Paulagate

Sites that follow American Idol are abuzz this morning with Paula Abdul's gaffe critiquing both of Jason Castro's performances when he had only done one. She tried to cover it up, after Randy, Simon and Ryan finally made it clear to her that only one song had been sung, by saying she must have been reading from her David Cook notes by accident. Of course, what she said with regards to Jason's second performance didn't match her David C critique at all, ao it was a pretty lame excuse.

There are two dominant theories as to what happened.

The first says that Paula's (and perhaps Randy's and Simon's as well) notes were taken at rehearsals/warmups. This would mean that their judging comments aren't actually based on the television performance at all, but something that took place before the show started.

The second says that Paula read off notes that were provided by the producers. This theory would basically reveal that the show is not as spontaneous as was originally thought, that it is actually a totally scripted event.

I think there's a third possibility.

Portions of the results show are taped in advance, other parts are live. Maybe the same holds true with the performance show and the portion where the judges were asked to comment before the second performance actually came at the end of the taping, then edited into its normal slot.

Then why wouldn't the producers edit out Paula's flub, you ask.

There are many comments to articles stating that Paula has to go, that her gaffe finally revealed what the show is all about and the producers have to axe her to save their behinds.

I disagree. The Paula trainwreck is one of the reasons people watch the show, no matter how much they bemoan her vanilla spaciness. The Simon acidity is another reason.

Paula gave the blogosphere a lot to talk about today. That kind of PR cannot be bought.

Then again, maybe there will be a public backlash when it is finally realized that the fantasy is no longer being stroked, that it has been tweaked a bit. And don't we hate it when our fantasies turn out to be just that...

a fantasy.

Quick Thoughts

First, I think everyone did a good job tonight, some better, but all pretty good.

There was, in my opinion, no one bad performance where I can definitively state that a certain person will not make it. Having said that I think a couple observances can be made.

David A. did a bang up job with Appalachian Memories. I have not particularly cared for him this season. I think he's a good singer, but I've always thought his song choices were very transparent. And he's obviously a ballad singer - the uptempo stuff messed him up. But this week he really nailed it.

Michael J., in the pimp spot, reminded me of Delbert McClinton. And that's not a bad thing.

Ramiele may not have been particularly memorable, but she at least wasn't boring.

Kristy Lee seemed a bit flat at the open, but eventually picked it up a few bars in. The night's style suited her marvelously.

Loved Jason's Travelin' Thru. Thought Randy's comment was right on with the singer/songwriter vibe.

Brooke's opener, though not a huge stand out, was solid Brooke.

David C. - glad to see him take on Little Sparrow in the fashion he did. It showed he's not all about the harder rock aspect.

Carly and Syesha - both decent performances, but Syesha strayed way too close to Whitney territory in her close. She had a good voice, but she sounded too much like she was trying to sound like Whitney. Carly's version of Here You Come Again was quite different from the orginal (I remember when it came out). Not sure if I liked it or not.

There will be a bottom three, and I have no idea who it will be this week. I almost think Syesha will be one of them, perhaps with Ramiele. As to a third, I can't say.

Voted off prediction: Syesha, for becoming a cliche as a Whitney wannabe. I also lean toward Syesha because she has been in the bottom three already and Ramiele has not. If the show were about performance, then I'd say Ramiele will go.

But it's so much more (or less) than that.

Quick Shots

Syesha - If I Was Your Woman
I like Syesha. I wish she'd do songs I like, but I like her. I think she's cute and can sing better than Ramiele. This song didn't do much for me, but she sang it well.

David Cook - Billie Jean
So many of these songs have been covered over the years that you can't tell if these people are singing someone else's cover version or if they came up with the arrangement on their own. I suspect that they are usually doing a cover version (like Daughtry singing Live's version of I Walk the Line). Probably Blake Lewis was one of the most original innovators. Apparently David C. was singing Chris Cornell's (Soundgarden) version of Billie Jean. . Still he pulled it off quite well AND in the pimp spot no less. He's a rising force.

Carly - Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Jim Steinman wrote Total Eclipse of the Heart. He was Meatloaf's hit song writer with songs such as Two out of Three Ain't Bad and Paradise by the Dashboard Lights. He also wrote Air Supply's Making Love out of Nothing At All. You can tell a Jim Steinman song - it's always about relationships and it has long rambling lines. Total Eclipse of the Heart was sung by Bonnie Tyler who had a short run of fame late 70s, early 80s. She had a distinctive, gravely voice, sort of like a female Rod Stewart, and it gave her songs a strong personality. I don't know if Carly's version lived up to the original. She sang it pretty well. I just don't know if it was enough.

Chikezie - If Only For One Night
Yeah, it was Chikezie being Luther for the night. Very 80s sounding. I thought it was a decent performance, his vocals are smooth. Funny thing is, Simon, who panned Chikezie's last performance as sounding like several different songs in one, now says Chikezie needs to go back to singing with that energetic kind of personality. These contestants can't win. lol.

Brooke - Every Breath You Take
The judges complained that Brooke should have not had the band come in uptempo like they did. I disagree. This wasn't Brooke's best performance of the season, but it was good. And the song really calls out for its hook, that haunting guitar part it starts with. The band provided that. She's still moving on, I'm pretty sure.

Jason - Fragile
I like Jason, even if he stays within his genre/style. He's a good package of personality, performance and presence. He does make some weird faces while singing though, which can be distracting. I don't know this song, so I don't know if it has any Spanish influences in it. Thought it was a good performance.

Ramiele - Alone
Not bad. But she is going to get compared to Nancy Wilson's version which is difficult. She seemed to fall short a bit.

Michael - We Are The Champions
I don't think this was significantly different from how Michael has performed to date, so I'm not sure where the judges are coming from. But I've always thought that what they see and hear there in the venue is probably quite different from what we see/hear in our living rooms. Probably enough to keep him safe.

Kristy - God Bless The USA
Finally, Kristy gets back to something she can do - country/pop style songs. She sang it quite well, thought she was a tad out of tune at the key change, but she came back OK. She will have to be very careful about song choice from this point on.

David A. - You're The Voice
He has a good voice, a smooth delivery. But he makes every song sound the same. David may have peaked too early unless he gives a total package in upcoming shows. He's getting a bit boring, he is.

If I had to guess as to who will go? Probably Chikezie. He seems to be the odd man out right now and I can't imagine his fan base is growing.

I hate the "mosh pit." Can the show stop getting camera angle from behind it. Seeing people's hands wave over the singers is quite irritating.

American Idol - 60s Night - Guys

Actually a pretty good night overall. No major blips, an even spread of ability with some standing out from the others. A kind of homogenous crowd at this point; don't see a lot of strong style differences. Hopefully those will surface eventually.

Here's a few thoughts about last night: (Without having taken any notes and being sick to boot, this is all from memory. Maybe that's not a bad thing. See who stands out and why)

Chikezie - hate the one name name (re: Mandisa). Good singer, took a song I didn't think much of and stylized it - fit the mood (unlike what Simon said).

Colton Berry - don't like. Hope he's gone soon.

Danny Noriega - projects himself as a very unlikeable person. Won't be around long.

David Archuleta - I didn't think as highly of his performance as the judges did, but I've always contended they see something different live than we do over a TV screen. Overall, though, he has pipes and he's likeable and it's a good start.

David Cook - don't remember, don't think I saw his.

David Hernandez - don't remember. If he led off, I thought it was pretty good.

Garrett Haley - hate the hair, hate the voice. Too 70s effeminate.

Jason Castro - liked his guitarship and singing. I could see him heading a band after some seasoning.

Jason Yeager - I know I saw his and I can't remember what it was.

Luke Menard - good looker, good voice, dull.

Michael Johns - charismatic, great stage sense, excellent vocal tones. May be the #1 guy.

Robbie Carrico - missed his performance.

That's all for now.

I don't know how much I'll be doing this this year. I'll just go with whatever flow comes my way.

Ryan Seacrest has a wicked small head.