Well now we're back, and Amanda-less. So sad. But we have to move on. This week's theme is "the year you were born," which means lots of terrible songs we grew up with. At least they will not kill Beatles songs. Grade scale remains standard - A, B, C, D, F.
1. Ramiele Malubay (1988 - Alone) - Oh my god, what is she wearing? Tina Turner couldn't make that late 80's gear look good. All she needs is a neon colored fanny pack. As for the singing, lots of glory notes in the power ballad and Ramiele as usual just doesn't hit them well. Her start was kind of raspy too. Randy is right on, the song was way too big for her. I don't care if she was sick, you have to overcome in this competition. She's cute enough to probably survive this week, but not much longer.
GRADE: D
2. Jason Castro (1987 - Fragile) - And we're right back to the crutch of Mr. Acoustic Idol. At least Castro didn't bring back the electric toy guitar or the 80's clothes to the stage. The performance was solid, but very soft and possibly too boring. The song choice was definitely right up his alley. The guitar playing was not fantastic, just basic strumming by the sounds of it. We'll say he passes.
GRADE: C
3. Syesha Mercado (1987 - If I Were Your Woman) - I swear, if she does the baby cry or KKK does Britney one more time...they should truly be co-VFTW. Happy to see the "high-class" dress and flat hair went away after one week, back to the fuzziness. Kelley thought she missed on the glory notes, but I disagree. It sounded great to me, and she may actually get off my chopping block this week. Classic moment 1 of the week: Paula calling the only black girl in the competition a Dark Horse. Nice. No doubt about it, she's back next week.
GRADE: A
4. Chikeize (1985 - If Only For One Night) - So Chikeize throws caution to the wind and goes back to what got him on the trouble a month ago. At least the harmonica stayed home this week, as too much of a quirky thing would be bad. I hate the pattern on the bottom of his suit jacket, it's too over the top for this song. His song choice was mediocre and the performance was solid yet forgettable. We know what Chikeize can do, and maybe he should find a way to mesh a ballad with some of his sparkling personality. Just did not do it tonight.
GRADE: D+
5. Brooke White (1983 - Every Breath You Take) - Missed the second note and started over, HUGE MISSTEP for this competition despite what Randy says. What a wank-wank story about being so gifted at music that she plays piano by ear. Good for you, Ms. Nothing Special. The song choice was interesting, her outfit was great considering the sunshine goodwill dress from last week, and the performance was typical Brooke. That song did not show off her vocal range at all, which makes me question my comparison earlier to Alicia Keys. The judges saying it was better than last week is no surprise since she punted like many last week.
GRADE: C
6. Michael Johns (1978 - We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions) - For the guy who did Bohemian Rhapsody to make the Top 24, this song choice is no surprise. He's actually lucky that he is so old and can pick from one of the greatest Queen albums of all time. Definitely not Freddie Mercury material here, but a pretty good rock performance. I don't think the song choice could get better than that honestly, and the performance was good enough to warrant top marks.
GRADE: A
7. Carly Smithson (1983 - Eclipse of the Heart) - First, I really like the black dress this week, as it fits Carly much better than some of her other outfits. Perfect song choice for someone who likes to belt out and oversing, and her performance was good except for the ridiculous glory note at the end. And before I forget, WTF is Paula Abdul wearing on her forearms? Biker gloves with jewelry accents? But anyways, the performance was good for that song. She needs to do a little better than that in the final weeks, but despite a bottom 3 appearance last week, Carly should be here well into May.
GRADE: B
8. David Archuleta (1990 - You're The Voice) - And now for the New Kids on the Block era, it's the Archulator. Nothing special about his outfit tonight, except for the little Mexican dance number with his sister clip. The song choice was mediocre and the judges as usual loved him despite not knowing the song. The performance was cruise ship worthy, despite his good singing. No way the tone-deaf tween tards are going to let him go, but it's really hit or miss. Of course, I will say the Archulator was at a huge disadvantage picking from the bare cupboard that was 1990. Cheesy.
GRADE: D
9. KKK Kristy Lee Cook (1984 - God Bless The U.S.A.) - Ahh, the queen of suckiness has garnered the crown of VFTW, rightfully so. No surprise that country-girl grabs the biggest Lee Greenwood ballad in history as a song choice. Between VFTW votes and silly patriotic votes, she might survive the week. The performance actually was not terrible, which hurts me fingers severely to type. She and Ramiele just are still outclassed by the rest of them. I thought The Archulator was cheesy, but I cannot believe this cheesiness. Wow. I just don't have words for it.
GRADE: C [which really is as good as it's going to get for her]
10. David Cook (1982 - Billie Jean) - My new top favorite picks a song from the greatest pop album of the 1980's, and does the Chris Cornell version (no surprise). He finally sheds the absolute punting of the final spot on the show from the past 3 weeks with a solid performance. There's just enough big notes in the song to show off vocally while doing a relatively safe performance. His song choices are unexpected and top notch, and perhaps this favorite will stick around longer than Amanda did. I could do without the scruffy soul patch, but whatever.
GRADE: A
Top 3: Syesha Mercado, Michael Johns, David Cook
Bottom 3: KKK Kristy Lee Cook, Chikeize, Ramiele Malubay
Going Home: Chikeize
No FAIL grade this week, although I probably could have given one out. This just seemed so much better on the whole than the raping of Beatles songs from last week. We'll see tomorrow if I reclaim my good picking of two weeks ago.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
American Idol Top 11: or How Not To Play Harmonica or Speak French
American Idol – The Top 11
Well I nailed the first week, except for having Syesha in my Top 3. I still think Ramiele was much worse, but the Tween-tards of America got it mostly right. Stripper Dave is gone, and we are down to 11 this week, week 2 of the Lennon/McCartney Songbook. I think maybe they should have waited a couple weeks to revisit this theme, but the songs are great source material so hopefully the Idols do better than last week. Grade scale is changing this week to a normalized A, B, C, D, and FAIL.
On a side note, thanks to this being my spring break and a four-day all-expenses paid trip to lovely Marietta Ohio for March Madness weekend (or shall I say Easter weekend), I'm doing this without internet from Cincy and then uploading Wednesday morning. But still, the insights should be good. At least when I'm not flipped between this and the second half of OSU's first round game in the NIT against UNCA and their 7'7" center…yes he wears 26 size shoes, the biggest in the world. It's amazing. Anyways, back to idol…
1. Amanda Overmyer, "Back In The USSR" – This was actually the exact song I thought she would pick. Good stage presence and outfit tonight (for her), but the performance was not great at the beginning. Solid vocals once she got going, and did not have to bend the song too much to make it Southern Rock. Judges were right on, and I think she had the perfect response to Simon's critique. If she drops out of Southern Rock, she will fail. Overall not impressive, so…
GRADE: C
2. KK-Kristy Lee Cook, "You Got To Hide Your Love Away" – Yeehaw, picking songs based solely on titles, uh-oh city. She needed a big performance to get off the chopping block. At least she really did not go out of her way to countrify a Lennon song for the second straight week. Still a little country in the black cowboy boots to match the normal-looking dress. Nice song for showing off vocal range, which I think she actually tried to do. The judges say she was too safe, but honestly she needed to play it safe after last week. I wish they'd stop encouraging the damn glory notes at the end of songs…I know they can sing a strong note, I want to see their vocal prowess, range, and performance style. Careful does not win Idol.
GRADE: D
3. David (I'm so good I can pimp the fact that I miss lyrics in a singing contest) Archuleta, "The Long and Winding Road" – Ahh, now we're back in Archuleta's wheel-house. I'm all for pimping the colored jackets with T-shirts, but I don't know about maroon jacket plus jeans. His performance needs to be better, as in move around the stage without fucking up the lyrics. He did not commit the cardinal sin this week, and actually did a nice job with the song. Of course the judges get on their knees and worship the holy Archuleta, just in case the Tween-Tards of America forget who they scream endlessly for. Tonight is the first time his voice has not completely annoyed me…a nice rebound.
GRADE: A
4. Michael Johns, "A Day In The Life" – I'm going all Randy here, but I didn't like what Michael did with the pitch of the notes early on. The outfit was fantastic…it screams don't pay attention to anything but the singing, except it would fit in nicely at a funeral. His haunting voice did not work for the slower parts of this song, and he couldn't show off during the fast part. Another Idol slayed by picking his most favorite song ever. Judges were spot on, and Michael may not leave this week but is headed in the wrong direction. Dedicating the song to your passed friend is cute one time…but don't pull it again.
GRADE: D
5. Brooke White, "Here Comes The Sun" – Surprisingly, it sounded like KKKristi during the opening, but Brooke sounded more like herself during the rest of the song. I know the yellow dress was supposed to be with the song, but it looks like something pulled out of a Goodwill dumpster. A huge drop off vocally from Let It Be last week, and will be OK thanks to prior performances. Judges continue the spot-on analysis, the song choice was the worst of the night. Brooke at the end telegraphed that she will go back to her wheelhouse and be stuck on the piano for many weeks to come. I think she'll succeed eventually, but only as a poor Alicia Keys knock-off and not in this competition. You are allowed to bring instruments, but not as a crutch (listen up Dreds).
GRADE: FAIL
6. David Cook, "Daytripper" (the White Snake version) – I love the crappy emo rock band who cried foul that DC stole their cover of Eleanor Rigby last week, when DC did it better. The outfit is totally cheesy Bon-Jovi style rock, but it fits the version of the song he did. This was a case where the instrument came out and did a good job because he doesn't rely on it like a crutch (and when he becomes a rock star, he will be playing it every night). The voicebox solo was incredible in all honesty, have to disagree with Simon there. It was different, it was rocking, and it was a quality performance. Misses the A grade just barely.
GRADE: B
7. Carly Smithson, "Blackbird" – Has there been a week where Carly has not shown off her tattoo with the shirt/dress she wears? I don't think so. This was a solid song choice, seems safe at first but opened up enough for Carly to show her usual vocal prowess. The outfit was a little loud for the song, but it's better than Brooke by a mile. Simon is rough on the contestants tonight, and perhaps he needs a nap. On a night where everybody outside the Daves are sort of stinking it up, this performance is more than good enough. On a final note, does anybody doubt when looking at Carly's guests and her new finger tattoos that before the end of her careers, her body will become a nasty pallet covered by tatts? Her friends scare me. I only bring it up because she draws attention to it…
GRADE: B
8. Jason Castro, "Michelle" – I think Ryan ruined the whole romance of the song by speaking French in the lead-in that way. On the bright side, nobody can tell when you mess up those lyrics (the pronunciation was merely OK on the French). The outfit was typical Jason, nothing fancy but not too hippy either. The performance was a little too happy for the song, as Jason's cheesy smile doesn’t sell the vibe at all. When Paula said Jason gets uncomfortable without the guitar, she couldn't have been speaking the truth more…but encouraging him to lean on the crutch is totally against my theory. As for tonight, the performance was not great but I liked his different song choice.
GRADE: C
9. Syesha Mercado, "Yesterday" – Ricky Minor (and his guitarist Paul) has the best gig in the world, playing cheesy favorites for American Idol and Don't Forget The Lyrics, and Paul looked good beside Syesha on this song playing acoustic guitar. Syesha's timing was a hair off I thought, but she played it very safe by picking this song. Beautiful dress for her as well. Not up to the performance last week, but apparently I'm in the minority there. This was good enough, not much else to say because it was pretty boring.
GRADE: C
10. Chikeize, "I've Just Seen A Face" – Anybody remember when Easy Chikeize wore that terrible gangsta-style outfit and almost got voted out? Nothing but sweater vests and muted colors since then, which is good because the focus should be on his singing. Playing the harmonica either made him nervous or out of breath, because he had some voice issues right after that. I love me some Blues Traveler though, so good risk with the harmonica (and not played terrible for just picking it up). Not as good as last week, but we can tell these are definitely the leftover song choices from last week. Simon says gimmicky, but I think it's still good enough to stick around.
GRADE: C
11. Ramiele Malubay, "I Should've Known Better" – More harmonica, this time from a professional in the band. There's a lot of voice in that little cute kid-sized body, but she did not have enough high points to show it in the song. This song and the outfit with the silly hat made me think of Blake Lewis, not a positive connotation in my mind. Ramiele is just outclassed by the other competitors, and is probably down with Stripper Dave as far as Top 12 talent. Two weeks in a row the final competitor has really punted the money-spot closing the show. If you can make Ryan Secrest look tall, wow you are small. I'd like to see her stand next to Kevin George from UNCA, the 7'7" beast that just lost to the Buckeyes. That would be funny. Pretty ordinary performance, which is bad news…
GRADE: D
FINAL THOUGHTS – Overall a very poor week on American Idol. This just proves you should not do two theme weeks with the same song set right in a row. The contestants are lucky if they can find one good match of a song (even in the legendary Lennon-McCartney songbook), so asking for magic two weeks in a row is not going to happen. Don't know what they will turn to next week, but we still have such diverse contestants that 1-2 will be in their comfort zone no matter the genre. So…
TOP THREE – David Archuleta, David Cook, Carly Smithson (the frontrunners return…)
BOTTOM THREE – Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malubay, Michael Johns
GOING HOME – Kristy Lee Cook
Well I nailed the first week, except for having Syesha in my Top 3. I still think Ramiele was much worse, but the Tween-tards of America got it mostly right. Stripper Dave is gone, and we are down to 11 this week, week 2 of the Lennon/McCartney Songbook. I think maybe they should have waited a couple weeks to revisit this theme, but the songs are great source material so hopefully the Idols do better than last week. Grade scale is changing this week to a normalized A, B, C, D, and FAIL.
On a side note, thanks to this being my spring break and a four-day all-expenses paid trip to lovely Marietta Ohio for March Madness weekend (or shall I say Easter weekend), I'm doing this without internet from Cincy and then uploading Wednesday morning. But still, the insights should be good. At least when I'm not flipped between this and the second half of OSU's first round game in the NIT against UNCA and their 7'7" center…yes he wears 26 size shoes, the biggest in the world. It's amazing. Anyways, back to idol…
1. Amanda Overmyer, "Back In The USSR" – This was actually the exact song I thought she would pick. Good stage presence and outfit tonight (for her), but the performance was not great at the beginning. Solid vocals once she got going, and did not have to bend the song too much to make it Southern Rock. Judges were right on, and I think she had the perfect response to Simon's critique. If she drops out of Southern Rock, she will fail. Overall not impressive, so…
GRADE: C
2. KK-Kristy Lee Cook, "You Got To Hide Your Love Away" – Yeehaw, picking songs based solely on titles, uh-oh city. She needed a big performance to get off the chopping block. At least she really did not go out of her way to countrify a Lennon song for the second straight week. Still a little country in the black cowboy boots to match the normal-looking dress. Nice song for showing off vocal range, which I think she actually tried to do. The judges say she was too safe, but honestly she needed to play it safe after last week. I wish they'd stop encouraging the damn glory notes at the end of songs…I know they can sing a strong note, I want to see their vocal prowess, range, and performance style. Careful does not win Idol.
GRADE: D
3. David (I'm so good I can pimp the fact that I miss lyrics in a singing contest) Archuleta, "The Long and Winding Road" – Ahh, now we're back in Archuleta's wheel-house. I'm all for pimping the colored jackets with T-shirts, but I don't know about maroon jacket plus jeans. His performance needs to be better, as in move around the stage without fucking up the lyrics. He did not commit the cardinal sin this week, and actually did a nice job with the song. Of course the judges get on their knees and worship the holy Archuleta, just in case the Tween-Tards of America forget who they scream endlessly for. Tonight is the first time his voice has not completely annoyed me…a nice rebound.
GRADE: A
4. Michael Johns, "A Day In The Life" – I'm going all Randy here, but I didn't like what Michael did with the pitch of the notes early on. The outfit was fantastic…it screams don't pay attention to anything but the singing, except it would fit in nicely at a funeral. His haunting voice did not work for the slower parts of this song, and he couldn't show off during the fast part. Another Idol slayed by picking his most favorite song ever. Judges were spot on, and Michael may not leave this week but is headed in the wrong direction. Dedicating the song to your passed friend is cute one time…but don't pull it again.
GRADE: D
5. Brooke White, "Here Comes The Sun" – Surprisingly, it sounded like KKKristi during the opening, but Brooke sounded more like herself during the rest of the song. I know the yellow dress was supposed to be with the song, but it looks like something pulled out of a Goodwill dumpster. A huge drop off vocally from Let It Be last week, and will be OK thanks to prior performances. Judges continue the spot-on analysis, the song choice was the worst of the night. Brooke at the end telegraphed that she will go back to her wheelhouse and be stuck on the piano for many weeks to come. I think she'll succeed eventually, but only as a poor Alicia Keys knock-off and not in this competition. You are allowed to bring instruments, but not as a crutch (listen up Dreds).
GRADE: FAIL
6. David Cook, "Daytripper" (the White Snake version) – I love the crappy emo rock band who cried foul that DC stole their cover of Eleanor Rigby last week, when DC did it better. The outfit is totally cheesy Bon-Jovi style rock, but it fits the version of the song he did. This was a case where the instrument came out and did a good job because he doesn't rely on it like a crutch (and when he becomes a rock star, he will be playing it every night). The voicebox solo was incredible in all honesty, have to disagree with Simon there. It was different, it was rocking, and it was a quality performance. Misses the A grade just barely.
GRADE: B
7. Carly Smithson, "Blackbird" – Has there been a week where Carly has not shown off her tattoo with the shirt/dress she wears? I don't think so. This was a solid song choice, seems safe at first but opened up enough for Carly to show her usual vocal prowess. The outfit was a little loud for the song, but it's better than Brooke by a mile. Simon is rough on the contestants tonight, and perhaps he needs a nap. On a night where everybody outside the Daves are sort of stinking it up, this performance is more than good enough. On a final note, does anybody doubt when looking at Carly's guests and her new finger tattoos that before the end of her careers, her body will become a nasty pallet covered by tatts? Her friends scare me. I only bring it up because she draws attention to it…
GRADE: B
8. Jason Castro, "Michelle" – I think Ryan ruined the whole romance of the song by speaking French in the lead-in that way. On the bright side, nobody can tell when you mess up those lyrics (the pronunciation was merely OK on the French). The outfit was typical Jason, nothing fancy but not too hippy either. The performance was a little too happy for the song, as Jason's cheesy smile doesn’t sell the vibe at all. When Paula said Jason gets uncomfortable without the guitar, she couldn't have been speaking the truth more…but encouraging him to lean on the crutch is totally against my theory. As for tonight, the performance was not great but I liked his different song choice.
GRADE: C
9. Syesha Mercado, "Yesterday" – Ricky Minor (and his guitarist Paul) has the best gig in the world, playing cheesy favorites for American Idol and Don't Forget The Lyrics, and Paul looked good beside Syesha on this song playing acoustic guitar. Syesha's timing was a hair off I thought, but she played it very safe by picking this song. Beautiful dress for her as well. Not up to the performance last week, but apparently I'm in the minority there. This was good enough, not much else to say because it was pretty boring.
GRADE: C
10. Chikeize, "I've Just Seen A Face" – Anybody remember when Easy Chikeize wore that terrible gangsta-style outfit and almost got voted out? Nothing but sweater vests and muted colors since then, which is good because the focus should be on his singing. Playing the harmonica either made him nervous or out of breath, because he had some voice issues right after that. I love me some Blues Traveler though, so good risk with the harmonica (and not played terrible for just picking it up). Not as good as last week, but we can tell these are definitely the leftover song choices from last week. Simon says gimmicky, but I think it's still good enough to stick around.
GRADE: C
11. Ramiele Malubay, "I Should've Known Better" – More harmonica, this time from a professional in the band. There's a lot of voice in that little cute kid-sized body, but she did not have enough high points to show it in the song. This song and the outfit with the silly hat made me think of Blake Lewis, not a positive connotation in my mind. Ramiele is just outclassed by the other competitors, and is probably down with Stripper Dave as far as Top 12 talent. Two weeks in a row the final competitor has really punted the money-spot closing the show. If you can make Ryan Secrest look tall, wow you are small. I'd like to see her stand next to Kevin George from UNCA, the 7'7" beast that just lost to the Buckeyes. That would be funny. Pretty ordinary performance, which is bad news…
GRADE: D
FINAL THOUGHTS – Overall a very poor week on American Idol. This just proves you should not do two theme weeks with the same song set right in a row. The contestants are lucky if they can find one good match of a song (even in the legendary Lennon-McCartney songbook), so asking for magic two weeks in a row is not going to happen. Don't know what they will turn to next week, but we still have such diverse contestants that 1-2 will be in their comfort zone no matter the genre. So…
TOP THREE – David Archuleta, David Cook, Carly Smithson (the frontrunners return…)
BOTTOM THREE – Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malubay, Michael Johns
GOING HOME – Kristy Lee Cook
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
American Idol Blog
American Idol in the eyes of the tone-deaf Fitzy...
This week is Top 12 week, so now we are down to the cream of the crap...or crop. The Lennon McCartney week Idol has been wanting to do for years is finally here, and maybe they will not suck it up. My grading scale will be as follows: Awesome, Super, Average, Bogus, and Zzzzz.
1. Syesha - (Got to get you into my life) This was a strong start to the Top 12 show, which is good since the first few singers can be forgotten if the latter half of the show is strong. The new stage looks sharp for the performances, but getting back to Syesha...she's definitely done the song justice tonight. Grade: Super.
2. Chikeze - (She's A Woman) Overall I was not thrilled with this performance, which apparently makes me in contrast with Kelley and all the judges. I thought the arrangement was brilliant, but perhaps a little above what Chikeze can do vocally. I love that he took a slow fiddle-picking start and finished up rocking. This will keep him safe in all likelihood. Grade: Average.
3. Ramiele - (In My Life) Oh my goodness, slow down a slow emotional song and make it worse. This was bad news all around because the performance bored everyone in the house to tears. There's nothing else to say about this one. No good comments from the judges either, so she may be joining her B.F.F. Danny by going home this week. GRADE: Zzzzz.
4. Jason - (If I Fell) Wow dreds needs to lose the damn guitar. It bothers me that he will not just show us he can sing. He could win acoustic idol in Columbus for sure, but that's not the competition. Again, the judges were pretty much right on...they must have sobered up this week. This performance only looks good thanks to what it directly followed. GRADE: Bogus.
5. Carly - (Come Together) If this girl oversang these songs anymore, we wouldn't be able to hear the band. I think Carly is one of the better contestants overall, but I'd really like to see her back off and do something like a normal singer. I think this was a poor song choice, but the judges are correct that she doesn't miss a note. GRADE: Average.
6. David Cook - (Eleanor Rigby) So the lesser David of Season 7 thinks playing his own guitar wouldn't add to Eleanor Rigby...no shit. The rolled up jacket collar is distracting. As for the performance, it was too plain jane for the song. It's OK to rock out and get points from me, but that will not sell America's mass of Teen-tards who will vote endlessly on Mommy and Daddy's phones. Surprised at the judge's love on this one. GRADE: Average.
7. Brooke - (Let It Be) The piano thing 2 weeks in a row is a bit much, but she could be parlaying her Alicia Keys skills for the future. Definitely uncomfortable playing the piano and trying to look into the camera and at the audience. OK verse, but the chorus was weak when she could have shown off her vocal range. Please stop crying when the judges give positive feedback. Still, the solid piano play and song choice is enough to save her. GRADE: Average.
8. David Hernandez - (I Saw Her Standing There) If the singing thing doesn't work out, don't believe for a second stripper David would interview people for a living, unless by "interviewing" you mean "shaking his junk and working the stage" at the strip club. But onto the singing, the vocal was OK. In the words of Simon, that's a cruise ship vocal (something you could see in any Cruise Ship show). The judges say he was overdoing it, which is a nice way to say the performance sucked. They obviously weren't listening to Carly carefully enough. Still, highlight of the night is him saying "I'm just going to work the stage" and me snickering because I know how he works the stage back home. GRADE: Bogus.
9. Amanda - (You Can't Do That) Amanda's my girl, but she's got to avoid falling into a trap whenever she has to pick a non-Southern Rock song. She did some neat tricks with the vocals on this song, but it really shows how poor her harmony voice is when the backup singers jump in. The arrangement was good because she has to move things into Southern Rock. I really don't know other than the scratchy voice why she is the pick for VFTW (Vote For The Worst) or why she was in the bottom 3 girls two weeks ago, but whatever. Solid this week. GRADE: Super
10. Michael - (Across the Universe) This guy picked a good song for showing off your voice, which is indeed important in this competition. The performance was pretty forgettable, and Randy is right on with his "sleepy" comment. On a side note, I'm pretty sure Simon is sleeping with Carly and David Archuleta. Michael could be in trouble this week, as this was nothing special. GRADE: Bogus
11. Kristy Lee Cook - (Eight Days A Week) General Lee or KKKristy, depending on your favorite nickname, really put her Southern country all over this song. She definitely could pull a Carrie Underwood and stick around, but countrify-ing this song was a big mistake. The judges are wrong in some respect because doing runs is what country singers do. They are correct though in saying it was not a good performance. GRADE: Bogus
12. David Archuleta - (We Can Work It Out) Here comes the lovefest...I DESPISE how everybody cheers when he goes all diva every single week. Don't get me wrong, the kid has serious talent, but he's not the best thing since sliced bread. The clip of him singing for Kelly Clarkson six years ago when he was 11 just solidifed his D-Bag status in my book....on to the song, HE WHIFFED ON TWO LYRICS IN THE VERSE! Oh my God, he's mortal. This performance is the worst he's done on Idol, which is still better than many of the remaining contestants. Yay to the judges actually speaking truth. GRADE: Bogus [but to be fair, his fan base bumps up any grade I give him by one]
Well they did better on the Beatles songs than expected. I hope this isn't the "rock" show of the season, as the Beatles transcend all genres. The vote could go a number of ways next week and I don't have a great read on it. I think Ramiele is bottom 3 for sure, and David Hernandez is probably in big trouble. KKKristy Lee Cook may go also. If there were any justice, Archuleta would be Bottom 3 for committing the cardinal sin of forgetting lyrics...twice. But that won't happen.
TOP 3 - Syesha, Amanda, Brooke
BOTTOM 3 - Ramiele, Stripper David Hernandez, KKKristy Lee Cook
GOING HOME - Stripper Dave
This week is Top 12 week, so now we are down to the cream of the crap...or crop. The Lennon McCartney week Idol has been wanting to do for years is finally here, and maybe they will not suck it up. My grading scale will be as follows: Awesome, Super, Average, Bogus, and Zzzzz.
1. Syesha - (Got to get you into my life) This was a strong start to the Top 12 show, which is good since the first few singers can be forgotten if the latter half of the show is strong. The new stage looks sharp for the performances, but getting back to Syesha...she's definitely done the song justice tonight. Grade: Super.
2. Chikeze - (She's A Woman) Overall I was not thrilled with this performance, which apparently makes me in contrast with Kelley and all the judges. I thought the arrangement was brilliant, but perhaps a little above what Chikeze can do vocally. I love that he took a slow fiddle-picking start and finished up rocking. This will keep him safe in all likelihood. Grade: Average.
3. Ramiele - (In My Life) Oh my goodness, slow down a slow emotional song and make it worse. This was bad news all around because the performance bored everyone in the house to tears. There's nothing else to say about this one. No good comments from the judges either, so she may be joining her B.F.F. Danny by going home this week. GRADE: Zzzzz.
4. Jason - (If I Fell) Wow dreds needs to lose the damn guitar. It bothers me that he will not just show us he can sing. He could win acoustic idol in Columbus for sure, but that's not the competition. Again, the judges were pretty much right on...they must have sobered up this week. This performance only looks good thanks to what it directly followed. GRADE: Bogus.
5. Carly - (Come Together) If this girl oversang these songs anymore, we wouldn't be able to hear the band. I think Carly is one of the better contestants overall, but I'd really like to see her back off and do something like a normal singer. I think this was a poor song choice, but the judges are correct that she doesn't miss a note. GRADE: Average.
6. David Cook - (Eleanor Rigby) So the lesser David of Season 7 thinks playing his own guitar wouldn't add to Eleanor Rigby...no shit. The rolled up jacket collar is distracting. As for the performance, it was too plain jane for the song. It's OK to rock out and get points from me, but that will not sell America's mass of Teen-tards who will vote endlessly on Mommy and Daddy's phones. Surprised at the judge's love on this one. GRADE: Average.
7. Brooke - (Let It Be) The piano thing 2 weeks in a row is a bit much, but she could be parlaying her Alicia Keys skills for the future. Definitely uncomfortable playing the piano and trying to look into the camera and at the audience. OK verse, but the chorus was weak when she could have shown off her vocal range. Please stop crying when the judges give positive feedback. Still, the solid piano play and song choice is enough to save her. GRADE: Average.
8. David Hernandez - (I Saw Her Standing There) If the singing thing doesn't work out, don't believe for a second stripper David would interview people for a living, unless by "interviewing" you mean "shaking his junk and working the stage" at the strip club. But onto the singing, the vocal was OK. In the words of Simon, that's a cruise ship vocal (something you could see in any Cruise Ship show). The judges say he was overdoing it, which is a nice way to say the performance sucked. They obviously weren't listening to Carly carefully enough. Still, highlight of the night is him saying "I'm just going to work the stage" and me snickering because I know how he works the stage back home. GRADE: Bogus.
9. Amanda - (You Can't Do That) Amanda's my girl, but she's got to avoid falling into a trap whenever she has to pick a non-Southern Rock song. She did some neat tricks with the vocals on this song, but it really shows how poor her harmony voice is when the backup singers jump in. The arrangement was good because she has to move things into Southern Rock. I really don't know other than the scratchy voice why she is the pick for VFTW (Vote For The Worst) or why she was in the bottom 3 girls two weeks ago, but whatever. Solid this week. GRADE: Super
10. Michael - (Across the Universe) This guy picked a good song for showing off your voice, which is indeed important in this competition. The performance was pretty forgettable, and Randy is right on with his "sleepy" comment. On a side note, I'm pretty sure Simon is sleeping with Carly and David Archuleta. Michael could be in trouble this week, as this was nothing special. GRADE: Bogus
11. Kristy Lee Cook - (Eight Days A Week) General Lee or KKKristy, depending on your favorite nickname, really put her Southern country all over this song. She definitely could pull a Carrie Underwood and stick around, but countrify-ing this song was a big mistake. The judges are wrong in some respect because doing runs is what country singers do. They are correct though in saying it was not a good performance. GRADE: Bogus
12. David Archuleta - (We Can Work It Out) Here comes the lovefest...I DESPISE how everybody cheers when he goes all diva every single week. Don't get me wrong, the kid has serious talent, but he's not the best thing since sliced bread. The clip of him singing for Kelly Clarkson six years ago when he was 11 just solidifed his D-Bag status in my book....on to the song, HE WHIFFED ON TWO LYRICS IN THE VERSE! Oh my God, he's mortal. This performance is the worst he's done on Idol, which is still better than many of the remaining contestants. Yay to the judges actually speaking truth. GRADE: Bogus [but to be fair, his fan base bumps up any grade I give him by one]
Well they did better on the Beatles songs than expected. I hope this isn't the "rock" show of the season, as the Beatles transcend all genres. The vote could go a number of ways next week and I don't have a great read on it. I think Ramiele is bottom 3 for sure, and David Hernandez is probably in big trouble. KKKristy Lee Cook may go also. If there were any justice, Archuleta would be Bottom 3 for committing the cardinal sin of forgetting lyrics...twice. But that won't happen.
TOP 3 - Syesha, Amanda, Brooke
BOTTOM 3 - Ramiele, Stripper David Hernandez, KKKristy Lee Cook
GOING HOME - Stripper Dave
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