American Idol 2006--Live Thread (Part II)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZRKpwed_iA&eurl=

it's now been raining all night and still pouring this morning....everyone in Mobile is ecstatic! but I sure do hate walking my babies in the rain! and Jake is terrified of thunder so the little wuss has been in my arms all morning....

Morning folks. My DVR was on the blink last night and did not record AI, so I didn't get to see anybody perform.

I have listened to the mp3s of all 6 contestants and was a little suprised after reading the comments here. I was expecting train wrecks (except for Chris and Elliott) as that was what most of the commentary provided.

Just listening to the vocals with no video or pictures (other than what jonny so graciously provided of Kat), here's what I heard:

Chris - completely knocked it out of the park. I happen to like Bryan Adams (Summer of '69 rocks!), but have not cared for that song. Chris made me like the song, alot! Better than the original as stlnative says.

Elliot - probably the 2nd best vocal, but something's just missing for me. I didn't care for the song, at all, but I did think he sang it well.

Katherine - it wasn't near the train wreck that the judges made it out to be. Not bad, at all, actually, and I'm not a Katherine fan. I enjoyed this performance more than I have any of her other versions. Was it because I could see her expressions? I don't know, but from jonny's pics, I don't know that I would have noticed her expressions. ;-)

Kellie - nowhere near the train wreck described by the Kellie haters. I'm not a big fan, and I don't think she can, will, or should win, but this was not bad at all. I rather enjoyed it.

Paris - way oversung, no dynamics, everything at one level - big. Hated it, and expect her to go home tonight.

Taylor - horrible. I'm sorry, but this was the worst vocals of the night, by far. Much worse than Kellie. And, this is coming from someone who wants the final 2 to be Chris and Taylor. I like Taylor, but this was his worst vocals of the season. I can't say worst performance, because I didn't see it, but the vocals were atrocious.

If Taylor is not in the bottom 3, then this is a flat out popularity contest and has nothing to do with singing. I don't expect him to go (and he shouldn't), but he needs the wake up call a bottom 3 could provide.

Last week Chris did not deserve to be in the bottom 3. I'm predicting that we'll see another person this week who does not deserve to be in the bottom 3.

Last week, by all rights, Kellie deserved to be in the bottom 3, but wasn't. I'm predicting we'll see another person not be in the bottom 3 who deserves to be.

What a wacky couple of weeks.

My bottom 3:
Paris, Taylor, Elliot

Probable bottom 3:
Paris, Katherine, Kellie

Paris should, and I believe will, go home this week.

JMHO

Kellie - nowhere near the train wreck described by the Kellie haters.

Oh, come on... when was she ever even close to being on pitch except for the 15 seconds or so during the song's climax?

RECAP TIME :

Hello folks from all around the Pacific, Atlantic and these United States. I'd like to welcome one more person to my growing mailing list ( just added it today ).

Anyway, here is a culling of opinions from various boards that I agree with ( adding my own two cents worth to the mix ).

So, you tell me you're looking forward to classic love songs night.... well, look forward no further. THERE AIN'T NOTHING CLASSIC THERE.

Other than one or two songs, most of the songs they picked were : A) NOT CLASSIC; B) UNFIT FOR THEIR PERSONALITY/STYLE. C) BORING SONGS.

One thing you should note about love songs … they play this songs for a purpose. If you are willing to listen to James Ingram or Al Green wail some of them love songs on the radio, you're either : A) Getting ready to seduce someone; or B) Wanting to put your arms around that HAWT classmate, friend, colleague in a slow, seductive, hot dance.

I am NOT SURPRISED that --- since no one is doing any seducing or dancing last night, it made for one of the blandest of shows this season. From one of the best ( STANDARDS NIGHT ) to the blandest !!! How's that for a roller coaster ride ? Might as well invest in the NASDAQ STOCK MARKET....

IN Sum -- Other than ONE PERFORMANCE, None of the 6 finalists were great and one of them ( GUESS WHO ) sucked big time and if there is anything to the idea of MERIT at all, she should be sent mercifully packing home ( and note -- I use the word -- SHOULD because after watching 5 seasons of this show, usually the worst left, tend to overstay their welcome ( e.g. Nikki Mckibbin, Carmen Rasmussen, Jasmine Trias, Scott Savol ).

About the only interesting parts of the show were watching the dysfunctional American Idol family go at it again ( why not make Jerry Springer a guest while we're at it ?). Tonight we saw among to other things --- Simon Cowell snap at host Ryan Seacrest for cutting him off mid-diatribe, and trying to guess if special guest and music producer David Foster was closer to having migraine or a stroke watching some of the six rehearse.

Guest music coach, Andrea Bocelli just "watched" ( figuratively ) with amusement and simply relaxed as the 6 contestants stretched their vocal chords to try to match his ( forget it ). Talk about Paula Abdul being wasted..... well, tonight's episode took the cake and gave another meaning to that word.

So, 6 contestants, 6 songs and more time to perform ( longer than the usual 90 seconds alloted for each of them).

So what do we learn about Andrea Bocelli ? Firstly, I learned that the name Andrea is male also ( even after I've known only FEMALE Andrea's in my life ). Why can't his parents avoid the confusion and simply name him Andre ? Or is it an Italian thing that you can add an "A" at the end of a name ? But really ?? You don't call Silvio, Silivia, Franco, Franca or David, Davida !!. So why call Andre, Andrea ? CONFUSING as calling female actress --- Glen Close ( when she coulda been named Gwen Close ).

I have one of Bocelli's albums that I play all the time --- SOGNO. One of the greatest displays of vocal power in the genre of LIGHT CLASSICS of all time ( IMHO ). Looks like he has released a new CD, produced by David Foster, who also appeared tonight. Foster produces records for artists like Celine Dion. He has won many Grammys.

As we get into his music room, he strikes us as a stern teacher as opposed to Bocelli who is just there to listen and give his ( as usual, patronizing ) opinion.

OK, On with the show. Sigh.

Katharine McPhee decides to sing -- "I Have Nothing" - Whitney Houston (written by David Foster) The Fox press release mentioned that a contestant would be singing a David Foster composition. The (wrong) spoiler given to me by my Hollywood friend said she practiced "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU", but it never panned out.

Who woulda thunk that Kat would choose to do it ? Choosing to sing a Whitney song always invites comparisons. Clive Davis does it all the time. The judges are always harsh--even unfairly harsh--unless the contestant totally hits the ever changing melismatic notes out of the ball park. What do I like about the rehearsal with Bocelli ? Well, He and Kat did an impromptu duet of THE PRAYER ( originally done by Bocelli with Celine Dione ). Now, THAT should have been shown in full.....

Anyway, Kat's song has been sang many times in the past (most recently by Vonzell Solomon ) and always, ALWAYS judges will compare your version to the original. well, Kat went for the 360 degree SLAM DUNK anyway and managed a standard two handed slam. Not bad really. But it won't win you the slam dunk trophy.

Her stage movements have gotten much better, but I still think she has ways to go to match Whitney's power and range, particularly at the beginning of the song. Well Olympic figure skating medalist Sasha Cohen was clapping in the audience. Is she going to skate to Kat's version of the song, or Whitney's ? I'll bet on the later if she does,

The judges ( ALL OF THEM ) collectively were underwhelmed by Kat's performance BECAUSE I KNEW THAT IT INVITED COMPARISON TO Whitney Houston. YOU CAN'T HELP IT !! So we have such comments as -- "THE SONG WAS TOO BIG FOR YOU", " YOU ARE NO WHITNEY HOUSTON", blah blah.

Heck Simon, she isn't Whitney, she's Kat Mcphee. And honestly, this was a good performance! She didn't glory note or trill her way through the song. But I thought that was a good thing--because Kat has a tendency to go wayward a bit on the high notes and miss notes when she attempts the fancy melisma. But tonight she sang powerfully and with emotion, hitting nearly every note. Maybe the judges just didn't have the imagination to put Whitney's version out of their minds. Or that was some pretty heavy-duty de-pimping coming from the judges. It was so heavy handed and TOTALLY UNFAIR that I felt bad for her. I'm dialing for her just to get back at these twits !

As to her outfit, I'd rather not comment because I have to ask the Lord to lead me not into temptation. Suffice it to say that Michaelangelo might want to ask her to be his model if he were alive...

Elliott Yamin chooses "A Song For You" - Donny Hathaway (written by Leon Russell).

The first time I heard this song was in the 1970's when Karen Carpenter made it a hit with her ( for me ), bland version.

Elliott tells Ryan he chose this song because he wanted to introduce the talent of one of his idols whose daughter... camera pans to her, is one of his back-up singers tonight ( applause ).

For those who don't remember --- THIS WAS THE SONG Elliott sang when he first auditioned before the judges. This was what got him the golden ticket to Hollywood.

If there's anyone I want to see go all the way -- it is this guy. 90% deaf on one ear, diabetic at age 17, looking like a FAUN, but oh, what a smooth voice and that vibrato ---- SOOTHING. Dave Foster in fact admits that Elliott "REALLY REALLY SINGS WELL !"

Again, at the risk of sounding repetitive, I say --- Get him recording some great American Standards and I'll buy it in a jiffy.

I gotta say up front, that the stylists can make an Amish Faun look fine these days. Are these the same people who do the program -- THE SWAN ? This ugly duckling has indeed magically been transformed !

Now, if Taylor has his Soul Patrol, there is a growing group of fans called the YAMINIONS who are going to go to bat voting for their man ( and so am I ). Elliott gives them a shout-out !

Elliott's problem has NEVER BEEN HIS VOICE. It has always been about nerves IMHO and if he ever conquers it, he can be the next Mel Torme. Happily, when Elliott started to sing, the nerves disappeared. This was another confident performance. He obviously took all of the good advice Foster gave him and put it to use. Here's a guy who is half-deaf, has no vocal training and little performing experience. Yet, he's an incredibly gifted technical singer--always in tune and able to navigate tricky rhythms and changes. But he's also been gifted with a warm, melodious voice that can infuse a song with soul and passion. WAY TO GO Mr. Tumnus !!

Needless to say, all three judges went crazy over his rendition. Paula Abdul was moved to tears and incoherence. Simon of course was amused by the tears.

Here's Simon's comment " "Seven weeks ago I said you were one of the best male vocalists we've ever had on 'Idol.' Tonight, in parts, it was like a master class. It was superb."

AND SO, ONE OF MY FAVORITE MALE SINGERS IN THE COMPETITION IS STARTING TO COME OF AGE.

Ahhhh, the girl I anticipate the most.... not for her singing but for her eminent catalog of quotes that would put Dan Quayle to shame. Yes folks, Kellie Pickler is next.

I told myself -- Is she going to ask Bocelli whether he likes how her outfit looks ? Is she going to ask him why he closes his eyes when he sings ? Is it because he wants to feel the music ? WHO KNOWS ??

What does she choose ?? GOODNESS GRACIOUS, She's an audacious girl ---- she chooses Simon's favorite love song ---- "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. OK, she's not going to channel them but Leanne Rimes' version.

Let's give her props --- she NEVER backs down from a challenge. She tried some of the most challenging songs in the pop catalog -- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, BEWILDERED and now UNCHAINED MELODY ( setting herself up big time for some Simon backlash ).

Kellie is testing the voters to see how much she can get away with and still stay on the show. Last week was her worst performance of the season, and this week's wasn't any better. Her version of Leann Rimes' version of the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Memory" was three minutes of pure tedium. INTERMINABLE. During the practice, David Foster egged on Kellie to go for that big falsetto note. He might as well have set her up for failure. She tried and hit it, but failed to sustain it credibly.

Folks, It is VERY CLEAR that Kellie is still a vocal amateur out of her league here. She plodded on but it was clear that there was very little emotional connection to the lyrics. It looked like she was doing it merely to survive, not entertain. At this point in time, YOU WHO HAVE BEEN VOTING FOR HER AND PREVENTING HER FROM BEING IN THE BOTTOM 3 HAVE TO SHARE THE BLAME. HOW DID SHE GET PAST A MORE TALENTED SINGER LIKE MANDISA ? I'll tell you how --- on CHARM, CUTENESS, LIKEABILITY and the fact that Mandisa was FAT ( let's not sugar-coat it any longer ). Hers was easily the worst performance tonight (come to tkink of it, the worst last week and the week before as well). Please folks, have mercy on the girl.. she's reached a point where she'll have a good entertainment career no matter what but let her go I BEG YOU. After she goes, then maybe she can take vocal lessons. BUT THIS ISN'T THE PLACE TO DO IT !!

Simon said it all : "I thought it was like the never ending song...it was so monotonous and so bland there was no heart, no warmth, from your vocal at all. In fact, you were like a robot during that performance...". The best thing about the night for her was that she got saved by the music from the full brunt of Simon's comments — the theme music signaled the need for a commercial break while he was still trying to think of harsh metaphors. Perhaps the problem is that, as she told Ryan, she "[doesn't] have anyone to play pottery with," like Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore did in "Ghost." ANYONE OUT THERE WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO PLAY POTTERY WITH HER ?

AND YOU FOLKS VOTING FOR HER IN NORTH CAROLINA, Please -- You've got Clay Aiken and Fantasia already from your state. She clearly isn't someone you'd want to tout as talent. Spare yourselves more embarassment and let the girl go.

Paris Bennett ha been a chameleon from the beginning. I've never been able to pin her style down ( and neither her hair, which changes week after week ). Last week, she dressed up like an airline stewardess but sang a glorious Billie Holiday that harkened back to the 1940's. Today, she's going to try Barbra Streisand's THE WAY WE WERE. OK folks -- La Streisand is one of my favorite singers ( although I still think she's a political dope and ought to shut up making political statements ). But I have never liked this song, nor the movie ( where yes, she played a political wacko who eventually got abandoned by her lover, Robert Redford because he couldn't stand her. See, Redford and myself have something in common ).

But enough about Streisand, let's talk about the loveliness of Paris.

I'll tell you this -- Young Paris is blessed with an enormous amount of natural talent. And when she's into her element like last week, she's unbeatable.

If there was futures market for Idol contestants, Paris would be the safest bet to have the longest, most successful career. Seldom do you see someone so young, yet so blessed with a natural flair for songs spanning the 1930's to the present.

Tonight, she started little wobbly . The notes were lower than Streisand's arrangement and the arrangement in fact was DULL to say the least.

Paris, like Yao Ming ( who is several feet taller than her ) of the Houston Rockets, is inconsistent. When Yao Ming is good, he's great and stacks up with the likes of Shaquille O' Neal. But when he's bad, HE OUGHT TO BE BENCHED before he inflicts more damage on his team. So it is with Paris. It was not a memorable performance. But like the play-offs, you cannot afford to be unmemorable at the time when you could least afford it.

Why is that ? Out of all the contestants left, I think Paris has the weakest fan base. Let me explain. PARIS WAS AT HER MOST SUPERB and ELECTRIFYING LAST WEEK. HER PERFORMANCE OF BILLIE HOLIDAY's "THESE FOOLISH THINGS" WAS ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON ( and perhaps EVER in Idol history ). Yet..... inspite of that, SHE STILL MADE BOTTOM 3 !!

TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT HER FAN BASE THERE. She can't capture the teen base because they don't relate to her throwback style of music, and they can't make head or tail of what she really is now ....She's made several trips to the Bottom 3 already, and I'm afraid that she's in big danger this week.

The judges, while not critiquing harshly, gave her hurried, lukewarm remarks. Simon said, "Very good vocal, a bit old-fashioned for my tastes,and it sounded a bit like you were trying to imitate an older artist. Now I've finished, off you go..."

Oh oh -- OFF YOU GO --- sounds like a prediction if you ask me.

Well, here comes the best pure entertainer of the bunch -- Taylor Hicks.

Let's say this about Taylor -- when he's on to his ENTERTAINING STYLE, No one garners a bigger smile on my face than this man.

He has gotten LOOONG STANDING OVATIONS with his TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS, LIVIN' IN THE CITY, LEVON and last week's YOU SEND ME performances. Why ? They showcase his quirkiness and movements which people ( espeically his fans ) just adore. This, plus his bluesy, soulful voice make for the total package.

However, I have two problems with Taylor :

1) He also has the tendency to choose mediocre songs which don't highlight what he can do ( e.g. --- EASY AS SUNDAY MORNING, NOT FADE AWAY, COUNTRY ROADS ).

2) He is well loved because of his quirkiness that when he decided to be serious PEOPLE JUST GET TURNED OFF. This is true especially when he just stands behind the mic and loses his MOJO -- the ability to spazz and move.

CASE IN POINT --- Tonight's performance.

Taylor Hicks chooses "Just Once" by James Ingram.

WHAT THE HECK !! One of the worst songs EVER and he chooses this !! There was a spoiler that said his was going to be a song with 5 words in the title. I was hoping it would be YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING. Never panned out.

Out of all the love songs Taylor could have chosen, I'm puzzled why he chose this one. Despite Bocelli's opinion that this was a good song for him, I BEG TO DIFFA WITH THE GREAT TENOR HIMSELF.

David Foster tells us that Taylor "potentially had the most charisma, which is a very, very important part of being a star." That shows Foster doesn't watch the show much or he could have safely dropped the "potentially" — Hicks is a charisma machine. The fact that SNL would parody you shows that you already have it.

However, because the song was bad, His performance was rough in spots, especially at the beginning when the lower notes seemed a little out of his range. And he seemed disconnected through the middle of the song. He was even flat in spots--which is unusual for Taylor. Toward the end of the tune--particularly when he hit the high notes on the chorus--Taylor was brilliant. But that brilliance only came in flashes here. This was not a great vocal for Taylor.

At this point--with some incredible performances under his belt--he's set the bar high for himself. People expect a lot, and he usually delivers.

Imagine Michelle Kwan on ice folks, YOU KNOW HER, YOU KNOW WHAT SHE CAN DO. Then, she underwhelms. That's how I felt tonight.

Randy said it all --- "That was completely the wrong choice of song for you.". Paula ( who is probably doozy with whatever she's taking, praises Taylor and man --- did you see the look on Simon's face when Paula stood up and interrupted him during Taylor's critique? He looked teed off.

Sooner or later, there's going to be a hair-pulling match with mics thrown ( the audience better duck ).

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST --- We have Chris Daughtry.

Chris is in a dilemma right now. Ask yourself this question --- he has always been a fan favorite and has always been on top of the voting stats. Why did his fans abandon him last week when he almost got kicked off at the bottom 2 ?

Well, he listend to Simon and actually SANG instead of Yelled/Screamed. His fans on the other hand, LOVE HIM *BECAUSE* of his hard edged rock style. They don't seem to like it when he goes mellow on them.

But for me, what Chris did was show that he has a good voice and he isn't just about yelling/screeching/rocking hard.

I actually LIKED his version of WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD which showed that he isn't one dimensional.

But did his fans in the ALT-ROCK world do ? Nope !! They tuned him out and boycotted the phone lines big time last week.

So, what is Chris to do in a show that DEMANDS versatility instead of one-dimensionality ?

Answer : RISE TO THE OCCASSION AND MAKE LEMONADES OUT OF LEMONS.

He does it again tonight. Here's the challenge --- how can anyone rock out to something that even drunk college students avoid on karaoke night as being "too uncool." ?

Chris Daughtry chooses "Have You Really Ever Loved a Woman" - Bryan Adams. HE DOES ? I couldn't believe it. He does not choose a rock love song but Bryan Adams !

The first order of business for you amateur judges out there is to get pass the standard comparisons to the stylings of Bryan Adams, and judge the song on Chris's performance. THAT's CALLED BEING OPEN MINDED INSTEAD OF BEING ONE-TRACK.

Once you can do that, you'll find that he can actually deliver a versatile performance.

Dave Foster gave Chris some really good practical advice about his singing (aren't the Idol vocal coaches giving him this basic advice?) I think the exercise where Chris sang while on the floor ( Bocelli style ) actually helped his vocals. But isn't that singing 101 ? To let the voice out from the diaphragm instead of your throat ???

The vocals themselves were solid. Yes, I think he delivered a very very good performance. He commanded the stage, connected to the song and hit all the right emotional notes. It was on the money.

The show was too long already but the judges all really liked the effort. All they could do was give him very quick and hurried praise as the time was almost up.

However, I think Chris will be extremely relieved if a theme nights switch for a change so that instead of having to perform sappy love songs, he gets to go more hard edged, which is more within his comfort zone.

ALL IN ALL, a "MEH" NIGHT FOR ME.

Last week was the best IMHO and I miss the great songs that the contestants chose then.

This week had a lot of promise but the wrong headed song choices of most of them made it an UNEVENTFUL night. WHO GIVES THEM ADVICE ANYWAY ?

I volunteer to be their unpaid adviser.

MY RANKING FROM BEST TO WORST :

1. Elliott
2. Katharine
3. Chris
4. Paris
5. Taylor
6. Kellie

WHO SHOULD GO : Kellie ( If there is any justice ).

But since there is no justice :

WHO WILL GO : Paris ( what a travesty, but SUCH IS LIFE ).

I think I see areola.

If Katharine was thinking on her feet last night I would have loved to hear her tell Simon (after he made that comment about her NOT being Whitney Houston) "That's right, I'm not a coke head who lets my hubby randomly beat the living #%@%* out of me...." And then give him that great McPhee smile!

Now that would be great TV!!

Paris and the Pickler in the bottom 2...

Paris to go home. "Thank you..."

At least she had panties on!

"I agree, assuming that by "training" you mean that she can be taught to fetch me a beer while I listen to someone else sing."

Too funny - the best quote of the night!!

I saw them live at The Village Gate in NYC in 1965 or 1966.

The Village Gate was a small cabaret type place. We had a table in the front that butted the stage. You could reach out and touch them if you wanted.

Also playing was Doc Sevrinson from the Johnny Carson Show.

I go way back too............lol

tsk,tsk.....shame on jonny. :)

Hi Jonny, for what it's worth, just want to share my thoughts with you about last night's performances before the results show tonight:

Katharine: Lovely face. Flabby body. Good voice with a limited range. Paula's right. When Katharine tries to force the music she has almost an angry sound. She simply is not a power singer, but tries to be and it's a mistake. As you've noticed several times, when she's relaxed and just jamming with the celeb coaches, she sounds much better. That's because her vocals are more toned down and mellow. For all her goofiness, Paula sometimes gives the contestants the best advice. She told Katharine to remember where her money notes were, and she's right. Let me put it this way: Katharine would do better trying to emulate singers like Patti Page and Rosemary Clooney than singers like Whitney Houston and Barbara Streisand.

Paris: Listening to her last night, it occurred to me for the first time that the girl's speaking voice DOES interfere with her singing voice. No question about it, Paris has talent. She has zero charisma, as I've said before, but part of that may be due to her young age. If I could give Paris some advice it would be to not sing another note after this contest and the summer tour until she first acquires the services of a top-notch speaking voice coach. The speaking voice can be modulated and improved, particularly in someone so young. I think that would also improve her singing voice. Why? It occurred to me that when she sings, Paris sounds more than a little like a boy going through the voice change.

Kellie: What can I say that others haven't already. Last week and this her vocal limitations have been on full display. What on earth possessed her to choose "Unchained Melody" is beyond me, because she simply does not have the vocal chops to handle a song like that. Jonny, do you remember Kelly Clarkson's high C note in her rendition of 'Natural Woman?' (Kids today call it a whistle note.) Compare your memory of it (or if you still have the video I sent you, maybe replay it) to Pickle's warbly, uncertain high note last night. The difference between someone who has a real, natural gift and exceptional range vs. someone like Pickle, who is, at best, a high-school-level chorus line singer could not be more stark. If Pickle doesn't go home tonight, the point will be made most clearly that this is no longer a singing contest.

Taylor: Although I started out the season not liking him at all, I really do like him now. Unfortunately, although I don't think that was a terrible performance, he simply is not stepping up his game. I'm beginning to think he can't step it up, and that we're seeing his limitations. I can't quite put my finger on what's missing from his performances, though. Last night my strongest impression was that he's coasting. Choosing relatively easy material and relying on a relatively big finish to his songs to keep him in the competition. But I don't know if I've got it right.

Chris: To be honest, my attention kept wandering during his performance. I don't know if it was due to his performance or to the late hour when I watched my recording of the show. Chris is the most theatrical and possibly the most commercially viable of the remaining contestants for the current musical era. He has a decent voice, no question about it, but he just doesn't do it for me.

Elliott: Best of the night by far. Elliott brings something to his music that Paris, Katharine and Chris should learn, and that's subtlety. Elliott is a vocal artist. So is Taylor, or he tries to be, but of the two, Elliott is much better in my opinion. The others are just singers.

Something I want to say about Elliott's backstory. Unlike Pickle, who has used (or the show has used) her backstory to death, if I recall correctly we only heard about Elliott's deafness once. But his disability has a direct bearing on his ability to sing. That he sings so well despite it is truly amazing. Like Elliott, my father was deaf in one ear. I know the challenges of that particular disability. Elliott does not have "stereo" 360 degree hearing like the rest of us. He can only partially hear himself and the band, yet he is always on pitch and always in time to the music. He chooses difficult songs, often the most difficult of a given night, yet his phrasing is good and his key changes are smooth, all without a lot of unnecessary vocal gymnastics. Early on I tagged him as having the best voice of the males, now I think his performance skills are catching up. It sure doesn't hurt that the makeover people have done a very good job with him. I think of all this year's contestants, Elliott is the one I most want to have a viable career when this season is over.

At least she had panties on!

That's supposed to make me feel better?

LOL. Some guy just called in to Rush's show and gave out a shout out to the Soul Patrol. Wasn't you was it? ;)

Acaller on Rush just gave a shout out to the "SoulPatrol...WHOO!!" LOL

Some guy just called in to Rush's show and gave out a shout out to the Soul Patrol. Wasn't you was it? ;)

Nope, Never called Rush's program, although I do listen to it if I have the chance.

Here is my take on how the current crop of finalists can be REALLY JUDGED though...

Firstly, I don’t think one or two nights ( whether great, average or bad ) in a show like American Idol is going to define how a singer is going to do in his/her singing/performing/recording career should he/she win the competition.

For instance, Ruben Studdard was consistently good in season 2. I never saw him really have an off (bad) night. He was always good but never really wowed me.

Clay Aiken had some bad nights. I never liked his rendition of Grease and the song he picked out of the lottery — Vincent, left much to be desired. This didn’t stop him from being a more successful recording and concert artist than Reuben.

Fantasia had awful nights as well, and so did Carrie Underwood ( I really hated her rendition of Macarthur Park and Pat Benatar’s Love is a Battlefield ). Well what do you know, when their records came out, they were into their element and sold multi-platinum copies ( Carrie’s debut has already surpassed triple platinum and has overtaken Kelly Clarkson’s first two albums ).

Heck, even the great Bo Bice was coasting through MUSICALS night where he felt like a fish out of the water ( although he could’ve chosen some songs from say the rock opera — TOMMY ).

Of all the contestants, I think only Kelly Clarkson never had a off night ( too far back for me to remember ). Were Simon and Randy ever critical of Kelly ? I can’t remember either.

My point is simple — It isn’t really a level playing field to compare say, what Whitney did in her album with what Kat did in AI, or what Taylor did in his performance last nite with say James Ingram's.

Reasons :

1) Whitney had several takes to make the recording of her song perfect. Kat does not have that luxury.

2) How would Kat sound on the same song HAD SHE THE CHANCE TO RECORD IT IN STUDIO and the chance to correct imperfections ?

3) Arrangements count.

For instnace, Altough Taylor’s performance was not horrible, I believe the orchestration was a bit much. This compared to James Ingram's simpler and more soothing background made his sound better than Taylor’s.

4) Voice suitablility ( and this goes to song choice ). Taylor’s is a soulful. bluesy type of Tenor. Therefore, songs that cater to this type of voice naturally are a fit for him. Hence, I don’t know how he would sound like in a duet with Katharine singing Bocelli’s hit — THE PRAYER. I am willing to bet it won’t fit unless the arrangement becomes a jazzy version. But if you do this, then it becomes HERESY to classic lite purists.

5) How would James Ingram sing this same song had it been presented to him the first time and he had only days to practice it and then perform it in front of 30 million people who scrutinize your every breath and phrasing ?

YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE ?

In the end, recording and performance careers are VERY DIFFERENT from what American Idol is trying to mold.

When your career IS music, you HAVE TO CHOOSE A NICHE. I don’t think you can everything to everyone.

Unfortunately, THAT is EXACTLY what a venue like American Idol is forcing you to do. Do you believe that Taylor is going to do DISCO or COUNTRY music in his career ? If you say NO, go to the head of the class.

BUT THEN, HE IS FORCED TO SING DISCO MUSIC. What do you expect him to do ?

Let’s turn it around and ask the following questions (use your imagination ).

1) How would Whitney Houston sound like singing WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS or WE WILL ROCK YOU ?

2) How would Andrea Bocelli sound like singing the songs in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER ?

3) How would Kenny Rogers sound like singing Superstition or Don’t You Worry About a Thing ?

Most importantly, imagine these people having an extreme make-over, hiding their identities and then performing in front of and being JUDGED by Simon for singing these songs during theme night…. I wonder what kind of colorful comments they’d receive.

So, here’s my point…. it isn’t TOTALLY FAIR to judge a person based on one or two nights ( not especially when the theme does not fit his/her genre ).

YOU HOWEVER *CAN* JUDGE THE PERSON FROM HIS/HER *TOTAL* NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES TAKEN WHOLISTICALLY.

In this sense, we KNOW that Kellie Pickler is really the sore thumb sticking out among the 6 vocalists left. I’ll give this to her — SHE TAKES ON CHALLENGES and REFUSES TO BE PIGEON HOLED INTO THE COUNTRY SINGER people are typecasting her as.

Unfortunately, by doing so, she reveals her vocal limitations and her : A) Lack of training; B) Lack of performing experience. With seasoning and vocal lessons, I’m sure Kellie (who has raw talent ) can make it. But NOW IS NOT THE TIME.

My brief synopsis of last night as I watched it speeding through it on TiVo:

For minute of Kat seemed pretty good. I stopped for the judges comments and wondered what the hell I missed? I'll watch the full thing tonight but can't imagine it was that bad. Her, "I'm the best don't you know" stage presence keeps me from watching her. i just have to close my eyes and listen...

Elliot - for the 91st week in a row i don't get his voice. He's good but I have never had a "wow" moment with him singing or on stage. Sorry. Doesn't do it for me.

Kellie - sucked. Simple as that. LMFAO when Andrea correctly called the color of her hair. I also think Foster wanted her gone that why he convinced her to go for the high note. It was a vacant and poor performance.

Paris - I listed to the first four seconds, realized it was a Streisand song. I hate Streisand. FFW to the judges comments.....

Taylor - I love Taylor's passion on stage and hate it when he puts the microphone in the stand. Last nigth had glimpses of Taylor being Taylor but for the most part it was boring. One of his bottom two performances for me.

Chris - stole the show IMHO. Good vocal and great performance. Very passionate and gave the alt-rock diehards something to be happy with with a few of the notes. Again, for those who think he "screams" everything, you obviously aren't objectively listening. It's his to lose IYAM.

Bottom three - will not be surprised if it is the three girls. If not Kat it will be Elliot. I just don't think he plays in Peioria.

Should go home - Kellie. She is by far the worst contestant left and way out of her league.

Will go home - Paris.

"Pickler's fan base is eroding"

It's clear to most people that Pickler is by far the least talented. Is her fan base is eroding or is it just that pissed off people whose (more talented) favorites have been voted out are deciding to vote for anybody but Kellie? I picked her to make it to the top 2 on the strength of her fan base, but now I'm wondering if I may have underestimated the voting of people actively wanting to prevent her from going farther. Call it the prophylactic vote. hehe

Agree with you that Katharine needs to stop taking blasters like Whitney or Celine as her models. If I were coaching her, I think I'd have her listening to Jane Monheit CD's continuously for the next week or so.