American Idol, Season 5 **Official Discussion Thread** Part 2

[krdisneybound]

For someone who can't carry a tune, I think they were all great last night.

Tonight is going to be very sad for someone - I think it will be Elliott.

My botton line feeling is that Taylor will prevail. Very tough right here at the end.

Please don't spoil it for the West Coast viewers, as they don't see it at the same time as we see it on the East Coast.

 

[Buzz'sBetterHalf]

Elliot, I think, sings well. He looks like he has a dip of snuff between his gum and lips all the time because of the shape of his mouth but that can be fixed. He just has a really narrow mouth and crowded teeth. Fixing that would change him drastically IMHO.

And sounds so nasally to me too.

 

[Buzz'sBetterHalf]

This is my first post on this thread but I'm so mad right now. I tried for TWO SOLID hours to get in votes for Elliott and did not get in a vote until 11:00 p.m. and only got in ONE vote.
This is the first time I have had this happen. Usually I get in at least 20-30 calls during the time, but nothing from the land line or cell line. That is with 3 of us trying as well (2 cell and 1 land)
Frustrating to say the least.

I thought Kat did well and I really like her. I have been voting for Elliott as well as others each week since he's a hometown guy (and I loved all of the hoopla around here last week when he came home.)
Elliott, regardless of his looks, is a WONDERFUL and talented singer. I wish him well.

I thought Taylor looked spastic this week. He is good at some songs, but is very limited in his range. He reminds me of Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers) in his sound. I did not like his rendition of You are so Beautiful (But everyone has their own opinions--I personally did not like it.)
I wasn't WOWed by any of them this week (although I though Kat's Over the Rainbow was great.)

Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow night.
Sue Ellen

I agree, this was Kat's night!!

 

[phorsenuf]

I couldn't get through to anyone last night.

 

[aprilgail2]

I couldn't get through to anyone last night.

I got through about 25 times for Taylor....about half of how many times I tried....but I started during the last song so I got 10 votes in before he even stopped singing!

 

[Virgo10]

The result show tonight may be the last nail biter left this season. There seems to be no doubts left, that folks, we have a winner here and his name is Taylor Hicks. I cannot remember the last time I was so thoroughly entertained on AI as I was last night by a single contestant. My take on the top three.

Round One

Elliott: After last week, I had hoped that Elliott would continue to roll. Sadly, that was not to be. Opening with one of my favorite songs, Open Arms, he seemed nervous and did he blow the lyrics at the very end? Not sure as they may have been reworked to save time. At any rate, this certainly was not one of his top performances. Just OK for me dude. He gets a 7.

Katharine: I more or less enjoyed her rendition of I Believe I Can Fly. For once her stage presence didn’t make me want to flee the room. The only down part was the very end when she started screaming the lyrics but all and all a nice performance. I gave her an 8.

Taylor: Having fun with Dancing in the Dark, Taylor was a joy. So relaxed on stage, his smoky vocals made me want to turn out the lights and find his dance card. Hey, a bit corny, but even the Paula part was enjoyable. Just great fun the entire way through, Taylor gets only my second 10+ of the year.

And Now… Round 2

Elliott: OK, round 1 was a bit tough for him, so I’m hoping this will be better. Instead things began to spiral out of control. Doing What You Won’t Do For Love everything was just a little bit off. The rhythm was off. The tone was off and Elliott was struggling. Things aren’t looking good for him and he gets a 6.

Katharine: When I heard the song choice I cringed. Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Huh? Instead, from the Bo Bice a cappella beginning through parts that she really made her own, I was completely impressed. Not sure I was crazy about the floor sitting but, other than that, she presented this nearly perfectly. While Kat is far from my favorite, I have to give credit where credit is due. She gets a 10.

Taylor: Gee, Taylor doing Joe Cocker… Ya think? I expected this to be really good but instead it was absolutely amazing. So beautiful it hurt, I had tears in my eyes. He completely captured the feeling of this song in everyway. This man is incredible.
Never before has this happened but Taylor is getting a 10++ for a performance that will be part of any Idol DVD of the future.

And finally… Round 3

Elliott: Still hoping Elliott would work some magic with a song the he got to pick, I was disappointed once again with his offering. Singing a song I’m not sure I ever heard before, I Believe To My Soul?, I once again found everything out of sync. Nothing was working for him and that song was dreadful. Sad to say Elliott only gets a 5 for his final performance. And that may have been his final performance.

Katharine: Well I figured she couldn’t top or even match her Rainbow gig and I was correct. Doing I Ain’t Got Nothing, I mostly got nothing from this song. Pleeeese Katharine, DO NOT DANCE! The song was cute but she went back to screamville. Not terrible but I just wanted it to be over. She gets a 7.

Taylor: With Try A Little Tenderness, Taylor got to let some of the explosive inner energy out at last. Simon may have had a problem with the last few seconds of this song but I was clapping. Hot! Hot!! Hot!!! all the way. It’s just plain wonderful to see someone who is letting it all go in a positive way. There’s too many in today’s music industry who let it all go but it’s violent and profane.
Taylor ends the night completely perfect with another 10.

Who I voted for:
Well I tried for over an hour and never once got through for both Taylor and Elliott. I did get busy signals, circuits are down and, on occasion, dead lines.

Who I want to go home:
For the volume of their work…. Katharine

Who I think will go home:
Elliott

The only thing I’m sure of is that Taylor and someone will meet next week.

As always, JMHO.

 

[Nancy]

I had a hard time getting through for katharine on all 3 of her numbers last night. Between the 3 lines maybe 50 votes tops. Most of those in the last half hour. (better luck with the cells than the land line.)

 

[stevenpensacola]

Are you talking to me???

The lady was too nice to say it, BUT WE ALL ARE TALKING TO YOU!



you're entitled to your opinion, just don't run over others who also have their own opinions....so there.....

 

[damo]

For someone who can't carry a tune, I think they were all great last night.

Tonight is going to be very sad for someone - I think it will be Elliott.

My botton line feeling is that Taylor will prevail. Very tough right here at the end.

Please don't spoil it for the West Coast viewers, as they don't see it at the same time as we see it on the East Coast.

It is bound to get spoiled by someone. I suggest you avoid this thread like the plague until you've seen the show.

 

[chris1gill]

I was only able to get through once for Taylor & once for Elliott I tried many times, but no luck!

 

[Figment22]

As I've said several times on this thread, I am not a Katharine fan but her version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow was just amazing. I'm very surprised that several big Katharine fans here didn't think so. I think that performance alone will squash any chance that Elliott had of making it to the finals. In my opinion, both Elliott and Taylor were more consistent but OtR will be the performance that everyone remembers.

I voted for Elliott about 45 times last night and managed to get in about 25 votes for Taylor. I really don't want Katharine in the final so I did what I could to keep her out! (It's not going to work though, Elliott's going home tonight, I'm sure of it.)

 

[mcr5298]

I like them all! Although Kat is my favorite! I think that Taylor could use some work on his voice. He sees to be much more of a performer than a good singer. I have liked him from the beginning, when he walked in playing his harmonica to find out if he made it to the top 24! :lol: Elliott has a very good voice but tries to do too many runs at times. Kat also does the runs, and tends to push her voice. But I think that she has the best range and control of the 3 left. But that's just my opinion!

I tried voting for Kat for the 2 hours straight. I got one vote in during the first hour! Then I got another vote in between 10 and 10:30! I was able to get about 6 votes in from 10:50 to 11!

I think that it will be an Taylor/Kat finale. And I don't think that anyone could beat Taylor at this point. He is obviously the most popular (although I don't think that he is the best of the bunch).

 

[bgirldeb]

I thought Katharine's Somewhere Over the Rainbow was really good, however it is not her arrangment, but Eva Cassidy who had a very lovely voice, much better than Katharine McPhee IMO

Did anyone notice if they mentioned this was Eva Cassidy's arrangement?

 

[mcr5298]

I don't believe Eva Cassidy was in the competition? I thought it was about the 3 remaining? Why do people have to make such comparisons?

 

[phisigprincess]

Since Chris left I really wasn't too excited about tonight (but I'm a slave to AI, so of course I wouldn't miss a second of it!! ), but Katharine's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" actually made me stop what I was doing and just watch. I thought it was phenominal. I guess Taylor was good, but maybe I don't "get" him or something. Yeah, he's talented, but I usually just feel 'eh' for him. No matter, I think at this point he has absolutely no chance of losing this thing. More power to him! I like that he proved Simon wrong - Simon who said he wouldn't make it past Hollywood.

Bottom line - Elliott's going home. Why??? Idol statistics tell me so!! (And yeah, I'm that big of an Idol dork!) In all 4 seasons the contestant who sang first on the top 3 night went home. Nikki McKibbon, Kimberly Locke, Jasmine Trias, and Vonzell Solomon. Let's see if history repeats itself.

 

[r3ngels]

I don't believe Eva Cassidy was in the competition? I thought it was about the 3 remaining? Why do people have to make such comparisons?

 

[bgirldeb]

I don't believe Eva Cassidy was in the competition? I thought it was about the 3 remaining? Why do people have to make such comparisons?

No, Eva Cassidy wasn't in the competition. She died of cancer in 1996.
My main point of bringing up Eva Cassidy was not for the purpose of comparison, but to state that this is not an original version of the song. Most people are probably not familiar with Eva Cassidy's signature version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and probably think that Katharine came up with this herself.

As far as doing the comparison, I was just stating my opinion. It may not matter to you to the competition, but it would definitely affect me as far as the way I choose to vote. I hear the judges comparing contestants to different famous singers and past idols all the time.

 

[wvrevy]

[rant]First, a note on "respecting opinions" (If you don't want to read this, just skip down to the next paragraph)...I've never understood why people say "You have to respect my opinion." I'm sorry, but no, I do NOT have to respect your opinion. I have to respect your right to have an opinion. The opinion itself is subject to the same judgement as any other debate point that could be made. For an extreme example...lots of people still have the opinion that the white race is superior to all others. That is certainly not an opinion that I respect. But I do respect their right to have that opinion, even though it makes them look like ignorant rednecks. In AI terms...I have to respect your right to the opinion that Scott Savol was the greatest singer in the history of music. But that doesn't stop me from thinking that you have no idea what you're talking about. See the difference? [/rant]

Ok...on to last night's review:

SONG ONE

Elliott - Completely butchered a great Journey song. No worse than I expected, of course, but certainly no better.

Kat - Too many runs for my taste, but it wasn't as bad as I initially though. On watching the second time (after DW and DD got home from gymnastics), it was much more...tolerable. Still only average from her.

Taylor - Loved the Paula & Taylor Carlton dancing. Not the best performance from 'T', but still easily the best of the first round.

SONG TWO

Elliott - The usual lousy performance.

Kat - Un-friggin-believable ! One of my all-time favorite songs, and she absolutely nailed it! THAT is the reason she belongs in this competition long after a certain other contestant is nothing but a bad memory. No WAY he could ever pull off a performance that great!

Taylor - WOW!!!! Possibly the two best performances of the season were just put up back-to-back by Kat and Taylor! As much as I loved Kat's performance, I'm not sure that I'd rate Taylor behind her in this round. They were both SO good, it's just hard to judge.

SONG THREE

Elliott - Yep...craptastic, as usual. Hopefully, that will be the last time we're ever subjected to him, saving only the one performance shortly after being told he "had a bad day".

Kat - Sorry, but I love Kat singing those kinds of songs. As for the questions of "Is she going to strip,"...I hate to tell you folks, but strippers generally use Motley Crue a lot more than they use classic blues and jazz (er...um...so I've heard, anyway). Regardless, I think she was fantastic, and should have just cemented her entry into the finals.

Taylor - Like I said last week...this is Taylor's competition, and everyone else is just playing for second place. The guy is possibly the best performer they have ever had on this show (actually...heck with it...I'll say he is, without question), and he has a good enough voice that it just makes him so much fun to watch.

Who should go home: Duh.
Who will go home: FINALLY!!! (and about three weeks too late)

 

[Jennasis]

I don' think (IMO) that there is any question that Elliot will be getting the axe tonight. He should be proud to have made it this far (I honestly NEVER envisioned him going past Bucky). But it is all about taste.

The song choices were all pretty good.

Elliot: I was stunned by the choice of "Open Arms" but after a little reflection I thought, MAYBE he can do it. Then he sang it and DH and I just looked at each other and rolled our eyes. I LOVE Journey, and Steve Perry really makes you feel his words. Elliot never makes me FEEL what he is singing. It's just notes warbling out of his mouth (granted most of them are in tune and such), but he doesn't emote (IMO of course).

Elliot 2:: I was honetsly unfamiliar with his second song, but he did an ok job of. Unfortunately "ok" ain't cutting it at this point in the game.

Ellio 3: I think he was trying to capitolize on how well he did "Trouble" last week because this song had a VERY similar vibe to it. Again, it was "ok". I didn't feel he connected to me and I even tried not looking at the screen (Because he still has ZERO stage presence and I can't stand when he makes that "oooooooh" thing with his lips and you can see his two front teeth through it....creepy!)

Kat: "I believe I Can Fly" is a decent choice for her, but the song is so contrite! BLech! I totally agreed with the judges that she should just sing the melody and not do so much "running" witht eh song. She doesn't do runs well at all, especially slides. She simply cannot slide up to a higher note without "slipping" (getting scratchy or screechy). It's off putting. However, she was WAY better than E-double on this song.

Kat 2: You go on and SANG it girl! What a beautiful performance. I panicked when I saw her lounging in the middle of the stage again, thinking, NOT AGAIN! But wow! What a moment she had. Again I warn her, stay AWAY from the slides....

Kat 3: Well, DH loved her outfit (especially her boots). I found the song quite entertaining and was suprised that Randy and Paula didn't dig it. Though my man Simon disagreed (and rightfully so). NOT her strongest performance, but definitely good.

Taylor: What can I say? I didn't love Springsteen on him, but he wore it with pride and still maintained my respect. This was ok for me, but better than Kat or elliot in round 1.

Taylor 2: THAT'S what I'm talking about! We've all been saying since day one (well "I" have) that he should sing Joe Cocker, and he blew me away with it. Dare I say that DH even had a tear in his eye? I suspect many men got lucky last night, and a new wedding song (well a new version anyway) has been born!

Taylor 3: I have been silently waiting for him to get this Otis Redding song in his repertoire. I just KNEW he couldmake it awesome. The song starts out slowly and has simmer to it before it boils over at the end...and he was HOT and CRAZY just the way I likes it! I KNEW he would be going nuts at the end of this song and he didn't disappoint. LOVELY!

Bad news from me is that only one vote got through and it was for Taylor. What the heck am I doing wrong??

Reiterating my first line: Elliot should be done now.

ps...I miss Chris SO much. This "competition" is just so one-sided now without him.

 

[damo]

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Simon say that he thought that Paula and Randy would not put Taylor through to the final 24? I don't remember him saying that Taylor wouldn't make it, or doubting his talent, but instead that it was all about Paula and Randy not letting him make it.