In the final round of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, David Archuleta reigned supreme as the preferred finalist of all time, just like he has done in the past.
After trouncing his peers in the runner-up competition four weeks ago, Arch once again demolishes the field here, earning 745 of the 820 votes cast, or 90%. The only other contender who finished with a respectable total was Carrie Underwood, who had 58 votes (7%).
The fact that six finalists failed to receive a single vote says a lot about the people who voted to get them into the finale round.
To all of you who have cast votes in the champion series rounds over the past few months, thank you very much for your efforts!
Carrie Underwood 58 (7%)
David Archuleta 745 (90%)
Melinda Doolittle 1 (0%)
Chris Daughtry 13 (1%)
Brooke White 2 (0%)
Kellie Pickler 0 (0%)
Jennifer Hudson 1 (0%)
Michael Johns 0 (0%)
Ramiele Malubay 0 (0%)
Chikezie Eze 0 (0%)
Alexis Grace 0 (0%)
David Hernandez 0 (0%)
Total votes: 820
Showing posts with label ramiele malubay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ramiele malubay. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Poll of the week: Arch still favorite contestant in 'Idol' history
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Poll of the week: Ramiele Malubay lullabies her fellow Top 9 finishers
Once again there was not a ton of interest in the selection of alums pitted against each other as 9th-place finalists received very few votes in the latest round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series.
Pulling out in front was Season 7's Ramiele Malubay, who nabbed 33% of all 24 votes cast, which came out to eight whole votes for the singer of Filipina descent. These eight votes were enough to put Ramiele comfortably ahead of the next best finisher, as Megan Joy of Season 8 only managed five votes (20%), followed by Mandisa of Season 5 with her four votes (16%).
Other than those mentioned above, there wasn't much else to sing about regarding this week's results. In the next round, readers will be asked which 8th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Jim Verraros 0 (0%)
Corey Clark 0 (0%)
Camile Velasco 2 (8%)
Nikko Smith 0 (0%)
Mandisa 4 (16%)
Gina Glocksen 2 (8%)
Ramiele Malubay 8 (33%)
Megan Joy 5 (20%)
Andrew Garcia 3 (12%)
Total votes: 24
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 9 Perform [Pt. 2] (4/13/10)
Tonight we blog during the second round of the Top 9's performances, which were made possible by everyone's favorite four judges as a result of their decision to save Michael Lynche. The finalists were privileged to work with last season's runner-up, Adam Lambert, in selecting songs from Elvis' esteemed catalog. Now that makes a whole lotta sense, right?
Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the 88-minute blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Adam Lambert, Asia'h Epperson, Blake Lewis, Elliott Yamin, Kimberley Locke, Megan Joy and Ramiele Malubay.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Poll of the week: David Archuleta defeats all competitors in champion series finale
After fourteen weeks of competition, IDOL LIVE's annual poll of the week champion series edition has come to a close, with David Archuleta taking the top spot following a two-week voting period finale that consisted of a whopping 10 alums from the series' seventh season.
As expected, Arch took the cake with 11,595 votes, reeling in 64% of the total votes cast. Arch's only real competition was David Cook, who netted 6,257 votes, or 34% of all votes. These results are flipped in comparison to last year's results, when Cook took in 82% and Arch was able to amass only 17% of the votes.
Not surprisingly, none of the other Idol alums that were up for voting from the semifinal rounds were able to take in a single percentage of the votes cast, with Kellie Pickler finishing an extremely distant third with 90 votes.
After all these months of voting, it should be recognized that all the contributions from readers that have participated in these polls are truly appreciated and it is hoped that this participation will continue to shine through as we carry on with regularly scheduled polls of the week. In this week's edition of the poll of the week, readers are asked which celebrity guest judge would they prefer take Paula Abdul's spot if the spot is to be filled. You have exactly one week to vote.
David Cook 6,257 (34%)
David Archuleta 11,595 (64%)
Syesha Mercado 10 (0%)
Chris Daughtry 9 (0%)
Brooke White 10 (0%)
Kellie Pickler 90 (0%)
Kristy Lee Cook 1 (0%)
Michael Johns 2 (0%)
Ramiele Malubay 1 (0%)
Chikezie 30 (0%)
Amanda Overmyer 1 (0%)
David Hernandez 6 (0%)
Total votes: 18,012
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Poll of the week: Arch winning at halfway point
It's the halfway point for IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, and it has predictably come down to a battle of the Davids for the second straight year. The difference between now and the same poll last year is the Archies seem to be taking the poll more seriously than their Word Nerd counterparts.
David Archuleta is currently in the lead with nearly 9,000 votes, compared to David Cook's total thus far of just over 6,000 votes. Although things started with a bang in the first few days of voting, it seems that the fans' fingers have slowed down in recent days. Maybe everyone is soaking up their last few weeks (or in some cases, days) of summer vacation?
One point that should be reiterated is that each visitor of IDOL LIVE should only be able to vote once per day. However, this does not mean there aren't ways around this restriction. This Idol poll veteran is very well aware of the whole cookie-deleting process that is often used in these polls, and if that works to your advantage, then great. If not, that is out of my control.
So with just one week left to vote before the poll closes, here's to hoping the fan bases of finalists other than the Davids find this poll and continue to make things interesting.
David Cook 6,108 (40%)
David Archuleta 8,743 (58%)
Syesha Mercado 6 (0%)
Chris Daughtry 8 (0%)
Brooke White 3 (0%)
Kellie Pickler 87 (0%)
Kristy Lee Cook 1 (0%)
Michael Johns 1 (0%)
Ramiele Malubay 1 (0%)
Chikezie 26 (0%)
Amanda Overmyer 1 (0%)
David Hernandez 5 (0%)
Votes so far: 14,990
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Poll of the week: Ramiele takes the 9th-place prize no contest
For the third week in a row, a Season 7 alum has been deemed the winner of the IDOL LIVE poll of the week for its championship series. This comes as a bit of a surprise, especially considering the strength of Megan Joy Corkrey's fan presence in polls held during the most recent season.
Ramiele Malubay led things off with 33 votes, good for 50% of the entire take for this round. Megan was up next with 15 votes (23%), which was a little bit weaker than expected as noted above. The only other alum worth mentioning is Mandisa, whose nine votes earned her 13% of the poll's total.
In the next installment of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series, readers are asked which 8th-place finalist is their favorite of all eight seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Jim Verraros 0 (0%)
Corey Clark 0 (0%)
Camile Velasco 2 (3%)
Nikko Smith 1 (1%)
Mandisa 9 (13%)
Gina Glocksen 5 (7%)
Ramiele Malubay 33 (50%)
Megan Joy Corkrey 15 (23%)
Total votes: 65
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 7 Results Pt. 2 (4/22/09)
Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 7 finalists' second round with results, when two will most definitely be leaving the competition. Were last night's disco exhibits a letdown or a success? Will Matt escape elimination for the second week in a row? There's only one way to find out, by tuning in at 9 p.m. ET and following along for our one-hour blogcast. To make things even more special, David Archuleta will return to perform.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Melinda Doolittle, Matt Giraud, Michael Johns, Kimberley Locke and Ramiele Malubay.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 11 Perform (3/17/09)
After a messy first week in the finals, the Top 11 finalists take to the stage tonight to perform the best the Grand Ole Opry has to offer. The blogcast will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last two hours. Unfortunately, there will be no controversies with the phone lines to liven tonight up. Seeing Megan and Adam attempt country songs will be a little interesting, though, so maybe it won't be all that bad.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Alexandrea Lushington, Chris Daughtry, Diana DeGarmo, Jordin Sparks, Jason Castro, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, Ramiele Malubay and Sanjaya Malakar.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Keeping up with Ramiele Malubay
Season 7's 4' 11", ninth-place finalist, Ramiele Malubay, is a big star back in her native Philippines following her stint on Idol. In the U.S., however, she is not nearly as popular. But that has not stopped her from pursuing a career in music.
Ramiele has released three original songs available to purchase for $0.99 each on her official Web site, from "Kaya," the single that is being sent to Filipino radio, to "More to Me" and "Here I Am." She also released "We Are One (At Christmas)" on her site for the Christmas season.
Getting back to the Philippines, Ramiele performed at the Aliw Theater Concerts from Dec. 20-21, 2008. She was also nominated for the 2008 JC Penney Asian Excellence Awards in the Favorite TV Personality category. Next up for Ramiele? And album with a release date to be determined.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
IDOL LIVE poll of the week - Mandisa beats Gina, Ramiele
Season 5's Mandisa was able to walk away with a slim win in a very quiet IDOL LIVE poll of the week of readers' favorite ninth-place finalists of all seven seasons. The gospel singer placed first with six votes, good for 30% of the total take, while Season 6's Gina Glocksen and Season 7's Ramiele Malubay each took home five votes (25%). In this week's poll of the week, we ask who your favorite 10th-place finalist is. You have exactly one week to vote.
Jim Verraros 1 (5%)
Corey Clark 0 (0%)
Camile Velasco 2 (10%)
Nikko Smith 1 (5%)
Mandisa 6 (30%)
Gina Glocksen 5 (25%)
Ramiele Malubay 5 (25%)
Total votes: 20
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Full finale week download figures for Top 10
The full (rounded) Idol download figures for the finale week were finally released and reported on Todd Martens' Extended Play blog for The Los Angeles Times. In total there were 1.5 million combined tracks sold. Below are the the sales figures for approximately three days for all but the Davids, who had a full week for their numbers to accumulate:
David Cook: 942,000 downloads
David Archuleta: 323,000 downloads
Jason Castro: 64,000 downloads
Brooke White: 47,000 downloads
Michael Johns: 40,000 downloads
Carly Smithson: 33,000 downloads
Syesha Mercado: 18,000 downloads
Kristy Lee Cook: 10,000 downloads
Chikezie: 5,000 downloads
Ramiele Malubay: 3,000 downloads
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Ramiele hangs up her cowgirl boots
Although Ramiele Malubay's departure last night was the right decision, it was still sad to see her go. Ramiele sang a teary-eyed "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" as Carly Smithson, Brooke White, Kristy Lee Cook and Syesha Mercado rallied behind her, and went out strong.
The thing about Season 7 is there is no remaining contestant can be categorically described as "awful," something that has never happened in seasons past. Everyone has had at least just as many great nights as they have had off nights, and the judges' comments on the whole have skewed more positive.
Last night, audiences were treated to performances by The Clark Brothers and Dolly Parton, both of whom managed to get a rise out of the studio audience. Parton's graciousness was unmatched, and her performance coupled with the "Idol Gives Back" preview video caused Brooke to start crying right before she was told she was in the bottom 3. Her status as the third-lowest vote-getter was not as big of a surprise as many thought, because Brooke kind of blended in with the others and was perceived as being "boring."
Kristy Lee probably did not deserve her spot in the bottom 3 this week, but since everyone is really just that good, it does not make a huge difference one way or another. Odds are she or Jason Castro will be out next week.
The show was kicked off by a giant group performance of "9 to 5," including a venture to the judges' table and dancing in the audience. But the highlight of the night was probably when Simon "apologized" to four different directions of the studio, making up for all of the ones he owed different people like Carly, and he called her "cute." Very un-Simon-like.
Ryan took not-so-interesting 'Idol Live' phone calls, which were even more useless than last week. The most exciting question was probably to David Cook and Michael Johns about which song they would like to sing on the tour together, and Michael said "Islands In the Stream," which got lots of laughs.
Next week will be interesting, because there will be three doses of Idol, which will be enough to tire anyone out (inspirational songs or not).
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Contestants go to Dollywood
Although one cannot picture David Cook or Michael Johns belting out a Dolly Parton song, nevermind sounding good on it, the unlikely happened last night when the Top 9 contestants actually pulled it off.
It is amazing to think of how many songs Parton has written (a whopping 3,000), sung or covered, which allowed the finalists to sing a wide variety of songs. But most elected to stay faithful to Parton's arrangements.
After Ryan's unfunny attempt at an April Fool's joke (which 15% of Americans probably believed), Brooke White kicked off the show with the hit "Jolene," which she performed while playing guitar and surrounded by a "traveling troupe" of a percussionist, violinist and backup singer. Her vocals were not bad but her performance was very tedious. Simon did not like this setup at all, going as far as calling the violinist "weird." Brooke continued her bad habit of talking over the judges (mostly Simon), but Paula was just as guilty.
Another arrangement that was faithful to the original was Kristy Lee Cook's "Coat of Many Colors." Although she was not nearly as on par as she was last week, Kristy Lee looked and sounded the part for sure. In fact, she looked very much like fellow country singer Taylor Swift, which will probably do more harm than good to her chances this week. Simon's comment of Kristy Lee being "pleasant but forgettable" could also do her in. Look for a bottom 3 appearance.
Taking a huge departure from last week, David Cook surprised many people by choosing a song called "Little Sparrow." But David is the master of rearrangement, and this week was no exception. The performance was not as spectacular as last week, but he still managed soulful vocals while maintaining his reputation as a rock star. Paula seemed more impressed with his haircut than his performance, but still praised him for being "well-rounded," while Randy thought it was another consistent week for David.
Vocally, Carly Smithson was on target with "Here You Come Again." Dolly Parton was right when she said Carly picked the right song, and Paula called her performance "glorious." Simon was more distracted by her outfit, which probably took away from his perception of her performance.
And then there was Syesha Mercado, who tackled the predictable "I Will Always Love You." But what she decided to do with her performance was what set her apart from all the other Whitney Houston wannabes - she fused Houston's arrangement with Parton's, as if she gave the song two different personalities. The only problem was the second half was not nearly as beautiful as the first, because whenever a singer tries to sing like Whitney, she never quite makes it. Paula said Syesha's voice has a "velvety tone," while Randy said she "took on the biggest tiger of the night" and did well. Simon said it was a good but not fantastic version of the song, which he called "one of the greatest pop songs ever written."
In terms of metaphors, Ramiele Malubay's take on "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" was the bottom of the barrel of the night. She was still pretty good, but her performance paled in comparison to the others' performances. Randy gave it a 6.5 out of 10, while Simon said it was reminiscent of what would be heard on a cruise ship. Cue the bottom 3 music.
Jason Castro is another one in danger, as he delivered a glassy-eyed performance of "Travellin' Thru." He actually sounded good once Parton got through making jokes about his dreads, but he looked lifeless. Randy and Paula were easier on him than Simon, as he said he "didn't like it at all." Reserve the final bottom 3 ticket for Jason.
David Archuleta had Simon back on his side after being "absolutely on the money" with his song choice of "Smoky Mountain Memories." He nailed all the high notes and was strong throughout, earning him much praise from the judges. Parton said David is full of emotion and can become a really great singer.
And Michael Johns wrapped up the night with his version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right."Michael was spectacular with the high notes he reached, and put a major bluesy feel on the song while still coming off as a rocker. Simon said this was the best he had heard him yet, and although the judges had only seconds to get their points across, Michael seemed to be all smiles with their praise.
So tonight, look for a pretty predictable bottom 3 and elimination.
Predictions:
Bottom 3: Kristy Lee, Jason, Ramiele
Bottom 2: Jason, Ramiele
Eliminated: Ramiele
Thursday, March 27, 2008
It ain't eze to say goodbye to Chikezie
As Ryan said those final words - "Syesha, you're safe" - Chikezie Eze knew his time on the nation's most-watched television program had come to a sudden end. The 22-year-old from Inglewood, Calif., sang the Luther Vandross song "If Only For One Night" one last time before leaving the stage.
Minutes before the results were read, Simon said the reason Chikezie was in the bottom three in the first place was because he picked the wrong song. Simon was right.
America had fallen in love with Chikezie's two Beatles tunes in the past two weeks, but his reversion to the soulful ballad this week reminded the voting public of the boring performances he was known for in the semifinals.
Aside from Chikezie, audiences were treated to Kimberley Locke's return, as she performed her new single "Fall" off her sophomore album Based on a True Story. The Season 2 third-place finalist looked stunning and sounded as good as ever.
Earlier in the show, Ryan once again took calls from America in the "Idol Live" segment of the show. Most were boring with the exception of a call from Vanessa, who asked Simon if he considered himself the most attractive person on the show.
"It's not what I say, it's what other people say," he replied, prompting Paula and Randy to shake their heads and laugh. Paula said she had now heard it all from Simon.
As for the two other finalists that found themselves in the bottom 3, one deserved it while the other did not. Syesha Mercado was one of the better vocalists on Tuesday, and she most definitely did not belong in the bottom 2. In her place should have been Ramiele Malubay, who was probably the weakest female this week. Jason Castro's placement was right on the money and he merited his spot based on his boring delivery of Sting's "Fragile."
This week, Kristy Lee Cook managed to deliver in a big way on a powerful song, which she absolutely needed to do in order to stay in the competition. With Dolly Parton mentoring next week, it looks like she might be around for a while.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Birth year theme is just '80s part 2
With eight of the Top 10 finalists being born in the 1980s, last night seemed like just a continuation of Top 16 week. The performances were leagues better than the ones delivered last week, which at least made up for the repetitious repetition that seems to be weighing this season down.
Ramiele Malubay opened the show with her take on Carrie Underwood's...erm, I mean Heart's power ballad "Alone." Vocally she was alright, though she kind of fell flat on one of the critical high notes. According to the judges, she was better than last week but Simon had a bone to pick with Randy's critique, which he deemed a bit harsh. Was Simon being honest or using his signature reverse psychology tactic? No one can ever really tell.
Next was Jason Castro and his snorefest that was Sting's "Fragile." Jason must really want to impress the foreign language-speaking voting population, only this week he reached out to Spanish-speaking Americans rather than those who speak French. Odds are it won't do him any good, as Randy and Paula said he did well but there was no "wow" factor, while Simon said his guitar playing was sloppy and he has to start taking himself seriously because he has the potential to be a contender but not if he performs like that week after week. Look for him to make a "shocking" appearance in the bottom 3 tonight.
Syesha Mercado then took on Stephanie Mills' "If I Were Your Woman," over-singing included. The judges [aka Randy and Paula] gave her unconditional praise for her performance, Paula going as far as calling her a "dark horse," but it was really overrated. Syesha has had much better performances in the past, and this week she was just a glory note machine. Simon caught on to this, saying she was good but there is a limit to where her vocals can go, which riled Paula up.
Next up was Chikezie, who took a departure from his usual country rock hoedown arrangements and did a boring ballad. It was not that he did a bad job vocally on Luther Vandross' "If Only For One Night," he just seemed out of place, like he reverted back to the semifinals with his lifeless soulfulness. Randy complained that he missed the up-tempo Chikezie, calling the performance "not hip or cool." But he can't do country rock every week, now, can he? Amanda Overmyer didn't get away with singing the same style every week. But David Cook is, so maybe Randy is on to something....
After some more blatant iTunes pimping by Ryan, Brooke White takes the stage and takes on The Police classic "Every Breath You Take." Brooke caused every heart in America to skip a beat when she halted the beginning of her performance, realizing she started in the wrong key (if anything, it just proves the show is live). The first half of the performance was very angelic and moving, but once the band came in it kind of lost its touch. The judges made note of this (and the do-over), but Simon said it was "definitely enough to keep [her] in the competition." Brooke twice said her do-over was "not a good thing to do," but the judges told her it was the right thing to do. Why can no one ever agree on this show?
Michael Johns struck a chord with the studio audience when he burst out singing the Queen classic "We Will Rock You," complete with seizure-inducing light shows and a full band and back-up singing brigade surrounding him. But when he changed to the "We Are the Champions" portion of the performance, the audience went wild. Michael showed why he deserved to be in the competition, with Simon even saying Michael's performance was the only memorable one of the night.
And then Carly Smithson's mom talked about how she named her daughter after hearing a Carly Simon song on the radio on the way to the hospital to give birth to her. Following that fun fact, Carly tackled Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which, minus the painful run at the end, was very well done. Randy and Paula fought over whether the run at the end was good, and Simon gave his two cents, saying Carly needs to "lighten up." Carly added to the awkwardness by exclaiming that she had to go to the bathroom before her performance, prompting Ryan to ask if she flushed.
The awkwardness did not end there, though. When Ryan asked David Archuleta what he missed about school, he said he missed his school dances and that he might not get to go to his prom. Ryan then took this opportunity to ask if the girl sitting next to David's dad was who he wanted to take to his prom, which immediately put a target the size of Texas on her. David tried his best on an obscure song choice - David Foster and Jeff Pescetto's "You're the Voice." The song sounded like it was out of an early '90s Care Bears episode, and Paula thought she'd be funny by asking David why he didn't pick an American composer. That's Paula, always trying to psych out the 17-year-olds! Simon said the song choice was something he'd expect to see "animated creatures gathering around him and start singing" on, and that it wasn't for him. Simon should be careful of that girl sitting next to David's dad.
And then there was Kristy Lee Cook, who managed to recover from being in the bottom 2 for the second week in a row. Kristy Lee was right at home when she chose the durable "God Bless the USA," and actually sound pretty good. That coupled with Simon's profusely-flowing praise will give her a one way ticket to Dollywood next week.
Finally, the rock star took to the stage. David C. and his abnormally-huge baby skull took on Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," completely turning the song upside down and using a slow but steady rocked out arrangement. Upon finishing, Randy said he could actually win the whole thing. Paula remained standing because she was "blown away." And Simon said it was "amazing." All in all not a bad night for the resident rocker.
Predictions
Bottom 3: Jason, Chikezie, Ramiele
Bottom 2: Chikezie, Ramiele
Eliminated: Ramiele
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Beatles night redux a bust
Although it is hard to blame Nigel & Co. for trying to milk their rights to the Lennon-McCartney songbook for all it's worth, even Simon had to concede it wasn't a good idea to feature the theme two weeks in a row.
Bingo! Especially considering how most everyone fared well last week, the only direction the finalists could really go was down. And for the most part, they did.
Amanda Overmyer started the show off by reverting to her mumbling jumbling indecipherable "singing" with her take on "Back in the USSR" After actually doing not half-bad last week, Amanda responded to Simon's suggestion that she do a ballad by exclaiming "ballads are boring!" Well, so is singing the same exact style of music every week.
But the rock 'n roll nurse wasn't the only one to receive negative feedback. Brooke White seemed to get more of a reaction from her bright yellow sundress and her awkward dancing than from her singing, which was probably her weakest vocal delivery to top it off. Simon called her rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" "terrible" and "wet" among other things, prompting Brooke to nervously talk over his critique as she tried to excuse her performance away.
Another finalist that drew the ire of the judges was Michael Johns, who by their accounts should be doing much better than he has done the past few weeks. Although his performance of "A Day in the Life" wasn't "a mess" as Simon called it, it was definitely lackluster. Paula also found herself back peddling when she tried to explain that it was because Michael was wearing an ear piece that caused his underwhelming vocals, only to be told by Michael that he was not wearing one. So much for that theory, Paula!
And then there's Chikezie, who basically decided that because the theme was the same as last week's, he had the green light to deliver the same exact performance as he did last week. Starting out slow with "I've Just Seen a Face," then morphing it into a southern/country/rock mesh of harmonica-playing and toe-tapping, the judges were split on what they had just witnessed. Randy liked the second half better than the first, while Simon hated the first half and only disliked the second. He said it was gimmicky and that there were too many artists mixed into one performance, which Paula vehemently disagreed with.
Jason Castro also got mixed reviews for his take on "Michelle." Although his performance was boring to the max, he did score points with the French-speaking population by nailing the annunciation of the infused foreign lyrics. Too bad France and Canada can't vote. Randy and Paula pinpointed his lifeless performance on the fact that he was disconnected, especially since he was away from his guitar, though they still thought it was "alright." Simon put it more bluntly, saying if it were a radio show instead of a television show he would have turned it off. Ouch.
But it was Kristy Lee Cook who once again took the worst beating of the night for her delivery of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." Described as being "musical wallpaper" by Simon, the performance was very up and down in terms of the stark contrast between her upper and lower register (the latter being much worse). He also said she's only memorable when she's terrible like last week. But her comeback to Simon of "I can blow you out of your socks next week and you know it!" pretty much made up for her awful performance.
But the night wasn't all a wash. David Cook pulled off another week of solid rock with his version of "Day Tripper," which he performed in the Whitesnake arrangement. Despite being accused of being "smug" by Simon (oh, so he really is the next Daughtry?), Cook's talents of playing the guitar, voice box and singing showed that he was talented more than he was full of himself.
Carly Smithson also had strong vocals, though "Blackbird" never did sound so dreary as it did last night. After Paula and Randy gave praise to her control, emotion and inflections among other things, Simon picked on Carly for the song's subject matter and lyrics, and calling her choice "indulgent." The discussion got more philosophical than he bargained for when Carly said the lyrics were meaningful to her as they represented how the music industry is a cruel place and like birds trying to learn to fly free she was trying to break the stranglehold the industry has on her, to which Simon launched into sarcasm mode ("Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were all poor little birds on this show").
But it was David Archuleta who showed the most improvement from last week's lyrical disaster. He once again proved that he's the one to beat, as his rendition of "Long and Winding Road" was definitely more in his comfort zone. It wasn't nearly on an "Imagine" level but it sounded like a Grammy-winning performance compared to the rest of the finalists. All three judges lobbed comments like "amazing!" "wonderful!" and "that was hotness!" his way, and the world returned to order once again.
The big surprise of the night was Syesha Mercado, whose vulnerable and controlled performance of "Yesterday" won her mostly praise from the judges. Although she looked beautiful and sounded pleasant compared to her usual over-singing and sometimes even shoutfests, Paula wasn't the only one to notice her blatant disregard to look into the camera or at the studio audience. Instead, she opted to fix her eyes on something on the stage floor (maybe Ryan left a gum wrapper down there?). Either way, the judges liked it, and Simon predicted she would make it through to the Top 10.
Finally, Ramiele Malubay closed out the show with "I Should Have Known Better." It was definitely a step up from last week's snorefest, and she was wearing a cool hat. But the judges still gave her bland comments, probably the most generic of the night. Randy liked her confidence but said it was "alright." Paula liked her better this week than she did last week. And Simon thought she picked the wrong song and the whole thing was amateurish. So Ramiele will just have to make do with whatever all that is supposed to mean.
Predictions
Bottom 3: Kristy Lee, Amanda, Chikezie
Bottom 2: Kristy Lee, Amanda
Eliminated: Kristy Lee
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Beatles night shows competition is still fluid
Besides the tired infighting between the judges, Ryan's usual flirting with Simon and a new monstrous set, the Top 12 for the most part managed to take control of the 25 limited Lennon-McCartney songs they had to choose from.
The show opened up on a forgettable note when Syesha Mercado tackled "Got to Get You Into My Life." Although the vocal wasn't all that bad, it really was very lifeless despite her use of the Earth, Wind and Fire arrangement. The arrangement factor truly played a big role in the night, as it made or broke many of the finalists' performances. In Chikezie's case, his folk-turned-southern rock interpretation of "She's a Woman" really validated why he was still in the competition, and his performance was actually one of the better ones. Carly Smithson also pulled off another surprise, as she put her special touch on "Come Together," one of her favorite songs. The sound was very reminiscent of something Sheryl Crow would do, and she won much praise from the judges. But in Kristy Lee Cook's case, the arrangement led to her downfall, as "Eight Days a Week" was never intended to be sung in an up-tempo country style.
While the arrangements were important factors in many performances, other finalists' vocals defined how well they did. In Ramiele Malubay's instance, her vocals on "In My Life" were pretty but too reserved, which garnered criticism from the judges that she played it "too safe." David Hernandez gave the word "melisma" a whole new meaning when he took on "I Saw Her Standing There," which also brought forth a barrage of calls to not overdo it, and even David declared he would "try to turn it down a notch" next week (if there is a next week).
Two consistent performers did even better tonight than in weeks prior. Coffee shop soul/pop chanteuse Brooke White delivered a knockout punch with a beautiful rendition of "Let It Be." Her talents on the piano coupled with her rich vocals really give her an under the radar frontrunner status. The other finalist that was on top of his game was David Cook. After he delivered a stellar rocked-out version of the Lionel Richie classic "Hello" last week, David again channeled Chris Daughtry in his performance of "Eleanor Rigby." He received praise from the judges as being a dark horse, with Simon even toying with the possibility of an outside shot of him winning.
Proving that falsettos should only be used every once in a while, Jason Castro's version of "If I Fell" gave Paula a heartfelt connection, but his vocals were otherwise very vulnerable and showed his style of singing definitely has limits. Amanda Overmyer was also only lukewarm this week after she nailed her song last week, which was possibly the only reason she made it through. Her take on "You Can't Do That" was a certified, signature rock 'n roll nurse performance, though it was not nearly as bad as some of her past ones. Michael Johns also was only so-so once again, as he sang "Across the Universe" well but didn't really go anywhere with it, which drew the ire of both Simon and Randy.
But the biggest shock of the entire night was hands down David Archuleta's awful Stevie Wonder version of "We Can Work It Out." The favorite to win did everything from forgetting the lyrics to losing his meter and missing some key notes. If this was the first time the American public saw him perform, David would be on the first flight back to Utah. But his dedicated fanbase and history of amazing performances will be more than enough to sail him through to next week.
Predictions
Bottom 3: David H., Kristy Lee, Syesha
Bottom 2: Kristy Lee, Syesha
Eliminated: Kristy Lee
Friday, March 7, 2008
Where are the shockers?
Four more contestants fell short of making the Top 12 last night, but something was different this season compared to seasons past. Why were there no shockers? In season four there was Amanda Avila. In season five there were Ayla Brown and Gedeon McKinney. And in season six there was Sabrina Sloan. But there was nothing comparable this season.
After Blake Lewis fell flat on his new single "How Many Words," Kady "Robot-dancing" Malloy was the first girl eliminated. She truly was one of the more talented remaining contestants, but her inability to chose the right song three weeks in a row led to her downfall.
Next was Luke "Go Go" Menard. Not much to say here except his song choice was more than fitting for tonight's episode.
It was apparent that TPTB tried to create another Ayla/Melissa or Sabrina/Haley scenario by pairing up Kristy Lee "Cage-fighting" Cook with Asia'h "Apostrohpe" Epperson, but not even Simon fell for it this time. When Ryan asked whom he thought was leaving, Simon had no problem proclaiming it would be Asia'h based on her song choice, Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," which historically has led to the exits of contestants that choose to perform the song. It's hard to believe anyone thought Kristy was a goner, and even Asia'h appeared to have accepted her defeat.
Flash ahead to Chikezie "Easy" Eze and Danny "TMTH" Noriega, the last two guys sitting on the couch. Here's another case where both could have had equal shots at going home, but Danny's attitude and sub-par vocals on Tuesday was enough to send him packing, sadly squashing any chance of Sanjaya 2.0 this season. The only question is...how will Ramiele "Cry Me a River" Malubay cope?
We'll have to tune in next week to find out. Who knows, maybe we'll be shocked.
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