Finale - Jordin wins. Yawn.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
You'll notice that I'm not blogging the entire finale. Just. Too. Much. I'll announce the winner, though. I anticipate it will be Jordin.
High points so far - Kelly Clarkson. GREAT song. Dig her.
TAYLOR HICKS!! Absolutely my favorite American Idol! GREAT performance.
Thought the Sgt. Pepper thing was weird. Taylor's part was pretty cool. Carrie wins the award for absolutely the best looking American Idol. The BEE AAH TTLES medly was nice. They're running WAY over time, though. It's 10pm and no winner yet.
And the winner IS...
JORDIN SPARKS
Labels: American Idol, Finale
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posted by RenaRF @ 8:44 PM,
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Top 2 - E.g., The FINALS!!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
All RIGHT. I can't profess to being too excited. Melinda was my girl and I'm deeply unhappy that she was booted last week. But I've stuck with the show this long so I'm seeing it through. They just showed the Kodak - if you look WAY into the toppiest topmost balcony, that's where I sat for last year's final competition between Kat an Taylor. MAN was THAT vibe different. Anyone have any news on whether Taylor is performing this year??
Ryan talks about the Kodak being packed (duh). It's the "Battle of the Sexes" version of American Idol, apparently. We hang with the judges, who are dressed up. Randy's outfit is weird. Paula's hair is weird. Simon looks good in a suit-sans-tie. I also dig Ryan's suit. Paula broke her nose? Does that explain why her face looks weird? WAY weird. She tripped over her dog. Ryan says "so the bitch is OK". Oooh. So much for family-friendly. More after the click! Click it!
The songwriting contest winners came out of Seattle which is where, ironically, both Blake and Jordin auditioned. Newsflash: it was raining in Seattle during the auditions. We flash back to the good, bad and ugly of Seattle auditions. We see the two of them in line for their very first auditions. They look WAY different now. It's actually a pretty nice retrospective. I don't know, folks - without hearing a note sung, I'm leaning Blake. I'm not a Jordin-hater. But I do respect Blake's risky choices. Exsqueeze me? Baking powder? Did Ryan just say Jordin's "consistent performances" got her where she is today? My ass. She ranged from ear-bleedingly, off-keyedly horrid to brilliant with nary a gasp in between. I thought she sucked way more than she rocked.
With that, we're to the first commercial.
And we're back. We have a new Jordin/Blake coin thingy to choose who sings first or second. Blake unwisely chose to go first. Hm. This all happened last week. We're back live at the Kodak. They have three songs tonight - their favorite, something they did before, and the winning songwriting song (they each do this).
Blake Lewis starts with You Give Love a Bad Name. He starts off beat-boxing. This was not, I thought, one of his better performances, but it wasn't a bad one either. The drummer is on stage with him. He starts out and stays in tune. The arrangement of this song is growing on me. He's shouting a little in the chorus and pulling just ever-so-slightly flat. It's minor, but it's there. There's a LOT of beat-boxing in this tune. Not as much singing. But it's a good overall performance - nothing socks-knockingly wonderful, and his mic technique is causing his voice to fade in an out. Overall, just ok. Not great, not bad.
Randy: 10 out of 10 on beat boxing. Singing just ok.
Paula: She thinks Blake outdid himself. She gives him a 10+. She must have broken her ears, not her nose.
Simon: Not the best singer, but definitely the best performance. The singing was a bit flat and he was shouting, but he doesn't think it matters. It was his best performance three or four weeks ago and he was right to do it again.
He's with Ryan. They review the reviews. 1-866-IDOLS01 or 03 or 05 or text to 5701.
Jordin Sparks is doing Christina Aguilera's Fighter (a new song). She starts out stalking around. I don't think I know this song. It's rocky R&B. She starts out quite strong. She goes to a bit of shouting but the chorus comes back down to where she can actually sing an not scream. The song itself is pretty frenetic. I have no concept of how popular it might be. The second chorus is very high and she's doing the shouty thing again and it sounds a bit out of control. I think this song is WAY harder than Blake's first one was, but it honestly hurts to listen to Jordin sometimes. From a singing perspective, though, better than Blake, but he edges her with a decent vocal and a better performance. Round 1 Blake.
Randy: He found it a very interesting choice tonight. He thinks it's the great entertainer against the great singer (what - Melinda's here?).
Paula: Best. Finale. Ever. She was stellar.
Simon: He likes the choice of a younger song. He thought the vocals were shrieky in the middle (I agree) and he calls round 1 to Blake. Interesting.
Randy gives performance to Blake and vocals to Jordin. 1-866-IDOLS02 or 04 or 06 for Jordin or text to 5702.
Commercial time.
And we're BACK. We get a little Blake retrospective. He wanted drums as a kid. He never got them. So he beat boxed. His father and he resemble each other. Blake will be doing Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved for his second song. We haven't heard that before. It's a more subdued, seated Blake this time around. He sounds good in the first verse. I think anything Maroon 5 suits his voice. He's generally in tune, but we're going to the chorus. He cops a falsetto for the chorus, and it's passable. He's kind of pinching it, frankly - tightening his throat so that although he hits the note, it sounds shrill in the falsetto. He's through the bridge and back to the verse. It was pretty good. Back to the second chorus - same complaint with the falsetto. But this WAS a good SINGING performance for Blake.
Randy: Great song, very nice vocal. Very nice.
Paula: Really got into the ease of the song. He was relaxed.
Simon: It was good, it was safe - it wasn't as good as the first performance and he wouldn't have chosen that song in the final because he doesn't think it makes that much of an impact. Hm. I do think it's wildly popular.
Ryan's with Blake. 1-866-IDOLS01 or 03 or 05 or text to 5701.
Another commercial break.
Now we get the Jordin retrospective. We see her singing at 12 in braces. We meet her parents. We learn this is her dream. She's be singing Martina McBride's A Broken Wing. This was, for me, the strongest performance she had this season. I also think it was long enough ago that it's a good choice. You know something I like about Jordin? She's quite modest in what she chooses to wear. It's refreshing. She's doing the song well. She's in tune through the first verse and chorus, but she IS trending shouty in the chorus. I think it's just what she does. It does hurt, but at least she's in tune. Overall very good.
Randy: He loved her since day 1. He believes she's the most talented 17 year old singer he's seen. He loved it.
Paula: Thought she sang it great. Excellent.
Simon: "Now THAT was good."
She's with Ryan. 1-866-IDOLS02 or 04 or 06 for Jordin or text to 5702.
Gotta give Round 2 to Jordin.
We're back after commercial for the final performances from each. We meet the songwriters who won the songwriting competition. They look very - normal. Their song is This Is My Now.
Blake starts out seated on the big hayuge diamond vision screen. Of course, we don't know this song. The beginning is pretty Disney Films for me. The first verse is good vocally - not too challenging. We're in the chorus, and honestly, I think it sounds like every other schlocky AI inaugural song. That's not Blake's fault. But his vocal is REALLY REALLY off in parts of this song. It's like he got lost in the band. This song SO doesn't suit him. I wonder if he puked when he heard it. Honestly - I like Blake - but I want him to stop singing this song. This vocal is not good. Not a good way to end it. The song gets an F and Blake's vocal barely a C.
Randy: Randy knows it doesn't suit him. He thought it was all right but not great.
Paula: She thought he did a great job.
Simon: He thought it was all a little odd. He thought Blake looked frustrated. He thinks we have to judge Blake primarily on the first two performances.
Honestly. Blake looked like someone killed his dog and I would have to agree - he got screwed by that song. Highly unfair. It's like someone giving me a Reba McIntyre tune to sing (which I hate) and then basing my whole career on just IT. Poor Blake. 1-866-IDOLS01 or 03 or 05 or text to 5701.
OMG. I have to listen to that awful song again. Jordin is doing This Is My Now this time around. She's clearly changed the key and this clearly suits her more so than it suited Blake. She's shaky to me at the beginning, though. She's screaming her way through what passes for the chorus. Vocally it's better than Blake's version, but I can't say it's great by any means. This plays right into her screaming propensity. She hits a super power note at the end, though - TOTAL money note, and then screams a higher than high note. Ack. She looks pretty though, and starts to cry at the end of the song, which really annoys me. Round 3 Jordin, but I'll vote for Blake.
Randy: He thinks it's great. It's about her and finding the superstar.
Paula: Paula cries. For some reason Jordin's parents are wonderful to Paula. Jordin should be proud.
Simon: Last week Simon didn't think she was good enough to make the finals but he was wrong. She wiped the floor with Blake on that song.
She's with Ryan. 1-866-IDOLS02 or 04 or 06 for Jordin or text to 5702.
Ryan talks about how we can GET THAT SONG at American Idol.com. Personally I want to ram a spiked shoe through the eyeballs of the guys who wrote it. So I don't think I"m buying it.
Jordin sang better than Blake. But yawn to Jordin. Blake performed better than Jordin. But that last song - my God. But because they hosed him so totally, I'll throw votes his way.
Labels: American Idol, Final 2, Finals, Performance
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posted by RenaRF @ 7:20 PM,
,
There WILL Be a Finale Recap Tonight.
I'll be able to start at about 8:30ish EST. Last one!! (thank goodness!!)
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posted by RenaRF @ 6:08 PM,
,
Sorry sorry sorry
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
I've just gotten home. And in about eight hours I need to be in an airport boarding a plane. I'm so sorry - I won't get to the recap until probably Friday, which will be moot, but I'll do it for posterity's sake. :-(
Ok - even though I've been critical of this season I'm still a junkie and so I'm packing up my laptop case and watching JUST the performances. Generally, here's where I rank them for the night:
Melinda Doolittle
Jordin Sparks
Blake Lewis
The distance between Melinda and Jordin is respectable. The distance between Jordin and Blake is HUGE.
Low point: Blake singing Roxanne. Major pitch and timing problems.
High point: Melinda singing Nutbush. DAYAM.
Quickie recap:
JORDIN
Wishing on a Star - Overall very good vocally.
She Works Hard - Screechy, a bit imprecise.
I Who Have Nothing - Another great song for Jordin, I think her best of the night.
BLAKE
Roxanne - Worst song of the night. Out of tune and time.
This Love - Great choice for Blake and performed very well.
Robin Thicke Tune - Didn't know it, but liked it as much as the second song.
MELINDA
I Believe - Very very good. Vocally wonderful.
Nutbush - Performance of the night. Showed personality and range and edge.
I'm a Woman - Loved it, and it showed her range as an artist.
Jordin's numbers: 1-866-IDOLS01, 04, 07 or text to 5701
Blake's numbers: 1-866-IDOLS02, 05, 08 or text to 5702
Melinda's numbers: 1-866-IDOLS03, 06, 09 or text to 5703
Labels: American Idol
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posted by RenaRF @ 8:10 PM,
,
Top 4 - Results
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Am I a bad person if I'm supremely bummed out that this is an hour-long show? Good grief. At least I had the good sense to start watching at 9:18 EST so that I can catch up by fast-forwarding through the commercials using my nifty DVR.
Imagine... being cut when you're THIS CLOSE. Yawn. The four are sitting there on one couch. Barry Gibb will perform live. Pink is on the show tonight. The judges are there, too. Shocker. Simon and Paula have switched places and Paula massaged her nipples, pretending to be Simon. Yawn. Ryan wants to know if tonight will be a shocker - Randy doesn't know. Paula thinks having two songs helped some of them, which, by omission, means that for some it didn't. Ryan then kisses Simon's butt a bit and while I'm sure it was intended to be cute, it wasn't.
We are now the recap-the-performances portion of the show so I'll pause and add tags. Follow me over the click for the rest of the results show recap with ... Results!!
Ok - so what is it with Randy referring to every song as a "joint"? I find it annoying. Perhaps I'm just in a bad mood. Hearing Jordin literally SCREAM off-key notes in the recap of her second song isn't helping elevate that mood, either. I hate also that they seem to harsh on Melinda for the sake of pimping Jordin, whose second song last night was literally unforgivable. I'm rambling - sorry.
We're back in the Farmer's Market, getting "America's Take" on the performances. Only... we're initially getting a review of Barry Gibb. He is praised as an all-around nice guy. Now the Jordin-love starts with the Farmer's Market people. Oh good - now we're in some Melinda pimpage. And then Blake is the first one slammed when asked "who screwed up last night?" One guy votes for Paula. Now we get a Lakisha lover on the air, and then another! Whew. So much fun for one 8-minute period. How can I stand it? We're to our first commercial break.
And we're back! And we're pimping the American Idols Live tour! I went last year, only because of Taylor. I find it laughable that they said it's your "chance to see the Idols up close and personal". I saw it at the MCI Center and they were like specks on stage. I thought the whole thing was beyond hokey. Taylor was the only high point and I had to sit through way too much schmaltz to get that. But that's me. Funny that they're pimping Sanjaya so much.
And now to Pink, which I will fast-forward through. Sorry - I can't handle these random performances. After that and a commercial break, we're back with the Ford Commercial. Is it me, or are the commercials not as good this season as they were last year? This week's is set to You Really Got Me. NOT a song that lends itself to a group sing. ((sigh)) We're off to the American Idol question. The answer is B. You can text the correct answer, B, to 51555 or go to www.americanidol.com and vote for free. The answer is B.
Ryan's back with the judges, and they're mumbling. Now the Top 4 will do a Tribute to Barry Gibb. Oh man - the entire first part of that verse Melinda's mic wasn't on! You could hear her, but only through the stage monitor system. It keeps fading in and fading out. I typically HATE these group sings, but the harmonies in this one are pretty nice. Jordin steps forward. She gets a lot less screaming than I thought she would... hm. Now it's Lakisha, with the like "I don't wanna hear your goodbye..." Prophetic? Foreshadowey??! Now it's Blake's turn, sort of. He steps forward, but it's not really a solo - oh wait - it is. Another obscure song for Blake. Huh. And with that, it's over. HEY - BILL MAHER IS THERE!! Cool. I love Bill Maher. Commercial time again.
Ryan returns, seated, with the Idols. Lakisha talks about the prospect of going home: she hopes she won't cry or forget the words if she does. Jordin perkily talks about the challenges of doing two songs. Blake talks about getting slammed by Simon. Lakisha talks about why she was uncomfortable last night - she had on the wrong clothes and there was a key change and stuff. He talks to Melinda about the judges wanting her to stand out more. Her goal was to be consistent, so it was a wake-up call because she realized she has to bring more to it.
Now we bore me further with a clip (vignette?) of the Idols' trip to see the Fantastic Four. And of course, the Fantastic Four themselves are in the studio. I don't get the Jessica Alba thing. She's cute, but i don't get the Jessica love. Heh - we learn Ryan likes blondes. Now we learn more about the Idols themselves.
Melinda is an only child. So is Blake and so is Lakisha. Melinda and Lakisha came from single mom households. Jordin's family is normal. Lakisha had a nappy fro as a baby. Melinda mastered the puffy "afro puff". Jordin couldn't pay attention. Blake was kicked out of choir for being rowdy. Melinda never ruffled feathers. Blake's parents have supported him. Jordin just has a singing gift - no one in her family can sing. Lakisha has been through a lot. Melinda dreams big. Blake can't believe he's there. Jordin can't either.
Now - the results. After the break. They come back and all four are literally huddled together on the stage. They won't unhuddle. They review each of the judges' comments. First Lakisha then Melinda. Next Blake and then Jordin - just like the order.
Jordin - SAFE
JESUS CHRIST ON A CRUTCH. Now we stop and go to the Barry Gibb thing. But before that, they're looking for the best undiscovered band in America?? Huh? What will the band do? NOW Barry Gibb. He was good. Another commercial.
All right. Three on stage - Melinda, Blake and Lakisha. Jordin is already seated. Melinda is SAFE - so much for my bottom two prediction. I'm happy to be wrong!!
Melinda - SAFE
Lakisha and Blake are left on stage. Randy doesn't know how it will go. Simon doesn't know, but he'll guess - he thinks Lakisha's going to go home. Paula blathers some crap and almost starts to cry when asked to give advice to the two of them. Over 45 million votes.
Blake - SAFE
Lakisha - VOTED OFF
I was right on that prediction. We see her journey - I'd never seen her initial audition. She had a ton of cornrows! It's sad to watch the voted off Idol watch their exit tape. Aww. :-( I'm not happy about this one, but I'm not surprised, either. She's crying, poor thing, and so is everyone else. Lakisha sings them out, and I'll see everyone next week!
Labels: American Idol, Finals, Results, Top 4
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posted by RenaRF @ 8:01 PM,
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Top 4 - Predictions
I'll do this quickly.
Who should be in the bottom two:
Jordin
Blake
Who will be in the bottom two:
Lakisha
Melinda
Who should be going home:
Jordin
Who will be going home:
Lakisha
Labels: American Idol, Finals, Predictions, Top 4
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posted by RenaRF @ 6:48 PM,
,
Top 4 Perform!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
I've been working hard all day, and have not had dinner. I MUST go get some food, eat it, and then blog. I won't be too late, but I'll be late. --36 minute interlude -- All right! I'm fed and I'm back and ready to blog.
36 million Americans are deciding their fate! Three girls and only one guy!! Only two weeks left until the Finale!! WHO WILL IT BE??! And with that, we begin. You'd think a cure for cancer or world peace was on the table from the introduction. I see Taylor's still safely back in the electronic intro. Check. Ryan takes the stage. He's unshaven again - it must be because of the pressure he references. Paula looks quite put together and Simon's wearing white. The word's on it's head. Tonight is Barry Gibb night, and the Idols will have TWO songs tonight. Digression: In seventh grade I was CERTAIN I'd lose my virginity to Barry Gibb. How embarrassing, and now the blogging world knows. Follow over the click for the rest of the live recap!
We do the honorific to the very Barry Gibb. He bought Johnny Cash's house in the hills of (I think) Tennessee - the house burned to the ground a week ago or so. Now the Idols are with the very Barry. He still has his hair, he blissfully hasn't altered his face, and I think he looks great. I dig the gray hair. He thinks the Idols sound great together. They'll be doing ONLY BeeGee's tunes. I would love to know who's doing How Can You Mend... blah blah.
Melinda Doolittleis up first. She chose Love You Inside Out. Barry was confused at first, because it was all done in falsetto originally. Even in rehearsal she sounds great, and the very Barry admits that it worked for him. Now here's Melinda. I love the top but I don't like the jeans so much. She sounds great. The song is totally identifiable and even though she brings something different to it, she is doing grat. She's definitely not singing it in falsetto. She gets to improvise in the second chorus, and I have to say - she's owning this. You could hear her recording this song today. A!
Randy: He thinks it will be an interesting night. It was a solid performance - it was good. He wasn't jumping up and down.
Paula: It's hard to critique her because she's always vocally so good. It's consistent.
Simon: He thinks he wants incredible, and it wasn't incredible. He thought it was more of a backing vocalist performance. (???) He thinks she's better than that.
Melinda's with Ryan. 1-866-IDOLS01 or 05 or text to 5701. We're at commercial.
And we're back! Ryan's futzing with the judges. Haley's in the audience (bleah). Randy pimps AT&T/Cingular. And we're off to Blake Lewis. He chose You Should Be Dancing. OMG - it sounds like he's going to sing it all in falsetto. The very Barry thinks his beat boxing suits the song, and he digs it. So here we are. The vocal starts rough right of the gate but he corrects and gets back on key. He's dancing around. He beat boxes. I can't distinguish his voice from that of the background singers in the falsetto parts of the course. The second verse is better - it's in key. He beat boxes through the horn parts and then does vocal scratching and it is pretty good - just not actual singing. He's back to the third chorus, and I still can't tell him from the background vocalists. Not great. B-.
Randy: Tonight the beat boxing didn't work for him. It made it corny for him.
Paula: She thought it started shaky - pitch was off - but the beat boxing shows true musicianship but it wasn't his best night.
Simon: He'll give Blake unique, but he thought it was absolutely terrible, that performance.
1-866-IDOLS02 or 06 or text to 5702. Gotta say - I don't know how you can compare Blake's performance to Melinda's before them. They're worlds apart.
We run right to Lakisha Jones. The very Barry tells us she chose Stayin' Alive. From her rehearsal, it sounds like she's slowing it down. He thinks it's difficult for a girl to do something a guy did in a high falsetto, but he likes what she does with it. We open and Lakisha struts out. I like the look better this week. Her vocal is strong out of the gate. She takes the first chorus in a lower middle register. I hear one tiny pitch issue but otherwise it's good. She's in the second verse. This is technically a difficult song to perform. She goes for a power note and then improvises and back to the well-known chorus. I keep waiting for her to totally break it loose but she doesn't. It was good, though. A-.
Randy: It was weird for him. These songs don't need to be changed, and it didn't work for him. She tried to do too much with it.
Paula: She felt taking the tempo down kind of brought the audience down.
Simon: No kiss from Simon tonight. He's sorry, but she's back to the shouting again. It was verging on scary in parts, so the second song has to be better.
1-866-IDOLS03 or 07 or text to 5703.
Ah. Not only is Jordin Sparks in the pimp spot, but she gets a viewer question. Sheesh. Q: What have you learned about yourself? A: That she can handle a lot more than she thought she could. We learn her grades are good. She's singing To Love Somebody. Among my FAVORITE BeeGee's tune. The very Barry LOVED her. She starts out. Vocally she sounds good, but her expression doesn't match the song - this is mournful, not triumphant. That's a nit, but it's my nit and I'll pick it all I want. She gets just a shade pitchy in the lower parts but she's very good in the other parts. She's substantially less screamy until the very end - just one teeny shouty moment. Overall very good, but this is a gut-wrenching tune, and I didn't get that from her. A.
Randy: That was the best vocal so far in an overall rough night.
Paula: She thinks Jordin looks beautiful and it was the best vocal so far.
Simon: Best song choice, best performance so far.
It's time to re-annoint the annointed one, apparently. 1-866-IDOLS04 or 08 or text to 5704. I didn't like it better than Melinda's, though, but it was close. I just prefer the richness in Melinda's voice, I guess. Break time.
Melinda gets a viewer question. Q: What is the first tape or CD that she ever bought. A: It was a tape of Michael Jackson's Bad. Her second choice is my FAVORITE - How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. Barry's mad because she removed the word "lose" from the song!! I think it's funny, and he eventually agrees. She's changed to a dress. The first verse and chorus are solid. They sound good - no "Melinda Moment" yet, though. Her phrasing and interpretation is beautiful for a beautiful song, I will say. In the second chorus she starts with a Moment, but then it abruptly goes to a power closing. The only thing I will say I that it strays from the original substantially. I think it works, and it shows off her voice. Another solid performance - although the ending was a little show-bandy. A.
Randy: Much better. Great song, great vocal, great ending. Resident pro.
Paula: No doubt a beautiful vocal - reminds her of Stephanie Mills. She wants her to throw technique away and surprise her (then you get Jordin last week).
Simon: The second half of the song put her in the semi-finals.
1-866-IDOLS01 or 05, or text to 5701.
Blake's doing This Is Where I Came In and he loved it because he thought it was a great song. I don't know this song. He's beat boxing again, and he's making it contemporary. It wasn't a hit, but the very Barry thinks it has the ability to be one still. He vocal starts out good - in tune. It sounds reminiscent of Jamiroquai, only better than his performance of Virtual Insanity. It DOES sound contemporary to me, because I don't know the song. Vocally it's good, but poor Blake is nowhere near the ability of the remaining girls. He hits a few clunker notes past halfway, ut he goes to the chorus and recovers and he beat boxes a bit. Another bad note. Ugh. Overall just ok. B-.
Randy: Thought it was better, but not jumping up and down. He doesn't have to beat box on everything.
Paula: She thinks he's the contemporary rebel in the competition. She liked hearing him sing it. She said he was on key (!!!).
Simon: He thought the song was completely tuneless and he hasn't had a good night tonight. He can't say these have been good performances, and it was a weird choice of song.
1-866-IDOLS02 or 06 or text to 5702. Gotta say - I think his fan base will support him, but I don't think he picked UP votes tonight with either performance. The second song was way obscure, and I think that's risky.
And we're back. Is that JUDGE JUDY? Oh my God - it IS Judge Judy! How... odd. We meet Simon's mom but Judge Judy steals Simon's mom's intro. How... rude. We get the songwriting competition pimp. Lakisha is singing Run To Me for her second song. Another beautiful song. The very Barry references how she had to change the key in the song. She's n a dress and the girls are right there with her. She starts off fine - the verse is good. She goes to the chorus and it's good, but a little powerful for the intent of the song. She takes the lower harmony in the first chorus - strange. She's in the second verse, and she takes the key change right before the second chorus and she belts out a power note. She takes the whole chorus up and strong. It sounds good if it doesn't fit the song. Vocally I thought it was quite good, and I believed her. A.
Randy: Much better than the first - it was good.
Paula: She's still a champ.
Simon: Better than the first, still wasn't great - thinks she and Blake are vulnerable tonight.
1-866-IDOLS03 or 07 or text 5703.
Ok. We're with Jordin, closing the show. She's singing Woman In Love which Barbara Streisand sang. Her interpretation is different, and the very Barry thinks Jordin will be one of the greatest female recording artists ever. She starts out in an actual gown. The first verse is good - one kind of questionable note. It was good until she went right before the chorus which I thought was kind of borderline. In the chorus she hits the important notes, but I have to say, she drops off in pitch and precision in the non-power portions. And frankly, I think she's screaming the high notes. I really didn't enjoy that much - she struggled noticeably in parts. Just a B.
Randy: Not her best - pitchy all the way through.
Paula: Jordin is beautiful. It was not... (the best?)
Simon: He thought it was old-fashioned and very pageanty, although he loved the song.
1-866-IDOLS04 or 08 or text 5704. Honestly - while I didn't care for Blake's song that much, I think in the second round, Jordin was the worst. My biggest complaint about her all along is that she's totally inconsistent, and she proved it again tonight. First, quite wonderful - second, screamed and painful.
Here's where I rank them so far:
Round 1:
Melinda Doolittle
Jordin Sparks
Lakisha Jones
Blake Lewis
Round 2:
Melinda Doolittle
Lakisha Jones
Blake Lewis
Jordin Sparks
Leaving us with a final ranking of:
Melinda Doolittle
Lakisha Jones
Jordin Sparks
Blake Lewis
Honestly though - I don't know if the last song by Jordin hurt her more than my ranking reflected. Overall, for me, the night was just meh.
Labels: American Idol, Finals, Performance, Top 4
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posted by RenaRF @ 6:57 PM,
,
In Case You Missed It...
Thursday, May 03, 2007
I thought this performance of "Up To The Mountain" by Kelly Clarkson during Idol Gives Back was just STELLAR. The legendary Jeff Beck wasn't bad, either. ;-)
Labels: American Idol, Miscellaneous
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posted by RenaRF @ 2:51 PM,
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Top 6 - Results
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Hello readers. I am feeling pretty crappy. I think I'll probably skip the majority of the commentary (stop celebrating, will you? Have some respect) and just go to the SAFE/NOT SAFE tally. Then, I'm going to bed.
Wow - SHOCKER! The judges still look like... the judges! What's up with Ryan's hair? It's uncharacteristically flat. I'm kind of tired of the loving-Blake-fest. He took a risk and it was interesting, but dude - the vocals just weren't that spectacular. And I have to agree with Jimmy - regardless of the theme or the song, Blake always has a Spandau Ballet moment. We get the recaps - yawn. It's that they don't do it well, I'm just really tired. Yawn with me over the click for more recappery.
Must we be back at the Farmer's Market? Is that necessary? Ryan's jacket is really awful. I thought it was funny that the random people busted on Jordin HARD. She's a sweet girl, but the last two weeks were painfully bad, regardless of what the judges say. That's why it's funny that she's talking now about "having her bad week" because frankly, I think she's had more than a few weeks that weren't very good. This Simon Lakisha thing is disturbing.
OMG. Reuben Studdard. He's pimping Idol Gives Back! I find that really... odd.
I did NOT like Robin Thicke. Was that a joke?
Ah... Ford commercial time. It's kind of creepy. They let Blake be the uber-creepy dude instead of Phil, though. Results time.
Melinda
Phil
Lakisha
All standing at center stage. Melinda's first and she's SAFE. Phil and Lakisha stand there now. Phil and Lakisha get their reviews. Lakisha is SAFE. PHIL is going HOME. That's so wrong. He was without question the best male voice in the competition this year. Phil also seems to be a genuinely nice person. I'd have lost Jordin in a heartbeat over Phil.
I'm so pissed off I'm skipping the rest of the show and heading to the remainder of the results (I DVRd it). Wait - pause rewind - that was Taylor!! I'm glad to see him pimp IGB, and he was sincere when he spoke. I miss Taylor and last season!
So apparently Jordin's safe and I missed it while fast-forwarding. Dunno - sure wish she was gone and not Phil. At any rate, that leaves Blake and Phil. They are dragged to center stage, and we learn they are BEST FRIENDS (BFF BABEEE!). Blake and Chris are giggling with each other as they get their recaps. Blake is SAFE and Chris is going HOME. So I got one of the my two predictions right.
All right. I feel like poo, so goodnight, and I'll be posting some YouTube later in teh week.
Labels: American Idol, Finals, Results, Top 6
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posted by RenaRF @ 8:26 PM,
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Top 6 - Predictions
I'm just a skosh under the weather today so this and the results show recap will be a bit brief.
For the bottom three, I'll put it at Phil, Chris, and Lakisha.
Who SHOULD go are Jordin and Chris.
Who WILL go are Chris and Lakisha.
See you for the results!
Labels: American Idol, Finals, Predictions, Top 6
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posted by RenaRF @ 6:57 PM,
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Top 6 Perform - But I'll be late with the recap.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Well, my slavedriving husband nee bandleader is cracking the whip on rehearsals again tonight. I had hoped we would get through everything quickly, but no luck. So, recap willt be late but it will be tonight!
Ok. 9:30pm Eastern and I'm sitting down to watch. Here we go! It's six again this week, but we'll be eliminating two tomorrow night. Tonight is Bon Jovi night, and somehow since we're eliminating two, Ryan states that the pressure is doubled (not sure I get the math on that). AH - Taylor is BACK in the AI intro (he was gone for at least a week, hat tip to MJ's readers for catching that). We see Gina Glocksen in the audience. Ryan forgot to fall onto a razor today. Last week raised almost $70M. We re-meet the judges for the upteenth time. Simon's sporting a tan. Follow me over the click for the rest of the recap.
We get the Bon Jovi tribute package. Wow - did they have some HAIR in the 80s! I had hair like that at one point. Gotta say - I like John better with the flatter hair. The Idols meet John and his keyboard dude, and we learn his kids love American Idol. John thinks the singers have to bring a sincerity in their delivery - they have to make it their own. John looks good, by the way. Better looking as he gets older, no doubt.
Phil Stacey is in the bad first slot. He'll sing Blaze of Glory. Probably a good choice - John was knocked out by him. Phil starts out in the audience. No hat tonight, but his jacket is WAY cool. He starts out flawlessly. His vocal is really really good. He looks comfortable - I think the performance aspect of this song, so far, is as good as the singing of it. And let me tell you - this is a TOUGH song to sing, male or female. I just hope the lyrics aren't prophetic! He gets a solid A.
Randy: He's happy for Phil. It was his best performance ever on the show. It was the bomb.
Paula: Best opening they've had all season long.
Simon: He thought it was ok (lots of booing). He didn't hear authenticity - in the middle he thought he was like a bad actor playing a role. He doesn't think he's done enough to last next week.
I'm not feeling Simon here. I thought it was absolutely magnificent. 1-866-IDOLS01 or 07 or text 5701.
Commercial, then Jordin.
Back - we see Gina. Jordin Sparks is nervous meeting John Bon Jovi. She's singing Living on a Prayer - we think that perhaps John's not all that sold on Jordin. Hm. He's finding other notes for her, and that's a good idea. She has to sound good with whatever she does. Jordin's got rocker hair tonight. She's on stage with two low-slung guitar players. She has some fun red streaks in her hair. I thought the first verse was ok - I'm not sure I like the changes. She's doing what she does, though - she's pulling just flat on some of the notes in the lower register. She's much better in the chorus, I'll say that absolutely. She performs this well with the other two dudes on stage - she works them well. But again - she pulls flat and it makes me crazy. She took a key change and now she's screaming the chorus. Overall, I'm completely underwhelmed by this. C.
Randy: This was interesting for him - he knows it was tough for her. The verses were rough, he said. She agrees. It wasn't her best.
Paula: She gives credit because Jordin went for it.
Simon: He didn't like the look (but Randy did). He thought the singing was out of control, verging on shrieking at times (finally, Simon gives her a fair review). It was "terrible" he says. I agree.
Jordin was nervous about rock week. She's glad she was here for it. 1-866-IDOLS02 or 08 or text to 5702.
Back from commercial, and we're getting ready for Lakisha Jones. She makes a joke about the camera getting her "slim side". Hah. She gets a question about what kind of training she had - none. She learned in church. She is now with John, and she admits she's never listened to him. She's singing This Ain't a Love Song. John explains the sentiment to her. John really liked her. She starts out behind the mic stand. I don't know this song, and I have to say - this look she's got is not the best for her. The verse goes really really low but she handles it better (e.g., in tune) than Jordin. I think the chorus undersells her natural ability but she's in tune and she seems more engaged from a performance perspective this week. She takes a key change and she gets to go to a power note, and one that fits with the song. Overall, I thought this was very good. A-.
Randy: He thinks she's back this week. He thought the start was a bit rough, but she sold him midway through to the end.
Paula: She thought it was good.
Simon: He could actually kiss her after that (and she comes down and gets a kiss on the lips from Simon! Ha!). "You were so good", he tells her. She rose to the challenge and absolutely nailed it. And Simon likes her lips (oooh - little creepy eyeplay there).
I liked her, but I liked Phil better. 1-866-IDOLS03 or 09 or text to 5703.
Back from commercial, and Ryan's with the judges. Blake Lewis is up next, singing You Give Love a Bad Name. He's with John, who thinks Blaks is doing "an adventurous rendition". John tells the camera that Blake has to sell a version of a song that a lot of people know and "don't want messed with" (people, John? Or you?). Blake knows he's taking a risk on it. John's not sold - he thinks Blake is rolling the dice. Blake dyed his hair, and he starts off best boxing. The percussionist is on stage with Blake. He's definitely changed the feel of the song. He beat boxes in this one. His vocal is ok - it's a little flat in spots. He plays the chorus pretty straight and true to the original. Now we're into the beat-boxing/percussion call-response. I actually kind of liked that. It's not singing, but he's smart - because this genre and Bon Jovi's song do NOT suit his voice and never will. He gets a B+ (gotta knock him down on the vocal - it was only ok) for knowing his strengths and weaknesses and giving a performance that maximized the former and minimized the latter.
Randy: Blake gets the award for the most original version. He thought it was hot.
Paula: She acknowledges the risk - she thought it was amazing.
Simon: He thinks half of the people hated it and half loved it - he thought it was the right thing to do.
1-866-IDOLS04 or 10 or text to 5704.
Ugh. We're back with Chris Richardson. I can hear the nasal now on those high notes - ugh. Chris doesn't like being called "Justin Timberlake" by Ryan. He gets a viewer question - what does he do before he walks out on the stage? Just have fun. Chris is doing Dead or Alive. I can tell from the rehearsal that I'm going to hate it. Chris didn't know the words in rehearsal and he was appropriately contrite. Chris starts out. The very beginning of the first verse is is decent. I think this is REALLY high, frankly, and he's pulling just flat on the highest notes. I don't like his phrasing and interpretation, but so far it's not nasal. This is a ballsy song for him to do, because even he mentioned Chris Daughtry doing it last season, and he is not nearly as good as Chris D. was. But he's not hideously awful and he's pretty much sticking to the original version. He's shouty at the end, and he does NOT find the "blues" note Jon BJ referenced, but I liked him slightly better than Jordin this week. Only slightly. B-
Randy: He thought Chris did his thing. He liked it.
Paula: She liked it, too. Good job, she says.
Simon: He thinks Chris did as much as he could possibly do with the song, but he's not sure if Chris will survive another week.
1-866-IDOLS05 or 11 or text to 5705.
And we close the show with a pro talking to pro. Melinda Doolittle is with John. She admits right out that she's bad at rock. John says he can teach her. She's singing Have a Nice Day. John knew Melinda would bring soul to the song - he said she nailed it. She's on stage with another low-slung guitar player. She starts out and I have to say - she's discovered her edge in this first verse. She sounds a little reminiscent of Tina Turner at the beginning. She's got TONS of attitude during this song and it fits the song perfectly. Need I say that her vocal is absolutely perfect? Not a bad note yet in the competition. This song, again, is not different but I really admire the way she brought rock to herself so she could credibly pull this off. She gets, again, an A.
Randy: Great performance again.
Paula: She loved it.
Simon: He thought it was like a young Tina Turner and vocally it was in a different league than everyone else tonight (duh).
1-866-IDOLS06 or 12 or text 5706.
OMG. MUST I have my American Idol experience ruined by an address from George Bush, a man who has done NOTHING to honor his commitments made at the G-8 summit to end extreme poverty in Africa? What a hypocrite. Ooops - did I say that out loud?
Here are my final rankings:
Melinda Doolittle
Phil Stacey
Lakisha Jones
Blake Lewis
Chris Richardson
Jordin Sparks
Let me say - I thought Melinda, Phil and Lakisha were WAY better vocally than anyone else tonight. Blake gets pulled up from where his vocal should have put him by his creativity and performance skills. Chris did better than I thought he would, though it's still substantially below the other four imo. And Jordin? I don't get it. Last week, I thought, was flat through the verse and screamed in the chorus. This week was flat in the verse, shrieky in the chorus, and totally uncontrolled. She had a GREAT night during country week - but she is WAY oversold by the judges as far as I'm concerned. Just my $.02, and it's my blog, so I can say what I want. ;-) See you tomorrow for predictions and results, and thanks for reading!
Labels: American Idol, Finals, Performance, Top 6
What will I say next? Click and find out.
posted by RenaRF @ 6:47 PM,
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