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

[Sandy22]

Ayla was the one who sang the Mulan song. She's the one that was so much taller than Ryan and the judges said she was a pleasant surprise.

The basketball player? Now I remember...she was pretty good. Not the best of the night but far from the worst.

I think the earlier performers are at a disadvantage because it's easy to forget them by the time you see the last performance.

 

[Planogirl]

I didn't think that anyone was awful. Some were just kind of bleh and those were Becky, Stevie, Brenna and Melissa. Kelly was only OK and I expected a lot more from her. Ayla, Paris, Heather and Kinnik Sky were good but just not my thing.

I really LOVED Lisa (only 16?!!!) and Katherine. It's early yet though and I'll wait a few weeks before getting behind anyone in particular.

 

[Slacking]

A lot of people seem to hate Brenna's attitude. but thats exactly what I like about her!

She tells it like it is! A lot of times on AI you get a bunch of girls that pretend to be nice when you know that they're holding back. Brenna comes out and speaks her mind. I like that. I like that a lot.

 

[r3ngels]

This is my recap:

Ayla, Katherine, Kellie, Madisa, Melissa, Paris and Lisa- Good

Becky, Heather, Kinnik-nothing special, kind of Blah

Stevie-not great

and Lastly Brenna- Can't stand her attitude Bye

 

[Nancy]

I found the sound quality overall to be yucky....or maybe it was my TV. It seemed that there was almost an echoey tone to the songs. Either the acoustics weren't that great or like I said, my TV was bad.

 

[MoniqueU]

So far I am not liking the song choices.
But I am noticing all the girls are in gauchos. LOL.

 

[Slacking]

So far I am not liking the song choices.
But I am noticing all the girls are in gauchos. LOL.

I agree about song choices, but did like Mandisa's choice. It was different from what I would expect from her but it was fun and upbeat and she performed it great.

I also thought Becky chose a song well suited for her voice.

 

[ekmdisney]

Well, I think we will have a really hard time this year. They got a lot of really good talent this year. And I'm sorry, but I think Randy was wrong. I think we will have another girl as the winner of AI5.

So what I thought of the show:

MANDISA
She hit it out of the ball park! What a great way to start the show! Love Heart the group. And this was one of my fav songs from them. And she did a wonderful job with it, even making it her own just a little bit. I hope she will go far in the competition.

KELLY PICKLER

Was disappointed in her performance. She really did pick a safe song, and it might hurt her. I think she has the talent to go far, she just needs to really think about the songs she picks and go and sing like she is doing it for her friends and not a bunch of strangers. I hope she will be back next week.

BECKY O'DONOHUE

Didn't care for her at all. For some one who suppose to have really liked the song she was singing, it sure was dull. I feel that the only reason she is there is her looks. According to ET and Extra, her and her twin sister are models. Even had a pics in "Maxium" magazine. I say she should forget the singing stuff and just stick with the less talented stuff of posing for pics. She is one that I wouldn't mind seeing on the chopping block.

AYLA BROWN

One that has been overshadowed in my memory. But in my notes, I thought she did a good job and that I hope she makes it to next week. But seeing how I was able to get in so easily tonight to vote for her it doesn't look good.

PARIS BENNETT

One of the shining stars of the night. You could tell that on stage singing is where this girl should be. But even though she did quite well, she was still out sung by others. So she was not the top vocal of the night, but like Simon said is was one of the top four. She should be coming back next week...no problem.

Stevie Scott

Another that might be on the chopping block...and I was really hoping that that wasn't so. I was hoping for something so much better than what we got. I was thinking a young and up and coming Pat Benatar...seeing how they both have opera training. But it seems that when she sings, she can't seem to make up her mind how to sing the song. I hope that when (that's right when, not if) she gets voted off, she will continue her training and try again. But I don't see her going far in the competition.

BRENNA GETHERS

Don't like anything about this girl. I don't like her voice, her stage presence...nothing. I really don't think she should be there. There were girls who were cut from the final 44 who should have made it into her spot. If you ask me she is the Mikalah Gordon for this season. I just hope that she doesn't last as long.

HEATHER COX

Another one who was out shined in my memory by other singers. But according to my notes. I did enjoy her, and feel that she should get another chance and come back next week.

MELISSA McGHEE

This being the first time that America gets to see her pipes in action...I think she did a really good job. I like that her voice is really different from the other girls and not in a bad way. I just hope that her not being introduced earlier hurts her. I would like her to stick around for awhile.

LISA TUCKER

The girl who out shined them all. If you ask me. She was definitely born to do this, no question about it. I have never heard the song she sang tonight. But I'm sure it was just as good as the original. She should be around for a really long time...and I wouldn't even be surprised to see her in the final two.

KINNIK SKY

Unlike the judges I really did not have a problem with her performance. Yes, she had a few pitch problems, but they were few. She is one that I hope will be back next week.

KATHARINE McPHEE

Good song choice. Good voice. Bad stage presence. Really needs to work on that. It sometimes looked like she had lost control of her body. But still quite enjoyable. I'm sure she will be one that will be back next week.

So for me two of these three girls can go ahead and pack their bags:
Beacky O'Donohue
Stevie Scott
Brenna Gethers

 

[Robinrs]

Well, I think we will have a really hard time this year. They got a lot of really good talent this year. And I'm sorry, but I think Randy was wrong. I think we will have another girl as the winner of AI5.



So for me two of these three girls can go ahead and pack their bags:
Beacky O'Donohue
Stevie Scott
Brenna Gethers

Man, thanks for posting EVERYTHING I thought! Wow!

The one thing I HATED about the show is how Simon compared the young performers to the older, especially Kinnik. I thought she did an awesome job with "Get Here" and the fact that he just threw the younger performers in her face was somewhat unnecessary.

I think they were disappointed that they let Brenna through and she mellowed her attitude. Notice how Simon and Randy got on her about "being herself". She obviously didn't make it because she's so "talented". There are LOADS of people who went home who should've gotten her spot.

IMO, half of the girls could leave tonight and I'll be happy. Just leave me the babies, I LOVE them!

 

[aprilgail2]

I thought Brenna stunk last night!!!
My favorites were
Mandisa
Paris
Lisa Tucker
Its really hard to judge when they all sing different songs since I can NOT stand the slow songs so when one of them sings a slow song I get turned off to them right away even if they sing it well....I didn't like either of the blond girls at all....plus I am tired of hearing sob stories..."poor me, my life sucks vote for me" is all I think they are after by bringing in sob stories week after week.

 

[Virgo10]

Overall I was impressed with last night's first offerings by the girls. Some were forgettable while others had me sitting there going Wow!

Mandisa: Talent just oozes out of this girl. She looked fabulous and commanded the stage. Keeping in mind that I'm OLD, I had never heard this song before but she made it feel like one of my all time favorites by the time she was done. My only complaint, and it's just a small one, is that with such a beautiful voice, she could easily get away with less screaming. On the 1-10 scale, Mandisa gets a 9

Kellie: She seemed to pick a song that had sections that were out of her range. I also found myself grinding my teeth when she would hit notes that reminded me of when my cats fight. The name of the song she choice was How Far I think. Begs to ask the question of how far she will get in this competition. After seeing so many poised ladies last night, Kellie still looks scared to death on stage. However, her post performance interview was very cute. I give her a 6

Becky Pretty good performance. This girl has very good stage presence. A few off notes or as they say on AI, Pitchy. For the most part an OK performance but forgettable. She gets a 7.

Ayla: This lovely girl seems to have the whole package but apparently went to the Carrie Underwood school of communicating with the audience. She just doesn't connect with me. She surely can sing though. I give this Baastin girl an 8.

Paris: I haven't had that much fun since the last time I rode the Tower of Terror. Holy Cow, what a cutie. Even my husband (the AI Grinch) sat up and said she was really fun. A few off notes but honestly, who cares. She captured the stage. She gets a 9.

Stevie: Is she related to Gena Davis? She a cutie for sure but it's time to pack your bags and go back home. Her pitch was all over the place and singing a song that was out of whatever range she has was not a good career move. I will be very surprised if she makes through to the top 10 girls. With the low score of the night, I gave her a 4

Brenna: Sort of this years Mikayla only she can sing a lot better. Not bad just boring. The judges wanted her songs to reflect her "Real" self. What's she suppose to sing? Whip it, whip it good? Doing my best to get by her attitude but she still only gets a 5.

Heather: Why sing a song from AI? What was she thinking. While that song worked for a group with many different types of voices, you'd need to be a miracle worker to get it to work as a single. Her voice is just not that strong. She's in danger of elimination too. She gets a 5

Melissa Another one that just didn't do it for me. A pitchy weak voice that sang a forgettable song. Not the song itself, just the way she sang it. Another one that should be packing her bags. Another 5.

Lisa: Once I got by the fact that this 16 year old was singing a gut wrenching song and that she missed a note here and there, I was blown away. I hope that she will completely sing a song the next time and omit the sing/talk ones. Poised beyond her years and with maybe the strongest performance of the night, she gets a 9.

Kinnik: Great stage presence but her voice was all over the place. She reminded me of Vonzell from last year. I don't think she'll be leaving on Thursday but she's got to pick her songs more carefully. A 7 for her.

Katherine: Without a doubt, the strangest on stage appearance of the night. What is up with her movements. Give her a tranquilizer before the next performance please. I completely disagreed with Simon that she was the best voice of the night. Yeah, she has a nice voice but, the best? I don't think so. I also found her performance boring. Still trying to get over her weird movements on stage. She gets a 7.

I think the guys will be even better. Can't wait for tonight!!!

 

[chris1gill]

I found the sound quality overall to be yucky....or maybe it was my TV. It seemed that there was almost an echoey tone to the songs. Either the acoustics weren't that great or like I said, my TV was bad.

I totally noticed this as well, it wasn't your TV, it was the actual sound quality from the show!

 

[dolphindan1]

I pretty much agree with the consensus tonight on the performances....I rank this way

1. Lisa...WOW she's got chops
2. Paris...natural
3. Katherine....beautiful voice
4. Mandisa....great stage presence
5. Ayla....all american girl
6. Kellie...my personal fav...sang ok...seemed nervous still
7. Becky...looks factor
8. kinnik....ok
9. melissa....good voice if she picks the right song.......
10. heather...nothing to say....nice looking girl
11. brenna...I too was thinking of her as this Mykayla...People will probably keep her for a while just to see her and Simon feud....
12. stevie....terrible

 

[dolphindan1]

next week will be tuff...The apprentice starts, Amazing race starts, 3 nights of Idol and survivor....too...gotta love it

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I liked Ayla and Katherine. Kellie's lack of training and guidance showed tonight. I'm afraid she's in a bit over her head. I still love her though!

It was PAINFUL to watch Stevie. I feel she is going home.


Lori

 

[wvrevy]

Gotta add my smiley review:

Mandisa - - Good performance, but she can do better.
Kelly Picker - - Poor song choice (that song sounds off key even when sung correctly). Not sure she's got the chops I thought she did.
Becky O'Donohue - - Yeah...um...no.
Ayla Brown - - Wow...Biggest surprise of the night. She definitely has a shot.
Paris Bennett - - Good, but I haven't been over the top about her since her first audition (which was as good as anything they've ever had)
Stevie Scott - - You can't sing Josh Groban in falsetto only. The song requires a powerful voice, and she didn't show it.
Brenna Gethers - - They put her through for the TV value, not for talent. Obviously.
Heather Cox - - That would be for the little time Heather has left.
Melissa McGhee - - Great tone to her voice, but horrible song choice for that tone. She could do much better I think.
Lisa Tucker - - Wow...that she's still just a kid doesn't seem fair.
Kinnik Sky - - Which is the real Kinnik? The beginning was average, the end was fantastic.
Katharine McPhee - - Another that wins the coveted worship smilie She and Lisa were just worlds above everyone else tonight.

The good news is, nobody really stunk up the joint. Even Brenna and Stevie showed flashes of talent. After the first three or four are gone, it's going to be really tough to cut that group down to just 6.

The bad news: people will vote for Brenna over much more talented people, just for the shock value she brings. Just like Scott Savol and Mikhala from last year, she'll probably last longer than people that actually deserve to, just because of the juvenile vote. But, oh well...I guess that's part of the show.

Won't be able to watch tonight's show until tomorrow (Kentucky basketball is preempting the show tonight, and it won't air until 10:30, so we're just Tivo'ing).

 

[macraven]

I think the earlier performers are at a disadvantage because it's easy to forget them by the time you see the last performance.

sandy, you hit the nail on the head with that.
just like simon always says, we forget about the singers that don't make an impression on us.


we remember the great singers no matter which order they perform.

 

[phisigprincess]

Wow!! This is certainly no season 3!!! What a talented bunch of singers . My favorites were Mandisa, Paris, Katherine, and Lisa. Ayla got points for singing Disney , Kellie really reminds me too much of Carrie - I think if Carrie wasn't the season before she may have a better chance, but I get the "been there done that" feeling with her, I can't stand Brenna (though I love her name) - did anyone else see her making faces at the other contestants while they sang? Hmm...

I think the bottom two will be Stevie and Heather. Cant' wait for the boys!

 

[tarmand]

Thanks to ekmdisney for the photos. I wouldn't remember them by name.

Here's my addition to the critiques:

MANDISA

I was hoping for something spectacular from her and was left feeling a bit blah by her performance. I think it was absolutely the wrong song for her. I think she can be way better and will command the audience if she chooses the right songs for her. Still one of my favorites so I'm looking forward to seeing her again next week. - - What was she thinking with that song choice?

KELLY PICKLER

This little hayseed had better pick up her performance quite a bit. She has the cute, innocent, poor me thing going for her, but that will only take her so far. I didn't enjoy her at all. She looked like she was terrified up there. I think she is way out of her league in this competition. - - It might just be me, but she looks completely lost on that stage.

BECKY O'DONOHUE

I find her to be an absolutely stunning girl. But, I agree that modeling might just be more suitable a career for her. Her voice doesn't have a lot of range and she doesn't appeal to me as the rocker type. She'd better hope she has a lot of friends that worked their little dialing fingers to the bone this week. - - She's going to need all three wishes this week.

AYLA BROWN

She was one of my favorites from the beginning. She impressed me in the auditions and I was glad that she made it to the next round. In the Hollywood round, I was a bit worried but she made it through. I absolutely loved her performance last night. I was shocked that the judges didn't agree. - - Sending her pixie dust since the judges reaction may have hurt her a bit.

PARIS BENNETT

I'm torn on this one. Her performance to me was a bit like a high school talent show. She has a great personality, but I don't think the vocals were there. She will definitely go on since the judges heaped praise on her, but my feeling is that if, with all of her connections, she still needs AI to get her break then she can't be all that wonderful. - - Because I was apparently as worried as Paula about her choice of wardrobe and her ability to keep that top where it needed to be.

Stevie Scott

What is up with this chick? She is trained in opera, but can only sing in a pitch that sounds like she's standing on a cat's tail? Windows were breaking in my home and I think she gave my dog a migraine. - - She sang so high that for a while, only the dogs could hear her.

BRENNA GETHERS

This girl is as annoying as the day is long. I think she actually has a decent voice but she made a horrible song choice. I was hoping for the next J-Lo when I first saw her, but she is more like J-No! - - She'll make for a few more weeks just because teenage girls love drama.

HEATHER COX

If I'm remembering correctly, she san Breathe by Faith Hill. I was excited to hear that she was singing this, but I was unfortunately left unimpressed. She seems to be forgetable. That's going to be a problem for her. - - I think she will be squeezed out by the more memorable girls and probably won't make it to the top 6.

MELISSA McGHEE

I don't care for her tone either. She sings too low. I like to hear them sing in different tones. Another one that didn't impress me at all. - - I was bored by her performance.

LISA TUCKER

Wow, she nailed it. She was one of my top three performances. This girl has it all - looks, talent and poise. I pick her to go to at least the top 4. I loved her style, attitude, voice - everything! - - She had me cheering in my seat!

KINNIK SKY

Another that I really enjoyed. I thought that she sang relatively better than most of the others and her class was undeniable. I think she ranked in the top five and I really hope she sticks around a while. - - I really hope to see her on the show for a while.

KATHARINE McPHEE

By far, my favorite of the night. I loved the performance. The song choice was incredible and she's just too darned cute. The butt comment had me rolling. I was a bit concerned about the awkward jerking movements she made while singing, but maybe it's just a one time thing. - - Please leave the jerky, twitchy, looks like your equilibrium is off, dance moves at home next week.

My top four:

Katharine
Ayla
Lisa
Kinnick

Go home please:

Brenna
Stevie
Kelley

 

[damo]

HEATHER COX

If I'm remembering correctly, she san Breathe by Faith Hill. I was excited to hear that she was singing this, but I was unfortunately left unimpressed. She seems to be forgetable. That's going to be a problem for her. - - I think she will be squeezed out by the more memorable girls and probably won't make it to the top 6.

Heather sang some Idol group song from last year. Silly choice.