It's kind of hard to believe how long this little blog has been going. In the past I've tried to keep up with journals but have had minimal success. When I first started "Luke's Ponderings," it wasn't here on Blogger, but on WordPress. It did okay, but there were spurts where I wouldn't write for awhile and then I'd forget my password. Towards the end of that particular blog, I couldn't remember the password so I just decided to start a whole new blog on Blogger. And I am really happy I made the switch. Customizing a blog on Blogger turned out to be so much easier - so it ended up being a no-brainer. The old "Luke's Ponderings" is still on WordPress for those who may be interested in what I wrote prior to October 2006. At that time, I was pretty much new to the whole blogging experience, so please excuse the typos and lack of focus.
Now I'm 200 posts into this blog and I am having a lot of fun keeping up with this thing. Some weeks are a little tougher when I'm lacking motivation to write or am having a difficult time coming up with a topic. But if you think about it, there are thousands of topics in which to write. All you have to do is put on that thinking cap and voila - something to write! But I promise you this - I have no desire to quit writing altogether. After all, that is what I got my degree in college for. I feel that this is an extension of that. This helps to keep my mind refreshed with the writing process and as long as blog's continue to exist, my writing will continue.
For those who visit "Luke's Ponderings" often, you may have noticed a new look to the blog. Not only did I feel it was a time for a change, but it also helps to celebrate the 200 post occasion; if you will. And to make the blog look even more professional, I have incorporated a banner to the blog. Four pictures are included in the banner and I thought I would explain the importance of each of those pictures. Obviously there's American Idol. For three seasons now, I've discussed the contestant's performances here at "Luke's Ponderings." That will continue well into the future. It has been something very important for me to write about and its become identifiable with the blog, as well. Next is the Mackinac Bridge. This is significant because it's the link between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. I often discuss issues involving Michigan and the U.P., and the Mackinac Bridge is an iconic image for the state. The third picture in the banner is of the Tahquamenon Falls, located in Upper Michigan. Again, it's an iconic place in the U.P. - in fact, it's the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River. It's a beautiful and scenic place, and it and the Mackinac Bridge are important scenic locations up here. Thus those two images explain why they are included in the banner since I often talk about U.P. and Michigan issues. And last but not least, a picture of musical notes. This is synonymous with music, which is often a subject I discuss, particularly in the "Songs I Dig" blog. Those pictures along with some nifty looking fonts and a well-stated "theme" wrap up my thoughts on the banner and the new look. I hope everyone likes the changes!
With that being said, "Luke's Ponderings" has undergone a great transformation in the last two in a half years. The blog's exposure on the web has gradually picked up and more people are noticing it each and every day. In my opinion, we have a long ways to go before it becomes one of the most elite blogs on the web - but I'm doing everything I can to get it noticed. And you can expect that I'll keep plugging away and writing when I can. I am also considering registering a domain name for the blog - as this is the web project I am most focused on and willing to continue for many years to come. So the changes here aren't finished just yet. I am always thinking of new ways to get the blog noticed, so you can be sure that "Luke's Ponderings" will be around for a long time to come.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
American Idol - Top 10
Here we are again - another week of American Idol (even though it's a day late because of another speech by President Obama). This week on Idol, we are celebrating 50 years of Motown. A few of the major Idol blogs are dissing this week's theme because it's been overdone throughout the eight seasons of the show. But the Motown franchise is celebrating a major milestone this year, so props to Idol for giving us this week. Hey, any little bit of positive coverage for Detroit, the auto industry, and Michigan as a whole is welcomed. And hopefully we'll get a little bit more of positive coverage when the NCAA men's basketball Final Four moves into Detroit next weekend. This week's Idol mentor is Smokey Robinson, one of Motown's biggest starts. I remember the last time I saw Smokey on TV, he freaked me out! I think it was during the Grammy's or something. But he looks and acted a lot better during his time with the Idols. Alright, it's time to get it on!Matt Giraud - "Let's Get it On" : I really enjoyed how Matt started his performance out by playing on the piano and giving the song a different sound than what we're used to. It gave the song a totally new vibe for me and I thought it was really cool. There's no doubt he has a definite bluesy sound to him. I found it even more surprising when he got up from the piano and actually began performing in front of the audience! Now that was very risky and he showed off more personality that way. Overall, I thought he put his own spin on this classic song and the performance was well done. He showed that he, too, can be a performer on that stage.
Kris Allen - "How Sweet it Is" : Again, another performance where I enjoyed how it started. Kris starts it slow, nearly acapella except when he strums the guitar a bit. Then the uptempo portion of the song begins and he gets accompaniment from the band and overall, it's a very enjoyable performance by Kris. I love that he's been stepping it up week after week. He proved to us that he can sing a more upbeat song without having a ton of trouble and having it labeled as being karaoke. He doesn't seem as nervous as when he started singing live and he's really been showing a ton of personality with his performances the last two weeks.
Scott MacIntyre - "You Can't Hurry Love" : Scott decided to change things up a bit with the arrangement of the song. I really don't think it worked because it made the song sound more like it should've been performed at a mall. The arrangement was a bit too fast and I don't believe the piano-sound worked for this particular performance. Vocally, Scott did okay but not great as the performance certainly had its pitchy moments. It was a nice effort on his part, but it just fell flat. A different song probably would've suited Scott better.
Megan Joy - "For Once in My Life" : Again, Megan infuses her own uniqueness into this classic Stevie Wonder song but it doesn't work with the performance. I definitely think it was too fast of a song for her and that typical jazz sound that Megan uses seemed out of place this time around. Her unique sounds tends to work best when she slows it down, particularly with songs like "Walking After Midnight" which she sung last week. She had trouble hitting the right notes from time to time, especially the higher ones. Overall, it just wasn't a strong week for Megan.
Anoop Desai - "Ooh Baby Baby" : Vocally, Anoop did really well as I hardly noticed any off-pitch notes. However, I did find the performance to be rather boring. I listened to the original version with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and the tempo in that particular song seemed to be a tad bit faster. Anoop's song was just too slow and I found the chorus of all places lacking in energy. I realize that the song is a ballad and it's supposed to be sung slow, but the way Anoop performed it was rather tedious. I am hoping to see Anoop pick a song with more tempo next week but nothing as disastrous as "Beat It" was a few weeks back.
Michael Sarver - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" : I almost think Michael would be better suited singing ballads more than uptempo songs because ballads tend to highlight his voice better. When he performs a song like "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," it sounds too clumsy and he really struggles keeping up. It seems like when he picks an uptempo song, it's not the right choice. Last week, his song during Grand Ole Opry week did not suit him as well as it should have. Overall, it was a weak performance that included odd phrasing and weird facial expressions. And he topped it off with a terrible second-to-last note.
Lil Rounds - "Heat Wave" : I was rather touched seeing Lil get so emotional being in Motown and talking about it with Smokey. Then, we quickly transition to the live performance where the band is blaring the very opening of the song and we are treated to this very uptempo song. It was kind of a shock to my system and I think the moment deserved a much slower song, for what it's worth. Vocally, I thought Lil did okay, but nothing spectacular as she seemed to struggle more with the lower notes in the song. She definitely had a fun time on stage but I think she really could've had an epic week if she went with a ballad.
Adam Lambert - "Tracks of My Tears" : Adam definitely had a moment with this song and it's going to be remembered as one of the best of this season, at least. I loved seeing this side of Adam; very heart-felt, with a softer tone. If you can believe it, he showed a more vulnerable side and it was such a smart thing to do. I really liked the whole vibe of the song; more of an acoustic sound with more woodwind instruments added once we got to the chorus. The overall arrangement of the song was well planned out and it proved to be the best performance of the night.
Danny Gokey - "Get Ready" : I think Danny needs to take a page from Adam's book and know when to reign it in from time to time. We haven't seen a truly heart-felt performance from Danny in awhile and I am finding him to be rather stale in this performance. You know, I was really liking Danny from the beginning but he needs to start showing me something different because the same routine week in and week out is getting old fast. I did find his "choreography" with the background singers to be nicely spontaneous, but overall I wasn't all that impressed with the performance and it definitely lacked a spark.
Allison Iraheta - "PaPa Was a Rolling Stone" : Wow, Allison totally blew it out of the box tonight. I am so happy to see this because she's been one of my favorites since the beginning and she definitely needs more support from the fans especially after winding up in the bottom three last week. She had lots of energy and certainly showed off a more funky side. There's no question she can belt it out. I do believe she needs to enunciate some of the words in her performances a little bit more - but even that can be hard to do when singing these kinds of songs. This was definitely one of Allison's more memorable performances to date.
So, with the recaps out of the way, I bet you're wondering how I ranked this week's performances. Well, here ya go!
1.) Adam Lambert
2.) Allison Iraheta
3.) Matt Giraud (actual bottom three - 3/26/09)
4.) Kris Allen
5.) Anoop Desai
6.) Danny Gokey
7.) Lil Rounds
8.) Megan Joy
9.) Scott MacIntyre (actual bottom three - 3/26/09)
10.) Michael Sarver (actual eliminee - 3/26/09)
So no surprise who I think will be sent home. Michael basically just picked the wrong song that was way too big for him. Something much slower that allowed him to hit the big notes would've suited him just fine. Yet, you have to make sure not to sound too old fashioned either. It's tricky trying to please the judges all of the time. If not Michael, then Megan or Scott are deserving to be sent home. Scott really needs to pick his game up, otherwise he won't survive another week. Megan just needs to pick the right songs that will fit her jazzy sound and she'll last at least until the top eight.
With another week of Idol in the books, it's time to prepare for the top nine. Next week's theme is "top downloaded songs," or something along those lines. Yes! A contemporary week during the top ten - something last season definitely lacked. Be sure to stop in next week and read the performance recaps from the top nine singers during American Idol's eighth season. See you then!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
American Idol - Top 10 Quick Thoughts
A full recap of tonight's performances will be posted on "Luke's Ponderings" tomorrow - but just a few quick thoughts on tonight's show.Adam Lambert for the win! I thought he did an absolutely incredible job with his song tonight. It was a slowed down, vulnerable, soothing vocal of "Tracks of My Tears." Honestly we haven't seen anything like it from Adam yet this season and it was such a smart thing to do! I was so blown away by it and I have truly become a fan of this guy. For me, he's gradually won me over week after week with his performances even though in my recaps, I haven't really reflected that sentiment. I didn't give him as much credit as he deserved for his "Black and White" performance from a few weeks back. I watched that one back a few different times since and it honestly gives me chills. I still believe "Ring of Fire" was rather like broadway, but it still shows off Adam's incredible skills. I thought he was far and away the best performer of the night.
I have also come to realize why the ratings may be faltering for this show. It's not anything the contestants have done nor has it really been anything to do with shock eliminations in the past. Mostly, I blame the judges! The judges really drove me nuts tonight. How immature and childish are they getting to be? At the end, you had Simon drawing a mustache on Paula with a crayon and totally ruining Allison's moment. Allison gave a phenomenal performance and I felt it was mostly ruined by these stupid antics between Simon and Paula. Get a grip, you two! Either that, or get a room. I also found Kara to be rather off-putting tonight, as well. I noticed a couple of different times where she repeated the same comments with different contestants. One of the comments was about two contestants having artistry, when Simon a week or two back said that American Idol is nothing about being an artist! I also hated it when she got downright rude to the audience after getting booed. Up to this point, I didn't really have a negative thing to say about Kara. But after tonight, she definitely got on my nerves. And now there's Randy. Seeing that he doesn't always get to give his critiques first anymore, he often says, "I agree with Simon, or Paula, or Kara..." and he doesn't appear he's able to say anything original in his commentary. I'm finding him to be real stale this season, and he's typically been my favorite judge on the show. But he, too, is starting to get on my nerves a bit. I am almost beginning to think the entire judges panel needs an overall make-over. It's getting to be too over the top and almost more about them more than the contestants.
Overall, I thought the show was pretty decent. It started off really good, then the performances trailed off and some of them were downright bad. But things picked up again very nicely and things ended with a bang with Allison's performance. Be sure to vote for Allison tonight! She's another one that deserves to stay in this competition for a very, very long time. I am still baffled she ended up in the bottom three last week and near the bottom the previous week. Vote for Allison and keep her in the competition!
Well that's it for now. Be sure to watch for the full top 10 recap here on "Luke's Ponderings." Goodnight!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Songs I Dig - 13
After a few months, it's finally back. I am happy to bring you the very latest edition of the "Songs I Dig" blog. All of these songs have been on the radio for awhile now - so I'm not bringing anything fresh to the table with these picks. Actually, this blog should've been published over a month ago - but I kept putting it off and putting it off. But the good thing is that these songs are still very much current and highly popular. So I am not doing any dis-service to my readers by posting about old songs.
Also as a note, the SID blogs in the past were getting to be quite cumbersome; becoming more of a chore than something enjoyable to write about. That means I have decided to shorten-up the write-ups a bit and talk less about each of the artists/groups past and discuss the song more in-depth. Because after all, it's more about these hot new songs than the actual artists, although a little backstory doesn't hurt either. So I hope you enjoy the more-condensed write-ups of each of the songs featured here.
All American Rejects - "Gives You Hell" : Okay, so this song has been on the radio for quite awhile. My initial reaction when I first heard it played was that it was going to be a total failure. I just didn't think it would do that well for AAR because it wasn't like their previous successful songs. But the song started to grow on me. Then it all came down to actually watching the music video on VH1 when my position on the song completely switched. It's a fun, up-beat song that's enjoyable to sing along to. I can picture this song being played at sports arenas because it's one of those kinds of songs.
Kelly Clarkson - "My Life Would Suck Without You" : You want to talk about a catchy new song? This one is the epitome of catchy songs. I had a similar reaction to this song like that of "Gives You Hell," but my disdain for the song quickly faded the more I listened to it. It's kind of a dysfunctional relationship song with the message that despite all of the trials and tribulations that go on between a certain couple, the fact is that life would be pretty darn boring without him/her. And what's more, I am absolutely thrilled to see the original American Idol winner back on the chart with a #1 record. Go Kelly!
The Fray - "You Found Me" : Does anyone else feel the same way about music released by The Fray when it first comes out - in that it's hard to understand every word that lead vocalist Isaac Slade says? I've come across that with just about every song they've released to the radio, but that's not to say their music isn't good. "You Found Me" ranks right up their with the likes of their previous hits. To me, I think of The Fray as being comprised by a bunch of good guys trying to make the most of their experience in the music industry. And they keep encountering more and more success with each song released. Good for them.
Lady GaGa (f. Colby O'Donis) - "Just Dance" : Lady GaGa is a relative newcomer to the music industry in terms of being successful. I wasn't familiar with her until this song hit the airwaves around here. I remember watching a video of her interact with my favorite American Idolist David Archuleta after a Jingle Ball performance from this past winter. She seems like a friendly gal and she loved being right next to David. I wonder what he thought of her attire at the time? You have to admit that "Just Dance" is an incredibly catchy tune. I can picture all of the older teenagers and young college crowd dancing to this song at dance clubs. It's definitely one of those songs you can dance to.
Pink - "Sober" : Here's a female vocalist that just keeps on going. It seems like each of her songs released to radio become hits in no time. "Sober" is no exception. It certainly has a much different flavor than her previous #1 hit song, "So What." It has a slower tempo and deals with a darker topic. However, I absolutely love the arrangement of the song. The whole overall feel of the song has a sort of haunting touch to it. And the way Pink harmonizes in certain spots of the song is wonderfully done. This is one tune that continues to climb up the charts week after week and I won't be surprised if it soon makes it to #1.
So that does it for this edition of the latest "Songs I Dig" blog. I hope you like the more condensed format - I know I did! Be sure to check back to "Luke's Ponderings" for a new edition of the SID blog very soon.
Also as a note, the SID blogs in the past were getting to be quite cumbersome; becoming more of a chore than something enjoyable to write about. That means I have decided to shorten-up the write-ups a bit and talk less about each of the artists/groups past and discuss the song more in-depth. Because after all, it's more about these hot new songs than the actual artists, although a little backstory doesn't hurt either. So I hope you enjoy the more-condensed write-ups of each of the songs featured here.
All American Rejects - "Gives You Hell" : Okay, so this song has been on the radio for quite awhile. My initial reaction when I first heard it played was that it was going to be a total failure. I just didn't think it would do that well for AAR because it wasn't like their previous successful songs. But the song started to grow on me. Then it all came down to actually watching the music video on VH1 when my position on the song completely switched. It's a fun, up-beat song that's enjoyable to sing along to. I can picture this song being played at sports arenas because it's one of those kinds of songs.
Kelly Clarkson - "My Life Would Suck Without You" : You want to talk about a catchy new song? This one is the epitome of catchy songs. I had a similar reaction to this song like that of "Gives You Hell," but my disdain for the song quickly faded the more I listened to it. It's kind of a dysfunctional relationship song with the message that despite all of the trials and tribulations that go on between a certain couple, the fact is that life would be pretty darn boring without him/her. And what's more, I am absolutely thrilled to see the original American Idol winner back on the chart with a #1 record. Go Kelly!
The Fray - "You Found Me" : Does anyone else feel the same way about music released by The Fray when it first comes out - in that it's hard to understand every word that lead vocalist Isaac Slade says? I've come across that with just about every song they've released to the radio, but that's not to say their music isn't good. "You Found Me" ranks right up their with the likes of their previous hits. To me, I think of The Fray as being comprised by a bunch of good guys trying to make the most of their experience in the music industry. And they keep encountering more and more success with each song released. Good for them.
Lady GaGa (f. Colby O'Donis) - "Just Dance" : Lady GaGa is a relative newcomer to the music industry in terms of being successful. I wasn't familiar with her until this song hit the airwaves around here. I remember watching a video of her interact with my favorite American Idolist David Archuleta after a Jingle Ball performance from this past winter. She seems like a friendly gal and she loved being right next to David. I wonder what he thought of her attire at the time? You have to admit that "Just Dance" is an incredibly catchy tune. I can picture all of the older teenagers and young college crowd dancing to this song at dance clubs. It's definitely one of those songs you can dance to.
Pink - "Sober" : Here's a female vocalist that just keeps on going. It seems like each of her songs released to radio become hits in no time. "Sober" is no exception. It certainly has a much different flavor than her previous #1 hit song, "So What." It has a slower tempo and deals with a darker topic. However, I absolutely love the arrangement of the song. The whole overall feel of the song has a sort of haunting touch to it. And the way Pink harmonizes in certain spots of the song is wonderfully done. This is one tune that continues to climb up the charts week after week and I won't be surprised if it soon makes it to #1.
So that does it for this edition of the latest "Songs I Dig" blog. I hope you like the more condensed format - I know I did! Be sure to check back to "Luke's Ponderings" for a new edition of the SID blog very soon.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Home Buyer
For awhile now, I've had plans of owning my own home. 2009 is proving to be the year that I might actually make that happen. And really, it's the perfect time because in a lot of areas of the country, it's a buyer's market. Homes aren't exactly selling fast enough for a lot of people, so property is selling at far reduced rates than they were three to five years ago. With the way the home market is these days, there are some exceptional deals for people to take advantage of. Hopefully I'll be able to find a good deal that comes with a great home.
I will say this, however. When you're first jumping into the home market like I am, it's easy to become frustrated. A lot of times I am hesitant to make a move until it's too late. On my drive home from work one evening, I saw a home that had been on the market for a very short amount of time. It really looked great from what I could tell, so I quickly jumped on-line to see if I could find any more details about the place. The website didn't provide a whole lot of pictures, but the home included many great options - a lot of what I was looking for in a home. The price was a little high on the place, so I decided to keep my eye on it until the price dropped. Well, it wasn't long before the price of the home was slashed by over $25,000. I was excited to see the price come down by that much, but there had to be a reason for it to drop so drastically in such a short amount of time. I became more proactive about finding out additional information on the home, so I decided to e-mail the realtor about it. And in all honesty, I did not get the kind of information I was looking for back in a timely matter. Before I knew it, an offer had already been made on the home and three additional parties were scheduled to look at the place. Shucks! But I took solace to the fact that the home was being sold "as-is," meaning that potentially this place needs a lot of work. The website only posted one picture of the front of the house and the shot was actually far away. So it very well could've been too good to be true. But still, I was disappointed this didn't end up in my favor. It probably was too big of a house for me - honestly, does a single guy really need a two-story, four-bedroom home? But the price and the details are what really drew me into the place. Oh well, better luck next time.
I have also been frustrated by the fact that the area where I live is not being largely affected by today's poor real estate market. In my opinion, the home market in central Upper Michigan has been affected somewhat, but not drastically. So instead of sharp price declines on homes, the market has stayed relatively flat. Still, that doesn't mean homes haven't been on the market for a good year or two before finally selling. I've seen homes that just haven't been selling very fast because the price is too high. But prices still have not fallen drastically. Yet, I have to believe something good will soon come my way. I just have to wait and see. I want to be able to take my time and make a good, solid choice. Rushing into buying a home could have bad consequences - ones I may end up living with for the rest of my life. I want to make sure I can be proud and comfortable of where I live.
Obviously you can be sure I'll provide updates on the home-buying process as they happen to me. For a first-timer in this area, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the process and I'll try not to let the situation result in one big anxiety attack for me. I want to be sure I am living in a nice area, in a neighborhood I can be comfortable with, and be relatively close to work. So far I have found a few places that fit those needs, but the prices are still a little too high for my liking. Hopefully prices begin to come down a bit more, or if a home stays on the market - I can set a price that the seller just simply cannot refuse. Time will tell whatever happens. I am patient when it comes to finding my own home - but if a deal happens to spring forth, I am not going to sit long enough for someone to try snapping it up before me.
I will say this, however. When you're first jumping into the home market like I am, it's easy to become frustrated. A lot of times I am hesitant to make a move until it's too late. On my drive home from work one evening, I saw a home that had been on the market for a very short amount of time. It really looked great from what I could tell, so I quickly jumped on-line to see if I could find any more details about the place. The website didn't provide a whole lot of pictures, but the home included many great options - a lot of what I was looking for in a home. The price was a little high on the place, so I decided to keep my eye on it until the price dropped. Well, it wasn't long before the price of the home was slashed by over $25,000. I was excited to see the price come down by that much, but there had to be a reason for it to drop so drastically in such a short amount of time. I became more proactive about finding out additional information on the home, so I decided to e-mail the realtor about it. And in all honesty, I did not get the kind of information I was looking for back in a timely matter. Before I knew it, an offer had already been made on the home and three additional parties were scheduled to look at the place. Shucks! But I took solace to the fact that the home was being sold "as-is," meaning that potentially this place needs a lot of work. The website only posted one picture of the front of the house and the shot was actually far away. So it very well could've been too good to be true. But still, I was disappointed this didn't end up in my favor. It probably was too big of a house for me - honestly, does a single guy really need a two-story, four-bedroom home? But the price and the details are what really drew me into the place. Oh well, better luck next time.
I have also been frustrated by the fact that the area where I live is not being largely affected by today's poor real estate market. In my opinion, the home market in central Upper Michigan has been affected somewhat, but not drastically. So instead of sharp price declines on homes, the market has stayed relatively flat. Still, that doesn't mean homes haven't been on the market for a good year or two before finally selling. I've seen homes that just haven't been selling very fast because the price is too high. But prices still have not fallen drastically. Yet, I have to believe something good will soon come my way. I just have to wait and see. I want to be able to take my time and make a good, solid choice. Rushing into buying a home could have bad consequences - ones I may end up living with for the rest of my life. I want to make sure I can be proud and comfortable of where I live.
Obviously you can be sure I'll provide updates on the home-buying process as they happen to me. For a first-timer in this area, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the process and I'll try not to let the situation result in one big anxiety attack for me. I want to be sure I am living in a nice area, in a neighborhood I can be comfortable with, and be relatively close to work. So far I have found a few places that fit those needs, but the prices are still a little too high for my liking. Hopefully prices begin to come down a bit more, or if a home stays on the market - I can set a price that the seller just simply cannot refuse. Time will tell whatever happens. I am patient when it comes to finding my own home - but if a deal happens to spring forth, I am not going to sit long enough for someone to try snapping it up before me.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
American Idol 8 - Top 11
It's time to get out your cowboy hat and boots and celebrate country music on American Idol this week! More specifically, the songs featured on this week's Idol come from artists who belong to the coveted Grand Ole Opry. This week also is the first of the mentor weeks as Randy Travis gives his advice about each of the contestant's songs. There isn't a huge amount of recent country artists included in the Grand Old Opry, from what I understand. So the contestants have a choice of picking songs that go way back to the Country-Western times. Somehow I don't think they want to be classified as being too "old-fashioned" either. Seeing that Carrie Underwood is a member of the Grand Old Opry, how much you wanna bet that we'll be seeing one or two of her songs featured by this week's contestants? I guess we'll find out.Michael Sarver - "Ain't Goin' Down Til the Sun Comes Up" : Country seems to fit Michael well even though he's made comments previously that it's not the kind of music he wants to sing. It's a very fast, upbeat country song. He appears extremely comfortable on stage singing this song, even interacting with the audience. Michael does a nice effort with this performance. It involved plenty of risk especially with a song that moves as fast as this; it could've been very easy for him to stumble and forget a lyric or two. It was a good performance, but not spectacular. Agreed with Randy in that it didn't show off his vocal abilities like it could've.
Allison Iraheta - "Blame it on Your Heart" : A very rock-country type of song for Allison. I am not familiar with this song but I am going to assume the original does not have this much of a rock flair to it. Allison infused her own rock edge to it and it fit her personality to a T. She plays to her strengths and does a nice job. She is having lots of fun; seems very comfortable moving around on stage. I do think that her lack of a large fan base may end up hurting her at this stage of the competition. She's been a solid performer, but typically the American audience doesn't embrace a female rocker like Allison.
Kris Allen - "To Make You Feel My Love" : Kris is going without his guitar tonight which I think is a very good move. I always feel that by mixing it up week after week, it shows off more variety. Kris shows a very vulnerable side to him with this performance. I think he's been getting better and better with each week. I tend to agree that he's probably better at singing ballads than more of the up-tempo songs. I could really feel his connection that he had with this song and he's definitely doing the right things to stay in this competition.
Lil Rounds - "Independence Day" : I thought the low notes in the early part of the song were too low for Lil and she struggled a bit there. She tried singing a straight country song and I don't think it quite fit her. She certainly could've included a more R' n B edge to the song and probably would've had much better success with it. I don't agree that a different song (such as Randy's suggestion of "I Will Always Love You) would've done Lil any better either. The performance definitely got much better in the later half of the song where she was able to hit those power notes like she usually does. This week certainly wasn't as strong as Lil has been.
Adam Lambert - "Ring of Fire" : I can empathize with Randy Travis in how he was speechless over Adam. I mean, what can you really say about this? It started out very intense. It almost seemed as if I was watching a Broadway rendition of this classic Johnny Cash song. He starts to infuse his usual vocal dynamics into the song once the tempo picks up. This whole performance has a very different sound to it; no question it has more of a middle eastern flair to it. I can say I've never seen anything like it on American Idol. Honestly, this is supposed to be country week, right? One thing you can say about Adam is that he is entertaining.
Scott MacIntyre - "Wild Angels" : I can tell Scott enjoys picking songs that tell a message. Again as I've said before, Scott isn't the most dynamic singer during this season of Idol - but he definitely holds his own. He struggled more with the lower notes in this song. I would tend to agree that he shouldn't always be playing the piano during his live performances but then again, he's not going to be moving steadily across the stage without it, either. He's doing what he feels is most comfortable to him. The falsetto note towards the end of the song wasn't great. Overall, I'd say it was a good performance from Scott, but not great.
Alexis Grace - "Jolene" : It will be interesting to see how Alexis pulls this one out. We're used to seeing her sing rock songs with a harder edge. "Jolene" is more of a softer tune and Alexis even said she wanted to show that side of her. I don't entirely believe it was the right song choice for this particular week. Overall, she struggles a bit with the song and is off-tune throughout. The arrangement just wasn't as favorable for her to be successful this week, either. Basically, it was just an okay performance and actually was quite forgettable. A rare off week for Alexis so far in the competition.
Danny Gokey - "Jesus Take The Wheel" : There's always a certain risk to choosing a song that has been created by a former Idol. I think a different song would've suited Danny better, especially one that wasn't so low or bland to start. The front part of the song just sounded awkward to me; even though that's how it's supposed to sound. Of course be rebounded well with the later half of the song once the tempo picked up and he was able to get into his upper register. That is typical of Danny's performances there. He's a very likable guy, but this week he was just good for me, not great.
Anoop Desai - "You Were Always on My Mind" : Anoop goes the Kris Allen route and performs a softer, vulnerable ballad. It's a perfect song choice because it allows Anoop to show off his vocal talents. He is definitely much improved over the last couple of weeks. He doesn't go over board with the song and holds back more. It was definitely a much more controlled performance and he doesn't try to do too much with it. It was very well done and it's nice to see him get such great reviews from the judges. Another very likable guy.
Megan Joy - "Walking After Midnight" : We have absolutely no idea that Megan has been sick this week except after her performance is over when she starts coughing. I don't know what more you can say about Megan that hasn't already been said. The judges say time and time again that she's quirky and unique. That about sums up this performance. It was the perfect song choice for Megan and she delivered on that unique sound of hers. She made the song her own and certainly made it much more memorable. And actually, it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.
Matt Giraud - "So Small" : Whenever I think of Matt, I just can't get his Coldplay performance out of my head. He has been severely damaged because of that and hopefully as we move further along in the competition, that performance in particular can be all but a memory. He is a super-talented guy and there's no question he belongs in this competition. He does a very impressive job with this Carrie Underwood song. He is a true consummate musician - I think he nailed this song tonight and it proved to be a very memorable performance.
So how did the contestants fair? Here is tonight's performance rankings:
1.) Matt Giraud
2.) Anoop Desai
3.) Kris Allen
4.) Allison Iraheta
5.) Adam Lambert
6.) Danny Gokey
7.) Megan Joy
8.) Michael Sarver
9.) Lil Rounds
10.) Alexis Grace (actual eliminee 3/19/09)
11.) Scott MacIntyre
CODES:
best of the night
in danger of being eliminated
As for who will be eliminated tonight - now that is a very tough call. Even though I've had a very tough time connecting with every one of the contestants this year, they are all extremely talented. I thought these last couple of weeks have been very strong, vocal-wise. In my opinion, the top six in this week's performance rankings are a lock and in no risk of going home anytime soon. Adam, Anoop, and Danny have such huge fan bases. Allison has been consistently strong each and every week even though her fan base isn't quite as big as the three guys mentioned. Kris Allen has been improving with each week and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. And then there's Matt Giraud who we know is an amazing musician. He stumbled pretty seriously after his Coldplay performance but quickly picked himself back up and is making a strong push towards the later stages of this competition.
Now as for the bottom five of the performance rankings, the only one that could be considered a pretty sure lock to stay in this competition for a long time is Lil Rounds. She, too, has a pretty strong fan base. Megan, Michael, and Scott are basically just cannon fodder. It'll only be a matter of time before they get eliminated. As for Alexis, she also has a relatively small fan base and one weak performance like this week's could leave her in serious danger. That is why I am picking Alexis Grace to be this week's eliminated contestant on American Idol. I know, it's a mild-shocker seeing how well she has done in prior weeks. But does anyone see her outlasting Adam, Danny, Anoop, or Matt? The males truly are the stronger of the gender this season and the only female contestant that stands a chance to last awhile is Lil, and maybe Allison, too. It could be a very, very interesting results show tonight. Don't miss it!
(UPDATE: Sad to say, but I ended up being right - Alexis is eliminated. It is never easy, especially someone with her talent. Only one sub-par performance was all it took for her to be booted off. I am disappointed she is gone, to say the least.)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Last Gasp of Winter?
Hopefully I'm not jinxing us here in the Upper Peninsula - but I have a feeling we are beginning to see the last gasp of winter. After a very brutal mid-March chill has brought temperatures down into the single digits and teens, a nice warm-up will be headed our way for the weekend. The forecast for Saturday and Sunday call for bright, sunny skies with temperatures up into the 40's. Don't be surprised if a few inland locations reach the 50 degree mark. And honestly, it's very much welcomed after a brutal winter season up here. It's been snowy and cold; for awhile there, we were on pace for having our snowiest winter of all time! The snows have eased up a bit as of late, but we'll probably still end up having the fifth or sixth snowiest winter of all time. In fact, this winter has been so cold, Lake Superior is mostly ice-covered. Its been six years since that last happened and prior to that, 1994. It's a huge lake so it's easy to see why Lake Superior doesn't ice over all that often, even though it's the coldest lake out of the five Great Lakes. The good thing about having Lake Superior nearly covered with ice is that the lake effect snows stop; which they have. Moisture isn't being drawn out of the lake - so hopefully that'll keep the lake levels from dropping even further than they have in most recent years.
Of course the weather in the Upper Peninsula during the month of March can vary so much. Back in 2000, we underwent an unprecedented warm spell that melted away the remainder of our snow in a matter of a week. Actually, the warm spell began in February and was very relentless. We may have cooled back some during that time frame, but no major cold snaps. Spring came early in 2000 and it certainly was very enjoyable for those sick of the winter chill. That in comparison to the past couple of winters, where the snow extended well into the month of April. In fact, during the winters of 2007 and 2008 - the month of April brought with it our worst snow storms of the year! The good thing, though, is that usually the snow doesn't stick around for very long in April. The sun angle is much higher and the jet stream continues its northward trek into Canada.
So what will the remainder of March and April bring weather-wise for the Upper Peninsula? One can never tell. With the way this winter started and hasn't let up, we're due for a break. Usually if a winter starts off slow, it seems to end with a bang. We started out with a bang this winter, so hopefully we're in for a quick end to winter. However, we don't want it to end too quickly with the snow melting ridiculously quick. That'll cause a lot of worries in regards to flooding. Typically the Upper Peninsula is not an area prone to flooding because the rivers aren't huge. However, that doesn't mean flooding doesn't happen. A few years back, the city of Wakefield in the Western U.P. was innundated by spring flooding. How can I forget back in 2003 when a dam on the Dead River in Marquette County broke. It spilled millions of gallons of water downstream towards Marquette, MI; causing thousands to be evacuated and shutting down our two iron ore mines because the power plant that sits near the Lake Superior shore close to where the Dead River discharges became flooded out. We had to converse power for a good month until that power plant was brought back on-line. So the U.P. isn't totally immune to flooding concerns. Of course we all want an early end to the winter season, but it has to be moderately slow. As long as we don't get any major April snow storms this season, I'll be happy.
Of course the weather in the Upper Peninsula during the month of March can vary so much. Back in 2000, we underwent an unprecedented warm spell that melted away the remainder of our snow in a matter of a week. Actually, the warm spell began in February and was very relentless. We may have cooled back some during that time frame, but no major cold snaps. Spring came early in 2000 and it certainly was very enjoyable for those sick of the winter chill. That in comparison to the past couple of winters, where the snow extended well into the month of April. In fact, during the winters of 2007 and 2008 - the month of April brought with it our worst snow storms of the year! The good thing, though, is that usually the snow doesn't stick around for very long in April. The sun angle is much higher and the jet stream continues its northward trek into Canada.
So what will the remainder of March and April bring weather-wise for the Upper Peninsula? One can never tell. With the way this winter started and hasn't let up, we're due for a break. Usually if a winter starts off slow, it seems to end with a bang. We started out with a bang this winter, so hopefully we're in for a quick end to winter. However, we don't want it to end too quickly with the snow melting ridiculously quick. That'll cause a lot of worries in regards to flooding. Typically the Upper Peninsula is not an area prone to flooding because the rivers aren't huge. However, that doesn't mean flooding doesn't happen. A few years back, the city of Wakefield in the Western U.P. was innundated by spring flooding. How can I forget back in 2003 when a dam on the Dead River in Marquette County broke. It spilled millions of gallons of water downstream towards Marquette, MI; causing thousands to be evacuated and shutting down our two iron ore mines because the power plant that sits near the Lake Superior shore close to where the Dead River discharges became flooded out. We had to converse power for a good month until that power plant was brought back on-line. So the U.P. isn't totally immune to flooding concerns. Of course we all want an early end to the winter season, but it has to be moderately slow. As long as we don't get any major April snow storms this season, I'll be happy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
American Idol 8 - Top 13
And let the real show begin! We have now advanced to the final round of American Idol and I've got to say, I am excited! Despite the fact that I don't have the same buzz like I did with last season, I still have good feelings that season eight will end up being just as great. There is a lot of good talent in this year's pool; I just think we haven't seen the contestants live up to their potential. Hopefully everyone will be able to step it up as tonight they sing the songs of Michael Jackson. I believe that MJ has a vast collection of songs that are touchable; however, there are a few that shouldn't be attempted. Did any of tonight's contestants dare to cover some of those songs? We shall see. On with the review!
Lil Rounds - "The Way You Make Me Feel" : This is a very high energy song. She really looks good on stage; wearing a slimming outfit with nice, light colors. Lil appears comfortable being on stage and is not showing any nerves. Not sure if the song really shows off Lil's great vocal abilities but she definitely had fun with it. I believe she's absolutely perfect for this competition. Nice way to start the show.
Scott MacIntyre - "Keep the Faith" : Scott, as promised, playing the piano; exactly what I was looking forward to. I don't really believe he will be known for his vocal abilities in this competition because in my opinion, his singing is just average. But you have to admit he's one heck of a musician. The way he plays the piano is phenominal. I wasn't familiar with the song he chose this week so I was surprised the tempo picked up part-way through. I thought the end of the song was better than the beginning but overall, it was a very good effort from Scott.
Danny Gokey - "PYT (Pretty Young Thing)" : Danny is one of the most talked about contestants of season eight; either you love him or hate him. I thought his song choice was very odd and it started off really weird. But the tempo quickly picked up and suddenly it's one big party in the studio. Danny is full of energy and very likable. There's no doubt about his vocal abilities. He was very fun tonight and his singing wasn't half-bad either.
Michael Sarver - "You Are Not Alone" : I think this was a million times better than his semi-final performance singing "I Don't Wanna Be." This is more of a sound suited for Michael and he may be more comfortable singing ballads. The performance was just a bit boring for me when it started, but I really began to feel Michael's passion and soul. It was definitely a well-controlled performance.
Jasmine Murray - "I'll Be There" : A very predictable song choice from Jasmine. I wouldn't call it a pitch-perfect performance by no means. It was an admirable effort, however. She struggles with the lower notes in the song but I have to say the ending was better than the beginning. With the way she's dressed and picked songs the past couple of weeks, I can't get the "Princess Jasime" allusion out of my mind when I think of her. It's time she mixes things up and does something a little more edgy.
Kris Allen - "Remember the Time" : I really enjoyed how this started out. He injected a lot of soul into it and it didn't hurt with him playing the guitar. He showed a ton of confidence on stage and had lots of fun. Miles better than his semi-final song where he sang "Man in the Mirror." However, he did get a bit clumsy towards the end of the song when he may have gotten caught up in the moment and started over-singing and becoming off-tune. Still, much better than I was expecting.
Allison Iraheta - "Give it to Me" : She is certainly the bona-fide rocker chick in season eight and she's playing it off extremely well. I think it falls just a tad bit short of her semi-final performance where she sang "Alone," but it was still very good. She has no trouble hitting the right notes; even the higher ones in this song. She is definitely one of my favorites of this season so far.
Anoop Desai - "Beat it" : What a tremendously risky song for Anoop to sing. I have a feeling Simon will rip his performance to shreds; which he does. Actually the whole panel does! I didn't think it was terrible, but it wasn't great either. You could tell he was having a lot of fun with it, as he moved across the stage with ease; even interacting some with the audience. Still, a bit indulgent and over-the-top. I feel bad because Anoop is so likable. He really looks disappointed.
Jorge Nunez - "Never Can Say Goodbye" : I am really liking Jorge's sound with this song; has a very Latin-American feel and is very soulful. He even sounds like Marc Anthony at times. He was off on a few notes but overall I found the performance to be very enjoyable. I think he's a breath of fresh air for this show, especially if they are looking for a singer in the Latin American market. I'm still rather puzzled why the judges panned it so terribly.
Megan Joy Corkrey - "Rockin' Robin" : A very fun, quirky song for Megan - seems to fit her nicely. She looks absolutely stunning tonight in that red dress. I love her personality; she seems very bubbly. I'll admit, I wasn't blown away by her vocals but she is a very pleasant and likable person. It is an older song; maybe that's why it seems so old-fashioned. I was a bit taken aback by Simon calling her song choice "stupid." This is practically his girl!
Adam Lambert - "Black or White" : The start of the song seemed a bit sub-dued, more restrained. Things really start picking up towards the middle and end. I thought we were going to see a different side of Adam with the way the song started, but I should've known better. In my opinion, it's a bit over-the-top at times and shouty, but there's no question he's an amazing performer. He's so confident on that stage it's not even funny.
Matt Giraud - "Human Nature" : I am so totally digging the arrangement of this song. It almost has a naturistic-sound to it and it's enhanced even more with Matt playing on the piano. Loved the overall feel of the song. Probably not quite as good of a performance like his Wild Card song and I'd even characterize it as being a bit safe. But I believe we'll be seeing lots of Matt in the weeks to come.
Alexis Grace - "Dirty Diana" : I am really enjoying the start of this song. She really turned herself into this edgy, rocker-style performer. She has to be careful not to over-do it, however. Don't think it was pitch-perfect, but still, very nicely done. She appears to be very confident being on that big Idol stage. There's no question she's in her element while singing on this show and I look forward to her performing with her guitar in the weeks to come.
With the recap out of the way, how do I think the contestants performed tonight? Ask and you shall receive! Here are tonight's rankings:
1.) Danny Gokey
2.) Adam Lambert
3.) Lil Rounds
4.) Matt Giraud
5.) Allison Iraheta
6.) Michael Sarver
7.) Kris Allen
8.) Alexis Grace
9.) Jorge Nunez (actual eliminee 3/11/09)
10.) Scott MacIntyre
11.) Megan Joy Corkrey
12.) Jasmine Murray (actual eliminee 3/11/09)
13.) Anoop Desai
My prediction: Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez will go home. Jorge is a very memorable contestant but I don't think he did enough with his song tonight. And it doesn't help when he gets absolutely sand-bagged by the judges! I still don't get why they thought it was so horrible. Jorge is a very happy and likable guy. Obviously it will be very disappointing to see him go home at this stage of the competition. Meanwhile, Jasmine has "cannon fodder" written across her profile in big, bold lettering. Honestly, I don't understand why she was even chosen as a wild card because in my opinion (and many others), Jesse Langseth was a much stronger contestant at this stage of the competition. I just don't see a whole lot of star potential in Jasmine, so it would not surprise me at all to see her get the boot this week.
Still, don't be surprised if there's a huge, shocking elimination during the next couple of weeks. That is, if the fan votes still count after the anticipated rule change that will take effect on tonight's results show. The speculation on the internet is that the judges will get a one-time veto of the fans' votes where they can bring back a deserving contestant who's on the brink of being eliminated far too early. If this is the new rule that will take effect, will they be hesitant to save a contestant like Allison, Matt, or Michael? Honestly, the three I believe are untouchable are Danny, Adam, and Lil. I think those three have a clear path right down to the top three so long as either one don't seriously mess up. As for the others, it's probably only a matter of time before they get voted off.
Be sure to enjoy the results on Wednesday. Kelly Clarkson will be peforming her hit song, "My Life Would Suck Without You." Really looking forward to that!
(After the results show, I picked both contestants sent home. Whoot! First time this season.)
Lil Rounds - "The Way You Make Me Feel" : This is a very high energy song. She really looks good on stage; wearing a slimming outfit with nice, light colors. Lil appears comfortable being on stage and is not showing any nerves. Not sure if the song really shows off Lil's great vocal abilities but she definitely had fun with it. I believe she's absolutely perfect for this competition. Nice way to start the show.
Scott MacIntyre - "Keep the Faith" : Scott, as promised, playing the piano; exactly what I was looking forward to. I don't really believe he will be known for his vocal abilities in this competition because in my opinion, his singing is just average. But you have to admit he's one heck of a musician. The way he plays the piano is phenominal. I wasn't familiar with the song he chose this week so I was surprised the tempo picked up part-way through. I thought the end of the song was better than the beginning but overall, it was a very good effort from Scott.
Danny Gokey - "PYT (Pretty Young Thing)" : Danny is one of the most talked about contestants of season eight; either you love him or hate him. I thought his song choice was very odd and it started off really weird. But the tempo quickly picked up and suddenly it's one big party in the studio. Danny is full of energy and very likable. There's no doubt about his vocal abilities. He was very fun tonight and his singing wasn't half-bad either.
Michael Sarver - "You Are Not Alone" : I think this was a million times better than his semi-final performance singing "I Don't Wanna Be." This is more of a sound suited for Michael and he may be more comfortable singing ballads. The performance was just a bit boring for me when it started, but I really began to feel Michael's passion and soul. It was definitely a well-controlled performance.
Jasmine Murray - "I'll Be There" : A very predictable song choice from Jasmine. I wouldn't call it a pitch-perfect performance by no means. It was an admirable effort, however. She struggles with the lower notes in the song but I have to say the ending was better than the beginning. With the way she's dressed and picked songs the past couple of weeks, I can't get the "Princess Jasime" allusion out of my mind when I think of her. It's time she mixes things up and does something a little more edgy.
Kris Allen - "Remember the Time" : I really enjoyed how this started out. He injected a lot of soul into it and it didn't hurt with him playing the guitar. He showed a ton of confidence on stage and had lots of fun. Miles better than his semi-final song where he sang "Man in the Mirror." However, he did get a bit clumsy towards the end of the song when he may have gotten caught up in the moment and started over-singing and becoming off-tune. Still, much better than I was expecting.
Allison Iraheta - "Give it to Me" : She is certainly the bona-fide rocker chick in season eight and she's playing it off extremely well. I think it falls just a tad bit short of her semi-final performance where she sang "Alone," but it was still very good. She has no trouble hitting the right notes; even the higher ones in this song. She is definitely one of my favorites of this season so far.
Anoop Desai - "Beat it" : What a tremendously risky song for Anoop to sing. I have a feeling Simon will rip his performance to shreds; which he does. Actually the whole panel does! I didn't think it was terrible, but it wasn't great either. You could tell he was having a lot of fun with it, as he moved across the stage with ease; even interacting some with the audience. Still, a bit indulgent and over-the-top. I feel bad because Anoop is so likable. He really looks disappointed.
Jorge Nunez - "Never Can Say Goodbye" : I am really liking Jorge's sound with this song; has a very Latin-American feel and is very soulful. He even sounds like Marc Anthony at times. He was off on a few notes but overall I found the performance to be very enjoyable. I think he's a breath of fresh air for this show, especially if they are looking for a singer in the Latin American market. I'm still rather puzzled why the judges panned it so terribly.
Megan Joy Corkrey - "Rockin' Robin" : A very fun, quirky song for Megan - seems to fit her nicely. She looks absolutely stunning tonight in that red dress. I love her personality; she seems very bubbly. I'll admit, I wasn't blown away by her vocals but she is a very pleasant and likable person. It is an older song; maybe that's why it seems so old-fashioned. I was a bit taken aback by Simon calling her song choice "stupid." This is practically his girl!
Adam Lambert - "Black or White" : The start of the song seemed a bit sub-dued, more restrained. Things really start picking up towards the middle and end. I thought we were going to see a different side of Adam with the way the song started, but I should've known better. In my opinion, it's a bit over-the-top at times and shouty, but there's no question he's an amazing performer. He's so confident on that stage it's not even funny.
Matt Giraud - "Human Nature" : I am so totally digging the arrangement of this song. It almost has a naturistic-sound to it and it's enhanced even more with Matt playing on the piano. Loved the overall feel of the song. Probably not quite as good of a performance like his Wild Card song and I'd even characterize it as being a bit safe. But I believe we'll be seeing lots of Matt in the weeks to come.
Alexis Grace - "Dirty Diana" : I am really enjoying the start of this song. She really turned herself into this edgy, rocker-style performer. She has to be careful not to over-do it, however. Don't think it was pitch-perfect, but still, very nicely done. She appears to be very confident being on that big Idol stage. There's no question she's in her element while singing on this show and I look forward to her performing with her guitar in the weeks to come.
With the recap out of the way, how do I think the contestants performed tonight? Ask and you shall receive! Here are tonight's rankings:
1.) Danny Gokey
2.) Adam Lambert
3.) Lil Rounds
4.) Matt Giraud
5.) Allison Iraheta
6.) Michael Sarver
7.) Kris Allen
8.) Alexis Grace
9.) Jorge Nunez (actual eliminee 3/11/09)
10.) Scott MacIntyre
11.) Megan Joy Corkrey
12.) Jasmine Murray (actual eliminee 3/11/09)
13.) Anoop Desai
My prediction: Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez will go home. Jorge is a very memorable contestant but I don't think he did enough with his song tonight. And it doesn't help when he gets absolutely sand-bagged by the judges! I still don't get why they thought it was so horrible. Jorge is a very happy and likable guy. Obviously it will be very disappointing to see him go home at this stage of the competition. Meanwhile, Jasmine has "cannon fodder" written across her profile in big, bold lettering. Honestly, I don't understand why she was even chosen as a wild card because in my opinion (and many others), Jesse Langseth was a much stronger contestant at this stage of the competition. I just don't see a whole lot of star potential in Jasmine, so it would not surprise me at all to see her get the boot this week.
Still, don't be surprised if there's a huge, shocking elimination during the next couple of weeks. That is, if the fan votes still count after the anticipated rule change that will take effect on tonight's results show. The speculation on the internet is that the judges will get a one-time veto of the fans' votes where they can bring back a deserving contestant who's on the brink of being eliminated far too early. If this is the new rule that will take effect, will they be hesitant to save a contestant like Allison, Matt, or Michael? Honestly, the three I believe are untouchable are Danny, Adam, and Lil. I think those three have a clear path right down to the top three so long as either one don't seriously mess up. As for the others, it's probably only a matter of time before they get voted off.
Be sure to enjoy the results on Wednesday. Kelly Clarkson will be peforming her hit song, "My Life Would Suck Without You." Really looking forward to that!
(After the results show, I picked both contestants sent home. Whoot! First time this season.)
Advertising Gold
If you've watched TV within the past few weeks, particularly any of the four major networks, you might've seen or at least heard part of a new creative advertisement that McDonald's is running. The fast food chain is currently offering their filet-o-fish sandwich - likely to coincide with Lent. Heck, every fast food chain is offering some sort of fish sandwich during this time of year; so you know it can't be a coincidence. But McDonalds' ad for the filet-o-fish is unique, because it offers a catchy jingle and includes a funny situation between the two characters. For those of you who may be out of the loop, here is the ad in question:
So in the advertisement, we have a gentleman in his garage sitting down eating a fillet-o-fish sandwich from McDonald's. As he takes a bite, the mechanical singing fish starts ... well, singing. He is lamenting about the guy eating the sandwich and exclaims, "give me back that fillet-o-fish, give me that fish." But the guy is absolutely unfazed and is quite enjoying his sandwich from McDonald's. In fact, it appears like guy is in his own world as the fish serenades him; well more like chastises him for eating the fillet-o-fish. Then comes in the second gentleman, who is completely innocent of any wrong doing, which he brings back a drill that he borrowed from his neighbor. No words are exchanged and frankly, none has to be uttered because the body language and facial expressions in this 30 second ad are priceless on their own. As the second guy enters the garage and hears the song from the mechanical fish - he sheepishly peeks over at his neighbor, then looks back at the fish. The expression on his face is like "what the heck is this?!" He's surprised, shocked, and probably pretty freaked out. Meanwhile, his buddy is still sitting down chowing on his filet-o-fish sandwich, absolutely unfazed by what is happening. The mechanical fish ends the song with the lyrics, "what if it were you hanging up on this wall, if it were you in that sandwich you wouldn't be laughing at all!" Absolutely brilliant!
I've seen this commercial quite a bit and it still hasn't gotten old yet. However, there is always that risk of catchy jingle-overload where I'll come to loathe even hearing that song. So I have to be careful I don't overdo it, otherwise I'll come to hate one of the greatest McDonald's commercials ever created. The majority of people out there find this TV ad fantastic, however, not everyone is a fan. And I think the reason why is because they were exposed to the ad for too long, thus they got sick of hearing the jingle. Heck, one of the reasons why this ad is so popular is because of the jingle itself. It's so catchy that you'll end up singing it to yourself for hours on end. And I'm sure you've known of someone that has owned one of those mechanical singing fish. Maybe you or your family has owned one yourself! We still have our Travis the Trout singing fish, but it no longer sings. I think my dad has it leaning up against the wall in his garage. They were one of those great fads from the 1990's; extremely popular in their peak, but quickly became out of style and people couldn't wait to get rid of them. They either ended up in landfills across America or place up in attics or basements. Just like that, they were quickly dispatched. However, their legacy lives on and with the help of that McDonald's TV ad, they may soon become just as popular as they once were in the 1990's.
You might not be totally enthused to buy a filet-o-fish sandwich from McDonald's after watching that ad but you probably will be humming, if not singing along to that jingle for quite some time. And hey, you might end up getting creative with it and show up at a McDonald's restaurant and blare it at the top of your lungs to all of the other patrons in the restaurant like the kids in the clip below. Sure, they were being mischievous and they immediately left the restaurant after they concluded their crooning, but they were the first to sing their own rendition of the jingle and post it on YouTube. That's an award in of itself ... or not.
So in the advertisement, we have a gentleman in his garage sitting down eating a fillet-o-fish sandwich from McDonald's. As he takes a bite, the mechanical singing fish starts ... well, singing. He is lamenting about the guy eating the sandwich and exclaims, "give me back that fillet-o-fish, give me that fish." But the guy is absolutely unfazed and is quite enjoying his sandwich from McDonald's. In fact, it appears like guy is in his own world as the fish serenades him; well more like chastises him for eating the fillet-o-fish. Then comes in the second gentleman, who is completely innocent of any wrong doing, which he brings back a drill that he borrowed from his neighbor. No words are exchanged and frankly, none has to be uttered because the body language and facial expressions in this 30 second ad are priceless on their own. As the second guy enters the garage and hears the song from the mechanical fish - he sheepishly peeks over at his neighbor, then looks back at the fish. The expression on his face is like "what the heck is this?!" He's surprised, shocked, and probably pretty freaked out. Meanwhile, his buddy is still sitting down chowing on his filet-o-fish sandwich, absolutely unfazed by what is happening. The mechanical fish ends the song with the lyrics, "what if it were you hanging up on this wall, if it were you in that sandwich you wouldn't be laughing at all!" Absolutely brilliant!
I've seen this commercial quite a bit and it still hasn't gotten old yet. However, there is always that risk of catchy jingle-overload where I'll come to loathe even hearing that song. So I have to be careful I don't overdo it, otherwise I'll come to hate one of the greatest McDonald's commercials ever created. The majority of people out there find this TV ad fantastic, however, not everyone is a fan. And I think the reason why is because they were exposed to the ad for too long, thus they got sick of hearing the jingle. Heck, one of the reasons why this ad is so popular is because of the jingle itself. It's so catchy that you'll end up singing it to yourself for hours on end. And I'm sure you've known of someone that has owned one of those mechanical singing fish. Maybe you or your family has owned one yourself! We still have our Travis the Trout singing fish, but it no longer sings. I think my dad has it leaning up against the wall in his garage. They were one of those great fads from the 1990's; extremely popular in their peak, but quickly became out of style and people couldn't wait to get rid of them. They either ended up in landfills across America or place up in attics or basements. Just like that, they were quickly dispatched. However, their legacy lives on and with the help of that McDonald's TV ad, they may soon become just as popular as they once were in the 1990's.
You might not be totally enthused to buy a filet-o-fish sandwich from McDonald's after watching that ad but you probably will be humming, if not singing along to that jingle for quite some time. And hey, you might end up getting creative with it and show up at a McDonald's restaurant and blare it at the top of your lungs to all of the other patrons in the restaurant like the kids in the clip below. Sure, they were being mischievous and they immediately left the restaurant after they concluded their crooning, but they were the first to sing their own rendition of the jingle and post it on YouTube. That's an award in of itself ... or not.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
American Idol 8 - Top 36 Group 3
I am stressed for time this early Wednesday afternoon, so I am going to type fast and hopefully you won't notice too many spelling or grammar errors (I always try to spellcheck, anyways). So here we have our final group of the top 36 round. And after watching the performances back a couple of different times, I'd have to say this was the strongest group that we had thus far. I mean sure, most of the performers had a few pitch problems here and there - but it wasn't nearly as awful as the last couple of weeks had been where only a few notable people stood out. I thought last night was much more of a challenge for the American voters than it had been in the last few weeks and there might be a few surprises when the results are revealed tonight. On with the recap!
Von Smith - "You're All I Need to Get By" : Von developed a reputation for being too "shouty," being too theatrical, and even trying too hard to impress. He is really trying to take the criticism he's received from the judges to heart and improve. And I thought last night he was much more reserved than he was in prior performances. Still, it's hard for him not to sing with such a wide open mouth and it becomes somewhat distracting. However, with that being said, last night's performance was actually endearing and it was a lot better than what I remembered from him. I thought the end of the song was more enjoyable than the beginning - but overall it was a very strong vocal performance. It definitely starts the show off on the right foot.
Taylor Vaifanua - "If I Ain't Got You" : Taylor was one of my favorites right from the start of season eight. However, she really hasn't delivered a true memorable performance thus far in the competition. The beginning part of last night's performance is too low for her, but it gets better as the song moves along. I do agree in the sense that it was verging on a copy cat of Alicia Keys's original. I don't think she does a horrible job with the performance, but it's basically just average for me. She definitely could've done something different with the song to make it her own. She doesn't do enough to differentiate from Alicia Keys, which will hurt her in the end. And I've got to admit, this wasn't all that memorable of a performance, either.
Alex Wagner - Trugman - "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" : Talk about a song that's never been performed on Idol (at least I can't remember it). I am really liking the song choice and I also have to admit to liking Alex's personality. He's a funny guy and has a dry wit about him. I am still somewhat perplexed as to how he fits into the competition as a singer, despite the fact that he actually can sing. Obviously he's in a different league than Nick Mitchell, but he doesn't appear to be a polished stage performer yet. And that's clearly evident with last night's performance. He was awkward with his funky dance moves and seemed a bit nervous, too. He definitely tried too hard to impress the judges and America and went overboard with the growling. If he toned it down somewhat, it probably would've been a half-way decent performance.
Arianna Afsar - "The Winner Takes it All" : Arianna takes great offense to being called "cute as a button" by the judges. However, in the music industry, that is one of the qualities music execs are looking for when finding an individual with the total package, and Arianna definitely has that. I have to say I am not liking the song she's picked for her performance. It's an odd song, definitely not a current hit. She struggles with it at times, as it's certainly too big of a song for her. I did like the end of the song more than the beginning, but even then, her voice cracked terribly on the final note. That is not the way to leave a lasting impression on Idol voters. I think she would've had better luck picking a more current song.
Ju'Not Joyner - "Hey There Delilah" : A very interesting arrangement of a song that's proven to be a big hit within the last couple of years. It's definitely more laid back, soulful, and Ju'Not did not over sing it. I'd disagree that he held back with the song - I honestly think that was his intention and in my estimation, it worked for him. I was pleasantly surprised with Ju'Not's take on the song and expected more of a rendition like the original. Ju'Not dares to be different and it's one reason why the voters will remember him. I have to say the beginning of the song seemed a bit dull for me, but then he started to throw more runs into the song and I found it to be quite enjoyable.
Kristen McNamara - "Give Me One Reason" : Tracy Chapman's song from the 1990's is one of my favorites, so I am happy to see it covered on Idol. Kristen's arrangement of the song is a bit different; it has a quicker tempo and is even more of a song to dance to. Don't the judges say "you can definitely sing" or "you definitely have a good voice" to just about every contestant? I think they should explain a little bit better than that. She's very pretty - another of my early favorites. I have to admit I wasn't liking the faster tempo of the song early on, but it quickly grew on me and it certainly worked. I agree with the judges in a sense that the song doesn't quite show off her vocal skills like it could've, but it was still quite enjoyable.
Nate Marshall - "I Would Do Anything For Love" : He's certainly a decent performer and does an admiral job of working the stage. I know some people will find him to be off-putting and will remember him for his drama queen-like behavior in Hollywood. But I have to say he was much more likable on last night's performance than he has been in the past. He definitely tries to have fun and I like that he didn't try to beg for votes and he didn't exchange negative banter with the judges. The song probably wasn't the perfect choice for him as it doesn't show off what he can do vocally. However, he does a decent job with it and he's going to be one contestant that people will remember.
Felicia Barton - "No One" : There was a reason they brought Felicia back into this competition, and last night's performance proved why. She is definitely a good singer and does a nice job with this Alicia Keys song. Seems like all of Alicia's biggest songs were covered tonight. Yes, there were a few notable pitch problems, particularly with the higher notes. I don't think it was a spectacular vocal performance but it was still decent. However, with that being said, I think she's going to find it difficult advancing to the top 12 without getting a wild card, considering all of the good-quality performances we saw last night. She has her work cut out for her.
Scott MacIntyre - "Mandolin Rain" : Wow, what a great song choice for Scott. It's one of those songs that brings me back to my youth. I agree with Simon's assessment that Scott probably doesn't have the best vocal of all of the male contestants in the top 12. However, he's a great musician, especially considering his visual imparity. I think it's nice to see this side of Scott, being without his piano. It shows that he can perform without it - and if he gets into the top 12, he can mix things up from time to time and perform without it. It shows tremendous risk and can be one of those endearing qualities that the voters will like. It wasn't a vocally perfect performance, but it was still quite good.
Kendall Beard - "This One's For the Girl" : Ah, Kendall is going the country route. This could prove to be to her advantage because only one other contestant in the top 36 has sung a country song. Obviously it didn't quite work out for him, so maybe it will be different for Kendall. She really does have a stunning look about her; she looks marvelous on camera. Unfortunately, that won't be enough to get her through to the top 12 because her singing performance was pretty forgettable. And again, like many contestants tonight, there were moments where she struggled to hit the right notes, especially the higher ones. I definitely feel it could've been better and it appeared nerves really got to her.
Jorge Nunez - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" : Oh man, another song that's been performed countless number of times by a variety of Idols through the years, most notably during last season's finale by David Archuleta. Archie really nailed the song last year, so I am a bit worried to see how Jorge will fare. And honestly, it's a lot better than what I was expecting. He's a very powerful singer and the performance was pretty much on-pitch. This is a song that really works well for a lot of singers and it certainly worked to Jorge's advantage last night. He comes across as a very nice, humble, and likable guy - and I'm kind of rooting for him to do well in this competition.
Lil Rounds - "Be Without You" : Here's another early favorite with the coveted pimp spot (Danny G., Adam L.), so she better bring it. Obviously the producers know what they are doing by scheduling the early favorites to go last. And Lil really delivers on this one. She picked the right song that really shows off her fantastic vocal abilities. "Be Without You" compliments her voice and she proves that she's a powerhouse of a singer. It's certainly no surprise why she became a favorite so early on in the competition. Definitely worthy of the top 12 and the strongest performance of the night. I have a feeling we'll be seeing lots of Lil in the rounds to come.
And now, my opinion on who I thought had the strongest performances of the night:
Top Male Performances:
1.) Ju'Not Joyner
2.) Scott MacIntyre
3.) Jorge Nunez
4.) Von Smith
5.) Nate Marshall
6.) Alex Wanger-Trugman
Top Female Performers:
1.) Lil Rounds
2.) Felicia Barton
3.) Kristen McNamara
4.) Taylor Vaifanua
5.) Kendall Beard
6.) Arianna Afsar
Von Smith - "You're All I Need to Get By" : Von developed a reputation for being too "shouty," being too theatrical, and even trying too hard to impress. He is really trying to take the criticism he's received from the judges to heart and improve. And I thought last night he was much more reserved than he was in prior performances. Still, it's hard for him not to sing with such a wide open mouth and it becomes somewhat distracting. However, with that being said, last night's performance was actually endearing and it was a lot better than what I remembered from him. I thought the end of the song was more enjoyable than the beginning - but overall it was a very strong vocal performance. It definitely starts the show off on the right foot.
Taylor Vaifanua - "If I Ain't Got You" : Taylor was one of my favorites right from the start of season eight. However, she really hasn't delivered a true memorable performance thus far in the competition. The beginning part of last night's performance is too low for her, but it gets better as the song moves along. I do agree in the sense that it was verging on a copy cat of Alicia Keys's original. I don't think she does a horrible job with the performance, but it's basically just average for me. She definitely could've done something different with the song to make it her own. She doesn't do enough to differentiate from Alicia Keys, which will hurt her in the end. And I've got to admit, this wasn't all that memorable of a performance, either.
Alex Wagner - Trugman - "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" : Talk about a song that's never been performed on Idol (at least I can't remember it). I am really liking the song choice and I also have to admit to liking Alex's personality. He's a funny guy and has a dry wit about him. I am still somewhat perplexed as to how he fits into the competition as a singer, despite the fact that he actually can sing. Obviously he's in a different league than Nick Mitchell, but he doesn't appear to be a polished stage performer yet. And that's clearly evident with last night's performance. He was awkward with his funky dance moves and seemed a bit nervous, too. He definitely tried too hard to impress the judges and America and went overboard with the growling. If he toned it down somewhat, it probably would've been a half-way decent performance.
Arianna Afsar - "The Winner Takes it All" : Arianna takes great offense to being called "cute as a button" by the judges. However, in the music industry, that is one of the qualities music execs are looking for when finding an individual with the total package, and Arianna definitely has that. I have to say I am not liking the song she's picked for her performance. It's an odd song, definitely not a current hit. She struggles with it at times, as it's certainly too big of a song for her. I did like the end of the song more than the beginning, but even then, her voice cracked terribly on the final note. That is not the way to leave a lasting impression on Idol voters. I think she would've had better luck picking a more current song.
Ju'Not Joyner - "Hey There Delilah" : A very interesting arrangement of a song that's proven to be a big hit within the last couple of years. It's definitely more laid back, soulful, and Ju'Not did not over sing it. I'd disagree that he held back with the song - I honestly think that was his intention and in my estimation, it worked for him. I was pleasantly surprised with Ju'Not's take on the song and expected more of a rendition like the original. Ju'Not dares to be different and it's one reason why the voters will remember him. I have to say the beginning of the song seemed a bit dull for me, but then he started to throw more runs into the song and I found it to be quite enjoyable.
Kristen McNamara - "Give Me One Reason" : Tracy Chapman's song from the 1990's is one of my favorites, so I am happy to see it covered on Idol. Kristen's arrangement of the song is a bit different; it has a quicker tempo and is even more of a song to dance to. Don't the judges say "you can definitely sing" or "you definitely have a good voice" to just about every contestant? I think they should explain a little bit better than that. She's very pretty - another of my early favorites. I have to admit I wasn't liking the faster tempo of the song early on, but it quickly grew on me and it certainly worked. I agree with the judges in a sense that the song doesn't quite show off her vocal skills like it could've, but it was still quite enjoyable.
Nate Marshall - "I Would Do Anything For Love" : He's certainly a decent performer and does an admiral job of working the stage. I know some people will find him to be off-putting and will remember him for his drama queen-like behavior in Hollywood. But I have to say he was much more likable on last night's performance than he has been in the past. He definitely tries to have fun and I like that he didn't try to beg for votes and he didn't exchange negative banter with the judges. The song probably wasn't the perfect choice for him as it doesn't show off what he can do vocally. However, he does a decent job with it and he's going to be one contestant that people will remember.
Felicia Barton - "No One" : There was a reason they brought Felicia back into this competition, and last night's performance proved why. She is definitely a good singer and does a nice job with this Alicia Keys song. Seems like all of Alicia's biggest songs were covered tonight. Yes, there were a few notable pitch problems, particularly with the higher notes. I don't think it was a spectacular vocal performance but it was still decent. However, with that being said, I think she's going to find it difficult advancing to the top 12 without getting a wild card, considering all of the good-quality performances we saw last night. She has her work cut out for her.
Scott MacIntyre - "Mandolin Rain" : Wow, what a great song choice for Scott. It's one of those songs that brings me back to my youth. I agree with Simon's assessment that Scott probably doesn't have the best vocal of all of the male contestants in the top 12. However, he's a great musician, especially considering his visual imparity. I think it's nice to see this side of Scott, being without his piano. It shows that he can perform without it - and if he gets into the top 12, he can mix things up from time to time and perform without it. It shows tremendous risk and can be one of those endearing qualities that the voters will like. It wasn't a vocally perfect performance, but it was still quite good.
Kendall Beard - "This One's For the Girl" : Ah, Kendall is going the country route. This could prove to be to her advantage because only one other contestant in the top 36 has sung a country song. Obviously it didn't quite work out for him, so maybe it will be different for Kendall. She really does have a stunning look about her; she looks marvelous on camera. Unfortunately, that won't be enough to get her through to the top 12 because her singing performance was pretty forgettable. And again, like many contestants tonight, there were moments where she struggled to hit the right notes, especially the higher ones. I definitely feel it could've been better and it appeared nerves really got to her.
Jorge Nunez - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" : Oh man, another song that's been performed countless number of times by a variety of Idols through the years, most notably during last season's finale by David Archuleta. Archie really nailed the song last year, so I am a bit worried to see how Jorge will fare. And honestly, it's a lot better than what I was expecting. He's a very powerful singer and the performance was pretty much on-pitch. This is a song that really works well for a lot of singers and it certainly worked to Jorge's advantage last night. He comes across as a very nice, humble, and likable guy - and I'm kind of rooting for him to do well in this competition.
Lil Rounds - "Be Without You" : Here's another early favorite with the coveted pimp spot (Danny G., Adam L.), so she better bring it. Obviously the producers know what they are doing by scheduling the early favorites to go last. And Lil really delivers on this one. She picked the right song that really shows off her fantastic vocal abilities. "Be Without You" compliments her voice and she proves that she's a powerhouse of a singer. It's certainly no surprise why she became a favorite so early on in the competition. Definitely worthy of the top 12 and the strongest performance of the night. I have a feeling we'll be seeing lots of Lil in the rounds to come.
And now, my opinion on who I thought had the strongest performances of the night:
Top Male Performances:
1.) Ju'Not Joyner
2.) Scott MacIntyre
3.) Jorge Nunez
4.) Von Smith
5.) Nate Marshall
6.) Alex Wanger-Trugman
Top Female Performers:
1.) Lil Rounds
2.) Felicia Barton
3.) Kristen McNamara
4.) Taylor Vaifanua
5.) Kendall Beard
6.) Arianna Afsar
And who will move onto the top 12?
M - Ju'Not Joyner
F - Lil Rounds
M - Scott MacIntyre
With that being said, he sure to enjoy tonight's results show. And we'll see you next week for the start of the top 12!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)