American Idol 2011

[sodascouts]

Any thoughts on the new judges? I adore JLo and Steven Tyler, but they were offering almost no real constructive criticism. There were a couple sucky performances that they praised where I was like "Wha?? Tell that kid the truth!" So Randy is the "tough" one now? That's a switch! And Steven needs to find more adjectives to describe performances besides "Beautiful"! Is that going to be his version of Randy's "Yo, yo, dawg!"

But I'm sure there's a learning curve and besides, like I said, I just love JLo no matter what. She can sing, she can dance, she can act, she's stunningly gorgeous... it's enough to make a girl sick.

[MikeA]

Yeah, J-Lo, Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock and What's-Her-Name...Julia Roberts!

Anyway, Verna just doesn't understand why I like those chick-flicks!

[sodascouts]

Well, Jovany didn't make it, but my other guy picks did (although Stefano barely scraped by and I don't expect him to go much further).

I also just realized, watching tonight, that I really didn't want Paul to go home. He replaces Jovany in my top three!

I was really surprised Brett went without even a wild card sing-off chance. I thought his "quirky" hair-tossing ways would attract a lot of fans. Since I wasn't one of them, though, it didn't upset me too much!

Speaking of wild cards, Ashthon really nailed "I'm Not Going" didn't she? She totally deserved a wild card spot. She now has a new fan in me. I also liked Naima's "For All We Know."

All my favorite girls - Pia, Thia, and Lauren - got through. Overall, a good night!

[Brooke]

Wow, I didn't realize they would cut so many on one night! I was thinking that this would take forever with 24 though. Good! I didn't get to see last night's show but am glad some of my picks made it. Namely Paul and Pia. I'll have to see if I get some time to watch a few of these today.

I really like Steven and JLo, but I also think they need to do a little more critiquing and not love everyone. It's weird seeing Randy be the meaner one of the bunch.

[sodascouts]

OK, my thoughts:

First off - wow, J-Lo needs to chill on the lipstick! I think she's gorgeous but when I saw her tonight, that garish lipstick made me go "Ouch."

And while Steve Tyler's critiques were rather lacking, I couldn't help but notice how at his worst he is still 500,000x better than Ellen and Kara combined.

Lauren ("Any Man of Mine") - I thought she was fun and entertaining. I don't know why the judges were so hard on her. The background singers were a little too prominent and she didn't hit all the notes perfectly, but I enjoyed it.

Casey ("With A Little Help from My Friends") - This didn't do anything for me, despite the judgery's claims that he was making everyone "feel" his "plethora of passion" (you know Tyler was using a thesaurus for that, lol). In fact, despite the fact that he seems like a nice guy, I didn't enjoy his performance and didn't get the judges gushing. And ugh, I hate it when they breaking out a freaking choir. This is about the contestant. BTW I missed his opening bit so I was like "Oh my gosh, your idol is RINGO STARR?!" but then I realized he was doing it in honor of Joe Cocker and I felt a bit better. lol I mean, Ringo's cool and all, but for him to be the idol of a singer... well... not so much.

Ashthon ("When You Tell Me That You Loved Me") - she did fine, although some notes were weak and it seemed a bit boring. Overall, not bad.

Paul ("Come Pick Me Up") - Oh my gosh. I like Paul, but that was cringe-worthy. He was missing notes all over the place and his "dancing" was a joke. He looked like he was spazzing out. I couldn't believe how kind the judges were to him. I bet Simon would've ripped him apart. That said, I do like the guy.... he just sucked tonight (IMHO).

Pia ("All By Myself") - when I heard her song choice, I immediately thought that it took a lot of guts to pick a song that was infamously hard to sing. Very few could pull that off. She did. Yeah, it wasn't pristine, but it was really, really good. I'm on Team Pia for now!

James ("Maybe I'm Amazed") - I love James! He's great! There were a couple iffy moments but he hit it when it counted and I was surprised that he could go from those high notes to that ending vulnerable line so effectively. He did a great play to the camera on that last line too. He's my fave guy right now.

Haley ("Blue") - very beautiful, very sexy, very sultry... but kind of boring.

Jacob ("I Believe I Can Fly") - this guy has a great voice but wow, he really blew this song! There were points when I was cringing. And uh-oh, the lame choir is back! Sorry, Jacob, but FAIL.

Thia ("Smile") - Thia breaks my heat because she is obviously so insecure. This is not the place for her and the sooner she leaves the better. "Smile" was decent - although did you guys hear her refer to Charlie Chaplin as "Charlie Chapman"? She didn't know who the guy was. lol! I know she's just 15 but c'mon. Her voice was pretty but I didn't hear much emotion in her performance. The song is really full of pathos and her voice didn't convey it. She has a great voice - in fact, last week, I thought her voice was one of the best - but I'm beginning to see that she's not going to be able to pull off intense, mature songs.

Stefano ("Lately") - I've liked Stefano but he started off pretty rocky in this one. However, he improved as he went and was really working it at the end. Since I've never heard the original, I didn't realize he was changing it up. It sounded great, though, so he must have been doing something right.

Karen ("I Could Fall in Love") - shoot. I like Karen and I wanted her to do well, but that song wasn't happening for her. Her voice was not shown to best advantage, that's for sure. She wasn't on her game and I think it will cost her.

Scotty ("The River") - this guy has a great voice... but limited range. He's a one-trick pony. When he's in his element, he shines. Ask him to stretch and he's going to crack. That's the impression I get. Notice how the higher notes weren't really there. I like the kid and I think he could have a great career as a country singer as long as he makes sure none of the songs require a great deal of range.... but I'm not sure he's got the vocal chops to be the next "American Idol." Of course, in the end, the record contract's a heck of a lot more valuable than winning AI. Ask million-selling 4th place contestant Chris Daughtry and the guy who won AI that season - what's his name again? - Ah, yes, Taylor Hicks.

Naima ("Umbrella") - well, that was... interesting. "Umbrella" is a pretty easy song to sing but she still managed to miss notes because she was busy dancing. Ironically, though, that dancing and the rap bit were so entertaining that I think it'll be enough to get her through. Singer? Eh. Entertainer? Working it! I see now why Rihanna is her idol - that's the way Rihanna rolls, too. Dance fast enough and they won't notice you can't sing.

Shout out to Don Was - I saw him playing with Glenn and Deacon at the House of Blues last year!

Shout out to Jimmy Iovine - Stevie Nicks' ex-producer and ex-boyfriend, who you can see playing drums on her Bella Donna Live 1981 show. Oh yeah, and he's a pretty good producer, too.

My top three: Pia, James, and Lauren (distant third)

My bottom three: Karen, Thia, and Jacob (honestly Paul deserves to be here but I like the guy and want him to stay)

Who's Gone: Karen.

[Prettymaid]

Watching last night, I was still bummed that MY Lauren was gone. But that's how it goes. I have to get ready for work now, so I'll just touch on what Soda said...

I agree about Jennifer's lipstick! I saw her do bright red on another recent show and thought the same thing. Don't like it at all!

I'm not on the Casey train either. I don't hate the guy but so far I'm not feelin' him.

Paul - I totally disagree with Soda on this one. Paul is my current favorite, so there's a little bias there already but I thought his dancing was quirky and endearing! I loved to watch him move. I didn't know the song, but I just love his voice. And he's so cute! ETA: When Ryan was imitating his moves I was laughing so hard I was crying!

Now that the other Lauren is gone I guess I'm watching Pia closely. Her voice amazes me - she didn't miss a note and it seems so effortless.

James - He's doing my favorite style of music and he's doing a great job, so it's easy to root for him.

Jacob - I thought he was great - maybe a little over the top, but as he said after his performance, he did give it his all. He always does!

Top three - Paul, Pia and James

Bottom three - Lauren, Stefano and Karen

Who's gone - Karen

[Brooke]

Here's my notes from last night's show.

I agree about JLo's lipstick, too! She's so pretty tho.

Lauren-I thought her vocals were good, but she was too calm for the song and needed to rev it up or put some kicka#* in it as Steven said!

Casey-I really loved the songs he's done so far, but I wasn't as 'passionate' about it as the judges were. I think he needs to lose the beard.

Ashton-Ok, her hair reminds me of Diana Ross, but the song....not so much.

Paul-I didn't know the song, but I love his quirkiness and thought he did ok. After last week's, I expected more, but I still really like his voice and cute smile.

Pia-Quoting Steven-beautiful! Beautiful girl, too!

James-I really like this guy. I thought his voice was amazing and he needs to keep those pretty baby blue eyes open more.

Haley-I thought she was really good, but there's something I don't like about her.

Jacob-He really does have a beautiful voice, but it was a bit boring for me.

Thea-Very pretty, but I was bored here, too.

Stefano-Very good, but......no excitement.

Karen-I was afraid she was going to lose it at the end, but she held on. It was ok.

Scotty-He's a great country singer, but I'm afraid that's it.

Niema-I really liked it! She did something really different and made me like her.

Top three-Pia, James and Paul

Bottom three-Thea, Stefano, and Karen

Gone-Thea She's just too young.

[sodascouts]

First off, I gotta say I found it amusing that P-Diddy was singing about triumphing over exes when J-Lo, who is one of those exes, was sitting right there.... clapping and smiling. You show him, girl! But I guess they must get along pretty well because he's going to be a guest judge. Still, it made me laugh.

Well, Ashthon was a surprise boot - for us at least! Last week she made me a fan but this week it's goodbye. Ah well, such is the way of AI! She had to know that there was no way they were going to use their save on her. At least I no longer have to keep reminding myself to put that extra "h" in her name when I write these posts (I will never understand parents who curse their kids with a bizarrely-spelled name - you know, like Stueart lol).

Ryan is back to his old tricks messing with heads but hey, we've come to expect that. It's part of the "drama." Still, when he pretended to take pity on Lauren (clearly broken from last night as she called her performance "bad" while crying) - "I'm not going to drag this out" and then proceeded to mess with her head some more.... "Unfortunately....you're safe!" Nice, Ryan. Real nice.

As far as Casey - the bleeding stomach ulcer that put him in the hospital not once but twice this early in the competition is a chronic condition. It's aggravated by stress. I hate to say it, but Casey may have to be disqualified. If he is, will they bring back Ashthon? That would almost be cruel, as it's obvious she's not going to win no matter what. Maybe they could have a week where no one goes home - but not tell anybody until the very end of results night so there's a dramatic "save" without using the official save.

Or maybe Casey will be just fine and back in the game and all of that speculation is moot. I wish him a speedy recovery. He may not be my favorite by a long shot, but it would be awful for him to lose out because of a health issue.

Oh, and I almost forgot - they were really pushing Haley to do a Stevie Nicks song tonight, weren't they? They even said she looked like her (if telling Haley she looks like Stevie Nicks makes her dress up in shawls and platform boots next week, I will call in a vote for that alone ) Anyway, I imagine she'll take their advice... which can either be terrific (like Didi doing Rhiannon last year) or absolutely awful (like Nikki doing Edge of Seventeen the first year). I've got my fingers crossed!

ETA: It just occurred to me that maybe they're pushing so hard for Haley to do a Stevie song because, as I mentioned earlier, Jimmy Iovine produced Stevie's first album Bella Donna, and it would add an extra element of cool for someone to do Stevie this season with his guidance. I bet no one mentions how intimately Stevie worked with Mr. Iovine, though. But maybe Jimmy could talk Stevie into appearing... if that should happen, I will not only call in a vote for Haley, I will be hitting "redial"!

[MikeA]

When you posted that about "pushing so hard for Haley to do a Stevie song", it reminded me of something that happened on Rock Star Supernova.

The band members or producers or someone, presented each of the aspiring artists with a guitar that matched their personalities. Those ranged from Gibson Acoustics to Gibby Les Pauls...Explorers, ES-335's...a small (or not so small fortune in instruments). The next show, those who played did so with their new gifts.

The judges (the band) made a comment after a couple of performances: "Y'all are Rock Stars! But not ONE of you has thrown your guitar or hammered them into the stage!" After that comment, the remaining contestants went into a very reluctant act of doing the Stones or Who thing. One of them carefully removed the guitar from his strap, gently laid it on the floor and then slid it off stage left <LOL>

All but Dilana. When she was through, she took the axe off and carefully placed it in the stand designed for it. She did that with an attitude of "I will not be molded!" Still love her for that.

[Prettymaid]

Wow, I didn't know about all that stuff with Casey. That's what I get for tuning in the last ten minutes!

I'm not sure if I'm going to enjoy this season or not. There are several who still have to go before it gets good for me.