American Idol Thread

[Far Dareis Mai]

Haters take it elsewhere. :P

 

So, American Idol has begun, and though some people only watch the audition weeks, and some people watch it because they love it, I think that this year (minus the drugged up Paula Abdul), and with Ellen Degeneres, is going to be very interesting.

 

Of course we have already started out with the audition rounds, with guest judges Victoria Beckham and Mary J. Blige. I thought Victoria was embracing a little too much "Paula niceties", and Mary was quite blunt and no nonsense.

 

My personal favorite:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am-Y5DVjZIA

 

Am I the only Idol watcher here? This is a safe place. We won't judge you here. >.>

 

 

 

 

[Emperor]

I will make fun of you.

[Zashara]

I watch.

 

And I'm usually in IRC making tons of comments about it. :D

[Krakalakachkn]

I'm a huge Idol fan. 

 

I'm so glad they got rid of Paula.  She was the worst!  That said, it will be interesting to see what Degeneres is like.  As long as she's funny, I won't care too much.

 

The first episode was kind of a disappointment.  I didn't catch the second one.

 

I'm very excited about this season, but sad that it's Simon's last season.

[Red2111]

didn't they have to replace an idol??  one of the guys??

 

yep  link from Fox

 

Chris Golightly has been replaced by Tim Urban

 

i woulda rather them given Thaddeus the spot instead of a guy who didn't make it past week 1   i liked thad's voice

 

 

[Krakalakachkn]

The first week was disappointing for the "most talented group ever".  Here's my rundown:

 

Boys

 

Todrick Hall - I thought his take on Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone" was really technically interesting and was extremely original.  That said, it was really hard to sing, both technically and melodically.  Overall, his performance was definitely cool enough to warrant seeing more of him.

 

Aaron Kelly - Rascall Flatt's was a terrible choice, and not just because they suck.  He didn't follow the melody very well, and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't anything special.  I think he will stay around for at least 2 weeks.

 

Jermaine Sellers - I don't remember much about him in Hollywood, so I had no expectations.  He as terrible.  Pitchy all over the place, a bad song, and I couldn't really understand him singing.  Also, he seems douchily overconfident.

 

Tim Urban - Absolutely butchered "Apologize" by OneRepublic.  I really like that song and Tim just slaughtered it.  He had no falsetto to hit the high notes with, his range isn't that great, his voice isn't that big, and he created just a terrible arrangement.  I hope he goes home.

 

Joe Munoz - He was decent and forgettable, but definitely not the worst.  However, I don't think he has much star power and will go home either this week or next week.

 

Tyler Grady - Wannabe rocker with a mediocre voice.  He should be out soon.  And he looks weird.

 

Lee Dewyze - I thought his rendition of "Chasing Cars" was really pitchy, but I still liked it more than any other performance before his.  He will be around for a while I think.

 

John Park - I really like John Park: he's got a good voice, seems like a nice and humble guy, and is relatively funny.  He made a terrible song choice, and he started off really shaky, but when he hit the bridge I thought he really pulled it together and made it sound good.  Hopefully he will stay.

 

Big Mike - He's mediocre and made a terrible song choice.  I think he will stick around for 3-4 weeks, but no way he makes it to the top 12.

 

Alex Lambert - Despite what the judges said, I liked his performance.  It was a little shaky, but his voice came through and it sounded better than anyone's except for maybe Lee's.  If he pulls his nerves together, he'll be in for the long haul.  Tyler Grady wishes he had Lambert's voice.

 

Casey James - Blew everyone else out of the water.  Great song choice, great rendition, and great performance.  I expect him to be in the top 4 or 5

 

Andrew Garcia - My favorite in the competition.  His version of Paula Abdul's song "Straight Up" was pure genius (exactly what the judges said).  When they announced the song, "Sugar We're Going Down Swinging", I was super excited because I thought he would dominate, but he didn't.  He sang the song too fast for just an acoustic guitar.  It was the 2nd best performance of the night; his voice is so good it forced the song to sound good.  I fully expect him to be in the top 3.

 

Bottom 3: Tim Urban, Tyler Grady, and Jermaine Sellers

 

 

Ladies

 

Paige Miles - Pretty bad song and performance, I didn't like it.

 

Ashley Rodriguez - Probably the second most attractive girl in the competition after Janell Wheeler.  It wasn't a great performance, but she's hot, so hopefully she stays for another week.

 

Janell Wheeler - Smokin' Hot!  unfortunately she has one of the worst voices in the competition and chose a song that was WAY too big for her.  She sucked and will probably go home, which sucks.

 

Lily Scott - She was really good, probably the best girl of the night.  I love, love, love her tone and she picked a great song to sing.  I could see her in the top 5 for sure.

 

Katelyn Epperly - She did a good job, not great, and I'm sure will be around for a while.  She didn't look good with all that makeup on though.

 

Haeley Vaughn - My least favorite of the girls; she has a terrible voice and proved it by butchering the Beatles song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand".  I really hope she goes home soon.

 

Lacey Brown - By far the worst out of the girls.  She butchered a song completely and it was a terrible song choice.  I like her voice a lot, so hopefully she gets it together next week...if she doesn't go home.

 

Michelle Delamour - She was decent, not as bad as some and nowhere as good at Katelyn or Lilly.  She will probably stay for a few weeks.

 

Didi Benami - One of my favorites, lookswise and voicewise.  She was just okay tonight, nothing special.  She was probably second best after Lilly.  I bet that she will make the top 12 and probably the top 6 or 7.

 

Siobhan Magnus - A close second for my favorite performance of the night, she was just beaten by Lilly.  I loved the song she sang and she sang it really well.  I love how she showed she has a really deep range and she performed well.  I expect to see her in the top 12 and probably the top 5.

 

Crystal Bowersox - Probably my favorite of the girls, she was just ok.  I was really disappointed; I thought she was too forgettable and she didn't change her song up, just sang it like Alannis Morissette.  I bet she stays, but hopefully she does better.  I fully expect to see her in the top 4.

 

Katie Stevens - Butchered Michael Buble's "Feeling Good".  However, she's cute and has a really good voice, so I expect her to stay for a while, definitely top 12.

 

Bottom 3:  Lacey, Haeley, and Ashley

[Red2111]

i honestly can't beelive Tim was able to stay *shakes head*  hes was utterly horrible.

 

 

the chick that sang Landslide ....  her performance was a mudslide of a disaster, but yet she didn't go home. 

 

 

the only good thing i can say about these two not going home last thrusday was that i wasn't exposed to their aweful renditions of these songs (especially my fav fleetwood mac song)  however i'm dreading having to listen to them again.

[SBoydW]

I've hated this show for so long... that I actually feel dirty for watching some of it this season...

[Krakalakachkn]

I love it, it's so entertaining

[Kati]

I like Big Mike, especially after this week. Hope he gets to the top 12

[Krakalakachkn]

This week, top 12 first performance:

 

Big Mike:  I thought he was good, he surprises me every week with how good he is; I can't write him off anymore.

 

Lacey Brown: Sucked it up

 

Kacey: Pretty good

 

Adam Garcia: My favorite performance since Straight Up

 

Didi:  I wasn't a big fan

 

Tim Urban: Terrible, terrible, terrible

 

Siobhan: Not sure how I felt; the first half of the song was a little too deep for me, but the second half was SICK, she hit one hell of a note, I couldn't believe my ears!  She sure was good from a technical level though.

 

Lee Dewyze: Good, but he still sounds like a lesser version of the Fray or Snow Patrol

 

Paige: Nothing special

 

Aaron: Don't like country, didn't like his take on the song, didn't like his performance, not one of my favorite competitors

 

Crystal: Good as usual.  Wasn't my favorite take on the song, and wasn't my favorite performance by her, but still good.

 

 

The Rap:  Please God let Tim be voted off, I wouldn't be surprised if Lacey was voted off though.

[Red2111]

thank god Lacey was voted off.  i couldn't stand her AT ALL!!!

 

she had no empathy for the other players and her smug little attitude just got on my nerves.  though she was trying to appear all nice and stuff you could tell it was a facade and that really shes just a mega "Bee w/ an itch"

 

i haven't liked her since she slaughted the "Landslide" song back in the first week in the top 24 and she can't sing at all.  her voice was horrible and i'd perfer listening to a cat screeching while nails were being drug across a Chalck Board than her.

 

 

 

honestly i think Andrew is close to goign home as well.  while Tim isn't the best singer up there you have to admit he's gotten progressively better each time.  Andrew on the other hand, while i loved his Paula song in Hollywood week, he's gotten progressively worse.

 

 

Yay crystal!!  :-*  i hope she wins!!  not her best performance, but certaintly in the top 3 of the 12 this week.

 

with Tim doing the "Reggea" style of the song, i woudl have much rather heard Didi do it since her voice fits best in that style.

 

 

and the girl that did "Paint it Black"  no ...  just no...  way to ruin my fav Stones song  >:(  yet she was stil better than Lacey (of course, a deaf blind mute woudl have been better than Lacey.  seriously, i don't like the chick and cheered when she was voted off)

 

[Krakalakachkn]

So, the week of Lenin and McCartney, I had high hopes...

 

Aaron - sucked and I thought it was one of his worst performances.  Probably my least favorite of the night.

 

Katie - I thought it was her best performance so far

 

Andrew - I really liked the arrangement and he sounded really good.  However, I agree with Simon that the band overshadowed him too much.

 

Michael - I thought it was terrible, by far his worst performance to date.  I couldn't believe that Kara and Randy loved it; it sounded totally wrong with his voice and it sounded like he was constantly out of breath.  I just didn't like it and agreed with Simon that it was a step backward.

 

Crystal - Decent performance, but definitely not one of my favorite - something was missing with it.  It was still good, though I wasn't nearly as impressed as the judges were.

 

Tim - Surprisingly good...for Tim.  He's definitely one of the worst still in the competition, but he didn't sound terrible this time.  I liked that he chose a more obscure song too.  I'm tired of Ellen telling him how cute he is though, it's super annoying by now.

 

Kacey - Really good song choice and I liked how intimate is was with the acoustic guitar and the Cello.  It was really good and one of the best of the night.

 

Siobhan - Sang through her nose and didn't sound good.  Worst I've heard from her.  It was also boring.  

 

Lee - Good stuff.  Bagpipes are always welcome.

 

My guesses for the Bottom 3: Aaron, Michael (or Tim), and Siobhan

 

I'm getting really tired of the other judges constantly interrupting Simon, he is by far the best judge on the show and knows exactly what he's talking about.  He's produced so many hugely successful artists and is pretty much always right.  Another thing I hate is that it has become cool for the audience to boo Simon every time he opens his mouth.  I'm just like, "shut the f*** up and let him talk".  It's getting annoying and ruins it for the contestants as well.

[Vemynal]

i have no arguments with krak

 

btw does anyone have a clip of Lee doing Hey Jude? I didn't get to see it. I haven't paid attention to American idol for about 3 seasons now but i saw him the other night in his "break out performance" and he's the only one I really could care bout XD

 

(though hippie chick was also awesome)

 

anyways anyone have a clip?

[Krakalakachkn]

http://www.rickey.org/?p=37859

[Red2111]

i'm glad they used their save on Big Mike, but i have to agree that i disliked his "Elanore Rigby"

 

tis my fav beatles song and i didn't like the way he performed it at all.  i still liked Ctrystal but again i agree, not her best performance.

 

i'm glad to finally see Andrew on the upslope, the last two performances have been really good and i hope he keeps it up.

 

i think the final 4 will end up being Crystal, Big Mike, Andrew & Katie

 

 

so i wonder who the two people will be that go home.

 

Tim and Siobhan

[Krakalakachkn]

i think the final 4 will end up being Crystal, Big Mike, Andrew & Katie

 

See, I think Lee will beat out Big Mike for the final four and Kacey will beat Katie.  I think it will be either: Big Mike, Kacey, Crystal, and Lee or Lee, Kacey, Andrew, and Crystal.  The second one is what I hope happens.

[Red2111]

honestly, i'm not on the Kacey fan train.  the past couple of songs have sounded like a cover band more than an individual artist.

 

Lee might beat Big Mike, Mike is kinda stcuk in one genre (R&B and Soul) while Lee is a bit more versital so that i can certaintly see.

 

Kaite, i like.  she's young, she's got attitude and she's got a voice.  while i don't think she's good enough to win, i think she can make it into the top 4 easy.

 

the only one i see with enough talent to win it is Crystal.  and even if she doesn't, she has a good future ahead of her :)

[Krakalakachkn]

I think Katie sings through her nose way too much to go much farther.

[Aust]

Ok ok I'm a closet American Idol fan too... Krak I think you have a bright future as a music critic! OMG you could be the next judge when Simon leaves!!! I will totally be part of your entourage if you become famous. Anyhow, as for Katie and Siobhan, I completely agree with you about the singing through the nose. With Siobhan it is too bad because I really WANT to like her - she's pretty cool! But that song sounded awful last week!

[Krakalakachkn]

Last week was one of the few times I haven't liked Siobhan's performance.  It's rare when she sounds bad, and she sounded bad because she sang through her nose, like you said.

 

That would be awesome!  I would love to be the next judge.

[Red2111]

krak they might be holding auditions for it so keep your eyes peeled :)  i love simon, and i'll miss him.   he can be blunt most times, but i admire his blunt honesty.  sugar coating a turd doesn't make the turd anymore appealing *nods*  

 

alot of times its better for people to hear the truth than niceties like "I'm a fan of you though!" *flashes smile and dopes Fonzy finger point*

 

okay so last night ... not a big fan of elvis but i have to say OMG Lee you totally rocked the show.  best performance of the night by far.   comming up in a close 2nd is Crystal, and tieing for 3rd as my fav are Big Mike (i'm glad they saved him) and Katie.

 

Aaron - i loved he 2nd part of his performance, the slowdown was an awesome twist on the song and he pulled it off.  however, he needed to have more stage pressance and energy with the beginning part.  i mean that song is one you've GOT to jive to while singing it.  

 

Shiobhan - didn't like the song.  but her vocals were great, which i think will hopefully be her saving grace honestly.  she'll be in the bottom 3 but i hope she wont go home

 

Kacey - still not a fan.  it was better though, but then again this is the style that fits him.  he's certaintly a blues/rock artist, so i expected his performance to be good.  however he didn't rock it out like Lee and i think he'll be on the show until the top 4.

 

Andrew - dude you're going home.  his song was WHINY!!!  the entire thing, i was happy for it to end.  its been a prolonged thing anyways, but i don't expect to see him back next week especailly with the talent hes up against.  don't get me wrong, i like Andrew, i think he does have talent, just not ehough to compete with people like Lee and Crystal.

 

and last but not least, to quote Ryan, TURBAN!!!

 

Tim - i've been waiting to see him go home.  he's been progressively doing good, which i admire and applaud him for.  especailly remembering his first couple of performances on idols stage *cringe* okay all his performances up till 3 weeks ago.  but he just doesn't have the talent to actualy compete from here on.  he'll be in the bottom 3 again, but he i think the teen no-brained "oh-he's-so-cute" following will save him.  sending a woman with talent home.

 

 

so imo and taking into account past performances, this is my ranking list for all the performers

 

1. Crystal

2. Lee

3. Big Mike

4/5. Shiobhan & Katie  (its a tie andi can't decide)

6. Kacey

7. Aaron

8. Andrew

9. Tim

 

[Krakalakachkn]

Ok, I'm way behind.  Quick comments until I catch up.

 

Top 7: Inspirational Songs

 

Kacey: Decent, very mediocre compared to some others.  Not the worst, and that's what matters.

 

Lee: Amazing, absolutely brilliant.  I love Simon & Garfunkel and love The Boxer and he blew it out.

 

Tim: Sucked it up.  Very weak at many points and not very good at its best points.

 

Aaron: Just ok.  He was better than Tim, but I liked it less than Kacey.  I'm just not a fan of I Believe I Can Fly

 

Siobhan: Some great parts, but also some really nasally parts.  I liked her without a crazy note, but it seemed a little too big for her.  Not the worst though.

 

Big Mike: I really like Big Mike.  He seems like a really nice guy.  I liked his performance this week.  Better than everyone so far except Lee.

 

Crysal: Holy Sh*t!  I can't get over how good Crystal is...she's unreal.  I'm 100% it will be her and Lee in the final.  Wow, I didn't see her getting emotional at the end.  It happened after I'd written the stuff before it, so now I'm like....wow.  Well, at least we know she connected to the song.  I'm not sure I liked it better than Lee, but they're pretty much tied for first tonight.

 

Here's my list:

1.Lee

2.Crystal

3.Mike

4.Kacey

5.Aaron

6.Siobhan

7.Tim

 

 

 

I'm sad Andrew's gone, but he really couldn't have picked a worse song.  I feel like he should have continued to stick with the acoustic guitar and changing up songs lyrically and melodically.  Oh well, hopefully someone will realize his talent and give him a record deal where he can shine.

[Krakalakachkn]

Glad to see I was right and Turban is gone.  He's been my least favorite for a while.

 

Top 6: Songs by Shania

 

I'm not a huge country fan, but I'm looking forward to see what everyone does with a new style.

 

Lee: One of the few songs I know by Shania.  Not my favorite by him; it sounded weird with his rocky voice.  But he "worked it out dawg" and made it sound good by slowing it down and singing the hell out of it.

 

Big Mike: It was good, but I thought he put too much vibrato into it at points.  Otherwise, solid performance that he seemed very connected too.  Simon cracked me up in his commentary on Big Mike.  Man, I will be missing him when he's gone.

 

Kacey: Good job, I was kind of bored, but it was still pretty good. Step up from last week.

 

Crystal: I love Crystal to death, but this wasn't my favorite.  I heard a little twang in the music, but I wanted to hear more from her voice.  She sang it very well, and it was technically close to perfect.  I just wasn't a huge fan of the song.  Best so far in my mind though.  Randy said it perfectly.  I thought Simon was off for the first time in a while.

 

Aaron: I didn't like it very much.  It was technically very good, but I really don't like country and his was the country-est of all.

 

Siobhan: Loved her outfit.  She looked hot, in a weird way.  I thought it started off weak for such a strong song with strong lyrics.  I felt like her voice should have been louder in general, she should have forced it out more.  She just kind of sang it instead of belted it and meant it...until that last note at the end of course.

 

My List:

 

1. Probably Crystal, even though it wasn't my favourite by her, it still sounded good.

2. Siobhan

3. Kacey

4. Lee

5. Big Mike

6. Aaron

 

I think either Aaron or Siobhan is going home.

 

 

 

 

[Krakalakachkn]

CALLED IT!!!!

 

Although I'd rather have Aaron go home, I like Siobhan for her quirkiness and strange style and voice.  Aaron is just young, naive, and sweet...but country.  And I don't like country.