American Idol 2011

I thought pretty much everyone did a good job last night, it was pleasantly surprising. I am not sure who will be in the bottom three this time, but was glad to see Thia not do another ballad and actually have fun with it. And I was glad Naima saved the dance part for near the end, so she stayed on-pitch for the whole song, and just sang a little bit after the dance. I was hoping Casey would play an instrument, and thought Paul even did a decent job this time.

Three not-do-do-with performance comments:

What is it with Haley and black shorts? Who chooses to put her in that? And Naima's outfit was so grey ... it could have used a bit of some color, especially on Naima, who we expect bold colors from! And gee whiz, could the audience members at least keep it down when Scotty's singing? Yes, girls, we know you love him ... but the rest of us would like to hear him sing!

That Naima caught my eye from the very first! There is something so special about her and last night she blew me away... I don't think she has what it takes to win but she has something so special about her.... she dares to be different and not care what people think about her being different.. Reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago when I worked at school... All the kids laughed at her but I admired her for daring to be different and being proud of who she was.. Win or loose, Naima is a special person in my book!

I couldn't have voted last night if I had wanted to, EVERYBODY was so darn GOOD.... it would have been impossible to have picked just ONE!

I agree with both of you, Karen and Laura. They were all sooo good. Even Jacob, who I seriously considered fast forwarding through.
It is already getting so tough to see people go home. Usually I have a few that I wouldn't mind leaving. Well, Jacob is on that list. But he did so good last night!

I think my favorite performances last night were James and Lauren. :D

I also enjoyed all of the performances last night.:) If I had to choose who to send home though it would probably be Stefano because like the judges have already said he doesn't connect with the audience and he keeps on closing his eyes. I'm also not a big Paul fan but I thought he really did a great job last night. My favorites are still Casey, James, Pia, and Naima though. I do agree that Pia needs to sing songs other than ballads and I hope she'll make it through so we can see her do this. Thia was much better since she didn't sing another ballad. I agree that Haley needs to dress better. This isn't a contest for the most sexy legs.LOL:)

OMG, is all I have to say......for now. I'll give people a chance to see it if they had to record it. :D :D

But I can talk about the performers tonight. I like Sugarland, but WTH was Jennifer Nettles wearing??? That was hideous!!! And then she was practically rapping in a country song.............:confused:

Sorry, but I had to fast forward through Jennifer Hudson too.

Yes,tonight sure was a big surprise to me about the person that had the least amount of votes. I'm glad that it ended the way that it did though.:) No, I didn't care for Sugarland at all. I thought Jennifer Hudson was much better and I'm not a fan of her either. Since I got home early enough to watch the whole show, I was hoping that they'd have some one really good on that I actually liked. Next week should also be interesting.

I thought it was fun and silly that they had Hulk Hogan on, and that James appeared genuinely stunned. Sugarland and Jennifer Hudson were fine, I had no idea Jennifer Hudson was that tall, heels not withstanding!

I was not surprised that they saved Casey, I think many voters probably assumed he was fine, so gave their votes to other candidates they thought might be in danger. Casey did seem truly stunned by the save, he did look like he was gonna pass out or vomit or something ... and am glad he didn't!

Also, did you think, during the Steven Tyler birthday thing, they were going to say who did the painted portrait Naima was obviously told to hold so the audience could see it? That was a bit weird, and Steven Tyler didn't seem to react to it much at all ...

I just have to say the entire "production" at the end of the show was definitely planned. There wasn't enough time left in the show for Casey to sing, the judges to deliberate and then give their decision. They usually go to commercial while the judges discuss it. PLUS, earlier in the show Ryan made a comment about making sure you stay tuned to the very end of the show. Why would he say that???
Regardless if it was planned or not, I'm glad they kept him and I'm glad there will be 11 going on tour. :D :D Not that I'll go see them, probably. But you never know. I went the year Taylor Hicks won (mainly just to see Chris Daughtry:D).

They often run overtimes, but didn't this time, and we got to see all of Casey's reaction. I don't think it was planned that much. Because I never watch it live, just record it, I often miss the last minute or so when they go over the usual time ... rarely see how the program actually ends, credits and all that!

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Originally Posted by Karen

They often run overtimes, but didn't this time, and we got to see all of Casey's reaction. I don't think it was planned that much. Because I never watch it live, just record it, I often miss the last minute or so when they go over the usual time ... rarely see how the program actually ends, credits and all that!

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That's true! I need to remember that so I can just record the show that comes on after to catch it. But I still think it was planned....not that Casey knew, but the producers and judges knew. No he was seriously shocked. He was shaking!

I am watching the Belgian version of Idol 2011, called "Idool 2011"
We are down to 9 singers now :)

So wha did everyone think of this week's show? I didn't get a chance to watch either until last night, but was not impressed by Naima's song or her "Jamaican accent," which sounded very fake, even if it it somewhere in her heritage. It's sad because I want her to do well ... I also didn't like the job they did arranging - cutting to bits - the lyrics for Tiny Dancer for Stephano, and thought that, while Paul seems to have a good time, he's just not a good singer. I thought Lauren Alaina did a really good job, she could have made it very corny but didn't, and Casey did a much better job this week, thank goodness, I think he's very talented, but had kinda lost his musicality ...

As for the eliminations, I was surprised that Paul stayed, but not surprised at the two that did go home, but seemed kind of inevitable. I am sure someone will sign Thia up for something very quickly, she seems a "made for Disney" character, sweet, pretty, great voice ... and young.

And who did what to Jennifer Lopez' hair? Good gracious - it looked like it got teleported in from 1972 and plunked down on her skull! And, by the way, I thought Steven Tyler's comment about Lauren's dress was almost as funny as her reaction - she seems like a genuinely nice person.

I almost called it this week. My pick for the bottom three was Naima, Paul and Jacob. But I did say that Thia would be going home soon, even though I really like her. She just doesn't show enough of her personality on stage. If you saw her in the farewell package she totally has personality. I think she is beautiful and has an amazing voice. I do hope she is picked up for something. But like I said before, she was on America's Got Talent a while ago (I think she was 14 at the time).

Any predictions on who will win?? Even though she's not my favorite, I think Pia might take it all. My co-worker thinks it could be James or Jacob (yuck!!). I just can't take his voice. I fast forward through him now. :( Trust me, he can sing. But I just don't like his low voice at all.

I didn't even really pay any attention to Jennifers hair last night. Of course I was skipping through it (skipped the performances by Fantasia and Jamie Foxx and Will-i-am too). I thought the duo by Lauren and Scotty was AMAZING!!! They will both definitely go far in country regardless of the outcome of this season. :D

I don't know, I do think Casey, James, Scotty and Lauren Alaina will go far, as well as Pia, but don't know if a female can overcome the voting block of preteen girls to beat out a male.

I think Haley is plenty talented but there's something about her that rubs me the wrong way, and while I do love Jacob the person, I worry that everything he sings is starting to sound similar.

So what did you think of last night's show? I thought Pia and James did fantastically well, the others were okay, too. I do not understand why there was such a fuss about "country boy" Scotty singing Elvis. He did a great job, but it's not like Elvis' music didn't have deep roots in country music for goodness sake! I also just do not "get" why Stephano give JLo goosebumps, I do not see the appeal. He over emotes everything, and he sang so high up in his range, and I just didn't find it sincere or believable. I also found myself kinda puzzled by Paul's Folsom Prison Blues. Did anyone tell him it's not a particularly happy song? Enthusiasm and energy are all well and good, and yes, he's got nice teeth, but ya don't need to smile through everything ... particularly something called the blues, and made famous by Johnny Cash.

That's my opinion, what's yours?

I agree with you Karen about Stefano and Paul. Surprisingly I actually enjoyed Jacobs performance last night. I usually skip through him, but last night I watched and I liked. :)

Last night there wasn't anyone that was exceptionally good.....except maybe Casey. His was probably the best for me.

Can Randy please stop saying "they are in it to win it"? Isn't everyone???

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Originally Posted by Taz_Zoee

Can Randy please stop saying "they are in it to win it"? Isn't everyone???

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Exactly! That, and I love how they always show contestants saying "I want this more than anyone else here!" Don't they know every other person feels that same way? I mean, that IS why they are there ...

Oh, and what is with those stylists and shorts? I thought the shorts - if that's what they were - on Lauren Alaina were pretty darned unflattering.

The girls were wearing Gwen Stefani fashion last night from her clothing line called L.A.M.B (which stands for Love Angel Music Baby). But yeah, I didn't like Lauren's outfit or Pia's. Haley's was okay. Then again, I'm not a fashion forward person to begin with.

I'm not in any way fashion forward, believe me! In fact, Paul swears that, as much as we admire Tim Gunn, I should never try to meet him, as one sight of me could kill the man! Thanks for clarifying that, I could see Gwen wearing any of those outfits, but that doesn't mean it is a good idea!

Well I sure didn't like the end results from last nights voting.:( I thought that Jennifer Lopez was going to break down and cry. I won't spoil it for any one who may not have seen the results show yet. If this kind of thing continues, I can only imagine who might end up winning this year.:rolleyes:

I was very surprised as well, thought the other person of the two left standing would be leaving at last for sure.

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Originally Posted by Karen

I was very surprised as well, thought the other person of the two left standing would be leaving at last for sure.

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Me too. Wishful thinking didn't pay off this time.

And I want to add that I actually fast-forwarded through Constantine's rendition of Unchained Melody, I thought it was just awful. And then came Iggy Pop, and I realized that it doesn't matter how good a shape you are in, there is some nebulous age after which a man should not appear shirtless, it was just odd and faintly distasteful. Sure, he's in great shape for being 63, yes, but someone needs to remind him he is 63, not 23. Even a vest would have been a marked improvement.

And, Cindy, at least we got a whole segment worth of explanation for those outfits! I agree that Lauren chose the best of what was offered her, after all.

I also fast forwarded through Constantine. Which is a bummer, because we are going to see Rock of Ages tonight in San Francisco. I can't fast forward through a live performance. LOL I also skipped Iggy Pop.

Well, I can't remember where I heard this, but it makes perfect sense to me now. The girls can't win due to the over abundance of young teenage girls voting for their favorite boy. It will definitely be an all boy finale. :(

Also, winning this show doesn't mean a thing. Think about how many winners have really made it big - Kelly and Carrie. Think about contestants that didn't win that have made it big - Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Constantine, Adam Lambert. That's all I can think of right now, but I know there's more.
What happened to Fantasia (you only see her on American Idol!!), Taylor Hicks, Reuben, Jordin and David, Chris Allen even Lee DeWyze. They aren't out there with hit songs or movies. At least not what I'm watching or listening to.

It is just a popularity contest, but I still enjoy it. :D

Yes, I agree that most of the American Idol top 10 contestants usually do end up with recording contracts or doing something musically as a career. I actually liked Constantine's performance and I'd love to see the "Rock Of Ages" tour but I know that this weekend is the last weekend in SF and then they move on. Iggy Pop looked and acted ridiculous but I guess he's always been known for being a bit strange.

Well i have been wanting to come in to this thread, but i never know if we are behind or not down under,so for fear of spoilers i stayed away, however i could not stand the temptation any longer, and here i am, it appears we are not behind this year.

Firstly i LOVE all the judges, i really was a simon cowell fan, and i don't miss him one little bit, I am a huge Jennifer lopez fan, she is so beautiful, so emotional, kind and caring, and she does the job so well. and Steven Tyler, i love him too, and Randy is just Randy.

I think these are the best judges we have ever had, ellen was ok, paula was terrible.

As for your comments re Iggy Pop Karen , i tend to agree somewhat, i had no idea he was that old though, and really not in bad shape considering, he is not pumped up or anything,but yes i think it is time to wear a shirt, i found his segment quite entertaining though.

And although i was fan of Constantine, i agree his version to me was simply terrible.

The most gutting part of the show was to see the beautiful Pia go home, i was in shock, i still cannot believe it, America you got it so wrong IMO, she was so talented, and there were others i would much rather see have gone home.

For me my least favourite is Paul, i just cannot stand the guy, i hate his teethy smile and i don't like his voice.

I actually have found the contestants not as good this year and apart from Pia, i don't really have any favourites,I cannot even pick a winner this year,because i feel the one who should have won has gone home.

I think all Pia fans should start a petition to bring her back, such an injustice.

I wish the idol judges had not used their only save on Casey, although i quite like the guy, i sure would have preferred to see it used for Pia, it was so obvious how shocked they were about the voting as well.

I do like the guy who has touretts syndrome,(sp) i forget his name, but he is good,and the young blonde girl, the 15 yr old and the country boy, but none of them really stand out to me, and it will be interesting to see who wins .

Anyhow that is how this kiwi see's American Idol.:)

P.S i have to agree the shorts outfit was not flattering for the young womens body shape at all, and Pia's outfit was not great either, and she has the body that can wear anything.

Well, I was not disappointed last night with Rock of Ages. It was GREAT!!! Constantine was soooo good! And the show was just funny too. I was laughing so hard at some points.

The girl who had his baby back in December was the lead girl in the show....apparently until she got pregnant. But the girl that is lead now has an amazing voice and she is super cute. I have no clue what the other girl looks like or sounds like.

So what did folks think of last night's performances? This is the first time Stefano didn't annoy me, maybe it's just that the song choice fit his over-emoting style better! And even Jacob tried to reign in the theatrics, and I thought did a better job last night. I still do not get why Paul is doing so well, as the guy is cheerful and enthusiastic enough, but he has no range, and I missed the higher notes that are usually in that song. And for once, I didn't like James Durbin as much, he was overshadowed by the guitarist, at his own urging. I hope he doesn't get booted because of that ... And for once, I didn't think Casey did a good job at all, it was just too obscure, and not terribly well sung, either.

I thought that Paul was terrrible and hopefully he'll be in the bottom three. I agree that Stefano actually sounded good for once. I guess the song really suited him. I also didn't think that Haley sang well either even though I like the song she sang. I loved the song that James sang and I did enjoy it and I sure hope that others did too and will continue to vote for him. Casey's performance wasn't as good this time but I still hope that he'll receive enough votes to continue on in the competition. Jacob was still a bit annoying to me but I liked the ending of the song. I also thought that Lauren sang very well. She's now become my favorite female.

It's so funny that you two (as well as myself and my co-worker) did not really like Casey's performance and he got the standing ovation from the audience AND the judges. I didn't get that. :confused: I really like Casey, but didn't care for that song. And I don't even know the original song.

I did not like Paul last night either. Haley could have done better. I did like James and Lauren a lot! Stefano wasn't so great for me either. There is no telling who will go home tonight. But I suspect it will be a girl.......hopefully Haley. If not a girl then maybe Paul or Stefano (or Jacob!!). :) But after last week..........there is just no predicting it.

America finally got it right this time. I was so glad to see that Paul was voted off this week.:D I really liked the duet with Casey and Haley and Scotty and Lauren sounded great too even though I'm not a country fan.:)

I am glad Paul was eliminated, he seems pretty limited. I mean, he's entertaining, and has fun, but that does not a music idol make! I was glad for Jacob that he was not in the bottom 3 this week, seeing as he followed the advice they gave him and toned things down, and it worked better, hopefully he'll learn from that. It'll be interesting to see what happens next week. I am glad James was not in the bottom 3, it was his weakest performance, but apparently other people than me still like him!

So what did everyone think of last night's show? I thought having the exiled singers do "So What" was kind of cute, but otherwise pointless. And boy, did Paul blow that one, it was a "one of these things is not like the others" moment for sure!

I don't have anyone that I wish would go home from last night, even Stefano did a much better job, I like that they finally changed his stance from hunching his shoulders in, and he even managed to keep his eyes open. I still don't think he's great, but at least he was better. And Haley was even okay, and I didn't mind Jacob's piece either. I wondered what was happening when he pulled out the ear piece and discarded it, but at least he actually kept singing, and got better. Loved James, and thought the whole theatricality of it was well done - with someone else it would have been over-the-top and distracting, but it suited him fine!

What did everyone else think?

It was a toss up for me tonight. I'm not crazy over Stefano or Jacob. The boys seem to take loss better than the girls. My "favorite" keeps shifting after Pia left. But I find that exciting. this is the 1st year I actually watched the entire show. I hated being out of the loop! :p:D

I really enjoyed Wed. nights show.:) I liked that they had the final seven describe each other and when everyone started wearing the fake Casey beard I found that extra funny as well.:) I thought that everyone sang very well but I kind of expected that either Jacob or Stefano would be one of the ones eliminated and I was right.

I was glad that both girls are still in the final six so it's a bit more even now. I love the band Muse so I really liked James and I also enjoyed Casey's performance too. I also thought that Haley picked a great song for her voice and she also performed well. Scotty was very boring to me and Lauren was good but I know she can do better. Stefano and Jacob were okay so I was glad that they were the bottom two. Bye bye Stefano.:)

Okay, wasn't James' performance last night amazing? I thought it was so well done in terms of format and voice and everything. Was not sure what was up with Jacob's suit, Easter meets golf plaid? Thought Jacob did okay, but just okay, and Casey's was fun for him to and almost as much fun for us to watch. But I thought James was the clear best of the night, the first time I've thought there was a clear winner.

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Originally Posted by Karen

Okay, wasn't James' performance last night amazing? I thought it was so well done in terms of format and voice and everything. Was not sure what was up with Jacob's suit, Easter meets golf plaid? Thought Jacob did okay, but just okay, and Casey's was fun for him to and almost as much fun for us to watch. But I thought James was the clear best of the night, the first time I've thought there was a clear winner.

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Yes, I agree that James had the best performance last night.:) I really didn't care for Casey's though. The song didn't even really require him to sing. It'll be interesting to see who will go home tonight. I look forward to seeing Crystal Bowersox perform too. Hopefully I can get home in plenty of time.:)

Jacob looked like a clown!!! All he needed was a big red nose. I really hope he goes home tonight. Don't get me wrong, he's a great person (I laughed so hard at his and James' package before their song), but I just don't like his voice.

I thought everyone else did amazing!! Haley really stood out to me last night. And that's why I hope Jacob goes home and not her. But you just never know. It's such a tough competition this year, for sure!

I saw Pia on Dancing with the Stars this week and just kept thinking - I can't believe she was voted off so early. But she's doing great! :D

Well I wasn't surprised to see that Casey got sent home tonight. He's a great entertainer but he really needed to pick a song that would show off his voice like James did. I'm glad that none of the girls were in the bottom three this time and hopefully they'll continue to remain in the competition for a while. I thought that Crystal Bowersox sounded great and she looked a bit thinner to me too. Her teeth sure look better.:)

Yes, I wasn't terribly surprised, as the song he chose was more fun for him to perform (not I didn't say "sing") than it was for us to hear. Yes, he's an amazing musician, but that alone isn't going to bring jazz scat back to the forefront of pop music!