American Idol, courtesy of my DVR
I thought I better watch the boys' performances before someone is kicked off in my timezone :)
And is it just me, or is Kara glammed up this season? She is, right? Seacrest asks why she and Simon are so close this year. He's right -- they ARE and have been.
Lee Dewyzestarts out singing "Fireflies", and it's a good beginning. Actually, I like his version better than the original! I like it because it's just a little roughened up, and the original, while fun; is just a little too electro-techno. Except for a few pitch problems, this is good. Really! I'm not sure this song shows if he can be an actual pop star, but this is good. Ha! Kara agrees with me!
Singing "Trouble" is Alex Lambert (I'm not the only one who has a hard time with that name, right? - ref Adam Lambert of last season). This is like Jason Mraz trying to sing this song. It's not bad, but it's not the right song for his voice. It's just there. No pitch problems except the last note (that seems to be a theme this season), but it's nothing to stand up and yell about. And Randy agrees with me :) Seriously, he's a cute kid, but that mullet. Oh.
Oh dear. Tim Urban is going to do Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah". I really do like this song, but I sort of feel like it should be reserved for a Big Event or a Big Artist or ... something. He's handling it well, but I'd like it a teeny bit slower. I do like the acoustic guitar on it. He's singing it in a very relaxed and believable way. He's very earnest. No pitch problems ... not bad! Awww ... Ellen ran up on stage to give him a big hug, saying "that was fantastic!"
Andrew Garcia continues to have his version of "Straight Up" brought up (from the very beginning of this season). Let's see if he can live up to the hype. He's singing a Christina Aguilera song (Genie in a Bottle), and I'm making funny eyebrow-raising faces. Let's see. There's no band -- it's just him and the acoustic guitar, and "you gotta rub me the right way" is making me feel ooky. He sounds good, but it's just weird. Seriously, dude, sing a song with less girly lyrics. He's not effeminate, like Lambert was last year, but still, that was just WEIRD. Don't Like. Not flat or anything, but blech. You know what? He's a poor man's Danny Gokey. That's it.
Casey James is up next to sing a Keith Urban song. Oh yuck -- his front hair is not long enough for his ponytail, and it looks like a 4th-grade girl's hair. My problem with country music is that the sound itself pretty much dictates that you lock your jaw. I just want to tell him to drop his jaw.... This is ok, but wow, this is 5 sleepy songs in a row. All one of these guys would have to do to stand out is sing a rocking song. It didn't make him stand out, but it was nice. He's probably safe.
Oy, another country song ... from Aaron Kelly. Oh dear. What a horrible, nervous, flat start. This poor kid. It's like the high school talent show. It's better when he gets to the chorus, but really, he needs to pack his things. He might be ok in another 2 or 3 years, who knows, but this is painful. At least he ended fairly well. Kara gives him some really really good feedback. And then Simon the cracksmoker contradicts her. He's wrong; she's right.
Oh dear. After the commercial, Todrick Hall is going to sing Queen! hmm ... he starts with some serious falsetto, but I don't know if it's a good way to start the song. It's the kind of thing I think an artist does after we know them a little. This is a very gospelly version of "Somebody to Love". It's sort of good, but sort of unrecognizable too, which the judges might ding him for. You know what? It's fun and different, and totally creative -- to make a Queen song sound like a gospel choir, but I don't think anyone would buy it from iTunes or play it on the radio. He wasn't quite full voice the whole song, so it's a little hard to evaluate.
Last song of the night better wake me up. Michael "Big Mike" Lynche is singing "Women's Work", which starts with abnormally high notes for such a big guy. Loving his look tonight. OK, it's not rocking, but it's really, really nice. He is owning this song. He's got a lot more vibrato than I knew he had or really prefer, but this is powerful. Good programming to end the night with this.
Predictie McLeaverson thinks we're saying goodbye to:
Aaron Kelly, Todrick Hall, Alex Lambert, or Andrew Garcia
And now I'm about to watch tonight's kick-off show, to find out if I'm right or wrong :) And not get in a bad mood again when they pre-record the opening song again. Seriously, it's a live performance competition. WHY do they not perform the group songs live anymore? Grrr....
And is it just me, or is Kara glammed up this season? She is, right? Seacrest asks why she and Simon are so close this year. He's right -- they ARE and have been.
Lee Dewyzestarts out singing "Fireflies", and it's a good beginning. Actually, I like his version better than the original! I like it because it's just a little roughened up, and the original, while fun; is just a little too electro-techno. Except for a few pitch problems, this is good. Really! I'm not sure this song shows if he can be an actual pop star, but this is good. Ha! Kara agrees with me!
Singing "Trouble" is Alex Lambert (I'm not the only one who has a hard time with that name, right? - ref Adam Lambert of last season). This is like Jason Mraz trying to sing this song. It's not bad, but it's not the right song for his voice. It's just there. No pitch problems except the last note (that seems to be a theme this season), but it's nothing to stand up and yell about. And Randy agrees with me :) Seriously, he's a cute kid, but that mullet. Oh.
Oh dear. Tim Urban is going to do Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah". I really do like this song, but I sort of feel like it should be reserved for a Big Event or a Big Artist or ... something. He's handling it well, but I'd like it a teeny bit slower. I do like the acoustic guitar on it. He's singing it in a very relaxed and believable way. He's very earnest. No pitch problems ... not bad! Awww ... Ellen ran up on stage to give him a big hug, saying "that was fantastic!"
Andrew Garcia continues to have his version of "Straight Up" brought up (from the very beginning of this season). Let's see if he can live up to the hype. He's singing a Christina Aguilera song (Genie in a Bottle), and I'm making funny eyebrow-raising faces. Let's see. There's no band -- it's just him and the acoustic guitar, and "you gotta rub me the right way" is making me feel ooky. He sounds good, but it's just weird. Seriously, dude, sing a song with less girly lyrics. He's not effeminate, like Lambert was last year, but still, that was just WEIRD. Don't Like. Not flat or anything, but blech. You know what? He's a poor man's Danny Gokey. That's it.
Casey James is up next to sing a Keith Urban song. Oh yuck -- his front hair is not long enough for his ponytail, and it looks like a 4th-grade girl's hair. My problem with country music is that the sound itself pretty much dictates that you lock your jaw. I just want to tell him to drop his jaw.... This is ok, but wow, this is 5 sleepy songs in a row. All one of these guys would have to do to stand out is sing a rocking song. It didn't make him stand out, but it was nice. He's probably safe.
Oy, another country song ... from Aaron Kelly. Oh dear. What a horrible, nervous, flat start. This poor kid. It's like the high school talent show. It's better when he gets to the chorus, but really, he needs to pack his things. He might be ok in another 2 or 3 years, who knows, but this is painful. At least he ended fairly well. Kara gives him some really really good feedback. And then Simon the cracksmoker contradicts her. He's wrong; she's right.
Oh dear. After the commercial, Todrick Hall is going to sing Queen! hmm ... he starts with some serious falsetto, but I don't know if it's a good way to start the song. It's the kind of thing I think an artist does after we know them a little. This is a very gospelly version of "Somebody to Love". It's sort of good, but sort of unrecognizable too, which the judges might ding him for. You know what? It's fun and different, and totally creative -- to make a Queen song sound like a gospel choir, but I don't think anyone would buy it from iTunes or play it on the radio. He wasn't quite full voice the whole song, so it's a little hard to evaluate.
Last song of the night better wake me up. Michael "Big Mike" Lynche is singing "Women's Work", which starts with abnormally high notes for such a big guy. Loving his look tonight. OK, it's not rocking, but it's really, really nice. He is owning this song. He's got a lot more vibrato than I knew he had or really prefer, but this is powerful. Good programming to end the night with this.
Predictie McLeaverson thinks we're saying goodbye to:
Aaron Kelly, Todrick Hall, Alex Lambert, or Andrew Garcia
And now I'm about to watch tonight's kick-off show, to find out if I'm right or wrong :) And not get in a bad mood again when they pre-record the opening song again. Seriously, it's a live performance competition. WHY do they not perform the group songs live anymore? Grrr....