The (Jingle-Jangle) Morning After: Idol Edition

Lori:

For me Jason's first song was a total flop - like it was a last minute decision to do the song and so he had to come on stage and try really hard to get it right so he looked unnaturally eager...the second song, would have been pretty good, but as we all know, if you forget your words on Idol and you're not Brooke or David A. - you're out of luck...

For the millionth week in a row, I just don't connect with Syesha...good middle ground but not much more....

Ditto on the "I don't connect" with David A. - nice voice yes, but once Idol is done what do they do with him? Lots of Tiger Beat picture spreads and a CD that current fans will buy, but I think he's the kind of contestant that people move on from when next year's Idol comes.

David Cook's 2nd song left me wanting more - I SO wish (in his case at least) that we could get the whole darn song instead of a teaser...!

Interesting thought...with these top 4 where do you see them in a year after the show and tour are done?

Posted by Lori | May 7, 2008 10:05 AM

Curseword69:

I don't want to be smarmy, but the proper title is Baba O'Riley. Of course, you could have just gone with the colloquial and said Teenage Wasteland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BabaORiley_FR.jpg

Posted by Curseword69 | May 7, 2008 10:15 AM

Opiwan:

I personally think it's a travesty that Jason was allowed to continue to suck for two consecutive weeks after Carly was eliminated. If he doesn't go this week, I think I'm boycotting the rest of this season. I've already contemplated giving up on the show completely, so this won't really be a big deal for me.

I personally think Archuleta is already tapped out. There's nothing new coming out of him. He will always do the "inspiring" song. He has no emotional or creative range. He's like a broken record. Everyone gives Syesha crap for her songs all kinda sounding alike and pleasantly average, so how is Archie not just the male equivalent of that? Five hundred songs to choose from and he picks frigging Stand By Me. That's a great song, but it's so prototypical of him that it made me roll my eyes and dry heave. No matter what the judges say, he didn't have the voice to pull that off. He doesn't have the vocal depth and resonance to make it work. I just don't get it. I'm not buying what he's selling. Other than the fact that Simon sees 4 million tween/teens buying his albums, can someone explain to me why he's the be and and end all of this season? Is it the big Utah sales that are making Simon's eyes sparkle? Once all the little girls who vote for him actually grow up or Archie finally finishes puberty and his voice drops, where's his audience going to be?

Posted by Opiwan | May 7, 2008 10:18 AM

shara says:

I thought that David Cook didn't quite do his first song justice, although I did enjoy it. A little too low and not enough melody for his voice to engage with. I really liked what he was doing with the second song - I just wished he had had longer to sing it, because it felt like the Reader's Digest Version - but then, tomorrow the studio version will be out, so he'll get to sing the whole song there. Something to look forward to! I am almost positive that he will be totally safe. Unless: a) folks assume he is safe and don't vote; b) Jason picks up Brooke's entire voting bloc; and/or c) the show is really rigged and the producers want a crazy shocker send-off.

I continue to be bored by David A, and tend to roll my eyes whenever he starts singing, but I have to admit that he did a really good job last nite, the songs sounded fresher than I had expected them to, and the boy can really sing well. And he is pretty adorable too, with the bouncing and the hyperventilating and the grinning. I have no doubt that he is safe. Boy's gonna win.

Syesha's first song was pretty good, although I thought that (again) she would have been better served by departing from the iconic version/image of that song. I loved her second one, though, it gave me chills. And I thought that her crying was pretty effective in showing her "human" side that lots of folks have thought has been lacking all season - I liked Syesha more after last nite than I had all season. I discovered this week that my entire extended family of aunts are apparantly rooting for Syesha, so for the record there is a contingent of older female voters who feel that Syesha has been given a raw deal all season. So, as the sole female, she might have inherited enough of Brooke and Carly's voters to be safe again (although, based on styles/genres, I don't know how likely that is).

Jason - His song choices, for me, were just right. He tackled two of my very favorite songs, two songs that are pretty iconic in his chosen genre. Mr. Shara Says and I were really excited, and felt that he had stayed true to his roots and picked songs that his target audience would appreciate, and gave very listenable versions. Anyway, I was surprised by how the judges reacted to both of his songs - not that I expected them to brag on him or anything, but the harshness was unexpected (especially considering that we at my house had very much enjoyed his Sheriff cover).

I can see where they were coming from, in a way, because he is obviously not the kind of contestant who ought to win this kind of show, and they have to do what they can to steer the outcome towards the more pop-friendly contestants. He also does not seem highly emotionally connected to the dream of winning (not that he should be faulted for that), which has to be a strange dynamic for the judges to deal with when some VERY committed, more vocally-talented people have gone home before him. So it isn't unreasonable for them to be frustrated that he's still up there doing his own laid-back thing when they've got a pop star to mold. However, I was kinda sickened by how Simon in particular acted. Oh, we were definitely yelling when he forgot the words, though, and groaning and really wishing that he would make it a little easier to stick up for him! Although, he certainly isn't the first this season to forget their words (Brooke and David A have had their share of botched lyrics/false starts), and I had hoped that he would at least get a moment of credit for not letting it ruin the song - he proceeded relatively unfazed and the rest of the song went fine. I'm glad I've had Jason to root for this season, I hope he goes home before he gets another tongue-lashing for continuing to do his thing. He is definitely not safe tonite, nor should he be - because, as Keith will remind me when he gets here, in the end this is a singing competition to discover a pop star, a mantle I would only really wish on David Archuleta :) I would rather see Jason next week than Syesha, but I've stopped voting cause whatever happens now doesn't really matter.

Posted by shara says | May 7, 2008 10:20 AM

johnr:

Not much to say. Was a bit disappointed by David Cook doing Duran Duran -- really, on Rock and Roll week, he decided to cover an 80s New Wave band? He could've done The Police or Elvis Costello if he really wanted that era, and they've actually got songs he could have reprogrammed -- then again, I don't know if the Idol producers have the rights to any of their songs. But I liked his Baba O'Riley, and would have liked to have heard the entire thing.

I thought Syesha did good. I've never been a big fan of Jason, and he's had this coming for a few weeks now. I still don't get David A. My ears start to bleed whenever he sings, and I really don't think he did that great a job on Stand By Me -- then again, I'm not a tweener, and I won't be buying his stuff anyway.

Posted by johnr | May 7, 2008 10:44 AM

Chaddogg:

Older women voters for Syesha? If that's not a sign that Hillary's campaign is over, I don't know what is....

Posted by Chaddogg | May 7, 2008 10:48 AM

James Poniewozik:

@curseword: Thanks!

Posted by James Poniewozik | May 7, 2008 11:02 AM

Keith:

I have nothing to add. Shara Says said my usual weekly comment for me. Thanks sweetie! ;) Besides, I didn't get to watch last night and didn't get it set up to record.

Posted by Keith | May 7, 2008 1:41 PM

shara says:

@Keith - hola dude! You really didn't miss much this week. Your boy David A did himself proud, though, even I was kinda impressed ;)

Posted by shara says | May 7, 2008 3:07 PM

Keith:

@Shara: I'll watch the results show tonight and feign a tear in your honor when your boy bites the dust.

Posted by Keith | May 7, 2008 4:31 PM

shara says:

@Keith: Hee! It was only a matter of time anyway :) And thanks, I have much enjoyed the discussions this season.

Posted by shara says | May 8, 2008 10:06 AM

ابو عزوز:

The information in lower important his