THIS is AMERICAN IDOL!

<i><b>THIS</b> is AMERICAN IDOL!</i>

IDOL IS BACK!!!

Monday, March 31, 2008

Paula's Picks for the Top 4

So, here is another little article I found. On Dolly Eve, TV Guide is reporting a story about Paula Abdul. Paula was on a morning show today where she gave her predictions for the top 4. I think her picks are very interesting . . . definitely, all are a possibility . . . but, I think 2 are almost assured. What do y'all think? Happy Idol Eve!

Kristy Lee Cook's evil masterplan - WAHAHAHAHAHA!

I stumbled across this video from Entertainment Weekly . It includes some conversation about the previous David Cook post, but the other headline is the one that caught my eye. Kristy Lee Cook and her evil master plan. Pretty funny stuff. Remember, y'all, we're a scant day and a half away from one Ms. Dolly Parton spreading her country lovin all over the idol stage. LOVE IT!

David Cook under fire!

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that David Cook is coming under fire for his performance of "Eleanor Rigby". Although his cover of Chris Connell's version of "Billie Jean" was appropriately credited, apparently Mr. Cook may have used another bands version of "Eleanor Rigby" without giving proper credit. Hmmmm, Rocker David had better be careful if he doesn't want to come off looking like a bit of a poser . . .

Friday, March 28, 2008

EW's 10 Worst Performances EVAH!

Hey Guys,
we thought it might be fun to share the link above with you, where EW posts clips of performances past that make this year's top 9 sound like little Mariahs, Whitneys and Celines :)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

WE ARE MILLENNIAL!

No, no, we are not 1000 years old, we are over 1000 hits!

In a very busy, hectic last couple of weeks, I have neglected to commemorate our
1000th and now 1100th hit! To celebrate, I thought I would post a clip from American Idol 4. A note to Ramiele: This is how its done.

Y'all keep checking in with us!

Top 9 Dolly Week

Hey Idolators,

even though the dust hasn't settled on Chuck E. Cheezy's ass-booting (goodbye, our orange-suited harmonica-blowing friend), I thought I'd throw out some potential songs for you to ponder for the idol contestants to choose next week.

It's scheduled to be Dolly Parton Week, not specifically "country," so there could be some pop mixed in to give designated twanger KLC some competition in the theme.

Here's the track list for Dolly's latest greatest hits collection:

1. Joshua
2. Coat Of Many Colors
3. Jolene
4. I Will Always Love You
5. Please Don't Stop Loving Me
6. Love Is Like A Butterfly
7. The Bargain Store
8. Here You Come Again
9. It's All Wrong, But It's All Right
10. Heartbreaker
11. I Really Got The Feeling
12. You're The Only One
13. Starting Over Again
14. Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You
15. 9 To 5
16. But You Know I Love You
17. Tennessee Homesick Blues
18. Islands In The Stream
19. To Know Him Is To Love Him
20. Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That

I wonder if David Cook will sing the White Stripe's version of Jolene?

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Top 10! Who Gets Da Boot?

Ok y'all, so I am serving up a bitter taste of idol tonight. I AM NOT HAPPY. How could my DVR betray me like this. I am so good to him. UGH! So, as I sit here watching All My Children from earlier today - yes, I watch the soaps, and it may very soon be incorporated into a new blog - I check online to see the results. Acutally, to be honest, my DVR, for some reason, recorded the last 2 minutes of Idol . . . so, I know who has been eliminated.

First things first . . . Let's do a review of the scores for the friendly competition, and our picks for the bottom 3.

Rubbertoe = 4 Picks for the Bottom 3: Chekezie, Ramiele, Jason. Eliminated: Chekezie
Allison = 4 Picks for the Bottom 3: Ramiele, KLC, Chekezie. Eliminated: Ramiele
Josh = 4 Picks for the Bottom 3: Chekezie, Ramiele, KLC. Eliminated: Chekezie
K = 3 Picks for the Bottom 3: Ramiele, Syesha, Chekezie. Eliminated: Ramiele
L = 3 Picks for the Bottom 3: Ramiele, Syesha, Chekezie. Eliminated: Ramiele
Ttownidolfan = 1 Picks for the Bottom 3: Ramiele, Jason, Chekezie: Eliminated: Ramiele

And the results . . . From the reviews I've read - UGH ON DVR - we see the stools and the sofa again. Chekezie is the first to the stools. A bunch of safe folks follow. Next to the stools, Syesha - Again, UGH DVR - is American serious, did they hear what I heard?! Finally, Jason-freakin-Castro! Um, did I read correctly, Ramiele is safe?!?! WHO IS VOTING FOR THIS GIRL? Funny enough, KLC has been the girl that everyone thought should leave, but suddenly, Ramiele is the one who seems to be the odd girl out . . . funny how that works. Anyway, The Cuteness is safe! Hooray!
So now, apparently, it is between Syesha and Chekezie . . . neither of which actually deserve to be in the bottom 2 . . . and . . . Syesha is . . . SAFE! Mr. Ezie has to hit the trail. I predicted that America would send him home, but it is kind of bittersweet. I'm glad I picked correctly, but I don't think that he deserved to go. DAMN YOU RAMIELE! Below, I provide an updated score sheet. Allison will update the scores tomorrow, because I'm sure I will get the point distribution wrong :)

1. Rubbertoe - Score: 7 (2 of Bottom 3 correct and elimination)
2. Josh - Score: 6 (1 of Bottom 3 correct and elimination)
3. Allison - Score 5: (1 of Bottom 3 correct)
3. K - Score 5: (2 of Bottom 3 correct)
3. L - Score 5: (2 of Bottom 3 correct)
6. TtownIdolfan - Score 3 (2 of Bottom 3 correct)

Again, Allison will alter these scores tomorrow based on her information . . . however, for right now, Rubbertoe is in first kickin it West Coast Style! :)

P.S. Can I just shout out a little "TeeHee" that Ms. KLC was actually SAFE! I know I didn't pick it, but I was very happy. It's weird how some of these people get under my skin, but I have kind of grown to heart her... Not in the same way I HEART JASON CASTRO . . . but, in a I just love her spunk kind of way . . .

Holla at an Idol fan!

Josh

KLC - television without pity

Just read the AI blog at televisionwithoutpity.com this was hilarious, so I had to share it with y'all....:

Even Ryan has a hard time keeping his salad down when introducing the following monstrosity: "Singing 'God Bless The USA,' Kristy Lee Cook." And she does the fucker right, dude, with like red white and blue shit happening everywhere and a serious no-kidding stars and garters flag waving in the background. She heads over to one side of the stage and saves some puppies from Nazis and knits a doily for our boys in Iraq and paints a sign saying "Cancer Is Bad," and then on the other side of the stage, Our Lord Jesus Christ gives her a high five and he's like, "Remember that time I was walking on the beach and then there were those footprints? Thanks, Kristy Lee Cook."

KLC survives another week

All kinds of interesting idol news this week:

. Josiah Lemming gets signed by Warner Brothers records . Rumors that "idol gives back" will bring back 5 contestants to compete for an idol tour wildcard


Chickeze - everything that we dislike about him....nothing we like. Lost his charm...dated bland performance

Ramiele - my high hopes for her are fading. I thought it was a great song choice until she performed it. I agree with the judges that the song was too big for her. The slower parts were too low for her range

KLC - will only get saved by her brilliant choice to pick a song that will appeal to her base and the "patriotic heartland". Her performance was lackluster and paled in comparison to Randy Travis. If she would have just done something interesting with the song

Brooke - Where lesser contestants would have gotten dinged for messing up at the beginning....she gets praised and called a pro. I really like her voice and she's a beautiful girl....but this performance to me ranks as one of her lowest

Castro - Charming as ever. The boy is cuter than cute....and he was definitely in his element. Unfortunately it provided little more than that...solid but not charismatic performance

Syesha - Looking more beautiful each week. And really beginning to grow into her element. This was definitely her best performance in my book...if she continues to grow, she could make it to the top 5....its a stretch.

Little David - Strange song....never heard it....but I liked it. I think he could have pulled it off more with a little better stage presence. Simon hit it on the head....it was a Disney theme park performance...but you gotta love him...he just gets more and more adorable

Carly - The judges got this one wrong....way wrong. Carly was ON last night. I thought it was the perfect song choice for her. The only thing I can say about Carly though is that she lacks the star factor. I can't see who her fan base is....she's like a really good "Art Film".....appreciated by those that see it....but is never going to be a summer blockbuster

Michael Johns - The only complaint I have is that they shouldn't have let him do two songs. I think that was a little unfair and gave him the opportunity to do a little rocknroll and a little ballad.....However, that said....he was amazing last night. Perfect fit for him and he looked like a superstar.

David Cook - Officially the one to beat now (if he doesn't get too smug).
The guy has the voice, the performance, the personality, the smile...if he plays his cards right....no one can stop him


Something I thought was interesting: Just to show that I admit when I am wrong.....this is what I wrote about David Archuletta at the beginning of the season:

The BEST storyline of the night.....the kid with the paralyzed vocal chord (and did you notice that he was from my hometown - Murray Utah?) Ok OK....I know that some of my colleagues here are going to say that they KNEW that I would like him.....because he was adorable (a bit young at 16 though).....but the kid actually had a pretty good voice.....he won't make it very far in the competition....but he has a compelling story and is a cute kid....which plays into the AI rating plan.....of course there will be a story about him in Hollywood...before ultimately he ends up in the room of contestants getting cut...... (I didn't even have him making it through Hollywood week....!)

Who SHOULD be in the bottom 3: Chikeze, KLC, Ramiele Who WILL be in the bottom 3: Chikeze, Ramiele and Jason (It will be interesting to see who's fan base is stronger. I have a gut feeling that Carly might be in the bottom 3 because of small fan base as discussed above....if Jason isn't there it will be because he has a strong base)

Who will be eliminated: Chikeze. While it should be KLC, her lackluster boring performance will appeal to her base and she survives to torment us for another week.

Rubbertoe....out!

80's night revisited (Will Idol double dip this ENTIRE season?)

Got to say that I did not have high hopes for a second 80's night (Ok, I know they called it songs from the year of your birth, but seriously they were all born in the 80s sans little David and Aussie Mike who are very close to the 80s) but the Idol hopefuls had a pretty good showing. Here's my break down:

1. David Cook -- No one else was even close. Simon was right on with the idea that the song could go either way, but the song and performance really went well. Hope that David puts that performance on the Idol tour (Josh and I will be the pile of mushy goo on the front row.)

2. Aussie Mike -- FINALLY. I knew this boy had it in him to bring a great performance to the stage. Although I like Brooke who sang right before him, I completely forgot about her about 10 seconds into Michael's performance. Ricky Minor and the band look like they LOVED rocking out with him.

3. Carly -- solid performance. A few problems but not at all worthy of the criticism from the judges.

4. Brooke -- I just like her. I like her voice. I like her attitude. Thanks judges for the consistantly inconsistant comments like you need the band on "love is a battlefield" and you don't need a band last night.

5. Little David -- no question that he can sing circles around the rest, but does he have what it takes to be a star?? I question that because he has made such poor song choice decisions in week 12 and week 10.

6. KLC -- way to go after your base. I am sure the nashville labels will be after this girl whenever she is eliminated.

7. Syesha -- beautiful voice, but got lost behind some of the better performers like David Cook and Aussie Mike.

8. Chikeze -- great voice, but felt a little dated, I actually like his country/blues vibe better. He is missing something although I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

9. Jason Castro -- Love him, love the guitar, actually really loved the song choice for him, but he faded behind some spectacular performances.

10. Ramiele -- it is time for her to go. Even with the Judges trying to bail her out with sympathy vote.

Bottom 3: Ramiele, KLC, Chikeze*
Going home: Ramiele

I am really torn about my last slot in the bottom three. I really think that Jason Castro has an outside shot of being the bottom 3, but in the end decided that his song choice and performance would appeal to his fans.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Predictions!

I'm moving in the next few days, which means, I'm keeping some VERY LATE NIGHTS packing things up. So, I'm up, posting for the peeps who want all idol all the time. So, the folks at dial idol have posted their predictions . Interestingly, this is the first time (going all the way through the top 24) that anyone besides Lil David has been "officially safe". As you can see, dial idol predicts that Rocker David, Lil David, and Carly are safe . . . the rest are open and vulnerable for elimination. I guess we'll see. Ms. Allison will post a poll tomorrow asking all of you guys who you think should go home.

Top 2 Bottom! It's Ur Birthday. . . Some are Gonna Party and Some are Gonna Need to Drink Bacardi

Here is my Top 10 List . . .

1. Aussie Mike - only put above number two because THIS WAS HIS MOMENT
2. David Cook - Brilliant, innovative version of a classic MJ ditty (see above).
3. Carly Smithson - Judges got it wrong here. Girlfriend chanelled Bonnie Tyler.
(Space)
4. Lil David - On any other song, he might have been first... utterly strange song choice moves him down the list.
(Space)
5. Brooke - On another night, she might have been first or second . . . (see above)
(Space)
6. Syesha - In great voice . . . she's produced the goods the past two weeks.
7. KLC - The first time she has avoided my bottom three. She had her moment tonight.
(Big Fat Space)
8. Chekezie Ezie - He was in good voice, but something just didn't seem right... I think he's in trouble.
(Space)
9. Jason Castro - Y'all know it pains me to put him here. Cutey was on pitch, but kind of boring . . .
(MASSIVE SPACE THE SIZE OF DAVID COOK'S FOREHEAD)
10. Ramiele - In the name of Ann Wilson, who told this girl crooning this ditty was a good idea . . . just plain AWFUL . . . that being said . . .

Who I think America will choose for the Bottom Three:

Ramiele, Chekezie, KLC (I hate to put her here, but I think America will choose her instead of Cutey Jason).

Eliminated: Chekezie . . . Will someone come and visit me during my stay on the island of unpopular opinion. :)

Top Ten Time (and song) Warp! L&K list

We were long last week, so...will keep it on the brief side now! :) Our top ten list came out the same:

1. David C.
2. Syesha
3. Michael Johns
4. Chikezie
5. Carly
6. David A.
7. Jason C.
8. Kristy
9. Brooke
10. Ramiele

Bottom three (as chosen by America): Ramiele, Syesha, Chikezie
Going home: Ramiele

Top Ten Winners loosers and in Between!
1-Michael
2-David C.
3-Carley
4-Brooke
5-David A.
6-Kristy
7-Syesha
8-Chekizie
9-Jason
10-Ramiele
Ramiele goes home!
Posted by Ttown idol fan!! at 7:24 PM 0 comments

David Cook is my lover . . . :)

David Cook will bring up the rear . . .ahem, I mean close out the show. He had quite a large skull as a child . . . may explain his current hairstyle choice.

I swear the Cooks are cheestastic this evening. Let's see if David Cook can pull off "Billie Jean" like KLC did Lee Greenwood. Ok, he's doing an emo-induced version. He is re-working this in such a wonderfully cool way. Wow! I don't know what else to say . . . wow.

Randy thought it was a got joint! Paula can't sit down . . . for reasons we won't mention on a family friendly blog . . . Simon, thought it could have gone either way . . . He nailed it. Absolutely fantastic.

I don't know what else to say here. Just abso-smurfly-brilliant. He is oh so talented. And, he kind of lost the smugness :)

wow

A recap to follow.

Kristy Lee kicks it patriotic style . . . And, I do mean KICKS IT!

Ok, so KLC is up next and Rocker David is last. I am putting them together because they have chosen the most cheestastic songs. KLC is singing "God Bless the USA". This has the potential to be fabulously cheestastic OR drowning in Velveeta bad! Here comes KLC . . . I'm sort of nervous . . . because I have kind of learned to like her. Ya know, each season I find one person who is not going to win . . . who remains in the competition despite all logic . . . and they kind of become who I want to root for - not to win, but to root for. I kind of think that performance keeps her in the comptetition.

Randy thought she was a little pitchy, but in good voice. Paula, because she hates pretty blondes, thinks it wasn't her best performance. Simon thinks she was very good and that it was perhaps the most clever song choice he has ever seen.

I gotta agree. YOU GO KLC!

Lil David with the Great Big Voice

Lil David is up next . . . and . . . there is his girlfriend. She's adorable, but seems to be a might bit taller than our lil bit. Anyhoo, David A. is singing a song that I'm not sure anyone has ever heard of . . . . "You are the voice" by David Foster. He is in brilliant voice... absolutely brilliant voice. He has one of the most purely clean songs I have ever heard. Strange song choice for me, but it is hard to argue with that voice.

Randy thought it was a strange song, but that he could sing anything - in brilliant voice. Paula, again, didn't know the song, but thought he was brilliant. Simon hated it, and thought it sounded like something you would hear at a theme park.

Ugh. I did not love the song, but I heart lit David and his great big voice.

An aside, could be a brilliant move if David Foster watches Idol.

Aussie Mike and Irish Carly FLAT OUT ROCK THE HOUSE!

We come from a land down unda . . . next up is, Aussie Mike. A little bit of info from mum and dad! Singing, "We are the Champions". Starts off with a rockin rendition of "We will rock you" which merges into "We are the Champions". Not even gonna mince words here . . . THAT WAS ABSOFRACKINLUTELY AMAZING! He rocked the house! No one is even close. Potentially one of the best performances of anyone the entire season.

Randy thought he FINALLY connected with the right song. Paula was so struck by his performances . . . or something . . . to speak clearly (I don't blame her). Simon thinks he finally connected, and is the first time that he saw "star".

Nothing else to say. No adjectives can enhance how wonderful this performance was. Finally!

Ms. Carly is next with "Total Eclipse of the Heart". And once again . . . BRILLIANT! Not a lot to say here. She was on key and to quote the winner of Project Runway "THAT WAS FIERCE".

Randy . . . didn't like it, and thought she was off key at the end (Did Jason C. give Randy some of the skank weed tonight?). Paula thinks she was terrific (strangely, I have found Paula to be spot on, KLC not withstanding, for most of this season. Simon agreed with Randy . . . what is in that coke cup.

Ugh on the judges!

By far the best twosome of the night! Hands down!

Ms. White tickles the ivories . . . and is arresting!

We're back with sunshiney Brooke White. She is singing the Police classic "Every Breath You Take". A little misstep at the beginning. Just Brooke and a piano = POTENTIAL brilliance. I'm a big fan of the artist with the piano. I really really liked this performance. I think that she, once again, has such a great awareness of the boundaries of her voice.

Randy thought the first half of the song was great, but the back half of the song was a little old sounding. Paula thought that it was much better than last week. Simon thought the first half of the song was fantastic, but she should have stayed on the piano by herself the entire time.

Overall, I gotta say, I really loved this performance. I think it is interesting that they complained about her incorporating the band, but, as I recall, their complaint about Love is a Battlefield was that she didn't incorporate the band. I too would have loved just her and the piano. . . but that's me. I love the performer with just the instrument. Overall, great job!

And, break!

Mr. Ezie . . . is cheesy

And we're back with Ryan reminding us how and when to vote . . . and go.

Cue Chekezie Ezie! He is gonna kick yet another Luther song, "If only for one night". First impression: He's on pitch with the appropriate inflection of soul . . . but something seems a little awkward to me . . . can't quite put my finger on it. Mr. Ezie continued on in the same manner through the rest of the song.

Randy thinks he was kickin it old school . . . in a bad way. He thought it was boring. Paula thinks he upped the tempo, did a great job, and demonstrated the textures of his voice. Simon, thinks he sang it well, but it was cheesy... Chekezie ... he thought it was a copycat performance. Simon and Randy agree . . . finally.

Overall, it was good, but on the okay side of good for me. I might be hanging out on the island of unpopular opinion on this one.

And break . . .

The DredLocked Cuteness and The New Darkhorse!?

And we're back . . . I wonder if Ryan will ever be able to say the name of our country without using the aMERican pronunciation. Anyhoo, here comes Jason Castro . . . as y'all may know, I heart him and his "dreamy" eyes. Tonight he is singing "Fragile" by Sting

Ok, so, I don't think many people will know this . . . I went through a Sting phase in high school, so, I'm very familiar. Cuteness was mostly on pitch . . . occassionally he slipped, but for the most part he was good. Randy loves the song, but doesn't know if he did anything different to the song. Paula thinks he was safe, but is in his "niche". Simon thinks it was kind of a hot mess, and that he sounded kind of like he was strumming outside of a subway. Potentially a winner, but needs to take it more seriously. Jason, in his kind of cannabis induced looking state, can "kind of dig where he is coming from".

Overall, kind of a meh performance. He was on pitch, but kind of boring. I STILL HEART HIS GUTS!

Next up, Ms. Syesha. She is singing Stephanie Mills' "If I was your woman". Initial impressions are that she is in good voice, but WHY isn't she wearing a slinky dress to sing this song. This is a first for Syesha, in my opinion, SHE WAS BRILLIANT! IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE!

Randy thinks it was HOT! And that he was "surprised" that she did so well. Paula thinks that America will remember this as the moment that Syesha turned it around and became the darkhorse. Simon disagrees and thinks that she has limits to her voice, and that this song stretched it.

Clearly, the best performance so far. Two weeks running, I have definitely been impressed. I think she rocked the house . . . but, girl, please think about your choice of song when picking your wardrobe . . . slinky and sexy would have made this performance absolutely perfect.

Intro and Ramiele the small "wonder

THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL! Alright folks, here we go again. I am going to try a little of the sepearated live blogging tonight!

What is Paula wearing? Anyway, in the kiss of death slot, Ms. Ramiele. She is taking on the task of channelling Ms. Ann Wilson with a little "Alone". Oh Lord, here we go. Cue the annoying hand swayers in the "mosh pit" She's a little pitchy through the first part . . . way too big for this lil bit of a girl. Here's the tremendous trio. Randy thinks it was the wrong song for her. Paula thinks she is lucky that America has heard her before, but, ahem, respects her for picking the song. Simon didn't think it was as bad as Randy said. Ok, how many times do we have to mention that she is sick . . . Anyway, Simon thinks she is getting through to next week.

Blah, blah, blah, Randy, Simon, and Ryan snarkiness . . . She has the flu . . . no, the voice went "bye bye".

Alright, overall, I kind of thought this performance was a hot mess. The vocals were all over the place at times . . . but, she has Simon's half-hearted blessing.

Monday, March 24, 2008

What will they sing? Thoughts on the Top 10

Ok y'all, so, I went through the number one songs from the year of our current idols birth, and have developed a list of possible songs based on my review. I realize that the idols have the choice of any song from that year, but, knowing that singing recognizable songs often provides a good payoff, I thought the list of number ones might be a good bet. As you'll see, some of them provide interesting choices, and others will have to dig a little further into the song book to find a matchable choice.

1. Lil David -

1. Nothing Compares To You – Sinead O’Connor
2. Praying For Time – George Micheal
3. Love Will Lead You Back – Taylor Dayne

2. Jason Castro

1. Lean on Me – Club Nuveau
2. Faith – George Michael (my personal choice)
3. U2 – With or Without You


3. Chekezie

1. Say You Say Me – Lionel Richie
2. I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner
3. The Power of Love – Huey Lewis and the News


4. David Cook

1. Hard to Say I’m Sorry – Chicago (The only one that fit – and good be rich, tasty goodness)


5. Kristy Lee Cook

1. Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
2. Lets Hear it for the Boy – Denise Williams

6. Michael Johns

1. Three Times a Lady – Commodores
2. MacArthur Park – Donna Summer OR Night Fever – BeeGees (These are two songs I fear he will try . . . YIKES!)

7. Ramiele Malubay

1. Didn’t We Almost Have it All – Whitney Houston (I fear this one, but the judges told her to do ballads)
2. Always – Atlantic Starr


8. Syesha Mercado

1. Didn’t We Almost Have it All – Whitney Houston (She and Ramiele will pull out weave for this one)
2. Always – Atlantic Starr (The one who has the least weave left will sing this one)

9. Carly Smithson

1. Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
2. What a Feeling – Irene Cara
3. Every Breath You Take – Police (Sweet Lord, I wish Michael Johns could sing this)


10. Brooke White

1. Every Breath You Take – Police (She won’t sing this song, but it was the ONLY number 1 from this year that might even kind of fit her).


Based on the songs I could find, their prior performances, and the projected order of performance based on last week, here is a VERY EARLY projection of who might be in the bottom 3 (I reserve the right to change these picks for the purposes of the friendly competition) - Ramiele, Kristy Lee, and Chekezie

What do y'all think?

Interesting rumor

Could we see the return of Danny Noriega? Josiah Lemming?.....

Apparently there are a lot of rumors that during the Idol gives Back/April 9th show...several people will return to audition for a wild card slot in the summer tour.
I ran across this today.....and its funny because I was just thinking about this earlier this morning....I was thinking, last year, they pulled the coup where they made everyone think that Jordin was going home "In the most shocking result show ever"....when it turned out that nobody was going home. They can't do that again this year....and the feel-good show is not conducive with cutting anyone....so why not "give back" and allow one of the people who got cut previously to have another chnace....at least at the tour....if not the title?

Article is here:
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/34697/idol-update-wild-policy-to-be-reinstated

Sunday, March 23, 2008

When were the baby idols birthed?

Ok, folks. As mentioned in an earlier post, the theme for this week's idol performers in songs from the year you were born. Now, the folks over at idolbloglive.com have provided us fans with a list of contestants birth years and a link to the number one songs of that year. I must admit, I heaved a sigh of relief at 35 years old when I saw that at least one contestant - one Mr. Aussie Mike - had a birthday that predates 1980. Whew! Anway, below, I will provide a copy of the contestants and their birth years. If you click the link above, you can find the songs that were number one in each of their birth years. I feel certain that those of us at a little taste of idol will all have time in our busy days :) to look at the link and provide a guess or a wish for what our fearless contestants will perform. Let us know what y'all think they will perform OR what you wish they would perform!

David Archuleta - December 28, 1990
Jason Castro - March 25, 1987
Chikezie Eze - September 11, 1985
David Cook - December 20, 1982
Kristy Lee Cook - January 14, 1984
Michael Johns - October 20, 1978
Ramiele Malubay - September 6, 1987
Syesha Mercado - January 2, 1987
Carly Smithson - September 12, 1983
Brooke White - June 2, 1983

Oh, btw, can I go ahead and throw out a request for David Cook to sing "Devil Inside" by INXS which I think (**fingers crossed**) was released in 1982. :)

And finally, a BIG HOLLA goes out to K for providing a little taste of idol with our new art work. Mr. K is rockin good when it comes to the technological shizz! Rock on wit yo technologically adept self! :)

Hope y'all sleep well!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

A little Jason Castro for your Saturday evening enjoyment

So, I'm having an exciting Saturday night, and ran across a post on another site about one of our current idol contenders. Those of you who read this blog, know that I kind of heart one Mr. Jason Castro. His smile kind of makes me giggle . . . and, oh by the way, have I mentioned that I HEART HIM. Anyway, check out the brief story, and pics of our Mr. Castro pre-idol fame. Enjoy!

http://www.queerty.com/idol-cutie-jason-castro-20080320/

Jordin Sparks' new love interest?

US Weekly is reporting that American Idol 6 Winner Jordin Sparks has been spotted hanging out quite a bit with Ludacris protege Steph Jones. Click the link to check out the story
http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272619591.shtml
Thanks to the folks over at http://www.idolstalker.com" for the heads up!

Thought we could throw in some AI gossip on the off days from AI 7.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Top 10 Theme

Alright, y'all

Several different blog sites are reporting that the theme for the Top 10 is going to be "Songs from the Year You Were Born". Now, as Ms. Allison pointed out to me, doesn't that mean we will have a bunch of 80's and, I believe, one 90's song. Didn't we already kind of do 80's night in the Top 24. Anyhoo, I don't have a list of their birth years as yet, but thought I would report what I heard. What does everyone think? I'll try and find the birth years and post them later.

BTW, Robert is not the only Idoldork . . . I too have watched the Idol Tonight show . . . rich cheesy goodness, indeed! :)

Josh

Thursday, March 20, 2008

"Idol Tonight"

Just curious whether any of you are as big of a nerd as me and watch "Idol Tonight" on the TV guide channel. I hate to admit it...but it is my second favorite TV show.
In case you don't watch it and wanna check it out, its on 1 hour before Idol. Its hosted by Justin Guarini and Kimberly Caldwell. Last night they had Constantine and Chicken little on...its so cheesy...I love it! (But then again, I also love the group numbers and am the only person I know that actually really enjoyed "From Justin to Kelly"....

KLC is still in the hunt! Dolly Parton on the show!

Despite the Idol machine's best efforts, they could not get KLC eliminated. (Haven't they learned? America loves to support someone who seems unfairly picked on by the judges. See Haley from Season 6.)

I was surprised along with everyone else by Carly's appearance in the bottom 3. I wonder if America is not quite ready for an Idol import. Maybe an earlier than expected exit for the Irish girl.

I am very excited about Dolly Parton's appearance on the show. As I mentioned early on, Rubbertoe and I bonded over some American Idol and Dolly Parton! To combine them will make for a memorable night. I think that Dolly will do the contestants right, if they will listen to her because she knows so much about music and the industry. Let the fight begin for her version of "I Will Always Love You."

Our competition scores will be updated. Rubbertoe and K are due a bonus point for picking Amanda to leave at week 11.

P.S. Get well wishes for my dear friend J as he is limping along on his bum foot this week!

Carly in the bottom 3?

OK...the shock for me was Carly in the bottom 3. I have here in the top 5 and have her as the #1 female. AY!
I also have to say that I was a little sad to see Amanda go (I'm usually sad when any of them leave)...but I think Amanda would have made a good addition to the tour...at least she brought something a little different to the table.

BTW....last week I was 3 for 3 in the bottom three...but predicted KLC to leave.
I am 0 for 2 so far in the eliminations....However, I am predicting that KLC days will be numbered next week. Yahoo had 68% saying she would go home this week....which means to me that her fan base is not strong.

I am super psyched to see Dolly Parton is going to be a mentor this year.....LOVE IT!
Now....if only we can get Jason Castro to sing "rocky top tennessee"....that would just be icing on the cake. I'm just praying that KLC doesn't do "9 to 5"......

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Friendly Competition: Week 2

So, we here at A Little Taste of Idol are a wretched 0 for 2 when picking the eliminated performer. None of us picked DHern or Amanda to head to the house in their respective weeks. We have been a wee bit more successful when it comes to the Bottom Three. So, without further ado, here are this weeks scores.

Allison = 2 (KLC & Amanda)
Josh = 2 (KLC & Amanda)
Kevin = 1 (KLC)
Lisa = 1 (KLC)
Rubbertoe = 1 (KLC)
TtownIdolfan = 1 (KLC)

Overall standings for the first two weeks:

Allison = 4
Josh = 4
Kevin = 3
Lisa = 3
Rubbertoe = 1**
TtownIdolfan = 1**

** Offer up your week one shizz, and we shall reward you accordingly :)

Word

The Top 11 Results Show: The Idol Tour is Set!

And, here we go . . .

The Top 11 are about to become 10 . . . and set the lineup for the much anticipated Idol Tour . . . in the past, that comment would have been full of snark, however, Ms. Allison took me for my birthday last year (I am sooooo gonna post about that late in the week) and it was REALLY GOOD . . . honest! Anyway, La Seacrest pulls a Vanna White and shows us the couch where the touring idols will sit and supply the appropriate pittying gaze (read: whew, I was really worried I wasn't going to get to rock Des Moines) at those sitting in the dreaded stools of doom - or THE BOTTOM THREE!

Obligatory Idol Group Number . . . Beatles, Beatles, Beatles . . . In the name of Latoya London, please move past this theme.

Filler, Filler, Filler, and we're on to the first part of the results. It looks as if the Idols will come out one at a time and be placed in their designated areas.

First out of the gate, is a wonderfully non burlap sacked Brooke White! Blogger TtownIdolFan picked Ms. Brooke to go to the bottom 3. Brooke seems rather relaxed while admitting to being awkard, but even more so when Vanna tells her that she is SAFE! Friendly Competition Update: Rubbertoe, Allison, K, L, and myself all breate a sigh of relief!

Next up, Ms. Carly Smithson, she of the blackbird and its broken wing that is flying free . . . SPLAT! No flying for Ms. Carly. . . she is SHOCKINGLY in the Bottom 3. Not a good start for our "friendly competition". NONE OF US GOT THAT ONE RIGHT! UGH! Now listen up America, are you listening . . . ok, next week, before you pick up your IPhone with service provided by AT&T, go online, and come to our lovely little corner of the world AND READ OUR LISTS SO THAT YOU KNOW HOW YOU SHOULD VOTE . . . I mean seriously, you can't be expected to always think for yourselves, right? Anyhoo, Ms. Carly has a seat on stool #1 . . . cue pittying gaze from Sunny Brooke.

Wait, is that a heavenly choir I hear, ahhhh, it must be Little David A. So, our lovely host tells Lil Bit that the forecast for his Long, Winding Road is clear! He is tour bound!

Alright, here we go, Aussie Mike is up next. K, L, TtownIdolFan, and myself all picked this one to go to the Bottom 3. I'm not really feeling it anymore now that Ms. Carly and her inked digit have plopped down on stool #1. And, although he hit his "peak" in the prior rounds, the Hotness is SAFE! Friendly Competition Update: Rubbertoe and Allison were the official smarties by avoiding this pick! Good Job!

Break . . . Filler . . . Filler . . . Ms. Pickler in her trailer, and her red high heels . . . and stuff

And, we're back. . .

Next on the potential chopping block, Rocker David. Ryan wisely chooses not to attempt to make physical contact with Brother Cook for fear he would use his faux hawk as a voice box . . . Mr. Cook gives a smug look and says that he has no response to Simon's referral to him as, well, smug. Our resident rocker is indeed smug, but SAFE!

Filler . . . Filler . . . oh wait, Seacrest's rambling isn't filler, just the obligatory talk before he escorts one Ms. KLC to her usual place in the bottom three. KLC takes her place next to Carly . . . required hugs . . . cue gazes of pity. Friendly Competition Update: All Six Fabulous Bloggers got this pick CORRECT . . . clearly, we are brilliant . . . with decent hearing.

Dreds, as RyRy calls him, is next. You can cut the tension in the studio with a knife, however because JC is high . . . er, um . . . I mean, relaxed, he calmly accepts the news that he is SAFE!

Karaoke Ramiele brings up the rear in this our second in a three part series we like to call, "The Long and Winding Results Show". Rubbertoe and Allison both picked Little Ms. R to go to the stools of darkness, and, to make her even more cringe worthy in my eyes, she softly whines that she "guesses" that she wishes she had picked a ballad . . . Ugh. Anyway, she is. . . SAFE. I suppose there always has to be at least one contestant who makes me want to grap a spork and shove it into my eye . . . Friendly Competition Update: Kevin, Lisa, TtownIdolFan, and myself all steered clear of this pick (no matter how much I wanted her OUT).

And break . . .

Elliot and Fantasia show us how Idol gives back . . . very sweet actually . . . except, does Fantasia need to sing like that . . . I would be perfectly happy for her to just stand there and smile. A Disclaimer: Any opinions provided by me are mine and mine alone. These opinions in no way represent those of my Idol peeps.

Here we go . . .

Ms. Syesha is next. Both K & L picked Ms. S to head towards the cheap seats. Seacrest reviews her performance and tells her that she turns her performance Yesterday into a very pleasant Today . . . she is SAFE!

Now, we are down to the final two . . . Chekezie Ezie and Harley Ridin Amanda . . . In a surprisingly quick manner, Seacrest tells Chekezie that he is safe, and sends Amanda to the dreaded third chair. Friendly Competition Update: A bit of a split decision here as Rubbertoe picked Chekezie to go to the chair and Allison and myself picked Amanda to be led to the gallows.

So, the bottom three are Carly, Amanda, and KLC. Seacrest provides a push from Purgatory into Idol Heaven to . . . Carly. Whew, I knew she would be ok, but that was a touch scary for un momento. So, our bottom two are KLC and Amanda. Simon says that "for the second week in a row, America got it right". In our little competition, everyone except L picked KLC to hit the road (L picked Ms. Syesha). Drumroll please . . . Kristy Lee is . . . safe? really? huh? Anyway, that means that Amanda is gone . . . oh well, I guess no tour means more time for Harley's and Souther bar performing.

Overall, I am stunned that Carly went to the bottom three AND that America voted out Amanda and not KLC. I think Ms. Allison has a point, America doesn't like it when the judges are overtly mean to one performer, and let others (**clears throat and coughs out "Ramiele"**) who are equally flawed get by with more benign judgements.

Well, another week gone. What do y'all think? I'll post updated Friendly Competition Scores soon!

Bloggers friendly little competition . . . Round 2

Alright y'all,

Last week, we began a friendly little game amongst the bloggers which involved our bottom 3 picks and picks for elimination. Hey, Ttownidolfan and Rubbertoe, y'all are invited to tell us your picks from last week and we'll catch you up. We trust ya!

From last week . . .

Josh 2
Allison 2
Lisa 2
Kevin 2

Not very exciting as we all got 2 of the bottom 3 correct . . . but none of us picked DHern to go home.

This week, here are our picks

Josh: Btm 3 - (Gasp)Aussie Mike, Amanda, and Kristy Lee. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
Allison: Btm 3 - Kristy Lee, Ramiele, Amanda. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
K: (Gasp) Aussie Mike, Syesha, and Kristy Lee. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
L: (Gasp) Aussie Mike, Kristy Lee and Syesha. Eliminated: Syesha
Rubbertoe: Kristy Lee, Ramiele, Chekezie Ezie. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
Ttownidolfan: Brooke, Kristy Lee, (Gasp) Aussie Mike Eliminated: Kristy Lee

We'll know who comes out on top . . . er, um. . . on bottom in approximately 50 minutes.

Oh, BTW, remember that this elimination is particularly important as ONLY the top 10 are allowed to go on the Idol Tour. . . and, I'm trying to investigate this further, I read a rumor that the top 10 who go on the tour are paid approximately $100,000 for their efforts . . . so, this will be a very lucrative night for one member of the bottom two and a costly one for the other. Here we go . . .

LA blogger Crashing your party

Hey guys:

I feel like I am crashing your party......but Alison invited me so I accepted the invitation:
I got the link last week and loved reading all of your comments....I always find it interesting when people rally behind somebody that I can't stand...it happened in season 5 with Taylor...again in season 6 with Phil......last year I was pretty much alone amongst my crew in my love for Sanjaya......he still makes me smile whenever I see him....anyone, I promise to not be too rowdy in crashing your party. Thanks for the invite Alison....here are my thoughts:


OK....with all the great Beatles songs out there.....the story of last night was bad song selection. C'mon Castro.....WHAT were you thinking.......
From the best to the worst:
1. David Cook - I am soon have to reprise my front runner here. I agreed with Simon that it was not as good as last week....that he is in danger of getting a little predictable....that the performance was more than just a little bit smug....and that it wasn't as good as David thought it was....However....it was still the best performance of the night. Two things I love about David: His stage presence and his smile.
2. David Archuletta - I hate to sound like a recording of the judges...but the only complaint that I had was he played it too safe. He looked a little uncomfortable (probably worrying about forgetting the words again).Two things I love about David: His incredible voice and his adorable humility and shyness.
3. Carly Smithson - I disagreed with Simon here. I loved her arrangement of Blackbird. I thought it really gave her the opportunity to show off some of the qualities of her voice. What I love about Carly: The Celine Dion qualities in her voice. What I don't like about her: The strange faces she pulls....it is difficult to watch her.
4. Syesha - Yesterday was a great song choice for her. I agreed with Simon....it was very good....not GREAT....but definitely Syesha's best performance....and she looked incredible last night. The thing I like and dislike about Syesha is the she is a "good" performer. Good...but just not great.
5. Michael Johns - His performance was not as bad as the judges made it sound. Especially watching the recap.....compared to most of the others he was not bad. However, there wasn't anything that really stood out about the performance. What I love about Michael: What can I say, the guy is HOT!He is fun to watch because he is so attractive. What I don't like about him is his incredible ability to underwhelm week after week. He was my #2 choice to win.....I now place him around #4.
6. Jason Castro - On one hand I hated the performance....on another....I Loved it. It was just so goofy....but as Simon says....he has a face that makes it work. I agree with Simon that if you heard that without seeing him you would turn it off....however, he is so affecting that you can't help but like the guy. What I love about Jason is his charm, his beautiful eyes and his smile. What I don't like about Jason is his lack of oomph......I would like to see him really nail a song one week.
7. Brooke - All I can say about last night's performance is it was certainly "sunny". It was light and cheesy....her voice was good....but she looked incredibly awkward. Didn't like the dress and thought the entire performance verged on bizarre.....especially the "whoooooo".....They need to work with her on performance if she is going to make the top 5.What I like about her: She's beautiful and has a very good voice. What I don't like about her is....unless she is behind the piano or guitar....she is an awkward performer.
8. Ramiele - Last night's performance was a little strange. Maybe it was the hat......her voice was good....but ...I don't know.....there was something I can't put my finger on....all I can say is it was a little strange. What I love about Ramiele - Her Voice..... What I don't like about her is the strangeness factor (from her hair....to her timidness)
9. Chikeze - I agreed with Randy....I thought the second portion of the song was actually quite good, the first half was horrible. Simon thought just the opposite....and I liked the harmonica. What I like about Chikeze is his style when he is ON.....What I dislike about him is when he is off.....he is OFF. He is just too inconsistent.
10. Amanda - Not as good as last week. Reverted back to her one note wonder mode. She talked about selling out local bar in Rawleigh (or something like that).....That is about the level of her talent.What I like about her....not a lot.....I guess her Jolpin-esque qualities....what I don't like....her inability to get beyond that.
11. Christy Lee Cook - Ok....if she doesn't go home this week, I can't imagine why. I thought last week's performance was her worst.....until this week. She performed like she knew her days were numbered. What I like about Christy Cook.....hmmm.....really nothing.
Bottom Three: This was a weird week.....because I don't necessarily think that those who deserve to be there....will be there.....
I'm going to say: Christy Lee Cook, Ramiele and Chikeze....with an outside chance that Syesha might be there (despite my #4 placement this week). I think Amanda should be there...but I think she has too much of a fan base.
Who should go home: Christy CookWho will go home: Christy Cook......I can't imagine any scenario where she doesn't go home this week.
......Rubbertoe....out!

The Top 11 . . . A Play by Play

Alright, y'all. As has been suggested by Ms. Allison, next week, I will break this sucker down into smaller bits about the individual performances . . . in a live blog kind of way . . . but for now, here is the lengthy recap

Alright folks, here we go. By popular demand, or by demand of the Idol Machine cuz they’re gonna make bookoos of cash money and increase donations for Idol Gives Back, we are once again “celebrating” the songs of the Beatles. Hmmm . . . Seacrest is sporting a bit of a faux-fro on top of his head tonight.

Here are the finalists! Why is Brooke wearing a frilly potato sack and David Cook sporting a rubber band around his hand? Who knows. . . Ah, they have put Ramiele in the pimped out spot. And, not shockingly, they have not put Lil David in position number one. . . that distinction goes to Amanda O. Ok, so, we are not performing the Lennon/McCartney songbook, but the songs of the Beatles. Minor banter with the judges ensues . . . and, why is Simon giving Ryan the hyperwinks tonight?

Obligatory Beatles retrospective . . . cue more songs that I recognize but clearly to which I am incapable of assigning titles . . . .

Up first, is Ms. Amanda O. . . who has “performed” on flat bed trucks . . . She is singing “Back in the USSR” which she is going to make “hard-driving’. Let the screeching ensue . . . Ms. Amanda is gracing us in quite a bit of very fitted denim and a more recognizable Portugese dialect perhaps originating out of South Lisbon . . . anyway. . . It was spirited, I’ll give her that, much more screechy than last week. Kind of typical Amanda for me. Randy thought she was pitchy at first but brought it home. Paula thinks she couldn’t hear the music at first, but connected at the end. Simon, hooray, agrees with moi, she is singing the same thing every week and is quite predictable. He thinks she is in danger of becoming boring. I’ve got to tell you, she’s kind of entertaining here . . . and now, bordering a bit on obnoxious. Does anybody else get the feeling that this girl really doesn’t want to win this competition . . . she just kind of wants to get far enough to be able to tour the Southeast . . . on her Harley . . . while drinking a little Natty Lite?

Here comes KLC showing us some pics of her friends and animals. Every week she is in the bottom two . . . very nerve wracking for our little underdog. Anyway, she is singing “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”. Cool dress . . . with strange cowboyish hooker boots . . . A little pitchy and awkward, but not terrible. Clearly, singing the song as if she hasn’t really heard it before. Overall, kind of awkward until the last note. The last note was EXCELLENT! Randy thought it was awkward, but the high notes were good. Paula thought the same thing, but that she looked great. Simon thinks she is like musical wallpaper. I think the judges are more harsh with KLC . . . and something about her “blowing Simon out of his socks”. That was kind of cute, and quite frankly, I like this girl. I don’t know why, but I do.

Here comes Lil David A. . . I’m not clear on how he is performing when he is sitting here on my mantle. Anyway, cutey pie is singing “The Long and Winding Road”. I don’t want to jinx him here, but I think our Lil David is BACK! Our frontrunner is BACK folks. That was WONDERFUL! Nice to hear the pure voice back in form. Randy says that Lil David has brought the hotness back to his game. Paula thinks this is his most exciting performance . . . and stuff . . . and character . . . and, ok. Simon thinks that this week he was amazing. He thinks that he sold the song and was a master class.

IPhone and AT&T pimping . . . Oh, and don’t forget the Coke Product!

And here comes Aussie Mike! He’s doing “A Day in the Life”. Much less greasy tonight! Hooray for makeup! But yikes for falsetto. . . Is it me, or is this a very strange arrangement . . . way too many “Ahhhhhh” measures. This song is really not one that showcases the “Zazazoom” that he demonstrated in the Top 24. Not one of my favorites. Randy thinks that he has not chosen the right song. Paula thought he was great in the rehearsal, and thinks that maybe the monitor in the ear is affecting him. Simon thinks that it was a mess . . . I agree and I think our little Aussie dreamboat could be headed to the Bottom three . . . and, wait, here comes a mention of a deceased friend. I can appreciate the meaningfulness of the song choice, but I really don’t like it when the contestants mention things like that after their performances . . .

Here comes Ms. Brooke . . . wearing her mustard potato sack . . . and talking about her family. Oh, a clip from “Let it Be”, I’m gonna get weepy again . . . whew, that’s over. Tonight, she is singing “Here Comes the Sun” . . . I’m sure I know this, but yet again . . . Oh yeah . . . I do know it. Now y’all know I love me some Brooke . . . but, she looks uncomfortable having to move on stage . . . she looks like she is having fun, but kind of awkward. I don’t know, I just don’t know. Randy thought she was awkward, and not connected to the song. Paula thinks its hot that Brooke makes her smile, and that she has a good low tone to her voice. . . it could have been a little more challenging. Simon’s gonna nail her here . . . Simon knew she was going to be dressed in yellow . . . and didn’t like it. And Brooke is sort of rambling at this point . . . I think that she said that she wasn’t comfortable and she will be returning to what she knows best next week. I just can’t help but really love this girl . . . performance was a bit awkward, but I still heart her hardcore.

And Rocker David is up next . . . He’s picking a Whitesnake rendition of “Daytripper”. I’m curious . . . this could either be James Dean or Jason Priestly . . . I’m not sure which . . . let’s see . . . He appears to have two microphones . . . hmmm . . . Oh, it’s a harmonica type apparatus! I am loving him. Ok, the guitar raising at the end was a wee bit self-indulgent, but I really, really love him. Nice vocals and again, very concert like. Randy thinks it was a solid look for David Cook. Paula thinks he is ready to go sell records. Ok, that was a voice box not a harmonica . . . I don’t really know what this is . . . Simon thinks that the performance wasn’t quite as good as David thought it was, and that he is a bit smug. I think a bit smug might be the understatement of the night . . . Does anyone else notice how terribly reluctant and uncomfortable Rocker David looks whenever he things Ryan is going to touch him . . .

Judges playing . . . Paula using English accent, sort of, making fun of Simon . . . they are stretching . . .

Carly is up next on Beatles night. She is singing “Blackbird”. I am VERY UNCLEAR on what in the name of Yoko Ono she is wearing tonight. She is looking very preggers, high school, Spanish teacher. . . . who attended Woodstock and got a random tattoo on her entire right arm while sloppy drunk on some Boone’s farm type form of cheap liquor. Anyway, the performance . . . her voice sounds absolutely amazing. Great performance. Accept, and I KNOW I am going to be way in the minority here, but her vocals, particularly when she went for the high. Randy thinks she was wonderful and full of coolioso. Paula thinks she was wonderful. Simon thinks it was self-indulgent and a bad song title to choose. A little discussion ensues about the title of the song. . . Carly says that she and all of the contestants are broken birds . . . Simon feels bad . . . Carly explains more . . . strange banter between the judges . . . Carly has more tattoos . . . and now looks very similar to the inmates I visit in the jail . . . and we’re off to commercial. I actually went back and listened to this again, and what at first sounded a wee awkward to me, played back as quite lovely.

Funny AT&T commercial that includes the word dillweed . . . how can you not love a commercial that uses the word “dillweed”.

Now its time for the moment in each show I like to call “I heart Jason Castro time” . He is singing “Michele” . . . Have I mentioned that I heart him . . . He’s showing a bit of his awkwardness on stage when he’s not singing or playing the guitar . . . Vocals were very good for Mr. Castro. Another cutesy song. Not very vocally challenging. Randy thought he was not very connected and that it was too subtle . . . I think he is always subtle, but anyway . . . Paula thinks he was disconnected and the song was kind of Polka like. Simon thinks that Beatles night redux was not a great idea, and he thinks that Jason’s face sold it, and that he is charming and not obnoxious – me thinks he was making a verbal bitchslap towards Mr. Cook there – and Randy makes a not so sly reference to his and Paula’s current dance club ditty – and commercial.

Syesha M. is up next, and it appears that she brought her girls with her. We’ve straightened the hair, and definitely attempted to turn up the sex appeal. Syesha thinks that being in the bottom three was a good kick in the butt. Syesha is singing “Yesterday” . . . don’t y’all know there was a fierce bitch fight between Syesha, Lil David, and Brooke for this song. Cool . . . Ms. Syesha gonna break it down acoustic style. Absolutely fantabulous performance. I’m so proud of her. I really thought she was in trouble this week. Girl saved her ass. Randy thought she took some liberties and they paid off. Paula thinks she was very good, but needs to connect more with the audience. Simon that it was HER best performance so far. Simon thought that she chose the song that Brooke should have sung. I agree. Again, I bet some hair was torn out back stage . . . Chekezie’s next.

Chekezie’s favorite moment was last week when he got great compliments from the judges . . . and Ryan touched his face. Tonight, he is singing “I’ve just seen a face”, and will be playing an instrument . . . except . . . he doesn’t seem to have an instrument. He’s very pitchy in the first of the song . . . and, OH MY-LANTA he has a harmonica. It’s kind of tragic. And now, we have launched into a bluegrassy interpretation . . . he’s trying to replicate last week . . . I did not love that. He re-arranged the song in a weird way. Randy thought it was good and bad. . . slow part good, and fast part bad . . . harmonica strange. Paula thinks that he is showing the scope of his voice, and thought his voice was pure. Simon thought it started ok and then played atrocious harmonica . . . and then Achy Breaky Heart. Once again, I gotta agree with Simon. He tried to do almost the exact same thing he did last week. Ryan says he has to listen and adjust his moves IF he gets through. Interesting wording . . . Pimp spot up next

Ramiele is bringin up the rear tonight. I’m surprised they have decided to pimp her. I really kind of expected Carly or Aussie Mike. The little engine that doesn’t quite do it for me sees the Top 11 as her family . . . Mama Brooke, Big Bro David C. . . etc. Tonight, she is singing “I Should’ve Known Better”. Harmonica intro. . . what is up with the woodies for harmonicas on the idol stage this evening . . . is she wearing a fedora? Ok, I know that little bit has a lot of fans out there, but I just think she is pitchy and quite frankly karaoke . . . every way shape and form karaoke. I’m not sure the pimp spot is so pimptastic this year. Not good at all. Randy wasn’t jumping up and down, but loved her confidence. Paula thought this week was better, but she wants her back in the Dusty Springfield zone. Simon thought it sounded like Chekezie was on harmonica. He likes her, but thought it sounded amateurish. Interesting, I thought that she and KLC gave about the same level of performance, but man the judges comments were different. It is so clear who they want to make it and who they want to go home.


What do y'all think?

Top 11 Week/Bottom Three Predictions

Whoo! It's rough to be in the Top 11. Idols were no where as good as last week as a group, but Little David did make a remarkable recovery from last week. A wee bit bitter that Syesha somehow wrangled her way into the "Yesterday." (I agree with Simon, Brooke should have had that song.) So here is my ranking of last night's Beetles love fest:

1. Little David -- back in a big way
2. Carly -- this girl can sing
3. David Cook -- something about this boy just does it for me. I know he looks smug, but ...
4. Jason Castro -- beautiful guy and a beautiful performance
5. Brooke -- bad song choice; she took some ill-advised risk, but can still sing
6. Syesha -- pretty voice, but lacks the "it" factor Simon sometimes discusses
7. Chikeze -- Although he got lukewarm reviews, I kinda liked his performance.
8. Amanda -- completely forgettable
9. Ramiele -- Probably pretty telling that when we made it through the first 9 singers, I couldn't remember who was left to sing. And is a hat necessary?
10. Kristy Lee Cook
11. Aussie Mike -- what a complete mess that was. Good looks will keep him singing another week.

My predictions for bottom 3: KLC, Ramiele, and Amanda
Going home: KLC I want her to stay but I think she is headed home

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Top 11 . . . Its tough out there for bottoms

Ok, so the blog title references a particular Toilet tissue commercial that just cracks me up and happened to appear in the middle of this week's Idol performance episode.

So, as the title may indicate to you, I am posting my bottom 3. Mind you, not MY bottom 3, but who I think will be in the bottom 3 tomorrow.

Bottom 3: (gasp) Aussie Mike, Kristy Lee, and Amanda.
Going home: Kristy Lee

The Top 11: More Beatles . . . The rankings

I will go in the vain of Ttown idol fan, and list my rankings for the night. I'm a little obsessive with the idol, so give me a little leeway here. I gave an initial rank . . . and then, I thought about how diverse our idols are. So, I went back and watched the performances again. This second go around produced a rank for singing . . . a rank for performance . . . and an overall performance. I did this because . . . well, I'm a dork . . . but also because some idols are better performers, some are better singers, and some are the best of both worlds. So, here it goes . . .

Singing
1. Lil David
2. Carly
3. Syesha
4. Rocker David (Big Space here)
5. Jason (Space)
6. Aussie Mike (Space)
7. Chekzie
8. Brooke (Big Space)
9. Kristy Lee Cook (Space)
10. Ramiele (Space)
11. Amanda

Performance
1. David Cook
2. David A.
3. Carly
4. Syesha (Big Space)
5. Aussie Mike (Space)
6. Jason (Space)
7. Amanda
8. Brooke
9. Chekezie (Big Space)
10. Kristy Lee Cook
11. Ramiele

Overall
1. Lil David
2. Carly
3. Rocker David
4. Syesha (Big Space Here)
5. Jason
6. Aussie Mike
7. Brooke (Space)
8. Chekezie (Big Space)
9. Amanda
10. Kristy Lee Cook
11. Ramiele


As you can see, most people ranked around the same, but there were some differences. I ranked Amanda last in singing, but seventh in performance. I think that David Cook was the performer, but Little David was the best singer. Overall, I think Little David's singing was a touch better than David Cook's performance. A little OCD, trust me it is the only way I am OCD, but it works for me. I'm gonna hold off on picking an official bottom three. There are several people I think could go to the bottom three . . . most of whom did not make my overall bottom three. America and I are often not on the same page. Predictions and Play by Play to follow.

L&K Top 11 (term used loosely!) performances

Okay...well, maybe a second week of Lennon-McCartney was not a good idea! Here are the performance notes and rankings from L&K:

First up K:

1. David A. - Sounded really good, but also was the appropriate emotional connection with the song

2. David C.: While the judges are thinking he should vary it up - I thought it was again one of the most genuine performances of the night and not just show filler.

3. Amanda: Again, while a repeat of previous performances - at least it was an enjoyable and enthusiastic performance! (Is she the only one not quaking in her boots when talking to the judges??)

4. Jason C. - Likable enough performance - but lacked energy

5. Carly - Big ol' voice, but bizarre performance, and constantly lies about her $2mil record deal...

6. Brooke - Although it defies reason - an even more bizarre performance than Carly's, and her irritating post song babble killed any good will I had for her performance.

7. Ramiele - Nothing astoundingly bad, pretty good actually - but somehow makes even the uptempo songs seem twice as long.

8. Chickezie - I loved Taylor when he was "on" - but this was like the ghost of Taylor on his worst "drunken uncle at wedding nights"!

9. Michael J - Damn! That was some schizophrenic, lyric swapping, awfulness!

10. Syesha - (See Ramiele above) Again, while not 100% excruciating, the moments of melisma and harpy-like shrieks killed it for me. While I appreciate the boobalicious display - it reeked of desperation.

11. Kristy Lee - She gutted that melody like a fish. I think she's toast, if the lead-off, kiss of death spot doesn't sink Amanda.

K's bottom three: Michael Johns, Syesha, Kristy Lee - with Kristy Lee going home. Of course MJ won't go, and they need Syesha's assets for the tour ;)...so Kristy is back to shoveling out the stables.


And now, here is L's rundown:

1. David A. - great all the way around - he had SOOO much pressure to do well this week and he nailed it for me. Beautiful interpretation of the song!

2. Rocker David - excellent! Loved the White Snake arrangement of the song, and I think DC gets better each week workin' the camera - I know he's singing to me!

3. Amanda - I know I am probably in the minority on this one - but she knows what works for her, and she looked great, and she looks like she is having fun - loved it.

4. Jason C - a little bit quirky and silly for me - but good song choice for him.

5. Chickezie - loved the mixing up of this song, and to me, he really has one of the more interesting male voices in the competition. I think he also understands how to use the camera when he sings. Harmonica bit was fun!

6. Carly - Okay - well, she has a good voice, but uhhh...what did she do to 'Blackbird'?? Didn't like it much at all - I think she tried to rock it up a bit and it just isn't that kind of song. She also gets bad marks in my book for the snarky post song comments.

7. Ramiele - fun for her - glad to see her uptempo. Not a spectacular performance by any means, but not as bad as the ones below her either.

8. Brooke - goofy, silly, and she seemed uncomfortable to me without her guitar or piano. I think she totally was out of her element. I hate yellow!

9. Aussie Mike - ugh...just not good here. Strange song choice I thought - and he doesn't have the range to pull it off. Another song where I think he misinterpreted the meaning and the spirit of the song.

10. Kristy Lee - well - this could have been a tie for last place, but she just eeked by Syesha a bit. Same as above with Mike - she just didn't get the song - and sounded off key to me.

11. Syesha - first, let me say beautiful dress (the only one the stylists got right this week). But she wrecked "Yesterday" - bad, just bad.

L's bottom three: Aussie Mike, Kristy Lee, and Syesha. I think Syesha will go home...though Kristy probably should.

Whew!! Sorry for the long post guys :)
L&K

Tonights rankings and who is going home!

1. David A.
2. David C.
3. Syesha
4. Jason
5. Carly
6. Ramiele
7. Amanda
8. Chikezie
9. Brook
10. Kristy
11. Michael

Kristy goes home!!!!!!!!!!!!

Top 11 Spoilers

Alright y'all. So, as per usual, TMZ has posted its spoiler list of what the idols are singing. As I predicted, I am unfamiliar with most of the song titles. I'm hopeful that I will recognize the songs ones are peeps perform them. Hit the link to be spoiled!

http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/american_idol_top_eleven

T - 22 minutes and counting!

Random Idol DVD News

I find this item very random, and thus, wanted to share it with everyone. So, the Idol Machine has announced that they will be releasing the American Idol Season 6 Finale in a two DVD set. The first DVD will have the 90 minute finale where Blaker Boy and Jordan go at it. . . it will also include random performances from the reveal episode. The second disc includes some bloopers, individual specials on Blake and Jordan, and an "How to audition for Idol" tutorial. I find this release random because we haven't gotten full seasons of idol, nor any of the other finales . . . Just interesting. Read the whole story after the jump

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Dvd-News-Reviews/American-Idol-Dvd/800035748

Another former idol performer slated for Wednesday

The folks over at mjsbigblog are reporting that the Pickler herself will be performing a song from her new CD on Wednesday night's results show. I have to say that considering that during AI 4, I would have rather STUCK HOT POKERS IN BOTH OF MY EYES than watch Kelli Pickler, the girl has actually done quite well for herself. Hope it goes well!

http://mjsbigblog.com/

Guest Judge Tonight is ...

rumored to be Mariah Carey. The gods are looking out for us since the contestants are singing Lennon/McCartney again and not Mariah songs.


http://www.watchingamericanidol.com/category/season-7/

L&K Predictions for tonight's song choices

Hmmm, that's a really good question! I can say for sure that we both are hoping that the Idols cannot repeat a song from last week. I don't have any idea how large the Lennon-McCartney song catalog is - so surely there are LOTS to choose from :)

Just offhand - these might be some good song choices in general: Paperback Writer, Back in USSR, Blackbird, Dear Prudence, She Came in through the Bathroom Window, Good Day Sunshine, Helter Skelter, I'll Follow the Sun, Lady Madonna, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Obla di obla da, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, Rocky Racoon.....those are just some of the ones I like!

I could see Amanda doing Helter Skelter!

It is really tough - but I wonder if they will try to stick to songs that the public might recognize? I don't know, but it should be fun to watch :)

Predictions for the Top 11

Ms. Allison has requested predictions for this evening. My first problem with the request is that last week I noticed how very few titles of Beatles songs that I actually knew. I clearly recognized all of the songs once they got going, but from the titles, I only new a few. So, prediction number 1: I will recognize very few titles of songs this evening :) . . . yes folks, I'm here all week . . . Alright, so, I won't predict actual song choices, but I will say that I think we will see Lil David recover his frontrunner status. I think he will smartly pick a ballad and place himself on a stool . . . possibly with a guitar . . . or at the piano . . . and belt out a sweet lil ditty. I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that I'm expecting a good night for Kristy Lee Cook . . . she's kind of turning into a Haley from last season, and she stuck around for quite a bit longer than expected. My early worry goes towards Syesha and Ramiele . . . I thought there performances were SO lackluster in week 1. That's all for now . . . I'm curious to see what L&K think, and of course, Ms. Allison.

Any Predictions for Tonight?

Hey J,K, and L -- Do you have any predictions for tonight's song choices?

Monday, March 17, 2008

WooHoo 400 hits!

So, the hits total lagged a bit between Thursday and Sunday, however, we have hit now hit 400! So, in an effort to commemorate the event, we here at A Little Taste of Idol have decided to kick it old school. Therefore, I present to you one of the most noted performances of one Ms. Kelly Clarkson - season 1 American Idol! Enjoy!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Who is the frontrunner?

So, I thought I would blog a weekend post to discuss (or offer a monologue) on who has frontrunner status after the first week of the main competition. Interestingly, most of those considered frontrunners at the beginning of the top 24 have slipped. I can remember the first week when everyone thought we were headed for a Carly vs. Aussie Mike finale. Now, that seems much less likely. Both of them have given solid performances, but, with the exception of Carly's "Come Together" performance, neither of them have established themselves as the one's to beat. Our only realy frontrunner, David A., had a HORRIBLE first week. We'll have to wait until next week to see if his youth and inexperience will lead to an early exit OR if last week was just a blip on his way to the title.

Brooke White is an interesting contestant to me. From the start, she has seemed like a sweet girl who would hang in for a minute, but had no real shot at the title. And still, there are those who don't really "get" Brooke. However, in my opinion, the girl has established herself as a definite contestant of interest. I have been very impressed with her poise and composure through the first four rounds. I think she has definitely moved to the top of the pack as far as the girls are concerned.

Rocker David is another who I think has pulled out in front of the pack. His ascent really started with his performance of "Hello". It continued this last week with his rockin rendition of Eleanor Rigby. From the start, I really considered him a middle of the pack guy, but I really think he is poised to play the dark horse role in this competition. All of the contributors got together and did a pre top 12 prediction of who would leave when, and interestingly, we all picked David Cook to ride his dark horse status all the way to the finals. It will be very interesting to see how he progresses.

Finally, I'm curious to see how Aussie Mike and Carly perform and how far they get. Again, they were my early picks for the finals, and they could still get there, but I think their odds are much smaller now, than at the beginning. At this point, I think they have to pull out solid performances each week to stay out of danger. I don't think they have the following to pull a David A. from week one and not go to the bottom three.

Next week we get another Lennon/McCartney song book week. I'm curious to see if the Idols have to choose from the remaining songs or if they will get to pick any song they wish (e.g. a song another contestant performed last week). If the latter is true, I really want Brooke White or David A. to pick "In My Life" and perform it the way it should have been done, instead of that wishy-washy version Ramiele threw out there last week.

What do y'all think? I'm curious to hear your thoughts . . . and once again, thanks for reading!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Post Results Show thoughts

Wow! That was an interesting show last night....J gave such an awesome moment by moment recap - no need to go over all the details again :)

I will just post a few things:

I just felt bad (for us and the contestants) that they EACH had to sing themselves 'out' just for being in the bottom three. I think it didn't matter which person we all thought would go home - I am sure we didn't need to hear their entire song again - thank goodness for the mute button on the remote!

I was a bit surprised that David H. went home last night - I don't think based on performance that he was the worst of the night, so there must be other factors at play here. It really surprises me - but it shouldn't - that all the stripper press is such a big deal.

K informed me earlier today that David A. has a 'stage dad' and that may have contributed to his poor performance on Tuesday night. How sad! I hope that if it is true, Idol can get the situation under control.

A plea to the Idol stylists - please work a bit harder to help these folks look more polished and fun! What was that dress that Carly had on last night (and on performance night)? And poor Brooke with that grey dress...

And finally - did they say we have another Lennon-McCartney week next week? What's that about? If Kristy tries to country-up another Beatles tune...I think she might go home. K says that even if the spirit of John Lennon inhabited her like Swayze did Whoopi in 'Ghost' - it still wouldn't be enough to keep TPTB from throwing her under the bus next week.

Yay to all of us in our friendly competition!! 2 points across the board :)

300 hits commemorative clip

David Hernadez is out ...

(yes Josh, I know what you are thinking, he is now OUT in all the ways)

What a surprising first week result even though I had him in my bottom 3. I never thought that David H was going to make it to the end (or even to the to the top 6) but I thought he would do better than 1st to go.

From some of the comments I heard from my non-blogging friends (including my sister, LT) there seemed to be a huge backlash against KLC. Apparently a lot of people really hated the song. It wasn't the best, and it did have a Dolly Parton sound to it, but I was ok with the song and performance. KLC was ranked #8 on my list from Tuesday night.

My theory for why she stayed is that folks don't like it when Paula and Randy CLEARLY go after someone when they are so generous with comments to other people with bad or mediocre performances. Lots of folks like country music and even though I was not a HUGE fan of the song (READ: I am not downloading it to my I-pod), she is the only country artist in the show. Combine all of that with David H's semi-scandal and I think that equaled an early exit for David H.

I am sure the KLC will be first or second in the order next week as the AI machine tries to eliminate her quickly. She will need a great performance to hang in for another week or 2 so she can make the tour.

My early prediction for next week ... One of the girls will go for sure.

Friendly Competition Update -- Top 12 Week Results

Well, no one in our little group managed to pick David H. to go home last night so everyone is tied up after the 1st week!

Lisa -- 2 points
Kevin -- 2 points
Josh -- 2 points
Allison -- 2 points

Clearly we are all a little rusty from last year!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Top 12! The Results Show!

Hey Y'all! It's time to vote someone off the island . . .er . . .wrong reality show. . . Anyway, we're about to go from 12 to 11. . . in about 58 minutes.

Ok, here we go. The first results show of the Main Event – The Top 12. And, hmmm, let’s see . . . what movie is the Idol Machine plugging tonight . . . ahhh, the Horton hoo movie thingy.

We had 29 million votes last night. . . seems a little low to me, but maybe it’s on par with previous years. Our judges have been introduced, and my only comment is . . . where did Paula find the Star Trek memorabilia store that clearly provided her with that jacket. Ugh, Jim Carrey . . . Um, excuse me, they are doing another round of the Lennon/McCartney song book next week?!? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed some of the performances . . . but they only had 25 to choose from to begin with . . . 12 are gone . . . so, the 11 remaining contestant only have 13 songs to choose from . . . Hmmmm . . . surely that’s not right.

Oh, here we go . . . the obligatory group number. A Beatles medley of sorts . . . no, I guess it actually was a Beatles Medley. Anyway, everyone is doing fairly well . . . Amanda kind of cracks me up with her melodic screeching . . . And Little David A. seems to have recovered tonight. He sounds MUCH BETTER! And he looks really cute with his doubled up polos . . . and . . . we go to commercial.

After the retrospective, we go to the folks sitting on the couch. Here we go . . . Carly, Michael, Jason, and Syesha were asked to stand up . . . this is different . . . they’re trying to throw us here . . . Carly is SAFE! As she should be. Michael Johns is SAFE . . . and excited! Jason Castro . . . I just giggled . . . HE IS SAFE . . . HOLLA! Syesha . . . we all thought she should be in the bottom 3 . . . And she is! I don’t mean to sound excited, but it’s nice to be right. Per our contest, we each get one point! Oh for the love of Brian Dunkleman, why are they making her sing. I really don’t love this part . . . it makes me quite uncomfortable . . . you know, like when you go to the pharmacy to buy (insert personal product name here) and there are, let’s say, eleventy thousand people in line watching you pick it out. Thank goodness she is done.

And we’re back, with what would appear to be our yearly take on the Ford Focus ad. . . . “They are going the distance”. We’re back on the couch, and there is Ryan and is skinny tie . . . circa 1985 . . . I’m sorry, did Ryan just say that “Idol has touched these contestants in lots of different ways”? . . . um . . . anyway . . .The contestants are now telling us exactly how and in what way “Idol has touched them”. Oh, and Amanda just met the lead singer of REO Speedwagon . . . oh, sorry, cue the music . . . Chekezie, Amanda, Kristy Lee, and David Cook are asked to stand . . . Ryan asks Chekezie to come down and join him, and take a seat . . . He is SAFE! Amanda is next . . . and she is SAFE! David Cook and is cute hat . . . get to have a seat . . . They are SAFE . . . rut ro for Kristy Lee . . . she has already asked for her microphone to sing . . . we’ll see if they’re doing one per group . . . she is indeed in the bottom three. It looks like three of our five voters were more in tune with America than we were. NONE OF US got that one right . . .Oh well, And, there goes Kristy Lee singing in that very wide legged stance . . . and there’s Sanjya . . . no pony hawk unfortunately . . . and she’s done. I’m unclear on Simon’s comment about Kristy Lee being “sarcastic” about country last night. I must have missed that one.
And we’re back . . . and apparently, taking calls . . .I’m unclear . . . And Paige wants to know which AI judge Jason Castro wants to be . . . ok . . . and he’s the most unlike Paula . . . and he wants to be a hybrid . . . ok . . . this is weird. Ronnie has auditioned six times, and wants advice from the judges . . . insert snarky Simon comment. Oh sweet goodness, this calling in thing is an unfortunate time filler. And something about Simon and Ryan mud wrestling . . .

And, back to the music . . . David Foster with the return of the McPheever . . . mercy this girl is beautiful. Wow, she sounds great. I forget what a beautiful voice this girl has . . . Wow! Oh, I’m so glad she and the DF are working together. Should be a great CD.

And we’re back . . . Jim Carrey blah blah . . . here come the last 4 . . . Lil David, Brooke, David H., and Ramiele. Lil David is up . . . and, of course, our lil teddy bear is SAFE. Brooke is up . . . I heart her . . . she is SAFE. Ok, it’s down to David H. and Ramiele . . . both of whom were in all of our bottom 3’s. Looks like we’re all about to get another point and one was replaced by Kristy Lee Cook. Oh sweet goodness, Ramiele is SAFE. WHAT? Did they hear her version of “In My Life”. WTF? Ugh! Voters, get it together. Don’t get me wrong DHern was just short of hideous last night, but seriously! Oh well, looks like we will all get two points . . . boo hiss . . . oh yeah, DHern is singing . . . and stuff.

Here we go. Did America get it right? Randy says probably . . . maybe. Paula says she has never seen a “more stronger” bottom three. . . er . . . um . . . anyway . . . Simon and Paula think this bottom three is right. Syesha is sent back to the couches . . . surprisingly. Kristy Lee and DHern . . . and . . . O MA GA!
Again, he was just this side of horrendous, but seriously y’all, he should NOT be going home. . . .not with the Syesha/Ramiele combo from last night. Oh well, this is American Idol!

You’ve now read my VERY long post. What do y’all think? Let us know . . .
HOLLA!

And we're at 200! Just since the results show started!

Ok,y'all! So, either you are satisfying curiousity or, to quote Ms. Sally Field, "You like us! You really like us! During the results show we hit 200 posts! So, to commemorate the 200 mark, I am posting my favorite performance of the top 12 (and Allison's as well) Ms. Brooke White. Keep reading, y'all!

100 hits! A celebration!

Hey y'all!

I just wanted to make a post to commemorate our little blog of passing 100 hits in its first 24 hours. Hooray! Thank y'all for reading! Keep on coming back!

And to commemorate the occassion, I am posting a video from the Top 24 this year. One little David A. belting out a little John Lennon ditty called "Imagine". Thanks again, y'all!

Elimination Poll . . . and other stuff

So, from time to time, we will be posting polls . . . If you are reading this right now, it is sitting to your right - the subliminal message vote now . . . participate . . . is slowly being pumped into your idol loving brains :) Anyway, I digress, we'll post polls, and fun links, and other cool stuff every so often just to spice thing up around here. I realize that this blog has only been going for less than 24 hours, but we're kind of taken with it, so there quite likely will be some hyper posting for the first little bit. So, stop reading, VOTE Y'ALL!

Comments, people!

Ok, so, in less than 24 hours, we have 71 lovely little hits on our cutesy little blog. Hooray! Now, those of you who are reading, comment! Give us your thoughts, your tired, your poor, your snarky comments! We want to know what YOU think. Cuz we kinda think this is really cool . . . and stuff. :)

Josh

Catching up - an intro! and Top 12 Notes from L&K

Hey yall! Glad to be a part of this - although, it seems like we have been doing this for years! I am glad we now have an official forum of sorts - woo hoo! :)
This season - I will be posting for myself and Kevin - hence the L&K nickname. Kevin has been really into Idol for the past 2 years as well - so I will be reporting both of our thoughts on the show this year.


Lisa’s thoughts on the Top 12:

Yay! First big post – on the top 12. Both Josh and Allison gave great rundowns on the competition. So here are my notes:

MY fave last night….loved me some David Cook! He really took E. Rigby to a new level J Yay – loved it, and I am bothered less and less by the combover hairdo – so that’s a good thing.

My second fave was actually my overall pick to go home this week: where did all the Chickezie energy come from? I was impressed from the start – unique take on the song, great use of the stage and he REALLY seemed so excited to be there!!

My third fave of the night – was actually Aussie Mike. I was in the kitchen cooking during his performance – so I didn’t see any of it – only listened, and for me I thought he did a really nice job with “Across the Universe”. He was not really a fave of mine going into this part of the competition, so that was good for me to hear him do well.

Next up for me: Amanda….okay, I know it was a crazy outfit – “chile”! But I liked her performance and she stayed true to herself it seemed.

These below are random no particular order:
Carly – after her intro talking about the song, I thought she was set up to do an acoustic version of ‘Come Together’…..but no dice. It was alright – she can certainly sing. Did NOT like that outfit – hello??

Jason C. – seemed similar to last week. He’s a cutie though J

Ramiele – one of my favorite Beatles tunes – and she sung it very sweetly.

Brooke - Kinda stumped on this one – great piano playing, and started off good for me, but I thought she was gonna take it up a notch, and I didn’t hear it.

Kristy – I guess the bluegrass version of “Eight Days a Week” was okay…..not one of my faves overall.

David A. – ummm, what happened here? I thought watching his pre song interview, he demonstrated just a bit of ‘teenagery’ behavior – in discussing not knowing Beatles songs and being worried about what to do. He seemed to have psyched himself into a poor performance. But everyone will still love him – and it’s my thought that his primary demographic has no idea that he messed up the lyrics – so he will be fine in the voting.

David H. – yikes!! Say it ain’t so----hard to watch for me. He could’ve done MUCH better than that – like, he was the cheese factor that I thought Chickezie was going to be.

Syesha – just disappeared into the night. And the kiss of death first spot – not looking good for her.

Top 12/Bottom 3 Predictions

Lisa's Bottom three: Ramiele, Hernandez, Syesha
Going home: Syesha
From my big list: I thought (wrong!) Chikezie would be going home

Kevin's Bottom three: Ramiele, Hernandez, Syesha
Going home: Syesha
From Kev's big list: Chikezie to go home

Josh's Bottom three: Syesha, Ramiele, and David Hernandez
Going Home: Ramiele

Allison's Bottom three: Ramiele, Syesha, David Hernadez
Going home: Ramiele
For the record my original pick (which will be wrong tonight) to go home was Amanda.

Do you agree/disagree with our predictions?

Rules of the Competition

Lisa and Kevin are on board so here are the rules:

Each week after performance night, each participant will list their picks for the bottom 3 and the person who will go home. One point is awarded for each correct name. Bonus point for the right pick from our original top 12 rankings. Each blog member should post their picks and we will tally up the score after the results show tonight. You can play along with us in the comments if you are interested! Posts/comments must be done by start of the show EDT.

Game on!
Allison

Top 12 Week

Wow and wow again! I can't remember a better night for the top 12. I think that Lennon/McCartney songbook proves that a good song makes all of the difference.

My dear friend Josh has left an EXTREMELY detailed post about the performances so I won't rehash, but I will talk for a minute about my favorites of the night (in no particular order)

Can we say hello David Cook? I think that David Cook is more Daughtry than Chris Daughtry was at this point in Season 5. Even before Paula said it, David Cook was my dark horse favorite to win. I think that the Daughtry fans from season 5 will come out to support this rocker in droves to avenge Daughtry's early exit.

Super sweet Brooke. I just love her and I feel for her with the powerful emotions that overwhelmed her because of the incredible moment. Josh said that he read an interview with Ricky Minor (Josh post the link if you still have it!) where he says that she really know what she wants to convey as a musician and wants to keep the "singer/songwriter vibe" going. I think she is here until at least top 5 at this point.

Carly FINALLY brought her A game. Great song, great arrangement. Although you know she has sung that song about 1000 times, it was really good and showcased her superb voice.

Biggest surprise of the night: Incredible performance by Chikeze! Wow what a difference a week can make. We had all but written him off last week and now I think that he will be in until top 7 or 8 now.

Biggest disappointment of the night: Cute little David A. Man -- although he will make it through tonight without any problem, another performance like tonight may give him a much earlier exit that most folks imagined.

My middle of the pack could have been top performances from other seasons Top 12 week. Love Jason Castro. Aussie Mike had a solid performance but with some many exceptional singers last night, he landed in the middle of my rankings.

My predictions for bottom 3: Ramiele, David H., Syesha (because of her #1 slot and a not very memorable song).

My prediction to go home: Ramiele

Josh, Lisa and I have having a little contest among friends. Once Lisa approves the rules, we'll post the details on the blog. (No Florida or Michigan controversy here!)

Done for now --
Allison

By way of introduction ...

Hi , I'm Allison. My friends Josh and Lisa have been Idol fanatics from the VERY beginning and although I watched Idol regularly, I did not meet Josh or Lisa until season 4. But since then, Idol is our life. (Ok, that sounds kind of sad and is possibly a little over dramatic given that we are all VERY busy people with work and family and friends!) Perhaps we could say that Idol is a fun diversion from the everyday.

The blog is inspired by a friend I met last summer, Robert. He and I were at a conference together dealing with all things serious when we discovered that we were both huge Idol fans. (As a side note, Robert and I both love Dolly Parton and the song "Rocky Top" -- there could be no stronger bond between two strangers!)

Robert and his friends have an Idol list-serv that they post all of their thoughts and predictions. By special invitation, Robert has included me this year and I love getting the chance to hear what Robert and his friends way out west in sunny California think about Idol. I've been forwarding the list-serv e-mails to Josh so that he and I can discuss further.

Josh and I talked about doing our own list-serv and then that turned into this blog with our friend, Lisa.

We hope you enjoy our blog and that you share your own idle Idol thoughts with us!

Allison

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Top 12 week - Wow! AND Oh No! All in the same show!

Hey y'all!

So, tonight's episode was very interesting. In my opinion, we saw three flat out AMAZING performances. We also saw some reallllllllllllllly bad ones. However, overall, I think this show featured perhaps the Best Top 12 show, idol has ever given us. What will follow will be a performance by performance review that I typed while watching the show. Oh yeah, I was watching DVR and every performance or so, I stopped to call fellow blogger Allison to check in on her thoughts. I hope she will post for you guys tomorrow.

So, our American Idol top 12 show opens with La Seacrest displaying the brand new set. Looks pretty cool . . . lots of fun lighting . . . levitating band, etc. We are now introduced to our judges . . cue: inappropriate interaction between Ryan and Simon regarding Cowell’s display of chest hair – albeit sporadic (chest hair, not interaction). Anyhoo, a Lennon/McCartney retrospective leads us into our top 12. . . Cue drumroll please!!!!

Syesha is up first. Yikes for her, first on the top 12 is a pretty tough position to be in. I’m a bit surprised it didn’t go to Chekezie. Hope she is good. Thank Goodness, Whitney Houston is not a possibility this evening. So, we learn that she is singing “Got to Get you into My Life”. We’ll see. . . . First impression while she is singing . . . she is being overshadowed by the band. She is in good voice tonight . . . Lord, I’ve been watching this show too long . . . Randy thinks she started rough . . . and yo dawg and stuff . . . but it was a-ight. Paula thought she was pitchy at first, and then she “found her zone” and stuff. Simon thought it was better than alright. Overall, I think she was good, but not great. Depending on the other 11, she might need to be a touch worried. However, there are several singers to come who could really butcher up some Lennon/McCartney shizz. BTW, what is she wearing . . . off the shoulder . . . strangely put together . . . hmmm . . .

Chekezie is second – speaking of someone who could butcher up some of this shizz - Note to Mr. Ezie: Never tell the Idol audience that you had made your peace last week and that you were READY TO GO HOME. NEVER! – Anyway, Mr. Ezie is going to sing, “She’s a Woman”. First impression – What a great initial arrangement. This performance may be his best yet. I’m impressed with most of the vocals and most of the arrangement. A touch of the ridiculous in his stage presence, but overall very, very good. Randy, lots of “dudes” and “dawgs”, and he smashed it. Paula thought it was a good risk, my dear. Simon is surprised that he agrees. He really loved it, and thought he was MUCH more comfortable that Syesha. Overall, I really think he did a good job. . . I must eat my words from the beginning, he actually did not butcher this shizz, rather, he rocked it. Hmmm, I love how this show is capable of pleasantly surprising me. J

Ramiele is third – she is talking something about soy sauce and smelling funny and stuff. Anyway, she is singing In My Life. . . . for her close friends who have left the show already . . . I think she means her close gays who have left the show already . . . but, I digress. First impression: She is going to be overshadowed by this song. I’m really curious to see what the judges think about this performance. Randy thought it was pretty . . . boring, dawg. Paula thinks she looks lovely, but it was pretty . . . safe. Simon was bored to tears. I really can’t agree more with the judges. Ms. Ramiele was pretty . . . sucky. Ugh. Boring, boring, boring. What in the name of Ryan Seacrest was she thinking. That song had SO much potential. I wish Jason Castro or Little David had chosen it. She could also be in some deep shizz come Wednesday at 8:59 and 48 seconds.

Up next, Jason Castro – I heart Jason Castro - Oh sweet Lord, he has chosen, Yesterday, oh no, damn it! He is not singing Yesterday, he is singing, If I Fell. I’m sure it will be beautiful, but I got strangely aroused there for a moment . . .Hmmm . . . First impression: I heart him, but I guess I wasn’t aware that they were going to be allowed to use instruments throughout the entire competition. Interesting. He has such a pure, simple voice. Oh, btw, have I mentioned that I heart this boy. That was absolutely WONDERFUL. He is just great. . . . now, for the judges: Randy, liked it, but didn’t love it. WHAT? Dawg must be deaf. Paula disagrees with Randy. Paula, felt his . . . ahem . . . heart. Simon thinks that he was not as good as last week, did not love the song. He can’t keep doing “this” week after week. For once, I agree with Paula. JC just connects with the camera. I just love the little singer, songwriter, vibe that he and Brooke bring to the stage. Just awesome. And, oh yeah, have I mentioned that I heart him.

Next up, Ms. Carly and her tattooed arm . . . Ok, so, she is singing “Come Together”. . . and she’s going to change it up a little bit. Interesting arrangement . . . I think I like it. Randy thought she sounded amazing. Paula thought she was already watching a star. Simon thought she FINALLY chose the right song. This reminds him of Kelly Clarkson from six years ago. I gotta tell you. That was really really good. I am very impressed. Girlfriend has got some pipes and knows how to blow . . . that sounded a little naughty, heh heh.

Next up, David Cook . . . Hello, is it me you’re looking for? Sorry, I slipped into internal monologue for a moment. Mr. Cook is singing Eleanor Rigby . . . minus guitar . . . I’m curious to see what he does with it. Wow! He turned that song into a rockin rockin jam! Wow! Randy thought he was pitchy to begin with, but that he rocked it out. Paula thinks he is the dark horse, but likes him as . . . ahem, a front man. Simon thinks that it was brilliant. I got to agree here. He was absolutely brilliant. I really felt like I was watching a rock concert, which may be why I took off my boxer briefs and threw them at the tv . . . er, no, I didn’t really do that, I was just kidding, and stuff. Sufficed to say, he was freaking amazing.

Nanny Brooke is next. I have really gotten to love her in the last few weeks. I really hope she brings it. The last two have been WONDERFUL! She has chosen to sing, “Let it Be”. This has great potential. Oh cool, she is playing the piano. I just find this girl mesmerizing. In my opinion, she has a career no matter what the result is here. Just a brilliant talent. Her vocals are so simple and pure . . . much like Mr. Castro. Absolutely BREATHTAKING. Randy thinks it wasn’t her strongest performance, but the dawg is a fan. Paula thinks this is her niche and an emotional connection. Simon thinks it was one of the best performances of the night, and a brilliant choice of song. In the end, breathtaking.

Next up, stripper boy . . . er, David Hernandez. Oh sweet Lord, he is singing “I Saw Her Standing There”. I fear that this is going to be soaked in cheese, and just generally shizzy. First impression: Holy Cheddar, Batman! This sucks big gouda! I hate that this performance is so bad, because I kind of think Hernandez has some talent. He however, has the unfortunate position of following the three best performances of the night. Randy thinks he over did it. Paula, shockingly, agrees. Simon, says “No, no, no!” Corny verging on desperate. Yikes, I really agree. It was not good. And, he is wearing . . . um, er, interesting clothing, and stuff. I don’t know why I kind of like this guy, but if this performance is any indication of his top 12 shizz, he will be voted off the island soon.

Next up, Amanda . . . So, she’s riding her Harley and being Amanda O. And, she is singing “You Can’t Do That”. I’m quite fearful. Um, I believe she is singing in some unknown Portugese dialect. I kid, I kid, sort of, overall, she seems on pitch and she’s showing some energy. Ok, so, the end of the song kind of saved it for me. I really thought she worked that part out. . . And, she looks pretty good. Randy thinks she worked it out in a . . . er, Southern bar kind of way. Paula notes that she is smiling and looks good and is blown away. Simon, didn’t think it was as good as last week and, thank you, acknowledges that Amanda was utilizing the aforementioned Portugese dialect. Overall, good job. Should keep her in for another week.

Aussie Mike is next. I really want to love this guy. He really has superstar written all over him . . . except that sometimes he’s really not. He walks a fine line between hot superstar Michael Hutchence god-like man, and complete cheeseball. Not gouda filled like David Hernandez, but cruise ship, 3:30 a.m. in Las Vegas, cheese ball. He is singing “Across the Universe”. First impression: Better makeup job this week. It does not appear I could fry potatoes on his forehead. Yet another song in the L/M songbook that I do not recognize by the title – making me feel like complete imbecile – yet, I recognize when the singing starts. Ok, I have had to rewind this performance and listen again because I feel like he didn’t say anything except “Nothing’s gonna change my world”. . . let’s see . . . ok, there were a few other lyrics . . . but I was mostly correct. Overall, good performance. He sounded really good, but it was slightly, maybe a little bit, boring. On any other night, this might have been one of the best performances of the night. However, tonight he was very much in the middle. Randy thought it was ok. Paula thought he had a quiet confidence. Simon thought he should have been more like . . . “What’s the Irish girl’s name . . . Oh, yeah, Carly” . . . and changed up the song. I thought it was good . . . not great . . . but good.

Alright, next up, Ms. Kristy Lee – She is singing a countrified version of “Eight Days a Week”. I want this to be really good, because I like it when underdogs in the top 24 come out and totally stun us. However, we’ve already had Chekezie, could it be too much to ask? Ok, not blown away here. BUT, she did change the song around . . . and she took a risk. She was not bad vocally. I kind of liked it, but then again, I don’t know. Randy agrees with me. Paula, shockingly, didn’t like it. She tends to screw with the girls more than the boys. Simon thought it sounded like Dolly Parton on helium. Kristy Lee bravely looked at Simon and said “I liked it”. More interesting banter, blah blah blah. Overall, I don’t think it was quite as bad as Simon and Paula. It was brave and she kind of pulled it off in places. Much like normal, some will like and some will hate. Probably going out on a limb here, but, I actually think she will be safe this week.

Finally, the apple of idol’s eye, Little David. I heart him as well. Yet again, another pure voice here. He’s going to sing, “We Can Work it Out”. He admits being nervous. I hope he can work it out – insert bad joke music – Oh no! Little David does not know the words to this song. He is totally blowing it. He has a great voice, but this is NOT good. I think he has a big enough fan base that he will be safe, but sweet Lord, he cannot do that again. UGH. Randy is a fan of his, but does not think he was on point. Paula, thinks it wasn’t his best, but still loves him. Simon, thought it was a mess. . . .thought it was his weakest performance so far. I agree.


So, overall, I have to say I am very happy with this Top 12 show. Excellent, excellent, performances! Best of the night: Brooke. Followed by: David Cook, Carly, and Jason Castro.
Worst of the night: David Hernandez and Ramiele.

My Bottom Three: Syesha, David Hernadez, and Ramiele
America's Bottom Three: Syesha, David Hernandez, and Ramiele
America will send home: I think this one is difficult. I don't think David Hernandez goes home. Therefore, it is between Syesha and Ramiele. For me, Ramiele was far worse, and though I am going against my gut here, I think that cute, little, Ramiele with the alleged big ole voice will head to the hills, and thus, not be joining the idols on tour . . . Probably a good thing since her best gays were voted off. :)