A Little Taste of American Idol - A Weekly Review

American Idol meets Hell's Kitchen

2012-02-09T22:43:00.004-06:00

Dr L and K you are right on......what is up with the staged drama? Its almost as if the producers of AI got together with the producers of Hell's Kitchen to bring us the most SHOCKING AI season ever. The staging is very "Hell's kitchen" with the Ambulance lights and sirens and the dramatic pauses.......I mean...don't get me wrong...I love Hell's kitchen....I'm just not sure that I'm loving it here on Idol.

I have a new conspiracy theory here.....is it possible that Idol is cutting all the good guys to make sure that a girl wins this year? AI has been heavily male dominated over the last few years....During the first five years...we had Kelly, Fantasia and Carrie...but since then we've only had Jordin Sparks

On to tonights show....

Starts with the drama of the homeless girl looking for a home...and she's supposedly gotten the flu...but gets better and finds a home.

Cop woman is extremely irritating.......more sirens and paramedics....tempers flare ...as the pressure starts tearing everyone apart.....AFTER the break.

Briele's mom is the consumate stage mother.....Symone is back from the hospital and starts looking for a group.

Jihun v. "The Cowboy".....just this years version of the group that can't get along.

Homeless girl is confident because she has JC on her side

The episode ends and we have to wait until next Wednesday to find out what happens on an American Idol that you will have to see to believe!!!!

Oh The Dramz

2012-02-09T20:53:00.002-06:00

Just a note to say we have been loving the Rubbertoe breakdown, and feel much the same about many of these contestants.
I did notice a few of the Mysterious Contestants Out Of Nowhere, that we have not seen in the auditions. Looks like some classic Idol Ins & Outs that won't make sense until a few weeks from now.

And how about that cliff-hanger at the end! Wow, Idol, you must be worried we won't tune back in LOL.

-- L & K

Hurrah for Hollywood...er....Pasadena

2012-02-08T22:22:00.004-06:00

So its Hollywood Week....but they are actually about 15 miles to the East in Pasadena.

First up....Jonny Keyser...who was great in the auditions. He sounds good, but I don't think he sounds as good as he did in the auditions....good enough for this round though.
Next up....Heejun...he's nervous that everyone is so good looking. He sings way too much through his nose....he'll make it through this round, but I don't see him in the top 12 or even the top 24.
Elise Testone - shes got a raspy voice...not top 12 material...maybe top 24 though.
Baylie Brown - Pretty and a good country-ish voice....a possible top 12, definitely top 24
Hallie Day - I don't love her, but she's got that look that Idol loves for a #10-12 and I can see her in the top 12, but leaving quickly.

Jenn Hirsh from Agoura Hills - wow...she sounds really good...She's a shoo in for the top 24 and probably 12.
Lauren Gray - Another Raspy singer....very soulfull.....shes in the top 24.

Phil Phillips - I hate this styple of singing....he's good, but he's another Casey

Reed Grimm - Been on the stage since age 2...too much deedle deets....This guy is irritating.

Travis Orlando - My favorite!!!!! Wants to prove the judges wrong this time....and...I'm sure I'm prejudiced...but I thought he did awesome. Better than his audition. WHAT!!!!! You have got to be kidding me....WTF!!!!! I seriously do not get it.

Ramiro Garcia...booted off too.... (The guy born without ears).....

DAY 2

Adam Brock - He's got a good soulful voice as well..

Jane Carrey - She's got a good voice, but I don't think she has the depth needed....
Adam is in Jane is out....

David Leathers....17 years old....he looks 12. He's good....incredible range...but he's got that high voice that might get old after a while.
Shannon McGrane - She's good...Another top 24....and probably 12.

Jessica Phillips - the woman with the boyfriend that had the stroke. She's got great musicality in her voice. I would like to see her in the top 12...and I think she is good enough to get there.

They all advance......

Ericka Van Pelt - Got the voice...but not really the look....

Creighton Fraker - Man.....they put this guy through and cut Orlando?....Seriously AI....seriously.

Aaron Marcellus - He's got a great voice but is probably too "trained" for AI

Lauren Mink - The disability teacher - Not good enough.
Jeremy Rosado - aka "Dirty"....waaaaay too whiney......

Simone Black -.....and the DVR cuts out......

So day 1 of Hollywood week is over....and I have no idea what AI is thinking.....I'm going to have to wait and see, but I'm seriousy miffed!

Hollywood!

2012-02-05T18:31:00.002-06:00

We read reports that there was a whole other audition city that got cut, so we could get here sooner! That's cool, Hollywood is where they separate the wheat from the chaff, anyway. Bring on the tears, the drama, the caterwaulin'!

Meet me in St. Louis

2012-02-02T23:13:00.003-06:00

OK...so I have been thoroughly underwhelmed by the vast majority of the auditions so far (such that I haven't really felt a need to write about them)....St. Louis was awesome. I think that a lot of the auditions tonight were some of the best of all time. I'm not a big fan of the auditions and am glad that Hollywood Week is up next....but I suspect that one of the auditions tonight very well will be the next American Idol

FOX vs DVR, we lose

2012-01-23T00:43:00.007-06:00

We turned on our box to watch our recording of Idol tonight, but lo and behold the football game went into Overtime. Fox is run by such imbeciles. I can't fathom how they put Idol on in this time slot. I guess we're not supposed to care yet, this early in the season. We time-shift literally EVERYTHING we watch on TV, because it's 2012. So, long story short, this fucked us up, as I'm sure it did 90% of Idol viewers.
We managed to record part of the show in the next time slot. Part of me believes the weird time slot/time-shift thing was because the talent tonight was so inexplicably bad. Maybe, some spectacular contestants showed up after our recording stopped, but what we saw was just confusing. The judges praised a lot of half-ass or downright annoying singers. What up? We didn't get it.
Did you guys see it? What did you think?
--Dr. L & K
P.S. -- tried to post a vid but don't know if it works. I'll try to fix it later! --K

Travis Orlando

2012-01-20T00:10:00.002-06:00

I was so happy to see Travis Orlando on the show tonight. Last year, he was my favorite coming out of the auditions, but during Hollywood week they didn't really show much of him and he was cut. I'm hoping that this year he makes it on the show. I love his voice and he has such a great background story as well.

I also searched back through the site here to remind myself about Colton. He was one of the three guys who were the last three try to make the top 24. He was cut. He should have made it last year I remember now.....I think this year he will.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Idol

2012-01-19T01:01:00.003-06:00

BAM! Idol is back. We missed you guys and can't wait for the fun breakdowns of the action on the blog.
I think Rubbertoe is right, though they made it seem like Savannah was spectacular, it was just kind of "aiight" for the most part. Some sweet kids. Felt bad for the Schulyer (sp?), Colton's sister. Way to take a dump in her Idol Dream Corn Flakes, judges. And Growly McDaveMatthewsWannabe (guy with guitar at the end) was just 50/50 for me. (A+ for inventing weird new lyrics for Thriller, though).
They made it look like the hottie chick (NBA cheerleader?) had a weak voice -- yet they showed a few others who will get chewed up Hollywood as well. Right now the Country Strong girl with the big gums is our favorite :)
-- L&K

Come back to the best

2012-01-18T23:43:00.002-06:00

You've seen the rest....now come back to the best. Its so NICE to have American Idol back. I tried to watch X-Factor and found it way to staged and contrived and frankly...the talent was not there. I lost interest after the Brewer Boys were eliminated. The Voice....eh......just doesn't do it for me. American Idol has the heart and soul that the others just cannot compete with.

So...although the auditions are my least favorite part of the show, its great to be back. I have to say though...as much as they hyped how great Savannah was, I didn't hear anyone who blew me away. I liked the girl who's dad was a pitcher for St. Louis....and I loved the story about the woman who lived in the tent, although she doesn't have the voice, I'm glad they sent her through. The Ryan Seacrest guy was fun....and I have to go back and see what I thought of Colton last year.

All in all..... a good start and I'm looking forward to another season. (This time...I'm going to take the title from you J!)

2012 Season Roll Call

2012-01-04T08:31:00.001-06:00

AI two week countdown......Rubbertoe checking in.....who's out there?

Not Fiddle Guy

2011-05-27T18:42:00.004-05:00

Man....I wish I was better at posting links and pictures..... (Dr.L/K)

I tracked down and have a new facebook friend: Nathan Stoops.....Hot fiddle guy

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Nathan-Stoops/224841937529989

There is a really cute picture of him and Lauren Alaina in his pics!

New Dirt from Rickey.org on Post-Idol D-baggery!

2011-05-26T17:08:00.004-05:00

Click on title above to link to the story.

Apparently, the last year's ("reigning"?) Idol is supposed to present the New Idol with some kind of trophy. Except Lee DeWyze refused to present it to Scotty so JLo had to! Ha!
I pointed out to Dr. L, as we watched the finale last night, that DeWyze seemed to be cranky about something.
If you look at the pic

he's right in the camera line behind the judges so he's visible a lot, and Ryan was in the row right beside him in one particular shot later in the evening.
I don't have a capture of it, but if you rewind last night's show and find that shot (and maybe others), Lee's wife has an Eat Shit look on her face as Ryan is babbling about whatever's coming next on the show. She then leans over and says something to Lee about it, and he looks like he wants to club a baby seal.
I just figured she was miffed that they weren't paying proper respect to Lee, and basically ignored his existence as last year's Idol the entire finale. Maybe that's part of it; but the word is there's some kind of feud between DeWyze and Nigel.

What a D bag, acting like an infant and probably making it awkward for Howdy Doody to get on with being irrelevant, like he had a year to do on Idol's dime.

-- K

Idol Crowns the Season Ten Boat Anchor!

2011-05-26T01:17:00.015-05:00

-- who will sink into oblivion faster than you can say Lee DeWyze... or Kris Allen... or Taylor Hicks...

hard to believe we went through ALLL those folks this season, only to get down to Scotty and Lauren Alaina! At least Hot Fiddle Guy got to burn up some strings there at the end :)

122 million votes! We heard a rumor that at most of those went to Scotty… 2 to 1...
Randy taking a break from his gig at KFC to work the Idol finale tonight - WTF is that outfit??

Oh poor Lauren, they could not have made her ass look bigger if they had tried! Needed some silver stripes or something on those pants to create a slimming effect.

Some good old Idol-cheestastic choreography! I do love that Lady Gaga song though :) K says - the parade of people who should have gone farther…was Jacob suffering from diva-deprivation -cause he was laying the ham on thick every time he got in front of the camera.

James - with Judas Priest! Wow - go James! K says I must have been in a coma - cause the finale just started tonight - THAT was a finale performance. james was able to peel the paint off space stations for the past ten weeks and never blew a vocal chord, hmmmm??

The 'in it to win it' montage! Side note - J , you were correct the alcohol is making this show quite entertaining :) We have been putting the Jimmy Buffet-approved Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker to good use.

Jacob and the gospel moment… and he gets Gladys Knight! Suddenly we are now donating to the tornado victims - (which is great!) but that came out of nowhere?? this is the best jacob song - where he is in the background. K says typical Jacob - the first part was great, and then he went off the rails!

Two shows we need to see so far - Gladys at the Tropicana, and Judas Priest farewell tour 'Epitaph'. both likely much more entertaining than the Idol tour.

Casey - and Jack Black! OMG - that was hilarious - LOVED it! K says it was totally worth a plug for Kung Fu Panda 2 to hear Jack Black. L wants to watch that again - I loved it! So funny that both J & RT hated it, we are big fans of Tenacious D so it was musical candy.

Idol loves the Beyonce songs! Side note - K says, while the ladies of the Top 13 perform, it was the right call to kick Ashthon out 13th. Sux. BTW, are they purposefully keeping Pia off center stage? She has barely had any solo moments so far. Ugh on the slow song! And now for the real singer - here's Beyonce! She's got a face like here's how you do it, JLo!
Agree with RT, though, when they do give Pia a "moment" -- she is either in don't give a F mode, or she was never up to the hype in the first place.

Steven - bringing the house down - and he did last night too. the audience LOVED him.

Tony Bennett - Haley. Can't imagine that most of the people at home or in the audience know who he is? And, imagine that, Tony has a new album coming out. This song will be a big hit on the time traveler radio station , K says he doesn't know what good it will do in the 21st century.

Lil Jon? for like 5 seconds and TLC? K says, only the colored girls get to sing on this montage? They should have had a hologram of Lisa 'left eye' Lopez to sing with them. Noticed JLo is missing from the judges panel during that. Nice creepy comment from Ryan - eww and oh no!

Scotty and Tim McGraw! Wonder if Tim is still plugging 'Country Strong'? Maybe Tim is just plugging his hotness tonight - and that works just fine for L, although he is probably bald under that cowboy hat. Good upper register there Scotty!

Idol comedy relief section…

Marc Anthony, Sheila E! cutting loose with JLo - that was great! JLo saying to Beyonce -- let's see you shake that ass like THIS in 15 years, beyotch.

Okay, I'm guessing maybe the purple one is about to grace our presence?! Oops, wrong guess, how about ….Tom Jones! Heading further into cheestastic land. Jacob that is just wrong - ewww, please make him stop. all the old folks in the audience, get up and dance! K's sister has a handkerchief she handed Tom Jones after a show in 1970, he wiped his brow - and she put it in a frame! He was the shit 40 years ago!

Man, Paul's hair and dance moves so remind me of Heat Miser -- anybody remember him?

Ughh on the final Ford commercial - and another creepy comment from Ryan. And here's your brand new car!! LOL! What do you want to bet Lauren picks the Expedition Stegasaurus-sized SUV?

and Lady Gaga - K says, the flashback from the acid he took twenty years ago just kicked in. Did this just get kinda PG13 or beyond? Fun, diving off into the volcano - how about that production number!

Carrie Underwear thankfully comes to rescue Lauren from completely butchering that song. She is so skinny it looked Lauren drained four pints of blood out of her before she came on stage. Did Lauren just completely bail out on the end of that song?

Beyonce gets two performances? Okay the Spiderman stuff is just ridiculous. We had to fast forward through that. This show is like a microcosm of the whole season: started promising and gets more ludicrous as it gets closer to the end.

Steven Tyler - 'nuff said - pretty embarrassing Idol contestants - when a 60-something year old dude wipes the floor with you. Dream on that you will have that kind of career!

And the RESULTS…….Scotty !
K says Lauren might be be wondering how that statue might look up Scotty's ass?! PRICELESS - the Jack Black snub during the Scotty family hugs.
Go Lil Tasters!! What a surreal season of AI!

-- Dr. L & K

J retains the Lil' tasters crown

2011-05-26T00:52:00.002-05:00

Congrats to J.....retaining the little tasters' crown.

A couple additional thoughts:

-What started out as a promising season....fizzled out about mid-way through. Neither Scotty nor Lauren were all that great. Lauren was a major disappointment, although she did show some good potential in the finale. But watching her sing with Carrie Underwear.....you could see that Lauren was a weak comparison.

- James should have won

- Seeing Pia on the finale made me think that America got it right....she is really bland and boring.

- The latina girl got voted off too early....her voice really shined in the group numbers....its too bad that we didn't see more of her.

- Casey is a freak....his performance with Jack Black was by far the worst of the night

- Lady Gaga is a stunning performer

- Paul should definitely not have made the top 12

- Stefano really is hot

- I completely forgot who Ashton was

....Finally the best thing to come out of Idol Season 10............

HFG.......HOT fiddle guy!

The Finale: Which of the Undeserving will Prevail?

2011-05-25T21:11:00.000-05:00

THIS is your finale . . . and THIS is AMERican Idol

Not sure who's finale he's talking about, but I don't claim it. I'm only going to make brief notes . . . 122 million votes . . . a record . . . . 3/4 of a billion votes over the season.

I don't think I have ever been swayed by a finale like I was last night . . . I was SO irritated by the Lauren pimpage that I actually voted . . . ugh . . . for Scotty.

I might as well say it again . . . what in gay hell is Lauren wearing . . . oh my, as well as Scotty . . . again, Idol's stylist needs Jesus.

The Top 13 are singing "Express Yourself" . . .er, I mean "Born This Way" Hello James Durbin :)

Idol finalist, er, I mean top 4 idolist, James Durbin with Judas Priest - who'd a thunk that Judas Priest would ever be on Idol . . . An aside . . . I am so turned on right now I kinda can't see straight . . . um, I mean gay . . . :)

Here comes Jacob with Kirk Franklin . . . where is Idol's stylist ... cuz they are gonna bring Jesus. Oh Lawd, it's Ms. Gladys . . . Jacob is currently peeing all over himself. I don't love Jacob, but I do love being taken to church by the Idol choir!

Here comes Casey singing "Fat Bottomed Girls" . . . I'm sorry this song belongs to another Casey . . . Casey James . . . Oh Lord, and he's singing it with Jack Black . . . one word to describe that performance . . . ridic . . . that's all.

Here come the ladies of the Top 13 . . . pimping, er, I mean singing Bey Bey's "Single Ladies" and "Irreplaceable" and some other song which I'm sure is Bey Bey, but with which I'm unfamiliar. and "If I Were A Boy" . . . Oh look, its Bey Bey! Singing with My Haley! There's Pia . . . looking like she's ready to bite the head off a puppy. I should have entitled this section Bey Bey's greatest hits.

Here comes a tribute to La Tyler . . . I heart La Tyler and hope he graces us next season :)

Here is Haley and Tony Bennett, WTF? Ok, y'all know I've got the Haley love, but I'm a little in love with this performane.

Here comes a tribute to JLo . . . I kind of hope she stays around too. :)

Here come the ladies of the Top 13, TLC, and Lil John . . . I'm hoping this means that TLC is coming out with something new . . . LOVE IT!

Here comes Scotty with "Live Like You Were Dying" with Tim McGraw . . . Mr. McGraw is the essence of country hotness with that cowboy hat and those jeans :) I can't even pay attention to Scotty with Tim McGraw on stage.

Marc Anthony . . . blah blah blah

James vs. Casey . . . but here comes Pia . . . funny stuff. :) Top 13 guys singing Prince's "Kiss" . . . yikesies . . . There's a reason Stefano went home. Then comes Paul singing a song from Too Wong Foo . . . RT is dying . . . James singing something about a pussy cat . . . TeeHee . . . Oh Scotty . . . stop . . . I was just kidding, keep singing . . . stop Jacob. Why, Why, Why, Casey . . . why does he remind me of Lee DeWyze. Oh God, it's Tom Jones . . . there are no words . . .

Where are the contemporary artists, Idol. I feel like I say the same thing every season.

Here comes Lady GaGa with "The Edge of Glory" . . . Say what you will about her . . . the Lady can sing . . .

Here comes Lauren and Carrie singing the song that Lauren should have been signing last night . . . and Ms. Underwood dressed by the same Idol stylist that needs Jesus. They attempted harmony . . . Lauren could take a lesson from the former Carrie-Bot . . . Not to increase the pimpage talk, but this is a MUGH better duet than Scotty and La McGraw. MUCH BETTER.

Again, Pia looks like she could bite the head off of a puppy.

Good God is this a Bey Bey concert . . .she's trying to take the sting out of how horrible Rule the World (Girls) was . . .

Here comes Bono and The Edge with something from "SpiderMan After Dark" . . . here's hoping that there are no injuries . . . I wonder who was in the SpiderMan costume that made JLo jump . . .

Ok, so, the results have to happen after this commercial break ... Who is the Idol? Scotty or Lauren . . . do we care . . .

Oh, btw, I will be starting the Lil Tasters a #TheVoice blog next week so we can start blogging during the live shows . . . . I hope all of the Lil Tasters are up for it! I also think, in the Fall, we should do an XFactor blog.

It looks like Idol will not end on time . . . as here comes Steven Tyler . . . thank goodness I'm watching live and not depending on DVR.

Here are the official results: The Winner of American Idol 2011 Isssssssssssssssss . . . Scotty McCreery! I NEVER thought I would say this, but I'm happy he won . . . neither of them should have been in the finale, but, of the two of them, Scotty had the better voice.

Can't wait to hear what everyone else has to say . . . look RT, I'm still here. :)

It's Howdy Doody Time!

2011-05-25T17:33:00.005-05:00

Just realized we never officially made our prediction. If the votes are actually counted, we predict Scotty is the next American Idol.
In which case we will probably see this

"The Bitchface"

or this

"The Waterworks".
Either way, we will see this

DOODY IS IN IT TO WIN IT! And does.

--K

Dr. L & K Put An Ear On It

2011-05-25T02:44:00.003-05:00

Okay Lil Tasters, here is a recap of our trip to the Idol Season Ten Finale Performance Night:

We had never been to the Nokia before, but we were pleasantly surprised how easy it was to park (if you aren't from LA this might not seem like a big deal). It was a pretty daunting line to get in, stretched WAY around the corner, and we were there early. We parked at the L.A. Convention Center deck @ 1pm, the show starts @ 5pm PST.

We entered the line behind a nice family, a woman and her three daughters. They had signs for both Lauren and Scotty: "Scotty is a Hottie" might not be so original but "Lauren is Roarin'" cracked us up. An anorexic blonde PA with a headset gave us the standard speech that "you might not make it in" but we assured the worried girls this is what they always say. You get a pass, but it's first-come, first serve. As an hour passed, some stragglers DID get the heave-ho and they walked by us, pissed. Early bird gets the worm, ladies.

The line crept around beside the Staples Center. A group of energetic teens were all gathered on the L.A. Convention Center steps -- we realized they were the "Pit" people( and later on, we pitied them for having to be on their feet THE ENTIRE FREAKIN' show).
Here we learned the Nokia Finale is much better than the usual CBS lot Idol scene: once we passed a certain checkpoint, we were given tickets with assigned seats, so we could leave to do whatever we wanted until showtime.
We walked over to the YardHouse and got a Hefeweisen and some avocado chicken while we waited. Yum.

When it got closer to 3:30, when the Nokia opened up, we walked into the courtyard next to it. Thousands of Idol fans were milling around. Tents were set up for interviews with past & present Idols and Judges: we saw Kimberly Caldwell, Didi Benami, and I swear I saw Elliot Yamin.

Dr. L saw one of her students with her mom, and we chatted with them as we got into line for the Nokia. They had bumped into Jason Castro earlier. We were at a point in the line where people passing crossed either right in front of or behind us. Who should pass (literally brushing by us) but Lauren Alaina's mom! She smiled and said hello as we recognized her. Dr. L commented on how much her hair looked like her sister's -- we'll call the cut the "pookie" style LOL. She also had a GIANT purple spangly purse that said "LAUREN", ha. More on this brief encounter later.

So we entered the Nokia. Very efficient crowd control. We never take our phones because they take them away from 99% of the audience -- but we can say inside we saw some BOLD peeps videotaping the entire show. We just leave the phones in the car, so we breeze past Security. Makes the exit lighting fast, too.
Dr. L decided we should get some Idol Swag. We noticed there was not an enormous amount of traffic at the booths. T-shirts, $20-25, much better than Charlie Sheen's Torpedo Tour. We got an Idol coffee mug, $10 :)

We made our way to our seats just after 4pm. in the Mezzanine, which we learned is actually closer than some floor seats even though it is higher. Great view. The crowd took all of the way to 5pm to fill in. LOTS of teen and tween girls, which is what the Idol Voting Bloc is supposed to be comprised of, mainly. As Corey, the warm-up guy got the crowd going, we realized: many, if not most of these girls, were here as fans of LAUREN. We were surprised. Even the girls we met in line brought signs for both but only cheered for Lauren. Hmmm.

Corey was really funny, hauling audience members up and having them shake their booty like fools. We thought we saw Nigel, but it was actually a Mystery Man In A White Suit, as we later saw Nigel wearing a silver suit talking with the judges. Whoever this Mystery Guy was, many people from the show and crowd wanted to talk with him. (Simon Fuller? Pat Boone?)

As 5pm neared, Corey's shtick got interrupted by wild applause as the castoff Idols (looked like everyone from the Tour) entered. Holy shit, Stefano is a ham, he was waving his arms like he was signaling a passing plane from a desert island. Corey named them all off, and Paul was last; Rubbertoe, we thought of you.
We also saw Lauren's mom again, hugging people, be-bopping around on the front row.

Interesting note: Corey had us practice a part of a song for Scotty: the part of his 1st song where he says "bang-bang". They even flashed it on the screen so we could get it perfect. I wonder if this seemed spontaneous on the actual show, or if you could even tell. Nothing like this for any Lauren song....Then Debbie the Stage Manager started counting down, and the Show was On!

Seacrest came out, and it was as you saw at home. Since we had been in line since 1pm, we had no idea about the DRAMA with Lauren Alaina's voice. As they talked with the Doctor, Dr. L and I said this seemed like some bullshit. A sympathy ploy? (Note: they should have given her drugs all season if she would belt out the songs like this.)

A commercial break. Scotty seems low-key. I thought about my theory that Idol sticks the contestant they want booted in the most casual garb -- Scotty fits the bill in the intro, but then whips on what appears to be a standard Idol gray leather jacket for the song.
During all these breaks, Randy usually sits like a bump on a log, JLo kicks to the side and 2-3 people work on her hair and makeup, and Steven stands up, walks around, a girl pats his nose and women in the crowd scream his name (in fairness, they scream JLo's, too). Corey gives out prizes, mostly to kids, like posters and shirts.

Then BAM they were into the 1st song with Scotty. We did our little "bang-bang" part. It was okay, but we've heard him sing before and this was not his best. Nerves? He didn't look into it, especially when the cameras weren't rolling. Seacrest puts his arm around his shoulder. No judging. Another commercial. We started to realize, "they're hauling ass, must only be an hour". Nigel sighting.

We're back. Lauren Elaina sings. And we realize the tone of the night is set: not only does she NOT sound like her voice is impaired, she sounds more powerful than usual. More production value on her clothes/graphics/backup musicians. We were sitting towards the back but you could hear her loud and clear. At first we thought she was just "bringing it" more than Scotty, which was partly true-- but it was a little "augmented" on Idol's end, too.
After Lauren sang, and there was a commercial, this time Nigel spent time at the judges' table and he gave them a little speech, complete with hand gestures. I forgot to mention that, just before the show went live, a PA carefully sat out sheets of paper at every judges place on the table. Instructions, or script even, from Nigel?

In our opinion, in the room, the only halfway decent performance (sound quality mainly) from Scotty was his second song. But there was no comparison to how Lauren sounded. I can't wait to see how it sounds on TV.

The main thing we took away from Taio Cruz singing in the middle of the program was, Thank God we weren't at eye level, because those muthafucking lasers were BRIGHT. Jesus H Christ, I am not exaggerating, they were like green Death Beams shooting below us. The song sounded like Robot Pop, entertaining in a synthetic way, but instantly forgettable.

Scotty and Lauren sang their last songs. Up until then, the mood in the room was, Scotty could still win it. Then, Lauren sang the freakin' Mother song, hugged her, etc. and Dr. L & I looked at each other and said, "it's over." Then, of course, the judges creamed all over themselves about it, and JLo had the balls of Titanium (for the 2nd week in a row) to basically proclaim Lauren the winner. We knew the fix was in, at least Idol had tipped its hand, anyway. Maybe America has different plans, but Nigel & Co. sure made it clear they want Lauren to win.

(For the conspiracy theorists, when we saw Lauren's mom before the show, she sure as hell didn't seem like someone whose daughter had any chance of blowing it so close to the finish. In fact, she seemed incredibly relaxed and happy -- I don't know if I would if my daughter had just blown out a vocal cord, Idol Finale or not.)

So, David Cook came out and sang the Season Ten Exit Song. Man, was he awesome in person! We rocked out and --No wait, actually, the stage went black and a freaking VIDEO of David Cook played, pre-recorded from earlier. Did it look on TV like he was there? Psych! We had started to clap and get excited, I think the crowd was pretty disappointed. The judges got the F out, never to return. So, Ryan came back out and said, if you haven't voted all season, now's the time. Lauren hugged Scotty, then the two of them stepped to the side of the stage for what looked like some additional video that maybe will air tomorrow night? As we filed out, we heard several audience members saying how "beautiful" Lauren's voice was, so "powerful", etc. If it was up to the Mezzanine, she had already won.

It was a lot of fun, even though we weren't super thrilled by either contestant going in. A woman behind us had a sign that said "Bring Back James!" I forgot to mention that before the show, out front of the Nokia, we saw the guy from Hollywood Week, the tall black fellow who was in the group with Scotty that kicked the chubby kid out (the super conceited guy, can't remember his name). I wondered, if many of us viewers are a little bumfuzzled by this matchup of Scotty and Lauren in the finale, what about the actual contestants who busted ass round after round, only to be eliminated? From the thousands, down to the hundreds, then down to the Top 13? I'm guessing there was easily 10-20 that could have made this a more dynamic finale. But, hey, this is the one we got, and the one Dr. L & I saw. From where we sat, Lauren Alaina plain outsung old Scotty on the last night. We'll see what America thought!

-- K

Lauren v. Scotty: The hoedown/showdown

2011-05-24T22:10:00.004-05:00

OK....so the show starts out with some serious pimping of Lauren....drama drama drama...and perhaps some sympathy regarding her voice to give her a little push?

Scotty won the coin toss (as least that's what I thought I heard...and but then I thought they said he chose to "defer"....but then he sang first...I'm confused)

Scotty - Gone...hot fiddle guy is back. Scotty gives a so so performance. I don't get the impression from his performance that he wants it. It wasn't his best performance but solid (7)

Lauren - Flat on the floor.....Wow....hot fiddle guy two in a row....Lauren is ON tonight. She sang this much better than she sang it earlier in the season....and she looks incredibly gorgeous (9).

No Judges comments?....hmmmm.strange.

Round 1 - Lauren by a wide margin. She clearly had the energy and the better performance....Scotty came flat out of the gate, but I suspect that he will bounce back.

Scotty - Check yes or no - Hot fiddle guy....3 for 3. Scotty has a much better presence when he has his guitar. This is a great George Strait song...and maybe I'm being a bit harsh because Strait's Version is much better...for me...this was just another so so Scotty performance and seemed to lack the passion of someone who really wants the title. I am getting a strange feeling that Scotty is throwing this because he thinks it will be better not to have the idol label...hmmmmm (7)

Lauren - Maybe it was Memphis ...great Pam Tillis song- HFG....4 for 4. Doen't love her dress. Great song choice for her...but the low range of the song is not doing her any favors....but when it kicks into the chorus...she is in her comfort range. Lauren is just singing with more passion and energy than Scotty...this one wasn't great (7)....

Round 2 - Closer..but I'm giving the edge to Lauren.

Scotty - "I love you this big" - Scotty is doing a good job with an on otherwise weak song...in the tradition of "This is my now"....another poorly written idol finale song....but it plays to his base and probably will win him a number of votes (8)

Lauren - Like my mother does - First song tongiht with HFG.....good....not great. (7)....Emotional moment that probably will help with some votes.

Round 3 0 goes to Soctty by a sliver.

Final Rubbertoe Scotty score - 22
Final Rubbertoe Lauren score - 23

Rubbertoe gives the title to Lauren by a close decision.....however.....I think America will give it to Scotty. My rationale is that they wrote a song especially for Scotty and talked about releasing it "if he wins"....my guess is despite Idol really wanting it to be a girl at the start of the season.....the realized early on in the voting that Scotty was going to win.

The Next American idol....will be Scotty.

The Top Two: Some Singing, Some Drama, And a Conspiracy Theory?

2011-05-24T19:56:00.001-05:00

What will happen? Lauren Alaina has reportedly lost her voice, and Haley has reportedly rehearsed in case she has to step in. I'm writing approximately five minutes prior to the finale and no official statement has been made. If Lauren performs, is this a way to gain sympathy for her so that she has a shot against Scotty the Body? I could def get behind that conspiracy theory . . . .
Here we go . . . We are seeing vids of Carrie Underwood and David Cook . . . and they are showing Lauren and Scotty . . .looks like Lauren is going to perform.

La Seacrest looks cute in his tux . . .

They are announcing Scotty vs. Lauren . . . her voice must have recovered. I wonder if they will say anything about it?

Again, I will say, what in gay hell is Lauren wearing. Oh, wait, here is the doctor telling us that during the rehearsal Lauren blew out one of her vocal cords. She's been given a lot of meds and he is confident that she is going to do great.

Three rounds: 1)Contestants favorite performance, celebrity picks (Carrie Underwood and George Strait), and the Idol singles.

1. Scotty - He is singing "Gone". I'm not sure I remember this performance. They all tend to blend together. He is interacting with the band very well, and his voice sounds very, very good indeed. I will say the first little bit of the song was a bit rough, but he has recovered nicely. Might I say, he has learned how to work a stage very nicely. He doesn't seem a bit nervous. Very very good start.

Oh, they are going back to season 1 where the judges do not comment. Very interesting.

2. Lauren - she is singing "Flat on the Floor" - again I don't really remember this one. She is being a little bit overpowered by the band. However, she does sound really good. It's almost as if she is pulling away from the mic at times and is, as usual, running out of air. Very good start, but . . .

Round One easily goes to Scotty.

3. Scotty - George Strait picked his song. He has picked "Check Yes Or No". Again, I do not know this song. Scotty is in his comfort zone with the guitar. What are these weird eyebrow things he is doing? I'm so curious to hear from Dr.L&K how this is playing in person. I think this is a boring song. Scotty is definitely in his comfort zone, but I do not thing this song was a very good choice for the Idol finale. I'm underwhelmed.

4. Lauren - Carrie Underwood picked her song. She has picked, "Maybe It Was Memphis" . . . ditto on not knowing the song. She's behind the music. . . why isn't she singing "Before he cheats"? She is strangely struggling on the lower notes but doing much better on the high notes. This was a better song choice than Scotty's. And she did a much better job than in round one.

Round Two goes to Lauren by a hair

Randy - Round One to Scotty and Round Two to Lauren
JLo - ditto . . . SHOCKING
Steven - Round 1 and 2 to Lauren because she is prettier

Funny side note: My grandmother just called and called bullshit on Idol for what she considers to be an unfair advantage to Lauren. My 85 year old grandmother just called a conspiracy theory!

Why is this fool performing in the middle of an Idol finale?

1. Scotty - the single is "I Love You This Big" - Might I just say that I love Jimmy Ivine. A little Scotty video in the background. A very typical Scotty song. I wonder if the background will be the actual video that is released. This song is waaaaay underwhelming so far. I'm not sure if it's the song or if Scotty is just not bringing it. It didn't have that Idol crescendo. It was just ok for me.

Randy - In it to win it . . . blah blah blah
JLo - Thinks he did an amazing job
Steven - Thinks he nailed it again

2. Lauren - the single is "Like My Mother Does" . . . again, Kristy Lee Cook originally sang this song. If Lauren hits this out of the park, she could win the night. So far so good . . .is her mother getting blessed? Her scratchy voice just got a hold of her . . .oh good Lord, she sounds good, but I'm not sure about her going and hugging her mother. A little bit of an ugh factor. However, her singing was quite good. Not the Idol moment I was looking for, but a very, very good performance indeed.

Randy - thinks she finally arrived
JLo - thinks Lauren may have just won the competition
Steven - also thinks that Lauren is the American Idol

Round Three for me goes to Lauren Alaina

My Rankings:

Lauren #3
Scotty #1
Scotty #3
Lauren #2
Scotty #2
Lauren #1

I think that Lauren had both the best and the worst performance of the night. However, if I'm being honest, I think Lauren wins the night by a hair. Man, I never would have thought I'd have said that. I think Lauren had the better song choices and performed them better. That being said . . .

For the night, my pick: Lauren Alaina
America's pick: Scotty the Body

Is Lauren Out and Haley In for the Finale?????

2011-05-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

MJsBigBlog has picked up a story from TMZ about Lauren Alaina. Apparently, Lauren has lost her voice . . . and, if she is unable to perform, Haley will be reinstated to compete against Scotty. Check out the story

In It To Win It, A Response Part Two: The Revenge, in 3D

2011-05-23T19:48:00.002-05:00

Okay, first off thanks RT and J for such great posts leading up to the finale! I often enjoy reading the blog more than the show itself, LOL. Especially leading up to THIS particular finale.

The GINORMOUSLY UNDERWHELMING finale for Season Ten.

Dr. L is perhaps not as into the conspiracy theories about Idol as I am, but I think we all agree that some bus-throwin' and song-choosin' has been going on to not-so-subtly nudge certain contestants here and there towards a cliff. It is a little too coincidental that, like RT said, the show touted the "youngest contestants ever" and "a girl's going to win" so early, and lo and behold, it worked out so nice for them. Especially since it looked like a girl didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell the first few weeks.

But we do have some Big News: Dr. L and I will be GOING TO THE FINALE!!! Yay! Should be fun even if we don't give a rat's ass about either of the two Idols competing. RT, if you want to meet us there, let me know.

As to J's post about the Kristy Lee Cook song, it is true, it COULD be a Dope blazin' molten hot in it 2 win it (fill in the blank with more Randyisms) song for her -- just like a perfect pitch thrown down the middle and across the plate. But for a ballplayer to knock one out of the park, they have to swing hard!!!! Otherwise, that opportunity could just be a whiffle ball, whistling by.

As for Scotty, I read some interesting criticism last week from some Country music critics who are not as enthusiastic about Scotty having career legs. Many felt he was going to be a "one and done" kind of artist. One said, "we already HAVE a Josh Turner (babylockthemdoors), we don't need another." But, can't you say that about a lot of music? It sure seems like someone likes him. I haven't checked iTunes to see who was selling, have any of you guys?

I almost feel like this season doesn't have all that much to do with who "brings it" on any given night. So many contestants brought it 110% and then got their ass handed to them, it must be more about personalities. 95 Freakin' million votes? how is that even possible? When I think about, on our best night, Dr. L & I maybe texted or called a couple hundred votes, it seems ridiculous to think we can influence anything. Maybe a group like VFTW can.
Scotty is their pick, which at first might sound counter-intuitive, since I agree with J that Scotty probably pulled in 90 of those 95 million last week. But at this point, I would give anything for Lauren not to win. Part of it is because of her loafing through the performances, part because she's a teenage version of the Toddlers and Tiaras girls, part is her mom seems like a beyotch (and won't her mom LOVE that KLC song? Jeez).

But it's mainly because Idol has been telling us how great she is week after week in defiance of reality, and they are on a streak of "white boy with guitar" winners they'd like to break. Whatever the outcome, I'll be ready for a new batch next year!

Dr. L and I will have to get to the Nokia EARLY tomorrow, and then have to drive home from the show, but we will give our ReCrap of the show after that.

-- K

In It To Win It: A Response

2011-05-23T18:17:00.000-05:00

Ok, let me start by saying that in ten seasons of watching Idol, I believe this is THE. WORST. FINALE. EVER. Now, let me explain. In the past, there have been one sided finales ... Fantasia v. Diana, for example, comes to mind and seemingly one-sided finales, for example, Jordin vs. Blake and Crystal v. Everybody hurts when Lee sings . . . however, even in those finales, there was something compelling about one or both contestants. In this finale, we have Scotty the Body who I believe to be one hell of a singer . . . and one hell of a boring contestant. I have no doubt that he has a future in country music, but he does not NEED to win. Then, we have Lauren. Sweet, little, Lauren, who had so much potential, but has never lived up to it. I don't believe in her because she doesn't believe in herself. I have become so done with her that I don't even root for her anymore. I think she's a nice girl and could carve herself out a decent career, but blah . . . BLAH BLAH BLAH. Thus my reasoning for calling this THE. WORST. FINALE. EVER.

That being said, I don't buy into the conspiracy theories . . . I never really have. I do think that the judges (sans La Tyler) did make every effort to throw Haley under the bus. IMO, I have never seen a contestant turn herself around in the way that Haley did. I did not give a flying flip about her in the beginning. I thought she was just a pretty face without much of a voice . . . Then, performances like "Rolling in the Deep" happened and I started to wonder. Then, she started to show some personality . . . and then suddenly, without even knowing it was happening, I began to care about her safety each week. I truly believe that this finale would be better if Haley were one of the finalists . . . don't even get me started on the presence of Pia and/or James.

Whew . . . that was a lot to type . . . Anyway, I believe that Scotty the Body has this one wrapped up barring some kind of meltdown on Tuesday OR some miraculous "Coming Out" by the real Lauren Alaina. I think that he has probably been winning or close to winning the voting each week. I think he plays into all of the things that the majority of the red state (whoops, did I say that out loud), voting public loves. I think kissing the cross to bless himself after GaGa may very well have sealed his fate as the winner.

I don't know how or if I will root tomorrow night. I just don't have any feeling either way. . . and that, my friends, is a first. Hopefully, that opinion will change during the show.

Little Tasters Game: RT continues the comeback

2011-05-23T18:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, Lil Tasters, here is where we stood last week

1. J = 48 points
2. RT = 41 points
3. Dr.L%K = 38 points

Here's what happened this week

J - one of two of the bottom 2 correct (1 point)
RT - two of two of the bottom 2 correct and the eliminated contestant (5 points)
Dr.L&K - one of two of the bottom 2 correct (1 point)

I knew my heart was gonna get me on this one . . .

Updated standings

1. J - 49 points
2. RT - 46 points
3. Dr.L&K - 39 points

What will happen? Will RT complete the comeback? Will J hold on? Why is J referring to himself in third person? Will Dr.L&K figure out a way to pull it out? All these questions and more will be answered in a couple of days. :)

Two Idol Finale Songs Revealed

2011-05-23T17:59:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of MJsBigBlog the two original songs that Lauren and Scotty will sing have been revealed. Of interest, Lauren Alaina's song isn't an original . . . RT is going to DIE . . . it is a song that was originally recorded by . . . wait for it . . . KRISTY LEE COOK! Look below to hear it. . .

Update: Let me just say, I listened to KLC's song all the way through . . .and . . . if Lauren sings it like KLC did then she may just have an Idol moment on her hands. This song is definitely an Idol finale song . . . pretty bland through the first half, but then it hits the crescendo, and man does it allow the singer to hit some pretty serious notes. If Lauren holds back this will be another failed effort, but, if she lets loose . . . she could have a radio hit on her hands . . . and, possibly, the Idol crown. Take a listen.

In it to win it?

2011-05-20T18:07:00.002-05:00

So....Lauren v. Scotty in the finale....I agree with DrK/L...who would've thunk it. I had high hopes for Lauren and she has failed me so far. I still think that she has it in her, but she continually holds back when she's on stage.

A lot of conspiracy theories are floating out there. Did AI rig the outcome? From day 1 they pimped the year of the Youngest contestants. Is it coincidental that the two youngest are in the finale? Especially a year after ratings were way down in the younger viewing categories?

Was Haley thrown under the bus?

I'm not sure that I believe any of the conspiracy theories but they are definitely interesting to contemplate.

Who is going to win? Here is my theory. I think that Scotty is probably going to win, however, there is a scenario that I can see Lauren winning.

#1 - Conspiracy Theory - AI has not only been calling this the year of the young performers, but early on, were calling it the year of a female AI. If you buy the conspiracy theories....this one could be rigged for a young female Idol this year.

#2 - The 50 state strategy - Interestingly enough, both Scotty and Lauren are from the South. The South is and always has been a strong AI voting bloc. You could count on the Southern performed getting a big push from the South. However, does one of the two have the South locked up? I don't think so, I think that Lauren and Scotty are both appealing to Southern voters. So who appeals to the rest of the country. I suspect that Scotty will do very well in the red states, while Lauren will appeal a lot more to the blue states...and this is where I see Lauren's advantage. Lauren is going to do better in the red states than Scotty will do in the blue states. Unless the blue states are turned off by the all-country finale...I can see Lauren walking away with the crown...but the question is whether they will turn out to vote.

What are your theories...and do you see any scenario in which either candidate wins?

Which Idol Will Go Down On You In A (Nokia) Theater?

2011-05-19T16:25:00.018-05:00

Sorry, couldn't resist the pun. The Bowdlerized version of "You Oughtta Know" was the a-ha moment of the night for me: I was thinking crazy, like "wow, Haley is kicking ass tonight. Maybe she could edge out Lauren..." and then I remembered the judges gave Haley the "angry" song, which can't even be sung to full effect because they take out all the dirty talk. So it was TPTB's final Cobra Kai leg sweep on Haley, designed to take her out. We'll see in the results tonight.

Full disclosure:Dr. L is at a conference in a different time zone, so we had to "watch" Idol by text and computer! Still, I will try to give y'all our take on Top Three night.

1st impressions: this is always the show where they recrap audition clips, to show "how far we've come". Man, Lauren had even frizzier hair and thicker eyeshadow than I remembered. But when she had nothing to lose, she sang so much better.

Showed snippets of home visits, and even James got one; is it me, or was his crowd even bigger than some of the top three's?

SeaCrestWhiteStrips says next week is Tues-Wednesday. Wonder why? Tonight, round one is contestant pick, round two is Jimmy Iovine (which spellcheck keeps making Bovine on my phone, so now, he will be named that here, too) and then the judges' picks.

Idols come out: I always say one of TPTB sabotage methods is outfit. And....Wtf is Lauren wearing? Looks like someone took Captain Kangaroo's jacket and made a Kountry Hooker outfit out of it, complete with 1970s white boots.

Beyonce is mentor. I recently learned her hair is almost 100% wig, so can't help but notice this (blonde helmet effect). Show the judges, and I get impression Randy looks like Mr. Rogers tonight, while JLo looks like Riff Raff in the last 5 minutes of Rocky Horror, or maybe Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch. Steven looks like Steven so I guess it's 70s night.

ROUND ONE

Scotty picked Lone Star song: popular, good choice to pander to fans. But a theme begins: wtf did Scotty pick TONIGHT to test his upper register? It ain't happening, and even Beyonce says she's scared. BTW, he looks like he's en route to a hayride here, not national stardom.
Background singers mask how weak his high notes are, but you can tell. Won't affect his core voters. Judges mostly praised, which was also the theme of the night. Softballs for everyone.

Lauren looks like a kid on a field trip when she meets Beyonce.

She's doing Faith Hill Wild One -- never heard it. But it's a fast song -- which is trouble for Lauren. And... she's sharp all the way through, trying to keep up. Out of breath. Sounds like a round 2-3 song to me, not Top Three night. Ran out of juice on big note at end. Judges give her Idol code "you're having fun", which means "we have nothing good to say". She thinks she did great. BTW, Lauren's mom has on a shirt that looks like a Barbie Camper from the (again) 70s. Wish I had snapped a pic of that.

Haley is singing Led Zep, What is and What Should Never Be. Yep, it's 70s night. Contrast her standing next to Beyonce with Lauren: see the difference?
Haley's Dad is playing guitar. Sweet. This is great -- OH SHIT, she fell. Good recovery. Audience is so proud of her for bouncing back, and JLo says same kind of thing happened to her last week. They liked it, and it was the best of the first round by a mile. I like her spirit: so much more pleasant than Lauren's Kountry Princess, I wish this girl could make it to next week, but she's probably doomed.

ROUND TWO

Bovine chose something for Scotty I couldn't make out: Thompson Square? Captions weren't working. Never heard of it, he compared it to Tom Petty. I guess I can see that, though a more corn-pone version. Generic Kountry. Man, he's trying too hard, singing outside his range. But hey, he could literally take a crap onstage at this point and win. Judges lick his boots, for a karaoke performance. JLo wants Scotty to buzz his hair again: what do you think? Early Scotty reminds me too much of Banjo Kid from Deliverance. Randy compared him to Garth -- give me a fucking break.

Lauren split her panty hose so she's given an embarrassing moment as Makeup knocks the shine off her legs. Weird. The ripped hose would have completed the Kountry Hooker look. WTF?!!! They always say shit to Lauren like "Can you beleive you're almost to the finale?" This is Brainwashing, America, don't be sheep. Bovine picks a song from Perry (?), If I Died Young. Again, never heard of it. Sounds Emo, the opposite of Lauren. She predictably has zero connection to the song, it's bland, she cuts off the last note (as always) to grin and say "thanku!!!. Finish the song first, Honey. She's like a Nascar driver that cuts the engine on the last lap and then the better drivers blow by her. She flubbed a key change mid song and judges call her on it but use the "you're a Trouper" defense, comparing it to Haley. I call BS. So if you "feel it" you can suck?

Haley: Bovine picks Riannon by Stevie Nicks. Interesting: a popular, "moment-y" song? She gets a smoke/wind machine. I have to say, I was really excited for this to blow me away, and the first part kinda did, but then it just stayed "spooky" and never really soared. Still, IMHO, miles better than the others. In typical Idol fashion, the judges "mix it up" and pick different "winners" of the round. Watch how they consult their "notes" when stuff like this happens. Nigel laid down a script :) But watch back, how the crowd was hesitant to applaud Lauren when Steven said she won 2nd round-- I think they disagreed.

Beyonce's new video is ridiculous, Mad Max meets Cleopatra or something.

ROUND THREE

Funny moment as Scotty gets the text back in Garner about singing an ancient Kenny Rogers song as judges pick. See pic. He hates it, but knows he's "gotta do it". AND... his upper register blows even more chunks on this song than before. It's a cavalcade of Fail for me with Scotty tonight. He wisely refrained from picking songs like this all season. JLo even sorta admitted as much when she said she didn't have faith he could hit the chorus :"you showed us!" Yeah, he did -- just not the way he should've. Still, they heap praise on him. God damn it, he's going to win this thing. Ah, well, at this point I would take Howdy Doody over Lauren.
Scotty's dad had a cute moment, and Scotty shows sense of humor on the break, saying Dad is "In it to win it!" Seems like nice family.

We see Lauren again, surrounded by makeup artists. What is the message here?
Funny, Lauren's "package" is her at a freaking strip mall, in front of an AT&T store, LOL. The judges text her pick is Lee Ann Womack, I Hope You Dance, and she says smarmily "Y'all think I can kill that?" I don't want to hate on her but, lawd help me, I would love it if we saw her melt down on stage tonight, just when she thinks she's won it. I'm a bad person :)
She busts out her best Under The Sea Prom dress AND... powers out an "aa-ight" version of the song. Somewhere in there is a great singer, strangled by youthful ignorance and inexperience. Typically, she can't help herself, and ends by rushing a "thanku" out instead of holding a glory note. Judges shamelessly pimp her. JLo even goes so far as to say "Lauren already won this round!" Wow, nice fair play there. Thanks, but we have one contestant to go.

We see Haley getting some makeup touches, too: but take note Lil Tasters-- she has half the makeup staff and she's standing up, LOL.

Haley's in a limo getting her text, alone. Hmm, she had a big homecoming reception, yet they show her here. Idol mindfuckery always working y'all, I swear.
AND... JLo was right. Lauren kinda wins already. I realize this, because I was fooled into thinking they gave Haley good songs earlier to connect with the crowd. They only did this because they knew this last one would be a clusterfuck on a good day (see above). Almost seems like she knows it, too. It's a thankless song to have to perform on Idol. Consider this: Scotty got a song from 1978. Haley's was from 1995. By comparison, Lauren's song is downright contemporary at 2000. At least the average Idol voter was ALIVE then. Whatever, Haley stumbles in the middle but powers out some nice finishing touches. The judges don't fall out of the chairs with praise but also refrain from bashing her. At least she looked nice, like someone from the 21st century.
They should have had empty chairs tonight, or maybe sat some cardboard cutouts of Simon, Paula and (old) Randy. The judges were worthless.

I don't even know how to make a pick! Scotty seems like a lock for the finale. Dr. L and I enjoyed Haley more than Lauren so we would pick her.

But, I don't know if this is going to pan out. The only thing (even beyond VFTW) that could save Haley, IMHO, is if she picks up James Voters in a backlash against Lauren. God knows they picked Rocker-y songs for her to play to this. That, combined with Lauren and Scotty splitting the Kountry vote... well, maybe Haley could make it after all.

You know, J is the only one who could get a pre-season pick right tonight, with Lauren. I hope he's right! I fear, however that Rubbertoe might prove to be a prognosticating Genius and actually have picked the winner weeks ago in Lauren!

What the hell. America's pick in the finale: Scotty and Haley in a shocker.

-- K

Who's "In it to win it"?

2011-05-18T22:16:00.003-05:00

The Top 3 - Round 1

Scotty - Lonestar. Scotty at his best. I still don't understand the fascination that many have with Scotty (especially after going to youtube and seeing how much better the original guy sings the "Lock the doors and turn the lights down low" song)...but this is definitely going to rock his base...and the strongest of the competition has been eliminated. (7)

Lauren - Faith Hill (Wild one). She sounds horrible on the song during the Beyonce' rehersal...I'm afraid of how this might turn out. Yep....another Lauren performance that didn't quite meet expectations... she sounded like her breathing was off the entire song.(6)

Hailey - Singing Led Zepplin. Not sure that I believe this is a good choice. Starts out in the old Hailey cheesy fashion... She looks beautiful. I actually thought the performance was really good once it got going, but I'm not sure that this is going to woo the AI voting base. (9).

Round 1 - Goes to Hailey...but America will give it to Scotty.
(I disagree, however, with letting her Dad perform with her...I think that was an unfair advantage that shouldn't have been allowed).

Round 2

Scotty - Very good song for him - "Are you going to kiss me or what". Another solid Scotty performance (8)

Lauren- "If I die young" - Much Much better...almost reached the expectation level...almost (8).

Hailey - Stevie nicks was a great song choice for her...but she did nothing with it. Weak Weak Weak....(6).

Round 2 - Close one b/w Scotty and Lauren....but the edge to Scotty.
Rubbertoe score after 2 rounds...Scotty and Hailey 15, Lauren 14.

Round 3:

Scotty - She believes in me. Scotty's high range is not there...this was the weakest of Scotty's songs tonight....only a 6. Scotty final score - 21

Lauren - "I hope you dance" - Great great song choice for Lauren. Hot fiddle guy is there too...I'm liking this one. I'm hoping that Lauren brings it in the climax of the song. This is the perfect tailor fit for Lauren and the first time she has lived up to expectations in a long time...a solid 8. Laurens final score 22.

Hailey - Sybil performance. Verses were absolutely horrendous. Chorus was really good. 3 for the verse 8 for the chorus...averages out to a 5. Hailey's final score 20.

Round 3 - Hailey by a long shot.

So who goes to the finale....It so hard to say because America gets it wrong almost every time... By Rubbertoe's votes....it is Lauren and Scotty in a very close 3-way race...

And I'm guessing that America will vote the same.

The Top 3: What Is And What Should Be . . . The Theme of the Idol Season

2011-05-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

Here we go with the Top 3 . . . they are giving us a little taste of the hometown visits. Who in the name of Pia Toscano would have thought that this would be our Top 3. I still don't know what to think. And why is there a guy in a puppy suit in the audience?

How in hell are they going to stretch 3 contestants over 2 hours. Are they going to sing 3 songs each? Guess we'll see. Here they are: Haley, Scotty, and Lauren. What in gay hell is Lauren wearing? Ok, they are doing contestant's choice, Jimmy Ivine's choice, and judge's choice. I'm sorry this effort to make Beyonce look grounded is almost as successful as me not bein fooled by the rocks that J-Lo got . . .

1. Scotty - he's singing his favorite song by Lonestar . . . I'm a little surprised they put Scotty first . . . Shocked it's not Haley. He is singing, "Amazed". Bey Bey loves his charm. I'm already liking this song during practice . . . I think his high range is better than the lower range. Damn that twang . . . I'm a little bored by this song. His voice sounds good so far, but I'm a bit bored. His upper register is much more appealing for me, but I will say he's not quite as solid vocally as he usually is. Overall good job.

Steven - Thinks he keeps getting better and better
JLo - Thinks he's grown so much as a performer
Randy - Drop the names Randy . . . thinks he was a little pitchy, but knows where his lane is.

2. Lauren - she is singing her favorite song from Faith Hill . . . She is singing, "Wild One". This sounds like it could be brilliant or . . . er, um . . . yikesy. Beyonce thinks she needs to watch her nerves. Does Lauren have trust in herself? Ok, this is not good. She's working the stage well, but her voice is all over the place. Almost like she's out of breath . . . and she's pulled back her voice again . . . not going for it. Again, on the positive side, she has better stage presence.

JLo - Thinks she attacked it
Randy - Thinks it was a nice song choice and had fun
Steven - Thinks she owned the song

JLo and Randy were SO easy on her . . . wonder what they would have said if that had been Haley . . .

3. Haley - She is singing her favorite Led Zeppelin's "What is and what should be". Bey Bey thinks she has strength and conviction. I think the judges are gonna get her for not singing something current. Bey Bey thinks she is original. Here we go. I never thought I would hear myself say this . . . but I think Haley has the best voice of the remaining contestants. I think she chose the perfect song for her voice. She is rockin this little ditty out. Go girl. But let's see what the judges say . . .

Randy - Thinks THIS is what it's all about
Steven - Thinks it was superb
JLo - Thinks she is a professional and knows what's going on up there.

It's funny, I didn't even notice that she fell until the judges brought it up.

Round 1: Haley, Scotty, Lauren
Judges: Randy
ROUND TWO

1. Scotty - Jimmy Ivine has chosen "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" by Thompson Square . . . I don't think I'm familiar with this song. Scotty's got his geeetar. MUCH better song choice for Scotty. This song has got some country umph to it. He also seems so much more comfortable when he can stand still with the guitar - eliminates the cheese factor. Weird middle note in there. Great Great Job!

Steven - Thinks he never heard him deliver a chorus like that before
JLo - Thinks he was in the zone
Randy - Thinks he is in it to win it - via La Seacrest

2. Lauren - Her pantyhose ripped during the break . . . cute moment :) Somewhere Pia Toscano is biting the head off a puppy . . . Jimmy Ivine has picked "If I Die Young" by Perry . . . Again, I'm not terribly familiar with this song. Again, this is a MUCH better song for her. Jimmy is 2 for 2. She is even projecting a little better in this song. She still seems a little awkward with something that I just can't put my finger on . . . but a much better performance.

JLo - Thinks that Lauren has the most beautiful tone of the finalists
Randy - Thinks that she got "right back up" after her "fall"
Steven - Thinks she got caught up in the moment, but thinks she nailed it

Man, they are pimpin Ms. Lauren . . .

3. Haley - Jimmy Ivine has picked "Rhiannon" by Stevie Nicks. This could be another moment for Haley or it could go a little off . . . she's not used to singing something so recognizable. First part was nailed . . . the wind machine is a bit much . . .the middle part is leaving a bit to be desired . . . I'm not really sure. Her vocals are spot on, but I'm not sure about the song choice. This is song that is tough to keep the energy up, and I'm not sure it suits the Idol stage . . . hmmmmmmm. Very, very good ending.

Randy - Thinks she did a good job and had perfect pitch
Steven - Thinks it reminds him why he fell in love with Stevie Nicks to begin with
JLo - Thinks it was a beautiful moment, but didn't take it quite far enough at the end.

Round 2 - Scotty, Haley, Lauren
Judges: Randy & JLo say Scotty and Steven picked Lauren

ROUND THREE
How are they going to get through these 3 songs so fast . . .
1. Scotty - The judges have picked "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers. All of the judges picked for each contestant . . . interesting. Do they remember that Scotty is 16 years old? Oh goodness, this may be Scotty's weakest performance. He's a little off key, and the song, strangely, does not seem to fit his voice. I don't think he was meant for sweeping ballads . . . even if they are country. A little bit of a yikes moment for Scotty.

Steven - Thinks he put it over the top
JLo - Thinks that he hit the big chorus
Randy - Thinks he was sweet and tender in the front and hit the chorus
His father is a little bit adorable. :)

2. Lauren - The judges have picked, "I Hope You Dance" by LeeAnn Womack . . . This could be a really good choice if she puts her ALL into it. Her pitch is good, but she's still a little weak. I feel like they've dressed her for a 1965 "Under the Sea" themed prom. She had a nice growly moment in the middle. . . and some very nice runs towards the end. Overall, a good performance, but still not finale worthy . . . In my opinion.

JLo - Thinks that she gave her gooseys from head to toe
Randy - Thinks she slayed it
Steven - Thinks she walked out here like she owned the Grande Ole Opry

3. Haley - The judges have picked, "You Oughta Know" by Alanis . . . OH MY GOD . . . this could be sooooo good . . . or . . . Now wait, did they pick this to sabatoge her because of the lyrics? Huh? The first verse was a bit weak, but man did she pick it up during the verse . . . Amazing ending . . . my commentary to follow the judges words.

Randy - Thinks those were some amazing choruses
Steven - Thinks it was amazing
JLo - Thinks there's no one who can match her in the choruses but then busted her on the middle part.

I think it is VERY suspect that the judges chose the sweet inspirational song for Lauren and the angry slutty song for Haley . . . Just my opinion . . .

Round Three: Lauren/Haley (tie) and Scotty
Judges: Steven - Haley; JLo - Lauren; Randy - Lauren

So, in typical fashion . . . Randy/JLo - picked each of them to win a round & Steven gave two rounds to Haley and one to Lauren

My rankings:

1.Haley #1
2.Scotty #2
3.Lauren #3 (tie)
3.Haley #3
5.Haley #2
6.Lauren #2
7.Scotty #1
8.Scotty #3
9.Lauren #1

If I add up the points of their standings, here is my order . . .

Haley (9), Scotty (17), Lauren (18) . . . my eliminated contestant would be Lauren
I think America will eliminate . . . ugh . . .I'm going with my heart and say Lauren.
I think I might relinquish the Lil Taster lead after tomorrow. :)

Idol Top 3 Homecoming Article

2011-05-15T19:54:00.003-05:00

Click on the title above for the link.
Nice article with video and news about the Idol Top 3 going home, with some info on the Judges Song Choices.
Wonder if there's an old list somewhere with song choices for James and Pia crossed off?

Little Tasters Point Game: Didn't Nobody Get Nothin

2011-05-13T19:56:00.000-05:00

I think the title says it all . . . we all picked America to pick Lauren and Haley in the bottom 2 and we all picked Haley to go home. WE. WERE. ALL. WRONG. In addition, none of us had James going home fourth. So, lil tasters blew this week . . . or wait, did America blow this week? Yes, I think it was America . . . Here are our unchanged standings

1. J = 48 points
2. RT = 41 points
3. Dr.L%K = 38 points

We'll see if we can guess better next week. :)

Little Tasters Point Game: The Race Tightens

2011-05-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, Lil Tasters, here is where we stood last week.

J = 44 points
RT = 31 points
Dr.L&K = 28 points

Here were our Top 5 predictions

J = 1 of bottom 2 correct and picked eliminated contestant (4 points)
RT = 2 of bottom 2 correct, picked eliminated contestant, and got the original #5 correct = 10 points
Dr.L &K = 2 of bottom 2 correct, picked eliminated contestant, and got the original #5 correct = 10 points.

Updated standings

J = 48 points
RT = 41 points
Dr.L&K = 38 points

The race is getting tighter . . . let's see what madness occurs tonight. :)

Don't Stop Believing

2011-05-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

The final four show is always one of the best because with it...comes the hometown prize. Can you imagine being the one sent home tonight...when you were 1 show away from being a hometown hero?

With that said....it will absolutely be one of the two women going home.

The overall winner of the night: James

Round 1 - James, Scotty, Lauren and Hailey.

James....Don't stop believing - was great. Smart song choice and fit him to a t.

Scotty ....very smart song that completely played to his base, perfect timing with what's been going on in the world...he gets mega votes for this one.

Lauren - Dress was absolutely hideous....and he performance was blaise (I'm not sure if that's how it is spelled).

Hailey - Let me down. She's been growing on me, but all she did was scream the song.

Round 2 - James, Hailey, Scotty, Lauren

Lady Gaga was a great mentor. I loved her interactions with each of the contestants, especially Scotty...and I thought her suggestions were 100% correct.

James - again fantastic

Hailey - Good...but undeserving of the praise that was lavished upon her. (If you want to REALLY see how the song should be sung Google "I who have nothing - Shirley Bassey). This is what Gaga was trying to get Hailey to do..and she didn't do it very well at all.

Scotty - Cute...and again, plays to his base, but I thought it was kinda corny

Lauren - Dress again was hideous, but she looked gorgeous in the hair/face category...but performance was once again weak.

So who goes home: Easy call that it will either be Hailey or Lauren. My instinct tells me that it will be Lauren going home because of two things....sympathy for Hailey on the first song (I think AI played it up that the judges were hard on her and she will garner sympathy votes for that)...and second, become of the amount of praise they gave her for the second song.

However....I have to believe that the Southern vote is going to come through for Lauren....so my guess is that Hailey doesn't get the hometown welcome.

Don't stop believin' in the Top 4!

2011-05-12T02:11:00.000-05:00

American Idol Top 4!

It is hard to believe that we are getting close to the end of the American Idol season -and I am sure none of us Lil' Tasters thought THIS was the top four we would be looking at!

James - Don't Stop Believing - what a great Journey tune, and a great choice for his inspirational tune! It is memorable and his performance was spot on! K says: Brilliant song choice because it is the right mix of a popular song, but also is hard to sing. He sang it perfectly!

Haley - Michael Jackson tune - I really liked this song, even though I didn't know it very well. I thought she chose it from a personal standpoint, but maybe to a fault as it might not resonate with the crowd as the most memorable tune. The judges seemed harsh - but she took it pretty well. K says - thought it was smart to pick an MJ tune, but of all the songs he has in his catalog - could have picked a more recognizable tune. Started off really well, but then had nowhere to go with the song - so it ended with about 2/3 of the song with her shouting and stomping around.

Scotty - Alan Jackson tune - is it me, or does his voice startle you each time he starts singing? I should be used to it by now, but it is so low! I don't know this song either, but I have a feeling that lots of folks that love country music do, and that should help him tonight. K - never thought I would say this - but Scotty is a GENIUS - because the week after Osama Bin Laden was killed - he managed to work in 9/11, Jesus, and even gave a shout-out to fried chicken and sweet tea, so everyone in America is gonna burn up the phone lines to keep Scotty through to the finale. He did a good job with the song, and it was heartfelt - but it was just fucking genius!

Lauren Alaina - Martina McBride song - K says - complete emotional disconnect with that song. She clearly has a great voice, but she doesn't have any life experience that makes the song meaningful. Her interpretation of the song just didn't fit, the timing was off and awkward. No emotional connection means a misfire for K. I thought that she had several missed opportunities with this song (as she does with most songs). She has a great voice, but I think she is still struggling to belt out those notes and hold them. At the end of the song, she seemed to rush through - just to be done with it. Apparently…the judges completely disagree with us! K - says incredible over-pimpage. Yikes, what's up with the dress??

Round 2
Lady Gaga as a mentor - how fun!

Haley - I Who Have Nothing - Great mentoring advice for Haley from Gaga and she seems to really have taken it to heart (that facial stuff is freaking me out - so can't really watch Gaga give the advice). Everything she didn't do in Round 1 - she did it and more in this song. K- says this was a big fuck-you to Randy and JLo! What a perfect song and fantastic performance - she really had a moment. LOL - Steven - his comments are sooooo funny! She just Reinharted herself into the middle of next week! Thankfully it was a 180 and not the 360 that Haley discussed after her song.

Scotty - Youngblood - okay….this is just pure cheese! Yikes, those theatrics were so silly. K says that this was like another 'Swingin' - he has no idea how ridiculous he looks. Gotta watch out for those performances where they wander around and try to bring the crowd in - to draw attention away from the song. Thank you Steven for keeping it real with the Pat Boone comment!

Lauren Alaina - Elvis tune - Another dreadful outfit -the 1980's called and they want those shoulder pads back….K says that was about a Top 11 level performance for him. Best part of the performance in the first 10 seconds, and went downhill from beginning to end. If she could have sustained that first part of the song, it could have been pretty good. For me, I thought that it was okay - but the first part of the song was much better than the last half. I had to laugh when I realized she was going to be saying 'evil' throughout the whole song….

James - Love Potion No. 9 - that was great - I had not idea what he would do with that tune, but that was really fun! The holding out at the end - seemed like the audience loved it. K says it wasn't as good as his first tune tonight, but it showed how consistent he can be.

Rankings of all performances

James #1

Haley #2

Scotty #1

James #2

Lauren#1

Haley#1

Lauren#2

Scotty #2

Our Bottom two:
Lauren and Scotty, Lauren goes home

America's bottom two:
Lauren and Haley, Haley goes home (she shouldn't but she probably will)

The Top Four: Who's the Meaning in Your Life? Who's the Inspiration?

2011-05-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

Who will be "Comin Home" . . . We'll decide tonight on AMERican Idol!

La Seacrest is sporting Clark Kent hair . . .

I think the Idol stylist needs Jesus . . .

1. James - he's singing "Don't Stop Believing". This song seems like it fits right in his range, but could tend towards the cheesetastic. James, as per usual, sounds great. He is, as usual, better in his upper register. He's still a little bit Lambert-Lite (LL); however, I think he is enough LL that America could make him the next American Idol (read: He is straight and therefore more palatable.) Very Good performance.

Steven - allows Randy to name drop, and curses, and then tells James he did a good job.
JLo - loves the vibrato in his upper register
Randy - pick that name up you just dropped, Randy . . . he thinks he embodied Steve Perry

Can I just say, "THANK GOD JACOB IS GONE!" Ok, I'm done. :)

2. Haley - She is singing what I think is called "The Earth Song" by Michael Jackson. Shaky start with the quiet notes . . . Still kind of struggling . . . I'm not sure this was a smart song choice from Haley. It's kind of boring . . . and then she unleashes the growl and the Idol choir. The ending was far superior to the beginning, but that was a little rough for me, dawg.

JLo - felt she picked a song that inspired her, but thinks it wasn't quite the right song.
Randy - he's keepin it real . . .and that is never good. Haley fought back a little . . . good for her.
Steven - thinks they are both wrong and is telling Randy to shut up . . .

That critique reminded me of a few seasons back when Randy and Paula went after Katharine McPhee and then Simon schooled them.

3. Scotty the Body - Stop calling him that, Ryan. I didn't hear what he is singing . . . It is of course, some twangy, whiney, country ditty. He's just a singer of single songs or something to that affect. He is pulling a Scotty. Perfect pitch, doing his country thang to perfection, but I need it to stop, NOW . . .NOW, I SAY! Oh Lord, he knows Jesus . . .unlike the Idol stylist. Good Job.

Randy - thinks it's a great song, and he thought it was the perfect song choice
Steven - dittos what Randy said
JLo - is in love with him

4. Lauren - Can a song both be contemporary and a classic? All I can say is that Lauren looks like an 18th century harlot . . . Oh Lord, RT is having an attack right now (Paul sighting). She is singing something by Martina McBride. Oh Lord, it's "Anyway" . . . not to give RT another attack but I'm not sure she can match Kristy Lee Cook's performance. I will already say she is not . . . KLC belted this song from her gut . . .and Lauren is pulling that typical falsetto singing. I WANT to LOVE her, but she's just not doing it. Where is her choir? She's hitting the notes better at the end . . . a solid performance, but still under her potential.

Steven - loves the buckles on her shoes
JLo - thinks she is listening to their advice
Randy - thinks she is in it to win it

Round 1 to James by a mile.
JLo - Goes with no one
Randy - thinks it's a tie between Scotty, James, and Lauren
Steven - doesn't get a chance to talk

5. Haley - I hope she blows this song away. She has gone from someone I didn't like to someone I am really rooting for . . . Gaga is giving advice . . . Oh Lawd, help me. She has drawn on the biggest Cindy Crawford mole on her cheek. Haley is singing, "I Who Have Nothing" . . . GaGa loves her, but wants her to bring the drama. Here she goes . . . if Haley moves to much, her naughty bits will show . . . nice start . . . Haley is doing what I wish Lauren would do . . . just let go. She is def bringing the drama! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT!

JLo - won't take it easy on her, because THAT was one of the best performances of the year
Randy - thinks she came back and had an Idol moment
Steven - Classic moment with classic Haley

6. Scotty - He is singing "Young blood" . . . Gaga wants his to get right in the center of "that hotdog". Gaga wants him to "make love to the microphone" . . . cracking me up. Gaga wants to corrupt that boy. Oh Lord, this song is CHEESE! I'm trying to be impartial, but seriously, yo. I know America will like this performance, but the only descriptive I'm coming up with is LAME!

Randy - loves that he did a fun song . . . he is pimping Scotty
Steven - thinks he made Gaga's yaya go lala . .
JLo - thinks he hit his stride . . .

7. Lauren - Here comes the endless pimping of Lauren . . . who is now dressed like a 40 year old Vegas showgirl. Again, idol's stylist needs Jesus. She's singing "Trouble" by Elvis Presley. Lauren doesn't want to be called "evil". FINALLY! It looks like she is gonna bring it! FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY! She's singing! And . . . then we've moved into this hideous arrangement in the second part of the song . . . where she sounds less than evil. The first half was AMAZING! The second half kind of blew.

Steven - doesn't know if he believes it, but he liked it
JLo - saw a different side of her
Randy - saw a fun side of her . . .

She's reminding me a bit of Carrie-Lite (CL).

8. James - He's singing "Love Potion #9" . . . I kind of love this song choice. I'm loving GaGa with James. She worked his hips. :) I'm hopeful for this performance. This is classic James. He's not really moving his hips per GaGa, but his voice is selling it. A little drama at the end never hurt anyone . . . very, very, nice job, James! :)

JLo - thinks he can sing anything
Randy - thinks he is now peaking at the right time
Steven - My, my, my, my, my . . . it's a beautiful thing.

Ok, so I think that Haley and James clearly had the two best performances of the night. I think Lauren and Scotty were just so-so . . . However, even so-so was good . . . here are my rankings by round and overall

Round 1:
James
Scotty
Lauren
Haley

Round 2
Haley #2 (Haley's vocal were slightly better than James' performance)
James #2
(Huge Space)
Lauren #2
Scotty #2

Overall
Haley #2
James #1
James #2
Scotty #1
Lauren #2
Lauren #1 (by a hair)
Haley #1
Scotty #2

My Bottom 2: Lauren and Scotty
America's Bottom 2: Lauren and Haley
Going Home: Undeservingly I think . . . Haley

In It To Win It, The Way We Spin It

2011-05-05T00:47:00.002-05:00

Idol top five, one current, one classic...

Hannibal Lecter in the audience?

And Kelly Preston, who Charlie Sheen says "shot herself" in his house in the 90s.

Randy with the grasp of the obvious... "You got to TRY to win, yo"
Dr. L said Sheryl Crow used to diss Idol, she must have come around this season.

James: One Step Closer by 30 Seconds to Mars,
KOD spot -- but he isn't going anywhere, is he?
Maybe I'm crazy but I'm not hearing the "greatness" in this song. Is he on key? Was the mix right?--on our TV it sounded like the music was way lower than James.
Judges shamelessly pimping, though. Steven wasn't clapping at first, if you pause just after the explosions went off....

JLo is wearing Granny clothes!

Jacob: Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown (does anyone REALLY like them? I am not a fan of either of them, so I'm biased).
Yep, his version sucks just as much as Jorbacca's. Dr. L said it was "awkward", and uncomfortable to watch as well as hear.
Hmmm -- Randy throwing Jacob under the bus. Obviously #2 tonight is the REAL KOD spot.

JLo has been so funny this season, talking over Randy's dissenting opinions.

Lauren: Flat on the Floor by Carrie Underwear. Lauren says she can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Iovine and Crow tell her to forget performing and just sing, LOL. She'll just stand and stomp her foot.
Good choice of song, best of night so far. Sounded like an actual performance! She does have control problems, however, she was out of breath in some runs and missed some big notes. I wonder if the Spanx is killing her lung capacity like it did Carly Smithson?
Judges pimping the $hit out of it. Looks like they want a Lauren/James finale.
Dr. L said, "Man, she's an old-looking 15."

Scotty the Potty: "Gone", Montgomery Gentry. Jeez, sounds like one of those fateful songs you sing the night you're voted off... but he won't be.
Howdy Doody is running and jumping around, ha. Dr. L says "he's trying to give it all he's got." I just see his ridiculous face and think I'm being Punk'd. He did all right with the song but he has almost no upper register.
Second best so far, got to give him that.
Judges give him tongue-bath. Dance with the Devil? My Devil has bigger balls than that. JLo LIKES him growling? Somewhere, Casey just puked a little in his mouth.

Haley: Unreleased Lady Gaga song "You and I": Translated as, no one will know it.
A "moment"? We liked the song, but she performs it EXACTLY like she's done every other song, squinting, smiling, waving her left arm, growling. She did all right, but this could have been Top 13 night, forgettable. Dr. L wonders why she didn't sing part of it a cappella?
Judges throw her under the bus like Jacob. Love how they let Iovine encourage her to pick the song then rake her over the coals once it's too late.

Another ten-minute commercial break, and...

James 2nd: "Without you", Harry Nilsson. Dr L says, "everybody sings this song!" James has been consistently one of the most emotional contestants. A very heartfelt performance! The polar opposite of the marionette shit we get from Scotty.
We love how seriously he takes this, it really does seem like his competition at this point. Not the best vocal here but it's true, gives 110% every time.

Jacob 2nd: Nazareth "Love Hurts". The idea doesn't sound as crazy when he starts. Pretty good -- and then he brings it on to Jesus and it goes off the rails. If he could have kept it like the 1st part, genius. But he can't help himself.
Steven calls him on it, then JLo points out a screwup -- the de-pimpage continues. He looked good in his suits tonight, Dr. L says.

Lauren 1-1/2: "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Bros. In Simon's day, possibly the most oversung song on Idol. She says it's her parent's song; they seem more like "Achy Breaky Heart" people to me. Good idea to pick the recognizeable song though -- unlike some other blondes on this show. They said she had to interpret it her way: obviously, she has no freaking idea what this song is about. Sounds totally swallowed up by the song. Nerves? Dress looks like she's signing on a Greek cruise ship in 1967.
I almost fell asleep in the middle. She "checked out," Dr. L said. But will they pimp it?--
ooh, JLo gives her true feelings away: "nothing to judge there", followed by some scripted comments from Nigel. You got it right the first time. But they want her to stay in. She consistently gives about 65%.

Scotty 2nd: "Always on My Mind", by the KING. Iovine says what we're all thinking: Scotty can't out-sing anyone that's left, he just has to out-Scotty them. Dr. L liked it, thought it was "really beautiful". I wasn't jumping up & down, but was nice to hear somebody come out and just sing a song, and not try to blow anyone's head off.
Jlo busts out the "artist" card. Randy carries it. Then Scotty's cute Granny comes on! Idol, you just cranked Florida up to 11 voting for this kid.

Haley 2nd: "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals. Cool choice! Wow, wish she had done the whole thing a cappella. Got a little growly, but overall pretty dang good. This really was the right mix of blues, rock, "sweet n sour n raspy" soul for her. She really does have a nice voice.
Is Randy's jacket like a big domino? Now they're praising the crap out of her. If this were the Simon days, I would say they are damning her with faint praise, so her base voters feel complacent.

Will they go for a Bottom 2 or Bottom 3?

our B2: Jacob, Lauren

America's B3: Jacob, Haley, Lauren
OR
B2: Jacob & Haley, either way, Jacob goes home.

-- K

Then there were five

2011-05-04T22:23:00.004-05:00

First up James - James is definitely in it to win it!!! Performance was awesome...vocals were a little pitchy and I think too much interaction with the audience makes it a little cheesey...but over song#1 - 8

Jacob - Doing Chris Brown/Jordin Sparks duet??? I don't like the sound of this.
Wow....that was absolutely hor-ri-ble. I don't know what Jacob was thinking....he tried to Diva Jordin and it soooo did not work on any level - 3

Lauren - Hmmmmm I don't know. Usually doing an ex-Idol song is death for the Idol wannabes. Lauren looks great and sounds ok....even better....hot fiddle guy is back....that guys is way super HOT!!!...but this is really Carrie Underwood-lite. I don't think the song choice did her any favors. It was just ok -6

Scotty - He's trying to show a little personality....and he achieves that...but the vocals were worse than normal. Scotty did what he needed to do to appeal to his base and scores points for showing a little energy in the performance. -7

Hailey - Wow....the cheesy girl that I put out of the competition weeks ago is improving every week. She did a Lady Gaga song that I am not familiar with and it was great. I completely disagree with the judges....completely. -7

Round 1 - Goes to James....followed by Hailey, Scotty, Lauren and Jacob.

Round 2 -

James - James is working the sympathy factor with the kid and better life card.....
The lower range is definitely James' weakness. Wow...the tears in his eyes are definitely going to win him some votes....7 (15 total)

Jacob- doing Nazareth? Oh boy.....this is going to be strange. Don't know who sabotaged Jacobs songs tonight....but wow....this is Jacob at his best....so much better than his first song - 7 (10 total).

Lauren - singing Simon Cole's favorite "Unchained Melody"....this could be great. Wow...she looks absolutely STUNNING. The lower range is definitely her weakness as well. Good....but she is capable of much much better...still waiting for her to really bring it. - 7 (13 total)

Scotty - This is classic Scotty...and the vocal is clearly better than the first song - 7 (14 total)

Hailey - Wow...this song is made for her. I love love love that she has dropped the cheesyness and she is really making a strong run for the finish - 9 (16 total)

Rubbertoe rankings:

1. Hailey #2
2. James #1
3. James #2
4. Hailey #1
5. Scotty #2
6. Lauren #2
7. Scotty #1
8. Jacob #2
9. Lauren #1
10. Jacob #1

By the night:

1. Hailey
2. James
3. Scotty
4. Lauren
5. Jacob

A very close one tonight between James and surprisingly Hailey.
Rubbertoes bottom 3 - Scotty, Jacob and Lauren - Going home Jacob
America's bottom 3 - I'm convinced America will get it right...Scotty, Lauren and Jacob....Jacob goes home.

Say goodbye to a Diva.

The Top 5: The Present and the Past . . . Could Haley Really Have the Best Performance? Answer is a Resounding Hellz Yeah!

2011-05-04T20:33:00.001-05:00

THIS is AMERican Idol!

The judges didn't walk in tonight. . . interesting. . . and JLo has a flower in her hair . . . Why do I think that it would look better on Steven?

Here are our Top Five! Certainly not the Top 5 I would have originally envisioned.

Who is in it to win it? - Randy Jackson

Hell, I missed the theme . . . but I think they are singing twice. It appears that Sheryl Crow is the mentor . . .

1. James - "Closer to the Edge" by Thirty Seconds to Mars . . . LOVE IT! I have a bit of a crush on Jared Leto . . .just a little bit. Anyone remember He looks amazing! Amazing harmonies from my James. A large high note that kind of went south . . . but overall, a very solid performance . . . it's what we expect from James. Good Job.

Steven - Good Job
JLo - couldn't hear what she said
Randy - I think he loved it

2. Jacob - Lawd in the mornin, I need this boy to go home . . .let's see what he does tonight . . . he is singing, "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown . . . please sing from your gut and not from your nose . . . PLEASE! Nevermind . . . not gonna happen . . . dreadful beginning . . . he's still pitchy . . . although no one in the building seems to get that . . . honestly, I'm not sure if he has actually hit a note on key yet . . . NOT GOOD PLEASE RECOGNIZE!

JLo - That flower looks like a growth . . . she thinks it is important for him to pick better songs . . . NOT RECOGNIZING
Randy - Thinks he picked the wrong song and is KIND OF RECOGNIZING
Steven - He's waiting for him to find a niche . . . sort of RECOGNIZING

3. Lauren - She is singing "Flat on the Floor" by Carrie Underwood. She needs to BRING IT! I want to love this girl, but she hasn't brought it to me yet. She might be bringing it . . . let's see. She looks better tonight. She is struggling a bit with the high notes, but this is better performance. I believe her a bit more with this performance than I have throughout the competition.

Randy - Thinks this is the direction for her
Steven - Thinks it's simply as good as it gets
JLo - Thinks she "ate that up"

4. Scotty - Damn it! Didn't hear what he is singing, but sounds like something entitled "Gone" . . . Here comes typical Scotty . . . Clearly, it is called "Gone" . . . It's got a little more fire than Scotty usually brings. As per usual, he is def on pitch. Still looks like Howdy Doody . . . He is performing better tonight. A little cheesy, but good job.

Steven - Saw him dance with the devil tonight
JLo - Thought he owned the stage tonight
Randy - Felt like he rocked the stage

5. Hailey - She's doing an unreleased GaGa song . . .is that smart? Guess we'll see. She got to speak to GaGa . . .pretty cool. Am I the only one who is surprised that this girl is still around and has gotten better each week? Her voice isn't the best of the bunch, but she definitely knows how to perform. I do love her growls, and she is working this song. It is not the best vocal of the night, but def the most dynamic performance.

JLo - She's not sure that Jimmy gave her the best advice.
Randy - Not sure it was that great of a song
Steven - had a call and I couldn't hear him

6. James - "Can't Live Without You" - I'm on the phone, but this sounds amazing. He can't match Kelly Clarkson from season one, but this is amazing. He is crying at the end.

7. Jacob - "Love Hurts" . . . Typical Jacob . . . screaming, not as good as the first . . . This baby boy needs to go! STOP SCREAMING!

The phone call stopped me from hearing the reactions.

8. Lauren - "Unchained Melody" . . . This could be an Idol moment or an Idol disaster . . . Girl looks beautiful . . . A bit of a hitch in the beginning of the song . . . She seems to still have issues with her lower register, but her upper register is amazing. I think the problem that I'm having is that when she could take major chances with the song, she shies away. . . but her voice sounded good.

JLo - Thought she sang it beautifully
Randy - Thinks she sang like a bird
Steven - Thinks she is ripe

9. Scotty - "Always on My Mind" . . . sounds like the same ole, same ole, but I hope it's different. He's giving an understated performance . . . which I think is needed for this song . . . he is keeping himself under control. Very lovely performance.

JLo - Thinks he is a well rounded artist
Randy - Thinks if it ain't broke don't fix it
Steven - Thinks it was a beautiful rendition of the song.

10. Hailey - "The House of the Rising of the Sun" . . . Sheryl seems to dig it . . . I love the acapella beginning . . . really showcases her voice. I'm REALLY loving this song. This song is convincing me to vote for Hailey tonight. Wow . . . just Wow! In-freakin-credible.

Randy - Best performance of the night
Steven - Sweet and sour and raspy
JLo - Thinks that song has never been sung like that before.

The rankings:

Haley #2 (by a hair)
James #2
(Huge Space)
Scotty #1
Lauren #2
Scotty#2
Lauren #1 (by a hair)
Haley #1 (by a hair)
James #1
(Infinity)
Jacob #1
Jacob #2

My Bottom 2: Jacob and no one . . . but I have to choose . . . Lauren
America's Bottom 2: Jacob and ugh, I don't want to choose . . . I say, surprise, James
Going Home: JACOB . . . JACOB . . . JACOB . . . MOTHA FUCKAS IT BETTER BE JACOB . . . I feel like I am embodying RT and his hatred for Paul . . . JACOB

Check y'all tomorrow.

Little Tasters Point Game: The Top 6

2011-04-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here is where we sat before last night's results . . .

J = 39 points
RT = 29 points
Dr.L&K = 26 points

Last night's results . . .

J = two of the bottom three correct and the eliminated contestant = 5 points
RT = two of the bottom three correct = 2 points
Dr.L&K = two of the bottom three correct = 2 points

Updated Points

J = 44 points
RT = 31 points
Dr.L&K = 28 points

See you next week.

Idol Tricks

2011-04-29T10:49:00.002-05:00

Just saw this article about how Idol used Pia to try and undercut The Voice. I did think it was a little odd Pia popped RIGHT up on a rival network so soon after her Idol run.

Little Tasters Game: Major Point Update

2011-04-28T16:44:00.001-05:00

Ok, Little Tasters, I've gotten a wee bit behind on the game, but I think I'm back on course. You'll have to check my math, but I think I'm on target. Here's where we stood at last count.

1. J = 30 points
2. RT = 19 points
3. Dr.L&K = 13 points

Final 9: (Jacob, Stefano, Pia) Pia

J = 1 of bottom 3 correct = 1 point
RT = 2 of bottom 3 correct = 2 points
Dr.L&K= 2 of bottom 3 correct = 2 points

Final 8: (Paul, Jacob, Stefano) Paul

J = 2 of bottom 3 correct = 2 points
RT = 3 of bottom 3 correct and eliminated contestant! = 6 points
Dr.L&K = 2 of bottom 3 correct and eliminated contestant! = 5 points

Final 7: (Stefano, Hailey, Jacob) Stefano

J = 3 of bottom 3 correct and eliminated contestant = 6 points
RT = 2 of bottom 3 correct = 2 points
Dr.L&K = 3 of bottom 3 correct and eliminated contestant! = 6 points.

** None of us got the picks from our original lists correct during these three weeks **

Updated totals:

J = 39 points
RT = 29 points
Dr.L&K = 26 points

Let's see what happens tonight . . . and sorry I got behind on the game :(

The Top Six: Please Stop the Duets

2011-04-28T16:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm kind of reporting from the dark again . . . but not really. I was unable to watch the show last night because of the storms in Alabama . . . I was on the phone with the mother. She is fine . . . made it through the night.

So, today, thanks to our friends over at Idol Blog Live, I listened to the live versions of the performances. I will provide a brief synopsis with my rankings . . .

1. James - The acapella beginning was amazing . . . far and away the best of the bunch.
(Huge Space)
2. Scotty - As per usual, I don't like his music, but he is pitch perfect.
(SPACE)
3. Haley - I'm surprised as anyone that I've grown to love this girl. I thought she tore up the ending of the song, and was steady in the beginning
(Very Close)
4. Lauren - I thought she did a good job. She was steady throughout . . . I just thought Haley pushed herself a little further than Lauren.
(MASSIVE SPACE OF GIGANTIC PROPORTIONS)
5. Casey - He spoke the majority of the song . . . or should I say growled. I'm not sure what else to say . . . the only reason he isn't last is because he was on pitch . . . when he sang .
6. Jacob - He, unfortunately, did not remain on pitch. There was one very long drawn out off key note that sent him to the bottom of my list.

Duets

I thought all of the duets were pretty subpar. I'm ranking these according to how well they sounded together.

1. Haley/Casey - I thought their harmony was just slightly better than . . .
2. Lauren/Scotty - I thought they were good but flat in parts
3. Jacob/James - There are no words for how bad this was

My Bottom Three: Lauren, Casey, and Jacob
America's Bottom Three: Lauren, Casey and Jacob
Going Home: Casey

I think I'm going out on a limb by picking Lauren in the bottom three and Casey to go home . . . but ya gotta take chances in this crazy game called Idol. :) Now, I get to go read the other reviews and update the points game. :)

Six Pack

2011-04-28T01:54:00.002-05:00

Jacob:
great job, actually sang instead of diva'ing out. Jimmy SAID he was doomed, and he's in the KoD spot, so he probably is. That is an "interesting" outfit. Whoever is styling these guys is hit or miss this season.

Lauren:
so boring. Thanks Randy, for backing us up on that. WTF is JLo saying? She didn't hear the same song we did. Nigel's scripted BS, to keep her in. Where was the BIG note they talked so much about? Never heard it after the rehearsal footage. Meanwhile, they are praising her for over-singing, who else would they say this to? Blatant pimping.

Casey/Hailey:
so cute! Did Steven just bust them re: being a couple? They did better with the duet last week.

Scotty:
Not going anywhere, though it about killed him to "de-Scotty" the song. Sounded pretty good, seriously; but hell, he had the London Philharmonic onstage with him, so why wouldn't he. Smart, most recognizable song of the night (barring the Casey/Hailey duet).

James:
WOW. On its own page, The James Durbin Show. Outstanding. This is how all the contestants should bring it, and with diversity too.

Lauren/Scotty: why is Ryan pretending they're hooking up? Ms. Thang wouldn't be caught dead with Howdy Doody in the real world. Usually they sound better than this.

Casey:
Liked it, very entertaining. Nobody does the jazzy stuff like this but him. But will America keep him in for this deviation from Pop? We always crack up when he slaps the hands of the fans who reach up during the performance. I can't think of another contestant who seemed so do mildly deranged who made it this far.

Hailey:
It was okay. She has a good voice, but it wasn't a "moment". Maybe all she has to do is beat jacob at this point, but there's no way this will get her through next week if she's still here. If Idol success were based on who I'd want to have a beer with, she'd be up there, I think.

James/Jacob:
best duet of the night. Funny how divergent our critique is from RT's! I guess I just don't care for Lauren Alaina. It's like, maybe she has one of the best race cars on the track, but she never shifts into top gear.

our ranking:

James
(alternate universe sized space)

Casey
Scotty
Jacob
Hailey
Lauren

our B3: Jacob, Hailey, Lauren

America's B3: Jacob, Hailey, Casey
Jacob goes home.

Six in the city

2011-04-27T23:57:00.003-05:00

Abbreviated blog tonight from Rubbertoe:

I thought that they all did pretty well tonight...however, the best of the night by a landslide: James Durbin.

My other in the top 3 would be Lauren Alaina and Hailey who continues to surprize me. Hailey has dropped the cheesyness that so enveloped her early performances. She seems to get better every week...however....too little too late.

Rubbertoe's Bottom 3: Scotty, Jacob and Casey. Although they all were pretty good as well.
Scotty did what Scotty does.....Jacob started a little weak, but killed it in the end...and Casey was Casey...you either dig him or you don't....I just don't, but I was never a Taylor Hicks fan either.

Duets - Scotty and Alaina were awesome.....Hailey and Casey (Hmmmmmmm)....were good too. James and Jacob....not so much.

Rubbertoes bottom 3 - Scotty, Jacob and Casey....my heart says that Casey should go home
America's bottom 3 - Jacob, Casey and Hailey....Jacob goes home

The VOICE

2011-04-27T17:50:00.003-05:00

J says this show is the Bizzomb, but Dr.L and I have not had a chance to check it out yet. If you click on the title above, there's a link to an article with some interesting comparisons to Idol. What do you think? Is there a new guilty pleasure out there in TV land?

--K

F#@king Great, Man

2011-04-21T00:34:00.002-05:00

Scotty - Swingin' - that was kinda silly - to select for the 21st century song! And, does it count if someone remade the song? The original was from 1982..and should have stayed there! His country choices slant to the corn of a Billy Ray Cyrus tune…ugh. K thought this felt like the pick of somebody who is over-confident.

James - Uprising - WOW! Loved it!! That was so good! K says he thought James did better than some of the "performance night" celebs. Those were some incredible high notes. Great song choice! K said they obviously feel like he & the song are strong enough to save the pimp spot for someone in danger...

Ohh, I heart u Steven Tyler! He has the best quips every night.

Haley - Adele tune - K thought this was the best she has sounded all season! Great song choice. It is a really good fit for her range - DrL loves the Adele version, so it was harder to think about Haley singing it, but she did well. K thinks she should put a tack in her shoe to keep her from smiling on every dang song.

Jacob - Dance with my father - Looking sharp in his shiny suit! Not my fave performance of Jacob's - but he did an okay job. I would have preferred if he would have done a softer version. I don't care for him when he gets all gospel-y. K says when Jacob sings it winds up being all at one level - cranked up to 11.

Casey - Maroon Five tune - That was priceless! OMG! I was gonna say that he was doing the stalker-y version of this song which I was totally loving, but that kiss was hilarious! Loved it - he definitely made it his own. Gotta love the spunkiness of this dude. K loved that everyone with the fake Casey beard looked Amish. He vows to use the screencap of bearded Ryan in some hilarious photochop.

Stefano - Neo tune - Much better job this week - he showed he can control his voice and not do all the herky-jerky stuff - at least in the beginning of the song. Not too sure about the dancing! (J - that was an interesting observation you made! Hadn't thought about that). K busts out laughing whenever Stefano pronounces anything with the "err" sound in it: "ya herrrd" "werrrd". He did it in the very first verse tonight. Rhymes with "turd"...

Lauren Alaina - Born to Fly - Hmm, not so much - I think she didn't put her all into it. I wish she could punch it up a bit. Where were her big notes?? K says that was no less of a phoned in performance that Scotty's, but there was a lot more pizazz around it (i.e. Idol doesn't want her to go). Every week (after, when was it? week two? When the judges DARED to mildly criticize her and she about shit herself) the judges try to gently coax a bolder performance for her, mollycoddle her to bring her latent talent out. To quote Steven Tyler, F#*K that. Let her bring it or go home.

Rankings:

James
Casey

Haley

Lauren Alaina

Stefano

Jacob

Scotty

DrL&L Bottom Three:
Stefano, Jacob, Scotty

America's bottom Three:
Haley, Jacob , Stefano - Stefano goes home

Who's the unlucky of the seven?

2011-04-20T23:40:00.002-05:00

First let me say...AWESOME night!...I though they were all pretty good tonight. I loved the impressions that each contestant gave of one another (I don't remember them doing that before....)

Here are my Rankings starting with the Best to Worst (I just read J's blog and can't believe who much we differ this season...much more than years past....and thanks JAY for coming around on Paul....he was even worse than usual tonight)

1. James - Incredible tonight. I loved his mix of theatrics with vocals and the rock. I'm not sure if it will sell with America but he's consistent week after week.

2. Hailey (SHOCKER). I'm not a Hailey fan...I've been ragging on her from the beginning. But she is getting better and better and I thought she did an incredible job tonight.

3. Lauren - OK maybe I'm biased. She still hasn't risen to the level that we know that she can...the level we saw at the beginning...but she looked gorgeous and her vocals were good. She needs some stage presence and some confidence to propel her. If she is going to win it all, she is going to have to kick it to the next level

4. Stefano - Vocals were only so so....however, his performance was second best only to James. He owned the stage tonight. He is in danger of going home, but I think he is safe tonight, simply because I think his performance earned him those extra votes to save him

5. Casey - Second half of the song was good, but the first half was very weak. It sounded as if he was talking the song rather than singing it. Casey is capable of better. I love Maroon five, but this song did nothing for Casey.

6. Jacob - It was good...but only so so. I think he got thrown off from the beginning. He is capable of bigger and better.

7. Scotty - Worst Scotty performance of the season. It was weak and rather corny. It was particularly bad when he sang the verse an octave lower. I know what he was trying to do, but it came off weak.

Rubbertoe's bottom 3- Casey Jacob and Scotty - Scotty would go home....However, America loves Scotty too much so he is safe.

America's bottom 3 will be Stefano, Casey and Jacob - Jacob goes home.

The Top Seven:

2011-04-20T20:31:00.000-05:00

It all starts NOW!

I'm back, bitches!!!!!

It's America's Top 7!!!!

THIS is AMERican Idol!!!!!

Ok, so I've gotten over the fact that my favorites are gone. I only have one favorite left . . . James. I'm hopeful for my boy tonight. This is the first season in all ten that I'm down to one this early. Please, Lord, please, let him do well. :)

Tonight's theme is music of the 21st century. OMG! You mean they are actually gonna sing current music! And here comes the deleted Idols . . . including my Pia . . . who will be on Dancing With The Stars next week . . . although I don't watch that show . . . Check my flow, uh!

I LOVE Paul, but he sounds awful . . . yes Rubbertoe, I'm willing to admit that . . . :)

Is this Idol's way of trying to stretch seven singers into an hour and a half

1. Scotty - He is clearly a front runner now . . . ugh . . . let's see what he has for us tonight. He is singing, "Swinging" by LeeAnn Rimes . . . .SHOCKING! It's easy to forget that thidss boy is 17 years old. As per usual, Mr. Scotty is pitch perfect . . . I wish it was my cup of tea, but not so much. I will say, this is the first week when I think he is kind of boring. He is completely on pitch, but his choice of song is boring. If the judges are at all with it they will hit him up for being boring . . .

Steven - Wants him to boot scoot it a bit more
JLo - Didn't think he brought out the big guns
Randy - Thought he was very "safe" and um, "boring"

2. James - Ryan, calm down . . . Can I interrupt and say that I want Jacob gone . . . ok, I'm back. He is singing "Uprising" by Muse . . . I'm not sure I know this song, but I love that he is singing a Muse song . . . LOVE MUSE. Don't be boring, biggun! He's like a straight-ish version of Adam Lambert . . . He has definitely brought the drama tonight. He is pitch perfect . . . even with his screams. However, I will say, this is not my fav performance of his. I think it's better than Scotty, but he's screaming too much.

JLo - Already thinks it will be theatrically the best performance of the night.
Randy - Loves his "metal" thing
Steven - wants him to stay "out of his closet" and thinks it was "crazy good"

3. Haley - Oh Lord, she's gonna sing Adele. . . . I LOVE Adele . . . I'm worried about this one . . . She is singing "Rolling in the Deep" . . . I Know this Song . . . Adele is going to be difficult for Haley. I'm just not sure about this choice . . .it's bold. To quote Paula Abdul, "she looks amazing". Surprisingly, she sounds pretty good. I'm a little stunned by how good this rendition is. She was spot on and pitch perfect . . . well done, Ms. Haley.

Randy - Thinks she chose a perfect direction for her
Steven - Thought she was slow at the start, but brought it on in the middle
JLo - Thought she brought a little bit of Haley to it at times . . .

4. Jacob - trying to convince everyone that he is not a DIVA . . . try again . . . He is singi "Dance With My Father" by Luther . . . I feel about this the same way I feel about Scotty . . . this is a great song, but not out of his comfort zone. If he doesn't change it, he could be in trouble. Apparently I am biased . . . but he is once again singing straight out of his nose. Ugh. I feel like I'm Rubbertoe commenting about Paul . . . Ugh. I think I'm making the exact same commentary about him every week. I think he is hitting bad notes throughout the performance until the end. VOTE HIM OFF!

Steven - Thinks that he lost the track but "his daddy was up there listening to him"
JLo - Thinks emotionally it was a beautiful a performance
Randy - Thinks vocally it was good but didn't make him jump up and down

A commercial break between each singer? Really? . . .

5. Casey - He singing Maroon Five "Harder to Breathe" . . . This is an AWESOME song. I'm really hopeful for this performance. He's playing guitar. This could be an Idol moment . . . I keep hoping for an Idol moment. LOVE the beginning. He's not quite as pitch perfect as the rest of them, but this is a GREAT performance. He is channelling Adam Levine nicely. I'm discovering that Casey is a strange mix of Taylor Hicks and Blake Lewis. . . nice job on this one.

JLo - Thinks Casey has "soft lips" :)
Randy - Thinks it is always about "surprise, surprise, surprise"
Steven - Thinks that he is already a "cult hero" . . . and he cursed. :)

6.Stefano - Does anyone else think that he is trying to hard to be a s "straight boy" . . . tonight he is singing "Closer" by Ne-Yo . . . . this could be wonderful or disaster . . . the beginning is boring . . . and a little off key . . . This is a little bit of a disaster. . . .as in, unless, Lauren destroys her song, there is no doubt who is going home . . .

Randy - Thought he smoothed it out
Steven - Didn't say much
JLo - Thought he had his swag going on . . .

WHAT WERE THEY WATCHING?

7. Lauren - Rubbertoe's girl is UP! I want to believe in her, but I haven't quite gotten it yet. Tonight she is singing, "Born to Fly" by Sarah Evans. She's doing this same country Kelly Pickler thing she always does . . . .she sounds good, but not great. I like her, but am still not convinced to love her.

Steven - Thinks she has a great swagga
JLo - Wonders why she doesn't sing the big notes like everyone else
Randy - Yo . . . thinks JLo is right on target . . . .

My initial rankings:

1 Casey
2. James
3. Haley
4. Lauren

5. Scotty

6. Jacob
7. Stefano

My bottom three: Scotty, Jacob & Stefano
America's Bottom Three: Stefano, Haley, & Jacob
Going Home: Stefano

Can't wait to hear my west coasties opinions . . . .

Idol Behind the Scenes!

2011-04-15T01:01:00.002-05:00

DrL&K have just gotten home from the Top 8 Elimination night! Whew…a long afternoon and evening, but it was worth it! We will do our best to give you all a play-by-play as we remember it. (Idol doesn't allow cell phones in the studio, so we are relying on our memories).

Interesting tidbit!: The show is filmed at the CBS Television City studios even though it is a Fox program. This is located near The Grove in LA, off Beverly Blvd. We parked and walked over to wait in line - got there about 3pm. We waited in a long line that stretched from the "Genesee" gate. A smart street vendor sold sodas for $1 and "closed toe shoes" for $10; don't ask me why but Idol would kick you out if you wore open toe shoes (and they checked -- OFTEN).

About 4:00 we were let in the gate. We walked past the parking area for Dancing With the Stars. And we stood here for another 30 minutes or so, behind a plastic chain next to reserved parking spaces, between the bungalows and the Star Waggons (where Randy, JLo & Steven chill before the show).

First celeb sighting of the day, Bruno Tonioli from DWTS - friendly, smiling, blowing kisses to the women in the line. He needed to get to his car and walked around like he didn't know which one it was. Finally, he said "oh, you know how it goes - I get a different one every week!" This week's car was a black Mustang convertible. We also saw Carrie Ann Inaba's parking spot and if that was her car…poor thing drives a green Honda! Not quite as fancy as the Mustang.

By 4:15 or so we were in the shade beside the building.
Idol Family Sightings!
While we were waiting, we started to notice a group of people filing in from the other side of the studio. DrL recognized Casey's mom first - then realized it was the family members coming through. Casey's mom and dad seemed to be super laid back and friendly. We saw Jacob's mom (?) or family members. We saw Stefano's mom, and James' mom. She was carrying a canvas sign with James' name painted on it in "rocker" font. James' family was there too - and his little nephew - who was adorable!! The lil' dude (I'm guessing around 5 or 6 years old) had on black pants with little black vest. His hair was gelled up and he had a bandana tied around his wrist and one on his back pocket. He was carrying a sign that said 'Go Uncle James!' As he walked by us, he said to his mom "i'm so nervous!" - SOOO cute!! Those were the most recognizable family members - I feel sure we probably saw the others, but I couldn't be sure. One family I know we didn't see was Lauren Alaina's - (I was really hoping to see her mom's wacky hair-do up close….)

As 5:00 drew near we were sweating bullets -- would we make it? The PA said they would try to get us all in, if we wanted to be "seat fillers", and that this meant we might have to split up. Dr. L & I told ourselves we would if need be. The female PA said this was not a bad deal, because seat fillers were often seats of celebs who didn't show up.They started bringing us in @ 4:50 or so, and only took 1/3 of our group. We could hear the crowd inside already cheering for something. Another group went in 5 minutes later. Since we were near the end, we thought we were screwed. At literally 4:59 they ushered us in, to a dark area underneath the bleacher seats. Things were getting really loud in there. Jimmy Iovine walked in, right beside us, and disappeared into the stage area.

We could hear the countdown, and see the video from the opening of the show through cracks in the set. A stagehand took pity on us and led us to the area under/behind the stage where the post-performance "mirror confessional" happens after each Idol sings. Just to the left of this is a monitor, and we watched Ryan open the show. Scotty and Lauren sang their duet, and holy crap, Scotty's voice booms with the bass from the speakers inside. They sounded great! - but, audience applause was not quite as loud as we might have thought. Then it was time for the 1st commercial. They rushed us to one side of the stage -- then decided it would be better to go to the other.

We entered, directly beside the stage. It is much smaller than you might imagine. It was crazy with activity. We walked right past Pia Toscano, down on the front row. Mary Hart from Entertainment Tonight was there, and of course Skeletor (Marc Anthony). Dr. L spotted Chaka Khan, and later we realized Anita Baker was there as well. Wild. We had no idea where we were going - just following an usher from one side of the stage to the other! We were led up to an area just behind the cameras, a little above Ryan's teleprompter. They were EXCELLENT seats! Everybody had to look right at us for the camera to see them, so it was like they were performing just for us, ha.

We mostly saw the back of the judges' heads - but they turned around a few times to wave & smile at the crowd. JLo is stunning in person - just absolutely beautiful - (not crazy about that gold dress though). There were girls above us that were yelling constantly for Steven Tyler to turn around, and he did once, but he mostly stayed focused on the show. Randy was laughing and having a good time - he had on some electric blue shoes….interesting!
Side note, you could really see Randy and Steven snapping fingers and getting into the music. Cool.

In between segments of the show a PA gave away lots of swag. They especially treated the little kids with signs well.

The Idol hopefuls were sitting on the blue couches - restless and joking around some during the various parts of the show. In the YELLOW dress, it was easy to notice how distracted Lauren Alaina is during the whole show - she really doesn't pay much attention to everything! She sort of half-heartedly clapped along - and she seemed to really be looking around the audience a lot. (I wondered if she was trying to see who all was cheering for her!).

Haley & Casey Duet
We haven't watched the TV version yet, but this was GREAT in person! They harmonize really well. They were really having fun, and the audience loved it. Haley made less of the goofy moves - and she looked really cute in the lace dress. I think they got the largest applause of the night.

James/Jacob/Paul/Stefano
Fun medley of Simon & Garfunkel tunes! Those four sound really good together. I think the younger members of the audience didn't quite know what to do during that though…

Ms. Kelly Clarkson & Jason Aldean
I don't know who he is, and had not heard that song - but WOW!! what a great duet and I would love to get that single! Our Ms. Kelly looked fantastic and she sings just as clear as a bell - I had goosebumps!! During the break she was happy, smiling and running all over the stage in those high heels. She ran down to the judges' table and gave Randy a huge hug - it was so sweet! She had her photo taken with all three judges. Randy made a point of introducing her to them, and seemed like he didn't want her to rush off -- but the show had to go on.

Rihanna
What a performance! LOVED it! I didn't know that song either (California King Bed) - but it was great. The crowd was really going crazy too! Her dancers were fantastic, and she looked beautiful. After the song, she went over to the Idol hopefuls and hugged each and every one of them. She also hugged all the judges and had her picture taken with them. She seemed incredibly friendly, despite what some gossip rags say.

Other things we noticed: The main stage (manager? director?) lady was hilarious, mostly making jokes about how SLOW the judges were about getting back in their seats/getting ready for the show to start after each commercial. It really is incredible how many people flood onto then off the stage on breaks, literally to the last second.

Nigel was EVERYWHERE, running around dressed nattily, shmoozing with all the guests, the judges, the contestants. When Casey was sent back safe to the couch he fist bumped him.
When Hailey was sent to the Danger Stools, Ryan made a point of joking/consoling her as we went to commercial, like a "not again" kind of a gesture.

When it was coming down to the final segment, Paul Stefano and Hailey all made a trip over to the couch and got hugs. I don't know if what they say is true about Hailey and Casey, but I did notice her hanging around him quite a bit, more than she spent with Lauren by a long shot LOL.

When the word came down it was Paul getting the boot, it was not like any great shock to the room. A woman beside us had asked who we picked this week, and we said if it was up to us, Paul. She agreed. When his name was called, she nodded at us in a kind of knowing way.
Paul didn't seem that bummed out at the time. As they played his "Idol Journey" package, audience members screamed his name, clapped, general support. After the show ended everyone came out (judges, contestants, Nigel) and got on stage with him. The biggest hug Paul got by far came from the new band leader, Ray Chew. In fact, another member of the band spent a lot of time with Paul. It really seemed like he was well liked by the musicians on the show.

I don't know what happened to Ryan -- he got the F out of there quick-like once the cameras stopped rolling.

Then, it was over. Everyone made their way out below the stage, except the "special" people (all the celebs, the Idols, judges) who exited into a big meet & greet area on stage left. We only caught a glimpse of it, then we were back into the subterranean tunnel and onto the CBS lot.

Later, as we went back to The Grove to get some dinner before we retrieved our car, we saw James' family walking in behind us. We waited for them and told them how much we liked James, and they seemed really grateful to hear praise for him. His (brother? cousin?) made a point of showing off James' nephew, the cute kid in the rocker garb. They seemed nice.

We had so much fun!

Dr. L & K

TheTop 8: In the Dark Again!!! Ugh!

2011-04-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

Ugh! I didn't get to watch all of Idol last night. Someone from school had the nerve to call me during Idol last night . . . the NERVE! So, I saw Haley, Jacob, and James and the review of the contestants. In addition, I listened to the studio versions of the songs . . . so, I have no rankings, but I have a bottom three and an elimination.

Might I just say, I don't have him in America's bottom three, but I still don't get the big deal about Jacob. His last three notes were AMAZING, but the rest of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" sucked. He was all over the place . . . PITCHY, PITCHY, PITCHY! I don't get the judge's love affair with Jacob. Now, I'll climb off the soap box.

What I heard . . . Jacob, not so much, Haley sucked . . . please don't do Blondie, and James was AMAZING!

From the review: My Bottom Three: Jacob, Haley, and Stefano

America's Bottom Three: Paul, Haley, and Stefano

Going Home . . . I haven't read the Lil Tasters reviews, but I assume I'm on the island of unpopular opinion . . . .Stefano

I guess we'll see. :)

Dr L & K @ Idol Tonight!

2011-04-14T13:31:00.003-05:00

Dr. L & I will be in the Idol crowd tonight for the Top Eight Results show! I would live-blog it but the ticket said they will confiscate our phones before we go in :0

So we will have to give you the report when we get back (we enjoyed it so much when Rubbertoe did this in seasons past).

We are especially excited because Season One Winner (and still the best) MS. KELLY CLARKSON will be performing tonight, probably doing a duet with Jason Aldean of their hit single "Don't You Wanna Stay".
Rihanna is also supposed to be there, and we'll see which contestant gets the boot (hopefully one of the deserving boys).

If you read this beforehand, watch for us live, J! We'll actually get to see the results in real time for a change, we always get the recorded delay here in Cali.

So we're very excited, and we'll share the dirt when we get back to Long Beach tonight!!!

--K

Can Kermie survive another week?

2011-04-14T07:30:00.007-05:00

First up - Kermit. Proving once again that vote for the worst is right and that this guy shouldn't have even been in the top 12 let alone the top 8. The guy is a complete freak and he doesn't even sing well. He prances around the stage singing poorly...and yet...the judges see some need to keep this guy around. He needs to go and he needs to go now. The guy is absolutely horrible.

Lauren - Good but not over the top great. I'm still waiting for the Lauren we saw in the auditions to come back.

Stefano- You know I love me some Stefano...but why choose a group song to sing solo? Stefano's downfall has been choosing bad songs. He does have one of the better voices...but just makes bad choices. The vocal was good..but I don't think the song choice did him any favors.

Scotty - should have song Everybody's talkin at me....much better song choice than George Strait. Scotty was outsung by the backup singers in this song. Scotty gets the super idol pimping this season.

Casey - Casey chose Nat King Cole over Phil Collins....go choice...anyone over Phil Collins is a good choice. I actually liked the song a lot...but it is not going to win him many votes. Too old fashioned....but the saving grace...I don't think Phil Collins would have gotten him many votes either.

Hailey - For once Hailey actually sang the song instead of screaming it. She hit all the right notes and for once her performance didn't come off as complete cheeseball. I'm not a Hailey fan, but tonight it was good.

Jacob - Did what Jacob does. Good song choice for him but I think his predictable performances are going to doom him in the end.

James - I'm not a fan of the genre...but James was excellent at what he did. He is definitely the performer of the bunch.

Rubbertoes bottom 3: Paul, Stefano and Lauren

Picking America's bottom 3 is going to be tough this week...who has the strongest voting bases? I'm beginning to believe that it will be the rocker v. the country crooner in the finale....
I think America's bottom 3 are going to be based on strength of fan base and song choice that didn't do people any favors.

1. Paul - I HAVE to believe that Paul will be in the bottom 3. He was the only bad one of the night and the freaky guy can't have that many fans out there.
2. Jacob - I think his fan base cannot be that strong either and he continually does the same basic thing week after week
3. Stefano - AI tried to give him major pimping to keep him on the show, but it isn't going to be enough to keep him out of the bottom 3...and it remains to be seen whether the pimping saves him at all this week.

Who goes home....either Stefano or Paul....but once again I'm predicting Paul. Eventually America will get this one right.

Fuck You, Iovine, I'm Singing Tone Loc, "Ace is in the House" from Ace Ventura

2011-04-14T01:16:00.002-05:00

Alabama's Own Paul -- Jimmy and Will.I.Am might be having a blast rehearsing but they were suggesting some crazy shit to sabotage his ass. Love that Will.I.Am pointed out the absurdity of pimping up that song. K thinks this was a carnival freak performance, combined with the Death Slot, that bodes ill. L says it was energetic, but doesn't know if he "did anything" with it.

Lauren -- Iovine dares speak the truth about Miley! Props. Will.I.Am is becoming our favorite. K hates this song, but OF COURSE she outsang Miley on it. On her worst day, she could. Still ahead of the song, but good. Outfit probably age-appropriate, but looks weird because she looks prematurely old. L says makeup was great, and outfit was cute. Great job, seemed more comfortable.

OMG, Lauren's mom looks like a truckstop floozy.

Stefano -- I have a theory Idol dresses the contestants they have a target on in "casual" outfits. Stefano looks like he's on his way to meet his buddies at the Mall. We'll see. K thinks it was another Stefano run-of-the-mill performance, fair vocals ruined a little with his Flatbush-esque phrasing. L just thinks it's silly, too staccato when he sings. It's not that he CAN'T hold a note, he just WON'T.

JLo said shit! Most Beautiful Potty Mouth.

Scotty -- Jimmy thinks he fucked up by picking the George Strait song. His fans wouldn't care if he keeled off the right side of his stool and barked like a hound dog. K says he liked the other song better, and Scotty had some bum notes for a change, but it won't matter a rat's ass, this kid is Top 4 bound. L says he selected a more recent song because he's playing to his base. He knows he needs to work it to win.

Has JLo been drinking? She's laughing, cursing. Even DARED to say Scotty wasn't great tonight.

Casey -- what's with the Henry Higgins getup? A freakin' ascot? Wow. Jimmy thought Casey was committing Idol hari-kiri by doing Nature Boy. K says loved it, he will remember this performance, whereas In The AIr Tonight would have probably been middle-of-the-road bland and forgettable. L says she likes performances that suck you in like this, she loved it too. But will America?

JLo is reading shit off her screen! Yeah, she's loaded.

Hailey -- K hates that she can't help smiling in every damn song! Started okay, descended into shrill pitchy crap. She checked out 30 sends before the song ended. L is tired of her swinging that left arm around! Gonna hit the guitar player. She thinks Haley concentrates too much on the words/performance and is never into the song.
Side note: every week, Haley keeps true to the Idol Haleys by slutting it up as she feels the votes slipping. The purple hooker boots and the song about prostitution were a good fit.

JLo makes drunken rant in support of girl power. Still reading from some panel on the table. Who writes it?

Jacob -- Iovine takes Jacob to SCHOOL about the mirror comment. Jacob is the Anti-Casey, in that he totally caved and went with Jimmy/Will.I.Am's choice over his own. He doesn't look happy doing it...K says they were right, this was perhaps the best of Jacob's performances, though it was no match for the version Clay did, as L reminded me. Working the Jesus vote -- will it help?

James (Tenacious) D -- man, this is the week to spit in Iovine/Will's face! Take that, Mr. Man! K says James blew the muthafuckin ROOF off the sucka! METAL!!! Incredible that they got Zack Wylde to shred on the song. Great. L says loved it!
Side note -- so funny to see the polo-shirt wearing audience members looking confused as hell as to how to move during his performance.

James
Casey
(massive Led Zeppelin-sized space)

Lauren
Jacob
Scotty
Stefano
(Jimmy Iovine's Ego-sized space)

Paul
Hailey

Our bottom three: Stefano, Paul, Hailey, Paul's (Porter Waggoner on Acid) goes home

America's B3: Stefano, Paul, Jacob, Stefano goes home.

2011-04-12T18:21:00.004-05:00

This article from TMZ is pretty interesting: according to their spies on the inside, Pia never stood a chance anyway, topping out at best somewhere in 5th/6th.
and according to the poll there,

(as of 4:25 PST on 4/12) it looks like Durbin is the favorite -- but by the slimmest of margins! Scotty's really close. If it's meaningful at all, it shows James has almost twice the percentage of Casey, the nearest competitor below Scotty.
What do you think?

-- K

just in case anyone wanted to zoom in on my "idol secret ingedients" photochop

2011-04-08T15:16:00.001-05:00

You might not be able to read all the antipsychotic labels, the Turd Polish, etc :)

--K

Pia Schmia

2011-04-08T08:22:00.002-05:00

Ok...I am going to weigh in here and I might disagree a bit.

While I am shocked and disappointed that Pia was voted off this early, I don't find it to be the biggest shock in AI history that many people do. Face it.....Pia was predictable and bland. She has to accept part of the blame herself for not bringing any performance to her performances. Hell...even Scotty has a better stage precense.

I don't find Pia getting voted off as shocking as Jennifer Hudson or Daughtry in seasons past.

I do find it interesting that in what was supposed to be a girls year, that there are only two girls left and one of them is Hailey. I fully expected Pia/Lauren in the finale though and her getting voted off really blasts the competition wide open.

I don't see Scotty in the finale...then again, who would have seen Taylor Hicks in the final?

I still think this is Laurens to lose

What a Crock of Shit

2011-04-07T23:59:00.002-05:00

Yeah, we are totally feeling J's rant. What the fuck, America? You can't even blame it on Idol (you can, but more on that in a sec) as much as the fucking idiots voting out there. I have read article after article saying the tween female vote is responsible for this mind-boggling season, and the past few. One by one, the Idol girls get assassinated early and the cute factor outweighs the talent in most of the Idol boys. Hard to argue with that, the way it's shaping up. But PIA? Damn it. She was too good, I guess.

Back to how Idol should take part of the heat for this: yeah J, damn right, Steven, JLo and Randy ought to be kicking themselves HARD for WASTING the save on Casey. I swear to God, if you look back at the moment they used it to save Fozzy, the camera cut to the remaining contestants, and Pia had an odd look on her face. At the time, I was thinking "they should have saved that for her, or James, or hell, even Lauren" and I think many of the contestants flashed that thought, too. Well, now it's come back to bite them on the ass. Good job, morons. Might as well give it to Alfred E Newman (Scotty) now.

--K

WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!?!

2011-04-07T20:09:00.000-05:00

I just had to write a little post here to sound off a bit on what the hell just happened on Idol. They didn't just vote off a good singer. They voted off the singer who was the most consistent week in and week out . . . the person who should, in my opinion, have been standing as the winner at the end of the Idol journey. Last night was a possible first in Idol history. A night, in my opinion, where everyone was solid. There were no bad performances last night . . . so, in theory . . . or in reality, ANYONE could go home. This elimination completely changes the outlook for Idol. It makes Scotty a serious contender for the crown. It shows that there is NO clear frontrunner. I am SO PISSED right now I can hardly type. Yes, yes, I understand it's just a television show . . . but it's one that we invest our time in 6 months per year. . . I hope the judges are kicking themselves for saving Casey two weeks ago. WHAT THE FUCK . . . that concludes this rant for now.

Shot a man in Reno - so he'd stop singin' on Idol

2011-04-07T12:28:00.003-05:00

Okay Idol, let's get to rockin'!

Jacob - Man in the MIrror. K says it is interesting that RockNRoll week happens when he is the last man of color. His version was okay, but the performance was kind of weird. DrL says - thought there were a couple of flat notes here and there, but overall not bad. It was really great that he chose a song that he felt most comfortable singing - echoing Randy's point. Wow that one of the songwriters was singing with him!!

Haley - Piece of My Heart - the perfect match of a song for her voice! Great choice and performance for her. Might not have smiled as much…but she was having fun. Always performs the same way, no matter what the song. That being said - She really seemed to be comfortable up there and for once, all the stomping around fit this tune. LOVED the Gwen Stefani styling!

Casey - Have you ever seen the rain? K says this was a pleasant performance, but kinda low key - after the first two. This song had the potential to be karaoke, but Casey found a way around that. The upright bass was awesome! Loved this!

Lauren - Natural Woman - okay..so Ms. Kelly set the bar really high for anyone else to perform this song, but Lauren did a super job! K says it was one of his favorite Lauren songs. Loved her interpretation of it. Again, loving the Gwen style!

Side note: Todd in the crowd!!! Todd is God!

James - While my guitar gently weeps - Wow! K says that was the first authentic performance of the night of real rock-n-roll (blues, soul, etc.). Went from really understated, emotional and then powered on up to that awesome note at the end. That was a chance worth taking - loved it!

Scotty - That's alright mama - K says interesting that Scotty is juxtaposed against James, as he thought this was the most inauthentic and contrived performance. Nobody commented, but he effed up the lyrics! DrL just couldn't quit giggling at the silly moves he makes. WHAT was that demonic look he gave there at the end of the song??

Pia - River Deep Mountain High - after Ryan's comment, DrL was really worried that she was going to sing 'Walk on the Wild Side'…. that little mini explosion behind her was almost too weak compared to her voice! It was much more uptempo - but I am looking for her to get out and move a bit more - and maybe a contemporary uptempo tune.

Stefano - When a man loves a woman - K says the first part of the song owned him, but he got it back during the 2nd half of the song. DrL wondered if it was too old of a song for him - he was a bit pushy with it. K says he was surprised at his range - he really took it up there.

Paul - Folsom Prison Blues - DrL loved it! What a great way to end the show. K says that Paul being considered good is from a universe where Sanjaya could be good - he's more of a novelty. Can't hold a note to save his life.

DrL&K Rankings:

James

Pia

Lauren

Paul

Haley

Jacob

Casey

Scotty

Stefano

DrL&K's bottom three:

Casey, Stefano, Scotty
Stefano goes home

America's bottom three:
Haley, Stefano, Jacob

Jacob goes home in a shocker! It's about time for a guy to go....
Looking forward to a fun results show tonight!!

Its time for Kermit the frog to be voted off

2011-04-06T21:58:00.002-05:00

Jacob - Man in the mirror. He started off very pitchy but we definitely delivered as it progressed. Thought he probably earned some mid-America votes for saying that he didn't want to sing "lets get it on" because it was about "doing the nasty" and it just isn't him...but yet....interesting, he was doing those hip thrusts with the back-up singer.

Haley - Doing a poor impression of Janice. At least when Janice screams she does so melodically...Haley just screamed. Haley has this cheesyness to her....I don't know what the judges heard.

Casey - picked a great song...Casey sounds very John Fogetry...I'm not a Casey fan but he's been good the last couple of weeks.

Lauren - Takes on Aretha...the Queen...and although she is no Aretha...she did a really good job with the song. I liked the Country vibe she gave it....countrol.

Question: Why does Christian Slater look like a friggin bobble head. He looks freaky sitting behind them nodding his head on every comment...plus he looks like is is higher than a kite.

James - A softer side of James. Wow....the song really showed off what a great voice he actually has. He took the risk and it paid off.

Scott - Scotty is starting to remind me of a combination of Howdy Dowdy....Woody from Toy Story with a touch of Curious George. I like the fact that he took it up tempo. He isn't as good as the true singers this season, but he's got just a good enough voice and his dorky personality to move him along for a little while longer.
I don't like the way that he holds the microphone though....

Pia - Wow...Pia is definitely the front runner here. I stand by my Pia/Lauren finale....(so does Christian Slater's daughter). I kinda understand what the judges are saying about Pia needing to study some true performers to take it to the next level...

Stefano - When a man loves a woman...he's just so cute. He said it was going to be a big week for him...I'm not so sure...more like a big weak. I thought the vocals were good, but I don't know that it was a great song choice for him

Paul - It is WAAAAAY past time for this guy to be gone. How he even made the top 12 is beyond me. I think Vote for the Worst is really influencing the vote here.

Rubbertoes bottom 3 - Paul, Haley and Scotty

America's bottom 3 will be very different: Paul, Stefano and Jacob

Going home: Paul....please God....please......

The Top 9: One HELL of a Heavenly Night!

2011-04-06T20:33:00.000-05:00

THIS is AMERican Idol!

"It's Go Time" - Ryan Seacrest

How do we have 90 minutes of show with 9 contestants . . . and why do the girls get styled and not the boys?

Rock and Roll is the theme tonight . . .

Here are OUR TOP 9!

Will.I.Am is in the house.

Paul
Pia
James
Scotty
Haley
Lauren
Stefano
Casey
Jacob

1. Jacob - He is singing, "Man in the Mirror" . . . Lord in heaven let this boy come out of his nose. He's going against what the mentors thought. If he ends up in the bottom three it will be because America wasn't ready to look at themselves in the mirror . . . He sounds like his throat is full . . . and as per usual he is a little pitchy . . . though no one will mention it, I'm sure. The middle of the song picks up and he sounds better. I wonder if anyone will mention that he picks these same types of songs like they always say to others . . . we'll see. Overall a pretty good showing.

Steven - Thinks he brought another little piece of himself to the party
JLo - Thinks something . . . she liked it, but I didn't quite get her comments.
Randy - Thinks he did him

2. Haley - She is singing, "Piece of My Heart" . . . this could be an idol moment or it could be a disaster. This could be Haley's moment to move into the top group or to solidify her bottom three status. Good start for Haley. This may be the first time I've heard Haley connect with a song. She's getting a little overly screechy at times, but overall I'm quite impressed with her performance. Good work, Ms. Haley.

JLo - Thinks she is a contender
Randy - Thinks she did her bluesy, souly, thing with this song
Steven - Couldn't find nothing wrong with that . . .

3. Casey - He is singing, "Have you ever seen the rain" He's playing the bass . . . I kind of love that. . . I could do without the electronic rain. He's giving a little Jason Castro vibe tonight. He is giving it that Casey vibe . . . a little too screechy at times, but definitely on key. It wasn't my favorite of his, but def better than Nirvana. Kind of boring, but good all around.

Randy - thinks he did "well" justice to the song . . .
Steven - thinks he is a true musician
JLo - thinks he is exactly where he belongs . . .

4. Lauren - She is singing, "Natural Woman" . . . I don't have to remind Little Tasters that Kelly Clarkson blew this shit away in Season One . . . I wish her luck. She even has herself done up a little Kelly like . . . It's a little like Kelly lite . . . she's got all of the notes, but I'm not sold yet. . . and then she hits it during the middle of the song. She did the song proud. Good for you, Lauren.

Steven - Thinks that tonight she is a natural born woman
JLo - Thinks she is amazing
Randy - Thinks she picked one of the more difficult songs, but he's not jumping up and down.

5. James - I missed what he is doing, but it's by the Beatles and he's slowing it down. I love the change of pace from him . . . reminds me of when Lambert would slow it down. He's actually showing off his voice However, and I hate to say this, but it's a bit on the boring side. The scream at the end picked it up because it was on key, but it was a strange performance for me. Still the best of the night by a hair, for me.

JLo - She's becoming like Paula . . . I'm not really sure what she said, but she liked it.
Randy - He loved seeing the true emotional side.
Steven - thought the brought the emotion

6. Scotty - He is singing, "That's all right momma" . . . of course, it's Elvis. Did anyone else think the combination of country and rock would be "cock" . . . maybe it's just my dirty mind. :) Scotty said this was going to be different from his usual performance, but it still really sounds Scotty like. His vocals, as per usual, are spot on . . . and frankly, not quite as annoying as usual. A mighty decent performance tonight from Scotty . . . mama.

Randy - Scotty is in it to win it
Steven - Thinks he brought Elvis into the house
JLo - Thought she felt a little bit of flava in that performance.

7. Pia - and Ryan says our girl is taking a walk on the wild side . . . She's singing "River Deep Mountain High" . . . This girl has a nack for singing the right song. This song could be an Idol moment . . . Y'all know I love her. She's doing the Celine Dion version of this song . . . As per usual, she is pitch perfect and bringing the energy. I'm impressed. She gets better each week. Simply Stunning!

Steven - He thinks she murdered it.
JLo - She thinks she sees greatness and wants her to start researching the great performers.
Randy - Thinks she showed that she can do the uptempo.

8. Stefano - He is singing "When A Man Loves A Woman" . . . I think if he doesn't bring it, he may be done. He's too far up in the upper register for my taste, but he is singing it well. He's closing his eyes too much, but his vocals are spot on. Man, it's been a good night.

JLo - Thought it was beautiful
Randy - Wasn't jumping up and down . . . he liked it but didn't love it
Steven - Thinks he has a great range that he needs to keep playing with.

9. Paul - He is singing, "Folsom Prison Blues" . . . interesting choice. As I sit on the island of unpopular opinion . . . I love my boy, Paul. Man, he is ripping up that guitar. His vocals are especially good tonight. I thought that was one of the best of the night. Excellent job, Mr. Paul.

Randy - He has three words, "I LOVED IT"
Steven - thinks he is a perfect imperfect boy
JLo - thought it was the perfect way to end the show.

I have to add an aside here . . . my 85 year old grandmother just hung up with me so that she could start voting for Scotty and Paul. I love her. :)

Overall, I think this was the best show of the season. They all did a great job. I think it's going to be very close in the voting. We may have some surprises coming tomorrow.

My Bottom Three: Stefano, Casey, and Jacob
America's Bottom Three: Jacob, Haley and Casey
Going Home: Jacob (In a SHOCKER!)

I could be totally off . . . anyone outside of Scotty and Pia could be in the bottom three . . . But that's what I'm going with . . .

Little Tasters Point Game: An Attempt At An Update

2011-04-06T17:12:00.001-05:00

Ok Little Taster's, I'm going to make an attempt at an update based on last week's strange results show.

Here's where we sat before the results show

J = 20 points
Rubbertoe = 14 points
Dr.L/&K = 12 points

This week's results:

J = 2 out of bottom 3 (2 points), 1 out of 2 going home (3 points), 1 out of 2 in the original picks (5 points) = 10 points

Rubbertoe = 2 out of bottom 3 (2 points), 1 out of 2 going home (3 points), 0 out of 2 from the original picks (0 points) = 5 points

Dr.L & K = 1 out of bottom 3 (1 point), 0 out of 2 going home (0 points), 0 out of 2 from the original picks (0 points) = 1 point

New results:

J = 30 points
Rubbertoe = 19 points
Dr. L&K = 13 points

I used the picks for #10 and #11 on the original picks. Please let me know if I got it wrong . . . I think I figured it correctly . . . one point each for bottom three picks, three points each for correctly guessing the departing contestant, and five points for getting the original pick correct.

Sorry, Rubbertoe . . . . I knew I'd miss something . . .

Looking forward to tonight!

The Top 11: Working it Rubbertoe Style

2011-03-31T16:36:00.001-05:00

Much like Rubbertoe last week, I am operating a bit in the dark. I was unable to watch the show and the damned thing didn't record. So, I had to go and listen to the studio versions of the Elton John songs our Top 11 performed last night. I realize that these recordings are definitely not the same as listening to them live, but it's the best I can do. So, I listened and tried to envision how good or how bad they came across on stage. So, here are my rankings . . .

1. Pia
2. Casey
3. James
4. Scotty
5. Paul
6. Lauren
7. Haley
8. Stefano
9.Jacob
10. Thia
11. Naima

Therefore, according to my flawed listening, my bottom 3 is Jacob, Thia and Naima . . . however, here is what I am GUESSING America's bottom 3 will be . . .

Thia, Naima, and Stefano. . . assuming they do a traditional bottom 3. Since two are going home, my picks are Naima and Stefano.

We shall see if, being almost blind, I have any inkling of what America will do.

Idols Top 11: Pitchy seems to be the hardest word

2011-03-31T00:46:00.002-05:00

Elton John week! Please let some of these songs be good....

Scotty - Country Comfort brilliant song choice, and could probably have a hit with that. Would be interesting to see how it does on ITunes this week. He's in the #1 spot, but I don't think he's going anywhere.

Naima - Im still standing - reggae version. Hmm, not sure about the accent?! Actually better than we thought it would be, stayed in tune. K says - now that Naima has made it to the tour, it seems like the de-pimping has begun (see judges' response to her performance).

Paul - Rocket Man I liked Paul's interpretation of the song, but can see that he is probably getting lost in the competition. K - says "I stand by my conviction that Paul is a far cooler guy off stage than he has ever been onstage at Idol".

Pia - Don't let the sun go down on me. K thought the super power note was good note on the song. He liked it better than Paul's song, but she didn't have a moment with it like she could have. I didn't like the choir behind her, that took me out of the song. It was beautiful song though!

Stefano - Tiny Dancer - Once again, Jimmy Iovine hates Stefano! K says - of the singers that have an affected style (Scotty, Paul, Stefano) - he would MUCH rather hear Scotty and Paul continue on in the competition. Not that he did a bad job, even when he is good - don't like the way he sings. All I can think of is 'hold me closer Tony Danza', not my fave performance so far. He is definitely improving week to week - lots of charisma and enthusiasm.

Lauren Alaina - Candle in the Wind - K says Jimmy either loves her, or has been told to love her! She can have a pretty voice, but she always seems to be ahead of the music. She was thinking about performing, and that took her out of the song. She acts like the teenager that she is. LOL Steven Tyler - we LOVE you!!

James - Saturday Night's Alright - Whoooo! I would hate to follow James tonight - that was a fun performance. Good voice control in addition to the dancing around. K says it is always enjoyable to watch him. He worries that people might assume he is a front-runner and might not be voting for him. He is very consistent - you don't ever feel like he is just half-assin' it .

Thia - Daniel. Heartfelt performance and I liked the arrangement of the song. K says - she did what Stefano shot for, and maybe missed. However, don't know if it is enough to keep her in the competition. I am guessing she will still be in the bottom three.

Casey - Your Song - That was exactly what he needed to do this week - the beard trim, the more understated performance - he really has a clear, sweet voice. I know he was probably tempted to do the growly thing - but this was much better. I hope he will continue along this path. Loved it!

Jacob -Sorry seems to be the hardest word - What is he doing in Heaven Can Wait? He's getting closer, but that arrangement pushed him to do that over-the-top stuff. Much preferred the first part of the song to the 2nd half.

Haley - Bennie & the Jets - didn't like that it started off all loungey…if it had been more funky throughout - it would have come off much better. K says - they want her to go - (see the over pimpage via the judges!) Complete cognitive dissonance on that one. Not sure how THAT was the best performance of the night.

Rankings:

James
Casey
Pia
Scotty

Jacob
Paul

Lauren Alaina
Thia
Naima
Stefano
Haley

Our bottom three:
Naima, Stefano, Haley

Stefano and Haley go home

America's bottom three:
Naima, Stefano, Haley

Stefano and Haley go home

2011-03-30T22:06:00.002-05:00

Scotty - Is he a one trick pony? Well...Scotty did what Scotty does. It was a lackluster performance, but he played to his base. He played the "Grandma" card and it will pay off for him again. Rubbertoe 1-10 (5)...AI 1-10 (7)

Naima - Looked great in the gold dress. "I'm still standing"...one of my favorite EJ songs...but not sure how the Reggae is going to work...I liked it more than I thought I would...but I didn't love her fake Jamaican accent. I'm afraid this could very well be the end for Naima. RT (6) AI (3)

Paul - Vocals are horrible...he needs to enunciate. Paul demonstrated clearly why he is the pick of "Vote for the Worst" RT (2) AI (3). This could be the end of Paul,

Pia - Wow...the Scarlet dress is beautiful on her. Don't let the sun go down....Clay did this song incredbily in season 2. After hearing Pia...I have to say that Clay OWNS this song...it was ok, but nothing special. RT (6) AI (8)

Stefano - Tiny Dancer. My favorite EJ song...Stefano did well in the chorus...not so much on the verse. However, I think he did well enough to survive.
RT (7) AI (6)

Lauren - I'm still waiting for Lauren to live up to the Lauren of the early weeks.
and I'm still waiting. It was good...I liked the country vibe she gave Candle in the wind...but she needs to kick it up a few more notches. RT (8) AI (8)

James -Awesome. Showed exactly how it should be done. RT (10) AI (10)

Thia - Daniel...good song choice. I thought this was one of Thia's better performances. I'm not a fan...and I don't think she has any "it" factor...but better than many tonight. RT (6) AI (5)

Casey - A Million times better tonight. Tonight was actually the first time that I actually liked him. RT(9) AI (9).

Jacob - Good Job....I can't stand the faces that he pulls...but he did a good job tonight of not completely overdoing it. RT (7) AI (7)

Haley - Benny and the Jets...oooo...this could be a disaster. Wow...completely cornball.

Rubbertoe's bottom 3 - Paul, Naima, Haley

America's bottom 3 - Paul, Naima, Haley

Wow....America gets it right...and no judges save to screw it up this week.
Haley lives yet again...

Going Home...Paul and Naima

Little Tasters Point Game: What The Fuck Addition

2011-03-24T21:01:00.002-05:00

Hey Little Tasters . . . I think the title says it all.

I can't believe American actually got it kind of right, and then were brutally rebuffed. Not really surprised that Casey was saved, but was VERY surprised that America voted him out.

Here's what our standings from last week looked like.

J = 18 points
Rubbertoe = 14 points
Dr.L/&K = 11 points

Here's this weeks results

J: 2 out of bottom 3 correct (Thia/Stefano) = 2 points
Rubbertoe: 0 out of bottom 3 correct . . . Rubbertoe was operating in the dark this week.
Dr.L/&K: 1 out of bottom 3 correct (Stefano) = 1 point.

Updated results:

J = 20 points
Rubbertoe = 14 points
Dr.L/&K = 12 points

Hopefully we'll be better next week . . . two will be eliminated.

Motown Night: The good, the bad, and the weird

2011-03-24T15:22:00.002-05:00

Alright, let's get this thing started...

Casey - Heard it through the grapevine
Very spirited performance. Gets too excited toward the end of the song, but he kinda-sorta tried to follow the producer's advice. About 65% of the way getting to a good performance, but then got derailed with some of the screechy stuff he does each week. Week after week - they seem to over-pimp the first spot as a buffer…wondering if spot #2 is the new #1 spot - as far as who TPTB want to get voted off?

Thia - Heatwave
She definitely stepped it up a few notches - i am constantly surprised that she sounds so mature when she sings. Great that she broke from the ballads. K says it was the move she had to make to stay in, but anytime he hears these songs, cant help but have shades of "Crocodile Rock" a'la …(J who was that guy??)

Jacob - can't wait to see if he can pull it back like Jimmy Iovine suggested….wacky movements when he sings, the diva certainly came out. Much better! so glad he controlled it at least until the end. K says much more like a performance rather than a gymnastic routine.

Lauren Alaina - loved her hair straight! The beginning was really good, but then she sort of ran out of steam, and kind of coasted till the end of the song. All that walking around took the wind out of her and she couldn't recover. K says they are working hard to keep farm-bot barbie in the competition.

Stefano - I will be deferring to K to review this song…I just loathe it. K says "I feel like we just got punked" - he is so delusional that he thinks he is some great singer with the 'i love you' at the end. Laughably worst of the night….

Haley Scarnato - mum, I mean Haley Lee Cook, or Haley whatever! LOL with the shorts, the stylists have been on notice to babe her up! Side note: nice douchebag moment by Ryan embarrassing poor Stefano's mom with the food critique by Gordon Ramsey of all people!! Arghhh! K says - "Legs -check, Cleavage - check, Hooker hair and outfit - check, BUT sane, competent performance - fail." She did perform a miracle however, which was to rival Stefano's absurd rendition of Motown. Too growly!

Scotty - how 'bout that leaning into the camera there at the end! LOL - Yikes, Steven comparing him to Glen Campbell! In a bizarre way - Scotty defied K's expectation that this was gonna crush him. Thought it was impossible for him to find anything Motown to sing, but he managed to pull the country gizzards out of the this song….but that doesn't mean it was good.

Pia - Wow! K says he must have been on Jr Idol for the last hour or so - until Pia came on stage. That was a beautiful performance! Right on with Steven's comment :) The de-pimpage is clear: she's leaving too many of the other competitors in the dust.

Side note: Out of control - pointing out Pia's ass - WTF, Ryan?? Please reign it back in a bit.

Paul - his backup singers were from the "Village of the Damned" . For K it didn't suck as much as last week, but that's like saying getting your ass kicked is better than being shot - it is still painful. L was pleasantly surprised with the performance - I like that the guitar limits some of the weird, jerky dance moves. I love all the tenderness - like what Randy was saying!

Side note: with the cougar joke, Ryan is now gleefully treading over into lunacy. If you catch him grinning and looking downstage @ Randy? you know he knows it too.

Naima - Started out pretty well, and then got kind of repetitive. What happened to the sort of funky reggae part that was initially there? She seemed like she was going through the motions to hurry to get to the dance part..which to me seemed weirdly tacked on. K thought that rather than just singing the song, she feels compelled to add on stuff to give it flava - as unnecessary as the bagpiper last year for Lee Dewyze.

James - Wow! way to end the night - love that song! Only genuine rock-n-roller in the bunch. Would loved to have been in the audience for that part of the show.

So another performance night is complete. On to the rankings:

Pia
James

Jacob
Lauren Alaina
Naima
Thia
Paul
Scotty
Casey
Haley
Stefano

DrL&K's bottom three:

Casey, Haley, Stefano
Stefano goes home

America's bottom three:
Naima, Stefano, Haley

Haley goes home

Looking forward to results night!

Idol House is HAUNTED!!!

2011-03-24T14:13:00.002-05:00

(Click on title above to link to the TMZ story)

This season just gets stranger & stranger.

Picking in the dark

2011-03-24T09:18:00.002-05:00

So I had to go to a work event last night and haven't seen the show yet.....I have it on DVR but probably won't get a chance to watch before the results show in time to post here...so I'm shooting in the dark based on what I believe America's voting pattern to be.

America's bottom 3: Paul (because I have to believe that America cannot embrace this freak.....he hasn't been in the bottom 3 yet, but I have to believe that he's been hovering very close)
Haley - because I think she's been in the bottom 3 every week...but I think she'll live to see another day
Naima - because I think America just does not get her......

Going Home: Naima....not because she deserves to go home...but because she doesn't fit the AI mold.....

The Top 11: Idol Is Livin For The Motown

2011-03-23T21:44:00.000-05:00

THIS is American Idol . . .

Who will make it into the Top 10?

It's Motown night. Don't get me wrong, I love Motown music, but I was hoping for new, more contemporary themes. C'mon producers make Idol more contemporary.

Why is JLo in a sparkly bridesmaid dress?

And Mr. Tyler is in JLo's backup outfit... or is it the other way around?

Here are our Top 11!

1. Casey - He's singing "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". Here's hoping he recovers from last week's D-I-saster. I'm starting to agree with Rubbertoe. He is very Taylor Hicks. The screeching is back in the beginning . . . strangely . . . and I'm not sure how Casey is accomplishing this . . . I'm bored. He's picking it up a bit in the second half of the song, but he still isn't making me jump out of my seat.

Steven - He thinks that he is the perfect entertainer . . . um . . .
JLo - She doesn't think there is anyone out there like him right now.
Randy - He thinks he is a true original.

2. Thia - Might I just say that they are clearly pulling the Idol favoritism by putting this girl in bad positions every week. I'm not thrilled with Thia, but they don't want her around. She is singing "Heat Wave" . . .this could be a bit of a train wreck. I hope she proves me wrong. Strong start . . . this song seems to be in the right range for her. However, when she goes high she kind of loses it. I'm slightly less bored than last week . . . better effort.

JLo - She thinks it was great to see her let loose.
Randy - He thinks that she took a chance, but thinks she can dig deeper
Steven - He thinks she took a step out.

3. Jacob - He is singing "You're All I Need to Get By" . . . once sung by the OG Idol, Ms. Clarkson. I'm not excited by Jacob. Again, I hope he proves me wrong. He is definitely more restrained in the beginning . . . I still don't like his voice. This is a much better performance from him . . . they got him to tone it down . . . Why is Steven on stage?

Randy - Yo, He thinks that Barry Gordy is somewhere saying, "Oh My God"
Steven - He thinks he did it.
JLo - She was moved and thinks he made her beg . . .

Ok y'all, he ain't that good . . .

4. Lauren - She is singing "You Keep Me Hangin On" . . . Oh Lauren, I want you to recapture what I hear was your magic from the early rounds. I'm loving her hair flat-ironed (Ok, I will try and control the gay) - I'm loving the beginning . . . she's keeping the pace up nicely. Ok, that was much better than I've heard before. That performance could make me a believer.

Steven - He thinks she ripped that song a new beauty mark
JLo - She thinks she threw her head and her neck into it
Randy - He thinks she's got her swagga on high.

5. Stefano - Lionel? Really? We're in the commercial break, and I'm hoping he's not singing . . . anything I can think of. He is singing, "Hello" . . . was there any doubt . . .He's NEVER heard this song . . . this could be wonderful or cheesetastic. The beginning is dripping with cheese . . . his vocals are spot on . . . pitch perfect, but I think the fact that he hadn't heard the song before is making it ring false. I'm sure I'll be on the island of unpopular belief for this opinion.

JLo - She thinks his intensity is coming from the wrong place.
Randy - He thinks the connection is missing
Steven - He thinks he "ramped up" too soon

6. Haley - in the commercial break . . . I already like her better with the straight hair . . . She is going to sing, "You Really Gotta Hold On Me". Ok, not a bad beginning for Ms. Haley. There are some technical difficulties here during her performance. She is much better this week.

Randy - He thinks that she got better by the middle of the song.
Steven - He thinks she doesn't look a day over fabulous
JLo - She thinks she has effortless control in her voice.

7. Scotty - What the hell is he gonna sing? He's singing "For Once In My Life" . . . hmmmmm . . . I guess we'll see . . . Oh Sweet God. His voice is, as always, pitch perfect . . .my complaint is that he can't seem to get out of that same limited range. I did not love that arrangement . . . it was kind of yikesy for me.

Steven - He thought it was beautiful
JLo - She thought it was a great version of the song . . . but didn't think it was his strongest
Randy - He thought he was taking and chances and saying, "yo".

8. Pia - "All In Love Is Fair" - She's got the dramatic going on . . . She's got what Stefano didn't . . . a connection to the song. Damn, girl can hit the notes. It's not my favorite song choice, but damn she is turning it out.

JLo - She loved it but wants her to own the stage.
Randy - He loved that she incorporated more falsetto
Steven - He thinks she is the star in this American Idol universe

9. Paul - He is singing, "Tracks of My Tears" . . . I'm hopeful, Lambert did it up right a few years ago . . .this is already better than the previous two weeks. He made a smart move by bringing out the guitar. I'm happy with my Paul.

Randy - he liked that he did his thing with the guitar.
Steven - He thought it was very different in a Willie Nelson/Bob Dylan way.
JLo - She thinks he is the complete package.

10. Naima - She is singing, "Dancing In The Street" . . . she better bring it or it could be time for her to go. I'm scared . . . The vocals are already better than usual . . .I'm a little unclear on the dancing . . . but, the vocals were great.

Steven - I'm not sure what he said. She ate the stage.
JLo - Gave her goose bumps
Randy - Thinks all of her showed up tonight

11. James - He is singing "Livin for the City" - Good song for him. And boy is WORKING the stage. He's keeping his pitch going nicely . . .THIS is a nice performance. VERY VERY GOOD, sweet baby. :)

JLo - Thinks he is serious business
Randy - Thought it started a little bit rough but thought it was unbelievable when he hit his pocket.
Steven - Thinks sometimes it takes being a little crazy to make a difference in this world.

My Rankings

James (by an almond sliver)
Pia

Lauren
Naima
Paul
Jacob
Haley
Thia
Stefano
Scotty
Casey

My Bottom Three: Stefano, Scotty, and Casey
America's Bottom Three: Haley, Thia, and Stefano
Going Home: Stefano (in a slight shocker)

Little Taster Idol Game: Week 2

2011-03-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

Hey Little Tasters! It's time to update the points game!

Let's review our scores from last week:

J = 11 points
Dr.L/&K = 9 points
Rubbertoe = 8 points

Here's how we did this week.

J - 2 out of 3 in the bottom 3 (2 points) and Karen predicted to go home in the original picks (5 points) = 7 points

Dr.L/&K = 2 out of 3 in the bottom 3 (2 points) = 2 points

Rubbertoe = 3 out of 3 in the bottom 3 (3 points) and predicted Karen to go home (3 points) = 6 points. Perfect week for Rubbertoe! Congrats!

New standings:

J = 18 points
Rubbertoe = 14 points
Dr.L/&K = 11 points

I think I did it right this week, but let me know if I made a mistake . . . I could be having an Oops, I did it again moment.

See y'all next week.

Idol Top 12: WhatItIsNess

2011-03-17T17:27:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all! Better late than never - here's the DrL/K recap of last night's event:

First off, we must point out that JLo is rocking something that the trendy circles are calling the 'Glunge' look…..glamour outfit + grunge hair (basically, teasing and frizzing the shit out of it) - ugh!!

First up - Naima 1984 (a great year, BTW! I miss you highschool). I liked the arrangement of the song - but K thought it took a personal song and made it into a kind of angry global anthem = Not so much. She had a kind of shaky start, but understandable with those funky boots traversing the staircase. She was placed in the KOD spot, but Idol needs her on the tour.

Side note: Randy, um that shirt is made from recycled upholstery!

Paul (1984) - takes on Elton John. Okay, his voice was shaky. K likened it to the intensity of Fruit-Stripe gum, i.e. weak and becomes bland and flavorless quickly. K said applying the Rubbertoe test - this is something he would never, ever want to hear again. For the RIGHT songs - Paul is great, but for this contest not really working.

Thia - CUTE as a little girl! Adorable pictures. Vanessa Williams song. Pretty solid performance, sounded the prettiest so far. K thought it was boring. DrL thought - too many ballads, she is gonna need to mix it up a bit to stay in.

Durbin (1989) - Bon Jovi tune. Pitchy and the song choice?? K says never that great of a song when it was new - not his best performance. L thought he needed to rock on out a bit more.

Haley - Could we PLEASE ban Whitney songs from Idol?? Yikes on the red lipstick mishap. Hey - what was up with Jimmy Iovine's "work ethic" comment to Haley??? Interesting….
K says worst performance of the night. Idol should help contestants steer clear of songs with rapid-fire lyrics. L is never clear on exactly WHAT she is saying/singing - can't recognize the songs.

Stefano (1989) - cover of Simply Red covering Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes (both great!) Like him, at least this kid gives 100% each performance! His downfall - he still thinks riffs trump melody and misses the part about the song telling a story. Iovine was a bit upset with him not taking time to get the lyrics right in rehearsal.

Pia (1988) - Another Whitney tune….but great! Not her personal best, but far better than anyone else. Miles above in voice and total package appeal. DrL was excited to see the outfit she wore to highschool graduation on the Idol stage (wish I could still wear that now!)

Scotty (1993) Iovine and Don Was had a great impact on him this week. He really seemed to develop his range. He and Pia are in it to win it. DrL thought it was better than Pia, but K disagrees.

Karen (1989) What was up with Judy Jetson hair and outfit!! J and Rubbertoe - LOVED both of your takes on her look as well - LOL!! Off key in the beginning of her song, clearly underpowered on this classic Taylor Dayne tune.

Casey (1991) NIrvana - loved the spirit of this, and that he tried it, but it confirmed you just really can't do THAT song on Idol. Weird, demented performance.

Lauren Alaina (1994) Melissa Etheridge - a great song, but Lauren just doesn't get it . The stylists are still not doing her any favors. She looked great during her sit-down with Iovine - why can't they let her look that on stage? K noted the judges were all reading from something on the monitors on the desk in their critique: producers REALLY want Lauren Alaina to stay in the competition. LOL that her mom has been getting extensions and makeovers each week too!

Jacob (1987) Alone - classic Heart tune. Pitchy all over the place, kind of tired of the vocal gymnastics, needs to learn where his range ends and build to that. Sounded bad - he shouldn't make fun of his mom's singing so quickly.

Here's our rankings (didn't seem like a 'big space' kind of week, because no one was really spectacular):

1. Pia
2. Scotty (island of unpopular opinion, but L thought 1 & 2 should be reversed)
3. Stefano
4. James
5. Thia
6. Naima
7. Jacob
8. Lauren Alaina
9. Casey
10. Haley
11. Karen
12. Paul

DrL/K's bottom three:
Haley, Karen, Paul
Paul goes home ( but that won't happen for a few weeks)

America's bottom three:
Thia, Karen, Haley
Haley goes home

Looking forward to the results show tonight!

If you don't know them by now.....

2011-03-17T00:03:00.002-05:00

Lets start off with the best of the night: Lauren, Pia and Stefano.
I can't really rank them because I think that they were all three equally good in their own ways. Pia hit the big notes and Stefano sang with all the passion with the beautiful tone that he has. And then there was Lauren....who of the three is the one that I would buy the single if it were out today...

And that is where I am judging them tonight, because ultimately we should be asking ourselves: "Would we spend money to purchase that single or their CD"

#4 - James Durbin - Yes...I think I would buy that single and I definitely would buy his CD. Was he as good as Bon Jovi tonight? Not really...but he was still pretty good.

#5 - Jason Lusk - He could be really really good, but he doesn't have the maturity level to find it. He oversings everything and needs to tone down his personality.
I could see me buying his CD because he does have the star quality and a good tone to his voice but the annoyance level goes up every week.

#6 - Scotty - Good...not great. He's got the classic country voice and I would probably buy his CD if it came out tommorrow.

#7 - Casey - I don't understand what people see in him. I seriously just don't get it. He comes across as someone who belongs in Department 95 (for the non-LA public defender crowd...that is our mental health court). He shows some elements of talent but not enough. Tonight, all he did was scream the song. It paled in comparison to the Nirvana original. He is absolutely this season's Taylor Hicks. People are not going to buy his CD. They might like his persona and personality...but ultimately he probably would sell of the level of Hicks. Seriously people, ask yourself the question, would you spend money on his CD if it came out tommorrow?

#8 - Naima - When you sing Tina Turner, its going to be rough unless you are amazing...and Naima was just not amazing. There's a slight chance I might purchase her CD, but I wouldn't have purchased this single.

#9 - Thia - Weak...yet again. I actually thought she was a little better tonight than she has been and disagreed with the judges critique, but it still reminded me of a high school talent school performance.

#10 - Karen - She came out tonight looking like Riff Raff in the Rocky Horror finale.
She sang the song ok...but it was just ok.

#11 - Paul - The guy struts around the stage like someone walking out of a bar at 2 in the morning....and he sings like it too. He seriously needs to go. I wouldn't take his CD if someone paid me 10 bucks to take it.

#12 - Haley - This years Kristy Lee Cook. She may survive because she has the cute looks that many of the young girl voters will relate to.

Rubbertoe's bottom 3: Haley, Paul and Karen and I think that Haley should go home.
America's bottom 3: Haley, Karen and Naima.
This is a really tough one to call.
Haley: although not helped by the lipstick on her face (can you believe that Ryan was using spit to clean it off....gross!!!), will probably survive with the young girl vote, although I'm hoping America will get it right.
Karen: How strong is the Latino voting block? Is it enough to keep her in another week? I suspect it will come down to Karen and Naima...and I predict that Karen will be heading home.

Little Taster Idol Game

2011-03-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I made an error in the Idol game . . . Sorry Rubbertoe :(

Official Lil Taster Scores:

1. J= 11 points
2. Dr. L/K = 9 points
3. Rubbertoe = 8 points

Let's see how things change after tomorrow night.

The Top 12: Where Do Broken Idols Go? EEK and YIKES!

2011-03-16T21:24:00.001-05:00

And we're back for another week . . . and J-Lo is bringin the Cray Cray hair . . .

This season I am purposely staying away from the song spoilers . . . I missed the days when I was surprised. :)

Here is our Top 12! WTF is up with Karen's hair - circa Madeline Kahn in Young Frankenstein?

We have songs from the year the contestants were born.

1. Naima - (1984) - She is singing "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner. Her vocals better improve 100% from last week cuz she ain't gonna be doin any dancing this week. The beginning is VERY karaoke. The girl has a very good stage presence, but her vocals are just ok. . . very pitchy in parts. She is definitely a performer . . .btw, those background singers are not doing her any good . . . sounds like a backup track.

Steven - He thinks she did a great job
JLo - thinks she is consistently pitchy, but thinks her flava is crazy
Randy - thinks she is always under the pitch

2. Paul (1984) - Y'all know I love this boy . . . and on this blog I'm on the isle of unpopular opinion :) . . . He's singing "And I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" by Elton John. As per usual, this performance could be great or awful. I do love this boy's stage presence, and I'm glad he is singing a more recognizable song. He is very pitchy in places, but he is working the stage. I'm not in love with this song choice for him . . . and I don't think he is doing anything to endear himself to Rubbertoe. :) I liked it, but certainly didn't love it.

JLo - She thinks he has soul and star quality that overcomes his voice issues.
Randy - Thinks he was very pitchy in the first half of the song, but thinks he is like Ray LaMontagne . . . somewhere Allison is dying
Steven - Thinks he is a cool dude in a loose mood

An aside: I originally thought that JLo was the new Paula . . . I am now definitely sure that Steven is the new Paula.

3. Thia (1995) - Good Lord, she is a youngun. She is singing "Colors of the Wind" by Vanessa Williams. Hmmmm . . . She looks beautiful. Much like last week, I think her voice is lovely, but this is boring. She just doesn't quite have the energy to "bring it" for these ballads. I think she is going back to the bottom three.

Randy - He was bored and felt like he was at a pageant somewhere.
Steven - He thinks she sang it beautifully, but wonders if it is really her
JLo - Um, did she just compare her to Adele . . . blasphemy. She wants her to push out of the box.

4. James - (1989) - He looks hot . . . just sayin . . . He is singing "I'll Be There For You" by Bon Jovi. I've got to say, this performance has the potential to be EPIC. He was born to sing the power ballads. I'm really not digging the background singers tonight. I am digging James' stage presence. Honestly, he is a little pitchy, but he is much better than the first three. However, this performance did not blow me away the way I hoped it would.

Steven - Doesn't want James to get too "poppy" on him. Love that Tyler just got bleeped for saying "shit".
JLo - She thought he was great.
Randy - Thought it was a little pitchy, but made it his own.

I think Ryan is moist like a Duncan Hines cake . . .

5. Haley - (1990) She is singing "I'm Your Baby Tonight" by Whitney Houston. This performance has the potential to be a D-I-saster. However, I give her props for trying to reverse the boring trend she started last week. OOOOOH NO! This is a truly awful beginning. Ok, she has picked it up a little bit in the middle of the song . . . but still karaoke. Haley is not making a great case for her safety. Yikesies!

JLo - Thinks she looks great (uh oh) . . . She feels like she is a bit tense and unsure.
Randy - He is a little confused by her lack of consistency in song choice.
Steven - He thought it was sweet and tough . . . and compared her to Janice Joplin . . . huh? I think Steven smoked some shake before the show tonight.

Five performances and not a stand out amongst the bunch.

6. Stefano (1989) - He is singing "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Simply Red. I am VERY hopeful for this performance. This could be an Idol moment for Stefano . . . but I won't hold my breath. FINALLY! Ladies and Gents, we finally have a vocally superior performance. That being said, it is a boring song, but he can blow. Bum note at the end . . .

Randy - He thought it was the best performance of the night so far
Steven - He thought he had beautiful phrasing
JLo - She thought it was a beautiful performance, and that he could "take this thing".

It was a good performance, but I think they are over the top because the first five were so-so at best.

7. Pia - (1988) She is singing "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" by Whitney Houston. Celine and Whitney back to back . . . this is ballsy. This girl has superstar written all over her. She's working her perfect pitch again this week. Wow! Go girl! Ain't nothin else to say.

Steven - He thinks she took it over the top.
JLo - She loves that she did something uptempo
Randy - He thinks that every week she is bringing amazing vocals. . . I agree.

8. Scotty - (1993) - He is singing "Can I Trust You With My Heart" by Randy Travis. I will try to keep an open mind. Honestly, I think if he didn't have a bass voice he wouldn't be here. He just doesn't have any energy . . . nevertheless, he will get a recording contract. He does his thing very well, but it's not my thing. Very good vocal.

JLo - She thinks he pushed it out there.
Randy - He thinks he can sing anything, and wants him to take chances
Steven - Loved it

9. Karen - Again, she looks like Madeline Kahn after she got fucked by Frankenstein. WTF? (1989) She is singing "Love Will Lead You Back" by Taylor Dayne. I LOVE this song. It has HUGE meaning for me. I wish Pia was singing it . . . She looks like she is wearing fish scales . . . Surprisingly, her voice sounds pretty good . . . but it doesn't have the umph that this song demands. I think she has saved herself from elimination, but I still don't buy her as a performer.

Randy - Yo . . . thought is started rough, but she found herself in the middle of the song.
Steven - Loves it when she breaks into her ethnic "whatitisness"
JLo - She thought she attacked it in the middle.

10. Casey - (1991) He is singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. He is taking a risk, but I think he will be ok. Um . . . I like Casey, but the beginning of this song is a little bit of awful. This is NOT good. Yikesies. Please make it stop. Wow, that was truly awful. . . and yet, I don't think it will send him to the bottom three.

Steven - He thinks he is crazy and talented. "It's the goop the good stuff is made from"
JLo - She thought he was a little screechy and screamy
Randy - Randy is pimping him by saying that he put art first rather than commerce.

That was truly awful.

11. Lauren (1994) - She is singing "I'm The Only One" by Melissa Etheridge. I LOVE this song . . . hopefully she will redeem herself from last week. A vast improvement from last week already. She sounds really good, and is definitely one of the best of the night. However, she is still a little shaky at times.

JLo - Thought she made it her own
Randy - Thought it was very nice
Steven - Thought she sang better with the sickness

12. Jacob - (1990) He is singing "Alone" by Heart. I admit up front that I don't like Jacob's nasal voice. It drives me crazy. The judges are going to love this performance, as they did last week. However, he continues to sing through his nose, and I think this is over the top awfulness. He is pitchy and all over the place . . . however, I fully expect to be on the island of unpopular opinion. HORRIBLY TERRIBLY WRETCHEDLY BAD!

Randy - Very nice performance
Steven - Thinks if the gospel had a baby they would name it Jacob Lusk
JLo - Thinks he gives himself to every performance

My ears are bleeding . . .

Rankings:

Pia
(Huge Space)
Lauren
(Space)
Stefano
Scotty
(Space) and the rest
James
Karen
Paul
This
Haley
Naima
Jacob
Casey

Josh's bottom 3: Naima, Jacob, and Casey
America's bottom 3: Thia, Haley, and Naima
Going Home: Haley

Little Tasters Idol Points Game

2011-03-11T20:46:00.000-06:00

Hey Everybody,

I'm not sure if we want to play the points game this year or not, but I thought I would start it. Rubbertoe did post his picks prior to the first show and for that reason I think he should get a points bump. Here is how I'm laying out the point values.

Picking the bottom 3 correctly: 1 point each
Picking the person who goes home from your original list: 5 points
Picking the person who goes home that week from your review: 3 points

These point values were pulled straight from my behind and have no meaning whatsoever. :)

So, here we go . . .

Dr.L/K = 1 of 3 of the bottom 3 (1 point), eliminated contestant (3 points), correctly picking from original list (5 points) = 9 points

Josh = 3 of 3 of the bottom 3 (3 points), eliminated contestant (3 points), correctly picking from original list (5 points) = 11 points

Rubbertoe = 2 of 3 of the bottom 3 (2 points), eliminated contestant (3 points), correctly picking from original list (5 points), getting his picks in on time and STILL GETTING IT RIGHT (3 points) = 13 points

Week 1 Standings

Rubbertoe = 13 points
Josh = 11 points
Dr.L/K = 9 points

Good Job Everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. L & K's Idol Season Ten Prediction from 13 to One

2011-03-10T19:24:00.002-06:00

Okay, here is our list:

13.Ashthon
12.Thia
11.Karen
10.Hailey
09.Paul
08.Stefano
07.Naima
06.Scotty
05.Jacob
04.Lauren
03.Casey
02.James
01.Pia

It is interesting how similar our list is with J & Rubbertoe's and yet so different! We went back and forth with many of these; personally, I am not convinced Lauren can maintain the hype Idol has bestowed on her, but look at Jordin Sparks (a mediocre talent in my book) who Idol floated past MANY more talented contestants. So it's kind of a crapshoot.

In the next couple days I'll arrange everybody's list over on the right side of the blog so we can keep track. Good luck everyone!

-- K

Dr. L & K's more detailed breakdown of last night...

2011-03-10T19:04:00.002-06:00

Master K here, transcribing Dr. L's hieroglyphics from last nite:)

We decided to watch the performances, pause and rate them, THEN listen to the judges, so as not to be swayed by any of their babble.

Lauren: Any Man Of Mine, Shania.
K-- walking back & forth is not a performance. She did a "good" job, not great by any stretch, a fail in terms of hype. Looks like 4H County Fair Queen next to some of her competitors.
L-- good performance, of good song choice. Wardrobe fail. Didn't connect to song. Nothing special about her version vs original.

Special K Note: 13 minutes have gone by, and only one performance. No wonder this damn show is two hours long!

Casey: With A Little Help From My Friends, Cocker (Beatles)
K--this is more like a real performance. Is his vocal mix better than Lauren? Sure can hear him better. Choir? Who decides who is choir/bagpipe/lightning bolt-worthy?
L-- a bit restrained, could have jumped out a bit more, but definitely seemed like his take on that tune. Stage presence.

Ashthon: When You Tell Me You Love Me, Diana Ross
K-- 2nd half picked up from shaky start. Disconnected. Almost seemed like sabotage to put Berry Gordy out there, I'd be $hitting a brick.
L-- Weak 1st part, arrangement too fast? Powerful voice, but not best choice. Did she do it because they suggested it to her last week?

Paul: Come Pick Me Up, Ryan Adams (wha?)
K-- He does have a unique voice, OK, but it's more of a recording voice, not stage, and what a weird performance.
L-- didn't know song, venue too big for him. "I hope they get it" -- what does that mean?

Pia: All By Myself, Celine (Eric Carmen)
K-- in it to win it. Seems like she's on a different show than Lauren. Complete package.
L-- beautiful tone to her voice. Great chord progressions, in a different league.

James: Maybe I'm Amazed, Paul McCartney
K-- like an eclipse when he and Pia sang, the rest of the pack fell into shadow. Real talent. Great to show he doesn't have to blow our heads off, bodes well for later weeks/themes. Unlike some to come later...
L--clear tone, control. So obvious he should be a frontrunner.

Hailey: Blue, LeeAnn RImes (pseudo Patsy Cline)
K-- Good, authentic performance, looked the part. Seems like she was included here for fodder but might pick off a former frontrunner before she's booted.
L-- Clear yodel, she went in a different direction. interesting take on this song. Good to change it up after James, Pia, hard acts to follow. Unintelligible at times?

Jacob: I Beweave I Can Fwy (Aw Kewwey) (Just kidding, wouldn't want to piss anybody off. Get it? R Kelley and...nevermind)
K-- working too hard, not as much WOW factor as he'd like to believe. Again with the choir. This is like vocal gymnastics, not a song.
L-- could have dialed it back from 11. Would like to see a more controlled performance.

Side note: again, it is up to Randy to kind of keep it real this year.

Thia: Smile, Michael Jackson (Charlie Chaplin)
K-- poor girl, this damn song might as well have been written during the Crusades for all she knows. 1st part better, pretty voice. Way to sabotage yourself on the exit video backstage (see Stefano for how to do it right). Too young.
L-- current arrangement is a plus. Just didn't care for it.

Stefano: Stevie Wonder tune (so rocked up I didn't recognize it)
K-- good performance, better stage presence than many.
L-- loved arrangement, modern youthful sound, catch yourself being entertained by it (some of these are almost a chore to get though, not this one)

Karen: When I Fall In Love, Selena (what a shocker)
K-- that's it? "Paging Gopher to the Lido Deck" Cruise ship level performance. 1976 called, they want Gladys Knight's dresses back. She will only stay alive because of the Latina sympathy vote.
L-- "Whatev" performance. Pitchy, song never went anywhere.

Scotty: BabyLockThemDoo--oops, some Garth Brooks song
K-- Fades in and out. Come on, he has no real power to his voice, when the band came in it was like a tidal wave, buried him. One-note, how's he going to tackle ANYTHING else?
L-- More relaxed look & presence on stage. Already over the Country music thang.

Naima: Umbrella, Rihanna
K-- smart to do newer, pop performance. Tough not to be pitchy when jumping around, doing reggae riffs. Wish whole song had been reggae.
L-- crowd pleaser, being able to sing and dance, need to find a balance.

Our bottom three, as mentioned before,
Ashthon, Paul, Karen

BUT, we know there's probably no way Karen is going anywhere, or Paul, so America's bottom three:
Ashthon, Paul (shocker! style) and Thia,
Ashthon goes home

J's Belated Top 13 Predictions

2011-03-10T11:21:00.000-06:00

So, I'm working at a bit of an unfair advantage because I'm writing these predictions after the first show of the Top 13 . . . however, I haven't really seen these folks much, if at all, before last night. So, here it goes.

13. Ashton - That performance last night just wreaked of elimination. Her voice just doesn't seem quite strong enough to pull of the diva she wants to be.

12. Karen - Another weak voice . . . mixed with bad outfits . . . equals you will not be going on the tour.

11. Stefano - I think he has a strong voice, but he kind of reminds me of . . . what was his name . . . stripper boy who was eliminated first two seasons ago . . . I can see him producing a really subpar performance one night when he is slated to go third or fourth . . . just a gut instinct on this one.

10. Thia - This pick was a coin toss between Thia and Haley. I think which ever one isn't eliminated will actually make it a few week further . . . if that makes any sense. I think both of them have lovely voices, but are bound for Jasmine Trias land.

9. Naima - She brings an interesting flavor to the competition; however, the only other show I have watched all the way through was the wildcard show . . . and she should not have made it to the Top 13. . . big nose boy was robbed. Anyway, I think the Naima novelty will have worn thin by week 5.

8. Haley - I realize that I have picked a bunch of the girls to go first, but they kind of all sound the same to me with the exception of two. I agree with Rubbertoe that Haley is kind of Kristy Lee Cook in nature . . . with the face of Haley S. (from Jordin Sparks' season. . . the girl who wore the short shorts). Anyway, I can see her making it this far and impressing us once or twice, but . . . her Idol ride will end.

7. Jacob - It pains me to think that Jacob will last this far into the competition and I will have to withstand that Mariah like, upper register assault. I seriously find him painful to hear. However, the Idol audience likes a screaming, soulful male . . . think George what's his name from a few seasons back (Hercules guy) . . . I hope I'm wrong and he goes earlier, but I just don't think so . . .

6. Scotty - This boy has no worries. He is going to get signed to a recording contract from Nashville the minute he is done with Idol. At some point, a theme night is going to trip him up, and I think he is destined for a mid-competition elimination. I think America will get tired of the same George Jones rendition week in and week out.

5. Casey - I think Casey has amazing chops. . . and I originally had him in my Top 3 . . . and he might get there, but I'm smelling an upset. For me, this is upset #1. If he trims that beard up, I think Casey could find a niche in the music industry. I think he has an exceptionally strong voice . . . he just needs to figure out who he is

4. Paul - Based on last night's performance, I would not be surprised if he went home tonight. However, I think this boy has some swagga ... and he is one of the view I have heard sing before. He has a quirky voice and I think it could keep him around for a while . . . I could be very wrong about this one . . . but you gotta go out on a limb every once in a while :)

3. Lauren - Based on last night's performance . . . much like Paul . . . she should be much lower on this list. However, I've also heard her sing before, and I'm attributing last night's performance to nerves and a poor song choice. I think this girl could win the whole thing, but that whole sulky, whiney, crap from last night got under my skin. . . I think it could wear thin and hurt her in the end.

2. James - He definitely channels Adam Lambert in his performances. He is a really cute boy with a really big voice. That alone can carry him into the Top 5. I think his stage presence will carry him into the Top 2. This boy has a career ahead of him, but I don't think he'll quite make it to the top. . .

1. Pia - This girl's voice is infreakingcredible . . . I cringed when she said she was singing Celine Dion... however, she proved my cringe to have been unnecessary. She knocked it out of the park. I can see how she could stumble a bit, and she will need to mix up the ballads with some upbeat music, BUT, Idol is a due a female winner. Crystal was ROBBED last year and we have to go all the way back to Season 6 to find our last female winner - Jordin Sparks. For all of these reasons, and because as of right now, I think she is the most talented.

So, there are my rankings . . . we'll see how the season plays out.

Lucky 13: Idols Performance Night

2011-03-10T00:41:00.001-06:00

Hey y'all! We will post our detailed review tomorrow - long day and too tired tonight! But great show and... WELCOME BACK J!! :)

DrL&K's Rankings

1. Pia
2. James
3. Casey
4. Stefano
5. Naima
6. Jacob

7. Haley
8. Thia
9. Scotty
10. Lauren Alaina
11. Ashthon

12. Paul
13. Karen

Idols do their idols

2011-03-09T21:58:00.005-06:00

The Top 13:

Songs by their personal idol -

1. First up - Lauren (Shania Twain) - Came out sounding a little flat. This performance is not up to Lauren's level. Intensity level was way done. Not a great start.

2. Casey (Joe Cocker) - I Can't stand this guy...but he sang it well...probably one of his better performances...and his fans will appreciate this.

3. Ashton (Diana Ross) - Makes me wonder if she is singing Dianna because she really is one of her idols or because thats what the judges told her they wanted to hear from her. I would predict the latter. She's beautiful...but her voice is no Diana Ross. Her voice is too small to do someone like Diana Ross. (As I said before Ashton....you can't tell you that we love you...because we don't).

4. Paul (Ryan Adams - WHO?) - If Casey is a Freak...this guy is a SUPER Freak. I still say that he sounds like Kermit the Frog. He's singing a song that no one knows...and he sounds horrible doing it. There's no way this guy is going to last for very long.

Now a little Idol pimping....Why does Pia get a personal interview?..Answer...AI pimpage.

5. Pia (Celine Dion) - She's not great in the lower range, but she can belt it out in the higher register. Although...I don't think she hit the high notes that well...she kinda screamed them. I Liked it...I didn't LOVE it. JLo thinks she topped last week....not even close.

6. James Durbin (Paul McCartney) - James is hot tonight. I like that he is showing that he can do more than the total cream. Nicely done.

7. Haley (Leeann Rimes) - She sang well...but the performance came off very Kareoke. Shes a mediocre singer. She'll stick around for a few more weeks ala Kristy Lee Cook...but she won't go far.

8. Jacob (Art Kelly) - He sounds totally sharp to me....another over the top performance. Even more over the top that usual. He's good, but it would have been better a little more subdued.

9. This (Michael Jackson) - She doesn't even know who Charlie Chaplin is. She is much better than last week...but when it goes upbeat..it sounded really bad...problem with Thia is that she is just plain boring.

10. Stefano (Stevie Wonder) - He shows moments of brillance...and he's got a performance ability that many others lack. But his tone was off tonight....like he was trying too hard. I'm glad he's on the show though...and he'll stick around for a while

11. Karen Rodriguez (Selena) - Started off really weak. No lower register. I want to like her...but she keeps disappointing. She's going to be gone very soon.

12. Scotty (Garth Brooks) - wow...Scotty cannot do Garth. The song was too big for him and it lacked any real heart. It was like he was just going through the motions.

13. Naima (Rhianna) -

Best of the Night - James Durbin, Pia, Casey, Naima

Middle of the Road - Lauren, Haley, Jacob, Thia, Stefano, Scotty

Worst of the Night - Ashton, Paul

Rubbertoe's bottom 3: Ashton, Paul, Haley

America's bottom 3: Ashton, Paul, Karen

Going Home: Ashton

The Top 13: The Return of J!

2011-03-09T21:00:00.001-06:00

Alright little tasters, it's been a rough few months for J. I have only been able to check in sporadically with Idol, but I am back. I watched a bit last week. I have missed you guys. I'm so excited to be back! :)

Here we go with our Top 13!

Tonight they are singing a song by their personal Idol.

1. Lauren - Her Idol is Shania Twain, and she is singing "Any Man of Mine". This song is risky because it is so fast . . . she's gonna have to keep up with the beat. She's got a good connection with the camera, and she's working the stage well. I think her vocals are on the good side. As Simon would have said, "I'm not jumping out of my chair". . . but she did a respectable job.

Steven - wanted to be a bit more kick ass
JLo - wants her to kick it into high gear
Randy - wants her to be that girl they first saw

2. Casey - His Idol is Joe Cocker, and he is singing "With a Little Help from My Friends". I wonder if he will do the Cocker physicality in his performance. . . Casey wants to be "felt". Oh no, here comes the choir . . . I always think the choir is an unfair adavantage. . . but damn this boy sounds good. He is really turning this song out! Casey? Yes, please!

JLo - Thinks she is watching somebody important
Randy - Thinks he is unbelievable
Steven - Thinks Casey is a rainbow of talent and a plethora of passion

3. Ashton - Her Idol is Diana Ross, and she is singing "When You Tell Me That You Love Me". This song is huge. Her opening is a very nervous sounding. She isn't quite getting up to the notes. Good for her, she hit the big note. The back half of the song was definitely better than the front half. However, thus far, neither girl even approaches Casey.

Randy - Thought it might be a safe song, but she did herself some good
Steven - Thinks there is a lot more in her than she is showing
JLo - Thinks there were moments when she went astray, but that she got it together well.

4. Paul - His Idol is Ryan Adams, and he is singing "Come Pick Me Up". Somewhere Allison has developed a case of the vapors. Not a good beginning for my boy . . . but I love this guys voice. It's kind of quirky and awkward. Y'all know how I am. The back half of the song was much better than the front.

Steven - Thought it was a little pitchy, but loves the character of his voice
JLo - Hopes America gets it
Randy - Loves who Paul is

5. Pia - Her Idol is Celine Dion, and she is singing "All By Myself". Yikes! Do not choose Celine people . . . my fingers are crossed for her. She's making some changes without going outside the boundaries of the original. WOW! I literally just got chills. STUNNING! Nothing more to say.

JLo - Got a little teary eyed and thinks it was beautiful
Randy - Thinks she has that quality of Celine, Mariah, and Whitney (pre-crack)
Steven - Thinks that she slammed it

6. James - His Idol is Paul McCartney from the Beatles, and he is singing "Maybe I'm Amazed". Hello cuteness. :) He is kind of Adam Lambert lite. He's got nice stage presence and connection with the camera. He's got a lovely voice . . . impressed.

Randy - James is one of his favorites. Yo, this dude can do anything.
Steven - Thinks he took everything he had and kicked it into the middle of next week.
JLo - Thinks he has a melodic quality to his voice

7. Haley - Her Idol is LeAnn Rimes, and she is singing "Blue". James is going to be a tough act to follow. This song has the potential to send her to the bottom three . . . we'll see. The twangy voice isn't my personal favorite, but she has a lovely voice and she is spot on with her pitch. However, I think it is a boring song choice and could cause her some trouble come tomorrow night.

Steven - Thinks she did a very good job.
JLo - Thinks she does things with her voice that are so diverse and unique
Randy - Thinks it was a little boring and sleepy

8. Jacob - His Idol is R. Kelly (Yikes!), and he's singing "I Believe I Can Fly". I don't love this guy. He just hit a really bum note. I think he is out of control. He's got a very strong voice, but it is certainly not among my favorites.

Steven - Thinks he can't even judge it . . . that's how good he is.
JLo - Thinks he is at the top of the list
Randy - Thinks he has a signature sound . . . thought he fell off a bit in the middle, but brought it back in the end.

9. Thia - Her Idol is Michael Jackson, and she is singing "Smile". She had better work this out because this performance could be very boring . . . lovely voice . . . she is mesmerizing me a bit. She has surprised me here. She has perfect pitch and is making this song entertainig for me. I think if she had done it acapella it would have been stunning.

Randy - Liked the first half, but didn't love the second half.
Steven - Liked the first half more than the end
JLo - Again, liked the first half better

10. Stefano - His Idol is Stevie Wonder, and he is singing "Lately". For those vintage Idol folks, he is bringing back a little R.J. Helton from Idol Season One. Bum note at the beginning . . . Oh Sweet Jesus . . . this mix is horrid. He is so much better when he just sings. His voice is quite good, but this mix is, in my opinion, butchering this song. I think I might be on the island of unpopular opinion . . .

Steven - Thinks he pulled it off
JLo - Thought it was really him, and he sounded great
Randy - Thought it started out rocky, but thinks Stevie would be proud.

11. Karen - Her Idol is Selena, and she is singing "I Could Fall in Love". This song is GORGEOUS! If she doesn't put her own spin on it she could go to the boring side of the Top 13. The opening is a little off . . . It is a little low for her range. She has a very pretty voice, but it is coming off on the really good end of karaoke. I did not love that performance . . .

JLo - Thought she was a little bit uncomfortable with some of the notes
Randy - Thought she was fighting the song, and it was a little sleepy
Steven - Thought it was lacking a bit

12. Scotty - I missed the beginning of this song . . . so I have no idea who Scotty's Idol is, nor do I know this song. The song is a bit boring, but he definitely has an amazing country voice. He will get a country recording contract, but he will not win this competition. I can see him having some difficulty with some of the theme nights. However, this performance was strong.

Randy - If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Ahhh, Garth Brooks!
Steven - Thinks he did the Garth justice
JLo - Thinks he is "taking us on the ride with him"

13. Naima - Her Idol is Rihanna, and she is singing "Umberella". She's gonna need to bring something new to the arrangement. She's a wee bit sharp . . . pitchy . . . ok, I kind of like this middle part . . . but when she goes back to singing she is still a little pitchy . . . I like her, but I'm not sure about the vocals.

Steven - Think she was a little pitchy, but brought flavor
JLo - Doesn't care about the pitchy because she brought the fire
Randy - Thinks she was a little rough but loved the reggae thing

I thought this was a really good night. I'm impressed with the first night of the Top 13. Here are my rankings:

Pia
(HUGE SPACE)
James
Casey
(HUGE SPACE)
Scotty
(SPACE)
Jacob
Thia
Stefano
Paul
Haley
Ashton
Naima
Lauren
Karen

My bottom three: Ashton, Lauren, Karen
America's bottom three: Karen, Haley, Ashton
Going Home: Ashton

Livin Large

2011-03-09T14:20:00.003-06:00

Hey Gang,

Check out the Idol Contestants' new crib!
If you click on the link above, you can check out the full photo spread at TMZ. Looks like the Idols are going to have some nice acoustics when they sing in the shower...

You're a neo maxi zoom dweebie!!!

2011-03-04T16:58:00.005-06:00

If you can decode what the f that statement means, then you are as old as dirt, like me, and can remember the classic yet incredibly EIGHTIES film that quote (and the new Idol exit song) came from. Way to keep it current, Idol.

Thanks, Rubbertoe for giving us the news on the new song. And even though Cookie does a good job on the update, I can never think of it without seeing Bender (Judd Nelson) in this picture.

NO WAIT! I meant this one:

The Breakfast Club lives.

-- K

Don't you forget about me

2011-03-04T15:15:00.001-06:00

The Goodbye song for season 10

Countdown Graphic Has Begun!

2011-03-04T10:53:00.002-06:00

Hey Guys,

just wanted to let you know there is a new graphic WAY at the bottom of the page to

a) remind you who these knuckleheads are

b) keep track of who gets the boot every week

We'll follow Rubbertoe's lead in the next couple days and post our Pre-Season Idol predictions; and when we hear from J
(Earth to J! We miss you!) I'll list them over on the right side, so we can see who is the best Nostradamus this season :)

-- K

Time to Rank and Predict the Top 13

2011-03-04T09:57:00.002-06:00

OK Guys....Time to make our predictions

(BTW...what happened to J...he dropped off the face of the earth right before the finale last year..come back J, I miss your input. As well as TTown...and whatever happened to my friend Alison?)

13 Naima - I don't think America is going to embrace her. She was one of the better singers in the last round, however, she doesn't have the youthfulness that AI demands. She comes across too mature to be around for very long. She might go a little farther, but probably not much.

12 Ashton - She lived to see another day, however, he doesn't seem to have the ability to kick it up to the Diva level that her style requires. She couldn't even do when she was singing for her life. She stole the spot that Robbie Rosen should have gotten. The judges made the wrong choice in the wildcard here, but America won't keep her around for long.

11 Karen Rodriguez - It will be interesting to see whether the Latino community and America in general is going to embrace this latina. My guess is that she probably won't last much longer than this spot and could go sooner.

10 Paul - I'm afraid America that we are going to be subjected to a few more weeks of this spastic freaky guy. Get ready to be creeped out for a little while longer. He's got enough people that will probably propel him into the top ten...and you know what that means? America will be subjected to him during the tour (I know...frightening). America...do us a favor....please vote him off sooner!

9 Haley - There is nothing interesting or great about her. She's just another pretty face with an ok voice...aka...Kristy Lee Cook. She'll get the guys vote and the young girls vote for a few weeks, but ultimately her voice will sabotage her.

8 Stefano - Scotty and Stefano could flip-flop here...but I think Scotty's voting bloc will probably be just a little stronger than Stefanos. Stefanos boyband good looks will propel him to the #8 spot. He's actually got a good enough voice to go further, if he can be consistent. He hasn't been and probably won't.

7 Scotty - He's got the country/mid-America vote to himself. I actually like his throwback old country style, I just need to see if he can take it further than he has been able to. He's shown glimmers, but ultimately I don't think he'll fo much further than #7. However, he will quickly be signed and will be playing on country stations by late summer. He'll be on the County Fair circuit fer shure!

6 Thia - This is a hard one to call. America and the judges seem to love her, more than er talent would dictate. AI pimpage and the young vote might propel her into the top 5 and possibly even further. She doesn't have the stage presence/charisma in my mind to go much further than #6 and I don't think she has the confidence either.

5 Jacob Lusk - Another difficult one. His smugness and his ability to do anything other than take it completely over the top could do him in sooner. I think he has a great voice, but he's kinda weird...in a "gay christian" kinda way...do you know what I mean...like those guys who have gone through gay therapy and have been "Cured"...I'm just sayin....

4 Casey - God forbid that America gives us another Taylor Hicks. I hope that the Taylor Hicks voting bloc has moved on, because they are the ones that subjected us to him week after week...and could subject us to Casey winning it all.
He's a shoo-in for the top 5 and could win it. Will his momentum falter? Will people tire of his antics? I'm being optimistic that America will get it right and not put him further. But America has gotten it soooo wrong so many times before.

3 James Durbin - James could leave much earlier than this, if he proves that all he can do is the more rock/metal genre. People will continue to make comparisons to Adam Lambert...Adam was 1000% better and proved that he could mix it up. I'm not so sure that James can do this. I suspect that I have him ranked too high...but I'm sticking with it.

2 Pia Toscano - AI really wants it to be a woman this year. It's been a guy for the last 2 years. I suspect that a combination of AI Pimpage, talent, young girl voting block and the quirkiness of some of the other contestants will make it an all girl finale. ultimately Pia is one of the stronger women...and she's got incredible looks as well.

And who is going to win it all:

#1 -Lauren Alaina - She's already showing the polish that AI wants. After lackluster winners - Jordan, Chris and Lee...AI desperately wants another Carrie, Kelly...even going as far as to coming right out and saying that Lauren is a combination of Carrie and Kelly (even though I think it is true). We've seen clearly in years past the manipulation that AI plays and I think that THIS as well as the fact that Lauren is actually probably one of the most, if not THE most talented of the group...that will bring her the crown. Steven Tyler said, "We've found the one" during the auditions..and I think he was correct.

The top 12 are picked

2011-03-03T22:02:00.004-06:00

Ryan promises a lot of "twists and turns"....
Drama like you've never seen before is about to unfold.

Dim the Lights...here we go:

Scotty and Robbie - Center Stage - Scotty is in the top 10
Clint and Jordan and Jovanny - None of these guys should go through. None of them do.

Switch to the ladies:

Pia and Lauren A. - I'm certain that they are both through....and they are.
Tatynisa and Julie - My guess is Julie is in Tatynisa is out....neither is in.

Kendra, Ashton and Karen - Karen should go through..the others no. Karen makes it in..I'm surprized...America got it right

Jacob, Casey and Tim. I expect Jacob and Casey to go through. Jacob is in. Casey is in...Tim is not

Naima, Thia and Lauren T -...They all three should go through. I suspect that Naima won't. Ryan says only 1 is in. Naima isn't the one but she'll come back as a wildcard. Thia is in...Lauren T is not.

Brett and Paul - Paul is in...Brett is not (Yuck...we have to watch Paul for another week).

Haley and Rachel - Haley is likely in...Rachel is definitely out. Haley is in.

Stefano and James- James is definitely in.

Not a single surprise in the bunch.

Wildcards

Ashton - not good....guess what girl...you are going....we just don't love you.

Stefano - I love the quality of his voice. I definitely think the competition would be better with him there.

Kendra - She's not going to mae it on the basis of this performance

Jovanny - Seriously? They gave him another chance?

Naima and Robbie Rosen both did great.

But I think the Judges are going to choose Stefano and Kendra

The Wildcards.....after....the break.....

So Ashton and Stefano are in
and they surprise us with one more....Naima.

Rubbertoe's Top 10 and wildcard predictions

2011-03-03T10:06:00.002-06:00

I've heard rumors that next week the contestants not in the top 10 are going to sing for two wildcard spots.
However, on last night's show, it sounded as if they are going to pick 2 wildcards tonight (I wish they would pick 3 and give each judge their own wildcard)....so I'm going to post my predictions:

So here is Rubbertoe’s guesses for the top 10 and 2 wildcards

Lauren A.
Lauren (the other one)
Pia Toscano
Thia
Julie Zorrilla
Casey
James Durbin
Jacob Lusk
Scotty
Paul
Naima (Wildcard)
Stefano (Wildcard)

Other possible wildcards: Brett Lowenstern/Robbie Rosen for the guys. Karen Rodriguez, Haley or Kendra from the girls.

Definite OUTS: Rachel, Tatynisa, Junbug, Jordan, Jovanny, Tim

Ladies night: Great outfits, so-so songs

2011-03-02T23:57:00.002-06:00

The women looked great tonight! I was surprised how dressed-up they were compared to the the men on Tuesday night. Here are our peformance notes:

Tatynysia - screechy, off key, and just straight-up awful. Weak during the verses and just painful during the chorus.

Naima - clear, strong voice, great arrangement to a song that is a bit overdone on Idol. Great that she designed her own dress.

Kendra - good performance, but a bit sharp. Looked great - really working it.

Rachel - off key, and a bit out of breath with all that running around. I love the original of this song - so not impressed with the song. Seems confident and she worked the stage - but did not love it at all. Uhh, what was with the cape??

Karen R. - so pretty, loved the dress! a bit ahead of the music at times. Loved the bilingual performance. Loved that she acknowledged her mom at the end :)

Lauren T. - big, soulful voice. not sure if it is current enough for Idol viewers.

Ashthon - very confident performance, great stage presence. song choice was a bit off - but overall very good.

Julie - she looked really cute - she has that princess look down. Song was way off - not sure what she was going for with that song choice, too big for her. Miss Kelly's song should be off limits! Didn't seem like she could hear the music?

Hailey - not sure about the melisma going on - what was that oohhwhooowhoo at the end? Doesn't seem authentic - doesn't seem connected to the song.

Thia - WOW! Was not expecting that from her - but she dropped a bomb on the rest of the girls - that was truly impressive.

Lauren Alaina - good, big fun song! K noted that it sounded a bit over-produced. Did she get lost in the song a bit? She didn't have a moment like she could have with the right song.

Pia - beautiful - got a standing ovation! Not sure I loved the song as much as the judges were lovin' it, but she does seem to have the total package. Good control in her vocals.

DrL&K's Post-Performance Ranking:

1. Thia
2. Ashthon
3. Pia
4. Lauren Alaina
5. Naima
6. Karen
7. Kendra
8. Lauren T.
9. Haley
10. Julie
11. Rachel
12. Tatanysia

Can't wait for tomorrow's results show!

What happened to the women?

2011-03-02T21:59:00.003-06:00

Wow...the Ladies look beautiful toinght...it looks like the stylists have alrady gotten to them. It will be interesting to see what they do for the guys.

First up Tatynisa - I haven't been a fan of hers since Hollywood week. She looks great, but sounds flat. She doesn't have a strong enough voice to pull off this type of song. Completely forgettable performance. (3)
Randy got it right...What is it with JLo and Steven....they are WAAAAAAAY too nice.

#2 - Naima - Love the outfit. Singing summertime...this will be interesting. Fantasia kinda owns this song on the idol stage. She sounds great, but is this going to appeal to the younger voters...I don't think so. Shes a bit over theatrical
(7) I don't think she is going to be in the top 10, but will be a wildcard choice

#3 - Kendra - Weak in the low register....though she sounds great in the mid-range...also weak in the higher range. Overall...very weak. She's got the looks, but not the voice. (4)

#4 - Rachel - This years Cinnabon. Wow...she sounds horrible. Another overly dramatic performance. Her perfornacce is absolutely horrendous. Probably one of the worst I've seen at this stage. Sorry but this is a (1)

#5 - Karen Rodriguez - I love that she is singing bi-lingual...very cool...but the performance isn't wowing me. Even in the dramatic build...it was good, but she didn't take it to where it needed to be. (6)

#6 - Lauren (the OTHER Lauren...not the good one). I like the way she sang the song. She needs to work on stage presence though. Overall though...she was actually pretty good. (7). JLO's comments about getting in the camera's face with that type of song...is exactly what I was talking about.

#7 - Ashton - She has a nice voice. I wanna see her take a little more up tempo though. She's a little off on some of the long high notes. Not a solid performance, but it was aiiiiight. (5)

#8 - Julie Zorilla - Its always dangerous to do a signature song of a previous idol. ..and Julie showed that she isn't even close to Kelly Clarkson. Not a smart song for her at all....not horrible, but certainly not good (4)

#9 - Hailey - She looks extremely HOT!...and she's got a good ear for the bluesly style..and she certainly has the power behind her voice...but I wanted more. Overall though she was solid (6)

#10 - Thia -Singing one of my favorite songs from Fame. I absolute hate how she started it. The low key approach did nothing to showcase her voice. Irene Cara is 1 million times better. Second weakest performance of the night (2)
Wow...I heard this one completely different from the judges..

#11 - Lauren Alaina - Shes got the stage precense that the others lack. I felt that her voice was overpowered by the band...but overall, she is the first one that I could actually see making a CD. For perfomance a 10, for voice 7. Overall (8)
Exactly what Randy said...Kelly meets Carrie.

#12 - Pia Toscano - Beautiful girl...with a beautiful voice. She also sang it very smart. Powerful where it needed to be without overdoing it. A solid 8.
I thought her voice was vetter than Laurens, but Lauren had a better performance.

Rubbertoes Rankings:

1. Lauren Alaina
2. Pia Toscano
3. Lauren Turner
4. Naima
5. Karen Rodiguez
6. Haley
7. Ashton
8. Kendra
9. Julie Zorilla
10. Tataynisa
11. Thia
12. Rachel

America's rankings:

Lauren, Lauren and Pia are the shoo ins
I think America will also side with the judges on Thia...although I didn't see it
The final slot..although Naima and Karen should both be there, I'm going to guess that either Haley's looks or Kendra's looks push them through. I'm guessing Haley.

DrL&K's Top 12 Girl Predictions

2011-03-02T21:49:00.001-06:00

DrL&K's Top 12 Girl Predictions

Hey y'all! Here are our quick guesses of how the Top 12 Girls might do (haven't watched performances yet). We will do a performance re-cap after the show!

1. Lauren Alaina
2. Naima
3. Ashthon
4. Pia T.
5. Tatanysia
6. Thia M.
7. Rachel Z.
8. Julia Z.
9. Karen R.
10. Lauren T.
11. Kendra C.
12. Haley R.

You Know That I Would Be A LIGH-YERRR

2011-03-02T19:23:00.001-06:00

Boy's Top 24 Rundown:

1. Clint: Kiss of death spot. Superstition, seems like a safe Idol standby. Fun stage presence, good energy, a little pitchy. Harry Potter Glasses -- K wonders if Clint sticks around if this will be another Gokey Lenscrafter parade. But he probably won't.

Side note: along with the new director, the idol production has improved IMMENSELY so far. No weird camera angles, no sound flubs. Could it actually look like a professional broadcast this season?

2. Jovany: pretty song, blandly solid but 2nd half much better. Nice runs. Is it memorable enough to escape being buried this low, though? I don't think so. Looks like the Dawg is taking over the Voice of Truth role vacated by Simon.

3. Jordan: off key throughout? Said he agreed with JLo, this was not his type of music. Is this a case of the dread Idol Song Sabotage, i.e. Idol declares a song a performer has been practicing "off limits" at the last second, forcing them to half-ass a song suggested by TPTB? You know that this has happened many times, Taylor Hicks was the first to really mention it but it's one of Idols dirty little secrets. K says he doesn't really have much sympathy for this guy, seems douche-y.

4. Tim H: overpowered by the music in many spots. Song choice? He's probably history.

5. Brett: K says with those dance moves, he's one set of white platforms away from dancing on a bar in pee Wee's Big Adventure. He felt like he was being Punk'd. Definitely original, but is that good or bad? "FI-YERRRR!"

6. James: RAWKED, like he was expected to. Probably a shoo-in to go far of his facial tics don't alienate America.

7. Robbie: Just okay. Did a good job, pretty song, but...Kind of over-melismatic and bashed us over the head with the falsetto. K says the kid reminds him of Fonzie; will tweentards or housefraus keep him in?

8. Scotty: did a great job by completely staying in his wheelhouse. How long can he keep that up? I probably doesn't matter: with that performance (even though he was about to keel off the side of the stool) he satisfied the Country crowd, the Military families and the Christians (had that Big Old Cross on his neck). So, he got a shitload of votes.

9. Stefano: pitchy, right key? He's one of those "package" contestants the judges always talk about, and he's closer to the pimp spot, so he'll stand a better chance of being remembered. At least he was smart to pick a song that builds to a crescendo, voters seem to equate that with singing well.

10. Paul: interesting voice, strange stage moves. Thom Yorke Dance Academy? Kind of a weird song choice; he should probably pick something from the Kenny Loggins playlist every week ("I'm All Right" could be his "Baby Lock Them Doors") instead. Like Scotty, it is hard to imagine him branching out. Then again, this season is supposed to be different...

11. Jacob: looking like he'll be predictable (in a good way) week in/out: he seems like he's going to bring the "big ol' voice" that dominates Idol in most seasons until the Top 3. Great job, and he appears to pick songs that are just right. We agreed with Rubbertoe that he's verging on smug; K had a flashback to someone (Daughtry maybe? Cookie?) that always seemed to be "acting" humble during the judge's praise because they knew they had to.

12. Casey: I can see how he might strike some listeners with a Taylor Hicks Drunken Uncle vibe, but I liked Tay-Tay, and Casey, too. He's another weirdo in what seems to be a theme this season at Idol, but I think he pulls it off, very entertaining. He won't necessarily advance, but if he does, it will probably be more like 60% performance, 40% voice. But a lot of Idols have made it a hell of a long way on less :)

Dr. L & K's ranking:

1. James Durbin
2. Jacob Lusk
3. Casey
4. Scotty
5. Paul
6. Stefano
7. Jovanny
8. Clint Gamboa
9. Brett
10. Robbie
11. Tim Halperin
12. Jordan

K's note: This is probably wildly divergent from America's vote, and based solely on if I would ever want to hear that performance again. Dr. L trusted me to pick, and even she would probably disagree. The only ones I was pretty sure on were James, Jacob, Casey and then Jordan and Tim. And as much as I sort of despise Scotty, he did OK on the night. The rest ???

2011-03-01T23:12:00.006-06:00

New Stage: I'm not sure that I love it. I miss the pit and I don't like the seats behind the stage.

First up - Clint Junebug Gamboa - Superstitious. Starting off really weak. Seems the wrong range for him. The band is overpowering him. He's good when he hits the high notes but overall performance on a scale of 1-10 (5)
(I'm surprized that the judges liked it)

#2 - Jovanny - one word.....meh....nothing there. Bland, flat and just plain boring.
This guy has the charisma of a turnip. rating (4)
Randy is the only one who got it right.

#3 - Jordan - He's definitely no usher. Started off out of his range. He's a cute guy and he has some stage precense and charisma. But weak voice. This is so far the worst performance of the night. I'm giving him for stage presence a 6, voice 2. total (4).
Strange - he admits right away that it wasn't him...that its not his thing...so WHY pick that song? poor judgmenet dude.

#4 - Tim Halperin - another weak start. He sounds off key...better during the chorus. Overall...not horrible, but nothing great (5)

#5 - Brett - Good luck for him. Again...very weak start. Sounds like he's singing out of range. Once it goes uo tempo...MUCH MUCH better. Overall - pretty good. Not great..but the best of the night so far. (7)
Once again...Randy was the one that was right on with his comments.

#6 - James Durbin - Wow...very strong start. Awesome stage presence. He's great in his upper range. Some of the lower notes were a little off. Absolutely the best performance of the night (9) I would even go as far to say the best performance by anyone at this stage of AI in the history of AI.
Randy was right on..about him not overusing the high range.
(He looks like a giant next to Ryan)

#7 - Robbie Rosen - Strong start. Song is perfect his range. He actually has one of the more beautiful voices of the guys. Some of the falsetto is a little strange. Needs to work on stage presence though (6)

#8 - Scotty McCreery - He's smart to pick a song that is in his range. I have to hand it to him for that...and the way he infused a little humor into the performance. I still say that his only gimmick is singing in the low voice. (7)

#9 - Stefano - weak weak start. He picks it up and now he's delivering it. However, his performance makes me think he would make a better lead singer of a boyband than a solo performer. He picked a song with high range...perhaps a bit too high. I liked it....didn't Love it...(7)

#10 - Paul. He's smart for picking a rod stewart song. It suits him well....but this guy is a total freak. I can't stand to watch him...but he's definitely going to win over those who like him based on that I'm going to give him a 7...personally I would give him a 5.

#11 - Jacob - He's great...but his performance has a little bit of smugness that could become very grating very quickly. (8)

#12 = Casey - Not a particularly strong start, but then he hits his element. However, he comes across like one of my mentally ill clients. Voice isn't particularly spectacular...not in the same level as James, Jacob or even Brett.
Seems like he screamed more than he sang tonight. (6)

Rubbertoe's rankings tonight
1. James Durbin
2. Jacob Lusk
3. Brett Lowenstern
4. Stefano
5. Scotty
6. Casey
7. Paul
8. Robbie Rosen
9. Clint Gamboa
10. Tim Halperin
11. Jovanny
12. Jordan

America's Top Five:

James Durbin and Jacob are shoo-ins
Casey is probably in due to the AI pimpage
The final 2 will be either Stefano, Scotty, Brett or Paul. I think Scotty is definitely in due to his unique voting block. The big question will be whether Stefano, Brett or Paul gets in. I'm going to go against my own judgement and say that Paul grabs the fifth spot.

Overall...not a bad first night for the guys...

DrL&K's Top 12 Guys

2011-03-01T22:31:00.001-06:00

DrL & K's Predictions for Top 12: Guys

Here's our picks for the rankings for the Top 12 guys. We had to say that it was hard to pick among this group, because we didn't really remember some of them. It's a shame that some of these guys have been cast as 'villains' so early in the competition - it makes it difficult to overlook the personality issues and think about the singing!

1. James Durbin - he's this year's Adam Lambert - so he's gotta be here! Strong voice - hopefully he will be able to keep it all together during the performances each week.

2. Jacob Lusk - soulful, pleasant personality, one of the few 'big' voices in the competition. Expecting good performances from him!

3. Casey Abrams - quirky, good personality, sings and plays instruments

4. Robbie Rosen - cute, sort of a young 'Fonzie' - meets the criteria for the young demographic that Idol is looking for.

5. Paul McDonald - been getting some pimple - and nice voice. Will make the Top 12, but will drop out early - gets lost in the crowd.

6. Stefano - looks like a good one for the Top 12.

7. Brett L - Dr. L thinks Brett is Top 12 material without a doubt, and K doubts it - so we put him on the cusp of not.

8. Tim H. - great voice, could make it to the Top 12 - but could just be in the competition only a brief time. He will probably quickly disappear.

9. Clint (JunBug) Gamboa - presented as too annoying and he has been cast as a villain so far…so not in.

10. Jovany - not a lot of exposure. Beautiful voice - he could go either way for us.

11. Jordan Dorsey - also has been portrayed heavily as a villain. He has a great voice when he is on his game - but that could be overshadowed by personality issues or 'team player' problems.

12. Scott McCreery - Baby lock em doors while a tornado's ripping through the trailer park and he is outside! No disagreement here at all - he is at the bottom of the pack.

Looking forward to a fun week of performances! We will post our Top 12 girl rankings before Wednesdays' performances.
Cheers,
DrL&K

Rubbertoe's top 12 girls

2011-02-28T14:42:00.003-06:00

As per usual....the top 12 girls are much more difficult to pick...those that stand out really stand out, but there are a number that just blend in..in the middle.

Lauren Alaina - Shoo in for the top 12. She's my pick to win it all at this point. However, she might end up the Didi of this year (who I picked to win it all at this point last year..and then fizzled once she got into the top 12).

Julie Zorrilla - She's in for sure. She has been the recipient of a great deal of AI pimpage. They aren't about to let her not be in the top 12. She's got a decent voice and is pleasant to look at (which never hurts). I don't think she can win it all, but she's in the top 12.

Naima Adepo - She's unique and stands out. I think she gets in on that alone.

Tatynisa Wilson - She should definitely not be in the top 12. She was horrible in Hollywood week and in the Vegas show. I still cannot understand how she got into the top 24.

Pia Toscano - She's in. Beautiful girl and a good voice.

Rachel Zavita - She's the wildcard of the bunch. Some people love her, others hate her. Is she this years Cinnabon aka Siobhan or whatever he name was from last year?
She's kind of a freak show. I don't like her and don't think she should be in the top 24, let alone the top 12....but America often disagrees.

Thia Megia - Cute girl...young....voice not that strong. She might get in based on AI pimpage, wanting to attract the younger crowd. They are REALLY making a push for that this year (I think they are afraid of losing the support of that demographic...they have really pimped the 15 year old boundary line this year). Ashton Jones - She's out. I don't understand how she got this spot over people like Lakeisha...but I'm certain that absent a stellar performance this week, she's not in the top 12.

Karen Rodriguez - Don't remember much about her, other than I thought that she wasn't that great.

Lauren Turner - Don't remember anything about her other than she's not Lauren Alaina. Not a good sign

Haley Rinehart - The only thing I remember out her is that I didn't like her that much...hmmmmmm

Kendra Chantelle - Pretty girl....weak voice.

So...here are Rubbertoe's top 12 girl predictions

1. Lauren Alaina
2. Julie Zorilla
3. Pia Toscano
4. Naima Adepo
5. Thia Megia (based on age pimpage)
6. Kendra Chantelle (based on looks....AI always has to have the one pretty girl in the top 12 that can't sing all that well...like...what was that country girl from a couple years ago that I think made it all the way to #7? I can't remember her name..something Cook I think.

Rubbertoe's rundown of the top 24 (first, the guys)

2011-02-28T14:14:00.005-06:00

Ok...so lets take a look at the top 12 guys and girls and predict the top 12

Brett Lowenstern - This guy has gone as far as he will. He was lucky to make the top 24...his luck will run out.

Casey Adams - I don't love this guy. I see him as another Taylor Hicks. People seem to like him (like they liked Taylor Hicks)...he's an ok musician (like Taylor Hicks)...and I suspect that he will go further in the competition than he should (like Taylor Hicks)...although I don't think he'll win it.

Clint Gamboa - another top 12 guy. He's weird and I don't love the overall package, but he's got the pipes to make it into the top 12.

Jacob Lusk - A shoo-in for the top 12. This guy has incredible range and a beautiful voice.

James Durbin - #4 to go into the top 12. He's no Adam Lambert, personality-wise, voice-wise, stage presence-wise. But he's got one of the better range and better voices in the group and a great story to go with it.

Jordan Dorsey - Cute guy...but lacks the voice. He makes it into the top 12 only if he gets there on looks....or does something incredible in the next performance.

Jovany Barretto - Goner. Second weakest of the top 24. He thinks he's so much hotter and better than he is....and lets face it....he isn't.

Paul MacDonald - I can't imagine that he is going to make the top 12, but he's one of those wildcards that you just can't judge. To me, he sounds like Kermit the frog and his performance style verges on the spastic. People either love him or hate him. I don't think he'll make it

Robbie Rosen - He's another cusper. He has a weird mouth..but a good voice. I'm going to say he is in, but it depends on his performance.

Stefano Langone - He may not have the best overall voice, but he has the package. He's got the boyband good looks and a nice stage presence. I think he is in the top 12

Tim Halperin - Suffers from the lack of AI pimping. Honestly, I recognize the guy, but can't remember much about him. He'll need a knockout punch to get into the top 12.

Scotty McCreery- Lock the doors and turn the lights OUT. This guy shouldn't be in the top 24. I can't believe they picked him and left other's out. The guy is a freak show novelty act. I swear to GOD, if he sings "Turn the lights down low" this week...I'm going to leap through the TV and personally kick him off the stage.

So....Rubbertoe's guy picks for the top 12
1. Jacob Lusk
2. Stefano Langone
3. James Durbin
4. Casey Adams
5. Clint Gamboa
6. Robbie Rosen
or Paul MacDonald

Joe's Place Top 24 Guys Song SPOILERS!!!

2011-02-26T19:54:00.004-06:00

Hey Lil Tasters,

if you want a preview of what the boys will be singing next week, click on the link above to go to Joe's Place blog, where he's spoiling next week's song lineup. Some interesting choices!
Looks like James Durbin is going to tear the roof off the sucka,

and Jacob Lusk is going for the jugular by whipping some Luther
on the competition. (if you guys didn't know, those Krispy Kreme burgers are now called "Luthers" LOL!

Should be a good show.

-- K

2011-02-24T22:02:00.004-06:00

Karen Rodriguez - I like her smooth voice. I really like her. More than I remember liking her. She makes it into the top 24.

Robbie Rosen - I'm certain that he is through. I would be shocked if he isn't. I didn't love his final audition song though. Too Whiney!!! He;s in!!!

Tatinisa - Don't love her....I don't she should have even made it this far. I cannot understand for the life of me why they put her through. Completely undeserved.

Out - Brittany, Jimmy Allen....

Tim Halperin - I really like this guy. Especially that duet he did. Final audition was not great though. He's in...I think.....yup!

Julie Zorilla - I guarantee she's in. AI has been pimping her from day 1. She's good though...she deserves top 24. (How do you sit down in those short dresses?)

Scotty - he has a good voice on the one song that he sings...he doesn't have the voice to be in the top 24. I'm sure he's in though too...AI has been pimping him from the beginning as well. He's in

John Wayne Schulz is out....I thought he was better than Scotty

Jovanny - He is out...I'm certain. But his final audition is good. He sounds better than he has ever before in the show. Now I'm not so sure he is out...He's too into himself though. He lives to see another day.

Lauren Turner - I'm not sure that she has enough depth to her voice. She's borderline top 24. The maid made it.

Tywon Strong and Erin Kelly are both out.

Rachel - from season 6. I hate her look...it is not flattering on her. She reminds me of that woman from last year that wore all the funky clothes. She's ok...probably enough for the top 24 but I don't see top 12 for her. She's in.

Kendra Chantelle - Not good enough. Pretty girl but voice is not there. She's in...these judges are too predictable.

Jordan Dorsey - Cute guy..and he's good, but he was weak in Vegas and there are better singers out there. He'll make it through. Final audition, I didn't love.
but he's in.

They keep showing the chair falling off...as if it was thrown in rage....sometimes AI is tooooo predictable. Its obvious that it just fell when someone leaped up....

Lauren Alaina- She's in...for sure...I think this is the one that AI WANTS to win it all this year....and she's good. She's in. I still can't believe she is 16.

Stefano - I loved him at the Audition and in Vegas. Final audition - he's in for sure. The guy has a great voice. He's in the top 24.

Jackie Wilson - Don't love her...she's out. Girl has an attitude...Girl...you didn't deserve it...think that you did, but you didn't

Jacob is ABSOLUTELY In...not just the 24 for the top 12.

Pia Toscano - She's in. I would say top 12 as well.

James Durbin- He's another one who is a shoo-in here. He is really really good.
He's another top 12'er.

Casey Abrahms - This guy bugs me. He's got a good voice, but he's another Taylor Hicks. They'll send him through...and there goes the chair.

Last Girl - Thia v. Jessica. I would say Thia. Jessica knows she is going home.

Last Guy - Jacee v. Brett v. Colton. 2 will go through. This isn't fair...I don't like leaving 1 of 3. I would send through Colton and Brett...but it could be Colton and Jacee.

Brett goes through. I thought that there were two slots. Colton should have made it through.

Idol Green Mile in the LBC!!!

2011-02-24T00:55:00.004-06:00

If you watched Idol Wednesday, the editing (with shots of the LA Convention Center) might make you think the "hangar" segments were filmed somewhere in Hollywood. It was actually at the Long Beach airport! Dr. L & I found out too late to drive over there, but we were actually watching last Thursday's ep when we found out Idol was filming just a few minutes away. You can even see the old Douglas factory sign when Chris Medina climbs into the Van of Shame:

that is a familiar sight to anyone flying into the LBC.
We'll keep you posted if we hear of any more Idol sightings.
-- K

What happens in Vegas...may not make it back to Hollywood

2011-02-23T21:58:00.002-06:00

BTW.. DR L/K...love love love the Vegas logo!!!!

OK...time to blog about the show:

Las Vegas week...a new addition to the show.
Stefano and James Durbin - They both sound good.....James Durbin is to the better of the two.
Karen Rodriguez and Pia both went to the NY school for the performing arts. I like Pia a lot. Karen is good too, but Pia is the better of the two.
Jacob, Haley and Naima. Jacob is told not to oversing all the time. Jacob is awesome, but does oversing..the other two I didn't love that much. Randy tells Jacob not to hold back...seems like conflicting advice.

Rachel- not good enough.
Lauren - Good voice. The guido guy is weak though
Tim Halperin - very good
Julie Zorilla - I like her too.

Lakeisha - love this Diva, Jerome - he's got good style. Tatynisa - good,but the other two are better.

Paul McDonald and Kendra Chantelle - I'm not loving Kendra. I don't like Paul at all. The judges loved it...they had nice chemistry, but I disagree with the judges here.

Junebug sounds good even though he kinda bugs me.

Ashley Sullivan - Getting married in Vegas. At least she will leave Vegas with a husband..I don't see her going further. Sophia - is waaaay weak. Ashley was better but neither was great.

Melinda ademi and Thia Megia. I like Megia...Melinda not so much

Denise I like a lot, Scotty needs to go, Lauren was good too.

Casey Abrams, Chris Medina....Chris needs to go home...Casey is a pretty good singer, but I don't love the package.

Aaron, Robbie and Jordan. Aaron is the best...Robbie is good too. Jordan was WEAK....

On to the top 40..

Thia
Scotty
Jordan
Ashton
Robbie
Lauren....are all through. Scotty and Jordan should not be there. The rest I agree with.

Caleb and Carson cut...I'm surprized about Caleb.
Also cut, Denise, Melinda and Ashley. Denise should not have been cut. I agree that Melinda and Ashley deserved the cut.

I wish that they would have revealed all forty...they only told us about 6 of the 40.

Top 24...first up...

Naima - I like her, but I would have to say no to the top 24. She looks beautiful though so does JLo...She's through.
Holly - I'm surprized that she even made it this far. She's not top 24 material...Randy and Steven agree, she's not through.
Lakeisha out, Alex ryan out,
Jun Gamboa - he should be in the top 24 - and he is.

Haley Rhinehart - I would say no. Judges say yes.

Deandre - Cute kid. I like him..I would say yes. He's unique. Judges disagree and send him home.

Paul - A big no from me. He sounds like a muppet....and the Judges put him through.

Ashton - A big yes from me. A big yes from the judges

Chris Medina - He should not go through...but I suspect that the judges are going to put him through on AI theatrics. His final audition ices the cake that he shouldn't go through. He didn't make it through. AI made the right decision this time.

Tomorrow night....the remaining finalists!