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I think the song that Sarver sang had about 4 notes in it...it never went anywhere...He wasn't even close to Ricky vocally...but I guess he's cute maybe...the biggest voters are the young girls, aren't they?

I actually liked Anoop in the run up shows, but I didn't think he sang very well on Tuesday. I wasn't surprised he didn't make it, but if you based it solely on quality of singing, Ricky was better than all of them. Tatiana was a close second on the female side though she had a few bad moments as well. I don't disagree that Ricky was forgettable, but pretty much any of them would have been if you'd ONLY seen that 1 single performance and a few seconds showing they'd made the finals. I actually would have rather seen Tatiana make it to the finals if only because she actually seems to WANT it and so often the contestants seem like automatons rather than breathing people who WANT something... and she was able to sing well to back up the desire. Several of the singers that performed were embarrassing. In fact, we just did a show in DC last week and several of those singers would have finished behind most of the performers that night... How they made the Top 36 out of the entire country is puzzling? Anyone can have a bad night, but most of those performers were bad on Tuesday night.

I don't think Alexis is in the same league as Pink, but she was the most deserving female that night.

Brian

OK, group 2 was tonight...Here's my take with a 1-10 rating:

1. Jasmine Murray, 6, she sounds like she's 16. It was simply bad. She might go further in "America's Top Model".

2. Matt Giraud, 6, soul/blues singer trying to do pop, a la Coldplay - didn't cut it with me.

3. Jeanine Vailes, 6, pitchy, pitchy, but has great legs.

4. Nick Mitchell, 7, I have to give the guy credit: he's entertaining. Is he the next American Idol? I don't THINK so.

5. Allison Iraheta, 9, FINALLY, a good performance tonight and probably the first one who stands a chance of making it to the next round. She was really bad just talking (too nervous), but once she started singing - wow! This 16-year-old has some serious pipes to pull off Heart.

6. Kris Allen, 9, I really liked his rendition of "Man in the Mirror"; the judges were only lukewarm on it though, so we'll see.

7. Megan Corkrey, 7, pretty girl, but a bit pitchy; she also needs better stage presence: her Chubby Checker twist moves don't really cut it. She reminds me a little of Brooke White from last year. However, competition is much tougher this year and I will be surprised if she makes it to the top 12.

8. Matt Breitzke, 7, our resident welder blew it with a boring rock song that I'm surprised ever made the Billboard Hot 100. He's gone, for sure.

9. Jesse Langseth, 8, I really like this gal: she's spunky (talks back to Simon), and has a unique look and voice. I think she may have been pushed out by younger talent though.

10. Kai Lalama, 6, What was this guy thinking doing a 60's Motown song karaoke-style? Simon was right about a wedding singer performance. He really blew it.

11. Mishavonna Henson, 9, another spunky young gal that the cameras love (along with Allison). I wasn't familiar with the song, "Drops of Jupiter" by Train, but she seemed to do a fine job, and showed some pretty good vocal chops in the process - especially for an 18-year-old.

12. Adam Lambert, 10, I don't give 10's much, but this guy had me mesmerized with the Stones "Satisfaction". Yeah, the beginning was a tad weak, but once he got rolling, he blew the place out. He could be the next Idol. He's a combination of Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), and Freddy Mercury (Queen). He's got the range, he's got the looks, he's got the stage presence. He's the one to beat.

Summary: I voted for four tonight (in order of preference):
1. Adam Lambert
2. Mishavonna Henson
3. Kris Allen
4. Allison Iraheta

Let's see if America agrees with my top 3 tomorrow...

This show was disappointing—until Allison Irahetta. She was very good for a sixteen year old. They saved the best for last and he did not disappoint—Adam Lambert was the best of the night. I thought Matt Giraud would give him a run for his money but he picked the wrong song to sing. It will be interesting to see who gets the votes.

I was pretty put off myself until Allison. The first 4 were all pretty painful.

It seems Allison and Adam are shoe-ins, but the 3rd spot is a roll of the dice. Jessie and Matt had a slight edge in the poll.

I thought this was pretty clear in terms of who was best:

1. Adam (I don't like him, but he was clearly the best)
2. Mishovanna I was quite annoyed by the idiot judges who were trashing her. She outsang all the other women by a mile. Her song choice as perfect, her delivery was tight and original. It honored the song melody but didn't rip off the original vocal.
3. Allison was the next best. I heard her performace played back on a daytime talk show this morning (the View) and it wasn't nearly as good as I thought originally. But she had all kinds of energy and potential.
4. Nick I really like the guy. He's the first aggressive and campy performer that can actually sing. He did miss one section badly but he knew it right away and I know he can outsing all the others on the show except Adam. He's likable and fun and I'd love to see what he'd do each week.

The rest were boring and forgettable. Kris sang well but was boring. The other girls couldn't sing.

Biggest disappointment? Matt Giraud. He CHOKED big time.

I'd be happiest if Adam, Mishovanna and either Allison or Nick got through. I think Nick or Allison (or both) will be on the Wild Card show if they don't move forward. I also predict that Nick will be in the final 2 to see who gets the last slot no matter how he finished. Let's see if that happens.

Brian

YOU like Nick/Norman Brian? REALLY? I think he was fun in a certain way, but made a mockery of the whole in another way...I dunno...and you don't really like Adam...hmmm...I think it's him and Danny right now...unless someone else really steps up, I see them as the David/David of last year...I think they will both be there at the end. I think Adam is amazing ! !

My opinion is that American (aka young girls) will be making the mos calls. Therefore the cute guy, Adam who looks like an Anime cartoon character will be the top pick. He's a great singer, confident on stage, and has great control of his voice. It's obvious why he was put on last.
As for the guys, I'm with Brian on the Nick/Norman choice. I think he'll make it far because he is the MOST entertaining, but he won't be the finalist. He brings a freshness to the show and it's obvious people like him.

As for the girls, this one was really tough. There were three that stood out to me - Jesse (Bette Davis eyes) I liked the best. She sang and phrased well, and had comfortable stage presence. She had a personality when she wasn't singing that I liked too. Allison Iraheta was dynomite powerhouse covering Heart but seems a bit whifty. I also liked the tonality of Megan Corkrey, though not the best song choice. Her stage presence seemed a bit nervous. Mishovanna moved well and sang well, but it wasn't memorable for me. Though she was good, there wasn't anything unique that stood out to me with her performance.

I'll bet America will vote for Adam, Allison, and I hope Nick.

Feb 25/09 – 2nd group of 12

Overall I thought it was a very poor show. The number one thing that occurred to me as I watched (which was then expressed by Randy) is, pick a song that ‘sings itself’. If you pick a song that you like, that has no range, that has no vocal highs and lows, that doesn’t challenge you… then you have to try so hard to make something of the song, that your voice & your performance suffers. I really think too, that just because you like a song, it doesn’t mean it suits you or your voice, or will show your personality.

*JASMINE (3/10) – very pitchy performance, especially at the end when she pushed her voice. The song seemed too low for her. Unfortunately, a rather dull performance. As I said above, pick a song that helps you, helps show off your voice – not something you have to overperform just to make an impact.

*MATT (4/10) – nice voice. His breathing was all over the place, likely due to nerves. I’m not sure that he has much range – certainly this song seemed to show a limitation.

*JEANINE (2/10) – very low, very pitchy, sort of a weird arrangement or something. I thought she came to life a little bit at the end.

*NORMAN (7/10) – dear Norman. I award him the best performance of the night. He took over the stage, every eye was on him, and you wanted to see/hear what he was going to do next. And he actually has a nice voice too.

*ALISON (6.5/10) – I felt her voice sits a little too far back – it’s like she’s swallowing her vowels. A little pushy, a little pitchy.

*KRIS (6.5) – voice was tight from the start. I thought the song was a good choice, and that the performance was decent, although it didn’t show range. Second best performer of the night.

*MEAGAN (4.5/10) – nice voice & presence. The song seemed low, a little pushy/pitchy, but parts were okay. Didn’t really show off. I agree she’s got marketability.

*MATTB (6.75) – engaging from the start. Good presence, but the song itself felt too slow, too many pauses between vocal lines. Again, a song that doesn’t help the singer sing. I was waiting for the song to take off, but it never did.

*JESSE (7.1/10) – nice vocals, solid tone. I felt the performance was a bit ‘put on’ but better than any other singer prior to him.

*KAI (6.8/10) – nice voice, okay, a little blah, safe.

*MISHAVONNA (8/10) – reminds me of Katherine McPhee. Very focused, very serious (too much so), but secure, and chose a good song to sing.

*ADAM (8.5/10) – he definitely has the best voice of these 12, and he’s a seasoned performer. I thought he did a terrific job, and actually sounded like an IDOL should sound.

Choices: ADAM, MISHAVONNA, JESSE
Honourable Mention: Norman

Argh! Our DVR didn't record American Idol tonight for some reason. I guess I will have to search it out on line.

Brian

~ Feb 26/09 - Results: Adam Lambert (no surprise), Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen

The best part of the show are the 3 winners singing their songs. Any one of them sings better than Brooke White, who sits at the piano and sings her new single, which has odd lyrics. Her voice is thin and pitchy.

Brooke White should have never got as far as she did last year. Once again, she killed the show with her boring delivery.

I actually find the judges to be more entertaining than the contestants for the most part. The tendency to overuse the term pitchy and the phrase about poor song choice show 3 of the 4 judges to be seriously lacking in being able to gave much depth in their feedback. The one signal contestants can watch for as they are performing that helps is if Paula is out of her seat. But her head seemed to be in the clouds again on Wed.

Simon is the one judge who holds any credibility. I loved when he started nodding his head sided to side as the new judge started droning on & on tonite. She's not bringing anything to the show and should be voted off the island - judges panel.

As for contestants themselves? Allison brought it this week, but her second performance Thurs. showed that hearing a given perf. of any of these pieces more than once is too much. Same w/ Adam. Seriously, with these shortened versions of the songs, they are getting to the climax of the song too soon and drawing it out too long, thus killing the impact.

That and a couple quarters might get you a cup of coffee at a truck stop.

Jeff

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the results.

However, I was disappointed that Brooke didn't credit her co-writer(s) - and they really pushed the envelope when they said this was Brooke's first single...uh, I guess they forgot she had a recording contract before AI last year? You can still buy the CD on Amazon. Apparently, it had no singles on it...

Anyways, the song was ok and the vocals, as usual, were pretty average. I hear someone that good or better every time I go to a singer/songwriter showcase in the area.

I think that Kara IS now adding to the show - now that she's stopped the "I agree with Randy" monotone. Although she put her foot in her mouth a bit tonight (trying too hard to recover from dissing Kris last night), she at least gave some decent advice to him. Wanna bet she knew Kris had already "won" tonight?

The judge's bickering amongst themselves is almost entertaining...but Randy seems to be staying clear of it. Maybe Kara will end up punching Simon out. Now THAT would be funny!

Next week is the "Judges Favorites" night - or what they officially call the "Wild Card" show where judges can bring back anyone they want, so Anoop, Tatiana, Jesse, and/or Mishavonna may still get back on. If the vote is 3:1, then even Nick could get back on.

They KNOW Nick/Norman is a favorite - he just doesn't fit "their idea" of what an American Idol should be. That's why he was paired with Adam at the very end - and even Adam wasn't sure if he'd make it through because of Nick/Norman. No doubt he will be back.

I didn't get to see the show but read the results elsewhere. So I was correct in predicting that Nick would be in the last 2 standing at the end of the results. The show is SOOOOO predictable. I can't complain too much about the results as I did think Kris sang well enough, he was just boring. I figured Nick was a long shot, but expect to see him next week even if they have zero intention of really giving him a shot to get in the final 12. He's just too good for their ratings not to bring him back. Tatiana probably for the same reason and frankly I think she and Nick both sing well enough to be in the final 12 over anyone else they will have on the Wild Card show. Mishovanna got a bit jipped because the judges acted like she sucked even though she didn't.

Right now their Top 12 is extremely boring. There's a couple decent singers but no one with a personality. The big dude that got through week 1 is a total yawner as is Kris from this week. Those third place vote getters sure are boring. Oh.. and what GUY spells his name Kris? Seriously... I've always seen that for girls. Ah well.

Brian

Kristofferson ring any bells?

I thought Brooke's advice to the contestants was very smart: "Don't Google your name!"

I don't know about Nick being a favorite. Even the "Vote For The Worst" group backed him, but apparently there still weren't enough votes (assuming no vote manipulation). It WAS kind of entertaining to see him paired up with Adam. Maybe they'll bring him back just for the entertainment value. I think they should bring the drama queen, Tatiana, back as well.

Although Nick is pretty good as a singer, I think Anoop, Tatiana, and Mishavonna are all better singers with broader appeal to "middle-America". He's just too left of center to have broad appeal, IMHO. Maybe he'd do well in Vegas as a specialty act, but I can't see him with a Billboard Top 10 hit.

What's surprising is that it seems they're going to have the Wild Card round before they've picked the 3 from the final group...

Kevin,

I know there are Kris's out there.. (Kris Kringle for example) but 9 out of 10 I've ever met have been girls, including the wife of one of my best friends. I just find it an odd name to give a boy, Kristofferson or not. (Oddly enough, Kris Kris appears in a video submitted by one of our members in the video category of the awards... it's a small small world).

Brian

Just for the fun of it I would like to make a prediction. Because this guy's voice seems to not have a limit, and because he looks like Elvis a little, and because watching him reminds one of a concert instead of an audition (Paula's observation), I will put my money on Adam Lambert. While other contestants are trying to find their "stuff", this guy has so much of it that he has to notch it down.

OK...the last group of 12 performed tonight. Here's my take:

1. Von Smith - probably the best "opening act" of the 3 groups. Other than a bit shouty and a bit pitchy in places, not bad. I don't think he's going through though.

2. Taylor Vaifanua - better than Von for sure. She sang an Alicia Keys song, but didn't make it sparkle. It was ok, just didn't knock me out: a forgetable performance. She probably won't make it through.

3. Alex Wagner-Trugman - Sorry, but the guy's simply dorky and is not even a good singer. I don't know how he made it this far. He's gone for sure.

4. Arianna Afsar - All the 13-year-old boys are no doubt going ga-ga over this gal, who (unfortunately) sounds her age: 17. Her voice just hasn't matured yet. She's certainly cute, though. I'm pretty sure she'll be gone as well.

5. Ju'not Joyner - The judges thought it was pretty good, but I was bored stiff until the last 30 seconds of the song. I don't think he'll make it through.

6. Kristen McNamara - This girl did not sound like I expected. I thought she was another Barbie Doll Blonde Bimbo, but she can sing real sultry and bluesy. Nice job. She has a good shot at making it through tonight.

7. Nathaniel Marshall - Mr. drama queen himself can't even sing as good as Boy George. I seriously doubt he'll get too many votes. He has a squeaky, shrilly voice and is painful to watch.

8. Felicia Barton - What a cute mom - who can actually sing. She has a serious shot at the next round.

9. Scott McIntyre - I don't know...I didn't think he sounded all that good; he looks weird pretending he sees the audience, but he may get quite a few what I'll call "sympathy votes". If he put shades on like Jose Feliciano or Stevie Wonder, I think he'd be better off.

10. Kendall Beard - Ahh, the Prom Queen and Barbie Doll of the bunch is vying for the next Carrie Underwood slot available. She's not a bad singer and is just as gorgeous as Carrie.

11. Jorge Nunez - Wow, this guy can sing! He had a couple of pitchy notes, but the guy does have a big heart that reaches out and grabs you. I hope he makes it through.

12. Lil Rounds - the standout of the evening. Yeah, this girl can sing. She's a shoe-in for the next round.

This group had 3 weeks to prepare instead of just one or two, so the song selection was better (they learned from the others' mistakes). However, I'm having a hard time getting my vote down to just three. I thought that five were quite acceptable. In my order of personal preference:

1. Lil Rounds
2. Felicia Barton
3. Kristen McNamara
4. Jorge Nunez
5. Kendall Beard

Now, I think America will vote as follows:

1. Lil Rounds is a certainty (she should make the finals)
2. Scott McIntyre
3. Felicia Barton.

I thought this was by far the weakest of the 3 weeks. There was only a couple of decent performances and the judges trashed one of them because they don't want to risk Lil Rounds not making it through.

It's clear the judges wants Lil Rounds and Scott McIntyre to go through. They placed Scott with the weakest collection of male singers BY FAR of the 3 weeks. But he was really TERRIBLE. If he wasn't sight impaired, they would have run him out on a rail. And because of that it's quite offensive they propped up that performance. The disabled want EQUAL rights.. not unfair rights. At least he was strong in the Hollywood week singing as well as Chris Daughtry on Daughtry's song.

I thought the best overall vocal performance was put in by a JPF member who many of you may have first seen on Nashville Star the same year that Chris Young won it. Kirstin McNamara sang the best but got unfairly hammered by the judges. It was so biased and predictable. They propped up several female singers that frankly sucked instead. Lil Rounds did a good job, not as great as they've made her out to be, but certainly had the vibe of a real star and mature performer. But it's the same old R&B thing that has become pretty tired. Von Smith was the best male vocalist of the night but even he was shouting as much as singing. I will say that he's better than either of the two wild card entries so far.

If it was based solely on the singing from tonight, it should be:

1. Lil Rounds
2. Kristen McNamara
3. Von Smith

But most likely, it will be:

1. Lil Rounds
2. Scott McIntyre
3. Kendall Beard (ack)

Frankly, there are a half dozen people not in the final 12 that are more deserving than any of them outside of Lil Rounds.

This is stacking up to be the most boring AI final 12 ever. If I was producing the show, I'd put through Tatiana and Norman so at least there was something to talk about while we yawn through 11 weeks of boredom.

Brian

Last group of 12 – 3Mar09

I thought it was a better show in terms of quality of singers, but I have to admit I started zoning out towards the end. Two hours, too much chit chat. I look forward to when we have the top 12 and can zero in on individual performances better.

*VON SMITH (7/10) – nice tone, sang smoothly in tune, song had an agreeable groove, not bad.

TAYLOR V (6/10) – rather low, but I liked her delivery of the first verse. The second seemed less secure – probably because the voice gets tired swiftly when we sing too low in the register for too long. I felt she has a nice instrument but it needs more development. I wasn’t sure of the song choice for her. She did look comfortable on stage.

*ALEX W-T (7.5/10) – good voice, solid tone & depth. I wanted him to open his mouth more. He showed personality.

ARIANNA (6.5/10) – I felt there was depth to the voice/tone. Odd song, but good voice. She needs to be careful not to push the voice. I thought the accompaniment was a bit strange. Who arranges these things?

*JU’NOT (6.8/10) – nicely done, very secure, good song choice for him, good build. Kept me with him all the way through. He knows how to paint a song with his voice.

KIRSTEN (6.2/10) – She was dressed like Maria in ‘The Sound of Music’ and the song / performance was overdone.

NATHANIEL (6.6/10) – A bloom on the voice, nice flow, youthful personality. An okay, fun performance.

?? (6.4/10) – I felt like there was some good tone in the voice, not bad, a little pitchy… I started to zone out and didn’t even get her name.

SCOTT (6.3/10) – It was a safe, okay performance, I would have liked to have heard more depth.

KENDALL (5.10) – Very cute, I thought the song was pitchy & pushy. Not the song for her.

JORGE (6.45/10) – Solid tone, sung on pitch, the performance was okay… last note was good.

*LIL (6.9/10) – I’m afraid I felt a little skeptical listening to all the judges rave about this performance. Yeah, she was good… but she didn’t blow my socks off. A warm rich voice, I thought it was a safe song choice, not a bad performance.

As you can see, I didn’t rate anyone more than 7.5 and most of the singers were in the 6.0 to 7.0 range – acceptable but not extraordinary.

Maybe 3 out of these 4 will go through: AlexW, VonS, Lil, Ju’Not

Vikki,

Actually you found less to like in your ratings from last nights show than either of the first two meaning you agreed with me, this was the worst of the 3. Sure, there weren't as many HEINOUSLY bad people as previous weeks, but the top talent fell far short of the first two.

I really think this is the most boring AI ever. This voting format works perfectly for them to make sure they get the exact 12 they want in the final 12, but it's bad for everyone else and is hurting them in the ratings. We used to have a lot more chances to get to know performers, but now it's one and done. And this wild card show is such a sham. Does anyone on the planet think they're going to make any decisions in real time? It's already decided so the only point in having the show is to... have a show and sell ads. Sure, that's really their only goal anyway.. but it's such a fraud. Why not just add ANOTHER episode on Friday and let fans vote? (Assuming fan votes actually count anyway... something I often wonder about).

Brian

I was sick last night and did not get to watch the show but I was able to catch their performances on youtube. It's interesting they put the stronger performers last. Lil Rounds was last and gave a good performance. I thought Felicia Barton had an excellent vocal but poor performance. Scott McIntyre seemed uncomfortable without his piano. He sang well but others were better.

In a perfect world the final three would be Adam L., Danny G. and Lil R.

Ya Redlady
Do ya think it was a coincidence that those 3 all sang LAST on the list of each night? Easiest to remember the last one you saw, right? Maybe we should just skip to the last 2 weeks !
On a positive note, there are still people like Jennifer Hudson out there who we would've never heard of without AI.

Hi Herbie

Very true AI is a platform for the young who might not have had a chance but they do come with some natural talent. Tonight they picked the wildcard show. I was glad to Matt G., Anoop and Ricky B back. They are even giving Titanna another shot. I think that may be for drama value more than anything. They said they thought long and hard about that one. I wonder why? Ratings perhaps….

I think Anoop should be in the top 12. I love his voice. I watched him in youtube in the UNC Clef Hangers--a male acapella Group--Outstanding. Matt has a nice soulful voice too. I hope they make it.

I'm sooo glad to see Ricky Braddy get another shot...I do see how they manipulate the show though...never really paid attention to that before. My son likes Anoop.

RESULTS - Mar 4/09:

Top 3: Lil (no big surprise), Scott (not the best singer by a mile), Jorge.

Here are the wildcard contestants and my rating of their performance: Von Smith (7/10), Jasmine Murray (3/10), Ricky Braddy (8/10), Megan Corkrey, Tatiana del Toro (6.75/10), Matt Giraud (4/10), Jesse Langseth (7.1/10) and Anoop Desai (4/10).

.... Simon: "One of you is through to the top twelve. The other is not." duh zzzzzzzz

"Top 3: Lil (no big surprise), Scott (not the best singer by a mile), Jorge."

Yeah, Scott simply has the sympathy vote. No way he's an idol; no way he's even one of the top five best singers. I do think that Jorge can really sing, and he sang better tonight than last night. I hope that Lil can do something more than pop/r&b, but she can certainly wail.

For the wild cards...

I predicted Tatiana would be back and hoped they would have Anoop back. The others were pretty forgetable to me.

I was surprised they picked Jasmine to come back. She was probably the worst of the bunch for vocal talent.

Of course, none of these have actually WON one of the last 3 spots - yet - but I think Anoop will.

Anyone notice that Ryan DIDN'T ask the judges what they were expecting of Tatiana....

Tomorrow will be way more interesting than last night and tonight, not only because it will sum up the top 12, but I think the people given the 2nd chance will have a bit more experience now and will pick better songs.

Of all the performances I've seen, my favorite is Jesse Langseth. She just has a smooth tone, great style and mature confidence about her. Highly unlikely that she'll make it through, but of all I've seen I like her the best. Personal taste I suppose.

I really have no idea why anyone things Jorge is a good singer. I watched him both times and thought he was very weak with little upside.

They've already decided who the 3 are even before they sing. This whole thing is ridiculous. It's true that the wild card show may be the best talent of any of the previous elimination shows but right now they have the most boring top 12 ever by a large margin.

I am rooting for Tatiana. She's entertaining as a drama queen. She's like a theatrical play.. a greek tragedy... every time she's on stage. I was very disappointed they didn't bring Norman back. But they didn't want to risk him doing well. The top 12 this year is totally manipulated and manufactured. A few they moved back into the wild card are shockingly BAD.

Ack...

Hooray!!!!!! Matt and Anoop made it into the final 13. Did you catch the look on Anoop’s face when Matt was announced the twelfth spot. Then when Simon announced he—(Anoop) made into the top 13. Anoop was shocked. Matt did sing very well. Anoop chose a safe song. It did not show off his vocal ability. I know he will not win but I hope he makes the top 10 and goes on tour. Jasmine was a surprise--interesting voice.

At least they gave Titanna some counseling after they told her no. I can see Brian’s point about this season promising to be boring --unless someone steps up to the plate and makes it interesting.

Hey Gang,

Thought I might find Big Jim floating around here, but I guess with the time difference and all....

Anyway, just caught the last half of the show....and though I haven't been as consistent watching all the performances so far this season, I'm pretty pleased about the top 13.

Are these the BEST 13 singers of the lot? Maybe, maybe not....but as Simon readily admitted tonight, it's about "casting" the top group. In light of that, I was somewhat surprised they didn't put thru Tatiana...I thought she sang fairly well tonight. Oh well, perhaps too much drama.

Larry, I liked Jesse too. Hopefully she'll find some other opportunities because of this.

But now it's time to just sit back and ENJOY the ENTERTAINMENT!! Personally, I don't care if Simon has already chosen the winner....it's going to be fun watching all the highs and lows until we get there.

And now, on with the SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

Have a great night!
Beth

Wildcard Show 5Mar09

Well, let's see what they come up with tonight.

JESSE (3/10) – boring, agree with Simon, a little 'self-indulgent'

*MATT (7.2/10) – not sure of song, brought his personality out, a little self indulgent too, but very enjoyable

MEAGAN (4/10) – too low for her, wanted to hear more of her range, nice tone, kinda missed the last note. Okay song.

*VON (8/10) – great vocals. What? This guy is boring and the others so far weren’t?

*JASMINE (7.8) – okay, she has a voice, she has potential. Is she ready to be an Idol? I don’t know. Felt a little pitchy, I thought it was a shaky performance.

RICKY (7.5/10) – ain’t it obvious where the judges are going? His performance wasn’t THAT bad.

*TATIANA (7.7) – okay, so she sang the same song. She sang it pretty well. Her voice is mature, strong – ready – unlike Jasmine. She can sing on pitch, too.

*ANOOP (7/10) – he’s not bad, not bad. Some strength, some depth of tone

**MY PICK – Von, Jasmine... Matt… maybe Tatiana, Anoop?

--Jasmine: they call her up, what do you think they are going to say? Randy says… heavy deliberation… welcome to the top twelve.

--Ricky – front and centre – Kara says… you showed more personality… but not enough.

--Meagan / Tatiana – it’s not over… what you’ve done is astonishing. Continue with your dream… MEAGAN?????? Give me a break.

--Jesse – Simon says – you didn’t make the top twelve

--Von – I don’t think he’ll make it, they have called him up now & there are other people left.

--Matt, Anoop. Should be Matt. Simon says… Matt, you’ve made it through.

Then they announce… they are going to make it a top 13, and Anoop is in.

Top 13 now includes: Jasmine, Meagan, Matt, Anoop

Well, on to the real competition now. Maybe.

@#$& dvr!!

what really stinks is the show went overtime, so my recording of Hell's Kitchen which came right after AI was cut off at the very end.

I would think that it is a hard road for the contestents. It seems like they really do work hard.

Tom

I watched the latest episode. The usual crop of pretty average wannabes. Not impressed by any of them, and certainly none deserves stardom based on any of the performances I witnessed. Just an average night at the local pub Karaoke.....how do these people get on TV? Are audiences and viewers so naive and easily entertained that they encourage this nonesense?

Gosh Jim, I don't think you've ever mentioned your feelings on AI before. Good to see you come out of your shell...

When I am in Scotland Jim, you're going to have to take me to the Karaoke club that has a night full of singers that sing better than all those contestants. Whenever I have been it's usually drunk people singing off key and slobbering on the mic.

Brian

You obviously go to the wrong places Brian....There are a lot of people behave like you say but there are also some great singers or should I say average singers in nearly every pub who are as good as the AI people....where do you think Mr S C gets the contestants from?.....Be honest they are all just average singers with no apprenticeship served or any real natural talent above being able to hold a tune.....about 50% of the population can do that.

I will take you to Krapioke bars if you want....but I could take you to pubs and clubs to see acts that will blow you away....especially if you think AI standards are so good.

AI certainly wouldn't be attractive (or even available) to someone who is already doing well as a recording artist or band. These are generally unknowns - and sometimes unknown for a reason: who would want to work with Tatiana, for instance? No one in their right mind would do it on spec.

I really, really don't think Jasmine belongs in this group. Besides being pitchy, her upper range is so shrill, it's sort of painful to listen to. She also doesn't seem to have much of a personality - maybe that's what Simon likes. She's obviously his fave in the group - another young one he can "mold" freely.

Anoop - good. He's a player.
Matt - good. He's a player as well. I hope he doesn't do too much of the Taylor Hicks thing though.
Megan - well, average singer, but unique style, so I can see why they wanted her. She'll be the "Brooke White" of this season.

Tatiana certain has no shortage of personality, or should I say personalities? She's a mental wreck and therefore not really suited for fame - she could have a breakdown on national TV. Besides, she blew it when she sang the same Whitney song as during Hollywood week and then tried to claim it was a totally different arrangement. That didn't sit well with ANY of the judges.

I was at least entertained by Tatiana. I could easily work with her. Who wants to work with a timid wallflower? She's outrageous and melodramatic and there's all sorts of possibilities there. Her problem wasn't all that (that's ratings gold) it was that she didn't sing the song well all the way through, and even though she had the most power in her voice, she blew the lead up parts and so her very slim chance disappeared. She had to be perfect to move forward.

Their choices were annoyingly predictable. Jasmine was one of the very worst singers of the final 36. Even though she had a decent performance (in relative terms) last night, she never should have still been there to sing again. She'll likely tank quickly and be gone after a couple of the anonymous types they put through disappear. She looks a lot like a famous actress (can't think of her name but she was in those cheerleader movies Bring It On I think) so that will carry her a while.

I still think this is by far the most boring top 13 ever. Though I liked Anoop early on, he was terrible his first performance and only slightly better last night. But everyone knew he was moving forward. It was all so lame. I think they had decided on 3 they were going to move forward and they left 1 open for the show. But they didn't pick the best male or female vocalist of the night so it was stupid.

Megan and Jasmine both can't sing. Anoop is average. Matt is inconsistent but at least has some potential. I'd much rather work with Tatiana than any of those 4. And they didn't put Norman through because he had the balls to expose the show for what it is.. a bunch of ridiculous melodramatic hype with boring judges that are phoning it in at best and a major fix in on who made the top 13 and where further efforts will be made via performance order, song styles and carefully planned out feedback on performances by the judges to nudge the results in the direction they want. And that assumes that there's not systematic persuasion in what phones register votes etc.. during the voting process. You heard one of the contestants acknowledge that they couldn't register a vote for themselves. It would be SOOOOO easy for them to selectively affect which lines had the most bandwidth.

That said, it's still good for the young singers that make it. Even the most abused bad contestant gets in front of more people than they ever will again in their lives. Commercial music is solely about exploiting the "product" and all these singers want commercial success. Anyone else who wants commercial success is being disingenous to say that it's not a great shortcut. And any decent singer on the planet would want to take advantage of the chance to be on the show if their goals are to get out in front of the masses. So even when it's all bad, it's still all good. It's a nice break for me from listening to JPF music which is always far superior to anything on these TV shows.

By the way, JPF member Kristin McNamara was ripped off. She was the strongest female vocalist that night by far and they just decided they didn't want someone who failed on Nashville Star to be in their Top 13.

Brian

I thought she had a strong vocal as well. Simon didn’t want her in there from the beginning (remember he wanted the “pretty one” when they did the sing-off and he kept saying it was a huge mistake that Kristen made it in over her? He said it right to her).

I’m bummed Ricky Braddy didn’t get in over some of the other “supposed” personalities. I’m hoping the ones who got axed get some attention anyway, from the exposure they did receive. But they never do follow-ups on them, so who’s to know? Oh well. I guess we can always google them!

They would follow up if one of them had success. They even follow up on William Hung. They are happy to exploit anyone in any way they can if they can do it. So if you don't hear from them, they likely aren't doing anything.

Ricky and Kristen both sang very well and were ignored. Once again proving what we've always known, they don't care about singing. Even Simon admitted it when we openly said it was all about "Casting" the show, not picking the best singers.

There's a couple of talents on the show this year and a lot of boring personalities. That Norman guy was like a living parody of the show and that's why they took no chances of him actually being on the show. They placed him up against the toughest male singer field of the 3 shows just to make sure, even though he outsang all but one of them.

But if any of those artists are smart, they will use AI just like AI uses them. That's how commercial music has always worked and still does. I think Norman and Tatiana should go out on tour with each other. = )

Brian

That's funny!

Top 13, Mar 10/09 - My picks.

I have always felt that Adam has great vocals, tonight he was amazing, reminded me of Steve Tyler and other terrific rock artists. My only worry is that he may be peaking too soon. I hope he is wise enough to rest up, and focus on continuing to work hard. You don't want to assume you have it in the bag. My bottom two are Kris & Anoop... many of the others are rated pretty close to each other right now.

*Adam (10/10)
*Danny (7.25/10)
*Lil (7/10)
Matt (6.95/10)
Alison (6.9/10)
Meagan (6.8/10)
Michael (6.75)
Jasmine(6.6/10)
Jorge (6.55/10)
Scott (6.5/10)
Alexis (6.30/10)
-Kris (6.25/10)
-Anoop (5/10)

My takes:

1. Lil - 8, decent but didn't blow me away. She's safe.
2. Scott - 8, he wasn't the worst, but he's no idol. He's safe for now.
3. Danny - 10 - excellent; he could make the finals
4. Michael - 9 - not bad, won't make the finals, but is probably safe this week.
5. Jasmine - 7 - pitchy, shrilly, She will go home either this week or next
6. Kris - 10 - very nice; he's safe. He has some weird facial expressions that he needs to work on.
7. Allison - 9 - I really like her; I hope America does too. She should be safe this week.
8. Anoop - 7 - bad performance, bad song for him. I will be surprised if he's not gone tonight.
9. Jorge - 7 - bad performance; bad diction - he was sharp almost the whole song. He'll he gone tonight.
10 - Megan - 8 - not an impressive vocal, but she seems to be popular just like Brooke White was last year, so she's safe for now.
11. Adam - 10 - another knockout performance. A real contender here. My only concern is that he may peak too soon.
12. Matt - 9 - solid performance; he's safe
13. Alexis - 9 - she was good, just not as good as she thought. Being in the coveted "final" slot, she's no doubt safe.

Highs: Adam and Danny
Lows: Anoop and Jorge; possibly Jasmine

Simon will be quoted for some time: "It's fine being artistic, just not on this show."

I thought the 3 best were:

Adam
Danny
Allison

I thought the 4 worst were:

Jorge
Scott
Anoop
Jasmine

All four of these need to be gone. None deserved to be in the finals in the first place and they all proved it last night. Scott is the weakest overall singers of everyone and though he had 1 good performance in Hollywood, he's now had 2 miserable ones. Jorge has sucked from the start and I can't figure out why anyone has supported him throughout. I realize they want diversity (remember Simon said they had to "cast" the show) but I refuse to believe there wasn't a single other male latin singer that wasn't better all year.

I thought Lil was completely forgettable. Sure, she sings okay, but who really cares?

Adam is a veteran performer/singer. He's been doing this a really long time. In terms of pop music, he's really at the upper end of the age bracket. Though he's impressive, I think that Allison is more impressive being that good at 16. I think she has the most raw talent of the girls and it's really a 3 horse race already between her and Danny and Adam. All 3 have different styles and approaches. Danny is very much another Taylor Hicks. Adam ventures off into being theatrical rather than musical a lot of time and it may cost him a bit over the long haul. Allison took an MJ pop song and made it a legitimate edgy rock song. Compared to the pretender Alexis trying to be a rocker at the end, Allison made her look silly.

Deserves to go: Jorge and Scott

Will Go: Anoop and Jorge.

Possible Upset: Kris or Matt in the bottom 3.

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