Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Blogging 'American Idol' - It's the 12 Dudes, Dawg


Okay, it's supposed to be the Boys' Night. So, guess what? They're recapping the girls from last night. Okay, I watched the show; it's too late to vote for them. Get on with the male songsters! Sheesh!

Here I sit with keyboard on lap in anticipation. These blog notes are typed as I watch the show and posted to the blog immediately when the show ends, so please forgive any typos or dancing cows.

Finally, Ryan's introducing the guys. And, now the judges. Simon thinks there's potential. Oh, let's watch their journey to Hollywood. @@ <--- my patented eyeroll. Hopefully all will get started after this commercial break. I was very impressed by the gals last night, so my appetite has been whetted to see what the guys bring to the table. Oh, my... this block of commercials is neverending.

Why is there a tire in the table in the Red Room?

Patrick Hall is first up. He chose "Come to my Window" as his song. Darned if I know whose song that was. I'll look it up next commercial break. Hmmm... I do know the song. Melissa Etheridge? He's doing it technically okay, I think. But, it's not doing much for me. He sounds like any so-so boy band singer, nothing spectacular. I liked his last Hollywood audition stuff better. Randy - Not your best, but good. Paula - Stick to what you do best. You're an amazing performance. Simon - You looked uncomfortable. Average performance. I agree with Simon. This song tonight by him wasn't that hot. 1 866 IDOLS 01

David Radford, that cute kiddie crooner, is up next. His song choice is "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen. Dang, he looks like he's crooning to a rock song. He's got kind of an Elvis thing goin' on. I like him. I doubt he'll win it all, but he's a fun performer. Randy thought it was terrible. He panned him! Paula disagrees with Randy. Not her favorite, but he was true to who he is. Simon thought it was a bit of a joke. He thinks the audience at home will like him, but he should take himself more seriously. 1 866 IDOLS 02

[I think poor David looked a bit rattled at the criticism.]

Bucky Covington hits the stage next. His song is "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It sounds like a good choice for him. Ah, he does it well -- it's perfectly suited for his talents! I don't think he's as good as Bo Bice in the genre, but this is a strong performance. Judges? What say you? Randy thinks he sang too hard, pushed too much, but cool. Paula, of course, is nurturing. Simon? "Thousands of bars with someone like Bucky..." The others defend him.
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Ah, commercials. I wonder how much time costs during the show as the ratings have been so high... but, when will they end? If I weren't blogging live, this show would only take an hour zapping the commercials away!

Will Makar, the Peter Brady Lookin' Kid, is heading to the stage. Heehee, he sings "I Want You Back" bu the Jackson Five. Um. Rats. I'm not all that impressed. He's cutsie, for sure. But cute will only keep him in for so long. He'll get the teenybopper vote, but this wasn't a strong performance. Randy is favorable, he was entertained. Paula says he's adorable. She thinks it's Bobby Brady... no, PETER! Simon gives a reality check. He said vocally that it was completely and utterly average. Hey, I agree. 1 866 IDOLS 04

"Where there's a Will, there's a Sway" -- Ryan's line, not mine.

Jose "Sway" Penala goes for "Reasons" by Earth, Wind and Fire. He does the falsetto well. Now, midsong, he had to strain for a few notes. But, I think he may get a good reaction. He's not average, as Simon would put things. Randy -- very happy, congrats! Paula -- Amazing. Simon disagrees. He thinks it was a pimpy third rate copy of Earth, Wind and Fire. 1 866 IDOLS 05

Chris Daughtry performs "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi... cool! Ah, good start. I think it's the strongest performance so far. Now we're talkin'! Judges reaction? Randy -- Really, really good. Great recording voice. Paula -- wowed. Simon -- very good choice of song, for the first time tonight I'm hearing someone with potential. Great recording voice. Work on the charisma! 1 866 IDOLS 06

The youngest contestant, Kevin Covais, is up next. His song is "One Last Cry" by Brian McNight. I'm not sure a ballad is the best follow up to Chris's strong rock performance. A very nice voice. I think he sang it well. Randy -- honestly talented; that was the bomb, man! Paula - you make me beam. (Reckless abandon?) Simon pans him. "Vocally, it was excruciating." I disagree.
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Gedeon McKinney is ready to take the stage. He's going to sing "Shout" - let's see if he can perform. He's doing it well. I could see him on the stage in the 50s doing this. I think this is a very solid performance for him. Randy liked the song choice and likes it all. Paula - A great surprise. (Paula actually captured a bit of my thought about seeing him in the early rock star setting. That's scary. I'm not a Paula!) Simon - It was like watching the line up for the Chippendales. Simon doesn't like his smile, either. Me? I'm pleasantly surprised. Gedeon hasn't been on my favorites list, but he moved up a bit with "Shout."
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Elliott Yamin goes up next. "If You Really Love Me" by Stevie Wonder is his song. He says he gets karaoke requests for it all the time. That will go over big with Simon. He's singing it well enough. It's an okay performance, but will it win the hearts and calls of fan? Quite possibly. Randy loves it. Paula gushes. Simon -- potentially best male vocalist they ever had.
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Bobby Bennett will sing Barry Manilow's "Copacabana." Dang, he's reminding me of a twisted Jackie Gleason/Barry Manilow Nightmare. He's singing it well enough, but he's so darn busy through it all! Randy -- More entertaining than vocal. Paula - Entertainment and great showmanship. Simon -- Pans him. Complete nightmare. Umm, weird that I used the word "nightmare" before Simon did, but not in the same context. 1 866 IDOLS 10

Ace Young sings "Father Figure" by George Michael. Very nice, although I don't really care for the song selection all that much. I think he nailed it, though. Kind of mesmerizing. Randy - worked the room and can really sing! Paula -- monotone gushing with a little helium hello. Simon - Not the best vocal so far, you have the X Factor. He likes the choice of song. The judges seem to think that amongst the guys, Ace has it aced. 1 866 IDOLS 11

Taylor Hicks, the one I find most intriguing, is up next. Ah, he's going to sing "Levon" - a personal favorite of mine from the early Elton John days! A good performance, not as unique as I was expecting from Taylor. Solid enough, though. Randy - Not perfect song choice for him, but he has it goin' on. While Randy and Paula gush, Simon looks very pensive. Simon's up... says he was wrong about Taylor not making the finals. He's interesting. More positive feedback about Taylor than anyone else on the show. Heehee, this guy is a hoot! I love him even if that wasn't my favorite performance. 1 866 IDOLS 12

The voting sarts at 10 PM ET and last for two hours. (Gee, how does that get handled on the West Coast?)

My favorites or ones that I'm sure will make the cut? Chris, Taylor, Ace, David, Kevin, Elliott, Jose.

The cut? William Makar and Bobby Bennett or perhaps Patrick Hall. Maybe Gedeon. I don't know

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Now for me,I didn't like Bucky at all. He sounds like any bar singer in any bar to me,I agreed with Simon on that one. I loved Chris and Taylor and Elliot and Ace was okay too. He has that Constantine thing going,the girls are going to love him. I HATED the Manilow groupie,does anybody but me think even his voice was the pits??? It was weak and had no substance to it and he looked like a second rate act on the strip! And for me,I liked Patrick a whole lot better than either of the "baby boy" vocalists. I still think the girls are much stronger this season. We shall see!!!!!