American Idol - Season 10

[NDN]

Did you actually read my post? It IS about talent. My point was Stephano has none!

It looks like GloBug's random post has put some more passion into this debate!

[Ringo]

I won't pick a favorite yet since we really haven't seen much from the contestants.
However, based on previous years outcomes, I am willing to bet that
Lauren or Paul will win the title.
Lauren is from GA and Paul is from AL and them southern folk own the AI vote.
I am hoping to be wrong with the new online voting might even things out.
I will make my final prdiction with 10 people left and a chance to hear who will mature and who won't.

I loved Julie, No Julie

WHAT NO SURVIVOR THREAD? Russell is on Redemption Island!
It doesn't get any better than that.
Watch Barry spear crabs in his orange ball huggers.

[NDN]

Julie was great in everything she did up until her final performance. I especially like her piano duet the previous week. She really shot herself in the foot with her last performance though, it was extremely uncomfortable to watch!

I was hoping her looks would get her on stage one more time or at least garner one last shot via the judges picks. I thought she had some potential and was hoping to hear her a few more times in the competition.

Definitely too early to pick a favorite, but hoping tomorrow night is a good one and helps us narrow it down!

[NDN]

The top 13 performed tonight and it turned out to be an up and down kind of night. There some really high highs and some really low lows.

Here is my breakdown by singer:

Ashton - A very mediocre performance and it cemented my belief that Kendra was certainly more deserving of a spot in the top 13 than Ashton. My biggest dislike is her complete lack of range. It all sounds monotone and she simply has no reach! Oddly, the judges generally liked this performance (wtf?).

Casey - Another solid performance. I'd say he took a few steps forward but also a few steps back in some areas. It will be hard to dislike any of his performances down the road. Judges loved him as always.

Haley - While not a fan of the song "Blue" at all, I actually liked the performance. I was hoping for a little more of the "growl" that she has, but I got enough of that to keep me wanting more in future weeks. I agreed with J-Lo when she said she does some things with her voice that are truly unique.

Jacob - What in the hell happened here? Starting the week at the top of the pack, I was utterly disappointed and confused with this performance. I think it was far too over the top and was basically just screaming nonsense. However, he must sound amazing live because the judges once again loved it.

James - Although I have never doubted his talent, I didn't think this season could handle another Adam Lambert. While I still think he can't compare to Adam, his performance tonight was one of the best (and probably the best) and I was quite pleased to see that he listened to the "powers" and did not scream the entire song.

Karen - A weak performance from a strong contestant. A bad follow-up to last week and I think it hurts her even more since she tried to play on the Selena/J-Lo thing and then came up short with the vocals.

Lauren - A setback from last week for sure, but she'll go far in this contest regardless (and rightful so).

Naima - What in the? I didn't get it. I wanted to see Kendra in the top 13 over Naima/Ashton and this performance just proves that the judges made a mistake. I'm all for the uniqueness that she has, but the talent just isn't there. I did appreciate the shave though.

Paul - I think he'll last a little while, but I did not care for the performance. It was a repeat of last week, but not as good. He needs to change things up. I think he has some potential, but for whatever reason hasn't found a way to "open up" just yet.

Pia - Solid. Probably second best on the night after James. I like her composure more than anything and the way she handles herself. Not to mention the killer vocals.

Scotty - I was hoping to hear something that would get me in his corner at least a little bit, but once again I was left wondering what the hell he is doing in the competition. His vocals were trash, but I also find it uncomfortable to watch him move on the stage.

Stefano - A weak performance. He's been on the lower end of the hopefuls and rightfully so after tonight's performance.

Thia - I still love the voice, but wished she wouldn't have switched to the faster temp (especially since she kept the same slow pace of the song throughout the performance). I would have loved her sitting in a chair singing this like she did at the beginning. She's definitely worth staying in the competition, but hopefully she kind find some ways to try new things without backfiring like tonight.

That's all I have for you!

Please chime in if you watched the show!

[klinkman]

The top 13 performed tonight and it turned out to be an up and down kind of night. There some really high highs and some really low lows.

Please chime in if you watched the show!

Ashton - I agree that her performance was mediocre. But given some of the awful performances I've seen, mediocre should be good enough for her to make it through this week. She'll have to find vocal range quickly if she wants to be competitive in the future though

Casey - I liked this performance, it was odd..a cover of a cover can do that. But I think he really rocked it.

Haley - Haley did do some truly unique things with her voice. But there is a reason why no one does them-they sound awful! I was reaching for something to poke out my ear drums with 30 seconds into the performance. It was THAT bad.

Jacob - I agree I have no idea where this performance came from. You know what I found uncomfortable to watch? Jacob looking like he was trying to take a dump on stage. The vocals were far over the top and pained. Still not the worst but a far cry from one of the top last week.

James - One of the top performances of the night, James proved that he truly has range and control over his voice. I didn't care for how they ended the song (those two lines don't go together) but that's a sacrifice that had to be made to make it 1:40

Karen - I actually disagree with most people's assessment of her performance. I thought it was decent, but the ending fell flat-literally (If she was trying to go up a third she was under it by almost a half step). I did think the rest of the performance was pretty good (though not great).

Lauren - This performance was OK at best. Utterly forgettable. But compared to some of the performances she'll have no trouble sticking around.

Naima - I really was not impressed by the dancing. And I really didn't get the choice of vocals either. This was not a good performance, though I don't think it was the worst either.

Paul - I completely agree with the assessment that it was "a repeat of last week, but not as good". And the statement that he needs to find a way to "open up" is spot on.

Pia - Solid indeed. I feel like she trails the two top guys, but is the best of the girls. I do think that it was solid, but not amazing. She'll get plenty of chances to try and top the boys, and I have no doubt she's capable

Scotty - I'm going to continue to disagree with you NDN, and just say "Haters gonna hate". This was the best performance of the evening, his voice is deep, rich and professional, and his stage presence is solid, but typical for a country singer.

Stefano - I actually think this performance was an improvement. Of course, prison gruel is an improvement over horse****, but I'd rather not eat either.

Thia - Nothing's coming to mind when I think of her performance. Therefore, I'm going to write it off as "forgettable" and be done with it.

Winner: Scotty
Bottom 3: Haley, Stefano, Naima

Voted Off: Haley

[NDN]

Haley - Haley did do some truly unique things with her voice. But there is a reason why no one does them-they sound awful! I was reaching for something to poke out my ear drums with 30 seconds into the performance. It was THAT bad.

Talk about "Haters gonna hate!"

Scotty - I'm going to continue to disagree with you NDN, and just say "Haters gonna hate". This was the best performance of the evening, his voice is deep, rich and professional, and his stage presence is solid, but typical for a country singer.

I'm convinced that on some deep level there is some sort of passion or wanting that is clouding your judgment when it comes to Scotty. I'm not sure what it is, but there is definitely something there. While certainly not the worst of the night, he was a far cry from the best of the night! One thing that bothered me was when the backup singers came in, Scotty took that as a cue to sing quieter, put the microphone down by his waist, and basically give up on the song.

Winner: Scotty
Bottom 3: Haley, Stefano, Naima

Voted Off: Haley

Bottom 3: Naima, Ashton, Scotty.
You can switch those three for Paul, Jacob, and Stefano and that works for me too (based strictly on last night).

On a side not, anyone else think it's strange that Klinkman and I are enjoying debating American Idol?

[taylovesthebeatles]

I would get involved in this discussion as well, but I know you'd just be convinced we were colluding, and not actually just sharing a brain and agreeing on the merits of musical talent. One thing that should make you feel better though, is that I like Paul far more than he does.

[Ringo]

American Idol Betting odds and Trends


16/03 22:00 GMT -7





Lauren Alaina+400 2.0%
Scotty McCreery+350 3.0%
Casey Abrams+450 19.0%
Thia Megia+1200 1.0%
Pia Toscano+450 5.0%
Jacob Lusk+1000 7.0%
James Durbin+400 61.0%
Stefano Langone+3000 1.0%
Naima Adedap+6600 1.0%
Haley Reinhart+5000 1.0%

Look at all that money going on James and not the front runner Scotty

[NDN]

Here goes my weekly breakdown of the performances night on American Idol.

Casey: I'll admit that you have to be a Nirvana fan to appreciate his performance tonight, and luckily I am a fan of Nirvana, so I enjoyed this number. Perhaps not his best overall performance, but he's certainly not going anywhere anytime soon in the competition.

Haley: I'm still a Haley fan (perhaps one of just a few) and there were parts of her performance that I liked tonight, but I'll agree with the masses and say she was lacking quite a bit. However, you have to appreciate that she is "raw" and has no performing experience (unlike many contestants over the years) and that's clearly evident by the amount of makeup left on her face after she was done singing (rubbed off from the microphone). I feel like she is afraid to take the next step, but if she does, she's going to pick up fans quickly.

Jacob: I really enjoyed this performance. I thought that after he butchered last week's performance he'd switch back to a slow ballad, but I am glad he still showed some courage and did this song. I have a hunch that you have to be a Heart fan to have liked his performance tonight, which of course I am so I liked this one a lot.

James: This was the biggest disappointment of the night for me. When he said he was singing Bon Jovi he got my hopes way too high and he fell short in his performance. This was mediocre at best.

Karen: Much improved from last week, and basically a solid performance, but it was forgettable. If she survives another week she is in need of a "moment" as the judges call it.

Lauren: A great performance from a likable contestant. Nuff said.

Naima: No surprise here, the worst of the night again for me. She continues to show week after week that she just doesn't compare to the rest of the group.

Paul: As feared, he did another repeat performance. I'll give him small props because I like the original song, but he's not doing himself any favors with the same old thing each week. He has enough fans to get by, but he needs the "moment" that I mentioned earlier.

Pia: Without a doubt one of the top three voices of the final 12. She could use a "change it up" attitude, but based on her voice alone she should get far this year.

Scotty: This was my favorite performance of his. I'm still not a Scotty fan don't get me wrong, but based on this performance he deserves to be here still.

Stefano: A little sleepy, but a good quality effort with some decent results. Certainly not one of the worst this week.

Thia: Love her voice and the innocence that she brings to the show. Would like to see her do a little something different, but certainly deserving of a few more weeks minimum.

My Personal Bottom Three: Naima - Paul - Haley
Likely Bottom Three Based On Voting: Karen - Haley - Naima

Going home: Naima (Please no judges save!)

[PANAMHIEST]

i was very happy to see my personal favorite bounce back tonight. Jacob should stick to what he does best every week and just get it done. He has luther vandross qualities with a marvin ***e like personality, plus he is still young. I would love to still see what he can do 5 years down the road. A huge fan of nirvana myself, i loved casey's performance, and its shows how well rounded he can be. Great job casey! The myth of scotty was finally solved for me, he is a elvis impersonator! I see the light now, and can enjoy his style better knowing he does have a great elvis like tone, but he is a country singer. I think what we really need is a new blues singer, and if casey, jacob or pia cant do that, then i dont know who could.

[klinkman]

Here goes my weekly breakdown of the performances night on American Idol.

I too shall give a weekly breakdown.

Casey: I always thought that the mass appeal of grunge was that it's best singers could bring a snarl and growl to a song while actually holding a tune. Casey didn't, and I really didn't enjoy this performance.

Haley: Again I feel like Haley was the worst of the week. She seemed off key the entire time, and her voice is just grating. Put it this way-I honestly don't think that she would have made it through auditions singing like that, she must have fallen greatly from then.

Jacob: I'm not really a Heart fan, but I did enjoy this song. Since Jacob is so technically perfect, it's nice to see him bring it to something other than the slow ballads he's done.

James: I was quite impressed by James once again. In addition to singing the song quite well, his stage presence was remarkable. I don't think he's a worse Adam Lambert. No, he's an IMPROVED Adam Lambert.

Karen: I don't think she was that much better than what she was last week, but I also didn't think she was that bad last week. She still really had an average and unremarkable performance.

Lauren: I felt like she really undersung the beginning of the song. Once she got to the chorus she was able to sing it out. I still don't think this performance surpassed decent for me, but decent is good enough for now.

Naima: I turned it on late and missed Naima. From what I heard on the recap, that might have been a good thing. The producers gave her the kiss of death (opening spot) so obviously they don't have much confidence in her either.

Paul: Instead of finding a song where he can really open up and bring his best performance, he keeps incrementally improving the same performance. Incremental improvements will only get you so far, at some point Paul will need to bring it or bust.

Pia: Pia brings another strong performance. She'll go far as she's clearly the best female. I still don't think she's as good as the top guys this year, but she'll be solidly in for the near future.

Scotty: I actually thought this was the worst performance of his. It was still respectable, but it felt like he was off in spots, which is unlike Scotty.

Stefano: Stefano improved again this week. He's actually good enough to be out of my bottom 3 I think. He's got a long ways to go before he catches up to the leaders though

Thia: She really needs to find songs that fit her range better, as her low notes were just off. The rest of the performance was mediocre, but that seemed like a theme for the day really.

My Personal Bottom Three: Naima - Casey - Haley


Likely Bottom Three Based On Voting: Karen - Haley - Naima I think I agree

Going home: Naima (Please no judges save!), Though I wouldn't be upset if Haley leaves as well. If Casey gets voted of I would use the save on him, but no one else mentioned in either of our bottom 3s.

[NDN]

We're almost on the same page this week. Crazy!

[taylovesthebeatles]

Since you asked, NDN, here's my two cents:

Casey: I'm a big fan of Casey generally. That said, I'm also not a huge Nirvana fan. I agree that this was a weak performance for Casey, but honestly his version of the song didn't sound toooo far from the original in my mind, and it's not one of my favorite songs to begin with. So I thought he did okay with it. Definitely not the worst of the night.

Haley: Hands down, the worst of the night. Her voice was all over the place, and I'm honestly confused how she made it past the audition rounds with that kind of performance.

Jacob: I don't remember much about this performance right now, I think I thought it was fine. I think he's probably better suited as a Sam Cooke type singer, though.

James: I love James; I can see the comparisons to Adam Lambert, but I honestly think he's just better than Adam. I hope he can win, and he has a very compelling story for me personally, so I like that.

Karen: Karen was okay, I'm not sure how I feel about her doing a Spanish flair on every song, though. If she's honestly doing it because it's a part of her that she wants to express, more power to her and it certainly makes her a unique, talented contestant. If she's using it more to garner votes or judges favor, however, she should stop.

Lauren: I remember hearing a lot about her talent during the audition rounds, which I honestly didn't watch. Whatever people saw in her then certainly doesn't seem to be there now. Her song was better than last week in my opinion but pretty undersung. Not the worst, though.

Naima: I, too, missed Naima, but from what I heard at the end of the show, it wasn't that good. I don't think she's the worst yet, but I remember picking her out as one of only two or three girls that I even thought were really talented, and I don't know where that went, but it's gone now.

Paul: I still see something cool in him, I don't know what it is. This week though, he fell behind. He needs to step it up next week, for sure.

Pia: Pia was really one of the only other girls I originally liked, and she brought another solid performance. I'm a fan, though she's not my favorite.

Scotty: I don't like country music much, but I love Scotty. He's amazingly talented, and in my opinion, needs to have a record contract and be on the radio/in the country circut sooner rather than later. If he wins this competition, I'm not sure if he can have the same success Carrie found, but maybe.

Stefano: I still don't like him, but he improved this week enough to stay out of my bottom 3.

Thia: Thia was really good, but I wish she had picked a more mature song and not a Disney song that seems more "age appropriate" for her.

My Personal Bottom Three: Haley-Lauren-Naima


Likely Bottom Three Based On Voting: Naima-Haley- Karen as well

Going home: Haley I hope.