Category: TV (Page 540 of 595)

I don’t think any of us saw this coming. Not me, not Mrs. Vandalay, and not any of the judges on “American Idol.” Chris Daughtry, the resident rocker on the show, was sent home last night after two really good performances on Tuesday night.

It just goes to show a few things…..America is in love with Taylor Hicks and he’s still the favorite to win…..Katharine’s hotness saved her because her singing sure didn’t…..and Elliott came to bat twice on Tuesday night and twice hit the ball way out of the park. (Did Barry Bonds loan Elliott some of “the clear” this week?)

Seriously though, I think everyone was sure it would be Elliott before Tuesday, then everyone had to shift that thinking to Katharine, because she just didn’t bring it on Tuesday.

Before they got to the results, they had to, as usual, fill up like 25 minutes. So they showed more of the Idols at Graceland with Priscilla and with Lisa Marie. Yesterday I commented on the grape-by-way-of-raisin face on Priscilla…but yesterday noticed the outfit and her bulging belly coming through it. What was that exactly? Beer? A baby? Or is she hiding Elvis in there? Either way, it was a little disturbing.

Then the top two were announced, Taylor and Elliott…..and Katharine and Chris were the bottom two.
But for some reason, you had to believe it would be Katharine, and it was a bit shocking when Ryan Seacrest sent Chris home. I think even Chris was in shock, and he should be……he had to know he blew Katharine off the stage on Tuesday. But oh well….the bottom line is that some label is going to sign Chris anyway, probably in the next 10 days if they are able to.

So your remaining 3 are Taylor Hicks, Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee…….wow, it’s hard to believe that Mandisa and Chris didn’t make it this far, but great voices aren’t everything….sometimes it’s looks, and sometimes it’s how you perform on any given night or nights.

We’re almost there folks…..from thousands of hopefuls down to just three. And one of them will be crowned the fifth American Idol in a couple of weeks. Who will it be? The way things are going, you just never know….so see you all next week.

Vandalay, OUT

Last night, the final four on “American Idol” performed after spending some time in Memphis at Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. They got to hang with Priscilla, Lisa Marie and record exec/producer Tommy Mottola. What a cool experience that had to be.

A side note to those of you who witnessed Priscilla greeting the Idols……do people not know how to age gracefully anymore? To you plastic surgeons out there….I know you need to make a living, especially with Hollywood types, but stop making everyone look like Michael Jackson, and especially stop trying to make raisins look like grapes.

But I digress.

There are only 2 weeks to go until the final two contestants square off so the competition is really heating up. That means there is way less room for error. Who impressed and who less-than-impressed? Let’s find out….

TAYLOR HICKS

Taylor started off with “Jailhouse Rock,” seemingly the perfect song for his goofy personality. His vocal was great, but his dancing or lame attempt thereof was his downfall on this song. The problem with Hicks when he does this is that it’s all schtick. Simon said it was a “terrible impersonation” of Elvis, and it was. (Simon also told Paula to shut up when she interrupted him, and that’s always entertaining). Then Hicks came back with “In the Ghetto,” and it was one of his better performances of the whole competition. Simon said it was the perfect song for him and I agree. However, when he said “Soul Patrol” three times I mourned for the three kittens Buffybot was surely going to drown.

CHRIS DAUGHTRY

Chris had two strong showings last night, with “Suspicious Minds” and “A Little Less Conversation.” Paula said “see you in the finals” after the first song and on the second song Chris started off slow but wailed at the end. Tommy Mottola mentioned that Chris had a great, pure voice that is going to sound amazing on record…..and the way he’s going, there’s no doubt a major label is going to sign him whether he wins this thing or not.

ELLIOT YAMIN

Elliot started off with “If I Could Dream,” a lesser know Elvis song and with him being the underdog this week, a big risk. But he received a huge ovation from the studio audience and from the judges. Simon declared it the best vocal of the night so far, and it really was. Later, Elliot sang “Trouble” and it was even better than his first effort. This dude somehow has shocked America and is peaking at the right time…..don’t be surprised if he makes it to the final two after those performances.

KATHARINE MCPHEE

Katharine started off with a “Hound Dog/All Shook Up” medley of sorts. She messed up some lyrics and looked a bit out of synch with her dance moves. Simon said it was like a “desperate audition”…indeed, she looked like a deer in the headlights. Later, she toned things down with a ballad, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” It wasn’t bad, but when you look at the rest of the field and what they did last night, Katharine was the worst of the bunch.

So while I’m still pimping Taylor Hicks to go all the way, I’m thinking Elliot’s performance last night puts him just ahead of Chris into second place. That means that yes, Katharine McPhee should be going home tonight. Then again, she’s a lot easier on the eyes (at least to me and most of the male population) than any of those guys so she’ll get votes for that. Also, all of these final four are worthy of the grand prize so nothing would really surprise me at this point. That’s what makes this season so interesting…..that, and the fact we could have a final 3 of all guys for the first time ever.

See you all tomorrow for the results, and until then….

VANDALAY, OUT