PezKat's Becoming less Empty Blog

Top 11 - Redux!

2011-03-31T00:04:00.004-04:00

Elton John week - woo hoo!!

I've been pulling for Naima, but... if ever one performance is deserving of being voted off, that was it. Just no.

Otherwise an excellent night!! Good thought with slight weirdness were Jacob (Randy, he might have "gone up" & had a moment at the key change, but the background singers were so loud, who could tell?!), Haley, and Lauren (who seemingly got Naima's makeup by mistake). I thought Lauren, Scotty, and Thia (though better) were middle-of-the-road. LOVED Paul, Casey, and Pia (whom I dreaded when I heard what she chose, but she killed it!)!! And Jacob & James were good though not as good as usual (James was entertaining but it didn't do much for his vocals).

Besides Naima, I think Thia & Stefano will hit the bottom again. A lot of people think Paul will but I thought it was one of, if not his best, performance! And then there was Scotty with the forgettable #1 spot & a song that few know. We'll see!!

Top 11

2011-03-23T23:23:00.002-04:00

No post for last week's Top 12, wasn't feeling well. Was pleasantly surprised Karen left instead of Haley though!

On to this week, which was awesomeness!!! Not a bad performance among them. My favorites, in order: Jacob, James, Pia, Haley (loved the vocals, hated the look), and Naima (sooo love her singing in her lower register!). Casey & Stefano were my least favorite (dude, if half your video piece is talking about keeping your eyes open during your performance, then you should keep your eyes open during your performance!!).

Seriously, I think Jacob hit about 2 octaves in one little phrase. Amazing range, control, had fun with it, took it to church, did pretty much everything right with that one. And almost the same for James - Naima take note, *that* is how you move AND sing AND stay on key! ;-) Dude is just a brilliant performer. (And Stefano take note from pretty much every other guy there - *that* is how you connect w/an audience!)

Predicted B3 - Stefano, Lauren (loved the straight hair!), and Thia, with Thia leaving. She was better and I still adore her, but the competition's just too tight!

Top 13

2011-03-11T17:49:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm still bummed about Robbie not making the Finals, and then one of my favorite girls goes home this week. I'm not surprised, because the voters didn't put her there to begin with, and most people I've seen commenting online thought she was stuck-up and not that talented. I think she's at least as good as Naima vocally, though maybe not as versatile, and while confident on stage I thought her personality was nice, humble & appreciative.

I was pleasantly surprised by the dancing ability Naima and Jacob showed. I love my cheesy group numbers!! ;) I want to be more impressed by Casey & Paul but I'm just not. My favorite performance this week by far was James' "Maybe I'm Amazed," but then I love that song. Also really enjoyed Jacob, Thia, Pia, and Naima. I still love Haley but her song choice wasn't good (Lauren's already got the country spot, go for your own unique niche, not "diversity" that overlaps w/someone else's!). Karen and Lauren were my least favorites and I had predicted Karen & Ashthon for Bottom 3; Haley's song choice put her there. Oh well - still an incredibly talented group & several with some surprises up their sleeves.

Top 12 Girls

2011-03-02T23:39:00.002-05:00

Well overall I think the ladies made wiser song choices than the guys. My favorite Thia ("Out Here On My Own") did not disappoint; I think she was the 2nd best of the night behind Pia ("I'll Stand by You"). Other standouts were Ashthon (I didn't know her song but yes, definitely a Diva in the making, in a good way) and Haley ("Falling"). I don't think we'd seen much of Kendra (before "Blackbird" w/Paul during HW Beatles round) and she was really good, but will suffer from lack of screen time. I expected a bit more from Rachel Zevita ("Criminal") but her quirkiness (& possible fans from previous audition seasons) may keep her around.

Meh and probably leaving: Ta-Tynisa ("Only Girl in the World"), Karen ("Hero"), Julie ("Breakaway" - do *not* do a Kelly Clarkson song on this show unless you can kill it!), & Lauren Turner (?). I forgot Lauren Alaina ("On the Radio") was country (since she kept repeating the Aerosmith song) so she'll get that niche. And Naima ("Summertime") disappointed but I have a feeling the judges might wildcard her if the voters don't put her through.

Can't wait for the results!! And group song?!? (Complete w/cheesy choreo and pointy pose, please!)

Idol Season 10 - Top 12 Guys

2011-03-01T20:58:00.002-05:00

This will be BRIEF but this whole new rule change thing is too important not to mention. Normally we'd have 3 weeks of eliminating 4 per week until the finals; nope, this week is *it* for them to impress people & make up for lack of screentime to make the finals.

Several didn't make great choices; they didn't sing in their preferred genre, I don't know if they were trying to connect w/the audience & have 'fun' on the big stage or what, but that's never a great idea for the first voting week!! So, I'm prepared to say goodbye to Jordan Dorsey, Tim Halperin, & possibly even Brett Loewenstern. Brett did "Light My Fire" and was better than I expected w/something like that, but he was followed by James Durbin who knows how to sing rock. Brett has such a nice, unique voice & way of phrasing, he really should have done something slower & softer. He may have enough fans already to pull him through; not sure.

People who did what they do best shone. Above all, Jacob Lusk - Tamyra's performance of "A House is Not a Home" is one of my favorite Idol performances ever, and I didn't think anyone would ever be able to compare; Jacob did. Easily the best performance of the night. Casey Abrams ("I Put a Spell on You") was probably as good, though I don't care as much for his genre so it's hard for me to say. Also James Durbin, Robbie Rosen ("Angel", brilliant choice to cross genders w/a ballad), and Stefano Langone (Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" was ambitious, but he pulled it off!). And Scotty of course ("Letters from Home").

No one was terrible. "Good" but forgettable: Clint (did the overdone "Superstitious") and Jovany Barreto ("I'll Be").

Then there's Paul McDonald ("Maggie")... if Casey weren't here, he'd have the 'quirky' vote in a lock, but as it is... there's probably not room for both of them and Casey is mad talented.

At this point as long as Robbie & Jacob make the finals I'm happy. I think Stefano deserves it but we'll see. It'll also be interesting to see how internet voting affects things, if at all.

What do you think, assuming anyone is reading this? ;)

Season 10 Premiere!

2011-01-19T20:54:00.002-05:00

Well I was obviously under-impressed w/last season's last few weeks, since I didn't finish blogging. ;-) I will say that at the concert Aaron was the most surprising and I will definitely consider buying his album. Crystal was of course very good as was Siobhan, but I was disappointed Siobhan did so much screamy hard rock and very little enjoyable (to me; I'm sure she was having fun!) singing.

So we begin Season 10... so far I've seen one potential finalist, Robbie Rosen ("Yesterday", was in wheelchair as child). J'Lo is proving to be quite entertaining & enjoyable as well. We'll see what the 2nd hour brings...

AI9 - Top 5

2010-05-04T23:11:00.002-04:00

Well the highlight was definitely the mentor, Harry Connick, Jr.! Besides the musical genius, he's a great actor/comedian/entertainer. He needs his own show, stat! :-)

Theme: Sinatra songs, e.g. Big Band

Aaron: "Fly Me to the Moon: - Good; judges were mixed but mostly positive.

Casey: "Blue Skies" - Not great; judges didn't like it at all. He was really out of his element & it showed; (past) time to go home. Strangely Kara acted like she was just noticing his vibrato for the first time.

Crystal: "Summer Wind" - Awesome!! Harry didn't even have any advice for her. Looked gorgeous and sounded amazing. Judges liked but not overwhelmingly.

Mike: "The Way You Look Tonight" - Very good, & judges loved it, better than Crystal's. There wasn't anything wrong with it, & like most of his it would make perfect background music, but I wouldn't sit & just listen/watch like I would Crystal.

Lee: "That's Life" - Very good also, & better than I expected in the genre! The judges really loved it, said it was the best of the night (I still thank that was Crystal but he was more interesting than Mike, anyway).

Top 2, and should be *the* top 2: Crystal & Lee
Middle of the pack: Aaron & Mike
Over his head at this point: Casey

AI9 - Top 6

2010-04-27T21:55:00.002-04:00

Shania Twain week - a bit underwhelming and a tough call for who's going home.

Lee: "Still the One" - decent, but forgettable, as Simon would say. Judges liked, said it was a good choice for him (I agree).

Mike: "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" - great song choice for him! Definitely fits his style (I'm not familiar w/it to know how much he changed it, if at all.) Judges liked; some compared him to Luther Vandross.

Casey: "Don't" - Hmm, it was good, but I'm really over the vibrato! I just don't think he has that great of a voice; there were great moments, but I think at this point it's a taste issue. I expected the judges to love it though & they did, most said it was his best performance yet.

Crystal: "No One Needs to Know" - I like this song (I didn't know it before) and man, she can really sing anything (comfortably)! It was good, and different (don't think we'd heard her falsetto much before). Simon didn't like but the others did.

Aaron: "You've Got a Way" - Of course he'd do well this week; just ok on the soft parts but really good at full voice & awesome ending. Judges liked, even Simon (for the 1st time in weeks he said he was believable).

Siobhan: "Any Man of Mine" - Well, definitely not her style, but she did ok w/it. She's not good at the quick range changes, but certainly took advantage of the ending to 'do her thing'! Judges loved it.

The best IMO: Aaron & Crystal

My prediction for Bottom 3: Lee, Casey, and Crystal??? With Lee going (or Casey)?

AI9 - Top 9

2010-04-06T20:28:00.008-04:00

Live-ish blog this week, at least for the 1st hour (then I have to watch Lost!). ;)

Theme: Lennon/McCartney songs (no mentor)

Video clips have other contestants saying what they like about them, nicknames, etc., which is always fun!

Aaron "The Long & Winding Road" - Somehow my husband has reached the age of 42 and does not know this song, which baffles me. But Aaron (nicknamed Yoda by the rest) knows it and once again picks a song that's perfect for him. Very pretty, at least from what I can tell w/our lousy reception (I hate digital tv!!). However, the judges call it slow, boring, and old-fashioned. They complain that it's exactly the same as what he always does - which they've praised in the past. This year the judges are more inconsistent than ever w/these comments! Anyway he says if he's still here he's got a fast one picked for next week.

Katie "Let It Be" - don't like the 80's getup, but awesome vocal! The judges agree; Randy says it's her best performance yet. Wish our reception were smooth!!! grr.

Andrew "Can't Buy Me Love" - ooh, fun arrangement! I really liked that. Wonder if being out on the platform so he couldn't see the judges helped at all? Judges were mixed; Ellen loved but Kara & Simon didn't like it.

Mike "Eleanor Rigby" - Ooh, they're picking good songs!! & he has the string section on the stage w/him, very cool. Still singing it kind of R&B-ish, we'll see if the judges like or not... well, interesting. Simon said it was like a musical, but Randy & Kara loved it, said it's current & commercial.

Crystal ("Mama-sox") "Come Together" - her normal greatness; back on guitar, picked it because it's fun & showed. Judges loved it, called it solid & current.

Tim "All My Lovin'" - Perfect choice for him, & he sang it well. Played electric guitar this week. Judges liked (not loved), but 2 commended him for how he's handled their negative comments.

Casey "Jealous Guy" - I didn't know this song, but I like his performance! Very mellow for him, more emotional; was just him on acoustic guitar & a cellist on stage. The judges really loved it, complimented his vulnerability and connection/expression. Definitely one of his best, if not the best.

Siobhan "Across the Universe" - Very soft & beautiful; glamorous look, great vocal. Judges were mixed; Kara didn't really like it but they complimented her for taking their notes.

Lee "Hey Jude" - This is one of my all-time favorite songs. Hmm.... good parts & bad parts. Not a song you should change the melody of, IMO. The bagpipe was... ok! and the whole end w/a capella & the bagpipe was kind-of cool. Judges loved him, but would've ditched the bagpipe.

Overall really good show! Most picked great songs for themselves, & songs that I like ;) - and no one did Imagine!!

My personal least favorite would have to be Mike (and parts of Lee's). My prediction for bottom 3: tough call! I'll say Andrew, Tim, and maybe Aaron??? With Tim leaving. Time for guy to go, anyway (unless Katie hits the bottom again?)

AI9 - Top 10

2010-03-30T22:21:00.003-04:00

Full recap later. Best: Didi (seriously, judges?!), Lee (so mad at myself I forgot to hit record for his!), and Crystal. Predicted bottom 3: Tim, Didi, and no clue on the 3rd! Siobhan wasn't great but I think her fans will know she needs the votes; Katie was in trouble last week & did well this week (both of which will get her votes); Andrew is 'back';...?? Could be a surprise for someone like Casey whose fans assume he's safe & don't vote. We shall see!

AI9 - Top 11

2010-03-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

Theme is Billboard #1 hits; guest mentor is Miley Cyrus.

Lee: "The Letter" - nice jazzy/bluesy arrangement w/horns on the stage w/him. Also had much better stage presence w/o his guitar. Simon didn't like; others loved.

Paige: "Against All Odds" - Ooh, not good; major pitch problems when she was singing softly. Judges agreed she's in trouble.

Tim: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - I love this song! And it hasn't been done for a while. He was good, used the stage well & interacted w/the crowd, danced, etc. Judges didn't like it though.

Aaron: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - Incredibly over-done song, but Aaron is good at choosing songs that fit him and this does. Apparently he had laryngitis this week but you couldn't tell while he was singing. Judges loved, all said it was a great choice.

Crystal: "Bobby McGee" - Of course she rocks Janis! I would've preferred more actually lyrics and less of the scatting & "yeah"s, but it was still excellent. She should keep her eyes open so the audience can connect a bit more though. Judges loved, of course; Simon said it was better than Pink's version! (Which I would love to hear!!)

Mike: "When a Man Loves a Woman" - Very good, great connection w/the audience, nice strings on the stage as well. Judges were meh though (good but safe/indulgent).

Andrew: "Heard it Through the Grapevine" - That's "grapevine", Andrew, not "great" vine!! Aside from that, it was ok, but not Top 10 material. Judges didn't like.

Katie: "Big Girls Don't Cry" - Nice younger look, and awesome performance!! Her best in a long time, great song choice. Judges loved it.

Casey: "The Power of Love" (the Huey Louis one, not the Air Supply/Celine Dion one!) - Another good choice! Played electric guitar again, you can tell he has so much more fun when he does. Connected w/the crowd well also. Judges were mixed; most liked (except Simon).

Didi: "You're No Good" - The dark thing worked for her before so she repeats it; good enough performance, but the acting of the role came across more than the vocals, and the judges agreed. Crowd liked it though!

Siobhan: "Superstition" - Bizarre but surprisingly great song choice! I think she can sing about anything. I was weirded out by the hair at first but up like that we really see how pretty her face is! She worked the stage well, entertained, and had her now signature screamy notes at the end. Crowd & judges loved it.

My prediction for bottom 3 - Andrew, Paige, and... Didi? (or maybe Lee) with either Paige or Andrew leaving - I'll go with Paige. Lots of Disney teen guest performances coming as well. ;-)

AI9 - Top 12

2010-03-16T23:55:00.003-04:00

Theme: Rolling Stones' songs

Full recap coming, but I really enjoyed the show! I guess there's a lot to be said for low expectations, lol (I don't like the Stones). Standouts to me were Crystal, Siobhan, and Lacey, and I always love my girl Didi!! I predict Katie and Andrew will be in the bottom 3 but the 3rd spot is up for grabs. I think Katie will be going home; bo-ring! (Not necessarily her fault, tough genre for her I think.)

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Mike: "Miss You" - Good, changed it up a bit; Simon thought corny, other judges liked.

Didi: "Play with Fire" - Different for her, mood lighting & very serious (to match the song). Love her! Judges liked.

Casey: "It's All Over Now" - Good; nice to see him really having fun (playing electric guitar). Simon complained he didn't move around the stage but all judges liked in general.

Lacey: "Ruby Tuesday" - Couple of shaky notes but good overall; good choice for her. Judges didn't like (except Simon!).

Andrew: "Gimme Shelter" - Really? Sigh, so many other people could've done this so much better!! Decent job; Ellen loved, others didn't like.

Katie: "Wild Horses" - BO-ring! The song, her delivery, anything. The judges liked it though.

Tim: "Under My Thumb" - I thought he did a good job, did it in his style w/acoustic guitar. But the judges didn't like it at all.

Siobhan: "Paint It Black" - Awesome! Easily the standout performance of the night. Very dramatic (both her look and singing), great vocal, mad screamy notes toward the end & then hauntingly soft. Audience & judges loved it.

Lee: "Beast of Burden" - Mellow, decent. Judges liked overall.

Paige: "Honkytonk Woman" - A few rough spots, but amazing job for having laryngitis! Judges said similar.

Aaron: "Angie" - Definitely the perfect choice for him. Did well & judges loved it.

Crystal: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - 2nd best of the night, just awesome. I'm ready to buy her album & go to her concert like yesterday. Judges liked.

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Well I had the bottom totally wrong! Bottom 3 were Paige, Tim and Lacey, with Lacey leaving. :-( Bummer, I really think she should've stayed over Katie. But at least now Siobhan has full dibs on quirky chick.

Also The Judges' Save is back - still not sure what I think about that. Oh well. Loved seeing David Cook although I don't care for the song!

AI9 - Top 8 Girls & Guys

2010-03-10T22:16:00.002-05:00

My take-

Katie: "Breakaway" - just ok; judges pretty much agreed

Siobhan: "House of the Rising Sun" - Awesome!! She just became my 2nd favorite (behind Didi); really, really good, a definite dark horse. Simon was under-impressed but the other judges liked.

Lacey: "The Story" - Not familiar w/this, but seems like a good choice for her. Audience & judges loved it.

Katelyn: "I Feel the Earth Move" - Not a good choice for trying to get into the Top 12! Judges agreed; not bad, but not enough.

Didi: "Rhiannon" - Good, though again not the best song to impress voters tonight. Judges liked, actually Kara & Simon loved & said it was the best of the night so far!

Paige: "Smile" - Pitchy in spots, rest good, but not as good as the past 2 weeks. Judges didn't like, said too slow. She said it was an emotional song for her so that explains why she got off key (she didn't say that as an excuse but it makes sense to me!).

Crystal: "Give Me One Reason" w/electric guitar - Excellent!! Easily the best of the night; judges loved as well.

Lilly: "I Fall to Pieces" - Hmm, this was ok, but not great. (My husband who's a big Patsy Cline fan hated it!) Judges liked.

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Lee: "Fireflies" - I love this song!! He did a good job on it though there were a few pitchy spots. The judges liked.

Alex: "Trouble" - Good choice for him I guess. Sounds good, still looks scared/uncomfortable; judges agree that he needs to loosen up and enjoy himself more.

Tim: "Hallelujah" - Wow! He did really well on this - he's like a totally different singer now w/the guitar than he was 2 weeks ago! Judges liked a lot as well.

Andrew: "Genie In a Bottle" - Well, the judges kept telling him he needed another "Straight Up" moment, so he tried, but it didn't work. Wasn't bad, wasn't great. Judges were mixed, most liked the end & wished the whole song would've been that style/quality.

Casey: "You'll Think of Me" - Good, probably his best vocal in a couple weeks. Randy said it was too safe but the others liked it.

Aaron: "I'm Already There" - decent, a few rough spots, good but not his best. I just keep wishing he was a *little* bit better, because I like him so much! Judges though the vocal was too big for him; Kara didn't like the choice lyrically because he can't relate, but Simon appreciated the emotion of it.

Todrick: "Somebody to Love" - Man, I was scared when they said he was singing this!! But he did really well - his best vocal, easily!! Judges liked.

Mike: "This Woman's Work" - Wow! I've been under-impressed by him until now - this was awesome, even before the glory note at the end! Judges said this was the best vocal performance so far this season, and that's not a stretch. (And yay, now I can remember this song as something other than "the cancer dance" from SYTYCD!)

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My favorite girls: Crystal, Didi, Siobhan
Favorite guys: tonight, Mike, Tim and Todrick! Though overall I think Aaron & Casey are still my faves.

Prediction to leave: Katelyn, Katie? (or maybe Lilly??) - and the guys are really tough this week! I'll say... Alex and Andrew???

AI9 - Top 10 Girls

2010-03-03T23:30:00.002-05:00

Well, they're not telling us what was wrong, but Crystal is back and performing - yay!

Crystal: "As Long as I Can See Light" - I don't think I know this one (it's CCR), and she said she's doing a 'gospel style' version - I love it!!!! She is totally my kind of female singer (reminds me of Joss Stone & local artist Jennie Devoe). The judges loved it as well and Simon said they have a "serious artist" on their hands.

Haeley: "The Climb" - Well, let's just say she made Miley sound like an amazing vocalist. ;-) It was tons better than last week though. But when Randy - not Simon, Randy - says it was "excruciating"... time to go home.

Lacey: "Kiss Me" - She said even before Kara suggested it she was hoping to sing this song on the show! The style fits her voice sooooo much better than "Landslide" and it was really good. Judges said she still needs to do something to stand out.

Katie: "Put Your Records On" - I thought it was very good, even better than last week. The judges still want her to do something "younger." (Heh, Ryan asked her if there were any artists around her age she was a fan of, and she didn't say no but didn't name any... funny!)

Didi: "Lean On Me" - My girl looked so crushed! I thought she did *Awesome* and would get comments similar to Crystal's, but other than Ellen the judges pretty much panned her, saying it was a poor choice, showed her vocal weaknesses (I totally disagree!), and Simon said she "screeched." I threw her some votes and I really hope she sticks around, because she's amazing!!

Michelle: "With Arms Wide Open" - interesting choice! She did well but wasn't great, which may not be enough to stick around in this group. Judges were mixed.

Lilly: "A Change Is Gonna Come" - This was very good. Randy & Ellen just adored it. One thing in her clip was interesting, she said she was so happy Randy pegged her as an 'independent artist' type last week, and was thrilled they 'got' her; one of the judges said something similar tonight. I see her style as very similar to both Crystal and Didi, though they all stand out as individuals; I just thought it was strange to categorize her as that but only her.

Katelyn: "The Scientist" - Wow! Talk about having a "moment" (which the judges said about Lilly, I think)!! She played piano and really sang her heart out on this - and her vocals sounded great!! (For the first time, IMO.) The judges said it was too slow and that she needs to settle into one style; sigh.

Paige: "Walk Away" - Great choice, and she sounded amazing!! Now I see (hear) why they put her in the Top 24 - she can easily fill the black diva spot (sorry Michelle)! They suggested she do something slower that shows off her vocals more, and Simon even called it "forgettable" - but then, he often does that to my favorite performances.

Siobhan: "Think" - This was definitely *not* forgettable!! Wow, girl can SANG! :) Really, really did well - including belting the high note toward the end. Judges & crowd loved her.

So, this is one of those years I wish the Top 10/12 didn't have to be even divided between genders - this year, I'd put more girls in!! I'd say there were 5 or 6 performances that were better than anything we heard last night, and only one truly bad one (which really wasn't horrible), whereas the guys had several.

My picks to go home: Michelle and Haeley (Though I won't be surprised if it's Katelyn, I think tonight's breakthrough may've been too late.)

AI9 - Top 10 Guys

2010-03-03T23:07:00.002-05:00

So, the guys have to perform a day earlier than expected because Crystal was taken to the hospital & the doctor said she couldn't perform today! I wish we could blame all the problems on their unexpected lack of rehearsal time, but I don't think it's that simple...

Mike: "This Is a Man's World" - I'm not very familiar with this song, but he was really into it. Good performance style and you can see some of his musical skill, I guess I'd call it, being not just familiar w/the song but very comfortable 'playing' with it (I assume he changed it up at least a bit). Judges loved it - Randy gave a S.O. & Simon said it's his best so far.

John: "Gravity" - Good, though I liked last week's better. Judges said he lacked soul & connection.

Casey: "I Don't Wanna Be" - Good to see him wail on his electric guitar; wish his vocals were as good as his playing! Ryan mentioned this song has been done at least 3 times (in the live shows), by Bo, Elliot, & Chris R. - all were better vocally than Casey. I really like him, I just want him to be a little better than he is. Judges were meh as well.

Alex: "Everybody Knows" - Don't know this one either; I think I only know one John Legend song. He played guitar and was *tons* better than last week. I'm just not sure I care for his voice. Judges also said better, and that everyone would be "rooting for" him. Which is not the same as "voting for"....

Todrick: "What's Love Got to Do with It?" - vocals just ok; very staged in his gestures, very performed. Judges didn't like the song choice & said that again he tried to do too much with it, that good songs don't need the melodies changed & he should just sing. He replied that he thought they wanted the contestants to change songs up and make them their own - good for him! He didn't say it in a cocky way, though, and sounded like he'll take their latest advice next week if he's still around.

Jermaine: "What's Goin' On?" - Ooh, his best yet - still did too much vocally, but really showed off his voice! Judges said it was better but he needed to back off even more, that he's obscuring the meaning behind the lyrics.

Andrew: "You Give Me Something" - What's with all the songs I don't know, lol? Well, it was good, though some of the phrasing seemed awkward (I don't know if he was changing it up or not). Ellen liked it but the rest said it wasn't enough.

Aaron: "My Girl" - He's just sooooo cute! lol. Reminds me of Kevin Covais but I think he's a better singer (and cuter!). He was definitely more confident and looked like he was enjoying himself. Judges mostly liked it; Simon said it was too old-fashioned.

Tim: "Get Higher" - Playing guitar and singing this style of music fits him very well! He sounded sooo much better than last week. He smartly changed some of the melody to keep it in his range (& not grasp for the horrid falsetto he displayed last week). Simon liked but the rest had complaints.

Lee: "Lips of an Angel" - This was a perfect choice for his voice and singing style!! Definitely the best performance of the night. Ellen observed that he's very passionate, was very connected to the song & in the moment (something several others lacked). Simon said he is "head & shoulders" above the rest vocally but needs more stage presence/confidence.

The best IMO: Lee, Mike
My prediction to go: John, Jermaine

AI9 - Top 12 Guys

2010-02-24T23:31:00.003-05:00

Todrick: "Since U Been Gone" - Well, at least he was creative! Song from the opp. gender and changed it up a lot; I disagree w/Randy, I thought it was very recognizable, but then I'm probably more familiar w/the song than he is. Too much melisma but decent vocals & the audience certainly loved it. Acted humble & mature so we'll see.

Aaron: "Here Comes Goodbye" - so it's the night for songs from former Idols? ;-) (For those not aware, Chris Sligh cowrote this song). A few shaky notes but overall very good; I don't think he has such a "big" voice, but it's a good one w/a great tone, and he's absolutely adorable, and doesn't have a lot of competition for the cute teen spot.

Jermaine: "Get Here" - This will always be Justin's song, and Jermaine is certainly no Justin. Jermaine actually has a really good voice, but we didn't get to hear much of it tonight because he oversang & changed up and screamed and... well, a lot besides just singing. I agree that he may have blown it w/this performance.

Tim: "Apologize" - Wonder how many day's notice he had? (He replaced Chris Golightly who was disqualified, though the show never said who he replaced.) I bet his 1st choice song didn't get approved. This has so much falsetto & his was just bad. The only things that can save him this week are sympathy & his looks. I didn't see much in him earlier in the season so he'll really have to bring it next week, if he makes it to next week, in order to make it further.

Joe: "You and I Both" - Love this song, and I like Joe a lot!! Hopefully his lack of screen time up until now won't doom him, as I think he was one of the best performances of the night (and is one of the cutest of the young batch). Good stage presence and really good voice.

Tyler: "American Woman" - It was ok for a rock song, not something to show off one's vocals. But he has fans & will be around for a while IMO.

Lee: "Chasing Cars" - Changed up a reasonable amount and I like his personality. But I go from really liking his voice to being annoyed by it, and I can't tell you what makes the difference. Not the best song for him I don't think.

John: "God Bless the Child" - My favorite of the night!! Worth the wait (as we hadn't heard him since his initial audition), and I love his sense of humor. Maybe should've done something more contemporary, but it *definitely* showed off his vocal range and ability. I disagree w/Simon, I thought he had plenty of emotion/connection.

Mike: "This Love" - bizarre! Not bad, but not great. Not a song to highlight one's vocals. Not going anywhere though. By the way, does anyone remember a guy named Marque Lynche who made it to the semis in Season 3? Mike is his brother!!

Alex: "It's a Wonderful World" - ok, I don't know the song and have no clue who James Morrison is (I live in a town that plays "new" songs 6 months after the rest of the country...). His voice reminds of someone but I can't place it - not quite Joe Cocker, but definitely someone much older. May be in trouble.

Casey: "Heaven" - Yay! What really impressed me was that he is obviously a seasoned/professional performer; the hoopla w/Kara hardly phased him (he was almost laughing about it while singing, but still sounded fine). I know part of why I like him is he reminds me of Bucky in a multitude of ways, but I think I'd like him even if he didn't. I don't love him (yet), but definitely should (and will) be in Top 10.

Andrew: "Sugar We're Going Down" - another bizarre choice! I really liked the beginning, w/just him & his acoustic guitar on the verse. But when the band kicked in at the chorus... yeah, "strange" arrangement, and overpowered anything he could do at that point. Sounded like he flubbed a lyric as well. Regardless, has lots of fans, is great musician, and almost guaranteed Top 10 (deservedly).

My faves: John, Casey, Aaron, & Joe
My predictions to go home: Alex & Jermaine

----------

Eliminated: Tyler and Joe :(

AI9 - Top 12 Girls

2010-02-23T23:15:00.003-05:00

Paige: "All Right Now" - meh; she looks just enough like K'Lo that the flame background reminds me of K'Lo too and I forget about Paige. Not a great song choice.

Ashley: "Happy" - I don't know this Leona Lewis song so I don't know how it compares, but I'm guessing Leona at least stayed on key. ;)

Janell: "What About Love" - Well, she doesn't really have the voice to pull off Heart, and the background singers drowned her out at parts of the chorus. But I think it'll get her through.

Lilly: "Fixin' a Hole" - This is a Beatles song?! Well, she's great on it; ends up as my 3rd favorite of the night. Look forward to hearing more from her.

Katelyn: "O Darlin'" - another poor song choice. She's got a good voice but needs to do something to stand out in this singer/songwriter-type crowd.

Haeley: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" - Ouch!! Seriously; that was terrible. I wonder if there were sound issues, because so many of them were off key; though, those playing their own instruments shouldn't really have that problem. Just painful (Ellen said she "enjoyed" it?!), but she's got fans so I don't expect her to go anywhere yet.

Lacey: "Landslide" - Another ouch. She could sound great on the right song; this was definitely not it!! She was off key a bit, but just did not sound good on this. Hopefully she gets a chance to show us how much better she could be, though I honestly doubt she will.

Michelle: "Fallin'" - Well, the last 2 words were awesome! If she can do that, why didn't she do more of it during the song? Because the rest was just ok; I think the song was too ambitious.

Didi: "The Way I Am" - What universe was Simon in during this song?!? "Dreary," boring, unmemorable?! To me it was the standout of the night. Maybe partially because I'm not overly familiar w/the song, but I thought it was a perfect song choice for her voice, that it fit her style and showcased her vocals, and the execution was spot on. I will agree that the last note was off key, but otherwise I thought it was fabulous (and I love her confidence).

Siobhan: "Wicked Game" - interesting choice! She did fairly well on it, but I'm curious as to what else she can do, just because we haven't seen much of her yet. She has a lot of vocal potential but I don't think she'll do any typical 'belter' songs.

Crystal: "One Hand in My Pocket" - Another interesting choice! I still love her voice & stage presence, but I don't think it was the best choice for her & she played the harmonica too much instead of just singing.

Katie: "Feeling Good" - I love this song, and she did a good job, but I agree w/the judges that it was too staid/'old' for her. Not that she's in any danger at this point.

My faves: Didi, Crystal, and Lilly
My least favorites: Haeley, Lacey, & Paige (though I'd like to hear more from Lacey & Paige)
My guesses of who's going home: Lacey and Ashley

------

Eliminated: Ashley and Janell

Idol Season 9 - Top 24!

2010-02-22T17:42:00.003-05:00

Here's the basics on the contestants: age, home state, & audition city. You can see photos here and this list also includes media links. The girls perform Tuesday, guys Wednesday, and it's the first week of voting!

Guys!
Michael "Big Mike" Lynche (26, NY/Orlando)
Casey James (27, TX/Denver)
Aaron Kelly (16, PA/Orlando)
Lee Dewyze (23, IL/Chicago)
Todrick Hall (24, TX/Dallas)
Tyler Grady (20, PA/Boston)
Alex Lambert (19, TX/Dallas)
Joe Munoz (20, CA/LA)
Jermaine Sellers (27, IL/Atlanta)
John Park (21, IL/Chicago)
Andrew Garcia (24, CA/LA)
and Tim Urban (20, TX/Dallas)

note: Tim was brought in to replace Chris Golightly (foster kid w/curly blond hair) after Chris was disqualified due to contract issues. Neither were shown in the "Final Decision" episode.

Girls-
Didi Benami (23, CA/LA)
Katelyn Epperly (19, IA/Chicago)
Janell Wheeler (24, FL/Orlando)
Lacey Brown (24, TX/Orlando)
Ashley Rodriguez (21, MA/Boston)
Crystal Bowersox (24, OH/Chicago)
Katie Stevens (17, CT/Boston)
Lilly Scott (20, CO/Denver)
Paige Miles (24, TX/Dallas?)
Siobhan Magnus (19, MA/Boston)
Michelle Delamor (22, FL/Orlando)
Haeley Vaughn (16, CO/Denver)

So who do you like?? My favorites at this point are Casey, Aaron (he's soooo cute and I love his voice!), and Crystal. I think Tim, Joe & Alex are definitely cannon fodder (little-known, less talented contestants destined to be voted off early, preserving the faves until later; except Chris was a fave & he was replaced by Tim, but still). I'd say the same about Paige except I think she's our only potential black diva, and every Top 10/12/13 needs one of those. That could be Michelle though. Haeley has dibbs on unique niche so I think she'll go far. Should be a good season!!

AI8 - Finals!

2009-05-19T23:20:00.003-04:00

Wow - possibly the best final ever? Kris really struggled on the last song but other than that I think every performance was awesome!! Adam really rekindled my love tonight by avoiding the screeching, lol, and Kris was his adorable, musically talented self... I really think either one could win (normally I'd say Adam had a big edge, but I think Kris will garner votes from a lot of Danny's fans). Seems like the end of the season went really fast! I'm sad it's over but there's always the concert to look forward to (my tix came in the mail today, woo-hoo!), and SYTYCD starts Thursday; can't wait!!

AI8 - Top 4 (5/5/09)

2009-05-06T01:23:00.002-04:00

LOVED Kris but know he's in major danger so threw him all my votes tonight. Danny obviously should go after that atrocity (though I do respect him for taking the risk) but I don't know, he's so obviously this year's Chosen One I can't really see him being Daughtry'd (though Daughtry was a better singer IMO). I don't like Led Zeppelin & thought the Foghat song was boring (lyrically) so really didn't enjoy Adam this week. Kris's was my fave performance followed by his duet w/Danny (what can I say, I love Styx & great harmonies!).

AI8 - Top 5 (4/28/09)

2009-04-29T01:06:00.002-04:00

Tonight's theme is "Rat Pack," aka Standards or Big Band. And the mentor is... Jamie Foxx?! Cool... I think!

Kris "The Way You Look Tonight" - Still love him, just wish we got to know him better (so he could sneak past Danny into the finals). Good performance, nothing too surprising or 'wow'.

Allison "Someone to Watch Over Me" - Wish she were prettier (so she could sneak past Danny into the finals), but such an awesome voice and stage presence/maturity!

Matt "My Funny Valentine" - I give him props for taking the mentor's advice, but the vocal still didn't do anything for me. Paula & Simon loved it; Randy & Kara, notsomuch.

Danny "Come Rain or Come Shine" - Decent, but still overrated.

Adam "Feeling Good" - awesome!! From the stairway entrance to the a killer next-to-last note. Boy. can. SANG! ;) Best line of the night was Simon saying that "Randy criticizing you for being dramatic is like someone complaining that a cow moos."

My predicted B3: Matt, Danny, & Allison - with Matt leaving.

AI8 - Top 7 - Again! (4/21/09)

2009-04-22T01:56:00.002-04:00

(just the basics for now - crazy busy week w/lots of interviews & big garage sale!)

No one left last week so we still have 7! But it will become 5 after tomorrow night. Our theme is Disco/70's. No mentor and no video intros, so hopefully they'll finish on time!

Lil "I'm Every Woman" - meh

Kris "She Works Hard for the Money" - my fave of the night!

Danny "September"

Allison "Hot Stuff"

Adam "If I Can't Have You"

Matt "Staying Alive" - ooh, the reverse lyrics Idol curse!

Anoop "Dim All the Lights"

I'd personally be happy if Lil & Danny went home. However... I predict the Bottom 3 will be Lil, Matt, and Anoop, with Matt and Lil going home.

AI8 - Top 7 Results (4/15/09)

2009-04-22T00:53:00.001-04:00

Crazy week - I'll update this eventually!

Judges used the Save on Matt, so no one goes home this week but 2 will leave next week.

AI8 - Top 7 (4/14/09)

2009-04-15T00:19:00.002-04:00

Tonight's theme is Music from the Movies, and the 'Mentor' is Quentin Tarantino! He's an avid Idol fan (was a guest judge in S3) and is described as being "passionate" about music. He met the contestants at a famous sound stage and gave most of them pretty strong advice/opinions, actually more than most singing mentors usually do. Not all of them took his advice, as usual!

Simon also apologized for the show's running over time last week and joked that it was all "the girls' fault." As a result, only 2 judges will critique each performance tonight. (Still didn't help enough, but was a nice try!)

Allison "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - another should-be-banned-from-Idol-due-to-overuse song. It was nice that she got a full orchestra, but I didn't think it was one of her better performances. The crowd loved it & judges were positive.

Anoop "Everything I Do I Do For You" - Great! I like the song to begin with, but I love Anoop best when he does ballads like this. Still threw him a few votes after the close call last week! Randy & Kara both liked it; Kara said that he does best choosing pop songs & then adding his "soul." She also said she felt a connection & liked the changes he made.

Adam "Born to be Wild" - Very good, typical Adam. ;-) It was nice how he played/sang to & with the band on one side & then the background singers on the other; also how he slowed & softened down the bridge. Crowd loved it! Paula said he's one of the bravest contestants they've ever had; Simon said it was vocally excellent but wasn't sure everyone would like how he changed up such a popular song, that it was too "Rocky Horror the Musical."

Matt "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" - I like the song, but Matt changed both the style and melody and I'm not sure it was an improvement over the original; he also had some weak vocal spots. The crowd seemed to like it. Randy said he tried to do too much w/it; Kara said he again wrongly chose a "rock" song instead of R&B even though he tried to alter it to fit his style.

Danny "Endless Love" - Really?! Sigh. It was bad enough when the judges/producers kept alluding to the dead wife, but now he's chosen songs 2 weeks in a row that overtly remind everyone of his sob story. Not cool & distracts from the decent vocals; with him, unfortunately, it's not just about the vocals. The judges liked but Simon was disappointed he didn't do anything special w/it (different from the original); he even mentioned David Cook's rearrangements of last season. But then he also said he acknowledged how emotionally difficult the song was to do & gave him credit for that. What?! It's not like he was forced to do the song, Simon! He could have easily *not* sung something that made everyone pity him for being a young widower. But then, Simon wants him in the finals, so he put a positive spin on it. Sigh.

Kris "Falling Slowly" - I don't know this one; it's from a movie called "Once"? Quentin did say that Kris took the theme the most to heart of any contestants in that he picked a movie that "meant something to him," instead of just choosing a song on its own merit. The performance didn't wow me in any way but it was good & enjoyable. Randy said it never really 'caught' him, but Kara said it was one of his best performances, despite choosing an obscure song.

Lil "The Rose" - 1st half was boring, but when she started the gospelizing it became very good! I think this is what she's been needing to show. However... Simon said it was too soft/mellow a song for her and that she's not the artist they thought she was early in the competition. (ouch! but then I think they overrated her early on...)

Hard to pick a bottom 3: I'll predict Allison, Matt, & Kris, with Matt going home.

AI8 - Top 8 Results (4/8/09)

2009-04-14T18:06:00.002-04:00

Guess I should do last week's recap before this week's show comes on, huh? :)

34 Million votes - and only 30,000 separated the bottom 2 vote-getters!

Ryan talks about birth years and we cut to a video clip of Frankie Avalon singing "Venus" from the year Simon was born... then he comes out live on stage to finish the song! So Simon turns 50 this year.

Group song: "Can't Get You Out of My Head"

Ford video: "Circus," but the best part was the behind-the-scenes making-of footage we got. It was a magic show set in an old theater, and Adam and Allison both loved the costumes & make-up. Anoop? Notsomuch. ;-)

Ryan's chat w/contestants - asked Adam how it felt to get a S.O. from Simon & Adam said he knew how rarely that happened & he was very grateful. Ryan also said the mayor from Kalamazoo, MI - Matt's hometown - was in the audience. (As was Mario Lopez, for what that's worth.)

Results! Ryan had Adam, Kris, and Anoop stand. He then let the judges give feedback on Adam's performance since they didn't get to last night, which was nice in a way but also awkward for the other guys IMO. Adam is, of course, safe! As is Kris - but Anoop is in the Bottom 3.

Guest performance - Flo Rida, "Right Round." I've heard part of this remake & didn't know who it was; now I know. That's pretty much all there is to say about that. ;-)

More results:
Danny - safe. Matt - safe. Scott - B3.
Allison & Lil remain - Allison is safe, Lil is B3. Well, my prediction was right except for Anoop.

Ryan asked the judges if they'd consider using the save tonight, & Simon said they would consider it on at least one of them.

Guest performance: Kellie Pickler, "The Best Days of Your Life," which she cowrote w/bff Taylor Swift. Not one of Kellie's (or Taylor's) better songs, IMO.

1st safe is Lil. The least votes went to... Scott (yay, I'm right, and whew!). He sings and the judges deliberate. Simon says 2 want him to stay, 2 want him to go! And once again they can't decide. I think since they said at the beginning that it had to be unanimous, that should decide it & Scott goes. Simon doesn't use that reasoning, but he tells Scott it's a no, he's going home. Journey vid, hugs, etc.

AI8 - Top 8 (4/7/09)

2009-04-08T02:23:00.002-04:00

Tonight's theme is songs from the year you were born - in essence, 80's tunes!! This makes me very happy, lol. In fact this is possibly my favorite show so far of the season!

Danny (1980) "Stand By Me" - Strange arrangement (not really like the one released that year by Mickey Gillie), just ok. Judges loved it though, of course.

Kris ('85) "All She Wants to Do is Dance" - I'm a huge Don Henley fan, but I don't think this was a good choice for Kris. That, combined w/the electric guitar & singing in the mosh pit w/the audience... Kara was glad he did something uptempo but disappointed in the delivery (too "jazz funk" and not "youthful" enough); Simon called it indulgent & boring/forgettable. He may be in trouble.

Lil (84) "What's Love Got to Do with It" - Hmm, pretty copycat, not much original. Judges agreed & said it wasn't "her". I'll be very surprised if she doesn't hit the B3.

Anoop (86 - he shares a bday w/David Cook!) "True Colors" - Love this! The song and his performance. Changed it up just enough, but not too much. Judges agreed, they all liked it. Kara said he controlled the song (as opposed to the song controlling him) and that he "interpreted a pop song with soul."

Scott (85) "The Search is Over" - Eeeee!!! Sorry, but I *love* this song!! Had to stop myself from singing along so I could listen to Scott, lol. No piano this week! He had an electric guitar, which didn't really go w/the song, at least since he was on stage all alone (it would've been better if he'd been with a band but it was weird solo). Didn't hit all the high notes but overall it was a good vocal, I think he's become more comfortable the past few weeks & his vocals have been stronger because of it. The judges picked on the missed notes and Simon said the song itself (not the performance) was horrible. Sorry, Simon, it's awesome! ;-)

Allison (92- the year I got married! Sigh, I feel old!) "I Can't Make You Love Me" - Ah, an Idol classic! No one will beat Contantine's version IMO, but Allison's was very, very good, especially for her age (you know, to get the right emotion for it). Paula said this was the perfect example of how you can use the original arrangement but still make it your own. Simon said he liked the song, but thinks she needs to show more personality.

Matt (85 - wow, these 3 guys were all born within about 5 wks of each other!) "Part-time Lover" - really? That was the best you could come up with?! Sigh. It was ok... the arrangement was very jazzy & he even did a little scatting at the end. But not a good song for showing vocal strength. Somehow the judges adored it, though we're short on time so we don't get much detail.

Adam (82) "Mad World"!!! *LOVE* this song. Adam rocked it!!!! Got the dramatic lighting treatment from the producers, though his performance started after 9 since the show ran long so people only using DVR's will have totally missed it. Since they were out of time Simon said he'd be the only one commenting, but he didn't feel words were necessary; and then gave him a standing ovation!! Simon *never* does that (like, 3 times during 7 years?) and I think Adam realized it was significant, he seemed very grateful. :-) Awesome!!!

My personal Bottom 3 would be Danny, Matt & Lil.
I predict the actual B3 will be Kris, Lil, and Scott, with Scott going home.

AI8 - Top 9 Results (4/1/09)

2009-04-02T01:21:00.004-04:00

Over 36 million votes this week!

No performance recap - different! Ryan asks Simon who he thinks may go home; Simon says that Anoop, Matt, and Megan are in trouble. (He was close...)

Ford video: "Mixed Up" - fun! Split pane faces/bodies of contestants, with Matt and Kris getting solos.

Group song: "Don't Stop Believing"! This is one of my all-time favorite songs *plus* the contestants finally get solos!! I'm loving it!! Allison & Kris start it off strongly & get the longest solos. Adam gets the shortest & fittingly it's the last 'wail' at the end. Oh and Scott was at the side of the stage playing keyboard for most of the song, then joined the rest at the end. Yay!

Footage from a "typical Idol week," which apparently is mostly photo shoots, or at least that's what they have the most footage of. There's an adorable part where Kris talks about the different faces they have to make, and shows his "sexy face" but then says "it isn't working." Hee. We also see a bit of life at the house with the chef (Scott's favorite perk, I think). Adam says they're all "Fresh princes and princesses of Bel Air" (begging the question, which one would he call himself? ;-)). And apparently Matt does impersonations of other finalists. On the tape we see him doing Danny, then come back to the live show where we learn he's not the only one! The funniest was when Anoop did Kris, complete with crooked mouth for a glory note! Much fun.

Different approach to the results this week as well. Ryan splits the contestants into 3 groups across the stage: Megan/Matt/Kris, Adam/Lil/Allison, and Scott/Danny/Anoop. He doesn't specifically say that one group contains the bottom 3 but alludes to it.

Guest performance: David Cook! Except he's not really there tonight, this was pretaped (last week, I believe). His new single is "Come Back to Me," one of my 2 favorite songs on the album! More yay!! Sounds awesome, and so professional now! Contestants, take note. Afterward Ryan presents him with a Platinum album.

Ok, turns out one from each group on contestants will be safe (I wondered about that!). Kris & Matt are safe; Megan is in the Bottom 3 (and doesn't show any disappointment, she totally expected it). Lil and Adam are safe; Allison is B3. Lastly Danny and Scott are safe, and Anoop is B3.

Guest performance: Lady GaGa, "Poker Face." Did Ryan really say this is #1? Granted I don't listen to Top 40 all the time, but I've never heard it. Good old Midwest, behind the coasts by months once again. The crystal pink piano was rather interesting. At least we got to 'see' that she can actually sing for a bit at the beginning.

Results: Ryan asked Simon if any of the 3 would be worth saving, and he replies that "one" would. 1st safe is Allison. Least votes & in danger of going home is... Megan. As soon as the audience starts to make (disappointed) noises, she says "It's ok." She seems happy, even (maybe she really misses her kid & knows she has no chance of winning...). Earlier Ryan had asked her what she thought of Simon's negative comments last night, and she said that she loves Simon but didn't care. So when Ryan asks Simon - before Megan sings - if they would even consider saving her, Simon in turn replies, "Respectfully, you said you don't care; neither do we; no." So, at least she has no pressure while singing, she can just enjoy it. Which she did, even to the point of forgetting the lyrics/arrangement (she tried to sing the last line too early, there was one more repeat of the previous one). I'm so glad she's leaving!! She did tear up during her video at the first mention of her son, and I'm sure she'll be happy to be reunited (until the tour, anyway).

For many reasons (Lady GaGa excluded), this was one of my favorite results shows ever!! :-)

Next week's theme: Songs from the year you were born. See you then!

AI8 - Top 9 (3/31/09)

2009-04-01T00:15:00.002-04:00

This week's theme is "Popular iTunes downloads," which, according to Ryan, is "wide open." Who know how they define "popular," but we get a wide range of songs tonight.

The contestants also visited Ryan's radio station studio this week for the AT40. We're told that Idol finalists have had a total of 29 songs in the Top 40 over the years!

Anoop "Caught Up" - Decent, not great. Judges weren't impressed, Randy didn't like the choice, Kara said he didn't do anything different from the original (I disagree a little, and Anoop disagreed a lot0. Simon thought it was a mess & he came off as a wannabe.

Megan "Turn Your Lights Down Low" - I don't know this, but apparently it's been done by Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill. I'd say it was one of her better performances, but still not something I enjoy. Kara said it was a bad choice & wished she'd done Adele; Paula wants her to surprise them by doing a vulnerable ballad (um, ok, what was this then? It was pretty mellow!). Simon said it was boring and indulgent, and not her. Now, how can something be both "indulgent" (which I take as meaning favoring the contestant's preferences) and *not* "her"?? Then again Simon's off on several things tonight....

Danny "What Hurts the Most" - I *LOVE* this song!!! The beginning verse was just awesome, I like when he sings softer. Despite saying he was bringing it down to be mellow this week, after the verse he breaks into full-out belting mode. Still good but no where near the beginning, I think he needs to show more variety (in singing style, not in song choice). The audience & judges (of course) loved it. Simon said it was his best yet and Kara said it "moved" everyone in the room (well, he was singing about missing a woman who was gone, and in case you haven't heard, his wife died...). Sigh.

Allison "Don't Speak" - Ok, how many people felt really OLD when she said she "grew up" listening to this song?!!! Hard to believe it came out 13 years ago (per Wiki, anyway). Apparently she's from the same town as No Doubt, too! She sounded awesome; especially loved the softer beginning where she played guitar as a contrast to her usual rock stuff. Randy said she was rushed and everyone except Paula hated her outfit; Paula did say her vocals were good. I thought it was one of the best of the night!

Scott "Just the Way You Are" - Another one toned down, and I think it was his best vocal yet! The hair cut looks good, too. Kara said it was a smart song choice & Simon said it was his best performance yet.

Matt "You Found Me" - Played electronic keyboard instead of piano, standing up with audience members almost surrounding him (not sure exactly where he was stage-wise). Very good performance, though this is my least favorite Fray song & I'd loved to have heard him do something else of theirs. The judges really came down hard on him though; Paula said he didn't have any of the things they love most about him; Kara said he needs to pick either the rock or R&B side of pop & commit to it (he replied he's trying to show versatility, but they're not big on that this year!). Simon said he "didn't get it" and that the song isn't commercial. Um, ok, sure, that's why I hear it every 10 minutes on the radio then? Sometimes Simon just has no clue.

Lil "I Surrender" - Belty song and the beltiest parts sounded good, but I thought she was really, really off for most of it; her voice sounded strained or something. Also hated the look, straight chin-length hair & the very unflattering dress. The audience seemed to be happy, but the judges were disappointed in her song choice. Paula called it "Adult Contemporary Lil" and Simon said it was too safe and old-fashioned.

Adam "Play that Funky Music" - Interesting choice! But he's such the 70's glam rocker... it was good, his normal shrieky, strutty stuff which I'm tired of at this point. Also hate the hair slicked back! The audience loved it, as did the judges. Paula compared him to Steven Tyler & Mick Jagger; Simon praised his originality, especially compared to some of the other performances tonight. Adam graciously gave the band credit for the arrangement. :-)

Kris "Ain't No Sunshine" - Well, Christina's version during Season 1 will always be the quintessential Idol performance of this song, but Kris certainly deserved the 'pimp spot.' Despite cluing us in that he was intentionally trying to create a "moment" (which almost defeats the purpose), he had a pretty good moment! He played keyboard (instead of guitar) and did a unique arrangement that was very good and really showed off his vocals. Easily the best performance of the night IMO. The audience & judges loved it. Paula said it was his best; Simon like the arrangement & said he had the confidence Simon was asking for last week.

My prediction for Bottom 3: Megan, Anoop, and Allison (or maybe Matt), with Megan leaving (please?!)

AI8 - Top 10 Results (3/26/09)

2009-03-30T00:16:00.002-04:00

There were a record 36 Million votes last night.

Worst group song. ever. Not only is it lipsynched, it was pretaped in an empty studio with cuts back & forth to footage from the Detroit trip... we don't even see them walk from one spot on stage to the next! Sheesh. What's wrong with just having them SING? Most fans *love* the old-style live group songs, cheesy choreo and all. I understand having to work around Scott, but this was ridiculous.

Ford video: "Pocketful of Sunshine," with a landscape being 'built' in squares that they then drove off on/into. Meh.

1st guest performance: Ruben, doing his new single "Together." It sounds just like all of his other songs from the past 6 years. ;-)

Results: Adam is safe. Matt is Bottom 3 - surprise! Kris is safe. Last in the row are Lil & Michael... Lil is safe, Michael is B3.

2nd guest perf.: Smokey doing a duet w/Joss Stone! "You're the One for Me." I love her, and their voices work surprisingly well together.

More results: Allison - safe. Anoop - safe. Danny - safe. So it's down to Megan & Scott; could go either way. Megan is somehow safe and Scott is B3. But, Scott is soon sent back to the couches.

3rd guest perf.: Stevie Wonder doing a medley. The contestants are so fun to watch during these, singing & dancing along!

Lowest vote-getter is Michael. Ryan had asked the judges if they would consider using the Save on either of the (assumed) bottom 2, and they said yes (but not which one). Michael gets to sing, and he is about a million times better than last night! At first he lamented having to follow Stevie Wonder, but I think his excitement helped as he was probably the best we've heard him. Paula's standing up dancing didn't help the judges in their deliberation, so they were still undecided when Ryan went to them for a decision. Poor Michael! Finally Simon made a decision and Michael goes home. I'm fine w/that, I'd rather they keep the Save at this point, and I think he'd probably still be B3 next week.

Speaking of next week, Ryan didn't say what the theme is, so I guess it'll be a surprise (until about Monday, anyway!).

AI8 - Top 10 (3/25/09)

2009-03-26T00:27:00.002-04:00

Theme: Motown; Mentor: Smokey Robinson. The gang (minus Michael, who was sick) flew to Detroit to visit the original Motown studio, which made Lil all teary and proud. And speaking of original, the iTunes songs this week have the contestants singing to the original Motown orchestrations of the songs... which really stinks since Adam's "unplugged" performance was chillingly awesome but won't be available. Figures.

Matt "Let's Get It On" - heh. I was reading song speculation earlier and people were hoping that Anoop would do this (and predicting America would then have a shortage of water pressure as all the ladies hit the cold showers afterward). And really hoping that Danny wouldn't. ;-) It was a decent choice for Matt, though I liked the slow part at the beginning better than after he left the piano. Simon said it was a brilliant song choice & good performance; the other judges also complemented.

Kris "How Sweet It Is" - Smokey was impressed w/either how good he plays and sings, or just that he can play & sing at the same time, it was hard to tell. Again, loved the slow beginning & the rest was good but not tremendous (ok except for the very end), plus I think the song is forgettable (too common to stand out). Audience loved it; Kara & Simon complimented him for making it his own. Simon also said he needs more self-confidence.

Scott "Can't Hurry Love" - Had the background singers around the piano; nice performance, his usual. Simon hated it; he & Randy thought it was a bad song choice, but Kara liked that it was up-tempo. Loved Ryan asking him how he knew he his pants were pink.

Megan "For Once in My Life" - Smokey liked her originality, but the actual performance was terrible IMO. She missed a lot of notes even after changing the melody to better fit her limited range. The judges agreed, though somewhat blamed it on the song choice.

Anoop "Ooh Baby, Baby" - Smokey had no advice for him in practice (in a good way)! And Anoop said he really appreciated hearing the story behind the song. It was very soft and sweet, great performance! Kara said some of his falsetto notes were off pitch but that it's a very difficult song to sing and overall it was pretty good. Paula loved it; Simon said the vocal was great but that he looked sleepy (instead of just serious) while singing.

Michael "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - I don't think he's fully recovered from the flu & it showed in his performance. Paula was disappointed and called it "old Las Vegas / loungy". Simon said it was too shouty & he has no chance of winning; Randy said the song was too big for him.

Lil "Heat Wave," of course! Complete with video flames as usual. Her dress & hairdo fit the era, & she'd talked about how much the Detroit trip meant to her. Very good performance, definitely one of her best. Paula loved it but the rest of the judges disagreed, saying it was too fast of a song to show off her vocal talents.

ADAM!!! "Tracks of My Tears," 'unplugged' - AWESOME!!!! This is what I've been waiting for him to do - Just. Sing. It was cute how nervous he was doing it for Smokey, but Smokey said for a much-covered song he'd never heard it done this way and really liked it; he gave him a standing ovation after the actual performance! (Adam also asked for the story behind it - I love it, both my faves did Smokey songs *and* wanted to know the backstory!) Adam had his hair slicked back (I didn't like that very well) and wore a skinny suit with very little makeup (& no nail polish); the whole presentation seemed, as with Lil, very respectful of the song itself. And it was a beautiful performance. The judges loved it; Simon said it was the best of the night & showed everything they'd been trying to tell the others about song choice, originality, and relevance.

Danny "Get Ready" - He & Smokey discussed Danny's plan to have the back-up gals sing part of the main lyric; Smokey advised against it and Danny said he would take his advice, but then ended up doing it the way he'd originally planned. I don't think it affected the performance either way though. He went back to stand by & dance with the background singers twice, which was a bit strange/cheesy. Paula loved it but Simon called it clumsy & amateurish. Kara said it was good but not great.

Allison "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" - Aww, makes me miss David Hernandez! But, I see why she got the pimp spot. Excellent song choice and spot-on delivery, but then I love the song anyway. Crowd & judges loved it.

My prediction for the bottom 3: Michael, Megan, and Scott, with Michael leaving. Lots of guest performances tomorrow night, sounds good!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition comes to Indy!!

2009-03-20T19:37:00.003-04:00

Last Monday it was announced that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is going to do a build here in Indianapolis! And not just any build - this will be the season finale!!

I checked out the website and decided to sign up for a couple volunteer shifts. I also attended the pep rally on Friday which was a blast! Newsman Kevin Gregory was the host. Builder Paul Estridge opened the meeting in prayer - cool! And Executive Producer Conrad Ricketts told us all about how he initially pitched the idea to ABC, some highlights of the 145 (!) builds in their 6 seasons, explained how some of the different teams work, etc. Builders usually only get 3 weeks' notice for a build! But since this one is special (2 hour show and will not only build a new home for the family - who'll be announced next Friday - but also do something to impact "the whole community") they got 5. ;-) Still soooo much to coordinate - but as of Friday they already had about 2000 volunteers who'd signed up online and it sounded like they had all the donated materials in place as well!

I love the show - almost always makes my cry, lol, and makes me happy to support companies like Sears and CVS who donate so much to help these families who are usually also helping others. So to get the chance to be even a small part of one build... is thrilling! Especially since next week my husband will be doing his annual work trip in Nicaragua. Going to a hot, humid country with an unpredictable schedule to do manual labor for a week is definitely not in my comfort zone (and would be a major challenge for me food & health-wise). But one or two 8-hour volunteer shifts close to home where I can take my own snacks - and yes, I signed up as an "Unskilled Volunteer"! - *that* I can do! So I'm excited. Even if they don't need me I want to go and observe for a while. The website lists the schedule so you can see when spectators are allowed if you're interested. And make sure to watch Channel 6 news as they'll be covering it all starting Friday!

AI8 - Top 11 Results (3/18/09)

2009-03-19T00:48:00.003-04:00

Over 31 million votes last night. No voiceover in the recap, just a few of the judges' (good) comments shown.

Group sing: "T.R.O.U.B.L.E." Scott played piano so he didn't have to do any choreo, & there wasn't much for everyone else anyway, move to the edge of the stage, come back to the piano. I do miss the live group sings with solos, the lip-synched group harmony just isn't quite the same.

Ford video - "Here It Goes Again," a song I don't know, but the water balloons were fun.

Clips with Jasmine & Jorge from after last week's elimination - that was different, but kind-of nice (especially seeing Jorge's sense of humor!).

Interestingly (having seen the end first & then rewinding to watch this part) Ryan then asks Alexis about the emotions of elimination night, and Michael about being away from his family... we'll later find that these are the bottom 2 (which of course Ryan already knows)! Ryan also mentions Megan's being ill and shows footage of the 'rehearsal' earlier with everyone wearing breathing masks! Then he jokes and moves his podium further away from the couches to read the results! ;-)

Danny - safe - and Ryan says (as he does to most of them), "Welcome to the Tour!"

Lil - safe (and very relieved/excited)

Anoop - safe! And so early in the show, lol!

Allison & Michael - both end up being in the Bottom 3!

- Performance: Brad Paisley, "Then" - nice song, a nice break from his usual comedy stuff

Scott - safe

Megan - safe (of course, there has to be someone I don't like on tour!)

Matt - safe

Kris (my, the girls in the audience scream for him!) - safe

So Alexis & Adam are left; Adam is safe, Alexis is Bottom 3.

Allison is safe, leaving Alexis & Michael.

- Performance: Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis, "I Told You So" - awesome! (though they could've let Randy sing a bit more!)

Ryan asked the judges if either of the contestants would be worth using the Save on, and Simon replies that yes, they're considering it. Michael is safe (wow, 7 guys & only 3 girls on tour!!! *Not* that I'm complaining!) so Alexis must sing for survival. She does somewhat better than last night- at least the higher part was in tune - but you can also tell she's desperate/nervous/emotional which then hurts her performance in parts. Simon admits that she's the one they were considering saving and that the performance was good, but it was not good enough, and she is out. "Journey" package and we're done.

Next week - Motown! (Anoop, Kris, & Matt at least will be right in their comfort zones, probably Lil too!)

AI8 - Top 11 (3/17/09)

2009-03-18T01:42:00.002-04:00

This week's theme: Country, but limited to Grand Ole Opry members' songs. Randy Travis was the mentor and wow, he's showing his age, eh?

Michael Sarver "Ain't Goin' Down 'til the Sun Comes Up"- Well, he's the only country-ish singer in this year's finals, and he does a somewhat overdone song that we all know Simon hates. He's ok, I mean the song doesn't showcase vocals, it's just a lot of lyrics and some running around. Randy pretty much said the same thing, and Kara agreed, saying she missed the big notes. Michael replied that for him country is about having fun, and that's what he did. Simon said it was clumsy & lacked star quality.

Allison Iraheta "Blame it on Your Heart" - decent. Crowd & judges loved, though Paula wants her to show a more vulnerable side in the future.

Kris Allen "To Make You Feel My Love" - I wasn't familiar w/this Garth song but Kris was very, very good. A slow ballad without his guitar really showed off his strong vocals. Randy Travis said ballads are his strength and liked how he "made it his own." Paula was pleasantly surprised though she said some of the low notes were off-key (I didn't notice); Simon said it was "terrific," a great song choice, and that he was "completely in control of the song."

Lil Rounds "Independence Day" - Interesting choice! She said she specifically kept it subtle vocally to honor the song and writer. It was fine, though she only did the 1st verse so the point of the story & chorus was somewhat lost. I think Paula was trying to say something to the same effect; all the judges would've liked her to stay in her 'box' and do something more belty r&b. Also Simon doesn't understand that her name is not an abbreviation.

Adam Lambert "Ring of Fire" - Hmm. Dilana did this on RockStar a couple summers ago & this arrangement is similar; I really liked hers but his, notsomuch. She kept it low & sultry; he went high as he is wont to do and I think I agree with Kara, my main impression was "strange." Paula thought it was a good choice for him and Randy called it current & fresh. However... in practice Randy Travis had been polite but obviously didn't care for what Adam was doing with it and was somewhat at a loss for words. Simon commented, "I think what Randy was tryin to say was, 'What the [xxxx] was that?!'" ;-) He called it indulgent rubbish and I slightly agree; Adam really, really needs to do a ballad to show the smooth, pretty vocals some of us fell in love with instead of the continuous wailing and screeching that's starting to feel repetitive.

Scott MacIntyre "Wild Angels" - He finally got a hair cut, yay! He does a good job w/this, it's slow & soft until toward the end and fits him, & he seemed to do great on the piano part (impressed Randy Travis, anyway!). Paula said he "works harder than most people" on stage (huh?) but that the piano could become a crutch & she'd like to see him without it. Kara said he brings class & poise to the stage. But all the judges pretty much said he needs to up his game & show some versatility.

Alexis Grace "Jolene" - She said she wanted to show her softer side & some versatility. Randy Travis was very impressed & didn't even have any suggestions for improvement! Well, I thought she started out well, but the falsetto was way off-key and she went downhill from there (plus the one repeated hand gesture annoyed me). Randy & Simon thought it was just ok; Kara missed her edge; Paula liked it.

Danny Gokey "Jesus, Take the Wheel" - another interesting choice! Poor guy, during his rehearsal w/R.T. he messed up again and againandagain!! But he did fine once on stage. Randy T. did say that once Danny got going he liked his soulfulness. The crowd loved his performance; Kara said she liked the 2nd half. Paula said she liked it all, it's better to have a build-up to the strong part than sing that way all the time, & called it "brilliant."

Anoop Desai "You're Always on my Mind" - Woo-hoo! Anoop is back, dawg!!! I will love him forever for choosing this song. (1) He soooo needed to do a ballad and restore our love of his gorgeous voice. (2) I now have this version to 'replace' Willie's in my brain - yay!!!! (My father - and husband - love Willie, but I basically can't stand him.) Randy Travis loved it & predicted it would be the best performance he's had on the show so far, and I agree! Just awesome. The judges loved it as well; Simon said he went "from zero to hero" and took back last week's statement that he didn't belong in the Finals; Kara said it was the best of the night so far.

Megan Corkrey "Walkin' After Midnight" - I wasn't a Kelly Pickler fan but she did a good job on this song; I don't know if that bodes well for Megan or not! Turns out not... I still can't stand her. The voice... just wrong, grates. It's just on the edge of being cool, unique, and great, but it's not. Randy said it was the perfect choice for her; Kara agreed. Kara also commended her for singing so well while sick, but the way she said it was like no one else has ever in the history of *performing* had to do it while sick. Um, yeah, Kara, people are sick on Idol every year & still sing, and other performers do it all the time. It's part of performing. To her credit, apparently Megan was so sick she had been to the hospital, and she couldn't stop coughing after she was done performing, so it was obviously somewhat serious, and I couldn't tell at all while she was singing (though she was twisting & bouncing a bit less than normal). She also looked a bit like Reese Witherspoon w/the hair & the dress, & though Simon said she looked nice he also said the stylists are taking away her quirkiness which they liked. (Stay in the Quirky box, Megan!)

Matt Giraud closes the show with "So Small," a Carrie Underwood song I don't know. Apparently he slowed it down & arranged it quite differently than Carrie's, and it was a good performance (and for the first time during one of his or Scott's songs, the camera/director actually showed us shots of his hands while playing!). The judges loved it of course; Simon said he's got a similar voice to Danny but outsang him tonight; Randy said it was his favorite of the night.

It's a hard one to call this week, but I think the girls are in trouble. I'll pick Alexis, Allison, and Kris for bottom 3 with Alexis leaving. Looking forward to hearing Carrie & Randy T. duet tomorrow night!!

AI8 - Top 13 Results (3/11/09)

2009-03-12T00:21:00.001-04:00

Almost 33 million votes, and we'll have a double elimination. Unless the judges use their brand new "Save", the new 'rule' introduced to hopefully prevent such shocking and perceived as undeserved early boots as Tamyra, Chris Daughtry, or Jennifer Hudson (they also mentioned Michael Johns but I wouldn't put him in the same category, personally). The decision has to be unanimous but once during the season (and only up to Top 5) the judges can save someone who would normally be eliminated. The viewers' votes will then be combined over 2 weeks and the 2 lowest will be eliminated the following week. So, the viewers still determine who goes, but the judges can in essence give someone a 2nd chance if they have a really off night. Not a bad idea. Except in practice this means every time someone is eliminated they don't know if they're *really* eliminated until after they're made to sing, which rather stinks for them!! Oh well. I doubt this would get used on anyone but a few & I doubt they'd get the least votes, but we shall see. (And both Tamyra and Chris both went out 4th, so it wouldn't have saved them anyway!)

New Digs - footage of the Top 13 moving into the Idol Mansion! Complete with whirlpool(s), a backetball court, bowling alley, home theater, and 2 pools.

Group Medley, yay!!! Complete with pointy pose and an almost stationary back "line" which included Scott so that he didn't have to move around a lot. Unfortunately Danny had a short dance solo (?!), and they're continuing with mostly duets instead of giving everyone vocal solos (just Michael & Alexis got very short ones).

Not only is there a commercial starring Carrie Underwood, but she sings this year's Going Home song.

Recap of last night... the poor being Jasmine, Megan, Anoop, and Jorge, and "standouts" being Danny & Adam (surprise, surprise).

Ford video: "We Will Rock You" with (moving) images of the contestants on city buildings and such. It's almost more fun watching their reactions after seeing themselves then it is watching the video itself!

On to results. People stand in place to find out whether they're safe or have to come down on stage (no "bottom" group is ever announced so the stage-coming for the non-bootees could be totally random - like in poor Anoop's case).

Michael - safe
Allison - safe
Jasmine - brought down on stage
Matt - safe
Kris - safe
Megan - onto stage...

...so either Megan or Jasmine is eliminated. Unfortunately Megan is safe so Jasmine is out. She sings, then faces the judges to see whether or not she's *really* out... and of course she is. Boo!

Guest performance: Kanye West

Audition footage hidden during commercial break: Nathaniel Marshall ("Proud Mary")

More results...

Scott - safe
Alexis - safe
Danny - safe
Anoop - onto stage
Adam - safe

So it's down to Lil and Jorge... Lil is safe so Jorge is onto the stage, and we have another commercial break...

and then Kelly Clarkson performs! (because heaven forbid Anoop should learn his fate with more than 60 remaining of the show!!) Kelly sings her new single after Ryan chats w/her a bit. She's not wearing much make-up and has put on a few pounds, and her voice seems a bit strained as well (maybe it's having flashbacks to her finale!). Always fun to see how contestants behave during the guests... Adam seemed to be enjoying himself, & almost everyone was clapping along except for Anoop (& Ryan).

Ok, this is it- I like both of them! But would rather keep Anoop, and Anoop is indeed safe, so Jorge is out. He sings, is pronounced really and officially out, and his package plays us out.

Did they say next week's theme? Oh and I assume it's only the Top 10 on tour again this year since the tour hasn't been mentioned at all yet. I'm ok w/that as I expect my 2 guys to make it past next week. I'd be really happy if Megan didn't, but then there's almost always someone I don't care for in the Tour and at least she's better than Haley! ;-)

AI8 Finals - Top 13 (3/10/09)

2009-03-11T00:01:00.002-04:00

Theme: Michael Jackson songs. Yippee. I mean, why do they pick one of the artists whose songs they're always saying the contestants shouldn't sing and then make them sing their songs?! This makes sense in whose universe? Sigh.

Also? 2 are going home tomorrow. So, it's not really a Top 13. I guess it gave whoever was on the bubble (we all know it wasn't Anoop) one more chance to stay in and get some viewer's votes, but after tomorrow we'll be back on the original schedule with 11 left.

And, there will be another twist. I'm guessing the judges will either save someone in the Bottom 3 or they'll choose the person who's going. Kind-of like the new Dancing w/the Stars twist, though those judges' scores have always counted for part of who stays or goes. But, Nigel L. is gone as a producer and supposedly Simon's British X-Factor show does something like this, so I'm not too surprised (anything that gives Simon more power...). We'll find out for sure tomorrow!

Lil: "The Way You Make Me Feel" - Surprising choice for her, but it worked. It's nice to see her do something uptempo. She used the stage well, has confidence. Judges in general loved it, though Simon said it was a "lazy" song choice & that he hated her outfit.

Scott: "Keep the Faith" - Well, it seems Kara was right! Not that we could hear anything Scott was playing on the piano (other than the last riff), but somehow it made his voice better! Definitely his best performance so far. Not entirely comfortable to watch, but great vocally and I certainly wouldn't mind hearing him on the radio or my cd player. Kara loved the message of the song & that he's staying true to his inspirational self. But Randy thought it was too safe & Simon said it was a bad choice because no one knows it & it's too old-fashioned.

Danny: "P.Y.T." - Really?! Sigh. It's always hard when someone does a song a past favorite of yours did really well, and though it was 7 years ago, this was definitely one of Justin's best. Seems a surprising choice for Danny but I guess he's trying to show versatility, which is usually a good thing. Not the best vocals and definitely not great w/the dancing, but he's certainly not going anywhere. Paula says he'll even be in the finals, not that anyone is surprised the judges want him there. Simon said the vocals were "brilliant" (really?) and that he reminds him of Michael McDonald, though the dancing was hideous. Randy liked seeing the stylistic range; Kara said he seems joyous when performing.

Michael: "You Are Not Alone" - I thought this was his best vocal yet! Really good, though he's still one of my least favorites and I wouldn't mind if he went home (but I think he's got a solid fan base). Simon said he's not the best singer there but made up for it with passion and effort. Kara said tonight he showed her that "he can really sing." (Um, if you were unsure before, why was he in the Top 36? Just askin'...) As they're doing a lot tonight, pimp kid spot: his little girl in the audience after Ryan gave the numbers, wearing a t-shirt saying "Vote for my Daddy"!

Jasmine: "I'll Be There"- Good choice, fits her. Good vocal and I still love her, I think she's adorable and such a confident performer! Randy said she mixed the 2 versions (MJ & Mariah's) but it was still good; Kara said it was effortless & she has great stage presence. Paula said she has great poise for her age though there were some weak vocal parts; Simon said it was a bit robotic at times and that she needs to lighten up & act her age (e.g. younger & not so polished/serious).

Kris: "Remember the Time" - I don't know this one, but he played guitar and had so much fun with it! He's adorable as well, and the crowd really enjoyed it (Kara said "The girls love Kris!"). Kara & Paula mentioned that he helped other contestants during the week (awww!). Paula called him "adorable sexy" and said he did a great job. Randy compared him to Jason Mraz (style-wise). Simon said the song didn't necessarily warrant his playing guitar, but his vocals were good & he's likeable.

Allison: "Give In to Me" - Another one I don't know, but it's a great choice for her. Bluesy rock. All the judges liked; Randy said she's "one to watch." Simon & Kara especially like that she knows who she is as an artist, i.e. what genre of music she wants to do and is good at.

Anoop: "Beat It" - Hmm. He was cute in the pre-intro clip as they went to commercial, doing the Thriller 'zombie hands'! He sang it well and did a couple of different things with the melody toward the end, and played to the crowd again (touching some fans' hands). But some of his gestures were awfully literal & cheesy. The judges just really let him have it though... Paula said that the song is "untouchable" and for her to hear anyone besides MJ do it, it sounds karaoke. Kara said it didn't show his vocal strength; Simon & Randy also said it was a bad song choice & they were disappointed. Anoop replied that he was trying to show energy since that's the style they'd enjoyed him doing before. I think he'll be safe, but man they were tough on him!

Jorge: "Never Can Say Goodbye" - Wow! He really impressed me with this; I think it was the best vocal of the night! Definitely his best so far. Really fit his voice well. Or so I thought until the judges started talking... Randy said it was too old-fashioned and there were pitch issues. Paula said it was definitely the wrong song choice but despite the poor performance he still deserves to be there. Simon said the arrangement was corny and he sang it poorly. This is where I start wondering if the judges and I heard the same performance...?!

Megan: "Rockin' Robin" - Pretty good song choice for her voice & singing style. But I just cannot. stand. to watch her!!! Yuck. Kara & Paula said it didn't allow for showing her best vocals; Simon said it was a "stupid" song choice (his bird prejudice again apparently) and Randy didn't like it either! But to me it sounded exactly the same vocally as all of her other stuff that they tongue-bathed. I don't get the judges tonight, at. all.

Adam: "Black and White" - Brilliant choice!! Style-wise of course it fit him, but also message-wise... For those unaware, pics surfaced last week of him kissing his (ex) boyfriend, w/both of them in make-up... I didn't think it would make much difference or surprise most people, but to come back with a song about diversity, and kill it... perfect! ;-) I do really want him to do a ballad next week though to show off the other side of his vocals. Paula was almost overwhelmed, talking about how he's so professional and confident compared to all of the other contestants who've ever been on the show... and of course said she expects to see him in the finals. The other judges tonguebathed him as well. I just don't get it... I mean he was good, yes. But so were the past several who totally got ripped apart, and I don't think he was any better than his previous performances. Oh well, I love him so I won't complain. I did laugh when Simon said you have to be comfortable being over the top to sing MJ... perfect for Adam!

Matt: "Human Nature" - Perfect choice for him! Really fits his voice well, and nice to finally see him getting to play piano. Did this seem short to anyone else? And speaking of short, the judges' comments for the last 2 contestants are really short, because they've just realized they're running long on time. Generally I think the judges liked it, but I must have blinked because I missed most of what they said! Kind-of stinks for these contestants, but such is life. Randy did say that there were some pitch issues but it was still good.

Alexis: "Dirty Diana" - Who know there were so many Jackson songs I didn't know? Well, this suited her, and she performed it fairly well. Simon didn't like it, but Kara & Paula loved it, though Paula did warn her against oversinging.

And that's it! Oh, in case anyone was wondering about the strange phone number for Alexis and why Ryan kept saying "Trust me, dial *very* carefully," it's because some phone sex company owns most of the other numbers that start with the IDOLS 866-43657xx numbers!! Or at least a good deal of them, including 00 and 13. So they couldn't just use 4365713 and Alexis is now 3 "36." I'll be surprised if this does not hurt her voting numbers (and if no one complains to Fox &/or Idol after dialing #13 about what they end up with!!).

I think it's a hard call on the bottom 3 for this week, but I'll go with Lil, Alexis, and Megan. (4th choice Jorge.) If the judges save one of the 3 I think Alexis and Megan will go home (they'll save Lil); but if not, I could see Alexis and Lil leaving.

What do you think?

AI8 - Wildcard Show (3/5/09)

2009-03-09T16:06:00.001-04:00

Jesse Langseth "Tell Me Something Good" - Good, bluesy song but didn't showcase her vocals as much as a different song could have. Randy & Kara said there were bad notes; Simon said it was better than her last song but somewhat indulgent.

Matt Giraud "Who's Loving You?" - Good for what he does, but I don't love him like the judges do. Kara said "You can riff amazingly;" Simon said it was a billion times better than his last but that he hated the outfit (he wore a hat & scarf) and he saw bits of Taylor Hicks-like mannerisms (hee!).

Megan Corkrey "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" - Yuck. Love the song but can't stand her mannerisms (Betty Boop meets Pamela Anderson??). And I still think her voice is weird. Simone calls her "current" and original/quirky; he says it wasn't the best vocal but "that doesn't matter" (ok, when it's a cute girl he likes, it's so *not* a "singing contest"!). Randy & Paula confirmed the song choice as a good one for her.

Von Smith "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" - Started out a bit weak but the 2nd half was very good vocally, he's just a rather unattractive person to watch. Simon said he was boring and too serious; Kara agreed; Paula said he was too focused on technique. Von admitted he struggles w/that.

Jasmine Murray "Reflection" - Yes! This is what she should've done before, it's the Jasmine we fell in love with and she was awesome! (I'll take her over Lil any day!) The crowd loved it as well. Randy said the song was a bit too big for her but she was still "100% improved." Kara was confused, saying she didn't know she had that big voice, she thought she was the cute pop girl (Kara, where have you been?). Randy & Paula both mentioned some off notes... Simon called it a "brave" song choice, saying she did a great job and is "back in the running"!

Ricky Braddy "Superstition" - It was good, but he's a bit too similar to Kris in being a somewhat generic white pop singer, so I don't think he'll get in. He's a great singer & has great stage presence, but just isn't different enough from what we already have. The crowd loved it. Paula said he nailed it & had fun; Kara said "You can sing your butt off, but we knew that!" She said she'd wanted to see his personality & he showed it. Simon said it wasn't enough at this stage to set him apart, so he was disappointed; Randy said he tried to do too much with it.

Tatiana del Toro "Saving All My Love for You" - Wow, she can definitely sing. She can sing Whitney, even. But she's sooooo emotional and will. not. shut. up. Sigh. Paula & Simon both commented that she's repeated this song twice now; Simon asked if she even knew how to sing anything else? Randy & Kara said they never know what to expect with her, like it's "The adventures of Tatiana" & they don't know what's coming next!

Anoop Desai "My Prerogative" - Oh great, the judges keep harping on repeating songs & he does the same thing?! Not. good. Anoop, you may've just repeated your way out and while I'll be disappointed, you did it to yourself and such is life. Of course he sang it well, was entertaining, and had a couple glory notes, but I really wish he'd done a ballad or something that would've shown off his voice more. I did enjoy seeing Scott jam along in the background though! ;) The crowd *loved* it. Paula called him a showman; Simon said it's a strange night and said he's not the best singer, but people like him and they need people with "personality" (well that sounds very promising, seems like Simon's already explaining why they're choosing him!). Kara said she doesn't like to dance but he made her want to, and he replied that he was glad a Carolina guy could make a Duke girl want to get up & dance. Heh.

Ok, my guess is that they'll pick Jasmine, Megan, and probably Matt G. over Anoop (I'd pick Jasmine, Jesse, and Anoop!).

Actual results:
Jasmine - yes!
Ricky - no
One of Tatiana or Megan - Megan
Jesse - no
Von - no
and last up are Matt G and Anoop - Matt is in.

...then Simon says he wants to say something to Anoop, and says they've decided... to have a Top 13 (!) this year so he's in too!! Poor guy, they really like leaving him hanging. But YAY!!!!!

I'm assuming this is the big "format change" we heard was coming at Top 12. Still don't know how many will tour, but at least my 2 faves made it to the Finals!!

AI8 - Group 3 Results (3/4/09)

2009-03-05T01:36:00.002-05:00

Tonight we'll not only have the results from last night's show, but we'll also find out who'll be back for tomorrow's Wild Card show! So not much filler (yay)!

Group song: "Hot and Cold" (Katy Perry). The girls start up on the balcony and the guys start on the couch - even after the girls descend everyone pretty much stays on or near the couch, especially Scott, so that answers that! ;-)

Recap, chat, etc. On to results! First up is Lil - Ryan just has her stand at the couch & reads her comments, then tells us that... she's through! Wow, not wasting any time, but makes sense since she's the most obvious & the rest will at least have a bit of suspense. She sings.

Arianna, Taylor, Alex, Kendall, and Scott all stand. We're told one will advance... after the break. Arianna - no; Taylor - no; Alex - no. So it's either Kendall or Scott... it's Scott. He sings.

Nathaniel and Kristen are up next - neither is through. Then Felicia & Von - again, neither advances. So that just leaves Ju'not and Jorge, who get to come down to the stage w/Ryan. Jorge is the one to advance, though he won't get to sing until later. Wow, 2 guys again! Doesn't bode well for guys in the WC, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for Anoop!

And speaking of Wildcard... we now get to see who's been brought back! Up in the balcony are: Jesse, Anoop, Matt G., Matt B., Ricky, Tatiana (!), Jackie, Jasmine, Brent, Megan, and Nick (!). Also the rest of Group 3 is eligible, so that's 20 total (of the 27) from which the judges have chosen 8 for the WC show. They mention that past wildcards have included Jennifer Hudson and Clay. They also say that during the break they changed their mind about someone! So here we go...

The Wild Card selections, in order of announcement, are: Von, Jasmine, Ricky, Megan, Tatiana, Matt G., Jesse, and... Anoop! Whew! Made me sweat that one out. ;-)

So, only one from Group 3, which seems reasonable to me (I think there was a lot more talent in the 1st 2 groups). I'm excited about Jasmine and Jesse, they'd be my 2 girl picks if I were choosing. And Anoop has some tough competition so it may come down to song choice. Simon did say that he was one of their easiest choices, which is encouraging; I know they like him. Oh, and they said that Jesse was the one they changed their minds on, so I wonder who they took out for her to get in? Jackie or Kendall maybe?

So that's it - I'm excited for tomorrow! Sing us out, Jorge!

AI8 Group 3 (3/3/09)

2009-03-03T23:19:00.002-05:00

Our last group of 12... and turns out there's no one I won't care if I never see them again. No need to spend any time voting tonight, which is kind-of nice! I'm sure I won't feel that way again for a couple of months... ;-)

Von Smith (22, MO) "You're All I Need to Get By" - Well, this is certainly the 'pimped but will disappoint' spot this year! (See: Jackie, Jasmine) I love that he reigned himself back, but it wasn't a great song choice and at this point he *should* be showing what he's got vocally! Randy loved it & said it was better than his HW stuff & a better start than the past 2 weeks (which isn't saying much!). Paula called him a seasoned showman; Simon said that he reminds him of Clay in that he has poor style but sang & performed very well.

Taylor Vaifanua (17, UT) "If I Ain't Got You" - Good, though weak in the lowest & highest parts. Kara wants to see more of her personality; Paula wished she'd have done something we/they haven't heard her do before. Simon said she's generic, bland, & seems older than she is; Randy thought she was boring.

Alex Wagner-Trugman (19, CA) "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" - Interesting choice! He said he's been in a long-distance relationship for a while and though others could relate. He also said he'd been reading online comments about his being "dorky" and as a result was going to the gym! Still has the great, dry sense of humor. However... way overdid the song, was too growly and OTT. But he was cute & had fun w/it, anyway. Simon said it was fun to watch but not to listen; most of the judges disliked the growl. Randy said it definitely didn't show his vocal ability; Kara said that at least "you're you!" and that "you can't pay for that choreography!" (hee!) Bye bye Alex, it's been fun and perhaps you can pursue the comedy somehow!

Arianna Afsar (17, CA) "The Winner Takes It All" - Ryan said this is the 1st ABBA song ever done on Idol. It was pretty good; she embellished too much on the verse but the belty chorus fit her well. Simon though it was awful: too old of a song; Randy said it was the wrong song & she should've stuck w/the melody. Kara said it was too dark & serious, she missed the cute Arianna from the auditions. (Arianna said she appreciated that in HW the judges commented only on her music & not on her looks, so she was probably trying to avoid the "cute"!)

Ju'not Joyner (26, MD) "Hey There, Delilah" - Ah, the guy w/the cute kid. Who will suffer for lack of screentime, but sobeit. Did a slowed down rendition of this - nice, but doesn't really show off his vocal strength. Randy said it was a smart choice & liked what he did w/it; Kara liked it but wants him to "bust out" next time. Paula said that though she criticized Taylor for repeating her HW song, he changed his up so she likedit; Simon said it was a bit safe, but good. He also mentioned that the CA smoke was bothering his asthma & he'd had to get a cortisone shot!

Kristen McNamara (23, CA) "Give Me One Reason" - Hmm, another interesting choice. It was decent, but I really think she should've done rock, her voice is better for that. Granted both girls already in Top 12 are rock-ish, so I can see the hesitation to go there. But this certainly isn't getting her in. Kara wanted her to go more rock/pop as well, and of course criticized her outfit (for some reason her 'box' is 'girl w/horrid fashion sense'!). Paula said it was a good vocal but safe; Randy & Simon are still confused about who she is artistically & said it was a bad song choice. Kristen said that she does want to do Kelly Clarkson/Leona Lewis - type songs.

Nathaniel Marshall (19, NY) "I Would Do Anything for Love" - Cool choice! He certainly isn't predictable song-wise, at. all. And when I listened with my eyes closed [tm Simon] it was really good! Too bad he's so insistent on having this particular look, because he really can sing. And has decent stage presence and confidence (which, honestly, is somewhat rare for someone like him at such a young age, but I've heard he does have some experience in 'the biz'). You could tell he was having fun too. Simon was funny after he was done... the last line of course being, "...but I won't do that," saying "I bet you would!" Nathaniel laughed. ;-) Simon admitted he's a fun guy but said it verged on excruciating because of his look. Kara said he has a good voice but should be more serious; Paula somewhat agreed, saying she appreciated his relevance in HW (playing "Disturbia" on guitar) and that this was a "Boy George version" of Meat Loaf.

Felicia Barton (26, VA) "No One" - Great voice, but she missed the high note and at times her voice has a really weird tone to it... ? Overall the judges liked it, and Kara gave her the compliment of saying "I *noticed* you."

Scott MacIntyre (23, AZ) "Mandolin Rain" - Ok Corrie, how many times have you rewatched this so far? ;-) It was nice... I actually think his voice sounds a lot like David Archuleta on this! But I still don't think he's good enough that he would've made it this far if he were a 'normal,' sighted guy. The crowd loved him. Randy said there were a few rough spots but he hit the notes he needed to. Randy & Kara both commented that he shows passion when he performs. Simon said he's growing on him; he's somewhat relevant and is memorable and thinks he'll definitely go through. At the end Scott showed his sense of humor and awareness by asking Ryan to high-five him!! (Like Ryan tried to do after Scott's initial audition, and Scott obviously couldn't see what Ryan was trying to do....)

Kendall Beard (24, TX) "This One's for the Girls" - Well, she's a pretty generic blond country girl, but we don't have one yet so that could get her through! Kara said there were vocal issues (yes), but she has a big personality which comes through on stage (she obviously meant that as a compliment). Simon said it was shrilly toward the end.

Jorge Nunez (21, PR) "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - They showed a cute clip from HW group rounds w/him dancing. This song was good - nothing amazing, but probably the best male vocal tonight (man, why couldn't Anoop &/or Ricky have been in this group instead?!) Paula gave him a standing o. and said she could tell he'd worked very hard on his accent. Randy said it wasn't perfect but it was really, really good; Kara liked his sincerity (and then he started tearing up).

Lil Rounds (24, TN) "Be Without You" - I don't think anyone was surprised that she got the pimp spot tonight. There was a nice clip of her HW group (w/Michael Castro). This was very good - yes, finalist good, but having said that I still don't really care about her (maybe if she'd done a song I was more familiar with and liked?). I did enjoy seeing Nate jam along w/her from the balcony, though! The crowd & judges loved her, of course. Several judges said she's one of the best singers this season (well, they didn't put a lot of awesome girls through). Simon said it was brilliant though she did sound too much like the original; Kara praised her consistency throughout the competition.

My predictions: Definitely Lil. I'll pick Jorge and Kendall for the other spots, though Scott or Felicia could get in as well. Actually selfishly I'd prefer it if Scott did because that makes Anoop almost a lock for the last guy spot (assuming there are only 6) if the other 5 are all white! ;-)

AI8 - Group 2 Results (2/26/09)

2009-02-26T23:19:00.003-05:00

25 Million votes this week! And some surprising results IMO...

Group song: "Closer." Nice! Though I really wish we could hear them singing solo instead of in pairs.

Ryan mentioned a "hidden unseen audition" that was going to air during the commercial break - did anyone see this? I was flipping back & forth to Survivor and didn't tape the commercials of Idol so I have no clue....

Recap... didn't really highlight or swoon over anyone like they normally do, interesting.

For tonight's results Ryan is bringing people down to the stage in groups. First he brings Allison down alone and goes over the comments she got last night, but before reading her results he then does the same for Jesse and Matt B. (When I see Jesse come down I know she's not getting through because I'm sure Allison is - bummer!) Then says one of the three will advance - it's Allison. She sings and is cute and definitely deserves the spot.

Next Megan & Kris are brought down; Ryan reads their comments. Then brings Matt G. and Jeanine down, saying only one from this group of 4 is going through. I assume it's Megan, or possibly Matt G. because he had an earlier fan base. Ryan says it's not Jeanine... then says it's not Matt... so, must be... Kris?! Whoa! I'm wonderfully surprised, because he's just adorable, and Megan really, really annoys me... but I'm in shock! And so is Kris! Kara said that his Hollywood performance of Michael Buble's "Everything" was almost better than the original; I wish we'd gotten to hear it! Kris sings, and is excited like a little kid. He's going to be a fun contestant. Good for him! (For those who don't remember even seeing him before this week, we got a very short clip of his initial Louisville audition where he did "A Song for You." Then he was in the "White Chocolate" group in Hollywood along with Matt G, with the rapper and the beatboxing... and I thought he was better than Matt in that, but most people only noticed Matt.)

Then Ryan says something about the montage of moments from past seasons with which they opened this season's first show & how they've gotten lots of letters & emails about it, so they replay it. It is kind-of cool how at the end they show each of the 7 previous winners at the winning moments.

And our guest performance this week is... another contestant from last season! Brooke White performs her first single, "Hold Up My Heart," which she cowrote. I really like the music, but the lyrics don't make any sense to me. (Chorus: "Please hold up my heart; give me a reason for this empty silence. Please hold up my heart; I'm changing, but everybody's changing too." Huh? lol)

Ok, back to results... the last 5 contestants are called down by Ryan: Mishovanna, Kai, Nick, Adam, and Jasmine. He reads comments for Mishovanna, then Kai, skips Nick & Adam, and gives comments for Jasmine. Then announces all 3 are out, so it's down to Nick and Adam! Not much suspense, but jokes w/Simon about his comment that he was praying... Anyway, the last finalist is... Adam! Yay!!! He & Nick hug & Ryan asks him what he was thinking; he says he thought Nick was hilarious so had no idea which way things would go. Obviously he's happy to be in though and he sings... which means I get to see the whole song for the first time! I didn't really notice the techno edge last night, but that kind-of goes w/his glam side... as does the funky 70's middle part. Wow. And we used to think Constantine's performances were edgy for Idol! ;-) Some folks on one message board were saying Adam remind them of MiG (from RockStar), and I see a bit of that. Whatever... I love him and am glad we've got him in the Top 12! The other contestants seem very appreciative of his talent as well, which is nice to see.

Ok, one more week! The next group is: Arianna, Kristen, Lil, Kendall, Felica, Taylor, Ju'not, Nathaniel, Jorge, Scott, Von, and Alex. And then we'll have the wildcard episode next Thursday where the judges pick the last 3 finalists - hopefully Anoop will be one of them!!!

AI8 - Semifinals, Group 2 (2/25/09)

2009-02-24T00:10:00.002-05:00

No families in the Red Room tonight. And we jump right in...

Jasmine Murry (17, MS) "Love Song" (Sara Bareilles) - Why is she singing a bouncy pop song like a belting diva? Sigh... song choice, song choice, song choice! Now if she'd done something by Fergie... seriously, does she remind anyone else of a cross between Paris Bennett & Fergie? ;-) Anyway, she was one of the most promising females this year & just totally threw her chances away with SONG CHOICE! She did have great stage presence. Randy said it was pitchy & too embellished; Simon said he's disappointed, her voice wasn't that good & she's not ready.

Matt Giraud (23, MI) "Viva La Vida" - Ok, again, people! Have you never ever watched the show before? SONG CHOICE! He said this is the style of music he wants to do & that he was trying to put a "soulful twist on a white boy rock song," but it just. didn't. work. Judges totally agreed. He's gone.

Jeanine Vailes (28, DC) "This Love" - The only female semifinalist we haven't heard yet. Great, long legs... but not great singing. She has a good voice but had some off notes & embellished too much (why do they keep doing that on fast pop songs?). Simon said it was terrible, she picked the wrong song & seemed to struggle through it. (She'd said she picked it because she was comfortable w/it.) Randy agreed & called it pitchy. Kara said it was overdone; Jeanine replied that she knew she needed to "come out strong" since she hadn't gotten any previous screentime and admitted she probably overcompensated. Cannon fodder.

Nick Mitchell / Norman/Normund Gentle (27, CT) "And I Am Telling You" - Well, we've already heard him sing this, but perhaps he's most comfortable w/it & figures if it got him this far... but the vocal wasn't nearly as good this time and the surprise factor was gone. Still had his hilarious moments; like when he sang to the Idol sign and called out "Doogie" in the audience. ;-) Simon said it was atrocious & Nick said the vocal had been much better in rehearsal, he knew something went wrong in the live performance. Randy said it was funny & one of the most entertaining performances (ever on Idol). It was fun, but I think his time has come to an end.

Allison Iraheta (16, CA) "Alone" - YES! Girl. can. SANG. Needs to tone down the gestures but still has decent stage presence & confidence. Judges loved her; Paula & Simon both said she's by far the best so far tonight).

Kris Allen (23, AR) "Man in the Mirror" - really? Sigh. I mean, it wasn't terrible, but unless you're going to do something wackily brilliant like David Cook's "Billie Jean," please step away from the Michael Jackson. We did get a short clip of him doing Michael Buble's "Everything" on guitar in Hollywood, which was nice. Kris is just so adorable and really does have a good voice & can dance and such, but this just wasn't good enough for this stage of the competition. Kara said the front was rough but the end was decent; still prefers the soulfulness she saw in Hollywood. Paula disagreed & thought he "nailed it;" Simon agreed! Simon & Randy both complimented his confidence (something they'd told him to work on).

Megan Corkrey (23, UT) "Put Your Records On" - Goodness, she's strange! Vocals were ok, sometimes very good but other times weak and occasionally annoying. Then there's the wigging, swinging and gesturing she did... that Ryan thought was cool? Um, no. (And Ryan, don't dance, there's a reason you're on radio, lol.) However... the judges absolutlely *loved* her!! I don't get it. Paula said she did everything right & that she's interesting and relevant; Kara called her a "package artist." Simon did think she oversang the 2nd half. I hope she doesn't get through over someone more deserving just because of extra screentime.

Matt Breitzke (28, OK) "If You Could Only See" - When he started I really thought this fit his voice perfectly, and it was good on the softer parts. But not in the louder, more rock-ish parts. I think he's pretty much cannon fodder at this point. Simon said he likes Matt but hated the performance, it was boring & a bad song choice. Kara agreed, saying it really didn't show us anything of what he can do.

Jesse Langseth (26, MN) "Bette Davis Eyes" - LOVE!!!!!!!!! I've loved her voice ever since we first saw her (well, I guess we've only seen her during group round and The Chair sing-off) and I absolutely love this song and she. was. awesome. So professional, polished, knows what she can do well and plays to her strengths... the only possible weakness was that she had her eyes closed too much instead of trying to connect w/the audience & camera. But as a musician loving a song (she said she loves the story & thinks it's "one of the greatest songs ever written"), I can understand just getting lost in the performance itself. She also commented that she liked Simon's comment after the singoff that she couldn't have won w/that performance, because it excited her to fight back & do better! Which IMO she definitely did. The judges seemed underwhelmed though; Randy said it was just ok, nothing exciting. Kara said she looked better than before & took some risks but hit some wrong notes (really?). Paula liked her, complimenting her unique phrasing & identifiable sound. Simon, however, said it was too 'cool' and forgettable. So I voted, a lot. :-)

Kai Kalama (27, CA) "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?" - Well, if they keep singing standards instead of something current, they often get voted off (unless you're Melinda, but not many are that talented). He really is good (and attractive, and can dance) and I would have loved to have heard him do something more recent; I'm afraid this did him in. Kara agreed plus said there were pitch issues. Simon agreed it was old-fashioned, nothing original, and even "corny"; Randy said it was too safe. At least his mom could come out for what will probably be his only live performance.

Mishovanna Henson (18, CA) "Drops of Jupiter" - Again, not a great song choice. She sang most of it well and you can tell she has a good voice, but I don't think it was enough, especially w/Allison & Jesse in this group (and Megan whom the judges inexplicably love). Paula said what I did; Simon said it (she) was too serious/old seeming and that it was technically good but left him cold. Kara said she seemed too "put together" (wanted her to loosen up more) and that she's not sure where she fits musically.

And Adam Lambert (27, CA) gets the pimp spot and chooses "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." Sigh. I hate the Stones & really don't like this song. And then my stupid tape cuts off right in the middle of Adam's performance! Yikes. So I saw the first third or so and the last couple phrases. I love how he started it out slowly, and I agree w/Kara that it showed his range well (the lower stuff is very nice!). Oh, in his preview clip he said he appreciated Kara's advice and would try to connect more w/songs personally & internally rather than on the theater level that he's so used to. Anyway, the crowd seemed to love it and Paula gave him a standing ovation. She said that he's in a league of his own and it was more like a concert than part of a competition. Simon said parts were "excruciatingly bad" (toward the beginning) but other parts were "brilliant." Randy said he's one of the most current artists they've ever had on the show, comparing him to a mix of Steven Tyler, Fall Out Boy, Robert Pattinson (played Edward in the Twilight movie) and My Chemical Romance. ...Yes, I voted, though not as much as for Jesse because I think he's got a lot of fans (and possibly cemented more after admitting he's a Twilight fan himself!).

My predictions: Adam and Allison for the top gender spots. The 3rd will probably be Megan though I really hope it's Jesse instead!!

Tell me what you think!

AI8 - Group 1 Results (2/18/09)

2009-02-18T22:15:00.002-05:00

Over 24 million votes last night - wow! We get a montage of short clips from everyone's "journey" (initial auditions, mostly). Then a group song, yay!! "I'm Yours" - but, it's the whole group, the whole time - no one gets solos! :-( Would've loved to hear Anoop solo on this.

Recap - highlighted Alexis, Tatiana & Ann Marie for the girls, Anoop & Danny for the guys. Not surprising there.

So for the first stretch, Ryan brings contestants down to the stage to give them their results. Some solo, some in pairs.

Casey - no ("You're not in the Top 12")
Stephen - no
Alexis - yes! 1st through, and she gets to sing again. Yeah, I guess she's good enough to be a finalist, sure.

Brought down together:
Jackie - no
Ricky - no

Now Michael & Anoop are brought down together, but only one of them get to go through... wow, Anoop is really tall (no wonder I like him, lol!). Unfortunately it's Michael and Anoop is sent back to the couches. They'd better bring him back for wildcard!!!! Oh Ryan says he only had 20,000 fewer votes than Michael did.

Short video from the "American Idol Experience" premiere at Disney, Florida. All 7 winners were together. The finale was a performance by David Cook & Carrie Underwood dueting on "You Can Go Your Own Way," and from what we see it was awesome! Now *that* they should sell on iTunes!

After the break Ryan calls down "the next 2 contestants"... and it's Carly Smithson and Michael Johns, back to perform for us. Michael says his single will be out soon and his album drops in May. They sing "The Letter," just like on tour.

Ryan now has the following stand up at the couches, and all find out they're done: Ann Marie, Brent, and Stevie. Which leaves...

Danny & Tatiana to come down on stage. One of them will advance... like we don't know which one? Sheesh. Well they still drew it out, but of course it's Danny. Tatiana manages to hold it together until about half-way through Danny's song, but then she starts sobbing.

And that's pretty much it!

Next week, Group 2:
Girls - Megan Corkrey, Mishovanna Henson, Allison Iraheta, Jasmine Murray, Jesse Langseth, and Jeanine Vailes.
Guys - Kris Allen, Matt Brietzke, Matt Giraud, Kai Kalama, Adam Lambert, & Nick Mitchell. Theoretically, more talent than this week, so let's hope the performances show it! Can't wait to hear what Adam will sing....

AI8 - Semifinals, Group 1 (2/17/09)

2009-02-17T19:24:00.005-05:00

Woo-hoo, 1st live show! And there's a bit of a 'theme' - Billboard Top 100 hits. Also all performances will be available on iTunes - they have high expectations, apparently!

Jackie Tohn (28, NY): "A Little Less Conversation" - Just ok overall; the tight black pants didn't help. Randy said she's a good entertainer; the judges agreed it wasn't her best vocal, and Simon didn't like it at all. Ryan had her parents in the Red Room (as he did w/most contestants) so she returned there to join him to give the voting phone number.

Ricky Braddy (26, NC): "A Song for You" - We get some background, finally! He attended music school but wasn't pursuing a career until recently. They played a short clip of one of his solos in HW, an Alicia Keys song. His performance tonight is very good! Too bad his voice isn't "unique" and that we haven't seen him before tonight - I think he could have been very popular but there are people the audience already likes singing the same type of music. I threw him a few votes though I think he's cannon fodder. He was definitely the most fun balcony dancer of the night! (I love watching them during each others' performances!) The judges liked him; Paula acknowledged his lack of screen time & Simon said he has the voice but not enough confidence/star quality. (Anoop is also from NC so they'll be splitting home state votes, one thing that might've given him an edge.)

Alexis Grace (21, TN): "Never Loved a Man" - decent, and very cute in her little black dress & pink-splashed blonde hair. Randy loved her; Simon said the best so far tonight & that she has soul plus confidence.

Brent Keith (29, OH): "Hick Town" - Apparently Brent has dropped his last name (Smith). Talks about how he & his wife have been living paycheck-to-paycheck (yeah, join the rest of the country). Performance is good, not great. Kara & Paula say it was too safe; Simon dubs it forgettable. His wife meets him in the Red Room w/Ryan.

Stevie Wright (17, CA): "You Belong With Me" (Taylor Swift) - Just. no. She wanted to show her young, fun self, but it was pretty terrible. To go from the soulful "At Last" in her 1st audition where she wowed a lot of us to this... all the judges said it was a bad song choice. At least she can hope for a Wildcard spot.

Anoop Desai (22, NC): "Angel of Mine" - We get a small clip of "My Prerogative" from HW and he says he picked it because it's a fun song; he explains that he wants to perform songs that he's always wanted to see done on Idol as he's watched over the years! (Cool perspective!) & He also wants to bring energy to the stage. Tonight's performance is good; I love him so I enjoy it, but it's not the best vocal I've heard him do. Randy says he was a bit sharp & good but not his best; Paula notes that thankfully "America has connected with you already." Simon said the song was too "grown up" (Anoop points out it's from the late 90's) & serious for him, but that he's likeable. I definitely gave him some votes.

Casey Carlson (20, MN): "Every Little Thing [He] Does is Magic" - I didn't think she should've been put through the very 1st time, and this performance totally confirms that opinion. Way out of her league, and the judges call her on it. Bad song choice all around; Kara said "everything about that was wrong." (hee!) Bye Casey!

Michael Sarver (27, TX): "I Don't Wanna Be" - Ah, what would an Idol show be without this song? ;-) It's ok, but I don't think it's a great fit for his voice. He seems to pick R&B-ish songs so if that's what he wants to sing, there are others better for the job. The judges are disappointed though Kara & Simon talk about his likeability. His wife & Mom are in the Red Room.

Ann Marie Boskovich (22, TN): "Natural Woman" - Well, she's not Kelly. But, she did surprisingly well! Actually turns out to be my favorite female performance of the night. She knows her limits & didn't go for the high notes, but was very strong w/what she did. Judges disagreed w/me though; Randy said it was a bad song choice, Kara wanted something younger/more fun, and Simon said her voice isn't good enough for that song. Mom & sis in Red Room. I tossed her a couple votes & think she has a decent chance of making it through (I know a good number of people impressed w/her earlier performances as well).

Stephen Fowler (26, OH?): "Rock with You" - Showed a tiny clip of his initial audition, then the HW disaster. Weird song choice - I can tell he has a good voice, but not the best song to show it (I was disappointed after hearing some buzz on the 'net about him). Randy said it was a bad choice & he was pitchy; Paula actually said that doing this song was "the kiss of death"! Simon said it was corny. His wife was at home so Ryan came down to the stage to give his numbers instead of having Stephen go up to the Red Room.

Tatiana Del Toro (23, PR): "Saving All My Love for You" - If you'd told me Tatiana would pull off a Whitney song, I wouldn't have believed you; but she did! She was all teary in her clip talking about how hard HW week was, being judged (by other contestants), etc. During her performance she mostly stood still & was very serious (despite the horrid orange & purple dress). It was very, very good! Kara said she doesn't know who she is as an artist & that she's a roller coaster ride; Paula said she's definitely the "most talked about" contestant, and that there were some pitchy moments but some beautiful moments. She had 2 (male) friends w/her in the Red Room & said that her HW behavior wasn't her norm (we can only hope!).

Danny Gokey (28, WI): "Hero" - Gee, I'm so surprised the producers gave him the pimp spot (not)! ;-) Says he's a church music director, and that he picked this song to hopefully inspire other people to rise above difficult circumstances (such as he has, though he doesn't specifically mention the dead wife nor do the producers, this time). It's very good, of course - how can you not love Elliot's voice in a Robert Downey, Jr., wannabe body? All the judges love him, though Simon is (of course) less enthusiastic than the others. Kara was very excited, Paula gave him a standing ovation, and Simon said he's a very good singer & that while it was good, it wasn't fantastic. Jamar is shown in the audience but Danny has no family there, so we finish up w/Ryan on the stage to give Danny's numbers before the recap of the night.

My predictions: Danny, Ann Marie, and Anoop will advance. Tatiana or Alexis could slide in for the girls and I wouldn't mind if Ricky got in for the guys, as I think the judges would bring Anoop back for the Wildcard.

Let me know what you think!

AI8 - Hollywood: The Chair (2/11/09)

2009-02-16T23:30:00.002-05:00

(Sorry for the delay - I've not had a good week.)

It's the "Last Day of Hollywood," which really means it's a couple months later after background checks and the 54 remaining contestants have been brought back to find out who will make this year's semifinals! This year we will have a Top 36. And instead of riding an elevator up to the judges' room, contestants will walk through an outside garden, then down a hallway and around a corner, where they'll find the judges in big red cushy, thronelike chairs. Also new this year are "singoffs"- instead of just pitting the last 2 of each gender against each other, there will be several pairs of similar contestants (i.e. brunette pop singer, blond country singer, geeky teen boy) who are each forced to sing one last time so that the judges can pick who's advancing.

Anoop Desai is first! We (finally) see a clip from his group, who sang "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." The decision is unanimous and he's through.

Von Smith - we get a bit of backstory and learn that both of his parents sing, and they weren't happy with his song choice for his Hollywood solo: "You Can Feel It All Over" (from the clip it seemed very toned down from his other performances that we've seen). Simon said that decision gave the judges their decision - and he's through! Whew - hopefully this means he'll keep it toned down from here on??

Our 1st singoff will be between Alex Wagner-Trugman (closet singer) and Cody Sheldon (horror movie boy). Cody is 1st and sings Gavin Rossdale's "Love Remains the Same," a bit shaky. He leaves and Alex comes up, shocked and upset that he & Cody are being pitted against each other. Alex sings "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and is very good. His attitude was wonderful during the whole thing, even when told he was through he was more concerned for Cody (who was very upset) than happy for himself. Jackie Tohn is shown being surprised that Cody didn't make it when they return together to the holding room.

Adam is up next. Apparently HW was somewhat of a rollercoaster for him - his 1st solo was shown but just the video, no audio. Kara commented (in the clip) that he was still "too theater" and wasn't "touching" her. Simon tried to draw out their decision, saying that he might be surprised with Simon's decision, and that while they all liked him in HW they had to consider whether they thought he could win the show and be a good recording artist... and that it was a unanimous yes!

Taylor Vaifanua was one (of too many) who struggled w/words but was kept in based on earlier performances. She advances again.

Several quick yeses follow:
Jasmine Murray
Arianna Afsar
Casey Carlson
Megan Corkrey
Mishovanna Henson
Stevie Wright

Joanna Pacitti - She was in Adam's group & they show a bit of "Some Kind of Wonderful." She forgot her words there too! The judges (mainly Kara) talk about how they're concerned that she hasn't made it w/so many past opportunities, and that she doesn't seem to know who she is as an artist. Simon strangely replies that she just needs "someone" to "give her a break" and that they think this is her chance, so she advances. Interestingly, the next day on the Fox site it was stated that she was found ineligible and disqualified from the competition. (She knows several 19E employees, and her boyfriend's new band's 1st single was written by Kara - among other things!)

T.K. Hash - no
Chris C (?) - no
Reggi B (?) - no

Kendall Beard - shown singing "Angels" - yes

Singoff between Kristen McNamara and Jen Korbee (the wife of the couple who both advanced, shown kissing at the NY auditions). Jen was in Adam & Joanna's group as was her husband, who was cut then. She sings something I don't know. Kristen sings "I Will Always Love You" and I thought she was better than Jen. Kara said that Jen doesn't connect well w/her songs, but Simon wanted to keep her (she's much more attractive); Paula said Kristen seems to have an "identity crisis" and it shows in her poor wardrobe choices. Regardless, Kristen is through and Jen is out.

Alexis Grace - HW clip shown, good- yes

Scott MacIntyre - repeated the clips we've seen before - yes

Lil Rounds - yes

Felicia Barton - not a unanimous decision, but she's out. Until Joanna got pulled the "next" day, and now she's back in! Yay, Felicia!

Ashley (not sure which one) - unanimous no

Devon Baldwin - no

Singoff: Frankie Jordan and Jesse Langseth - bummer, 2 of my top 3 girls! Apparently Frankie struggled during HW Week and her singoff song was just ok. We finally get to see Jesse's K. City audition where she sang "The First Cut is the Deepest," as well as her 1st solo in HW. Her singoff song was confident and much better than Frankie's. Jesse advances, Frankie is sent home. Bummer.

Shera L. - no

Derek Lavers? - no

Allison Iraheta - HW solo clip singing "Because of You." I didn't really like it, but the judges say she has "raw, natural talent" and she advances.

Danny Gokey - Simon said he needs to be relevant (not sure which way he meant it) & he's through (duh).

Jamar - we see the "Hey There, Delilah" clip again. The judges mention that he "took risks," but apparently they didn't pay off as he is cut, though encouraged to return in the future. The holding room is surprised he didn't make it.

Ricky Braddy - the only male semifinalist we've yet to hear sing! We are told, at least, that he auditioned in Louisville. Advances.

Matt Giraud - yes
Ju'not Joyner - yes
Jorge Nunez - yes
Brent Keith Smith -yes
Stephen Fowler - despite blowing his lyrics (at least twice), yes

Nick Mitchell - Torn about what to do but really wants it; says "I'll do anything to get through." Said his dream is to perform as the character Norman (Normund?) because his 2 passions are singing and making people laugh. The judges said that's exactly what they want, and he's through!

Jackie Tohn - shown playing guitar on Day 4 of HW, singing "I Hope You Dance." It was decent but I still don't care much for her. She's through.

Tatiana Del Toro - sigh. Her solo on Day 4 was very good!! The judges were not unanimous, but she advances.

Singoff between friends Nathaniel Marshall and Jackie Midkiff, whom we haven't seen before. Jackie gets a HW clip of "Superstitious" and does "When a Man Loves a Woman" for the singoff (I thought it was just ok; Kara loved it). We get backstory on Nate, who's mom was a druggie & not around so he was raised by his grandmother & aunts (moved around quite a bit between them). Simon asks about his outfit and he said that if this is his last day, he just wanted to be "true to himself". For the singoff he chooses "I'm Already There" and it's very strong and probably his best performance that we've seen! Definitely good enough to advance. Hopefully he'll let the stylist have some say in the future, because he's through and Jackie, not surprisingly, is cut.

Jeanine Vailes is the sole female semifinalist we've yet to hear sing (nor have we even seen her before that I recall, but then I pay more attention to the guys & had noticed Ricky before). The judges say the decision is not unanimous but she's through. Read, cannon fodder.

Kai Kalama - unanimous yes

Ann Marie Boskovich - yes

Kris Allen - yes (yay!)

And the last 2 guys, set up for a singoff: Matt Brietzke and Michael Sarver, the blue collar dads. Simon didn't like his group performance but I think Paula did & wants him to go through. I didn't know his singoff song but thought it was just ok. Just the comments are shown for Michael's HW clip but his singoff is very good! Kara & Randy want him to advance. Well the editing was good this year because we (supposedly) haven't figured out how many spots are left; but, turns out there are two & they're both through!

Whew! So there's our Top 36.

The 1st group of 12 who'll be performing for our votes next week are below! The top vote-getting male & female will advance, as well as the next highest vote-getter regardless of gender. This 1st group is a tough one!!

Girls: Casey, Jackie, Ann Marie, Alexis, Stevie, & Tatiana
Guys: Stephen, Ricky, Brent, Michael, Danny, and Anoop!

AI8 - Hollywood, Round 3 (2/10/09)

2009-02-10T22:10:00.002-05:00

There are 72 contestants who will be performing solos in hopes of making the Top 50. This year the judges are breaking them up into 4 rooms, and we see them deliberating throughout the show, with 'flashbacks' to earlier performances. Otherwise there wouldn't be any drama, right? Well, at least we get to see a lot of singing....

#1 is Adam Lambert. There is a clip from earlier in the week of Kara saying he's still too "musical theater." He says he wants to take songs that we've heard over & over and do them in a new way; and that he "can" do that. Segue to his solo of Cher's "Believe" slowed down a bit - very nice!

Matt Giraud is shown next and plays keyboard for "Georgia on My Mind." Gets standing ovation from all judges except Simon.

Jamar sings "Hey There, Delilah."

Danny- "I Hope You Dance" - probably my least favorite of his performances so far (the mannerisms/gestures are a bit annoying) but still decent vocal. Paula *loved*.

Anoop sings "My Prerogative."

Jorge - "I Just Can't Stop."

Scott McIntyre - plays keyboard (as promo'd) and sings Daughtry's "Home." Good.

Kendall Beard - "Before He Cheats."

Stevie Wright - "Bubbly"

Lil - "If I Ain't Got You"

Kristin - "Because of You" (lots of past Idols' songs!) - still love her!!

Mishanoma Henson (new) - made it to Hollywood last year as well. Sings Michael Buble's "My Everything."

Tatiana sings Mariah, surprise surprise.

Alexis Grace - "Before He Cheats"

Kenny H - "I'm Yours" (a repeat for him I think)

Jasmine - "Tattoo" - my least favorite of hers (not bad, just nothing remarkable)

Nathaniel - plays acoustic guitar and sings "Disturbia"! Well at least he's not predictable...

Joanna - not sure what she sang but she forgot her words.

Casey Carlson - "Tattoo" & also forgot words.

Stephen Fowler - "Time of My Life"; played keyboard; messed up (lyrics) twice & walked off.

Nick decides to sing as Norman (or Normund?) and does "Georgia on My Mind," mostly singing it straight (well, you know what I mean!). ;-) Pretty good.

Ann Marie - "I Hope You Dance"- nice but I don't see her making the finals.

Junot Joyner (finally!) - we've seen him in past years but this is the 1st they've shown him this season. Sings "Hey there, Delilah."

Kaylan (a girl) - "If I Ain't Got You"

Leneshe - "Love Song" (Sara Bareilles-sp?) - good

Kai - Stevie Wonder song? Played guitar; voice is very tired/strained.

Michael Sarver - not sure of his song either.

Room 2 is the first to hear their fate; there are many people who excelled early on but have had "sporadic" performances. Nevertheless they advance! Includes Casey, Alexis, Arianna, Jasmine, and Kai. (I'll fill these in more if possible after I review the tape.)

Room 3 has the group that is eliminated (so about 22 people): India (shown singing a rough "Disturbia"), Michael Castro (wonder why we didn't hear him at all in Hollywood??), Kaylan, Leneshe, and I think I saw Ryan Johnson.

Room 1 advances: Anoop, both Danny and Jamar, Kristin, Adam, Matt G., Lil, Scott, Jorge, Jackie.

Room 4 also advances: Nick (!), Cody (shown but we still don't get to hear him sing - maybe tomorrow!!), Tatiana (who freaks out during the fake-out, assuming it's a 'No'), Junot, Kris, Matt B, Jackie (a guy), Ann Marie, T.K., and Felicia.

Tomorrow, the Chair episode - filmed in "the judges' mansion" - Wha?

AI8 - Hollywood, Round 2: Groups (2/4/09)

2009-02-05T00:10:00.005-05:00

Full recap tomorrow- lots to write! Of course I wish we'd seen 5 times more singing and a fifth of the drama, but the singing we did see? (Much of it, anyway-) Awesomeness!!

Here's a brief run-down of who's in, who's out, and who(m) I didn't see...

Through to the next round:
India Morrison, Justin Williams (new), Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, Jorge Nunez, Nick/Norman, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Ann Marie Boskovich, Danny Gokey, Jamar Rogers, Taylor Vaifanua, Jeremy Michael Sarver, Adam Lambert, Matt Breitzke, Jesse Langseth (a girl, new), Jasmine Murray, Muna Hiluf (new), Tatiana Del Toro, Nate/Nathaniel Marshall, Kristin McNamara (new), Scott McIntyre, Von Smith, Arianna Afsar, Ryan Johnson, Jackie Tohn, Michael Castro, Kai Kalama, Cody Sheldon. And Anoop Desai was shown in the preview so I assume he's through as well.

Out: Julissa Veloz, Ryan Pinkston (new), Emily Wynne-Hughes, Lauren Barnes (new), Rose Flack, Katrina Darrell, Austin Sisneros, David Osmond, Deanna Brown, Nancy Wilson (new).

Advanced to groups but don't know after that: Frankie Jordan, J.B. Ahfua, Lil Rounds, Joanna Pacitti (pretty sure I saw her tonight but not certain), Alexis Grace, Megan Corkrey, Stephen Fowler

Haven't seen what happened to at all in Hollywood:
Stevie Wright, Brianna Quijada, T.K. Hash, Ashley Anderson, Casey Carlson, Leneshe Young, Asa Barnes, Monique Torres, Ashley Hollister, Joshua Ulloa, John Twiford, Allison Iraheta, Raquel Houghton, Felicia Barton, Shera Lawrence, Jarrett Burns, Melinda Camille, Kenny Hoffpauer (maybe in groups?), Kendall Beard

Hopefully everyone who's been featured so far is listed in one of these 4 groups! (I'll update later after checking some other sources.) And I'm not using any spoiler knowledge, just what I've seen on tv so far. I'm really excited about the potential finalists this year!!!

-----
Ok, Recap!

It's 9 pm on "Day 2" of Round 1 in Hollywood. Contestants start to choose groups; a few are shown having a hard time, specifically Tatiana (gee, I wonder why) and Megan C. By 11:15 many groups are practicing w/the band (there are a limited # of songs, so many groups can practice together).

They focus on 3 groups that have D.R.A.M.A. The 1st is "The Divas" which includes Rose, Lauren Barnes, Jasmine, and Katrina. At 4 am Katrina leaves to go to bed even though the group hadn't finished practicing (apparently 7 hours wasn't enough). In the morning they go to fetch her and she says she needs more than 2 hours of sleep, so they go on without her assuming she has dropped out. She does finally show up though.

The 2nd is "Team Compromise," comprised of Nathaniel/Nate, Nancy Wilson (new), and Kristin McNamara. Kristin wants to take a break (around 2:30 am I think) and Nancy comes over and starts yelling at her about how everyone else is still working and not taking breaks and she needs to get back to work. Whereas really, if Nancy had actually let Kristin be alone and *have* 10 minutes of (relative) quiet, she might have come back refreshed & ready to go. Hounding her, not surprisingly, had just the opposite effect. Nate of course tries to mediate & then is upset that they're not practicing as well.

We don't get a name for the other group other than "Tatiana's group," which contains Muna Hiluf and 2 unnamed girls. At one point Tatiana jumps ship and wants to join Team Compromise, adding to their Drama (Kristin said yes, the others weren't so sure). After a bit of rehearsal Tatiana doesn't think this group is any better than her other one (i.e. they're not giving her total control) so she jumps back!

On to the singing!

First we hear Simon telling everyone how important lyrics are - so important, in fact, that if you forget your words today, you are automatically cut. Ouch! (Bucky certainly would have been cut if they'd done that his season, and probably quite a few other finalists!)

1st up is "White Chocolate": India Morrison (one of the sisters), Justin Williams (new: 26, AZ, teacher), Kris Allen (we saw him briefly in Louisville doing "A Song for You"), and Matt Giraud (Dueling pianist). They sing "I Want You Back" and start and end with India rapping while the guys beatboxed & such. They were all good; to me Kris stood out as excellent. They all made it through and set a very high standard for everyone else!

A group is shown with Austin (class pres.), J.B. Ahfua (16-year old from 1st audition ep), and a girl named Shelby. We don't hear them sing and later are told that Austin was cut, but we don't know about the others.

Another group contains Jorge, Julissa, Nick ("Norman" but serious this time), and a blond girl I don't recognize. They sing "Get Ready" but we don't hear much. Both girls are cut, both guys advance.

"Action Squad" is next: Alex (closet singer), Ann Marie (got 2nd audition chance), Emily (pink-haired rocker), and Ryan Pinkston (new guy). They have "Don't Stop Thinking about Tomorrow." Emily forgets her words! She & Ryan are cut; Alex & Ann Marie are through.

"Rainbow Coalition": BFF's Danny and Jamar plus Taylor (tall Samoan 16-yr old) and another girl. They sing "Somebody to Love" a cappella and rock it! Very, very good. All advance.

Several good singers are then highlighted in a medley of "Some Kind of Wonderful." The first is Jeremy Michael Sarver (oil rig guy) & the 2 other guys in his group are not shown. Next is Adam Lambert (musical theater guy, sang BoRap for audition & I loooooove him!), the only one shown singing of his group with Joanna (girl w/past record deal) and 2 others. Last are Matt Breitzke (married welder) and Jesse Langseth (new: 25, MN, and Johnny Lang's little sis), who are both awesome (we don't see the 3rd group member). Adam's group closes out the medley; they're all back in one group singing but he's having a blast and really showing his skillz while the others are kind-of backing him up. I know some think he was too annoyingly over-the-top (a la Von), but I thought it fit in this context. This whole medley was very, very... well, wonderful! ;-) I'm assuming everyone highlighted made it through.

"The Divas" are shown next; they have Duffy's "Mercy." Lauren is decent, Katrina & Rose both just ok... and Jasmine is Awesome!! Vocally incredible, and socially seems to have totally stayed out of the Drama stewed by Katrina & Rose. So much more maturity at 16 than many of the contestants 10 years her senior. Jasmine is the only one to advance.

Cut, but not shown singing: Austin, David Osmond, and Deanna Brown (grabbed someone else's family in 1st audition ep because she didn't have anyone w/her).

2 groups left. First up is Tatiana's, and we see way too much drama. They sing "I Want You Back" and Muna (new: 16, NV) is good, Tatiana's vocal was decent, and we didn't hear the other two. All of them advance and afterward Tatiana goes on and on thanking Jesus, her group members, and any and everyone involved in any way in the show. And on. and on....

"Team [they didn't] Compromise" is last and they sing "Mercy." Nate is very stressed beforehand and leads the group in prayer. He starts out singing and is overly dramatic with his choreo (not too surprising; some of the judge laugh but goodheartedly I think). Nancy flubs her words but her voice isn't that great either. Kristin (new tonight: 22, CA), however, can sing! I can't wait to hear more of her - and when she's had a bit more sleep and much less stress. They finished and Simon commented, "You really don't like each other, do you?" Heh. Nancy was cut and didn't even let Kristin touch her, though Nate went & consoled her afterward and Nancy did admit that she was at least partially to fault for letting things "get to" her. Nate & Kristin advanced.

In total "about 75" made it through to the next round. They showed a few others and I caught Scott (blind guy), Von, Joanna, Arianna (16-yr old "Adopt a Grandfriend" founder), Michael Castro, Ryan Johnson, Jackie, Kai, and Cody (horror movie boy). Anoop is also shown in the preview for next week so apparently he made it though we never saw his group. Next week we get longer solos (with instruments!) and the announcement of the Top 36!!!

AI8 Hollywood Week - Days 1 & 2 (2/3/09)

2009-02-03T23:35:00.004-05:00

We get 4 episodes of Hollywood Week this year instead of just 2; yay!! And the 147 contestants got something new as well - a "Boot Camp"! Time with stylists, vocal coaches, and a famous mentor - Barry Manilow! He sure does love Idol now, lol. How fun for all the contestants though!

The format is familiar - Contestants go on stage in groups ("lines") of 8, each singing a cappella for the judges, & are then divided into one group that advances and one group that goes home - I guess last year's '2nd chance' idea is gone. So, Day 1 we have 64 up...

The first group includes Dennis Brigham and Lil Rounds.
- Lil sings "I Will Always Love You" and gets a standing ovation from the judges; Kara calls her "bold and brave." She's through.
- Dennis: "For Once in My Life" - just ok, vocals definitely not up to finalist level. Is cut.
- An Asia and Alexander (tall guy w/beard from NY, we haven't heard sing) also advance from this group.

Frankie is shown with Simon saying "that was way overcooked." Some of the Day 2 group (out sightseeing on Day 1) is shown, including Brent Keith Smith.

Next group shown:
- Nathaniel Marshall (new- 18, NY, 103187) - Sings Ray Bolz's "The Anchor Holds" and my brain is confused, lol. This is a conservative Christian song being sung by a guy with tats and piercings; I'm interested, anyway!! He's got a good voice, but seems to have emotional issues (after being asked why he chose the song, he goes on a bit long & starts sounding desperate). We shall see.
- Anoop Desai: "If It's Magic" - LOVE!!! - through.
- Jasmine Murray: "The Trouble with Love" - very good; though.
- Rose Flack: "Dock of the Bay" - just ok; not up to par w/most we're seeing. Gets through this round though.
- Michael Castro: not shown singing; is through.

Another group:
- Stephen Fowler (new- 26, OH, 98158) "Superwoman" - Randy says this is one of Stevie Wonder's toughest songs to sing; Stephen is very good. He's through.
- Jorge Nunez: "Angel" (Jon Secada) - very good; through.
- Von Smith: "If the Rain Must Fall" - sigh, just as OTT and annoying as before. Simon calls it "indulgent nonsense" and "horrible." Von is humbled; is through and doesn't even celebrate, saying he knows he has to work harder to make it next time. (Unfortunately I'm afraid that for Von, "work harder" means sing louder and emote more... NO!!!)

We see Nick Mitchell / Norman Gentle after his initial audition, saying it's time to ditch the Norman persona & get serious. Not. Norman comes out (no pun intended) in the same shiny outfit and headband to sing "And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going)". He's still the entertainer, even shouting up to folks in the balcony (and "Seacrest!"), but ending with some very nice, strong vocals. I would love to hear him just sing a song; I do think he's talented - Paula says the same thing. Simon says he's boring as Nick and a joke as Norman. But he gets at least one more chance as he's sent through to the next round.

We're also told Scott McIntyre and Frankie Jordan advance but we don't get to see them singing.

Day 2 - the other 83 get their chance!

Jackie Tohn: "Rock Me Right"- the more I hear, the less I like (too affected, reminds me of Amanda last year who got old fast). Paula says she remembers her most out of all the auditions. She's through.

A tall black guy is shown getting cut - Asa (music teacher) perhaps??

- Jamar Rogers: "California Dreamin'" again - borderline IMO. Advances. Next is bff...
- Danny Gokey: "Kiss From a Rose" - wow, can you say *perfect* song choice for his voice?! Sounds awesome, and they show his whole clip (more of the song than most others). Through!

Some more a shown advancing though we don't get to hear them sing: Matt Brietzke, Matt Giraud I think?, possibly Leneshe (cute young black girl), and Julissa.

Time for Bikini Girl Katrina: "Breathe" - just so-so. Lots of air time as the male vs. female judge differing opinions are shown, but she ultimately advances.

Some who get cut: Jessica Furney (lives w/grandma), Sharon Wilbur (brought dog), and Patricia Roman (large family in P.R.).

Then we're shown 2 dads:
- Jeremy Michael Sarver (oil rig guy): "More Than Anyone" - good; Randy said he was one of the best they'd seen that day. Through.
- Jesus Valenzula (2 boys got him through 1st audition): "Lately" - just ok and is fittingly cut.

The last group of Day 2:
- David Osmond: "The Way You Look Tonight" - nice; through.
- Erika Wesley, an FBI agent from Oregon I don't think we've seen before, is cut.
- Emily Hughes (early rocker girl) practices a 40's song but at the last minute switches to No Doubt's "Excuse Me, Mister". Sounds decent to me though the judges all say they're disappointed. She's through to the next round.
- Alex Wagner-Trugman (sang in closet) advances as well but we don't see him sing.

A few more that we're told are through: Alexis Grace (blond mom), Brent Keith Smith, Ann Marie Boskovich, and Adam Lambert (they do show Randy complimenting him).

Altogether 104 advance to the next round: Groups!! Bring on the drama and awesome harmonies!

(It's late & I'm not proofreading this - let me know if there are mistakes!)

AI8 - San Juan / New York Auditions (1/29/09)

2009-01-30T00:06:00.004-05:00

Last audition show, yay! I don't really like how they skipped back & forth between San Juan & New York, but I suppose they were trying to hid the really dismal turnout in Puerto Rico. It's easy to tell which is which by contestant number though, and I'll separate them here.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Jorge Nunez (20, PR, 63695) - This was one of the fun build-ups that makes you expect a bad singer but then surprises you! Jorge is very confident and energetic and thinks that he will "wow" people with his voice. He sings "My Way" in Spanish and then "What a Wonderful World" in English. He is a very good singer and an attractive kid (I think he has a 'pretty' face, in a masculine way). 4 yeses.

"Crazy Rocker" Joel Contreras didn't get through, but I thought his Marc Anthony-sounding voice was better than some who have. I know the shtick was OTT though.

Monique Torres (16, PR, 60178) - Cute little bro Christopher got her through. She sang "You Can't Hurry Love" and "I Turn to You," and she has a good voice but the judges thought she didn't seem young enough (too "cabaret", tm Simon). Paula & Simon were the (only) yeses.

Patricia Lewis Roman (20, PR, 63743) - Her parents were married in this building. Sang "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (and I wanna ban this song from Idol!!). Too belty but her voice is ok. She did a 2nd song in Spanish... Paula said no, Randy & Simon said yes, & we didn't see Kara's vote.

and Kendall Beard (23, TX) - Pretty blond in multicolor dress who was in the promos as having amazing talent. I thought she was just ok (dawg). (eta: Apparently she's country and we haven't seen much of that yet, so that may be what got her in.) 4 yeses.

A total of 9 advance from PR (we saw 4).

New York City

Melinda Camille (22, CT, 96837) - Melinda wants to "uplift humanity" and enjoys dancing naked (in her bedroom). She is a very, very happy person and is barefoot (a trend this year?). Sings "Feeling Good" (appropriate!) and is good enough. That and her interesting persona get her through. I like her!!

Jackie Tohn (27, CA, 102723) - Girl rocker; plays guitar, writes music, dad is musician as well. She sings "I'm Yours" (just ok) and "I'll Do It All" (better). Her husky voice is decent but her personality & singing style are strange. Paula calls her "unpredictable and surprising." She's also done quite a bit of acting (IMDB lists guest roles on The Closer, among others). 4 yeses.

Nick Mitchell, aka "Normal Gentle" (27, CT, 95437) - Waaay OTT, flaming, shiny-shirted guy with geeky glasses... we've seen the type, usually annoying and talentless. Sings a farcical "And I'm Telling You" and of course Simon hates him and says not to be a comedian. After feigning hurt feelings he responds to a comment from Simon with a joke about Simon "liking it when Seacrest does it," which makes Simon laugh. He then offers to sing "Amazing Grace" and pulls over a chair... he actually has a decent voice when he's serious during the first few lines but then flashes back into full diva mode (love the TWoPer's comparison to Paul Lynde!). Kara and Paula are greatly entertained, as is Randy, so he gets 3 yeses despite Simon's no, and to everyone's surprise (especially Ryan's as he emerges, ticket in hand) advances to Hollywood!

Ashley Hollister (21, NJ, 102719) - Just get a short clip of this blond in a black tank top. Not conventionally pretty so a bit more interesting than most of the cookie-cutter blonds, but we'll have to wait and see.

Kenny Hoffpauer (16, PZ, 91376) - Definitely want to see & hear more of Kenny!! I think he sang Jason Mraz and I loved his voice!

And that was all we saw of the 26 who got through, except for the usual blurry montage of people waving golden tickets. Someone caught a glimpse of Angela Martin (dead Dad girl from last year? she was really good & many expected her to be in the finals but she wasn't). There was also a married couple (kissing) who both had tickets.

Next week: Hollywood! Where the big question is, who will be the biggest (annoying, controlling &/or crybaby) Diva? Bikini Girl? Tatiana? or Adam or Norman? ;-) I love Hollywood Week!!!

AI8 - Salt Lake City Auditions (1/28/09)

2009-01-28T23:03:00.001-05:00

Salt Lake was much better than Jacksonville! And what better way to start off a visit to Utah than with the Osmond clan? :-)

David Osmond (29, UT) - His father Alan is the oldest of the "performing" Osmonds. Both Alan and David have MS; David is in remission. He sings a Take 6 song called "Something Within Me" and is good, but his voice is very light, a bit reminiscent of Luke Menard (heh, another famous name!). Advances to Hollywood but I doubt he'll make it further than that.

Frankie Jordan (24, CA, 43788) - My favorite female so far!! She's a SAHM living in Hollywood who says she's "born to do this." She sings Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" and I LOOOOVE her voice! Tone, style, everything. 4 yeses!

Megan Corkrey (23, UT, 43768) - Megan is also a mom and we see 2-year old Rider. Megan is recently divorced and has a large arm tattoo. Sings "Can't Help Loving That Man" (ironic choice?) and the judges fall all over her. I thought she was ok but a bit annoying in her singing style, singing from the side of her mouth, etc. Simon said he likes her because she's different and memorable (I agree, just not in a good way). She gets tons of screen time so I'm guessing she makes at least Top 50. 4 yeses.

Austin Sisneros (17, UT, 42950) - Senior Class president, looks very young, is very sweet. Sings Train's "When I Look to the Sky" and the judges seem confused and say it was a bad song choice. Then sings "It Takes a Village" and his voice does sound stronger on this. 4 yeses but they don't think he seems young; I can see a bit of that when he's performing, yes, though I don't think it's a bad thing... we'll see!

Jarrett Burns (24, UT, 47737) - We don't get any intro, just see him singing "Put Your Records On." We know the judges like when you choose a song from the opposite gender (and do it well, which he did). Has potential.

Taylor Vaifanua (16, UT, 45111) - At 5'11" with long, dark wavy hair, Randy compares her to Jordin Sparks. Except she's Samoan while Jordan was half African-American. Anyway, she sings "Joyful, Joyful" and has a very nice voice & stage presence.

Rose Flack (17, ID, 50043) - The overly promoted sob story of the night, Rose lost her father at 13 and her mother at 15! She lives with her best friend's family and is very perky (when not speaking about her parents) and quirky, in (I think) a good way. Sings "I Feel the Earth Move" and is very good, with a unique tone (and look - she's barefoot, for one thing!). Simon loves her though didn't like the song choice. 4 yeses. If she's emotionally mature enough to handle Hollywood week she could easily be a finalist.

13 total advance to Hollywood and we saw 7! Tomorrow, San Juan and New York City. They also show previews of Hollywood with the return of Group Drama, yay!! I catch glimpses of Adam (twice), Von, Scott (twice), Danny, Michael Castro, Rose, Dennis, Lil, and I think Ryan Johnson, maybe Ashley, and Joanna. No Anoop though... hope that's not a bad sign, lol. I'm ready!!

AI8 - Jacksonville, FL Auditions (1/27/09)

2009-01-27T23:17:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you, but I found Jacksonville rather disappointing (or at least what we saw of it). Here's who got through-

Joshua Ulloa (22, FL, 86819) - looks a bit like Justin Guarini, very energetic. Sings "Let's Get It On" & has a good voice but adds sound effects & such... not great. Gets 4 yeses anyway.

Sharon Wilbur (25, FL, 78093) - Sharon brought her Shih Tzu Sasha, whom Simon held while Sharon sang "Superstar." Not sure about the voice or vocal style. 3 or 4 yeses, they didn't really say.

Julissa Veloz (19, FL, 82858) - Julissa was Miss Florida Latino USA, and is wearing her sash and tiara. She sings Whitney's "I Have Nothing" and is decent! But has a very strange, annoying laugh.

And that's all we see of the 9 who advance on Day 1, except for the very short glimpses in a montage. On to Day 2...

Jasmine Murray (16, MS, 84122) - the youngest of 5 kids; sings Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" (probably my favorite song from last year!) and is very good. Simon calls her "cute, commercial, and a very good singer"; 4 yeses.

Anne Marie Boskovich (22, TN, 81948) - This audition is strange. She comes in, says she's a fan of Kara because she heard her sing once in Nashville, and does a bit of the song Kara did. Simon said she has a good voice but something is wrong, and asks her to leave and come back later "as a different person," with more confindenc / star appeal. So she changes her outfit a bit, adds some make-up, and returns to sing "Bubbly." She gets 4 yeses and is through.

T.K. Hash (23, NC, 82587) - they say he "didn't make it" last year when he auditioned, though I believe he did make it to Hollywood. He sings "Imagine" and has a nice voice; changes it up a bit but doesn't over-embellish. Randy disagrees & says it was over the top. Simon says no but he gets 3 yeses. I think he has good confidence & stage presence; he & Jasmine have the most potential but neither wowed me.

Ryan's voice-over says that's it and there were 16 total with tickets. The montage shows 9 new people, so he must have meant 16 for Day 2 and 25 altogether for Jacksonville. And we only got to hear 6 of them!! Unless you count the short "Walking on Sunshine" we get from a guy in a black t-shirt during the end medley. Still... not great. Perhaps tomorrow will be better - at least we'll get to see some Osmonds!

AI8 - Louisville Auditions (1/21/09)

2009-01-21T23:42:00.002-05:00

11,000 people audition in Louisville, including at least one from my high school! Heh - early in the Day 2 footage they show 2 guys in line, saying "We're pumped up for American Idol!" One is wearing a Butler Univ. shirt & the other a green "Westfield Wrestling" shirt (our colors were green & gold)! Louisville's only about 2 hours away so this isn't terribly surprising, but 'back in the day' when I was a student, tiny Westfield High only had about 100 people per graduation class, so to see an alum on national tv is pretty exciting. :-)

First through is Joanna Pacitti (23, PA, 16071) - she writes songs & said she moved to LA at age 16. Kara actually recognizes her as having had a previous recording deal w/a certain label! She sang "We Belong" (I love this song) and is really good! She's very pretty as well and seems sweet & humble, not acting like she deserves it or like she's desperate (which we've seen in past seasons from some who've had former big chances/deals that fizzled). 4 yeses.

Brent Keith Smith (28, OH, 22813) - Sings Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough" and has a nice, rough voice - very good. Simon said it was the wrong type of song for him but he gets 4 yeses anyway. This guy could easily be Top 10.

Matt Giraud (23, MI, 13758) - is a "dueling piano player" who does a comedic style show and is self-taught (at least in piano). Sings "I Don't Wanna Be" and is very nervous but I think it was a good song choice for him. Simon said he reminds him of Elliot Yamin and that he "could be great" if he believes in himself more. 4 yeses.

On Day 1 a total of 10 contestants advanced (we saw 3 & then get a montage of the rest - I'm very curious to see what the redheaded guy in the plaid shirt sounds like!).

Day 2...

Alexis Grace (20, TN, 20075) - stay-at-home mom (daughter's name is Ryan), plays guitar, cute blond. Sings Aretha's "Dr. Feelgood" and belts the whole thing, but she is good. Simon says she has a commercial face; 4 yeses.

Just short clips of the next 4:

Kris Allen (male, 23, AR, 25439) - Wears a cap & plaid shirt, sings "Song for You" (which still reminds me of Elliot!). Nice voice.

Felicia Barton (26, VA, 16474) - cute brunette in a black top, sings "Put Your Records On," good!

Ryan Johnson (27, OH, 24805) - tall cute white guy, sings "Change is Gonna Come," great voice! Wish we'd gotten to hear more!!

Shera Lawrence (23, KY, 18710) - brunette in a pink & white top, sings "I've Got the World on a String."

And last is tonight's 'sob story,' Leneshe Young (18, OH, 20432) - grew up w/several siblings raised by single mom and at times homeless, in shelters, etc. Sings an original R&B/pop song called "Nattie" which is decent, and she has a good voice & great confidence/stage presence! She reminds me just a tad of Paris, but much more current style-wise. The judges all love her & she's through with 4 yeses. Ryan ends by saying the family is one of the "most polite" the show has ever had!

A total of 19 advance to Hollywood from Louisville (so 9 on Day 2, of whom we saw 6).

And I already knew this (majorly), but it was nice to see it admitted in the end credits: "Portions of this program not affecting the outcome have been edited." ;-)

AI8 - San Francisco Auditions (1/20/09)

2009-01-20T23:21:00.002-05:00

In San Francisco a couple got engaged - and married! - while waiting in line to audition. Alrighty then... this should be interesting!

Tatiana Del Toro (23, Puerto Rico, #3325) - Sang "Never Loved a Man." Wow, not sure what to say... incredibly annoying laugh, big ego (she's a model as well as a singer), very dramatic. Decent voice. Gave them her portfolio & one of the judges commented that a photo was "naughty," and she replied "Thank you!"

Jesus Valenzula (29, CA, 5393) - father of 2 boys, with a good voice but the boys got him through, not the voice. He first sang an R&B song, Simon said no, then some of the judges wanted to see the boys. He brought them in and sang "Unchained Melody." 3 yeses.

Short clips: John Twiford (21, CA, 5811) - somewhat long wavy hair, sang "Overjoyed," is a music teacher. Very good voice!

Allison Iraheta (16, CA) - redhead, sang "Natural Woman" & sounds a bit like Pink.

Raquel Houghton (28, CA) - tall & thin with long, straight dark hair; sang "Son of a Preacher Man."

Adam Lambert (26, CA, 1877) - another spoiler and I lurve him already!! Check out this YT video of him singing "Dust in the Wind;" I think he has amazing range, control, beautiful tone... granted I love guys with voices like this. There's a clip of him talking about how he's sung since 10 & his folks put him in musical theater because he was hyper & he fell in love with it; he's been working in Wicked for the past year & a half; here's "As Long as You Love Me." Back to the audition: he sings "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Simon calls him theatrical... but still says yes! Paula calls him "brilliant" (even before he said hers was the 1st pop concert he attended) and he advances with 4 yeses. So far so good... he seems smart, so we'll see how he plays it. I don't expect him to do anything like this performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" on Idol, but it does show a side of him that won't be popular with Simon, among others. ;-)

Last is Kai Kalama (26, CA, 5913) - for the past year he's been singing at night and taking care of his mother during the day as she has some sort of "seizure disorder." Sings "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and is also very good. Simon said he has "the personality of a ship singer" (while he's singing, which was a kind clarification) but he gets 4 yeses.

12 advance to Hollywood from San Francisco, and we saw full clips of 4 with short clips of 3 more; not bad. Tomorrow, Louisville!

AI8 - Kansas City Auditions (1/14/09)

2009-01-14T23:59:00.003-05:00

Over 11,000 showed up to audition in the city that found the reigning Idol! And we do find a bit of talent here...

Ashley Anderson (20, NJ, 68142) - Tall, thin girl w/long hair; her 'gimmick' is that she's singing a Leona Lewis song *cowritten* by Simon Cowell! Since when does Simon write music?!? And it's a religious one, even! (As Pacey/Peter says in the Fringe ad, Just when you thought things couldn't get any stranger...!) So it's called "Footprints in the Sand," except she says and sings "Footsteps" instead and he corrects her so she starts over. He still loves it (of course) and she's through with 4 yeses. She's a belter & was ok I guess, but nothing special.

Cute ad for Idol starring David Cook, w/him in 'reverse' dreaming about winning & then shown on stage playing "Light On." Tag line is "Dreams Begin Again...."

Casey Carlson (20, MN, 70298) - perky brunette in a white skirt sings Vanessa Carlton's "1000 Miles" and is pretty blah. Somehow she gets 4 yeses and advances.

Von Smith (22, MO, 70090) - Von is one of the spoilers I've seen a bit of. He's going to be a polarizing contestant - great voice but waaaaay oversings and will be a love-him-or-hate-him (he already has fangirls) and might also have a bit of an attitude. He does "Over the Rainbow" and the softish parts are good, the rest painful. Of course he gets 4 yeses and is through to Hollywood.

Michael Castro (20, TX, 75108) - yes, this is Jason's brother! And Jason is there with him. Michael has a rock look - red streaked hair, piercings, black jeans w/pocket chain, etc. He's not any better at interviews (they shows clips from both of them) but says he's different from Jason in that Jason is "girly," which Jason later makes him explain as being emotional. Jason says, "so I have emotions, and know how to express them well... some people call that an artist." Hee. And apparently Michael is a new singer just like Jason was last year - he says he started singing 20 days before the audition! Figured "if J can sing, I can sing". And... he can! He does "I'm In Love With the Girl" and has a smooth, fairly strong voice. Kara is impressed with his attitude and he gets 4 yeses to advance!

Matt Breitzke (27, OK, 74922) - tall bald guy w/a mustache and goatee, married with a 3-year old son. He "played the bar scene" for years but got a day job as a welder to be responsible & support the family, so at 27 this is probably his last shot at a singing career. He sings "Ain't No Sunshine" and I love him!! Seems like a great guy, grounded, with a nice tone and style. For some reason Randy says no but 3 yeses are enough!

Jessica Furney (20, KS, 70698) - her hometown has the Oz Museum and she lives with her 93-year old grandmother. Shown playing guitar though she doesn't use it in her audition. She sings "Cry Baby" from Janis Joplin (I don't know this one) and unlike most Janis singers, her voice doesn't sound anything like Janis'! She's good though, nice but not cutesy, and gets 4 yeses.

India Morrison (22, MO, 77139) - the younger and smaller of 2 sisters who audition together, initially rapping something about cookies to Randy. Anyway I don't know the song she sang, but she's good (and also dances & choreographs) and advances.

Jamar Rogers (26, WI, 70808) - tall black guy, sings (shouts, mostly) "California Dreamin'" and strangely gets 4 yeses from the judges. No way I would have put him through. Next up is his bff who they've been pimping as tonight's sob story...

Danny Gokey (28, WI, 70891) - a music teacher whose wife Sophia died 4 weeks ago (from a congenital heart defect). Of course there are photos and clips from several different pre-audition interviews discussing his grief and how he almost didn't audition, but once he's in the room we get to focus on the singing. The song is "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and he has a nice, smoky/rough soulful voice - very nice! He wears glasses and reminds me a tad of Robert Downey, Jr. (whom I adore). The judges like him too; Randy and Paula say he's one of the best they've seen. 4 yeses, obviously! He's very excited (not emotional, yay) and I hope he's around for a while, though this style of singer rarely make the finals.

Anoop Desai (21, NC, 74002) - a Masters student in folklore, dresses a bit geeky and seems very intelligent. Sings "Thank You" and the voice is surprising! Smooth R&B, very, very nice! 4 yeses and he may have surpassed Matt as my favorite of the night. (*New info: there are several really good YT videos of his collegiate a cappella group Clef Hangers!)

Andrew Lang was the redhead who brought his own cheerleaders - he sang "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and was deemed too theatrical. I thought he was decent, at least as good as some others they've put through (definitely better than Jamar), though I'm sure he would've gotten cut at some point in Hollywood.

Asa Barnes (28, MO, 77281) - tall black guy who's a middle school band director; another dad, and plays the drums. Sings "The Way You Make Me Feel" and for once MJ proves to be a good song choice! Has a nice voice and smile. 4 yeses.

Dennis Brigham (19, IL, 75035) - black guy w/sunglasses who dreamt that Simon like his audition. Sings "With You" (Chris Brown) and is just ok. Pleaded w/the judges to let him through and everyone but Simon gave in, though they shouldn't have.

Last is Lil Rounds (23, TN, 74315) - another spoiler & she's been in the ads. Married mom of 3 whose apartment building was hit by a tornado so they're struggling. Sings Stevie Wonder's "All I Do" (I don't know this) and is very, very good. Like Finalist-good. I can't tell what her personality is like yet, but she seemed to be more 'humbly overwhelmed' by the judges' praise than cocky or diva-like, which bodes well.

27 total advance to Hollywood from Kansas City, and we got to see 13 of them! And more good than bad auditions tonight, yay!

AI8 - Phoenix Auditions (1/13/09)

2009-01-14T00:08:00.006-05:00

Aaaand we're back! Some interesting montages at the beginning - they even acknowledge Taylor's existence! Highlights of David Cook, yay. And our first clips of a few who advance to Hollywood... I recognize one of the spoilers and he's annoying me already, lol!

PHOENIX - Day 1

For the most part I'm only going to list the folks who get through. I won't include this in the recap, but I also take notes on the short clips they show of unnamed people getting through, so if anyone wonders if "that guy in the sweater vest who looked really familiar" got through, I might be able to answer you (yes! I'm guessing we saw him in a previous season but that's all I've got for now).

Emily Wynne-Hughes (21, CA, #30995) - her mom was a singer, we get family clips, & she's shown in the ads... gee, wonder if she's getting through? ;-) Our (first) requisite pink-haired rocker girl of the season; she's in an all-girl band who of course doesn't know she's here (until now) and whom she's planning to abandon should she advance, or at least until she gets to the Daughtry stage & can include them again, anyway. She sings "Barracuda" and is decent, even if it does sound much like the original. 4 yeses & she's through!

J.B. Ahfua (male, 16, UT, 34577) - I don't know the song he sang, R&Bish. 4 yeses.

Arianna Afsar (16, CA, 30252) - founded a program called "Adopt a Grand-friend" and is adorable. Sang "Put Your Records On." Like her - my favorite of Day 1.

(Day 1 - 10 advance, we saw 3 audition)

Stevie Wright (female, 16, CA, 36925) - bubbly girl w/a big smile. Sang "At Last" and is very good! Didn't oversing it, doesn't wear tons of make-up. 4 yeses, though Simon's a bit concerned she's too nice & not competitive enough.

Michael Sarver (27, TX, 36762) - works on an oil rig, married w/2 kids, big guy. Sang "Thank You" (Boyz-2-Men) and is decent.

Katrina Darrell, aka "Bikini Girl" (20, CA, 32160) - a model with a gimmick that works - Simon has said he knew he'd put her through as soon as she walked into the room! She sang alright - Mariah's "Vision of Love," without the "swing" as Kara called it, but was still good enough to please Randy. She also has a thing for Ryan & kissed him afterward. I doubt she'll last long in Hollywood but we'll see. I noticed that in part of her clip she had a different (higher) contestant number on...? Oh and I finally got to hear Simon pronounce my name, lol.

Brianna Quijada (22, AZ, 28331) - the other bubbly brunette in a black & white top. She starts out with the verse of "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and gets stopped right as she's going into full voice on the chorus... I wanted to hear a bit more. Simon was done at this point, the others not really sure, not impressed... Paula asked what other songs she had & let her sing some of "Killing Me Softly" which was much better. Simon then changed his mind & he and Paula put her through.

Deanna Brown (25, KY/LA, 28393) - blond who didn't have any family with her so grabbed someone else's as forced to by the producers for the 'cute family-oriented clip.' Sang "Dock of the Bay" and got 4 yeses; Paula said she had "quiet confidence". Not sure what I think yet.

Cody Sheldon (17, MI, 10257) - looks like Danny Noriega 2.0 from the face but not the personality. Cute kid, longish hair, makes horror films. Sang "Wonderful World" (I don't know it; he said it's by James Morrison, whoever that is, sorry) and is good - different. I like him.

Alex Wagner-Trugman (19, CA, 26379) - our first geek-with-nice-voice-in-need-of-makeover-and-awaiting-Clay-comparisons (down to wearing a striped shirt) of the season. Taught himself to sing in his bedroom closet which they later discovered had mold which made him sick; thus Simon reading from the info sheet that he "came out of the closet" and ensuing defense/explanation from Paula. Sang "Baby Come to Me," asking Randy to sing along at the chorus. Very nice voice, though rather affected in his singing style. Great snarky, dry sense of humor though - Simon said he didn't like it and Alex quipped quickly, "I could do 'God Save the Queen'". ;-) Also apparently Simon had this thing about asking contestants in what 3 countries they expected to become popular (the montage showing such brilliant answers as "New Jersey" and "Paris"); Alex replied somewhat quickly Zimbabwe & some obscure country. Anyway, Simon said no but the other 3 yes and he's through. A lot could hinge on the makeover and whether he can ditch the affectation - he could garner some young fans early and that makes a big difference.

Last up is Scott Macintyre (23, AZ, 38136) who is blind. He's a singer-songwriter who plays piano & Kara says it's especially brave of him to be auditioning without the "comfort" it provides. He says he also skis and ballroom dances! Not to mention started college at 14 and graduated at 19. Wow. So he sings "And So It Goes" and is very good. Also in need of somewhat of a makeover, or at least a shave, haircut, & nicer t-shirt. But I like his vocal tone and he is a very good singer. 4 yeses, and none from sympathy. Will be interesting to see how he fares in Hollywood. (New info- apparently his whole family - including the cute brother who brought him in - sings! See MacIntyre Family Singers on YouTube!)

And Phoenix is done! 27 total advance (of the 17 on Day 2 we saw 8). My Top 50 spoiler list has 3 from Phoenix but we didn't see any of them sing, yet.

Tomorrow Kansas City! Welcome back, American Idol!!

Season 8 Countdown!!

2009-01-08T11:56:00.002-05:00

OK, so looks like I never finished the SYTYCD finale post- Joshua won. ;-) I drove to Cincy for the tour since there was no Indy stop and it was awesome!!! So, moving on...

MJ's (see Links at left) has the usual spoilers - a (partial rumored) list of who gets to Hollywood & who's in the Top 50.

More soon!!!

SYTYCD 4 - Top 4 (8/6/08)

2008-08-06T23:42:00.002-04:00

Not really in a recapping mood but won't have much time the next few days, so here goes! I'm still mourning Mark's exit (uber-classy though it was!) and am also sad that the season is ending. Oh well, at least there's the tour!

Guest judge is Mandy Moore. Pre-solo video packages have Cat interviewing the dancers, & the judges comment after each solo as well.

Courtney & Twitch: Hip-Hop, T&N ("Church," T-Pain) - Courtney is the crazy girlfriend mad that her guy is out clubbing, so there's lots of fake Courtney-hitting-Twitch, though in practice some of it isn't so fake. Cute routine, lots of nifty details, with the downside of them not always being in sync. Judges loved as they do most of the show tonight.

Courtney Solo: Her favorite routine is the Sonya Jazz w/Mark; talked about her boyfriend & there was cute footage of her & Gev talking about how they don't flirt (while flirting); she said she knows she's not the best dancer on the show, but she doesn't really think the show is about that (insightful, this one!). Mandy encourages her to train more; Nigel is "delighted" she's in the F4 and didn't expect it (nor did Court). Mary said she's grown which made Courtney cry and then laugh at herself for crying. Aww.

Katee & Josh: Lyrical by Wade! Yay! (John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room") - My favorite routine of the night by far. The 'story' is that love is hard work, but worth it - the couple is working through a rough spot. As the camera focuses on Katee before the music starts she is standing still but almost shaking with emotion; sets the tone for a very emotional, powerful piece. I especially love the last move where they kind-of fall into hugging each other after the 'fight' of the routine. Judges loved it, though Nigel goes a bit overboard: he says Josh has "no training" (which is a flat-out lie and many viewers know it), and he says that between the two of them they're the best dancers the show has ever had. Not IMO, though Katee is up there and Josh is versatile, but I'd list a handful I consider better dancers overall. Well, one good thing about the season closing, we won't have to listen to Nigel plugging his "untrained" hip-hop guys as the best dancers evah.

Katee & Courtney: Tyce Broadway ("The Trolley Song," Rufus Wainwright version) - Cute, light, entertaining number and they were in unison. Used parasols & the frilly costumes were reminiscent of early Hollywood.

Twitch Solo: His fave routine was the Viennese Waltz by Jean-Marc; he got his nickname from trying to dance in inappropriate places (so he'd just 'twitch' here & there when he couldn't full-out dance). Used another Wade song; was very emotional after he finished (as was Mary). Nigel said he's a great "entertainer."

Josh & Twitch: Russian Trepak ("The Nutcracker") - 2nd best routine of the night. This was a 'battle' between the guys, with lots of leaps for Josh (amazing height on multiple split leaps) & more floor/knee moves for Twitch. It was a very tough routine & they were both completely wiped out by the end. *Note* for those who haven't heard, both the guys were hospitalized for dehydration on Saturday after at least one of them collapsed during rehearsal! (And Sunday's rehearsals were canceled as well.) Seeing this routine, I understand why! They kept up the 'battle' even afterward and after Cat warned them to calm down, Josh said "We're both gonna pass out backstage, don't worry!" Hah. Whole audience gave them a standing ovation. Mary was thrilled 2 hip-hop dancers are in the finals (really? we couldn't tell all season that's what you & Nigel wanted!). Nigel called it "Russian street dancing."

Katee Solo: They replayed her audition 'drama' w/the roommate; her fave routine was No Air (mainly because she hadn't done the 'emote/tell a story w/a partner' thing before. Danced to Imogene Heap. The judges praised the variety of dances she's done over the season (um, yeah, contemp. & Broadway pretty much covers it plus a samba).

Katee & Twitch: Foxtrot, Tony & Melanie ("Feeling Good," Michael Buble) - Ok, now she's also done a foxtrot. ;-) And yay, she finally gets the guy at the end! It was decent, light & pretty and she did a beautiful cartwheel in her floor-length dress! Their last hold wobbled a bit though. Cat & Nigel said Twitch looked like James Bond in his suit & Nigel made him 'audition' saying the "Bond, James Bond" line. Moving on... Mary said his growth blew her away. Nigel mentioned the many "characters" Katee has played over the course of the season, and then proceeded straight off the deep end in saying that this season's dancers have "spoiled" the choreographers; specifically, that noone would be able to ever do a pressage (overhead lift) like Twitch did w/Katee and also set her down so smoothly & gently. Um... how about the actual Ballroom dancers we've had on the show? I don't know if any of them did this move specifically, but I do know that Pasha, Benji, Dmitri, and Artem all did amazing and smooth lifts. And yeah, Nigel wants us to think Twitch is better at their specialty than they were?

Josh Solo: Fave routine was the Samba w/Katee; Cat teased him for crying during the auditions which was cute! He was grateful to be in the finals and said "everything here is a blessing." He went out to the judges' platform for the majority of his solo (to Funkadelic). High praise from all, of course.

Courtney & Josh: Jive, Jason ("Dirty Boogie," Brian Setzer Orch.) - The jive is very energetic and fast-paced to begin with, and Jason threw in some tricks as well, prompting him to say it's probably "one of the most intense" he's ever choreographed! Wow, was he right! Josh can barely stand up by the end. It was decent; I think Gev did better w/the footwork but then he's lighter and didn't have quite as many other routines the same week, nor did he miss over a day of practice. Nigel said he was disappointed in the routine because they didn't have time to perfect it or to learn where to "breathe" in it, but he said tough routines (& critiques) make dancers grow. Still, he said they looked like "exhausted, superb dancers." Mary agreed that the routine was very tough, especially w/the lift/tricks at the very end.

Lastly the whole Top 4 get a Mia routine! She describes it as celebratory and high-energy. They're dressed all in tartan (the guys shirtless) and dance to "Hallelujah." It was ok, though I'm mainly sad that this is the last competitive number of the season. It seemed so short! Mary said Twitch stood out and Katee was "flawless." Nigel again called both guys "untrained" (grr) and said they were inspirational. He did say that some other contestants - then he specifically named Will and also Mark (!) - were admittedly better dancers, but these 2 brought "something different" to the competition and he said they both deserved to be there. He also alluded to the health struggles but said audiences pay to see shows and it doesn't matter how bad a week you've had, they want their money's worth... and no one would have been disappointed in this routine.

And that's that! I'm not voting; I think Josh or Katee will win and am fine w/either one. But I'm too frustrated w/Nigel's forcing them (& Twitch) on us by manipulating and downright lying to support his agenda. I think all 4 were happy to've made the finals and I don't think any of them feel entitled.

Tomorrow's show promises a lot of great things! Fave numbers from this season, past seasons' contestants, judges dancing (!), guest performers, etc. And the last time I'll get to see Mark on my teevee. (And Matt! and Gev! Yay!)

SYTYCD - Top 6 (7/30/08)

2008-07-31T00:27:00.002-04:00

Guest judge: Adam, yay! Let's jump right in, we only have an hour and theshowisabitrushedandscrunchedtogether....

Courtney & Mark: Viennese Waltz, Jason Gilkison (new to our show but has done SYTYCD Australia) - music is David Cook's "Time Of My Life"! Very nice, and they get the fancy ballroom 'star-filled sky' lighting. Very pretty, nice rise & fall, and in sync. Adam says he's glad the judges don't vote this week because all of the Top 6 are very strong. He thought it was good and said they (or Mark?) did the rise & fall the best of anyone this season. Mary said the choreo was great but they brought it to life (Mark is making small surprised faces w/lifted eyebrows at every compliment!), and she said Mark has been growing every week. Nigel says it was romantic and mentioned that the song was from Idol, saying "I hope you're having the time of your lives" to Mark & Courtney.

Chelsie solo (her norm)

Twitch solo - to "Midas Touch," complete with gold grill, which Cat actually borrowed to 'try on' after he finished!! She's a riot.

Katee & Joshua: Contemporary, Tyce (Celine's cover of "All By Myself") - they are to portray a Romeo-Juliet type of undying love relationship. There are some really cool leaps and overall it's well done. Adam thinks it's Tyce's best piece all season (and also gives us the info that he & Tyce met when they both danced in the 1990 Oscars, choreographed by Paula Abdul, who happens to be in the audience tonight!). He also says they're "two of the most exciting dancers to have ever graced this stage." Mary similarly says it's one of the most beautiful pieces she's seen (hmm, it really didn't do much for me!). She also said both are headed for the finale. Nigel praised them and said he keeps forgetting that Joshua has "no classical training"... well, could that be because it's not true that Josh has no classical training?! Yes, we know, Nigel, you want it to appear that an untrained street dancer can learn enough on your show to become a great all-around dancer and if Joshua wins it validates that, *if* people forget about his training. Smooth. (notsomuch)

Chelsie & Twitch: Mambo, Tony & Melanie - the counting was challenging for Twitch in practice. This routine has a lot of *fast* footwork! Twitch almost kept up w/Chelsie, though at times it was hard to tell since the camera wasn't showing his feet! grr. The tricks looked mostly good though I think there was at least one missed hold. Adam said Chelsie was on fire & he has yet to see something she can't do; he said Twitch was a good partner. Mary said doing the mambo on 2 is tough but they did it right. Nigel said the choreographers made Twitch look good and that Chelsie always looks good but especially when she's in her element (Latin ballroom).

Katee solo (Maroon 5's "Can't Stop") - a bit quirkier than usual, good

Josh solo ("Like That") - his usual fantastic popping with some great leaps thrown in. Very, very good.

Courtney & Mark: Jazz by Sonya! ("The Garden," Mirah) This piece is described as old French burlesque with a battle of the sexes, and "raw." Courtney says it's one of her favorite routines. It's cool! Very different, quirky (a great fit for Mark!). Sonya is giving them a standing ovation & yelling when they're done; she's very pleased! Adam loved it as well, saying it's "sick!" and that he loves them individually but together they're just awesome. Mary said it was raw & crazy & she loved it. (Again, Mark w/the surprised looks - poor guy!) Nigel said the piece suited Mark, that Sonya is great (and her stuff is very recognizable), and that Courtney can make anything work. He said this routine is one of the highlights of the night.

Katee & Josh: Paso Doble, Jason. Ok, I admit that I *love* this dance when it's done well (and has stomping. Must. have. stomping!). And this one is done well! Jason says Katee's the cape (which is normal in Paso; who knows why Twitchington though Kher. was a 'matadoress') but she's "an angry cape"! Her outfit/dress is gorgeous, and Josh is shirtless (as promised!). The music is very dramatic and attention-keeping, and the choreo is great. Josh seems to have the posture down and both had the attitude going. When finished he dragged her over to the judging spot. ;-) Adam referred again to Josh's alleged lack of training, saying he was making him believe in the impossible (because Josh "shouldn't be able to do that"). *rolleyes* He said Katee will be very proud of herself when she watches it on tv. Mary calls J & K together "true magic" but makes no comments on the dance itself; Nigel praised Jason's choreo and J & K's footwork.

Courtney solo (Elisa "Rock Your Soul") - nice, pretty much her norm.

Mark solo (Robyn "Bum Like You") - Fun! His shirt had low sides & he pulled his arms out so it was just hanging around his neck for part of the routine, & he also used it as a prop a bit. Very good and a bit different. "Danced" his arms & hands again as Cat went through voting info & that's getting a bit old... but I still lurve him!

Chelsie & Twitch: Hip-hop, Napolitha - In this piece they are battling conductors, and whoever has the "stick" (baton) "has control," we're told in practice. The outfits are the best part of the routine: tux upper half with long black shorts & striped-top tube socks! It's very quirky music and there's a music stand on stage. It's ok, cute concept I guess, but underwhelming. More style than substance perhaps. Adam praised Napolitha and said Twitch & Chelsie were very entertaining; Mary said in his element ("and most other numbers this season") Twitch is outstanding, and that Chelsie kept up w/him. Nigel said little about this piece but said any of these 6 could be in the top 4 and would be deserving.

I wish the dance-out had been shown, as I heard from someone who attending the taping on Monday that Mark & Twitch did some quickstep!! Oh well.

I voted quite a bit for Mark, I definitely think he deserves to stay over Twitch. It's kind-of up for grabs between Chelsie & Courtney for the 4th spot though (I think Josh & Katee are givens).

SYTYCD - Top 8 (7/23/08)

2008-07-23T13:12:00.004-04:00

Sorry this is a bit late, I was worn out from the other recap earlier this week!

This week's third judge is Toni Basil. Apparently she's a big dancer & choreographer now. And the video clips are back - before each solo we'll learn how each contestant started dancing.

Courtney & Will: Samba, Jean-Marc (Che'Nelle "I Fell in Love w/the DJ") - Decent, though weird music for a samba. Nigel liked their technique and chemistry; Mary mentioned a couple of issues w/Will but overall loved it; Toni enjoyed it ("so much that [she] didn't take notes!").

Comfort solo: She attended a performing arts high school! And said she always got in trouble in ballet class. Her solo was good, there were a couple of new moves and it was timed *perfectly*!

Katee & Twitch: Contemporary, Mia ("Mercy" by Duffy) - Turns out these two were friends before the show, so they have good rapport. The dance is about a couple arguing; she is upset (and codependent) but he's cool & unaffected. And there is a door on stage! It's actually kind-of cool, he tries to throw her out but she keeps trying to get back in, and there's one really fun leap where he holds onto the edge of the door to jump over her. Great routine! (This year's "table"? I enjoyed it much better than the "bed" one, anyway!!) Nigel said the performance was fantastic but it was hard to judge the actual dancing. Toni mentioned that Twitch was "lucky" that the music was funk and fit his style so well (yes, I'm sure that was puuuurely luck). She loved it.

Will solo: He was inspired to dance after seeing Patrick Swayze's coolness in Dirty Dancing! (Hee.) His solo is awesome: he's wearing a suit and wig and the whole thing is a James Brown tribute/impersonation using "Get Up Offa That Thing"! Much fun!! SO's by all the judges.

Comfort & Mark: Hip-hop, Napoleon and Tabitha ("Party People" by Nelly and Fergie) - They'll be portraying kids stuck in detention when the teacher leaves. They start out in school desks and after a bell rings they get up and dance... fantastically!! Definitely one of the show's best hip-hop routines ever, and Mark totally holds his own w/Comfort, which is not surprising to those of us who've seen his YouTube work, but very surprising to the judges, apparently. Oh and there's a really cool move where he flips her over his back. After they're done he shows Cat their "detention assignment" which is a piece of paper on which he's written "I will not be in the bottom... I will not be in the bottom.... Nigel said Comfort does better w/choreo than in her solos. He & Mary both express surprise that Mark did so well. Toni praises their musicality (yes!).

Katee solo: She started lessons at 4, focused on tap for a while... not that exciting. Danced to Celine's "Taking Chances" and timed it well to end with the countdown.

Chelsie & Joshua: Argentine Tango by Season 2's Dmitri! (Music is from Forever Tango) - It's set in the 20's and they are meeting and flirting in a club. The setting is made bistro-complete with a table & chair on the stage. She was great, of course, and he was ok. There was one really cool lift. Nigel said it's the "most technical" routine so far, they have good chemistry, & he enjoyed it. Mary said Chelsie was much sexier than in her other Argentine Tango & had better chemistry. One of them said that it felt spontaneous and torrid (which was good).

Mark solo: He became interested in musical theater (& thus dancing) after seeing Phantom and was the only boy in his performing arts school/program. That plus his natural weirdness made him always feel "different." He danced some hip-hop/funk (to "Creator" by Santogold) with some new moves (big floppy body rolls that matched the music) and as usual the ending was timed perfectly (he slid off the edge of the stage).

Round 2 for couples dances...

Courtney & Will: Hip-hop, Napoleon and Tabitha (Alicia Keys' "Like You'll Never See Me Again") - This is another "Slow hip-hop" or "Lyrical hip-hop," where the girl has a chance to turn back time and have one more moment with her loved one who has passed away, so Will is kind-of a ghost and Courtney keeps straining for one last touch/grasp. She has props like an hourglass and photos, and the routine is very good. Will especially (Courtney was hitting harder instead of being smooth), but they were definitely in sync. Nigel said this is the 1st season he's been emotionally affected by hip-hop routines (actually I think last season was, but this is "Plug hip-hop!" year) and he almost felt like he was intruding on their private moment. Mary said (or rather, screamed) that it exceeded her expectations.

Chelsie solo: She started dancing when she was 9 to help get over her shyness & meet friends, and got serious when she was 14. She dances to Danity Kane's "Damaged," starting on the stairs and timed very well. We also find out today is her 19th birthday! (I'm assuming that was "today" when it was taped Monday, as opposed to when it aired Wednesday, but it doesn't really matter, does it?)

Katee & Twitch: Broadway, Tyce ("Sweet Georgia Brown," Bubbling Brown Sugar Cast Recording) - Again we have Katee wanting a man who doesn't want her in return. They also talk in the rehearsal clip about how Tyce incorporates some of each of their strengths/tricks into the routine. It's good overall, though similar to Tyce's other Broadway pieces. One move is really awkward but it looks like the choreo, not the dancers' fault; the last move/flip that Twitch does is really cool. Nigel loved it; he said Twitch is the "least trained" dancer there (less than Comfort?) but that could have come right off of Broadway; Mary also loved it. Toni said that as a street dancer Twitch brings more "reality" to the piece than most Broadway dancers do (I think that was a compliment?), but she would've liked Katee to match the deep vocal of the song/character better with her movements.

Joshua solo: He got kicked out of his 3rd grade class for dancing one day, so his teacher had him audition and it went from there. He danced to Lil Mama's "Shawty Get Loose" and did his usual but it was good. Then he tried to do the cute hand-dance while Cat read his numbers like Mark has been doing.

Courtney solo: She started dancing young, the usual. Danced her usual (though good) as well, to "Where I Stood," Missy Higgins.

Twitch solo: He says he has "always" danced, but got serious about it a senior in high school and then became the 1st guy on their dance team. We also learn he lived in South Korea for 9 months working on music videos. He wears the Super-T shirt again and dances to Kay L's "Go to Work," interacting w/the crowd around the edge of the stage.

Comfort & Mark: Foxtrot, Jean-Marc ("Lady Luck" by the Brian Selzer Orch.) - Jean-Marc says it's "jazzy and sassy" (which, he explains, is unusual for a Foxtrot). Mark portrays a man who's "down on his luck" and Comfort portrays "Lady Luck." Um, I like Mark's outfit? Seriously, the dancing is not good. Nigel says there wasn't any chemistry because they were too focused on the steps and called it "amateurish." Mary said the transitions were rough and it was one of the worst closed holds they've ever had on the show. Toni said when such "accomplished" dancers as these can't pull off a dance, you know the ballroom dancers are making it look easier than it really is.

Chelsie & Joshua: Disco, Dorianna ("Everlasting Love" by Gloria Estefan) - This routine has lots of lifts, including one Dorianna says she's been trying to get on the show for 4 years. It was fun, but Joshua did not do well; he fell out of an early turn and looked clunky next to Chelsie. They were in sync musically but not stylistically. Nigel praised the lifts & Josh's strength. Mary agree; she said perhaps Dorianna included so many difficult lifts was because she trusted Josh. Toni said there was spiritthere and implied that Josh doesn't know technique/line while Chelsie does.

I predict Comfort, Courtney, Mark and Twitch for the Bottom 4, with Comfort and Twitch leaving (as it should be IMO).

IDOLS LIVE - AI7 Tour Recap

2008-07-22T23:44:00.008-04:00

I attended the Indianapolis show Tuesday, July 22nd, at Conseco Fieldhouse. For those who haven't gone (or heard about it), the format was quite a bit different this year. Instead of a lot of duets and mixed numbers, each performer is given a 3-song set (more for the Davids) as a solo artist. There were only 2 group numbers, one closing the first half and one to close the show.

I will say that everyone besides Ramiele was very capable of holding the stage by themselves, though a few should just sing and not try to chat with the audience (Archuleta & Rami were the worst, and even Carly was worse than Jason, who was ok). I really wish there were more group numbers though; a gospel song with Chikieze & Syesha would have rocked, for instance. Or some soft duet with Brooke & Archie. Alas, most sounded very good live, and I don't think I cringed once!

Pre-show music was the usual: Carrie, Daughtry, and Jordin with a little Blake and the Davids' Guitar Hero commercials thrown in. Oh and SYTYCD ads (yay)! Carrie's actual video was shown but the others mostly had blank screens (or some advertising) while the audio played.

The show was supposed to start at 7:00. Around 5 after we heard a voice, looked around and saw a guy standing in the audience with a spotlight on him and a giant Pop-Tart walking toward him (hey, it wouldn't be an Idol concert without the giant Pop-Tart!) who introduced himself as Corey (as in Corey the Idol audience warm-up guy!)! Cool! Kind-of. He had a few people come up & dance w/the Pop-Tart and then the show started.

Most sets were fast song - slow song - fast song. Oh, also the stage had walkways extending out to each side, further than I've ever seen, so that the performer could actually touch a couple of people in the audience in the 'pie slice' seating area right at the corner of the stage! I was actually in the front row of the first full side section down from that, so I had pretty good seats.

Each singer had stage lights showing their finishing spot as audio announced their name...

#10 - Chikieze

Audience response: Some noise, though everybody was just excited it was starting!
Look: As expected, casual w/a bit of bling (and still not thin, but dude has some moves!)
Set list: I Believe to My Soul, Caught Up, So High (John Legend)
Comments: Great start to the show! He had a blast, connected well w/the audience, and sounded great (as usual). He said that Luke Menard (semifinalist from nearby Crawfordsville, Indiana) was in the audience.

#9 - Ramiele Malubay

Audience response: Minimal
Look: sparkly (tight tank top & pants)
Set list: I Want You Back; Love Will Lead You Back; If I Never See Your Face Again (Maroon 5/Rihanna)
Comments: Miss 'I don't like to move while I sing' actually danced w/the backup singers and moved around the stage quite well! Was not confident when not singing though and overall was definitely out of her element. (I wish David Hernandez could've had her spot instead!!) Vocals were decent I guess but overall my least favorite set.

#8 - Michael Johns

Audience response: on their feet & loud! Couple of signs.
Look: scarf instead of ascot (yay), jeans
Set list: We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions; It's All Wrong, But It's Alright; Dream On (dedicated to Luke Menard)
Comments: Sounds good live; handles the stage like a rock star (in a good way). Goofball during the group numbers - did some funky dance moves with one of the guitarists and later joked around with David Cook.

#7 - Kristy Lee Cook

Audience response: Minimal
Look: Sparkly! Dressed in all white, & hair was straight.
Set list: Squeezin' the Love Outta You; God Bless the USA; Cowgirls
Comments: I was really hoping she'd do "Anyway," but God Bless the USA is a good song to do live (I'll admit even I got a little teary; it wasn't cheesy at all like the group version of it a few years ago) so I understand why she didn't. At one point asked for house lights & commented at how big the arena is, hee. Overall sounded good and if Kellie Pickler can get a contract & radio play, I don't see why Kristy Lee can't!

#6 - Carly Smithson

Audience response: Loud & up (but no signs).
Look: One of those tops that could be a maternity top but isn't, lowcut. Fortunately stage lights wash out most of the arm tattoo!
Set list: Bring Me to Life (complete with top-of-stage rockstar pose and windblown hair!); Crazy on You (1st verse soft, rest rockin'); Drove All Night
Comments: Hmm. She kind-of seemed like she's taking this chance to do everything she's always wanted to on stage, playing the big Rocker with lots of big, yelly vocals. They came off ok (better than on the show) but weren't necessarily enjoyable (for me, anyway). I respect her talent but she's no Amy Lee (or Heart). 2nd least fave set.

#5 - Brooke White

Audience response: Medium
Look: Bohemian Brooke! still barefoot.
Set list: Let It Be (on Grand Piano which rose from below the floor as she started playing); 1 2 3 4 (Feist); Yellow (Coldplay)
Comments: Great set! 1 2 3 4 really fits her bouncy, carefree personality (and she had the audience snap along), and Yellow was a surprisingly awesome fit. Complete with almost-cheesy yellow lighting, probably one of my favorites of the night.

After her set Brooke gave a short Idol Gives Back plug and everyone who'd performed so far sang Pride (In the Name of Love) while IGB footage played on the screen. Most had one-line solos but Michael's was a bit longer and the audio announced his name before he started, which was weird (because he was the only one who got that). He & Carly dueted for a bit & then the rest joined in.

Intermission - more Corey in the audience and a Guitar Hero contest on stage (2 local guys; it was mildly entertaining).

#4 - Jason Castro

Audience response: They love him!
Look: Dreads were back, and he was wearing bright red ('ruby,' get it?) shoes!! Fun.
Set list: Somewhere over the Rainbow (that one line that doesn't rhyme always throws me, but I know that's how the original was!); Crazy (heh, I typed "Craxy" 3 times before I could make my fingers hit the right keys!!); What a Day for a Daydream
Comments: Sounded great on Daydream. Introduced it by saying he wanted to leave us "with a thought and a challenge" - which segued into the song with a 'Follow your dreams' type line.

#3 - Syesha Mercado

Audience response: Medium to loud
Look: Hmm... very tall hair and a very... Haley-esce dress (definitely highlighted her cleavage)
Set list: Umbrella; If I Ain't Got You; Listen
Comments: Diva wannabe to Carly's rawker wannabe - she takes on Rihanna, Alicia, and Beyonce!! And pretty much pulled it off - the house was definitely enraptured by the end of Listen. Good for her (like Carly, she may know she needs to enjoy it while she has the chance!).

#2 - David Archuleta

Audience response: Deafening, as expected! (signs, homemade t-shirts, etc.)
Look: Grey suit with bling around the edges, and red & white casual shoes (umm, I'm old, they don't call them tennis shoes anymore, but you know what I mean, right?)
Set list: Angels (on piano, rising like for Brooke but David got dry ice too); Apologize (I *LOVE* this song!!); Stand By Me/Beautiful Girl; When You Say You Love Me
Comments: Okay, boy. can. sang!! He sounds really, really good live. Apologize was fantastic. Plenty of stage presence & confidence while singing, but back to his giggling, uncertain self when not. Granted he got *lots* of crowd appreciation, but some of the others did too & just walked off at the end of their sets whereas he paused to (awkwardly) thank the crowd 2 or 3 times. He also seemed out of breath after his songs (understandable but perhaps a sign he's oversinging?). If his stage dad doesn't get in the way he could have a very long and successful career.

And the main attraction, "Your American Idol" - David Cook!!

Audience response: Crazy loud, signs, etc.
Look: Rocker (no faux about it); scarf hanging from waist & jeans laced up sides of his leg - and came unlaced, prompting him to take a break at one point to sit & re-tie them (after instructing us to "talk among yourselves"!)
Set list: Hello (rose from below stage playing elec. guitar, w/ dry ice); Time of My Life; Don't Wanna Miss a Thing; My Hero (which he dedicated to his brother Adam)
Comments: Worth the wait, but makes me want a whole concert of just him! He has such a great voice, really enjoyable no matter what style he's singing (normally during screamy rock songs I don't find myself thinking, "He really does have a great voice!"), and a wonderful stage presence (confident but not cocky, casual interaction w/crowd, but can get them going too). He talked a lot about his family since several of them live in Indiana - his Dad & some others were in the audience. He said his Dad bought him the white guitar (with big AC) around 5 years ago at a store here in Indy. He had one bit where he got out a camcorder & said he's been doing this at each show, asking the crowd to scream ("Reggie Miller loud," after saying he used to watch Pacers games during Reggie's era) and he walked across the stage taping the crowd, so he can have it to remind him "10 years down the road when nobody believes I got to do this"! He also thanked us (as several others did), saying he appreciated our "letting 10 strangers come to our town & play for us" and how bizarre it still seems that they get to do this all because we voted. He has such the great (appreciative & humble but not annoyingly so) attitude.

Encore: David Cook doing Billie Jean, which was probably my favorite of his and the one where I was marveling his vocals. I liked it ok on the show but I really, really enjoyed it live!

Then the whole group came out and did Please Don't Stop the Music to wrap it up.

I have photos (& a couple vids with audio) that I'll try to post in the next few days. If you get a chance to see the show, it's worth it! I still hope they bring back more group & combo numbers next year, but I really did enjoy the solo sets that they did with this group. Everyone sounds great live and they're having a blast! Which is always a joy to watch.

Thanks for reading! Please leave comments and check back for the photos.

(edited to remove implication that Jason flubbed his words! and to add this disclaimer that there are a few inside jokes; if you don't get it, sorry, just ignore it!)

SYTYCD - Top 10 (7/16/08)

2008-07-16T13:40:00.005-04:00

3rd judge is Lil'C.

Jessica broke three ribs and had to drop out of the competition (though she hopes to be well by tour time). Comfort is back in!

Courtney & Joshua: Hip Hop, Dave Scott (Mario "Skippin'") - Josh is psyched to have Dave! Courtney is nervous about popping. The routine is Frankenstein with Courtney as the monster. The end was cute w/them kissing & he gets 'shocked'. It was very good, especially Josh of course! The judges all loved him and a couple complimented Courtney as well.

Kherington & Mark: Two-step, Ronnie DeBenedetta & Brandi Tobias (Ty England "Kick Back") - New genre! And it's tough - a lot of turning and direction changes, we learn in rehearsal. I don't think Kherington has had to do a fast partner dance yet, has she? It shows - she misses a lot of the connections and it seems to be mostly her fault. Mark does his best (and I love the outfit!) but it's not great. Lil 'C (who is surprisingly coherent, dance-terminology educated and constructive) says it was fun but had problems, such as letting the audience see their mistakes (i.e. reacting to them instead of covering). He compliments some of the tricks and their character. Mary says it was a tough routine and Kher's lack of arm technique made it harder on Mark. Nigel said it didn't seem she trusted him but liked their persistence despite the struggles (they never gave up - perhaps referencing the end of her krump?).

Comfort & Twitch: Smooth Waltz, Hunter (Journey's "Open Arms") - this is supposed to be romantic, but Twitch & Comfort definitely have more of a brother-sister vibe so they struggle a bit w/that. It's also supposed to rise and fall, and it mainly falls. Lil 'C says they weren't floating; Mary said it lacked power and the technique was "clunky," and Nigel said the end lift was good, but otherwise it wasn't a strong enough performance for the Top 10 (and I agree).

Katee & Will: Broadway, Tyce ("Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" by Sam Harris, from Guys & Dolls) - They use an actual boat on stage and the routine is danced in and around the boat. Will is a conservative guy (which on SYTYCD translates into wearing a button-down shirt and nerdy glasses)and Katee is a promiscuous temptress he's trying to calm (but he gives in at the end & rips his shirt open). It was decent; it was Tyce Broadway. ;-) The judges loved it and Nigel said they're the "most technical" dancers on the show.

Chelsie & Gev: Contemporary, Sonya Tayeh ("These Arms of Mine," Otis Redding) - strange song choice for the choreo IMO, they didn't seem to mesh. The story is of a couple in love who are apart & yearning for each other. In practice Courtney complimented Gev's leaps (saying it looked like he'd had years of ballet training) and Mary praised them in the routine. Lil 'C said he loves the emotion of the contemporary style because it calls for dancers to "commit" to the piece and the choreo, which they did; he also praised Gev for not being "choppy" like he expected from his background. Mary also liked their chemistry.

Round 2!

Courtney & Joshua: Rhumba, Jean Marc (Enrique Iglesias' "Hero") - I love this song! Josh is supposed to Courtney's hero in the routine and it requires chemistry and passion, we're told. They succeed! That smouldered a bit in parts and overall was very good, though some of the lifts were shaky. Lil 'C agreed re: the passion and said "I might need my asthma pump!" Hee. All the judges loved it & praised their technique. Strangely, Nigel actually said that Josh danced too "butch" in this one. He also mentioned his open shirt and Josh joked that Twitch & Will get to be shirtless a lot so he needed to catch up w/them!

Kherington & Mark: Jazz, Tyce ("Canned Heat," Jamiroquai) - No story or characters this time, it's just supposed to showcase style and technique. It was decent; they moved in unison, though she seemed smoother, more like contemporary than jazz IMO. The judges said it was decent technique but didn't excite them at all.

Comfort & Twitch: Hip Hop, Dave Scott (Chris Brown's "Forever") - Cool!! Obviously they were both in their element, and Twitch was especially good; it was just a pleasure to watch. Lil 'C called it buck (and defined that as "when internal artistry meets physical expression"), as did Mary (!). Nigel gave what he called a great compliment to the choreographer (and dancers) when he said it looked as if it wasn't choreographed at all.

Katee & Will: Pas de deux, Dwight Rhoden & Desmond Richardson ("Imagine" by David Archuleta! [the horror!]) - Another new genre; described by some as contemporary ballet. It was good, though there seemed to be some missed connections and she hit her head trying to under his arm once (which the judges mentioned as well). The music (besides being annoying in itself) also had a really weird cut/edit which distracted a bit from the dance. But I loved the last pose, Will holding Katee with one leg of hers in front of his, her back to the camera/audience, to the lyrics "will be as one"... that was very nice! The judges raved, Nigel especially about how wonderful it was to have such caliber choreographers on the show. He also said it was the best performance of this season and one of the best ever on the show (I don't know if I'd go that far, but I haven't rewatched it yet).

Chelsie & Gev: Jive, Jean Marc (Brian Selzer) - Jean-Marc says this is a very high-energy dance/piece, and he's not kidding! Definitely one of the hardest jives I've seen a non-ballroom dancer get, and Gev. was. Amazing!! He was channeling Benji again (he really reminds me of him in some of his movements/posture and gestures, like the pointing and his facial expressions). They missed one connection & had a couple other close calls, but overall I thought it was really, really good. Of course Chelsie was brilliant since she finally got something in her specialty! The judges were very complimentary of her but really hard on Gev, especially Lil 'C. Oh well; still a good note to end on!

Solos were interspersed between the couples' performances. Most were pretty much what you'd expect and most were good to very good.

Chelsie (Rihanna) - her 1st solo ever! Typical solo ballroom girl stuff.
Gev (Lupe Fiasco) - awesome! At one point he took his shirt off in the midst of breakdancing.
Courtney (Celine) - need I say more? She had some nice/tough jumps and such though.
Mark (more BoRhap!) - this was very "Mark"! Funky. Afterward he was playing around w/different hand movements to go along w/Cat giving the voting numbers, and Cat totally burst out laughing & gave him a big hug!
Comfort - pretty much her norm.
Twitch (Wade?) - an expansion on last week's Superman solo.
Katee (Maxwell) - good
Will (Luther's "Dance w/my Father") - very good, with an awesome leap!
Kherington (Rihanna) - just ok; definitely the weakest solo of the night.
Josh (Michael Jackson) - awesome! Great at his stuff and added a few moves from his cross-training, great leap!

I think it's a toss-up between Comfort and Kherington for the girl eliminated, but the guys are a very tough call. I'm guessing Mark or Twitch since they seemed the least well-rounded tonight, though they both had great solos (all the guys did!). Wish we didn't have to lose any!!

SYTYCD - Top 12 (7/9/08)

2008-07-09T00:12:00.005-04:00

Guest judge is Mia. Great week!!

Chelsie & Mark: Salsa, Alex Da Silva ("Fuego," Joe Bataan) - Love the costumes! Hated my tv reception, but the routine was fun! They seemed to do well technically and were in unison, as usual. Mary & Nigel both praised her & said he was a bit stiff, but Mary also complimented his partnering skills.

Comfort & Thayne: Hip Hop, Napoleon & Tabitha ("Can We Chill" by Ne-Yo) - in rehearsal they were trying to get Thayne to not be so smiley. ;-) The routine was just ok; he was too smooth. Judges were meh as well, mainly criticizing the lack of chemistry.

Jessica & Will: Contemporary, Tyce Diorio ("Silence" from Unfaithful soundtrack) - There was no story to this, per Tyce, just an "essence" of the Garden of Eden. Costuming was very skimpy and the music had very little rhythm in many parts, so it was very hard to analyze, at least for me. It was good I guess. The judges loved it, the choreo, both of them, and their chemistry. Mia called it "moving body art."

Courtney & Gev: Cha Cha, Anya and Pasha! (Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop the Music") - Woo-hoo, Pasha!! (and Anya!) Rehearsal clip was awesome - first you have the 3 Russians (and Gev's accent got stronger!), you have Pasha & Anya dancing, and you have the "give her the message" move (or crotch bump, as Courtney called it). Good times!! Courtney said that Gev picks up ballroom choreo quickly, and the routine was awesome! Everything in Gev that reminds me of Benji (in a good way, as I was a huge fan) was out in full force (I would *love* to see Gev dance a Benji-choreographed West Coast Swing! Though it might just be too surreal!). The judges loved it as well, mentioning that Gev lacked some technique but that it really didn't matter because the performance & presentation were so good. Cat also made Gev admit to shaving (actually "trimming") his chest.

Twitchington: Krump, Lil C ("2 Buck 4 TV") - Forget about eliminating the quickstep from the competition; I vote we eliminate krumping! Especially this watered-down style. It was just ok. The judges were very impressed w/Kherington for most of the routine, until she got tired & lost steam toward the end, but then 2 of them specifically said they were going to ignore that part so they could still give the routine praise overall! (Wow, chosen ones, much?) Mia said that Twitch "served gangsta on a platter."

Katee & Joshua: Viennese Waltz, Jean-Marc ("Iris", Goo-Goo Dolls) - This routine cast Josh as a "ghost character" that Katee couldn't see, and there were several moves where it looked like they were just 'missing' each other (neat concept). There were a lot of lifts/tricks but very little other dancing in hold, at least until toward the end. It was nice, but not very memorable IMO. The judges said Joshua was too bouncy (instead of flowing), but Katee was beautiful (as she was!). Mary complimented the lifts but only that part. Mia said Katee is "meant to dance" and "a gift to dance."

Round 2

Chelsie & Mark: Broadway, Tyce ("I'm A Woman" from Smokey Joe's Cafe)- Tyce says this will be a "sultry, sexy, bluesy" piece and Mark says it's a cat & mouse chase. I love it - probably my favorite Tyce Broadway number! Mark was in a white wife-beater & black suspenders, one of which kept falling down (I was afraid he or Chelsie would get caught in it during a lift at the end, but they didn't). Both were fantastic in their characters and it was kind-of full circle, now she got to 'reject' him! Nigel & Mary loved it (Nigel especially went on about Chelsie's legs), but Mia said it showed Mark's lack of technique training.

Comfort & Thayne: Contemporary, Mandy Moore ("A Different Corner" by George Michael) - Comfort said in practice that some of the moves were testing her shoulder injury (he pulled her by her arm), but she didn't want that to be an issue in the performance. It was pretty good; he was better, of course, since it's his strength. The judges were hard on them, especially Comfort. Nigel said he'd have liked to have seen a different couple perform this choreo; Mary said it wasn't believable and both women cited technique problems for Comfort. Mia did say that she thought Thayne was "brilliant."

Jessica & Will: Quickstep, Jean-Marc ("Bandstand Boogie" by Barry Manilow!) - I thought the routine (its execution) was mostly weak, though I enjoyed the fun ending. Mary critiqued Will's jacket because it bunched up in the back & affected his frame. Nigel & Mary both said their technique was poor. Mia said Jessica was stiff & disconnected & said Will looked "tired of carrying her."

Courtney & Gev: Jazz, Mandy Moore ("Standing There," The Creatures) - This one is the story of 2 people lost in a jungle and there is a map prop. The outfits are safari khakis. The choreo is interesting, different... I like the parts without the map better, but the whole thing was good. Nigel said it was fun though like cotton candy w/little (dance/technical) substance. Mary disagreed; she loved it & complimented their technique and strength.

Twitchington : Smooth Tango, Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin ("Assassin's Tango" from Mr. & Mrs. Smith soundtrack) - Tony says the tango is about passion and jealousy, and the characters for this piece are like Mr. & Mrs. Smith (trying to kill each other). I thought it was just ok - to echo Nigel's earlier comment, I'd have loved to see a different couple perform it! There was a really neat lift toward the end but I thought the story/characters were weakly portrayed. Nigel said Twitch didn't seem comfortable or "honest" in the performance and Kherington lacked passion. Mary also critiqued their technique and Mia said they seemed "noncommitted."

Katee & Joshua: Bollywood, Nakul and Marla - Nigel said he's been trying to get this genre on the show for 3 years. This particular piece has a girl playing hard-to-get. They mention in rehearsals that if some of the hand gestures/positions are off they become very offensive to people of certain cultures! I loved this routine - the style was different but very fun, and interesting to watch (entertaining but also looks difficult). Also, Katee can. dance. any. thing!!!! I already thought she was awesome but this pretty much cemented her as the best overall female IMO. The judges loved it too (Mary put them on the train).

And that's, as Chelsie might say, a warp, I mean wrap! ;-) (I just love her to pieces, really!) My favorite routines were not what I'd have picked just looking at the list: both of Chelsie & Mark's (Salsa & Broadway), Courtney & Gev's Cha Cha, and the Bollywood!

I predict Thayne & Comfort, Twitch & Kherington, and probably Will & Jessica for the Bottom 3, with Thayne and Comfort (or maybe Jessica, but I doubt it) leaving.

SYTYCD - Top 14

2008-07-01T22:33:00.008-04:00

Guest judges are Napoleon and Tabitha. 2 new choreographers: Andy Blankenbuehler just won a Tony Award for choreographing In the Heights! And Edward Simon does some ballroom.

Jessica & Will: Jive, Tony & Melanie ("Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" from Five Guys Named Moe) - This had more tricks and fewer kicking moves than most jives I've seen, but I thought it was decent. Mary said there were a lot of missed connections and both Mary & Nigel criticized Jessica (as usual).

Comfort & Thayne: Broadway, Andy Blankenbuehler ("Cool" from West Side Story) - I liked this! It was very different than Tyce's (predictable) stuff, in a good way. :-) Tabitha said they had good chemistry, but Nigel said the passion he wanted to see wasn't there.

Kourtni & Matt: Hip Hop, Cicily & Olisa ("How Do I Breathe," Mario) - Well, Matt looked very nice in his white suit, but it made some of the movements a bit harder to see. Overall it was good (for 2 non-hh dancers) but the movements definitely weren't sharp or hard-hitting, and the judges criticized them for that (though one of Napolitha said Matt did better than they expected him to).

Chelsie & Mark: Jazz, Mandy Moore ("Kiss Kiss", Holly Vance) - Loved this!! They're really on a roll; moving in unison, continuing to have great chemistry (there was lots of flirting and fake air-kisses, very cute); and different types of movement - Mark was especially good (and as nice as he looks in the suits, this tighter outfit shows off his movement very well). The judges enjoyed it as well - Napolitha said they can "tell any story they're given" and complimented their chemistry and teamwork.

Kherington & Twitch: Paso Doble, Tony & Melanie ("Malaguena", Brian Setzer: '68 Comeback Special) - Both started out w/capes... she finally wore heels! and he danced pretty well. Not a great paso overall though. Napolitha said he didn't "embrace the character" until part-way through the routine; Mary said it was passionate but the technique was just so-so.

Katee & Joshua: Contemporary, Mia Michaels ("Hometown Glory," Adele) - the story (because it's Mia!) is two people and their journey as they're "focused selfishly on their own lives." They're both in black and it starts out slowly, but then gets good and there are a lot of unique (Mia) moves. It looked very difficult and they did a good job. Cat asked Josh why he looked so serious afterward and he said that with Mia "it's so much more than dance." Napolitha loved their movement and that they 'got' the feel of it; Mary & Nigel loved it. Nigel complimented the partnership and the trust (from her) and strength (from him) required for some of the moves.

Courtney & Gev: Hip Hop, Cicily & Olisa ("Lights, Camera, Action") - Gev says in the intro that he's not used to "East Coast style," and New Yorker Courtney does indeed seem to dance this much better than he does! The judges concur and are disappointed w/Gev. Nigel says it's more "funk" than hip-hop though.

Take a breath... and now, Round 2!

Jessica & Will: Lyrical Jazz, Mandy Moore (Heart's "Alone") - LOVE this! They used a shirt as a prop, and Will was not wearing one at all (to the stated pleasure of Cat and the female judges). The dance was very sexy, they had great chemistry and portrayed the message of the song. Napolean said Jessica was weaker but overall the judges loved it. Mary said they're both on the train and Nigel asked the audience "Who wants to dance with Will?" (at which everyone's hands were in the air, including Jessica!)

Comfort & Thayne: Smooth Waltz, Edward Simon (New Age Armenia) - The story is of a long-lost love (Comfort says she's never had one) and they get the special Twitchington dance-for-the-disabled-girl lighting. I liked it, they had a good connection and appropriate emoting. The last pose where they ran past each other and then looked around - like a "oh no, I just missed him/her" - was very cool, and the long lift/spin was very pretty. Mary loved it, and Nigel complimented some specific moves/technique.

Kourtni & Matt: Mambo, Alex DiSilva - In rehearsal they said the routine was "very difficult," and after watching I agree. They did fairly well, though I didn't see much hip action where it looked like there should have been some. All the judges were disappointed because it wasn't sultry/"down" enough & lacked chemistry as well as technique. Oh yes and Nigel went on again about Matt not dancing "macho" enough (grr).

Chelsie & Mark: Foxtrot, Tony & Melanie ("It's My Life", Paul Anka) - Chelsie looks like one big blue feather! And Mark is back in a suit (has he set a record yet?). I thought they did very well - he seemed to get the 'feel' of the dance as well as some of the details (hand positions, etc.). Napolean said he liked watching them because they look like they just love to dance! (Mark & Chelsie nodded.) Mary said there were some difficult moves but they pulled them off. Nigel was less sure, saying Mark looked uncomfortable and that there were mistakes in the technique.

Kherington & Twitch: Contemporary, Mia Michaels ("Dreaming with a Broken Heart", John Mayer) - This was a break-up 'story' and used a mattress as a prop(tilted up so they could jump onto it & bounce off). Twitch was shirtless and the heartbroken one, while Kher. (complete with bedhead) was behind the bed several times throwing rose petals up onto it. It was kind-of cool, but didn't have much "dancing" IMO. Kher. did better than Twitch, not surprisingly. All the judges really loved it and went on and on about both Mia and the routine.

Katee & Joshua: West Coast Swing, Benji Schwimmer! ("Shake It", Brother Yusef) - Sigh, Benji guest choreographs (with Lacey's help) and we only get a tiny rehearsal clip because of time constraints. The routine was... meh. Partly because the song was slow, though I'm not sure Josh & Katee could have handled faster choreo anyway. Joshua just seemed to stand there in between moves. The judges loved it (or at least them - as usual). Napolitha liked Katee and the "stops"; Mary said the lifts were tough; and Nigel mentioned that it's not their style, in other words it's ok they weren't nearly as good as Benji/Heidi/Pasha/Lacey/etc. Evs, Nigel, we get that they're one of your "chosen" couples.

Courtney & Gev: Broadway, Andy Blankenbuehler ("New York, New York" from On the Town, as opposed to the other, more familiar "New York, New York") - They're supposed to be tourists in NYC, awed and looking around at all the wonders of the city. Courtney complains in rehearsal that not only is she from NY, she hates tourists. But she plays one on TV anyway and does ok; Gev does great. Cute routine, let's keep Andy, please? Napolitha said it was believable and complimented Gev. Mary & Nigel liked it and Nigel picked on a couple of things but also complimented them.

Whew! That was a lot of dancing! I think the quality was better last week, but then they only had one routine to learn in 4 days (Thursday evening - Monday evening), not two like this week.

My favorites were definitely Mandy's jazz pieces, with Mia's for Josh & Katee 3rd (Mia's bed routine is my least favorite, though!).

I predict Matt & Kourtni will go; Thayne & Comfort will probably also be in the Bottom 3 and the 3rd couple could be almost anyone but it won't matter. *Sniff* - goodbye, my beautiful tall ballet dancer of the season! (No, he's not as good as Danny, but I seem to like that 'type'!)

SYTYCD Top 16

2008-06-24T17:29:00.006-04:00

Tonight's 3rd judge is Adam Shankman. The good: he has lots of useful comments. The bad: he has lots of comments!

AWESOME show tonight!!

Kherington & Twitch: Hip Hop, Napoleon & Tabitha ("Dont Touch Me Now" by Busta Rhymes) In tonight's video clips we're going to hear something new about each partner (from the other one). K. says Twitch laughs like a bear, and he says she has a shopping problem! The story behind this routine is a prison break. Napolitha also says that the music is fast and parts require the dancers to be "staccato and smooth at the same time." Alrighty then. Twitch is awesome, as expected. Kherington is her usual smiley self and does ok. The choreo has a lot of humorous tricks that go with the story & lyrics, like running to the edge of the stage and wobbling like they might fall off, and Twitch using circles on the bottom of K's shoes (yes, she's finally wearing some!) like binoculars as she does a handstand behind him. Judges loved it.

Courtney & Gev: Rumba, Tony Meredith and Melanie ("Wishing on a Star," Rose Royce) Due to his long, curly hair, Courtney says Gev looked like a little girl when he was a child. Gev tells us Courtney is studying to be a special ed teacher (aww). In this routine both participants are embarrassed to learn that part of the choreography is for Gev to grab Courtney's butt and lift her up with it. This is a good routine - very smooth and sexy (good chemistry, which we saw last week). They both look great as well - she's borrowing one of Edyta's dresses (there's no right side), and he's wearing a dress shirt and vest. Nigel said that Gev reminds him of Dominic (yes, we know, seeing as how you've given them the same first 3 dance styles Dom & Sabra had last year!) and he liked the routine. Mary complimented some of their technique; and Adam had a lot of constructive things to say, which prompted Nigel to tell him to hurry up, since they didn't have "blankets and soup" for the audience!

Comfort & Chris: (African) Jazz, Tyce Diorio (Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People") Chris mooches food off people, and Comfort has done beauty pageants. The routine is to be "raw" and earthy, and we see them practicing with brown sheets that are to represent mud. Except the sheets are just used briefly in the routine toward the end. Their costumes are shredded black fabric, and I'll admit it's hard for me to judge the routine objectively because I really, really, don't like the music. It was ok I guess. Nigel and Mary were disappointed, the execution wasn't hard or "animalistic" enough. Adam said they were inconsistent in their performance as far as portraying the characters.

Jessica & Will: Disco, Doriana Sanchez ("Heaven Must Have Sent You," Bonnie Pointer) Jessica's nickname is Ariel (which Will finds humorous) and Will is an "absolute gentleman." Doriana says in practice that Jessica "hasn't been given a chance yet to shine," but then after working with her a bit says that Jessica isn't getting it very well and isn't working hard enough. Their outfits are all white, and Will looks very sharp in his white suit (most of the guys look really good tonight! ...except for Chris in his shreds and Twitch in his orange prison suit). He also dances the best disco routine I've seen in years and is just all-around fun to watch. Jessica doesn't really keep up but most of their tricks together are good. Except for the last one, where I think he had too much momentum going from his tumbling run and almost fell forward holding her in the last pose. He had to put a hand down in front of her & a moment later she thought to put hers down too so it looked like they were supposed to be that way, but it was a bit too late to not look like a mistake. The judges were mixed, observing several mistakes but also crediting them for difficult choreography executed well. Adam also said he wished Jessica knew how good of a dancer she is.

Kourtni & Matt: Contemporary, Sonya Tayeh ("Wrestlers," Hot Chip) Kourtni has a tattoo on her neck (a quote about dance), and Matt has a ninja mask that he likes to wear (in his dry humor he describes it as an "accessory," just like scarves that K. will wear). He also mentions that he slipped and fell a bit in last week's routine, and though the judges didn't say anything, his mother (who's tougher than Nigel) did! This week's routine is about 2 comic characters chasing and flirting with each other, with lots of poses or freezes (like frames of a comic strip). If it looks anything like the new choreographer does, it will be very strange and quirky. And it is! They do a lot using his tie as a prop, pulling on it in various ways. Really cool routine - and the audience loves it!! Nigel liked it as well and said it allowed both of them (finally) to show off their technique, though he still said Matt is a bit stiff. Mary praised their extensions and synchronized leaps; and she told Matt the "broom" is gone, which was nice of her! Adam praised their control and said it was fantastic (though he thought Matt's ninja mask from the intro clip was weird).

Chelsea & Thayne: Quickstep, Heather Smith ("You Can't Hurry Love," Phil Collins) Thayne enjoys fashion (advising Chelsea on outfits, making his own shirts), and Chelsea is a flower thief (gardens, restaurants, whatever!). Heather used a hula hoop to help teach them the proper frame for the dance. I thought Chelsea's dress was too long and actually interfered w/her dancing a bit, but overall the routine was pretty good and fun. Nigel said their personalities didn't show (had plastered smiles, probably because they were focusing on the fast technique), but it was better than he'd expected. He still recommended that they prepare their solos. Mary said it was difficult choreo and they did "Ok, which is pretty good" in context. She also said they pale in comparison to previous season's quicksteps, and that Chelsea let her partner down and was off the hot tamale train. Adam said they didn't look comfortable (and that no matter how you feel at the time, you should look like you're loving whatever you're performing).

Chelsie & Mark: Hip Hop, Napoleon & Tabitha ("Bleeding Love," Leona Lewis) Mark has crooked pinkies and Chelsie is a tomboy off stage. This routine is described as "hip hop with emotion" and the story is of a workaholic man leaving his beloved. They say that every word of the song has meaning and there is a lot of detail in the choreography to represent that. Ok, on to the performance... LOVE!!!!!!!!! I love the song anyway, and knew that Mark would rock hip hop (there are lots of YouTube vids of his hip hop choreo), but wow. The whole thing was awesome, and I now have a favorite routine of the season. I especially enjoyed when she kicked his briefcase away, when he made the gestures of moving her around toward the end, and just her angst in general - they both did fantastic jobs w/the acting. The crowd and judges agreed. Adam called it "lyrical hip-hop" and said they're "the couple to beat"!

Katee & Joshua: Samba, Tony Meredith ("Baila, Baila," Angela Via) Joshua is a softie and Katee "screams like a boy" (low, not high-pitched; Tony calls it "grunting" in practice). They're told the samba is a very rhythmic, hot & sexy dance. Despite Katee's comment in rehearsal about not thinking of herself as pretty or sexy at all (at least off the dance floor), she "brought it" in a big way during the performance!! Oh, and she found the other half of Chelsea's dress. ;-) The dance was great - they had good chemistry and seemed to execute their choreo very well. Nigel said that Joshua has a "natural samba rhythm" but then started talking about his tight pants and made his father stand up in the audience to see if the booty was inherited (it is, but TMI!). He called it one of 4 "outstanding" routines tonight. Mary loaded them onto the train. Adam gave them a S.O. and said "That was competing!" He also told Katee that she's "smokin'" and doesn't ever want her to think of herself as not pretty or sexy in the future.

Great show!!!! My bottom 3 predictions: Comfort & Chris and Chelsea & Thayne for sure. I'll say Kourtni & Matt (while hoping my votes help prevent it) though the 3rd spot could go several ways. I'll pick Chris (please?) and Kourtni to leave (unless Will & Jessica hit the bottom, in which case she will be the one to go).

-----

Results:

Group number: I missed what the music was, but Mia choreographed it and it's a bit Alice in Wonderland-ish, featuring Mark the most (and Comfort). My least favorite of the season so far.

Guest performers:
Jordin Sparks ("One Step at a Time")
"Quest," a breakdancing group with 8 members including Dominic, Hok, and Ryan

Bottom 3:
Comfort & Chris (his solo was better than in the past)
Chelsea & Thayne
Kourtni (better solo than in the past) & Matt (solo to Jason Mraz & very good)

Nigel apologized to Matt for some past treatment and said tonight's solo was "brilliant," and announced that Matt was safe. There was no '1st safe' girl. Chelsea and Chris were eliminated and no reasons were given for either one. So, Thayne and Comfort will be paired next week.

SYTYCD4 - Top 18

2008-06-18T23:08:00.006-04:00

Tonight's 3rd judge is Mia. In the video clips dancers will be telling us the best & worst things about their partners (now that they've been together 2 whole weeks and know each other sooo well!). And Mary's outfit is horrid - either the hair (curly), necklace (huuuuuge beads) or shirt (animal print) would've been a nice accent on their own, but combined it's way OTT and unattractive.

Chelsea & Thayne: Jazz, Mandy Moore. (The Veronicas' "Untouched") Does anyone really care what they like about each other at this point? The only semi-interesting thing these 2 said was that Thayne is superstitious (which C. does not like). This routine's story is of a king and his forbidden love. The funky music and costumes made more of an impression on me than the dance itself, but it was good. Mia said the execution was poor and Mary & Nigel didn't "believe" it and said the chemistry wasn't there.

Chelsie & Mark: Argentine Tango, Alex DeSilva. Mark is quirky (good) but quiet (bad), and Chelsie's hair smells good. Despite being a ballroom dancer Chelsie hasn't done Argentine Tango before (just regular tango). They say their relationship is very brother-sister and the dance is supposed to be sexy, and we see Mark goofing around in practice. Once they get on stage, though, it's a different story. This is very, very good - has the right feel and technique looks very good. The judges loved it, except Nigel wanted Chelsie to be a bit "sleazier" to fit his idea of the dance.

Jessica & Will: Hip-hop, Cicily & Olisa. ("Whatever U Like") Will is focused (good) but sometimes too serious; Jessica has a great personality. The routine has chairs and is very "soft" hip-hop IMO. They dance it fairly well including the unison parts, but overall Will is better. Mia loved the choreo and called it "dirty" and "raw" (really?); she loved Will but said Jessica paled next to him, and Mary agreed. Nigel liked both.

Kourtni & Matt: Foxtrot, Jean-Marc Genereux. ("A Foggy Day," Michael Buble) Matt likes Kourtni's eyes and she likes that he's always complimenting her. She doesn't like his singing, and he doesn't like that she doesn't like his singing. ;) (He has a great, dry sense of humor; his singing in the clip is obviously humorous but he says with a very straight face that she "doesn't have an ear for good singing.") They struggled w/the lifts in practice but were better on stage. Wow, this choreography fits Matt perfectly! It's very old-style, Fred Astaire type stuff, and Matt's suit helps convey that feel. But his dancing is just beautiful, light, right on... riveting. I will say the routine doesn't stay in hold as much as most Foxtrots IIRC. Mia loves Matt (yay!). Mary loved the choreo was mixed on execution (the holds should've been tighter, etc.). Nigel didn't like Matt's arms or their seemingly false grins, but enjoyed it overall.

Courtney & Gev: Contemporary, Mandy Moore ("Lost" by Anouk) Gev is strong and hard-working, but short (hee), and Courtney is pretty but has a boyfriend (ha!). The routine is a love story and has lots of partnering, which Gev says that he's struggling with. You can't tell later, though. And they do have great chemistry! Cat said she got chills. Mia loves the choreo; said Courtney "jazzified" it (bad) but said Gev did well at partnering and she "believed" his movement/emotions. Mary loved it and said "the breaker boy's gonna break some hearts." Nigel disagreed and said the emotion wasn't believable.

Katee & Joshua: Broadway, Tyce Diorio ("All for the Best," Godspell) Joshua is a very "caring" partner but nitpicks; Katee has a contagious smile but a dorky 'lighten up' dance. Tyce says the key to this routine is moving around the stage as fast as possible. Now, I must preface my comments by saying that I *LOVE* Godspell, have seen it multiple times, was in the band for a college-age production, and can sing along to most of the soundtrack. A Godspell snob, if you will. Ok. I HATED it. Just horrible. Totally killed the song... mostly Tyce's fault for choosing the choreography (now I get why so many people hate his B'Way choreo; I'm often not as familiar w/the original numbers to realize how much they're changed). The music edit was even cut so the lines didn't rhyme... just a travesty all around, lol! As for the execution... He was better than she was, but both were decent for what they were given. The crowd and judges loved it! Nigel said it was "great entertainment" vaudeville-style (I agree with that part I guess, but in this case that's not a good thing!). Mia said "amazing" and thought they had a great connection and that their "spirit" was "loud." Maybe, but Tyce should stick to contemporary, and everyone should go see a live production of Godspell next spring to see how this number is supposed to be done!

Susie & Marquis: Salsa, Alex deSilva. Susie is energetic but her hair hits him a lot; Marquis is goofy (good) but always eating (which makes his breath bad). Alex says the routine is Cuban/Puerto Rican as are the dancers (respectively), so it should be a good fit! But then he says Susie isn't really a Salsa dancer, she's a "Street Salsa" dancer. Which she overhears and upsets her. I get his point though, as she's not all that great in the routine. Marquis is so much lighter - which later some of the judges say is a bad thing - but I can tell from this for the first time that he's a really, really good dancer! I hope he gets to stick around and do contemporary!! Mia loved the choreo but not the performance, and all of the judges seem disappointed. Mary said they lacked chemistry and Nigel said it wasn't fiery and some of the turns were labored, as well as some other technical criticisms. I kind-of think they wanted Susie & Marquis in the bottom 3 last week so they could boot them, and are trying extra-hard to sink them this week. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing her go but I know we haven't seen his full potential yet.

Kherington & Twitch: Viennese Waltz, Jean-Marc & France. ("A New Day Has Come," Celine Dion) Kher. always has a pleasant outlook but has strong legs and her kicks hurt (hee); Twitch is strong but sometimes wears 'fake' (no lens) glasses. Evs. This routine is very personal for Jean-Marc and France. Their daughter has Rett Syndrome and has basically no motor function, but reacts positively to seeing movement of others. So this routine is for her and inspired by her. The costuming is all white and flowy and there is cool lighting on the stage. Some of the lifts seem heavy and several sections appear more contemporary than ballroom to me, as in lacking technique (I'll always remember Donyelle talking about how hard this dance is!). Mia of course appreciates the personal choreo, though she didn't like Kher's constant smile, wanting more "reality" (Nigel rudely interrupted to defend it, saying it was uplifting). Mia and Mary both complimented Twitch. Nigel agreed w/my thought that it wasn't pure Viennese Waltz but said it was beautiful.

Comfort & Chris: Krump, Lil C. (Timbaland something - and almost every other word was edited out so it sounded really strange!) Chris is humble & has a "good spirit," but sweats a lot; Comfort is a versatile, solid partner but talks too fast (hee). Lil C says Krumping combines pop/locking with b-boy and African moves. They also use the phrase "that's buck" a lot but never explain it. Compared to the krumping I've seen before (which is something like 3 routines ever), this is very sloooooow, almost like slo-mo krumping! And not quite as hard-hitting as I'd expect. Just ok overall. Mia said Chris "pulled it off," but Mary disagreed and said Comfort blew him away (though agreed she could have hit harder). Nigel actually criticized both of them but was very mean to Chris (worse than to Matt last week), saying his "granny's more gangsta" than Chris! He also said he didn't dance "macho" enough, specifically pointing out that Chris didn't do the crotch grab right and actually demonstrating (!) how it should be done while saying what Chris did was like a (have to go) "peepee dance" and that as a man he should especially "own that area" (of his body). Poor Chris!! Chris replied and said he didn't want to grab his crotch. Good for him, standing up for himself (I know it's a popular move in hip-hop and related styles, but this is also supposed to be a family show and I don't think it's appropriate, let alone necessary).

Overall I'd pick Susie/Marquis, Chelsea/Thayne, and Jessica/Will for the bottom 3, with Susie & Marquis being sent home. It's a hard call though since Jess/Will were B3 last week; fans will vote more this week so we could see Kourtni/Matt (hope not!) or maybe Comfort/Chris there instead.

-----

RESULTS:

Group number: Hip-hop by Shane ("Elevator"). It was fun, though hard to recognize people since they were dressed the same & wearing hats. Marquis was featured in the beginning, and at the end Gev did a headstand in the center and held it for a long time, until Cat came on & everyone else was leaving the stage.

Whew, Matt (& Kourtni) are safe! All 3 of my favorites managed to escape the bottom 3 this week. The bottom 6 are as follows:

Chelsea - good solo, 1st girl safe.
Susie - just ok solo; Nigel said she didn't use the stage enough.
Comfort - very good.

Susie is out.

Thayne (Gavin DeGraw "Belief") - good use of stage, good solo; Nigel said he has a lot of potential.

Marquis (OneRepublic "Stop and Stare" - eee!) - Awesome!! We finally get to see him dance contemporary, and he is as good as I'd heard. Unfortunately Nigel decided his solo was "all tricks" and "not dance." (And Neil did what in his solos last year, exactly?)

Chris (John Legend "Again") - meh. Easy choice here, Chris needs to go home. However... Nigel said he danced with passion and has been bringing the "personality" Nigel asked of him, so he will be safe!

And Marquis is out. I call foul, because I really think Nigel just didn't want to pair Comfort (or Chelsea) with Marquis. They rarely put 2 black contestants together, as that doesn't fit his ideal (perceived) viewer demographic, I guess. So we have a paired couple leaving for the 2nd week in a row (a first, I believe).

SYTYCD 4 - Top 20

2008-06-11T16:59:00.002-04:00

First performance show! I'm so excited. Guest judge is Dan Karaty, yay! We get the normal intro solos and then a montage of short clips from auditions, and we're off!

Rayven & Jamie: Hip-Hop, Napoleon & Tabitha. ("American Boy") Both auditioned in LA (which we didn't know before since they haven't had any screen time yet), Jamie auditioning w/his current partner who's also his girlfriend (so, no Schwimmer). The routine was ok; I'm not impressed w/T & N based on this (they had R pull Jamie's pants down and he did a few moves in his undies - um, why? That's *not* the way to make up for little screen time, really!). Rayven has awesome potential though. Judges were meh.

Susie & Marquis: Waltz, Hunter Johnson. ("Dark Waltz"- pretty!) We learn that Susie's parents were both born in Cuba, and Marquis (who auditioned in DC) wasn't allowed to dance much growing as his mom pulled him out of it because of "personal family issues." The lift was not good, but the rest was ok, nothing great. The judges like it though & Nigel said the choreo was very difficult.

Kourtni & Matt: Jazz, Mandy Moore. ("Tainted Love", eee!) At 5'9" and 6'3", K & M say they're 12 feet of dancer! Which is a lot. I thought some of their movements were hidden by the black leather outfits, but I guess it was sort-of a spy theme, with him holding a diamond on & off & then having it 'magically' disappear at the end into glitter. I don't think the routine showed them off very well either, but they did pretty well with what they had IMO. Nigel said he wanted more personality from "uptight" Matt (?! Besides being gorgeous, I thought he showed plenty of personality!), Mary liked it except for the "heavy" lift, and Dan thought they played it too safe & should've attacked it harder. Threw them a few votes just in case.

Chelsea T & Thayne: Cha Cha, Tony Meredith & Melanie. While he still annoys me when he's not dancing, Thayne sure cleans up nice and is an extremely attractive dancer. Chelsea, another from the Dallas tryouts, has Jamaican parents and a very strong personality (as do most of the girls!). Definitely the best routine of the 4 so far, and the judges loved it. Mary said he partnered well and Dan said they owned the stage.

Chelsie H & Mark: Contemporary, Mia Michaels. ("Beautiful") The first stand-out routine of the season! Mia choreographed "what Tim Burton's wedding would be like," i.e. 2 quirky people finding each other. Mark definitely fits the role, calling himself "left of center" (and we finally see a bit of his LA audition). Despite being in his strength he struggled w/the routine and Mia said "I thought he'd be better than he is." She approved of the performance, though. Chelsie's flouncy dress hid her body too much but contributed to the effect of the routine. The judges loved it and Mary complimented Mark on the lifts (of which there were a lot!).

Kherington & Twitch: Broadway, Tyce Diorio. ("Too Darn Hot") What's not to like? Twitch even called them "Twitchington" in the intro. Fun routine, nothing spectacular, but very enjoyable. Judges loved as well & said that Kher. lights up the stage.

Comfort & Chris: Jive, Tony & Melanie. ("Boom Boom") Comfort is going to be comic relief for us this season, she has the most fun personality! (And attitude!) Chris also auditioned in Dallas and said he was distracted in practice by her miniskirt and "tush." Heh. In his defense, later everyone commented on how (surprisingly, they implied) sexy she was, including Cat! The traditional Latin outfit (open, lowcut shirt) was not flattering to Chris at. all. Besides that the routine was pretty good; I agree w/Nigel that Chris had the 'feel' of it better (more grounded). Apparently Comfort dislocated her shoulder in practice the day before but they "click clicked" it back into place and here she is! (They did modify at least one move though.) Dan said that they each performed well but need to develop more chemistry w/each other.

Katee & Joshua: Hip Hop, Napoleon & Tabitha. ("No Air") We see Joshua admit that he has had some ballet training, clearing the air as to whether he was 'hiding' anything from the judges as Debbie implied in the auditions. Ok, anything N&T lacked on the first routine they made up for in this one! 2nd standout routine of the season and the first causing sniffles across the audience. The story is of a young couple the day before the man leaves for war: at the beginning they're happy & cuddly until he hands her a letter, then she's upset and angsty and such. Obviously since this is Joshua's specialty he's a lot better than she is, but she "keeps up", as the judges say, and their side-by-side moves are very much in unison. The very last move - he grabs her arm, she pulls away pulling his jacket off of him and, as she turns, on to herself, and then holds the end of it - amazing, and just the right emotional ending to the story of the routine. This is just one of those numbers that perfectly merges choreography with lyrics and music, and even though the execution wasn't perfect, it made an impact. The judges (at least Nigel & Mary) were somewhat emotional and they all loved it.

Jessica & William: Tango, Hunter. Jessica auditioned in Charleston and it turns out she was the one who misspelled "Vegas"! Will auditioned in LA and says he moved from TN at age 16 in order to work w/Debbie Allen. The tango is good; they both show potential, but I think he could be absolutely amazing. Everything was sharp ("professional", Nigel said), and even the end lift was smooth. She did slide & wobble a bit throughout the routine, but overall the judges loved them. Mary even called them the "couple to beat" (wow, in ballroom? you can tell we're missing the hot Russians this year, lol!).

Courtney G & Gev: Disco, Doriana Sanchez. ("Boogie Wonderland," of course!) We get a few short clips of Gev in Vegas doing Broadway (hee!) and ballroom. They both say in the practice session that disco is harder than expected but they enjoy working together - I think they're one of the better matched couples. Aside from their unfortunate yellow outfits and the freakily-overdone disco lighting during the routine, it's pretty good! The lifts were fairly smooth (considering he's not a partner dancer & not that much bigger than she is), though they were both very out of breath at the end. She was a bit better & smoother than he was (expectedly), but overall it was decent. Nigel rained on the parade because he didn't like the "feel" of it, but Mary loved it and commented that it was a difficult routine. Dan enjoyed it as well and called it "pretty good." I think they're safe but I still voted!!

I'm so glad this show is back! Ok, favorite routines: Chelsie & Mark's Mia contemp. and Katee & Josh's hip-hop/pop. Favorite dancers: still Gev and Matt, plus Will!

Predictions for Bottom 3 couples: Rayven & Jamie, Susie & Marquis, and Comfort & Chris, with Susie and Marquis going home. (I think Marquis is better than Chris, but if Chris leaves that would put Comfort w/Marquis & I'm not sure they'd want to do that.) There's not that much 'cannon fodder' this year, especially among the guys, and Jamie's the only male ballroom(ish) guy so he's almost a lock for Top 10.

And just an observation, those who got dances in their own styles tonight: Mark, Joshua (I think the only one who really, really benefited from it), and in a close style, Susie. Also someone said Pasha & Anya were assisting Mia in the studio but I missed it so I'll have to go back & rewatch!

Who did you love? Who did you hate? Who's going home? Leave a comment & let me know...

And we get a Wade group routine tomorrow!!!!!!!

------

RESULTS SHOW:

Figured I might as well combine the posts since this will be short.

Opening group number: "Cobrastyle" by Wade (and his wife Amanda). Nigel gets kidnapped by the dancers. And we learn that Mark ROCKS Wade's choreo!!

Bottom 3 couples:
Kourtni & Matt
Rayven & Jamie
Jessica & Will

Guest performances: Poppin' Pete and Shonnie; Pussycat Dolls.

None of the girls impressed on solos. Kourtni is 1st safe; Rayven is out (judges were unanimous). Will's solo was amazing and he was 1st safe. Matt's was beautiful because it's Matt, but nothing extraordinary (he's not Danny). Jamie's paled next to former ballroom guys. Thus Jamie is out, despite Nigel's preference for his "personality" over Matt's. Nigel says "this week - and this week only" the judges (unanimous again) are choosing technique (i.e. Matt) over personality. Doesn't bode well for the rest of the season (technique-wise), though perhaps it shows they realize repeatedly keeping Cedric last year over better dancers was a mistake. One can only hope. I am surprised that they got rid of the only ballet dancer and the only male ballroom guy, but they're definitely going for well-rounded this year so we'll see what happens!

SYTYCD4 - Vegas / Top 20 Chosen

2008-06-07T23:40:00.004-04:00

Yay, it's Vegas week! In 2 more hours we'll know who's in and who's not, and inevitably wonder where a few people went as they looked promising but are never heard of again. And we'll probably hear a few being encouraged to "come back next year and try again." I'm really glad they do that a lot in this show (as opposed to Idol). I'm sure Twitch is, too!!

We start off with 204 dancers. And 6 judges: Napolean & Tabitha, Mia, Debbie Allen, Mary and Nigel.

Again I will bold the names of the eventual Top 20.

Round 1 is Hip-Hop, taught by N & T.

Dancers have 1 hour to learn the routine, then they go up on stage in small groups (lines, actually) to perform. Those who don't make the grade are cut!

Robert Muraine the popper is struggling, as he's never done choreography before at all. He is concerned that he'll hurt a partner's chances and contemplates dropping out before they go on. Word reaches Nigel who calls him up on stage and asks him to perform his solo for the judges who haven't seen it yet. They all encourage him not to quit, but he does anyway.

1 down, 183 to go!

The first group includes Rebecca Hart and Courtney Galiano. Courtney survives, Rebecca does not. We see Evan in a brown hoodie; he gets through. As do Twitch, Philip Courter (Yessie's friend), Kourtni Lind, Matt Dorame, and (twin) Anthony Hart. Plus a Michael, but he's not shown so I don't know if it's breaker Michael Kim or someone else. Others cut are Ryann Race (strip club DJ), Ricky Sun (my favorite ballroom guy), and Claire Calloway.

In total 74 were cut on Day 1 leaving 129 as we start Day 2!

Round 2 is Broadway with Tyce.

This should be fun!! Everyone is partnered, though we have more girls than guys so we have a few pairs of girls. We start out with Erica Gee (her 3rd time in Vegas, she's confident this is "her year!") and a black gal named Britney Parks. The judges tell her she's doing her part better than most of the guys! She advances, but Erica is cut and makes a tearful call home.

We see Thayne Jasperson with Chelsie Hightower way in the back, complaining that they can't see. Matt is also in the back but says, "I'm good, I'm 7 feet tall! I can see everything!" Hee.

We get to see a montage with short clips of Evan (awesome, of course, as this is his genre), Matt doing some cute snappy things with his hands, possibly William, Kourtni, and Thayne and Chelsie.

Shown advancing are Susie Garcia (Miami high school teacher), Anthony, pageant Paige, Twitch, and a random Asian guy. Antwain Hart and Philip are cut. (Philip vows to return next year, or as long as it takes until he's either told not to return or he wins! That's the spirit!)

We're down to 94 at the end of the morning.

Round 3 (afternoon of Day 2) is Ballroom - Jean-Marc and France Genereaux teaching Foxtrot!

Hip hop dancer Joshua Allen is struggling, as is his partner and pal Comfort Fedoke. It turns out Comfort is the gal we saw in Dallas whom Nigel dubbed "the best female hip-hop dancer we've had on the show!" And we finally get to see her initial audition, yay! They do ok with the foxtrot; they make mistakes, but the judges are still impressed since they have no training and they both advance. They break into tears of relief and joy, both very thankful to still be here! They both seem really nice and I'm glad they have each other for support during this process.

Devin Oshiro, the Asian gal I liked who was the first audition of the season, is cut after this round. Still in are ballroom dancer Aliona (I would certainly hope so!), Chelsie, BFF's Michelle and Kortney, William, and Twitch. Paige is paired with Will Adams, a black hip-hop dancer from Indiana (yay!). They don't do very well... Will has to come back later to do a solo, and Paige will return with a different partner to try the Foxtrot again. She returns with Leo Rotenberg, a ballroom dancer who's already advanced. She declares her newfound love for ballroom dancing now that she has a partner who knows what he's doing (and can tell her what to do)! She's better, but not good enough, and is cut. Packing up her things we see her going through her pageant mantra: "... and you don't get cut. But if you do get cut, you keep smiling and you don't cry. And if you do cry, you do it in your room by yourself." Heh.

Back to the "Dance for your Life" solos. First up is Jeremiah Hughes, contemporary dancer (and push-up guy) from Charleston. He does his thing very well and gets to stay (for now). Will is also very good but he is cut. 3 others are also cut, and I believe we're down to 72!

It's the end of a long day, but it will get even longer...

It's time for the Group round!

Everyone left is assigned to groups and will come pick up a CD (the main song we see later is "Every Breath You Take"). They then have to choreograph their own group routine to perform the next day (starting at 10 am). The theater will be open as long as people need it, and some need it until 4:30 am!

Here's how things work for this round; it's a little like Survivor or Big Brother! The judges each decide who they're keeping and have anyone else take one step back. Anyone who finishes 2 steps back has to dance a solo later to remain, and anyone with at least 3 steps back is out! Interesting!!

The first group to perform on Day 3 was also the last up practicing, as they couldn't agree on choreography. We have Twitch, tapper Bianca, contemporary dancer Jason Glover, Aliona, and another blond named Randi. The judges all call it a mess. Jason will be dancing "for his life" (and cries like it) later and everyone else is safe. Twitch is very upset and feels responsible, since he's been this far before and thinks he's supposed to be able to help his group advance. Fortunately for both Twitch and Jason, Jason's solo gets the 4 votes required to stay and all is well, for now.

The other group we get to see perform has a name, "Angels and Demons," and is comprised of contemporary dancer Jessica King (another redhead), Derek Spears (also contemp.?), Comfort, and a white guy in a green shirt with dark hair in a mohawk. Derek admits to being the demon, as he didn't like Jessica's choreography the night before and ended up leaving to go to bed while the rest of the group stayed up practicing. Apparently everything "came together" right before they went on, and the judges said it was good and showcased everyone well. No steps were given so they were all safe, though Nigel did hold up a sign for Derek that said "Hush".

We don't get to see much dancing from anyone else, but we get comments from a few and see some of the groupings, which I still find interesting (though I'd love to see all of the performance footage!). Jeremiah and Natalie Reid (one of the roomies) are in the same group (guys wearing white shirts & suspenders, girls in green). Kourtni and Susie are together; Thayne and ballroom dancer Janette (w/stripey hair) are together; and Gev, Courtney G, and I think Brandon Bryant are together. We also see Matt and maybe William in a group of 6 who are all in black & white and all safe.

Only 4 were cut during the group round, including BFF and single mom Kortney Pearson (good, we're full up on Kortney/Courtney/Kourtni's already!). So we're down to 68 and ready for the last class...

Mia's Contemporary!

As if this wouldn't be hard enough on its own, it's the afternoon of Day 3 and most contestants have had only a few hours of sleep. Tapper Lizz Plott is especially struggling but refuses to give up, though her legs are trying to convince her otherwise. Long story short, she made it through the performance and I think the judges would have kept her, but she talked back (trying to explain to Nigel that she wasn't stressed in the way he thought she was) and the attitude got her cut! Nevertheless she wants to come back and try again next year.

Another dancer who is struggling is Jeremiah. Yes, this is his genre, and he says he mentally gets it, he just can't make his body do it (I can definitely understand feeling that way about Mia's choreo!). He messed up during his performance and walked off stage, he was so mad at himself. That really upset the judges who called him unprofessional and complained that if a choreographer is "trusting" a dancer with a piece they can't let them down like that. He was cut, and later very apologetic. He's only 19 and says he'll come back... though I think I heard that he was trying out for the new Canadian version, so we'll see. I'd love to see more of him.

Also cut during this round are Jason and Brandi. I saw one guy who was really good, wearing a dark red tee, brown jacket, & jeans, that may have been Thayne.

Cat says we're down to 47 (so 21 were cut so far, though Cat said 22, so one of her numbers is off), and 9 of those have to Dance for Their Life. Contemporary dancer Dominic Pearson injurs his leg and he's out. We see a montage of several others, including Jazz dancer Sheila Kaiser (whose dad didn't approve), who is cut. Contemporary dancer Mark Kanemura (green shirt & white shorts, I saw him briefly a couple other times) does a fun little routine to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and instantly intrigues many viewers! He stays. Twitch is awesome and he stays. A black gal named Charlotte stays, as does Leonidas (whom they're now also calling Leo, making him practically indistinguishable from Leo Rotenberg, another ballroom guy!). 4 others are cut including a familiar cute blond but who knows which one she was.

42 left!! Now everyone does solos that we don't get to see, except for one montage of short clips (but only 27 of the 42 are even shown in that - and the 3 breaker 'favorites,' Twitch, Joshua, and Gev, are shown twice each - yes, I wore out my Pause button, why do you ask?!). They get no immediate feedback from the judges but come out later one by one to find out whether or not they've made the Top 20 (SYTYCD's equivalent of "The Chair" from Idol). New this year, in the hallway on the way to the stage they see both their first and last auditions playing on video screens along the wall!

I'll list the no's first so I can list all the Finalists together at the end. I know Leonidas, Cooper, and Michael Kim got cut but unfortunately I have no idea how far into Vegas they made it. But the ones I know for sure made it to the end and then got cut are as follows:

Girls:
Kelli Baker (contemporary, daughter of famous choreographer)
Aliona (ballroom)
Janette (ballroom)
Bianca (tap)
Asuka (ballroom)
and Natalie (contemp, one of the roomies)

Guys:
Anthony (hip-hop)
Evan (Gene Kelly-esque; bummer! But he's also young, maybe he'll come back?)
Leonidas (Leo) P. (ballroom)
Markus (hip-hopper with deceased Mom' pic on his shirt)
Derek Spears
and Brandon

Your Top 20!

Courtney Galiano (19, NY/auditioned in Charleston, brunette) - contemporary

Chelsie Hightower (18, UT/SLC, blond) - ballroom/Latin

Susie Garcia (24, FL/Milwaukee, mostly blond high school teacher) - Latin

Chelsea Traille (23, TX, audition not shown, pretty black gal w/short hair) - contemp/jazz

Kourtni Lind (18, CA/Charleston, short blond hair) - contemp

Kherington Payne (18, CA/Los Angeles, short blond hair) - contemp/jazz

Rayven Armijo (28, CA, audition not shown/zero screentime thus far, brunette) - ballet/contemp
Comfort Fedoke (20, TX/Dallas though is Nigerian) - hip-hop

Jessica King (23, SC, audition not shown but featured in group round, redhead) - contemp

Katee Shean (20, CA/Los Angeles, redhead) - contemp

Joshua Allen (18, TX/auditioned in Dallas) - hip-hop

Twitch Boss (25, orig. AL, now CA/Los Angeles) - freestyle/breaking

Matt Dorame (22, UT/SLC, really tall) - ballet/contemp

Thayne Jasperson (27, UT/SLC) - contemp

Marquis Cunningham (18, FL?, audition not shown/zero screentime, thin black guy) - contemp

Mark Kanemura (24, HI, audition not shown/only screentime was BoRhap solo) - contemp

Jaime Bayard (22, CA, audition not shown/zero screentime) - West Coast Swing (note: was Lacey Schwimmer's competition partner)

Chris Jerosz (21, TX, audition not shown, tall thin white guy) - contemp

William Wingfield (21, TN/LA) - contemp (note: protege of Debbie Allen)

Gev Manoukian (21, UT/SLC but orig. from Kazakhstan) - hip-hop/breaking

Resources: Fox official site (scroll mouse over pictures to get links to bio pages); another page with photos and short bios

SYTYCD 4 Auditions (all episodes)

2008-05-30T18:32:00.008-04:00

Yay, I love this show and I'm so glad it's back! Haven't really blogged it before, but I watched some of Season 1 and every bit of S2 (Benjieeee!!!!!!!!) and S3 (Danny!!). For now I'll mostly just list the people that have advanced to Vegas whose auditions we've been shown (which isn't a ton). Feel free to ask questions about anything else; as usual, I have detailed notes. ;-)

*NOTE: Now that we know the Top 20, I will bold their names here for reference!

Los Angeles (3rd judge: Mia)

Devin Oshiro (18, CA, #24733) Girl who stood at the back of the stage waiting for the right music to be played; hair tips dyed red. Contemporary dancer, good, powerful. Girls don't usually stand out to me but I really like her! And she's not a PPP. ;-) "Straight" to Vegas.

(Note: there is disagreement as to whether these people actually leave at this point or also attend the choreography round. Last year there were some auditioners posting online that it's not at all the way it looks on tv, that everyone stayed for the choreo round. This year some are saying that's not true for everyone, just for some. So who knows!)

Jonathan won't be going to Vegas but kind-of deserves mentioning. Italian guy with a major ego, though it might be hard to look like he does and not have one. Possibly most memorable for Mia's freudian slip: "sexful" instead of "successful".

Twitch is back! Stephen Boss (25, AL, #24816) made it to Vegas last year and was the last guy cut, when he & Hok came out together and Hok was all sweet & classy saying he was sad for Twitch & couldn't really be happy for himself since his friend didn't get through. Anyway, Twitch does his thing and goes to Vegas.

Phillip Chbeeb (19, CA, #24588) is another who made it to Vegas last year. He's an amazing popper and says he hasn't had time to take dance classes but has worked on improving as a dancer instead of just doing 'tricks.' He's sent to choreo and then advances to Vegas.

William Wingfield (21, TN, #2407_) is a professional dancer and has done a lot of travel/work overseas. He says he wants to show versatility and dances to a spoken word piece. He's very good; the crowd loves him and he goes to choreo, then gets put through to Vegas.

Oh, Travis is doing the choreography sessions this year! Fun. They have 30 minutes to learn the routine and that's it. It's definitely interesting to see who picks it up quickly and who struggles, though I wish we knew more of the contenders. Anyway, Phillip, William, and 16 others advance on Day 1.

Day 2:

Erika Gee (22, OH, 25568) is auditioning for the 3rd time. She's a blond contemporary dancer who was "all over the place" style-wise before, and the judges loved how she's focused. Straight to Vegas.

Our first ballroom couple: Leonidas Proskurov (23, CA) and Aliona Vetrenko (21, CA). They are dance partners as well as a romantic couple and live together. I thought they were ok but the judges loved them and they're going to Vegas.

A lot of us liked B-boy Victor Kim, but he didn't get past choreo.

There is an Asian ballroom couple who say they've only been dancing together for 3 months: Ricky Sun (27, CA, #24220) and Asuka Kondoh (24, CA, 24221). Unfortunately
Asuka (pronounced almost like "Oscar") has the flu, but you can't tell while she's dancing. I love them!! They go to choreo & then both to Vegas. I'm sure there will be better balroom guys & doubt Ricky will make it into the Top 20, but hopefully I'll get to see him a bit more during the Vegas footage.

Kherington Payne (18, CA, #25546) is a very energetic soccer player. Not a terribly impressive dancer (another blond contemp.) but the judges say she has the "It factor" and send her to Vegas.

Last up is popper Robert Muraine (20, CA, #24888). This guy makes Phillip Chbeeb look boring. WOW! He's a street performer and has no training, but is amazing. They send him to Vegas so we'll see!

Didn't show choreo, but Ricky & Asuka advance. A total of 30 dancers go to Vegas from LA.

Salt Lake City

Mandy Moore is new as the 3rd judge, though she's choreographed for the show before (perhaps most notably for the "Table" routine last year for Neil & Sabra).

Chelsie Hightower (18, UT, #17372) starts out looking like she'll be just another blond contemporary clone. She gets quite a bit of backstory about her 5 brothers and how her family went through some very difficult financial times. Turns out she does ballroom - and she's good! Very cute. Straight to Vegas.

Worth mentioning is Brett Banford, a 25-year old with Downs who has the best. attitude. ever. He does his taekwondo/hip-hop and has a blast, then thanks the judges for the opportunity to show everyone that people with disabilities can have "normal" lives. *sniff*

Gev Manoukian (21, UT, #17366) breakdances on ice! He tried out 2 years ago and didn't make it, which made him train more and he is confident that he's more versatile than most other breakdancers. He's probably right. He dances to a song "Hello Darkness" and is pretty awesome. Though hesitant to jinx him, I think I have an early favorite. ;-) Sent to choreo, then advances to Vegas (after Nigel toys w/him a bit; bad Nigel!).

Lindsey Judkins (22, UT, 15135) is a brunette in a red shirt who dances to Michael Buble's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." She reminds me a tad of Natalie, but her facial expressions are way too wild. They send her to Vegas.

Kelli Baker (18, UT, 16209) is a red-head contemp. dancer who was in High School Musical and is the daughter of "famous" and Emmy-winning choreographer Bonnie Story (I'll take their word for it). She certainly earns being recognized on her own merit and goes straight to Vegas.

Choreo - Gev plus "18 more" per Cat, for a total of 19 on Day 1.

Day 2:

Ryann Race (26, UT, 16331) is a DJ at a strip club whose girlfriend dumped him 2 weeks ago. He's very tall and has many piercings... his freestyled hip-hop is very good and he has a great personality. He goes to choreo... and then Vegas! (His mom is with him and he is very emotional; aww!)

Matt Dorame (21, UT, 16451) is wearing long red shorts that are unattractive and seem to hamper his movement a bit. However, his training (ballet/contemp.?) still comes through and he has some very good moves. Also rather cute. Nigel gives him a ticket to Vegas in exchange for the promise never to wear those shorts again.

Thayne Jasperson (27, UT, 16594) is only shown briefly, wearing all black and dancing contemporary, but goes to Vegas.

Lastly we have BFF's Kortney Pearson and Michelle Stringham, both 25 (and divorced). Kortney goes first and is wearing jeans and a long scarf; she's just ok. Michelle, a fitness instructor, is better, but still not great. They both go to choreo and surprisingly then both get to go to Vegas.

Choreo - Ryann and the girls all advance, plus 16 others, making 19 on Day 2 and 38 by my count but 42 by Cat's altogether from Utah.

Dallas (3rd judge: Adam Shankman)

A lot of time is spent on a guy named Chad who looks like he has potential but injures himself during warmup. He auditions against the judges' advice, but from what they can tell he isn't good enough to advance anyway.

Paige Jones (19, TX, #9578) is a full-time student who "does pageants." Um, yeah, that pretty much covers it. Despite Nigel's calling her style "Stepford dancing" she gets through the choreo round and advances to Vegas. Yippee.

Joshua Allen (18, TX, 9756) is another story. He dances hip-hop and reminds the judges a little of Jamile (S1?). He's sent to choreo and ends up going to Vegas. At which point he celebrates with a couple of really good spins/pirouettes... hmm, methinks he might be more than a hip-hop guy??

John Dix (23, TX, 11449) and Arielle Coker (18, TX, 11450) are the first non-ballroom couple to audition together. They are contemporary and do lots of lifts and tricks which are very good, and Arielle looks like she might have talent beyond that but John, notsomuch. Arielle get a ticket to Vegas, John gets sent to choreo where my thoughts are confirmed. However, he's so happy for her that he really doesn't mind! Awww. (btw, Arielle was definitely also doing the choreo round.)

We get a very tiny clip of a gal Nigel calls "the best female hip-hop dancer" ever on the show, but we really don't get to see her dance. Hopefully next week we will!

Choreo - 72 try, Paige, Joshua, and 38 others go to Vegas for a total of 40 from Dallas.

Charleston (3rd judge: Tyce D'Orio)

1st up is Sheila Kaiser (18, GA, #21530) whose father was against her coming. She's in a white hoodie and has curly dark hair; dances contemporary/jazz and I thought she was ok, but the judges absolutely loved her. Ticket to Vegas!

Jeremiah Hughes (19, Toronto, CAN) reminds me a little of last year's Ricky because he speaks in a very strange way... he says when he's on stage his "most negative quality should be that I just happen to be human," and something about the divinity of his art, etc. He also keeps mostly to himself. I don't like his dancing quite as much as Ricky's, but he's very good and another who's very good-looking (and, dancing with open white shirt, seems to know it). He's a bit inconsistent but gets a ticket to Vegas anyway.

Twins Anthony and Antwain Hart are both 20 and from N. Carolina. They're both somewhat soft-spoken but very close and supportive of each other. Anthony goes first and his hip-hop is not very good. Antwain (red shirt) is next and he's a bit better. Nigel talks to him a bit and ends up inviting Anthony back so they can do a routine together. They're both much better doing this! Antwain still stands out, but both are sent to choreography. And later, to Vegas. Lots of hugging and bro compliments ensue. ;-)

Choreo isn't shown but both twins and 18 others advance, making 20 for Day 1 in Charleston.

Day 2:

18-year old Abigail Thurman is here to see how she measures up in the world of dance. Unfortunately, she doesn't, but her conversation with the judges is quite amusing. She stopped dancing when she saw Nigel cover his face w/his hands and said, "Am I that bad?!" He nods yes, and after a few more comments (and agreement from Abigail) tells her she takes criticism very well! She agrees she shouldn't advance and thanks them for being honest with her! They laugh and thank her for her spirit before sending her off.

Breakdancer BJ Harris was very entertaining and Mary commented on some of his unique moves. However, he does not survive choreography so it is bye-bye for BJ.

Courtney Galiano (19, NY, #21085) is a nice Italian girl whose grandparents brought her to audition. She dances contemporary and is very good; straight to Vegas.

Last up in Charleston is Claire Calloway (20, AL, #21312) who auditioned in S2 and withdrew during Vegas due to her injured foot. Nigel had promised she could advance directly to Vegas if she returned in S3, but instead she had a baby! So here she is after not much dancing in the past 2 years. She's lost at least her 30 lbs of baby weight and seems very tall and thin. She doesn't do much dancing but they give her the benefit of the doubt and send her to choreo, where she improves enough to earn a ticket to Vegas. I doubt we'll see her in the Top 20 though.

Of the 40 at choreo, Claire and 17 others advance making 18 today, for a grand total of 38 dancers from Charleston going to Vegas.

Washington, DC (3rd judge: Dan Karaty, yay!)

This is their first time auditioning in DC and I believe they're *not* going to NY this year. There are "thousands" lined up compared to the "hundreds" in other cities. And off we go...

1st is Megan Campbell (18, Muncie, Indiana!, #13397) A brunette, dancing contemporary to Alicia Keys. She was very out of breath afterward and says she's never auditioned for anything before. I thought she was ok but the judges loved her and sent her straight to Vegas. Then her aunt got to hug Nigel.

Markus Shields (23, MI, 13276) wears a shirt with a huge photo of his mother, who died a few years ago. He dances hip-hop to Elliott Yamin's "I'll Wait for You" (cool!) and is very good (may have some contemp. training as well?). He goes to choreo and makes it to Vegas.

Markus Smith and Deonna Ball dance "D.C. Swing" which is very interesting to watch, but they don't pick up other choreo well enough to go to Vegas.

22 are at choreo and 10 advance on Day 1.

Day 2:

Brandon Bryant (18, FL, #12508) is one of the most muscular people I've ever seen in my life. He really wanted to audition in S1 but found out he wasn't old enough so he had to wait. He. is. amazing. Danced ballet/contemporary and the crowd & judges loved him. Mary screamed and called him a star; Dan said "I don't think I know anyone who could do that routine, due to the combination of strength, flexibility, and technique!" Obviously he goes to Vegas, and is one to watch!!

Phucdat Nguyn does a fun b-boy routine in a yellow bodysuit and talks about being a nerd. The judges really enjoyed him & sent him to choreo but that's as far as he got.

Last up is Anthony Bryant, who auditioned in S1 with a ribbon and was not "masculine" enough per Nigel. He has now graduated from Julliard (in only 3 years) and will do a piece he describes as "contemporary, modern dance with acro tumble power." In camouflage, nonetheless. His technique is superb but the judges say he lacks something. He does well in choreo but for some reason they don't send him to Vegas, and they don't really explain why, which makes him very upset. Apparently he also tried out for Bruno & Carrie Ann's Dance Wars, but I don't remember him.

Choreo - neither guy we saw advanced. 9 make it through plus the 10 from Day 1 make only 19 (from the "thousands"?!) from DC.

Whew! Just one more audition episode and then Vegas - can't wait!

---

June 4 Episode

Before we get to Milwaukee we have a few others from past cities who've made it to Vegas but haven't been shown yet!

D.C.- Michael Kim, 21, MA (#14637) - another popper, he auditioned S2 and has gotten more training since. He's very good though we only see his popping for now. Nigel says Michael is his favorite in this style that he's seen in D.C. He goes to Vegas.

L.A. - roommates! Katee Shean, 19, CA (24444) has long, straight, dark red hair and is possibly part Asian. She dances contemporary and is very good, showing good energy, & she has a nice smile. She's going to Vegas.

Natalie Reid, 22, CA (24468) also has red hair and also dances contemporary. I think her music is Roisin Murphy? And her movement is sharp and angled, somewhat zombie-ish (which I associate w/this music since the "Ramalama" group number in S2 - best group number ever!). The judges loved her, and she's also going to Vegas.

Back to D.C. for a Latin couple: Janette Manrara, 24, and Romulo Villaverde, 19, both from Florida, doing Salsa. She's wearing a black & white striped top that matches her hair (really). But they're awesome! Great tricks, and the audience loves them. They advance to choreo, where Janette continues to do well and gets through to Vegas. Alas Romulo does not, but he's young and plans to return next year and try again.

Milwaukee

Our new set of judges is husband/wife team Napolean and Tabitha, hip-hop choreographers.

1st up is Bianca Revels, 19, IL (18644). Bianca is a dance major and does tap (black gal w/very short hair). Ticket to Vegas.

Evan Kasprzak, 20, MI (#19644) does a great Broadway number Chaplin/Gene Kelly-style, using his hat as a prop and throwing in an amazing split jump and some pirouettes for good measure. Very entertaining! The judges just loved it; Mary said he "made it seem simple, which it's not". He goes to Vegas.

Kourtni Lind, 18, CA (#19593) graduated high school at age 16 and moved to LA to begin her dance career (which has been "tough"). She's accompanied by her mom who's also her dance instructor (and her look-alike, with similar blond spiky hair). She dances contemp. to a spoken word piece and is very, very good - probably tied w/Kelli for my favorite female contemporary dancers. The judges love her. Nigel says she looks like Uma Thurman and that she also "choreographed every part of [her] body" and completely kept his attention. Vegas!

Susie Garcia, 24, FL (19633?) is a high school teacher. Really. She has long blond (and pink) hair and dances Latin in boots and a miniskirt. Fairly well I guess... she goes to choreo and then advances to Vegas.

Rebecca Hart, 19, CA (18657) is yet another blond contemp. dancer. Apparently she auditioned 2 weeks previously, in LA, and they said her style was too immature / competition dancer-ish. She's wearing an olive shirt today and dances well enough. Nigel says she's the best he's seen today, and Mary is impressed with how she's improved. So, she's going to Vegas.

Brice Casimir, 18, AZ (18633) moved to the US from Cameroon just a couple of years ago. He works at a retirement home & dances for the residents; aww! He doesn't connect with this audience, however, and gets sent to choreo but doesn't make it.

So there are 20 in Day 1's choreo: Brice doesn't advance but Susie and 11 others do.

Day 2-

1st is Cooper Zamorano, 19, CA (18388). White guy wearing jersey top and long shorts, dances contemporary and is great! Nigel compares him to Travis which, besides having dark hair, I agree is apt (style and voice-wise). Vegas.

Yesenia Gomez, 24, is a hip-hop dancer who auditioned last year and made it to Vegas. She has lost 50 pounds and says the show "inspired her to change her whole life"! She didn't like who she was, and this had been the first time someone saw beyond her exterior in giving her the chance to go to Vegas. Unfortunately she's had some knee problems and it acts up during her audition, so she does not advance but is encouraged to return next year. She is upset but still grateful she had the opportunity to show them what a difference they'd made in her life.

Philip Courter, 20, MI (18226) is Yessie's good friend (they auditioned together last year as well). A hip hop dancer previously called one-dimensional, he is now complimented as "three-dimensional" as all the judges love him and he advances to Vegas! He is very emotional and upset about Yessie and Nigel compassionately tries to encourage him. I think everyone watching tears up a bit!

The last dancer, like the first, is a female tap dancer. Lizz Plott, 24, NY (#18393) has long blond hair and wears a black jacket over a midriff-bearing blue top and jeans. She dances a cappella and is very, very good. She had auditioned last year doing contemporary/hip-hop to show her versatility, but now emphasizes she's "a tap dancer who can do other things." It works - she's going to Vegas!

The only person we see in choreo is Raymond Love, the 22-year old minister who auditioned earlier with a partner to a piece he choreographed based on The Song of Solomon (Nigel criticized him for not showing enough emotion). Not surprisingly he does not advance.

11 go to Vegas on Day 2, which makes 23 total from Milwaukee, and just over 200 total for the Vegas round tomorrow.

We now get to see a special "mystery dancer" who performed for the judges at the end of Day 1. It turns out to be Travis Wall in drag dancing to "It's Raining Men", and it's hilarious! If you missed this it's definitely worth looking up on YouTube.

At the end of tomorrow's previews we get very short clips of 18 dancers after Cat mentions the choosing of the Top 20, so I'm thinking it's a good bet these are Finalists. Here is my analysis / best guess as to their identity, in the order in which they're shown!

*Now in process of being updated...

- Kourtni (yes)
- Robert M (popper)
- a tall, thin, dark-skinned guy doing a pirouette - either Thayne or an unnamed guy from Dallas?
- a black gal I don't think we've seen, with medium-length hair and rather heavy make-up
- Matt D (yes)
- Janette
- Twitch? (or possibly Markus - shown in glasses & a beret) (yes)
- another unfamiliar gal, dark-skinned (Latino or Island-Pacific?) with long hair, in a yellow top
- Brandon (yes, but didn't make it)
- Katee (one of the red-haired roomies) (yes)
- a white breaker in a cap: Gev or Michael Kim?
- a black gal with long hair, in a long-sleeved black & white top - the hip-hop gal from Dallas perhaps? (the one Nigel said is the best female hh dancer they've had on the show) (yes) Comfort
- red-haired gal, either Natalie (the other roomie) or Kelli (famous choroeographer's kid)
- cute blond gal - Erika or Chelsie?
- another black male contemporary dancer - again, maybe Thayne?
- Susie (yes)
- white guy in a red hat - Gev, Michael Kim, or ??
- Asuka (yes, but didn't make it)
(and Matt is shown again)

Other favorites not identified here:
- William W (black contemp. guy)
- Leonidas (ballroom)
- Deonna (black gal, DC swing)
- Antwain??

Tomorrow we find out for sure!

AI7 - Links to Finale Performance Videos

2008-05-23T18:45:00.002-04:00

For those of you who missed them, or didn't tape them & want to see any of them again, I've compiled a list of all the performances with YouTube links for most of them. (If you want to see the Jonas Brothers, Reynaldo, or Jordin, you're on your own!)

In most cases there is a "High Quality" version you can choose (look under "Views") if you have a high-speed connection.

Opener (all the Top 12, plus So You Think You Can Dance dancers)
"Get Ready"

Both Davids duet "Hero"

Syesha & Seal "Waiting for You"

Jason "Hallelujah"

Top 6 girls & Donna Summer Medley

Carly & Michael "The Letter"

Montage of Simon's comments (Introduced by Jimmy Kimmel)

Top 6 guys & Bryan Adams Medley

David Cook w/ZZ Top "Sharp Dressed Man"

Brooke w/Graham Nash "Teach Your Children"

(Jonas Bros. S.O.S., Reynaldo "Bros. Forever")

*David Archuleta w/One Republic "Apologize"

(Jordin Sparks "One Step at a Time")

*"Pips" Audition skit "Midnight Train to Georgia"
(Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr.)

Carrie Underwood "Last Name"

Guitar Hero ads -
*David Cook (Bwah!),
David Archuleta

Top 12 George Michael Medley / George Michael "Praying for Time"

or Just George

American Idol David Cook "Time of My Life"
('coronation song' - and it actually contains the word "rainbow"!)

or with announcement of winner first

Enjoy!!

AI7 - FINALE!!

2008-05-22T00:29:00.009-04:00

Wow, what a great show!! Lots of great entertainment... and a great ending.

97.5 million votes, a new record. 56% vs. 44%, a difference of 12 million - pretty big margin, actually!

Mikalah and Matt Rogers are hosting the home town parties.

While we don't get the "2 contestants from each season" back to perform, I spotted lots in the audience. Melinda, Sanjaya and Blake from last year; also Kim Caldwell & Justin Guarini, Bo & Caroline Bice, and red-haired Fantasia. Other celebs I sighted FWIW were Lori Loughlin, Cat Deeley, Marisa Jaret Winokour, Jeri Ryan, and Camryn Manheim. (And I think I forgot to mention it but last night I saw Luke Perry w/his kids - awwww!) Lots more were there of course and there are some good photos on the Fox site.

Top 12 (yay!) get the first performance number along with some SYTYCD dancers on "Get Ready, Here I Come." Would have been nice to *see* the dancers, though, dear Mr. Cameraman and Mr. Director. Awesome to see David Hernandez again even if he is stuck in the back. But he's one of the few in the Top 12 who can actually do this choreography, he should be up front! Hee. Oh and Chikieze sounds awesome!

Davids duet on "Hero" - nice!

Movie plug for The Love Guru... Davids got to see the movie (a month early) and went to meet with the lead character. A bit long and not that funny. However, Ryan then took a ride on the "magic carpet" and almost catapulted off the stage - that was funny!

Now we start performances by the rest of the finalists, starting with 3rd Place Syesha - duet with Seal on "Waiting for You." Good!

Jason Castro (4th Place) solos on "Hallelujah" and it's awesome.

Next we get a Ford video montage to "Let the Good Times Roll." Cut to Ryan on stage with the Davids. Ryan starts talking about the Hybrid and asks David Cook if he'd like to drive one... Cook, hesitant but smart, says "Yes..." and the screen shows 2 new shiny cars as Ryan pulls out 2 sets of keys. Both Davids are overwhelmed and of course very excited (and cute!)!

Top 6 Girls' Medley - Donna Summer songs, complete with SYTYCD breakdancers. Then Donna herself comes out to sing a new song and all of them do "Last Dance", with Syesha up front dueting with Ms. Summer.

Skipping 5th Place for now (and 7th for the whole show - poor Kristy Lee!), we have #6 Carly and #8 Michael singing a strange but ok arrangement of "The Letter." Ryan introduced them as "shocking" eliminations; hence the treatment as if they placed higher than they actually did. They definitely enjoy singing together though.

Jimmy Kimmel does a short bit.

Top 6 Guys' Medley - Bryan Adams songs. Enter Bryan, doing a song I don't know ("I Thought I'd Seen Everything"?), then finishing out with the group doing "Somebody Like You." Fun!

Jordin Sparks, our reigning champion! Promos the upcoming "Idol Experience" at Disney opening in January.

David Cook with ZZ Top! Doing "Sharp Dressed Man" - with David singing lead through the entire song. I'm sure that was fun for him!!

5th Place finalist Brooke duets with Graham Nash on "Teach Your Children"! Both are seated on stools, playing acoustic guitar. Very, very nice. Oh and there are video clips from Idol Gives Back in the background.

The Jonas Brothers do SOS.

Clip of bad auditions from the season, ending with Reynaldo ("I Am Your Brother") coming out live to perform, along with a marching band, and toward the end Paula and Randy as well. At least this was the only one of these this year (no more "Golden Idol" awards, yay!).

David Archuleta with One Republic on "Apologize"! I LOVE this song. OR does the 1st verse & chorus, then David comes out for the 2nd. Very nice, even though they have extremely different voices.

Now Jordin gets to perform - "One Step at a Time" Not a bad song (hee, Blake is shown in the audience at the end, singing along!), but the dress was hideous.

Best. Skit. Ever. Introduced as Gladys Knight doing auditions for the Pips, we get footage of Gladys singing "Midnight Train" (which I LOVE) and Ben Stiller (love), Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr. (LOVE) as the Pips! Complete with singing and choreography. For the whole. entire. song. That was awesome!

Carrie is back to sing her latest hit, "Last Name". And earlier she was in a commercial for a video game.

Which brings me to the Guitar Hero ads. Apparently there were 2, though I missed the first (I'm sure it'll be on YouTube tomorrow). Each David played Tom Cruise in Risky Business - yes, the dancing-in-underwear scene. I did a double-take as I caught Archuleta's version half-way through. Can't wait to see Cook's!

And our last performance - the whole Top 12 again, doing a George Michael medley!! Which is awesome for several reasons - I love G. Michael songs, and with the other medleys we got the celebrities too... could this mean we'll see George Michael?! (Sorry but in my book that's even better than Prince!) The girls do "Faith" (edited: she mumbled, but I guess Amanda didn't flub the words), then the guys do "Father Figure." I'm in heaven. And the 'casting' for the lines was brilliant... Chikieze sings about clothing... and David Hernandez gets the "bold and naked" line!! And does it totally tongue-in-cheek: whispers "naked" with a big grin afterward! Hilarious, and nice for him showing he's a good sport about the whole thing. Sigh, I *so* wish he were going to be on the tour. Oh well. Back to the medley... all 12 do "Freedom," and then yes, we get George Michael himself!! He sings "Praying for Time," the song Carrie did on Idol Gives Back. I didn't know the original so I was glad to see how he did it - very powerful (lyrically if not vocally - he said he had a cold but it's a 'soft' song anyway). What a great way to end this part of the show!

Time for results. Both guys are wearing jeans and black jackets over white shirts. Ryan goes to the judges for comments. Simon says that after re-watching the show last night, things weren't as "clear cut" as they first seemed, and he actually apologized (!) to David Cook for his comments that "bordered on being disrespectful." He also said "For the first time ever, I don't really care who wins!" Shortly we see that his apology was backpedaling in part to make himself look better, because...

The winner, by 12 million votes, is...

David... (and this is exactly where I'm told Tivo cut off because the show ran over - really bad timing, people!)

COOK!!!!!!!!!

Wow. I'm in shock! Happy, but in shock. Of course he's all classy & acknowledges Archuleta for a while, but then breaks down... awwww! His folks (or mom, at least) and younger brother ("It's all your fault!" David tells him) come up on stage which doesn't help reign in the emotions. ;-) But he pulls it together just fine to sing the coronation song "Time of My Life." It's not too terribly puppies & rainbows sappy, or maybe he just makes it seem that way. I'm so happy for him! Archuleta doesn't really seem upset (though his father - and grandfather, from the soundbites Matt got about how this was such a "great opportunity for the whole family" - may be). Cook goes out to the judges' platform in the audience & ends out there, with all of the finalists.

Awesome show!!

AI7 - Final Performance Show (5/20/08)

2008-05-20T23:38:00.002-04:00

We're here at last! The David-David finale many have predicted for so long. I hope they both perform well...

The show opens (and continues intermittently) with a boxing/prizefighting theme - from opening announcer ("in this corner...") giving their weights, to having 'coaches' (Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Weber, though they both coached both contestants), to having 3 "rounds" of songs. Ok, cute for something different. Ryan has the guys say a few words to each other and we're off! (DA: "This guy is awesome!" DC: "Now anything I say will sound trite... he's one of the most consistently nice people... at this point I consider the competition to be over, we're just having fun.")

Round 1: Clive's choice

Cook "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - wow! Wow for the 1st U2 song to be cleared for Idol. Wow for the awesome, amazingly enjoyable performance. (And, um, wow for how the last note kept going after David lowered the mic?!) Seriously, I'd be happy if the show ended right now. Judges loved it as well.

Archuleta "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" - Well, I was dreading this. While I'm no longer a rabid Clay fan by any means, this will always be (at least in the Idol realm) Clay's Song. David starts out sitting on the stage (stairs). Wait, this is good. Really, really good! Where has this performer been for the past 8 weeks?! Great vocals, awesome job. *This* is what a Finals should sound like (both of the songs this round)!

Round 2: Songwriters' Competition songs
- I like this: the guys were given the list of the Top 10 songs and got to choose which one they wanted to do! Which makes so much more sense than sticking the Rocker with the proverbial Puppies & Rainbows coronation song ("Do I Make You Proud" has to be partially responsible for Taylor's lack of success, n'est-ce pas?). So let's see what they came up with...

Cook "Dream Big" - Cool! Nice, catchy pop/rock song, very radio-friendly. Great choice. Think he flubbed the words 2nd time through the chorus but didn't let it show. Randy & Paula liked. Simon, however, was not thinking about the "first single" aspect of the song, but solely the "sappy coronation moment" aspect, and thus declared it a poor choice.

Archuleta "In This Moment" - Well, it starts out with the title & just goes from there. Predictable, definite coronation-style song, but he performed it very well. Again with the semifinals-strong vocals and great stage presence/confidence - nice to see! Judges loved it. Simon said he really liked the self-centered lyrics and said this song was a much better choice "in keeping with tonight." (Um, yeah, Simon, call you really see Cook singing this song, or this type of song in general?! Think about it.)

Round 3: Contestants' Choice

Cook "The World I Know" - Woo-hoo, we do get to hear him do this!! He's playing acoustic guitar on this one & it's a nice, mellow version for the most part, changed up just enough to "make it his own." Showed his vocal range very well. He was very emotional at the end (awww!). Randy liked, saying he can see David doing this style of music on his album. Paula gave a standing ovation. Simon said that it was another poor choice, that he should have done "Billie Jean" or "Hello" again. David replied that he felt that this had been a progression for him and therefore he didn't want to go back & repeat anything.

Archuleta "Imagine" - In the intro David explains that he felt this was his strongest performance and that he really connects w/this song. I thought it might not be a good thing to end on a repeat, but he really pulled off another great performance and I think in his case this was a good choice (less risk than with a less-familiar song). Randy loved it, saying this is what this show is about, "finding the best singer," and that David A. is the best singer of Season 7. Paula loved it of course. Simon said that he considered tonight "one of *the* great finals" and declared this a "knockout."

After tonight's performance, I'm totally fine with Little David winning (as I think he will). The past several weeks he hasn't been performing up to standard, but tonight he showed once again that he is indeed a very good singer, and I don't think any less deserves to win (or has ever won in the past, like them or not). I'd be thrilled for David Cook if he does, but I don't think he needs the win to be successful.

The show closes with Ruben performing "Celebrate Me Home" live, to a montage of clips from the season, from initial auditions through the finals. Can't wait til tomorrow's extravaganza!

----

In other news...

Thoughts & prayers to Luke Menard & family in the wake of his recent cancer diagnosis.

And CONGRATS to Kristi Yamaguchi, the new (and very deserving) champ of Dancing with the Stars!!!

AI7 - Top 3 Results & Trips Home

2008-05-15T00:07:00.003-04:00

56 million votes last night! Group number "Ain't no Stopping Us Now," complete with cheesy choreo, thankyou! ;-) Ford music video: "Heaven." Guest performance: Fantasia (who barely sang at all, injecting a bunch of "yeah"s over her background singers' lyrics... a shot of Simon as she finished up showed him looking appropriately shocked, confused, and a little scared). And audience shots of the entire Top 12! (Plus Andrew Lloyd Webber, he apparently just won't go away.)

Each contestant gets footage from their visit home, usually involving local Fox morning shows, driving around in limos, visiting their former schools, malls/outdoor concerts, lots of screaming fans, and tears (only in one brief scene for David C; a lot for the other two, not surprisingly). Syesha sang "Proud Mary," David A sang "Imagine," and David C sang "Living on a Prayer." David C also got to throw out the first pitch at a K.C. Royals game. They also each have their "journey" video shown.

All 3 are on stage, and Ryan says he'll announce the two contestants that will be in the finale. First is David A (lots of clapping, cheering, and a little crying on David's part). 2nd is... suspense, kind-of... David Cook! Yay!! All is right in reality competition show elimination land this week (since Marissa finally left DwtS last night)! Syesha sang "If I Ain't Got You" again to end the show. Can't wait til next week!!

AI7 - Top 3 (5/13/08)

2008-05-13T23:59:00.002-04:00

Top 3!! Not much to say before we jump in...

1st round is Judges' Choice.

David A (Paula, and the only one announced by the hometown mayor) - "And So It Goes" He started a cappella (or with a *very* soft band) and the whole song was very nice. I hadn't heard this in ages but it was a good fit for him. Judges liked it.

Syesha (Randy, via text message) - "If I Ain't Got You" Eh, it was good, but she's certainly not Alicia. Weird since Randy always says don't pick a diva song if you're not up to the challenge; but apparently he thought she was! He went on to say that he was glad she was peaking at the right time, and that's why she's standing up there "at number 3." Not "in the top 3;" he definitely said "number 3." Which is kind-of worse than Paula's gaffe 2 weeks ago; at least she had actually seen a performance to comment on (even if it was at dress rehearsals); it's not like this week's votes have been cast yet. Heh.

David C (Simon, via text while he was on a local news show) - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" He pretty much sang it straight, and it was awesome! Soooo much better than the other 2, it's like it was a different competition. Randy complained to Simon that he wanted David to rock more, but all the judges loved the performance. Simon stated that "Round 1" went to "Cook and Cowell."

2nd round is Contestants' Choice.

David A - "With You" (Chris Brown) Good for him to something contemporary and uptempo (or "young," as he said), like this or a Disney artist, to show he can do more than ballads, because you know that's how they're going to market him. I'm not that familiar w/this but I read that he messed up the words (that's what, 3 times for him in the Top 12?! Is that a new record?). At least he connected w/the audience. Randy & Paula liked it but Simon said it was like "a chihuahua trying to be a tiger."

Syesha - "Fever" Another good choice, despite the judges' comments. She used a chair as a prop and Ricky Minor was on string bass right next to her. She actually reminded me a little bit of Katharine McPhee when she was strutting around the chair. Overall it was good. Paula said she didn't think it showed who Syesha is as a performer (yes, it did, she's good w/the dramatic & Broadway-style stuff), and Simon complained that she missed her opportunity to show she can do contemporary (but the judges & producers' choices did that for her, and she wanted to do something different!). Whatever.

David C - "Dare You to Move" (Switchfoot)! Cool!! This was way too short - he did like the whole verse & then a bit of the chorus & it was over - and it wasn't much different than the original, but it was good. He played acoustic guitar & said he chose it because the lyrics fit the situation. Randy said it was pitchy & Simon said it was just ok.

3rd round: Producers' Choice.

David A - "Longer" Ooooh, I love this song!! Other than the background vocals being too loud, this was very, very good. Little David had a great night and should sail into the Finals. The judges liked his performance but complained about the choice, especially Simon who called it "gooey" and too old for him (he does have a point, David can't have loved anyone for very long....).

Syesha - "Hit Me Up" Another one I don't know, but it was decent. Good, but nothing wow. Judges pretty much agreed (Simon called the song itself "forgettable" - but it's not like *she* chose it! sigh...)

And David C closes the show with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." I really wish I hadn't read all the spoilers, since all yesterday & most of today they were saying he was going to do "The World I Know" by Collective Soul, which would've been tres cool. Instead we get way overdone Aerosmith. Phooey! Oh well. I wonder if they knew Diane Warren was attending this week when they chose it?? Surely it wasn't a coincidence. Anyway, there was an orchestra in a half-circle behind him on stage, and he changed it up a bit and sang it well. But it was a bit anticlimactic for me. Randy said it was just ok & predictable, but Paula & Simon loved it. Simon is so erratic with his musical taste: he called this "one of the great songs of all time"! But he did say Cookie "won the night." We shall see whether the voters agree!!

I do predict an all-David finale as Syesha doesn't seem to inspire the same fanaticism as the boys, but then she's held on longer than anyone expected and Ryan keeps telling us the votes have been close. But a lot of Jason's fans will vote for David C, so I'm still going to go with the expected though and say she's the boot - let's hope!

AI7 - Top 4 Results (5/7/08)

2008-05-07T23:06:00.002-04:00

Almost 51 million votes last night! Well, I had one friend vote for about 5 hours, so obviously the lines were open a long time. Ryan also tells us the top 3 were within 1 million votes of each other.

Group song: "Reelin' in the Years" - fun, as usual!

First up is David A., who is, of course, safe, and will be participating in the Top 3 Hometown Visits next week (love those!).

The group got to go to Vegas again this week, for Cirque du Soleil's Beatles show "Love." And the accompanying outdoor dolphin habitat. No, I don't know why.

Next is David C. who is, of course, also safe! Yay, no shocking boot tonight.

Ford Video is "Ring of Fire," mariachi style! With the contestants dressed as bullfighters (and a car as the 'bull').

Call-ins... mostly boring.

Guest performance: Maroon 5! 2nd guest performance: Bo Bice! (Aww, Caroline is pregnant again! Bo's such a cute dad.)

And lastly it's Jason and Syesha... in response to Ryan's asking why he's been struggling, Jason said it's his lack of experience & having to do 2 songs/week (3 if you count the groups). Fortunately he won't have to tackle 3 next week, as he is, indeed, eliminated. He gets part of a sing-out, the band started late or something.

2 more weeks and that's it! Hopefully David C. finds his mojo next week and rocks the house. Pez out!

AI7 - Top 4 (5/6/08)

2008-05-06T23:46:00.003-04:00

Tonight's theme is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so it's a pretty wide category. Ryan tells us that 3 of these 4 contestants have been top vote-getters at least once this season! (I'm guessing it's the 3 guys....)

David Cook starts us off with "Hungry Like the Wolf." I love this song! He doesn't 'do' much with it, but it's a good, fun performance. Though I can already hear buzz about doing another 'stalker' song! The judges liked it though would have preferred he did more with it to personalize it (and later he agreed).

Syesha chose "Proud Mary," despite the fact (she tells us) that it's had over 100 covers and has intimidating choreography. She chose wrong. The slow beginning was ok, even good (not great), but when she went into the fast section and attempted the typical choreo... just. no. Made me miss Nadia!! (Not that she did this song, but she performed with the abandon and confidence in movement - done because she *felt* it in the song, not because it was staged - that Syesha lacks). Randy & Paula loved it, but Simon said it was a bad, shrieky impersonation of Tina Turner (and I agree).

Jason: Bob Marley's version of "I Shot the Sheriff" - I wasn't familiar w/this version but it's a perfect pick for Jason. He also seemed really into it & is obviously a big fan of Marley. Nothing 'wow,' but decent. Randy said it was too karaoke; Paula said he did a good job of performing "to the audience" but didn't really like the choice or performance; Simon said the arrangement was "atrocious" (which makes me wonder if he knows the Marley version? I don't, so I don't know how similar it was, but I can totally see Simon saying something like that if he only knows Clapton's....).

David A. closes the first half with "Stand by Me," a predictable though fitting choice. He sang it well and had a really impressive vocal on the high part at the end; he's had a good two weeks, reminiscent of his performances in the semifinals. The crowd loved it as did the judges (Randy acted like it was the best thing since sliced bread though, which was a bit much).

Round 2...

David C: "Baba O'Reilly"! He changed it up a bit, but it's a really difficult song to shorten and still pull off well. The soft build-up and then jump into the loud part... and all of a sudden it's over! So I don't know... it was very good, but still not up to par w/his best. Randy & Paula agree; Randy said he still seemed restrained; but Simon said "welcome back!"

Syesha picks "A Change is Gonna Come" and talks about how the song was done during the Civil Rights Movement, which was a very important time in our history (yes, she actually said that as if to enlighten us). Then she goes on to say that after last week's results show (i.e. finding herself in the top 4) her thinking about the song took on a new meaning because she had changed so much herself during this Idol journey. Yep, you got it - being a contestant making it to the finals of American Idol is like facing violent racism and bigotry. She's alluded similarly to her own self-importance before and I didn't take it seriously, but this is just too much. Will be interesting to see what the internet buzz about it is.... Ok, back to the performance. Well, I actually haven't watched the whole thing yet as Dancing w/the Stars was more interesting at the time, but what I did see was good! However, Randy - Mr. "If you can't show off vocals like Whitney/Celine/Mariah then don't sing a diva song" - said she OVER-embellished it! Ok, it was a different style, but still. Be consistent, dawg (oh, right, this is Idol! never mind). Simon and Paula disagreed though, and Paula gave her a standing ovation, calling it a "superstar performance." Syesha was all emotional over the song & Ryan pressed her as to why & she went into the whole 'new meaning' spiel again and Paula even alluded to agreeing with her. Time to move on!

Jason's 2nd choice is "Mr. Tambourine Man" and he plays guitar while sitting in a chair (as opposed to on a stool). He forgot the words!! Sigh. He recovered fairly well, but didn't even make anything up, just hummed/la-la'd through that section. Not good. I've heard VFTW has picked him up and with his continually motivated fan base he might not suffer; we'll see. The judges didn't have anything good to say and Simon said "pack your suitcase."

David A closes with a very smart choice, "Love Me Tender." Accompanied only by a grand piano, he has changed up the melody a bit (or perhaps not - I heard someone suggest this is Norah Jones' arrangement?) and had very strong vocals. Either way, the crowd and judges loved it. Simon said he "crushed" the competition tonight.

Anyone not named David could be going home. ;-) I'd rather it be Jason at this point but would be fine w/either.

(And I just learned I have some more lurkers... post a comment & introduce yourselves, why don't you?! ;-) )

AI7 - Top 5 Results (4/30/08)

2008-04-30T22:33:00.002-04:00

Wow - over 45 million votes last night! Some peeved/worried Jason fans, I'm thinking. (But not to worry!!)

Group song, yay! Medley including Cracklin' Rose, Song Sung Blue, Hot August Night, and Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show. Complete with almost-pointy pose at end! Much fun.

Ryan intro's tonight's "Idol alum update" and walks over to Constantine and Gina Glockson in the audience. They talk about their gig hosting American Idol Extra. Ace Young was sitting right in front of them but didn't get to say anything (but his album is coming out soon & looks to be awesome! [/album plug]). Kristy Lee is also shown a few times throughout the evening.

Ryan briefly addressed 'Paula-Gate' from last night, only saying "The rumors are not true. She's a part of our family and we love her." I'm guessing from that there were rumors that she was leaving the show. Totally didn't address the notes-from-dress-rehearsal issue or potentially-scripted rumor, but that's ok.

Results...

Jason: safe! Ryan asked him about Simon's comment (not being the same Jason they "put in the show") and he said that after thinking about it, he realized his best critiques have come either on songs that he already knew or songs that he changed, and he did neither this week.

David A: safe, which *really* surprised him!

Preview of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) 4 - can't wait!!

David C: safe! Ryan asked him what he thought when Paula said she felt she was looking at the next American Idol, and he said he immediately thought about Simon's saying that his good comment to Carly last week was the "kiss of death"! Hee. Fortunately Paula doesn't hold the same power.

That leaves the 2 girls for the Bottom 2 (or not? one of my friends pointed out that Ryan never said they were the Bottom 2, just that one of them is going home!). Brooke said she was able to "come back" after Simon's "nightmare" critique because she "finally kicked into happy, grateful mode" last night & was having fun (& thus performed better). As Ryan sent them over to the couches for the time being (guest performers & viewer calls), Brooke said, "We'll stay as long as we can!"

Natasha Bedingfield sings her new song "Pocket Full of Sunshine," and after finishing and chatting w/Ryan she heads over to the couch to sit by David Archuleta and gives him a hug and kiss! Apparently she's a fan, which I think is funny.

There's actually an interesting viewer call, from Simon's first crush & the girl he first kissed (when he was 9 years old)! Ha.

Ford video: "Catch the Wind." Nice, mellow song, lots of flowers growing in the video.

Neil Diamond sings one from his new album (dropping May 6 - same day as Clay's!) called "Pretty Amazing Grace." And does a mini-interview with Ryan.

Final results: Brooke is leaving, and begins crying as soon as Ryan brings the girls down onto the stage. She managed to get in a "Thank you" to fans and sang most of her song before completely breaking down. Sigh... I do love the girl, but her time had definitely come.

Next week: Final 4!!

AI7 - Top 5: Neil Diamond (4/29/08)

2008-04-29T23:52:00.002-04:00

Tonight each contestant will sing 2 of Neil Diamond's songs. I'll just say now, it wasn't a very exciting or memorable show. Everyone pretty much did exactly what you would expect... though Paula was even less coherent than normal.

Jason "Forever in Blue Jeans" (playing guitar) and "September Morn" - both good, not great. Judges were meh.

David C. "I'm Alive" (elec. guitar) and "All I Really Need Is You" (acoustic guitar) - as Neil noted, two of his lesser-known songs. The first was fine, the second was very good. The crowd & judges also loved the 2nd.

Brooke "I'm a Believer" (guitar) and "I Am, I Said" (piano) - Well, she didn't fall apart this week, yay! Actually seemed to be confident and enjoying herself, especially for the 2nd, which was very good. Simon called the first a nightmare but all judges liked the second.

David A. "Sweet Caroline" and "America" - Though upbeat, both songs were rather boring. Randy called the first "brilliant" but Simon said it was amateurish; Paula said the 2nd was the perfect song choice for him (no, not at all!) and Simon said it was a smart choice (lyrically).

Syesha "Hello, Again" and "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime" - "Hello, Again" was probably my favorite performance of the night. Of the songs I know that were done tonight, it's my favorite to begin with ("I Am, I Said" being 2nd), and hers was the first performance to really hold my attention. Simon called it old-fashioned and liked the 2nd better but said she still might be in trouble. Randy said the style of the 2nd (more musical theatre-ish) suits her very well.

Hard week to call. I think any of Jason, Syesha, or Brooke could go. I think Syesha has had the better performances the past 2 weeks so I hope she stays.

AI7 - Top 6 Results (4/23/08)

2008-04-23T23:50:00.002-04:00

Over 38 million votes last night (most of which apparently went to 2 contestants who *really* needed them, as we'll see later). Group number, accompanied by Lord Webber on the piano: "All I Ask of You." As much as I normally love group songs, this was a yawn-fest. Wish they could've done something more up-tempo (and not from Phantom!).

This week Ryan is bringing contestants out two by two, starting with the Davids. Ryan asked David C about his song choice and he replied that there had been things said about being unpredictable, so he thought, "What's more unpredictable than singing it the way it was written?!" LOVE this guy. ;) Both are safe, of course.

One of the best Ford videos evah tonight: song is "Tainted Love" and style mixes punk rock with comic books! Carly looks way scary but David C. looks very good.

There's a taped message from President and Mrs. Bush announcing Idol Gives Back has raised $65 million this year.

The next 2 out are Syesha and Brooke. And now comes the biggest surprise of the night: "Brooke, you are... SAFE!" To say she looked shocked would be an understatement. Syesha took it well, though, as she headed toward the Bottom 2 stools.

For this week's Idol alum update we get a clip about various folks who've done Broadway shows! Diana, Fantasia, and LaKisha are mentioned. Then we get interviews and show clips from Tamyra (currently in Rent) and Clay (Spamalot). Clay also got to plug his new album which comes out May 6. That was a great segment!

And this week's guest performer is Leona Lewis. If you haven't heard of her yet, you will. I like this song ("Bleeding Love") more every time I hear it, and look forward to hearing what else she can do. I just wish her success didn't have to fuel another round of Simon's "look how great *I* am at finding talent" smirks.

The last two contestants are Carly and Jason. Jason is hilarious, humming to himself (which we can all hear because he's mic'd) and looking like he just wants to get this over with! As Ryan recaps their performances he says something about not wanting to sing "now". And... he won't have to, because he's safe! Which puts Carly in the Bottom 2. Jason is mega-relieved, and gives Carly a quick hug before heading over to plop down on the (now singular) couch.

So we have roomies Syesha and Carly, and both get to sing their songs again before we find out who's leaving. Both do better tonight than last night (well, Syesha may not have sung better, but I enjoyed it more the 2nd time around having already heard the song once). Mr. Pez and I are glad that Syesha is staying over Carly, but I think a lot of people will be disappointed (and many shocked). I looked back, and I think Syesha has been in the Bottom 3 every week of the Finals except one! Perhaps we should nickname her Energizer. Regardless, she may have a future in musical theater. And Carly does not look upset at all; I'm glad she gets to leave after a good performance and enjoying herself so much. Should be clear sailing from here on in toward a David-David finale, but we'll see!

AI7 - Top 7: Andrew Lloyd Webber (4/22/08)

2008-04-22T22:54:00.002-04:00

This week the contestants got to work with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (at the Vegas Phantom of the Opera theater). He had never seen the show before (I read previously in an interview) but did enjoy working with the contestants. Tonight's celebrity audience sightings include David Duchovny, Alison Janney, and Courtney Cox.

Syesha - "One Rock & Roll Too Many" (apparently from Starlight Express, which I've never even heard of) This was a jazzy song, and she started on the piano, then later interacted w/several band members (I will say Ricky Minor certainly had a fun night!). It was good, though not necessarily memorable since I don't know the song to begin with. Randy says it's her best performance yet; Simon says she was sexy and this genre fits her well (he was glad to finally see some "personality").

Jason - "Memory" Wow. Well, you knew sooner or later there was going to be something he couldn't pull off... this was certainly it. This song just doesn't work with soft, "Jason-style" music. The judges pretty much agree; Simon said he even looked "miserable" while singing (I wouldn't go that far; he did as well as he could and was definitely into the lyrics).

Brooke - "You Must Love Me" (from Evita) Another false start, except this time she had to stop the whole band! 2nd time through was good but I'm not sure people know the song (I don't), and it's likely the error will be more memorable than the actual performance. Her time has come and gone. Ryan asked Simon what he would have done & he actually said he'd have stopped too, but Paula said that's something a performer should never, ever do (I tend to agree).

David A - "Think Of Me" (Phantom) Hmm, Ryan let a whole passel of girls (all sisters??) come up and hug David before the performance. In the practice clip we see Sir Webber encouraging David to open his eyes while he sings, but he was otherwise pleasantly surprised that a "boy" could pull this off (instead of a female diva type). I liked this very, very much! Definitely his best in quite some time, and my 2nd favorite performance of the night. Randy & Paula loved it as well, but Simon said it was forgettable and one of his weakest weeks (nope, not at all!).

Carly - "Jesus Christ Superstar" Good choice style-wise for her, but I thought she took it a bit too lightly and was too bouncy/fun for the lyrics. She also had a very, very unfortunate pattern on her dress (seriously, do they not get fashion advice? We didn't really need an anatomy lesson, did we?). The judges liked it; I'm curious to see what viewer response is like. She also continued to be (waaaay) overly eager for Simon's approval.

Last is David C. with "The Music of the Night" Once again deserving of the given 'pimp spot.' I'm glad this genre is happening late enough in the game that he feels comfortable singing it straight; he even admits his musical theater background! This. was. amazing. May be my first iTunes download; I can imagine the live version must have sounded fantastic (in the theater itself) but I also anticipate the studio recorded version will be incredible. Simon doesn't like him in this style of music, but Randy & Paula loved it. Definitely the standout of the night, though it wouldn't take much tonight, unfortunately.

I predict Syesha, Jason, and Brooke for the Bottom 3 with Brooke (please!) going home.

AI7 - Top 7 Results

2008-04-16T23:52:00.003-04:00

There were almost 36 million votes last night. Will they save your favorite?

The group opens with Mariah's song "One Sweet Day." Jason is alone on the stage w/the first solo; Kristy out in the audience gets the 2nd, & then everyone else is on stage (most of the rest getting small solos). Nice song, though it can't be easy for David C. to be singing about death and losing loved ones this week.

Well, per norm for Top 7 week, Ryan will be sorting the contestants into 2 groups as they come out on stage. In the first round we get Jason and Carly in one group, and David C. and Kristy Lee in another. So at this point I'm a little surprised Jason's (apparently) in the Bottom 3, but we'll see what happens....

The Ford video is "I Want to Break Free" and is the most interesting one in a while, with everyone as stiff marionnettes who then get their strings cut and color sharpened, and run out to fun Ford cars.

Next Elliot Yamin is back and sings "Free." Yay, Elliot! Awww, at the end he shows he's written on his hand "We Miss You Mom," since she died very recently. Ryan expresses their condolences.

Syesha comes out and joins Jason and Carly. Brooke comes out and joins David C. and Kristy Lee. David A. is left backstage to wonder if he's cut or not (because last week, those remaining backstage were the Bottom 3!).

Viewer calls... some for judges, one for Kristy asking if she ever got her horse back (no), and one for David C. asking if he's single (yes)! Hee.

And then Mariah performs her new single "Bye Bye" (from her album released yesterday called EMC2). Sheesh, another song about death! Fortunately there weren't any camera shots of David or Adam, though I was wondering if David was still holding it together at this point. (He was probably fine. When Ryan brought him out earlier he asked about last night's emotions, and David took a minute to "think of how to word it," and tactfully said that "a lot of things" had been going on that week and he put a lot of himself into the song, and when it was over and he was getting good comments everything kind-of came together & hit him. Dude has class.)

Finally Ryan brings David A. out and announces that he is safe. And then a twist: Ryan tells David C. and Syesha to switch places! A-ha! So, our new groups are now Jason/Carly/David C. (obviously safe) and Syesha/Brooke/Kristy Lee (obviously Bottom 3). Ryan asks David A. to go join whichever group has the rest of the safe people. Par for the course, he refuses and sits down center stage. (You'd think the producers would realize by now that people aren't going to fall for the confusion trick & stop trying, but no....) Ryan says he should move toward the group on their left and then the 4 who are safe get to go to the couches.

Brooke is already emotional. Syesha is sent safely to the couches so Kristy Lee and Brooke remain. Each thinks it's her, and when Ryan asks & Simon says he thinks Kristy's time is up, Brooke gets all defensive & protective-mama since "we don't know that yet." However, we soon know that, and Kristy was mostly expecting it, but yes, her time is indeed up. Ryan makes another plea to the purchaser of Kristy's horse to let her buy it back and we get her exit video (which begins w/the horse story!). Then her sing-out, which she begins sitting on the judges' desk, singing to Simon! Gotta hand it to her, girl has a good sense of humor. :-) Her sing-out is good, and I will miss her.

Next week: Broadway with Andrew Lloyd Webber! Woo-hoo!

AI7 - Top 7: Mariah Carey (4/15/08)

2008-04-15T22:46:00.003-04:00

Mariah seems to have been a good mentor for the 'kids' this week. She was encouraging and complimentary, sometimes suggesting things but respectful of their choices as well.

David A - "When You Believe" Well, yes, he did the Disney song, of course. It was fine, but that was about it. (And please tell me the 17-year old Mormon boy wasn't wearing black leather pants?! While singing a Disney song, yet?!) Judges loved it.

Carly - "Without You" Now, Carly, by choosing this song, not only will you be compared to Mariah (and Nilsson), you'll be compared to Kelly Clarkson. She didn't murder it, but she certainly didn't measure up to Kelly, either. Randy & Paula liked it; Simon said he thinks she has the potential to pull it off, but that she didn't.

Syesha - "Vanishing" I don't know this one, and it seems rather strangely constructed, but her vocals were very, very good. Randy said it's a very difficult song to sing, but she did well ("all things considered"). Paula said it was smart to choose a lesser-known song, but Simon disagreed, though he said it was technically good.

Brooke - "Hero" She played piano on this, and started out really strong, like her early songs in the finals. However, when she got to the bridge it started going downhill. It didn't help that the camera froze in a close-up of her face and you could tell she was nervous & shaky; it really stayed in that shot an uncomfortably long time. Simon & Randy both said that it 'went south' at the bridge (Simon compared it to ordering a hamburger and just getting a bun). Brooke may in trouble tonight.

Kristy Lee - "Forever" Mariah said that Kristy gave her goosebumps! Kristy really did a great job; the song sounds good in a country arrangement and Kristy didn't oversing but just sang very well. The crowd and Paula loved it; Randy & Simon were just meh.

David C - "Always Be My Baby" This sounded vaguely familiar to me but I don't know it well, so I can't really comment to the extent of his changes. But it was done very well, soft for most of it with some rock of course, and ending unresolved (Mariah said in rehearsal that she liked that he did it that way). It earned Randy's first standing ovation of the season! Paula said it could be on a movie soundtrack; Simon said it was "like coming out of karaoke hell (hee) into a breath of fresh air" and that David's risk-taking shows that he's the type of "artist" that could win this. David was very grateful - humbly proud, if that makes sense. He was a little teary and the cameras cut to his brother in the audience... if you haven't heard yet, Adam (36, from Terre Haute, Indiana) has brain cancer and was only able to come out to the show through major community support (doctors said he couldn't fly commercially, so Clarian Health paid for a private plane; the radio station paid for the hotel across the street from the studio; and he was accompanied by his wife, 2 young children, and a private nurse). I'm sure David was thrilled to have done so well and gotten such high praise the night that Adam was there.

Jason was last with "I Don't Want to Cry." Another I don't know, but seemed a great choice for him and he sang very well. He sat on a stool but didn't play guitar. Randy didn't love it but Paula & Simon did (Simon said it wasn't the best vocal of the night, but it was a very good performance).

My prediction for Bottom 3: Carly, Brooke, and Syesha, with Brooke leaving.

AI7 - Idol Gives Back and Top 8 Results

2008-04-15T13:03:00.002-04:00

Lots of show last week! I won't recap all of IGB, just highlight what I enjoyed the most. Most of the actual performances are available to download on iTunes and the proceeds to go IGB.

The opener was awesome - the Top 8 sang and finalists from all 3 seasons of So You Think You Can Dance performed as well! I'm not as familiar with Season 1 dancers, but I did see Nick. From S2 I saw Benji, Donyelle, Travis, Ashley, and Dmitri. And from S3, Danny, Lauren, Lacey, Hok, Dominic, Pasha and Anya! Much fun. The ballroom guys also performed during Gloria Estefan's song.

I know I'm in a minority, but I think Fergie is one of the best singers on the planet right now, and I love her! She sang "Finally" with John Legend on piano, then introduced Heart and sang "Barracuda" with them.

The Top 8 sang "Seasons of Love" (from Rent). Carrie Underwood sang George Michael's "Praying for Time" (and was awesome). The Band from TV sang Carrie's "Before He Cheats," which was much fun (Teri Hatcher can sing; who knew? and no Hugh Laurie unfortunately, but we did get fellow House star Jesse Spencer on violin - love!). And Annie Lennox sang "Many Rivers."

There were also cute bits with Robin Williams as a "Russian Idol" winner and Billy Crystal introducing Miley Cyrus. And the (female) stage manager coming out to fix Brad Pitt's mic, then saying, "I just needed a reason to touch him"! I know the show was taped days before it aired so I thought it was funny they left that in.

The Top 8 closed IGB - and opened the results show - with "Shout to the Lord." (Not sure what's with all the religious songs this year, but I won't complain!)

Ryan announced there were over 31 million votes and over $60 million dollars raised so far.

The contestants are shown waiting backstage, and as he's been doing, Ryan brings out one at a time to announce their fate. Brooke White is safe. David C is safe (and the perennial Word Nerd, when Ryan asked what he thought after Simon called this week's performance "pompous," said that Simon had previously called him "arrogant" and "smug" so he was wondering what other words he might use to say the same thing! Hee, he was thinking about synonyms!). And David A. is safe.

Ford video is "I Just Want to Celebrate" with lots of paint being thrown around. Guest performance is Jordin Sparks with Chris Brown singing their hit "No Air" (which I just heard for the first time on the radio this week; guess I should listen to the Disney Station more often... wait, did I just say that?). Then Jordin was presented with some nice framed pieces commemmorating certain sales numbers (her CD is Gold, and 2 songs had hit downloading milestones).

Next out from backstage is Jason, who is safe. Then Kristy, who is also safe! That leaves (camera goes backstage) Michael, Carly, and Syesha for the bottom 3 - wow, I got it right this week!

"After the break," they are now center stage w/Ryan who announces that both Carly and Syesha are safe. Everyone assumes that means Michael is out and they adopt stunned expressions. Then Ryan reminds us that last year during IGB week they didn't eliminate anyone. However... (dramatic, painful pause) tonight Michael will be leaving. He is shocked (I'm not, honestly, nor am I disappointed other than feeling bad for my friends who like him), but he recovers well and has a good sing-out.

Next week's theme: Mariah Carey songs. btw she also performed during IGB (with Randy on bass, yawn), but I only understood about 3 words in the whole song so I didn't actually enjoy it. At least it will be "interesting" to see what some of the contestants do with her songs!

AI7 - Top 8: Inspirational Songs (4/8/08)

2008-04-08T22:19:00.002-04:00

Another great night of performances!!

Michael - "Dream On" I was nervous, and was relieved that he didn't injure the song, but I'm not sure whether I actually enjoyed it, lol. He did surprise me by hitting the high notes. Randy said it was pitchy & not the best musical style for him (Michael defended the lyrics saying that's why he picked it). Paula loved it. Simon also said he prefers Michael doing more blues/soul stuff instead of "impersonating a rock star." Hee - and I agree!

Syesha - "I Believe" Since Fantasia is the only artist to record this (or at least the only one most people have heard), it was risky. She did a good job; the choir certainly helped create the right feel for it. Paula & Simon said that she sang it well, but all the judges said it lacked the emotional connection Fantasia had with it.

Jason - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Wow! Gutsy choice. Arrangement is by "Iz" and was total Jason style though. He played ukelele on it and it was simple, but beautiful. Very different, and captivating. The judges loved it as well; Simon said "fantastic!"

Kristy Lee - "Anyway" I wasn't familiar with this song but it has *awesome* lyrics. She got the backing choir as well and did very well, with some softer parts and some glory notes. One of her best for sure. Randy was meh (really, on about everyone), but Paula & Simon loved it. Paula said she could tell she connected with it (yes!), and Simon said it was a smart choice.

David C - "Innocent" (Our Lady Peace) This is David's favorite band, and there is a line about wishing you'd never heard the word "cancer," so it's an obvious choice. (For those who may not have heard, one of his brothers has been battling cancer for years and had a recent "setback.") I'd read the lyrics in advance & wasn't sure what the message was, but his take was that everyone has a good side and you should be "comfortable in your own skin." He went into the audience and ended showing his palm with the words "Give Back." The vocals were good; not his best, but that's not what this performance was about. Paula got that though praised the vocals too, saying he's "the whole package." Randy & Simon were less kind; Simon said it was "a little pompous." (I don't think so at all.)

Carly - "The Show Must Go On" (Queen) One of her best! At least the first 3/4 of it or so. Very, very good; she connected w/the lyrics, the vocals were great, it was just really good. Paula said she didn't feel a connection though; Randy thought it was pitchy & Simon said it was a strange choice & she oversang it and sounded angry.

David A - "Angels" (Robbie Williams) Another I'm not familiar with, but David did a good job (he played piano for the whole song). Good performance but nothing 'wow' about it. All the judges loved it; Randy said it was David's best and Simon said it was the best song choice of the night (and not his best vocal, but good).

Brooke - "You've Got a Friend" Very good, perfect choice for her. Randy was meh; Paula loved it; Simon said it was nice, pleasant. That's good enough!

I think Syesha, maybe Carly, and... I'll say Michael will be the bottom 3, with Syesha leaving.

Tomorrow night, just in case you didn't hear it at least one of the 3,592 times they've promo'd it, is Idol Gives Back! Starting at *7:30* (not 8) and running for 2 1/2 hours. Slight spoiler: SYTYCD fans, make sure you catch the opening!! :-)