"Love Songs" Top 6 Andrea Boccelli

Tonight is an interesting one…”Classic Love Songs” night…Andrea Boccelli along with David Foster…as I said…an interesting evening ahead…Kat up first…(last last week)…”I Have Nothing”…one that Foster wrote…she’s made it her own, little change here and there….judges didn’t like it…0 for 3…I thought she did okay…Elliott up second..Love song  #2…”A Song For You”..performances are a little longer this week now that we are down to six…Foster/Boccelli made the Idols put their own touch on the song, which is good…Elliott did a nice job (to my ear anyway.)..he’s always been pretty strong and he sounds like he knows the song…Paula is in tears over that one…Simon said it was superb….well…so far looks like Kat’s going home….LOL….4 left..Kellie up at #3…”Unchained Melody”…Kellie//WHAT?...UNCH…KEL….this should be good..she has a chance to set herself apart…and Boccelli got her hair color right….(funny)…ok, I’m bored…she’s really pitchy, ugh…she looks comatose singing…not great for her…pulled it through at the end and some of that “Country Picker” came through…ok so Kat has a chance to be saved…would someone please come through and “Blow the roof off the place” tonight…man this is hard to watch….Paris at #4…”The Way We Were”…she picked the right song for her voice, ejected some emotion and for 17, did an amazing job…she set herself apart from Kellie and Kat tonight….Taylor at 5..”Just Once”…great song choice for him…Taylor could take a HUGE step tonight…think he lost track of the lyrics which will kill any performance at this point…didn’t hear or feel it tonight...it was a “copy”of James Ingram…carbon copy vocal…Chris at 6…PLEASE PLEASE don’t be like the other 5….”Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”...a  “rocker” doing a “rocker” song….cause B.A. can ROCK…sounds great, on pitch..best of the night…he raised the bar…the roof is blown…

   OK, homeward bound…hey, the ladies may be saved…Kellie/Kat and Taylor..Taylor headed home…

Idol//Top 7 - Rod Stewart

   Aaah, Have I Told You Lately….that you can’t sing….This Old Heart of Mine, Can’t Take Your Cryin..ok enough from me..The Idols tonight sing the music of Rod Stewart…and a few of them some of the lesser known songs, at least from my perspective…..and my “source” tells me that Simon took his happy juice for the first time this season…should be a great night…The Great American Songbook is open…Up first…Chris Daughtry…”What a Wonderful World”…quite the change of pace…wow…loved the Ozzie reference…it’s good to hear Chris’s actual VOICE as supposed to his “rocker” voice…this is an interesting twist…nice job…not what I would expect…some may say he did a “safe” song, however for him it was the opposite compared to what he has been…he did great tonight…Paris up second tonight…”Foolish Things”…her annunciating is great..she fits nicely into this song…vocally some challenges, but she pulled through…nice job…up third..Mr Giration…Taylor Hicks!...”You Send Me”…Taylor pulling an Ace and playing to the camera…love the arrangement of this tune…we’re getting “true” vocal ranges on the lower end tonight from everyone…nothing “exciting”…Taylor rocked….Elliott coming up…”It Had To Be You”…another guy who should be very much in his element tonight with his voice…it was alright..these songs are sometimes hard to put your “personality” into and I think Elliott was bitten a little by that tonight…vocally he was good…he is very “Harry Connick” like…Kellie coming up next…”Bewitched, Bothered, BeWildered”..well, look out for her…singing “emotional” is something I haven’t seen much from her, but she did it tonight and into the camera…brilliant…some pitchy problems, but she showed some vulnerability and that should be taken into account. Ace is next…”That’s All”…pulling back the hair…a different look, but how about the “sound”…again, it’s nice to hear these guys within their element…he sounded decent…again, his falsetto was great…”Charming performance” from Simon…Katherine closes the show…”Someone To Watch Over Me”…perfect pitch…lots of vulnerability about 85% voice with the arrangement…very little chance for error…she did a great job….great falsetto…”Complete Amateurs” from Simon…great night on Idol where seven people GREW UP….it’s not about losing one of seven tomorrow night, its about what happened TONIGHT….it was an amazing night. Kudos to the band for doing what they do…it was a very enjoyable night…now the tough part..who is leaving…
  Bottom Three: (I’m afraid Kellie could get burned tonight), but it’s between Elliott, Ace, and Kellie….Elliott going home…
  

Idol Thoughts - Top 8 "Queen"

Well, well, well…another evening of themed Idol….only tonight it’s “Queen”, one of the biggest bands ever from the 80’s…the songs of Freddie Mercury will ebb from the microphones of the Idol’s tonight…or ebbing is what I would like to call it…LOL…from my “source” it was an okay night, nothing earthshattering and the same ole same ole from Simon…so here we go…Queen and Idol…there is a Simonism in there somewhere…

   Bucky up first tonight…well better than last week, not sure I’m a fan of the look though..it’s cross Jessica Simpson biker chick/Constantine….great energy from him tonight, solid uptempo…Ace in the #2 slot tonight…a “We Will Rock You” hybrid…I see Chris doing this song a Ace is performing it…strange..doesn’t fit him well, but he did an okay job with it..used his falsetto at the end..nice…the hybrid part was nice..and risky..seemed like running mascara..a. “Justinism”…LOL..Kellie with Bohemian Rhapsody…in 90 seconds…hmmm…she’s gone “Rocker” chick…great crowd play and sounds pretty on pitch…well, best of the night so far..don’t really think that’s saying much though…well, Simon said she did good…must be something he’s drinking tonight…Chris Daughtry at 4…performing a song that “Queen” never performed live…hmmm….Chris is the most “Freddiesque” performer of anyone this season on Idol and he did a decent job…Simon brought up a very valid point….he may say a lot, but he does tend to make sense when he NEEDS to…Katherine…”Who Wants To Live Forever”…standing, singing and simple…girl singing with some emotion and hitting all her notes…major risk, not a lot of percussion just her voice…nice job…Elliott…doing a song that he has never heard before till this week…hmmm…”Somebody to Love”…the backup for Elliott was a tad much, arrangement, etc. It took away from his voice. What I did hear was solid…he chose the right song for sure…Taylor doing a ballad…(changed his song)…”Crazy Little Thing Called Love”…he gets to dance….not sure if I like that idea…not so sure the mic stand thing worked…Taylor havin’ some fun with the crowd and uh…it was definitely entertaining…..Paris does the wrap…”Show Must Go On”…Paris is an old soul in a little body….of everyone tonight Paris gets my vote for “Best Hair” and vocally she was one of the strongest of the night…

   It’s starting to get hard to pick a bottom three because we all tend to have our favorites and like all of them, for the most part. Bottom Three: Bucky, Taylor, Ace…Home is between Bucky and Ace….

Is It Time to Pass the "Buck?"

Idol Thoughts (Country) – 9 Remaining

Aaah, Country night…and boy was it scary from the get go…at least the way Kenny Rogers looks…..Taylor up first, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”…some John Denver…aaah someone out of their element…managed to pick it up and bring it home in the end….(sorry, had to)…He showed no energy tonight, I agree with the judges…aaah a Simonism.. “Sounded like he chose the song 10 seconds ago”…Mandisa, sounds like, “Any Man of Mine”….decent range with her..if Taylor was a 2, hers was about a 5 or 6, Sorry gang, I’m not TOTALLY into that country thang….LOL…aaah, a little fun with Ryan and a “look like a Desperate Housewife” line…Elliott…”Tomorrow Never Comes”…aaah, I think I head the first “DOG” of the season from Randy…or among the first…what is with Paula and the “breath of fresh air”, “sing the encyclopedia”, etc..lines…Elliott was the most solid tonight so far. ..On a scale of 1-10 so far we’re hitting about a 6…..eeek…Paris is fourth..some LeAnne Rimes…girl is solid as a rock, shows no nerves, uh..better than Mandiva tonight…wow…16..incredible…How about Ace tonight? Aaah slow for Ace…kid has the falsetto range…wow…hmmm…ok..there are some “Country” people in the competition this year….their names Kellie Pickler and Bucky Covington…..Kellie….starting in the crowd…first this year…played nicely to the camera…girl brought it….good choice…she was in her zone…Rockman Chris Daughtry tonight…”Memories of Us”…LOL…little different of a pace for him, I think…not much room for personality tonight across the board, but if anyone could “sing” that song, it’s him…Katherine McPhee…well she’s the first one tonight to get a nice workout running around the stage, great vocal range….and she had FUN…what a concept….the first tonight that seemed to have FUN…Katherine was “cool” tonight…Simon thinks the song was “Peculiar”…well I think Simon is “Peculiar”….LOL…Bucky to close…”Grey Sky Morning”…showing some range…again, minimal personality..another interesting night on Idol…

Overall: You could see the “niches” with Idol, who was comfortable and who played “comfortable” well…not a lot of room for personality tonight, unless your name is Katherine or Paris or Kellie….Bottom 3: it’s tough at this point because their all good…
       Taylor, Elliott, Bucky…the latter headed home…

Idol Top 10(21st Century Tunes)

American Idol…Top 10..Songs of the 21st Century….
    Of all the “Idol Nights”, this is one I have been looking forward to, since it is the ONE they seem to use every year. Not only that but my “East coast” connection gave me some inside info on who did what and that no one was really “an Idol” tonight. Here we go…
    First up, Lisa Tucker…doing Kelly Clarkson, “Because of You”…EEK…well, she tried….I bet Paula says she’s cute…Lisa gets the “sympathy” vote from me tonight. I like the girl, she has a great voice, but not with that one. …Country girl Kellie Pickler up next with some Sarah Evans….is it me or was it like a “Sing a long”….Kel was singing along with the backup….nothing really unique about that one either….judges…heard an “uh” from Randy….hmmm…the song did nothing for her….”Gimmicky, Rodeo, Lassoing”…from Simon….Ace is third…Train…”Drops of Jupiter”…like the arrangement…Ace, best of the night so far….however that’s not saying much. ..ok what is it with Paula and the “shirt unbuttoned” guys??....onto Taylor…”Trouble”…for me, it was alright. I don’t know the song, it showed his range, but the “interesting” night continues….hey, Taylor didn’t DANCE tonight….blessing in disquise? Hmmmm…Mandisa …with some Gospel…”Praise You”…she’s great on stage, strongest of the night vocally….judges disagree…ok reset…the contestants tonight are given the chance to sing songs that WE the people know via CD’s or radio, the SONGS of the 21st Century…of the five songs sung, I recognize three and know two pretty much by heart…something is not right, I’m sure you agree…ok, let’s see if the final five tonight do any better than the first five….Chris Doughtry next….the rocker continues to “Rock”…Creed, “What If”…Chris was one of the ones I picked a way back to be among the top and tonights performance does not change my attitude toward that…Katherine McPhee up next with Christina Aguilera, “The Voice Within”…lots of changes and lots of risk, she did a nice job with that considering who it was…the best of the night….Bucky up next…over the last few weeks he has gotten more comfortable “performing” on the stage and tonight he managed to do pretty good….rough night on Idol…Paris pulling out Beyonce, “Work it Out”…everything about “Idol” tonight seems “Ordinary”, when it should otherwise feel Exciting because the singers are being “Different”, aah, “A Little girl pretending to be Beyonce” from Mr. Cowell…Elliott closing the show with some Gavin DeGraw, “I Don’t Wanna Be”….Ell mixin’ it up…very nice…great arrangement…a good way to close an otherwise okay night….so the bottom three….here we go…..Kellie, Bucky, Paris – Bucky going home….
  I was gonna put Chris in the bottom three, which is possible, but not probable…

Top 11 (Fab 50's)

  
    This week the contestants got the chance to work with Barry Manilow, who seems to be on his “lets go on all the hit tv shows” tour. (He’ll be performing on Idol tomorrow night.) First up tonight is Mandisa….”I Don’t Hurt Anymore”..well she picked the right song for her voice…came out strong, on key. A NICE start to the evening with some pop to it. Simon said it was a great “Stripper” song….HA! Bucky up next…”Oh Boy”, by Buddy Holly….this tune has the chance to go either way. He did okay, he managed to pull it off, the falsetto was a nice touch toward the end. Simon says a karaoke performance….solid constructive criticism, let’s hope he uses it…Paris has a “Fever” this week….she’s like a seasoned veteran….look out to the remaining 8 to perform tonight….wow….very comfortable with the crowd…Chris morphing into “Johnny Cash”…nice move to go with about 80% vocal, so far in this whole thing Chris is the one who has it the most together and is using the tools of Personality, Originality, and Memorability to his complete advantage...wow….Katharine with some Ella Fitzgerald…all I’m gonna say is if you put that on a CD and sold it, I would buy it…Since Bucky the night has gone WAY up…..Taylor Hicks…working out “Fade Away”…Buddy Holly….I’m jut happy it’s a “singing” competition and not a “dancing” competition….LOL….Taylor havin’ some fun on stage..and for the first time this season, using the crowd riser….not an amazing vocal choice….but he did his thing. I love the fact the crowd isn’t even letting Simon talk, they boo him….We all know how we feel about Simon, but he does tell it straight. Lisa Tucker last week as in the bottom three, this week…with the ‘50’s….”Why Do Fools Fall in Love”…not sure about that one…I wanna say she did good, but some of the notes…she had great energy tonight. Simon thinks he’s trapped in a High School musical….(maybe he should stay there)...Kevin Covais, one of my choices to go home last week is next. “When I Fall in Love”…and they put the kid in front of the judges….noo pressure…not at all…Kevin….little rough around the edges…the first to do a “slow” song tonight and the vulnerabilites came through…not sure about that one....but his “audience” is gonna eat it up. Elliott next…”Teach Me Tonight”…now I think Elliott has some of the best vocals this year, up there with Chris and Katherine and Mandisa. Did a great job with the song, lots of highs and lows…amazing. Simon says, “Fantastic!”…..10th is Kellie with some Patsy Kline…”Walkin’ After Midnight”..girl is in her “zone”….when Kellie is in her “zone”, look out….and she’s playin to the camera and playing to the crowd riser too..even having some fun with the judges…came to play tonight….wow…Ace closing the show….”In the Still of the Night”…changing the tempo…great “puppy dog eyes” song for Ace. LOL…man oh man….liked the falsetto ending…great rendition…no bottom 3 this week….
   My bottom three prediction: ok kids, here we go…Bucky, Taylor, and Kevin….Bucky heading home this week. I was wrong last week…Stay tuned…

American In(What)er?

This evening I watched American Inventor, the new show by Simon Cowell on ABC. It’s like American Idol without the singers, but with inventors….Some of the inventions (Workout in a backpack) were great ideas…The “Tizzie” Tube was a BAD idea….some of the “Toilet” inventions were both interesting and completely disgusting….(where do they get these people?)
  The funny thing is we already have judges with perfect etiquette and two that are acting like Simon and Paula. Still have the last 30 minutes to go….All this for a million dollars toward your invention…..hey, at least it’s entertaining…some of these people are so serious about how great their invention is, when the judges say no, they are completely devastated…there have been a few that even surprised me with a few yes and go through to the next round (contestants need 3 of the 4 judges to say yes).
  The four judges are “experts” in their respective Inventing fields, and there is a “Brit” in the group….(I’m sure Simon had something to do with that.) Again, it was entertaining to watch….JP

American Idol Top 12 (Songs of Stevie Wonder)

Aaaah, the Top 12…bigger stage, more lights, more pressure….and ONE Catalog to choose songs from…Stevie Wonder’s catalog…..time for some reminiscing…THIS is American Idol…(Sorry, couldn’t help it)….Up first tonight is Ace(also #1)….HA!
  Stevie : “Do I Do” – As Randy would say, he DID his thing…a tad rough in the beginning, but tough tune to sing. Lots of changes. Paula’s judgement was right, he entertained.  Up second. Kellie Picker doing Blame it On the Sun…(I’m not real familiar with that one.) Poor Kellie, out of her element, doing her best, she’s very monotone, no range, little emotion and no fun…(I was bored). She’s actually crying on stage as if she knows….unfortunately, she’s my first choice of the night to head home…but hey, she got the shoes on sale! LOL....ok..Ace was off, Kellie was WAY WAY off…how is the rest of this night going to go since I thought the above two were two of the better people this season….(I’m concerned)…Up third, Elliott Yamin, “Knocks Me Off My Feet”….nerves tonight are getting everyone….seems like as Simon would say, “A Bad Cruise ship show”…don’t know….wow…showed a little flavor at the end…rough night all around so far…it was “good”, but here…now you need to be “great” and I haven’t seen that from many contestants this season yet….Mandisa at #4…(performing barefoot care of Ryan Seacrest)…”Don’t You Worry About a Thing”…girl came to play, and laid it down..(better than the first three)…one of her better performances on the show….she was the first person to show some “personality”…as Randy said, “Stevie songs are tough”. #5, Bucky Covington, “Superstitious”….he’s definitely having fun with it. Sounds good too, minimal nerves through the tune…but seemed…again…okay. Not GREAT but okay and safe….#6 Melissa with her first ballad and first dress on idol..Melissa McGee, “Lately”…another rough tune…pulled it out though, you could see her “winces” during the song. The first girl to forget the lyrics on the BIG BIG stage….:) I agree with Simon, it was edgy, possibly even unexpected from her, which is part of the “Wow” factor..and I’m not just talking about the dress….one of the “kids”, Lisa Tucker doing, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”…the ladies are doing okay tonight…she was grooving on stage. She definitely has the voice. “Personality” in the contestants tonight is tough with these tunes. Lisa did a nice job. Simon says she took control of the stage and she was the first person to take the stage, I totally agree with that statement. .Kevin up at #7…Kevin Covais, “Part-time Lover”…”Mr Facial Expression”…again the nerves, it’s as if they’re all getting sucked into a vacuum. Interesting and enjoyable, two great words from Randy. Kevin putting Simon in his place…”I wasn’t expecting much from you.”….Katherine McPhee, “Until You Come Back to Me”…for some reason I like the “bands” arrangement of this song, she did a great job of singing it, however not a lot of personality with that one…she kept it pretty straight. Vocally is solid, probably one of the best this year vocally, the nerves did not get to her tonight. Taylor Hicks, “Mr Harmonica” meets Stevie Wonder….”Livin’ for the City”..Taylor is in the process of setting the bar for the men tonight…he’s workin the stage, no nerves, just as long has he doesn’t dance….LOL….Personality and the “Wow” factor for the first time tonight, and it doesn’t feel forced….Taylor is here to play….WOW! SIMON, “Every Dad Who Has Got Drunk at a Wedding and got on stage, the only difference is, YOU can sing”….another Simon classic….Taylor BEST of the night so far….aaah, Kid#2, Paris is 11th tonight. “All I Do”…girl singing with emotion, it would have been nice if the night started out like this….she was great! The girl is only 17 and she was an “Old soul” on stage tonight…wow…Simonism #234 “Your like a little doll, just wind her up and off she goes.”..she’s rollin’ acapella to the crowd….she’s gonna be one to watch with that room full of energy…Chris to close the show….”Higher Ground”…great vocal, not a fan of the arrangement. High energy close…Simon said it was a “Real World” example, and I agree.

Idol thoughts: Going Home tonight….and I really do like her…unfortunately, I think is Kellie Pickler…it just didn’t go right tonight for her. Ace showed some vulnerability.

Idol (Guys) Top 8

Last week it was whittled from 10 to 8, the mens choice of song far surpassed the women as far as songs I actually recognized and some of them were quite good. Chris, Mr “Bon Jovi” was the one too beat. Will that change this week. Gedeon up first with “When A Man Loves a Woman”…he’s showing some nice range, seems very comfortable on stage. He came to play….he brought some soul tonight..and Gedeon aka “Mr Eyebrows” is “growing on Simon.”..not a bad start. Chris with some Seether….doing “Broken”…definitely has the rock thing going, nice emotion, he was solid. Simon thinks he needs to be more entertaining and the song will be forgettable. We’ll see…Kevin rolling out with a ballad…Starry, Starry Night…voice was great, and Simon says, “in the same way watching puppies play, it was juvenile”….he’ll have the “Granny” vote….(Kevin may have missed his mark and be headed home). Bucky going country next….ooh, shocker..the guys know who they are and are better in touch than the women…he’s got the “Bucky” thing goin on. (and Bucky may be ridin’ on into the sunset). We’ve seen 4 men so far, and I’m not feelin’ it. Last night was different, not sure about this year. Will is next…JT…aaah, nerves, the second half was better than the first. If Paula says, “The thing I love about you” ONE MORE TIME…Paula says, “All the guys are stepping up tonight”, I wanna know what she is smoking….(you can send him home too)…Taylor Hicks up next….with some Michael McDonald….uptempo…sounds good but boy’s gotta learn how to dance. It’s not pretty….Gettin into it…best tonight so far…someone raised the bar and his name is Taylor Hicks…Simon agrees…Elliott with some Bryan Adams “Heaven”…did a nice job,  sounded great. Simon thought it was a copout and he was uncomfortable and Paula thinks everyone is great….perhaps I need to share my Nyquil…Ace wraps up the show…what amazes me is you put up this guy last and he is INCREDIBLE as a singer and makes everyone else look “NORMAL”…he brought it tonight doing some Michael Jackson…overall I think one of the best of the night.  Tomorrow who will go home…we’ll see……--JP

Idol Happenings(Women Top 8)

OK, kids, another week the top 8 Women….let me mention this is the first time I noticed there is only one BLONDE in the Top 8….that would be Kelli. Paris kicked off the show with a nice rendition of some Miami Sound Machine, followed by Lisa and what I would like to dub an “Eh?” song….sounded decent, but don’t be surprised if she is gone Thursday. Melissa kicks third with some Heart, with some overdone makeup. (Simon thinks it was a bad performance) – she did seem pretty nervous though. Kinnik is fourth “trying” Alicia Keys, she has the lower range for it, and she managed to pull it off to my ear, but I’m waiting for some scathing Simon comment. All three judges thought she was a mess, she may be headed home. It was aaaight. Katherine at five tonight with her range and Oh My GOD….an appropriate song….sounds to me like she is the first one to come to “play” tonight….a risk and she pulled it off, all three judges agree…best of the night so far, which is rough considering there are only three left and I know there is one bullet, at least, left in the gun and her name is Mandisa. My Mom has a 57 inch projection tv who said if she keeps kicking out the tunes, she’ll have to upgrade to a 63 inch tv. Ayla with some Natasha Beddingfield, very current and known song, and she sounds good performing it, she’ll be back after Thursday..however it was a “safe” song for her, nothing special with the vocals…all three agree it was “good”. But she towers Ryan Seacrest in the interview section….Mandisa with the Chaka Khan…I’m Every Woman, great range, which we already know, seems pretty effortless too, no nerves…Randy thinks Mandisa is the one to beat…Paula agreed as did Simon…Kellie is last, which means she can be “ordinary” like everyone else or step up to the challenge…..we’ll see what happens after the break..(sorry, couldn’t help it)…she’s rockin’ to Melissa Ethridge…with some emotion, she came to play too! Simon called her a “Naught little minx”…which I guess is a compliment. So again, song selection tonight…for the “players” their songs were great, for the rest it was “ordinary”….does that make any sense?  Guys tomorrow night….

Idol Men(Top 10)

    Aaaah, another night of Idol, lets see how right the judges are this evening. (Another DVR, real time night)..Contestants choose their own songs…if that happened last night, it explains A LOT! Taylor is up first..some Commodores, Easy(Like Sunday Morning)…vocals are a tad shaky, pulled it through in the end and threw some personality into it. (Bo Bice in the crown tonight) aaah Simon, “The old Wrong Choice of Song” line….slightly familiar….(not overused at all). Next up Elliott, ooh a song from E.T…..(kidding) going a little soulful tonight with some Stevie Wonder.…sounded about ¼-1/2 crooner to me. Not bad. A standing O from Randy…Simon said it was the wrong….no…the said it was a great performance. He needs to raise the bar, for sure. Look out ladies, Mr. Camera to make you melt is up….Ace..with some D. Bed, aka Daniel Beddingfield…going for the falsetto, a little rough. He took a risk and did well. Simon things he won’t be happy with his vote back…(got some boos). However Simon does seem to know what he’s talking about…I don’t think Ace is going anywhere. Okay eyebrown man is up, Gideon, has some good range…whoa, someone came to play tonight….Simon giving him some props…Kevin in at #5, some Marvin/Heard it Through, if he didn’t “bounce” up and down he would have sounded better, but he ended it nicely. He had a great time performing. Simon’s streak of one compliment is broken once again….Another Stevie tune..”Sway” had the ladies swayin’ but not the judges…he may be in the bottom two tomorrow night for the guys. Simon says there was no originality and he did it all wrong, I tend to agree. Wow, the men can pick songs…next up Will with some Kenny Rogers/Lady, showing some range and length. Someone else came to play tonight for the men…some falsetto at the end…Paula said it was too safe, Simon says it was like an audition for “Cats”. I feel bad for Bucky because he does “Country” really well, pulling for some Garth, did it really well, took some risk at the start and pulled it off. Next up…Mr. Crooner, David…he “crooned” well, if that makes any sense, with some personality. David was in his zone, he needs to break out of the zone with some confidence, he seemed nervous tonight. Ending with Chris and some “Fuel”..he is hands down in my opinion definitely here to play. He has one of those “Rock”y voices, seems completely comfortable on stage, with some great vocal range.

  Judges tonight: Once again, pretty close to dead on. Simon seems to be getting “stale”, that’s all I’m saying about that.  

Idol Top 10 Women

I’m sitting here…just got done with Deal or No Deal, and am now watching a DVR’d American Idol (10 women tonight)…what the hell did Katherine sing? If I didn’t know any better I’d say she is gone…I didn’t even recognize the song! Kinnik brought the tempo and a good tune for her voice. I can see some Urban Country….LOL  
  Lisa Tucker: Young Lisa, girl has some range, did a nice job. Again though..song selection for the women last week and this week…YIKES! Song selection…are these people actually PICKING these songs….Melissa did a great job on that tune, however does anyone KNOW the song? Heather and Mariah Carey/Hero: She did a nice job, but she paled in comparison to Mariah, I agreed with the judges and Simon is on his game…great analogies tonight…so far anyway. Donna summer was about 1/3 energy it needed to be done right. I didn’t feel it for Brenna, it was a tired rendition. Oh, did I mention the song selection tonight? EH?
  OK, Paris, the girl who I think has the chance to win the whole thing…what song will she sing? Will we know or recognize it? Here we go…..ok…Bette Midler…for Paris…she has great heart shaped silver earrings. I feel like breaking out the lighter and swaying, but that could set off the sprinklers in my apartment. Great range, just not the right song for her….next up Ayla….did I mention song selection….range is decent..if I KNEW the song….she did shine of the lot so far tonight. (Hope she gets the votes tonight) ok, Kellie is up, another one of the favorites and the feel good story this year…with some Bonnie Raitt….she has great stage presence, WOW…that twang in her voice….ooooh. The best performance of the night, in my opinion…The first last week, goes last this week. Mandisa to close..Dogjaw joke…very good, may have to pull that on Mark from KZEL tomorrow…oh, girl going on next week…Faith Hill…wow…goosebumps….whew! ok…someone came to play…Mandisa….

  Judges: Randy, Paula and Simon were about 85% right across the board tonight in their assessment. Simon had some great lines. I can only hope the song choices are better next week. Top 10 men tomorrow night.

  

Satin Love Valentines Night and MORE!

I'm getting ready for Valentines Day and Satin Love at the Hilton. I've emceed for them each time they have performed there and love every second of it. The best thing is it's always the same people at the event. Security/sound/etc.
Looking forward to a great night, albeit a Tuesday and a middle of the week kinda show. Hope to see you there!
I'm not usually one to sit and watch the Olympics and be content, but I am interested in the Figure skating this year, since Michelle will not be a part. Thank goodness for my DVR - I'll also be able to catch Simon's comments tomorrow evening and report back on Wednesday. I've had some issues with my blog on here which I hope are now resolved.

till next time....JP

At the HOUSE, Hangin' with Clive...

I’m sitting here this evening, just finished HOUSE…sorry Sela. The Grammy’s are tomorrow, and as I blog I am listening to the Clive Davis pre party, just heard Rod Stewart, sounded pretty good. Idol was decent…loved the guy who had to go to the restroom…he came back and sounded worse. Tomorrow…on to hell week.
  I am attempting to get over a sore throat that won’t go away. I’m trying to Tylenol it to death. So far it seems to be working, and it hasn’t gotten any worse, which is a good thing. I need to be ready for the Truffle shuffle with Jodi from KVAL on Sunday morning. I have some movies this week to get to including “Hitch”, and “Monster in Law”, the latter of which I have yet to see. (I know, what’s wrong with me.) I will be posting reviews of both if you haven’t seen them either, so don’t feel bad.
Clive’s Grammy show goes on with Chris Brown…..

Steelers, Ducks and Gorillaz! Oh My! (Mag Rag too!)

    Aaah, kicking off another rainy week. The weekend was great, if your not a Ducks or Seahawks fan…(My Eagles will be back next year)…LOL, yeah right. Hopefully it’s not another rainy week. Magazine wise there is a great breakdown in TVGuide for the upcoming Olympics in Torino. (Opening ceremonies are this Friday). Including daily breakdowns starting Friday.
  
   Entertainment Weekly: Double Issue, breakdowns on all OSCAR films, directors, actors, and the like. Plus a breakdown of the Sundance Film Festival and DVD’s this week include: Elizabethtown, Kirsten Dunst – and 13 Going on 30, a new release from the last one a year or so ago. The return of some of our favorite shows this week including HOUSE, and LOST, we find Sawyer’s backstory this week, plus some amazing Grammy Performances Wednesday night, including the Gorillaz and Madonna(HUH??) opening the show….should be interesting.

  So, favorite Super Bowl commercials? Let me know in the “Comment” section below and I’ll try to get to them on the air.  

Rag' Mag

Weekend MAG Breakdown:
    Since part of what I do involves going through magazines, I thought it would be a good idea to post the highlights (and lowlights) of what I’ve read. So here goes…..

EW(Entertainment Weekly)
    News and Notes has an interesting discussion of whether NBC’s Golden Girl, Katie Couric will be moving to evening news at CBS, as well as what the heck the CW is and what it will bring to network tv. The story of “Producer-gate” and “Commander in Chief” is revealed and the cover story on Kanye West has an interesting angle…but by far the best article is from Dalton Ross, who spent a night in “Exile” on the set of the next Survivor. (I’ll be sharing part of his story this week on the air…very good, and humorously written).

TVGuide
   Other than just listings there are articles on  Omar Epps(House) and his character, as well as a guest performance on ER this week from James Woods…a Survivor Re-introduction, and if you’re a “Grey’s Anatomy” fan, a look at the newest “Couple in love”…(it’s not who you think).

People
   If your not tired of hearing about Benn-ifer, it now seems like it’s morphed into Vaughn-ifer as in Vince Vaughn. That’s the cover story anyway…sounds like Jenna Elfman’s new show is going to do well(better than Heather Graham anyway)…and the questions you want to ask about “Dancing with the Stars” are answered, including, “How do the dancers not slip on the floor that looks like it was just waxed?”

  That’s the basic breakdown this week. Look for a topic of the day later this week….and again, thanks for reading….--JP

P Must Go! (Third time is the charm)

OK, after a completely non interested performance, two of the judges were right, my pick this week to be off Dancing with the Stars is Master P…(third time is the charm)..I do feel bad for Ashley though…we’ll find out tomorrow night.
   I have rented “Hitch”, which I’ve seen and “Batman Begins” which I haven’t, and will post reviews probably Sunday on these two movies, as well as things to look for on tv in the upcoming week, plus who’s story is the focus on LOST this upcoming week.
  Enjoy the weekend and the Civil War and Go DUCKS! --JP

Idol...Evangeline and the rest of the week

   Hope everyone is having a good week. I’m chillin’ at home tonight watching American Idol. Tonight they are in North Carolina and so far they have sent more women than men to Hollywood, for tonight anyway. Simon’s official line for season five is, “I don’t mean to be rude but…..” – I feel this year that Simon has returned to his cool, suave crudeness of seasons one and two, complete with a complaint or two. Mr Michael Jackson is cracking me up over here….Marcus needs to SLOW it down…he got the Randy and Paula DVD…..he made Simon’s day. Simon loves the world…HA!
   Rhonetta is cracking me up and she hasn’t even sung yet. OK, onto the outlook for the week.
   LOST: Tomorrow night’s episode focuses on Charlie and his drug addiction, although I would be more interested in his romance with Kate(Evangeline Lilly) in real life…but that’s not going to happen. CSI: (Thursday) focuses on Catherine’s family..that should be interesting, considering her father is like the Vegas Casino Mob Boss. (Can’t wait to see what Mom does.) Later this week I’ll be talking about the 2006 movies we’ll all be talking about, and probably already are. Don’t forget to come back and let me know what movie your looking forward to seeing as we head into summer. (Let me know by clicking Comment by the pencil below)…Go Rhonetta!! LOL
  

Movies, Robin Williams and an Oscar Prediction

Aaaah, sitting here on a Sunday evening…watching Seven and The Italian Job, jumping between the commercials. It was great to see the sun this afternoon. I am also still getting over the aftershock that Master P is still on Dancing with the Stars.
Things will be gearing up this week for Satin Love at the Hilton on Valentines Day. That is going to be a blast. I am looking forward to it.
There is some great tv ahead this week including another “Charlie” flashback on LOST and CSI is going to delve into Catherine’s family by way of a murder…how else? I still think that CSI is one of the best shows on television. FOX of course has Idol and 24, to which 24 has sucked me in again and American Idol has Simon…the ever lovable Simon. Do you think he’s gone to far this year…or he has returned to the lovable Simon from the first two seasons. Write me a Comment in the section below. (next to the pencil) and let me know.
As far as movies…some great ones with Robin Williams out on DVD this week including Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poets Society, both of which garnered him Oscar nominations. I had a chance to watch Robots over the weekend, the animation was incredible, the plot was okay and the lines were too…(Robin played the voice of “Fender”…thank you IMDB.com for a quick lookup).
I also had a chance to see Crash, similar to Love Actually in the sense of it being a mixture of five or six different stories all tied into one. It will definitely receive an Oscar nomination, there are some great actors in it including Terrance Howard, Sandra Bullock, and Brendan Frasier. Check it out if you get the chance. It is one of those films that will make you think.
Well, back to Seven, or The Italian Job…talk to ya soon and thanks for reading…

Master P...3 for 3???? HUH???

An interesting week, wrapped up with probably one of the most fun remotes I have had since I’ve been here in Eugene. It was a blast doing the show from Kiefer Kia yesterday..lots of cute kids…As for the shows this week. I can’t believe(and am in shock) that Master P is still on Dancing with the Stars! (Perhaps Week 4 he will be gone)…Who knows.
  American Idol was great this week. However I found out the two gentleman who serenaded Paula on Monday night are in jail for armed robbery, so we’ll see if they make it to Hollywood. Other than that Monday night I thought Simon was a tad harsh, and back to his Season 1 and 2 ways. (Which seems to be what everyone loves). I’m looking forward to football tomorrow, even though I’m an Eagles fan..I guess I can cheer on the Seahawks. ..although I think Carolina is going to be a lot to handle, but for Aaron who is going to be at the game..GO SEAHAWKS….