AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS 12/5/11

Just a few pictures from tonight’s American Country Awards…

Carrie looking cute as always:

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood won for Single of the Year by a Female Artist – Mama’s Song!  YAY CARRIE!

Jordin Sparks

Jordin looked great…loved the dark dress!

Josh Turner & Jordin Sparks

Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreary

LAUREN ALAINA: Georgia Peaches (Regis & Kelly) 10/13/11

American Idol‘s Lauren Alaina debuted her first single, Georgia Peaches, on Live with Regis & Kelly this week.

I bought Lauren’s album, Wildflower…and I gotta say…GOOD JOB Lauren!  It’s a good CD!  This first single is a great song…really upbeat and catchy!

Oh, and BTW…Lauren looks like she lost some weight…she looks GREAT!

Enjoy!

LAUREN ALAINA: Tonight Show – Backstage 5/26/11

Here’s a behind-the-scenes interview with Lauren Alaina after she was a guest on The Tonight Show.

Lauren’s as cute as usual. We get to see her mom for a bit too.

Poor Piers Morgan will never live it down about the AGT rejection of Lauren.

Enjoy!

AMERICAN IDOL 10: Top 2 Performances + Finale + *POLL*

Just some quick thoughts about the last performance night & finale:

• ROUND ONE:  Tough call…Both Scotty & Lauren picked great choices (Gone and Flat on the Floor), but I think I’ll have to give it to Scotty.  Gone really was his BEST performance, imo.  That was the one where I really respected Scotty and felt like he was deserving of making it that far/even winning.
• ROUND TWO:  Scotty’s song was good…but not outstanding.  Love that Carrie got to pick for Lauren…Thought Lauren sounded so pretty singing that song.  Will give that round to Lauren.
• ROUND THREE:  Umm…really didn’t think Scotty’s song was that great.  The song was pretty boring…plus Scotty already doesn’t do as well with ballads than he does upbeat songs.  Lauren’s song?  Great!  So emotional and it was just a better song.  Great job Lauren!  Round Three to you!

So overall, I really thought Lauren pulled ahead.  ESPECIALLY considering her voice wasn’t all there.  Couldn’t believe she burst a vocal chord like that!  I’m always amazed at how singers can have a “barely there” talking voice, yet still pull out the big notes when they sing!  Great job Lauren!

Now the finale.  Overall it was an entertaining show:

• To be honest, I really didn’t care about the other contestants and their duets/performances with other musical artists.
• Scotty singing with Tim McGraw…Somehow I felt like that wasn’t the best pairing.  Tim’s almost too popish for Scotty’s tastes.  Seemed almost like they placed Scotty with Tim ’cause no other more “countryish” guy was able to come on and perform with him.  But they sounded totally fine together.

• Lauren performing Before He Cheats with Carrie…AWESOME!  I had been calling the duet for weeks!  Carrie ALWAYS shows up on Idol at least once each season.  This season she still hadn’t made an appearance, and I knew she was attending the finale, so I figured…she’s GOTTA sing with Lauren!  How many seasons do we have ONE country singer, let alone TWO!  Good thing Lauren already idolized Carrie.  Great pairing!  They sounded great together!  Cute how Carrie really didn’t try to overshadow Lauren…she really gave Lauren every opportunity to shine during their duet.  So classy of Carrie.  Oh, and BTW…boy did Carrie look TANNED!  Especially her legs!  Quite dark!

• Lady GaGa’s performance?  Although she sounded great AS USUAL, it WAS a bit…RISQUE for the American Idol stage.  But…I guess it IS Lady GaGa.  Wouldn’t have it any other way…right?

And the winner is:

SCOTTY!

I kinda pegged Scotty as the winner already from weeks ago…although I do think Lauren pulled up close these last few weeks.  I do think the judges really praising/pimping Lauren up a lot on the performance night actually HURT her.  You know all of Scotty’s fans (who are probably little teenie bopper girls) JUMPED to the phones when they heard the judges practically saying Lauren may have WON the competition with her peformances (especially her last one).  I just KNOW they would vote WAY more rabidly than Lauren’s fans would.  Oh well.

Scotty was very worthy of the crown.  He stayed humble and seemed genuinely shocked that he won.  I wished he would’ve sang more tho after he was crowned instead of hugging EVERY SINGLE PERSON on that stage as well as his family.

This season was pretty…meh.  But in the end, the winner was deserving.  Add another “youngie” to the list of American Idol winners (altho Jordin Sparks is still the youngest to ever win.  She was 16 when she won.  Scotty’s 17.).

LAUREN ALAINA: The Tonight Show 5/26/11

American Idol‘s Lauren Alaina was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last week.

It was a cute interview…She address the whole Scotty romance rumors…and the best part was when Lauren tells fellow guest Piers Morgan about how she actually tried out TWICE for America’s Got Talent and got REJECTED!

Enjoy!

AMERICAN IDOL 5/19/11: Top 3 Results + *POLL*

Hometown videos!  I always love watching these because you really get to see the contestants be THEMSELVES…with their family, etc.  They don’t show as much footage as they used to, but it still gives you a glimpse into where they came from…

HALEY:

For some reason, Haley’s hometown visit just wasn’t very touching.  It was nice and all, but it was missing some of the emotion.  Plus the size of the crowds that showed up to see her weren’t as impressive as you would expect.  Maybe this was a foreshadowing?

SCOTTY:

The best part of Scotty’s hometown visit was being able to see the EMOTION coming from him.  You NEVER see that on the show…he always seems very composed.  When he went home he REALLY broke down a few times.  It was very sweet seeing how overwhelmed and appreciative he was for all the support.  It definitely made him a bit more accesible seeing him like that.

LAUREN:

As expected, Lauren was very emotional going home.  Hers had an added emotional level because of the footage from those devastating storms that hit the South.  Not to mention when Lauren met up with the boy who saved his family from the disaster.  Geez.  Talk about pulling at your heartstrings.  As always, Lauren is always so touched and appreciative of everything.  It’s very sweet.

RESULTS:

We HAVE our Top 2!  SCOTTY & LAUREN!  Woohoo!  Did you see Haley’s face when they announced Lauren as the 2nd to make it to the finale?!  Boy she was NOT happy :-/:

A couple of firsts this season – 1st final with two country singers & YOUNGEST (17 & 16) match-up in AI history!

Altho this is the finale that I wanted, it’s still VERY impressive that BOTH Scotty & Lauren made it.  Considering they pretty much have the SAME fanbase, you would THINK the fact that they probably are SPLITTING votes would’ve hurt at least one of them!  But yet they STILL both made it to the Top 2!  Awesome!  That just goes to show HOW STRONG and LOYAL their fans are.  I think Jimmy Iovine said it best –   “The country vote is a strong one.”  AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH?!   This Top 2 is the perfect example of that.  A lot of people say they don’t like country…but country music IS REALLY POPULAR.  Not to mention country fans are among the MOST LOYAL and DEDICATED. Which should make next week’s finale a tough call…Whose fans will prevail?!

Until next week’s finale…

WHO WILL WIN?!

AMERICAN IDOL 5/18/11: Top 3 Performances + Predictions + *POLL*

This is it.  The last round before the finale!  Wow…Beyonce as the celebrity mentor?!  Pretty cool.  She’s very sweet and seemed very happy to be there helping the Top 3.

Sorry, I was too busy VOTING (I think you know for who ), so I don’t have time to post all the videos. I’ll just post my favorite from each contestant:

SCOTTY  Amazed:

Lots of ballads for Scotty tonight, which is unusual.  As usual, he’s so consistent.  I personally don’t care to watch him do ballads, but overall I thought he sounded pretty good.  At least ballads show a bit more of his range.

LAUREN  I Hope You Dance:

I thought Lauren had a great night tonight.  She really has shown a lot of growth over the season, and she was definitely more confident.  Her performance of I Hope You Dance was awesome!  She sounded to pure and full, and she made it her own, which was great!  Loved it!  And she looked so “Cinderella” tonight!  Loved the blue color!  Great job!

HALEY  You Oughta Know:

Haley’s performances were all pretty different from each other.  Umm…the WIND in her “Rihannon” performance was RIDICULOUS.  So silly!  Too much.  The only reason why I picked her performance of this Alanis song was because of the CHORUS.  She sounded really good in the chours.  The verses?  NOT GOOD.  Eh.  Oh, and I didn’t get to see that fall!  I wanna see it!

What did YOU think?

PREDICTIONS:

HALEY (I don’t think you’ll be surprised with this choice) – I think that although Haley is a good singer, she’s missing SOMETHING in the “whole package” part of being the American Idol, and it has to do with her personality.  She’s just not as likable as Scotty & Lauren.

And YOUR prediction?

AMERICAN IDOL 5/12/11: Top 4 Results

NO WAY could I pass up blogging about THIS episode! Top 4 results has always been a very SHOCKING week on this show (Daughtry in S5, Latoya in S3, Tamyra in S1), and this season was NO DIFFERENT.

Instead of a Top 4 group number, they split them into duets:

SCOTTY & JAMES  Start A Band:

With both guys singing, they picked a true COUNTRY SONG.  Huh…interesting.   Is that some kind of sign?  James obviously wasn’t QUITE in his element, and you could tell he wasn’t really that into it.  As usual, they didn’t sound the greatest.  Eh.  They really need help with harmonies.

LAUREN & HALEY  Gunpowder & Lead:

Now THAT was a great duet!  The best one of the season FOR SURE!  The girls sounded really good together!  Lauren in particular sounded AWESOME!  She really matched that song…and she sure sang it with some SPUNK!  And once again…a COUNTRY SONG.  Hmm…Makes me wonder what the show is trying to say…

JORDIN SPARKS  I Am Woman:

Woohoo!  New music from Jordin!  I thought her 2nd album, Battlefied was great!  This new song reminds me of something Beyonce would sing.   Oh, and how GREAT did Jordin look?!  She lost a bunch of weight and looks so much more toned!  She really looked awesome.  She sounded great, as usual.  Way to show those contestants why you won Season 6 Jordin!

RESULTS:

Woohoo!  LAUREN is the first person to be put thru to the TOP 3!  My votes paid off!!!  And Lauren’s reaction was great…she was so happy (but surprised)!  I’m so happy for her!  AWESOME!!!

OMG…HALEY in the Top 3 too?!  Wow.  That’s HUGE.  I think EVERYONE assumed BOTH guys would be in.  After Haley’s bad attitude last night, she kind almost didn’t deserve to make it.  BUT if you look at her track record over the whole season so far, I GUESS she’s worthy.  She better BE CAREFUL from now on tho.  Bad attitude = Bad results.

You see James’ reaction after Haley made it?!  He KNEW he was in danger…and rightly so.

O. M. G. Talk about my DREAM RESULT!  JAMES IS ELIMINATED!  I can’t. believe it.  Hallelujah!

OK, I guess I couldn’t just be happy.  James had to go and say stuff to irritate me.  I really did NOT like his little speech and the way he acted when he was watching his goodbye video.  You could tell he was pissed and there was attitude in the way he talked.   “I’ve done so many things that have never been done on this show.”  WHATEVER.  Pretty much everything you did was a copycat/wannabe of Adam Lambert.  And it was SUBPAR.  The only difference were the smoke & mirrors.  OBVIOUSLY all the stuff you did didn’t matter since you got booted.

And his swan song?!  STOP SCREAMING.  Haven’t you learned by now that when you scream while you’re emotional, you CANNOT PULL IT OFF.  Even when you’re NOT emotional, those screams are just painful.  They really are NOT pleasing…so thank god we won’t have to listen to it again next week.

WOOHOO!

AMERICAN IDOL 5/11/11: Top 4 Performances + Prediction + *POLL*

Two rounds…one including none other than Lady Gaga as a mentor!  Man, to get her…that’s pretty awesome.  I thought she did a GREAT job as a mentor.  She gave them all really good advice.  She’s obviously a bit ODD, but that’s what makes her such a great performer and so creative!

JAMES  Don’t Stop Believing:

• Man…talk about irritating me EVEN MORE.  Now you pick a Glee song?!  Umm…UGH.  As usual, didn’t think his vocals were really that great, and the screaming again.  ENOUGH.  Couldn’t you have AT LEAST sung it as well as Cory Monteith?!  :)

HALEY  Earth Song:

• Umm…Interesting song choice.  As usual, Haley’s song choices are all over the place.  I agreed with Randy.  She sounded QUITE waily at the end there.  Her voice didn’t quite match that song.
• Talking back to the judges?!  Talk about a no no…Haley really didn’t like it when JLo and Randy pretty much “dissed” her song choice.  Yes you may have felt strongly about the song, but you HAVE to be able to take criticism.  She was QUITE annoyed with Randy repeating how she sounded like she was screaming.  This is the TOP 4 Haley!  You can’t be giving attitude now!  Are you ASKING to get kicked out?!

SCOTTY  Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning):

• Talk about a PERFECT song choice for Scotty.  This is TOTALLY in his niche.  Nice touch with the guitar.  This ballad was SO much better than when he did the Carole King song.  SO much better.  Good job.

LAUREN  Anyway:

• Great song choice Lauren!  I love this Martina McBride song!  I really felt like Lauren was a lot looser and more comfortable on stage this week.  I think she FINALLY realized she has to just LET GO.  She was hitting all the notes and going for it!  Great job Lauren!
• LOVED that little part after she performed when Ryan was asking her about the song and she kinda giggled.  She’s too cute!

HALEY  I Who Have Nothing:

• OK…a standing ovation?!  Really?!  I honestly didn’t think it was THAT good.  The whole time she was singing, all I could think about was Jordin Sparks’ performance back in Season 6.  Haley’s was NOT as good as Jordin’s.  Not by a long shot, imo.  It was definitely better than the first round…but this song is very showy to begin with, so it already is asking for the attention.

SCOTTY  Young Blood:

• This song definitely showed more personality from Scotty than the first round.  He even did some “crazy eye” things which I gotta say were a bit creepy.  But Scotty really is a great performer.  He knows how to work the stage/audience WHILE keeping IN TUNE (unlike some other ppl…*cough* James *cough*).  Good job again.  Only thing with Scotty is that he’s always VERY PREDICTABLE with his song choices/performances.  They pretty much are all the same.  But at least he’s consistent

LAUREN  Trouble:

• This was definitely a bit out of Lauren’s comfort zone, so I’m glad she did it.  Just like Haley, for Lauren’s performance all I could think about was Carrie Underwood’s performance of this back in Season 4.  Lauren didn’t QUITE kill it as well as Carrie did imo…but she did a great job.
• So cute how when she was rehearsing with Lady Gaga, she didn’t want to have to say the word “evil” in the lyrics because she didn’t want ppl to actually think she WAS evil.  So sweet.  But she was able to pull it off in the end.
• Lauren really did seem to give it more her all this week…I’m so happy for her!  You could tell she was very happy with her performances!  She seems a lot more confident now!  And now, because she’s more relaxed, the “cuteness” of her personality is shining through more!  Yay!

JAMES  Love Potion No. 9:

• You KNOW what I’m going to say.  Why in the H**L did they change the performance order?!  Lauren was #4, so SHE should’ve gone LAST!  But they moved them around and put JAMES LAST?!  W. T. H. ?!  That REALLY irritated me.  That’s all I’m going to say.  UGH.

PREDICTION:

I’m still a bit worried for Lauren…especially knowing she was in the B2 last week.  BUT I do think she made more of an impression this week…and her fans will DEF (me included) have voted more vigorously because of last week, so I’m gonna say that she was SQUEAK BY this week.

BOOTED:

HALEY (I think her attitude this week turned people off)

AMERICAN IDOL 5/5/11: Top 5 Results

Just a few thoughts about the results show tonight:

• How many weeks have these people been doing group numbers again?!  My god…they are TERRIBLE when they sing together.  Can you say HARMONIES?!  They sure don’t know how to sing harmonies AT ALL.  REALLY BAD.  I think this is the worst season for group performances.

• SHUT UP James…stop mouthing everything Ryan is saying.  Do you HAVE TO bring attention to yourself ALL THE TIME?!  This show is NOT all about YOU.  Ugh.

• I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of JLo’s music, but…her performance tonight of her single On The Floor was good!  She did a great job!  She sure knows how to put on a show!  For her to sing LIVE as well (she pretty much has to, considering she’s JUDGING these contestants who have to sing live every week), that was pretty good considering how much she was moving around…

BOTTOM 2:

• Wow, so I guess they really did tell us who the Bottom 2 are this week.  POOR LAUREN!  She was SO SAD when she found out that she was in the B2.  That’s one of the reasons I love Lauren…she really wears her heart on her sleeve.  It was cute how the audience kept trying to support her, screaming out “We love you Lauren” numerous times…

BOOTED:

• It’s about time.  Jacob did NOT do himself any favors last night with his song selections.  He really is talented, but as the weeks went on, he didn’t seem to be improving…in many ways he even was starting to get worse for some reason.  Maybe the pressure was mounting.  In any case, I think that was TOTALLY the right decision this week.
• I still really feel for Lauren.  When Jacob was singing his swan song, they showed the remaining contestants and you could just TELL that all Lauren was thinking about was the fact that she was thisclose to being eliminated.  The other 3 didn’t have to worry since they were all safe…she was the ONLY ONE who was in danger.  I hope this gives her the confidence to really come out with a vengeance next week!
• I do think Lauren being in the B2 can only help her.  Up until now Lauren had NEVER been in the bottom/in danger, so with what happened tonight, fans know she isn’t as safe as we all thought…so they will vote LIKE CRAZY next week to ensure her Top 3 status!  ESPECIALLY considering how much MOMENTUM Haley seems to have right now…

AMERICAN IDOL 5/4/11: Top 5 Performances + Predictions + *POLL*

THEN and NOW…2 performances each tonight.  Here we go:

JAMES  Closer To The Edge:

• James CANNOT sing and walk around at the same time.  His vocals are NOT very good when he’s moving and singing.  He sounded much more shaky and pitchy.  As usual, SMOKE & MIRRORS with those pyrotechnics in the back part of the stage.  Eh.

JACOB  No Air:

• OMG Jacob.  NOT GOOD.  I totally agree with Randy…this DIDN’T MATCH him.  He tried to go for the mainstream R&B pop thing…and it didn’t work.  He sounded slightly off key the whole time.  It was whiny.  I didn’t like it at all.

LAUREN  Flat On The Floor:

• Wow Lauren…GUTSY to do a Carrie Underwood song.  AND it was a DIFFICULT Carrie song on top of that!  The verdict?!  GREAT JOB!  I thought she really did Carrie proud!  She hit the notes and put her own spin on certain parts.  To me, she looked REALLY GOOD tonight.  Her outfit was appropriate and her hair and makeup was great.  I normally DO NOT like when contestants try to do Carrie…they can never do it justice.  If anyone could do it…LAUREN CAN…and SHE DID!  Yay!

SCOTTY  Gone:

• If you’ve been reading my commentary about Scotty every week, you would know I’m not his biggest fan.  I gotta say tho…SOMETHING about this performance…I actually kinda liked it.  I think he’s growing on me.   His voice sounded really good (mainly because it stayed in the lower range), and this guy can WORK THE STAGE.  His stage presence (especially for his age) was awesome.  Gotta give it to him.  Good job!

HALEY  You and I:

• Altho Haley sounded good, it really was hard to connect to her because it was such an unknown song.  I THINK I’ve heard Lady Gaga do this song before, but in general it did keep her disconnected a bit.  Too bad because she sounded good.

JAMES  Without You:

• I’m sorry, but I just didn’t feel James’ performance like everyone else.  Probably doesn’t help that I LOVE Mariah Carey’s version of ths song.  I KNOW he was emotional, and he so confidently said that he kept it together enough to make the song work…but imo, he didn’t.  It didn’t sound good at all…and if he’s THAT emotional, he shouldn’t do those screams like he ALWAYS does, ’cause he can’t pull them off well enough.  I just wasn’t impressed or touched.  Plus when James talks I don’t feel like he’s as humble as he should be.

JACOB  Love Hurts:

• Now that was a LOT better than the first song he did.  There were definitely parts that sounded quite good…but overall it was a “typical” Jacob performance…he kinda got out of hand in the second half of the performance.  A bit over the top again.  But this performance definitely matched him a lot better.

LAUREN  Unchained Melody:

• I’ve said it before…but Lauren’s voice is just so effortless.  I still can’t believe she’s only 16 years old!  Man.  And once again, all those “lifts” she does with her voice (almost like yodels)…I just LOVE.  Can’t get enough when she does that!  This song is very mature…and Lauren really handled it well, and was able to put her own “Lauren spin” on it.  Lauren had a great night tonight!

SCOTTY  Always On My Mind:

• ANOTHER Elvis song?!  Whenever he has to go for the “oldies,” it’s like he HAS to pick Elvis ’cause that’s the closest he can get to country music.  Umm…Scotty should stick with the upbeat songs.  In this performance he was so vulnerable, and you could hear all the little imperfections in his vocal.  I didn’t think it was his best by a long shot.

HALEY  House of the Rising Sun:

• Last week Haley was the last SOLO to go…but then they ended the show with one of the DUETS, which I thought was unfair.  So I’m glad Haley got the pimp spot again this week.  And…she DESERVED IT!  She totally made up for the first number!  The acapella to start off was a good decision.  Very showy and so exposed.  I thought she growled a little TOO MUCH tho…more than was appropriate for this song, but that wasn’t a huge deal.  I gotta say that I still loved Siobhan’s version from last season, but Haley did a great job…and it was so WORTHY of the pimp spot!  Good job!

What did YOU think?

PREDICTION:

BOOTED:

JACOB

(GOTTA BE, right?  I don’t think this week made up for anything in his case, unfortunately.  It’s time.)

AMERICAN IDOL 10: Top 24 Revealed

American Idol‘s Top 24 has now been revealed!

Based on who made it, I seriously think it’s a GIRL’S SEASON this year!  We haven’t had a girl since Season 6 (Jordin Sparks)!  Come on America!

My favorites as of now:

JULIE ZORRILLA:

• Every time they’ve shown Julie, I’ve liked her.  She’s pretty, very artistic when she’s performing, and she’s actually quite confident (but not cocky).

LAUREN ALAINA:

• I’ve blogged about Lauren ever since her audition.  I liked her then and I still like her.  Her voice is REALLY GOOD, especially considering how YOUNG she is…I mean, FIFTEEN!  Crazy young!
• I was surprised at how many contestants DRESSED UP for The Green Mile!  Umm…and Lauren’s dress?  Having seen her now for how many weeks, I guess you could say TYPICAL LAUREN.  That was a BUSY dress.  I still think she needs to tone her look down!  Maybe if I say it enough times, it’ll happen!

PIA TOSCANO:

• I recall seeing Pia perform/sing in previous weeks, but for some reason Pia only stood out to me from the Las Vegas round.  She really is very good.  Her voice is so rich and full.  Not to mention she’s quite attractive.

TIM HALPERIN:

• Honestly, none of the guys…as of right now…have really BLOWN me away, but I wanted to put at least ONE guy on my list.  So I picked Tim.  He didn’t make an impression until Las Vegas week…but I kinda think he wouldn’t have stood out if he wasn’t performing WITH Julie.  But in any case, I really did like what he did in Las Vegas.  So I’m hoping there’s more good to come from Tim.

Next week Idol is a THREE-NIGHT EVENT!  Tuesday (pre-empting my favorite Glee), Wednesday and Thursday!  The guys start it off and perform on Tuesday…

‘Til then…

AMERICAN IDOL 2/23/11: Las Vegas + Green Mile Part I

Wow, I didn’t realize they were breaking it down to the Top 24 already!  I’m glad tho…let’s get to the voting!

Just some highlights of the Las Vegas/Beatles round:

PIA TOSCANO & KAREN RODRIGUEZ:

• I’m mainly posting this one because of Pia.  I was quite impressed with her voice…it’s a lot stronger than I thought.  Not to mention she’s so pretty and seems like a nice girl.

TIM HALPERIN & JULIE ZORILLA:

• This little “piano duel” was great!  Both Tim & Julie give off this “artistic” vibe so well…it was a great match-up!

THIA MEGIA:

• There have been comparisons of Thia to Charice.  Umm…imo, Thia is good, but…she’s NOT Charice.  But considering Thia’s only 15…she’s very good.  And her voice has this uniqueness to it which is great.

LAUREN ALAINA & SCOTTY MCREERY:

• The judges weren’t really feeling their performance, but I thought it was cute!  It was also great to hear Scotty singing in a different, HIGHER key.  He actually can belt more than I thought he could.  I wish Lauren had a bigger part, but it was cute how she put in the comedic and animated stuff.  I still really like her.

ROBBIE ROSEN:

• Altho Robbie is still not the most “typical” American Idol…and his looks aren’t the most appealing (sorry, I know it’s mean…but it’s true), he REALLY does have a GREAT VOICE.  He’s pretty talented.  Good job!

And now…THE GREEN MILE Part I.  To be honest, the only video I really need to post is the SHOCKER of not just the EPISODE…but the entire SEASON SO FAR:

Chris Medina is OUT.  Wow.  I was TOTALLY SHOCKED.  I personally wasn’t TOTALLY SOLD on him (something about him just didn’t sit well), but I figured America would be…and at LEAST the judges would have been.  But SURPRISE, SURPRISE.  Man.

And I gotta say…the video of him singing his last solo before getting the boot…Coldplay’s “Fix You”…was QUITE good.

Jennifer’s breakdown after she told him he was out…did NOT expect her to react THAT emotionally.  It was actually kind of touching to see her get to upset about the fact that she had to tell him no, and the fact that she really thought she didn’t say it nicely enough (she totally did).  Jennifer did a great job “letting down” all the booted contestants…she’s very honest but not mean.  And you can tell she really cares.  Considering how upset she was after Chris’ boot, how can she compose herself enough to do the rest of the Top 24?!

Until tomorrow…when the rest of the Top 24 is announced…

AMERICAN IDOL 2/17/11: Hollywood Week – Solo Round

I didn’t have a chance to blog about Hollywood Week’s Group Round last night, but tonight was the last solo round of Hollywood Week.

Here are the standouts for me:

JOHN WAYNE SCHULZ

• This guy may not have the STRONGEST voice, but there’s something about him I really like!  There’s just this real sincerity and genuineness that he gives off.  Doesn’t hurt to have his mom in the audience adoring him…

JACEE BADEAUX

• I felt so bad for Jacee in the group round…that his initial group DUMPED him because he “didn’t fit the vibe” of their group?!  Give me a break!  Jacee has an innocence about him that is so sweet.  And he really DOES have a nice voice!

ROBBIE ROSEN

• I don’t know if I like a guy singing Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity,” but…gotta give Robbie props for what he did with the song.  Very “musical” and creative.  He at least showed off his “artistry.”

LAUREN ALAINA

• Lauren is STILL my favorite in this competition up until this point.  Her voice and stage presence is GREAT, and she’s very likable.  Her personality is very cute and sweet.  I was a BIT disappointed that she sang “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” AGAIN (she sang it in her audition)…but only because I really wanted to hear her sing something else!  I wanted to hear how great she would sound singing something else!
• Amazingly, although I STILL don’t like her fashion sense/style, because her voice is so good and the way she commands the stage at her age (SHE’S ONLY FIFTEEN YEARS OLD!) is awesome…I’m actually finding myself overlooking the outfits.   FOR NOW.  I still think she needs to tone her look down a bit so she can appeal to more demographics…if she wants to win this thing!

Next week they’re doing what looks like a new Las Vegas round…where they have to tackle The Beatles.  Interesting.  THIS IS NEW.  We shall see how that goes…

AMERICAN IDOL 2/10/11: Hollywood Week #1

Not too many surprised on who moved on…

CHRIS MEDINA:

• I figure most people wanna see Chris sing again.  Wasn’t AS good as his initial audition, but still worthy of moving on for sure…

LAUREN ALAINA:

• This girl is still standing out to me.  She really does have such a great, mainstream voice.
• Her look is STILL much to be desired tho…

HOLLIE CAVANAGH/JACEE BADEAUX/ROBBIE ROSEN:

• Hollie was probably the “shocker” of this episode.  I REALLY don’t remember her being that good in her audition.  She’s got some pipes!
• Jacee is just ADORABLE.  He’s SO GOOD!  And he’s so humble!  I’m rooting for him!  UNDERDOG FTW!
• Robbie seems like a nice guy…and his voice is good too!  Don’t think he stands out enough, but he’s good enough.

SCOTTY MCCREERY:

• This guy is definitely Josh Turner, Take 2.    That baritone of a voice is crazy!  Pretty impressive!