I Got The Bell Bottom Blues

Maverick here. Disco night was pretty much what I thought it would be. I couple shining stars but the rest was fast forward on the DVR.

Lil Rounds- Screaming this song, can’t wait for it to be over. No originality, very karaoke. The back talking is getting really annoying, she knows she is in trouble. She is a very argumentative gal, she would be great on Judge Judy defending herself in some squabble. Maybe not this week, but she will be gone in the next couple weeks. For whatever reason, she seemed better a couple months ago than now.  I would put her in the bottom 3 tonight.

Kris – Original. Odd song choice, but he did a nice job with it. Unlike Lil, he always puts a new twist on the songs he chooses. I gotta give him credit for that.

Danny – As I sit here this morning, I can’t remember what he sang. That is his biggest problem. His performances don’t stand out, IMO. Unless he goes last, I can never remember what he sings. Or maybe I just subconsciously choose to forget.

Allison - I like this girl and her voice. Always have.  Hot Stuff was a little screechy for me but overall a decent performance. She is up against a juggernot in the boys in this competition, but I think she is safe from the bottom 3 tonight.

Adam- The only singer I would You Tube the morning after the show if I had missed his performance. Which I actually did as our DVR went haywire for some reason. He put a totally new spin on If I Can’t Have You and I thought it was amazing. The one criticism is that his version lost a lot of the melody which makes the original song work. What I like the most about this guy is that he can use that crazy range he has, but yet he still enunciates the words. Another league.

Matt- This poor guy tried to hit a homer with Stayin Alive and fouled out. Way cruise ship for me, especially after the original performance Adam just did. I like Matt, but his reprieve from last week may turn out to be short lived. Randy tries to hype the show with his “this is the best group of singers we have ever had” comment. Highly debatable.

Anoop- Dim the Lights? How about turn off all the power and head home early. On the plus side, he can grow facial hair. I had no idea he had reached puberty.  I have grown tired of Anoop’s act.

Who should go -Lil and Anoop.

Who will go - Based on recent voting, Matt and Lil. But who the heck knows.

On Second Thought

Matt is saved!!!! I don’t know that Lil would have been saved, but now we get to see Matt sing disco, yeah!!!!!!

MIley Cyrus, I did not understand a single word she said (sang)

Lil talks, again. Thanks Ryan for encouraging that mess

After playback, I still thought the show last night was quite dull, but I really liked Kris after watching him the second time. Goes to show how tough it is to sing an obscure song, excuse me but, that was ballsy ( what’s a ballsy)

PLease don’t do the two by two judging again. That was beyond weak. How about a little less flller and promo time instead?
Danny is looking more and more bored with this whole deal. I wonder if his loss is getting to him, guy has to be beat.
Either way, he seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but on the show last night.

Can Adam be beat? As in sports, only Adam can beat Adam. If he keeps his formula up, he is sailing into the finals.

Go Back to your day job!!!!!

JR here,

Top seven. Thanks to the great coaching from Quentin, we had the most boring night of the year.

Splitting the judging into pairs, hmm, maybe four judges is too much??? Me thinks so

ALLISON- I don’t wantr to miss a thing. Hard to follow Steven Tyler. Allison did her best, but, did not do much for me. I love her, but this was predictable

Alright

ANOOP- Everything I do, yada yada. Another Anoop ballad. well sung, and halfway through, a snooze fest. Judges loved him.

Cruiseship

ADAM- Born to be Wild- What a surprise, welcome back, campy over the top Adam. I know some will love this, but…. I am in the latter half of Simon’s comment, hated it. His voice is amazing, but this was Steppenwolf on helium, too much. However, he is safe by a mile, and the only fun performance of the night

Great chops, but, cruiseship with a joy buzzer

MATT-Another Bryan Adams song,, yet another boring song. I liked it in parts, but, tried he to do too much. He could be in trouble, hope not.

Cruiseship

DANNY_Endless Love- No glasses tonight, is he trying to capture Scott’s fans??? Sung very well, as always. I actually liked this, though I don’t like the song. I have to admit, knowing his wife died before he auditioned added to the appeal for me ( I know, SUCKER). I could see people gagging on this, but I liked it. However, I hope they officially retire the song

HOT

KRIS- I did not catch the name of the song, oh well doesn’t matter. THIS SUCKS. What was Kara thinking???? I think Kris is in trouble, though I thought that last week too. That was just weak for me,

Karaoke

LIL-The Road- See, I think this is Lil, and I loved it. I just don’t think she is this person the judges want her to be. hearing her argue back, week after week, is getting old, But, I thought this was the best of the night, granted, on a weak night.

HOT

Weird night, choppy judging, an ex video store clerk giving singing advice, the return of Vaudeville Adam, and more than a few snoozers. I heard that the guy from Hells Kitchen is the guest mentor next week.

Hard to pick who will go home. Adam and Danny should rest easy again, though who knows.

I think Kris should go after that debacle, but if I had to bet, I would say Kris, Anoop and Matt in the bottom three, with Matt going home.

Why do I feel guilty for smiling?????

They got it right tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!
The bottom three was right, Anoop likely there because of lingering after effects from last week ( and being boring this week).

Allison, building a fan base??? Hope so

Kris, despite a poor song choice, and dissapearing in the mosh pit, seems to have built goodwill with his three week run of good performances, A good sign indeed, I was worried for him

Lil, is this a wake up call, or have we seen the best she has??? Hard to say, but the judges aren’t helping her.

Adam is sailing. I don’t think Danny ( the other weekly lock) can add more fans, he does what he does, everyone knows it. Adam is showing he wants to win ( though I miss the goth look). He can sit and do spoken word next week, even reading The House on Pooh Corner, and be safe. Would love to see him sing Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. Fat chance they would clear it, but it would be cool. Watch back Mad World, everything about the song fits the guy.

Does anyone really think they were going to keep Scott. Again,. nice guy, good piano player, but, weak singer.

I would love to kick back at some small jazz club and watch Matt perform. Whch is a compliment, yet precisely why I think he has to kill each week to stay alive, he is not hitting the demo, but I love the guy

MAD WORLD-ADAM HOMERS AND SCOTT SINGS FOR HOME

JR HERE

Interesting night. Baby pictures, and the judges misjudge the hour, taking so much time trashing a few singers that they can hardly commment on the two best performances of the night.

Speaking of Judges, I bet Kara doesn’t say “big notes” tonight. Last week she got mad when, during a crtique of Megan, a fan yelled out “broken record”.

Do you think the producers like ADAM??? So far he always sings toward the end of the show. They know a ratings bonananza when they have one.

 

DANNY-STAND BY ME- Loved the beginning, loved his voice and the runs, thought the band killed (in a bad way) the song when it went up tempo. Where in the world did they find a Rhodes keyboard???? This version is from the 80’s, not the 70’s. I like Danny best when he doesn’t move.

 

Great start, but…thanks to the arrangement, ALRIGHT ending-  he is safe by a mile, even going first

 

KRIS-ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE- Horrible song choice, especially for this show.  And, you think Kris would learn from Matt’s cheesy experiment of playing in the crowd. The judges nail this one. I like Kris, but he is in trouble.

 

Karaoke- could be a goner

 

LIL- WHATS LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT- Taking on a huge song, from a singer with rasp and power, She has been listening to the judges “big notes” comments, they have gotten in her head. This is just not good.

The criticism is painful to watch. They say “sing he big songs that show range”, then kill her. Yes, it sort of sucked, but maybe this is the best she can do. The judges keep acting like she’s holding out on them.

Cruiseship, her fans will save her however

 

ANOOP-TRUE COLORS- Fair choice, doubted he would pick an up tempo song. Pretty good, sounds like Michael Bolton tonight, which is good and bad. Oddly, gets boring during the verses.

I miss the jacket

Alright

SCOTT-THE SEARCH IS OVER- I kept thinking, when is this song going to be over, This was painful, and the guitar thing, like a weak effort at guitar hero. The judges want him gone, but hey, you guys built him up. This is who he is, nice guy, okay singer.

 

Karaoke- He will survive, I fear

 

ALLISON-I CAN”T MAKE YOU LOVE ME- Love, love her voice, and I can hear every word tonight. This was the first song that I really enjoyed tonight. I would hate to see her go before the final three, she has something no one else on the show has, a unique rock tone that is effortless. I don’t fully agree about the personality dig, I really like her, she is a crack up. Besides, how does one fix that?? Perhaps she should wear a fedora, or Caw like Megan after she finishes a song.

HOT

 

MATT- I know Matt doesn’t read our blog, but I was hoping he would take the dare and sing Duran Duran (there judges, how is that for commercial??). Instead PART TIME LOVER- Matt and Lil both are in the evil clutches of the judges, responding to their “guidance”. This was really cool though, yet Matt seemed to work overtime to give the judges the white soul guy thing. 

I don’t know if Matt will ever reach the tween voting block. But, I like him so,……that’s one middle aged vote, which as we know, is worthless unless your name is David Cook. I really want this guy to stay around, when he hits a song right, it is quite cool to listen to

The lame judges rush through the critique, they should have just held their thumbs up

HOT, Molten Hot

 

ADAM-MAD WORLD- This guy is becoming a show on his own. Props for picking a great Tears for Fears Song. Slowing it down gave it a creepy, stalker vibe. Quite cool. I do kind of miss the outfits, but this was awesome. First song that the band did not destroy. Eerie, cool, and not soon forgotten.

Simon, First standing O ever, not sure if he would have done it if there was more time, but he would have gushed. For me, that was  the best performance of the year.

Molten FFing HOT

Good singers left, and one that sucks. Speaking of which, what if Adam and Matt had stunk up the joint, how would the judges have rushed the trashing????? Maybe

I am hoping for an Adam, Matt and Allison threesome. I fear Matt and Alison will not beat the voting machines ahead of them. Danny is good, LIl is faltering, and they both have a good “base”. ( especially LIL, ha ha)

Who should go-Scott, I think that will be the refrain for a few weeks

Who will go-I am afraid it will be Kris, one week after a great performance. I think we may see Matt in the bottom again.

Will the judges use the save???

SAYING GOODBYE, COULD IT BE MORE AWKWARD???

So, Megan is gone. No surprise, but….they can’t seem to get the saying goodbye thing down. Don’t waste your breath Megan…..see ya. I don’t know which is worse, singing for your life, or being told, we already decided you suck. Major kudos to Megan with her “I don’t care comment”.

Why was Allison there??? ( and yes, the earlier spoiler was April Fools) This is a tough year to misstep. However, the show needs Allison. She’s young, cool, and can rock. She is also hilarious.

I don’t know that Anoop’s freinds are going to help his image ( college boy trying to be cool).

Thanks you for not putting Matt in the bottom three. That look he gets on his face, like he has dog crap on his chin, and he is going to gag, is hard to watch.

Adam and Danny seem like Taylor Hicks combined in terms of voting block. With their popularity, I can’t see a bottom three for either one.

Boy that Ryan, always faking people out. I wish he had tried that to Danny or Adam. I thnk they would have said nice try….shoeshine boy.

Loved seeing David Cook, though I don’t get why that song was chosen as the new single. Light On the first single was better, and Daily Anthem is a better song. BTW, google David Cook, My Hero. A way cool cover that he decided not to do on Idol..

Gotta hand it to Idol, they want ratings, they get them. And, do you really think they would have ratings, still, if not for the success some of these folks have?? From Clay, to Kelly and Cook, not to mention Daughtry etc, that is a spread of folks who are pretty different from one another. Look at Rock Star Supernova ( though a superior format). Did anyone buy that album???

Lady Gaga, fun to watch, but number one single??? After seeing Kara jump up and down, it all came together for me. The “Big notes, big voice that we all love” comments. More than ever, they want a ready to made package, of course with a little “Artistry”.

Speaking of “where is the .. we all love” how would you like to be Matt. What if he has no desire to be the R&B guy who sings songs that are forty years old. The guy can’t win. Danny and Adam mix it up and they are vcersatile, Matt steps outside the Timberlake/Ray Charels love child image and its “Dude, that is not you, where are the runs, that Ray Charles thang”. I dare Matt to sing Duran Duran next week.

I always like to hear contestants who say “no regrets” when their song choice is trashed. I get jaded when they say “Well, I promise you will see more of what the judges want me to do, so please, oh god please, vote for me”.

Dirty girl did not look happy

Don’t stop believing, no, we really aren’t lip syncing.

I would love to hear Adam take on Journey. he has the voice, and the drama, to sell it.

Kris is growing on me. I even remembered what he sang. He could be this years Ellliot, slowly building momentum.

They need to put David Hasselhoff back in the audience. It just seems right.

Sing what you want Lil

These Idols love each other, they imitate each other, eat cake and hug a lot. That is cool and all, but the whole agape love montage reminded me of a scene from Airplane, a bit too corney to be real, therfore, humorous. I really thought they would have footage of a pillow fight ( Scott would not fair well in a pillow fight).

So, here is a question. Who will last longer, Kris, or Allison?

SPOILER ALERT

As most have noticed this year, the judges have put in a more concerted effort to push their favorites, and to get the performers to act as puppets and sing according to a paint by numbers approach. The manipualtion may have backfired. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED TONIGHT.

The spolier is not that Gokey’s grandfather died last weekend, which he kept to himself despite the obvious points he could have scored, it is the elimination.

Dial Idol, which does not count texting votes, has it wrong this week. The Zagby site, which has a higher reliability rating than Dial Idol, has ALLISON going home!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOO

No fffing way. She is the only contestant who could be on Rock Star Supernova or A.I. and do quite well. Looks like the lame criticisms of her outfit backfired

Itunes top downloads

Maverick here. Itunes top downloads. Should be interesting, some great stuff to pick from. These guys get to pick something they would be likely to actually record. What will Scott do, I don’t think Christopher Cross is a current top download.

Anoop – Don’t know this Usher song. That was OK. Not nearly as good as last week. Interesting  jacket Anoop, . Karaoke for me.

Megan Joy – Her voice is flat out unique and can be mesmerizing at times. I think this was the best she has done. That is not saying a ton, I know. Her biggest problem is she has absolutely ZERO personality when she is on stage. Screw you Kara, geesh, will somebody please gag here.

Danny Gokey – Rascal Flatts ballad, a far cry from the original. His voice seems really flat to me tonight. That just didn’t have the Gokey touch on it. His version Simon? He must not be familiar with the song. Karaoke.

Alison Iraheta – No Doubt from like 1995…is this really still a top download?? Who cares what she is wearing, they seem to be trying to find something to critique. Another strong vocal from Alison.

Scott MacIntyre –.Wow, what a umm, risky, original, spine-tingling song to choose. I never saw that performance coming. He needs a big brandy glass stuffed with $1 to make this look just perfect. Paula is still trying to make up for her comment a couple weeks ago. Judges must be tired of beating down a blind man. Karaoke

Matt Giraud – Great current song choice. I actually just downloaded this The Fray album last week and can’t turn it off. Not his best vocal, his voice seems shaky in parts. Judges don’t like it which bodes well for him.

Lil Rounds – Celine song. I can’t believe she picked this song with all the current artists to pick from. It was OK for me. Ryan obviously has no kids.

Adam Lambert – This competition is quickly becoming his to lose. If I were to walk into the living room half way thru the show, my first question would be “Did I miss Lambert?” and would be disappointed if I had. He is the only one I can say that about currently and most I would be happy I had missed. Cool, fun, original arrangement on a very over played song.

Kris Allen – Another strong, cool, performance from Kris. Kara can finally count correctly, although she has to use her fingers to do so. I liked the last 2 songs the best tonight 

Who’s going home – Megan finally leaves us. I will miss looking at you both.

If I had my wish – Let’s get rid of everyone except Adam, Alison, Kris, Danny, and Matt and start the real show. Heading down under, see ya in a few. Hopefully I will get my wish upon my return.

Results Show ALERT: Matt Needs Bigger “Assets”

Vote for the worst.com is pretty pleased with themselves this morning as their “star” Megan was not even in the bottom 3. Instead, one of my favorites, Matt was. Although he wasn’t going anywhere as the judges would have surely used their save on the lad if he was voted off. But it just goes to show this is more of a popularity, “who’s the prettiest”, contest. Very high school prom feel. Whatever, no surprise, that’s the demographic who actually votes.

Not much time to write today, so a few quick notes on the results show.

• Michael Sarver goes home, back to the family until the tour starts.
• Wow, the sing for your life thing at the end sure adds another level of humilation for the poor dude. “Sorry, still not good enough, thanks for trying.”
• Scott will be gone in a week or 2.
• Ruben, the sweatiest contestant ever,  almost didn’t make the show, he had trouble getting someone to take his shift at The Home Depot.
• Stevie Wonder was cool. Although I hate the medley thing. Legends don’t sing medleys.
• Eye roll of the night: Stevie says “I love you, Barack Obama” in the middle of a song. Enough with political endorsements already!! American Idol is my escape from politics. Good grief.
• Smokey Robinson is a real class act.

Until next time, Maverick.

Motown- The tracks of a blind man’s tears JR

What an odd season. More train wrecks on Motown night than on country night, odd.

The judges come out, paired off like a nightmare double date.

New records, 90 seconds into the show and Paula makes a memorable Paula-ism “Challenge their own artistic integrity”. Wow, can I smoke some of that????

MATT- Up first. He needs a great performance to overcome that slot. LETS GET IT ON- I think this is awesome, cool, great vibe, nice riffs. The only contestant who’s record I might buy.

Molten Hot
The judges then drool, thankfully, they don’t mention Justin Timberlake or Michael Buble

KRIS- HOW SWEET IT IS- The producers must find him forgetable, he seems to always be stuck at the middle of the show. This song reminds me of James Taylor’s version, nice, calm, pleasant, like Chammomile tea—and just as dull
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Cruiseship, maybe alright in parts.

SCOTT- YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE- And, you can’t pick good songs. This song sucks, it was lame before, and then Phil Collins turned it into shopping music. Scot is killing me, I feel like everyone is playing a joke on him. This is just so bad.

Karaoke–The judges jump him, I do not want to see this guy cry. It might happen, he is too nice, and too weak for this show

MEAGEN- FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE- Meagen decides that since she can’t sing Stevie Wonder, she may as well shout Stevie Wonder. Scott is happy now, maybe people will forget his wretched performance. Her tiny range is no match for Stevie Wonder

Karaoke- The judges pounce, and she too almost cries.

ANOOP- OOH OOH< BABY BABY-Frat boy gets serious again. He sounds good, a little boring. Good vocal, but as dynamic as melba toast. Odd, he did well, but it was just “awright” for me”.

MICHAEL- TOO PROUD TO BEG-Actually, he is not too proud to beg, he begs, in his own way, every time he gets thrashed by the judges. Why is he smiling through this song?? Very lounge lizard.

Crusie ship- Judges, again smelling blood, pounce. Michael gets the same consolation he gets every week “but you are a nice guy”

LIL-HEAT WAVE- Lil had a lot of pressure on her tonight. This was to be her night, big notes and all. So this picks this crappy song. How did these guys pick such rotten, overdone songs???LIl sounds okay, shouts at times. I am biased, I hate this song. I liked her last week-COUNTRY WEEK!!!!! way more, again an odd year.

Alright, just alright. The judges jump again, Simon gives his lame ” you could have had a moment” Lil looks like she would like to have a moment– with Simon, to pound his arrogant face in.

Now I know why they all argue so much. Ryan, the weenie instigator, asks every contestant to comment after they get ripped. Like, “Wow, Kara said you really suck, do you think you suck?”

ADAM-TEARS OF A CLOWN- After last week, Adam needed to decide if he could settle down a little to win, or keep pushng the envelope, garnering attention, yet alienating some viewers. This was freaking awesome. he didn’t need to dress like KD Lang. For me, it was the subdued, yet pitch perfect singing that nalied this down for him. This vaults Adam into the frontrunner position. He sounded a little like Prince with the falsetto, which is a good thing.

Molten Hot, best of the night. The judges ooze with praise. Kara channels Paula and says “Six words’ One of the best performances of the night” ( 8 words)

DANNY- GET READY- Robert Downey Jr. is doing his herky dancing thing again. I think he should pull that out maybe once a month or so, no more than that. His voice sounds great, and I can understand every word he says. A little hokey at times, I kept expecting him to start a wave with the audience.

Hot vocals. but the frantic dance like movements led to a just awright.

ALERT_ DANNY GETS CRITICIZED BY A JUDGE!!!!!

ALLISON- PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE- Oh my, what a surprise. I love her voice, but she does this act every week, still, sounds great, Except, wtf is she singing, the lyrics sounded like “MMh a wrrm a dssg on therlot, yeah, Papa was a rolling stone”. Great sound, hope she changes it up soon.

Hot vocals in parts, but, all in all, awright for me ( I know many will disagree)
Okay, enough already, I know she is sixteen, I know I know I know.

So, a few standouts tonight for me. Loved Matt, liked a few others. the performance of the night was Adam, and he is sitting pretty now. Lil swung and missed, but no way on earth she is going home.Too many fans, and despite Danny’s first Simon dis, he is safe as well.

The worst??? Well, we could do rock, scissors and paper with Scott, Meagan and Michael. Who should go home?? any of those three.

Who will go home-Michael

Don’t be surprisd to see an oddity, like Kris, in the bottom three