Idol top 12...my thoughts
 

Well, some things went as I thought, Sanjaya continues to be an embarrassment, the boys as a unit are far beneath the girls and the top girls can be stars! I'd rank this week's performances this way:
12) Sanjaya...please get this person off the show
11) Brandon...yep, a backup singer
10) Phil...high notes are ok, anything else is ...well, Sanjaya-like
9) Chris R....shows nothing
8) Chris S...what was he thinking???
7) Haley...I was prepared to rank her with Sanjaya but I agree with Simon...there was something there tonight that shown through the pitch mistakes and the memory lapse!
6) Gina...not her best
5) Stephanie...mistake in arrangement
4) Blake...well, at least he's different!
3) Jordin...wow, great job!
2) LaKisha...showed something tonight by not over-singing, another great performance
1) Melinda...yes, she brought tears to my eyes...a fantastic performance...again!

They all stink... not a very talented bunch IMHO.

American Idol Round of 12: A Horseplayer's Perspective
 

I found myself disagreeing with the judges much more this week than I had in many weeks prior, so it’s a very obviously competitive bunch here.

Brandon
Not impressed. A very run-of-the-mill performance. He managed to be the first of many to forget the words, most likely because he was too busy trying to throw in smarmy, amateur dance moves in the middle. Really wouldn’t mind never seeing him again.

Final Score: 6.5 phone-in votes

Melinda
She was the one to beat coming into tonight’s performance, and she didn’t do much to shake my confidence tonight. She’s unbelievable in everything she does and she is just so genuine in all of her vocals. Seems like she’s right at the head of a very exclusive group at the top.

Final Score: 9.5 phone-in votes

Chris S.
He was one of the top two guys through most of the weeks, and he decided to do a sort of weird, but interesting version of Ms. Ross’s song. He got panned by the judges. I liked him better than the judges did tonight, but not really that much in the big picture. He’s a perfect example of why the guys are up against it here. He’s one of the top two guys, and he still only ranks higher than maybe one of the girls.

Final Score: 7.0 phone-in votes

Gina
I’ve sort of given her a rough shake lately. I thought tonight was awesome. I enjoyed it and I thought it was the perfect song for her to choose. The judges once again had less-than-kind words for her. I felt slightly guilty loving it, but I really really enjoyed tonight’s performance from her. I still think she’s striking a delicate balance on the bubble of this competition, but in her favor -- she has this section of the market cornered against some very talented, but very soulful girls. They may be more talented but she’s all by herself on the edgy side.

Final Score: 8.5 phone-in votes

Sanjaya
There is just nothing there. Not sure how many times we have to say it. He’ll be gone in relatively short order, as this fascination with the awful teenager can’t last forever. He had Randy laughing and unable to comment for a good while. Simon always overuses the comparison to a high school talent show, but oh man, it is just so poetically apt here. Every single week. The gay train is running out of gas in a hurry.

Final Score: 4.0 phone-in votes

Haley
Oh, she's still here? What on earth was that? Bored. Unimpressed. At least I have time to go grab another drink before the next person comes onstage.

Final Score: 6.0 phone-in votes

Phil
Another case of me getting mad for my prowess. Through the entire performance I kept turning to my partner-in-crime and saying, “It’s just so shouty. Why can’t he stop shouting, and actually sing?” Then Simon calls him out for shouting. Great. I really just can’t get into him, as hard as I’ve tried. Won’t be shedding any tears when he’s gone

Final Score: 6.5 phone-in votes

Lakisha
At first, I wasn’t impressed with the song choice. Vocally, it was one of the best, but I get the feeling that she’s going to have to create an identity in order to win this competition. There have been big voices on Idol in the past, and they are impressive every time, but they never win. It’s all about creating a persona, and copying soulful classics with a huge voice just doesn’t separate you from the pack. Don’t get me wrong, I think her vocals are stunning, but past Idol results have told us in no uncertain terms, that a big voice won’t be enough.

Final Score: 9.0 phone-in votes

Blake
The judges were less than impressed with his version of “Keep Me Hanging On” tonight. I was at odds with the judges. I thought that his vocal was less than impressive compared to other weeks we’ve seen him, but I loved the arrangement. I love that he brings something totally new and totally fresh to the Idol table. He has the exact opposite problem as Lakisha, as he’s got the identity and we all love it. He just needs to make sure that the vocals are there and that they’re spot-on every week from here out. He’ll coast into the top 5 without much effort, but when push comes to shove, America is going to vote for the whole package, and he’s got to remind us that he’s got it, because he does.

Final Score: 8.5 phone-in votes

Stephanie
I’ve knocked her lately for being too much of a copycat in all of her performances or as Randy puts it “being Beyoncé lite.” I think that I give her a tough time, admitting that she’s a good singer but never really being taken by her whole package. With that said, it was without a doubt, for me -- the performance of the night. I was surprisingly just completely blown away

Final Score: 9.5 phone-in votes

White Trash Chris
I found it entertaining that for a few seconds, he was pointing to the exit sign during her performance. Please. Go there. It’s not so much that he’s horrible, or that I just find him increasingly trashy and scummy every week -- I just don’t like him. The sad thing, is that he’s hovering in a tie for second best guy left….which should tell you a lot here. I think his vocals are all just a bit whiny for me. I don’t mean to pan his vocal performances every week….I just don’t like it.

Final Score: 7.5 phone-in votes

Jordin
I still love her. It’s hard to be objective every week because during the auditions I saw her and I said, “That’s my girl.” I try to keep things objective despite my serious adoration for her, but tonight spoke for itself. She was flawless. I’ve been waiting for her to really showcase that combination of presence/believability/raw vocal power. I thought last week’s rock choice was great for her, and this was a phenomenal choice to follow it up with. I think she did a great job in closing the gap between herself and the obvious top two in here.

Final Score: 9.5 phone-in votes

I find it hard to believe that anyone would say that about the top 3...everybody has their opinion but I think all three may well become stars! I agree that after that, I don't see many with a chance....

here we go again.......:rolleyes:

sorry I didn't see your post before posting my "horseplayer's perspective" thread -- I was typing up my writeup when you posted!

Even we disagree a bit tonight. The top 3 were agreed upon pretty well though!

Good night for my girl Jordin!

10 out of 12 sucked....but you know who sucks the worst? The judges for not picking better people to begin with. This season reminds of a high school full of let's say basketball talent. People don't go out for the team because of the coach and you could end up picking 5 guys up in the hallways beat them. That's the way this show is this season. You could probably find 10 people in the audience that could sing better....

Ha, I was joking around tonight during the show about my own vocal ability. I have always said (since I was 18) that I think I'm a better songwriter than a singer by far. I then said that most of the people in Idol are good singers, they just pale in comparison to the good ones. I can honestly say, for the first time, that I am a better singer than Sanjaya.

What a ****ing ego boost.

They should just eliminate all the guys but Blake, and have those seven sing for five weeks and then start eliminating people again. I'm so so so bored with half of each show.

You know, though, it just varies year to year. I know we're gearing up for auditions for the theater program at my job, and every year is different. Some years we have trouble finding ten decent actors; some years we're having to turn down oodles of GREAT people because there are ten even better than they (at which point I grumble, "Where were you last year, darnit?") It's really odd how some years are just better than others. I would think Idol is the same way-some years it's a deep talent pool, and some years it's not.

Hmm... kinda like the three-year-olds crop. :)

Kinda like your face.

Ha, sorry I've just always wondered how it would feel to say that to someone online :D

the way to fix that is the judges need to have more of a deciding roll when they go from 24 to 12.......

I kinda agree...there are 6-7 folks who deserve to be here and three who are immensely talented, I think folks that knock the entire group are indeed doing what we hear every year about the three year olds. Please tell me who has been more impressive in Idol history than the top 3 this year? My favorite is Ms Underwood and she has the sales and awards to tell me that I'm not alone but these three girls are special! Melinda...anyone who doesn't like her is looking for something foreign to me, Jordin just keeps getting better each week and LaKisha proved tonight that she can do more than simply rely on her big voice....I love God Bless The Child but I was afraid she'd oversing it...but despite the big arena and the juices flowing, she held back and sang it perfectly....those three performances match any I've heard on Idol!

Idols?
 

This Is One Of The Worst Groups Of American Idols Ever! You Could See Any Of Them In Your Local Karaoke Bar. I Think The Background Singer Melinda Will Win It And She Is The Favorite On Many Betting Sites. And I Cant Stand The Chris Dude Who Is A Tmberlake Copycat. I Can't Imagine Who Would Buy Records By These People. There 15 Minutes Is Definitely Up!

Been a shitty week at work. Thanks B-dub for a huge LOL.

Buffy's opinions for what they are worth:


1. Brandon - Sorry dude, but you sucked this week.

2. Melinda - She was awesome. She deserves to be in the finals.

3. Chris S - Vocally, I thought he was decent, but he did weird up the arrangement too much for me. I understand what he was trying to do, he just didn't do a very good job of it.

4. Gina - I liked her last night. Although I think her pronunciation would get better if she took the tongue ring out of her mouth.

5. Sanjaya - WILL HE PLEASE GO HOME ALREADY? IF I HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS GIRLIE BOY ONE MORE WEEK....

6. Haley - I AGREED with Simon 100%. She did well.

7. Phil - He did better than I thought he would. I thought he would butcher his song this week, but he was alright.

8. Lakisha - Great job. FINALS BOUND.

9. Blake - Alright I guess. He wasn't great, but he didn't suck either.

10. Stephanie - She reminds me too much of Fantasia and I never liked Fantasia. I predict she will go home soon.

11. Chris R. - Same as Blake.

12. Jordin - AWESOME! I love her. I think she is my favorite of the whole bunch.

Yeah but then the guys won't give her any attention.

Probably true! What is the fascination with that anyway? I don't get it.

you guys should check out this site if you haven't already

http://www.votefortheworst.com/

I think Lakisha and Melinda are two of the best ever to appear on the show. Incredible singers. But I agree that overall it is a very weak group take away the top 2. In other years the 5th through 10th best were much better than what we see this year.

LaKisha and Melinda are certainly 1-2, Jordin has really impressed however and her performance last night was great I thought so I'd now say there is a top 3 with all others trailing. It's still a long process and as they sing different genre others may step up but right now I don't see anybody but those three winning. I think that folks that come here and slam the entire group just like making blanket statements to be heard, folks like the Idol judges (and like them or not, they are successful in the business for a reason) are obviously VERY impressed with the top 3! The biggest surprise to me was Haley...I was ready to put her with Sanjaya until her performance last night...she forgot the words and that caused her to have some pitch issues but overall she was really pretty good...Simon nailed it, she has the "IT" factor, something about her last night made me sit up and notice...and that a week after Simon ridiculed her saying he didn't even know her name...something changed last night and he saw it...she could be voted off tonight but if not, she has something now to build on and could really be the dark horse...not saying she can win but certainly she is already better than any of the boys and Stephanie and Gina are catchable so that would mean only the top three seem out of her reach.

What's with the caps? Sorta adds credibility to my concept of attention seeking behavior....

I felt really out of touch with the judges last night, when I usually agree with them.

I still didn't like Haley very much and was surprised at how much Simon liked her (though if you watched it again, you'd notice that he wasn't quite as nice as it comes off. Most of it was very backhanded. He essentially said she was "not that awful" when it all got translated, but that she had a "presence."). I knew watching it that Gina's performance wouldn't get people really hot over it, but I can't explain it, but I thought it was incredible. That, and I thought Stephanie was the best last night. Who knew that someone I thought was very bland before tonight would grab my top spot?!

<3 Jordin.

Yeah, I think the fact that you and I saw different things last night underscores my point that this isn't nearly as bad a group as some people pretend. Stephanie left out the disco part of a disco song...I don't understand that. She has an excellent voice but she just left me empty last night...no doubt the girl can sing though! Gina is Gina...I like her and she belongs but I think she's limited. I don't know...I was really down on Haley and last night changed that for me...she has something that came out for the first time, we'll see if she can keep it...and remember the words!

Well, that or it's more like a 10K seller at Hawthorne in January -- the only ones who are bunched closely are the three favorites, and the rest of the stragglers are fighting it out for a 4th place check.

That's more how I view it.

I wasn't paying real close attention last night, but one thing about the judges bothered me. Its like they aren't consistent in their advice.
Example;
How many times have you heard them say "that sounded ordinary", "like a karoake version", "you didn't make it your own", "it wasn't original", etc.

But then other times they slam people who try to make an original arrangement like Chris S did last night. They were like "oh we were expecting it to sound like Diana's version, this was so different". But isn't that what being original is, being different? I gave him some credit for his version of that song, actually. To me it was original and was not bad.

Just my observtion that they seem to give conflicting advice on this sometimes.

Well, I know it sounds like that but there is a big difference between good and different...what the judges are looking for is something that sets a singer apart from the others, a uniqueness...but it doesn't matter how different you are if you stink! The folks last night tried different things with arrangement, tempo, key...but none were very successful. Haley was the one who came across as somewhat unique last night...hard to pinpoint exactly what it was but she had a presence on stage, it could have been the dress, the way she moved, her expressions, the way she "felt" the song...probably a bit of all those plus other factors...suddenly, she was noticed! LaKisha and Melinda already have that uniqueness, they have "it"...Jordin is close. In the end, America will select the next Idol based on that uniqueness as much as voice.

Perhaps it's my age, but I loved what Blake did. I didn't love the vocal performance so much, but really enjoyed how he modernized or "blake-ized" a classic like that.

No, I didn't imply that different = good. I said that i felt Chris was different and good.

You mentioned how America will select the Idol. I think uniqueness is part of it for sure, there has to be something to identify with, some kind of separator between you and the others, something that people like. It can be intangible also like you said, the way a person moves, smiles, what they wear, how they interact with Simon and the judges etc. Its these things that will separate the real finalists, who I'm sure will all be quite good singers.

Another factor from week to week that i don't know if anyone has mentioned is where a person falls in the singing order. Think of these like 12 separate acts. if you follow directly after a great act, well, its a tough act to follow as the saying goes. I think the first performer is in an inherently bad spot. The crowd isn't warmed up, the nerves are higher and I think people generally don't expect that the first performance will be the best performance so its sort of immediately downgraded by default.

by contrast, the final performance is a great position because it will be what people remember. I have noticed that Fox mixes up the order and it seems to me like they want to end with a great performance and they seem to know who has something great in store and they put them last. For example there was no way they were going to end the show last night with Sanjaya. Its basically one of the ways I think Fox can manipulate things to favor certain people, by putting them in certain slots. Like if they want a certain person off the island they can keep putting them after Melinda and they will always appear as a let-down. But the person following Sanjaya has a better set-up.

does anyone else think like this? I know one thing, I've been sitting here at work writing about american idol from 20 minutes on a horse racing forum. I may need to seek help!

LOL! I agree that position is an issue, Brandon last night got the double whammy, had to go first and knew Melinda was following him...but his performance was still bad! Hopefully Sanjaya will be gone after tonight, I'll be really frustrated if they vote off Haley instead after she finally showed promise. In all honesty, if Sanjaya makes it through tonight there is something going on...not with Fox but with voters somewhere! He can only go so far with millions of votes cast but still..I suspect Simon and the others are kicking themselves for allowing him to get past them.

Me thinks Chris Sligh will be gone.

Sanjaya will make it a long way.. for some reason.. maybe because voters are retarded

Well, it wasn't Sanjaya, but with those three in the bottom I really didn't care who went home. They totally got it right tonight as far as voting for the bottom three. Haley was a close fourth I'm sure :)

Sanjaya's days are numbered. It was easier for him to skate by being awful against just the guys, so he'll be gone soon enough.

I honestly didn't care which of the three they sent home because I wish they would have just sent all three home at once. I don't like any of them.

Bye Brandon, we thought you were good during the auditions if it's any consolation.

I just posted the same thing on another thread...I still think Sanjaya was far and away the worst...oh well, bottom three should signal a departure soon enough. Haley sounded good again tonight, her voice was distinctive from the rest some how...still think she could surprise!

Every week she is around is still a surprise after the round of 24. So she may very well continue to "surprise" for a few more weeks.

Well, I actually think she's better than any of the guys and, as I said before, Stephanie and Gina are within reach. I was really surprised at how Jordin looked tonight...it's amazing how folks can change so quickly on this show.