Wednesday, February 28, 2007

the top 10 gals: definitely not whitney...

I don't know if the guys threw any gauntlets last night, but they did deliver more than just filler, leaving tonight's women with more of a challenge than they had last week. But, considering the performances turned in last week, they should not be worried about being overshadowed, except, perhaps, by Antonella, one of their own, who's been dogged by online photo controversy.

The gals, after week one, pretty much have separated themselves into two groups: the probable advancers and, well, the others. This week they start to show a few cracks, making the final six field easier, and at the same time more complicated, to predict.

And Pickler will be here tomorrow. YAY! Keli-Mari!

But anyway, there they are, subject to rewind, review and revision and, as usual, from worst to first:

Antonella Barba (Because You Loved Me). No mention of her tough week, but she says she's picking a better song this time to dedicate to her brother. And then she chooses CELINE?? Note to Antonella: THAT WAS STUPID. I didn't think she could suck worse than last time. My bad. And Simon agrees with me. Thank you Simon. And she has the guts to compare herself with Jennifer Hudson. Gurrrl, that could get you bitchslapped.

Alaina Alexander (Not Ready to Make Nice). Alaina makes her mom cry even before she takes the stage. (It was a sweet dedication.) Then she proceeds to make the rest of us cry, trying to take on a song far too big for her. Simon likens her performance to Randy trying to run the 100 meters. Please Simon, stop flattering Randy. He would run out of gas after two strides. Who are you trying to fool?

Haley Scarnato (Queen of the Night). Haley does Whitney. Note to Haley: THAT WAS STUPID! And she plays more backup than the backup singers, which the judges quickly call her out on. She's not bad, better than last time, but she's no knockout. And she's no Kelly Clarkson. And Simon breaks her heart when he tells her so.

Jordin Sparks (Reflection). Oy, Jordin has moments of brilliance coupled with moments of absolute horror. Every time I think she's going to bring it through, she hits a clinker. Randy damns her with the faint praise of "it wasn't your best." Paula tells her she's a good human being. Ouch. Simon says she has massive potential. He's right. Vote Jordin! I [heart] her.

Stephanie Edwards (Dangerously in Love). Oooo. It's hard when I don't like the song even by Beyonce. Personally, I was bored. Randy suggests she try to be Stephanie rather than someone else. Paula tells her she's great, and Simon concurs with Paula. I abstain from the vote.

Leslie Hunt (Feeling Good). Leslie says she realizes that "less is more" on the tiny eyeball stage, so she promises no "flapping" with her dedication for her late Grampa. So she scats and jazzes the same Michael Buble song performed the night before. Simon's right when he says she's simply being left in the dust, through no real fault of her own, but compares her to vanilla ice cream in a dish filled with ripple.

Sabrina Sloan (All the Man that I Need). Okay, so Sabrina also tackled Whitney, but at least she's got the talent to try. NOTE TO GIRLS: STOP IT! Simon assures her she'll be back (which means she'll probably get the boot), but suggests she STOP with the Whitney/Celine/Mariah attempts. Oh Simon, we've been suggesting that for years, and they still don't listen.

Gina Glocksen (Alone). Gina gets the lead-off position, usually a killer, and decides to take on Heart for her boyfriend. Wow, she starts really low, but powers through the end. Paula invokes the holy name of Underwood to remind us that Carrie sang the same song two seasons ago. Yes, Paula. We remember. Randy and Simon say it was a good choice of song (I agree), but Simon tells her to dress more "edgy." Note to Gina: cover yourself again in tattoos next week and see what he says then.

LaKisha Jones (Midnight Train to Georgia). This is for Gramma, she says, who luvs Ryan Seacrest. Well... And it sounds nothing like the Pips version. It sounds like a LaKisha version. Excellent and wonderful as we've come to expect from someone who may have peaked in the first episode. Simon critiques her wardrobe. (Who died and made him Mr. Blackwell?)

Melinda Doolittle (My Funny Valentine). Melinda takes this song and turns it into a song I've never heard. And never enjoyed quite as much. Randy says HAWT (what else?), Paula applauds her phrasing (I applaud Paula), and Simon says it's the best performance so far in the competition (and I don't disagree). She's my pick to win the whole thing, and she just bolstered that belief. Wowzer.

So what did we learn: DON'T SING WHITNEY.

This is a tough one, another basic flipping of the coin, but here goes:

Who I want: Alaina and Antonella (kick her out twice, just for the JHud thing)
Who should: Antonella (twice) and Alaina
Who will: Haley and Leslie

Tomorrow four more dreams die. And the Pick is back! See you then.

Don't forget to vote in the sidebar and leave your predictions in the comment area! (Comments are NOT saving. Hopefully they will be back up soon.) They seem to be back.

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16 Comments:

Blogger Dave said...

Is it just me or are some of the supposed front-runners sandbagging? I think a couple of them might be saving up for next week, instead of bringing it all this week.

It's a shame that only six girls can advance since six or seven of them deserve go get through and Antonella is probably going to make the finals based on all the TV time and internet exposure she's gotten

9:45 PM, February 28, 2007  
Blogger DrillerAA said...

Book you plane tickets home on AA...not American Airlines, but Alaina and Antonella. They just stunk! I really like Leslie's voice, I just think she's in way over her head. She's going home...the only question is when.

9:56 PM, February 28, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is it possible to absolutely dislike a contestant for being a snippy little monster? Antonella had the gall to compare herself with Jennifer Hudson, may be the best joke I heard all day. I didn't like her last week, the Internet photos show what her character (or lack thereof) is like, and her mouthing off to the judges iced it. If it weren't for teenage boys with bad taste, she'd be history already. She's an absolute zero. No redeeming qualities, whatsoever. As a New Jersey resident, we'd like to export her to New York.

10:19 PM, February 28, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I liked Leslie's performance and voice a lot. I think she's the most interesting contestant. I'm curious about what songs she will (hopefully) get to pick in the future. But it seems like the judges aren't into her at all.

10:55 PM, February 28, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow! Melinda's original take on one of my favorite standards was fantastic! She was absolutely rock solid in terms of pitch (with almost no help from the band on that front), and perfectly behind the beat when it counted. Amazing. Who cares about the rest of them tonight. I'd be hard pressed to name a better performance in the last 5 years, actually (we started watching in season 2).

LEN

2:24 AM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, I think we all know who's going to win this thing. She's been my favorite from her first audition. Ladies and gentlemen...I give you... Melinda!

Worst to first:

Antonella - No comment.

Alaina - Much better than last week, but still not up to snuff. It's sad, because I really like this girl. Just not when she sings.

Haley - I think she saved herself with this performance. It was better than last week. I was surprised to hear this song come out of her. Pleasantly surprised.

Leslie - Worlds better than last week! I loved the scat stuff and that husky/bluesy quality she has to her voice. But she's not in my top 6 girls.

Sabrina - Powerhouse voice, but I think she ran out of breath at the end, judging by the rough last note. But I still like her a lot and expect to see her in the top 12.

Gina - Good song for her, and she did a good job for most of the performance. But there were a few pitch problems throughout. Otherwise I'd have put her a bit higher in the order for tonight.

Stephanie - Performance-wise I thought she did great; this is a difficult song rhythmically. Plus, she sang her heart out. But I just didn't like this song at all. Two thumbs-up for that dress, though!

Jordin - Emotions aside, this girl just has a great voice. She has an infectious, likable quality about her, to boot. She'll be here for a while, I think.

Lakisha - Great song, great vocals, surprisingly low-key for her. I thought it was an interesting contrast to Paris' youthful, energetic rendition. But there's no mistaking that this gal can SING!

Melinda - Absolutely exquisite! THIS is singing and performing at its finest. I just can't say enough about her. She's been my favorite from day one and that is not going to change. She's my pick for AI 6!

2:32 AM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ooops...I forgot the picks:

Who I want: Antonella and Haley
Who should: Antonella and Antonella
Who will: Alaina and Leslie

2:38 AM, March 01, 2007  
Blogger angelof_mercy81 said...

Melinda absolutely floored me last night. Amazing performance. This girl has talent! I think she'll go really far in the competition.

Shockingly, I agree with Simon: there are 3 or 4 girls who are vulnerable right now, Antonella being the top of the list.

Note to Antonella: You are not Jennifer Hudson, not by a long shot. Mouthing off to the judges didn't help things, either. Given the performance, the smarty-pants comment, and the recent Internet controversy, you may have just booked your plane ticket home.

9:17 AM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My opinion is, I think the Idol execs will take this opportunity to get rid of Antonella before any more stuff comes out.

9:46 AM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Call me optimistic, but I actually think there is some hope for Antonella actually being kicked off this week. I'm hoping that Simon reducing Haley to tears right on the stage helps her to steal the sympathy votes away from Antonella.

Who I want: Antonella and Alaina
Who Should: Antonella and Alaina
Who Will: Antonella and Leslie

9:48 AM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It was very nice of Antonella to show America exactly what Simon was talking about when he said to Melinda "we've had some precocious little monsters on here". She turned in another dreadful performance, then rolled her eyes and made scoffing faces at Simon and Randy when they called her on it. And THEN she compares herself to Jennifer Hudson?! Simon said JH was more suited to Broadway than AI, and now she wins an Oscar for a screen adaptation of a Broadway musical. Guess he knew what he was talking about after all. And that's 180 degrees different than the judges saying "you can't sing".

Someone please tell these "vote for the worst" people that we get the joke, but please cut us some slack and don't force us to lose a good singer as they try to keep Antonella in.

10:01 AM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please please please send Antonella home! And take Haley with her!!

12:12 PM, March 01, 2007  
Blogger DrillerAA said...

Do you suppose that Bailey Brown is sitting at home right now thinking...maybe going home early this year wasn't such a bad thing after all.
I don't guess I should care about the order of the departures, as long as the right ones go home. I don't see Haley or Leslie making the cut, but I want Antonella and Alaina gone tonight!!! They are are both worthless as tits on a boar hog.

1:57 PM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i would love to see 4 girls go home tonight - There were probably only two performances by the girls worthy of watching last evening - I was glad I could flip between "Deal or No Deal" and "Idol" - Thank you Jenn for putting names and pictures on your site so I can keep track of who everyone is. Go Blake and Chris!
Connie

3:28 PM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It sounds like everyone is thinking just about the same.
Worst Antonella
Best Melinda!
I'm glad Kelly will be on tonights show. I think she's a hoot! Dori

3:33 PM, March 01, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is it just me, or does Leslie look a bit like a happy Ripley? (Before she first encounters an Alien - if she ever smiled, that is...) You decide: Sigourney Weaver at the Oscars.

LEN

5:29 PM, March 01, 2007  

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