No news isn't always good news....

Sorry I haven't commented for weeks now. I went almost 2 full weeks that I was out of commission with pneumonia. Thus the title that drew you in. I spiked a fever of 105 degrees and wasn't able to get it under 100 for over three days. Not fun.

Then between actually being busy at work, and baseball season starting, I just haven't had a chance to update like I would have liked.

I will say that I have been happy with eliminations. And I stand by my previous statements that I don't believe that any of these folks are gonna sell cds.


In other news, our baseball team is 2-0 so far. Travis went 2 for 3 on Sat and 2 for 5 on Sun to bring his hit total just one shy of his entire season total from last year. He is aggressively hitting the ball and that's a good thing. He also has a couple runs under his belt now and a stolen base, which appears to be a major factor this season. Part of each game, he is getting some time in the infield, usually at 3rd. I am very proud of him and his progress from last season.

We play for the Salvation Army. I'm pretty excited about this season, as we started a new league of only 8-9 yr olds and are doing kid pitch just like the big boys. The boys all really enjoy it, and it is making for a more interesting game knowing you could get walked or hit, instead of the machine throwing strikes every pitch. Season is longer also, 20 games instead of 14, so hopefully we'll get some good experience out of it.

Now there's 8

Well, I got the Bottom 3 wrong, but the biggest loser right. Megan definitely was the worst one left standing. Now if we can get rid of Scott next week, we'll have a real showdown on our hands.

Top 9 on Idol

Here goes the Top 9. Overall I think the group had a good week last week. I think there is now some definitive separation now. Allison, Adam, Kris, Anoop and Matt are better than the rest.

Scott needs to quit getting the pity votes and go home. Megan should have been home already as well. Lil gets on my nerves. I can't figure out what the obsession with Danny is. He's only an average singer, and the last few weeks he's not been on the top of his game.

How much are they spending, or how much of an endorsement deal are they working out with Lenscrafters?...or whoever is providing all these different pairs of glasses.

• Anoop gets the dead man's spot this week. He sings Usher, and the arrangement is terrible. It has a very hollow sound. Not enough band, and too much background singer. He does a fair job considering the song, but I don't know as it will be enough to avoid the Bottom 3.
• Megan comes out and breaks out the Marley. What the fuck? Who sings Bob Marley in a singing competition? I mean, maybe during those 5pm karaoke happy hour afternoons, but not when singing is being judged. Her performance is crappy as has become her signature, and the singing is lifeless. The judges tell her what a bad job she did, and I agree.
• Danny sings Rascal Flatts. The song is What Hurts The Most, and at this moment I think it's this song. Pitchy makes an official appearance and stays for most of the song. I think the boys from Rascall Flatts with a new album coming out would probably not want their name associated with this rendition. The judges (for whatever reason) bow down and give Danny a handjob on the stage. I really, really can't understand the obsession with this guy. Was it just because his wife died? And he twice......not once, but twice!.....makes excuses. What the fuck? As if he isn't getting enough sympathy votes? He first makes an excuse for last week saying that the song he sang was his third or so on his list, then tonight he says that he was out of his comfort zone by being without a mic stand. Fuck you Danny! Fuck you! I have no pity left for you. I'm tired of your shit! I'm tired of your out of tune screaming and the judges pandering. Ok, I'm done.
• Allison misses her chance. I want to hear her sing Pink so bad I can't stand it. But she does No Doubt instead. Nothing special, but not bad. The judges all give her hell and I think it's a bit undeserved. I hope that she doesn't have to make a return to the Bottom 3 again, but this performance isn't going to stand out in anyone's mind when they vote.
  
• Scott is next and he is going to massacre Billy Joel this week. Not even to the chorus and we're already flirting with Pitchy. I still can't get the theme to Greatest American Hero out of my head when he's on stage. Every song Scott sings has a similiar sort of monotone to it. Kara tells him that she likes his new look. I think he looks like an extra in a John Cryer movie. Paula once again goes out of her way to compliment. I wonder if she has been accused of being prejudiced against someone with a disability before? I like that Simon called Paula on the fact that she dogged Scott for using the piano a couple of weeks ago and now tells him how good he is.
• Matt is singing the Fray and has traded the piano for what looks to be a personal Casio keyboard. Remember when those were cool? Me either. He also has a staged group of audience around him which feels forced. He starts off the song missing the notes, even though they were his own version of the notes, he still missed them. He then goes on to sing a very empty version that breaks into a terrible falsetto at the end. Paula tells him the he was mimicking the lead singer, but I think that little red-headed kid would kick the shit out of Matt if he watched it this week. The song is very repetitive and very monotone anyway, and with no emotion in his performance, Matt's version was even moreso. While everyone else always plays the "that's who I am" card, Matt tells the judges that he is trying to show another side. Why? This was your chance. Any song that's a hit on iTunes. This was your opportunity to show what we would get if you made a cd. And we got crap, Matt. We got crap.
  
• Lil is going to scream Celine at us this week. In the opening sequence she has already been out of tune a couple of times. I'm getting worried as the song builds. Here it comes. Scream it Lil! We get it. You can drowned out a steel mill. Now put that big fuckin voice away and show us if you can sing or not! Not only is she breaking one of the cardinal rules of Idol by invoking Celine, she picks a absolutely terrible song and then takes two phrases to shakily build and then scream for 60 of the allotted 90 secs. I'm glad that Simon also told her it was a bad song choice. She's not as overrated as Danny (only because they don't rate her quite as high) but she's close behind. It was nice to not hear the judges non-stop gush over her.
• Adam is, by his own admission, doing a complete 180 from last week. He keeps the hair, but I am afraid this one is going to head down Scaryville on it's way to Screamland here in a few........I know, those are terrible....I think it is the That 70's Show background colors and shapes on the backdrop while he sings. There are the unnecessary screams I knew were coming. I think he's just fucking with the whole audience at this point. He knows there's not a chance in Hell he's going home, and he has absolutely no accountability at this point in the show. A couple of more weeks after Megan, Scott and Lil are out, and he's gonna have to step up his game. This is the biggest case of Simon's favorite catch phrase slam as I have ever seen. Complete self-indulgent rubbish. The judges completely give him a reach around as usual.
  
• Kris gets the pimp spot this week. Let's see if he can capitalize. Kris pulls out the power ballad to close the show. Also with just a keyboard instead of the full piano, but he is showing that he is multi-talented as we now know he can play multiple instruments. I don't care for the song choice, but it's not by his doing. He does what seems to be a fine job, I just don't like that style. His voice is pretty good.

Overall, I don't think this week was quite as strong as last. Unfortunately, this was the theme that I always wish for. Basically unrestricted, anything they want. I don't know whether that means this entire group would be shit on the radio? Or that they all just have shit for taste?

Here's the way I heard them:

1. Kris
2. Anoop
3. Adam
4. Allison
5. Danny
6. Lil
7. Matt
8. Scott
9. Megan
   

And now we have a Top 10

I rewatched the performances on Wed night with Danyel and I had a few different opinions that I'll share:

• Michael - still thought he was the worst one of the night
• Allison - After the 2nd time through listening, i don't think I gave her the credit she deserved for this. It is an A #1 crappy song choice, but she actually sang it pretty well.
• Lil - I thought it was worse the 2nd time I listened.
• Danny - I thought was worse the 2nd time I listened
• Adam - I liked better the 2nd time
• Matt - I liked better the 2nd time
• Alexis - I didn't realize how lifeless she was until I watched it again. Even her responses to the judges was unemotional.
  

Alright, now to the results show. Apparently there are a ton of folks plugging their wares, or FOX broke out the big checkbook this week, as they not only have Randy Travis there again (which was implied and expected since he was their mentor this week) but also Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

Because of catching Danyel up on the action, we were able to watch the Results show completely from DVR. I skipped forward until I saw Ryan getting down to business with the contestants. I didn't even stop to see what the group sing even was....don't care....hate it worse than mowing the grass.

I saw in a blur, a montage with Jorge and Jasmine. Why? They were #12 and #13. Why on Earth would I care? I have nothing invested in them. I have not spent months rooting for them and listening to them through the good and the bad. They came, they saw, they sucked. Get them off my TV.

I still can't get over how much the judges are letting their favorites be known and trying their damnedest to protect them. I know they have always had favorites, but it has never seemed this obvious this early. Once it gets down to 5-6 remaining, is usually about when they start opening blowing smoke up the singers hoo-hoos. I would just prefer them to lie and pretend to be impartial.

So Ryan quickly sits down half the group and brings Allison and Michael to the stage. They then break for a song by Brad Paisley. Paisley is my favorite male country performer since Garth retired. I've never heard this song before, but I like it. I expect that it will sound a lot better on cd and radio, as the sound peeps at Idol are having a terrible time this week. As a result, the music sounds too soft and he doesn't put much emotion into it. Brad is one of those artists that is a lot better on an upbeat song, because he shines on the guitar. So if any of my faithful 4 readers don't know Brad, pick up a cd, it's worth your listen.
I really liked him and Ryan playing at the end of the performance. Ryan telling him that the judges have voted, and that he is a Superstar. See, Idol doesn't always have to be stuffy.

I'm pretty surprised that Allison is in the bottom 3 at all. I figure she's going to be the one that is safe, and she is. So that leaves one of Idol's chosen few in Michael, and dirty girl Alexis. If they say that Michael is eliminated, I can see the judges blowing their save on him. They've sunk enough face time into him that they need to have him progress.

Carrie Underwood comes out to sing with Randy Travis. Idol wannabes take note. This is what you're shooting for! That voice is what you need to bring to the table every week. If you don't have it, go home now and save us the time. During the song, which I have liked for 20 yrs now, Randy Travis looks at Carrie a couple of times, with almost sheer amazement on his face. I think that going through his mind was the thought of "DAMN! When I wrote that, I never knew it could sound that amazing!" or "Holy Shit she's better than I ever dreamed of being in my heyday!" or "Goddamned, she is so fucking hot!" or "Sweet mother of all that is good and pure, I'm going to be filthy rich if I can talk her into putting this on the radio!" By being there, and sounding as awesome as she sounded, Carrie reminds all the singers that this show IS REAL. It really is life changing. And most importantly, on the day after her songs were butchered on that very stage, she reminds them "hey you snotty little posers, you're not me!"

Alexis is given the bad news, which means that Michael can count his lucky stars because he was just given a fucking gift!

I am very shocked to hear Simon say that Alexis is the one they are considering using their save on. She sings again, and does appear to be putting more of herself into it. To the point of all out screaming a few times as the judges are shown crowding in having a heated discussion.

Alexis is told by Simon that she's not good enough. I protest. She had promised to be dirty again next week! Instead, Michael will get to sing on borrowed time. I doubt he'll do much better next week, though, as we're told it will be Motown week.

American Idol Top 11

This week's theme is the Grand Ole Opry. Many of the greatest singers this country has had to offer have graced that sacred stage. Personally, I am petrified that this week will suck. History has given us very few good performances on country weeks. I doubt this year will be any exception. Randy Travis is working with the singers this week, and he starting to show his age.

• Leading us off was Michael...what does he do for a living again? He comes out in the setup clip desecrating my favorite artist. I am hoping that it gets better in the actual performance. He does not get any better. He actually does (IMHO) a horrible job. It's a hard song to pull off live because of breath placement, and by the end he just sounds like he's yelling at someone. The judges undeservedly praise him, which seems to be the underlying theme this, all except Simon who tells it like it is. Dead man's spot may claim another victim tonight.
• Allison is next, and she is singing Patty Lovelace. The song is older than she is, and it shows. Her performance is cutesy and I don't care for it. It's not as bad as Michael, and once again the judges are laying it on thick. I'm watching 7th graders at a talent show, aren't I?
  
• Kris is next, and he's still suffering from lack of face-time. He needs a stellar performance to paint an image in the voter's minds. He also is planning on Garth, and it appears that he once again will use his guitar to aide him. Actually, he's not using the 6-string. I could take him with this song. This song is mine. He reminds me of an actor in a movie singing this song a the cheesy end to his girlfriend in the small local bar. His voice is pleasant, and so far tonight, he is winning by a mile. I'm interested to hear if the judges say he's being too safe. Not an exciting song choice, by any means. He looks like Freddie Prinze Jr as he awaits the judges words. Paula is struggling with the English language again, but it's mostly praise. Wow, Simon told him it was terrific. I expected him to give him the safe routine.
• Lil Rounds shows us an accent that I dont' recall hearing before in her pre-song interview. Shocker, she's gonna sing Martina McBride. Does Idol only pay for 3 country artists songs? Or is it just that cliche that all the contestants pick the same artists to massacre every year? As well as not living up to the original with this song, I would think that an almost bigger weight with Independence Day is the fact of not living up to Carrie Underwood's performance of it. It was one of those signature moments on Idol. There haven't been a lot, but usually once a year, we have one that really stands out. Clay with Bridge Over Troubled Water. Fantasia with Summertime. Katherine McPhee with Over the Rainbow. And Carrie with this one. Lil hasn't opened her mouth yet, and she's doomed in my head. She seems to be trying to slow the song down. It's as if she's fighting the band, and the band is right. She's hitting the notes, but I'm not feeling anything. There's no emotion. And that's what happens when you take the singers out of their element. This is part of why I don't like themes. If they get to sing what they want each week, they can choose things that inspire them. Randy isn't sold, and neither was I. She's still better than Michael and I'd put her as a toss up with Allison. Now she's just making it sad by trying to act like she actually was trying to choose this song because of something more noble than vote-getting. Paula needs to be in rehab. Simon once again tells it plain. Now she's even got the girl judges pleading about how it's "country music, though" as if they don't even like the themes. On an unrelated note, I despise Lil's hair. I have too much of an old country boy in me, but I think woman should have hair longer than most men. Doesn't have to be really long, just longer than I wear my hair. I think if I stood all the hair up on top of my head, I might give Lil a run for her money on length. And that is sad. I also think that it leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth on Idol in particular, because I hated Fantasia. And it seems that in every season since there has been a young lady with a big voice who has that same hairstyle and it just reminds me too much of her, and I always have a chip on my shoulder in regards to them from the get go.
• ROFLMAO! Randy is visibly scared of Adam. I don't think they have many drag queens where Randy's from. Ooops! Was that outloud? Adam does a version of Ring of Fire that sounds like it's from the B-side of a Dave Matthews Band cd. So far it is fairly reserved for him......no, wait.....there goes the screaming. It's like he wants to remind everyone every week that he can hit notes higher than most of the girls. I'm with Kara. Very strange. Damn, now she stole my word. Oh well, it didn't really matter how he did tonight, as he has an extremely large fanbase already. He's on cruise control until about the Top 5 or 6, I'd guess. Simon doesn't like him, but it won't matter.
  
• Scott is planning on Martina McBride. WHAT? Randy doesn't know what to make of him either. He openly tells us that he thought it was the wrong choice for Scott. We'll see. If I didn't know this song, I would never be able to recognize it. He tries to do his own thing with it, and his own thing sucks. He tries some unnecessary falsetto and fails with it. Between this lame version of the song and looking at him, I keep expecting him to sing the theme to the Greatest American Hero instead of Martina McBride. Paula tries her damnedest to come off sounding nice, when she obviously doesn't have anything good to say. She tells him to lose the piano. Simon tells him to pick better songs. Scott tries to defend his choice, which I hate. Don't backtalk the judges. Is Paula paranoid about an EEO complaint? Why is she trying so hard to defend him? It appears that the consensus is not good for him, but they still try to make it sound upbeat. Fuck that! They haven't had any trouble telling other folks when they blow donkeys on stage. Why tip toe around this annoying turd just because he's blind? I think he's milked almost all the sympathy votes he's going to get out of America, and I don't look for him to be around too many more weeks. I thought he was forgettable and underwhelming tonight.
• Alexis is next. Will she stay dirty again this week? See, she doesn't have long hair, but it's long enough that you know she's a woman coming or going. Dolly gets her first nod of the season. Alexis managed to find a song that still shows off her bluesy side. The arrangement seems kind of empty. A very lifeless performance overall.
• Danny is going to cross genders for us again. Great. I just love that. Yeah! It won't matter, because he's almost already locked up a Top 3 slot. Wow, he is boring the shit out of me. Then he tries to make the chorus dramatic and pitchy makes an appearance. Is that a girls jacket he's wearing to complete his ensemble? I wonder if Idol is paying for all of these pairs of glasses, or if he's stuck with a bill. If Idol is picking up the tab, I'd be jealous if I were one of the other contestants, as it is an expense that they aren't doing for everyone. Oh my god! I can't believe it! The judges praised him! (Did you sense the sarcasm there? I was laying it on pretty thick.) Carrie would absolutely not buy that album. She might instead throw it down in a bar parking lot and squat to piss on it. Maybe not thought, because that would show her honey spot to his cd, and that's not a privelage that he deserves. Maybe she'd have me piss on the cd after I had finished drilling her bent over the tailgate of my truck. Damn, was that outloud too? I told her I wouldn't tell anyone. It was nice for Simon to make fun of his outfit.
• Anoop Dawg is next. He is going to try to power ballad his way through another week, after a scare last week. His first note is pitchy, and it sounds like he's starting in an awfully high key for him. It's the first performance of the night that sounded heartfelt to me. And, other than that first note, it was quite good. With all the hyper active stage show that he's had the last couple of weeks, people forget that Anoop can actually sing. Paula is rambling again. Simon gives him the compliments that he deserves. I, like Simon, think he's the best so far. Confidence is not something he lacks. I like him.
• Our resident hottie Megan is next. She's singing Patsy Cline, and I can't stand this song. I almost couldn't even forgive Garth when he put it on The Chase. Randy Travis was right, I've never heard a sound like that. The absolute only thing I'll give her was that it was different. I didn't like it, I don't like her dress, I still hate the song, I hate that sound of her voice, I hate that the judges are making excuses for her being sick.
• Matt gets the pimp spot. He is also bringing out the Carrie Underwood. While I despise guys singing girls songs, at least it is from this decade, and not from when Kennedy was alive or before. Pitchy pimp slaps Matt acrossed the face at the end. After hearing Carrie sing this live, I think Matt's version of this may be on the flip side of Danny's cd that I was pissing on earlier in the night. Simon is wrong for once. He most certainly wasn't better than Danny, and wasn't one of the best of anything.

Alright, my game got a major patch today and I'm dying to go try it out, so I'm going to cut straight to the rankings.

1. Anoop
2. Kris
3. Adam
4. Lil
5. Alexis
6. Danny
7. Allison
8. Megan
9. Matt
10. Scott
11. Michael
    

And then there were 11...

The first results show is in the books, and Jorge and Jasmine were sent packing.

I found it interesting to note that all of the picks the judges came up with were the ones that were on the bubble of going home.

I did like the the Judges thing better than I thought I would. I was afraid that there would be some outright veto thing each week, and actually don't mind the way they are doing it. I like the fact that they only have one for the entire season, that it has to be used before the Final 5, that it has to be unanimous and that if they use it, the next week 2 go home.

I wasn't 100% correct in my predictions, but I was pretty close. I'm glad that Anoop didn't go home, I just thought he might after the judges crucified him like they did. I knew that Jasmine would go early now that the public had the choice, and Jorge never stood a chance.

Predictions for American Idol Season 8

Any of my faithful readers can attest, that the American Idol contestants WANT my backing! Each year I choose one Idol wannabe to get the majority of my votes and praises, and that person has been a winner or very nearly a winner most of the time.
I have always backed them early, so it's not like a bandwagon thing. In the past my picks have been:

• Carrie Underwood - Winner of Season 4
• Katherine McPhee & Chris Daughtry split my votes - 4th & 2nd in Season 5
  
• Jordin Sparks - Winner of Season 6
• David Cook - Winner of Season 7

These aren't made up, you can look up the archives here on this site...just dig around on the lower right.

So, I am 100% serious when I say that the Idol hopefuls should all be clamoring for my votes. Here are my predictions on the finishing order for Season 8:

1. Allison: I think she is genuine and current. I like her style and she is unafraid on the big stage. This is what American Idol is about. Teenagers trying to make a dream. Not people who have had previous record deals and failed. Not someone just coasting through with a decent voice and a sob-story (Fantasia). Not someone just because they are goofy and different (Taylor). This is what it is about. And our last teenage Idol hasn't been doing too shabby lately....Jordin.
   
2. Adam: I do not feel that Adam was nearly as great last night as the judges did, but in a season full of ho-hums, he stands out. He hits notes that folks with male genitalia don't normally hit, and he owns the stage when he's on it. The crowd loves him, the judges love him. I think he'll go far. My biggest concern, and we were talking about it in the office today, is that he always sounds about the same. Now, that is not always a bad thing. Look at Daughtry and David Cook.
   
3. Danny: The widower appeal is going to carry him far, as well as the fact that he does have some talent...not as much as David Cook last year, but I think he'll put some spins on some familiar songs and will be enjoyable to watch.
   
4. Alexis: This pick is probably more just wishful thinking. She doesn't have the best voice out of the group, but she is just a little bit different than the norm, and I think it may be enough to carry her far.
   
5. Lil Rounds: I wish the judges would stop shoving Lil down our throats. She is (in my eyes) a clone of Fantasia. And, that being the case, that doesn't work outside of the show. I don't want to have someone win that can't perform afterward. And I don't like it when the judges push so hard for one person, this early.
   
6. Matt: His talent at the piano may help keep him around for a while. He has enough chops to compete, but I don't think he's a real contender.
   
7. Megan: This year's eye candy has one of the oddest styles we've ever seen. She unfortunately will not be around very far into the show, I don't believe. The quirkiness will get old in a hurry and if she doesn't pick a better song next week, she may go out sooner than this.
   
8. Michael: Personally don't believe he should make it this far, but the blue-collar schtick will carry him past where he deserves, I'm afraid
   
9. Scott: As jackass as it may make me sound, sympathy is the only thing that will carry him this far
   
10. Kris: May go out earlier than this simply due to lack of prior face-time. Last night when I was typing up my blog after the fact, I couldn't even remember who the 13th contestant was....it was Kris. That is not going to help him at all. He is going to be forgotten early, if not sooner than listed here.
    
11. Jasmine: Maybe not exactly where she'll finish, but where I would put her in the scheme of things....she is just a pretty young package for a marketing team...that's all the judges are trying to sell us...unfortunately, she doesn't have the chops to sell us on her own
    
12. Anoop: I don't think it matters about the order of 12th and 13th, as they are both going home the first results show.
    
13. Jorge: See above note beside Anoop.