Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine American Idol

Let me start by saying I like everyone this year. It's so hard to choose when they all can sing (unlike every other year). I closed my eyes for most of the performances so that I could experience hearing them on the radio. With that in mind, my favorite voices were:

Carly - so pure and such a range. I love her voice and if she recorded songs I like, I'd buy her cd.
Jason - I grew up in the 60's and love folk music. Jason's got that voice. I'll definitely buy Jason's cd
David Archuleta - with my eyes closed, little Alfred E. Newman actually sounded like a country rock singer. Very nice tone.
David Cook's voice is gorgeous, to my ears. I didn't like the song, but I like listening to him.
Syesha was very good but should have tried for some of the high notes.
Kristie Lee was just swell.
Brooke was awful. I was so disappointed in her.
Michael Johns is beautiful. But eyes closed, he wasn't the top performer tonight. I'd like to hear him do some Roxie Music. There's a Brian Ferry vibe to him that I think he should explore.
Ramiele sounded the most like Dolly, but then, Dolly would never win American Idol.


Brooke was the worst. Ramiele wasn't great either, I have no clue who will go home, because that's not based on talent, but on popularity.

*love* Dolly. Love Dolly songs. Not sure I love Dolly songs on AI.

Brooke. Not keen. It wasn't awful but it wasn't anything special and she was seriously off key through a lot of it. The first time Brooke has really disappointed me. I hope it doens;t put her in the danger zone.

Bad Hair David. His hair looks marginally less awful this week. He does appear to be getting rather tubby though. A straightforward version of a brilliant song. For the first time with him I did't hate it. I didn't love it either though, and his overly-breathy singing annoys me. Still can't stand him though.

Ramiele. Lovely song, but decptively hard. It's chirpy and happy but deceptively complicated musically. Ramiele, cute as she is, simply isn't up to that kind of challenege. She was mumbly and drowned out by the music a lot and then would shout a bit to compensate. Her shoes also made her look bizarrely like she had shiny hooves as well.

Jason. He picked a song that should have sounded completely different from his previous performances. Erm... somehow he managed to make it sound the same as everything else he's done. Slightly faster but with really, really cracked high notes. His vocal range clearly is pretty appalling if he can't even get the high notes when they're not very high. Jason's mediocrity is starting to verge on the offensive now.

Carly. I think the arrangement may have been a little slow, but I don't know if that's just because I'm so used to Dolly's original. Vocally though Carly was absolutely amazing. She has a range and control of her voice that far outstrips most of the other finalists. I really like Carly and yet there's something ever so slightly missing from her. Not sure what though.

David A. The emotion felt a little false, but I think that's an age and experience rather than anything else (the song didn;t make much sense in relation to his age either). Vocally though it was by far his best performance for weeks. He kept it simple but showed how good a singer he is. I think the thing with David is that he's a superb singer but he's just an OK performer. If he learns how to work the stage and bring a bit more life to his performances then they might match up with his voice.

Kristi. Stupid song to pick. If you're having to do a Dolly song don't pick one that everyone knows so will compare your performance to completely. It didn't help that her timing was completely off. The notes all seemed to be in tune for the first time but her timing just was bizarre. Still, probably her best performance for weeks too. Just unfortunate that it was still bloody dull. Her sarcastic attitude with Simon at the end also lost her many, many points in my book. There's no need to behave like a spoilt child just because Simon didn't like the performance.

Syesha. Another stupid song to pick. Either doing it Dolly's (lovely) version or Witless Howling's (awful) versiona nd you're just setting yourself up for unfavourable comparissons. She looked happy all the way through the song which sort of misses the point. Overall though a little plodding at turns and then histrionic at others. The only reason I didn;t hate it as much as the Witless version was because it was a hell of a lot shorter. Vocally strong, performance-wise bloody awful.

Michael. A bit slow but probably one of the best performances of the night. He was slightly shouty at places but that was much closer to the brilliance of his auditions round. Plus I so would.

Of course the big question is where is Lash? He should have commented on Dolly night by now.

HOw come none of you AI fans has brought up David Cook's heart condition which required him to be rushed to a discreet emergency room after the show?? His brother's cancer is back, and David is feeling guilty for not being with his brother and he is apparently quite run down. They say he has dangerously high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat which may or may not be part of a problem he has had for a long while. Fans are worried he is seriously ill and non-fans are saying he is playing the high drama card i.e. Marie Osmond on Dancing With the Stars when she 'fainted.'

Sorry SG, I meant to respond to that last week. I was really surprised when Ryan mentioned that stuff about David's blood pressure. I'd never heard any of it before. I wish it could be left private for his sake, but I realize that nowadays, every celebrity tidbit makes the press. I'm appalled that there are people who accuse him of playing a "drama card."

"Inspiration" week... least favorite to favorite.

David Cook. I just thought it was a terrible song. I don't know it, but I was annoyed by it.

Carly. I thought it was a mess. I don't like her anyway, so this did nothing to change that.

Michael. This is the kind of performance Michael was giving when I didn't think he was living up to his potential. Shouty.

Brooke. A very sweet song, but not very interesting. She seemed really nervous.

Kristie Lee. I liked it. There were some slow parts to it, but it went well.

Jason. Love that version of the song. I thought he did it perfectly. It's very him.

Syesha. I liked it, but no one can deliver that song like Fantasia. Not even Diana DeGarmo. Still, Syesha can really sing.

David A. I like Jessica Simpson's version of the song, I like Robbie William's version and I like David's too.

It wasn't great last night. I hate "inspirational" songs. I just thank God that no-one sang "The Wind Beneath My Wings."

I liked Jason, Kristie, and Syesha. I don't understand the criticism Syesha gets. If this were any other year, she'd be top of the pack.

The weakest for me were David Cook (bad, boring, tuneless song choice), Brooke (boring, boring, boring) and David A (just listen to the Robbie Williams version of Angels on YouTube to hear what this song should really sound like. David A's version was awful, despite the judges' praise.)

The others, Michael and Carly, were decent but not stellar.

Still, all these contestants are so much better than in past years. Any one of them, competing in a past year, could have taken the whole thing.

Just watched Idol gives back. My favorites were Carrie Underwood and Annie Lennox.

My jaw was agog when I saw those dancers from `So You Think You Can Dance` open up the show. Their dancing talent just left the Idols` singing talent in the dust.

What was Teri Hatcher thinking!

I've turned on a few minutes late so I've probably missed someone, but anyway...

Nauseous theme this week. What is it about you Americans and overloads of schmaltz? Ugh.

Syesha. Hmm. I'm not sure. She seemed to be reaching at the end and I can understand what Randy and Simon meant. I still don't really know who she is and there's something actually quite cocky and slightly false about her. Not sure what though.

Jason. Rainbow is such a bloody cliched song in AI that I'd rather it be banned from now on. On the other hand I love that version of it. On the other other hand I don't love Jason doing it. He started off OK but then sounded really strained and went straight back into his wonky jaw gurning and squeaky weak high notes. I just wish he'd go.

Kristi. Bloody hell, knock me down with a feather, but Kristi was actually bloody good. Randy was right about there being some pitch problems but it was a million times better than anything she's done before now and she actually looked pretty good. Even with big Country vote out there unless she can be at least this good every week and better she's still not going to last more than a couple of weeks though. Probably..... She's going to win now isn't she?

David Cook. Fnurg gurp grurgle FNARP grunt grunt GARP! Did he decide his gimmick this week would be to completely mumble every single word? Actually, no, not every single word because some of them he just shouted. Prevous weeks his vocals have been technically very good but I've hated his performances. This week both his vocals and his performance were hideous. Although neither were as hideous as that appalingly bad jacket.

Carly. I *love* this song. For some reason though Carly didn't pull it off. Her vocals were really weak (by her standards at least) and she just seemed to be being a little over-dramatic, which is saying something for a Queen song. It wasn't awful exactly but it wasn't really good enough.

David A. David really doesn't have much personality does he? I don't know if it's his slightly annoying voice or his utter inoffensiveness but he's very dull. His performance this week was just as dull and he had some really duff notes.

Brooke. A rather predicatable song for Brooke and not a great performance. When Brooke is good she's very, very good. When she's not she's just a bit meh. This week she was a bit meh. Not bad, but disappointing.

So the only one I missed was Michael, but going from the clip at the end of the programme he wasn't great. Rather shouty and not great. But I'd still keep him as my personal love bunny.

Going off this week's performances, wonder of wonders, I'd put Kristi as the best. Both the David were very bad and Carly, unfortunately, should also be in the bottom three. The others were pretty meh all round.

A new night job is unfortunately taking my time up on Tues & Weds nights, but there is a big-screen flatscreen TV there and we have it on AI so I am at least catching the shows, just less time to comment here.

Best this "inspiration" week were David A (I too love Robbie and Jessica's versions), Brooke (still the only one I would buy an actual CD from right this moment), Jason "dreads" Castro (it fit him perfectly) and Kristi Lee Cook (inching up towards my second pick for buying a CD from but not there yet).

Syesha choked on "I Believe" but mainly because only Fantasia can deliver that song. I feel absolutely no connection to Michael Johns. David Cook was boring and I thought Carly was just awful.


Weds. night had some real top-notch talent. I thought I'd fall out when HEART performed, they were magnificent!!

As for tonight's exodus, I'm cool with that though I honestly thought it would be either one of the girls.

Well, I'm not okay with tonight's elimination. While it may not be on par with the elimination scandals of the past -- Nadia Turner, Chris Daughtry, and Melinda Doolittle, it was still pretty bad. I'm afraid I've started to detest David Archuleta and his insipidly boring ballads, and Brooke with her monotone performances. I want them gone. Then I'd be happy with any of the remaining singers winning.

Tonight's exit was a bit of a shock, huh? Michael was not my very favorite, but definitely one of my top three or four. Probably should have had at least 2 or 3 others go before that one.

Of my top two favorites, Carly, was in danger tonight, so better Michael than her for me. I was certainly glad that David Cook didn't get put in danger after an admittedly weak night Tuesday. His fan base must be pretty solid, at least. Carly better sing her ass off next week!

Kristi Lee's really ramping it up lately, huh? But she has been in her element a lot lately. If next week's theme is off her strengths and she doesn't step up, she could backpedal. If she continues to run hot, though, she could be our dark horse.

I'm about sick of Brooke and Jason. They're pretty good, but always oh-so safe (read: boring!) with their choices. Even though Jason was better than recent weeks, didn't anyone else notice that he took a breath seemingly after every word? Having a bit of singing background myself, that really annoys me!

Syesha's just Syesha you know? She is a pale comparison to either Jordin or Fantasia, who she probably aspires to be. She's certainly not bad though.

And David A...nice pipes, but zero charisma for anyone not a teeny-bopper!

God, Michael really did go too soon! Ugh!

I was surprised Michael was voted out. I mean, I've liked his performances a few times, but didn't like them a few times. To me, his best was the Dolly Parton song. I thought he botched Aerosmith. I guess I expected him to last longer.

Huh, Michael then? It's a shame he's gone this early because I really wanted to like him but to be honest his performanes have been pretty mediocre for the most part. He's very hot but he's onyl had a couple of really good performances and never lived up to his potential. Unfortunately I think that's true of almost all of them this season.

It's Mariah night, tomorrow. I love Mariah. I'm kind of bummed we won't get to see what Michael would have done with one of her songs. If he stayed, I would have wanted to hear him do "We Belong Together." Why not?

Musings...

I hope Jason does "My All" in his typical Jason fashion, with acoustic guitar.

I bet Carly gives a wanna-be performance, but not even close to Mariah.

I bet Syesha does an up-tempo song, which will come off cheesey. She'll kick herself for not doing a big ballad.

David A. will do a beautiful rendition of whichever song he picks. Girls will scream.

Kristie Lee will slightly countrify "Butterfly." It'll be pretty dang good!

David Cook will take on "Vision of Love." Randy won't "feel it." Paula will call him a true artist. Simon will call him the next adjective on the list that means arrogant.

Brooke will sing "I Don't Wanna Cry" but she will when she gets voted off the following night.


Thanks. That was self-indulgent fun!

Well, let's see how close my predictions were to my opinions of the actual performances. Again, I love Mariah and most of her songs, so I don't want people messing them up.....

Least favorite to most favorite:

Brooke sang "Hero" and I quite liked it. She did it her way, which worked for me. She did mention crying, though it was about her sister's wedding.

Carly was better, IMO, than the judges said, and I'm not a big fan. It wasn't a wanna-be performance. It was a Carly performance.

Kristie Lee. I love "Forever." It has that doo wop doo waaa feel to it. She's not the strongest vocalist ever, but I did approve of her version with the steel guitar sounds. I predicted that she'd do that... I just got the wrong song.

David A. did a very good job. He's very good and the girls screamed for him.

Jason did "I Don't Wanna Cry" his way and I liked it a lot. I want to go to that luau with Paula and Randy. I'll have poi and a burger!

David Cook. I love that he arranges songs into his style. I was totally wrong about the judges' opinions except Paula. It wasn't his strongest vocal, but I like what he does.

Syesha did a beautiful job with a beautiful song. As a Mariah fan, I was pleased. My prediction for her was WAY OFF!

Mariah night was much better than I expected, everyone did pretty well to excellent.

David A. opened with a vocal explosion that would prove impossible to beat, only to match with the later contestants' unique styles. To me, he sounded a little overshadowed by the backup vocalists.

Brooke's "unplugged" version of "HERO" sat very well with me. I care less about performances that contain "vocal acrobatics" and prefer a performance that touches my heart. Brooke always manages to acomplish the latter. To show my devotion, I pulled out the phone and voted for the first time this season.

Kristi Lee was also quite good to me.

David Cook was great but sounds every week more and more like Daughtry Junior.

Jason Castro was unique and excellent in his own way.

Carly and Syesha were pretty good but still don't really float my boat. This season seems more about semi-unique performers like Brooke, Jason and David Cook and less about the vocal powerhouses of seasons past. Besides, the vocal powerhouse position is already filled by David A, who is likely going to win it all anyway.

This will be a tough week for anyone to go, as all did well.

re: tonight's ep

1) I always loathe the episode where they split the groups up into two and don't say which is which, then ask a final contestant to choose which group he/she feels he/she should join

2) I knew from the start they would leave the young, possibly bewildered David A for last and ask him to choose a group

3) David A handled it very well; he isn't as bewildered as they hoped he would be

4) The switching of David Cook for Syesha was tacky and tasteless

5) I held my breath for Brooke tonight

6) Kristi Lee has done better than anyone expected; good for her

Well, I ditto everything Lash says above... except:

I expected Brooke to be out.

More notes....

It was great to see Elliott. I thought he looked old, then they said he'd just lost his mother, so that explained that. Wow, I'm amazed when people can perform while dealing with stuff like that.

There was something wrong with the sound during Mariah's performance. Weird. Maybe it was all the rhinestones on the mic? I'm gonna need to hear that song a couple more times before I "get it."

Heh... nice dress though...

Having David A. get called out last and inevitably be safe and then inevitably be asked to pick the safe side and then inevitably only have him sit down to stay neutral (this was all played out in another season, forget which)was all so predictable. Did David A. get the lone safe announcement because he had the highest number of votes or does it just set him up as the inevitable winner of last night's round? I thought the clear winner was David C. so I would have liked to have seen him getting the last call out, not David A. It would have been mildly suspenseful to entertain at least the slightest possibility that David A. could have been in the bottom 3.

Was I the only one that noticed that Jose Penala ("Sway") was backing up Elliott Yamin during his song?

I may be wrong but it sure looked like him.

We only watcehd the recap of the preformances and I can't say I think we missed anything. Overall a pretty bloody awful week, but then again despite them having some incredibly strong singers this season has me the least interested of any for a fair few years.

David A, Kristi and Jason were bloody awful. Jason has gone from being quite good to being unutterably punchable with his wonky mouth, constantly shut eyes and oh-so-earnest tedious delivery. Brooke wasn't very good but still has more persoanlity than most of the others put together. David C annoyed me yet again. Syesha was pretty good but oddly forgettable (although I still don't understand why she keeps ending up in the bottom three because forgettable as she is she's not exactly bad). Carly was also alright but nothing to write home about.

At this point I don't really care who wins. None of them excite me very much. I think it'll probably come down to the two Davids but whatever happens it's not going to be a great final.

My faves tonight:


SYESHA and DAVID COOK ruled

DAVID A was probably third place for me

BROOKE disappointed with a not-so-great choice of song

JASON CASTRO's musical eyes were bigger than his stomach

CARLY I didn't pat attention to

I was kinda dreading tonight's show, but it wasn't as bad as I feared.

Least favorite to most....

Oh, Brooke, you're not supposed to start it over! You wing it! Still, it was a good song for her voice.

Jason. I didn't hate it. I thought it was Jason doing the Jason thing.

David A. I don't know the song, and it was good, but I wasn't wowed.

Finally, to me, this was Carly's best. I've never been really impressed with her even though she's quite capable. This impressed me!

David Cook did a really good job. I didn't think he'd be good at that song, but he was!

Syesha was better than ever! Yeah, it's her genre. She looked hot.

I agree almost word for word with Sketch Lad. Syesha was probably the best, along with David Cook. They were both brilliant. Carly was also superb. Jason was okay for a coffee house. Brooke messed up. And David "Alfred E. Newman" Archuleta sucked big time. I'm so sick of his boring forgettable ballads. I actually fast forwarded through the last part of his drivel. He's everything I hate about American Idol. If he could go, I'd love the rest of the season. (I know that's not going to happen, though.)