Mornin', Hetty!
Just for you (and a few others :), here are the screencaps of the winning moment:
WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Just finished watching the (excellent! -- a little to my surprise) show, and saw that Tay-Tay did it! Woohoo Soul Patrol indeed! I actually got all teary-eyed, believe it or not! Soooooo delightful to see someone with such talent, class, and yes, SOUL, win this thing! America got it right, indeed! Whoopee!!! LOL!
I loved it when Taylor's dad was crying, for a change.
Very sweet!!
Well, I'm not sure I can call this a West Coast Wrapup, but you know I can't refrain from spouting off a little! :)
First, SJ, thank you so much for keeping this thread going (and keeping the trolls under the bridge, where they belong). This thread has been so much innocent (well, mostly! LOL!) fun for so many people. Thank you!!!
And thank you for continuing to keep Texasflower in our hearts. I try to remember to follow her example and not be actually *mean* to any of the contestants! It's a good thing to have an example like hers to follow.
As for tonight's show ... well, call me an AI slut, but I just enjoyed all of it! And if Kat had been this relaxed, fun, and in voice when she was competing, I might have thrown some more votes her way. She kept "It's All Coming Back to Me" afloat virtually by herself, since Meatloaf was off in some other key altogether, as far as I could tell. But Kat was very good in the song. And it made me think that indeed, her future should lie in musical theater. She was far more compelling in this "story" song than in anything else I've seen her do. Looks like she's someone who needs a character to slip into to be comfortable, and there's nothing wrong with that. (Many of the great actors were terminally shy when they weren't actually acting in a role.) I really hope to see her do some good musical theater (with a director who understands the limitations of her voice). I'd pay money to see that -- the ultimate compliment!
All the Idols were in fine voice tonight! Paris was obviously on top of things -- though paired, like Kat, with a singer who seemed past his prime. Oh, well. Elliott sounded terrific! Though again, paired with a "pro" who was not very professional in the way she ignored him, and indeed, was sometimes out of tune (made obvious by Elliott's spot-on pitch -- as always). I am very happy to hear the lovely "ringing" tone back in his voice -- must have been fatigue getting to him a couple of weeks ago. And how lovely to see Elliott looking so happy and relaxed on stage! He has grown so much as a performer in just a few months. I do believe that young man has a bright future -- he'd better buy some shades. :)
Chris looked like he was having the time of his life, performing with Live! (Though I thought their lead singer was a bit of a stage hog -- what, would it have killed him to let Chris sing some more by himself?) I also enjoyed the "man show" medley -- Bucky sounded better than I've ever heard him, and even Chicken Little sang well and with confidence. (I wasn't quite as taken with the women's medley, but I think that's just because I liked the actual songs better in the men's medley.)
I'm annoyed with Burt Bacharach lately since he has decided to diss W, but it was a treat to hear his older and better songs sung so well by the young-uns. Lisa did a fine job with "Alfie" (better than any of her contest performances), and I got a kick out of Bucky singing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." Too funny, and he sounded good, too.
I also enjoyed the performance by Prince (or whatever he's calling himself these days) and his hootchie girls. I never paid much attention to him back in the day, and I was surprised at what a wide singing range he has, and how good he sounded. Very flexible voice.
I got a huge kick out of the cowboys! I was a little offended by AI's name for them, but it was so much fun to see them all up there on stage, having such a terrific time, and sounding pretty decent! Good for them. (I was not as taken with the Clay Aiken wannabe, though it was touching to see how thrilled he was to meet his idol. But when he opened his mouth wide to sing, it was uncomfortably reminiscent of Mama Alien from "Aliens." Yikes! Keep that thing shut, please ....)
And then, finally, the next to last song, which was also charming, to hear Kat and Taylor together, and see them both looking so good. (Memo to Kat: Wear champagne bias-cut satin more often!) And then the announcement! Wheeee! Kat carried herself like a trouper, gracious though of course disappointed, and Taylor was obviously overcome with finally realizing his dream. *I* even choked up, sitting on the couch at home! Got to hear the manufactured song again, which was just as dreadful a song the second time around, but again, Taylor made it live and breathe. (Which, I'll argue again, is the mark of a *real* entertainer -- someone who can take dreck, when necessary, and spin it into gold.)
Whew. What a season! What an evening. Had a terrific time here with all my fellow FReepers this season! Let's do it again next year! :)
Mornin', Hetty!
Just for you (and a few others :), here are the screencaps of the winning moment: