Top 8

OK, I thought I would post about AI, its been awhile.
My top 5 I think should be are:
Danny
Adam
Kris
Allison
Anoop (or Scott)

Scott was great this past week,but I think he is at the point where he can't go further in this competition. He said he would like to do Christian contemporary,this has been a good platform to get to that goal.

Matt is just more of the same. He doesn't have anything more than the other boys in the competition and sounds copycat with alot of other artists. He tries too hard if you ask me and needs to know who he is personally as an artist. He had that standout performance in the semi finals, but has done nothing else special. Buhbye Matt.

Lil is boring. She does nothing for me and definitely has no standout vocals that really move you or send goosebumps down your arm. She does NOT compare with other past idols in the R&B genre who have performed or anyone on the radio now. Sorry,she is over pimped because they are just trying to keep this type of contestant on the program as long as possible.
I do not think the judges think she is really "All That".

Adam has terrific vocal power and ability,but I don't connect with him. Personally, I feel there is a lack of true feeling and emotion in the performances. He puts 1000 percent into the performance, but he is a showman. He has lots of experience in Dramatic acting. All his energy is concentrated too much in the technical part for perfection, but he lacks being truly connected to the song. He needs to concentrate on that.

I love Danny. He moves you and gets into the true emotion of a song. He needs to step it up though. He needs to pick songs that are going to show ALL he's got and "THEN SOME"!
He can do it with that soaring voice of his,but he has to watch pushing the vocals too much and sounding strained(I thought he did last week, but it was still really good.)

Because Kris is coming along excelling each week and he out performed everyone last week. He is turning into a frontrunner and he deserves to! He has steadily improved and gotten better and better. He took a song and put his stamp on it,and actually would make a current hit with it, I believe.

Allison is amazing and needs to sing some ballads to show her vocals. She has yet to do that. She keeps singing rocker chick songs and needs to show off her voice for how good it is, and only 16 years old!

Anoop has not been consistant. Its been disappointing. I don't think he has anything too special in the vocal department. His best was "You were always on my mind", which I thought could be a current hit. But he has not done anything near as good as that.
So next week are songs from the idols birthyear.
Adam 1982
Danny 1980
Kris 1985
Allison 1992
Lil 1984
Scott 1985
Anoop 1986
Matt 1985

Danny and Alexis the Best!

In case you missed or want to see the video for performances from last night, here's a link to Mj's blog plus a recap of each contestant.



http://mjsbigblog.com/american-idol-season-8-semis-group-1-video.htm

If You Were Wondering...

How the Top 10 will be determined from the 36 semi-finalists:


It's now up to America to decide who advances in the competition and moves one step closer to become the next American Idol.
The 36 hopefuls will be split into three groups of 12, and for three consecutive weeks, one group will perform each week.

The live performance shows air Tuesday, February 17 8/7c, Wednesday, February 25 8/7c and Tuesday, March 3 8/7c on FOX.

At the end of each performance show, viewers will be able to vote for their favorite contestants for at least two hours in their region.

Fans can use the branded toll-free telephone numbers until 12:00 AM ET/PT (11:00PM CT/MT), subject to time zone restrictions.
Additionally, for two hours at the end of the show in their region, AT&T Wireless subscribers can use their cell phones and text the word "Vote" to the four-digit short number representing the contestant of their choice.

Then on the weekly live results shows airing Wednesday, February 18 8/7c, Thursday, February 26 8/7c and Wednesday, March 4 8/7c, Ryan Seacrest will announce the three semi-finalists -- the top male, the top female and the next top vote-recipient -- America has chosen to move on in the competition.

On Thursday, March 5 8/7c, the special "Wild Card" episode will feature the judges' favorite remaining contestants battling it out live for a coveted spot in the next phase of the competition.

Top 36 semi-finalists

Top 36

Well, I know I have not posted much since the beginning of the season. During the try-out stage and Hollywood week, I have kept myself reserved for a reason. I find that it is difficult to make any kind of real judgment during those phases. But as Hollywood week drew close to an end I did find myself drawn to several different people. And let me tell you, I have one prediction that I will save for the end of this post.

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Now there are few that I have just have to make note of.
First off...
This girl..








needs to GO HOME! I can not even believe that she has made it thus far. I mean the girl can sing alright, but do they not look at the over all picture? How much of this can we put up with?




I seriously do not see her making it through the first couple of weeks of America voting. If she does, then I will have totally lost my faith in the American Idol fan base!

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Oh and this guy! Oh my, my, my!











Call me crazy...but I think this guy is hysterical!! Though, I can not believe they have put him through. The unpredictability of his performances is what I love and what I think Idol needs to spice things up a little. He is a riot!

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Now for Scott McIntyre.
I'm torn on this fella. I love his story. It's very heartwarming. And having two friends, myself, who are blind musicians, I feel like I can connect with him. But his last solo performance left me feeling as though the talent he has just doesn't stand up to the like of some of the others, especially some of the other men. I would hate to see (no pun intended) the judges merely passing him through on their sympathy over his disability. I hope he either steps it up or I'm afraid he may get trampled by the likes of Danny Gokey or Adam Lambert.

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So, having spoke my mind of those select few, here are my favorites and see if you notice anything...

Michael Sarver


Danny Gokey


Anoop Desai

Adam Lambert

Did ya figure it out? Yep. They are all guys! I'm sorry ladies, I think this is gonna be the mens year to rule. Yes, we had two guys duke it out last year but I think we are gonna have a repeat. There are a few good female voices that I have heard go through, but these four guys have really stuck out. Mark my words...they will be in the top 12. And as for Adam Lambert...that dude has a set of pipes like none other. My hope is to see him grow and sound less and less theatrical and become more of a rocker (can we say Boheaman Rapsody?). I think Adam has the potential to make it to the top 2! I'm excited because I believe this is going to be an awesome year. There is a ton of talent. It may be a little premature to say, but I think this may even be the best year yet. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

So here's to the first competition week next! Best of luck contestants and may the BEST singer win! And GO ADAM!

Bethy-out

Check out George:

http://s79.photobucket.com/albums/j141/mjsbigblog/Jackson/?action=view&current=george.flv

Funny guy
Is he for real?

Go to: http://www.mjsbigblog.com/
for up to date coverage of AI plus recaps and videos.

Welcome!

Hello there fellow American Idol watchers!

Here we are at the beginning of yet another season of AI. Many changes have taken place this year and it will be interesting to find how the changes are excepted. The biggest change being the addition of Kara DioGuardi. I, myself, was skeptical of her joining the threesome we've all grown to love. But I have to say, I LOVE her! So far she has been the the more straight forward "Paula" that we've needed for the past 7 years! Paula's sweet, kind personality has overshadowed the truth of some of the contestants. Some times it's hard, but you have to tell the truth for what it is. We all know Paula falls short in that area. Kara has yet to disappoint. The coming weeks will tell of how she holds up, especially with the likes of Simon. She seems to me to be one tough cookie and I do not think she will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Another change is rumored that there will be less train wrecks during the audition shows. Now come on! We all know that the lousy "She bangs, she bangs" and the terrible "Somewhere over the rainbows" are loved by America! Why on Earth would you want to disappoint those who tune in just to seem some poor soul make a fool of themselves? I say, "Bring on the train wrecks!" For pity-sake, we need a good laugh!

Also, it has said that the wild card will be making it's way back this year. The wild card has not been a part of the show since the Clay/Ruben battle in 2003. Clay being a wild card winner. Along with the wild card contestants there will also be a change in numbers after the final cuts in Hollywood week. Instead of the normal 24 (12 guys and 12 girls) there will be a total of 36 and it will not necessarily be an even split of guys and girls. And all I have to say is it's about time! We need to have those who have the talent go through and not the ones who need to fill in a spot to make the numbers even. *pfft*

Well, to close this first post of the new Critics Corner, I want to post this video I found on a fellow bloggers site. It is for a new project I Am Second. Here is last seasons top 12 contestant Jason Castro.



See ya'll next week.
Bethy-Out