American Idol - Season 8
Performance Show

What exactly does a performance show entail? I'm glad you asked. The contestants can pick any song they want, provided it is an itunes popular download of course. Always a plug in there somewhere. By the way I prefer Amazon.com's MP3 Downloads store to itunes as they offer songs starting at $.79 and they are a higher quality. Oh yes they come in the much wider used mp3 format versus apple's annoying format that won't play in windows media player.

Just saying ... now onto the show.

Ouch. Anoop starts us off with Usher's "Caught Up". A big miss for Anoop because it was not very good and it lacked the passion and energy he said he wanted to bring back. He picks it up slightly at the end but it will not be good news for Anoop this week.

Megan is singing Bob Marley & Lauren Hill's "Turn Your Lights Down Low". She is going to run into problems with making every song sound the same with her unique singing voice. And it is a bit curious the hand movements she makes while singing, definitely weird motions.

Danny Gokey does a good job with Rascal Flats.

Allison Iraheta does "Don't Speak" which was good for her but not great. She should stick with songs that are a bit more upbeat and energetic than that one. Still very good.

Looks like Scott got a haircut for tonight. Unfortunately he is still boring.

Matt Giraud is doing the fray. Is it just how his hair and beard are this week or does he look like a poor man's Justin Timberlake? Maybe it is the keyboard but he really does bear great resemblance to JT. The song was good. Not too good or much of a standout though.

Lil Rounds goes with "I surrender" by Celine Dion. Always tough to sing Celine. She did a real good job with it. The judges gave her grief for being to old and having her personality sucked out of her.

The song Adam Lambert will be butchering tonight is "Play that funky music". He always manages to take the good parts of songs and eliminate them. And then there is the damn screeching he does. Actually the screeching is very reminiscent of the song in Jesus Christ Superstar that has the similar screeching verse. I'm blanking on it right now.

Anyways the kid should take his fat face and get off my tv.

Kris Allen wraps up the show the with "Ain't No Sunshine". It was ok but I feel like I have heard it done like this before. Good but not all that original.

The bottom three looks like it will probably be: Anoop, Scott and let's say Matt again because there needs to be three.

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 10:05:00 PM

 

Tuukka Rask Flips out

I thought I had posted this already. Tuukka Rask flips out after the officials allow two goals in a shoot out. Oh ya, he didn't get suspended for this flip out. Perhaps the league agrees with him...

Labels: Humor, Sports

- posted by Doug @ 11:13:00 AM

 

Mario's warp whistle

Labels: Humor

- posted by Doug @ 12:20:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8
1 of 10 voted off.

So during tonight's Motown montage I had a feeling that some if not all of them were lip synching, which is a bit odd.

Even more odd is it looked like Lil Rounds was getting big time spotlight. That might just have been what I was seeing.

Matt Giraud is told he is in the bottom three after the dipwad Adam Lambert is told he is safe.

Michael Sarver joins Matt Giraud into the bottom three.

Smokey Robinson is kind of freaky looking. Did he have plastic surgery or is it this odd looking man a thing of nature?

It comes down to Scott MacIntyre and Megan Joy Corkrey for the last spot in the bottom three. Shockingly it is Scott who is in the bottom three. I think that even surprised Megan.

Sure enough though, Scott is safe and it comes down to Kris and Matt.

Michael Sarver is the low vote getter this week. I don't think he has done enough to merit the judges saving him. They do not, he is headed home.

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 9:41:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8
10 Finalists Compete

Motown night tonight for the 10 remaining contestants.

Matt Giraud starts with "Let's get it on". Matt might be growing on me a little bit. This wasn't a bad way to start the show. I'm still not sure where he fits as an artist and he doesn't wow me enough.

Kris Allen sang "How sweet it is" tonight. He kind of took a great song and broke up the rhythm of the song by singing it in a herky jerky fashion. Not a very good rendition of the song for my taste. I still think people like him to win it.

Scott MacIntyre picked "You Can't Hurry Love", the first singer to cross the gender line with his song. He still creeps me out with the staring. Not surprisingly it is like every other song he has done. He slows down the tempo and stretches the notes. At least that is how he begins the song. He then kicks up the piano and the beat. Unfortunately his voice stays in the sing song voice and doesn't really seem to be able to keep up with the song.

Megan Joy Corkrey has picked "For Once in My Life". She is absolutely adorable. Her voice style doesn't change much for each song. It's a nice style and I like it but it doesn't fit for each week. Tonight is one of those times it doesn't quite fit. I think she is going to be a winner out of this whole contest because we will hear from her again even when she doesn't win Idol. I hope she lasts a long time because I like her.

Anoops turn! He is singing "Ohh baby baby". It was a nice version of the song. He handled the song well.

Michael Sarver is singing "Ain't too proud to beg". He is very bland to me. I see nothing really special about him or his singing. His performance tonight does nothing to change my mind about either.

Lil Rounds is doing "Heatwave". She belts it out but I don't think it was a great performance for her. Not terrible by any means but I expect a bit more from her.

Here comes the ball of douche Adam Lambert "Tracks of my Tears". He has his hair all done up in a motown era slick back. Any thing to get rid of that crappy hair cut he has. Trying to do a little too much falsetto for my liking. He didn't ruin this song as much as he has others. I don't get why the judges keep eating him up though.

Danny Gokey is singing "Get Ready" tonight. He is losing some shine for me. He does ok tonight, but didn't blow me away. He's solid and entertaining but that isn't enough at this point.

Allison Iraheta is wrapping up the show with "Poppa was a rolling stone". I've come to expect a lot from Allison and tonight I think she didn't pick the best song for her. It wasn't bad but didn't have the wow factor I hope to get from her.

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 12:00:00 AM

 

Say it Frenchie! Say Chowdah!

- posted by Doug @ 9:46:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8
1 of 11 voted off.

Wow, Allison Iraheta is in the bottom three. This would be a shame if she gets voted off. She would definitely be up for a judges save.
Michael Sarver is also in the bottom three. He would probably not be up for the judges save.
Alexis Grace rounds out the bottom three. I was quite excited because Alexis and Adam were up for the last spot. Don't tease me like that!!

Allison is told she is safe. Phew, that one was close.

Simon lets us know that one of the contestants would possibly be up for the judges save. Gotta be Alexis right?

Alexis was the one they were thinking about saving...

After the song the judges decide to hold onto their save for the time being.

Seacrest out...

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 11:28:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8 -
11 Finalists Compete

So here we are down to eleven finalists. Tonight they will be singing country music! Grande Ole Opry style! Randy Travis is going to be their guide for this week.

Leading off is Michael Sarver who sings "Ain't going down 'til the sun comes up". That is risky and Randy says so. Luckily I think his voice lends him to this type of song. Should be in his wheel house as I have seen him as a country singer from the get go. Ugh he only does a sub par rendition of the song.

Allison is singing "Blame It On Your Heart". Se makes it into a rock song despite it being a country song. I like her. this song might not blow me away but I like her enough to try to push her to the next round. he she is great and should be a potential winner.

Kris Allen is performing Garth Brook's "Make You Feel My Love". Umm it was plain and boring and it was over faster than I thought it would be.

Lil Rounds will be singing "Independence Day" which was originally done by Martina McBride. She was ok. She is one of the singers that is hurt by country night. She was good but didn't knock my socks off.

Adam "the douche bag" Lambert is singing next. Country music should show how bad this kid is. I bet the judges will still love him. He is doing "ring of fire". Randy Travis is speechless going into it. Crater face does a very Doors-y version of the song. It is very slow and to be honest, terrible. It was a bit to mid-eastern for me. No doubt the judges will praise it and he will be safe for another week.

Ugh, I still hate him.

Scott MacIntyre is singing "Wild Angels". Another boring song for this guy. He can't stay alive if he keeps boring the audience with these songs. At some point he needs to wow us. BORING.

Alexis Grace is bringing us "Jolene" which is a Dolly Parton song. She has some potential. I think we haven't scratched her surface quite yet. It would be a shame to get rid of her so early. Her song was just ok. She sang it well but didn't blow away.

Danny Gokey sang "Jesus take the wheel" that Carrie Underwood sang. Always good to sing an Idol song because the judges can then draw the parallel to a favorite singer of theirs. He did a good job. I liked it.

Anoop Desai is doing "Always on my mind". I do like this guy. This song is a bit more serious than I would expect out of him. It was a nice song that he actually was able to sing well. It wasn't one of those songs that he chose to be fun. It actually fit his voice and bang it out.

Megan Corkrey is singing "I go walking after midnight". Randy thinks it has been overdone but she was able to make it unique. I know people don't like her but I think her voice is totally in right now and she is marketable at this point. Maybe not when Idol is over but right now the blues/Jazz voice she is made for is currently in vogue as Adele has proven. The song was good but not great. He soul/jzz song version fits what she is aiming for.

Matt Giraud is singing "So small" which was performed by Carrie Underwood. Performing an Idol winner's song is usually a good way to garner judges praise. This has to be a completely different version though since, for starters, they are of opposite sex. Matt's performance is one that makes me want to think it is going to bust through the roof but it never quite gets there. Which is too bad because this is the one time I want to like him. He's so close to winning me over. Not there yet.

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 12:02:00 AM

 

St. Patrick's Day uniforms.

These things look pretty cheap to me. They could've at least thrown in their red piping so the pats don't look so weird. The uniform tops look like they are the cheap knockoffs you buy at the store. A little too plain. Better than the all green tops maybe.

I hope I do not see a single person wearing these around.


The Bulls will be wearing their St. Patrick's Day uniforms tonight against the Celtic's in Chicago. This will not only lead to the odd home team wearing colored jerseys and the away team wearing whites but it will be the Bulls in green while the Celtic's wear their white home uniforms.
- posted by Doug @ 5:16:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8
2 of 13 Voted Off

Ryan tells us about a new rule. The judges are allowed to save 1 person 1 time in the entire competition (until top 5). The judges are only allowed to do this once and during that week no one would go home but the next week two people would go home.

I have to say Megan doesn't look to comfortable during the group medley. She loosens up a bit later on though. Must not be her cup of tea. The other stand out during this performance? Jasmine's legs ... nice!

Ryan tells Michael Sarver that he is safe. America you fool me again!
Allison is next, she is a shoe in. Ryan confirms this.

Jasmine is pulled down to the center of the stage. Uh oh, shes on the bubble.
Matt Giraud is told he is safe. Ugh!

Kris Allen is told to stay standing while Ryan tells Megan to stand. Kris is told he is safe and Megan is told to go to the center of the stage.
One is safe and the other is going home. Should be Jasmine. It is Jasmine. I am a bit disappointed that one of the 5 girls is headed home first. There goes one of girls which gives the men an even bigger advantage.

Idol has the jerk Kanye West on? That surprises me. Also he sucks live. I noted this on SNL a while back too.

Scott is asked to stand. He is safe.
Alexis is told to stand. She is safe as well.
Danny Gokey, one of my early favorites is told that he is safe as well.
Anoop is told to stand. He didn't do so hot last night. He is headed to the center of the stage. He started there before Ryan told him.

Adam the douchebag it told to stand. He is safe. I typed that right after his name was announced. I hate this kid.

Jorge is asked to stand. He should be one going home. Ryan tells him to stay standing.
He then tells Lil to stand.
Ryan asks Jorge to head to the center and tells Lil she is safe.

It's down to Anoop and Jorge. I am pulling for Anoop between the two of them.
Before they announce who is eliminated ... we get a taste of Kelly Clarkson the original Idol.

She's looking like she is back to big Kelly. She's put on some weight. Looks a little big in the face but she has a sizeable ass.
Her song is "my life would suck without you". I can't lie I am still a huge fan of hers.

Back to elimination...

Anoop gets to stay! Jorge is going home. This one I agree with and like.

In Summation

Jorge was an ok send home. He wasn't that good and a bit creepy.
Jasmine was a bit more questionable. She was cute and I thought she did real well last night. Guess I was wrong. I just find it odd that Michael Sarver makes it through another round though. I think he is pretty weak.

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 11:12:00 PM

 

Louis CK's dumb dog

Labels: Humor

- posted by Doug @ 3:59:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8
13 Finalists Compete

So here we are with the 13 finalists. This should be when it gets good. With 13 are they only going to vote 1 off each week still or will there be an additional 1 this week or another?

Simon clears that up right away by telling them that two of them will be going home.

Tonight's theme is songs by Michael Jackson. This is probably an advantage for the girls because they will be less compared to Jackson himself than the men will.

Lil Rounds

Lil Rounds is doing "The way you make me feel". She does a good job. She actually does the song a bit like Michael himself. The judges of course love her a lot. I think she did a good job and she should be safe this week.

Scott MacIntyre

It's no secret that Scott freaks me out and I am not a fan of him. He is doing "Keep the Faith". They have him seated behind a piano for this song. This is another slow song, like every song he has done. He is kind of a one trick pony too me. I think he is very boring to be honest. The lady judges liked it. Simon called it old-fashioned.

Danny Gokey

I believe Danny is one of the producers favorites for this year. Just a hunch. I like him too. He has the good background story. He is doing "p.y.t" tonight. He starts off a bit slow and boring but he turns it on. I actually didn't really like it but I thought it was a pretty good performance. The judges like him and I think America will too.

Michael Sarver

Michael is our roughneck. He is singing "You are not alone". He didn't make me look up from the computer once tonight. He bores me. The judges seem positive about him but it kind of sounds like they don't expect him to be able win this all.

Jasmine Murray

Jasmine is a cute girl. Kind of weird looking but nice looking. I'm not sure on her. She seems like she can be hit or miss. "I'll be there" is her song of choice tonight. Overall it was pretty good. Tonight it was more hit than miss. The judges seem to like her but think she still isn't quite there yet.

Kris Allen

Kris is singing "Remember the Time". I find him annoying and a bit too Jonas brother-ish for my liking but I can see how he would make a good pop star. It was actually a nice upbeat performance. I liked it if I didn't have to look at him. Randy calls him Jason Mraz like and I think maybe that is what I was trying to get at.

Allison Iraheta

Allison was one of the few who blew me away in their finalist groups. I like her and even though she is only 16 I think she has a very good chance to win. She is singing "Give in to me" tonight. I think the Kelly Clarkson comparisons fit with her in a lot of ways. Her performance is ok. She knows how to work the stage, that's for sure. The song itself seemed to lack a bit of the excitement or power I would hope to expect from her but it was still a good performance. The judges like her a lot.

You can see how young she is when she is speaking to Ryan or the judges. That is where she needs the most polish. She says some funny things. She is more comfortable when singing. I hope she doesn't get flak about her "not cutting herself" remark.

Anoop Desai

As we are cutting to the break we see Anoop doing the Thriller dance. Nice! See I knew we could expect the fun songs from Anoop. This guy is so likeable. He sees fun and real. It turns out he is actually doing "Beat it". That is probably a better song to sing than thriller. I'd have been happy with either. He has some problems with keeping his voice into the microphone. It definitely isn't a great singing performance and I'm not sure where he would fit in as an artist but there is something about him. The judges didn't like it much. They threw out the dreaded karaoke word. They all thought it was the wrong song choice.

Jorge Nuñez

Jorge is singing "Never Can Say Goodbye" tonight. He can be a bit creepy looking with his over done looks into the camera. If he lasts longer I hope he gets the chance to do some Spanish inspired songs so he can really show of his accent and Spanish. This song was on the right track but I think he left it a bit short. The judges didn't like the song choice or the performance tonight.

Megan Joy Corkrey

One of my favorites despite her funny dance. She looks great tonight in her red dress and headband. He arm sleeve looks like it is really filled in. I think I would like to see in more detail. She is singing "Rockin' Robin" tonight and she starts off with her little weird hand swinging dancing. She is endearing but this song might age her a little but I like the sound of her voice. I wish I could place what she sounds like. The judges were a little harsh on her, especially for the song choice but the like her.

Adam Lambert

This kid sucks. He is embarrassing to watch. He is singing "Black or white". What the heck does he do with is voice? He is butchering the words and you can't even tell what he is trying to say. He sounds nasally to me. I don't get what he is trying to do but I hope we don't have to deal with him yelling at us every week. The judges love him, but I just don't get him. I think he is being forced down our throats. I'm not sure who has the vested interest in him but someone sure does.

Matt Giraud

Yawn. This guy doesn't do it for me. He is doing "Human Nature". He is sitting behind the piano tonight. Eh. Nothing special. The judges like him a lot. I just don't get any hubbub about him.

Alexis Grace

Alexis is ending the show with "Dirty Diana". It's a odd performance. She seems a bit rushed with man of the lyrics. She shows at times she can sing but the whole song seems off to me. The judges thought it was good but maybe over the top.

My Rankings

My rankings, not what how I think America would vote. It's kind of rough this week because I couldn't make up my mind real well. I am also pushing Adam up because the judges love him so much. I feel pretty good about those bottom 5 or 6. especially those last three.

1. Allison Iraheta
2. Danny Gokey
3. Megan Joy Corkrey
4. Jasmine Murray
5. Adam Lambert
6. Lil Rounds
7. Kris Allen
8. Anoop Desai
9. Scott MacIntyre
10. Alexis Grace
11. Jorge Nuñez
12. Michael Sarver
13. Matt Giraud

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 10:55:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8 -
Judge's Wild Card

Jesse Langseth
Jesse came out singing "Tell me something good". She wasn't that bad but I don't know if I like her. They always like her bluesy singing. I'm just not sure how good it is and if it really fits this competition.
She kind of gives me a weird vibe too. She might be a bit mature for the competition.


Matt Giraud
I'm not sure I get any of the hub bub about Matt. I don't think his bluesy singing is all that great. I am sure there is a place in this world for him but I definitely do not think he is an American Idol. I know the producers may want to take Idol in another direction. Paula says America is loving him. I'm not too sure about that.
I'm not sure who would want to by his albums. I don't think teens will be lining up to buy them or see him in concert.

Megan Joy Corkrey
Megan is one of my favorite contestants. She is adorable and I thought she was very good during her week. She is performing "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" tonight. I don't know how she didn't make it originally. I think she is the perfect example of an American Idol. I see her selling albums and concerts. I would be shocked if the judges don't select her to be in the finals.

Von Smith
Von's biggest problem is that he gets a bit shouty with the mic. This probably shouldn't be a problem tonight with his song, "Sorry seems to be the hardest word".
He does seem to be singing in a falsetto voice and this isn't how I really remember him singing previously.
He's an odd looking kid too. Maybe like a hobbit?
The judges were not too kind with him.

Jasmine Murray
Jasmine was pretty good during her week. She probably just missed. We know the judges like her as the total package, good looking girl with a good voice. Sure I compared her to Sam Cassell but she really is a cute girl.
She is singing "Reflections" which was sung by Christina Aguilera in the movie Mulan.
It's a nice performance but it wasn't outstanding but it did show her tremendous potential in her voice. I'm not crazy about the song choice though.

Ricky Braddy
Ricky just kind of bores me. I don't really get who he is. He is doing "Superstitious" a classically great song.
Really? You are going to wear a tie and vest tonight? With your skinny jeans? I don't get that. The performance was very underwhelming and did not live up to the song. Such a great song that he sung ok but it lacked the emotion that makes the song so good in the first place.

Tatiana Nicole Del Toro
I don't get why we are being subjected to this girl again. She is incredibly annoying to listen to before and after performances. I just don't get it. Is she for real with this? She is singing "Saving all my love for you". Oh boy! Whitney is very tough to do, why would she go with this song?
I actually like the performance. It wasn't too bad. Unfortunately with all the baggage she brings to the table she needs to be taken out. If it wasn't for who she was, I would've liked her performance a lot. It's too bad.

Anoop Desai
Everyone should know by know I like Anoop. He might be my favorite male contestant. I like his personality. He's a decent singer too. I think he would do well in the competition. Anoop is singing "My prerogative". Come on now, he picks great songs, that alone should keep him in this competition. Each week you know he will pick the song that we all hoped someone would sing! He might not be the best voice in this competition but he's got a bit of showman to him. I don't think he can win it all but I think he is very entertaining and can stay in for a few weeks.

The Judges Picks

The judges through us a curveball and actually select four contestants instead of the three we were expecting. That sly Simon is the one who announces the good news to Anoop.

I understand Jasmine and Megan. The are both cute girls with good voices. They should do well in the competition. Anoop will be entertaining for as long as he is in the competition so that makes sense. I'm not sure what they see in Matt. I'm obviously not a big fan.

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 10:39:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8
Three Finalists Chosen and Wild Cards announced.

Not only are we finding out the three finalists that are making it we are also going to find out who makes it into tomorrow nights wildcard show! Three wild card contestants are making it through to the finals.

In case you don't remember my rankings from last night I predicted that Jorge Nuñez, Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre would make the finals with Kendall Beard and Felicia Barton just missing out. Ju'Not also a possibility. You can check out the complete list here.

Wow, the groups performance of Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold" pretty much summed up last night, mediocre and underwhelming.

Ryan calls Lil to stand up first. Not surprisingly she gets word that she is a finalist. Not surprising that all the people who have performed last on their shows have made it through to the finals. I told you that it is a spot the producers pick to put the strong contestants. Or at least the contestants the producers want to make it through.

Ryan then asks Arianna, Taylor, Alex, Kendall and Scott to stand up. Ryan announces that only one is making it through to the finals and then cuts to commercial to build the suspense.

It only sucks because I was hoping Kendall might somehow make it through but in this group it will most likely Scott. That kills the suspense for me a little. They are pushing him hard but to be honest the blind stare freaks me out a little bit.

Arianna is the first to find out she has been eliminated. Taylor is next and she too is eliminated. Alex might have had the worst performance last night. He is of course told he is not a finalist.

Ryan then has Kendall and Scott stand up. At least they had Kendall stand up with Scott to at least build up a little drama.
Again, without much of a surprise Scott is told that he indeed a finalist.

You know he isn't really a good looking guy. He is definitely awkward on the stage because, you know, he is blind! I don't see how he can really perform on the stage. If he gets behind a piano it might be a better performance.

Another downside is that he seems a bit adult contemporary to me and not really a teen pop singer, which is what I thought this contest was trying to find. I see the people who buy his album also picking up a Michael McDonald album at the same time.

Might just be me I guess.

Nathaniel and Kristen are asked to stand up. They are both dead in the water without a doubt. Middle of the show after two have made it through? You know you are dead, there is too much show left to go. Of course, they are told they did not make it.

Felicia and Von are also asked to stand. Felicia was a last minute addition and she actually performed well last night. She was a nice little surprise but they both were eliminated.

Jorge and Ju'Not are asked to stand up. Only one spot left between these two. Ryan, fakes a throw to the commercial. He then announces Jorge as the third finalist.

I believe I just hit three for three this week. Not bad. I think I was 7 for 9 over all.

However the night is not over. There are still wild card spots to hand out. Eight of the contestants will be back to sing again tomorrow night in the wild card show.

The wild card spot contestants

Von Smith
Jasmine Murray
Ricky Braddy
Megan Joy Corkrey
Tatiana Nicole Del Toro
Matt Giraud
Jesse Langseth
Anoop Desai

I am glad that Anoop Desai is getting another chance this week. I am similarly glad that Megan Corkrey is getting another shot. She is cute and had a really good performance. Jasmine is also not a surprise, she did very well and is a cute enough girl.

I have NO IDEA why they brought Tatiana back. She is annoying and not really a good singer. This is very odd to me.

My Wild Card Rankings

Going into tomorrow night here is how I would rank their chances. This is of course before seeing their performances so that might change a lot.

1. Megan Joy Corkrey
2. Anoop Desai
3. Jasmine Murray
4. Matt Giraud
5. Ricky Braddy
6. Von Smith
7. Jesse Langseth
8. Tatiana Nicole Del Toro

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 11:03:00 PM

 

American Idol - Season 8
Third 12 of 36

Von Smith

Von had trouble during Hollywood week for screaming into the microphone rather than singing smoothly. Von Smith will be performing "You're all I need to get by" as performed by Marvin Gaye.

He seems to be yelling at the microphone still tonight. Not a bad performance but not really a top three performance by any means. He's got a decent look but I don't think he quite has the singing chops yet. Too much yelling instead of the singing.

Randy thinks it was a very hot performance and that he was better than Randy remembers him so far. Kara thinks he looks comfortable tonight. She also thinks he did the song with meaning. Paula thinks it was a memorable first performance (of the show). Simon says Von reminds him of Clay Aiken. Simon questions his dressing but thinks he sang well.

I guess I am bit off tonight as I thought his performance was off tonight. I didn't mean to say it was bad. I just didn't think it was all that good. A decent way to start off the show, as opposed to the previous weeks.

Taylor Vaifanua

Taylor is a 16 year old girl from Utah. She's got a pacific island look too her. She is actually quite old looking fro someone who is only a 16 year old. She will be singing "If I ain't got you" by Alicia Keyes.

She does a pleasant rendition of the song. She pales in comparison to Alicia but that isn't exactly a demerit on her. Alicia is an amazing talent. She doesn't do too much to stand out however and that might be a problem.

Kara points out that she definitely has a voice and raw talent. She doesn't see too much of a personality come across from Taylor. Paula is perplexed by her repeating a song she did in Hollywood. Simon says he does not remember Taylor. He doesn't think the song was bad but he just thinks she wasn't memorable.

A common theme from both Simon and myself. She doesn't stand out. That always hurts the contestants.

Alex Wagner-Trugman

He is a dorky looking 19 year old from California. He does have a bit of the dork aspect to him but that is endearing to him. He will be singing "That's why they call it the blues" by Sir Elton John which I think might be a song fitting to his image.

He sings it a bit over the top. Is his dorky image going to endearing enough to America? I think he is hurting himself by drawing out notes and making odd noises with the words. He won't make it through on his singing but if his personality hits he would have a chance.

Paula calls him a showman. She finds him entertaining. Simon thought it was fun to watch, but not to listen to. He found the growling stupid. I agree with Simon on that as I noted. Randy thought it was crazy and wild. Randy didn't like the vocals tonight. Kara liked that he was himself. The theme was they liked the performance but not the growling of the lyrics.

I couldn't agree with the judges more.

Arianna Afsar

Arianna, a 17 year old Californian, who is adorable and has a good voice. The judges all agree she is "Adorable" and "cute as a button". Lucky for Arianna she will be singing a Martin family favorite band in ABBA. "The winner takes it all" to be exact.

She slows the song down in her arrangement. She sure can belt out the song but other than that the arrangement is a bit questionable. I'm not sure they question her ability to sing the notes but more on how she presents it. I think it was a sub par performance but she does have some skill underneath it.

Simon thinks it was a terrible performance and a dreary arrangement. Randy says she should show her youth and thinks she tried to do more with the song than the song is capable of. Kara says she lost the beam of sunshine that they fell in love with. Kara thinks the performance was too dark and she should've been less serious. Paula thinks there was some bright spots but she was seemed clearly disappointed with the performance.

Ju'Not Joyner

Ju'Not brought in his little son to his audition. That sure didn't hurt his cause. He is singing this years most popular Idol song (at least it seems that way), "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White T's

His arrangement of the song is very slow. It isn't even close to being the best performance of this song that I have heard this year. It sure is different from the others though. He does seem to turn it on at the end. Not sure it was memorable enough however.

Randy likes that he took the song and made it r&b. Kara thinks it was smooth but really wants him to blow it out on the next song and not hold back. Paula loved the song and the change of pace he took. Simon thought it was a bit safe but he was very close to hitting a moment.

Kristen McNamara

Kristen is a 22 year old Californian blonde. Unfortunately they remind us that Kristen was a member of the group with Nathaniel. This isn't a good thing because Nathaniel is wicked annoying, more on him later. Kristen is old looking. She is weird looking and I would doubt that she was actually 22. She is singing "Give me one reason" by Tracey Chapman.

She is a karaoke host back home and I would not be surprised to hear Simon say her performance was karaokeish. She is very uninspiring with this song. The performance is pretty flat. The arrangement has no excitement to it. Pretty boring actually.

Kara likes her hair and likes her singing ability but didn't like the song. Paula mentions Kelly Clarkson, like Kara did, but thought this was safe. Simon is left a bit puzzled by the appearance and the song choice. He is not sure she is comfortable with who she is. Randy thought she was trying to do a bit too much with the song. Randy is the one who drops the karaoke word on her. I knew it was going to come up.

Nathaniel Marshall

I hate this kind. He is always crying. How can someone with so many tattoos be such a whiny little child? I think this kid is the second biggest douche bag (behind Adam Lambert) in this competition. He will be doing "I'd Do Anything For Love" by Meatloaf.

He is wearing a sparkly headband AGAIN tonight. America should hate this kid. His performance is reminiscent of a 80s workout video. I'm remembering Olivia Newton-John and her "Physical video". The performance itself is bland and he doesn't have even close to the strongest voice in the competition.

Simon thinks it was excruciating. HA! Simon mentions Olivia Newton-John's headband as well. He thinks at least he may be memorable, even if for the wrong reason. Randy isn't sure on the song choice but he isn't sure what kind of record Nathaniel would like. Kara thinks he needs to show a serious side of himself. Paula was a bit all over but I think she thinks the song wasn't a good choice but she likes him. I think that is because this was the most unintelligible Paula has been this season.

Felicia Barton

Felicia is a 26 year old stay at home mother. She was told she was cut during the last cuts in Hollywood. She "mysteriously" got a call back. I will leave that drama for other websites. Basically someone was ruled ineligible for the show and she was the fill in. She is singing "No one" by Alicia Keyes.

She actually has a Alicia Keyes look to her which helps out on the song. I like this song and she is doing a decent job. During the middle she gets a little bland with the song. Not bad though.

Paula calls her gorgeous and an unbelievable talent. Simon thought the first part was better than the second and that it was good but a bit copy cat. Randy thought it was hot. Kara said she notice Felicia tonight. That is a good thing.

Scott MacIntyre

Scott is legally blind. Not sure if you have heard about it or not. Ya, that means he can see some stuff but I think in a narrow spectrum. He will be singing "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby.

He starts singing on a stool, not a bad choice since he is limited with his movements since he can't see the edges of the stages. It is a bit odd to see him staring blankly off into space. He also isn't that good of a stage presence because he doesn't move around too much. I wasn't blown away by this performance.

Randy didn't think the vocals were perfect but he thought Scott hit the big notes very well. Kara likes that he sings from his heart. Paula thinks he is one of the finest. Simon wasn't crazy about the song but finds Scott to be growing on him.

Kendall Beard

Kendall is a bubbly little blonde that actually reminds me of Kristin Chenoweth. She will be performing "This one's for the girls" by Martina McBride.

She doesn't quite bang out the chorus like I was hoping she would be able to. I wanted to love this performance but she wasn't able to get it up to where it needed to be. She was still very good and one of the standouts in a night full of just ok.

Kara likes her big personality but thought some of the notes were flat. Paula loved Kendall's outfit. Paula thought the performance was good. Simon thinks she is cute but didn't love the performance, not his cup of tea. Randy liked the song choice but didn't think the performance was her best. She was able to show who she was with this song, that should help her.

Jorge Nuñez

Jorge is a native Puerto Rican. He will be singing "Don't let the sun go down on me" by Sir Elton John.

Jorge definitely sings with an accent. As noted during auditions though, this is one of the reasons that Idol audition down on the island, to find a singer like this. This is easily the best performance of the night. He is singing the song very well and he even has a bit of performer in him. Very good job overall.

Paula is overwhelmingly happy for Jorge. Simon loved the accent and the voice. He was very happy with the performance. Randy thought the vocals were really, really good. Kara says Jorge was born to sing. Simple enough.

Lil Rounds

Lil is a mother of three despite being only 24. She is singing Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" which is a good thing because Randy called her a cross of Idol's Fantasia and Mary J. Blige. She is also getting the coveted final spot so that shows the producers like her.

I'm thinking the performance isn't that great but I think she has some good potential to have better performances down the line. She might be helped out by the fact it has been a lackluster night. It's a good performance but I'm just not blown away by it.

Simon is brief. Brilliant. His favorite of the night but didn't like the song because she sounds too much like the original. Randy also thinks she is one of the best of the season. Kara thinks she is a powerhouse performer. Paula thinks she is first class all the way.

My American Idol Rankings

Tonight was a very disappointing episode. No one really rocked the stage or really stood out. Lil was good but even she didn't have the same feeling as others did in the previous weeks. It was a very bland night which means who knows how America is going to feel about all these similarly uninspiring acts. Just for the record I didn't really like Scott but I think America will like him and the blindness card helps him as well. I was also going back and forth on Kendall and Felicia but it shouldn't matter much since I have them 4th and 5th in either order.

1. Jorge Nuñez
2. Lil Rounds
3. Scott MacIntyre
4. Kendall Beard
5. Felicia Barton
6. Ju'Not Joyner
7. Taylor Vaifanua
8. Kristen McNamara
9. Von Smith
10. Arianna Afsar
11. Alex Wagner-Trugman
12. Nathaniel Marshall

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 10:31:00 PM