Fadoras, Green Dresses and Voting, Oh My!

Well, the American Public has surprised me again, letting AJ, Nick, Antonella, and Leslie. I think the fact that there are pretty people to swoon over this year is having an impact...but thats the case every year.
For anyone who has missed or would like a recap this year, I have posted some new podcasts titled...For Your Review, it's a recap of the Top 8 Guys and Gals, what they have done, and an early look at the Top 4, in my mind.
Also check out 'Idol Musings', for a look at my potential "Theme Weeks" this year. Enjoy the Weekend!

Stephanie, Melinda, and a Hideous Green Dress

Well, who knew that tonight on Idol would be, for the part ordinary and part fashion disaster. It would be nice to see the guys from Queer Eye on the show to help some of these girls with their fashion choices for the show. I don't think Gina or Antonella got it right for their songs, in particular the latter. A throwback to the days of A Christmas Story, it was a "green nightmare". If she was trying to get votes strictly by attire she would be voted off this week, but I think her voice was bad enough that its going to happen anyway.
Stephanie and Melinda stepped it up with their performances last night to land the one and two spots in front of Lakisha. Headed home for the girls, I already mentioned one. The other is either going to be Jordan or Whitney. It would not be a shock to me if Lakisha was on her way out...I've seen it happen before. More on "Dedication Week" in the podcast
Overall the week as better for the guys this week, and some of the girls fell off their game, while others stepped it up, but with it being Dedication Week, that was bound to happen.

Top Ten Women (10-1)

Right to it tonight…Gina up first
Gina: “Alone”…she did a nice job, great stage presence once she got going…great start to the night….didn’t help that the background singer was off pitch…great song choice for her. Judges: Randy: Liked it Paula: excellent job, really good Simon: good choice of song, felt vocals sounded forced. She did a great job, good way to start the show. She had fun on stage too…
Alaina up next…”Not Ready to Make Nice”…good stage presence…good tone, played to the camera well. Judges: Randy: tuning and pitch went away, not good. Paula: hard song to sing, pitch was off. Simon: like Randy taking part in 100 meter Sprint, ¾ way through the race he would run out of steam and that’s what happened to her. She looks great, not sure the ‘look’ will save her. I think she’ll be safe for next week.
Lakisha up next…and She’s NOT ready to make nice….”Midnight Train”..the song is great, but it seems a little too like the original for me, she’s hitting all her notes, but she’s playing it very safe tonight. I’m disappointed. Judges: Randy: that was hot. Paula: loved it. Simon: interesting dance at the end, didn’t think it was as good as last week. She can afford to believe and start acting like a big star. Didn’t like the outfit…Fashionsense with Simon Cowell will premiere on the E! Network Sunday at 9…next up, Melinda….
Slowing it down with “Funny Valentine”…great on the low notes, very Patty LaBelle like tonight, I believe we have a new front runner, at least for the night. Kudos to the band as well, great arrangement. Judges: Randy: unbelievable, is the one to beat. Paula: loved the phrasing, applauds her Simon: THAT was incredible. The best vocal this year. A breath of fresh air…I agree with Simon, Melinda came to win, amazing performance.
Antonella with Celine(yawn)…after the break.
Pitchy, flat, and headed home…”Because You Loved Me”…not a good song for her, painful to listen to…can’t wait for the fashion advice from Simon…ooh, that high note was painful…and so was her dress…Judges: Randy: completely wrong song, pitch all over the place. Paula: made leaps and bounds from last week. Simon: Vocals not good enough, thought she was worse than last week. Aaah, she pulled a Jennifer Hudson mention…the audience didn’t vote for Jennifer Hudson, and she can exit stage left with the green dress and may tomorrow night. Well, the good news is…Lakisha is safe...for now. 5 down, 5 to go…Antonella is the weakest so far, followed by Alaina, then Gina, Lakisha and Melinda at the top this week. I haven’t heard anything totally WOW caliper yet tonight from the women….
Jordan Sparks is in the six spot…
…great poise on stage…a little pitchy, she got caught up in the piece before the performance. ”Reflection”…did a good job on that song, liked the ease on the end…wow…Judges: Randy: great talent. Paula: brilliant girl Simon: wasn’t her best, excellent compared to others. Dedications got to her tonight, she’s only seventeen, very good. Dedications are getting to the girls a little more than the guys, but I hope it didn’t cost her, she should be back…apparently Jordan can’t count to add to the emotion…all she has to do is sing well…and she sang well enough…
Stephanie up next…”Dangerous Love”…tough song to sing, but she’s doing a solid job, great stage presence, lots of vocal changes and she made 99% of them flawlessly….Judges: Randy: proved she should be up there…little Beyonce like…Paula: fantastic, brilliant Simon: agree with Paula, not just taking part, coming out putting her mark down, thought it was terrific. I love the fact that Paula has entered her ‘adjective only’ part of the evening and she has taken Simon with her. Stephanie just did one of the best performances I’ve seen so far this year. Her and Melinda have done the right songs and have had the best performances so far.
Leslie up next…she’s promising a Flapless performance…she started out pretty good, band kept it low…not sure about the whole not singing words thing…Judges: Randy: little pitchy, liked the acapella. Paula: back in her element. Simon: been whacked by three or four voices before her, was better than last week. Leslie did a good job tonight, returning to the jazzy style, she was more comfortable on stage. Haley up next.
“Queen of the Night”..rollin’ with some Whitney…she’s having fun on stage…not so sure the song fits her, but she’s doing a solid job, it was okay for me..Judges: Randy: wasn’t great, vocally not on point. Paula: better than last week, get to see her personality. Simon: A for effort, little manic, verging on insane at one point. She is one of two or three very vulnerable girls tonight. Haley didn’t do anything with that performance to separate herself from the three (Melinda, Stephanie, Lakisha) ahead of her to stand out. I hope she is around for another week.
Wrapping the show tonight, Sabrina…with some Whitney…little pitchy…she figured it out though, sounds like she’s trying to force it a little, seems very pitchy to me…Judges: Randy: very nice Paula: big contender, bravo Simon: very good, don’t confuse power with shouting. It was okay for me. It’s tough to do a Whitney song without being compared to Whitney.
The night overall was solid, some women came down a little from last weeks performances, others really made it a point to stand out..more in the recap in a bit…

Top Ten Women...and Ants!

We're killing ants at Idol Central tonight...getting set for the Ladies tonight...look for Lakisha to shine an everyone else to take it personal. We should definitely have a clearer picture of the competition after tonight...it's another evening of Dedications....on the way...

Afternoon Things to Ponder...

I'm sitting here on a quiet afternoon...it's cold here in Oregon today, very brisk. As far as the men performing last night, you already know I wasn't that impressed. Among the people I talked with throughout the day today, they basically relected my thoughts. It's been an interesting year thus far. It's, of course, got a little scandal too with some photos surfacing on the internet, which I don't believe. The evening is almost set, just a few more hours and the Ladies will be on stage. It's going to be harder to say goodbye to this group of girls, two this week, than the guys. It would have been great if instead of knocking off two guys and two gals, they just knocked out four guys last week...thoughts on that in a new format for next year?
I have also added a search option for last season, in case anyone wants to take a look back. There is one for this season too, listed off to the right, below the podcast page. Catch you in a few hours.

Guys Night, Slightly Lackluster(Review)

I was hoping the guys would really step things up last night, since this week they were taking it "personal", however with Dedication Week, what happened for some, fell totally flat for others. Phil, Blake, Chris and Sundance proved they belonged in the competition, and Sanjaya proved he was too young to be involved in the competition....by trying to go older and more sophisticated I don't think he got the job done. He may be out tomorrow night.
There is a fine line for doing a song as a Dedication and doing a song showing you belonged in the competition. I am speaking of Brandon, and I did like his heartfelt version of "Time After Time", but it lacked more than what I gained from it. I hope he gets the votes and comes back to show off his voice more..we are still at the point of getting to know these contestants, but two guys have to head home this week.
A complete breakdown of the evening is in my latest podcast, the link is to the right. Be sure to come back and let me know your thoughts....ladies tonight, see you then

Top Ten Guys(10-1)

Here we go...love the Ryan intro..."The guys are back, and this time it's personal"....uh, hello...everything is personal if your a person...very classy note starting the show with a congrats to Jennifer Hudson..will he question Simon?? They are dedicating their performances this week to people that inspire them...he was last on Tuesday's show a week ago, and he is first tonight...
Phil gets it started..."Missing You"...solid start...good presence on the stage..not a great song as far as his range, but an okay start to the night...Judges: Randy: showing his power Paula: liked the tone, can hear him on the radio now...Simon: thinks he's popular, is a very nice guy with an unoriginal voice. Still not hearing anything unique...Well, best two out of three??? Simon doesn't see him leaving....
Jared..with some Marvin Gaye...hmmm...well, his tone is like Marvin's..and he sounds weak, like the dance moves...he's having a good time...pitchy...some of them..yikes...he took a chance...judges: Randy: steamy face move, liked it..Paula: good looking guy, kinda song he didn't have to push....(no pun intended)...Simon: glad he made the attempt, reminded him of the Love Boat, if they had a cabaret singer on the loveboat....comeback: that would have been a great loveboat, man....well apparently we're no longer a family show after some Marvin Gaye...hey, Jared had fun...AJ up next....
AJ taking a risk, very vulnerable with the band playing low..nice..."Feelin Good" good timing, he's got good timing, solid tone....Judges: Randy: better than last week, kinda nice Paula: has a real real real real real good voice. Simon: made himself standout, looked strangely comfortable...so far the best of the night for me...great arrangement too, liked the cold start, was different and unique...Sanjaya, next...
Sanjaya...like the look, fits the song...just not sure if the song 'fits' him...seems like another week where he didn't know song selection...seems very nervous, not projecting with his voice...Judges: Randy: nice kid, like a bad high school talent show, like he borrowed his dad's hat...Paula: sang on pitch, has an old soul, pick songs that celebrate your youth, Simon: agreed with Randy, weak, weird, no impact. Sanjaya seemed like he was whispering during the song, not sure what's in his head, but he may have a ticket punched for a trip home...and he'll be "Steppin Out" this week....
Chris, "Trouble" next...opposite of Sanjaya, picked the right song for his voice...sounds great, good stage presence, solid vocal tone...Judges: Randy: good to see him return, good choice Paula: liked it too, real awesome Simon: very good singer. One of the better ones tonight, although we're only through four..six to go, and I have a feeling the best of the night is still to come.
Nick and "Fever" next...little change of tempo from Richard Marx and "Now and Forever" last week...he's been here before, but didn't get this far remember...solid vocal from Nick, however the drummer seems to be more into the song than the singer...there are several ways he could have gone after this song, and he took the safe version, he didn't really make it his own, it was ordinary. Judges: Randy: nice Paula: liked it Simon: Thought it was good, lacked charisma on the song. again, lack of charisma this week, Blake Lewis next...
Blake..."Virtual Insanity"...did a great job at the start, with some vocal mixing...tome is great, stage presence is great, pretty good arrangement. Judges: Randy: good to see him return..liked it..Paula: smart choices, unique, no one else like him Simon: thought first part was copycat, didn't see any originalty, very disappointed....I disagree, I thought the performance was fine, the scatting in the middle was a nice touch.
Brandon Rogers up next.. Brandon singing "Time After Time"....his vocal is solid. Not a bad song, it's interesting hearing a male vocal on the song, not sure though...Judges Randy: liked the sentiment, didn't do a lot vocally. Paula: felt his heart in the song Simon: its a singing competition, needs to come out and make a 'wow' impact. needs to show why he's a great singer...Simon wants to hear it now...his performance was weak, even though he put his 'heart' into the performance..not too sure about that performance.
Chris Richardson, "Geek in Pink"..did Gavin DeGraw last week and it wasn't original...lets hope this isn't a slaughter. I like the stretch he is taking and the risk...solid vocal, good stage presence...judges: Randy: Chris is in it to win it tonight, lovin him tonight Paula: liked it Simon: best tonight by a mile...and I totally agree with Simon, he had a great time on stage, vocally he was on, best so far tonight...ONE to go...ONE...Sundance closes the show...
Sundance singing, "Mustang Sally"...great song for his voice...good way to end the show..solid performance, opening that big voice...even like the dance moves...Lakisha officially has some competition from the guys...best of the night...hands down....Judges: Randy: that was hot. Paula: bring it like that every week. amazing range. Simon: still thinks Sundance can do better, but a big improvement.
Tonight, overall better for the guys, with "Dedications" week you really can't do much or pick too much on these guys for the songs they chose to dedicate, or maybe you can...what do you think? I'll be back with a recap of the night for the guys shortly, ladies tomorrow....they're not sweating..that I know...back in a bit

Top Ten Guys....Step it Up?

Another Tuesday night....the Top Ten Guys...ended up watching the first third of Final Destination Three over the weekend, and still need to finish it.....or not...getting set for the guys Top 10...lets hope at least five of them step it up, if not all of them....back in a few..

Top 10 Men's Preview and Jennifer Hudson...

Well, the Oscars were as boring as they usually are last night. Ellen DeGeneres had some great moments, off stage and in the audience. Congrats to Jennifer Hudson on her Best Supporting Actress Oscar..I'm sure Simon is eating some crow for that one...more on that in Today's Podcast...as well as a breakdown of the Top Ten Men performing tomorrow night.