Idol Finals/Top2

Aah, Finals night on Idol…from what I read earlier (Courtesy of USA Today’s Ken Barnes), the evening was somewhat boring…and predictable…loved the shot of Stiller and Mandy Moore….like they REALLY wanted to be there…LOL…both Taylor and Katherine tonight are doing three songs…two(each) from previous performances this season and one new tune…the coin toss….and it’s McPhee up first….”Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”…good start, but predictable..nice to see her not SITTING down and actually moving a little this time…she’s on pitch, like the “play” with the drummers…she did a decent job….Taylor..WHAT? no commercial first? WHAT IS GOING ON….”Soul Patrol” is out so make sure you don’t get a ticket….he’s poised and it’s been amazing watching him “GROW” over the past month and a half…it’s been a lot of fun to watch what “Taylor” has become and it could be the next “Idol”…soulful, solid and a great performance…Taylor wins Round 1 minus the jacket(I agree with Simon on that one)..…Katherine’s next song..”Somewhere Over the Rainbow”..some “de javu”….but she blew the roof off last week…don’t think she can do it again, but we’ll see…she did a better job than last week, and she put some of her personality into it, which I didn’t hear last week…solid….very very solid…(the one thing I’m gonna miss are the “Daddy crying” shots) ..and she even started on the right key!...Taylor up next with his favorite song of the season, “Levon”….Taylor ate part of the first note…sounded like he couldn’t hear the playback from the band….managed to pull it out though…Taylor has always been soulful and solid…Round 2 goes to Kat….loved the Bucky shot…you couldn’t tell what he was thinking AT ALL….not at all…(  
  Next up..Katherine with her debut single…”My Destiny”…her sound is great..and she looks pretty good too..(I’m waiting for the whole, “big over the top bring in the chorus thing”…once again, as Simon would say, “the song was to BIG for you”…and major pitch problems toward the end…she’s trying to compensate and it fell apart…but it was the song and not her, I feel…Taylor up for the final time, “Do I Make You Proud”…ok..Taylor got the better song to sing and SANG it pretty well…Katherine is going to need some voting help…Taylor took the opportunity and made a “Moment” for himself…

  Wrapup: I’m not real sure on this one…could go either way..both are going to end up with record deals, but I can see Kat going further with the title than Taylor if that makes any sense. She seems more mainstream, Taylor will be a great soft rocker, the next Michael McDonald or Bob Seger….My vote…is for Kat…

  Phillips OUT!

Top 3//Clive/Judges/Contestants Choice!

Well, here we are..the Top 3..and with Clive Davis tonight you can guarantee one thing…ballads…and from my prep reading, quite a few of them tonight…Elliott/Kat/Taylor…three tunes each…lets get this party started..Clive’s picks up first…Elliott 1st//”Open Arms” from Journey…didn’t really do much with it…not that impressed, didn’t like the song, rough in spots…Clive and Kat next…”I Believe I Can Fly”from R. Kelly…the vocals should be great on this….she’s hitting her notes, but seems a little nervous, good opener for her…again, the song seemed a tad “big” for her voice…but I agree with Simon, she did create a “moment” for herself. ..Taylor’s first song from Clive…”Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen….a FIRST on Idol…first Bruce tune in all the years of the show. …got the soul for this one…Taylor has won round one convincingly…he’s on his game…Judges choice up second…Elliott returns…”What You Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell…a very soulful tune for Elliott...and a very cool tune…he still seems not loose tonight..his style was great and I agree with Simon….he did pretty good…Kat up next…”Somewhere Over the Rainbow”…starting with NO backup…emotional, and believable, goosebumps…amazing…the BEST of the night….MOMENT!!! Total Moment….it was unbelievable….she was great! She “deserves” to be in the Finals….Randy’s pick for Taylor coming up…”You are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker…perfect for Taylor….getting into the emotion of the song, he did great with that one…a tender moment from Taylor…Kat takes Round 2…(so far Elliott looks like he’s headed home.)
Round 3, Contestants choice…some Ray Charles, “I Believe in My Soul”…hit all the notes, but it not being a well known song for me is going to hurt him…and he can sing…Kat up second…”I Ain’t Got Nothing with the Blues”..should be fun for her range…did a decent job, 5 steps forward, one steps back…I agree with Simon. Taylor up final…”Try a Little Tenderness”….Taylor has control on the stage…boy’s got soul..good way to end the night…as for the Finals….Elliott deflated himself this evening. ..I think the nerves got to him tonight…Taylor and McFever in the finals!  

Idol (Top4), Elvis has left the building (sorry, had to)

Aaah, Elvis night on Idol..not a big fan really, but here goes..the Top 4..Taylor starts the show with a pretty good rendition, and Simon, once again is in “Karaokeland”…he had the moves, not that we wanted to see them, but it was one of his more memorable performances. The rocker Chris is up next…”Suspicious Minds”…I understand the look, and I’m not so sure I like the sunglasses, aah a camera pose as he takes off the glasses…a good use of a prop…vocally I have nothing to say…he’s great!  I even liked the arrangement. Elliott up at 3, another “lovely tender side” song from him…”If I Could Dream”…Elliott is the guy that has those “nuances” in his voice, he sounds pretty good, but I hope he does something a little “more hip” for his second choice tonight. Some rough spots, but I think he did okay. That’s the “Finale” idol tune this year…LOL…Katherine is up at 4…”Hounddog/All Shook Up” dual tunes….this should be unique if nothing else…ooh, did she forget the words I heard a mumble…that’s a BIG BIG no no….eeek….brought it home at the end….judges…yup…that’s what I thought...fun and memorable, which are very important and she had fun…ROUND 2: “Soul Patrol”…”In the Ghetto”…Taylor over the last three weeks has really stepped up his game, more than anyone else. He sounded really good on this tune, one of the better since he’s been on the show…Taylor did a 180…good for him..Chris up again…”A Little Less Conversation”…this should be very unique…playing to the crowd…for me it was like two different songs, the second half was better than the first, but solid “Chris”. There just wasn’t much of his personality in that song. I truly hope Kat pulls something AMAZING or it looks like she’ll be hearing “Daniel Powter”, which is what you don’t want to see or hear on Idol…Elliott up first though..”Trouble”..he’s got some soul and all the guys tonight are on their game. Solid from Elliott..He “deserves” to go through to the next round, amazing tonight…Katherine, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”…aaah, more of Daddy’s tears coming and it may be her final Idol performance…(I’m actually quite sad about that, she’s got a great voice and personality). Great arrangement. Her vocal was solid…seemed like it was over the top, I agree with Simon…again, kudos to the band tonight for the arrangement, they were great, even the singers…it was nice to take a trip back to “Graceland”….who’s headed home…this is where it gets tough, could be any of them really, but Kat had the most challenging night, if she does continue to next week she’ll appreciate it that much more..Elliott and Kat in the bottom two…Kat leaving tonight…(Hope I’m wrong)

Top 5//Birthdate-Top10Billboard

Well, we have reached the two performance per contestant evening on Idol. Plus, each contestant will have two phone numbers, not sure which is more confusing the way this week is going..LOL…First up, songs from the Idol’s birthyear…then songs from the Billboard Top 10 from this week…(yawn)…this seems vaguely familiar to years past…Elliott (’78) with some George Benson, “Broadway”…did alright…for some reason last week to this week I’m not blown away…did well..no happy juice for Cowell tonight right off the bat! Paris up at #2…Prince “Kiss” first. (’88)..man I’m old…working the crowd, and she has always had the voice…she’s one of those, “HOW old is she?” She can perform…Chris up third (’79) Renegade…over the last few weeks, regardless of what I have said, (heard it here first). It’s Chris’s competition to lose…did a nice job on tune number one…Kat at 4…(’84)…Phil Collins, “Against All Odds”…seemed to be a little rough on the beginning, some pitch problems, but she looks great…nice wrap at the end…and we caught Simon saying it was one of her best, and it wasn’t…Taylor…Wild Cherry…HUH?, ok…hide the kids…not exactly sure what you call that, but his legs are moving…he did this first tune to have fun and he is having fun, great personality on that one…ok, clear the slate, minus Taylor’s dancing which I will be having nightmares about later…Second song off the Top 10 Billboard Charts…Elliott, Michael Buble, “Home”…great for his tenor voice…but a boring performance, he didn’t add anything too it, minimal personality…makes me wanna break out the lighter/cell phone light and wave it in the air…LOL….Simon added some humor saying “I Wanna Go Home” may not be the best lyrical choice…Paris, “Be With You”, Mary J. Blige…sounded solid, HUGE risk…it’s like Paris is two different people….amazing…Chris, “I Dare You”…singing with emotion…two solid performances from Chris tonight…Kat with “Katie Turnstall”…solid vocal…had some fun with it and was solid… Taylor with the Beatles, “Something”…ok so he saved face on that one, but will it save him…

  Going home…it’s between Paris and Taylor…