Shmuel's Soapbox: American Idol Annex

Top 12: Performances

And now the season begins in earnest! The finals begin! New set! New intro!

Ryan is very pleased with the set, and he makes sure we all know it.

This week, it's Lennon/McCartney songs! (Which a montage makes clear is not confined to Beatles songs.)

(As an aside, belated credit where it's due... last week's appellation of "Emo McLips" for Danny Noriega owes a debt to Weetapidol's observation that "this kid is soooo emo." [They ended up dubbing him "Emo Muppet," which was even better.])

(If it's not totally clear that I'm typing the following as I watch... I'm typing the following as I watch, albeit with the occasional minor edit immediately afterward.)

Syesha: "Got to Get You Into My Life"
Started a bit flat, then got into a groove. I like the swinginess she added to the song. Not bad.

Chikezie admits that he expected to be cut last week. Let's see if he can rebound!

Chikezie: "She's a Woman"
I feel like there should be a guy blowing on a jug, and maybe another with a kazoo. If you're gonna go folksy, go all the way.
Ooh, I like his stepping it up a notch from there. Good transition.
I'm not sure about the whole stuttering bit in the middle; seemed contrived.
Still, on the whole, fun performance!

Ryan has finally lost it.

Ramiele: "In My Life"
...mm. I think I just melted all over the floor.
Well, until the last note. I think the last note was a mistake. Otherwise, loved it.
(Granted, I love this song, and have ever since hearing Chantal Kreviazuk's less soulful version on Providence.)

Jason's getting better at narrating his intros.

Jason: "If I Fell" [playing the acoustic guitar]
Starting a bit weak. Continuing a bit weak. Ending... still weak. Oh dear. This performance is everything the judges thought Ramiele's song was.
(Granted, I don't remember ever having heard this song before, though I probably have.)

...aside, just discovered in passing: I never realized that the covers for the three volumes of The Beatles Anthology can be put side by side to make one collage. Cool!

Carly: "Come Together"
And Carly is reminding us why she's the frontrunner among the women. (As Archuleta is among the men, though I'm still rooting for Brooke and David Cook.) This is not the most melodic song, but it's a tough one to pull off, and she nails it. Good job!

Poor David Cook. Neither of his names are unique among this year's finalists. Two other Davids, one other Cook.

...ooh, guitar-smashing in the montage.

(What the heck is going on between Randy and Simon?)

David Cook: "Eleanor Rigby"
Sadly, I don't think this particular arrangement works. I'm not sure if it's too fast, or too rocked-up, or what. Liked the singing, disliked this song.

Brooke: "Let It Be" [playing piano]
...executed well, but too safe. (And the few flourishes seemed artificial.) My favorites are letting me down this week!

The acoustics on stage must be very different from what I'm hearing at home.

Is "pizza bistro" in some code I'm unfamiliar with?

David Hernandez: "I Saw Her Standing There"
First run into the crowd, I think. Not a bad take, but he's not connecting with all the notes. I'd have to score this a nice try, but he's in jeopardy.

...ahh, duelling idioms again. Rabbits and deer can both be transfixed by headlights, and both phrases are well established. I believe rabbit's more common in the U.K.; deer's more common in the U.S.

Some of the contestants are watching the show on T.V. backstage?! That has got to be surreal. (I mean, even more surreal than being on the show is in general.)

Amanda: "You Can't Do That"
...is she singing actual words?
Her pants are actually creating a moire pattern. Possibly a sign that I need a high-def television.
I have no idea how to score that at all. I am not Amanda's audience.

I don't think you've done everything we can think of, Michael. Have you worked in a pizza bistro?

Michael: "Across the Universe"
...ehh. Okay. Too controlled. Solid, but boring.

Kristy: "Eight Days a Week"
I love the arrangement. I wish she'd kicked it up a notch or three after the bridge. But I think it worked.
(It's well established that Simon doesn't grok country. I'm surprised by Paula's reaction, though.)

David Archuleta: "We Can Work It Out"
...this is more or less the Stevie Wonder version, just a bit lighter. (Why lighter? I don't get it.) S'okay.

Syesha, Jason, Michael, and Kristy are probably the most vulnerable. I think Jason was the weakest, which doesn't mean he's gonna go. For my part, I'm gonna vote for Ramiele and Kristy this week.

Finishing up the first pool thread in another window... it should be up shortly. Talk amongst yourselves!