With American Idol devoted the show to Idol Gives Back next week, voters will eliminate two of the nine remaining contestants tonight on American Idol's results show.
Last night the contestants took on Elvis Presley songs, with the help of Adam Lambert, American Idol's season 8 who lost the title of America's favorite singer to Kris Allen.
I think that Adam gave wonderful advice to the contestants. He did it with humility and grace, and it was a refreshing change from some of the other so-called legends in past American Idol shows. Adam did not pretend to be a big know-it-all rock star, and he just gave them honest opinions on what they should and should not do during their performances last night.
Adam Lambert is the first American Idol contestant to be a mentor for the aspiring singers and I think he is because he is the most talented singer Idol has ever had on the show.
With so many songs to choose from the King of Pop's legacy, some of the choices disappointed me, for several reasons and I will explain why.
Crystal Bowersox performed a song I am not that familiar with called Saved. I think the reason I do not know this song may be that when the song was popular, my parents did not allow me to listen to it, because of the lyrics.
Crystal, as everyone including Ellen, is growing tired of saying, has raw, natural talent, and sounds fantastic in every performance. I wonder about the choice of song though, given that many of American Idol viewers are pre-teen and perhaps younger.
Kara said she had to hand it to Crystal for tackling a song with considered controversial lyrics for its day, but I think American Idol producers should remember what age group the majority of their viewers is in, and that is the group too young to drink or smoke. I am not a prude but if my kids were younger than their late teens, I would have told them that it was a stupid song to sing on American Idol.
After Crystal's performance, Simon announced he thought the night "would be filled with" karaoke-sounding performances. I announced that the judges would definitely like to see Crystal crowned this year's winner of American Idol. For talent alone, I agree, but the judges should make it less obvious to viewers that although Simon still talks about Kelly Clarkson as though she won yesterday, Idol is looking for another mainstream artist, in the form of a female contestant.
Andrew Garcia sang Hound Dog, and slowed it down a bit. While it did show off the uniqueness of his voice, it lacked the energy of the song as Elvis recorded it. Adam Lambert kept saying that the contestants all had talent and great voices, but needed to put more energy and 'oomph' into their performances. I think the oomph was missing from Andrew's performance, and the judges agreed with me.
I do have to say that I have been hard on Andrew, but he does seem like he is well liked by the other contestants, and the judges seem to think he lacks personality. Ellen thought Andrew pulled the song off, however.
Tim Urban, whom I think Ryan Seacrest referred to as, Turban, last night, sang Can't Help Falling in Love, and I thought he sounded great. I think this is exactly the way Elvis meant for the song to reach his adoring teenage fans, and Tim just might have picked up more of them last night. In the mentoring phase of the performance, Adam encouraged Tim to use his falsetto in the ending of the song, but Tim apparently decided against it, but the ending was still good. I hope that Tim is not in the bottom three tonight again. I am in awe every week of how few of the young female viewers' vote for Tim.
Lee Dewyze is the contestant who is becoming stronger each week for me, in the competition. He performed, A Little Less Conversation, a song I also was not familiar with until Jon Peter Leeis sung it in what I called the Nightmare of Fantasia Season of AI, in season three.
By this stage, the other contestants should be coming out and delivering stronger performances, but I do not think some of them have been.
All of them seem more concerned and more nervous about what the judges will say about their performances, than I have noticed in previous seasons. I still do not care for the new concept of asking the contestants what they thought of the judges' criticism.
All of the judges, except Kara had nothing but good things to say to Lee about his performance. Kara wanted more from him, and Simon asked if she wanted to see Lee bring kittens up on the stage, and wanted to know what more she wanted from him. He then told Lee his performance was "on the money". I agreed.
Aaron Kelly, in my opinion nailed the song, Blue Suede Shoes. I thought he brought more energy to the stage than the other contestants did last night. I also think he was one of the few who heeded Adam's advice on that very subject.
For a 16 year old to sing this rocking, energetic song of Elvis' and appear to be someone quite older, I was surprised at the judges' reactions. Simon insulted Broadway and high school performing arts' groups; insinuating his performance was only as good as a musical. I have to take issue with Simon when he says these things because I have been to several high school musicals and the singers are extremely talented, just as the singers in the show, Glee, are. Speaking of which, cast member of Glee were in the audience. What did they think of Simon's remarks? Kara liked Aaron's performance and liked that he left his comfort zone to perform it, and I agreed with her, one of the rare times that I have so far this season.
Siobhan Magnus is one of those contestants that make me think to myself that this one is one that the judges do not want in the finale. In the beginning, the judges praised Siobhan for her strong vocals and her amazing range, but lately they are beating her down no matter what type of song she sings.
Siobhan performed Suspicious Minds, one of my Elvis favorites and I loved her performance. It was slower than the original and I wish she had shown a little more energy with a song that just makes you tap your feet instantly. Other than that, I had no complaints about her performance. Kara had the nerve to tell Siobhan that she was confusing her, but I think that the judges are confusing the contestants this season. They are not consistent with their thoughts on what genre the contestants should be singing in, and I think they are leaving the contestants worried for another week about song choice and style for the next performance. I think this accounts for their obvious lack of self-confidence in some.
Michael Lynche made me happy when he chose to sing In the Ghetto, another one of my absolute favorites of Elvis Presley's hits. Still reeling from the shock of seeing Michael too close to going home last week if not for the judges saving him, I think he redeemed himself to the doubting voters with last night's performance.
Randy was correct in stating that Michaels vocals 'were hot', and all I have written for Ellen's critique in my notes, is "moron", so she must not have liked the performance. However, Simon did and said it was one of the favorites of the night of his. He would not say "the favorite" because we know he is looking to discover another Kelly Clarkson.
Katie Stevens, in my opinion, is one of the contestants I liked earlier on, but seem to like her less with each performance. She is one of the youngest contestants and she does have talent, but in her more recent performances, she has sounded pitchy to me. I think it is the strange tone of her voice, and I think I finally understand what Simon is talking about when he says that Katie should be in the 'country' genre. She has the voice for that, I believe, and when she applies that voice to rock or pop, it sounds pitchy.
I agreed with Simon again, that the performance was loud and annoying. The song, Baby, What do you want me to do, was another song I did not know. I grew up listening to Elvis and I have a ton of his hits on my IPod, so I found it weird that too many songs last night were unfamiliar. Casey James also performed a song unknown to me, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, and after last night, I hope it remains unfamiliar. The judges have managed to make Casey overconfident in himself, I think, and the disappointment on his face while the judges criticized his performance, confirmed my suspicions.
Frighteningly, I again agreed with Kara when she told Casey that he wasted an opportunity to show what he had to offer, given that Elvis was a rocker, as Casey is. I think it was a 'blah' performance and I think he bLee it last night as well.
Elvis Presley would have turned 75 this past January 8, had he lived to see these nine contestants perform his songs. I wonder what he would have thought about a new generation introduced to his songs. Elvis Presley is a legend, in a league all of his own, and I think most of all, he would have been proud of the job Adam Lambert did with the contestants. I just wished they had listened more closely to what Adam advised them to do. The show was less electric than I thought it would be for being the night they honored the King of Pop, and because LOST followed the Idol's 90 minute program, I was glad when it finally ended.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
American Idol's astounding results show
Last night's elimination round may be the best one yet. American Idol voters astounded many fans when they failed to vote for Michael Lynche's performance on Tuesday night.
On the night the eight male contestants performed, Michael Lynche sang This Woman's Work and many fans like myself, felt that Michael sealed his place in the American Idol spotlight for season 9.
The results of last night's American Idol voting, proved what Benjamin Franklin said in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy in 1789: "...in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
If you have been watching American Idol since the beginning, you know what that means. Many times people say that when a talented contestant with a large fan base, receives the lowest number of votes, it is because voters felt other contestants needed the votes more. I believe this was the case with Michael Lynche.
Michael Lynche receiving the fewest votes would have been more tragic, if it were not for the addition of the judges' ability to "save" an eliminated contestant. I am proud of the judges for realizing that their reviews of Michael's performance of Eleanor Rigby on Tuesday night may have cost Michael a chance to advance to the finale of American Idol.
I suspected that Michael was going to be in the bottom three after Ryan announced in the beginning of the show that it would be a shocking results show. I never guessed he would be the one eliminated, however. I did not think that was possible.
Last night, Ryan put all three of the remaining female contestants in a group on stage, and for dramatic purposes, led some viewers to believe one of the girls would be in the bottom three. I never liked the thing American Idol does with splitting the contestants into groups and then asking the judges which group they believe is the bottom three. One reason is that I think the judges already know who is eliminated before the show airs. The other reason is that it is just another way to drag out the results show.
Ryan then revealed that all three girls were safe and would be around for another week of competing. Taking a break from the eliminations, Jason Derulo performed, and it was simply another rap song among all rap songs, that have nothing to do with singing, so I fail to understand why they bring that onto a singing competition show because to me, rap has nothing to do with singing. After revealing the eliminated contestant, I wonder how people can think that this Jason is more talented that Michael Lynche, because I did not see that at all.
David Archuleta, American Idol's runner up in Season 7, performed John Lennon's Imagine, a song he performed during one week of competition in Season 7, and then in the finale as his choice. He can still sing the phonebook and I wonder how nervous some of the current contestants felt after hearing his flawless performance.
Finally getting back to the results, Ryan breaks the six male contestants up into two groups. Lee Dewyze, Casey James, and Tim Urban made up one group, while Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, and Andrew Garcia made up the second group.
Remembering what Ryan said about the shock to come, I figured the group with Michael, Aaron, and Andrew were the bottom three. I thought Aaron was the contestant with the least votes, but did not understand why that would be a shock after the judges' negative comments about Aaron's performance of The Long and Winding Road.
Then I wondered if the shock was that Lee and Casey were in the bottom three because the judges loved Casey's performance the previous night.
Leaving us hanging again, the other guest singer, Rhianna, performed. I hate to be the party crasher all the time, but I fail to see the talent in this woman as well. The song was awful; a repeat of the same line over and over again, the body gestures and the suggestive lyrics did not belong on American Idol, a show that has young and old fans. For the young, it was too much, for the old...well, it was also too much.
My teenage son thinks she has talent, but I think her performance was as offensive to American Idol viewers as some claim Adam Lambert's performance on the American Music Awards show was for them.
Personally, I do not mind the bumping and grinding as much if the person doing it can actually sing, and we all know how well Adam Lambert can sing.
Finally getting back to the real point of the show, Ryan sends Aaron back to safety, eliminating any shock value at this point for me, because eliminating Andrew would have worked for me weeks ago.
After Ryan announced that Andrew was safe, I was shocked, Ryan was right. I was so shocked, in fact, that I completely forgot that the judges had yet to use their 'save', and could put Michael right back into the competition, where he belongs.
While Michael gave the audience a stellar performance, proving he belongs in this competition, I saw the judges talking and remembered that they might very well use their 'save' on Michael.
After Simon tried to spice up the already disappointing results, by dragging the drama out further, he announced that the judges unanimously decided to save Michael and that he would remain in the competition.
For me, the judges redeemed themselves last night by not allowing the opportunity for one of this season's most talented singers, to slip passed them.
I disagreed with the judges on almost all of their reviews last night of the contestants' performances, so I was happy that they agreed with me last night and saved Michael Lynche.
Given the departure of Paula Abdul this year, and the threat of Simon's departure after this season looming, I am glad they gave credibility back to their job of constructive criticism.
The judges let the voters know that they eliminated the wrong contestant last night. I hope they learned a lesson last night, and will never assume that someone is safe, and will continue to vote for Michael Lynche in the coming weeks.
On the night the eight male contestants performed, Michael Lynche sang This Woman's Work and many fans like myself, felt that Michael sealed his place in the American Idol spotlight for season 9.
The results of last night's American Idol voting, proved what Benjamin Franklin said in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy in 1789: "...in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
If you have been watching American Idol since the beginning, you know what that means. Many times people say that when a talented contestant with a large fan base, receives the lowest number of votes, it is because voters felt other contestants needed the votes more. I believe this was the case with Michael Lynche.
Michael Lynche receiving the fewest votes would have been more tragic, if it were not for the addition of the judges' ability to "save" an eliminated contestant. I am proud of the judges for realizing that their reviews of Michael's performance of Eleanor Rigby on Tuesday night may have cost Michael a chance to advance to the finale of American Idol.
I suspected that Michael was going to be in the bottom three after Ryan announced in the beginning of the show that it would be a shocking results show. I never guessed he would be the one eliminated, however. I did not think that was possible.
Last night, Ryan put all three of the remaining female contestants in a group on stage, and for dramatic purposes, led some viewers to believe one of the girls would be in the bottom three. I never liked the thing American Idol does with splitting the contestants into groups and then asking the judges which group they believe is the bottom three. One reason is that I think the judges already know who is eliminated before the show airs. The other reason is that it is just another way to drag out the results show.
Ryan then revealed that all three girls were safe and would be around for another week of competing. Taking a break from the eliminations, Jason Derulo performed, and it was simply another rap song among all rap songs, that have nothing to do with singing, so I fail to understand why they bring that onto a singing competition show because to me, rap has nothing to do with singing. After revealing the eliminated contestant, I wonder how people can think that this Jason is more talented that Michael Lynche, because I did not see that at all.
David Archuleta, American Idol's runner up in Season 7, performed John Lennon's Imagine, a song he performed during one week of competition in Season 7, and then in the finale as his choice. He can still sing the phonebook and I wonder how nervous some of the current contestants felt after hearing his flawless performance.
Finally getting back to the results, Ryan breaks the six male contestants up into two groups. Lee Dewyze, Casey James, and Tim Urban made up one group, while Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, and Andrew Garcia made up the second group.
Remembering what Ryan said about the shock to come, I figured the group with Michael, Aaron, and Andrew were the bottom three. I thought Aaron was the contestant with the least votes, but did not understand why that would be a shock after the judges' negative comments about Aaron's performance of The Long and Winding Road.
Then I wondered if the shock was that Lee and Casey were in the bottom three because the judges loved Casey's performance the previous night.
Leaving us hanging again, the other guest singer, Rhianna, performed. I hate to be the party crasher all the time, but I fail to see the talent in this woman as well. The song was awful; a repeat of the same line over and over again, the body gestures and the suggestive lyrics did not belong on American Idol, a show that has young and old fans. For the young, it was too much, for the old...well, it was also too much.
My teenage son thinks she has talent, but I think her performance was as offensive to American Idol viewers as some claim Adam Lambert's performance on the American Music Awards show was for them.
Personally, I do not mind the bumping and grinding as much if the person doing it can actually sing, and we all know how well Adam Lambert can sing.
Finally getting back to the real point of the show, Ryan sends Aaron back to safety, eliminating any shock value at this point for me, because eliminating Andrew would have worked for me weeks ago.
After Ryan announced that Andrew was safe, I was shocked, Ryan was right. I was so shocked, in fact, that I completely forgot that the judges had yet to use their 'save', and could put Michael right back into the competition, where he belongs.
While Michael gave the audience a stellar performance, proving he belongs in this competition, I saw the judges talking and remembered that they might very well use their 'save' on Michael.
After Simon tried to spice up the already disappointing results, by dragging the drama out further, he announced that the judges unanimously decided to save Michael and that he would remain in the competition.
For me, the judges redeemed themselves last night by not allowing the opportunity for one of this season's most talented singers, to slip passed them.
I disagreed with the judges on almost all of their reviews last night of the contestants' performances, so I was happy that they agreed with me last night and saved Michael Lynche.
Given the departure of Paula Abdul this year, and the threat of Simon's departure after this season looming, I am glad they gave credibility back to their job of constructive criticism.
The judges let the voters know that they eliminated the wrong contestant last night. I hope they learned a lesson last night, and will never assume that someone is safe, and will continue to vote for Michael Lynche in the coming weeks.
American Idol contestants need "Help" to reach the finale
This season of American Idol is not as exciting as the last two seasons have been, for me. It is not because the talent is not there, it is, but there is too much emphasis on the judges this season.
This show is supposed to be about the contestants competing against each other to win viewers over and to get them to vote for them as their favorite singer. By the time fans wade through all the commotion the judges are causing this year, we forget whether we enjoyed the contestant's performance or not.
Ellen is making an impact on the show this year, because she has that great sense of humor and her responses do not seem scripted in any way. I do not think her critiques of the contestants' performances are helping in the sense that they can take what she says and apply it to their next performance. She is merely comic relief. The real judges are not that funny anymore.
The theme last night was Lennon/McCartney, and yesterday I chose the songs I would like to see the contestants perform. Paul McCartney sent a special message to the contestants and wished them luck on their performances of his songs.
None of the contestants performed two of my favorite Beatles' songs, Hello Goodbye and All You Need is Love last night. A few of the others were, but the contestants did not sing the songs I wanted them to; others did, however.
Aaron Kelly performed The Long and Winding Road and I think he sounded as though he had a cold. He seemed to strain to reach some of the notes. I think this was a song too mature for a teenager to sing and I thought it was a little sluggish, even for a slow song. Aaron does have a unique sound to his voice and I think he was just having a bad night, which happens to all the contestants at one point.
I gave him a C for his performance and the judges agreed that the arrangement was 'sleepy'. Simon rolled his eyes at Aaron when Ryan asked him why he chose the song. Simon does not like sentimental things and I think he is too obnoxious in his critiques of the younger contestants. As a parent, I would have a problem listening to some of the things he might say to one of my teens, if mine were contestants on the show.
Katie Stevens did Let it Be and I thought she sounded pitchy, and that the song was in the wrong key for her. Each time she hit the higher notes, it sounded like she went off a little. The judges did not hear what I did with Katie's performance, because Randy thought it was her best performance ever. Simon still argues that Katie should be a country singer and Ellen insinuated that there is no way the fans will put Katie in the bottom three for the third week in a row. I am not as confident as Ellen seems to be.
I gave Katie a C for her performance as well. I felt it was what Simon calls an audition performance. I do think Katie has good vocals, but I think she has not progressed in the competition to the point she should thus far.
Andrew Garcia sang Can't Buy Me Love, and for the first time since the fans started voting, I liked Andrew's performance of the song. I did not think he should be in the top 12 based on his previous performances, but last night I felt he belonged there. I thought his vocals were good and some of that personality that his fellow contestants say he has, and that the judges think he does not have.
I gave Andrew a B+ and thought he gave the best performance so far of the night.
Michael Lynche sang Eleanor Rigby and I loved how he changed it up into a gospel, soulful song. I love his voice and like first season winner, Reuben Studdard, I do not think there will be a theme that will throw him off. Simon likened his performance to one you would hear in musicals, which I do not think is a negative comment, but Simon, as we all know by now, says that to show his disappointment in the contestant's performance. The other judges liked it, and Ellen even thought it was incredible, while Kara said it had 'fire'.
I gave Michael and A for his performance and agreed with Kara when she said it had a 'commercial' sound that would make fans want to hear Michael sing on the radio.
At this point, I had to take notice that Ryan is going overboard with his questions for the judges regarding the contestants' performances. I have repeatedly said in the past that I do not care for the backtalk the contestants give in disagreement with the judges' critiques, even if I myself do not agree with the judges. I think that Ryan doing this is inciting the contestants to say things they should not say and will make fans less likely to vote for them even if they enjoyed the performance.
Crystal Bowersox sang Come Together and she gave a perfect performance as she does week after week. The live audience cheered long and loud for Crystal and seems to be the one favored to win this season, as she should be. She is the best of both the girls and boys, as far as never having a problem with whatever theme they throw at the contestants.
I gave Crystal an A for her rendition of the Beatles' hit, and as a star, because she is definitely on her way to becoming one, with or without the American Idol title, if by a slim chance she does not win.
Tim Urban sang All My Lovin', and I always liked this song for the corny upbeat 'bubble gum' music sound that it has. I thought Tim did a fine job of the song. I think he and Michael have the best vocals of the male contestants.
The judges must have been busy on the Internet this past week, because they appeared to be sucking up to Tim after the stupid comments they made last week about how Tim is always smiling and cheerful, not understanding that the judges are telling him he did not perform well, almost every week since the beginning. I think they saw that many fans, myself included, loved Tim's response to the judges' ridiculous rants last week and they quickly did some damage control.
Simon actually told Tim that he sang the song "really well", as I did, but I think Simon did that more to lessen the anger of Tim's fans, than because he really believed it. Every season there is at least one contestant that fans know the judges do not want to remain in the competition. For unknown reasons, that contestant is Tim this season.
I gave Tim an A for his performance. It was entertaining and it I think he did sing it well.
Casey James sang the only song I was unfamiliar with, called Jealous Guy, and I still do not see what the judges, and obviously the fans, see in Casey. He does have talent, but I do not think his performance was the best of the night, or his best performance, as the judges thought. I think he has as much talent as Bo Bice did, but I think Casey believes he has more.
I gave him a B- for his performance and I think he has a set of fans that will make sure he keeps going in this competition.
Siobhan Magnus sang Across the Universe and although I do not care for this song, she did a fantastic job as she does each week. I thought it was the best performance of the entire night. Randy thought her performance was 'sleepy' but I blame the song not Siobhan for that. They do not want to give her the credit she deserves. I think Siobhan can sing Kelly Clarkson out of the water, but Simon will never admit that his first pick is not as good as some others are, such as Carrie Underwood.
I gave Siobhan an A for her performance even thought the song is boring and I never liked it.
Lee Dewyze sang Hey Jude and I love his voice and think that he will definitely get into the final. He sang it with the guitar, and although I think he is one of the best, his version of Hey Jude was a little weird for me. There was also a bagpipe player and Ellen made a joke about it saying that the guy lost his way in a parade and walked onto the American Idol stage by accident. Randy thought Lee's performance was hot but Kara pointed out a few "off moments".
I gave Lee a B for his performance, but I believe he is an "A" singer.
I think the fans will put Tim, Andrew, and either Katie or Siobhan in the bottom 3 tonight.
If I had my choice, the bottom 3 would be Casey, Andrew, and Katie, with Andrew going home. I did like Andrew's performance, but overall I believe he should not have made it this far.
David Archuleta and Rhianna will perform on tonight's American Idol results show tonight at 9 pm on Fox.
What did you think of the Lennon/McCartney performances last night?
This show is supposed to be about the contestants competing against each other to win viewers over and to get them to vote for them as their favorite singer. By the time fans wade through all the commotion the judges are causing this year, we forget whether we enjoyed the contestant's performance or not.
Ellen is making an impact on the show this year, because she has that great sense of humor and her responses do not seem scripted in any way. I do not think her critiques of the contestants' performances are helping in the sense that they can take what she says and apply it to their next performance. She is merely comic relief. The real judges are not that funny anymore.
The theme last night was Lennon/McCartney, and yesterday I chose the songs I would like to see the contestants perform. Paul McCartney sent a special message to the contestants and wished them luck on their performances of his songs.
None of the contestants performed two of my favorite Beatles' songs, Hello Goodbye and All You Need is Love last night. A few of the others were, but the contestants did not sing the songs I wanted them to; others did, however.
Aaron Kelly performed The Long and Winding Road and I think he sounded as though he had a cold. He seemed to strain to reach some of the notes. I think this was a song too mature for a teenager to sing and I thought it was a little sluggish, even for a slow song. Aaron does have a unique sound to his voice and I think he was just having a bad night, which happens to all the contestants at one point.
I gave him a C for his performance and the judges agreed that the arrangement was 'sleepy'. Simon rolled his eyes at Aaron when Ryan asked him why he chose the song. Simon does not like sentimental things and I think he is too obnoxious in his critiques of the younger contestants. As a parent, I would have a problem listening to some of the things he might say to one of my teens, if mine were contestants on the show.
Katie Stevens did Let it Be and I thought she sounded pitchy, and that the song was in the wrong key for her. Each time she hit the higher notes, it sounded like she went off a little. The judges did not hear what I did with Katie's performance, because Randy thought it was her best performance ever. Simon still argues that Katie should be a country singer and Ellen insinuated that there is no way the fans will put Katie in the bottom three for the third week in a row. I am not as confident as Ellen seems to be.
I gave Katie a C for her performance as well. I felt it was what Simon calls an audition performance. I do think Katie has good vocals, but I think she has not progressed in the competition to the point she should thus far.
Andrew Garcia sang Can't Buy Me Love, and for the first time since the fans started voting, I liked Andrew's performance of the song. I did not think he should be in the top 12 based on his previous performances, but last night I felt he belonged there. I thought his vocals were good and some of that personality that his fellow contestants say he has, and that the judges think he does not have.
I gave Andrew a B+ and thought he gave the best performance so far of the night.
Michael Lynche sang Eleanor Rigby and I loved how he changed it up into a gospel, soulful song. I love his voice and like first season winner, Reuben Studdard, I do not think there will be a theme that will throw him off. Simon likened his performance to one you would hear in musicals, which I do not think is a negative comment, but Simon, as we all know by now, says that to show his disappointment in the contestant's performance. The other judges liked it, and Ellen even thought it was incredible, while Kara said it had 'fire'.
I gave Michael and A for his performance and agreed with Kara when she said it had a 'commercial' sound that would make fans want to hear Michael sing on the radio.
At this point, I had to take notice that Ryan is going overboard with his questions for the judges regarding the contestants' performances. I have repeatedly said in the past that I do not care for the backtalk the contestants give in disagreement with the judges' critiques, even if I myself do not agree with the judges. I think that Ryan doing this is inciting the contestants to say things they should not say and will make fans less likely to vote for them even if they enjoyed the performance.
Crystal Bowersox sang Come Together and she gave a perfect performance as she does week after week. The live audience cheered long and loud for Crystal and seems to be the one favored to win this season, as she should be. She is the best of both the girls and boys, as far as never having a problem with whatever theme they throw at the contestants.
I gave Crystal an A for her rendition of the Beatles' hit, and as a star, because she is definitely on her way to becoming one, with or without the American Idol title, if by a slim chance she does not win.
Tim Urban sang All My Lovin', and I always liked this song for the corny upbeat 'bubble gum' music sound that it has. I thought Tim did a fine job of the song. I think he and Michael have the best vocals of the male contestants.
The judges must have been busy on the Internet this past week, because they appeared to be sucking up to Tim after the stupid comments they made last week about how Tim is always smiling and cheerful, not understanding that the judges are telling him he did not perform well, almost every week since the beginning. I think they saw that many fans, myself included, loved Tim's response to the judges' ridiculous rants last week and they quickly did some damage control.
Simon actually told Tim that he sang the song "really well", as I did, but I think Simon did that more to lessen the anger of Tim's fans, than because he really believed it. Every season there is at least one contestant that fans know the judges do not want to remain in the competition. For unknown reasons, that contestant is Tim this season.
I gave Tim an A for his performance. It was entertaining and it I think he did sing it well.
Casey James sang the only song I was unfamiliar with, called Jealous Guy, and I still do not see what the judges, and obviously the fans, see in Casey. He does have talent, but I do not think his performance was the best of the night, or his best performance, as the judges thought. I think he has as much talent as Bo Bice did, but I think Casey believes he has more.
I gave him a B- for his performance and I think he has a set of fans that will make sure he keeps going in this competition.
Siobhan Magnus sang Across the Universe and although I do not care for this song, she did a fantastic job as she does each week. I thought it was the best performance of the entire night. Randy thought her performance was 'sleepy' but I blame the song not Siobhan for that. They do not want to give her the credit she deserves. I think Siobhan can sing Kelly Clarkson out of the water, but Simon will never admit that his first pick is not as good as some others are, such as Carrie Underwood.
I gave Siobhan an A for her performance even thought the song is boring and I never liked it.
Lee Dewyze sang Hey Jude and I love his voice and think that he will definitely get into the final. He sang it with the guitar, and although I think he is one of the best, his version of Hey Jude was a little weird for me. There was also a bagpipe player and Ellen made a joke about it saying that the guy lost his way in a parade and walked onto the American Idol stage by accident. Randy thought Lee's performance was hot but Kara pointed out a few "off moments".
I gave Lee a B for his performance, but I believe he is an "A" singer.
I think the fans will put Tim, Andrew, and either Katie or Siobhan in the bottom 3 tonight.
If I had my choice, the bottom 3 would be Casey, Andrew, and Katie, with Andrew going home. I did like Andrew's performance, but overall I believe he should not have made it this far.
David Archuleta and Rhianna will perform on tonight's American Idol results show tonight at 9 pm on Fox.
What did you think of the Lennon/McCartney performances last night?
American Idol judges say Didi Benami not worth saving
Last night's American Idol results show was one of the weirdest ones yet. They forego the usual performance as a group to focus more attention on the judges. Given the rumors circulating about Simon possibly leaving at the end of American Idol's ninth season, I do not think it is a good idea to focus more on the judges.
I think the attention should shift away from the judges and back on the contestants, where it belongs. I also do not care for the overkill of discussions about the judges' critiques, reaction to the judges' critiques, and the judges reiterating their critiques. It is becoming redundant and just plain old boring.
The bright spot in the show for me last night was the performance by Ruben Studdard, doing his new single, Don't Make 'Em Like You No More. He told us that he and his runner-up from American Idol's second season are going on tour together.
The second season winner and runner-up, Ruben and Clay, and season seven's winner and runner-up, David Cook and David Archuleta, were the best so far in the history of American Idol.
Usher performed and so did a group called Diddy Dirty Money, with a song entitled, Hello Good Morning, quite possibly one of the stupidest performances I have ever seen on American Idol. The song was a poor imitation of a techno song from the 1990's, and as the judges often say, "I did not get it". All I wished for was that they would get all the nonsense over with, and get on to the real reason for last night's show, the elimination round.
Ryan is doing more chatting with the contestants this year during the results' show than in previous seasons. What I dislike the most about this is that the contestants are sounding off to the judges, if they received negative reviews from them. It is like a long drawn out version of the backtalk from the contestants, that I dislike on the performance shows.
Crystal Bowersox repeated what she told the judges on Tuesday night, that she disagreed with the judges insinuating the she seemed more uncomfortable at the piano that with the guitar. She said again that she would never do anything she did not feel comfortable doing. I do not think it did much harm for her with Simon, since he has all but predicted that Crystal will win this year.
Picking up where they left off the night before, Andrew Garcia's mother shouted from the audience about her son. Granted, I believe Andrew needs all the help he can get because in my opinion he has not yet performed up to what the judges feel is good enough to be in the top ten of American Idol.
Ryan lets Lee Dewyze know that he is safe, while Simon tells him that he can see him making it all the way to the finale.
The judges seem to be obsessed with Tim Urban's happy, cheerful attitude, but they do not see it from Casey James. As Ryan discussed the judges' comments with Casey about his performance, he could not help but grin from ear to ear, and it left me wondering what was so funny. Ryan let him know that he was safe as well.
By the time Ryan got to Aaron Kelly, the judges were in full swing and I noticed some of the conversation left Ellen looking quite confused. The talk was over Aaron's choice of song, Ain't No Sunshine. They discussed whether Aaron had ever been in love, and thought that because he never has been that there was something off about his performance. Randy asked Aaron if he ever loved 'anything', and that being in love was the same only a little twisted. Simon thought the whole thing was weird, as I did, and said, "This is not the Oprah Winfrey Show." After all that, finally Ryan told Aaron Kelly that he was safe.
Ryan told Siobhan and Katie to stand together, and I had mixed feelings about Siobhan's reaction to what the judges said to her last night about her performance. I did agree with the judges that it was not one of her best performances. I disagreed, as Siobhan did with the opening bit that left audiences thinking Siobhan was defeated last night. She told them she did not feel that way at all. I say "good for her".
The judges get into a tirade with each other again when it comes time for Katie to tell what she thought about her performance and the judges' reviews. Simon still believes Katie should sing country and the other judges think she should go for pop R&B.
When Ryan tells Katie that she is in the bottom three, the viewers hear Kara loudly say, "That's not right." At first, I thought she was saying that Katie should not be in the bottom three, but apparently, Simon indicated that he was right, and that the audience agreed with him about Katie not being sure of what type of singer she wanted to be. Simon feels that the audience did not like her as an R&B singer and did not vote for her this week.
Another long discussion with the judges makes this hour of American Idol feel like three, before they get on to the next contestant. Didi makes excuses for her performance as she did the night before, but I do not think she swayed the judges' views, and Ryan informs her that she is in the bottom three with Katie, and no one is surprised.
Before Ryan tells Michael that he is safe, he plays an early April fool's joke on him, leaving Michael to believe he is also in the bottom three. When Ryan comes clean about it, Michael lifts Ryan up over his head. Ryan seemed flustered enough for me to believe that they did not plan that ahead of time.
Already discussing Crystal's performance in the beginning, Ryan quickly tells her that she is safe.
Tim and Andrew stand together, and Ryan asks Tim why he is always happy and smiling, even when the judges criticize him every week and stop short of saying that he should not even be there on stage. That is odd for me, because the judges were the ones who decided that Tim deserved to be in the top 24.
The highlight of the show came for me when Tim explained why he was always smiling. I first have to say that I do not think this should be a requirement, for contestants to have to explain their overall demeanor, but American Idol is so weird this year, I guess there is not one stunt you can expect them not to pull this year.
Tim explained that he is always in a good mood when he performs, and even while the judges are ragging on him, which they always do, because he said that for him it is a chance of a lifetime to perform on stage in front of millions of people. He explained that even though the judges give him negative reviews of his performances, that it does not change the fact that he is happy to be there. The audience roared at his response and I think it deserved a standing ovation.
What made Tim's response so great was that before he answered, Kara, being the drama queen she always is, asked Tim if he was misunderstanding the negative comments the judges always give him. I cannot understand why she would want the contestants to be devastated, even though they have brought several contestants to tears with their stupid insensitive remarks this season. She also insinuated that he was stupid and confused for smiling while the judges blasted him for a lousy performance.
When I was a teenager, David Cassidy was every girl's dream. He had the looks, he had the voice, and I am surprised that Tim has been in the bottom so often, because I was always under the impression that young girls make up for the majority of voters who call in for their favorites. However, once again Tim winds up in the bottom three, while Andrew is again safe.
I guess I should be used to the shock by now that Andrew keeps escaping elimination. I am obviously not in tune to what people are listening to today in music, if they think Andrew performed better than Tim or Katie on Tuesday night. I must be missing something. Finally, they get to the actual elimination part, and Ryan sends Katie back to the other contestants, letting her know she is safe.
I have to mention again that this is the point where Diddy performs and with the strobe lights and weird music, the whole thing gave me a headache. The judges loved the performance but it made me wonder if they have any clue about what sounds good and what does not. Ryan tells Didi she received the fewest amount of votes and that she is going home.
The site, Votefortheworst.com, that picks who they consider to be the worst contestant, and encourages viewers to vote for him, is bragging that he has lasted the longest on Idol than any of their other picks in previous seasons. They seemed to have changed their basis for the site. In other seasons, they wanted fans to pick the contestant who performed the worst, or the one with the least amount of talent. This year they want fans to vote for the contestant that the judges cannot stand, so I guess that may be why Andrew is not their pick for the 'worst', but he has my vote in that department.
The judges decide not to save Didi and she is on her way home.
For whom are the judges saving the 'save'? I already know that it is definitely not for Tim.
Could they be looking for controversy this year to spice it up a bit? If that is the case, I think they are waiting for fans to give Andrew Garcia the boot. We will have to wait until next week's American Idol to find out.
I think the attention should shift away from the judges and back on the contestants, where it belongs. I also do not care for the overkill of discussions about the judges' critiques, reaction to the judges' critiques, and the judges reiterating their critiques. It is becoming redundant and just plain old boring.
The bright spot in the show for me last night was the performance by Ruben Studdard, doing his new single, Don't Make 'Em Like You No More. He told us that he and his runner-up from American Idol's second season are going on tour together.
The second season winner and runner-up, Ruben and Clay, and season seven's winner and runner-up, David Cook and David Archuleta, were the best so far in the history of American Idol.
Usher performed and so did a group called Diddy Dirty Money, with a song entitled, Hello Good Morning, quite possibly one of the stupidest performances I have ever seen on American Idol. The song was a poor imitation of a techno song from the 1990's, and as the judges often say, "I did not get it". All I wished for was that they would get all the nonsense over with, and get on to the real reason for last night's show, the elimination round.
Ryan is doing more chatting with the contestants this year during the results' show than in previous seasons. What I dislike the most about this is that the contestants are sounding off to the judges, if they received negative reviews from them. It is like a long drawn out version of the backtalk from the contestants, that I dislike on the performance shows.
Crystal Bowersox repeated what she told the judges on Tuesday night, that she disagreed with the judges insinuating the she seemed more uncomfortable at the piano that with the guitar. She said again that she would never do anything she did not feel comfortable doing. I do not think it did much harm for her with Simon, since he has all but predicted that Crystal will win this year.
Picking up where they left off the night before, Andrew Garcia's mother shouted from the audience about her son. Granted, I believe Andrew needs all the help he can get because in my opinion he has not yet performed up to what the judges feel is good enough to be in the top ten of American Idol.
Ryan lets Lee Dewyze know that he is safe, while Simon tells him that he can see him making it all the way to the finale.
The judges seem to be obsessed with Tim Urban's happy, cheerful attitude, but they do not see it from Casey James. As Ryan discussed the judges' comments with Casey about his performance, he could not help but grin from ear to ear, and it left me wondering what was so funny. Ryan let him know that he was safe as well.
By the time Ryan got to Aaron Kelly, the judges were in full swing and I noticed some of the conversation left Ellen looking quite confused. The talk was over Aaron's choice of song, Ain't No Sunshine. They discussed whether Aaron had ever been in love, and thought that because he never has been that there was something off about his performance. Randy asked Aaron if he ever loved 'anything', and that being in love was the same only a little twisted. Simon thought the whole thing was weird, as I did, and said, "This is not the Oprah Winfrey Show." After all that, finally Ryan told Aaron Kelly that he was safe.
Ryan told Siobhan and Katie to stand together, and I had mixed feelings about Siobhan's reaction to what the judges said to her last night about her performance. I did agree with the judges that it was not one of her best performances. I disagreed, as Siobhan did with the opening bit that left audiences thinking Siobhan was defeated last night. She told them she did not feel that way at all. I say "good for her".
The judges get into a tirade with each other again when it comes time for Katie to tell what she thought about her performance and the judges' reviews. Simon still believes Katie should sing country and the other judges think she should go for pop R&B.
When Ryan tells Katie that she is in the bottom three, the viewers hear Kara loudly say, "That's not right." At first, I thought she was saying that Katie should not be in the bottom three, but apparently, Simon indicated that he was right, and that the audience agreed with him about Katie not being sure of what type of singer she wanted to be. Simon feels that the audience did not like her as an R&B singer and did not vote for her this week.
Another long discussion with the judges makes this hour of American Idol feel like three, before they get on to the next contestant. Didi makes excuses for her performance as she did the night before, but I do not think she swayed the judges' views, and Ryan informs her that she is in the bottom three with Katie, and no one is surprised.
Before Ryan tells Michael that he is safe, he plays an early April fool's joke on him, leaving Michael to believe he is also in the bottom three. When Ryan comes clean about it, Michael lifts Ryan up over his head. Ryan seemed flustered enough for me to believe that they did not plan that ahead of time.
Already discussing Crystal's performance in the beginning, Ryan quickly tells her that she is safe.
Tim and Andrew stand together, and Ryan asks Tim why he is always happy and smiling, even when the judges criticize him every week and stop short of saying that he should not even be there on stage. That is odd for me, because the judges were the ones who decided that Tim deserved to be in the top 24.
The highlight of the show came for me when Tim explained why he was always smiling. I first have to say that I do not think this should be a requirement, for contestants to have to explain their overall demeanor, but American Idol is so weird this year, I guess there is not one stunt you can expect them not to pull this year.
Tim explained that he is always in a good mood when he performs, and even while the judges are ragging on him, which they always do, because he said that for him it is a chance of a lifetime to perform on stage in front of millions of people. He explained that even though the judges give him negative reviews of his performances, that it does not change the fact that he is happy to be there. The audience roared at his response and I think it deserved a standing ovation.
What made Tim's response so great was that before he answered, Kara, being the drama queen she always is, asked Tim if he was misunderstanding the negative comments the judges always give him. I cannot understand why she would want the contestants to be devastated, even though they have brought several contestants to tears with their stupid insensitive remarks this season. She also insinuated that he was stupid and confused for smiling while the judges blasted him for a lousy performance.
When I was a teenager, David Cassidy was every girl's dream. He had the looks, he had the voice, and I am surprised that Tim has been in the bottom so often, because I was always under the impression that young girls make up for the majority of voters who call in for their favorites. However, once again Tim winds up in the bottom three, while Andrew is again safe.
I guess I should be used to the shock by now that Andrew keeps escaping elimination. I am obviously not in tune to what people are listening to today in music, if they think Andrew performed better than Tim or Katie on Tuesday night. I must be missing something. Finally, they get to the actual elimination part, and Ryan sends Katie back to the other contestants, letting her know she is safe.
I have to mention again that this is the point where Diddy performs and with the strobe lights and weird music, the whole thing gave me a headache. The judges loved the performance but it made me wonder if they have any clue about what sounds good and what does not. Ryan tells Didi she received the fewest amount of votes and that she is going home.
The site, Votefortheworst.com, that picks who they consider to be the worst contestant, and encourages viewers to vote for him, is bragging that he has lasted the longest on Idol than any of their other picks in previous seasons. They seemed to have changed their basis for the site. In other seasons, they wanted fans to pick the contestant who performed the worst, or the one with the least amount of talent. This year they want fans to vote for the contestant that the judges cannot stand, so I guess that may be why Andrew is not their pick for the 'worst', but he has my vote in that department.
The judges decide not to save Didi and she is on her way home.
For whom are the judges saving the 'save'? I already know that it is definitely not for Tim.
Could they be looking for controversy this year to spice it up a bit? If that is the case, I think they are waiting for fans to give Andrew Garcia the boot. We will have to wait until next week's American Idol to find out.
Some American Idol contestants' rhythm gave me the blues
Last night's American Idol performances left me thinking, once again, that I should get a hearing aid. I do not know what the judges heard last night, but I think it has something to do with Simon already predicting that female, probably Crystal Bowersox, will win the title this year.
Last night's theme was R&B. I knew a few contestants would do well, and I knew the judges would criticize others no matter how they sounded. However, I was unprepared for some of the critiques.
This year, the producers are adding too much to the performance shows, as well as the results' shows. I do not want to see the judges 'making out' or pretending to make out. They can leave that out of the show from now on. What I did not made was the reactions of the contestants backstage, of the judges' comments. That is something we have not seen them do, except for the occasional backtalk we see from the contestants to the judges. Hearing them talk about it offstage is a much better idea, I believe. The sensual connotations they can lose immediately, because that does nothing for me.
I also would like to say something that does not have to do with the contestants' singing ability, but rather the arrogant attitude of Simon Cowell, that is wearing thin this season.
I noticed at least once before, that Simon was mispronouncing Siobhan Magnus' name. You pronounce the 'bh' as a 'v' like shi-vawn. I do not mean to nit-pick, but because I am Irish, I know that. Even Ryan Seacrest pronounced it right. The older crowd who watch the soap opera, Ryan's Hope knew remembers Siobhan Ryan, played by Marg Helgenberger of CSI.
The reason I bring this up now, is that last season, the judges had a long discussion about one of the contestants' names. It was all in an attempt to prove that Simon was ignorant. One of the contestant's names was Lil Rounds and Simon had trouble saying the name. He even asked if "Lil" was short for another name, or if it meant little. The other judges and Ryan ragged on Simon for it, as if Lil was a name you would hear quite often.
No one corrected Simon last night when he mispronounced Siobhan's name and after receiving nasty comments for my pointing out that people other than Simon thought Lil was not a normal name, I decided I would point this one out.
Usher mentored the American Idol contestants last night, and I thought he did a great job. He was helpful, gave great advice, and told the contestants where they could make improvements.
Siobhan Magnus sang Chaka Khan's Through the Fire. I thought she sang the note in a key higher than what she would normally sing, because she did sound pitchy to me in spots, as Randy noted. I did not understand Ellen's comment about Siobhan "freaking out" during the performance, though, and I agreed with Kara that Siobhan seemed nervous. She does have a powerful voice and one you would not expect to come out of a girl whose speaking voice is very soft-spoken. Mispronouncing her name was not enough for Simon who had to insult her by telling her she was kidding herself if she thought the performance was good.
I gave her a B for her performance, even though I did not like the song.
Casey James sang Sam and Dave's Hold On, I'm Comin', and although I thought he did a good job with the song, I did not think it was as great as the judges did. I was a little bothered by his constant lip pursing and smiling through most of the song. He does remind me of Bo Bice, one of the first rockers on American Idol. However, since Bo's appearance on American Idol, there have been quite a few rockers, and in my opinion, they were all more talented than either Bo or Casey.
I gave him a B for his performance, not the A+ Simon did.
Michael Lynche sang Ready for Love by India Arie. I never heard this song before and I thought Michael performed it well. I like his personality and I think it comes across as he performs. He appears to be a devoted family man, and he seems to feel the words of the songs he sings. I thought Michael has an R&B sound and I think he could have a nice career in this field.
I gave Michael an A for his performance.
Didi Benami sang one of my favorites, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. I agreed with the judges who said that it was flat and pitchy. Ellen thought it was too dramatic and Kara thought she overdid it. I think Kara overdid her critique when she said 'girl' to Didi trying to show a little R&B of her own, but it did not work for me.
I like the unique sound in Didi's voice, but she did not put enough into that classic song and made it sound boring.
I give her a D and think she may be in danger tonight.
Tim Urban, apparently known as Teflon Tim for his ability to take a beating from the judges and not lose his joyful attitude, sang Anita Baker's Sweet Love.
I think the judges are exceptionally and excessively tough on Tim this year. He is definitely not anywhere near as bad as the judges, especially Simon, claim.
I like Tim's voice and I would hope that he does have a large fan base consisting of young girls, who see him as those in my generation, saw David Cassidy. I also think Simon is making it all too obvious that he does want a girl to win this year. To me, it appears Simon tries to sway voters away from some of the better contestants in the competition. Sarcastically, he tells Tim that his fans will vote for him no matter what, but I think he is being unfair insinuating that Tim is not there because of his talent.
I give Tim a B for his performance. I think he should have shown a little more emotion with the song and it did not exactly scream out R&B, but I thought it was a good vocal performance.
Andrew Garcia sang Forever by Chris Brown. To me it feels like Andrew has been around forever, and should not be. I do not know what the judges, other than Simon, were listening to while Andrew performed, but I did not 'get it' as they like to say. He appears to try to imitate Jose Feliciano and is not doing it very well at all.
Simon said his performance was "miles better" than his previous performances, but I did not see that. Last night's performance was not any better than any he has done so far in this competition. Simon did still think it was boring and I agreed. Randy thought the old Andrew was back, and Ellen said it was an amazing performance. I was amazed but not for the same reason.
I gave Andrew a D, and as I said in previous weeks, he should go home.
Katie Stevens performed Chain of Fools and I think she fooled Randy into believing it was "the best of the night". She is only 16 and that may account for why I thought the song was all wrong for her. Ellen mumbled something about Katie making the song sound old, and someone should tell Ellen that the song is actually over 40 years old.
I also have a problem with some contestants who have backup singers while some do not. I do not necessarily believe that it helps the performances, but I just wonder why that seems to be the case almost every week.
I gave Katie a C for her performance, because she does have a powerful voice for a young girl but I do not think she pulled off the Aretha Franklin hit last night, and I think she should have chosen a different song.
Lee Dewyze, for me, was the best last night. Simon told Lee it was "the moment that would change his life forever." I notice that when Simon gives a good review of the contestants, the audience responds louder than when the other judges do it. I think this means that fans do rely heavily on what Simon says when it comes time to vote. I am glad that Lee performed treat her like a Lady differently than the original Motown song, by making it his own. I love Motown and that song and Lee simply put a completely new spin on it with his version.
I gave Lee an A+ for his performance, agreeing with Randy that it was "the Bomb".
Crystal Bowersox sang Midnight Train to Georgia and although she can "sing the phone book" as the judges always told David Archuleta he could do, I was disappointed in the rendition she gave. I also did not like her singing at the piano, which is what she referred to last week when she told the judges that she had a surprise for them.
I agreed with Simon that even though she has an incredible voice and you could hear it as she sang last night, as always, that she should not change who she is, because the Crystal we have been seeing all along, is just fine without the piano. For me, Crystal is the Melinda Doolittle of Season 9. Melinda, a contestant in American Idol's 6th season, was phenomenal and did her best performances when she was just being herself, and nothing more.
I gave Crystal an A for her performance because her vocals are consistently good, but I hope she loses the piano next week and in future performances.
Aaron Kelly sang Bill Wither's Ain't No Sunshine, and as I said about Didi's performance of another Bill Wither's classic, Lean on Me, I have problems with other artists doing Wither's songs. I thought Aaron sounded a little off last night and I think it is just because of nerves. I thought Aaron might have problems with the R&B theme and singing such a classic R&B tune was probably not the best choice for him. Like Randy, I thought it was just an "awright" performance. Kara liked it and so will Aaron's fans.
I gave him a C because it was just okay and just average.
I think Lee was the best last night, and I think there was a tie for the worst between Andrew Garcia and Did Benami.
I think the bottom 3 should be Andrew, Didi, and Aaron, but it will most likely be Tim, Didi, and Katie or Siobhan. I think Didi has a good chance of leaving us tonight on American Idol, but it is unpredictable as we know, but that is why we love to watch.
Last night's theme was R&B. I knew a few contestants would do well, and I knew the judges would criticize others no matter how they sounded. However, I was unprepared for some of the critiques.
This year, the producers are adding too much to the performance shows, as well as the results' shows. I do not want to see the judges 'making out' or pretending to make out. They can leave that out of the show from now on. What I did not made was the reactions of the contestants backstage, of the judges' comments. That is something we have not seen them do, except for the occasional backtalk we see from the contestants to the judges. Hearing them talk about it offstage is a much better idea, I believe. The sensual connotations they can lose immediately, because that does nothing for me.
I also would like to say something that does not have to do with the contestants' singing ability, but rather the arrogant attitude of Simon Cowell, that is wearing thin this season.
I noticed at least once before, that Simon was mispronouncing Siobhan Magnus' name. You pronounce the 'bh' as a 'v' like shi-vawn. I do not mean to nit-pick, but because I am Irish, I know that. Even Ryan Seacrest pronounced it right. The older crowd who watch the soap opera, Ryan's Hope knew remembers Siobhan Ryan, played by Marg Helgenberger of CSI.
The reason I bring this up now, is that last season, the judges had a long discussion about one of the contestants' names. It was all in an attempt to prove that Simon was ignorant. One of the contestant's names was Lil Rounds and Simon had trouble saying the name. He even asked if "Lil" was short for another name, or if it meant little. The other judges and Ryan ragged on Simon for it, as if Lil was a name you would hear quite often.
No one corrected Simon last night when he mispronounced Siobhan's name and after receiving nasty comments for my pointing out that people other than Simon thought Lil was not a normal name, I decided I would point this one out.
Usher mentored the American Idol contestants last night, and I thought he did a great job. He was helpful, gave great advice, and told the contestants where they could make improvements.
Siobhan Magnus sang Chaka Khan's Through the Fire. I thought she sang the note in a key higher than what she would normally sing, because she did sound pitchy to me in spots, as Randy noted. I did not understand Ellen's comment about Siobhan "freaking out" during the performance, though, and I agreed with Kara that Siobhan seemed nervous. She does have a powerful voice and one you would not expect to come out of a girl whose speaking voice is very soft-spoken. Mispronouncing her name was not enough for Simon who had to insult her by telling her she was kidding herself if she thought the performance was good.
I gave her a B for her performance, even though I did not like the song.
Casey James sang Sam and Dave's Hold On, I'm Comin', and although I thought he did a good job with the song, I did not think it was as great as the judges did. I was a little bothered by his constant lip pursing and smiling through most of the song. He does remind me of Bo Bice, one of the first rockers on American Idol. However, since Bo's appearance on American Idol, there have been quite a few rockers, and in my opinion, they were all more talented than either Bo or Casey.
I gave him a B for his performance, not the A+ Simon did.
Michael Lynche sang Ready for Love by India Arie. I never heard this song before and I thought Michael performed it well. I like his personality and I think it comes across as he performs. He appears to be a devoted family man, and he seems to feel the words of the songs he sings. I thought Michael has an R&B sound and I think he could have a nice career in this field.
I gave Michael an A for his performance.
Didi Benami sang one of my favorites, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. I agreed with the judges who said that it was flat and pitchy. Ellen thought it was too dramatic and Kara thought she overdid it. I think Kara overdid her critique when she said 'girl' to Didi trying to show a little R&B of her own, but it did not work for me.
I like the unique sound in Didi's voice, but she did not put enough into that classic song and made it sound boring.
I give her a D and think she may be in danger tonight.
Tim Urban, apparently known as Teflon Tim for his ability to take a beating from the judges and not lose his joyful attitude, sang Anita Baker's Sweet Love.
I think the judges are exceptionally and excessively tough on Tim this year. He is definitely not anywhere near as bad as the judges, especially Simon, claim.
I like Tim's voice and I would hope that he does have a large fan base consisting of young girls, who see him as those in my generation, saw David Cassidy. I also think Simon is making it all too obvious that he does want a girl to win this year. To me, it appears Simon tries to sway voters away from some of the better contestants in the competition. Sarcastically, he tells Tim that his fans will vote for him no matter what, but I think he is being unfair insinuating that Tim is not there because of his talent.
I give Tim a B for his performance. I think he should have shown a little more emotion with the song and it did not exactly scream out R&B, but I thought it was a good vocal performance.
Andrew Garcia sang Forever by Chris Brown. To me it feels like Andrew has been around forever, and should not be. I do not know what the judges, other than Simon, were listening to while Andrew performed, but I did not 'get it' as they like to say. He appears to try to imitate Jose Feliciano and is not doing it very well at all.
Simon said his performance was "miles better" than his previous performances, but I did not see that. Last night's performance was not any better than any he has done so far in this competition. Simon did still think it was boring and I agreed. Randy thought the old Andrew was back, and Ellen said it was an amazing performance. I was amazed but not for the same reason.
I gave Andrew a D, and as I said in previous weeks, he should go home.
Katie Stevens performed Chain of Fools and I think she fooled Randy into believing it was "the best of the night". She is only 16 and that may account for why I thought the song was all wrong for her. Ellen mumbled something about Katie making the song sound old, and someone should tell Ellen that the song is actually over 40 years old.
I also have a problem with some contestants who have backup singers while some do not. I do not necessarily believe that it helps the performances, but I just wonder why that seems to be the case almost every week.
I gave Katie a C for her performance, because she does have a powerful voice for a young girl but I do not think she pulled off the Aretha Franklin hit last night, and I think she should have chosen a different song.
Lee Dewyze, for me, was the best last night. Simon told Lee it was "the moment that would change his life forever." I notice that when Simon gives a good review of the contestants, the audience responds louder than when the other judges do it. I think this means that fans do rely heavily on what Simon says when it comes time to vote. I am glad that Lee performed treat her like a Lady differently than the original Motown song, by making it his own. I love Motown and that song and Lee simply put a completely new spin on it with his version.
I gave Lee an A+ for his performance, agreeing with Randy that it was "the Bomb".
Crystal Bowersox sang Midnight Train to Georgia and although she can "sing the phone book" as the judges always told David Archuleta he could do, I was disappointed in the rendition she gave. I also did not like her singing at the piano, which is what she referred to last week when she told the judges that she had a surprise for them.
I agreed with Simon that even though she has an incredible voice and you could hear it as she sang last night, as always, that she should not change who she is, because the Crystal we have been seeing all along, is just fine without the piano. For me, Crystal is the Melinda Doolittle of Season 9. Melinda, a contestant in American Idol's 6th season, was phenomenal and did her best performances when she was just being herself, and nothing more.
I gave Crystal an A for her performance because her vocals are consistently good, but I hope she loses the piano next week and in future performances.
Aaron Kelly sang Bill Wither's Ain't No Sunshine, and as I said about Didi's performance of another Bill Wither's classic, Lean on Me, I have problems with other artists doing Wither's songs. I thought Aaron sounded a little off last night and I think it is just because of nerves. I thought Aaron might have problems with the R&B theme and singing such a classic R&B tune was probably not the best choice for him. Like Randy, I thought it was just an "awright" performance. Kara liked it and so will Aaron's fans.
I gave him a C because it was just okay and just average.
I think Lee was the best last night, and I think there was a tie for the worst between Andrew Garcia and Did Benami.
I think the bottom 3 should be Andrew, Didi, and Aaron, but it will most likely be Tim, Didi, and Katie or Siobhan. I think Didi has a good chance of leaving us tonight on American Idol, but it is unpredictable as we know, but that is why we love to watch.
American Idol unanimously decide to agree with the voters
This year, American Idol has vamped up the results show to look more like the finale. More dramatic buildup, and showing the previous week's elimination, add to the drama of the night voters decide who goes home.
Going over the judges' thoughts on the previous night's performance is something new as well. The judges talk about watching the performances back and reiterating their comments from the night before.
Going into last night's show, I predicted that fans would vote Casey, Andrew, and Paige into the bottom three, with Paige going home.
My pick for the eliminated contestant was correct, although I was dead wrong on the other two. My reason for choosing Casey differ from my reason for choosing Andrew
I thought that voters might agree with Simon that the song Casey chose, Power of Love by Huey Leeis, was "old-fashioned when it first came out". While I disagreed with him, thinking that some fans would remember the song from the movie, Back to the Future, I thought fans might not vote for Casey's performance.
For whatever reason, voters did not put Casey in the bottom.
I cannot even give my thoughts on why Andrew received enough votes to avoid the bottom 3 this week for the third time. Agreeing with Simon, I too thought Andrew "sucked the soul out of the song, I Heard it Through the Grapevine. I thought he was in trouble when he sang the song, "Trouble". I do not think he is good enough to make it into the top 10 finalists.
I liked the group performance of Wham's "Wake me up before you go go", and I thought Michael and Lee sounded amazing together. Michael, by the way, was the only one who appeared to be moving naturally to the song. I think he definitely has what it takes to be a successful performer.
Another thing added this year to the results show, is Ryan chatting with the contestants about their performance. I have a problem already with contestants who talk back in disagreement, to the judges. Having them do it on the night of eliminations just makes it worse for me.
Ryan tells Siobhan first that she is safe, after she defends her screaming portion of the song last night, which Simon disliked. He then has Lee, Casey, Tim, and Paige stand up.
Tim defends his antics on stage and thought he entertained the crowd. Paige admitted that she gave a poor performance, and listed reasons for this, and other performances the judges did not like.
Ryan tells Tim and Paige they are both in the bottom three and tells Lee and Casey that they are safe. Aaron, Didi, and Michael find out they are safe. Didi disagreed with the judges' opinions of her performance, and seemed a bit arrogant to me. The judges were spot on last night saying that she was pitchy all over the place, and trying to be something she is not. I do like her voice, but I like it less the more I hear her talk about herself.
I did not pay too much attention to the guest singers because after about 30 seconds of Miley Cyrus' performance, I muted the television. I agreed with my son when he said that she had no business mentoring anyone on his or her singing ability. I went to get a load of laundry out of the dryer while Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato performed their Disney song.
I always knew that the majority of voters for American Idol contestants were young, but I did not realize they were "Disney" young. I think one guest singer is plenty for American Idol's results show.
A friend of mine actually said they thought that because Simon really wants a female to win the title this year, they deliberately rave about the male contestants who do not belong in the competition. I am not certain that is what is really going on, but I feel something is, because I was shocked when Katie wound up in the bottom 3, after standing up with Andrew to hear Ryan tell them which one was safe.
Why would American Idol producers think that the Disney Rock singers would hold the attention of viewers who voted more for the older contestants, than they did for the 16-year-old girl with the powerful voice, and the young guy with the perfect "teen idol" appeal? I am a little skeptical at this point in the competition. At the end, before Paige sings her way off American Idol, Simon announces that the judges will not even consider 'saving' Paige for another week. Personally, I believe it was because they ran out of time and could not concur with each other over whether they wanted to keep Paige in the competition or not.
I predicted Didi, Andrew, and Paige for the bottom three and with Paige gone, it will be those two who will have to really step it up in the coming weeks. If two of the more talented contestants leave before Didi or Andrew, it will be a real shame.
Next week's theme is R & B soul, with Usher as the mentor for the Idol contestants. I just hope that certain contestants do not "suck the soul" out of any R&B songs they choose next week.
Going over the judges' thoughts on the previous night's performance is something new as well. The judges talk about watching the performances back and reiterating their comments from the night before.
Going into last night's show, I predicted that fans would vote Casey, Andrew, and Paige into the bottom three, with Paige going home.
My pick for the eliminated contestant was correct, although I was dead wrong on the other two. My reason for choosing Casey differ from my reason for choosing Andrew
I thought that voters might agree with Simon that the song Casey chose, Power of Love by Huey Leeis, was "old-fashioned when it first came out". While I disagreed with him, thinking that some fans would remember the song from the movie, Back to the Future, I thought fans might not vote for Casey's performance.
For whatever reason, voters did not put Casey in the bottom.
I cannot even give my thoughts on why Andrew received enough votes to avoid the bottom 3 this week for the third time. Agreeing with Simon, I too thought Andrew "sucked the soul out of the song, I Heard it Through the Grapevine. I thought he was in trouble when he sang the song, "Trouble". I do not think he is good enough to make it into the top 10 finalists.
I liked the group performance of Wham's "Wake me up before you go go", and I thought Michael and Lee sounded amazing together. Michael, by the way, was the only one who appeared to be moving naturally to the song. I think he definitely has what it takes to be a successful performer.
Another thing added this year to the results show, is Ryan chatting with the contestants about their performance. I have a problem already with contestants who talk back in disagreement, to the judges. Having them do it on the night of eliminations just makes it worse for me.
Ryan tells Siobhan first that she is safe, after she defends her screaming portion of the song last night, which Simon disliked. He then has Lee, Casey, Tim, and Paige stand up.
Tim defends his antics on stage and thought he entertained the crowd. Paige admitted that she gave a poor performance, and listed reasons for this, and other performances the judges did not like.
Ryan tells Tim and Paige they are both in the bottom three and tells Lee and Casey that they are safe. Aaron, Didi, and Michael find out they are safe. Didi disagreed with the judges' opinions of her performance, and seemed a bit arrogant to me. The judges were spot on last night saying that she was pitchy all over the place, and trying to be something she is not. I do like her voice, but I like it less the more I hear her talk about herself.
I did not pay too much attention to the guest singers because after about 30 seconds of Miley Cyrus' performance, I muted the television. I agreed with my son when he said that she had no business mentoring anyone on his or her singing ability. I went to get a load of laundry out of the dryer while Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato performed their Disney song.
I always knew that the majority of voters for American Idol contestants were young, but I did not realize they were "Disney" young. I think one guest singer is plenty for American Idol's results show.
A friend of mine actually said they thought that because Simon really wants a female to win the title this year, they deliberately rave about the male contestants who do not belong in the competition. I am not certain that is what is really going on, but I feel something is, because I was shocked when Katie wound up in the bottom 3, after standing up with Andrew to hear Ryan tell them which one was safe.
Why would American Idol producers think that the Disney Rock singers would hold the attention of viewers who voted more for the older contestants, than they did for the 16-year-old girl with the powerful voice, and the young guy with the perfect "teen idol" appeal? I am a little skeptical at this point in the competition. At the end, before Paige sings her way off American Idol, Simon announces that the judges will not even consider 'saving' Paige for another week. Personally, I believe it was because they ran out of time and could not concur with each other over whether they wanted to keep Paige in the competition or not.
I predicted Didi, Andrew, and Paige for the bottom three and with Paige gone, it will be those two who will have to really step it up in the coming weeks. If two of the more talented contestants leave before Didi or Andrew, it will be a real shame.
Next week's theme is R & B soul, with Usher as the mentor for the Idol contestants. I just hope that certain contestants do not "suck the soul" out of any R&B songs they choose next week.
American Idol contestants "ain't got the same soul"
I know I am going to anger Miley Cyrus fans, but I cannot see what everyone else apparently sees in this girl, regarding her talent. I do not see her as a mentor to up and coming singing sensations. When Miley spoke about the top 11 finalists, she said, "of course they wouldn't be here if they could not sing." To that, I had to respond, "Why not, you are!"
While watching last night's performances on American Idol, I realized what it missing this year. Some of the contestants do not have 'the same soul' as the original artists of songs they performed from #1 hits on the Billboard charts. I also think they spend an excessive amount time on the judges this season. I assume it is to make up for the loss of Paula Abdul, whom we could always count on for 'water cooler' conversations the next morning.
Lee Dewyze chose to sing, The Letter, a song originally by The Box Tops, a Memphis rock group whose lead singer, Alex Chilton, recently passed away. I think he sang Joe Cocker's version of the song. I like the original version better.
Miley mumbled something about Lee not having stage presence, while Kara thought he raised the bar for the other contestants. Simon thought he sang it well, but looked a little corny.
I like Lee's bluesy style and I think he does have a chance at moving on into the finale this year. I was surprised to hear Ellen say that the Lee she loved was finally back. I never thought he left. I have always liked his tone and know from previous seasons that contestants warm up and become more comfortable with each performance. Maybe Ellen meant that he was easing into it now.
I give Lee an A for his performance and for his stage presence as well.
Paige Miles sang Against All Odds, and I knew immediately that she was in trouble. I like her voice and the tone of her voice, but that song was too big for her. She seemed petrified, did not hit any note right, and I think she will be in the bottom 3 tonight.
Randy even said it was terrible, and he does not say that often. Kara thought it was the worst vocal of the season. I do not know about the worst, but one of the worst, certainly.
I give Paige a D for her performance. It was terrible as Randy said. I did not give her an E because the girl does have a voice.
Tim Urban sung a song that American Idol contestants have sung many times, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Simon thinks the song is pointless and silly, put I do not think anything recorded by Freddie Mercury was silly because I think he was extremely talented and no one else will ever be like him.
Tim has a decent-enough voice, but I think he is trying too hard to please the judges. Given the opinions of the judges on Tim in previous shows, I do not think he could do much to get them to like him more. Ellen and Kara both said they thought Tim performed like a kid in a musical like Hairspray or High School Musical. Oddly, the director of the feature film, Hairspray, Adam Shankman, was in the audience last night. He also produces and choreographs numbers in Broadway shows, as well as judging dancers on So You Think You Can Dance. I think the judges' comments might have had to do with the competition that show gives them. Either that or they were just being ignorant.
I gave Tim a C for his performance. It was enough to get the young girls' votes. If I were young again, I would vote for him.
Aaron Kelly had laryngitis and tonsillitis last night, and yet managed to see I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, without missing a note. They sing this song a lot on American Idol as well. He does sound older than his 16 years and I think that it is a good thing. All the judges liked his performance, even though Simon thought it sounded old-fashion. However, he admitted that Aaron is a trooper for performing while he was ill.
I gave Aaron an A for his performance and an A+ for doing so well under the circumstances.
Crystal Bowersox, in my opinion, has this competition in the bag. Then again, I never thought voters would eliminate Lilly before at least six other contestants this season, so we know that no one is immune.
She sang Janis Joplin's Bobby McGee and she was flawless as usual. She is different from the other females in previous seasons who tried to sing Janis Joplin songs. Crystal is the only one who can pull it off and make it look and sound great.
Ellen and Kara unnecessarily pointed out something about Crystal's personality and stage presence lacking somehow, but Simon thankfully told Crystal she did not need to change a thing. I wholeheartedly agreed with Simon and Randy, who said she was a star. She is already in this competition.
I give Crystal an A+ and I would buy her version of Bobby McGee is she released it as a single.
Michael Lynche performed When a Man Loves a Woman and I thought he sang it well and did a good job of securing his place in this competition. The judges keep saying that contestants need to have what they call their 'moment'. The problem with having a 'moment' is that contestants cannot live up to that moment without trying extra hard. Michael's performance of This Woman's World was a moment in Idol history and even though he may not repeat that this season, he is a great performer and has a velvet voice like season two winner, Ruben Studdard.
The judges' gave Michael mixed reviews', saying it was a safe choice and boring, and that it was almost too much. Neither of these critiques made any sense to me.
I give Michael an A for his performance last night.
Andrew Garcia really needs to go home. I thought he should have gone home weeks ago, but voters thought otherwise. A big fan of everything Motown, I found it hard to sit through his performance of I Heard it through the Grapevine. I thought it sounded like a techno-version of the song and that Andrew looked like a robot. He definitely did not have the soul or rhythm associated with most Motown tunes, and his vocals were not even as good as they were in recent performances, which were not great anyway.
Simon said he sucked the soul of the song and he was right. Randy said it was not good, and I do not think the fans will be as sympathetic this week as they have been.
I gave Andrew a D- and only that high because I love the song by the original artist Marvin Gaye and the remake by the Temptations. Andrew sucked the soul, and life out of the song.
Katie Stevens seems to be more of a favorite of the judges than she has previously been. I thought the song she did, Big Girls Don't Cry, by Fergie, was a little boring, but sung well. When she tried to reach a few high notes, it sounded whiny to me.
Randy thought so, too, saying it was sharp and pitchy in spots. Simon thought Katie was still trying to figure out what kind of singer she should be. I thought, for her age especially, she did a good job with the performance. Ellen thought it was Katie's best. I gave Katie a B for her performance.
Casey James did one of my favorites, The Power of Love by Huey Leeis. I thought he sounded okay but nothing compared to the original soulful sound of the song. I also thought he did something a little weird, trailing off with his voice, at the end of every sentence in the song.
I did not think it was the best vocal of his as Randy and Ellen thought. I agreed more with Simon saying that Casey did not show any effort or originality with his performance. I am not a big fan of his, unfortunately.
I gave Casey a C for his performance, but compared to Huey's version, he did not get a passing grade.
Didi Benami started out as one of my favorites this season. Combined with the awful rendition of Linda Ronstadt's You're No Good, with the smart aleck backtalk she gave the judges, that is no longer the case. I do think she has a unique sound to her voice, but she totally wrecked the song last night. Linda Ronstadt, while not one of my favorites, has a powerful voice that can reach without sounding like screaming.
Didi sounded pitchy everywhere in the song and almost sounded gurgled at times for me. I knew Simon would not be able to resist making the correlation between the You're No Good title to her performance, but Ellen beat him to it by saying Didi is good. She is good but was 'no good' last night. She was, as Kara mentioned, trying to be something she is not and was not pulling it off.
I give Didi a D for her performance. I hope the viewers save her from elimination, but I also hope she curbs her backtalk to the judges, something I am not a fan of, and never have been.
Siobhan Magnus did Stevie Wonder's Superstition and I liked it except for the parts she screamed. She has a good strong voice but she overdid the loud stuff somewhat. She is confident and should be as she has the chops, but she should avoid songs that force her to scream. She did not need to do it with Aretha's Franklin's Think, and does not need to do it all. The judges all liked how comfortable she seemed but Simon said she should scream at the beginning of songs and tone down at the end. I do not want screaming at all, which is another thing I am not fond of, as far as singing goes.
For me, it was not a very good night and there were only a few standout performances, one was Crystal and the other was Aaron. Crystal, for me, stands out every week from the rest. Aaron did a fantastic job even though his voice was not up to par, because he was sick. The absolute three worst of the night for me, were Didi, Andrew (as he has been every week), and Paige. The rest were just 'aw right', as Randy says.
I think it will be these three in the bottom tonight, with Paige going home only because Andrew must have a strong fan base to stay as long as he has.
What did you think?
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