So Funny!

Even if you are not a David Cook Fan, you will like this

David Cook BWE
by mjsbigblog

Remember this guy?

I was so sad when they cut him from AI. I love this song! I'm not so sure about his voice, but I think it's growing on me. What do you think?

Want more? OK, here is another one.

KO!

First, let me just say, despite what my post title would suggest, I thought the boxing analogies were completely cheesy and stupid. Please, never again.

so my night started with a little drama. I sat down to watch AI around 8:15pm only to find there was only a minute recorded in my DVR! Come to find out, my darling daughter was watching the Disney channel in my room at 7pm and had figured out how to stop the recording. Normally, it wouldn't be that big of deal, but this is the FINALE! So after many frantic calls to my neighbor, Deann, to see if she still had it recorded, Joe decided to walk over there for me. Luckily she had not watched it yet, and let me come over. She also invited another neighbor, so it turned into an mini impromptu girl's night. It was fun.

So going into this, I had planned on rooting for Cookie to win. Yes, it was I the lone voter for Cookie on my poll. But Archie just blew it away. My favorite was still "Imagine," but since I have already posted that, here was my second favorite, still very good.



So, for the first time ever, I voted, and not for Cookie, but for Archie and not just once, but over and over again. I felt like a proud parent, I can't imagine how his Mother feels. Or even Liza, who has been an unwaivering Archie fan from the beginning :)

Cookie didn't do bad, Archie just did better. But sadly, I'm preparing for him to lose. AI, has been gunning for Cookie to win for awhile now. If Archie does lose, at least we know there was absolutely nothing he could have done better last night. And if he has to lose to anyone, I'm glad it's Cookie.

I also loved how emotional both Davids were. You could tell they were both really honored to be there.

I'm excited to watch tonight. Both contestants will be doing duets with famous singers. I'll be checking my DVR regularly, to make sure it is recording!

Battle of the Two Davids

So, I think most people have known for awhile now that AI would come down to the two Davids. I couldn't be happier, I will be happy with either one winning. Although it wasn't any surprise that Syesha went home, I enjoyed watching last night's AI. It was really neat to see how much each contestant's home town visit touched them. Each one was brought to tears.

I'm excited to watch the final performances! I think they get to choose a song they have previously sung in the competition (at least that is what they have done in previous seasons). I hope Archie sings "Imagine" and Cookie sing "Hello." What were your favorite performances?

Since, I haven't posted about AI in awhile, feel free to leave a comment pertaining to the last few weeks if you want.

Some Funny Moments

I forgot to mention this in my post from last night.

ALW had been my favorite mentor from this season. It seemed like he actually gave the contestants advice that could help them. But the real reason I really enjoyed him was because of some funny moments.

First, when he told Jason the song "Memory" was about a glamor puss. I couldn't find a clip of just that, but here is one that includes it.


And then when he told Cookie to act like he was singing to a beautiful 17-year-old. And Cookie, said, "Well, I'm 25"

Andrew Lloyd Webber

hmm, I don't know if I have a favorite this week. It's a toss up between the two David's for me. I did like Archie's rendition of "Think of Me" I thought it was neat how he was able to completely change the sound of it and change it into a pop song. But even given that, it didn't really excite me that much. But my one gripe is why aren't the judges giving him any credit for creativity like they give Cookie, anytime he changes the arrangement?

I did like Cookie's performance of "Music of the Night" however, I do feel there is a bit of a double standard. If any of the girls try a big song, they are always compared to the original singer. "Music of the Night" is a big song. And while Cookie did very well, I do not think he measured up to Michael Crawford's version. I remember getting chills when I saw the play in London.


So onto the others. Syesha and Carly both had probably what I consider their best performances so far, but I still don't care.

Now Jason and Brooke. They were both at a disadvantage given this theme anyway. But wow, Jason's "Memory" was just awful. And Brooke needed to start over AGAIN and then her performance wasn't really that great afterward.

So who is going home? If the pattern continues, it will be Jason. Although I would really rather see Syesha or Carly leave.

Mariah Night

I was very interested to watch tonight. The judges constantly critic the contestants about trying to sing songs from artists such as Mariah, yet now they HAD to sing one of her songs. Going into it I was sure David A would be fine, very curious to see what David Cook would do, had no idea what Jason, Brooke or Kristy would be able to do and thought Syesha and Carly would both try to imitate Mariah and would probably be in trouble because of that. For the most part, there weren't too many surprises.

For me the best performance was David A, but I might be biased because I love that song.

I liked what David Cook did, but it didn't quite work for me. And I actually really liked Jason again this week, but I wasn't familiar with that song.

I liked Carly at the beginning of her performance but then once she went for the big notes, she never came back and again over thought and over did it. And again, while Syesha can sing well, there is just something boring about her.

The worst performances were Kristy and Brooke. I really think Brooke may be in trouble this week. My guess for the bottom three is Brooke, Kristy and Syesha. I'm not quite sure who will go home.

With Michael's departure last week there are rumors spreading that the eliminations are fixed. So far it has been a pattern of boy, girl, boy, girl, etc. being eliminated. I really hope this isn't the case. The guys really have more talent this year and they deserve to stay in longer.

Good-bye Michael!

So my idol went home last night. And while it was a shock, in a way I wasn't that surprised. I think his last performance as "forgettable" and the only reason I'm stealing that Simon phrase is because of this: When I put up my last poll of who should go home, I listed everyone but only had seven names and I had to really think about who I had forgotten. And who was it? Michael! I couldn't believe I had forgotten my own idol! But I think that is just evident of why he did in fact go home.

I remember how upset I was when Chris Daughtry was voted off, so much so that I refused to watch the rest of that season. But now, he has went on to become one of the most successful AI contestants. So this isn't necessarily the end for Michael. And yes, I will still watch the rest of this season because there are still lots of contestants left I enjoy watching.

But putting that aside, I would have preferred Carly went home. In the beginning I liked her, but now she is just getting on my nerves. I too feel she over sings every song to the point there is no meaning in the song anymore. I would have also liked to see David Cook in the bottom three. Not because I want him to go home, I don't, he is one of my favorites, but because I agree with Simon he was way too arrogant in his last performance. I think he could have used some humble pie.

Inspiration Night

What a night! For the most part everyone did well.
My favorite of the night was Jason Castro. Which was kind of weird because when he first started, I HATED it! And then slowly, I LOVED it. I think the Ukulele (took me awhile to figure out how to spell that one!) threw me off.


The worst performance for me was David Cook, closely followed by Carly.

The most surprising, Kristy Lee. That was not an easy song to sing, and she did it well. I think she has earned the right to stay for another week.

Who I would like to see go......Carly, but it might be Syesha.

Dolly Week

I haven't been that quick to comment on the performances last night because I wasn't really impressed either way with any of them. I didn't feel like any of them were that great or any were really that bad either. So that doesn't leave much to say.

So here are some thoughts. First, I was really worried about the guys, especially Jason, David Cook and Michael Johns having to sing a Dolly song. But all of them did pretty well I thought. Usually I totally agree with Simon, but last night I did disagree with him about Jason. I really liked what he did last night. But I know I'm not in the majority. The buzz on the internet is that he is expected to be in the bottom three again.(sorry Deann!)Archie did good, but I don't think he captured that same magic he created with "Imagine."

As for the girls, Carly, I'm just bored of. For me, she almost gets it right but never quite makes it and I have given up on her. Ramiele I thought had the worst performance, but even hers wasn't that bad. Syesha took on the big "I will always love you" I really agreed with Simon on this. She should have completely stayed away from Whitney's version. I actually wish she wouldn't have sung it at all and one of the guys would have attempted it. I was really surprised Kristy didn't sing the classic "9 to 5" to get more of those all American country votes. Brooke could have really hit it big with "Jolene" but as Simon said, she didn't bring the emotion that goes with a song like that. Apparently, she isn't worried about another woman taking her husband.

So who deserves to be in the bottom three? Beside Ramiele, I really don't know.

As for other Idol talk:

I've also just started to hear the other rumors going around about Archie's dad. Hopefully they aren't true. Have you heard these?

Last week we went to Archie's home town of Murray and saw "Murray Idol" that city still has a lot of talent. The girl who won, Lauren, is amazing. Rumor is, American Idol is coming to Salt Lake next time for auditions. About time! We have so much talent here in Utah. Everyone was trying to convince Lauren to try out, but she said she was nervous, hopefully she does!

A funny story about her. After all of the singers perform they come out into the audience and you can meet them. Kennedy was really excited about this. She wanted to meet the girls she was voting for. Unfortunately, her votes were more based off of what the girls were wearing (hers had a pretty pink dress with a flower in her hair) instead of the singing talent (So maybe Simon has a point when he critics wardrobe). Well, she went up to the girl she wanted to vote for, but the girl was kind of rude to her and ignored her. I convinced Kennedy to go and talk to Lauren. Kennedy went up and started talking to her, and she was very nice to her. Well, after a few minutes Lauren said, "Are you voting for me?" And Kennedy just looked at her dumb struck, and Lauren said, "You aren't! Are you?" But in a very nice teasing sort of way. Joe and I made sure to let Lauren know afterward that we both were voting for her along with Jackson. I'm glad she won.

Archie's Mom was also at Murray Idol. I recognized her immediately but Joe didn't believe me. Finally he asked the people in charge and they said it was her. Funny thing was, by the end of the night people were swarming her like she was some kind of celebrity.

He Finally Brought It!

Finally, finally, my idol Michael Johns, brought back that magic I saw before!

I guess he just needs to stick to singing Queen songs. That's not going to be very easy next week, the rumor is it is country week.

And another performance I absolutely LOVED!


Who impressed you, or didn't?

What the Heck?

OK, how in the world did Carly end up in the bottom three???? I did not see that one coming at all.

And how has Kristy escaped elimination three weeks in a row now?

But honestly, out of the two, Amanda and Kristy, I'm glad Amanda was the one to go. I feel Kristy hasn't been given a chance to really show her style with the song choices she has had available. But I'm very aware of what Amanda's style is.

And the bottom three were all girls. I think that shows the majority of this year's talent is with the guys. Maybe the final two will both be guys this year.

Archie is so wildly popular, it is ridiculous the amount of screaming that takes place just when he walks on stage. As long as he doesn't have any more repeats of last week's performance, it will be shocking if he doesn't win.

My DVR missed the first little part of the show. Did they announce what the theme would be for next week?

Archie's Back!

Another great performance by David Archuleta! And his was the only one that really impressed me last night.

I guess he really needs to stick to the ballads, even if Simon things they can get depressing.
He is just such a nice, cute kid too, he totally deserves this!

Personally, I feel Kristy, Ramiele and Chikezie should be the bottom three this week. With Kristy leaving, but we will see what happens!

What do you think?

Top 12 Performances

My first thought, oh no Archie! (that's what I've decided to call David Archuleta since there are 3 Davids). My heart aches for the poor kid. If you missed him stumble here is his performance.

I'm pretty sure though that he has enough supporters that he will survive. Did any of you vote for him last night?

So I was excited since it was John Lennon & Paul McCartney night. So many great song choices! But I think my hopes were set too high.

My impressions:
Chikezie Eze "She's A Woman" and Syesha Mercado "Got To Get You Into My Life" Good, but nothing spectacular.
Ramiele Malubay"In My Life" I agree with the judges, sooooooooooo boring!
Kristy Lee Cook "Eight Days A Week" I agreed with Randy, this almost worked for me. I thought most of her vocals were okay, but the arrangement of the music was just awful, way to fast.
David Hernandez"I Saw Her Standing There" CHEESY! I liked Tiffany's version better, remember Tiffany?
Amanda Overmyer"You Can't Do That" Okay, I can only take so much!
Carly Smithson"Come Together" Love this song, but I didn't really like what she did with it. I disagreed with the judges on this, I still don't think she has really shown us what she has got. I'm getting a little impatient.
David Archuleta"We Can Work It Out" As I've already commented. I feel so bad for him!
Jason Castro"If I Fell" I thought he did good again, but I've noticed all of his performances are the same. Sitting with a guitar and very heart felt. It totally works when he is only singing one song, but I wonder if I would get bored if I heard three in a row.
Michael Johns "Across The Universe" Come on! I'm still waiting for him to show us what he did in Hollywood. I really wish he would have sung "Hey Jude" I think that would have been amazing.
David Cook "Eleanor Rigby" and Brooke White "Let It Be" I thought these two had the best performances of last night. I loved both of them. If I had to choose, the best, I guess it would be Brooke, only because I really felt the emotion, I was almost crying along with her (but again, I'm pregnant!)So here is Brooke's performance

Other thoughts:
Did anyone else notice Archie's Dad's G's on the home video footage? Whoa! And isn't it interesting that two of the contestants in the top 12 are LDS?

AI Girls

Okay, so I thought the girls did much better last night. Last week, I really thought two of them were awful, Kady and Amanda, and should have gone home instead of the two that actually did go home. But last night, both of them actually did pretty good. In fact, all the girls did. At this point, I'm not sure who I think should go.

The last two Wednesday nights, Joe has gone to the Jazz game. So the kids and I have popped some popcorn and watched the girls perform on American Idol together. Jackson loves Amanda Overmyer. Whenever she comes on he instantly says, "Hey, I like her!" So even though she is not my favorite, I don't mind her staying around because it's so cute that Jackson has a favorite! You can see a video of him watching her here.

AI guys again

Once again, the guys brought it! I'm really having a hard time sticking to a favorite. Now, I have four: David Archuleta, Michael Johns, David Cook and Jason Castro. I did think David Cook did the best last night, with this performance.

But I still really like the others too!

I will say, Danny and Luke better be the ones to get the boot this week. They are, at least in my opinion, the weakest.

So I haven't really commented on the girls yet, because no one is really standing out for me. If that changes tonight, I'll definitely give them some spot light too.

Guys Performances

So I was excited to watch the guys perform last night on AI. First up was my favorite Michael Johns. While it wasn't bad, I do agree with Simon, it was his weakest performance so far and really nothing special. Then next up, was Jason Castro, who I also liked last week. Same thing, nothing special. That trend seemed to continue. The only things I found of interest were: 1. Luke Menard looks like Luke Perry

and 2. Danny Noriega totally looks like Jessica Alba! This pictures isn't the best at showing it, but, can you see it? Or am I the only one?



I was really thinking it was a blah night right up until the very end. I was even falling asleep. And then out came David Archuleta with an amazing performance of imagine! He definitely was the winner from last night. If for some reason you missed it, you have got to watch it!




And in addition to being an amazing singer, he just seems so nice!

Is He Still My Idol?

**updated**

After watching all of the top 24 contestants, yes, Michael Johns is still my favorite!

There is so much talent this year though! So many of them are so good. Even though the judges seemed to think there was more talent on the girls side than the guys, I disagree.

My favorites for the guys:
Right now, I think Michael Johns is the best. But Jason Castro isn't too far behind. I do think that David Archuleta could become like Jordan Sparks last year and just continue to improve each week and slowly become my favorite. And I think David Cook will do some really interesting stuff.

As far as the girls, there were really only two that stood out for me, Alaina Whitaker and Ramiele Malubay. I do still like Brooke White, I think she has a lot of potential and is unique. **update** sorry I totally forgot about the Irish girl Carly Smithson. While I didn't think she did that great last night, I have seen her sing amazingly before, so I'm still not counting her out.

So, now, who is your Idol?

Top 24

So far my entire blog has been about American Idol! Apparently, that is my only interest at the moment. Anyway, I just wanted to comment about who made the top 24.

While the three people I was rooting for all made it,

There were two others that I was really surprised didn't make it. First, Josiah Lemming, the teen who sleeps in his car and sings with a British accent. I thought he had great potential, not only with his singing abilities, but also with his music arrangement. He could have done a lot of creative things, like Blake did last year. The video of him getting cut is below.


And the other contestant I would have liked to see make it through was Kyle Ensley, the political guy with curly brown hair and glasses. While he wasn't the best, I felt he definitely had more potential that others that did make it (I won't name names). It totally agreed with Simon on this one. The video of him getting cut and Simon's reaction is below.

I know in previous years each judge was able to bring one contestant back as a wild card, but are they doing that this year? Could these two possibly come back?

And I was also surprised by the amount of people that made it through that they haven't even showed singing yet. I may have picked my favorite a little early. I'm excited to watch and see what the others have to offer. To see the photos and bios of all of the top 24 contestants click here.

Favorite Idol

Okay, I don't even have to watch to see who makes it to the final 24 to know who my favorite Idol is. This is the one that really stood out for me, Michael Johns.




I'm also rooting for the teen, David Archuleta, from Murry, and the LDS girl, Brooke White. Since I have something in common with them and they are both good too!