Last night's Idol was one of the liveliest
shows in the past few weeks. Not because of the performances, but because of everybody else. First off , Whoopi and
Chris Rock? When I first spotted them in the crowd, I rewinded my DVR five times to verify that it was them. On
the fourth rewind, I had them pegged as impersonators...and darn good ones. But nope, it was them. How funny is it that
Chris Rock & Whoopi show up on country night? They're both huge Kenny Rodgers fans, I'm sure.
And it appears that Ryan (like so many men recently) has gone the way of the beard.
I've always hated the beard, but lately I've become a big fan. (Bearded Ryan Reynolds? Nice!) What I'm most shocked about is how quickly he's been able to put on some stubble. I first spotted the stubble while he was on E! over the weekend. Some men can grow a beard in like a week. But I always had Seacrest pegged as the type of man who would need 3-4 weeks just to grow a 5 o'clock shadow. That's not a slam on Seacrest, that's a slam on his dad for not passing on enough of the Y chromosome. But the shadow looked good, and I'm excited to see if it's going to matriculate into a full beard. But mostly, I'm excited to hear Simon making fun of him while it grows out. We already got a good Teri Hatcher/Desperate Housewives zinger last night, and that was just with some stubble. So I say, let the beard grow.
Taylor Hicks- I thought that Taylor gave the lamest performance of the show. It was boring and bland, and his voice sounded weak. Now, country music is not Taylor's cup of tea, or rather, his tin of chewin' tobacco. But, he should have done more with it. It's like he didn't really even try. And, who was that long-haired dude assisting him on the fiddle? For a second (knowing Fox), I thought it was Dove from Free Ride. I seriously did. But after further rewinds, I decided that it was the love child of Eddie Van Halen and Dudley Moore circa Arthur 2: On the Rocks.
Mandisa- Uhhhhhh. Not a bad performance, but not super great either. Honestly, I sorta forgot about Mandisa tonight. She wasn't a stand-out, but she didn't screw it up either. Hopefully, slipping through the cracks will let her survive another week.
Elliott Yamin- This was one of my least favorite performances. I know, not his tin of tobacco. And it showed. I sorta felt sorry for the poor guy cause (unlike Taylor) I really thought he was actually trying. I think that picking a Garth Brooks song was a mistake. It's an amazing song, but Garth is so well-known and well-loved. I wouldn't think that Elliott would want the audience to make comparisons between him and the great one, and that's inevitable by picking a song like that. He just doesn't have the voice for country music. But don't get me wrong, that's a good thing.
Paris- I thought she sounded great last night. She looked amazing in her "chill" ensemble and she really pulled off a powerful performance. But what was best about it was Paula getting booed. Of all the millions of times that she has kissed a contestant's ass unnecessarily by giving them false positive feedback, why did she go negative on Paris' performance? Paris sounded great. And yet, Paula had nothing nice to say ,and she got booed. What a great moment! I don't know who the brave soul was that started the boo. I don't know if they are an avid Paula hater or if Kenny Rodgers ran by with a "Boo Paula Now" sign. But it was awesome. And I'm just glad that Simon took his time relishing in it. He really seemed to enjoy it. In fact, I think he's going to have it dubbed on to one of those talking greeting cards, mass produce them, and send them out for Christmas.
But, speaking of talking greeting cards...
Kellie Pickler- Amazing performance of "Fancy." Great song choice (love Reba) and Kellie looked incredible in her minimal make-up and sexy red top. Now, let's talk some crap about her. Last night, Ryan asked Kellie about the accusations that she is playing dumb. She assured us that she is as naive as she seems and that she had never tried calamari before and was unaware of the silent 'L' in salmon. First off, I always love it when someone "defends themselves" by saying, "Yes, I am really that dumb." But secondly, I did believe that she had never tried calamari before. Tons of people have never had calamari before. The problem is that they played it up as a bit and they went too far with it. Everybody loves a dumb, giggling blonde. But when they went to "What's a ballsy?" they took it too far. They played up the dumbness bit to the point of absurdity. It's one thing to insult the intelligence of Kellie Pickler, but when you insult the audience's intelligence, by actually thinking we're going to believe this little shtick, then you're being dumb.
Ace Young- I thought Ace was going to crash and burn on country night, but I think he sounded pretty good. I thought it was a good song choice and the sexy stares were not as overt. They were more subtle and sophisticated. But why do you think Ace's brother was wearing that sheriff's badge on his shirt? Is he really a deputy on assignment from McGruff the Crime Dog, cracking down on the the underground heroin trafficking that is happening on American Idol? Or, did he just get that in the gift shop? I don't know. But why did Ryan announce that Ace is single? Did Ace and his girlfriend just break-up? (Which is sort of cruel for Ryan to do that, if you think about it.) Or, was it an overt move to squash the Ace gay rumors? Cause, Ryan did prequel the entire announcement by addressing the ladies in the audience.
Chris Daughtry- Not a good night for Chris. Pretty boring, and I thought it was a poor song choice. See, I know he did that because Simon kept complaining about him being too rock n' roll. But we like Chris rock n' roll. We like him manipulating song choices (and sometimes stealing re-arrangements) to sound more rock n' roll. This is the Chris we know and love, and we want him back.
Katharine McPhee- I thought she did a good job with the Faith Hill song, but I would have liked her too act a little sexier and less goofy at times. She just looked like she was about to die in a fit of laughter. I like it that she's not taking it all too seriously and keeping it fun, but with a song like that, I think you also need to "play the part" a bit. I thought Simon's criticisms of her were a little unnecessary, but I was a little surprised at her getting lippy back with him. It didn't really play off that well (as it did with Kevin Covais) and sorta made her look a bit like a kid talking back to her parents.
Bucky- I was disappointed with Bucky tonight. It should have been his night, but I think he picked the wrong song. I absolutely love that song, but on a night where country is king, he picked the pop-iest sounding song. It was really weird. If there was ever a night to sing about holes in washtubs or dead ex-wives, tonight was it. But he didn't. It wasn't horrible; I was just a little disappointed. I wanted Bucky to like come out on a horse that was hauling a mobile home that had all his ex-girlfriends on-board, eating a delicious chicken fried steak dinner, and watching Dr. Phil. I guess with expectations like that, no wonder I was disappointed.
My pick for elimination: It should be Taylor, but I think it might be Bucky
My vote: Kellie Pickler
Random questions that didn't fit in anywhere else: When did Sally Jesse Raphael start doing wardrobe consultations for Randy Jackson? And why did she coordinate his vest with his glasses? (Revise that) Why was he even wearing a vest? Isn't coordinating your eye wear with your vest, the male equivalent of matching your eyeshadow to your dress? It's a bad move for both sexes.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-05-2006 @ 11:57AM
Rachel said...
Oh my gosh... someone else pointed the glasses coordination out to me as well. It's weird because you think he'd want to draw attention away from some of those bad shirts he's been wearing this season
Didn't think Taylor was that bad, but he wasn't that good. I think Ace is ready to go.
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4-05-2006 @ 11:57AM
Maria said...
Chris did really well -
Bucky is starting to grow on me, I think he's cute in a goofy kinda way -
Mandisa needs to start dressing in black again -
Ace needs new face expressions -
I don't see what everone sees in Elliot and
Katherine was a Witch to Simon (don't like her)!!!
Also, Paula needs to remove that hair from her eyes - She acts like she has ADD!!!!
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4-05-2006 @ 12:01PM
Missy said...
Awesome comments about Randy! Almost looked like he raided Elton John's closet.
Just one other comment, I think that the contestants have some say in what Ryan says about them before and after their performances and I think that Ace put him up to announcing he is single. I think Ace sees his sex appeal as a big plus for him to stay and he wanted to try to get some more female voters to keep him around after his bottom three appearances. I thought he was good tonight (better than usual) and it just cheapened his performance. Oh well...
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4-05-2006 @ 12:20PM
Bill said...
Re: Ryan's Beard
In longstanding-but-now-slightly-outdated gay parlance, a "beard" is a woman who accompanies a gay man to trick people into thinking that the man is straight.
"Lose the beard" means "don't try to make us think that you and Teri Hatcher are really dating." Simon's comment was actually a huge slam at Ryan to just come out of the closet already. Ryan was visibly shaken afterward. I think he was pissed off for the rest of the episode.
So surprised that he said that.
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4-05-2006 @ 12:27PM
Walt said...
With the common knowledge that (at this stage of the competition) not always the worst singer gets kicked out on any given night, I've quit making picks. Chris Rock and Whoopie on country night? Yeah, non-sequitur audience member shout-outs are just strange, but nobody should ignore the behemouth that is American Idol.
You didn't mention how Paula's brain impediment reared it's ugly again. I'm all for hiring the mentally challenged, but the quality of her yammering makes Anna Nicole-Smith sound like a Harvard graduate. Paying her $3million a year for that? For that money, I'd tape delay the show an extra hour and have someone lipsync in some coherent thoughts when she moves her mouth.
I have a simple rating system for the performances.
Good - Bad - "Deer in the Headlights Bad" - (and the opposite) "Put It On an Album Without The Rest of the AI Kids and I'll Buy It Tomorrow". So far, the only two that fit that criteria are Chris (obviously) and the extremely media savvy Paris.
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4-05-2006 @ 12:33PM
Diana said...
This is a bit off topic, but since you mentioneed Ryan Reynold in a beard: how about Chris O'Donnell with a beard (Grey's Anatomy)? WOW!
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4-05-2006 @ 12:59PM
ShadowsLight said...
Bucky's song was the pop-iest sounding because it was originally a pop song. Gary Allen covered Best I Ever Had, but the song was originally done by Vertical Horizon and was written by their lead singer, Matt Scannell. I happen to love the original and though Gary Allen did a good cover of it - Bucky's rendition was well done, but I would have liked to see him choose a more traditional song.
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4-05-2006 @ 1:19PM
Chris said...
Katharine McPhee could sing 'Old Macdonald' and I would swoon. If you girls get Ace "I have a decent falsetto and I'm going to use it for an uncomfortably long time" Young then we get to keep Katharine. Besides which, she has an incredible voice and always manages to pick a great song IMHO. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Taylor Hicks / Katharine McPhee / Mandissa final three.
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4-05-2006 @ 1:33PM
Maria said...
Great job, Lacy!! I agree, loved all the "extra" stuff going on last night - aside for the contestants -Paula getting booed!! NICE!! And I'm glad you notice Katherine's snide remark to Simon!! I didn't recognize ANY of the songs except for Paris' - I don't think Tyler will go - It's really anyone's time - It will def be a surprise, I think.
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4-05-2006 @ 1:34PM
jimmyb said...
bill you got it...ryan did look pissed..it was clear..and no one mentioned paula's comment to him..which i couldnt understand...but he's response was priceless...'WHATS IN YOUR CUP" AND WE ARE ON LIVE TV HERE..
also right on lacie about kellie...i do believe they told her to play up the act....and i feel it was backfiring....she does have the natural likeability and stage presence...but i have to say..singing wise..she doesnt come close to carrie underwood.
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4-05-2006 @ 1:43PM
Maria said...
PS - Did you notice how most of the judges (Randy and Paula because they have no originality) said the SAME things that Kenny Rogers did????????????
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4-05-2006 @ 2:00PM
Raychel said...
Yea for McGruff the Crime Dog!
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4-05-2006 @ 2:07PM
Susan Coble said...
Taylor Hicks....wrong song choice and very disappointing for me.
Mandisa was just o.k., but, definitely needs to go back to wearing black or at least verticle stripes.
Chris, IMO, picked the wrong song. My husband and I were commenting on how we thought Montgomery Gentry's "Hell Yeah" would have been a good song for him to try.
Elliot didn't put near the power into that song that should have been there.
Katharine was good.
Paris was too.
Kellie nailed it!
Ace......sorry.........*yawn*
Bucky was o.k. and kinda growing' on me.
The judges and Ryan were about the most entertaining things last night. I just loved them last night.
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4-05-2006 @ 2:07PM
Willy said...
Bottom 3:
Elliot, Ace, and Bucky
If there were a Bottom 4:
add Kellie
Bucky and Kellie should've shined, but they stunk. They didn't even try. moreover, Kellie should, just once, sing a song that ISN'T about trying to find a man. I really like Bucky, but I wanted him to blow us away with some Allman Brothers...not bore us with what he sang. I think Bucky goes tonight.
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4-05-2006 @ 2:25PM
Andra said...
I totally agree with Lacy's review but she needs to do her homework. Kenny Rogers last name does not have a 'd'. And how scary does he look after all the plastic surgery? I barely recognized him.
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4-05-2006 @ 2:29PM
jamtvman said...
Can't decide whether the dull/boring performances make the show better or worse. Certainly makes picking the bottom three hard, the one going home harder, and the final three impossible.
Why do people like Elliot? Who votes for him? I can't decide which I like worse- the way he sings or the way he looks? Oh, and I don't like his personality either, but he's not alone in this group for that.
I wish he was routinely in the bottom three, but this week:
Ace
Mandisa (surprise pick)
Katherine
It's clear after last week that Kat has no fan base (except AOL voters, if you saw that poll). No way Bucky goes after country night (I like many, are starting to like ol' Buck even if he's the worst singer out there). He will be back in the bottom three next week, however.
Out this week: Ace
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4-05-2006 @ 2:37PM
Emily said...
I would have loved to have seen Taylor sing "Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Bros. from "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
It would have been perfect for his voice and personality and could have been so much fun.
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4-05-2006 @ 2:53PM
Richie Brown said...
Kenny Rogers, looked like he fell asleep under the doctors knife. 30 years younger, and gay as heck. Has Kenny gone Brokeback?
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4-05-2006 @ 3:11PM
joyce nwariaku said...
i think ryan should really lose the beard.it doesn't suit him.paris did well today and seriously mandissa should not only go back to wearing black, she should also wear an outfit with sleeves as well. those flabs on her arms were not flattering(am a big size as well so i should know).at this stage of the competition i think the contestant with the lowest votes is anybody's guess.taylor is my pick
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4-05-2006 @ 3:18PM
Monique said...
Last night's show was disappointing. I don't think anyone was great even though I love Taylor, Mandisa, and Katherine. Counrty music doesn't seem to bring out the best vocals in anyone includind the rednecks, Bucky(who names their kid Bucky?) and Kellie. This theme didn't allow anyone to shine. Katherine is one of my favorites, but I don't think she needs this show to be a success. Neither did Lisa Tucker. I think she was too young anyway. In a few morw years she'll be ready and won't need American Idol. Oh, Ryan's scruff is HOT!
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