First of all, please don’t dismiss my story (previous entry) because I am posting this one. I worked really hard on it and finally decided to post it on here because I don’t think anyone went to my other site. It is hard to tell because if you don’t have blogspot.com you can’t comment. Anyway, it’s not nearly as long as a novel. It is a "short story" as far as the definition goes. I’d really appreciate the support. That said, what happened on American Idol last night?!
I sat down to watch everyone perform, and it just seemed like the judges were irritated and no one could hit the mark vocally. Then Mandisa went out there and did her thing! I was so excited to see her make such a bold song choice and to make it her own. She definitely put a gospel twist on a more pop oriented song. I was totally cheering for her. It was a shock to me the feedback she got from the judges. Randy slammed her pretty much, Paula tried to be sweet and Simon was his usual self, rude. How was her performance "indulgent"? It was completely not about her. That is not indulgent. Everyone else got applauded for at least getting back to their roots and showing what sort of album he/she would put out. It’s a pity that you must conform but make sure you stand out while you’re doing so. Ray was disappointed that Chris got such negative feedback too. Simon says basically "Good job for not changing and sticking to who you are" then he pretty much says "You need to do more styles and drop the rock act." It would be neat to see him do another style BUT I think after making such a strong statement in his song choices, his fans would be disappointed to see him change his tune. My basic summary of the show? (mind you there is always a bias)
Lisa—Aw man, I was rooting for her but when she chose such a recent song AND by an American Idol winner? I think she has a beautiful voice but that was a risk in choosing such a song and unfortunately she fell short in delivering a WOW performance. I felt so bad for her because she looked like she was about to break into tears after the judges’ reviews. I understand their reviews, but it is still hard to swallow if you put your heart and soul into it.
Kellie—She is beginning to grow on me a bit but her rendition of Suds in the Bucket was also disappointing. It is a difficult song to sing in my opinion, but she didn’t nail it. Again, I was not rooting for her to fail. Ray and I were just kinda cringing with each sour note she hit, but I felt terrible when she finished and had to face the judges. Seriously, I could not be on that show. I DO NOT take criticism well. I would be broken and discouraged.
Ace—He is not my favourite by a long shot. I still hoped he would pick things up, though. He could have made that song his own and I actually enjoyed his vocals this week, but it lacked spark. It wasn’t like I would rush out to buy his version over Train’s. Still, I think he could have gotten a bit more applause.
Taylor—I like him. He has a nice voice and I just enjoy watching him perform. His song choice was interesting and I thought it was cool he managed to find a song that was not "Top 40". I had nothing to compare him to vocally, but I think he did a nice job. Honestly, I could not sing the song back to you though, so I guess he lacked his normal spark. I think it’s cool he tried to just "sing" a song though.
Mandisa—Wow, she stirred a lot of controversy with her gospel preacher style entrance. The things she said were encouraging though and not "preachy". It is encouraging to anyone who knows what she is talking about. Being freed from sin and bondage is wonderful and I love to sing Shackles! She did this gospel twist to Mary Mary’s pop feel and stamped "Mandisa" on it as far as style. Unfortunately, it was not really style that was critiqued I don’t think. Now, I do not claim to know what was going on in the judges’ heads but I think that there was some positive feedback that even an atheist could provide. She did a great job vocally and defintely was true to herself. Everyone (with the acception of Chris) was given "kudos" for showing voters/viewers what kind of album they would put out. Ok, so she would obviously make a great gospel singer. I knew that from the start. Where was her pat on the back? She did it for a greater purpose and I do hope she was genuine. That message just got to millions of people. Hey, I’d hope I wouldn’t be afraid to show whose I am.
Chris—I know I join many in wondering which comment Simon would like to stick with…compromise? don’t compromise? Anyway, I honestly was nervous when he said he was doing Creed. I liked them when they first came out but then they just started to sound repetative. Unfortunately, this was one of those songs where there is no clear melody and it is easy to forget. That aside, I still think Chris has an excellent rock voice and he sounds better than a lot of people who already have albums out. Plus, he obviously has a stage presence and he is attractive. That is the package of an American Idol. It simply is not the AI packagee that the show aims for.
Katharine—I think she can sing beautifully. She is beautiful and she has personality. Those all go a long way. She is the sort I can see winning because she fits the mold perfectly. However, I was not impressed with last night’s performance. First of all, I get so tired of hearing people sing Christina Aguilera. She has one of the most styalized voices around. It used to be cool but it agitates me now. Katharine usually sounds great but she was trying too hard to sound like Christina. That’s what it sounded like to me anyway. Still, hoping she gets the opportunity to shine again.
Bucky—I must confess I was dreading when he would step out on stage. He hasn’t proven to me he really can sing yet, but tonight gave me a little more respect for the guy. His vocals started off strong but relaxed toward the end of the song. Again, I was hoping he would soar but hey, last night just seemed like an OFF night.
Paris—She stepped up the performances vocally but I was not impressed with her song choice. Plus, the little butt shaking thing didn’t marvel me either. Really, I can’t even remember how her song went.
Elliott—Up until now I have sort of overlooked him. He’s been there, gotten on stage, sang…but then I just forgot about him. Last night he had the one song that I walked away singing and actually enjoyed. He wasn’t overally amazing, and the audio did seem to be off last night, but he did do a good job. Gavin Degraw’s song is difficult to sing and I think he did a great job making it sound different than the original but still keeping to the melody.
Anyway, I was thoroughly upset with the uproar over Mandisa by the end of the show. It was one of those shows where it ends, the credits roll and you’re just left with your mouth hanging open wondering what on earth just transpired. I honestly cannot forsee who is going to be in the bottom three tonight but I really hope Mandisa isn’t. She is my favourite and I really don’t know if I could watch it if she leaves. I probably would out of curiousity (which is how I got back into the show to begin with) but it would be like Jennifer Hudson being voted off so early during Season 3. My favourite was Diana though, and she made it to the top 2. WOO HOO! We shall see how it all pans out.
On a brighter note, I love how the days are getting longer. It is 6:35am but the sun is peaking through my window. It is wonderful! It makes me feel better to have the sun shining. If I had a cute little house it would be even better. I’d be able to sit out on the front step and draw or write. I’ve tried to sit out on the cement step we have just outside our door but it our apartment opens out onto the walkway. It is a pain to have people constantly walking by our front door. My mom and I both got our first issues of Country Living magazine. We sat down last night to look at them together, over the phone. I would love to have a cute, country house to decorate. I just want the option of painting or hanging up pictures. It was nice to look at all the pages and have someone to comment to on certain things. We still have the May issue to go through and the rest of the April one. I was cut off by American Idol.
Ok, well thanks for listening to my humble opinion on American Idol and I do hope you’ll take the time to read my story. I have another one that I wrote before that one but I am waiting on some revisions I need to make. We’ll see how the feedback with this one goes. See ya!
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