American Idol - Week Three - 3/27/07

Only one word came to mind when watching last’s night’s performances: SURPRISE.

Why “surprise” you may ask?
I was “surprised” on how well a lot of the contestants performed and “surprised” how really bad Sanjaya has gotten. It’s gotten to the point of mockery now, and it’s starting to annoy me. Sanjaya is not even trying, and it’s obvious from the judge’s comments to him that it was noticeable. But we’ll get to him in a moment.

I almost didn’t recognize Gwen Stefani without her trademark putanna-red lipstick. (look up “putanna”, it’s an Italian word…but I digress.) It didn’t seem to me like Gwen really “mentored” anyone during this week’s show. I mean, most of her advice was the same to almost every contestant, which was “stay with the melody”. I don’t know, I hope she just wasn’t booked this week for the ratings. (I mean, that NEVER happens on television, right?)

Sigh.
Enough babbling, and onto the contestants’ performances:

1. LaKISHA JONES – sung “Last Dance” – Now Kiki has proven that she’s not just about belting out slow moving ballads. She turned it up this week, doing a nice up tempo song which in my opinion was done very well. I know the judges loved her performance, but something was off about her tonight. Aside from the prostitute boots, (big shock Simon liked them?) I’m not sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact she did an up tempo song? I think I found at times that her voice was bigger then the song. That’s not her fault, but I think that’s what was bothering me about her performance. It doesn’t matter though, because Kiki will be staying on another week.

2. CHRIS SLIGH – sung “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – Is anyone else disappointed in Chris lately? I sure am. I was expecting better things from him by this stage in the competition, and at the very least he should have “wowed” me by now. But he hasn’t, and it puts him in the dangerous position that Stephanie Edwards was in last week. Now I’m not a die hard Sting/Police fan like some of my friends, but I know the song well enough to know that Simon was right. This performance was a mess, and Chris was definitely not singing with the beat of the song. He got way ahead of the music, and it made what could have been a very decent performance one of his worst. Hate to say it, but Chris will need to take a spot in my Bottom Three picks.

3. GINA GLOCKSON – sung “I’ll Stand By You” - Okay, officially, with last night’s performance, I have turned into a Gina fan. I was always on the borderline with her, because she hadn’t “wowed” me yet. This Pretenders classic is one of my favorite songs, and not only did Gina do it justice, she blew it out of the water. I found she had great voice control, and not only could you understand every word she sang, unlike other performances (COUGH – Sanjaya – COUGH) she showed an amazing tenderness and emotion. Simon was right on the money when he said this was her best performance, because it won me over. She is definitely around another week.

4. SANJAYA MALAKAR – sung “Bathwater” - I’m going to quote Simon right now; “it doesn't matter what we say, you are in your own universe”. That can’t be more true after last night’s debacle. I felt bad for Sanjaya for a while, but now, he’s just making a mockery of his place in the competition. Was I truly supposed to believe that he was trying to give his best performance last night? Come on, the ridiculous mohawk alone was enough to make his performance a joke, but then he pretty much mumbles the entire song (I for one could not understand a word) and though I’m not an avid Gwen/No Doubt fan, one co-worker of mine is, and he pointed out that Sanjaya actually forgot some of the words during the performance. If it was anyone else, he/she would have been called out on that note. But he wasn’t, which could be either blamed on the judges’ unfamiliarity with the song, or the fact of what Simon said that it really doesn’t matter what they say about him anymore. It hurts to even say this again, but expect Sanjaya to stick around yet another week, while another better-talented singer goes home.

5. HALEY SCARNATO – sung “True Colors” – As most of you know, I am a huge Cyndi Lauper fan, and this song is one of my all time favorites. So as a fan of the original artist, I can only say this about Haley’s rendition of this song: Mediocre. I didn’t hate it, but at the same time I didn’t like it. I like the beginning of it (even though Randy said it started off rough for him, I didn’t think it was that bad), but I hated the way it ended. Haley has proven that she did deserve to be in the Top Twelve by this point, but as Simon said, it was forgettable. There wasn’t an outstanding vocal or performance to make her stand out like some of the others this week, which puts her in the precarious position of the second person to occupy the Bottom three tonight.

6. PHIL STACY - sung “Every Breath You Take” - All right, color me impressed. I’m not a big fan of Gollum here, but I have to give him props for a very good performance of one of my favorite Police songs. He paced it really well, and knew exactly when to come in with the big notes. I worry for Phil though, because even though this was one of his better performances, I still don’t think he has thrown down his “wow” performance that will win over fans. Despite Simon’s comment on how he proved he was seriously in the competition, I don’t think we’ll see much better then this. I could always be wrong, but I think this was the best we’ll see Mr.Stacy do. Though I thought his performance was good, I just don’t think he’s made enough of an impact yet, which believe it or not, earned him my last place in my Bottom three picks.

7. MELINDA DOOLITTLE – sung “Heaven Knows” - Melinda looked out of place tonight. And Simon couldn’t have been more right about her outfit. Who dresses the contestants at this point? That was a truly “ghastly” looking outfit, and it made Melinda seem uncomfortable. But I digress, because despite the fashion choices, she truly proved she can sing up tempo songs. (did her and Kiki talk and decide to do up beat songs this week?) Still though, it wasn’t the best performance I’ve seen from her. Vocally, it was stunning, but it didn’t measure up to her past performances. Maybe that’s part of the problem? I come to expect Melinda to out do herself every week, so of course one week is going to seem weaker then the rest. Despite that, you know for a fact Melinda is around next week. Most definitely safe.

8. BLAKE LEWIS – sung “Love Song” - Finally, no beat-boxing, and he sounded great! (is it just me, or did his rendition of this song, sound more like the re-make from a few years ago then the original Cure song?) Regardless of which version he was doing it did sound great, and proved that he doesn’t need to add beat-boxing to every song to make it sound good. Some people said it sounded boring, but I truly don’t think so. It sounded in tune, accurate, and most of all he entertained me. (not to mention the fact he’s becoming easy on the eyes for me). Is he the strongest male performer at this point? I would have to say yes, since Chris S. is not living up to the potential he should. Safe? No question.

9. JORDIN SPARKS – sung “Hey Baby” - What a firecracker this one is. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, she is definitely growing on me. Simon was right when he said her performance was a little “copycattish”, but she sung it magnificently. She has youth, energy, and as the judges said, she’s not afraid to take risks. Because of this, I am really starting to believe she has a better chance of reaching the finals then Melinda or LaKisha. Her rendition of this song was contemporary, and though she really didn’t put too much of her own spin on it, it sounded good enough to definitely keep her safe.

10. CHRIS RICHARDSON – sung “Don’t Speak” - Why was Chris in the bottom two last week? It’s hard to figure out, because he truly gave an outstanding performance. I chalk it up to the “Daughtry factor”. What is the Daughtry factor you may ask? It’s what happened to Chris Daughtry last year when he was voted off. People thought he was so good, that they just assumed he would be safe, without voting. This is what happened to Chris. I truly find it hard to believe that Sanjaya has more teen girl fans then the handsome boy-band look-alike that Chris is. His performance of this well-known No Doubt song was pretty darn good, but not as good as last week’s. I like his spin on it, and thankfully he took Gwen’s advice and just stuck to the song. Even if this wasn’t his best performance, he will not be in the bottom three this week. I think his fans learned their lesson, and their voted their little heads off this week to keep him in. I predict he is safe.

My Bottom Three Picks: Phil Stacy, Haley Scarnato and Chris Sligh.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: I think Phil’s performance was just good enough to keep him in, so I would say it’s between Haley or Chris. Hmm….I’ll say Haley.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Comments?

American Idol - Week Two - 3/20/07

Before I begin this week’s review, let me just say thanks to you all for reading my review. I didn’t realize until recently that some of you guys forward this review to other people I don’t know, and that’s really appreciated. If you guys want, forward me their emails, and I’ll just add them to the distribution.

So anyway, in general, last night all of the contestants upped their game, and I have to say I’m impressed. However, that being said, I found myself both agreeing with the judges on some performances, and absolutely thinking they had earplugs in their ears for others. (I’m looking at YOU, Sanjaya)
Peter Noone and Lulu were the guest “advisor/mentors” this week, and I found myself actually loving their little suggestions to the contestants. I honestly think that if some of the contestants would have listened to them last night, they would have done far better then they did. So there’s my two cents overall, so let’s move onto the contestants’ performances:

1. HALEY SCARNATO – sung “Tell Him” – Okay, this was a good start to the whole “British Invasion” theme to the show. She started out strong, and kept it up throughout her performance. I agree when the judges said she picked a good song, and she did look good as well. (I’m not sure I agree with Simon when he said fans would be talking about more then just her singing the next day). Don’t get me wrong, she looked pretty, but not trashy. (Unless I misunderstood what he meant?) Regardless though, I think for all the flack Haley got for beating out Sabrina getting into the Top 12, I think she proved last night she deserves to be there. I think she’ll be around another week.

2. CHRIS RICHARDSON – sung “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” - It’s about time this cutie showed he has actual singing talent and not just looks and “runs in the song”. (As a side note, I can’t believe how much this show educates the viewer on different singing terms. I mean I had NO idea what a “run” was 6 months ago! But I digress…) Chris admitted he was holding back doing more runs in the song, and thankfully he took his own advice on that note. Hopefully he noticed he doesn’t have to do that with every single performance, and because he held back, I think (as Simon said) it was one of his best performances to date. It was sexy, and intimate, and definitely sung well. Chris is staying around a bit longer.

3. STEPHANIE EDWARDS – sung “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” - She lost her edge. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was about Stephanie’s performances last week and this week that I found bad, until Simon pointed it out. He said told Stephanie she lost her edge and she’s just fading into the background, and I have to agree. When I first heard her sing, I thought that she could be a serious contender for the finals. But she lost something along the way, and it showed last night. It was boring, and definitely not an improvement from last week. (and for crying out loud, where the heck did she get that top? It looked like she won it on eBay from a former Solid Gold dancer. ) She is one of my picks for the bottom three, though I do like her, she has not performed up to her potential.

4. BLAKE LEWIS – sung “Time of the Season” - Okay, Blake is starting to grow on me, but dammit, does he HAVE to beat box to every friggin’ song!? I think he has a GREAT voice and a unique style, but he constantly needs to change it up? EVERYtime?
This is where I disagreed with the judges a little. Did I think Blake updated the song for a more contemporary vibe? Yes. Do I think this “modernizing” of every song is gonna get tired out? YES. Blake has a great voice, and he needs to showcase it. Again, I’m really starting to like him, but he needs to cut down the song beat-boxing. It’s a singing competition! (though I find myself agreeing with Peter Noone when he says it’s a “Voting competition”!) Anyway, Blake is definitely safe.

5. LaKISHA JONES – sung “Diamonds Are Forever” - Ah, my Kiki made an error this week. Hopefully, I don’t think it will affect her too much, she should be safe. When Lulu said to her she should sing the other song, “You Are My World” I wasn’t sure which song was right for her, until Lulu sung a few bars of it for her. I was agreeing with Lulu when she predicted that Kiki would OWN that song. But unfortunately, Kiki decided to go with “Diamonds Are Forever”, which, while sung as amazing as ever, was not her best performance to date. I think it was one of her weakest. I don’t think I agree with Simon on this one when he said it was “old fashioned”. (Of course it’s old fashioned Simon, they are singing 60’s songs!) This was definitely one of Lakisha’s weakest performances, but it didn’t affect her over-all appeal. She’s definitely back next week.

6. PHIL STACY - sung “Tobacco Road” - Maybe I’m being too critical here, but I would think that by this point, Phil would have showed me some type of “eye-popping” performance. But I’m yet to be wowed, and I just don’t see the “wow factor” everyone talks about. I like his voice, but his personality is just not happening. At this point I don’t even see him standing out, so most of the other contestants are over-taking him. This song was unknown to me, and instead of “wowing” me, and selling the song to me, I was bored, and found myself fishing around for some chips in my cabinet instead of watching his performance. What does that tell me? It tells me he’s in the bottom three tonight. (again!)

7. JORDIN SPARKS – sung “I Who Have Nothing” - This kid is impressing me every week, and I’m seeing shades of Kelly Clarkson here. I remember Kelly slowly getting better every week, and by the end of the competition, not only did she overtake the other contestants, but she put up a show-stopping number each time. I’m starting to see this with Jordin. Another song I was unfamiliar with, but unlike Mr.Stacy, she SOLD it to me. What a great controlled performance, and a great range. I really really am starting to like this girl and is slowly gaining on Melinda and Lakisha. She is definitely staying around, so she is safe.

8. SANJAYA MALAKAR – sung “You Really Got Me” - I really have to wonder what the judges were hearing last night during Sanjaya’s performance. I heard off-key screaming, no melody and it looked like a high school performance gone wrong. His moves were spastic, and his singing completely out of tune. Sigh. I don’t hate Sanjaya, on the contrary I actually feel like he’s been given a raw deal in the media. It’s not his fault he’s surrounded by better, more talented singers, but the kid tries. (and the little crying girl did not help. I swear, she cried during so many performances last night I thought she had some sort of disorder). Sanjaya friggin’ SCREAMED, not sung some parts of this song, and it was awful. So why the praise from the judges this week? (I think they want to try to keep him in for the Top 10 so he can tour with the rest of the idols. Why? The teeny-boppers equal ticket sales) Hate me for this prediction if you must, but Sanjaya is unfortunately around for at least one more week.

9. GINA GLOCKSON – sung “Paint It Black” - Disappointed. This is the only way I could describe my reaction to her performance of this Rolling Stone classic. When I heard she was choosing this song for her performance, I was excited. Gina is starting to grow on me too, and I love her whole “rocker girl” vibe. I thought this song was a perfect choice, but I suppose I was wrong. She definitely messed up vocally tonight, especially in the low key parts of the song. For one of the few Rolling Stones songs I know, and one of my favorites (yes, I know, sue me for not being a Stones’ fan), I don’t think she did that well, and as much as I like her, Simon was right. Vocally, it just was not good enough. Sorry Gina, but you’re in the bottom three tonight.

10. CHRIS SLIGH – sung “She’s Not There” - Finally, Chris is back the way I like him. No more contacts, and the voice is back. I loved his performance, and thought his coming out of the crowd singing was a perfect way to stand out from the other performances last night. Think about it, even if you don’t remember what Chris sang, you can at least remember he was the one who started his performance walking out of the audience. I thought he really made up for the horrible performance last week, and it gave him a pass to be here another week.

11. MELINDA DOOLITTLE – sung “As Long As He Needs Me” - You would think that singing a 60s tune would make Melinda feel right at home. And you couldn’t be more right. What another great performance, and again, I was sold a song that I didn’t know. Every week, I’m more and more impressed with Melinda’s control, and do I really think she’s that nice in person? I really think so, and both her naïve charm, personality and most of all, voice will get her close to the finals, if not the final four. However, will she win? Debatable. Unless she changes her song choices, and finds a way to connect to a younger audience, she won’t be able to win the competition.

My Bottom Three Picks: Phil Stacy, Gina Glockson and Stephanie Edwards.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Tough call, but I would say it’s between Stephanie or Phil. I think Gina is safe.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Comments?

American Idol - Week One - 3/13/07

Welcome one and all to my (2nd? 3rd?) annual weekly review of the American Idol Final 12!
Thanks to all my returning commenters and readers just curious on my take.

Agree? Disagree? Let me hear you!
Posting comments are free.
So shall we move onto the show?

First off, I have to say first off how I think the girls still lead the boys in performances. Last night they proved it again. Granted, you have to admit, the girls had an advantage singing the music of Diana Ross and The Supremes, what with the "old-fashioned belters" like Lakisha and Melinda in the group. Also, the boys tried too hard to update the Motown classics with hipper, more contemporary singing styles. It didn’t work, in my opinion. I agree with what all the judges said at one point; "let the classics be the classics."

So onto the contestants’ performances:

1. BRANDON ROGERS – sung “You Can’t Hurry Love” - Wow, this was bad. On top of a really awkward performance, he forgets the words? Yikes. I’ll give him a break this week, because not only did he open the show as the first performer, he did it on a new stage. However, that aside, there is no excuse at this stage of the competition for you to forget the words. Brandon’s performance was forgettable, bad, and to be honest, a little boring. Brandon is one of my picks for the bottom three.

2. MELINDA DOOLITTLE – sung “Home” – Now, THIS was a performance. I haven’t heard this song in years, since I first saw “The Wiz” back when I was a wee lad. She made it new again for me, and her voice was absolutely perfect for it. Melinda’s genuine surprise when hearing the judges comments and the audience’s reaction was touching. She still doesn’t know how good she really is yet, which just makes her all the more endearing. I can’t wait to see her during the next couple of months grow with confidence and finally accept how good she is. Simon called her a "young Gladys Knight", and I couldn’t agree with him more.

3. CHRIS SLIGH – sung “Endless Love” - When someone says something like “you butchered that song”, you think that would be enough to describe how bad someone sang a song. That phrase isn’t nearly enough to describe the awful mess Chris made out of this song. Wow. It actually made Brandon’s performance look not as bad in comparison. Now don’t get me wrong here, Chris’ vocals were fine, he definitely can sing well. That wasn’t the problem. The arrangement was horrendous, a true “mess” as Randy described it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris isn’t in the bottom three tonight, though I doubt he’s going home. I’m really surprised at him, because I do kind of enjoy his voice. Oh and I agree with Simon when he said Chris should keep his glasses on. I think that’s part of his appeal now, the “glasses and afro” guy.

4. GINA GLOCKSON – sung “Love Child” - Before I get to her performance, has Gina lost weight, or is it just me? I have to admit it. I think Gina is on that borderline right now of either doing well, or bottoming out. Her performance was adequate at best. She seemed to try to gain momentum on an arrangement that was slowed down. Not her best by far, and she is definitely better then the performance she had tonight. I hope she comes back, because I really wanna see what she’s capable of. I’m not a fan yet, but I like her personality. Much as I don’t want her to go home, she is my next pick for the bottom three tonight. (though I hope she’s safe)

5. SANJAYA MALAKAR – sung “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” - Is there really anything I can say at this point? Do I really need to point out the obvious here? Truly one of the WORST renditions of this awesome song I’ve EVER heard. (and I’ve heard some truly awful renditions of songs on AI in the past 6 years) This is a song that uplifts me everytime I hear it, and he just totally ruined it for me. I feel bad in a way, because this kid has no confidence in his vocal ability, and part of that is because he keeps getting horrible feedback from the judges. Is it any wonder why so far he’s been shocked he wasn’t voted off yet?
I don’t blame him though, because it’s his song choices that are killing him. He is simply either picking songs that are either unknown or too big for him. (like this one) I honestly think if he picks the right song, I may actually say “Wow, that wasn’t bad, it was pretty good”. However, am I a fan. Most definitely not, he should have gone home 3-4 weeks ago. Much as I hope he’s in the bottom three, I hate to say he will be safe thanks to the Indian vote. (much like the Hawaiians came to Jasmine Trias’ rescue many times a couple of years ago)

6. HALEY SCARNATO – sung “Missing You” - Okay like you guys, I do not think she deserves to be in the Top 12. The other girl, Sabrina, deserved to be here instead. But I find myself a little impressed with Haley’s performance tonight. I agree with Simon, when he said he thinks she showed real stage presence, despite her nerves getting the best of her. I agree with him, she really stood out. Did she forget the words? Yep. Was her performance pitchy? (OH yes.) But I remember last year, a certain girl named Katharine McPhee was the same way. By far, she definitely sucked tonight, but I don’t think it was enough to get her into the bottom three tonight. I think her heartfelt appreciation of the judges comments won the voting audience over enough to save her. Will she be around until the end? Doubtful, but hey, McPhee had been predicted to be voted off plenty of times before last season before she made it to the final two.

7. PHIL STACY - sung “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” - Vocally, I loved this performance. However, I do agree with Simon (as most of the time I do – Paula is useless and appeared quite plastered last night) that Phil has a tendency to shout his bigger notes. I’m not sure how I feel about Phil yet. I like his personality, and his voice is decent. I just don’t think he has the stage presence yet. I’m actually not sure if he’ll even get stage presence in the coming weeks, but who knows, he may surprise me.

8. LaKISHA JONES – sung “God Bless the Child” - This is MY girl!! I was a fan of "Kiki" when I first heard her belt out her first song during the auditions. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not familiar with Billie Holiday’s songs, but she sold it to me. Man, what a great controlled performance, just like a pro. She looked totally at home on the big stage, and was not intimidated at all by the bigger audience. This is my girl, and hopefully, she’ll make it to at least the final three if not the final two.

9. BLAKE LEWIS – sung “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” - Ah, Blake. Blake, Blake, Blake. Okay, so I’m on the fence with him. I like his voice, I think he has a lot of talent. But dammit, I agree with Randy when he tells Blake that he doesn’t have to "Blake-a-size" every song. And it’s true, because I don’t think every song Blake sings needs his beat-boxing or re-mixing. As I said before, "let the classics be the classics." I want to remind Blake it’s SINGING competition, not a beat-boxing or song remixing competition. You’re a good singer Blake, just stick to it.

10. STEPHANIE EDWARDS – sung “Love Hangover” - I was really disappointed with her tonight. She was one of my early favorites, and the fact that she forget some of the words (the third contestant to do so tonight!) irked me. On top of that, I SOOOO agreed with the judges when they said she teased us with only part of the song, and omitted the up-tempo part of it. I found myself waiting for the familiar part of the song to start up, only for it to not appear at all. It was like getting worked up during foreplay, only to have the person turn over and say they have a headache when the time came to “perform”. I like Stephanie, but I think this performance placed her in the bottom three tonight. I hope she stays, because she really is better then this performance.

11. CHRIS RICHARDSON – sung “The Boss” - Okay, so I admit it. I do have a crush on Chris. His Justin Timberlake-like voice and looks makes me melt. That aside, this was my least favorite performance from him. I loved his take on “Geek In The Pink” from a couple of weeks back, a song that was totally unfamiliar to me, but he sold it. This performance, while not as bad as Simon made it out to be (the vocals weren’t that “dreadful”), he did but in a bit too many runs in the song. Chris definitely tried his best to sell the performance, but it kind of fell flat. I’m rooting for Chris, though I doubt he’ll make it to the final three. I think he’ll be back next week.

12. JORDIN SPARKS – sung “If We Hold On Together” - She impressed me. If I was on the fence about her before, her personality and performance tonight finally made me a fan. She truly was fantastic tonight, and I agree when Randy said she just made it "a three girl race." I was unfamiliar with this song, but Jordin made it for me. I was really digging her elegant vibe, and I still find it hard to believe she’s only 17. I’d love to see this girl get pretty far, and she has the youth factor, which will help her in some respects. Lakisha and Melinda definitely have to contend with her, and she proved that tonight.

My Bottom Three Picks: Brandon Rogers, Gina Glockson and Stephanie Edwards.
My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Brandon Rogers

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Comments?