Well, this week's "Idol" broadcasts were as enjoyable as always, and I'm really starting to get anxious about who's going to get cut from week to week. I mean, there are nothing but good singers now (well, maybe with a couple of exceptions), so the exits are only going to get more heartbreaking from here on out. But, for now, let's break things down....
Luke Menard kicked guys' night off quite well, although he loses a point or two from me for his choice of song (I'm sorry, but "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" makes me cringe). Michael Johns was a bit less stellar than usual this week, and ditto for David Hernandez, who was possibly preoccupied with the unfortunate disclosure of his previous profession (shame on Simon for trying to egg the other judges on to use the word "strip" in their critique, and also for allowing his voice to be heard over the air when doing so).
Chikezie held his own with another well-played soulful number, and Jason Castro switched things up a bit by ditching his guitar and using just his voice, and he was quite decent. David Archuleta, as usual, was positively fantastic (He plays piano too? How sickeningly talented is this kid, anyway?!?) ... but I think someone might have one-upped him, for a change, and this one was definitely unexpected: David Cook really stood out with his rocking rendition of the normally syrupy Lionel Richie ballad "Hello".
Who I think ought to be eliminated: Danny Noriega (yes, I hate to say it again ... the boy is adorable, but somehow just can't stay in tune, at least not enough for my comfort level) and Luke Menard (it's a close call, but I have to say his was the least impressive performance of the night).
Who I think will be eliminated: Danny Noriega (come on, people, it's time), and Jason Castro (somehow I get the feeling he didn't connect with enough people ... call it a hunch).
Who I voted for: David Hernandez. "What?" you ask incredulously. "Not David Archuleta?" Not this week. Hey, we all know that David A. is positively mopping the floor with the other guys, so I figure he didn't need my vote this time. Plus I just feel the need to give David H. my support ... I just hope that enough Americans are able to keep their hypocrisy and double-standards about sexuality (and sex as it relates to the music world) at bay, and give him enough votes to keep him in the game. His voice deserves to get him into the final four.
We saw another great night from the ladies as well. Amanda Overmyer gave what I thought was her best performance since entering the Top 24, and I felt the same way about Kristy Lee Cook. Also, for the first time, I was truly impressed with Carly Smithson (I know ... it took me long enough, didn't it?). Brooke White again put a spin on a song by taking the acoustic ballad approach to the Pat Benatar rocker "Love Is a Battlefield", and the results were fantastic. And my two overall favorite ladies, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado, again turned in excellent performances.
Who I think ought to be eliminated: Yeah, the only two names I didn't mention in the paragraph above: Asia'h Epperson and Kady Malloy ... the two least exciting performances of the evening.
Who I think will be eliminated: Asia'h Epperson and Kady Malloy.
Who I voted for: Brooke White ... what can I say? Her acoustic twist on that song really captivated me. No matter how much further she gets in the competition, I'm sure she'll have a great career in music ahead of her.
Gosh ... can I stand to wait until tonight to see the results? If I'm not right in who I think will be eliminated, tears may very well be shed....
Jackie Cooper: 1922 - 2011
12 years ago
I've not caught up on last night's performances yet, but I'll be shocked if David Castro is eliminated, though I say that with information you didn't have at the time--his performance of "Hallelujah" managed to send Jeff Buckley's version to #2 on the iTunes chart (Jason's own version, which hasn't been up for purchase as long, is just inside the top 100, which is odd--not because I'm surprised it's not higher [I'm not; it hasn't been on iTunes as long and will probably rise], but because I didn't think iTunes was letting us know where the Idol sales ranked in their overall top 100). I mean, wow--I'm used to that sort of post-Idol effect happening in smaller countries in special cases (Finland, Sweden), but I don't think that usually happens to such a large extent in the U.S. (though maybe most people just didn't know the song?)--I'm kind of shocked. I really feel like some of those Jeff Buckley sales must just be because fewer people knew the song (unless it was a brilliant BRILLIANT performance from Jason--I haven't watched yet, but I get the feeling from you it was fine but not incredibly outstanding), or something, and him singing it just alerted people to the song's existence? But is it really that comparatively unknown? Sorry for the long comment--I'm just fascinated by this sort of stuff!
ReplyDeleteYou've got me intrigued about Brooke now! I'm definitely going to make the effort to catch up on this week.
3 out of 4? Oh, you are GOOD--especially for someone who's just started watching this season!
ReplyDelete...and obvs it should be Jason Castro--you can tell how closely I've been paying attention to the show ;)
ReplyDelete