American Idol 2006--Live Thread (Part II)

FOX ^ | 3-25-06

[silent_jonny]

still for Tammy

[Apple Blossom]

Bucky's loud mumbling is the opposite and it showed...

This was one of the few times I actually undterstood Bucky's words, and I thought he did a good job. I hope you're right about Paris, don't like her much.

[TAdams8591]

Hopefully, Bucky's gone, though I'd love for it to be Taylor.

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

Wrapup from the West Coast!

Well... at least it was better than Country Night.

Bucky -- I have to give points to his clothing stylist. If I were 20 years younger and saw that cutie in a bar, I'd definitely talk to him. But as soon as he started singing karaoke, I think I'd find someone else to talk to .... Not an embarrassing performance for the Buckster tonight -- by Bucky standards, that is -- but guaranteed to put him in the Bottom 3. (Please God, in the Bottom 1!!!)

Ace -- A kitten trying to act like a tomcat -- cute, yes, but unconvincing.

Kellie -- One of her better performances, despite some incorrect words and "interesting" notes. Crappy arrangement of the song, though. They never got to the truly interesting part of the song -- which is what saved her performance from being a train wreck. Good arrangement for her, bad arrangement for the listeners. (BTW, was that a wig or what?) Unfortunately, her rabid fans will love this and vote in droves.

Chris -- Simon was right; it was simply not one of Queen's better songs and should have been left in the trunk where it was mouldering. (Amusingly, my husband said that about two seconds before Simon did, in almost the same words. What can I say? I married a god. :) Despite the song's shortcomings, however, I always, always enjoy watching and listening to Chris. He has real conviction onstage, and while his voice is not the best I've ever heard, I find it very pleasant. (Okay, yeah, and he's darned sexy. So shoot me.)

McPhee -- My husband says I'm jealous 'cause she's pretty. That's as may be, but the day she manages to perform a song -- ANY song -- without pulling out the "Gosh I'm cute, please love me!" card is the day I'll vote for her. (And WHO dresses this young woman? That preposterous puffed-sleeve Mary Poppins thing was the right color for her but totally the wrong look for that song. Egad.)

Taylor -- Kudos to the clothing people again: that jacket was exactly the right color for him. Song was ... okay. I dunno; maybe I'm just tired of hearing this song. That said, it was good to get the old hoppin' and boppin' Taylor back again.

Elliott -- One of his best performances. He's been needing something really showy, and maybe this will do the trick. His voice was in fine shape tonight and he did a very good job with the song. On the negative side, he has yet to lose that "deer in the headlights" expression that plagues him on stage. I have a feeling that some misguided soul along the way told him to raise his eyebrows when he wants to convey extra expression on stage. (You laugh! But I've heard that advice a million times -- and it is ALWAYS wrong. It only makes you look like you just got a too-tight facelift.) I continue to vote for Elliott not because he has the best performances out there, but because I think he has the makings of a really good, long-lasting songster inside him. If he gets enough time and experience on stage, that slightly scared look will go away on its own.

Paris -- Surprised the aitch-ee-double-toothpicks out of me with this performance. Paris was channeling her inner Tiny Turner tonight -- and it worked pretty darned well, I thought. She started off with great conviction, though the middle part was a little iffy, but came back to a very good finish. One of her best performances. Would have been better without the little hopping-dancey thing she always manages to work in, but I guess you can't have everything.

The upshot? If there is justice in this world, Bucky or Ace will go home. I think McPhee and Elliott are also in danger. Time will tell.

[peggybac]

UPDATE: (Sorry, I don't know how to format it on here)

Idol Busy Signals Votes Totals
Taylor Hicks 30262 12095 42357
Katharine McPhee 26806 29133 55939
Elliott Yamin 16180 13048 29228
Kellie Pickler 13326 8452 21778
Chris Daughtry 12108 12783 24891
Bucky Covington 11223 18015 29238
Paris Bennett 11071 6652 17723
Ace Young 5571 9156 147

[FreedomForce]

Ranking:

Elliott--Thought he was the best tonight. Finished the song with a run that just matter of factly said "Nobody else here can do that."

Chris--Didn't like the song, but once again Chris showed that within the narrow confines of his comfort zone, he is very, very good.

Taylor--Back to entertaining. Hope he does some songs in the weeks to come that make the most of his soulful voice though. Manic Taylor is fine and Soulful Taylor is fine; it's the in between stuff that he falls flat with.

Paris--Another chameleonlike performance from her. She's not really great at most of the things she does, but she is good at pretty much all of them.

Bucky--Pretty decent. Not great but still enjoyable.

Katharine--Wasn't my favorite performance from her, but I do like to hear her sing in a straightforward manner. I want to hear her purr rather than belt though.

Ace--Started out much better than I expected. If he would have amped that up a little more and not strayed into Ace-osity as the song continued, it would have been okay.

Kellie--Simon said a lot of people would consider that performance hideous. Yep. But it was better than I expected from her. Only slightly hideous.

[over3Owithabrain]

Good assessments, as were the others from FReeperdom. Here are my two pennies, as always after taking in the performances twice (no small task sometimes):

Bucky - he always comes off a little bit better than I expect him to, and he did once again tonight. Still, Simon's word for him - "mediocre" - fits to a tee. Gets extra credit though, for making the veiled "get behind" gay remark about Mercury and for "eulogizing" Mandisa with song choice.

Pickler - Her singing was ok at times, off at other times. She masked the song well enough, though, with her look and performance. I really don't want to see her win this, but she sails through another week.

Ace - My pick to be gone tomorrow. He actually took a rock anthem that drunk hetero guys sing at every stadium, ballpark, and arena in America, and made it GAY. Ticking off the Queen guys by ruining their song won't help him either.

Chris - Hey, the 90s called, Chris - they want their vocals back! Wierd song, too much screaming. But he too will sail on. Sooner or later when the field is trimmed he will fall.

Catherine - I just don't get the judges love of her (besides her rack). Her singing gets awful when it gets loud. She jumps around in a song, at times indecipherable, never clear and smooth. Not a very good singer at all, sooner or later that will catch up to her, despite the judges.

Taylor - Gave the masses what they wanted, the "old" Taylor. His singing was actually quite good during all the histrionics. Personally I would have loved to hear his take on "Champions" instead. He kinda has an "young Elvis vs Old Elvis" thing going on in his alternating performances. But I believe he has a strategy to go far in this and his popularity is immense. I'm guessing internal polls have him way ahead. When he pops out "Georgia" at a later stage this thing could be all over but Simon's shouting.

Elliot - The man has a great voice, but there still is a disconnect. Popping up and down with your eyes bugging out is not the way to sell a song. Shame he cannot find a way to get a style to go with those pipes. The song was tough and well sung, but it was uncomfortable to listen to, as it jumped all over the place.

Paris - She did look strange. However, I thought her singing, as usual, was strong and sure. She is the best remaining female vocalist by far. That doesn't guarantee her anything though, up against the two overrated vixens.

All in all, Queen night was strange. In the future, I hope the braintrust at AI picks a rock group with more than just a handful of listenable songs. The contestants need a bigger bank to choose from.

[freedumb2003]

but it said that Pickler goes online to see what people say about her. (Big surprise there! NOT!)

I don't think she could handle the truth we dish out here ;)

[EmilyGeiger]

How did you do that? Cool. :)

[OXENinFLA]

Here's my list.

1 Taylor Hicks - Great song choice for him and he performed it great.

2 Chris Daughtry - IMO A good idea to pick a song not many people know so his singing could speak for itself.

3 Katharine McPhee - Good voice and the song gave her the range to show it.

4 Elliott Yamin - Good but could have been better

5 Kellie Pickler - Looked like a freaking Zombie and hacked up the song. I know the have a time constraint but they F'ed up that song by cutting it all up.

6 Bucky Covington - Queen and country don't mix.

7 Paris Bennett - Bad night for her

8 Ace Young - Why is he still on the show?

[freedumb2003]

8 Ace Young - Why is he still on the show?

[EmilyGeiger]

Chris is up now....first let me say, I'm not into this type of music so is it me or is this really really bad?



I used to really like Chris but lately not as much. Last night's song was too dark or something. I wanted him to do something else. Taylor was great last night but Simon does not like him and it is starting to get on my last nerve. He will manipulate him out of the competition.

[EmilyGeiger]

I liked Elliot too. Tried to call for him but his line stayed busy.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Beary eyed, early morning review:

I found it very hard to not compare the songs last night to the originals in most cases. Freddie's voice was just so pure and so good that he set the standard for rock vocalists. Anyway, on to the performances:

Bucky - Fat Bottomed Girls - typical Bucky. Sang it in a country-rock fashion. Wasn't great. Wasn't horrible. It was just Bucky.

Ace - We Will Rock You - As I posted before the show when I read he was doing this song, it's not his style. Ace trying to do rock did not work. Brian May was right in refusing to change the song. It was not good at all.

Kellie - Bohemian Rhapsody - The judges "praise" was based on it not sucking as bad they thought it would. Folks, take your eyes off the shiny stilettos and bouncy breasts and listen to the vocal of that song (Link). Absolutely horrible. That was a cold blooded murder of one of the best rock songs in all of history. People seem to be giving her credit for trying the song. So what. She tried it and it was dreadful. It was pitchy and she did not have enough support for the power required in that song. She obviously used Constantine's arrangement which was the easiest parts of the song but it was nowhere near as good as his and his was mediocre at best. That being said, the Kelliebots will vote her through easily. I've said it before, America loves a dumb blonde. It's no wonder pop music sucks...

Chris - Innuendo - Agree with Simon a bit here, great vocal, good performance, bad song. He had an opportunity for greatness and it came up short. It was classic Chris though and alternative rock fans are extremely loyal. You might not understand "it" but, well, they could give a sh*t...;-)

Katharine - Who Wants To Live Forever - Nice production but once again failed to connect with the song and the audience. V-E-R-Y pitchy in spots. I thought she was better than that. It just wasn't very good.

Elliot - Somebody To Love - I really wanted to like it. I was excited when I heard he was singing this truly great song...unfortuately it lived up to my past impressions of him. Decent but I was not blown away by any stretch. I just have never had that "wow" moment with his voice.

Taylor - Crazy Littel Thing Called Love - Perfect song for him. As I also said before the show, would it be the best vocal? No way. Would it be a great performance? Yep. Taylor was Taylor again and his joy for music and performing came shining through. Simon the wank did his best to rip him because, as SirLinksAlot has said, he has no idea how to make any money with him. The Soul Patroller's were very pleased though and took umbrage to Simon's comment and likely put him in the top vote getting spot.

Paris - The Show Must Go On - Actually, I thought this was the best vocal of the night. As Brian May said, "she's damn good." I enjoyed the vocal but not necessarily the performance.

Top 3 - Vocally: Chris and Paris. Performance: Taylor in a league by himself.

Bottom 3 - It should be Ace, Kellie and Bucky. It will be Ace, Bucky and Katharine (the surprise could be Chris as I'm not sure it played to the masses)

Going home: Ace

[Netizen]

(BTW, was that a wig or what?) Unfortunately, her rabid fans will love this and vote in droves.

I think she got her hair cut and bleached.

[Netizen]

I don't think she could handle the truth we dish out here ;)

I thought that. too. :)

[Netizen]

Bottom 3 - It should be Ace, Kellie and Bucky. It will be Ace, Bucky and Katharine (the surprise could be Chris as I'm not sure it played to the masses)

Going home: Ace

going to be close.

DialIdol Rank	Idol	DialIdol Score	Margin Of Error	Actual Rank
1	Taylor Hicks	31.38	1.634	-
2	Kellie Pickler	27.912	1.675	-
3	Paris Bennett	26.298	1.694	-
4	Elliott Yamin	24.404	1.715	-
5	Katharine McPhee	22.55	1.736	-
6	Chris Daughtry	22.404	1.738	-
7	Bucky Covington	16.585	1.802	-
8	Ace Young	16.31	1.805	-
Margin of error: Per Idol; not scientific.

So close that even if Ace had the lowest they could say it was Bucky and people wouldn't know. If the bottom 4 holds, there will be some surprised people tonight. Bottom 3 and there will be shocked people.

[freedumb2003]

Good summary, but I think there are nore Ace-bots than you think.

My take: Paris goes home. Elliot, Bucky and Paris in bottom 3.

[Wyatt's Torch]

If I'm not mistaken, nobody in the "pimp" spot has ever gone home meaning Paris "should" be safe.

And yes, people who vote for guys on looks are no better than people who vote for girls on looks. Again, that is why popular "music" sucks so bad....

[kevkrom]

As theme nights go, this was remarkably better than most of the recent ones. Queen has such a broad range of songs to choose from that just about everyone could find something that suits them to a certain degree. This style requires singing with power and control while at the same time engaging the audience and drawing them in. This is not an easy combination to pull off, and is why Freddy Mercury was such a legendary performer.

So... how did our aspiring "Idols" do? On the whole, pretty well, but clearly not up to the original standard. The smartest moves of the night were by people who put a "twist" on the songs to make them their own, so as to avoid the inevitable comparison to Freddy Mercury.

Even still, it was a three tier night. Top top tier was occupied by Paris alone, for singing the song well and putting on an energetic and engaging performance -- she's the only one who pulled off both portions. Tier two (in no particular order: Bucky, Elliott, Katharine) comprises those who had a chance to do something really special, but fell short for one reason or another. The final tier belongs to those who just flat-out were disappointing.

Ok... here's how I saw it:

1. Paris - I thought the vocal was strong and confident, and that she did a good job selling the song both with her voice and her stage presence. The only "knock" I have is a minor one: some of her movements seemed over-choreographed, which didn't fit in well with the rest of the time where she just seemed to be in the moment. My Grade: A-
2. Elliott - The standard advice I would give to most contestants -- don't try to imitate Freddie Mercury -- really doesn't apply to Elliott. I think he would have done a better job trying to stay closer to the original than with this more "gospel" style. Still, I like the engagement he had with the audience; the best I've seen from him yet in that regard. My Grade: B+
3. Katharine - This was an ambitious reinterpretation of the original, and she almost pulled it off. She had some technical problems here and there, but where this really fell short of being a great performance was that it sounded more like an intro to a longer and "bigger" song, than a performance in and of itself. I think she needed more of a mix of slow-tempo and up-tempo to have "sold" this. My Grade: B
4. Bucky - Very, very good energy and a nice "rock-a-billy" style. If Bucky was a better singer, he's a good enough performer to win this thing. But his vocals are his weak point -- his voice just isn't up there with the others, and he continues to have technical problems as well. Diction was better this week, but he faded at the end of several phrases, and just lost whatever momentum he had going. My Grade: B-
5. Taylor - Ok, he sang well, he got the audience into it, so why is he so low on the scorecard? Two reasons: 1) it was such a cliche and "safe" choice, and 2) seriously, he looked more like an aging, has-been rocker trying to act "hip" again at age 50 than he looked like an "American Idol". Taylor needs to choose better songs and focus less on gimmicks. My Grade: C+
6. Chris - Anyone who tries to tell me this was anything other than 80 seconds of screaming into the microphone needs to have his head examined. Again, it was such a cliche, and with the entire canon of Queen to choose from, this was a horrible selection of song. It's as if Chris is flat-out admitting that he can't sing, and has to scream his way through something in order to perform it. The strobe light effects made it difficult to even watch him this week, which is where he makes up for his mediocre voice. My Grade: C-
7. Ace - I'll give Ace credit for trying to adapt a song to his style, but this just didn't work at all. It's a stadium chant song, not a boy band number, and no matter what you do to it, that remains true. The song was "too big" for Ace in the first place, and he diminished himself further by a bad interpretation. My Grade: D+
8. Kellie - Well, she gets the ambition award for the night, along with the "what the h*ll were you thinking?" award. She "styled" the song OK, but the vocal was nowhere near good enough. There was a brief moment after the opening and before the fast section where I thought she might actually pull it together, but then the wheels came off. Let's put it this way: Constantine's version looks like a masterpiece in comparison. Oh, and who still buys this act of hers? "What's 'on paper' mean?" For cryin' out loud... My Grade: D-

Overall rankings:

1. Paris Bennett (+2)
2. Katharine McPhee (-1)
3. Elliott Yamin (+1)
4. Chris Daughtry (-2)
5. Bucky Covington (+3)
6. Taylor Hicks (NC)
7. Ace Young (-2)
8. Kellie Pickler (-1)

[commish]

I posted the following on another AI board, but I thought I would share my analysis with everyone here. please let me know what you think.

OK, time for the Big Dawg (another personal insight, now you know my nickname among my buddies) to get long winded and pontificate a little. Have been doing a lot of thinking (I know dangerous) over night about last nights show, Simon's comments and the season in general.

Last night really got me thinking about the talent level and marketability of this years crew, and as I looked at each contestant in an objective "RECORD SALES" light, Simon's comments and attempts to steer the program became more and more clear to me.

Pleas indulge me as this is going to get very long winded. Get your morning coffee of coke, grab a danish or too and settle in for the ride.

The following ranking is based solely on what I see as the marketability of the contestants for thier AI Album. When I did this it made me realize why Simon is so savage this year, and why at times we seem to be at a dichotomy with him (Kellie - I'll tell you what Dichotomy and On Paper means later over some drinks, mood music and soft candlelight -- opps sorry, dirty old man moment over)

8 - Ace Young - no real Sales potential what so ever. Destined for soap opera acting. Teenage girls might buy a CD to get the cover poster to put on thier wall. This is why Simon won't even give him the time of day.

7 - Bucky Covington - Again, no real sales potential for AI. He will have some moderate success doing country-rock. Maybe a hit here and there, and will be one of those people that you will see listed as an opening act at the local music festival. "Oh cool, BUcky is opening for so and so this year, maybe he'll put on a good show". Simon could care less about who Bucky opens for in 5 years, Simon is about "what can you do for me right now" and the answer with Bucky is "not much"

6 - Eliot Yamin - The best pure vocalist in the entire competition. My personal favorite, but let's be realistic, Eliot will be a niche singer. he will have a decent career and probably put out some killer Jazz albums. He will generate a small but loyal following and will pop up on variety shows and singing the National Anthem every once in a while. This is why Simon tells him "You are the best vocalist this season, but you are not the American Idol".

5 - Paris Bennett - Paris is probably POTENTIALLY the biggest star of the whole bunch. The problem is it is POTENTIALLY. RIght now she is a child trying to compete with adults, and Simon sees that she is not ready for prime time. In 5 years Paris may very well be on her way to becoming the next Whitney, maria, etc -- but AI is about this year. Winning would be the absolute worst thing that could happen to Paris, if she wins she becomes Fantasia-LITE. NO Paris best bet is to ride it as far as possible for the exposure, but she is not ready yet to put out the album she has the POTENTIAL to put out. Simon sees this, that is why he tells her to act her age and drop the "adult" act.

4 - Taylor Hicks - the SOUL PATROL is A.I.'s worst nightmare. Taylor is a concert performer. I am willing to bet the SOUL PATROL becomes the next Parrothead/Dead Head fan group. In Other Words, moderately successful album sales, a long career, sold out concerts, but never ever really an award winning Superstar. He will be just like Jimmy Buffett - a loyal following of Rabid fans, but Jimmy Who? to everyone else. (Before you savage me - I am a died in the wool Parrothead, I own every Buffet album and have been to over 30 concerts) This is why Simon is so savage toward Taylor. Simon has no idea how to market him. Taylor winning scares Simon to death, and he will do anything to stop that from happening.

3 - Chris Daughtry - Possibly the best overall. Near the top vocally, near the top performancewise, near the top in looks. SO, why is he #3 then you ask -- two words ALTERNATIVE ROCK. Chris is going to be a nightmare for AI when they try to do an album. He will not compromise himself as much as Bo Bice did on his album. Chris will insist on a hard Alternative driving sound. He will sell tons of albums in his NICHE, but will never be a mega-star outside the Alternative world. Don't get me wrong, Chris will be wildly successful, and will show up on the charts every now and then when his bands do "power-ballads" -- but his mainstay will be in the Creed, Fuel, Nickleback world. Simon sees what a nightmare producing and then marketing an album will be, as a result he is becoming more and more negative towards Chris in his comments. This is for the same reason as he is negative with Taylor.

2 - Katherine McPhee - This was Simon's first pick. Looks, voice, etc -- looked like the total package right out of the box. Simon saw $$$$ and Kelly Clarkson Jr. Then the season began, and we saw the awkward stage presence (start marking her down). Now we are slowly seeing that the voice is not a wonderful as we all thought originally -- don't get me wrong, Kat is tremendously talented -- but she comes up pitchy and flat far too often, and she cannot hit the big notes like everyone thought -- instead they come out as a screech. Simon wants her to shine, this is why he said last night was ALMOST a moment. Katherine is ALMOST Kelly II, Katherine is ALMOST great. unfortunately, ALMOST does not sell records, and Simon is realizing that he is stuck with almost.

Which brings us to the PICKLE that Simon finds himself in.

1 - Kellie Pickler - Miss Dumb Blonde 2006. Miss personality 2006. Miss hot Bod 2006. Miss Mediocre Singer 2006. Kellie is not the best singer, at best she is 5th or 6th (I rate her singing behind Eliot, Chris, Taylor, Paris and Kat). BUT what Kellie does have is the IT factor. While Kellie is not in the same league vocally as the others, she is a damn good country singer, and AI is not about the BEST it is all about who can make SImon Cowell, 19 Entertainment, and Freemantle the most money -- and Simon realizes that the person that can do that is Kellie. Simon hates country music with a passion, but he is not dumb, he sees how wildly successful Carrie Underwood is and he sees the $$$$$$ that country music is bringing into AI pockets. This is why Simon is going out of his way to pump up Kellie, and why Fox is going out of thier way to promote her. Yes there are much better singers and performers, but Kellie is the one who will sell a ton of records right out of the box.