simon thinks that she chose a bad song and didn’t show us what she’s really capable of.
All in all, a pretty boring night on Idol. I have no idea who thought that it would be a good idea to do TWO weeks of Beatles songs. Whoever that person is, they should be fired. It definitely didn’t help any of the contestants to shine. If anything, it’s starting to feel more and more that this ISN’T the best selection of Idol contestants ever.
As for who is going this week…that’s a tough one. I think that the David’s, Jason, Brooke and Syesha are probably safe. Chikezie probably is too. If there is any justice in the world, Kristy Lee should be the one going home. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Michael or Ramiele went.
Please, please, PLEASE…for the love of all that is Kelly Clarkson…STOP dragging out results shows that should only last 30 minutes (at the most) to an hour. I don’t need to see Jim Carrey in a giant elephant suit shamelessly promoting his new movie. I don’t need to hear the bottom three sing their songs once again to remember how bad they were the night before. I don’t need to hear stupid questions from the stupid fans. Nor do I need to hear past American Idol almost-winners sing songs in a sad attempt to remind people that they still exist (personally, I had completely forgotten all about Katharine McPhee and her McFace). All I want out of a results show…are the RESULTS!! You are eliminating ONE single person…just go ahead and do it!
Sincerely,
Me
So, with that out of the way, I must say that I was actually sad to see David “The Stripper” Hernandez leave tonight. Of the bottom three, Kristy Lee REALLY should have been the one to go. How she is still on this show is beyond me. Must be the damn horse thing.
So, do we really need a never-ending tour of the “new” American Idol stage? I think not. And, do we need to once again hear Ryan Seacrest going on about how this is the most talented group of singers that Idol has ever seen? Once again, I think not. But, I digress.
Somehow, American Idol managed to trick the powers that be into allowing the songs of the Beatles to be slaughtered live on television. Not quite sure how they pulled that one off…but…sigh…anyway, on with the show.
Syesha Mercado
Congratulations to Syesha for picking one of the more boring Beatles songs to suck on. At least she didn’t destroy a well-known tune…like “Let it Be” or “Hey Jude”. Her vocals are okay…but her performance is just boring. And the song…well, it’s really not a good song choice. Not at all. Bleh. I want to like Syesha. I REALLY, REALLY do. She’s just so inconsistent though. One week, she’s really good…the next week…not so much.
Randy likes the arrangement of the song and declares it alright, Paula enjoyed the song from the middle to the end and Simon thought it was a great song choice, but that Syesha looked very nervous. Blah. I’m ready for her to go home.
Chikezie
Chikezie does a really good rendition of “She’s a Woman”. Although, honestly, I think I’m more impressed with the arrangement of the song than I actually am with his vocals. The bluegrass intro really worked for me…and I think that’s when his vocals are strongest. I think I would have really enjoyed a full-on bluegrass version of the song. But, maybe that’s just me.
Randy was thoroughly entertained and LOVED the arrangement, Paula thinks he took a risk and it payed off while Simon is surprised to find himself agreeing with Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.
Ramiele Malubay
Ramiele chooses to sing “In My Life”. She manages to truly bring out the melancholy in the song…which is not really a good thing. “In My Life”, as performed by The Beatles, has a slightly upbeat tune that masks the sadness of the song. Ramiele’s version dispenses with any trace of upbeatness (yes, I know that’s not a word) and replaces it with…well, let’s just say that I had a strong desire to find the closest bridge and hurl myself from it. Her vocals were good…the arrangement not so much.
Randy found it boring and did not find his earth moved, Paula beings by telling Ramiele that she looks lovely (which is never what you want to hear from Paula) and then tells her that she could have done better and Simon was bored to tears.
Jason Castro
Jason is back with his guitar in hand…which is exactly where I knew it would be as soon as I heard that he was singing “If I Fell”. I really enjoy his version of this song. Jason is actually capable of singing a slow song without making it boring…something that most of the other contestants seem incapable of doing. I must admit, that I’m not entirely happy with some of his facial gestures…but I look past them to listen to the voice that is the Castronator. (What?? I don’t know. It’s late in the evening as I type this. I really should be in bed.)
Randy liked it but didn’t love it, Paula feels Jason’s heart…and probably wants to rip it from his chest and hang it from her car mirror and Simon found it boring and not as good as last week.
Carly Smithson
Well, Carly has been cleaned up considerably since last week. I almost didn’t recognize her. Anyway, she’s singing “Come Together”. Her take on the song is straight up rocker chick. It almost works. Honestly, I think that she does rocker chick MUCH better than Amanda ever could…mainly because she can sing loudly without screeching…which is something that Amanda absolutely can NOT do. Anyway, it’s an okay version. Nothing impressive about it…but I didn’t want to take a nap or anything during it. So, I guess THAT’S good, right?
Randy calls Carly stellar, Paula calls her a star already and Simon thinks that she finally chose the right song. Well, it’s about time, right?
Jason Cook
Someone REALLY needs to shave Jason’s head. That comb-over…it’s just getting worse with each passing week. So, David chooses to some sort of weird emo interpretation of my favorite Beatles song, “Eleanor Rigby”. For the first time, I’m actually somewhat impressed with his vocals. And his face manages to not bother me until the very end. Overall, I think I like the weird emo version. It’s not as bad as it could have been. I still want David to go home though. I just have a problem looking at him.
Randy uses the word “rock” a lot, Paula calls him a thoroughbred and Simon thought it was brilliant. Ok. So he was good. Still, I can’t have a comb-over winning the show. Shave his head and maybe we can talk.
Brooke White
Brooke seems to get more and more boring with each passing week. With that said, I think she does a fantastic version of “Let It Be”. Kinda boring…like her. But vocally great.
Randy loves her heart-felt performance, Paula talks about her heart (watch out Brooke!) and Simon thought it was one of the best performances of the night.
David Hernandez
Interestingly enough, David mentions nothing about his stripper past in his pre-song interview. No…just a pizza bistro. Well, anyway, David does “I Saw Her Standing There”. He does several very odd little runs across the stage…which I guess go along quite well with that odd eyebrow arch thing that he does. His vocals do sound good…he can actually sing. However, I think the song choice was a terrible one. Absolutely bad. And I can’t help but wonder…does that eyebrow arch work at the strip club…I mean, pizza bistro?
Randy felt lost during the entire song, Paula thinks that David overdid the song and Simon just says no.
Amanda Overmeyer
As usual, Amanda sounds like she has smoked 40 packs of cigarettes before going on stage. I must say though, that he hair looks slightly better than it has in the past. There seriously isn’t anything that Amanda can do at this point to make me like her. Her song choice tonight…not good. Seriously, she chooses an early Beatles song? When they were all bubble gum pop sounding? I really think a later Beatles song would have worked better for her. Maybe. But, honestly, I don’t even care.
Randy loves Amanda’s Southern rock take on the song, Paula throw out the “star” word once again and Simon doesn’t think that it was as good as last week and tells her that he couldn’t understand what she was saying.
Michael Johns
So, Michael performs “Across the Universe”, as performed by Rufus Wainwright. Anyway, he does a great job of it. For me, this is one of the more timeless Beatles songs and it works really well with Michael’s voice.
Randy thinks that something big should have happened in the song, Paula throws out some classic Paula-babble and Simon doesn’t think that Michale is living up to his potential.
Kristy Lee Cook
Gee, I completely forgot that she was still in this competition. Hmmm. Kristy looks entirely confused as to where she is tonight. And thoroughly frightened to be there. Apparently, the big stage is throwing her off. She does a weird, rather flat sounding country version of “Eight Days a Week”. Please, America. Do us all a favor and don’t vote for Kristy Lee this week.
Randy develops a split personality over the song, with half of him liking it and the other half not, Paula didn’t like it at all and Simon thought it was horrendous. Horrendous is right. Dreadful performance.
David Archuleta
David gives his worst performance of the competition. Poor kid forgets the words early on…and it clearly throws him off for the rest of the performance. It doesn’t help any that the arrangement of “Work it Out” that he’s working with is…well, it’s just bad. I hate to see such a good singer go down in flames…but that’s exactly what happened tonight. Bad, bad performance. And the poor kid knows it.
Randy doesn’t think that David worked it out, Paula agrees that it isn’t his best week and reminds him that remembering the lyrics is important and Simon calls it a mess. I fear for my adopted son this week. Please, America. Keep David this week. PLEASE!
So, Blake Lewis returns to American Idol for tonight’s results show to sing a quite unimpressive rendition of his latest single. Meh.
And then we’re on to the eliminations. What? No, group number tonight? Or did I just fast forward through it? (I think that the DVR – the best invention EVER – was invented primarily to save people the pain of having to watch the AI results shows.)
So, we first lose Kady Lee. Yeah. No surprise there.
Next to get the axe…Luke Menard. THANK YOU, American Idol gods!
For our third elimination, we get the long drawn out suspense treatment. Will it be Asia’h? Will it be Kristy? Thankfully, we lose Asia’h. Mainly because I’m just tired of typing her name. Plus, whether or not her dad died, I never really thought she was that good to begin with. She had some ok moments, but I honestly think that she didn’t deserve to make it to Hollywood. Not that Kristy is all that much better. But her day will come too.
For our final elimination, we’re almost out of time and it’s down to Danny “Spicy” Noriega and Chikezie. Unfortunately, the good folks over at Vote for the Worst are going to be VERY disappointed tonight. Little Danny Girl is going home. I couldn’t be happier. Is it aweful that I love how sad he is? I’m such a cold hearted snake. (Look into my eyes.)
And, did Ryan just have a memory lapse at during Danny’s elimination? HE’S the most outrageous Idol performer? Has his memory of last season been completely erased? Ummm…hello? Sanjaya!
So, ultimately, I am quite pleased with tonight’s results. No one who deserved to stay went home.
(I must say that I did enjoy Danny Girl’s version of “Tainted Love” a bit more tonight than I did last night. Although, my stomach does get queasy anytime he does that ridiculous hip thrust that he does.)
So, Asia’h definitely has the horrid 80’s clothing down for this week’s theme. Unfortunately, her singing is almost as bad. Or maybe it’s not that bad…it’s just that…well, it’s the Whitney curse. The only thing that Asia’h’s peformance does is remind me of how great Whitney’s version of this song is. And just how much Asia’h sounds like she’s doing really bad karaoke.
Randy calls it hot, Paula rambles all over the place and says that she nailed it and Simon calls her second-rate Whitney Houston at best (which Asia’h mistakenly decides is a compliment.) The ridiculous faux enthusiasm for bad things on this show is really starting to wear on my nerves.
Kady Malloy
Kady and Kristy are the SAME exact girl to me. Just wanted to throw that out there. So, Kady chooses perhaps one of the dreariest songs ever sang on American Idol. I can’t quite make sense of her logic in choosing this downer. Singing people into suicide is NOT the way to win a popularity contest, Kady.
Randy is surprised by her song choice and declares it pretty good, Paula thinks it was her best performance and Simon calls her a robot with no personality. Hey…Carrie Underwood won…why can’t Kady?
Amanda Overmeyer
Amanda decides to really surprise us tonight by singing some Joan Jett. Ok…so, that really wasn’t all that surprising, was it? It would be nice to see Amanda attempt to transcend her Rocker Queen persona. Just once, maybe? Not that I think that would help her or anything. In my book, this girl is just atrocious. I have NO idea why she’s on this stage…it’s beyond me why anyone thinks she can actually sing. I swear, sometimes I feel like everyone on this show is on some sort of drug that I’m not.
At this point, my DVR completely freaked out on me and kept on playing the same three seconds of Amanda singing over and over again. Let me tell you…I could NOT handle that. I had to do a reboot…and unfortunately missed the judges take on her.
Carly Smithson
So, Carly decides to take on one of my favorite Cyndi Lauper songs. Celine Dion tried this as well…and I’ve never forgiven her for it. Unfortunately, I think that Carly is actually attempting the Celine version of the song. And, unfortunately for us, Carly is trying the Celine version. Either that, or she’s trying to channel a banshee from her home country. Blah.
Randy LOVED it, Paula, for one brief moment, appears to tell Carly that she’s singing (thanks Paula…didn’t know that) and Simon thinks that she made a bad song choice (and also points out that Carly is doing the awful Celine version of the song.)
Kristy Lee Cook
So, I really like the idea of what Kady…I mean, Kristy is attempting tonight. A slightly country-rock version of Journey’s “Faithfully”…it’s a great idea, in theory. Kristy…she doesn’t exactly pull if off though. She does come close though. She has a few off notes and, overall, I don’t think her voice is strong enough to really pull the song off. Still, she’s not the worst.
Randy loves it and thinks it could be a hit for her, Paula says the same thing (and is full of positivity) and Simon still finds Kristy forgettable…even though he’s happy to hear something somewhat country coming from Kady Lee.
Ramiele Malubay
Ramiele manages a pretty good comeback from her mediocre 70’s week performance. Although it’s a little on the boring side, her vocals are great…once again, she always impresses me with the fantastic control that she has over her voice. And…well, that’s about it.
Randy liked the vocal, but not the performance…(I think), Paula…hell, you need a roadmap to follow Paula’s insane train of thought…and I’m pretty sure that such a map does NOT exist, while Simon calls Ramiele’s performance old-fashioned and predictable.
Brooke White
Brooke does a rather strange acoustic version of “Love is a Battlefield”…once that I’m pretty sure Pat Benatar does these days. I don’t like it. For me, there just isn’t enough substance to “Love is a Battlefield” to sing it acoustic. It NEEDS the screaming guitars and what not. Brooke is someone that I WANT to like…but I’m just not fully there yet.
Randy liked it, but doesn’t think she really brought anything new to it, Paula…well, Paula argues with Simon and Randy over whether or not she choreographed the video for “Love is a Battlefield” and Simon thinks she did a great performance.
Syesha Mercado
Syesha apparently read my blog last week…and granted my wish by singing a Whitney song. Normally, I don’t encourage such behavior on this show…it almost always ends in disaster…as witnessed by Asia’h’s earlier horrid version of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Syesha is no Whitney, but she comes the closest of any Idol than I can recall. At the very least, she manages to outdo Asia’h by a long shot.
Randy says simply good, Paula says sophisticated and lovely and Simon says predictable, but good.
So, my guess for going home this week…Asia’h and…should be Amanda. But, Amanda is safe…sadly. Umm…maybe Kristy or Kady? What do you think?
As was to be expected, this week’s Idol theme is the 80’s. And anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE the 80’s. Therefore, I’m not sure whether I should be thrilled about this week…or terrified.
Luke Menard
So, the second that I hear the first few chords of Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, I know that this is going to be a disaster. And Luke does not disappoint as far as that goes. Personally, I have no idea why you would choose this song to perform. I love it…it’s cheesy 80’s at its best. But it isn’t exactly a powerhouse 80’s song. There are SO many other George Michael tunes that Luke could have chosen. Anyway, his vocals, as usual, are mediocre at best. His performance…instead of waking me up, put me to sleep. Please, for the love of all that is holy, let Luke go this week.
Randy starts off his critique by asking if Luke had a good time. This is Randyspeak for “I sure as hell didn’t have a good time.” Paula…Paula seems to have loved it…but who really knows? Simon thought it was weak and girly and comes right out and tells Luke that he has no chance in hell of winning. How true.
David Archuleta
Every week, I keep expecting David to really screw up. And every week, David disappoints me. Thank you, David. His version of “Another Day in Paradise” is amazing. Ten times better than Phil Collins. And he even shows off a little bit of piano playing talent. I’m not gonna lie. I just want to adopt David.
Randy finds David’s kick-ass performance to be merely nice, Paula calls him perfect…kind of and Simon didn’t find it as good as last week’s performance.
Danny Noriega
Sigh. So, just so everyone knows…Danny is the favorite male Idol over at VoteForTheWorst. I don’t know how much power that site really has…but their support is the only explination that I have for his continued presence in this contest. His take on “Tainted Love”…it’s okay…as long as I don’t have to look at his bitchy little girl-face. There really is nothing about this kid that I like. Have I said that already?
Randy…I don’t know. Randy seems to have liked it…but for all of the talking that he does about Danny’s performance, he doesn’t really say much. Paula calls Danny the “bright light” in the competition and says that he has great vocals. Clearly, Paula is high. Or drunk. Or both. Simon, the lone voice of reason, calls it “useless” and says the he hated everything about it.
David Hernandez
Well, apparently David Hernandez’s most embarrassing moment DOESN’T involve the recent revelation that he is a former male stripper. Anyway, David does a really good job of singing a song that wasn’t a hit in the 80’s…but rather the 90’s. (“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”was released as a single, performed by Pandora’s Box, in 1989. It only got as far as 51 on the U.K. charts…I really think using this song for 80’s night is cheating in a MAJOR kind of way.) The eyebrow raising during the song seems unnecessary…but I can let that slide. Overall, it’s not his best…but I think it’s probably good enough to keep him around another week.
Randy once again harps on pitch problems, but liked the overall performance, Paula thinks that David has some of the best vocals in the contest (but is really wanting to see some of his other talents, I’m sure) and Simon thinks that David is safe for next week.
Michael Johns
Michael chooses to sing one of my favorite 80’s songs “Don’t You Forget About Me”. This seems a rather odd song choice to me. Because, even though I love this song, there really isn’t a whole lot to it. Not exactly a song that you want to sing if you are, say…trying to impress a viewing audience with your singing talents. Michael mostly yells throughout the song…but, really, what else is there for him to do?
Randy compares Michael to Michael Hutchence for the millionth time, Paula clearly wants to have Michael’s babies and Simon liked it, but didn’t love it.
David “Comb-Over” Cook
David is trying really hard to be this season’s Chris Daughtry. Sadly, David is not even half as talented as Chris. His song choice tonight…just freakin’ bizarre. While I certainly appreciate the whole making the song his own thing…a rock version of “Hello”? Seriously? No…really. Seriously? Just for the record, David…no…it is NOT you who I am looking for.
Randy thought the emo take on Lionel Rtchie was brilliant, Paula thought it was fabulous and should be a hit and Simon loved it. Clearly, it was just me.
Jason Castro
So, once again…ok, technically this is an 80’s song. It first appeared in 1984 on an album by Leonard Cohen. But it didn’t really become popular until the 90’s. I really think the contestants should have to choose songs that were on the charts during the 80’s…not just ones written during that decade. Anyway, all of that being said, I think this is a good performance from Jason. He does have some problems hitting the lower notes…and almost dies entirely at the very end. But I still like it overall.
Randy gives Jason props, Paula talks and Simon found it absolutely brilliant.
Chikezie
What is up with these songs tonight? Once again, we have a song that…although techincally from the 80’s, wasn’t a hit until the 90’s. Ok, so it was 1990 to be exact. But still, Whitney Houston’s version of “All the Man That I Need” is arguably the best known one. Anyway, Chikezie changes up the words a bit, just to make sure that no one confuses him with Danny, and does a fairly decent vocal. His performance overall is boring though. Blah.
Randy thought it was really good, Paula loves it and Simon didn’t like it.
My bet on who is going this week? I’d have to say Luke and possibly David Cook or David Hernandez. Although, singing a song like “Don’t You Forget About Me” could seal Michael’s fate. Sadly, I think that Danny is this season’s Sanjaya. He’ll be around a bit longer to torture me. Bitch.
So, not surprisingly, last week we lost four contestants who deserved to go…but weren’t the worst by far. Jason and Robbie…certainly not favorites of mine…but not the weakest of the bunch. And let me tell you…of all the girls, Asia’h Epperson and Kady Malloy certainly deserved to go more than Alexandrea and Alaina…although I’m not shedding any tears over them either. So, far, so good though. I haven’t felt like anyone who should be staying has gone home yet. Will be interesting to see what this week brings.
So, last week was really hectic for me. I was a day late posting the guys…and then never got around to the girls at all. So, you know what I’m doing? From an undisclosed location, I am watching the girls performances from last week on YouTube…just so that I can attempt to get the blog back to a somewhat updated status. At this point, we all know who got kicked off last week…but…well, I just know that all three of you reading are dying to hear my take on things. So, here we go!
Carly Smithson
Carly…I don’t really get all of the hype around Carly. She’s not bad…but she doesn’t blow me out of the water either. Her performance of “Crazy On You” was definitely not bad…it was actually kind of good really. Still, she’s no Nancy Wilson. I don’t know. I have a feeling that she will most likely be around on the show for awhile…if nothing else, she’s one of the few girls who is actually somewhat memorable. She’s one of the only ones whose name I can remember.
Randy liked the end of her performance, but thought she didn’t sound so great at the beginning, Paula refrained from making any crazy remarks about dismembering Carly and tells her that she’s amazing and Simon doesn’t think that Carly has chosen the right song yet…even though he thinks she’s the best singer of the bunch.
Syesha Mercado
Ok…Syesha has completely freaked me out with her baby cry imitation. I’m not sure that I can even concentrate on her singing ever again now. Talk about freaky. Anyway, Syesha does a nice, smooth rendition of “Me and Mr. Jones”. I like it. Syesha…despite her creepy baby imitation, may be growing on me. And, should we have an 80’s night this week, I would actually like to hear her give Whitney Houston a shot (even though I always advise against everyone doing that.)
Randy didn’t really like her performance because it didn’t show off her vocal talents, Paula liked it, even thought she blabbed on about…something. And Simon, was altogether displeased. Hell…I liked it.
Brooke White
I’m not really sure what to think about Brooke. I like her…but she seems to only really shine if she’s singing behind an instrument. Not that she really did much with the guitar on her performance of “You’re So Vain”…but it really seemed to help her. She sounded MUCH better this week than she did last week. I found her vocals kind of week on the chorus part, but I enjoyed the rest of it.
Randy thinks Brooke is Carly Simon-ish, Paula agrees and Simon absolutely loved it.
Ramiele Malubay
So, my favorite girl…she didn’t sound so hot on 70’s night, huh? I don’t know…she has a powerful voice…but not quite enough to carry off “Don’t Leave Me This Way”. I think a much better choice for her would have been “If I Can’t Have You”…but I always want SOMEONE to sing that song every year, don’t I?
Randy thought she was just ok, Paula agrees and Simon also agrees. Well, good to see that we’re all on the same page here.
Kristy Lee Cook
Once again, we have a case of someone choosing a song that…well, maybe should be avoided. A song called “You’re No Good”…well, it really does leave you open to some criticism, doesn’t it? Kristy’s (or is it Kristy Lee’s?) version of this song just seemed entirely too restrained. I didn’t really believe that she thought he was no good. At best, I felt that she was slightly inconvenienced.
Randy gives her the Most Improved Award of the Week, Paula declares her to be back and Simon agrees that she’s also improved.
Amanda Overmeyer
Oh heaven help me…I do not understand the appeal of the Bride of Frankenstein. Not only does she manage to look absolutely TERRIFYING during 70’s week…but she completely slaughters a song that isn’t exactly a musical masterpiece to begin with (I love “Carry on My Wayward Son…but it’s a song that’s really more about the guitar than the vocals). During the 2 and a half minutes of her performance, I kept on hoping that a sniper would pop out of the audience and take her out.
Randy tells her that it wasn’t the right song…and that it’s not a singer’s song (thank you, Randy for saying something that makes sense, for once) Paula the Dancer tells Amanda that she can dance…something that Amanda apparently doesn’t care for all that much…but that this wasn’t the right song for her and Simon calls her hair terrible and the song ugly.
Alaina Whitaker
Alaina gives a performance of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” that I’m pretty sure would make Olivia Newton-John spin in her grave…if she were dead, that is. Parts of the song she just screams on…the rest…she reminds me a bit of a dying cat. I don’t like Alaina. Did you pick up on that?
Randy didn’t like it, Paula calls her young and mature all at once and says she did a good job and Simon calls it pageanty.
Alexandrea Lushington
Alexandre’s song choice for 70’s night is just odd. Of all of the possible song choices from the 70’s, she picks a Chicago song? Did anyone else find that weird? Her vocals sounded rather weak until the very end…and, by then, I think it was a little too late. Well, obviously…
Randy thinks that she made a safe, boring choice, Paula thinks that she made it her own and Simon didn’t think the song was her and also called it boring.
Kady Malloy
Kady proves to us that she really should leave the Heart covers to Carly. And also, that she certainly is NOT magic. Or a man. I thought she was horrible.
Randy says that she never settled on the note (SO true!) Paula talks mostly about Kady’s hidden talents in a nice attempt to not talk about the disastrous song that she just sang and Simon says her performance didn’t go anywhere.
Asia’h Epperson
First, Asia’h annoys me by changing the lyrics of the song from “And making love was just for fun” to “even though the nights are young”. If you are too embarrassed to sing the original lyrics…then please pick another song. Second, she does a HORRIBLE job of it. Absolutely the WORST performance of the season so far. Bleh. If she keeps on singing like that, she’s gonna be by herself.
Randy apparently was in a different universe than me and declares that she did a good job, Paula also thinks she did great and Simon brings reason to the judge’s table and tells her that she’s not good enough to sing that song.
Well, that’s that for the girls. At this point, I think that they could just eliminate everyone except Ramiele, Brooke, Carly and Syesha from the competition. Just let the four of them battle it out with the remaining guys.
