Come on admit it. You know you watch it. Read this blog to feel better about yourself knowing that there's someone else out there inexplicably more obsessed than you are!
Hello American Idol fanatics! And welcome back to the results where we actually eliminated contestants this week. I was 1 for 2 this week but am not terribly surprised by the 2nd contestant getting booted. Although, it was sad to watch her go through the realization that the dream has ended! Ladies and gentlemen let's bid adieu to the 2 ousted contestants:
Eliminated: Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens Bottom 3: Not Applicable(they didn't do it that way this week) My Bottom 3:Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Siobhan Magnus
Now they kept Michael Lynche out there with Katie to keep tensions high as he was just saved last week. Turns out he wasn't even in the bottom 3. And if you believe in dialidol.com, Michael may have even been the top vote getter this week. If that's the case, his elimination scared a lot of people to rush to his side! Anyway, I stick by my stance that as long as Crystal makes it to the final 2 (fingers crossed on winning of course), then I'm fine with whatever order the rest of the contestants end up getting booted off. But I sure would be delighted if Siobhan exited sooner than later. Of course, then who would I make fun of!? Kara? Come on that's too easy!
Anyway, not much else to speculate. Let's dive into the highs and lows. Surprisingly, there were more highs for me than lows this week. A rarity!
Highlights
The Ford Commercial - Say what you want about product placement on the show and political commentary with "going green," but I still would never accept my American Idol results show experience WITHOUT a Ford Commercial!
Can't knock the Idol Gives Back stuff they showed with Elliot Yamin going to Africa with Kara. It's all a great cause. I will try to refrain from the fact that I still rolled my eyes at everything Kara said on camera.
Lineup sounds pretty good for Idol Gives Back next week. They put together 2 solid shows in past seasons, so I'm sure it will be worth tuning into.
Brooke White and Justin Gaston join in the Elvis fun with "If I Can Dream". I won't say the performance was the greatest, but I always liked Brooke! Good to see her back on the stage. That Justin guy? A Nashville Star reject but better known for being Taylor Swift's ROMEO and the "Love Story" music video. Anyway, I wasn't impressed with him!
Adam Lambert performing "What Do You Want From Me". I know I have been harping on Adam for the past week and not being a big fan of his. I'm still not, but I can't help but dig that song. I thought the performance was way over the top in classic Adam fashion and the lighting was really awful. But that song, I can't help but like it. Darn you VH1 Top 20! I still think he looks like a goofball with all of his "dress up" that he likes to play!
Lowlights
Ryan introduces Simon as "SI CO" (get it....Psycho??) Wow...all time low.
Elvis Medley with the Top 9 started off bad and just never recovered! Complete with Choreographed Cheese! The most painful is seeing people like Crystal and Casey stomach that stuff. Actually, it's kind of funny!
Are they still making this results show an hour??? Ugh. That will forever be a lowlight!
So, with Idol Gives Back being front and center next week, we get our standard "INSPIRATIONAL SONGS" theme next Tuesday. Alicia Keys will be mentoring. And guess what? They're going to actually attempt to eliminate a contestant on Wednesday's 2 hour Charity show. The last time they said they were going to do this, it ended up being a joke and we got another double elimination the following week. We'll see if it happens again!
What did you all think of the elimination results? Are you favorites still in it? Discuss. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!
I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries. Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts. If you enjoyed my writings, pleaseclick hereto register a page view. And also check out my other writings athttp://mvitullo.gather.com/
Hello American Idol fanatics and welcome to Deja Vu night! Not only are we seeing the top 9 for the 2nd week in a row, but we're doing yet ANOTHER Elvis week! I mean, we can't complain. Elvis tunes are fantastic and all. It was a pretty solid night what we're rating on a season 9 scale. But there were still some snoozers and we'll get into that below.
I know I went on a rant LAST WEEK about how I have no idea why they got Adam Lambert to be the guest mentor. And, yeah, I figured they'd show him in really positive light and I figured he'd actually have good advice for the kids. It's actually more about about the principle that annoyed me. And of course, never being a fan of his! But all of that being said, he did a decent job giving decent advice. I do NOT like the fact that they got him to mentor on ELVIS week, continuing to draw comparisons to the buzz last year that we were witnessing the "NEXT ELVIS". But whatever...let's move on!
The Recap: Live Blog
As in the past few weeks, I will keep on live blogging my thoughts during the airing on how I think each contestant is doing. And then I will post some post performance analysis afterwards. Here we go!
Crystal Bowersox - "Saved" - Adam says keep it fresh and surprise people. Tells her to go electric. Works for me. She would have done great either way. The girl is just in a league of her own! I don't know what else to say that I haven't said already. The crowd reaction alone let me know I'm not the only one thinking this. The judges praised her too. The only thing that would scare me is that she is going first and people might think she is safe without voting. But, if this girl doesn't make it to the final 2 (AT LEAST), this show will be beyond saving. Nice jewels on the guitar by the way! Fancy!
Andrew Garcia - "Hound Dog" - Andrew is interviewing with Ryan right now and pulled out the "I'm a daddy" sympathy card again. Yep, not doing it for me anymore. Sell me with your singing bro! Adam told Andrew's version of "Hound Dog" was boring so he tried to help him spice it up. Let's see how it goes. He totally took the life out of a legendary rock song and made it a cruise ship jazz standard. I'm going with a 85% chance Simon will say this. I'm sorry, but it was way too slow for "Hound Dog!" Oh well, Simon went with the "boring musical performance" line instead. Eh, same difference! Considering 2 are going this week, it's a safe chance he's one of them.
Tim Urban - "Can't Help Falling in Love" - Adam tries to push Tim out of comfort zone by making him use falsetto at the end. I wasn't thrilled to hear he was doing this song, but it sounds like it might actually be good. Okay, well I got distracted Ryan dance with another man. Is Tim still singing? The vocal isn't the greatest but it is a nice guitar arrangement he has going and he has a nice bit of emotion going. He dropped the falsetto at the end and stayed low. I'm just surprised he didn't butcher it. Nice, sweet ballad. Good stuff! Simon even pulled out the old staple "Zero to Hero!" It is pretty crazy that Tim has found a way to stay in this competition after those rough semi-final performances isn't it?
Lee DeWyze - "A Little Less Conversation" - Adam advises Lee to show some facial emotion. Yeah Lee! Rock it out! Man he brought out the power voice for this one. I always think he isn't going to be able to hit those higher notes, but when he does they sound good and raspy and rockin! A definite improvement over the bagpipe gimmick last week. And on the contrary to Andrew, this new arrangement sounded great. Ugh Kara, SHUT UP!!! "I said that! I said that!!" No one cares!
Aaron Kelly - "Blue Suede Shoes" - Adam's advice "More Energy!" As my wife says, the kid is cute as pie. Hey and he can sing really well too. And he put his all into that performance. In the end, he has no shot at winning, does he? It wasn't awful! I don't know what to think about it. But how could Ellen accuse Aaron of taking on Elvis's most iconic song? Is "Jailhouse Rock" any less iconic? Come on Ellen, they're ALL iconic. Simon wasn't too crazy about it either, so I guess it wasn't weird for me to not know what to say about it! Bottom 3 or 4? (not sure how they'll do it this week) We'll see how everyone else does.
Siobhan Magnus- "Suspicious Minds" - Adam calls Siobhan "sleepy." Hmmm maybe Adam is growing on me? naaaaa So she opens up in her 80's Jane Fonda gear and faces away from the crowd? Now she's doing her best Kathy Lee Gifford "Let me teach the audience a morally important lesson while I sing" mannerism. I'm sorry, the girl is 89% a boring and weird singer and then she pulls out the big notes at the end which is what everyone remembers. Very pageanty. I have made up my mind and I do not like this girl. I'd put her on the same level as Kara DioGuardi. Other people out there may still think she is an equal to Crystal, but I just cannot get on board. Ugh, Kara why do you have to agree with me? I want to hate you! Well, Simon didn't like it either, so I feel better. "If I can't even label myself I do not feel it is necessary to be labeled" so deep Siobhan, please write poetry after your American Idol gig ends!
OH MAN, I just got so excited when Ryan said Brian Dunkleman was coming back to help out with Idol Gives Back!!! Nope, it was a joke. Poor Brian!
Michael "Big Mike" Lynche - "In the Ghetto" - Adam's advice "Bring out the Actor". Michael says Simon tells him not to. See???? They were contradictory when Adam was a favorite last year. All theatric comments went out the window last season. Now, they're back. I've been harping on this since last season. Ridiculous. Michael gave another solid performance. This one was slow and just an acoustic guitar in his hands. Will it be enough to save him from elimination again? I think the fact that he was voted out last week means he'll have a lot more support this week. Simon said that Michael was a million times better. I guess...I thought he was pretty good last week too.
Katie Stevens - "Baby What Do You Want Me to Do?" - Katie is frustrated with the judges' comments so she wanted a song that reflected that. And Adam wants her to sell it. She was selling it pretty good tonight! Maybe a couple of pitch problems but her performance was fierce and solid! And then Kara had to talk and do her finger snap and head tilt "You showed us judges!" Simon didn't like it very much. He said it was too loud. Maybe I dunno. I thought it was a lot better than Andrew!
Casey James - "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" - Adam says to make the song move more dynamically. Casey is going for another bluesy tune. Could risk sounding similar to other performances. Let's see! It was good, not much to complain about. It sounded like another Casey tune. But it just seems like more of "what you see is what you get." Last week, we saw another LEVEL to Casey. This week, was more of what we had seen before. Not winning type stuff. But he should be safe. Simon calls it a "wasted opportunity" with Elvis song but a good vocal. I would agree it's a pretty forgettable song. He should be safe, we'll see!
So, my thoughts really haven't changed since watching the show. There were some really solid performances and then there were some "whatever" performances. After a shocking week like last week, I think the ship needs to be righted and we won't get many surprises this week. Since 3 girls went home for the first 3 weeks, I could see it easily being 2 guys that get the boot tonight. And with that, let's get to the next segment.
The Elimination Picks
League of Her own: Crystal
Great chance of being safe: Lee, Casey, Michael
Better than average chance of being safe: Tim, Katie
I still think her days are numbered: Siobhan
Not Looking good: Aaron, Andrew
Bottom 3: Aaron, Andrew, Siobhan Bonus: Tim/Katie (just in case they go to a bottom 4, I'll put them both.)
Elimination Picks: Andrew Garcia, Aaron Kelly
Hey, I like Aaron and I wish he didn't have to, but I think it's getting close to the time where we have to part ways with the little guy. Granted, these people could get eliminated in any order as long as Crystal is left standing in the end (in my opinion). But I'm still not predicting her to be the winner yet! I just have yet to see a consistent contender to match her.
Anyway, that's it! I also apologize for my false promises of being out of the Hour PLUS territory with Idol. I forgot we had yet another Top 9 to go through after that dumb Judges' Save! But I guarantee they will all be an hour from here on out. Well, except for Idol Gives Back next week and the Finale.
Adam Lambert takes the stage Wednesday. I will be here in all of my recapping glory to cover that event and the elimination. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you after the results!
I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries. Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts. If you enjoyed my writings, pleaseclick hereto register a page view. And also check out my other writings athttp://mvitullo.gather.com/
Hello American Idol fanatics! Well, I can't even pretend to say that I was close to predicting this one. Yes, I had 2 of the bottom 3 picked correctly, but the VOTED OFF contestant? Nope. He wasn't even on my radar. Granted, he was saved by the judges this week so one could say my elimination pick streak is still alive. It would have a giant asterisks next to it an any record books though! So, the only thing we really need to thankfully bid adieu to is the dreaded Judges' Save itself! But let's give a hearty hand to the Voted Off Contestant who sang to Save his elimination for another day!
SAVED: Michael Lynche Bottom 3: Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia My Bottom 3: Andrew Garcia, Aaron Kelly, Tim Urban
Well, that was kind of crazy, right? I guess it makes sense with the judges coming down on Michael and his "Broadway" sound Tuesday night. Or maybe a lot of people just assumed he'd be safe. I never envisioned Michael winning the whole thing, but he's just too fun to say goodbye to just yet. Especially when Tim Urban is still in the competition. Granted, I thought Tim did decent on Tuesday, but come on...Michael? Anyway, not really much else to discuss since no one went home! So let's get to the High's and low's!
Highlights
The Ford commercial! - Still cheesy but the night is never complete without watching a lovely Ford-Idol commercial. That's all I got!
Michael singing "This Woman's Work" to go for the save. I hate the Judges save, but at least they used it on somebody good instead of saving it for Siobhan or something.
Lowlights
Kara's attire. There are no words. And was she going for the mullet look or did it just come naturally?
The lip syncing sensational Top 9 performing a Beatles Melody - All fantastic songs, with drippy melted cheese poured all over it. And I swear, even pre-recorded Siobhan doesn't sound human!
Jason Derulo performs "Whatcha Say" and "In My Head" - I will say the songs are catchy and I may leave them on the radio if I'm passing by. But that performance was a train wreck right from the part where he sang his introdution "JASUON DERULO!!" to his spiked shoulder. Ahhh good times. Dance Party USA folks! What do I know though? Simon gave it a thumbs up! Good job on that discovery Kara!
David Archuleta performs "Imagine" - Okay, I get it, because it's the theme of the week. But it is pretty funny that he wasn't asked to sing any new material. Ohhhh that crazy artichoke! (Season 7 blogging inside joke folks! Sorry, couldn't resist) Granted, he did perform it well. That was always one of his performances. But, I still put it down here because I've heard it enough on this show! My bad, he is working on a new album. So, maybe next year Archie!
Rhianna performs new single "Rock star" - Nothing against Rhianna, although the song was kinda "whatever," I just don't understand why we need 3 performers every results show to fill up this hour. This elimination shows are way too dragged out. I say it every week, and probably will continue to do so!
And that's all I got folks. I already went on a rant in my Top 9 recap about Adam Lambert being next week's mentor. Don't get me started again! I'm sure I'll have a couple more choice words to say about it next Tuesday so tune back in! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!
I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries. Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts. If you enjoyed my writings, pleaseclick hereto register a page view. And also check out my other writings athttp://mvitullo.gather.com/
Hello American Idol fanatics! We return for the top 9 performances with the songs from the most infamous songwriting duo of all time, John Lennon and Paul McCartney! This covers both Beatles songs and also songs from John and Paul's solo careers as well. For the most part, it was a decent night. I'm still not enjoying this season as much as seasons in the past, but there is one consistent singer that I always enjoy, and there seems to be one contestant that surprises me each week. It gives me hope that this season can turn things around before the end.
Of course, hearing the news today that Adam Lambert will be MENTORING the Top 8 next week is not information that gives me much hope! I had discussed in the opening Idol Blog of the season that I was positive American Idol would attempt to perform "Damage Control" to his career, but I never thought they'd stoop to this level. I'm sorry, but if any contestant is going to be mentoring the contestants, shouldn't it be someone who WON? Or someone that won and has had more success? Yes yes, I know Adam has a hot single right now and everything, but he didn't win! He is not a grammy award winning artist such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood (both Idol winners by the way). Now granted, they may have been asked and weren't available. But I think the biggest insult would be to last year's winner - Kris Allen. This just makes no sense to me at all, except for the fact that they're going to try and put Adam's Top 20 single to #1 overnight. And they will hope to improve the image that made him lose 50% of his fan-base when strutting his stuff on the American Music Awards last fall. All I can say is, don't fall for it Mom! Anyway, my rant is over for now. I wanted to get it out of my system before next week.
Let's get into the RECAP!
The Recap (Live Blogging)
As I have been trying out the last few weeks, I will document my thoughts as I am viewing the episode for each contestant and then give more thoughts at the end after I have had a chance to ponder it all. Here we go!
Aaron "Yoda" Kelly - "The Long and Winding Road" - Loved the other contestants calling Aaron, Yoda and mimicking the Jedi Master. Good times! Aaron isn't sounding as good as he normally does. He got in a few good notes here and there. But not the greatest performance or song choice to be kicking off the show. Hopefully some other contestants won't be as good so he can stick around! The judges kind of were on the same page. Kara suggests more tempo (just say faster Kara!). Loved how Simon rolled his eyes when Aaron said "this whole journey has been a long and winding road." They added that Aaron is doing the same thing week after week. He needs to change things up and get younger. Bottom 3 maybe?
Katie "Vote for me and Win a Date" Stevens - "Let it Be" - What was up with those shots of Katie dancing in the pre-performance club? Kinda bizarre! She is sounding really good on the tune. Changing up the melody just enough to make it her own version. Nice low notes, nice high notes. Nothing really bad to say about that one. Pardon my slang but she done real good! Ellen stole my line!! "Changing it up just enough to make your own" We all know I'm live blogging though, so we're good. Is Kara repeatedly saying that she's blossoming? Oh boy. Simon takes credit for Katie singing a little more country and Kara gets all high and mighty and has to show people her singing voice. Way to go Kara. You go ahead and steal Katie's moment. I'll sit here and continuously roll my eyes!
Andrew "Mr. Comedian" Garcia - "Can't Buy Me Love" - Andrew didn't want to mess with the song too much because it's legendary. Wait, "Straight Up" isn't LEGENDARY? Come on dude! First of all, the polo shirt buttoned up all the way with a suit? I don't know about that either. I think he's doing a solid job on the song though. That one high note was a bit "crackily"but compared to a couple weeks ago, he seems to have righted his ship. An Idol winner? I'm still not seeing it. But he's doing pretty well. And of course Randy had to steal my "Solid" line. (LIVE BLOG people!) I don't care if Kara is giving constructive criticism. I just can't listen to her. Simon called it "wedding corny". I guess I can agree with them on that it was a tad corny, but I still thought he did a pretty good job. But like I said, he won't be taking home any trophies. We'll see how the rest of the competition does!
Michael "Incredible Snoring Teddy Bear" Lynche - "Eleanor Rigby" - David Cook did a great rendition of this in season 7. Can he match it? Well, he did a totally different arrangement than Cook, obviously. But he did a really great job with it! He has a powerful voice and it's a powerful song. How can you go wrong? The judges raved about it as well. I think Kara could have toned it down a little bit! (am I dissing her too much in this recap?) Simon went the "broadway musical" route. Ever since they loved Adam Lambert last year, I have given up on hearing them compare anyone to Broadway. Michael should be safe this week.
Crystal "Mama Sox" Bowersox - "Come Together" - Crystal has a cold. Hopefully it won't hurt her too much. Wow, they brought out a digiridoo on us! Not sure that was really necessary, but it was a good time. Still can't see how anyone can compete with her. She just has a natural gift. Usually, the obvious people don't seem to win American Idol though, so I'm still being reserved with my pick for this year's winner!But, if you ask me, she's still the best. And this week further proved it. The judges were 4 for 4 with loving it! I love how they brought the digiridoo player back out. If you didn't get it from my statements above, I think she'll be perfectly fine tonight. And as my wife adds, she has gotten a lot more personable since the beginning. All positive steps for the Mama Sox!
Tim "Smiles" Urban - "All My Lovin" - Tim is rocking the electric guitar tonight. He even got his hair to look like the old Beatles' Mop Top. Is it wrong if I say that I actually think he's doing a decent job? Definitely a simple song, but it showcased that this guy actually has a pretty decent voice. And he played some decent rhythm guitar too. I wonder what the judges will say. Man, Randy stole my "hair" line! I am ON tonight! The judges all gave him props. Simon said Tim has handled the criticism really well. Nice. I actually think Tim is gonna be safe this week. Not looking good for Aaron and Andrew right now.
Casey "Soap Opera Stud" James - "Jealous Guy" by John Lennon - Casey decided to ditch the Beatles and go with some Lennon solo stuff. He picked a great song. I've always loved that one. Loving the toned town acoustic guitar plus solo string player. He is doing fantastic. Great stuff, very heartfelt. That was a star making performance if you ask me. Not that he could do something that low key each week, but it was nice! Not sure why the judges are holding back. They're saying some good stuff but they're giving all of this criticism. Finally, THANK YOU Simon! He finally said it was the best of the night. I thought it really was good! Definitely safe this week.
Siobhan "Amazingly Weird" Magnus - "Across the Universe" - Siobhan wants to show a different side of her voice. Will she avoid the big note? I doubt it. Let's see! First of all, the outfit? Top notch in ridiculousness! Obviously, it's a good song. But, I don't think it's a good song to be performing when looking for votes. Sang it okay, though it sounded weird at times. I don't know, I wasn't a big fan. Then again, I'm not her biggest supporter. My wife said it best, the judges just like her because she's weird. I can't explain any other reason for why they're putting positive spins on her performance instead of slamming her. Simon said it was much better than last week. I don't know. I am just not getting it.
Lee "I'm Worried" DeWyze - "Hey Jude" - Love that Crystal said Andy and Lee could go get married and have Danny Gokey babies. Don't know why it was funny, but it was super funny! So Lee was doing a decent job with the performance and then he brought out the bagpipe guy. WHAAT??? When the digiridoo is not the biggest gimmick of the night, something is really wrong! I'm sure Lee will be fine, but that was just bizarre! I guess it was one way to make the "Na Na Na Na" part of the song less boring! Simon stole my line on the digiridoo and bagpipes! The digiri-dingleberries all praised the performance. Simon had a little more sensibility questioning the bagpipes. Hey, I thought he was doing just fine and then it got all over the top. Just out of uniqueness, he'll be safe. But he would have been safe anyway!
Kara "huh?" quote of the week: You're Blossoming! (to Katie Stevens)
The Elimination Pick
I really don't think I have changed my opinions too much after watching everyone. But, I think the weakest performances had to be Aaron and Andrew. I, personally, would have put Siobhan in this category too, but the judges were pretty cautious with her. Let's be honest, if Siobhan ever was booted this early, they would use that stupid Judges' Save on her. I know she has her fans out there, but you cannot tell me these past 2 weeks have been GREAT weeks for her! And even though I liked Tim's performance, based on the other competition, he might be in danger. He's been in the bottom 3 before. Neither Andrew nor Aaron have been in the bottom 3 yet. Katie and Tim both have. This is going to be really interesting. Let's do our process of elimination.
Who is beyond safe? Crystal, Casey
Who else gave solid performances? Katie, Michael, Lee, Tim
Who don't I like and didn't do fantastic? Siobhan
Who had a pretty lousy night? Aaron
Who did I forget? Andrew
Bottom 3 Predictions: Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Tim Urban Bonus Pick: Katie Stevens
Elimination Pick: Andrew Garcia - Normally, I'd be happy about this pick. But, I felt like he was doing better in recent weeks. But I just don't feel right about picking anyone else after this week!
I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if it's Katie or Tim just based on them being in the bottom 3 so consistently. I just don't think America is ready to let Aaron go down without another week to fight, but it easily could be him too. But, I think Andrew gets lost in the mix. Simon called him corny tonight. And, in comparison to the rest of the talent, maybe it was. At the end of the day, who would you vote for after last night? I don't think Andrew would have been at the top of my list.
Hey, it's a gutsy pick and I'm sticking to it. Let's see how far I can go with this perfect streak I have going. Seriously, if I get this one right, then I guess I'm untouchable! I'm thinking this week will be my downfall though. Just too tough to call!
Tune in for the results as we get to see Rhianna, Jason Derulo (A Kara protege'? Of course!) and good ol' David Archuleta's return to the Idol stage. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you after the results!
I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries. Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts. If you enjoyed my writings, pleaseclick hereto register a page view. And also check out my other writings athttp://mvitullo.gather.com/
