So it's down to the top 10 on American Idol once again, naturally most of us only care about four or five contestants that still remain.
My blog this year will be following one contestant and that is Crystal Bowersox. This week the 10 hopefulls performed songs from my least favorite category, R&B Soul with guest Usher.
As expected most of the contestants struggled with this genre but Crystal, as always, came out shining with her rendition of Midnight Train To Georgia:
The only other contestant who I think stands even a slight chance against Crystal is Siobhan Magnus. Last night was an off night for her but she could prove to be a wildcard that will give Crystal a run for the title, but I still think Crystal should take it. Here is Siobhan's performance of Through the Fire:
If I have time I'll post a recap tomorrow, but I don't expect either of these two ladies to go home tonight.
Showing posts with label simon cowell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simon cowell. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
American Idol 9 Top 11
So here we are at the top 11 during what, in my mind, is one of the worst season's of American Idol since I started watching the show about 4 years ago.
It seems as well as though even the celebrity mentors are avoiding the show as so far this year they have had three themes...Billboard for the weeks leading up to the top 12, then the Rolling Stones and last night Billboard top 100. Cute that they had Miley Cyrus as the mentor, loved it when Casey James walked in and said I'm a huge fan...of your dad. That pretty much summed it all up.
To all my followers who have been requesting that I get this blog up and running here we go. But due to a lack of time I will only be noting the best performances of the night.
Last night and so far this season it's been all Crystal Bowersox. Here is a video of her performance of Me and Bobby McGee by Janice Joplin:
My pick for the 9th American Idol is without a doubt Crystal. None of the other candidates even come close to her power and style. When my Classic Rock radio station here in Ottawa is talking about her and playing her performance you know she's made an impact.
On that note Carrie Underwood is performing in Ottawa tonight.
It seems as well as though even the celebrity mentors are avoiding the show as so far this year they have had three themes...Billboard for the weeks leading up to the top 12, then the Rolling Stones and last night Billboard top 100. Cute that they had Miley Cyrus as the mentor, loved it when Casey James walked in and said I'm a huge fan...of your dad. That pretty much summed it all up.
To all my followers who have been requesting that I get this blog up and running here we go. But due to a lack of time I will only be noting the best performances of the night.
Last night and so far this season it's been all Crystal Bowersox. Here is a video of her performance of Me and Bobby McGee by Janice Joplin:
My pick for the 9th American Idol is without a doubt Crystal. None of the other candidates even come close to her power and style. When my Classic Rock radio station here in Ottawa is talking about her and playing her performance you know she's made an impact.
On that note Carrie Underwood is performing in Ottawa tonight.
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.
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
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