AI:7 - Results
Once again, I’m late to the party on the results show happenings. This might be, let the reader understand, a recurring pattern…
Also once again, I have nothing of all that much substance to observe about the results show. It unfolded largely like I thought it would, insofar as the bottom 3 comprised Kristy & Ramiele (both of whom I predicted) along with Brooke (I said Syesha, but hinted that Brooke was vulnerable). Brooke was the logical one to send to safety first, and Ramiele was the logical one to send home.
Rarely have we seen a front-runner fall from grace so quickly. Even before the finals started, Ramiele seemed to be regressing. Danny’s elimination only seemed to lock her into a negative mindset & direction, as she never regained the the buzz or the momentum that she displayed earlier in the competition. If anything, she de-matured, relying on a baby-ish persona that she seemed to think was cute, but that grated on the last nerve of adults who tired of her pouty-lipped, hurt-little-girl looks that sprang up at the hint of any criticism or tough going. No, it was time for Ramiele to get off of the stage, and we’ll all be better off now that she’s gone.
This week, we have Idol Gives Back to look forward to. Whoopee! I can hardly wait for the self-congratulatory guilt-a-thon that they have in store for us over three, count ‘em, three days this week…
-ghp
Chapin & iTunes
Just a quick follow-up on my post from earlier this week about Harry Chapin. Legends of the Lost and Found is, to me, the quintessential Chapin — a live, double LP, with him at his storytelling best. The problem has been that it was never released on CD. For the longest time, all I had was the cassette tape copy that I made of bigsis’s LPs (btw, did you buy that set, or did Dad? 
). About 5 years ago, I finally got around to borrowing the LPs & ripping them to mp3, and burning those mp3s to CD. The problem with that was that I’m not a sound engineer, and the albums had the usual clicks & pops that come from having been played lots & lots over 25+ years.
That, however, didn’t really lessen the frustration I felt at not being able to lay my hands on a better quality electronic/modern copy of this classic album.
Now, I’m happy to report, this has changed, as Apple has made Legends available at the iTunes store!
Very, very cool.
-ghp
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
Flowers are red
Flowers are Red (Harry Chapin)
The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin’ young man
I’m paintin’ flowers he said
She said… It’s not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There’s a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You’ve got to show concern for everyone else
For you’re not the only one
And she said…
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen
An affinity for Harry Chapin, particularly the Legends of the Lost and Found live double album, is one of the few musical tastes that bigsis and I have in common. I recall listening to that album over & over again on bigsis’s stereo, when it was stored at our parents’ house right after bigsis got married (and before she got settled enough to lay claim to it again). I thought that was the coolest stereo system ever. So, there was an upside to your stuff taking up all that space, sweetie! ;^)
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