Tuesday, March 28, 2006

caution: current songs ahead...

It's Idol Night and it's the songs of the current century. And, considering the current century is all of six years old, it could just as well be called "songs of the last six years plus 2000 just cause..."

I knew I wouldn't know the songs, or most of them anyway.

But nonetheless, here they are, my early impressions, subject to rewind and revision and as always, from worst to first.

Holy Mother of Twang, Kellie decides to sing of Suds in a Bucket. At least she's minimally subdued and has dropped the alien accent in which she sang Patsy last week, but I'm biased. I don't like country. So ignore this one because unless somebody falls off the stage, it ranks worst for me. I'm grateful the judges agree.

Chris addresses the whole Live issue, promises that he's got a Celine Song tucked away somewhere then proceeds to make my dog whimper with a screaming, repetitive version of What If. The judges don't like it. I hate it with the intensity of a thousand suns.

I knew somebody would try Kelly Clarkson, but I didn't think it would be Lisa or that it would be such a current one. Simon calls her Because of You painful in parts. I don't know if I was pained, but it wasn't comfortable, even though she is quite apparently trying to shed the robot image. Randy says no. Paula says meh. I say Lisa, by getting the lead-off position is being helped out of the door and with that performance, she may have just exited it.

When it is introduced that Ace is singing Drops of Jupiter, I shrug [again] about how I don't know this song. Strangely enough, though, I do recognize this song. I just don't recognize it from Ace. Randy says no. Paula just wants Ace to tell her privately the story behind his chest scar and Simon calls it karaoke. Me? I don't care how he got the scar on his chest.

Mandisa takes Idol into gospel territory with Wanna Praise You, a song that she's been singing in church for "years." Only six years, Mandisa, please, or else we'll be having God-gate all next week. George Huff, who's in the audience, is excited. Simon calls it indulgent. Randy doesn't get the song choice, and Paula says Mandisa's just started her own church. I say it was, without question, her worst vocal performance of this competition, sung in the key of yell.

Bucky announces he's going to sing country. Now that's breaking news! So he sings Tim McGraw and is a Real Good Man. And, while I do have my country biases, he, at least, wakes me up, even though I don't recognize a single lyric. Simon says it's unimpressive tonight. I say no kidding.

Taylor wants to just "sing" a song, rather than "perform" one. And he chooses Trouble, a song that's never been performed on the show. The judges are split on its quality. I give it a meh. But considering the quality of the other performances, it's a gem.

Katharine takes on Christina with The Voice Within, again a song I've never heard. I am not liking this theme. She sounds okay, but certainly nothing worth writing home about. Simon tells her she's almost as good as Christina. Whatever.

Elliott gets the coveted pimp spot, bringing the show to a close and takes a huge risk with I Don't Wanna Be, the song so closely associated with Bo from last season. He's mastered the George Huff dip dance. Randy invokes the "hot" word. Paula is beside herself and calls him one funky white boy. Simon hates the dancing. I [heart] Elliott.

Paris is doing Beyonce, cause she wants to be 17. Paris, hun, you are 17. And she looks every inch of it as she Works It Out. I can say, before the judges utter a word, that this is, so far, the only performance I actually enjoyed. Simon says it's precocious. I say when we're desperate, precocious is good.

But I really and truly did not [heart] this theme night.

Really.

So? Who was worst?

15 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

My worst to first impressions:
Kellie did Suds in a Bucket and I wanted to throw a bucket over her head. I love country and didn't care for that one a bit. The only positive thing is that she kept her mouth shut except for "it's cute, sorry and thank you". She'll be thankful if she isn't shown the door.

Lisa Tucker did Kelly Clarkson. No guts, no glory? Um.....it took guts but there will be NO GLORY. Bleh!

Ace sung Drops of Jupiter. I love that song. He did an OK job of it. I'm not digging the whole trying to give a sexy stare at the end of the song. I dug it when Constantine did it and panties flew everywhere last year. Ace better hope that people aren't staring at their phones instead of dialing them for him.

Chris rocked it out with What If. What If I don't care that it was repetitive. I liked it but we know what his comfort zone is. I would have liked something different from him.

Mandisa went with Wanna Praise You. I know the song quite well and enjoyed her version of it. It wasn't the best performance I've ever seen from her, but I liked it.

Taylor sung Trouble. I never heard that song before. I enjoyed him standing behind the microphone and "singing" tonight, but the Soul Deputy was NOT in the house tonight. I would have liked to see more SOUL from him.


Bucky, Bucky, Bucky. I love Tim McGraw and Real Good Man. I loved that he was all dressed cowboy style and moved around great on the stage. I would have liked to hear him belt it out a little more and a little bit more coherently.

I agree with your top 3 tonight, Jennifer.
Katharine was "spot on" with her rendition of The Voice Within. I really enjoy everything she does week in and week out.
Elliott's song rings true about him. I Don't Wanna Be was a perfect song choice and it was a well done performance.
Paris saved her ass this week with her Beyonce performance. She got the tweenie votes out the wazoo tonight.

Overall I wasn't overly impressed with the theme this week, though.
Great job Jennifer!!!

9:24 PM, March 28, 2006  
Blogger DrillerAA said...

It was almost a six or seven way tie for worst. I can't say I was impressed with anyone but Elliot. I still think Lisa or Ace are headed to the airport. My guess...Lisa. She will not get a single tween vote after Paris definitely showed America who is the more talented of the two youngsters. Pickles and Ace are on the bubble, while Bucky may have actually move up a notch. He won't last long, but he may outlast the other two.

9:31 PM, March 28, 2006  
Blogger Dave said...

I think it's safe to say that Lisa is the odds-on favourite to get whacked this week.

Everyone seriously underwhelmed me tonight.

9:34 PM, March 28, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kellie won the Worst of the Night for me...so she's a winner and a loser...ok, I'm confuzzled. Anyway, from what I saw MY bottom 3 would be Lisa, Kellie and Ace. I enjoyed Taylor's more subdued performance and didn't think his clothes were weird, just different. I liked the leather jacket, didn't like the T-shirt :) It wasn't my fav performance but it was nice. Mandisa did what Mandisa does. I love the song, but it wasn't my fav performance from her. Chris gets the bells and whistles again tonight. Last week they said they liked that he was "true to himself" this week Simon says he needs to do something different. hmmm Katharine did good, but I liked last week's performance better. Bucky did good with that song although the tempo wasn't fast enough IMO Paris lost me midway through that song, I'm just not a Paris fan. Elliott, I love Elliott! He can't dance but MAN he can sing! I didn't like this theme. I hope it's better next week.

9:46 PM, March 28, 2006  
Blogger Frances said...

Jennifer, I think you've got your order wrong tonight. Please indulge me while I attempt to correct you. I know this is terribly rude of me but I'm a black woman living in a white community and I hold my tongue all the time.
Thank you in advance for allowing me to rant on your blog.

Here they are, worst to first:

Lisa
Kellie
Chris
Ace
Katharine(she was off key, I re-watched)
Mandisa
Taylor
Bucky(his best performance ever)
Paris
Elliot

Ace was not the worst, and I think he'll be around for another week.

Was I the only one who cheered when Simon told Chris that he needed to start showing another side.

I think either Kellie or Lisa should go home this week.

9:47 PM, March 28, 2006  
Blogger Sunshine said...

jennifer, you're right on tonight. Lisa or Ace is going home. They both ruined fairly good songs, not to mention they were forgettable being at the beginning of the show.

Kellie will probably stay because of her fan-base. My boyfriend sent me a picture of her at 16 dressed for her prom. I think that picture is why he likes her so much, not because of her singing. This is the link to it, hopefully it works:
http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/6118/otymzu1large4yf.jpg
You probably have to copy and paste, cos I don't know how to do hyperlinks on here.

As for Chris...OMG, I can honestly say that I ABHOR Creed more than anyone in the whole entire world, and to know that he sang a song by Scott Stapp(or whatever it is), puts him just a notch lower on my list. And its too bad too, because it's kind of just like Constantine singing "This is how you remind me", he got bumped because of it. Good luck Chris, cos you're not getting my vote this week!

So we all know that Mandisa is a religious person and likes to sing gospel, but Jesus just didn't want her to sing well tonight, she sucked!

Bucky and Paris both did well because they stayed in their comfort zones (country and r&b).

Katharine, Taylor, and Elliott were my choice three tonight (even though Katharine started off shaky and Elliott forgot some of his words and Taylor never took the mike off the stand, which kind of bothered me strangely enough).

The judges just about disliked every performer this week. Don't the producers know that this is the worst theme ever!?!? They should have learned that from last year or the year before, I disliked every song tonight except for Ace's song, which he sang horribly and excluded the verse about deep fried chicken. Last year was just as bad with the exception of Carrie's version of Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. Can't wait for tomorrow to see who gets the axe!!

10:02 PM, March 28, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I got a kick out of Elliott tonight.
He put a little "flava" out there tonight.
Love that boy!!!!!

10:06 PM, March 28, 2006  
Blogger DrillerAA said...

Cramming 10 finalists into one hour is going to cost each artist one verse of their song. That's not always a good thing. The shows with 9-10 finalists need to be 1-1/2 hours...not for the purpose of more commercials or group sings, but to allow the contestants to sing the entire song.

10:31 PM, March 28, 2006  
Blogger Sunshine said...

i agree JR, the songs did sound cut off tonight. The only good thing was that they were mostly horrible anyways.

10:33 PM, March 28, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

no one mentioned it, but why do you think tonight was so bad? I'm thinking, 2 weeks ago Stevie Wonder is helping with arrangements and song choices. Last week, it's Barry Manilow. This week, it's the cluesless ones :)

seems to me, the hint to the producers is, do NOT let the contestants pick their arrangements. More pros to show them the ropes, "teach" them how to arrange until maybe the top 4, then make those 4 stand on their own. Last week was the best week I can recall in 4 years, I'd never heard 8 performers I liked, with 6 slammin'. This week was the polar opposite. 2, maybe 3 good songs. wow, I feel let down, but the axing tomorrow should be fun.

Elliot, Katherine, and Taylor were solid, paris and bucky improved, Mandisa too indulgent (Simon's right, took too much advantage of our liking her with a bad arrangement. I like Christian songs, but not that performance). Chris had better show some ability to do other styles, or he won't duplicate Bo's success. Everyone else, better be ready for the flight home. Bleh! And I'm a Kellie fan but tonight she sounded horrid. Loved her vocal last week, playing it back on the site it sounded the most like something I would expect to hear off the radio. not sure she has sticking power though.

12:10 AM, March 29, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lisa, Lisa, Lisa! *shaking my head* Holy off-key, Batman! That was possibly the worst Idol performance of any song ever in the history of Idol. Now, granted, I'm a bit biased because Kelly Clarkson sings that song so incredibly well, with all the requisite emotion that makes you believe she's singing about her daddy. But omg...Lisa! Don't ever try to sing KC again. EVER.

Ace sounded okay but "Drops of Jupiter" was the wrong song, my dear. I love that song when I hear it on the radio, but it is not one of those songs that gets you out of your seat to dance, clap, or cheer. If you're not familiar with the song, I doubt you'll download the MP3 or run out to your local Tower Records to grab the CD.

"Suds in a Bucket." Enough said. (rolling my eyes)

Mandisa, normally sizzling hot, didn't light my fire tonight. She was obviously into her song, and that translates well as a performance. I just didn't like the song. I didn't like it on her. And she yelled a lot. I guess she REALLY likes the song.

I'm thrilled Katherine sang a Christina Aguilera song (though I disagree with Simon...she wasn't even close to Aguilera's vocals. Nobody is.). I just wish she'd have sung "Beautiful." It's a more vulnerable song and much more lyrical. Missed opportunity to really shine, in my opinion.

Of all the Creed songs Chris could have sung, I was disappointed he sang that one. It's way too repetitive, although I'm happy to report he cut out at least 75% of the "What if"s that are heard in the original.

I think this was my favorite Bucky performance so far. He's actually growing on me a bit, though I don't for one minute think he'll be our next American Idol.

Taylor...you're my hero for the night! I don't care what any of the judges had to say about it (especially Simon). I absolutely LOVED him just *singing.* And two thumbs WAY up to his hair dresser! I've been saying all along to keep the grey but give him an edgier, younger cut that shows his face. OMG...I think I have a crush on him now!

And now to Elliot. I would never, I mean NEVER, have expected him to sing "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw. When it was announced, I said, "Ummm....oh no. BAD choice!" But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! It was certainly original...nowhere NEAR DeGraw's version. His vocals are what do it for me. He's just so good. I voted for him 12 times.

All in all, this night was forgettable, with a few notable exceptions. I don't care what Simon said, Paris was at least entertaining! Okay, the song was a bit old for her, but c'mon...she's 17. EVERY song is too old for her! At least she was having fun and made me get off the couch and try that butt-shaking move she did so well. (Okay, I'll admit it...it wasn't pretty, but I had fun and made my husband laugh, so there you go.)

Bottom 3: Lisa, Pickles, Ace. And buh bye Lisa.

5:18 AM, March 29, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

14 yr old daugher said it best:what a wasted night. These are songs she knows and she thought they were bad choices and sung badly. Lisa's history. She's very talented, but give her a break, she's only 16! She just needs more non-Broadway experience.
Elliott is probably the best singer
but needs more charisma. Mandissa
is awesome but too much yelling and not enough singing last night.
Loved Taylor(ALWAYS)! He looked like a younger George Clooney last
night - love the haircut and the
outfit. I always have liked Kellie
until that "what's ballsy" comment was so obviously staged. Reminded me of a two year old who makes a
cute comment and keeps repeating
it because everybody loved it. I don't love the dumbness any more.
Chris has been my fave but daughter
was right again: all his stuff is sounding the same. Paris was entertaining as always. Got a kick out of the hair extensions and how
they getting in her face no matter how she tried to swing them around.
I agree: Katherine is her own biggest fan. It sure isn't me. She
was way-off key and hit a bunch of clinkers but the judges never criticize her. Ace is pretty but he
can't sing. If you can force yourself to close your eyes just for a minute while he sings, you'll know I'm right. I love Bucky
but he's not quite Idol worthy.
My faves: Taylor, Chris, Mandissa and Elliott. My top fave as of last night is Taylor. Sorry, Chris,
you are too repetetive and the mike business at the end of every song is a bad Bo Bice imitation.
I miss Bo!!!

9:08 AM, March 29, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In order of performance, my thoughts are:

Wait, first of all, A shout out to Paula for staying off the sauce tonight. I was shocked with all her opinions that did not mirror Randy's and she didn't do all her crazy sugar coating, at least not as much as usual. Good for you Paula. Just say NO.

Never heard this song before so I don't know how Lisa's compared to KC's, but I'm SURE it was worse. I was the most bored I had ever been in my entire life. Definite bottom three tomorrow.

Kellie - I take it back. THIS is the most bored I have ever been in my life. Really. I was asleep after 3 seconds.

Ace - The first song I recognized. Don't like the original, liked Ace's version even less. And oh my gosh, was anyone else cracking up with that "showing off my scar" move??? I mean, I know the part in the song said something about a scar, but please!!! My Mom and I were both watching and were like, "DID YOU SEE THAT!!! HILARIOUS!!!!" Seriously, I think we just laughed through the rest of the song until the "intense Ace stare" at the end which made us laugh even harder. I hope he stays on just for comic relief. But Jennifer, I think you may be right about the curse.

Taylor - didn't recognize the song but it was the first performance I enjoyed yet. He's great. To quote Driller AA, "Roll on, Taylor Hicks, roll on".

Mandisa - while her worst performance yet, still better than at least half of the other performances tonight. Mandisa is my favorite, I will never say anything too bad about her =)

Oh gosh, who was next... my memory is getting so bad in my old age... Was it Chris?? Well, if not, let's pretend it was.

Chris - Jennifer, you summed it up best with the "thousand suns" comment - I was cracking up at that one. I don't remember what Randy said but I agreed with Paul and the repetition and with Simon and his - do something ELSE - comment. Although, a silly week to say it. If you can pick ANY song you want from the last six years and you are a rocker, of COURSE you are going to pick a rock song. But it was a bad rock song and he ruined it by making the last 2 weeks too rockin'. Oh well, he will change next week for sure, or else the judges will be even more harsh.

Katherine - Off key - I don't know what the judges were praising. She got better towards the end of the song, but still, it really did nothing for me - and that outfit!! COME ON!

Bucky - Loved it. The outfit was killer and he was just so comfortable being back in his own skin. I really hope he sticks around a little while.

Paris - The very first thing I said to my Mom after the song was over was, "Oh my gosh, that song was TERRIBLE. But she was absolutely terrific. Hated the song, but she was the scond best of the night.

And onto the best of the night...

Elliot - His song was different than Bo's version which was very smart and he was great. I thought his dancing was adorable and the vocals were outstanding. Better than Bo even (please, nobody kill me!) on this song, at least. And he is just always so happy. I love that smile. I love this kid.

Bottom 3
Who should: Lisa, Kellie, Ace
Who will: Lisa, Ace, Bucky

Gone tomorrow:
I hope Lisa

10:45 AM, March 29, 2006  
Blogger jennifer said...

Last night's intense Ace stare looked to me more like a terrified Ace stare. It scared me a little.

11:18 AM, March 29, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who wondered what in the heck was up with the song choices last night.

Why, why, why did they pick the songs they did? Lisa wanted to take a risk with the Kelly song, but it kinda reminded me of the kid who tries to "fly" off the jungle gym and falls flat on his face. Lisa, sweetie, you shouldn't have picked that one. Don't EVER try to sing a Kelly Clarkson song, especially one that's so current.

Kellie, apparently, has "suds in her bucket". Of all the country songs, why that one? I have heard that one karaoked more times than I care to think about, and I'm sorry, but some of those performances were better than hers. The song just didn't seem to fit her voice very well.

I actually enjoyed Bucky's "Real Man", although I would have liked to hear him enunciate more. His diction can get a bit muddy.

Katharine did pretty decent, although I thought I noticed a few pitch issues. She wasn't as good as Christina, but on a night when so many contestants failed to impress me, she at least came close.

Ace...What was up with the cheesy, showing-off-the-scar move? I didn't get it, until Paula made the comment about it later. Again, I wished he'd picked a different song.

Chris...While I like him vocally, I do wish he'd "show a different side" to himself. The all rock, all the time is getting repetitive, and may end up costing him some votes. I'd love to hear him sing a ballad for a change. Maybe that Celine song he was talking about. :-)

Other comments: Paris morphed into a mini-Beyonce, gracefully sweeping the teen-tween votes to her side; Elliott, as always, was solid; I liked Taylor's performance (and his haircut); and while I am a Mandisa fan (and a gospel fan), I wasn't sure that was the best song for her. It wasn't her best performance, but it certainly wasn't the worst (or worst of the night) either.

My picks for the bottom 3: Lisa, Kellie, and Ace, with Lisa going home.

4:15 PM, March 29, 2006  

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