The Standards, like we have never heard some of them...

I told my Idol-viewing buddy, Chicagolady that this was going to be a good week. When she pointed out that it's entirely possible that it was going to be a terrible trainwreck, I said that either way it would be a good week. I'd either gleefully write about all the wonderful performances OR I'd gleefully pick the crap out of them. Promising her that, I must make this post as gleeful as humanly possible. Knowing what I do after my analyzing, though, I do reserve the right to use one "oh noes!" moment though.

When I found out Jamie Foxx was going to be the mentor, I very audibly gave off a WTF. My husband very gently pointed out that he'd played the part of Ray Charles in that one movie (Ray) AND he'd been in "some other movie of the same type" (Dreamgirls). My response? Yeah so what, just because he played the parts does NOT mean he can walk the walk. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mr Foxx was a very capable mentor this week (well at least until he got to Danny and Adam when he became a babbling idiot). When he suggested changes and the kids implemented said changes, their performances actually weren't that bad. I even ~liked~ (to an extent) Matt's performance. Yeah, I know. I'm shocked I had to type that one too.

The next WTF moment came when it was made known that there would only be one song each tonight. Hasn't it been SOP that the Top5 had to sing 2 songs a piece? Yeah, I thought so. However, since they added the 4th judge (who, personally, doesnt add much more than the OD'ed clapping seal does) AND since each judge is so egomaniacal in believing that their analysis is more important than anyone else's thereby blathering on and on about each contestant; plus the show would catch flak for eliminating the kids' packages... well I can see cutting a performance from each in an effort to come in on time. This meant we were stuck with LOADS of crap and commercials. Suffice to say, Idol was able to pay their bills (and then some) this week. Oh...and they STILL came in a good 2 minutes OVER SCHEDULE. Someone wanna explain HTF they managed that?? If they'd skipped the additional stool interview, they would have come in on time. Not many of us really wanted to hear from "Doug" anyhow.

Everyone lost states this week, some more than others. Everyone was also listed at 1-5 yellow B3 so I won't be adding that to the analysis (will this shorten the review... hell no). Again, I'll be relying on the Maps because the Chart just doesnt match up at all (a kid with the highest won states was listed as 3rd in Chart, you figure it out) and the Maps have been the most accurate of the two all season.

Kris (The Way You Look Tonight): Of the 5, Kris was the only one that J.F. expressed an interest (on air that is) in recording an album with. I'm not entirely certain how I feel about that because I'm really not so keen on the stuff he's put out to date, but we'll take the compliments where they come for now. At least it's good to know that there is definitely a future beyond Idol for Kris. Most especially since I'm not certain how big of a fan-base he has at this point. With him falling to the bottom of the Charts weekly yet doing well in the Maps, his fan base is kinda all over there; plus if MJ's any indication, he's splitting votes with Allison. How, I'll never know as they are like apples and oranges those two. I thought his song was nicely executed this week. I'm a bit worried about the singing position and the fact he chose one of the slowest flippin songs to do. With every chance that you're going to end up singing first (and you have to admit with each person that goes home those odds get higher) during a certain week, you need to pick something that's going to be a bit memorable. Something with a bit more something to it.... Fly Me to the Moon, I Won't Dance, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Luck Be a Lady Tonight...there are plenty that were uptempo enough to cover some of the glitches he gets at times that would have grabbed everyone's attention. If he ends up in the B3 (and at this late stage of the game, it's very likely), it'll be because of singing position. He rated 4th in the Chart and scored a 2 on the Maps (7 wins and 5 losses). With a first singing position, Simon's lukewarm review AND those numbers working against him , it's highly possible he'll be in the B3. Although, now we're at the Top5 they may just make it a B2.

Allison (Someone to Watch Over Me): Way to go J.F. ! As if the judges weren't beating us over the head with how young she is (OMG...did y'all know she's ONLY 16..oops 17??? Damn!) YOU had to go and point out that she isn't old enough to have really experienced what this song talks about. Wait. Didn't I say that not too long ago ? I most certainly did. So what does J.F do? He suggests she think about the love from her parents to her flowing out to the audience... ok, yeah right. It was nice but I wasn't sold on it at all. I'm sure there were scores of other songs that would have been better choices for her voice. There was a bit of SUTA from Randy and the applauding seals but none from Simon. With singing in the second position of the night and Simon's panning, you'd think she's in danger right? I would suspect it too. However, she Charted at 3rd (which still puts her in the B3) and scored a 14 on the Maps (16 wins and only 2 losses) garnering the Lion's Share for the week. A surprise as it's been a position that Danny and Adam have been fighting over for weeks. I see a few (MJ) that are calling her as in danger this week. I'm going to go with my gut and call her safe this week. Do I think she deserved it? Nope, her performance wasn't all that.

Matt (Funny Valentine): J.F suggested a key change and for Matt to use his full voice. This was a wise choice as it could have been much much worse than it was. It wasn't nearly as good as this (even Randy liked this one and of the 3 Simon gave this one the highest praise) or even as good as this (he wasn't my fave, but he did perform this song well). Thank goodness he hid "Doug" tonight. That thing is distracting as all hell. Now that I'm listening to his song again, I don't even think it was as good as I thought it was last night. It started off really rough. That last glory note on the end was in tune though. Randy's 6 out of 10, was bloody well generous. If it was a freebee performance in a bar and I had a slight buzz going, I wouldn't walk out. I'd damn well want some of whatever Simon and Paula were noshin on last night though, for sure. Matt is listed as dead last on the Chart and scored a -8 on the Maps (5 wins and 13 losses). It's possible that for the first time in WEEKS the Chart may actually have it right. Matt's in highest danger of the B3 and I suspect he just may be going home this week.

Danny (Come Rain or Shine): Ok. I didnt get much out of the package with J.F. sorry. He babbled a bit and somehow managed to get Danny to do what he wanted. Whatev. It worked. I thought this was actually one of Danny's better performances. He didn't go full blast the whole time, kept it reined in until an appropriate point in the song and then ripped loose. Very nice but I think this one is actually a tad better (and I wasn't a fan of hers either so no hatin, 'k?). Randy's right about the fact Danny could do an album of standards and it'd sell big (hey, it's working for Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart). There was alot of SUTA for him this week. I hate to say it, it was pretty much deserved. I still don't like him much. The Chart has him in 1st place and on the Maps he scored a 9 (13 wins and 4 losses).I feel very certain he won't be in the B3 tonight.

Adam (Feeling Good): J.F. basically said if Adam sang this song the way he did during the mentoring session, he was going to knock everyone's head off. Is it me or does it look like Adam's put on a couple pounds? It's not really noticable in the full length shots because of the clothing, but when they tighten up for the close-ups, well he looks a tad puffier than I remember (by about 5-10 pounds). Ah well. Holy cow that glory note... he makes it look so effortless.... followed by a lower not so sustained note used as a punctuation mark, Im sure. I think Kara summed up best that he's shocking, in a good way.....confusing, shocking and sleazy. Yeah, that's Adam. I loved Simon's comment about how Randy complaining about Adam's theatrics was like complaining about a cow mooing. Better yet was him banning Ryan from the stairs because Adam had the best entrance all year. That strut...oooh. Ok, so this wasn't a throw the panties at the tv set while squealing like a fangirly performance for me, but I really enjoyed it. Actually even on a bad day, Adam out-performs most of the others on that stage. He's in a class all by himself. The Chart placed him in 2nd, HOWEVER the Maps tell another story. He scored a -2 (2 wins and 6 losses). Oh noes. Nope, Styxie's not a happy camper at all this week.


Ok so who truly belongs in the B3 based on performances?
Matt
Allison
Kris

Who will actually make the trip?
Matt
Adam
Kris

Home this week, if the Maps are right, Matt and his pet parasitic alien "Doug". If the show decides to go for a shocker (which we've yet to have)? Adam.

A Scott fix

Jim Cantiello's Idol in 60 Seconds: Diggin up the dead

MTV Shows

Wait! Where was the trainwreck?

So every year that Idol decides to do a disco or dance night theme, it's traditionally a trainwreck and then some. It's almost as fun as the total cacophony of the audition rounds. Although this week's show wasnt bad, I can't exactly say that it was completely dissonance-free either. Again, only two people stood out from among those that took the stage and neither really needs this show at this point. It would almost be a relief to see them booted because we all know what Idol will make them put out as their first albums. What was also most apparent were the weak links of the rest of the group. They were the weak links last week and they still are this week. Sadly, they are out of their element here and have been for a while now.

The DI Chart seems to be really wonky again this week so I'll be basing my picks on what the Maps tell us. You'll see why with the very first contestant. Everyone's listed in the B3 yellow this week, more than likely because 2 will be going home this week. Basically, DI's hedging their bets and calling everyone unsafe.

Lil (I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan): I really liked her look tonight. She looked really pretty with some wave in her hair. It was one of her better performances but she was still off somewhat. Being off somewhat at this point of the competition is not a good thing though. By now you MUST be spot on, and she wasn't. Working against her tonight was being first to sing. Did you hear that *THUMP*? It was the bus the judges threw her under this week. That other *THUMP*? Was the bus backing up and hitting her again. There weren't even any skidmarks showing they tried to stop. Worse yet, Ryan gave her time to be her argumentative, whiny self. Lil really needs to learn to shut up. All she manages to do is make herself look ignorant. Things really don't look good for her this week; I don't care WHAT that stinking Chart says. The Chart has her rated as 1-6/ 1st listing. The Maps are a bit more telling and scored her at a -6 with 3 wins and 9 losses. Yeah, now ya see why I say the Chart's wonky. Working FOR her this week is the fact she's the VFTW poster child AND that Rickey from http://www.rickey.org/ has started a movement called Vote for the First in an effort to offset the deadly first position singing placement. I doubt that either will do any good as it seems like too many people want Lil gone. The Chart's been off for a couple weeks now but the Maps have been pretty close to accurate. I'm going to call Lil as a B3 with the highest possibility of going home.

Kris (She Works Hard For the Money by Donna Summer): When Ryan announced what Kris was going to be singing, I was thinking "Oh, no...WTH??" It was bad enough he was singing in the second position tonight (which means he really had to sell it this week) but that song???? However, he told it like the story it is and really worked it out. I ~LOVED~ this performance. It was fresh, it was original, and could be on the radio today. I won't be surprised if his studio recording gets some airplay this week. I wouldn't be surprised if it got as much spin time as Adam's. The Chart rated him a 1-7/6th listing and he scored a 5 on the Maps (7 wins and 2 losses). I don't believe he's going home this week. The only way he will is if there is a HUGE shocker this week. However, there were 4 that scored lower and only one that tied with him on the Maps. Of the two that tied, Kris' performance was the superior one.

Danny (September by Earth, Wind and Fire): What? No song about death or missing a loved one? Are we sure this is Danny on stage? Oh wait. When'd he meet his wife for the first time? If anyone tells me the 21 of September, Im gonna hurl. I was kinda meh on his performance. Yes, it's one of his better ones, but it still wasn't great. Im afraid he peaked too soon in the competition and is slowly making his way out the door. He just really lacks something. Well that and the smug/smarmy/whatever look he always seems to have on his mug. The Chart has him listed at 1-7/3rd place and the Maps rate him a 4 (5 wins and 1 loss). I don't believe he's going home either although there's a possibility they'll toss him in the B3 just to shake up the fanbase somewhat.

Allison (Hot Stuff by Donna Summer): I hated the outfit, she looked like she'd been attacked by a drunk Bedazzler fanatic. I'm still not sure if I'm liking this version of the song, although I will admit it was original enough to be remembered easier than Lil's performance. Ok, ok...so 3 people stood out....sheesh. Thank goodness no one mentioned she's *gasp* ONLY 16! The Chart has her at a 3-7/LAST listing and the Maps put her at a 5 (6 wins and 1 loss). Yeah. I told ya the Chart was messed up. We must remember that Kris sat in the last place for 2 weeks running and never went home. She's the one tied with Kris in the Maps and his performance was the better of the two. *IF* anyone with a Map rating as high as Kris and Allison was put into the B3, I suspect it'll be her turn at the trip to the stools. It would really serve her right for this though:
http://twitter.com/AllisonOfficial

hey for the countrys who are tuned in.. ALSO VOTE FOR LIL ROUNDS !....The judges were harsh...but prove em wrong keep her in ! wish me luck

Could you imagine if SHE ended up in the B3 and then voted out while Lil got to stay? Heh. Can ya say ironic?

Adam (If I Cant Have You by Yvonne Elliman): You know what was best thing about his performance? The fact he steered clear of any obvious choices. Ya know the ones I'm thinking of...ABBA or anything that had been touched by ANY of the Brothers Gibb (although of all the kids this year, I'm sure Adam's the only one who can sing those notes Barry used to hit). Ok, it wasnt Mad World or even Tracks of My Tears, but it was a very nice rendition of this song. He slowed it down so it was very tender and then wrapped it up into a real tear-jerker. Sadly, the song ended much too soon! I can't wait to hear the studio version of this puppy. As has been the norm, Adam got the lion's share of the states this week even though he did have some losses. The Chart rated him a 1-6/2nd listing and the Maps rated him a 9 (12 wins and 3 losses). A better arrangement on that song might have helped him out some there. Adam's was my second favorite performance of the night.

Matt (Stayin Alive by The Bee Gees): I promise, I won't rant about this one...this time. Yes, the guy can sing and he does stay on key for the most part. However, I hate when he butchers the hell out of songs and goes off-track with the runs he does (his voice has the runs, maybe...). As much as I want to say I really hated this performance, I can't, because there were a few moments in it that were really kinda nice. I stand corrected that Adam's the only one this year that could hit those Barry Gibb notes. Matt's biggest problem is that he tries too damn hard and when he really over-works it, like this week, he doesn't have the breath support to keep those sustained notes...well, properly sustained. I am thankful he chose to camoflage Doug tonight, though (oh yeah, I SO. went. there. ). The THUMPS you heard tonight? Yeah he was tossed under the bus as well. The Chart put him at 1-7/5th listing and the Maps rated him a 2 (5 wins and 3 losses). I'm pretty sure he'll hit the B3 this week. The only thing that is up in the air is if he'll go home with Lil (yeah, Im really sure Lil' Ms Attitude is gone this week).

Anoop (Dim All The Lights by Donna Summer): Not bad, not great. That last note was horrendous. I like the scruff. I guess it probably hides that lip sweat he tends to get when his performances are viewed on an analog tv. It did nothing to hide it on the HD though. It's a toss up on which performance was worst, his or Matt's. With the Chart putting him at 1-7/4th listing and the Maps rating him a 2 (4 wins and 2 losses), I'm certain he's in the B3 again this week. The second one going home is going to be the hardest to pick this week.


Who belongs in the B3 this week? The same ones from last week. Nothing changed there. All of them are pretty much out of their leagues here.

Lil

Matt

Anoop


I said last week that it was possible that one would be a given and one might be a shock so I'm going to toss Allison in there too. Why? Because she's sitting at the bottom of the Chart right now and the only ones that would be a shock to go at this point are Allison, Kris or Adam. She also got some mixed reviews on her performance. Although the ones that had anything critical to say were Randy and Kara and we all know that no one really listens to those idiots.

Who goes home?

Lil: Absolutely sure on this one. With a -6 rating in the Maps and 9 lost states, plus the tire marks on her back courtesy of the judges tossing her under the bus AND the snarky attitude she's always giving off these days....this pick is really a no brainer.


The hard part is going to be picking the second to go home. Matt or Anoop? Of the two, Matt's performance (according to the Maps) was better. However, Anoop rated higher in the Chart AND had the coveted pimp spot. I've never known a pimp-spotter to go home. They hit B3 now and again (Lil...last week), but to go home is almost unheard of... at least that I can remember. I'm going to throw caution to the wind and call Matt as the second out this week.

links from this week's EW

http://www.ew.com/ew/package/0,,20007164_20174011,00.html?bcpid=3887239001&bclid=3343000001&bctid=20254113001

http://www.ew.com/ew/package/0,,20007164_20174011,00.html?bcpid=3887239001&bclid=3343000001&bctid=20263207001

A Nick Mitchell fix

Yes, Normund Gentil is what caught our attention; but Nick Mitchell, the man behind the character, really does have a beautiful voice.

WTB's Review

Here is the link for the Idolatry one too. If I get the code figured out to embed it I'll edit this post.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid19936524001?bclid=19855868001&bctid=19516307001

Joe Cantiello's Idol in 60 Seconds: Movie Music

MTV Shows

Yeah. What he said. I'm expecting the shock elimination that we get every year next week (Is it still a shock elimination if it's expected?). Possibly one that I called for this week and one that no one sees coming. It'll be interesting. Disco week generally isn't kind to anyone.

The usual stand-out and a pleasant surprise

They drop it down to 2 judges talking per contestant and they STILL run over? Unreal. Cut some of the SUTA with the guest mentors, remove the little "let's talk with the contestant" and have the judges sum up their thoughts in just 2 sentences and MAYBE you wouldn't run over into the next show's slot. Idiots. At this point of the game, we're pretty much already invested in the idols we like and don't need the waste of this time thankyouverymuch. *Bah* Maybe next year I'll just wait until the videos hit MJ's and Rickey's sites and take care of business that way. Commercial and crapola-free baby!

This week, the usual one stood out. We had a couple other nice performances (one being a very pleasant surprise, but not enough to make me jump fan bases), but for the most part the rest of the show was a wash...*AGAIN*. Good thing the show's free.

Allison (Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith): Her performance was ok. She was on pitch most of the time. I think it would have helped her out some if they'd changed up the key just a bit for her because those lower notes were just a tad rough. I hate the fact that they like to beat us over the head about certain contestants' ages though. I hated it when they did it with Jordan, I hated it with the SUTA king himself and I really hate it now. Yes, we know she's 16... do like the Eagles suggest and just Get Over It. Thank you. Of the two girls left, she is the best one. I will admit that much. The Chart has her rated at 1-7/B3/5th listing and the Maps have her scored at a 5 (6 wins and 1 loss). The Chart looks like it's going to be wonky again this week. It has all but one listed in the yellow B3. I'm guessing I won't be basing my judgement on that. I think we're going to have to look at the Maps for the final call. With 5 states won and only a 5th rating, you can be sure something's wrong there. So, is she in the B3 this week? If she is, it's not because of her performance as there were a couple others far worse than her. She'll be there strictly because of singing position.

Anoop (Everything I Do by Bryan Adams): Ok. The high-def I'm watching this on did him no favors with that sweaty lip action we got. Ew. It was a tad distracting. At least they didn't have to squeegee the stage when he was done. I digress. I was pleasantly surprised with Anoop this week. His phrasing was wonderful tonight and I actually thouroughly enjoyed this nicely controlled performance of his. IF he ends up in the B3, I suspect it'll be based upon the singing position. Considering how well he presented his song, he really does deserve to stay one more week. Besides, with his yo-yoing performances this means a bad week next time around and we can let him go then. There were a couple others worse than him this time. He Charted at a 1-7/B3/4th listing and rated a 3 (5 wins and 2 losses) on the Maps. With that low score it's very highly likely that he may hit the B3 again this week.

Adam (Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf, Hinder’s version?): I really need to stop watching his performances on the tv. Not sure what it is about this dude that turns me into a squealing-panty-throwing fangirly, but damn...it happens every friggin time. Guaranteed my GaSis probably sat and said WTF when he sang this week. She seems to prefer his low-key, stripped down performances over what he used this time around. Simon's right with him, you either love him or you hate him. Either way, you can't deny that this guy's entertaining and puts on one hell of a show. It takes some mad talent to do that. Charted at a 1-7/B3/3rd listing and an 11 on the Maps (all wins baby!), I don't see him going anywhere this week, even with the wonky rating on the Chart.

Matt (Really Love a Woman by Bryan Adams): I love the songs Bryan Adams does for soundtracks. I really, really, really do. I'll give Matt credit because he actually started out really very nicely with it. Then that baby forehead-alien Doug, that object upon his forehead completely took over and unwisely convinced Matt to tromp all over a lovely song. This song should have been great for him and might have been enough to convince me that he truly belongs in the competition, if he hadn't done all those vocal acrobatics over the melody. His Chart score was a 1-7/B3/6th listing and he received a -4 on the Maps (3 wins and 7 losses!!). I'm pretty well certain this one's hitting the B3 again this week. Can he go home this week please??

Danny (Endless Love, by Lionel Richie): Ok. Props for ditching the glasses. I think he looks much nicer without them. No props for picking a very predictible choice of song. If he makes it through this week, I would really like for him to pick a song that couldn't even be remotely connected to the emotions tied to his personal life. I know that might sound cold, but please. Enough of the pimping and mentioning his wife passed on. Even as veiled as it was, it was still there and it's gotten annoying. The performance was only ok, not all that. Basically, the same ol' same ol' outta him. He's unfortunately the only one in the green this week. Personally, it's not exactly deserved based on performance, that's for sure. He rated a 1-6/1st listing on the Chart and the Maps have him at a 7 (no losses either). This is another one that just shows how outta whack the Chart has been. A first listing and only 7 states? Puh-leeze.
Kris (Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova): He had a good singing position and picked a song (once I listened to the original) that was well suited to his voice. I give him props for pulling out a song hardly anyone would know. However, I also think it was to his disadvantage because even though it was well sung (and very much on pitch) he may have lost some of the viewers due to the obscurity of the song. It was nicely executed, but dull. I wouldn't say it was his best moment, but it was certainly very good. I half expect the fact that the choice of a dull lesser-known song is going to work against him this week. He rated a 2-7/B3/dead last listing AGAIN this week on the Chart and received a 2 on the Maps (3 wins and 1 loss). As much as I want to call him safe, he's definitely in danger. I don't think he'll leave this week because there were 2 that did much worse in the Maps but if the Chart rights itself after that glitch of last week, we may see him sent home. The question if this happens, will the judges save him? I suspect they just might because his reviews have been generally favorable up to now.

Lil (The Rose by Bette Midler): Good Heavens WTF was this mess??? This should have been a WONDERFUL song for her. Nice long sustained notes for her to stretch her voice and let it soar. It is a perfect song for her voice. Then she opened her damn yaw. That was the most HORRID version I have ever heard. Simon is absolutely right, she's NOT the artist we fell in love with in the beginning of this season. I really hated the back-talking too. I know they encourage it, but please... don't do it to the point where you're coming across as argumentative. He said you could say your piece, there's no need to look and sound like you're about to rip the dude's face off. He's doing his job and he has his own opinions. Just simply say, "I don't agree with you, you want us to be artists and that's why I did what I did." That's all that needs saying. Lil's the VFTW pick now so I don't really see her going this week, but it's still very highly likely she might anyhow. The Chart rates her as a 1-7/B3/2nd listing and the Maps put her at a -3 (4 wins and 7 losses).

Analysis.

If we go by the Chart, the B3 of the week is Allison, Matt and Kris with the latter going home. However, the Chart was wrong last week for the first time in weeks and it's very possible that they're wrong again. I don't know what's throwing it off so badly. What hasn't been too far off is the Maps. Last week they put Lil (-1), Scott (0) and Anoop (0) in the bottom; it was a close race and Scott went home. This week, the Maps have them as Lil (-3), Matt (-4) and either Kris (2) or Anoop (3) joining them. So realistically, there are 5 that could possibly be in our B3.

Lil: after that HORRID rendition, she really deserves to be sent packing. Her biggest problem is the fact that she can't pick a song that's good for her and when she does, she mangles the execution of it (well, she executes it...that's for sure..we definitely had death-throes there this week). I don't recall a time offhand that the pimp singer was sent home though. Maybe we'll get lucky and this'll be a first?

Matt: after tromping all over a very beautiful song, he deserves to go too. His biggest problem is that he gets lost in the song and starts adding stuff where it's not needed. Sometimes the KISS method works just fine. Keep It Simple, Stupid. My advice, quit letting Doug take control of the performance.

Kris: An obscure song, but nicely done. He needs to go back to the stuff we were liking before. If he leaves, it'll be because of two things. 01) the song was too unknown and he lost his listeners and 02) the judges refuse to save him. I don't think the latter will happen though. Of the ones this week, if Kris or Allison hit the B3, the save will more than likely get used as neither deserves to go home yet.

Anoop & Allison: if either is in the B3, then it's due to singing position and not because of a poor performance.

My picks this week:

Matt

Lil

Kris (or possibly Anoop)

Home: Matt or Lil could go either way. I don't know if they'd save either at this point. Matt's got a very nice recording voice, it's his live performances that need polish. Lil's lacking on both ends so it wouldn't be too surprising to see her go.

American Idol in 60 seconds by Jim Cantiello

MTV Shows

American Idol Extra

Ahhh Scott, you're gonna be missed. That sweet, goofy personality was an asset to the show.

A Mostly Disappointing Night

Ok. This week's is a show that I'd be demanding my money back on. When the spoilers came out, I saw that there was indeed alot of potential for a really decent night. Song choice was not a problem for about 3/4 of the kids up there. I won't go into the details right now because I just know I'm going to rant about it when I get to the contestants in question anyhow.

Danny (Stand By Me, Mickey Gilley's cover version): So you all know how much he's been irritating me lately. There's just something there I am NOT liking in the slightest. Maybe it's the glasses? It couldn't possibly be the occasional bits of smugness that peek through now and again. He hit the stage in these clear, nearly frameless wonders and damn....he looked ~foine~. No, that's not a typo, I meant to spell it like that. I'm not sure I was liking the beginning of the song at all, HOWEVER he wrapped it up nicely and left me actually wishing it lasted a bit longer. Now that I listened to the version he was doing and heard his performance back again...I actually preferred his to the cover version. Damn. I didn't want to have to type that. He Charted at a 1-8/B3 yellow/2nd listing this week and so there is a possibility that he could hit B3. I don't believe he will though. His fan base is just too big and rabid to allow it quite yet. On the Maps he received a score of 7 (8 wins and 1 loss) so I feel really sure at calling him safe inspite of the first position singing he had to take. Of all the contestants left, he's one of the 2 or maybe even 3 that could survive it.

Kris (All She Wants to Do is Dance by Don Henley): With a good performance, Kris would be the maybe 3 that I mentioned above. Singing second with the song he picked, shouldn't have been a problem if he pulled out a performance like last week. He didn't though. I like Kris, I really do, but this week's was more than likely one of his weaker performances (sorry Chicago). I didn't exactly hate it, but I didn't much like it either. He Charted at a 2-8/B3/dead last listing. His Map rating was a 2 (4 wins and 2 losses). Things look really dismal here as the Chart's been right for how many weeks now? (4...that's how many) His wasn't the worst performance of the night, but due to singing position you can bet he'll end up in the B3. The question now is, will the judges save him if he does? I half expect he's one of the very few now that would make them consider using it.

Lil (What's Love Got to Do With It by Tina Turner): This one's been increasingly more and more disappointing as time goes on. I'd be happy to see her flat-noted self bounced out on her ass to be honest. When even Paula pans you, it's time to be praying you last just one more week. I think Simon was very generous calling her a 2nd or 3rd rate Tina... it was more like a 5th or 6th rate and even THAT'S generous. The Chart rated her at 2-8/B3/4th listing and the Maps gave her a -1 (2 wins and 3 losses). It's getting bad that the judges have to tell you what songs you "should have done". She SHOULD end up in the B3 and it'll be because of poor execution of a song that should have been wonderful for her. Just a simple key change, may have fixed most of the problems she had tonight (sorry, but a key change won't fix that lamentable Tina-lite dancing you were doing). Easily one of the worst of the night.

Anoop (True Colors by Cindy Lauper): Dear heaven... fire your stylist NOW! That Fred Rogers look has GOT to GO. He was better than last week, but still pretty much an average, ordinary, run of the mill showing for him. In other words, it's the same ol, same ol. Granted, this can be said of many of them this year. However, Anoop's same ol, same ol doesnt leave me wanting to hear one more song or even another 30 seconds. Sorry. I just do NOT see what some people see in him. IF he manages to win, I stand by an earlier comment I made (not sure if I made it here or not) that it'll be the Slumdog Millionaire effect... he'll ride in because of the success of that movie paving the way (hey...it worked in the government, why not here?). He rated a 2-8/B3/ 7th listing on the Chart and a big ol goose-egg (3 wins, 3 losses) on the Maps. Oh...look at that. The Chart and Maps are all wonky again. Lil Charted higher but Anoop did better Map-wise. *shakes head* He's got a pretty voice but I just don't see STAR or even potential star when I look at him. I'm thinking we see yet another B3 trip for this one this week.

Scott (The Search is Over by Survivor): Ok, no soft spot...no matter how friggin large it is... is big enough to accomodate how bad this one was for me to hear tonight. There were so many other awesome songs he could have picked from that came out in 1985. We Belong would have been very nice in his voice (and a great message song), so would Everybody Wants to Rule the World, damn...even Power of Love and THAT one would have ALLOWED him to be at the piano. I mean HELL-O, Huey Lewis (and Bruce Hornsby for that matter although I didn't see anything by him on the lists) comparisons...embrace 'em. He hit several bum notes tonight and it just messed the rest of his number right the hell up. He is now, officially, the VFTW pick so I don't really see him going this week (he might still make it to the Top 5 after all if they do a good enough job). He wasn't the worst tonight (Lil), or the least memorable (Anoop), but with a 2-8/B3/6th listing on the Chart and a zero rating (3 wins and 3 losses) on the Maps... he may just end up in the B3 this week.


Allison (I Cant Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt): This one's a hard one. I'm not certain I like the choice of song because a girl her age is simply not old enough to have experience in the subject matter covered by the song, thereby making it a somewhat unconvincing performance (sorry, Kara, I don't agree with ya there). However, the ARTIST choice was absolutely spot on. It's just a shame that one of Bonnie's other songs wasn't on the list instead (Something to Talk About would have been cute... with the way kids talk in high school these days and the dating scene and all). Allison was one of my favs tonight. This performance was 100x better than last week's debacle (fiasco...whatev). She Charted at a 2-8/B3/3rd listing and rated a 5 on the Maps (5 wins and NO losses...one of only 2 that did THAT this week). The B3 rating was given to all but one person so I'm not even going to consider that in my analysis this week. I'll be looking at the Maps and the position on the Chart. With a 3rd listing, and judges raves, I'm going to call her safe as well.


Matt (Part Time Lover by Stevie Wonder): Ok. I gotta say it, everyone's been harpin on it...dude...there are products out there to take care of that baby alien growing outta your head. Compound W, invest in some. That said, I'm gonna say I HATED his performance. I will give him props, he's vocally one of the better ones up there for the night. I HATED the execution of the song (ok, ok, he executed it...but did he have to torture it before killing it?). I think a lesson's in order. This is how NOT to do this song:


So props for not murdering it in that fashion. Now, I'll show you how to properly rock the song AND the fedora at the same time:


Got it? Yeah, I know I've pulled the Nikko card yet again (wasn't it Matt just 2 weeks ago during Motown that got the comparison? I think so....) , but when a contestant from 4 YEARS ago can pull off a performance like that and be outsinging those on the stage this year, there's a problem. Especially since the judges say every single year that "This is the best group, most talented group yet". I'm just sayin' that it stands to reason that even the worst singers this year should be able to outsing those from 4 years ago and if one from 4 years ago, who only made it to 9th place, is singing circles around someone from this year's Top 8...something's seriously wrong. Dude. Seriously, go home now. He Charted at a 2-8/B3/5th listing and Map rated at a 3 (4wins, 1 loss). There is a possibility of another B3 visit, but I dont see him going home (damn).


Adam (Mad World by Tears For Fears): I like the fact he stripped the hell out of it. I like the fact that he sported a cleaner look this week. Brilliant, really. What I didn't like was the gasping he's adopted on the phrasing. *sigh* And the judges, with their SUTA. I'm not sure how well I like that either. I'd rather see it with him than with one of the lesser deserving contestants though. For the first time EVER I saw Simon give a standing ovation... wow. Adam Charted at a 1-2/first listing (the only one in green) and rated 15 (all wins, baby) on the Maps. There's no way in hell he's B3 or even leaving this week.

Who deserves a trip to the B3 this week:
Lil
Scott
Anoop

Who will end up there instead of one of the already listed:
Kris and only because he sang 2nd and didnt have an exemplary performance

B3 picks:
Scott
Anoop
Kris (as much as I hate to say this, but the Charts have been 100% so far, Kris will go home unless the judges use the save)

Jim Cantiello gets suggestions for tonight's show

MTV Shows

Priceless

Ellen's such a funny gal, but to see that JHud isnt so big a star yet where she can play along like this...is just beautiful.

American Idol in 60 Seconds with Jim Cantiello

MTV Shows

Megan out!

10 minutes of wonderful, 50 minutes of crap and commercials

Yeah, that's pretty much how I would wrap up the Top 9 show of American Idol. Actually, it's less than that if you just count the kids performances which are running about 2 minutes or less right now. Since that's the case maybe I should rename the entry 4.5 minutes of wonderful and 55.5 minutes of crapola. Whatcha think?

I officially HATE the beginning of the show now. The first week, I could see having a special entrance for the judges and Ryan. I could even see if they did it for the finale. However, the judges & host entrance has begun to irritate me almost as much as having to listen to Ms McTwitchAlot every week (and that's ALOT). Sorry, some of these kids are making me bitchy and cranky now and I'm ready for a good part of them to just go home. Why do I do this to myself? I complain and whine every week... promise myself I'm never going to do this again. Yet I just know that I'll sit here the next 7 weeks and torment myself anyhow (thank goodness for the friend in Chicago who helps keep me entertained when the performances make me wanna rip my hair out!).

Anoop (Caught Up by Usher): I liked his energy this week although I feel he could have done much more with it. If you're going to go out and try and flirt with someone, don't make it a judge. They aren't the ones that are going to be dialing the night away voting for you. If you're going to do it...find a lovely lady in the audience to flirt with (or a guy, if you swing that way... both if you're really the freaky sort). Alot more contact with the audience would have improved the performance, if not the singing. I'm with the judges on this one. I think it was definitely a wrong song choice. I realize that he's trying to style himself as an R&B artist, but sometimes ya gotta simply take note that maybe the style really ISN'T you. Not to say it was a lamentable mess, but even my cat reacted to it and as you can see, she wasn't impressed in the slightest. Anoop was rated a 3-9/B3/7th listing on the Chart and a -4 on the Maps (2 wins and 6 losses), and things don't look good for him this week. Shoot, they looked so bad I even had a B3 next to his name before he was done singing. I have a hunch his ONLY saving grace will be if Megan's in the B2 with him.

Speaking of Megan (Turn Your Lights Down Low by Bob Marley and Lauren Hill), good LORD woman could you pick a worse song? It felt like it was going to go on forever! As for kitty, she broke out in convulsions the minute Megan opened her yap. Ok props for ATTEMPTING to stand still. Even Paula pointed out she needed to use a stool and stand still. I had to laugh at Megan saying she could do that when we all know bloody well she would never manage it. My only hope at this point is that the singing placement and the judges will finally get rid of her. She rated a 5-9/dead LAST PLACE on the Chart and a-2 on the Maps (1 win from some damn tone-deaf state and 3 losses). My best hope right now is that Dial Idol's chart had it 100% accurate the last 3 weeks and the person in the last position on the Chart actually went home. Do you think I'll be that lucky this week?

Danny (What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts): Personally, I think this one was a really good choice for his voice. His performances are rather enjoyable, but by no means am I climbing on the Gokey bandwagon. Why? Because I find him rather annoying when he's NOT singing. A true star, to me, needs to be enjoyable both while performing AND personable in an interview situation (like Kelly is...what a joy that girl is during an interview!). He has the former, just not the latter. With a 1-5/ 1st place listing on the Chart and a 6 on the Maps (6 wins and no losses), he's in no danger of leaving this week.

Allison (Don't Speak by No Doubt): When I found out she was doing this song, I was all..."this could be really great"... either No Doubt or P!nk would be awesome for her. This is one of my favorite songs of the group! Then she sang. She fucked up a line in the verse (yea I so went there, sorry) and then she sounded OFF during parts of the refrain. Not good. At 16, I have to question if she even has the personal experience to understand what that song was even about. I doubt it. We won't EVEN go into the wardrobe from hell that did nothing but make her look like a Panzer. You know it's bad when the outfit sidetracks the judges right off a performance review. She was rated a 4-9/B3/8th listing on the Chart and a 4 on the Maps (6 wins and 2 losses).

hmm the Maps and Chart dont seem to be corresponding tonight... I see ones farther along that did better than her on the Chart, yet worse in the Maps. Odd.

Scott (Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel): Ok, everyone take a shot because I'm gonna say it again... I have a soft spot for him. This was one of his better performances (although he sounded like he had a slight case of the nerves) BUT it was still mediocre compared to the rest of the pack. Enough to get by, but not enough to really stand out. This was a good choice of song for him, though, and he played it smart by stripping it down. This way you wouldn't hear that he actually tends to lag behind a bit. His performances are nice, like a lazy walk in a park, but not fantastic. He'll be lucky to make it to Top 5, but I suspect we'll lose him in the next two weeks or so. I'm hoping the judges did enough to save him for one more week. I know... everyone take a shot again because I said that last week too. *laughs* Chart-rated a 1-9 (now that's a first)/B3/5th listing with a goose-egg on the Maps (2 wins and 2 losses), there is a distinct possibility he'll end up in the B3 again this week.

Matt (You Found Me by The Fray): Nice move to place himself in the middle of the audience. It was different. It was a nice performance, I'm almost convinced, but not quite. Is it me or did the audience around him not look overly happy he was there? You know if Adam, Danny or Kris were out there, there would have been screams and hollaring and alotta energy rolling off them... even with the type of song it was. Pretty bad when the judges hint that even SCOTT did better than you. Randy had a good pick, Apologize would have been an AWESOME choice for his voice. Even Paula trashed the hell out of him. Is it possible they're trying some reverse psychology on the audience? He was rated 2-9/B3/6th on the Chart and a 1 on the Maps (2 wins and 1 loss). It's very highly likely he'll end up in the B3 again this week. Will he go home, more than likely not. If he ends up as the last one on the stage during results, it's likely we may see the judges use the save.

Lil (Surrender by Celine Dion): After careful consideration, and she picks a Celine Dion song? Ugh. Ok, ok...she sang it well (not great, she's gotta work on breath support during the verses). It was just a bad song choice. She should have picked some Mary J Blige, Lauren Hill or even some Macy Gray if it was on the list. Those would have all worked wonderfully with her voice. Shoot... pull out some Tina Turner or Aretha Franklin if it's there... ya got the chops for it, so bring it! I can't tell you how disappointed I am in her as she was one of my early favorites. I'm beginning to think that Rickey of http://www.rickey.org/ is right about her. That she really isn't as good as she thinks she is and that the judges need to stop feeding into her delusion. I'd love to be proved wrong about her though. She rated a 1-8/B3 green/4th listing on the Chart with a -5 on the Maps (1 win and 6 losses). My mind wants to stick her as in danger and in the B3 thanks to the Maps, however my gut's gonna go with the Chart (which has been 100% accurate 3 weeks running) and call her as safe.

This entry interrupted briefly for a rant:

WTH? Yeah, I checked it 3 times to make sure my eyes weren't messing with me. She actually rated HIGHER than Allison on the Chart but lost all those states! Something's seriously wrong there folks.

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled entry.

Adam (Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry): Oh HELL YEAH! I climbed aboard the Glambert fantrain tonight. Sorry ya'll. I've picked my two favs and he's one of them simply for that awesome showmanship. When he takes the stage you KNOW you're gonna get a HELLUVA show! And to give the band props for his performance, AWESOME. This is EXACTLY what I was talking about with Danny. Adam is the complete opposite. When he takes the stage, he's the cock of the walk...but so very humble in and personable during the interviews. All cleaned up nice and pretty but with just enough dirrty to make a gal give off a fan-girly squeal even KNOWING there's a question of sexuality there.

*pauses briefly to throw a pair of panties at the video playin on the next window over*
*fans self*

Where was I? Ummmm...oh Yeah! he rated a 1-7/B3 green/ 3rd listing on the Chart and got a score of 7 on the Maps (8 wins and 1 loss). He wasn't as popular this week as he was last week (how sucky was that...that they made them record with the standard Motown backing for ITunes and he couldnt do that awesome stripped out version???) but still did more than enough to get through this week. Of all of them, only he and maybe 1-2 others can afford a bad week at this point and not have to really worry. *IF* (and that's a HUGE if) he ends up in the B3, it'll simply be for the drama and to shake his fan base up.

Kris (Aint No Sunshine by Bill Withers): OMG that was a friggin HAWT performance. Hmm maybe I was much too hasty getting on the Glambert train...Ok ok...I'm on the Kris train but I damn well have a sidecar for my dear Adam because I just LOVE his performances. Anyhow, this was a very awesome performance. Kris improves by leaps and bounds every.damn.week. He was, hands down, THE BEST performer of the night and is NOT going anywhere this week. If he sings like this the rest of the way through, it's possible that he may just end up being the winner for the season. He rated a 1-6/2nd listing on the Chart and a 14 on the Maps (all wins baby!). How Danny managed to get first listing with only 6 states to his Map, is pretty much beyond me. The Chart should have listed them as Kris then Adam then Danny. *sigh* In anycase, Jason Mraz Kris aint going anywhere this week.

This week's stand outs: Kris and Adam and to a lesser extent Danny. I feel Danny is slipping ever so slightly though. All it's going to take is a bad week at a most unfortunate time and he'll end up gone unless the save's there still.

Piss poor this week: Megan (as always)

My B3 picks:
Megan (can she PLEASE go HOME this week???)
Anoop (this is no time for bad song choices)
Allison (you cant be screwin up the lyric at this point babe!)

Others that could possibly make it to the B3:
Scott (his performances are still mediocre at best...nice but not WOW. With a zero on the Maps, it's highly likely)
Lil (a small fanbase and poor songs choices is what will do her in)
Matt (is it possible that America really does NOT love him as much as the judges do? Even though, you have to admit, the judges trounced him but good so maybe EVERYONE'S tired of him. Of these three, he's the most likely candidate to replace one of the others in the B3 walk of shame.)