Idol Musings....Paula Abdul

A new post about Paula Abdul is up on the podcast site
http://idolthoughts.mypodcast.com

It includes my thoughts on her, plus her thoughts on Simon's wardrobe, her bedroom secret...when it comes to choreography(what were you thinking?), and why she is so damn nice. As well as some commentary on the guy who won't get voted off, regardless of anything it seems. Enjoy the weekend, back on Monday

Did British Invasions Include Sex Appeal, Zombies and the Hula Skirt?

Well, it was another reminiscing night on American Idol, classic British tunes done by the Top 11, some well, some okay enough to be considered "safe" this week, and a few people yelled their way through their songs, one the judges enjoyed, the other..uh...not so much, but Ashley, she liked them all tonight.
As for who is heading home, there are a few choices or many, depending on you point of view. One could be Haley, her performance was better, but has she endeared herself enough with voters to stick around? Sanjaya...now where have we heard that name before? dude, better, but there wasn't much singing and this isn't a talking competition, my third, as much as I like the Rocker image, is Gina. Tonight was not her best. Chris Richardson went slow tonight and did a great job, but he falls into the same category as Haley. Stephanie and Lakisha had a small blemish put on their winning chances tonight, but both could rebound, and no doubt will. Phil is in an interesting spot, with his background, being in the Armed Forces, how long will he be around? His tune didn't do much for me tonight. Bottom Three: Sanjaya, Gina, Phil...who's headed home? Sanjaya says Gina...Gina says Sanjaya and Phil says "Simon says" and he is safe.
Gina headed home...Your thoughts? Let me know...more on the podcast coming shortly....

Top 11(4-1) British Invasion Night

Jordin Sparks kicks off the final five tonight. "I Who Have Nothing", should be an interesting song, a very big song for her, let's see if she can pull it off..
Jordin...solid start to the song, she's putting a lot of emotion into the song, she's holding her own, with this one, WOW!..great job...Judges, Randy: very tall order, great performance, best of the night, Paula: wonderful performer, Simon: sang it beautifully, feel like jumping off a bridge, it was so gloomy, I want the sun to shine, sang it beautifully. That's two weeks in a row Jordin has had solid performances, her stock is headed up for sure. The WILD side of Sanjaya next? Please don't let it involve a Hula skirt....PLEASE....Sanjaya, "You Really Got Me"..."Something Good", which will he choose..."You Really Got Me", picked a big rock song, WAY too big for his voice, he's using the stage to his advantage, he sounds like he's shouting, rather than singing, you don't "Really Got MY Vote"...Judges, Randy: shocked me, came out of your shell, best performance to date, Paula: went for it, was a lot of fun, Simon: I think the little girl's face says it all.
It must be something in the soda cups tonight, yes Sanjaya showed a lot personality, and it may keep him in this for I hate to say it another week. Up next...Gina..."Paint it Black"...
Gina...sticking with her "rock" theme where she is the strongest..great start, on key, not sure who is having more fun, her or the drummer. solid stage presence. Judges, Randy: loved the edge, little pitcy, Paula: miles better than last week, what you have fun doing, Simon: moments of complete torture, off melody, vocally not good enough...Gina wasn't close with that song tonight, I hope she gets another chance...Chris Sligh next..."She's Not There"...this should show off his vocal range, he should do really well with this tune.
Chris Sligh, "She's Not There"...starting in the audience, nice...sounds greathe's hitting his notes, great stage presence, but Paula is sitting! Judges, Randy: wound up good, ended it strong, a little rough, Paula: dressing much nicer, be more personable, vocals were good, Simon: did your thing, thought it was fun, good choice of song, showed personality, better than last week. the audience navigation looked a little rough. Up next...to close the show, Melinda....
Melinda, "As Long as He Needs Me"...another slow song, she is kind of falling into the same thing Lakisha did. We know she'll still sound good in thirty years. She's hitting higher notes than Lakisha, and what is with the little girl in the audience tonight? Judges, Randy: saved the best for last, Paula: your in your own league, it's not forced, Simon: made the second part of the song sensational with an impeccable vocal. ..well, the weeks are getting better I think..recap in a few....

Top 11(11-5) British Invasion Night

Time to break out the British Sound on Idol...liked the Paula/Simon riff raff to start the show...Haley up first tonight. "Tell Him"...going to be aggressive...hmmm
Haley...good start, great stage presence. She seems a lot more comfortable on the stage. She's hitting her notes, like the little 'agressive' vocal change, great smile, and the dance moves were okay....Judges, Randy: perfect song for her, back in the competition, Paula: perfect song, flirtation was great, Simon: different side to you, it was fun, young, people are going to be talking about a lot more than her singing....I agree with Randy, her best so far. Second of the night, Chris Richardson, Mr. Justin Timberlake...."Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'"..
Chris...with just a guitar...nice start...nice job slowing it down this week. Is on his notes, sounds good. He' s hitting his higher notes tonight. It's good to hear Chris do a slower song, rather than the last few weeks where he was kinda everywhere. Good song choice....Judges, Randy: showed a different side to him, every note was in tune, Paula: all about being smart, arrangement very sexy and charming, Simon: I think that was your best performance ever, excellent control, did his own slant...Stephanie next. "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"...looking for her to knock this one out of the studio tonight!
Stephanie...liked the little horn section intro...little rough on the start, but she worked it out beginning of the second verse. It was alright for me, she had a few problems, lets see what the judges said. Randy: not best performance, pitchy, hard when people sing a lot of uptempo songs. Paula: loved what she is wearing, picked the right song. Simon: thinks she is losing her edge and her soul, bit nightclubby, not necessarily her, is becoming far to old for herself..Simon hit in the head, the song was too old for her, but I loved the dress...Blake up next..."Time of the Season"
Blake: well, he's putting his own spin on it...good start, they're up and dancing. Nice vocals so far, he has some major stage presence and confidence with this song tonight. Vocal is great. Ooh, like the beatboxing, originality..what will the judges say on that one...like the arrangement from the band...nice job. Blake's best performance...Judges, Randy: edgy massive yo factor of a song, made it current, much props, Paula: really raised the bar, at a concert, Simon: million times better than last week, think this week chose the right song without messing with the melody, strongest performance so far....I again, agree with Simon, strongest of the night so far, it was fun, entertaining and he was having fun with it.
Lakisha next..."Your My World", a first this season, a song switch for Lakisha, "Diamonds Are Forever"..good stage presence and she is channelling "Ursula" from the Little Mermaid at several points of her performance, not a Disney performance, but she stayed within the constraints of the song...the song seemed to go on forever and I feel she is at risk....Judges, Randy: not his favorite, didn't feel enough Lakisha in it, Paula: think she made the right choice, wearing a million dollars worth of diamonds, Simon: this was Lakisha in fifty years time, wasn't his favorite performance..Phil next, "Tobacco Road"
Phil..little rock edge...nice start, audience is up...solid stage presence, vocal was solid, liked the little riffs toward the end, good ending. Judges, Randy: it was pretty good for me, Paula: good choice of song, some pitchy parts, liked the vocal range he showed, Simon: wasn't crazy about it. Kind of a third division bar band performance, didn't hear any grit in his voice.
Putting the wrap on the first half, Simon said Phil is being outsung tonight, and I have to agree. Blake, Haley, and Chris did the best out of this group and showed off their range and their skill the best. Lakisha wasn't as amazing as she has been in previous weeks, but gets the Disney vote from me. Stephanie had the opportunity to lay down the law tonight and she didn't take the chance, and Phil I didn't get...good thing for Steph, there is another singer's name that starts with an S that has yet to sing...

Invasion from the Other Side of the Pond

Getting set for the evening on Idol. Should be an entertaining night. Another one of performances and songs that we haven't heard in a while. I'm looking forward to see if anyone 'changes' any songs to fit their style. Sixties and British Invasion, I wasn't born yet, but I'm Smarter than a Fifth Grader and know that in the Sixties we weren't invaded....musically yes, literally no....back in a few to start the night and your Top 11.

Past Idols on Regis and Kelly

Some of your favorite Idol's will be performing on Regis and Kelly This Week:

Monday was Brandon Rogers, he did Time After Time, and sounded okay. He said he knew he was going to be voted off after that performance because he didn't endear himself or his performance to America.
Tuesday: Elliott Yamin(will post details after each performance)
Wednesday: Bucky Covington
Thursday: Josh Gracin
Friday: Sanjaya(the person voted off this week....may be wishful thinking)

British Invasion Week Preview

Hope everyone had a great weekend. All signs point to British Invasion week this week on Idol. Beatles, Monkees and the like. My question is will anyone do a new "spin" on one of these classic tunes and will they be slaughered by the judges for it. It would not surprise me if one did, and they got praise from all three judges. After last week and Blake's performance, which I thought was great..Sligh's wasn't bad either, but they both got hand downs from the judges. You can read more on my rant of originality and hear it in last week's blog and podcast from after the show.
This week I'm not sure what to expect. The guys have a great chance to step it up this week, if they choose the right tunes. A few of the women may have problems this week. I'm looking for Haley and possibly Jordin to stuble a little.
In the podcast today(the link is on the right)...Simon on 60 Minutes, the "Howard Stern Effect", and a new Sanjaya term...
Let me know what you think...I'll be back with a blow by blow blog of the show on Tuesday