American Idol 4/29 | Golden Skate

American Idol 4/29

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heyang

Guest
American Idol 4/29

They each had to sing 2 this week: a song from the sixties and then a Neil Sedaka tune.


Ruben : Ain't Too Proud to Beg. Good and different. Can't say Barry White/Luthor Vandross. Good energy and nice smile as always. Breaking Up is Hard to Do. Used a bit more range than usual. I loved what Simon said about Ruben smiling versus serious - it reminds me of my 3 yr old nephew.

Trenyce Proud Mary. Great look for a 60's song. IMO, her best. 1st time she looked like she was enjoying herself. Love Will Keep Us Together. Still some pitch problems. Enjoyed herself again. Another good performance for her.

Joshua Kiss Me Each Morning. Back to country. A few bad notes. Good song for him - ok performance. Bad Blood. Sounded like he was out of breath. Really should be on Nashville Star. Better than the 1st performance. Too country.

Kimberly Heard it Through the Grape Vine. Good energy. Thought she yelled instead of sang parts of it.
Where the Boys Are. A couple of sharp notes. I think she's trying to 'belt' it out too much this week.

Clay Build Me Up Buttercup. Reminded me of Tom Jones tonight instead of Barry Manilow. Good energy. Not standard Broadway, but still 'Time Life Collection of Hits'
Solitaire. Very good. Still too many head movements for my taste, but glad he got rid of the facial exaggerations.

judge Neil Sedaka Another guy that's too nice to be a good judge. So far, Lionel Richie was the best guest judge.

Bottom 3: Joshua, Trenyce, Kimberly. Joshua will be eliminated. FYI - I chose Kim because I thought she had some pitch problems as compared to Clay and Ruben.
 
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RealtorGal

Guest
Re: American Idol 4/29

<span style="color:red;font-family:comic sans ms;font-size:small;">I just can't WAIT to see this show tonight! T minus 1 hr. and 19 mins. and counting!</span> :rollin: 0]
 
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mike79

Guest
Re: American Idol 4/29

Ruben
Song 1: 7
Song 2: 8

Trenyce
Song 1: 9
Song 2: 9

Kim L
Song 1: 7
Song 2: 10

Josh
Song 1: 6
Song 2: 5

Clay
Song 1: 8
Song 2: 7

Overall I think it was Trenyce's night, although Kim's version of Where the Boys Are was her best ever. Josh came off as a baby with his comebacks to Simon, and I was glad when Simon said that Clay could take criticism like an adult, obviously a shot at Josh.

Josh has to go tomorrow. He's just way out of his league when competing against the top 4.
 
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realistic51

Guest
American Idol 4/29

Hey, I like Neil Sedaka's songs!!!

Ruben:
Song #1: I am so glad he did this song. Has to be one of my favorites of all times and he definitely wasn't predictable with it.
#2: I also think this song was great. He changed it into the bluesy jazz that Neil Sedaka did when he remade it.

Clay:
Song #1: I have to agree with Simon. I've never understood this song either, but I loved that Clay sang it. Did an amazing job and it was nice to see him move around.
Song #2: This too was awesome. 'Nuff said!

Kim:
Song #1: She absolutely demolished this song. I love the Marvin Gaye version the best, but I think if I hear this anytime soon I will throw up. She was flat in some areas and sharp in areas.
Song #2: Loved the movie, loved this song. She has too powerful a voice to sing "Where the Boys Are". Connie Francis' voice was less "in your face". But I thought she did okay.

Trenyce:
Song #1: That is the absolute BEST I have ever seen her. This song suited her well and she knew it.
Song #2: I disagreed with the judges totally. This was an awful song for her and I thought she tried to blast it out.

Joshua:
Song #1: Well, never have heard this in a country version before. I kind of like it.
Song #2: "Bad Blood" is one of my all-time favorite Sedaka songs and Josh was horrible. It even looked to me like he forget the words at one point. I don't know who Randy was watching, but it wasn't Josh.

Bottom 3: Kim (because someone has to be 3), Trenyce, Josh.

Order in which I think they will go:
Josh-this week
Trenyce-next
Kim-next

I think it will be between Clay and Ruben with Clay probably winning.
 
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Show 42

Guest
Re: American Idol 4/29

Realistic, I agree. It looks like they're showcasing Clay to win, and rightly so. The others are good, can put a song over, but Clay has pure talent and ability. His voice is amazing. Last year's winner was a female......you know they gotta go with a male this year. Anyway, the best night of singing so far. I taped the program and plan to play it again tomorrow......Bottom three.....Josh, Trenyce, and Kim with Josh getting the ax tomorrow........I think the last two will be one male and one female.......just a feeling I have......42
 
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KwanFan1212

Guest
Re: American Idol 4/29

Wow, tonight's show was SO enjoyable! :cool: I wasn't sure what to expect but man, all those guys came out with great song choices and sang the heck out of the songs too. Great job everyone! :D

Everyone was great but I though Clay was the best. By far, he was just awesome. I don't care if he wins AI or takes over Broadway, I just want to hear him sing all the time. ;) I think Clay is proving Simon wrong in that Simon keeps saying how 'Broadway' Clay's voice is, yet the public is voting for him in spades and I really do think he has the most fans right now. He is the frontrunner IMO. :D Just phenomenal. I was very impressed with Trenyce tonight too and also thought Kim and Ruben did great. Josh did fine too but with the others raising that bar, he just wasn't in the same league. I think he will be the one gone tomorrow too and it pains me to say that because I have been voting for him (along with Clay) since the top twelve started. He will be missed but I think he is going to do just fine in the end. Overall, a really great night! Good job AI.....finally a night with not all ballads!! LOL :D

BTW-I voted for Clay as much as the phone line would let me but it was busy for quite a while. I take that as a very good sign! ;)
 
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RealtorGal

Guest
Re: American Idol 4/29

<span style="color:red;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">There are just not enough superlatives to describe how phenomenal Clay is. Tonight he completely outdid himself. He is distancing himself from the rest of the field more and more each week. He is totally in a league of his own. I just hope his first CD is SINCERE and not some warmed-over pop crap served up on a plate to the masses like that stupid song Kelly sang the other week in her tramp outfit and her just-got-out-of-bed hairdo. In all my years teaching voice I heard so many talented students, but Clay is an amazing and extraordinary talent. Neil Sedaka was kind to everyone but he made it clear in both rounds that Clay was superior.</span>

<span style="color:navy;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">I did not like Randy's comment to Ruben that "you won in my mind". That is unfair and not what is expected of him, especially at this point. I have to ask myself why he is making such comments. Is he trying to influence voters away from Clay? These judges are NOT doing Ruben any favors by their praise because there are SO many things wrong with what he has been doing. First of all, he is SO off key so many times, it's not even funny. His jumps to falsetto are DREADFUL. If he can't do it right, he shouldn't do it at all. Yes, he has a very pleasant voice and a very friendly delivery and demeanor, but it is nothing I'd pay money to hear. It is all one dimensional. Every song is delivered with the exact same smile, the same exact facial expressions--nothing changes at all from week to week, song to song. If the judges would challenge him a bit, he'd be reaching inside himself the way that Clay has, but he won't because he thinks he just needs to keep doing what he's doing and he will win. This is doing him a disservice because I think he probably IS capable of expressing more vulnerability--and variety.</span>
<span style="color:eek:live;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">
Josh sucked. His attitude sucked. Goodbye, Josh.</span>

<span style="color:blue;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">Kimberly did okay, not her best, but her expressiveness is just wonderful. (Someone needs to tell her not to breathe in the middle of words!)</span> :eek:

<span style="color:purple;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">Trenyce did her best performing tonight, but she still doesn't let it all go. She lets the VOICE go, just not herself. Big difference.</span>

<span style="color:teal;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">Again I ask: What are you singing about? What moves you to sing this particular song? What emotions do you experience in the song? Does that change from verse to chorus, line to line? If so, show it.</span>
 
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guinevere

Guest
American Idol 4/29

I agree this was a great night of singing (no bleating!!:lol: ) Having the one-songwriter theme tempered by a genre was a good choice too.

<strong>Ruben</strong>: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - not Barry White, but I felt this was definitely in Ruben's comfort zone - but when it works, it works! "Breakin' Up is Hard to Do" - I have only heard the Everly Brothers version, at first I wasn't sure I liked that Ruben made it an arrangement that fit his natural style, but then decided that he 'made it his own', which showed originality - but someone posted that this is like the Neil Sedaka version? Whatever, I did think it worked very well.

<strong>Trenyce</strong>: "Proud Mary" - it was humorous that Ryan announced this as a CCR song, when it was clear before she even started singing that Trenyce would do the Ike & Tina version. I thought this was a GREAT performance - but a bit too spot on as an imitation. And I have always hated her habit of shouting "C'mon y'all" during her songs {side note - this has been a habit of many singers this season. Ick} "Love Will Keep Us Together" - I thought this was a rough song to follow Ruben's Sedaka interpretation, but she ended so well I didn't care. Interesting: even Sedaka picked up on the 'find your own style' thing.

<strong>Josh</strong>: "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" - watch out with those song titles, buddy! Much better than last week, but he is out of his league. His first sass back at Simon irked me, but then I thought even he knows he doesn't have anything to lose. "Bad Blood" this sounded like a bad '80s pop song. And it did look like he forgot some of the words.

<strong>K.Lo</strong>: "Heard It Through the Grapevine" - I loved this! Loved seeing her get funky. I liked this better than "Where the Boys Are" (which I don't thik suited her that well), but both were very strong. I voted for her a bunch of times.

<strong>Clay</strong>: "Build Me Up" - a perfect song for Clay's voice."Solitaire" - really liked hearing those low notes again. Clay benefitted from the best complementary choices tonight (plus the mood lighting, and Neil Sedaka's amazing comments each time, etc etc)

General Notes from the show:

Neil Sedaka was a fascinating guest judge. Still not the King (Lionel Ritchie!), but he seemed interested in constructive appreciation, if you will. Didn't give any negative comments, but the range in his positive remarks was very clear.

Josh was mentally packing his bags after his 2nd song in the red room, he was the only one behind the couch, also stood behind everyone in the closing credits, and his expression was really resigned from the moment he sat down with Ryan the 2nd time.

Randy told Ruben he already won the competition; Simon told K. Lo she went beyond the bar (as in raising the bar); Paula, well, I didn't write down exactly what she said but she waxed enthusiastic about Clay's brilliance.

My picks: Clay, Kimberley/Ruben, Trenyce, {huge gap}, Josh.

I agree that Kim, Trenyce and Josh will be the bottom 3 and that Josh is history

guinevere
 
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HamiltonBrowningFan

Guest
Re: American Idol 4/29

Clay : Definately the performer of the night. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM gotta love the guy... perfection personified... Broadway is not bad... broadway is awesome... and he went above and beyond it tonight... if only he didn't do the lounge lizard/vegas snap :p

Ruben : Not his best, not his worst(does he have a worst? :lol: ) but he needs to broaden his horizons... just like Clay he needs to prove he can do something other than ballads... he sang his first song wrong. It's stooped in staccato and he went for longer notes... sing it right man!

Kim : Kinda pitchy... still very good

Josh : I liked his first song a lot... don't know what the judges are on. I think Josh and Simon have an understanding which is why he's taking pot shots at him(much like Ryan Seacrest does ;) ) I don't want to see him go... but I don't think my votes helped him stay from being cut :(

Trenyce: over sings and was too Tina Turnerish... I loved the drag queen comment :lol: that was definately an ugly costume :p I don't think Trenyce should have stayed while Caldwell left... but that's just me... if it were my choice Josh would stay and Trenyce would go.
 
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realistic51

Guest
I have to disagree with just a couple of things

Realtorgrl, Ruben did something different. Neil Sedaka remade "Breakin' up is to do" 10 years after the first time it came out. It was a jazzy blues (I said that wrong in my first post). I've only heard Ruben sing off-key on one performance and that's when it sounded like he had a cold. His falsetto is absolutely amazing for an R&B singer in the lines of Luther Vandross (my prayers are with him at this time). There's only SO much range that Ruben has and it will always limit his choice of songs. But to take it to the high side IS a change for him.

HamiltonBrowningFan, there isn't ANY staccato in "Ain't to Proud to Beg". What version did you ever listen to? That is one of my all-time favorite songs. Matter of fact, I sing it with my husband's band at certain times (depends on the audience). Besides, aren't they supposed to make these songs their own? He shouldn't sing it JUST like it's sung because then Simon would tell him it sounded like Karoake.

Just wanted to be a voice of dissension...LOL!!! :rollin:
 
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heyang

Guest
ELIMINATION

What a travesty......Ruben was in the bottom 2 and Josh was NOT eliminated. OK, I admit I didn't vote, but I thought America would be able to figure out that Josh should be out as compared to the other 4. Josh even looked apalled by the announcement.

Simon was particularly disgusted. Even Seacrest said that people need to vote for the best voice and that they are affecting someone's career.

I'm getting tired of all the plugs for Fox shows and sponsor products.

Ok, I'll be voting again next week.
 
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starshinexavier

Guest
Re: ELIMINATION

I am completely dumbfounded after watching the show. All I could think of when Ryan announced the bottom 2 was HUH?! I seriously think there are some heavily drugged people that voted last night. What show were they watching? Well, at least we know who will be voted off next week, even though I think he should've been voted off long before Ricky, Carmen and Kim C. I am in udder disbelief.:eek: :eek: :eek: Did y'all see Josh though? Methinks he thinks he should've been standing where Ruben was.
 
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sk8m8

Guest
A Note to Realtor Girl

Maybe they'll replay the Tonight Show episode where Kelly Clarkston performed that song you mentioned, only with a far more acoustic arrangement. It was lovely and she has a great voice. You mentioned you hoped Clay didn't get some pre-fab commercial crap as a CD, I hope the same for Kelly. Both share a vocal warmth and personality that is way beyond their years. Clay's pipes are as good as anyone out there singing. I think he'll just need to develop some confidence and a style of his own. Oh, by the way, on the Tonight Show, Kelly looked beautiful in her own silky brown hair. I think that girl needs to keep on walkin' if she passes by the hair extentions store.
 
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rgirl181

Guest
Re: ELIMINATION

A couple of weeks ago I wondered if some of the singers at the top might be vulnerable based on the following theory: People vote for their favorites. They figure the top singers are safe so they concentrate on voting for their favorites who are lower down. This is what I think happened to Ruben. I think Josh did so poorly that a lot of people concentrated on voting for him, figuring that Ruben and Clay were safe. Hopefully this will wake people up and remind them that they have to vote for the big guns as well.

Although I thought Trenyce showed real promise last week, I would have had her off next week if not this week. I would have had Josh off this week.

As for Ruben, Clay, and Kim: Kim has been coming on strong lately and Ruben, though I really like the guy, has been sliding a bit, IMO. Clay has made steady improvements. Although I think either Ruben or Clay has the charisma to be THE American Idol, I think Kim could have a good career in singing. I was going to say Clay and Ruben are like apples and oranges, but I think it's more like carrot sticks and oranges. Hard to compare. I like them best actually in some of the group numbers. They seem to let go more.
Rgirl
 
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RealtorGal

Guest
Re: ELIMINATION

<span style="color:navy;font-family:times new roman;font-size:small;">As I said last night, these judges are NOT doing Ruben any favors by constantly telling him how wonderful he is when there are clearly areas in which he can improve significantly. The job of the judges at this segment of the competition is to provide constructive criticism so that the singers can improve. It is NOT their job to compliment a flawed performance to try to sway the American public to vote for or against someone specific. The American public is smart and hears the truth regardless of what Randy, Paula and Simon say. The public will make up its own mind based on what it hears. It would be more appropriate for them to pay a compliment but talk about what can be improved, as they have done with Clay and Kimberley--and see what major improvements have resulted in them! The lovefest the judges have lavished on Ruben has made him think he's perfect, when, in fact, he is not. I'm not sure that he has exactly slid backward (although RealtorGal Jr. says he's gotten worse)--it's just that the others have gotten so much better and he has stood still! I think he has gotten the short end of the stick. When I was teaching singing (and even as a student), the worst comment that could be made was "That's good." That was not useful at all. How can one improve without guidance?

BTW, his movement in and out of the upper register of his voice was MUCH better tonight than last night.

An interesting turn of events has transpired in our house: RealtorGal Jr. has now become a Clay fan and thinks that Ruben (once her absolute fave!) should have gotten the boot! My husband has finally joined in the Tuesday/Wednesday festivities and he is a BIG Trenyce fan and thinks that she should have stayed and Ruben gotten the boot. Frankly, I do think that a lot of people are feeling the same way about Ruben, so it is now up to him to dig deeper and try to raise the bar. If Trenyce is wearing a mask when she sings, so is Ruben. He just does it with a smile plastered on his face.

BTW, I don't think he should have gotten the boot--it should have been Josh and he knows it!</span>
 
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RealtorGal

Guest
WHY THE SHOW IS SO GREAT

<span style="color:purple;font-family:comic sans ms;font-size:small;">I think this show has been amazing in so many ways for the music scene. First of all, look what we've got left: one chubby girl, one enormous guy, a dorky Southerner and a Marine. Incredibly fantastic! Not a Brittney Spears wannabe among them. Not a Christina Aguilera whore-clone among them. No voices hiding behind a boatload of reverb. No hype machine ramming some chicky with bedroom eyes down our throats. Just singing--at its purest. All professionals go through a training period where they're groomed to take on the public. We are having the opportunity to watch that unfold in front of us! How great is that for music?! It's REALLY great!</span> :D
 
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Show 42

Guest
Re: WHY THE SHOW IS SO GREAT

Shock, shock, shock........I am blown away. I never would have picked Trenyce to go this early. Josh must have a lucky star, or he has the whole military operation voting for him...42
 
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realistic51

Guest
AI 4/30

I was stunned! Stunned I tell you! I must have voted 10 times for Ruben and 10 times for Clay since I think those are the ONLY two who should be left standing with Kim a close 3rd.

Josh is getting the sympathy vote IMHO. And he KNEW! He KNEW he lucked out.

Sure the public knows what it hears where Ruben is concerned. That's why he's never been at the bottom. However I think all the drunks were voting. There is NO way IF the public is listening that Josh should still be on AI except out of the extreme sympathy of millions of people. Wow, that's a lot of sympathy.

I think the judges clearly called it last night. Those who are voting FOR Josh (and they didn't say that) should realize that this is about a person's career. It isn't some feel good movie.:rolleyes:
 
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sk8m8

Guest
Re: AI 4/30

...but all us shocked folks need to do is remember last years competition when Tamyra Gray got the axe. Simon said then, "you should all go on notice that if this happens to you ANY OF YOU is vunerable"

I thought for sure it would be Tamyra and Kelly in the finals, but that wasn't the way it worked out. I totally agreee with the poster that noticed "fave" voting instead of voting for talent.

Quite frankly I am surprised, based on the target audience of this show that Justin didn't win last season, but in the end the best talent prevailed.

I think it will most likely come down to Kim and Clay, from there I think it's anyone's guess.
 
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mathman444

Guest
Re: AI 4/30

Speaking of Justin, he was totally lame last night. But wasn't that a great opening ensemble performance?

What if Josh actually wins the competition and Simon is stuck with having to promote his career, while Clay and Ruben sign with Neil Sadaka!

Has anybody been watching Tamayra on Boston Public? She's got a pretty good character, both acting- and singing-wise. Very pretty girl. (Although this show is getting a little ridiculous in some of its story lines.)

RealtorGal, thanks for your analyses on these threads.

Mathman
 
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