Spoilerish talk ahead! Beware!
Simon nailed it when he was critiquing Jason Castro. I don’t think it was a good idea to do a second Beatles week. I’m not sure what it was, exactly, but something seemed a little off tonight.
“Quintessential”? Oh, Paula. It boggles my mind that Amanda Overmyer made it through the initial tryouts. I guess that’s why I’m sitting here in my recliner and Paula is out there in Hollywood. I agree with Simon: Her “Back in the USSR” was messy, and my mind continues to be boggled week after week after week as she turns in seedy-bar-quality karaoke performances.
Kristy Lee Cook chose “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” based on the title. Which suggests to me that she’d never heard it before. That was the first thing that disturbed me. Then she sang it like the slow jam part of a bad Broadway musical. I do not find her compelling.
Speaking of slow jams, Little David Archuleta’s take on “The Long and Winding Road” would fit right in between “Soul Provider” and “I’m Your Angel” on Adult Contemporary radio. The readers of Television Without Pity believe that the only way Little David is going to lose “American Idol” will be if he’s “successfully captured by Gargamel after all these years” or “carried off in the talons of an owl.” Sadly, they’re probably right. It’s not that Little David doesn’t have a nice voice. It’s just that he’s so young. And I’m old and bitter and shaking my gnarled, withered fist at him, I guess. I just don’t want him to win.
* * * Update! * * *
Once again, someone else has said exactly what I wanted to say:
He’s singing “The Long And Winding Road,” and he doesn’t forget any words and sings it clearly and strongly and wonderfully. But here’s the thing: when Amanda sings, I feel like I’m in a bar; when David Cook sings, I feel like I’m in a club; when Brooke sings, I feel like I’m in an amphitheater; when Jason sings, I feel like I’m in my dealer’s living room; but when David Archuleta sings, I feel like I’m watching a high school talent show. Every time. And it’s a performing arts high school for gifted kids, absolutely. And he’s clearly the best in the talent show, and he’ll totally win and deservedly so. But if you’re asking me to list the places I’d pay to be, I’d rather see Amanda at the bar, David Cook at the club, Brooke at the concert hall, and Jason at my dealer’s house than go to David A.’s talent show.
Thanks, Television Without Pity guy.
First things first. Michael Johns, you looked mighty nice this evening. Swoon. Cute as you are, though, I think you may have underestimated the difficulty of “A Day in the Life.” There were some weak bits, and the tempo changes seemed to allude you. Leading to what Simon called “a complete mess.”
Brooke Whiteis so gosh darn adorable. And I think “Here Comes The Sun” was a great choice for her, vocally. I’d like to hear her do something a little out of the “perfect for her” category some week. She did an OK job with this, but she does seem really uncomfortable when she isn’t behind the piano.
(“Run Fatboy Run” looks like it could be really funny. And I’d like a Reese’s peanut butter egg right about now.)
I don’t generally care for the Frampton mouth guitar thing (voice box! Thanks, Randy!), but David Cook’s “Day Tripper” was excellent. I think maybe I should have picked him instead of Michael as my winner. I haven’t downloaded any performances from iTunes, but two of the three that I’ve considered buying are his.
(Is that a Ben Lee song in a Kohl’s ad? Hm.)
Carly Smithson did “Blackbird,” which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. She does have a big, great voice. I don’t know that it was “cooliosis,” as Randy dubbed it, but it did showcase her voice nicely.
“Michelle” is a gutsy choice for someone who doesn’t speak a word of French. Jason Castro looked a little bored tonight, and I wish he’d get his hair cut. Paula said it sounded a little like a polka, and that makes me laugh.
If you were to ask me to name the remaining contestants on “Idol,” I’d probably forget about Syesha. She hadn’t put in a memorable performance for me before this evening. Her “Yesterday” was very nice, with the exception of one point where she tried to do a little Mariah Carey-style trilly thing. Maybe next week I won’t be surprised when it’s her turn to sing.
“I’ve Just Seen a Face” could sell records for Chikezie. But where would it be? On the R&B charts? The country charts? It was a wacky arrangement, but I liked it. I think I’d buy a Chikezie album. He seems to be having the most fun up there. I usually think Paula is speaking from somewhere on the moon, but she made sense this time. His weird arrangements do a good job of showing his talents.
I was also surprised to hear Ryan announce that Ramiele was closing out the show. I think I thought she was gone already. But nope, she’s still there. And she’s wearing a hat. She sang “I Should Have Known Better.” It started out a little pitchy, dawg, but then she did her thing. Oh, and she dances like Ellen DeGeneres.
Who’s going home? I’d like to see Amanda Overmyer hit the road, but I fear that my Michael Johns might be going home.
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