AMERICAN IDOL: Official Ledge Thread

[HejiraNYC]

Man, that was awful. I mean, I generally roll my eyes at everything on AI, but at least I can recall thinking that, all things considered, there were some noteworthy performances. But with the exception of Nick Mitchell/Normund Gentle, which was a bit too self-consciously over-the-top, all of it was horrific. Horrific songs, horrific singing, horrific/non-existent personalities.

Anyway, here are my predictions for the Top Three:

-Nick Mitchell/Normund Gentle - He's got the Vote for the Worst vote and he was the only one even remotely entertaining.

-Allison Irahata - Girl was baked to high heaven. She gets the High Times voting bloc.

-Adam Lambert - Words just cannot describe how wrong this was. But Paula was practically overcome with lust. My feeling is that not only is he going to make it into the Top 12, he's going to be in the all-douche Top 2 (along with Dead Wife Danny).

[skcin]

^ I must agree with you about the top 3, even though I missed seeing like 4 contestants.

Allison's interview was painful, but I don't think she was high. Just a ditzy little girl, perhaps? Maybe Paula was so f*cked up that I didn't notice anyone else's condition. Honestly, sometimes she's so distracting. Loved when Ryan asked her a question & addressed her by name but she thought he was asking Simon. WTF.

I thought the same thing about Nick & votefortheworst.com. But they didn't get Tati in last week, so maybe not - unless the producers are just totally fixing the show now to account for the votefortheworst factor.

[skcin]

Allison deserved to get in, so I'm glad for that. Adam - eh. The other guy? I thought he gave a solid performance but was a bit dull & forgettable (obviously, since I can't recall his name or song.)

I'm thinking Megan will get a second shot at Wild Card. Maybe bald Matt since Simon seems to love him. Mishovonna's a maybe too.

[skcin]

So the wild card show will be this week already. Good, get it over with & get to the actual competition. I'm still hearing conflicting reports about how this will work - I know the judges choose who will get another shot. But how many will there be? And will we vote, or will the judges decide the last 3 people to make it after they perform?


I'm actually hoping the judges decide - they're a bit less swayed by the sob stories & seem to go more on the quality of the actual performances.


Here's group 3, btw:
http://www.americanidol.com/top_36/group_3

The only people who I remember are Lil (in a good way) and Nathaniel, Scott & Kristen (in not as good ways.)

[ontheEdgeof17]

^Tues and Wed will the be regular format.

Thursday is the wildcard show. As far as I know, the judges pick the final 3 at the end of the show....which is kinda lame because I'm sure they already have the spots picked prior to the performances anyway.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

^Tues and Wed will the be regular format.

Thursday is the wildcard show. As far as I know, the judges pick the final 3 at the end of the show....which is kinda lame because I'm sure they already have the spots picked prior to the performances anyway.

That's what I figured, since there's no results show for wild card. Any idea how many contestants get another shot on Thurs?

[ontheEdgeof17]

It's only an hour show....So 6 maybe?

They need at least 10-15 minutes for picking.....so they can't have too many sing again, I wouldn't think.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

It's only an hour show....So 6 maybe?

They need at least 10-15 minutes for picking.....so they can't have too many sing again, I wouldn't think.

I was thinking maybe they'd each choose 2 people, but that would make 8 now that Kara's there so I don't know if there will be time. is it only an hour Thurs?

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by skcin

I was thinking maybe they'd each choose 2 people, but that would make 8 now that Kara's there so I don't know if there will be time. is it only an hour Thurs?

Yes.

Word on the street is that the wildcard show might not even include singing. 8-9 contestants come back and the judges pick based on past performances and the like. I guess we will see....

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by skcin

I was thinking maybe they'd each choose 2 people, but that would make 8 now that Kara's there so I don't know if there will be time. is it only an hour Thurs?

Yes.

Word on the street is that the wildcard show might not even include singing. 8-9 contestants come back and the judges pick based on past performances and the like. I guess we will see....

[skcin]

No singing? Just a selection? So they're gonna line them all up & point? Seems odd, but it is a short show so time is an issue.


So far the people I think deserve to get in based on their final performances are Meghan (tatoo-sleeve girl) and Anoop. Bald Matt was OK too, as was Mishovonna.

I loved Jackie & Jasmine initially, but their final performances blew so oh well. We'll see how the final 12 do tonight.

[TrueFaith77]

American Idol – Season 8
Semi-Finals Week 3


I gasped when Simon Cowell chastised the booing the audience: “On this show, we do not allow Democracy.” Funny: for a show based on viewer voting. Hopefully, Simon provided a wake up call to the show’s gross manipulations: judge’s comments meant to instill bias, back-stories full of sob stories, the predictable placement of faves in the Pimp spot (I called it: Lil Rounds takes it this week).

Here’s my attempt to assess despite the show’s dictatorship of meaning.

The Good

Jorge Nunez – “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” – This Elton John classic favors anyone who sings it (including David Archuleta’s delivery of the greatest-EVER Idol performance during last season’s finale showdown). Jorge didn’t offer much subtlety in the phrasing, but he makes up for it passion – a very moving performance by the season’s best male contestant.

Von Smith – “You’re All I Need To Get By” – Von got robbed by being placed in the first slot. He gives a distinct, totally effective, interpretation of a classic Marvin Gaye song (the same-titled Gaye-Terrell album is one of my all-time favorites – a collection of love song duets to rival Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours). He and Jorge I can imagine as contemporary, successful recording artists.

Ju’Not Joyner – “Delilah” – Ju’Not’s slow-roast r&b take on the song ultimately pays off. It’s surprisingly captivating. I’m not quite sure what accounts for his charisma: it might be the thug-stylin’ in contrast to his Luther crooning.

Alex Wagner-Trugman – “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” – Everything Alex did before and after the performance of the song makes me want him to stay around longer – we should keep track on his progress as he hits the gym in hopes of filling out a shirt like Simon. I like his voice. I thought his performance was fun. He will be missed. He’ll be punished for trying to retain his individuality: I guess that’s why they call it. The blues.


The Bad

Felicia Barton – “No One” – Felicia’s in it to win it, performing a current Alicia Keyes. Ho-hum. Best female vocal of the night.

Nathaniel Marshall – “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” – Surprisingly, the vocal was solid (especially during the power notes), but this performance was campy – what Nathaniel mistakes for “fun.” And not in the witty way that Normund Gentle was last week. Why don’t people know how to play this game – after watching the show for 7 years? He was savvy enough to rip off YouTube acoustic performances of a Rhianna hit, but he thinks a jazzercise take on Meat Loaf is the way to compete?

Kristen McNamara – “Give Me One Reason” – She’s probably the best karaoke host in the world.

Scott McIntyre – “Mandolin Rain” -- I still don’t understand why it’s so impressive to be a blind singer (the one job that doesn’t require sight), but Scott steps it up with his best vocal to date (not saying much) and some funny post-song banter. Problem is: even if I were blind, I still wouldn’t enjoy his singing.


The U-G-L-Y (You ain’t got no alibi)

Lil Rounds – “Be Without You” – By doing a Mary J. Blige song, she reveals that she’s no Mary J. Blige. Judges: wrong again. It’s bad – soulless, grooveless, indistinct vocal tone and phrasing – but then it gets U-G-L-Y when she switches up the lyrics to beg for votes. When Normund Gentle did it, it clarified and crystallized the meaning of the song. When Lil does it, it makes the song serve her own ambition. A gross display.

Ariana Afsar – “The Winner Takes It All” – Contrary to the judges’ comments, the problem here isn’t the song choice (brilliant song choice) or even necessarily the orchestration or attempts to make it “contemporary.” The problem: the vocals.

Taylor Vaifanua – “If I Got You” – To quote Simon ten minutes after the performance: “Who’s Taylor?”

Kendall Beard – “This One’s For The Girls” – The shrillest performance in the history of Idol. The search for the next Carrie Underwood continues. . .


iTunes-Worthy: Jorge and Von both earn places on my iPod. I might get Ju’Not and Alex too.

[HejiraNYC]

An improvement from last week... but that's not saying much. Sometimes I wonder whether AI has already tapped out all of the potential talent in the country- this was just terrible. Anyway, here is who will go through:

-Lil Rounds. She didn't suck. She has a nice booty. She had strong stage presence. The hair was a bit too Atlanta-supermarket-cashier for me. But I agree- there was nothing particularly remarkable about her voice/persona. And let's face it- AI needs at least one black person in the Top 12.

-Scott McIntyre. The song sucked. He sucked. But how can you deny the pity factor? And we're talking about major AI pimpage here...

-Jorge Nunez. The song was a no-brainer choice and it's not particularly hard to sing well. His rendering was adequate but unremarkable. But it's the crocodile tears that will get him through. America wuvs a crybaby.

Possible upset: Von Smith. I was hoping he would scream the song, but he actually took it down a few notches and was quite effective. But yeah... he had the unenviable opening slot... that will hurt him, possibly mortally.

I also predict the following will go through from the wildcards:

-Jamal whatshisname (Dead wife Danny's BFF)
-Tatiana del Toro
-Matt Giraud

[GoldDustOrphan]

Weeks ago, leading theologians warned an unsuspecting public that Satan molded Golem Danny Gokey to lead his Army of Undead Wives in a war for the soul of America, and no one listened.
What they didn't reveal is that Satan took his last bit of clay - moistened with his spit and bile - and crafted Adam Lambert.
But, things are not as dire as it seems.
The pope has gifted Tatiana Del Toro with The Seven Daggers of Megiddo and a possible spot as a wild card contestant to get her closer to the belly of both beasts. But, they're on to her.
Satan sent "8 hurricanes" to blow her away, but she survived and was granted the power to "create energy from nothing". (See the second video below.) She won't give up until there's blood.

Now, Lambert has sent a chilling message that the war has begun. Watch this video as he goads her.

If you've never seen pure evil, hold onto something.

Adam, Allison and Kris Los Angeles
by krunkyou

Tatiana - channeling warrior spirits Joan of Arc and Lola Falana - sends a message back to Satan: You Failed to Kill Me.

[TrueFaith77]

GoldDustOrphan, you read my mind. Thank you for alerting everyone to Adam's throwdown during that Good Morning LA (orwhatever) interview. Chilling. What a jerk.

Hilarious write-up. Here's hoping for the wild card.