American Idol 2006--Live Thread I

FOX ^ | 1-16-06

[silent_jonny]

for Tammy

[TonyWpi]

Taylor Hicks is last tonight?

I like this guy, even with the gray locks. He's the white Ray Charles...

Levon...oh no!

[SirLinksalot]

My Summary and Review :

1st up: Patrick Hall
Sang: Come to my window.
Randy thought it was OK.
Paula: Stick to what you do best
Simon: Terrible song …for him

2nd up: David Radford
Sang: Crazy little thing called love.
Randy: Felt like he was in highschool play. Thought it was terrible.
Paula: Self esteem pep
Simon: Not serious enough, played the fool

3rd up: Bucky Covington
Sang: Simple man
Randy: Maybe pushed it too hard, but a cool choice and should range.
Paula: You’re growing, you’re on a journey
Simon: Insinuates he’s ‘bar’ material.

4th up: Will Makar
Sang: I want you back
Randy: Likes him, was entertained.
Paula: Thinks he’s adorable. Thinks he looks like Bobby Brady.
Simon: Vocally completely and utterly average. Just OK.

5th up: Jose ‘Sway’ Penala
Sang: Reasons
Randy: Originality, range. Dude!!!!
Paula: Amazing. Nailed it. You know who you are schpeel.
Simon: Pimpy third rate copy of Earth Wind and Fire.

6th up: Chris Daughtry
Sang: Wanted dead or alive
Randy: Really, really good. Great recording voice. You got ‘it’ it was hot.
Paula: Wowed by him. Confident, spot on artistry.
Simon: Good song choice. First time tonight hearing someone with potential. Great recording voice, need to see more charisma.

7th up: Kevin Covais
Sang: One last cry
Randy: I really like you, you’re honestly talented. That was the bomb!
Paula: Squish?? She’s beaming again. Likes him.
Simon: I like you but. Anyone over the age of 90 and hard of hearing would find that appealing. Vocally excruciating.
Paula bickers.

8th up: Gedeon McKinney
Sang: Shout.
Randy: Good song choice. Likes the choreography. Was entertained.
Paula: Totally thrown for a loop (?) a great surprise. Soul’s beaming, whatever…
Simon: Thought he was watching the warm up of the Cheppendales. Gedeon’s smile bothers him.

9th up: Elliott Yamin
Sang: If you really love me
Randy: Yo’ man another hot one! Brilliant. Loved you from day 1! You got IT.
Paula: You have fun, effortless, great performance.
Simon: Out 5 seasons, potentially the best male vocalist.

10th up: Bobby Bennet
Sang: Copa Cabana
Randy: Doesn’t quite know what to say. Skates around being entertained.
Paula: Tries to be nice. Enjoyed the entertainment value
Simon: Barry Manilow is screaming somewhere. A complete nightmare.

At this point Ryan Seacrest tries to get something constructive out of the judges, to no avail…

11th up: Ace Young
Sang: Father figure.
Randy: You definitely are a star. You knew how to work the room. You can really sing. Oh my gawd! Star and can sing. I’m loving you.
Paula: About 35 million fans can’t vote just yet. Hello to those eyes.
Simon: Not the best vocals. Two others out sung you. You’ve got the ‘X’ factor, that extra special something going for you. Will sail through the next rounds.

Last up: Taylor Hicks

Sang: Levon

Randy: Loved you since day one. Not the perfect song choice. Doesn’t showcase his talent. Loves him though.

Paula: Sputter. You love what you do. We love you for that, you are just amazing. I think we saved the best for last.
Randy pipes in that there has never been anyone like him on the show.

Simon: Repeats that he didn’t think he should make the finals, says he was wrong. He likes that Taylor’s interesting. He has had more positive feedback on Taylor than anyone else on the show.

My vote for boot: Bobby Bennet and Sway Penala

---

Personal comments/rankings (10 is perfect score) :

Patrick - not bad, not overwhelming, 6/10 Will probably get better. Poor song choice.

David - Poor song choice. I'd like to give him another chance. 4/10

Bucky - Good at what he does, but limited. 5/10, but just for tonight. Plus he needs a haircut, a shower and a beer bottle.

Will - Bobby Brady returns! Actually he was comparatively good. 6.5/10


Jose - Oh sway can you see... bad falsetto? 3/10

Chris - Rocker. But a good one. Love the Bon Jovi. 7.5/10

Kevin - He's still a baby, and it shows when he sings. But man, close your eyes and he's got a good radio voice. 6/10

Gedeon - aka "Smiley". Shouting out at 7/10, but with some annoying mannerisms to take it down to 6/10

Elliot - dared Stevie, but did well. Needs an extreme dental make-over ( call Lawrence Olivier, is it safe ?) 7/10

Bobby - Sigh. How did he get through ? Totally out of tune. Looks like a fun guy to hang around with though.
2/10. End his misery and let him go.

Ace - Definitely the front leader, even if the name "Ace" seems so pretentious. How can the girls not love this Kevin Sorbo look-alike ? ( mugging for the camera reminds me of Constantine ) 8.5/10

Taylor (Gray Charles) - Soul/music pours out from his veins. Song choice was OK but does not highlight what he's capable of doing. 8/10

I'd rank them (in order): Ace, Taylor, Chris, Elliot, Bucky, Patrick, Smiley Evil Clown Gedeon, Will, Kevin, David, Jose Sway, Bobby.

Guys seem like a more diverse and colorful bunch than the girls.

[TonyWpi]

Taylor's doing Joe Cocker singing Elton John!

I like him but it's a poor song choice!

[TonyWpi]

You must be talking about Becky?? The Project Runway dude!

[Ciexyz]

(Re: The Monkees) I was there the first time around - lol

So wuz I! They were the second concert I ever went to, at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena. (The first was Simon and Garfunkle.)

[TonyWpi]

oops...I mean Project Runway chick....

[freedumb2003]

It's been a few years, but yes.

It was a rite of passage for almost every trumpet player. Sooner or later the last French Horn player would graduate and he band leader would walk up and hand you a french horn and say "you must now learn the bass cleft."

I enjoyed the heck out of it. I played in HS and college.

[TonyWpi]

My top 3 are:

Chris Daughtry
Taylor Hicks
Kevin Covias

Bottom 2:
Sway
Ace - yep, I know some of you will give me grief for that but I don't thing this guy has the chops to make it. I don't think he's get the boot because of Paula's "guy friends."
Patrick was a much better singer but I think he may get the boot based upon voting.

[Palladin]

I didn't like the song (I hate story songs like this about people and their kids and their dogs and throwing babies off a bridge and driving the truck through four states to get home, etc.)...however...Taylor sang it exceedingly well. His mannerisms are so quirky, but as a recording star, he could make it.

[Ciexyz]

I'm hating politics right now.

I'm with ya. No matter how you vote, the people in power scr** you. The little person is pushed aside by a power system that we can't control. On FR, I hang on the "Gods, Graves and Glyphs" threads, AI, "24", the religious threads....almost anything but politics.

[TonyWpi]

Ditto on the song...

Let's hope he does better next week.

BTW...love your tag line!

See everyone tomorrow for the results...

[Ciexyz]

Simon made one comment that made me cringe: telling #08 Gedeon that he hated his smile. The implication I read into it was, that big-lipped smile. I thought someone could read a racist implication to that comment.

[Ciexyz]

Thanks for your rundown of the pack. I agree about Ace mugging for the crowd like Constantine did. (I was in the minority on this thread last season in that I like Constantine. Still do, bought his CD at Walmart.)

[Ciexyz]

You must be talking about Becky

I don't know all their names yet.

[Ciexyz]

I hate the name Sway. It reminds of Trey, a name which screams male gigolo.

[Ciexyz]

I hate story songs about throwing babies off a bridge

Are you referring to the song with the line "And she and Bobby Jo was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge".

[SirLinksalot]

Here is one from someone who has heard and loved Taylor Hick's CD. I am
talking about Taylor's performance in the top 12 guy's elimination
round tonight.

Well what can I say about Taylor's performance ? I expected to be
blown away as I have not heard this song before. All I got was a good
performance which will of course get him through to the next round. I
know he's capable of doing better but the song was probably not a good
choice.

I expected brilliance and got mere excellence. Wonderful vocal tone,
strong heartfelt delivery, but needs enunciation lessons.

The song he sang was supposed to be a Bernie Taupin social commentary on father-son relations as I read the lyrics. I
don't know what the heck he was talking about regarding family values
in his intro to the song.

I mean the lyrics tell us that Levon is a guy who cares only about
money and practically ignores his son, Jesus ( who seems to have done
something bad to his dad in the end ).

I don't know if you can do justice to such a cerebral song that
requires you to think through the words this given this venue and in
such a short truncated time.

40% of your presentation is about song choice and this isn't a good
one. When is he going to blow us away with his Georgia On My Mind ? ( if you heard his version, you'd swear it was a white version of Ray Charles on a lone guitar, he was THAAAT GOOD).

To me, Eliott (who did Stevie Wonder proud but needs an extreme dental
makeover) and Chris ( who sounded like the second coming of Bon Jovi)
came ahead of him tonight. Taylor's good for a 3rd place spot.

[California74]

Taylor Hicks was awesome! He's a star already in my opinion. I've been trying to vote for him all night but his line is constantly busy, meanwhile I breeze through to vote for ALL the other contestant's I'm voting for: Chris Daughtry, Elliot Yamin, Ace Young, Kevin Covais, Gideon McKinney. Those are my top 6 guys, by the way (including Taylor Hicks as my no. 1 pick). If not Kevin Covais (the little cutie), then Will Makar (who looks like a Brady boy or Donny Osmond).

My favorites thus far for the girls are Paris Bennett, Lisa Tucker, Mandisa (the chubby one), Katherine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Melissa McGhee.
I absolutely cannot stand Brenna Gethers. She is arrogant and thinks "she all that!" I hope she gets kicked off or tones it down A LOT. (Unfortunately I can't complain if she stays because I fell asleep right after the show Tues. night. Note to self: never again "just lie down for a bit to wait for the voting rush to die down" before voting!) :)

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

Time for the California wrapup!

One odd note: I found that some of the girls last night inspired feelings of personal dislike in me, based on what I perceived of their personalities. I did not find that with any of the guys, though. I think perhaps my Personal Animosity Guymeter got completely burned out on the Brittenum twins. ;)

And the categories ....

Should Seriously be Voted Off the Island:

David Radcliffe: Wow, dude, that was literally unwatchable. I found myself shying away from the TV screen in sheer horror. Looked like a mediocre high school production of Bye Bye Birdie. I was very disappointed since I liked his voice in Hollywood week. Maybe he just needs a better handler.

Sway: I know that some on this forum like him, but I am never a big fan of that fakey falsetto thing (I like a man to sound like a may-un!), and his wasn't even a very good version of that.

Chris Covais: Oh, honey, that was cute ... but you look about eight, and your sound is still very tentative. No go. (I do think after he matures a little more, physically speaking, he will have quite a nice voice. Kind of a shame he didn't make it onto the show in a couple of years, instead of now.) But Paula does want to squish you, so it's not a total loss!

Ho-Hum:

Patrick Hall: Looks like a scarecrow (the scary type, not the cute Oz kind), and that song was seriously forgettable. Step it up or leave. (And did you see his friends? Trout woman? Yikes.)

Bucky: Please, please, for the sake of my retinas, take a bath and cut your hair!!! (The chin patch can stay, though; it helps distract from the teeth.) Potential there. We'll see.

Will Makur: Wretched song choice. Hollywood week showed his very lyrical, clear voice, but this song buried it. Get a clue as to what you can actually sing, fella.

Elliott: Channeling Mr. Tumnus? We think so! Average so-so song choice, some possible potential. I do want to see more of this guy, but I think Simon must have been sniffing something to make the remark that he might be the best voice so far. Huh?

Pleasant Surprises Category:

Chris Daughtry: Wow, real voice there. Keep going, dude!

Bobby Bennett: Okay, he was channeling Jimmy Durante AND Jackie Gleason at the same time, which made for some rough going! But he made me laugh with him, not at him. Fun number, despite the numerous and obvious drawbacks. I'd like to cast this guy as the singing nightclub comic in some b&w film noir.

Taylor Hicks: No more Ray Charles impersonation! Yay! Very nice performance, hope to see more.

Gedeon: I was thoroughly and absolutely prepared to hate this guy ... and he upset all my plans, darn it! Not the best song choice, and he does have a scary smile. But I think there's some real talent there. I'd like to see more and find out.

And in the Oh Mama Oh Mama Dept:

Ace: Wow. Um. Gee. Well, I was prepared to hate him too, but never got the chance. Not the best voice I've ever heard, but that performance just scorched my TV. (There's still a burning smell in my living room!) All I can say is that if this personable, talented and gorgeous young man (who has a gorgeous brother too -- did anyone notice?) can inspire such naughty thoughts in this happily married middle-aged woman, he's probably wreaking havoc in the teen set. The contest is his to lose.

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

Bobby, who sang Copa, has a lot of heart and personality.

Um, low be it spoken, but I voted for Bobby as well. Not a great singer and he won't be around for much longer. But I actually got a kick out of his performance, which is more than I can say for, oh, Patrick Hall. I also voted for Taylor, Chris Daughtry, Gedeon, and Mr. Tumnus.