The American Idol Thread

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anonymous1980
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Post by anonymous1980 »

My rankings for this week:

01. Elliott ("A Song for You") - Yet another VERY impressive Elliott Yamin performance. He's one contestant who has won me over throughout the course of the competition. Another great one from him. (A)

02. Chris ("Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?") - Chris finally gives a performance at par with his best ones earlier in the competition. Loved it. I think I would like to hear a full-length version. I think it's as good as the original. (A)

03. Katharine ("I Have Nothing") - I don't know what the judges are smoking. I thought she really did good on this song. She did not try to copy Whitney Houston. She did her own thing and did it well. Jennifer Hudson did it better though. (B+)

04. Paris ("The Way We Were") - It is a MOSTLY good performnance. Some parts of it were great. Some parts were good. Some parts were mediocre. Not her best. (B-)

05. Taylor ("Just Once") - VERY disappointing coming from Taylor. Very little of what I like about him is present in this performance. We only see brief glimpses of it but not enough to raise this performance above mediocrity. (C+)

06. Kellie ("Unchained Melody") - Someone should arrest her. For first degree murder of a great song. Jeeez! I thought she couldn't get any worse than last week and she did the unbelievable: Became even worse. (F)

WHO SHOULD GO HOME: The Pickler.
WHO WILL GO HOME: Paris.
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Post by flipp525 »

anonymous, where are ya, bud??

There was a very weird vibe tonight on AI. There was also no real in-between: they were either good or pretty mediocre. Randy wasn't feeling almost anyone, Paula was happy, sad, drunk, and combative with Simon, and Simon, himself was cut off by the producers as he went on and on about how awful the Pickle was (was that some sort of conscious decision by the powers that be to limit the negative commentary on Kellie? I smell a conspiracy). Then, to top it all off, during the performance recap, we could hear the judges talking about them! Oops!

Some thoughts:

Kat McPhee - I wasn't blown away but I also didn't think it was as awful as the judges were saying. The song is *very* big but she had some good gusto at the end.

Elliot - Wonderful. Simply magical. And Paula's tears could not have been better placed. In a perfect world, he'll get a record deal right alongside Chris.

The Pickle - Absolutely awful. I'm so sick of this dumb bitch, I really can't even stand it. "I have no one to play pottery with". You're a f&*%#*g idiot, dear. Go ahead and put that in your scrapbook.

Paris - A little boring. Too deep and monotone in the beginning. I did like how she ended it high instead of what Barbra usually does. Still, not up to par with what she's been delivering of late.

Taylor - He just did not seem very into this performance. I feel like he's really toned himself down after the Saturday Night Live skit. Apparently, he was kind of hurt by it. Taylor, hon, your personality and rambunctiousness were more than half of your momentum. His song choice here was a bit boring.

Chris - Fantastic performance. Not to sound like Paula, but he "made this song his own" so thoroughly, you didn't ever want to hear the original again (not like I ever did). He has a sexy, gorgeous voice.

Bottom Three: Taylor, Kellie, Paris
Who Will Go: Kellie (God willing)
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Post by Greg »

I've only watched a few episodes of the previous season of American Idol; but, I have a theory why some of these supposedly lousy singers (I've never heard Kellie Pickler) don't get voted off. You can tell, just from the advertising, that many reality shows are only about people fighting with each other. A lot of the AI viewers/voters might be attracted to the show simply for the perverse-traffic-wreck-viewing pleasure of watching people sing atrociously and then be insulted by Simon; therefore, many AI viewers vote in favor of the worst singers to keep Simon going.
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Post by Damien »

That that Pickler person wasn't evem among the bottom three despite her atrocious performance indicates the pathetic taste that people who vote in this thing have. It also, alarmingly, points to her winning the whole shebang, simply because a) she is a cute blonde and b) she's from the South. (Somewhere I read that every winner so far has been from the South.)

That clown Taylor gave the worst rendition of "You Send Me" that I've evr heard and should have been next lowest to Pickler. And despite everyone's fawning over Katharine, her mannered , annoying "Someone To Watch Over Me" would have been booed off the stage in a real cabaret.
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Post by dws1982 »

I thought Elliott gave his best performance of the season, and possibly the best performance of any contestant all season. (If Simon had said it was great, I doubt most people would've had complaints about the performance.)

Paris and Katharine were both overrated I though. Chris was pretty good, Taylor gave on of his better performances, and Ace was doing okay until the falsetto. Kellie was appalling, as usual.
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Post by criddic3 »

Elliot was okay, but it didn't get any sincerity from it. He sang it fine, but (maybe it's just me) but he seemed unable to focus his attentions on the audience when he sang. That is where I think Simon got his "personality" thing from. Presence is important.

Paris and Katharine were the best.

Couldn't get through to vote though.

Hehe, I rarely watch the show. But I was tuning the dial and it was starting up, so i did.

i also watched the Queen night. My mother has always liked their songs.
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anonymous1980
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Post by anonymous1980 »

Great night overall. Too bad Pickles had to go stink up the joint.

01. Paris ("These Foolish Things") - To put it in simple terms: It was magical. Absolutely amazing performance. Finally! We're getting A's again from me. (A)

02. Elliott ("It Had to Be You") - I don't get Simon: What lack of personality? This is one of the best performances. I could listen to the mp3 all day. (A)

03. Katharine ("Someone to Watch Over Me") - The McPheever has gotten hotter again. Not a perfect performance but an excellent one nonetheless. (A-)

04. Chris ("What a Wonderful World") - A sweet heartfelt, sensitive performance from Chris. See? He can do more than just rock. (B+)

05. Taylor ("You Send Me") - It started out mediocre but ended with Taylor doing what Taylor does best. Not his best but overall very good. (B+)

06. Ace ("That's All") - Good news: He's not the worst this week. It was an overall decent performance but then he had to mar it by going into his falsetto which Randy and Paula inexplicably love. If it hadn't been for that, this would've been his best performance since "Father Figure". (B-)

07. Kellie ("Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered") - I will be bothered and bewildered if she doesn't make it to the Bottom Three this week. Seriously, this is an atrocious performance. Memo to Kellie: You don't want to put us through torture? Then get off our TV screens. Horrendous performance. (F)

WHO SHOULD GO: Kellie.
WHO WILL GO: Ace.
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Post by OscarGuy »

I like Elliott but I know people who don't. Those same people like Kellie, so I don't count their taste among my favorite things.

Sadly, I can see Kellie making the Top Four alongside Chris and Katherine. I think Elliott will likely be the fourth or possibly Paris at this point (being the only ethnicity left in the competition)...
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Post by dws1982 »

I agree with Damien about Elliott's singing. And I also like that he doesn't seem to have a manufactured "persona" like almost every other contestant. He seems normal, like someone you might actually want to spend time with.
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Post by Damien »

VanHelsing wrote:what's up with your love for Elliot? seriously, i don't find anything special or even attractive about his vocals... i don't judge contestants on their looks but yeah, Elliot's vocals aren't that great... i fail to understand the love for him...

Unlike the other clowns, Ellliot's a genuine singer, not a shouter or a mere technician. He has nuanced vocals and conveys genuine emotion through his singing. His rendition of "Moody's Mood For Love" several weeks back was the best performance I've heard from any contestant in any season.

Happily, next week's show will feature standards, and that's the genre with which Elliot truly shines. Almost all the others are pathetic, and Taylor and Pickler in particular are not just lousy, they're ludicrous.
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Post by VanHelsing »

i felt Kellie was good... and note that i don't even like her...

what's up with your love for Elliot? seriously, i don't find anything special or even attractive about his vocals... i don't judge contestants on their looks but yeah, Elliot's vocals aren't that great... i fail to understand the love for him... and him being in the bottom 3 last week wasn't much of a surprise for me either...

Katharine truly has the looks of a star... but sadly, she couldn't reach the high notes... it seems like she's shouting, not singing...

as for Ace, yes, please just leave the competition so that i don't have to hear Paula's nonsensical cover-up for ya anymore... blah!
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anonymous1980
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Post by anonymous1980 »

My rankings for this week:

01. Elliott ("Somebody to Love") - I don't know what Randy and Simon are smoking. I think this is one of Elliott's best performances. A tough song to sing but he brought it. (A-)

02. Taylor ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love") - This performance wasn't his best VOCALLY but performance-wise, it was really something else. I had a smile on my face throughout the entire time. It was just so much fun. (B+)

03. Chris ("Innuendo") - Chris is back to doing what he does best. One of better VOCAL performances thus far. Though not one of his best, he really pulled it off. (B+)

04. Paris ("The Show Must Go On") - Though overall a tad uneven, the parts that were great showcases Paris's best vocals. Overall, a very good way above average performance. It is a tad weird seeing her in that get-up though. (B+)

05. Katharine ("Who Wants to Live Forever") - Those artsy lighting and shots made Katharine's performance LOOK better than it actually is. This isn't one of her best yet. I would've rather have seen her other choice. This was going to be Mandisa's song. I think it would've sounded better on her. Not a bad performance but definitely not one of the McPheever's best. (B)

06. Bucky ("Fat Bottomed Girls") - The "Why Is He Still Here?" contestant gives another good but not great performance. Surprisingly, not unpleasant but overall just okay. (B-)

07. Kellie ("Bohemian Rhapsody") - A very disappointing performance. Not because I expected more from her (hah!) but because it wasn't the hilarious train wreck I was expecting. I guess my expectations were so low that she managed to barely rise above that. Having said that, it is overall an okay performance. The first part was pretty good but when it hits the rocker portion, it slips into mediocreville north of horribletown. (C+)

08. Ace ("We Will Rock You") - OMG. This was utterly horrendous. If he survives this week after THAT performance, something is CLEARLY wrong. Not quite as bad as his "Drops of Jupiter" performance but still rather painful to watch. (D)

WHO SHOULD GO HOME: Ace
WHO WILL GO HOME: Ace (please!!!)
anonymous1980
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Post by anonymous1980 »

danfrank wrote:I don't know if she'll make it that long in the business. Name me one big black diva who's made it big without the gay audience. She needs the queens, and the black queens in particular. She's just shot herself in the foot by alienating her demographic.
That's a good point. However, she could make it big in the Christian/gospel market. That's where her biggest success may lie.
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Post by danfrank »

I don't know if she'll make it that long in the business. Name me one big black diva who's made it big without the gay audience. She needs the queens, and the black queens in particular. She's just shot herself in the foot by alienating her demographic.
anonymous1980
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Post by anonymous1980 »

Even then, I think she was just being honest. She's not totally beyond redemption. A few years in the entertainment business should set her straight (pun intended).
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