AI:7 - Workin’ 9 to 5
What? A strike, you say? April Fools? Aw, they got me! What a well-crafted prank that was…
Tonight, both kinds of music - Country and Western!
Yay! It’s only an hour tonight…
TheWife wondered if Paula showed up showing off a bit too much boob, and they had to slap that hideous purple flower on a the last minute. Good question, sweetie…
Let’s head on out to Dollywood, shall we?
Brooke - Jolene - Brooke has a nice voice for country, and she looked nice tonight. She seemed back safely in her comfort zone this week, and it showed in her performance. Not great, but it was very good. She’s gotta start stepping it up, or else she’ll use up all her fanbase’s good will.
David C. - Little Sparrow - This guy can just flat out sing. I don’t know the song, but I like his voice & performing so much that it doesn’t really matter. So, while the song was a tiny bit boring, I can’t say I mind. He’s just that charismatic & magnetic a performer. He’s still on track to win this thing. Yay!
Ramiele - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind - She’s tinier than Dolly! I’m over Ramiele as a viable contender. I didn’t like the performance, and I didn’t like the outfit or the shoes. She had trouble moving across the stage. And her vocal was weak & patchy. Not good, not good at all. 6.5/10 is a D, and it’s still a case of grade inflation. Begone off my TV, tiny girl, begone!
Jason - Travelin’ Thru - Oh, Dolly, that was a bad hair pun… Jason couldn’t show intensity in his eyes if his life depended on it - he’s just stuck with that happy, hooded, sweet, semi-stoner look. But it works for him, y’know? Oh yeah, the song. It was actually very, very good. I liked it. With the scare his fanbase got last week, I think this will keep him safely out of the bottom 3 this week.
Carly - Here You Come Again - A much slower arrangement than Dolly’s version, but it worked quite nicely. She could record & release this version & make a splash with it today. Carly really does have the kind of voice that recording careers are built on. I think Randy’s right - that was the best performance of the night, largely because it was a better-written song than David C.’s. Simon was kinda right about her wardrobe - those pants were hideous. And, oh yeah, Simon does hate C&W - that’s been proven over the 7 AI seasons.
David A. - Smokey Mountain Memories - Well, that was a ballad-y song right in his wheelhouse. My dislike of him, however, continues to grow. There’s just something about him that I don’t like at all. Maybe it’s that he’s a bit too overwrought. Or that he’s still just too much the scared little kid. Don’t know. Don’t care. Don’t want him to win. Carly was better, Dawg.
Kristy - The Coat of Many Colors - I had hoped for better from Kristy, in this her genre of choice. Not that it was bad, mind you, ’cause it wasn’t. She looked better than she sounded, however, and that’s not a good thing for someone on the edge of elimination. I think she could end up being gone, as there is a track record of people getting voted off after a good performance. The lack of a strong fanbase is gonna catch up with her.
Syesha - I Will Always Love You - Was it just me, or did Dolly give Syesha a bit of a back-handed compliment? Aw, she did the Whitney flourish, and got the extended money note. I guess I’m just not that much of a fan of hers, because I’m still not sold on her as a viable long-term contender. And I disagree with Paula - I don’t think that Syesha is connecting with the viewing audience. Simon was right - good, not great.
Michael - It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right - He’s back in the mix of the top-half of the finalists, I think. It wasn’t great, but it was darned good. Not pimp-slot great, but safe-as-safe-can-be good. Blues would do him well - rock/blues, country/blues, whatever/blues. It just works with his voice & stage persona.
The Top 2: Carly & David A.
The Safe Middle: David C., Michael, Jason
The At-Risk Middle: Brooke
The Bottom 3: Ramiele, Kristy, & Syesha
Should Go Home: Ramiele
Will Go Home: Ramiele
This week was just a’ight, but overall it didn’t do too much for me.
It pains me to put David A. in the top two with Carly, but objectively, I think it’s probably the right thing to do. Subjectively, I’d put both David C. and Michael ahead of him, with Jason being pretty darned close.
All in all, I don’t think any of the guys have to worry about being in the bottom 3 this week. Neither does Carly. Thus, the bottom 3 will be comprised of 3 of the 4 other girls (as I show my impressive grasp of the obvious). Syesha could easily swap spots with Brooke. I wouldn’t agree with it, but I could see it happen & not be shocked. Neither would I be shocked if Ramiele escapes & Kristy gets sent home instead; however, I’ve now gotten to the point where I believe that Ramiele is the one who most deserves to go home, and so I’ll predict her demise until it finally happens.
We’ll see tomorrow if America does the right thing & agrees with me…
-ghp
AI:7 - Eze Results
There’s been a slight delay in my writing up some thoughts on this week’s AI:7 results because, well, I wasn’t all that surprised (slightly disappointed, but not surprised) by the results, and, quite frankly, the results shows generally don’t interest me enough to compel quick & voluminous posts.
I much prefer, especially at this stage of the finals, to analyze the performances. While fanbase/voting-bloc analysis can be interesting in hindsight (like positing that Amanda’s votes were split between Carly & David C., thus ensuring Carly’s safety this week, while votes were split between Ramiele & Syesha, with Syesha getting less, and thus falling into danger…), it’s just not interesting enough yet.
The bottom 3 didn’t shock me. I was slightly surprised that Syesha was there. I wasn’t surprised to see Kristy escape. I figured that either Brooke or Jason might could show up in the bottom group, and I just happened to predict the wrong one. I was most disappointed, though, in the fact that Ramiele escaped, as I had her pegged as most deserving of getting sent hope.
That Chikezie was sent home didn’t surprise me. I thought it was a week or two sooner than his talent deserved, but I’m not crushed that I won’t get to hear him again until the Finale’s group number/tour preview.
One thing that is bugging me is the attitude/persona of David Archuleta. It could very well be due to the fact that he’s scared of his über-overbearing stage dad, but he just does not seem prepared/able to handle the pressure of having to do anything but sing. His nervous laugh was grating on my very last nerve. In the long run, I think he’s going to have trouble maintaining enough of a fanbase to win, especially if David Cook keeps improving (Carly, too).
Next week is Country/Western, which means that there should be celebrity mentoring by Dolly Parton. Simon may not have a fun week, but I think that Kristy will. Hopefully we will too…
-ghp
AI:7 - Top 10: You Say It’s Your Birthday?
Here they are, America - Your Top 10.
Ryan’s sporting a little reverse-D.A. / faux-hawk coiffure action tonight.
What the hell is Paula wearing? Sleeveless, sequined, with black leather gloves? Yikes!
This week, they’re singing songs from the year they were born — In other words, another 80’s week, as eight of the ten were born in the 80s, with the other two having been born in 1978 (Michael) and 1990 (David A.).
Hopefully, they’ll do a better job of song selection than they did three weeks ago…
Enough prelude. Let’s get to my always trenchant, yet fluffy (trenchantly fluffy? fluffily trenchant?), analysis.
Ramiele - (1987) Alone - Watch out boys - she’s a biter! At least she knows she needs to redeem herself. Picking Heart is not necessarily the easiest way to get that done. Waving arms from the mosh pit? Not hopeful. Ramiele was most definitely not in good voice tonight. The song was WAY TOO BIG for her (and for one of the screeching backup singers…), even given her heretofore big voice. Nope, not good at all. Under the weather? Too bad - that doesn’t cut it at this stage. Randy was not being too harsh, Simon was being too wussy. And Paula just needs to shut the hell up. Being sick doesn’t matter, as other folks in the past have done better while sick.
Jason - (1987) Fragile - Happy Birthday, Jason, you pudgy baby, you. A Sting song is definitely a good choice, as is “hiding” behind the guitar. He’s much, much better when he is feeling comfortable. That all said, I’m not a fan of the performance, mainly because I’ve never really liked Sting’s solo work. It was good enough. Good enough to satisfy his fanbase, and good enough to get through easily to next week. He’s at a point where he doesn’t need to “wow” people to advance. Simon is mightily annoying when he tries to read/discern motivation. Oh yeah - he seems unmotivated because stoners usually do seem to lack motivation…
Syesha - (1987) If I Were Your Woman - Kill the baby cry, Syesha, kill it now & never bring it back again. A power-diva ballad was probably the right choice for her. I think she redeemed herself for last week (although I think I was one of the few who didn’t like her last week…). Best of all, she seemed/felt/sounded genuine, not like an actress playing a part. She’s safe as a kitteh, and she’s showing improvement from week to week. That’s not a bad thing at all in this competition.
Chikezie - (1985) If Only For One Night - He’s a big old likable kid. I’m not a huge fan of the power/soul ballad. Chikezie, though, did a pretty darned good job with this one. His voice stayed strong, supple, & smooth throughout, and the band & backup singers also hit spot in the groove to boot. “Old School” was good, not boring, for Eze. Sometimes, the retro vibe works without being old fashioned. Cheezy? Sure, but it was good cheeze. If he “showed his personality” every time, then they’d complain about that, too. Feh. Chikezie should be safe from elimination.
Brooke - (1983) Every Breath You Take - When I heard it was the Police, I knew it was gonna be Every Breath - there’s no other song off of Synchronicity that would’ve made sense, although I think she’d have been better off with King of Pain. (ask TTW&B - I wrote that before the song was announced…) The false start was not good at all, contra the judges’ opinions. She actually sounded like Bonnie Tyler (Total Eclipse Of The Heart) singing a Police cover, I think. She didn’t sound like the folkie-chick we’ve come to know & love. She was rocking the straight hair (it looks better than the normal perm-ed look), but that was not a good performance at all. Nope, I think she could be in danger. Danger of landing in the bottom 3, not of getting eliminated, but in danger nonetheless.
Michael Johns - (1978) We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions - He looks like his mom. Queen? Usually not a good choice at all, especially these two short anthemic songs. Michael, however, pulled it off. Just like when he did Bohemian Rhapsody in Hollywood, Michael’s voice seems to be uniquely tuned to sing Queen well, even though (because?) he sounds nothing like Freddie Mercury. He won the audience, he won the Territorial Household, and I think he stopped any bleeding-off of his fanbase. He has re-entered this contest with a vengeance. He’s got star potential in spades as a rock frontman, and it certainly was the best performance of the night so far. Welcome back, Mr. Johns.
Carly Smithson - (1983) Total Eclipse Of The Heart - What a little permafro-ed cutie. Goodness, but her mom is attractive. Carly. Rocked. This. Song. Big. Time. She looked good & sounded way better. That was how you do a power vocal. Take note, Ramiele, on how you get the job done if you want to stay in this competition & thrive. Randy is oddly cranky tonight, and I just don’t get it. For once, Paula was right. Unless America once again has their collective heads up their collective asses, Carly is back into the safety zone outside the bottom 3. As it should be.
David A. - (1990) You’re The Voice - Well, he went upbeat this week. I don’t ever remember hearing the song before, so I don’t know what it “should” sound like. But I do know that I didn’t like it. For as good as his voice is, I don’t know how versatile it really is, wrt crossing genres. He’s really more of a sensitive and/or ballad singer. He’s not an upbeat, rock singer. Reminiscent of a theme park performance? Yeah, I can see that, and it’s largely due to the horrid song choice. Don’t choose songs no one has heard of, kthx. He’ll be safe, but he risks turning into a “Sanjaya with talent”, if you know what I mean…
Kristy - (1984) God Bless The USA - Gracious, but she was a cute little kid. She’s white-bread to the Nth degree, but sometimes a nice Wonderbread sammich hits the spot. This was right in her wheelhouse, performance-wise, vocally, and appealing-to-a-fanbase-wise. I think she might have gotten herself a pass out of the bottom 3 this week with that performance. Paula really doesn’t like her that much, I don’t think, as she is much more muted in her “praise” of Kristy than is the norm for her. Simon’s glowing words were spot on.
David C. - (1982) Billy Jean - Boy, he really did have a big-ol’ egghead noggin, didn’t he? His mom looks a little like Meredith Baxter. I’m not surprised at all that he got the pimp slot this week, but he blew the doors off it. Not the Michael Jackson version? I didn’t know there was another version - did you? Anywhoo, it was an interesting way to meet the theme requirement, while slowing things down a little bit. David is the real deal, vocally and performance-wise. He commands the stage & makes you watch him. Which is ok, because his voice makes you want to. Performance of the night, quite possibly of the season so far. I will say this now: not only can he win the whole thing, he should win the whole thing.
The Top 2: David C. & Kristy
The Safe Middle: David A., Michael
The At-Risk Middle: Jason, Syesha, Carly
The Bottom 3: Ramiele, Chikezie, Brooke
Should Go Home: Ramiele
Will Go Home: Ramiele
Tonight’s show took a while to get started up & running on all cylinders, but once Michael hit the stage, business picked right up.
The results will provide a little bit of insight into what America is thinking, re: contestants’ overall appeal vs. individual/discrete performances. For example, if Kristy gets voted off, then we’ll know that the trend of bad performances having a delayed effect & getting punished the following week is still in force. Alternately, if Brooke or Jason hit the bottom 3, then we’ll know that a single bad performance can kill. But if I’m right & Ramiele goes home, then we won’t really know much of anything, as she had bad performances each of the past three weeks.
We’ll see tomorrow…
-ghp
AI:7 - Here’s Your Tour
There’s not really too much that I have to say about the results show this week…
America, I think, got one thing very wrong & one thing very right.
The Wrong: Carly in the bottom 3. What?!? Even in these modern times, the Irish still get discriminated against. And during St. Paddy’s Day week, yet! Seriously, though, the closest Carly should be to the bottom 3 is sitting across the stage from them.
The Right: Amanda getting sent some & not going on the tour. Talent & one-genre comfort zone aside, she needed to go because she just didn’t seem to want to be there any more. She really looked like she was totally underwhelmed & disinterested in the whole process. That doesn’t make for either a good contest or for good TV.
This week proved that even the Beatles can be too much of a good thing, particularly when some strange song choices are made. Of particular note in the results show was the especially horrific group number. If only the number had been as short as this observation: It was bad. Really bad.
The Ford video was crappy - I hate what they did to the classic Clash track. The “making of” segment was actually better than the video itself.
They’ve cut down on the number of mentors this season, which is a good thing, I think. I think Dolly Parton will be great, and will take the process seriously. Mariah? I haven’t a clue, or a care about how she’ll be. Andrew Lloyd Webber? I don’t think it’ll do much for me. Neil Diamond? Despite bigsis’s supposition in a comment on the performance show post, I think this could be my favorite mentor week. He’s got a stellar catalog consisting of classically well-written pop songs. I hope that David Cook sings America…
Now, it’s time to watch way too much basketball this weekend, and try to wrap my head around the saddening & sickening fact that someone in the LCMS hierarchy deemed it right & proper to kill off Issues, Etc.
-ghp
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