Simon probably said it best last night when he exclaimed during the midddle of his critique of Anoop Desai that the judges "have to cast the next stage" of the show and that "we gotta put some personality through, not just the boring singers."
Yes, it's only taken eight seasons for him to admit it live on national television that it's not just about singing, but he finally did it so that's all that counts. Of course everyone has known and acknowledged this for years, but the judges have never been this blunt about the topic. Simon gets props for those few lines last night.
As for how the wild card round went, there were probably three deserving contenders (Anoop Ricky Braddy and Matt Giraud), but only two made it through. Megan Corkrey's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was only a smidgen better than her last performance, and Jasmine Murray's "Reflection" was just average. Jesse Langseth wasn't much better, though, and Tatiana del Toro was as good as she was the first round, meaning she probably should have made it over either of those girls.
But of course, the producers don't want Sanjaya Pt. 2 plaguing this already disappointing season, so she was left to weep at the feet of the four judges (p.s. does anyone think Tatiana would have been perfect for the lead female role on FOX's new show Glee? When I saw that commercial last night, all I could think of was Tatiana playing the part).
Another thing that didn't help Tatiana's cause was her BS answers to Paula about her accent and to Simon about why she sang the same song three times. It's not like she was going to go through anyway, but really, she just had a case of clueless, sloppy diharrea of the mouth.
The show itself was rushed, rambled and rattled, with the only "exciting" part being when Anoop was told he'd be the 13th finalist this season. The only problem is the rumor of a Top 13 had been circling since early January, so many were not all that surprised. Besides, when Jasmine made it in first we knew something was up because the judges had been raving over Megan, Matt and Anoop the whole night.
Simon seemed to be in an especially good mood last night, something that isn't found very often, which makes me wonder if he actually was listening to the performances or if I was just running his preconceived critiques through his head. Paula was especially flighty, while Randy seemed to copy everything Simon said. Kara was just...there.
IDOL LIVE's predictions for the Top 36 finished 10-13 thanks to a perfect prediction for last night. For my original Top 12 prediction before even hearing a single semifinals performance, I finished at 8-12 (the unforseen 13th spot will count as Megan, since I did have Jasmine, Anoop and Matt in my original Top 12). Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
Showing posts with label jesse langseth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesse langseth. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Analysis: They're casting the show, alright
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Analysis: Judges blow it big time with wild card picks
This season was already going down the tubes, but the judges last night all but killed off its saving grace with their wild card selections. Sure, it was bad enough when the very competitive Group 3 had to let only three people into the Top 12 via America's votes, especially considering two spots were virtually reserved for screen time favorites Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre. Jorge Nunez making it over Ju'Not Joyner and Felicia Barton was nothing outrageous, but he will be a waste of a spot and will exit relatively early in the finals. But when the judges only chose one from the group, Von Smith, to compete in tonight's wild card, something went horribly wrong.
The judges' motives are so transparent it's not even a matter of to what degree their favoritism is lying in the shadows, it's just plain out there for everyone to see. They purposely chose three average to forgettable girls so that it does not look so bad when they go with Megan Corkrey. This is important because tonight's "sing for their lives" spectacle has no bearing on whom the four horsemen will choose, it's all for show and to give FOX another win on a night they normally would lose to the other networks (plus it's a killer lead-in to Hell's Kitchen).
While Tatiana del Toro's vocals are actually pretty good, she was brought back for the drama, pure and simple. And people fall for it, which is sad, but what can you do? The stranger picks are Jesse "don't you just love those drum claps?" Langseth and Jasmine "you better sing a Rihanna song" Murray, each of whom have no shot at being one of the three picks unless the producers pass a law requiring semi-gender equality, making it a 7-5 ratio rather than a more likely 8-4 ratio.
What is embarassing is that the judges did not see the point of bringing back Felicia and Kristen McNamara, each of whom are leagues better than the four girls that have a second shot tonight. This is further proof that all they are concerned about is having Megan make it, and for that reason they are just plain lost. Just the absolute wrong way to go about choosing wild card spots.
As for the guys, everyone they picked was deserving except Von, who should have ceded his spot to Ju'Not. It's surprising that there will be no black male in the Top 12 this season, but it worked in Season 5 so whatever.
No matter what happens, from here on out it's all about Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Lil. If these three are not the final three of Season 8, that would mean there had to have been a miracle of sorts because this season is more predictable than all the rest combined.
Hopefully there are no more angry analyses on here for this season. Something tells me that won't be the case, though.
IDOL LIVE's predictions are now 6-9 for the Top 36 and 5-9 for the Top 12. At least we're batting above .500 for now.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
About last night: Can anyone choose the right song?
If there's one thing Group 3 better not screw up on next week, it's song choice. That seems to be the judges' go-to negative critique of choice this season, as almost everyone last night heard the phrase in some form.
In fact, some of the choices were just plain out there, like Mishavonna Henson's take on Train's "Drops of Jupiter." What's the sense in picking one of the most overplayed songs on radio in the past decade? I mean, it's not like she was near the worst of the night, but c'mon, pick a song that will actually show off your vocals.
Another odd choice of song was Matt Giraud's decision to tackle Coldplay's epic (and I don't throw that word around lightly) "Viva la Vida." It's the furthest thing away from what he should be singing, and although it wasn't the complete mess Simon & crew made it out to be, it was definitely puzzling.
There were a lot of competitors for the title of "worst of the night," such as Nick/Norman/Normund/whatever he wants to be called's overdramatic, borderline blasphemous performance of "And I Am Telling You (I'm Not Going)" and Kai Kalama's dull throwback pick of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." But the title has to go to that "bartender from D.C." (thanks Ryan for that introduction).
We caught our first glimpse of one that has managed to elude us this whole time called Jeanine Vailes, and what we saw was not pretty (sans her Haley Scarnato legs). Many had fears that Jeanine would be the next Juanita Barber rather than the next Jennifer Hudson, and those fears came true after she took on Maroon 5's "This Love." Kara got it 100% right when she called it "overdone," and Jeanine's incessant begging and pleading by trying to make the case that she received no airtime prior to last night as a reason for her to advance to have another shot at proving herself didn't help matters. Although she was sort of right about that, she had to make the best of what she was given and she couldn't. Sorry Jeanine, at least you've got great legs (and lips, according to Simon).
There were some unexpected positive comments after a few performances, like Megan Corkrey's "Put Your Records On." Her awkwards swaying and inescapable tattoo that swamped her right upper arm and shoulder completely took away from any semi-good vocals that came from her, yet the judges ate it up. There were also some unexpected negative comments, like the lukewarm reception Jesse Langseth received for her unique performance of "Bette Davis Eyes." Maybe it has to do with the fact that Jesse never was really in consideration for the Top 12, especially following Simon's comments about her having "no shot" at winning after she made the Top 36?
As for the two most overpraised performers of the night, the judges had a field day with Allison Iraheta's shoutfest on "Alone" and Adam Lambert's screechfest on "Satisfaction." Although Allison had some bright spots on her song, she had to really reach on a few notes but seemed comfortable moving about the stage, so it wasn't so bad. But the judges were totally in love with her for some strange reason, even after she appeared as dumb as a doornail in her pre-performance sit-down with Ryan.
As for Adam, it's quite apparent that he will get the Danny Gokey treatment this season, as his overdramatic performance was hailed as the second coming of Danny's "Hero." Adam seems like he would be a very good technical singer if he could just tone it down a notch...or two...or three. I know he's used to performing in theatre but it's a completely different ball game on this show, and the sooner he figures that out the better. It is funny, though, how Kara wrote off the overdramatic stuff automatically and went straight to the pimpage.
More song choice problems were found with Jasmine Murray's "Love Song" and Kris Allen's "Man In the Mirror." Jasmine was once a front runner and widely believed to be the favorite to advance as the top female vote getter tonight, but it looks like that won't happen. She should have gone with a Rihanna song (according to Randy at least). Kris did well, but he will be forgotten relatively easily.
And then there's that welder, Matt Breitzke. He pretty much had no chance as soon as Michael Sarver advanced, but his blah performance of Tonic's "If You Could Only See" was the second-to-last nail in the crypt for his chances. His backtalking with Simon was the final nail, to be sure. Still he should get props for attempting that song.
Well, it looks like Group 2 actually managed to be worse than Group 1, which puts pressure on Group 3 to deliver like never before. Odds are it won't, though, save for a few unknowns that could pull through. At least we have Brooke White's performance to look forward to tonight. Maybe she'll show this year's batch how it's really done.
P.S. has anyone noticed how many mothers/fathers/single mothers there are this season? Not sure why that is, but it's just an interesting observation.
Poll of the week: Adam is top dog in Group 2
Judging from the results of last week's poll of the week and the conventional wisdom from tonight's performances, it looks like IDOL LIVE's readers correctly chose for the two guys that will advance to the Top 12 tomorrow night, but was a little less sure when it came to the girl that will advance.
Adam Lambert scored 37 votes, good for 37% of the 99 total votes cast, in addition to scoring big time with the judges tonight after his performance of "Satisfaction." Next up was Matt Giraud, who despite flailing through his take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," should be a very good bet to make the Top 12 tomorrow. He took in 19 votes (19%).
A wild card in this mix is Kris Allen, who finished third overall with 15 votes (15%) and would not be a surprise if he in fact makes it in over Matt. As for the girls, it was Jasmine Murray who stole the top votes among their gender, though it was a rather pitiful take of nine votes (9%). The likely female representative in the Top 12 of Group 2, Allison Iraheta, was only able to manage four votes (4%).
In this week's poll of the week, IDOL LIVE readers are asked to choose their favorite semifinalist from Group 3. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 15 (15%)
Matt Breitzke 1 (1%)
Megan Corkrey 7 (7%)
Matt Giraud 19 (19%)
Mishavonna Henson 2 (2%)
Allison Iraheta 4 (4%)
Kai Kalama 2 (2%)
Adam Lambert 37 (37%)
Jesse Langseth 0 (0%)
Nick Mitchell 3 (3%)
Jasmine Murray 9 (9%)
Jeanine Vailes 0 (0%)
Total votes: 99
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Group 2 *possible* song choices
Although they are almost always fake nowadays unless they appear on the net 30 minutes prior to showtime, a list of possible song choices for the twelve semifinalists of Group 2 has been making the rounds since last night. What makes this list a little more convincing is that it seems to fit in with the few hints that found their way onto JoesPlace's blog. See the list below:
Kris Allen, "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback
Matt Breitzke, "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" by Michael Bolton
Megan Corkrey, "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor
Matt Giraud, "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
Mishavonna Henson, "With or Without You" by U2
Allison Iraheta, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler
Kai Kalama, "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau
Adam Lambert, "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen
Jesse Langseth, "You Needed Me" by Anne Murray
Nick Mitchell, "Crying" by Roy Orbison
Jasmine Murray, "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles
Jeanine Vailles, "Love Will Lead You Back" by Taylor Dayne
*IF* these are indeed true, it looks like this will be a half very boring, half very exciting performance episode. One thing for sure is that Jeanine will be toast if she sings that song (but she pretty much already is, so it probably won't make a difference).
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