March 31, 2010
Top 10: Results
Our predictions are mostly split among Andrew, Didi, and Tim going home this week. Who knows what'll actually happen.
"Clash of the Titans" trailer... and here we go!
Ruben Studdard performs "Don't Make 'em Like You No More."
Ford commercial: "Kung Fu Fighting"
Andrew's mom's advice to him: "Be himself, 'cause his mama raised him right."
The Idols went to a premiere of Clash of the Titans. And there's a quick plug from the the film people.
On to the results!
Lee babbles a bit about watching last night's performance. Based on last night, Simon thinks he could be a finalist. He's safe.
Casey doesn't have an answer for how he can challenge himself more in the weeks to come. Anyway, he's safe too.
Aaron grants that, at 16, he's never really been in love.
Simon reminds Ryan that this is not The Oprah Winfrey Show. And we're into bickering among Ryan and the judges... at any rate, Aaron is safe.
On to Siobhan and Katie. Shevvy grants that last night was not her favorite moment, but she's human, stuff happens, and she's "not defeated." Katie, questioned once again about the contradictory advice from the judges, says something safely lacking in actual content.
Katie's in the bottom three; Siobhan is safe.
The judges argue over whether this is because Katie opted for Kara's advice. Simon expresses his frustration that Katie isn't taking his advice to do more country songs. (Even on R&B/Soul Week; he thinks she could've found a way.)
Next week's theme is Lennon/McCartney.
So that's the famous Justin Bieber. (Is this the face that launched a thousand tweets?)
Usher performs "OMG," featuring will.i.am. Go go Idol split screen!
I think all the fireworks are meant to distract you from how much the song sucks.
And back to the results.
Didi notes that she's a relative guitar newbie, so in her case, stepping out from behind it isn't brave; using it is. She's in the bottom three.
Michael is... faked out by Ryan. And safe. And picks Ryan up into the air, at somebody's instigation; I missed who. Ohhhhkaaaay.
Crystal Bowersox is safe. She says she could Ryan up too, but doesn't. (Ryan notes that she could, 'cause he weighs 95 pounds.)
Down to Tim and Andrew. Tim says he smiles all the time because he appreciates that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even when he's getting slammed.
Andrew is safe. Tim is in the bottom three.
Bottom three: Didi, Katie, Tim.
Katie is safe!
Down to Didi and Tim.
Strobe light warning! Diddy–Dirty Money performs "Hello Good Morning."
And the person with the lowest number of votes is... Didi.
Will the judges save her?
Didi brings back "Rhiannon" from the second week of semifinals. The judges huddle.
Somewhere around now, albeit on delay, people watching the show on TiVo curse as the recording runs out.
The judges, represented by Simon, opt against saving her, but note that her swan song was "a billion times better than what you did last night." Which it was.
In my pool, Lisa picks up three points, and is now in the lead; Jesse, Pam, and I get one apiece.
March 30, 2010
Top 10: Performances
I'm not using my brother's Slingbox on account of it being Passover, but I've found another online source for FOX. Not the bestest quality, but it'll suffice. I don't wanna wait for the torrent tomorrow morning to get my fix.
The theme is soul/R&B, and the mentor is Usher. This... is American Idol!
Siobhan, "Through the Fire" (Chaka Khan)
...y'know, the audio quality on this stream might actually not be good enough. She's sounding a bit flat to me, but I can't tell if that bears any resemblance to reality. Hmmph.
Okay, the judges' comments seem to confirm that it wasn't just the stream; she was off this week.
Can we not do the backstage cam anymore?
Casey, "Hold On, I'm Comin'" (Sam and Dave) [on electric guitar]
Ooh. Solid performance. We're talking Top 4 material here.
...and now the stream's a couple seconds out of sync. Whee!
Michael, "Ready for Love" (India.Arie) [on acoustic guitar]
Nice! (Maybe a bit too mellow for Idol? Not sure.)
Didi, "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" (Jimmy Ruffin)
Pleasant. Not a game-changer, but solidly in her comfort zone. (The overdramatic bit at the end seemed trying a bit too hard, I think.)
Tim, "Sweet Love" (Anita Baker)
Stay tuned here on Lite-FM, for the best in easy listening!
...okay, seriously, that didn't suck. Given the theme, this is as good as we could've reasonably hoped from him. Which is not to say it was exactly good.
Simon is at peace with Tim being this year's Sanjaya. I think that's for the best!
Andrew, "Forever" (Chris Brown) [on acoustic guitar]
S'okay. His best performance in awhile. (Will that be enough, though?)
Ryan, don't bring Andrew's mama into this...
...did he just say Katie is taking on Aretha?! I am officially afraid. Very afraid.
That said, there's the outside chance this will put her on the map. It's either that or complete flop, though, and the flop is more likely.
Katie, "Chain of Fools" (the one, the only, Aretha Franklin)
The sad thing is, if you put aside the Aretha factor, that actually was a pretty good performance. But... you don't do Aretha unless you can nail it, and she didn't.
Lee, "Treat Her Like a Lady" (Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose) [on acoustic guitar]
For a contestant I'd forgotten existed, Lee's doing a great job.
Actually, scratch that, he's doing a great job, period. I'm gonna have to rethink my rankings near the top; he's officially in the running for all the marbles.
Crystal Bowersox, "Midnight Train to Georgia" (Gladys Knight & the Pips) [in stiletto heels, and on piano (for the start, at least)]
Is it just me, but does getting out from behind the piano after the start kinda reduce using it at all to a stunt? (I know, if it's good enough for Miley...)
Anyway, solid performance. As we expect from Crystal.
Aaron, "Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers)
This is not a breakthrough performance, but it's pretty good.
All in all, I think tonight ought to put to rest the claims that this year's Idol finalists don't measure up to years past.
Pool predictions go below! Good luck!
March 24, 2010
Top 11: Results
All nine of us in the pool are predicting that Paige goes home tonight. Are we right? Or does she still have a fan base motivated enough to save her? This... is American Idol!
Group song: "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (Wham!)
This song always makes me think of Zoolander. So does Relax. Supposedly there's a sequel in the works... I hope it lives up to the original, but that's gonna be really hard.
Ford commercial: "Our Time Now"
With a fountain/ball pit.
Siobhan enjoys screaming but sort of agrees with Simon that she oughta cut back on it. Anyway, she's safe.
Lee and Casey are left hanging.
Tim and Paige... given it all to do over again, Tim would still have done things the same way. Paige thinks she "lost herself in the song" last night, and it was a "poor performance." Randy thinks Paige is probably in the bottom three.
Randy is right. In fact, Paige and Tim are both in the bottom three.
Ryan hasn't actually said Lee and Casey are safe, but I think that's the case. (We'll see, I suppose.)
Next week's theme is "R&B soul," and the mentor will be Usher.
Miley Cyrus performs "When I Look At You" (starting at the piano).
Confirmed: Lee, Casey, and Siobhan are all safe.
Aaron is safe.
Didi is safe.
Michael is safe.
Crystal Bowersox is safe.
Katie and Andrew... Katie sides with Kara in preferring pop/R&B instead of Simon's choice of country for her. The person in the bottom three is Katie. Hmmph.
Bottom three: Paige, Tim, Katie.
Katie gets to go on tour; Paige and Tim remain on the hot seats.
Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas perform "Make a Wave." The tweens in the audience go wild.
The person with the lowest number of votes is... Paige. Tim's safe, all of us were right.
As an aside, no procedure's been established for how the Judges' Save would affect the tour, if it were used tonight.
That said, it's a moot point, 'cause Simon says immediately that it's not gonna be used tonight, and the others concur that this decision is unanimous.
Paige's swan song is "All Right Now," from the first week of semifinals.
Mo Pie and Suzanne pick up two points apiece in the pool; everybody else gets one.
March 23, 2010
Top 11: Performances
Tonight's theme: #1 Billboard hits. Okay, that gives our finalists plenty of room to work with...
Ooh, and the mentor is... Miley Cyrus?! Really?
I cannot decide whether I'm more appalled or fascinated.
(I actually like Miley, but I'd expect a mentor to have a bit more experience?)
Lee, "The Letter" (The Box Tops)
This'd be the jazzy Carly Smithson / Michael Johns arrangement. Not bad.
Paige, "Against All Odds" (Phil Collins)
S'okay. Shaky at times, and I'm not so sure about the transitions between the softer singing and the belting.
Tim, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Queen)
Not terrible! Which, for Tim, is a major achievement. That said... doesn't do Queen justice at all. His fan base'll be fine with it, but please.
Aaron, "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith) [dealing with laryngitis and tonsillitis]
Not bad!
Crystal, "Me and Bobby McGee" (Janis Joplin)
...y'know, I'm not sure Miley was right in getting her to kick it up a key. And I agree with Ellen; she still seems detached. That said, well, hey, we know she can sing. And it was a good choice of song.
Mike, "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Percy Sledge)
Nice!
Andrew, "Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Marvin Gaye) [sans guitar, per Miley's suggestion]
Eh, s'okay. Not wowed.
Katie, "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Fergie)
I'm not familiar with the song, but I think it worked? (Yes, of course I'm biased.)
Casey, "The Power of Love" (Huey Lewis and the News) [on electric guitar]
See, Miley, the thing is, he needs to connect with the audience at home more than the crowd-- oh, wait. She was onto something there. I think this is working out well. The best performance so far tonight, and quite possibly Casey's best performance yet. He's in the zone.
Didi, "You're No Good" (Linda Ronstadt, etc.)
I think we have the female equivalent of Tim's performance. Competent enough, but... I am so trying to resist the obvious punchline here.
(Simon doesn't resist... and then Didi offers a rebuttal. Bad move.)
Siobhan, "Superstition" (Stevie Wonder)
Okay, that rocked. And the scat singing put it over the top. (Though I think I could do without the big note at the end.)
I'm not sure — and I've already been wrong about this once — but I think Paige may be on her way out this week. Or maybe Andrew. Or even Katie. Or Didi? Hmm. Well, one of those four. Probably Paige. Maybe.
Place your pool predictions in the comments!
March 17, 2010
Top 12: Results
Our pool predictions are all over the map. In addition to those who have commented on the last entry, I've received three more via e-mail, Facebook, and whatnot... as I type this, three people think Lacey's going home; two think it'll be Tim, and one apiece suppose it'll be Aaron, Andrew, or Paige. (Here's the full spreadsheet. If I got anything wrong in copying people's predictions over, let me know.)
One thing we all do have in common, interestingly enough, is that not one of us thinks Crystal Bowersox is gonna win. I think she doesn't have enough room left to improve, and voters like seeing somebody grow throughout the season, and I don't really get the sense that she cares as much as the rest of the pack. Pam picks up on this sense of aloofness, saying that she doesn't seem as easy to relate to, and doesn't think she can get the all-important teen-girl bloc.
But I'm not officially foretelling anything, because that usually leads to my being proven wrong here. :-)
As for who will win, I don't think any of us is committed to this just yet... but as far as first guesses go, we're evenly divided between Big Mike and Siobhan.
Anyway. On to the results!
We start with a montage of everybody getting through the auditions and making it to the final 12, with "Dreams" playing in the background, shifting to dramatic music for last night's performances... and into the Idol theme. Here we go!
And onto a quick hit of green lights for St. Patrick's Day. Cute.
Simon asks Ryan to cut it out with staring him down.
Oh, dammit. They're doing the Judges' Save again this year. I hate that because it sucks, and also because it throws a monkey wrench into my pool. (It can be used once, by unanimous vote of the judges, any time before the Top 5.)
David Cook performs "Jumpin' Jack Flash."
He's gonna be going to Africa soon with the United Nations Foundation, for Idol Gives Back.
Ford commercial: "Tick Tick Boom." (Missing Casey, due to illness when it was shot.)
Followed by a montage in which the finalists design their own customized cars. Which you can apparently find on the official website.
Paige... is getting her voice back. But she's in the bottom three.
Lee... is safe.
Siobhan... is safe.
Aaron... is safe.
Andrew and Tim... based on last night's performance, Kara would be comfortable with either leaving. Andrew is safe; Tim is in the bottom three.
Orianthi performs her single "According to You." I haven't heard this before and it's not really grabbing me. (On the other hand, I think I said the same thing about "Poker Face" last season.)
Didi... is safe.
Crystal Bowersox... is safe.
Katie... is safe. (Kara thinks she should stick to R&B, Simon thinks she should do country, and Randy and Ellen chime in with pop and mariachi.)
Michael... is safe.
Casey and Lacey... hey, they rhyme! Obviously, one's in the bottom three. To nobody's surprise, that one would be Lacey.
Bottom three: Paige, Tim, and Lacey.
Ellen doesn't know whether any of them is save-worthy. Simon says one of them would be. (Frankly, I'd like them to get it out of the way now so we're not stuck with it for weeks... but I know it ain't gonna happen.)
Tim is safe.
Kesha performs her second single, "Blah Blah Blah," featuring 3OH!3. (Umm... yeah.)
...give Idol this much; the results shows feel way less stretched out now than they did in the earlier seasons. Despite taking an hour.
Down to Paige and Lacey, who are roommates.
Lacey is gone, unless the judges save her. She sings for her appeal, reprising "The Story" from last week. (Interesting. They get to choose which one to repeat this year.) The judges talk among themselves while she sings, so you can tell they're listening intently.
Simon reports that they unanimously chose to let Lacey go.
Over in my pool, Jesse, Pam, and Mo pick up one point apiece! The rest of us lose two potential picks, for whoever we put in 12th, and wherever we placed Lacey. But there's still plenty more to come!
March 16, 2010
Top 12: Performances
Thank goodness for DVRs. This week has been moderately insane so far, and I got up from a fairly inadequate nap kinda late... but by fast-forwarding through commercials, I should catch up by the time the show ends. (I'll miss being able to keep up with the folks on Twitter in real time, but perhaps that's just as well.)
Anyway. It's Rolling Stones night! Dramatic entrance, RS montage, and here we go.
Michael, "Miss You"
...okay, I'm still groggy. This is not Michael's fault. I have a feeling that this was pretty good; it's just that my head feels like it's packed with cotton just now. This is gonna be an interesting night.
Ooh, Ryan gets all up in Simon's face!
Simon: "Ryan, we can sort this out in my trailer afterwards if that's what you want to do." And around the 'net, Ryan/Simon shippers light up...
(I assume there are Ryan/Simon shippers. If there weren't, there are now. Rule 34.)
Didi's mom isn't here because she gets too uncomfortable watching her daughter get judged.
Didi, "Play With Fire"
Nice!
Casey, "It's All Over Now" [on electric guitar]
Also nice!
(I am so not on tonight. Which isn't going to help one bit with my inaugural pool predictions. Or my Weetapidol picks. Speaking of which, go make your predictions at Weetapidol as well... different rules there; you get one bet to last you all season.)
Lacey, "Ruby Tuesday"
Nice enough, but still not my favorite kind of voice.
Andrew, "Gimme Shelter"
Eh. S'okay. Pitchy, I think?
[meanwhile, Shmuel noms a turkey-pastrami-inna-pita sandwich]
Katie, "Wild Horses"
(Ooh. Simon recently produced Susan Boyle's version. Talk about extremes...)
Well, we all know by now that I'm on Team Katie, though not exclusively. That said... this was nice enough, but missing something, I think.
Tim, "Under My Thumb" [on acoustic guitar]
S'okay.
Siobhan, "Paint It Black"
Starting on the Dramatic Red Staircase!
Y'know, I don't think that quite worked. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate single-artist theme weeks?
Lee, "Beast of Burden"
The Slingbox keeps randomly deciding to rewind or fast-forward. Very annoying... after three instances just now, I've come to the conclusion that it just doesn't want me to hear Lee's entire performance for some reason. Pity; what I heard of it didn't sound bad.
Paige, "Honky Tonk Women"
Not bad. But have I mentioned lately how much I hate single-artist theme weeks?
(Okay, right, I forgot about the laryngitis thing.)
Aaron, "Angie"
Interrupted by a phone call, but okay, I guess. I'm not on Team Aaron.
Crystal, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" [on acoustic guitar]
Unsurprisingly, best of the night. (Though I think Didi would be a very close second. And then... I dunno. Maybe Casey, maybe Siobhan?)
And now I must meditate over my pool picks. Crystal Bowersox might be too good, too early to actually win this thing; as demonstrated last season, America likes singers who grow throughout the course of the season, rather than those who start out strong and stay that way...
Meanwhile, the rest of y'all should feel free to place your predictions in a comment below!
March 12, 2010
Semifinals: Top 16 Results
I was out of my apartment when this aired, but I've closed my @idolannex Twitter account to remain unspoiled. Now to watch it on my brother's DVR through the magic of Slingbox...
Matt and Scott from last season will be performing!
The Top 16 sing "Haven't Met You Yet" (Michael Bublé)
Next week's theme will be the Rolling Stones, because Idol somehow still thinks single-artist themes are a good idea. (And iTunes will feature playlists of songs the contestants might choose from.)
Didi is safe. (After Randy warns that consistency is gonna be crucial from now on.)
Siobhan is safe.
On to Paige and Katelyn. One's leaving. (So much for my prediction that both would be going. Probably Paige, then.)
Ryan asks Simon which of the two has the most potential going forward. After a bit of rambling, he says that as far as potential goes—however unrealized—that would be Paige.
And Paige has made it! Katelyn's going home. (A combination of Vote for the Worst, the Black vote, and the sympathy vote? Other people who liked Paige's potential, the same way I keep voting for Todrick? Even people who liked her performance this week? I dunno.)
On to Tim, Todrick, Lee, and Casey!
Tim is told to hang on.
Todrick, implicitly ditto.
Lee, ditto.
Casey is safe.
Tim is rather inexplicably safe. (Perhaps another Vote for the Worst success story? Or sympathy? Or another case of people actually liking his performance?)
Back to Todrick and Lee.
Randy thinks Lee definitely deserves to stay.
One's going home. The one who's staying... is Lee. Dammit.
Nothing against Lee.
I can't even quibble with this. Todrick had three weeks to come up with a solid performance—not just one which showed potential—and he never did manage it. (Though, as often happens, his swan song was better than last night's attempt.) So, yeah. It's a fair cop. But I'm still disappointed; I really thought he might make it to the top 4.
Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre perform "Tell Her About It" (Billy Joel) on a pair of facing pianos. It's fun.
Scott has a new album out, and Matt has a #1 single on the iTunes jazz charts.
Crystal Bowersox is safe, of course.
Michael is also safe, of course. (After Kara babbles a bit about how his song touched her.)
Lacey is safe.
Aaron is safe. Hmmph.
Down to Alex and Andrew for the boys. Either of whom could go at this point without much loss. But still better if Alex goes.
Andrew stays! Alex goes. I'm surprised but gratified that we won't be stuck with him for the next month or two.
And down to Katie and Lilly. I'm rooting for Katie to stay, but really, either is plausible.
The final seat goes to... Katie!
[whew]
Okay, America, I'll forgive you for Todrick.
Next week: the finals begin!
March 10, 2010
Semifinals: Top 8 Boys
And the semifinals are coming to their blessed conclusion. I never quite remember how much this stage sucks, relative to the first and third stages of the show.
Lee Dewyze, "Fireflies" (Owl City) [on guitar]
A bit thin, but fun. A good start after The Night Of A Thousand Dirges.
...and to think I was worried about Ellen turning Idol into a one-woman comedy show. I should have been more concerned about Kara.
Alex Lambert, "Trouble" (Ray LaMontagne) [on guitar]
Oh, so that's who Alex is. He's this season's John Stevens. Different genre, but... he's a skinny white kid who sings in a throwback style and charms enough of the audience to stay on even though he's hopelessly out of his depth.
Tim Urban, "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) [on guitar]
A mediocre sing-along take on one of the most-covered songs in the history of ever. Especially after the Jason Castro version... swing and a miss.
Andrew Garcia, "Genie in a Bottle" (Christina Aguilera) [on guitar]
This is reminiscent of the Something for Kate version, but I seriously doubt he's heard that one. Anyway. S'okay. Not great.
Casey James, "You'll Think of Me" (Keith Urban) [on guitar. Every single boy is playing guitar.]
Eh. S'okay. I admit I'm not familiar with the song, but it didn't wow me, and by this point I'm expecting Casey to wow me.
Aaron Kelly, "I'm Already There" (Lonestar) [NO guitar! Just singing! What a novel concept!]
Oh, good. A performance that unambiguously sucks. I was starting to wonder how I'd manage to make any predictions tonight. That was pitchier than a canoe in a hurricane.
Todrick Hall, "Somebody to Love" (Queen)
...I wanted to like that. I really, really wanted to like that. But... he still hasn't quite worked it out yet. (Granted, Queen is tough, and abridging it that drastically doesn't help at all.)
Michael Lynche, "This Woman's Work" (Kate Bush)
Okay, that had no business working, but it did. A few shaky spots, but still... best performance of the night.
(What on earth is up with Kara tonight? Did she stumble on Paula's stash of painkillers?)
Well, anyway, I'm voting for Michael. If there's any justice, Aaron will be heading home with either Alex or Tim. Probably Tim. (And I'm expecting Paige and Katelyn to join them.)
March 9, 2010
Semifinals: Top 8 Girls
Eight singers, one hour. Whee!
Ellen's snuggling with Simon. Uh huh.
Katie Stevens, "Breakaway" (Kelly Clarkson)
A bit flat, a bit dreary. Not terrible, but... meh.
Siobhan Magnus, "The House of the Rising Sun" (The Animals)
Not bad! (Points deducted for the a cappella start -- it's a cheap trick in the Idol context; everything sounds more dramatic in a vacuum -- and I'm not sure that arrangement really fit the song, but... on the whole, it worked.)
Lacey Brown, "The Story" (Brandi Carlile)
Okay, I don't know the song, but that didn't work for me at all.
Katelyn Epperly, "I Feel the Earth Move" (Carole King) [on keyboard]
...I don't. The performance is totally at odds with the lyrics.
Didi Benami, "Rhiannon" (Fleetwood Mac) [on guitar]
I'm getting tired of the mellow songs tonight, but if you're gonna do one, this is the way to do it.
Paige Miles, "Smile" (Charlie Chaplin)
I'm completely stunned at the song choice. And the arrangement had some very odd moments. Umm... err... what was she thinking?
Crystal Bowersox, "Give Me One Reason" (Tracy Chapman) [on electric guitar]
Yay! A song that's not a dirge! Certainly the most fun song of the night.
Lilly Scott, "I Fall to Pieces" (Patsy Cline) [on mandolin]
Eh. Okay. Pleasant. I guess. Didn't wow me.
I'd say the night's best performances were Crystal, Didi, and Siobhan, in descending order.
March 4, 2010
Semifinals: Top 20 Results
I was off escorting my sister to a bus to Canada, so I missed seeing the results live, but I'm watching the recording now. (This'll probably happen again next week, when she returns.)
Let's see what happened...
Simon says that, on watching the show, he found that some of the performances were way worse than they'd seemed in person. He doesn't specify which.
The top 20 perform "I Got a Feeling" (Black Eyed Peas).
Tim is safe.
Todrick is asked to hang on.
Michael is safe.
Casey is safe.
In this row, we're down to Todrick and John; one's going home.
(Come on, this shouldn't even be close.)
John's going home!
He reprises "Gravity," which did indeed drag him down. And I'm gonna just fast-forward, because I can!
Lee is safe.
Aaron is safe.
Alex is safe.
Down to Jermaine and Andrew.
The person who is safe is... Andrew.
Sorry, Jermaine; guess God doesn't want you to stay after all.
(Oh, shut up, Jermaine.)
Danny Gokey sings his new single, "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me."
On to the girls!
Lilly is safe.
Paige is safe.
Katie is safe.
Down to Didi and Michelle. (I could see either going.)
Kara says that, based on watching it again on TV, Michelle may be in jeopardy.
She's right. Didi's safe; Michelle goes home.
Katelyn is safe.
Crystal Bowersox is safe.
Siobhan is safe.
Down to Haeley and Lacey. (I've predicted Haeley's going. But Lacey's not implausible.)
Simon thinks it's obvious to everybody who's going home, but doesn't actually specify who.
But, yup, it's Haeley going home.
Next week, the final round of semifinals before we get to the main event!
March 3, 2010
Semifinals: Top 10 Girls
This was up in the air all day, but Crystal Bowersox has been cleared to perform! (Good thing, too, 'cause word was that she'd be cut otherwise, with one other girl going home this week.)
Crystal Bowersox, "Long as I Can See the Light" (Creedence Clearwater Revival) [on guitar]
Crystal has a twin brother, Carl. She's also performing first, despite being introduced last, but that makes sense under the circumstances.
Not bad! She doesn't even need the sympathy-vote factor.
Haeley Vaughn, "The Climb" (Miley Cyrus)
Haeley makes her own headbands and hair accessories.
Started out a bit rough... and isn't getting much better. She might have been better off waiting another year or two before auditioning. Though choosing a Miley Cyrus song accentuates the fact that somebody really young can do this song way better. Depending on the rest of the performances, she may be toast.
Lacey Brown, "Kiss Me" (Sixpence None the Richer)
Lacey likes painting. She'd wanted to sing "Kiss Me" even before Kara suggested it last week.
I am trying to decide whether this is a hot mess, or just a mess. It's definitely one or the other.
Katie Stevens, "Put Your Records On" (Corinne Bailey Rae)
Katie can say "Give me a kiss" in English, Polish, German, Portuguese, French, and Spanish.
Good performance! She totally belongs in the finals.
Though Randy's right; she could be doing something more demanding... which seems to fly in the face of the other judges' repeated desire for her to sing something younger? I dunno. I don't really agree with that criticism anyway.
Didi Benami, "Lean on Me" (Bill Withers)
Didi's vocal warmup exercises include prayer and meowing.
She's a good singer, but this song is a terrible fit for her. I liked last week's choice way better.
Michelle Delamor, "With Arms Wide Open" (Creed)
Michelle is a children's choir director at church. She prays and meditates before performances.
Both shaky and not interesting enough. Sorry.
Lilly Scott, "A Change is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke)
Lilly plays a bunch of different instruments, and uses throat spray before performances.
Is her guitar plugged in? I see her strumming, but I don't hear it in the mix... anyway, that was okay, I guess. Nothing special.
(The judges and People On Twitter disagree with me.)
Katelyn Epperly, "The Scientist" (Coldplay) [on piano]
Katelyn's been studying to be a recording engineer, and hopes to open her own studio someday.
Yawn.
(People on Twitter are about evenly divided between those similarly bored and those who loved it.)
Paige Miles, "Walk Away" (Kelly Clarkson)
Paige likes coloring books. She finds them relaxing.
Still not my favorite voice, but I have to grant that she can sing.
As the songwriter, Kara disagrees with the interpretation.
Siobhan Magnus, "Think" (Aretha Franklin)
Siobhan had a mohawk about 1.5 years ago, and cut it herself. She does lip buzzes before performances.
Aretha is an all-or-nothing choice: you better think before taking one of her songs on. This was... a pretty good performance, but not Aretha good. (Except for that one note.)
I'm voting for Crystal and Katie.
The Seventh Annual Idol Annex Pool!
I was going to wait to post this, but I've just gotten my first query on the subject, and I suppose there's no good reason to delay. Just note that this won't actually start until the finals, a bit less than two weeks from now.
Welcome, one and all, to the...
(I just blew the entire year's special effects budget on that logo. Hope you liked it!)
The rules are essentially the same as they've been for the past six years, and they are as follows:
- Every week of the finals, players predict the ultimate placement of all the remaining contestants. (That is, every week, you predict who will go home this week, and who will go home next week, and who will go home the week after that, until you have run out of people and remaining slots.)
- Players are encouraged to post their predictions in comments to this journal, but may also send them to me via e-mail.
- One point will be awarded for every placement that turns out to be correct. No credit will be awarded for near-misses.
- Entries should be submitted no later than the start of the results show on its earliest (East Coast) airing. If you're somebody I know and trust, later entries will be accepted; just make sure you make your choices before you hear anything about the results.
- Entries for a given week can be submitted any time after the preceding week's results are announced. But you'll probably be best off waiting until after that week's performances.
- In the event that you make a prediction one week, but don't get around to doing so in the next, the previous week's guesses will carry over, minus whoever got voted out. They will not carry over for a week beyond that unless I hear from you.
- Whoever has the most points at the end of the season is the winner.
- The winner gets a prize (traditionally a mix CD, sent anywhere from several months to several years later) and bragging rights. In the event that I win, I get the bragging rights, and the first runner-up gets the prize.
- In the event of a tie, both first-place finishers will get a prize. In the event that I take first place and there's a tie for second place, anybody who comes in second will get a prize. There will be no tiebreaker.
- Mid-season disqualifications of contestants, Judges' Saves, and any other weirdnesses will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, at my sole discretion.
The upshot is that, every week, you're making x predictions, where x=the number of contestants remaining. For example, suppose that in the first week of the finals you were to rank the contestants as follows:
1. Algernon
2. Bertha
3. Chauncey
4. Delilah
5. Ethelbert
6. Florence
7. Grimace
8. Hattie
9. Ichabod
10. Jocelyn
11. Kingsley
12. Ladonna
Putting aside the fact that this would clearly be taking place in an alternate universe with a different slate of contestants, this would mean that if Ladonna were to leave the show first, thus coming in at #12 overall, you would get a point for having predicted that. Similarly, if Kingsley were to leave the show the following week, thus coming in at #11 overall, you would get a point for that. This would similarly apply to the remaining 10 predictions, up to getting a point if Algernon turned out to be the American Idol at the end of the season.
Next week, you'd get to do the same thing again, that time ranking the eleven remaining contestants to make eleven bets. And so on until the final week, with the final two predictions. This allows for a mixture of short-term and long-term planning: you can pick up points either way, and you can have a lot of points riding on the results of the final few weeks. In fact, 22 points could be at stake between the Idol and the first runner-up, with 11 weeks of predictions riding on each.
People have won this pool in the past in a number of different ways. In some years, people have one by picking the ultimate winner at the start, sticking to their guns, and going for a large payoff at the end; others have won by hedging their bets and spreading their points around, not relying on any one given outcome to win. I deliberately designed this system to allow people to pick their own strategies and degrees of risk, and I think it's worked out pretty well.
Last year was a bit weird, thanks to the misbegotten Judges' Save. What I ended up doing was awarding half a point for any prediction that put Matt in 7th place (which would have been correct if not for the save), and then three-quarters of a point for predicting that either Lil or Anoop would go home 6th or 7th (which ended up being the case, as both were cut the following week). This seemed to make more sense than anything else I could think of (and nobody had any other suggestions), but I'm not thrilled with it, and I hope they just drop that rule this year.
At any rate, Pam ended up winning last year by a quarter point, on the basis that -- alone of all of us -- she refused to believe Adam would win the thing, and correctly had him in second place most of the time. Had he won, she would have come in dead last. On the other hand, she'd have won by a much wider margin had Danny won the title, but none of us saw Kris coming until late in the game.
Mo technically could have won if she'd been a bit more cutthroat, having racked up a bunch of points placing Danny in third, and a bunch more on a steady stream of short-term predictions. TeKay swung for the fences and would have creamed the rest of us had Adam and Danny come in first and second, respectively; as it stood, he was a respectable third, just ahead of Jesse and Yours Truly.
Taking a look at last year's spreadsheet may or may not help clarify things further.
One last note: at the start of this season, I finally mailed off mix CDs to Pam (2009), Mo (2008) and TeKay (2006), and I have one here to send Frito (2007) if he ever sends me his address. So I'm caught up with the prizes at last. :-)
March 2, 2010
Semifinals: Top 10 Boys
They're putting the guys on tonight because Crystal Bowersox is sick. In related news, it's still fun to type "Crystal Bowersox." I want her to make it to the top just on grounds of euphony.
This week's theme: Billboard hits!
Michael Lynche, "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (James Brown)
Michael has a musical theatre background, and can bench-press 505 lbs. Don't mess with the theatre kids!
And this performance is pretty good! Suddenly I have some hope for tonight.
Apparently the boys found out around 10:30 AM that they were going on today, not tomorrow.
John Park, "Gravity" (John Mayer)
John grew up speaking Korean, and started learning English in 4th grade.
...well, it's better than last week's performance, but the kid's just not that good. Sorry.
Casey James, "I Don't Wanna Be" (Gavin DeGraw) [on guitar]
Casey hadn't seen Idol before, having led a mostly TV-free life, and discovered that his song choice this week had actually been done by a whole bunch of past Idol contestants.
Also, Casey doing a Gavin DeGraw song? I think I can hear Pam squeeing from a few states away.
Good job! Both on the singing and on the axe.
I think Kara's trying to re-establish her objectivity.
Alex Lambert, "Everybody Knows" (John Legend) [on guitar]
Alex has stage fright. Well, there's a shock.
Borrring. It's better than last week, but that's not saying anything. (He's still singing. Why is he still singing? And that falsetto is not good.)
Kara says "There isn't a person out there who isn't rooting for you." Oh, I can think of at least one person... the judges are being way too kind on him. Low expectations?
Todrick Hall, "What's Love Got to Do With It" (Tina Turner)
Todrick's gonna try to change this week's song enough to make it his, but not so much that the judges can't recognize it. And he's starred in The Nutcracker!
Hmm. I like it, but it might be a bit too mellow-- oh, wait, it's picking up? No, false alarm. Interesting. I don't think he's quite got it yet, but I still totally want to see more.
...the judges were positive about Alex and negative about Todrick. Right. Like that makes sense.
Jermaine Sellers, "What's Going On" (Marvin Gaye)
Jermaine rocks his onesie.
This is terrible. I may not know what's going on, but I hope he's going home.
Oh, Jermaine. Don't talk back to the judges. Just don't.
Andrew Garcia, "You Give Me Something" (James Morrison)
Andrew likes breakdancing.
Okay, he's burned through the residual "Straight Up" goodwill. That wasn't good enough.
Aaron Kelly, "My Girl" (The Temptations)
Aaron loves photography, because it doesn't matter what other people think about it, and the camera doesn't lie. Or something like that.
Hmm. Definitely better than last week. Plenty of room to improve, but now I can see why he's here. Just might be this season's sleeper.
Tim Urban, "Come On Get Higher" (Matt Nathanson)
Tim has four brothers and five sisters. And he prays, as well he should...
Better than last week, but that's not saying much. Nothing special.
Lee Dewyze, "Lips of an Angel" (Hinder)
Lee's a reform-school kid who's reformed.
S'okay, but doesn't live up to the original.
Once again, I'm voting for Casey and Todrick. And maybe Michael.