THIS is AMERICAN IDOL!

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

IDOL IS BACK!!!

Thursday, April 7, 2016

What Just Happened?

Trent wins? Wtf?!?!

Okay, I apologize for the extreme animation there, but this was the best representation of how I felt when Ryan announced Trent's name.

Did ANYONE see that coming? Not that I don't think he deserved it, but how did that actually happen? I thought the fix was in!

So I'm so stunned now, I don't think I'll try to post about the entire finale as a whole, which I thought was classy and spectacular, the way it should have been all along (but now I know why they were doing double elimination weeks -- they were saving up the scrilla to pay for THIS).

I thought it was a great show, and hopefully the Little Tasters can chime in and help us unpack all the stars, moons and clovers Idol had for us in there.

But the one thing I WILL address, and if you watched the last emotional moment with Ryan you know what I mean, was his comment, as the screen went to black and the familiar 19 Entertainment logo, that it was goodbye… "for now."

What the hell was that? Did we get punked, America?!!! Is Idol coming back in some way shape or form?

Not that I'm surprised in the least. Well played, Seacrest, well played. We'll see what trickery you have up your sleeve and we'll be ready to snark all over it.

I would love to hear what you guys think! "For now", this is Dr L and K OUT!!!

Mississippi Mudslinging! The South Keeps its Streak Going With These Last Two Idols

Little Tasters! It’s down to the last couple of shows. We’re going to see our last three perform — but one of them will only get one song? What a strange season this has been.

So in the intro we see how they all have the Eye of the Tiger I guess? Then all three take the stage (four, considering LaPorsha’s magical Chia Pet fro, which must have its own zip code now.

So tonight and tomorrow will be at the Dolby Theater. What will Ryan do without his chance to be this generation’s Dick Clark on stage any more?

All the judges come out looking delicious. We find out the contestants will sing their “winning” song, a Simon Fuller choice (I guess this is what Clive traditionally did) and then their choice.

We see Trent’s farm to Idol story, and it has to make you think they had visions of Carrie Underwood when they heard that. He sings Falling. I hate it in the first few bars. Do they think he’s Justin Timberlake? Wtf? Dr. L likes it, she thinks it has the R & B he needs in it. You’re telling me he’s going to be singing this while the confetti is streaming down? They must know already he isn’t going to win. There’s no judging in this round, because remember how Simon would slay the shitty songs?

Looking at the Dolby I remember how you just feel like you’re stacked on top of the balconies below you like in the Matrix or something.

Scott Borchetta has on his Nic Cage jacket again, one of two this millionaire owns (other one is the music has value one). He talks about how Idol will OWN the winner forever Mwah ha haaa! Or something like that.

We see Dalton, probably the only camera-ready contestant left. This sounds more like a winner’s song. But in a weird way the cheesiness also brings more of a suck factor. They really want to neuter any kind of punk-rock spirit he has and make it pop.

LaPorsha talks about how she endangered her child and drove 28 hours to the first auditions. She must be confident she’s going to win, so Social Services won’t come after her. Her song is called Battles - of course it is. (Hey, I just saw Blind Guy Contestant from a few years back out in the crowd — what was his name? Rubbertoe, help!) This song is another supposedly another uplifting song, that really feels like it’s ten minutes long. Holy cow, these all sucked. How did Kelly get the best winner song of all?

So Ryan says when we come back from the break, we learn who gets the boot? Doesn’t that seem especially cruel? “Hey, go sing the song you will do if you win. Oh, and then, immediately find out, you won’t.” We line up our Final Three — and we find out LaPorsha is going to make it, no shit. Idol, thanks for keeping up the mind-games like the old days!!

And her number two is Trent, just as we thought. So Dalton is a gentleman and a good sport, and wishes the others well. I wish him well! He’s definitely going to get a record deal or a TV show and he’s going to do well. I dare say better than maybe whoever wins? That’s the Idol way.

So we go back to the South for an Idol winner one more time, folks. Trent takes the stage for a Melvin and the Blue Notes classic. Dr L thinks he could release this version. It is in his wheelhouse for sure. He knocks it out of the park. The judges love it. But does he have a chance?

We’re back, distracted by JLo’s boobs again. WoW! That must be 5 degrees of Wonder in that bra.

LaPorsha is doing A House is Not a Home. She probably looks the prettiest she has all competition, the whole package is great. She does a good enough job singing the song, but man, I can’t get past the fact that it seems kind of like running the scales as far as her emotion level. They just showed Kelly singing Piece by Piece last night, and that is how you should be doing it. But these folks seem to love it. If you listen to the judges’ comments they kind of echo this, it’s all about being “effortless” or how great Ricky Minor is (which he was) but there were plenty of dry eyes in the house.

So we get to see JLo reading the official edict from Simon Fuller that LaPorsha sgould win — notice how sometimes she or Keith will look down at their “notes” during the show? It’s to make sure they stay on-script.

Is it me, or does Scott Borchetta in this pic look like a creeper photo-bombing Ryan? If you ever watch Mecum Auto Auctions, there are a lot of skeezy guys like that hovering around, watching from the sidelines.

Trent comes back for his final song doing Sia’s Chandelier. What’s with the pewter tips on his jacket lapels? Is this some Star Trek version of what “future” people in 2016 would wear? Weird. He does a good job with the vocal gymnastics, but seems to be inhis head, to me. I can’t imagine the stress he must be under, though. The crowd seems to love it. The judges did too. I hope this country boy can pull a hat trick and win.

Back from break — I’ve been typing and haven’t noticed until now, there’s that russian contestant from about 8 years back. And there’s Haley Reinhart! The crowd is chock full of former Idols!

And then we get LaPorsha, doing Rihanna Diamonds. It is very entertaining watching her pull all her crazy faces out for this one song. To me, this was screechy and maybe the wrong choice? But I predict the crowd and judges will be like OMG!!! This F’ing ROCKED!!!! Let’s see: Well, no standing O. But they are all looking down at their notes, Harry JLo and Keith, so the fix is in. Read the words, puppets! Keith pulls out a nice oblique ski metaphor, kudos to you sir. And I would be remiss without saying, I love the leather jacket Captain America star outfit. JLo talks about going to a LaPorsha show, which I predict will be at a small venue near you with Lee DeWyze opening soon. Harry won’t even comment, beyond the scripted plug for her baby. Touche, Mr. Fuller! That was the coup de grace fro America.

So now it’s all over but the crying. We’ve seen better finales. Was it me, or was there a paucity of “moments” this season, this being a good time to bust one out? But it is what it is. I feel like Trent SHOULD win but won’t, as the fix is in. And maybe it would be better for him if he doesn’t. What do you guys think? We have one more show (not counting when Idol comes back for some “special event” sometime a year or two from now). It has been a fun ride! See you tomorrow, Tasters. Dr. L and K OUT!!!

Friday, April 1, 2016

We're down to the last Three, for the last week!

OK guys, it's coming down to the wire. Only a couple of more weeks and we can put a bow on this thing called Idol, stick a fork in it, it will be done.

We had our Final Four make the trip back home, and it was just as sweet as you might expect. To be honest, I just want to hear them sing, so I sped through this section. If I missed some earth-shattering revelation, please tell me, and I will re-watch the DVR. But I feel good about this choice LOL

I just read that Idol is going to keep up the pace of this season and do a THREE NIGHT FINALE next week -- holy crap! They couldn't spread it out two more freakin' weeks? Ah, well.

So then we get to the rest of the first HOUR of the show, which is the contestants singing the first round of songs dedicated to the hometowns. It cracks me up that Trent picked Tennessee Whiskey -- what does that say about them LOL?

MacKenzie did Hallelujah, and while he did a fine job, Idol has beaten any joy that song has for me out a long time ago. Why does everyone want to do that song? Please, God, let this be the end. I haven't heard "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin as much as Hallelujah in my life, and I love that song.

JLo talked about Dalton being "free" on his hometown song choice, but it was just a-iiight for me.

Again, for complete transparency, I sped past LaPorsha's rendition of Glory, because it is another one of those songs that gets rolled out and suddenly you're supposed to get misty eyed. She did fine, but I'm like, I don't want to hear this again.

MacKenzie gets the boot, as we all knew he would, because they have been pimping LaPorsha as the second coming of Aretha all season. Even he knew it, which was hilarious, Ryan almost seemed irritated that he would expose the charade. Goodbye, skinny glasses kid, at least you have a promising career now.

In Round Two, Dalton did a Springsteen song that was half lame and half great. The judges liked it a lot. Looking back, it was Dalton's high point.

LaPorsha gave a powerful but emotionless performance of Stay With Me, but redeemed herself in my eyes by owning up to not feeling the "desperate woman" message of the song. At least she's honest!

These are songs picked by Borchetta, which is beginning to explain a lot. When Trent comes out doing a Timberlake song Drink You Away, it seems like sabotage. The arrangement is wacky as hell, he never seems to build up a head of steam, and it comes off as spastic. I thought it sucked. But people love him and the judges take it easy.

Keith does a song, and it was OK. He's a good performer, so he can make it entertaining. But I wouldn't rush to pull out Soundhound if I heard it while I was walking through a store and think, "I've GOT to know who does that!"

So now the judge's picks (which can be all over the place). They pick Tears For Fears Everybody Wants to Rule The World for Dalton? What? He performs it like he's Brad Pitt in Twelve Monkeys. What's with the faces? He was singing so low you couldn't hear him half the time. It was just bizarre.The judges pull some technical mumbo-jumbo on him rather than say it sucked (I miss Simon for these moments).

Back from break, Harry holds LaPorsha's baby, and Ryan holds Trent's dog? Where is Dalton's pot-smoking cat? I'm just guessing he has one.

LaPorsha's doing Adele, Hello... of course she is. I don't know if she's going to say she doesn't believe in this song's message too, but she's just as robotic in her delivery. Dalton may come across as bat-shit crazy but at least he feels the songs. The judges give it faint praise, but even they know it was whatev.

So for Trent they pick a song I've never heard, from Parson James (is he a character in that Christmas song that marries the people? Sorry, that was Parson Brown). This has the right soul vibe, and he injects the feeling LaPorsha was missing. Other than this being a less-recognizable song, he does a fantastic job with it. At this point he is the one to beat, in my book. Harry delivers the last critique from Idol on Stage 36.So glad we got to see one last show there a couple of weeks back!

Ryan was a bit emotional as he signs off for the last time from the traditional stage over in CBS Television City. I can't even remember how many times I waited outside that gate in the blazing sun to get in to see the show!

But time waits for no one. We are on to the last week of Idol, with Dalton, Trent and LaPorsha. If I had to predict at this point, I think it would be Trent vs LaPorsha. But crazier things have happened. What do you guys think?

I had to watch this one solo as Dr. L is in Dallas at a convention (not the WWE one next door, but she did get some funny pics). So for the next to the last time, this is K OUT!!!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Quick Post about a great trip to Idol last week

Hey Little Tasters,

sorry I haven't written up the details of Dr. L, Rubbertoe and my trip to Idol last week.

We have been super busy and Dr. L and I caught the flu!

But we're recovered now, just in time for the next speed round of Idol Eliminations.

I'll post more about our trip (Idol changed some things up, and this made for a much better vantage point for us!) but for now, I'll just say it was a great experience, so glad we got to see at least one more regular season episode before the end.

I'm still holding out hope for the Finale!

But the short version is, Adam Lambert was phenomenal, and there were no real surprises for us as far as how the Idols sounded, except maybe that MacKenzie has way more power to his voice than you might expect.

I think maybe we were a little shocked that Sonika got the save, because the word was that Scott Borchetta really wanted Tristan to move forward (and he and Nigel both spent a lot of quality time talking to the judges about SOMETHING).

But all in all the Idols sounded as good as they do on TV. The whole Trent performance with Simple Man really did bring the whole house to tears.

So let's see who gets the ax tonight -- is it going to finally be Sonika's turn? The Idol voters seem to be picking off the girls, so it doesn't look good for her!

We'll catch up with you soon.

Dr. L and K OUT!

Thursday, March 10, 2016

A sporadically good night, with some definite highs and a lot of "whatevs"

Idol Top 8 — Duets!!!

Dr. L said Jlo looks like she’s wearing a slip! She probably needs Idol to help hype her cop show (which my buddy Adi created, but still looks like a shaky bet).

The Top 8 roll out. Is LaPorscha’s hair 2x as big as at the start? I read a great article on MJ’s Big Blog about how Scott Borchetta is pimping Tristan:

First up, Trent and LaPorcha. I read that the others were afraid to team with her. Doing See You Again. Personally I like the tone of his voice better than hers. She has the power but it’s sometimes boring. They sound good together. Good song for both of them. They both are sweet and classy.

Next up, Avalon and Sonika. We missed the name of the song, is it Rise Up? Move Mountains? The judges look like someone farted onstage. Not a great song but pretty good harmony. Jlo claims nobody has weakness in their voice — we’ll see when Lee Jean is up. Dr. L said that one was just meh for her.

Scott Borchetta comes on wearing Nic Cage’s snakeskin jacket from Wild at Heart.

They announce MacKenzie and Dalton are doing a lame-ass Backstreet Boys song. I hope to God it doesn’t sabotage Dalton. Maybe this is making panties wet across America but it does nothing for me. It’s like Buddy Holly and Green Day forced to do a song for Community Service. The judges hate it.

Tristan and Lee. Notice Scott threw Lee under the bus for being sick, in case they suck. Doing Aerosmith’s worst song in history. He brings zero believability to the lyrics. Tristan blows him off stage immediately. Who picked these songs? Did Steven Tyler get it in his contract to pimp this song? It already made all the money. She goes off the rails a little at the end. Lots of boos on the critique.

So now we get to the solos — and another bottom 3 sing-off? LaPorsche is up first, with a tear-jerking moment with an old teacher (we get to see her with non-stratosphere hair). OMG, why do they bust out this Beatles song every season? Her outfit made me have an acid flashback to 1973 Patti Labelle on Soul Train. They’ll probably love it, but I can’t wait for it to end. She is a good performer. Keith gets in a shout-out to the late great George Martin, RIP.

MacKenzie makes it into the safe zone. Who knew he was a sports freak? He’s doing the classic Joe Cocker You Are So Beautiful — written by the incredible Billy Preston. (Billy is the one on the left here)

He has one of the best male voices left. This is not bad, kind of like the Lite-Rock version of it. That was probably a good song choice, as Harry said. He should be safe — but is he taking votes away from Dalton?

We are tortured by a montage of other Idols doing the Aerosmith song. Thanks! I’m totally doing a screen-cap of Ryan doing sad-emoji!

Nick Fradiani comes on to remind us who he is. We enjoyed him on last year’s tour way more than we expected to. I still hate that he does the “c’mon!” thing when he sings, but he is a pretty decent singer. He won’t drop out of sight as fast as a Lee DeWyze, but he is far from a Daughtry or even a David Cook. It’s like a special Idol Limbo for being famous and forgotten all at once. Dr L said she liked this song.

So we’re back. Up next is Trent! So glad he made it. He’s a country boy who wants to be a horse? He tells a funny story about how he bamboozled his family about being on Idol. Doing Stand By Me. He has that 60s soul-singer vibe going for him, so this is a pretty good choice. He seems to have gotten more comfortable every show. We thought it was great. Harry was making a strange face! But Jlo calls him a bad-ass.

We get a montage of Ain’t No Sunshine (by the incomparable Bill Withers) as done by many Idols. I wonder how many of us old-timers have watched all the Idol seasons?

So who else is safe? Scott’s girl Tristan makes it. She tells a heartwarming story about her Paw-paw. They seem like a sweet family. She’s doing a Martina McBride country tune, but the key is too low for her — what do you bet she’s building to some bug note at the end (but sacrifices 1/2 of the song to do it)? She does have a great voice, but needs some control — they need to stop going for the bomb notes, and stay in the lane. Keith makes a funny Birdman joke. They treat her with kid gloves — she’s probably safe.

So we have the tension of the bottom 4: who makes it out of the B3? Oh, thnk God it was Dalton. He’s a Texas kid, and his mom was a punk rocker LOL. He’s doing a rocked-up version of Eleanor Rigby, sounds a little like Muse. This was more like the Dalton of old. The arrangement was in danger of overpowering him, but he held on. Keith compared him to a waffle iron, which I never considered but it fits. He got great feedback, it should keep him safe for another run.

So this leaves Sonika, Avalon and Lee Jean. The Vegas line was on Lee Jean and Avalon hitting the bricks, let’s see.

Avalon as a kid was pretty much the tomboy she is today. We learn she has OCD — I had noticed the tic thing but I thought it was nerves. Great parents, supportive. Dr L thinks she has the most interesting voice, and I think of all the Idols she sounds like what’s on the radio. She could be the next Ke$ha, right? But she’s better than that. I think maybe her relaxed style makes it seem like she isn’t as into as the others, so maybe voters lost interest? Harry says it, she has no sense of urgency. She has grown on me, but I don’t know if she’s better than Sonika. Does all this judge advice mean they’ll save her?

After 1 million commercials, we hear about how Lee Jean had to move when he was a kid. Music saved him! He’s a good kid, just WAY too young to be here. Doing Let it Be? This is just bad. The song is too old, the meaning too esoteric for him to grasp, and his voice is just too reedy. How can he not hear how off-ket he is — he’s got that earpiece, right? I like his vampire-hunter twill coat though. The judges start off with the “you’re gone” (but not in so many words) speeches. He probably is.

Last up, Sonika and her boobs — who knew? She’s throwing them out there a little too late?

So her family was musical in a very Indian way — stuff like the harmonium. She’s doing Whitney, oh Lord. Did she already pcik the best song for Elimination, you think? Or is this taking too big a bite…She definitely is hitting the big stuff, after slightly rougher beginning. She looks good up there, and I would say of these three she knocked it out of the park. Harry loved it. So did Keith. Jlo sort of dismissed her, provoking a bit of a bitch face from Sonika. Does Jlo remember her from the cold-blooded stuff back in Hollywood? I always think they make up their mind before the show even starts.

So we kill time while they go through the motions. They kick Lee and Avalon to the curb, so the Vegas odds were dead on. Sonika gets to sing one more week! I don’t think we were surprised at all. Lee Jean is a good kid, but now the balance has been restored to some degree.

What did you guys think? One of the things we were excited about was, we get to see ADAM LAMBERT live at Idol next week! We’ll tell you guys all about it.

Dr. L and K OUT!

Just to keep it straight, here's who we have left:

I'm on board with 90% of these, they all have strengths. But it bumfuzzles me how they can say Lee Jean stays on merit? Who is voting for him? This could be some of the famously tone-deaf America voting with regional pride and not their ears.

Or was it Idol shenanigans to get him on the tour? We'll see tonight!

By the way Tasters, Dr. L, K and Rubbertoe will be in the audience next week for the show, so stay tuned for an in-depth report on what these contestants sound like LIVE!!!

-- K

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Wtf? We're out of it for a week and Idol starts rolling heads

Wow!

So Dr. L and I were out of town all last week for a conference and we knew we'd miss one Idol contestant going home. But guess what!? Idol is laying waste to this group at record speed! I hope that we really don't do double eliminations to the end, that would suck.

I binge watched the last 3 eps back-to-back (Dr. L is out of town AGAIN, in D.C., so I'm Han Solo tonight). As a recap, I have to say I was impressed by most everyone but completely floored by Kelly Clarkson. I know so much of entertainment is hype, but she really brought me to tears with that song, literally.

So maybe this week was an anomaly, but if not, I can see the old Idol trickery coming into play, because this almost seems like a way to have a Judge's Save that rolls on week after week?

That would be a way Idol could shape who they want to keep going. The ruse would be obvious if they had to save the same person more than one week, but maybe they're counting on it working out.

So, right off the bat, I have to say that the kid, Lee? Doesn't deserve to be here. This is clearly some Idol shenanigans for the target demo. But America is trying to right the ship

I think Olivia was weak last week so maybe she earned the B3 spot. I think she's better than that. The no-makeup girl Avalon is pretty good, and I think she was more Top 10 than they gave her credit for.

But I think they made the right call with the Gianna girl being B3. Her mom is clearly picking all these songs, because they are classics but old as HELL. She's 15, and hasn't sung a modern song yet. I think she bombed the sing-for-your-life song.

So after the vote, the only shocker was that I thought Olivia would go at least to Top 4, but she got the boot. Avalon can sing, no doubt, but I think she really saved herself by being contemporary.

So, ryan confirmed this was going to be some crazy accelerated season. Why, Idol, why? I would have gladly sacrificed half the lead-up weeks to have this be a normal competition.

But them's the breaks! Full speed ahead!

My fave so far is still Dalton, although he pussied out and played it safe this week. He needs to step up his game next time.

They're really pimping LaPorsha, but like Rubbertoe said, that just doesn't seem likely.

I think Mackenzie is going to John Mayer-Lite his way through another couple of weeks? But come on, that kid Lee Jean has to go, America. He's so out of his league. Sonika has risen in my estimation a massive amount with the Evanescence last week, but phoned it in a little tonight.

I dig Trent a lot because he seems unpretentious, and I like his voice.

Maybe my dark horse now is Tristan? Something about her puts her ahead of Sonika and LaPorsha, and maybe even Avalon. She's not a better singer than them, but when she hits it, it seems right. I still think Dalton will take it, unless Idol is Idol.

What do you think? My God, we will have to watch like hawks, because Idol won't let us take a break! BTW, I had tickets to see Kelly and couldn't go. That will be something I regret for a while.

K OUT!

Friday, February 26, 2016

Double Eliminations?

Say it isn't true! Last night on the Fox11 news they said "In just five weeks a new American idol will be named". I also heard them say something about double eliminations last night on the show. Are they really giving us an abbreviated version for the final year? Its bad enough that its the top 10 instead of 12...but to give us only 5 weeks....that would really really suck.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Top 10? or top 12

So I'm very confused about the format this year. We are down to the top 14 (I think). And they keep talking about a top 10. I have heard rumors that the judges are picking the top 10 and the audience will pick the two wildcards (LAME!). But that means only 2 get eliminated? (Double Lame). Why do they keep messing with the format. That is part of what has killed the show. They should have returned back to the original format...get rid of the "judges save", go back to 2 nights and get rid of the stupid chairs lighting up...... Anyway. There is some good talent this year. I know that they really want a girl to win it, but I still see Dalton as the most easily marketable. I LOVED his version of Rebel Yell...very sexy. My second pick is La Porsha, but is American Idol ready for someone who doesn't fit the "physical profile" of an American Idol. I know Ruben Studdard didn't either (Or Taylor Hicks for that matter), but despite her talent, La Porsha is a little too "Urban" for the American Idol base. Its sad, because she probably has the best voice in the group. That others that will stick around for a while: BOYS - Trent (although he really reallyl REALLY bugs me), Mackenzie and Thomas. GIRLS - Jenn (Who I also don't love), Olivia and Tristan...oh and Gianna (because they love pimping that she is the daughter of that 80's star - although I have to wonder, with her connections, if she really HAD any talent, why haven't her mother's connections helped her catch a break. I hope that freak cowboy girl goes home!

Friday, February 19, 2016

Idol Throws Some Faves Under The Bus

Catch-up night!

Week 2 of Idol Solo/Duet/Mentors, whittling down the last of the top 24. Ryan finally put a jacket on, so it must be getting real. JLo looks like a Skipper doll from the 1960s, however.

Thursday night: duets with former Idols Daughtrey, Constantine, Haley Reinhart, David Cook, Pickler and Jorbacca.

Harry calls out the singers for “hovering in mediocrity” in the solos. Let’s see if they bring it tonight.

First up, Pickler and Amelia. Suds in the Bucket. Seems like a stretch for Amelia, but is she going to bust out the fiddle? yep. Her awkward playing reminds me of Hot Fiddle Guy from back in the day! She can’t hold a candle to that dude LOL. Harmony was OK.These pairing thus far have made me appreciate how good the old Idols are. Harry loved it? Keith too. Maybe this saved her.

Next up, Haley and Kory. She’s so cute! Doing Bennie and the Jets. The Lounge Version? I thought it was great! Even harry loved it.

Next Daughtrey and Lee Jean. The kid loves him. Daughtrey tries to school him. He has a good voice but I keep thinking he’s out of his depth. The judges are taking it easy on them tonight. There’s no way this was as good as the first two.

Cookie is next! With CJ. I was a big fan of Cookie in the day. Cookie helps him with working to a build. Will he do it? It starts off kind of vanilla. Cookie is good as always. CJ did OK. He’s a pro so this isn’t too intimidating. I think he did enough. But maybe this is about who to stack up against the TCOs?

7’6” Jorbacca is paired with Manny. Doing the Chris Brown duet, I remember hating this song. Jordin tries to make it seem like she put a lot of emotion into this song when she did it. Puh-lease. And she sucks from note one! Just like I remember. Is she auto-tuned to boot? It sounds weird, like he’s doing karaoke to a back-tracked recording of her song. He’s much better than Chris Brown. Afterwards she actually makes a short joke at Ryan’s expense! LOL Jorbacca, he has the power to snatch your feeble fame away. The judges like him.

Constantine and Jenn the freakazoid. I always liked Constantine and his eye-fucks. And he’s gone on to do great things on the stage. Doing My Funny Valentine? Her opening is more craptacular than I expected. He’s perfectly in tune, highlighting her odd shtick. This is even a song that seems tailor made for atonal weird singers, and she’s murdering it (the bad murder way). Keith is standing? WTF? I would only be standing to flee from the presence of this Banshee. JLo says she was in her own world, remind me never to go to that planet. Harry keeps it real thank God. Keith has lost his damn mind. Am I wrong or did that SUCK?

Holy cow, we’re only halfway through.

Pickler and Tristan. She did a song with T-Swift? Who knew. Kellie is so sweet, she makes a good mentor. Tristan seems a little off, but this song seems like it’s tricky in the low register. They both get sharp in the high end. It was not great in my book. I like Tristan but she has done better. She may be out of her league like Lee.

Next up, they trot out Scott Borschetta to give his two cents. Nice sci-fi tux jacket.

Cookie and Olivia are up next. She has a voice, no doubt. Last night they gave her the pimp spot, but not tonight — is this going to blow (not the good blow)? I’m digging it so far. I thought Cookie was going to projectile that gum out of his mouth on those highs. It was pretty good from a vocal gymnastic perspective. BTW we should make a new drinking game called Find (or Stay) in the Pocket. The judges like it.

Haley is teaming up with Adam, doing The King. Did they just fake hug each other? That was odd. She looks like Nancy Sinatra after a Quallude binge during rehearsal. They sound great together doing the song, but he looks like a humanoid robot the whole time. Keith seemed to have the same vibe. I think maybe he’s gone?

Daughtry and Dalton — doing Higher Ground. Ricky Minor was getting down! They sounded good together! It seemed like a show and not a contest where Dalton wasn’t a pro. He has to go on.

Then Ryan raps, and it was hilarious. Don’t ever do it again.

Jordin and Trent. She trembled in the presence of his actual talent. I didn’t know he was 7’ plus but he didn’t seem as tiny next to her. He has way more soul than her and it shows. He makes her sound better! This was a great duet. Surely to God he has to stay.

Last up, Constantine and Shelbie. She’s just as big a personality as he is so this should be good. NIce touch at the end where they balance out some of the bombastic with the softness. Wow, they really go after her! They have good points but it still seemed like they sugar coated some far more mediocre singers tonight. Maybe she’s a diva offscreen, who knows?

So the vote is about to come down. We’re going to see how we stack up:

Stay: Olivia, Dalton, Trent, Kory, CJ, Manny, Shelbie (have a feeling we could be swapped on some of these)

Gone: Jenn, Lee Jean, Tristan, Adam, Amelia.

Ryan reminds us next week we get to vote!

Kieran (the Light Dimmer) is going to have to find a new job LOL.

Right off the bat we get Lee wrong. Wha? Seems like a mistake. Then Olivia — then — fucking JENN? OMG, this is an abomination. Dalton of course goes through, if not I was going to bring pitchforks and torches to Fox. Manny is in, And so is Tristan? This seems like some kind of cruel joke. Thank God Trent went through.

Call me crazy, but that was a lot of talent going home, and a lot of filler staying on. Well, I guess they need cannon fodder. It wouldn’t be Idol if they didn’t make some idiotic choices.

What did you guys think? See you next week!

Dr. L and K OUT!

Thursday, February 18, 2016

The A Team Steps Up -- Or Rather, Some Did

We’re a day behind!

Week 2 of Idol Solo/Duet/Mentors, whittling down the last of the top 24. Ryan is still in Casual Friday dress mode, so this is still not serious I guess.

Wednesday night: solos.

First up, Shelbie. She’s playing to the fanbase with a Gretchen Wilson country song. It’s a pretty safe performance. Should have kicked it into a higher gear? Judges were lukewarm.

Manny: doing Coldplay? I don’t know a lot of them beyond the top 2-3 hits, didn’t know this one. It’s as bland as any other one though. He’s an energetic performer, just wish he’d picked another song.

Cory: doing Let it Go from James Bay. He has a nice tone to his voice. So far all of these guys seem more like pros than last week’s bunch. Still just as middle-of-the-road for me, however. They all seem capable of more. The judges seem to agree.

Amelia: the quirky girl who brought the sword to audition. Doing Wake Me Up. She seems nervous, did she get ahead of the music? Weird song choice, does not seem like her wheelhouse. Harry tells her to go with the quirky LOL!

Jenn is another weird one. Doing f’ing Beiber? My god I’m so over her voice. This sucks from note one for me. The crowd must know this one, maybe I’m too old but this was cringe-inducing for me. The judges take it easy on her for the most part.

CJ: doing Edwin McCain. His voice is pleasantly melodic after the previous trainwreck. I’m over this song, but he does a good job. The judges like it a lot. Note to Idols: wear black to help hide the sweat.

Next, Lee Jean. Doing Runaway by Ed Sheeran. Cute kid. Nice voice. This still looks like an early round performance though, right? I think he needs to bring more. If they keep him it will be in spite of this. Another odd song choice.

Trent is another quirky guy who loves hats. Doing Chris Stapleton. I hope he goes through, I would like to hear more of him. This seemed like a genuine performance. Harry is in a mood tonight, so he was light on praise. But the others dug it.

OMG 15 Tristan is up now. Doing Carrie Underwear. She has a good voice for Country. Maybe not enough gas in the tank for this, not quite? But she hit some big notes. A little wonky in spots. I like her though. It’s a night of odd choices.

Adam shows us his penis guitar? Weird. Wow, dig his gold shoes. I missed whose song is this. It was a little too much going on for me. The judges call him on it.

BTW the McConaughey Lincoln commercial with the dogs was precious.

Dalton doing Billy Idol! It’s a brilliant gamble. Can he pull it off? This is a cool arrangement. I will remember this, for what it’s worth! The judges like it too. I think this was smart and he did a good job. He’s been my Number 1 so far, and remains.

Olivia is up next. I know absolutely no Demi songs. I can’t believe Demi has this range! Has she been hiding this voice so far? I knew she could sing, but this is more than I expected. Not sure about the performance as a whole, but man can she blow !!!I think we have a horse race now, people.

I know the results are already revealed but we’re still behind a day. We’ll catch up tomorrow!

Dr. L and K OUT!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Down to the First Seven of the First Half of -- OK We Got Rid of Five

Down to 24, still don’t know what JLo and the others saw in some of these people. This week we will see the first 12.

 Then we get down to 7, so we will have a Top 14? I guess we will roll with that.

There are some strong contenders - looks like after the Ryan-lite early episodes we are gonna see more of Seacrest. When he walks out on stage he is styled like a character from SNL skit about a German pop show. 

  Tonight and tomorrow is a combo/solo duet round,  we will see the hopefuls paired up with former Idols.OK, let's get into it, our first overly-long analysis of the season :)

   Stephany N  - wants to learn languages will be hard to overcome the bitch-tag she got form Hollywood.  Jessie J song Mama Knows Best.  it was a clinically good performance, all the right elements, but is emotionally disconnected.

   Mackenzie B  - always looks like a teen clone of John Mayer. That's not a bad thing! Say Something -  this was a safe song choice, but he showed that he connects with the audience and he should do okay with the fan girls/boys.  Is it me, or are the acoustics in the room weird? 

 

  Where are they?  Ryan says downtown LA - the Hollywood Report says The Vibiana.

 

  Jeneve M:    Angel Sarah McL - really beautiful and strong first showing. Gave Dr L goosies! Impressive makeover,  only concern that she kind of seemed chained to that harp. How will she perform without a big instrument to hide behind?

   Jenna R  - My Church by Maren Morris  If we saw her before she was not memorable.  Country song - Keith loved.  What she has going for her is  - she is that she has the right look and sound to be a viable alternative to the harsher sexiness to the girls like Stephany.

  James VIII -  Love Lockdown - Kanye. What?  Never heard this Kanye song, so this has to be better than the original.  This was just an okay performance, Dr L thought it was better to have picked a soulful tune that was meant to be played that way.

  Sonika,  also tainted by the bitchiness of Hollywood Week.  T Swift - song I don't know.   Looks like a prom dress!  She is at least closer in the ballpark than James, showing what she is capable of. Mix of good and bad for K.  Dr. L thought she can sing, but not super interested in that song.

   Gianna I: I Put a Spell on You. Hate it when the Idol producers don’t go back to the original song - only credit the latest version of it as a Annie Lennox tune, not Screamin' Jay Hawkins or Nina Simone.   This seems like a song choice her mom made. Am I the only one sick of the mom-who-knew-Jlo-back-in-the-day?  Bad choice, seems like a little girl singing a grown up song.  Clearly has a big voice but not sure that this was the best tune  - didn't seem believeable. 

  PS her dress looked like a sack.

  Emily B:  I am Invincible?  Cassadee Pope song.  Weird key or not in a key she can sing in - terrible performance.  Pitch off the entire song,  and poor song choice since we have to wait through the really low notes.  And as judges said - no emotional connection to the song.

  Avalon: Tomboy, keeping the schtick going about no makeup, but I noticed she glammed it up toward the end of Hollywood Week? Now back to low-maintenance.   Love Yourself - Justin B.  Don’t get her at all - she just sounds like she is ‘singing along’ to the song on the radio. Completely lethargic performance, but they fall all over her?

   PS -- I hate it when a singer says ‘come on’ and encourages audience members to get into it, when nothing about the performance warrants it. Just shut up already and sing.

   Jordan Sasser: All by Myself  - Celine Dion arrangement.  Looks much better with a hair cut , need to work on his body language on stage.  Cute baby.  Big voice, a couple of pitch issues.

   Thomas Stringfellow: Creep Radiohead. Sounded like an Irish folk version of Radiohead, but he can at least sell the song,  knows how to engage with the audience and camera.  If he makes it will proabably do okay.

 

  Side note - is it me or have we not seen any “manly men”’ in this batch of the Top 24? These are mostly slight guys, is that they will get lost in the mix with the girls? 

 

  La’Porsha R: Proud Mary. They got a handle on the hair - looks great! and allows her face to shine through!  They knew who to put last tonight! Great performance!  She's the nuclear bomb of this competition  - it will be difficult to beat her at this game.Oother contestants will just have to try to shine with their unique style, but no one can out sing her. She does have some wacky eye thing sometimes LOL.

 

  Thursday night -  Lauren Alana - Emily.  Flat on the Floor.  Hard for Emily to compete with LA, we were at the Idol broadcast the last night that season for a Scotty and Alaina performance. We were brought in under the stage as they were doing a duet - it was amazing - and were noting that LA could really sing! Still can.

  Thomas & Nick,  Man in the Mirror.  voices perfectly matched on this song - pretty good performance.

  Ruben and Stephany: Superstar (A classic sung by the Carpenters, Luther Vandross and written by Leon Russell & Delaney Bramlett)  coaching her to be more involved - and he nailed it when he said she needed to let go. She just doesn’t seem to able to tap into the emotions. The performance was solid and she sung with Ruben and to him -  Ruben looked great! Still think she's a bitch.

  Caleb and Sonika: Skyfall, Adele.   Great duet - gave her good advice and she did a good job overall - but her youth does show through. She will improve over the competition with her stage presence.

  Scotty - Jenna R. a Scotty tune -  See you Tonight An okay job. Not sure if she has done enough to stay.

  Fantasia and LaPorsha, Summertime. Like we were just watching a performance and not a competition, beautiful!  Didn’t love the LaPorsche hair tonight, looked like a seaweed wrap with some roe sticking out the top.

   Makenzie and Lauren Alaina: I hope you dance. Great duet - very sweet. Hard for him to not get blown off stage by her.

   Nick and Gianna, Beautiful Life.  Back up singers are too loud for her voice - don’t hear her at all. She just looks so outmatched here.

   Ruben and Avalon, Flying without Wings. Perfect pairing of voices, got her out of her comfort zone. She never seems to be amped up, it's a little weird.

  James VIII and Caleb I:  Gimme Shelter. GREAT duet - loved it! But James really just seemed to be backup for Caleb.

  Jeneve and Scotty,  Gone - Montgomery Gentry . A little strange with the cowboy hat and dress - could have worked to make them seem like they were more of a duet. Have to agree it was a little bizarre.

  Fantasia with Jordan Sasser:  I Believe. Jordan was trying to blow all the speakers in the room and Fantasia never broke a sweat.

 

  So we paused it and tried to predict who would stay or go; we got it almost all right, with the exception of Stephany -- I really thought they were going to keep her based on the "package" factor, and drop Jeneve, but I was wrong. Still not sure Jeneve warrants all these chances but anything to put Stephany back out on the street is OK with me.

 

  So the seven going forward this week are:

  La’Porsha Renae, Sonika Vaid, Gianna Isabella, Avalon Young, Thomas Stringfellow, MacKenzie Bourg and Jeneve Rose Mitchell. Fingers crossed Gianna gets booted week one or two -- I don't want to see her on the tour!

  Next week, I thinks e get our "a" team, for the most part. There are stronger contenders to be heard there.

  What did you guys think?

 Dr. L and K OUT!

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Breaking it Down to the Fab 51

OK gang, we just caught up on last night's Hollywood heartbreaker for some. I keep having to remind myself this will be the last "break into three rooms" segment we will see on Idol! It was the usual drama. I have to agree with Rubbertoe, that Michelle girl needs to hit the bricks, as does the bass-playing Annie Oakley-looking girl. You have to hope with all the "OMG, the girls are incredible this year" hype that they have some room to send some of these girls home. I don't know the girl who had laryngitis on the last night, but I think she was pretty good.
Some of them I despise just because of how nasty they were in the Groups segment -- you know who I'm talking about. They can sing, but you hate for somebody like that to make it to the Top 12.
I also agree that Dalton really has what it takes to go far.
Out of the bunch we have seen the most, there are at best about six people who can make it. Others, like Shelbie Z, have a great voice but maybe will flame out soon? I think the super weepy ones will crack under the pressure too. And there seems to be a whole subcategory of singers this year who can only perform with a mic because they have super-low-volume voices -- I can't imagine when the stage opens up and they have to belt it out for a crowd that they will last. But soon we will get our chance to vote. It has been so long since I power-voted I don't even know what strategy to use! Is it texting now? Is DialIdol even relevant anymore? Who knows. After tonight some of the mystery will be revealed! Who will be the next American Idol?!!1 -- K out!

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Hollywood Week, and it's actually in Hollywood!

Hello Tasters,
well Dr. L and I have been religiously watching this season of Idol but not as religiously posting. So far there hasn't been any shocking eliminations in Hollywood, because most of the hopefuls who got cut were borderline anyway (at least 90% of them).
We did think of a drinking game, whenever a contestant says they are a Worship Pastor or some variant thereof, you have to take a drink. Trust us, this season, you will be wasted.
I have to say the talent level is pretty high this season. Idol is determined to go out with a bang. And they are willing to go off into some weird directions, like with the Off-The-Grid cowgirl, who has a pretty voice but plays the upright bass like she's in a David Lynch film. I really think there are enough powerhouse singers that a lot of the quirky taken is going to get leveled out soon.
I hope you guys are all enjoying, and I would love to hear what you think!
Rubbertoe, keep your fingers crossed that we will get tickets! It would be great to see some of the shows again with you.
Who do you think will win this thing? Idol has been cagey about showing all of the singers, just like always. Have we ween the winner yet?
K out!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

One more time around, Little Tasters!


K here! Hello everyone, I hope you guys are still out there for our last go 'round with the blog. Can you believe it has been 15 years since Idol was first on the air?

We're going to try and have some special guest stars (J are you out there?) and we'll be gunning for tickets big time. Let's hope we get in to see some of the last few shows and we will blog about it here.

As far as this first episode went, Dr. L and I were impressed. It seems like Idol has some real talent on hand this time and we saw a couple of folks who really look like they could go far. Sonika Vaid was probably our favorite, followed by Lee Jean.





But I think a dark horse could be Shelbie Z from Sumiton (how can it be Idol without some powerhouse contestant from Alabama LOL!). Though I read she was on The Voice before? Could be some Idol tomfoolery…



There were quite a few other notable hopefuls and the usual Idol drama (thankfully they took it easy on the full-on whack-jobs, but I'm sure we'll see more of those). The most ridiculous moment was Kanye's "audition" -- I kept thinking, "I wonder if they are all imagining how they would tell him no if he was trying out for real?"

What did you guys think? Let us know! We will miss the blog so much next year so I hope we give it one last fun ride.
Here's to a great season, and looking forward to hearing from Rubbertoe here in 2016.

Dr. L & K out!