American Idol: Men 2/27/2007
The men came back to prove they were better than last week’s performances made us believe. And they succeeded. It was a night of old classics, and of newer stuff done with style. I have to say, I am beginning to like a few of the people this year. They seem like a good bunch. And once again I find myself getting sucked into the show which has an earnest quality that is hard to beat. The contestants on this show are ordinary people from all walks of life. And they are singing their heart out. There have been a lot of imitator shows but Idol has the best formula. Aided by the fact that they can do two hour shows over three nights in a row. No other show gets that amount of air time, which gives them more room to tell their contestant’s stories.
As a result you come to care more about the people than you do on most shows of this kind.
Phil Stacy was up first. The sailor on leave sang John Waite’s “Missing You” and did a decent job. It didn’t blow me away, but it was solid. The judges were pleased. Simon felt about the same way I did. Good but not great performance.
Jared Cotter was next, doing “Let’s Get it On”. He dedicated it to his parents. The guy is a decent singer, but his performance was hokey. He made a lot of strained expressions that often didn’t go with the song. It was OK. But more m=powerful than what he did last week. Mixed responses from the judges.
A.J. Tablado also dedicated his performance to his parents. And he was miles better than last week. He sang the Nina Simone classic “Feelin’ Good” and it was very solid. The singing was really good. Heis performance was decent. The judges liked him.
Sanjaya Malakar dedicated his song to his grandfather. He came out dressed a little like Michael Jackson during his Smooth Criminal video. The song “Stepping Out is an oldie. A good song but he is so young and his singing was pretty so so. The result got him panned by the judges. The audience seemed to like him. I think he’s safe. On Dial Idol he is #2 today. I suspect he will be around awhile. Easily making it to the top 10. The little girls with the text messages are dialing up a storm for him, I think.
Chris Sligh was next. Dedicating his performance to his wife, who is very attractive. And apparently, she has been very supportive to him. So he picked a Ray Lamontagne song which Taylor Hicks did last year: Trouble. He did a very solid job and the judges liked him for it. I think he’s one of the better singers on the show. Not one of my favorites, but up there.
Nick Pedro dedicated his set to his girlfriend. I like Pedro, and he did a good job, but I suspect this will be his last show. He sang the Peggy Lee classic, Fever. He sang really well, but as Simon pointed out, his performance was nothing special. He’s kind of a classic style singer. But he doesn’t seem to have a lot of confidence for a salesman, which is his previous job.
Blake Lewis came out and dedicated his song to his parents. And I have to tell you, this guy has become my favorite so far this season. He sang Virtual Insanity, which is a tune I really like (it has a great video), but he threw in some scat and beat box as well as some smooth dance moves. Paula and Randy were blown away. Simon felt it was a copycat performance. I don’t think so, but anyway, it was very current and cool. Great job. He’ll stay this week.
Brandon Rogers dedicated his set to his grandma. He picked a Cyndi Lauper song, Time After Time. Even though he did a decent job I think that was a huge mistake. I think he’ll be voted off with Nick this week. His performance seemed very sincere. But, the judges were underwhelmed. There is also the gay black man factor. I don’t know if he’s gay, but he’s a great looking 29 year old without an apparent girlfriend. And he was singing a girl’s song while wearing a pink shirt. The teenagers who do most of the voting on this show seem to be merciless when it comes to gays, especially black gays. They get voted off really fast. Even if Brandon is straight, his clothes, lackluster song and such proably did him in this week.
Chris Richardson is the closest in style to Blake. He dedicated his song to his grandma as well, then chose the song “Geek in the Pink”. Okaaay. Well, he did an excellent job even though I’m not crazy about the song. His moves are very Fred Durst. But he sings really well. Randy said he did a better job than Jason Mraz, who wrote it. Simon said it was the best performance of the night.
Finally, Sundance Head. He dedicated his performance to his newborn son. It was a very touching intro. And then he came out roaring Mustang Sally, and really kicked out the jams. So much so that he is way ahead on Dial Idol at #1. So I suspect he is goiing to be back next week for sure. Sundance is popular. And he has a soulful quality like Taylor Hicks had last year. The judges loved it. Paula and Randy were especially exuberant.
I have to say, I am warming up to this year’s people faster than last year, which was my favorite. A lot of likable talented people. Last year there were a number of contestants I felt like dissing on here. This year, I don’t have anyone I feel that way about yet. We’ll see how long that holds up.
Good show last night. These guys all have such a ‘likability’........it’s hard to throw any one of them overboard. I find myself polar opposite to DialIdol tho. IMHO Sanjaya just wasn’t very good and I was underwelmed by Sundance. I’ve just never been impressed with him since his audition. I really like Blake & Chris.
Posted by on 02/28 at 04:01 AMI think Sanjaya has a lot of teenaged girls voting for him because I agree. Especially compared to the others, he is not so great. He is the Kevin Covais of this season.
Posted by James Hudnall on 02/28 at 09:56 AMThere was just nothing to like about Sanjaya last night. The way he dressed also reminded me of creepy Michael Jackson. Has votefortheworst.com picked a favorite yet?
Blake and Chris Sligh are my favorites, with Phil not far behind. I’m warming up to Sundance, though. Mustang Sally really showcased his voice.
Posted by on 02/28 at 09:57 AMVote for the worst picked Sundance and Antonella as their champions. I think Sundance is better than that. They should have picked Sanjaya.
When I first saw Sanjaya’s outfit I thought he was going to do a Michael Jackson song.
I’ll bet MJ is trying to get his phone number now.
Posted by James Hudnall on 02/28 at 10:18 AMEwww! Sanjaya’s too old for him, anyway.
Some nude photos of Antonella have shown up on the internet. American Idol hasn’t commented. Yet. From what I saw, they weren’t raunchy photos - just some gals getting silly at the beach. Good thing Donald Trump doesn’t run AI.
Posted by on 02/28 at 10:38 AMSanjaya better have a lot of little girls voting. His performance both weeks was on the poor side. I was thinking Brandon might go this week, but I wasn’t thinking the same reasoning as you. LOL! The gay thing never crossed my mind. Good voice, but not great performances. Nick too, same thing. Of course I realize there are a lot of people voting on other criteria than best vocals and performances. The rest of the guys seem pretty solid.
Posted by Laurie on 02/28 at 08:57 PMYeah, Sanjaya is pretty weak. But he’s still a kid. He’s outclassed and out matched by the others.
Posted by on 02/28 at 09:54 PM
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