American Idol, the Seniors tour

Season 8 - Top 4!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Hello! I had the pleasure of watching 2 of the performances last night with my son, Luke, before I had to leave the house, and he had his share of comments. I am now watching the entire show from the beginning and I will try to remember some of his comments.

Oh, yeah - Slash. His immediate response was "He's a little scary looking. Do you think so, Mom?" Yes, son. Yes, I do. But gosh, son, we must overlook the cigarette hanging from his mouth and his bare chest and remember that Slash is an icon in our rock n roll history in this country. WHAT? No, of course I didn't say that. I'd be willing to bet that Slash can't even remember most of his own rock n roll history. I'm guessing that Rock Night on Idol might just be cuh-razy.

ADAM LAMBERT

Adam is first and he sounds AMAZING in his rehearsal with Slash. Luke's interest is definitely peaked when he sees Adam. "Mom, he looks like a girl. Is he a girl? I don't want to vote for him." I personally think Adam is very... well, beautiful... but I'm sure to a 7 yr old boy who is into Star Wars, Adam is peculiar-looking. Now, onto the singing. I do think this is Adam's niche. Beyond the Broadway slant that he has, I think he should go straight for the ROCK.

Anyway, he begins VERY sharp. Now, it COULD be the fact that the singers, as Ryan just explained, did not get a dress rehearsal... and I was wondering how that would effect their performances... but this is not the first time Adam has been sharp at performance-time. Hey, no one is perfect. We may have discovered that Adam is indeed human and gets a little nervous during clutch-time. He also rushed a few places, but I'm not going to hold it against him. Overall, it was a god performance that suites him WELL. WHOA. Hold on, though. During the guitar solo towards the end... well, it just got a little uncomfortable for me. This is a family show, people. The vision of Adam flicking his tongue out while sneering at the electric player is one that will unfortunately stick with me longer than I want it to. Ugh.

JUDGES ON ADAM

I have paused it. I don't now what the judges are going to say but I predict that they are going to fall all over themselves with praise for Adam. Let's see... Yes, I am correct! Kara. Oh, dear Kara. PLEASE shut up. HA HA HA, they just showed Diana DeGarmo in the audience and even SHE was rolling her eyes at Kara. Chill, Kara. Chill. Poor girl.

ALLISON IRAHETA

Ok, so I caught Allison's performance last night and wasn't crazy about it. She seemed lost and screamy. So much so that her mic was muffling again. Granted, no sound-check... but somebody should've been on top of that. NOT a good song for her. I mean, it's a fine song for her in general... but it's darn BORING for top 4 rock week. Actually Queen's Somebody to Love would've been better than Cry Baby OR Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love. Too bad she didn't consider that.

DUET #1: KRIS AND DANNY

Hmmm, I had no idea they were doing duets tonight. Where have I been? Anyway, I can't think of a worse song for Kris to sing than this song. [Allow me to digress for a moment. When I sang and performed in a group in college up in Michigan (it was a bar/restaurant, but it was a family show. Read: FUN) we performed this song. I can be completely unbiased and say that we rocked the crud out of this song - harmonies, lead, band, all of it. That's really all I wanted to say. That's it. We rocked. But anyway, back to the duet.] I thought their harmonies were really good. But once poor little Kris - whom I love - started singing his solo part, it just wasn't a good fit. He couldn't hang - but you know what? He's not supposed to. He's NOT a rocker and has never pretended to be. Danny sounds AMAZING on this song. Strong and confident. Until the very last word when he completely WENT OFF on runs and left Kris in the dust, which just wasn't cool. Save that for yer solo, dude.

Powerful and Compelling, Paula??? Powerfu, maybe. Compelling, nah.

SIDE NOTE

Man, every time I see a commercial for the FOX TV show, Glee, I am filled with great joy. I am SOOOO PUMPED for this show!!!! Yes, I'm a Show Choir girl at heart. Bring it ON. I'm so watching it.

KRIS ALLEN

Well, I really hope Kris can make up for the duet debacle with his solo. LOL! He felt like pee'ing his pants when Slash was playing guitar next to him. That was funny. I like you, Kris.

Ok, SERIOUSLY. I say it every season. I HATE THE LYRICS TO THIS SONG!!!!! It brings back horrible memories of Carly Smithson singing it, which gave me bad dreams for a solid year. Yeah, a year. Which means I JUST STOPPED having nightmares about it.

I liked Kris' performance. They're WAY too hard on him. Obvious that they want him to go home. He will do well once he goes home this week. He will still succeed.

DANNY GOKEY

Danny's singing Dream On? That was Johnsie's song that sent him packing last year. Rememeber Michael Johns? Of course you do. It's a hard song to sing, but it will be interesting to hear Danny's slant on it. Wow, Slash just said it could go either way. Hmmm. I would like to add that I thought Michael Johns did an AMAZING job on this song last year. It suited his voice. Not so much, Danny Boy's... but he has a great voice. Oh, man. That scream at the end was NOT good. It hurt me to hear it. Ouch. At least - not to compare or anything - Johnsie totally nailed that high note last year.

Can someone muzzle Kara? Who is she, anyway?
Simon is so dead-on about it being like a horror film on that last note.

DUET #2: ALLISON AND ADAM

Slow Ride. One of my least favorite songs ever. And Allison is immediately on my nerves by adding an "H" sound to make easy Heezy. Pet Peeve. Anyway, they sound really good together, but she doesn't quite have the energy that Adam does in her voice. But, they are rockers. It was good. Didn't blow me away, but it was good.

BOTTOM LINE

I think it's safe to say that unless something catastrophic happens, Kris Allen is going home this week. He will be fine, though. He will still be just fine in life.

I'm a little surprized they showed the screamy note when recapping the numbers for Danny. bad move.

Discuss!

Season 8 - Top 5! Whoo hoo!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:56:00 +0000

SOOO sorry I missed last week! Truly I am. But, I twittered/Facebooked all of my thoughts. It was like a blog in short blasts. :-)

OK, so here's the deal. I personally think this is the best group of top 5 we've ever had on Idol. I can honestly say that there isn't one bad singer in the bunch. Maybe that's why I've put off writing my blog until now. There's really no one to make fun of! I'm not going to be slamming anyone this time, I feel sure. So... if that's why you tune in, you might not want to read any further.

But wait! I forgot all about the judges! Yeah, scratch that. Immediately I had to pause so I could touch on 2 quick things as the judges were announced. 1) Did Kara forget to shave her pits? I mean, she threw that arm up there to wave and... it looked suspicious. I've no room to talk in this area. Not to get too TMI, but with my dark hair I can certainly get the 5 o'clock shadow going on... there. But, if I was going to be on national TV in front of millions and was wearing spaghetti straps (which would NEVER happen. Read, NEVER), I sure wouldn't be throwing my pits in the camera if I hadn't ensured those babies were smooth as a - well, a baby's bottom. And 2) What in the world is Paula wearing? 'nuff said about that.

Ok, moving on! No, wait. It looks like Simon has on a newish black v-neck T. Way to go, Cowell.

I can already tell you I'm HATING Matt's hat. Again? Really?

Jamie Foxx is the mentor. Really? For Standards week? Really? Ok. Whatev. Bring it on.

KRIS ALLEN

Oh, my - Kris is looking ADORABLE tonight. I'm going to pretend for a moment that I don't know who's going home - or already gone. I will say this: If Matt goes home, Kris is my new man. I just love him. He truly is an artist in my opinion. Can't wait to hear him. "The Way You Look Tonight". Ahhh. You know, in week one of the top 36, I ranked Kris DEAD LAST. I had no idea what he was capable of. Now I do. He's awesome. And WOW, he controlled his weird sideways jaw thing. This is good. Smoooooth. Ok, I could've done without the tempo change. It seemed weird and disjointed. To me. And... weird ending note that made me nervous. But he worked it out. Good job!

Kara = blah blah blah blah blah

ALLISON IRAHETA

Allison's hair looks a lot better tonight. But, seriously, the girl has the weirdest personality. By the way - can I just say that Jamie Foxx is actually doing a great job mentoring. Also, Allison's outfit is the best one she's ever had on in the competition. I think she sounds amazing tonight. Great job singing this song so far. This is what I've been wanting from her - just singing, not the growling, grunting, gyrating stuff she's been doing in the past. ("It's weird to see a girl that you feel maybe is going to peak soon - even appearance-wise - because she's so mature-looking..." - Aaron) Well-said, honey.

Kara is just way too hyper tonight. Calm down.
Simon is WAY off on this one. Allison was the bomb.com tonight.

MATT GIRAUD

Ok, back to Matt's hat-wearing fetish. My good friend Jonnie has a theory. Should I share it or let him share it in the comments section? I'm not sure I can do it justice... but I'll try. Jonnie thinks that Matt has had surgery to remove his mole on his forehead and the hat these 2 weeks is covering it up. He thinks if Matt makes it past tonight - no, he bet me a million dollars that if Matt made it past this week that he woul reveal a mole-less forehead next week, and go hatless. We shall see. Good advice from Jamie Foxx on changing the key. I like the smokiness of the beginning. Love his cute little dimples. Anyway. "Nooooooot if you care for me" - that lick was SICK. It was so jazzy and yummy. Randy is off his rocker and Kara is his little puppet tonight. 6 out of 10!?!?!?!?! Whatever. Shut up, Kara. I thought it was awesome. Not emotionally connected? Is that the best she can come up with? I just love him - he seems like a humble guy and I like that. I do wish he was more confident, though.

DANNY GOKEY

Ok, I'm waiting for Danny to deliver tonight. I need him to be original. I love love love his voice. Now he needs to transcend the voice into... I don't know... something MAGICAL. This is my favorite performance from Danny, for sure. When he starts out so smooth and controlled, it makes me WANT to hear him GO OFF, ya know? WOW. WOWEE. Danny has found his niche. That was UH-MAZING. I will say that was one of my favorite performances by ANY Idol, ever. Seriously. Loved it. They should've let him go last. I don't care what Adam does, it'll be hard to beat that.

ADAM LAMBERT

So, I REALLY love the song "Feeling Good". But perhaps you'll recall that every single person that's attempted to sing it on Idol has met their demise as a result. Such will not be the case with Adam, but it's a sobering thought, nonetheless. Personally, I don't care for his arrangement... and I'm so sorry Lindsey but he is terribly pitchy. Lindsey says I say Adam is pitchy every week. I thought she was wrong, but now I think she may have a point. Ha! But see, I know this song and he's not on pitch. The big note was awesome, especially the control he showed coming down from the note. Is it just me or are Kara and Paula icy to each other tonight? "We're watching the Olympics and you are our Michael Phelps." - Paula. Okaaaay.

Ok, if I'm being TOTALLY honest, I guess Matt might've been the weakest of the night... followed by Kris, my next favorite.

My favorite of the night was Danny, by a long-shot. Followed by Allison. Adam was just ok for me tonight. Whenever they play the recaps at the end of the show, I always think Adam does better in his rehearsal snip. Wonder why?

Ok, I'm gonna go watch the results show... even though I already know who got kicked off. :-( I always think it's sad at this point to send anyone home. They're all good.

Season 8 - Top 7!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:02:00 +0000

7 is my favorite #... So, I decided to do something a little fun and different tonight! I'm adding video! Whoo hoo!

Ok, the band is on the stage tonight and I like it! I've missed having the energy of the band. They're, like, so far away... omgah! (That was for YOU, SIL#2)

Randy's sweater is ridiculous tonight. My goodness.

Abbey said "Ugh, she creeps me out" when they announced Paula and said she was hot.

Why is Ryan wasting time tonight? He's totally stalling... I'm going to twitter him.

I just twittered him. I totally did.

"It's a hot one tonight"??? Danny has on contacts. Stevie Ray Vaughan is in the house. "You gotta work tonight, baby"??? What's up with Ryan's one-liners.

Allison is up first, singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Allison seemed a little nervous when she first started. Ugh, the sound mix is horrible! She is screaming parts of the song and it's literally muffling on my TV. Anyone else's? I think this was my least favorite Allison performance. She just screamed in my opnion... but then again, it's a screamy song. I'd love to hear her croon something. Or just something a LITTLE softer. Seriously? The judges are falling all over themselves to compliment her. In the past, I could see this... but now? The girl's only hope, I can buy that. But her performance tonight? Meh. I need to go back laters and watch it again...

Anoop is doing Bryan Adams, probably my least favorite movie song person. Ugh. Me no likey. Ever notice how Anoop's lip sweats EVERY WEEK? Every week! But, you know, whatever. I like his voice a lot. Ah, the Indian version of my BIL, Scott is doing well tonight. I feel weird trying to watch him while voting for Matt on 2 different phones, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Ha! "Is there a special someone?" - Ryan. "Nope" - Anoop, then he wiggled those tricked out eyebrows. Hilarious!

Oh, my. It's Adam's turn. I'm actually looking forward to him. He's entertaining. No doubt about it. I honestly love his lower register. I'm not loving the chorus, but I actually like the rest of it. OK, I'm gonna grab Lincoln and video his reaction of Adam's singing. This should be good... Lincoln let me down a little. He was so enamoured with his own face on the screen that he couldn't care less about Adam Lambert. Me, either. Next!

Katie Couric in the house.

I have a bad feeling about Matty tonight. He, too, is singing a Bryan Adams song - possibly my least favorite song ever. EVER. But then again, Part-time lover wasn't on my faves list until he sang it last week, too. So, we shall see! I've been voting for him for 20 minutes as I am running quite a bit behind... and getting through most of the time. Don't know if that's good or bad. :-/ He's singing "Have You Really Ever Loved a Woman". Well, have you, Matt? Nevermind, I don't want to know.

Ok, I had to take a 5 minute break after Matt was finished. I'm crushed. He didn't do the best ever... in fact, there were parts that were hard to listen to. But, there were moments that were BEAUTIFUL and that's what I'm choosing to focus on.

Danny is singing Endless Love. Nice song choice. He should do well. Is it bad that I don't care? I'm just kinda over the whole Danny Gokey phenom. Starts out wobbly. Wow, out of tune! Which proves what I've said for several weeks: when he's not "pushing" it vocally, he can't stay on pitch. That's undortunate, but whatever. When he gets going and pushes it, he's pretty darn great. Hmmm, anyone else notice he's wearing his wedding band tonight? I'm sure his future wife will LOVE that if he ever gets married again... I liked the harp.

Kris is next. I like Kris. I L O V E the song he chose. Will I love Kris singing the song? Dunno. Let's see. Loving it so far. My favorite of the night. But WAIT - he just had a little pitchy bobble. Oh, wow - love what he did with the climax of the song. Gotta rewind and listen again! This is a hard song to sing, I'm sure. The backup singer rocks. Go, girl.

Lil is last. Seriously? The pimp spot? Gosh, is it so so wrong for me to wish that she has an epic FAIL tonight so that Matt can stay in? Probably... but I'm thinking it anyway. Personally, I think this is the best Lil has done since the top 36... but I still have problems with it. She didn't fully committ to the gospel side of the song like Quentin told her to do. There were nice moments, as Simon said, but overall it was just "ok" for me.

They should've switched Allison and Lil in the lineup. That would've sealed the deal.

Matt sounds better in the rehearsal, for sure. What happened to him tonight???

Bottom 3 for me, personally - unfortunately, Matt, Allison and ??? I don't even know. Danny, maybe? I didn't care for his version. Or did I? Mat and Allison were the worst vocally for me tonight. But I love Matty so I take him right back out of that category.

I honestly have no idea who is going to get voted out. If it's Anoop, Matt or Lil, they most likely WON'T use the save. Any of the others, they probably WILL use it. They have to use it eventually. What's the point of waiting until their is only 4 left, ya know???

And now for the surprise! I got a wild hair and decided to record a video of my thoughts tonight... as if the written word wasn't enough!!!! Here is the link - there are a few cute cameo appearances from 2 of my 3 kids:

Until next time...

From 8 to 7 - Results Show!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:18:00 +0000

I normally don't blog during the results show... but based on last night I just couldn't pass it up. Besides, I actually have a lot of opinions that rise up during the results show... and I think that should be shared.

Hmph, they made it look like Paula was doing the "standing O" for Adam and she wasn't! It was for White Chocolate. Shoooot. Don't even get me started.

Paula is wearing gloves and Simon totally has a butt-cut going on. I mean, his haircut honestly is offensive to me. It looks like a butt. Simon, you have to be made of money - can you not find a better hair dresser?

Anyway... this is probably the first time I've gone into the results show not knowing who got kicked out.

Group number - Lil choreography at the beginning is ridiculous. Poor Scott. It's weird with only 2 girls left!!! And finally, THANK GOD THEY'RE NOT LIP-SYNCING THIS WEEK!!!!

Ford Music Video: Matty has some acting skills! When they showed Danny, Scoop Deny said "Ompah, Loopah". Ha! I love seeing the contestants behind the scenes and all of their personalities. They're pretty funny.

Aw, man. Flo Rida is performing their hit song and Lincoln loves this song... but he is currently asleep behind me in the chair with his mouth hanging wide open. Ha!

Anoop is in the bottom 3! He did so great last night.
Scott is in the bottom 3! He didn't.
Lil is in the bottom 3 for the first time! Thank goodness!

I would like to say one thing about Matt. I found out today that he is in the Big Brother program as a mentor. You can read the story here:
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=63934149684&h=LCUGg&u=kpHwJ&ref=mf

CALAMRI! We were all trying to figure out what it was that Kelli Pickler hadn't heard of before. When Ryan said Calamari, we all yelled it out. Kelli's had some work done on her face and we can't quite figure out WHAT. We've narrowed it down to the cheek area. Possibly cheek implants.

Scott is gone. Will they save him? I can't believe they are even debating this! Seriously??? Oh, man, Abbey is cracking me up. She is taking the words right out of my mouth. Scoop Deny and Shelby are debating with us about whether Scott could even win. They say yes (I think they're playing devil's advocate, honestly) but Abbey and I say no. Don't waste the save. He's a nice guy, but as Abbey said "Sorry, this is a singing competition, not a personality contest." Ha! That's my girl.

Anyway, it's over. Once we get rid of Lil next week, it's going to be REALLY hard to start knocking them off one by one. I mean, seriously!

The heat is turned up now. Who will go home next???

Season 8 - Top 8! From Texas!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:14:00 +0000

Hello!!! I'm very excited to bring you my thoughts on tonight's show from big, bad Texas! I'm not exactly sure how to even present all of the comments from tonight. But, I will start with the cast of characters:

First, Shelby & Scott - our hosts!

Seriously, we got home at 6:50pm... I sat down to make my Fantasy Idol pre-performance picks and turned around 30 seconds later and this is what Shelby had done:

She is uh-mazing!

Anne and her girls were the first to show up. Anne and her husband Mark were my music pastors at my church in Nashville when I first moved there. They have 3 beautiful red-headed girls. I love this family. Mark couldn't be with us, which was a bummer, but I look forward to his 2 cents worth in the comment section!

Anne has an interesting theory on American Idol song choices. She says - and I semi-quote - that for the most part, the contestants choose music from artists they like to listen to but can't sing like. They pick these songs because they WISH they sang like this artist or that artist, but end up shooting themselves in the foot. I dramatically paraphrased there, but it's 1am so I'm allowed.

Bottom line, she sounded really smart and made a lot of sense... and I don't at this hour!

Rhonda was the next to show up - without her boys (all 3 of them, ha!) much to the dismay of OUR boys... but I digress (whatever that means).

Rhonda and her husband, Tim, have been friends with Aaron and I since way back when we lived in Texas and attended Hope Fellowship together. Tim helped Aaron and I load our moving van when we got ready to move back to Nashville, and we will never forget that. This family rocks! Rhonda is so sweet, we had to beat the comments out of her. Just kidding... about the beating part. She had a zinger or two... notice the "preacher march" comment below.

I have been friends with Emily for forever, too! She and her husband Julio (see below) had their kids at around the same time we did... except they kept going and added one! LOL.

Take note of Emily's comments throughout the night - she's quite knowledgeable and witty!

Julio is our resident rocker. I mean, look at that hair! Seriously, though, Julio plays a mean bass and is a great musician. He is very quiet but when he says something, you will be glad you listened. Even if it's about Adam Lambert.

Jennifer is another great singer in attendance - she, Emily and I had some good times singing backups for Pastor John back in the day!

And then there is me. I don't care for this picture, but it's late and I'm not vain enough to look for another one right now.

Speaking of which, all of these pictures were taken tonight with the exception of Shelby's. I was trying to add her pic to the blog and it disappeared completely from my computer. I have no clue why or how. But the one I included was from our fun day at IKEA and that's good enough to warrant inclusion in this blog!!!

P.S. Sherry/Mimi was also in attendance and I took her picture while experimenting with Anne Marie's fixed lens and didn't realize until I uploaded it that it was blurry. So... sorry for no picture Mimi! Maybe I'll come back later and add one... :-)

After going around the room and asking each person who their favorite contestant was, we all settled in to watch the show. Scott was in charge of the remote. I had my laptop handy in case someone said something funny. We weren't positive that would happen, but I wanted to be ready. Ha! Shelby was in charge of getting the wee little ones drinks - even though she didn't really sign up for that role. I felt bad for her. Abbey and some of the other girls took their own notes, which they have yet to let us see. Suspicious!

Finally, we are ready to begin and my first thought was: This is so FUN!!!!

Ryan says "THIS is American Idol" and we all screamed and "whoo hoo"'d. Especially Scott. He's rowdy like that.

Danny is the oldest and goes first. He chooses to sing "Stand By Me" from 1980. I would NOT have picked this song for him, but what do I know? I directed our senior choir on this song the night I graduated from High School... so, you know... Danny's version kinda pales in comparison to THAT. Good beginning, he has chops. Boring middle (Simon agreed) but then good ending.

Wouldn't you be mad if you were sitting behind Paula? - Me. (because of her dancing)
I would be mad if I was trying to sing and had to look at her - Emily

Kara likes to count. Every week. They've all been smoking some Danny Gokey crack. No, not THAT kind of crack. Drugs, people. I mean, it wasn't THAT great of a performance and they are acting like he gave the performance of a lifetime.

He's the bomb - Scott
Whoo, he almost had the preacher march going - Rhonda (and then she got up and demonstrated what a "preacher march" is, in case we were confused.)
He never sounds like he rehearsed it - I bet he sings it a different way every time - Anne

Jennifer takes note of the fact that there are children in the room and if she has any tacky remarks she might keep them to herself. I divulge the fact that I had just typed a tacky remark, but wouldn't say it out loud. They will just have to read it. (It was the smoking Danny Gokey crack remark.)

We also briefly discuss the fact that no one really talks about Danny's backstory anymore. I tell them it's because of this:

During the Top 36 when Danny performed, one of his friends (sitting on the red couches) held up this picture after Danny sang. Apparently, the media and a lot of other people didn't like it. There was backlash... but not enough to keep him out of the top 8.

Anne and Emily take an unscheduled water-break, much to Scott's dismay. Shelby has noted that we only have one singer down and already people are taking a snack break. WE ARE HARD-CORE.

Kris is next and we thought that meant he was the next oldest - we were wrong. He has chosen to do "All She Wants to do is Dance" - Don Henley. Not sure what I think about this. Strange. I have become a big fan of Kris over the weeks, but didn't he learn a thing from the Matt G move of singing amidst the audience from last week? Not a good move.

Never heard that version before - Emily
Guitarist who wanted to sing, instead of a singer who plays guitar - Simon (I agree with that statement this week)
Very disappointed - Scott
He just stood in one place like his legs couldn't move - Abbey (LOL)
Didn't do anything for me, not horrible but not that great - Jen

We have a brief discussion on how old we all were in 1985. Jennifer simply could not believe that I was a freshman in 1985. Ok, fine, she wasn't THAT astonished... but it makes me feel good to dream.

Lil is REALLY named Lil, ok? It's NOT Lit-tle. She's cute. Lovin' her hair tonight! Finally! "What's Love Got to Do With It?" I hate it already. Hello, Tina Jr. She's totally out of tune. She even has the Tina shuffle dance going on. Now it's a toss-up between her and Scotty Mac in my mind on who needs to go bye bye tomorrow night.

She got to go - Julio (from the kitchen, no less!)
She's Karaoke - Scott
Kiss of death with the "You look hott" comment - ALL of us.
I like her eye makeup - Me
She probably hasn't listened to good music in several years - Anne (because she has 3 small kids)
I listen to their advice and take in everything they say - Lil
She just doesn't use it - me

We take a break to find our children. Ha!

Anoop is next. We pause to have a deep, philisophical discussion about Anoop. He shouldn't do R&B, we don't think. He starts True Colors and I am LOVING this arrangement. Niiiiice. I love it when Anoop sings like this. I would love to hear more of that.

We have a moment of hilarity.
Scott pauses it on the picture of Anoop's parent's and says: "That is the Indian version of my dad."
He pauses it again when Anoop starts to sing and says "Oh, my gosh. I just thought of something... that might be the Indian version of ME! I feel sick all of a sudden."

We decide to rename Scott. His new name is Scoop Deny.

Here is a picture of Scott's dad, who he thinks looks like Anoop's dad:

We catch our breath from laughing and the conversation continues:
You showed your true colors like a rainbow - Paula (gag)
Ah, straight up now tell me - Scott/Scoop Deny
I think my expectations are so low for Anoop that when he does ok, I'm pleasantly surprised. - Anne
They fixed Scott's hair, why can't they fix his? - Emily

Scotty Mac is next. He loves the macabre. Huh? What? Go figure. The first blind train conductor? (I got boo'd for this remark, by the way. Whatever!)

When he went for the high climax of the song, we all screamed, wailed, and made Scott/Scoop Deny rewind it.
Oh, come on - Bravo??? REALLY??? BRAVO????
There are children in the room or I would be really RUDE right now. - me (at press-time, I could not for the life of me remember what I was going to say, however.)

*** Does anyone else find it ironic that the lyrics to Scotty Mac's song are "The search is over... it was right before my eyes."

Allison is the baby of the group. She's next. "I Can't Make You Love Me" Ok, GOOD song choice, we all agree. We also all agree that it's a bit inappropriate for someone her age. We momentarily debate whether to make the youngins leave the room.

The worst I've heard her - Scott/Scoop Deny
meh - me
You gave all of your heart - Paula
Too much of your heart - me
Why doesn't someone tell her to sing "Heart" - Scott/Scoop Deny
She sounds like she's 35 - Anne
And a smoker - me
She needs to do a song by Pink - Anne
Or a Kelly Clarkson song - Emily
I just didn't feel it, Beth, I just didn't feel it. - Scoop Deny

Matt G is next - aka White Chocolate... aka Matty. I feel a picture is needed...

I sang in a children's musical at church called Angels Aware - Matt G.
Oh, my Gosh, I did that one! - Emily
Be quiet, he's acting - Scoop Deny (who promptly rewinds it)

"Part-Time Lovers" is the song. We've instructed the children to not pay attention to the lyrics. Ha!
Go, White Chocolate, Go!
WE. ARE. LOVING. IT! Celebration all around.

But, wait! The 5 yr olds in the next room suddenly become very loud and several of us demand that the show be paused. We take a brief moment ot usher the kids into the back room so we can hear Matty.

I'm still freaked out that we did the same musical - Emily
We did it, too - Jen
Us, too. - Anne
I don't feel so special now. - Emily
We had a fog machine and everything - Jen

I'm cracking up just reading that conversation!

Adam is next - and I am wondering what on earth he could do to take my mind... I mean, our minds off of Matt G. He's singing Mad World?

I liked to play dress-up, not soccer - Adam
What the crap is this song? - me
Wow - I've never heard him do that before - Emily (about his bobble at the end)
We all GASP at the standing ovation.
Every song sounds like the broadway version of that song - Anne
That's what he does - Jen
I love watching him on here, but wouldn't buy his cd - Emily
What would his CD even be? Showtunes? - Anne

We pretty much all agreed that Adam sang well tonight, but standing ovation from Simon-worthy? Nah.

During the recaps:
Did you know that when they show the recaps they're actually showing a clip from the rehearsal? - Anne
Listen to Danny Gokey - that is completely different from his performance. I don't think even he knows what he's going to do each time. - Anne

Anoop is safe this week, and not just because he's my Indian twin - Scoop Deny
Let me go to the garage and get my cardigan. - Scoop Deny

After most people left, Scoop Deny grabbed my lime green sweater and put it on... then grabbed a lightsaber and this is what happened...

Yep - that's Scoop Deny.

I give a big shout-out to those under 18 in the viewing party tonight!

All in all, this was one of the most fun nights I've had watching American Idol. It made me sad to think of watching it by myself next week and then blogging about it with only my own comments. Blah. So Anne had the bright idea for all of us to get on Skype next week. Do it.

Focusing my thoughts long enough to wrap it up here. Top 3 for me - Matty G., Anoop (that's right), and Adam. Yeah, he was good alright?

Bottom 3 is easy. It will be: Lil, Scotty Mac, and Allison. I don't think Allison deserves to be in the bottom 3, I just think she WILL be. Well, either her or Kris, simply because he was 2nd and that's a bad place to sing.

Man, I gotta go to bed!!! Until next week... Buh Bye!

Season 8 - Top 9

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:12:00 +0000

Seriously, it's 12:33am as I'm beginning this tonight... I can't be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth.

Simon always looks so awkward when he walks out to the front of the stage.

Oh, my. They coiffed Scott's hair.

"They still have Adam Sandler on there???" - Abbey Ha! She's so funny! (For the record, she is not up at 12:33am. We turned it on briefly at 7pm before some guests came over and she saw the top 9.)

Ooo, I see Mandisa! She looks so beautiful! I love you, Mandisa.

Kara has to define "artistry" for us? Seriously?

Right off the bat, I'm noticing Allison's ridiculous outfit. I like the hair color better - but her outfits are horrible!

What is up with Anoop's funky jackets? And the snarls? "Caught up" by Usher. Despite the snarls and stuff, I didn't mind it. I mean, it wasn't horrible. But it wasn't a winner. I think Anoop will get some kind of recording deal when all of this is over. NOW, he is a little (maybe even a lot) out of tune at the beginning of the song. I think he could be in danger of being in the bottom 3. I'm bored. He's boring me.

"I kinda felt like a bunch of frat guys dared you to get up and sing Usher" - Kara
The camera cuts to frat guys in audience... all friends of Anoop.

"It was a complete and utter mess" - Simon
Cut to Frat boys boo'ing Simon.

The pretty girl is next. No, I'm not talking about Adam. It's Megan Joy! I seriousy can't believe she is still in this competition. I'm not saying she doesn't have a certain amount of talent... she is just floundering in the show. She is kinda just a laid-back jazz singer. OK, this song is boring the crap out of me. Suddenly, I'm missing her quirky little dance moves. She's so pretty, though.

Megan fights with the judges... blah blah blah...

Next!

When's Matt coming on?

Ok, I'll settle for Danny. Ooooo, awesome - Rascal Flatts, What Hurts the Most. One of my favorite songs. And Danny has a way of making songs his own when he wants to. I hope he does, because he had a rough go of it last week. I love the intro with the violin. Lovely. Hmmm, ok. I'm learning something about Danny right now. When he's not blasting the roof off of the place, he gets out of tune. And now, he's blasting the roof off of the place and STILL is out of tune. Let me run it back and listen again without typing... ok, yeah, a little out of tune... BUT, all I could really think of was his wife dying while I was listening. Man, I just want to go cry now!!!

[one last note on Danny - I wish so badly he had taken the mic OFF of the stand - not move around, but just hold the mic for more emotion]

1:02am now... and Allison is next. Ugh, I hate Don't Speak. It's my LEAST favorite No Doubt song. Did anyone else notice when she was playing the guitar in practice that he finger looked infected. Eeek. Ok, she starts off AMAZING. I love the beginning. She completely rocked out this song. Very good. Very very good. Who cares what she's wearing? I mean, it's hideous, but when she sings I forget that her look is all wrong. The girl can blow. And that's a compliment.

Geez - they keep panning from her feet up and showing her outfit. Stop already!!! She's 16 and having her awkward stage on national television. Have some mercy!

Wow, I'm not sure I can handle Scott at this hour. Could he possibly NOT suck this week? I love his personality... and yeah, it stinks that he's blind... but I just can't stand his singing style. Please! Put me out of my misery and stop voting for him! Sorry. I had a moment. Ok, "Just the Way Your Are". Alright. Ha! I love the little look and a smile he gives the audience when they cheer for him as he begins. You know, I'm not hating it this week. Darn it. His arrangement is edgier than I would've expected. Good job, Scotty. If you get more votes than Matty, I may have to dislike you again, though.

Paula is going a little crazy with her feedback right now. Say what? Uhhhhh-kay.

Yay - my man Matty is up next. And he's singing The Fray!!!!!!!! Could I be so lucky??? Oh, please, let him do well with it. Ooh, he has a different hair-do this week. Me likey. Aw, Matt, you're so darn cute. Ok, so even though I love this guy, I can be honest and say that when he gets nervous, his vibrato goes NUTS. Breathe through those long notes, Matty! relax. Ok, beyond that, though - I LOVED IT!!!!! I loved that he did something different with the song. It was powerful and moved me.

NOT A GOOD COMMERCIAL SONG????? It's a MAJOR HIT that has crossed over several genres right now, SIMON!!!! IDIOT!!!!!

He doesn't know who he is??? CRAZY!!!! He doesn't have to do R&B!

SIMON, you crazy man. He's not frowning at you, Simon. He's just sad!!!!!

I'm sad, too. I thought it was good. In fact, I'm going to rewind it and listen again. I mean, I can see where they might RATHER he sing an R&B tune... but HELLO! the R&B tune last week got him in the bottom 3! Nope, I just ran it back and I stand by my assessment. I like it. I love when he flipped up into his falsetto. He added depth to it... it was FINE. And at least it wasn't BORING. Ugh. I'm pissed. I usually agree with Simon, but good gracious he was off his rocker this time. Not a good commercial song??? Just can't get over that one...

Lil is up next and I couldn't care less. She sounds horrible and I don't even recognize this song. I like her hair a lot better when she's recording the little video segment at the beginning. Seriously, this song was awful. "For me for you" says Randy. Huh? I didn't like it. Blah. Bad song.

Effortless???? No way. It was painful. She didn't sing well. At all. What were they hearing? Not the same thing I was. She was off.

Next!

Are you kidding me? Pimping out her kids to get people to vite for her? Man, that kid sure is cute, though. And just great. Lil is crying. As bad as she stunk, no ones going to vote her out now. Thanks a LOT Ryan...

Awesome! A Prince commercial!

So sick of these judges right now.

Adam is next. Whoop di do. I hate the way he sticks his tongue out when he goes for the high notes. What is UP with his hair? I like his emo hair better. I seriously have sit here through his entire song, clenching my butt cheeks in something close to horror. I feel like he went over to the Taylor Hicks side tonight. I'm cranky and that performance did not help. What it DID was get me out of the stupor I fell into when Lil sang. So, thanks Adam.

Next!

Kris. How can you not like Kris? Even with Bells Palsy on his belty notes, the boy is a cutie. And he has some musicality. Ooo, Bill Withers - Aint no Sunshine. I like it a lot. WOW. Besides the ending note, that could be my favorite Idol performance EVER. No, I'm not kidding. AMAZING. He's very smart. And likable.

Kara likes to count her words.

Who is the old lady sitting behind Kara and Randy, bedside Mandisa? She hasn't moved a muscle all night. No games!

Ugh... let's see. Kris had the best performance of the night. Hands down. I also liked Allison's.

Megan Joy and Lil were the worst of the night, in my very humble opinion.

The rest fell somewhere in the middle... with Anoop being nearer the bottom of the middle and Danny, Matt and Adam being closer to the top of the middle.

I hope Megan goes home. At this point, I like Scott more than I like her. At least he was a bit more interesting tonight. :-)

Still pissed about their assessment of Matt. Still in awe of what Kris did. I can see a finale with Kris and Adam duking it out.

Good night!!!!! Or morning, as it were.

Season 8, Top 10 Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:12:00 +0000

Ow! It's Motown night - I love me some soul music. Aaron is peacefully sleeping beside me, but he gave me the go-ahead to watch tonight's show and get my blog on.

Seriously with the announcer each week? Simon looked a little geeky walking out there. Ryan is talking but the judges haven't taken a seat yet. What in the world are they doing?

I'm not feeling Randy's outfit tonight, either.

Oh. My. Goodness. Does Scott MacIntyre have on pink pants? That's just cruel. Cruel!

I love Smokey Robinson's eyes. So pretty. He's written over 4,000 songs? My word.

My man, Matt Giraud, is up first. Lord, help me. "Let's Get it On". My my my. Just him rehearsing in front of Smokey is awesome. Ok, so he starts and I can honestly say it is a STRONG start for him. Probably the best I've heard him so far. Nice. He mixes it up a little and doesn't just mimick Marvin's version... but when he does mix it up, he remains respectful to the original. And now he moves away from the piano. I like the way he moves - at least he has rhythm. Some just look awkward. WOW. wow. He was amazing. Spot on. Loved it. Awesome. My favorite. Ahhhhhh. Love him. (can you tell?)

Ha ha, Kara. You took the words right outta my mouth.

Kris Allen is up next. I like this little guy. "How Sweet It is". Kris has totally grown on me over the weeks. I think he has a future on the radio. Kris reminds me of a little kitten when he sings. Good job so far! Ok, it IS getting just a tad bit boring... but then he rocks it out in the end. Liked it. He put his own spin on it.

More Ryan and Simon banter. Blah blah blah.

Aw, man. Scott McIntyre is up and I am NOT looking forward to it at all. He seems like the nicest guy in the world, which is what makes me so darn mad that they've done this to him. He is not a good enough singer to still be in the competition at this point! And the fact that he's still in it and Alexis went home is just not right. But anyway... let's hear what he has for us. Yep, pink pants. Ryan says "Good to see you" Way to set him up, Ry. "I'm going to find other ways to take risks" - yeah, like the pink pants. Poor Smokey is just not sure what to say, is he? Oh, gag. I'm SORRY. I don't like it. My favorite backup singer is gone. Where's Charlotte? I mean, Scott is trying his best! And he is the sweetest thing! I just want to hug him. But I don't want to hear him sing. Ever again.

Oh, Simon! You make me laugh. "How much more can I take?"

Thank you, Simon. You hit it on the head. He is irrelevant to contemporary music.

"I have something for Simon" - Paula, as she reaches under the desk
"We're not allowed to show that" - Ryan
Ha!
"Dare I ask what other things you have under the table?" - Ryan
"It's under my skirt." - Paula
Oh, my.

Megan Joy is next and what will she bring? Oh, dear Lord. Oh, this is so bad. You know what it reminds me of? When I was little, I used to watch Love Boat. This sounds like the music on there. Poor, poor Megan. It's not the 70's anymore, love. She's so pretty, but this just wasn't good. She should've slowed it down. She doesn't have the chops to belt out the high notes, either. Bad. Buh bye.

Wow, Anoop is doing the twist. This should be... entertaining. Here's the deal... I like Anoop when he's crooning me. Sing the ballads to me, Anoop Desai. Ok, so he's doing a Smokey song. "Ooo, baby baby". Anoop's upper register is so lovely. What is up with that funky jacket? Ok, his upper notes sound a little breathy, like he's nervous. He's sweating... take that funky jacket off. I love his high notes, but could do without his falsetto. Does that make sense? I wish he hadn't started out sitting down... but what can ya do? Anoop really can sing. I liked it. It wasn't as good as Matt. But it was good. Anoop dawg.

Who's next? Aw, Michael Sarver. Bottom 3 last week. He has a nice voice and is such a sweetheart. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and he's gonna church it up, ha! Smokey gives Michael some really good advice. Get gritty with it. Honestly, he's not doing as well with this as I hoped he would. I mean, it's GOOD... it's just not blowing me away. There were some moments where he almost lost the pocket. Gosh, he's so sweet. "Yes, Ma'am" he said to Paula. I'm telling you, I could just hug him. Hug him and Scott both. But don't really want them on the show. Sorry. I wanted Michael in the top 36... I just don't think he can win. Man, I'm agreeing with Kara a lot tonight... hate that.

Next!

Lil Rounds is next. Can I make a confession. I'm not a Lil fan. Oh, wait. Maybe I've made that confession before. I just feel that she has so many fans, that I need to reiterate each week that I like her but I don't love her. Now... about heatwave. I do love this song. I did this song at Dill's. The band always complained that it was too easy to play and they got bored. Yes, Randy, the song was rushed. I thought Lil started out really good, but then indeed screamed her way through most of it. Once again, I have to agree with Kara. Lil is not accepting her criticism very well. Yes! Gladys Knight's "Heard it through the grapevine" would've been a perfect choice.

I'm probably driving Aaron crazy by now. He wakes up every so often and listens and makes a comment... then drifts back to sleep.

Oooo, Adam Lambert looks great tonight! He looks like Elvis. One thing I know about Adam... he will keep it interesting. He had a little bobble on the pitch right near the beginning... and again after the crecendo in the middle. I'm honestly not blown away. There's another pitchy bobble. Keep it in tune, Adam. It was cool, though. I like last week better, just to be honest.

"I got 6 words for you... one of the best performances of the night." - Kara
Honey, that's 7 words - me.

Ok, back to Adam real quick. I think Adam has a real talent and gift with his voice and musicality. But I just wasn't blown away by his vocals tonight like I was last week. LOVED the setup with the musicians and the acoustic arrangement. Hmmm, I just ran it all the way back and listened again just to make sure I was hearing what I thought I was hearing . Yep, he was wobbly. There were just places where he seemed like he didn't know where he wanted to go with his notes. Last week may have been freaky, but at least he nailed his notes.

No, Simon. Not the best performance of the night. That would be Matt. :-) No, seriously. Not just because Matt's dead-sexy on the piano... He nailed it. Adam had the artistic award of the night, though.

Danny Gokey is next, which means they saved Allison for last... which means she must have a show-stopper and they don't want her to go home. Very crafty. Ok, back to Danny. I love this song. He was MADE to sing this type of song. But, he's turning into a little Taylor Hicks with his crazy dance moves. Oh, my! His soul is awesome. It's bugging me that he's saying "reaty" instead of "ready" at times. The song sounds rushed. He should've changed it up more. Hope he's not losing his edge. Let's see what the judges have to say... Not much. they're rushed, too!

Allison Iraheta is last. Papa was a Rolling Stone. This song tells a story, and has some killer moments in it. Again I say - are we sure this girl isn't in her 30's? Stop. I detest what she's wearing. Wha? But - WOWEE. Her vocals are SMOKING HOT. Allison. Oh, my. She is amazing. Get that girl some new clothes. Well, obviously Kara loved her. Paula has a freshly painted on mustache, thanks to Simon. I wish Allison would tone down her hair and get a stylist... but her voice is kickin!!!!!

So funny to me as they were playing back the snippets for the phone numbers, you can tell they took the snippets from the warm-up.

Bottom 3 is easy this week. Scott, Megan and Michael. Which one goes home is anyone's guess. Based on the performance alone, I'd have to say Megan. She was awful, bless her heart. But I'd love for it to be Scott. And I dislike myself for even feeling that way!

Best of the night goes to Allison, Matt and I guess Adam for his originality. But I really like Kris and Anoop, too.

Bummer I didn't get to vote tonight. :-(

Season 8, From 11 to the top 10!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:06:00 +0000

YESSSSS! A night at home without anywhere to be or anything to do! I get to watch AI semi-live (because I pause it to write this here blog... that's my country-speak for the night) and that makes me happy!

My first bit of attention goes to Megan Joy. Did anyone else catch her look as she was walking on stage?

Well, I had to pause and put the kiddos to bed and missed now I'm almost an hour behind now. Oh, well. The cutest thing happened when putting the kids to bed. I'll try to put it on my other blog or in my Facebook notes.

Anyway... we're off! Michael Sarver kicks us off tonight with Garth Brooks. I could've guessed as much. He's so sweet. The song sounds a step or two too low for him. It's hard to sing fast when you're in that bottom register. But he's having fun... and apparently so is that harmonica player!!!! Man, that guy is having convulsions. Does it take that much energy to play the harmonica? Anyone know? Hold on... it was Michael's artistic ability to take a harmonica player? Huh? Oh, Paula...

You know, WHY do they pick country music week if they're going to slam the song choices non-stop??? Crazies!

Allison Iraheta is next. Man, this girl has such a neat voice... but are we sure her parents didn't freeze her for 5 or 10 years? She certainly seems older than 16! Funny thing, even when she's singing a semi-twangy country song, she still sounds like a rocker. I really don't like this song. Must she hold up 2 fingers every time she says 2-timing? I do LOVE her outfit, though. Kickin'.

Ah, here we go with Kara again. "You can sing the alphabet and sing it well." I suppose I should be thankful she didn't say the phone book.

Ooo, I get to vote tonight! Yay!

Kris Allen is going to sing Garth's "To Make You Feel My Love". He sounds really good, and he's a cutie... even if he looks like he has Bell's Palsy when he hits his big notes. Kris is really smart. You know he is playing on his "cute guy" status by singing this love song. 12 yr old girls across the nation are probably going wild. And it was a nice break from the first 2 hyperactive songs. Aw, his dad is crying. I like Kris because he is straight-up. He's not gimmicky.

"I didn't even know that it was Opryland" - Kara. Oh, girlfriend is NOT letting me down tonight!!!!

"Tender Dog" - Randy

Ok, now I am loving Lil Rounds dress tonight. Cute, the only country songs she's heard are on movies. Me, too, honey. Oh, wow. "Independance Day". Really? So overdone. Ok, let's hear her sing. She is starting out pitchy, dawg. Sorry, but she is. Is it just me, or is this tempo just a little too... peppy? I don't like it. At all. She's under pitch. It doesn't sound natural. Nice ending note, but that's it for me. I maybe just became an un-fan. Sorry - I know she is a fan fave. But not for me.

"We all know you're a great singer. You'd have to be DEAF not to know that." - Kara

"Look, Little." - Simon

Adam Lambert is going country... or is he? Sitar? Really. This, I gotta hear. He's scaring Randy Travis. Hilarious. "I'm guessing you're not going to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry in the next week or anything like that." AND "For me, I don't see men wearing nail polish that often." Great quotes. Ok, so here's the deal. I LOVED this arrangement. I know A LOT of people are going to disagree with me and think I'm cuh-razy. But I absolutely loved it. His falsetto is amazing. And I truly appreciated the fact that he didn't scream the entire song as he has done in the past. I don't know... I just liked it. I might even buy it. Great control of his voice.

"The fire, the egyptian thing..." - Kara (Did she miss the part where the Sitar is an Indian instrument?)

You know what I've noticed? When Kara goes first, she doesn't EVER know where she stands!!!!! That's what kills me! She's clueless...

And now we have Scott MacIntyre singing "Wild Angels" by Martina McBride. Ha, Randy took the words right out of my mouth. Scott got a haircut. Well, crap... I picked Scott to go home tomorrow night, but it seems like he's gonna do alright tonight. Unless the judges throw him under the bus, he should stay in dance and go on tour. I just don't like his style. It's too sugary for me. I like his look tonight... no pun intended. Ha, Paula's talking to him like he's dumb, not blind. Paula is way off-base... and Scott had a great comeback. Simon was right to call her comments stupid. Billy Joel leads from the piano and connects. It's his crappy song choice.

Well, dern. For once, Kara said something very intelligent in her feedback to Scott.

I will say that Scott's pretty smart, too, to say that he will drop the piano but won't tell us when. Ha! Sly sense of humor, that one.

Ooo, I love me some Alexis Grace. Love that girl's voice and soul. Don't know so much about her personality... she's a little Carrie Underwood stand-offish. However, I do not like her singing this song. She's definitely having trouble with it... and I don't like some of her phrasing. Hmmm. Her stage-presence is lacking tonight, too. Usually I like her... but not tonight. And darn it, again I'm agreeing with Kara again. The song came off a little flat. Paula doesn't care about pitch problems? Well, that's obvious from her records. Ha! Simon must've smoked crack on the commercial break to say that she sounded like Dolly. She so didn't.

Hmmm, so Danny Gokey is singing Carrie Underwood. That's surprising. Please don't jump the shark, Danny. Ooo, it makes me nervous that he kept messing up. Why did he pick this song? I will say, though, that his version is very different from Carrie's. Mmmm mmmm mmm. Dat boy gots some soul. I couldn't imagine liking this song at all... but he made me like it. Love his riffs. I'm so thankful that he doesn't just do a karaoke version of songs. Thank you, Simon! Danny's jacket is not good. Polar Expedition, indeed.

I want dessert.

Ok, moving on! Anoop! Anoop! Anoop is on fiiiiiire. Well, maybe not. What will you sing for us, Anoop Desai? Let's find out. Yes - Willie! I think Anoop's gonna tear this up! He CAN sing. And come on, let's face it. It's India's year. ;-) Whoo, sliiiide on up to that note, noop dawg. It might've been funny for Scott to have done this song. Anyway... Good job!!!!! Loved it. Anoop has redeemed himself. Hilarious! Paula says "Anoop is BACK!!!" and no one appluaded. Ha! I think it threw her for a loop. Anoop threw her for a loop. If I'm not mistaken, my dear friend Penny's dad co-wrote this song, too. I enjoyed this performance. He's gonna stick around for a few more weeks, anyway.

Some bad news... I've been voting for Alexis for awhile now and getting through every time. Uh oh! I just want to see her go a few more weeks at least!

Megan Joy is next. Can we count on more animal sounds tonight??? Gosh, I hope so! Not. "I Go Walkin'" is a good song choice for her. It will suit her voice realy nicely. Beautiful dress. She is so pretty. Lincoln is with me and had been acting pretty hyper, but when Megan started singing, he calmed right down. Ha! It's my personal opinion that even though Megan has done better tonight than last week, she still may not appeal to the masses with this performance. Oh, she has the flu. No wonder she had that cranky look at the beginning. Ha, Simon just accidentally flipped us all off. She did good, but she still could be in danger.

Oh, my man Matt Giraud is next. What will he sing? Something good, please!!!!! Last week was so nice. Hopefully he'll be at the piano, to. A Carrie song? wow. Not sure what I think. Is Paula SMELLING Simon's arm? Gross. OK, back to Matt. Wow. I loved it. I know he had a few vocal bobbles. But dang, he is so attractive when he plays those keys. And I love the suit. "Authenticity," Paula. Man, he can pound on those keys. I didn't move while he was performing. I just watched. That's a good sign.

The best of the night goes to Matt, Anoop... and Adam! Sorry. Danny was a VERY close 4th.

I can honestly say I have NO idea who is going home now!!!!! The weakest performances were by Lil and Scott in my opinion. Well, Michael's was very forgettable, too. He could very well be in danger.

We shall see!!!!!! Thanks for reading, people!!!!

Season 8, Top 13, Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:35:00 +0000

A night late and $6 short... because, dear SIL#2, I have discovered something very disturbing about myself. I'm more addicted to saying "G*h" than I previously cared to admit!!!! So, I will still try to refrain from using it here in this blog... but can't make any promises in person.

Ok, I have another confession. It's very late on Wednesday night (nearly midnight) and I am feeling so disheveled and out-of-sorts. I have just been frazzled the past 2 days... have barely been at home at all... missed making my Fantasy American Idol picks on time (something I've never done in all 3 years of playing!!!)... and am just now getting around to watching. I have no idea who got kicked off tonight. So I'm really feeling disconnected.

Now, on to the show!!!!!!

The judges appear from behind a big screen with what sounds like a WWF announcer... and excuse me, but was Paula getting a wedgie out???? Let me rewind it. I can't be sure, but it sure looked like it! And what is going on between Simon and Ryan? They always have this little private joke going on.

Wow, nice stage! I must say I'm sooooooooo glad to have the REAL band back. Holy cow! That band they've had the recent weeks really sucked. SIL#2, can I say sucked? What about crap? LOL!

Let's get to sangin'! (That a sassy way of saying "singing") Lock up your children, it's Michael Jackson week. This should be interesting! Will Adam Lambert sing Thriller?

First up is Lil Rounds. She's good, no doubt. Cute little kids! Aw, she's a sweet girl. "The Way You Make Me Feel" Cool - one of my favorite MJ songs. I'm not loving her version. She a little out of pocket. NOW, I realize it's her first time on that big ole honking stage, so in light of that, she's actually doing great. She is quite the performer. I'd like to go on the record and say I abhor her outfit. Bottom line - she performed the heck out of it, but I did not care of her singing. The judges are deaf tonight. She did not sing well. Thank God for Simon for telling it straight.

Kara is getting on my nerves. Already.

"Give me 5 minutes with Lil and I straighten her out" - Simon
"You know what? That's all it would take." - Paula
Ha!

Next up is Scott MacIntyre. Oh, boy. I hate to say that his vision impairment has gotten him this far... but I really think his vision impairment has gotten him this far. Sorry! OK, WOW. That was more than just a little creepy when they played the clip of he and his siblings singing that weird little song. Yikes. OK, the song starts off nice. Love the piano playing. Not sure I am familiar with this song. His singing goes downhill fast. This song is so weird. I will say that Scott is a fabulous pianist. But come on, people. A standing ovation? It's a SINGING competition. He doesn't sing all that well, people! Sheesh.

Shut up, Kara.

"It's magical seeing your instrument at your fingertips." - Paula
I'm gonna leave that one alone...

Danny Gokey is next and I just love him. PYT, awesome! Ok, the show has started now as far as I'm concerned. Wow, he rocked out that intro. Loved it. What in the world is up with his dancing?? It's like he's trying to ride a Shetland pony. But I do love his soul! I loved hearing his family back-story, how they sing everything. We do that in our family. :-) Aw, Paula is all emotional. I'm gonna have to rewind his performance and watch it again. Love his voice! Yes, it is very Michael McDonald-ish. Mmmm mmmm mmm. Good stuff.

I love this guy - Michael Sarver. What a sweet, precious guy. I think Michael has a great voice, but I don't think his voice is "pop" enough to win. It's very Christian Adult Contemporary, which is not a bad thing... it just is what it is. His voice is very inspirational. Does that make sense? Kara... ugh. And Paula's eye makeup. Gee! Instinctually, Paula? Is that a word? (Not according to my spell-check)

Jasmine is next. Snore. She's cute and all but I just am not into it. Jasmine's family is very attractive. I'll Be There? Hmmm, don't know if I would've picked such an old-school song choice if I was one of the youngest ones. She starts out singing it very well.. and then quickly falls off the cliff. Her licks are very Mariah-esque. And she botched them towards the end. She can sing, she just needs one more year to grow. She is very composed on stage.

Whoo, I'm getting sleepy...

Kris is next. Can he keep me awake? Aw, he's a newlywed. So sweet. Remember the Time. Oh, I'm so glad he has his guitar. He's so much better when he has his guitar. Ok, let's stop. From a completely TECHNICAL standpoint here... WHY does he jut his lower jaw out to the right side of his face when he sings big notes? That drives me crazy! Someone somewhere should work with him on that. Horrible habit. Ouch - he completely dorked-out on the bridge and ending. Throwing his arms around erratically... weird. He botched the big notes, but I forgive him. I liked it.

TOTALLY weird moment when Paula tries to explain why Kris helps others and Simon starts pulling on her dress. Did anyone else catch what happened next? Ryan goes over and tries to stop Simon and kinda gives him a little pat on the face. It was very demeaning, if you ask me. I'm surprised Simon didn't whack him. Uncomfortable.

Allison Iraheta is next and she can sing... but she's a little weird. Given to me? I don't know this song. Of all the popular songs from MJ, why are they choosing all of these obscure songs? Allison seems like she's channeling Amanda Overmeyer or something. Her vocals are spot-on... but the song is very 80's rock ballad. I love me some 80's... but this brings back the bad memories of the 80's for some reason. Love her voice. Hate the song choice.

Anoop is next and he looks very handsome tonight. They've done something a little different with his hair. Beat it! Oh, wow. Aaaaaaaand he's dancing. He comes out strong with his vocals! He sounds really really good at first. I can honestly say that I LOVE what he has done with the vocals on this song. I am very pleasantly surprised!!! Loved it. Completely.

Paula hated it??? Simon hated it??? Whaa? They're completely throwing him under the bus! Kara says he didn't do any riffs... yes he did! I love what he did with the song. Were we hearing the same song? I mean, it wasn't earth-shattering or anything, but it certainly wasn't bad!

Jorge is next. Hmmm, never have been a fan, but he seems like a sweet guy. Just a bit boring. I thought Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me was a little safe. But what do I know? Never Can Say Goodbye? Wow - he sounds great. I mean, his vocals are pretty good on this song. His pitch is great. Especially on the higher notes, which can be hard for men to stay on pitch up in that register. He had a few bobbles, but overall I thought it was good. Do the judges need a snack? They are getting cranky.

Whew, I have a headache now.

Megan Joy is back. Can't wait to see her dance moves. Not. Her brother, who looks a little like a pot-head, is in the audience. She is so beautiful! Look at those pictures from when she was younger. So cute! I think she's gonna be a star of some sort... just not sure it will be in singing. Aw, she misses her little boy. Rockin' Robin. Hmmm, really? She has such an interesting voice. I really actually like it. It's so different and interesting. I already said that. Oh, wait! Caw caw?????? WHAT?

Adam is next. Please, oh please, let him be singing Thriller. It would be so appropriate. Oh. Black & White. Like his skin vs. his fingernails? He starts out strong with the first part of the verse. He is certainly comfortable on stage. Oh, my - he really hit some raunchy notes on this one!!!! Can't anyone hear that? It kills me when they cut to Paula trying to come out of her coma to dance. Paula can barely speak - she is out of breath with emotion. She's all kinds of crazy tonight! I like about half of what he does and the other half just turns me off. Paula is nuts.

"I hope Michael Jackson is watching this tonight." - kara
"I love him!" - Adam, mouthing the words.
You're too old for him. - Me

My boy, Matt Giraud is next. He let me down greatly during the top 36... but now he gets his piano back and I'm believing for him to kick it up a notch!!! Don't let me down, Matt! Oh! Human Nature is one of my favorite MJ songs. Oh, sing it Matt! He seems to be singing more in his key tonight. WOW. Nice. He has some pitchy places... but.. Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay for having his piano back! He took some risks and it paid off. I don't mind telling you that performance was dead sexy, too. Moving on!

Ok, who's next? Alexis Grace! I really liked her when she sang Aretha the first week. Oh, my! Dirty Diana? Love that song! Alexis looks like a star already. The song is a bit fast. But, WOW. listen to the judges fighting over who goes first. I liked it. Why didn't they make her # 13 in the phone number? Why 36? That might mess up her chances if people don't get her # right when calling to vote. I think the judges are hard on her. She sang the heck out of that song and performed great.

I predict Jorge and Michael Sarver will go home. But, I wish it was Scott MacIntyre. I just don't think he's a strong singer.

Peace out!!! And no, I STILL don't know who was voted off. Not sure if I have the stamina to stay up and watch it...

Very wild cards!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:06:00 +0000

LOL, Kim!!!!! Your comment on the previous post just reminded me that my SIL, Jenni, DID pay me $6 at Bible Study Tuesday night because I refrained from saying "Gah" in my other post.

Now, since she already paid me, I'm wondering if I can go back to saying it... or if I'm bound to refrain the rest of the season??? Hmmmm.

I haven't heard a peep this season out of my SIL Shelby, who usually has several comments to make. Shelby, where are you???

Also, I know it's only Thursday morning, but where is Tracy, Talysa and Jenni??? Angie, Lori??? Come on, girls. Comments. Gimme.

I'm highly disappointed with the wild card picks. Don't get me wrong, I'm LOVING Ricky Braddy and Matt Giraud. Yay for that. But Jessie Langseth??? Seriously??? She has a good voice but her personality GRATES on my nerves. Tatiana??? I'd take Nick over her! (but then, I liked Nick)

I'm REALLY disappointed that Felicia and Ju'Not aren't getting another chance. They both out-sang Von, Tatiana, and Jessie!!!!! I'd buy Felicia and/or Ju'Not's CD. I hope they make it HUGE. Take THAT, AI.

Oh, and WHY did they only choose 8 wild cards??? Why not 12??? They could've let in some good singers to go with the jokes they picked.

And how dare Simon point out Jennifer Hudson. He blasted her that season. And she wasn't even a wild card!!! Was she?

Ok, hopping down from my soap box now! Have a great day!

Third 12 out of 36!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:05:00 +0000

Ok, I've got to hurry! Church is coming up and I haven't watched last night's episode yet...

Here we go...

Does it seem fair that Alexis, Danny and Michael have gotten more face time than anyone else?

Gotta admit, I'm kinda getting sick of Kara.

Fast forwarding through the judges silly banter.

Von Smith is first. This guy gets on my ever-last nerves!!!! How wide can someone open their mouth. Breathy at first and REALLY pitchy. But the chorus sounds kinda good as long as you don't look at him... oh, until the end of the chorus. BAD song choice. He has some fairly good moments, but all-in-all it's just not good enough, dawg. Nah. "Pitch perfect", Paula? Really?

Next, the pride of Hurricane, Utah, Taylor Vaifanua. Cute dress! Love it. The low notes aren't working for her. Honestly, after hearing Alicia Keys sing this song, Taylor just doesn't seem to have the chops. It's too rigid. "You've had a voice since the moment we met you" - Kara. GAG! Taylor's a sweet girl, but she's forgettable. Sorry.

Alex Wagner-Trugman is next. Geeky boy, but that could totaly work for him. I really like his tone. But the dancing!!!! And the growling!!! Oh, my word! I could do without both of those! What the crud???? What just happened? Did the spirit of Mufasa come over him? He lost that lovely tone that I dig and went haywire on us. I think if he had just sang normal and been dorky-adorable, he would be fine. Ha ha, Randy! "Did you forget something back there? What was with those dance moves?" Exactly.

Arianna Afsar is next and I looked her up on Youtube and she has a pretty good voice... so of course, I ranked her pretty high in my Fantasy league... which of course means she'll probably do horribly. Oh. My. Goodness. She is sooooooo off from the accompaniment music. What in the world? I don't even know what to say. I think she has a good voice deep down. What is with Kara telling people they don't know who they are as a person???? Paula always brings it back to the positive.

Ju'Not Joyner is next and he was one of my favorites throughout the auditions. I hope he does well. I like what he did with Delilah in Hollywood... so let's see. I saw some stuff he wrote on youtube and liked it a lot. Ummm, love his riffs. Love his take on this song. Love it a lot. This guy can sing. I completely appreciate the fact that he stayed in tune the entire song. THANK YOU!!!

Ugh, I just had to kick the boys out of my room. They are breaking my stride!

Fast-forwarding... but wait - did he just say something about his butt?

Kristen McNamara is next and there is something about this chick that bothers me. Don't know what. OH, I detest this arrangement of this song!!!!! I would say it's like bad dinner theatre, but I don't want to talk bad about dinner theatres. Theme park, anyone? She has a decent voice... but ugh! This version!!!!! So CHEESY!!!!!!! I agree with Kara for the first time tonight - but now I can't remember what she said that I agree with. Oh! I know - she should sing more Pink or Kelly Clarkson.

Oh, Nathaniel... our little flamer. Meatloaf? Seriously? Meatloaf. Why, Nathaniel? I think Nathaniel has legitimate talent and a good voice... but this is absolutely ridiculous. Methinks he's trying to out-flame Adam Lambert. All the pointing and the jumping... I thought I was watching aerobics. I do remember him singing "Disturbia" in Hollywood and loving it. I wish he had picked a different song.

Up next is my favorite, Felicia Barton. I've loved her from the get-go. I'm so glad they kick Joanna out, because Felicia could win, I think. She's cute and I listened to her stuff of youtube and loved it a lot. Ok, so she's singing "No One". Ooo, she's got a little Nelly Furtado thing going on. Ouch, she cracked a little, but I'm willing to forgive her. I like her. She has lost her groove towards the middle, but I think if she makes it to the top 12, she can really show us what she's got.

Scott is up next with Mandolin Rain. Good song choice. I'm just gonna say it - I'm not crazy about his voice or style. I think he made it this far because he's blind. I know that may sound cruel, but come on. Ok, good big note toward the end. Good job. I predict he'll get in the top 3. Probably beat out Felicia, bummer.

Ack! Fast forwarding! Gotta go to church.

Kendall Beard. I'm not expecting much from this girl. She's cute and has on a fantastic dress! She's not doing bad so far... but I'm just not crazy about it. Actually, it's not unpleasant. She's actually doing better than Kristen McNamara. Hmmm, well, until that big note she just botched. People may actually vote for her because they love country music. Her parents are beautiful!

Ok, so I ranked Jorge the least likely to make it through tonight in my pre-performance picks... but later heard that he did pretty well. Let's see... there's no question that he has a great voice. He can wail. But, I don't personally care for it. Abbey just said "is that Newt?" I just looked at her and she said "You know, a-NEWT. a-NEWT!" HA HA HA She meant Anoop! Cute little thang. Wow, Paula loves him a lot. She just wants to squeeze him. Aw, he's crying.

OK, so here's the thing about Lil Rounds. She's great and has a great story and a spunky personality. Great performance. She's a natural. But, she's just not my favorite. Don't know why. Just not. She'll probably be in the final 2 or 3 of the top 12. Maybe even go against Danny.

Alright- I'm sorry this wasn't my normal fun-loving AI blog. I'm in a rush!!!! We will do it all again tomorrow night!!!!! The wildcard!!!!! Go, Ricky & Matt!!!!

My prediction for top 3: Lil Rounds, Scott, and Ju-Not. BUT, I hope Felicia beats out Scott.

Wildcard from tonight. Nathaniel and maybe one other. ???

Have I mentioned I hate this format????

Second 12 out of 36!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:54:00 +0000

[Foreward: My SIL Jenni has asked me to refrain from saying a particular word in my American Idol blogs. She has offered to pay me $6 if I will stop typing the word "Gah!". Times are hard. I need $6, so I'm gonna try my level best to refrain from saying it. Now, I don't have a problem with the word. Like I told her, I'm a true child of the '80s and it just comes naturally. But apparently it reminds her of a certain blond bimbo, so I'm gonna TRY. I was itching to say it tonight. Itching!!!!!!]

The show begins with Ryan asking: Where else can you find a welder a bartender a font designer and a comedian?

My husband walks in the room and interjects, sarcastically: Church!

And this is the way we start the show. Again, Ryan is dressed down. Hmmm. Paula brought her cleavage along for the night.

I'm watching the show at 10:00pm because I had church tonight, and I've heard it wasn't very good.

Jasmine goes first. I've not been as enamored with Jasmine as some have been. She's cute, though. Ooo, she's singing Love Song. I can't wait til Abbey watches this tomorrow. Ok, here's the thing. It's hard to compare with the silky soulfulness of Sarah. But I think Jasmine got a little too into the song too early. She should've "sat on it" a little and let it build - she lost the soulfulness of the song. Her stage presence is lacking. She has confidence but got a little geeky with it.

Ooo, Matt Giraud is up next - he's my favorite. Please don't let me down, Matt! UGH. Off to a bad start. Crud - I picked him to go all the way in my fantasy league!!!! Oh, my goodness. WRONG SONG. And too fast. What is with the band/tracks being so fast this year? He sounded so nervous/shaky. Wow. I don't know what else to say. I'm bummed. Crud.

Jeanine Vailes is next. I've never heard her sing at all. Maroon5, huh? Maybe I could learn to like this girl. Man, those legs. Whoa, she is SHARP... as in almost out of tune. Yep, she just went completely off. I think the judges are being a little too hard on her. I agree with Kara (gasp!) that is was just way overdone. She could've settled into it a little, just like Jasmine. OH, my, she's begging now. How sad. Have some dignity, girl! This ain't the only rodeo!

Oh, goody! Nick is up next! I've been looking forward to this! Oh, gosh - I've had to PAUSE the show to laugh. Did you see his mom and dad??? His mom is smiling like a proud peacock. His dad is glaring with something close to hatred. Ok, resuming... Ok, now his dad is looking happier. I'm. Just. In. Shock. Don't know what to say. Except that I really wish he had just been normal and sang.

Again I ask, why does Paula wear her bangs in her eyes??? She needs to take some of those bangs and put them over her boobs.

Allison is next - I saw a video of her on youtube from when she was 14 and she was fairly good back them. She looks older than 16... and acts older than 16. Well, and she kinda acts... silly. Especially when she says "Alone". Gee, the track is killing me. She's a little spastic when she sings... but good job! Good voice! Best of the night so far. I'm now regretting not following my gut in my placement of her in my fantasy league now. I had a thought to rank her high but changed my mind at the last minute.

Kris Allen is up next. Don't know a thing about him! Have we heard him yet? Man in the Mirror? Are you kidding me? The track is too fast. Again. Ok, Kris isn't as bad as I thought he was going to be. I kinda like him. I just wish everyone would stop bouncing around when they sing. It makes them sound shaky. He might be a wildcard. Maybe? I liked what he did with "Everything". Again, I'm regretting my pick for him in my fantasy league. Ugh, are you sensing a trend???

Megan Corkery is next - she had a very unique voice in the auditions... but I don't know if she's a one-trick pony or what. "Put Your Records On". Ok. Her dancing is atrocious! Stop that! I like her sound, I really do. It's very jazzy. She needs to hold the mic because I'm losing her voice at times. Man, is she awkward!!! Beautiful face - good facial expressions. Just show her from the neck up! Wow, I completely agree with Simon, it started well and then she began to oversing.

Matt Breitszke is next. I like this guy. He reminds me of a bigger JJ Langford. Sweet guy. LOL! Aaron just woke up out of a dead sleep and said: "I was wondering what I would look like on American Idol" They do both bite their lower lip when dancing. Ha! Ok, back to Matt. He is a good singer, but there was a certain element of energy missing from this performance. He also should've held the mic. It was terribly boring.

OK, Jesse Langseth is next and I'm looking forward to hearing her. She kinda sounds like a dying cat on the chorus. Bad, bad song choice. It's so boring. She does as good as she can with it... but it's just bad. I would love to hear her on a different song. She started pretty good. Hated the chorus, though. She's a little trite. Is that the right word? Wildcard. "too cool for school" Wow, Simon. Very profound.

Kai is next. He's cute. He's so lovable. What a perfect song for his voice. It's impossible to make something new of an old song with this crappy track band playing. ugh. But even though his song was safe as can be, it was very enjoyable. He was good! I think he out-shone the other guys for real.

Mishavonna is next. I liked her voice in the auditions, or maybe it was Hollywood. Can't remember. Good start, Misha. To me, this is the best performance of the night because she's not over-doing it. She's a true performer. She knows what she's doing. I thought she did a GREAT job with that song. She has been my favorite so far tonight. GOOD LORD! Now they're hating on her for being too put-together! Jackie Tohn was too crazy, Misha is too put-together. Oy. I liked her a lot! I hate it when the judges try to discourage people from voting from someone who was good.

Adam Lambert is last. He scares me. Lots. He screams. Me no likey. I'm not saying he can't sing and perform. Musical Theatre, you don't say! Shocker. Satisfaction. Really? Wow, he's a little girlie to me. Wow, his range is higher than mine! Great performer, no doubt. Energetic. But I would NOT buy his record nor would I want to hear him over and over. Maybe ever again. Ha!

Ok, for tomorrow night, here's who I think will get through: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta and Megan Corkery.

Matt's fans might surprise us but I think he'll go Wildcard along with Kris and Jasmine. Or maybe Misha?

Later!

Season 8, yo!!!! First 12 out of top 36!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:36:00 +0000

Here we go! It's been a long time... and yes, I have missed you. Whoever "you" are. :-) Let's do this!

I'm very excited about this season. They actually have some real singers this year.

Oh, gawd. Paula's hair is back to looking horrible. WHY??? She actually looked great and acted semi-normal during the audition process. What happened in between then and now? Come on, Paula!!!

Ryan is looking very casual tonight. Hmmm. Simon is in a black shirt, as usual. Moving on.

Hits from the hot 100??? That's a broad spectrum. Gee.

I'm gonna go ahead and predict Danny Gokey will shine. That said, let's say hi to the first 12 performers...

Helloooooo, Jackie Tohn. I like this girl - but she seems a little older than her age. Oh, no, those pants. Oh, no, the lip curl! What the heck is she doing??? She's making a fool of herself. She's energetic but I feel like I'm at King's Island in the late 80's. Of all of the songs she could do... this is just downright annoying. She's funny, though. She reminds me of Chelsea Handler. Buh-bye Jackie Tohn.

ha, whenever I hear Simon talk, all I can think of is the bonus material on the Shrek 2 DVD.

Ricky Braddy - Belmont student - is up next. The Braddy Bunch is quite a fierce little fan club, too. He might make it through. Never heard him sing. Will now. A Song For You - Leon Russell. Crowd fave, usually. I LIKE HIM. Love his phrasing. He's taking a tired song and putting a little spin on it. Love his tone. His tricks. He knows what he's doing. I hope he somehow makes it into the top 12. There is just a SLIGHT hint of showtune quality to his voice at times... but hey.

Alexis Grace is next. I thought she did well in Hollywood week. Based on that, I picked her to be the girl that goes through. Ooh, she's doing Aretha. She better bring it. Good control at the beginning!!! The girl has soul, that's fo sho. I thoroughly enjoyed this performance!!!! Made me wish it was me singing that song. Ow! She's good.

Ha ha, look at Paula's bracelet. It's like the one Tatiana wore.

Brent Keith is a cutie, but can he get enough of a fan base? Oopsie, the tape messed up. Aw, he's a sweet guy. Hicktown. Great. Yeah, I can already tell he ain't going far. He's just not good enough. I like him. I hope someone helps him make a country album or something. Maybe he needs to go to Nashville Star. His performance is just awkward. And frankly, his singing is not very good.

Next is Maci Ashworth - I mean, Stevie Wright! She totally looks like my friend Maci. I can't remember if this girl can sing or not. Taylor Swift. Ok. Oh, good Lord. It starts of BAD. Poor girl. She seems like a sweet little girl, but this is just PAINFUL. Ouch. Seriously, how in the world did she make it this far????

Anoop Dawg is in the house. He has some fans. It's India's year. Slumdog, yo. He has a silky smooth voice... but was this the right song choice? I think not. He may not make it through this time, but may come back as a wild card. He can sing, but BAD song choice. What is up with those backups? And the band sounds like a band at a jr high dance. Eeek.

Casey Carlson is next. She's a cute girl, but I cannot remember her voice. The Police??? No, girl. Don't mess up my Police. And why the lip curl??? Why? Ok, so this is a weird song choice... but she has some interesting aspects to her voice. This performance sounds like it needs to be in a musical. And all those winks. Gah. (I love musicals, though.) Wow, watch her face while they are critiqueing her! she's downright pouting.

Ooo, I'm so ready for Michael! I want America to love him! I loved his voice throughout auditions. He's very soulful. Yay, Gavin!!!! One of my favorite songs! And he can pull it off. Yes, way to attack that song. Used to be, contestants only gave it their all after they had been voted off. I just like him. He's likable. Lay off him, Randy!

Ok, so next is Anne Marie. She's likable, but she's not my favorite. Hmmm, she's a demo singer. Didn't know that. Natural Woman. Starts VERY shaky. Eeek. Breathe through it, Anne Marie. I'm gonna tell you 2 things right now: 1) if she makes it over Alexis Grace, it will be a shame. 2) She looks weird when she sings. Also, she seems like she is trying to mimic Celine Dion. ??? She hit some of the belty notes, but it didn't transcend into the rest of the song. Wow, she just slammed Sarah Barellis. Or however you spell her name.

Steven Fowler. He better do better than when he forgot his lyrics. Michael Jackson. A little Rock wit you. He was way off pitch at the beginning. He is sharp as all get-out. Where is the band? I don't see them. Wow, he cracked. Twice. Ouch. Didn't like it. Buh-bye.

Oh, my. Tatiana is next. What will she sing? I think she has potential, but a CRAZY personality. Whitney Houston. How very appropriate. She has such a nice, rich belt voice. She was pitchy throughout the song, but I like the big parts... her belt reminds me of Bernadette Peters. yes, that's who she reminds me of. Oh, Lord. Is she gonna make it through?

I'm hungry. Is this show over yet?

Ok, let's hear Danny Gokey! Everyone's favorite! Man, he looks so much like Robert Downy, Jr. So much! He starts off pretty strong. Love his tone. Mmmmm. Nice. Aaaand, Paula is up. Wish he had chosen a different song - it's a little rushed, too. Ok, hands down he sounds the best of the night. Great singer. Love his style. It's gonna be fun watching him. Ha, you can tell he's a minister.

My top 3 picks for the night? Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Ricky Braddy. HOWEVER, I wouldn't be surprised if Anoop Dawg replaced Ricky Braddy. That would be a bummer, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Later!

Top 3 - Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:29:00 +0000

Tonight, I am including random comments from my daughter, who is watching it with me for the first time this season.

My boys are outside playing with water guns I bought for $1 (for 5 of them!) at Walmart. Lincoln has no pants on - big shocker!. they have been playing for 2 hours.

What Abbey said about:
Paula - "She's really cheesy"
David Archuleta - "He's so cute"
David Cook - "He's not a good singer. Who is that woman? His grandmother?"
Simon - "He'd probably kill me if he heard what I was saying about him."
Syesha - "She's really pretty." And Luke said "She's singing Beaver? I know how that goes... 'I'm a country girl...beaver. Is that a country song?" And then Abbey said "Well, miss (wiggly eyebrows)" (This is while she was singing "Fever". Ha!)
Abbey and Luke didn't know I was writing down their comments - so their words were very innocent. Ha!

I think tonight is the best Syesha has ever done. The judges are on crack.

David Cook is doing Switchfoot. Awesome. Very cool. Ok, it starts a little rocky. This is a hard song to sing, and I can't say that he did it all that well. For people who had never heard the song, they might've liked it. Not me, though.

I don't know what everyone's problem with Syesha is tonight. I think she has kicked booty tonight.

Loved David Archuleta's version of Longer. beautiful!

Liked David Cook's last song. Didn't LOVE it, but I liked it.

Ok, so how many times have we heard it said that this is a SINGING competition. Well, if that's the case then based on tonight, Syesha won. David Archuleta botched his words all over the place on his second song. He botched it so bad that they couldn't even find a snippet of him NOT messing up to show on the ending roll-through. I mean, it's ok - he IS 17. But, don't rip other people to shreds for forgetting the lyrics and then just let him slide through. ya know?

I realize this blog is very incoherent and all over the place. Sorry. But, it's done!!! Whoo hoo!

Who will win? Probably Archie. Who will go home tomorrow night? Probably Syesha. I didn't think she would make it THIS far, but they were right that she peaked at the right moment. Now.

Top 5 - Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Well, my mother emailed to inform me that I had yet to post my blog for last night's performance and that I had better get on it. Ha! I've sucked her in! I love it!

So, it's almost 4pm on Wednesday and I'm just now watching the show. As I explained to mom, I opted to deep clean our master bedroom last night instead of watch. Here we go!

Yes, I already heard about Paula's... whatever you want to call it. Mental breakdown? Whoops-a-daisy? Stupidity? Ok, that was harsh. But, come on. I KNEW they were feeding her lines to her. Now I have proof.

Carrying on...

Paula actually looks... pretty tonight. I just wish she would get her bangs out of her eyes! Grrr.

I love Niel Diamond. That's who my husband sounds like when he tries to sing. We rented The Jazz Singer in our first year of marriage. I really liked it!

Jason goes first. Aw, he's so cute. I know some people think he's air-headed. I just think he's unpretentious. OK, he's singing. At first, my thought was "Uh, he's singing it too low." But then he took it up an octave and I really liked it! He has that lazy, folksy sound that goes well with the song.

Next is David Cook. His personality is weird tonight. A little cocky? Already, David? You're still a contestant. Still, I'm looking forward to him singing. Somehow when Neil said he got goosebumps and David said "Really?", I doubt that he was at all surprised. Wow, he sounds amazing on this song. [Ha, Lincoln just came up and told me to change this to something else for kids.] Really nice. I liked it - but man, does he look over-confident on this show.

Brooke - are you a hugger or a hand-shaker? Ha. "I'm a Believer" is first. Man, I gotta be honest - it's just boring me to death. This song? For the top 5? And she's doing something weird with her mouth that makes me wonder if the producers are staying away from closeups for that very reason. Eh. It was fine.

Little Archie is up next. Mr. Diamond calls him a prodigy. Ew - is it just me, or is he very pitchy throughout the first part of the song? I've never really heard him be this "off" except for when he forgot the words to the Stevie song. Ah, I didn't care for it. He seems a litle too young and innocent to be singing about such things! But the girls liked it, didn't they?

Syesha has improved the past few weeks. Neil looks really good for his age, whatever his age is. Hello, Again is such a beautiful song. Such beautiful melodies. She needs to commit to it a little more. Attack it, Syesha! Ok, here she goes. Pretty. Nothing spectacular, but very pretty.

OK, all of the contestants are coming out. Randy starts giving his opinion... man! While he's critiquing David Cook, David has his eyebrow cocked much like I imagine his attitude might be. Archulate, the bomb? No way. OH PAULA. Oh, oh oh. She tries to cover it, VERY badly. Oh, Paula. Just keep your quacky mouth shut. Oh, sickening. I completely agreed with Simon on almost everything, except (surprise) I liked Jason's performance better than Simon did.

How can Paula show her face after that? It's like someone woke her up from a dead sleep and she was trying to pretend like she knew what was going on. Sad.

Here we go with round 2...

Jason goes again with September Morn. I love the the tone of his voice when he starts out - despite the fact that he was a little out of tune. Honestly, this is one of my favorite songs of his. If he could stay in tune, this could be a hit for him. Does that make any sense at all? Ew, it ends badly, though. Oh, Randy, stop saying it's a singing competition. We all know it's not. Aw, poor Jason. He got clobbered. Here's the thing about Jason. He makes the kind of music that you want to pop into the cd player when you're going to be sitting out by the beach or in your backyard watching the clouds go by. He's not David Cook. He's just Jason and I like him. His style is needed, too.

David Cook - ugh, I wish he wasn't so good. I'd love to not like him. Ok, he hit a slightly sour note right at the beginning. Can they not hear tonight? I like his first song better. But this one is good, too. Good arrangement. Ooh, nice vocal fade out of hte big chorus. Nice. He's definitely the strongest of the night so far.

Brooke looks cute tonight - I really like her outfit. Well, the beginning of this song is the best I've heard her... but oh, my! When she gets to the chorus, it's some of the most awkward display of performing I've seen in a long time. Ack, my eyes! My eyes! Ok, as the song ended, I thought I heard someone say "She just... she hit a bad note" Huh? What was that all about??? Ugh, she is so spastic.

Little Archie is at it again - oh, gosh. He is just so B O R I N G to me. He just cracked. It's like he doesn't know what ad libs he wants to do. And his high notes are very thin and unsupported. Now, for most people I would still say it's amazing... but for him, it was not good. I agree with Paula - it was the perfect song for him to sing because no one will vote him off after singing that song. Remember Kristy Lee Cook singing God Bless the USA? Uh huh.

Ha ha ha ha ha! Ryan grabs that kid's head and the kid just looked at her mom like "Mommy save me."

Syesha closes out the show and she brings down the house. There are some pitchy places, but all in all I really enjoyed it! Oh, dear God, Paula just called her Brooke! She did! I ran it back several times, and she sure did. Simon is WAY off on this. Syesha had one of the better performances of the night. I loved this second song. If she goes before Brooke, it will PROVE that it's not a singing competition because she sings circles around Brooke. Puhleeze.

Ok, I'm all done. The Davids aren't going anywhere. Maybe Jason deserves to go, but I doubt he will. It will be between Brooke and Syesha... and I fear Syesha will be the one to bite the dust.

Top 6 - Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:30:00 +0000

It's Earth Day. In honor of Earth Day, we had Daniel Wornicov come over and do our landscaping in our front yard, ha ha. He did an amazing job!!!! Just doing our part. Ha ha.

I was a Musical Theatre major, so Andrew Lloyd Webber is a hero of mine. I love his work. He's genius. This should either make or break people tonight...

Syesha gave me chills. She was REALLY good - musical theatre is def her genre! She was beautiful, cute, funny and her voice sounded great.

Jason is my man - I thought he was brilliant last week... but this week scares me. I'm just not sure his folky style will go with anything Sir Webber has written. Memory. Ok. It actually starts off good. I like it so far, but the low part is coming and... ew. But... then the unthinkable happens. He just is so adorable and sweet and I just ended up loving it!!! There was just something about it. No, Randy, I do NOT think it was a vocal trainwreck. Yes, Paula, I actually agree with you. It was different, but it wasn't bad. I just liked it. Nope, don't agree with Simon, either. I think he sold it, actually.

Oh, Brooke. Brooke, Brooke, Brooke. Why am I so NOT looking forward to this. Oh, MY! Did he really just say that??? Oh... well. He thinks she's a natural actress. WHAT???? Oh, my Lord. She just freaking started over on American Idol. Has that ever happened before on this show? This is just painful to me. I just want to fast-forward. The bridge wasn't too bad vocally... but she is so darn goofy. Wow, Paula seems really pissed that Brooke started over. That was some awkward silence right there. Now they are all fighting about whether she should've stopped or not. Blah. It reminds me of a funny moment I had in a musical one time. (Gosh, I feel like Randy right now) I was performing this REALLY wordy song and right in the middle of it, just before a key change, I lost my words. Once you got off, there was NO getting back on. So, I literally went "lah de dah de dah de dah... " and then pointed to the orchestra pit and yelled "KEY CHANGE!" Buzz, the pianist, actually fell off of the piano stool laughing. It was a fitting moment for the fun song that it was. Liza Minelli had made the song famous - it was called "Ring Those Bells" from the musical "And the World Goes 'Round". Ahh, the good ole days.

Hmmm, David Archuleta is next. Has he used up all of his cheesy inspiration moments? Wow, this is interesting. He has changed the vibe and feel of this song. Very different. He is really trying to keep his eyes open. I'm so used to him closing them that it actually seemed weird to me that he opened them. I wasn't in love with it, honestly. I could barely hear him through most of it, but it may be because I'm on the flat-panel TV. As usual, I liked his runs. :-) Andrew Lloyd Webber did NOT look happy - and Archie was apologizing when the song was done - did he mess up somewhere????

Carly is going Jesus Christ, Superstar. Awesome. I was actually in this musical and worked harder than I've ever worked "physically" in a show... until 2 years later when I broke my foot during Sweet Charity (I was Charity) and performed the whole musical in a leg cast. (Man, I AM Randy tonight!!! Dawg.) Anyway, I liked the performance and energy from Carly tonight. I have to add that when we performed JC Superstar, we changed A LOT of the musical to make it more reverent and true. Anyway... Jesus Christ IS my superstar.

I'm totally PUMPED about David Cook tonight. I think he has the perfect voice for a rock musical. David has had 3 bad weeks, so I'm counting on him to make a comeback this week. Pretend he's singing to a 17 year old? I hope not! He's in his 20's... oh, 25. Oooh, I'm so glad he's doing this song. Oh, my. His voice sounds like BUTTER!!!!!! It's GORGEOUS. I just gasped. This is so beautiful. Wow. Can I say enough? David Cook - RUN to Broadway. And quickly make an album so I can buy it. Awesome ending, too!!!!! Best ever!

Best of the night? Syesha and David Cook.

Worst? Brooke. Jason was a close second. Sorry! I still love you, Jason!

Top 7 - Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:04:00 +0000

There is much I wanted to blog about for the Idol Gives Back night... I haven't done it yet, but might still in the next few days.

Jenni and Shelby both thought Jason had a strange look on his face after Michael Johns got voted off, so I just spent the past few minutes re-watching the last 5 minutes or so of last week's elimination night. Hmmm. I can't really say he looked strange - I think he was just a bit shocked. He kept looking out into the audience - perhaps at Johnsie's family? I don't know. But, I do know this - it made me sick all over again watching Johnsie get kicked off again. Blech. Hate it!

Ok, so tonight is Mariah Carey night. I don't quite know what to make of that. Will the boys stink? Will Brooke be able to pull it off? Will Syesha blow it? Well, let's get on with it and see!

It's midnight as I watch this, so it will definitely be knee-jerk reaction tonight. Ryan is getting a huge applause. Ah, his ex g'friend, Teri Hatcher, is out there.

Does it seem to anyone else that David Cook has on the same outfit each week?

I have to admit that Mariah was very much an idol of mine when she first came out. I loved her belty voice. Now, she's just strange to me. I won't deny that she is a huge talent, she is just a little slutty - as far as performance goes. Now, she seems like a very nice person as she's talking to the contestants.

Finally, David Archuleta is going first. Has he ever gone first? Cool - he's doing one of my favorite songs. When You Believe. However, it's a ballad, as usual. Ah, well - he rocks it. I like that he's doing a lot of runs, but he picked a weird place to do them - right at the beginning of the chorus. Wow, he has such great control on his runs. Honestly, this is one of my least favorite performances by little Davey A. But, it was really good. Maybe too many runs? I don't know.

Hmmm, Carly is going 2nd??? Notoriously, whoever goes 2nd ends up in the bottom 3. Simon is out to get her, I think. Why? Ok, now, this is the BEST she has looked! Nice dress! Without You - very good song choice, I think. Carly has such an amazing voice - I just wish she wouldn't furrow her brow so much. You know, it has been suggested that she had a bit of a crush on Johnsie. He's gone. And now she's singing "Without You". Coincidence? WHAT? What the heck is Simon whispering about in Paula's ear? Did he know that his mic was still on? Now, personally, I think this was one song where she could've just sung it as it was instead of playing around with the melody... but whatever. Simon was really hard on her - I thought it was ok.

Syesha is next - she looks really pretty. Ok, now I know this song because it's from the Emotions album and I was a big fan back then. But, the question is, will anyone else? And, this is one song that Mariah just kicked booty on - with her amazing pitch control. I am finding Syesha's rendition just irritating. mariah was so perfect on this song that it's hard not to compare. Yes, there were a couple of pitchy moments, Randy. No, Paula, it doesn't help me not compare... I know this song! I would listen to it over and over and try to emulate (to NO avail) Mariah. So, of course that's all I hear is Mariah in my head. Probably not many other people in America can say the same, though. That will definitely work in Syesha's favor, I think.

Oh, Lordy, Brooke is next. I have to say she is getting on my nerves lately. Her speaking voice kills me. Of course, she is singing Hero! She's going for sympathy votes. Mariah looked less than impressed. WHY is she playing piano on this song??? it's gonna be hard enough to sing a Mariah song without making it harder by playing along. MC writes her songs with some funky chords in them. Hang on, I gotta run this back and really listen. Oh, goodness, she is rushing the crap out of this song. Her rhythm is all off. She looks so nervous! Shaking. It just wasn't very good. Gag, here goes Paula with the "authentic" blubber again. Amen that Ryan and Brooke look great on stage together with their colors. I like her dress.

Kristy Lee is next - I had forgotten all about this song. Hmmm, this might be a good choice for little miss Kristy. Nah, the beginning is B A D. There is a 50's sound to this song that bodes well for Kristy. Aw, Lincoln just came stumbling into my room, dragging his blankie behind him. I might have to stop here. If I hit play again, he might wake up and want to watch. Let's see what happens. I have to say that Kristy is listening to someone - whoever has told her to show more emotion in her face. Her sweet spot is in the notes that she holds out up high. A much better sound for her. She is actually getting better each week. That's something. P.S. I do have one bit of constructive advice to give to Kristy - PLEASE stop wearing the glittery eyeshadow. Every week? Come on. It makes her look like she has pink eye.

Now it's time for David Cook and I am very excited. Considering what he did with "Hello" and "Billie Jean" and "Eleanor Rigby" (even if some WERE covers of covers), I think he's going to hit it out of the park with MC night. "Always Be my Baby"? Wow, this should be interesting. Geez - he is majorly out of tune at the beginning. David, what has happened to you??? Last week AND this week? David was the most solid singer of all up til now. Pitch-wise, anyway. Ok, I'm resuming... Ok, seriously? It COULD have been really great. It was in the totally wrong key for him. Raise that key, David Cook! But, who am I? The judges are singing his praises and I'm glad. He's crying???!! He's so Emo. I definitely want to go back and listen to it again when I can turn it up and not have someone snoring in my ear. Ha.

Lastly is Jason Castro, one of my faves. Have I mentioned that? Also, I really miss Johnsie. Ok, so here goes Jason. "I Don't Wanna Cry" is one of my favorite MC songs! yay! Go, Jason. Alright, you know, I really like this. It's so different. I love the vibe. This is the only contestant this year that Aaron ever comments on. He really likes Jason, too. And he hasn't watched any of this season.

Two things are clear to me after watching tonight's episode:

1) Mariah Carey was one of the best mentors they've had on the show. Seriously. She gave some really constructive advice. She helped them - and she wrote some great songs. That always helps.

2) I predict the bottom 3 to be as follows: Brooke, Carly and Syesha.

Good night!

Top 8 - Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:30:00 +0000

Oh, my goodness! I haven't posted my blog in 3 weeks! How have my loyal fans been able to stand it? Ok, maybe just Shelby and Jenni... but still!!! I'm back. Rest easy.

Ha ha, Abbey walked in to tell me good night earlier when I had the show on and she saw Paula and said "What does she have on??? Her boobs are showing!" Now, personally I thought her dress was pretty, but I'm not 8 years old. (Abbey isn't, either, for a few more weeks)

Michael Johns starts things off and I gotta tell you - last week, he was SMOKIN' HOT. I mean, I was mesmerized last week... so I was really looking forward to his performance tonight. He did not disappoint!!! WOW. I thought it was amazing. I had to watch it twice, it was so good. The boy can sing. Randy! Are you on drugs? Randy must have a burr up his butt. Ridiculous. Johnsie was ON. Love him. He has improved every week. Whoo hoo!

Syesha is next. In my Fantasy American Idol Pre-performance picks, I picked Syesha to go bye bye. I just don't see her connecting with the audience. She is not a bad singer. Oh, no! She's trying to do Fantasia. Last week was Whitney and this week is Fantasia. Is she nuts? Ok, she is doing a great job FROM WHAT I CAN HEAR. They have the horns turned up WAY too loud. I can't even hear her vocals!!!! I think she nailed it... but I still think she will go home. Sorry. Ok, Abbey might have a point. Paula's boobs have a life of their own tonight!

Here's my man, Jason Castro. I just love this little guy. His hair gets on my nerves a little - I just want to smooth it down. Oooh, I LOVE this version of this song. I think he's doing a great job with it, but I would've LOVED to see him drop the uke and get up and sing it out just a little more. Just my opinion. But then again, that is not really his style and I do dig his style a lot. The TV audio mix is whacky tonight. In this song, the strings are really loud.

Kristy Lee is next and she has absolutely defied logic. It'a almost a joke now. Last week was Country music week - her GENRE, for heaven's sake - and she came in second to last. This week, she is actually singing the crap out of this song! I mean that in a great way. And she actually had EMOTION in her eyes. Amazing. Kristy Lee has sung for her supper tonight and might have saved herself from being in the bottom 3. She sang it well.

David Cook is next and he has won me over every week since being in the top 12. But everyone has their bad nights and I fear this one is David's. I heard a rumor about what song he was going to sing and was NOT excited. It's just not a great singer-song. So, here he goes. Ugh. He sounds like he's in the wrong the key. Then, he starts screaming. He sounds like he's rushing. Oh, my goodness! What is up with the mix on the TV audio tonight? I hear ONE of the 10 backup vocalists as though she's in my living room. Wow, he's getting into it like a worship leader. Aw, I like the little encouraging word written on his hand at the end. I agree that the song wasn't sung very well. But I thought he did ok with it as far as performance-wise.

Carly is singing The Show Must Go On. Hmmm, have I heard this song? Dunno, let's see. Yeah, I have. I think Paris Bennett did this song a few years ago. It's a bad tonight as it was then. The poor people on the front row kinda look shell-shocked. This was horrible. She was out of tune and screechy. Ok, and can I say - what is up with that outfit??? Simon said she looks good, but I don't. I thought he was very rude last week to her... but she should've taken his advice. She may have just saved Syesha Mercado.

David Archuleta is up next. I hear he's singing Angels. This should be good. Little David has a great instrument. When he finally hits puberty, he will be unstoppable. Ha ha ha. Anyway... ok, the beginning of the song is boring as can be. And then, when it gets to going, the crappy TV mix is KILLING ME!!!! I can't hear him for the strings and backup vocals!!! Is it just this TV? I'm going to go upstairs and re-listen to a few of them and see if it's any better. I have to agree with Randy - the last 5 seconds of the song were the best of the whole song. More runs! more runs!!! Get funky, David.

Brooke is closing the show? Hmmm, how crafty of them. She was in the bottom 3 last week and so they put her in the pimp spot tonight. I hear she's singing You've Got a Friend. That should be right up her alley. Of course, I thought that last week, too. Oooh, she starts out strong. Good move on not playing an instrument this week. And FINALLY, she is singing a song in the right key! Yay, Brooke. Jolene was too low. She can actually sing up higher than she thinks. There go those strings and BGVs again! Grrr. Nicely done, Brookie! Nicely done. Randy is being a turd tonight. What's wrong with him? I'm sure Brooke is safe this week. She MIGHT be in the bottom 3, but she won't go home this week. And most likely, she won't be in the bottom 3.

So, there! I did it! Yay!

Top 9 Performance Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:52:00 +0000

Since I obviously have missed a few weeks of posting, i wanted to AT LEAST include some thoughts I posted on my Fantasy American Idol comments page:

Wow, was I wrong in my PP Picks last night.

Brooke was awful. She was out of tune, rushed and sang the song in the wrong key for her. She should've taken it higher.

Ramiele has gotten progressively worse each week. It was so bad I almost felt bad for her.

Kristy Lee actually had moments of "betterness" (I know that's not a word) but all in all was just not good enough.

On the other hand, David Cook's vocals were so good that I picked up the phone and voted for the first time this season. Gasp. He was spot-on. Darn it!

I thought Jason gave one of his best vocal performances to date, but I don't know if anyone will appreciate it but me. Sorrow.

Carly was brilliant in her rendition of Here You Come Again. I LOVED it. It was the first time I was impressed with her all season.

Oh, and Johnsie. Whoo. I lost myself for a moment and felt completely mesmerized by his performance. It was hot. Sorry. :-)

Archie was good but whatever. I definitely wasn't hating Syesha, but there's no way someone can be remembered fondly for singing that song. Just... no.

Those were my quick ramblings!

Top 11 - Performance Night, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:50:00 +0000

I'm sitting here with Shelby, watching a day late.

Randy is yawning...Paula is sparkly...and Simon just winked.

Ew, Simon just winked again. What is up with that?

Amanda Overmyer is first - she is the Gretchen Wilson of American Idol this year. She likes the stage better than singing on a flatbed truck. Yeeeeeehaw! Back in the USSR. The backups are SO loud. It's the best I've seen her look - and she definitely looks right at home on stage. She is having a blast... and I'm JUST ABOUT to be won over by this chick! What is going on here?!?!?! Um, hello judges. She IS what she is. I knew she wasn't going to change when I heard her in Hollywood. Why are you surprised?

Kristy Lee Cook - Is it bad to dread hearing a contestant? She has a sparkly top, too. Did she and Paula shop together? You've God to Hide Your Love Away. Poor girl thinks it's a new song. Maybe she just meant new to her. She started out so strong on the verses. It was probably the best I've heard her. But then she hit the chorus and all heck broke loose. Will her cowboy boots be enough to keep her another week? I think she was singing the chorus wrong. I'll have to ask my aunt Mary. Ha! Randy just said EXACTLY what I just said to Shelby about the melody being wrong. Shelby just mentioned that when Paula tells you that you look nice, it's the kiss of death. Simon: "Musical Wallpaper - you notice it but you don't remember it" Classic. Uh oh - I can't even repeat what Kristy Lee just said to Simon. I strive to keep this blog rated PG!!!

David Archuleta - Let's see if the little cutie can remember his words and hold it together tonight. Ahhhhh, the beginning is MAGICAL. When this little guy is on his game, he is ON IT. Lovely. He's kicking butt and taking a bunch of names. His voice is just so pleasant. He has just the right mix of hitting the right notes and adding in the runs and colors. He did what he did best.

I wish Paula would get her bangs out of her eyes. PLEASE!!!!

Michael Johns - A Day in the Life. Wow, that's a tall order to condense this song to a minute and a half. In many ways, I think this is the best he has sounded. He is putting a lot of emotion into it. He had one little flub with the chorus. He was actually singing instead of grunting and growling through it. Just MHO. I like it. Shelby didn't care for it and neither did Randy. Let's see what Paula and Simon have to say... I don't agree with Simon that it was a mess. Aw, he is such a cutie - don't be so mean to him!

Brooke White as the driven snow. That's a very interesting dress. Oh, Here Comes the Sun. Ok, the dress makes sense. Hmm, that little twirl was very awkward. Oh, my. this whole song is very awkward. Very. Awkward. Almost show choir-ish. Uhhh, are Randy and I on the same wave-length? He says the same thing I say, right after. Is Simon going to say she acted like a drunk cousin at the wedding reception?

David Cook - he's doing the Whitesnake version of Daytripper. Hmmm. Ok, I really like it so far. He is confident. He really uses that sideways lip snarl a lot. It wasn't as good as the past 2 weeks but it was better than most. Simon says he looked smug throughout. What's new about that?

I can't blog about the rest... I gotta get ready for church. More later

Top 12 - Performance night

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:09:00 +0000

We’re still in St. Simons Island (or Sea Island), GA. But, Aaron is snoring after a long day of golfing so I thought I would watch American Idol. How, you may ask? Because our room has stinkin’ TiVo!!!! Can you believe that??? And of course I thought ahead enough to record it.

Ryan introduces the judges and asks them what they think about it being Lennon-McCartney night. Randy reiterates word-for word what the guy from Billboard just said on the video. Way to be redundant, Randy.

Big set – nice

Syesha goes first - “Got to Get You Into My Life” I honestly didn’t know this was a Lennon-McCartney song. Who performed this song? I don’t like it. She’s not in the pocket. She seems like she’s being eaten up by that big stage. But, she ends very strong. Lucky for her. Ok, Earth, Wind and Fire! Of course! That’s where I heard it. This performance reminds me of the first season when it was bare-bones and had the ghetto setup.

Does it seem like the audience is smaller this year? I don’t like it. I don’t like the feel at all. I miss last year’s stage and setup. I like the bigger, more energetic audience.

Chikezie – I like ole Chikezie. Do I think he has longevity? No. Sorry. Oh, my Ryan. What are you doing? Ooo, I LOVE the way he started this song. Although I have to admit that I thought he might’ve been a little bit off-beat. But I guess he wasn’t. Say what you want – Chikezie entertained tonight and no one will forget his performance tonight. His mom cracks me up. Her Holy Ghost experience is directly tied to how well Chikezie does. Oh no! What is wrong with Ryan tonight? Is he just trying to kill time? He’s making an ass of himself.

Ramiele Malubay – Who knew Ramiele was so dull? Her backstory is boring me to tears. “In My Life” is a great song, but it may be her undoing. Ooo, she botched the first 2 or 3 notes. Ew, this is just not good. I like the tone of her voice so much, but she is just not singing this well. Bad move starting on the steps, too. She looked very awkward trying to walk across the stage. Now we know why she stayed put in previous performances.

Jason Castro – my personal favorite. What’s up with the flowers in his hair? Aw, he’s so cute. I love him. This is a hard song to sing with all the jazz chords! Man, if he just had a few voice lessons, he would kill it. He is so endearing, even if he does have some strange facial expressions. The song was not boring, Simon. Oh, gee. The Kardashian family is there. Wonder who Kim is scamming on.

Ooo, Simon just threatened Ryan Seacrest. Was he hinting that he would fire him? Interesting.

Carly Smithson – “Come Together” Cool. Ok, she’s having fun with it tonight. She is definitely in her element tonight. But can I just say one thing? I HATE the lyrics of this song! Toe-jam football? Gag.

David Cook – I don’t want to be mean but he just strikes me as a sweaty person. Ew, with painted fingernails. “Eleanor Rigby” I had decided long ago that I didn’t like this guy, so WHY is he winning me over lately??? I loved his “Hello” version last week. Now, I’m totally digging this tonight. Loved the arrangement. Stellar. Dang it. Why can’t he suck? Who in the world does he remind me of???

Brooke White – possibly the nicest girl in the world. “Let it Be” She sounds like Old Country to me tonight. I liked last week better. She should’ve stepped away from the piano. Ugh, she’s not only boring me to tears but she is so out of tune when she tries to jam it up. I don’t think she’ll go home but it was not her best performance. I can’t believe Simon said it was. He must really like blondes.

David Hernandez – it’s so weird how he keeps skirting around the whole gay stripper thing. Pizza Bistro? Nice try. I think he’s one of the best singers in the competition. He just has such a great voice. One of his runs on this song went a lot sour, though. He is commanding the stage. I guess he feels right at home on stage. With or without clothes, ha ha. I can’t resist. It’s too easy! Interesting – the judges are slamming him. Have they caught too much flack from keeping him in the competition? He took the criticism well. Aw, what a good attitude for a stripper.

Amanda Overmyer – I just have to admit that I don’t like her voice. I agree that she can perform. I just don’t like HEARING her. This is the prettiest she has looked in the entire competition. Hang on a second... She didn’t change the lyrics in this song. She said “Don’t be talking to him” Strange.

As the show has gone on, I have completely forgotten about Syesha’s performance. It seemed so amateur. And it just seems like the rockers are ruling this year.

Michael Johns – such a cutie. Tennis coaching. Ha! Love the shirt with the Vegemite on it. I tried that for the first time at Christmas, thanks to my neighbors, the Scholls. “Across the Universe” Great song. Wow, this is the best I’ve heard his voice. Great pitch. I wish he would control that vibrato a little bit. I liked it.

Kristy Lee Cook – her days are numbered if there is any justice in the world. Alaina should’ve been in the top 12 instead of her. Kristy, have you heard of a little production called “Nashville Star”? Poor little girl – it wasn’t even great singing. She botched every single run. She just has this “I’m scared to death” look on her face. It’s boring. Redundant. Gah, they need to vote her outta there. Simon’s hair looks horrendous this year. A huge fan base? Really? I hadn’t heard.

David Archuleta – Gosh, he looks so TINY! NO WAY! He just flubbed the lyrics! Good for him for pushing through. He looks SCARED to death. Aw, I just want to hug him. Oh, he is botching this whole song. It’s very Show Choir. The song is bigger than he is. I was NOT expecting this at all. Man. Too bad he didn't save "Imagine" for this week. Bummer.

If I have to pick someone to go home, it’s going to be either 1) Kristy Lee Cook, 2) Ramiele or 3) Syesha I think the guys are safe this week.

Say it ain't so!

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:28:00 +0000

How can this be???

I'm ashamed to admit that I came in DEAD LAST this week in my Fantasy American Idol picks.

You know what this means, don't you?

It is time for me to get serious.

I have relaxed this year in my AI dedication... half-heartedly watching, not doing my "research", etc.

No more!

I shall make a victorious comeback this week! I cannot let my fans down. People are looking to me to be an informed blogger, if not a winner in AI Fantasy-land.

I shall do my level best from here on out.

Or not.

Whatever.

Top 16 - Women

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:31:00 +0000

It's 12:30pm and I'm just now getting around to watching AI. Man, life is just too busy sometimes. Ha! ;-P

Some of these girls look different every time I see them! What is up with that? Carly, especially.

Oh, goodness, Paula's hair. Is that a belt buckle in her hair?

Ashai'h - She starts out strong with Whitney... she is so dang cute! I really like her voice and didn't think I would. She has a better sense of pitch than most of the other girls... and while she's dancing, no less! Impressive. Uh oh, Paula is up dancing. I liked this performance. Simon, you're a boob. She did a good job.

Kady Malloy - I'm a little ticked that she stayed and Alaina went home last week. I know it's not her fault, but still. Oh, gag. Her voice sounds pretty bad. She doesn't have the control for this song. She is hitting "some" of the big notes... but not enough of them. Thank you, Randy, for saying what I just said! I liked her better last week.

Man, I miss Season 5. Daughtry. Mandisa. Even Taylor Hicks. Elliot. Where are those loveable characters?

Amanda - Joan Jett, of course. At least she doesn't look like the freak she did last week. That was scary. This is not as bad as last week. She is a performer. Nothing boring about her, I guess. I still hope she gets voted out. Well, crap. I picked her to go home and now Simon is singing her praises. She ain't going anywhere. She is so pretty when she smiles... please, smile more Amanda.

Carly - huh? What is this song? Oh, I drove all night. Didn't Celine do this? Man, she is so Steve Perry when she belts. I wasn't impressed with this performance. She sings the notes, but I feel ZERO emotion from her. Zero. I'm just bored. Aw, her mom is cute.

Kristy Lee - She's going to do a country version of Faithfully. What do you want to bet that Rnady brings up the fact that he played on this song? What in the world are Paula and Simon doing over there? making out? One week Kristy Lee looks young and hip and the next she looks... odd. This is an odd week for her. I didn't care for her performance. She's a sweet girl.

Ramiele - Ok, now Ramiele knows how to EMOTE in a song! yes! Most of these girls would slaughter the beginning of that song. I'm sick of this song in this competition, though. Ramiele's tone is just GORGEOUS. She had a few bobbles, but more than made up with it in her tone and performance. She had some great moments in this performance. Oh, my - Paula is in rare form. I bet Ryan loves Ramiele because she's shorter than he is.

Brooke - Alright now, THIS is the best I've heard little miss Brooke. She has secured her spot in the top 12. I would buy this single right now. Fabulous. Interesting. Modern. Loved it! Randy, you are so on crack tonight. Stop talking between yourselves, judges! This is the time of the contestants.

Syesha - Aw, I recorded this song in one of those Sound Choice Studios when I was in, like, 9th grade or something. Memories. I honestly thought Syesha did better than Whitney in places. If you listen to the original recording by Whitney, there are some places where she is a little out of tune. Seriously. I thought Syesha did a great job with it. I wasn't expecting her to, and I'm not sure she deserved the pimp spot (last performance of the night).

We shall see what happens. I'm guessing Kady and Kristy Lee Cook have seen their last days.

Top 16 - Men

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:40:00 +0000

I'm a day late and a dollar short here so I have to hurry. The usually witty comments might be at a minimum today. Ha, that was pretty funny though.

Luke Menard - Oh, my. Wham? He's not even in costume. How about a Member's Only jacket or tight-rolled jeans? What about the signature dance move that George Michael did in this video? This performance was TOTALLY phoned in. He either didn't commit to it, or he just doesn't have the gusto to push those notes out just a little bit more. I thought it was lackluster and boring and just a little bit awkward. I'm not sure his "good looks" are going to be enough to keep him here another week.

David Archuleta - David's going 2nd this week? Hmmm, I always thought they put whoever they wanted to go home in the #2 spot. But, DANG. He starts strong. I have chills. I never particularly liked this song...he's making me love it. I love love love what he does with his melodies!!! This guy is a smart singer. Now, there are times when he bobbles out of tune just a little, but not as bad as everyone else. I love the way he starts and then gets up from the piano. I love his tone. This guy is brilliant. He sells it. And he's socially conscious. Last week was Imagine and this week is Another Day in Paradise. How can he lose? He'd have to pull a Milli-Vanilli and admit he's lip-synching.

Danny Noriega - I have a love/dislike relationship with little Danny. I love Tainted Love. I love his singing (usually) but can't stand his prissy little attitude. Or, do I???? He's addicting, in a scary sort of way. If he had been on pitch, this would've been a kick-butt performance. He had some good MOMENTS, but the song as a whole was just out of pocket. It was fun, though, and I think 12 yr old girls everywhere were probably voting for him like crazy last night.

David Hernandez - His most embarassing moment? A booger? Yeah, right. Try getting yourself outed nationwide for being a gay male stripper. And darn it - he's SUCH a good singer. I think he's better than little David Archuleta at times. Ooo, Celine. This should be good, because he has the chops. Why do all of the contestants sound out of breath? This was NOT a good song choice. I was wrong. He usually is SPOT ON with his pitch, but he was all over the place. I love watching the judges are skirting around the whole stripping issue. Ha, is he flirting with Randy?

David Cook - Technical difficulties... we will get back to David.

Michael Johns - Oh, yes! Breakfast Club! This guy is so adorable. I have to agree with an acquaintance - you listen to the beginning and the end but sort of just tune out in the middle because it's nothing spectacular. Just more of the same... which is not BAD. Anyway, I just love him. Mediocre or not.

Back to David Cook - Hello? Seriously? HE is doing Lionel Richie? I would never have guessed that... but I LOVE IT!!!!! Up until this performance, I was not to impressed with Mr. Cook. He has won me over - for the time being. That was an awesome arrangement. He has definitely secured himself a place in the top 12.

Jason Castro - ooh, he's singing "Hallelujah" And I like it! I think this performance is magical. I had NO hopes of Jason doing well... but I think he did. I was scared of him singing without his guitar. It was sweet and it captured me. Yes, he cracked a little bit, but it was charming, I thought. I liked it so much I ran it back and watched it again. I hope he doesn't get sent home. (Paula is sounding crazier than ever tonight. Scary.)

Chikezie - He sounds like Luther Vandross. He sang this in his first audition and it made me take notice. I don't think he did quite as well tonight as he did the first time. It wasn't as much of a slam dunk as I was expecting. Yes, Paula is crazy. Coo-coo.

Honestly if I had to pick 2 people to go home, it would probably be Luke and Chickezie.

Top 20 - Women

noreply@blogger.com (Bessie Moo) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:31:00 +0000

I'm in a hurry tonight, so let's get on with it. (It's almost time for the results show)

Carly Smithson - I am soooo jealous. "Crazy" by Heart is one of my all-time favorite songs and it's always been my dream to perform it live. Carly definitely has the pipes for it and gave me several chillbump moments... but Anne Wilson, she is not. I just didn't particularly like the "arrangement" of it. Not the band, so much, but her choice of phrasing. In fact, I would've had her start it slower and build up to the rock-ness off it. My opinion. The girl can sing. Randy - must you accuse everyone of having pitch problems? She didn't in the beginning or end - like you said. It was the middle, where you said she did well.

Syesha - I had a feeling she wouldn't do very well this week. This girl has pitch problems. I'll just go ahead and say it. She's beautiful. She has a great voice. She just needs to learn how to stay in TUNE. Not a good song choice AT ALL, I will agree there. There were so many better choices out there.

Brooke - Good choice with the Carly Simon. She started strong - like the guitar playing. When she got to the chorus, though, she got very shaky, as usual. Use your diaphragm, girl! Big breaths. She's a sweet, cute girl, though. She'll probably make it to the top 12. Nice - strong ending. I'd like to hear more of that grit in her voice!!!

Ramiele - are we surprised she hulas? Nah. And she has something in common with Sanjaya! remember that? Ooh, I love this song - Don't Leave Me This Way. She needs more freedom and runs at the beginning. Oh, girl, don't get so into dancing that you get off in your singing. I could've stood to hear more backups on this song. You know - other than this song being incredibly boring and having a weird ending, it was just ok. She is a good singer. Stays on pitch most of the time. Hate the outfit, but what do I know? Ha ha, Simon says he's heard this song at ghastly weddings? I bet! This song at a wedding??? Whatev.

Kristy Lee Cook - obviously this little girl is feeling better. She kicked it off strong and fiesty. Gotta love some Linda Ronstadt. There is just something missing from this performace, though. Ouch, what was that? Phlegm? Lousy ending. Is she holding back?

Amanda Scary - Hmmm, she and David Cook should get along well. They both like to read. Oh, my word. She looks horrible. I'm sorry. I don't mean that to be hurtful, even though I am PMSing like crazy. She just did herself wrong by doing her hair like that and... everything else. The beginning of the song was AWFUL. The ending of the song - the very ending - wasn't too bad, surprisingly.

Alaina - I like this girl. I didn't like for my food touch when I was a little girl, either. Hopelessly Devoted is such a fun song to sing. But man, she did better last week. I was looking forward to her getting to that big part of the song, and she blew it. I can absolutely overlook it, though. She is good. She will come back.

Alexandrea - Oh, man, this song takes me back! I don't know what to think about this gal. I think she is a fine singer, and usually a great performer... and she tries hard every time she's on stage. She MIGHT make it into the top 12.

Kady - what is it about this girl? Honestly, I think she should just be an impersonator. I actually like the song tonight. (or last night) Always love me some Heart. She had some really good moments.

Asai'h - I was wondering if anyone was going to do this song. I got really worried when she hit the first chorus and her voice dropped out. The first verse was a little shaky and let me tell you that is a HARD song to sing and a hard part to sing. I wish Carly would've sung it. I would LOVE for this girl to get some lessons and learn how to focus the sound more and use her resonation. She SOOOO sings from the back of her throat. It could be so much better. I love her personality, though, and he charisma. Love her.