Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine American Idol

Bucky Covington is cute. I know he's kinda trailer-parky looking, but I have a thing for that. And the name "Bucky". Also, I think Taylor Hicks (gray-haired guy) is adorable, Chris Daughtry (bald guy) is hot, and that dude with the big ol' grin, that made it through last night after Paula said, "I'm looking past your 2 left feet" or whatever... he's hot too. Ace is this year's Constantine. I hope he starts making goofy goo-goo eyes at the camera during performances.

The chicks are pretty much ALL babes-- Brenna's REAL hot but she's annoying and I haven't really seen a standout performance from her. She's trying really hard to be Mikalah Gordon. I'll be curious to see how far she makes it.

I missed it tonight. I had to go to a work-related dinner. Did Paris make it? Did the cute Frank Sinatra crooner make it? What about the annoying fraud-twins?

Paris made it, the crooner made it.

The fraud-twins were thankfully absent from the entire episode until near the end when AI did a brief explanation of their whereabouts (with a snippet from a Memphis newscast to boot!).

Thanks. It sounds like it's going to be a great season. I like Paris, cute crooner, and gray-haired guy and probably a bunch others. Nice that the annoying bitchy fraud-twins are gone. I take it that Kelley Pickler made it as well.

Yeah, Pickler made it. You guys have mentioned her a few times, but I must have missed when she was on. Seeing her tonight, I think she's adorable, and knowing that she has a terrible family life makes this success for her even better.

I still don't have a real handle on who everyone is... that'll come in time.

My wife says that Bald Chris is cute, too, but I don't see it. Also, I should say that I was just calling the guys Beast because of their looks, not their personalities. Same for the girls. I remember there's that one girl who Simon said will be difficult to work with. Despite how lovely she looks, I just see devil horns on her and green slime spewing out her mouth. I hope she doesn't get far.

Regardless, it is the talent that will show us who gets anywhere! Can't wait for that!

http://www.idolonfox.com/contestants/

There's the top 24!

I checked them out and although I don't recognize some of the 24, many of my favorites are in there. I think this might be a good year. Paris' hair looks longer now, by the way.

It will be interesting to see what the stylists do, especially with the guys. I find the sort of checklist of the top 24 to be very helpful.

BTW, I'll be on vacation next week, so if I do actually see the show, I probably won't post about it. The week after though, I'll be here!

Pretty good line-up in teh final 24 I think. I do like that fact that with the boys at least it seems to be the year of the geek. A couple of pretty boys (Ace most obviously) but generally not the kind of people that are the archetypal 'Idol' type. But then again if you look at the past winners (and not winners that have careers) it's obvious that the public don't go so much on looks, which is a good thing in my book.

A lot of the finalists though i didn't really remember that much since we didn't see so much of them. I wish they'd shown all of them singing when they got told they were through to the final 24.

Of the finalists Mandisa really stands out (and not just coz of her size). Really great voice and a great personality too. I also really like Paris, although she could be one of those ones that kind of falls to pieces. There's also the geeky boy, Patrick I think, who so doesn't look like he should be able to sing but is in fact incredible.

Oh, and I really like Will as well.

ohmiGAWD, what fun!

So, here's who impressed me the most--

THE GOOD


Ayla Brown ...The first performer to give me any sort of "wow" tonight. Great job.


Paris Bennett ...WOW. Major, this time. What showmanship. She one, two and three-upped everyone else in that department.

Melissa McGhee ...Whoa-- deep-voiced, sultry-toned--- just the way I love my chanteusix.

Lisa Tucker ...Now THIS was the performance that *EVERY*one was waiting for tonight. The wow-factor times 5. I agree with Simon-- people will look back on this performance years from now and say, "THAT was the night I first saw Lisa Tucker".

Katharine Mcphee ...Probably this season's seeming sure-thing at this early stage. Great job!


Now, for some big disappointments...

THE BAD

Kellie Pickler ....Everyone's early favorite, I thought she sounded dreadful. Doubt she'll be going anywhere soon, though, but I hope she does before I have to hear about her jailbird father issues again.

Brenna Gethers ...Lovely to look at-- like a butterfly who can somehow poison you by its touch. I hope this dreadful, unlikeable, only-semi-talented girl doesn't go far.


I WANT YOU TO WOW ME


Becky O\'Donohue ...I rather enjoyed her performance of "Because the Night", but after the judges hem-hawed about her performance, I began to think I might have only enjoyed it because I love the song. I hope she busts it out next week if she makes it through.

Mandisa ...Probably my favorite song choice of the night, and she's very likeable. Next time I want her to grab me, throw me to the floor and shower me with her likeability and performance!


START PACKING YOUR BAGS


I predict two of these 3 will be going buh-bye: Heather Cox or Kinnik Sky or Stevie Scott

I took notes.

Mandisa sang Never, by Heart. It was great that she did the unexpected. She has a great voice and projection -- a class act. I think she'll be a finalist. Randy went wow, wow, wow, good, but a bit sharp. Paula said phenomenol, magnificent. Simon said not perfect but will make the finals.

Kelley Pickler sang How Far by Martina McBride. She's so pretty and so country. OK voice, but Carrie Underwood did it last year. Kelley, you're a year too late. Not sure if she'll make final 12. Randy said good, but not the best. Missed notes. Paula said she didn't carry through on the verses. Simon said she's very likeable.

Becky O'Donohue sang Because the Night. Her voice was a little weak for the song. Doesn't deserve final 12 slot. Randy loved the performance but not the voice. Paula said notes were off. Simon said better than expected, but only a 6.5. Update: I heard her performance again on the radio this morning. It really was pretty bad when you don't have the pretty face to distract you.

Ayla Brown sang Reflection by Christina Aguilera. She has a great voice - a little bit broadway. Final 12 for her. Randy said he was pleasantly surprised. Paula was also pleasantly surprised. Simon like the emotion.

Paris Bennett - a star. Sang Midnight Train to Georgia. She's a great little performer. I was surprised that she could move. However, I didn't think it was the best song to showcase her voice and thought her performance a little too "precious." Nevetheless, she's an enormous talent and it definitely a finalist. Randy said we've got a hot one, America. Paula said she was her idol, the energizer bunny. Simon said she was great

Stevie Scott, opera trained, sang "To Where You Are" by Josh Groban. I liked her. She was kind of Sarah Brightman. I want to see what else she can do. She should at least survive this week. The judges disagreed with me. Randy was bored. Paula said it was not a popular choice. Simon said she messed it up.

Brenna Gethers - DROP A BUILDING ON HER RIGHT AWAY. So annoying. And she can't sing for shit. Absolutely tone deaf. No charm. How she got this far is beyond me. I detest this girl. The judges didn't like her much either. Did I say I hated her? Well, I can't say it enough.

Heather Cox sang "When You Tell Me That You Love Me." Pleasant girl but boring voice. Some notes were flat. She should go home, but second, so that she can kick Brenna's butt on the way out. The judges called her boring, pitchy, not good, forgetable, horrible.

Melissa McGhee sany "When the Lights Go Down" by Faith Hill. She has a deep voice and really can sing. I would like to see her do rock. Ranbdy said she worked it out. Paula said she had a sexy, sultry voice. Simon said she sang better than most of the girls.

Lisa Tucker - 16 years old and a big star already. She was maybe the best all night. She sang "I am Changing" from Dreamgirls (I think). She's definitely a finalist - star quality. The judges said she has a gift, a star, this was the night we will remember that Lisa Tucker started (her amazing career).

Kinnick Sky - sang Get Here by Alita Adams. I really liked Kinnick. She had style and a great voice. I thought she had star quality. The judges disagreed with me. This is probably the only time I didn't understand the judges comments at all. I felt that we had heard different performances. I really hope that Kinnick makes it through and gets another chance to prove herself.

Katherine McPhee - sang "Since I Fell for You" by Streisand. Yes, the hype is true - greaat voice, great personality and beautiful girl. The judges felt that she had a natural talent, that she was the best, and that she was going all the way.

In summary, for me, the best were Mandissa, Paris, Lisa, and Katherine. They are shoo-ins for the top 6 girls. The last two spots should be between Kinnick, Ayla and Melissa. The worst were Brenna ( ), Heather and Becky. Brenna must go, then Heather, but second so she can kick Brenna in the butt on the way out.

It's official. I am in love with Katherine McPhee. I am a sucker for a tall, beautiful, "dorky" chick--especially a talented one! I love that she didn't "oversing" that song.

I also loved Mandisa--so cute and fun. Go girl!

Paris was fun; but she was TOO fun for that song. She totally missed the spirit of it; still, she's quite a little performer.

Lisa Tucker leaves me cold, cold, cold. Ditto for Ayla Brown.

I could give a rat's ass about Pickler's jaibird daddy. Unfortunately, she'll probably go Top 12.

Breanna could be good, but she wasn't there last night.

Stevie totally picked the wrong song to introduce herself. Going home, I fear.

Heather was so flat and boring. Going home, I HOPE.

Melissa...hmm. Not much personality, but she wasn't bad. I hope she can stick around.

Becky...bold song choice with "Because the Night" but so did NOT nail it.

And Kinnick...hmm. Best Drag Queen Performance of 1996. Seriously, she did nothing to make it her own; it was a blatant copy of Oleta Adam's version of "Get Here" with flat and sharp notes thrown in for good measure.

I think Heather and Kinnick will be going home tonight. Stevie may also be out, but she may get some sympathy votes for being trashed so badly (see Janay from last season).

45 minutes into the guys and so far I'm amazed to find myself agreeing with Simon. WTF were Paula and Randy hearing when Sway 'sang'? That was the single worst performance I think I've ever seen on Idol. But Chris is up next and hopefully he can redeem the men who, so far, are vastly inferior to the women last night.

Wow, just... WOW.


THE GOOD


Patrick Hall ...loved that he sang a historically "girl" song (Come To My Window) and I thought he sounded nice doing it. The fact that he's an apparently smart Southern boy didn't hurt either.


Chris Daughtry ...I'm not even a Bon Jovi fan, and I still thought Chris' song (Dead Or Alive) was great. And, *whew*... what a beauty!

Kevin Covais ...there's something extremely likeable about Mr. Nerdly McNerderson... it's like it's an "I can call him that but if anyone else did, I'd beat them up" sorta thing. Did a great job on an AI standard, One Last Cry. This kid HAS a voice, a big, good one.

Gedeon McKinney ...Was a surprise. His version of Shout likely made millions across America do so-- with delight. I'm with Simon, though-- tone down the smile.... get angry or something!

Taylor Hicks ...WOAH. I've been a fan since I spotted him in line at the auditions, and it's grown with his every appearance. IMO, **THE** performance of BOTH nights this week. I don't care how geeky you think I am, his performance brought tears of joy to my eyes. This guy is immensely lovable. Far and away my favorite of both groups so far.

THE BAD

David Radford ....He's a little cutie, but that croony, cool-jerk act just isn't my cup of tea. I will say his vocal wasn't bad, it's just that it wasn't really my thing.

Bobby Bennett ...I'm going to have to borrow all of Simon's favorite phrases: "I'm not saying this to be rude, but it was an appalling, ghastly, dreadful hotel cabaret." Seriously, I think this guy was counting on personality pulling him through. Unfortunately, On opening night, I want to be WOWed by a vocal more than anything else.


Ace Young ...Y'know what annoys me? When AI frickin' expects me to like somebody, even if they suck. Doesn't mean I'm gonna. They expected me to like Kellie Pickler --who was terrible last night-- and they expect me to like Ace Young. Guess what-- it ain't happenin'. I've seen many fags sing Father Figure in karaoke and do better than Ace did. And as for the hair and goo-goo eyes--- well, on Constantine it worked. Here it just seems kind-of.... sad, really.


I WANT YOU TO WOW ME


Bucky Covington ...Leave my taste in men out of this. Oh, fine. So I think he's cute. I also think he can do something, vocally. Wasn't super-blown away tonight, but I think the potential is there.

Elliott Yamin ....Hmm. Another guy everyone is going to say is ugly but I think is hot. Most of the time, the straight-up "Pretty boys" aren't going to do it for me, give me a little roughneck edge, please. The judges loved Elliott; I liked him and hope he blows me away next week.

NOTHING'S SADDER THAN NO OPINION

Will Makar ...Yeah, sure, he's all cute and stuff but he's only 16 so I can get arrested for thinking so. I think it's difficult to pull off a sheer total classic like I Want You Back, and... I'm not--- I'm not sure wether or not Will did. So... no opinion.

Jose "Sway" Penala ...Okay, so I can't deny that it was-- interesting-- but... was it any good? I've really got... no opinion.


What guys are going away tomorrow? My top 3 picks: David Radford... Will Makar... maybe Jose "Sway" Penala, or it might be someone I liked better, like *choke*... Bucky or Patrick.

Just trying to mentally pare down the 12 guys to 6--- this is going to be tough...

I'm 99.9% certain Chris, Taylor and Ace have a *LOCK* on the final 12, and that's half the spots right there.

Who will fill the balance of the 6? I'm pretty sure Gedeon will make it-- especially if he continues to pick songs that everyone from nurseries to nursing homes recognize and love, and continues to nail them. So that leaves only 2 slots for final 6.

Simon's opinion carries a lot of weight, and he gave Elliott a colossal compliment tonight. He's my 5th pick for final 6.


I find it it hard to beleive people aren't going to like little Kevin. So that's 6.

Meaning I might ought to prepare for Bucky and Patrick to leave...

I laughed at-- and totally agreed with these comments, Jackie!

I notice you and Semi seemed to like Stevie more than I did.

Taylor Hicks is so absolutely unusual that I want to see him make it up to the wire just to see if he is as genuine as he seems.

But, visually and so far sincere and just plain totally adorable is Ace Young. Hell, even his name is American Idol-esque already. And I enjoyed his rendition of Father Figure very much. I was semi giddy even before he started singing, and just went all school girly after that. He was great.

Gideon is a psycho, just wait and see....

Sway and Bobby Bennett need to escort each other out and don't look back... goodbye! *shiver*

p.s. Does anyone else think they are overusing the phrase 'bring it' as much as 'yo dog.'

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! You're falling into the "Ace Trap"....!

Again, I took notes.

I really liked tonight and almost didn't hate anyone.

Patrick Hall sang "Come to My Window." I like his voice; he has a nice range. The clip of him singing in Hollywood was what won me over. I really want to see more of him. And when I saw the recap at the end of the show, I realized even more how good he really is. The judges didn't like the song choice but like his voice.

David Radford is the cute 17 year old crooner. He's not going to win Ameican Idol, but he's got an infectious style. I liked his performance a lot. I don't think he's going home yet. His good looks and million dollar smile will carry him through. And he's 100 percent more talented than the last crooner they had on AI. The judges thought the song choice was wrong, but Simon thought the audience would like him.

Bucky Covington sang something by Lynyrd Skynyrd. He has a raspy rock voice. I liked him him a lot. However, I don't think he's got a great range and that will limit him in this competition. I think he's safe for this week. The judges thought he was good, growing and Simon liked him raw.

Will Makar, aka Bobby Brady or Boy Meets World. Sang "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5. Bad, bad song choice. Cute kid, but that's about it. Mediocre voice. I thought he lost control of the melody and was off-key a lot. Paula and Randy were entertained, but Simon thought he was just average. I think Will might go home.

Sway sang Reasons by Earth, Wind and Fire. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for falsetto, so I really liked Sway. Plus, he lives not more than 5 miles from me. He was unique tonight and I think he should stay at least another week. Paula and Randy liked him; Simon hated him.

Chris Daughtry sang "Wanted Dead or Alive" He's a rocker with a great voice. I think he's a definite top 6. All the judges liked him and mentioned that he has a really great recording voice.

Kevin Covais sang "One Last Cry" and it should be his last. He sounded like a kid singing at his bar mitzvah. His voice is weak, reedy and nasal. How he got this far is beyond me. Randy and Paula were kind and liked him. Simon thought he would appeal to the over-90 crowd that was hard of hearing. I think Kevin should go this week.

Gedeon McKinney sang "Shout". What a great performer. Nice voice, tone and range. I want to see more of him. I think he'll make top 6.

Elliot Yamin - sang "If You really Love Me." I hated the song. When are these guys going to learn that Stevie Wonder songs aren't that great. (To tell the truth, the only Stevie Wonder song I've ever liked was "Place in the Sun", which almost nobody knows). It was too bad, because I like Elliot and I think he's got a nice voice. But what do I know? The judges all thought Elliot was brilliant. Simon even said he was the best vocalist ever in 5 seasons. I don't see it from that song, but I guess we'll get another opportunity to see what Elliot can do.

Bobby Bennett sang Copacabana. He has a throaty, not too musical voice with a limited range. He seemed to me to be more like an emcee who introduces the stars and kills time on stage while they're getting ready. He's not star material. Maybe he's like an Ed Sullivan - great host. I think Bobby should go home this week. Randy and Paula though he was entertaining but Simon said it was a nightmare.

Ace Young sang "Father Figure." This guy has star charisma. As he sang "I will be your father figure", he raised his arms and damned if I didn't think of Jesus at that very moment. I'm not fond of his type of light voice, but he really can sing. The judges loved him, Paula pee'd her pants and even Ryan got wet. There's no doubt about it - physically he's beautiful and that's going to carry him far.

Taylor Hicks sang the Elton John song "Levon". I really like Taylor and think with his unique voice that he's got a real shot at the top spot. The judges loved him and even Simon said he was wrong when he said in the audition that Taylor didn't have what it takes. Count me in as a Taylor fan.

In summary, I thing Kevin then Bobby should go home this week. Will is my third choice. The top 6, in my opinion so far are, Taylor, Ace, Gedeon, Chris, and I hope Patrick and then either Elliot or David (if he gets better).

Thank you LASH for putting in to words how I feel about Ace! He's pretty, and seems nice, but in NO way does he have the vocal chops for AI to be telling me HE'S the winner this year.

My favorite of the night was Eliott . I really liked his voice. I like Chris a lot too...he's kinda sexy. Gideon pleasantly surprised me, but I'm still on the fence. There's something endearing about Bucky , but his vocal wasn't that great last night.

Wilma Carr and Patrick were just too boring to even be memorable. Poor Kevin just seems lost up there, although I do have to commend AI for putting him through, and being nice to him last night! I don't want him to win or anything, but I don't think I could take seeing the poor guy get totally slammed by Simon!

I like Taylor to a point, but I think his shtick is gonna get old fast.

Sigh, and then for David , Sway and Bobby That David is a cute kid but that was all kinds of wrong. I don't know what the judges saw in Sway, maybe it was better in the studio? Yeesh, it was painful. And poor Bobby--it was like watching Jackie Gleason doing a number on The Carol Burnett Show or something. Seems like a funny guy and all, but not for this show.

That is exactly the impression I had of his performance last night. It was like he was trying to channel Gleason.

Unfotunately, Vote for the Worst.com is pulling for Bobby Bennett (as well as Brenna for the girls). If Bobby doesn't go home tonight, I'll be convinced of VftW.com's power.

Jacks-- Chris: "kinda" sexy? Oh dear. I might need to get you in for a retinal exam, stat. He's so frickin' hot I bet his bald head could melt a steel hat.

You're the first one I've found who agreed with me about Ace. Today at work everyone was all Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace, Chris, Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace. I had to fight the urge to pull a Lester Spiffany on them. BAH!

I dunno.... Taylor seems pretty genuine to me and not at all schticky. I'll be watching him closely.

Seems like you and Semi agree with me that we want Bucky to "WOW" us.... maybe he will get the chance.

I've got high hopes for Elliott.

"Wilma Carr".... *tee hee* If you're saying what I think you are, I think you're right. Time and tabloids will tell!

I'm going out ot dinner tonight so I will miss the results show. (In fact -- what a good idea to go out to dinner and miss every results show. ) Anyway, I'll check back here when I get home to see what happened. I hope Brenna exits gracefully held up by Bobby and Kevin with Heather or Becky kicking her butt as all four exit stage left.

There's no way I can leave tonight-- I've got THREE shows on at 7pm-- AI, Survivor and Dancing w/ the Stars. This could get complicated....

Hmm. Better tape Survivor, and the first hour of Dancing w/... will just have to be watched during the (VERY frequent) AI commercials.