American Idol- March 11th

[Sally1214]

I really enjoyed tonight's show - VERY good talent in this series of American Idol.

The *only* complaint I have is that I don't like it when they have everybody sing songs by the same songwriter. There's just no way that one person is going to write songs that really suit all twelve contestants. I would have preferred songs by various Motown songwriters. Oh well ...

Here's what I thought:

Kimberley Locke: "Heat Wave" She looked really nice tonight but I think she fell victim to the wrong song choice. She was off-pitch several times. She can sing a lot better than that.

Josh - "Baby, I Need Your Lovin" - He did a very good job. I loved it when he dropped to the floor and did those funky pushups after Simon told him he could "lose a few pounds." Oh, Simon, WHY do you have to be RUDE??!!

Charles - "How Sweet It Is" - Looked great and had very good stage presence - really relaxed. I like his voice SO much, but this wasn't his best performance. Good, but not great.

Kimberley Caldwell - "Nowhere To Run" - GOOD, GOOD JOB!! I thought the song really suited her. She had great energy and presentation - I'm happy for her.

Ricky - "One, Two, Three" - Best performance of the competition so far for him. Two thumbs WAY UP! He looked great and it seemed to be the perfect song for him.

Julia - "Where Did Our Love Go" - NOT an exciting performance tonight. She looked VERY nice, but should have kept her mouth shut. It just was NOT the time to tell Simon that "your opinion doesn't matter." Did somebody forget to tell Julia to "can the backtalk??"

Clay - "Can't Help Myself" - W-O-W!!!!!! W-O-W !!!! And, I don't even think Motown is Clay's best music genre and therefore it probably wasn't his BEST performance. But, if this is one of his "poorer" performances, then I can't imagine how FAR behind he's going to leave the competition in the weeks to come. CLAY, YOU ARE A STAR!!!!

Vanessa - "You Keep Me Hanging On" - Not her best performance. She was a little "flat" in parts of that song. Probably just a poor song choice for her. She also can sing BETTER than that.

Corey - "This Old Heart of Mine" - Gosh, he has a unique voice. He DID sing really *high* tonight. VERY good job.

Carmen - "You Can't Hurry Love" - She did better than I thought she was going to. Motown with a touch of "country." LOL She's so cute that she might get through tonight on looks alone, but she was quite "flat" on much of that song.

Trenyce - "Come See About Me" - W-O-W!!!!! W-O-W!!!! The bar has been raised WAY UP!! She's got the look, she's got the voice - STAR QUALITY!!

Ruben - "Baby, I Need Your Lovin" - W-O-W!!!! W-O-W!!!! The THIRD absolutely outstanding performance of the night for me. Can this guy sing, or what!!!!

Right now, I have Clay, Trenyce and Ruben in a virtual tie for first place.

Who do I think will go? Probably Carmen. But, Julis might have blown it with the backtalk. We'll know tomorrow night!
Sally

[mike79]

Here's how I rank them all:

1. Ruben-He's a superstar in the making. Motown was perfect for him.

2. Clay-He proved he can sing an upbeat song and did he ever have the crowd rocking.

3. Trenyce-Another spectacular performance. She will go far in this competition.

4. Kim Caldwell-She had the stage presence and another solid showing.

5. Corey-This guy is so distinct from everyone else and it really helps him. His voice is awesome.

6. Vanessa-Maybe not the best song for her but she has one of the best all around voices in the competition, as well as amazing performing talent.

7. Carmen-The biggest surprise of the night. I really enjoyed her performance even if it was countrified motown. Solidified why she made the finals (as Simon said).

8. Ricky-Good job. I hope he continues to get better. I hope he finds songs that suit his voice like the one tonight.

9. Julia-Technically good but she really needs to learn how to work the stage. No emotion whatsoever, as well as too much swaying back and forth. Bad attitude when Simon referred to not bowing-obviously meant about her cleavage and not the performance.

10. Josh-I know a lot of people like this guy but Motown is not his thing. His whole performance looked forced to me. I'm really getting sick of the whole military thing. I don't care how many pushups you can do-take your criticism and deal with it.

11. Charles-I was hoping for him to do well but it just wasn't in the cards tonight. Everything was wrong, right down to his wardrobe. He's got a great attitude though.

12. Kim Locke-Terrible. Off key the whole song and a bad outfit. Biggest disappointment of the night. Maybe if Somewhere Over the Rainbow was Motown she would have done a little better? Simon was right about the Burger King thing. Those flames had to go.


I'm guessing the three with the fewest voted will be Kim Locke, Charles, and Julia, unless Carmen suffers from not doing well last week(I hope not). I'm afraid Charles will be booted.

[KwanFan1212]

Clay won the night for me. He was awesome and I think he got the biggest audience reaction of the night. He seems to be one of those singers who can really just adapt and deal with whatever style is thrown at him musically and I really think he is going to go far in this competition if not win it outright. He also seems to really have his head on straight. I couldn't believe it when I heard his dad had died last summer (did they mention that when he was on last and I missed it!?) so it was neat to see him doings something and saying how it was neat to see his family happy again. And I was really touched to see how he works with young kids at camp and decided to go into special ed. Wow. That was impressive. He also knows that he can either finish his degree (which he may end up doing anyway just to finish it as he is so close) or maybe have some success singing. Whatever works is okay with him and I like that attitude. Go Clay! And yes, I did vote for him.....twice! (That was all I could get through! LOL)

I also liked Joshua, he has been a fave of mine for a while now although I agree that Motown might not have been his thing. I wonder what would happen if his group does get shipped out. But I don't think Simon had any right to criticize the guys weight when it is obvious the guy is in great shape or he wouldn't be a Marine. :( And I voted for him too. I am not ready to see him leave yet. His daughter is really cute too! :D

Ruben was awesome too. I really enjoyed his performance. That guy is just great! I voted for him also. I did a lot of voting! I waited until almost 11 to vote though which helped as I was able to get through easier. :D

Out of the girls, I was most impressed with Trenyce who had a lot of personality and flair up on stage and with Carmen who really did a spectacular job! Wow. She proved Simon did a good thing by picking her! :D

Overall though, I thought everybody handled things well and there wasn't really anyone bad IMO. I think Simon was reaching for bad things to say at times and playing Devil's Advocate too tonight. Those five I mentioned are the ones that stood out to me though. Funny how I like the guys better this time around rather than the gals! The guys stepped it up a notch this time around. Way to go guys! LOL :D

[guinevere]

Overall thoughts:

-Simon was right, the backstory clips were awful. Not that I don't want to hear about the contestants, but it feels way too soon to hear aaalllll about them. And the cheese factor negated anything I actually wanted to hear/see.

-It was weird having the songwriter there as a "judge". Mr. Dozier was more enthusiastic about certain singers, but didn't say anything negative - and how could he? They probably paid him a mint for the rights. (IMHO I think that's why they like to do one-songwriter shows; easier to approach 1 person to clear 12 songs than 12 different people). I thought this collection of songs was much better than last season's Burt Bacharach show.

-With the exception of 1 singer from each group, I would have been happy to have only seen the second 6 perform.

My rankings based on tonight:

Clay/Ruben/Trenyce: They are also tied for 1st with me right now. All 3 of them sang very well, but they each had a command of the stage and a confidence (not cockiness) that separated them from the rest. If this is not our final 3, I will be shocked.

Vanessa/Kimberly Caldwell: I was surprised about some of the judges' comments - I thought Vanessa sang GREAT, lots of passion and I watched her twice and really didn't think there were pitch problems. I would have put her in with the top 3 except she doesn't quite have the same command. Kimberly C did better than I've ever seen/heard her so far. I was glad she seems to have shaken her nerves or whatever. (ps did anyone else notice that Kim C seems to have lost weight? Her face looked much thinner tonight)

Joshua/Rickey/Kimberley Locke: 2 people I expected to sound much better, and 1 person I was glad to hear do really well! Josh sounded like a boy band singer to me, and the push up stunt TOTALLY turned me off to him. Rickey did great! I agree with the judges that his song was perfect for his voice. Kim L was the biggest disappointment of the night. I don't think she did that horribly, but I had very high expectations.

Corey/Julia/Charles/Carmen: Julia sounded good (but soulless); no stage presence and her fight with Simon was idiotic. Charles sounded ok to me, but got a little lost in the song, and just doesn't stand out much amid such large personalities. Corey is in no danger of being booted at this point due to the swoon factor, but I didn't care for this performance at all. He was faster than the music, then he fell behind, then he went too fast again. I am really surprised that Simon digs him so much. Carmen: Better than last week, but still far outsang by every single person on this stage. Went way sharp several times. I REALLY don't understand Simon's love for her as a singer.

Who I think should go: Carmen
Who I think will go: Charles
Outside shot: If no one remembers how Kimberley L's voice from week 2, she might go - but I hope not.

guinevere

[mathman444]

Overall I was disappointed in this show. I thought that Simon's comment: "That was Motown, the musical," applied to almost all of the performances.

But it wasn't the singers' fault. What was that weak Karaoke background all about? Where was the drummer? Where was the pulse? Where was the drive, the backbeat, the mojo?

The people who did well (the consensus seems to be Reuben, Clay and Trenyse) were the best, IMHO, precisely becaues they <em>didn't</em> try to capture the Motown sound -- they did their own thing instead, and it worked well.

Prediction for tonight: Charles.

Biggest Lament: Frenchie.

Mathman

PS. Am I the only person outside of Switzerland who thinks yodeling is cool?

[Jules Asner]

1. Corey-my favorite, unique voice, look, and interesting personality.
2. :smokin: Ruben-motown perfect for him,let's see how he does with other genres, great stage presence.

2. :D Clay-wonderful voice, more suited for the stage than pop stardom (not meant as an insult).

3. Trenyce- pretty good, I wasn't as impressed as the judges.

4. :rolleyes: Kim Caldwell-improved, still annoying.

6. Vanessa-great entertainer, nice voice, not a pop-star.

7. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT=":o"> Carmen-hmm I just dont like her. (except for the yodeling, I think its cool too mathman)

8. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/grin.gif ALT=" >D"> Ricky-motown great for him, he sang very well. More of a church singer than a pop star though.

9. :x Julia-tacky style, not that great voice.

10. |I Josh- I'm not feeling him. Boring.

11. :( Charles- not his night - he has a beautiful voice but he was off the mark and did not sing or perform well.

12. Kim Locke-great voice but you wouldn't know it from last night's performance - not her best, bad outfit, overall bad impression.

[mike79]

Hi Mathman

I have to disagree about Frenchie. I don't think she would have done any better then Kim L. Frenchie's voice, although very strong and powerful, doesn't have much range. I saw her on TV the other day trying to sing Whitney Houston and it was completely out of her league. Plus, Kim L. made her look silly when they sang together during the auditions.

Still, I wish she was there over a few of those people (cough-Josh-cough)!

[hrmsk8ngnutt]

I enjoyed last night's show. I'm really looking forward to see how the competition plays out. I do agree with Sally that it should not have been limited to Holland/Dozier/Holland songs. I would really have liked to have heard songs such as 'My Guy' (written by Smokey Robinson), 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine', and 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' (Ashford & Simpson).

Kimberley L. - very disappointing performance, especially the more I think about. At times she sounded really flat. I thought she looked good, though. However, Simon' comment about the flames really wasn't necessary.

Charles - another disappointment. If they could have picked another Motown song, I could picture him singing 'My Girl' or 'Shop Around'.

Carmen and Corey - I'm torn here. On the one hand, I think they performed better than they have before. On the other, I feel they were both trying too hard.

Julia - some people don't like Kimberly C, that's how I feel about Julia. Never liked her from the beginning. She just has this really bad attitude. And what was up with her outfit??? Those boots?!?!?!?

Rickey - like Charles, he's a nice guy. However, I wasn't sold with his performance. The song didn't help. And was it just me, or did he mess up in the beginning?

My favorites last night were Clay and Ruben, followed by Kimberly C, Vanessa, Trenyce, and Josh.

I really want either Julia or Carmen to be eliminated, but I think it will be Charles or Kimberley L.

Herm (sk8ngnutt)

[Lcp88]

CLAY FOR AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!!!!!
He is a STAR, and one of the best voices I've heard.
anywhoo, I was expecting Vanessa to get voted off - she sort of brings that Nikki Mckibbin presence (the red hair, the style, even Simon's weight issue:rolleyes: ), and I think that turned a lot of people off.
GO CLAY!!!!
Laura

[mike79]

This is insane that Vanessa got voted off before Julia, Charles, Kim Locke, Carmen, Josh, and Ricky! She was good last night. Either she was a victim to that joke about reading the teleprompter(making people think she was a b***h) or she didn't get enough votes because people thought she was staying so they didn't bother calling in for her. Whatever the case is she got royally screwed tonight. This is as bad as Tamyra getting booted before Nikki last year. At least Tamyra got a chance to shine. Vanessa didn't even get that much.

There is only one thing to say: NOBODY is safe on this show!

At least Julia showed some class and looked upset for Vanessa. Burger Kim just smirked and ran right back to contestants row without even a care in the world. She acted the same way toward Hadas during week 2. I hope she goes next week. Oh yeah, next week is movie theme week. Maybe she'll sing Over the Rainbow...for the 400th time.

[heyang]

I was surprised that Julia wasn't out. She just didn't seem to move on stage and lacked presence on the stage. While Vanessa didn't have her best performance, at least she had energy.

Blonde Kim impressed me for the 1st time - she really took command. Otherwise, I agree with what everyone else has posted.

[Sally1214]

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Oh yeah, next week is movie theme week. Maybe she'll sing Over the Rainbow...for the 400th time.[/quote]

OH, PLEASE, GOD, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I agree with everyone who says Vanessa getting the boot was just plain WRONG!!! She was WAY better than Julia, IMHO.


I also think the teleprompter thing had a LOT to do with it. That really wasn't fair. Oh sure, Ryan Seacrest explained it all after the commercial break but how many people were either still in the bathroom or not quite finished grabbing a snack from the kitchen and missed the *explanation*? If you DID miss it, Vanessa came off looking like a total b*#@*. TOO BAD.

Oh well .... on to next week we go.

[guinevere]

I am soooo bummed out right now! :( I had Vanessa in my top 4!

I agree with others that the stupid commercial break shmooz with Ryan hurt, plus her passing resemblance to Nikki (hair and funky outfit only; not singing voice). If only Vanessa had chosen blue for her hair!

I'm too irritated about how this week went down to say more.

guinevere

[Jules Asner]

I think Vanessa is probably gone because they had her read a rude comment on the telepromter as a joke -- since most idiots watching didn't realize it was a joke they probably held it against her. When are people going to get a sense of humor?

Demato should have gone home, or Kimberly Locke (her performance on Tuesday wasn't good).

[hrmsk8ngnutt]

I am so bummed that Vanessa was the first to go!!! It should have been Julia.

The teleprompter thing didn't bother me - you're right Jules --people need to get a sense of humor!!!!! I was more annoyed by Julia's attitude and demeanor when the judges were giving their opinions.

I never caught on to Kimberley L's dissing of Hadas but I did notice that when Ryan announced she was safe she just ran back and didn't acknowledge the others in the bottom 3 - that was kind of rude.

If it really is a movie theme last night, I do NOT want to hear Burger Kim (I like that mike79!!) sing 'Over the Rainbow' for the 400th time!!! Also, I am a purist. That means no 'I Will Always Love You' or 'Unchained Melody' or 'Wind Beneath My Wings. Why??? Because these songs WERE NOT WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR THE MOVIE!!!!!! (even though they became really popular in a movie) Only songs written for the movie should be chosen ['One Day I'll Fly Away' from Moulin Rouge, 'Last Dance' from TGIF (then again, that was the kiss of death for Ryan Starr last time), 'How Do I Live' from Con Air, the theme from 'Alfie' or 'Valley of the Dolls', 'Evergreen', etc.) Of course, this is JMOHO.

Oh well.... Vanessa is right - we haven't seen the last of her!!

Herm (sk8ngnutt)