Misc. Monday 04-18-11 - No sports, mom?
As much as we talked about what a great time it is for sports in last week's installment of Misc. Monday, this week it's not about sports at all. This completely defeats the purpose of having a sports blog, when you don't write about sports. But hey, aren't we supposed to always listen to our mothers?
While our other bloggers have wrote about their addictions to shopping and The Beatles, why not spill another addiction (other than sports) of mine?
American Idol.
Just to cover some bases. I can carry a tune, but don't sing well, nor do I know the first thing about stage presence or fright, or what it is like to sing in front of people. Taking piano lessons from my elementary school days to about my sophomore year of high school, I like to think I know if a contestant is hitting their notes. But really, I don't. So these are just opinions people, relax if you have a different one.
Now down to the final seven singers, the American Idol competition is heating up like my dad after a bowl of chili. The first four eliminated from the competition were easy to pick.
Thia Megia, having a star quality name, lacked a star quality voice. If Thia was able to re-enter the competition in two years, she would do very well. She was just an example of a bad reason to accept 15 year olds on American Idol this year. Ashthon Jones, like Thia, just wasn't ready. She had her moments early in the auditions, but I can think of four other contestants that should have been in the top 13 before her. Karen Rodriquez was psycho. Alfred Hitchcock would have cast Karen in something, had he still been alive to witness this year's Idol. Karen's wannabe J-Lo humor turned to creeper status, then to just plain scary, and then to the door for her. And finally, Naimi Adedapo. I never understood her. And neither did America. She was rock, then she was pop and then she was reggae. Not a turn on for voters. See ya, Naimi.
Which brings us to Pia Toscano.
We have seen Pia's Toscano's boring act finally leave in what some thought was a shocker. It turns out that American Idol producers said Pia has been flirting with the bottom three for the last several weeks, so it wasn't a shock to them that she was eliminated. Neither was it a shock to me. Boring equals no votes. Sure, you can hit a high note here and there, and yeah, you might become a recording artist. To win American Idol though, you need to have some creativity, personality and soul. Pia had none of those.
And just voted off last week, the chicken-wing-dancing, whispering, crazy suit wearing, Rod Stewart wannabe Paul McDonald was eliminated, much to the liking of several Idol fans in our office. Just like the judges tell girls they can't sing Mariah Carey, Celine Dion or Whitney Houston, no man should be allowed to sing a Johnny Cash song. It is just not possible. No one has the bass-baritone that can carry a Johnny song. Bye-bye chicken wing boy.
Which leaves our top seven. Here is how this fan thinks it will play out. What do you think?
7th place - Next to go is Stefano Langone. The teeny boppers can only carry him so far. And if he keeps singing all these old songs that we love, but his fans have never heard of, he is going to continue to be in the bottom three. And he should be eliminated this week.
My Song Choice - The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script
6th place - Jacob Lusk. Great story Jacob is. Like my brother said, I would rather hear Jacob preach then sing. To me, Jacob sounds like Kermit the Frog when he sings. If Jacob sang, "It's not easy being green" or "Rainbow Connection," the nation would vote him the winner right now. I stated before, girls can't do Whitney Houston songs, but I think Jacob could actually pull it off.
My Song Choice (other than Kermit's hits) - One Moment in Time - Whitney Houston
5th place - Haley Reinhart. This absolutely kills me. Haley is my favorite in the competition. She can sing anything. Her jazzy growl that some hate, I absolutely love. Maybe a little bias because I am a huge Adele fan, but Haley Reinhart is the next Adele. You heard it here first. Following Haley on Twitter has been a blast too. I don't want to stop sending her my song choices every week, so hang in there Haley!
My Song Choice - Come Away with Me - Norah Jones
4th place - Casey Abrams. After being saved by the judges in what looked like a scripted segment of TV resembling a pro wrestling match, Casey should get to the top four and still has a good chance to win. It is so refreshing to have a contestant like Casey on American Idol. He is genuine, authentic and extremely talented. I know I enjoy the fact that Casey does the songs he wants to do, even after the producers tell him otherwise. Then he slays those songs with a cunning "told you so" attitude.
My Song Choice - The Cave - Mumford & Sons
3rd place - James Durbin. At first, James didn't do it for me. It seemed like he was trying to be too much like Adam Lambert, taking his voice to levels where it's no longer singing, just yelling. He has since toned down the screaming and has for sure earned his spot in the final three, but I'm not sure he will get the votes to win when it comes down to it. Lauren and Scotty are just too darn lovable.
My Song Choice - Wind of Change - Scorpions
2nd place - Lauren Alaina. Lauren has yet to be in the final three and at this point, I think we can say she will be there in the end. She has the whole package, including a voice that reminds America of one, Carrie Underwood. She will never be as good as Carrie Underwood, nor do I think her genre is country music. She has to go outside the box to win it and I am not sure she is capable of that.
My Song Choice - Glitter in the Air - Pink
1st place - Scotty McCreery - Don't you just want to walk up to Scotty and straighten out his head? Word is, Scotty is getting the most votes week to week. Not only does he have a great voice, but usually the Idol contestant that grows the most vocally during the competition gets to the final two. And Scotty has grown leaps and bounds since this whole things started. If it comes down to Scotty and Lauren, I'll take Scotty. There are thousands of women that think he is the cutest thing since Cary Grant.
My Song Choice - The Devil Went Down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels
As we hit the home stretch and dwindle the contestants down to a winner, the competition is going to be hot with all this talent, and the ride is going to be emotional. Strap yourself in and enjoy the rest of the show.
And GO HALEY!
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