Much as I like The Beatles, I think it was a mistake to repeat the theme this week. It seemed to throw off all the contestants, and it showed particularly in some performances. Some were disconnected, some were unfocused, and some were just plainly going through the motions. I think the fact that Idol gave a different theme every week is what showed the diversity of each contestant. For some contestants, keeping the theme made their previous performances either look better or worse.
Regardless, it was a pretty hard night for all of the Top 11. (there was “a hard day’s night” joke in there somewhere, but I chose to let it go)
There were a few redeeming performances (I’m looking at you again David A.), but also some mediocre performances, compared to great performances last week. (Ah Brooke…)
Besides Randy annoyingly plugging Paula’s hit single every couple of minutes, the show progressed as usual. Although, I have to admit, this is one of the first shows this season that I found myself disagreeing with Simon most of the time. I don’t know what he was hearing last night, and although some of the performances weren’t good, they were not as bad as he made them out to be. I don’t know what put him in a foul mood, but I think he was a little off in his judgements last night.
So anyway, without further ado, let’s get to the performances:
1. AMANDA OVERMYER – sung “Back in the USSR” - I said it before, and I’ll say it again; I like Amanda. I like what she can bring to the competition. Saying that though, this is one of the times in the show that I agreed with Simon. It was a good performance, but it was not unexpected. I had conversations about Amanda with a friend of mine (Tom) and I agreed with him when he suggested that if Amanda didn’t start doing something different, she was going to start to become boring. Well, here it is, and that’s exactly what is happening. Was it a bad performance? No. Was it status quo for Amanda? Yes, and that’s what’s going to put her in danger tonight. I hate to say it, but her insistance on doing the same old standard thing this week has landed her a spot in my Bottom three picks.
2. KRISTY LEE COOK – sung “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away” – Well, I have to say, big improvement over last week’s horror show. But not much in the sense of standing out. Again, I found my myself agreeing with Simon in that though Kristy sung this better then last week, it made no impact. I personally like Simon’s description of Kristy as wallpaper, though it was cruel. It fit the way Kristy sung the song. There was no animation, no emotion, and nothing to make me remember her performance. That’s not to say she didn’t sing it well, it just wasn’t memorable. Add all this to the fact that Kristy has been in the bottom three for the past 2-3 weeks, (a fact pointed out in her pre-performance video) and you KNOW she cemented a place in my bottom three picks once again.
3. DAVID ARCHULETA – sung “The Long and Winding Road” – Ah, finally David is back on top. What a strong emotional performance, to what is one of my favorite Beatles songs. I have to admit, I’m starting to notice how big David’s ears are though. They are a bit distracting, especially with the earpiece in. Regardless though, he’s still adorable and likable. His humble nature and great performance last night will undoubtedly keep him safe. Keep it up, kid.
4. MICHAEL JOHNS – sung “A Day in the Life” – Michael was singing this song in memory of a friend, which I certainly can appreciate and sympathize with. However it was a mistake. Being forced to cut down ANY song that is 5 minutes long or more, to only a minute and half is a recipe for diaster. Add in that this was one of the classic Beatles tunes, and you get the substandard performance that Michael gave us last night. While his vocals were not a mess as the judges made it out to be, it was the arrangement which was the focal point of the spiraling badness of this performance. I was disappointed with Michael’s performance, and was expecting more from him. Friend or no friend, Michael, I would have chosen a different song on the basis of the length. Five minutes to one minute, 30 seconds? Not do-able! Still though, Michael’s cute accent and prior performances will let him squeeze by this week. For me, I think he’s safe.
5. BROOKE WHITE - sung “Here Comes the Sun” – Maybe it’s my growing affection for Brooke, but I really didn’t think her performance was that bad. I really needed to disagree with Simon on this one, because while this performance paled in comparison to last week’s amazing vocal, it was not nearly as bad as Simon made it out to be. Brooke pointed out that after giving her praise so many weeks in a row, she was bound to get a bad review sooner or later. I suppose she’s right, but something Simon said later in the night struck me as being correct. He mentioned during Syesha’s performance of “Yesterday”, that that was the song Brooke should have sung. I agree! If she would of chosen that song, I think she would have garnered praise for a 4th week in a row. Still though, Brooke is likable, and after 3 weeks of great performances, I doubt she’s in danger. I call her safe this week.
6. DAVID COOK – sung “Day Tripper” – I’m gonna borrow from Simon’s phrase book this week, and call David’s performance “a bit indulgent”. I think David is in danger of possibly creeping into the Amanda problem. I will give David this much though, his vocals were great in the beginning, and the middle really started well, but dammit, once he put in that awful harmonica, it all went down the drain. Simon told him he didn’t think it was half as good as David thought it was. I think I find myself agreeing. Even though I wouldn’t call David over confident, he did seem like he kind of had this song “in the bag” so to speak. Despite this though, David is safe.
7. CARLY SMITHSON – sung “Blackbird” – Maybe it’s just me, but I just don’t see the Kelly Clarkson comparison with this girl. Don’t get me wrong, she’s good, but I don’t think she is in the same league as Kelly. Her choice of “Blackbird” was bold, and different for her, and for the most part she sung it well. It was nice to hear her sing a ballady tune, and she proved she could hit the low notes. I definitely think she’s safe this week. As a side note, did anyone else notice her husband in the audience? WOW! Tattoos from head to toe…literally! He can definitely stand out in a crowd!
8. JASON CASTRO – sung “Michelle” – Jason had to learn some lyrics in a different language for this song (French). I will applaud him for the effort, because I would not be able to do that. That being said, this might have been a bad song choice for Jason. I’m really starting to like Jason, and though his vocals were pretty good, the way he was acting during his performance was so distracted and so disconnected, it made it bad. It was supposed to be a tender, heartfelt performance, but his ackward smile was not suiting the song. I think this was one of Jason’s weakest performances, and while it wasn’t all out bad, it was disappointing. Still though, as the judges pointed out, Jason is charming. VERY charming, and that alone will keep him safe this week.
9. SYESHA MERCADO – sung “Yesterday” – Simon called in on the nose when he said this was the song Brooke should have sung. While I do not agree with Simon’s other criticisms about Syesha’s performance, I will say that Syesha suffers from the same problem she’s had from the beginning. Noticeability. I found that she over sung the song, and I didn’t feel the emotion that should be the underlying layer to the vocals. While it was sung on tune, I found it forgetable, and that’s why I think Syesha might be securing the final spot in my bottom three picks once again.
10. CHIKEZIE – sung “I've Just Seen a Face” – Dammit, I wanted to hate this performance. I wanted to agree with Simon, but I found myself disagreeing. In a strange way, I liked this performance. I thought it was catchy, with a down-home country feel which worked really well. (I think Kristy might have really put on a great performance with this song.) I’m not crazy about Chikezie, but I will give him props for a good performance. It was a definitely a toe-tapper, despite what Simon said. Much as I want to say he’s not safe, I think he is.
11. RAMIELE MALUBAY – sung “I Should Have Known Better” – I really like Ramiele, but does anyone feel like we just keep waiting and waiting for this girl to wow us like she did in the beginning? I didn’t think it was a bad performance at all, it was actually quite good. But the fact is, by this point in the competition, I should be really starting to see this girl out-perform some of the other contestants. But she isn’t, and it’s getting down to the moment when it’s make it or break it time. Ramiele needs to step it up very soon, and though I don’t think she’s going home (though I was wrong about David Hernandez last week), I think she can go either way tonight. She can easily take Syesha’s place in my bottom three picks.
My Bottom Three Picks: Syesha Mercado or Ramiele Malubay, Amanda Overmyer and Kristy Lee Cook.
My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Kristy Lee Cook. Bad performance last week. Weak performance this week, on top of being compared to wallpaper by Simon will be Kristy’s ride out. Take note though, I was wrong last week, so it could easily be Amanda. I don’t think Syesha or Ramiele are going home. (sure, now watch me be wrong again! Argh!)
So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s chat it up!
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5 comments:
The whole thing was a mess last night. Total mistake to repeat the genre. Brooke was very cool about the criticism, mostly because she knew full well she deserved it. Kristy has GOT To go. And Amanda -- who I loved at the start -- is not far behind. T
let's take about Michael the assuie. I think he is much more talented that we have seen. Right now, i don't find him at all impressive. I am waiting for him to have the "break out performance" If he doesn't step up soon, i think he is going to be in trouble. Dawn
on a side note - carly makes this face when she is hitting the big notes. Ever notice? her eyes close her head goes back, her mouth opens all of her teeth are revealed and she pulls the mic away. That face makes me nuts - In my opinion it's much uglier and goofier then any of Jason Catro's "but I got high" faces. I am starting to find Carly to be very "old and dated" she made be talented, but i find her stale.
Amanda is smart to keep doing her thing and ignore call to change it up. The judges love to f with people and tell them to mix it up, and they when they blow it, they tell them they should have kept it real. I can't stand her, but she's safe. If she didn't go first the judges would have loved her compared to the crap we heard from the rest of them.
Ramiele could really go all the way if people mute the tv before she starts singing. She was terrible.
I don't think Amanda's in the bottom three at all though I do agree that she needs to change things up a little bit. However, she's found her niche, and I believe she could easily go out and get a contract for her style of singing and be perfectly successful. If she stays on, she had better not try a ballad or she will croak. She has no ballad in her voice. I definitely think Kristy Lee Cook is going home, but I think Syesha is safer than you think, and Ramiele could easily beat out Kristy Lee in the going home category. Despite her great voice, she's been completely boring since before she made it to the top 12.
I was bored by the show last night and I agree that doing the same thing 2 weeks in a row was a bad idea. I hope they learn from this and never do something like this again. I did not think David "The Lick Lipper" was that great. Honestly I'm getting bored of him already. So far he has shown that he can only sing ballads. I liked Carly's performance and thought Simon was a little too hard on her. I liked what Amanda did and I did not find her boring at all. If she sings a slow song she will share the same fate as Gina from last year and get kicked out. She needs to keep doing the rocker thing.
Kristy should go but I fear that her good looks will keep her around for another week or 2, as Haley was able to pull off last year. I think Ramiele or Syesha might go this week.
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