American Idol Top 12

There was a new opening for American Idol last night and all the past champs were featured, even Taylor Hicks who was almost completely missing from the old credits. The biggest accolades were offered to Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood who were all pictured on the final big screen.

It was fine but I didn’t have a problem with the old opening. The new set, however, was impressive. It’s much larger and the audience is almost right on top of the kids. The Trio of Evil is farther away from the stage behind a mosh pit and the band is up above the stage on a platform.

It was obviously a special night since Simon dressed up for the occasion. He actually wore a white, button-up shirt, open at the top to the point that chest hair was showing. Ryan tried to close up the gap but Simon sent him away.

A new opening and new stage, no matter how impressive, were just window dressing. The REAL excitement last night was the opening of the Lennon/McCartney songbook. I adore the Beatles. I sat through six screenings of “Hard Day’s Night” in a row with my aunt when I was in grade school. So I’ve both been looking forward to this but dreading it at the same time.

I might be a bit harsh on the kids tonight if they mess up a song I love.

Even Paula warned the kids that they had better be careful if they take a chance with one of these classics.

***

1. Syesha sang “Got to Get You Into My Life.”

She put a jazz beat heavy with brass in the song and I loved it. It sounded fresh and young to me. Her voice was a bit weak in places but overall I thought she did a great job.

Randy liked the arrangement (a similar version had been recorded by Earth, Wind and Fire) and thought she got better as the song went on. Paula also mentioned the pitch problems but also felt that she was good from about the midpoint on. Simon thought it was a great choice of song, told her that she was better than last week but looked nervous, something that she needed to get over.

2. Chikezie sang “She’s a Woman.”

I had serious trouble getting past the V-neck, short sleeved, nerd sweater that he wore until the music began. He started the song with an old country music style and kept the twang and added a driving beat after the beginning. I was surprised but I really liked it. I just wish someone would dress this young man.

Randy was really entertained (and so was the audience, still on its feet and cheering) and felt he “smashed it!” Paula said he’d taken the risk and he was going to get the reward. Simon was really surprised that he had to agree with Paula and Randy which brought a hysterically, happy reaction from Chikezie. Simon’s been tough on him.

3. Ramiele sang “In My Life.”

She picked the slow, Judy Collins version which I love but her voice was a little weak in spots. Her biggest problem was having such a slow, uneventful song following the Chikezie explosion. It came across as a bit dull and her voice has never really recovered the strength that I heard in the audition rounds.

Randy called it pretty and pretty boring. Paula thought she looked pretty and the song was pretty safe. Once again she tried to tell her to push herself and stop holding back. Simon was bored to tears from the awful standing on the stairs to the walking in the middle and the dreary song choice. It was forgettable and he expects a lot better from her because she’s better than that.

4. Jason sang “If I Fell.”

It was just Jason and his guitar at the beginning of the song and the band joined quietly in the background soon after. He has this wildly different voice that breaks charmingly on high notes and the girls scream when it happens. Like him or love him, he ain’t goin’ nowhere for awhile! I actually liked it.

Randy liked it but didn’t love it because of some changes in melody. Paula disagreed which freaked me out because I did too. She picked up on the audience reaction to his singing. Simon thought it was a bit “student in a bedroom at midnight.” And that’s bad? He thought it was unique and said he was a big fan, “good enough to stay in this week, not as good as last week.”

5. Carly sang “Come Together.”

I thought she looked really pretty this week in a shiny blue top. I keep expecting the girl tattooed on her right arm to start singing backup though. I thought her version wasn’t much different from the original but I liked it and the audience did as well.

Randy loved her strength, her confidence, and said that it was a stellar performance without one note out of tune. Paula felt she was already watching a star. Simon felt she finally picked the right song and like Chikezie (who finally got a compliment), she was hysterically happy. He said she reminded him of the way Kelly Clarkson popped during her first week in the Top 12.

During the commercial break, Horton Hears a Who characters sang the scariest version of “I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore” that I’ve ever heard. No more. Please.

6. David Cook sang “Eleanor Rigby.”

The hair. Please do something about the hair! Add pointy ears and he’d look like Mr. Spock after an all night bender with Captain Kirk at Star Base 7. As for the song, he put a bit of a rough, rock edge to what I consider one of the saddest songs the Beatles recorded. I liked it and I like him. And the audience liked him. A lot.

Randy thought he started a bit weak but then rocked the chorus. Paula said he’s the dark horse in the competition. Simon thought it was brilliant and said that if this remains a “talent” competition rather than a “popularity” competition he could win.

7. Brooke sang “Let It Be.”

I like Brooke. I may be one of the few people outside of the Trio of Evil who does. She played the piano as she sang. The problem was that it became obvious that she wasn’t going to do anything with the song and I worried that the judges would savage her but I loved it.

Randy didn’t think it was her strongest outing but felt she gave a heartfelt performance without trying to dress it up. Paula thought that she found her niche and that America could feel her heart. Simon thought it was, again, one of the best performances of the night, a brilliant choice of song and it was believable.

8. David Hernandez sang “I Saw Her Standing There.”

This is one of my favorite songs so David had a lot to live up to for me. He tried to turn it into a 50s sock hop song and I hated it from beginning to end. His voice was weak and he was frequently off-key from trying to dance and sing at the same time. I like David. I did NOT like this.

Randy didn’t like it because he tried to do too much with it. Paula loves his voice (and he said he loves her too) but she thought he overdid it as well. Simon said, “No! No! No!” He called it “corny verging on desperate.” He also called it “rabbit in the headlights.”

9. Amanda sang “You Can’t Do That.”

She looked like a zebra with her striped pants and strange hair and it looked like she stopped by a jewelry counter at Kmart and just popped all the long, cheap necklaces draped on one of those impulse counter things and put them all on her neck. Amanda’s another one who a lot of people don’t like. I’m not one of them. I like her and I liked this performance. So did the audience.

Randy said she rocked it out! (That was a compliment I think.) Paula called her a star. Simon didn’t think it was as good as last week and couldn’t understand a lot of what she was singing but having said that he felt she is a breath of fresh air. So I think he liked it…but not as much as last week.

10. Michael sang “Across the Universe.”

I like Michael. He didn’t seem to do much with the song but it was really well done. I was interested in what the Trio of Evil would think.

Randy said that maybe that he did okay but it was a little sleepy. Paula disagreed. She said that it took a lot of confidence to just stand and sing. She thought it was brilliant. Simon agreed with Randy that he should have done something brilliant with the song but he did say it was good and solid.

11. Kristy Lee sang “Eight Days a Week.”

She admitted in her taped piece that she was turning this country. It worked for Chikezie. Would it work for Kristy? NO! It was horrible. It sounded like a hoedown gone horribly wrong.

Randy liked some parts of it but didn’t like her vocals. Paula didn’t like it. And she came right out and said so. Wow! Simon thought it was horrendous. “You sounded like Dolly Parton on helium.”

That’s it for her.

12. David Archuleta sang “We Can Work It Out.”

He forgot his words right out of the gate. In spite of the fact that he’s a former Star Search champ, he seemed nervous and off his game last night. It’s a shame because it was a great version of the song (Stevie Wonder’s arrangement) and he has a great voice. But he blew it.

Randy made sure the kid knew he was a fan but told him that it sounded forced this week. Paula said it wasn’t his week. Simon said that it was a mess. He stumbled over the lyrics, it was his weakest performance so far and he expects better.

He’s lucky that he’s popular.

My opinion? Davids Hernandez & Aruchuleta are very lucky. Kristy Lee Cook will go home.
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/Reality-Bites/American-Idol-12/800035375?rssDate=12345678

some of these guys are so OVERRATED it isn't even funny. I heard that David A's dad is a record label and has been working with AI for 5 years, hummmm makes one wonder huh? Anyway as far as the set, I kind of liked the old one better as well, and I did notice on the last 2 shows before the new set that Taylor was not the only one missing Carrie was as well, I almost fell off my chair, rewound my tape to make sure I wasn't seeing things and no Carrie, it went from Fantasia to Jordin, wonder why huh?