OH!!! WHO TOLD YOU??? ME, THAT"S WHO!!! I TOTALLY CALLED THIS! WHO SAID THEY WOULD BOOT SYESHA??? THAT"S RIGHT, ME!!!
So, if you hadn't gathered, my theory was correct and Syesha Mercado went home with (surprisingly) no tears! You kind of had to feel bad for her but you know, you can't really be surprised.
Stay tuned for finale coverage next week and soon afterwards, a post devoted entirely to Jason Castro! Fun, fun, fun!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
American Idol: Top 3 Performances
Well, didn't I tell you??? They're swaying the votes, it's as simple as that. The night was hardly as memorable without Jason's usual unique performance; he was truly missed for his goofy personality, funny remarks, and distinguishable vocals. But, hey, let's not dwell on the past! On to recaps!
David Archuleta -
1) Judge's choice (Paula): "And So It Goes" - Billy Joel
Comments: Very good vocals, you're in it to win it (Randy), Just what I wanted, amazing (Paula), Good, I can't say more than that but I most definitely can't say less (Simon)
2) His choice: "With You" - Chris Brown
Comments: Good that you went out of your comfort zone and changed up from ballads but ballads are your style so I missed that (Randy), Very good, contemporary, a side of you we don't see often that I like (Paula), Can't criticize vocals, as usual, and I applaud you for choosing something unpredictable like something other than a ballad*laughs* but it wasn't your style (Simon)
3) Nigel (Producer's) Choice: "Longer" - Dan Fogelberg
Comments: I really can't say anything, I mean, you could sing the phonebook and still sound great (Randy) Great job, there's nothing more to say, it was wonderful (Paula), I can't comment on the vocals, as I've been saying all night, but aside from that, the lyrics were a bit gooey (Simon)
Overall, Mr. Perfection is "in it to win it" with his incredible repertoire of the phone book. Period the end.
Syesha Mercado -
1) Judge's choice (Randy): "If I Ain't Got You" - Alicia Keys
Comments: Really good, you have an Alicia-type voice so it worked (Randy), Very good (Paula), Alright, sounded like your style but not fantastic (Simon)
2) Her choice: "Fever" - Peggy Lee
Comments: It didn't quite work for me, I don't know (great vocabulary there, huh?) (Randy), It wasn't you, Syesha, it didn't come together (Paula), Syesha, you could have picked any song tonight, anything, and you picked this. This was your chance to show that you can be a contemporary artist and you blew it; you're going to look back and regret this (they're doing it, they're doing it!!!!!! I told you!) (Simon)
3) Nigel (Producer's) Choice: "Hit Me Up" - Gia Farrell
Comments: It was okay, it didn't seem to be your style (Randy), I liked seeing you do something more modern (Paula), I was glad you tried something more modern but it didn't really grab me. Your performance last week was emotional and fantastic and none of your performances tonight have topped that. This was not the kind of song you want to end with (Simon) All I can say is: I predicted this! I knew they were going to try and get rid of Syesha even if she was really good. You can't say I didn't warn you!
David Cook -
1) Judge's Choice (Simon): "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" - Roberta Flack
Comments: I liked it but I prefer your rocker style which you couldn't really do with this, it was okay for me (Randy), It showed who you are as an artist (What?) (Paula), This may sound a little biased, everyone, but I thought it was very good (Simon)
2) His Choice: "Dare You to Move" - Switchfoot
Comments: Not your best song, a little pitchy overall (Randy), I know, being an artist, that it's hard to compress a 3.30 minute song into such a short amount of time and it's hard to always get the beginning, middle and end in there. I felt like the end was missing and it left me wanting more (The most intelligent comment we've heard from her all season long, in my opinion) (Paula), The second round hasn't been very good, you included, let's try to make it better with these next songs (Simon)
3) Nigel (Producer's) Choice: "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" - Aerosmith
Comments: David Cook is back in the hunt, man!!! That was totally in the zone (Randy), That was an amazing performance; the beginning, middle and end all made it in this time, it was wonderful! (Paula) That is a lovely song and you just made it better. David Cook, welcome to the finale! (Simon)
What can I say other than ---- I TOLD YOU SO!!!!! They are trying to sway the votes just like I predicted!!!!! Syesha wasn't bad but they played up David Cook's last performance and made some unnecessary digs at Syesha to get rid of her. So, to conclude -------
Au revoir! So long, farewell! Hasta luego! Adios! Ciao! Yea, you get the picture...
BYE-BYE, SYESHA!!!!!!!!
David Archuleta -
1) Judge's choice (Paula): "And So It Goes" - Billy Joel
Comments: Very good vocals, you're in it to win it (Randy), Just what I wanted, amazing (Paula), Good, I can't say more than that but I most definitely can't say less (Simon)
2) His choice: "With You" - Chris Brown
Comments: Good that you went out of your comfort zone and changed up from ballads but ballads are your style so I missed that (Randy), Very good, contemporary, a side of you we don't see often that I like (Paula), Can't criticize vocals, as usual, and I applaud you for choosing something unpredictable like something other than a ballad*laughs* but it wasn't your style (Simon)
3) Nigel (Producer's) Choice: "Longer" - Dan Fogelberg
Comments: I really can't say anything, I mean, you could sing the phonebook and still sound great (Randy) Great job, there's nothing more to say, it was wonderful (Paula), I can't comment on the vocals, as I've been saying all night, but aside from that, the lyrics were a bit gooey (Simon)
Overall, Mr. Perfection is "in it to win it" with his incredible repertoire of the phone book. Period the end.
Syesha Mercado -
1) Judge's choice (Randy): "If I Ain't Got You" - Alicia Keys
Comments: Really good, you have an Alicia-type voice so it worked (Randy), Very good (Paula), Alright, sounded like your style but not fantastic (Simon)
2) Her choice: "Fever" - Peggy Lee
Comments: It didn't quite work for me, I don't know (great vocabulary there, huh?) (Randy), It wasn't you, Syesha, it didn't come together (Paula), Syesha, you could have picked any song tonight, anything, and you picked this. This was your chance to show that you can be a contemporary artist and you blew it; you're going to look back and regret this (they're doing it, they're doing it!!!!!! I told you!) (Simon)
3) Nigel (Producer's) Choice: "Hit Me Up" - Gia Farrell
Comments: It was okay, it didn't seem to be your style (Randy), I liked seeing you do something more modern (Paula), I was glad you tried something more modern but it didn't really grab me. Your performance last week was emotional and fantastic and none of your performances tonight have topped that. This was not the kind of song you want to end with (Simon) All I can say is: I predicted this! I knew they were going to try and get rid of Syesha even if she was really good. You can't say I didn't warn you!
David Cook -
1) Judge's Choice (Simon): "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" - Roberta Flack
Comments: I liked it but I prefer your rocker style which you couldn't really do with this, it was okay for me (Randy), It showed who you are as an artist (What?) (Paula), This may sound a little biased, everyone, but I thought it was very good (Simon)
2) His Choice: "Dare You to Move" - Switchfoot
Comments: Not your best song, a little pitchy overall (Randy), I know, being an artist, that it's hard to compress a 3.30 minute song into such a short amount of time and it's hard to always get the beginning, middle and end in there. I felt like the end was missing and it left me wanting more (The most intelligent comment we've heard from her all season long, in my opinion) (Paula), The second round hasn't been very good, you included, let's try to make it better with these next songs (Simon)
3) Nigel (Producer's) Choice: "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" - Aerosmith
Comments: David Cook is back in the hunt, man!!! That was totally in the zone (Randy), That was an amazing performance; the beginning, middle and end all made it in this time, it was wonderful! (Paula) That is a lovely song and you just made it better. David Cook, welcome to the finale! (Simon)
What can I say other than ---- I TOLD YOU SO!!!!! They are trying to sway the votes just like I predicted!!!!! Syesha wasn't bad but they played up David Cook's last performance and made some unnecessary digs at Syesha to get rid of her. So, to conclude -------
Au revoir! So long, farewell! Hasta luego! Adios! Ciao! Yea, you get the picture...
BYE-BYE, SYESHA!!!!!!!!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
American Idol: Top 4 Elimination
Well, here we are and I vow that after this season, I will never again watch American Idol. Jason Castro was eliminated Wednesday night. He was easily the most unique left on the show and he has more personality than the other three combined. Here's my theory:
The judges, producers, host, public, everyone basically wants a David vs. David finale, except for the few fans of Jason or Syesha and maybe a few David fans who want the best odds for their David.
So, American Idol decides to give the majority what they want. But, if they outright rig it, the info will eventually leak out somehow and the show will lose all credibility. So, one by one, they have to pick a competitor to slam nad send packing.
And so it began with David Hernandez. The judges picked on him, made him look bad, and he was gone. Then Amanda, Chikezie, and Ramiele, followed after him.
But, the outrage doesn't end there. "Who's left?" the judges and producers ask, "Who else stands in the way of our perfect finale?" And they are answered, Brooke White, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook, Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado.
They don't see much of a threat to their evil scheme besides Michael Johns. And behold, the first most unfair elimination of the season. Michael Johns was a very talented man and, if allowed to continue his rightful time on the show, he would have eventually become as big of a phenomenon as the Davids themselves. So he had to go. Mistake number one, right there.
Then they figure, why not get rid of someone the public hates, just to make it look like we're not swaying the votes at all. Thus, Kristy Lee packs her bag and heads out behind Michael Johns.
Down to the top six, the judges pick up on all the Carly hype. They figure that "No Personality" Syesha, "Miss Sweetie Pie" Brooke, and "Under the Radar" Jason will be no problem to pick off one by one so they go for the craze of the time, Carly, and she's gone, taking her tattoo with her. They don't, however, let this week go by without criticizing the remaining three in the way of their goal and make a few unkind jabs at Jason, Syesha, and Brooke to get the public ready to discharge them. Mistake number two, accomplished.
After this last week, the judges are pretty satisfied with themselves. They have, after all, managed to kill the two most popular names in the competition (other than the Davids, of course). What they didn't count on, however, was a mass uprising of the Dreadhead population. Jason Castro fans started to catch onto the scheme after weeks of unfair eliminations and they set out to rack up votes for him to keep him going. Besides, the judges would never notice goofy little Jason, he's no threat, right?
Going completely unnoticed, we Dreadheads amass huge amounts of supporters and "gather up ammunition" because we've figured out what's going on; the two mistakes did not go unnoticed by us. After Brooke forgetting her lyrics (conveniently for "the scheme") she hits the road, sending everyone reeling because, whether the judges knew it or not, Brooke had many fans who loved her dearly.
And now, we're down to the top four. All they have to do is defeat Jason and Syesha. But if Jason is still around after his train wreck on "Memory" and his strange performances of Neil Diamond, the public must really love him," the judges say. Besides, if they send Syesha home, like she deserves, the public will brand them racist and sexist as she is the only female and the only black left in the competition. So you do the math, who's left?
That's right, they resolve to be even crueler to Jason than they already have, even if he doesn't deserve cruelty. And, even more unfortunately, Jason doesn't make the best songs choices AND forgets the lyrics giving the assassins more to work with. The time Brooke forgot her lyrics, she completely stopped the song and the judges were still sympathetic because they needed to get rid of Carly, to stop the craze sweeping the nation. So, they forgave Brooke, Simon even going as far as to say that in her position, he would have done the same thing. But then, when Jason forgets the lyrics, doesn't stop the song, and sounds 100 times better than Brooke, they attack. They say he's "not in the zone" (Randy) "not the Jason they know" (Paula) and even "pack your suitcase" (Simon). But when Brooke forgot her lyrics and did way worse than Jason, they were all sympathetic and she made it another week, because it was what they needed. It just goes to prove my theory.
To cinch their deal, the judges play up Syesha's performance, saying she's "living the American dream" to get her more votes because they know she'll need them; they have witnessed the almighty power of the Dreadheads. Syesha cries and amasses tons of sympathy votes.
Jason fans gather together Tuesday night and after two hours of calling in over 1000 times, we are sure that we managed to save him. And to this day, I think we really did manage to save him. The judges receive the results and guess who our top three are! David Archuleta, David Cook, and Jason Castro! Oh no, that won't do at all now, will it? So what do we do? We lie!!!! We give Jason --- the most unique, the sweetest, the one with the strongest personality, the guy with the cute eyes and awesome smile ---- the boot.
And Syesha, the undeserving twit, advances to the top three unfairly, leaving Jason to smile genuinely and "shoot the sheriff" one last time, entirely unaware that he deserves another week.
And now, after my excellent theory, ask yourself some questions: "How will the judges dispatch Syesha? Does she really have a fan base that they will need to take down by unfair criticism? Or does she really have none, making their lie about Jason even worse?" But keep in mind, whether she has a fan base or not, they will get rid of her. After all, even she manages to wow everyone and get all her votes, enough to boot one of the Davids, they can always just lie, right? What's the harm in a little lie?
The judges, producers, host, public, everyone basically wants a David vs. David finale, except for the few fans of Jason or Syesha and maybe a few David fans who want the best odds for their David.
So, American Idol decides to give the majority what they want. But, if they outright rig it, the info will eventually leak out somehow and the show will lose all credibility. So, one by one, they have to pick a competitor to slam nad send packing.
And so it began with David Hernandez. The judges picked on him, made him look bad, and he was gone. Then Amanda, Chikezie, and Ramiele, followed after him.
But, the outrage doesn't end there. "Who's left?" the judges and producers ask, "Who else stands in the way of our perfect finale?" And they are answered, Brooke White, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook, Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado.
They don't see much of a threat to their evil scheme besides Michael Johns. And behold, the first most unfair elimination of the season. Michael Johns was a very talented man and, if allowed to continue his rightful time on the show, he would have eventually become as big of a phenomenon as the Davids themselves. So he had to go. Mistake number one, right there.
Then they figure, why not get rid of someone the public hates, just to make it look like we're not swaying the votes at all. Thus, Kristy Lee packs her bag and heads out behind Michael Johns.
Down to the top six, the judges pick up on all the Carly hype. They figure that "No Personality" Syesha, "Miss Sweetie Pie" Brooke, and "Under the Radar" Jason will be no problem to pick off one by one so they go for the craze of the time, Carly, and she's gone, taking her tattoo with her. They don't, however, let this week go by without criticizing the remaining three in the way of their goal and make a few unkind jabs at Jason, Syesha, and Brooke to get the public ready to discharge them. Mistake number two, accomplished.
After this last week, the judges are pretty satisfied with themselves. They have, after all, managed to kill the two most popular names in the competition (other than the Davids, of course). What they didn't count on, however, was a mass uprising of the Dreadhead population. Jason Castro fans started to catch onto the scheme after weeks of unfair eliminations and they set out to rack up votes for him to keep him going. Besides, the judges would never notice goofy little Jason, he's no threat, right?
Going completely unnoticed, we Dreadheads amass huge amounts of supporters and "gather up ammunition" because we've figured out what's going on; the two mistakes did not go unnoticed by us. After Brooke forgetting her lyrics (conveniently for "the scheme") she hits the road, sending everyone reeling because, whether the judges knew it or not, Brooke had many fans who loved her dearly.
And now, we're down to the top four. All they have to do is defeat Jason and Syesha. But if Jason is still around after his train wreck on "Memory" and his strange performances of Neil Diamond, the public must really love him," the judges say. Besides, if they send Syesha home, like she deserves, the public will brand them racist and sexist as she is the only female and the only black left in the competition. So you do the math, who's left?
That's right, they resolve to be even crueler to Jason than they already have, even if he doesn't deserve cruelty. And, even more unfortunately, Jason doesn't make the best songs choices AND forgets the lyrics giving the assassins more to work with. The time Brooke forgot her lyrics, she completely stopped the song and the judges were still sympathetic because they needed to get rid of Carly, to stop the craze sweeping the nation. So, they forgave Brooke, Simon even going as far as to say that in her position, he would have done the same thing. But then, when Jason forgets the lyrics, doesn't stop the song, and sounds 100 times better than Brooke, they attack. They say he's "not in the zone" (Randy) "not the Jason they know" (Paula) and even "pack your suitcase" (Simon). But when Brooke forgot her lyrics and did way worse than Jason, they were all sympathetic and she made it another week, because it was what they needed. It just goes to prove my theory.
To cinch their deal, the judges play up Syesha's performance, saying she's "living the American dream" to get her more votes because they know she'll need them; they have witnessed the almighty power of the Dreadheads. Syesha cries and amasses tons of sympathy votes.
Jason fans gather together Tuesday night and after two hours of calling in over 1000 times, we are sure that we managed to save him. And to this day, I think we really did manage to save him. The judges receive the results and guess who our top three are! David Archuleta, David Cook, and Jason Castro! Oh no, that won't do at all now, will it? So what do we do? We lie!!!! We give Jason --- the most unique, the sweetest, the one with the strongest personality, the guy with the cute eyes and awesome smile ---- the boot.
And Syesha, the undeserving twit, advances to the top three unfairly, leaving Jason to smile genuinely and "shoot the sheriff" one last time, entirely unaware that he deserves another week.
And now, after my excellent theory, ask yourself some questions: "How will the judges dispatch Syesha? Does she really have a fan base that they will need to take down by unfair criticism? Or does she really have none, making their lie about Jason even worse?" But keep in mind, whether she has a fan base or not, they will get rid of her. After all, even she manages to wow everyone and get all her votes, enough to boot one of the Davids, they can always just lie, right? What's the harm in a little lie?
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
American Idol: Top 4 Performances
Well, here we are and my heart if feeling quite heavy. I will recap last night (Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame), though it pains me to do it.
First came David Cook. He sang "Hungry Like a Wolf" and "Teenage Wasteland". The first performance had the judges wondering where David Cook was hiding the second had them proclaiming they had found him.
Second, Syesha Mercado sang "Proud Mary" and "A Change is Gonna Come". The first performance, in my opinion wasn't too great but the judges thought pretty well of it. The second was much better than the first but it still didn't wow me. Randy didn't like it but Paula and surprisingly, Simon, both loved it, leaving Randy looking stupid as Syesha begins to cry because she's so happy. I don't blame the girl, I mean, this is what American Idol is about, making dreams come true. It's just that the sobbing will get her some sympathy votes I didn't count on her getting.
Alright, we've reached the rather painful part of recap... Jason Castro. He starts with his rendition of "I Shot the Sheriff" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." The first song had me clapping and singing along but none of the judges were too impressed. The second song started out nicely but then flopped a bit as he forgot a sentence of lyrics. To his credit, he didn't stop, merely hummed along, but the judges took this as a time to kick a fallen man. Randy used one of his "limited vocabulary" phrases saying Jason wasn't "in the zone". Paula stated that she thought Jason could have done better but was glad that he tried to appeal to his audience and reach out through who he is. Typical Paula lingo. Simon, however, decided to take things to the next level of pain by telling Jason to "pack you suitcase". I am feeling a little worried at the moment but more about that in the summary after we discuss Mr. Perfection.
Last we had David Archuleta, wowing us all as usual, with "Stand By Me" and "Love Me Tender." The judges were all blown away and blah, blah, blah. We basically have our winner right here.
Summary: David Archuleta is automatically out of this discussion because for obvious reasons, he will be safe with uncontested ease. David Cook should have almost as much luck escaping the vice of Ryan's "stool declaration." So, using process of elimination, we have decided upon tonight's bottom two. From here, I can't (and would rather not) say. In my opinion, it could easily go either way. Syesha has never been known for having a great fan base but then again, she's lasted this long, maybe it won't matter. Jason, however, has always been strong. He has an amazingly huge fan base and even after his excruciating night left the show with the same goofy grin and the same devoted fans, chatting away happily online. So I have nothing more to say except for, "the votes are in and someone is out." Find out who tonight at 9:00 eastern on Fox.
First came David Cook. He sang "Hungry Like a Wolf" and "Teenage Wasteland". The first performance had the judges wondering where David Cook was hiding the second had them proclaiming they had found him.
Second, Syesha Mercado sang "Proud Mary" and "A Change is Gonna Come". The first performance, in my opinion wasn't too great but the judges thought pretty well of it. The second was much better than the first but it still didn't wow me. Randy didn't like it but Paula and surprisingly, Simon, both loved it, leaving Randy looking stupid as Syesha begins to cry because she's so happy. I don't blame the girl, I mean, this is what American Idol is about, making dreams come true. It's just that the sobbing will get her some sympathy votes I didn't count on her getting.
Alright, we've reached the rather painful part of recap... Jason Castro. He starts with his rendition of "I Shot the Sheriff" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." The first song had me clapping and singing along but none of the judges were too impressed. The second song started out nicely but then flopped a bit as he forgot a sentence of lyrics. To his credit, he didn't stop, merely hummed along, but the judges took this as a time to kick a fallen man. Randy used one of his "limited vocabulary" phrases saying Jason wasn't "in the zone". Paula stated that she thought Jason could have done better but was glad that he tried to appeal to his audience and reach out through who he is. Typical Paula lingo. Simon, however, decided to take things to the next level of pain by telling Jason to "pack you suitcase". I am feeling a little worried at the moment but more about that in the summary after we discuss Mr. Perfection.
Last we had David Archuleta, wowing us all as usual, with "Stand By Me" and "Love Me Tender." The judges were all blown away and blah, blah, blah. We basically have our winner right here.
Summary: David Archuleta is automatically out of this discussion because for obvious reasons, he will be safe with uncontested ease. David Cook should have almost as much luck escaping the vice of Ryan's "stool declaration." So, using process of elimination, we have decided upon tonight's bottom two. From here, I can't (and would rather not) say. In my opinion, it could easily go either way. Syesha has never been known for having a great fan base but then again, she's lasted this long, maybe it won't matter. Jason, however, has always been strong. He has an amazingly huge fan base and even after his excruciating night left the show with the same goofy grin and the same devoted fans, chatting away happily online. So I have nothing more to say except for, "the votes are in and someone is out." Find out who tonight at 9:00 eastern on Fox.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
American Idol: Top 4 Performance Predictions
Alright, so with tonight's performances looming in the horizon (2 hours and 47 minutes left) I wanted to go over a few things I have to say about what to expect.
1) Syesha is very, very talented. She has a strong voice, especially in the Broadway category of songs (as Randy points out every week). But, she doesn't really show much personality during her performances or interviews or anywhere else either. And I know American Idol a singing competition but I can see why the public would want a little more from a contestant. I personally think she's very sweet but her lack of personality may just end up being her downfall this week.
2) This week's theme is Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame which will probably (unfortunately) be good for David Cook. He generally has a rock n' roll style so he'll most likely manage to amaze everyone even though his voice has absolutely no quality. He is really starting to grate on me!
3) David Arculeta (as I already stated) will do not only well, not only great, but perfectly. That's it. There's no more to say.
4) Now to the subject I practically live and breathe to discuss! Jason Castro! Okay, we're really getting down to the line here. Every second could be his last (which I don't like to think about but it's true). I hope that he can pull off another "Hallelujah" or "Over the Rainbow" and then everyone will become re-infatuated with him (not that I ever wasn't but...) I can only hope that he took his own advice and either changed the song a lot or chose one that he's already familiar with.
So, as the seconds tick by and we sit on the respective edges of our respective seats, please find it in your heart to pray for Jason Castro! (And your own preference too, of course :)
1) Syesha is very, very talented. She has a strong voice, especially in the Broadway category of songs (as Randy points out every week). But, she doesn't really show much personality during her performances or interviews or anywhere else either. And I know American Idol a singing competition but I can see why the public would want a little more from a contestant. I personally think she's very sweet but her lack of personality may just end up being her downfall this week.
2) This week's theme is Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame which will probably (unfortunately) be good for David Cook. He generally has a rock n' roll style so he'll most likely manage to amaze everyone even though his voice has absolutely no quality. He is really starting to grate on me!
3) David Arculeta (as I already stated) will do not only well, not only great, but perfectly. That's it. There's no more to say.
4) Now to the subject I practically live and breathe to discuss! Jason Castro! Okay, we're really getting down to the line here. Every second could be his last (which I don't like to think about but it's true). I hope that he can pull off another "Hallelujah" or "Over the Rainbow" and then everyone will become re-infatuated with him (not that I ever wasn't but...) I can only hope that he took his own advice and either changed the song a lot or chose one that he's already familiar with.
So, as the seconds tick by and we sit on the respective edges of our respective seats, please find it in your heart to pray for Jason Castro! (And your own preference too, of course :)
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