American Idol Blog

I have to agree with Simon - the guys carried the night.   It is not what I expected with this being Mariah Carey night.  I thought each of the three guys were really on their game in their own unique ways.  I’m beginning to believe that the three remaining guys could each have great recording careers.

As for the girls, I thought Brooke picked a perfect song, but just let her nerves get the best of her.  I bet her ipod recording sounds great.  Syesha is always solid, always on pitch; but she has yet to really ‘wow’ me with a spectacular performance.  Carly has an incredible voice, but she just doesn’t always seem to be able to control it.  Kristy has a good voice, and she has been getting consistently better at choosing songs that are really perfect for her. 

My guess is that all 4 girls will make up the bottom four tomorrow night.  Kristy, just might escape the bottom three - as I think she has a solid country fan base voting for her. 

Will I be surprised again?  I definitely will be surprised if any of the guys are in the bottom three.

I was traveling this week, and really didn’t have time to watch the Wednesday night show and the Thursday elimination show until today.  I thought this was a great week for Idol.  Both nights were entertaining.  I thought Fergie looked and sounded great.  It was fitting to have Heart on the show, as there have many great Heart covers by Idols over the course of the show.  I thought Fergie was a perfect addition for the group.

I’m not a big Miley Cyrus fan, but she is so huge right now that it was great that they had her on the show.  It was cool watching Terri Hatcher singing Carrie’s song, and how about her band - that was way cool.  Carrie always looks and sounds great, but my favorite performance of the night was Annie Lennox.

I was really surprised and pleased to hear the Idols sing ‘Shout to the Lord’ on the Thursday show, and I thought Chris & Jordin were just awesome together.

One final thought.  I also rewatched the Tuesday show on my surround sound, and I have to say I didn’t really give Jason Castro nearly enough credit for his version of ‘Over The Rainbow’.  It was a really great performance.  I am still bummed out about Michael’s premature departure from the show.  There is just no way he deserved to leave this week.  Oh well, it’s all about the votes……

In what has to be the biggest surprise of the season, Michael Johns was eliminated from the competition this week.  I have to say I totally did not see this one coming.  Syesha and Carly were the other Idols in the bottom three, and it was not a surprise to find them there.

 But Michael Johns….  Although he was a long shot to win, I expected him to survive until at least the final 4.  It’s not like it is the first time I have been surprised, but nevertheless, I have to say that Michael’s departure was completely unexpected to me.

What about you?  Were you equally surprised by Michael Johns departure this week?

It was an unexceptional night.  For me, the only really outstanding performance was David Archuleta.  I thought his ‘Angels’ was awesome.  I thought that Michael and Syesha gave solid performances, but agreed with the judges that they were not as good as last week.  Kristy picked a good song for her voice ‘Do it Anyway’ by Martina McBride, and may well again escape the bottom three.

I was really disappointed with the performances of David Cook, Carly, and Brooke.  I thought it was David C. and Carly’s worse performance of the competition.  Carly will definitely be in the bottom three.  Brooke, while better than the last two weeks, gave an uninspired rendition of Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, and she could also easily wind up in the bottom three.  Syesha is my third choice for Thursday’s bottom three.

The Judges really liked Jason’s ‘Over The Rainbow’, but for me it was not ‘earth shattering’.  He did well enough to escaped the bottom three, but he’s going to have to really step it up to advance much further in the competition.

I really like Ramiele, but she just never really connected with the right songs.  I wonder what Ramiele might have been able to accomplish with another season of maturity.  She definitely has a strong voice.  I can’t really criticize the vote this week; as an all girl bottom 3 was not surprising.

 I don’t think there is any question that the talent this year is overall stronger than last season - as an example, I don’t think Blake Lewis would have a prayer of making it to the final two - were he a contestant this year.

 Next weeks show should be great….

Well, it was Dolly Parton night, and I thought it was a great night for the idols overall.  As usual, I’m at odds with the judges on a few of the performances.  This is how I saw it:

Michael Johns was, for me, the clear winner of the night.  He really looked and sounded like a star tonight; and I thought this song fit his voice incredibly well.  It was one of my favorite performances of the entire season.  The touch of blues really worked!

After Michael, I really felt that Carly and both David’s all have an equal claim to the second best performance of the evening.  The ballad suited David A. voice perfectly, and David C. is becoming a consistently good performer (3 solid weeks in a row).  I thought Carly was awesome tonight.  I usually agree with Simon, but for some reason, he just doesn’t seem to ‘get’ Carly.  I think Carly has the best and purest voice of all the girls, by far.

For me, there was a sharp drop off after my top 4 performances, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find any of the remaining Idols in the bottom 3 this week.  I know Ramiele is well liked by fans, but I will not be surprised to see her in the bottom 3 this week.  I continue to think Kristy voice is good, but a notch below the other idols - so I think she also will be in the bottom three.  I’m going to guess that Syesha will make it an all girl bottom 3 this week.

Ok, so I didn’t do a very good job predicting the bottom three this week - but it was tough.  

Most of all, I was shocked that Syesha was in the bottom three, as I really thought her performance last night was awesome - a top four kind of performance.  I guess Simon had it right, after all. 

I did get Jason correct, and in my view he has to show more versatility in his song choices, or I fear his days are numbered. 

I didn’t have Chikezie in the bottom three, but I was not really that surprised to find him there.  I was surprised that he was voted off the show last night, as I definitely thought that there were several Idols with weaker peformances last night.  I really liked what Chikezie brought to the show, and I will miss him.

On a different subject, I was delighted to read that Josiah, the young contestant who was living in his car - just received a recording contract with Warner Brothers.  How cool is that…..

This was David Cook’s night.  He delivered an unbelievably cool rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’.  I don’t want to overstate his performance, but it clearly defined David as the front runner, at this moment.

Tonight, I though that Michael Johns also really delivered.  He did a great job combining two of Queen’s greatest hits, and showed why he is a force to be reckoned with on this year’s show.

I have to take exception with Simon, because I really loved Syesha’s ‘If I Were Your Woman’.  I thought this was her best performance, by far - and I will be surprised to find her in the bottom three this week.

 This will be a surprise to everyone who has been keeping up with my blog, but I have to give Kristy cudo’s for finding the perfect song for her voice.  She sang Lee Greenwood’s - ‘God Bless the USA’.  I think her performance was solid enough that she might well escape the bottom three this week.

Although, there were no disastrous performances this evening; all the other performances were at least a notch below my top 4 performances of the night.

Ramiele was just OK with Heart’s ‘Alone’.  Jason sang Sting’s ‘Fragile’, and I think the judges were right in saying it was yet another ’safe’ performance by him.  Brooke, although much better than last week, just hasn’t completely regained her ‘mojo’, and her rendition of ‘I’ll Be Watching You’ by Police was just OK for me. 

I probably liked Chikezie’s ‘If Only For One Night’ a little better than the judges, but I didn’t really think it was a top four performance.  I had never heard the song that David Archuleta sang, and I thought it was really just an OK song and performance.  I thought I was going to really like Carly’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, but the arrangement just seemed a bit uneven; and I thought her performance was uninspired.

Well, the night was full of surprises, both good and bad.  I am writing this from my hotel room in Indianapolis - as I am an exhibitor at a convention this week.  My booth mates on each side are huge Idol fans, so I anxious to hear their take on the show tomorrow morning.

I am baffled to name this week’s bottom three, but here is my best guess:  Ramiele, Jason, & Carly.  Could tomorrow be the night that Carly goes home?

 First, I want to begin by saying that I really enjoyed tonight’s show.  Wasn’t it great to see Kellie Pickler come back, and hasn’t she really developed into a pro?  What a great career she has to look forward to in country music!!  Click on my Unfortgettable Performances category and watch Kellie sing the Patsy Cline classic ‘Walking After Midnight’.

I have to say I was surprised that Amanda went home tonight.  I thought she gave solid performances for the last two weeks - but you know what - it’s all about the votes.  She was a unique Idol, and I for one, will miss what she brought to the show.

Were you surprised that Carly was also in the bottom three?  Although ‘Blackbird’ was not a stellar performance, I never expected to see her in the bottom three!  And Kristy continues to amaze me, I guess there must be a solid amount of country music fans casting votes each week - or maybe it’s just me, but I just don’t know how Kristy has managed to make it into the top 10.

 I really thought from the beginning that this year the boys were a bit stronger than the girls; so I can’t say I was a great shock that the bottom 3 were all girls.

Well, now we are down to the top 10.  I wonder what the theme will be for next week??

I must say that tonight’s show was disappointing with very few memorable performances, and several very bad song choices and arrangements.  Here is my recap:

The night began with Amanda singing ‘Back in the USSR’.  At the time, I thought it was a solid - but not spectacular performance; but as the night wore on it became obvious that it was actually one of the better performances of the night.  It was definitely a good song choice for Amanda, and she really rocked it.

Kristy sang ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, and while it was definitely an improvement over last week; for the second week in a row she is my overwhelming favorite to be voted off tomorrow night.

David Archuleta is back!  He clearly won the night with his phenomenal rendition of ‘The Long and Winding Road’.  I’m betting that he will be tonight’s top vote getter.

I actually liked Michael Johns song better than the judges.   Michael had the misfortune of following David, and I don’t think it worked well for him.  He sang ‘A Day in the Life’, and although I agree that it’s a tough song to compress into under two minutes; I still thought it was a more than solid performance.

Brooke, Brooke Brooke….  Just when I thought she was destined for the top 4,  she looked and sounded extremely uncomfortable singing, ‘Here Comes the Sun’.  Lucky for Brooke, there were several sub-par performances tonight.

I thought David Cook had one of the best songs of the night.  He did a good job with ‘Daytripper’ - which was a great song choice for him.  I would place his performance in the top four of the night.

Carly Smithson sang ‘Blackbird’, and it was just an OK performance for me.  It was a big let down after her unbelievable performance last week.  I would place her performance in the middle of the pack tonight.

The judges haven’t really warmed up to Jason Castro, but I really like him; and thought his rendition of ‘Michelle’ was in the top four performances of the night.  He doesn’t have a great command of the stage, but his voice is pure and true.

I felt that Syesha was impressive with the McCartney classic, ‘Yesterday’.  On another night, this might have been a middle of the pack kind of performance, but tonight I would say she was definitely top four.

I don’t know what was going on with Chikezie.  He sang ‘I Just Seen A Face’, and he started out well enough - but then the whole song just really got away from him.  I hated the arrangement, and it was a HUGE disappointment after last week’s great performance by him.

Ramiele turned in another very run of the mill performance.  She sang, ‘I Should Have Known Better’, and it was really just an OK, nothing special, kind of performance.

So, that is how I saw it.  I had much higher expectations for the night.  It’s hard to believe that with the overwhelming amount of song choices, that the show was very lackluster tonight.  David Archuleta really ruled night!!

I was surprised that David was voted off the show tonight.  It’s true that he gave a weak performance last night, but I really felt like Kristy was certain to be voted off after butchering ‘Eight Days A Week’.  You have to wonder how much the bad press about David’s past figured into the vote.  With that said, I would have to say that I agreed with the judges that the fans got the bottom three right this week.

 It was interesting to hear that next week’s theme will again be Lennon/McCartney songs.  I’m already wondering what each Idols song choice will be.  As an example, can Kristy redeem herself, and choose a song that really suits her voice?  What will Amanda choose to sing? Or for that matter Chikezie?  We will  just have to wait until next Tuesday night.

It is always a joy to see a returning Idol perform, and I thought Kat delivered her song like a real pro.  I’m glad she is doing well.

It was great to have the Lennon/McCartney songs added to the show, and I thought the performances were quite surprising.  Since we are now down to the top twelve, I thought I would give a brief recap of each Idol.

This is how I saw it:

 Seyesha sang ‘I Got to Get You Into My Life’, and she did a nice job, but it was not what I would deem a ‘breakout’ kind of performance.  She does have a nice voice and a solid stage presence.   I would put her in the middle of the pack, and I think she is definitely safe for another week.

Chikezie sang ‘She’s A Woman’, and boy did he really rock the house.  I would never have believed that Chikezie could have won the night singing Lennon/McCartney, but tonight he was the clear winner.  What a great night this was for him!

This was definitely not Ramiele’s night.  She sang ‘In My Life’, and I actually thought she did a decent job, but she had the misfortune of following Chikezie, and the judges were not impressed.  To her credit, she has a beautiful voice, and sings perfectly on key.  I definitely think she is safe this week.

Jason sang ‘If I Fell In Love With You’, playing an acoustic guitar to accompany himself.  I really felt that he did a great job on this song, but the judges were just OK with his performance.  Simon was pretty critical.  I would put this performance, at least, middle of the pack.

Carly really nailed ‘Come Together’.  She really gave a ’star’ quality kind of performance, and I think she will be around for many weeks to come.  I would say she was a close second to Chikezie tonight.

 David performed one of my Beatles favorites, ‘Eleanor Rigby’.  I thought David really gave a strong performance for the second week in a row.  For me, this was definitely in the top 4 or 5 performances of the night.

Brooke sang ‘Let it Be’, and really showed that she is a great pianist, in addition to being a great singer.  I don’t really think her voice is as strong as some of the other Idols, but I have to give her cudos on her song selection, and really delivering high quality performances every week, so far.  Over and above this, I find myself just pulling for her to go far in the competition.

I was very disappointed with David Hernandez tonight.  He sang ‘When I Saw Her Standing There’, and I thought if was very karoake; and by far, his weakest performance of the competition.  That said, I feel sure he is safe for another week.

What a great job Amanda did with ‘You Can’t Do That’!  Amanda really rocked it, and I thought she was great.  Amanda was in my top 5 of the night.  I thought Randy was right on.  Although I usually agree with Simon, for some reason he just doesn’t  get Amanda.

I thought Michael’s performance was solid, but nothing really special.  He sang ‘Across the Universe’, and I would put him in the middle of the pack tonight.  I am still waiting for him to connect with that perfect song.

The weakest performance of the night was Kristy’s ‘Eight Days A Week’.  I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone who watched the show tonight, that she is my overwhelming choice to be voted off tomorrow night.

The final song of the night was David Archuleta singing ‘We Can Work It Out’.  David showed that he is a mere mortal tonight, by forgetting the words at the beginning of the song.  I still think he is the Idol to beat, but he better not have too many performances like tonight, because the competition is fierce.

 One final thought, what was up with Ryan tonight?  Am I the only one who was a little ‘weirded out’ by his antics?

Obviously, I think America got it right sending home Luke, Danny, Kady, and Asia’h.

It’s really going to be a fun season; as I love the balance of the field - each Idol brings something unique to the table.  I have already gone on record - saying that David Archuleta and Ramiele will make it to the final four.

The talent is far too close right now to name a second tier.  With the correct song choices, I really believe almost everyone left in the field could potentially make it to the final four. 

Right now, I see the dark horses as;  Kristy, Amanda, and Chikezie.

I did not hear any breakout performances from the girls; although there were several solid ones.  I was so happy to see Amanda connect with a good song choice, and show why the judges brought her to Hollywood.  I guess time was running short after Syesha’s performance which I thought was quite good; though nothing original.  Carly continues to impress with her great voice, but I really didn’t like her song choice very much.

I’m ready to make a VERY early prediction.  I have already predicted that David Archuleta will make it to the final four.  Tonight, I am ready to add Ramiele to my final four list.  I didn’t think her song tonight was quite as good as last week; but the girl has charisma; and I’m betting that she will get stronger every week.

 I’m thinking that Asia’h and Kady will be the two girls voted off tomorrow night.

 I thought tonight was an excellent night for the guys; with six very solid performances.  I still think David A. is the guy to beat, but tonight; things were much more even.

 I think Luke and Danny will be the two guys voted off this week.