Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine American Idol

I agree with Lash...

I do want Chris to win, but think the Katherine would be a better Idol. Chris will do just fine either way.

Well I didn't watch it but I read it.

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text"> Ace is gone! But Chris and Paris were in the bottom three with him! </span></span>

Not surprised by the outcome here...

Argh, I forgot to record tuesday's show AND I had to record Alias over AI tonight so I completely missed this week. Were the songs Rod tunes or like, tunes from Rod's "tight leggings era" or something?

Woot for the boot, not woot for the other two in the bottom three. One of them doesn't surprise me hugely, the other one does a bit. But then again after Mandissa getting teh boot anything can happen.

I'm actually looking forward to this week for the first time in a while. I've not liked the themes for a while because they just seem so restrictive and I'd rather each performer got to do something that really suited their style rather than having to fit their style to a theme (if you see what i mean). Paris has suffered especially from that. She just hasn't had the chance to do anything that really fits her for weeks. It could just be that she's not very good at picking songs, but she hasn't shown the potential she had during the early rounds for a good few weeks. Hopefully they'll keep more to the general themes from now on rather than a particular person, writer or group.

MEL, they were songs from Rod Stewart's American Songbook collections. So, they were standards. I love that genre, personally.

I'm fine with tonight's eliminated singer, but I just don't understand how the other two were in the bottom 3. (I didn't see the show...) I'm glad Elliott was free and clear. I was worried about him.

As for the themes, well, I support the show doing them. I think that it really shows the contestants' creativity and talent to be able to fit themselves into the theme. The ones that do the best at this are generally the best overall. All of the previous winners were good at this, and the ones in the top two or three were good at it too. It's a way to weed out the lesser performers.

You are right that it does force the contestants to do things they wouldn't normally do and I do like the themes but I'd rather they were more on the genral side of things (country, disco, American standards) than the ones where they're tied to a particular performer or group, if you see what I mean. Much as I like Queen their songs can be a little samey. The same goes for Stevie Wonder. The performers end up too restricted to my mind, whereas with the genre themes they actually have room to breathe. If you think about it as good as Fantasia or Kelly Clarkson are they still perform particular styles of sings. They suceeded by making their choice during the theme weeks fit their style even if they were forced to think slightly outside the box (eek, I'm using Manager Speak. The world is surely doomed). Maybe it's just that this year they've not been as good at doing that or thet're just not as flexible, but I would like more weeks where they can just do whatever they like. If they end up just doing the same thing over and over then it's likely to be their undoing but at least you'd get to see them doing the kind of performance that they'd want to do if they amke it into the big time.

I was definitely fine with this week's eliminated contestant.

I was less fine with the "spot" AI put Taylor in, making him pick the "safe" group. If I were him, I would have gone and sat with the judges, or would have done like Bo Bice last year and just refused to pick.

Most telling of all is that Kellie, who certainly gave the other worst performance of Tuesday night along with "he who was eliminated" was in the safe group with Taylor, Katharine and Elliott.

I've certainly warmed to her but I really don't think she should win (based on her spotty performances).

Like Paula, I think she'll make an excellent comedic actress though.

Thanks for the recap. Rod Stewart's hair and historical choice of pants bother me slightly but I love his older music, especially his stuff with the Faces. This is totally random but I think I read in Entertainment Weekly that know McPheever apparently went to highschool with "Summer" from the OC?

Haven't all of the stars that hooked up with AI had a new cd to pimp? Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Rod etc.... I know it's no coincidence.

But I also don't mind!

yeah Mel, apparently Rachel Bilson-Summer, went to school with Katherine. It was on the ew.c om blog.

Oh, almost certainly Dean. Call me cynical but I doubt they'd get stars like them otherwise. Like you say though, I don't mind.

OK, so we've just finished watching it and I have to say that compared to the last few weeks it was a vast improvement. Bizarrely ITV (who broadcast it here) cut it down *hugely*. It was only on for forty-five minutes and Ace didn't get his bit with Rod Stewart and Katharine didn't even get introduced or get proper criticism because they cut most of it. Very odd. But it does mean there was more actual singing in the show which was good. As to the performances...

Chris: Wow momma the boy was looking *hot*. I have a bit of thing for suits anyway and when it's someone like Chris who is also showing off his sexy arms then... left me with a happy smile on my face. Oh, and he sang too I think. He he. Not quite as good as his country week, but then I think that was just because I find the song a bit... well, twee, maybe. Not my favourite song but Chris did it pretty darn well. He certainly didn't deserve to be in the bottom three.

Paris: Hmmm... OK, this was clearly her forte. It's exactly the type of music that suits her downt o the ground but I'm not sure why it wasn't as fantastic as it should have been. It might not have been the best choice in the world (I would love to have hard her do something like 'That old Black Magic' or 'It's Only A Paper Moon') or it might have been the odd over-pronounced way she was shaping the words that made her sound like she was trying to sing in a posh English accent but there was just something that didn't quite work for me. That being said she was absolutely note perfect and it was by far her best performance since the auditions. It's just a shame that it didn't click for me. I think that's almost certainly just personal taste in this case though.

Elliot: Ah, Sponge-Elliot Squarepants. I so want to like him, I really do. He's a very good singer. He seems to be ever such a nice chap. He has ears that deserve further study because of their general oddness. He has a permanent startled look that makes him both endearing and ever so slightly worrying. He sings nicely and performs nicely and... I'm sorry, I've forgotten what I'm talking about. Oh yes, Elliot. I really, *eally* want to like Elliot but try as I might he stops singing and I just forget about him. That's not a good trait for someone wanting to be AI. He can sing though, I just find him very forgetabl... oooh, look, a shiny new penny.

Taylor: It was good, but not great. Possibly because he's now done the whole 'really great performances half way through the contest' thing he's now got the problem of living up to them. He can't just be 'good' any more, or even 'really good' he has to be *great* (Chris has the same problem) and this week he was just... very good. Better than most of the others (certainly top three material) but I just wanted something a bit more from him.

Kellie: As you may have noticed I'm not Kellie's biggest fan. It's not that she's awful, it's just that she is unbearably *boring*. Pretty, cute, unbelievably thick/naive (delete one depending on how charitable you're feeling towards her) and funny in a 'let's laugh and the unfortunate' way but no great shakes as a singer and not deserving of being in the final twelve. Tonight though she did two things. She really gave the only bad performance of the night (although it wasn't appaling) and she gained some respect from me for actually admitting that she made a mess of it right off the bat and genuinely seeming to realise she had made mistakes and not trying to make excuses for herself. Fair dues to her for doing that, it's more than most of the others have doen in the past. But she really proved that she is just not even vaguely in the same league as the others.

Ace: OK, so I said that Elliot was forgetable and the Kellie is boring but my gods Ace was just *dull*. He sang the only song I have never heard before (or at least that I completely failed to recognise) and he sang it in such a way that calling it lift/elevator musak would be an insult to lift musak. It wasn't out of tune as far as I could tell but quite frankly he could have been singing completely the wrong tune and I wouldn't have noticed because I was in a bloody coma. Kellie was worse in terms of technical singing, Ace was far worse in terms of performance. Plus his jacket was far too short and I wanted to slap him for having his tie showing at the bottom of it. That isn't fashion it's just crass and makes you look scruffy. Elliot and Chris did the 'casual suit' look sucessfully. Ace just looked like a four year old who's been made to wear a suit for his Grandma's birthday and hates it.

But I'm goign to feel oddly lost next week without bucky or Ace to rant about. *Sigh* What could possibly make up for that? Oh yes, of course...

Katharine: My gods this girl is great. I really didn't rate her at first. She just seemed like the pretty one who would be a bit nondescript and go about halfway through. Shows you how wrong you cna be.

See, Katharine, bless her, actually had some awfully duff notes this week. Not screechy or grating or anything but way, way off key. But with her you either don't really notice or don't mind. What she may possibly lack in technical skill (and that'll come with training) she more than makes up for in sheer presence and her all round performance. Simon was right, she looks like a complete pro already. She knows exactly how to use the camera and speak to the audience through her song. She manages to sell every single performance and makes it feel like she's singing directly to you. I know I'm gushing a bit but, well, I *really* like Katharine. I do think Fantastia and Kelly Clarkson are probably better technical singers than Katharine but in terms of the raw performer Katharine has them both beat. Occasionally she comes across as being a bit musical theatre (but then again so did Fantasia) but it doesn't really bother me because she seems to know that and controls it. It's the same way that she very nearly went off into irritating warbling this week but just held back from it and managed to avoid the one thing that could have ruined her performance for em.

So we're down from twelve to six and at least three of them I would be more than happy with being the winner (Katharine, Chris and Taylor). Elliot and Paris need to do something fantastic for me to think they deserve to be there and Kellie, bless her, really needs to bog off and go back to being nice and dim before Jessica Simpson finally fires a couple of neurons and realises someone is stealing her act (besides I think Jessica Simpson's blondness is far more amusing than Kellie's).

Final two though I wouldn't want to call and the winner... yeesh, it could be any of them. I would love it to be Katharine but for some reason i think she might lose out, even before the final three. I hope I'm proved wrong on that point though.

Just felt like continuing Bevis' thoughts on Katherine...

I've liked her all along, but she's made mistakes. She's chosen songs that are beyond her reach, vocally, which really matters in this competition. Her beauty does a LOT to keep her on the show, though. She reminds me of last year's looker, Vonzell. (Not style-wise, but in a more technical way.)

I haven't really become a major fan of *anyone* this season, whereas every other year I have. I consistently like Chris' performances, but there's something about him that keeps me at a distance. The hard rock edge? I dunno. I mean, it's not a "guy" thing, because I've really liked Ruben and Bo and even Clay in the past. I liked Justin, too, but not as much as Kelly.

Anyway, I look forward to the next show. I'll be at work, so hopefully one of my kids will successfully tape it for me.

Wow! I'm first to review!

I love these kind of songs, the big gooey ballads. So, I was open to see what was going to happen. Overall, it was a good show, but some of the singers just weren't all that impressive.

My call on worst to best....

Kellie. I LOVE Unchained Melody, and am a very fussy judge when this song is performed. I don't know the Leanne Rimes version, but Kellie's was awful! So dull and boring and she had a faraway look in her eye. Yeah, she hit the high note, but so?

Katherine. I was surprised the judges were so hard on her, because I actually think she sounded pretty good. She didn't innovate much with the song, but I suppose that'd be hard. She looked fantastic. Sexy! The reason I rate her so low on *my* scale is because I felt like she was kinda screechy and loud. I bet it was rough to be there, live.

Taylor. Sometimes he just sings a song the way it was done originally, and it just lays there and nothing happens. That's how it was tonight.

Paris. She totally overdid it. This song should be melancholy, and sad. She made it brassy and spectacular. Vocally, she did a great job, but it didn't make sense.

Elliott. I don't know this song, but his passion for it and his delivery make me want to seek it out. I'm glad Elliott hasn't be eliminated yet, because this performance was really good for his reputation on the show.

Chris. I'm a Chris fan, but nights like tonight confirm for me why that is. I LOVED hearing his vocal on that song. The song is a nice love song, and I don't dislike Bryan Adams, but Chris' version made me like it even more. He was very controlled and tender, but big and passionate when it was time for that.

The judges were weird tonight. Randy was very hard to please. Paula was all over the place and Simon was especially rough. I suppose it'd be annoying to keep getting cut off.

Yep, I'm definitely backing Chris all the way!

Looking at the line-up last night after the performances, Chris looked like the only one who could win. He's still my favorite and has been the most consistent of the group.

I pretty much agree with Dean's assessment except for Katherine. I think the judges were overly harsh and her performance was much better than Paris'. Paris just continues to grate on my nerves for some reason. Katherine did great, about on par with Elliott's performance in my book.

It is going to be an interesting results show tonight.

My vote is Elliott and Chris, with Katherine.

There is something about Elliott that I like.

I actually enjoyed them all last night, but the three guys were definitely my favorites with Taylor barely edging out Chris ("Just Once" is always a sure bet of a song with me) and Chris barely edging out Elliott.

I thought Katharine was really good, and enjoyed Paris too. I liked Kellie but she was probably my sixth place.

My prediction is one of the 3 remaining ladies will go tonight.

If not, we may very well have seen the last of Elliott.

Long shot: Last year, Constantine was ousted in sixth place, surprising many. This year, it could be Taylor.

Chris was great last night. The best by far.

Elliot did a great job as well.

Kat was good, with a few slight issues with her range with that song...but good overall.

The rest were passable(Paris and Taylor) to poor and painful(Kellie).

Also, the dumb blond act has gotton really old.

On a side note...whoever told Kellie that she looked good with that make-up and hairdoo was laughing for hours...

Another thing I noticed was that they (AI) show Kat with softer lighting and wonderful angles and not too close close-ups. Kellie however, they frame her face, and show her from a dostance. They are soo pushing Kat over Kellie with their production of how they showcase the performers it isn't even funny.

I still want Chris to win.

So, tonight's elimination was arguably a surprise as this finalist has never even seen the bottom once before, but on the other hand it probably really was time for her to go already.

Oh well. I'll miss her as I think the other one in the bottom deserved to go first. Too bad she didn't get her chance to sing.

This is a comment on the tuesday show, but did Kat's yellow dress pop open a bit during her song? It was a bit jarring hearing her sing Whitney and go all Janet for a bit

Ah...sweet, sweet 6th place eliminations...Carmen Rasmussen, Jon Stevens, Constantine..and now THIS one.

Well, since you guys are so discreet, I went to the AI yahoo group to figure out who was eliminated.

possible spoiler...


She was my pick to go last week!


I found myself up a bit late last night watching tv, and I came across the Nashville Star show, which is a total AI copy, country style. Well, the thing is, their singers are totally awesome! The one girl left is totally hot in a Sheryl Crow way. She sang a GREAT version of the Dixie Chicks' "Sin Wagon." Then, this totally studly kid sang "How Great Thou Art." He was amazing! Then, this total young Johnny Cash type sang some kinda kick-@ss song. Then another cowboy stud man sang a touching country ballad. He was like, 20 years old. Really good.

These people are majorly talented, and I don't normally care for country music. I would have no idea how to judge who should go and who should stay. I was amazed to see that a couple of the judges were Scott and Duff from Velvet Revolver!

I think this could be a really cool show to watch. I think I've seen bits of it before.

I've seen only one full ep of Nashville Star before and LOVED it, because the contestants sang their original material (that week anyway).

That was the first season, and when the guy (Buddy something?) sang "Lacey's Song" (I believe it was called) I knew he had it wrapped up, and he DID end up winning.

I'd like to watch it regularly, I just always forget it's on.

I missed the first three performances, so I'll have to listen to them later. I did get to see the little "wrap up" clips at the end of the show.

Elliott seemed to do a great job with "On Broadway." It seems like a perfect song for his vocals.

I didn't hear enough of Chris on "Renegade." Sounds like Simon liked it, though.

I bet it was fun hearing Paris do "Kiss" by Prince. Love that song.

I did see Katherine perform "Against All Odds." It was only okay to me. Her vocals aren't stable enough I think. It's like I don't *trust* her with that song. When it was over, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, which I often feel with her.

How could anyone not like Taylor singing "Funky Music?" So fun! I liked it, anyway...

Elliott singing "Home" was very nice, but it's a dull song. Not really a competition number, y'know?

I didn't know Chris' second song, but yeah, he did sound like he was straining. That yelling/singing he does is VERY hard on the vocal chords. He should get a teacher. Still, the song rocked.

Paris did a decent job with the Mary J. Blige song, but it did come across as a "wanna-be" performance. I suppose that's okay considering her age, but I prefer my American Idols to be more individualistic.

Katherine was much better with her second song. She seemed more comfortable, and the song fit her vocal. She looked great with straight hair!

Taylor did a great job on "Something else else!" He didn't totally copy the Beatles, but he didn't go all nutty and he wasn't boring. Perfect!

So, I guess tonight's evaluation is all about averaging out the two performances....

5. Katherine had one pretty bad and one good.
4. Paris had one good and one okay.
3. Chris had one good (evidently) and one okay.
2. Elliott had one pretty good and one good.
1. Taylor had two good performances!!