American Idol – Chewbacca wins

I am very pleased with last night’s victory by Jordin. I am happy to say that I picked the wrong person – due to the fact that the voting has been completely ridiculous and it seemed like Blake would be the next Taylor Hicks. But I have a new faith in the people of our great land now, that they’ll be able to make good decisions without being swayed by novelty beatboxing or premature grey hair.

But… the whole night I became fixated on how big Jordin was. Not in a fat kind of way, but in a Chewbacca kind of way. It was very distracting. Everytime she stood next to Blake, he looked a little more like Han Solo.  Ryan of course looks more like a Hobbit when next to her. Obviously, this should have no bearing on the results, but am I the only one who noted this many times over the course of the night ?

Another thing… Why is it then when they get these great artists on the show they do a song that completely sucks ? Gwen Stefani… Green Day… J-Lo… Barry Gibb…  Kelly Clarkson… Bon Jovi…  Fergie… Maroon 5… Kelly Clarkson…  All came on the show and sang pretty much complete crap. Some might disagree but I think it’s about time American Idol encourages these artists to sing a sure thing as opposed to trying to promote their upcoming album. If they did that, they could probably release a decent album with guest artists performances. Unfortunately, I can’t think of one performance that I was like “Wow!!! that was great”. Given the caliber of talent that I mentioned above, shouldn’t that be the case ?

Song Selection… Song Selection… Song Selection…  It’s still important even after you’ve made it.

Am I the only one that felt like the Sanjaya / Joe Perry performance could have really been a showstopper had you added Steven Tyler to the mix ? or hell.. how about Aerosmith as a whole ? That… would have been a keeper peformance. Instead we get to see Sanjaya run into the crowd and go make the snapping turtle girl cry again.  Maybe “Sweet Emotion” ? “Walk this way” ? Hell, you could incorporate Blake into that one as well.  I just think Joe Perry alone is like having Ying without Yang…

American Idol – Is Blake another Taylor Hicks ?

 The new Taylor Hicks ?

Do Taylor Hicks and Blake Lewis have anything in common ? Is it possible that for the 2nd year straight a fan favorite will win for reasons other than being the best singer ? Will Blake end up with a career after American Idol ?

 I definitely am not saying that Blake or Taylor don’t have any talent at all, but I am saying that I wouldn’t listen to either of them on the radio or in my iPod if given a choice. Success after American Idol really depends heavily on that as Taylor Hicks is now discovering. Uniquely grey hair and underdog likeability doesn’t make a career for you. Blake just might be in that boat, as I don’t think beatboxing is going to make him a career.

 The final song by Jordin last night kind of put an exclaimation point on the fact that if she loses, it definitely isn’t about her singing capabilities. As much as I think that song should have sealed it for Jordin, I believe that Blake is set to become the next American Idol. If the masses were voting based on vocal talent, Melinda Doolittle would still be here.

 So, that’s my pick, Blake Lewis will be the next American Idol. He’ll be every bit as successful as any other beat-boxer you know of, and he’ll seem far less original trying to make it in the real music world.

American Idol – Melinda leaves !?!?!

I am still in complete shock that Melinda Doolittle didn’t make the finals. I guess maybe it’s possible that some Melinda fans didn’t feel it was necessary to vote this week. I would have to think that this surprised everyone, as I don’t think I heard anyone say they thought she’d be leaving this week. It was pretty much a given that it would be either Blake or Jordin.

I get this weird feeling that if such a thing is possible, Blake will probably win the contest. Another novelty singer who wins because of being different in some way, but far less talented. Blake has his beat boxing and Taylor had his gray hair and the “Soul Patrol”.

All I can say is “wow”…

Elliot Yamin and his new teeth made an appearance. Kind of like Barry Gibb and his lip and big teeth, I spent the whole time fixating on Elliot’s teeth. They look like they might be a little too big as well. I think people who have messed up teeth most of their lives end up getting the biggest chicklet teeth they can get, when given the opportunity to pick some out. I give Melinda about 2 months before she gets her chicklets put in.

myADD American Idol picks – What is the cost of Jordin’s words ?

Last night was one of the best American Idol shows ever in my opinion, it really highlights the importance of song selection. I just wish that Lakisha could have made it to this week, cause I think we would have seen a monster set of performances, that would have blown anything that Blake could ever do completely out of the water. Oh well,  I’ll have to stop mourning Lakisha’s departure at some point. Right ?

60% chance of leaving

In my opinion Blake should be leaving tonight. He is no match for Melinda’s performance skills and Jordin’s amazing voice and ability to connect with a song and make you feel it. But… Jordin’s attempt at talking back to Simon, opens the door for he potentially go home. I actually thought that Blake’s Roxanne was quite good. I think I like the song more than him though.

40% chance of leaving

 For the first time in a long while, I actually disagreed with Simon. Jordin’s peformance of “I Who Have Nothing” was simply incredible in my opinion. The fact that it was older didn’t stop it from being amazing. I don’t think her first performance of that song was that great, but last night’s performace was maybe her absolute best ever.  She completely sold that song, and I think we all felt something. That being said, don’t underestimate the power of talking back to Simon on voters. 

 I think the best strategy is to take the criticism and just act like you respect the opinion… even if you don’t.  What could have been a contained situation – Simon saying that the song felt too old for her was nothing major. But her conflict with Simon will basically cause some voters to vote for Blake – like it or not. 

I’m going to say that Blake has a 60% chance of leaving and Jordin has a 40% chance of leaving, solely based of  her mini-conflict with Simon.  Without that conflict, Blake would be completely out of luck and packing bags tonight.

 If Jordin is out tonight, Melinda will win it all.

With Jordin gone, Melinda wins hands down. But if Jordin manages to stay, there is a 30% chance that she could win it all — if she can avoid conflict and finish off with strong performances.

American Idol – Lakisha leaves

It took Barry Gibb, his non-existent upper lip, and his catalog of falsetto songs to push Lakisha out the door. Ever since noticing that Barry Gibb has no upper lip, I’ve been taking note of other people’s upper lips. Oddly enough, Blake has almost no upper lip as well.

I feel bad for Lakisha, because she deserves to be in the final 3 more than Blake. He’s a beat boxer for heavens sake. How many successful beat boxers do you know ? Can you name one ? I think there’s a good reason why we don’t know any. Because they are only good in very small doses.

myAdd American Idol Picks – Barry Gibb has no upper lip!?!?

That was one of the worst nights on American Idol that I can remember. I also spent most of the show amazed at the fact that Barry Gibb seems to have no upper lip. So much so that I began searching the web for older pics of him to see if he actually ever had an upper lip.

99% chance of leaving

Lakisha Jones – Lakisha really needed to do something special this week to stay. I find myself rooting for her, but it was not to be.  I actually think that the Barry Gibb theme really killed her because the guy admittedly sings like a woman, and Lakisha shines in her low register.  Kind of sad that such a talent is leaving because she couldn’t sing this crap.
1% chance of leaving

Blake Lewis – I really didn’t care for either of his songs. I am excited that someone is finally saying that the beat box is getting old, I hit that point long ago. I think it’s at least progress that people are realizing that he’s not really that original, it’s not like beat boxing just arrived on the scene. In my opinion Blake should be leaving tonight because Lakisha’s inability to sing like Barry Gibb actually gives her points  in my book. But Blake being the last guy I think it’s highly unlikely that he goes. I am actually just leaving that 1% there as a tribute to Lakisha.

Jordin Sparks – I really didn’t like either of the songs she sang, but she sang them very well in my opinion. She really finishes off her songs strong, maybe she’s just been nervous in the beginning of each song. With Lakisha going out this week and Blake gone next week, Jordin vs Doolittle is now on!

Melinda Doolittle – Consistency. She did about as much as one can do with those Barry Gibb songs. They really should do these kinds of shows earlier in the season when there are lesser singers there that can provide entertainment value by struggling to sing like that guy. I mean seriously, isn’t this the week you wanted Sanjaya there ?

Who’s next weeks guest performer ? Weird Al ? Wouldn’t that be a complete roll of the dice for everyone ?  They should really stick to the more mainstream music for the final shows, Barry Gibb was Lakisha’s Kryptonite.

American Idol gives back ?

Was it just me or was anyone else kind of irked by the American Idol gives back show ? Now, don’t get me wrong, I think it was a good concept and there are alot of people that can be helped by the initiative. But… Doesn’t it seem like the 70 million in donations could have been far exceeded had it come from the pockets of some of hollywood’s finest who made appearances on the show as well as advertisers and the show itself ?

I imagine that a large percentage of the donations came from people who are living paycheck to paycheck and really felt for the kids and people in extremely hard situations – like New Orleans and in Africa.

Was anyone else kind of put off by Ellen Degeneres saying “I’m giving 100k”. I don’t know how much she makes, and I’m only using her as an example cause she opened her big mouth with a figure… I’m going to guesstimate that she could probably give 2 million or more on her own and not sacrifice any luxury in her life whatsoever. 100k ? Please Ellen, don’t be so generous, just go do another Amex commercial in the afternoon and give that million or more to the cause.

Add any one of the other “famous” people on the show dancing around and trying to get everyone else to donate to that list. 70 million ?? that’s it ?? I’m sure advertisers pay a pretty penny fo 30 seconds of commercial time, how about American Idol donates all of it for the show that night ? I bet you they could do that and not even feel it. Instead, it becomes a show where they showcase filthy rich entertainers to entice non-millionaire viewers to give their 10,20, 100 dollars that they can barely spare — but will.

Does that seem odd to anyone else ? Couldn’t Hollywoods life of excess make a far larger dent in poverty than 70 million ? Couldn’t American Idol spare 70 million all on their own and not even truly feel it ?

American Idol – Phil and Justin… err.. Chris are gone!

I don’t think I can get too excited about my predictions being spot on for last night, since I think it was rather obvious to most. I gave both Phil and Chris a 100% chance of going home.

Phil Stacey – I think Phil’s last performance (after he got the news)  was his best, because it was so believable. It was Phil performing like Phil, not Phil trying to sing like Bon Jovi. Had he delivered it like this last night, he might have had a better chance. (and still left)

Chris Richardson – I think the vote is in, that we don’t need another Justin.

Lakisha Jones vs Melinda Doolittle – I called it here, 0% chance of Lakisha leaving after her performance this week. Not only did it save her, it’s the essence of how she could win this competition. It’s now officially “ON”, Lakisha threw down the gauntlet. Blake & Jordan are irrelevant and destined to be runner-ups if Lakisha proves that last night was more than just a once in a while thing.

Melinda Doolittle is a masterful performer with spot on vocals, and I noted the Jekyl/Hyde thing that goes on with her. When in her zone, she can emote what the song is saying through her voice, facial expressions, and movements. She threw in some Tina Turner for good measure last night, but when the mic was turned off…. she’s Melinda again.

But… Lakisha has this little bit of something-something that is about really being “connected” to a song and not just performing.  “Your Gonna Love Me, and now this latest Bon Jovi song have allowed her to hit that chord.  Lakisha’s greatest qualities are the emotion and strength in her voice that can just overpower you.  She’s just not going to be successful in doing pretty songs, she’s gotta get to the songs that let her be herself. She’s not going to outperform Melinda, but she can overpower the crowd with her strength and emotion if she sticks with songs in this same vein.

myADD American Idol Picks – May 2nd

Now that it’s “really” down to the final 6 contestants, and 2 have to leave tonight. Now that there has been another week of performances my list has shifted a little.

0% chance of leaving

Lakisha Jones – Last week, I was basically saying that Lakisha had a 70% chance of leaving and that she had to get back to the essence of her “Your gonna love me” performance. She did just that last night, and in my opinion she jumped right out of the bottom 2. She got a kiss from Simon, whether most like to admit it or not, that means quite a bit. Not only does that take Lakisha out of the bottom 2 in my book, but I think “that” Lakisha is in the top 2. Hold onto that vibe Lakisha, cause that’s the star.

100% chance of leaving

Phil Stacey – I gave Phil a 20% chance of leaving last week, this week it will happen. He did OK in my opinion, but I still think his stage presence lacks alot in comparison to the others. He can sing, but the stage presence part seems wooden to me. He’s singing songs in a way that doesn’t seem to connect with me at all.

100% chance of leaving.

Chris Richardson – Chris is basically a Justin wannabe still, and even though he did pretty good last night he’ll be gone tonight. It’s the Justin factor that will do him in.

Blake Lewis – I actually didn’t care much for Blake’s performance, but it seems like some people did. I think he accomplished making it sound OK in a different form, but nothing that I would listen to on the radio more than once — and in that situation maybe even turn it off if the novelty wasn’t something I wanted at that moment. I’ll say it again, he’s different than the average American Idol contestant, but not so original in the sense of popular music. He’s the face of popular music today for American Idol. But are we all fooled into believing that he’s truly original ? Not me.

Jordin Sparks – She had a horrible performance this week, but I think last week’s performance will save her. (maybe just barely) Lets face it, rock is not her thing and she looked very awkward trying to sing that song. As the judges always say “Song Choice, Song Choice, Song Choice”. This one really ate her up. So much so, that Lakisha in my opinion could jump up and take the #2 spot.

Melinda Doolittle – Consistency. She is consistently the best and she’s the Jekyl/Hyde of American Idol. She basically channels the feelings of these songs and becomes a star on stage. You believe her. So much so, that you can’t believe that she’s the same person when the song is over. What can’t she do if this is her strength ?

myADD American Idol Picks

 

Now that it’s down to the final 6 contestants, I think the contest is going to be a little bit more about showmanship, personality and individuality. It’s obvious that all of them can sing quite well.

The bottom 2 will be Phil and Lakisha. Lakisha should stay in my opinion, but I kind of feel like it’s going to be her exit this week based on their performances this week. I will say that there is a chance that Phil will leave this week, and I wouldn’t be disappointed in the least.

70% chance of leaving

Lakisha Jones – She’s really got alot of talent and she might be the most impressive to me in some ways because she was a bank teller before this. That voice was working as a bank teller… just amazing. I think her best performances were when the song was aggressive and powerful in terms of vocals. In one of her first performances — “You’re gonna love me” — she hit the essence of what could make her American Idol. In my opinion she really hasn’t hit that chord quite as solidly since. If she makes it to next week, she needs to be looking for a song that allows for that essence to show itself again. I don’t think she could win this contest, but if she gets back to where she started, she could be in the top 3.

 30% chance of leaving

Phil Stacey – In my opinion he’s got the least personality out of the remaining group and in general he’s kind of plain and even boring. It never feels like the songs he sings mean too much to him. His voice sounds good, but there’s a difference between sounding good and bringing out emotion in the way you sing a song. Tonight with Bono performing, he should pay close attention as he could probably learn quite a bit from him in this area. Unfortunatey, I don’t think there’s a chance he might be going home and might never get to put anything he learns into action. I think his vocals on his last performance have nudged him ahead of Lakisha. No chance at winning this contest though.

 

Chris Richardson – I think he has absolutely no chance at winning American Idol. But I believe his last performance – Change the World – will keep him around another week. We don’t need a Justin Timberlake wannabe, he seems like that’s what he is. The nasally thing really doesn’t appeal to me either. Let’s face it, he’s probably got 2 more performances tops to show some kind of real individuality.  

Blake Lewis – I really like Blake, I just don’t think he can make the audience feel the way Melinda and Jordin can. He’s really not all that original in my opinion, he’s just more cutting edge than the typical American Idol contestant. But I think that’s definitely enough to get him into the top 3 if Lakisha fades away. Phil and Chris couldn’t possibly match up to him.

Jordin Sparks – I think right now she’s literally on the brink of stealing this whole contest away from Melinda Doolittle. There’s no way she isn’t in the top 2, and if she is able to improve even more in the next few weeks, she could take it all. I really can’t say exactly what she could change to help her beat Melinda, other than maybe song choice. Oh.. maybe if there was some way to make her look slimmer or shorter… She really does make Ryan look like a hobbit. She’s getting talent votes, she could probably get more “attractive” votes if she picked the right outfit and did some toning. Don’t get me wrong, she’s pretty already. But she could accentuate her body a bit more and get more votes. Remember Antonella ?? I know.. I know.. she’s only 17.. But, how old was Britney when she was came onto the scene ? Did her look have anything to do with her success ? I think we all know the answer to that.

Melinda Doolittle – This is definitley her contest to lose at this point. I think similar to Jordan, I think her “look” could really play a part now that we are down to details. Not saying she needs a makeover or anything, but honestly I think her wardrobe could win her votes. It sounds so silly, but what she was wearing this past week, actually had me thinking “what is she wearing” for the first 10-15 seconds of the performance. So.. dress for success is I guess what I am saying.