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Leafs
by Gary E. Andrews - 12/02/24 11:18 AM
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NONE
by JAPOV - 11/29/24 12:16 PM
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Ember
by Bill Draper - 11/27/24 05:23 PM
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Wednesday March 19 2008
I wanted Amanda to stay long enough to tour because she probably would have gotten much better traveling but shes gone tonight. How did the best singer in the whole group, Carly, end up with the bottom three? Kristy hangs around another week. She had better get a personality coach or she is next. She does have two things going for her- looks and a good voice.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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Results 19Mar08
So the botton three were
Carly Kristy Amanda
and Amanda went home. Obviously this is not a singing competition.
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Vikki,
You're right, it's not a singing contest, it's an "idol" contest: Who can be interesting enough to get the votes? Sometimes being able to sing well helps get more votes and sometimes it's simply who is the most likeable.
I have to say I was REALLY surprised that Carly was in the bottom 3. Kristi has been in the bottom 3 for the past 2 weeks, so that was no surprise.
I think Kristy will "fit in" with the other 9 on tour better than Amanda. She will also have a chance to get better by touring, but I don't think she'll last more than 2 more weeks in the current show.
On a side note, I thought Kelly Pickler did a very decent performance tonight. I wasn't expecting that she had improved as much as she did.
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While I know the fan voting has little to do with who is the best vocalist, still find it hard to believe Carly is in the bottom 3.
Now that they're done with the Lennon McCartney weeks, what's next?
It would be interesting if they had some way of analyzing the voting. Are there 100,000 teens out there with unlimited text packages on their phones speed dialing 200 times comprising the bulk of the votes actually cast while 8 million other folks vote once each?
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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vicki -
I've only watched the show on television once this year. Catching the performances on youtube takes about 2 minutes each and since I'm on my computer during that time I can usually get some other things done as well.
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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I think it's interesting to note that the 2 contestants with the least "industry" connections or experience were David Hernandez and Amanda Overmyer. Amanda in particular was 100% indie with zero industry connections or experience of any kind. Most of the others have either been signed to major labels, on tour with major label artists, on major broadcast TV shows, winners of large TV awards shows for younger artists and so on. Even Kristy was signed to a major label. Just an interesting observation. I was hoping Amanda could hang on one more week so she could do the tour and get the year long attention. It's far less likely she'll attract any industry interest finishing 11th. I don't recall ever hearing from someone who finished that low again, unless it was controversy.
Ah well. Obviously Carly didn't belong in the bottom 3. But she's just not getting the votes and it looks like aside from Brooke, this is going to be a sausage fest between David A and David C and Jason C.
Hey Marty, you ever find any critters in that underbrush? = )
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Hi Linda,
I gotta go with Brooke or the Rocker dude. That David guy is just way to David Cassidy for me. No substance.
Take care, Brian
brianddarnell
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FINALLY figured out who Brooke looks like: the actress Cate Blanchett!
But BOY, was she goofy the other night. And while she got blasted for it (rightly so), Jason Castro was commended in some ways for his "yukkity-yuk" performance. Hmmm. I like them both..but I think my favorite at the moment is David Cook...
As an aside, friends saw Carrie Underwood last night in concert up here....said she was fantabulous and drop-dead gorgeous! We will be jumping ahead to Season 5 when hubby and the kids and I go see Bucky Covington next Saturday. Should be a blast.
Anyway, off to beddy bye!!
Ciao for now, Beth
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Ah...yes. You're right. She could be Cate Blanchett's little sister.
Agreed on a goofy performance as well. She lost some supporters on that one.
Jason has a lot of teeniebopper votes. The 13-year-old girls seem to think he's "SOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE" and say he has "John Travolta eyes".
Well, I don't know that we've had too many AI's where the best singer actually won. Certainly Taylor wasn't the best singer in Season 5 against Katherine McPhee and Chris Daughtry, and Jordin Sparks certainly couldn't keep up with Melinda Dolittle, but there are other factors involved in making a winner - obviously. I just hope it isn't mainly the teen vote this year.
I ALMOST (I said 'almost') miss the Sanjaya's and Chicken Little's of the past years. It made for an interesting show if nothing else.
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I have heard that next week is when they have to do a song that was a hit the year of their birth. Most were born in the 80's. That was possibly my favorite decade. I just did a quick google on 80's hits and there should be some great music. Big names back then: George Michael Heart R.E.M. Flock of Seagulls Chicago Steve Miller Foreigner Men At Work Police Michael Jackson Duran Duran Prince Hall & Oates Phil Collins Lionel Ritchie Kenny Loggins Bruce Springsteen Billy Idol Eurythmics Billy Joel Madonna Dire Straits Huey Lewis and the News Billy Ocean Pat Benetar Whitney Houston Gloria Estefan/Miami Sound Machine Whitesnake Def Leppard Robert Palmer Richard Marx Bangles Janet Jackson Anita Baker Bon Jovi and....Paula Abdul
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I've noticed they've never done a Paula Abdul song.. not that they're great vocal songs of course.. but I wonder if there's an embargo against doing it?
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/This is a REALLY great blog on AI - she's very funny and hits the nail on the head. Steve (my hubby) found this one. Yeah, I wonder about not doing Paula songs... although a few have been done as audition pieces, from someone smitten with her. What I think is strange is that they announced they were going to announce the season Mentors - THEN, instead, they announced one more Beatles week.... and we STILL have NO announcement. I think something went screwy with their lineup and now they're scrambling to cover it. That's what I think. Linda
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I heard last week - and this is just hearsay but here I go anyway - that Clive Davis allegedly told a Big-Name Star who told her contact who told the music connection I was talking to (how's that for convoluted) that "Yeah we already know who the winner is. We're working with them on their album before the season's even over."
I hope there are enough "allegedly's" in the above paragraph... And granted, this came to me a loooooooong way from the original source.... it's just a thought. It wouldn't surprise me in the least, though... in fact, it would sort of explain a lot.
Is it a law anywhere that in a contest like this they MUST count and tally all the votes recieved, AND honor the count? Where is that written out? Are there any legal loopholes? (C'mon... when are there not?)
I suspect that they really, REALLY want to make good television out of it, which means pitting those toward the bottom who shouldn't be (to increase popular interest), voting off those they don't think are all that marketable, and promoting those they want to win, all so it doesn't "look" as fixed as it may actually be.
I hope I'm wrong.
Linda
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Re song choice -- I think it has something to do with royalties and licencing and copyright. That's why they do all these old songs, even though they are looking for a hot, contemporary, youthful performer.
The Academy Awards and Grammys, Junos, etc., all results are tabulated by an independent firm. Should be the same for Idol.
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I think there have been "conspiracy theories" about AI every year.
No one has been able to prove any vote juggling, and to my knowledge, Fox has not come forth and denied it either.
It's simply good entertainment for me. Winning or losing on AI does NOT necessarily mean success in the music business: witness Taylor Hicks poor sales performance, and Chris Daughtry's steller sales, and the surprise sales of Kellie Pickler.
Josiah (remember the kid living in his car who got cut right before the Top 24?) allegedly now has a record deal with one of the majors...who knows how he'll do.
What it DOES do is give a group of about 10-12 singers HUGE exposure that they would not normally be able to get on a "test" audience. Personally, I think that's it's biggest value - not whether the voters can select the best singer.
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I agree. It's still a very good shot at getting your name in lights. Didn't William Hung get some sort of deal? And I sorta liked the "He is My Brother" song that guy did this year in auditions... the one Simon said he had a terrible feeling it would become a hit record. Linda
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From American Idol suggestions for submitting a song before the March 31st deadline.
{{A simple vocal recording accompanied by a guitar or piano will be enough for us to hear if your song could work for American Idol. Our skilled production team can then work their magic and complete the musical arrangement around your song if you make it through to our finale.
I don’t have access to a professional recording studio. What do you suggest?
We’re not listening to the quality of the recording, just the quality of the song. Recording a basic vocal and instrument performance at home on your computer is good enough for us. If you need help creating a song file, follow our simple steps here. My songwriting is a lot better than my singing. Will this hurt my chances?
Remember, we’re not judging your performance, just the song. Perhaps you know a friend who is more confident in front of a microphone and can help you out. If not, don’t worry, as a great song will always shine through.}}
If you believe all that advice, I have some ocean Front property in Arizona for sale that might interest you. sjh
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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I'm not betting my $10 entry fee on it...
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What I thought would happen last year is that the judges would take the 20 top songs and have "the band" record them all so that we would be listening to the all the song interpreted by the AI team. What we actually got was the original demos and all of them except one (One Night) was a full blown produced demo. "One Night" was a voice/piano arrangement. There was no "skilled production team" working "their magic" on rough demos. I don't think they wanted to work that hard and what Brian has said still holds true- they are not going to consider a great song poorly produced.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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That was what I had mistakenly thought too. For instance, I thought they could edit out my kids chatting in the background, the phone ringing, my voice sounding like the teacher on Charlie Brown....
Oh well, lesson learned.
Nevertheless, I LOVED listening to the top 20....
Ciao for now,
The too-little-too-late-this-year-contender Beth
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Well, tonight was not boring...here's my blow-by-blow
1. Ramiele Malubay - "Alone" by Heart. She should NOT have tried a Heart tune even at her best, but especially if her voice is not up to par (the judges commented that she was ill). This was easily the worst performance of the night. It was pitchy most of the way through, and strident when she tried to belt. I don't think she has the chops to keep up with everyone else at this point and based solely on performance, she would be the most likely contestent to go home tomorrow.
2. Jason Castro - "Fragile" by Sting. This was a ho-hum, boring performance. I think the lack of dynamics in his vocals are starting to catch up to him. His main strength seems to be that the girls think he has gorgeous eyes. His singing is average at best. He has a nice voice, just not a great voice. He also doesn't have any imagination in his arrangements.
3. Syesha Mercado - "If I Was Your Woman" by Stephanie Mills. This was a very respectable performance and possibly her best to date. I hope it's enough to keep her in the competition a while longer. I think she has a very good (not great) voice.
4. Chikezie - "If Only For One Night" by Luther Vandross. I think he may have blown his chance. He is not a good ballad singer; he does great with the uptempo stuff, but he is not in the same league as Luther and it came off corny and pitchy. This was probably the 2nd worst performance tonight.
5. Brooke White - "Every Breath You Take" by the Police. Personally, I really liked Brooke tonight. She wasn't as pitchy as usual but still gave a very heartfelt performance. I do think the arrangement wasn't so hot. Once the band came in, she got pitchier and less interesting, but I think she's solid for another week or three.
6. Michael Johns - "We Are The Champions" by Queen. Finally, the guy picked a decent song for his voice and did a very nice job. This was probably the 2nd best performance tonight and secured another week for him.
7. Carly Smithson - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. This was IMHO the worst performance I've heard from Carly. I normally like her performances, but not tonight. She had some pitchiness and the song didn't fit her style of singing. Based on the fact that she was in the bottom three last week, she could be in real danger here.
8. David Archuletta - "You're the Voice" by David Foster. I only vaguely even remember this song, but maybe I'm simply burning out on the guy, but he didn't knock me out tonight. He's certainly safe, but I think he's slipping in his appeal. Simon even commented that it was a "Theme Park" performance and expected to see little animated creatures around him.
9. Kristy Lee Cook - "God Bless The USA" by Lee Greenwood. Well, I've never been a fan of hers and don't think she can sing all that well, but this particular song selection may just have saved her from a farewell performance tomorrow night. She did a so-so job of it, but every redneck in America will probably vote for her. She also seems to have some family who is a player in the AFL, so she may also be getting a bunch of AFL votes. I don't think she's going home THIS week...
10. David Cook - "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson. First of all, he did a Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) version in 6/8 time, not a 4/4 dance version, but it was absolutely brilliant. I was simply mesmerized and was thinking, "I would buy tickets to see this guy perform". Technically, there were a few pitchy notes (not many), but he has such charisma that you hardly notice. He could be the next idol, and IMHO is further along in his performance skills than Chris Daughtry was at this point in Season 5.
My rankings this week:
1. David Cook 2. Michael Johns 3. Syesha Mercado 4. Brooke White 5. David Archuletta 6. Carly Smithson 7. Jason Castro 8. Chikezie 9. Kristy Lee Cook 10. Ramielle Malubay
Since Ramielle has a loyal fan base and Kristy will get the patriot and super-jock votes, my guess is that Chikezie will go home tomorrow. Let's see if my bottom three match the votes...
Who else wants to take a shot at who will go home tomorrow?
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My top 3 were:
David Cook: I am getting a bit tired of him stealing everyone else's unique arrangements. He's done it 3 of the last 4 weeks at least. The first time was at the end of the last round of auditions and it caused a bit of a scandal when the band he ripped it off from raised a stink. Now they've been clearly announcing whose version he's doing each week. But he's getting credit for being "original" when he's anything but. And the judges know better, but praised him for it nonetheless. That said, the second half of the song raised him up to the best of the night.
Syesha Mercado: She was really fantastic. What I liked most is she didn't take the easy "let's sing over the top" approach and instead gave a very heartfelt and down to earth performance. I like it when someone sings a song, rather than performing vocal gymnastics. If I had a lable, I'd totally sign this girl.
Carly Smithson: I am not a big fan of her's, but in a very week collections, she's the third smartest kid in this dumb class. I thought it was a bad song choice since it's so well known for the gravel vocals and Carly is such a powerful but clean singer.
My bottom 3 were:
Ramielle Malubay: Sick or not, she sucked.
David Archuleta: If not for Ramielle's total trainwreck, he'd have been the worst of the night. This guy is SOOOO over rated it's baffling. Apparently being a cute little Disney character is all you need these days. Yawn. His breathy rasp is so tiresome. And that song was hideous. It's the first song I can ever remember on American Idol I'd never heard and for good reason. It was weak weak weak.
Chikezie Eze: He probably just packed his bags up for the road on this lame old school R&B drivel. Ack.
The Also Rans:
Brooke White: She's an above average female singer-songwriter. But I can think of a dozen off the top of my head who blow her away. In fact, I see at least 1 or 2 better female singer songwriters at nearly every JPF Roadtrip show we do. This was a decent performance.. but so what in the end.
Michael Johns: This guy can sing. Seriously. I've heard him. I ever gave him an award. But he sure hasn't done much of it on the show yet. This wasn't that great. It wasn't as good as his Hollywood round performance of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Jason Castro: We've seen it before.. we'll see it again. And he hasn't lived up to his first performance of the last round. That was his peak. He's been living off those fumes ever since.
Kristy Lee Cook: She was very nearly in the bottom 3. Great song choice for sure. But imagine Carrie Underwood doing that same song. Nuff said. She's no Carrie Underwood.
Likely Going home: Chikezie. Who deserves to go home? Ramiele has been a total underachiever all season. So has Kristy. Kristy is a wooden performer. All 3 of them could go and I wouldn't think twice.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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I don't have cable tv, and my home computer is way too slow to get any online clips of it. But sometimes my friends will burn tapes and show me the "funny" highlights of the show...but this is very rare.
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Here is the way I evaluated last nights preformances: Who did I want to listen to again? Who did I bother to rewind the hard drive for? When Cook started singing Billy Jean, I thought he was crazy but by the end, I wanted to hear it again. Best thing all night or for several weeks.
Second, and I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but I loved the Lee Greenwood song by Kriste Lee Cook. OK I admit I like the song but I have never heard a woman sing it before and I could hear the quality coming back in her voice that has been missing since the auditions. She got a little pitchy here and there by she didn't strut around with that phony diva step that makes my eyes roll; and because she is very green, she will get stronger on tour. She still could make the top 5.
David A, Chikezie and Jason Castro all picked weak songs- were they born under a bad songwriting year or what? They have voice coaches- don't they have song advisors?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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Running short on time today so I'll just rank them ...
1. David Cook 2. Michael Johns 3. Kristy Lee Cook 4. Syesha Mercado 5. Chikezie 6. Carly Smithson 7. Brooke White 8. David Archuletta 9. Jason Castro 10.Ramielle Malubay
Based on past results (not past performances), I'd say Carly and chikezie are in danger. I bet Ramielle gets the sickness sympathy vote and sticks around.
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I was so bad at this last week...I'm not gonna even attempt guessing who's leaving tonight! lol
Soundclick Coming Soon! (I'll admit it...I'm just a beginner:)
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25Mar08 - Top 10
In this week's show some singers showed vocal stress. I do respect the vocal coaches that work with the kids, but I also think that a knowledge of technique needs to be part of what they do. I also notice that many of the singers are approaching high notes by lifting their heads and singing to the ceiling, and opening their mouths really wide. This works against the voice, as the neck is stretched, and the breath thins out. They would do better to sing focussed forward with the head in a neutral position and the jaw relaxed down, while the corners of the lips are rounded. It's crucial to sing with some technical application, not only so that the vocal tone is good during today's performance, but so that you don't tire out the voice so it can't perform tomorrow.
IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
REMIELE: According to what was said, she is not sick, but she lost her voice. This doesn't surprise me. These kids have been singing more in the last month than they have in a year. Besides the pressure of being in the public eye, consistently learning new music & choreography, there is also a lot of pressure to be "big". In Remiele's case, the strain showed. She has a lovely voice, but she pushed it. It was very tight. I felt that she yelled some of the song. She sings with wide, big vowels, which is very hard on the vocal chords. She would do better to sing with round shapes, and if she needs space, to go long (tall). In particular, on the big wide vowels, she was off pitch. I am concerned for her vocal health.
JASON: Jason finally impressed me a little this week. I thought he sang with more tone in his voice. However, I still say his kind of singing is not what is required for this competition. He is a folk singer, and there's nothing wrong with that, but there's a big divide between folk and pop a la Kelly C. I was disappointed in the song itself, as I was waiting for a payoff to a good chorus what would show some vocal skill and tone... and it went nowhere. For me I think Jason is one of the weaker singers. I know the girls like him, and I think he has a good heart, but vocally he doesn't do it for me.
SYESHA: I thought Syesha sang the best she ever has. She looked and sounded like a total professional. Great tone, great performance, beautiful top notes. Well arranged. Excellent.
CHIKEZIE: Poor Chikezie, he doesn't get what's going on. I thought he sang with good tone. He needs better vowel shapes on the bottom to help keep the tone consistent, otherwise he runs the risk of sounding pitchy. He's got that bluesy sound - which came in towards the end - that actually makes him sound deep and mature. Sure, it's a bit sweet and old fashioned. But if Michael Buble can do it, why not Chikezie?
BROOK WHITE: Brook has not impressed me as a singer throughout the competition. As she played the piano, I felt the combination of dealing with the instrument, a stationery mic, and the performance, caused a lot of tension in her neck and shoulders. You could see it. Sitting down is not always the best position for singing. So, between the tension, and the lack of centered breathing, the voice was not supported effectively. She needs to work on singing with her entire instrument -- which is all of her. The piano in this case was a distraction that made her disconnect from her body.
MICHAEL JOHNS: Finally! Finally he showed his potential. Unlike Brook, he put his whole self into what he was doing, and it paid off. That being said, he's a great example of what I said in my opening remarks. When he goes up, he lifts up his head, and he sings with his mouth shaped wide and flat. This compresses the voice. I wish I could spend 30 minutes with him and show him a different way of doing it. Because I think he's got one of the top voices in this competition, but he doesn't have the tools to understand how to make that voice really work in the top.
CARLY: Another vocal strain candidate. She's always sung her upper notes wide, and now we are starting to hear the results of that approach. The voice gets tight, it sounds stressed, there is no vibrato. I felt it was the wrong choice to try to push the voice to sing Pat Benetar. I felt that she was trying too hard. I am concerned that she is going too far. When you saw her face and the look in her eyes at the end, she knew she hadn't sung it the way she wanted to. But I'm not sure if she knew what had happened. The voice is a delicate instrument. With the right support, you can do amazing things, if your voice is well-developed and healthy. But vocal strain will do you in very quickly in this competition.
DAVID ARCHULETA: Here's another singer with a very good voice, who has always impressed me with his tone... who didn't impress me this week. On some of the vowels, the voice was sitting at the back, this makes the tone sound hollow, dull. It also saps energy from the voice. It's a sutble form of holding back. Again, another singer starting to lift his head when he goes up - this is totally wrong, it means we lose quality, and QUALITY *not* quantity, should always be the goal. I think his voice shows some fatigue, probably because the chosen song was too big for him - he is not a rock singer, and he should push himself to try to imulate the rock singers in the competition. However, I always have and still do appreciate his spirit.
KRISTY: Again Kristy sang in a way that doesn't impress me. What she thinks singing is, is not singing. She pushes the voice, she opens wide, she lifts her head, and in result you hear tightness, pitchiness. It's not that she doesn't have some potential, but I really it would be best for her to be voted off, go away and work with a coach for a year, and come back.
DAVID COOK: Along with Syesha, the clear winner of the night. Original, skilled, professional... and hopefully humble. Very interesting - and brave - way of doing the song, and it paid off big time. It showed his range & ability. Well sung.
If this was a singing competition, then Kristy should go, or possibly Brook. Likely it will be Chickezie, though.
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Vickki,
I'll have to watch for the head position when a singer is pushing a note. I have never had a formal singing lesson. The day I knew I had a lot to learn form a professional vocal coach was the day I walked into a Fort Worth bar and heard a guy singing "Walk on by". I was marveling at his ability to hit the high notes without straining. At break I talked to him and he told me it was all about technique that he had learned from a vocal coach. He said, "If you can hit the note at all, you can learn to hit the note without straining". I never forgot that comment because he was proving it with every high note he hit.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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If this was a singing competition, then Kristy should go, or possibly Brook. Likely it will be Chickezie, though.
Jason Syesha????? Chikezie I called it.
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I just read an old interview (2004) with Debra Byrd, she says "I encourage the singers that if they are having technical problems, they should consult a voice instructor who specializes in correcting technical deficiencies in the singing voice. They are allowed to do this, as my job is to ensure that the performing elements are in place when the show goes live. There is not enough time, during the course of the week, to work on technique in addition to my work in developing their performance skills, charting song arrangements, etc." and "At times it is frustrating for me as a voice coach as I have to correct many bad habits in a short period of time." Exactly what I wondered about. The difficulty with technique - like any skill - is that it takes time to practice it and integrate into what you are doing. anyway, there's suppose to be a video of the singers coaching, but I can't get it to come up - http://www.americanidol.com/videos/?vid=304
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David Cook Michael Johns Carly Smithson
These 3 are the only ones with a chance of not being forgettable. Would be hard to find a marketplace as a stand alone artist for any.Better in a band scenario. Not a stand out year; but I'm just a guy from Jersey...........
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Elimination night....
Well, Chikezie seemed to know he was a goner when he was first called out. I wonder if they told him ahead of time?
He had a very likeable personality, he just didn't have the vocal chops to carry it through. He also stumbled when he changed what was keeping him in the competition (uptempo, with creative arrangements).
The fact that Ramiele was NOT in the bottom 3 shows how strong her fan base is.
I don't get why Syesha is not more popular. That was probably the biggest surprise for me: her in the bottom 3 (instead of Kristy).
Next week is Dolly Parton night. Kristy will probably make it through that week as well. I think Kristy is becoming the new Sanjaya (everyone wondering how long before she gets voted off)?
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She's a pretty weak live performer.. but she has that label background and it's clear that in the studio she'd be great as she has a really nice tone. But man she sucks on stage badly.
Chikezie had zero chance of winning. So it's not a big deal to see him go. Until someone is voted off that could actually win, the next several weeks are going to be boring boring boring.
I agree that Syesha should be much more popular. I would still choose her over the other female artists to sign to a record deal. David Cook has surprised me.. but I'd like to see him do something actually original some week (instead of ripping off everyone elses creative renditions). And he's kind of a one trick pony. But then, all the finalists are. Does anyone left have any flexibility? Maybe Carly.. And Michael Johns is still under performing. He can take it up a notch.. or fall flat.. the jury is still out I think.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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I can't figure Syesha being down that low either. Makes no sense whatsoever!
I'm still wondering why they haven't announced any mentors!
Linda
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They announced them 2 weeks ago actually. You must have missed it. Mariah Carey is one one of them as is Dolly Parton.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Other than this show, most won't see these performers live on stage again. I know they do some sort of "Idol review" tour thing which I'm sure is wonderful(ha!). So in the studio any can be a "darling" of the airwaves. Especially with a jump start marketing campaign like Idol. Funny how last year's "losers" are doing better than the winner! They all need songs though....start writing!
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I don't think we've really heard from anyone from last year except Kellie Pickler.. who else has had airplay?
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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I haven't heard anything except Pickler either Brian. Is it because they are played on younger hip hoppy stations? I know you don't really like her, I thought Mcfever would make some waves after her year...but I haven't heard anything...Doolittle is releasing a CD in June http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2007/12/melinda-doolitt.html
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That's good news about Melinda! Yay. Yep, I must've missed the mentor announcement. Sounds cool. I've heard Kelly Clarkson on the air and Daughtry and that's about it. Blake and Jordin both put a CD out, but I haven't heard any airplay so far. Could be on different stations than I'm tuned to, I suppose... Linda
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Hey Guys,
Kelly was actually from Season 5 (two years ago), the year Taylor Hick won -- and I only know that because of the often-mentioned love and affection my 9 year old has for her co-Idol Bucky Covington (whom we are going to see tomorrow night). He's actually doing really well, having made some breakthroughs on the country charts, and he's up now for a CMT award next month. That was also the season of Chris Daughtry, who has obviously gone on and done super well...
I'd say that is probably the best all-around season they had. Entertainment-wise DURING the show, and after the contestants moved on with their lives.
Do I watch AI a lot? Yup. Um, am I a registered user over there...? Um, yup!
Ciao for now, Beth
Edited: P.S. Just learned, coincidentally, that Bucky is going to be appearing on this coming week's elimination night on A.I....guess it's a little feature on the several idols who have settled down in the Nashville area....
Last edited by Beth G. Williams; 03/28/08 08:37 PM.
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April 1st 2008 Tuesday 9 contestants left:
David A is probably back on top after a bad song choice last week. Kristie Lee Cook had her chance shoot a couple of notches singing one of Dolly's songs, but she picked a rather tired and played out "Coat of many colors". It didn't help her. She did better last week. David Cook picked an interesting song and he did some nice vocal things that I didn't know he had in him- but the song, "Sparrow", wasn't exactly electrifying. Not a very exciting night in general. AI should have bumped the show up to 1 hr 30 minutes, slowed the pace a bit, and let the kids sing a little longer because the pace was too frantic. 1 hour is too little and 2 hours is too much for 9 contestants.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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Well, my favorites were David Cook, Michael Johns and Carly. It seemed to me that Simon was a bit biased in that he only gave good comments to males tonight. I am wondering if they are trying to influence the voters toward a male winner. Hmmmmmm.
I thought Carly was particularly moving tonight but Simon didn't like it. Oh well. We'll just have to see what the public thought.
"And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." Paul McCartney
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I thought tonight was a very ho-hum night. Nobody really bowled me over. I think the best performances were David Cook, Carly Smithson, David Archuletta, and Syesha Mercato.
I don't know why Syesha isn't getting a better response. Even Randy didn't particularly like her. I thought Carly did great, too. I did agree with Simon's comment about her wardrobe - and her look. From the comments on the AI boards, she really needs to cover her tats. She's losing MANY votes because of that.
Brooke White and Ramiele were the really boring, weak performers tonight. Ramiele was at least pretty on-pitch, but is a forgetable performer. I think Brooke only hit about 1/3 of the notes on pitch - really, really bad.
Jason was OK, but strained on a few notes. Kristy actually was decent, but not outstanding.
I thought Michael did very good tonight, but it seemed a bit contrived in that I saw him looking for the "red light" camera a couple of times and then switching to look at the active camera. That made it seem like he wasn't really feeling the bluesy notes, but just putting on an act.
Here are who I think will be in the bottom three:
Ramiele, Syesha, Brooke
Who will go home tomorrow? Based strickly on tonight's performance, it should be Brooke, but she has been very popular lately. Ramiele has not had ONE outstanding performance, and is losing her loyal fan base, so I hope it will be Ramiele.
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Top 3 of the night:
Michael Johns: His best performance since Hollywood week. Syesha Mercado: She did a great job of NOT oversinging, but still perfectly hitting every note and nuance of the arrangement. It's sucks bad that obviously the judges don't want her to win. They've struck out with R&B singers so far as winners and don't want another one. David Archuletta: For the first time of the entire competition, I thought he was in the top 3. He actually did a nice job.
Bottom 3:
Ramiele Mulabay: She was totally awful. She's been the worst the entire season and hasn't had a single good performance. Brooke White: Yawn Yawn Yawn. She was very awkward and ho-hum. She's so vanilla I may start calling her Lily White from now on. Kristy Lee Cook: This should have been her week. She was pretty average. If she can't nail Dolly Parton, she needs to move on.
Also Rans:
Carly Smithson: She wasn't bad at all, but not good enough to be in the top 3. David Cook: He also wasn't bad, but his one trick pony act is getting a bit tired. Jason Castro: Barely stayed out of my bottom 3. He seemed to connect with the song more than Brooke or Kristy Lee so I put him in the middle.
Who SHOULD go: Ramiele and Kristy should be the next two, in either order. Neither has had a great week. Heck, Chikezie and Amanda both had outstanding performances but were still nuked from the show. Why these two pretenders keep sticking around is beyond me.
Who most likely WILL go: I think Kristy might finally go, but I am very worried that they'll boot off Syesha who is probably, along with Carly, the strongest voice in the competition. Carly or Ramiele will likely be the 3rd in the bottom 3.
This season is weird. Not many horrible performances, as previous years, but not even close to as many show stoppers either. None of the artists so far have shown any diversity at all. They all do 1 thing, fairly well, and stick with it. It's boring.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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I agree with you Brian, except that I liked Carly and David C better than you did. Kristy and Ramielle need to go, followed by Jason C and Brooke
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Seems like everyone missed a chance to show they could "do" country. It was more of a finding a Dolly song they could mold to themselves. Except of course Kristy who is country. She should have been THE standout this week but she was just good.
Michael Johns was the only standout performance this week.
Ramielle was just bad.
Jason and Brooke were boring.
Syesha did well. Didn't realize Dolly had written that one. The judges have consistently panned anyone trying a Whitney or Celine song and I assume they did it to her last night as well.
Carly was good but has been showing she is not a performer. She sings well but doesn't win you over.
David A was also good in his vocal performance, but he took a southern tearjerker and made me feel like it was a holiday inn lounge song.
David C was good at turning a Dolly song into a male alternative rock song but he's worn out the formula.
I think you guys are too hard on Kristy if you place her in the bottom 3 performances this week. She's belonged there before and probably will again soon, but if you base it just on last night she was in the top half.
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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Elimination Wednesday April 2
Ramielle is gone. That was the right choice but she took it hard and is probably still crying. I hope the American Idol song winner is written for a guy because it looks like all the girls may be gone in a few weeks- the bottom three were girls this week and I don't think that is likely to change for the next couple of weeks. The real surprise tonight was how bad the song was that Dolly Parson sang. The corniest hook I have heard in years. "Jesus and gravity"? It is as if she wrote it yesterday for tonights performance. Maybe she should have stuck to 9 to 5.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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I had it down to Ramiele or Kristy leaving tonight. Someone has to go and they were the weaker two. Unfortunately I feel that Ramiele was a perfect example of having bad song choice. That song did absolutely nothing for me. I am sure that is why that happened to her. No one was moved and you have to move people. It was just blah and that crucified her chances of staying any longer. It is very likely that a guy will win it this year. I think Carly will be in there until the end. I had her as the winner but Dave Cook and Michael will give her a run. My American Idol song is definately suited for a girl. Not sure how all that will pan out. It is once again shocking that they have only spent a couple of weeks sorting through all those songs. I see they will post on April 10th. Good luck to all! Tammy www.tammyedwards.comwww.myspace.com/tammyedwards2
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I had two of the bottom three correct, substituting Syesha for Jason. I do agree that they had the correct bottom three and America got it right: Ramiele needed to go home this week.
This was Brooke's first week in the bottom three. She didn't take it very well.
I was glad to see that Carly made it out of that group this week. She still has some growing to do as a performer, but hopefully, she will take Simon's advice about her wardrobe.
Hey, did anyone else notice how NICE Simon was tonight? He actually apologized a couple of times! After last night's foul mood, I was very surprised - and impressed.
My song submission is probably a better song for a girl singer, but could be done by either sex. It was demoed by a female singer, so we'll see...
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Larry - Think that was a mental slip there. Jason did belong in the bottom three but it was Kristy who was the third member last night. Even with his long hair you can't mistake the two. Carly did have her shoulder covered last night. It'll be interesting to see what she shows up in next week. Kristy has now been in the bottom 3 so many times she's gotten used to it, was able to joke about it and handle it well. Be interesting to see if she can keep getting there and keep hanging on. Is there a normal show next week with the "Idol Gives Back" thing going on or do they take a week off the normal competition?
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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