Idolites -
Was it when Paula decided not to return this season? No, I don't think so. I wasn't happy when she did and I certainly wasn't looking forward to Ellen as her replacement. However, I have been really impressed with Ellen (despite those who inexplicably feel Ellen is too nice...did you watch Paula in the first eight seasons? She made Ellen look like Gordon Ramsey.)
Was it when Simon announced this would be his last season? Maybe. I'm certainly skeptical on how AI will be able to replace him, but he's still here now...thankfully!
No, I think it was tonight's show when American Idol officially jumped the shark. I should have known it when they announced that Miley Cyrus was the 'mentor' for the week. Really? Miley Cyrus? Don't get me wrong, I don't have any issue with her as a person. She's obviously highly successful in just about every venture she has tried. She also has yet to become a drugged out skank like, say, Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears. Is she really qualified to mentor anyone on singing, though? "Be sure to look into the eyes of a few fans in the front row. It will make their day." Yeah, because Hannah Montana just looked at them. I don't think Paige Miles will have quite the same effect.
Things just got worse from there...
LEE - "The Letter" I think Randy, Ellen and Kara all saw a flash forward of the rest of the show, because they were way too enthusiastic about that performance. While he did better than most this evening, had that performance been done another time, I don't think he would have looked as good as they thought. Going first is always tough on a 2-hour show and I just don't think he did anything that would make me say, "Wow, Lee could win this thing." He was complimented on how he looked more comfortable on stage, but I still just see him as a hunchback that looks like he can't wait to get off stage. I do like his voice, but he continues to pick songs that don't showcase it very well. At least he looked good. He'll be safe, though, because...
PAIGE - "Against All Odds" Starting with Corey Clark in Season 2, this song has been hacked several times on Idol, but Paige took it to a new level tonight. After she performed last week, I though she sounded fine. Lackluster, but fine. Then we heard about her having laryngitis and I was actually kind of impressed. Tonight I was asking myself if she was still sick. My gosh that was awful. Ellen pulled a Paula and decided to compliment her looks (which were good) and not get involved in the bloodbath, which was actually quite humane. I will be shocked if she isn't in the bottom 3 for a second straight week. I really think she'll be leaving as well. This season has been full of mediocrity, but that was flat out horrible.
TIM - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" So when I saw that Tim was up next, I thought, "Wow, how lucky! He gets to follow that train wreck. He could do another reggae version of Under My Thumb and still sound better than Paige." Never underestimate the power of suck. Tim has truly taken the Sanjaya role by the horns. He's got the looks and the young girls will call and text their votes in with even more ferocity this week. His performances are getting more and more desperate, however. He's like Peter Brady looking for his personality. That was SO awkward, I was uncomfortable. Even Ellen took the gloves off, with one of my favorite lines of the night.."There will be a large group of people (i.e. 10 - 14 year old girls) that will love that performance...then there's me." Nice! I actually think he may sneak his way out of the bottom 3 this week, based solely on the fact that he was so bad that his supporters are probably being even more diligent than ever to make sure they vote.
AARON - "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" My namesake gets the sympathy vote right off the bat with his admission of laryngitis and tonsillitis (hmmm?). He's a sweet kid and I think either he or Tim will go fairly far, as I think they share a lot of the same fans. That being said, Aaron can actually sing. Looking like he was being attacked by zippers, I didn't really like his performance tonight, but (of course) he gets the illness pass. I kind of agree with Simon, that Aaron seems a bit on the old fashioned side to me. He's like a more awkward, less cute and confident David Archuletta. He is a sweet kid, though and getting to follow Tim & Paige pretty much guarantees he'll be here another week.
CRYSTAL - "Me & Bobby McGee" Wow, what a stretch. Crystal sings Janis Joplin. Of course, it was really good. I'm sure she also really enjoyed hearing Miley Cyrus tell her to push it a little more. This is it folks. She is the front runner. I completely agree with Ellen on the fact that she doesn't seem to connect with the audience. In my opinion, I think she is still somewhat embarrassed to be on American Idol. You can't tell me that, years ago, when she stopped washing her hair and was sitting outside the coffeehouse playing her guitar and singing for her stoney buddies playing hackey sack she was thinking that American Idol would be a cool thing to win. I'd also put money on the fact that she has probably already gotten ribbed by some of her friends for even trying out, much less doing well. She's smart enough to realize that this is a way for her to be able to take care of her baby, but I just don't sense she's truly into it. I'm also getting a little bored with the fact that she rarely has anything new to bring to the songs she performs. Again, I think she has mad vocal skills and is definitely one of the best singers on the sure for sure. I'm just not buying it yet.
MICHAEL - "When A Man Loves A Woman" Yes, we all like Michael's big personality. Yes, he can sing and did so as well as anyone tonight. But he still seems cheesy and old to me. I keep waiting to hear him sound like a contemporary artist, but think he has too much of a (as Kara put it perfectly) loungy sound and feel. I've never been a fan of someone that riffs so much either...boy am I a whiny curmudgeon right now. He's safe.
ANDREW - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" UGH!!!!!! OK, my pool is definitely done. I must rely on Presley's from here on out. First of all, I completely disagree with Simon and Miley Cyrus on the fact that he should ditch his guitar. Have they been watching the past few weeks? every time he leaves his guitar backstage, he's just awful. They keep hearkening back to "Straight Up"...well, guess what? He had his guitar. He needs it back to regain any confidence he may still have. I still think he's one of only a couple of contestants that has the ability to change up a song's arrangement with any sort of success. He hasn't done it forever and may have just imploded enough to make it irrelevant anyway. Thankfully, Presley's pool has him exiting in 6th. I hope he can hold on that long. Why did I think a guy from California with limited singing range and a neck tattoo had a shot to win? I'm an idiot.
KATIE - "Big Girls Don't Cry" I miss Lilly Scott. Katie is fine. Kinda like Aaron. She has a nice voice and is very sweet. Her look this week was much better and she's headed in the right direction. I do have to agree with Simon, though, on the fact that she would do best in a pop-country style of song. She's just too sweet to go down the pop-R&B route Kara seems to want her to try. Her personality and vocal style would seem to fit better with the fans of country, in my opinion. Tonight she did OK. Dumb song, but at least it (and she) was more contemporary.
CASEY - "The Power Of Love" ***SIGH*** Really? Don't get me wrong, I actually like that song (mostly from a sentimental point-of-view), but is that really what you want to sing on Idol? Simon nailed it with the 80's cover band reference. During his entire lead-in package, Casey talked about how he was used to playing in smaller venues and needed to venture out and move around. Did I miss something? Seemed like he did exactly what he does every week and didn't move a bit from that microphone. The dude can definitely play the guitar, but this ain't Guitar Idol, is it? At some point, he's going to need to prove he can handle himself as a front man without the guitar. I like Casey, but at this point, he and Lee like no more than small club rock band singers. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not going to win American Idol. If it does, the show has fallen farther than I thought.
DIDI - "You're No Good" First off, she looked great! Next, I give her props for changing the arrangement slightly in an attempt to make it her own. That being said, it was a bit slow and clumsy. I'm really not sure what to think of this season's Brooke White. Being from a solid voting region (Tennessee) seems to be her biggest asset. That will only last so long. She could be in trouble this week.
SIOBHAN - "Superstition" After last week's epic performance, Siobhan gets the pimp, final slot on the show. The producers clearly see her potential for holder viewer attention, much like Adam Lambert. People are now waiting and wondering what she will do next, much like Adam. Ellen kind of summed it up when she said "We just want to see more and more of you." That's exactly the problem with this season. Siobhan is the only one that has compelling enough performances that most everyone wants to see...like her or not. As for tonight, she missed the mark. Not a great choice of song and it was done in fairly unoriginal fashion. Though I did like her hair! That being said, even Adam sang "Play That Funky Music", so she's allowed a Mulligan. I hope she gets back on track next week. Simon, who was right on point all night long, made a poignant and sobering statement at the end of the show about how it was a pretty miserable night. As you could probably tell by my tone, I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, Andrew Garcia's state right now very much sums up how I am feeling about Idol. It's kinda like "Remember when you were really good? We need you to be more like that. Not sure where things went wrong, but you need to go back to being as good as you used to be or you're in trouble." Much like Andrew, I'm starting to lose faith in whether things will ever be like they were. Also much like Andrew, I really hope they will be.
RECAP TIME:
Best Look - Didi Honorable Mention - Lee, Paige
Worst Look - Tim Honorable Mention - Aaron
Best Performance - Crystal
Worst Performance - Paige Honorable Mention - Tim, Andrew
PREDICTIONS:
Bottom 3 (should be) - Paige, Tim, Didi
Bottom 3 (will be) - Paige, Andrew, Didi
Out (should be) - Paige
Out (will be) - Paige
Tomorrow, I'll give you all an update on the pool payouts.
- Pool Boy Out!
