Wednesday, March 02, 2011

American Idol Season 10 - Top 24 - Top 12 Girls Perform

Well well well...looks like the girls might be a little BETTER!!!  At least this week they were, and it's a pretty big week to be better.  Hello Idol nuts, yep I'm still here again today!   I was a little shocked to see how much some people "differ" (to quote Randy's favorite word this year) in opinion on some of the male contestants.  So, I won't be surprised if I'm totally off tonight.  But, I can't help how I feel!  If I like what the contestants are bringing to the table, I'm gonna mention it.  If I think they're wasting all of our time, then I'm at least going to write some books on why they are to make that time worth while!   I thought the girls did really well tonight.  And I think they did well enough to make the judges consider them over the guys for the wild card slots (if any exist.  They're being really vague about it!)   We'll just have to wait and see Thursday night when the Top is announced!  But until then, I have some girls to praise and bash!  So there is more after the jump!


  1. Ta-Tynisa Wilson - "Only Girl in the World" - Really didn't expect much from Ta-Tynisa after seeing her last week for what I felt was the first time.  Haven't been a big fan of this Rihanna song either.  Tats was all over the place with the song rarely hitting anything that could be considered the RIGHT note.  Not really sure what Steve and J-Lo were smoking.  I guess they signed something in the "LIVE SHOW JUDGING CLAUSE" that suggests they must praise the first couple contestants each night.   No fear...Randy "DIFFERED".  That's great that Randy is going to fill in for Simon on these eps, but I really do miss Simon ripping these contestants a new one!  That doesn't make me an awful person, does it?
     
  2. Naima Adedapo - "Summertime" - I have always adamantly spoke out against Fantasia and the success she had in season 3.  Granted, there wasn't much standing in her way.  I guess Jennifer Hudson, in hindsight, may have been a better contestant.  Certainly not Jon Peter Lewis or Matthew Rogers (HELLO!!!  I just dropped some Idol Knowledge on you all!)  But for Randy, Simon, Paula and Michael Slezak (formerly EW.com now TVline.com) to go on and on about how "Summertime" was the greatest performance EVER on American Idol, NO.  It wasn't.   I always will say that Kelly Clarkson's performance on Big Band night was THE best Idol performance that showed she was going to be a STAR coming out of the show.   Hey, maybe it's because I knew Kelly knew how to read and she would be a better role model for aspiring young singers than craptasia.  But what do I know?    Anyway, to make a long story less long, I thought Naima did a pretty good job!  Sure, it was a little "Won't you Let me Take You on a Sea Cruise" but who cares?!  It was fun and a lot less melodramatic than Fantasia's version.  Granted, she went 2nd and there was lots of great performances at the end so it may get lost in the shuffle, but I thought she did a good job.  Nice voice, seems like a nice girl.

  3. Kendra Chantelle - "Impossible" - I was really impressed with Kendra's voice.  I don't think I ever heard Christina Aguilera sing this before which may have helped me judge Kendra unbiasedly.  She really did some crazy singing in there.  Very surprising voice that seemed pretty effortless as many of these girls did.  Not sure if she'll stand out with the heavy hitters and girls that got more publicity but I wouldn't be upset if she did.

  4. Rachel Zevita - "Criminal" - Okay, I totally understand the idea of "making a song your own" and why the judges hammer this point home.  If you're going to take a well known song, you don't want to perform a carbon copy of it on the Idol stage.  Granted, while I am well versed in Fiona Apple tunes, I don't know if all of America is.  But that's not the point.  Rachel turned this song into something completely different than the original recording and it was entertaining.  I think she's a really bizarre cat but I didn't understand all of the hate.  American Idol totally became hypocritical in season 8 when they NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER called Adam Lambert "TOO BROADWAY".  So, what did Rachel do wrong to get that kind of feedback?  I think the show would benefit from having a girl like her willing to take chances with her performance.  Hopefully, America will give her another shot.  Am I totally off base on this one?  Did I hear something different than the rest of America?  Don't get me wrong, not a pitch perfect performance by far but I really liked what she did with it.  Oh well.

  5. Karen Rodriguez - "Hero" - And then the judges go ahead and praise Karen for being bilingual? WHAAAAT?   How about how boring the performance was?   Yes, she sang it note for note perfect, but it had NO energy and it was "HERO", one of Mariah's most boring songs and inspirational glop.  Is glop a word?  It is now!  Yes, there was a time when American Idol was looking for the next 90's Mariah Carey, 80's Whitney Houston or 90's/00's Celine and maybe it would still be great if they found a modern version of that.  But THIS was not the way to do it.  Some of those ballads just did not stand the test of time.  "Hero" is one of them.  Man, even Enrique's "Hero" would have been better, if not for the comedy of it all (all I picture is Jimmy Fallon with a mole - fast forward to 5:40 on videoAMERICAN Idol.  Except maybe the ever growing Spanish speaking population in America.  I think Karen is talented, but I just don't think this was the right performance for her.  But, maybe I'm hearing things wrong again.

  6. Lauren Turner - "7 Day Fool" - She hasn't gotten much exposure on the show since her audition but I thought she did a bang up job here.  She was exciting, she worked the stage, she sang with soul, she has a great voice.   But there are a lot of girls that had "REALLY" good performances so it's going to be tough to figure out who America will vote through.  5 of 12 is really tough to pick, don't you think!?

  7. Ashton Jones - "I've Got Love All Over Me" - Randy stole my line on this one.  I was thinking that she is a really great singer, but I really wasn't thrilled with the song choice.  Of course, it was better than singing "HERO" but it's still not my cup of tea.  Actually, TEA isn't even my cup of tea so I'm not sure where I'm going with that!   I agree that Ashton has a very high ceiling and could be really good.  She already is really good, but she needs to pick a song that will connect with the masses.  I think she has a strong shot of getting America's vote, but even if she doesn't I feel pretty certain the judges will send her through.

  8. Julie Zorrilla - "Breakaway" - Hands down worst performance of the night, right?  Maybe it's a tie between her and Ta-Tynisa.  Whenever I hear someone attempting a Kelly Clarkson song on the Idol stage, it usually ends up with me just remembering how great she really was and still is.  Julie took the advice from the judges to heart to try and CHANGE UP a song.  She rarely sang the melody of Breakway trying to put her "SPIN" on it.  And she ended up just sounding foolish in the process.  She's a good singer too, but did no favors for herself with the song choice or the rendition of said song choice.

  9. Haley Reinhart - "Fallin'" - The last couple Hollywood episodes put a very bad taste in my mouth for watching Haley perform.  She is so obsessed with fitting any possible run of notes into her singing to prove that she can sing, that the song becomes almost incomprehensible.   And she mumbles some of the words in her "GROWLS" so that adds to it.  I actually understood what she was singing on Alicia Key's tune, but that's probably because I've heard every Diva Wannabe on idol attempt the hugely popular hit before over the past 8-9 years of the show.   The runs WERE good though and she definitely CAN sing, but the girl does irk me at the same time.  And I know what we're going to get with her.   The judges were split on this one.  Randy DIFFERED again.  But the best thing to come out of this performance was Steven's "If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong."   Thanks John Madden!  In order to win the game you have to score more points than the other team!   I wouldn't be surprised if people like her and vote her in, but I'm not too thrilled with her for now.

  10. Thia Megia - "Out Here On My Own" - Man, for 15 years old Thia is already impressing with her strategic thinking.  She busted out the a cappella in her first live performance.  Lights turned down low grabbing the audiences attention and then brought in the piano and nothing else.  If you're gonna do a ballad and you want to showcase your voice, do something like THIS instead of what Karen Rodriguez did.  Thia was fabulous and since she is already pretty well known from the earlier rounds, it should be an automatic "IN" for her to the Top whatever.  Of course, the irony of all of this is that the song was from the musical FAME, but Rachel was the one that was too broadway.  Ahh good times!

  11. Lauren Alaina - "Turn On the Radio" - Well, I have been pretty hard on Lauren Alaina through the audition rounds and Hollywood rounds.  It's for various reasons.  1.) She was a major kiss up to Steven every time she has been on screen.  She already seemed full of herself at 15, now 16 years old.  2.) Nigel Lythgoe (returning this year as executive producer) tweeted that she was someone to look out for even going as far as comparing her to Kelly Clarkson.  Clearly, American Idol has picked one of their favorite contestants and who they're rooting for in this competition.  But damn it all if she didn't sell me on this performance!   First of all, she went all POP-Country on us which was unexpected.  This is Reba (formerly Reba McEntire)'s latest hit.  My wife and I always joke about the music video where 55 year old Reba struts her stuff around a 30/40 something year old man talking about Twitter and Texting.   It just didn't fit!   This song just fit Lauren a lot better and was a good time!   I almost started nodding along when they called her a hybrid of Kelly and Carrie, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.  I really want to fight the urge to root for her because that's what the marketing Idol machine wants me to do.  So I'm going to be cautious on this one.  But it was hard not to like her after that performance.  Even if she stole some extra screen time at the end to call Ryan "Peaches" in front of America.   Weird.

  12. Pia Toscano - "I'll Stand By You" - I knew Pia had the anchor slot, but I really wasn't sure if I should expect anything special from her.  I know we have seen her a lot in previous rounds but I just figured she was another pretty voice with a pretty voice.  I had NO idea she had the range, power and control of her voice that she has.  I mean those last few notes were incredible.  Ironically, I was talking above about finding the next Whitney, Mariah, Celine.  Um, we may have a Celine on our hands here.  That was crazy good!  So, not factoring Pia into a top whatever, and now HAVING to factor her in it makes me really wonder who will move on tomorrow.  So let's get to it!
I don't think there is any way that Thia, Lauren and Pia will not be in that top 10.  So, then that leaves 2 slots and then wild cards.  Where is this going to go?  I have no idea.  But, tonight has me feeling a little more excited about the girls than the guys, I must say.   But once you mix in Paul, Casey, Josh Turner (err Scotty) and Jacob into that mix, it could be a really exciting top 10/12/14/whatever.  I think we say it every year, and more recently I just keep ending up disappointed.  So, we'll see!   Let's do some picks. 

Top 5 Girls Picks: Pia Toscano, Lauren Alaina, Thia Megia, Ashton Jones, Lauren Turner

Wild Card candidates: 
Rachel, Haley, Naima, Kendra

Yikes, that's really tough.  I like it more just picking 1 contestant to go home!  I think 3 of the 5 are a given like I said but after that it's anyone's guess.  I guess we'll just have to see what happens on Thursday night!  Like I mentioned before, I'm going to skip recapping Results shows this year.  So, if I have anything to say I'll be posting it in the comments here.  So feel free to discuss if you agree, disagree or whatever with me!  I don't mind people disagreeing!  Makes things more exciting when I'm right!  Just kidding.   Next week, I can't promise that I'll be recapping on Wednesday night but I'll get some kind of post up before the results so just be patient.  I'll do my best!  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week! 



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I've been recapping any and all TV over at the TV Addicts Blog(www.tvaddictsblog.com).  Mainly The EventFringe and The Walking Dead.  Occasionally, I'll comment on other shows I'm watching.  I'm already looking ahead to some other returning shows this spring as well as some potentially big shows in Fall 2011.  Keep tuning in and join the discussions!   
  • The Event returns Monday, March 7th on NBC. 
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5 comments:

Ian said...

You're not crazy. I liked Rachel's performance too. In fact, I cast my first votes of the season just for her. She seems to be the "quirky" favorite this year.

I thought Lauren Alaina had the most overrated performance of the night. She wasn't bad or anything, but she certainly wasn't worthy of the overwhelming praise the judges gave her. You do make a good point about Reba's song being more fitting for a younger singer. I thought it was funny how she had to the change the lyric "until you blow your speakers out your Chevy truck" to "pickup truck." I'm guessing Ford didn't want their rival being promoted on the show they sponsor.

Does it make me a bad person that I was happy to see Julie Zorrilla flop? Like Casey, she kind of bugs me. Speaking of Casey, I read that Julie and Casey went to their high school prom together. What are the odds they'd both make it on Idol?

One other odd thing about Casey: I just found out that he lives in California now, but he's originally from the town in which I currently reside. All this time I've been railing against a local boy. Whatever. I'm still not supporting him unless he wins me over with his performances.

Mike V. said...

Good job voting for Rachel, Ian. Did anyone try the ONLINE voting yet? I almost did, but I wasn't sure if it was going to update my Facebook profile telling all of my friends that I voted on American Idol lol I agree Rachel is definitely a quirky favorite. Of course, I'd challenge that Paul might be a quirky favorite too. It seems like you either love the guy or hate the guy. Same goes with Casey. I am a big fan of both so far.

I'll be the first to agree that the judges are going to praise Lauren to no end, even when it probably isn't warranted. But I thought she did a really good job last night. She sang a fun song that fit her and she did it really well. I didn't even pick up on the Chevy Truck thing at all....nice catch!

Definitely not a bad person to want certain people to fail. It's human nature. Everyone has their favorites so you secretly want others to do badly! I really didn't care either way with Julie, but after seeing her butcher the Kelly song, it's time for her to hit the road! Doesn't seem like she has what it takes. That's pretty crazy about Julie and Casey. Also crazy that they haven't exposed that on teh show. I guess they would have eventually if they both made it to the TOP 10/12/14 whatever lol (One thing that will be nice, at least we'll know what that number is after tonight!)

That's pretty crazy that Casey is from your current town of residence. I can't believe he hasn't won you over yet. I think he's fabulous! There's always hope. I think Justin Guarini was the one that lived closest to me. Like REALLY close lol But I have Calista Flockhart lived in my hometown and Michael Giacchino (LOST composer, Oscar Winner for UP, etc...) went to my High School! Guess which one I like to talk about all of the time? lol

Nicole said...

Oooh, fun -- I actually MAJORLY disagree with you today! The girls were overall awful. Painful. I'd be fine with all but 2 of them getting the axe. They don't hold a candle to the boys, either in singing ability or having anything interesting about them.

The 2 I thought were good were Pia (and she was REALLY good), and Thia. Pia and Thia Megia - rhyming heaven :)

I couldn't disagree with you more about Rachel. It was one of the worst Idol performances ever. I also disagree with the judges. It wasn't Broadway. Broadway singers actually tend to sound pretty good - just maybe over-the-top and cheesy. (Footnote re Lambert, who's talent I will fight for to the death -- he wasn't Broadway because he wasn't over-the-top nor cheesy... yes, he was always right at the precipice of the top... but NEVER went over -- that's how smart of an entertainer he was.) Rachel was just bad. It was keyed too low for her. The arrangement was an embarrassment to a good song. And she had no tone whatsoever. And her little sultry act was just a joke. I swear, I could go on and on about the things I hated about it. And I was a Rachel fan prior to yesterday because I like that she's not what I think most of the girls to be -- pretty girls that can sing pretty songs. Great for a pageant.

I was SO disappointed with Naima. I LOVE her. She's so cool. And she's got such a great voice. Her performance wasn't bad, she actually sounded pretty good, but, similar to what the judges said, it was Thursday-night-nightclub. I am really pulling for her to slip through somehow though.

I agree with you on Julie - who couldn't? But I put it at second worst of the night, after Rachel.

Ta-tynisa was God awful too. I couldn't even believe that she got any praise. It was worse than karaoke.

Lauren was disappointing because it just wasn't anything notable. It was OK.

Maybe Lauren Turner was good last night, but I don't really remember so it couldn't have been THAT good. I remember not being able to get over how terrible she looked in the clothes she was wearing. It looked like my 4-year-old's dress up clothes and Frankenstein shoes. Have you seen Young Frankenstein? I'm pretty sure I yelled out "Puddin' on the Riiiitz!" multiple times during her song, leaving my husband rolling on the floor. Maybe I'm being awful by picking on her appearance, but it was really just style choice I'm picking on. I think she's a beautiful woman. And yes, I know that this is a SINGING competition. But your style should not be so bad to overwhelm your performance such that I don't even notice your singing!!!

Karen was good for a few seconds in her song. The key for most of the song was awful for her. But after the modulation, she hit a sweet spot in her range and sounded pretty good. But she also looked and sounded 45 years old, which Simon would've pointed out. Oh, I miss him so.

I have nothing to say about Kendra or Hailee or Ashton. Pretty girls singing pretty songs. Boooooring.

The judges were spot on about Thia. Perfect pitch and beautiful tone. The song was a little old for her (right, Simon?) but I forgive it, especially since she leaves herself looking fresh-faced and young (i.e. no overdone hair or makeup).

I have NOTHING bad to say about Pia. Wow. My husband wants her to win it all. I still like my 3 boys (Paul, Casey, Jacob) more than her, though.

If I've missed anyone, just throw them into the pretty girl, pretty song category for me. The one thing I will say positive about this group of chicks overall - they are HOT. Really beautiful girls and women.

Mike V. said...

Hi Nicole, I'm happy you disagree. Any chance to rip on Adam Lamert is fun for me too! And it is just that. All in good fun!

With that being said....SERIOUSLY??? Adam never went over the top??? Come on!!! Adam LIVED in OVER THE TOP! lol Hey, I applaud going over the top and being Broadway. In fact, I believe Broadway Musical stuff used to be Top 40 music! What is wrong with reintroducing and influencing a new generation to that type of music? I don't see why it's such a slam on AI. And I'm probably contradicting prior blogs of mine by saying that but whatever! lol What annoyed me with Adam was always resorting to the SCREECHING just to show he could do it. It wasn't always necessary. his best performance by far was Tracks of My Tears.....I put it right up there with the best Idol performances. And why? He was toned down and he sang it beautifully. I understand doing the screeching here and there, but he used it in practically every song. Other than that and the fact that he liked to "play dress up" and hid his pre-Idol antics from the masses even though it was easily google-able, I thought Adam was a great contestant. I even picked him to win, even though I was happy about Kris winning over him.

Totally agree that Criminal is a better song in the original version, but I was giving props to Rachel taking a chance with it. I also agreed that it wasn't technically the best vocal of the night. Maybe I just heard something different than the rest of America. I dunno. It happens sometimes! lol But, that all being said, there won't be any "tracks of MY tears" if she doesn't make it. I am fine with any top 10 or 12 or whatever as long as it includes: Scotty, Casey, Paul, Jacob, Tia, Pia and Lauren. Fill in the rest with whatever you like!

Agree that Naima has a great voice and it wasn't really showcased as well as it could have been. Wouldn't be surprised if she gets votes anyway or the judges send her through.

Anyone look at dialidol.com? I think it would shock anyone to see that Ta-tynisa is the HIGHEST on the list! (i.e. indicating she may have got the most phone votes) With texting and online voting now, dialidol may not mean much. But how on earth could they be getting those statistics? I really didn't agree with ANYTHING i saw on that site, so hopefully we won't be seeing that result tonight! BTW...I'm sure if one or 2 of the 8 I mentioned as sure things don't get in by the popular vote, they'll be the first ones the judges put in.

Disagree about Lauren, but you know that! And I'm surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. BTW, Kelly Clarkson tweeted in support of Lauren and agreed that she's a mix of herself and Carrie lol

Lauren Turner - yeah....she's not very easy on the eyes. I didn't expect much from her so it's probably why I remembered her performance. You're not awful for thinking that way. Our culture has engrained it into our subconscious! lol Haven't seen Young Frankenstein which I'm sure is a travesty lol

Definitely miss Simon, he would have ripped Karen to shreds! She needed it! Agreed...they have a good looking group of women/girls on the show this year. Another reason why I think the Top Whatever will be lopsided in the girls favor.

Thanks for your feedback Nicole! It's fun to disagree isn't it? :)

Nicole said...

Disagreeing is much better than agreeing - what would conversation be without it?!? We definitely agree on Tracks of My Tears.

See Young Frankenstein, if you're into silly comedy. It's Mel Brooks' best.

I am firmly predicting that our top 12 will be 7 guys, 5 girls. I know you are predicting the opposite. Excited to find out who's right!