First Night Wrapup: Safe Songs and Visions of Teletubbies...

First off, a key word of the evening..SAFE...everyone played it SAFE...there were a few performances on the fringes, but overall the night was a little blah...with a few one liners from Simon and crew and some well placed lyrical high notes that were hit very well. We saw Saraya fight back against Simon, for which he deserves credit, although he needs to work on his performance chops for next week, if he returns and isn't in the bottom two...the great part about Idol at this point of the season is that a blah performance this week has a pretty good chance of returning next week to rebound nicely, such the case for Mr. Festivus himself, Sundance - I would love to say his name in this blog for a few more weeks at least, considering other sources, including the judges deemed him worthy of being in the Top 3 or 4 of this years crop. Bad song choices were the theme of the night, although I'm not sure any producer would admit to it..The two I have mentioned above are my bottom two for the week.
Overall I caught myself yawning a few time last night about an hour in...it wasn't the shock I expected from the first night of Idol...instead of being Wow'd by anyone, with the exception of a few performances that were okay, I was practically sleep typing. What would be awesome is if the women, which had a larger group from the beginning this year, blew away the guys and brought down every house in America tonight with their performances. After last night, unless things change, I think it is pretty safe to say that the next Idol will not be a guy...
Catch you back tomorrow night...

American Idol, Season 6...Ready, Set.....GO!

--> Season 6 Webpage Click on Right-->> http://www.idolthoughts.us -->

Below is the first posting for the 2007 Idol Season, Remaining postings can be found at the http://www.idolthoughts.us
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Here we go again! Another exciting season of American Idol, with an interesting mix of folks all vying to become the next American Idol, through any silly little scandals, romps with Paula, or drunken episodes that may occur this year.....of the auditions I did see, I have to say there are a few contestants who stand out in my mind this year...ok, ladies first...Lakisha Jones and Stephanie Edwards are at the front of this list...however there are a few Lady Rockers this year who may not be far behind...of the men I like the kid from the festival....Sundance....his parents were really cruel naming him after the festival, although Sundance beats Cannes anyday...I'm just glad he wasn't a girl...So from this point each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night for the next 12 weeks or so will be recapped right here! Awaiting your reads, laughs, and head shakes. The first week Four(4) go home, let's hope they all bring their "A" game, because by now, being that it's Season 6, I'm not sure a "B" game will get you to Week 2........

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…

"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…