AI - Top 10 - The Girls

Good evening. Here’s to hoping the girls bring it again tonight.

Gina – She reminds me of Kimberly Coldwell. Good singer, but is missing the likeability factor. I think she is doing this song well but I still can’t see really voting for her.

Alaina - She has a nice texture to her voice. Was a little too light in places. This was a kind of a rock out song and she sung a little too small. She also blew it with sticking out her tongue. You can’t sing a lick but ya look good. Why do they keep using that as a back handed comment?

Lakisha – I love her so much. I always hated this song. I liked the way Paris a few years ago sung this one better. It was a boring performance and I don’t think she should ever rest on her laurels. Simon was on point! On the performance and wardrobe. Colored folks should never be in powder blue or orange. OR yellow (remember “big bird” from the auditions?)

Melinda – Right! Right! Right! Stylish song, performance, and dress (except the earrings). LOVING her! When I heard she was doing a “classic” I was worried. But she did it just right.

Antoinelle - Good bye, dear. Dress did not match the song. Mom looked like she was doing better mouthing the words from the audience. Being able to hit a high note is not enough to carry the song. Rolling the eyes was ridiculous with how bad she was. Buh-bye.

Jordin – OK song. I think there are better Aguilar songs to showcase her voice. Safe performance. But she sung it well. Got better as the song went on, I think she was just nervous in the beginning. She needs coaching big time though because her breathing was all over the place. You gotta take her age into account.

Stephanie - Interesting arrangement for the song. I found it distracting though, because the song is so popular right now and I am more familiar with Beyonce’s take on it. So it sounded rushed. But she looked beautiful and I am willing to give her a pass because she can sing. I agreed with Randy this time.

Leslie – A LOT better than last week. It was hard for her to stay contained. Even though skatting was not THAT bad. She should stay over Antoinella and Alaina. And miracle, I agreed with Paula. I think she will appeal to a good size segment of the voting audience.

Haley – She can sing. Parts of the song just didn’t work. Background singers were really good. She took a risk. Not sure how well it worked.

Sabrina – I like her a lot. She was out of tune and key at times. She did enough well in the song to be considered a good performance. Agreed with him and thank goodness he mentioned the shouting.

Okay, the divas had a few kinks this week. But still good. Except of course Melinda who was terrific! Atoinella and Alaina, honorable mention to Haley, should pack their bags. I was glad that there wasn’t a whole lot of whooping and hollering to show that a good singer doesn’t need. Until tomorrow, see y’all later.

AI - Top 10 - The Guys

I know officially start AI at 8:30 so I can fast forward to the performances and completely miss anything Ryan Seacrest. Gotta say, its working!

Phil Stacey - So hot! I like his voice. I like the song, but it was not Wow! It was good and illustrated that he has good vocal range and control. Still haven’t seen his WOW performance, but he is still my favorite of the boys. Agree with Simon.

Jared Cotter - I like his style HOWEVER Jack Black did this song better in High Fidelity. HE had feeling, emotion and soul. Jared was just a little boring until the end. I don’t think that was the best song choice for him. And he didn’t quite hit the right note at the end.

I will say that Paula was lucid tonight. OK she just blew it with the push comment.

AJ – I thought it was an interesting song. AJ was much better than last week. We all understood what Simon meant, Ryan PLEASE leave it alone! Much better is not good enough to win this but glad that the boys are doing better.

Sanjaya – Did sister pick the song again? He did that song with very little conviction. He looked uncomfortable in his outfit. I thought he was coming out to do a Michael Jackson song, which would have been WAY better. He even seemed bored. You son, are going home. If he stays, AI is rigged.

Chris Sligh – Your what?!? Wow! Anyway, moving on, ok performance. I like his voice still and want him to stay in the competition. Guys vocally are better this week, but performances are just good. It did showcase his range and talent which is very good.

Nick – I like his raspy voice. Not sure I am down with the corny song. I definitely liked the arrangement. I look forward when he really does a soft, heart felt song. He kind of reminded me of Ace Young from a previous season the way he did it. Absolutely agree with Simon, there is a light in him that is missing, call it charisma, but he had it in his photos, he needs it on stage.

Blake – Perfect song for him! Kept his hip hop style and showed his voice as well. Loving Blake. He is struggling with the higher notes, not sure he is breathing correctly. Seems out of breath. But entertaining performance. Not on the right note or pitch or key in the end, but he was cute so we will forgive him. Simon is very correct. People hate him but he is ABSOLUTELY right.

Brandon – Again, I like the texture of his voice. Interesting song choice. I like the band and their arrangements tonight. I think the song will be forgotten an hour after the show is over. Broken record, Simon is right, but cold blooded. That was wrong. But he was right. Stop going off topic to cover the fact that the performance was not that great.

Chris Richardson - He is a carbon copy, yet less talented, Justin Timberlake. He is going to suffer if he makes it to theme night. Everything sounds the same. With all that said, he did do a good pop performance. It was modern, it was up tempo. I think I am getting old because I wasn’t into it. But that’s my old age. I listened to it again and I did like it better hearing it a second time. Still not my cup of tea.

Sundance Head – Definitely better this week. He’s staying guys. I am still shaky with him, agree with Simon. There is more in him still waiting to come out. He has to bring it again next week to get me to dial his number.

Okay watching the replays of the guys at the end of the show, AJ was better than I thought. Sunjaya definitely, other guy is either Jared, Nick or Brandon. I like Brandon’s voice better than Jared’s. I like Nick, but his performance was on the weaker side compared to some of the other guys. We shall see. Tomorrow-the girls!

AI The Result Show

Please y’all vote (to be said in the voice of Britney Spears). Keep the good people in.

The group song was corny as usual. I like when they get smaller and it really showcases their individual voices.

Chris, obviously reading all he negative posts about him, is apologizing his butt off. You better!

I liked the way they got rid of the people this way. I hate, hate, hate the trick eliminations. One change, the bottom 2 should sing and then be eliminated. Why the hell would I want to sing as I am going home? If they have to sing, they should be able to choose their exit song. So everyone picks a song just in case.

Paul gone. It was obvious when he sung. Then Amy. I liked her, but Simon was right.

Everyone is celebrating after they make it past the first cut. Not sure what they are celebrating for, they are still in jeopardy.

Nicole leaving the second time. I thought it should have been Antoinella. She needs to thank you lucky stars. Um, where was Lakisha going?!? You made it baby. They join in at the end. I hated the way Nicole sang this song!!! She can sing but it was a really bad karaoke of the original song.

I liked Rudy. And for once, I was glad that Paula is too sappy. Simon needs not to kick people when they are down. But Ryan is an idiot to think that Simon was going to say something encouraging. He believed in them enough to make let them make the cut to the Top 24. That is where it ends. Gotta stand on your talent.

Even though I am sad the people are going home, they were not Idols and would have left eventually. So ready to move on and hopefully a better week for the guys! C-ya.

AI - Top 12 - The Girls

Okay girls, you gotta bring it! Once and for all, I HATE RYAN SEACREST!!!! He just keeps pushing it.

Stephanie Edwards - First note the girls are already better than the boys. She did more of the Prince version of that song than the Alicia Keyes version, which is slower. It was a little too slow. She was doing the emotional moves but she was still holding back. I want to see more, it’s in there. Very similar to Latoya London, good, but reserved.

Amy Krebs – I like her voice. Song was very safe. Not memorable. She just sung and looked at the camera. Maybe nerves, not sure.

Leslie Hunt – I was worried about her. She’s got stop being so silly, it’s distracting. Background singers are out singing her. The song is a very soulful song and you can’t sing it vanilla. I liked her audition tapes a lot better. Simon was absolutely right! (see my comment above.)

Sabrina Sloan – She is a nasal singer which is weird because they are always accusing singers of it. But she did sing the hell of that song and it seemed effortless. She needs a little more stage presence. She was getting there towards the end. Her mother had it shaking her head to the beat. She did great.

Antonella Barba - Marissa, where are you? She should have learned more from the boys besides being nervous. Forgettable performance. Even her family was talking during the performance.

Jordan Sparks - Not bad. I would have liked to hear her sing a song instead of sing lyrics. I am not the biggest fan of this song. And when she kind of like called her shot, and then really didn’t bring it? She is good, liked her voice, but cannot save a song with hitting a high note at the end.

Nicole Tranquillo - Oh my gosh!!!! My ears are bleeding. She is doing like a caricature of black people singing a song. What the hell are people cheering for?!? She was all over the place! I do believe in her talent, but not that song.

Haley Scarnato – It was just ok.

Melinda Doolittle – I wasn’t thrilled with the song. But she sang it really, really well. She is going to be a star with or without the show. What she has that they all can learn from is stage presence. She feels every key, every note, and every song. She is so completely infectious. Background singer my ass!

Alaina Alexander – Hard song to sing pop. I liked when she sang it breathy. I liked the performance. I think it was good and she looked great. I don’t agree with the judges on this one. Not all of them are going to knock it clear out of the park. Some will land in the outfield and that was where she was, definitely not an out.

Gina Glocksen – This is a tough song. It doesn’t pick up until the end. She sang it vocally well and I think enough to stay. I think she can showcase herself better with another song. I don’t like her in ballads.

Lakisha Jones - Big girl, big song. Y’all see Dreamgirls? She hit it better then Jennifer Hudson, more like the original sista girl Jennifer Holliday (I will send you a slang decorder ring later). The arrangement was terrible because it’s a really long song so they chopped it up but she sang it. If you know the original, you know what I mean. If allowed to sing it in its original form, she would have really knocked it out of the park. And the audience was silent as they waited for it.

Well, the next American Idol will definitely be a girl. The 3 powerhouses Sabrina, Melinda and Lakisha. The lows Antoinella and Leslie. And Leslie more for the song and performance, I think she can sing. I think all the girls can and they will be voted off by song choice. Haley and Amy are also on the ropes, can you even remember who they are?!? We shall see. Gotta go vote! C-ya tomorrow.

AI - Top 12 - The Guys

2 hours!!!! They are going to milk this with a lot of useless banter. This is when the hate for Ryan Seacrest really begins to grow! All his lame jokes, snide comments and preening at the camera. I will try to stay strong.

Rudy Cardenas- Song fit his voice. I just hated it. But based only on vocals, it was ok. Not the future American Idol, show filler. But I like him and he should stay another week. I DON’T like the Simon bashing from the start.

Brandon Rogers - This was the first time I saw him as a cutie pie. But the song was not good. It didn’t fit. He is not a falsetto. He was hitting wrong notes like a prize fighter. They are reinforcing the image of AI being just karaoke! He should get the votes to try again next week.

Sundance Head – Sundance! This is an insult to Tommy who was sent home instead of him. It was boring, boring, boring. Sympathy clap in there somewhere. I will accept an alternative song, but it has to be done well. If he gets another change, its because of the beard. Even Paula gave him a negative review.

Paul Kim – Music was louder than him. Again karaoke. The boys so far are not doing so well. His parents even seemed bored. That note was baaaaad. You don’t have to encourage people to clap and get into it, they will automatically if they are good. I agree, the bare feet is a little gimmicky.

Chris Richardson – I like him. But he has to work on his stage presence. The hip hop bounce doesn’t fit into everything. It was distracting. He could have picked a better song. He started to get into it, but then it ended. Maybe it was a little of the arrangement as well. Definitely better than the others. It wasn’t THAT bad. Is that the best we can say about a future idol?

Nick Pedro – I liked him last year. Safe song. It was ok. Enough for him to stay. I think he is a good guy and that will take him far.

Blake Lewis – Please don’t beat box anymore. You don’t need it. He is really good. Even with the clapping messing up the rhythm. He started to get a little nervous towards the end. I liked it that he can do both contemporary and hip hop.

Sanjaya Malakar – Mr. Grins. He’s sister is trying to sabotage him with that song. That song could not have been slower. He needs practice singing with a band. He could have really did well with that song if he hand some humpf! Not sure he has it, but if he gets through, he better find it.

Chris Sligh – HE IS THE NEXT IDOL!!!! Stage presence, voice, humor, energy. Took a risk with that song. I agree with Randy about speed being off and he seemed to be almost out of breath. I also agree with Simon that vocally he is not the absolute best, but I definitely think he can grow in this competition. Low blows everywhere. Again, I don’t like the talking back to Simon. Take his criticism and move on. The more you harp on it and challenge him the lower he goes and longer it takes. I agree with Simon, Ryan always makes it uncomfortable! I hate him. And he is really pushing it. And the comment about the Teletubbies, proves that Simon knows how to make a lot of money! No matter what he is hawking. Chris’ lack of humility kind lowered my opinion of him.

Jared Cotter – He seemed a little nasal to me. Really illustrates how good the original artists are. He was off key throughout the song. Would have done better to doing an R. Kelly song.

AJ Tabaldo – Good performance. Dated, but good vocally. I didn’t think I liked him. But I do. Great energy.

Phil Stacey – What the hell is he singing?!? Bad song choice. A song only a mother can love. Picking up. He can do a lot better if he had a better song. He started to sound a little like Michael Bolton towards the end.

The judges and are agreeing left and right. They need to do better at song choice, more current songs, more energy and stay calm. So the top guys were Chris, AJ, Blake, Phil (chorus saved him) and the bottom were Sundance, Sanjaya, Paul. Everyone else was somewhere in the middle. I will be voting for Brandon, Nick, Jared and Sanjaya. It think they definitely can do better and deserve to do better tomorrow. The girls better come with it tomorrow. C-ya!

Hollywood Week - Ep 9

Okay people.

There was so much going on this week that I only have one update. But I will combine it in this email. I was so happy that Hollywood week was finally here. This really was the “make or break” week.

Let me just some up the highlights. Hate the blonde BFF. I liked the brunette.

Sundance was LUCKY to get through. He forgot his lines and did poorly in group (how about that other girl in the group going on to perform with Justin Timberlake at the Grammys!)

So very, very glad that Shakira got the boot. She was good and imitating a real singer and nothing else. Buh-bye.

GI Jane and Female Rocky was sad, but obvious. I was surprised that the Fidel Castro look-alike blew it. Poor Matthew and his issues. “My mother has never told me she loves me.” Save it for therapy, dude. AI is NOT the place to get your self esteem. America would have chewed him up and spit him out.

Finally, the group doing “How Deep is Your Love”. It was off the hook! Loved it it it it!

On to the Final 24 night:

Sanjaya – Group process was bad. But I really liked his audition. I like him. He is not the best

Anna Kerns – Giraffe, she was okay. “I know I don’t sing the best.” Well then why be on the show?!? Looking for the best.

I liked Bernard Williams, didn’t make it. Tammy – Carly Simon type, didn’t make it. I think those were mistakes.

Melinda Doolittle – Background singer. I love her!!! Simon, really loves her. I hope she goes far.

Who the heck is Haley? Well, she made it through.

Bill Stacey – Dad that missed kid’s birth - piercing blue eyes, glad he made it.

Chris Sligh – Everyone on Earth loves this dude. Humor goes a long, long way!

Gina (hairstylist from last year) – made it.

Beat Box – never heard him actually sing? Hope he’s good.

Rudy – I liked him too. He will be voted off early though. I think there are a lot better.

Paul Kim – He was okay. He will have to work harder to win me over. Something besides bare feet.

Jordan Sparks – I like her. Hope she doesn’t blow it, like Lisa Tucker from last year.

AJ – again, just okay. Stephanie too. Who is she?? Leslie?!?(The blonde) Are they letting the crack whore, er, Paula let the people through!

Nicholas – Glad he made it again since he quit last year.

Ailana – cry baby – liked her spirit and willingness to work hard.

Chris Richardson – Too much like Justin Timberlake.

Sabrina Sloan – I thought she would be a nasal singer but she sounded good.

Lakisha – is good, she is like Jennifer Hudson. She got that Southern, gospel sound in her. Liked her Hollywood week performance.

Marisa or Antoinella final 2! Marisa looks a lot like Kate from the tv show LOST. So I like her instantly. Go Kate! And she was better than Antoinella during Hollywood week. Antoinella wins. Wow. Well I am glad at least because now Antoinella can make her blond BFF watch her on tv.

Tommy and Sundance the final 2! Hate Tommy’s attitude. But he was good. I am glad that Sundance made it, but they shouldn’t have been pitted against one another. They both should have made it. Tommy was better than AJ. Oh well.

So get your dialing fingers ready. Next week, we vote! C-ya!

Auditions - Ep 8

The final audition show. I am so ready for Hollywood. But until then, one more time!

(Special note to J.H. – Taylor Hicks! That bugged the heck out of me.)

Tami – was different. I was stuck on the lip ring. But I liked her style.

Paul Kim - Hmmmm. Paula for once said it all. Heck yeah! Very sexy.

Bo’s a ccapella performance still gives me chills! He should have one based on that performance alone! But Carrie Underwood was a force to wreckin’ with.

The roller girls-Sista girl was on point! Ebony was like a young Whitney Houston.
Are you all friends? Were.
As for Ashley, if my daughter looks like that at 17, I will lock her butt up. And Simon going, “Pewt, pewt”, as the claws were coming out, I was on the floor.

Foreign language contestants always have a hard time. Remember Anthony Federov (Trach Boy) and that Leah LaBelle (Bulgarian immigrant)? It seems this season a couple of Latin/Spain folks. We shall see how that works out.

Lakisha-Was good. I thought it was going to be a sad one. She reminds me of Jennifer Hudson.

I think that is all for tonight. So until next week! C-ya!

Auditions - Ep 7

We have finally come to the end of the auditions, yippee!! This was getting old fast. But we are almost there to the voting. So, on with the show!

Haley – Wedding singer. Was okay, I couldn’t feel her personality. Vocally it was good.

Jasmine - Why would her mom send her like that? Terrible. Bad attitude. That’s the industry Baby!!! Grow up and hit the books. Yeah, Simon, go back to British.

Bailie Brown – Her voice is young. But good. But not another country singer! Pretty piercing eyes though.

William - I’m going to talk trash as I leave but that’s just for the camera! That was so funny. I think he was dead on. People get caught up in being embarrassed so they yell at the camera and truly make fools of themselves.

Cousin was good. Not right for the competition in the long run. He had a good soul. But it was a GREAT audition and I think he deserved another chance! Thank you Simon! His audition, singing from the heart, getting another chance, polite and thankful, getting another shot to sing another song and make it to Hollywood. THAT is what this show is all about!

Ashlyn – I totally agree with them. Totally and completely. She is a rare find. But those facial expressions have to go. Kind of why I can’t stand Celine Dion. She never just sings. Kind of sings like she is hearing impaired. Not in a mean way at all! Just the over annunciation. I hope she takes what they said and really works on it.

I’m going to Hollywood. So! Loved it. Now that is the South for you!

Tomorrow’s show is the best of the auditions. Hope they mean good! I really want to see some good contenders this year. Until tomorrow y’all!