Handicapping American Idol 6: March 2007

Top 10 - Results
Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Oh crap. They gave Ryan a Sanjaya style pony hawk wig. It was creepy when Sanjaya did it and it's ridiculous when Ryan does it. Do they have to pump this freakin' kid up?? Jeez.

Ok. We're getting the recaps of last night's performances. This will move quickly, because it's only a half an hour show. Oh wait - sorry - I fell asleep listening to Haley's recap. At least I'm consistent. Is it me, or is Sanjaya only a little bit better, vocally, than William Hung? In a bizarro-world-on-its-head kind of way, I think Sanjaya and Hung are spirit brothers.

Four minutes into the show and we're at our first commercial break. ((sigh)) Follow over the click for the rest of the show.

All right. We just burned somwhere between two and three minutes on commercials, and we're back. We get this week's For commercial and it's a Western theme. I Fought the Law is the music, and it's really cheesy with the groupsing thing going on. Chris R. gets the "

Blake: SAFE (duh)
Lakisha: SAFE
Phil: Bottom 3 - Ooh that sucks. I thought he was one of the top performances last night!
Melinda: SAFE
Chris R.: SAFE (no shock - last week scared his voters)
Sanjaya: SAFE (CHRIST on a CRUTCH)
Haley: Bottom 3 (whoop - fell asleep again there for a second)
Jordin: SAFE

AFTER THE BREAK we hear which of Chris S. or Gina is in the bottom three. 11 minutes in, second commercial break.

Another two to three minutes of commercials and we're back. We meet the American Idol Challenge winner and we get this week's question. Text your answer to 51555 - the answer is "B". We get the "Idol Gives Back" update, and then we go straight to the Gwen Stefani performance. I can't say I'm a huge fan of Gwen Stefani's music (the style) but I admire her originality. For the record, I don't think she'd win American Idol - I don't even know if the're put her into the semi-finals, so clearly it's not ONLY singing talent that makes for a pop star. I don't think she's actually singing, folks. I think she's lip-synching! I hate that. Diana Ross wasn't awesome live, but she was real - she was actually singing. Gwen takes a hit from me for that.

We take YET ANOTHER interminable commercial break.

Just to reiterate, I had picked Sanjaya, Haley, and Chris S. to be in the bottom three this week. I clearly missed the Sanjaya/Phil switch (which is just wrong) but I got Haley. Let's see if I was 66% correct with the remaining member of the bottom 3.

Gina: SAFE
Chris S: Bottom 3

The Bottom 3 are Chris S., Phil, and Haley. I'm 66% right. Remember that I picked Haley to go home as well. Phil is going back to the couches, which is at least approaching right. Randy doesn't know who's going home. Paula doesn't find this fun. Simon thinks Chris S. is going home. Huh. And it is CHRIS SLIGH who is going home.

I'm telling you. I'm going to give up on this season. Not that I had any great love for Chris Sligh (he really let me down after the auditions), but Sanjaya not even in the bottom 3? Haley surviving because she wears short skirts??! Isn't this a SINGING competition? I literally doze off when I see Haley these days. Boring, boring boring. Yet she stays. This is all getting ridiculous.

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Results, Top 10

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posted by RenaRF @ 8:01 PM, ,

Top 10 - Predictions

Ok. Well, I got last week right on who actually went but got the bottom three all wrong.

It goes without saying that who should go is Sanjaya Malakar.

My pick for bottom three: Chris Sligh, Haley Scarnato, Sanjaya Malakar.

Who WILL go: Haley Scarnato

Nothing left but to watch and see if I'm right.

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Predictions, Top 10

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posted by RenaRF @ 6:54 PM, ,

Top 10 - Performance
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Ok. First, I'm late getting started with tonight's recap. My bad. But only by about 25 minutes, so I'll more or less catch up by the end of the show. Second, I'm going to do a little twist in my recapping. I'm going to do my own in-the-moment analysis of an individual's performance, but then I'm going to guess what my mother would say about it. My mother watches this show as avidly as I do. Last season, musical "purists" were pretty unhappy with Taylor's choice to do Play That Funky Music. I thought it was full-on brilliant, because my mother was going to LOVE that. And my mother is pretty much like just about everyone else out there when it comes to American Idol - she likes especially what she knows. So I'm going to add to my recaps and reviews whether or not mom would love it.

Tonight's guest coach is Gwen Stefani. Pretty impressive. We get the Gwen intro, hear about all of her many and varied accomplishments, and I like her. She seems pretty down-to-earth and she seems like she wants to do this. Because it's an hour-long show, we're getting right to it. Follow over the click for the rest.

Lakisha Jones is up first. From the second I hear the piano during her time with Gwen, I know she's doing Donna Summer's classic Last Dance. GREAT choice, I think. It suits Lakisha's very diva-ness in a fun and unpretentious way. Gwen kind of sums it up when she indicates that she (Gwen) should be taking lessons from her (Lakisha).

Lakisha chooses the slow part, the normal start to the song and it sounds great. I'm a little surprised that she didn't go for some of the more recognizable high notes, but hey - she's making it her own. She's now into the uptempo disco part, and it sounds made for her. She doesn't sound like Donna Summer, but she definitely is suited for this song. I like her funky retro-disco outfit, too. She ends strong. What else can you say? She doesn't hit a bad note the whole time. The only criticism I can make is that she didn't entirely lose herself in the song, but only with the caveat that it's not that kind of song. She gets an A.

Randy: He thinks it's good to see her "rock it". It was hot.

Paula: Reminds us Donna Summer isn't easy and says Lakisha did her proud.

Simon: It's great - because she's 30 years younger this week. Loved the big notes at the end, loved the uptempo song, and she had a great vocal.

My Mom: My mom loved it because she loves that song.

She's with Ryan. Lakisha's work friend are in the house and they're excited. 1-866-IDOLS01 or text to 5701.

Commercial time.

We're back, and Ryan's sitting with Chris Sligh. The glasses are back. The hair is still curly. He gets a viewer question: How much downtime do you have and how do you spend it. A: Not a lot, but he spends it knitting and crocheting and playing bongos in boxer shorts. But seriously - he tries to get as much sleep as possible when there's downtime. He's with Gwen, and he's singing Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. Gwen thinks his voice is great but he has to work on his timing. The band will help.

So we're to Chris' live performance. He starts the way the song starts, standing behind the mic stand. He's a teensy bit ahead of the band for a moment, but gets it back at the chorus. I like this performance, but it's not flawless by any measure. I'm not sure if this song is the right choice for Chris - not a bad choice, but he's really having trouble with the tempo. It's weird. The guy has a band for God's sake. I'm not loving this performance. B-.

Randy: Good song choice, biggest problem was the timing. He never quite got in the pocket. Chris thinks it's because he's never sung the song before, but he did the best he could, but he agrees.

Paula: Biggest amount of criticism she's had all season is his not being in the pocket, but vocally it was good.

Simon: Forget timing, he thought it was a mess. At this stage - assume it's the first time - what is he supposed to think? It was a mess and it didn't represent him.

My Mom: She liked the song but didn't love the performance.

Ryan's with Chris. He wants to know if Chris thought he was taking a risk. Chris didn't think it was a risk, but it's one of those songs either you get or you don't, and he didn't - his bad. 1-866-IDOLS02 or text 5702.

Gina Glocksen - we're going right to her package with Gwen. She's crying - Gwen's a big inspiration for her. She's singing I'll Stand By You. Probably a good choice, frankly. She's dressed all rocky, and she starts the song out sounding quite good. She does a nice soft falsetto in there that you wouldn't expect - very pretty. She's really putting me in mind of Kelly Clarkson in the beginning of this song. The chorus is good, but the bridge is better - it's lets her power through it with her voice. They take a key change and then the song ends. Quite good - she gets an A.

Randy: He talks about boot night. He thought it was one of her best performances ever. It was a perfect song for her.

Paula: She loved that Gina's improving and coming into her own. It was a great song choice. It was the best so far.

Simon: Wasn't one of her best performances - it was her BEST performance. This is all about knowing who you are and choosing the right song. She's transformed from three or four weeks ago. He loved it.

My Mom: Hm... Don't know if she knows that song and she probably won't like Gina's look and her tongue stud so she's pretty neutral on Gina.

1-866-IDOLS03 or text to 5703. We're to another commercial - everything at a fast tempo tonight.

Oh groan. We're back and it's Sanjaya Malakar. He's with Gwen, and he's singing a No Doubt song - Backwater. Gwen thinks he's nervous and it's a hard song, so good luck for him. Sanjaya's got this WEIRD HAIR going on - a ponytail mohawk. I don't know this song. It's not awful, but it's sloppy - it's a stacatto song that calls for precision in what he sings, but verbally and vocally and he's not getting it done. He's noticeably slightly flat or sharp in spots. This is like he's singing while he's falling down the stairs. I'm serious. Jesus. D-.

Randy: He's speechless every time. The hairdo is interesting. He likes the look. At the end, it reminded him of someone who could sing, but he has to put it out there.

Paula: If he had the ability to totally go for it it would fit the hairdo. But he didn't, and they're left flat. Come on.

Simon: I presume there was no mirror in your dressing room. Sanjaya mouths Simon - bad move. It doesn't matter any more what they say, Simon thinks. He's in his own universe, and if people like him, good luck.

My Mom: She hated it. Hated the song, hates that the kid can't sing or perform, and will be pissed beyond belief that he did a "faux-hawk" as a gimmick to stay around.

Ryan's with him. Sanajaya's getting cocky. I think that will work against him, frankly. I hope. 1-866-IDOLS04 or text 5704.

Haley Scarnato is up next and she better not butcher my favorite song, True Colors. Gwen wants her to tone it down when she changes the song. Haley starts seated. She's back to her sweet, soft forgettable voice. She's not showing any boob this week - bad move - they didn't vote for her great voice last week, folks. The skirt is short, so she's smart there. Vocally this is just ok. This song is not meant for a Muzak interpretation, and that's what she's giving. You need some edge and ass in this vocal, and she doesn't have it. I give her a solid unenthusiastic C. Yawn.

Randy: It started a little rough, got better, but it was just all right.

Paula: It's a beautiful song. She did an adult contemporary performance it didn't stay younger.

Simon: He wants to know how she thought she did - she thought she did well - he thought it was sweet but forgettable. There was nothing to remember.

My Mom: Liked the song, doesn't like Haley. She's not strong enough.

1-866-IDOLS05 or text to 5705.

Commercial time.

Phil Stacey is up next. He's wearing the hat again. He gets a question: How does it feel to go from an unknown to a household name in weeks? Phil thinks it's a good question, They're so busy they don't even really hear abut it or see it. Phil's doing Every Breath You Take, and Gwen is pleasantly surprised. She doesn't think he needs to do any extra stuff. Phil starts out this wildly recognizable song and it really really suits his voice. He's super strong on this song. He's not shouty at all with it - he sings it softly without losing quality where he needs to. He's to the power the song and I'm telling you - his pitch is absolutely spot-on. He does a very nice high falsetto at the end of the power bridge - nice balance. I loved that. A.

Randy: He liked that. It was a solid performance and he didn't push it.

Paula: Good choice. He has personality and color to his voice. The verses he played it safe. Work on building more character in the verses, but a good performance.

Simon: He thought it was very good. Great choice of song, and he felt Phil was taking it seriously.

My Mom: She thinks he shouts, but I bet she liked it.

1-866-IDOLS06 or text to 5706.

Melinda Doolittle is up next. Heaven Knows is what she's going to do. Gwen loves her. she was amazed to watch her. She doesn't think she needs any luck. Melinda starts out dancing in the middle of the stage. She's all 70-d out, too. It looks good. She has a ot of attitude in the song. The first verse is lowish and she sings it well. She gets to the chorus and she takes it up higher, and she still sounds great. She repeats the chorus and she improvises a bit, and it fits. She's like Lakisha - you can't really say anything bad about her. Not a wrong note, she was totally believable, and she owned the song. A+.

Randy: Randy gives her snaps about how she "owns" the song. It was the bomb again.

Paula: Melinda has charisma from the word go. She's joyful.

Simon: I don't think this is going to be the performance that was the best. Vocally she was outstanding. He hated the outfit.

My Mom: She'll love it. She loves the song and loves Melinda.

Ryan's with her. 1-866-IDOLS07 or text 5707.

Commercial time.

We're back with Blake Lewis. Come on, Blake. Stop letting me down. He's doing a love song by the Cure. Gwen thinks the melody is strong and he needs to not distract with the beat boxing. Blake has his hair kind of mushed down. I kind of sort of know this song and it suits Blake's voice. Very smooth and he's in tune this week. The song itself isn't a super vocal show-off tune, but Blake gets to do some softer stuff. He wanders a bit off key in the second verse and comes back when he goes into the chorus. He gets a solid B from me this week.

Randy: I'm no sure it was the perfect song choice, but he made the most of it and he liked it.

Paula: She loved what he did with the song. She thinks he's being original and he's hip.

Simon: Definitely the strongest guy in the competition. But he's in the Chris Daughtry zone and don't become too indulgent so that it gets boring. I agree with the boring thing.

My Mom: She won't know the song and won't like the performance.

1-866-IDOLS08 or text 5708.

Jordin Sparks is doing Hey Baby Hey Baby Hey, a mega No Doubt hit. Gwen likes her. Jordin's kind of having trouble with the very first part of the first verse. She gets it back as the verse continues. When she gets to the part preceding the chorus, she's better. In what passes for the chorus, she's a little pitchy and kind of out of tune. She's definitely attitudinally into the song - I'll give her that. The second bridge part is much better and she's in tune as the song winds down. Not my favorite. It was kind of sloppy, with some obvious problems. She gets a C for this one.

Randy: He thought it was risky. He thought she did great (!!!). Gads.

Paula: She loved it.

Simon: Probably the most improved contestant over the last few weeks. The song was younger, but the song was also copy-cattish.

My Mom: She won't like the song, and because she likes Jordin she'll think it was just ok.

1-866-IDOLS09or text 5709. Commercial time.

And we're BACK. Chris Richardson is singing Don't Speak. Gwen's seen him to "vocal Olympics" and she hopes he sticks to the melody and focuses on the song and the emotion. Chris starts out well enough for me. He's behind the microphone and he's singing kind of softly and it's nice. He's in the bridge and there's a bit of a rough patch vocally. Now he's gone to the run stuff, and he's started singing through his nose. As the song modulates it's literally a mess. He gets it back in the final chorus somewhat, but that earlier part was out of tune and weird. Truly unpleasant. I'll give him snaps for trying a really difficult song, but overall, not good. C-.

Randy: Very interesting. He liked the R&B Ska and flavor. Not his best vocal, but he liked it. (!!!)

Paula: She thinks he's good and it was good.

Simon: He thought the song choice was much better, but he wasn't crazy about the vocal (I totally agree). He struggled in the middle and he's got to pay a lot more attention on his vocals.

My Mom: She won't know the song and she hates that Chris sings through his nose.

1-866-IDOLS10 or text 5710.

My final rankings with a following caveat:

Melinda Doolittle
Gina Glocksen
Phil Stacey
Lakisha Jones
Blake Lewis
Chris Sligh
Jordin Sparks
Chris Richardson
Haley Scarnato
Sanjaya Malakar

The caveat: For me, the first four in the rankings were all very very close. I liked them all immensely for different reasons. Haley and Sanajaya are worlds away from the rest of them.

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Top 10

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posted by RenaRF @ 7:15 PM, ,

Top 11 - Results Show
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Ok. You saw my predictions. I could be completely inaccurate this week. I think the only thing I can say with any certainty is that I don't think Melinda or Lakisha will go home. That leaves another 9 Idols. :-) At least I'm honest!

Ryan's all be-suited again. The crowd goes wild. We review last night's theme and meet the judges (it escapes me why they do that). We now get the recap, which I won't cover since I recapped it while it was happening. I like the ones I liked as much in the snippets, and I disliked the ones I disliked as much as well. We go right to the British Invasion performance by Peter Noone - A Kind of Hush. I actually really don't like this song, but I like Peter Noone. He seems like a nice guy, and he's singing pretty well. He turns to the Idols, and they all make faces like "What the ----?" Wonder what he did? Is his fly open? Heh. More recapping and spoiling after the click.

Break now for commercials 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

When we come back we get this week's Ford commercial, filmed in a laundromat. You only see the actual Ford for about 5 seconds. Brad Garrett is, for some reason, sitting with the Idols. Hah. It's funny. It's results time! Brad is immediately cut, and he returns to his seat.

We go through the Idols:

Phil: SAFE
Melinda: SAFE
Blake: SAFE

(Note - they're randomly pulling them up. No seating order thing)

Chris S.: SAFE
Lakisha: SAFE
Jordin: SAFE

My prediction odds for the bottom three are improving.

Sanjaya: SAFE
Haley: SAFE
Gina: SAFE

Hm. Only two left.

Chris R: SHOCKER - Bottom two.
Stephanie: Not a shocker - Bottom two.

Now to commercials 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (a shoe commercial - my fave), 13, 14, 15 and 16.

We meet the American Idol challenge winner and get this week's question. Text your answer (the answer is A) to 51515 or go to AmericanIdol.com to enter. We re-pimp Idol Gives Back, and I think that's a good thing. This is one of the most popular shows on the planet, and even a small exposure to those in need is a good thing. This week he's begging for Corporate donations - Smart. I'll email the marketing people at my company, you can bet on it.

Now we get Lulu's performance, To Sir With Love. We learn also that she starred in the movie with Sidney Poitier. I want to be Lulu when I grow up, man. She looks GREAT. If she's had work done, it's really good work. I should try to be her friend if for no other reason than she could give me a great doctor's referral. ;-) She's in great shape and she sounds good. I hope one of her boobs doesn't make a break for it, though.

Good gracious. Commercials 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24. Insanity.

Only two minutes left, so Stephanie and Chris R. are center-stage. Neither looks very happy, though Stephanie really tries to smile through it. Chris looks nauseous. And the one going home is:

STEPHANIE EDWARDS

I called that one right. I got the bottom three wrong, but called the right one. Stephanie handles it with class and like a pro, frankly.

Ok folks - that's it for this week's installment. I will repeat for the record that while I didn't care for her performance last night, she's MILES above a Sanjaya or a Haley and it's just wrong that she's gone and they stayed. Wrong wrong wrong.

Labels: American Idol, Results, Top 11

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posted by RenaRF @ 7:53 PM, ,

Results Show Predictions, Top 11

This is a tough one. Here goes.

Who should go: Sanjaya Malakar

Bottom three: Stephanie Edwards, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen

Who will go: Stephanie Edwards

I have no confidence in this, but there it is.

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Predictions, Results

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posted by RenaRF @ 6:03 PM, ,

Is it Tuesday Already? The Top 11 Perform.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Ah... I have been remiss in my American Idol posts this week. My apologies!! I started a new job on Monday and the preparations began on Friday. I haven't come up for air since. But I'm back at it tonight, live-recapping and posting reviews as the performances happen! Let's get right to it.

Seacrest is in a natty suit. I dig the purple - it's the same color as my sofa and loveseat. He's shaved, too!! Joy. He introduces the Idols in the order in which they will appear, and Haley's up first tonight. That can't be good. Melinda's once again in the pimp spot, and Sanjaya is towards the end of the show tonight. Ugh. Let's hope this is our last Sanjaya week. Here are the judges - Simon's back in black. Seacrest asks Randy about the "forgetting of the lyrics". Randy says there are NO excuses for that. Paula comments about nerves, telling the contestants to "shake them out" and then says to picture Simon "not dressed". Seacrest invited Simon's response, which is pretty weak, actually. Continue after the click for the rest of the show.

Theme tonight: British Invasion. We get the obligatory Beatles retrospective. We hear of some other not-Beatles, and we generally don't care. It apparently created a hair revolution, and I don't care much about that, either. Then we get to the cavalcade of better British bands, and I'm caring a bit more. Now we're to Peter Noone, who will be our Guest Coach tonight, along with Lulu (no last name). Wouldn't know her if she fell on me. Peter worked with the guys, Lulu with the girls. Lulu's loving on the girls.

Haley Scarnato is up first. She's singing Tell Him, and her goal is to be more aggressive and not so sweet. Lulu thinks the song choice is perfect, but admonishes her to make her phrasing staccato. Lulu tells her there's a "place for everybody" and to be proud and strong.

Haley looks the part tonight, with some Boots are Made for Walkin' shorts. She sounds good tonight. I'm not totally hating on her. She's picking up the boy vote with that outfit. We're about halfway through and I don't know that she's "edgy", but she's MUCH better than she has been in past weeks. So far she's totally in tune and looks relaxed. She's with the judges, singing right to them - very smart. The ending falls apart a little bit for me, like she ran out of steam a little, but overall, this was a solid B performance.

Randy: That was the perfect song and Haley's back!

Paula: Paula expounds on her girlish, flirtacious qualities and says it was a good performance.

Simon: Refers to her as "naughty". He thought it was fun and young with a bit of shriekiness in the middle, and he alludes to her outfit and looks as what people will talk about. No doubt.

Mr. RenaRF says she should be a stripper. Ryan blathers about navigating the stairs in heels. 1-866-IDOLS01 or text 5701.

We're back with Ryan with family members who are crying. How touching (not). Chris Richardson is going next. He's singing Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying. Noone thinks it's smashing. He wants to sing this song, not jump around. Noone hasn't heard much of Chris' voice so he likes this one. He warns him about his vibrato (AMEN!). I hope he doesn't sing through his nose. Just this time, please.

He's seated on stage with an acoustic guitarist. He still sounds very Justin Timberlake to me, and I'm not a Justin Timberlake fan. He's trying to soften this performance and his pitch is generally good with a few little kind of slidy weak spots. He gets up for the bridge and starts to sing through his nose. He adds those runs that don't add on a beautiful song. He's making an effort at this, though, and I have to give that to him. He's better towards the end with the high notes. Overall another solid B performance.

Randy: He's "dog" this and "dog" that. He thought it was another great performance that showed a different side to him. It was in tune.

Paula: It's all about being smart with choices, and he was smart. She liked the arrangement - thought it was sexy.

Simon: He thought it was his best performance so far. I agree - I'm not a Chris fan and I didn't hate it. Very good performance.

Seacrest is with him. He wants to know if Chris thought it was risky, and Chris thought it was hard to play it straight. 1-866-IDOLS02 or text 5702.

Stephanie Edwards is up next. She gets a fan question: What's the hardest part about getting ready for the show each week? A: the hardest is picking the song. She's with Lulu now, and she'll sing You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. Lulu says she's "grounded" and kind of indicates she's fearless. Lulu compares her to Beyonce (Jeez - enough with that).

It starts with the band, very dramatically. She starts softly - uncharacteristically so. It's nice. In the beginning she's playing it straight - she leaves a lot of space to let the song tell the story and she doesn't step on that story. Have to say I don't like the dress. She's in the chorus. She's handling it well. She makes a key change and takes it up a notch. This was a good performance, but a little underwhelming. Another B.

Randy: It was a great song choice but not her best performance for him. A little pitchy.

Paula: Loves her outfit. Loved the song choice. Some note problems. Hesitant endorsement. Wants her to go back to having fun.

Simon: He wants to know how she thought she did: she thought she did well. He thinks she's losing her edge - it's a bit night-clubby, and she's losing her soul. It was a very good cabaret performance. She's far too old for herself. He wasn't crazy about it.

Ryan's with her - she didn't really know any of these songs but tried to embrace it. She admits she could have a little more fun. 1-866-IDOLS03 or text 5703.

We get the AT&T pimp. Blake Lewis is up next. He's singing Season of Love. He's going to "Blakeize" it, apparently.

He starts off beat-boxy. He does the first verse pretty well and moves to the chorus, which is a little weak for me. He's much better in the verse - I think that the chorus is simply too high. My complaint with Blake is that he's sloppy. He drops notes where he shouldn't. But he's so entertaining, I think that keeps him afloat. I have to admit - this isn't a bad performance, but he's dropping notes and I'm frankly getting a little bored. He gets a C on this one - sorry folks.

Randy: He's a huge Blake fan. He put together a "massive Yo factor" version of the song. He apparently liked it.

Paula: She loved it. She was standing at the end.

Simon: He thought it was a million times better than last week. Strongest performance of the night as far as he's concerned.

Personally, I thought it was the worst Blake performance yet. 1-866-IDOLS04 or text 5704.

Lakisha Jones - we are led to believe that she's uncomfortable with the genre. She settles on You're My World, even though she preferred Diamonds Are Forever. Lulu tries to talk her into it by singing it to her in the Lulu way.

But she chooses Diamonds Are Forever. The first verse is great - spot-on. It makes me think of the Bond movie intros; I can close my eyes and picture it with her singing. She is all blinged out, too, and I think she looks the part. She kind of snarls her way through this, but with her great voice - the attitude she strikes, I think, is perfect for this. She goes to the bridge and there's no mistakes so far. She goes to the power part and the hair literally stood on the back of my neck. She is by far and away the best performance so far tonight. She ends it BIG. She gets a resounding A.

Randy: He thought it was a good choice. It wasn't his favorite performance, he didn't feel enough Lakisha in it. Just all right for him.

Paula: She thinks the song was the right song to choose. She also thinks Lakisha is a very smart girl, and we learn the diamonds she's wearing are actually real.

Simon: It's evident she's a fantastic singer. However. Tonight's performance was Lakisha in 50 year's time. He hated the hair, the outfit - wasn't his favorite performance. Too old, too old-fashioned.

Ryan joins her. How they can praise Blake and slam Lakisha is beyond me. Lakisha takes the "good with the bad and the ugly" regarding their feedback. Lakisha's happy if she sounds like this 45 years from now. 1-866-IDOLS05 or text 5705. For the record, Randy thought she looked great but wanted "more Lakisha" in the song - put more runs and such in because she can do it.

Phil Stacey is singing Tobacco Road. Phil chose it because it's so fun to sing. Noone thinks it's a great choice for Phil. He can "wail" in the high parts. Noone hasn't heard it sung as well as Phil during the rehearsal. Wow.

Phil's out there in all his baldness. Oh sad - he looks like he's been sweating for a while before he came on stage. But back to the vocals - very good. He's stalking around with the microphone in its stand - very Bo Bice. He's running back to center stage in the vamp. I have to say, about halfway through it's my favorite Phil performance. I can't tell if that's sweat or a stain or a pattern - it's very distracting from what is otherwise a great performance. Phil's on this one. I actually think I like this better than Lakisha. Sold strong A.

Randy: Let it all out. A pretty good performance - a couple pitchy spots (???). It was pretty good for him.

Paula: Really good choice of song. Some parts were pitchy, but the emotion of the song was on. She thought it was good.

Simon: He wasn't crazy about it. Kind of a third division bar band performance. He didn't find it believable (!!!). There wasn't grit in his voice. He has a problem because he thinks he's being outsung by a lot of the other singers. He may have a problem tomorrow.

Ryan's with him. What a bullshit review! Phil tried to bring it - bottom 3 scared him last week. 1-866-IDOLS06 or text 5706.

Ryan comes back with Jordin Sparks. I like Jordin, but I don't think she's quite as strong as some of the other girls. She gets a question: Name a song that describes you best. A: I'm So Excited by the Pointer Sisters. Duh. That fits, but it's a bit annoying. She's with Lulu, and Jordin thought meeting her was amazing. She's singing I Who Have Nothing. Don't know it, but it's apparently a big song and Lulu loves it. Lulu actually gives good direction. She knows where and what to punch in a song and shares that with the girls.

Jordin is very dramatic, straight hair, black dress, walking to center stage mic stand. She looks very pretty. She starts and I like the beginning - it compels me to watch her, actually. She's doing a good job with this song - it's very emotional and she's clearly taken Lulu's advice to heart and she's performing this song - owning it. This is a GREAT performance for Jordin. Best of the night for me - truly. A+.

Randy: Very tall order for a 17-year old. Great, great performance. One of the best.

Paula: Her range is becoming great each week. Great.

Simon: You sang it beautifully, but he feels like jumping off a bridge. It was SO gloomy (well duh). It was a bit depressing, but she sang it beautifully.

Hey - if Simon's depressed, Jordin did it right. Sometimes songs are sad, Simon. An Awful Lot Of Aliteration in that previous sentence. Jordin had to get into a zone where she was serious. 1-866-IDOLS07 or text 5707.

We are teased pre-commercial that after the commercial they'll unleash the "wild side" of Sanjaya.

All righty. 45 minutes to go. We drag Noone to his feet. Ryan extols that he brought something special out in the guys so far... He speaks truth: it's ISN'T a singing competition at this stage - it's a VOTING competition. So simple, yet so elusive and true. Sanjaya Malakar is with Noone. Sanjaya doesn't know British Invasion stuff. He has to songs - You Really Got Me. Noone talks about his lack of experience and calls him "cute looking". The other song is Into Something Good. Noone likes the second choice, but he should choose the first and SELL IT.

Here he is - You Really Got Me. He has a funky jacket on, jeans and an oversized shirt. He trying to dirty up his voice and show some personality. But he sings in a one-octave range, folks. He's doing better on the performance aspect but no one is going to be able to make Sanajaya a great singer in this forum. He's sloppy, his pitch sucks, and he's painful to listen to. Seriously. I hate to say it. Because a part of me wants him to click and simply blow my socks off but he can't. He's NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Better for Sanjaya, but still bad. D-

Randy: Sanjaya shocked him tonight. He wasn't reserved. It was his best performance. He came out of his shell.

Paula: That's what she'd been waiting for.

Simon: (Please speak some truth) Refers to a crying little girl and says her face says it all.

Ryan's with Sanjaya. The little girl liked him, Ryan points out. Ryan gets Sanjaya out there to hug her, which is actually very nice and the girl cries more. 1-866-IDOLS08 or text 5708. Someone PLEASE - spare me this kid.

Ok. Back from commercial. Gina Glocksen is with Ryan. Her hair's shorter - very emo. She's all blacked out and edgy. Fan question: Do you think being on AI has made you stronger? A: Definitely. They're under pressure and stress and she comes out and gives her best. What is this - Miss America? Sheesh. They try not to pay attention to what the media says about them. Gina's with Lulu, and she's singing Paint it Black. That explains the outfit. Lulu wants her to raise the key a half step, and Gina agrees. Lulu wants Gina to get the drama out of it.

Gina stalks around. The music starts, and it's one of those songs you immediately recognize. The first verse is a little rough for me, but the bridge gets MUCH better. I still think the song is a little low. I'll have to wait and see if she takes it way up. She's in a weird bridge and I can't tell if she does it really well or really badly - I don't know the original well enough to judge. I can't quite get the energy of this performance and this is all about angry energy. Just a soft B/high C for me.

Randy: He loved the whole edge vibe but not his favorite vocal. Just all right for him.

Paula: Thought it was miles better than last week. She has fun doing this and it shows.

Simon: There were moments of complete torture in the vocal. It was so off melody at moments it was horrible. It was just not very good - style over content. She's going to have to sing better - vocally not good enough. I have to agree.

Ryan's with her. Paula thinks Gina needs to work on her vocals and not abandon who she is. Randy thinks she needs to sing the big notes. Simon simply thinks the singing wasn't good enough and she's got to sing better. 1-866-IDOLS09 or text 5709.

Ryan returns with the obligatory judges' shot. Chris Sligh is up next. Chris knows his artist history - first with Simon and then with Noone. She's Not There is his choice. A highly recognizable song - probably a good choice. Noone implores Sligh to know what the song is about and make it believable. Noone thinks he'll do great.

I love this song, by the way. Sligh starts in teh audience, all Taylor-like. He moves to a falsetto in the beginning and it's not bad. He's on the ramp behind the judges, again very Taylor-like. I generally like this performance. He's playing it straight. It's not blowing me away, but it's good. B.

Randy: He liked it. It started off a little bit rough, but he wound up good. It was a great song for him and he ended it really strong.

Paula: Started a little ahead of the pocket. Paula likes his clothes. Thought the vocals was really good.

Simon: Thought he didn't have a problem with the audience, thought he did his thing, and thought it was fun. It wasn't the best vocal heard tonight, but it was good and a lot better than last week.

Ryan's with him. Mr. RenaRF said it was good but it totally lacked soul. Chris says he's clumsy and chubby and he jabbed Simon with the mic stand when Simon grabbed it. or text 1-866-IDOLS10 or text 5710. I don't know how I missed this, but Chris is calling his fans the "Fro Patrol". Again, very Taylor. I like Chris, but he's not Taylor man.

Ok. We're back with Melinda Doolittle. British Invasion week makes her nervous. She's singing As Long As He Needs Me, a "torch song" according to Lulu. We learn that this song is out of her comfort zone - the most yet. Lulu helped her and loved it. She thinks that's the perfect song for Melinda.

I don't know this song. Melinda starts seated. She sounds very Barbara Streisand in the beginning - good, but weird to hear. She rises as the first verse moves to the second. The verses are very subdued - and I think they have to be. She's in the bridge and she gets to take it up a bit with a key change upward. It's not the big power notes you would usually want from Melinda, but at the end she brings it home with the power note. It was a very very good performance, and I love Melinda - she's my favorite - she barely edged Jordin out for me. A+.

Randy: He thought they saved the best vocal for last.

Paula: Sold the story. Great.

Simon: Are you really as nice as you seem? He thinks she is. The second part of the song was sensational with an impeccable vocal. And she really is that nice.

Ryan's with her and wants to know if this is the real her that we see - she says it is, and you believe her. Melinda is eminently believable. 1-866-IDOLS11 or text 5711.

Final Rankings:

Melinda Doolittle
Jordin Sparks
Phil Stacey
Lakisha Jones
Chris Richardson
Chris Sligh
Stephanie Edwards
Gina Glocksen
Haley Scarnato
Blake Lewis
Sanjaya Malakar

Overall, this week was MUCH better than last week. I think Haley should be a little worried, and Phil as well as Gina. I hate to put Phil there because I thought he was one of the better performances, but he doesn't necessarily click as far as I'm concerned. Predictions from me pre-results tomorrow night, then Results recap. Thanks for reading! Y'all don't comment much, but I get mad site hits from unique visitors and a fair amount of returning visitors, and I appreciate it.

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Top 11

What will I say next? Click and find out.

posted by RenaRF @ 7:12 PM, ,

Top 12 - Results Show
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

How appropriate. Countdown with Keith Olbermann just finished a segment on the Seacrest/Cowell closet exchange. As it ended, the results show came on. Oh - and for the record, I couldn't care less if Ryan Seacrest is gay.

Ryan looks natty - dark suit, imperial purple tie, white button down. We see the judges. Yawn. We see the clips from last-night, to include the high-heels moment. At least that's interesting. We get a review of "Idols who forgot their words". I'll say - seeing Chris Sligh I agree with Simon - put the glasses back on. I think it's incredibly kind to characterize Sanjaya's performance as "putting his own twist" on a classic. Melinda gets the mega-pimp, though, and I think that that's apt. Follow after the click for more recapping!

GroupSing time. It's a Diana Ross tribute!! Shocker!! Chris R. sings through his nose. Phil sings through his eyebrows. Blake sashays. Sanjaya sings in tune (!!!). Brandon sings like.. Brandon. Chris S. sings through his glasses. All together now, boys!! Girls turn. Haley sings off key. Melinda sings like a pro. Gina sings and gets lost in the band. Lakisha sings like a pro as well. Jordin sings unremarkably. Stephanie sings... ok. All together now, girls!! Now we pair girls with boys for a cameo - sort of. All together now, add in arm movement!! Thank goodness that's over. I hate the group sings - it's so - campy. It's the only time I'm happy we go to a commercial.

And we're back for our first commercial!! It's presumably for Ford and it's got a very 70s feel. Chris Sligh is hysterical with an enormous afro!! I LOVE that. Blake actually break dances and that's kind of cool. I liked the commercial, frankly.

The 12 are seated now. To the business, Ryan tells us. Three people with lowest number of votes will join them at the center of the stage. He stands Lakisha up, and she's SAFE. Gina stands. She's SAFE. This is all moving pretty fast. Brandon's up. He's in the bottom 3. No shock there. Jordin stands. She's SAFE. Chris R. stands. He's SAFE (blows my mind - hated his performance). Melinda stands. She's totally SAFE. Phil is standing. He's in the bottom 3! Now I'm surprised. I liked Phil's performance last night. Chris S. is up. He's SAFE. Stephanie stands. She's SAFE (so much for my prediction). Blake stands. He's SAFE. Last two - Sanjaya and Haley. We'll find out AFTER THE BREAK. To kill a bit of time during the commercial, I'll say that I'm relieved either Haley or Sanjaya will be sweating it out up there. I doubt it will be Sanjaya, but who knows - maybe people came to their senses?!

We're back from the commercials. Let me say - I like ANY commercial that involves SHOES. The DSW commercials are my favorite and make me want to spend a day buying shoes. During this break it's for Off-Broadway shoes, a second-favorite shoe place of mine (I have over 100 pair of shoes - it's an addiction). Apparently we're going to make the Idols sweat while we go to the American Idol Challenge. This week, text the correct answer (it's B) to 51555. At least they actually mentioned Taylor Hicks out loud on the show this week, albeit it was during the challenge. It appears as well that we're going to have to listen to Diana Ross before we find out who rounds out the bottom 3.

Diana Ross does this total Mme Butterfly thing - she's backlit with this amazing dress that makes her look like she has sings. Good for her - she looks good frankly. She's singing More Today Than Yesterday. Honestly folks - if she weren't Diana Ross I'd be tearing her performance to shreds. I wonder if it's the theater, because her pitch is everywhere. Oh hey - I can see right through her dress!! TMI!! It's nice of her to run over the Idols and sing with each of them. I'm now waiting for this to be over. And it's over - thankfully. That was honestly painful to listen to.

And we torture four Idols by going to another commercial. Only three minutes left - they're gonna do this fast when they come back.

And we're back and we're live. Sanjaya and Haley are made to stand. Haley's safe, Sanjaya's in the bottom 3!! Another shocker.

Bottom 3:
Brandon Rogers
Phil Stacey
Sanjaya Malakar

Phil Stacey is seated. That leaves Brandon and Sanjaya. Oh I feel sick. Sick I tell you!! Nearly 28 million people voted. Brandon is the one who's going home. Another ridiculous result. While I wished Brandon had stepped up a lot earlier, he's miles better than Sanjaya Malakar. Jesus Christ. Will the VTFW guys please stop pimping Sanjaya? They're torturing that kid by keeping him around, and as MJ said on her blog, as he knocks off better people it's going to become a hate-fest direct AT HIM. Geez people - smarten up.

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Results, Top 12

What will I say next? Click and find out.

posted by RenaRF @ 8:00 PM, ,

Top 12 - Pre-Results Prediction

I've been thinking about who I thought would be voted off tonight and I repeatedly come back to "Who Cares?" I'm having a difficult time getting super-psyched this season. I fear it will be another Season 4, where it was obvious it would come down to Carrie and Bo and the other ten weeks was all at the noise level. ((sigh))

Anyhoo, here ya go:

Who should go: Sanjaya Malakar
Who's in the bottom two: Brandon Rogers & Stephanie Edwards
Who will go: Stephanie Edwards

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Predictions, Top 12

What will I say next? Click and find out.

posted by RenaRF @ 7:36 PM, ,

The Top 12 Perform
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Wow. We're back to the two hour show. That's a lot of live-blogging, folks!! But I'll do my best to keep up. I suspect that one of my regular readers, who is right now in Europe, will be checking in to see how each of the contestants did. I'm glad to fill my useful purpose. ;-)

We are teased at the beginning about the fame and fortune achieved by Idol winners and runners-up. This is annoying - we see Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, and Fantasia Barrino - but NO TAYLOR!! AAAAGH. This "Pox on your Taylor House" thing is getting really annoying. Ryan's in the audience, behind the judges - they've moved to the big stage. The judges are front and center now, as opposed to off to the side. After the intro, there's hysterical screaming in the house. People freaking out everywhere. We are enjoined to admired the stage, and we all do. We are reminded we're there for that one superstar, and we see that not only has the venue gotten bigger, the band has gotten bigger, too!! They rock - they get their own little 10-second jam. We are told further to admire the hugeness of the audience. We do. Click to the full post to read more.

The Idol finalists are dragged out. I'll note that there was little applause for Sanjaya and Haley compared to the others. It appears Jordin is in the pimp spot tonight. Hm. And Brandon goes first - ugh. He better bring the house down. We meet the judges. Simon's in WHITE! Excellent. Ryan talks to Randy. Randy thinks the boys have to bring their game. Paula thinks there's great variety in the top 12, and she thinks the guys are ready to come into their own. Simon talks about the stage changing everyone in this new venue..

We are now to the Diana Ross pimp package. We hear about how wonderful she is and how wonderful her career has been. We hear about the wonderfulness of her solo career as a performer and an actress. We recite the laundry list of her achievements. She put the "D" in Diva, imo. She looks good as she meets the top12. Her hair is outstanding! Totally wacky! She tells the finalists she's not a critic, and reminds us that she's had a 40-year career. She is a parent deep in her heart, and she thinks that makes her a good mentor.

Brandon Rogers is up first, talking about Diana Ross. He talks about her different-breediness. Diana likes Brandon. She likes that he grew up on You Can't Hurry Love, which is presumably what Brandon will sing. Hm. She comments that she's amazed at the amount of work all the finalists have to do, and tells Brandon to go back to his "center". He does truly look awestruck.

Brandon starts center-stage, back to the audience. The beginning part of this song is kind of low, and that doesn't necessarily suit his voice. When he gets into the higher register, he's better. He's in the chorus, and I have to say - I'm not blown away and I want to be blown away. I keep waiting and waiting for Brandon to unleash his mad talent, only to wait a little more. I don't get it. OH NO - Brandon just totally flubbed on his words. It was only a teeny period of time, but it WAS obvious. Ugh. At least he picked back up and finished strong. Overall, I give the performance a C+.

Randy: This is the start of the future tonight. For him, Brandon came out like he's reverted back to a background singer. Only at the very end did he step forward.

Paula: It's not easy to do what you do, and nerves play into it. We don't need to tell you what you did wrong, and there are many things that you do right.

Simon: That was a complete letdown. It was a very predictable version, predictable arrangement, the dancing was terrible, and you came over as a background singer. No start quality. Absolutely not good enough. Sorry.

((Cringe)) Ryan's with him - Brandon felt it was going his way until he forgot the words. He tried to pick it back up. Ryan wants to know if the stage has an effect, and Brandon says it's amazing to be out here and he got caught up, enjoying it a little too much. He'll do better next time. 1-866-IDOLS01 or text 5701.

Commercial time!!

We're back sitting center stage with Melinda Doolittle. We can apparently ask the Idols questions this season. Go to the website to find out how. Melinda gets a question: What do you consider the hardest part of this contest? A: The high heels and these dresses. She likes her tennis shoes and her sweatpants. Oh this was good - Dave White's gonna have heart failure - Ryan asks if Simon has advice on the high heels. "You should know Ryan" says Simon. "Stay out of my closet" flings Ryan. "Come out" retorts Simon. Ha!!

Melinda's with La Diana. Melinda's an old-school Motown girl at heart,a nd she tells her what a big fan she is. Diana says she's heard good things about Melinda. Diana basically tells us that Melinda is believable - she gets goosebumps. Melinda gets a hug and she's on her way. She's singing Home from the Wiz. She starts on the ramp in front of the band. Melinda, I have to say, has yet to hit a bad note or deliver an unbelievable performance, and I mean that in the best way. This is no different. This is a very emotional song - if you don't convey the emotion, the song lacks. She's going through the verses to the power chorus, and she sounds great. She really comes out of her shell on that stage. She is truly a joy to watch. I give her whole performance an A.

Randy: Hard to hear him over the wild applause. It wasn't his favorite performance, but it was still really really strong. Hot. Boys 0 Girls 1.

Paula: CRYING. She's crying. She's excited for her. This is it for her (Melinda).

Simon: Melinda's crying now and Simon wants to know why. Melinda is flattered. Simon always hated the song, finds it boring, but Melinda made it fantastic. She reminds him of a young Gladys Knight.

Melinda goes to meet Ryan at the stools. Melinda is speechless. She doesn't remember being up there singing the song and can't say how she felt. Paula says she's feeling like she had an out of body experience. 1-866-IDOLS02 or text 5702.

Next up is Chris Sligh. He doesn't have a nervous bone in his body, and he remarks that he and Diana have the same hair. He's singing Endless Love. Interesting choice. Chris has changed the chords around to give it a modern feel. Diana wants him to "feel" the song to sell it.

He has definitely changed the arrangement - it's weird. I can't put my finger on it, but it's too fast for the song. I agree with La Diana - this arrangement loses the emotion. The arrangement puts me in mind of a U2 song - it's got that kind of beat. Chris sings it well, and it's not an easy song to sing, but something lacks from this performance as a result of how he approached it. I will say, though - it's different, and he tried something new. B.

Randy: The new top 12 Chris. The bad part was sounding like Coldplay. It was a bad thing to do to that song. That was a mess for him, even though he has a good voice.

Paula: That song is so recognizable and it's a beautiful love song, and you're trying ultra hard to be ultra hip and cool and you can let the melody play and listen to the lyrics and the song.

Simon: I think you murdered the arrangement - you turned a beautiful song into a complete and utter drone. It was unemotional, uninspiring, and I would keep your glasses on because I think it's you.

He's with Ryan, and he thought it was a good arrangement and he went with his gut, but he respects the judges and hopefully he'll have a better arrangement next week. or text to 1-866-IDOLS-03 or text to 5703.

We're back from commercial. We are LIVE. Ryan's in the audience. Gina Glocksen is starstruck. Gina says she's a legend. She's going to sing Love Child. Diana thinks she has incredible vocal ability. Diana reminds her to ensure she annunciates everything - the song is a story - don't leave anything out. Gina's going to take her advice and run with it.

Gina is dressed edgily. She stalks onstage during a longish intro. This is a good song choice for Gina, frankly. She sounds good while she sings it, and it's edgy enough to suit Gina's style. Gina is singing this well also - she's pronouncing all of her words. My only complaint has not to do with her singing but with the song. It spends a lot of time in a lower register which doesn't allow Gina to power through. I also would lay off some of the runs if I were Gina - it doesn't suit her as well as some other things she does. It also got a little weird at the end, with a few missed notes here and there, but nothing painfully glaring. Overall B.

Randy: It wasn't his favorite performance from her. It was pitchy in spots and he didn't feel excitement in spots from her. It was weird.

Paula: It's an exciting song, and Gina's much better than she did tonight.

Simon: It was ok. It was one of those performances you can't say much about - it wasn't terrible, it wasn't fantastic. It was the right song choice, but a little bit forgettable. A middle pack performance.

Ryan wants to know how she felt on the stage. She liked it - she felt at home. or text 1-866-IDOLS04 or text 5704.

And we're at another commercial.

1/3 down, 2/3 to go. Unfortunately Sanjaya is in that 2/3, and he's up next. ((sigh)) Such a nice kid - do I have to hear him sing? Sanjaya Malakar is with Diana Ross. Diana talks about how you just care about him. Note that she didn't lead with his great singing. Ain't No Mountain High Enough is his choice. She didn't feel he was on the beat, and so she gives him pointers. She wants him to have fun, to "get your soul in there".

They've curled hair Sanjaya's hair back up. It's girl-curly. OMG! He starts off kind of weak and soft and he's all over the place pitch wise. Honestly, folks - I wanted him to come back a different Sanjaya this week and simply blow my socks off and prove me wrong. He's not doing it. He's really not good on this performance. He's trying - you can tell - but this is what happens when you wind up with someone in the top 12 who shouldn't be there. He gets a little better as the song progresses, but not much. He spends most of it flirting with the key but never quite embracing it. Overall, it's an F. Sorry Sanjaya fans.

Randy: Randy's almost speechless. He doesn't know what to say. Dude, it wasn't very good. It really wasn't. Thank God for the background singers. It was almost unlistenable. What he looks forward to is the different hair every week.

Paula: She leads with the beauty of his soul and how sweet he is. She says he sang on pitch (!!!) and repeats Diana Ross' advice. He has to explode with his vocals.

Simon: "When you hear a wail in Beverly Hills, that is where Diana Ross is watching this show. She's going to freak when she hears this - the only similarity is the hairstyle". I don't know what that means. He asks how old he is and when he hears 17, he says Sanjaya is very brave.

Ryan wants to know what Sanjaya thinks when he gets feedback. He listens to the positive things but didn't know what Simon was talking about. Sanjaya feels like he should be here next week. Ugh. Poor deluded kid. 1-866-IDOLS05 or text 5705.

Oh man - commercial, and after, Haley. If I weren't blogging this, I could have just fast-forwarded right through both of them.

And we're back. Haley's seated with Ryan. She's got a whole Kat McPhee thing happening. She gets a viewer question: where's the craziest place you ever sang? A: here. Crazy. Intense. Bigger stage. Bigger band. People ARE speaking in the Red Room, but they're really nervous. She's with Diana and she's singing Missing You. Diana thinks she has a recording studio voice. Her voice is too much "inside", so Diana tries to bring her "out". Haley's goal is to enjoy the song and sing every word and truly mean it.

Haley Scarnato - she starts out a little imprecise. She's almost whispering through the beginning. It gets better as she gets into the verse. She hits the chorus and it's just not working for me. Too soft - too weepy, and she's making faces like she's passing a stone. Oops - she forgets her words in the arrangement. She recovers, though I can't say nicely at first. She gets into the power part of the song and it's better - better pitch-wise and volume-wise. But then she improvises and it's flat. Really really not nearly as good as others in the competition. D.

Randy: Randy wants to know if she knows what he's going to say, and Haley just nods. It was pitchy and he was surprised.

Paula: You look lovely tonight. But that's not what Haley wants to hear. Forgetting the words is never a great thing to do and the pitch was ai yi yi.

Simon: I didn't think it was that bad (Haley bursts into tears). To give her credit, she had real presence, she looked like a star, and her nerves got the better of her... If she can hold it together she may do better than he thought originally.

Ryan's with her, she's crying, and I have to say that I find her whole attitude really off-putting. Face making, whiney, ugh. She is definitely channeling McPhee, who I also didn't like. 1-866-IDOLS06 or text to 5706.

Commercial time.

We're back. Ryan's seated in the audience. The woman he's sitting next to agrees that it's emotional. Phil Stacey is up next and he genuinely kisses her ass. She likes the song Phil selected. We see Phil performing at the piano, and then he asks for her advice on how to gather himself before he performs, and she says to look at the audience.

Phil singing I'm Gonna Make You Love Me. The beginning is a little weird - it's low - he's in tune, and he's interpreting the verse well. He transitions to the chorus and this is where he can really shine. He's not screaming it, and he does a lovely job with it. He's back to the verse, and it's low again. This is where it falls off, but he compensates by putting in an appropriate run. He's on his way to the second chorus, and I'm really enjoying this. This is the best I think I've seen from Phil. A-.

Randy: Randy wants to know what he though of it - Phil thought it was good. So far Phil gets the boys award for the night.

Paula: His vocals sounded really good, but the song needed to be a little more uptempo.

Simon: He thinks the tempo was right. It was ok - it was a very good choice of song for him. He has a tendency to shout through big notes, and he has to control that. It wasn't outstanding, it wasn't awful, and it was better than last week.

Ryan's with Phil. 1-866-IDOLS07 or text to 5707.

ANOTHER commercial. Holy Cow.

Coming back, Ryan's on the side of the stage. Lakisha Jones is up next and talks about Diana Ross as a superstar. God Bless The Child is Lakisha's choice - we learn Lakisha has never performed the song before the night before. Diana gives her fashion advice, and says that she should hold the microphone and not have it in a stand. Interesting.

Lakisha is resplendent in a long dress. I'm literally mesmerized by the beginning of this song. It's sultry in a way, and of course she's singing it perfectly. There's lots of room in the arrangement to highlight her spectacular voice. The only thing I'm waiting for his a super-power section and while we're almost to the end, we're not there yet. Lakisha kind of keeps this in her lower, non-power register. While it was very good, I feel she could have made it better. It makes me wonder if she's not dealing with some voice issues. A-.

Randy: Perfect song choice for her. Love the outfit. Unbelievable vocal - she didn't overdo it. That was sensational.

Paula: Beautiful performer, beautiful girl, and her heart comes through when she sings.

Simon: You've either got it or you haven't got it - you've got it. The quality difference between she and Melinda compared to the other singers - those two are in a different league. Outstanding.

Ryan's with her. I have to agree - she and Melinda are a breed apart. Melinda admits to being a little nervous, and taks about wanting to tone it down just a little bit. 1-866-IDOLS08 or text 5708.

Commercial time.

We're back on the stools with Blake Lewis. Blake looks very stylish - zip-vest, tie, button up, suit jacket and pants. I dig it - it's a good look. He's now with Diana. He used his computer to change the song to make it his own. We see him beat-boxing with Diana. You Keep Me Hanging On is his choice. Diana thinks he brought it from the 60s to today. He hopes she really likes it.

The arrangement is definitely distinctive. In a good way - I like the overall feel of the song. I like Blake's voice generally as well. My complaint is that he's a little sloppy - he pulls just sharp or just flat. The performance was good - not a lot to say about it - his on-stage style is great. The vocal could be cleaner and crisper for me, though, frankly. I will give him snaps for taking the song and interpreting it and arranging it in a way that worked. B-.

Randy: He's a huge Blake fan. There were good things about you. You don't have to "Blakeize" every song. You sing better than that - sometimes let the classics be the classic.

Paula: There's a difference between what Blake did and what Chris S. did. She thought it was good.

Simon: Didn't get that at all. He understands why he wanted to put his own take on it, but if he heard that version in isolation on the radio, you wouldn't like it. He didn't sound as good as he has sounded, either.

Blake is with Ryan. He doesn't regret changing the song. He gets what they said about the vocals. 1-866-IDOLS09 or text 5709.

Commercial - then the last three.

We're back. Ryan's with the judges. Simon put something in his pocket - don't know what. Stephanie Edwards will be singing Love Hangover. She's in love with Diana Ross. She's singing for her. Diana wants Stephanie to have a sexy quality - start out and build on it. Diana thinks she has star quality.

Stephanie looks great - a hip retro 70's dress. She stands behind the microphone. She sounds great at the beginning of this song. She pulls a teeny bit flat on one note, but correct this. The chorus is a bit rough for me - she sounds a little nervous for the first time I've heard. She's got the mic in her hand now and is on the stage. She does the verses very well, but the choruses are rough for me. Having said that, she's still one of the best so far tonight. B.

Randy: It's been an interesting night - he references Stephanie forgetting the words a bit (I didn't notice). He found it a weird choice, and was waiting for the uptempo part to start.

Paula: Wants to know why she left out the uptempo. Great singer, but not her best performance.

Simon: Strange arrangement - teased everyone with the good part and then failed to deliver. She was outsung but Lakisha and Melinda, and it wasn't her best performance. She chose the wrong song.

Ryan wants to know how much control she had over the arrangement, and she says that she has a lot, and left out the uptempo because it was a lot of music and improvisation and she wanted to sing the melody and the verse. 1-866-IDOLS10 or text 5710.

Next up is Chris Richardson. He's with Diana, and he's singing The Boss. Chris shares that he was starstruck by Diana Ross. Chris didn't know if she liked the song or not. He's relieved when she says she liked it very much. She enjoins him to work the audience during the song. He's got to move around to sell it.

Chris slides onto the stage, he's singing and moving around. I don't really know this song, so I can't say how this compares. He seems to be singing it well, though he is also sloppy in the lower register. My complaint with Chris is that he sings through his nose a LOT. I find that really off-putting. Chris is getting a little lost in the music on this one - I can't explain it - it's like parts of the song are swallowing him up. The guys sings in key. His runs are a little rough here and there. But there he is, singing through his nose again. He's going for high falsetto notes and sometimes it works and sometimes it does. This is probably his weakest performance for me. C.

Randy: It wasn't his favorite performance - sometimes you can sing the melody without all the runs. Half good and half bad for him.

Paula: Out of all the guys he nailed the blend of bringing the contemporary to it. He did a great job.

Simon: He thought the vocals were dreadful. What pulls him through is Chris' personality and charisma. Otherwise it would be terrible.

1-866-IDOLS11 or text 5711.

We finish the show with Jordin Sparks who will sing If We Belong Together. Diana thinks she's gorgeous. Jordin has to connect to the audience and sell the song - she has to project. It's very important. Jordin has star quality, though.

Jordin starts seated. She's singing softly. It's quite beautiful and nice actually. This is a tough song - it kind of goes all over the place and modulates and she's handling it very nicely. She's on her feet for the power chorus and she's definitely powerful. He pitch is wonderful, and she's managing not to be too screamy in the high notes. I thin she's doing a really good job on this song. She did a little bit of screamy action at the end before dropping to a sweet high falsetto. Overall an A.

Randy: He's very impressed with her. He felt Jordin made it a three girl race (I don't know that I'd go there).

Paula: You're beautiful and you can sing your heart out. She drew her breath away.

Simon: It was a little bit gooey, but he totally agreed that it was a very, very good vocal. ABsolutely she's put herself in with a shot of being in the finals of the competition.

Ryan talks about how it's fun to watch her grow on the show. She's smiling, and it's obviously genuine. She seems a like a sweet girl. 1-866-IDOLS12 or text 5712.

We get the show recap. Her are my final rankings, rearranged after seeing everyone go:

Melinda Doolittle (02)
Lakisha Jones (08)
Jordin Sparks (12)
Phil Stacey (07)
Gina Glocksen (04)
Blake Lewis (09)
Chris Sligh (03)
Brandon Rogers (01)
Stephanie Edwards (10)
Chris Richardson (11)
Haley Scarnato (06)
Sanjaya Malakar (05)

Tomorrow night one goes home. If there's justice, it will be Sanjaya. I fear Brandon could be at risk as well, though, because of his middle-of-the-pack performance and his starting first for the night. It would be ridiculous to have Brandon leave and Sanjaya stay. Come on America - get it right this week.

Labels: American Idol, Finals, Top 12

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posted by RenaRF @ 7:20 PM, ,

Oh Antonella.
Saturday, March 10, 2007

Ever wonder what fallen Idols have to look forward to? Well, it appears that Antonella's offers have nothing to do with her singing ability.

From The Post Chronicle:

"Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis invited Barba to join his company, offering her $250,000 to host an upcoming video release from the franchise.

Also, adult film purveyor SugarDVD offered Barba $500,000 to become the company's celebrity person. "We have set aside money for the right opportunity and we feel like this is it," SugarDVD said in a statement.

Girls Gone Wild and adult DVDs. Quite the prospect for Antonella who, while her personal choices (evidenced by the pictures) may be questionable, appears to be a smart girl. From MSNBC:

The photos capped a stressful week for Barba, who until recently had been studying architecture at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Her first performance on which viewers could vote, a rendition of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” was roundly panned by the judges.

My emphasis. Antonella, go back to college. Be an architect.

Labels: American Idol, Miscellaneous

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posted by RenaRF @ 11:18 AM, ,

Dave White's Recap from Semifinal Round 3
Friday, March 09, 2007

Dave White's Idol recap is up!!! A few snippets:

And Sanjaya's hair got itself ironed by someone with an even more pronounced lady-fication agenda than Sanjaya himself. “He resembles Susan Saint James,” says my husband/partner/whatever. That man is always ready with the vintage cultural observations. You kids might need to go IMDB her to know who he's talking about. She played Rock Hudson's wife on a TV show back in the '70s.

and

Seacrest is black-turtlenecked. Retaliating for this lack of neck, Simon is wearing a dude-décolletage top, exposing the moobs he's so fond of self-examining on live television. Paula has chosen to borrow Sanjaya's wig and to begin mummifying herself, starting with the silky thingwrapped tightly around her neck. But let's get on to the singin'.

MOOOBS!!! ROFLMAO. Click through for a bit more.

Haley Scarnatoused to be a gymnast. Who is Haley Scarnato, you ask? Yeah, I don't know either. I assume she's this chick standing in front of me wearing a red halter top that was recently attacked by a steroidal BeDazzler.

Heh.

Going home = Jared “Carlton” Cotter; Meadow Soprano [Antonella Barba], whose foxiness was not enough and who now has a lucrative offer from the Girls Gone Wild guy if she chooses to accept it. No lie, either. He pitched a quarter mil her way to “host” a video. Maybe he'll let her sing too; Sabrina the Pussycat Doll is gone too, and she makes the best Alien-about-to-devour-Sigourney-Weaver face of all time as she leans in for the consoling hug from lesser talent Haley Whatserface; And finally, Sundancehead. Your brows were shaped for no good reason.

And finally,

And holy s**t [my edit to keep the language consistent with my site tags], Simon and Seacrest WENT TO AFRICA TO LOOK AT SOME POOR PEOPLE. We see them sitting in chairs while little kids sing to them. Afterward (in my daydreams, anyway, where everything is better), Simon says, “That was appalling. It was like we were at some stupid school in Africa and they brought out the kids to sing to us. Ghastly. I can't sell this.”

Labels: American Idol, Dave White

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posted by RenaRF @ 8:37 PM, ,

Results Show - 3
Thursday, March 08, 2007

Allrighty. Let's get to the results. My predictions were made earlier today in another post. We'll see how I did. To review, I said it would be Sundance, Phil, Sabrina and Haley going home tonight.

I'm anxious to find out what The. Biggest. Thing. EVER. is going to be. This is it, folks. We're on to the finals with 12 lucky contestants after tonight. The remaining 16 are huddled together on the smallish stage as Ryan does his schtick. Cue intro!! We're off.

We're right to the group sing and we're reminded that its live. Stuck In The Middle With You is the groupsing. Chris S, Haley, Jared, sing fromthe rails. Blake, Melinda and Stephanie solo from center stage. Now we're to the awful "all together now!" portion. Ugh. Phil gets a nice solo, though it's short. Then Chris R sings through his nose, Gina sings edgily, Brandon stalks around. Back to horrific groupsing. Jordin gets the same solo as Phil. Sabrina and Sanjaya sing together, and you can't hear Sanjaya. Lakisha sings, then Antonella points and stalks around. Sundance sings and sings well. If only he had done that Tuesday night. And it's blissfully over. Click through to get to the rest of the recap.

Seacrest chimes in. I notice he hasn't done any "6 boys and 6 girls" thing. He alludes to The. Biggest. Thing. EVER. We also learn again that Carrie Underwood will be there performing live. 37 million votes came in this week. We meet the judges, and review the performances. We are reminded handily that the boys suck WAY worse than the girls. To underscore it, we are told that the "girls came back with a vengeance". "Girl's time", Randy calls it. Oh please - must we relive Haley's hopelessly bland performance. It is funny to hear Simon tell Antonella that he just "wish you could sing better". Exactly.

We go right to the results, apparently. Isn't this an hour show? And no commercial yet? Ryan calls Lakisha and Blake to center stage. They've both made it through to the Top 12. Duh. No surprise there.

Chris Sligh is called up next, in a weird outfit I must say. It's a kind of shortish black tie and white shirt, like he's a sloppy Mormon on on mission (he's only missing the bike to complete the visual), and that's paired with jeans. He's alone - no one else joins him. Ryan wants to know if he thinks he made it - he says he "hopes" he made it. Ryan gets dramatic - "Chris, America voted... You are... NOT going to find out until after the break." Sheesh.

After the break, Chris makes it through. Double-duh. Jordin is called to the stage. She's safe and through to the final 12. 4 down, 8 to go. No shockers. Phil. Rut roh - he's one of my outed choices tonight. Phil feels nervous. He's a little worried. Phil makes it through!! I'm SO glad to be wrong on that one. I don't think one bad week should have sunk him.

Jared is center-stage next. Jared is OUT, and they do this quickly. Hm... Interesting. I definitely thought he was better than Phil this week, but overall, it's probably a good choice. Simon admonishes him to work on his vocals, and Randy tells him to stress his originality. Jared is VERY surprised and he admits it. Hm. Cocky much? He gets to sing the song people hated enough not to vote for him again, If You Really Love Me. He should keep working on his singing - he has potential - but I agree.

Commercial time. I don't usually watch the commercials, but apparently NASCAR has a race on the rings of Saturn this year. Huh.

Time for the American Idol challenge. The answer is C. Text it to 51555. I want a cut if you win. Melinda and Brandon are called to center stage. They are the two backup singers. One is markedly better than the other so far. Both go through. I knew when they called Brandon up with Melinda that he was through.

Gina and Chris R. are now in the middle of the stage. They look sick. They are both through to the next round. Ryan tries to imply that they look really friendly with each other, when Gina's boyfriend is in the audience. Bad Ryan!

We have only six people left undecided, and three slots left. We cut to Carrie Underwood's winning moment. I wasn't a huge Carrie fan just because I'm not a fan of country, but she seems like a really nice girl and a beautiful girl, so I'm happy for her success. I really like that they gave her a best new artist Grammy as well - it somehow legitimizes American Idol, because I remember all the nasty things the "mainstream" music industry said about Idol during season 1. Take that, mainstream naysayers!! Carrie's performing now. Hate the outfit, but having said that, I will say that possibly only she could it wear it that well. I always wonder what the Idol wannabes think when a past Idol performs in front of them - do they dream big dreams? See themselves where she is? It's actually kind of cool, and probably why I like this show so much.

6 people pee their pants through another commercial break, and we're reminded abut the "surprise" yet again. I suppose I should prepare to be let down.

And we're back! 25 minutes left in the show. Three places left, 6 people sitting waiting to hear. Antonella and Stephanie are called center stage. Antonella's already crying. Stephanie looks calm. ANTONELLA!! SHE'S FREAKIN OUT!!! EXCELLENT. I'm SO glad to be wrong on this one. She bursts into tears - how can she be surprised? Lost in the shuffle is the fact that Stephanie is through to the finals. She gets snaps from me for pulling it together to sing her way her out. Let the conspiracy theories ensue, folks.

And we continue: Haley and Sabrina are center stage. Sabrina is crying. Haley looks on the verge of tears. Haley just freakin' made it through with Sabrina going home. That's just beyond wrong. Ridiculously wrong. Ryan goes to Randy - he says Sabrina should be in the Top 12. America got it wrong. Sabrina handles it like a pro. I'm pretty aggravated with this one. Well, at least I can nap or get a soda or make a snack when Haley sings next week without missing anything. And honestly, it's difficult not to really dislike Haley for taking the place of someone who deserves the spot way more than she does. For the record, I voted for Sabrina. I voted for everyone but Antonella and Haley.

That leaves us going to commercial with only Sundance and Sanjaya left. The Sabrina thing was a travesty - and between Sundance and Sanjaya, there's no question - Sanjaya has sucked the most of anyone who made the semi-finals consistently. This better go right.

All right. We're back. I'm still peeved. The Sabrina thing just pisses me off. Between she and Haley, no comparison. One's theme park and the other's talent. Here's the Big. American. Idol. News. They're going to apparently join the ONE Campaign, to expose and address extreme poverty in Africa. I am TOTALLY behind this - I'm a ONE Campaign contributor. Ryan and Simon have been to Africa, and we see the clips of their trip. It's actually really cool. This is a VERY worthy cause, folks, and I'm going to link to the ONE Campaign's website frequently and encourage you to give what you can. I'm pleased to be not let down in the slightest by this. Ryan and the judges will also visit areas in America that have extreme poverty. Randy will go to Louisiana. Paula will go throughout the Mississippi basin. Simon closes with: "At the end of the day, all of us have done very well out of this show and I'm glad we can give something back." Hear hear.

Here's how it works. April 24 & 25, they'll showcase those in need. They'll be down to the top 6, and for every vote cast the sponsors will donate money to the charity. Borat and Quincy Jones will be in the 4/25 show; so will Gwen Stefani, Pink, Annie Lenox, Bono. Wow. That's pretty cool, folks.

Now back to the results. Sanjaya and Sundance come center stage. Only one goes through. They both look pretty stoic. They're going to take a break before they tell us!! Ugh.

And we're back. Sanjaya and Sundance are still standing there. They look a little sicker. And goddamnit, goddamned America put Sanjaya through. Jesus Christ on a crutch. That's ridiculous. HOW do you take Sanjaya over Sundance?? How?? Paula's speechless by the results. It's a singing competition, folks, and Sundance has been one of the finest. Simon's only explanation is that the volume must have been turned down. Paula reiterates that it's mind-boggling. Sundance smiles and says someone has to give him a job - he's looking for a job. Another wrong choice. America, sometimes you suck.

After Sundance sings, we see the package of the people who will be leaving. Ooh interesting - I forgot that Simon said, after Sundance's audition, that "I'm going to be amazed if you don't make it to the finals". I do think Simon's face showed amazement - not so much at Sundance as at Sanjaya, I think. Haley and Sanjaya must have sold their souls - that's the ONLY explanation.

Through to the finals:

Lakisha Jones
Blake Lewis
Chris Sligh
Jordin Sparks
Phil Stacey
Melinda Doolittle
Brandon Rogers
Chris Richardson
Gina Glocksen
Stephanie Edwards
Haley Scarnato
Sanjaya Malakar

OUT:

Jared Cotter
Antonella Barba
Sabrina Sloan
Sundance Head

Labels: American Idol, Boys, Girls, Results, Round 3, Semi-Finals

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posted by RenaRF @ 7:55 PM, ,

Predictions

I'll keep this short, but I want to get in the habit of making my predictions well in advance of showtime. Barring any massive revelation that restructures how many boys and how many girls go through to the finals, I'll stay with the 2 boys and 2 girls go. I'll cover who should go, and who will go.

Boys - this week was tough to call.

Who should go: Sanjaya Malakar, Sundance Head
Who will go: Sundance Head, Phil Stacey

Girls - easy to say who should go but who will go is tough as well.

Who should go: Haley Scarnato, Antonella Barba
Who will go: Haley Scarnato, Sabrina Sloan

((sigh)) See you during the Results show!

Labels: American Idol, Boys, Girls, Predictions, Round 3, Semi-Finals

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posted by RenaRF @ 2:31 PM, ,

Handicapping American Idol 6

About me

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Top 10 - Results
Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Top 10 - Predictions

Top 10 - Performance
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Top 11 - Results Show
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Results Show Predictions, Top 11

Is it Tuesday Already? The Top 11 Perform.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Top 12 - Results Show
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Top 12 - Pre-Results Prediction

The Top 12 Perform
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Oh Antonella.
Saturday, March 10, 2007

Dave White's Recap from Semifinal Round 3
Friday, March 09, 2007

Results Show - 3
Thursday, March 08, 2007

Predictions

Handicapping American Idol 6

About me

Previous Posts

Links

Other Cool Stuff

Archives

Powered By

Top 10 - Results Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Top 10 - Predictions

Top 10 - Performance Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Top 11 - Results Show Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Results Show Predictions, Top 11

Is it Tuesday Already? The Top 11 Perform. Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Top 12 - Results Show Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Top 12 - Pre-Results Prediction

The Top 12 Perform Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Oh Antonella. Saturday, March 10, 2007

Dave White's Recap from Semifinal Round 3 Friday, March 09, 2007

Results Show - 3 Thursday, March 08, 2007

Predictions

Top 10 - Results
Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Top 10 - Performance
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Top 11 - Results Show
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Is it Tuesday Already? The Top 11 Perform.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Top 12 - Results Show
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

The Top 12 Perform
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Oh Antonella.
Saturday, March 10, 2007

Dave White's Recap from Semifinal Round 3
Friday, March 09, 2007

Results Show - 3
Thursday, March 08, 2007