American Idol May 11/12

I'll just start out by saying that I really can't stand disco music. I think tonight's only redeeming factor was that there was no one singing ABBA. Here's my rankings based only on singing:

Fantasia: First song was amazing, second was very good.

Latoya: Another steady week with zero emotion.

Diana: Not bad but the judges must not be hearing the same thing I am. She misses a lot of notes.

Jasmine: Easily the worst of the night, although I want to see her stick around longer than Diana.

Predictions: Bottom 2 will be Jasmine and Latoya with Jasmine going.

Overall an uneven night, IMO, due more to song choice than to actual vocals, which I thought were for the most part pretty darn good.

FIRST ROUND:

1. Fantasia -- I'm giving her bonus points for taking a song I absolutely HATE and making me actually like it; what she actually did was tone down the shrieking hyperactivity of the original and it worked very well.

2. LaToya -- She gets bonus points as well for digging up an old favorite of mine that I actually forgot all about. Fabulous job, tho a bit overenunciated. (Tho admittedly it might come across like that due to the fact that the original was done by the Bee Gees, who, about 75% of the time, you could never understand a word they were singing).

3. Diana -- She got 10 seconds into it and I was like, Wow, where did THIS come from? I've always liked her and her voice, but tonight, that extra "it" was finally there in spades. And she finally wore something that flattered her, as opposed to those hideous whatevers she's been slapping on lately.

4. Jasmine -- She was getting better every week, until tonight, when she regressed about 5 weeks. Scratchy, very uneven and the fact THAT I TOTALLY HATE THAT SONG did not help matters at all.

SECOND ROUND:

1. Diana -- WOW!!!! Until tonight, I honestly didn't think she had a chance to win this thing, but I could well be wrong. Absolutely fantastic, and well beyond what I would have expected out of a 16-year-old for this song.

2. Fantasia -- This is about the third time they announced she was going to sing something that I thought she'd bomb on, but she came through. She really can sing anything, IMO. However, just because you can sing anything doesn't mean you should try to do it with one of the most annoying songs ever recorded. Very bad choice.

3. LaToya -- I don't care WHAT the judges said, I thought this was her weakest performance ever. Uneven and just not very good. I couldn't believe Simon said it was as good as the original. Ummm, no. If the original was an Olympic Gold Medal, this was like 4th place at Skate America.

4. Jasmine -- I got the feeling that the minute she went out there, she knew she'd (again) picked a completely WRONG song for her to do. I actually felt emberassed for her. Poor girl, if she goes home tomorrow (and she better), it won't be her so much as the bad song choices. Eeeep!!

I was looking forward to tonight because I love disco. I kept thinking about what songs these girls would sing - and I was surprised by some of the choices.

FIRST SONG:

Jasmine, "Everlasting Love" - Not a great choice for her, and the performance didn't help. Watching it again, I think she must be exhausted at this point in the competition. However, I still like her better than Diana.

LaToya, "Love You Inside Out" - A surprising choice, as I don't consider this a disco song, but it is a good BeeGees song from this era. I think she wanted something a little slower than the second song. A very good performance.

Fantasia, "Knock on Wood" - One of my favorites, and she didn't disappoint.

Diana, "This Is It" - Another surprising choice, a lesser-known song originally done by Melba Moore. (I actually have this on vinyl somewhere) I actually liked this performance a lot - and thought she was second only to Fantasia - even though I still don't like Diana.

SECOND SONG:

Jasmine, "It's Raining Men" - Honestly, I don't think it was as bad as the judges said. Still, it wasn't a great performance - but better than the first song. I really felt bad for her. I was wondering what started the tears for her - Simon's comment (not good enough, you're only hope is if all of Hawaii has 5 lines to vote) or Paula's comment (I heard your power in rehearsal).

LaToya, "Don't Leave Me This Way" - Another one of my favorites. IMHO, the best performance of the night.

Fantasia, "Holding Out For a Hero" - WHY???? Another song I don't consider disco. She performed it well, but I started thinking of other songs she could have done.

Diana, "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" - Points for picking a Donna Summer song. I had heard that one person was doing one of her songs, but before Ryan said the song, I really thought she was going to do 'Last Dance'. Honestly, I don't know what all the fuss was about. I thought this was just as bad as Jasmine's first performance.

PREDICTION:
I read somewhere that Diana has actually been one of the top vote getters the past few weeks, so I think that Fantasia and Jasmine will be the bottom 2, with Jasmine going.

Herm (sk8ngnutt)

JonnyCoop said:

And [Diana] finally wore something that flattered her, as opposed to those hideous whatevers she's been slapping on lately.

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I was thinking the same thing. Her dress was pretty, a little bit flouncy and flirty, nice color on her, nice length to the skirt, it didn't cup her stomach, showed off her bosom -- great choice.

I also agree with Herm that a lot of the songs weren't disco.

MM

I only have one thought to add

holy backup singers!

My supervisors and I were discussing the competition last week, and wondering what songs the girls would do. One of them said, "I wonder which one of them is going to do 'It's Raining Men'." I didn't think it would be Jasmine, and while it was better than her first performance, it shouldn't be enough to keep her in the competition. Not even snaps from her Congressman on the floor of the House of Representatives last night should save her.
Rave
(Watching C-Span so you don't have to)

PS - Diana's getting better every week, and while I wasn't crazy about LaToya's first and Fantasia's second performance, they're still fabulous.

I watched the performance twice last night..........so much for constructive criticism.............making Jasmine cry....bad form for the judges............

Anyway, I didn't think Jasmine's performance was bad. I checked out a few east coast reviews and thought, whoah............this is going to be terrible, but it wasn't. I also didn't think Diana's performance was that great, it was good, but not great.

Props to LaToya and Fantasia..........the two most consistent performers in the competition. They make songs you don't like bareable............As for the bottom two, probably Jasmine and Fantasia..........I must say that Jasmine's lines were jammed for two hours last night, I only got through once, so who knows.....42

I felt really bad for Jasmine - you could see she was trying not to cry, but of course as soon as it was clear she was struggling, the camera got all up in her face

Here's what I wonder: Paula said that Jasmine forgot the words, and it caused problems for the rest of the song. I didn't think Jasmine had forgotten the words at any point, and the expression on her face when Paula said it made me think Jasmine didn't think so either! I think that walking in the audience while singing was what made this performance go from typical Jasmine, to Big Bomb (and I did think it was terrible). Jasmine seemed distracted while walking down the stairs, and her voice got much stronger anytime she was standing still. I do agree that it was just the wrong wrong wrong song for her voice, but I would definitely be upset if a judge had told the world that I stunk because I'd forgotten the words if I hadn't!!

My rankings this week:

LaToya (based on both performances - 2nd one was HOT!)
Diana (I'm surprised by this. I hated the first song, thought the 2nd was the best of the night)
Fantasia (First song was great, 2nd song was a serious miscalculation)
Jasmine (poor girl)

AI has been so screwy this season, that I wouldn't be surprised to see LaToya and Fantasia in the bottom 2

guinevere

First of all, I danced in bars all over the country in the late '70s and ANY song can be disco, just as any song today can be dance techno. It all depends on the beat and arrangement. As far as I'm concerned, they all sang disco songs. Thank god no one chose "Disco Duck."

I'm pretty much in agreement with Mike. Last week, I finally said what I'd been wanting to say for a long time, that LaToya seemed like the robot, not Diana. LaToya reminds me of somebody in a beauty pageant and last night when she said, "We're all winners blah, blah" after Seacrest asked her if she was trying to win, I thought, "And I'm for world peace." But I knew she'd say something like that. I feel like she's the kind of person who feels that if she just doesn't make any mistakes, that's perfect. I don't think she gets the concept of risk or of imbuing a song with true emotion.

Last week, I also said that I hoped Simon would say something to her like "Let go, take risks, show us who you really are, your voice is great, but there's no heart in it." Simon didn't quote me (why he doesn't listen to me, I'll never know, lol), but he did say after her first song, "I don't know anything more about you than I did the first week." Good for him. And LaToya was better in her second song. But not by much. I was not impressed except that she made an effort to let go. I have strong memories of dancing like crazy to "Don't Leave Me This Way" and the beginning of the chorus, "Ohhhhhh, BABY!" needs to be absolutely orgasmic. LaToya wasn't even moist. ITA with JohnnyCoop that if the original was the OGM that LaToya's version was 4th place at Skate America. ROFL at that one. High five, JC.

Also, I think LaToya has been coming off as arrogant in that she has this air of, "I'm just going to go out there and sing these songs perfectly and then I'll win." I don't get the feeling she's in the moment of telling the story of the song from deep inside. When Fantasia is on, she is great at doing just that. I liked both of Fantasia's songs, and as for "I Need a Hero" (very big in the gay bars of the '70s--nobody gay on the panel as far as I know, maybe that's why they didn't get it) but I wish she would have sung "I Will Survive." I think she would have been gangbusters with that song. Still, I'm glad the judges didn't gush over her second song. Sometimes Fantasia doesn't find the center of a song and on "I Need a Hero" I felt she was slightly off center. I don't mean "no mistakes." I mean finding HER center of the song so she can do her "'Tasia" thing from the center, if that makes sense. Still, I think she's the best overall performer.

Diana is finally letting go and I'm glad to see and hear it. Although, like Mike, I wasn't hearing what the judges were hearing. I mean, she was bouncing around like a cheerleader and doing the same things she always does, just without as much, "Now I smile, now I look serious, etc." I'm not surprised that she's been the highest vote getter. I hate to say this and I'm going to get my but kicked for it I know, but I think America wants a white girl in the final two. I wish it would be Fantasia and LaToya and think it should be those two, even with my criticisms of LaToya. She's still miles ahead of Diana. Plus, if Fantasia and LaToya are the final two, race would not be a factor.

Poor Jasmine. She held it together through all the judges' saying, "You're dead in the water" and then when all she had to do was stand there for one more minute with Seacrest, she just couldn't hold it together. But actually, it was sweet. It was real and I bet it got her tons of votes. But the girl simply can't stay on key, at least not in performance. A little maturation and some good singing lessons could fix that and she could be very good.

As to who will go, I have no idea anymore. I would say Jasmine based on performance, but as we know, people aren't voting based on performance. The bottom two could be LaToya and Fantasia. I hope America isn't THAT stupid, but it's happened before. I think tonight could be another jaw dropper. Okay, I'll go out on a limb and say LaToya gets voted off.
Rgirl

5-12 VOTE-OFF SHOW

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Here's what I said after last night's show about who might be voted off.

Rgirl said:

As to who will go, I have no idea anymore. I would say Jasmine based on performance, but as we know, people aren't voting based on performance. The bottom two could be LaToya and Fantasia. I hope America isn't THAT stupid, but it's happened before. I think tonight could be another jaw dropper. Okay, I'll go out on a limb and say LaToya gets voted off.
Rgirl

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I guess America is that stupid.

I know I've been critical of LaToya lately but only because I felt she had a spectacular voice but wasn't pushing herself emotionally or taking enough risks. But NO WAY did I think she should be anywhere except in the final two. I'm not shocked or surprised because of what's been going on this whole season, but to me this is proof positive that people are not voting on performance at all but simply popularity--and race. I hate to say it, but I think Elton John was right. Race is at least a factor in terms of who is getting voted off.

What I think is happening is that many of the JPL and John Stevens fans, in general, have continued to vote for the kind of person they like, which is anybody who is not black. Last week I said the final two could be Diana and Jasmine, but I didn't really believe it would be both of them. Now I do.

Good for Paula for saying it right out, "America got it wrong." I just hope Fantasia can hang in there for the final two. And I still think that Diana, while improved, still "mimes" the emotions or substitutes energy for emotion. But this is what we get in this era of America. I can understand Jasmine's tears getting votes for those tears, but to keep her on the show when she's barely hit a clean note all season, that's too much.

Fantasia and LaToya in the bottom two--again. Pathetic.
Rgirl

Now I like both Fantasia and LaToya and admire their singing style, but I like Jasmine and her voice quality. A song doesn't have to be belted out with gusto for me to like the song or the singer. I love Elton John's voice quality and he is by no means a Vic Damone or a Josh Grobin. I don't think "America" likes to be told who the best singer is or who to vote for, and as far as Paula saying "America got it wrong", well she just threw down the gauntlet as far as I am concerned...............42

I don't think "America" likes to be told who the best singer is or who to vote for,

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I totally agree!!!! People have opinions on who they wanna vote for. And this show was created for that. I voted for Jasmine because I wanted to STRIKE BACK at the judges who was puttin' her down yesterday and makin' her cry. I guess it worked!

Well, the only thing I have to say about this week is, I was glad Clay was on & sang!!! I think everything else has been covered...

A travesty. Nothing short of a travesty. I think that Jasmine sings more wrong notes than correct ones and has very minimal stage presence.

I've pretty much lost interest in the show. I can't stand Diana and I am nauseated by Jasmine already. I admit that I have become quite a fan of Fantasia's these past few weeks. She definitely has the "it" factor.

BTW, Diana did well last night because the upbeat disco style suited her so well. That upbeat style is pretty much all she is capable of doing at this point in her career.

Last year, without a doubt, the best singers made it to the top 3. This year, Fantasia is the only one who belongs there.

When will people realize that they are not doing anyone any favors by voting for them because they felt sorry for them. AI has been tortuous this season because of all the bad performances compared too the last 2 AI's. Just my opinion.

Jon Stevens knew that he should've been gone before Jennifer. If anything, that probably put more pressure on hiim to perform and fail. I think he was embarassed towards the end, but he did a great job dealing with it.

Personally, I would've put Jasmine and LaToya as the bottom 2 with Jas going home. Compared to the other 3, she has not sung as well the last few weeks.

Overall, I think Fantasia should wiin and I'd prefer Diana 2nd. LaToya sings well, but I don't feel her personality while she's singing. JMHO.

Also, I think part of Diana's appeal is her improvement. She listens and improves.

This show is number one in the ratings for exactly these reasons. Excitement, suspense, fan support, and interactive voting system, drama, it's got it all, and ALL the contestants are winners because of their exposure to the voting public and also the public that buys CDs and concert tickets. There can only be one winner and the "so called best" doesn't always win. Clay didn't win and he's HUGE, bigger than the winner. LaToya got the exposure she needed and I don't doubt she's headed for the stage or the recording studio. I can't feel sorry for anyone here and at this point, it really doesn't matter (except maybe to the judges) who wins......................42

That was a real shocker! I'm glad LaToya has made it this far musically though. She is a wonderful and powerful vocalist. You know, I could be right about Diana being the Sarah Hughes of AI, whether you like it or not.

This is pissing me off seriously.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T CARE WHAT PAULA SAYS.

If she says I'm deaf, SHE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO SO.

I'm not literally deaf, you know.

But the thing is, I shouldn't be told who to freakin' vote for. I got my opinions.

If I'm one of the many people in America called "stupid" or "deaf" because I didn't vote for the "best".

Fine, go ahead. Sheesh.

But I'm not gonna be told who to vote for.

LaToya shouldn't have gone, though. FantasiashouldhavecuzshenotthenextArethaFranklin *giggles* *ANGEL FACE*

Lotta said:

This is pissing me off seriously.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T CARE WHAT PAULA SAYS.

If she says I'm deaf, SHE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO SO.

I'm not literally deaf, you know.

But the thing is, I shouldn't be told who to freakin' vote for. I got my opinions.

If I'm one of the many people in America called "stupid" or "deaf" because I didn't vote for the "best".

Fine, go ahead. Sheesh.

But I'm not gonna be told who to vote for.

LaToya shouldn't have gone, though. FantasiashouldhavecuzshenotthenextArethaFranklin *giggles* *ANGEL FACE*

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Fantasia has more talent in her baby toe than Diana and Jasmine have combined.