American Idol 4/15

[heyang]

American Idol 4/15

Billy Joel songs:

blonde Kim sang It's Still Rock'n'Roll to Me. It was ok. Some pitch issues, as usual.

Ruben sang Just the way You Are. It was good. What makes Ruben good is that you can tell that he's enjoying himself - just having a good time. Simon was right that Ruben needs to try something a little different. Still in the top 3.

big Kim sant NY State of Mind. Excellent job. Definitely her best performance so far. Nice look and added variations to song to make it her own.

Carmen sang So It Goes. Ugh!. Pitch problems. Heard Dolly Parton gargling. Hated the outfit. Please let her be voted off tommorrow.

Josh sang Piano Man. Ok. Agreed with Simon - he doesn't generate excitement. Paula said 'you're a real gentleman' - what does that have to do with his performance?

Trenyce sang Baby Grand. Didn't hear the beautiful melody of the song while she sang. Pitch problems. Randy said she tried to hard and I agree. She was trying to be sultry and sexy instead of singing the song.

Clay sant Tell Her About It. I was beginning to worry that he was going to sing it as a pure ballad and then he kicked up the tempo. I'm glad Simon commented on the facial contortions - they were really starting to bug me. Very good performance - a little different.

My bottom 3 Carmen, Trenyce and blonde Kim. Again, Carmen should go.

Smokey Robinson Too nice to be a judge.

 

[KwanFan1212]

Re: American Idol 4/15

Wow, I have to say that I think Billy Joel night is my fave one so far!!

I enjoyed just about everyone tonight. Most of them chose songs really well this week. The best one tonight for me was Clay though. He was SOOOO good! He sang something up tempo ("Tell Her About It"), he looked like he had fun, and he was the perfect person to end the show on tonight! I am SOOOO happy for him. I voted about ten times for him tonight. Simon's comment was SO werid but all it did was make me laugh! LOL :lol: I also enjoyed Josh a lot tonight. "Piano Man" was the perfect song for him and I thought he did a wonderful job. He also got about ten votes from me. I think Kim L chose a great song too tonight as well as Kim C who I enjoyed again for the first time in weeks. Ruben was okay but I am SO glad Simon finally said what I started thinking late last week, that all his songs are sounding the same now. If he had to say that to Clay last week, then I am glad he finally said it to Ruben this week too. I like Ruben a lot but he needs to do something different for next week. Trenyce didn't do too much for me although she was all right, and I am SOOO sorry to say this but Carmen was not good at all. I really don't want to see her go (she is a sweet girl) but it is SO time now. She didn't even look like she was into the song at all. And that song choice wasn't the best for her either IMO. If Josh, Kim C, or Kim L get voted off tomorrow night, I am going to be really unhappy because they did really great this week and don't deserve that at all.

Overall though, it was a great show. I enjoyed Smokey as the guest judge because, for one, he is a fan of the show so he knows the kids, and two, he was critical but also praised when it warrented it. And Paula and Simon continue to entertain as usual....LOL

 

[RealtorGal]

Re: American Idol 4/15

<span style="color:blue;font-family:helvetica;font-size:small;">What a great idea to sing Billy Joel songs!

Kimberly Caldwell has no range whatsoever--honestly, how she made it this far amazes me. She isn't thinking about her song; she's thinking "Gosh, I look HOT!" She has GOT to go. :x

Ruben: My husband has FINALLY joined us in watching this show and he commented on his similarity to Barry White (which is exactly what I think every time Ruben sings). He did not personalize this song in any way--it was more like "I've gotta smile and do my teddy bear thing". Also, he has pitch problems.

Kimberley Lockwood was FANTASTIC. She let it rip tonight, sang with depth, originality, confidence and passion. Best of the night award to her.

Carmen: Okay, if she doesn't get voted off tomorrow, then I just know this show is fixed. Everything was so WRONG: the song, her hair, the outfit (what the hell was that thing she was wearing???), her voice especially--I mean, she could not have been more off pitch, and it was obvious she didn't understand what she was singing about. Again, people, THINK ABOUT THE WORDS! (Oh, but I did feel sorry for her because she suddenly developed a MAJOR case of acne or some kind of break out all over her face, which they were unable to cover up.)

Josh: Totally agreed with Simon - he's just not exciting, there is no "it" factor. Lots of pitch problems in the lower register.

Trenyce: Very good job (some pitch problems). She is really the only one who consistently takes risks by singing songs with wide ranges. She is everything Kim C. is NOT.

Clay: Very good job, and I agree about the facials. I really do HATE any fake ... well, ANYTHING! Fake facial expressions are a particular pet peeve of mine. If people would have REAL thoughts going on while they sing instead of worrying about what they look like and how they sound, they would actually look and sound a whole lot better!

Bottom three: CARMEN, KIM C., JOSH (with Ruben a close 4th)

Smokey Robinson: What a sweetheart!

*******************************************

Okay, people, again, look to the LYRICS! I can always tell if someone is paying attention to WHAT they're singing. One thing I like to hear is people doing what I call "word painting": doing something with the voice to individual words that vocally "describes" the word. For example, if you sing the word "softly," you could caress that word. If you sang the word "cry," we should hear that in your voice. That adds originality. Also, if you sing a word or a phrase twice in a row, they must be sung differently. HOWEVER, you don't just say "Oh, I'll sing this line loud and this line soft"--you have to have a REASON for doing that. In other words, your THOUGHTS would be different, which would give real, honest EMOTION behind what you were singing.

Just one former voice teacher Gal's opinion.</span>

 

[Sally1214]

Re: American Idol 4/15

Once again, songs by one artist for EVERYONE ... NOT my favorite show format, but anyway .......

Kim C. - VERY pretty. Great dresser and works the stage extremely well. Eye candy for the male viewers. NOT a great singer. It was better than last week (which was probably rock bottom for Kim), but it wasn't what I would call "good."

Ruben - Not his best vocal performance; but, even on a less than stellar day, Ruben still sings VERY well. I agree with Smokey R. that Ruben has the "it" factor. But, the criticism about lack of diversity was well founded. Next week, I hope Ruben does a more up-tempo song - I'm sure he could blow your socks off singing just about anything he tried. So, go for it, Ruuuuuben!

Kim L. - I thought this was her best performance of the competition so far. I really liked her voice, rendition of the song and LOVED her look. If she is in the bottom 3 AGAIN tomorrow night, I'm NOT going to be happy. There's NO WAY she deserves it this week.

Carmen - Oh, she just needs to go SO BADLY! If she doesn't go this week, I'm going to be seriously thinking that this show is *rigged.*

Josh - Piano Man is one of my favorite Billy Joel songs and I just expected MORE from the person who sang it. I'm so tired of him making EVERY song sound *country.* And, speaking of facial expressions, Josh squints his eyes so much when singing, that, sometimes, it almost looks painful for him. And, what's the big deal about being able to sing one full octave higher? Can't just about everybody do that? Now 2 - 2 1/2 octaves - you're talking "special." Frankly, in the higher range, I thought he sounded like he was yelling. Josh seems like a REALLY nice guy, but it's getting down there now and and I think he should go soon.

Trenyce - I had a hard time deciding whether she should be placed just ahead or just behind Josh. Her song was more vocally demanding and I liked what she did with it. BUT, there were some pitch problems. Besides, I don't really like the song itself that much, so that always makes it more difficult to judge fairly.

Clay - I thought he was easily the best tonight. I was pleased to hear him do an up-tempo song. He badly needed to move out of ballad mode and show some diversity. For some reason, his facial expressions don't bother me, but I agree that he could certainly *work the stage* better than he does. I liked the layered clothes too - the jacket made him look not so thin. Good idea.

Overall ..... a fairly enjoyable show tonight ..... and, CARMEN SHOULD GO!!!
Sally

 

[Kasey]

Re: American Idol 4/15

BILLY JOEL NIGHT! I was in Heaven!! Plus, Smokey Robinson, so my mom could drool as well!

Kim C....I think her time to say goodbye is coming near...I can't get the thought out of my head, "This is the blonde Nikki McKibbon"...UGH!

Ruben...I'm STILL not on the Ruben love-fest bandwagon. I thought this was one of his weaker showings...he doesn't seem to have a lot of range. I was actually kind of glad that Simon semi-criticized him for not challenging himself more.

Kim L...I think it WAS her best performance so far, and "New York State of Mind" is my all-time fave Billy Joel song. She kept it under control and didn't oversing or oversell the song or herself.

Carmen....Good grief, goodbye already!!! Sorry little girl, you're just out of your league.

Josh...I think, other than the country week, THIS was his best performance ever...and I was cringing at the thought of the countrification of Billy Joel...well deserved praise from the judges this week.

Trenyce....I'm now understanding Simon's "Cabaret" comment from last week....she DOES kind of look like she's putting on a lounge act...but man, with a voice like that, who cares?? Still some pitch problems..maybe pushing herself too hard.

Clay, clay, clay!! THE best performance yet, I think, because he DID put himself into another style...I was SOOO hoping he'd do an upbeat song, was thinking "Uptown Girl"...but he did great with "Tell her about it"....what a dang voice!! He'll remain my favorite unless I find out he's a convicted child molester/axe murderer or something!

Hopefully, this week, Bye bye Carmen...maybe Kim C.

Kasey

 

[guinevere]

American Idol 4/15

I agree with Sally - the format of all one songwriter is not my favorite. And I was a little confused by the pairing of Billy Joel (songwriter) and Smokey Robinson (singer/guest judge).

Overall, this was the best episode of the top 12 for me. Why? Because the judges seemed to ALL be commenting on the performance in front of them, and not what they think their favorites can do (or, conversely, slamming good performances by people they don't want there). It seems like they all decided to get down to business, including the singers, and it's about time. I've been wondering why, as this season has admittedly a much more talented Top 10/12, the overall performances were so much better last season. Something's been off, and I hope tonight was an indication of the weeks to come.

<strong>Kim C</strong> "Still Rock n' Roll": there were definitely pitch problems, more noticeable to me than before, but really I thought this was an overly 'clean' performance of a song that should have more guts to it. This <em>should</em> have been a good choice for Kim, but the performance wasn't there. 6 Flags, indeed. And please don't kick your leg to show off your skirt while singing a line about fashion, that's just hokey!

<strong>Ruben</strong> "Just the Way You Are": Ruben continues to impress me as the Master of Song Selection and arrangement. He knows what works for him, and he knows how to sing his choices in a way that highlight his talents. This was actually one of my favorite performances of his - but Simon was right on the money when he said that Ruben needs to move beyond the Barry White thing.

<strong>Kim L</strong> "NY State of Mind": Kimberley continues to impress me as the dark horse candidate - she is quickly becoming my choice to win. I was a little concerned that her rendition would be too subtle for the judges' tastes, and was thrilled when everyone, including Simon, gave her great feedback. Paula hit it on the head when she said that Kimberley came to win tonight.

<strong>Carmen</strong> "So It Goes": <em>and so should she....</em>
Simon finally seems to have grasped that his pet project has failed. Sadly, I thought this was her best performance by far - more control over the lower vibrato, only a handful of gawd-awful notes (although that last sustained one was <em>painful</em>!), but I agree 100% with everything the judges said. Hey Seacrest, what is up with the impassioned plea to her fans to keep her on the show? If she's not gone tomorrow night (and I fear she won't be), this one's on YOU!!!

<strong>Josh</strong> "Piano Man": As soon as he said that was his choice, I wrote down "Brave Man". Not just because of the octave-jumping, but it's possibly the definitive Billy Joel song. For someone on the bubble as he's been, I felt this was Josh's way of saying he's not going down without a fight. That said, I thought he did pretty well. He got almost all of the country twang out of his voice, he did a good job with the notes, and he tried something new (with better results than Disco week). He lost a little steam by the end (when he had to do more shouting to keep the pitch), but I thought it was a good effort.

<strong>Trenyce</strong> "Baby Grand": First of all - the bodice on that dress was HIDEOUS. What to do about Trenyce? She's been all over the map during this competition. She was originally in my top 3, but her inconsistency makes me think she won't (and shouldn't) be the American Idol. Take tonight: She started out very shaky, definitely oversang, as Randy said, but then found the groove and finished nicely, with great range. She does take the most risks in this group; unfortunately they come back to bite her in the butt about half the time.

<strong>Clay</strong> "Tell Her About It": Defintely NOT a Billy Joel song I wanted to hear (at least no one sang "Uptown Girl" ). I too was afraid that he was going to balladize the whole song. When it kicked in, it got better, but I really focused more on Clay's stage mannerisms than the song. They bugged me tonight, even before the judges commented. Personally, I like Clay's look and overall presentation, but tonight something was off.

My rankings tonight:

Kimberley Locke
Ruben
Clay
Trenyce
Josh
Kim C
Carmen

I am guessing that the bottom 3 will be: Carmen, Kim C and Kim L (don't want her there, but people don't seem to respond when she's laying it down each week!)

Carmen, as usual, should be the obvious choice to go. But I'm guessing it will be Kim C. If it's anyone else, it will be a total travesty.

guinevere

 

[Kara Bear]

Re: American Idol 4/15

Hey, for the first time I watched the whole show. So heres my thoughts:

Kim C: this girl bothers me. She seems fake.
Ruben: I didn't see what the fuss is for this guy
Carmen: I felt bad for her
Trenyce: I really really liked her. Although she did have problems, it didn't really matter for me because of the way she performed the song. Its hard to explain but its just the feeling I had.
Clay: best voice out there...but he may need to hit the gym to get the image thing down.

It was a pretty good show, I think I'll be watching again.

 

[realistic51]

My thoughts

I love Billy Joel, but they didn't pick a couple of my favorite songs...darn!

Trenyce: I cannot abide this person's choice of songs. There was a place where she "let go" of the notes trying to be sultry and sexy. I think she has an excellent voice if she would quit trying to sound like everyone else. Otherwise, she just isn't my type.

Josh: While I like "Piano Man", I have to agree that Josh is NOT exciting at all. But he can sing!

Kim C: She just needs to go now. She has pitch problems every week and never picks songs that will do her voice justice.

Carmen: As much as I like this young lady, she also needs to go. That was her worst performance last night.

Clay: I am torn between him and Ruben. I liked his up tempo song. He reminds me of Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle) when he sang because he moves his mouth funny. When you learn to sing like that, it's very difficult to change it.

Kim L: She did an absolutely perfect song for her. Gotta love this woman!!!

Ruben: He could sing anything, stay in the Barry White/Luther Vandross mode and make money from it. I also think Simon and others have quickly forgotten that Ruben HAS stepped out of his comfort zone with "Sweet Home Alabama". Ruben has excellent song choice for his range.

So here's how I see it:

Clay
Ruben
Kimberly L
Josh/Trenyce
Kim C/Carmen


The last 4 are the ones I want to see gone.

 

[crazy4michelle]

Re: My thoughts

I've been really disappointed with the "themes" this season. I just don't feel like these songs are really challenging to the singers. And I really hated tonight. Not a Billy Joel fan at all, so the performances had to be spectacular for me to get excited. Here's my take:

Kim C. - Yuk, yuk, yuk. Everyone says she has good stage presence, but she doesn't do anything but point her arms and do the same dance step. It was better than last week, but still deserving of the bottom 3.

Ruben - Good job, but not his best. Sounded like he got a little dry-mouth at the end - kind of scratchy sounding. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

Kim L. - Her best performance and thats a big deal because I'm not a big fan and I don't like the song. But she could still be bottom 3. She must not have a big enough fan base. Who knows!

Josh - Blah! I agree with the earlier post that he sounded like he was yelling through part of the song. I liked him early on, but when he went "country" I haven't cared for him much.But he's still getting the patriotic vote. So, probably not bottom 3.

Trynece - She oversang the song. I really don't care for her mannerisms when she sings (real drama queen). She could be bottom 3.

Carmen - I'm really feeling bad for her. She's got *something* there, but she is not performing well at all. So many people think she is awful, but I think she's got some talent. Oh well. She should probably go this week.

Clay - I was so impressed that he shook(sp?) things up this week. Really enjoyed his performance. And I don't care about the facial expressions if he's singing on the radio!

Final standings:

Clay
Ruben
Kim L (only behind Ruben because I'm still not sure about her)
Trynece
Josh
Kim C.
Carmen - should go this week.

 

[HamiltonBrowningFan]

Re: My thoughts

Ranked 1-7, 1 being best, 7 being worst...


01. Clay – I loved how the first part was a ballad and then it picked up... it was great... really fun

02. Josh – *sigh* I was one of those that thought he was going to sing Shameless! Darn it he's on to me! :lol: But I LOVED his song... he just totally made it his own. I LOVED IT!

03. Kim L – She started off weak... and I thought she sounded stronger during the Country and Disco themes... but her look tonight was good... good job.

04.Ruben – Poor Ruben His voice just sounded soooooo tired. I think he was also a little surprised that they all said he needed to branch off. Good to know the judges are starting to listen to the fans!

06. Trenyce – all I can say is... at least she didn't slur words this time.

06. Carmen – THE VIBRATO HAS TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It would have sounded okay if she hadn't screwed it up with that stupid goat thing Vibrato is good on soft songs or for a flute solo... but NOT on a pop song

n/a Kim C – I missed the first part... came in on Ruben ... I have it on tape though...

 

[CB1AB2]

Re: My thoughts

I'll make it short===bottom three
===CARMEN===TRENYCE===KIM C.===

CARMEN has to go

cb

 

[sk8cynic]

Re: My thoughts

There is a god, afterall. Ms. Caldwell is gone!! Buh-Byeeeeeee!!!!

 

[heyang]

Re: My thoughts

I really thought Carmen had the worst performance yesterday and the week before - who is voting for this girl?

Smokey said she was nervous - how many weeks have we been at this? She's never been 1st to perform.

I don't care if she gives the performance of her life next week, I refuse to vote for Carmen.

 

[mike79]

Re: My thoughts

My rankings:

Kim L
Clay
Ruben
Trenyce
Josh
Kim C
Carmen

I can't believe Carmen stayed tonight. She can now be officially dubbed the 'Nikki' of this season.

 

[heyang]

Re: My thoughts

Nah - Carmen has to be in the final 3 to be Nikki. Hope that doesn't happen.

 

[Kasey]

Re: American Idol 4/15

YAY, one of the lesser-talents went home.....now, unless Josh or Trenyce has a gosh-awful time next week, it had BETTER be Carmen going! The whole state of Utah must be voting for that girl!

 

[maxell1313]

Re: American Idol 4/15

Nah, I'm like the guy that does the reviews for AI on Television Without Pity...I say we should ALL vote for Carmen. Why? Let's make the recording industry suffer. If they think they can turn goat girl into a superstar, let's see 'em try it! We all know Clay, Ruben, and Trenyce and/or Kimberly Locke will get recording deals, so I say we make whoever demanded Carmen win in the Wild Card round eat their words.

BTW, reading the comments at TWOP are hysterical...
www.televisionwithoutpity.com

 

[realistic51]

American Idol

Thank goodness Kim C is gone! Now next week it should be Carmen or Trenyce or Josh!

However I did think Carmen should have gone instead, but those are my bottom 4 and I'm sticking with them.:rollin:

 

[sk8cynic]

Re: American Idol

I agree that Carmen needs to go this next show. I think the reason she survived another week is that she has a more youthful, wholesome, sweet image, whereas Kim C. comes off as a bit of a fake and a tramp. Kim reminds me of some of those poor beauty pageant kids you see in those documentaries about JonBenet, etc...I may be way off in my theory, but as a mom, I know who I'd rather have my daughter hanging out with.

 

[guinevere]

Oh, for the love of.....

<strong>CARMEN </strong>(and Love & Rockets fans out there?)

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Carmen, as usual, should be the obvious choice to go. But I'm guessing it will be Kim C. If it's anyone else, it will be a total travesty.[/quote]

That's what I said after the show on Tuesday. Sometimes being right is terrible! But I do believe that Carmen will make it to the top 4, maybe even the top 3, because people are voting for her 'wholesome' image (gack), and because they feel sorry for her. I do not think she is this season's Nikki, however - Nikki doesn't have a great voice, but I could have seen her as a pop star, and she had a personality. I think that Carmen with a recording contract would be a fiasco. I do like the thought that Simon deserves it, though, because it's his fault the goat girl is event here....

I'm actually a little bummed that Kim C is gone. She hasn't lived up to her potential at all in the Top 12, and I don't know WHAT Randy and Paula were going on about last night, but I liked Kim C's personality, and thought she was incredibly gracious complimenting the other contestants as she left.

Other notes: The group song was the first time they did not sound good together. It was pretty wretched, actually! And I can't believe that the judges were rushed through their comments, adn Kim C didn't get to sing her song, so that we could hear "Proud to be an American" AGAIN!! I turned off the TV at that point.

guinevere