Happy Easter!!

Hey Everyone! Happy Easter!

I'm sorry I've been MIA these past couple weeks. Last week, I left work on Wednesday afternoon and went straight to the airport to go to visit some friends in Chicago, where I saw TAYLOR HICKS! in concert. This past week, I've been recuperating from that, and last night I went to see DAUGHTRY! in concert at Universal.

I do have some thoughts on the past couple of weeks that I will post hopefully today or tomorrow. I'm one of a few authors of a new blog (www.teamplaid.com) for Blake Lewis, so I'll be dividing my time a little more than I already am, but I'll still try to post thoughts on the show as a whole (being as unbiased as possible ) here.

Thoughts on the past couple weeks forthcoming...

Thoughts on the Elimination Show

There are a lot of "conspiracy" theories and outrage and stuff that I've been reading, but I think last night's elimination was pretty simple and predictable.

Stephanie is gone because:
1. She was up against 3 singers of the same vocal stylings (Melinda, Lakisha, and Jordin) and most likely split votes with those performers while not delivering performances that were up to par with theirs. And...
2. She has not had a standout performance in 4 weeks. If she had stepped up and delivered a knock-out performance this week, she may have made top 8, but there is no way she would have made top 6 with M, L, and J around.

Melinda and Jordin (especially Jordin) have TONS of momentum right now. I'm sure we'll be rehashing this same argument in a few weeks when Lakisha becomes the JHud of season 6.

My thoughts on how this will go down over the next 9 weeks (if I'm wrong, I will gladly eat crow):

10. Haley - I believe she was the 3rd bottom 3'er this week and the producers wanted her on tour for ticket sales, but not any further, so they didn't entice a fanbase to vote - by just announcing she was "safe".
9. Phil - I believe he was also pulling in a low amount of votes last night... he won't last much longer unless he finds a niche.
8. Gina - I think she's really struggling with her identity in the competition, trying more to please the judges than anything else... that will be her downfall.
7. Chris R. - If Blake keeps up his momentum, Chris R is gonners. I think Blake has a bigger fanbase in general, and if he keeps delivering, he'll bring in swing votes. I associate Blake more with Chris S style-wise, but he and Chris R are two of the "cute" ones so they are likely pulling in votes from partially the same demographics.
6. Sanjaya - Tuesday night was not bad at all, imo, and he's entertaining to watch. He DOES have a fanbase out there that is not tweeners, moms, VFTW, Howard Stern's listeners, or Indian call centers... just take a gander at the official AI message boards if you doubt what I say. But, he's not going to pick up the votes of the contestants ousted before him, so I see him making top 6 and that's it.
5. Lakisha - Losing steam QUICKLY to Jordin and Melinda. I don't know if she'll even make it this far unless she really steps it up and fast.
4. Chris Sligh - He'll make it this far, but I don't think he'll end up in the final 3.
3. Melinda - She has a lot of momentum, but unless she starts changing things up, she is going to get boring, especially if Jordin keeps upping her game every week. It happened with LaToya London in season 3 and it could happen again.
2. Blake - He has enough momentum right now to carry himself to the top 4, and beyond that it will depend on whether or not he can pick up fans of ousted contestants and have the best performance of the night to pick up the swing votes. It would be a great finale with either him and Melinda or him and Jordin. Either way, I still think he would come in 2nd place. I love him, but I don't know if I can realistically see him winning.
1. Jordin Sparks, if she can keep up her momentum and continue to find a niche, is your next American Idol. Her past 3 performances have been stellar and she is mature beyond her years.

I think all of those top 5 will eventually end up with some kind of recording contract. And the top 4 really could go any way, but REALISTICALLY those are the 4 I see making it to that point.

Further thoughts on Sanjaya's presence in the competition:

I think Sanjaya will make top 6, but after that, the voting is really close, and I just don't think his fanbase will be able to pull it out. I don't see him really GAINING any new fans, especially those of ousted contestants that he survives.

Vote for the Worst does not deserve credit for his success. He made it through 3 weeks of semi-finals without their support, and both of the contestants that VFTW did intially support (Sundance and Antonella) did not even make the top 12. VFTW is also known for picking contestants who already have a large fanbase and/or have been heavily featured in the early rounds (see Stevens, John; Trias, Jasmine; Savol, Scott; Underwood, Carrie; Pickler, Kellie; and Hicks, Taylor.), thus ensuring that the contestants will make it far into the competition. Additionally, VFTW at the most has maybe what, 500 members? Even if each member casts 1000 votes for him on voting nights, that's 500,000 votes - a drop in the bucket when it comes to 30 million.

As the competition goes on and the race gets tighter and tighter, if he's not gaining new fans and/or picking up swing votes by having the best performance of the night, there is no way he will be able to hang on. I see him going out at 6th place. Which is further than he SHOULD go, but let's face it - there is no one outside of the Melinda/Blake/Jordin/Lakisha/Sligh group left in this competition who really has a chance to win anyway.

Lastly - At the end of the day, this show provides some HUGE exposure for the top 12 contestants. As pointed out on many sites and blogs, in the past there have been contestants who have been voted off "prematurely", but in the end have prevailed (i.e. Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson). There have also been those great vocalists who have been voted off early, but basically bombed when their albums were released (i.e. Tamyra Gray and LaToya London). In the end, the true talent and marketability will prevail. If Stephanie (or any other contestant voted off thus far, or to be voted off soon) is meant to be a big name star, it will happen.

Top 11 Performances

Thoughts on the Top 12 results show

Well, that was no surprise. I really liked Brandon and think he has a great voice - one of the better voices among the males actually - but he just never stepped up his game and delivered a standout performance. And against some really unique and talented males and some fantastic females, mediocre performances, especially ones where you forget words, are just not gonna cut it.

Sanjaya should have gone, yes. But he's very appealing to some, and I think his fanbase is not to be underestimated. I hope he goes next week, because even as boring as a 4 guy, 6 girl tour would be, I wouldn't want to go if he was there. He just doesn't appeal to me at all. But I think he may make it farther than anyone expects him to. Ugh.

Now, on to a couple of things that have been bothering me since the Tuesday show.

We've always known that the judges are hypocrites in much of their commentary, but it's really getting to me this year. Sligh and Blake were both roundly dissed and dismissed for their attempts to breathe some life into old songs, but had they stuck to the original versions, they both would have been criticized for "not being true to yourself" and "not making the song your own." So, basically, the judges are saying to make the song your own but don't mess with the arrangement. So, sing it as written, but don't be karaoke. What are they supposed to do then, add even more unnecessary melisma and hit all the glory notes? Ack. I knew AI wasn't about the understated, simple performances. There ARE different musical styles, TPTB (the powers that be).

I am a regular reader and commenter at MJ's Blog and I think that her "rantings" in her recap of Tuesday's show were spot on. Read it if you're curious.

The hypocritical nature really bothers me because last year, they praised Daughtry to high heaven for his "re-arrangements" which we all know weren't even his originals. I guess that's the difference in being TCO (the chosen one) or not. And I LOVE Daughtry (always have), but be consistent, judges!

I really hate the subtle manipulation they try to pull. Hate it with a passion. I can only hope and pray that Blake and Sligh don't give in to the pressure to conform completely and just continue to be themselves and let their artistic abilities and visions show. I agree that they have to be willing to grow, but neither of them fits in a tidy little box that can be packaged and marketed, and TPTB don't like that. But they are still two of the most current, modern-sounding, hip musicians this show has ever seen, and it pains me to think they might fall by the wayside just because they auditioned in the wrong season when TPTB have a different agenda.

I understand that these were not exactly professional production arrangements, but I felt the contestants still deserved some recognition for their efforts. Praising for something that failed is one thing. Giving credit for at least trying to "step out of the box" is another. Also, the judges harped so much on Sligh's arrangement that they didn't even comment on his vocals - which were very good, I thought. I didn't like Sligh's arrangment, but I liked his vocals on it. I didn't like Blake's vocals, but I liked the arrangement. But at least they attempted to breathe life into an otherwise mostly boring show.

Besides, the judges basically said after Blake's performance "don't change motown because it's motown", not "don't change motown unless you're gonna make it awesome."

So, judges, which is it? "Be original" or "don't change"?

Top 12 Performance Show

My rankings:

1. Melinda - Absolutely fantastic. She really is the consummate professional. I know some people think the humility she shows is turning into a front, but I don't. I think she really is surprised to hear people cheering like that for her. It takes some getting used to being in the spotlight when you've been in the background your whole professional career, and the studio audiences the past 3 weeks have been small. The big audience last night, and especially their overwhelming cheers, must have come as a surprise to her. My ONLY complaint with her is that she needs to make "younger" song choices and prove that she can carve out a niche in today's music scene (I think amongst Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, India.Arie type singers). Other than the somewhat "old" song choices, I love her. She is by far my favorite female.
2. Lakisha - very, very, very good. The phrasing and subtley and almost hesitancy of it was perfect. I don't love the fact that she got to sing a song that Billie Holliday is known for (during Diana Ross week - and yes I know Diana performed it), but anyway... Also didn't like the dress at all. It made her look like she was going to prom.
3. Jordin - has really impressed me the last two weeks. She's really gotten a grip on her emotions since the "Reflections" disaster, and that maturity will only help her as long as her song choices reflect her bright personality and don't make her seem older than her years (does that make sense?). Very, very good vocal.

Mid-packers (need to step it up if they're gonna be contenders):
4. Gina - I actually really liked this song choice for her. Had some shouty moments, as the judges pointed out, but overall solid vocally. However, she was kind of forgettable and going so early in the show could hurt her. When the recaps were aired at the end, my roommates and I all said "oh yeah, I forgot about her. I kinda liked her."
5. Blake - Liked his re-arrangement better than Sligh's. The vocal wasn't the best out of all the males, but he had the best performance - although he looked like was trying way too hard to remember the lyrics. But, I liked his look, his sound, and (some of) his dancing. BUT, my complaint - that song would be great on an album, but not as a single. I agree with Simon on that point. America don't care for electronica. But he's still by far my favorite male. He is different and definitely a needed force in this competition. If he can break out another "Somewhere Only We Know" (hello, British Invasion week!), he's gonna crack the competition wide open, because he is very very current and fresh. I'd buy any album he put out as soon as it hit the shelves. Anyway, I predict he'll be the last man standing. PLEASE don't make me have to eat those words, Blake.
6. Chris S. - The re-arrangement sounded WAY too similar to Coldplay's "Clocks" and I hardly even recognized the melody to the actual song he was singing. He sang well, though. But he made a monumental mistake in not wearing the glasses. That's part of the persona for him now. He doesn't need to get rid of them.

Lower Mid-Packers (REALLY need to step it up if they're gonna be contenders) - ETA: I kinda struggled with the 7-9 spots because they were all in the same vein for me musically and performance-wise (they are not ranked as high as the ones in 4-6 because I thought something about the overall package with each performer in 4-6 was better). But, alas, here's how it ends up:
7. Stephanie - Good vocal and good song choice, but I'm just not seeing her inspiring voters. She's up against too strong of competition to keep making choices that won't separate her from the pack. I'm worried for her this week and that makes me sad because she has so much potential.
8. Haley - she has a good voice but she's just so BLAND. She looked like McPhee 2.0 last night. She'll stay for a few weeks for the hotness factor (*hits self for not factoring that into my handicapping predictions*).
9. Phil - male version of Haley, except he's not hot. But, he's in the Navy and has that baby backstory, so he may stick around to top 9 or so. Last night's performance was a good vocal, but boring, and I'd had a long day, so that kicked him down a few notches on the list. I like to be entertained, captivated by vocals when I watch AI. Phil didn't do it for me last night.

Bottom 3:
10. Brandon - I am so disappointed. I had such high hopes for this guy, and he's not living up to his potential. *shakes head* I really think he's gone this week and that makes me sad, because I wanted him to make the tour. But, as soon as his cd "Automatic" is back in stock at www.cdbaby.com , it will be mine. I guess that's my consolation prize.
12th (tie)- Chris R and Sanjaya. Simon was spot on in his critique of Chris R. Strip away the charm and looks, and you just have a VERY average voice. He may be commercial, but he is not good enough to win, unless he goes through some kind of major vocal transformation. And Sanjaya? Just. No. How did HE end up with the biggest diva song ever?? For both of them: lucky thing you're cute. That might buy you some time. Still, can we just send them both home? (wishful thinking, I know. Not likely that EITHER of them will be in the bottom 2 or 3)

And if the Dialidol results really are correct, this season is going down the drain FAST.

Bottom 3 SHOULD be: Sanjaya, Chris R, and Brandon with Sanjaya going home.

Likely B3 - Brandon, Stephanie, and Haley / Gina with Brandon going home. Shockingly, Blake or Chris S could appear there too. America don't care for you messing around with arrangements of "classic" Motown songs (well, at least most of America doesn't. I kinda dug both of 'em.)