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.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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
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