(S06E14) After last week's boring first impression, the guys needed to step it up this week and show us something big. Did they succeed? Well, overall the guys were definitely better this week, but nobody even came close to Lakisha's show-stopping performance last Wednesday. In my mind, the ladies remain ahead, and this is still their race. However, at least the guys picked better songs, and showed a little personality tonight.
So who's going home?
I really can't say. The judges mostly said positive things tonight. And nobody bombed. Simon called Sanjaya's Fred Astaire/Michael Jackson inspired-performance "ghastly," but Sanjaya is ridiculously popular (in the top 4 last week), so I doubt he's leaving yet. Singing-wise, the boys remain on a fairly level playing field, which means that personality is going to be a very important factor as America votes tonight.
Based on tonight's performances, I think the following guys are safe: AJ, Chris S., Blake, Chris R., and Sundance (who finally redeemed himself).
Based on personality and popularity, I believe that the following are probably safe: Phil, Sanjaya, and Brandon.
I'm thinking that Jared and Nick are at the bottom, and probably going home, mainly because they remain "charisma-challenged." But hey, you never know how America is going to vote.
THIS WEEK'S PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Before the performances begin tonight, Ryan takes a moment to congratulate Jennifer Hudson on her Oscar win. The bad news is that Jennifer didn't bother to thank Idol during her acceptance speech. The good news is that she didn't slam Idol during her acceptance speech.
Without further ado, and with very little time-wasting filler, the performances begin. This week, the contestants dedicate their songs to people who inspired them.
1. PHIL dedicates John Waite's "I Ain't Missing You" to his Navy band back home. The judges give a MIXED REVIEW. Randy and Paula love it, but Simon wasn't "jumping out of his chair." He thinks Phil's voice is unoriginal, and calls it "good Karaoke." As for me, I'm still not crazy about Phil, and I thought he sounded a little like Cher tonight. I know he's popular with others, but I'm still not convinced he's Top 12 material.
2. JARED sings Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," which is sort of an odd song to dedicate to his mom and dad. The judges give another MIXED REVIEW. Randy thinks it's hot. Paula is too hot and flustered to make any sense, so Simon takes over and says it reminded him of the Love Boat, because it was cabaret, and corny. I think Jared is really handsome, but a bit stiff. And I'm not sure he gave a memorable-enough performance to stay in this competition.
3. AJ also dedicates his song to his mom and dad. He sings "Feeling Good," and gets the first TOTALLY POSITIVE REVIEW from all three judges. Simon calls it "nearly very good," and says AJ made himself stand out, showed personality, and looked comfortable. AJ was borderline with me, but just secured a place in my Top 6. I love his smile and personality.
4. SANJAYA dedicates his song to his deceased grandfather. He sings Irving Berlin's "Steppin' Out With My Baby" looking like a young Michael Jackson. It's a NEGATIVE REVIEW from all three judges, but Paula can't admit she didn't like the performance, and just keeps saying she likes Sanjaya. Simon calls it "ghastly ... weak ... weird." Yeah, it was weird, but definitely entertaining, and I believe Sanjaya's adorableness will keep him in the Top 8.
5. CHRIS S. sings "Trouble" about being "saved by a woman" so it's actually an appropriate dedication to his beautiful wife (seriously, she's hot). It's a POSITIVE REVIEW, although Paula tells him to watch his pitch. Simon calls him a "very good singer" tonight. I love Chris, although I thought the song started off a little mumbly. Still, he's in my Top 6.
6. NICK dedicates his song to his girlfriend (who is also very cute) to make up for being apart on Valentine's Day. He sings Peggy Lee's "Fever" and gets a POSITIVE REVIEW from all, although Simon thought he lacked charisma and looked like he came straight from the office. I'm not a Nick fan, but he sounded OK to me. It's just that song is usually so steamy, and I didn't think Nick gave off any heat during it at all. He's just not sexy.
7. BLAKE sings Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" and dedicates it to his parents (OK, as I said last week, his mom really looks like Roseanne Barr). It's a MIXED REVIEW. Randy likes that he threw in scatting, beatboxing, dancing, and a falsetto. Paula calls him "unique." Simon disagrees, calling it a "copycat" performance, only showing originality in the second part of the song. I'm not that familiar with Jamiroquai so I can't comment. Either way, I think Blake is truly unique (yes, I agree with Paula this week) and his Top 6 spot is secure.
8. BRANDON dedicates Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" to his deceased grandmother (ah, sweet). I think he's the best looking guy, but I'm still not blown away by his singing. It's another MIXED REVIEW. Randy calls it "boring," but Paula disagrees, she "felt his heart." Simon says Brandon is talented but needs to make an impact, and prove he's a good singer. I think Brandon will be back, but agree with Simon. I'd love to see him come out and sound as good as he looks. And if he is back, I hope he stays away from the weepy songs. I want him to sing some Lenny Kravitz.
9. CHRIS R. also dedicates his song to his grandmother, whom he calls Big Mama. He sings something upbeat, Jason Mraz's "Geek in the Pink." He gets a POSITIVE REVIEW, Randy calls it "hot." Paula sticks a heart on Simon but doesn't really say anything relevant to the performance. Simon sarcastically tells Paula "You've been invaluable tonight, haven't you?" Still, Simon loves Chris, and calls it "the best tonight by a mile." I don't know, it wasn't my thing. But I do like that Chris R. comes across as young, hip, and current, and doesn't rely on "oldies, but goodies."
10. SUNDANCE gets emotional explaining why he chose to dedicate his song to his son Levi (2.5 months old). He sings "Mustang Sally" finally getting back to the soulful sound that got him into this competition. It's a POSITIVE REVIEW from all. Randy says he "dropped the bomb." Paula tells him to "bring it like that every week." Simon says "I'm glad we've got the Sundance back who we really, really liked ... let's not get too carried away ... I still think you can do better." Sundance admits he needed a good performance this week to get out of the "box" he's been in since Hollywood. .jpg)
Then there's a bit, where Ryan tells Sundance that his baby, Levi, sure has changed a lot since he's been gone. They put a photo of Sundance's baby up on the screen and he has a patch of facial hair sprouting from his chin. It's kind of cute and creepy at the same time, but not as creepy as when Ryan touches Sundance's facial hair, and Sundance tells him that there's hairspray in it.
Ryan closes the show by saying "The boys are back." What did you think? Did the guys impress you tonight? Who is getting your vote? Who do you think is going home?
Tomorrow: The Top 10 Ladies
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
2-27-2007 @ 11:21PM
David said...
You show the worst guy in the picture. He's a nice guy but still can't sing.
And what is with everyone singing all thes eold boring songs? They need something lively to "wow" us and because they will never beat the original singers.
My favorites are still Blake and Chris R.
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2-27-2007 @ 11:57PM
Carnie D said...
Yes, I'm back to pimp out Linda Sharps' recaps!
Favorite line about tonight?
"Jared explained in his video that he was dedicating his song to his mom and dad – immediately I knew it surely could not be Sexual Healing because, well , that would just be gross.
Thank goodness he went with the much more appropriate parental homage, Let’s Get It On."
Check out the rest at http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/
Reply
2-28-2007 @ 12:00AM
Tammy said...
My favorites are Chris R, Blake and Chris S. They have been the most consistent and seem to bring it each week.
Bottom for me is Brandon, Nick and Sanjaya.
Overall the guys did do better than last week so that's a big plus. At least now we might get six decent guys to go with the girls in the final 12. Last week I was wishing they would drop the six and six thing.
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2-28-2007 @ 12:09AM
James Bond's M said...
The guys were much improved. I think Jared and Sanjaya were the worst vocally but they've got that young girl cute factor going on, so they'll probably continue to take up undeserved space.
Based on low energy charmisa (although their voices were ok) I think Brandon and Nick are in danger.
I enjoyed everyone else very much although I worry for Sundance - this is one competition where you've got to be consistent every week. Like Simon said, everyone loves Mustang Sally, we need to see if Sundance can bring that same bluesy talent to anything else he has to sing.
While I still agree that the girls have some real standouts, they are a few of the guys, Blake and both Chris', who will help make this a real competition!
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2-28-2007 @ 12:40AM
Mike Davis said...
I guess I'm officially old. I find Blake and Chris R. incredibly awful and annoying and the judges are completely kissing their asses. Who would buy those awful albums?
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2-28-2007 @ 1:08AM
David said...
*Raises hand*
What the others are playing are just bad copies of 50 year old songs, I rather have something new and fresh. Plus they are nice to look at.
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2-28-2007 @ 5:42AM
Atncgirl said...
The guys did much better and I was really proud of Sundance. He actually made me sit up in my chair and cheer him on as he sang "Mustang Sally". He got my vote last night without even a second thought. I was also impressed with Phil's performance. My bottom two for this week are Sanjaya and Nick.
As for the congrats to Jennifer Hudson I almost felt like that was done with "tongue in cheek" because Foxnews.com recently reported this:
Newly minted movie star Jennifer Hudson is biting the hand that fed her -- charging she was "abused" and "brainwashed" by "American Idol."
"On 'American Idol,' you go through this mental thing; you've got to get yourself back together," she says in the March issue of Essence magazine, according to an excerpt published by People.
"You've been abused, misled and brainwashed to believe whatever they want you to think."
Those are strong words from Hudson, who owes her big break to "Idol," on which she appeared as a contestant in 2004.
She may not have slammed Idol at the Oscars but she sure let it be known how she felt about them. If it wasn't for Idol...she wouldn't have been standing there for sure.
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2-28-2007 @ 7:07AM
karen said...
How can anyone like Sanjaya?? He can not sing, no personality and cries at the drop of a hat...
Jared can not sing or dance eithr lol.
Sundance did very well last night.
AJ all I can say is NO WAY !
Blake is outstanding, nice looking and different.
Chris R is excellent and cute.
Phil Very good
Chris S good voice but thats it. looks like Jack Osborn.
Brandon has a great voice but needs to step it up.
Nick has a great voice, he is smooth and sexy. He is by far my choice for voice, looks and personality.
Who should go home this week?
I say AJ and Sanjaya
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2-28-2007 @ 8:22AM
BlackViking said...
Please don't slam me for suggesting this, but regarding Sanjaya - his ethnicity is also probably a huge factor. The Indian community (I'm assuming he's Indian, hope I'm not profiling) is well known for coming out and supporting it's stars. A comedian named Russel Peters is selling out shows all over the place, and it's mostly an Indian audience. Much like Jasmine Trias got the huge Hawaian support, I think Sanjaya is getting a boost from this community. He seems like a nice kid, but I've not been impressed by him at all. However, I predict he will go VERY far, maybe top 6. Or, maybe this will be the year America wakes up and bases it's votes on singing ability alone (yeah right).
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2-28-2007 @ 9:19AM
Pepper said...
It was more of a level playing field vocally for the guys this week. So I guess it does boil down to who's the most likeable. For me, I love Brandon. He can sing and I'd like to see him around a lot longer because he's so dang easy on the eyes!!!!
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2-28-2007 @ 8:52AM
GrumpyOldMan said...
Yes, the males were much better than last week, but none of them could hold a candle to Zac Hacker on Nashville Star.....
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2-28-2007 @ 8:55AM
mac said...
I just can't stand Chris R or Blake. They remind me of the BackStreet Boys or NSYNC, ~cringe~. And I don't like Chris R's "my hair is drawn on with a sharpie" look either.
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2-28-2007 @ 9:05AM
kathy said...
I love Sundance and Chris S. Both have talent, are geat in front of the camera-Chris is cute and very sincere, and it isnt his fault Jack Osborn looks like him. I didnt think I could, but I can as he has a good voice. Send home Sajaya and AJ-
As for Jennifer Hudson, obviously she did not have a prepared speach, as she blubbered through and repeated herself. I think her comments on the after shows, and talk shows to come will tell the tale. She should thank Idol-her face wouldnot be out there without them, and if she would have won, would not have been in the position to audition for this movie.
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2-28-2007 @ 9:04AM
DM Law said...
American Idol is not the hand that fed anyone. Jennifer Hudson competed like everyone else and lost. Anything she did post-idol was done via her talent, hard work and blessings. When she was booted off of Idol, the producers and others at Idol did not say to her, "don't worry we'll take of you or help you get to the top." On the contrary they said something more like, "goodbye, it's been great, see ya." Now if you call that a hand feeding you then I would hate to see the hand that starves. Jennifer Hudson is now an Oscar winner because she is beautiful, talented, humble and blessed. Ms. Hudson has an excellent voice and she is a great actress (very convincing). I wish the jealous folks out there would take some time to get off the bash Jennifer bandwagon.
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2-28-2007 @ 9:15AM
Ping said...
Sanjaya Cute?! Are you kidding me? I find him to be almost creepy. I can't believe anyone would say they think he'll stay around because of his looks and likability. Aside from that, and most importantly, he's terrible. He is not a performer he looks very uncomfortable, and has no energy when he sings. He should have never been picked for the final 24. He is the only one that I feel strongly about that should go home. The fact that he was in the top 4 last week shows that the "vote for the worst" people must be many - which I think is really sad.
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2-28-2007 @ 9:16AM
Megan said...
I think Sanjaya was adorable in this. I just wish he'd get a little charisma. Chris R. got my vote, as well as Blake and Phil. I usually pick one person and stick with them, but right now I'm still undecided because everyone is kind of inconsistent. I was happy that Sundance actually did something decent. Who would love to hear him sing some Lynard Skynard?
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2-28-2007 @ 9:18AM
jan said...
revelations this week are SUNDANCE AND AJ...they deserve to move ahead...
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2-28-2007 @ 9:16AM
nancy said...
Sanjaya and Nick and perhaps Brandon should be going home Thursday night. Sanjaya was simply awful in every way, Nick was just ok (no real charisma) and Brandon was lackluster, real disappointment. If Sanjaya stays, it only confirms that AI is a popularity contest, which is sad.
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2-28-2007 @ 9:17AM
Jo said...
Sanjaya needs to be competing on Star Search and not American Idol. He is not entertaining in the least. He has a nice enough voice, however so do alot of people at my church and they are not on AI either. Sanjaya needs to go home NOW!!!!
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2-28-2007 @ 9:24AM
Kira said...
I like Blake first and then Chris R. I thought Phil and Chris S. were right behind that.
Sanjaya was BY FAR the worst, but somehow there are people out there who don't realize that the winner should AT LEAST be able to sing.
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