If it ain't broke, don't fix it: AMERICAN IDOL 8

It starts on Tuesday! I know, right?

Changes:

--New judge, Kara DioGuardi
--There will be 3 weeks of auditions, down from 4 the past few years
--There will be a Top 36, rather than a Top 24
--The Wild Card Week will be re-introduced
--No Thursdays planned
--There will be 2 weeks of Hollywood Rounds
--There will be a Top 12 as in previous years
--Promotional thrust will have fewer bad singers and more ‘aspirational’ singers.
--There will be no Idol Gives Back.

Excited?

I started a thread already, but the title is screwed up and i'm too lazy to fix it:

It's back!

In one week, Idol returns for its eighth season with some major changes:
-Less auditions, more intimate scenes with contestants (“It’s going back to l3tting the kids be more emotional and seeing more of their r3ality, we’re going to allow the public to see a l1ttle more of their emotional state," says Mike D4rnell in an interview with some TV site)
-Because of the recession, no Idol Gives Back.
-Nigel Lythgoe, the gossip-spreading producer, left to work on that shitty international dance show (and continue his work on the much-better "So You Think You Can Dance?"). Supposedly also left because...
-Biggest of all, there's a new judge, Kara DioGuardi, pretty well-known songwriter/A&R girl who judged on THE ONE, which I--and most likely you--never watched...word from my friend? She's like the female Simon (read: bitchy).

As usual, Rickey.org is keeping up with all the contestant rumors and has youtube clips. Feel free to re-post yr favorites here.

― Someone Still Loves You Evan and Jaron (Tape Store), Tuesday, January 6, 2009 11:56 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

SPOILER:

Like Camile Velasco, but I don't care about her!

Camile Velasco and Asia'h Epperson = most underrated AIs

The only reason they are canceling Idol Gives Back is because people will give but not give as much, so they can't tool their own horn about how impressive their totals are. Whatever, I never watched that episode anyway.

Also, I remember the producers saying specifically years back that they didn't get too much into the contestants' personal lives, filming them at the mansion/hotel etc, because they wanted to respect their privacy and give them space to work. Guess that went out the window as well.

also one thing to potentially look forward too is slightly cooler or at least more contemporary theme weeks. The X Factor had a Britney week!!!

90210/Idol overlap is a little frustrating. I taped the first hour of idol, though, and will report back later tonight (I did flip over once during break and saw that "Barracuda" girl...awesome!).

p.s. LOVED Bikini girl for pointing out that Kara wasn't any better

it's just you and me here, man

I am super bummed that they are going back to the top 36, top 4 from each group or what have you. the best decision this show ever made was moving away from that.

but i am doing so much fucking overtime that i cannot watch this tonight. depressing.

bikini girl reminds me of the hoochie mama outfits from season 1 auditions. again with the return to lesser times.

I don't know, I realllly loved wild card round and wish it had existed for last season (we lost almost all of my favorite contestants before the top 12!)

p.s. this is baracuda girl's band: http://www.myspace.com/gobettygo

hey chris apparently there is a dude from como on tomorrow night, according to his facebook status which i just read. he worked at coldstone when i was there. didnt know he sang tho. he looks like this

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b361/tapestore/ai.jpg

yeah, i know him. :)

my friend 4nne dressed as a cheerleader for him, too.

p.s. those two g1rls should have auditioned

can he sing/does he advance?

lol, ok, i'm suppppppposed to keep this a secret, so i'm only going to answer your first one: think high sch00l theatre program ;)

not the soulful boston public kind either

but i shouldn't knock that program, i saw cedr1c the entert4iner's daughter give a brilliant performance of "River Deep Mountain High" at the same school.

it's just you and me here, man
― miss precious perfect (musically), Wednesday, January 14, 2009 3:21 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

oh, i think ramzi might be joining us, btw!

liking the new judge

my favorites were probably:
girl who started the adopt-a-gramfriend
asianish dude in the beginning
bikini girl (ws)

not really feeling:
tattoo girl
boring blonde in second hour i've already forgotten abt
blind dude (zzzzz)

on the fence abt:
goth kid
big dude who was a construction worker or something

lol:
obligatory "rocker" (the one who sang "living on a prayer")
that black dude who "danced"

4getting lot of ppl

yeah, alliance against blind guy, plz

i'm with y'all in spirit but i was too in and out to comment yet, i can't take 2 hours of fucking audition episodes

I really enjoyed this episode! Got tired of seeing the cute rockabilly Heart chick every five fucking seconds, though.

OMG that Von Smith audtion was terrrrrible. It was like the definition of 'oversinging.' How the hell did he get through?

I liked tonight, but I hate that the bad auditions are much more memorable than the good ones. The only person I really remember so far is the tatt'd up girl who sang Barracuda.

^agreed on first point

missed tonight, though i DVR'ed it

my friend 4nne dressed as a cheerleader for him, too.

Is she the one who looks like Maggie Gyllenhaal?

I think you might have your winner in this night's group. Some of tonight's folks were pretty damned good.

no, but i know the mg one, too (my friend was outside the audition room).

oh, and I dig Castro's brother. Obv. not perfect but way more interesting than Jason...

oh yay, it's back!

Idol's biggest Top 24 casualty ever:

I'm sure I'll regret this as things unfold but for now I'm feelin' Emily Wynne-Hughes. I freakin' hate Barracuda, and she hit a duff note early and I was all whoa Trainwreck Alert but from that note on she gave me actual honest to god chills. Just went for broke, doing 100 around the hairpins without a guardrail. A performance like that is worth a boatful of bullshit faux-church Mariah'd-out grace notes.

I looooooooved that adorable college dude singing about bananas. He'd make the top ten easily if I ran the show.

OTM, that was INCREDIBLE

Anup better make the finals, holy shit.

haha, yeah, he totally surprised me...

man, i'm way too hung up on asia'h...stillllll pisses me off

Oh yeah, dug Oz girl (Jessica Furney) and Lil Rounds

looooooool this is my friends cousin: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/gallery/casey-carlson-bikini-photo/

so these auditions were quite promising, a few too many jazzy, weaker singers but there were some great ones coming through.

ones i remember:

-asa (bc he was hot though, singing was not amazing)
-lil
-jason's brother (they sound alike too, don't they?)
-deanna
-the two friends

i feel like i will root for emily the rocker chick but i wish she had sung another song because barracuda is not flattering if you don't do it perfectly.

and yeah, von was singing each note like a diva singing the last glory note of the last song in her last musical. and they told the guy who sang california dreaming that his performance was too affected?

i was lolling during casey's audition: Vanessa Carlton song + cute little vintage-y stylish dress + cute cloth belt + occupation: bubble tea maker

So, here are my picks:

1. Leneshe Young - Sings original song, "Natty," is FUCKING AWESOME
2. Jessica Furney - Oz girl who sang Janis
3. Lil Rounds - Dope, Jazmine Sullivan meets Mary J.
4. Michael Castro - Already prefer him to his brother; compare range
5. Anoop Desai - OK, felt like an annoying, pretentious student, so I wanted to hate him, but he's fucking good
6. India Morrison - Kinda like Lil, fucking looooovve her as a person, wasn't given enough of a chance, want her to do super well
7. Emily Wynne-Hughes - Amazing "Barracuda" girl
8. Deanna Brown - Dope Duffy soundalike
9. Matt Giraud - Yamin soundalike, but he's a GANGSTER
10. Arianna Afsar - Do-gooder, probably super Christian high schooler who sings Corinne whatshername. Wanted to not like her, but she wins
Noticeable drop in enthusiasm starts here (but I'm still v. interested and hopeful about these)
11. Danny Gokey - "Heard it through the Grapevine," music teacher, widower, not attractive, again, wanted to hate him, but his impression was so good
12. Asa Barnes - A nice bookend to the Danny Gokey audition, probably better than Danny, but his song choice (MJ) sucked...I'm rooting for him.
13. Raquel Houghton - Not shown for very long, sings "Son of a Preacher Man," nice tone
14. Alexis Grace - Mom who sings "Dr. Feelgood," a little too anxious, but she's got skill
15. Dennis Brigham - Mad underrated guy who acted all geeky, not a big voice at all, probably a longshot, but he seems to know his limits and he seems to have good taste
??? Ryan Johnson - Is it bad that I dislike him for being in a Christian rock band?
??? Katrina Darrell - Bikini girl, ok, going nowhere, but i loved her for shooting down Kara
??? Joanna Pacciti - already signed to A&M, "Let It Slide" sucks

Anoop!!!!

p.s. MJ's big blog is probably >>>>>>>>>>> rickey.org

srsly no one is gonna mention Seacrest trying to HI-FIVE the blind guy?!

LOL. Blind guy should not progress in this competition; he's not that good! Same goes for Adam Lambert.

okay, I just watched the last two eps...Linesha (sp) is awesome, you could see the $$ in Simon's eyes.

Is Linesha the bikini one?

she was the last one who sang "Natty," which like the judges said was a quite good song. anyway, i could see her having a hit, which is more than i could say for most of the other people i saw, regardless of how good their voices were. i am downloading joanna pancetti's (sp) album, i am curious to see what it sounds like

morelike lamebert amirite xposts

also, kara needs to stop singing. sorry hon, that ship has sailed, those who can't do, judge, etc.

they let the girl with the dog through? good lord she was terrible.

okay, the florida latina girl was not great either, i am worried for this season

megalulz at the guitar playing guy being an asshole to his family after he got rejected.

ryan: "that's your mother, you can't do that"

okay, every season there's one dud audition episode, i hope this one was it. the only halfway decent good audition was the last one and for some reason they belabored it.

lolz @ the pretty girl who thought she could do mariah carey's 'high' notes

Wtf! Dude with the bunny had a good voice!

Wow, that one girl was kinda freak-folkish.

OK this Megan gal bustin out some Show Boat wins it!!!!!

Her cadence was weird, but her voice was fantastic.

crap, I didn't realize it was on tonight!

from last night, really liked the last girl from SLC, don't know where the fuck Paula gets off telling her to watch her vocals considering the people they have been letting through. divorce girl with the tattoo (real name pending) was good too.

Wow, Rose Flack...I really dig her! I'm pretty sure she's like Penny Lane! Though she could turn out to be Mary Kate Olsen in The Wackness.

Also, I think Meghan is now my favorite!

GROUPS WEEK IS BACK

FUCK YEAH

but that's the only high note, this season isn't looking promising but i am holding out hope.

totally feeling this nick norman dude. i dont want him to lose the persona, just make it a little less corny.

that black dude in the beginning, ugh. so glad he's gone

Norman's like Jerry Lewis. And unless this show turns into the King of Comedy, no.

ha i think he's got charisma! he totally needs to tone down the obviousness and use the glam persona in ways that fit songs he sings rather than have it be this lol distraction though.

katrina is through!

I liked the guy who sang California Dreamin'.

i really don't love anyone at the moment. i miss last season when they kept shoving in our faces how it was the "best season ever". they certainly can't get away with that this year.

but everything can change tomorrow, becuase it's

GROUPS
DAY
TOMORROW
YALL

yeah i really like nick/norman gentle/whoever too.

oh, and i HATE jackie. hate hate hate.

Count me in as a Norman Gentle fan. He's entertaining which is more than can be said about almost of all the great voices on parade.

Norman Gentle makes it through group day!!!

First group = amaaaaaaaaaaaazing!

Actually, I'm not sure I've ever heard a better group performance.

That first group /was/ amazing! Go back on AIM so we can chat about the episode.

"I saw an evil in her eyes."

First group indeed excellent, and I believe I spied Norman Gentle on to the next round. Hollywood week is great.

You spied correctly.

haha the diva group, looooooooooool

omg! the Osmond didn't make it!

the first group was not all that great, one person in particular was a real mess, don't remember his name, and don't think i'll need to. of all the group performances the only one i remember is "how deep is your love" from season 6.

but the big story is HOLY SHIT, i have been watching this show for eight years and i have never seen so many people who were highlighted during the auditions not even make it to the final hollywood performance. not that i have any problem with those who didn't get the star treatment getting a shot, but it sure is weird. not sure what is going on this season.

is blind boy out yet? i didnt watch tonight :(

nope, he's still around

not feeling him tbh. how was he?

btw did you get my email

i just checked and i see it there, i haven't even tabbed the albums yet but i'll make sure to hold on to it if the album places.

you know, i don't even remember what he sounded like. that's my problem with this season, lots of forgettable performance.

i am pretty sad that rose (? blonde dreads, 17) and the redhead with the tats didn't make it through.

i want tatiana to die, tbh.

she was terrific to have around for the groups episode but yeah if she stays any longer i will not be thrilled

Rose was cool, but that other girl with the tats (who sang No Doubt at the last minute Tuesday night) wasn't really very good. There was something about Rose's voice that wasn't at all spectacular, but I would've liked to hear more of it anyway.

I don't expect to have Tatiana around very long. I suspect they still actually want people to watch the show.

yeah abt blind dude, he had a decent voice and all but he wasnt anything special and had no personality; for me had basically made it thru because he was blind, which is like letting someone through because they're black

does anybody know if the texas roughneck was cut or made it through? we had a brief digital TV disaster that resulted in me missing like 15-20 minutes near the end, there....

yeah, he made it.

sweet. thanks dude.

Anup is so making it through

hey did my friends cousin get axed yet? (btw, dan, you have met him. he is of mixed feelings about her new fame).

that being said when the inevitable calendar comes out i will be sure to buy one and hang it in my living room when he comes over.

Wait which friend

I don't remember if she's still there or not; her initial audition was pretty great.

M@rk, shorter dude with black hair at the barbecue with the neighbor fiasco.

hahahaha

So disappointed with Hollywood week, both the performances, the editing and the decisions. Lots of great people are getting cut, and a lot of the time, we don't even see the performances (uh, Deanna Brown? Jessica Furney?). Also, I'll go ahead and say it: Lil taking on "I Will Always Love You" climax was a fucking messsssss. Oh, and where the hell were Leneshe and Castro's bro?

Current favs: Yamin soundalike (Matt Giraurd), India, Anoop and Danny Gokey

oh, also add Meghan Corkrey to the "where are they now?" list

basically, this article is OTMFM (except I'm not declaring this the end...yet)

I guess it depends if you actually care about the singers or not. I found that last episode very, very entertaining.

Will you stop watching once we get to the top 12?

Oh, and I should add Kris Allen to my list (the other guy from white chocolate, not the one who sucked)

Will you stop watching once we get to the top 12?

It depends on whether there is a compelling figure among them. If there is someone among them I genuinely dig as an artist (Melinda Doolittle was the most recent, and before that JHud and Fantasia, ...), then sure.

Tatiana will not make it through. Or maybe she will. I don't understand the AI producers.

Oh, and this Nick/Norman guy kills me. He advanced in place of other people (GOOD people) who were cut? Srsly, fuck this.

WHATTHEFUCKAREYOUKIDDINGME?!!! Laniesha Young sent home?

FUCKFUCKFUCK

I haven't watched yet, but I just looked at some spoilers, and omgwtf, these judges fucking succkkkkkkkk. They're totally ruining what could have been a promising season. Tatiana/Blind Guy/Jose Nunez = BLEHHHHHHHHHHH. Only three from my top ten...and I don't even like Lil Rounds that much anymore.

So I'm stuck with Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai. I'll go ahead and throw Danny Gokey in there, too. This is lame.

Oh, and Megan is the only other potentially great person I've seen.

...and she may or may not even still be there (she hasn't been on camera in a long time, but I never saw them send her home).

please don't put spoilers here, i know some people (myself included) are really trying to avoid them.

i was really surprised that linesha was cut, she was one of my early favorites. to be honest i can't really pick anyone who i'm in love with at this point. lil rounds had a great first audition but her song choices have been uninspiring to say the least.

lol @ the judges' mansion, they are trying to turn the show into the X Factor or something...

predicting danny gokey as the 2009 winner

tatiana really needs to fuck right off, i guess they're keeping her round for lolz potential

Is he the dude with the MC Hammer glasses?

yeah danny & jamar are already annoying me and we're not even in the semis yet. and jamar's version of hey there delilah was slightly atrocious.

The only thing I can figure is that everything leading up to the semis has been focusing on decoys, and the people who show up and can really sing are those that have had little or no camera time so far.

everything about this season has been really bizarre so far so i wouldn't be shocked if that were the case

Please tell me they got rid of Norman Gentle.

Norman Gentle is still around but I would be shocked if he makes it through the chair round. My guess is they've just kept him around to make Hollywood week more interesting.

Ugh, I don't think the crazies like him and Tatiana make as good television as the producers clearly think they do.

Tatiana would be a viable contest if she wasn't so fucking crazy.

I dunno, I like that they kept Norman Gentle and Tatiana around. I mean, if they actually make the semis that's a different story, but they've entertained me so far.

yah i'm a norman fan, though i havent watched in a week or two

Norman is a freak but I don't mind him. He kind of sucks but I think there's talent and entertainment value there (and I think he's the only intentional gimmick singer to make it this far in the show's history???).

ATTN JOHN: yr bud's cousin is still in this!

I can't believe they got rid of that girl from Louisville so they could keep Norman Gentle and Tatiana around. That shit is criminal.

This is turning into Trading Spaces, where in the beginning it was fun television because fun things were happening to seemingly good people. But at some point, it shifted to "HOW FUCKED UP CAN OUR DESIGNERS MAKE THIS ROOM?!" And now, American Idol is operating on the premise "HOW FUCKED UP CAN OUR DECISIONS GET BEFORE YOU STOP WATCHING?!"

They didn't cut the Louisville singer to keep Norman Gentle and Tatiana around. They were staying around regardless, so that people will be interested in watching the chair cut show. They cut her for Lil Rounds and Jazmine and other similar singers. Evidently they have a quota on black diva singers this year, and she was below the cut.

Meanwhile, I hate the new judge more every week. I think she might be my least-favorite reality show judge of all time.

Yeah, wasn't she brought in to lend more credibility to the panel? That worked just GREAT. o_O

Did they have restrictions on the songs they could sing last night? So many people sang horrible contemporary songs.

and jamar's version of hey there delilah was slightly atrocious.

― lil waynes babymama (musically), Tuesday

is a non-atrocious version possible?

ATTN JOHN: yr bud's cousin is still in this!

AWESOME im going to see him tomorrow and when i get the chance im going to set one of those cheesecake bikini photos as some sort of background image on his iphone while he isnt paying attention.

Evidently they have a quota on black diva singers this year

i am sort of irritated by this characterization to begin with, but also, laniesha doesn't really fit that description? it was super-irritating the way all they would talk about re: laniesha was her backstory, rather than her voice or the fact that they had initially liked the song she wrote. they showed the judges reacting positively to her final hollywood performance--wtf?

(and I think he's the only intentional gimmick singer to make it this far in the show's history???)

ha what about that sinatra kid?

For the record, I don't agree with the "all female black divas are alike" characterization, I just think that's how the producers think. Laniesha's original song was good, but this is not a songwriting competition. That doesn't figure into it at all. I think her voice was just OK. She's better than some who got through, but I can't get worked up over it.

I was thinking about the Sinatra kid as I hit "send" on that! I think his gimmick was more or less unintentional (IOW, he wasn't intending to be a ridiculous caricature, he just sang a particular genre in its distinctive style and couldn't translate out of it).

I'd have to think that Norman Gentle is the only joke contestant to make it this far.

Calling black women "divas" on idol

fuck, *referring to* *as*

I'm convinced Tatiana and Marissa Marchant are the same person.

I would not be surprised if that was the case.

I said above that Nick Mitchell has no shot at making wild card. But I've thought about it more, and now I think he will. With all the interest he's generating, they'd have to be stupid not to let him in. I for one will be glad to see him there.

Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle

Is there another episode tonight?

ya i would watch if norman made it far. for someone who's been sporadically watching, who else would you guys recommend following?

xpost mordy i assume so? usually have them on weds. i will not be watching as i will most likely be in the library until friday morning :((

My favorites thus far, no particular order:

Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, Matt Giraud, Stephen Fowler, Jasmine Murray, Ju'not Joyner, Jamar Rogers, Michael Sarver, Jackie Tohn

ugh jackie is terrible

ugh jackie is terrible

I don't like her voice that much but I have a little crush on her. :D

WOO-HOO!!!!!!!! Norman Gentle is in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see a Tatiana and Norman Gentle duet in the future!!!!

Jamar = :(

yeah but he kinda fucked up that Hey Delilah song

Seacrest put the whole Tatiana thing in perspective...this is all about how she'll react on LIVE tv. For that, I can kind of forgive them (she won't be around long).

Ah it's entertainment. We need her so we can throw our popcorn at the TV screen.

yeah but he kinda fucked up that Hey Delilah song

― Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, February 11, 2009 10:03 PM (33 minutes ago)

so he made it good?

OH SNAP. PLAIN WHITE T's HATER SHOWS PLAIN WHITE T's HATRED. :P

I hope VFTW says 'fuck you' to Norman Gentle, Nathaniel, Von Smith and Tatiana, instead throwing its weight behind (against?) Scott Macintyre. Dude's Daughtry performance was even worse than his audition!

i have too many thoughts about tonight so can i just say right now THIS FUCKING SHOW WTF

xpost

I have no clue what any of that means. What does VFTW stand for, for one thing?

Vote for the Worst.

i do not understand why they went back to this top 36. the move from top 36 to top 24 was one of the savviest moves the show has made.
classics

Adam Lambert (maybe)
Jessica Langseth (the girl who did the sing-off with Frankie Jordan. Also, Jonny Lang's sister!)
Joanna Pacitti (if she remembers the words I think she will do well, she has a great voice)
Kristen McNamara (the girl she did her sing-off with was not great, putting Kristen though was the better choice)
Lil Rounds (if she picks better songs)
Megan Corkrey (I barely even remember her anymore, but I know I liked her)

duds

Danny Gokey (total douchebag vibe)
Jackie Tohn
Jorge Nunez
Scott MacIntyre
Tatiana
Norman (I liked him but not for the actual show)

oh i forgot von smith as a dud, which should be a given

Tatiana is CRAZY

This is possibly the worst pool of finalists ever.

whoa, crazy, all the main AI sources are saying that Joanna Pacitti has been disqualified, and Felicia Barton is taking her place.

also the voting system has changed from seasons 1-3:

"The top BOY vote getther will get into the top 12

The Top GIRL vote getter will get into the top 12

The Next highest Vote Getter (boy or girl) will get into the top 12"

So what, there will be 6 voted in and 4 judge-picked wildcards?

There's 3 groups and 12 finalists, so that'd be 9 in with 3 wildcards (either judge picked or wildcard week, whatever).

ah my bad, I was thinking 18 - 18, not 12 - 12 - 12

also there are rumors floating around re: wildcard episode that some of the non-top 36 will be present. bring back linesha!

ugh, they did that a while back and we ended up with CARMEN RASMUSSEN

Fwiw I though Linesha's singing was much better than Lil Rounds.

ugh, they did that a while back and we ended up with CARMEN RASMUSSEN

that same ep gave us clay and trenyce though

Clay ended up not being a positive, though!

onestly, I don't think anyone can imagine the kind of hurt people were trying to inflict on me during the taping of hollywood week and how long it went on and how intesne and relentless it was. Seriously that was ten minutes of DAYS HOURS OF PEOPLE HUMILIATING ME AND STABBING ME. Alot of people were ganging up on me...calling me hurtful sick names, speaking ill of me, and overall attempting to ruin my career that I have been working on for 24 years since I have been born. Reminder, most of these people have never performed, nor cared about performing or entertainment before vs this is my life and again I don't think anyone can Imagine the kind of hurt I have faced in this industry as a woman.I have been trying to break into this industry as an independent artist for over a decade vs people who thought... "Maybe Ill try out for American Idol and sing and whatever who knows!!" Its not..."who knows??" for me... It's what I live for. I was not raised spoiled, In fact my parents were very hard on me and taught me to fetch for myself. I have been on my own since I was 16 working on this career and facing every sort of demon you could imagine. Encountering countless tragedies, natural disasters, deaths and violent crimes in my personal life and injustices and prejudices as a woman and as a Latina in this industry. I have survived many life threatening situations and have been through my fair share of deep hard knocks that no one could understand. It has been a painful and devastating process getting to where I am, and the thought that all that I have worked for could be blown and I could get cut and be the laughing stock of national television because of some people I just met, insulting me, blaming me for their own lack of talent and drive, sitting around moping and complaining and pointing fingers and wasting time, drove me to my melting point after HOURS/DAYS of trying to pull everything together with a smile on my face. I went to talk to the producer to tell him how I felt and why I was upset and I ended up in VERY REAL tears. These people called me "Satan" yelled at me and blamed me for things that never happened ALL ON NATIONAL TELEVISION. It was humiliating. I am sorry I tried to change groups but felt unwelcome and I tried to bring my group together knowing how much they hated me for NO REASON. I was trying to be a leader and contribute but I was put down and humiliated for doing what no one else would do. In the end WE ALL GOT THROUGH AS YOU COULD SEE.
I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THOSE EMOTIONS ARE VERY REAL. TO FINALLY MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE AND FEEL AS GRATEFUL AS I FEEL...IS EMOTIONAL AND DEEPLY HUMBLING AND SPIRITUAL.
I have taken alot of risks in opening myself up with part of my story here on myspace, but I will really make it my priority to open up to people on the show so that they can see the real me and know that If anything is coming out "fake" or whatever...is only because I use the smiles to hide the true pain of all that I have endured and survived in my ever challenging past.
I am ready for a new chapter in my life. I am ready for things to be calm, peaceful and plentiful.

I am ready to work and connect with America through this show and I am so exited to be able to show the world what I have to offer as a vocalist and an artist.

It was an emotional journey, Hollywood Week, and I hope that this can clear up any doubts anyone might have of me and my personality. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and honored to be given this once in a lifetime chance.

VERY Marissa

Clay ended up not being a positive, though!

maybe his musical career was a dud but as a contestant his contribution to the season was massive.

I hope that this can clear up any doubts anyone might have of me and my personality

yes, those last lingering doubts are gone: YOU ARE CRAZY

maybe his musical career was a dud but as a contestant his contribution to the season was massive.

Clay and Ruben both suffered from "hey every song sounds the same" syndrome, but in Ruben's case, everything sounded like an awesome old-school R&B track and in Clay's case everything sounded like a shrill musical.

Not for nothing has Clay made his biggest cultural impact to date in a musical.

i should apologize to Leneshe Young since I have been spelling her name incorrectly for a while.

Clay would probably bother me now but he really did sound good back then.

Well, when you consider that the other finalists of his season included Carmen Rasmussen and Kimberly Caldwell... He was kind of amazing by default! There really wasn't anyone else in his, Kimberley Locke's or Ruben's league.

I still rep for Trenyce though. Her version of "Come See About Me" is one of my favorite Idol performances ever.

Good news: I went back to my high school today and talked to normal AI fans (non-cynical young ones), and they all thought Scott was bad (sorry, i don't hate HIM, i just think he's terrible, like that Alex Wagner-something, who looks and sounds like a panicked secondary character in an average high school musical).

haha people here aren't so weird...i know when i was watching this as a high schooler i was just as much of a hater as i am now.

This is getting a bit more X-Factorish isn't it? There's even a Chico in it this year.

I like the crazy lady though.

I don't listen to Clay Aiken's records either, but he's the third-best selling AI alum behind Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, so I'm not sure how you guys are coming up with "failure" out of that.

The top 36 is pretty bleh and I find myself wanting to root for the freaks (Tatiana, Norman Gentle) these days, maybe that means I'm bored with show after eight seasons and want to entertain myself by cheering on the oddities, I don't know.

I could get behind rooting for Jason Castro or Sanjaya because they never took it seriously and rode the wave as long as voters would let them. The difference with Tatiana and Norman Gentle is that their agenda is to keep winning by appealing to people who don't like the show.

I'm not sure I agree with that ... Jason and Sanjaya were a couple of guys who were in way over their heads, talent-wise, but people voted for them because they were fun to watch and made for good TV. People would vote to see them on TV but would never buy an album by them. OTOH, I think Tatiana and Norman Gentle see themselves as superlative performers who are deserving of a chance. As opposed to Jason and Sanjaya's fairly classy departures, you won't see an "aw shucks" attitude from those two when they get voted off this season.

i think norman gentle just wants a sitcom.

I think Norman Gentle is as surprised as anyone that he's still around.

It's on!

First girl was terrible

For your delectation, here are some vid posts of the former lives of current finalists. Here's Brent Keith:

This is Anoop Desai. I actually love this. Search out more.

OMMFG! Adam Lambert. Very Witch Witch. Help me Lord(i?)!:

Von Smith, Broadway is missing you:

We're currently 0 for 2. :/

Very Witch Witch.

Very WHITE Witch.

Yeah zzzzzzzzzzzz so far.

alexis grace i like her

I agree contestant #2 was very boring, but I thought #1 was OK.

not sure about her tackling aretha though...

Woo. That was sexy.

okay this is not good

She was the best so far but she doesn't have the voice for that song.

Yeah. The vocals weren't all there, but it was very sexy and had a lot of presence.

compare that to J. Hud's version:

I like this Alexis Grace girl though, her and Lil Rounds and the music teacher guy are my early faves

I actually thought this was the worst performance so far.

Yikes, congrats Alexis, the Brett guy was definitely worse

but that's how they roll in a hick town

Sorry. This is the worst one of the bunch so far. Stevie Wright. :(

Um this might be the worst performance at this level in the history of the show.

this is like bad karaoke

This wouldn't get past the initial auditions.

Agreed, Stevie Wright was horrible. Really bad start to this show.

mordy otm

Mom is right, though: the advice IS confusing.

omg is he seriously singing monica

Anut-dog is my favorite guy in the contest so far.

he can sing but like.. I'd never buy an album of his and I can't see him winning.

still he gets my vote for singing Monica

and Bobby Brown

KINDA brave to sing Monica but the song is still too damn adult. And his "spiritual" explanation afterward drained some of the sincerity out of his performance.

But as always, it's hard to show off your vocal skills on a fast party-starter.

is this seriously the best they could find in all of america (and puerto rico)?

OMG "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is even worse than Stevie Wright! Amazing. This has to be the worst night in Idol history.

Agreed. This is seriously embarassing.

btw the previous worst night was Beatles night 2 from last year

My conspiracy-theory-prone husband thinks they've deliberately chosen bad girl singers to make Tatiana stand out.

Even if that last girl had done a good job on "Magic," changing the gender in the lyrics was a bad move. It's a constant reminder of Sting being the original vocalist and, in turn, is a consistent reminder of how badly she interprets it.

omg another one of them butchering aretha

Matt was really bad, but actually one of the best of the night. Based on the start of this "Natural Woman" that isn't about to change.

Ugh Aretha AGAIN?!?!? Wasn't this supposed to be songs from the Billboard Top 100 from the last 100 years? How 'bout some "Cake Walking Babies From Home?" Boswell Sisters? Dusty? Patti Smith? Patty Smyth?

Gawd, this is soooooooooooooooooo boring!!

Who's Sarah Gorilla????

Oh yeah that one.

Let's just advance Anoop and strike the rest of tonight and move on to the next 12, plz.

You'd think a century of Billboard 100 hits would basically let you play any single ever more or less.

OK someone soooooooo needs to sing Scandal featuring Patty Smyth: "The Warrior"

Yeah Mordy, a GINORMOUS store of songs and we get yet more Aretha. Christ, at least sing something like "First Snow in Kokomo."

Anoop has given the only decent performance so far. This episode actually keeps getting worse and worse.

All Tatiana has to do is give a decent performance and she's in. I presume she'll get the VFTW vote too.

who's Tatiana again

The crier.

oh god no

she can sing definitely, she's doing whitney justice kind of, but she's a mess and she's just fodder for VFTW with her breakdowns

I actually think Tatiana gave the best performance of all the girls tonight

well, considering how terrible the other girls were...

Um waaaaaaaay OTM Greg. I'm stunned!

I mean she gets like a 4 out of 10 but tonight that's the best

does the o in otm stand for on or off?

lol....on, babe

And now Danny Gokey has to be in, by default, so I'm assuming Anoop, Danny, and Tatiana from this group

LOL! I love her! Tatiana got into marketing to market Tatiana!

xpost
I thought it was 2 guys, 2 gals each week.

3 people each week: top guy, top girl, and the next top of either gender

2 girls, 1 cup

OK but that's only 9 people. What about the other 3 for the top 12?

Wild card week.

oh wow...that oughta be intense

why would he sing this? :-\ anyway, he's easily the best male singer in this competition so he should make it definitely...

that really wasn't that good

simon otm as usual

Danny, Tatiana and Anoop will be voted through, right? Not wild about any of them, but compared to what else there was this week, it seems like an easy prediction.

Obvious best:
Alexis Grace (top fiver, I think)
Ricky Braddy (most likely to miss the cut of the three)
Danny Gokey (worst of the three, especially the first 45 seconds)

Next best:
Tatiana Nicole Del Toro (was she orgasming at the end?)

Norman Gentle Award:
Jackie Tohn

Good performance ruined by arrangement, or failure to get in sync with arrangement, or both:
Anoop Desai

Worst performance I've ever heard of a song I despise, even though he obviously can sing:
Brent Keith

Changed the channel out of boredom:
Ann Marie Boskovich
Casey Carlson

Cringed a lot:
Stevie Wright
Stephen Fowler
Michael Sarver

this was pretty terrible. boring songs, mostly boring performances.

I really hate Danny Gokey's singing style. :/

pretty sure he's going to win: got the right looks for m/f voters, dead wife, church-goer... it's a shoe-in

As I said above, I thought this was the worst Idol episode I've ever seen. Barely any redeeming performances:

Great: (None, obviously)

Good: Danny Gokey (he's a good singer, and he did a good job with this);

The Good Barely Outweighed the Bad: Tatiana (This was a surprise)

OK Performance, Bad Song Choice: Jackie Tohn (kinda weird, but I was entertained)
Anoop Desai (I like the song, and his voice is good, but the performance itself didn't do it for me)
Alexis Grace (I'm slotting her here. I'm not feeling it. I think this was a bad song choice for her. The vocal did not sound good to me; I thought she missed a lot of notes.)

Forgettable: Ricky Braddy (he has an OK voice but this was so boring)
Anne Marie Boskovich
Michael Sarver
Brent Keith

Bad: Stephen Fowler

Terrible: Casey Carlson
Stevie Wright (This has to be the worst tandem of performances in semifinal history)

Predictions:
Through to the next round: Danny Gokey, Alexis, Tatiana
Back on wild card week: Michael Sarver, Anoop, Ricky Braddy, Jackie Tohn
See ya later: Everyone else

doesn't the winner traditionally come from group 1? hopefully this season will be mavericky because last night sucked. danny gokey is obviously being set up for glory, but his song choice was lame as hell and i'm glad at least simon brought the performance down a peg. alexis grace was good but she didn't have the voice for her song. anoop picked another lame song...i mean i know you want to sing lighter stuff so show off vocal chops but there have got to be some ballads in the world that haven't been overdone on idol.

and what kind of theme is "songs from the top 100"? why even have a theme at all?

and kara is bugging me now...did she disagree with randy once all night? she adds nothing to the panel.

also FYI once the finals start Idol will start at 9pm...sorry Lost fans

Okay as bad as Casey Carlson was, the girl who sang before her who sounded like she was dying is the worst fucking thing I've ever heard in a serious round on this show (including Sanjaya).

Tatiana makes me cringe, but clearly that was the best vocal of the night. I'm a little more sympathetic to Danny now I know his story, but he's the kind of singer I'm predisposed to hate.

Big disappointment was Stephen Fowler, though: my gf thinks he's cute, and he seems very likable, but that was a poooor choice of song, and badly delivered.

Question: when Simon criticises "the arrangements", is that the singer's fault? Or the band?

That's the band's fault. There were multiple times last night where the band sucked horribly, from the backup singers being horribly out of tune to various instruments just plain fucking up to the actual arrangement for the band being done in the most unflattering manner possible.

I'm not sympathetic to Danny because he is using every opportunity to mention his late wife. I respected David Cook for not pimping out his brother last season. Also, I think he's a total tool.

Question: when Simon criticises "the arrangements", is that the singer's fault? Or the band?

During these rounds, it's the band's fault. But later on, once we reach the top 12, the singers are given the opportunity and even encouraged to work with the band to create their own arrangements.

ATTENTION AMERICA

I INVITE YOU TO EAT THE ENTIRETY OF MY BLACK ASS

100% ridiculous that Michael Sarver is through. Since Danny Gokey is guaranteed to get slot #3, this means Tatiana is toast. I mean, Anoop will be back for wildcard and I'm sure will make it, but this basically kills Tatiana, right? I mean I don't really like her, but by voice alone she deserves top 12.

Michael and Carly...not great, but good. Same as last year. Better than anyone competing this year, though.

Randy Jackson and his "this is the best group ever" can take a fucking walk.

I had really thought that I don't care about this shit anymore, but the Michael Sarver thing really pisses me off for some reason

Friend pointing above with pic of dead wife = disqualification!

Give it to Tatiana!

I thought I was an Idol stan, but I can't defend this week. Or any of the Hollywood cuts. What a shitty season.

Tape Store that's where I'm at. I've been watching since season 3 and every year I've listened to internet blowhards talk about the decline of the show and how this years contestants suck compared to last years and blah blah blah. Every year I've defended it, because season 3 through 7 seemed about identical to me in quality. This year I have no defense though. The show really has tanked.

guys, anoop! :( will he really be back?

12 come back for the wild card round. Surely he'll be one.

Friend pointing above with pic of dead wife = disqualification!

You would think!

I actually don't blame Danny because his wife has died very recently and he might not even be in a place mentally yet to have really thought this through, but his friends/family milking his wife's death is just gross.

yeah someone in his life really should have talked him out of going on the show so soon after. i mean, maybe they tried, but i don't know.

oh crap i'm so used to turning off these results shows after the last person does their victory reprise that i missed next week's contestants. if the next batch isn't 5x better than this first one then we're in big trouble.

I dunno, I never watched it for the quality of the contestants -- more as just 8pm TV sofa porn -- and this season seems a lot more fun that last year's.

Does anyone know how they are determining the wild cards? Is this based on votes or are the judge picking them?

Judges, I believe.

it could be a combination of both, two judges choices and one america's choice or something

Hmm... I have a feeling that the wild cards will be a stronger bunch than the nine contestants picked by the viewers.

that poor girl who got through, she is a fantastic singer but I cannot remember her name to save my life

christina aguilera

hahahahaha

I wonder if Robert Downey Jr. is mad at Danny Gokey for making him look so lame.

This talk of the "worst episode ever" is kinda silly (there have always been a bunch of duds in the top 24, and basically every "Great American Songbook"-themed week was 10X worse than this week's show). Having said that, I admit that MICHAEL SARVER WTF AMERICA makes it stand out from the ordinary run-of-the-mill shitty AI show.

Look, I'm not saying the talent isn't there--it totally is, that was clear from the auditions--but it's just ridiculous the way that they've been fucking over so much talent.

I mean, after a week of shitty performers, we have to choose three in a group that features Matt Giraud, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Megan Corkrey AND Jazmine Murray? Oh, and because they've been focusing so much on Norman, I won't be surprised if he takes one of those three spots.

Last year sucked this same way, too, but the difference was that America was mostly fucking over contestants, not the judges (see the Top 24 eliminations of Asia'h, Danny, Alexandrea and Alaina).

Oh, and I'll go ahead and call it: this week's roughneck guy won't make it because he's not attractive at all.

I liked this upcoming roughneck guy better than last week's. WAY TO GO AMERICA! YOU RUINED HIS CHANCES!

YOU READY?

I don't think it's possible for them to suck as much as last week.

Alright Idol time. This actually looks like a good group.

She sounds good so far but why is she singing this mess?

she sounds like Christina Aguilera

Kara told some girl to sing this last week, and then tells Jasmine it was a bad choice.

Just cause it was a good choice for some random girl last week doesn't mean it's a good choice for Jazmine.

Frankly, she probably did a better job with it than Stevie would've. I'm not sure any song could've saved Stevie.

btw I have no idea what a dueling piano player is.

man, this Matt Giraud performance is awful. I thought he was supposed to be one of the favorites.

Why is everyone picking these awful songs?

Jeezus! Are they trying to sabotage people with that fucking "band"?

lol ryan. "what did you do...to your legs to make them look so good?"

3 performances tonight and 2 genuinely awful. Actually, Jasmine may have been awful too I didn't hear it because I was on the phone with my mom.

I'd like for Jeanine to stick around because it's clear she does have a good voice, the band ruined her performance, and she bubbling with personality.

The judges clearly want her gone, though.

Norman save us!!!!

Why is he on this show again?

OMG! He's genius!!!! I love you Norman!!!!

Like, he's not even particularly funny.

He's just a chore to watch or listen to.

GENIUS!!!!!!!!

LOL last note.

He wins it!!!!!!

I think I might vote for the first time ever.

Guys, I was so wrong. That was AMAZING and BRILLIANT.

Simon in a rare moment of rongness.

God I hope he gets past this week.

Yeah, Norman can actually sing and that was hilarious. I think that was one of my favorite performances I've ever seen on this show, no exaggeration. The last note had me literally laughing out loud.

Are you guys being serious

It could be crack. Or vicodin.

Right, it's ENTERTAINING!!! We REMEMBER him!!! THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!!!! Just like when the ghost and the prince meet and everyone ends in mincemeat.

I mean good god if Michael Sarver makes it and not Norman Gentle...

I'm not saying I want him to win, but I could watch him for six or seven more weeks.

this whole episode is a chore. i wish someone would not suck.

I mean take the theatrics and comedy out and that was definitely the best pure vocal of the night so far.

he's not that good vocally

xpost Actually, Greg, you might be right.

He isn't but all the 3 previous vocals were really awful.

This Alison girl is who I've been waiting for. PLZ DO NOT SUCK.

Maybe the E-Trade baby who sings Mr. Mister will come back for Wild Card Week?

She's killin it!

This girl is the best so far tonight.

Agreed Johnny this is really good.

And she's got a very K. Clarkson voice. And she's 16.

Oh she knew how great she was

That is a very rough 16.

She deserves a to go to the next round though.. but I mean do those rock girls ever get far on this competition?

He's boring.

this guy sucks btw

but I mean do those rock girls ever get far on this competition

Not since season 1, but it's about time for that train to come through again.

I was hoping Nick/Allison would be a start of good things to come, but I guess it's just an oasis in the desert of suckitude.

Greg OTM again.

This is the Joana Newsom influence on popular culture finally seeping through.

Or maybe not Newsom exactly, but that kind of freak-folk music.

Her little nervous dance is annoying me.

I thought that I read Megan Corkrey was a favorite too? This is terrible.

I liked her first audition, but I do not like this.

I liked her, but I'd be [Michelle] shocked if she went on to the next round.

Wow, Randy actually cited records that came out within the last 12 months!

She's good but prolly not good for this contest.

lol bette davis eyes

Welder: Boring
Jesse: Really terrible so far. Worst of the night, and that's saying something.

The more girls who give terrible performances, the better chance Allison has of going through, so good work I guess.

BORING!

Well at least I have Lil Rounds to look forward to next week.

Her little nervous dance is annoying me.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, February 25, 2009

^^^ this! it was really uncomfortable to even look at her while she sang

America wasn't ready for White Witch the first time.

re: Adam Lambert

he will probably win :-\

i'm only half watching but this dude adam kinda killed it

Norman's line is busy

I don't know if I'd say adam killed it, but he was pretty good. The night belonged to Nick and Allison, to me.

I just hope that the horny male vote doesn't push somebody like Megan Corkrey into the top 12 over Allison.

I got through for Norman!! First time I EVER voted in seven years of watching!

Vote Norman!!!! NOW!!!

The Adam guy just pisses me off. You've got range, we get it.

I'm text voting for Allison. 30 times so far.

On the spot:

Great: Norman
Allison

Good: Mishavonna
Adam Lambert

Forgettable: Kris Allen
Matt the Welder
Kai Kalama
Megan Corkrey

Bad: Jesse Langseth
Jeanine Vailes

Terrible: Matt Giraud

Predicted Thru: Adam is a lock, unsure beyond that. I certainly hope Norman and Allison.

Anecdotal: I am getting through for Allison and Nick with no difficulties at all.

I wonder what the ratio of calls to texts is these days. I guess texts will always be at a disadvantage, because they only work on AT&T, but I can tell you it's so much easier!!!

I don't have unlimited texting

I stopped at 50 for Allison, and then gave 1 to Mishavonna.

dude what?

lol dedication
i have not watched this in over a month but i am glad to hear that norman is doing well! where can i find performances online, are they on youtube?

They'll probably be on the AI site in the morning.

dude what?

Sending 50 1-word texts isn't really hard. I did it in the time it takes to smoke 2 cigarettes.

did this make the hot 100?

oh sorry rong thread

in the middle of the show...megan corkrey was actually terrible, right? and that dancing...oy...

megan corkrey was actually terrible, right? and that dancing...oy...

Yeah, big disappointment. I hope her hotness doesn't send her through.

i really liked jesse langseth...i think allison has been the strongest of the night so far, actually the strongest of the two groups, although that's not exactly saying a lot.

I've been on the Allison bandwagon ever since I saw a clip of her first audition. First Obama, and now this! I'm on a streak.

not gonna lie...i love adam lambert and that was fierce as fuck

seriously, thank god for adam lambert because this season has been woefully uninspiring so far.

i think his performance reminds me of chikezie's "she's a woman," which was equally awesome

oh crap i keep turning off the tv before they showed the next 12...i guess i can probably deduce it.

why aren't they allowed to bring their instruments on stage with them during the semis this year?

They'll show the next 12 on the results show tomorrow night.

Top Three:
Adam Lambert: Dude can sing. Not surprised that Randy Jackson was so into this dude with Steve Perry range. Find him nauseating, but I'm old.
Allison Iraheta: Her interview with Ryan was as bad as her performance was great.
Mishavonna Henson: Liked her much more than the judges did, even though I don't like the song.

Jesse Langseth: Dug this a lot, but don't believe she can sell records.

Nick Mitchell: I adore this dude. KARATE KICK. Not one of the top six best singers in this group, though. American Idol will not be the last time we see this guy on television.

Bad, but see you in two weeks:
Kris Allen & Matt Giraud

Bad or forgettable, and finished:
Jasmine Murray
Jeanine Vailes
Kai Kalama
Megan Corkrey
Matt Breitzke

At this point, I pick Megan Corkrey and Anoop Desai as 2 of the 3 judge wildcard picks.

Megan is the freak-folk one?

Yeah Mordy that's her

Mishavonna was better than Kris or Matt but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that one of those two guys will advance instead of her.

This was much worse than last week's show ... bad song choices, bad songs, terrible band arrangement, ridiculous judging ... Adam Lambert WTF was that, Megan Corkrey didn't sing a single note in tune, Allison Iraheta was totally overwhelmed by that Heart song and also had major pitch issues during the 30% of the song when she was actually singing and not screaming. Even so, I still kinda like her. Kris Allen -- not bad at all, why did the judges crap all over him?

Nick Mitchell KILLED IT. Only he and Allison deserve to move on, and it's pretty sad that someone else will have to go through while, say, Anoop or Tatiana won't make it past wild card week.

And could the favouritism be any more obvious this year? Adam Lambert got the Danny Gokey show-closing spot and a slick, creative song arrangement when every other contestant had to make do with boring wedding band muzak crap.

i saw anoop's performance on the website, and wasnt really feeling it, plus his name is retarded. can someone link me to nick/norman's performance from this week plzzz??

i dont think it's on the website

nick was awesome - can't believe not a single one of the judges complimented his singing in the slightest. imo, he gave the best performance of the night, one of the few who actually really belted out their song with some energy and passion and charisma

oh please shut up

Kevin, rickey.org is the best site for Idol video's. Nick's performance is here: http://www.rickey.org/?p=12081

Aw nuts if you got Allison and one of those four and Adam's a lock that means no Nick Mitchell. Hope he's back for wildcard

By the way makes absolutely no sense to me that Kris Allen makes it I would have preferred almost any of the girls to him.

Haven't watched, but Kris Allen is dope, even if he wasn't last night:

GOD I HATE ADAM LAMBERT SO MUCH

At least Allison got through.

Would've preferred Mishavonna to Kris, but whatever...

Kevin, rickey.org is the best site for Idol video's. Nick's performance is here: http://www.rickey.org/?p=12081

― Greg Fanoe, Thursday, February 26, 2009 7:55 PM (1 hour ago)

thankig u :)

I'm not upset by the 3 who went through today. For all the crappiness this year, it looks like a reasonable top 12 is shaping up, assuming the judges make non-worthless wildcard picks (right now still assuming Anoop, Megan Corkrey, and someone from #3). I just hope we get another dose of Nick Mitchell wildcard week, though that seems rather unlikely.

yo fuck all of them...that makes me so angry!

o wait whats the latest with nick?

Even though he was so fucking stupid last night, Matt Giraud will be a wildcard pick because he's kinda awesome.

He just needs to follow Elliott's impeccable taste. Do some Stevie wildcard week and he'll be a shoe-in.

oh god he's going to do ribbon in the sky isn't he

If Nick doesn't come back, it'll be as easy as ever to fast-forward through the show.

and justine, please do NOT shut up; you're 1000000% correct.

i totally called the advancing three this week:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/idol_beat/

Having seen maybe three hours of all the past seasons combined, I'm a total AI novice but I'm actually captivated by this season. Initially drawn in by cute-as-a-button Megan, crazy/funny Norman Gentle and just plain crazy Tatiana (what are the chances she'll be called back as a wildcard to increase the drama?) Most of the rest reinforce why I've never much watched the show. Some pretty good voices oversinging some really banal songs.

this season has been really weaksauce so far, but allison and adam are finally two people that i will enjoy seeing every week. michael/danny deadwife/alexis are all uninspiring to say the least.

for next week, if Lil picks a more original song that Whitney/Mariah/Aretha I will be happy. And I really liked Kristen McNamara, hopefully the public will think more highly of her than Simon does. Other than those two, who knows...hopefully someone will jump out like Allison did.

Was no one watching tonight?

Easy top 3 for me: Jorge Nunez, Lil Rounds and Felicia Barton

I missed the entire show tonight because I was gone. I will try to catch up later via rickey.org or something.

I thought Jorge was absolutely great. I want to watch him each week. He seems genuinely overwhelmed just to be there, but also has a stunning voice.

Lil Rounds should already be making records and having top 10 singles.

Felicia had one bit where her voice just got away from her, but the rest of her performance was great. She's owns the stage without going overboard. Also, hot mom alert.

I didn't watch all of this, but Lil Rounds should just go home and sign her recording contract and skip all this b.s.

Dial Idol is giving the blind guy huge numbers. adubbadubbadubbaWAHT?!!!

christ tonight was godawful

kristen mcnamara really disappointed me with her song choice and lil rounds was NOT sounding great. those two were the only ones i cared about coming in.

-jorge bugs me, sorry but i'm not a fan of spanish artists overall.
-alex dorky-nerdman was so terrible i thought it was a joke
-scott the blind guy is boring and not at all contemporary
-nate picked a song wayyy too out of his league, i could totally see adam lambert sinking his teeth into that one
-von smith actually dialed it down, which shocked me. still don't like him. also, please refer to the song as a "marvin gaye and tammi terrell" hit, she deserves the credit.
-barely remember taylor...some overdone alicia keys song i think...yawn
-arianna afsar...first of all that was NOT the first abba song on idol, lest we forget simon making that poor rocker dude sing dancing queen during auditions. anyhoo she managed to add a vocal flourish and/or run to every line, overdoing it by even idol standards. so many better abba songs out there
-felicia barton's performance was good but too much vocal affect, it started to bother me about half-way through
-kendall beard: nobody cares

ju'not was the only performance i "liked" and even that one was just pleasant...nothing to write home about.

sigh. wild card ep better be fucking amazing.

lil rounds was NOT sounding great

adubbadubbadubbaWAHT?!!!

i said:

lil rounds was NOT sounding great

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

I speak Johnny. He was saying "WHATTHEHELLAREYOUDEAF"

i would have enjoyed this episode a lot more if i were hearing impaired so unfortunately the answer is no. i didn't say she was bad or anything but she was definitely struggling a bit with the lower register, especially in the beginning, and overall it wasn't helped by the terribly consistent crapitude of the house band. definitely not as great as the judges were trying to push.

god i miss last season. someone was just talking about "hello" and i think i'm going to cry.

I'm just going to be really bummed if Blind Scott makes it through because he's blind, and that's the only reason he'd get through because it's really bad when you can't even do justice to a Bruce Hornsby song.

yeah his performance was pretty snoozy, i had never even heard of that song, although to be honest i spent most of it worried he was going to fall of the stage or something

and wtf is up with this persistent rumor that the wildcard contestants have to reprise their original song choice? as if this season could get any more retarded...i mean really...

I'd hope no one invited back for the wild card round would be dumb enough to sing the same song over (or that the producers would insist up on it). WHat would be the point?

Hoping Jamar gets a second chance!

i'm pretty sure they said that they were picking the wildcards from the top 36 only. and it would be the requirement that they sing the same song, i think the reasoning given was that the contestants who found out tomorrow that they made it as wildcards would have a disadvantage in preparing over the rejects from the last two weeks. of course that could have been remedied by telling this latest group to prepare a wildcard song as well but who knows. it hasn't been verified so i hope it's just BS.

I'm confused - I thought that the judges were picking three wild cards to go to the top 12. I didn't think there was going to be a wild card showdown where we all get to vote.

The whole system they are using this year is jacked up. At first, I thought it was a good idea to have a top 36 because it would present more people to choose from. But I just can't get with the whole concept of breaking them into 3 groups with 3 winners each and a wild card. It's too crazy and feels too much like manipulation.

I admit: I enjoyed Scott. I don't think he's the greatest singer in the world, but I think that he conveys the emotion of the song very well. Most of the performers seem disconnected from their material.

Also, not a big Bruce Hornsby fan, but I it's a good choice for him because it demonstrates a very clear direction of where he'd want to go in his career.

no, you're right, there's no voting for the wild card, it's all judges' choice.

i hate this new/old system of three groups of 12. the only thing it has going for it is that it lets 36 people in the semis instead of 24, but there definitely were not enough good people to justify that. they definitely could have cut the fat. and then you only see people once...it rewards backstory and fluke great performances over consistently good performances over the 3-week semi period, which is the vastly superior arbiter of talent. my only guess is that perhaps they held this crop of contestants in such little regard that they thought that seeing them ever week for three weeks would ingrain the fact that this is a terrible season, whereas only cherry-picking the top 3 from each sub-group may help us forget. who knows.

You are probably right about this, but I think it is unfair to eliminate so many people after a single performance. This is especially true about the folks that hadn't been featured at all until this point.

I think we could easily be missing out on talented performers who just couldn't get it together the first time out.

yeah i keep thinking of last season and how it took a few performances for David Cook to even get on my radar.

You are probably right about this, but I think it is unfair to eliminate so many people after a single performance. This is especially true about the folks that hadn't been featured at all until this point.

OTOH, in past seasons the best performers were almost always great from the very start. Three weeks of semi-finals doesn't help the top talent that much, it just lets the mediocrities hang around for a little bit longer. With this season's format, some great talents have clearly been distinguishing themselves, and the fat gets trimmed away faster. So I'm starting to warm up to the reasoning behind the new format, although 36 semi-finalist is probably too many -- they should have stuck to 24 or maybe 30.

The REALLY dumb thing is to give these people one shot and to not let them play their instruments. The last couple of weeks were full of comments like "too bad that America hasn't gotten to see you play your piano/guitar". Why bother putting people on the show on the basis of their combined singing/playing abilities and then not let them show their talents when it counts?

This week's performances didn't really excite me ... I just finished watching the show a few minutes ago and I've already forgotten almost everything about it. Jorge Nunez is awesome though! And Arianna made probably the worst song choice in the history of American Idol. It's a great song, but it couldn't have been any more not her. It's too bad because she can actually sing.

the two big problems I see with it:

-since it's easier for them to control who gets the most votes versus controlling who gets sent home, the show has been more strategic and manipulative in pimping certain contestants then I can ever remember.

-it's hard to say exactly what the impact would have been, but imagine that seasons 1-3 were process of elimination seasons. if someone had an off-week or had a good perf but unjustly didn't make it originally, they may have been able to stick around had the process of elimination been in play. it definitely would have changed the dynamic of the season, and who knows how they would have been different.

i thought maybe junot would get through over jorge, but oh well. scott is really a second-rate singer, although he had little competition.

re: the wild card, I was happy to see jesse make it through. the show's persistence in turning jasmine commercial murray into a star is verging on desperate. i noticed when kara was introducing jasmine and used the word "commercial," taylor immediate mouthed "jasmine". everyone seems to be picking up on those talking points.

i hope some people really wow us tomorrow, this season is still salvageable at this point.

I'm fine with most of who was voted in, would've liked to see Ju'not and Felicia in the wild card and bummed that neither of them made it.

For-sure people I want to see voted off first: Scott MacIntyre, Kris Allen, Michael Sarver.

I missed the show tonight. Lil' Rounds made it, I assume?

Lil, Scott and Jorge.

Last week's picks are the only ones that excite me.

For-sure people I want to see voted off first: Scott MacIntyre, Kris Allen, Michael Sarver.

oh wouldn't that be sweet. i'd add von and/or tatiana to that list if either make it. and i'd stick danny gokey on there but that's just a pipe dream.

i didn't even think about it until now, but there are 6 guys and 3 girls, so i imagine that the judges will want to even things out a bit and at least have 2/3 wild cards be girls? but then anoop and matt seem like gimmes. hmm...

Based on what they did during the semis, I'd agree, but want to see Scott and Kris perform with instruments before making up my mind. Michael is completely useless though.

Re: wild card --> NO NICK MITCHELL NO CREDIBILITY

Ju'not >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> everyone performing tonight

Also, Jesse Langseth? Seriously? How many songs must she butcher before they give up on her?

I thought Jesse was great. I really appreciate her song choices too, Like a Feather and Bette Davis Eyes over Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me et al any day of the week.

Yeah, I'm glad she has another shot.

Her affectations just annoy me.

Looking forward to Tatiana's batshit antics though.

Jun'ot was pretty good but anyone who sings "Hey There Delilah" should be shot, imo.

Real talk

The first one tonight was awful.

I have to imagine that all the guys tonight are at a disadvantage.

I really want to like Jessie Langseth, but both of her performances have been awful. Also not very impressed by Matt Giraud

Yeah. I didn't like Giraud either. I'm hoping Anoop-dog and Megan advance.

Same 2 I'm rooting for Mordy. And if Tatiana gives as good a vocal as she gave week 1 that's my other pick.

I just love Megan's voice so much. She's the only artist in the group who I could actually imagine listening to an album by.

And I think she's doing amazing at the moment. Her kind of singing is precisely what I like to listen to.

xpost Corkrey's dancing is still awful, but I liked the vocal a lot.

Simon is always OTM. It's not about the quality of the voice with her.

Ugh. The problem with Von Smith (that's his name, right?) is that as good as his voice is - and it is good - he just brings nothing interesting to American Idol. I feel like I've heard this voice every year. (In fact, I think a few years ago Simon would've called it a Cruise Ship voice.)

Von Smith can hit glory notes but can't hit the normal notes.

the pure essence of von smith lolz

Is this a Disney song?

Yeah it's from Mulan. Jordin Sparks did it her year, I believe

Jasmine Murray is somebody else who I want to like more than I do. She's been done on Idol, and she's been done better.

It sounds more Disney'fied than I remember the Aguilara version. But it's been awhile since I heard it.

You know, I don't think they should force Paula to comment if she doesn't want to. She always seems so hesitant, like she's afraid of saying the wrong thing. :(

I'm so scared they aren't going to take Megan :( :( :(

Why am I making frown smiley faces all over the place?

Mordy - I'd have to think they're gonna take 2 girls for the balance, and if they do, Megan's gotta be one of them. Even if not, they have to take at least 1 girl and the judges have been constantly raving about how commercial she is. I'd think it's close to a lock.

Which, btw, she's a favorite of mine too.

Wait, isn't this the same song she did first week?

...this is humiliating. She's trying to shtick her way into the top 12.

She's got a good voice, so I don't know why she wouldn't try to make it on her own merits.

Tatiana is done.

ok seriously the sudden accent thing? O_o

Great voice, though -- I mean, she appears to have the, um, S-word.

S-word?

Anoop is gonna make it, but I actually think he's pretty boring.

Anoop + Megan are both gonna make it, I think now.

he meant she has a sword, which she will use to murder ppl, once she finally snaps. duh.

no, rly, what's the s-word?

i'm just as lost as you are to be honest

uh oh.

Blah, I'm kinda annoyed that Jasmine made it.

YES!

Megan!

jesus stop babying pretty pretty princess you are encouraging her to evolve into a deadly pokeman

Really bad semifinals, and a few very questionable choices, but all in all a solid top 12, with Scott, Michael, and Jasmine being the only 3 I don't like. (This assumes Anoop makes it over Matt).

I had to switch the channel, cause going over into the next hour is obnoxiousness. Someone post who got the third slot?

what the fuck with this 7 hour commercial break? they are cutting into my valuable time with chef gordon ramsay.

oh wtf this matt guy made it? what a gross miscarriage of justice

WAIT NO LOL IT'S A TOP 13 MOTHERFUCKERS

Which one was the Matt guy again?

WHA. TWIST??

both hatt matt and anoop dawg are in. also for some reason next week kanye west is on the show...???

that seems unfair, i think kanye is a lock to win.

yay anoop i will continue to watch this accursed show

Mordy - Matt Giraud the awful blues singer

Oh. The second dude. Well at least Megan is in!

I may vote for the first time this year to keep her in.

her dancing makes me want to punch myself in my own face is the thing about megan

^^^this

They rescued it tonight. Faves:
1. Megan
2. Anoop
3. Allison
4. Kris
5. Matt (sorry guys, i know he's a second rate Yamin, but i've still enjoyed him at times)

Curious about Adam Lambert and Jasmine. Don't like the rest.

i refuse to watch this show because of the nick travesty. also because it is on when i play basketball

I hate the producers for trying to ram Jasmine and Megan down our throats. Jasmine actually sang well, but she has a mildly grating tone to her voice and her song choice was so pageanty. And Megan...AWFUL. just AWFUL. Especially tonight. I mean, wtf is going on here.

Oh, and the dudes...Matt was competent but boring and Simon was otm about his outfit for once. Anoop was the most improved but idk, the vocals aren't there as much as I'd like.

Dude, we love Megan!

if you love her it's with your eyes, not your ears. although it would seem that her dancing would make that impossible as well.

are kanye and kelly duetting next week? please say yes

oh and moment of the season so far: simon comparing matt to taylor hicks and cue everyone getting offended

I loved Megan's audition. Since then, no...not so much.

yeah her audition was great, but that was about it.

btw i'm doing a fantasy idol thing, so here is my prediction for the entire season, feel free to mock me in the coming weeks but put one together if you think you can do better:

Jorge Nunez
Jasmine Murray
Megan Joy Corkrey
Michael Sarver
Scott MacIntyre
Danny Gokey (shock elimination, please oh please)
Alexis Grace
Matt Giraud
Anoop Desai
Lil Rounds
Kris Allen
Adam Lambert
Allison Iraheta wins

I'm game..

Michael Sarver
Jasmine Murray
Anoop Desai
Jorge Nunez
Megan Joy Corkrey
Scott MacIntyre
Alexis Grace
Kris Allen
Adam Lambert
Matt Giraud
Allison Iraheta
Lil Rounds
Danny Gokey (this isn't my personal wish, but it's what I see coming)

Jasime Murray
Scott MacIntyre
Michael Sarver
Matt Giruard
Jorge Nunez
Kris Allen
Adam Lambert
Alexis Grace
Megan Joy Corkrey
Anoop Desai
Danny Gokey
Allison Iraheta
Lil Rounds

Probably overrated Megan and underrated Gokey, so this is 50% wish fantasy, and 50% prediction.

I really like Megan's voice. The looks help, but I usually don't even watch the show while it's on, just listen. Megan at least is somebody unique for Idol. I think I've just gotten bored with the Lil Roundses and Danny Gokeys and the likes after so many years of watching.

Wild guessing here:

Jasmine Murray
Jorge Nunez
Matt Giraud
Megan Corkrey
Anoop Desai
Kris Allen
Michael Sarver
Alexis Grace
Adam Lambert
Allison Iraheta
Lil Rounds
Danny Gokey

Thanks so much, Fox, for cutting out while Tatiana and Simon were quibbling over her decision to re-sing a Whitney Houston song - and not coming back in for like an hour

for some reason next week kanye west is on the show...???

It would be awesome if he was judging instead of singing.

I will just do my personal rankings:

Promising:
Lil Rounds (probably the only person in the competition capable of making a record I would actually buy.)
Alexis Grace (solid voice, and very cute. Would be surprised to see her leave anytime soon.)
Matt Giraud (liked him a lot last night, and in Hollywood week.)

Enjoyable but doomed:
Allison Iraheta (like a dumber, weirder, female Jason Castro. She can really sing, though.)
Anoop Desai (Can he sell records? I doubt it.)
Jorge Nunez (Maybe would be up at the top if they'd let him sing in Spanish)

Good, but not my thing:
Megan Joy Corkrey (What a weird chick she is.)
Adam Lambert (too self-indulgent; want to see him nail something that stays in a lower range)
Kris Allen (want to see this guy do something else ... might be higher, might be the worst)
Jasmine Murray (B+ looks, B+ voice, and too boring to make up for it)
Danny Gokey (hate hate hate)

Go home:
Michael Sarver (although if he stays away from country he might do surprisingly well. He should be singing Bill Withers type stuff.)
Scott MacIntyre (hi, this dude can't sing)

oh and moment of the season so far: simon comparing matt to taylor hicks and cue everyone getting offended

― lil waynes babymama (musically)

I love that Taylor somehow managed to win it all and is now universally hated. Way to go Idol - way to go America!

Also, Megan is truly terrible. The cutesy dance has to stop, it's just retarded. She did an awful job singing and then, predictably, the judges loved it because she's "quirky". In the Idol world quirky means has tattoos and sings some Amy Winehouse BS.

http://www.movie-page.com/1998/antz/antz02.jpg

B+ looks

Also, Megan is truly terrible. The cutesy dance has to stop, it's just retarded. She did an awful job singing and then, predictably, the judges loved it because she's "quirky". In the Idol world quirky means has tattoos and sings some Amy Winehouse BS.

― Moodles, Friday, March 6, 2009

otm!!! doing some bullshit duffy thing while dancing like joe cocker doesn't make you quirky any more than any other thing makes a person quirky. i throw my hands up in the air over this one.

B+ looks

Admittedly, I was being diplomatic.

(x-posts) Context is everything. "Quirky" in relation to the rest of the top 13, where contestants are over-emoting "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and "Mandolin Rain," yes. At least I know Megan's never gonna go all diva on some Whitney Houston song. I'm a fan. Really wonder what she's gonna do for Michael Jackson week.

i hope danny does earth song, just so i can hate him even more

I wonder if next week will include Jackson 5 stuff as well...could totally see Lil Rounds doing I Want You Back, David Ruffin-style

I can just imagine half of this lot fighting with each other to do "I'll Be There." I just hope Allison doesn't take the rock bait and do a lame track like "Dirty Diana."

oh lord i totally forgot about that one. That's a gimme if there is one.

Matt Giraud - Ain't No Sunshine
Scott - Stranger in Moscow
Jorge - Human Nature
Danny Gokey - You Are Not Alone
Megan - weird Duffied version of The Way You Make Me Feel (could also see Kris Allen doing this one, minus the faux-retro affect)
Anoop - Do You Remember

I can't tell if Adam will do something over the top a la Blood on the Dance Floor or take it down low with something else, and I can't tell if Michael is going to try to be the bluesy guy or the country guy. And at this point I don't really feel like I have a handle on Alexis or Allison. I expect Jasmine to pick something lame like Got to Be There. And I imagine no one will be picking Billie Jean.

I wonder if this ties in at all with the fact that MJ just announced he's going on tour?

Megan is horrible. She might be the laziest singer to ever make the finals -- every phrase ends with some half-spoken, half-sung note that isn't even remotely in tune.

Did the judges invite Tatiana back just to ridicule her?

I don't know about predicting the eliminations week by week, but I can picture the Danny Gokey/Lil Rounds final coming from a mile away.

Norman Gentle :(

there's way too much danny backlash, I don't think he's going to do as well as it seems.

i wanna see which human interest story (dead wife, endangered oil rig roughneck, blind guy) wins out.

LIL ROUNDS

OK Idol time!

Very good by Lil Rounds to start (and I haven't generally liked her to this point), mediocre as usual from Scott to start us out.

Danny Gokey and Michael Sarver just OK. I liked Danny Gokey's "Hero" but this one was rather blah, and Sarver was actually better.

This Jasmine chick sounds so much like Christina Aguilera.

Jasmine was OK. This show is shaping up pretty boring.

They were way too harsh on Anoop! I like his version of Beat It. I could do without some of the MJ affectations, but his voice sounded better than it had previously.

Agreed Moodles, I thought he was OK. So far the best of the night for me have been Kris and Allison. We'll see how the last few do.

Megan is singing Rockin' Robin. I have the barrel of a gun in my mouth. Someone talk me down!

Caww-cawww!!!! Aieeeee!!!

Ehhhh, I thought Megan was OK, although it was an awful song choice. I did really enjoy Adam Lambert though.

OK Adam = CLEARLY the most entertaining of the evening. I JUST woke up!

Megan was indeed awful but in her defense, what freak folk songs are in Wacko Jacko's catalog? And let's face it - there won't be a Joanna Newsom week.

I don't think Megan is into the Freak Folk, more like some retro Amy Winehouse BS. I wish she'd sing some Joanna Newsom!

There are many people on the show who have distinctive styles and have been able to ram whatever was their style onto whatever was the theme that week (think like Blake Lewis or David Cook or Jason Castro, from the last couple years). Seems like it will be really hard for Megan though, because her style is too weird.

Matt was the best this week imo

GOD I HATE ADAM LAMBERT

Lots of weak performances tonight because...Michael Jackson's music is tailored to his voice and not to anyone else's. Anoop stunk. Alexis stunk. Michael stunk. Megan stunk. Everyone else was middling to somewhat pleasant (Allison, Matt).

I predict Jasmine and Anoop go home.

and the girl with the red hair

Yeah Adam Lambert is awful, I don't get the appeal. He belongs in a Ratt cover band somewhere...

Pretty much everyone sucked tonight...

xpost
Snap judgments:
Overall a OK week, but not much you can do with Michael Jackson songs. A few people with redeeming performances. Ranked here from best to worst:

Good:
Adam Lambert (quite a polarizing figure I suspect, but he's a good performer)
Allison Iraheta
Matt Giraud

Kinda boring, but OK on the vocals:
Kris Allen
Lil Rounds

The Bias Zone:
Megan Corkrey (I'm biased, I like her. Pretty good vocal, extremely awful song choice)

Forgettable:
Michael Sarver
Scott MacIntyre
Danny Gokey
Jasmine
Alexis Grace
Jorge

Bad:
Anoop (I rewatched it back and I have to admit it was worse than I first thought)

Only one performance I ranked as bad, but lots and lots of chaff.

They were unnecessarily hard on Jorge's choice, which I thought was cool being as it was so faithful to the original. On the other hand, I can't take much more of them blowing smoke up Scott's ass just because he's blind.

The big surprise for me was Kris's performance, I thought it was quite good.

Good

Allison (thought she killed it)
Adam (I mean, I thought it was good but I also thought it was a hot mess)
Kris (thought it really worked for him to have the guitar, terrific song choice)

Fair

Alexis
Lil
Danny (a bit cheesy, shades of Taylor Hicks)
Matt (the arrangement drowned out the piano, I think a more stripped down arrangement would have been better)
Jasmine

Poor

Scott (he should have listened to me and done Stranger in Moscow, idgaf, SOMEONE should have done it)
Jorge (cheesy, felt bad though because based on what he said, and I believe it, he was forced to sing it)
Anoop (Simon hit the nail on the head; there was no aggression/passion to his performance, it was pure karaoke)

omg please leave now

Megan (soooo bad, I mean, really?)
Michael

what looks worse...lie to me or osbournes reloaded

I really want to watch at least one episode of the Osbournes show. Lie to Me looked good before it actually premiered, but every commercial I've seen since then makes me glad I don't watch it.

The strongest performances, I thought:

Adam, although his Guns N Roses meets JC Superstar theatricality will never be my thing
Allison, although I'm thinkin' she's kind of a one-shriek pony
Lil

A bunch of mediocrity in the middle:

Sarver, although a bit better than I remembered
Kris, just seems like Dave Matthews-level blandness to me
Scott, does the world need another Bruce Hornsby?

And Anoop and Jorge at the bottom, along with Megan. I absolutely loved her audition, really wish she could find a song/style/performance that suits her: freak-folk, Winehouse, anything other than Rockin' Robin. Her bio lists Bjork as her favorite.

I think one of the big problems with Megan is that she doesn't seem to be very original...if jazzy throwback is her deal then fine, but she's picking songs that are pre-suited for her. i would not be sad if she left at all, but if she sticks around i'd like to see her do some rearranging.

Adam, although his Guns N Roses meets JC Superstar theatricality will never be my thing

This is why I like him, I'm afraid.

Rickey's red light theory is very interesting, because all of the contestants who got the red light last night are shown as being the bottom four vote getters according to Dialidol.

at this stage of the competition Dialidol only gets 1 or 2 of the bottom three correct, not to mention that this episode had more contestants than ever before so it could be even fewer. And just on a fan level the idea that kris and allison were in the bottom three is really insane.

but i love a conspiracy theory as much as anyone so i'll be paying close attention to the results tonight. also if either of them go it will totally fuck up my fantasy team.

I only half-listened last night (woot Naxxramas raid) but from what I heard, I thought everyone ranged from fine to fantastic; my worst performance of the night would go to the blind dude for being so boring.

He is so boring that he makes Kenny G look like GG Allin.

Megan...doesn't seem to be very original...if jazzy throwback is her deal then fine...

OTM. Great audition, and thought "Put Your Records On" was good for her (had actually never heard the original; somehow thought Corinne Bailey Rae was a new country artist.) "Black Horse" was okay, but had previously been done better on Idol. Whatever her thing is, pseudo-Billie Holiday/neo-retro-Duffy/Bjork, I just want her to throw her persona into it more, ala Allison and Alexis. Maybe it just ain't gonna happen.

Alexis is terrible and Allison will be terrible within a matter of weeks. Gokey can only impress on big notes; his "PYT" was pretty embarrassing. Lil is really, really dull and would probably be the most boring R&B singer ever.

I thought it was a fairly strong week, although the quality went downhill pretty fast starting with Anoop.

Good:

Allison (wow! I thought she'd be the one to sing "Dirty Diana", though)
Danny (but definitely a bit Hicks-ian)
Michael (didn't suck! no f'n way!)
Lil (one of my least favourite MJ songs, but I liked her version)

OK:

Scott
Kris (good performance, but the guitar was superfluous and that dragged it down a lot for me)
Jorge (I don't get the hate)

Just whatever:

Jasmine
Matt
Alexis (the song completely overwhelmed her)

Bad:

Anoop (totally karaoke)
Megan (ROCKIN ROBIN WTF KIND OF A STUPID CHOICE WAS THIS?!?)
Adam (he is horrible and is turning out to be the biggest load of emperor's new clothes in the history of the show ... I could also crush my testicles into a pair of tight pants and scream a lot, and no, it wouldn't sound good from me either)

Woo! Goodbye Jasmine!

Jasmine is gone, what a surprise.

By the way, Ryan, Trenyce and Daughtry were eliminated in the top 5 and thus would be ineligible for the judge save.

If Scott is kicked off tonight, I'll be 2/2 on my picks.

Booooooooo! I liked Jorge. ;_;

New rule is stupid. Shock eliminations are awesome.

It's an okay gimmick, but it's not like we never heard from Chris Daughtry or Jennifer Hudson again.

Oh, and very easily the worst season of Idol, btw.

It seems that way every year, but wasn't it really S6? C'mon...it came down to Blake and Jordin.

Oh, and who did Taylor Hicks beat? I didn't follow it that year. But it can't have been too good.

Despite my earlier protestations, the top finalists this year have been just as good as they always are. I still think all the seasons I've watched have had pretty much exactly the same quality contestants.

Talyor Hicks beat Katherine McPhee. Nothing was as craptastic as Bo Bice vs Carrie Underwood, though.

Taylor Hicks season was actually the best season. Also, Jordin Sparks was amazing. This is such a boring group of contestants. I'm rooting for Megan, which would be like rooting for Jason Castro or something.

By the way, Ryan, Trenyce and Daughtry were eliminated in the top 5 and thus would be ineligible for the judge save.

do you mean Tamyra? Trenyce was eliminated in the top 5 too. But yeah, once it gets to the top 5 it's more of "the way it is" versus a shock elimination.

Norman Gentle :(

― Kevin John Bozelka, Saturday, March 7, 2009 4:57 PM (5 days ago)

;_;

xpost: and not to mention that they certainly would not have wasted their veto on jennifer hudson.

Won't miss either of the two that went home.

Kanye and Kelly were both worse than Jasmine tonight, though.

Just echoing the consensus here, that the examples they used for justifying the "judges save" didn't make any sense.

Making them sing immediately after finding out they've been voted off and *before* they find out if they'll be saved is kinda cruel too.

Who would have had a realistic chance of being saved in past seasons? Constantine Maroulis, maybe? Michael Johns? That's about it, as far as I can tell.

that it could have hypothetically saved constantine makes me hate the idea even more

i think they MIGHT (probs not tho) have saved carly last season if they didn't use it on michael?

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2009/03/idol_beat_the_final_13_results.php#more

country night tonight...surprisingly great? predictably awful?

and due to the judges' save i'm changing my prediction:

Jorge Nunez
Jasmine Murray
Megan Joy Corkrey
Michael Sarver
Scott MacIntyre
Danny Gokey (shock elimination, please oh please)
Alexis Grace
Matt Giraud
Anoop Desai
Lil Rounds
Danny Gokey
Kris Allen
Adam Lambert
Allison Iraheta wins

lol I keep looking at these names and going "who the hell is that?"

I mean srsly, who is Kris Allen?

This probably won't be the week Scott goes home, unfortunately. He'll just sing some Ronnie Milsap or something.

>>Surprisingly great? predictably awful?

Probably somewhere in the humdrum middle. I don't think too many of the songs or the performances will surprise me. Adam and Allison will find a way to dial it down two notches, Alexis and Matt one notch. I think Lil could do pretty well at finding a soul/country hybrid. The folks I'm not interested in (Gokey, Anoop, Sarver, MacIntyre) will turn in safe enough performances to stay for another week. And as much as I would love to be proven wrong, I predict Megan's going home.

Ha, I accidentally left Kris Allen off that list, that's how forgettable he is!

Allison Iraheta wins

Only if they excise any interviews with her...Anna Nicole Smith sounded more lucid, even on a bad day.

That's the thing I love about her most. There's no filter between the sector of her brain with forms shapeless thoughts and her mouth.

with=which

yeah her interviews are really awkward but she's rather charming. she's not all sound bites and pageant smiles, and hopefully she'll get more comfortable and not seem so petrified during her interviews.

Overall I think Megan is vulnerable due to her being awful and all, while Anoop just seems, i don't know, his heart doesn't seem to be in it.

that said, one thing i have noticed is that in all seasons except season 4, the person who went home the second week of finals was not in the bottom 3 the week earlier. regardless of whether or not what we were presented with the 4 lowest vote-getters last week (I don't think we were), the psychological GOTV impact of it on their fans plus the fact that the voters are spread very thin at this point may mean that Megan and Anoop will safe this week.

So if that stands up this season, then I imagine that Scott or Matt might be vulnerable (I would say Michael because he's rather terrible but I think that he more than anyone else can really excel with a country song). Of course I am usually wrong about Idol stuff but it's fun to overanalyze so we'll see.

mark my words, kris will make it bizzarely far this season.

SRSLY WHO IS KRIS

he did a john mayer-esque version of "Remember The Time" that was not as sucky as that sounds

He is the boyband looking dude who did "do you remember the time" but didn't turn into sand in front of Eddie Murphy.

allen may wind up the token cuteypie if lambert proves too gay for middle america and anoop continues to suck

wait, someone sang "Remember the Time"? and I don't remember it?

irony

Plus, he is a good christian boy and that always seems to win votes. xp

there is no way in hell the final two is going to be lambert and iraheta

I expect Gokey/Rounds.