My Idol Picks

Six performed last night and there was a clear 3-3 split.

Bottom 3 performances (not necessarily those who will be in the Bottom 3 tonight):

Brooke White, Jason Castro, and David Archuleta

All three have been consistently lack-luster, and this week none of them stood out. Again.

Top 3 performances (again, not necessarily those who will be in the Top 3 tonight):

David Cook, Carly Smithson, and Syesha Mercado

David Cook continues to deliver a great performance week after week. Though I prefer him when he rocks, he does the other styles really well, too. He’s by far my favorite contestant this season. Carly Smithson finally did something to stand out in the crowd! I just hope she’s not too late with such a great performance. Syesha finally broke away this week and showed some personality. I’m willing to watch her another week if she can keep this up.

Now, for who I think will be in the Bottom 3 tonight: Brooke, Jason, and Carly. (I voted for Carly several times last night and got through every time. I voted for David Cook several times, but frequently got a busy signal.)

I think Brooke White will be saying goodbye.

Update: I was shocked that Brooke was safely through. What shocked me even more was that Carly went home. Apparently the crowd was surprised as well; they were silent for a bit.

I’m not looking forward so much to next week’s Neil Diamond… I hope it’s better than I’m anticipating.

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That was totally unexpected.

If you don’t yet want to know the results from American Idol, don’t read any further.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

The bottom three was a surprise: Syesha Mercado (not surprised), Carly Smithson (sort of expected it), and Michael Johns (What?!?!?).

The big shocker: Michael Johns was eliminated. What?!?
What?!?!?

He had one of the top performances Tuesday night, probably coming in right behind David Archuleta. The rest of the performances were ho-hum, and while I like Jason Castro, I wasn’t impressed with his ukelele-playing rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The ukelele makes me think of Tiny Tim, and I don’t really like that song very much, either.

I think the judges and the audience were just as shocked as Billy and I were.

All I can say is this: Jennifer Hudson. Clay Aiken. Bo Bice. Elliot Yamin. Chris Daughtry. You don’t have to win American Idol to really win. (Is that too cheesy?)

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…One of these things just doesn’t belong.

Yes, there’s another good one in American Idol‘s bottom 3. One who doesn’t belong there. At all.

I sooooo hope Brooke White doesn’t go home tonight. I’d love for it to be either Baby Girl (Ramiele) or Country Girl (Kristy). I would’ve put Syesha in that group, too.

My earlier picks for top 3 this week: David Cook, David Archuleta, and Michael Johns.

The competition is getting tough now!

Okay, so it’s…

Ramiele!

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One of these things is not like the others…

One of these things just doesn’t belong: Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook, Amanda Overmyer. (If you don’t want to know the outcome, don’t read any further…

No way Carly belonged in the bottom 3! I’m so glad she was safe after all.

Kristy Lee Cook has been in the bottom 2 or 3 every single week, with good reason. She was better this week than last, but she’s still close to being on her way out.

Finally! Amanda Overmyer is gone! Maybe next week will be Kristy’s finale.

I didn’t feel like an Idolplay-by-play last night. I was kind of bored with the Beatles again, and overall the performances were just ho-hum. I do have a few comments, though.

1. David Archuleta has a really good voice, but he’s getting predictable and boring. I’d like to see him do something else.

2. Jason Castro is also getting predictable and boring. I want to see him sing something in another style. He’s not the best singer, but he’s got the popular vote because of his looks and his humble, very likable, down-to-earth personality.

3. Ramiele Malubay has a really good voice, but she’s playing the “little girl” act a bit too much. She needs to get back to performing music instead of performing everything else.

4. Chikezie is taking chances and pulling them off. It’s fun wondering each week what he’ll do next.

5. Brooke White, Carly Smithson, and David Cook are consistently good, regardless of what the judges have been saying. Brooke’s got a great Carly Simon/Stevie Nicks sound going on and she’s just so darn likeable! Carly has a powerful voice and just nails it week after week. David’s got a great voice and he takes chances and makes changes to make the songs his own. No karaoke or cruise ship performances from him! (Yes, I know he’s done rock every week, but he’s varied things a lot. And I prefer rock to pop and country.)

6. The second Beatles week was boring. One week was good; two lacks creativity. Even Simon wasn’t thrilled with a second week of it.

7. I think the contestants don’t understand the term “song choice”. That doesn’t mean choosing a song because it has a special meaning for you or because it’s one you’ve always liked. It means choosing a song that you can sing well, one that shows your range as well as your emotions. One that challenges you in a good way. There are plenty of songs I like or that have special meaning to me, but I can’t sing them worth a flip. Well, I can’t really sing anything worth a flip, but you know what I mean.

I hope next week gives us – and them – something more to choose from.

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Idol 12 Performances

Yes! McCartney-Lennon songs! This should be interesting…

1. Syesha Mercado – “Got to Get You into My Life”
I wasn’t impressed with her this week. The song didn’t seem to fit her. Randy and Paula said she started off weak but got better; Simon liked it all. I disagree all around. I don’t think she ever found her place. Still, I like her and don’t want to see her go home just yet.

2. Chikezie – “She’s a Woman”
Wow! I loved the way he started out. It kind of reminded me of O Brother, Where Art Thou?. (I did not steal that reference from Paula, either. I typed that before she said it.) Then he rocked! Great job! This proves right here why he beat Danny Noriega last week. If he keeps up with performances like this, he’s solid on my list.

3. Ramiele Malubay – “In My Life”
Slow, but good. She’s got a really good voice no matter what she sings. After Chikezie’s performance, it’s a little bit of a let down. I hope the remaining contestants liven things up a bit. I disagree with Simon and Randy that she might be gone next week.

4. Jason Castro – “If I Fell”
More acoustic guitar. It was okay. I didn’t like the way his voice would go high, then back down for the next note. It was almost like he was going to change keys, and then decided against it. I still like him, though. He’s got a great personality, kind of the boy-next-door type. I hope he doesn’t use the guitar every week.

5. Carly Smithson – “Come Together”
She knocked it out! (She usually does.) She’s a powerhouse! She hit all the notes and added a little extra in just the right places. Great job! Can you tell she’s one of my favorites?

6. David Cook – “Eleanor Rigby”
Impressive, once again. He really does a good job of taking a song and bringing a little (or a lot of) rock to it. I liked the intensity of his voice. Simon said it was “brilliant” and called it when he said “if it remains a talent competition instead of a popularity contest”. He’s definitely got the talent.

7. Brooke White – “Let It Be”
Another great song from her. She made it her own while staying true to the original. I liked how she played the piano along with singing. She’s done guitar, too. She’s very musically gifted. I really like her performances, and the fact that she reminds me a little of Carly Simon works in her favor. She’s solid near the top of my list.

8. David Hernandez – “I Saw Her Standing There”
To borrow Randy’s sometime critique, “It was just okay for me.” Billy said it looked like another cruise ship performance. Randy and Paula both described it as overdone. Simon called it “corny, verging on desperate”. Yes, yes, and yes. His performance didn’t seem to mesh well with everyone else’s. Not in the same class.

9. Amanda Overmyer – “You Can’t Do That”
First impression: don’t like the hair (still) and don’t like the striped pants. Did she add more blond streaks? Okay, on to her singing. I just don’t like her voice. Yes, she sounds a little like Janis Joplin, but there are so many other better voices in this competition. And it’s often hard to understand what she’s saying. I want her to go home.

10. Michael Johns – “Across the Universe”
He did pretty good. For the most part, there wasn’t really anything to set him apart from several others tonight. He’s done better. I think he’ll stay, but I hope he starts doing things to stand out or he won’t be around much longer.

11. Kristy Lee Cook – “Eight Days a Week”
Oh, boy. She’s taking it country… Didn’t like it. At all. Especially the horrible ending. Her country is old style. Simon said it sounded like “Dolly Parton on helium”. None of the judges liked it, and no one in my house did either.

12. David Archuleta – “We Can Work It Out”
Oops! He forgot the words! Not good! This was not a good song for him. Still, he’s sticking around. He’s got a great voice, just made a bad choice of song and had a bad night.

Best performances of the night: Chikezie
Runners up: Carly Smithson and David Cook

Worst: Kristy Lee Cook

My pick to go home: Kristy Lee Cook

Update: Sooooo close! She was in the bottom 2, but David Hernandez was a little less popular with the voting public. Could’ve been his cheesy performance, or it could’ve been the scandal… He’s got a good voice, but he needs to work on his style and delivery.

Next week will bring us more McCartney-Lennon songs. Wonder how that will go… There are so many other options, I’m ready for something different now, myself.

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The Idol 12

I’m so glad Danny Noriega is gone! Of all my picks this week, I’m glad I was right on that one! I also picked Luke Menard and Kady Malloy to leave. Asia’h Epperson’s exit surprised me, but she was low on my list and I probably would’ve picked her within the next 2 weeks if Kristy Lee Cook had gone home tonight instead.

Top 6 guys: David Cook, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Michael Johns, David Hernandez, and Chikezie.

Top 6 girls: Brooke White, Syesha Mercado, Ramiele Malubay, Carly Smithson, Amanda Overmyer, and Kristy Lee Cook.

I think the guys have the best talent this season, but there are some real stand-out girls, too. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out.

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Idol 16: Girls’ Round 3

Let’s hear it for the girls…

1. Asia’h Epperson – “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
I was late tuning in so I missed her performance, but I did catch it on the American Idol website. She was lively enough, but she sounded off here and there. I think she’s good enough to stay, but not to win.

2. Kady Malloy – “Who Wants to Live Forever”
Not only did I not recognize this song, but her performance was boring and her singing wasn’t that great. I hope she’s going home this week.

3. Amanda Overmyer – “I Hate Myself for Loving You”
Once again, I’m not impressed with her. She looked better this week, but she didn’t sound any better. Her screech toward the end of the song didn’t help matters any.

4. Carly Smithson – “I Drove All Night”
She did a great job covering a Celine Dion song, hitting all the notes with not a sour one in the bunch. I’ve liked her from the start, and that performance shows why.

5. Kristy Lee Cook – “Faithfully”
I love Journey, but I didn’t love this. I know I said I wanted her to give country a try, but not on a classic rock song that I love. I wasn’t impressed with her twang, and she often couldn’t hit or hold the notes. As Bad. Maybe she should go this week instead of next.

6. Ramiele Malubay – “Against All Odds”
She did really well, but I’m not sure she was my favorite of the night. Still, she’s got staying power and I bet she’ll be in the top 3 or 4.

7. Brooke White – “Love Is a Battlefield”
She’s got a great voice! I wasn’t sure I would like the toned-down version of this song, but it was really good. She truly made this song her own. She keeps getting better every week.

8. Syesha Mercado – “Saving All My Love for You”
She’s back! She did a great job with this song, hitting every note perfectly. She’s staying.

My picks: Amanda Overmyer and Kady Malloy. Kristy Lee Cook would be okay to go, too.

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Idol 16: Guys’ Round 3

I love 80s music! Of course, those were high school days…

1. Luke Menard – “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Okay, I was a Wham fan back in the 80s. I loved this song then. I wasn’t so impressed with this performance, though. While Luke has the high-pitched voice for the song, he just couldn’t pull it off. Maybe he should’ve done some Prince (back when he was only known as Prince).

2. David Archuleta – “Another Day in Paradise”
Wow! He did a great job with the piano tonight. I was never a big fan of this song, but he made it enjoyable. Still, I wish he’d sing something in a different style.

3. Danny Noriega – “Tainted Love”
Love the song, couldn’t stand the performance. His voice wasn’t right for this. Enough said.

4. David Hernandez – “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”
He did a good job, but he’s really not making himself stand out. He’s got a good voice, but he needs to take a risk.

5. Michael Johns – “Don’t You (Forget about Me)”
I love The Breakfast Club, and I love this song! He did a really good job of it.

6. David Cook – “Hello”
Ooohh. Bad start! But – much better as he got past the first few notes. I love the way he put a totally new twist on a Lionel Richie song! I can definitely overlook the beginning for rest of his great performance!

7. Jason Castro – “Hallelujah”
I just like this guy. I didn’t recognize the song at all, but I liked it. He cracked at the end, and I loved the way he grinned when it happened. Overall, it was good. I’m glad he didn’t play guitar this time around. He seemed comfortable without it.

8. Chikezie – “(S)he Fills Me Up”
He did a pretty good job, even though his voice cracked. I wasn’t sure how he’d do with a Whitney Houston song, but I was pleasantly surprised.

My picks for the top 6 guys: David, David, David, Michael, Jason, and Chikezie.

My picks to go home: Danny Noriega and Luke Menard.

I wonder what the girls will sing…

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Thursday Night Results: Round 2

First a review of my picks for this week: Jason Yeager, Luke Menard, Amanda Overmyer, and Kady Malloy.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so close and so wrong!

First lineup: Jason Yeager and Danny Noriega. I would’ve been thrilled if Danny had gone home, but it was Jason. Now I’ll be subjected to Danny for yet another week. I so wish I had been wrong on this one, but it was my only right call.

Second lineup: Amanda Overmyer and Alexandrea Lushington. Please be Amanda. Please be Amanda. Nope. Who’s voting for her? Are they deaf? I’m subjected to her for another week…

Third lineup: Alaina Whitaker and Kady Malloy. Either one of them are fine to go, but Kady doesn’t sing as “well” as Alaina, who goes home.

Fourth lineup: Luke Menard and Robbie Carrico. In spite of Orlando Bloom’s Luke’s less appealing voice, Robbie goes home. I guess too many people saw his Boyz N Girlz United video from 2000 that’s been circulating lately. He says he’s not pop, he doesn’t want to be pop. Let him be rock. People can change. My tastes have changed. I used to love country music. Now, not so much.

So now I guess I have to pick a new 6 for both groups.

Guys: David Archuleta (1), David Cook (2), Michael Johns (3), David Hernandez (4), Jason Castro (5), and Chikezie (6).

Girls: Ramiele Malubay (1), Carly Smithson (2), Syesha Mercado (3), Brooke White (4), Kristy Lee Cook (5), and Asia’h Epperson (6).

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Idol 20: Girls’ Round 2

While the guys’ performances were mostly mediocre, with a couple of true stand-outs, most of the girls’ performances really fell flat.

1. Carly Smithson – “Crazy on You”
What a way to start! Regardless of all the hoopla surrounding Carly’s previous record deal, where she flopped immensely, I think she’s got a great voice. She chose a big song (anything by Heart is big!) and did a great job with it. I’d say she had the second best performance of the night.

2. Syesha Mercado – “Me and Mrs. (Mr.) Jones”
I wasn’t so impressed with her this time around. She’s got a good voice, but that was not a good song for her. (That’s besides the fact that I don’t like that song.) She really needs to pick it up next week. I’m sure she’ll be around.

3. Brooke White – “You’re So Vain”
I liked the start of her song, with her playing acoustic guitar. At times she even resembled Carly Simon. Then she stopped playing during the middle. You could still hear the guitar from someone in the band, but what happened with her? Then she started back up and I really couldn’t tell the difference. Was she actually playing? Her singing was good, but the whole guitar thing was distracting. I’m surprised the judges didn’t say something about that. I would rank her higher this week, but the guitar bothers me. I hope she doesn’t use it any more, or at least plays the whole song if she does.

4. Ramiele Malubay – “Don’t Leave Me this Way”
I think she had the best performance of the night. I wasn’t so sure when she started out, though her voice sounded good. She really powered through to the end. She kept sounding better and better, and she hit all the notes. She’s my top pick of the girls, I think. Her hair bothered me last night, but that’s minor… :o)

5. Kristy Lee Cook – “You’re No Good”
I’m not wild about this song, but she did a good job with it. She was good last week, but this week was better. Like Simon said, I’d like to see her give country music a try.

6. Amanda Overmyer – “Carry On Wayward Son”
This is such a great song – and she butchered it. She never did hit the right note and sang the whole song in too low a key. It was painful to watch. She can dance, but she can’t sing and last night proved it. She needs to either go totally blond or totally black because this “Bride of Frankenstein” look isn’t cutting it. She looked much better in her video clip with the bandanna tied around her hair. I really think she’s going home this week.

7. Alaina Whitaker – “Hopelessly Devoted to You”
I love Grease, but I can’t stand this song. There were too many off notes, especially during the chorus. I don’t think she has what it takes to make it to the Final 12.

8. Alexandrea Lushington – “If You Leave Me Now”
I really liked her last week, but this week, not so much. This song did nothing to show her voice. The judges keep calling these types of songs “safe” songs. Maybe it’s safe as far as the singing of them goes, but as for the hearing, they’re dangerous. I hope she sticks around another week so she can remind me why I liked her so much last week.

9. Kady Malloy – “Magic Man”
Another Heart song, but not another great performance. She was off-key too much, which made me cringe since I love this song. I wasn’t impressed with her last week, either. She needs to stick with opera.

10. Asia’h Epperson – “All By Myself”
Here’s another song I don’t like so much. I didn’t like her start, but the middle of her performance was better, even though leading into it either her voice or her mic cut out. The end was really good. I was glad she could hit the right notes and hold them.

I know I’m waffling on the girls, but only a few really stand out for me. Here are my current top 6: Ramiele Malubay, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook (newly added), Brooke White (newly added), Syesha Mercado, and I’m torn between Alexandrea Lushington and Asia’h Epperson. (I mistakenly put Alaina Whitaker in my list last week instead of Asia’h. Too many A’s, I guess.)

My pick to go home this week: Amanda Overmyer and Kady Malloy.

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