[skf1]

Here we go again!

I'd like to say this is were it all gets great, but nah...I'll hold that for the Top 12...Although, I do love the Live Shows.
I do love watching them mess up, and looking for moments of pure brilliance.... (Well, at times it is more fun to watch Paula!)
As long as I get some cheese tonight, I'll be more than happy!

Like I said last week, I haven't really decided on who I like, due to not really hearing all our 'idols' in full.
So, I'm going to hold off on being nasty and mean and rude...(unless your name is Anto(twit)nella)..until after I have watched all the first round auditions..(Let me re-phrase) ...I'll try....

This weeks schedule TOTAL 5 HRS

- Tonight we have the guy's first round performances.
- Tomorrow evening (Wednesday), the girls first round performances
-Thursday Night. 1 hour result show

A long week me thinks!

Our TOP 12 guys for tonight...

AJ Tabaldo Age: 22 Santa Maria, CA
Blake Lewis Age: 25 Bothell, WA
Brandon Rogers Age: 28 N Hollywood, CA
Chris Richardson Age: 22 Chesapeake, VA
Chris Sligh Age: 28 Greenville, SC
Jared Cotter Age: 25 Kew Gardens, NY
Nicholas Pedro Age: 25 Taunton, MA
Paul Kim Age: 25 Saratoga, CA
Phil Stacey Age: 29 Jacksonville, FL
Rudy Cardenas Age: 28 N Hollywood, CA
Sanjaya Malakar Age: 17 Federal Way, WA
Sundance Head Age: 28 Porter, TX

LIVE

Lets hope Ryan has some new material this year...Wishful thinking on my part......

The show begins with the same 'ole same 'ole.. 'It's our best season ever' (Come up with something new!)
Ryan comes down the steps (shame he didn't trip) hi-fiving all the guys..
We now get introduced to all the guys.. (not really showing any nerves...yet!)
The ladies are at the side, getting ready to watch.

Ryan tells us we will lose 2 of tonights guys following the votes... (We're the real judges) lol..ok then...

We now get to the judges...
Ryan talks to Randy about taking heat this season...
Paula has her first snort...due to Ryan talking about her and her support for the contestants...
Ryan now talks about the grammy wins, number ones and validation of the show success in regards to former idols. (this addressed to Simon)

I wonder how many more times we'll hear that this season?

We get to watch the top 12 guys and their journey to the TOP 12.

Commercial - ('Are you smarter than a fifth grader.. ' Fox's new show...OH LORD!)

Prior to each performance, we hear from the guys...

Rudy Cardenas -

Nothing spectacular...in fact I'm hating this. A lot of screaming...Although to be first on...BAH
He is wearing a t-shirt with a target board on it...now where are my arrows....?

Randy - Hard to start. You got the party started, although that was really corney.
Paula - You started fantastic. It is hard. (How sweet Paula!)
Simon - I've never heard you do anything unique. Not a distintive voice. Dated song. Nothing for us to remember. You'll get lost in the mix.

Commercial

Ryan is in the red room talking with the guys. Chris says the guys (in preparing) are like a beauty pagent! lol

Brandon Rogers - Rock With You (Michael Jackson)

Can that guys eyes talk! Loving him already! (so cute also!) Shame...I wasn't that impressed withthe performance.....

Randy - Not your best performance - A little pitchy and weird
Paula - Great Job...(but agreed with Randy)
Simon - Great singer. Safe and predicable. As a back up singer you need to come out and make an impact. You're better than that.

Sundance Head - Nights in White Satin (Moody Blues/Various Artists)

Oh dear! I was hoping following the latter he would sound good! He sounds awful! There is no tone!! SWEAT GLAND ALERT!! (I'm really dissapointed)

Randy - One of my fav's in auditions. You've abandoned that. Out of tune.
Paula - Wrong song. Pitch was all over the place.
Simon - You've went right off. We loved the Bluesy side in auditions. It's like a Dad at a wedding performance. Very flat. You've lost what we liked. I didn't like you tonight.

Commercial

We are told Thursday bight, an AI alum will be appearing to reveal 'exciting news'...Don't hold you breath!

Paul Kim - Careless Whisper (George Michael)

The bare feet for me is going to where thin! I hate gimmicks!
Again I hated all of this! An ongoing trend? Have we possibly got the worst top 12 ever? I hope not!

Randy - You have one of the best voices - Didn't like this. I still see promise in you
Paula - You oversang the song. You were pitchy. Hopefully those people who like you will remember
Simon - Put your shoes on next week if you're still here. It's a singing competition. It was a very ordinary attempt.
A third rate version.

Ryan appears on stage without his shoes...
Simon says in the auditions alot of people had tried harder.

Chris Richardson - I Dont Wanna To Be (Gavin DeGraw)

Firstly, I liked this guy during his audition. He lives quite near me....NO NOT BIASED!
Well he did oversing this, but I quite liked it. Might be due to me liking this song! (Don't really care for the whole Justin Timberland crap though!)

Randy - The show just started. Not your best, not the perfect song. But you made it your own
Paula - Great arrangement. Like a new song.
Simon - I really liked you in auditions. Your voice was very small in that performance. The girls will vote for you, but on vocal it was below standard.

Commercial

Nicholas (Nick) Pedro - Now and Forever (Richard Marx)
Firstly, before he sings, another one I have liked...(Not because he looks like my other half (MY OH DOESN'T WEAR eyeliner!), but I loved his auditions! (this year and last)
I really loved this song One of my favorite Marx tracks.

Randy - It wasn't good for me. Boring. Where was 'Fly to me the Moon'
Paula - I think we were expecting something more...
Simon - I didn't think it was that bad! I think you're nervous. (PHEW..Simon agreed with me!!)...(then Paula backtracks and says the vocals were good.

To give Randy his notes...yeah...I suppose it was a boring choice though...

Commercial

Blake Lewis - Somewhere Only We Know (Keane)

This should be interesting. I don't think I've really heard him sing (beatbox aside!)
OK, this guy has a great voice! I really enjoyed this! (and no beatbox)

Randy - I was shocked you sang a Keane song. I dug it! I missed the beatbox!!
Paula - I'm very proud of you for your song choice. Great vocals
Simon - Not the best vocal. The difference between you and everyone else tonight is you sounded like you were in 2007. Best performance we have had tonight.

Commercial

Sanjaya Malakar - Knocks me Off my feet - (Stevie Wonder)

OK, I had been looking forward to this (as I had liked him)...This song contains the lyrics 'I don't wanna bore you'...He did and It really did...

Randy - I ddn't think it was very good. But this was all about song choice, it was really bad.
Paula - You have a nice voice, we need more force and personality.
Simon - Simon says, exactly what I posted above! (and for those who think I post after - wrong...I pause LIVE TV, after the performance and then play their comments.)
I go back and fix typos (I always miss some!)

Commericial

Chris (Sideshow Bob) Sligh - Typical (Mute Math)

I love his humour! Hey, this is really good! Not that I was expecting anything less! Jack Osbourne, this guy is NOT!
Maybe Weird Al...COULD YOU IMAGINE THE MARKETING SHOULD HE WIN!! PMSL

Randy - You were rushing, but it was all good. I'm a fan.
Paula - Song choice was great you were ahead in the chorus, so what.
Simon - Your humour has got you. I'm torn. I like you, Having said that, It was like being at a weird student gig. I really am struggling.
(Ryan and Simon have their first argument!)

Chis replies to [Simon's comment's] I wanted to something which was now, I could have sang Il Divo or Teletubbies...Simon says the latter would have been better.
This is funny ...with Simon accusing Ryan of making the whole situation uncomfortable. SIMON IS FUMING...(AND I THINK CHRIS IS REGRETTING THE COMMENT!) Oh dear! ...
...(and I don't think this was scripted...)

Commercial

Jared Cotter - Back at One (Brian McKnight)

Well following Chris, this was awful! I just didn't like it, although I am sure many will like it. I thought the start and ending were terrible.

Randy - Pretty good. I didn't like how you ended it. Bot your best.
Paula - I like when you do the more up-tempo songs
Simon - Very unadventurous. Nasally. You look good. You need to take a few more risks than that.

AJ Tabaldo - Never Too Much (Luther Vandross)

Some life in the show!
I like this guy. Maybe because I'm bored now, with all the lack lustre performances tonight, and dull songs, but this woke me up! I liked it!

Randy - Vocally it was pretty good. I don't think you have brought anything new
Paula - You can sing. The tone of your voice make the girls swoon...You did great
Simon - It was good. It did sound like a theme park performance. Very predictable. Choose a song more daring.
Maybe you're better than I originally though.

Commercial

Phil Stacey - I Could Not ask For More (Edwin McCain)

I wish we'd have finished with something uptempo, but alas no. I do like this song, but honestly this was nothing fantastic in my opinion. (Plus I prefer the Sara Evans version of this song!) But it was alright.....YAWN

Randy - It started rough, You get the best vocal props of the night. In tune, rich etc
Paula - The chorus was when you opened up. It was great
Simon - Beginning was monstrous. Not the best vocal. I'm comparing that to past seasons. It was OK.

Ryan and Simon have another argument.
Oh, on his sign off, he thanks Paula and Randy, the guys, the band and the viewers at home.
....and so it ends. It's strange but I don't think any of this was scripted, you'll see when you watch. (One thing omitted from the above was when Simon refered to Ryan as sweetheart...It didn't go down well...
...then again, I know an element of script is used...but...just watch, make your own minds up!

In all, I'm not amazed by any of the guys tonight. This for me was a pretty boring night.

I won't pick the 2 guys to go (I usually do!). It is so hard! America will decide. I may or may not agree.
NOTE: I'M NOT VOTING!!

I'll be back tomorrow night to recap the girls, hopefully a better night in regards to vocals. Until then.

Enjoy - Steph

[GREATGUY]

Thanks Steph

I listened to all the audios, not very impressive tonight was it? i expected to hate Blake but he was my favourite from what i heard, Chris s sounded pretty good too the rest , well, i might not bother downloading the show and just watch it on friday, not too thrilled at the prospect of sitting through the full performances right now, hopefully the girls will be better tomorrow.

[skf1]

Originally Posted by GREATGUY

Thanks Steph

I listened to all the audios, not very impressive tonight was it? i expected to hate Blake but he was my favourite from what i heard

Yeah, it was really uneventful. A very dissapointing opening for the live shows.
Yep, Blake was my fave also. I liked him a lot. This is going to be a hard one to call.

I'm pretty sure Paul Kim will be one of the two guys to leave. (If not I'll be shocked!) The other...?? That's a close one! ...Blake and Chris are safe....I'll go that far!

What is with this 30 min edit! It used to be an hour!! Apoligizes for any typos! (I was trying to clean it up!)

Steph

[billiesmith]

Thanks for that Steph Although it sounds a disappointing start to the first live show.

[Diamonds_R]

This show was horrible.
Vote for the worst has their work cut out for them; there are too many to choose from.
It looks like AI stacked the deck so a woman will win this year.

[steg1988]

I hope the girls will do better!!

[Coolies]

Thanks Steph, Can't wait to see the exchange between Simon and Chris.

[Dark Drums]

Originally Posted by skf1

I'm pretty sure Paul Kim will be one of the two guys to leave.

Sorry, but this guy is terriable. How a 55th rate Usher wannabe made it anywhere the final 24 is beyond me.

Woo-yeah-wooooooooooooo-baby-yeah-wooooooo

[skf1]

Originally Posted by Diamonds_R

This show was horrible.
Vote for the worst has their work cut out for them; there are too many to choose from.
It looks like AI stacked the deck so a woman will win this year.

Well, VFTW are backing...Sundance Head, on the men side.
"Though we have to admit, we LOVED Chris Sligh's comment to Simon. But he sang too well. So it's gotta be ManBearPig. So awful, so let's help keep him in! "

How pathetic! If they really wanted to prove they have 'power' they should be backing someone like Paul Kim! Pratts!

Steph

[KBBJ]

Thanks for the thorough review, Steph. haven't seen the performances yet but I'm afraid I'll have to keep backing Sanjaya for the boys (not the best voice, but still my favourite singer) out of sheer stubborness. Look forward to seeing what you have to say about the girls.

Cheers! :-)

[T--SJ]

Hopefully it was just nerves, but mostly, the men were disappointing.

I didn't care for the first singer Rudy tonight, but honestly? By the time they did the playback of song clips, he wasn't that bad by comparison to some of the others.

We decided that several of them belong in a boy band together: Rudy, Nick and Jared with Jared having a bit more of the lead than the other two.

As for the others...

Brandon had a nice tone to his voice but was off in several places. I agree with the judges who said that he oversang parts of it-- just the way a backup singer would do, but as a lead vocalist, he needs to just sing melody without embellishment.

Sundance slaughtered a good song and was urged to go back to singing the style he sang at the auditions (blues). If he can't diversify, I suspect he won't last too long.

Paul Kim - not great, but still taller than Ryan in his bare feet.

Chris Richardson - probably the best up to this point. Nice presentation, pretty much on pitch, but I don't really like his voice.

Blake - definitely one of the best. Threw the judges by just singing w/out the beatbox. Told them that was his strategy: to show them he could sing. How refreshing! LOL! Good job!

Sanjaya - I think he's at a disadvantage agewise, because he is by far the youngest. He didn't really know how to interpret the song, picked one that wasn't great and smiled his way through it... The whole effect was rather flat.

Chris Sligh - Very good performance- along with Blake, among the best. I'm looking forward to seeing more from him. It was interesting to see Simon's reaction to Chris's comment & hard to read exactly what he was thinking. Hopefully, after this, it will be more about Chris's singing.

AJ Tabaldo - Just barely better than the boy band guys... well, heck.. w/a name like "AJ" maybe he should be in a boy band with the other three.

Phil - So many of the guys had a hoarseness to their voices. Phil's at least sounded fuller, but not as rich as it could have on this song. Looks usually don't bother me, but something about how very bald he is with such dark eyebrows kept making me wonder if he's naturally bald and why he looked so much like Britney Spears... so, I was kind of distracted from listening.

My druthers: Form a boy band AJ, Nick, Jared and Rudy. They'd do pretty well and then, we are already down to only eight guys.

[icefan]

It will be interesting to see if Chris turns into the Breanna of this year's group - snappy comebacks, but ultimately annoying.

The problem with Rudy is that you couldn't even remember him after he sang, never mind after several of the others did their performances. When they did the recap, suddenly remembered he was there.

Not a good sign.

Judging by the performances, it was all too safe and bland.

I think Sanjaya will get through this week, if only because he can get the younger vote. But he really wasn't all that good. If he stays, then it will be Rudy and Sundance who get cut tomorrow.

I just hope the gals are better tonight.

[Xarquol]

Originally Posted by skf1

Chris replies to [Simon's comment's] I wanted to something which was now, I could have sang Il Divo or Teletubbies...Simon says the latter would have been better.
This is funny ...with Simon accusing Ryan of making the whole situation uncomfortable. SIMON IS FUMING...(AND I THINK CHRIS IS REGRETTING THE COMMENT!) Oh dear! ...
...(and I don't think this was scripted...)

No, not scripted at all by the look of it. I just watched it again. When Chris makes his comment, Simon gulps and does not look happy at all. Simon's response is perhaps slightly stronger than you originally wrote. He says, "Chris, you could always do the latter", i.e. "you fat b*****d".

I also noted on second viewing that after the Simon calling Ryan "sweetheart" thing, which was just before Chris's comment, they started playing the AI theme as if the judging segment was over and Ryan should now move on to giving out the phone number. I don't know if starting the music was a mistake, or if Ryan's reaction to the sweetheart thing was also an ad-lib, and the director went with it, fading down the AI theme and letting them continue. That could explain why Simon blamed Ryan for making things uncomfortable, as it was he that gave Chris the opportunity to have his say.

[jmsjmsjms]

I've found my way back to American Idol this season. I haven't seen much of the auditions episodes, so I don't really know who the people are this year. I liked the guy named Blake last night. That's pretty much it.

[skf1]

Originally Posted by Xarquol

No, not scripted at all by the look of it. I just watched it again. When Chris makes his comment, Simon gulps and does not look happy at all. Simon's response is perhaps slightly stronger than you originally wrote. He says, "Chris, you could always do the latter", i.e. "you fat b*****d".

I also noted on second viewing that after the Simon calling Ryan "sweetheart" thing, which was just before Chris's comment, they started playing the AI theme as if the judging segment was over and Ryan should now move on to giving out the phone number. I don't know if starting the music was a mistake, or if Ryan's reaction to the sweetheart thing was also an ad-lib, and the director went with it, fading down the AI theme and letting them continue. That could explain why Simon blamed Ryan for making things uncomfortable, as it was he that gave Chris the opportunity to have his say.

Well you know, I don't know the ages of those who read the recaps, so I thought I would tame it down (just incase of minors)

Yeah, Ryan really did take the sweetheart remark very personally.
What is funny, for those who don't know, is last nights show wasn't actually live. The show was recorded at the weekend. It doesn't actually go LIVE until the top 12.
So basically Fox kept all that in.
Personally, I don't think it does Chris any favours in going after a judge so early in the season. Look what happened with Brenna last year! (Although I am certain he is safe...for now)

Oh and on the surprise guest on Thursday's result show (which is LIVE) It is Fantasia.
Fantasia will step into the role of Miss Celie in the Broadway production of “The Color Purple.”
I suspect that is what she is announcing.

Steph

[Xarquol]

Originally Posted by skf1

Yeah, Ryan really did take the sweetheart remark very personally.

That in itself seemed to me like the usual banter between Ryan and Simon, though we don't know if it had led on from something before the show.

Originally Posted by skf1

What is funny, for those who don't know, is last nights show wasn't actually live. The show was recorded at the weekend. It doesn't actually go LIVE until the top 12.
So basically Fox kept all that in.

I wondered if they did that, since recording the girls and boys together makes for two working days instead of three, so you can understand why they would do it.

Less understandable was why Pop Idol used to record the singing bits at the same stage on Wednesday (I think) afternoons, even though that meant coming in on two days instead of one, and everyone having to wear the same clothes for the live results show on the Saturday evening.

I imagine they record American Idol "as live" though, and only re-do bits if there are horrendous mistakes, like Paula being incoherent. Wait a minute...

[ThePulse]

Pretty much agree with the appraisals above. I watched this & then the girls performances back to back last night -- WOW, the difference was pretty major

I love Blake though, hot AND a good voice

Really didn't like Chris and his pissy attitude, frankly I want him to get the boot sooner rather than later