Well, that was fun! Gwen Stefani is a breath of fresh air. It's nice to have some hip, contemporary stuff on AI. It's about time, too.
Chris Sligh. No big surprise. I thought it would be Haley, but he'd be my next guess anyway.
My favorite part of the evening is when he hugged Phil and said -- in the middle of his song -- "You owe me 50 bucks!" ROTFL!
Sligh's gone. No shocker there. He'd lost his edge or mojo or something since we've been seeing him weekly. He seemed like the kind of guy who's hiding a lot of insecurity behind a facade of self-depricating humor. That stuff is great when you're Tommy Boy, but not as an Idol. I had higher hopes for him, and apparently much of America did as well. I am slightly surprised that Haley's got one more week in her, but then again, Sanjaya's far from the last position so anything goes!
So I have only a handful of unanswered questions:
1. Did Akon say anything besides, "C'mon y'all. Like this!" That big necklace was distracting, too. It reminded me of Flavor Flav's clock.
2. Why, Ryan? Why? Did you need to wear the hair?
3. Why do the producers and writers of A.I. feel the need to give extra air time to those clearly out of their league? Think Sanjaya and Kevin "Chicken Little" Covais.
4. Is it just me, or did Lakisha seem a bit overconfident tonight?
5. Did Paula and Gwen Stefani shop at the same place for the show tonight?
6. Do people really spend $10 to enter those contests 10 times? And do they ever get the wrong answer?
I'm excited for Tony Bennett week. He's 80 years old and still putting out relevant material. Any doubters should see the work he did on his Duets
Here we go...!
Ryan's Sanjaya hair is a trip! Sanjaya took it with good humor.
Phil and Haley hit rock bottom. Chris or Gina will join them. I'm thinking Sligh.
Gwen gives the best celebrity performance of the season (admittedly not too hard to do, but really, very good).
Sligh slides down to the bottom. Phil is safe, again. I don't know who it will be...
It's Sligh (and the family moaned).
I think this will still give him a leg up if he chooses to continue singing, and I hope he does.
Phil owes him $50 - apparently Chris bet on his own demise with accuracy.
See you next week!...
...John
My goal is to keep it short and sweet, so let's get down to it!
LAKISHA - Very Good!
CHRIS S. - Good.
GINA - Excellent!
SANJAYA - Ugh. I think he's completely lost it. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that he's not fading away quietly into the distance like past not-up-to-par performers.
HALEY - Good.
PHIL - He may mug too much for the camera, but I love his voice. Very Good!
MELINDA - Excellent.
BLAKE - Excellent!!! Thank you thank you thank you for knowing to *just sing the lyrics*!!! We know you can beatbox and that has it's place, but this wasn't it and you knew it! The vocal alone was great! He is very intuitive in knowing how to change it up just enough each week.
JORDIN - Very Good!
CHRIS R. - Good.
TOP - BLAKE and GINA. I still love Melinda and she's incredible, but she's got to make it new and exciting each week - how, I don't know...I just know that I'm enjoying others who are going a step beyond and keeping it fresh.
BOTTOM - SANJAYA and CHRIS R.
We'll see tonight! :)
Urgh, when is cool Seacrest coming back? The guy who's "been Ryan Seacrest" is too dweeby! Where's the Ryan we love? If Simon can dress the way he does week after week, surely Ryan can go back to inside out T-shirts and sports jackets. Please?
So, Gwen Stefani seems so . . . normal. It was kind of weird. But interesting.
Lakisha - "Let's Dance" by Donna Summer
Well, I have officially forgotten her last name. Isn't that sign #1 of a diva? Um, so, I like her hair. She does seem younger. I've noticed Simon really does remember his advice to them from the previous week and watches to see if they'll follow it. But Donna Summer? Blech. She was great, but the song was just a'aight for me for her.
Sligh - Does it matter any more? But for the record, he sang "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."
He was out of breath and all over the place. He was off on his rhythm and he's too accommodating of whatever the judges tell him ("Chris, your hair is green tonight." "I know. I should work on that. I'll try to make it less green next time and more some other color that will please you."). You just want to throw a pair of cojones on the stage for him to use next time. So, I'm bored with him now. His voice is too Broadway to pull of anything by The Police. And the echo thing that was going on all night was totally distracting (okay, that's not his fault, though if the judges told him it was, I'm sure he'd profusely apologize and promise America that instead of knitting or crocheting on his down time, he'd talk to those sound guys). I was super uncomfortable for him. And Simon has the same facial expression he's had with Taylor. He dislikes Taylor. And he dislikes Sligh. Simon likes some spitfire in the contestants. I bet Simon wants to toss a pair on stage for Sligh, too.
Gina Glocksen - "I'll Stand By You"
Wow! Great song for her! I love it! Weird outfit, but great vocal! Nice personality, too. She has a lovely smile and such nice teeth! Wow, she got mad praise tonight. I'd like to see her go far and do well. I doubt it'll happen, but hey, maybe it could--I think a Gina-Blake finale would be interesting.
Sanjaya Malakar - Something by No Doubt
Oh. My. Gosh. What in the world did he do to his hair? I suppose since his dignity has been all but flushed down the toilet, why fight it. It gave me bad Nadia Turner flashbacks. You know, the kind of thing where you're grimacing in confusion as you watch the TV, half wanting to fast forward, but too sickly fascinated to hit the button? Yeah, that was his hair for me for him. GREAT comments by Simon. I totally agree. Being totally real about the vocals, though, I kind of liked it! Except for the part where he forgot his lyrics (I'm amazed they didn't say anything, but then again why bother). He was better than Sligh tonight.
Haley Scarnato - "True Colors"
Boring song. Boring performance. And I bet those girls get sick of hearing that Paula thinks they're pretty right after they mucked up a performance.
Phil Stacey - That Stalker Song by the Police
"Every Breath You Take" worked well on Phil. 1. He sounds good on it. 2. He kind of looks like a stalker. I so prefer him with the goofy knitted hats. I'm totally distracted by his chrome dome for some reason. He's good, but he annoys me and I'm bored with him now, too.
Melinda Doolittle - Something else by Donna Summer
Great hair and outfit (despite Simon's opinion). She looks pretty. Boring song. Very good vocal, blah, blah, blah. It's not her fault, but she's good every week. So what is there to say?
Blake Lewis - Love Song by the Cure
First of all, I totally called that he'd sing The Cure. And he even dressed the part (except for no crazy hair, which is fine with me). Cough. Sanjaya. Cough. I love the Reggae arrangement. I'm always glued to his performances to see what he'll do. I love that he teases us by not always doing beatbox stuff. I love this guy. He's contemporary. He's hip. He has a great voice for this kind of thing. He's different. He's unique. He's original. He's daring. He's interesting. He's great. More on this later.
Jordin Sparks - "Hey Baby, Hey Baby, Hey Baby, Hey!" or something like that
It was a little boring and weird for me. The whole naughty school girl uniform doesn't work on her. She's too cute and adorable and likeable. It wasn't "performed" enough for me. It wasn't bad, but I didn't love it either. But I do like her a lot. So, she's forgiven. :P
Chris Richardson - "Don't Speak"
LOL at Gwen Stefani's "vocal olympics" comment! I usually like the cross gender songs (you know, when a guy sings a girl's song and vice versa), but this was just okay for me. He messed up his lyrics, too. Why is no one calling them on this?! When it's the first week on the big stage, the judges jump ALL OVER the contestants telling them that "at this point in the competition, there is just no excuse" yadda yadda. But for the top 10, it's suddenly not an issue?? And BOY was he MIFFED when Ryan interviewed him about Blake being told he's the top guy. That tight smile and "Hey, Blake and I are friends. If he's the front runner, great!" was just soooo believable.
Okay, I have something to say about "style over substance." That's what I'm liking this year. Don't get me wrong, Lakisha and Melinda are great, but a finale with both of them in it and even EITHER of them in it is just kind of boring. I don't know that I'd buy an album by either one of them even though they are technically and vocally AMAZING. Isn't that interesting? And why not? For the same reason we don't buy many Whitney, Celine, and Mariah CDs. They're AMAZING, yes, but that's not our style. It's kind of predictable (not a bad thing) and boring (a bad thing). Blake is not technically as good, but he's INTERESTING. He's different. He's unique. He's contemporary. He keeps your interest. You watch JUST to see what he'll do. He's a phenomenal and smooth performer. And while he may have less substance in terms of vocal ability and perfection, his style trumps that for me. I'd buy his album over a diva's any day. So, there's my spiel on why I like Blake more than more polished singers.
Top 10 performances, best to worst, in my opinion--keeping it real:
Gina Glocksen
Blake Lewis
Melinda Doolittle
Lakisha Jones
Phil Stacey
Jordin Sparks
Chris Richardson
Sanjaya
Haley
Sligh
Bottom 3 (or is it 2 now? I'm confused. Makes you wonder why they didn't mention the 3rd bottom a week ago): Sligh and Haley
Leaving: Haley
And I'm still not thrilled. Or as Simon says, "I'm not jumping out of my seat." When we answer the phone as we're sitting down to watch A.I., you know this season's not quite as exciting as past seasons, but we're not giving up on something amazing happening.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: They randomly told us titles of songs tonight. I guess they figured we should know them all. It makes for interesting comments later. This was the first short show for the finals, and you can tell: no titles, brief comments by Gwen Stefani, cutting off Simon "Oscar-style," less brainless banter (a good thing), etc. Now not only do you need the massive, dope, crazy, insane, yo-factor song, but you also need to be in the pocket. Paula looked like she was going for the Gwen hair tonight. She should have made it blond to complete the effect. And did you all like her ring pop she was sporting tonight. What was that thing? Why oh why do people pick Donna Summers songs when you don't have to? My rule of thumb is "disco when they make you, but ditch it when you can." They grouped contestants 4 and 5 together as part of their half-off advertising promotion. I was waiting for an ad for Crazy Eddies discount autos at one point, but it never happened.
LAKISHA JONES ("Let's Dance" but not Gwen Stefani style): Of course it was a strong start, and I hadn't realized it until Randy said so, but this was the first real up-tempo joint she's chosen. It was pretty good, but I just don't like Donna Summers disco songs. In the end I think this type of song choice when you don't have to (there were so many better songs from which to choose) will hurt her popularity tonight. But I was totally surprised when the song started out slow and then picked up in the middle.
CHRIS SLIGH ("Sting Had Magic. I Have Bunions"): Chris can sing. He cannot dance. Oh, and he doesn't have rhythm. And he said the song was hard. Even if it was, find a better way to frame it, like "I wanted to really challenge myself" or "It's a great song and I wanted the audience to hear the Police" or "I may have been sleeping when I picked this one." When Paula told him the audience wanted to groove but may have had a tough time, she meant "Chris, your moves on stage were so off beat and distracting that people were having visceral reactions to your performance, and now the staff has a lot to clean tonight." Not a great showing by Sligh.
GINA GLOCKSEN ("I'll Stand By You" but not in Sligh's mess): Great performance. It was the right style without being over the top. She kept gyrations to a minimum and focused on the song itself. I was impressed more than usual by her this week. And there was so much chalk and cheese I don't know what to do about it.
SANJAYA MALAKAR ("Rubber Duckie"): Or something about bathwater. I thought the song was kind of cool. His hair was a bit surprising and I was waiting for a Simon smackdown, like when Ricky Smith wore an afro wig to sing some Earth, Wind, and Fire in Season 2. But you can tell the judges don't really think there's any point in saying anything. I can tell because Simon actually said that. He still has good tone, poor projection, and really no business competing at this point, but this is a voting, ahem, singing (?) competition so hats off to Sanjaya for going for it each week, even if this week he looked like a slightly more disturbing version of Marvin the Martian.
HALEY SCARNATO (I've never heard this song before, so I'm not sure of it's title): They already filled the contractual obligation to the guitar player to appear on stage once each season, so this week we just see his hands. It was a nice arrangement with the acoustic guitar, but she really didn't "bring it." This is a song that can be incredibly boring or quite emotional. Hers was the former.
PHIL STACEY ("I'll Be Watching You" so I can keep kissing up): Good song choice for him. He actually did a decent job. My big beef is that I'm now trying to shake the visual of a crazed Phil Stacey actually watching me and my every move. And he almost avoided the idiotic behavior Simon has been alluding to, and then he does that annoying scream.
MELINDA DOOLITTLE ("Heaven Knows" why people keep singing Donna Summers): Melinda needed to go a bit more contemporary this week since most everyone else did. No disrespect to the influence Donna may have had on Gwen Stefani, but the song was sort of boring next to some of the other performances. Melinda is the most talented performer they've ever had on A.I., and will likely win this thing, but I'd like to see her push herself a bit more with the (gasp!) song selection. The fact that she can pick a loser song and still be the front runner speaks volumes to her abilities, though.
BLAKE LEWIS ("I Will Always Love You"--didn't Whitney sing that?): I love what he does each week to make songs new and entertaining. I actually like that the beat boxing was left behind this time, and I really enjoyed the new rhythm he put on this very recognizable song. Stacy looked at me at the beginning of the show when Ryan said someone picked The Cure, and she said, "I bet it's Blake." He's the one who finds the songs that are off the beaten path, and then does it well. Technically not the best singer, but like Simon said, Blake's individuality and overall package makes him the top guy right now.
JORDIN SPARKS (I didn't catch the song title. I don't think she sang it enough): Number 1, good song choice in that it is hip, young, contemporary, and energetic. Like Jordin. Number 2, poor song choice because even Gwen was surprised at how melodic it can be. It's a good performance song, but the real magic is probably in the whole persona that Gwen Stefani brings to the stage. It's hard to really upstage that, but Jordin did a decent job overall.
CHRIS R. ("Don't Speak" especially if you didn't like it): Sing the runs. Don't sing the runs. The runs are cool. The runs take away. Melody. Runs. Lyrics. Runs. I feel like I have to go the bathroom now! Poor guy doesn't know what to do. He needs a week with Justin Timberlake as the mentor so he can get advice he cares about. Overall Chris did adequately, but I'm not impressed overall by what he's done to date. This week I will give him the bronze for Vocal Olympics, however.
MY TOP THREE: Gina, Blake, Melinda? Honestly, I didn't enjoy a third one that much more than the rest.
MY BOTTOM THREE: Sanjaya, Sligh, Haley
NOT SPEAKING ANYMORE ON A.I.: Haley
So tonight I think Gwen Stefani performs. Finally a contemporary artist with the potential to truly entertain. I think it will be much like Shakira's performance on A.I. recently. Should be good.
Sanjaya and the Vote For The Worst crew and other people and sites which are promoting the thought that it's a good idea to vote for people like Sanjaya are going to ruin a show which could have launched some nice careers this season.
Here's the way I see it right now. I can't stand how untalented and now cocky this jackass is. I am truly concerned that we will see a decent singer sent home while we will be further forced to sit through another horrific version of a song by a person that I would have thrown my drink at in a karoake bar.
Tonight Jordin, Chris Sligh and Haley all screwed the pooch. Chris needs to get a metronome and spend some quality time learning how to sing with the beat and not tap dance all over it. Jordin took a simple bubble gum pop song and butchered it into a bad evening at the Apollo and even the sandman wouldn't have wanted to listen...HOOK HOOOK.... Just a side note here, i thought it was odd that no one commented that she was off key and out of breath in the middle of the song. She paced the song poorly and paid for it with her ability to hit notes. Haley is the sad one, she really could have nailed it tonight. Time after Time and True Colors are seriously two of my favorite songs, hearing her turn one into some nightmarish Celine Dion single made me want to cram pencils into my ears. I think this is our bottom three and I think we will lose one of these people to the reign of the unlistenable Sanjaya.
Since i'm ranting about this little puke, lets discuss it. He's got no voice, he can't project and he can't bring any power to his vocals. Most of his songs sound like he is having a conversation with his invisible friend who is slightly more effeminate then he is. Now tonight he took it a step further and takes on a second song I like, and this one I am a huge fan of. Not only did he horribly butcher the song, forget the lyrics and look like a jackass, but then he's cocky and makes obnoxious comments? Who is he?
I want to pound several bags of candy up his butt and beat him with a baseball bat. We can call it Pinata'. I bet I could charge people a dollar and make a fortune.
As for the rest of the evening, here's a simple summary. Lakisha and Melinda once again nail it to the wall and dare everyone else to step up. Blake Lewis brought an interesting twist to a classic Cure song and he really listened to Gwen which was a good plan, I think beat box would have been overkill. Chris Timberlake...I mean Richardson...desperately wants to by J-Tim and he is pulling off a fairly convincing act, but I don't think he can compete. Phil Stacy seems to be phoning it in every week, and it's getting tiresome. I think this was a basic coast week for him.
That just leaves Gina Glocksen, I saved this and seperated it because I think she is the one person who stepped up several levels and could see Melind and Kiki eye to eye this week.
Bottom three is Jordin, Haley and Chris Sligh and i'm thinking we might lose Haley.
Getting right to it...
Lakisha Jones - 'Let's Dance' - very nicely done, but not spectacular, for me.
Chris Sligh - 'Every Little Thing She Does' - I liked it a lot! Nice song choice. I missed the rhythm problems noted by the judges.
Gina Glocksen - "I'll Stand By You' - WoW! That was a moment for me (major chills)! Awesome connection with the song, and her best performance ever! Paula agrees. Simon messes with her, but agrees. She just moved up a couple of notches, and it was the best so far tonight, as Simon noted. I now have great respect for this girl.
Sanjaya Malakar - Don't know the song, but I thought he did a decent job on it, though he's back to being weak. He seems intent on keeping the focus on the hair, eh?
Haley Scarnato - Here's Dr. Mark's jingle... ; ) - 'True Colors' - I thought she made it her own and sang it uniquely and with some surprisingly good dynamics. It was good, but it didn't grab me any more than it did Randy.
Phil Stacey - 'I'll Be Watchin You' - No Phil Collins, and a little weak in the softer sections, but I liked it very much when he hit the chorus. Very good. Paula picks up on exactly what I'm hearing.
Melinda Doolittle - Blew Gwen away, so I'm expecting the usual excellence. Sure enough, chills start early and don't go away. A poll of viewers on the Ellen Degeneres' website has her at the top by a large margin, with Lakisha next, but a long ways down.
Blake Lewis - 'I Will Always Love You' - Randy says it for me. Not the song that best showcases his talent, but, as Paula points out, it does showcase his tenderness. I agree with Simon that he's the front-running guy. The judges took the words out of my mouth.
Jordin Sparks - Low notes are weak, but a solid performance overall, with some chill-giving spots toward the end. Very good. Simon gives her "most improved".
Chris Richardson - 'Don't Speak' - Maybe his best performance yet, but, for me, still in the middle of the pack.
Nobody was really bad tonight, so picking the bottom won't be easy...
Tops: Melinda, Gina, and Lakisha
Bottoms: Sanjaya, and if the judges are right, Chris S., but I don't really agree, and no one else stood out for me as not so hot, tonight.
...John
Music of the 90s. According to the American Idol site, Gwen Stefani will be with our lovely contestants this week. And I was so geared up for commercial jingles! I can teach the world to sing . . .
Anyway, I've only seen Gwen lately on late-night talk show performances and it was quite interesting so I'm curious to see how she coaches the contestants. Enjoy!
...is hosting Stephanie Edwards today (she's singing right now - and is a little pitchy), and Elliot Yamin tomorrow!
