"American Idol" 2008 Discussion

[Widdi]

Don't have a lot of time tonight, so no judging from me, just a list of how I'd rank the girls (who did not have a good night at all).

1. Brooke White
2. Carly Smithson
3. Ramiele Malubay
4. Kristy Lee Cook
5. Alexandrea Lushington
6. Asia'h Epperson
7. Alania Whitaker
8. Amanda Overmyer
9. Syesha Mercado
10. Kady Malloy

Predictions: I really think only the top 4 I listed are 100% safe tomorrow, any of the other six could go. If I had to make a guess though I'd say Kady Malloy and Syesha Mercado are done for. With Amanda Overmyer as my alternate pick.

[dvdjunkie]

Good choices Widdi, I almost agree with you in total. The girls had a tough time tonight with the songs of the 70's, including my favorite Asia'h Epperson, who took an Eric Carmen song and put a Celine touch to it, but it still came out all wrong.

Two girls sang Heart songs, only one really succeeded, and one of the odds on favorites looked a little shakey tonight but I think that she will weather the storm with a lot of support. Here's the cast and what they sang:

Carly Smithson - Heart "Crazy on You": In my opinion she more than made up for last week with this song, and I think that she might find that one big moment next week.

Syesha Mercado - Billy Paul "Me and Mrs. Jones" - I think she did a pretty decent job, but it wasn't very well received. The votes will tell.

Brooke White - Carly Simon "You're So Vain": and she knocked this song out of the park, and proved that she is a true contender.

Ramiele Malubay - Thelma Houston "Don't Leave Me This Way": a song that Simon said just didn't suit her, but I think she was pretty good at singing. I agree with Paula and Randy that it was a safe choice and she had better get up that horse before it gets away. One of my favorites for the Top Five.

Kristy Lee Cook - Linda Ronstadt "You're No Good": and I truly don't think she was that good tonight. Let's hope that she gets through to next week.

Amanda Overmyer - Kansas "Carry On My Wayward Son": a song that didn't even need to be sung, and especially not by her. I agree with all three of the judges, wrong song, wrong clothes, and wrong all the way home after tomorrow night's voting.

Alaina Whitaker - Olivia Newton-John "Hopelessly Devoted To You": Didn't think this was her best effort, she got pretty whiny in the high parts, and I didn't believe her at all. She is probably done for the contest.

Alexandrea Lushington - Chicago "If You Leave Me Now": What a song choice, and what a chance, but I truly believe that she pulled it off and will be around another week or more.

Kady Malloy - Heart "Magic Man": I think that she just hasn't figured out who she is yet, and might be going home tomorrow night. I truly hope not because I think that somewhere in there is a real talented singer.

Asia'h Epperson - Eric Carmen "All By Myself": She just couldn't hit the low notes, but I was in her corner all the way. She will be around for a few more weeks.

My picks for going home for the girls would be Amanda Overmyer and Alaina Whitaker, and my other choices would be Kady Malloy and Kristy Lee Cook. I firmly believe all the others are safe this week. We will see tomorrow night (Thursday) when all the votes are counted and the four 'go-homers' are revealed.

[blackcauldron85]

As always, here are my thoughts from last night:

01. Carly Smithson- Better than last week! Great job!

02. Syesha Mercado- She's great! She's amazing & awesome! I disagree with Randy & Simon- it was a great song choice- it shows she can be sensitive & slower. People can sing understatingly and not have to oversing.

03. Brooke White- Yay for the guitar! What a good song choice. I like how she's bubbly. Not as strong as the first 2 performances, but still good. Very enjoyable. She seems really nice.

04. Ramiele Malubay- Nice song choice! I like her a lot better this week! She's amazingly talented! She's tied for first right now! I completely disagree with all the judges! I thought she was great!

05. Kristy Lee Cook- I think she's just kind of average. The performance had some good moments...I can see her going home...and having to sing what people are thinking- "You're No Good"! Often goodbye songs (when people are kicked off) mention "bye" or not being good- my least favorite so far.

06. Amanda Overmyer- Great song choice!!! I just don't like her voice, but she gave a great performance. I see her talent, but I still don't like her voice, if that makes any sense. I can't even rank her because of this. But, it's a great performance. I don't want her to go home yet. I liked her a lot more this week, though.
[Why bother doing decade/genre weeks if Randy wants Amanda to sing the same genre week after week?!?]

07. Alaina Whitaker- Didn't start well; I love the song, but I think it may not have been the best song choice for her; it got somewhat better; I liked her better last week. She's not the best, but not quite the worst.

08. Alexandrea Lushington- Nice song choice, amazing voice. I really love her voice. I like her.

09. Kady Malloy- Not so great. I don't know the song, but I think it was an extremely poor song choice- she's proven that she's not the best singer in the competition.

10. Asia'h Epperson- Did she flub the words? The note didn't come out on the first chorus...that may hurt her votes...I don't think she's as great as people make her out to be. It's such a big song...she redeemed herself at the end, but I think that Syesha, Ramiele, & Alexandrea are better.

So, the order I ranked them in was:

1. Syesha, Ramiele, Alexandrea
2. Carly Smithson
3. Brooke White
4. Kristy Lee Cook
4.5- Alaina Whitaker
And I didn't rank the others...they're all 5 or below.

I voted for Syesha, Ramiele, and Alexandrea.

I do think that Alexandrea played it safe- I really enjoyed the performance, but hopefully she'll do a bigger song next time, because I see so much talent in her.

[dvdjunkie]

Well, it looks like they got it half right last night. Two more guys and two more girls have been eliminated and we are now down to the Sweet 16.

They got the guys right in my opinion - the two that bit the dust were Robbie Carrico and Jason Yeager. Robbie's version of the Foreigner song was just glorified karaoke, as far as the judges were concerned, and song choice killed off Jason's chances for any further advancement.

Now the big mistake in my opinion was the girls, and now we know that it is a popularity vote and not a talent vote as far as the contestants go at this stage of the game. The two girls voted off were Alexandrea Lushington and Alaina Whitaker. My opinion is that after seeing how the voting went, it should have been Kady Malloy and Amanda Overmyer, but my votes were cast for the others.

Next week we lose two more, each, of the guys and the girls and on March 11 we get serious about finding the next American Idol. I am looking forward to the new set and new look for "Idol" that week, and more information on 'Idol Gives Back' that will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. The best news of all is that the week of the Top 12 will the first time on American Idol for the Lennon/McCartney catalog of songs to be available for the contestants to choose from. Should be an interesting week.

[MickeyMousePal]

So what's the theme for next week? 80's?

[blackcauldron85]

I'm so bummed that Alexandrea was kicked off- I really liked her. I definitely think that Amanda should've been kicked off...she's just not my cup of tea.

I thought for sure that Kady would go home- Alaina is much better. Kady needs to pick a great song next week..."Magic Man" wasn't a good song to pick, IMO. Poor Alaina- I felt so bad for her, but I'm SOOO glad that someone showed their sad emotions when kicked off. She was pressured into performing- she thought that she'd do badly, but I think she actually did a great job, especially under the circumstances. I applaud her- if I were on the show and got kicked off, I'd be bawling and not sing, so props to her.

I wasn't shocked with Jason or Robbie leaving- I was happy with those decisions.

I still say that Alexandrea leaving was a huge mistake...she's a big talent.

[dvdjunkie]

I thought that Alaina showed a lot of class when she was offered the choice of whether or not to sing and she chose to sing.

And I agree, if she had performed that Olivia Newton-John song that well on Wednesday night, we wouldn't be discussing her leaving the show now. She really grabbed a hold of that song and did what Simon says - 'made it her own'.

We have not heard the last of Alexandrea Lushington. She has to much talent to let it just sit there. Watch out world, someone is going to grab a hold of her and we will be hearing from her real soon.

[blackcauldron85]

Last night was '80s night for the guys! Here are my thoughts:

01. Luke Menard- "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"- Not too strong a voice.

02. David Archuleta- "Another Day in Paradise"- Yay for playing the piano! The beginning isn't his stronest vocal. He's still great, he's still impressive, but he's done better.

03. Danny Noriega- "Tainted Love"- It's better when I don't look at the screen; I like it but don't at the same time- I sometimes like the sound of his voice, but sometimes not- I dislike it more when I see his movements; I don't want him to be the American Idol.

04. David Hernandez- "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"- Smooth vocals. I want him to go on in the competition. Not perfect, but I like him; so far, tied for first with David A.

05. Michael Johns- "Don't You Forget About Me"- I still don't like his voice. At the end, it almost sounds like he's yelling. Tied for last place so far. {Bobby, my husband, popped in briefly while I was watching AI, and he said, about Michael Johns, that it sounded like a good 'goodbye' song.}

06. David Cook- "Hello"- Very first notes sounded kind of bad. Great arrangement. Not as strong as he usually is. I still like him overall, though. It was just alright for me.

07. Jason Castro- "Hallelujah"- He's still adorable. I'm shocked- no guitar, but that's nice. His voice is nice. It's understated. Easily my favorite of the night.

08. Chikezie- "All the Man That I Need"- Surprisingly good vocal. Awesome job! His best vocal so far in the competition. Second place.

So, my ranked order of the guys:

1. Jason (I voted for him many times.)
2. Chikeze (I voted for him once.)
3. David A.
David H.
4. David C.
5. Danny
6. Luke
Michael

[Widdi]

A very lackluster night. No one was amazing, but nobody was truly terrible either.

My ranking

1. Jason Castro - Someone sang Cohen! *Dies from joy* and not only did he sing it he sang it really well. Jason has become my unlikely favourite this year.

2. Danny Noreiga - YOU GO GIRL! He really is an entertainer, he's got a passable voice, but watching him perform is just fun.

3. Michael Johns - Not as good as past performances, but I still liked it well enough.

4. David Hernandez - See above comment.

5. David Archuleta - Still not buying the hype about him, but I liked this better than last week.

6. David Cook - He took a song I already hated and made it into something emo, and far worse. The only points you get from me is for originality. I don't like this guy at all.

7. Luke Menard - You're no George Michael boy. It was okay, but that's about it.

8. Chickeze - BORING! Please go home now.

Regardless of my favs I think David H and Luke will be the last two boys not to make top 12.

[dvdjunkie]

Weakest week of the competition so far, in my opinion. The guys all acted like they didn't really plan on being their next week.

I was amazed to hear Jason Castro do a Leonard Cohen song, and do it so well. I agree with Simon, he is getting 'better, and better, and better'. Look out, the dread-locks look may make a comeback (I hope not!!) This kid has a lot of talent, and I really think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with down the road.

David Archuleta is going to be around for a while longer and he does have to watch what he is doing and start putting a little 'life' into his songs. His "oh shucks, really!!" is getting to be old hat, but I still think he is going to be a contender.

Luke needs to go. He really doesn't have the distinctive voice that everyone is looking for. My wife likes his smile, and thinks that he has done so much acapella vocalizing in a group setting that he doesn't realize that his voice just doesn't carry that well. I think I could agree with that.

David Cook took a Lionel Richie song and made it his own and I thought it was okay. Simon thought a little bit better of it.

David Hernandez was spot on, in my eyes. But all this publicity about his being a "nude" dancer in a gay club in Arizona might drive them to boot him off this week, talent or no talent. That would be a shame, but I guess Idol has its "purity" to live up to.

Let's hope that the girls put on a better show tonight. They sure wouldn't have to do too much to be better. And please, it's music of the 80's and there was more out there to choose from than Heart, and those diva girl songs. Would like to see someone really step up and take a chance on a really obscure song.

[MickeyMousePal]

Here's what the girls will sing tonight:

Source Vote for the Worst

Yes, VFTW brings you the spoilers first. Our watchdog was at the show.

1) Asia'h: I Want To Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston

2) Kady: Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen

3) Amanda: Hate Myself For Loving You - Joan Jett

4) Ramiele: Against All Odds - Phil Collins

5) KKKristy: I"m Forever Yours (we're assuming Faithfully by Journey)

6) Brooke: Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar

7) Carly Plantson: I Drove All Night - Cyndi Lauper

UPDATE FROM JOESPLACE - Syesha: Saving All My Love For You - More Whitney... Joy

[blackcauldron85]

01. Asia'h Epperson- Great job! Her best so far.

02. Kady Malloy- Not great, not bad. Average.

03. Amanda Overmyer- I still don't like her voice. Not a bad performance, though. I like her better than Kady.

04. Carly Smithson- She was better last week, but my second favorite so far.

05. Kristy Lee Cook- Kind of boring; one of her better performances- just alright, not great.

06. Ramiele Malubay- Nice song choice! I really like her and her voice. Tied for first place so far.

07. Brooke White- I like the arrangement. I like it. Tied for first place so far.

08. Syesha Mercado- Very nice! Easily my favorite performance! Best for last! My favorite female contestant!

My ranking was:

1. Syesha
2. Asia'h, Ramiele, & Brooke
3. Carly
4. Amanda
5. Kady & Kristy

I voted 10 times for Syesha and 1 each for Asia'h, Ramiele, & Brooke.

[Widdi]

Eh, the girls were a bit better than the boys this week, but overall I would say this week has been the weakest overall thus far this season.

My rankings for the ladies:

1. Amanda Overmyer - She's back! I love rocker chicks and she was just superb tonight. VFTW can eat my hat if they are still supporting her after tonight (though with the amount of people VFTW has behind it, them voting for Amanda might not be all bad).

2. Brooke White - She's original and I like that. Not as forgettable as the other Carrie Clones.

3. Asia'h Epperson - Maybe 2nd and a half class Whitney. A million times better than last week. (Anybody else notice that Simon hates when people do Whitney? Nobody who sings her songs ever gets praise from him)

4. Ramiele Malubay - Not as good as past weeks, but still better than the majority.

5. Carly Smithson - It really was just her singing Celine's version of the song. She didn't do bad, she just didn't do anything great with it.

6. Kristy Lee Cook - I'm starting to feel the same way about her as I did about Melinda last season. She's a good singer (not as good as Doolittle, but good nonetheless) but she's boring to watch. She'd probably do okay as a recording artist, but I'd never pay to actually see her. She really is forgettable in a way.

7. Syesha Mercado - Why does nobody ever call her on her screaming? Maybe it's just me, but the majority of the time it sounds like shes a wailing banshee. Her lower register isn't really bad, but she just doesn't do the high notes well.

8. Kady Malloy - Boring! Please go home now. (Wow, I think I just had a deja vu).

I say we will lose Kady and Asia'h on thursday night.

[dvdjunkie]

Have to agree with you Widdi on last night's girls show. Literally it was way better than the guys, and the sad part is we have to lose two, why can't we just lose four guys and then go from there. I know - because it doesn't work that way. It's a shame, because there are four guys we could lose and no one would be too unhappy, but the girls pulled out all the stops tonight.

My favorite was Brooke White with her reading of Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield". She brought a whole new meaning to that song and really showed that she is in this to win it.

My least favorite was Kady Malloy. I think and seriously hope that she goes home this week. She just doesn't get this whole competition thing, and can't seem to find herself when she sings. Bye bye Kady.

As bad as she was last week, Amanda Overmyer proved that she is the true rocker of the bunch, but it might be too late. She could be seeing the exit door this week. I hope not, but I think that America is not that forgiving for what she did last week.

Sadly if Amanda isn't the second one to go it might be Asia'h. I truly hope not, but then this is American Idol and who knows what the public is voting for.

We are sure the Carly Smithson is staying, as is Ramiele and Syesha. Let's hope that the voters get it right and we have a real Top 12 next week.

[Widdi]

Booo! Poor Danny. You were TMTH for the show and it will be a little less fabulous without you.

[dvdjunkie]

I honestly think that America got it right this week. The four people dismissed from American Idol were the correct choices, and I think we will all see that down the road.

Danny Noriega, as popular as he was, was destined to be off because of his performance of "Tainted Love", plus I think his cockiness got the best of him.

Luke leaving was a given. He has spent too much time doing acapella singing and vocal harmonies and I don't think he that strong a voice.

Kady Malloy was destined for disaster from the get-go. She spent too much time imitating different people and couldn't show us who she really was. Her vocal choices the past couple of weeks have not been very good and she was the weakest link of the girls.

Asia'h Epperson was the only real surprise, but I think that this was her time. But I agree with her last statement, 'we haven't seen the last of Asia'h' and I think we can count on that.

The Top Twelve move to the new studio set and there will be a new graphics opening, and Ruben Studdard will be singing the 'going home' song for those eliminated on the results show. Two hour show next Tuesday.

It was great to see Blake Lewis open the show tonight. He has some real talent, but unfortunately his CD is not doing that well, but I think we will hear a lot from in the future.

Anyone catch the Chris Daughtry concert on Soundstage on PBS? It was a brilliant show and it really showed what a good choice it was for him to finish fifth and not win, so he could go on to make his own music.

[blackcauldron85]

I never liked Asia'h too much until Wednesday night- I thought that she gave a great performance. I just think that Kristy is sort of average. Hopefully she'll step it up next week. I thought that, for sure, Kristy would be going home. I'm glad that Luke and Kady left- they're voices just weren't on par with everyone else's. I wasn't sure who was going to leave between Chikeze and Danny. If not for Tuesday's performance, I would have wanted Chikeze to leave, but he did great this week. I don't think that Danny was good enough to win- as I mentioned earlier, I don't dislike Danny's voice, but his movements just irked me.

I am soooo excited for Beatles night next week! And, AI will be on only two nights a week- yay! As much as I love it, I like having a night back to myself!

[AwallaceUNC]

Noriega leaving was a bit of a surprise but I haven't been too upset with any of the outcasts thus far. The girls are horrible this year and I could care less if they were all given the boot. Hopefully the improve. For now, the bulk of my support goes to Archuleta.

-Aaron

[WickedElphie]

From purely shallow reasons I was a tad sorry to see Luke go, but it was a miracle he lasted this long. I actually wish Kristy had gone home instead of Kady, but whatever. Asia'h I didn't really care about at all. I was hoping Danny'd stick around a little longer, and I'm surprised that the scandel didn't send David H packing, but I doubt he's going to last very long.

If Brooke, Jason, Ramiele, or David C get booted next week, I'm not going to be a happy camper.

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm not the least bit interested by the girls anymore (Ramiele being the only possible exception). After Alaina left, I really didn't care. The Irish girl that everyone's crazy about has a nice voice, but a boring personality. Nearly all of them are trying too hard to be divas (Celine Dion and, of course, Whitney Houston), and they just aren't.

Maybe this year we'll finally get a decent guy to win.