Oh these auditions are so tedious! Tonight in Minneapolis all I could think of was fodder fodder everywhere. Everyone who got a golden ticket was so excited--as if they had already had the confetti drop--and my guess is that unless one of them turns up their game significantly, they are going home from the hangar before they see the Hollywood sign.
First up was Shannon, age 17, who has never sung in front of people before. She sang House of the Rising Sun in an imitative way--but not good enough for me to tell who she was trying to imitate. I thought it was shouty and all the melisma and growls she threw in just made it sound corny to me. But the judges said she had raw talent. I wouldn't call it raw because in my opinion it was half-baked and I will be surprised if the heat of Hollywood makes it rise.
Then comes the guy with the golden microphone, Kamil Casey. He is a nerd. He cannot sing. He can dance poorly. He didn't go through.
There was a montage of women with guitars and maybe one of them had some talent but they must have all been over 23 because we didn't see any of them featured.
Vanessa who is in love with Keith but smart enough to brown nose JLo and Harry too, was my favorite of the night. Her husband is in the air force and she has 3 kids at home including a 3 month old baby. I don't know if we will see her face again. She seemed a little too sweet for Hollywood but again...she had her suck up stories down pat so maybe there is more to her than it appeared.
Zach sang with a country accent even though he doesn't speak with one and that bothered Harry. He was likable enough but nothing all that special in terms of talent. He did get to sing at Keith's concert in Minot, SD so this was not an entirely wasted exercise for him.
I missed the audition of Aaron from the Iowa coffee houses. I'm half sorry I did because I don't think we will see him on our TV again unless he is boarding the bus from the hangar.
The hunting fishing gal, Cindy Jo, (yes she has no last name because she is going to be a STAR and doesn't need one) is 26 years young. JLo began planning her next video in her head at that point. Harry was worried that all of the gun stuff was fake. She shot a bear with a bow and arrow which is impressive but she murdered Crazy. I don't know why they put her through because as much as I hate to agree with JLo, Cindy Jo won't be needing that stage name any time soon.
The audience gets to guess whether Matt with the long hair and the bad voice goes through to Hollywood. I guessed no. I guessed wrong. I'm beginning to think I'm crazy but please don't let Cindy Jo sing it again.
The Vegas guy, whose name I didn't catch, basically does the performance he never gets to do in Vegas because he is an understudy for the Jerry Lee Lewis character in a Vegas show called the Million Dollar Quartet. He can play the piano. He can imitate Jerry Lee Lewis. That wasn't selling so he did another song and went through. I thought his voice was sort of thin.
Hannah with an unpronounceable last name is a 16 year old belter. If she makes it to the top 24 (and she might because she is 16, pretty, and belts) I'm pretty sure she will lose the last name. This trend was started by Megan Joy, followed by Lauren Alaina (whatever happened to Lauren Alaina?) and followed up by Jena Irene (who as you recall, is dumping Irene and just going by Jena now that she has a platinum album--wait..she doesn't? )
The final guy was Matt Andrew who seemed genuine enough. He does have a distinctive "tone" to his voice. JLo really liked it. I liked him (but lose the stocking cap please) but not his tone that much.
So...New Orleans is up next. I love New Orleans. If only they would just show Harry in a bar singing and playing with some local musicians for the whole episode and ditch the auditions, I would be happy.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Friday, January 16, 2015
Blogger Down
I didn't watch the show tonight because I had a late appointment. Spoiler alert: I did some looking for some information on the top 24. Bada Bing girl is one of them. At least I will have someone to mock while Mr. Auntee is mocking me.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Character Study
Tonight the judges are once again in Kansas City to meet contestants culled from Idol's 11 city bus tour. At least Idol producers have given up on the pretense that the judges see every single contestant audition.
First up is the obligatory "big" R&B singer that we see every season. *Big Ron* (or *Big Sexy*) is full of confidence and chest hair and sings entirely to JLo who eggs him on with her impersonation of a sweet and demure Jenny From the Block while Keith and Harry pretend to go out and get some KC barbecue. Of course he sings *Let's Get it On* and of course he is voted through. We were, thankfully, spared any more than a glimpse of his aversion to manscaping.
Big Sexy is followed by a theater actor named Ian who sings in falsetto...badly. Despite demonstrating his range as Harry hits chords, he is rejected.
We see a montage of contestants all with guitars who make it through. Hard to say if they are fodder or not.
Joey Cook takes the stage with her *squeeze box* and sings/talks a campy song about wanting to be called the King of Spain. She has blue hair and is cute as a button and so so unique because whoever heard of a pop singer with blue hair? I don't know if she is authentically *unique* or simply imitation *unique* but she may be the finalist we saw the first night from behind in the montage of 24 with multicolored hair. Or not. When even I wouldn't mind some purple streaks in my old grey hair it is hard to say how many of these contestants have developed this *unique* style of haircoloring. JLo establishes she is 23 which is a good thing because I think JLo's cut off age for giving a flying f-word about female contestants is 23 1/2. But, she is a *character*.
Alexis Gomez is a hippie looking country singer who I found rather boring and so did Keith but JLo liked her looks and so, evidently, did Harry as he wasn't that impressed with her voice. She did have on one of those half skirts favored by Kardashians and Real Housewives cast members so maybe that was what appealed to Harry.
Now, for my favorite of the night. Anton from Parsons, Kansas who sang Keith's song *Tonight I'm Gonna Cry*. I didn't cry but almost did. He was outstanding. I hope he can manage the meat grinder of Hollywood because I liked him a lot. JLo calls him a character too. I think he is who he is which is a guy from Parsons, Kansas who sings country music very very well.
As if we haven't already had enough characters on this episode, we are introduced to Stephanie (last name inaudible) who is doing a Minnie Mouse impersonation. No, she is actually going to sing an original song. I wasn't moved to tears by the song but she had a nice enough voice and she wasn't all made up and tarty looking. I think she is 18 so she may have a chance in the long run.
Ashley Stehle fulfills the obligatory sob story component of every audition episode. Her parents are deaf but her father now has a device that enables him to hear her sing so both parents come into the audition room. She sings an Alicia Keys song which I maybe would have recognized if she ever sang a note in tune but she did not. She is only 15 so she can come back next year with a better song. I can only think of one reason why she was on the episode since there was not a feel good ending and that is to let people know about this new hearing device which I guess is not a bad thing.
Ellen Peterson played the banjo and it sounded pretty darn good to me. I loved her yodeling.
I missed all but the final moments of the final audition because of a phone call. From what I gather, the contestant is homeless or a vagabond who sleeps in a tarp. They put him through to Hollywood after much discussion about his image. He was also a character in JLo's opinion. I think he smelled too as the last thing I remember hearing about him from the judges was that he was *ripe*. I don't think Harry meant *ripe* in a good way.
I haven't checked any of the spoiler websites to see who made the top 24. I'm a little afraid to because I know I will already be disappointed about some.
First up is the obligatory "big" R&B singer that we see every season. *Big Ron* (or *Big Sexy*) is full of confidence and chest hair and sings entirely to JLo who eggs him on with her impersonation of a sweet and demure Jenny From the Block while Keith and Harry pretend to go out and get some KC barbecue. Of course he sings *Let's Get it On* and of course he is voted through. We were, thankfully, spared any more than a glimpse of his aversion to manscaping.
Big Sexy is followed by a theater actor named Ian who sings in falsetto...badly. Despite demonstrating his range as Harry hits chords, he is rejected.
We see a montage of contestants all with guitars who make it through. Hard to say if they are fodder or not.
Joey Cook takes the stage with her *squeeze box* and sings/talks a campy song about wanting to be called the King of Spain. She has blue hair and is cute as a button and so so unique because whoever heard of a pop singer with blue hair? I don't know if she is authentically *unique* or simply imitation *unique* but she may be the finalist we saw the first night from behind in the montage of 24 with multicolored hair. Or not. When even I wouldn't mind some purple streaks in my old grey hair it is hard to say how many of these contestants have developed this *unique* style of haircoloring. JLo establishes she is 23 which is a good thing because I think JLo's cut off age for giving a flying f-word about female contestants is 23 1/2. But, she is a *character*.
Alexis Gomez is a hippie looking country singer who I found rather boring and so did Keith but JLo liked her looks and so, evidently, did Harry as he wasn't that impressed with her voice. She did have on one of those half skirts favored by Kardashians and Real Housewives cast members so maybe that was what appealed to Harry.
Now, for my favorite of the night. Anton from Parsons, Kansas who sang Keith's song *Tonight I'm Gonna Cry*. I didn't cry but almost did. He was outstanding. I hope he can manage the meat grinder of Hollywood because I liked him a lot. JLo calls him a character too. I think he is who he is which is a guy from Parsons, Kansas who sings country music very very well.
As if we haven't already had enough characters on this episode, we are introduced to Stephanie (last name inaudible) who is doing a Minnie Mouse impersonation. No, she is actually going to sing an original song. I wasn't moved to tears by the song but she had a nice enough voice and she wasn't all made up and tarty looking. I think she is 18 so she may have a chance in the long run.
Ashley Stehle fulfills the obligatory sob story component of every audition episode. Her parents are deaf but her father now has a device that enables him to hear her sing so both parents come into the audition room. She sings an Alicia Keys song which I maybe would have recognized if she ever sang a note in tune but she did not. She is only 15 so she can come back next year with a better song. I can only think of one reason why she was on the episode since there was not a feel good ending and that is to let people know about this new hearing device which I guess is not a bad thing.
Ellen Peterson played the banjo and it sounded pretty darn good to me. I loved her yodeling.
I missed all but the final moments of the final audition because of a phone call. From what I gather, the contestant is homeless or a vagabond who sleeps in a tarp. They put him through to Hollywood after much discussion about his image. He was also a character in JLo's opinion. I think he smelled too as the last thing I remember hearing about him from the judges was that he was *ripe*. I don't think Harry meant *ripe* in a good way.
I haven't checked any of the spoiler websites to see who made the top 24. I'm a little afraid to because I know I will already be disappointed about some.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Its The Time of the Season
I didn't lie. I said I probably wasn't going to blog anymore. And I may not last the season. But, despite the mocking from Mr. Auntee, I tuned in this week for auditions in Nashville and Kansas City.
Ryan tells us they are going to reveal the top 24 right away. Yeah right. No, they just show us a group number with everyone in dark shadows. There are men and there are women (although probably it is fair to say that at least 8 of the 12 women are under 18 so technically are not women). One woman has funky colored hair. I didn't take notes, so I've forgotten what song they sang. They sounded good. They were all auto-tuned, I'm sure.
So, the auditions start in Keith's hometown and he shows up in a big ass pickup to pickup JLo and Harry. JLo tries to act all down with it. She is trying to act like she isn't a diva. There is a reason this woman has not won an Oscar to date. Will the live shows continue to feature JLo close ups for 75% of the contestant's performances so that you cannot even tell if you liked the performance or not? Time will tell.
As I didn't take notes I can only say that the 3 hours of programming left me with the clear memory of only three: The Blind Guy (I will learn his name and not call him that in the future if you are all worried about my sensitivity to the disabled). He put a spin on his song (which I cannot remember) that I liked and he had confidence but was not cocky. So, I hope he does well.
The second one I remember is the blonde calling her self Lovey James (its a stage name--her real name is Kirsten which is too hard for people to say). I think she must have sung an Ariana Grande song or something. JLo was all excited because she is young and not jaded yet. Well, if this doesn't work out, with that stage name and her dancing experience she can go straight to the local Bada Bing club and we will see how fresh she is then. I don't like her. I don't like Ariana Grande either.
I have my favorite already. Her name is Jess Lamb. She played the piano--she really played she didn't just hit a few chords melodramatically ala Jena what ever her last name was (oh, that is right--she didn't have a last name she had a stage name too--Jena Irene) who came in second place behind the Meat Loaf impersonator last year. Jess is 28. Which means JLo will trash her to death all season long assuming she makes it far enough. She sang "Ain't No Sunshine" and really slayed it. I didn't even notice whether she changed up the gender in the lyrics. I was mesmerized. Then she asked Harry to jam with her on the piano. It was great.
So, for now, I'm blogging. Not sure how long I will keep it up. We can be happy that Randy is not around this season to take up space and airtime.
Ryan tells us they are going to reveal the top 24 right away. Yeah right. No, they just show us a group number with everyone in dark shadows. There are men and there are women (although probably it is fair to say that at least 8 of the 12 women are under 18 so technically are not women). One woman has funky colored hair. I didn't take notes, so I've forgotten what song they sang. They sounded good. They were all auto-tuned, I'm sure.
So, the auditions start in Keith's hometown and he shows up in a big ass pickup to pickup JLo and Harry. JLo tries to act all down with it. She is trying to act like she isn't a diva. There is a reason this woman has not won an Oscar to date. Will the live shows continue to feature JLo close ups for 75% of the contestant's performances so that you cannot even tell if you liked the performance or not? Time will tell.
As I didn't take notes I can only say that the 3 hours of programming left me with the clear memory of only three: The Blind Guy (I will learn his name and not call him that in the future if you are all worried about my sensitivity to the disabled). He put a spin on his song (which I cannot remember) that I liked and he had confidence but was not cocky. So, I hope he does well.
The second one I remember is the blonde calling her self Lovey James (its a stage name--her real name is Kirsten which is too hard for people to say). I think she must have sung an Ariana Grande song or something. JLo was all excited because she is young and not jaded yet. Well, if this doesn't work out, with that stage name and her dancing experience she can go straight to the local Bada Bing club and we will see how fresh she is then. I don't like her. I don't like Ariana Grande either.
I have my favorite already. Her name is Jess Lamb. She played the piano--she really played she didn't just hit a few chords melodramatically ala Jena what ever her last name was (oh, that is right--she didn't have a last name she had a stage name too--Jena Irene) who came in second place behind the Meat Loaf impersonator last year. Jess is 28. Which means JLo will trash her to death all season long assuming she makes it far enough. She sang "Ain't No Sunshine" and really slayed it. I didn't even notice whether she changed up the gender in the lyrics. I was mesmerized. Then she asked Harry to jam with her on the piano. It was great.
So, for now, I'm blogging. Not sure how long I will keep it up. We can be happy that Randy is not around this season to take up space and airtime.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
The End of the Blog....Probably
I'm 2/3 of the way into the show and disgusted by the judges trashing Jessica who is *performing* better than she has all season. Unable to find anything wrong with her voice, recognizing her feeling, now they are pulling out the old chestnut *that was not the right song for you*. Screw them.
In the meantime they are bucking of Caleb in anticipation of the backlash for his retard remarks and frothing over Alex and Jena.
I'm in a really pissy mood tonight...cannot even think of something remotely funny to say.
I'm going online to vote for Jessica for the last time. I will not be watching tomorrow night.
In the meantime they are bucking of Caleb in anticipation of the backlash for his retard remarks and frothing over Alex and Jena.
I'm in a really pissy mood tonight...cannot even think of something remotely funny to say.
I'm going online to vote for Jessica for the last time. I will not be watching tomorrow night.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Caleb Johnson Not Happy with *Retards* On Twitter
Hmm...seems my instincts about Caleb were correct. He gave an interview after the results show in which he referred to people sending him messages on social media as *retards* and stated he didn't appreciate all the song suggestions being sent his way since he can choose his own songs. He has since apologized by claiming that he was referring to those people who send him hate messages on twitter...although that certainly wasn't what he was talking about in the interview. Judge for yourself: https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/reality-rocks/-american-idol--finalist-caleb-johnson-apologizes-for-slur-084719848.html
In addition, he talked about the hometown visit and the *hookers and cocaine* waiting for him there (which was arguably a joke but it sort of tells you where his head is at doesn't it?)
I have always thought he was entirely too full of himself. Sometimes my *irrational* dislike of these contestants proves to be justified.
There is also much speculation whether Jena and Alex will suffer for voting no on Thursday night. I doubt that they will as most fans were not happy with the *twist* and were happy that it didn't work.
I'm thinking Caleb ought to be toast.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Don't You Love It When a Plan Doesn't Come Together?
Tonight's elimination show was nearly as good as a huge dose of anti-depressants for me! Ryan announces a *shocking twist* involving the contestants. I'm figuring its not the usual 2 go to one side 2 to another and JENA chooses which side is the safe side. Harry rambles on about how proud he is of the top 5. There is a brief recap with Randy commentary praising nearly everyone except Jessica (who needs *performance work*---what you are getting PAID to help them with Randass) although he does acknowledge that Sam had a rough start to one of his songs. Keith Urban performs (or lip syncs poorly) his newest single. Maybe he really played the guitar. Keith is not in my good graces due to his shameful pandering to the producer's (or JLo's) Jessica hate so I'm not going to cut him any slack at all. A lot of time is wasted bantering. Only 6 or 7 minutes left including the 2 minute commercial break for suspense. What could the *twist* be?
Well...here is the twist! The contestants get to vote on whether there will be no elimination tonight and they all can *stay together for one more week* (with 2 going home next week) or if they want the rules of the game to stay the same. They are each given a ballot. The vote has to be unanimous. At the start of the commercial break it appears Caleb is lobbying for them all to stay together one more week. At the commercial break it dawns on me that Jessica is probably safe this week! And someone they want to keep in the show isn't safe. But I figure it doesn't matter because none of them will have the nerve to buck the result that the producers so obviously want which is not to announce who got the fewest votes this week because it wasn't Jessica.
Well, I have no idea who voted against the producer's plan because they announced the votes anonymously (for now). Two of them did. And my guess is that the two who did were NOT two who thought they got the least number of votes. I was surprised they didn't buckle under but I'm pretty proud of them for seeing through the bullshit and just wanting the game to be played without changing the rules in the middle of it.
Lo and behold, Sam got the least votes. If the contestants had followed the script, the producers would have given him a double save! Who thinks that they had this twist in mind before they counted the votes? If you do, you can bake me a cake. Chocolate with white icing please.
The time wasting during the show had the added benefit of not announcing who was in the bottom 2! So, if it was Jessica, she was spared the humiliation and confidence sapping moment on the stools. But I'm now wondering if it wasn't her at all. Maybe it was Alex or Caleb or JENA. Another reason to have them all stay another week.
And now all I can do is HA HA HA HA!
Update: Well that didn't take long. The word is out from pretty reliable sources that the two who voted no were Alex and JENA. Ok, I give them credit for bucking the system. But all of this confirms my assessment of JENA's character as being not quite as sweet as she would like us to think she is. I cannot help but hope she gets some backlash for it, even though it was the right thing to do. The word is that all of the contestants were ticked off at the stunt...and rightly so.
Well...here is the twist! The contestants get to vote on whether there will be no elimination tonight and they all can *stay together for one more week* (with 2 going home next week) or if they want the rules of the game to stay the same. They are each given a ballot. The vote has to be unanimous. At the start of the commercial break it appears Caleb is lobbying for them all to stay together one more week. At the commercial break it dawns on me that Jessica is probably safe this week! And someone they want to keep in the show isn't safe. But I figure it doesn't matter because none of them will have the nerve to buck the result that the producers so obviously want which is not to announce who got the fewest votes this week because it wasn't Jessica.
Well, I have no idea who voted against the producer's plan because they announced the votes anonymously (for now). Two of them did. And my guess is that the two who did were NOT two who thought they got the least number of votes. I was surprised they didn't buckle under but I'm pretty proud of them for seeing through the bullshit and just wanting the game to be played without changing the rules in the middle of it.
Lo and behold, Sam got the least votes. If the contestants had followed the script, the producers would have given him a double save! Who thinks that they had this twist in mind before they counted the votes? If you do, you can bake me a cake. Chocolate with white icing please.
The time wasting during the show had the added benefit of not announcing who was in the bottom 2! So, if it was Jessica, she was spared the humiliation and confidence sapping moment on the stools. But I'm now wondering if it wasn't her at all. Maybe it was Alex or Caleb or JENA. Another reason to have them all stay another week.
And now all I can do is HA HA HA HA!
Update: Well that didn't take long. The word is out from pretty reliable sources that the two who voted no were Alex and JENA. Ok, I give them credit for bucking the system. But all of this confirms my assessment of JENA's character as being not quite as sweet as she would like us to think she is. I cannot help but hope she gets some backlash for it, even though it was the right thing to do. The word is that all of the contestants were ticked off at the stunt...and rightly so.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Jason Mraz, Jessica Meuse and Alex...Throw the Others Back in the Swaybot Pit
Depending on what happens tomorrow night, this may be my last blog of the season...or the rest of time. So, I'm going to rant a bit. What? You thought I had been ranting all season? Wait for it.
First, I want to credit my favorite blogger, Michael Slezak, who blogs on Idol and other TV shows on a site called TV Line. I would link to it but I cannot make my copy and past function work which is not making me happy. Suffice it to say, I pretty much agree with this guy all the time and he is hilarious. He does a webcam chat with Melinda Doolittle every week which always makes me laugh out loud. I purposely don't read his blog before writing this because I will be tempted to steal from him. And in fact, I have stolen the next two thoughts from him but am doing so because I don't want you to have to read all of his blogs to find them and I'm nice that way!
He agrees with me that Jessica Meuse is being unfairly critiqued for her performances. It is not that he thinks she is flawless..he just believes she gets panned for things they ignore with the other contestants. And, that when they do praise her, they give themselves the credit. Last week he commented that Sam should be the next to go but then, in a tag line on the webcam, there was a comment: Who am I kidding...if they have to decapitate Grumpy Cat next week and say Jessica did it to get her off the air, they will (more on this in a moment).
His next thought, and I have subliminally noticed this but not focused on it until tonight, is that the producers spend more time putting the camera on JLo during the performances (or the crowd) than they do the performers. Tonight it was particularly bugging me. What good does it do to tell the audience that the performers are not *connecting* when the people watching the show see JLo bouncing her hair around, giving soulful looks and shaking her shoulders around to look with it for a good 50% of the performance? Every now and then they put the camera on Keith, but usually as part of the JLo cam. Melinda Doolittle believes that its in her contract to get so much camera time. If so, shame on the producers for agreeing to it and shame on her for demanding it along with the 18 million dollars or so she is getting paid for this.
Ok...now for the show. Viewer's choice. I think, for the most part the viewers did a good job of choosing songs for their favorites. I'm going to go worst to best.
Sam He performed after Jessica. To make sure that Jessica got no mileage from her performance, Ryan asks Sam an audience question. What is the hardest thing about the competition. Well this give Sam the opportunity to talk about his dog (and for us to see a picture of it). Ok, its not decapitating the cat but just in case Jessica might have swayed some voters with her performance, lets turn the sympathy votes on for Sweet Sam and his dog. His idol (Ariadne someone who is hot right now) also appears handing him the mic. And Sam sings a song that is supposed to be funky. I don't even remember the name of it or anything it was about. Suffice it to say, the only remotely funky thing about this performance was that Keith was desperately trying to make it seem funky by his shoulder swaying. Rather than tell him it was blah, the judges say it was a *hard song*. His next song, How To Save A Life, was marginally better. Except that showing emotion by closing your eyes all the time isn't that effective. Harry commented on the dynamics meaning variation in the volume. Sam stays on medium all the time. I'm over his cuteness. Its time for him to go home.
Jena I've been over her for awhile. She is so friggin smug. She thinks she is the best *performer* of the group and that it is going to take her far. My notes on the performance of the song *My Body* are very short. One word. Puke. She is so mannered and I'm not a fan of her little Jenaisms to the audience (*lets go*....so stupid...I always think it smacks of desperation when a performer has to gin up audience excitement with those catch phrases). Her next performance, of the song Valerie, was just kind of weird to me. The judges never talk about her connection or lack thereof with the audience. She never stands still long enough to connect and if she is connecting its with the camera showing her own reflection back at her on stage. And she has already come up with her stage name...one name..Jena. I hope the whole world calls her Jenna. Harry was just fueling the self-satisfied monster when he asked her about that.
Caleb Yes, I know he got the pimp spot. Yes, I know he had some good glory notes in his last performance. But his first performance of I Don't Want to Miss a Thing was a train wreck and the judges were just too kind about it. He starts off way off time and off key. He gets the pitch back. But this song became a dirge with him singing it. Yes, its oversung. Yes, we are tired of it. But yes, he sucked singing it. The last song I really didn't listen to much except to hear the glory notes and see way too much of JLo and Keith rocking and standing while the camera ignored Caleb. He pissed me off when he started holding the standing mic horizontally like some samurai sword before the first note was played. Ugg. He is also way too mannered in his performances. But...after seeing JLo perform *I luh ya Pappi* I guess I see why the judges don't notice it.
Alex IF I continue to watch after Jessica goes home, it will be to see Alex. He does irk me the way he grimaces. But his performance of Say Something (I call it The Sad Song) was exceptional. Cannot say anything more about it. His first song, Sweater Weather, was marginal. Yes, he remembered the words. Yes, it was hard to remember those words. Was it memorable beyond that? Not for me.
Jessica She KILLED Human. KILLED it. You could almost see the wheels turning in the judges head as they tried to come up with some way to downplay how good she was. JLo and Keith still want *more* from her. Harry complimented her on listening to them. Yes it was good but its because we made you this way. She had a MOMENT folks. I'm not a Lana Del Ray fan. I had not heard the song Summer Sadness. Having heard Lana Del Ray sing other songs, I have to think that Jessica outsang her. She got rid of the guitar, she emoted, she moved around the stage. Still not good enough though. What does she have to do? Fall to her knees in tears? Maybe she could have swayed her arm like she had a glow stick and yelled *lets go*? Hold the standing mic horizontally? Talk about dynamics. She had them in both of her performances.
I think tomorrow she will go home. Because the producers want her to. At least it will be on the heels of her best performances yet.
Now I have to go vote for her!
First, I want to credit my favorite blogger, Michael Slezak, who blogs on Idol and other TV shows on a site called TV Line. I would link to it but I cannot make my copy and past function work which is not making me happy. Suffice it to say, I pretty much agree with this guy all the time and he is hilarious. He does a webcam chat with Melinda Doolittle every week which always makes me laugh out loud. I purposely don't read his blog before writing this because I will be tempted to steal from him. And in fact, I have stolen the next two thoughts from him but am doing so because I don't want you to have to read all of his blogs to find them and I'm nice that way!
He agrees with me that Jessica Meuse is being unfairly critiqued for her performances. It is not that he thinks she is flawless..he just believes she gets panned for things they ignore with the other contestants. And, that when they do praise her, they give themselves the credit. Last week he commented that Sam should be the next to go but then, in a tag line on the webcam, there was a comment: Who am I kidding...if they have to decapitate Grumpy Cat next week and say Jessica did it to get her off the air, they will (more on this in a moment).
His next thought, and I have subliminally noticed this but not focused on it until tonight, is that the producers spend more time putting the camera on JLo during the performances (or the crowd) than they do the performers. Tonight it was particularly bugging me. What good does it do to tell the audience that the performers are not *connecting* when the people watching the show see JLo bouncing her hair around, giving soulful looks and shaking her shoulders around to look with it for a good 50% of the performance? Every now and then they put the camera on Keith, but usually as part of the JLo cam. Melinda Doolittle believes that its in her contract to get so much camera time. If so, shame on the producers for agreeing to it and shame on her for demanding it along with the 18 million dollars or so she is getting paid for this.
Ok...now for the show. Viewer's choice. I think, for the most part the viewers did a good job of choosing songs for their favorites. I'm going to go worst to best.
Sam He performed after Jessica. To make sure that Jessica got no mileage from her performance, Ryan asks Sam an audience question. What is the hardest thing about the competition. Well this give Sam the opportunity to talk about his dog (and for us to see a picture of it). Ok, its not decapitating the cat but just in case Jessica might have swayed some voters with her performance, lets turn the sympathy votes on for Sweet Sam and his dog. His idol (Ariadne someone who is hot right now) also appears handing him the mic. And Sam sings a song that is supposed to be funky. I don't even remember the name of it or anything it was about. Suffice it to say, the only remotely funky thing about this performance was that Keith was desperately trying to make it seem funky by his shoulder swaying. Rather than tell him it was blah, the judges say it was a *hard song*. His next song, How To Save A Life, was marginally better. Except that showing emotion by closing your eyes all the time isn't that effective. Harry commented on the dynamics meaning variation in the volume. Sam stays on medium all the time. I'm over his cuteness. Its time for him to go home.
Jena I've been over her for awhile. She is so friggin smug. She thinks she is the best *performer* of the group and that it is going to take her far. My notes on the performance of the song *My Body* are very short. One word. Puke. She is so mannered and I'm not a fan of her little Jenaisms to the audience (*lets go*....so stupid...I always think it smacks of desperation when a performer has to gin up audience excitement with those catch phrases). Her next performance, of the song Valerie, was just kind of weird to me. The judges never talk about her connection or lack thereof with the audience. She never stands still long enough to connect and if she is connecting its with the camera showing her own reflection back at her on stage. And she has already come up with her stage name...one name..Jena. I hope the whole world calls her Jenna. Harry was just fueling the self-satisfied monster when he asked her about that.
Caleb Yes, I know he got the pimp spot. Yes, I know he had some good glory notes in his last performance. But his first performance of I Don't Want to Miss a Thing was a train wreck and the judges were just too kind about it. He starts off way off time and off key. He gets the pitch back. But this song became a dirge with him singing it. Yes, its oversung. Yes, we are tired of it. But yes, he sucked singing it. The last song I really didn't listen to much except to hear the glory notes and see way too much of JLo and Keith rocking and standing while the camera ignored Caleb. He pissed me off when he started holding the standing mic horizontally like some samurai sword before the first note was played. Ugg. He is also way too mannered in his performances. But...after seeing JLo perform *I luh ya Pappi* I guess I see why the judges don't notice it.
Alex IF I continue to watch after Jessica goes home, it will be to see Alex. He does irk me the way he grimaces. But his performance of Say Something (I call it The Sad Song) was exceptional. Cannot say anything more about it. His first song, Sweater Weather, was marginal. Yes, he remembered the words. Yes, it was hard to remember those words. Was it memorable beyond that? Not for me.
Jessica She KILLED Human. KILLED it. You could almost see the wheels turning in the judges head as they tried to come up with some way to downplay how good she was. JLo and Keith still want *more* from her. Harry complimented her on listening to them. Yes it was good but its because we made you this way. She had a MOMENT folks. I'm not a Lana Del Ray fan. I had not heard the song Summer Sadness. Having heard Lana Del Ray sing other songs, I have to think that Jessica outsang her. She got rid of the guitar, she emoted, she moved around the stage. Still not good enough though. What does she have to do? Fall to her knees in tears? Maybe she could have swayed her arm like she had a glow stick and yelled *lets go*? Hold the standing mic horizontally? Talk about dynamics. She had them in both of her performances.
I think tomorrow she will go home. Because the producers want her to. At least it will be on the heels of her best performances yet.
Now I have to go vote for her!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Do We Really Need Another Godzilla Movie?
No we do not. Do I really need to watch Idol next week? No, I do not. Because we know what will happen. Caleb and Jena will get judge and Randy love. Sam will be coddled some more and Alex will be praised as the artiste no matter what he does. And Jessica could give a Clarkson or Underwood worthy performance and be damned with faint praise, thereby assuring she is next to go. I'm just happy she made it to the top 5 because she will earn a little more money on the tour. And perhaps she can book better venues once the tour is over. But she is not going to last in this milieu.
Poor CJ. I was sad to see him go but it was his time. Sweet sweet man.
So next week it will be more Meat Loaf/ Jack Black impersonations from Caleb. More histrionics from Jena Irene. More blushes from Sam and more foot tapping/leg spasms and mouth twisting from Alex.
Jessica, just stand there and sing.
And, note to Idol wannabees. Women over 17 need not apply. They will suck out your soul.
Am I bitter? Well yes, I am. Will I get over it? Well yes, I will.
There is always the 62nd remake of Godzilla to look forward to.
And please, quit torturing that poor cat!
Poor CJ. I was sad to see him go but it was his time. Sweet sweet man.
So next week it will be more Meat Loaf/ Jack Black impersonations from Caleb. More histrionics from Jena Irene. More blushes from Sam and more foot tapping/leg spasms and mouth twisting from Alex.
Jessica, just stand there and sing.
And, note to Idol wannabees. Women over 17 need not apply. They will suck out your soul.
Am I bitter? Well yes, I am. Will I get over it? Well yes, I will.
There is always the 62nd remake of Godzilla to look forward to.
And please, quit torturing that poor cat!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Its a Little Bit Caleb and a Little Bit Jena Irene
Does anyone doubt how this season will end? It will be Caleb and Jena in the finale and Caleb will win because..well..he is a man. Or maybe Jena will win because after all, Jordin Sparks beat Blake Lewis so lightning could strike twice. When that happens, you are on your own because I will be too bored to watch and I really will not care.
I think the producers ought to have given Donny and Marie some credit for the theme. Probably half of the viewers have no idea where the theme came from because they were not alive in 1976-1979 when the Donny and Marie show aired. Fourteen year old Marie would come out singing *I'm a Little Bit Country* and then 16 or 17 year old Donny would bounce in singing *and I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll*. The show was a big hit with lots of skits and singing and dancing by guest stars in the now obsolete *variety* format. It was a simpler time.
So...the theme was co-opted by Idol with no attribution and we get the top 6 doing their best to wow the voters because if you finish in the top 5 you make more money on the tour. But really, the only two the judges/producers cared about were Jena and Caleb. They consider the others fodder now and it really doesn't matter to them what they do.
It still sort of matters to me so I will give you MY take on the night.
Jena starts with Barricuda and the band was so loud and her pitch was so low that I didn't really hear her voice except on the glory notes. I know she is good. I know she will be in the top 2. That doesn't mean I have to like it. She bores me. BORES me. JLo and Keith were bouncing and rockin' away in their seats. They loved it. Harry wasn't rockin but he loved it too. Love love love all around. I'm just glad she went first so I don't have to dread her appearance for awhile.
Sam sings a song called (I think) Its Time. He has improved on his connecting and what is not to like about his voice. Harry says he is blossoming, Keith wants a little more gravitas, and JLo got her goosies. Once again JLo and Keith cannot stay in their chairs they love it so much.
CJ Harris sings American Woman. Oh CJ, I think this might be your week to go home. It was a serviceable performance but a little slow and very little connection going on. JLo and Keith were still rockin in their seats. Harry said it was *pretty good*. I say CJ better deliver on the 2nd song because this was not nearly a moment.
Alex comes out and does a song I do not know which I think was called Animals. I thought he sort of threw away this performance and all I could think was *at least it is not coffeehouse*. Once again JLo and Keith are bouncing away. The judges were not real enthusiastic about it but they did not trash him.
At the commercial break I was wondering...*where's Randy?*. Oh, here he is for a blessedly brief 3 seconds.
Well, Caleb is the rock star of this group so of course he is going to knock this song out of the park. The crowd went wild. Keith and JLo about wet their pants in excitement. To me it was the same as his other performances. I missed the part where the standing mic he is always picking up and dragging about like he is the first performer to every think of it got away from him. I do not really have the patience to look at a replay of this to see it happen. I would only watch it if it smacked him in the mouth. I don't know the song and didn't bother to figure out the title. I think one of the lyrics was *Can you stand me*. No, I cannot stand you. Maybe those aren't the words. Maybe I just wanted them to be the words so I could talk back to him. Arrg. I cannot say anything nice about Caleb. Not one little thing. He is such a parody of himself. If Phillip Seymour Hoffman was going to play a rocker character with no redeeming virtues, he would model it on Caleb. Well, if PSH was alive to play a character that is.
So, I was thinking they finally gave Jessica the pimp spot. But after the Caleb love-fest, I'm thinking they gave her the pimp spot so people can say she wasn't as good as Caleb. I thought it was one of her best performances. I love that song. She made a good choice because she is a bit Grace Slick in attitude (she could have had more attitude but she has improved). The vocals were flawless. Harry is finally over wanting her to move around and dance. He was happy with the performance. Keith and JLo (who all of the sudden became mannequins in their seats during this performance) focused on what she did wrong and not on what she did right.
OK...now for the country part. Really, country should have gone first because for the most part, the rocker part was the best part of the show.
Sam breaks some hearts with Your Still the One. He is showing one or two facial expressions besides fear. According to the judges he is a walking miracle of transformation and growth. He was fine. He didn't melt my heart but I'm not easy.
Ryan is holding Grumpy Cat. Caleb kisses Grumpy Cat on the head. Hah...I bet Caleb hates cats. Nothing he does is not a show. He sings Undo It by Carrie Underwood and turns it into a rock song. He hangs on to the mic this time. Blah.
Alex sings Willie Nelson's You Were Always On My Mind. One of Willie's very best (his very best is Crazy). I loved the first part when Alex sang it pretty straight, just a little slower tempo. I didn't love the frills he added. Willie doesn't do frills and the person conveying that message wouldn't do frills either. Alex's voice was good. He will go home in 3rd place.
Here comes Queen Jena Irene singing So Small by Carrie Underwood. Blah. Harry didn't like it. I almost forgive Harry for putting that girl on his shoulders now.
CJ sang a song called Whatever It Is and whatever it was was pretty horrible. I couldn't understand too many of the words and basically, he should go home because of it. What a wasted opportunity. He should have sung Crazy.
I was really worried when I read that Jessica was singing Jolene. That song has been the death of some of my favorites. Simon crucified Brooke White when she sang it. A lesser known contestant called Alexis Grace sang it and I believe was sent home the next night just missing the tour. I think Jessica finally hit a home run on this one despite Keith hating the arrangement. I am not musically sophisticated to know how the arrangement was changed (something about the 1/2 time?) but I loved it. It WAS dark. It should be a dark song. Some poor woman is losing the man she loves to a vixen. I think Jessica will be safe. Which reminds me. I need to go vote for her.
So...not a bad show tonight. I'm so grateful my head has finally gone back to normal and I could somewhat enjoy it (well except for the Jena and Caleb parts).
I think the producers ought to have given Donny and Marie some credit for the theme. Probably half of the viewers have no idea where the theme came from because they were not alive in 1976-1979 when the Donny and Marie show aired. Fourteen year old Marie would come out singing *I'm a Little Bit Country* and then 16 or 17 year old Donny would bounce in singing *and I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll*. The show was a big hit with lots of skits and singing and dancing by guest stars in the now obsolete *variety* format. It was a simpler time.
So...the theme was co-opted by Idol with no attribution and we get the top 6 doing their best to wow the voters because if you finish in the top 5 you make more money on the tour. But really, the only two the judges/producers cared about were Jena and Caleb. They consider the others fodder now and it really doesn't matter to them what they do.
It still sort of matters to me so I will give you MY take on the night.
Jena starts with Barricuda and the band was so loud and her pitch was so low that I didn't really hear her voice except on the glory notes. I know she is good. I know she will be in the top 2. That doesn't mean I have to like it. She bores me. BORES me. JLo and Keith were bouncing and rockin' away in their seats. They loved it. Harry wasn't rockin but he loved it too. Love love love all around. I'm just glad she went first so I don't have to dread her appearance for awhile.
Sam sings a song called (I think) Its Time. He has improved on his connecting and what is not to like about his voice. Harry says he is blossoming, Keith wants a little more gravitas, and JLo got her goosies. Once again JLo and Keith cannot stay in their chairs they love it so much.
CJ Harris sings American Woman. Oh CJ, I think this might be your week to go home. It was a serviceable performance but a little slow and very little connection going on. JLo and Keith were still rockin in their seats. Harry said it was *pretty good*. I say CJ better deliver on the 2nd song because this was not nearly a moment.
Alex comes out and does a song I do not know which I think was called Animals. I thought he sort of threw away this performance and all I could think was *at least it is not coffeehouse*. Once again JLo and Keith are bouncing away. The judges were not real enthusiastic about it but they did not trash him.
At the commercial break I was wondering...*where's Randy?*. Oh, here he is for a blessedly brief 3 seconds.
Well, Caleb is the rock star of this group so of course he is going to knock this song out of the park. The crowd went wild. Keith and JLo about wet their pants in excitement. To me it was the same as his other performances. I missed the part where the standing mic he is always picking up and dragging about like he is the first performer to every think of it got away from him. I do not really have the patience to look at a replay of this to see it happen. I would only watch it if it smacked him in the mouth. I don't know the song and didn't bother to figure out the title. I think one of the lyrics was *Can you stand me*. No, I cannot stand you. Maybe those aren't the words. Maybe I just wanted them to be the words so I could talk back to him. Arrg. I cannot say anything nice about Caleb. Not one little thing. He is such a parody of himself. If Phillip Seymour Hoffman was going to play a rocker character with no redeeming virtues, he would model it on Caleb. Well, if PSH was alive to play a character that is.
So, I was thinking they finally gave Jessica the pimp spot. But after the Caleb love-fest, I'm thinking they gave her the pimp spot so people can say she wasn't as good as Caleb. I thought it was one of her best performances. I love that song. She made a good choice because she is a bit Grace Slick in attitude (she could have had more attitude but she has improved). The vocals were flawless. Harry is finally over wanting her to move around and dance. He was happy with the performance. Keith and JLo (who all of the sudden became mannequins in their seats during this performance) focused on what she did wrong and not on what she did right.
OK...now for the country part. Really, country should have gone first because for the most part, the rocker part was the best part of the show.
Sam breaks some hearts with Your Still the One. He is showing one or two facial expressions besides fear. According to the judges he is a walking miracle of transformation and growth. He was fine. He didn't melt my heart but I'm not easy.
Ryan is holding Grumpy Cat. Caleb kisses Grumpy Cat on the head. Hah...I bet Caleb hates cats. Nothing he does is not a show. He sings Undo It by Carrie Underwood and turns it into a rock song. He hangs on to the mic this time. Blah.
Alex sings Willie Nelson's You Were Always On My Mind. One of Willie's very best (his very best is Crazy). I loved the first part when Alex sang it pretty straight, just a little slower tempo. I didn't love the frills he added. Willie doesn't do frills and the person conveying that message wouldn't do frills either. Alex's voice was good. He will go home in 3rd place.
Here comes Queen Jena Irene singing So Small by Carrie Underwood. Blah. Harry didn't like it. I almost forgive Harry for putting that girl on his shoulders now.
CJ sang a song called Whatever It Is and whatever it was was pretty horrible. I couldn't understand too many of the words and basically, he should go home because of it. What a wasted opportunity. He should have sung Crazy.
I was really worried when I read that Jessica was singing Jolene. That song has been the death of some of my favorites. Simon crucified Brooke White when she sang it. A lesser known contestant called Alexis Grace sang it and I believe was sent home the next night just missing the tour. I think Jessica finally hit a home run on this one despite Keith hating the arrangement. I am not musically sophisticated to know how the arrangement was changed (something about the 1/2 time?) but I loved it. It WAS dark. It should be a dark song. Some poor woman is losing the man she loves to a vixen. I think Jessica will be safe. Which reminds me. I need to go vote for her.
So...not a bad show tonight. I'm so grateful my head has finally gone back to normal and I could somewhat enjoy it (well except for the Jena and Caleb parts).
Thursday, April 17, 2014
At Least One More Week
Yay...Jessica is safe. I didn't observe this but posters on Slezak's blog said the judges looked pissed and Keith actually mouthed *no way* when they announced that Dexter was going home.
I thought Dexter should have gone home about 4 weeks ago although I must admit he has improved a tiny bit. He seems like a decent guy. I wish him well.
I am not wishing the judges well for piling on Jessica each week while not criticizing others for the same things she does. I hope next week she goes back to playing her guitar and singing. Screw the shuffle and dance. She's not on So You Think You Can Dance and she is not even on the lesser product, Dancing With the Stars. She is a singer/songwriter. Let her sing.
By the way, I'm not the only one thinking Jessica is getting a raw deal. Slezak and his followers generally agree with me.
I thought Dexter should have gone home about 4 weeks ago although I must admit he has improved a tiny bit. He seems like a decent guy. I wish him well.
I am not wishing the judges well for piling on Jessica each week while not criticizing others for the same things she does. I hope next week she goes back to playing her guitar and singing. Screw the shuffle and dance. She's not on So You Think You Can Dance and she is not even on the lesser product, Dancing With the Stars. She is a singer/songwriter. Let her sing.
By the way, I'm not the only one thinking Jessica is getting a raw deal. Slezak and his followers generally agree with me.
Does Idol Give Me a Headache?
I started to watch the show last night and quit after 2 performances. I did have another headache but I was really also just not looking forward to hearing the performances of the remaining contestants. I thought the judges were unduly harsh on Jessica but I suppose I am not very objective about her. They want her to move around, she moves around, but she doesn't do it with a shuffle and rhythm. Funny they don't tell Alex to move around. Did Keith actually tell her just to *stand there and deliver?* or something like that? They want her gone.
We will see if she survives tonight. I hope so. If she does not I think I may end watching and blogging simply because the rest of them do nothing for me and their performances are just not that great.
We will see if she survives tonight. I hope so. If she does not I think I may end watching and blogging simply because the rest of them do nothing for me and their performances are just not that great.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Helloooo? You are Not David Cook.
Tonight is a combined blog because once again I was felled by a migraine last night and couldn't manage to think clearly enough to write a decent recap of the show. Now that we know the results, this blog will be rather anti-climactic but I had a few thoughts I wanted to share..assuming there is anyone out there still reading!
First, I don't know how much Harry had to drink last night but he needs to stop his antics post-haste. A little bit of joking is fine but he is getting tedious. I don't know what the bit with the girl on his shoulders was except unseemly. When it distracts from the judging (and it did for nearly every. single. contestant.) we are going into Nicki Minage land. Cut the sauce, cut the caffiene, cut whatever you are on Harry and get back to the pentatonic scale please!
Ah...David Cook...my all time favorite winner (I didn't watch the first 5 seasons so sorry Kelly and Carrie). For the first time since the infamous *rush week*, the contestants actually had a mentor giving them solid advice. Too bad he only had them for a day. I think the producers know they are in trouble with this crop which just hasn't bloomed and doesn't seem likely to ever bloom with Randy Jackson's fertilizer every week. They are ALL underperforming.
There is a lot of criticism on line about the Sam save. I'm not going to pile on with that except to say I don't like the save at all. Now the judges are invested in making saving Sam seem sound instead of silly. More on Sam soon.
Caveat on my critique: I stopped listening to the pop radio in the fall of 1982. I was no longer a student and I didn't have time for it. I knew most of these songs but not really well and some of them because they have been performed on Idol so often.
Jena performed first. She is strongest at the piano but her *unique* arrangement of I Love Rock And Roll was not that unique. She only really was good when she got going with the choruses. I didn't understand a word of the verse lyrics she was growling.
They gave Dexter the *death spot*. David Cook noted he cannot enunciate. Dexter was excited about his guitar *solo* (which wasn't a solo). He was advised to walk while playing his guitar *solo*. He walked but stopped playing to glad hand the swaybots. I hate the swaybots. I hate the glad handing. I didn't know the song and I don't care. Dexter put on his *I'm not with stupid...I am stupid* backwards feedlot cap again. I hated so much about the logistics and the wardrobe I didn't really focus on his singing.
I'm not even going to talk about the duets. None of them were worth watching.
Malaya, who was eliminated tonight (and rightly so) sang Chaka Khan's Through the Fire. The judges were kind to her (probably Harry passed out for a few moments). It was not good. It was not even a hot mess like coffee spilled on your desk. It was a steaming molten mass of manure dumped on our top step set on fire by the neighborhood prankster. No one is going through that fire. She was all over the place...screaming missed notes...not pleasant to listen to or watch despite her hoop earrings. I like the girl but she deserved to go home.
David Cook picked up on Jessica's problem of singing perfectly but not looking like she is having fun doing it. The girl tried, she really did. She sang fine. She moved her legs, she tried to smile at the audience and the camera. At first I thought the judges were a little hard on her but then I remembered Hayley Reinhardt's Call Me and they were not. I was a little worried about her being in the bottom three this week (and she may have been since we only know the bottom 2). She is still my favorite of this wilting crop.
Oh Sam the Saved....he can sing...he even messed with the arrangement but he did not improve on his connection even with the herd of swaybots surrounding him. Hey producers, I have a great idea. Take a shy kid who is self-conscious performing and put him in the middle of a pack of screaming tween girls singing *Time After Time*. I'm surprised he didn't run screaming off the stage. The judges said he connected better. The judges were trying to save face for screwing up the save.
Alex...I don't hate you anymore but I am about done with your acoustic re-arrangements. The only coherent comment Harry made last night was to suggest that maybe you needed to move beyond the coffee house vibe. JLo was right...you messed with Every Breath You Take too much. But given what everyone else did...it was probably one of the top performances of the night.
CJ did Free Fallin and he is free falling from this competition. I'm not going to pile on. I like the guy. I don't even remember if he was in pitch or not. He deserved to be in the bottom 2.
How many times has that hack rocker Caleb had the pimp spot this season? I think this makes at least 3. I'm done with him. I was done even before he made a crack about *making old ladies cry*. This old lady is only crying because you got away with that posing insincere performance. It wasn't that good. It didn't warrant the smartphone from Keith. Admitting you were *putting on your baby face* to fool people into thinking you have an ounce of concern about anything but Caleb was the cherry on top of the icing on the cake for me. NOTHING you will do will redeem you in my eyes and if you are the last person standing I will be crying tears of anger. (Well...not really...but it sounds good).
I hope next week is better. I hope my headaches go away. I hope for a lot of things I'm too old to keep hoping for.
First, I don't know how much Harry had to drink last night but he needs to stop his antics post-haste. A little bit of joking is fine but he is getting tedious. I don't know what the bit with the girl on his shoulders was except unseemly. When it distracts from the judging (and it did for nearly every. single. contestant.) we are going into Nicki Minage land. Cut the sauce, cut the caffiene, cut whatever you are on Harry and get back to the pentatonic scale please!
Ah...David Cook...my all time favorite winner (I didn't watch the first 5 seasons so sorry Kelly and Carrie). For the first time since the infamous *rush week*, the contestants actually had a mentor giving them solid advice. Too bad he only had them for a day. I think the producers know they are in trouble with this crop which just hasn't bloomed and doesn't seem likely to ever bloom with Randy Jackson's fertilizer every week. They are ALL underperforming.
There is a lot of criticism on line about the Sam save. I'm not going to pile on with that except to say I don't like the save at all. Now the judges are invested in making saving Sam seem sound instead of silly. More on Sam soon.
Caveat on my critique: I stopped listening to the pop radio in the fall of 1982. I was no longer a student and I didn't have time for it. I knew most of these songs but not really well and some of them because they have been performed on Idol so often.
Jena performed first. She is strongest at the piano but her *unique* arrangement of I Love Rock And Roll was not that unique. She only really was good when she got going with the choruses. I didn't understand a word of the verse lyrics she was growling.
They gave Dexter the *death spot*. David Cook noted he cannot enunciate. Dexter was excited about his guitar *solo* (which wasn't a solo). He was advised to walk while playing his guitar *solo*. He walked but stopped playing to glad hand the swaybots. I hate the swaybots. I hate the glad handing. I didn't know the song and I don't care. Dexter put on his *I'm not with stupid...I am stupid* backwards feedlot cap again. I hated so much about the logistics and the wardrobe I didn't really focus on his singing.
I'm not even going to talk about the duets. None of them were worth watching.
Malaya, who was eliminated tonight (and rightly so) sang Chaka Khan's Through the Fire. The judges were kind to her (probably Harry passed out for a few moments). It was not good. It was not even a hot mess like coffee spilled on your desk. It was a steaming molten mass of manure dumped on our top step set on fire by the neighborhood prankster. No one is going through that fire. She was all over the place...screaming missed notes...not pleasant to listen to or watch despite her hoop earrings. I like the girl but she deserved to go home.
David Cook picked up on Jessica's problem of singing perfectly but not looking like she is having fun doing it. The girl tried, she really did. She sang fine. She moved her legs, she tried to smile at the audience and the camera. At first I thought the judges were a little hard on her but then I remembered Hayley Reinhardt's Call Me and they were not. I was a little worried about her being in the bottom three this week (and she may have been since we only know the bottom 2). She is still my favorite of this wilting crop.
Oh Sam the Saved....he can sing...he even messed with the arrangement but he did not improve on his connection even with the herd of swaybots surrounding him. Hey producers, I have a great idea. Take a shy kid who is self-conscious performing and put him in the middle of a pack of screaming tween girls singing *Time After Time*. I'm surprised he didn't run screaming off the stage. The judges said he connected better. The judges were trying to save face for screwing up the save.
Alex...I don't hate you anymore but I am about done with your acoustic re-arrangements. The only coherent comment Harry made last night was to suggest that maybe you needed to move beyond the coffee house vibe. JLo was right...you messed with Every Breath You Take too much. But given what everyone else did...it was probably one of the top performances of the night.
CJ did Free Fallin and he is free falling from this competition. I'm not going to pile on. I like the guy. I don't even remember if he was in pitch or not. He deserved to be in the bottom 2.
How many times has that hack rocker Caleb had the pimp spot this season? I think this makes at least 3. I'm done with him. I was done even before he made a crack about *making old ladies cry*. This old lady is only crying because you got away with that posing insincere performance. It wasn't that good. It didn't warrant the smartphone from Keith. Admitting you were *putting on your baby face* to fool people into thinking you have an ounce of concern about anything but Caleb was the cherry on top of the icing on the cake for me. NOTHING you will do will redeem you in my eyes and if you are the last person standing I will be crying tears of anger. (Well...not really...but it sounds good).
I hope next week is better. I hope my headaches go away. I hope for a lot of things I'm too old to keep hoping for.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Saved
Well, I know how to pick a week off. It looks like I missed a good show last night and tonight I missed the final moments due to a phone call. Sam is saved. I haven't watched a replay but I suppose they might as well use it now as later. Glad Jessica was safe. I'm beginning to think Harry doesn't like her much. I'm still not a huge fan of Caleb and Dexter. Jena is fine and will probably win but I'm not that fond of her music either. Oh well....at least this season is not the debacle of last season. The judges are good, funny, and the kids seem nicer than usual...if not as talented as usual.
Hope next week is a good week and that I'm over this stupid headache!
Hope next week is a good week and that I'm over this stupid headache!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Judges Do Not Save the Queen
I really thought they were saving the save for Majesty. Even as the weeks went on and America kept putting her near the bottom of the pack. I was surprised when they did not save her tonight but I think if they had it would not have made a difference. I didn't dislike her but I didn't get the love either. She gets to go on tour and that is great.
Poor CJ looked like he was about to cry during the entire show. I think he knew he was going to be in the bottom. JLo's face when Dexter was safe, was priceless. She was not pleased. Neither was I. I'm about done with him.
But I love love the new 30 minute results show. Fine to have an artist on but really, the hour format for the results show has been screaming to be shortened for the past 13 years.
Alex looked kind of worried tonight too. He is growing on me as a person. Caleb was a little shocked to be kept waiting so long to go to the lounge. I wonder if they called them to safety in vote order or random order?
I just hope next week is a good show.
Poor CJ looked like he was about to cry during the entire show. I think he knew he was going to be in the bottom. JLo's face when Dexter was safe, was priceless. She was not pleased. Neither was I. I'm about done with him.
But I love love the new 30 minute results show. Fine to have an artist on but really, the hour format for the results show has been screaming to be shortened for the past 13 years.
Alex looked kind of worried tonight too. He is growing on me as a person. Caleb was a little shocked to be kept waiting so long to go to the lounge. I wonder if they called them to safety in vote order or random order?
I just hope next week is a good show.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Starry Starry Night?
No, not quite. How could this judges panel, the best of all the seasons I have been watching, fail to bring forth a group with at least one MOMENT this season.
Tonight's theme *I'm With The Band* was a good one...especially when it was further explained to mean songs from actual bands as opposed to Bruno Mars, Adele, or whoever is the hot young soloist these days. And I think they all picked songs which suited them. Yet...I was bored. Is it me? I was watching Slezak's video blog with Melinda Doolittle (one of my all time favorite Idols) and they showed small clips of Kris Allen, Haley Reinhardt, Elise (last name forgotten) and even Melinda herself rocking out in their seasons. Not one of the performers tonight approached that level and with the exception of Elise's Whole Lotta Love....the clips they showed were not even the iconic moments of the respective performer's season.
I'm going in reverse order tonight because I suppose the two whose performances were considered the best by the judges and probably America were Caleb and Jena.
Caleb still bores me. He sounds like every generic lead singer of every generic rock band that plays at every generic bar or club in every generic town. I don't find him sexy and I don't think it is his size because I'm actually partial to men with a little beefiness to them. He seems like a nice guy, if a little too pleased with himself at times. He cheers on his fellow contestants. What is not to like? Nothing is not to like. What is to love? Nothing is to love. Even Led Zeppelin couldn't make me love him.
Jena, the teen belter really is good. I am not particularly drawn to her although she also seems like a good kid. Why does she not move me? The song, Wake Me Up, by Evanescence is one of my favorites from the last 20 years. I consider it a plaintive song. Jena sang it angry and loud. I suppose that is one interpretation of it. It is not one I particularly enjoyed.
CJ sang a song I do not know *If it Hadn't Been For Love* and he seemed to be mostly in tune until the middle and he went sharp badly. He was livelier than usual, and had the gritty soul in his voice. Much better than last week's performance. But not a moment.
Oh Jessica, Jessica, what am I going to do with you? I LOVE your voice. Put an expression on that face! I loved Riahnon (sp?). But you have to step up the emotion!!! It isn't a song you move around grabbing hands with (I hate that grabbing hands business anyway...it is so cheesy!). But couldn't you sing it like you are consoling your friend who you are in love with but who is hopelessly in love with a crazy girl who will never love him?
Sam chose a really good song and sang it really well but once again there was so little emotion to his performance that it had no magic whatsoever. At least it wasn't about putting a scar on his girlfriend's face like last week's song.
I have to say my favorite performance of the night was Malaya's Long and Winding Road. She has calmed down, she has improved, and she at least gave it some emotion. But to compare her with prior Idol's good performances? Not so much...at least to me.
Dexter should go home this week. I like the guy fine as a person. I even like listening to him sing. His performance of Boondocks was fine. He has a good country voice. But I don't find him that interesting. He is like a Hostess cup cake. You will eat it and think its just fine and dandy but its not creme brulee or tiramisu.
Oh Majesty...I fear you will be in the bottom 3 again. She sang Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine and she really tried to portray confidence. Here is my problem with her. Her voice seems to be all over the place. Every time she sings I cannot get comfortable because she wavers and warbles and I'm just waiting for her to hit a really bad note. She usually doesn't hit a bad note. But the stress of waiting for it mars her performance for me.
Alex was Alexy. I don't know the song Don't Speak either but if it was even remotely energetic sung by the original artist, Alex sucked all the energy out of it to make it sound like every other song he sings. Just like Phillip Phillips...I can never remember what song he sang from week to week because they are all Alexified and therefore all sound the same to me.
Bottom 3? I'm not sure who the third one will be...but I'm pretty sure Dexter and Majesty will be on the stools again. Perhaps Jessica or CJ will join them. Caleb and Jena are the only ones I'm pretty sure will be safe tomorrow.
I may be crazy. Maybe they were all wonderful tonight and I'm the tired lifeless one in the equation. But...I don't think so!
Tonight's theme *I'm With The Band* was a good one...especially when it was further explained to mean songs from actual bands as opposed to Bruno Mars, Adele, or whoever is the hot young soloist these days. And I think they all picked songs which suited them. Yet...I was bored. Is it me? I was watching Slezak's video blog with Melinda Doolittle (one of my all time favorite Idols) and they showed small clips of Kris Allen, Haley Reinhardt, Elise (last name forgotten) and even Melinda herself rocking out in their seasons. Not one of the performers tonight approached that level and with the exception of Elise's Whole Lotta Love....the clips they showed were not even the iconic moments of the respective performer's season.
I'm going in reverse order tonight because I suppose the two whose performances were considered the best by the judges and probably America were Caleb and Jena.
Caleb still bores me. He sounds like every generic lead singer of every generic rock band that plays at every generic bar or club in every generic town. I don't find him sexy and I don't think it is his size because I'm actually partial to men with a little beefiness to them. He seems like a nice guy, if a little too pleased with himself at times. He cheers on his fellow contestants. What is not to like? Nothing is not to like. What is to love? Nothing is to love. Even Led Zeppelin couldn't make me love him.
Jena, the teen belter really is good. I am not particularly drawn to her although she also seems like a good kid. Why does she not move me? The song, Wake Me Up, by Evanescence is one of my favorites from the last 20 years. I consider it a plaintive song. Jena sang it angry and loud. I suppose that is one interpretation of it. It is not one I particularly enjoyed.
CJ sang a song I do not know *If it Hadn't Been For Love* and he seemed to be mostly in tune until the middle and he went sharp badly. He was livelier than usual, and had the gritty soul in his voice. Much better than last week's performance. But not a moment.
Oh Jessica, Jessica, what am I going to do with you? I LOVE your voice. Put an expression on that face! I loved Riahnon (sp?). But you have to step up the emotion!!! It isn't a song you move around grabbing hands with (I hate that grabbing hands business anyway...it is so cheesy!). But couldn't you sing it like you are consoling your friend who you are in love with but who is hopelessly in love with a crazy girl who will never love him?
Sam chose a really good song and sang it really well but once again there was so little emotion to his performance that it had no magic whatsoever. At least it wasn't about putting a scar on his girlfriend's face like last week's song.
I have to say my favorite performance of the night was Malaya's Long and Winding Road. She has calmed down, she has improved, and she at least gave it some emotion. But to compare her with prior Idol's good performances? Not so much...at least to me.
Dexter should go home this week. I like the guy fine as a person. I even like listening to him sing. His performance of Boondocks was fine. He has a good country voice. But I don't find him that interesting. He is like a Hostess cup cake. You will eat it and think its just fine and dandy but its not creme brulee or tiramisu.
Oh Majesty...I fear you will be in the bottom 3 again. She sang Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine and she really tried to portray confidence. Here is my problem with her. Her voice seems to be all over the place. Every time she sings I cannot get comfortable because she wavers and warbles and I'm just waiting for her to hit a really bad note. She usually doesn't hit a bad note. But the stress of waiting for it mars her performance for me.
Alex was Alexy. I don't know the song Don't Speak either but if it was even remotely energetic sung by the original artist, Alex sucked all the energy out of it to make it sound like every other song he sings. Just like Phillip Phillips...I can never remember what song he sang from week to week because they are all Alexified and therefore all sound the same to me.
Bottom 3? I'm not sure who the third one will be...but I'm pretty sure Dexter and Majesty will be on the stools again. Perhaps Jessica or CJ will join them. Caleb and Jena are the only ones I'm pretty sure will be safe tomorrow.
I may be crazy. Maybe they were all wonderful tonight and I'm the tired lifeless one in the equation. But...I don't think so!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Only Majesty and Dexter were Surprised Tonight
Well, MK is going back to San Francisco, her *hella* hometown. I have to say I'm sorry to see her go but not surprised. With the death slot and her miscue last night, it would have been a miracle if she survived...she didn't have the fan base to push her through a bad performance as evidently CJ does. I thought they just might save her but I think Harry was the hold out. I don't know if they are saving the save for Majesty or what. I sort of wish they had used the save but really...if MK hasn't captured the voter's hearts by now she probably never will. It is one thing to be saved after a good performance that the audience didn't get or after one flawed performance after a string of excellence. Its another to be barely hanging on each week.
Could America possibly be tiring of Dexter? I dearly hope so. I think he is probably a *hella* guy but he is no *artist* and lacks charisma. I wonder if the voters were put off by Majesty's poor breath control (2nd week in a row) or if it just thinks she is being coddled and pushed by the judges. Glad to see CJ gets one more chance to fix his intonation problems. Really glad to see Jessica wasn't punished for her song choice.
As for *I luh ya Papi*, JLo can dance and autotune can sing and if you think that was a live performance you can buy me a steak. I give her credit though. After it was over I tried sing saying the chorus to my cat, Monica. I cannot get the I luh ya luh ya luh ya Papi part out of my mouth. My tongue doesn't even twist...it tangles. If you can do it on the first try, I might buy you a steak.
Royal Teeth? Was that their name? Bad name. Odd group but maybe they will grow on me someday (who am I kidding...I will never hear them again unless they become the new Gaga). I thought the sound was bad and overpowered the vocals. The lead male vocalist looks like a weasel. He needs to gain some weight. Someone buy him a steak.
Don't know why I am obsessed with steak tonight. Probably the subpar chicken casserole I threw together for dinner.
Until next week...
Could America possibly be tiring of Dexter? I dearly hope so. I think he is probably a *hella* guy but he is no *artist* and lacks charisma. I wonder if the voters were put off by Majesty's poor breath control (2nd week in a row) or if it just thinks she is being coddled and pushed by the judges. Glad to see CJ gets one more chance to fix his intonation problems. Really glad to see Jessica wasn't punished for her song choice.
As for *I luh ya Papi*, JLo can dance and autotune can sing and if you think that was a live performance you can buy me a steak. I give her credit though. After it was over I tried sing saying the chorus to my cat, Monica. I cannot get the I luh ya luh ya luh ya Papi part out of my mouth. My tongue doesn't even twist...it tangles. If you can do it on the first try, I might buy you a steak.
Royal Teeth? Was that their name? Bad name. Odd group but maybe they will grow on me someday (who am I kidding...I will never hear them again unless they become the new Gaga). I thought the sound was bad and overpowered the vocals. The lead male vocalist looks like a weasel. He needs to gain some weight. Someone buy him a steak.
Don't know why I am obsessed with steak tonight. Probably the subpar chicken casserole I threw together for dinner.
Until next week...
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Wake Me Up When Its Over
I admit I have some reasons not to be in a real funny happy mood and I also admit that the songs on the top 10 Billboard list since 2010 or 2011 are not really *in my wheelhouse* but...I was a little bored tonight. However, one of the reasons I watch Idol is to keep somewhat current (o.k. Idol is hardly somewhat current but it is more current than MY life) so I was looking forward to tonight's performances. Sadly, I have a feeling this blog is going to make you want to sing *wake me up when its over*.
I had no idea what Harry was talking about when he said he was doing the nay nay during the earthquake. Fortunately, he corrected the spelling and I have google so now I know Nae Nae is a dance where you go into a half squat and bounce around. I think the original spelling Harry used is a more appropriate name for it because there ain't nay way it is attractive.
The first performer (in the death spot) was MK. How pissed were the producers that she wasn't in the bottom 3 and their precious Majesty and Sam were? Pretty pissed I would say. She sang Pink's *Perfect* a song I knew because I watched the Voice last year and saw Michelle Shamuel perform it 100 times better. And, Randy and MK owe a big thank you to Usher and Michelle because it was Usher's idea for Michelle to start the song singing into a mirror. So...I lost focus on the performance from the start and got it back only when MK missed the musical cue or forgot the words or whatever she did that made her sing out of sync with the chorus. This was not even close to a perfect performance and I predict bottom 3 again or even elimination for MK.
Dexter Mumbles comes on next singing Cruise. I think I saw the original band perform this on some show...perhaps it was The Voice again? Dexter's enunciation was better but basically his performance was no better than any half decent band in a honky tonk so I'm drifting further and further from this whole production. He will be safe because Ben's voters will probably gravitate to him. I would send him home to his dogs.
Jena loves electronic music and sang Clarity while the audience flashed some glow sticks around. It was probably one of the 2 or 3 best performances of the night but I didn't hear any electronic music. I may be crazy or I may be deaf. Jena is safe.
Alex sang The Story of My Life by One Direction and as much as it pains me to say it in as much as he is not my favorite, his was the best performance of the night. I had not heard this song (or Clarity) before and his performance made me want to look it up on Youtube. So...if I cannot sleep tonight I probably will. I'm also going to look up Clarity and see if I can hear any electronic music.
Bless Malaya's heart. I loved her conviction as she sang the much over-covered When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars. I think hers was the 3rd best performance of the night.
I was hoping the 2nd half would pick me up some so I had high hopes for Caleb covering Gaga's Edge of Glory. I agree with Keith who called it lumbering. I was thinking he wasn't on the edge of anything except maybe a good bowel movement as he sang it. Perhaps he was constipated.
Ah..my man CJ. I just love his heart so much. I was sorry he was sharp the whole dang song because he had so much conviction in his face it almost brought tears to my eyes. I hope he is safe.
And here comes Jessica. This girl needs some help picking songs. I get what she was saying about the dichotomy of the tune with the lyrics...but Harry was right...what emotion she gave us...and it was very little..was not in sync with the song about some kid with a gun who is getting ready to go on a shooting spree. Why she chose that song I do not know but it shows she doesn't get the game here. You choose songs that make the audience happy or sad...not songs that make them uneasy. I hope she is safe. Her vocal was stellar tonight but she has got to get some appropriate emotion going and sing a song the audience will love.
How scared were the producers about last weeks bottom 3? Scared enough to put two sleepy performances in the pimp spots. I'm about over Majesty. I thought her voice was breathy, her dynamics were forced, and that this was just not that great a performance of Wake Me Up. I had never heard the song and her rendition did not inspire me to Youtube. And Sam was no better. Better than last week but still timid as he sang We Are Young (also a song I do not know and am not inspired to look up). I imagine they will both be safe because their fans got a bit of a scare last week, but seriously, I wouldn't be sorry to see either of them go. They lulled me almost into a coma tonight.
My prediction is that MK will go home tomorrow and that Jessica might be in the bottom 3 due to song choice, not performance. I don't know who will sit in the 3rd stool.
I had no idea what Harry was talking about when he said he was doing the nay nay during the earthquake. Fortunately, he corrected the spelling and I have google so now I know Nae Nae is a dance where you go into a half squat and bounce around. I think the original spelling Harry used is a more appropriate name for it because there ain't nay way it is attractive.
The first performer (in the death spot) was MK. How pissed were the producers that she wasn't in the bottom 3 and their precious Majesty and Sam were? Pretty pissed I would say. She sang Pink's *Perfect* a song I knew because I watched the Voice last year and saw Michelle Shamuel perform it 100 times better. And, Randy and MK owe a big thank you to Usher and Michelle because it was Usher's idea for Michelle to start the song singing into a mirror. So...I lost focus on the performance from the start and got it back only when MK missed the musical cue or forgot the words or whatever she did that made her sing out of sync with the chorus. This was not even close to a perfect performance and I predict bottom 3 again or even elimination for MK.
Dexter Mumbles comes on next singing Cruise. I think I saw the original band perform this on some show...perhaps it was The Voice again? Dexter's enunciation was better but basically his performance was no better than any half decent band in a honky tonk so I'm drifting further and further from this whole production. He will be safe because Ben's voters will probably gravitate to him. I would send him home to his dogs.
Jena loves electronic music and sang Clarity while the audience flashed some glow sticks around. It was probably one of the 2 or 3 best performances of the night but I didn't hear any electronic music. I may be crazy or I may be deaf. Jena is safe.
Alex sang The Story of My Life by One Direction and as much as it pains me to say it in as much as he is not my favorite, his was the best performance of the night. I had not heard this song (or Clarity) before and his performance made me want to look it up on Youtube. So...if I cannot sleep tonight I probably will. I'm also going to look up Clarity and see if I can hear any electronic music.
Bless Malaya's heart. I loved her conviction as she sang the much over-covered When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars. I think hers was the 3rd best performance of the night.
I was hoping the 2nd half would pick me up some so I had high hopes for Caleb covering Gaga's Edge of Glory. I agree with Keith who called it lumbering. I was thinking he wasn't on the edge of anything except maybe a good bowel movement as he sang it. Perhaps he was constipated.
Ah..my man CJ. I just love his heart so much. I was sorry he was sharp the whole dang song because he had so much conviction in his face it almost brought tears to my eyes. I hope he is safe.
And here comes Jessica. This girl needs some help picking songs. I get what she was saying about the dichotomy of the tune with the lyrics...but Harry was right...what emotion she gave us...and it was very little..was not in sync with the song about some kid with a gun who is getting ready to go on a shooting spree. Why she chose that song I do not know but it shows she doesn't get the game here. You choose songs that make the audience happy or sad...not songs that make them uneasy. I hope she is safe. Her vocal was stellar tonight but she has got to get some appropriate emotion going and sing a song the audience will love.
How scared were the producers about last weeks bottom 3? Scared enough to put two sleepy performances in the pimp spots. I'm about over Majesty. I thought her voice was breathy, her dynamics were forced, and that this was just not that great a performance of Wake Me Up. I had never heard the song and her rendition did not inspire me to Youtube. And Sam was no better. Better than last week but still timid as he sang We Are Young (also a song I do not know and am not inspired to look up). I imagine they will both be safe because their fans got a bit of a scare last week, but seriously, I wouldn't be sorry to see either of them go. They lulled me almost into a coma tonight.
My prediction is that MK will go home tomorrow and that Jessica might be in the bottom 3 due to song choice, not performance. I don't know who will sit in the 3rd stool.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Buh Buh Buh Buh Bennie...Bye
Ben Briley who loves his wife and Elton John went home tonight in the number 11 slot. He will not make the tour and Gallatin, Tennessee is not going to be killing a fatted calf tonight (or maybe they will). On the bright side, he can put his baseball cap back on backwards and quit trimming his beard.
Something weird and wonderful is happening this season (so far). Maybe it has to do with the fact that you can only vote for one contestant 150 times so those that know how to use technology to submit thousands of votes per week for one contestant are stymied this season. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that the remaining people watching Idol this season are die-hard Idol fans and have long memories and discerning ears (ratings are down again in spite of the adorable Keith and magnificent Harry). But it seems like each week the right people are in the bottom 3 and the right person goes home and it is based on their performance and not on their popularity. I feel bad for Ben going home when he was trying to take a risk but that risk failed and someone should have stopped him (that means you Randy). I was not very critical of Majesty Rose's performance last night but the main Idol bloggers (and commenters) concurred that it wasn't really keen. A big old mess, in fact. And Sam, bless his heart, was not inspiring.
I don't know what Jennifer has against Jessica. I think she doesn't like indie performers and singer/songwriters. I do agree that Jessica has to step it up but the band messed up last night. Hard to know if she was 4th from the bottom or from the top but clearly, JLo was referring to her when she said *maybe a 4th one could have been sitting there*. Would they have saved Majesty? I think so. Should they have saved Ben? No.
So here is hoping that my girl Jessica emotes the hell out of what she sings next week and that CJ continues his upward spiral. I really am not that interested in any of the others except maybe for MK Nobilette. I'm glad she was safe tonight because I think it will give her confidence. I think Caleb is overrated, Majesty needs to find the right song instead of trying to be a belter, and Malaya still needs to calm down and quit screeching. Jena doesn't appeal to me at all but I see why she is getting votes and appeals to those who like her sort of thing. Alex is getting on my nerves by allegedly doing *risky* songs but in fact recycling songs sung in iconic performances by Idols past. Sam, bless his heart is a lightweight performer and should have waited a year or two before coming on the show.
I didn't catch the theme next week. I'm still an Idol fan. I hope they make it worth my while!
Update: Theme is top 10 Billboard. Also I didn't mention Harry and the Mali guy's performances. I liked them both. Mali is very interesting but what is it with these godawful ugly hats people are wearing these days.
another random thought....I wish I were young enough to put purple or pink or blue streaks in my hair. I'm encouraging all of the people I know under the age of 35 to put purple or pink or blue streaks in their hair. This is becoming an obsession of mine (and has been for awhile) made worse by Jessica Muese.
Something weird and wonderful is happening this season (so far). Maybe it has to do with the fact that you can only vote for one contestant 150 times so those that know how to use technology to submit thousands of votes per week for one contestant are stymied this season. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that the remaining people watching Idol this season are die-hard Idol fans and have long memories and discerning ears (ratings are down again in spite of the adorable Keith and magnificent Harry). But it seems like each week the right people are in the bottom 3 and the right person goes home and it is based on their performance and not on their popularity. I feel bad for Ben going home when he was trying to take a risk but that risk failed and someone should have stopped him (that means you Randy). I was not very critical of Majesty Rose's performance last night but the main Idol bloggers (and commenters) concurred that it wasn't really keen. A big old mess, in fact. And Sam, bless his heart, was not inspiring.
I don't know what Jennifer has against Jessica. I think she doesn't like indie performers and singer/songwriters. I do agree that Jessica has to step it up but the band messed up last night. Hard to know if she was 4th from the bottom or from the top but clearly, JLo was referring to her when she said *maybe a 4th one could have been sitting there*. Would they have saved Majesty? I think so. Should they have saved Ben? No.
So here is hoping that my girl Jessica emotes the hell out of what she sings next week and that CJ continues his upward spiral. I really am not that interested in any of the others except maybe for MK Nobilette. I'm glad she was safe tonight because I think it will give her confidence. I think Caleb is overrated, Majesty needs to find the right song instead of trying to be a belter, and Malaya still needs to calm down and quit screeching. Jena doesn't appeal to me at all but I see why she is getting votes and appeals to those who like her sort of thing. Alex is getting on my nerves by allegedly doing *risky* songs but in fact recycling songs sung in iconic performances by Idols past. Sam, bless his heart is a lightweight performer and should have waited a year or two before coming on the show.
I didn't catch the theme next week. I'm still an Idol fan. I hope they make it worth my while!
Update: Theme is top 10 Billboard. Also I didn't mention Harry and the Mali guy's performances. I liked them both. Mali is very interesting but what is it with these godawful ugly hats people are wearing these days.
another random thought....I wish I were young enough to put purple or pink or blue streaks in my hair. I'm encouraging all of the people I know under the age of 35 to put purple or pink or blue streaks in their hair. This is becoming an obsession of mine (and has been for awhile) made worse by Jessica Muese.
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