Can I just start out by saying that putting Jamie Foxx on the show during rat pack week was brilliant? I love his music because he has a fascination with blending genres and time periods together, which is what the contestants have been asked to do all season. Plus, he's hilarious.
I also liked that the judges kind of dressed up for the occasion. Simon wore a black short-sleeve t-shirt! Fancy! Obviously, the producers didn't want to push him too far, since he'll be required to wear an unbuttoned shirt and (gasp) a blazer in just three short weeks at the finale.
So for the second week in a row, my favorite has performance was Kris Allen. It was unfortunate, then, that he went first because the rest of the night went slightly downhill from there... for me. Kris is right, he does not stand up vocally to the rest of the top 5. He is competing against the big voices and big personalities of Danny and Adam and against the big voice and super-awkward personality of Allison. But he knows that and makes his arrangements work around it. He doesn't have the big voice that typically carries an artist through this far in the show, but he is still able to put out a killer performance most weeks.
Joelle - I mean Allison - definitely stepped up in a week I expected her to stumble, it was much better than I expected, but I agree with Eileen that the song choice brought to mind Katherine McPhee's version in season 5 and Allison's didn't compare. At this point, I feel like she's a lost cause and, if not gone this week, she'll be gone next week.
Matt broke my heart this week. He should have shined brighter than anyone else. He should have sat down at a piano and struck out one of these standards like an old professional. I had such high hopes for him and they all came to nothing. I'm not sure what he was thinking, except that maybe the whole Justin Timberlake comparison got to his his head and he just keeps trying (unsuccessfully) to mimic him. He is in trouble and the only thing that could save him are Allison's consistent appearances in the bottom 3.
As for the other two... it's hard to describe. I enjoyed Danny's performance more than I have in weeks past and Adam Lambert's entrance was one of the most stunning things I have ever seen on the show, but I was just unimpressed. I think it goes back to my complex about not being able to support the front-runners. That's one reason I have never been able to get behind Danny. I loved Adam in the beginning, but now that everyone else does too, I think my support is starting to wain. Sad, because the producers seem to be doing everything they can to make sure these guys are the final two. I don't really have anything else to say abobut it.
Top 2
Kris
Adam
Bottom 2
Matt
Allison
Who I want to go home
Matt
Who I think will go home
Allison
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Disco Schtick
I figured Disco night was either going to be brilliant or a trainwreck. I actually thought it turned out to be brilliant. Lil aside, there wasn't a performance I didn't enjoy. Even Danny Gokey, people! I enjoyed a Danny Gokey performance! I was also happy they axed the lead-in videos and brought all the judge commentary back. If they would just get rid of Kara, they might actually end on time (and I would be much less likely to throw things at my television screen).
My favorite performance of the night, hands down, was hot boyfriend (I mean, Kris Allen). It was original, beautiful and well played. To use an overused Idol phrase: he knows exactly who he is as an artist and exactly what kind of record he will make. In addition to the following he's gathered on this show, he'll find fans among those who listen to John Mayer, Gavin Degraw, John McLaughlin, and Jack Johnson. I have officially given into him and can no longer tell myself that he is just sailing through on his insane hotness or luck. He ought to be with Adam in the finale, not Danny.
But I did really like Danny's performance this week. No, that's not entirely right. I really liked Danny's song choice this week. The performance was a little off for me, as it alwyas is with Danny, but I think that, because I love that song so much, I had to enjoy the performance more than I otherwise would. Eileen is right, though. I think he peaked weeks ago and becomes less interesting every week. That's just MY OPINION, though. I know most of you love him.
Danny's biggest problem is that he sounds the same every week. That's why, if you put them head to head, Adam Lambert should win. You may not always agree with his song choices or performance choices, but he has shown, week after week, that he can take any style of music and turn it into a unique and interesting performance. Now Kris does that, too, but you know what Kris' songs are going to sounds like every week. They are going to be stripped down- acoustic ballads. Adam surprises you. Let's be honest here, people. We all expected Adam Lambert to come out on Disco week dressed like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever dancing his little gay heart out. But he didn't. He showed restraint and surprised us. The performance did feel a little too musical theater to me, but I never cease to be amazed by his creativity.
Middle of the pack for me was Allison. I liked that she did something different with the arrangement and slowed it down. I liked the choices she made in the song. Unfortunately, it was still too fast to be touching and too slow to be terribly interesting. I hope she doesn't get put into the bottom by people over-voting because Anoop and Matt got negative feedback.
I did like Matt and Anoop last night, but if i'm being honest both of them are being outshined by the frontrunners at this point so I am going to have to be prepared to let one (or both) of them go. Sad, but at least all of my Idol boyfriends made it pretty far. I would also like to say, since i don't comment on Wednesday Idol, that I honestly believe that save was completely wasted on Matt Giraud last week. He will either go home this week anyway (so it was completely useless) or someone like Allison will go home instead which will make me even more upset. I have enjoyed watching him and Anoop this season, but two weeks from now if either one is still around, I will be very upset.
And then there was Lil. I didn't think it was as bad as the judges thought, but it was boring and uninteresting. I'm glad she had fun because she ought to go home.
Bottom 3
Anoop
Lil
Matt or Allison
Who I want to go home
Lil
Anoop
Who I think will go home
Lil
Matt or Allison
My favorite performance of the night, hands down, was hot boyfriend (I mean, Kris Allen). It was original, beautiful and well played. To use an overused Idol phrase: he knows exactly who he is as an artist and exactly what kind of record he will make. In addition to the following he's gathered on this show, he'll find fans among those who listen to John Mayer, Gavin Degraw, John McLaughlin, and Jack Johnson. I have officially given into him and can no longer tell myself that he is just sailing through on his insane hotness or luck. He ought to be with Adam in the finale, not Danny.
But I did really like Danny's performance this week. No, that's not entirely right. I really liked Danny's song choice this week. The performance was a little off for me, as it alwyas is with Danny, but I think that, because I love that song so much, I had to enjoy the performance more than I otherwise would. Eileen is right, though. I think he peaked weeks ago and becomes less interesting every week. That's just MY OPINION, though. I know most of you love him.
Danny's biggest problem is that he sounds the same every week. That's why, if you put them head to head, Adam Lambert should win. You may not always agree with his song choices or performance choices, but he has shown, week after week, that he can take any style of music and turn it into a unique and interesting performance. Now Kris does that, too, but you know what Kris' songs are going to sounds like every week. They are going to be stripped down- acoustic ballads. Adam surprises you. Let's be honest here, people. We all expected Adam Lambert to come out on Disco week dressed like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever dancing his little gay heart out. But he didn't. He showed restraint and surprised us. The performance did feel a little too musical theater to me, but I never cease to be amazed by his creativity.
Middle of the pack for me was Allison. I liked that she did something different with the arrangement and slowed it down. I liked the choices she made in the song. Unfortunately, it was still too fast to be touching and too slow to be terribly interesting. I hope she doesn't get put into the bottom by people over-voting because Anoop and Matt got negative feedback.
I did like Matt and Anoop last night, but if i'm being honest both of them are being outshined by the frontrunners at this point so I am going to have to be prepared to let one (or both) of them go. Sad, but at least all of my Idol boyfriends made it pretty far. I would also like to say, since i don't comment on Wednesday Idol, that I honestly believe that save was completely wasted on Matt Giraud last week. He will either go home this week anyway (so it was completely useless) or someone like Allison will go home instead which will make me even more upset. I have enjoyed watching him and Anoop this season, but two weeks from now if either one is still around, I will be very upset.
And then there was Lil. I didn't think it was as bad as the judges thought, but it was boring and uninteresting. I'm glad she had fun because she ought to go home.
Bottom 3
Anoop
Lil
Matt or Allison
Who I want to go home
Lil
Anoop
Who I think will go home
Lil
Matt or Allison
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Songs From the Most Boring Movies Ever...
To quote my favorite Dawg... last night was pretty weird for me. I didn't mind only hearing from two judges, I just wish the only two judges to speak were Simon and Randy because they are the only ones whose thoughts I ever care to hear.
Movie themes is an Idol standard and usually one I love but something was off for me. Lil aside, these 7 singers have been really strong and consistent in giving great vocal performances. Last night was the first time that I really saw some of them start to fall apart. It felt as if they spent too much time practicing the performance and not enough time actually singing their songs. I was disappointed.
The only person whose performance I can say I truly enjoyed was Anoop. He picked a good song and sang it well. I would have thought him a likely contender to go home this week no matter what he did, but I agree with Eileen, I think he bought himself another week with that performance and I would call it his best yet. He and Adam were the only ones, from where I was sitting, who weren't plagued with pitch problems all night.
So Adam... When I played his performance back and closed my eyes, I loved it. When I watched it through the first time I felt like it was too much, too over the top. The vocal was outstanding, as always, but the performance was... i hardly have words to describe it. I realize that after last week he had to change it up and do a faster tempo song and it's not that I didn't appreciate, on an artistic level, what he did. I just, I don't know, it was too much. But I still love him.
Everyone else, though... not so much. Kris and Matt come in 3rd and 4th for me, respectively, because although their performances were, as the Dawg says "pitchy", I appreciated what they were trying to do artistically with the songs. They both picked great songs and stylized them in a way that suited them perfectly. But the vocals fell apart for each of them at some point in the song.
Allison and Danny both also picked bad songs and neither sang them well. It's hard for me to explain what didn't connect with Allison, I'm usually a fan, but something was off for me. Danny... well I just don't care for him, as we all know, and this week's performance was so unremarkable that I can't even give him props for deserving other people's praise.
As for Lil, while I appreciate what she tried to do with "The Rose", she should have made the entire song gospel style. But even if she had, it still wouldn't have worked for her because she just doesn't have the talent to compete with the other six. Now that she doesn't have Meghan and Scott to hide behind, that is more obvious than ever. But Simon was mean to her, so that might buy her some pity votes this week to spare her.
My Bottom Three
Lil
Danny
Allison
Predicted Bottom Three
Lil
Matt
Anoop
Who I want to go Home
Lil
Who I think will go Home
Matt :(
Movie themes is an Idol standard and usually one I love but something was off for me. Lil aside, these 7 singers have been really strong and consistent in giving great vocal performances. Last night was the first time that I really saw some of them start to fall apart. It felt as if they spent too much time practicing the performance and not enough time actually singing their songs. I was disappointed.
The only person whose performance I can say I truly enjoyed was Anoop. He picked a good song and sang it well. I would have thought him a likely contender to go home this week no matter what he did, but I agree with Eileen, I think he bought himself another week with that performance and I would call it his best yet. He and Adam were the only ones, from where I was sitting, who weren't plagued with pitch problems all night.
So Adam... When I played his performance back and closed my eyes, I loved it. When I watched it through the first time I felt like it was too much, too over the top. The vocal was outstanding, as always, but the performance was... i hardly have words to describe it. I realize that after last week he had to change it up and do a faster tempo song and it's not that I didn't appreciate, on an artistic level, what he did. I just, I don't know, it was too much. But I still love him.
Everyone else, though... not so much. Kris and Matt come in 3rd and 4th for me, respectively, because although their performances were, as the Dawg says "pitchy", I appreciated what they were trying to do artistically with the songs. They both picked great songs and stylized them in a way that suited them perfectly. But the vocals fell apart for each of them at some point in the song.
Allison and Danny both also picked bad songs and neither sang them well. It's hard for me to explain what didn't connect with Allison, I'm usually a fan, but something was off for me. Danny... well I just don't care for him, as we all know, and this week's performance was so unremarkable that I can't even give him props for deserving other people's praise.
As for Lil, while I appreciate what she tried to do with "The Rose", she should have made the entire song gospel style. But even if she had, it still wouldn't have worked for her because she just doesn't have the talent to compete with the other six. Now that she doesn't have Meghan and Scott to hide behind, that is more obvious than ever. But Simon was mean to her, so that might buy her some pity votes this week to spare her.
My Bottom Three
Lil
Danny
Allison
Predicted Bottom Three
Lil
Matt
Anoop
Who I want to go Home
Lil
Who I think will go Home
Matt :(
Saturday, April 11, 2009
All-Time Top 10
In our Idol discussions last week, my friend Matt referenced a non-existent "Matt Peters Top 10 Idol Performances Ever" list. That got me thinking about what my top 10 performances would be and, because I have had some rare free time this week, I have decided to work up my own best and worst lists complete (when possible) with YouTube links.
All-Time Top 5 Idol Most Memorable (Not in a Good Way) Performances
Okay so before we get into the 10 best, here is the judging criteria I used. I started with a list of about 18 performances that were memorable to me. In cutting songs off the list, I tried to keep it to one performance per contestant. For example, I would also liked to have included "Over the Rainbow" by Jason Castro and "Always be my Baby" by David Cook, but since they already appeared on the list, those performances were axed. Also, because I have watched the show since the beginning, where I could I tried to include as many seasons of the show as possible. On the original list were "Hemorrhage" by Chris Daughtry and "A Song for You" by Elliot Yamin, which I technically liked better than Guarini and Doolittle, but in the interest of representing as many of the Idol seasons as possible, Guarini and Doolittlemade it. David Archuletta also got axed because of this... poor kid. Season 2 is the only one not represented because I didn't want to hear people complain that I put Clay Aiken on my Top 10 list, lol.
All-Time Top 10 Idol Performances
- I know he was creepy and kind of looked like Sideshow Bob, but his voice was like velvet and he was my very first American Idol boyfriend. I believe he also recorded a studio version of this song that I had and listened to over and over again back in my illegal downloading days.
- Oh Melinda. So sweet, so shy, so talented. I still believe Jordin Sparks deserved to win that season of Idol, but Melinda should have been there with her in the finale over Blake Lewis.
- One of my favorite songs of all time, I was floored that a 16 year old girl could pull it off without making it sound like it came right off a Kidz Bop album.
- Hated her with a passion the entire season. Still do. Love this song, it still gives me goosebumps every time I hear her (not others) perform it.
- I know this is not usually people's favorite Carrie Idol performance, but I put it on my list because this was the first time I took Carrie Underwood seriously and really understood why every loved her so much. Wasn't on that bandwagon before. Still never voted for her, but at least I understood. FYI - Allison's rendition of this song makes my top 5 list for Season 8.
- Oh Adam, how do I love thee? This performance was heartbreakingly chilling. Obviously, as with any clips from this season, the quality of this video is wretched.
- Oh Katherine, how do I hate thee? She was a whiny, bitchy princess who thought she walked on water. I couldn't stand her. But she was remarkably talented, arguably the best (technical) female singer the show has ever seen, and this performance gave me chills at the time and still gives me chills now.
- This pick is somewhat controversial. Most people would put "Hello" or "Always be my Baby" or "Billie Jean" in place as their David Cook pick but I loved this performance because Cook was a contestant I paid absolutely no attention to until he sang this song. It started a love affair that carried him through the entire season in my opinion.
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Bo Bice is still the only contestant to perform an entire song A Capella on the live shows. This one took place in the Top 3 week of his season and, in my opinion, sealed his fate in the final 2. I remember being mesmerized and when I sat down to make this list, this was the first performance to pop into my head.
- While Adam Lambert is certainly making a run at the title, Jason Castro is my favorite Idol ever. He was original, bringing a style to Idol that it had never seen before. His awkward interviews were almost uncomfortable to watch but were also hilarious. Also, he had gorgeous eyes and a smile that made your knees weak, lol. Was he the best technical singer? Certainly not. But what he lacked in vocal talent he made up for in originality (in my opinion). This has always been one of my favorite songs and I think he is the only Idol that could have done it justice in a way that I could get on board with.
So, what did you think? I expect that everyone else's top 10 lists would look dramatically different, ha ha. If you get some time, put some thought into your list. Wikipedia is very helpful for jogging your memory :)
Also, I just backdate posted my thoughts/predictions for this week since internet issues prevented me from doing so earlier this week. If you wanted to be added to the email group that gets them Wednesday morning, let me know. (That's mostly for you, Carol, lol)
Happy Easter, everyone!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Idol Boyfriends
There seems to have been some confusion about my Idol boyfriends this season, so I thought I would explain myself so everyone understands why I have so many.
- Anoop is future husband. He's quirky, geeky and kind-of-strangely adorable. He takes himself way too seriously, which reflects a work ethic that will make him successful, but still has a sense of humor. He's stable and steady. He's also wicked smaht. Perfect type for marrying.
- Kris is hot boyfriend. He is, well, hot. He's also sweet but not really intelligent or interesting enough to keep my attention for more than a short while. He would be a perfect candidate for the middle-aged cougar phase.
- Matt is secret boyfriend. Something about him is ridiculously and understatedly sexy without his being that hot at all. It might be that he has a starving artist feel about him. He has to be a secret because, if future husband finds out, he would be offended that there is no "I understand why you cheated on me because this dude is ridiculously hott" excuse to use.
- Adam is gay boyfriend. We hang out, go shopping and check out guys together. He would likely encourage the cougar phase but would give unheeded advice to stay away from Matt. (Because Adam, too, is offended that Matt is not as hot as Kris.)
Top 8
DANNY
1980 - "Stand By Me"
So I know that everybody loves Danny and that I am going to hear a lot of griping about this, but he is completely unremarkable to me at this point. Yes, he can sing... very well. But everything he does sounds the same to me. Every week's performance is just a copy of the last but with different words. I still think he'll end up in the final two, but in my opinion he's a one trick pony, a novelty that I am so over.
KRIS
1985 - "All She Wants to do is Dance"
This was the week I had been predicting will come for Kris. He had to change it up this time and do something fast, there was no getting around that this week. But in doing so he reminded us why we didn't pay any attention to him in the beginning of the show. Hopefully, his prior success will carry him through so he can come back next week with another stripped-down ballad to blow us all away.
LIL
1984 - "What's Love Got to do with It"
I'm going to pull a Paula here and start with: she looked great last night. I am loving the wig, it has made such a difference. She actually looks like a pop star now. The judges (Paula, of all people) nailed my biggest issue with Lil when she used the word 'karaoke.' That's what Lil comes across as because she doesn't take any personal creativity to her performances. She has been in my bottom three for awhile now, but not America's, so apparently someones voting for her. I think, though, that might change this week.
ANOOP
1986 - "True Colors"
He, like Kris, really shines singing ballads. He has a lot of control and the vocal was spot on. I still love his geek-tastic khakis and his gi-normous eyebrows, but as a performer he does not stack up to Kris, Adam, Matt, Danny and Allison. I still would like to see Scott and Lil go home first, but if Noop Dawg ousts one of the others to get into the top five, I will be very disappointed.
SCOTT
1985 - "The Search is Over"
As I had predicted, Scott took Meghan Joy's place as the votefortheworst.com endorsed competitor. When I saw him standing on stage with an electric guitar, I figured he must be trying really hard to get the endorsement. This guy literally wants to be Billy Joel so bad that he decided to have Kris teach him four chords so he could stand on stage pretending to play the electric guitar. He pulled it off about as well as Billy Joel does but at least Billy Joel can sing well enough to distract you from noticing that he can't play the guitar. Scott can't sing and can't play the guitar. Therefore he is useless and needs to exit the show immediately. Showed us his punk side... wtf
ALLISON
1992 - "I Can't Make you Love Me"
I am an Allison fan. I really hope she rises above the fate of the girl rockers that have come before her and actually makes it into the final three or four. My problem with Allison this week is that she picked a song that, in my opinion, is taboo. I know I'm alone in this, but I don't think they should pick songs that prior contestants had a 'defining moment' with. Kimberly Locke had a competition changing moment with this song in Season 2 and it should have been retired after that. That same season, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" should have been retired because we wouldn't even know who Clay Aiken is without it. Season 5 should have been the last time we heard "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" because no one will ever perform it better than Katherine McPhee did in top 3 week. (Side note, also off limits should be previous idol winners' finale songs.) Anyway, point is, she did a great job but I wish she had picked a different song.
MATT
1985 - "Part Time Lover"
Glad to see him back in proper form. This was a very strange but simultaneously perfect song choice for him. He did a great job with it but I am still worried we'll see him in the bottom three this week because I don't think he, just like Allison, has a really strong fan base to carry him through. I hope I'm wrong because I think he deserves a top 5 spot.
ADAM
1982 - "Mad World"
As much as I loved the chuck bass hair, I was happy to see the emo bangs come back. I really just feel like he is performing on another level than everyone else. Every week it's like he is the veteran coming back to do a guest performance while everyone else competes with each other. I'm still not sure he's actually going to win, but I think he ought to. Love, love, love him.
MY TOP 3
Adam
Matt
Allison
MY BOTTOM 3
Danny
Scott
Lil
WHO I WANT TO GO HOME
Scott
PREDICTED BOTTOM 3
Scott
Anoop
Lil
WHO I THINK WILL GO HOME
Anoop
1980 - "Stand By Me"
So I know that everybody loves Danny and that I am going to hear a lot of griping about this, but he is completely unremarkable to me at this point. Yes, he can sing... very well. But everything he does sounds the same to me. Every week's performance is just a copy of the last but with different words. I still think he'll end up in the final two, but in my opinion he's a one trick pony, a novelty that I am so over.
KRIS
1985 - "All She Wants to do is Dance"
This was the week I had been predicting will come for Kris. He had to change it up this time and do something fast, there was no getting around that this week. But in doing so he reminded us why we didn't pay any attention to him in the beginning of the show. Hopefully, his prior success will carry him through so he can come back next week with another stripped-down ballad to blow us all away.
LIL
1984 - "What's Love Got to do with It"
I'm going to pull a Paula here and start with: she looked great last night. I am loving the wig, it has made such a difference. She actually looks like a pop star now. The judges (Paula, of all people) nailed my biggest issue with Lil when she used the word 'karaoke.' That's what Lil comes across as because she doesn't take any personal creativity to her performances. She has been in my bottom three for awhile now, but not America's, so apparently someones voting for her. I think, though, that might change this week.
ANOOP
1986 - "True Colors"
He, like Kris, really shines singing ballads. He has a lot of control and the vocal was spot on. I still love his geek-tastic khakis and his gi-normous eyebrows, but as a performer he does not stack up to Kris, Adam, Matt, Danny and Allison. I still would like to see Scott and Lil go home first, but if Noop Dawg ousts one of the others to get into the top five, I will be very disappointed.
SCOTT
1985 - "The Search is Over"
As I had predicted, Scott took Meghan Joy's place as the votefortheworst.com endorsed competitor. When I saw him standing on stage with an electric guitar, I figured he must be trying really hard to get the endorsement. This guy literally wants to be Billy Joel so bad that he decided to have Kris teach him four chords so he could stand on stage pretending to play the electric guitar. He pulled it off about as well as Billy Joel does but at least Billy Joel can sing well enough to distract you from noticing that he can't play the guitar. Scott can't sing and can't play the guitar. Therefore he is useless and needs to exit the show immediately. Showed us his punk side... wtf
ALLISON
1992 - "I Can't Make you Love Me"
I am an Allison fan. I really hope she rises above the fate of the girl rockers that have come before her and actually makes it into the final three or four. My problem with Allison this week is that she picked a song that, in my opinion, is taboo. I know I'm alone in this, but I don't think they should pick songs that prior contestants had a 'defining moment' with. Kimberly Locke had a competition changing moment with this song in Season 2 and it should have been retired after that. That same season, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" should have been retired because we wouldn't even know who Clay Aiken is without it. Season 5 should have been the last time we heard "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" because no one will ever perform it better than Katherine McPhee did in top 3 week. (Side note, also off limits should be previous idol winners' finale songs.) Anyway, point is, she did a great job but I wish she had picked a different song.
MATT
1985 - "Part Time Lover"
Glad to see him back in proper form. This was a very strange but simultaneously perfect song choice for him. He did a great job with it but I am still worried we'll see him in the bottom three this week because I don't think he, just like Allison, has a really strong fan base to carry him through. I hope I'm wrong because I think he deserves a top 5 spot.
ADAM
1982 - "Mad World"
As much as I loved the chuck bass hair, I was happy to see the emo bangs come back. I really just feel like he is performing on another level than everyone else. Every week it's like he is the veteran coming back to do a guest performance while everyone else competes with each other. I'm still not sure he's actually going to win, but I think he ought to. Love, love, love him.
MY TOP 3
Adam
Matt
Allison
MY BOTTOM 3
Danny
Scott
Lil
WHO I WANT TO GO HOME
Scott
PREDICTED BOTTOM 3
Scott
Anoop
Lil
WHO I THINK WILL GO HOME
Anoop
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