American Idol: Top 10 Girls Perform

Short Blog again tonight folks as I am splitting time with LOST! Only one more week of this 3 Days of Idol and then we can get into a normal groove for 11 weeks! Anyway, tonight's performances were okay. Some big stand-outs, some pretty gut-wrenching performances. But, like the guys, the Top 12 seats are starting to fill up and there's just a couple up for grabs.

Did real-time blogging again tonight. Here's my notes:

1. Gina Glocksen - Dedicating to boyfriend Joel - "Alone" - Well, when you do a song that is the most memorable Carrie Underwood performance from Season 4 (oh yes, i'll reference youtube clips now!), you're bound to be compared. Verdict? NOT even close. And very flat. But probably not the worst we'll hear tonight, though. She should be safe.
   
   Judges: Randy says AIIGHT, Paula references Carrie but still says blown away. Simon says Gina has an identity crisis. Needs to have edgier look to stay in the competition.
2. Alaina Alexander - Dedicating to Mom - "Not Ready to Make Nice" (Dixie Chicks) - Well any Idol fans from south of the Mason-Dixon line won't be happy with this choice. They hate their Dixie Chicks these days! But you know what? I don't think the northern folk were too thrilled with it either. Alaina just doesn't have the voice for this competition. Seemed to be off key the whole performance.
   
   Judges: Randy - 1st couple bars were good, then pitchy. Paula - Pitch was a bit off. Simon - You Ran out of Steam
   
   Me: Not looking good for Alaina. This week plus last week's lackluster performance all comes together and sounds like a big BOOT coming her way!
3. Lakisha Jones -Dedicating to Grandmother, Ruth -"Midnight Train to Georgia" Okay, I was able to tolerate Lakisha a bit more this week. She was a little more toned down and I could appreciate the voice and the skills. But how about the Lakisha Fanclub in the background acting like background singers...finger pointing and all? Good times...
   
   Judges: Randy - That was Hot! Paula - YOU'RE Lakisha WOO WOO! Simon - loves the singer, hates the outfit and wants her to "Act like a star" great...he's egging on the Diva'tude! That is the thing I hate the MOST!
   
4. Melinda Doolittle - Dedicating to her 2 friends (Gayles) - "My Funny Valentine" There is no doubt that she has a fantastic voice, sense of timing, and just the skills. Even with a boring song that even Jon Stevens couldn't make exciting...she somehow did (was joking about the Jon Stevens thing! He made even the easiest songs to sing unbearable!)
   
   Judges: 3 Thumbs up! Simon likes how she doesn't realize how good she is, which is a breathe of fresh air to the egos with no talent out there today.
   
   Me: Top 12 Lock, no doubt.
5. Antonella Barba - Dedicating to brother - "Because You Loved Me" Celine's a tough act to pull off and I just don't think she was up to the challenge. Stage Presence was bad, and while she hit the notes, they didn't sound very lovely! It just doesn't match up to the other contestants in this competition.
   
   Judges: Randy and Simon came down hard on her. Paula said it was better than last week.
   
   Antonella: Simon was wrong about Jennifer Hudson. Simon: We put Jennifer Hudson through...america voted her out.
   
   Me: Okay, everyone has probably heard about the infamous racy pitcures by now. Well, they kicked out Frenchie Davis in season 2 for similar issues. I think Idol is planning to let Antonella work her own way out of the competition. While the performance wasn't great, it seemed like the judges were told to be overly critical to Antonella to speed up her exit. Or at least to EXPLAIN why she'd be getting the boot. I am a firm believer that Idol will say America voted off a contestant even if they get higher votes! It's all about the integrity of the show! But with this performance plus Antonella's Jennifer Hudson comments, no one will question if she leaves the show Thursday night. (I love conspiracy theories, don't you?)
6. Jordin Sparks - Dedicating to younger brother - "My Reflection" - Jordin takes on Miss Aguilera. How did she do? For the most part...pretty decent. Some rough notes here and there, but she just has that Idol Appeal to her and I'm just surprised that I like this girl considering her young age of 17! Crying during the performance helps a bit to win votes too!
   
   Judges: Mostly 3 thumbs up. Simon said it wasn't her best but she is just likable. Paula finally used the word INFECTIOUS this season. Should I start a tally?
   
7. Stephanie Edwards - Dedicating to Mom and Dad - "Dangerously in Love" Beyonce - I did say she had a Beyonce sound to her voice last week. And now, we know why. she wants to be her! Seemed like she was a little behind the music. There is no debating she has a good voice, but I kinda lost her in the middle of the performance and never found myself interested again. While she may make the top 12, she is being out-performed by some heavier talent in this competition. She's going to have to fight to get in there.
   
   Judges: Randy started off saying it was great but then told her not to copy Beyonce. Paula and Simon raved.
   
   Me: Apparently, we were watching a different show! But I did agree with Randy a bit. She's safe this week though.
8. Leslie Hunt - Dedicating to Grandfather - "I gig! I'm so cool!" "Feelin Good" - Okay, here is the exact reason why A.J. Tabaldo had no place singing this song! It's a woman's song!! Not to say that Leslie was any good. Cause I really don't think she was. And the scatting? Seriously? Boring....snoring. And is anyone else scared by her crazy eyes? Remember that runaway bride from a few years ago? Remember those crazy eyes?
   
   Judges: So-So Comments. Paula liked. Loved Simon saying how the scatting sounds like Paula's critiques. Paula's response? I like Ice Cream!
   
   Me: I agree with Simon. And Paula, I like Ice Cream too but I try to limit by sugar intake!
9. Haley Scarnato -Dedicating to fiance' - "Queen of the Night" Well you can't deny she has a marketable appearance! She definitely can't match up to her competition in the voice department. But with a good song choice, she might be able to hold her own. Unfortunately, I didn't like the song.
   
   Judges: Randy - more background parts than lead in that song. Paula - Better than last week. Simon - A for Effort, but vulnerable tonight. When singing Whitney, you will be compared.
10. Sabrina Sloan - Dedicating to Grandmother - "He Fills Me Up" Well, she did Whitney too, but seemed to pull it off better than Haley. Then again, her voice is in a different league than Haley's. She pretty much locked her top 12 spot last week. This performance, while not as good as last week, keeps her in the running.
    
    Judges: 3 Thumbs up. Simon mentions Whitney thing again and prefers last week.

The Breakdown

Top 12 Locks: Lakisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks, Sabrina Sloan
Should be Safe: Gina Glocksen
Judges Thought was good but I disagree: Stephanie Edwards
Worst Performances: Alaina Alexander, Antonella Barba, Haley Scarnato, Leslie Hunt

The Picks

Elimination Picks: Antonella Barba, Alaina Alexander Wildcard: Leslie Hunt

Only thing going against the Barba pick was that she was high on the dialidol.com list last week. So, if it actually is based on votes, then she might be safe. But I really think the producers don't want this issue following the show around all season. If she's not out this week, she'll be gone next week.

Okay that's it for tonight! Share your thoughts! See you tomorrow for the results!

American Idol - Top 10 Guys - One Week Makes a Difference

Well we're back folks! Exactly one week since we thought that the show had absolutely no hope this year. What else happened in the past week? Well the girls showed up the guys and gave a little hope back. Then, the weekend provided yet another IDOL scandal (Antonella Barba and some racy photographs) and another Idol Award Winner (Congrats Jennifer Hudson on the Oscar!). Just another week in the life of American Idol. But we're here today to break down the 10 male performances from this week. And, I must say, it was MUCH better this week on a whole. That doesn't mean some kids didn't stink up the joint.

This week was all about dedications. Sometimes the dedications worked for the contestants. More often than not, the dedication caused a backlash by the judges on song choice. A few sidestepped this issue with dedicating the PERFORMANCE instead of the actual SONG and it seemed to work out for them. You'll see in my notes below! Speaking of which, even though my real-time blogging failed me last week, I did type up my notes real-time again as I was watching. You can see my thoughts as I watched the show, and then we'll gather back to tally up some final results!

1. Phil Stacey - Dedicates to Navy Band Southeast - "I Ain't Missin You" - Dedicates to the Navy then tells them he isn't missing them? Ahhh Good times. Started off kinda slow, but then he kicked into gear. Phil has the problem of not being very bad, but also not fantastic.
   Judges: Randy and Paula loved. Simon: So- So "Unoriginal voice, but popular"
   
2. Jared Cotter - Dedicates to Mom and Dad (awwww) - "Let's Get It On" - Jared is attempting to "channel Marvin Gaye"....fantastic! He's still pointing his fingers....arrghh! Drives me crazy! Seems like he's trying way too hard to be sexy. If it doesn't come naturally, it aint gonna come dude. I guess he thought once Justin Timberlake brought Sexy back, that everyone automatically had it from there on out? His voice was okay though, but the performance didn't do much for me (of course, that could be because I'm straight!)
   
   Judges: Randy says it was aigght. (Also, Did I catch a McSteamy in there? Wrong show dawg!) Paula says "You don't have to 'PUSH,' No pun intended..."(paula, paula paula.....)Simon says Very Corny and Cabaret. And Ryan adds " And the things we've all done to that song...memories." And thus, the Ryan and Paula cross the line on what is acceptable on a family show!
   
3. A.J. Tabaldo - Dedicates to Mom and Dad - "Feeling Good" - Seriously, A.J. just put on an evening gown and let's move on! What self-respecting guy swings his arms around like that? Great Voice, but way too womanly for me.
   
   Judges: 3 thumbs up. Simon states that he did the right thing with the song choice. Showed personality and stood out.
   
   Me: I just don't get it. Simon hates cabaret, and that song couldn't have been MORE cabaret if it tried! I thought it was pretty bad and based on other performances he might be on the chopping block.
4. Sanjaya Malakar - Dedicates to grandfather and wears his wedding ring (interesting) - "Steppin Out" - Decent voice, less boring than last week, but seems like he's missing some kind of emotional requirement to his performances.
   
   Judges: 3 Thumbs down. Randy relates to a bad high school talent show. Paula has a problem putting a good spin on it. Simon doesn't get the song choice.
   
   Me: Here is where the dedication backfired. He actually performed a song that his Grandfather would've wanted to hear him perform. May work for a sympathy vote, but didn't work with America. And based on the other performances, this could be a lesson learned too late for Sanjaya.
5. Chris Sligh - Dedicates to wife Sarah (woaaa how did he get her?? oh wait he just said the same thing) - "Trouble" Alright....well this is the Chris I think we wanted to see! The song worked well with the pre-performance dedication, not to mention him singing to his wife in the crowd. Great stuff. Chris is back in the good graces of America and the top 12 is looking inevitable!
   
   Judges: 3 Thumbs up. This is the Chris we all wanted to see.
6. Nick Pedro - Dedicates to girlfriend Kaitlin - "Fever" - I Loved the quick shots of the drummer being so cool. Nick definitely has a distinct voice. I still say it's not powerful enough. But Paula is nodding along to the song, so something tells me he's okay for now.
   
   Judges: Randy says kinda nice, Paula says she loves his tone, Simon thought it was good but he lacks charisma. Oh yeah, and he liked the drummer too! NIIIIICE!
   
   Sidenote: The "Vote for Pedro" comment was a nice shout out to Napoleon Dynamite last week and was funny. Now, it's just OLD!
7. Blake Lewis - Dedicates to Parents - "Virtual Insanity" - Once again Blake is performing pretty well out there. He threw a pseudo beat box into it. Definitely can hear some pitch problems though on some of the big notes. Not as good as last week, but far from the worst tonight.
   
   Judges: Randy loved the Falsetto Joint, scatting, beatboxing etc... Paula says he's making smart chocies and explains to American what UNIQUE means (yes Paula, that means no one else is like him! thanks!) Simon was disappointed citing that only the middle of the performance was original.
   
   Me: I agree with Simon a bit. But Blake's uniqueness has pretty much ensured himself a top 12 spot. And he deserves it. We don't want to have to sit through these boring people belting out old soul songs year after year. We want something new. Blake represents a NEW SOUND for Idol. He and his "Vocal Entoundry?" will be here for awhile.
8. Brandon Rogers - Dedicates to Grandmother - "Time After Time" - I always have been a big fan of the Cyndi Lauper song. Actually just added it to my itunes collection recently (oh leave me alone! I'm straight!) Well, he definitely stayed in tune. May have been a bit boring, though.
   
   Judges: Randy and Simon didn't feel the Wowness and were bored. Paula felt Brandon's heart and was begging for the crowd to support her in her disdain for Simon. Biggest thing we learned was that Simon loves puppies!
   
   Me: Well, here is where the DEDICATION backfired. Sure, I like the song, but man did Brandon turn in a snoozer. He claims he was trying to show how much the song meant to him and his Grandmother. I can see where the contestants may have gotten confused with the dedications, but this is at the stage of the game where you can pick whatever song you want (as long as Idol has the rights). You gotta pick something the crowd will remember! I had Brandon pegged for a top 12 spot by default, I may have to rethink things.
9. Chris Richardson - Dedicates to Grandma "Spunky Big Mama" - "Geek in the Pink" - Never heard of the song, but I have heard of Jason Mraz. This tune worked for Chris. It was fresh, current and appealed to the crowd. Mostly was on key, but the personality and delivery hid any bad notes for the most part. He did sorta whisper some of the melody, but again, performance won out. He, along with Blake, represent unique styles in the competition this year (stuff we haven't seen on idol before) and because of that, they are both are bona fide top 12 contenders.
   
   Judges: Best tonight by a mile. And Paula had fun with arts and crafts making little pink hearts. awwwww!
   
   Me: Here's an example where Chris dedicated the performance to his Grandmother but then just picked a song that really showcased himself. And it paid off for him. He even stated his grandmother would've preferred a country tune!
   
10. Sundance Head - Dedicates to Son Levi. (Sundance brings the tears cause he misses his son. Yeah Sundance win those votes!) - "Mustang Sally" - Alright Sundance! He finally brought it! He was upbeat, soulful and hit some very nice and memorable high notes. Not much to the song Mustang Sally, but he still brought the SUNDANCE feel to it. Seems like a step in the right direction.
    
    Judges: Randy and Paula LOVED it. Simon was glad we got the old Sundance Back but is looking for more.
    
    Me: Based on the results of dialidol.com last week (which seems to have proven itself pretty accurate), America WANTS to root for this guy. He was the top vote getter of the guys. And with this performance being much better than last week's, he seems like a safe bet for the top 12 at this point.

So definitely some better performances tonight. It's coming down to simple math here now. There are some people that are just going to stick around and others that are not. Here's how I see it.

Earned their Top 12 Spots tonight and/or last week: Chris Sligh, Chris Richardson, Blake Lewis, Sundance Head

Should be safe tonight: Phil Stacey

Forgettable performances: Jared Cotter, Brandon Rogers, Nick Pedro

Judges say was good, but I disagree: A.J. Tabaldo

Worst Performance of the Night: Sanjaya Malakar

Elimination Picks: Sanjaya Malakar, Brandon Rogers Wildcard: Nick Pedro

Well, I really wanted to give Brandon that spot in the top 12. But tonight was pretty rough. And yes, it's not always the worst 2 performances that get sent packing. But Brandon has had 2 rough performances in a row now. So has Sanjaya. I think Nick is right on the edge of getting the boot too. I just don't think he has a powerful enough voice for the long haul. But time will tell.

So if my calculations are correct, 4 are a lock for the 6 male spots. Which means 2 spots are open and 4 will be vying for them next week. It's really going to come down to next week's performances to see which 2 will grab them. And of course, the 4 locks just have to make sure they don't screw up too badly!

Hope everyone enjoyed the blog. See you tomorrow!

American Idol: I'd say 3 of 4 is pretty good!

Okay, so I found a chance to say a few words today. I mean, you gotta give me a little credit for being able to pinpoint 2 guys out of the 11 that should've been booted this week. The girls, okay I was giving the Philly girl a little more credit than she deserved, but by no means am I sad she's out of the competition. Here's who got ousted!




Girls: Nicole Tranquillo, Amy Krebs
Guys: Rudy Cardenas, Paul Kim

Good riddance to all of them! The best news of all of this? That's 10 extra minutes a night that we get to hear Ryan tell bad jokes as we continue our pursuit of 5 hours of Idol a week. So, did anyone else wait to watch the results show at midnight and fastforward through all of the excruciating performances? (I'm including and ranking Fantasia's at the top of excruciation...don't even know if that's a word!)

Not much else to talk about except our new curtain call song this year. Anyone recognize the voice on the song "HOME" that has replaced "Bad Day" as Idol's "let's make you feel better about going home by playing this song and in the meantime create another superstar" song? Yep, it's none other than Chris Daughtry and his band ......DAUGHTRY. We'll get to hear his lovely voice the rest of this season on results night. Maybe he'll even make a guest appearance with his 1st true love....Molly The Mic Stand. I miss him holding and squeezing his baby on stage so much. It's only a matter of time.

Until then, let's start dreaming up Diana Ross and Bon Jovi playlists...and some random 70's British Band that will be guiding our contestants this year (Was it something like Wally and the Frogpond Jamborees??? Yeah, I made that up but it sounded equally weird!)

Hope everyone has a great weekend, and gets lots of rest. We have some more awful performances and possibly a couple truly inpsired ones coming next week! See you then!

American Idol - Top 12 Girls Perform

Okay, well you’re not going to believe this. I actually wrote a REAL-TIME blog as I was watching Idol (WITH commercials)….and it was fantastic. It was a brilliant plan, all so that I’d be able to write an Idol Blog AND a LOST blog. Guess what? I finished at 10:15 with the Idol Blog, hit submit and got an error. BLOG gone. Lesson learned? Always SAVE and create a backup!

Anyways…unfortunately, this all translates to a very small blog for you guys. Sorry! I just don’t have the time to rewrite it.

Overall? Girls were much better than the guys. And my fears have subsided about the level of talent this season. Am I excited about Idol yet? Well, not really. I think the show on a whole is just wearing on me.

Standouts from tonight and sure things to move on?

• Sabrina Sloan – Wow, totally didn’t see this performance coming. She brought it from the start all the way to the end, and pretty much told America she’s here to win it!


• Lakisha “Gap Tooth” Jones - I know Madonna has a gap between her teeth too….so is Lakisha the next Madonna? She obviously is the judges’ favorite. I don’t know what it is that I truly despise about her, but there’s something. At least I have plenty of weeks to figure it out!


• Melinda Doolittle – We knew she was gonna be good. She may be a bit goofy looking, but the girl can SANG


• Stephanie Edwards - She definitely sang well. I thought a bit too Diva'ish, but her pre-performance interview balanced her out. I'll save discussions about her Dionne Warwick hairdo for another time!

Other Good Performances

• Jordin Sparks - Funny thing is she kinda looks like Traci Chapman. She's a young-in though...so she'll be good enough to make the Top 12, but good enough to go the distance? That is yet to be seen. But, she definitely has a strong voice and a good personality. We should keep an eye on her.


• Gina Glocksen - I agree with Simon that she had a problem hitting the big note...but she was better than I thought she would be, especially with being a season 5 reject. I'm sure I wrote more about her earlier, but I'm fresh out for now!


• Haley Scarnato - I guess she was a bit boring tonight. I know I had put her in my top 12 forgetting how awful she sounded on the last Hollywood day. But I thought she sang the song much better tonight. I wouldn't go as far as saying she sounded like she was 40, like Simon did. But, definitely got shown up by the other girls.

Questionable Contestants (Could go Either Way)

• Nicole Tranquillo - Philly Native, naturally I wanted to root for her. But I could not understand the song choice for the life of me. I was very impressed with her vocal range though. If she can lose the attitude and try taking some constructive criticism, she might have a fighting chance. Otherwise, her competition is too strong, and she's a goner eventually.


• Leslie Hunt - I've already blacklisted her for singing "Natural Woman".....Kelly did such an amazing rendition in season 1 (was the first episode I ever saw, and what actually hooked me on the show) that it seems foolish for anyone to try it. And she just didn't seem to have her heart in it. She couldn't sell the song. She may sound better on a different tune though, but I don't think she has what it takes for the long haul.

2 of these girls are gone by tomorrow

• Antonella Barba


• Amy Krebs


• Alaina Alexander
  
  I would try to give them each a critique, but I truly have forgotten what they sang. Oh now I remember, Antonella "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" she followed Sabrina...and just bored the crowd. Amy, "Can't Make you Love Me" - Seriously, I'm sick of hearing this song on Idol! And she didn't change much for me. Boring! Alaina - Pretender's "I'm Special" or something like that. Love the song, but she just didn't pull it off. Sorry Girls, it ain't gonna cut it!

Elimination Picks: Antonella Barba, Amy Krebs Wildcard: Leslie Hunt

I'm probably going to get comments that doing the blog like this is better than how I usually do it! And if that's the case, maybe I do better without notes! Couple more things I need to just mention in the blog. Ryan High Fiving Contestants, must be his NEW THING this year. He's so cool! Paula's hair......ummmmmm? Yep, that's it!

Remember, I'm going to be away tomorrow night, so don't be counting on a blog for the results show. If I do get around to posting one, an email distribution won't be sent out, so just check the site occassionally. And really, who wants to watch an episode where Fantasia will be the featured guest? (just threw up in my mouth by the way)

Sorry about the blog everyone. Hope you enjoyed anyway! See you soon!