Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Top 6 Results Show

Welcome back, tonight will be interesting. Crystal is the only contestant that had any negative critiques by the judges so whomever goes they will be shocked. My only shock will come if Crystal or Lee left. And if they did, the only ones you can blame are the judges for keeping Michael a few weeks back with the save. But hopefully it won't get that far, and within 2 minutes we have our first performance:

Musical Interlude #1: Rascal Flatts. Although I am no big country fan they are quite popular and I can understand why.

--We get a behind the scenes footage of the Ford Music Video. I don't like the video itself so to see a behind the scenes footage is a pretty big waste of time. But besides the last 2 minutes the results show is a waste of time.

--Now we get a Shrek tour by seeing how the contestants see how voices are dubbed. Then Antonio Banderas and Cameron Diaz came to the stage. I wonder if Fox has anything to do with Shrek?

--(With all of these extra curricular activities when do these contestants actually rehearse)

Onto the Results:
Ryan will make 3 groups of 2 on the stage. I hate the little question-answer questions with the contestants, it's just awkward.

Group 1: Siobhan & Lee
Group 2: Aaron & Crystal
Group 3: Michael & Casey

--Ryan then moved Siobhan over towards Michael & Casey and said that they are the Bottom 3. Lee, Crystal and Aaron are all SAFE! Very awkward how Ryan assembled the contestants and how he made Siobhan seem like she's safe but I expect nothing less than awkwardness with Ryan Seacrest. Thankfully Crystal is safe and I don't have to go.

Bottom 3:
Michael
Casey
Siobhan
--A pretty fair Bottom 3. I would have loved Aaron to go but if Michael goes that would be alright, he really is pretty weak and hasn't had a solid week for several weeks.

Musical Interlude #2: Sons of Sylvia. Um, don't know those guys. I think I might have seen them on a reality show a few years back and they had a different name. But that's about it. They don't really sound that "Country" but maybe that's not what they are going for.

--Someone accidentally turning in probably wouldn't know this was American Idol Results Show if they didn't know, they'd think it was some concert.

Musical Interlude #3: Lady Atebellum. I've heard of these guys. Only know the one song "Need You Now", but it seems to be working out for them.

Musical Interlude # 4: Shakira & Rascal Flatts. No offense but this is getting ridiculous. 4 musical interludes? A kind of weird duet. You normally don't hear these style of voices mixed together.

Back To The Results:

Who's Safe First? Michael
--Pretty surprising.

Bottom 2
Casey
Siobhan
--To have one of these 2 gone and Michael and Aaron still around really makes me shudder.

Who's Going Home?Siobhan
--Leaving Crystal as the lone lady. She might have been just a little too all over the place for people.

Final Thoughts: I give Shania Twain a lot of credit. She didn't even perform a song tonight. She really was there just for the mere reason of being a guest mentor. I had a lot of respect for her before but she definitely earned even more. What I don't have respect for is 4 musical interludes. This results show has to be condensed to a half hour. It's just a different show. This isn't American Idol. I wish they used their time more wisely. Maybe give us some more info about these contestants, show us behind the scenes footage of their week. Not of them going to Shrek or Cirque de Soleil but how they chose their songs, how they rehearse, change things up with the musical arrangement. That would be valuable and worth the time.

On Siobhan going home it's sad because Aaron & Michael are staying. Obviously Siobhan wasn't going to win but that's just how it is. Lee & Crystal are obviously Top 2 and how and when the rest of the contestants leave really doesn't matter.

We'll see you next week when the contestants will sing the Songs of Sinatra with Guest Mentor Harry Connick Jr.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Top 6: Shania Twain Week

Welcome back all you American Idol watchers. We are down to the Top 6 and the contestants will be singing from the Shania Twain songbook. Shania is in the audience and says that her songs are written by a girl and girls aren't easy for a guy to do. I know that Andrew Garcia would be up for the task, you know he loved sing the lady songs. Anyways let's get to it:

How Did The Contestants Do:


Lee(Still The One)-Shania is saying maybe too much guitar on his first run through with her, it’s true he hasn’t be criticized for doing the same type of thing with the guitar every week. It started shaky, but he made it different and it’s still recognizable, not his best but I give him credit for trying something new. Grade=B+

Note on Randy: Every week he says that it’s his favorite song of all time, does he know that you can’t have more than one favorite, then it’s not a favorite, it’s one of a bunch

Michael(It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing)-Shania calls it one of her favorites. Michael is boring with it, he seems winded like he cut words short. Shania clearly liked it and is in tears. The judges felt he was emotional and connecting with it. Simon calls the version “wet”. Even Simon didn’t really know what he meant that time. Grade=C-




Casey(Don't)-I am glad that he changed it up and isn't all Huey Lewis and The News about it. It's more vocal than guitar which is a great change. Randy calls it Casey's best performance ever. Shania Twain even said that he nailed it after Simon told him to give Shania a big kiss on the lips for giving him this song. From last week to this week was a great change, but he's a little inconsistent so who knows about next week. He should be safe to make it there. Grade=B+


Crystal(No One Needs To Know)-Crystal always has something going on, one week a didgeridoo this week a whole folksy band with her. She changed her voice even a little this week and sung the song well. The judge's say it's not their favorites but it's still really good and she's amazing. It was about time that she was criticized a little, hopefully the audience realizes that she is still head and shoulders above every person left. Hopefully her fans aren't fleeting, if she's in any trouble this week it has more to do with the fans than anything else because she is so good and to give up on her by having an average performance would be so disappointing. Grade=B

Aaron(You Got A Way)- Every time he tries to hold a note he goes off pitch. Simon believes that Aaron was a different person. The judges keep saying that tomorrow will be tough with the results because everyone has been so good. I didn't hear it at all. Maybe because he has been so bad the last few weeks it has tainted my vision, but honestly I just feel that they are hearing something totally different. Grade=C+

Siobhan(Any Man of Man)-Siobhan went back to that high note in the song which has been missing the past few weeks. But she has been criticized the last few weeks for not being herself so this was a great change. The judges gave Siobhan a lot of praise this week for it. Grade=B

How Was The Show? Shania Twain was a great guest judge and she was a great mentor. She was spot on. She along with Adam Lambert have been by far the best mentors. They really got into the contestants flaws and fine tuned them. I am a little worried about Crystal. She had her first off night and was given some criticism while a lot of the past bad contestants got some praise. The fans have got to be smart and take these past 6 weeks into account. In Season 1 of American Idol Tamara Gray had one off week, and she was kicked off, she was a possible winner at that point but it didn't matter. We'll see by the results if this happens to Crystal, I really truly hope not.

Who Should Go Home?Aaron. Based on previous weeks bad performances and the fact that he just wasn't that great in my opinion, despite the judges praise.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Top 7 Results & Idol Gives Back

Due to American Idol Gives Back this will be an abbreviated blog tonight. Idol Gives Back does a great job and should speak for itself so if anyone wants to call to make a pledge please do so at 1-877-Idol-AID or Americanidol.com

Otherwise tonight's blog will only feature the Top 7 Results and critiques about the kicked off contestant. A few years back when they did Idol Gives Back they didn't kick anyone off, hopefully that is different tonight because after saving Michael a couple weeks back they are in need of kicking people off.

Let's Get To The Results:

--Crystal & Casey are asked to the center of the stage first.
Crystal-Safe
Casey-In the Bottom 3.

--Aaron & Lee are asked to the center of the stage next.
Lee-Safe
Aaron-In the Bottom 3

--Tim, Siobhan and Michael still await word on where they stand. So far the results are pretty perfect and right on the money.

Now Let's Get Back To The Results:
--Michael, Tim & Siobhan are asked to the center of the stage
Siobhan-Safe
--This ensures a guy will be going home tonight
Michael-Safe
Tim-In the Bottom 3

Bottom 3:
Casey

Aaron
Tim
--This is probably the best Bottom 3 I could hope for. Any of these guys going is going to help the show a tremendous amount next week.

First Safe?: Aaron.

Who's Going Home?: Tim

Final Thoughts: Well it took all of these weeks but Tim is finally gone. Tim-Smiles Like a Goon-Urban is finally off the show. He honestly didn't deserve to last so long but I give him a lot of credit for getting so far. Whomever was voting for him really did an unbelievable job. It seems quite appropriate that Tim is voted out the same week that Sanjaya (from Season 6)a very similar type of character, getting the teen vote and can kind of sort of sing, was also voted out. Luckily for us(as viewers) we didn't have to listen to another Tim performance at the end, so American Idol really did give back tonight.


We'll see you next week when we will see the contestants take on the songbook of guest mentor Shania Twain. Should be interesting.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Top 7: Inspirational Songs Week

Welcome back to "Idol Be The Judge". This is Top 7 week, it took a couple weeks but we are finally here. The contestants will be singing Inspirational Songs helped along with guest mentor Alicia Keyes. Only an hour episode so;

How Did The Contestants Do?:

Casey James(Don't Stop): Alicia Keyes tells Casey to bring out his personality, but he pretty much does the same thing he does every single week. Sings a song that sounds like Huey Lewis and The News. Sure he plays a mean guitar and probably kills it on Guitar Hero, but that ain't the game he's playing. Randy wants him to step out of his comfort zone and even Ellen tells him that he is a little forgettable. Simon and Kara are frustrated and so am I. He could potentially be Top 4 but it's the same thing every single time. He is in a little danger of Bottom 3. Grade: C

Lee DeWyze(The Boxer): He definitely changed this song to make it his own and keep it current, it definitely doesn't sound like the Simon and Garfunkel version. Randy tells Lee he is a really great artist and he is. Maybe not my favorite performance by Lee but he did a really beautiful version of this song. He is definitely on his way to the Top 2. He is really starting to step out of his box and is showing a lot of personality. Far and away the best male on the show. Grade: A-

Tim Urban(Better Days): Alicia Keyes tells Tim that the song feels really good on him. This guy could totally slide into the Top 4, which says a lot about this season, but this week it wasn't really that great. The judges aren't really impressed by Tim this week and are let down considering that he has had a couple decent weeks in a row. He could easily be back in the Bottom 3. Grade: C

Aaron Kelly(I Believe I Can Fly): This song is huge and he has to do a lot to pull it off and his track record has shown he really isn't able to. The arrangement of the song is really odd. I know they only have about 1 minute to sing the song but they cut out the good parts and kept in some parts that should have been left out. This kid has got to be gone this week. Very brutal. Simon says that if he heard it on the radio he would have turned it off in 10 seconds, I would have given him about 5 so Simon was being generous. Grade: C-


Siobhan Magnus(When You Believe): Singing a Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston song is a huge challenge but if Siobhan wants to vie for one of the Top spots she has to step it up. I don't really know what outfit she is wearing but the arrangement of the song with the violins is pretty The song started out a little shaky but she definitely started to get into it. I still believe she was holding back again. Since they told her that she had to cool it with the big notes she has been changing herself too much. With Aaron, Tim and Casey having very off nights she could be saved this week, but with the supposedly many teen girls texting and calling in for the boys she could be in a little trouble. Grade: B-

Michael Lynche(Hero): I thought he was going to do the Mariah Carey version of "Hero" but choosing the Nickelback version was a better decision. I really love this song and Michael did a pretty decent job. Kara thought that the song wasn't his best and it definitely wasn't. Simon believes that Michael will be around next week and this performance definitely warrants that. Grade: B

Crystal Bowersox(People Get Ready):
Alicia Keyes calls Crystal one of her favorites and obviously I definitely agree with her. No instrument for Crystal this week. She was very raw and natural tonight. The song started out with pure vocals no band accompaniment for at least 30 seconds. She got very emotional towards the end of the song and started to break up a little. She was standing ovation/unbelievable tonight. She was definitely inspirational tonight. She is ready to be the American Idol now. Grade: A+

How Was The Show Overall?: Definitely a mixed bag tonight. Lee and Crystal proved why they deserve to be in Top 2 contention while nobody really else was able to prove why they are still on the show and why they deserve to be here. As bad as most of the contestants were tonight I still think they should have gotten an extra few seconds to sing their songs. I know they were short on time but only a minute of singing on a singing program really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Honestly, if American Idol really wants to give back then they will tell 2 contestants to go this week just so we can crown Crystal the winner at this point. Sure Lee could slide in there as well but there is still a long ways to go to the finale.

Who Should Go Home: Aaron. He hasn't had one week where he made me think he deserves to stick around. Sure Siobhan, Tim & Casey could easily go as well but Aaron should be the one going home this week. I sure hope that Siobhan doesn't go because another guy needs to be gone but I really don't know what people think of her. If any of the guys goes other than Lee that will be just fine with me.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Top 9 Results Show(Part 2)

Welcome to Top 9 Results show. Should be an exciting night. 2 people going home tonight. One would hope that 2 guys will go before another girl goes, but this season has been very weird and I won’t be surprised one bit.

Group Performance: The group is definitely not singing, they seem like a second behind. When will American Idol learn that the group performance is just dreadful? Nobody likes it, we all know they aren’t singing and it’s just too forced. It’s like a kung fu movie, the song comes out and then their lips move. C’mon now. Lame.

Onto The Results:

Casey, Aaron & Andrew are first called to the center of the stage: One of these people might be going. Ryan starts talking to Andrew about something random and then all of a sudden he tells him he is gone. He wasn't really able to pull himself away from "Straight Up" in Hollywood week. It was a blessing but definitely a curse. Sure it got him to the Top 9 but he just could never overcome it and he struggled. He gave a classy, gracious good-bye.

They show a promo for American Idol Gives back since next week's when it will be shown. They do a lot of great work for these causes. I kind of wish it wasn't in the middle of the results show, but I understand why they do it then. I give them all the credit in the world.

Musical Interlude #1: Brooke White & Justin Gaston. Never heard of Justin Gaston but I liked Brooke White during her season. Her voice sounds great but this song with the 2 of them sounds terrible. Something you would see on the Jerry Lewis Telethon. They sound brutal. He doesn't have much of a voice, wow.

All the rest of the contestants are brought to the center of the stage(Lee, Siobhan, Katie, Michael, Crystal & Tim). I hate when Ryan asks these awkward questions to the contestants he's about to tell the results to.

Crystal: First one safe. Not sure if she should have brought the harmonica with her, looks a little cocky, but either way she is safe again, and rightfully so.

Siobhan: 2nd safe. She had an off week and is still safe, she has had plenty of good weeks and she was afforded an off week.

Lee: 3rd safe. Ryan walks with Lee and sits down with him at the seats. Again, really strange, but either way Lee is safe.

The final 3 consists of Katie, Michael & Tim. These 3 aren't the Bottom 3 obviously since Andrew was in the Bottom 3, but one of these 3 are definitely going home. Did I say 3 enough times right there?

Musical Interlude #2: Guest mentor Adam Lambert singing his hit song Whatta Ya Want From Me? I actually like the song. I give him a lot of credit he is a great performer, he always was and still is. The lights and smoke make it incredibly hard to see him. They have to zoom really close to see him otherwise you can't see him, they can't do any far shots. One of the crew members got a little too happy with the fog machine. Either way I enjoyed his performance and version of the song.

Back To The Results:

First One Sent Back To Safety: Tim.

Who's Going Home: Katie. Michael wasn't even in the Bottom 2.

Final Reaction: Andrew definitely deserved to go home. Katie probably didn't deserve to go home, and it's possible the Save might have been used on her if it wasn't saved on Michael last week. But she wasn't going to win the show, not even close. So we are left with 2 girls and 5 guys. Wow. And Tim and Aaron are still on the show. I leave you all with that thought.











Have a great week, and we will see you next week when Alicia Keyes will be the guest mentor while the contestants sing Inspirational songs.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Top 9(Again): Elvis Week

Welcome back to the Top 9 Performance show, yes, it was Top 9 last week, but the Judge's Save was used, possibly irresponsibly, but either way here we are, and on we go.

We first learn that it is Elvis week. The contestants got to go to Las Vegas to see the Elvis Cirque de Soleil, which is kind of cool, anything Soleil is cool in my book. In Las Vegas we also see Adam Lambert as the mentor. They say explicitly over and over that he was a great performer and that was the reason he was chosen as mentor. He definitely was one of the most different performers American Idol ever had. So with only a 90 minute show tonight on we go.

How Did The Contestants Do:

Crystal(Saved): She finally has the lead-off spot tonight, even Adam Lambert had to do it once. She is singing a song I am not familiar with so it sounds original to me. The judge's need to be overly nice to her this week. Not only does she have the lead off spot, but she is singing a song that probably is not as well known and they used the Judge's Save last week, there is no wiggle room. Luckily, she sings the song really well and has another really solid performance. She'll be safe this week. Grade=A-

Andrew(Hound Dog): During the mentor session Adam Lambert tells Andrew that his performance was boring. Adam told him to "step up your game", and unfortunately he didn't do that at all. The song didn’t go anywhere, the song itself is relatively simple, obviously popular, but Andrew had another extremely corny performance. There was just nothing to it. The judge's pan him again, he had a better performance last week and he landed in the Bottom 3, there is no reason why he won't be there again and with two people going home he could be one of them. Grade=D


Tim(Can't Helping Fall In Love With You): A very toned down performance by Tim this week. I feel his voice keeps hitting different ranges, he goes from kind of low to relatively high. Adam gave his opinion about how Tim should end the song, he decided not to follow it. The judges seem to enjoy Tim again this week, saying he has gone from zero to hero in just a short amount of time. They think he changed the song around a bit and made it his own. I might be hearing something a bit differently but it seems that Tim is probably safe again. Grade=C


Lee(A Little Less Conversation): Adam was right on the money again with his critique about Lee. He said that nothing is going on from the neck up, performance wise. He is right, and although Lee definitely is a bit more animated this week he still seems a bit stiff. The vocals were really decent and he made it a very current sounding song, which is what they stress every week, so overall really well done. Grade=B+

Aaron(Blue Suede Shoes): For some strange reason Aaron decides to tell us that he doesn't know why he chose this song, my feeling is that nobody put a gun to your head. He didn't have to choose it, and he probably shouldn't have. It was definitely a karaoke performance again. Sure he did something different than he has been but honestly it was terrible and sorry to say but Aaron should be going home tomorrow. Grade=D

Siobhan(Suspicious Minds): Called the female version of Adam Lambert it is interesting to see the two of them together. Adam tried to make Siobhan's performance more upbeat rather than sleepy and unfortunately Siobhan mixed the two together. She definitely sounded like she had two different voices and both weren't so great. It was definitely a little screechy at points. Siobhan has been a pretty decent lock for Top 3 but these past few weeks have really dropped her and she is in a little bit of danger. Not sure she will go home but she can definitely be in the Bottom 3. Grade=C+

Michael(In the Ghetto): After almost getting kicked off the show last week, only to be (improperly) saved by the judges Michael is back. Sporting his guitar he is playing a very slowed down version of the song. It's pretty unrecognizable and I know this song pretty well. I don't really like when I can't hear the original in it at all. He probably is safe this week but if the fans voted him out last week you never do know. Grade=B-


Katie(Baby, What You Want Me To Do?): I never heard of this song before which always works to their advantage because they can't be compared to the original as quickly. I hate when she does that head bob thing and gives off her sassitude(sassy attitude) personality. But her vocals were solid and with so many guys left I don't see her going anywhere. Grade=B

Casey(Lawdy Miss.Clawdy): Adam advises Casey to work on the arrangement and utilizing his voice in the best way. Although his vocals hit places where they didn't go a few weeks ago, it wasn't extremely interesting. His guitar wasn't really being amplified and heard and the whole performance kind of fell short. He should be safe due to being really great last week but he was nowhere close to that this week. Grade=B

How Was The Show Overall? Much better than last week. Even though it was Elvis week and he was and still is an iconic figure, there was even more pressure on the contestants during Beatles week last week. This week the contestants seem to have a bit more fun and were able to play around a little more. The voices maybe weren't as strong or interesting but the performances were definitely up, and that's definitely attributed to Adam Lambert's great mentoring. I give him a lot of credit. I kind of panned the idea of a past non-winner American Idol contestant giving feedback and being a mentor but Lambert did a really nice job. He was pretty much right on the money and was very important to several performances tonight. Despite a very misguided and misplaced Brian Dunkleman joke by Ryan, he was overall less awkward than he has been the past few weeks. I still don't think he should have mentioned Brian Dunkleman, the guy lost out on millions of dollars and fame because he left the show after Season 1, don't you think he's gotten kicked while he's down enough at this point?

Who Should Go Home? 2 People Going Home this week, those people should be Andrew and Aaron. They, like last week, again were the weakest performances and that's saying a lot with this crew. Although Siobhan is fading quickly from favorite to down in the ranks, I don't think it is her week yet, but you never know. Michael was actually voted out by the viewers so it's possible he doesn't have the fans that he thought he did, so if is gone or in Bottom 3 there would be no suprise there either. But if all things are right(which they haven't really been too much this season) Andrew and Aaron should be going home.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Top 9 Results Show

After a relatively good performance show we are back with the results of last night's show. Who's Going Home? Will the Judges Save Be Used This Week? Will Aaron Kelly pass out when he sees his idol David Archuleta? These questions all will be addressed in tonight's results. If Ryan says that the results are shocking then there's a good chance the Judges Save might be in play tonight. But we shall see.

But first:

The Top 9 Group Number-Ok they actually looked like they sang this time while singing a few Beatles songs. Still awkawrd, still can do without it.

---We get a little more tease by Ryan that there will be a shocker. A shock wouldn't be Aaron, Tim or Andrew, so this could get interesting.

Onto The Results:

Siobhan/Katie/Crystal: Each brought out to the center of the stage. Crystal is told she is safe, obviously. I am completly nervous about Crystal for one reason and one reason only, if the Judges Save gets used tonight she has no safety net and she has to have a bad week. She's due at least one. Even Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson had off nights. Either way Katie and Siobhan are both safe, ensuring a guy is going home tonight.

---We are told that Adam Lambert is the guest mentor next week. So a guy who was just on the show last year, didn't win the show, has put out one album, a couple of songs that made it to the radio and created a lot of controversery after the AMA's, is now a mentor. Ok. The term "Mentor" really doesn't mean what it used to. No offense to the guy but couldn't they get someone who actually won their season, Kris Allen got the title but definetly not the respect.

Musical Interlude #1: Jason DeRulo. The only reason I know he is Jason DeRulo is obviously because he says it in his song. Don't you just hate when singers say their name in a song. We know who you are, that's why we are listening to you, we aren't going to stop from changing the station because you said your name. Either way he's Kara DioGuardi's protigee so she obviously is pumped. Me? I'm ready for some more results.

But First:

Musical Interlude #2: David Archuleta. Yes, Aaron Kelly's hero is back on the American Idol stage. You would think after 2 years of doing whatever work he's been doing as an "artist" he would look and be more comfortable in interviews, unfortunetly that doesn't work out and we all now remember why we didn't like him to begin with. Also, I'm reminded of the fact that when he was on the show and it was Beatles week he announced proudly he didn't really know who the Beatles were. Someone, claiming to want to get into the music industry doesn't know the Beatles. Wow. Anyway lets get back to the show:

Back To The Results:

---Ryan puts the guys into two different groups.

1st Group: Lee, Casey & Tim

2nd Group: Aaron, Mike & Andrew.

--Ellen is asked by Ryan which group is the Bottom 3, she chooses Group 2. And she chose correctly. Thus, Lee, Casey & Tim-smiles like a goon-Urban is Safe once again.

Bottom 3:

Aaron, Mike & Andrew

First Safe? Aaron. Of the 3, Aaron deserves to go home but the teen girls loves them some Tim & Aaron.

Musical Interlude #3: Rihanna. In an obvious pre-taped performance Rihanna performs a new single off her album. That's about it. I am kind of ready for what's to occur, because I get the feeling that the Judge's Save is getting used tonight.

Who Was Voted Off? Michael. Absoultley unpredictable. I don't understand why Ryan had to announce that it was a shocker tonight. Obviously Michael is a shocker due to his overall good critiques by the judges. If Ryan didn't announce it would be a shokcer then I might have been fooled, but Andrew being voted off is no shocker. Either way, the Judges have their decision to make.

Is The Judge's Save Used? Of course. Michael is Safe. I knew from the second Ryan said it was shocker tonight that the Save would be used. Although I am glad it's gone, because it's a little gimmicky for me,I just don't think they should have used it yet.

Final Thoughts: I never understood why the other contestants seem happy to have their fellow contestant come back. Don't they know that they have no more safety net. That because it was used on him they could potentially go home and there is no way to protect having an off night. Maybe they don't realize this, maybe they are good actors, but either way I am nervous for Crystal & Lee to a certain extent. The Judge's Save should only be used on someone who the Judges believe could be the potential winner. If they still think that Michael is the potential winner after seeing Crystal and Lee week after week then they are making a serious mistake and are puting Crystal and Lee in danger. This move could bite them in the butts, quickly.

We'll see you next week when 2 contestants are going home, should be fun.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Top 9: Lennon/McCartney Week

Welcome Back to the Top 9 Performance Show. Sir Paul McCartney is not the mentor so instead we get lovely tidbits of information about each contestants from all the other contestants, seems like a fair trade. But nonetheless with Lennon/McCartney songs how bad can the contestants be? That was sarcasm by the way, anyways, lets see how they did.

How Did The Contestants Do?




Aaron(The Long & Winding Road)-We know he wants to be like David Archuleta but the kid has to shoot higher than that. A very boring performance. Kara was absolutely right in the fact that he sounds the same each and every week. Aaron is in trouble for sure this week. He went first and he got panned by the judges. Not gonna be surprised if he is in the Bottom 3, not gonna be surprised if he goes home. Grade=D+



Katie(Let It Be): I don't care what Katie does, she can't go home this week. If she goes there will only be 2 ladies left and honestly with this group of guys that's way too much. I wish she hadn't chosen this song because it's been done before, and done better, but her voice alone was decent. Don't the judges know we don't care if she is Pop/R&B or Country, no one cares, no ones buying her CD, let her sing and leave it alone. Either way she still doesn't deserve to go home this week. Grade=C+




Andrew(Can't Buy Me Love): Started off like he was going to do an R&B version, then went Rock-A-Billy, then went Big Band. He should have stuck with one style. The tempo changed way too much. Sure his voice was decent but the performance as a whole was pretty weak. I agree with the judges, the whole performance wasn't even close to being relevant. He deserves to be Bottom 3 for sure, could be in danger of going home. Grade=C-



Michael(Eleanor Rigby):Give "Big Mike" a lot of credit, he did the song in a different way than I have heard before and that has been done on this show. David Cook was actually told right after his Eleanor Rigby performance that he was the one to beat, so the song has a lot of weight. Michael did another solid job. I don't get Simon's confusion, Michael's a soul/R&B singer, he really hasn't ventured into any other territory. That's not a positive nor a negative but it's just a fact. Either way solid performance. Grade=B

Crystal(Come Together): Alright, Bowersox can have an off night, but her off night is still better than the best night of 90% of the contestants left. Plus she brought out a didgeridoo. How can you not respect someone for coming out with a didgeridoo. As long as the Judge's Save is in play Crystal won't ever be in danger. She has nothing to worry about. Grade=B+


Tim(All My Loving): For a guy who should have been gone last week, he did a pretty okay job this week. He'll probably be safe, but maybe those people who felt bad about him getting picked on last week won't call this week and maybe Tim will go. I won't feel even a little bad if he goes. Sure he had a better week this week, but as a whole he is the weakest contestant on the show and overall deserves to go home. I know some people want to kick people off if they have one bad performance i.e,Didi...well I think people should be kicked off even if they had a good one and the rest of their other week's suck, i.e, Tim. Grade=C

Casey(Jealous Guy): I still feel that if you are doing Lennon/McCartney week you should sing a Lennon/McCartney song, but he chose to do just Lennon. The judges liked it, I thought it was a little long and a tiny bit boring. I think he could have done a little more with, and with a thousand Beatles songs he could have chosen one from their songbook but it was still a decent choice. Probably his best performance and he didn't sound like Huey Lewis nor the News. Grade=B+

Siobhan(Across The Universe): Sounded very nice, but most lullaby's also sound nice and sweet. Unfortunately, I don't think she intended it to be a lullaby. She definitely was controlled and didn't scream during the song like she usually does, but she went to the far extreme. She is either crazy rocker yeller girl or subdued sleepy mellow girl . There has to be some happy medium for her. She could potentially be in a little trouble. Grade=C+


Lee(Hey Jude): I say if you bring out the bagpipes then you want to be in the competition. Sure I was nervous that the guy who came up and hugged Siobhan was coming down the stairs during Lee's performance but after realizing that he was playing the bagpipes I started to appreciate the effort. This is the first week that Lee seemed like he wanted to be there. Gotta love the little drop in by Crystal saying that if Andrew and Lee had a baby it would be a Danny Gokey. That's probably the most perfect observation of the night, including the judges. Grade=B+


How Was The Show? A lot of high hopes for Lennon/McCartney week, the contestants could have chosen from thousands of songs and they chose relatively gloomy slow sounding songs. Obviously the songs themselves are great but the performances as a whole were very sleepy and they made them dark. Some of these songs are classics and the contestants really do anything with them. Not a lot of stand outs tonight. Sure Crystal, Lee & Casey sounded pretty good but nobody rocked out like they should have, so in that sense the night was overall pretty disappointing to me.

Who Should Go Home?
Surprisingly, this week, not Tim. The smile-fiend actually sounded better than the person who should go home....Aaron. He has a lot going against him, he went first, he chose a song that he did nothing with, and he and Tim split a lot of votes(the teen girl vote) and Tim might actually get some more votes this week, so Aaron should go home. I wouldn't cry if Tim or Andrew did but based soley on tonight Aaron should be going home tomorrow.