This week is Soul/R&B Week in Idol Land, and I can't remember a group of contestants that lacked so much in this category. It should be an interesting show, for sure. Let's hope that it is better than last weeks horrendous outing.
On to the predictions!
Aaron Kelly- Brian McKnight "Back At One"
In keeping with his tradition of choosing mid-tempo to slow songs that have been covered by a country artist, I expect Aaron to pick this song and do reasonably well with it. Mark Willis had a hit with his version of this song, and since Aaron does not have an R&B/Soul voice in the slightest, I think he should play this week safe and do a song he knows he can handle. He has no fear of going home this week, sadly, but he needs to just do what he can to survive. This song is gift wrapped with a bow for him to pick, but I could also see him completing his love for cheesy songs like "My Girl" with "Stand By Me."
Andrew Garcia- Rihanna "Umbrella" or Neyo "Because of You"
Ok, Andrew is in trouble this week if the judges slam him again. He's tried to get out of "Straight Up's" shadow for weeks now by doing different things, but they have all failed miserably. My suggestion is to go back to the basics and try what made you known again. It did work for the Fallout Boy song, but it has been proven with these two songs to work. All he has to do is YouTube Boyce Avenue's covers of either of these songs and copy. At this point, his pride should be out the window and he should just worry about gaining voters. Both of these songs would be good picks for him and he would sound good on them. "Umbrella" is the obvious choice by most people, but we will see if he tries to switch it up on us. Sadly, it'd probably be safer for him to not surprise us and play what everyone wants him to play.
Casey James- Sam and Dave "Soul Man" or Otis Redding "I've Been Loving You Too Long"
Casey is a lock this week, so he doesn't have to try to outdo himself this week. I think that he would sound good on "Soul Man" with a little blues guitar thrown in. There isn't much R&B/Soul that fits his style, really, but this would be the closest thing in his range. If he wanted to be daring and try and showcase his vocals in a way that we haven't seen as of yet, he could do "I've Been Loving You Too Long." This is a song that seems out of his range, but if he could make it work it might prove to be a rewarding gamble to help his stock in the competition.
Crystal Bowersox- Toni Braxton "Un-break My Heart" or Aretha Franklin "Respect"
I will suggest "Un-Break My Heart" again this week, because I think that she would kill it, but my gut is telling me that she won't pick it. She has a "surprise for us" this week, and I don't know what that means, but I'm hoping that she can bring a different aspect of herself to her performances. I think she is going guitar-less tonight, so that is a plus. She has killed Aretha before, so I wouldn't be surprised if she dipped back into that bag. She is one of only two girls who could do this song justice. Whatever it is, she is obviously safe.
Didi Benami- Smokey Robinson & the Miracles "The Tears of a Clown" or Mary Wells "My Guy"
Didi does not have a soul voice. We saw how she did with "Lean on Me," and it was sans soul the entire time. I think she could do one of these songs well because they aren't SO soulful that she couldn't manage a version of them. "Tears" would be good because she is a basket case and cries all the time, so she could related to it, and "My Guy" would be good because it has that bright, sunny vocal rather than the deep, rich tone that most of the other songs have. That style would suit her better.
Katie Stevens- Monica "For You I Will" or The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
She's been saying that she wants to be a pop/R&B artist, so this is Katie's chance to show us what she's got. I can hear her sounding very good on a Monica song, but I can also see her having more fun then she's been having lately with "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." I'm hoping she goes with the later and loosens up a little more. She's got the voice to do well, but she just has to bring everything else into focus, because right now, she has no shot at the top 5.
Lee Dewyze- Ray Charles "Georgia on My Mind"
This song wasn't picked for him because I think he could sing it amazingly and completely change my opinion of him. It was chosen because of the tone of Ray Charles' voice and how it would be the only tone that Lee might be able to pull off. That gravely, raspy quality to his voice would be ok on this song, but it wouldn't beat Matt Giraud's version that he did in Hollywood week last year. Lee is out of his element for sure this week, but as long as the judges keep stroking his ego week in and week out, he will remain on the show. They should really start giving him some criticism that he can use...
Michael Lynche- The Four Tops "Baby, I Need Your Loving" or James Brown "I Got You (I Feel Good)"
Big Mike did a ballad last week, so expect him to liven things up a little. I can see him bouncing around the stage on either of these songs. He is a high-octane, confident performer, and if anyone could pull of James Brown, it would be him. He sits in the same boat as Casey and Crystral right now- obviously safe.
Siobhan Magnus- Aretha Franklin "Chain of Fools" or The Supremes "Where Did Our Love Go"
Siobhan wants to get away from having to do the high note every week (or at least the judges think she should), but she needs to do whatever will get her votes. Sometimes, that means screaming like a banshee. She has also done an Aretha song before, so we know the range and power are there to handle that order, but if she decides to go a more mellow route, she can do a haunting version of this Supreme's song. She is the last of the "Obviously Safes."
Tim Urban- Jimmy Ruffin "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" or Otis Redding "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"
Poor Tim. He will have his hands full this week, seeing that of all the contestants, he has the least amount of soul. He has the whitest voice in the competition, so he is just praying that he can connect with a ballad like "What Becomes" or play a crowd favorite like "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." He was in the bottom 2 last week, so unless he comes out of no where with crazy vocals, he will probably be there again this week, and with a serious shot of going home.
We'll see how these contestants can handle this theme, but I feel like we are going to get a rerun of last week- a few who shine and a lot that don't.
Until next time...
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Top 11: Performance and Elimination Results (SPOILER ALERT!)
Another week, another batch of performances to critique with my red pen. This week is Billboard Hot 100 #1 Hits. I'll go ahead and admit that I did not get any of my predictions right, but I will also admit that had the contestants sang my songs, the show would have been infinitely better. Call me cocky, but it's not cocky if it's true. I'm just sayin...
Without further ado, here are the performance reviews!
Lee Dewyze- "The Letter" by The Box Tops
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I do not, for the life of me, see what the judges see in this guy. The praised him for loosening up and "owning" the stage. Puh-lease! His neck was so tense that his shoulders were touching his ear lobes. He looked like a turtle! He was not relaxed at all and he definitely did not look comfortable or like he was having fun. This was not the right song for him, in my opinion. The big band feel didn't add anything to his performance and it just felt forced. Still not a fan of his voice or his vocal phrasing, but if you are more of a rock fan, I can see where you'd like him, just because the pickings are slim. I don't think he will make it as long as the judges seem to think. He will be a "shocking" elimination in a few weeks. You heard it here, folks.
Paige Miles- "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
Hands down, undoubtedly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was the worst I've ever heard anyone sound on the show (not including the auditions, of course). I was wondering who would try to do a Mariah song and, granted she cheated by doing the Mariah version of a Phil Collins song, Paige felt like she was up to the task. Boy, was she wrong. She was off from the very first note. There was no power behind her voice in the first verse and chorus. The tone was unbearable. It was extremely pitchy. And all the while, she knew it. Once she "busted" into the belting portion, she knew it was already too late, and then the nerves took over. As brutal as the judges were to her, including the phrases "that was horrible..." and "the worst performance of the season...", they were absolutely right. What's more amazing is that they spared her the "worst performance EVER" onslaught. They are so merciful. It would take a miracle for her to be safe this week.
Tim Urban- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen
High School Musical/Glee has just found their new star. Tim, knowing that his time on the show is short lived, decided to take Ellen's advice from a few weeks ago and showcase his show choir side. Complete with knee slides, hopping into the audience, cheesy dance moves, et al., Tim showed us a side that we haven't seen before. As corny as it was, I was entertained by his energy, which distracted from the vocals. If that was his plan, he's a genius, because his vocals were ordinary. Someone said, "he didn't do near enough with that song," to which I replied, "no, he did everything that HE could possibly do." Not being as skilled as the other singers, it's amazing that he made the tour, when he couldn't even originally make the top 24. VFTW is doing backflips right now, and if he stays on another week, he will beat Sanjaya as their longest reigning pick. I'm kind of hoping that happens.
Aaron Kelly- "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
Laryngitis/Tonsillitis strikes again! When I heard this, I got a little excited, thinking that Aaron would faulter and hurt his chances in the competition. Opting to go for the country version (surprise, surprise) rather than the more popular Aerosmith version, I'll have to give Aaron props for song choice. He has been very good about picking songs that sound decent in his vocal style, while at the same time, remaining able to pick the same tempos week in and week out without the judges becoming any the wiser. He botched a couple of "high" notes, and that shows his inexperience. There were other paths that he could have taken to make those parts work, even if it meant not going up high. G-ma's are loving him right now, even though I'm not, and are voting their little hearts away. Even though I didn't get a pick right this week, Ryan referred to him as Archuletta, so I'm going to give myself half a point on that, since obviously Ryan read it here first.
Crystal Bowersox- "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
First, let me say that I think Crystal looked very pretty tonight. When I can't tell that her hair is dread-locked, she is all the more attractive. Aside from that, Crystal gave us a classic Crystal performance. It was good, on-key, energetic, and a ways better than almost everyone else tonight. The only problem I have with her, still, is that she puts the exact same spin on every song. I would hate to see her in concert at this point, because all of her songs would sound exactly the same. Exactly- just different words. I liked her carpet, and I hope that she does have "big plans" for next week. She needs to ditch the guitar ASAP and give America something else to love about her. She is clearly, and deservedly, the front runner, but my expectations for her are higher than she's delivering. That is a good thing. That means I think she could potentially be great.
Michael Lynche- "When A Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton
Michael can flat out sing. Putting some R&B stylings on a song as white as this one sounded pretty good. In my opinion, Michael and Crystal are in the same position on the show. The only difference is that the judges like Crystal on the whole more than they do Michael, but they gave the best song of the season award to Mike. His performance was really good, though not as good "A Woman's Worth." The judges critiques were a bit unmerited, in my opinion. If anyone else had sang that song the same way, they would have loved it. I still don't think he has anything to worry about for quite some time. And the clip of him and his little baby tote will surely keep people voting for him.
Andrew Garcia- "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
I'm officially off the Andrew Garcia train. He didn't listen to my advice to do "No Diggity" (thank you Clayton for recognizing genius), and he fell big time because of it. Simon was right, he really did manage to suck the soul right out of the song. There was no feeling, no passion, no inspiration...just a bunch of marginally good singing with no range and no style. I think the judges are wrong that Andrew doesn't know who he is as an artist, because he does. The only problem is that the judges don't like him as much as an artist as they liked one song. We'll see if he can dig himself out of this hole, but my bet is that the rest of the country has grown just as impatient as I am.
Katie Stevens- "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Katie decided to take the judges advice this week and went with a younger song. It's ironic that she choose this song, seeing as a few weeks ago, she could all but hold her composure together on the stage. That being said, I think this is the best I've heard her sound on the live shows. At first I was thinking that she didn't have a great range, as much as she was struggling with the higher notes in the chorus, but then I realized she was probably just pitchy because the jumps between the intervals were fairly difficult. Heck, I bet Fergie couldn't sing it unless she had her autotuner cranked to max. I like Katie, but her shot to win it all at this point is a big Zero. I'm not sure if she can turn it around, but she should make the tour with this performance.
Casey James- "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
Aside from Andrew not picking "No Diggity," this is my biggest let down in song choice. Casey had a golden opportunity at his guitar shredding fingertips and blew it by picking this song over "Smooth." I'll give him credit, he sounded really good on this song. His tone fit well with it and he didn't struggle with notes like most of the other contestants do. But still, I'm disappointed that he didn't rip out some Santana. He's still easily in the top 4, but my heart hurts that he didn't take my advice.
Didi Benami- "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt
As a singer only, Didi is really freaking good. She has a really cool voice and has very good control over it, for the most part. What she is not good at, however, is picking songs that fit her as an artist or showcase that voice. I understand that she wants to change things up and have fun on the show. She doesn't want to be pigeon-holed, and that is perfectly fine. There were other songs that she could have done though. This one didn't have all that much energy and her playing off of Ricky Minor like a two-bit hussy wasn't believable in the slightest. I wish this was JUST a singing competition, but sadly, it's not, and I think that will end up biting Didi in the future.
Siobhan Magnus- "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
With her faux-hawk all pimped up, Siobhan takes on the most overdone song on American Idol, and does a decent enough job on it. She ends in one of her primal screams, since that is what causes the voters to pick up the phones. The problem I saw with her this week, though, was that the performance was somewhat sloppy. She had a few pitch issues that I haven't heard from her up until now and it seemed like she was focusing more on what was at stake than just singing the song well. She still has obviously nothing to worry about, but I expect her to switch it up a bit next week and give us something we haven't seen from her before.
Best of the night was a tie between Crystal and Mike. Tim should thank his lucky stars that he went right after Paige and she distracted everyone from his less than stellar performance. I'm not even going to spend too much time talking about the results show like I usually do. It had bad performances by Miley Cyrus and Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, the worst group performance I've ever seen, and a predictable bottom 3 of Paige, Tim, and Katie. Paige was ultimately the one sent home. There was no other option, clearly. She turned from ok to fodder over the weeks and wasn't even allowed to sing before the judges told her that the save wouldn't be used on her. Ouch.
After a few relatively good weeks, I was kind of disappointed with what the contestants gave us this week. What do you think? Should they just scrap the tour, because really, who is going to pay over $100 to see this bunch?!
Without further ado, here are the performance reviews!
Lee Dewyze- "The Letter" by The Box Tops
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I do not, for the life of me, see what the judges see in this guy. The praised him for loosening up and "owning" the stage. Puh-lease! His neck was so tense that his shoulders were touching his ear lobes. He looked like a turtle! He was not relaxed at all and he definitely did not look comfortable or like he was having fun. This was not the right song for him, in my opinion. The big band feel didn't add anything to his performance and it just felt forced. Still not a fan of his voice or his vocal phrasing, but if you are more of a rock fan, I can see where you'd like him, just because the pickings are slim. I don't think he will make it as long as the judges seem to think. He will be a "shocking" elimination in a few weeks. You heard it here, folks.
Paige Miles- "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
Hands down, undoubtedly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was the worst I've ever heard anyone sound on the show (not including the auditions, of course). I was wondering who would try to do a Mariah song and, granted she cheated by doing the Mariah version of a Phil Collins song, Paige felt like she was up to the task. Boy, was she wrong. She was off from the very first note. There was no power behind her voice in the first verse and chorus. The tone was unbearable. It was extremely pitchy. And all the while, she knew it. Once she "busted" into the belting portion, she knew it was already too late, and then the nerves took over. As brutal as the judges were to her, including the phrases "that was horrible..." and "the worst performance of the season...", they were absolutely right. What's more amazing is that they spared her the "worst performance EVER" onslaught. They are so merciful. It would take a miracle for her to be safe this week.
Tim Urban- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen
High School Musical/Glee has just found their new star. Tim, knowing that his time on the show is short lived, decided to take Ellen's advice from a few weeks ago and showcase his show choir side. Complete with knee slides, hopping into the audience, cheesy dance moves, et al., Tim showed us a side that we haven't seen before. As corny as it was, I was entertained by his energy, which distracted from the vocals. If that was his plan, he's a genius, because his vocals were ordinary. Someone said, "he didn't do near enough with that song," to which I replied, "no, he did everything that HE could possibly do." Not being as skilled as the other singers, it's amazing that he made the tour, when he couldn't even originally make the top 24. VFTW is doing backflips right now, and if he stays on another week, he will beat Sanjaya as their longest reigning pick. I'm kind of hoping that happens.
Aaron Kelly- "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
Laryngitis/Tonsillitis strikes again! When I heard this, I got a little excited, thinking that Aaron would faulter and hurt his chances in the competition. Opting to go for the country version (surprise, surprise) rather than the more popular Aerosmith version, I'll have to give Aaron props for song choice. He has been very good about picking songs that sound decent in his vocal style, while at the same time, remaining able to pick the same tempos week in and week out without the judges becoming any the wiser. He botched a couple of "high" notes, and that shows his inexperience. There were other paths that he could have taken to make those parts work, even if it meant not going up high. G-ma's are loving him right now, even though I'm not, and are voting their little hearts away. Even though I didn't get a pick right this week, Ryan referred to him as Archuletta, so I'm going to give myself half a point on that, since obviously Ryan read it here first.
Crystal Bowersox- "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
First, let me say that I think Crystal looked very pretty tonight. When I can't tell that her hair is dread-locked, she is all the more attractive. Aside from that, Crystal gave us a classic Crystal performance. It was good, on-key, energetic, and a ways better than almost everyone else tonight. The only problem I have with her, still, is that she puts the exact same spin on every song. I would hate to see her in concert at this point, because all of her songs would sound exactly the same. Exactly- just different words. I liked her carpet, and I hope that she does have "big plans" for next week. She needs to ditch the guitar ASAP and give America something else to love about her. She is clearly, and deservedly, the front runner, but my expectations for her are higher than she's delivering. That is a good thing. That means I think she could potentially be great.
Michael Lynche- "When A Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton
Michael can flat out sing. Putting some R&B stylings on a song as white as this one sounded pretty good. In my opinion, Michael and Crystal are in the same position on the show. The only difference is that the judges like Crystal on the whole more than they do Michael, but they gave the best song of the season award to Mike. His performance was really good, though not as good "A Woman's Worth." The judges critiques were a bit unmerited, in my opinion. If anyone else had sang that song the same way, they would have loved it. I still don't think he has anything to worry about for quite some time. And the clip of him and his little baby tote will surely keep people voting for him.
Andrew Garcia- "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
I'm officially off the Andrew Garcia train. He didn't listen to my advice to do "No Diggity" (thank you Clayton for recognizing genius), and he fell big time because of it. Simon was right, he really did manage to suck the soul right out of the song. There was no feeling, no passion, no inspiration...just a bunch of marginally good singing with no range and no style. I think the judges are wrong that Andrew doesn't know who he is as an artist, because he does. The only problem is that the judges don't like him as much as an artist as they liked one song. We'll see if he can dig himself out of this hole, but my bet is that the rest of the country has grown just as impatient as I am.
Katie Stevens- "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Katie decided to take the judges advice this week and went with a younger song. It's ironic that she choose this song, seeing as a few weeks ago, she could all but hold her composure together on the stage. That being said, I think this is the best I've heard her sound on the live shows. At first I was thinking that she didn't have a great range, as much as she was struggling with the higher notes in the chorus, but then I realized she was probably just pitchy because the jumps between the intervals were fairly difficult. Heck, I bet Fergie couldn't sing it unless she had her autotuner cranked to max. I like Katie, but her shot to win it all at this point is a big Zero. I'm not sure if she can turn it around, but she should make the tour with this performance.
Casey James- "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
Aside from Andrew not picking "No Diggity," this is my biggest let down in song choice. Casey had a golden opportunity at his guitar shredding fingertips and blew it by picking this song over "Smooth." I'll give him credit, he sounded really good on this song. His tone fit well with it and he didn't struggle with notes like most of the other contestants do. But still, I'm disappointed that he didn't rip out some Santana. He's still easily in the top 4, but my heart hurts that he didn't take my advice.
Didi Benami- "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt
As a singer only, Didi is really freaking good. She has a really cool voice and has very good control over it, for the most part. What she is not good at, however, is picking songs that fit her as an artist or showcase that voice. I understand that she wants to change things up and have fun on the show. She doesn't want to be pigeon-holed, and that is perfectly fine. There were other songs that she could have done though. This one didn't have all that much energy and her playing off of Ricky Minor like a two-bit hussy wasn't believable in the slightest. I wish this was JUST a singing competition, but sadly, it's not, and I think that will end up biting Didi in the future.
Siobhan Magnus- "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
With her faux-hawk all pimped up, Siobhan takes on the most overdone song on American Idol, and does a decent enough job on it. She ends in one of her primal screams, since that is what causes the voters to pick up the phones. The problem I saw with her this week, though, was that the performance was somewhat sloppy. She had a few pitch issues that I haven't heard from her up until now and it seemed like she was focusing more on what was at stake than just singing the song well. She still has obviously nothing to worry about, but I expect her to switch it up a bit next week and give us something we haven't seen from her before.
Best of the night was a tie between Crystal and Mike. Tim should thank his lucky stars that he went right after Paige and she distracted everyone from his less than stellar performance. I'm not even going to spend too much time talking about the results show like I usually do. It had bad performances by Miley Cyrus and Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, the worst group performance I've ever seen, and a predictable bottom 3 of Paige, Tim, and Katie. Paige was ultimately the one sent home. There was no other option, clearly. She turned from ok to fodder over the weeks and wasn't even allowed to sing before the judges told her that the save wouldn't be used on her. Ouch.
After a few relatively good weeks, I was kind of disappointed with what the contestants gave us this week. What do you think? Should they just scrap the tour, because really, who is going to pay over $100 to see this bunch?!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Top 11: Song Predictions
Last week, we saw Lacey Brown sing her swan song and take her rightful place in the spectators position. She simply wasn't original, talented, or interesting enough to inspire the masses to vote for her. I will miss her pretty eyes, but that's about it.
This week, the Top 11 were supposed to be singing songs from Teen Idols, but that was changed to Billboard #1 Hits. I'm torn between this, for a couple of reasons. Teen Idols week would have been awesome because it would have been sooooo bad. It would have been hilarious. This was also a sure plan by the producers to have Justin Bieber on the show to complete Ryan's fantasy. He has mentioned the kid 3 times already this season. Man crushes are in, Ryan, but boy crushes will always and forever be wrong. One thing that will remain the same from this theme is that Miley Cyrus will be the mentor. Are you kidding me. Two episodes in a row are going to feature the two least talented performers in America, Ke$ha and Miley Cyrus. At this point, I think it is safe to say that Idol is mocking the contestants. Maybe this will boost their confidence. "Hey, I'm better than Miley, maybe I'm really good!" We can only hope...
I do think the switch will allow the contestants to pick from (mostly) quality songs. I'm interested to see if anyone thinks they are good enough to go for a Mariah/Whitney type song. Maybe if they completely rearrange it, but probably not. Considering that there have only been 4 #1 singles this year so far, including the fodder-icious "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha, "Imma Be" by Black Eyed Peas, "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz, and the overly explicit "Rude Boy" by Rihanna, don't expect any recent hits to be sung.
This will be a hard week to pick songs. I'm not sure if the contestants are only limited to the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, or if they are allowed to take #1 hits from individual genre charts. I am limiting myself to the Hot 100, since I don't have the time, nor energy, to go searching through countless genre lists. I looked through about 50 years of #1 hits, so we'll see if I can get anywhere remotely close! I think we will be seeing a lot of hits from the mid 80's to late 90's. The #1 hits from the 2000's have been packed with rap and overly produced, unsingable pop. If the contestants are smart, they will pick this range of songs for two reasons. There are still singable melodies to choose from and the majority of the voting demographic will remember songs during this time, depending on how popular the hit was.
On to the picks!
Aaron Kelly
Lonestar "Amazed" or Savage Garden "Truly, Madly, Deeply"
Aaron Kelly is getting phantom votes right now. Either that or grandmas all over the nation really, REALLY like him. Aaron has already sang "I'm Already There" by Lonestar a few weeks ago. This style of music is the best fit for his voice. It has the right amount of twang and an easy enough melody so that he can try and throw a slew of forced riffs in there. If he thinks that it would be a bad idea to do two songs by the same artist (which it probably is), he could probably do a serviceable version of "Truly, Madly, Deeply." I don't see him moving from the mid-tempo/ballady songs anytime soon. That's all he's done so far. If he came out with "Love in This Club," I might become a fan, but since that will never happen, my loathing will commence.
Andrew Garcia
Santana "Maria, Maria" or Blackstreet "No Diggity"
I think that either of these two songs can serve Andrew well. "Maria, Maria" is a nice up-beat R&B jam that has some acoustic undertones and a distinct Latino vibe. If he could get his vocals around the runs and trills, it would sound pretty good, I think. But if he went and did an acoustic cover of "No Diggity," it would kill! It has that laid back groove that he loves and has room to be converted to fit his style. Everyone knows and loves that song and I think that it would sound awesome with his voice on it. I can see it in my mind, so let's hope that he can see the same thing. What is crazy is that I heard the aforementioned Taio Cruz song the other day and thought it sounded like Andrew. It's not wise to do a song so popular right now because you draw an obvious comparison, but it could be an option. Another option would be to just do "Straight Up" again, since the judges can't seem to get over it!
Casey James
Santana ft. Rob Thomas "Smooth"
#2 on the All-Time Hot 100 list, as stated by Billboard itself. One of the best guitarists of all-time. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to see that this has all the workings of a song that Casey could kill. It's got energy, passion, and shows off his skill as a guitarist. The vocals won't suffer either. Rob Thomas is not the greatest singer in the world, but he uses what he has best in this song, and I think that Casey would do the same. I think that if Casey picked this song, he could have a "moment." It would be a fun change of pace for him and allow him to "just be a star" like Simon told him last week. I guess Simon thinks that that is an easy achievement!
Crystal Bowersox
Toni Braxton "Unbreak My Heart"
I'll be honest, I don't know what Crystal is going to do. None of the artists in her usual bag of tricks are available this week, so I had to get creative and think about what I'd like her to do. I would like to see her step away from her guitar this week and belt out a powerful ballad. I think that she'd be able to do a good job with this pick. It'd be different enough for her that she would be breaking the mold that she's made for herself and probably pick up a few new fans. She'd show versatility and vulnerability at the same time. Again, she will probably not pick this, but it'd be nice if she did.
Didi Benami
U2 "With or Without You"
Didi, I can tell, is going to be the hardest to pick every week. Since she really only sounds great in her niche, she will have to find ways to work other songs into that style. She did well this past week, even though she slipped up a few times. She showed a little versatility and the combo of dark music and her sweet voice was nice. This week, I think she should go back to the acoustic with a toned down version of this U2 smash. Everyone on the planet knows this song, and if it's done right, she can do it in an endearing and memorable way. Give her the pimp lighting and a string quartet and she'll be good to go.
Katie Stevens
Christina Aguilera "Come on Over" or Phil Collins "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
I mentioned that Katie should sing a Christina song a few weeks ago, so I'm going to hold to that. Do I think that she is vocally as good as Christina, heck no. This song is relatively easy from Christina's discography and is up-beat and fun, something that she has yet to find. I need to see a spark from her sometime soon if she's going to prove to me that she deserves to be there. Vocally, I think she's one of the best girls, but when it comes to song choice and delivery, she is sinking fast. Last week she got back on the horse (hehe) and hopefully she can ride that to more confident performances. If she chooses to stay with the melodramatic songs, she could do "Against All Odds," opting to pull from Mariah Carey's version. I think that would be well sung, but easily forgettable. But with her track record for songs, she would probably pick a song that fits that description to a T.
Lee Dewyze
Nickelback "How You Remind Me" or Vertical Horizon "Everything You Want"
Lee does not have many options this week. I bet he's wishing that he had saved his version of "Fireflies" for this week. Regardless, I think that he could do a very good version of Vertical Horizon's "Everything You Want." It's in a good range for him, has a raspy tone to it, but not overly rock, and is overall likable. The same can not be said for Nickelback, who I can not tolerate, but is popular with the general public. Chad Kroeger is the new "standard" for what rock guys should sound like, sadly, and he could try and add his gruff to this overly played song. It will be pitchy, but fit the part of the song nicely. I think he should go the Vertical Horizon route. He can show that he can really sing on this one more than the Nickelback one and it might up the number of votes he gets from the ladies!
Michael Lynche
Marvin Gaye "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" or Seal "Kiss From A Rose"
Ok, so I really, really wanted to put Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" as an option, but the song doesn't have enough actual singing. If he picks it though, I still get credit! I think that no matter what Mike does this week, he will do it well. He can go more modern with an Usher song, but I think he will keep it older with one of these two. He could do a great version of "Grapevine." That'd be the action packed performance of the night, without a doubt. Pulling Marvin Gaye off is always a struggle, but he'd be ok with it. Seal would be if he chooses to go the tender route. He can still ride his Maxwell ballad out for a little longer if he wants, but "Kiss From a Rose" is a very recognizable song that would serve him well. I think it would be a bit safe for him, but it wouldn't matter.
Paige Miles
Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly" or Lipps Inc "Funkytown"
If Paige did "Killing Me Softly," but in the style of the Fugee's, she could potentially turn her fortunes around. Last week she was in the bottom 2, and I don't see that changing unless she picks a song that absolutely everyone knows and loves, and kills it. Surprisingly, I could see her doing well with Lauryn Hill. The song has a lot of runs, but she might be able to do them. I still don't know the full extent of her voice. She has had a tendency to opt toward older songs, however, so "Funkytown" could be another option. I think after her scare with "Smile," she will try to keep it relatively up-beat for a bit. Hey, "You Are Not Alone" was also another #1 hit. MJ is calling, again, Paige!
Siobhan Magnus
Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" or Simon and Garfunkel "Sound of Silence"
I won't even try to defend these picks. There is no way to predict what Siobhan could pull from her hat this week. She's gone from Chris Isaak to Aretha Franklin, so anything is possible. I think she needs to pick a song that she can change up a bit and completely remake to fit her own, unique style. Either of these songs are possibilities, but so are a great many others. I'll go ahead and take a loss on this one. But if she did sing "Sound of Silence," could they just play the scene in Old School where Will Ferrell gets shot with the dart gun and is sinking in the pool? That'd be amazing.
Tim Urban
The Eagles "Hotel California" or James Blunt "You're Beautiful"
Tim was part of the bottom 3 last week and finds himself in an interesting spot. The #1 charts don't really favor to his skill set, but there are a few songs that he could pull out. "Hotel California" is a classic song that every one knows and it has tons of harmonies. This would help him, in allowing the background singers to mask some of his mediocrity. If he did "You're Beautiful," it would be ok, but boring. Tim has stood center stage every single performance this season. He needs to drop the guitar and PERFORM a song. This is definitely NOT his strength, but he needs to try something to make people vote for more than his looks. He is VFTWs current pick, and they will be trying their hardest to get him on the tour (top 10). If he wants to go and pick something completely obvious, there is always "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's.
Those are my picks, folks. With a theme as broad as this one, I don't expect to get many picks correct, but if the judges mention a song that I suggested, that counts as a correct pick! Enjoy the show tonight, guys, and I will be back tomorrow for the performance reviews!
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
This week, the Top 11 were supposed to be singing songs from Teen Idols, but that was changed to Billboard #1 Hits. I'm torn between this, for a couple of reasons. Teen Idols week would have been awesome because it would have been sooooo bad. It would have been hilarious. This was also a sure plan by the producers to have Justin Bieber on the show to complete Ryan's fantasy. He has mentioned the kid 3 times already this season. Man crushes are in, Ryan, but boy crushes will always and forever be wrong. One thing that will remain the same from this theme is that Miley Cyrus will be the mentor. Are you kidding me. Two episodes in a row are going to feature the two least talented performers in America, Ke$ha and Miley Cyrus. At this point, I think it is safe to say that Idol is mocking the contestants. Maybe this will boost their confidence. "Hey, I'm better than Miley, maybe I'm really good!" We can only hope...
I do think the switch will allow the contestants to pick from (mostly) quality songs. I'm interested to see if anyone thinks they are good enough to go for a Mariah/Whitney type song. Maybe if they completely rearrange it, but probably not. Considering that there have only been 4 #1 singles this year so far, including the fodder-icious "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha, "Imma Be" by Black Eyed Peas, "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz, and the overly explicit "Rude Boy" by Rihanna, don't expect any recent hits to be sung.
This will be a hard week to pick songs. I'm not sure if the contestants are only limited to the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, or if they are allowed to take #1 hits from individual genre charts. I am limiting myself to the Hot 100, since I don't have the time, nor energy, to go searching through countless genre lists. I looked through about 50 years of #1 hits, so we'll see if I can get anywhere remotely close! I think we will be seeing a lot of hits from the mid 80's to late 90's. The #1 hits from the 2000's have been packed with rap and overly produced, unsingable pop. If the contestants are smart, they will pick this range of songs for two reasons. There are still singable melodies to choose from and the majority of the voting demographic will remember songs during this time, depending on how popular the hit was.
On to the picks!
Aaron Kelly
Lonestar "Amazed" or Savage Garden "Truly, Madly, Deeply"
Aaron Kelly is getting phantom votes right now. Either that or grandmas all over the nation really, REALLY like him. Aaron has already sang "I'm Already There" by Lonestar a few weeks ago. This style of music is the best fit for his voice. It has the right amount of twang and an easy enough melody so that he can try and throw a slew of forced riffs in there. If he thinks that it would be a bad idea to do two songs by the same artist (which it probably is), he could probably do a serviceable version of "Truly, Madly, Deeply." I don't see him moving from the mid-tempo/ballady songs anytime soon. That's all he's done so far. If he came out with "Love in This Club," I might become a fan, but since that will never happen, my loathing will commence.
Andrew Garcia
Santana "Maria, Maria" or Blackstreet "No Diggity"
I think that either of these two songs can serve Andrew well. "Maria, Maria" is a nice up-beat R&B jam that has some acoustic undertones and a distinct Latino vibe. If he could get his vocals around the runs and trills, it would sound pretty good, I think. But if he went and did an acoustic cover of "No Diggity," it would kill! It has that laid back groove that he loves and has room to be converted to fit his style. Everyone knows and loves that song and I think that it would sound awesome with his voice on it. I can see it in my mind, so let's hope that he can see the same thing. What is crazy is that I heard the aforementioned Taio Cruz song the other day and thought it sounded like Andrew. It's not wise to do a song so popular right now because you draw an obvious comparison, but it could be an option. Another option would be to just do "Straight Up" again, since the judges can't seem to get over it!
Casey James
Santana ft. Rob Thomas "Smooth"
#2 on the All-Time Hot 100 list, as stated by Billboard itself. One of the best guitarists of all-time. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to see that this has all the workings of a song that Casey could kill. It's got energy, passion, and shows off his skill as a guitarist. The vocals won't suffer either. Rob Thomas is not the greatest singer in the world, but he uses what he has best in this song, and I think that Casey would do the same. I think that if Casey picked this song, he could have a "moment." It would be a fun change of pace for him and allow him to "just be a star" like Simon told him last week. I guess Simon thinks that that is an easy achievement!
Crystal Bowersox
Toni Braxton "Unbreak My Heart"
I'll be honest, I don't know what Crystal is going to do. None of the artists in her usual bag of tricks are available this week, so I had to get creative and think about what I'd like her to do. I would like to see her step away from her guitar this week and belt out a powerful ballad. I think that she'd be able to do a good job with this pick. It'd be different enough for her that she would be breaking the mold that she's made for herself and probably pick up a few new fans. She'd show versatility and vulnerability at the same time. Again, she will probably not pick this, but it'd be nice if she did.
Didi Benami
U2 "With or Without You"
Didi, I can tell, is going to be the hardest to pick every week. Since she really only sounds great in her niche, she will have to find ways to work other songs into that style. She did well this past week, even though she slipped up a few times. She showed a little versatility and the combo of dark music and her sweet voice was nice. This week, I think she should go back to the acoustic with a toned down version of this U2 smash. Everyone on the planet knows this song, and if it's done right, she can do it in an endearing and memorable way. Give her the pimp lighting and a string quartet and she'll be good to go.
Katie Stevens
Christina Aguilera "Come on Over" or Phil Collins "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
I mentioned that Katie should sing a Christina song a few weeks ago, so I'm going to hold to that. Do I think that she is vocally as good as Christina, heck no. This song is relatively easy from Christina's discography and is up-beat and fun, something that she has yet to find. I need to see a spark from her sometime soon if she's going to prove to me that she deserves to be there. Vocally, I think she's one of the best girls, but when it comes to song choice and delivery, she is sinking fast. Last week she got back on the horse (hehe) and hopefully she can ride that to more confident performances. If she chooses to stay with the melodramatic songs, she could do "Against All Odds," opting to pull from Mariah Carey's version. I think that would be well sung, but easily forgettable. But with her track record for songs, she would probably pick a song that fits that description to a T.
Lee Dewyze
Nickelback "How You Remind Me" or Vertical Horizon "Everything You Want"
Lee does not have many options this week. I bet he's wishing that he had saved his version of "Fireflies" for this week. Regardless, I think that he could do a very good version of Vertical Horizon's "Everything You Want." It's in a good range for him, has a raspy tone to it, but not overly rock, and is overall likable. The same can not be said for Nickelback, who I can not tolerate, but is popular with the general public. Chad Kroeger is the new "standard" for what rock guys should sound like, sadly, and he could try and add his gruff to this overly played song. It will be pitchy, but fit the part of the song nicely. I think he should go the Vertical Horizon route. He can show that he can really sing on this one more than the Nickelback one and it might up the number of votes he gets from the ladies!
Michael Lynche
Marvin Gaye "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" or Seal "Kiss From A Rose"
Ok, so I really, really wanted to put Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" as an option, but the song doesn't have enough actual singing. If he picks it though, I still get credit! I think that no matter what Mike does this week, he will do it well. He can go more modern with an Usher song, but I think he will keep it older with one of these two. He could do a great version of "Grapevine." That'd be the action packed performance of the night, without a doubt. Pulling Marvin Gaye off is always a struggle, but he'd be ok with it. Seal would be if he chooses to go the tender route. He can still ride his Maxwell ballad out for a little longer if he wants, but "Kiss From a Rose" is a very recognizable song that would serve him well. I think it would be a bit safe for him, but it wouldn't matter.
Paige Miles
Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly" or Lipps Inc "Funkytown"
If Paige did "Killing Me Softly," but in the style of the Fugee's, she could potentially turn her fortunes around. Last week she was in the bottom 2, and I don't see that changing unless she picks a song that absolutely everyone knows and loves, and kills it. Surprisingly, I could see her doing well with Lauryn Hill. The song has a lot of runs, but she might be able to do them. I still don't know the full extent of her voice. She has had a tendency to opt toward older songs, however, so "Funkytown" could be another option. I think after her scare with "Smile," she will try to keep it relatively up-beat for a bit. Hey, "You Are Not Alone" was also another #1 hit. MJ is calling, again, Paige!
Siobhan Magnus
Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" or Simon and Garfunkel "Sound of Silence"
I won't even try to defend these picks. There is no way to predict what Siobhan could pull from her hat this week. She's gone from Chris Isaak to Aretha Franklin, so anything is possible. I think she needs to pick a song that she can change up a bit and completely remake to fit her own, unique style. Either of these songs are possibilities, but so are a great many others. I'll go ahead and take a loss on this one. But if she did sing "Sound of Silence," could they just play the scene in Old School where Will Ferrell gets shot with the dart gun and is sinking in the pool? That'd be amazing.
Tim Urban
The Eagles "Hotel California" or James Blunt "You're Beautiful"
Tim was part of the bottom 3 last week and finds himself in an interesting spot. The #1 charts don't really favor to his skill set, but there are a few songs that he could pull out. "Hotel California" is a classic song that every one knows and it has tons of harmonies. This would help him, in allowing the background singers to mask some of his mediocrity. If he did "You're Beautiful," it would be ok, but boring. Tim has stood center stage every single performance this season. He needs to drop the guitar and PERFORM a song. This is definitely NOT his strength, but he needs to try something to make people vote for more than his looks. He is VFTWs current pick, and they will be trying their hardest to get him on the tour (top 10). If he wants to go and pick something completely obvious, there is always "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's.
Those are my picks, folks. With a theme as broad as this one, I don't expect to get many picks correct, but if the judges mention a song that I suggested, that counts as a correct pick! Enjoy the show tonight, guys, and I will be back tomorrow for the performance reviews!
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
A Wrap Up
So, last week I was unable to post due to a very hectic week. Here is a quick recap of what went down.
- It was Rolling Stones Week.
- Siobhan was really good.
- Lacey was really bad.
- Michael continued showing off his swagger.
- Aaron tried a new makeover, further trying to become Archuleta Light.
- Paige sang through Laryngitis and sounded the same as every other week. This was her ploy to get sympathy votes. If you can sing like she did, you can speak just fine. Stop playing games, Paige. Not working on me.
- The Ford commercial wasn't all that bad, shockingly!
- No group performance, but we did get to see the ever balding (and trying to hide it) David Cook and Ke$ha, who shows that she is way worse than any of our current contestants. She performed in a Lady Gaga-esque outfit, complete with an Indian Chief head-dress. Can she please become un-famous?!
- Paige, Tim and Lacey were in the bottom 3. Tim was safest of the three and Lacey was the one to leave, as predicted by yours truly. You were sweet Lacey, but not nearly good enough for this show.
- The Judges' Save is back, and they unianimously decide to send Lacey home. Ouch.
Overall, it wasn't a bad Idol week. Siobhan was compared to Adam Lambert, which is clearly going to attract her a load of his fans. That should carry her a long ways. There is talk of her being a threat to Crystal's current lead. But don't sleep on Big Mike or Casey. They are still just as safe as the two leading ladies.
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
My Apologies
Hey guys. So I know you were looking to find a review of all of last nights performances, but I'm not going to be able to post that today. I know that takes away some of the fun of elimination night, but I have been swamped this week and finding the time necessary to provide you with the best source of AI news and reviews is proving challenging. I will share with you that my favorite performance was Siobhan's. She was cracking a little on her glory note, but other than that, it was really nice. My least favorite was (surprise, surprise) Lacey Brown. She is who I'm voting out this week. And as I said before I will continue to do so until she is gone or I wise up to the fact that I must be missing something with her.
I will post my reviews, hopefully, tomorrow with the elimination results. Sorry about this, folks.
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
Friday, March 12, 2010
We have our Top 12: Elimination Results (SPOILER ALERT!)
After a week of a few really good performances, and a few really terrible performances, it's now time to discover who America has voted into the coveted Top 12! This is the point in the competition where the remaining contestants will move from the small, circular stage to the full blown, extravagant, spared no expense stage. This is the final "step" in showing that you really made it on Idol. Making the Top 24 is good and all, but no one ever remembers the contestants who didn't make the Top 12. Plus, they get to now make the ever-so-entertaining Ford commercials... :-\.
This results show proved to be a night of upsets! Going into the evening, my picks to go home were Paige, Lacey, Aaron, and Todrick. These all seemed like obvious choices to me, but America disagreed with my assessment, apparently. Let's take a look at how this episode shook down and who will be gracing us with their presence next week.
Idol is wasting no time this week! After a brief intro of the judges, Ryan lets the contestants "perform" their prerecorded version of Michael Buble's "I Just Haven't Met You Yet." This is an odd choice of song for them to be singing. There is a supreme lack of energy (even though it's pre-recorded) and the contestants (again) look incredibly uncomfortable. The tempo is so slow that the choreography feels like they are counting like this: one, pause...., two, pause.... Once again, Idol has let the cheese flow in this group performance. When will they realize that no one particularly cares for these half-hearted, fake performances? I digress. Moving on.
Up first are the girls, who all appear really emotional. The top row consists of Didi Benami, Siobhan Magnus, Katelyn Epperly, and Paige Miles. Didi and Siobhan are quickly given access to their Top 12 stools, which are still just as metallic and uncomfortable looking as ever. "Congrats on making the Top 12 guys! Now suffer in silence for the rest of the show as you endure the pain of cushion-less, metal seats! MWAHAHA!" At least that's what I hear Simon Fuller screaming crazily in my head. It's down to Paige and Katelyn, and just as I was about to check one right pick off the list (Paige), Ryan bursts my bubble and states that Katelyn will be leaving us tonight and Paige is safe. WHAT?! I agree that Katelyn did not live up to last weeks performance, but it was certainly not worse than Paige's last few have been! I guess this goes to show you that if you perform a merely ok, middle of the road version of a song, people will be less likely to pick up the phone and vote for you like they would if you botched it and they wanted to vote for you due to sympathy. I think this is what happened here. America got this one wrong, and America knows it. Sadly, it's too late for our poodle-haired blond. She sings her song again (and again, it's merely ok), then switches from bubbly performance mode to full breakdown in tears mode in Lilly's arms. I'm sad to see her go. I think she could have done well. VFTW is applauding their victory in Paige.
Next, Ryan switches to the guys and has the top row join him center stage. This row consists of Tim Urban, Todrick Hall, Lee Dewyze, and Casey James. He started with Tim, but told him to "hang tight." Doesn't he know that this kid is almost on the verge of tears every episode. That's mean to keep him in suspense. He then give a little background for each of the contestants, and informs Casey that he is safe. He starts doing the slow clap that he did in Hollywood and you can tell that he wants to do his rooster crow, excited yell again, but he manages to refrain. Ryan quickly tells Tim that he is safe, and he appears shocked, relieved, and overwhelmed all at the same time. Thank you for being merciful, Ryan. Now, it's down to Todrick and Lee, and this was no shock to me. Lee clearly has been hyped more than Todrick and has the rocker fans on his side. My prediction that Michael Lynche stole Todrick's thunder last night and cost him some votes turns out correct. Ryan tells Todrick that he will be heading home, and he performs "Somebody to Love" one more time, and very well I might add. He still deserved to go home, though.
The guest performers tonight are Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre, continuing with the theme of last seasons contestants returning, who do a little dueling piano action to Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It." Matt, who is sans mini-Matt (the huge mole that was on his forehead) showed that he'd be a contender this season, while Scott showed that he'd be among some of the fodder that is currently in the competition. It was fun though and they killed the pianos. When Ryan said "Nice to see you, Scott." he replied, "Nice to see you too, Ryan." Um, way to poke fun at the blind guy Ryan...
The remaining 8 contestants are brought back out to the couches, with the girls on the top row and the guys on the bottom. The guys are up first. Ryan asks Michael Lynche to stand, which he does, but also proceeds to walk center stage. A shocked Ryan looks hilarious and Michael claims that is what Debbie (the stage manager) told him to do. He is obviously safe. Aaron Kelly is next and he starts off facing the completely wrong way! What in the world, kid? It should be self explanatory, just face the cameras! He was my other pick to go home after several bad performances, but America is once again wrong and keeps him around. He is becoming my least favorite contestant ever I think. Even more than Gokey was last year. Now it's down to Alex Lambert and Andrew Garcia. Preparing myself for the shock of Andrew going home, Ryan quickly shows that he is safe and Alex will be leaving us. This was probably one of the saddest eliminations I've ever seen on the show. Here was a guy with a good, distinctive voice, who was settling down and getting into stride, but it all proved to be a little too late. After a shaken encore performance of "Trouble," Alex breaks down into a puddle of tears on national television. When we come back from the break, the contestants are still around him and he is bawling, as is a visibly shaken Siobhan. Ryan says that you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium during the break and I'd believe it. Ryan then helps Alex off the stage in an awkward moment so that he could continue the show.
Last up are the 4 remaining ladies, Crystal Bowersox, Lacey Brown, Lilly Scott, and Katie Stevens, who has rivaled Alex as the biggest puddle of the evening. Crystal is undoubtedly safe, but looks like someone has kicked her puppy really, really hard. The culmination of tonight's results are obviously hitting her hard and she seems more sad about her friends leaving than her progressing. Lacey Brown, my final pick, is deemed safe and I'm unsure why. Whatever, you have no shot to win, so what's the point in staying on a few more weeks? The final decision is between Lilly and Katie. I was thinking that Katie was going to be cut after struggling to find herself in the live performances, but something told me that Lilly was going to be the upset toss. Turns out, Lilly was the one who was heading home. You could tell that she was surprised, shocked, flabbergasted, and any other synonym at the result. She got a little sassy before her swan song and was visibly angry. Her performance of "I Fall To Pieces" was again only ok. I think that her doing the same thing weekly ended up hurting you. She was also probably too quirky for a show who's main demographic is high school girls. Given Lilly and Katie, they will vote in one of their own every time.
After the most crying I've seen on the show in a long time, we finally have our Top 12. They are:
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Crystal Bowersox
Didi Benami
Lacey Brown
Lee Dewyze
Katie Stevens
Michael Lynche
Paige Miles
Siobhan Magnus
Tim Urban
Tonight had 3 people leave, in Katelyn, Lilly and Alex, who were probably sent home way to early, while less talented people, such as Lacey, Paige, and Aaron were allowed to move on undeservedly. This is the strangest Top 12 that I've seen in a while, and barring some out of nowhere awesome performances from several of the contestants, the Top 4 seems a pretty easy pick right now with Michael, Crystal, Casey, and Siobhan distancing themselves from the pack.
What do you guys think? Did America make a mistake/several mistakes in who was sent home?
Until next time...
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
This results show proved to be a night of upsets! Going into the evening, my picks to go home were Paige, Lacey, Aaron, and Todrick. These all seemed like obvious choices to me, but America disagreed with my assessment, apparently. Let's take a look at how this episode shook down and who will be gracing us with their presence next week.
Idol is wasting no time this week! After a brief intro of the judges, Ryan lets the contestants "perform" their prerecorded version of Michael Buble's "I Just Haven't Met You Yet." This is an odd choice of song for them to be singing. There is a supreme lack of energy (even though it's pre-recorded) and the contestants (again) look incredibly uncomfortable. The tempo is so slow that the choreography feels like they are counting like this: one, pause...., two, pause.... Once again, Idol has let the cheese flow in this group performance. When will they realize that no one particularly cares for these half-hearted, fake performances? I digress. Moving on.
Up first are the girls, who all appear really emotional. The top row consists of Didi Benami, Siobhan Magnus, Katelyn Epperly, and Paige Miles. Didi and Siobhan are quickly given access to their Top 12 stools, which are still just as metallic and uncomfortable looking as ever. "Congrats on making the Top 12 guys! Now suffer in silence for the rest of the show as you endure the pain of cushion-less, metal seats! MWAHAHA!" At least that's what I hear Simon Fuller screaming crazily in my head. It's down to Paige and Katelyn, and just as I was about to check one right pick off the list (Paige), Ryan bursts my bubble and states that Katelyn will be leaving us tonight and Paige is safe. WHAT?! I agree that Katelyn did not live up to last weeks performance, but it was certainly not worse than Paige's last few have been! I guess this goes to show you that if you perform a merely ok, middle of the road version of a song, people will be less likely to pick up the phone and vote for you like they would if you botched it and they wanted to vote for you due to sympathy. I think this is what happened here. America got this one wrong, and America knows it. Sadly, it's too late for our poodle-haired blond. She sings her song again (and again, it's merely ok), then switches from bubbly performance mode to full breakdown in tears mode in Lilly's arms. I'm sad to see her go. I think she could have done well. VFTW is applauding their victory in Paige.
Next, Ryan switches to the guys and has the top row join him center stage. This row consists of Tim Urban, Todrick Hall, Lee Dewyze, and Casey James. He started with Tim, but told him to "hang tight." Doesn't he know that this kid is almost on the verge of tears every episode. That's mean to keep him in suspense. He then give a little background for each of the contestants, and informs Casey that he is safe. He starts doing the slow clap that he did in Hollywood and you can tell that he wants to do his rooster crow, excited yell again, but he manages to refrain. Ryan quickly tells Tim that he is safe, and he appears shocked, relieved, and overwhelmed all at the same time. Thank you for being merciful, Ryan. Now, it's down to Todrick and Lee, and this was no shock to me. Lee clearly has been hyped more than Todrick and has the rocker fans on his side. My prediction that Michael Lynche stole Todrick's thunder last night and cost him some votes turns out correct. Ryan tells Todrick that he will be heading home, and he performs "Somebody to Love" one more time, and very well I might add. He still deserved to go home, though.
The guest performers tonight are Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre, continuing with the theme of last seasons contestants returning, who do a little dueling piano action to Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It." Matt, who is sans mini-Matt (the huge mole that was on his forehead) showed that he'd be a contender this season, while Scott showed that he'd be among some of the fodder that is currently in the competition. It was fun though and they killed the pianos. When Ryan said "Nice to see you, Scott." he replied, "Nice to see you too, Ryan." Um, way to poke fun at the blind guy Ryan...
The remaining 8 contestants are brought back out to the couches, with the girls on the top row and the guys on the bottom. The guys are up first. Ryan asks Michael Lynche to stand, which he does, but also proceeds to walk center stage. A shocked Ryan looks hilarious and Michael claims that is what Debbie (the stage manager) told him to do. He is obviously safe. Aaron Kelly is next and he starts off facing the completely wrong way! What in the world, kid? It should be self explanatory, just face the cameras! He was my other pick to go home after several bad performances, but America is once again wrong and keeps him around. He is becoming my least favorite contestant ever I think. Even more than Gokey was last year. Now it's down to Alex Lambert and Andrew Garcia. Preparing myself for the shock of Andrew going home, Ryan quickly shows that he is safe and Alex will be leaving us. This was probably one of the saddest eliminations I've ever seen on the show. Here was a guy with a good, distinctive voice, who was settling down and getting into stride, but it all proved to be a little too late. After a shaken encore performance of "Trouble," Alex breaks down into a puddle of tears on national television. When we come back from the break, the contestants are still around him and he is bawling, as is a visibly shaken Siobhan. Ryan says that you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium during the break and I'd believe it. Ryan then helps Alex off the stage in an awkward moment so that he could continue the show.
Last up are the 4 remaining ladies, Crystal Bowersox, Lacey Brown, Lilly Scott, and Katie Stevens, who has rivaled Alex as the biggest puddle of the evening. Crystal is undoubtedly safe, but looks like someone has kicked her puppy really, really hard. The culmination of tonight's results are obviously hitting her hard and she seems more sad about her friends leaving than her progressing. Lacey Brown, my final pick, is deemed safe and I'm unsure why. Whatever, you have no shot to win, so what's the point in staying on a few more weeks? The final decision is between Lilly and Katie. I was thinking that Katie was going to be cut after struggling to find herself in the live performances, but something told me that Lilly was going to be the upset toss. Turns out, Lilly was the one who was heading home. You could tell that she was surprised, shocked, flabbergasted, and any other synonym at the result. She got a little sassy before her swan song and was visibly angry. Her performance of "I Fall To Pieces" was again only ok. I think that her doing the same thing weekly ended up hurting you. She was also probably too quirky for a show who's main demographic is high school girls. Given Lilly and Katie, they will vote in one of their own every time.
After the most crying I've seen on the show in a long time, we finally have our Top 12. They are:
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Crystal Bowersox
Didi Benami
Lacey Brown
Lee Dewyze
Katie Stevens
Michael Lynche
Paige Miles
Siobhan Magnus
Tim Urban
Tonight had 3 people leave, in Katelyn, Lilly and Alex, who were probably sent home way to early, while less talented people, such as Lacey, Paige, and Aaron were allowed to move on undeservedly. This is the strangest Top 12 that I've seen in a while, and barring some out of nowhere awesome performances from several of the contestants, the Top 4 seems a pretty easy pick right now with Michael, Crystal, Casey, and Siobhan distancing themselves from the pack.
What do you guys think? Did America make a mistake/several mistakes in who was sent home?
Until next time...
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
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