Digital Brainwaves

American Idol 3/11 (Liveblogged!)

Mar 11, 2008 That's Hot

Lennon and McCartney songs tonight on Idol!

• Whoa, new intro video package. HD?
• Damn, new set, too. The band kinda surrounds the top of the stage.
• Mosh pit? This will get dangerous.
• “Button it up, there are kids watching!”
• They’ve gone 6 minutes and haven’t started a song yet… though, they’ve got time to work with, as they packed 8 into an hour last week, and only need to do as much as 6 this week.
• Simon full of insight.
  1. Syesha Mercado – “Gotta Get You In To My Life” – Wasn’t sure she was on key at first; still sounds flat early, but gets better. Once she finds the right key, sounds pretty good. Pretty solid.
• Chikezie’s friends were apparently rather evil to Paula at airport security.
  2. Chikezie – “She’s A Woman” – O Chikezie Where Art Thou? I don’t know this song, but it sounds pretty rockin’. Nice touch with the stuttering in the middle. Best performance so far (not that that says much with only two gone so far, but still, damned good).
• Chikezie’s obviously impressed and enthused that Simon loved the show.
  3. Ramiele Malubay – “In My Life” – Some parts sound pitchy to me, but not by enough to sour the performance overall. It’s not as zomgawesome as Chikezie’s was, but it wasn’t bad. Very safe performance, nothing added to it. Randy has it covered — “kinda pretty, but kinda pretty boring…”
  4. Jason Castro – “If I Fell” – I don’t know this song either. It sounds a smidge pitchy in the middle. This isn’t doing much for me either, especially how he fades out and cracks the vocal a little.
  5. Carly Smithson – “Come Together” – Great performance. Rockin’ and confident. One of the early favorites to go to the top few spots at the end.
  6. David Cook – “Eleanor Rigby” – sans guitar this week, it’s still modern rock version of the song, and it sounds great again. Another favorite to go far.
• Paula thinks David Cook’s a “dark horse” to win? How can you be the dark horse from a top-three starting spot? He’s at least that good.
  7. Brooke White – “Let It Be” – One early sour note, hopefully the piano doesn’t cripple her too much. Not bad. It’s a good performance, and worth a vote, but not outstanding.
• Andy Ihnatko weighs in on American Idol contestants singing Beatles songs.
  8. David Hernandez – “I Saw Her Standing There” – Kinda all over the place with pitch. Just kinda “meh” to me, nothing great.
• Simon, to the ever-booing-at-him audience: “Oh, shut up.” Here here.
  9. Amanda Overmyer – “You Can’t Do That” – Pitch is all over the place. You almost miss it with the rocker style, but it’s not on key at all. I’m having trouble following it.
  10. Michael Johns – “Across The Universe” – Tough song to do with the long notes, but he did good. Could do with out some of the vibrato on every long note.
  11. Kristy Lee Cook – “Eight Days A Week” – Countrified, and sounds good. Excellent adaptation of a song to one’s preferred style. I like, despite the comments of the judges.
  12. David Archuleta – “We Can Work It Out” – I think he forgot a lyric. He’ll stick around from his massive fan base, but this was not a good showing at all.

I’m casting votes for: Syesha (1), Chikezie (2), Carly (5), David C. (6), Brooke (7), Michael (10), Kristy (11)

Predictions:
Bottom three: Ramiele, David H. and Kristy
Going home: Kristy