Disappointed with some of what I saw last night..namely Aaron Kelly's return to tucking his shirt into his jeans and Alfafa hair.
Top performances: Lee DeWyze, Casey James, Michael Lynche.
Biggest Surprise = Andrew Garcia...about time..although still not better than several of the night's performances. Biggest Disappointments = Siobhan Magnus...hopefully this does not start a trend like the Andrew one that just ended.
The 1 who will get chopped by way of America's axe is noted in RED below. The 1 who should get chopped, based on performance, is noted in PURPLE.
Tim Urban VFTW will not save him this week..Didi is in trouble too, and Katie Stevens doesn't seem to have that many voting fans, but I see this as pretty boy's week to get the axe.
/rl
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
American Idol Review: Top 11
Fast-forwarded to all of the performances last night.
Top performances: Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Lee DeWyze and Casey James.
Biggest Surprises = Aaron Kelly and Casey James. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = for the 4th straight week, Andrew Garcia.
The 1 who will get chopped by way of America's axe is noted in RED below. The 1 who should get chopped, based on performance, is noted in PURPLE.
Paige Miles Tim Urban and Andrew Garcia might not have shown up as much either, but Paige Miles was straight terrible.
/rl
Top performances: Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Lee DeWyze and Casey James.
Biggest Surprises = Aaron Kelly and Casey James. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = for the 4th straight week, Andrew Garcia.
The 1 who will get chopped by way of America's axe is noted in RED below. The 1 who should get chopped, based on performance, is noted in PURPLE.
Paige Miles Tim Urban and Andrew Garcia might not have shown up as much either, but Paige Miles was straight terrible.
/rl
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Review: Top 12
I'm short on time so here's the quick recap and prediction.
Top performances: Siobhan Magnus, Didi Benami, Lee Dewyze, Aaron Kelly.
Biggest Surprise = Aaron Kelly. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = for the 3rd straight week, Andrew Garcia.
The 1 who will get chopped by way of America's axe is noted in RED below. The 1 who should get chopped, based on performance, is noted in PURPLE.
[sidenote: did Kara refer to Randy and Ellen as "the guys" twice tonight?]
THE TOP TIER
Siobhan Magnus Although that note was awkwardly long, her followup resolution to the song wowed me. She also reminded me of Blondie (1st 1:30 of Rapture) in this performance.
Didi Benami She's back. I also like how Ellen called out Didi's ability to make one syllable into two with ease (just as I had weeks ago - see past entries).
Lee DeWyze For any Big Brother watchers, his Chicago accent is almost the same as Jeff's from BB11.
Aaron Kelly Who does wardrobe for this guy? His outfits are ridiculous. He can't rock a leather jacket and he needs to stop tucking his undershirt in. Also, what is up with his hair tonight? That aside, his performance was great.
THE ALRIGHT
Crystal Bowersox Nothing special, although she rocked the peacock earrings that Lilly usually sports.
Casey James
Katie Stevens What? No hard criticism from the judges this week? Surprise, surprise. I think her problem is a lack of fans.
Paige Miles Although her performance wasn't bad, she hasn't done anything to date to wow me or win me over. I don't think she's done it for America either...but she'll likely stay another week.
Lacey Brown
THE FUGLY
Michael Lynche I want to root for Big Mike, because he's from New York...but when he continues to do the cutesy dancing stuff that I've mentioned in previous entries, he falls off the likability list.
Tim Urban I actually did not mind that 'reggae' version of the song. Although he's the VFTWer this week, I think he narrowly loses to Katie Stevens.
Andrew Garcia Is it possible that Andrew Garcia was the worst performer this week? Yes, yes it is. Although he maybe should be eliminated, and my patience with him is wearing thin, he'll live through this week's elimination. His fans are young; they rally for him through YouTube and other social outlets; and they likely have cell phones with unlimited text plans. For those reasons, he stays to disappoint us for another week.
/rl
Top performances: Siobhan Magnus, Didi Benami, Lee Dewyze, Aaron Kelly.
Biggest Surprise = Aaron Kelly. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = for the 3rd straight week, Andrew Garcia.
The 1 who will get chopped by way of America's axe is noted in RED below. The 1 who should get chopped, based on performance, is noted in PURPLE.
[sidenote: did Kara refer to Randy and Ellen as "the guys" twice tonight?]
THE TOP TIER
Siobhan Magnus Although that note was awkwardly long, her followup resolution to the song wowed me. She also reminded me of Blondie (1st 1:30 of Rapture) in this performance.
Didi Benami She's back. I also like how Ellen called out Didi's ability to make one syllable into two with ease (just as I had weeks ago - see past entries).
Lee DeWyze For any Big Brother watchers, his Chicago accent is almost the same as Jeff's from BB11.
Aaron Kelly Who does wardrobe for this guy? His outfits are ridiculous. He can't rock a leather jacket and he needs to stop tucking his undershirt in. Also, what is up with his hair tonight? That aside, his performance was great.
THE ALRIGHT
Crystal Bowersox Nothing special, although she rocked the peacock earrings that Lilly usually sports.
Casey James
Katie Stevens What? No hard criticism from the judges this week? Surprise, surprise. I think her problem is a lack of fans.
Paige Miles Although her performance wasn't bad, she hasn't done anything to date to wow me or win me over. I don't think she's done it for America either...but she'll likely stay another week.
Lacey Brown
THE FUGLY
Michael Lynche I want to root for Big Mike, because he's from New York...but when he continues to do the cutesy dancing stuff that I've mentioned in previous entries, he falls off the likability list.
Tim Urban I actually did not mind that 'reggae' version of the song. Although he's the VFTWer this week, I think he narrowly loses to Katie Stevens.
Andrew Garcia Is it possible that Andrew Garcia was the worst performer this week? Yes, yes it is. Although he maybe should be eliminated, and my patience with him is wearing thin, he'll live through this week's elimination. His fans are young; they rally for him through YouTube and other social outlets; and they likely have cell phones with unlimited text plans. For those reasons, he stays to disappoint us for another week.
/rl
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
American Idol 9 Top 3 (based on last year)
If we learned anything from last year's Idol finale, it was that America was not ready to crown an offbeat champion. Last year, the final three were:
1. Kris Allen
2. Adam Lambert
3. Danny Gokey
From how I see it, that's:
1. Good looks
2. Should've won, but not All-American enough
3. Best voice, but boring
If this year's semifinals follows last year's vote distribution, the final 3 may be:
1. Lee DeWyze or Didi Benami
2. Siobhan Magnus
3. Crystal Bowersox or Didi Benami (perhaps it was the Gokey sap story)
Although the Idol fan base may not have been ready to cheer on a more unique contestant last year, or they may not have been ready to cheer against the best looking contestant, there is some reason to believe that this year will be different. Lady GaGa (owner of #'s 2 and 4 on the Billboard Pop Charts1) is certainly offbeat and she is definitely not the best looking artist out there, but yet we love her.
And although the departure of Lilly Scott last week worries me a little if it's indicative of where America is still at...it may actually work in Siobhan's favor. Just as Gokey's votes went to Kris Allen once Gokey was eliminated, I believe a majority of Lilly Scott's votes will go to Siobhan (with another chunk going to Crystal Bowersox). Seeing as Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert (Carol Brady), Todrick Hall (the weirdest renditions of songs so far), Jermaine Sellers (come on, he rocked a onesy!) and Tyler Grady (he wasn't even living in this decade) have all been eliminated, and their former voters looking for a new contestant to vote for, I will say the following:
Siobhan Magnus will go home with the prize.
/rl
1Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart, Mar 16 2010
1. Kris Allen
2. Adam Lambert
3. Danny Gokey
From how I see it, that's:
1. Good looks
2. Should've won, but not All-American enough
3. Best voice, but boring
If this year's semifinals follows last year's vote distribution, the final 3 may be:
1. Lee DeWyze or Didi Benami
2. Siobhan Magnus
3. Crystal Bowersox or Didi Benami (perhaps it was the Gokey sap story)
Although the Idol fan base may not have been ready to cheer on a more unique contestant last year, or they may not have been ready to cheer against the best looking contestant, there is some reason to believe that this year will be different. Lady GaGa (owner of #'s 2 and 4 on the Billboard Pop Charts1) is certainly offbeat and she is definitely not the best looking artist out there, but yet we love her.
And although the departure of Lilly Scott last week worries me a little if it's indicative of where America is still at...it may actually work in Siobhan's favor. Just as Gokey's votes went to Kris Allen once Gokey was eliminated, I believe a majority of Lilly Scott's votes will go to Siobhan (with another chunk going to Crystal Bowersox). Seeing as Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert (Carol Brady), Todrick Hall (the weirdest renditions of songs so far), Jermaine Sellers (come on, he rocked a onesy!) and Tyler Grady (he wasn't even living in this decade) have all been eliminated, and their former voters looking for a new contestant to vote for, I will say the following:
Siobhan Magnus will go home with the prize.
/rl
1Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart, Mar 16 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Idol Review: After the Top 8 and 8
Katelyn Epperly and Todrick Hall - that's fine.
Alex Lambert and Lilly Scott? That's some bowlsheeeeeet. Perhaps they'll bring one of the contestants back to make a Top 13. Hey, they brought Tim Urban back, and he's terrible. At least bringing Lilly Scott (Alex Lambert, not so much) back would be bringing back a potential winner.
RL Record: 6-4.
Alex Lambert and Lilly Scott? That's some bowlsheeeeeet. Perhaps they'll bring one of the contestants back to make a Top 13. Hey, they brought Tim Urban back, and he's terrible. At least bringing Lilly Scott (Alex Lambert, not so much) back would be bringing back a potential winner.
RL Record: 6-4.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Review: Top 8 Girls and Top 8 Guys
Thank god they're not doing the stair thing anymore!
Top performances for each side...Guys: Lee Dewyze...Girls: 5 were good this week, so it's easier to say the 3 that were bad (Katelyn, Katie and Paige).
Biggest Surprise = Lacey Brown. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = for the 2nd straight week, Andrew Garcia.
The 4 who will get chopped by way of America's axe are noted in RED below. The 4 who should get chopped, based on performances, are noted in PURPLE.
TOP 12 GIRLS
Katie Stevens Hopefully Kelly Clarkson is young enough for the judges. I guess it was, but she only receives more crap..poor girl. Side note: what kind of pants is she wearing? They look ridiculous. Performance: that wasn't good. She hit one bad note about one verse in and couldn't recover. At least if she gets eliminated now, I think she still technically has a shot of competing again next year.
Siobhan Magnus No way! House of Rising Sun! That was great - her control is amazing (I feel like her voice is going to crack at several points in the song, but she doesn't). What she's wearing is interesting, but I like it. Siobhan for the win.
[sidenote: sketch man's performance of House of Rising Sun wasn't bad either. Too bad his attitude was terrible]
Lacey Brown First person this year to sit through a performance. Aside from sounding like a young girl, she had a good performance. Her style is also like a template - same thing every time. And who is this Pat Benatar everyone's comparing her to?
Katelyn Epperly Her second straight piano performance. She had a worse performance this week than the last, while playing with an inferior instrument. Also, she let her hair out..she obviously has not seen my analysis in past weeks regarding the correlation between the poofiness of her hair and the lacklusterness of her performances (yes..two made up words in one sentence).
Didi Benami Same thing every week: let's hope she shows up. Performance: I think she did. Good to see her with the same guitar that made her a favorite with Terrified. When she hit the chorus, I actually got chills in my body...which probably has something to do with the cold temperatures in my apartment as well.
Paige Miles America, there's nothing interesting or spectacular here.
Crystal Bowersox That was really good. Another solid performance.
Lilly Scott The peacock earrings are gone! It actually looks like her classic peacock earrings met Crystal Bowersox's hair [see below].
TOP 12 GUYS
[side note: Idol producers switched the order on us. For once, the contestants did not perform in the order they were introduced]
Lee DeWyze That was a great performance. He took a very popular song and switched it up just enough.
Alex Lambert Carol Brady can sing (props to the real navin for pointing out the aesthetic similarities weeks ago...see right). The voice has always been there.
Tim Urban Hallelujah is an awesome song to do with a guitar. That performance was average-leaning-on-good, and I'm not sure the Idol faithful can eliminate him after that. He is also the VFTWer, so he'll still be here next week.
Andrew Garcia Xtina? This could be disasterous...although Straight Up was also a girl's song. Genie in a Bottle? This takes it to a new level. Seconds into the performance: Uh oh. In the closing seconds of the performance: Uh oh. This could be the end of the road [if he didn't have the YouTube nation behind him].
Casey James Wack.
Aaron Kelly He started off slow, but the ending was dope.
Todrick Hall Can't wait to see how he'll rework and destroy another song. The beginning was bad; the ending was good..but get rid of him.
Michael Lynche Did anyone else think Big Mike was Ruben Studdard when he barely appeared in the balcony during others' performances? Style-wise: He has to either wear dress pants or drop the vest and the red hanky. The last few seconds of his performance were the best I've heard from him to date. The f - is Kara really crying?
/rl
Top performances for each side...Guys: Lee Dewyze...Girls: 5 were good this week, so it's easier to say the 3 that were bad (Katelyn, Katie and Paige).
Biggest Surprise = Lacey Brown. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = for the 2nd straight week, Andrew Garcia.
The 4 who will get chopped by way of America's axe are noted in RED below. The 4 who should get chopped, based on performances, are noted in PURPLE.
TOP 12 GIRLS
Katie Stevens Hopefully Kelly Clarkson is young enough for the judges. I guess it was, but she only receives more crap..poor girl. Side note: what kind of pants is she wearing? They look ridiculous. Performance: that wasn't good. She hit one bad note about one verse in and couldn't recover. At least if she gets eliminated now, I think she still technically has a shot of competing again next year.
Siobhan Magnus No way! House of Rising Sun! That was great - her control is amazing (I feel like her voice is going to crack at several points in the song, but she doesn't). What she's wearing is interesting, but I like it. Siobhan for the win.
[sidenote: sketch man's performance of House of Rising Sun wasn't bad either. Too bad his attitude was terrible]
Lacey Brown First person this year to sit through a performance. Aside from sounding like a young girl, she had a good performance. Her style is also like a template - same thing every time. And who is this Pat Benatar everyone's comparing her to?
Katelyn Epperly Her second straight piano performance. She had a worse performance this week than the last, while playing with an inferior instrument. Also, she let her hair out..she obviously has not seen my analysis in past weeks regarding the correlation between the poofiness of her hair and the lacklusterness of her performances (yes..two made up words in one sentence).
Didi Benami Same thing every week: let's hope she shows up. Performance: I think she did. Good to see her with the same guitar that made her a favorite with Terrified. When she hit the chorus, I actually got chills in my body...which probably has something to do with the cold temperatures in my apartment as well.
Paige Miles America, there's nothing interesting or spectacular here.
Crystal Bowersox That was really good. Another solid performance.
Lilly Scott The peacock earrings are gone! It actually looks like her classic peacock earrings met Crystal Bowersox's hair [see below].
TOP 12 GUYS
[side note: Idol producers switched the order on us. For once, the contestants did not perform in the order they were introduced]
Lee DeWyze That was a great performance. He took a very popular song and switched it up just enough.
Alex Lambert Carol Brady can sing (props to the real navin for pointing out the aesthetic similarities weeks ago...see right). The voice has always been there.
Tim Urban Hallelujah is an awesome song to do with a guitar. That performance was average-leaning-on-good, and I'm not sure the Idol faithful can eliminate him after that. He is also the VFTWer, so he'll still be here next week.
Andrew Garcia Xtina? This could be disasterous...although Straight Up was also a girl's song. Genie in a Bottle? This takes it to a new level. Seconds into the performance: Uh oh. In the closing seconds of the performance: Uh oh. This could be the end of the road [if he didn't have the YouTube nation behind him].
Casey James Wack.
Aaron Kelly He started off slow, but the ending was dope.
Todrick Hall Can't wait to see how he'll rework and destroy another song. The beginning was bad; the ending was good..but get rid of him.
Michael Lynche Did anyone else think Big Mike was Ruben Studdard when he barely appeared in the balcony during others' performances? Style-wise: He has to either wear dress pants or drop the vest and the red hanky. The last few seconds of his performance were the best I've heard from him to date. The f - is Kara really crying?
/rl
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Review: Top 10 Guys and Top 10 Girls
Why are they still doing this awkward walking down the stairs thing?
The guys were alright, but the girls were DOPE. Top performances for each side...Guys: Lee Dewyze and Alex Lambert...Girls: Crystal Bowersox, Lilly Scott and Siobhan Magnus.
Biggest Surprise = Tim Urban...he showed up this week. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = John Park (he's fairly monotone and dull) and Andrew Garcia. The 4 who might get chopped by way of America's axe are noted in RED below. The 4 who should get chopped, based on performances, are noted in PURPLE.
TOP 12 GUYS
Michael Lynche That was good, but he can do better. I hate it when he tries to do these cutesy things with his voice and his movements - it just doesn't sound/look/feel right.
John Park Get rid of this guy. I wonder if he has the entire Big Ten voting for him though.
Casey James Setting up this little mystery box as a ploy to get votes? Brother please. You're going through to the Top 5 simply because the women [and a subset of men] of America need their eye candy. The hilarious part is that he got a little smart at the end of his turn..I think Kara's negative comments popped his balloon and knocked him off his high horse. So he turned into a defensive chick and gave Simon lip.
[after the cut scene, the left side of the screen features a nugget from Andrew and Big Mike..check it out if you missed it]
Alex Lambert That was tight! His voice is mad good...we just need more star power from him.
Todrick Hall And he picked another woman's song. His pre-performance cut scene was annoying because he performed in plays, but yet he robbed little kids of their audition funds.
Jermaine Sellers Meh.
Andrew Garcia At times, it sounded like he was talking. Also, since his voice is so raspy, it sounded like he was whispering at the tail end of some of his lines. For now, he's lost...in a dream. But I'm confident he'll find his way.
Aaron Kelly My Girl? Dude, you're 16. Did Simon just tell Aaron to be more like Justin Bieber? what the f.
[side note: why does Ellen have the most style on Idol?]
Tim Urban That was much better performance than last week. I actually kind of enjoyed that..thank you SImon for agreeing.
Lee DeWyze Again, this guy is legit.
TOP 12 GIRLS
Crystal Bowersox Nice.
Haeley Vaughn She's doing Miley? Come on, Party in the USA..come on, Party in the USA....The Climb? Damn, too bad. And she butchered it.
Lacey Brown Stylin'. The words in that song were not easy to string together...props. The performance wasn't spectacular though. I'm going to be sad to see her go, but this group is so talented, it'll be easy to move onto the next one.
Katie Stevens 3 little birds sat on my window. No one can do this better than Megan Corkrey, but that was pretty good!
Didi Benami Not up to par. Let's hope she doesn't get Ashley Rodriguez-ed and see the end of what was once a very bright Idol road. If she does, it will again be time to pick a new favorite. Also, in her absence of words, you could tell she was holding back tears when Ryan checked in with her at the end...why is she so emotional?
Michell Delamore Something about her eyes or her mouth is a little weird. I like it though. Style-wise, the gloves were weird but the rest of her get up was hot. That was also a nice rendition of Arms Wide Open...changed it, but not too much (for 'too much,' see Todrick Hall's Since U Been Gone).
Lilly Scott Damn...that was good. Also, peacock earrings? Check.
Katelyn Epperly She looked good this week. See, her hair was even more controlled this week than the week before, which was more controlled than the week before that. She has a very attractive face and when the hair isn't all poofy and distracting, we can actually see it. First person this season on a piano. She tried to go a little GaGa in this performance, but I thought it was decent.
Paige Miles I'm not feeling any connection to her.
Siobhan Magnus She's growing on me. I actually digged her style tonight. There were so many interesting combos with her get up: dress over the shirt...socks with the heels. Whatever, i still dig it. Performance-wise: She was on FIRE tonight. Possibly a new favorite for me.
/rl
The guys were alright, but the girls were DOPE. Top performances for each side...Guys: Lee Dewyze and Alex Lambert...Girls: Crystal Bowersox, Lilly Scott and Siobhan Magnus.
Biggest Surprise = Tim Urban...he showed up this week. Biggest Disappointments (meaning that I had wanted or expected them to be good) = John Park (he's fairly monotone and dull) and Andrew Garcia. The 4 who might get chopped by way of America's axe are noted in RED below. The 4 who should get chopped, based on performances, are noted in PURPLE.
TOP 12 GUYS
Michael Lynche That was good, but he can do better. I hate it when he tries to do these cutesy things with his voice and his movements - it just doesn't sound/look/feel right.
John Park Get rid of this guy. I wonder if he has the entire Big Ten voting for him though.
Casey James Setting up this little mystery box as a ploy to get votes? Brother please. You're going through to the Top 5 simply because the women [and a subset of men] of America need their eye candy. The hilarious part is that he got a little smart at the end of his turn..I think Kara's negative comments popped his balloon and knocked him off his high horse. So he turned into a defensive chick and gave Simon lip.
[after the cut scene, the left side of the screen features a nugget from Andrew and Big Mike..check it out if you missed it]
Alex Lambert That was tight! His voice is mad good...we just need more star power from him.
Todrick Hall And he picked another woman's song. His pre-performance cut scene was annoying because he performed in plays, but yet he robbed little kids of their audition funds.
Jermaine Sellers Meh.
Andrew Garcia At times, it sounded like he was talking. Also, since his voice is so raspy, it sounded like he was whispering at the tail end of some of his lines. For now, he's lost...in a dream. But I'm confident he'll find his way.
Aaron Kelly My Girl? Dude, you're 16. Did Simon just tell Aaron to be more like Justin Bieber? what the f.
[side note: why does Ellen have the most style on Idol?]
Tim Urban That was much better performance than last week. I actually kind of enjoyed that..thank you SImon for agreeing.
Lee DeWyze Again, this guy is legit.
TOP 12 GIRLS
Crystal Bowersox Nice.
Haeley Vaughn She's doing Miley? Come on, Party in the USA..come on, Party in the USA....The Climb? Damn, too bad. And she butchered it.
Lacey Brown Stylin'. The words in that song were not easy to string together...props. The performance wasn't spectacular though. I'm going to be sad to see her go, but this group is so talented, it'll be easy to move onto the next one.
Katie Stevens 3 little birds sat on my window. No one can do this better than Megan Corkrey, but that was pretty good!
Didi Benami Not up to par. Let's hope she doesn't get Ashley Rodriguez-ed and see the end of what was once a very bright Idol road. If she does, it will again be time to pick a new favorite. Also, in her absence of words, you could tell she was holding back tears when Ryan checked in with her at the end...why is she so emotional?
Michell Delamore Something about her eyes or her mouth is a little weird. I like it though. Style-wise, the gloves were weird but the rest of her get up was hot. That was also a nice rendition of Arms Wide Open...changed it, but not too much (for 'too much,' see Todrick Hall's Since U Been Gone).
Lilly Scott Damn...that was good. Also, peacock earrings? Check.
Katelyn Epperly She looked good this week. See, her hair was even more controlled this week than the week before, which was more controlled than the week before that. She has a very attractive face and when the hair isn't all poofy and distracting, we can actually see it. First person this season on a piano. She tried to go a little GaGa in this performance, but I thought it was decent.
Paige Miles I'm not feeling any connection to her.
Siobhan Magnus She's growing on me. I actually digged her style tonight. There were so many interesting combos with her get up: dress over the shirt...socks with the heels. Whatever, i still dig it. Performance-wise: She was on FIRE tonight. Possibly a new favorite for me.
/rl
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
