A minor squwee, a surprise and a buncha *meh*

So a friend says last night (not my usual tv viewing buddy, but one I chat with nearly daily) that (and I quote)

"Man these singers in AI this year are just crazy goood". 

I wanna know two things:

 01) did we watch the same show? 

 and 

 02) What kinda good shit is she smokin'? 

Seriously, I could narrow this field down to the Top 4 and cut us out several weeks of ear-bleeding grief.  If you got the impression that Styxie is STILL not feeling it this year, you'd be right. Then again, Styxie aint been feeling it for a few years now. This week's show was no different. Yet again the Chart is going to be of no use because they're all in the YELLOW and all listed as B3s. Either they were all just that good as some say, or they really all were that horrible. I'm leaning towards the latter, to be honest.

Okies. This week's Styx Picks:

Elise: Now anyone that's been following this blog for the last couple years or so will know that I generally go  for a male rocker as one of my picks. However, this year we seem to be lacking one. You'll also remember that I don't always choose the pimp spot singer (unless they're that male rocker that makes me go SQUWEEE!!!) as one of my favorites of the night. Why? Because that spot usually gets a SUTA blast from the judges whether they deserved it or not. That said, this one had to be my favorites of the night. She's no Adam Lambert , who friggin KILLED this song 3 seasons ago in Season 8 (omg, has it been that long???). Excuse me while I go throw panties repeatedly at the YouTube link!!  However, girlfriend Tore. This. UP. I've been thinking for a few weeks that she had more of a grittier, 70's kinda vibe and I was so very right. She's been hitting the B3 quite regular this season and I'm really hoping that this week's performance helped her a bit. However, I'm looking at my numbers and... well to be honest, I'm surprised she didn't rank higher. Even with the pimp spot, she only rated 4th of 9 contestants on the Chart. It's making me wonder exactly what kind of fan base she has. On the plus side, she won 4 states this week on the Maps. She's also seeing a huge change in her odds. Elise went into the competition this week with a minor upswing in her odds and when she came out of her performance her odds went way up. It was the hugest increase in odds I've seen in a while.

Phillip: I didn't know this song. His performance inspired me to look it up. This was the perfect song for his voice. Dare I say it? Have I finally found what I was looking for? Yep. Just a little. I couldn't help myself, but I squweeeeed just a little bit and was regretting not getting the panties outta storage. I might just have thrown them! So this one I had to listen back... just to be sure... because I really can't watch him sing. Honestly. He makes me nearly fangirly.  Not in the Adam Lambert fashion, but damned close. It's the eyes, I know it is. I'm in Squwee with the WGWG yet again this year. This keeps up, hubby's gonna need to get a defibrillator for the townhouse, I'm tellin ya. Going into the show, his odds had crept up a bit more over the week before and he left out of the show with odds today just a bit higher. He had a 3 state win BUT he also was one of two that was on the Loss Map. His total for the week is a 2 state win and he's listed 2nd on the Chart.

Skylar: What a little ball of energy this gal is. Really liked her performance this week. Definitely a step in the right direction for her. My biggest worry is that she sang second this week on a two hour show. I really hope that spunk was enough to carry her through because she really deserves a few more weeks in the competition. She had a 2 state win this week, but that's about the only good I'm seeing in the figures. Skylar came into this week's show with odds that had dropped a bit from the week prior and after her performance, they slid a bit more. She only ranked 6th of 9 on the Chart. I liked her, but I'm a bit worried that she may see a B3 trip this time around. There were many that were worse though.

Acknowledgement:

Hollie: I didn't really like the performance at all this week. I do have to consider the numbers I see though. Her odds slipped coming into the week and slipped even more after the performance. However, the odds really aren't that bad yet. There are 3 others with worse odds but one of them had a hella increase this week. If Hollie's not careful and turn those numbers around, she'll be leaving in a week or three. She did rate first on the Chart and won 2 states on the Maps. A 2 state win seems to be average for this group but you really don't want to stay in mid-pack too long.

So, who's in trouble this week?  Just about all of them, again. Honestly, If I could keep those three plus maybe one more and ship the rest home now, I'd be so happy.

Colton: I know that this is the kind of music he wants to make and really this was a good group to choose for his voice, but honestly Lifehouse has many other songs better suited for this setting. Something with a bit more beat. Especially since he sang first on a two hour show. You've gotta be a bit more memorable in that position. Songs like Broken , Whatever it Takes or I'm Falling Even More in Love With You would have been perfect. But what do we get? A song that left Styxie cold cold cold. Two states on the Map and a 5th ranking on the Charts show that things may be iffy for him tonight. His odds had increased a bit over last week but this week's performance made them slide a bit. If he goes to the B3 and gets voted out, I wouldn't be surprised if the judges use the save early. They've fought too hard to let him go so soon.

Skylar: see her paragraph above.

Hollie: see her paragraph above.

Heejun: I was all set to say that this was entirely the wrong artist choice for him, idol or no. However, I'm going to change my opinion and just say it was a wrong song choice. If he'd used You Were Meant For Me, he may have had a real moment. He was listed dead last on the Charts. This means nothing because we've seen many hit the bottom spot and not go home. He won 1 state this week and didn't have anything on the Loss Map for a change! Going into the week , his odds had been still slipping. However, he came out of the performance with his odds going up. Wasn't a great performance but it was a bit better.

Jessica: Even with that SUTA blast (yes, it's crispy back there), she only rated 8th of 9 on the Chart and won only 2 states total on the Maps. Her odds had been creeping up from week to week but after last night's showing they started to slip. Maybe she's peaked already and isn't nearly as good as the judges would have us believe? In previous seasons, if anyone had dared attempt Ms Sasha Fierce's music, they would have had new rear-facing orifices ripped into them. Somehow, she manages to avoid this.

Joshua: Another minor SUTA blast for this one. Why do they keep praising those histrionics? *UGH* I love the song, but not Mariah's version of it. Why? Because those high notes she hits gives me a major headache. Well, that and the fact that it was played ad nauseum when it was released. The judges called him flawless. Really? I wanna know what they're smokin too. My darling sister in Chicago suggested that he "just push harder and that turd will come out!" Yeah, we thought he was that bad. If he's going to continue another week, I'd suggest a dose of Ex-Lax and a serving of prune juice to clear the issue up. Can he please go home now? I'll even put up with Mister FamilyJewelsinaVice for another week without much fuss!

DeAndre: *sighs* He really should have been sent home last week. On the plus side, there was much better connection with the home audience as he played up to the camera. I do appreciate how hard it must be to be a male with that kind of high vocal register. Now for the not so good. Not many people even remember this artist. I was a streamer in a chat site and I prided myself in having a little of EVERYTHING because you never knew what people would ask for during my time on air. I still have songs that I've never ever played because I grabbed them thinking they may just come in handy. I had to actually look this song up (kudos to the kids for making me look up more than one song this week!). Ok, I wouldn't normally listen to this kind of artist because the high notes are enough to kick start a migraine. To prove that he's worthy of being in the competition, he should have attempted Never Want to Leave You by the same artist. A bit more range to the song, but now that I think of it, I doubt DeAndre has the lower notes to support the song properly. Anyhow. Not to say that he needs to go or anything, but with a 1 win and 1 loss on the Maps, he has a big fat ZERO for the week. He's listed 7 out of 9 contestants on the Chart. Not to say his odds are bad, but if I put $100 down on him now and for some odd reason he manages against all odds to win this thing... I'd have an AWESOME down-payment for a house ( or at least a primo vacation to anywhere in the world I want to go!). His odds have been free-falling slipping since day one. A Benjamin on him now and him winning would get ya $10,000. Seriously.

So who goes?
According to Rickey's poll: DeAndre  (his polls are usually pretty close, 'cept last week)

Chart: Heejun (he's the VFTW poster child though)

Maps: Either DeAndre or Heejun

MJ's : Heejun , although she heard on Ryan's show there was going to be a SHOCK boot and she's rethinking that either Joshua or Hollie may get it. However, they do this every year, saying there's a SHOCK BOOT this early in the show and it turns out that it either really isnt so shocking OR that "the kids are so good this season, I can't believe this one's going home already!!" *cough cough BS cough cough*

Actually, the only shockers in my book would be the first 4 I mentioned (Elise, Phillip, Skylar and Hollie). If we're gonna go for a shocker, how about Elise? She had the pimp spot and they very rarely get sent home (although it HAD been done). She had an awesome night, yet didn't rank really high on the lists and her odds are sky rocketing.

The biggest question is... will the judges use the save tonight or is it still too early?

Underwhelmed

I want an hour fiddy of my time from last night back again,  please. In all fairness, the Idol machine really needs to freshen their themes up. Inflicting the kids with music that, although it holds up to the hand of time, is actually decades old and in some cases much older than the contestant. Having a rapper mentor during a rock week didn't help matters either. Although, I will admit that he did have some decent pointers for the kids.

Not to say that it was a bad week, but the Chart was no help at all this time around. Every single one of them is in the 1-10 B3 YELLOW group. Yep. Every. Single. One. I didn't see too many wows at all this time around. Not even from my favorites.

Styx Pick for the week:

Phillip: The only reason he's here is because he's my favorite to watch. Was it his best? No. Did he take anyone's advice in regards to styling or performance? No. His basic sentiment is, if it aint broke... don't fix it. Like he pointed out, it doesn't much matter how he's packaged. If the people like the music, they'll like it anyway, no matter how he dresses.

Acknowledgement of decent performance(s):

Jessica:  She actually made me like her this week. I still don't enjoy the super SUTA blast we get when the judges blather all over her, but they either weren't as vocal of their approval OR someone laced a crapperload of morphine in my SUTA Protection Enema this week. Her odds slipped a tad this week, however she's still listed as a favorite on the betting site. With 7 wins and no losses, I don't foresee losing her this round.

Colton: Parts of his performance this week were really good and others not so much. I do, however, hold an appreciation for the kids when they play an instrument during their performance because it takes ALOT of practice to be able to get all the words right, but be able to play the right notes for your instrument as well. Yes, playing an instrument can hide some of the imperfections, but it takes that much more concentration to get it right. He, too, had 7 wins and no losses for the week and a minor slip in the odds. I don't see him leaving us this week either.

So who's in danger this week? Just about all of them.

Hollie: She had a nice performance this week. Enough to make me smile, but not enough to make me say wow. Her odds are still creeping up and I won't be surprised if she'd this year's dark horse. Not exactly a favorite yet, but there's enough there to show alot of promise. She's going to be one of the biggest threats to Jessica. However, she didn't have anything on the Maps this week. If she reaches B3 this week, it'll be because she was followed by Jessica, Colton and this next man...

Heejun: This poster child of the VFTW saw his odds crash this week. All I can say about him is that he was memorable and alot of fun this week. I actually liked this week's performance over the others he's given us. He did win one state this week and had no losses, so maybe that nefarious site did its job. I won't be heart broken to see him go, but in all fairness, he wasn't the worst of the week.

Phillip: Yeah, I'm gonna stick him down here too. Although his odds are still inching up, the fact stands that he only grabbed 1 state this week. The winners over the last several years have been WGWGs and this might eventually work against him as some will see that guitar as a crutch. Unfortunately, dude doesn't seem to know quite what to do with himself when he's not behind it. And with as much as it shouldn't matter how the music is packaged, image does matter ever so slightly. He's going to want to at least introduce some color eventually (blue would look AWESOME with those peepers, jus' sayin').  Does he deserve to go, nope. I do have to consider the info given, though.

Elise: Her odds are still near the bottom of the barrel and she shares the next to last position with one other , while still another has even worse odds. I didn't know this song at all. With any luck, not many others did either and it'll work in her favor. She got a 2 state win this week. Does she deserve to go home, not really because that was a decent performance.

Skylar: Yep. Another one of my faves is getting mentioned down here. I personally wasn't fond of this particular performance of hers. Maybe it was just really early in the show, maybe I was still cranky from Jacob 2.0's performance. Who knows. We did get to see how very out of touch Randy is with the music scene, though. That song was covered by Garth Brooks, not Brad Paisley. Dog, lose the tacky pins you seem to like this year, shut your mouth and stop name dropping because you certainly don't know squat.  With slipping odds and only a 1 state win, it won't surprise me if she's in the B3... although I really don't wanna see that. Not yet.

Joshua: Even though his odds have been creeping up, he had a few things against him this week. An early sing position on a two hour night, the constant histrionics, and the over seasoning of a perfectly lovely song look like they may have worked against him this week. Can we get rid of him now? Oh wait, he's the year's only AAD, so we we may still have him for awhile because we don't wanna look racist. Oh hush! You know that card would be played if the only AA of the show gets voted off so soon! It's happened every damned year for almost half a decade now. If he goes, it'll be because he over seasoned the crawdads/crawfish/crayfish/mudbugs yet again. When will these kids learn? Just because you CAN put all the runs in, doesn't mean you SHOULD.  No states for you this week, Emeril.

Erika: I loved the look, very polished. Hopefully, the voters weren't too confused with that chameleon-like change she had this week. Didn't help she performed so very early. If anyone needed a pimp spot this week, it was Erika. I'm hoping that she sticks around for at least one more week. You remember that one contestant I mentioned up in Elise's review? Yeah. Her and Erika as tied with the next to worst odds on the betting site. I'm hoping that it's because the names are so close (5 letters beginning with E) and that they were both blondes that had everyone confused before. She had 1 win and 1 loss this week. There is a very distinct possibility that she could be in the B3 simply because of the 2nd sing spot and the over-haul on her looks (she did look like a different gal, after all). She doesn't deserve to go this week, though.

DeAndre: Ew. P-U, dude. This song simply wasn't believable from him. His only hope this time around will be if Rickey is still doing the VFTF program (Vote For The First), because with a really pitiful showing first thing on a 2 hour show and others much more memorable singing after him he really doesn't have much of a shot otherwise. There were so many other songs, like a ballad, that would have worked well with his voice. His odds have crashed and since Jermaine's ouster last week, he's at the bottom of the barrel. Not to say they're bad, but if I was to put a Benjamin down on him right now and he somehow managed to win (like if every single one of the others got disqualified tonight), I'd be able to afford a nice vacation ... hmmm maybe a cruise. His pooch is screwed this week as he's the weakest link and the one most likely to go home.

If you go by odds: DeAndre is gone (possible Erika or Elise)
If you go by the Chart: DeAndre's gone
If you go by the Maps: it could be anyone EXCEPT Jessica and Colton