Idol Review: Top 9

Just so you know right off the bat, this is the last Idol Review I will be writing. Now, before we get to the obvious, here is a list of everything from this week that deserves... THE SLAP!

• Haley & Lauren, the pathetic last pair of girls standing, for their never-ending terrible song choices
• James for letting what the three stooges judges say go to his head & allowing himself to believe that he is actually some kind of second coming of Adam Lambert with the ability to sing something that doesn't hide his complete lack of tonal quality
• Stefano, not only for HIS never-ending terrible song choices, but equally terrible execution
• Jennifer Lopez, if you don't criticize the bad performers, then you can't give suggestions to the good performers because at that point, anything that isn't a straight-up compliment is taken as a negative critique
• All three judges for wasting the save on Casey (primarily)

I could be meaner, but most of America & I finally seem to be on the same page... it just took Pia being eliminated to get there. In some ways, this is the worst elimination the show has ever seen. It is most comparable to that of Jennifer Hudson, who was able to bounce back, but of her own accord--no thanks to Idol. Not only that, but she was basically the reason the save came into being... & the judges go & waste it on a guy--because we don't have enough of those left. In addition to, but even more importantly than just for entertainment purposes, this is why a judging panel without Simon Cowell ultimately just does not work. You have to have someone on the panel who is able to make sure that the talent gets its due credit & is able to stick around long enough that 1) people don't stop tuning in & 2) a contestant worthy enough to win actually makes it to the finale so as to ensure a successful recording artist comes from & adds to the legacy of the show. After three straight seasons of forgetful white male winners, with the season's best voice--a female, imagine!--getting eliminated tonight in ninth place, American Idol has officially had it. As for me, I've made it through the incredibly premature elimination of Jennifer Hudson. I've made it through Jasmine Trias outlasting LaToya London. I've made it through my favorite contestant ever Vonzell Solomon getting kicked off the week before the finale in favor of ..Bo Bice.. & never getting the record deal she was *sure* to score. I've made it through Melinda Doolittle getting kicked off the week before the finale in favor of Blake Lewis. I've made it through season-long favorites David Archuleta & Adam Lambert getting beaten by nowaday nobodies. I even made it through last season! And now they kick off Pia & leave us with this pathetic eight (7 + Jacob)?! I've had it. I'll find a way to keep up with Jacob...

...until he gets kicked off... probably next week 1) because Idol has now completely turned off everyone who has always watched the show & appreciates talent, & 2) because he's the best singer left. Other than that, for the last time, enjoy the wonderful Pia:

Idol Review: Top 11 Redux

Fantasia "Collard Greens & Cornbread"



Jacob Lusk "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"



Pia Toscano "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"
Overall, the songs of Elton John brought me a bit more enjoyment from the top 11 than Motown. That's to say, I suppose, that I thought Haley was alright & Thia had her best performance yet (among those I paid any attention to), so it's kind of a shame that she went home this week, but she needed to soon anyway. I am rejoicing however that Naima is gone! Lauren was boring, Stefano's song choice was lame once again, tame Casey was still no good, Scotty, Paul, James... all bad. Jacob & Pia delivered yet again though!

Idol Review: Top 11

Jennifer Hudson "Where You At"



Jacob Lusk "You're All I Need To Get By"



Pia Toscano "All In Love Is Fair"
Jacob & Pia are in such a different league than their fellow contestants, it's ridiculous. Quickly, I'll say that in the case of Casey, America spoke & the judges should've listened. Thia does nothing for me; same goes for Haley. Lauren is never gonna pick anything right & Stefano has GOT to stop over-singing (Thank you for reading my mind, Jennifer!). Scotty sounds the same every week & while that will get him pretty far, I hope America realizes that he does not deserve to win (he'll be fine, I promise). Paul? Terrible. James? Terrible. Naima? Bad singing + bad dancing does NOT make for a good performance. You show 'em how it's done, J-Hud!

Idol Review: Top 12

The Black-Eyed Peas "Just Can't Get Enough"



Jacob Lusk "Alone"
Better late than never, I always say! (Last) Wednesday's show started off rather crapily (I declare 'crapily' a word. #dealwiththat) with Naima choosing a song completely out of her element, Paul being Paul, & Thia karaoke-ing it up once again. Then, James was bad--even for James, Haley chose Whitney Houston for some God-forsaken reason, & Stefano, like many of his fellow contestants, continued his streak of awful song choices. Finally, Pia came to save the day with her soaring vocals on a mediocre tune. Scotty was his typical lame self, while Casey was especially terrible. Lauren has such potential, but if she keeps choosing obvious songs that she sounds oh-so-karaoke on..! Jacob closed the show with the week's best performance. I'm bummed (though not surprised) that Karen went home. Sure she didn't pick the best songs, but neither have the majority of these peeps & she was one of the most talented--& so sweet! It's a shame America couldn't see that & was instead blinded by what was entertaining in the moment (AKA people you'll never hear from again after May).

Idol Review: Top 13

Adam Lambert "Aftermath"



Dirty Money ft. Skylar Grey "Coming Home"



Pia Toscano "All By Myself"
So, first of all, let's talk about Wednesday. Lauren's gonna have to do better than karaoke if she's gonna win me over. Casey spoke... I was lost. Ashthon EARNED her elimination doing a godawful impersonation of Vonzell's *perfect* performance of the same song six years ago. Paul, as always, sounded like a bad James Blunt... I was confused. The performance of the week came from Pia, who proved herself to be even more talented than I thought she was judging from last week's performance, hitting Celine notes easily while simultaneously showing off her gorgeous tone--what the show's all about, people! James... was bad... I, uh... Haley, surprisingly enough, did LeAnn justice & I actually think blues-y country like that is a much better fit for her than the pop/rock that the judges are suggesting, not that she'd win me over either way. While it wasn't his strongest vocal showing, Jacob's voice still amazes me. Thia wasn't half bad until the arrangement switcharoo. Stefano lost me with... whatever that was. Karen did better than she got credit for. I'm not saying she blew me away, but her tone was gorgeous, you could tell it meant a lot to her to sing that song, & she's just so darn likeable! I'm no longer going to just accept Scotty for what he is (especially if DialIdol is to be believed) since he's decided he can sing any ol' country song because--& I don't even like him but--there's no comparison between you & Garth Brooks, kid! Naima embarassed herself... although I will say that after listening to her iTunes snippet, if she stuck to reggae, she might have something (but she won't).

Thursday resulted (heh) in an acoustic performance of "Aftermath" from Adam Lambert, which was good on his behalf, although it pales in comparison to the album version. Speaking of which, Adam is selling the Billboard remix of "Aftermath" HERE for charity. Not to take away from the cause, but the album version > the acoustic version > the remix. Also, Dirty Money performed on Idol again & I must say, I'm really starting to like this Skylar Grey character.

Idol Review: Top 24

Best Guy: Jacob Lusk



Best Girl: Pia Toscano

It's hard to believe that we've already made it to the top 12 13 & this is just my first Idol Review of the season, but I always wait for the "live" shows to start things up again so that there's something to review & the semi-finals happened to be really short this season! That said, it didn't even take this long for season 10 to show its superiority to season 9 & in fact, it's already the best season of Idol since probably season 7... not that the top 24 couldn't have already been widdled down to less than the 13 easily. Let me make one thing clear: Jacob Lusk is this season's best contestant. The male Jennifer Hudson, if you will. Incredible! As far as the girls are concerned, my affections are split between Karen Rodriguez & Pia Toscano, the latter of which gave a performance this week that was the first glimpse of the talent Idol used to be chock-full of since Syesha three years ago, although Karen's (10-second clip of her) rendition of J.Lo's "If You Had My Love" from Hollywood blew my mind! Considering all of the aforementioned made the top 10 that America chose, I was pleased with the results revealed on tonight's episode. While they are the only ones I really care about, I think Lauren Alaina deserved her spot, as did Thia Megia if you consider who she was up against. He's not my style, but I don't hold Scotty McCreery's voice against him... othat than that, I don't really care for those that made the top 10. As for the wildcard situation, I'm glad things worked out nicely for Stefano Langone. He didn't earn his spot on Tuesday, but I knew he had potential & he showed it tonight. However, Ashthon Jones, the toneless wonder, & Naima Adedapo are just dead weight in the top 13--not that screecher Kendra Chantelle deserved it any more. The only person who was sent packing tonight that I think deserved a second chance & to make it to the top 13, based on Wednesday night's performance, is Lauren Tucker, but I'm not heartbroken or anything. Anybody else that either made it or not is so talentless that they aren't even worth me mentioning them. And thus, the best of season 10 is yet to come!

Jennifer Lopez "Entertainment Weekly" Magazine Cover

The judges/host of American Idol, including Jennifer Lopez, sit in anticipation of the new season (with the rest of us) on the latest cover of Entertainment Weekly. This season could be epic... or an epic failure. But at least we'll have J.Lo along for the ride!

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American Idol Season 10 Poster + More

Check out this poster advertising the 10th season of American Idol, which will move to Wednesdays & Thursdays this spring (from its traditional Tuesday/Wednesday slots), that features new judges Jennifer Lopez & Steven Tyler. A crop of the usual promos for the new season have been circulating the airwaves on FOX lately, but here's one featuring J.Lo:

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New American Idol Season 10 Promo

All nine winners (so far) of American Idol are again featured in this new TV spot for the show's tenth season. Kelly! Ruben! Fantasia! Carrie! Jordin! Kris!

American Idol Season 10 Promo

Lately, American Idol has been hunting down all of its winners to shoot the above promo for the show's tenth season. They're all there, including Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, & Kris Allen. I love it!

Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler Join American Idol Judges Panel

Jennifer Lopez & Steven Tyler have (finally) been officially announced as the new judges on American Idol. Following the departures of Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres, & Kara DioGuardi, the pair will join sole returning judge Randy Jackson on the panel for the show's tenth season. However, the judges panel isn't the only place Idol will see changes this season. Probably the most exciting revelation is that Interscope head Jimmy Iovine (the fifth guy in the photo below) will be the contestants' in-house mentor. Although Iovine will take the place of weekly guest mentors, he will bring in producers like Timbaland to coach the contestants. Also, there won't be any more genre-specific themes. It's additionally worth noting that Jennifer now has a first look deal with FOX that allows her to develop film & TV projects for them. I think this deal is good for J.Lo (I've already posted a more lengthy opinion about her new gig) & it sounds like having their original executive producer Nigel Lythgoe back is gonna work out great for the show! Ever since it was announced that the music group that'll be signing the Idols from now on was changed from Sony to Universal, I've been saying that Jimmy Iovine would be the best possible replacement for Simon & the decision they've made might just be even better re: the prospect of finding/nurturing talented singers this season, as Jimmy Iovine runs an excellent label. I almost can't believe it after last season, but I'm actually excited about the new season of Idol--these fresh new changes came just in time!

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The 2010 Teen Choice Awards Recap

Dirty Money "Hello Good Morning"

David Archuleta's Rap Debut... Heh
I forgot to DVR the 2010 Teen Choice Awards, so to be perfectly honest, I don't know how they were, but if they were anything like they have been the last couple years, then they sucked, apart from Katy Perry being, I'm sure, an entertaining host & the above clips. Well, sorta. Dirty Money's performance was great... on American Idol last spring. I'm trying to be hyped about them, but they make it so hard for me! Although it was only two bars, I enjoyed David Archuleta's display of his rap skillz much better... however, let's just stick to singing, shall we? ;) After all, that (& his adorable-ness) scored him the Choice American Idol Alum award! Other winners include Beyonce for Choice Music: R&B Artist, Usher's "OMG" for Choice Music: R&B Track, Rihanna & Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie" for Choice Music: Rap/Hip-Hop Track, & American Idol for Choice TV: Reality Competition Show. See the full list of (entirely too many) winners HERE ("Toy Story 3"! Ellen DeGeneres! Sandra Bullock!).

American Idol Finale Performance Highlights

Christina Aguilera "You Lost Me"



Janet Jackson & Finalists - Medley



Idols Tribute Simon Cowell

Carrie Underwood "Undo It"
Kris Allen "The Truth"
Christina Aguilera & Top 6 Girls - Medley
Paula Abdul Roasts Simon Cowell
General Larry Platt & William Hung "Pants On The Ground"

Christina Aguilera & tributes to Simon made the finale of American Idol this year's best episode, sad as it may be. Christina rocked the house with one of my favorite songs off her new album, reminding America what singing actually sounds like in the process. While I enjoyed Janet Jackson's performance (& I hate to be a party pooper)... 1) I wish she hadn't lipsynched "Nothing", 2) she could've actually danced during "Nasty", & 3) her hair looked better when it wasn't stuck to her head. Now that I have that off my chest, I'm fully aware that Janet simply being on that stage is more entertaining that anything any contestant did this season. And Siobhan, don't try to sing "Again". The Simon tribute was cool, as all the previous winners (except David Cook) & several other former finalists shared the stage together. Kelly, Fantasia, & Jordin sure did their thing too! As for Old Yeller 2.0 winning... I don't reeeally care, but considering he's a poor man's David Cook, it would've been a decent change of pace to have a girl win. I mean, I was so used to hearing such awful singing that when Crystal sang with Alanis, it actually sounded OK..! (Heck, I thought Katie & even Michael almost sounded talented during the finale.) Mainly, I just wish people would realize how pathetic & detrimental to the show it is that they vote for the winner like it's a popularity contest rather than a singing competition. If you continue to change your minds about who should win in the last few weeks of the competition & instead of picking the contestant who deserves it, you pick the one whose personality you like best, the winners are going to continue painting a bad picture of the show by not selling anything & it will spell the end of Idol. I guess it doesn't matter much though, since this show has apparently lost its ability to find people who can actually sing anyway. But speaking of people who can actually sing, check out Vonzell singing part of her single "Dirt Bag" on this week's episode of The BabyV Show:

Idol Review: Top 3

By now, you know I'm appalled by this season of American Idol, but this week especially... wow. In particular, I'm talking about Old Yeller 2.0's final performance. It would be a compliment to even say that he sounded just like the original--& although it was incredibly inappropriate for him to be accompanied by a black choir, if only for the sake of a fabricated "moment," I'm willing to forgive even that--but what absolutely kills me is that he performed JASON CASTRO's "Hallelujah" & they acted like he did a brilliant job! Only idiots perform songs that previous contestants have had "moments" with (Yes, I'm looking at you, Aaron Kelly & Tim Urban...) & the best they can hope for is mediocrity, which just proves that if Simon Cowell himself has to stoop to this level to create a "moment" that would never have happened organically, this show has undeniably lost it. Not that his other performance wasn't awful... or Casey's... or either of Crystal's terrible or tone-deaf (respectively) performances. But, hey, at least the producers got the finale they wanted (Bye Casey!)... that is, the worst finale ever, which fits in just grand with the rest of this pathetic season! Get excited though because on this week's episode of The BabyV Show, Boonquisha plays a snippet of a new Vonzell song called "Moma's Boy":

Idol Review: Top 4

Fantasia "Bittersweet"



Daughtry "September"
Ah, just to think how exciting Idol normally is at this stage... *sigh* at least there were finally some decent performances on results night again this week! You show 'em what sangin' sounds like, 'Tasia!! (Daughtry sounded good, even if the song sounds like all their other ones lol.) I guess I'll get into Tuesday night's mess... Old Yeller 2.0 was awful & had no business doing that song. Michael was a fool for thinking he could take on the song J-Hud sang at MJ's funeral. Crystal & Lee took what Kris made so beautiful & turned it into a complete joke. Casey made one of the worst song choices I can remember anyone ever making. Crystal squawked something. Casey & Michael made for one heck of an odd (talentless) couple. Michael finally went where America sent him five weeks ago. Aaand Casey is in the top three ROFLMFAO!!! Now, onto someone who was actually worthy of making the top three when she did... the latest episode of The BabyV Show:

Idol Review: Top 5

Another lame week, as I find it hilarious (yet painful) that they choose this bunch for a Frank Sinatra theme, one that is COMPLETELY out of their element. Hilarious, yet painful perfectly sums up watching Casey perform without his guitar this week. Crystal keeps screwing up so badly that even her biggest fans the judges don't like her, paving the way for the awful Old Yeller 2.0 to win... 3 years in a row, people? Really?! Michael may be the only one who has a smooth enough voice to sing this kind of music, but that certainly doesn't mean he was any good. As for Aaron leaving, I would be more excited if Casey hadn't been so unbelievably deserving of having to pack his bags this week... oh, who am I kidding, I'm ecstatic! Now, here's Vonzell to remind all of y'all what singing's supposed to sound like on this week's The BabyV Show:

Idol Review: Top 6

It was basically country week on the show this week, but even though there were more guest performances on the results show than I can ever remember there being, the mentor & only person I would've cared to hear sing (Shania Twain), for whatever reason, didn't. Instead, Old Yeller 2.0 (was awful... &) chose to ruin one of her nicest songs--as did Michael, for that matter. Casey was praised by the judges & still ended up in the bottom two... -_- , while Crystal finally got an itty bitty bit of the judges' disapproval that she so deserves. Aaron... I'm running out of energy... welp, I don't care. But here's something that got me excited: Siobhan is gone! Weee!! Now, check out Boonquisha on The BabyV Show:

Idol Review: Top 7

Mary J. Blige "Stairway To Heaven"



Alicia Keys - Medley



The Black-Eyed Peas "Rock That Body"



Carrie Underwood "Change"
So, Idol Gives Back had its moments. My favorite was Mary J. Blige's performance with her all-star band (Travis Barker, Randy Jackson, Ron Fair, Steve Vai, Orianthi...). It's really cool that they got them all together to perform this, especially on American Idol & for charity. The week's mentor Alicia Keys performed "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)" & a pitchy "Empire State Of Mind (Part 2) Broken Down". I wish she had just done her new single. Also there were The Black-Eyed Peas, who were their typical selves, & Carrie Underwood, who reminded us of the days when talent actually came from this show.

On Tuesday night, the only thing the contestants inspired me to do was bang my head against a wall. Casey continued to treat the competition like his first audition & the judges FINALLY started to catch on. Old Yeller 2.0 was awful & Aaron embarassed the crap out of himself, as he does best. Siobhan deserved a whoopin', Michael was pathetic, & Crystal was dumb! Tim, being the only contestant the show would've sent home this week anyway, especially deserved his ticket home this week for disrespecting that song the way he did. Overall, the show made me wanna cry.

Below, you will see this week's episode of The BabyV Show. I recommend that you watch. ;)

Idol Review: Top 9 (Pt. 2)

Adam Lambert "Whataya Want From Me"



Elliott Yamin & Kara DioGuardi Visit Africa
To cap off a week of trying to help this sad, sad group with their stage presence (& failing... but don't worry, Adam--it's not your fault! Ya gotta work with what ya got!) as mentor, trusty ol' Adam Lambert gave a stellar performance of his stale current single. He was easily the week's highlight... but--imagine--what if that performance had been of "Aftermath"?! (Or "Broken Open"... or "Sleepwalker"... or "Soaked"... or anything something else!) Anyway, also putting in an appearance, more or less, during the results show, Elliott made a return trip to Africa to kick off this year's Idol Gives Back, which occurs next week. Throughout his segment, they played his James Fauntleroy-penned Fight For Love bonus track "Doorway", which is my JAM! Onto the contestants though... Crystal was her typical BowersUx self, Tim was his typical snoozy self, Old Yeller 2.0 was his typical awful self, Aaron actually managed to embarass himself more than usual, Siobhan was her typical talentless self, Michael was his typical snoozy self (They're so boring, my mind isn't even bothered to come up with different adjectives!), & Casey was his typical headache-inducing self. It was definitely Andrew's time to go, while I actually thought Katie was halfway decent for once... oh well. On to The BabyV Show(!):

Idol Review: Top 9 (Pt. 1)

David Archuleta "Imagine"



Rihanna "ROCKSTAR 101"

Just in case any of you were getting to that stage where you're wondering if this season's contestants really ARE that bad *cough cough*, enter David Archuleta. As if his rendition of "Imagine" wasn't perfect during the seventh season semifinals, he sang it even better on Wednesday! He has the most beautiful, PURE tone..! Interesting timing, I'd say, as Aaron kicked off Tuesday night with a song David sang on the show ... *getting heated, trying to fight it* ... I do NOT care WHO Ryan thinks you are, Mr. Kelly, but you can't even BEGIN to TOUCH Mr. Archuleta! (I guess trying to fight the anger off didn't work... *deep breath*) Katie was the highlight of the high school talent show & Andrew had just escaped from an angry mob of toddlers to whom he had apparently attempted to sing that same song to only moments earlier. Crystal gave the worst rendition I've ever heard of what I believe is the most-covered Beatles song in the history of the universe & Tim... nope, not wasting my energy. Casey still hasn't gone back to whatever bar basement he came from for whatever reason, Siobhan cccaaannnnnnooottt sssiiinnnggg, & Old Yeller 2.0 "represent[ed] just about everything I hate about music" (again, quoting myself)/was awful. Michael gave a performance more worthy of where he landed in the voting, rather than being saved, but I'm glad they used it on him so they can't use it on, well, any of the others! So, this is cool: fellow fourth season-er Nadia Turner joins Vonzell Boonquisha in this week's episode of The BabyV Show: