Tuesday, May 01, 2007
American Idol 5/1If you ask me, Blake owned tonight with his beat box rendition of “You Give Love a Bad Name”. It was really great and serves to remind people why Blake is so special on this season. He’s been kind of dull the last few weeks, but he blew them away tonight. Melinda was arguably the second best. It’s a close call. The fact is, no one was bad tonight. Phil continues to shine. Not just his head.
So it’s a hard call who will go tomorrow night. I have a feeling it will be Chris and Lakisha. They just aren’t as popular as the others. Jordin kind of messed up tonight (for her, anyway) but she was still good and I think people like her too much now. Phil has a decent fan base that may be growing. He is this season’s Elliot Yamin. And Dial Idol predictions hold up my guess that Lakisha and Chris are vulnerable. They both did good tonight, but it will be down to their popularity vs the others.
Bon Jovi week provided some good material. Even though it took people out of their comfort zone, they all did well. It’s hard to believe there are only three more episodes to the finale.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
American Idol 4/25I really hate charity shows. Since they are all about hard sell and manipulation. While I think what American Idol is doing seems very positive, the show last night was pretty annoying to say the least.
There were some good performances, but a lot of excruciating filler. The worst had to be a video of a bunch of celebs lip syncing “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees. And Ryan had the gall to suggest you can buy it at iTunes.
Parts of it were decent. I enjoyed the Jack Black/Seal bit. Black sang Kiss from a Rose and the judges said he sucked. So his response was, if Seal were here he would like it. Simon said, no he wouldn’t. Then it turns out Seal was in the audience and he gave Black a thumbs up.
Most of the bits were lame, such a Ben Stiller segment, doing his usual exasperated lameo routine. Most of the songs were pretty sappy, as you’d expect from a charity show. The worst part is no decision for who loses this week. The bottom two were supposedly Jordin and Chris. I find it hard to believe that Jordin was in the bottom. Her performance on Tuesday was astounding. But Chris probably was. I also think Lakisha deserved to be there.
Next week they will eliminate the bottom two for real, based on this weeks and next week’s votes.
That combined with all the shots of weeping children made this episode hard to take. I’m glad its over. But they will probably do the same thing next year.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
American Idol: 4/17I had a feeling country week would spell the doom of Sanjaya malakar. And I may be right this time. Dial Idol has him dead last. Of course, they have had a bad track record this year. But they got scarily accurate the closer they got to the end of the season. I’d say Sanjaya needs to sweat a little.
Melinda and Jordin were the stand out performers of the night. They both looked radient, and they both out sang everyone else.
Phil Stacy also did a great job, just not as good. I think however, he showed that country worked well with his style.
Sanjaya was a train wreck. And he came out with a doo rag that made him look like a janitor lady. On top of that he sang a girl’s song. Is he going to be in drag next time?
Actually, I don’t expect there to be a next time. Well, one can hope anyway.
UPDATE: Ouch!
I think the other person who could lose tonight is Lakisha. She has become too borig and divaish since her first, great performance. Now she seems to be sleep walking trhrough the show. She ignores the advice she is given every week. Last night she seemed to cop an attitude when she was critiqued. I think it’ll be this week or next that she goes. Hopefully it’ll be Sanjaya tonight.
THERE IS A GOD! SANJAYA IS OUT!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
American Idol: 4/10/2007Just last week I was thinking: “You know, they never did a Latin Week on American Idol. They should do that as a change of pace.” And guess what happened on my birthday? Jennifer Lopez was the coach of the week (to help her poor CD sales, no doubt) and the theme was Latin music.
Of course, American Idol’s idea of Latin music (or the contestants, anyway) is Miami Sound Machine or Santana from his previous CD. Well, ok, Melinda and Sanjaya (ugh) dusted off some classic from the lounge era (Sway and Besame Mucho respectively).
It wasn’t as spicy a show as you would think. Lopez was a pretty laid back coach, kind of like Gwen Stefani. And The performances were mostly OK. In fact, this is the first week Simon dissed Melinda (and she handled it extremely well). And surprisingly enough, the guys outshone the women this week. Blake came in at #1 and Chris at #2. Phil Stacy did well, but not anything amazing. he san a Marc Anthony song, who is currently Jennifer Lopez husband (but not for long, apparently). Sanjaya actually did a decent job for once. But I would still vote him off in a heartbeat.
The women mostly seemed out of their element and were tentative. They didn’t exhibit any of that Latin fire. Melinda moved very awkwardly in her high heels (which I think is because she is not used to them, and lacks confidence in her looks). Lakisha was the same old, same old. She has this vacant look when she sings. Her first performance was apparently the exception, not the rule. Jordin did ok, but seemed out of her element a bit. Haley was doing her best to stay in the game, so she wore some shorts up to her eyeballs. It was yet another dinner theater singing act. Not bad, but it’ll probably win her work on a cruise line.
Surprisingly enough, Dial Idol puts Lakisha and Jordin at the greatest risk of being voted off this week. Haley isn’t even close to the bottom. Well, she does have some amazing legs.
Hopefully, Jordin will survive another week. As great a singer as Lakisha is, I don’t think she had a chance of winning this. But I expected her to make the top 4 or 5 at least. Looks like she won’t. We’ll see.
UPDATE: Haley Scarnato is the loser. Lakisha wasn’t even in the bottom 3. Dial Idol hasn’t been as accurate this year it was last year.
Next is country week with Martina McBride as guest coach. Since there are no country singers this year, this will be interesting.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
American Idol: 3/3What a wonderful night. The theme for the week is Swing and the coach is Tony Bennett, who looks incredible at age 80. Bennett seemed to be very inspiring because everyone did a good to great job.
As you may or may not know, swing is some of my favorite music. So last night was a real treat for me.
The usual suspects once again did a flawless performance. Melinda, Blake, Jordin and Chris all impressed the judges and the audience. Phil and Sanjaya less so, but I think they both did well. Especially Phil. Sanjaya is getting better, but I would love to see him go. But it won’t be this week, I think.
Gina was really good but for some reason Simon wasn’t impressed. Lakisha did really well, but I’m beginning to see her performances as all the same. She can definitely sing, but she doesn’t have the same spark and versatility of either Melinda or Jordin.
The weakest link this time was probably Haley who I thought did OK, but the judges were dismissive. I think she’s gone tonight and from her reaction, I think she know it too.
She’s talented, but nothing we haven’t seen before. With this many good singers it comes down to style and personality. Sanjaya may lacking in the singing department, but he seems to appeal to a lot of teens. We all know how much taste teens have, so he’ll probably make it to the top four or five. I hope not, but teens usually have at least one in the race up t the top five.
All in all, it was a great night.
UPDATE: Gina, not Haley. Well, I was a bit surprised, but Smile is kind of a sad song and haley’s was more upbeat. Negative or downer songs are to be avoided at all costs on this show. Hopefully, Sanjaya will sing something depressing next week.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Chris Sligh
Sure, he made the famous quip that he wanted to make David Hasselhoff cry, but Greenville’s own Chris Sligh says he never really wanted to win “American Idol”—and, in fact, even considered quitting two weeks before television viewers sent him packing.
“I never came into this wanting to win it,” Sligh said Thursday in a telephone interview, a day after being voted off and finishing tenth in the wildly popular singing competition. “I made the Top Ten. That was my goal.”
Two weeks ago, after scathing criticism for his re-arrangement of Diana Ross’ classic ballad “Endless Love,” the 28-year-old Bob Jones and North Greenville universities alum began to question whether his roots in indie, alternative pop-rock fit with the blueprint of “American Idol.”
“When I was pretty much universally trashed for my arrangement of ‘Endless Love,’ I kind of thought, ‘You know? This isn’t really the competition for me,’” Sligh said. “Actually, I almost dropped out that week.”
I liked Chris, except he stopped being funny, which was one of his strengths. He has a great voice. I never expected him to win, either, though.
I didn’t know, until his exit interview on idol extra that he was a hardcore X-ian. But that’s OK, he isn’t one of those boring scolds who always get trotted out as an example of Christians. The Jesus Camp types. Though he did say his parents wouldn’t let him listen to any pop music growing up. he heard his first CD when he was 18. And it was No Doubt.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
American Idol: 3/27/2007
Another great show. This time Gwen Stefani was the coach, which is unusual. More often they get singers way past their prime like Barry Manilow or Kenny Rogers as coaches. Stefani is current and still making hit records. But the show has become such a CD seller for guest coaches, many artists are clamoring to be on it now.
Here’s a run down of the performances.
Lakisa Jones did Donna Summer’s Last Dance, one of my favorite disco songs. She did it real justice, though no one can touch Summer at her game. The judges loved it, and praised her all over. However, I think it wasn’t great, just really good. She’ll be safe. It certainly made people forget Breena Gethers version last season.
Chris Sligh sang the Police’s “Every Little Thing”. His voice was great. But he was off track with the band. The judges tore him up. Simon made it sound like Chris is all but gone and I suspect he may be tonight.
Gina Glockson sang “I’ll stand by you” beautifully. It was her best performance to date. The judges thought so. Safe. This is a song more suited to her voice than some of the ones she did before. She doesn’t have a lot of range. But she can sing.
Sanjaya Malakar sang “Bathwater” by No Doubt. What can I say? Someone once stated that youth is wasted on the young. Based on the kids voting to keep Sanjaya in this show, I’d say, damn straight. It was really-freaking-bad. But not nearly as bad as his hairdo. W-T-F was that? A faux-hawk? The dude is fast becoming the show’s clown, without meaning to. And watch, he’ll be safe again. The judges gave up on judging him since nothing they say seems to matter. Last season people were complaining about 16 year old Kevin Kovais, but he’s Frank Sinatra in comparison. I just hope Sanjaya is gone in a week or two. It’s hard watching talented people like Stephanie Edwards go so this dufus can stay.
Haley Scarnato sang True Colors by Cyndi Lauper. She tried to make it a power ballad. Not a good move. I suspect she’ll be gone if Chris isn’t. But as the remaining (semi) hot chick on the show, she might stay another week. As long as she keeps showing off her legs.
Phil Stacy sang another Police song. “Every Breat You Take”. And he did, I think, his best performance to date. And a really good version of the song. Stefani must be a Police (and Donna Summer) fan because she chose the songs list tonight that they had to pick from. In Stacy’s hands, Sting should be proud. It was excellent.
Melinda was next and she picked Donna Summer’s Heaven Knows (which was a duet with her husband at the time). Great song and Melinda nailed it again, flawlessly. She doesn’t even need to be on this show except the music business is too stupid to hire people like her unless they go on Idol. She’s in a class by herself. Simon knocked her for the first time, but all he could complain about was her outfit. I think Melinda is coming in #1 each week, so he is probably trying to knock her down a peg. Won’t work. Super-safe.
Blake Lewis did an almost Sade-like version of I will Always Love You by the Cure. No beat box or rapping this time. No funky dance moves. I thought it was very nice. It’s one of my favorite Cure songs. I think they would have liked this. Anyway, safe. The judges loved it. Simon said he was the #1 guy in the show right now. I pretty much guessed that from the get go with him.
Jordin Sparks sang Hey, Baby by Stafani. Stafani liked it, but it wasn’t that great of a singing example. A decent performance. I’m not sure if it will help her. She might be in the bottom three tonight, even though she did good. We’ll see.
Finally, Chris Richardson in the pimp spot, did Don’t Speak by No Doubt. I think he did a nice job. Not earth shattering, but very good. He’s probably safe even though he was in the bottom two last week.
As far as judges go, Stefani seemed ok. She’s apparently a fan of the show since she was familiar with all the singers. Unfortunately, none of the singers seemed to listen to her advice when given.
UPDATE: I was right. Too obvious. Next week it will be either Phil or Haley, I suspect. It should be Sanjaya but he seems bullet proof so far.
BTW: Elliot Yamin’s new CD debuted at #2 on the Billboard top 200. Daughtry is #4.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Lost Island MapsSomebody has too much time on their hands. Are they stuck on a desert island?
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
American Idol: 3/20/2007Last night illustrated perfectly why American Idol is such a successful show. It was great entertainment, if you love music.
This week was British Invasion week. The singers had to pick a song from the British Invasion of the 1960. And the mentors were two stars of that era. Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits and Lulu, singer/actress famous for “To Sir With Love”, who also sang the theme to “The Man With The Golden Gun”. Noone coached the male singers and Lulu coached the women. And I have to confess, I really love the music of that period. I was a little kid at the time, but I remember these songs and they had a big effect on me. It was wonderful to hear some of them again, handled well.
First up was Haley Scarnato, showing off her legs to great effect. She sang the tune “Tell Him” in a very flirty way that will probably guarantee she sticks around another week. (though Dial Idol has her dead last for some reason.) I think she did a great job of being personable, which goes a long way on this show. And her singing was not bad, either. After the break they cut to a little girl in the audience who was crying. Apparently, she was glad to be there and was overwhelmed. We will soon discover what that was all about.
Chris Richardson was next. His choice was a Gerry and the Pacemakers song “Don’t Let The Sun Catch you Crying”. Note to little girl, listen to Chris. Well, maybe not. he was accompanied by an acoustic guitarist on the stage. And once again he did a very good job. Singing it with a soulful, contemporary feel. And this time he avoided the jerky moves I find annoying in his performances. He really showed off his voice in that song. It was excellent.
Stephanie Edwards san “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield. She did a fine job. But I think she did it too literally. I liked it, but Simon and Randy thought it was too safe a performance. The audience seemed to really like it.
Blake Lewis chose one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite 60s bands: the Zombies. “Time of the Season”. He did an updated beat box version, using beat box to replace the intro cords of the song. It worked very well. Plus he’s a terrific singer and has real smooth moves. The audience was on their feet after his performance, screaming and yelling. The judges loved it also.
Lakisha Jones did one of my favorite James Bond themes, “Diamonds are Forever”. I was really excited to hear she was doing it, even though that’s really a 70s song. Diamonds came out in 1970. Lakisha did a very nice job, but not as good as Shirley Bassy, who phrased it better (and added a slight growl in her enunciation). The audience was screaming and cheering. The judges were kind of bored, however. Simon thought it was too old for her. I don’t know. I think Simon uses that statement when he doesn’t get something. Whatever.
Phil Stacy came out singing one of my favorite songs, “Tobacco Road” by the Nashville Teens. It was one of the nights most rocking performances. And Dial Idol has him at #2 this week. So I guess the viewing audience loved it. Simon didn’t care much for it. He thought Phil was in trouble. We’ll see.
Jordin Sparks did “I Who Have Nothing”. And it was one of the best performances in a night of amazing performances. The audience was blown away. Simon said it was gloomy. Well, it’s a sad song, but a powerful one. I have to say, Jordin looked really beautiful with straight hair. She’s a beautiful girl anyway, but she looked very elegant last night.The audience was on their feet again after it was over. Randy thought it was the best performance of the night up to that point.
Sanjaya Malakar did “You Really Got Me” by the Kinks. I think it was his best performance to day and so did the Judges. I still think he looks like a little kid up on the stage (and as Michael Jackson imitator, to boot). The song has very repetitive lyrics, even though I like it, it was wearing on me the way he performed it. But his target audience seemed to love it. That crying little girl was weeping controllably and the camera kept cutting to her. I kept thinking “leave her alone.” But this is the face of the voters keeping Sanjaya in the competition. He is so outclassed on this season, but like other teen singers of years past, he will probably ride it out for a few more weeks. He gave the little girl a big hug afterward which will probably score him more points with his fans.
Gina Glockson sang “Paint It Black”. I think she did a good job, but I’ve decided she her singing is limited. She had me going there in the beginning. It’s another song I love. But then she did this really low spoken bridge in the song, and the spell was broken. I think she’s in danger of leaving this week.
Chris Sligh picked another Zombies song. “She’s Not There” and he told us the British Invasion songs are some of his favorite. Right on, dude. I think he did a very solid job of it. His voice was never better. The audience and the judges mostly liked it. They weren’t blown away. But I think it was very well done. Chris gave a shout out to the Fro Patrol, which are his fans.
Finally, once again Melinda Doolittle got the “pimp spot” and she chose a song from Oliver. “As Long As He Needs Me”, a powerful torch song from one of my favorite musicals. Once again, Melinda showed how she was way ahead of the pack. She is so professional and polished, she’s like a star who’s been doing it for over a decade. What I love about her is she reminds me of the kind of classic singer we don’t see anymore. I just rewatched it while I am typing this and it sent chills through me. She freakin’ good. Of course, the judges we’re once again, amazed.
Anyway, there goes another episode of Idol and it was a great change from last week’s rather prosaic experience. I’m really curious who’s going tonight. Everyone was pretty good.
UPDATE: The two people I thought would be safe were in the bottom 2. Stehanie and Chris. Unbelievable. Who went? Stephanie Edwards, who is beautiful and extremely talented. I think it’s really unfair, but Idol can be that way. Especially this season.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
American Idol: 3/13/2007Last night’s show, despite having Diana Ross as the guest mentor, was not very inspiring. Only three of the contestants stood out, the usual suspects: Melinda, Lakisha, Jordin. There rest were OK to eh.
So I wasn’t too enthused about writing this post and it’s anyone’s guess who will get booted tonight. I suspect Sanjaya will skate again, jeri curls and all. Even though he was pretty weak. Watching him perform is like watching a little kid pretend top be an adult. He is so outclassed by the top performers.
Blake failed to impress this time. he was just OK. And he seemed a little surprised to not get praise this time, which makes he wonder if he isn’t the one Sundance was talking about here.
Stephanie Edwards would have shined if she went more disco in her cover of a Ross disco hit. Instead she made it repetitive.
Chris Sligh and Phil Stacy were the best male singers of the night.
Melanie is still tops. She is just amazing. Lakisha did a great job with God Bless the Child. Probably one of the best covers I’ve heard of that classic. But I still think she ranked second, slightly because Melinda took a lame song from The Wiz (which is really bad) and made it good. That is talent! Jordin Sparks surprised everyone by covering a song few people even know and making it really entertaining to listen to. These three women are the ones to beat.
My guess is, a guy goes.
UPDATE: Yep. Brandon went. I was going to suggest him, anyway. he was one of my early picks, plus he screwed up. Kind of a surprise to see Sanjaya there. Maybe we won’t have to deal with him much longer. One can hope. He makes me yearn for the golden days of Kevin Covais.
