Disenchanted with the Queen of Whatever

This week our contestants got inflicted with the songs of Queen. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Queen, it's just that the music of these icons simply is never really kind to the kids that end up on this show. Thankfully not all of them chose songs that had been done by previous contestants and as such, avoided the inevitable comparisons.

We had a bit of a surprise this week as Randy narrated the intro package that was put together for our guests. Seems that Ryan had come down ill, and although he made it to show time (albeit alot less energetic than usual), it's evident he wasn't available for voice-over work when this segment was shot.

Styx Pick(s) for the week:
No one. Not a single one. Not even my favorite.

There's only 6 now so I'll just go through them all right in performance order. Well that and I'm a bit pressed for time today.

We saw 2/3 of the kids on the Loser Map this week with a couple of them losing more than one state. There was only one listed in GREEN on the Chart although all are listed as a B3 possibility (DI hedging the bets again). At this point, it's really anybody's game and as it's been pointed out, it's all going to come down to song choice because most of them are talented in their own special way.  A favorite regained the lead in the odds after the "shocking" ouster of a fan favorite (obviously not THAT much of a fan favorite..), while another plummeted like a 10 ton weight pushed out of a cargo-bay door.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Jessica: This week she picked 2 of the most over done songs on Idol. One of them had actually not only been done but been DONE already. There hasn't been another contestant that's even come close, and this is coming from a gal who didn't particularly like the dude at all. Sad thing is, although Constantine did a great job with the song (one of the best of the night) he was sent packing 2 weeks later. BoRap was actually attempted in Season 5 as well, by Kellie Pickler. She avoided the B3 (even with that awful performance) but she, too, was voted off  in two weeks time. I can only hope that this will be the case here, but it would be even better is if this week is her last. Okay okay, I will admit she's got some talent and will more than likely go far in the manner of Mariah, Beyonce, Celine et all. However, I don't particularly care for much of the work that any of them put out and I am guessing Jessica will be the same way. I liked her second song better than than her first. Her odds went up after last week's performance but had a small slip coming into this week. Her final value was still above last week, but it's lower than it had been. A first singing position worked against her this week. The Chart rated her a 1-6 and listed her in 4th place. She had a 2 state win but she also lost 2 for a goose egg on the Maps. She's more than likely in danger this week, again, and there's no more net to protect her.

Skylar: I like the second song over the first. Not sure what everyone else was seeing because I've been seeing that most people really enjoyed the Queen number. Well, to each his/her own I suppose. This one had been done a couple times on the show already, but usually there's enough time in between each performance (that and it's not really well known) that no one really thinks to compare. The first time it was done was in Season 5 by Paris Bennett (can't find the video for her, sorry) and then again in the 7th Season by  Carly Smithson (a better interpretation than we got this season imho). If you don't remember it from there, then maybe the version from Moulin Rouge (can't remember if it was before or after her illness was discovered)? Nothing comes quite close to Freddy Mercury's version  though. Then again, it was written by Brian May for Freddie Mercury as a chronicling of Freddie's fight to keep performing in spite of the fact that his life was coming to an end and rather quickly. That last link will take you to the Wiki entry regarding the song. Until you've had to face a disease of that magnitude or a heartbreak of similar quality, you simply can't portray the angst necessary for this song. Skylar just didn't have that. She had an increase over last week with a minor dip coming into the show this week, staying ahead of last week's numbers. A second singing position did her no real favors either. The Chart ranked her 1-6 and listed her in 5th. She lost a state this week but managed to offset it with a 4 state win  to give her a total of 3 on the Maps. She's on shaky ground this time around.

Joshua: I didn't like either of his songs this week, but what's new, right? Last time we saw this song on the Idol stage was in Season 5, but it was a group number done by Fantasia, Taylor Hicks, Tim Urban and someone else so it really doesn't count towards comparisons. The SUTA blasts this week were enough to evaporate my tv viewin' buddy's super duper ass protecting heat shield by Mantasia's second number (which means she was totally unprotected by the SUTA that showed up in the pimp spot). Poor gal was so bad off she foresaw many ice cold enemas in her near future to make herself feel better. Maybe we'll get lucky though. He's not the only male left. He might be an AAM (and the only one in the show at the moment) but he doesn't have the backing of that nefarious site (that goes to WGWG#5). He saw a minor increase in odds from last week but the Maps and the Chart are in disagreement. The Chart rates him (an overly generous) 1-6 and lists him in 3rd place. However, even with the obnoxious amounts of standing Os, nice Chart listing and SUTA blasts weekly, he STILL was the only one to show up in the negatives on the Maps. No wins and 2 losses give him a -2 for the week. I will not be surprised to see him in the B3 this week (or do we go to B2s now?). I'd be happy to see BebeChez go, but happier still if the BDND is shown the door.

Elise: Okies, so how is this fair? She gets ripped into for doing a song that was perfectly suited for her simply because it's not a common song, yet the very next contestant got minorly praised because his was seen as artsy? Say what??? Have the double standards always been this bad?  Personally, I thought her performances this week were some of the best that hit the stage (not saying they were great, but just better than most). She's slowly growing on me, what can I say. She's actually edging Skylar out. I don't want to get too attached though because I see those odds on the one site and they are the worst I've seen this year. She dropped nearly 3,000 points over the course of a week. Yeah, THAT bad. The Chart rated her with a 2-6 and listed her in 6th. The Maps were a tad more generous. She won 5 and lost 1 for a total of  4 states this week. Not sure how much a later sing spot is going to help this under-appreciated, yet perpetual bottom dweller. She may make yet another trip to the Stools of Shame.

Phillip: *chuckles* When the set list got leaked and I saw the one Queen song listed, I knew that only Phillip would be able to do the song justice. I mean, I didn't see any of the gals touching it (except ~maybe~ Elise) and as for Joshua? Puh-LEEEEEEEEEEZ! Ok.. I will admit to a very minor, but no panty throwing, squwee fit and I will admit that I have the studio version (thank you YouTube) on repeat right now (PP, darlin', you need to learn to complete your words...  tonighT , firelighT and arounD... oh and while we're at it, she's a lady not a manny... just sayin'). That aside, I'm a bit worried. Why? Because the last time this song was performed on the Idol stage, the singer (Bucky Covington) was sent home (Freemantle blocked his performance video and I no longer have the blog entry I wrote on his performance).  The second song I didn't know (not a fan of the band) so I listened back. He seemed to do a decent cover of the song, but I liked his first performance better. I do, however, see where the comparison comes in and as a result I will be checking out The DMB to see if there's something I like enough to put on my mp3 player. Phillip's odds have risen so high that he's no longer a good bet because he's in the negative numbers (last check he was at -129). Thanks to Colton's ouster last week, he's regained the rating of Favored on the site. However, we saw what happened last week. Colton had just taken that spot and was looking as if he'd be a shoe-in to win and then he got voted off (something I don't EVER recall happening before). The Chart has PP rated a 1-6 and listed in 2nd position. Even though he was in the next to last singing spot (this dude's NEVER had the pimp spot!!), and got luke-warm reviews from the judges (although they found him very "artsy"), he managed to get the most states of all of them (you can thank VFTW for that) with a whopping 11 state win on the Maps. Even though he very well could hit the B3, I don't really see that happening this week (it doesn't make me any less worried, though). Not with the odds as high as they are and the number of states won. We've never seen a kid get double digits on the Maps and then get sent home. It's far more likely to have a contestant go home in the pimp spot (and that's happened ONCE) than to have one with a double digit get booted.

Hollie: I wasn't fond of either performance. The Queen number was rather meh and we've already heard her do the Miley Cyrus song once so it seriously shouldn't have been done again. "Redeemed herself" my fat, lily white gluteus maximus. Her odds have been dropping like that other blonde's, but not as bad. I half expect that they'll have a minor boost this week with all that SUTA she got on her last performance. The Chart rated her with a 1-5/ GREEN and listed her in 1st place this week, but they still popped up the B3 "just in case". She won 10 states on the Maps this time around, coming in just behind PP. I don't really see her with a B3 appearance this week, but anything's possible this season. Her odds should have had her gone a few weeks back.

So who goes?
The B3 according to:

The Maps: Joshua, Jessica and either Elise or Skylar rounding out the B3 with Joshua gone.
The Chart: Jessica, Elise and Skylar with Elise gone
Rickey's exit poll: Elise, Hollie and Joshua with Elise gone
Vegas: Elise, Hollie and Joshua with Elise gone

I find it interesting that the poll and the odds seem to agree.

I'd love to see one of the J's gone, but won't be surprised if Elise is sent packing. She just doesn't seem to have the fan base to keep her afloat. In any case, they'll try to pawn it off as a "shocker" when at this point, nothing should be seen as such. The only real shocker will be if we lose Phillip this week. If that happens, I may have to wear black the rest of the season and put the panties back into storage.

U Got It So Bad in the Midnight Hour that U Squweeee!

So here we are, back at the Top 7 again because the judges (in a very predictable and not so well acted fashion) used The Save last week. I mean seriously, who didn't see that coming? Seriously? Come here so I can slap ya. Anyone but Joshua, Jessica and possibly Phillip or Colton (those two to a lesser degree) would have been tossed under the tour bus. Those of us who have watched several seasons could have said as much. Honestly? I think the producers wanted a certain someone saved and when they couldn't rally the judges, decided to pull a switcheroo to make damned well certain that save WOULD be used.

This week we had the theme of Then and Now. Who the hell's coming up with these themes? I mean, really. Yes, it's nice that they're finally allowing the kids to sing stuff from this generation... but they're still saddling them with the same ol' same ol'. The latter being in the wheelhouses of Phillip "WGWG5" Phillips and Elise Testosterone Testone. Even with the more current stuff being allowed, we're still getting some of the same over-used songs. Please kids, remember that the charts aren't only populated by the likes of Adele, Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Lady Gaga. This does NOT mean I really want to hear that earworm by Goyte again this week though. (now watch them sing it as the group number anyhow....)

We ended up with so much SUTA blasting that my dearest Chicagolady was fearing that her industrial strength heatshield wasn't going to hold up for the entire show. I think it was starting to crack before the pimping of Mr Melisma in the first Act and by his last performance was showing signs of a colossal  nuclear failure. As for mine, it totally melted down and I'll be filing a report with the BBB the minute I can sit up properly.

This week we had 3 of the contestants go into the GREEN, however DI is hedging their bets and has 2 of them listed as B3 anyhow.

And after last week's FUBAR, who can blame them, really?

We saw 5 of the kids end up on the LOSER Map this week. Some will profess it's because the group really IS all that good this year. Personally, I doubt it. Then again, I'm partial.

Styx Pick for the Week won't be any surprise to those that have been reading this season:

Phillip: I've been reading some of the other blogs out there and a couple have said that they felt his version of U Got It Bad was his Heartless moment (and I agree!). He took a song clear outta his genre, spun it around and had me on the border of The Squweeee. I listened back (no video, just audio, just to be certain) and damned if they're right. (squweee!) After 2 weeks of pretty crapola performances, he pulled this out and did a fine job of it. Some worry that the moment may have been missed by many, thanks to the SUTA blasts that came afterwards. By the time he hit the stage the second time with In the Midnight Hour, I was in full SQUWEEE mode. AND NO GUITAR!! Oh, I'm so proud of him. He still needs to figure out what to do with himself when he doesn't have an instrument in his hands.  2 panty flings just for that one performance. Coming out of last week he had been up slightly but lost traction after a couple days and went into this week a bit lower than he had been. I fully expect that those numbers will start moving up again after this week's showing (and especially since the one other that he could possibly be splitting votes with sang earlier in the evening and dropped a dud performance in the second half). The Chart rated him with a 1-6/ 3rd place listing in GREEN but hedged their bets with a B3. So it's possible to see him in the B3, but I think it's highly unlikely. He got 8 states this week on the Maps.

Who more than likely is going to be safe:

Joshua: After last week's pimping with Fantasia, it wasn't any surprise that he chose one of her songs for his Now pick. Ryan had introduced it as one of her biggest hits. Try like it was her ONLY real hit and only because it was her coronation song. Wait... don't they usually advise the kids to NOT attempt a previous winner's music and most especially their coronation number? We received a double shot of SUTA blast for him this week. I doubt that they're going to let up until he gets booted because obviously the Idol Makers don't want another WGWG winner for the 5th year in a row. Who cares if he's actually better than most of the year's "talent", including Mr. Histrionics here. His odds were down coming out of last week's show (mostly due to that B3 visit that was so not deserved)but saw a steady increase over the weekend. He won 4 states on the Maps this week. In the pimp spot and only received half the states that PP got. If anything, THIS week he deserves a B3 trip, but that's just my 2 Cents. The Chart rated him 1-4 in first/ GREEN and has deemed him safe. However, we saw what happened last week (see graphic above).

So who deserves a trip to the Stools of Shame?

Even Barbie has more personality

Hollie: Sang early in the night and didn't even get the benefit of the producers mixing up the order in the 2nd half. The judges liked her fine for the first number but when inflicted with a song older than she is, she received a luke-warm judging. Both songs have been so over done that it's pathetic and she came across as dull and uninspired. The "Career Barbie" look in her second performance didn't help much either. To be honest, that's all I remember of her all night.  Her odds fell after last week's performance and kept slip sliding away. I don't see them recovering in enough time to win this show. It's just a matter of time now. If not this week, then maybe in the next couple. She won 5 states and lost 1 on the Maps for a total of 4 states this week. If she hadn't lost that one state, she'd be slightly edging Mantasia out instead of just tied. The Chart put her at 1-7 with a 4th place listing. No green, just a B3.

Jessica: Ok... who let the rabid chihuahua out? *UGH* I am so ready to have her gone already. The constant SUTA blasts don't exactly endear me to her either. I won't be surprised if she makes it farther though. It seems every year there's one contestant that is as irritating as nails on a chalk board (not that that sound bothers me any but it gets the point across) and they seem to last until the Top 3 or 4 at least. All I could think of when she got to her second song was Donkey from Shrek. I find him annoying too. Her odds slipped a bit coming out of last week's show but have crept back up again a bit. She won 4 states and lost 1 for a 3 on the Maps. The Chart rated her 1-6 listing her in 2nd place/ GREEN but hedged their bets with a B3.

Sorry, it was either this
or a pic with the cat's ass in the air.
I felt this conveyed the idea nicely.

Elise: Hated the first song choice (it's not a fav of mine), but it was better than her second choice. Of those on the show, her and PP are the only ones I could see pulling this one off. However, this song's been done... repeatedly. In some cases, like Matt Giraud (and you all know how I felt about him and Doug..) and Nikko Smith (sorry the video doesn't seem to be available anywhere!), this song was DONE.  The judges were *meh* towards her the first song and down right tossed her under the bus the second. To be honest, I could have done without some of the cat in heat vocalizing she did.  Her odds have been in a downward slide since late March. She won 4 states but lost 2 for a total of 2 on the Maps. The Chart rated her a 2-7 and listed her in 5th. Won't be surprised if the bottom dweller makes the trip to the chairs tonight. Looking at the numbers from the Maps and Chart as well as the poll on Rickey's site, the only surprise will be if she avoids the chairs entirely this week.

Skylar: I thought her first song was better than the second, although I felt it was a very odd choice for her. Then again, until last night I never realized that The Mother Monster did a "country" version of this song. Surprise, she did .... although with the exception of the violins all it sounds like is that she slowed it down a bit. Country-girl's odds were going up coming out of last week's show and are still moving up a bit. However, the Maps and the Chart weren't too kind to her this week. She won one and lost one for a big huge goose-egg on the Maps this week. The Chart rated her 2-7 with a 6th place listing. Things didn't look to good for her on Rickey's site either. I am afraid that she's going to be another that isn't going to last more than a small handful of weeks. Unless, of course, my favorite has another bad night or two. I don't really see that happening though.

Colton: You know that constipated strain I harped on regarding Jacob 2.0 a few weeks ago ? Well it seems that CM #2 has developed it. I swore last night he was going to turn his colon inside out with the way his eyes and neck veins were bulging. Must be something contagious there in the Idol world. Dude, seriously, relax a bit (okay, more than a bit) and for heaven's sake, work on your diction and complete all words.  That said, his first choice wasn't bad. It wasn't really SUTA-worthy, but it was decent enough to make the second song sound like crap. A big, steaming lump of it. It was so bad that he received the ATUS treatment. Damn, now I gotta figure out the words for a new acronym. His odds were up a little after last week's show and slipped a tad over the week. They didn't slip enough to take him back out of the favorite's position, but after this week's performances, I won't be surprised if they slip back down to where they were. He won one state and lost as many for a big ol' zero, just like Skylar. This wasn't a good week for him, especially since the only other WG in the show performed circles around him this time. The Chart rated him with a 4-7 and listed him in dead last. If this is his week, I bet the judges are going to regret that save they used last week. Especially since they insisted he audition and have been blowing some minor SUTA all season to keep him in the show. Then again, maybe they won't since they quite obviously are trying their damnedest to make sure a WGWG doesn't win this time too. If that was the case, why bother asking him to audition in the first place?

The B3 as seen by:

Rickey's site: Hollie, Elise and either Colton or Josh (more likely the former) with Elise gone

Maps: Skylar, Elise and Colton  with any of them gone although the last two are more than likely

Chart: Elise, Skylar and Colton with Colton listed in last but any of the 3 as likely

Pinnacle (odds site): Hollie, Elise and Joshua with the girls having the worst odds

I find odd that 3 agree somewhat while Vegas tells another story and THEY'VE been alot more accurate this year than those other sources. It's also why I call shenanigans on last week's results because of all of my resources, the odds have been closer to correct. With Jessica's odds where they are, she should NEVER have made it to the B3 no matter how much I complain about not liking her.

In any case, there's no net this week and we just may see a "favorite" go.