AI COUNTDOWN #1

TAYLOR HICKS

"Takin It To the Streets"

season 5

AI COUNTDOWN #2

Matt Giraud

"Human Nature"

season 8

Unfortunately, performance vids for this season are obsolete on youtube, so this will have to do...

AI COUNTDOWN #3

MICHAEL JOHNS

"We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions"

season 7

And I have to include this bonus video - not an AI clip...It's a shame INXS wouldn't clear any of their songs for Michael to use on the show...Check it out...

AI COUNTDOWN #4

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

"Alone"

season 4

AI COUNTDOWN #5

RUBEN STUDDARD

"Superstar"

season 2

AI COUNTDOWN #6

BROOKE WHITE

"Love is a Battlefield"

season 7

AI COUNTDOWN #7

BO BICE

"Drift Away"

season 4

AI COUNTDOWN #8

BLAKE LEWIS

"I Need to Know"

season 6

AI COUNTDOWN #9

ACE YOUNG

"Father Figure"

season 5

AI COUNTDOWN #10

LATOYA LONDON

"Don't Leave Me This Way"

season 3

New countdown...

For the next 10 days, I'm going to count down my ten all-time favorite American Idol performances. Stay tuned...

American Idol Top 11 Predictions

I wish I had something better to blog about. But I don't. Maybe I'll come up with a countdown topic soon, but for now, it's AI predictions - which, sadly enough, aren't based on talent as much as understanding the agenda of the producers. That's my theory, anyway.

I didn't watch the whole show last night - The Mentalist is more important than Idol - but I think Michael Sarver is out. I saw his performance, and it was fine, but...as I've said before, I don't think the eliminations are without producer manipulation. And since this is the last one before the top 10 (aka Idol tour line-up), Sarver's exit is the only one that makes sense. See, I think the top 10 is almost a product of casting rather than viewer votes. They want their pimped "characters" like Scott (the blind guy) and Danny (the widower) on the tour...then they have Kris and Adam (the guys who will draw in the females)...As for the girls - there are only 4 girls left right now. If Megan leaves - just an example - there would only be 3 girls on the tour. And 7 guys. Too unbalanced.

I do think Megan will be in the bottom 3, though. Megan, Michael, and maybe Alexis.

My favorite is Matt Giraud. Can't wait to go home and finish watching the show to see how he did.

[In other tv news, I got my wish on Dancing w/the Stars and Belinda Carlisle is out. Next week, I think it might be Holly Madison. I'm rooting for Melissa for the win.]

American Idol Top 13 Week 1

What are the judges smoking?

I thought Adam Lambert sounded borderline horrible. Was I hearing wrong????? What's going on????? Is it just me????? Good stage presence, but...I should watch it back, 'cause I'm dumbfounded...

And why so hard on Jorge? I thought he sounded great!

Ugh. So arbitrary. But ya gotta love it.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:

Honestly, no one surprised me. I guess the biggest surprise was all the fawning over Adam. He did "Black or White", which is one of my fav Michael Jackson songs...The judges praised his butt off as I sat perplexed. Maybe I'm getting too old for this show?

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:

Anoop...Poor song choice with "Beat It". Vocals were a little off.

WORST PERFORMANCE:

Megan Corkrey..."Rockin' Robin"...really?!?! Didn't dig it. Is she always going to sing everything the exact same way and do that same dance move? Going into the show, I wasn't a Megan fan - and after that performance, I definitely haven't changed my mind.

BEST PERFORMANCE:

my favs were Matt Giraud's "Human Nature" and probably Danny Gokey "P.Y.T"

BOTTOM 3 PREDICTION:

Jasmine, Megan, and Jorge

ELIMINATION PREDICTION:

Two are out tonight. Should be Megan and Kris, but I fear it will be Jasmine and - unfortunately - Jorge.

SPOILER ALERT:

DialIdol.com measures the busy signal to determine whose voting lines were busiest...And then they predict each contestant's likelihood of being eliminated. I wouldn't bet on it, but it's often fairly accurate. SO, according to Dial Idol, Jorge, Allison, and Jasmine are most likely to be bottom 3 - with Jorge most likely to go home. BOOOOOOOOOO. Allison and Jorge should not be in the bottom 3. No way.

In other spoiler news, the new twist on AI is that the judges will have the power to VETO an elimination! I highly doubt they'll use the veto anytime soon. They'll save it for Gokey or Lil or, ugh, Adam IF they are shockingly eliminated "too soon" at some point. Interesting twist, I suppose. (SAVE JORGE!)

American Idol Top 13 Predictions

I have "sort of" watched so far this season. I usually dvr it and fast forward through, taking the time only to watch the really good or interesting people. However, I thought it would be fun to over-analyze the show and its contestants. Make some predictions. Maybe dig up some spoilers.

I think I read that the theme will be Michael Jackson. Overall, I think it's a fair theme for all of the contestants. Everyone should be able to find SOMETHING they can work with... (I'll go ahead and mention that I HATE the fact that there are theme weeks. I think it's RIDICULOUS to make someone who is clearly a rocker sing Barry Manilow or country music. Just let them pick what they want, darn it.)

Now, on with the over-analysis. All totally my opinion.

My take on the 13 contestants and their chances...

Kris Allen - I had to look this guy up. I didn't remember who he was. He needs a cool stage name or something to make him stand out, because he's kind of just a normal dude fading into the background behind all of these other characters. Don't really see him cracking the top 10. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 11-13 range

Megan Corkrey - This is a tough one. Either she'll go early because people don't "get" her, or she'll make it far because she's unique. So far, she's not one of my favorites. She just doesn't sound that great to me. But we'll see. Tonight will be a good test. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 7-10 range

Anoop Desai - Anoop should do okay tonight. He didn't get the vote from America, so that seemingly puts him at a disadvantage (along with Matt, Megan, and Jasmine). Will he get the votes now? Very possible. I think he'll make it into the top 10. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 7-10 range

Matt Giraud - Pretty much the same prediction as above. He made it through as a wildcard, now he has to prove his worth in the competition. He probably won't be as popular as Anoop, so his chances of making the top 10 are iffy. He has to blow everyone away starting tonight. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 10-13 range (but I hope he does better)

Danny Gokey - The big story is Danny and his heartbreaking story of his wife's death. This can be viewed two ways 1) as an inspirational story of how the human spirit triumphs and he follows his dream in the midsts of tragedy OR 2) he's using that to get votes. My vote is the first one. BUT if the topic is brought up repeatedly, there will be inevitable backlash. In my opinion, Danny will make it to the top 3 based on talent, not backstory. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 1-3 range

Alexis Grace - One of my favorites! I hope she doesn't fizzle out as many who make a strong first impression do. I'd like see her in the top 5, at least...but I don't know if she'll have the fan base to take her that far. She's another iffy one. How she does tonight will make a difference. She's probably the female performance I'm most looking forward to tonight. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 4-7 range

Allison Iraheta - She's good - no doubt about that. She should easily make it to the midway point, based on her voice. How she deals with the theme weeks and whether she makes good song choices will determine whether she makes it much further than that. She certainly has potential to. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 3-6 range

Adam Lambert - Not a fan myself, but I definitely think he'll make the top 10. I'm assuming the top 10 go on the "Idol Tour" or whatever it's called. I think that's how they've done it in the past. I'm sure the powers that be want Adam on that tour. I don't think there's even a slight chance he'll be voted out before clinching a spot on the tour. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 6-9 range

Scott MacIntyre - I like Scott - a lot. I hope he brings out the keyboard and keeps doing songs he loves. Some people claim that the only reason he's getting any attention is because he's blind. And that very well may be true, but so what. That IS a big deal. That's the beauty of the show - finding people who are unique and have a story to tell. A way to inspire. To me, that's far more interesting than just having a group of people who can sing. He's not the best singer, but he is someone people can admire. I'll take him over Carrie Underwood or Ruben Studdard any day.
MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 3-6 range

Jasmine Murray - She should do okay. Maybe/probably make the top 10 for the tour, but I'm not sure she'll be able to push ahead of some of these others who are either better singers or more interesting characters. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 8-11 range

Jorge Nunez - Another favorite of mine! I can't wait to see how he deals with different themes! I hope he does well! I'd love to see him in the finals! BUT I don't know if anyone else shares my enthusiasm over Jorge. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 5-8 range (but I'm hoping for better!)

Lil Rounds - Definitely a contender! She reminds me of Latoya London WAY back in season...3, was it? Everyone was sure she was a lock for the win, but then - in a shocking elimination - she was out. All because people were so confident she had it in the bag that they didn't vote. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 1-3 range

Michael Sarver - We'll see what happens tonight. He needs to make an impression to stick around, though I do not feel that he'll be the first to go...MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 9-12 range


Tomorrow I'll blog about the performances...
Who will be the biggest surprise?
Who will be the biggest disappointment?
Who will be the first to go?

FAVORITE REALITY SHOW #4...

I started watching toward the end of season 1 and have been watching ever since. Lately, I've been very underwhelmed with the show. Not the talent, really, but the song choices. I HATE the theme weeks. Just let the people sing what they want. Don't make them sing country. Don't make them sing disco. Don't make them sing showtunes. Don't make them sing songs that were written by Diane Warren then were performed by Dionne Warwick and made famous by Amy Winehouse. Let them sing what fits them. The show would be much better that way, in my opinion.

Okay, now that I've complained about one of my favorite reality shows, let me switch gears and be nice. American Idol. The idea that someone who otherwise might never be discovered can spend a few months performing to millions on television is pretty great. For aspiring singers, this show is a dream come true. And it's fun to see their journey!

Now I'm going to break it down by season and put my favorite performances from each season!

Season 1

I watched the last few episodes only. Kelly Clarkson was CLEARLY the best and deserved to win, from what I saw.

Kelly Clarkson "Without You"

Season 2

Ruben was my favorite from the get-go. In fact, at the moment, I can't recall who else was on this season...Thank goodness for Wikipedia, though. Okay...I also liked Charles Grisby, but he was voted off pretty early. Looking back, that season didn't have many others that really jump out at me. Sure, Clay was a great singer. I was truly concerned at the finale that he would win.

Ruben "Superstar"

Ruben "If Ever You're In My Arms Again"

Season 3:

I had a few rotating favorites this season. George Huff was my initial favorite, followed by LaToya London and Fantasia, the eventual winner.

George Huff "Lean on Me"

LaToya London "Ain't Nobody"

Fantasia "Summertime"

Season 4:

This is probably the season I was most into at the time.

I was for Bo Bice, all the way. But I did like Carrie Underwood, too...Several of the other contestants had a great performance or two, but overall, Bo and Carrie were the only ones that stood out.

Carrie "Alone"

Bo "Vehicle"

Bo "Spinning Wheel"

Season 5:

Talent-wise, this is probably one of the best seasons. I liked Taylor Hicks! I loved his personality! Couldn't help but root for him - but there were lots of great performances that season...

Ace Young "Father Figure"

Chris Daughtry "Hemorrhage"

The ONLY performance of his I liked. NOT a fan.

Elliot Yamin "Heaven"

Elliot Yamin "Open Arms"

Taylor Hicks "Levon"

Taylor Hicks "Takin' It To the Streets"

LOVE this song!

Season 6:

Just an okay season. I was for Blake Lewis - not a super-great singer, really good performer. At the time, I was mildly baffled by Jordin's win, but I think she's proven herself so far with a few hit singles. Shows what I know. Anyway, all the best performances, to me, were from Blake this season. I liked almost every song he did all season.

Blake Lewis "Somewhere Only We Know"

Blake "Time of the Season"

featuring my mom's secret boyfriend, Peter Noone ;-)

Blake "I Need to Know"

Blake "This Love"

Season 7:

Another really talented season! Did my favorite win? NO. Did the right person win? YES.

My favorite was Michael Johns. I had such high hopes for him. I wish he would've been able to clear an INXS song (I heard he tried), because that would've been PERFECT for him. My 2nd fav was Brooke White.

Michael Johns "Light My Fire"

AWESOME SONG!

Michael Johns "Go Your Own Way"

I LOVE THIS SONG!

Michael Johns "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Brooke White "Love is a Battlefield"

Brooke White "You're So Vain"

David Cook "The World I Know"

GREAT song, not sure I love his arrangement, but it was a great moment for him on the finale.

American Idol falls into the talent based reality show category.

Some other talent based reality shows I've watched are:

Rock Star: INXS - This was the band INXS searching for a new frontman/woman. Love reality TV, love INXS, good show. None of my top choices won, but I still really liked it.

Rock the Cradle - This show was on MTV in the spring. Children of "real" singers compete and the viewers vote for the best. My favorite (Crosby Loggins, son of Kenny) won!

Dancing With the Stars - I've only watched 1 entire season (the one Drew Lachey won) and parts of a few others. It's good when the celebrities actually know how to dance...or at least like to dance. I'm still hoping Paula Abdul will sign on for next season. I'd definitely watch!

America's Next Top Model - I suppose modeling is a talent, right? Not sure what it is I like about this show, but I must watch every season.