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Three left standing on “American Idol.” Yep, it’s been a blazing trip, hasn’t it? Still, David Cook and David Archuleta have been earmarked for the finals for a while. I think, though, that there have been more than a few surprises along the way. They do, however, continue to make the results show an agonizing hour long. With that, let’s talk about last night.. The four remaining contestants did a group rendition of Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ In The Years,” which happens to be one of my favorite songs from my childhood. Well, not anymore after seeing that butcher job! On to business. David Archuleta, safe. David Cook, safe. Damn, it’s too early in the show. Then a bunch of phone calls, including a hilarious one from a 24-year-old single woman from Pittsburgh who asked David Cook on a date. Talk about being put on the spot…..she said “I see your tour comes through Pittsburgh in July…I will pick you up, show you around the city and take you out to dinner.” What could dude say, besides “I’ll have to see.” Oh, and another note to David….once you hit the outside world again, you’re going to get a lot of that, so enjoy it! Then Maroon 5 performed, and though I do like this band a lot, they look really tired, and they are about to hit the road again for a global summer tour. After that, Bo Bice took the stage, singing his new single, “Witness.” This dude has some great pipes and is a throwback to good old Southern rock. So down to Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro. Really now, did they even need to count the votes? So here we are, two weeks away from the finale. It should be David vs. David, but I’m still a bit terrified. Terrified that my boy David Cook is going to be toast next week, setting the stage for a lopsided finale of Syesha vs. young David. Hey, if Melinda Doolittle can be sent home before the finale, so can Mr. Cook, though he’s got the best voice and best future of anyone remaining. Oh, and side note on David A….dude needs some interview coaching, because he just smiles and giggles at every question. Remember that buzzard that Bugs Bunny tormented, the one with the goofy laugh (”Oh, nope, nope , nope, nope…”)….you know the one, right? That’s who David Archuleta reminds me of when he speaks. So, as we get closer to the finale, here are my power rankings 1. David Cook If David Cook brings his A game next week, I’ll feel better..but I have a feeling all of them will sense the urgency of the impending finale. See you all next Wednesday, and remember, it’s free to leave a comment! |
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Here we are at the Final Four of “American Idol,” which means our Season 7 champ is going to be crowned in just a few weeks. And with no more mentors, the remaining contestants just had to choose two songs from among 500 of artists enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That’s a very large catalog. Of course, having so many songs to choose from can be a curse, too. Anyway, here we go…. THE GOOD David Cook kicked things off, and his two songs were Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly.” His first effort was pretty bland, but he brought his usual power the second time around, though it still was lacking compared to what David usually delivers. Randy said his first choice was just okay and the second was more like the real David Cook; Paula loved both because, well, she’s Paula; and Simon thought the first song was just a copycat rendition of the original, while the second was more like what we’re used to from him. In other words, the judges pretty much agreed with me on Mr. Cook. Syesha Mercado took on Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Last night’s results show proved one thing. That you really never know what is going to happen, even if you are sure you know what’s going to happen. They began the show with an awful Neil Diamond group number, and for whatever reason it was weird and awkward. Maybe it’s because these five finalists would never be on the stage together in any other circumstance. Then it was on to business early. Jason Castro, you are safe. Not only did that mean this kid not going home this week, it meant that there were two performers who had less votes than he did. To put this in perspective, I’m fairly confident that New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick could have performed those two songs with more emotion than Jason did on Tuesday. So this is baffling to me. Still, we go on… David Archuleta, safe. And I swear the kid must have thought he was heading home this week, because he just looked like he couldn’t believe it. Don’t worry David, you are probably safe for another week or two at least. David Cook, safe. And I have to say, I breathed a sigh of relief. Because if Jason Castro can be top 3, it’s entirely possible that David Cook could be bottom 2, even if he is the one to beat here. So that left a Bottom 2 of Brooke and Syesha. Really, when you look at it, even though Jason was not very good on Tuesday, we’re all just going through the motions to get to a final of David vs. David, so the order that the other three are eliminated doesn’t matter too much. Then, two performances. First, Natasha Bedingfield. Yeah, about that. I don’t get her….she did some pop/reggae type song that she pretty much shouted, making me wonder aloud just what is happening to the music industry. After Natasha sang, she went over and kissed young David, and that was pretty funny. Then Neil Diamond sang his new single, and though the song was bland (sorry dude, your catalog has raised our expectations), he looks great and sounds great for his age. And his mom was in the audience, which I’m sure prompted all of America to get out their calculators……what is she, 90? Then a few phone calls, the most entertaining of which was Simon’s first crush, Tara, who remembered kissing Simon in the sand box when they were nine years old…..ha! Somewhere in the long, drawn out show, Ryan Seacrest squashed the rumors of Paula having a drinking problem, and said something like “We love Paula, she is a member of our family.” Then someone asked Ryan if pigs fly, and he said “Hells yeah, pigs fly!” Finally, the results. Syesha, safe. Brooke White, you are going home. You knew that she knew, and she’s kind of hung on for the last few weeks anyway. But really, come on, was Jason Castro better than Brooke on Tuesday? Maybe not, but like I said this thing is a two-David race. Here are my power rankings and see you all next week! 1. David Cook |
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So this thing is heating up. Last night on “American Idol” it was the Final Five performing, with the great Neil Diamond as mentor. But as Simon Cowell suggested, it was one of the strangest shows ever, and that’s mainly because each performer had to sing two selections, and the judges had very little air time. Need I say that this was a formula for Paula imploding on national TV? And that’s basically what happened, though she did rebound. More on that in a bit. I like the more meat, less B.S. that a condensed “Idol” offered. And it was entertaining to see how they would do it. Ryan Seacrest was talking like he had a plane to catch, and the judges were able to give a brief reaction after each performer sang once, and then a full critique after their second song. You gotta love less Paula in any way, shape or form. Without further adieu, here is the recap and prediction for who is going home…. THE GOOD David Cook, what can we say? The dude manages to have some element of surprise (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Last night’s “American Idol” results show featured a couple of surprises…but more on that in a minute. Then President Bush and his wife got on and this is what I heard: blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah. At least that’s what I heard in the part I didn’t fast forward through. On to business. There would be a Bottom 2 tonight, not a Bottom 3. David Archuleta and David Cook, both safe..and really, we all knew that already. Then British pop star Leona Lewis performed…..she won the “X-Factor” competition in 2006, which is like the UK version of “Idol.” She also has been guided in her young career by one Simon Cowell. Here is an interview I did recently on Bullz-Eye.com with Leona for all of you who haven’t heard of her yet. I have to say though, her single “Bleeding Love,” pretty much put me to sleep. But she has great pipes, that’s for sure. Anyway, back to business. Syesha, Bottom 2. Brooke, safe. Wow, I was sure Brooke was going home and thought Syesha did a great job Tuesday. Simon said America must have felt bad when Brooke messed up the lyrics (a planned strategy perhaps?…nah, that was too real). Carly and Jason…you knew it was Jason, right? Wrong. Jason, safe, Carly Bottom 2. Damn, this goofy kid is in the top 5? Talented, yes. Goofy, definitely. So it was down to Syesha and Carly. Ryan Seacrest had them both sing and I plowed through with TiVo’s fast forward button. No need to see all that shouting again. Then, Carly going home…..wow. I know she was close to exiting a few times, and I think she deserved to go home a few times, but not last night. She was really great on Tuesday….okay, maybe a bit shouty as always, but not bad enough to go home. What it comes down to is that there are six, now five, really good singers left, so someone has to go home each week. Carly will be fine. So that’s it…..here are my power rankings, and Brooke White has ratcheted back up a few notches now.. 1. David Cook I’d be really, really surprised if it’s not David vs. David in the finale. Do you agree? See you all next week…. |
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So last night’s “American Idol” featured mentor Andrew Lloyd Weber, who has written the music for pretty much every major Broadway musical in the last 30 years. The man is a living legend, and whether or not show tunes are your thing, the remaining six contestants did a fine job of adjusting to the material last night. Let’s recap, shall we? THE GOOD David Archuleta sang “Think of Me,” and forgive me in advance if I mess up these titles…I know as much about show tunes as Weber probably does about the NBA. Anyway, young David did a really nice pop version of a song that is sung by a woman (okay, Mrs. Mike told me that!)…well, the kid really hit this one out of the park. Randy said David could sing anything, Paula said it was a risk but came out “absolutely perfect,” and Simon said it was pleasant but not as good as some of David’s past performances. Carly Smithson has had trouble with song choice (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Sometimes you think you know something about judging talent and sometimes you don’t. That’s what makes “American Idol” such a compelling show, as we all try to put ourselves in the shoes of Randy, Paula and Simon and pretend we’re judging the talent, predicting who stays and who goes. But we’re certainly not always right. Last night, after another horrid group number, it was down to business. Ryan Seacrest put the contestants into groups on his left and on his right. Jason, left. David Cook, right. Carly, left (after Simon telling her he is hard on her because he believes she has huge potential). Kristy Lee Cook, right. Then Elliot Yamin came out and sang, and I mean sang. This dude has unbelievable pipes, and I think he and Marc Broussard may be the most soulful white dudes I’ve ever seen. Then some phone calls, and the best one was the woman who asked the judges what the first records they ever bought were. Randy’s were Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and James Brown; Paula’s were Earth Wind & Fire, Jackson 5 and Carole King; and Simon said his was Paula Abdul. Ha! Then Mariah Carey came out and sang her new single. Well, she sort of sang….it was like part singing, part lip synching, part bland computer-generated crap. Who am I kidding? It was all bland computer- generated crap, and Mariah was just there trying to look 20 years younger than she is in a short dress and diamond crusted microphone and mic stand. I have a word for you, and that word is BLECH. Syesha, left. Brooke, right. Then David Archuleta, safe. Ryan then made David Cook and Syesha switch places. For those of you who are confused right now, that left two groups: David Cook, Jason and Carly; and Syesha, Kristy and Brooke. David Archuleta was asked by Ryan to join the group he thought was safe, and he sat in the middle of the floor. Seacrest didn’t waste time, telling him it was the David C/Jason/Carly group. That left a bottom 3 of Syesha, Brooke and Kristy. Hmm…I really thought Carly was going home, but I was wrong. Syesha, safe. That left Brooke and Kristy, and Brooke was safe. Kristy Lee Cook, going home…I really though she brought her A game the last two weeks, but America disagreed. I also thought she had become a dark horse to win it all, but I was way off. Maybe America is smarter than I thought? Maybe I’m not as smart as I thought? Whatever, we have a pretty strong top 6. Here are my power rankings: 1. David Cook I like Brooke better than the other two ladies remaining, but I don’t think America does. This thing is seriously heating up now, and we’re barreling toward the finish line. Keep throwing me curveballs America, I’ll connect on one soon. Meanwhile, have a great week everyone…. |
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I really thought having Mariah Carey as a mentor on “American Idol” would do two things…One, prove that she is full of herself, and two, make it really difficult for the contestants, especially for the girls, who would have to measure up to her insane vocal ability. Well, I was wrong on both counts. THE REALLY GOOD David Cook, singing “Always Be My Baby?” Are you kidding me? That’s sort of like Mariah trying to sing Pearl Jam. But somehow, this guy just proves that he can do it all every single week, and last night he did a super cool rock version of a really poppy, R&B flavored song. It wasn’t quite “Billie Jean,” but it was still really impressive. Randy said David is ready to make an album now, and that it was his best performance yet; Paula said David is “it”; and Simon said that it was a breath of fresh air, original and daring. Yep, it was all of that. THE GOOD David Archuleta sang “When You Believe and was wearing (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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On last night’s “American Idol” results show, there were moments when I thought for sure that maybe no one would get booted off, just like last year in “Idol Gives Back” week. First of all, props to everyone who contributed to the cause….at show time last night they had already raised $60 million. Wow. Then the contestants did a group number, “Shout To The Lord,” which was typically bland, and I know that’s not very charitable of me. Then there was a medley of “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees, with various celebrities lip-synching, as they did last year with “Stayin’ Alive.” Kobe Bryant was a participant in this, and still had that big white dot on his face. Anyway, the fact that they kept doing “Idol Gives Back” stuff was starting to make me wonder if anyone was going home. Then the results. Brooke, safe…..and she was torn because her sister is getting married this weekend and she won’t be able to go to the wedding. David Cook, safe. David Archuleta, safe. Then a break, and then last year’s champ, Jordin Sparks, sang a duet with Chris Brown. It was probably a bit too sexy and Mrs. Mike likely pointed out the truth…that Jordins’ dad, the former NFL player, can’t be happy about performances like that. Then they presented Jordin with a bunch of awards for her incredible success over the last six months or so. Back to business. Jason Castro, safe. Kristy Lee Cook, safe. Were you getting worried too? That left a bottom 3 of Michael Johns, Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. Mrs. Mike, who has guessed right for the past four weeks, guessed Carly, and that’s also who I picked. Then, Ryan Seacrest said Syesha and Carly were both safe, and that Michael had the lowest number of votes. He went on to add that last year, they did not eliminate anyone in “Idol Gives Back” week. Uh-oh. But then, SNAP! Sorry Michael, you are going home. Wow….that was kind of cruel, wasn’t it? And as I said the other night, Kristy Lee Cook has become a dark horse in this thing. Not only did she avoid the bottom 3 this week, she was pretty damn good Tuesday and seems to be peaking. All I’m saying is, if Carrie Underwood could win it all, I think Kristy has at least an outside shot. Here are my power rankings for the remaining 7: 1. David Cook We’re really getting down to the core of the show now, aren’t we? See you all next week….. |
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Last night there were no results, no judging and no messing around. Okay, maybe a bit of messing around, to make the show entertaining. It was the second annual “Idol Gives Back,” a telethon in which “American Idol” uses its global popularity to try and give back to the world–i.e., raise money to help poverty both in this country and worldwide. All in all, the show moved nicely and was well put together. There were a few group numbers by the current Idol finalists, and some others that were really pretty cool. My favorite was Teri Hatcher singing a Carrie Underwood song with a band of TV stars behind her, including her “Desperate Housewives” co-star Jamie Denton. Of course, Underwood herself also performed, and I’m not going to say who I liked better because this is about the charity, right? (Bo, I got your back…oops!). Ben Stiller made an appearance but not like last year when he tried to sing. Stars randomly gave videotaped messages, including Kobe Bryant (what was with the white dot on his face?), Keith Urban and Adam Sandler. Other performers included Snoop Dogg with Charlie Wilson, which was really pretty awesome; Fergie with Heart; Annie Lennox; Gloria Estefan with Sheila E.; and Mariah Carey with Randy Jackson on bass. Also, some of the pre-taped stuff from the other night included Eli and Peyton Manning visiting a town near New Orleans still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. Really now, would Eli have been invited if it weren’t for that incredible run to the Super Bowl win a few months ago? (I’m a Giants fan, and I still have to pinch myself). Some of the others who made appearances were Jimmy Kimmel, Daughtry, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Silverman, and Robin Williams, who was posing as some sort of “Russsian Idol.” I normally don’t think he is funny and he kind of gets under my skin, but he was hilarious last night. And more than one comedian made references to Simon’s man boobs…ha! Most importantly, they raised millions of dollars…I haven’t seen the exact numbers, but I know at one point early in the show it was $18 million. That’s awesome, and overall it’s a really cool thing the producers of the show came up with. Now, unlike last season when they lumped the results into the charity event, the results show is tonight, so Ryan Seacrest will not be charitable as he announces someone getting booted off. I still say it will be Carly Smithson, but we’ll see. Talk you all on Friday…. |
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Look, I apologize if that title is trying to be too clever, but I’ll explain. On last night’s “American Idol,” the prelude to the big “Idol Gives Back” tonight, a few of the contestants stepped up their game, and a few others regressed. Some pretty badly. Before we get to the recap, let’s talk about the rest of the week. Tonight is “Idol Gives Back” and then tomorrow is the results show. That way it’s not all about charity….unlike last year, someone WILL be eliminated this week. Secondly, I’m sick of two things. One, Paula Abdul. She needs to SHUT THE F**K UP before I punch a hole in my TV screen….I mean, make your point and then let Simon make his, otherwise you look ridiculous. The other thing I’m sick of is Carly Smithson. She is a good singer, but tries so hard that she just loses me. More on her in the recap, so here we go… THE GOOD Kristy Lee Cook was damn good last night, and she looked really good too (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Just when I was fearing the worst, America stepped up its game last night much the way the “American Idol” finalists stepped up theirs on Tuesday night. They got it right for a change. It kicked off with another awful group number, Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5.” Can someone please stick a fork in these group numbers? They are just, um, not very entertaining. That’s too nice…they are bordering on pure agony, okay? Anyway, straight to business. Michael Johns, safe. David Archuleta, safe. Carly…a moment of Ryan Seacrest making her dangle, then safe. Commercial break….and oddly enough, Syesha Mercado was in this commercial for some technical institute, and I did a double take…like maybe it was one of those “Saturday Night Live” commercials, but it was real! She is, after all, an actress when she isn’t a finalist on the biggest show in America. Then they took some callers, and the best question was when some woman asked Simon why he apologizes after criticizing someone. Simon smiled and replied “I like you!” Then the Clark Brothers performed…these kids have some mad skills on their instruments, but that singer is scary….like he was shouting the entire song. Okay, back to what we came here for….David Cook, safe, after he assured America that his hospital visit the night before was purely precautionary and that it was blown out of proportion. Dude has high blood pressure is all. Ramiel, Bottom 3. Hooray, America knows what it’s doing! Kristy Lee Cook, who held a piece of paper that said “Bottom 3,” practically willed herself there, and she was right. Wow, America, nice work. Then they did some profiles of Idol alum from Nashville, since Dolly Parton was the theme of this week. Bucky Covington, Phil Stacey and Bo Bice were each featured, and are all having nice little careers after the show. I know Carrie Underwood is a mega-star right now, but I still think Bo was ROBBED. Syesha, safe, which meant Brooke or Jason. Jason, safe, Brooke to the Bottom 3. So it was down to Ramiel, Kristy and Brooke. But first Dolly Parton performed her new single, “Jesus and Gravity.” If you don’t like Dolly Parton, there is seriously something wrong with you….she is one of the most infectiously happy performers I’ve ever seen, and she spreads that to the audience. Okay, finally the grueling hour was coming to a close. Brooke, back to safety…..holy crap, America is smart! Mrs. Mike had predicted Ramiel earlier in the hour, and she has not been wrong yet. And she’s still not wrong…Kristy, safe, Ramiel, you’re outta here. You know, she has a nice voice but this competition is heating up and she just doesn’t have the mad skills of some of the others remaining. Here are my power rankings: 1. David Cook I still like Brooke more than Carly, though America may not agree….but hey, that’s why they play the games. See you all next week… |
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So after dumbass host Ryan Seacrest told America that “American Idol” was being postponed due to some writer’s strike, pulling a fairly predictable April Fool’s joke, it was on to business. For a split second though, I forgot it was April 1, and thought “Awesome, I can go back to watching the Mets/Marlins game,” but no dice. The mentor this week was Dolly Parton, and the remaining nine contestants were asked to sing something from Dolly’s catalog. This could go a few different ways for these singers, and you might expect just a few of them to do well. But what happened was that many of them stepped up their game, some in surprising fashion. Here we go…. THE GOOD David Cook came clean before his performance, saying that some of his previous arrangements (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Remember how bad Ramiel was on “American Idol” Tuesday? Remember how I wrote yesterday that she was just about a lock to go home? Well, she wasn’t even in the bottom 3 in last night’s results show. I know there are always surprises, but geez. Anyway, here is how the show went down. 30 million votes, blah blah blah. Group song, blah blah blah. Recap of Tuesday, blah blah blah. Chikezie, bottom 3….I didn’t think he was all that bad but apparently America did. Brooke White, safe. Carly Smithson, safe. Then a break, blah blah blah. David Archuleta, safe. David Cook , and we find out he didn’t arrange that cool version of “Billie Jean”…it was in fact Chris Cornell, who Ryan Seacrest had to mention called in to the show and said he loved Cook’s version of his version. Anyway, David, very safe. Syesha Mercado, Bottom 3. What? She was amazing on Tuesday, so America in my mind right now is not a great judge of talent. Michael Johns, safe. “Idol Gives Back,” blah blah blah. Dolly Parton mentoring next week, blah blah blah. Then Season 2’s Kimberly Locke performed her song, “Fall.” She looked great and has an incredibly powerfull voice, but this song was as bland as a plain potato. The music industry suits need to start letting real songs back in instead of formulaic crap, or it’s all going to blow up in their faces. Then they took some phone calls….and this was pretty funny last night, as one of the callers asked Simon Cowell if he thought it would be easy for her to eventually take Ryan Seacrest’s job. Then another caller asked David Archuleta why he picked that awful song, “You’re the Voice,” on Tuesday. Back to the results. Ramiel, safe. Here we go….I mean, she’s cute and all, and has a decent voice…but better than Syesha? No way. Did Danny Noriega call 5000 times to vote for his pal? Kristy Lee Cook, safe…and that was no surprise, because she really did a very smart thing by grabbing all the red state votes with “God Bless the U.S.A.” What’s that, Ryan Seacrest? Lee Greenwood also called in and said he loved it? Lee also says thank you for the royalty check. Oh, and if Dolly Parton is the mentor this coming week, can we assume country music theme? If so, Kristy just got another free pass. So it was Jason Castro in the bottom 3 along with Syesha and Chikezie, but he was almost instantly sent back to safety. So down to Syesha and Chikezie. Mrs. Mike said Chikezie, and she said it as soon as he was sent to the bottom 3. Well, she has been right for 2 weeks in a row, so no reason to doubt her, and she called it AGAIN. So no more Chikezie on Idol, but I know this guy is going to find a recording niche as a young Luther Vandross type. So now, my power rankings for the remaining nine: 1. David Cook There you go….eight more weeks of Idol, or maybe nine if you include “Idol Gives Back”…remember, last year no one was eliminated on that show. See you next week, I’m going back to watching the NCAA tournament tonight. |
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Last night’s “American Idol” featured the Top 10 finalists, and with it only being 90 minutes, it’s like Fox handed me change back from a $20 bill. Good stuff. Anyway, the contestants had to sing a song from the year they were born, and most of them really stepped up their game. But it’s also worth mentioning this…..that it had to make most of us feel REALLY OLD seeing years like 1987 and 1990 come up. Anyway, here is the recap… THE REALLY GOOD That sound you just heard was David Cook stamping his ticket to superstardom. He closed out the show last night with a grungy version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” What, you say? Just how far can Mr. Cook push the envelope with his song choices? Well, he saw the ball coming and hit it clear around the world. It was that good, and dare I say one of the best performances I’ve ever seen on the show. I’m getting goose bumps thinking about it. I turned to Mrs. Mike and said, “There is your winner,” and then the judges agreed with me. Randy said “You might be the winner” and used the term “molten hot.” Paula said it was brave and brilliant. And Simon, who rarely uses such words, uttered this one: “Amazing.” This is clearly David’s competition to lose. THE GOOD Syesha Mercado was born in 1987, and sang Stephanie Mills’ “If I Were Your Woman,” and it was, for me, her best performance yet (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Last night’s “American Idol” results show proved one thing….that you shouldn’t always indulge yourself, thinking you are indulging your fans in the process. More on that in a bit. First, they announced the mentors for this season….Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Neil Diamond…pretty diverse bunch, no? Then the remaining 11 did their second Beatles medley in as many weeks. It was watered down, bland, and none of them looked like they were having any fun whatsoever. Okay, on to the results. Brooke White, safe. Carly Smithson, Bottom 3. What????? I know Simon thought it was a bad song choice (”Blackbird”), but come on…she wasn’t worse than 8 other contestants. David Archuleta, safe. Michael Johns, safe. Then a break, then a video about shooting the latest Ford commercial. Okay, really, this show should and could be 30 minutes instead of 60. David Cook, safe. Kristy Lee Cook, Bottom 3….well, duh. Jason Castro, safe. Ramiel Mallubay, safe. Then Ryan Seacrest took some phone calls…..how’d you like to be one of the judges or contestants who have to answer some crazy fan’s question on national TV on the spot? I think I would start coughing uncontrollably so as to bow out. Then Idol alum Kellie Pickler sang her new single, “Red High Heels.” The song was bland and boring, like most Country radio is, but Kellie looked great….and her boobs were not out in front this time for all to see. I have to say, I like her a whole lot more as an artist than Carrie Underwood. Then after a 5-minute clip about the upcoming “Idol Gives Back” episode that featured former contestants Elliott Yamin and Fantasia (season 3 champ!), it was back to business. Syesha Mercado, safe. Chikezie and Amanda….Chikezie, safe. Amanda, Bottom 3. So the Bottom 3 was Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook and Amanda Overmyer. Carly looked like she absolutely didn’t belong, and she was sent back to safety first. Then, so was Kristy AGAIN, as Amanda was eliminated. Mrs. Mike called it two weeks in a row. Here is my thought…first of all, Amanda went first, and that’s never a good thing unless you are a contender to win it all. Then, she sang “Back in the USSR,” and she proved that the same type of song at the same tempo week after week is not smart, because it makes you one-dimensional. The judges kept warning her about that. Amanda, though, made some comment that she gets 90 seconds to entertain America each week and she wants them to have a glimpse into what her live concert would be all about. Yeah, about that Amanda…..you’ll get to try and start proving it as of today because you are no longer an “Idol” finalist. Meanwhile, Kristy Lee Cook keeps pulling this MacGuyver act. She has not had a good performance since her rendition of “Amazing Grace” in the initial audition, but she is clearly getting votes based on her All-American good looks. Hey America, what is WRONG with you? Oh well, that’s why they play the games. Speaking of which, it’s NCAA tournament time…so I won’t tell your boss that you are faking being sick to watch basketball all day. See you next week… |
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Too much of a good thing can be too much of a good thing. Much the same way that your second doughnut does not taste nearly as good as the first one, two straight weeks of “American Idol” contestants singing Beatles songs was a bit, say, watered down? Or maybe they all just chose the wrong songs. However you slice it, last night was a bit disappointing. Let’s go to the recap…. THE GOOD David Archuleta was very good last night, and back to form, but I was not nearly as impressed as Simon Cowell was. David sang “The Long and Winding Road” and it was about an 8 out of 10 on my Archuleta scale. Randy said David was back to his game but that it was a bit safe, Paula said David is identifiable, and Simon said that while last week David’s performance was a mess, this week he was “amazing.” Seriously, I was practically insulted by that…but still, this kid is really good. David Cook was once again “amazing”…sorry, Simon. He sang “Day Tripper” and strapped on his guitar (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Last night’s “American Idol” results show came down to a bottom 3 of Syesha, Kristy Lee Cook and David Hernandez. Simon Cowell thought that America got the voting “spot on,” and I can’t say I disagree with him or with America. Nice going. Anyway, before that we were tortured with an hour-long show. They talked about next week being another Beatles week…which is never a bad thing. But first, a Beatles medley by the remaining 12. As you might expect, it was excruciating. Then, pretty early on, it was on to the results. Carly Smithson, safe. Michael Johns, safe. Jason Castro, safe. Syesha, bottom 3. Then, after Simon said she belonged there, Syesha seemed genuinely pissed off. Ryan Seacrest handed her the microphone and had her perform, even though there was a 2 in 3 chance Syesha was staying. After the break, Chikezie, safe. Amanda Overmyer, safe. David Cook, safe. Then Kristy Lee Cook in the bottom 3. Yikes, I just realized there are two people with the last name “Cook” in this thing. Well, probably not for long! After Kristy did her horrendous version of “8 Days a Week” again, they invited Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee to perform George Harrison’s “Something” along with producer/pianist David Foster. Note that after Kat lost her record deal because her pop/R&B album, um, sucked balls, Foster swooped in and is producing her next project. Look, she is very easy on the eyes, but still is not the greatest vocalist in the world…but Foster will do his best to try and polish that turd. Then it was back to business. David Archuleta, safe. Brooke White, safe. Down to David Hernandez and Ramiel. Ramiel, safe, but probably barely. David Hernandez, after telling Ryan the Bottom 3 doesn’t mean the Bottom 1, sings his ridiculous version of “I Saw Her Standing There” again. So it was down to this: Syesha, Kristy, and David H. Syesha was the first sent back to safety, and I was happy for her, because she is clearly better than the other two, or at least she was this week. Then Kristy was told she was safe, prompting this response from Hernandez: “Wow.” Um, dude, get over yourself….not only was America disappointed to find out you once worked as a stripper in a gay bar, but you were AWFUL on Tuesday night. I mean, it was one small notch above Luke Menard. So that’s it…we’re down to the final 11, and I’m going to offer my power rankings based on overall talent and on this past week’s performances: 1. David Cook What do you all think? Let me know, and I’ll see you next week….. |
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Why do I say “baker’s dozen?” Because there are 12 contestants remaining on “American Idol,” meaning the finals began last night. But host Ryan Seacrest keeps trying to hog the camera and the attention, like he’s the thirteenth contestant or something. Dude has been pretty low-key lately, but now he’s become annoying again, and the banter with Simon just makes everyone uncomfortable….dude, EAAAA-SY. With that, let’s talk about the performances. The producers finally cracked the code to open The Beatles’ catalog, and with those songs, you know you’re at least going to be entertained. Here we go…. THE GOOD Chikezie gave the performance of his life. I mean, his version (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Last night’s “American Idol” results show was a grueling hour long, but at last, we are down to the final 12. As they have been doing the last few seasons, they had 12 seats and filled them one by one, slowly working their way to who was being eliminated this week. But first, last season’s runner-up, Blake Lewis, performed his new single, “How Many Words.” As you would expect, it was heavy on the beatboxing. But the song’s chorus absolutely soars. Then, after giving some love to Paula Abdul for having the #1 song on iTunes right now, it was on to the lengthy recaps of the last two nights. Finally, Ryan Seacrest faced the guys and started to swing the axe. First up, David Cook, who sang that great version of Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello” on Tuesday. Seacrest said he spoke to Ritchie, who admitted he loved David’s version of the song. Cook was (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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