After weeks / months of speculation the American Idol victor was crowned after one of the best finale episodes I have ever seen.
For two hours I was glued to the TV watching this star studded event which included guest performances by many of today's (and yesterday's rock, pop, country and r&b gods). Some of the key performances were KISS with Adam Lambert, Kris Allen with Keith Urban, the top 13 with Queen. Other guest performances were, last year's Idol winner, David Cook, Queen Latifah, Lionel Ritchie and Rod Stewart. In short it was one heck of a night. Almost all of the top 13 were able to share the stage with a superstar at some point of the evening.
In the end the night came down to the big announcement. Who will win American Idol 8? Well after a record breaking vote of just under 100 million votes the American Idol for 2009 is.................
Kris Allen
You could literally hear the jaws dropping across the Kodak Theater in LA when Ryan spoke the words. Even I, who had picked Kris to win since MJ Week, was a little bit surprised that it actually happened.
So what happens now? Well according to Kris he's going to Disney. After that it's time to get to work on arranging his first single, which he performed a bit better at last nights show, and getting the recording started on his debut album.
As for Adam Lambert. No doubt the offers will start coming in for him from labels and such. Already today not quite 24 hours after the show aired word started to circulate that Queen, who is suddenly without a lead singer, has shown interest in Adam. In my opinion a move like this would be a great choice for Adam. Now is Queen the best fit? Maybe, but then again maybe not. Adam should be wanting to start his career so fronting a band like Queen or Led Zeppelin might be something for him to consider. Adam is a rocker, without a doubt and I have no doubt he will be successful. Many say he will be bigger than Kris, it's possible, but one can never tell. People who never watched Idol in their lives will buy albums from both Adam and Kris. Idol season 8 was not the greatest in cast, again in my opinion, but the top 8 at least made for one heck of a show. The coming year(s) should be interesting.
Congratulations to Kris Allen and Adam Lambert for their parts in making American Idol Season 8 worth watching.
To all of my readers, thank you for following over the last few months. I hope you continue to join me in my rambles. You never know what you might find in this blog.
To the rest of you who will not return...enjoy your summer and I hope you will be back in January 2010 as we start again with Idol Season 9.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
American Idol Top 2 - Final Performances
So here we are down to the final two. On a side not the videos will be posted seperately for now as Blogger will not allow me to post the flash object in the blog anymore.
Adam and Kris, who would have guessed (other than me)
To keep it short today, as I am battling the flu, I'm going to cut right to the chase.
Quick review. Each performed 3 songs. One of their picks, one of the producer's picks and the first single co-written by Kara (brutal song BTW).
Adam performed Mad World, A Change is Gonna Come and No Boundaries. The performances weren't bad but Adam has done better so far this season and seems to have plateaued which is good news for my favorite, Kris.
Kris Allen performed Ain't No Sunshine When You're Gone and hit a home run with it. All judges agreed that it was his best performance to date. Simon Fuller chose the song What's Going On by Marvin Gaye as Kris' second song of the night. It was good but not great, in my mind brutal choices to give rock artists. As for the Kara song No Boundries well apparently it appeared as thought the contestants couldn't arrange the song and it was a key too high for Kris and in the end even the judges chose not to judge him on that song but on the success he has had this season. Kara and Randy actually felt that No Boundries would suit Kris' style and voice really well so we'll see how they arange it when Kris wins tonight.
So there you have it.
Kris will win tonight :-)
Full wrap-up with the final results tomorrow.
Adam and Kris, who would have guessed (other than me)
To keep it short today, as I am battling the flu, I'm going to cut right to the chase.
Quick review. Each performed 3 songs. One of their picks, one of the producer's picks and the first single co-written by Kara (brutal song BTW).
Adam performed Mad World, A Change is Gonna Come and No Boundaries. The performances weren't bad but Adam has done better so far this season and seems to have plateaued which is good news for my favorite, Kris.
Kris Allen performed Ain't No Sunshine When You're Gone and hit a home run with it. All judges agreed that it was his best performance to date. Simon Fuller chose the song What's Going On by Marvin Gaye as Kris' second song of the night. It was good but not great, in my mind brutal choices to give rock artists. As for the Kara song No Boundries well apparently it appeared as thought the contestants couldn't arrange the song and it was a key too high for Kris and in the end even the judges chose not to judge him on that song but on the success he has had this season. Kara and Randy actually felt that No Boundries would suit Kris' style and voice really well so we'll see how they arange it when Kris wins tonight.
So there you have it.
Kris will win tonight :-)
Full wrap-up with the final results tomorrow.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
American Idol Top 3 - Wrap Up
So from three we drop down to two. But not before we see some performances from Jordin Sparks and Katy Perry. Both ladies performed their latest singles, Perry performed wearing an "Adam Lambert" cape (can you guess who she is rooting for?) and Las Vegas show girl dress for her performance of Waking up in Las Vegas. Sparks performed "Battleground" which was co-written and accompanied by Ryan Tedder of One Republic.
Apparently the economy is doing well enough again for Idol producers to feel comfortable asking for your hard earned money again. Ok well technically it was Alicia Keys that was doing the asking. It's not like she was asking for much, just $5 from each Idol fan via text message. The money raised goes to the Keep a Child Alive charity, which she co-founded and is acts as global ambassador for. For those of you who were unable to send the text or want to know more about the charity or how you can help check out: http://keepachildalive.org/. For those who still want to give via text message in the USA you can text "alive" to 90999 and $5 will be charged to your next cellphone bill.
One of the charity's benefactors, 15 year old Rwandan rapper Noah, performed on the show.
Ok so on with the results.
We are down to three of the best candidates that Idol has seen in a long time so it's always difficult to chose who should go and who should stay. It goes without saying that all three of these guys have fantastic careers ahead of them but for one it will start a few days sooner than the other two.
So I picked Danny, Adam and Kris as my bottom three and naturally I was right (we can ignore the fact that only three remain (-:)
Kris was declared safe first and Danny Gokey was voted off.
Danny's story was one of a kind, only joining the competition as a promise to his late wife who passed away only weeks before he auditioned. And what a fitting way for him to go, performing You are So Beautiful one last time. For me his final performance was the best of the show. Without a doubt if his wife is watching over him she would have been smiling last night. Danny has nothing to be disappointed about, he had an incredible run and will have a fantastic career.
It all comes to an end next week. With Kris Allen and Adam Lambert squaring off for the coveted title of American Idol.
Apparently the economy is doing well enough again for Idol producers to feel comfortable asking for your hard earned money again. Ok well technically it was Alicia Keys that was doing the asking. It's not like she was asking for much, just $5 from each Idol fan via text message. The money raised goes to the Keep a Child Alive charity, which she co-founded and is acts as global ambassador for. For those of you who were unable to send the text or want to know more about the charity or how you can help check out: http://keepachildalive.org/. For those who still want to give via text message in the USA you can text "alive" to 90999 and $5 will be charged to your next cellphone bill.
One of the charity's benefactors, 15 year old Rwandan rapper Noah, performed on the show.
Ok so on with the results.
We are down to three of the best candidates that Idol has seen in a long time so it's always difficult to chose who should go and who should stay. It goes without saying that all three of these guys have fantastic careers ahead of them but for one it will start a few days sooner than the other two.
So I picked Danny, Adam and Kris as my bottom three and naturally I was right (we can ignore the fact that only three remain (-:)
Kris was declared safe first and Danny Gokey was voted off.
Danny's story was one of a kind, only joining the competition as a promise to his late wife who passed away only weeks before he auditioned. And what a fitting way for him to go, performing You are So Beautiful one last time. For me his final performance was the best of the show. Without a doubt if his wife is watching over him she would have been smiling last night. Danny has nothing to be disappointed about, he had an incredible run and will have a fantastic career.
It all comes to an end next week. With Kris Allen and Adam Lambert squaring off for the coveted title of American Idol.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
American Idol - Top 3
Firstly I need to correct last weeks posting. The grand finale is next week not this week, still one more week of torturing at least two of the contestants.
So here we are. Down to the top three.
Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen.
This week the top three were given a song by the judges and were told to pick one of their own.
In no particular order here is how it all went down.
Adam Lambert was asked to sing U2's "One" which, apparently, was green lighted by Bono on Saturday. The song started out ok but in the end he added too much of his trademark scream and it just kind of melded into a horrible screeching mess to me by the end.
His second song choice was "Cryin'" by Aerosmith. I figured ok Adam and Steven Tyler both have shrill voices, Tyler knows how to make it work in a rock song and Adam has had some limited success to date so this one could be ok. Boy was I wrong. I'm certain all of the cats in Hollywood gathered outside the Idol studio seeking the source of the horrible sound. I don't even know if I can describe it but if I can bring you back to last week and Danny's finishing note on Dream On....it was kind of like that only for most of the song. Maybe this is a sign neither Danny nor Adam should be granted permission to do Aerosmith covers ever again.
Kris Allen, was given "Apologize" by One Republic by Randy and Kara. His performance on the piano was great, as usual, but he didn't really make it his own. If anything it was an ok version of the original.
Kris' personal pick of the night was "Heartless" by Kanye West. When I heard him say that I hung my head and knew that it was over for Kris. Not only was there no way he could perform an R&B tune there was no way he could succeed with it. It didn't take me long to change my mind on that thought. Kris performed the song with just his guitar on center stage and it was AWESOME, AMAZING and totally hit worthy. The judges loved it as well with Kara and Randy both jumping out of their seats for excitement and even Simon overturned his premature ruling that Kris wouldn't make it into the final and suggested that with that performance anything could happen.
Danny Gokey, his song was picked by everyone's favorite judge Paula (ok I made that up). She picked "Dance Little Sister" by Terrance Trent D'arby. Danny never heard of the song before and it showed in his performance. Once again we saw his cheesy dance number that we have so missed since the early days. Kara called him out on it but for some reason Paula, who always loves everyone, thought it was great dancing.....ok Paula go back to bothering Simon.
Danny's personal choice was "You are so Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. Now this is a wonderful, beautiful song and perfect for Danny. I have no doubt that he sang it to his late wife many times and he performed it well. The question I keep asking myself over and over is where or not America needs another Michael Bolton. That's the type of entertainer Danny is. Idol caters to the 13-30 year old crowd for the most part and Bolton caters to their parents and grandparents. I'm not saying that wouldn't be a success but look at past Idol history that genre hasn't really been a huge hit, Clay what's his name as an example. I like Danny and have liked him since the start but he just isn't unique enough for me and I'm not really into what he's selling. So he's my pick to go home this week.
Before I get into my bottom three etc... I should point out that we were brought up to date on how Idol Gives Back is doing, remember that the actual show portion of Idol Gives Back was put on hold this year due to the economic crisis facing the world. Carrie Underwood recently visited Africa and provided an update on how Idol is helping out by donating mosquito tents to help fight malaria which has stricken the poorer regions of that country.
Ok so now that the public service portion has been covered lets see how the elimination will turn out....
So I predict the bottom three will be.
Kris, Adam and Danny. (I'm at least 90% sure)
This week I pick Danny to go home, if it was my choice it would be Adam but I know that unless hell freezes over that isn't going to happen. Not saying he is going to win but he definitely isn't going home tonight.
Stay tuned.
So here we are. Down to the top three.
Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen.
This week the top three were given a song by the judges and were told to pick one of their own.
In no particular order here is how it all went down.
Adam Lambert was asked to sing U2's "One" which, apparently, was green lighted by Bono on Saturday. The song started out ok but in the end he added too much of his trademark scream and it just kind of melded into a horrible screeching mess to me by the end.
His second song choice was "Cryin'" by Aerosmith. I figured ok Adam and Steven Tyler both have shrill voices, Tyler knows how to make it work in a rock song and Adam has had some limited success to date so this one could be ok. Boy was I wrong. I'm certain all of the cats in Hollywood gathered outside the Idol studio seeking the source of the horrible sound. I don't even know if I can describe it but if I can bring you back to last week and Danny's finishing note on Dream On....it was kind of like that only for most of the song. Maybe this is a sign neither Danny nor Adam should be granted permission to do Aerosmith covers ever again.
Kris Allen, was given "Apologize" by One Republic by Randy and Kara. His performance on the piano was great, as usual, but he didn't really make it his own. If anything it was an ok version of the original.
Kris' personal pick of the night was "Heartless" by Kanye West. When I heard him say that I hung my head and knew that it was over for Kris. Not only was there no way he could perform an R&B tune there was no way he could succeed with it. It didn't take me long to change my mind on that thought. Kris performed the song with just his guitar on center stage and it was AWESOME, AMAZING and totally hit worthy. The judges loved it as well with Kara and Randy both jumping out of their seats for excitement and even Simon overturned his premature ruling that Kris wouldn't make it into the final and suggested that with that performance anything could happen.
Danny Gokey, his song was picked by everyone's favorite judge Paula (ok I made that up). She picked "Dance Little Sister" by Terrance Trent D'arby. Danny never heard of the song before and it showed in his performance. Once again we saw his cheesy dance number that we have so missed since the early days. Kara called him out on it but for some reason Paula, who always loves everyone, thought it was great dancing.....ok Paula go back to bothering Simon.
Danny's personal choice was "You are so Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. Now this is a wonderful, beautiful song and perfect for Danny. I have no doubt that he sang it to his late wife many times and he performed it well. The question I keep asking myself over and over is where or not America needs another Michael Bolton. That's the type of entertainer Danny is. Idol caters to the 13-30 year old crowd for the most part and Bolton caters to their parents and grandparents. I'm not saying that wouldn't be a success but look at past Idol history that genre hasn't really been a huge hit, Clay what's his name as an example. I like Danny and have liked him since the start but he just isn't unique enough for me and I'm not really into what he's selling. So he's my pick to go home this week.
Before I get into my bottom three etc... I should point out that we were brought up to date on how Idol Gives Back is doing, remember that the actual show portion of Idol Gives Back was put on hold this year due to the economic crisis facing the world. Carrie Underwood recently visited Africa and provided an update on how Idol is helping out by donating mosquito tents to help fight malaria which has stricken the poorer regions of that country.
Ok so now that the public service portion has been covered lets see how the elimination will turn out....
So I predict the bottom three will be.
Kris, Adam and Danny. (I'm at least 90% sure)
This week I pick Danny to go home, if it was my choice it would be Adam but I know that unless hell freezes over that isn't going to happen. Not saying he is going to win but he definitely isn't going home tonight.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
American Idol Week 9 - Wrap Up
And then there were three.
The last of the ladies was sent home on American Idol this week as young Allison sang her swan song on the Idol stage. "Cry Baby" was her song this week but she was anything but as she said her good byes to end her incredible 9 week Idol run taking her to the top 4.
The top 3 are Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. As they were announced last night, Ryan said in no particular order, Kris was the first to be declared safe followed by Adam. One can only speculate as to who the true bottom three were but I guess at this point it doesn't really matter.
Performances last night were great, with the exception of a horrible group performance of "School's Out" that would have Alice Cooper rolling in his grave (if he were dead that is). Even Idol's own Paula Abdul took to the stage dancing (she wasn't really singing) to her new, soon to be hit, single. Idol alum Chris Daughtry came back to the Idol stage for the first time since he was voted off during the same week as Allison in season 5, he and his band performed the first single off of their upcoming album expected to be released this July. Also performing was the recently reunited No Doubt who was promoting their upcoming tour which is expected to lead to a new No Doubt album sometime in the next few years.
All in all it was a great evening of entertainment.
The Grand Finale is next week with contestants singing two songs, one chosen by themselves and the other chosen by the judges.
But first watch for my reviews of: Star Trek and X-Men Origins - Wolverine over the weekend.
The last of the ladies was sent home on American Idol this week as young Allison sang her swan song on the Idol stage. "Cry Baby" was her song this week but she was anything but as she said her good byes to end her incredible 9 week Idol run taking her to the top 4.
The top 3 are Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. As they were announced last night, Ryan said in no particular order, Kris was the first to be declared safe followed by Adam. One can only speculate as to who the true bottom three were but I guess at this point it doesn't really matter.
Performances last night were great, with the exception of a horrible group performance of "School's Out" that would have Alice Cooper rolling in his grave (if he were dead that is). Even Idol's own Paula Abdul took to the stage dancing (she wasn't really singing) to her new, soon to be hit, single. Idol alum Chris Daughtry came back to the Idol stage for the first time since he was voted off during the same week as Allison in season 5, he and his band performed the first single off of their upcoming album expected to be released this July. Also performing was the recently reunited No Doubt who was promoting their upcoming tour which is expected to lead to a new No Doubt album sometime in the next few years.
All in all it was a great evening of entertainment.
The Grand Finale is next week with contestants singing two songs, one chosen by themselves and the other chosen by the judges.
But first watch for my reviews of: Star Trek and X-Men Origins - Wolverine over the weekend.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
American Idol Week 9 - Rock and Roll
Happy Idol Wednesday everyone!!!
So we are down to our final four this week after kissing Matt good bye last week. An admittedly unusual mentor for the four this week in Velvet Revolver, and former GNR, guitarist Slash as he helps them take on Rock and Roll hits.
Earlier in the week Simon Cowell pretty much confirmed that all four judges will be back next season which means that we have at least one more year of having to set our DVRs to record an extra 10-15 mins on Idol night to allow for the judges chatter.
A new addition to Idol this week is duets. What will they sing? and who will be paired up? All that and more coming up.
Adam Lambert, who was in the bottom three last week, took to the stage first. I'm still a bit of skeptic about Adam. To me he has just been a bit too Broadway to be a good candidate for "the" American Idol. This being Rock and Roll week should clearly show if Adam is the real deal of just a good performer. Adam performed "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin:
Ok ok I'll admit it. Combine this performance with his performance of "Ring of Fire" and keep that kind of music coming he might be the edgiest Idol yet. There is still one more week to go but unless something changes dramatically I believe Adam will be it this year.
Next up was Allison Iraheta sporting a new do courtesy of Adam's stylist performing Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby":
Another solid performance by Allison but will it be enough? It's getting down to crunch time here and unless one of the remaining three really flops Allison could be in trouble. I agree with the judges on this one, maybe a different song would have been better for her.
The first duet of the night was Danny and Kris taking on Styx classic "Renegade":
Ok as the judges said the harmonies were awesome but the rest? Well unless you are tone deaf you would have to agree that that was horrible.
Next performer was Kris Allen. It's going to take some doing to overcome the disaster that was his duet with Danny so he chose "Come Together" by The Beatles:
Like Allison earlier, it wasn't bad. The problem here, though, is that it wasn't great either. We are down to the final four. The second last week of the competition it's supposed to be getting better not worse. Kris has been one of my picks since the start but after a performance like that it's going to be tough for him to stay in the game.
The final solo performer of the night was Danny Gokey doing his best take on Aerosmith's "Dream On":
The judges all gave marks for effort and Simon felt the screen was like something out of Friday the 13th but still felt that he would be safe this week. For the first time I disagree with Simon. In my opinion that was so bad Danny should be sent home this week. We'll see what happens.
The final duet of the night was Adam and Allison, aka the resident rockers by Kara. They performed "Slow Ride" by Foghat:
Much better duet. As Simon said this performance could possibly have put Allison into the final three, I agree.
So here is my guess for the elimination:
Bottom three: Allison, Danny and Kris
Going home: Danny!!!!
Stay tuned tomorrow for the results....
So we are down to our final four this week after kissing Matt good bye last week. An admittedly unusual mentor for the four this week in Velvet Revolver, and former GNR, guitarist Slash as he helps them take on Rock and Roll hits.
Earlier in the week Simon Cowell pretty much confirmed that all four judges will be back next season which means that we have at least one more year of having to set our DVRs to record an extra 10-15 mins on Idol night to allow for the judges chatter.
A new addition to Idol this week is duets. What will they sing? and who will be paired up? All that and more coming up.
Adam Lambert, who was in the bottom three last week, took to the stage first. I'm still a bit of skeptic about Adam. To me he has just been a bit too Broadway to be a good candidate for "the" American Idol. This being Rock and Roll week should clearly show if Adam is the real deal of just a good performer. Adam performed "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin:
Ok ok I'll admit it. Combine this performance with his performance of "Ring of Fire" and keep that kind of music coming he might be the edgiest Idol yet. There is still one more week to go but unless something changes dramatically I believe Adam will be it this year.
Next up was Allison Iraheta sporting a new do courtesy of Adam's stylist performing Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby":
Another solid performance by Allison but will it be enough? It's getting down to crunch time here and unless one of the remaining three really flops Allison could be in trouble. I agree with the judges on this one, maybe a different song would have been better for her.
The first duet of the night was Danny and Kris taking on Styx classic "Renegade":
Ok as the judges said the harmonies were awesome but the rest? Well unless you are tone deaf you would have to agree that that was horrible.
Next performer was Kris Allen. It's going to take some doing to overcome the disaster that was his duet with Danny so he chose "Come Together" by The Beatles:
Like Allison earlier, it wasn't bad. The problem here, though, is that it wasn't great either. We are down to the final four. The second last week of the competition it's supposed to be getting better not worse. Kris has been one of my picks since the start but after a performance like that it's going to be tough for him to stay in the game.
The final solo performer of the night was Danny Gokey doing his best take on Aerosmith's "Dream On":
The judges all gave marks for effort and Simon felt the screen was like something out of Friday the 13th but still felt that he would be safe this week. For the first time I disagree with Simon. In my opinion that was so bad Danny should be sent home this week. We'll see what happens.
The final duet of the night was Adam and Allison, aka the resident rockers by Kara. They performed "Slow Ride" by Foghat:
Much better duet. As Simon said this performance could possibly have put Allison into the final three, I agree.
So here is my guess for the elimination:
Bottom three: Allison, Danny and Kris
Going home: Danny!!!!
Stay tuned tomorrow for the results....
Thursday, April 30, 2009
American Idol Week 8 - Wrap Up
Wow what an exciting night at American Idol this week's wrap up was.
First there were the performers, well only one worth mentioning here and that was Jamie Foxx. Ok there were also performances from former Idol Taylor Hicks as well as a guest appearance by Natalie Cole but they were inconsequential to the big story of the night.
First up was Matt, as expected he was sent to the right side of the stage. Then Danny and Alison were sent to the left and Kris to the right leaving Adam in the middle to pick a side. Naturally Adam, the fist Idol contestant I have ever seen actually choose, chose to stand with Danny and Alison. Ryan quickly corrected this and moved him to the right with Kris and Matt shocking everyone by announcing that Adam was in the bottom three. Now I'm not a believer that Adam should win Idol but I have long suspected that the bottom three is rigged for ratings and that the only person legitimately in the bottom three is the contestant going home. Now if this is the case putting Adam in the bottom three could stimulate crazed fan voting next week and potentially altering the outcome of the competition. It will be interesting to say the least to watch what happens next.
So the bottom three as picked by me were Matt, Danny and Alison but in reality the final three was Matt, Kris and Adam, you could almost hear the shrieks of horror from teenage girls all over the world when Adam was in the bottom three.
In the end it was Matt "the saved" Giraud who was sent home, pretty much making the save a useless venture, even though Kara said it was the best thing they did.
So next week it's time to rock it with Rock and Roll and guest mentor is none other than ex-GNR guitar god Slash.
Stay tuned it should be interesting.
First there were the performers, well only one worth mentioning here and that was Jamie Foxx. Ok there were also performances from former Idol Taylor Hicks as well as a guest appearance by Natalie Cole but they were inconsequential to the big story of the night.
First up was Matt, as expected he was sent to the right side of the stage. Then Danny and Alison were sent to the left and Kris to the right leaving Adam in the middle to pick a side. Naturally Adam, the fist Idol contestant I have ever seen actually choose, chose to stand with Danny and Alison. Ryan quickly corrected this and moved him to the right with Kris and Matt shocking everyone by announcing that Adam was in the bottom three. Now I'm not a believer that Adam should win Idol but I have long suspected that the bottom three is rigged for ratings and that the only person legitimately in the bottom three is the contestant going home. Now if this is the case putting Adam in the bottom three could stimulate crazed fan voting next week and potentially altering the outcome of the competition. It will be interesting to say the least to watch what happens next.
So the bottom three as picked by me were Matt, Danny and Alison but in reality the final three was Matt, Kris and Adam, you could almost hear the shrieks of horror from teenage girls all over the world when Adam was in the bottom three.
In the end it was Matt "the saved" Giraud who was sent home, pretty much making the save a useless venture, even though Kara said it was the best thing they did.
So next week it's time to rock it with Rock and Roll and guest mentor is none other than ex-GNR guitar god Slash.
Stay tuned it should be interesting.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
American Idol Week 8 - Rat Pack
It's top 5 week at American Idol and Rat Pack Standards is the theme. Our top five is made up of Kris, Allison, Matt, Dokey, and Adam. Sticking with the theme of Rat Pack this week's mentor is Jamie Foxx....ok not sure how that fits with the theme.
Kicking things off for the night is Kris Allen with "The Way You Look Tonight". When Kris met with Jamie Foxx, Jamie let him know that he was a huge fan and offered to do an album with him right then and there. Let me tell you something about Kris. He is the most laid back relaxed contestant in the show this year. He goes out there, performs his song (and really really well I should add) and then gets his feedback and learns from it. My biggest pet peeve when it comes to Kris is how horrible the judges treat him week after week. After last nights performance they were raving about how great he was and how it was his best yet and how he keeps getting better and better and on and on and on. But then when Adam comes out to perform all of that is forgotten and now suddenly everyone else is crap because Adam is so great. Am I the only one who thinks that Adam is Broadway and Kris is the one with the true recording artist in him? Adam is nothing without the stage, trust me the trademark Adam scream or squeal on every song will get old very fast.
Anyway enough of my rambling here is Kris' performance of "The Way You Look Tonight"
Next up is America's favorite teenager, now 17, and now I'm not talking about a Spears sister or one of the Hiltons, not even about one of the Lohans I'm talking about Allison Iraheta. Allison performed "Someone to Watch Over Me" giving her a chance to show a slightly softer side, which I believe she did successfully. It's getting crunch time for Allison now, she has the vocals but now she needs to prove that she is in it to win and that she believes that she has what it takes. Remember last year? David A. didn't believe he was good enough, I still don't think he believes, and David Cook (the better choice anyway) ended up winning. I have predicted Allison would make the top 4 and I think she'll still be ok this week but unless she pulls a rabbit out of a hat next week and learns how to squeal like Adam I don't think she'll survive next week.
Here is Allison performing "Someone to Watch Over Me":
Next up is the contestant that they used the save on a few weeks ago, also known as Matt Giraud. Matt had a great meeting with Jamie and was all proud that Jamie didn't have any suggestions on where he could improve his version of "My Funny Valentine", maybe because he was beyond help or never listened to other mentors before. But on second thought Jamie called him back and suggested that he consider changing the key. Matt takes the stage and performs the song all over the place. Off key one second, on key the next and naturally adding a bunch of runs that were really unnecessary for this song. I would have expected more from Matt his week, just like Lil at MoTown, this should have been his week but he blew it.
Here is Matt's performance of "My Funny Valentine"
Ok so three down only two left to go. Danny and Adam. Neither of these two remaining should be in any danger of going home this week unless one of them completely falls off the stage, or down the stairs. First up is Danny Gokey with "Come Rain or Come Shine". This week I was most closely watching Danny and Matt to see which one would really come out shining and solidify their spot in the top 3, after a few notes it was clear that Danny was it. Without question that was Danny's best performance to date, it's good to have him back in the competition. He was my early pick for the title but it was starting to get a bit worrisome there for a while, but as Danny said himself he finally gets it.
Danny Gokey "Come Rain or Come Shine":
Last but not least it's everyone's favorite scream queen Adam Lambert performing "Feelin' Good (Muse Version) ". I've been saying week after week that Adam is too Broadway or too theatrical and week after week I keep getting told that I don't know what I am talking about. Try listening to Adam Lambert with your eyes closed so you don't see the performance and you'll find it's much different from what you see on TV. Adam is one heck of a performer, I won't argue that, but he isn't recording artist material. Adam doesn't look good playing from my car stereo, whereas someone like Kriss Allen or Danny G. would. It's about singing and being able to sell albums. Yes Adam can sing but I just don't think he has what it takes to carry the banner for American Idol. I think he is better suited for a career on Broadway or some touring production of a Broadway show. But that's just me :-)
Here is Adam Lambert performing "Feelin' Good":
So for this week my picks for bottom three are:
Allison, Matt and Danny
Going home sweet home this week will be Matt
Check back tomorrow for the recap.
Kicking things off for the night is Kris Allen with "The Way You Look Tonight". When Kris met with Jamie Foxx, Jamie let him know that he was a huge fan and offered to do an album with him right then and there. Let me tell you something about Kris. He is the most laid back relaxed contestant in the show this year. He goes out there, performs his song (and really really well I should add) and then gets his feedback and learns from it. My biggest pet peeve when it comes to Kris is how horrible the judges treat him week after week. After last nights performance they were raving about how great he was and how it was his best yet and how he keeps getting better and better and on and on and on. But then when Adam comes out to perform all of that is forgotten and now suddenly everyone else is crap because Adam is so great. Am I the only one who thinks that Adam is Broadway and Kris is the one with the true recording artist in him? Adam is nothing without the stage, trust me the trademark Adam scream or squeal on every song will get old very fast.
Anyway enough of my rambling here is Kris' performance of "The Way You Look Tonight"
Next up is America's favorite teenager, now 17, and now I'm not talking about a Spears sister or one of the Hiltons, not even about one of the Lohans I'm talking about Allison Iraheta. Allison performed "Someone to Watch Over Me" giving her a chance to show a slightly softer side, which I believe she did successfully. It's getting crunch time for Allison now, she has the vocals but now she needs to prove that she is in it to win and that she believes that she has what it takes. Remember last year? David A. didn't believe he was good enough, I still don't think he believes, and David Cook (the better choice anyway) ended up winning. I have predicted Allison would make the top 4 and I think she'll still be ok this week but unless she pulls a rabbit out of a hat next week and learns how to squeal like Adam I don't think she'll survive next week.
Here is Allison performing "Someone to Watch Over Me":
Next up is the contestant that they used the save on a few weeks ago, also known as Matt Giraud. Matt had a great meeting with Jamie and was all proud that Jamie didn't have any suggestions on where he could improve his version of "My Funny Valentine", maybe because he was beyond help or never listened to other mentors before. But on second thought Jamie called him back and suggested that he consider changing the key. Matt takes the stage and performs the song all over the place. Off key one second, on key the next and naturally adding a bunch of runs that were really unnecessary for this song. I would have expected more from Matt his week, just like Lil at MoTown, this should have been his week but he blew it.
Here is Matt's performance of "My Funny Valentine"
Ok so three down only two left to go. Danny and Adam. Neither of these two remaining should be in any danger of going home this week unless one of them completely falls off the stage, or down the stairs. First up is Danny Gokey with "Come Rain or Come Shine". This week I was most closely watching Danny and Matt to see which one would really come out shining and solidify their spot in the top 3, after a few notes it was clear that Danny was it. Without question that was Danny's best performance to date, it's good to have him back in the competition. He was my early pick for the title but it was starting to get a bit worrisome there for a while, but as Danny said himself he finally gets it.
Danny Gokey "Come Rain or Come Shine":
Last but not least it's everyone's favorite scream queen Adam Lambert performing "Feelin' Good (Muse Version) ". I've been saying week after week that Adam is too Broadway or too theatrical and week after week I keep getting told that I don't know what I am talking about. Try listening to Adam Lambert with your eyes closed so you don't see the performance and you'll find it's much different from what you see on TV. Adam is one heck of a performer, I won't argue that, but he isn't recording artist material. Adam doesn't look good playing from my car stereo, whereas someone like Kriss Allen or Danny G. would. It's about singing and being able to sell albums. Yes Adam can sing but I just don't think he has what it takes to carry the banner for American Idol. I think he is better suited for a career on Broadway or some touring production of a Broadway show. But that's just me :-)
Here is Adam Lambert performing "Feelin' Good":
So for this week my picks for bottom three are:
Allison, Matt and Danny
Going home sweet home this week will be Matt
Check back tomorrow for the recap.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Preview of rambles to come...
Let me take a moment to give you a bit of background as to who I am and what you can expect to read in this blog.
There are many topics that interest me, some of which I will blog about and others, well others I will keep to myself.
Here is a list of some of the things you might come to expect from this blog.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my next installment of my Idol series as we discuss how the top five did with Rat Pack.
There are many topics that interest me, some of which I will blog about and others, well others I will keep to myself.
Here is a list of some of the things you might come to expect from this blog.
- Habs talk, as the post-season heats up watch for commentary on the Montreal Canadiens as they redesign their team for a fresh start at the drive for 25 and the drive to their 100th Birthday in December.
- American Idol, naturally stay tuned as I provide all of the info on Idol and what will happen with the top 5 and who will be crowned the 8th American Idol
- Nascar, I'm a big Nascar fan so watch for the odd Nascar blog when I get the chance to actually watch a full race
- Music, Ottawa is a hotbed for live concerts this summer kicking off in a few weeks with Elton John and Billy Joel and then it will be time to prepare for Bluesfest 2009 which will feature live performances from KISS, Stone Temple Pilots, Our Lady Peace, Blue Rodeo, Styx and of course over one hundred other acts.
- Movies, as the summer heats up so do the movies that start screening on the big screen. Some notable flicks that are coming up inlcude Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator: Slavation and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as well as some family favorites returning with their next installments: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs as well as the much anticipated next installment from the Harry Potter series with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my next installment of my Idol series as we discuss how the top five did with Rat Pack.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
American Idol Week 7 - Wrap Up
I'm going to keep this short because in my opinion that's what they should have done with Idol last night.
To quickly sum up the evening they had a few disco era performances that were mediocre at best, one of the performers was in her 70's and was wearing a dress that was almost short enough to be considered NSFW (not safe for work) let alone safe for TV, trust me I had nightmares after that one.
Idol runner up from last year David Archuleta performed LIVE, yes LIVE imagine that something on Idol that wasn't prerecorded this year. After his performance he passed along some advice to the bottom two and the remaining contestants. "Don't worry", he said, "Idol creates so many opportunities" he went on to ramble and smile more about how much stuff happens after Idol...poor kid I think he is still in shell shock. Funny, I was a fan of his during the show last year but now that he has an album out I really don't care for him at all.
Anyway I said I'd keep this short.
As expected Lil was cut lose almost right after the openning credits last night leaving the remaining 6 in suspense about who would be sent home with her. Would it be Matt, Anoop or would America shock everyone and send someone completely unexpected packing. Well once again in true Idol dramatic fasion, remember I've spoken about this before...sometimes I wonder if the 3rd member of the bottom three isn't actually in the bottom three but is put there to create some dramatic tension (aka ratings). Ok now that I've teed it up the remaining two in the bottom three last night were......
Anoop, to be expected and Allison....ok everyone can get over their shock now there is no way Allison was going to be sent home. Which means that, yes....Anoop Dogg is out of the mansion and back to the Dogg house.
So lets see how I fared with my picks.
For the bottom three I picked: Matt, Lil and Anoop - ok so I was off by one, but I still believe that Allison wasn't in the bottom three but only put there to create some drama and make Idol less predictable.
I picked Anoop and Lil to go home and voila Anoop and Lil are gone. Word on the street is that next week's theme on Idol is Rat Pack Standards....is it just me or doesn't it look like they are running out of artists that want to mentor the Idols?
Heard today that Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe is considering an Idol appearance (http://tinyurl.com/dfamlz), apparently he's been getting friendly with Ms. Underwood who, of course, is singing a cover of Mötley Crüe's Home Sweet Home to send eliminated contestants home. Wouldn't that be cool....now that is an Idol that I would enjoy watching!!!
To quickly sum up the evening they had a few disco era performances that were mediocre at best, one of the performers was in her 70's and was wearing a dress that was almost short enough to be considered NSFW (not safe for work) let alone safe for TV, trust me I had nightmares after that one.
Idol runner up from last year David Archuleta performed LIVE, yes LIVE imagine that something on Idol that wasn't prerecorded this year. After his performance he passed along some advice to the bottom two and the remaining contestants. "Don't worry", he said, "Idol creates so many opportunities" he went on to ramble and smile more about how much stuff happens after Idol...poor kid I think he is still in shell shock. Funny, I was a fan of his during the show last year but now that he has an album out I really don't care for him at all.
Anyway I said I'd keep this short.
As expected Lil was cut lose almost right after the openning credits last night leaving the remaining 6 in suspense about who would be sent home with her. Would it be Matt, Anoop or would America shock everyone and send someone completely unexpected packing. Well once again in true Idol dramatic fasion, remember I've spoken about this before...sometimes I wonder if the 3rd member of the bottom three isn't actually in the bottom three but is put there to create some dramatic tension (aka ratings). Ok now that I've teed it up the remaining two in the bottom three last night were......
Anoop, to be expected and Allison....ok everyone can get over their shock now there is no way Allison was going to be sent home. Which means that, yes....Anoop Dogg is out of the mansion and back to the Dogg house.
So lets see how I fared with my picks.
For the bottom three I picked: Matt, Lil and Anoop - ok so I was off by one, but I still believe that Allison wasn't in the bottom three but only put there to create some drama and make Idol less predictable.
I picked Anoop and Lil to go home and voila Anoop and Lil are gone. Word on the street is that next week's theme on Idol is Rat Pack Standards....is it just me or doesn't it look like they are running out of artists that want to mentor the Idols?
Heard today that Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe is considering an Idol appearance (http://tinyurl.com/dfamlz), apparently he's been getting friendly with Ms. Underwood who, of course, is singing a cover of Mötley Crüe's Home Sweet Home to send eliminated contestants home. Wouldn't that be cool....now that is an Idol that I would enjoy watching!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
American Idol Week 7 - Disco
So here we are week 7 and we are down to the top 6....wait the top 7 still. As you will recall the judges decided to waste their save last week on Matt G. The question remains was it a waste? Well this week's theme was Disco music...I hope I wasn't the only one have preemptive nightmares about this week's performances.
So this week we start off with Lil Rounds someone who is desperate to get out of the bottom two and get back into this competition, especially this week because the bottom two will be going home. Lil kicks things off in a one piece skin-tight black body suit (sorry had to give you the visual) performing, for once a song that is good for her, "I'm Every Woman"
Sadley, for I don't think it was in the cards for Lil this week as her performance missed the mark, again. I have to agree with Simon when I say that I don't believe Lil will return for next week.
Next up was the most underrated contestant this year, Kris Allen, with his take on "She Works Hard for her Money".
Once again I believe that Kris hit a homerun with his rendition of this classic tune. Still don't think he is getting the recognition he deserves but we'll see. Well done!!! Definitely a possibility for the top 3.
Oki Gokey (Danny Gokey) was up next with "September" by Earth Wind and Fire.
Ok it's official Danny has now dropped out of my top 3. I'm getting tired of his blah blah style...I'm sorry it just doesn't excite me anymore, there are no surprises from Danny. He needs to really wow us in the coming weeks if he wants to stand a chance at making the finals.
Allison Iraheta, likely the strongest vocal contestant this season, was up next with "Hot Stuff".
Without surprise Allison, once again blew the roof off the Idol stage with her performance. Anyone who doesn't have Allison in their top 3 must be tone deaf. This girl knows how to rock and proves it week after week.
AMA round out the final three performers of the evening and no I don't mean the American Music Awards I mean Adam, Matt and Anoop.
Adam "Scream Queen" Lambert kicked off the final three with yet another low key classy performance of "If I Can't Have You", which by the way seems to bring Paula to tears. Oh and don't worry Adam fans he still manages to find a place to insert his trademark scream or squeel.
What is left to say about Adam? Would I buy his album? Not likely. Would I see him on tour? Maybe. Is he a better fit for Broadway? Definately!! Is he overhyped by the judges and the media? 100% absolutely yes. Will he win the title of American Idol this season? Probably
Next up is Matt "I was saved" Giraud, saved last week and in a fight for his place on the Idol stage tonight. Will his take on "Staying Alive" be enough to keep him around for another week?
In my opinion the performance was better than last week, but that is of no surprise because Matt's entire time on Idol has followed that pattern. One week he's great the next well... So is it enough to save him? At this stage in the show I would have to say no. Anoop would have to have a really poor performance to put Matt out of the bottom 2.
So without further ado Anoop Desai performing "Dim All the Lights". Anoop holds the cards this week a good performance will send Matt home, a poor performance could very well end his time on Idol. After several weeks of solid performances, check out the video:
I think even Anoop knew after that performance that it would take a miracle to save him this week. I don't know if the judges going on and on about how great of a singer is will be enough to save him this week.
So my prediction is as follows:
The bottom three this week will be Matt, Anoop and Lil
Going home will be Lil and Anoop.
Enjoy the show...I hear that last year's runner up will be performing (well they will be airing his previously recorded performance)
So this week we start off with Lil Rounds someone who is desperate to get out of the bottom two and get back into this competition, especially this week because the bottom two will be going home. Lil kicks things off in a one piece skin-tight black body suit (sorry had to give you the visual) performing, for once a song that is good for her, "I'm Every Woman"
Sadley, for I don't think it was in the cards for Lil this week as her performance missed the mark, again. I have to agree with Simon when I say that I don't believe Lil will return for next week.
Next up was the most underrated contestant this year, Kris Allen, with his take on "She Works Hard for her Money".
Once again I believe that Kris hit a homerun with his rendition of this classic tune. Still don't think he is getting the recognition he deserves but we'll see. Well done!!! Definitely a possibility for the top 3.
Oki Gokey (Danny Gokey) was up next with "September" by Earth Wind and Fire.
Ok it's official Danny has now dropped out of my top 3. I'm getting tired of his blah blah style...I'm sorry it just doesn't excite me anymore, there are no surprises from Danny. He needs to really wow us in the coming weeks if he wants to stand a chance at making the finals.
Allison Iraheta, likely the strongest vocal contestant this season, was up next with "Hot Stuff".
Without surprise Allison, once again blew the roof off the Idol stage with her performance. Anyone who doesn't have Allison in their top 3 must be tone deaf. This girl knows how to rock and proves it week after week.
AMA round out the final three performers of the evening and no I don't mean the American Music Awards I mean Adam, Matt and Anoop.
Adam "Scream Queen" Lambert kicked off the final three with yet another low key classy performance of "If I Can't Have You", which by the way seems to bring Paula to tears. Oh and don't worry Adam fans he still manages to find a place to insert his trademark scream or squeel.
What is left to say about Adam? Would I buy his album? Not likely. Would I see him on tour? Maybe. Is he a better fit for Broadway? Definately!! Is he overhyped by the judges and the media? 100% absolutely yes. Will he win the title of American Idol this season? Probably
Next up is Matt "I was saved" Giraud, saved last week and in a fight for his place on the Idol stage tonight. Will his take on "Staying Alive" be enough to keep him around for another week?
In my opinion the performance was better than last week, but that is of no surprise because Matt's entire time on Idol has followed that pattern. One week he's great the next well... So is it enough to save him? At this stage in the show I would have to say no. Anoop would have to have a really poor performance to put Matt out of the bottom 2.
So without further ado Anoop Desai performing "Dim All the Lights". Anoop holds the cards this week a good performance will send Matt home, a poor performance could very well end his time on Idol. After several weeks of solid performances, check out the video:
I think even Anoop knew after that performance that it would take a miracle to save him this week. I don't know if the judges going on and on about how great of a singer is will be enough to save him this week.
So my prediction is as follows:
The bottom three this week will be Matt, Anoop and Lil
Going home will be Lil and Anoop.
Enjoy the show...I hear that last year's runner up will be performing (well they will be airing his previously recorded performance)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
American Idol Week 6 - Wrap Up
Another week, another Ford Video and another group performance, this week's performance was actually tolerable for once but I still think they are a waste of time.
Had some special, prerecorded, guest performances by Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson. Hudson was performing a song from her debut album (how many years ago was she on Idol?) and Cyrus was performing her latest single, which actually wasn't too bad. I've always wondered how artists like Miley would fare on American Idol...would they win or get voted off early? Some food for thought there....post your comments below.
Anyway we are down to 7 Idol's left and without further ado lets get to the results from America's voting.
I picked Matt, Lil and Danny for the bottom three this week but America decided that they still aren't convinced enough by Anoop's performance to cut the guy a break so the actual bottom three was Matt, Lil and Anoop (still pretty good I nailed 2 out of the 3). Anoop, rightfully so seemed a bit dismayed by the fact that he was in the bottom three but rightfully said that it was America's choice and he respected that, way to go Anoop!! One thing you can smile about, Anoop, is that as of last night you are ranked 5 out of all of the Idols and that is not a small accomplishment.
Rightfully Anoop was sent back to the couch leaving Matt and Lil standing in the bottom two.
After the drum roll it was reveled that America felt that Matt's roller coaster performances just didn't cut it to deserve a shot at the title. I guess they saw something in Lil that they felt she deserved more of a chance, I tend to agree. Matt keeps falling back into his old rut, because he insists that's the kind of music he wants to make, but America disagrees. Lil, on the other hand, keeps trying, her performances haven't really gotten worse or better. It's only a matter of time before she gets in stride and blows the roof off of the theatre....the only question is does she have enough time on her side.
The only thing that remains now is to hear Matt sing his way home....oh wait...what about the judges save? Simon did mention that they would consider saving one of the two.
Now I don't know if I'm just tone deaf or what the problem is but I thought that Matt's performance last night was worse than the night before. Paula and Kara were going wild, not quite sure why, and Simon and Randy were kind of like WTF!!! Anyway long story short the judges wasted their one and only save of the season on, Justin Timberlake wanna-be, Matt.
Oh well next week's theme is Disco and two people will be eliminated so I fulled expect to see both Matt and Lil back on their respective buses home.
Until next week it's Stanley Cup Playoff Time.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
American Idol Week 6 - Songs from the Movies
So here we are down to our top 7 and about to pick our top 6 candidates for this year's American Idol crown.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, at this point in the season we are now just going through the motions with only 3 (maybe 4) real contenders left.
This week's mentor is non-other than Quentin Tarantino, best known for his edgy flicks and for giving a Simon a run for his money as a guest judge on Idol a few seasons ago. Although not a musician himself I was impressed at how he was able to "direct" the contestants.
In order to cut down on the show's running time, and to avoid that a contest's performance gets cut off, the producers decided to pair up the judges and have them alternate giving their critiques. After watching the entire show I can now confidently say I didn't like it. By gaining the extra 5 mins at the end of the show we lost out on Paula's rambling non-sense and Simon's harsh (but honest criticism) for half the contestants. But oh well....lets dim the lights and begin...
Tttttthis is American Idol Week 6 Recap
Kicking this off this week was young Allison Iraheta taking on Aerosmith's classic tune "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon. I'm still on the fence about this performance, it was ok but not one of Allison's best. Don't get me wrong she is still one of the top four singers on the show this year but I just don't think that she did the song as much justice as she could have. That said it should be good enough to get her through to the next round without much trouble. Once again Simon hit the nail on the head when he said that Allison is the only hope left for the women in the competition.
Anoop "Dogg" Desai was next up with his performance of the Bryan Adams hit "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. To be honest, and to the point, I agree with Randy's comments. I didn't expect anything fantastic from Anoop but once again he surprised me with his performance. If Anoop keeps it up he will find himself in the top three. One thing I will add is that Anoop's performance last night will put another contestant at greater risk of being sent home tonight.
Next we heard from Adam Lambert, or Scream Queen as I like to call him due to the trademark squeal or shriek he puts into all of his performances. So last night Adam put his mark on the über classic "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf from the movie Easy Rider. Once again Adam delivers an intense performance that goes unrivaled by other contestants but is it getting to be a bit over the top and showy? Adam has impressed me over the last few weeks and last night's performance was very intense. Simon called it a bit like a scene from the Rocky Horror Picture show. Bottom line is Adam knows how to put on a show live. To me that is most important in a musical act these days...with so many pop acts going pre-recorded for the live shows and then just lip-syching over the audio track it's actually nice to see an act that can perform.
Fourth was the on again off again Matt Giraud performing, on the piano, his take on Bryan Adams "Have you Ever Really Loved a Woman" from Don Juan. I'm not sure what to make of Matt anymore. He really needs to get a bit more consistant with his performances if he wants to have any shot at the title. Last night's performance was good but nowhere near the great that it should be at the top 7 level. I fear that after yet another solid performance by Anoop this week Matt could, once again, be in some serious danger of being voted off.
Good ol'Danny Gokey took to the stage fifth overall last night (close to where he was ranked in my Idol ranking coming into this week). Danny, once again, went for the heart strings trying to get America's vote(s) through their tears by performing a song, which, as Simon said, was close to his heart. The song was "Endless Love" by Diana Ross from the movie Endless Love. Honestly Danny when are you going to start showing us why you are still in this competition. We know you have the talent tucked away inside you somewhere. Show us that you can rise up and be the next David Cook. You are one of only two possible contestants who might stand a chance at toppling Queen Adam from her, I mean his throne.
Next up is Kris Allen, it's no secret that Kris has been one of my personal favorites since the beginning. This week Kris takes us in a direction that most of the other contestants avoided with the plague. Kris picked a song, that was not a blockbuster smash from an epic movie that was written by a superstar. Kris chose to perform "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglova from the movie Once. The song itself actually won an Academy Award in 2007 for Best Original Song. At this point Kris is, without a doubt, one of the top contendors. The judges were split on his performance but I think he deserves a bit more credit than he is getting (sorry Randy can't side with you on this one)!!! I have been saying it for weeks now that Kris is the underhyped dark horse that is lying in wait for the right moment to strike.
Last, but not least, Lil Rounds. Lil has been another one of those shining stars that has started to dim as the weeks went on. I would expect that with all of the movie songs to chose from Lil would pick a song with lots of power opportunities in it to suit her vocal range and power. Last night Lil picked the song "The Rose" from the movie of the same name by Bette Midler. I have always loved this song as it is likely one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written for a film. Lil is a sweet girl and if she could just bring some of that into this performance she might have a chance. Unfortunately The Rose a la Lil just didn't work for me. Once again I find myself agreeing with Simon...Lil just doesn't get it. She doesn't seem to understand the point to the competition. In her performance her tone was all over the place and her pitch was way off more than once. I'm sorry Lil but I believe the curtain is closing on you this week.
So that's it, your top 7. Who will stay and who will go. It is getting harder to predict but I will give it a shot.
Bottom Three: Lil, Matt and Danny
Going home: Lil
Tune in again tomorrow for my recap of the actual results and see how close I came.
For now I leave you with this gem from the current season of Britain's Got Talent. 47 year old Susan Boyle blows the socks off of Simon Cowel and the other two judges with her peformance of "Dreamed A Dream" from Les Miserables. Enjoy!
Video courtesy of Ricky.org
Unfortunately, in my opinion, at this point in the season we are now just going through the motions with only 3 (maybe 4) real contenders left.
This week's mentor is non-other than Quentin Tarantino, best known for his edgy flicks and for giving a Simon a run for his money as a guest judge on Idol a few seasons ago. Although not a musician himself I was impressed at how he was able to "direct" the contestants.
In order to cut down on the show's running time, and to avoid that a contest's performance gets cut off, the producers decided to pair up the judges and have them alternate giving their critiques. After watching the entire show I can now confidently say I didn't like it. By gaining the extra 5 mins at the end of the show we lost out on Paula's rambling non-sense and Simon's harsh (but honest criticism) for half the contestants. But oh well....lets dim the lights and begin...
Tttttthis is American Idol Week 6 Recap
Kicking this off this week was young Allison Iraheta taking on Aerosmith's classic tune "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon. I'm still on the fence about this performance, it was ok but not one of Allison's best. Don't get me wrong she is still one of the top four singers on the show this year but I just don't think that she did the song as much justice as she could have. That said it should be good enough to get her through to the next round without much trouble. Once again Simon hit the nail on the head when he said that Allison is the only hope left for the women in the competition.
Anoop "Dogg" Desai was next up with his performance of the Bryan Adams hit "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. To be honest, and to the point, I agree with Randy's comments. I didn't expect anything fantastic from Anoop but once again he surprised me with his performance. If Anoop keeps it up he will find himself in the top three. One thing I will add is that Anoop's performance last night will put another contestant at greater risk of being sent home tonight.
Next we heard from Adam Lambert, or Scream Queen as I like to call him due to the trademark squeal or shriek he puts into all of his performances. So last night Adam put his mark on the über classic "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf from the movie Easy Rider. Once again Adam delivers an intense performance that goes unrivaled by other contestants but is it getting to be a bit over the top and showy? Adam has impressed me over the last few weeks and last night's performance was very intense. Simon called it a bit like a scene from the Rocky Horror Picture show. Bottom line is Adam knows how to put on a show live. To me that is most important in a musical act these days...with so many pop acts going pre-recorded for the live shows and then just lip-syching over the audio track it's actually nice to see an act that can perform.
Fourth was the on again off again Matt Giraud performing, on the piano, his take on Bryan Adams "Have you Ever Really Loved a Woman" from Don Juan. I'm not sure what to make of Matt anymore. He really needs to get a bit more consistant with his performances if he wants to have any shot at the title. Last night's performance was good but nowhere near the great that it should be at the top 7 level. I fear that after yet another solid performance by Anoop this week Matt could, once again, be in some serious danger of being voted off.
Good ol'Danny Gokey took to the stage fifth overall last night (close to where he was ranked in my Idol ranking coming into this week). Danny, once again, went for the heart strings trying to get America's vote(s) through their tears by performing a song, which, as Simon said, was close to his heart. The song was "Endless Love" by Diana Ross from the movie Endless Love. Honestly Danny when are you going to start showing us why you are still in this competition. We know you have the talent tucked away inside you somewhere. Show us that you can rise up and be the next David Cook. You are one of only two possible contestants who might stand a chance at toppling Queen Adam from her, I mean his throne.
Next up is Kris Allen, it's no secret that Kris has been one of my personal favorites since the beginning. This week Kris takes us in a direction that most of the other contestants avoided with the plague. Kris picked a song, that was not a blockbuster smash from an epic movie that was written by a superstar. Kris chose to perform "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglova from the movie Once. The song itself actually won an Academy Award in 2007 for Best Original Song. At this point Kris is, without a doubt, one of the top contendors. The judges were split on his performance but I think he deserves a bit more credit than he is getting (sorry Randy can't side with you on this one)!!! I have been saying it for weeks now that Kris is the underhyped dark horse that is lying in wait for the right moment to strike.
Last, but not least, Lil Rounds. Lil has been another one of those shining stars that has started to dim as the weeks went on. I would expect that with all of the movie songs to chose from Lil would pick a song with lots of power opportunities in it to suit her vocal range and power. Last night Lil picked the song "The Rose" from the movie of the same name by Bette Midler. I have always loved this song as it is likely one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written for a film. Lil is a sweet girl and if she could just bring some of that into this performance she might have a chance. Unfortunately The Rose a la Lil just didn't work for me. Once again I find myself agreeing with Simon...Lil just doesn't get it. She doesn't seem to understand the point to the competition. In her performance her tone was all over the place and her pitch was way off more than once. I'm sorry Lil but I believe the curtain is closing on you this week.
So that's it, your top 7. Who will stay and who will go. It is getting harder to predict but I will give it a shot.
Bottom Three: Lil, Matt and Danny
Going home: Lil
Tune in again tomorrow for my recap of the actual results and see how close I came.
For now I leave you with this gem from the current season of Britain's Got Talent. 47 year old Susan Boyle blows the socks off of Simon Cowel and the other two judges with her peformance of "Dreamed A Dream" from Les Miserables. Enjoy!
Video courtesy of Ricky.org
Thursday, April 9, 2009
American Idol Week 5 - Wrap Up
Another week of Idol in the history books another horrible lip-synched performance by the Idols at the start of the show. I don't know what the point is to the group performance anymore....it doesn't really show their talent and week after week it gets harder to watch.
The Ford music video is pointless but I can understand that Ford is a major sponsor of the show so this can stay, gotta keep the cash flow going.
Great performance by Flo Rider, nice to see a an artist actually performing live and not pretending to be live when it is actually pre-tapped. Although I'm not a huge fan of their butchery of Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive I must say I'm a fan of some of the other Flo Rider tunes. The performance with the stripper like dancers was a bit over the top and a bit to spicy for a family show but all in all it was good.
Idol Alum Kellie Pickler also performed her latest song. Peformance was ok, a bit pitchy in parts but great stage presence you can tell that she really enjoys performing.
So on to the most important part of the night....the elmination.
Bottom three my pick: In my last post I picked Danny G. , Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre
Actual bottom three: The actual bottom 3: Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre
Lil Rounds was sent back to the rest of the group leaving Anoop and Scott in the bottom two.
I picked Scott as the contestant most likely to be sent home this week, I have yet to correctly pick. But this week the tables turned and I was right.
Scott was given one last chance to perform for the judges to try for the save. This time he performed without the guitar and to be honest I thought it was better than the first performance. It appeared as though the judges were also somewhat swayed by his performance, Seacrest kept having to tell the judges that they were running out of time and that they needed to decide.
In the end Simon delivered the verdict and it was a no. The reasoning wasn't that they didn't want to save Scott it was just that there were other's still in the competition that were better that might need the save in the next few weeks.
So that's it. Looks like next week's theme is Songs from the Movies so that should be interesting as our Top 7 take on hits from the silver screen. I can just imagine Lil doing Celine's smash hit from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On", now...my advice to Lil: DON'T DO IT!!!!
Maybe I'll have to write a blog of my song choices for the 7 that are left before Tuesday...we'll have to see how busy the next few days are with Easter upon us.
Happy Easter everyone. I'd love to hear your comments anytime!!!
The Ford music video is pointless but I can understand that Ford is a major sponsor of the show so this can stay, gotta keep the cash flow going.
Great performance by Flo Rider, nice to see a an artist actually performing live and not pretending to be live when it is actually pre-tapped. Although I'm not a huge fan of their butchery of Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive I must say I'm a fan of some of the other Flo Rider tunes. The performance with the stripper like dancers was a bit over the top and a bit to spicy for a family show but all in all it was good.
Idol Alum Kellie Pickler also performed her latest song. Peformance was ok, a bit pitchy in parts but great stage presence you can tell that she really enjoys performing.
So on to the most important part of the night....the elmination.
Bottom three my pick: In my last post I picked Danny G. , Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre
Actual bottom three: The actual bottom 3: Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre
Lil Rounds was sent back to the rest of the group leaving Anoop and Scott in the bottom two.
I picked Scott as the contestant most likely to be sent home this week, I have yet to correctly pick. But this week the tables turned and I was right.
Scott was given one last chance to perform for the judges to try for the save. This time he performed without the guitar and to be honest I thought it was better than the first performance. It appeared as though the judges were also somewhat swayed by his performance, Seacrest kept having to tell the judges that they were running out of time and that they needed to decide.
In the end Simon delivered the verdict and it was a no. The reasoning wasn't that they didn't want to save Scott it was just that there were other's still in the competition that were better that might need the save in the next few weeks.
So that's it. Looks like next week's theme is Songs from the Movies so that should be interesting as our Top 7 take on hits from the silver screen. I can just imagine Lil doing Celine's smash hit from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On", now...my advice to Lil: DON'T DO IT!!!!
Maybe I'll have to write a blog of my song choices for the 7 that are left before Tuesday...we'll have to see how busy the next few days are with Easter upon us.
Happy Easter everyone. I'd love to hear your comments anytime!!!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
American Idol Week 5 - Birth Year
Sorry all I missed last week's post. I hope everyone enjoyed the show featuring iTunes top 100 downloads. Said goodbye to Megan Joy Corkrey.
This week we celebrate the year the contestants were born.
So here is my wrap up:
Starting the night out was once front runner, but still never in the bottom three, Danny G.
Danny chose the song "Stand By Me" from the year he was born, 1980. It was an unusual arrangment that was ok for me. Danny started the show as a rocker and one of my personal favorites but now I'm not too sure if I'm thrilled about what he's become. He's still in my top 3 but he's sliding and sliding fast.
Next up was Kris Allen. Kris is definitely without question a personal favorite of mine in this years competition. Kris performed a unique version of "All She Wants to do Is Dance" from 1985. The song was a bit lame for Kris but he definitely had the rocker look going on for him at the show playing on a lower stage surrounded by his fans. The song wasn't great but the performance was definitely notable.
Coming in at third was Lil Rounds. Lil has been on a steady free fall and the only thing that has kept her in the show was the fact that there were worse contestants ahead of her. This week Lil chose to mirror Tina Turner with "What's Love Got to Do With It" from 1984. Unfortunately she fell a bit flat with her performance....again. I've said it and the judges said it as well...Lil needs to create a name for herself and stop copycat performances if she wants to stand a chance and staying on the show. It is possible that it's too late. This week I'm sure Lil will be in the bottom three which means that he hopes are now riding on a worse performance from Scott MacIntyre, another Idol who has a bit of a target on his back lately.
Rounding out the first half is Anoop Desai. He started his appearance off with an apology for his remarks to Kara last week saying that he didn't represent himself the way he felt he should. Anyway Simon said it right in the critique there is nothing that requires the contestants to apologize. It's all fair the judges dish it out and the contestants should be able to state their case back. Anyway now that everyone kissed and made up Anoop whisks us over the rainbow with his rendition of "True Colors" from 1986. I thought is was a nice take on the song not one of Anoop's best but should be good enough to ensure he will return next week.
Now on to Scott MacIntyre...I had mentioned in my review on Lil's performance that her safety this week would depend on how well Scott did in his performance. Scott performed "The Search is Over" from 1986. Scott surprised us this week, I had no idea; I don't think anyone did, he played the guitar. Nice to see him take a shot at performing without the piano but I just didn't feel it. I hate to say it but I think Scott could be making his curtain call this week.
As we head into the final three performers of the night young Allison Iraheta takes to the stage. Allison takes on Bonnie Raitt's classic "I Can't Make You Love Me" from 1992. I don't think Allison gets enough credit on this show. She is one of the only "true" performers on the show. Sure the others can sing but Allison brings the whole package. This latest performance was top notch, possibly even better than Raitt herself. I expect Allison to go far but she needs to step out from Adam Lambert's shadow and get some attention if she wants to survive on this show. She can't wait until she is in the bottom four or five she has to start now. She has the potential to win this one.
Second to last is crooner Matt Giraud who's identity crisis has almost resulted in him being voted off the show. This week Matt's song choice seems to be better suited to the style of music he should be making. He chose to perform "Part Time Lover" a hit for Stevie Wonder in 1985. What a difference a change in genre makes for Matt. He really knocked PTL out of the park. Likely his best performance to date. If this doesn't keep him in the competition nothing will.
Last but not least is the ever popular Adam Lambert. If you listen to most of the Idol buzz this season it appears as though Adam has already won the title. Granted he is good but keep in mind he has a lot of experience as well...coming from a career performing on stage this will all reflect in his Idol experience. When I first saw Adam on the show I was not a fan, that grew to being in denial and then after his performance of Ring of Fire I think it's safe to say I'm a fan. This week Adam performed "Mad World" from 1982. Now I love this song before and after last night Adam Lambert's version is my new favorite. The most chilling part of his performance was actually the judges critique at the end. Due to time constraints Simon was to deliever the judges verdict and all he said was "I'm going to give you a standing ovation". I'm not 100% certain but this has to be an Idol first, it's definitely the first time I've seen this since I've started watching the show. But it was well deserved.
My batting average for who gets sent home every week has not been doing very well but once again I'll give it a shot.
My bottom three this week are: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre and Danny G. Scott MacIntyre will be sent home and the save will not be used.
Check back tomorrow to see how close I came.
Video links courtesy of www.Rickey.org
This week we celebrate the year the contestants were born.
So here is my wrap up:
Starting the night out was once front runner, but still never in the bottom three, Danny G.
Danny chose the song "Stand By Me" from the year he was born, 1980. It was an unusual arrangment that was ok for me. Danny started the show as a rocker and one of my personal favorites but now I'm not too sure if I'm thrilled about what he's become. He's still in my top 3 but he's sliding and sliding fast.
Next up was Kris Allen. Kris is definitely without question a personal favorite of mine in this years competition. Kris performed a unique version of "All She Wants to do Is Dance" from 1985. The song was a bit lame for Kris but he definitely had the rocker look going on for him at the show playing on a lower stage surrounded by his fans. The song wasn't great but the performance was definitely notable.
Coming in at third was Lil Rounds. Lil has been on a steady free fall and the only thing that has kept her in the show was the fact that there were worse contestants ahead of her. This week Lil chose to mirror Tina Turner with "What's Love Got to Do With It" from 1984. Unfortunately she fell a bit flat with her performance....again. I've said it and the judges said it as well...Lil needs to create a name for herself and stop copycat performances if she wants to stand a chance and staying on the show. It is possible that it's too late. This week I'm sure Lil will be in the bottom three which means that he hopes are now riding on a worse performance from Scott MacIntyre, another Idol who has a bit of a target on his back lately.
Rounding out the first half is Anoop Desai. He started his appearance off with an apology for his remarks to Kara last week saying that he didn't represent himself the way he felt he should. Anyway Simon said it right in the critique there is nothing that requires the contestants to apologize. It's all fair the judges dish it out and the contestants should be able to state their case back. Anyway now that everyone kissed and made up Anoop whisks us over the rainbow with his rendition of "True Colors" from 1986. I thought is was a nice take on the song not one of Anoop's best but should be good enough to ensure he will return next week.
Now on to Scott MacIntyre...I had mentioned in my review on Lil's performance that her safety this week would depend on how well Scott did in his performance. Scott performed "The Search is Over" from 1986. Scott surprised us this week, I had no idea; I don't think anyone did, he played the guitar. Nice to see him take a shot at performing without the piano but I just didn't feel it. I hate to say it but I think Scott could be making his curtain call this week.
As we head into the final three performers of the night young Allison Iraheta takes to the stage. Allison takes on Bonnie Raitt's classic "I Can't Make You Love Me" from 1992. I don't think Allison gets enough credit on this show. She is one of the only "true" performers on the show. Sure the others can sing but Allison brings the whole package. This latest performance was top notch, possibly even better than Raitt herself. I expect Allison to go far but she needs to step out from Adam Lambert's shadow and get some attention if she wants to survive on this show. She can't wait until she is in the bottom four or five she has to start now. She has the potential to win this one.
Second to last is crooner Matt Giraud who's identity crisis has almost resulted in him being voted off the show. This week Matt's song choice seems to be better suited to the style of music he should be making. He chose to perform "Part Time Lover" a hit for Stevie Wonder in 1985. What a difference a change in genre makes for Matt. He really knocked PTL out of the park. Likely his best performance to date. If this doesn't keep him in the competition nothing will.
Last but not least is the ever popular Adam Lambert. If you listen to most of the Idol buzz this season it appears as though Adam has already won the title. Granted he is good but keep in mind he has a lot of experience as well...coming from a career performing on stage this will all reflect in his Idol experience. When I first saw Adam on the show I was not a fan, that grew to being in denial and then after his performance of Ring of Fire I think it's safe to say I'm a fan. This week Adam performed "Mad World" from 1982. Now I love this song before and after last night Adam Lambert's version is my new favorite. The most chilling part of his performance was actually the judges critique at the end. Due to time constraints Simon was to deliever the judges verdict and all he said was "I'm going to give you a standing ovation". I'm not 100% certain but this has to be an Idol first, it's definitely the first time I've seen this since I've started watching the show. But it was well deserved.
My batting average for who gets sent home every week has not been doing very well but once again I'll give it a shot.
My bottom three this week are: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre and Danny G. Scott MacIntyre will be sent home and the save will not be used.
Check back tomorrow to see how close I came.
Video links courtesy of www.Rickey.org
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Abbott & Costello: Buying a Computer
This was sent to me in an email and it really cracked me up so I had to repost it. Enjoy.
You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello , and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:
COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO : Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT : Mac?
COSTELLO : No, the name's Lou .
ABBOTT : Your computer?
COSTELLO : I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT : Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou .
ABBOTT : What about Windows?
COSTELLO : Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT : Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO : I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT : Wallpaper.
COSTELLO : Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT : Software for Windows?
COSTELLO : No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track
expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT : Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT : I just did.
COSTELLO : You just did what?
ABBOTT : Recommend something.
COSTELLO : You recommended something ?
ABBOTT : Yes.
COSTELLO : For my office?
ABBOTT : Yes.
COSTELLO : OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT : Office.
COSTELLO : Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT : I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO : I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT : Word.
COSTELLO : What word?
ABBOTT : Word in Office.
COSTELLO : The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT : The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO : Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT : The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.
COSTELLO : I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What
about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO : That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT : Money.
COSTELLO : I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT : It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO : What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT : Money.
COSTELLO : Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT : Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO : I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT : One copy.
COSTELLO : Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT : Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO : They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT : Why not? THEY OWN IT!
(A few days later)
ABBOTT : Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO : How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT : Click on 'START'.............
You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello , and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:
COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO : Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT : Mac?
COSTELLO : No, the name's Lou .
ABBOTT : Your computer?
COSTELLO : I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT : Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou .
ABBOTT : What about Windows?
COSTELLO : Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT : Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO : I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT : Wallpaper.
COSTELLO : Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT : Software for Windows?
COSTELLO : No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track
expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT : Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT : I just did.
COSTELLO : You just did what?
ABBOTT : Recommend something.
COSTELLO : You recommended something ?
ABBOTT : Yes.
COSTELLO : For my office?
ABBOTT : Yes.
COSTELLO : OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT : Office.
COSTELLO : Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT : I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO : I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT : Word.
COSTELLO : What word?
ABBOTT : Word in Office.
COSTELLO : The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT : The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO : Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT : The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.
COSTELLO : I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What
about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO : That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT : Money.
COSTELLO : I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT : It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO : What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT : Money.
COSTELLO : Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT : Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO : I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT : One copy.
COSTELLO : Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT : Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO : They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT : Why not? THEY OWN IT!
(A few days later)
ABBOTT : Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO : How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT : Click on 'START'.............
Friday, March 27, 2009
American Idol Week 3 - Wrap Up
Amidst rumors of the show being fixed over the last few weeks I begin to wonder if maybe the bottom three are fixed to generate drama. Is it possible that the bottom three are not really the bottom three? Or rather the bottom one and two random contestants that aren't really in the bottom three. Lets take last night for example...do you really want me to believe that Matt Giraud was actually in the bottom two?
Fixed or not at least the right pick went home last night. Nothing against Michael Sarver but his time had come. Kudos to him for his classy departure, no big surprise that the judges didn't use the save...although they had me going at one point when it appeared as though they were sitting on the fence.
All in all the night was pretty uneventful, great performance by Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson but naturally the climax was the elimination.
Surprised that Megan didn't have her place in the bottom three but the important thing is the one that was sent home and this week America picked right.
Fixed or not at least the right pick went home last night. Nothing against Michael Sarver but his time had come. Kudos to him for his classy departure, no big surprise that the judges didn't use the save...although they had me going at one point when it appeared as though they were sitting on the fence.
All in all the night was pretty uneventful, great performance by Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson but naturally the climax was the elimination.
Surprised that Megan didn't have her place in the bottom three but the important thing is the one that was sent home and this week America picked right.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
American Idol Week 3 - Motown
Well it's Thursday, a day later than normal for my Idol recap but Obama takes precedence.
Last night the cast of American Idol 8 celebrated "50 Years of MoTown" and it is finally starting to sound as thought the Top 10 actually deserve to be in the top 10, with a few obvious exceptions which we'll get to in the recap.
Crooner Matt Giraud kicked off the night with his take on "Let's Get it On", originally sung by Marvin Gaye. Responding to judges feedback he split the song into sections, so to speak. He started on the piano and then took to the stage, and although his stage performance felt a bit awkward the vocals were top notch. If Matt continues performing as he did this week for the next several weeks there is no question he will make the top 5, and possibly even the top 3.
Next up was Kris Allen, my pick for the dark horse of the competition. Kris and his guitar performed their rendition of "How Sweet it Is". The judges and the audience made it very clear that they enjoyed it. Simon advised him that the only thing Kris is missing at the moment is self-confidence. As it stands right now Kris is in my top 3.
Scott MacIntyre performed third with the promise that he would take a few more risks this week. One of those risks was apparently singing "Can't Hurry Love" by Diana Ross and the Supremes. The risk was the fact that he was a male singing a song originally done by a female group, didn't Phil Collins also sing this song? Anyway I like Scott, he's a nice guy with a positive vibe and a nice voice...but I can't see him going a whole lot further on Idol. The only saving grace for Scott might be that he is a bit better than maybe one or two of the other contestants. I predict that if Scott survives this week's elimination he will definitely be in the bottom 3 and will likely sing his swan-song next week. The judges were pretty united on Scott with the exception of Paula who was so upset with Simon, as per usual, that she called him a 6 year old and pulled out a box of crayons and a colouring book.
Is it just me or are the weekly antics between Paula, who loves everyone, and Simon, who pretty much hates everyone, getting a bit old?
Anyway that's a whole different blog....on with the show.
Quirky, but once again healthy, Megan Joy took to the stage next. Megan is likely the most unique contestant American Idol has ever had. Unfortunately for Megan she has had a rough go since making the top 14, with the exception of last week. This week she takes on "For Once In My Life". Unfortunately for Megan the performance was not great. The song did not have the usual Megan flavor that we have come to enjoy. Randy called the performance a "train wreck" and Simon believed that she "could be in serious trouble". The silver lining for Megan, I think, is that there are still contestants on the show struggling more than her. Watch for Megan in the bottom 3 again this week but I don't expect America to send her packing just yet.
Anoop took on Smokey Robinson classic "Ooh Baby Baby" to show a softer side of the dawg. The vocals were top notch and the judges and fans loved it. In the end I have to agree with Simon's comment that he did a "great vocal" but appeared bored. For me it was the lack of showmanship that Simon was talking about that made the performance kind of boring as a whole. Don't get me wrong I like Anoop and think he has a lot of talent but I don't expect him to last much beyond the top 5.
Taking the sixth spot was Michael Sarver, America's favorite oil rigger (ok I made that up but they did save him in favor of Alexis last week something I am still trying to understand) This week he takes on MoTown with "Ain't to Proud To Beg". Michael must have been a bit too close to Megan last week because he ended up missing the class trip to Motown because he was sick. After his performance last night I think he might want to cancel any plans to go there in the near future. Michael is a nice guy, he has a nice voice that I'm sure he uses to serenade his wife and sing in the shower. So do I, but unlike Michael I will never attempt to go on American Idol. Maybe after last night America will realize that Michael should go home. I would be shocked if Michael isn't part of the bottom three this week.
Fourth from the end is Lil Rounds. You'd think that an African American diva would be center stage during MoTown week, especially when you're the only one left on the show. So how did she fare when she took on "Heatwave" by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas? Well Randy called the beginning of the song "torture" and said it "was not the best performance". Personally I think Lil is a good singer, not a great. Should she be in the top 10? Yes. Should she win? No. I predict that Lil will likely survive until at the very least the top 5, maybe even the top 4 with a few strong weeks. But she was in the bottom three last week so who knows, America will pick whomever they want. I would imagine that when the time does come for Lil she will take the judges save.
Always edgy, controversial and current front runner Adam Lambert took to the stage eighth overall. After his extremely controversial take on Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire last week a much more polished (or should I say unpolished due to his lack of nail polish) Adam presented himself with his take on another Smokey Robinson classic "Tracks of My Tears". Now to be honest I didn't start out as an Adam Lambert fan but after the last few weeks I must say he is growing on me. No question Adam has been topping himself week after week and most certainly has a spot reserved in the top 3 as it stands right now. It's worth noting that after his performance Smokey Robinson himself gave Adam a standing ovation, if that isn't a compliment I don't know what is.
Second last is another one of the front running candidates, Danny Gokey. Danny has been one of my favorites since the beginning but to be honest after seeing his lack of effort during his country week rehersal last week with Randy Travis my level of respect for him has dropped a bit. This week his Motown take was "Get Ready". The song was good but to be honest the performance didn't wow me. I actually had to rewatch it just now to refresh my memory. Danny has had a few rough weeks now and although he isn't in any jeopardy this week if he doesn't pick it up soon he will find himself in the bottom three before long. As of now Danny makes up my Top 3 but that could change.
Last but not least is my wirdcard. Young Allison Iraheta. Allison has blown the roof off the Idol studio with most of her last performances yet she still isn't considered a front runner. Peforming "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" by the Temptations she, once again, did not disappoint. Allison could be the one that comes up from behind and knocks the boys out of the running and takes the Idol crown, she has some work to do but I think that she is the strongest female contestant this year. I'm expecting great things over the next few weeks, definately a potential candidate for the Top 3.
So tonight is elimination night. Who will go? Who will stay? Once again tonight I'm going to pick Michael Sarver but can't rule out the chance that Scott MacIntyre will be voted out. Either way my bottom three is Michael, Scott and Megan and no save will be used tonight.
Video links courtesy of www.Rickey.org
Last night the cast of American Idol 8 celebrated "50 Years of MoTown" and it is finally starting to sound as thought the Top 10 actually deserve to be in the top 10, with a few obvious exceptions which we'll get to in the recap.
Crooner Matt Giraud kicked off the night with his take on "Let's Get it On", originally sung by Marvin Gaye. Responding to judges feedback he split the song into sections, so to speak. He started on the piano and then took to the stage, and although his stage performance felt a bit awkward the vocals were top notch. If Matt continues performing as he did this week for the next several weeks there is no question he will make the top 5, and possibly even the top 3.
Next up was Kris Allen, my pick for the dark horse of the competition. Kris and his guitar performed their rendition of "How Sweet it Is". The judges and the audience made it very clear that they enjoyed it. Simon advised him that the only thing Kris is missing at the moment is self-confidence. As it stands right now Kris is in my top 3.
Scott MacIntyre performed third with the promise that he would take a few more risks this week. One of those risks was apparently singing "Can't Hurry Love" by Diana Ross and the Supremes. The risk was the fact that he was a male singing a song originally done by a female group, didn't Phil Collins also sing this song? Anyway I like Scott, he's a nice guy with a positive vibe and a nice voice...but I can't see him going a whole lot further on Idol. The only saving grace for Scott might be that he is a bit better than maybe one or two of the other contestants. I predict that if Scott survives this week's elimination he will definitely be in the bottom 3 and will likely sing his swan-song next week. The judges were pretty united on Scott with the exception of Paula who was so upset with Simon, as per usual, that she called him a 6 year old and pulled out a box of crayons and a colouring book.
Is it just me or are the weekly antics between Paula, who loves everyone, and Simon, who pretty much hates everyone, getting a bit old?
Anyway that's a whole different blog....on with the show.
Quirky, but once again healthy, Megan Joy took to the stage next. Megan is likely the most unique contestant American Idol has ever had. Unfortunately for Megan she has had a rough go since making the top 14, with the exception of last week. This week she takes on "For Once In My Life". Unfortunately for Megan the performance was not great. The song did not have the usual Megan flavor that we have come to enjoy. Randy called the performance a "train wreck" and Simon believed that she "could be in serious trouble". The silver lining for Megan, I think, is that there are still contestants on the show struggling more than her. Watch for Megan in the bottom 3 again this week but I don't expect America to send her packing just yet.
Anoop took on Smokey Robinson classic "Ooh Baby Baby" to show a softer side of the dawg. The vocals were top notch and the judges and fans loved it. In the end I have to agree with Simon's comment that he did a "great vocal" but appeared bored. For me it was the lack of showmanship that Simon was talking about that made the performance kind of boring as a whole. Don't get me wrong I like Anoop and think he has a lot of talent but I don't expect him to last much beyond the top 5.
Taking the sixth spot was Michael Sarver, America's favorite oil rigger (ok I made that up but they did save him in favor of Alexis last week something I am still trying to understand) This week he takes on MoTown with "Ain't to Proud To Beg". Michael must have been a bit too close to Megan last week because he ended up missing the class trip to Motown because he was sick. After his performance last night I think he might want to cancel any plans to go there in the near future. Michael is a nice guy, he has a nice voice that I'm sure he uses to serenade his wife and sing in the shower. So do I, but unlike Michael I will never attempt to go on American Idol. Maybe after last night America will realize that Michael should go home. I would be shocked if Michael isn't part of the bottom three this week.
Fourth from the end is Lil Rounds. You'd think that an African American diva would be center stage during MoTown week, especially when you're the only one left on the show. So how did she fare when she took on "Heatwave" by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas? Well Randy called the beginning of the song "torture" and said it "was not the best performance". Personally I think Lil is a good singer, not a great. Should she be in the top 10? Yes. Should she win? No. I predict that Lil will likely survive until at the very least the top 5, maybe even the top 4 with a few strong weeks. But she was in the bottom three last week so who knows, America will pick whomever they want. I would imagine that when the time does come for Lil she will take the judges save.
Always edgy, controversial and current front runner Adam Lambert took to the stage eighth overall. After his extremely controversial take on Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire last week a much more polished (or should I say unpolished due to his lack of nail polish) Adam presented himself with his take on another Smokey Robinson classic "Tracks of My Tears". Now to be honest I didn't start out as an Adam Lambert fan but after the last few weeks I must say he is growing on me. No question Adam has been topping himself week after week and most certainly has a spot reserved in the top 3 as it stands right now. It's worth noting that after his performance Smokey Robinson himself gave Adam a standing ovation, if that isn't a compliment I don't know what is.
Second last is another one of the front running candidates, Danny Gokey. Danny has been one of my favorites since the beginning but to be honest after seeing his lack of effort during his country week rehersal last week with Randy Travis my level of respect for him has dropped a bit. This week his Motown take was "Get Ready". The song was good but to be honest the performance didn't wow me. I actually had to rewatch it just now to refresh my memory. Danny has had a few rough weeks now and although he isn't in any jeopardy this week if he doesn't pick it up soon he will find himself in the bottom three before long. As of now Danny makes up my Top 3 but that could change.
Last but not least is my wirdcard. Young Allison Iraheta. Allison has blown the roof off the Idol studio with most of her last performances yet she still isn't considered a front runner. Peforming "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" by the Temptations she, once again, did not disappoint. Allison could be the one that comes up from behind and knocks the boys out of the running and takes the Idol crown, she has some work to do but I think that she is the strongest female contestant this year. I'm expecting great things over the next few weeks, definately a potential candidate for the Top 3.
So tonight is elimination night. Who will go? Who will stay? Once again tonight I'm going to pick Michael Sarver but can't rule out the chance that Scott MacIntyre will be voted out. Either way my bottom three is Michael, Scott and Megan and no save will be used tonight.
Video links courtesy of www.Rickey.org
Thursday, March 19, 2009
American Idol Week 2 - Wrap Up
So today, with much regret, we say goodbye to sweet (ok well not so sweet, but we liked her anyway) Alexis Grace.
Last night's show proved to me why the new "judges save" doesn't work, or won't work, and here's why.
So last night we get our first hint that the save might be used. Ryan announces that America has decided to save Michael Sarver sending poor Alexis packing, he stands her in front of the four judges only to have Simon tell her that she was being considered for the save. I'm thinking ok cool so next week America can get it right and vote of two people, I can live with that. But no...instead they make the poor kid, yes I know she is 21 but to me that's a kid, sing for it. Does anyone even expect that this performance is going to be any better than the original that pretty much got her voted off? Well it wasn't. If anything it was much worse. After the song was done Simon broke the news that they weren't going to use the save based on that performance because it just wasn't good enough....come on judges...lets be serious here....why not base it on all of Alexis' performances and not just this one week. Remember when you used to like this girl?
Oh well I guess that's democracy in action...all last night did was reinforce my thoughts that this new save is utterly ridiculous and a total waste of time. The show is called American Idol not American Idol, unless the judges disagree.
But those are just my thoughts. Next week is Motown week so I expect Lil and Allison to do very well. As of right now my top 3 are Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Matt Giraud lets see if that changes next week.
Last night's show proved to me why the new "judges save" doesn't work, or won't work, and here's why.
So last night we get our first hint that the save might be used. Ryan announces that America has decided to save Michael Sarver sending poor Alexis packing, he stands her in front of the four judges only to have Simon tell her that she was being considered for the save. I'm thinking ok cool so next week America can get it right and vote of two people, I can live with that. But no...instead they make the poor kid, yes I know she is 21 but to me that's a kid, sing for it. Does anyone even expect that this performance is going to be any better than the original that pretty much got her voted off? Well it wasn't. If anything it was much worse. After the song was done Simon broke the news that they weren't going to use the save based on that performance because it just wasn't good enough....come on judges...lets be serious here....why not base it on all of Alexis' performances and not just this one week. Remember when you used to like this girl?
Oh well I guess that's democracy in action...all last night did was reinforce my thoughts that this new save is utterly ridiculous and a total waste of time. The show is called American Idol not American Idol, unless the judges disagree.
But those are just my thoughts. Next week is Motown week so I expect Lil and Allison to do very well. As of right now my top 3 are Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Matt Giraud lets see if that changes next week.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
American Idol Week 2 - Grand Ole Oprey
I haven't been much of a blogger of late but this season of American Idol is definitely one worth writing about.
The season started out the same as the previous seven with Simon and the other 3 musketeers auditioning the seemingly endless "bad" talent that exists in America, and always seem to be surprised when they get rejected.
Once things got serious things were narrowed down to a group of 36 and then we went through several brutal weeks that left me wondering what happened to the talent the judges picked.
Anyway enough rambling about the disastrous start to Idol 8 lets get on with this week, particularly last night, Country Music Night. After the majority of the Idols tripped, badly, over the first two weeks I dreaded Country week, after all nothing sounds worse than country music sung badly.
Ok so here is my breakdown of the top 11 and my thoughts on what they had to offer:
The season started out the same as the previous seven with Simon and the other 3 musketeers auditioning the seemingly endless "bad" talent that exists in America, and always seem to be surprised when they get rejected.
Once things got serious things were narrowed down to a group of 36 and then we went through several brutal weeks that left me wondering what happened to the talent the judges picked.
Anyway enough rambling about the disastrous start to Idol 8 lets get on with this week, particularly last night, Country Music Night. After the majority of the Idols tripped, badly, over the first two weeks I dreaded Country week, after all nothing sounds worse than country music sung badly.
Ok so here is my breakdown of the top 11 and my thoughts on what they had to offer:
- Lets start with every one's favorite Texan, Michael Sarver.
I'm thinking, ok, he's from Texas so hopefully I should finally see what the judges are seeing in him. So he is singing Garth Brooks Ain't Going Down 'Till the Sun Comes Up, this has to be the hardest Garth song I know. It is lyrically overloaded and a very fast tempo not something for the faint of heart. On the positive side of things Michael remembered all of the words. On the negative side it sounded like he was running a marathon while he was singing. His breathing was all over the place and he was panting like a dog that had gone a day without water. Definitely not his best performance to date. - Next up was Lil, or little as Simon calls her. I'm still undecided about Lil, generally R&B singers don't do well outside of their genre. Lil picked the powerful, Independence Day by Marina McBride. I was surprise by this, especially when it seemed almost obvious that she would sing Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You or a similar country song that has been turned into an R&B classic. The judges weren't so fond of her performance but all in all I'd give it a thumbs up, my favorite from Lil to date.
- Next came little Allison with the big rockin' voice....she sang Blame It On Your Heart by Patty Loveless. I'm a fan of Allison's and although this wasn't her best to date she did ok, she's a gritty rocker girl and she'll be back in her element once the country is left behind.
- Fourth was Megan, ah yes Megan. The mom with the cool sleeve tattoo on her arm. Meg has a unique sound, and dance, that I haven't decided if I hate or love yet. Once again Meg goes vintage with Walkin' After Midnight by Patsy Cline. I think she did really well with it, the dance was still there and she needs to work on her stage presence a bit but all in all it was a good performance, and then we find out that the poor girl was deathly ill with a flu the whole time. All I can say is if that is Meg with the flu I can't wait to see what she can do when she is healthy.
- Matt G. was fifth and was the first to take a bite out of Carrie Underwood's music with So Small. Matt is a crooner and this was easy for him and he showed quickly that he will do well with this type of music. No doubt he was among the better performers of the evening.
- Sixth was the leading favorite Danny Gokey. He must have been having a bad night because first his session with Randy Travis was a joke, very disrespectful. His performance of Jesus Take The Wheel was good but not spectacular. Danny is popular enough that he should be around for a bit but hopefully he starts to take this more seriously.
- Little Alexis took on Dolly's classic story about Jolene. The performance and vocal were very good but I agree with the judges it was missing the grit and edge that we are used to seeing from Alexis. I strongly believe that she will be back next week.
- Scott MacIntyre and his piano took the stage eighth with what some might have called a risk. Singing Martina McBride's Wild Angels. Even Randy Travis was a bit nervous about the pick. Now I'll say I like Scott, he's a nice guy with a boat load of talent. Should he have made it this far in American Idol? Maybe not, but it's hard to say. Will he be crowned the Idol, I doubt it but you never know. As for last night he got out there and turned a few critics believers. Scott saved himself a spot in the top 10 with his performance.
- Anoop Doggy Dog was up next. The last few weeks this poor kid must have been starting to feel like a dead man walking and I believe that if he didn't do something spectacular this week he would be the one to go home. Anoop didn't disappoint. He came out with Always on My Mind and lifted the roof off the house. Definitely one of the top performers of the evening.
- Kris Allen has been the least talked about Idol to date but he has always been one of my favorites. In my opinion Kris is the only Idol that has yet to have a bad week and this week didn't disappoint. Taking on the Garth Brooks cover of the Billy Joel cover of the Bob Dylan song To Make You Feel My Love, he knocked it out of the park. Kris is one of my picks for the top 3.
- Lastly but most controversially we have the ever adored Adam Lambert. Ah yes the blue haired goth prince with the voice that....you get the idea. So it's country week and Adam is definately not country material. So he picks Johnny Cash, ok good choice. Ring of Fire, ok I see the connection, Goth, fire. Well it has been the most talked about performance of the season hands down. You either loved it or you hated it. Me? I loved it. It was unique and original and definately the performance of the night.
My pick for tonight's vicitm, so to speak is going to have to be Michael Sarver. Nice guy but just doesn't have what it takes to perform at the level of the other 10.
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