American Idol Weekly Updates

Weekly updates:

May 3, 2006: Theme: Songs from the year they were born, and current Billboard hits. For once I agree with the judges - it was a strange, surprising, off sort of night. Katharine flubbed a line and lost control of her first song; Paris pulled off the high notes but couldn't deliver the low bass of her Mary Blige song; this may be the last we see of her. Elliott and Taylor each sang a song I particularly detest, and I would have hit mute if I hadn't had both hands busy cooking dinner.
Elliott is steadily improving, gaining confidence the longer he survives, but he just doesn't have that It Factor. Taylor is not a bad singer, but he's not a great one either. I think people just like his wacky style. He knows he doesn't deserve the Idol crown, but he's honestly having fun, so I like him even though I think he should have been kicked off long ago. I thought Chris rocked both his songs (and he's really perfected that sultry stare); I don't know why Simon didn't care for it (I think certain musical styles are just too "American" for Simon and he doesn't enjoy them, so instead of saying "it was good if you like that sort of thing" he just says it sucks). Paris did a nice job with Prince's "Kiss," a very difficult task. Katharine made a great comeback with "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree," so I think whatever points she lost in messing up the first song she made up by proving that she can recognize her mistakes, take criticism gracefully, and bounce back with a great performance.

April 27, 2006: Theme: Love songs. Not a bad week, but prone to diva-ism. I liked last week better - standards are perhaps the easiest to sing, but singing them well reveals the truly talented. It's too bad we can't have a King and Queen of the Idol, like at prom or homecoming. We could just crown Chris and Katharine right now. They are far and away the most talented and have preserved that "it factor" most consistently. Paris, while still technically proficient as ever, has been slowly fading and just can't keep up the fascination she held in the beginning. The only true shocker on Idol, tho, is how Elliott and Taylor have held on this long. I will grant that Elliott has steadily improved - by the time he gets kicked off, he may be as great as the others were at the beginning. Taylor appeals to a small subgroup - but he lacks the skills, the chops, the all-around idol-ness, to have the right to be in the top five. Mandisa had far more talent and should be in his place. I'm sorry to see Kellie go - she's just so darn likable! And she's easily as good as Elliott or Taylor, either of them could have gone in her place. But they'll be next; leaving us with King Chris and Queen Katharine, and the Duchess of Paris.

(vacation - no entries for two weeks)

March 22, 2006: Theme: Country. Not a strong week overall, and most of the songs didn't let singers really showcase their talent - they all seemed rushed and unsure. I was glad that Chris Daughtry took my advice and went for a slow soulful song. He seemed a bit nervous while singing but still kept it authentic. McPhee was also in good form; even though I wasn't sold on the song I still loved the way she worked the stage. Mandisa did well by her her song, but I was disappointed by Paris. She had the technical skill to sing the tune, but lacked the maturity - my first thought was "she's never lost anyone she really loved, never been devastated by that loss." She's a doll - adorable, and lots of great outfits, but still empty inside. I thought Bucky did very poorly, considering country is his speciality, as did Taylor - I muted both of them halfway through. Elliot's performance was actually his personal best, and Kellie seemed right at home.
I used to like Ryan Seacrest, and he was so generous and friendly when we saw him ("beseiged him like a pack of rabid lunatics" would be more accurate) during our Hollywood trip. But the past season or two I've really disliked and distrusted him, and I finally figured out why. He's on drugs. I don't know enough about drugs to know which one, but my guess would be some sort of cocaine or heroin base. You can tell because his eyes are dead. They don't reflect what the rest of his face is emoting. He smiles, but real smiles make your eyes crinkle and sparkle - his stay flat. His comments all seem faintly tinged with sarcasm, as if he's mocking everyone, himself most of all, for participating in this media cross-marketing circus. He's still in control of himself; but he doesn't seem to care about anything, which will make it especially dangerous when he does go out of control. Perhaps I'm reading a lot into it. But those dead eyes give me the heebie-jeebies.

March 22, 2006: Theme: Oldies, my favorite. Chris Daughtry still miles ahead of the pack. Mandisa coming up strong alongside Katharine McPhee. Paris still startles me with schizophrenic switch from her offstage Prissy ("I don no nothing 'bout birthin no babies!") to her onstage Aretha (commanding our R-E-S-P-E-C-T). I find I kinda like "Chicken Little" if I just listen to him; watching him, I get annoyed by his perpetually surprised raised-eyebrows look. I'm not sure why Elliot is still in the competition - there's nothing wrong about his performance as such, but he's just easy to forget, and I usually do. I am fond of most of the contestants - but I'm ready for the fluff to get out of the way and the real contenders to throw down.
March 30, 2006: It's absolute insanity that McPhee was in the bottom three. Clearly voters were so confident that she was winning, that none of them bothered to vote for her, and instead spent their time pity-voting for those with little to no talent (like the forgettable Elliot). I'm sad to see Lisa go, I think she has a lot of raw talent - she just needs to develop that spark that will capture an audience's devotion. Bucky will follow her soon, although his performance was actually his personal best. I actually have to agree with Simon for once (gasp!): Chris Daughtry needs to diversify. The whole rocker thing is fabulous and he does it wonderfully - but I'd like to see something new from him, see him test his boundaries. Maybe a ballad, something almost a capella, slow and sweet and heart-breaking. It would bring down the house.

March 17, 2006: Theme: Stevie Wonder songs. Very difficult vocally, and even the best performances were the contestant's personal worst. Melissa McGhee kicked off; only surprise there is that "Chicken Little" has lasted this long. He'll be next. Kelli Pickler's performance was weak; Mandisa and her astounding lungs replace her as dark horse. Big surprise this week was that Lisa Tucker was in bottom three - she's had consistently strong performances, but people are wasting sympathy votes on the less-talented guys, assuming that more skilled singers will be all right.