Idol Gives Back is back again. In Idol Gives Back's inaugural year the producers made the decision to not send anyone home because they wanted to maintain the inspirational and uplifting theme, rather than bringing down the mood of the show with a downer of an elimination. In season 7, the Idol people acted like they were not going to eliminate anyone, but then cruelly and viciously gave Michael Johns the boot. You'll get 2 bonus points for making an extra prediction this week if you're right: do you think they WILL or WILL NOT eliminate someone this week?
Bonus Questions:
Which judge said “We’re to the point now where someone’s going to have to go home every single week.”?
Which judge said, “You don’t have the tone for that voice.”
Name each of tonight’s songs that are from movie soundtracks (2 points each)
It seems like every season during “inspirational songs week”, the contestants choose really strange songs that I would never think of as particularly inspirational. This week continued that trend.
Just to show how very disengaged I am from this show this season, as soon as the show came on the camera panned around behind the judges and I thought, “wow, there’s 4 judges this week? I wonder who the guest judge is!”
Casey James – Don’t Stop. I didn’t get his vocal arrangement for this song. It didn’t sound right. I’m not that good at hearing notes, but it almost seemed like he was singing in the wrong key. Maybe it’s just me. I just didn’t think this performance was consistent with the caliber of Casey’s other performances.
Lee Dewyze – The Boxer. Welp, he still stinks at interviews. I’m starting to think he’s a lost cause. I appreciate Lee’s efforts in trying to play more of a ballad this week, but I wish his voice was a little crisper and able to hit the notes better. I would say this performance was refreshing, but not as great as it could have been. I love the original Simon and Garfunkel version of this song, but I don’t think I ever really paid much attention to the lyrics.
Tim Urban – Better Days. Why did it sound like a bunch of the notes in the beginning were way too low for Tim’s voice? Tim was well on his way to making a fan out of me, until he opened his mouth this week. Too many bum notes. The orchestra sounds pretty, though. I’m not sure how much credit Tim deserves for that, though.
Aaron Kelly – I Believe I Can Fly. I agree with Alicia Keys that this song has the potential for overkill. His song choice proves just how green Aaron is as a performer. I would say that other than Wind Beneath My Wings (if Katie Stevens had still been in the competition, she would have chosen that.), this is probably the most cliché “inspirational” song in popular culture. And Aaron did his typical Rascal Flatts impersonation with the song. I suppose it wasn’t a bad performance vocally….just not my cup of tea. And annoying.
Siobhan Magnus – When You Believe. I haven’t heard this song in years. I loved her hair tonight. I think Siobhan has a beautiful voice. She had a couple of bad weeks, but she seems to be back now. This song suited her voice very well and I think she pulled it off. Why are the judges so hard on her? It’s like their judging her on a different plane than most of the other contestants.
Michael Lynche – Hero. I wish he wouldn’t point into the camera. I guess this performance was okay. I’m just not a big fan. I think I might like him more if he wasn’t so cocky acting. And the judges are way easier on him than they are on Siobhan for some reason.
Crystal Bowersox – People Get Ready. I love that she started out a capella. And I love that Crystal has done two outspokenly Gospel songs in the past two weeks. I don’t know if she’s a believer, but I still appreciate that she’s unashamedly performing songs that a lot of people would be afraid to touch. She’s such an incredible performer. This performance was miles ahead of all of the others. That was beautiful. And inspirational. Bonus Question: Why did Crystal say she got emotional during her song?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Top 9 Week (again)
Crystal Bowersox – Saved. Wow. I love the gospel feel she has. I’m not familiar with this song. This may in fact be my first iTunes purchase of the American Idol season. I just love how Crystal has a handle on this whole performance thing. And she knows what she’s good at and where her voice can go. You don’t hear her going and attempting a Whitney Houston ballad because that’s not her forte. I appreciate that about Crystal. She nailed it with this performance.
Andrew Garcia – Hound Dog. This performance is very cheesy to me. Andrew has consistently failed to bring whatever it was that helped him soar to the top in Hollywood Week. This rendition of Hound Dog is pathetic. I think Andrew needs to figure out what type of music he wants to make. Then if he wants to reinvent songs he can try to recreate them into his own style. But this just didn’t work at all. I was glad when it was over.
I wonder if Kara gets money for every time she says “own it” on the show, because I think she says it at least a hundred times an episode.
Tim Urban – Fools Rush In. Aunt Sharon, this is for you: Tim actually sounded nice on this performance. I liked his guitar playing. The performance was nice and subtle. Tim may have finally mastered the art of subtlety. His performance was definitely better than Andrew’s, and possibly even close to Crystal’s in quality.
Lee Dewyze – A Little Less Conversation. He fumbled around the lyrics a little. But overall, I liked his take on the song. He still lacks in the performance aspect. He’s very awkward in all of his interview packages and everything, so I wonder if he has some shyness to overcome. I don’t know. I would say this performance was good, but GASP, maybe not quite as good as Tim Urban. Yikes!
Aaron Kelly – Blue Suede shoes. Did anyone else think he looked like a little kid trying to do an Elvis impersonation during his performance? I agree with Aaron that this song is all wrong for him. It just doesn’t make sense. Granted, at this point Aaron’s going to have to pull something pretty spectacular out of his hat if he wants to impress me…..like Tim Urban did tonight.
Siobhan Magnus – Suspicious Minds. I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks that Siobhan makes really weird faces when she sings. If I’m noticing that, it might mean that she’s boring me. She got a little better toward the middle to the end of her performance. But I think Siobhan is definitely in a little bit of a slump right now. Her movements as she sang were really corny. She still sang better than many of the other contestants, but she still disappointed me. Maybe next week she’ll be back on track.
Michael Lynche – In the Ghetto. Here’s the point where Michael proves to America why he was worthy of the only-good-for-one-use judges’ save that could potentially send Crystal, Lee or Siobhan home later on in the competition. And, actually, he was much improved over his previous performances, in my opinion. I think this is, by far, his best performance. It was a little hard to hear at the end what with my little brother singing along at the top of his lungs and all. Maybe Michael really was worth the trouble…..well, I’m not entirely convinced of that yet with several weeks into the competition and one good offering to speak of, but I will say I definitely don’t hate him as much as I used to.
Katie Stevens – Baby, What Do You Want Me to Do? Katie robbed an accessories store before her performance! Jeesh! How can she walk around with all that stuff on her? I just don’t get what’s so great about her voice. She can hit the notes, but I think her tone is a little Kermit the Frog-like. And all those faces she makes and head jerks she does remind me of someone in a cheesy pageant. I can’t see past all of that. And she deserves to go home tomorrow*.
Casey James – Loudy Miss Cloudy. I’m not familiar with this song, either. But I think Casey sounds great singing it. He, too, has found his niche. Unlike Crystal, though, I think Casey’s performances tend to sound similar. He’s consistently good, though so I can’t complain about that. I think Casey and Lee are probably the two most talented male contestants this season.
Why did Adam Lambert say he loved Elvis?
Whose song did Simon say he identified with the lyrics?
Which judge used the expression “on the money, full stop” tonight?
What “instrumental” joke did Ellen make during Katie Stevens’ performance?
*Actually, after listening to the recap at the end of the show, I would say Andrew deserves to go home a million times before Katie.
Andrew Garcia – Hound Dog. This performance is very cheesy to me. Andrew has consistently failed to bring whatever it was that helped him soar to the top in Hollywood Week. This rendition of Hound Dog is pathetic. I think Andrew needs to figure out what type of music he wants to make. Then if he wants to reinvent songs he can try to recreate them into his own style. But this just didn’t work at all. I was glad when it was over.
I wonder if Kara gets money for every time she says “own it” on the show, because I think she says it at least a hundred times an episode.
Tim Urban – Fools Rush In. Aunt Sharon, this is for you: Tim actually sounded nice on this performance. I liked his guitar playing. The performance was nice and subtle. Tim may have finally mastered the art of subtlety. His performance was definitely better than Andrew’s, and possibly even close to Crystal’s in quality.
Lee Dewyze – A Little Less Conversation. He fumbled around the lyrics a little. But overall, I liked his take on the song. He still lacks in the performance aspect. He’s very awkward in all of his interview packages and everything, so I wonder if he has some shyness to overcome. I don’t know. I would say this performance was good, but GASP, maybe not quite as good as Tim Urban. Yikes!
Aaron Kelly – Blue Suede shoes. Did anyone else think he looked like a little kid trying to do an Elvis impersonation during his performance? I agree with Aaron that this song is all wrong for him. It just doesn’t make sense. Granted, at this point Aaron’s going to have to pull something pretty spectacular out of his hat if he wants to impress me…..like Tim Urban did tonight.
Siobhan Magnus – Suspicious Minds. I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks that Siobhan makes really weird faces when she sings. If I’m noticing that, it might mean that she’s boring me. She got a little better toward the middle to the end of her performance. But I think Siobhan is definitely in a little bit of a slump right now. Her movements as she sang were really corny. She still sang better than many of the other contestants, but she still disappointed me. Maybe next week she’ll be back on track.
Michael Lynche – In the Ghetto. Here’s the point where Michael proves to America why he was worthy of the only-good-for-one-use judges’ save that could potentially send Crystal, Lee or Siobhan home later on in the competition. And, actually, he was much improved over his previous performances, in my opinion. I think this is, by far, his best performance. It was a little hard to hear at the end what with my little brother singing along at the top of his lungs and all. Maybe Michael really was worth the trouble…..well, I’m not entirely convinced of that yet with several weeks into the competition and one good offering to speak of, but I will say I definitely don’t hate him as much as I used to.
Katie Stevens – Baby, What Do You Want Me to Do? Katie robbed an accessories store before her performance! Jeesh! How can she walk around with all that stuff on her? I just don’t get what’s so great about her voice. She can hit the notes, but I think her tone is a little Kermit the Frog-like. And all those faces she makes and head jerks she does remind me of someone in a cheesy pageant. I can’t see past all of that. And she deserves to go home tomorrow*.
Casey James – Loudy Miss Cloudy. I’m not familiar with this song, either. But I think Casey sounds great singing it. He, too, has found his niche. Unlike Crystal, though, I think Casey’s performances tend to sound similar. He’s consistently good, though so I can’t complain about that. I think Casey and Lee are probably the two most talented male contestants this season.
Why did Adam Lambert say he loved Elvis?
Whose song did Simon say he identified with the lyrics?
Which judge used the expression “on the money, full stop” tonight?
What “instrumental” joke did Ellen make during Katie Stevens’ performance?
*Actually, after listening to the recap at the end of the show, I would say Andrew deserves to go home a million times before Katie.
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