Yes, we are spared the indignity of having to endure Nick/Norman one more week – unless, in a fit of madness or drinks spiced with hallucinogens, the judges decide to put him in the callback show.
So, did the voters get it right? A huge yes in the case of Allison. She gives me chills at times when she does those low-register runs of hers. Like Alexis last week, she was better the second time around. And she has that undefinable “it” quality or “x” factor that makes her stand out. Not sure anymore if Alexis is my favorite female so far. I like them both for different reasons. Allison is power. Alexis is grace.
You know I like Emo-Chic and I am really happy the voters saw it that way. He is an amazing singer!
OK, I am less happy about Mishovanna going down. I can live without Jesse although I liked her, too. Neither of them was going to win, anyway. I am not at all sure what Kris did to stay in other than be a cute guy.
It was good to see my old girlfriend Brooke again but, of course, I have already thrown her under the bus for Alexis and Kara (hey, I'm a P - gotta keep those options open).
Next week – the Invasion (or is it Infestation?) of Nathaniel!!!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
A Very Confusing Night
First, the people I said to look out for didn’t bring what I was looking for. It was quite a disappointing night in general. Not sure what’s happening that we are getting so many bad performances in the two weeks so far.
Next, I think the contestants are confused. Song choices were bordering on ludicrous. Kris Allen was shown singing Michael Buble during
Nick/Norman is just plain confused. And by tolerating him, the show reached a new low and, frankly, deserves all of the hating the Idol Haters can muster.
I thought the judges were very confused by Mishovanna Henson (sang Train Drops of Jupiter). I thought she was fabulous. Diandra thought she was fabulous and she tends to be more critical than me. I don’t get why the judges were hating on her.
And, finally, Emo-Chic (Adam) was confusing. This guy has mad vocal skills. Best I have ever seen on Idol. And as good as I’ve ever heard anywhere by anybody. But sometimes way over the top. If he reigns himself in, look out. I would love to hear him take on a big, big old school rock song by a big tenor voice:
So, the not so confusing. Sixteen year old, red-haired Allison is good. Not great, yet. But really good. She’ll need to pick good songs. Alone was borderline but still enough to show her skills. She has a winning personality and, as Diandra has observed, I am a sucker for husky-voiced female singers, i.e. Alexis.
I thought Jesse (Bette Davis Eyes) was better than the judges thought. Again, I am in the tank for husky-voiced female singers. Jesse sang this song as if it were hers and not like she was doing a karaoke of the original. She has a different look and is quirky in a good way. Paula called her captivating and I think that is the perfect word for how I feel about her.
I already mentioned that I liked Mishovanna a lot. And Emo-Chic – when he is good, he is untouchable. I’ll add him to Ray’s Serious Contender list along with Danny and Alexis. But of course, we need to see how the voting goes.
Tonight
Tonight promises to be a good night with more than a few potential Finalists - key word here is "potential" given last week's train wrecks. People I like tonight are: Jasmine Murray, Jesse Langseth, Emo-Chic (Adam Lambert) and Kai Kalama, the latter two as much for their unique looks as much or more than their singing ability. For some reason, Matt Giraud rings a bell as someone I liked previously, too, but it's hard to remember when we saw so little singing and so much drama prior to this round.
Also Nick/Norman tonight. He is beyond ANNOYING and I am so hoping he makes it easy to himself to get voted off.
Now another piece of news. Here is a link to a USA Today interview with Simon http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-02-24-idol-live-shows_N.htm
In it he lays out how the judges' "bring back" round works. Basically they will pick nine people for what sounds like a sing-off next Thursday and then they will pick three of those. Now here's the intriguing part: those nine can come from outside the final 36. In other words, people who were "eliminated" in Hollywood may be chosen to come back. This could mean David Osmond who had laryngitis or maybe a reconsidering of Jamar, especially since some of those picked over him fell flat on their faces. By the way did you see him in the audience when BFF Danny was singing? Uh, who's paying for him to stay in Hollywood? Let the conspiracy theories abound!!!!
Also Nick/Norman tonight. He is beyond ANNOYING and I am so hoping he makes it easy to himself to get voted off.
Now another piece of news. Here is a link to a USA Today interview with Simon http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-02-24-idol-live-shows_N.htm
In it he lays out how the judges' "bring back" round works. Basically they will pick nine people for what sounds like a sing-off next Thursday and then they will pick three of those. Now here's the intriguing part: those nine can come from outside the final 36. In other words, people who were "eliminated" in Hollywood may be chosen to come back. This could mean David Osmond who had laryngitis or maybe a reconsidering of Jamar, especially since some of those picked over him fell flat on their faces. By the way did you see him in the audience when BFF Danny was singing? Uh, who's paying for him to stay in Hollywood? Let the conspiracy theories abound!!!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thankful for No Surprises
In all the excitement of our first results night, did you, like me, forget how detestable the One-Hour-So-Fox-Can-Get-Paid-But-Should-Be-30-Minutes-Results-Shows are?
And how long did it take for you to see that they would hold Tatiana and Danny until the end? And even though you “knew” Danny was moving on, did you, like me, feel the knot in your stomach desperately hoping that Tatiana and her bundle of DSM codes would get sent packing?
Yes, our National Nightmare is over, well at least until next week and we have to deal with Nick/Norman, and then Nathaniel the following week. But I am getting ahead of myself. This week, America got it right with Alexis and Danny, and I am OK with Oil Rig Dude since nobody else really did anything last night. Of those eliminated last night, I think Anoop deserves to get put through by the judges.
The best part of the night was the performances by Alexis and the duet by Carly and Hot Michael. Alexis just flat out brung it. Was even better than last night and last night was great. My mom said she looked “set free” and I thought that was a great description of Aretha version 2. Yes, it is still very early but she really has set herself up as one to watch. Danny wasn’t as good as last night but how could he be after the pressure of being the last one to find out?
Remind me again why Carly didn’t win last year? I still think she was the best singer. And I hope Hot Michael’s album has the kind of white boy soul like “The Letter” because that is where his sweet spot is. I think his insistence on trying to cast himself as a rock singer really cost him last year. But here I am still reviewing last year’s Idolists. Tonight is a night of relief as my two early favorites Danny and Alexis – or is it Alexis and Danny? – got through. I am getting excited!
And how long did it take for you to see that they would hold Tatiana and Danny until the end? And even though you “knew” Danny was moving on, did you, like me, feel the knot in your stomach desperately hoping that Tatiana and her bundle of DSM codes would get sent packing?
Yes, our National Nightmare is over, well at least until next week and we have to deal with Nick/Norman, and then Nathaniel the following week. But I am getting ahead of myself. This week, America got it right with Alexis and Danny, and I am OK with Oil Rig Dude since nobody else really did anything last night. Of those eliminated last night, I think Anoop deserves to get put through by the judges.
The best part of the night was the performances by Alexis and the duet by Carly and Hot Michael. Alexis just flat out brung it. Was even better than last night and last night was great. My mom said she looked “set free” and I thought that was a great description of Aretha version 2. Yes, it is still very early but she really has set herself up as one to watch. Danny wasn’t as good as last night but how could he be after the pressure of being the last one to find out?
Remind me again why Carly didn’t win last year? I still think she was the best singer. And I hope Hot Michael’s album has the kind of white boy soul like “The Letter” because that is where his sweet spot is. I think his insistence on trying to cast himself as a rock singer really cost him last year. But here I am still reviewing last year’s Idolists. Tonight is a night of relief as my two early favorites Danny and Alexis – or is it Alexis and Danny? – got through. I am getting excited!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Danny and Alexis shine in a night of trainwrecks
Order was restored to the universe shortly after 8:00 p.m. Eastern when Randy Jackson once again uttered his immortal words, "You gotta be in it to win it."
You don’t have to hold your breath to the end, here’s who I liked tonight according to the way the votes will go down:
Best Male – Danny Gokey, by a zillion miles
Best Female – Alexis Grace, who I am now in love with. Syesha who? Sabrina who?
Next Best - Anoop Desai but he really didn’t distinguish himself
A lot of train wrecks tonight. Kind of makes you wonder how good a job the judges did putting people through or maybe it’s just the best you can hope for when amateurs hit the big stage on national television. Still, Jamar couldn’t have done better than what we saw tonight with the exceptions of Danny and Alexis? Hopefully, the next two sets of 12 will be better.
Admit it – when you heard that Tatiana was going to sing Whitney, you smiled with glee knowing this was going to be, as I said before she went on, “the biggest train wreck in a night of train wrecks.” And then you had to restrain your glee when she actually did OK. At this point, though, it is NOW a singing competition for me and I am done with her.
Really disappointed with both Anoop and Stephen Fowler who have way more potential than they showed tonight.
The next couple of weeks will be interesting for me in that I may have already seen my two favorites in Danny and Alexis. Danny’s voice at times gives me chills, he knows how to arrange music in a way that is both good musically and good for his vocal style, and he’s a nice guy with a great backstory. Alexis cannot be cuter and she has that Dusty Springfield (for the old schoolers)/Duffy (for the new schoolers) vibe going on. And she cannot be cuter. I’m sure I haven’t said that before.
You don’t have to hold your breath to the end, here’s who I liked tonight according to the way the votes will go down:
Best Male – Danny Gokey, by a zillion miles
Best Female – Alexis Grace, who I am now in love with. Syesha who? Sabrina who?
Next Best - Anoop Desai but he really didn’t distinguish himself
A lot of train wrecks tonight. Kind of makes you wonder how good a job the judges did putting people through or maybe it’s just the best you can hope for when amateurs hit the big stage on national television. Still, Jamar couldn’t have done better than what we saw tonight with the exceptions of Danny and Alexis? Hopefully, the next two sets of 12 will be better.
Admit it – when you heard that Tatiana was going to sing Whitney, you smiled with glee knowing this was going to be, as I said before she went on, “the biggest train wreck in a night of train wrecks.” And then you had to restrain your glee when she actually did OK. At this point, though, it is NOW a singing competition for me and I am done with her.
Really disappointed with both Anoop and Stephen Fowler who have way more potential than they showed tonight.
The next couple of weeks will be interesting for me in that I may have already seen my two favorites in Danny and Alexis. Danny’s voice at times gives me chills, he knows how to arrange music in a way that is both good musically and good for his vocal style, and he’s a nice guy with a great backstory. Alexis cannot be cuter and she has that Dusty Springfield (for the old schoolers)/Duffy (for the new schoolers) vibe going on. And she cannot be cuter. I’m sure I haven’t said that before.
Alexis Watch
Yes, I have a crush on Alexis. And, yes, I think she can sing, too. I am counting on you to dial 1-866-436-5703.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Comments
I hope the lack of comments means that folks are enjoying reading my takes on Idol and feel there is no need for them to leave comments. Or it could be because I had the settings such that you couldn't leave comments without an account of some kind. I have changed that so feel free to have your say.
You will notice that my mom (an Idol watcher from the beginning) already has.
You will notice that my mom (an Idol watcher from the beginning) already has.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Bummer about Jamar
Another year, another letdown. Two years ago it was Sabrina (yes, I am still hurt and bitter about her premature exit and I refuse to get over it). Last year it was Asia’h and Alexandrea. This year, it’s Jamar. Really? Are there really 36 singers better than him? Nick/Norman? Seriously?
Tatiana? OK, I’ll admit it – she makes me laugh. At least this year I am entertained by the annoying person, as opposed to Danny Noriega or the Still Unspeakable One. But I have REAL problem that Jamar is not still in the competition.
As long as I am on problems, I really hated the way that the producers had friends compete against each other in the sing-offs – that seemed unnecessary and cruel. And I hated that both a winner and a loser had to face everybody in the waiting room at the same time. What should be a giant moment of elation for the winner becomes bittersweet, instead. In general, I am glad the pre-voting part of the show is over and we can get on with reality rather than the producers idea of drama which was more like emotional manipulation.
OK, now on to the singers. The stars mean nothing other than the way I highlighted people I liked as I saw them:
4 stars – Danny Gokey
2 stars – Alexis with the really cute, purple-highlighted hair and young daughter; I REALLY like her
2 stars Allison – the 16 year old with the “raw, natural talent”
1 star – Lil Rounds, a “good old fashioned singer” according to Simon
1 star - Steven Fowler, the guy who walked off the stage in
Others of note:
Adam Lambert now to known as Emo-Chic, bestowed on him by my daughter Cassandra
Jasmine Murray
Joanne Pacitti – I think she can sing and I just really like a lot her for some reason that I can’t put my finger on
Kai Kalama - wild hair, good looking guy
Taylor Vaifanua – didn’t see her until tonight, seems like she can sing
People I Like
Prior to tonight's Finally-We-Get-to-the-Final 36-Group, here are the people that have stood out to me, at least those I can remember right now given that we have had so little face time with people of any talent:
Danny Gokey and his friend Jamar Rogers (decent but not as good as Danny), Lil Rounds, Kristen McNamara (I may have read somewhere that she was on Nashville Star?), Adam Lambert (the theater-looking dude), Anoop, Jorge, Anne Marie Boskovich; and despite terrible rounds last night: Joanna Pacitti, Steven Fowler (forgot his words twice last night), and Jasmine Murray.
I'm sure I'm leaving some out but those come immediately to mind.
I guess I've learned this: that what you see in the auditions doesn't translate to Hollywood (e.g. Lanesha); and what you see in Hollywood isn't the way it will play out once the finals start. Some people get a lot better (Elliot Yamin, David Cook, Jordin Sparks), some worse (sorry ladies, I just never thought Michael Johns delivered on his early promise), and some have mystifying success (Bucky, Kristy Lee, and the [still] Unspeakable One whose name begins with S in case you forgot who I am referring to).
All that to say I have no early predictions, yet.
Danny Gokey and his friend Jamar Rogers (decent but not as good as Danny), Lil Rounds, Kristen McNamara (I may have read somewhere that she was on Nashville Star?), Adam Lambert (the theater-looking dude), Anoop, Jorge, Anne Marie Boskovich; and despite terrible rounds last night: Joanna Pacitti, Steven Fowler (forgot his words twice last night), and Jasmine Murray.
I'm sure I'm leaving some out but those come immediately to mind.
I guess I've learned this: that what you see in the auditions doesn't translate to Hollywood (e.g. Lanesha); and what you see in Hollywood isn't the way it will play out once the finals start. Some people get a lot better (Elliot Yamin, David Cook, Jordin Sparks), some worse (sorry ladies, I just never thought Michael Johns delivered on his early promise), and some have mystifying success (Bucky, Kristy Lee, and the [still] Unspeakable One whose name begins with S in case you forgot who I am referring to).
All that to say I have no early predictions, yet.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
This is a singing competition, right?
Well the Standard Poodle was clearly ready for the bright lights but I was a little disappointed that the 13 inch Beagle failed to bring it’s A-game to the table when it counted most. On the hand, the Scottish Terrier was a pleasant surprise and . . . . oh, uh, that’s right, um, American Idol . . . . . well . . . .
Sorry. It’s THAT time of the year again for me. My Annual-Week-After-The-Super Bowl-Watch-The-Westminster-Dog-Show-With-Christine. There are some things in life you simply learn to accept and not question them. I like to think of it as practicing the self-management that I preach. But back to the matter at hand.
Another shameful week of create-drama-for-ratings. We are going to hear people SING this year, right? At some point, hopefully tomorrow night, Tatiana and her weepy melodrama (that I enjoy in some twisted way) and Nick/Norman (who is totally annoying) have to go home, yes?
Tonight the only person that really impressed me was – again – Danny Gokey. I LOVE this guy’s voice. He can sound smooth, gritty, soulful, go high, go loud, give you some vibrato – or not – and knows when to do all of those things.
It was obvious that the judges were considering a whole body of work because some of the performances were rather lame by people I thought were good. I’m happy about that because I think there may be a few gems out there – IF WE ACTUALLY GET TO HEAR THEM SING!
I was sad about Lanesha. I thought the little clip we saw was enough to get her through but apparently not. Hollywood Week always claims a few people who originally auditioned well. Speaking of which, the word is that David Osmond lost his voice due to laryngitis which explains his ouster last week. Bummer. I think that would have added an interesting subplot to the proceedings.
So tomorrow night, we finally see who our finalists are - at least the final 36. And if we don’t start getting some singing soon, I’m going to have to write about my girl Kara (another fabulous blouse tonight).
But the real question is: can Yes, the all-time winningest black standard poodle hold off a field of sharp competitors such as Conrad, the Puli with the dreads? Or will a toy dog be victorious?
Sorry. It’s THAT time of the year again for me. My Annual-Week-After-The-Super Bowl-Watch-The-Westminster-Dog-Show-With-Christine. There are some things in life you simply learn to accept and not question them. I like to think of it as practicing the self-management that I preach. But back to the matter at hand.
Another shameful week of create-drama-for-ratings. We are going to hear people SING this year, right? At some point, hopefully tomorrow night, Tatiana and her weepy melodrama (that I enjoy in some twisted way) and Nick/Norman (who is totally annoying) have to go home, yes?
Tonight the only person that really impressed me was – again – Danny Gokey. I LOVE this guy’s voice. He can sound smooth, gritty, soulful, go high, go loud, give you some vibrato – or not – and knows when to do all of those things.
It was obvious that the judges were considering a whole body of work because some of the performances were rather lame by people I thought were good. I’m happy about that because I think there may be a few gems out there – IF WE ACTUALLY GET TO HEAR THEM SING!
I was sad about Lanesha. I thought the little clip we saw was enough to get her through but apparently not. Hollywood Week always claims a few people who originally auditioned well. Speaking of which, the word is that David Osmond lost his voice due to laryngitis which explains his ouster last week. Bummer. I think that would have added an interesting subplot to the proceedings.
So tomorrow night, we finally see who our finalists are - at least the final 36. And if we don’t start getting some singing soon, I’m going to have to write about my girl Kara (another fabulous blouse tonight).
But the real question is: can Yes, the all-time winningest black standard poodle hold off a field of sharp competitors such as Conrad, the Puli with the dreads? Or will a toy dog be victorious?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tears, Fears, and Occasionally Some Singing
OK, I admit it. I am truly sick and need help. I am actually entertained by the drama of Group Day. I am watching it again with Diandra who missed it earlier. Even worse, I find myself liking the crying, bossy, group-changing, thanking-everybody Tatiana.
When we actually saw some singing, I lost my girl Rose who I was worried about, anyway. And we saw some killer performances: Danny Gokey is really, really good and his whole group's a capella song gave me goosebumps even the second time I watched. Jasmine Murray and Adam Lambert are top 12 material, too.
Next week we cut the 75 remaining down to the last 36 and I'm finally feeling like I'm seeing some people to get excited about.
When we actually saw some singing, I lost my girl Rose who I was worried about, anyway. And we saw some killer performances: Danny Gokey is really, really good and his whole group's a capella song gave me goosebumps even the second time I watched. Jasmine Murray and Adam Lambert are top 12 material, too.
Next week we cut the 75 remaining down to the last 36 and I'm finally feeling like I'm seeing some people to get excited about.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Ratings Game
Are you kidding me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Bikini Girl goes on? Are you kidding me? Show of hands if you thought she has a tin, nasally, otherwise non-descript voice, is thoroughly annoying and not even that cute? OK, so it’s unanimous.
So the question is why is she still around? Class – who can spell R-A-T-I-N-G-S? Here is a bigger word for extra credit: M-A-N-I-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.
Yes, we are being manipulated. And part of the fun of Idol is to see how the producers plan to manipulate us all in the name of ratings. So let’s evaluate this week. Out of 147 people, they only eliminated 43 according to Brian Mansfield of USA Today. We saw a few good people tonight but, frankly, nobody who blew my ears back. So, there are a lot of possible finalists that we didn’t see tonight (no Lanesha, no Joanna Pacitti) that they are building an audience for. Next, how many of us would like to see Bikini Girl go up in flames? Finally, Norman or Nick or whatever identity he decides to go by – will he actually sing long enough to move on or will he indulgently self-destruct with his shtick? Stayed tuned tomorrow night to find out!!!!
OK, so enough of evaluating the show. Except for the entertainment value of Bikini Girl and Norman/Nick, the judges made pretty safe calls with the harder cuts still ahead of us. Here’s what stood out for me tonight:
Jasmine - young, pretty, perky and can really sing – maybe not quite Paris Bennett from a couple of years ago but that’s who comes to mind
Rose – I still like her cute, playful, flower-child quirkiness and I like her smoky voice but I wonder if she is tough enough to make it
Steven – who sang the Stevie Wonder song and blew Randy away
Jorge – I like his voice and I think he will do well with the female vote
David Osmond – obviously comfortable on the big stage and has a wonderful voice but I wonder whether he will be contemporary enough. Plus, if he goes on, does being an Osmond matter?
Still, it’s early yet. Team night tomorrow is brutal and a lot of good performers go by the wayside. And I still say we haven’t seen much of a lot of potential finalists.
By the way, I bought Melinda Doolittle’s CD today and like what I have heard so far. I plan on reviewing it and have promised to comment on David Cook’s CD, also.
So the question is why is she still around? Class – who can spell R-A-T-I-N-G-S? Here is a bigger word for extra credit: M-A-N-I-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.
Yes, we are being manipulated. And part of the fun of Idol is to see how the producers plan to manipulate us all in the name of ratings. So let’s evaluate this week. Out of 147 people, they only eliminated 43 according to Brian Mansfield of USA Today. We saw a few good people tonight but, frankly, nobody who blew my ears back. So, there are a lot of possible finalists that we didn’t see tonight (no Lanesha, no Joanna Pacitti) that they are building an audience for. Next, how many of us would like to see Bikini Girl go up in flames? Finally, Norman or Nick or whatever identity he decides to go by – will he actually sing long enough to move on or will he indulgently self-destruct with his shtick? Stayed tuned tomorrow night to find out!!!!
OK, so enough of evaluating the show. Except for the entertainment value of Bikini Girl and Norman/Nick, the judges made pretty safe calls with the harder cuts still ahead of us. Here’s what stood out for me tonight:
Jasmine - young, pretty, perky and can really sing – maybe not quite Paris Bennett from a couple of years ago but that’s who comes to mind
Rose – I still like her cute, playful, flower-child quirkiness and I like her smoky voice but I wonder if she is tough enough to make it
Steven – who sang the Stevie Wonder song and blew Randy away
Jorge – I like his voice and I think he will do well with the female vote
David Osmond – obviously comfortable on the big stage and has a wonderful voice but I wonder whether he will be contemporary enough. Plus, if he goes on, does being an Osmond matter?
Still, it’s early yet. Team night tomorrow is brutal and a lot of good performers go by the wayside. And I still say we haven’t seen much of a lot of potential finalists.
By the way, I bought Melinda Doolittle’s CD today and like what I have heard so far. I plan on reviewing it and have promised to comment on David Cook’s CD, also.
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