Idolites -
We're off and running! All pool entries have been submitted and the preliminary count is 95 entries. There were a couple of folks that had issues entering their picks and we're working that out today. At worst, we'll have 93. While the number of entries is down slightly from last year's high of 105, I do believe we have more people entered this year. I think there are fewer folks that entered three or four.
So, to all of your returning and to those of you new to this ridiculous pool...thank you and welcome!
Now on to the show. Wait, no, if you live in Burien, WA and have Comcast cable you probably missed the show last night, yes? Lucky & I sat there and watched in horror at 7:58pm, when our TV, Internet and Phone service went out. I called Comcast on my cell phone and they acknowledged there was an 'issue' happening in my area, but could give no explanation or timeline as to when things would be fixed. I was forced to admit that I run this pool and write this blog and that this was pretty much the worst time for them to be having 'issues'. I noticed that the DVR record light was on, so I asked him if it was recording the show? "No, you aren't receiving a signal...we will credit your account for one day's service, however."
Really? That's it. It's come to this? A 41-year old married man sitting with his wife and 8-year old son in their family room staring at the blank screen on their TV in full panic. What to do? I went into the storage closet to see if I had a rabbit ear antenna...no luck. Then, I realized that my good friends and neighbors across the street have Direct TV, so I gave them a call. Chuck Nelson is my hero! I asked him if they were recording the show, because I didn't want to barge in on their family time. He said he would, but I could come over and watch if I wanted. his wife Julie was out of town and he and the kids didn't have anything they were set to watch anyway. I waited 10 more minutes to see if Comcast would come back...it didn't. So, thanks to Chuck, Riley & Gage, I was able to venture over and watch the entire show....Wind Beneath My Wings!!!
So....
The judges get their pimped out introduction and head to their desk. Ryan announces that the singers will now be performing in front of 450 screaming fans. 450? That's it? Hmmm...it seemed so much bigger to me. It's kind of the Seacrest of venues. I've been very excited since they announced they would be performing Rolling Stones songs. All of a sudden I realized that I have been let down so many times in the past when the contestants sing the songs of an artist I really like (Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson, etc.). Where there is usually one or two really cool interpretations, there are usually way more hack jobs that leave me more angry that some teeny bopper just ruined one of my favorite songs. I let that feeling pass and decide to relax and enjoy what's coming.
MICHAEL - "Miss You" Alright, here we go. This is the moment you all get to start hating on me. To me Michael is like the black Danny Gokey. He has the nice back story (albeit not a tragic one) that we are continually reminded of. In fact, unlike Danny, Michael has no problem constantly talking about his family and newborn baby and how he needs to support them now. I like him, but he's already wearing on me. As far as his performance, I definitely felt more like Simon. I thought his jumping around on stage seemed like fake energy and kinda desperate. I do feel like his voice is really good and the performance he delivered last week was his best by far. I know he's a physical trainer (who needs to lose about 50 pounds), but that doesn't mean he needs to do calisthenics on stage. He should take a lesson from Ruben Studdard (the performing part, not the diet).
DIDI - "Playing With Fire" This season's Brooke White sang a dark and forgettable song in my opinion. I do like the tone of her voice, but I think she showed off her lack of range tonight when she tried pushing her limits. As a contestant, I think she'll do OK. She's pretty, she cries and is from a strong voting region (Tennessee). Ultimately, however, I think she'll end up in the middle of the pack. Like most of the contestants this season, she lacks the star power to move her terribly far. Tonight was a perfect example.
CASEY - "It's All Over Now" Great back story! I love his mom and he just seems like a very grounded, genuine guy. I have kind of felt sorry for him throughout his journey into the Top 12. He is constantly being reminded of his looks and Kara's crush on him. Now, I think Kara is extra hard on him as a way to deflect any favoritism she may show. All I can say is that if it were a female contestant that Randy or Simon asked to strip down during her audition, Idol would be hounded by women's groups crying for their dismissal from the show. That being said, I think Casey may be relying a bit too much on his guitar playing. I think he's a good player, but this is a singing competition, right? At some point, he is going to need to come out without the guitar and prove that he can sing...and I think he can. He has a really good and unique voice. He has also (smartly) set himself apart as THE country contender. That, along with coming from a strong voting state (Texas) should move him into the top 5 without question. Again, Simon was correct in saying that he needs to show us that he has star appeal. He has the looks, the voice and the talent....one powerful performance would make him a contender to win it all.
LACEY - "Ruby Tuesday" Lacey saunters out looking like Pat Benatar during an early 80's video shoot. I'm liking the arrangement with the violins. She has a nice, sweet voice to go along with her nice, sweet personality. I'm starting to get bored now. Oh no, she's sitting down (one of my Idol Faux Pas'). OOk, now she's picking up the tempo and really showing off her vocal skills...why is she still sitting down? Thankfully, Ellen points out the same thing, so I don't feel like I'm crazy. I do like Lacey. I think she has a unique voice and seems like a genuinely sweet preacher's daughter. She has no shot at winning which is why she was one of only two contestants that no one picked to win. Although I imagine I said the same thing about Kris Allen last season..but, really she has no shot.
ANDREW - "Gimme Shelter" Sigh! I agonized over my picks this season...just ask Leah. I thought she was going to punch me in the middle of my whining (which would have been completely justified!). I had determined that there was a definite separation between the top 6 and bottom 6. From there, it could be anyone. So, on my pool, I decided to take a chance on Andrew. Going into the Top 24, he was the odds on favorite to win...by the judges and the odds makers. He had been sliding backwards ever since, but he obviously had shown at some point that he had the skills to win. So, I took a chance on him to turn things around. i thought the Rolling Stones would be the perfect platform for him to re-establish himself as someone that could win this thing. So, we get his emotional back story and talk about his guitar. His best performance (which we continually have to hear about..Straight Up) was using his guitar. His worst performance was the one without the guitar....WHERE THE HELL WAS YOUR GUITAR ANDREW???? He picked one of my favorite Stones songs to sing and then went out and did a mediocre version with no originality. Are you trying to lose? My pool is screwed. Thank goodness I have Presley's pool to fall back on.
KATIE - "Wild Horses" Believe it or not, Katie was the other favorite by the odds-makers going into the Top 24. She has shown her weakness ever since and, much like Andrew, has found herself struggling to make it through to the next week. She starts off the song by sitting...enough of that please! She is able to show off her really incredible voice. I actually think she should try to work a country angle. Her voice fits it well and there is no other girl doing that right now. She's cute, tries hard and could garner a lot of votes. She still looks like she's playing dress up, which points out the fact that she is so young and still finding her way. With Lilly and Katelyn out of the picture, I think she is the third best girl left. However, Siobhan and Crystal are SO far ahead of her I don't see her finishing any higher than middle of the pack.
TIM - "Under My Thumb" Tim's playing with house money right now. He wasn't supposed to be in the Top 24, but lucked his way in. His first performance was so awful, he became the poster boy for VoteForTheWorst.com and now finds himself in the Top 12. So, to "take a risk" he performs a reggae version of Under My Thumb. Overall, I though the evening had mostly ho-hum performances with one great performance and one lousy one. This was the lousy one. With the mop hair, cute looks and, now, laughably bad performances Tim has earned his role as the Sanjaya of Season 9. I felt like I was listening to Jason Castro (I can feel the protests coming already). The funny thing is that Tim could end up with a similar career...playing at weddings for reality TV stars. He even gave out the Danny Gokey heart sign while on stage with Seacrest. I really do like Tim, but he's becoming a joke...that will take him at least 3 to 5 more weeks into the competition.
SIOBHAN - "Paint It Black" Whew! OK, my original pick to win it all was Siobhan. In our household, we normally have each one of our four pools pick a different winner. Before I made my picks, Leah had chosen Siobhan. Lucky picked Crystal, so that left (in my mind) Lee, Andrew and Casey as the only other potential winners. I decided (poorly) to choose Andrew on my pool. Presley's pool is always my secondary one. I just like Siobhan so much, that I threw out my normal rule and, thankfully, chose her to win on Presley's. She did not disappoint. This was, by far, the best performance of the night. Kara hit it on the head when she said she was seeing visions of Adam Lambert. I was getting goosebumps each time she hit a higher...and higher note. She had the look (except the hair...who did that?) and the performance to match her wicked vocals. Match that with her quiet confidence and nutty personality and I truly do think she is the one to beat. She is the only thing that can heal the pain of losing Lilly Scott. WOW!
LEE - "Beast Of Burden" Leah & I had talked last week about how much he is starting to look and sound like Dave Mathews. This performance just reinforced that. Randy even dropped in that observation. The problem is that Dave Mathews would never win American Idol...and unless he comes through with more confidence and star power, neither will Lee. This song was nice, but didn't (as Simon would put it) have any "wow" factor. I really do like his voice. I think he has the potential to work himself into more of a David Cook-type of performer, but that time is running out. He needs to change it up or be satisfied with a Top 5 finish and Idol obscurity.
PAIGE - "Honky Tonk Woman" Will dressing like the Crocodile Hunter and singing a more upbeat performance change how we feel about Paige? No, I don't think so. She's kind of like Lacey with a bigger voice. Super sweet, pretty and a nice voice. Yet, she still has that deer in the headlights look in her (pretty) eyes. Every time I watch her perform, I feel like I'm listening to a really good singer at karaoke. Thanks to Simon for actually asking her what she was struggling with all week. Gotta give her props for sounding so good after having laryngitis. That being said, I'm angry America put her through instead of Lilly.
AARON - "Angie" Of course I would love for my namesake to be great, but he just isn't...yet. Unlike David Archuletta, Aaron doesn't have the experience of performing behind him and I think his age will eventually hurt him. He did well tonight..and, despite the idiotic hair-do, looked good as well. He is a sweet guy that could last a few more weeks. I think he or Tim will go farther than anyone thinks. The other will be going home soon. Aaron just doesn't move me with his performances and comes off kind of boring.
CRYSTAL - " You Can't Always Get What you Want" Idol definitely wants her to win. They give her the best spot on the show yet again. The odds makers have her as the prohibitive favorite and so does our pool. 32 entries have Crystal as their Idol. I think she and Siobhan are head and shoulders above the rest at this point. Here is why I don't think she will win: 1) She seems to be indifferent about her position on the show. I think that "I don't care" attitude will eventually turn off voters in the long run. 2) Her health is a concern. She has already been sent to the hospital once and looked like she was going to pass out during last week's show. I really hope not, but it is a concern. 3) She is the odds-on favorite. I have written about this before (check the blog archives for the exact stats). The performer who is the favorite going into the Top 12 NEVER...I repeat, NEVER wins. Just ask Chris Daughtry or Bo Bice or David Archuletta. That being said, she always delivers a solid performance. Last night was no exception. It was good, but not great. The judges keep pushing her and reminding her she is the favorite, which I think will come back to bit her. Ultimately, I'd be shocked if she wasn't in the Top 4 at worst. She's just too good. But for you 32 folks that have her winning...sorry ;-)
RECAP TIME:
Best Look - Andrew (I liked the coat) Honorable Mention - Casey, Siobhan (sans hair-do)
Worst Look - Paige (R.I.P. Steve Irwin) Honorable Mention - Katie
Best Performance - Siobhan (No contest) Honorable Mention - Crystal
Worst Performance - Tim Honorable Mention - Andrew
PREDICTIONS:
Bottom 3 (should be) - Tim, Paige, Didi
Bottom 3 (will be) - Andrew, Paige, Didi
Out (should be) - Tim
Out (will be) - Andrew (ouch...I hope I'm wrong)
That's all for now. If you want to reply to this blog, click onto the blog link below and make comments there. You can also vote in the poll on who you think will go home tonight.
- Pool Boy out
Idolites -
