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I don't get the whole Blake craze. He's not a great vocalist. He's good...but not great. He's certainly not in Lakisha or Melinda's league in terms of vocal ability. He is "different" (for some reason people seem to think that different equates talent) and has good stage presence but when it comes down to actually having to SING (NOT BEE BOP) some of these genre songs and songs of specific artists (like Diana Ross next week) we're going to see how good Blake really is. With the talent pool that is left it should be a Blake, Melinda, Lakisha final. Melinda and Lakisha will split the vote for the final 2 but the Melinda/Lakisha winner should win the whole thing because they are both leagues apart from the remaining 10. But honestly...talent is talent and as long as Melinda and Lakisha are in the top 3...let Blake win. I'd rather Melinda/Lakisha not be tied into that stupid American Idol contract.
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When you let fear control you it takes root very quickly and feeds upon itself until all you are is afraid
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I'd have to disagree with you, mdterp. I think Blake sings well. The last two weeks didn't showcase the voice as much as the first, though. He needs to remind us of the voice. Hopefully he'll do that next week. In addition to his voice he's an undeniably appealing entertainer. (OK, and his bootie gives me wet dreams.)
To a degree, it is a subjective call.
And while I believe Lakisha can blow, I'm not sure she can bring it down to an intimate level. I also respect her as a performer. She's wonderful.
Hands down, however, Doolittle has full range -- both vocally and emotionally. I really dig her, irrespective of her no-neckness.
Personally I would be delighted if Brandon piped up next week to show the promise of his earliest audition round performance. He's not done it yet...
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I didn't say Blake didn't sing well. As a matter of fact I said he has a "good" voice. I said he doesn't have a GREAT voice. Lakisha has a GREAT voice. Melinda has a GREAT voice. Unfortunately, Blake is the best of the guys and well...when a guy who has a "good" voice or who sings "well" is the frontrunner for the guys...that says a lot about either the lack of talent that was available on the men's side this year or the complete lack of judgment by the judges to let these people in the final 12. I'm still tryin to figure out how Sanjaya got into the semis. His audition was nice but semifinal nice? I can't imagine he did that well to get into the semis and has laid a total egg thus far.
This post has been edited by mdterp01: Mar 9 2007, 03:33 PM
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When you let fear control you it takes root very quickly and feeds upon itself until all you are is afraid
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three ghastly performances, and sangaya is in the top 12. what a joke.
sangaya is probably the worst and most undeserving top 12 finalist ever! i'll rather have antoiletta in the top 12 at least, antoiletta is easy on the eyes. that sangaya is just creepy!
blake lewis is good. and he's hot. i hope either lakisha or melinda wins it. but i won't complain if it's blake.
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I think Blake is a terrific and versatile vocalist, and also has that star quality so often talked about and yearned for...that shouldn't be underestimated in a contest like this. In fact, as far as that goes, Blake is head and shoulders above anyone else in so-called 'star quality' and certainly in originality.
I do believe that Melinda is the truly great vocalist amongst this crowd...and without a doubt the woman to beat. She's already an accomplished artist in my mind...and I say she's just getting started!
Lakisha's "And I'm Telling You..." wasn't nearly as great as the judges seem to think, in my opinion, but she has a great big voice (she controlled it beautifully during "I Have Nothing") and something endearingly sweet about her...Will she keep getting compared to J-Hud? Is she as good? Lakisha's going to go far but depending on her performances, she could hit a wall far sooner than the other two front runners.
I still hope Brandon steps out of his backup singer shoes and wows us..
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QUOTE(TheOtherFSU @ Mar 9 2007, 12:05 PM)
Yeah, Carrie's performance was very odd to say the least. As she was walking on stage, her facial expressions clearly indicated she didn't want to be there. Then one quick song and off she went without speaking. Weird.
That there was no interview was, for me, refreshing. Now if she could have walked on and off without singing...or better yet, not appear at all...
And who was that little twerp in the middle in the Idol contest? The one which asked which singer has the #1 album?
QUOTE
My least favorite moment? Learning that the final 6 will sing inspirational songs. Ugh. That has 'awful' written all over it.
Maudlin, cheesy, cringe-inducing...and then the next night, Borat???? Like I said, Train Wreck Television!
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Anyone who thinks Sanjaya is the worst Idol finalist ever must have a short memory.
I humbly offer Julia DeMato, Jon Peter Lewis, Melissa McGhee, Kevin Covais... or worse, Camile Velasco.
Camile and Julia were particularly horrible. And neither was ever good... not even in the prelims. At least Sanjaya's audition and Hollywood performances were fairly good. Julia even had the audacity to release a single awhile back... it fared poorly and her record company dropped her without allowing her to record a full CD. Julia today is more known for 2005 run-ins with the law (DUI, cocaine possession and marijuana possession) than for her singing. Thank god.
This post has been edited by TheOtherFSU: Mar 9 2007, 08:26 PM
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Blake does have star quality that is for sure and he is definitely original. Its just going to be interesting to see how he particularly does when they have to go into the different genre's of music. I think Melinda can sing anything given to her. Lakisha could use work in some areas. She's definitely got a powerful voice but sometimes she has pitchy spots. Melinda is definitely the one to beat. I went back and listened to Blake's first performance when America starting voting and his first song was all singing and no bee bop and it actually was pretty good. When the contestants get into the different genres we are able to see their true range and versatility. I think they are all gonna have their struggles. I just can't see Blake bee bopping to Diana Ross next week but if he finds a way and pulls it off it will set him apart from everyone else. If he can continue to do that and it be believable and original then he will be in the final 2. But as Simon says...its a singing competition. Star quality doesn't equal great vocal talent. Then again if some of the other winners had star quality their albums probably would have sold better. Lord knows people are attracted to different things for different reasons. We shall see.
Anywho...off to bed. I begin my spring project tomorrow. I finally wore the boyfriend down and convinced him to go along with re-decorating our bedroom and I'm off to pick up paint palettes and look at furniture. Sometimes I wonder if my boyfriend is gay. He's so not into this stuff. Stereotypical I know but he's such a "man's man" that at times, I find myself wondering if he's a closet heterosexual
This post has been edited by mdterp01: Mar 9 2007, 10:10 PM
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When you let fear control you it takes root very quickly and feeds upon itself until all you are is afraid
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ESPNBill, I love your predictions. Of course, there's no way of telling, but your analysis of all the contestants and their chances is quite sound. Since my predictions suck worse than Sanjaya's performances, I would never risk guessing the placements of all 12 contestants, but I will venture a take on the final 5:
5. Chris Richardson. I don't really see why Simon believes in this guy so much, but he's the multizillionaire recording executive, and I'm ... not. I like this kid - he's cute, he comes off as very genuine and likeable, he looked pretty damn good in a pair of shorts during his initial audition ... BUT, his voice seems limited, not a lot of power or range, doesn't seem adaptable to the crazy range of different styles demanded by all the theme weeks. He'll get by on the qualities I mentioned earlier, but as The Judges remind us ad infinitum, this is a singing competition.
4. Stephanie. This girl has some serious star power and a lot of maturity for her 19 years. I see her really blossoming under the tutelage of the voice and performance coaches, and she'll own that big stage instead of being overwhelmed by it. But alas, the black diva/R&B singer voting demographic can only be split so many ways, and with powerhouses Lakisha and Melinda as competition, Stephanie fades away.
3. Lakisha. She's my favorite, by a mile. There is something both so likeable and lovable about her, plus she's a damn good singer. But I have to wonder how versatile she is. Obviously she excels at the power diva thing, but we haven't seen her do much else, and I don't know if she's capable of it.
2. Melinda. A Blake/Melinda finale will have Idol Nation abuzz. Melinda has the best voice of the competition, perhaps the best voice in Idol history, but Blake goes gangbusters in all the other requirements for success - a cool look, a cute smile, an engaging personality, performance skills, dancing, and of course, the hottest little rump in Idol history. Melinda goes into the finale as the slight favorite, but the largest contingent of AI voters (teeny/tweeny girls) is gaga for the much younger and hipper Blake.
1. Blake. After seeing Carrie Underwood the other night, like she almost didn't want to be there, I almost have to wonder if future Idol contestants would rather place 2/3/4 instead of number 1. Sure, the Idol gets the million dollars, but the vast majority of the profits from their first album goes to 19 Entertainment. Although Carrie's appearance meant even more sales of her already quintuple-platinum album, what does she care since she's getting so little of it? Meanwhile, Chris Daughtry's album was the fastest Idol alum debut to go platinum, he has a much more favorable contract, and he got to make the album he wanted, as opposed to being pressured to do something more pop-oriented. With that in mind, I hope I'm wrong about the 1/2 results. Melinda needs the boost of being the Season 6 American Idol whereas Blake will do just fine on his own.
<channeling Linda Richman> OK gents, has there been a contestant in the previous five seasons of Idol with a better voice than Melinda? And has there been a contestant with a hotter little bubble butt than Blake??
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Why is everybody trashing on Sanjaya? True, he lacks charisma for the stage. He's dull. I agree. But this kid can sing! He has a voice which is a cross between Stevie Wonder and Tevin Campbell, and I will bet anyone he gets a recording contract immediately after being eliminated from Idol.
You know there were a lot of recording stars who sounded great on the radio but who could not perform live. Wasn't Whitney Houston one of them? Some performers are better suited for the studios. Sanjaya could be one of those. But again, he is still only 17. He has time to mature and open up as a performer.
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I'm sorry. I don't know what kind of wax you have in your ears but Sanjaya has not sung well any of his performances since the semis began...certainly not well enough to be in the top 12. He did nicely in the auditions but come on...I don't care if he's young and not quite mature. You have to bring it now and if he needs time to develop he needs to be voted off and given time to possibly come back next year or somethin. Right now its just not good.
And Whitney Houston can't sing live? Who told you that lie? Proof positive of that is her performance of the Star Spangled Banner opening the Super Bowl one year. That was live and the best rendition of one of the hardest songs to sing...EVER!!!
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QUOTE(mdterp01 @ Mar 10 2007, 10:43 PM)
I'm sorry. I don't know what kind of wax you have in your ears but Sanjaya has not sung well any of his performances since the semis began...certainly not well enough to be in the top 12. He did nicely in the auditions but come on...I don't care if he's young and not quite mature. You have to bring it now and if he needs time to develop he needs to be voted off and given time to possibly come back next year or somethin. Right now its just not good.
And Whitney Houston can't sing live? Who told you that lie? Proof positive of that is her performance of the Star Spangled Banner opening the Super Bowl one year. That was live and the best rendition of one of the hardest songs to sing...EVER!!!
Actually I should clarify. From what I remember hearing, early on Whitney Houston did not sound as well in concert as she did in her albums or of course on the radio. By in concert, I mean inside like in an arena or auditorium, not outdoors like at the Super Bowl.
This post has been edited by amazin12: Mar 10 2007, 09:18 PM
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Well if William Hung can get a contract I suppose there is hope for anyone but what studio in their right mind would give Sanjaya a contract. Stevie Wonder would tell his assistant to hold you while he slapped you silly if you told him Sanjaya has a voice that resembles his. And while Whitney may have had her early struggles performing in concert, Sanjaya is not and will never be anywhere in Whitney Houston's league. If we are going by Sanjaya's singing right now with the excuse that he's immature and needs time to develop I could line the streets of NY with just as many teeny boppers who have his same limited vocal ability.
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When you let fear control you it takes root very quickly and feeds upon itself until all you are is afraid
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amazin, I think what you might be saying is that Whitney was known to be a bit stiff early in her career performance wise and physically on stage, it wasn't about her voice not being up to par, not at all...how can anyone forget her complete upstaging of mariah at the oscars when they sang together...mariah's nerves got the best of her and whitney power sang like nobody's business...!
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I haven't seen an article about this, so I don't know if it's true, but on a morning radio show I heard, during the celebrity gossip segment, that Simon said that if Sanjaya ends up winning, he will not return to next years show.
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Not that I in any way endorse a comparison between the great Whitney Houston and Sanjaya, but ...
Whitney's "Star-Spangled Banner" was lip-synced to a pre-recorded track; it was not performed live. It's very common at large, open-air stadium events because the performer(s) cannot possibly hear themselves sing.
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Got to agree with Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul with regards to my two favorites to listen to: Stephanie Edwards and Chris Richardson, respectively.
Edwards does not need to follow big voices. It only diminishes her talent - which is greater than that of a lot of big voiced women but makes her seem to project inadequately. I would love to hear hear her sing something by Roberta Flack, but Diana Ross might not be a bad choice either. Flack does far more intricate difficult melodies but Edwards is so much the better singer than Ross that she would at least sound better singing anything by her.
Richardson on the other hand does sing through his nose. Personally I am not a snob about that in his case because he sings from the heart. But I think he may actually have a voice singing from his chest and downward: what is commonly referred to as the diaphragm though I think a lot more is involved in producing that sound. Ironically one of his favorite singers is a frequent collaborator of Flacks: Donnie Hathaway. Which only confirms his good taste IMO. Hathaway's voice would be a good role model. He should listen to how rounded it is.
Melinda Doolittle doesn't need anyones advice. She probably wouldn't take it anyhow. I love her personality but I still think the innocent schtick is going to wear if she isn't careful. She has shown sparks of an uncoventional, naughty humor that I think much better reflects the real her. She doesn't need to demure.
This post has been edited by sportinlife: Mar 13 2007, 04:48 PM
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Yikes...Brandon is DONE!! You forgot the words to your song...a DIANA ROSS SONG NO LESS!!! And what was that dancing bit. Brotha you are making us look bad. You are supposed to have more rhythm than that. I was hoping he'd bring it tonight but a complete disappointment which means that horror Sanjaya will probably be safe again. I would've rather seen Brandon go and Sundance make it to the top 12. Brandon has pretty much been a disappointment the whole way. The judges and myself kept cutting him slack because his audition showed he has a good voice. But he just hasn't had that "wow" performance. They've been ok but no spark. I guess there is a reason he's a background singer.
OH MY GOD...I AM ROLLING @ more hidden (well not so hidden really) gay comments from Simon to Ryan. Ryan asked Simon "so what do you think about the high heels Simon". Simon responds "well you would know Ryan". Ryan then says "Stay out of my closet" to which Simon responds "Come out" ROFLMAO!!!! FUNNIEST THING EVER!!!!!! LOL...Ryan walked right into that one!!!!
Melinda performed strong as usual. Great vocal. That girl could sing the dictionary and make it sound good.
Hold the horn on Brandon going!!! See...I was afraid of this night because of this weak top 12 butchering the songs of one of my favorite artists. Chris...you truly did MURDER Endless Love with that version. That was god awful GHASTLY!!! Different doesn't mean good and that didn't work for me AT ALL!! LOL @ Simon's "the boos are light" which I think confirmed that most people thought that sucked. Thats a very recognizable song so trying to do something Coldplay-ish with it was a risk, and unfortunately it didn't pay off.
Gina did ok with Love Child but it was like she was on Vicodin. Simon is right..it was forgettable but after Brandon and Chris...good enough to give her another week. Ugh...thats the kind of song that allows you to just let loose and have fun with. Very stiff. Melinda is the only standout so far.
Sanjaya is next. I'm seriously contemplating if I want to hear him murder a Diana Ross song. Jesus Christ Sanjaya. Why the f**k are you still on this show? Of all the Diana songs, you had to pick one of my favorites and MURDERED IT!!!! Another song that you are supposed to let loose on and you KILLED IT!! Diana has had her issues with alcohol and lord knows she is probably wrestling her maid for the key to the liquor cabinet as we speak.
This post has been edited by mdterp01: Mar 13 2007, 07:50 PM
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When you let fear control you it takes root very quickly and feeds upon itself until all you are is afraid
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Brandon absolutely did NOTHING with his chance.
I adore Melinda. I would SO buy anything she recorded! Just adore her...And she looks radiant. Adore, adore.
Sligh was pretty good to me. Judges didn't love it, but I liked the arrangement. It was different. I disagree with them. Thought he might do better, though...
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QUOTE(EricNC @ Mar 14 2007, 12:29 AM)
Brandon absolutely did NOTHING with his chance.
I adore Melinda. I would SO buy anything she recorded! Just adore her...And she looks radiant. Adore, adore.
Sligh was pretty good to me. Judges didn't love it, but I liked the arrangement. It was different. I disagree with them. Thought he might do better, though...
Best Buy Sligh THAT WAS A DISASTER!
Simon was right. You committed murder tonight.
You murdered a classic love song!
This post has been edited by amazin12: Mar 13 2007, 07:33 PM
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Ya know..at this point in the show...Brandon's totally forgetting the words doesn't seem that bad compared to the absolute crap the rest of the contestants have put up (minus Melinda).
Ok I have to find all the Diana Ross songs these mothasuckas are destroying tonight to try and erase my mind of the horrors I've heard tonight. Hailey...I don't care what kind of presence you have; its a singing competition and it was another lackluster peformance.
This post has been edited by mdterp01: Mar 13 2007, 08:04 PM
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QUOTE(EricNC @ Mar 14 2007, 12:40 AM)
Aw, amazin, it wasn't that bad...
Gina's Love Child is unoriginal from first to last note. I'd love to like her, but not feelin her.
Where's Blake('s butt)?
Sorry Eric. I go back with that song. I was a teeny-bopper in 1980 and I was into ballads like those. Chris Sligh should've just sang another song or sing the song as it was meant to be .... a ballad.
There was no need to twist the arrangement all around.
Meanwhile Sanjaya....speak up kid! You are talking lyrics instead of singing them. Why???? I think he's in trouble with that performance.
I guess Sundance must be laughing at his TV set after that performance by Sanjaya.
LOL!! HALEY FELL ON HER FACE!
SHE BUTCHERED THE WORDS!
Uh-oh here comes the cancer patient.
These may be the worse top 12 Idols ever.
This post has been edited by amazin12: Mar 13 2007, 08:00 PM
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QUOTE(amazin12 @ Mar 14 2007, 12:58 AM)
There was no need to twist the arrangement all around.
Except that it was risky and original. I liked that.
And Honey, I was a teeny bopper in 1980 too, but just listening to the vocals, I believe Marci (so apt) did well. And he get points for originality. At least for me...
Haley. Eeeee. The first phrases were actually beautiful. But she fell flat on her ass. I did love her dress...I think she stole it from my daughter's closet. Yes those chandelier earrings were mine.
This post has been edited by EricNC: Mar 13 2007, 08:07 PM
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1 hour and 8 minutes into the show and we've had 2 good performers in Melinda and Phil. That was very nice Phil, although he has a tendency to SHOUT!! Good job...not GREAT because again, where is the emotion for a song like that. It was just good. Overall its been a crappy night.
Simon is right. Its Melinda, Lakisha, and then the rest of them. Not even Blake and his so called bubble butt, bee bopping ass can compare vocally. Jordin and Stephanie are good but don't match the vocal power of Melinda and Lakisha.
Oh boy...Blake is gonna put a "modern spin" on a Diana song. Don't screw it up with some bee boppin mess boy.
This post has been edited by mdterp01: Mar 13 2007, 08:25 PM
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When you let fear control you it takes root very quickly and feeds upon itself until all you are is afraid
American Idol - Season Six
Mar 9 2007, 12:55 PM
