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

[Kimberle]

I agree, what a boring night! *yawn* The song choices were terrible. I missed a few cause I turned over to AR at 9:00. I think Brenna & Heather should go home tonight.

 

[Virgo10]

After last week’s entertaining presentations, I was ready for a let down from the gals and I got it. No one got muted but it sure got close a few times. Here’s my take on the top 10.

Katherine: I’m not sure what the name of this ballad was, All in Love is Fair maybe? At any rate, when I wasn’t dozing off, I found her to be all over the place pitch wise. Her stage presence continues to be mediocre at best and I just don’t feel that there’s any connection to the audience when she sings. She gets a 6 for some nice vocal parts and being drop dead gorgeous.

Kinnik: This country song, Here For the Party maybe?, had more back up help than I can ever remember a singer getting on AI. Elocution lessons might be helpful for Kinnik as I found most of what she was singing really hard to understand. Her stage presence was good though and she presented the song with a lot of energy.
I gave her a 6.

Lisa: Didn’t catch the name of the song but felt she wasn’t able to sell it because of her age. While the beginning and middle of it were rocky, she absolutely nailed the ending. Good stage presence again and she makes a great connection with the audience.
She gets a 7 but, with her talent, I feel I should be seeing 9’s and 10’s from her every week.

Melissa: One of the boring 3. Not good, not bad, just zzzzzz. She sang Why haven’t I heard from you? While better than last week, she still seems so nervous. Perhaps this is just the way her voice sounds but I could swear I heard it shaking when she was singing. Her movements on stage seem forced as well. An OK performance, maybe even her best as I’m not sure she has much more to give us. I give her a 7.

Heather: Now repeat after me, I will never sing a Mariah Carey song with a generic voice. While some people think Brianna is annoying, I find this girl so aggravating! Way out of her league singing Hero. I really don’t know what she was thinking. Add on to that her lack of stage presence and she gets a 4.

Brenna: Part of me really wants to like Brenna but last night did nothing to help that feeling. I thought, oh goodie, a Donna Summer song but, except for the beginning of the song, she just couldn’t hold it together. While many of the girls are lacking in their stage presentation, she is overboard with hers. And then there was the post performance interview which shows she’s suffering from foot in mouth disease. She get’s a 5.

Paris: While singing Wind Beneath my Wings was a bit chancy for this girl, for the most part I thought she pulled it off well. There were sections of the song that seemed a bit too low for her range but she reached the notes, just not with her normal strength. I liked the fact that we saw another side to her and that every week won’t be a tornado of activity. Like Lisa, I think she can do so much better but she still gets an 8.

Ayla: I didn’t really care for this song, I Want To Be Me?, and I had never heard it before, but I thought she sang it fairly well. The main thing I noticed was she seemed much more relaxed and animated. I’m starting to like her more each week. She gets an 8.

Kellie: Someone at AI should put a sign up that says, “Beware of singing songs that are too closely identified with a single singer!”. Kellie ain’t no Bonnie Raitt. She’s got the cute factor in her favor for sure and, the funny part about it is I think she’s the real thing. She also has a fairly good voice. But she continues to be somewhat mechanical on stage. I find the really talented singers seem to go to a special place that the music takes them to. If they’ve connected to the audience, they take us along with them. That’s what Taylor Hicks does and he does it better than any of the other contestants. Kellie still hasn’t taken me anywhere… at least not yet.
More relaxed this week so she gets a 7.

Mandisa: Somebody sit this girls down and tell her she’s got a fabulous voice and she doesn’t have to scream at us! I hadn’t heard that song before and didn’t really care for it but her non-screaming voice continues to impress me. She handles the audience like a pro but needs to be a bit less conservative with her wardrobe. One of my favorite performances of the night, she gets an 8.

Who I voted for:
Mandisa, Ayla and Paris.

Who I think will go home on Thursday:
Heather, Brenna or Melissa.

Bring on the Guys!!!

 

[TnKrBeLlA012]

I like Alya and Lisa. Both are very humble. They have great vocals. I also can't help but like Kelly. Not the best singer but she seems like a very sweet girl. I almost would like her to win just because she is so sweet. I have to say it was a very boring night.

 

[mafibisha]

Katharine: Even though I HATED her song choice tonight she is still one of my favorites and the most talented up there.

I totally agree.

She's one of the very few who truly sings, and doesn't *speak on pitch* or *scream on pitch*!

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I agree with most of what's posted. I think that Paris, Lisa and Katharine probably have the best all around natural voices but they are too staged in what they are singing...someone tell them to stop sining show tunes!!! It's not a Broadway audition it's American Idol!!!
Although Heather singing Mariah was painful. She totally looked like she was struggling!

Interesting local fact on Ayla: her dad is a state senator here in MA and the current lieutenant governor (Healey) has supposedly looked at him as her running mate for the governor's race but she is afraid of how AI might overshadow the race (at least that's what the local Fox station is reporting). Of course both offices denied that. I would think it might help the governor's race (not necessarily help Ayla though!)

 

[phisigprincess]

Eh, the whole night was uber boring. Let's hope the guys can pick it up tonight!!! Now with AR on, I think I need to invest in a TIVO!!! AI, AR, Apprentice, Skating with Celebrities..... too much reality tv for me!!!

 

[tarmand]

Katherine: Although she didn't wow me this week, (but who did, really?) I still think she has great talent and enjoyed her performance.

Kinnik: I actually really like Kinnik and hope she stays another week. She was better this week with stage performance, but I didn't get to hear her great vocals. I'll give her one more week before I count her out.

Lisa: This little girl has talent. I enjoy watching her but I do think she needs to sing more current songs. I agree that she should be singing at a 9 or 10 status each week.

Melissa: I just don't like this girl. I don't like the low sultry voice and I think it limits her in her song choices. She did okay this week, but I wouldn't vote for her.

Heather: This poor child needs to go home. She is just way out of her league. She is mediocre at best and hopefully will be voted out tonight. And stop breathing so loudly when you sing! Although I love Kelly Clarkson and she is a big ole mouth breather when she sings too.

Brenna: If this was American Annoyance, she'd win hands down. They put her in because of her attitude and that's what's going to get her eliminated. VFTW better have some blistered fingers today or she's outta here - and none too soon.

Paris: Another one that I just don't like. I think that she was much better last week and I really didn't care for her then. She sang the song too deep and she didn't make me care about her performance.

Ayla: I hope she makes it far in this competition. I agree with Simon that she will do well because she has the determination to do so, but even though I think she is a fabulous singer, she needs to connect more with the audience or she will unfortunately be sent packing.

Kellie: Okay, the little country bumpkin is growing on me a bit, but I still think she is not qualified for this competition. She doesn't have the stage presence. At least she didn't whine about her pitiful life too much this week.

Mandisa: I really like Mandisa, but I agree that she screams a bit. She has a great voice and I enjoyed her performance. Hopefully she makes it to the top twelve so that they can let a stylist get after her. She looked like a blimp last night. That outfit was horrible.

My top three this week:

Ayla, Katherine, Mandisa

My two losers:

Brenna, Heather

Anyone else think the boys are going to take the competition?

 

[TLHB70]

I had to write and comment about Paris. When I saw her audition I thought that she was a fantastic singer and a precious girl. She seemed to be so sweet. Each week she seems to get more and more confident and not in a good way. IMO. She is almost as arrogant as Brenna at times. Did anyone else notice that she was about to insult Bette Midler's performance of the song? Ryan asked her why she chose the song. Paris explained about it being her great grandmother's favorite AND she felt like Bette Midler didn't......then Simon interrupted her to comment on the great grandmother/age thing. I thought to myself that she was saved by Simon's interruption because if she had belittled Bette Midler in any way then she would be in trouble!!!!!! Did anyone else notice that at all?

 

[dturner]

I didn't enjoy any performance last night like last week - the girls choices of songs were weird - I didn't even know some of them.

Going home this week: Brenna and Heather

Let's go guys!!!!!

 

[Shugardrawers]

Ok I just so happen to still have it on Tivo. What she said was: "...and because Bette Midler doesn't get the...(Simon interupted at that point). I got the impression she was trying to say Bette Midler maybe doesn't get a lot of attention or credit or something to that effect. I don't think you can say from that tiny snippet of a thought that she was insulting Bette.

 

[dturner]

I had to write and comment about Paris. When I saw her audition I thought that she was a fantastic singer and a precious girl. She seemed to be so sweet. Each week she seems to get more and more confident and not in a good way. IMO. She is almost as arrogant as Brenna at times. Did anyone else notice that she was about to insult Bette Midler's performance of the song? Ryan asked her why she chose the song. Paris explained about it being her great grandmother's favorite AND she felt like Bette Midler didn't......then Simon interrupted her to comment on the great grandmother/age thing. I thought to myself that she was saved by Simon's interruption because if she had belittled Bette Midler in any way then she would be in trouble!!!!!! Did anyone else notice that at all?

I heard her say "Bette Midler...... " also and wondered what she would of said.

Did anyone see Brenna last night during Mandisa' song shaking her head "NO." I thought that was really rude and I hope she goes home this week.

 

[TLHB70]

Ok I just so happen to still have it on Tivo. What she said was: "...and because Bette Midler doesn't get the...(Simon interupted at that point). I got the impression she was trying to say Bette Midler maybe doesn't get a lot of attention or credit or something to that effect. I don't think you can say from that tiny snippet of a thought that she was insulting Bette.

I didn't TIVO it so I am glad that you cleared that up. I just got the impression at the time that it was an insult about to happen. I am glad that it wasn't. I love her voice. She was my favorite female performer on the first singing night. I don't want her to change!!

 

[Shugardrawers]

I did notice Brenna shaking her head. I wondered what that was all about too. Either she really didn't like it or maybe she was shaking her head in wonder because that woman has some pipes on her! Speaking of Mandisa I hope someone informs her soon that just because she's a big girl doesn't mean she can't dress stylish and look beautiful. Loved her song but the look hair, make up, dress, all of it was just Reminded me of the way Mama Cass and Totie Fields used to dress

 

[Nancy]

I had to write and comment about Paris. When I saw her audition I thought that she was a fantastic singer and a precious girl. She seemed to be so sweet. Each week she seems to get more and more confident and not in a good way. IMO. She is almost as arrogant as Brenna at times. Did anyone else notice that she was about to insult Bette Midler's performance of the song? Ryan asked her why she chose the song. Paris explained about it being her great grandmother's favorite AND she felt like Bette Midler didn't......then Simon interrupted her to comment on the great grandmother/age thing. I thought to myself that she was saved by Simon's interruption because if she had belittled Bette Midler in any way then she would be in trouble!!!!!! Did anyone else notice that at all?

Yes, I see what you see with her. I liked her audition, I loved her Billie Holiday, but I'm not liking anything I hear so far...and she does seem like she is getting a bit cocky. I didn't notice her comment about Bette Midler cause I really wasn't paying too much attention on the chit chat.

As for the guys, I wish it wasn't 6 and 6 because the guys are way more better than the girls this year. For the girls I would vote 3-4 through tops, but the guys..there are maybe 2 more that I don't think should go through.

Can't wait for tonight!

 

[TLHB70]

I had to write and comment about Paris. When I saw her audition I thought that she was a fantastic singer and a precious girl. She seemed to be so sweet. Each week she seems to get more and more confident and not in a good way. IMO. She is almost as arrogant as Brenna at times. Did anyone else notice that she was about to insult Bette Midler's performance of the song? Ryan asked her why she chose the song. Paris explained about it being her great grandmother's favorite AND she felt like Bette Midler didn't......then Simon interrupted her to comment on the great grandmother/age thing. I thought to myself that she was saved by Simon's interruption because if she had belittled Bette Midler in any way then she would be in trouble!!!!!! Did anyone else notice that at all?

I guess I overstated something. I should not have said she was about to insult because no one knows for sure what she was about to say. I should have clarified that to me it appeared like she may have been about to make an insult. I don't want to get flamed. I still think, though, that she appears a bit too confident a little too often for my liking. I do love her voice though.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

I totally agree with what others have said about Paris. I have been saying for a couple of weeks that she needs to settle down a little bit. She has every right to be confident, she is a wonderful singer, but there is just something about her that irks me. Not to mention her speaking voice...blows my mind how she can have such a powerful singing voice and yet when she speaks is so mousy.

 

[AuntieM03]

Yes, I see what you see with her. I liked her audition, I loved her Billie Holiday, but I'm not liking anything I hear so far...and she does seem like she is getting a bit cocky. I didn't notice her comment about Bette Midler cause I really wasn't paying too much attention on the chit chat.

As for the guys, I wish it wasn't 6 and 6 because the guys are way more better than the girls this year. For the girls I would vote 3-4 through tops, but the guys..there are maybe 2 more that I don't think should go through.

Can't wait for tonight!

I am glad I am not the only one who doesn't get the Paris thing. I thought she was good on the Billie Holiday song, but I have not been impressed otherwise. When she speaks I picture the actress from Police Academy.

I was just saying last night that I really wish they would change the 6 and 6 rule.

 

[princesspumpkin]

I know that some people can be put off with her confidence, but I look at it from a Christian point of view. She said that she has "favor", which for Christians means that we have proven ourselves unto God and therefore, God blesses us greatly. She has been blessed with a beautiful voice from God and she will in no way belittle that by acting as if she isn't talented. She has been raised in a family of strong, confident women and it has trickled down to her. Believing in your talent is a good thing. Now if she said that she was better than everyone else and that they should all just go home now, then I might have an attitude with her. And I too believe that she was going to say that Bette doesn't get the play that she deserves. I don't believe for one minute that this girl, who has a famous singer for a grandmother, would insult Bette on national television. I also feel that she has an old "soul", which is why she chooses the types of songs that she does. Seeing a 16 year old sing "older" songs isn't the most popular thing for today's society, though. Hopefully she will take the advice and try different types of songs - if she wants to remain in the competition.

 

[briannesmom]

Did anyone see Brenna last night during Mandisa' song shaking her head "NO." I thought that was really rude and I hope she goes home this week.

I noticed that to and it's not the first time. I can't remember who she did it to last week but she was just standing there with a disgusted look on her face shaking her head. Also, her constant posing for the camera drives me nuts!

Amy

 

[Alice42]

I really love AI, but last night I was not impressed. I generally think Katherine is a talented singer, but last night was bland for me. However, I never really liked Melissa before, but I think she did really well last night. I love her husky sounding voice. I think that Heather and Brenna should be voted off this week. Also, Paula Abdul always seems like she is "on" something, does anyone else get that impression?