Am I the only person in the world who gets really
annoyed when the contestants hold up their fingers to tell you what number to dial so you can vote for them? I
don't know why that irks me, but it just does. Now that I got that off my chest (she breathes a sigh of relief), I must
say that I found tonight absolutely boring. Practically every performance was just boring. I normally sit and watch
Idol with semi-enthusiasm, but tonight I think I got up in the middle of virtually every performance. I
helped my roommate make iced tea. I looked for my nail clippers. I put socks on because my feet were cold. I flossed my
teeth. Tonight's performances were just plain boring.
Typically, I give my two cents on each of the contestants, but I don't even feel the need to do that. Every performance was so similar in mediocrity that I feel like I would just be repeating myself with every evaluation.
I know a lot of you are rooting for a woman to win again this year, but with a night like tonight...I still think it's the year of the men. The problem that most of the performers had tonight was poor song choices. (To see a list of song choices, click here for AOL's Idol Central.) Last week, a reader pointed out that the contestants normally do poorly when they jump the gender ship, 'ala Patrick Hall doing Melissa Etheridge. Tonight, most of the women stuck with the same gender, but they just picked songs that were too big for them. For example, Heather Cox doing Mariah Carey? Is she out of her mind? Why would you ever pick a Mariah Carey song if don't even have 1/100th of a voice that great? It's like she's trying to point out the fact that she sucks.
But besides the bad song choices, I just felt like tonight was a snoozer. All the contestants just looked half asleep up there. Although, I thought that Melissa McGhee finally made herself known by being one of the only contestants who didn't look half dead. That makeover did her good and she really showed a lot of energy. Kinnick Sky was another one who used the lackluster performances of the other key girls (i.e. Paris, Katharine) to garnish some more attention. I really liked her doing that Gretchen Wilson song. It was fun to watch. But Gretchen Wilson songs are always fun to watch.
And Kinnick was the first person to showcase the fashion trend of the night -- bustiers. I saw bustiers under jackets, over dress shirts, under yellow tank tops. It was an all-around bustier night. And somehow, even with all those pushed-up breasts, tonight was still boring. (By the way, I hope someone is impressed with the amazing cut and paste job I did of Simon's head on that sexy model pic. The half a semester I spent in that graphic design course really paid off with that top-notch job I just pulled off. It's practically seamless if you squint your eyes. Or maybe even close one. Heck, put on an eyepatch.)
The one shining moment of personality came with Kellie Pickler's pre-interview. I liked her description of her first spinach salad as tasting like something that had just been picked off a bush. And, of course, her drawn-out pronunciation of caaaa-la-maaa-ri will go down in American Idol history. Although, I find it odd that she's never had calamari before. Are there no Olive Gardens in North Carolina? I think there are. Maybe she always orders the fried ravioli appetizer. I don't know. I also like how, during her post-interview with Ryan, she always answers the questions like she's really answering them. It's not a canned Hollywood/job interview-type answer. She goes on and on like he really cares about her answer. But it's weird because I really do care about her answer. I would actually like it if they interviewed her more and she sang less. I think her voice is good, and she didn't look as nervous tonight, but I still think her performance was just so-so.
I'm glad they separated Paula and Simon tonight, but I wish that they would have separated Paula by putting her in another room. She's so annoying. Simon never talks during Randy's and Paula's evaluations, but they just don't shut up during his. They never let him speak. I would get ticked off too. But I noticed tonight that Simon has a monitor in the desk in front of him. What's on that monitor? Is someone telling him what to say, or is he looking at what is currenly on camera? I really want to know what's on that thing.
My favorite performance was Mandissa. Not just because I think she sang amazingly, but because of Taylor Hicks in the background. Did anybody notice Taylor during Mandissa's performance? He was rocking back and forth like Rainman. He looked like he wanted to jump up there and start singing too. That is actually something I would really like to see, Mandissa and Taylor doing a duet. It would be weird, but it would be passionate, and I think a harmonica would somehow be involved.
My picks for elimination: Heather Cox and Brenna
My vote: Mandissa
TV Squad Ten: Cartoon women who should have Playboy centerfolds
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 13)
3-01-2006 @ 1:20AM
Derek said...
Yes, we do have Olive Gardens in NC. I get the impression that its a little out of her usual price range, though.
And, while many of us do have accents, hers is particularly thick.
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3-01-2006 @ 2:29AM
emily. said...
Kellie is to NC like the "crying cowboy" is to WY. The producers like to play up stereotypes and na?ty. Not like there's none there, they just play them up. But she's so cute. Like a little bunny rabbit who can sing.
But I agree tonight was boring. Even the exciting parts were boring. But your comment on Taylor was right on . . . heck for all the performances. His excitement made me wish he was up there jammin' on his harmonica with them. I'm really hoping for something special from him tomorrow.
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3-01-2006 @ 2:35AM
emily. said...
And please never photoshop Simon's head on to anything with breasts ever again. This image is burned into my mind. I'm holding you responsible for that.
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3-01-2006 @ 7:27AM
Jim said...
Ayla was pretty good.
Does Ryan have any idea what a friggin' TOOL he is? Simon is the only reason to watch the show, as evidenced last night. Even when the performances are bad, he always makes it entertaining.
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3-01-2006 @ 7:57AM
Barbara said...
You are so right about Taylor. I noticed immediately and will give him some extra points just for his grooving.
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3-01-2006 @ 8:14AM
JAMIE GRANT said...
I agree that Paula and Randy should leave Simon alone when he is critiquing a contestant. He does not interfere with the comments these two share. Also, Paula needs to lay off of the "sweet and cute" act, and tell some of these "singers" what she realy thinks.
"
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3-01-2006 @ 8:25AM
Renee said...
I totally agree! I normally love watching Idol. I have a hard time deciding who to vote for. NOT LAST NIGHT! It was SO BORING! I had to go with the likeabilty factor and vote that way. After this many seasons you just expect more out of the contestants. If this had been the first season and no one knew what to expect,then maybe. I just knew Paris would "bring it." NOPE! What was she thinking? Could she have picked a more boring song? These ladies need to stop picking songs for their Grandma's because they are just handing it to the guys.
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3-01-2006 @ 8:43AM
Renee said...
OH, and by-the-way, I'm 37 years old, from Nashville, TN and I've never had caaaa-la-maaa-ri either. Yes, we had Olive Gardens here. I've never really noticed it on the menu. Maybe it's just not a popular dish here in the South.
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3-01-2006 @ 8:50AM
Kimberly said...
Well, I am from NY and never had calamari either. Last night put me to sleep. I like Mandisa and I hope she goes really far. I hate to say it but Simon was on target last night, His comments might seem harsh but those girls needa wake up call. I really enjoyed the article above- espically the Rainman comment. I couldn't figure out who Taylor reminded me of. Don't get me wrong I really like him.
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3-01-2006 @ 9:34AM
robb said...
I will get blasted for this i am sure but i REALLLY REALLY do not see what Taylor's appeal is. It's one thing to love music but i seriously don't think he is all there. I am not picking on him, just an observation. I would not be surprised if he shows up the on the Smoking Gun website. He is more annoying that entertaining.
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3-01-2006 @ 9:46AM
Abby said...
I'm from NC, and have the same accent as Kellie. I'm rooting for her all the way. Smooth them over with that "Southern Charm Girl"!!!!
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3-01-2006 @ 9:51AM
steven cox said...
very boring nite with exceptions being lisa, paris, and mandisa i cannot stand the fact that paula just wont shut uo and let simon talk-after 4 yrs of getting it right he does know best.
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3-01-2006 @ 9:55AM
wendy Connors said...
I had been a Kelly/Parris fan, but last night Mandisa deserved my vote. If they all want to sing country, why don't they go on Nashville Star?
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3-01-2006 @ 9:58AM
RHONDA said...
SIMON SCREEN SHOWS WHAT THE VIEWERS ARE SEEING! HE SEES THE CLOSE UPS AND EVERYTHING, THIS WAS A VERY BORING NIGHT! I ACTUALLY LIKED BRENNA, BUT SHE HAS TO GO!! BUT I'M SURE WE'LL SEE HER AGAIN, SHE'S A TRUE CHARACTER!
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3-01-2006 @ 9:59AM
ngregory00 said...
Agreed, agreed and agreed!
Last night was definitely the "Night of the Suck." It's like all the contestants made some secret pact with each other to pick the most BORING songs that the producers could get releases for. I love Paris to death but what 17-year-old in her right mind would willingly pick a song like, "Wind Beneath My Wings???"
Mandisa's performance was definitely the best of the night. At least she kept us AWAKE! Hey, do you think if we sent an email to the producers they'd get her duet going with Taylor Hicks...?
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3-01-2006 @ 10:00AM
Kay said...
I am really impressed with the guys this year
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3-01-2006 @ 10:01AM
Susie said...
Yes, it was a boring night. I switch the channel and watched Deal or No Deal.
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3-01-2006 @ 10:01AM
Sheryl said...
Calamari is not a southern dish. No way! We have Olive Gardens and a lot of other italian restaurants. But at least where Im from we prefer to eat catfish, not squid. *shudder*.
I disagree about the boring thing. There were a couple of performances I thought stood out. Mandissa was most excellent and I really liked the 16 yr olds number. She has the same passion for the music as I see with Taylor. I think she will make it far.
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3-01-2006 @ 10:03AM
Ericka said...
I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one bored out of my mind last night. It seems so unfair to the men because more of the men should definitely be in this competition than the women. The women suck as for picking the right songs. Mandisa's performance was okay but it wasn't great. Hopefully the men come with it tonight.
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3-01-2006 @ 10:09AM
chris said...
Lacy, I could not agree MORE. I actually have next to nothing to write. I agree 100% with your evaluation.
I am looking forward to the show tonight. I think the guys realize the girls were a bit like watching paint dry. I have a feeling a good number of them tonight will be up to the task.
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