Also a one hour show tonight, but starting at 9 pm. We do have song spoilers this time (see the AI9 spoiler thresd) if you want fair warning on what may happen tonight.Keep all discussion of tonight's show as it unravels on this thresd until the West Coasters finally pull their fingers out of their ears.
Looks like Michael's sense of humor is out to play again, or at least his sense of balance.I'm thisclose to renaming Andrew as Wrong Song Lad.
Sooo sick of "Fireflies" but looking forward to "Trouble".
LAST EDITED ON 03-10-10 AT 08:46 PM (EST)So glad I'm in time for the start of the party for a change.
Drink of the night
Dos XX
snack of the night
Black bean soup with shredded cheese, peppers, sour cream and homemade cornbread.
Yummy, yummy, yummy.
Yum! I'm trying to talk myself out of going out for some ice cream...I don't eat it often but I'm jonesing for it tonight. Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. Yummmm. I think I'll settle for a beer instead.
Hell, hon, I'm having both!
tonight only 8 left standing.Michael
Casey
Todrick
Tim
Andrew
Lee
Alex
AaronVery slow walk by with names. Ready to deliver. This is American Idol
Judges intro.Why Kara and Simon so close. She says he is leaning into her.
Ryan says Kara is his Binkie.
Fireflies—Owl City
I like him, but not so much the song.
Playing acoustic guitar.So far spoiled order holding, not the into order.
Do not like his voice in this. The nasal growl just too much.
Randy. For me it was a strange choice. Some pitch problems, made it your own. You worked it out.
Ellen. Liked it was a little rock. I think people like you. I thought it was great.
Kara. you look confident (he says he has fun) we've been waiting for you to step up. Made it a better song with your interpretation. To strip it away. Simon and Kara pushing.
Simon. nothing to rave bout. didn't have a moment. I've seen the progress I'm glad you are here. Good chance to make the top 12. You are better than that version of the song.
I like the song, but I think he had pitch problems. When he repeated the chorus, I liked it better.
Somewhat of a ho-hum song performance and I never really got into any part of it.
And now live, for your entertainment, Lee will attempt to polish crap!...nope. He couldn't do it either.
He should have watched the Mythbuster's episode where they did that.
Trouble—Ray LaMontagne
Gosh same nasally technique as Lee, but more strangled than growl-likeAlso playing an acoustic guitar.
Randy. good song choice. He's dope. I'm not sure you wowed me. Not jumping up and down. could have slowed it down.
Ellen. Boo. Boo. You are becoming a mushy banana. You are consistently getting better and better. I love your innocence and how sweet and honest you are. Don't become a cocky banana.
Kara. The only thing standing in the way of you winning is you. You are still stiff and not letting go up there. Be you, let go.
Simon. I agree. You gotta get yourself mentally somewhere else. We never see you relaxed or having a good time. Imagine Randy in a bikini. Stop staring down the lens. Let yourself go. Good distinct voice.
Ellen approaches going beyond PG-13 territory there.The song? Not bad, I thought. Good song choice and a fairly honest performance. Agree with the judges he needs to break out if he is to stay in much longer.
Well, he tried.
I think he did a fine job on that song. Better than Lee at any rate.
As long as I close my eyes when he sings, I enjoy him. Otherwise, not so much. The mullet, the baby face-just not right for this competition. PLEASE, when are we getting these guys a make-over?? Top 10, prolly???
I have to chuckle because some people like his hair and think he looks like a very young Paul McCartney, as in the 60's Paul. I can see it. (but, yes, I think AI stylists are just waiting to get their hands on Alex's and Tim's hair.)
Y'know how when you say a word too many times, it starts to feel like it's losing all meaning? Well...
Little tiny weeny mouth, little tiny weeny face, little tiny weenie eyes, little tiny weeny voice.Little tiny weeny banana.
Were the judges watching the same performance I was? Geesh!
Hallelujah—Jeff Buckley
I half expected him to start singing:"I gave my love a cherry....that had...no...stone..." *snort*
And it is acoustic guitar night.But he isn't singing out his nose like the other guys were.
I actually kinda liked that.
Randy. One of the greatest songs. We have had some good times with that song. Did a pretty good job.
Ellen. Every week I feel I've been so hard on you. Ellen says it is fantastic and runs over to give him a hug. Ryan says you wanna give out the numbers
Kara. I thought you would be going home. Now I think you may be in it. Honest interpretation, you were feeling it. you showed it.
Simon. I feel responsible for you doing well. I gave you a confidence boost. You are in that tricky position. This week very smart with that song. I had a big hit with that song. Not the best version. The strongest performance by you so far.
Like Smile yesterday, only a special few should attempt. k.d.lang is the benchmark.Maybe he saying - bite me!
At this point, I'm convinced Ellen's getting direct transfusions from Paula. You need pain in your life to tackle that song: he went after it armed with his last two paper cuts and a stubbed toe.
Of the three so far, probably the best, with the more likable voice. Yet I don't think I'd buy or download any of them. Agree with Simon it's his best performance so far.At this point I'm hoping for something different. Too much of the same to start with.
I liked it.
That song should have been retired after Castro.Tim-dude sounded awful.
...I don't think I can work tomorrow.*calls in skeeved*
It is hard to drive when you are twitching that much. Even public transportation is a problem.
I think ya'll need to lay off the Dos XX's and bean dip!!It's not the singing so much?? Just saying....
Genie in a Bottle—Christina AguileraCouch interview about Straight Up.
I loved it and I love him.
Andrew shopping from the girl's department, again.Is the band all out sick. Another acoustic guitar thingy.
Estee are you OK, because maybe calling in skeeved for the rest of the week?
Randy. I like the cardigan. Listen, interesting song choice. It was a good idea but didn't work. Pitchy all over the place. You made it feel like the whole song was three notes. Didn't go anywhere.
Ellen. Great song choice, what you needed to do. The end you surprised us. Genie out of the bottle too late. People will love that.
Kara. Hard position. Peaked so early. Been chasing that moment. You were fighting with the rhythm of the guitar. I like you but it just wasn't great.
Simon. With Kara. Came over trying to work out what you should be doing. A little bit desperate. Didn't feel comfortable. Over thought it. Tricky one for you. Good voice, cool guy, but still going backwards.
LAST EDITED ON 03-10-10 AT 09:46 PM (EST)Hmmm... after hearing three not so stellar acoustic guitar songs we get a fourth. It almost sounded like a guy playing along the subway or at the beach, but certainly not recording star material. He does have charisma to a certain kind of fan base, though, that might make him look and sound better on stage.
Oh gawds, I think he's trying to sing with his nose...(At least it wasn't his hair. He's trying to out-Donald the world on the hair.)
So is this his official one-trick pony? Take a bad song by a female artist and do it as a near-falsetto rough cut? If so, I'm not paying anything for it at the stable: I just want to put it down for its own good. Broken notes: mercy kill.
His eyes become dead and cold when he's being criticized. There's something in there he's better off not letting out -- if he can keep it in.
Definitely not working tomorrow.
>Genie in a Bottle—Christina Aguilera
>
>Couch interview about Straight Up.WHEN, oh WHEN will they STOP referring to that??? PALEASSSSE!!!
You’ll Think of Me—Keith Urban
And another acoustic guitar.Boys skeered the band will toss them under the bus?
He's on a stool.
Liked him better on this than usually.
Randy. Safe choice. Don't pull away from the vocals. Edgy thing, go for more of that. Very safe choice. Just alright.
Ellen. Thought it was great. So much more comfortable sitting down. Seems like your vibe. I liked it.
Kara. Kinda back on the Casey train. Better than last week. honest doing what you do best. Missing that spark. Want to see more. Move in the right direction.
Simon. Second best. not as good as week one, better than last week. Sincere. Won't be raving about tomorrow. But you sounded great.
My favorite of the night. Under praised by the judges. Even Simon's praise was delivered in an unconvincing, lackluster way.
Ok, that does it.Let the gals compete for AI, and set the guys up on a show of their own, Acoustic Guitar Star or something.
I actually liked this song and performance, although I agree with Randy that he should move the other direction towards bolder performances.
Entertaining. Working hard to get away from the box he's been put in. I'm just trying not to Google "Casey James" and get the porn star.
I think the older Casey is in the process of being Tim Urbaned.
...it was his best look of the competition...
I’m Already There—Lonestar
At least he's not playing the guitar.
Yay, plus points right there, and pretty well done, too. Agree with Simon he's got the emotion. There was a moment there I thought of Archuleta and the way he'd sing it. This kid has huge potential and it shows.
>Yay, plus points right there, and
>pretty well done, too. Agree
>with Simon he's got the
>emotion. There was a moment
>there I thought of Archuleta
>and the way he'd sing
>it. This kid has huge
>potential and it shows.ITA!!!
Wow, I totally disagree on this guy. He needs to pick something else to sing.
On the stool, but no guitar.First verse seemed really pitchy, but better on the chorus.
Randy. you got the makings of a great. coming on. Need to work on lower notes. when you hit your power zone. This Dude can sing, What?
Ellen. I love you, what is weird you are 16, feels real, but stands like you are 30. confidence of someone older. Too much song for you. It wasn't terrific.
Kara. I love you. you give it your all. You are in it. That song is in the third person, and not relevant for your life.
Simon. That is rubbish. The right type of song, it wasn't a great vocal. It had emotion and I could tell you were trying hard. We will confuse these people. It is a nice song.
What happened on the word 'thousand'? It was almost as if it turned around in his throat and tried to go back in.He's trying -- oh, how he's trying -- but there was too much tremble and too many nerves on this one. There's nothing wrong with tackling this song as far as his range is concerned: I just think he needs something he's more comfortable with.
Dear Kara: what's wrong with tackling this from the perspective of the kids?
I heard the beginning and immediately turned it down. It started like a train wreck. From the judge's comments, I guess it got better?
That VFTW is considering switching the vote.
But no one else was amusing so they are sticking with him.
Somebody to Love—Queen
I don't even think the studio audience likes him. I am a purist, didn't like the church arrangement. I'd rather have John Park than Todrick. Bring back the guitars.
It was kind of weird for me. There were parts of that song that almost sent chills down my spine in awe, and there were other parts that just seemed awful. Didn't care too much for the arrangement for this song, but apparently it fitted his strong suit.So far, a rather lackluster night for the guys as a whole.
I couldn't agree more about sometimes chills, other times not so much.I didn't want to like it because I don't think anyone but Freddie should sing Freddie but I gotta give Todrick (weird name) his due.
I was glad he didn't offer up an over-the-top Freddie impersonation.
Thank goodness no acoustic guitar.
Back up singers on the screen behind him.Fingerless gloves and ugg boots?
Randy. Let me say this Todrick is back. Dude you proved you can sing. That was one of the best vocals tonight. I loved it.
Ellen. Brave young man. You made it gospel. Went in and out of that. You are brave. I commend you. You did a good job.
Kara. That was good singing. I didn't now whether to laugh at it or like it. Where are we. The singing was good.
Simon. Was good in parts. Tell us who you are. you are a Broadway singer. That is what you are. More that than a recording artist. Made an attempt to perform and may have saved you.
Didn't. like. it. at. all.
Yeah, send him to Broadway so he can take money from little kids again. I didn't care for it.
Will someone wake me when it's over?
On the one hand, it was his best performance of the competition.On the other, he lost me the instant he claimed he worked hard.
I think he's 'working' a little too hard, and it's just not cutting it. He's too much of an imitation of the real thing every single time he steps up on that stage. IF he'd been singing AND dancing and not just the latter, maybe it could work better for him? I dunno.....
Loved Toddrick! Great job.Kara is babbling and just off her meds tonight. Can someone just gag her please?
As for Andrew Garcia and Genie in a Bottle ... What?!! I'm bleeding out my ears and eyes and nose!
I liked him so much and he just shot himelf in the foot, the ankle, his knee, thigh, hip, etc.
I can only conclude that this show puts a lot more pressure on people than I could possibly ever realize. It has to because so many talented people just implode.
This Woman’s Work--Maxwell
This got the pimp spot? Why?
I agree. I wished I heard this first and skipped the rest of it.
My panties are around here somewhere. Just fell off. I hate when that happens.
ROFL. You must be a Luther fan.
No guitar. Starting off in three piece suit from the waist up but with jeans.Gets bit more energetic in the middle to end.
Randy. Really? Really really. This is crazy. It was dope. The last note for you to hear that chord. That was hot.
Ellen. One of my favorite song. So beautiful. Show just began.
Kara. I never cried after something like that. so relevant. Your respect for your wife. As a woman I can relate and it brought me to tears.
Simon. It was so needed tonight. If you think back it was all a little bit boring. You came out with a difficult song and you nailed it. Best performance of these live shows.
I wonder how much I would have enjoyed that if I'd been able to understand more than half the words.Even so -- the teddy bear just pulled on the grizzly suit and mauled the rest of the field. It's not just the singing performance of the night: he's connecting with the audience in ways the others can't. He's safe this week and into the tour -- but with the hyper-pimping of Crystal, I don't know how far he can go beyond that.
I have to say: I could not understand half of what he was singing, either! And I do not know that song, so it was totally lost to me. Not in my happy spot at all.Someone, please, hand some Prempro to Kara before she ends up in a psych ward!
>I wonder how much I would have enjoyed that if I'd been able to understand more than half the words.
Well, you were fortunate to have grasped at least half of the words! We caught the word "woman" a couple of times, and that was it. Pity. It must have been something important that he sang; it certainly moved Kara. Had never heard of the song, so didn't know the lyrics at all.BUT, Michael SOUNDED the best of them all....even if we couldn't understand a word he sang!
Wow. Started off soft with a very light accompaniment and no chorus to drown him out. Then, the beat picks up a little and he belts it out, the note, the length, the volume matching up with the lyrics to the song. Just wow. I wished I didn't have to wait through almost an hour of amateurs before hearing this.
What I said about Crystal last night....
Applies to Michael tonight.
Oh, yeah, Mike rocked it!Something about a big man that knows how to move and sing that gets to me!
And Kara is not blithering, now she's blubbering!
I told you she was off her meds!
They replaced Paula ... with Paula!
Since she's joined the panel, Kara has lost her objectivity, her reputation as a songwriter, her ability to judge, and her control over her sex drive. Tonight, she just lost It. And It may not be coming back. I give her three hours before the first fertility doctor ---- wait. Los Angeles. 24/7 specialty clinics. Two hours.
And why is she sitting on Simon's lap this year?It really is odd. I can see doing it for one show as there might have been a funny conversation or something that went on between the two and it carried over into the show, but ... touching him and rubbing up against him all the time? Why?
It's funny how everyone had doubts about Ellen and she's been doing just fine. Kara is the one that's already having a meltdown. Personally, I think the tears were not over Mike's song. I think she was devastated by what Simon said about her comments being rubbish. The tears just came out and Mike's song was an excuse for the combustible explosion. I agree with Simon by the way. (a first) I don't think singers should "only" sing about things they've actually experienced. I mean, didn't Carrie sing about bashing her cheatin' spouse's car with a baseball bat? She's not married and she doesn't seem a loose cannon and I quite enjoyed her singing that song.
She also still puckers up her lips when she's looking at Simon. It's really bugging me, particularly when she's just off side and all you can see in frame is her lips.She's completely lost it. Channeling Paula right to the bitter end.
>I agree with Simon
>by the way. (a first)
>I don't think singers should
>"only" sing about things they've
>actually experienced. I mean, didn't
>Carrie sing about bashing her
>cheatin' spouse's car with a
>baseball bat? She's not married
>and she doesn't seem a
>loose cannon and I quite
>enjoyed her singing that song.I'll have to defend Kara here. I don't think she was claiming that the singer has to have first hand experience with the song's subject matter, just that they have to be able to convincingly relay the content of the song. It's difficult to buy a sixteen year old singing about having teenage kids, for example. There has to be believability.
Now, I can see arguments that cut both ways in terms of Aaron & "I'm Already There" and personally think the convincingness (or lack thereof) of the song was low on the totem pole of problems with the performance. But contestants performing songs while being totally oblivious to their content is a pet peeve of mine, so I'm glad at least one judge is paying attention.
It almost looks like she is weirdly pushing up against Simon, while leaning away from Ellen.
quote
>>>I'll have to defend Kara here. I don't think she was claiming that the singer has to have first hand experience with the song's subject matter, just that they have to be able to convincingly relay the content of the song. It's difficult to buy a sixteen year old singing about having teenage kids, for example. There has to be believability.<<<
unquoteWell, that's just it. I felt there was a great deal of emotion in there so the remarks were peculiar to say the least. The song started off weak (vocally), but then he really poured his heart into it. For her to criticize the singing would be one thing, but this seemed odd.
Personally, I felt he did relate. I heard his explanation of only telling a story, I was like, "Hmmmm... I wonder?" I was thinking that perhaps he related so well from the other side of things. By that I mean as a teenage boy who wished or actually had this happen in his life. In other words, experienced the phone call from an absent dad. I looked up his background and found that he was adopted by his aunt because his biological parents could not take care of him.
I think Kara should stop judging on appearances/age alone as to what someone has or has not gone through and what they can relate to. To me it was obvious that there was a lot of emotion in that song - whatever the source.
------
>It almost looks like she is
>weirdly pushing up against Simon,
>while leaning away from Ellen.
>Uh-oh! You think Ellen's Paul Newman blue eyes are getting to her?
Kara comes across as an emotional train wreck. She is always at odds with her own opinions, indiscreet, to say the least, and IMO, does a lot of inappropriate things.I think she is the "Black Hole" of AI, a human vacuum, that is sucking the positive energy out of that program. I formerly enjoyed AI - even Paula was entertaining (strangely). Now, I find myself wishing there was something else to watch.
I don't think Ellen was a great addition to the Judges panel. In fact, that was a choice completely out of left field. But she, at least, adds some positive energy and is not the drain on the show that Kara is.
Extra cornbread for you ... with butter.
Yum!!!
Was cleaning up and I found somebody's panties.?
*snort*
18.6 Big Mike
3.5 Andrew
2.1 Aaron
1.9 Alex
1.8 Lee
0.3 Casey
0.1 Tim
0.0 Todrick
Heck, there should be a rule if he gets more than half the votes we skip the runoff.
Agreed, but there should be another rule that if a male tries to sing I'm a Genie in a Bottle and gets 3.5 in the early voting, they need to shut the phones down for a few hours because the voters are clearly inebriated.
Also, contestants facing potential jail time for fraud should avoid lyrics featuring the words 'I just gotta get out of this prison cell.'
MC and Casey pull up to the Shoppe after a long night in Hollywood.She's disappointed that he wasn't able to give her those "feelings" that usually stir when a tall, long-haired muffin sits on a stool with a guitar in that special way that makes his jeans stretch across his thighs . . ahem.
She had such hopes for him. Perhaps a little visit to the basement may be in order. Might bring him around.
MC leads Casey to the back of the Shoppe. He's confused. Normally she just comes back here to make lemonade or tea. He sees the little short wooden door behind the wood burning stove.
"Um, what's in there?"
"Now don't you worry sweetie. It's all good. You'll need to spend just a little time in there to think about what you did last night."
"Really? Because I thought I did pretty good"
"But when you bore us, we need to fix you"
Casey opens the door, crouches down and enters the darkness.
"I'll be down in a bit. I just have to slip into something more comfortable. Just make yourself at home down there"
MC turns on the overhead fans and feeds the kittens. Then heads into the bedroom closet to pick out something to wear. Long and flowing? No. Short and frilly? No.
She settles on something black and unforgiving and strides across the kitchen floor towards the wood burning stove.
The sun begins to peek out over the horizon.
It's going to be a long day.
>
>"But when you bore us, we
>need to fix you"
>>She settles on something black and
>unforgiving and strides across the
>kitchen floor towards the wood
>burning stove.Indeed! Is this what happened to his beard, such as it was?
MC, you slay me!
I think MC received a present from Emydi this week.
Hey now! Don't leave any marks...maybe torture him with feathers? I liked his performance!
