The Daily Bongo
American Idol 2005
Saturday, October 1, 2005 -- Late Evening
Constantine Maroulis has signed a deal to make a television series. The show is supposed to be a drama with musical elements. It will be interesting to see what the show is like. I think that Constantine would be best suited for a comedy, but we'll have to see how he does. People magazine says that the show is with ABC.Tuesday, August 23, 2005 -- Morning
Bo Bice is off the American Idol summer tour. Last Friday, Bo underwent emergency surgery in a Las Vegas hospital for a kink in his intestines. It's not really clear what the diagnosis or prognosis is at this point because of the lack of official word either from the hospital or the American Idol folks.Wednesday, August 17, 2005 -- Afternoon
Mario Vasquez has supposedly signed a record deal with Clive Davis. The deal is supposed to be officially announced after Labor Day. The deal is similar to what he would have gotten if he had stayed on American Idol. The only difference is that he isn't under a managment deal with Simon Fuller. So Mario lucked out and make a really smart move.Saturday, August 13, 2005 -- Morning
In other reality news, Paula Abdul will be remaining with American Idol after the independent investigation into the allegations of her having an affair with Corey Clark while he was a contestant on the show was found to be groundless. It appears that the lawyers hired by FOX could not find any proof that Clark's claims were true. Next season, there will be more stringent guidelines governing the relationship between the judges and the contestants.Monday, August 1, 2005 -- Afternoon
It seems that Bo Bice broke his foot during a tour with his other American Idol castmates. It seems that Bo switched from boots to sneakers because he thought they would be better for his energetic routine. Well, he jumped up during his routine, and wound up breaking a bone in his foot. This happened last night, and supposedly, he will be able to rejoin the tour and just have to wear an air cast to protect his foot.Friday, July 29, 2005 -- Morning
Fox has hired an independent counsel to investigate claims that Paula Abdul had an affair with a contestant. It will be interesting to see what the counsel turns up. Meanwhile, Fox is still supporting Abdul in the claims.Friday, July 1, 2005 -- Evening
Bo Bice married his hometown sweetheart. It seems that they actually got married on June 15, and have just been keeping it quiet.Tuesday, June 28, 2005 -- Afternoon
Corey Clark, the guy who claimed Paula Adbul had an affair with him, is in the news again. This time it was because he got involved in an argument and food fight with his record company manager. Obviously, Corey ain't too bright. Why not bite the hand that feeds you? The female executive is not pressing charges, but it seems that they both started throwing food and plates and both had scratches.Also on the American Idol front, both Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice are on the charts with songs from the compilation cd American Idol Season 4 - The Showstoppers. Carrie sings Independence Day while Bo sings I Don't Want to Be. Unfortunately, Mikalah Gordon and Anwar Robinson are also on the cd. I guess in their case, they meant Showstopper as in stopping up your ears! Be careful in listening to the samples on the Amazon site. For example, when clicking on the Windows media player link for Anthony Federov, I got Anwar instead. I know, I know, both can hurt your ears, but it was not what I expected.
Saturday, June 25 -- Morning
Carrie Underwood single is out, Inside Your Heaven. So far, in one week's time, the song has sold 170,000 copies which makes it the best selling song of 2005. What makes it even more surprising for those in the know is that the song won't be released on the radio until July 5. The song also debuted at No. 1 on four charts that Billboard puts out. So Carrie is number one on the Hot 100, Pop 100, single sales and country singles sales. Impressive!Sunday, June 19, 2005 -- Evening
There is news on the American Idol front. Bo Bice has signed with 19 Recordings/RCA Records. This coming Tuesday, a single will be released with Inside Your Heaven on the A side, and Vehicle as the B side. For some reason, I think the B side will be doing better. Richie Sambora collaborated with Bo on Vehicle. Bo will be on the Today show tomorrow morning, and on The View on Wednesday.Thursday, May 26, 2005 -- Morning
Of course now we have all the analysis of last night's selection of Carrie Underwood as the new American Idol. I should say that it should have been obvious to us because I did hear that the song that the winner would record as the first single was Inside Your Heaven which was obviously more of a country type song than a rocker one. I have to agree that Carrie did fit the role of American Idol more than Bo did. For the majority of Americans, a sweet, pretty blonde girl fits the image of a pop singer more than a guy with long hair and a gruff demeanor. It's not that Bo didn't seem to be a sweetie in personality, but his look was gruff. Also, I think that there are more fans of country music in Middle American than for southern rock.Wednesday, May 25, 2005 -- Evening
Carrie Underwood is this year's American Idol
The final show of American Idol is on. The show started with the voted off contestants singing a collection of oldies. It was one of the worst experiences with alot of out of tune singing. Boy, I hope that the whole show isn't a collection of bad singing. I thought that we were rid of Mikalah Gordon's awful voice. I did like Constantine singing Get Around by the Beach Boys. It was a return of the old showman Constantine. I would imagine this is how their tour will be, and I don't know why anyone would buy tickets to it. The show picked obnoxious Mikalah Gordon as a host on the red carpet. It was annoying, just as she was. Then we had a recap of the season. I can see that the show is doing its ernest best to drag out the show. We saw folks in Bo's hometown cheering him on, then Bo went on stage to sing Vehicle. Then we got to see fans in Carrie's home town. From that we went to Carrie singing Angels Brought Me Here. One thing that I have been noticing in this first half hour of the show is that the sound quality sucks. It's either Fox in general, or my local station because the sound just randomly cuts out. After the commercial break, Ryan took us into Randy Jackson's dressing room. Randy said that after watching the show again last night, he thought that Carrie won the night. Then we got a whole comedy skit and rehash of the love/hate relationship of Paula and Simon. Only 37 minutes of the show have passed. How will they possibly drag this out for another hour!?! We saw a new Ford commercial, and then went to Simon in the dressing room. Simon said his opinion didn't change after watching the show, and he still believes that Carrie will win the competition. This show is really getting on my nerves because it is really stupid and annoying.
The second hour started with Carrie and Bo singing Up Where We Belong together. They did sing the song well together. It actually was a very nice touch, and they did a nice job. After the song, we found out that both Carrie and Bo were given a new car each. They seemed very shocked. Yet another recap of Bo and Carrie's seasons was shown. There were more recaps of the auditions. Then there was another comedy sketch putting Simon in a Paula Abdul role. The best part was having the contestants singing a duet with their idols. So we had Carrie singing with Rascal Flatts. Carrie did a great job with Rascal. Then we had Anthony and Anwar singing with Kenny G. They sang I Believe I Can Fly. Then Constantine, Jessica, and Nadia sang Walk this Way with Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Scott and Nikko sang Broadway with George Benson. Vonzell sang I'm Born Again with Billy Preston. Babyface sang with Lindsay and Mikalah. And believe me, Mikalah still sounds like crap. Finally we had Bo singing Sweet Home Alabama with Lynard Skynard. Bo did a great job singing with them--his voice is a perfect fit for the group. Finally after a long, long evening, we are at the end of the show, and we can find out who is the next American Idol. The results are in, and we find out that Carrie Underwood is the winner. The show closed with Carrie singing Inside Your Heaven which is the single that she will be releasing on June 14.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 -- Morning
I put in my votes for Carrie Underwood last night. I'm not sure how she did because I was able to connect quickly a few times in a row on and off. I have to admit that I just tried on and off for the first two hours of the voting period. So if she loses, it is because I didn't make the good old college try. MSNBC has a nice review of the show. They say that even though Bo is the better performer, Carrie has a strong fan base, and she has a likeability factor that Bo lacks. The roundtable group gives Carrie a win with three votes to one. I think that it will be interesting to see how the votes actually did pan out.Tuesday, May 24, 2005 -- Evening
Of course, tonight is final competition night on American Idol and it is being broadcast from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. There are going to be three songs each, three phone numbers each, and four hours of voting. A coin was flipped and Carrie Underwood got to choose who went first, and she opted to go second. So Bo Bice was up first and sang The Long, Long Road. It was a ballad song, and I was quite surprised because his voice sounded really weak for a good portion of the song. I think that it was a very bad choice for his voice, especially at the beginning, and towards the end these other voices drowning his out. Maybe the problem was that it was a bad arrangement. Needless to say, I was underimpressed. Randy said that he didn't love the song, but the great news was that he thought Bo sang it well, even though it was pitchy at the beginning. Paula congratulated Bo, and said that she told him she would see him in the finals. She also said it was difficult singing a song no one knows. Simon said that it was probably the closest final, and that Bo looked like his chemistry teacher, and it was a very dreary song. I have to agree with Simon.Carrie was up with Inside Your Heaven. The song was also a ballad, but Carrie did a good job with it. She was really able to carry it off. She has a very nice voice, and this song did a good job of showing off the country aspect of her voice. Carrie is also a pretty girl, and I think that she should have a career in country music. Carrie definitely did a much better job with the first song than Bo did with his song. Will the judges agree with me? Randy said wow--that it was a wow night. The bad news from Randy is that he didn't love the song either, and he thought the first half was pitchy (I don't agree). Randy said that in the end, Carrie brought it home, and she can really sing. Paula again congratulated Carrie. Paula thought she sang the song beautifully with a few problem notes. Simon said that he could see that Carrie was nervous and thought that Carrie was better than Bo. He told Carrie to pace herself because her vocal was on the edge there, but that round one went to Carrie. As Ryan Seacrest talked to her after the judges, Carrie's voice had alot of emotion and sounded close to tears. It is a hard night.
The second part is the favorite song of the season for the competitors. Bo sang Vehicle. Again, I don't think his voice was at its best, and I'm not sure what the issue is. I wonder if it is a case of nerves or the fact that he is in a much larger auditorium and that his voice is being drowned out. Also, there are bits of it that just sound abit pitchy. He looks good though. Randy thought that it was a great song and great vocals. In Randy's opinion it was hot. Paula thought he couldn't have performed it better. Simon said "welcome back, now we have a competition". I still think that it might be abit iffy.
Carrie sang Independence Day. It was another country choice. I think that they are really playing up the whole rock versus country difference between the singers. I think that Carrie did a great job with the song. You can just see that she is really putting her all into her songs, and I am hoping that it works for her. Randy said "Welcome back Carrie"--that's the Carrie I love, you worked it out and that was hot. Paula said it was brilliant and a great vocal. Simon didn't think that it was a great vocal, and thought that it sounded strained. Simon claims that round two went to Bo, but Randy Jackson said no. I think so far that it is 2-0 for Carrie.
In the final round, Bo sang Carrie's song from the first round Inside Your Heaven. Again, I thought that his voice was weak and pitchy. These slow ballads with low notes just aren't suited to his voice, at least the two songs that we had tonight weren't good for his voice. I don't think that he sang the song anywhere near as well as Carrie did. Everytime there are backup singers, they just seem to drown out his voice. Again, in my opinion, not his best performance. What do the judges say? Randy said it was amazing and that Bo made him love the song. Paula agreed that Bo gave his all on the song. Simon said that this was the first time he saw nerves in Bo. Simon said that he thought Bo outsang Carrie, which I think is wrong, and that it has been great just having an opportunity to listen to Bo this season. Bo said that it has been a surreal experience.
So Carrie did not sing Bo's song from the first round. Instead, she sang Angels Brought Me Here. Her voice was too low at the beginning, and it was hard to hear what she was singing. I'm not sure that I would have gone with this song. I think that she should have gone with something that was more rocking and would give her a chance to move around more. Carrie did look nice in a nice black dress. I think that she has a very nice voice, and I think that in the end she did a good job. As Randy would say, I think she brought it home. The other thing is that I think her song choices will really appeal to her fans. Carrie's voice did crack on the last note, and she did start tearing up. Randy gave her the "dog standing ovation" and just kept on saying wow. Paula said that Carrie has faced a lifetime of achievements in the last six months. Simon said that Carrie has alot of guts, competing against someone older than her, and Simon said that he felt Carrie did enough to win this competition. Carrie said that it's nice to see the end in sight, and to look forward to the tour tomorrow. I know that Carrie has my vote. I think she did a much better job than Bo did. Regardless of which one wins, I think that both deserve recording contracts, because both are good.
Saturday, May 21, 2005 -- Evening
Oddsmakers have Bo Bice winning American Idol. It seems that originally on some of the online betting places that Carrie Underwood was the favorite. That changed with the competition last week.Thursday, May 19, 2005 -- Evening
Vonzell is gone now, but the competition goes on. I don't think that it was undeserved in the sense that Carrie and Bo both were pretty good. I do believe that nerves were really getting to Vonzell and it was showing in the quality of her singing. In fact, I think that she was superb when she was singing after she was voted off last night. Maybe she should have put that much enthusiasm and soul into her earlier performances. Now the question is who will win the competition? I think that Bo is a better singer, but I don't know if he has the callers that Carrie has. If they released the actual number of votes that each person got, we might have a better idea where Carrie and Bo stood. Something interesting to note, however, is that Constantine shows up as number 10 in the top ten performances ever on American Idol--and yet he was voted off. Hmmm! It does make one wonder. Here is the roundtable discussion of this week's show. Tonight we can watch the worst auditions for the show for this season. That's always entertaining.Wednesday, May 18, 2005 -- Evening
The vote off show is now on. It seems that last night after the show, the audience and contestants got a sneak preview of the new Star Wars. After that news, we got to see Vonzell Solomon's home coming. We saw her do radio shows, then go to see her former co-workers, then a signing event, and finally a ride on a yacht with her family. Then she had more fan meetings and got the key to Fort Myers from the mayor. The day ended with a dinner at home with her family. Vonzell then got to sing Chain of Fools for us again. After the commercial, we had the Ford commercial where the three sang One Way or Another. The song was good, the commercial was boring. Now it was Bo Bice's home visit. He was greeted by two members of Lynnard Skynard, then went on the radio station tour and the store signing. Then he got the key to Helena, Alabama from the mayor. Bo then had a parade through the city, and a crowd of 8,000 folks at the local Ampitheater where Bo sang for the crowd with help from the guys from Lynnard Skynard. Bo's song this evening was Without a Dream, the acoustic number from last night. Last up was a look at Carrie Underwood's visit home. Carrie went home to Oaklahoma. As with the others, she did the radio interviews, and had a parade though the town. She sang the national anthem, then got the key to the city, had the day named "Carrie Underwood Day" by the governor, and an honorary degree. Then she went to the local school for an autograph signing session. The day ended with a trip home and visits with the family and pets. Carrie sang Crying. The final commercial break came on, and then we finally got to learn who was voted off the show. There were 37 million votes last night. Vonzell was voted off. It's as we have been hearing from the beginning of the season that Carrie and Bo would be in the final. The show closed with all three singing United we Stand, Divided We Fall. It did not sound very good, but it was an emotional time.Folks think that Vonzell is going to be voted off tonight. I would agree with that, but then sometimes you just can't tell whether folks voted or not. Tonight will be the vote off show, and we will get to see some video of the contestants in their home towns.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005 -- Evening
American Idol is on now. They will be singing three songs each tonight. The songs will include one that the contestants choose, then one the judges choose, and then one that Clive Davis chooses. Vonzell Solomon went first and Clive chose I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again. I don't think that Vonzell did well with the song. Her voice sounded rough to me in spots and "pitchy". The end was good and robust though. Clive Davis thought she hit the notes right, but that the smile was out of place in the song. Randy thought that it was pitchy throughout. He thought the end was good, but pitchy. Even Paula thought that it probably wasn't the right key to start in, and was pitchy. Simon said that there were bum notes throughout and she was obviously nervous. Bo Bice was second and Clive picked Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. All I have to say is that Clive is not very good at picking songs for folks. I don't think that Bo did well with this one at the beginning. It got better at the end, but it wasn't a Bo song. Clive thought that Bo captured the song, and that it was heartfelt and passionate. Randy liked it, and said that Bo is forever in the dog pound. Paula said that it was pure brilliance and magnificent. Simon said that it was really great, and prefers this time of song to the rock songs. Carrie Underwood is last this evening. Clive picked Crying by Ray Orbison for Carrie. The song was perfect for Carrie, and I really enjoyed it. I thinking that she performed the best song in this set. Clive thought that she did a real strong job with the song. Randy thought it was perfect and one of Carrie's best. Paula thought it was a subdued, nice, nice, poignant version. Simon thought that it was a good job, but maybe a bit wooden. Simon would have given the first round to Bo.The second round of the competition was on, and it was the contestant's own pick. Vonzell picked Chain of Fools She did a nice job with the song. The thing that Clive said about her is true. In every song, she smiles alot and tries to give a Whitney Houston-ish laugh. She did a decent job with the song though. Clive said that she gave the song a pop feel, but missed the soulful essence of the song. Randy thought it was a perfect song choice, and sang it well, and that it was her best performance. Paula said that no one who performed the song in the past nailed it like Vonzell did. Simon said that Vonzell has the likeable factor just as Clive said, then he reiterated that it was a competition tonight. Bo said Without a Dream, and did it a cappella. He did a beautiful job. It was extremely good, and just based on this performance, I would give him the win for the season. It was extremely impressive!! Clive said that Bo took a real risk and pulled it off, and said that he was going to make a prediction that they would have a great time making an album together. Randy loved that he returned to the a cappella and that Bo was the bomb and great. Paula said that Bo truly was a gift, and that he is also a gift on the inside too, and a wonderful soul. Simon said that Bo may have just put 34 million musicians out of work. Carrie chose Making Love out of Nothing at All from Air Supply. It was a nice job, but it was abit of a let down coming after Bo. Carrie did a nice job with the song, and I think that the final two will be Carrie and Bo. She held one note forever, and it was an impressive job. Clive said the song choice was special to him, and loved how Carrie threw herself into it and it was a great job. Randy said that Carrie can definitely, definitely sing. Paula said that it was a great choice of song, and she sang it effortlessly, and it was unbelieveable. Simon said that she had a good night tonight, and it was hard to follow Bo, and that she was straining abit in the middle.
The third set was the judges' pick. Simon picked On the Radio, a Donna Summer song, for Vonzell. The song was perfect for Vonzell. Her voice was abit shaky at the beginning. I think that it is nerves. She has to know that she probably isn't going to make it past tonight, and she ended with another Whitney laugh. Clive said that Simon picked a good song for her and she did well. Randy said that he enjoyed it and Paula agreed and said that Vonzell is enjoying herself. Simon said that he agrees 100 percent with Clive. Now for Bo, Paula picked I Can't Get No Satisfaction. Bo came leaping out, and put alot of energy into the song. Bo did a great job with it, and even put abit of the Constantine swagger into it. I think that Bo is definitely going to make a selling album. Clive said he really nailed and took three different songs and made them his own. It was his night. Randy even said that it was like being at the Bo concert tonight, and he rocked the house. Paula said that everyone's going to get one more free week, and will have pay to see him. Simon said that he loved the first two songs, but the third was abit of light fluff "like you" Simon said to Paula. Paula and Simon do have a chemistry together. Randy picked I Feel Like a Woman for Carrie. I didn't like the beginning very much, but then she picked it up during the chorus part. It was the right song for her. Clive said that country pop is her element, and radiates from her voice and look. Randy loved it, and thought that Carrie did her thing. Paula said that she loves with Carrie having fun and she was in her element. Simon said that the first part of the song, Carrie didn't sound comfortable, but she picked it up in the second half. Simon thinks Carrie would make it to the final two.
I think that Vonzell was definitely the weakest of the three, and we should be seeing Carrie and Bo performing next week with Bo winning it all.
Saturday, May 14 2005 -- Evening
Clive Davis is going to appear on American Idol this coming Tuesday. Mr. Davis is going to give his opinion of the remaining three finalists just as he did last year.If you want to know what Bo Bice did during his trip home this week, you'll be happy to know that he performed with his band. Some of the guys from Lynnard Skynard were in the audience, so Bo sang Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird in their honor.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight was elimination night on American Idol. The first thing up was a recap of last night. We had the usual group sing with all of them singing Islands in the Stream. It wasn't that bad actually, although Bo really can't sing country songs. The Ford commmercial this evening was stupid. Bo has a messed up hairstyle, and the remaining three ask how he got his hair like that. Then they all go in the car and go on this roller coaster ride that gives them all messed up hair. After the commercial break, we got to see the auditions of the four finalists. Vonzell looks more polished now than then. Anthony, however, looks like he has too much makeup on now. I liked the old look better. Carrie looked just like she does now. Even with the hair straightened, she's still herself. We also go to see the Bo audition which was never on tv before. He didn't have the same amount of face hair, and the hair seemed shorter and curlier on the ends. Then we got to the part we have been waiting for. There are three marquee tickets that will be given to the three who continue so they can fly home, spend the week with family, and then come back for the next competition. There is also one coach ticket to send the loser home. Who will get what? We find out after the commercial break. So they started with Bo who was safe. Then they went to Carrie and she was safe. Vonzell was also safe. Poor Anthony is leaving tonight, but he had to know that was a strong possibilty for him because he was in the bottom three alot this season. It's ironic that Anthony did not give the worst performance last night, and he winds up being the one who goes home. We leave with Anthony singing If You Don't Know Me By Now. Carrie was crying alot and mimed to Anthony that she loves him. That was very touching. I did wonder how well the contestants get along with each other, and I suppose that some of them do develop friendships. Anthony and Carrie both seem like pleasant people who would be easy to get along with.Wednesday, May 11, 2005 -- Morning
I checked out MSNBC for their analysis of last night's American Idol, and it seems that they are giving equal percentages on Vonzell and Anthony advancing to next week. I also checked out the roundtable, and the consensus appears to be that although Anthony had one of his best weeks, he may be the one to leave. Vonzell's performance leaves her abit vulnerable, and I was suprised to see that in the roundtable, Molly seemed to think that both Vonzell and Carrie were the vulnerable ones. It will be interesting to see what happens tonight!Tuesday, May 10, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight is competition night on American Idol. Paula got a big round of applause from the audience and kudos from Randy and Simon. The theme tonight is alittle bit of country (songs of Nashville) and a little bit of city (songs from Philadelphia and song writers Gamble and Huff). Carrie Underwood was up first and they showed a clip of her two sisters wishing her well. Carrie sang a Dixie Chicks song, and it sounded really bad. Now I'm not familiar with the song so I don't know if it was supposed to sound bad on the voice. Now Carrie did put alot of energy in the song, and it was good performance-wise--hard on my ears though. Randy said it was the perfect song for her to sing and that Carrie is ready for the record charts because he would buy it. Paula said that Randy said it all. Simon said that it was the equivalent of her singing in the shower and she did it effortlessly. simon also mentioned how we got to see her personality too. Next up was Bo Bice. We got to see Bo's parents wishing him well. His mother looks very young. Bo did a good job with his song. I was thinking that he might not do well with this genre, but I think that the choice of song really suited his voice. He has that raspy sound that goes well with country. Randy thought it was another great performance and that Bo did his thing. Paula said that we say we love you and they do. What was surprising is the Paula said that he needs to pick more challenging songs. Simon said, "What Paula is trying to say is that it is boring". He said it was a lazy and uninspiring performance and like a jam in a local club, and that it wasn't great. Then we got the humor of seeing Bo's grandma joking mime that she was going to pound Simon. Next up was Vonzell Solomon. How will she do with country? We got to see her brothers urging her on. She sang one of my favorite songs How do I live. Leigh Ann Rimes did a cover of it. vonzell's voice was extremely shaky throughout the song. It was one of the worst vocal performances that she has given in my opinion. She ruined the song in my opinion. I can't wait to hear what the judges say to see if they say the truth. Randy was up first. Randy claimed it started rough in the first few bars. He said that it was slow, but somehow she did her thing in the end. Miss Positive, Paula, asked how she was feeling, and vonzell said that she was choked up seeing her dad. Paula said that she's a beautiful performance. Simon said that she looked and sounded incredibly nervous this evening, and he was just going to leave it at that. I think that the judges weren't very positive because she really sounded BAD! Last up was Anthony Fedorov. The only thing that could be worse after Vonzell's performance was Anthony. And he shocked me. The start was really rough, but then he started getting better. He sang I'm Already there by Lonestar, and I was impressed with him. I would have thought it would have been truly awful, and it wasn't. Randy said it was good--and it was! Paula said that it was a good performance, and she wants to see him stretch more. Simon said on a positive note that Anthony did sing it well. Simon did not like the song and thought it was gooey and syrupy. The thing is that he did sing it well--surprisingly. I think in the first grouping of songs, Vonzell did an incredibly bad job. She better pick up her act for the second set!The second set of songs started out with Carrie singing If You Don't Know Me By Now. We first saw a tape of Carrie saying who she missed the most from home. I liked the song. I don't think the song was the best for Carrie. She didn't do a bad job, but the song just didn't seem to suit her. She threw in some good, long held notes at the end, but I just didn't like the song. I expected more from Carrie. Randy said that the song didn't work for him. He didn't feel that it got on track pitch-wise. Paula said that it just wasn't the right song for her. Simon thought that it was a bad arrangement and blamed the band. Simon continued to say that it was boring and lethargic and a really awful song. Bo sang For the Love of Money, and he sent out a video thanks to his parents, and said he wouldn't be the man he is today without the support and love of his parents. Bo had the whole look going for the song, down to shades and no shirt under his jacket. The guy has a good voice. He can pull off any song that he sings pretty much. Paula stood up to applaud him, and the audience was going crazy. Randy couldn't even get a word in because they were going crazy. Randy said he loved it, and he hoped that when his record came out, it was on it. Paula loved it--as usual. Simon said terrible image, but fantastic performance. Next up was Vonzell. She thanked her parents via video. vonzell sang Don't Leave Me this Way. It was better than the first song, but it wasn't up to what I would expect from Vonzell. While I was listening the thing that I kept on thinking is that it's going to be what she sings on the show tomorrow when she gets booted off. There were good parts in it though, and the end was better. Randy said that it was an excellent job. Randy said that America knows now that Vonzell could sing. Paula said that Vonzell takes risks, and did her personal best on that song. Simon said that she pulled all the stops out on the song, and alot better than the first song. For a first, Anthony did the same song as Carrie. He gave a thanks to his parents too via video. He sang If You Don't Know Me By Now, and I think he did a much better job than Carrie did with the song. He really didn't do bad this time. Randy said that it was a much better version of the song, and it was good. Paula said that he came out with conviction. Simon said that it was a better arrangement. Simon also said you need soul to sing--it's like having Woody Allen play Shaft.
Based on tonight's performance, I would say that Vonzell should go this week. If Anthony goes though, he gave a good showing of himself this evening.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 -- Afternoon
Corey Clark claims now that he has explicit evidence of his affair with Paula. He is not planning on voluntary revealing this evidence, so I don't know why he says that he has it. Either he wants to show it or he doesn't. If he didn't, then he wouldn't say he has it. This guy is really a piece of work.Tuesday, May 10, 2005 -- Morning
I found an article on Vonzell Solomon. It mentions how she used to be a mail carrier and how her father is a martial arts instructor. On American Idol they have shown footage of Vonzell doing some martial arts. Basically the article just says that Vonzell is a nice person. The only funny part is when it is mentioned (twice) how when Vonzell sings, it brings tears to people's eyes. I thought that could go either way. It could bring tears to the eyes because it hurts your ears too. Vonzell can sing though, so I will assume it means that her voice is so beautiful it makes you want to cry. I don't know that I would go that far in describing it personally. I also found an article on Carrie Underwood that doesn't give alot of new information. We do find out that if Carrie makes it to the final three, she will be returning to her hometown next week for some filming of the town's reception of her on American Idol.I just found an article on Anthony Fedorov. This article talks about how Anthony had a growth in his throat at four months of age that required several surgeries to fix. He is now the contestant who is supported by Votefortheworst.com. Since it finally dawned on me that there are articles for each of the contestants today, I looked for one about Bo Bice and found it. It seems that his friends say that he is pretty much as he seems on the show. It seems he hasn't given in to any attempts to change his looks, and is pretty much staying true to the image that he wants to project. The surprising thing that I found out in this article is that Bo is a mama's boy.
Sunday, May 8, 2005 -- Late Afternoon
Paula Abdul has a cameo appearance onSaturday Night Live
last night, and made fun of the allegations that have been made against her. I didn't see if because I usually don't watch SNL, but it appears to have been funny. Two of the cast members were Paula and Corey Clark. Then Paula came out and critiqued them on how to be "sexier so contestants will sleep with you".Friday, May 6, 2005 -- Evening
Scott Savol gave an interview to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It seems he wasn't too surprised at leaving American Idol, and he seemed to be taking it well. Scott should be back in Cleveland next week.Friday, May 6, 2005 -- Morning
I found a neat roundtable discussion of the last episode of American Idol. It seems that they have four people who get together and do a critique on the songs that are sung on the show, and then give their suggestions on who should go that week. I plan on checking them out next week. They have links to the earlier shows this season too. They all seemed to think that Anthony Fedorov should go. He'll probably be out next week unless one of the other three wind up doing a horrible job. I would say that next week is a given just because Anthony has been in the bottom three so consistently this season. It would be funny though if he proves to be always the bridesmaid and never the bride, and some how manages to squeek through.So know we know why Corey Clark came forward with his allegations against Paula Abdul. He says it is because the folks at Amercian Idol have been putting road blocks in his path to stardom. According to Clark, the reason that he didn't mention any of this crap before was because he has been trying to move on with his life. It's just the mean old American Idol folks who won't let that happen. Clark says that the producers of American Idol have been spreading lies about him in the industry, and that has led to him having difficulty in succeeding. Boy, I always find it amusing how folks without talent always want to blame someone else for their lack of success. So Clark gets his 15 minutes of additional fame now, but it won't lead to anything else. Who will he blame then?
Thursday, May 5, 2005 -- Morning
I always like to check out the assessments by others the morning after the American Idol elimination. As can be expected, the only thing that is shocking is that Scott managed to last this long on the show.The big story was the Primetime Live show last night. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thought the show was just a big bunch of nothing. In fact, as the article at MSNBC comments, if Paula is able to influence any of the call-in voters with her syrupy sweetness that person should have his/her phone taken away for him/her. You really have to agree with that one. The most annoying thing for me about Paula is that she has something good to say about everyone everytime. I think that the only time this past season when I heard her say anything even remotely negative was when Paula said that she didn't like Scott's song choice during the April 26 competition. corey Clark even admitted during the show last night that Paula did nothing to help him make it through the competition. Her only help was in making suggestions about clothes and song selections. Boy! I have to admit that this whole situation has made me feel sorry for Paula. Even the writer at MSNBC thought that Corey Clark was his own worse witness! Corey Clark is a very lucky person because he got ABC to do a one hour promotion of his upcoming book and cd. What really makes the whole thing suspect for me is the fact that Clark is saying that he won't assist Fox in any investigation. Sounds like his claims won't hold water with an investigation.
Wednesday, May 4, 2005 -- Evening
I watched the first half of Primetime Live, and it was just a rehash of all the information that we have already heard on the web. Paula Abdul approaches Corey Clark after he sings a song to her in one of the early elimination shows. She has someone give him her number; she gives him money for clothes, buys him stuff, gives him her cough medicine, and gives him tips on what he needs to do to improve himself. The relationship becomes a sexual one, according to Corey. He gets booted off the show for his police record that dealt with his violence towards his sister and some bounced checks. The thing is that we have his word for it that this happens, and then he proceeds to show how he is recording an album and the book deal. So if this is the truth, why did it take two years to come out? Because for him, the story is worth something now. Is the whole thing true or only parts of it? Even if it is true, what does it mean because he didn't win anything, and whether he stays or leaves is totally dependent on viewers calls. It might show poor judgement on Paula's part, but I don't think that it shows that the show is fixed. That's the part that is left out of all this. How did this relationship fix the show?American Idol is on now. It is elimination time. How will they drag it out for half an hour tonight? Of course, we had the review of last night's show. The group sang Bridge over Troubled Water. That's one of my boyfriend's favorite songs, and he thought that the groups' rendition was awful. It was. The problem is that they can't all sing, and they definitely don't know how to sing together as a group. When they sing together, they always try to out sing each other--or sing as individuals instead of as a group, and it just leads to sore ears on our part. I can't wait for the group sings to be over. Then the contestants gave Paula two bouquets of flowers. I suppose it is because poor Paula has been under attack with the expose. The thing is that I would believe that Paula is nice to all the contestants. The Ford commercial was a cute one. A dog named Rudy was locked in the car with the keys, and the contestants do all sorts of things to have the dog give them the keys. We found out that today is Anthony Fedorov's birthday. We then had Anthony go to the couch, Vonzell Solomon stay on stage and then Scott Savol go to the couch. Then Bo Bice was told to stay on the stage with Vonzell. Carrie Underwood was also told to stay on the stage. Of course, we then found out that the guys on the stage were safe. I think it's funny because when Scott heard that he was going to the couch, he acted like he was safe. So now we are going to hear both Scott and Anthony sing for us after the commercial break. Scott sang first, and did a bad job. I hope that he isn't singing first because he is going to be safe. Randy commented that the right three people were on the couch. He's right because Scott is not a good singer, and Bo, Carrie, and Vonzell are the cream of the crop right now. No comment was made on whether Scott was safe. Then we had Anthony sing. I think that he did a better job singing this evening than Scott did, but that doesn't mean anything. Randy said that every week, you have to act like it is your last week--pick the right song and be on pitch. Of course, we had a commercial break before the announcement. Thank goodness! Scott Savol is finally off the show! Scott wanted to be remembered as the guy that everybody loved. Unfortunately, I think he was the guy who hurt everyone's ears.
Wednesday, May 4, 2005 -- Afternoon
Corey Clark gave details of his relationship with Paula Abdul to ABC's Primetime Live. Supposedly, he told his parents and friends about the relationship at the time it happened. The show is on tonight at 10 pm EST. The thing is that even if Paula did have an affair what was the conflict in interest?Wednesday, May 4, 2005 -- Morning
It seems that everyone is in agreement that Bo and Carrie are the two to beat in this year's American Idol. I think the biggest question on my mind today is who will go out tonight? Last week's experience shows me that nothing is safe. I put in some votes for Anthony Fedorov last night because I really do not want Scott to continue. Yep, I was making the anti-Scott vote, and I hope it works.Tuesday, May 3, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight is competition night on American Idol. I don't know who I will be voting for now that Constantine is gone. There are two themes for tonight is Lieber and Stoller who did songs like Stand By Me and Jailhouse Rock. The other is any song from this week's Billboard charts, and it can be any Billboard chart. So there will be two songs from each. That explains how they come up with an hour of show. The first theme is Lieber and Stoller. First up was Anthony Fedorov and he sang Poison Ivy by Lieber and Stoller. I never heard of that song. Anthony's voice is definitely weak, but he was doing his best to get some rocking going on. He pretty much sings as well as I do, and that ain't saying much. Randy thought it was out of tune at the beginning, and not a winning performance. Paula said that it was nice to see him having fun, but she is looking forward to the next song. That lead Simon to say, "so you don't like it". Simon said that this one was an insipid and amateurish performance. Next up was Scott Savol. Scott sang On Broadway. At time, Scott's voice sounds weak. He did something funky with his hair, and it looks darker. I think that he does not look like star material. He didn't do a bad job with the song, but there were parts where it was "pitchy", in my opinion. Randy said there were definitely some bad notes and pitch problems, but he thought Scott had enough of the right vocals to pull it out. Paula said that Scott has alot of moxy. Of course, Paula loved it. simon said that Scott has more escapes than Houdini, and even though there were bum notes, it was Scott's best performance. Then we had Vonzell Solomon who sang Treat Me Nice which was an Elvis song. I don't think the song really suited her vocals. In fact, she seemed to be having some pitch problems in the song. It was a disappointing performance. Randy said it was one of the best vocals for a song that he didn't know. He said that Vonzell got him to like a song he didn't know, and that's the way to win the performance. Paula said that a producer would snatch her up in a minute to go on Broadway. Simon thought there were good elements, but thought that the whole performance was abit of a mess. As usual, I seem to agree with Simon. Number four was Bo Bice. He sang Stand by Me. It was a rocking song, but I think it was the best of the evening so far. My boyfriend said that he missed the emotion to really put the reviberation into the song--he thought it was mediocre. Randy said that what he loves about Bo is that he picks the right song for him, and Bo knows exactly who he is. Randy thinks Bo is going to make it. Paula said there is no reason to critique Bo, just to enjoy him. Simon also said that Bo picked the best song by a mile. Last in the group was Carrie Underwood singing Trouble. I think that she did the best job. Her voice was iffy at the beginning, but there was alot of emotion in the voice. Randy said that Carrie also knows exactly who she is too, and she did a great job. Paula said that it was her favorite Carrie performance. Simon said that Carrie gave her fans exactly what they want, and that's what you need to do at this stage in the competition.The second part of the show had the Billboard hits. Again, Anthony was the first one up. He sang a slow, ballady type song, and I think he did a very nice job with it. I think that ballads are more his style. Randy said it five out of ten compared to Backstreet Boys. Paula said that although there were off notes, he is suited to these songs. Simon said that he had a disasterious start, but thought he did a good job overall. Then we had Scott. I didn't recognize the song (it was Everytime You Go Away), but I don't think it suited scott's voice at all, and I think that it was not a good job at all. They showed his "fans" in the audience, but they didn't seem excited. Randy thought he pulled it out. It was a Brian McKnight song. Paula said it was Scott's best night, and that Scott owns the stage. Simon said that Scott was more flat than in tune. Scott said though that he is planning his song for next week. I really don't like Scott. He makes my eyes and ears hurt. I don't think I can take many more weeks of watching him. What's bad is that Scott sucks, but he's thinking that he doesn't because he somehow keeps on winning. After Scott came Vonzell. She seemed to be having a few issues hitting some of the notes. She sang You Tell Me That You Love Me. She got better towards the end. Not bad I suppose. Randy and Paula stood to applaud her. Randy thought it was a perfect vocal. Paula thought it was beautiful. Simon thought that it wasn't a perfect vocal, and thinks that Vonzell had a very off night, and thinks that her fans better call in. Then came Bo. I didn't think that the second song was so good. It really didn't grab me. Granted, I think that Bo has the best voice of all of them, but the song, Heaven Loves Lonely Boys, really didn't do anything for me. Randy said that Bo solidified his place in the dogpound. He's the captain. Paula said that tonight Bo Rules. Simon said that Bo had a good night tonight. He said that Bo is making some of the other singers look like amateurs. The last person up was Carrie. She sang a country song, and it really suited her voice. Carrie really has this country sound to her voice. I don't think she should be singing pop songs because she just does such a nice job with country. I think this song and performance was truly the best of all ten performances that we saw this evening. Randy said it was another great, perfect vocal performance. Paula said that it was perfect, eloquent, and beautiful. Simon said that it was very good, and although the performance was robotic, the vocal was perfect.
So what did I think overall? I would imagine that Anthony, Scott, and Vonzell will be competing for the bottom. I hate to say though, that I think it will be between Anthony and Vonzell. Scott just has too many folks voting for him because they want the worst person to win, and have the American Idol producers stuck with having to push the worst person.
Tuesday, May 3, 2005 -- Afternoon
Tomorrow is the day that ABC will be releasing its expose on American Idol. Basically the revelations are going to be that there is impropriety because Paula Abdul had a relationship with one of the contestants in the second season of the show. The questions, of course, are whether the accuser, Corey Clark, is to be believed, and if he is, what matters about it. After all, the only thing that Paula does on the show is gush over every single contestant as if that contestant were the best thing since sliced bread. It's not as if her opinion does anything other than assist in assisting in the selection of the top 24 contestants. After that, it's all up to the audience votes. Everyone is making a big deal about Paula's impropriety in the whole business without really knowing the details of the whole thing, and that means getting both sides of the story. I can imagine that Corey Clark is trying to sell a story at any cost to others. What does it really say about American Idol? Not much in my opinion.Thursday, April 28, 2005 -- Evening
Some folks think that Constantine Maroulis may have the last laugh. It seems that advance sells on the CD that his band Pray for the Soul of Betty took off after Constantine was voted off the show, and Amazon now has the CD listed at number 2 on the most wanted list. It seems that there are also websites that encourage people to go out and vote for the worst performer/singer of the bunch. This may be how Scott Savol is getting votes.Thursday, April 28, 2005 -- Afternoon
The latest news on the American Idol is that Bo Bice was busted for felony cocaine possession in 2001. He had a second arrest for marijuana possession and public intoxication in 2003. The charges were dropped, however, after the arresting officer did not appear at the hearing. Before the charges on the felony charge were brought back, Bo offered to go into a drug diversion program.Thursday, April 28, 2005 -- Morning
All over America, folks are in disbelief that Constantine Maroulis was voted off last night. Personally, I think that something is fishy in all of this. You don't go from getting 34 million votes over the voting cycle, and never being in the bottom three to ousted so quickly. As I commented yesterday, I kept on getting a busy signal as I called. What would really suck for the show would be if somehow Scott Savol winds up being the American Idol. Constantine will be a-okay though. He had enough of a chance to show his talent, and will probably be picked up for something. I would imagine that he would probably get some sort of acting gig to take advantage of his performance skills.Wednesday, April 27, 2005 -- Evening
Here's the listing of the songs that were sung last night on American Idol. So tonight was vote off night on the show. Now I wonder how they are going to drag this one out. Pamela Anderson was in the audience. They had the usual group sing of Cry Me a River. It sucks when they sing off key, or don't sing together well. Boyz II Men they ain't. Of course, they had the Ford commercial. This one was cute with Anthony Federov controlling a remote car while in various types of camouflage while the others chase after the car. They are split the groups again. Vonzell Solomon is on one side of the stage, and Carrie Underwood on the other. Carrie is joined by Bo Bice, and Anthony Fedorov joins Vonzell. Then we have a commercial break. Where do Scott Savol and Constantine Maroulis go? Both went to stand by Carrie and Bo. Anthony and Vonzell were in the bottom group. Constantine was also in the bottom group! I was really shocked because I kept on calling last night, and the line was always busy for Constantine. Vonzell was sent to sit down, and the bottom two were Anthony and Constantine. There is another commercial break, and the only information that we have is that 34 million votes have been made over time for the person who is leaving tonight. I'm beginning to think it might be Constantine, and I am feeling quite abit of shock. I just can not believe that Scott is not in the bottom three. He must have a large fan base, or family with good redial fingers. Finally we have the results. The lowest person was Constantine. Paula Abdul looked really upset. I am in total shock because I have to admit that in the two hours after the show, the line was constantly busy! Paula started to get teary eyed when Ryan Seacrest asked if she was in shock. I am really shocked, and admit that I just sent an email off to Fox about it because I was putting in my vote yesterday, and constantly kept on getting a busy signal.Wednesday, April 27, 2005 -- Afternoon
Paula Abdul has released a statement about the special that ABC is releasing. Basically Paula said that she won't dignify the comments by Corey Clark that they have had an affair. Her lawyer also supposedly has threatened to sue ABC if they go ahead with the show. Simon Colwell, in the meantime, has been defending Paula saying that she does spend alot of time encouraging the contestants, and trying to give them as much help as possible. It will be interesting to see where this all goes.The folks who were in the final 10 on American Idol will be touring the US this summer. The dates are from July 12 to September 10, and tickets will start going on sale on May 20. The tour will be in Pittsburgh on Sept. 3 at the Mellon Arena.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 -- Morning
I wasn't the only one who wasn't too impressed with the performances on American Idol last night. In fact, it seems that some felt that Constantine did worse than I thought. I'm glad that I put in a few votes for him last night. I think at this point, it's not a matter of one night's singing. You get a better feel for what the person can do after seeing them in multiple performances, so an off night doesn't matter. It's a matter of fan base at this point. Who has managed to generate the largest number of fans?Tuesday, April 26, 2005 -- Evening
It's competition night on American Idol. There are only six performers left now. The theme this week was songs from 2000 to the present day. First we went to Carrie Underwood home, and saw what she does on the farm with the cows and fishing. She's the youngest in the family, and we got to see her with all of her animals. Carrie sang a country song that I didn't recognize. Her hair was very straight this time. As for the song, I suppose that she did a good job with it. The problem that I had was that I didn't recognize the song, so it was hard for me to get into it. However, I think that she did okay. My boyfriend, however, thought it sucked! As for the judges, Randy thought that the good part was the return to her country roots. Randy thought though that her pitch was not with the band, and that it was too low. Paula said that Carrie should pick songs that show her personality like the country stuff, but that didn't showcase her vocals. Simon said that he doesn't think that it matters because the folks who like country will absolutely love her--even though he doesn't understand it. It seems the song was a Martina McBride song.Clay Aiken was in the audience, and it was surprising because I thought he wasn't liked by the American Idol folks. Next up was Bo Bice. We saw his home town of Helena Alabama. He also has pets, and a girlfriend named Caroline. It seems that Bo has 12 guitars and collects them. His mom is surprisingly young looking. We also saw pictures of him with the band and with shorter hair. Bo was looking very hippish today with sunglasses, and an African style shirt. I didn't recognize his song either. I guess that he did a nice job with it. It was one of those things where you don't recognize it, so it's really hard to get into the song and performance. The audience really got carried away. Randy said that what he loves about Bo is that he is honest and true, and he's a true rock star. The song was "I don't want to be anyone other than me". Paula thought he was incredible. Simon said he was strong, but there was a down side, and said that he shouldn't wear the Lenny Kravitz sunglasses.
Third was Vonzell Solomon. She comes from Fort Myers, Florida. She used to be a mail carrier. We saw Vonzelle in her dad's martial arts class, and we saw her cracking boards with her fist. We also got to meet her voice teacher and her brothers. She sang another song that I didn't recognize. It was a slow, ballad. Her voice was cracking on the lower parts. When it picked up in tempo, she did a much better job. I don't think ballads are her thing. She didn't do a bad job, but she didn't do a good job either. Randy said that for the second week in a row, Vonzelle choose the most difficult song, and did a nice job. Randy said he was proud of her performance. Paula said that she was nervous when she heard the song, but that Vonzelle nailed it and has a bonechilling way of connecting with the audience. Simon said that he had a horrible feeling it wasn't as good as they thought, and thought it was flat at the beginning. As he said, it was noisy in the audience, but that he thought it was flat.
Fourth was Anthony Fedorov, and we got a preview that he was going to be doing a Celine Dion song. Heather Locklear was in the audience, and one of her daughters said that she liked Anthony. He came from Trevose, PA. which is outside of Philadelphia. He came from the Ukraine. He couldn't sing as a young boy, and he sure as heck can't sing now! He said that his one dream was to become a singer. He wore a suit today, and the song was a ballad that, again, I didn't recognize. He didn't do as bad as I thought that he would though. I'm not saying that his voice was the best, but it wasn't very bad. Randy said that he has trouble with the low notes, but that he does good with the high notes. Paula thought that Anthony's vocals grew with the song, and that it was his best performance. Simon said that he hated it, and he said that Anthony nailed the song for folks who would like the type of music that they feel that Anthony sings well.
Next came Constantine Maroulis. We saw his family in New York. He is Greek Orthodox, and said that when he was a kid, he would be picked on because of his name--Constantine. Gosh, he sang a song that I knew, but the name just eluded me. "This is how you remind me of what I really am". Geeze, what is it? It was a rock song, and he rocked with it. I think that he has such stage presence, that it doesn't matter how he sounds. Randy said that he was happy for him that he has female fans and that it was like being in a bar and hearing an interchangeable singer who is just going out for the performance and not the singing. Paula said that Constantine is the only one who can do all genres, and that Constantine is an amazing performer. Simon said that it was a difficult week this week. Simon thought that it was a very bad imitation of the original. It wasn't his best performance, but I am like those teen girls who love Constantine.
Last up was Scott Savol. I was interested in seeing his hometown because he projects this image of being black rapper. Scott comes from Shaker Heights, Ohio. It looks like his girlfriend may be black, so maybe he gets that way of talking from his girlfriend. Scott sang this song that I didn't recognize, and his voice was really out of tune. It was the worst performance of the bunch. If he makes it past on this song... Anyway, Randy said that it was Scott's weakest performance, and that he was very pitchy. Even Paula didn't have anything positive to say, but she blamed the song choice. Simon said "I'd pack a suitcase tonight." We can only hope.
I say that Scott should go this week because he really did a poor job this week. I hate to say it because I like him, but I think that Constantine and Carrie might also be in the bottom three. Although you can never tell with Anthony.
Monday, April 25, 2005 -- Evening
ABC will be showing the American Idol expose on May 4 at 10 pm.Saturday, April 23, 2005 -- Evening
Constantine Maroulis's band, Pray for the Soul of Betty has signed a deal to have an album released on May 10. The album was made with Constantine, but he signed over the rights to the band before he started participating in the American Idol competition.Friday, April 22, 2005 -- Morning
ABC is planning an expose on American Idol that is to be shown at the same time as the final episode. It seems that there is going to be some sort of exposure of the relationship between the judges and the contestants. I think that the implication is supposed to be that the judges make the comments that they do based on deals that they have with the contestants or with the possibility that the judges might be able to make money from future deals with the contestants. I think that the thing is that the judges are being paid by the show, and the winner is signed to a recording deal. So I'm sure that the hopes of everyone is to get a winner who will actually sell records. For some reason, folks really have issues with the thought that anyone would do something for financial reasons--at least anyone other than them. I don't know many folks who would say that given the option of making money or not would choose to not make money.The other big Idol news is about Paula Abdul. It seems that a former contestant on the show is claiming to have had an affair with Paula. Supposedly, Paula paid some of his expenses and promised him more money. The former contestant, Corey Clark, is shopping the story around in the hopes that he can get a book deal. Paula has been having alot of issues lately. First there was the whole deal with the hit and run incident that Paula was fined for a few weeks ago. Then there was Paula's recent comment to People that she does not have a drug problem. She says that her odd behavior is due to the fact that she was suffering from chronic pain for most of her life due to an accident that she had as a cheerleader that injuried vertebrae in her neck. The pain grew worse due to other accidents that she had in her life, and she had surgeries and took drugs for the pain. Nothing worked until she took a rheumatoid arthritis drug. So she says that her extremely happy behavior (ie nutty) is due to the fact that she is so happy at finally being pain free. Interesting, eh?
Thursday, April 21, 2005 -- Afternoon
It seems that lots of folks are surprised that Scott Savol is still around on American Idol. I wouldn't imagine that he will be around for very many more weeks, and I wonder if it will be next week. I agree with the writer of the MSNBC article who says that Scott doesn't have a very endearing personality. I think that Scott is very dour, and he's not very appealing, even to the every man. It seems that most agree that Scott and Anthony Fedorov will be the next to go. After that, it will become harder to decide who should go, and will just be based on the size and diligence of the fan base for that performer.Wednesday, April 20, 2005 -- Evening
American Idol is on now, and it is decision time. The first thing that we got to see was Ryan Seacrest receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I don't know about others, but I find Ryan Seacrest to be an annoying person. I suppose that is one of the things that they play up on this show. I was also was surprised to hear that the producers of American Idol are British. Fortunately the show is only a half an hour long, so I'm hoping for alot less fluff than last week. The group sang a song by John Farrar. The song might have been good, but the contestants were off key and not singing together well. I think the song was called Shine. They showed an animated Ford commercial with the contestants singing Rock this town. It was really a cute commercial, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of it. Ryan had all the contestants come down on the stage and just split them up into top and bottom groups. Before the first break, we have Vonzell Solomon and Constantine Maroulis on one side and Anthony Fedorov and Anwar Robinson on the other side. Geeze, I wonder which is the top side and which is the bottom side. Carrie Underwood joined Vonzell and Constantine, and Scott Savol joined Anwar and Anthony. Finally Bo Bice was just announced as safe. Ryan Seacrest then asked Bo to join the group he thought was the top, and Bo stood between the two groups. Like you have to be a rocket scientist to know that Anthony, Scott and Anwar are in the bottom, just as I thought they would be yesterday. Finally, we find Anwar, Scott and Anthony are in the bottom. Then we found out very quickly that Anwar had the lowest number of votes. I am just shocked that Scott and Anthony just keep on managing to hang on, but I can't imagine that they will be there after the next two weeks.Wednesday, April 20, 2005 -- Afternoon
It seems that the general consensus about last night's American Idol was that it was a forgettable show. I have to agree because there really wasn't alot that stood out on the show. I think that Vonzell's performance was the only standout one. I know that I put my vote in for Constantine. Although he didn't do as well last night, I think that he has what it takes to sell alot of cds. He has the teen idol thing going on.Tuesday, April 19, 2005 -- Evening
The seven contestants were performing tonight on American Idol. The theme for this evening's show was seventies dance music. I have to say that is one of my favorite genres. It will be interesting to see what Bo Bice does. First up was Constantine Maroulis and he sang Nights on Broadway from the Bee Gees. I wasn't too happy with the song choice. I think that the dance music portion is going to be more difficult for the men, and I think this wasn't one of Constantine's best performances, and the eye makeup was getting to me. The one thing that he does have is the whole connection with the audience and the camera. He got a big round of applause. Randy thought it was a good choice. Randy even said it was a great Las Vegas performance--that it was only all right. Paula, of course, said that everything about Constantine in the past few weeks is "oh my god". Simon said it was akin to a waiter in a Spanish restaurant. Paula commented on the fact though that Constantine had alot of fans, and that's the difference. Next up was Carrie Underwood. She sang MacArthur Park. I don't think that dance music goes well with her voice, and I think that this particular song was just abit too overwhelming for her voice. Or maybe I was just thinking of Donna Summer. I was just not very impressed. Randy thought it was an unbelieveable vocal, beautiful and excellent. Paula said her usual bravos, and commented on the length the vocal was held. Simon said she sang it well, but the styling was like "Barbie meets the Stepford Wives", and that it is an old look that she should lose and leave it to Paula. After her came Scott Savol. He sang Everlasting Love. He tries too hard to look, act and talk like a black rapper. The song was a perfect song for him and his voice, and although I hate to admit it (because he is not a favorite of mine), he did sing it well. Randy said he was impressed by the fact that the song fit his voice well. Paula said that Scott does have the knack of picking the right song. Simon said that he thinks Scott has lasted because he is an ordinary guy who can sing, like someone in a karaoke bar. Anthony Fedorov came up next. He sang Don't Take Away the Music. Although his voice seemed good, there just seemed to be something missing, and I'm not sure what it was. I'm not sure if it was the song, or just looking at him. I closed my eyes, and it didn't seem to make it any better. Listening to Anthony is like eating peanut butter on Wonder Bread. Randy said he didn't think Anthony fell down this week. Paula said it was his best week, and that it was the song for him, and his voice wasn't pitchy. Simon said it wasn't Anthony's worst performance, and it wasn't his best--it was pleasant, safe, and a little insipid. Vonzell Solomon sang I'm Every Woman. Vonzell picked the best song, and she gave the best performance of the evening. It was just hard to pick her voice out at times from the backup singers, but she did a really great job. Definitely the best of the show! Now to the judges. Randy said that she chose the song with the highest degree of difficulty, and she worked it out tonight. Paula said that it was the best performance of the night, and she rocked the house. Simon said that he agreed with Randy, and that the song was a difficult one, and she sang it at the edge, but her personality pulled it through. It was hard to see how someone could follow up on that act, and the next person was Anwar Robinson. His song was September. Parts of the song were okay, but I don't think he did such a good job. And that bouncing up and down that he does has to stop because it is so annoying and ungainly. Randy said that it was another good Anwar performance--started pitchy, but he pulled it out at the end. Paula thought that it was awesome, and he was in the moment, and dancing around and enjoying himself. Simon did not think Anwar was as good as Paula thinks. Simon said it was good at the ending, and it was like a seventies song review, and that he just didn't pull it off. Last up was Bo Bice. His song was Vehicle. I think that the song suited his voice, but for some reason, his vocals sounded washed out. He had the real angry rocker thing going on. It just wasn't a 70s dance type song, but it wa a rocking type song. Randy said Bo Bice is back. Also Randy said that being a record producer, he could hear Bo recording the song. Paula said that the competition is back on. Simon said that of all the performances tonight, he thought that Bo's was the most authentic.It's going to be difficult to pick the bottom three this time. I think that I would have to go with the old stand-bys of Anwar, Anthony and Scott. I'm not sure who I would want to go, but I would imagine that it would be one of those three. Why those three? Because of their over-all performances over the weeks. I think it's more than the singing too, it's the overall performance, and they lack in the physical presentation.
Saturday, April 16, 2005 -- Evening
It's always interesting to hear other folks opinions. Since I have been watching American Idol, I've asked friends for their opinions, and have been surprised at some. For example, my boyfriend's sister likes Scott Savol. MSNBC has comments from readers on the contestants. It seems that the consensus even there is that most are shocked that Scott and Anthony Fedorov are still around. My favorite comment in the article is the person who said that Paula Abdul isn't objective and should be gone.Thursday, April 14, 2005 -- Afternoon
MSNBC has an analysis of the American Idol show last night. The author does a nice comparison between Nadia's attitude and Bo's, and how that could be a bad thing for Bo. It seems both have this urge to stay true to themselves and the types and styles of music that they love. The issue is that this is a competition that requires fans to vote for you. It will be interesting to see what the next week will bring. The one thing that I never seem to notice with the contestants is the clothes. However, others do keep an eye on the fashion scene. Nadia was the one who always seemed to have a style and flair of her own. I'm not sure that there is anyone left who has her style.Wednesday, April 13, 2005 -- Evening
The decision night is up for American Idol. Over 34 million votes were cast for the contestants. What I don't know is how they are going to drag this show out for an hour. They showed a segment on the making of the song that is being released for the American Red Cross. The CD will be released on April 19. They then showed them singing the Red Cross song. After that, there was footage of what the contestants do between the Wednesday night show and the Tuesday competition: picking the song, practicing, and picking out clothes. It seems they do everything as a group and there is a schedule for everything. It seems every Sunday they record a commercial for the Wednesday show. Ryan Seacrest keeps on saying that we won't believe who's in the bottom three. If Nadia Turner and Scott Savol aren't I will really be shocked. Ryan Seacrest talked to the contestants about their feelings about their performances from the previous evening. It seems that Carrie Underwood was sick yesterday, but it really wasn't noticeable. The bottom three are being picked, and they get to sing their favorite song from the season so far. Scott Savol was picked first for the bottom three, and he is singing Against All Odds. You have to feel bad for him because he started to cry when he finished. The second person in the bottom three was Bo Bice. That was abit of shock, but Freebird was a very poor choice of songs for him I thought. Bo sang Remedy. That's the type of song he does well, but he just hasn't been doing songs like that in the past few weeks. The final person in the bottom three was Nadia Turner. She sang You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. It's really cruel how they drag out the whole bottom three process and then have the person sing. Scott Savol was third from the bottom. Nadia and Bo were in the bottom two. Nadia was voted off. I could not believe that they dragged it out as long as they did. Nadia was crying during the film clip they showed of her, and Ryan Seacrest gave her his tie to wipe her eyes. That was a nice gesture. And then there were seven.For those who like him, Ryan Seacrest will be getting a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on April 20.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 -- Afternoon
It seems that I am not alone in thinking that Nadia Turner and Scott Savol will be in the bottom two of American Idol tonight. In fact in looking at the polls on MSNBC it seems that is the consensus with more people really disliking Scott.Tuesday, April 12, 2005 -- Evening
It was another competition night on American Idol. The theme tonight was Songs from the Year You Were Born. First up was Nadia Turner with When I Dream. It was a very sultry song, and Nadia really turned on the soul for it. The thing is that I thought the song was on the boring side, and drawn out. Over all though, the song wasn't memorable though. That could be a problem for her. With the judges, Randy was perplexed by the song. He didn't recognize it, and neither did I. As Randy said, he didn't love it. Paula said that Nadia looked good, but she wasn't crazy about the song choice. Even Paula didn't have anything good to say. Simon called it "musical wallpaper". Simon thinks this is the song that will send her home. Second was Bo Bice. He sang Freebird which I thought was not a good choice, but I think that he was trying to return to his rock roots. The thing is that I don't think that he did a very good job with the song. Lynyrd Skynyrd he ain't. Randy loved the song, and thought Bo did a good job, and he could have a hit with the song. Paula said "see you at the finals". Simon thought he didn't agree. He said that he thought Bo should use his rock influence on more well-known songs. Third was Anwar Robinson. He sang I'll Never Love this Way Again. He should not be singing women's songs, and he didn't do that good of a job. This has been a disappointing evening so far. Randy thought that technical Anwar is the best singer in the group. Paula said he is so pleasing to the ear and the tone of his voice is mesmerizing. Simon said it was one of his better perofrmances in awhile. Simon said that Anwar was like a blanket, comforting and safe. Anthony Fedorov sang Everytime You Go Away. It was funny because Darryl Hall and John Oates were in the audience, and John Oates wrote the song. I think that this is one of the few times when I think that Anthony actually didn't hurt my ears singing. I think that he actually made a good choice with this song, and really managed to stay in tune. Randy said that he was surprising and Anthony did his thing. Paula thought it was much better than last week, and she was proud of him. Simon said that last week he thought Anthony was hideous and at a low point, but thought Anthony was very good this week. And he was! Next up was Vonzell Solomon. She sang Let's Hear it for the Boy. What is surprising to me is that if you look at my earlier comments, I wasn't a big fan of Vonzell, but now I have to say that I think she is one of the best of the women. She did a great job with the song. She did a nice singing job, and she played the audience so well. I think it was the best performance of the evening. Now for the judges! Randy said that it was another great performance, and excellent. Paula said that vonzell is adorable, and has such energy, and her voice was great. Simon said she did a very good job and chose a good song. He said a few weeks ago, he would have taken Nadia over Vonzell, but now he would reverse that. Then up came Scott Savol. He sang She's Gone. What annoys me about Scott is that he always seems to try to talk like a ghetto guy. He didn't do that great of a job. There were parts that sounded really bad, especially when he was doing the slower, talking like song parts. He did okay when he got to the loud parts. I was under impressed. Paula as usual was bouncing around during the song and clapping. She is annoying. Randy said that the low notes were pitchy and rolling, but the chorus was better. As Randy said, he would get the low notes more in tune, but he thought he brought it home. Paula thought that Scott did awesome. Now to Simon, the voice of truth. He said that Scott is a nice guy, but had more bum notes than good notes. On a whole, he thought that Scott was not very good. Hall and Oates said it was good, but people just hate to put folks down. Carrie Underwood was up singing Love is a Battlefield. She did a nice job with the song. It wasn't her usual country music, and I thought that it might not be a good song for her, but she really pulled it off. She had a nice rasp going on that just went so well with the song. Randy said that Carrie rocked out. He said it was all right for him, but he liked the country girl. He thought some notes were pitchy and that she screwed up some words (she admitted to it too, but said she covered it.) Paula said that she rocked. Simon said it was like watching a kitten who wants to be a tiger. Last, but not least was Constantine Maroulis. He sang Bohemian Rhapsody. Constantine is my favorite, and I think he did a good job with this song. He is does have that whole rockstar, singing idol thing about him. It was a strange, choice of song, but I think that he did his usual good job, and superb acting job. Randy said showmanship I'd give you a 10, singing a 7. Paula thinks that Constantine is awesome and the one to beat. Paula thinks he's grown so much. Simon just said it was astonishing, and he was smiling alot. How could you not like Constantine? I rewinded the DVR so I could rewatch the performance. Constantine is getting my vote. Constantine just plays the audience so well with the winking and sexy looks.I would have to say that my bottom three in descending order are Scott Savol, Anwar Robinson, and Nadia Turner. It could easily be a toss up on which of them goes.
Friday, April 8, 2005 -- Late Evening
It's interesting to see how others view the contestants on American Idol. It seems that alot of folks have opinions about Scott Savol, especially because of his arrest record, and it's probably why he was in the bottom two this past week.Thursday, April 7, 2005 -- Afternoon
MSNBC has its forecast for how the contestants at American Idol are doing. It has Scott Savol, Bo Bice, Anthony Federov, and Vonzell Solomon as neutral while Constantine Maroulis, Carrie Underwood, Anwar Robinson, and Nadia Turner are given up arrows. My favorite, in case you haven't been able to tell, is Constantine. We'll have to see how he does next week because there's one thing I've noticed about the show's fans, one bad week, and you can be out.Wednesday, April 6, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight was elimination night on American Idol. It was the highest number of votes for a non-final night ever. 32.8 million folks voted. We also found out the whole voting thing for the song that would be released as the American Red Cross fund raiser was a ploy to get folks to vote because all three songs are being released on CD. Which is fine with me because I wasn't a big fan of the song When You Say You Love Me. I liked He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother. Fantasia performed a song, and I wasn't that impressed. It seems that lots of folks like her, but the song was just having her screetch and caterwaul. It was awful! What I think is so funny is that everyone was acting like it was the best singing act anyone ever heard. The three people with the lowest number of votes were Nikko Smith, Vonzell Solomon, and Scott Savol. I was really shocked about vonzell being there because I don't think she was so bad. And I am definitely shocked that Anthony Fedorov wasn't in the bottom three. Anthony even said that he agreed with Simon's comments that his performance was hideous, and he even thought that he would be in the bottom three. Vonzell was the one with the third lowest votes. I do think that I know why Scott was in the bottom two. I think that the news about his arrest in 2001 may have adversely affected his chances. Scott was the next to last though, and Nikko was out again.Tuesday, April 5, 2005 -- Evening
The American Idol competition was this evening. The theme this week is musicals. Now that's an interesting theme because it's not something that pop singers do. Scott Savol went with The Impossible Dream from Man from Lamancha. He did not do a good job. I keep on thinking of Jim Neighbors doing a much better job. Scott was out of tune, and had no emotion. It was a real downer to start out the evening. Randy said that he had pitch problems at the beginning, but that overall it was just okay. Paula, yep, you guessed it, had nothing but wonderful things to spout. Simon thought it was more of a tap than a bang at the end. Simon thought that it was ordinary, and I have to agree. I didn't think it was very good at all. Second up was Constantine Maroulis and he sang My Funny Valentine. Constantine said the he's done plenty of musicals in his life because he did the acting thing. He did a seductive and smouldering version of the song. Boy, I find myself using that terminology alot with Constantine, and he does that quality in abundance. He did a nice job. There weren't any of the pitch or out of tune problems that I've heard with some of the other singers, and with Scott this evening. And those eyes of constantine's. He's the man! Randy said that this was the best he sang any day, and he thinks this should be the thing that Constantine does--he doesn't buy the whole rocker thing, and Paula admitted that she is falling in love with Constantine. She thought that it was remarkable. Paula thought he was the coolest of cool. I agree with her on this one. Simon thought that he grew in confidence, and thought it was the best pouting performance. Simon gave the singing a 7 and the pout a 9.5. Boy, Constantine is my favorite. The guy can do no wrong in my mind. Carrie Underwood sang Hello Young Lovers. She commented on the fact that musicals were hard for the singers. I think it's because most of them can't sing and just know one style of music. I thought that Carrie did a very good job with the song though. I can see her sticking around to the end. Carrie's singing is good, and she has a very nice voice. Randy thought the song was boring, but thought that Carrie sung it and sung it well--in tune and with good voice. He thought it was a good job. Paula thought Carrie looked stunning and her performance was elegant. Paula thought Carrie was a well-oiled machine with her vocals. Simon was not as impressed because he thought it was too old fashioned and abit boring. I think that it might have been the song. There are so many songs to choose from, but obviously she doesn't know the genre, and that's what creates the problem. Next up was Vonzell Solomon who sang People. I think that Barbra Streisand songs are always iffy choices because you only can compare the person to Barbra. But I have to admit that Vonzell did a nice job with the song. I wasn't a big fan of hers at the beginning, but she is winning me over. Randy said that he keeps on thinking that vonzell gets better every week. Paula thought it was a bold choice, but that Vonzell did a good job. Paula said that she sang in the same key as Barbra and hit the high E that Barbra doesn't go for. Simon said that the song left him cold. He didn't feel that the song touched him. I think that Randy and Paula just think that Simon is crazy. I don't think she did a bad job though. I was surprised at how well she did with it. Maybe that was part of it. I didn't expect much, and she gave more than I thought she would. Anthony Fedorov was next singing Climb Every Mountain, and the only thing I have to say is that he is no Julie Andrews. His voice was very weak at the beginning. He hit a few high notes, but I don't think that it was very well done. He just seemed off somehow even though he was loud and high at the end. Randy did not think that it was very good at all, and just thought he threw some high notes in at the end. Paula enjoyed it, but she wasn't as gushing as usual. Simon said that it was hideous. As Simon said, everything about it was just horrible. It was horrible. No other way to describe it. After Anthony, we had Nikko Smith. He sang One Hand, One Heart from West Side Story. Unfortunately, I don't think that Nikko did a very good job with the song. His voice seemed to be all over the place, and it was confusing. Randy loved that he gave a contemporary feel to the song. Randy said he wasn't at his best but it was okay. Paula said that Nikko brings R&B to American Idol. Simon thought that the beginning of the sound was out of tune, and it was. Even Randy agreed to that one. I was really wondering how Anwar Robinson would do. He performed If Ever I Would Leave You from Camelot. I don't think that it was bad, but I didn't think that it was great other. Anwar did his trademark bounce, and then at the end was out of tune. Not very good, but not the worst. I would give that to Anthony. Randy welcomed Anwar back, and said that he showed his good voice and singing ability. Paula, of course, said that Anwar was the best singer on the stage. Simon said "you look very comfortable". And they left it at that. I think that's the thing. It wasn't really bad, but not really good. Mediocre. After Anwar came Bo Bice. He sang Corner of the Sky. Musicals are not his genre. Although his voice was okay, he just doesn't do musicals very well. The song was just abit too happy. In fact, I have to say that I was bored with the song and Bo's performance. Randy commented that he thought that Bo was consistently great. Paula said that Bo was a winner and deserved to be on the stage. Simon thought that Bo personally had two bad weeks. Simon said that he believes Bo is going in the wrong direction and needs to change himself around. Last was Nadia Turner. She sang As Long as He Needs Me from Oliver. I don't think her voice was that strong today, and I don't think musicals are her thing either. I was underimpressed. It was another one of those boring, mundane performances with a few high notes. Randy thought it was a great performance. Paula thought that it was absolutely beautiful. Simon said that it was the best Nadia has done in the past three weeks, but thought that Ryan Seacrest should stop picking the themes. What I think this show highlighted is that alot of the performers are one dimensional and can't carry a tune very well.Now for the part that I know everyone is waiting for my bottom three picks. However, before I do that, I want to give my top performance, and that was Constantine. He just doesn't disappoint, and he plays to the camera so well. For the bottom three, I would pick in order from best of the worst to the worst: Anwar Robinson, Scott Savol, Anthony Federov.
Friday, April 1, 2005 -- Morning
It seems that Scott Savol's place is secure for now at American Idol. It appears that he informed the producers of the arrest. If he had not, it might have been an issue.Thursday, March 31, 2005 -- Evening
The Smoking Gun is always good at dragging up the dirt on folks. Well, now they appear to have let the cat out of the bag about Scott Savol from American Idol. It seems that Scott was arrested for domestic violence for an incident with the woman who is the mother of his son. The whole thing happened in February of 2001. Now the thing that is interesting about this is that the American Idol rules may force Scott from the show. If that happens then Jessica Sierra can be back next week. We'll have to see what the producers of American Idol do with this news about Scott.Thursday, March 31, 2005 -- Afternoon
The results for the American Red Cross song competition on American Idol has When You Say You Love Me in first with 54%, second was He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother with 36%, and last was Everything is Beautiful with 11%. It's funny because the first song was my least favorite of the bunch.Wednesday, March 30, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight was elimination night on American Idol. They had the highest number of votes outside of a final with 32.5 million votes. They had the final song tonight for the American Red Cross song. The song was Everybody's Beautiful. The song was okay, but I like last week's song much better. There should be a voting section on the American Idol that allows you to vote on the song you like. There will only be an eleven hour window in which to vote. The three people who had the lowest number of votes were: Nadia Turner, Jessica Sierra, and Anwar Robinson. At least I got one of them right! Jessica and Anwar were in the bottom two. Surprisingly, Jessica Sierra was voted off. I was really shocked because she wasn't that bad at all. I don't even think she had a bad night last night. It was just that the song wasn't the best song. The thing that was shocking to me is that she did not sing poorly. Meanwhile, Anwar was "pitchy" as Randy said.Wednesday, March 30, 2005 -- Afternoon
Mikalah Gordon might have found her life's calling. The former American Idol contestant doesn't necessarily want to be a singer, she just wants to be famous. Because she was blasted so much over the Internet about the quality of her singing and speaking voice, she's thinking of turning to acting. She does have that Fran Drescher bit about herself in looks and voice. Maybe that is the thing for Mikalah--a sitcom.MTV thinks that Jessica Sierra will be the next idol voted off tonight. I don't know about that one. I didn't think her performance was that bad. They do mention that Scott Savol will be in the bottom three for the first time.
Is he gay, or isn't he? For those of you who may have been wondering about Anwar Robinson's dating preference, you might want to check out his profile on BlackPlanetLove. It seems that he is looking for a guy in this ad. There are three pictures of Anwar in the personal ad.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 -- Evening
The next competition with American Idol was on this evening. The theme for the songs was the nineties. First up was Bo Bice with Remedy by the Black Crowes. It was okay. I didn't think it was his best performance. The crowd went wild though. He does know how to work the audience. Randy thought he did a good job going back to his rocker roots, and Paula was practically wetting herself over him. Simon didn't like the song. He said that he thought the performance was closer to something you see at a wedding. I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who wasn't overly impressed. It's not that it was bad--it's just that it wasn't good. Next up was Jessica Sierra. My boyfriend likes her because he likes a female who's chunky but spunky. She sang a Leigh Ann Rhymes song. She did a nice job singing it. Country songs really seem to suit her voice. Randy thought she sang the song well, and that she was consistent. Paula thought that the song didn't showcase how great Jessica's vocals are. Then Simon said that she didn't have the likeability factor that the other contestants had. He thought that she sang it well, but that it was forgettable. Simon thought she should have chosen another Leigh Ann Rhymes song. Anwar Robinson sang an R. Kelly song, I Believe I can Fly. I thought his voice was abit wobbley. I really love the song, but I really did not like Anwar's presentation at all. It left very much to be desired! The audience again went wild. Randy said that he was an Anwar fan, but thinks that Anwar's lower register is pitchy. Randy thinks he needs to pay attention to the whole song. Paula, as usual, thought that it was incredibly good and original. Simon told Paula she needed a new cd collection. Simon said that he agreed with Randy and Randy was spot on. Simon said it wasn't anywhere as good as Paula thought. I agree with Randy and Simon. The song was really hurting my ears at the beginning. Next up was Nadia Turner. She sang I'm the Only One. She did a sassy job with the song, and it was not bad. I liked it better than the performance from last week. Abit weak, but okay. Randy said that she's not the best singer, but she's a really good performer and made something of the song. Paula said that it was miles better than last week, and even Simon said that it was a thousand times better than last week. Simon thought that the song was not a melodic song, and was worried that might do her in even though she did a good job. Now my favorite, Constantine Maroulis. He sang some song that I recognize, but I don't know the name of. Gosh is he a hot, smouldering singer. He really has the sex appeal, and the teen idol thing going on. Boy, those smouldery eyes! I loved it!! Randy said that it was the best vocal performance for him. Paula agreed and said he is creeping into the favorites. Simon thought that Constantine did better than Bo tonight. Simon said that he had the classic pop star style and appealled to his audience. Nikko Smith came up next. His dad, Ozzie Smith, played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Now the bad thing was the song. He picked some song that I didn't even recognize, and didn't do a very good job with it. Randy and Paula thought he knocked it out of the park with his performance. Simon thought it was a breath of fresh air and a good copy of the original, but he didn't mean it as a complement. Then came Anthony Fedorov. He sang some song that I didn't recognize. I wonder where I was in the nineties. I thought I was listening to the radio, but I guess not. I think the song was The Way You look tonight. He did okay, but there was something about the performance that I didn't like. Randy thought it was all right--nothing more. Paula as usual thought it was a great job. Simon said that he wanted to be nice because he liked Anthony, but he thought that it was excruiating to watch in parts. And the parts? Beginning, middle, and end. I have to say that there was something about the whole thing that I didn't like, and I'm not sure if it was Anthony's look, or what. He doesn't look better without his glasses, let me say that! I was looking forward to seeing how Carrie Underwood did. She sang a Martina McBride song, Independence Day. She did a great job with it. Country is definitely her style. Randy said it was a great, great performance, and the best of the night. Paula also thought it was a great job. Simon said that Carrie had the It factor. She is a pretty girl and will probably go far. Next up: Scott Savol. I didn't recognize his song, but I thought he had some real trouble hitting some of the high notes, and I don't think it sounded that great. It was really out of tune. Randy thought it was a very ambitious song, all right, and very pitchy especially at the start. Paula was loving it. What doesn't she like? She can't say a single bad word about anyone. Simon said that it was a karaoke performance, and he would have switched the microphone off in the bar. Last up was Vonzell Solomon. She sang I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston. I'm not a big Vonzell fan, but she did a great job, and she looked really good. She reminded me of Brandy. The audience went wild. Randy said that she keeps on getting better. Paula thinks America is falling in love with her, and it was the top notch performance. Simon thought that she pulled it off.So here are my bottom three picks of this week: Anwar Robinson, Scott Savol, and Anthony Federov, and I think that the one to go should probably be....Anwar Robinson. It could be a toss up with Anthony Federov, though.
Sunday, March 27, 2005 -- Afternoon
It seems that Mario Vazquez may have signed a record deal with P. Diddy's record company, Bad Boy Records. So far, there is no confirmation or denial, just a comment from Diddy that he can't comment on the situation at this time. That sounds like a confirmation to me. We'll have to see what further developments there are in this area.Friday, March 25, 2005 -- Evening
Some folks would have you believe that Mikalah Gordon was really not that bad as the voters would have you believe. According to the article from MSNBC, it's not that she was totally out of tune and sounded awful, it was because she didn't listen to Simon and sing the types of songs that Simon liked. According to the writer of the article, Mikalah had Barbra Streisand in her heart, and wanted to sing those songs even if they weren't suited for her voice. Well, the reason they weren't suited for her voice is because she is not able to sing those songs. I don't think that the voters were that strongly influenced by Simon. I think that they just were turned off by Mikalah's voice, and I think that Nadia Turner's hair style and look probably turned alot of fans off. That's the way fans are. They like you one way and hate you in another. I wasn't a big fan of Nadia's look, but I still thought that her voice and singing were good. It seems that 31.5 million folks voted this past Wednesday for their favorite idol.Thursday, March 24, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight was the belated ousting on American Idol. They played the second song that could possibly be used by the Red Cross as a fundraising song. This one was He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother. I liked this one much better than the song they sang last week. It definitely sounded much better with no weak out of tune voices. The fans will get a chance next week to vote on the website on which song they like best after the third song is performed. One of the commercials was for a Ford, and it was quite cute. We came back to the eliminations. As usual, they dragged it out. They pulled out the bottom three. Surprising, Nadia Turner was in the bottom three along with Mikalah Gordon and Anthony Fedorov. It would have been hard to come up with a bottom three I guess because the only one who really stood out as bad was Mikalah. Believe it or not, Nadia was in the bottom two and of course, Mikalah joined her. Mikalah was voted off. I can't say that it was much of a shock because she really has been sucky for the past few weeks. Alot of the female contestants were crying. Boy, was it hard on the ears to hear her off tune again, but thank goodness that we won't have to hear her voice again.Wednesday, March 23, 2005 -- Evening
The re-do of the American Idol show is now on, so I will comment on the four contestants that I missed yesterday. First up was Anthony Fedorov singing I Knew. It was not bad, but there were some notes that just weren't hit quite right. Paula and Randy were postive, but Simon wasn't as impressed. Simon thought it was a very ordinary performance. Second up was Carrie Underwood singing Alone by Heart. Simon thought that Carrie would outsell any American Idol participant. I have to admit that it was a very good rendition of the song. She had a very nice, strong voice on the song. Third was Scott Savol with Against All Odds. Scott really got into the song, throwing off his hat and glasses. He had a very nice voice, and did a very good job with the song. He looks frumpy with those gangsta clothes. Randy and Paula really liked the performance, but Simon again was not impressed with it. As Simon says, he tries to put his comments in the real world instead of the La-La Land. Last up of the ones that I missed was Bo Bice singing Time in a Bottle, one of my favorite songs. He sang the song with only a solo guitar and a few light strings. It was a departure for him because it's a slow song and not really a rock type song. He does have a nice voice, but he should stick to rock. Paula and Simon liked it, but Randy wasn't as impressed yesterday, but he said tonight that it was a very sensitive performance. Bo says that Jim Croce is his all time favorite performer. I have to say that I agree too. I saw the other performances yesterday and have more details on them in yesterday's section. Randy thought that Nikko Smith's performance was the best of the evening. It's really ironic because Nikko was voted off (wrongly in my opinion) two weeks ago. Randy and simon thought that Vonzell Solomon was the most improved singer. Constantine Maroulis really did sound like a rough David Cassidy. I really liked it and thought that it was a very good job. Looking at it again, I really did not like Nadia Turner's mohawk. It just really didn't suit her. I know she was going for the Cindy Lauper type look, but it's not here. The song was good though. Simon thought that she lost her edge with that performance, and said he thought it was worse seeing it a second time. Mikalah Gordon was really awful the second time around. It was like regurgating bad food. It sucked going down, but words can't describe how awful it is coming back up. As Simon said, it wasn't the song, it was what came out of Mikalah's mouth, namely her voice. Mikalah says she is learning and is supposed to be learning and making mistakes. I did love her shirt. It said "My Job is to Annoy You", and that does describe Mikalah. I still liked Anwar Robinson's performance. I think he really turned a corner with this performance. As Anwar said, he had a great time performing. Randy said Anwar should not be singing a Chaka Khan song, and Anwar gave him a good answer back that you have to do things like that sometimes. Last was Jessica Sierra and I still liked her performance too. Simon still thinks Jessica has one of the strongest voices in the competition. I am sticking by my choice of Mikalah to be dropped. If she is still on the show next week, I will be extremely disappointed. She needs to go!Wednesday, March 23, 2005 -- Evening
It seems there was a screwup with the phone numbers that were given for three of the American Idol. Two phone numbers appeared on the screen. The top number was the 1-866-IDOLS number with the specific number for the singer. The bottom number had IDOL spelled out, and gave the wrong second number. So instead of having number 09, Mikalah Gordon had 01. Because Fox doesn't want anyone to complain about an unfair advantage, the show is being rebroadcast tonight at 9 pm EST. That does give me a chance to catch the first four singers that I missed last night. I still think Mikalah Gordon will get the fewest votes because she was next to last last week, and really gave a subpar performance this week.Tuesday, March 22, 2005 -- Evening
Another American Idol competition was on this evening. I was not at home then, but thank goodness for DVRs. There was a screwup with the recording schedule, but fortunately, we never turn off the DVR, and we were able to catch the last half of the show by rewinding. They were singing number one hits. So I started watching with Nikko Smith. I think that he did a good job with his song, Incomplete, and he was dressed very stylishly. It's funny because he was quite good, and he was voted off the show. Randy and Paula loved him. Even Simon thought it was Nikko's best performance. Paula was so overcome by Simon's comments that she started kissing him. It was quite funny. It seems Nikko was the fifth singer, so I only missed the first four. Next up was Vonzell Solomon singing Best of My Love. Vonzell did a really good job. She really gave the song her all, and had every body grooving to the song. Randy and Paula again really liked it, and said that the performance and voice were great. Simon said that for the first time in this competition people were going to remember Vonzell. It seems that everyone has been doing a good job this evening. Constantine Maroulis was next, and he sang I Think I Love You. He really had a very good David Cassidy voice going with this. I never noticed how he had a raspy David Cassidy sound before. He also did a really good job. It was definitely a high energy version of the song. Paula loved it and thought he had a good girl fan base. Simon said it was like ordering a guard dog for your house and getting a poodle in a leather jacket. Next up was Nadia Turner. She sang Time After Time. Nadia had this really extreme mohawk in her hair. She started the song out very slowly, and then just started really rocking with it. I really do like Nadia. I love her look. She is a real showman, and has a very nice voice, and a seductive look. Randy said that she definitely is a star on the stage all the time. Paula said she looked like a rocker and really rocked the audience. Simon thought it was over the top, and that it was like a cabaret on a cruise ship. Leave it to Simon. He has a way with the put down and the complement. Next came Mikalah Gordon. She sang Love Will Lead you Back. Her voice was very squeaky and off key, at least in my opinion. As far as I could tell, it was one of the worst performances that I ever saw. She really did a poor job. Randy commented that the performance was pitchy. Paula didn't seem very positive. Simon said that he was going to say what Paula wanted to say, that it was a complete and utter mess. Only two performers were left. Next was Anwar Robinson singing Ain't Nobody. He seemed really loose, and did a good job with the song. He really seemed to get into it, and it was very nice to see him singing something modern and hip. This sure wasn't Moon River (another song that he sang a few weeks ago). he has a great voice, and gave a very good performance this evening. Randy said it was a very stylized choice, and thought it was only all right. Paula thought he did an incredible job. Simon said it was a risky thing to do, and thought that it was inconsistent. I didn't think it was that bad, and I really liked it. Last up was Jessica Sierra. She sang Total Eclipse of the Heart. She did a very nice job, and I think that she handled the song very well. Randy thought she did a great job, and Paula said it was a brilliant performance. Simon said that Jessica and Carrie outsang every other person in the competition tonight. I saw snippets of the first four performances, and it looks like they all did a good job. I would have to say that the one person who really stood out with a lousy performance was Mikalah Gordon. It she does not get voted off tomorrow, I will be in real shock because she really doesn't belong in this group.Tuesday, March 22, 2005 -- Afternoon
The album that Mario Vazquez recorded with Cesar called World of change has been doing well at Amazon. Mario recorded a few vocal tracks on the album, and word has it that the record company may repackage it to list Mario's name on it. If you go to the album's page on Amazon, there is a download link for two songs that Mario sings, Soldier of Glory and Get up and Dance. He does have a Michael Jackson type of voice. I wasn't able to download Get up and Dance because I think the server was getting alot of hits for this song, but Soldier of Glory was okay. I like music that's abit peppier.Thursday, March 17, 2005 -- Early Afternoon
News is out on the Mario Vazquez incident. It appears that Mario hired Clay Aiken's lawyer, Jess L. Rosen to represent him. The story has it that Mario already worked on a flamenco album where he did some vocals, and that album may be re-released in Mario's name some time soon. Contestants for American Idol are not supposed to have records deals, so it might be interesting to see how this forthcoming album is intrepreted.Wednesday, March 16, 2005 -- Evening
The vote was in tonight on American Idol. I really couldn't think of one person that I wanted to get rid of because so many of them were subpar yesterday. I guess if I had to make a choice, I would have chosen Anwar Robinson because his performance was so boring. It seems that they will be releasing a group song with the final 12 contestants that will benefit the American Red Cross. Three songs will be sung by the group, and the audience will get to choose which one is releaseed. Gosh, they did the first song Tell me that You Love Me and the individual voices sounded so incredibly bad. It's amazing how many of them individually sounded weak in the song. At least when they sang together the bad voices got drowned out or at least blended into the whole. I know these guys are supposed to be good singers, but it's hard to hear at times. There should be more information about the three song competition next week. They had the three lowest score getters sweat it out. Those three were Lindsey Cardinale, Mikalah Gordon, and Jessica Sierra. In my opinion, Jessica was the best of these three. Lindsey Cardinale had the lowest number of votes and was out. They dragged out the experience far too long. They kept on throwing commercial breaks in at the end, and that was quite annoying.Tuesday, March 15, 2005 -- Evening
This evening was the first competition for the 12 American Idol contestants. A brief comment was made that Mario Vazquez quit for personal reasons. Then the competition started. Tonight was a theme night, and everyone was told they could sing whatever they wanted as long as it came from the 1960s. First up was Jessica Sierra. She sang Shop Around by Smokey Robinson. I thought that she gave a great performance. Considering she has been doing country type songs in the past, I thought she ave a nice soulful and throaty version of the song. I think that Jessica really gets into her songs. Randy and Simon didn't think that she did that great of a job, although Paula thought that she did a really great job. I have to agree with Paula on this one. Up next was Anwar Robinson He sang A House is not a Home. His voice sounded weak and shaky to me, and I have to admit that I lost interest in his performance before it was even half way through. That was very telling because the one comment that Simon made was that although Anwar has a fantastic voice, he has to be careful to not become known as a boring performer. Randy and Paula also expected more from Anwar than he provided. Mikalah Gordon was next, and she was back to peppy performer with Son of a Preacher Man. Her voice left something to be desired, and was at times on the weak side. The only comment that Randy would make was that "that was rough". Paula said it wasn't her favorite performance, and Simon said Mikalah's confidence is stronger than her performance. Fortunately, after that constantine Maroulis was up, and he sang You Made me so Very Happy. He actually did a very nice job of the song, and I was worried that it might go bad when I heard the title. Randy said it was constantine's best performance to date, and Simon said that it was "smouldering" night for constantine. It was back to bad though after that. Next up was Lindsey Cardinale. She sang Knock on Wood. I thought it was a very weak performance, and at times the band sounded like it was drowning her out. The judges also thought that she did a bad job today, and Paula asked how Lindsey thought she did. Simon just came right out and spoke his mind and said that he thought folks around the country were simultaneously turning down their tv sets. After Lindsey came Anthony Fedorov. He sang Breaking up is Hard to Do. I think it was a poor choice for him because he didn't get emotionally into the song, and his voice was not very good at all. Randy said that it was Anthony's worst job to date, and even Paula agreed with that one. Simon said that it was akin to someone singing at an office Christmas party and not doing it well. I have to admit that up to this point, I was really disappointed in the performances and thinking that I could do as well as some of these people. Well, actually, I think that I could have done better. Anyway, then Nadia Turner came on, and did a great job of singing You Don't have to Say you Love Me. She did a fabulous job playing to the audience and camera. Her voice was great, and she gave a really good performance. The judges were equally happy. Randy commented that the show was finally starting. I have to admit that Simon's comment was my favorite. He said, "in a competition full of hamburgers, you are a steak." It was very well put. Then came the second great performance. Of course it was Bo Bice. He sang Spinning Wheel. It was an outstanding performance. Bo has one of those great rock voice and gave a great rock performance. He even jumped into the audience and walked around. Randy commented that Bo is fearless and knows the way to get it done. Paula said that Bo was already a superstar. Simon even commented that Bo looks like he has been doing this sort of thing for 20 years. I have to admit that is just the thing. Bo looks like the sole professional amongst a slew of amateurs. Next up was one of my least favorite singers Vonzell Solomon. I don't know why I don't like her style so much. This time she sang Anyone who Had a Heart. I couldn't make out most of what she said because her voice was drowned out at times, and she didn't enunciate very clearly. Randy said that it was an ambitious choice while Paula said that she loved it, and thought it showed Vonzelle's beautiful showmanship. I have to say that I don't see it. Simon said that Vonzelle has this thing of staying in the middle, and needs to come out of that. Next was Scott Savol. He did a very nice job of singing Ain't too Proud to Beg. He also walked into the audience, and seemed very at ease. Scott has this very nice, smokey, bluesy voice. Randy said that he enjoyed the performance, and so did Paula. Surprises of surprises, even Simon agreed that it was a good job. The final two performed with Carrie Underwood up first singing When will I be Loved. Her voice seemed abit off too me--a bit on the squeaky side. Randy said that her voice hasn't been showing up lately, and Paula said that the performance was safe and boring. Simon, however, was the only positive saying that Carrie is one of the three performers who knows who they are musically. Last was Nikko Smith sang I Want You Back He did a nice job, and sounded like a young Michael Jackson. Randy said that he was glad to have him back, and Paula said that it was a good job. Simon said that he thought Nikko sounded horrible. I have to admit that this was for the most part a pitiful show with only a few stand-outs.Monday, March 14, 2005 -- Early Evening
The Mario Vazquez story just keeps on heating up. There are a variety of stories out there, both official and unofficial. According to Mario, he quit for personal reasons that had to do with his family. There were rumors that he was really quitting for other reasons. One of those mentioned was that Mario quit because of rumors he was gay. Now there is another story that is that Mario didn't want to sign a management contract with the show's producers as everyone who is part of the show is required to do.Monday, March 14, 2005 -- Afternoon
The rumor is that Mario Vazquez quit American Idol. The story has it that there were comments being made about him being gay on some of the fan blogs that put undue pressure on him. The reason that he gave for quitting was "personal reasons". The interesting thing is that they brought back Nikko Smith. This is really surprising news because I thought that Mario would go far in the competition.Wednesday, March 9, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight is elimination night on American Idol. They really seem to go out of their way to create tension on this show. I just don't understand this whole thing where they say "you stay". Just let us know who leaves. Granted, it might not take very long, but you wouldn't have this phony drama. So, I'm just going to cut to the chase and say who's out. I got only one of the guys right. Both Travis Tucker and Nikko Smith were out. I was in shock over Nikko. I thought he was better than some of the others who got in. I also had a shock with the women and only got one right. The two who went out were Janay Castine and Amanda Avila. I guess that being half right is okay. I am really shocked over Nikko though.Tuesday, March 8, 2005 -- Evening
The final eight women performed this evening on American Idol. First up was Amanda Avila. She sang some country song that I didn't recognize, although I think it may have been a Tina Turner song. She did a nice job of singing the song. The one thing you do have to say about her is that she is very pretty. Randy and Paula said that it was good, but not that great. Simon said that by choosing the song she showed herself as an average singer, but a good performer. Next up was Janay Castine. she does not have a very strong voice, and I think that her song selections showcase the weaknesses in her voice. She also doesn't put any emotional or physicality into her performance, at least not tonight. Randy said that he thought it was one of her worst performances, and Paula said that she was really pitchy. Simon didn't think she would make it past tonight. Paula was saying that Janay's fan base should call in to save her. Why? So a good singer leaves, and the poor one stays? I think not. After Janay was, Carrie Underwood. She started out her song rather slowly, but then started to belt it out. I think she did an okay job. Randy didn't think that was her best performance, and that the beginning was kind of pitchy. I know that the beginning didn't sound very good, but it did get better towards the end. Simon said that he is waiting for the moment for Carrie to hook up with a good song that showcases her voice. The judges think that she will go through to the final twelve, but that she needs to get the peppy country song that fits her better. My least favorite performer is Vonzell Solomon. Something about her personality just rubs me the wrong way, and I don't think she has done a good job in the past. Tonight she sang Respect. It wasn't a bad version of the song, and I think she did okay this evening. The judges thought that she did a good job too. Not the best, but decent. In my opinion, I wouldn't vote her off based on this performance. She's not the best singer, but she didn't do such a bad job tonight. Nadia Turner was next. I do like her look. She looks like someone who would make a good performer--very hip and energetic. Her song started out as a jazzy, smooth song that rocked up at the end. For some reason, I can never identify the songs that the women sing, and this was one of them. It seems it was an Otis Reading song. I thought she did a nice job. She is a very good performer. Even Randy and Paula said that she has that star quality, and she does. It is that undefineable something. Even Simon liked her, and said it was her best performance so far. Next up was Lindsey Cardinale. She sang Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith. She did a nice job, and really put her heart into singing it. Paula said that she likes her voice, but she doesn't always pick the right song. Simon said Lindsey has the look, but that her performances just leave soemthign lacking. After Lindsey was the infamous Mikalah Gordon. She sang There's a Place for us. I think that the song was a bad choice, and I don't think she did a very good job at singing it at all. Because the song was a slow one, she really didn't get the audience going either. Randy said that she was pitchy through the song, but that he felt that she was fearless in making the song choice that she did. Even Paula said that she started out very rough. I think that choosing a Barbra Streisand song was bad. Simon thought the first part of the song was hideous and the second part was okay. As Simon said though, it sounds like she went through an aging machine, and that it was a boring performance. The thing with Mikalah is that she was this really outgoing, obnoxious personality, and now she is just this quiet, studious type girl. Last up was Jessica Sierra. She sang a very peppy countryish song. It was really a nice job. I think she is definitely through to the finals. The judges really liked her performance too, which is understandable because it was one of the best of the evening. My picks for the two worst performances of the night have to go to Janay Castine and Mikalah Gordon. I really hate to select Mikalah as one to go, but she did a very poor job with her song.Monday, March 7, 2005 -- Evening
The final sixteen contestants are battling it out this week on American Idol. The men competed this evening. First up was Scott Savol. He sang Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, and he did a very decent job. Simon was the only judge who had a problem with the performance and said that Scott did an amateurish dance performance. I don't think it was justified. Scott did a decent job. Bo Bice was up next. This time he sang a ballad like song, I'll Be. I think that he did a good job. The guy definitely has a good singing voice, and has a very nice stage presence. Randy wasn't as enthused, but Paula and Simon were very complementary. Simon even said that it is Bo's competition to lose. Next up was Anthony Fedorov. He mentioned how he came here from the Ukraine as a child and that he couldn't speak English. He sang a peppy song that I didn't recognize, but it sounded like a Marc Anthony type song. It was a good performance, but I wasn't overly impressed. Randy and Paula said that it was the best that he has done so far. Simon commented that he didn't think that a Marc Anthony type song was the song for Anthony. I think that was my problem too--it just didn't seem like the song for him. Nikko Smith came up next. He sang one of my favorite songs, Georgia on my mind. I don't think he did as good with this song as he has with others in the past. He picked it up at the end, and had a great ending. However, I don't think it was his best showing. Randy even commented that he started out rough, but he really had a spectacular ending. I have to admit that too. Even Simon said that although the beginning was shaky folks were going to remember that great finale. Next up was Travis Tucker. Travis sang Every Little Step I Take. I thought that it was a bad choice of song. He did a good performance with the dancing, but I think that the singing was lacking. Randy agreed with me. Randy said that the singing was really out of pitch, and I know that there was something about the singing that really struck me as off. That must have been it. Simon even said that he thought the performance was appauling--and compared it to a theme park performance. Simon made a good comment about how Travis came across as a dancer more than a singer which is not what you want to do at this stage of the game. Right now, he is the first performer who is on my "out" list. The fifth performance was Mario Vaszquez. I think that the song he picked was just not a good choice for his voice. He sang What Makes the World Go Around. At least the beginning part of it was not that great, but he did pick up abit at the end. The judges thought that he did a good job, and Paula said that he should be in the top 12. Simon says that Mario has a charm about him, and I have to agree. I agree with Simon one hundred percent. It's not that Mario has the best voice, but there is something about him that makes you like him. Next to last was Constantine Maroulis. His performance was subpar. He picked a Police song, Every Little Thing she does is Magic. I don't that the song suited his voice very well, and I don't think that the performance as a whole was a good one. I hate to say this, but I would have to make Constantine my second choice to go so far (and there is only one person left). I loved simon's comment that it was a bad impersonation of Sting. I really have to agree even though Paula and Randy didn't. Last up was Anwar Robinson. Boy, his performance was shaky too. He sang one of those oldies What a Wonderful World. Anwar did manage to pick it up at the end. With the first few words out of his mouth, I was thinking that he might have to go, but I will keep him for another week. Randy really liked his performance, and so did Paula. Even Simon liked him, which is surprising. I have to admit that the group of men is a good one, and at this point it is hard to pick the two that I would get rid of from the competition. I will stick with the choices I made during the show. I would give Travis Tucker the lowest number of votes, and Constantine would be second. Let's see if others agree with me on the men on Wednesday. It's not that it's an easy selection, but I think that those two were the weakest of the bunch this week.Wednesday, March 2, 2005 -- Evening
This evening was the night that four more folks were voted off of American Idol. They were quick today because they had on that stupid Interns show with Paris Hilton. Celena Ray had the lowest vote count amongst the women, and was first off. I was surprised at that one because I didn't think she did that bad of a job. The second lowest was Aloha Mischeaux. The judges didn't think she should have been leaving, but I was shocked that Aloha didn't get the lowest number of votes.The men were up next. They really torture the contestants. They picked four guys, and said "two of you have the lowest votes and we will find out who it is after this commercial break". You can just see the contestants sweating and not breathing when they do stuff like that. I know that I have a couple of paused heart beats. The guy with the lowest number of votes was JOseph Murena and second was David Brown. The men were just as I called them. I knew that Joseph Murena had to have the lowest because he absolutely sucked. Surprise of surprises, Mario Vazquez was not wearing a hat this evening, and the guy has thick, lush hair. It's surprising that he was able to fit all that hair under a hat!
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 -- Evening
This evening was the women's competition on American Idol. The first of the women was Aloha Mischeaux. I didn't recognize the song, but I didn't think that it was a good song for her to sing because at times the music drowned out her voice. In fact, it was one of the worst songs that I ever heard. Randy thought it was very below par, and I had to agree. It was absolutely awful. Second up was Lindsey Cardinale. She sang a peppy country song. She gave a good performance, and did a very good job. Randy and Paula commented that the song didn't really show how good her vocals were, and really didn't show how good she could sing. Simon really didn't like it at all. As he said, he couldn't remember what Lindsay sang last week. The third singer was Jessica Sierra. She sang a country ballad. It wasn't a big crowd mover. In fact, I thought it was pretty boring. The voice was not that strong either. At least in my opinion. Randy, Paula, and Simon liked her though. Who can tell? One of the most annoying people on the show is Mikalah Gordon. The one thing you can say about her is that she is a personality and a prima donna. I don't think she did a good job at all although she had a large audience response. Randy, Paula, and Simon seemed to really like it. They said it was a joy to listen to. It was one of those smokey ballads. I don't know. Maybe it's just not my type of music. Next up was Celena Rae. She did another countryish type song. Her voice wasn't bad, and she did a decent job. Randy, Paula, and Simon weren't too pleased with her performance. As Simon says, she looks nice, and thinks there is a fine line between being a pop star and singing in a motel, and he though Celena would be doing the latter. The girl that I like the most so far in the competition is Nadia Turner She sang the Paul McCarthy song My Love. Only I don't think it was as in tune as it could have been. Simon thought it made her sound older than she was, and that he wouldn't sing it again if he was her. After Nadia was Amanda Avila. She sang Turn the Beat Around. It wasn't a bad performance. I think that she did okay, and it was pretty peppy. Last week, Simon said that he wanted to come back as her microphone. This week, Simon didn't think the whole song was in tune, and I have to agree, but I think that she hid it with the loudness of the song. Janay Castine. She sang rap song that I recognized--maybe called Hit 'Em Up Style, and I think that she did a very good job. I was shocked when I heard Randy say that he thought she didn't think it was very good. None of the judges liked her performance, and Simon said that he thought it was the inexperience of her age (17). I don't understand that one because I think Janay did a very good job with the song. After her was Carrie Underwood. She sang Take Another Little Piece of My Heart. The one thing that I have to say about her is that she THE best performer amongst the women. Surprising, the judges really weren't that impressed and they thought that she should stick to country music. The last competitor was Vonzell Solomon. Parts of her performance were good, but I didn't like the song for her voice. Sometimes her voice wasn't even audible. As Randy and Paula said, she was ambitious in her song, but it wasn't good, and Paula said for her to watch her pitch. Simon said it was an overcooked performance and that she oversang at the end. Who would I vote off? Definitely Aloha. She gave the most notably worst performance. The others are really a blur of averageness. No one really peaked, and no one else was really very bad. I think that my second pick to leave would be Vonzell because her voice stood out to me as not in tune.The one thing that I noticed was that I seemed to have a different opinion of the performances than the judges. I seemed to like the performances that the judges didn't like, and vice versa. Could it be that I just don't know what I like to hear, or don't know how to pick a good performance, or is it that they are looking for something that I'm not? It's just like movies or books. The ones that win critical acclaim don't always make the most money.