Idol Chatter from the Good Doctor, Episode 5 (cont.)

And now, my thoughts on the girls, who at this point are ahead of the guys. Did I mention how boring this will be if the guys don't close the gap pretty soon. I'll get as tired hearing of how great the girls are as I am of seeing Simon's black shirts, but of course he has been sporting some completely different looking gray shirts, too! Anywhere, here we go.

Girls

Alaina Alexander--Honestly, I don't have really high hopes for her. Gone this week. Gone next week. Same difference.

Antonella Barba--She needs to prove that she belongs in this group of contestants. She really didn't show much last week as she was outclassed by some incredible powerhouse-type singers. If she can have a perfect performance this week, she could stick around for one more.

Gina Glockson--Last week's praise gives her a free ride this week, unless she passes out midway through her song. And even then she still stands a good chance of making it through.

Haley Scarnato--Here's another one I can't get too attached to. Not that I feel any particular affinity for any of the Disney princesses. Like Antonella, I really think Haley's days are numbered on A.I.

Jordin Sparks--Young. Spunky. Great first week. If Gina gets a free ride this week, the show will pay Jordin to stay. She's safe barring a natural disaster, like Simon's pearly whites falling out.

Melinda Doolittle--It gets redundant right now. Great first week. She can not show up and still get enough votes to stick around.

Sabrina Sloan--She wasn't my favorite last week, but I doubt she's in any danger going into Wednesday's performances.

Stephanie Edwards--I'm a bit curious to see how she responds to being one-upped like 4 or 5 times throughout last week's show. She would benefit from being toward the end of the show this week.

So, my 2 with something to prove this week . . .

Lakisha Jones--Yeah, you heard me right! She had a great first showing, but I don't want her to become another Mandisa--great when she belts it, disappears when she doesn't. I think Lakisha needs to pick a song with a bit more expressive range so at least when she's belting one, we can say, "And we know she can bring the quiet intensity. Remember week 2?"

Leslie Hunt--She has a very unique voice in this group, and on the right song I can see her holding her own in this competition. If she doesn't bring her best this week, she'll have a tough time getting into the eventual Top 12.

In summary, here are the girls to which I'll be paying close attention on Wednesday. . . .

Melinda (an early favorite of mine)
Gina
Lakisha
Leslie

Honestly, Haley and Antonella are non-factors at this point, and the others should cruise through. I'm only putting Melinda on the list because she is so damn good!

Idol Chatter from the Good Doctor, Episode 5

Since my children, especially my son, are Star Wars obsessed lately I was tempted to subtitle this "The Guys Strike Back" (you know, "Star Wars" Episode 5 . . . never mind), but I've been getting geared up for the next round of performances, thinking of some people to watch. Here are some things that crossed my mind.

Guys

Blake Lewis--he needs to follow up his somewhat surprising first performance with something great. He can't afford to be just OK this time around if he wants to keep the momentum going.

Sanjaya Malakar--NO STEVIE!!! First round jitters should be out of the way this week, so this is his "make it or break it" week in my opinion.

Nick Pedro--This guy could jump up quite a bit since his first week's performance was somewhat less than inspiring. But if he comes out singing "Hold On to the Night" I will write him off!

A.J. Tabaldo--Pointing to the sky and doing a helicopter maneuver will not do a whole lot this week. After last week's solid performance he's in a good position to keep on keeping on.

Brandon Rogers--This is one guy I want to see bring it. Look for him to step it up and wow us this week.

Chris Richardson--(this is for Stacy) Let's not do an Elliott impersonation. What if he come out in some wild afro wig like Rickey Smith in Season 2 (think Earth, Wind, and Fire--"September"). Given the weak performances last week he's in good position to do well again.

Chris Sligh--I like him and think he's got the potential to do quite well, but I'd like to see something a bit "reined in" from him this week, something a little more "musical."

Phil Stacey--This guy has got to sing the beginning of a song well! If he can do that his stock rises a bunch.

And my 2 with something to prove . . .

Jared Cotter--His performance last week was a weak one, but I could tell he has got some real talent there. A good improvement tomorrow and he will be rapidly on the rise.

Sundance Head--Listen. I like him. I have nothing against him. But he seems "lost" up there. If he can finally pick a good song befitting his bluesy style, this guy stands to gain the most of anyone this week. If he's got "it" at all, it will come out this week.

So, the guys I'll be watching a little more closely this week will be:

Blake (an early favorite for me)
Sanjaya
Jared
Sundance

So there is the chatter on the guys. Stay tuned for thoughts on the girls. . . .

Idol Chatter from the Good Doctor, IV

I was thinking about the Hollywood shows coming up, and how we'll only see two days of "hell week." I think in past years we've seen a bit more, so I wonder what we'll be missing in these shows. If they keep up with this year's tradition we'll see more also-rans and less real contenders. Oh boy! I can't wait!

Last year they made a big deal about Taylor Hicks's audition, and I swear the next thing we knew he was walking down the hall, playing the harp, and getting is pass to the Top 24. We saw next to nothing of Bucky Covington until the Top 24, as well. Paris Bennett is another notable from last season--great audition, nothing in Hollywood, surprise! She's in the Top 24. So who will this year's surprises be? Who knows. With all the rumors of people getting kicked out I'm surprised they have any talent left. Oh well, let's see what next week brings!

Idol Chatter from the Good Doctor, #3

I had some thoughts about what's coming up in Hollywood, and then realized that Rapine made very similar comments on Boquinha's L.A. post. It is in response to the question, "Where has all the talent gone?" Well, no one really asked me this question, but we've all alluded to the topic in our various audition recaps. I've come up with 5 conceivable reasons (I'm sure there are more) for withholding all of the talent in the first few weeks of American Idol.

1. Suspense. During the auditions, we have probably seen 2 or 3 of every 20 people to get through to Hollywood. And that's on a good week! I wouldn't say that I'm more excited for Hollywood than in past years, but my interest is definitely piqued about all this "mystery talent."

2. Quality. I don't really think this is the reason, but a thought occurred to me recently. What if the talent is starting to thin a touch, and we are actually seeing the best of the auditions. Again, I'm seriously doubtful about this, but I have been less than impressed with much of the talent that has gotten through so far.

3. Sentiment. Remember Melissa McGhee last year? Yeah, didn't think most of you would. She was the first of the Top 12 to go, after she rearranged Stevie Wonder's lyrics just a touch. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that in the video just before she sang, we see the Greatest Performer in the Known Universe (but not the nicest guy) tell a nervous Melissa, "Don't mess up my lyrics. No one changes my lyrics." Even this wouldn't have been her death kiss, but we knew almost nothing about her coming into the final 24 and Top 12. She was really good, and as far as talent goes, I can name at least 3 or 4 finalists that should have gone before her (think "Chicken Little"). But we already saw a lot of some of these people. Now, I'm not saying an extra video montage or a little familiarity with a sob story will make an American Idol, but I wonder how different things would have been for someone like Kellie Pickler if we hadn't been so familiar with her from the start. (Honestly, I don't think the producers care that much about their futures or how much we know them. They really just want the best story to create the best ratings.)

4. Whim. The producers just made it that way. It seemed like a good thing at the time.

5. Mockery. I've said it before and you know it's true. There are a lot of people who only want to see the bad auditions. Put more of them on, and more of these people will watch A.I. (and then keep watching House or whatever else is on after A.I.--we fast forward commercials). And maybe, just maybe some of these people will keep watching in Hollywood, and then the Top 24, and so on.

So, there are my Friday thoughts. It's unlikely I'll do any other productive thinking today, having sacrificed I.Q. points this week in the name of "entertainment." Sometimes I actually feel dumber after watching the audition shows. Thank goodness we all get on this blog and debrief afterwards!

Idol Chatter from the Good Doctor, Part Deux

I got to thinking about the winners of the past season, and contemplating Randy's question for the ages: What do they all have in common? None of them required on-the-job training, for one (that's for you, Sarah). But I came up with something else: during the competition they proved that they "know who they are." Carrie is the only one that I think had an "identity crisis" about mid-way through the competition, but otherwise we all knew she was a country singer. We knew Ruben would bring us some high quality R&B, and Taylor was adancin' fool with almost too much energy.

This is one reason I don't have high hopes for people like the Amazing Opera Girl. She flipped in and out of styles at will a la Josh Gracin. Remember when all of a sudden he had this extreme southern drawl? That was weird. It suits him now, but at the time it was unexpected. In the beginning, switching styles with the theme for the week works out for a lot of contestants, but ultimately this lack of true identity and personal style works against them. Ruben took some heat for seeming to plateau, but he just proved week in and week out that he was so good, his improvements seemed minimal.

I'm looking forward to seeing who will step forward during Hollywood and the early weeks and show some style. And "I'm unique" is not an endorsement of personal style.

It's usually just plain weird.

Idol Chatter from the good doctor

So, I had the thought that these audition shows appeal to the same part of humanity that enjoys watching "Cops." Without openly betraying my feelings about "Cops" (I hate it--go ahead, let me have it Mother!), I have a few thoughts about that notion.

Just like we watch officers dealing with the seemingly most unintelligent members of our race, we watch judges dealing with similarly "challenged" people fight against all that is within the realm of common sense.

Officer: Excuse me sir. Do you understand that possession of an illicit substance is a felony in this state?

"Brain Surgeon": (obviously stoned) Dude, uh, like, uh. What did you say again? Like, I'm so wasted I couldn't hear you.

Officer: No, I will not repeat the question. I'm taking you in.

BS: Dude, like, can I take one more hit before we go. My buzz is wearing off.

Officer: Are you serious?

At this point, Dr. THC makes a mad dash for it, not realizing that he's about to be clobbered by the seven other officers that show up (not for backup, but to be on the camera). Our "hero" is beaten to a pulp, and the viewers say, "Ouch! He's so stupid."

How about an A.I. equivalent.

Randy: Dude, like, Dog. Damn! Like, Dog. What the hell was that?

Melodious Mel: Is that good?

Simon: Oh bloody hell! Off you go.

Mel: So, can I go to Hollywood.

Simon: If I were the ticket agent, I'd sooner give you the kidney I didn't give to my brother--who I detest--than give you any way to get within 100 miles of this competition again.

Mel: Go back to England, 'cause, um, no one, um . . . [cue crickets--Paula yawns, Randy looks puzzled] no one . . . [cue time lapse sunset] no one likes you. [he smiles]

Simon: We've got another brilliant one here.

And we all think the same thing: "Wow! He's not too bright." And then we keep on watching.

Even though we all enjoy the terrible auditions on some level, once I get watching the Hollywood weeks and beyond, I feel so much better. It would be something like putting on an old episode of "Hill Street Blues" to chase away the feeling that I took a double-digit hit to my I.Q. by watching "Cops." I think it's interesting how Show A is something I can never bring myself to watch, but Show B (Show A, but about music) sucks me in . . . for 2 hours!!! Gotta love "American Idol!"