For crying out loud, Canada, how did this happen?
Why did we decide ( not me, I voted for the guy)- but Mookie? Gone? That is just wrong. Jake was right to say ” Call me”. Jake will make a gazillion dollars off of Mooks.
We’re idiots, and we deserve the Idol we get, which should be Earl or Theo, but I’m scared will be Drew.
Gawd.
A twofer- Beatles week and Judges choice week.
Earl and his off kilter styles is up first, and the Judges went with ” With A Little Help From My Friends”, knowing he’d go with the seminel Joe Cocker version. He did, and he killed it. He wasn’t as animated, but he didn’t need to be. It was amazing, and that is high praise from a die hard Beatles fan. Three judges gave standing O’s.
Mookie was given ” Come Together”, one of the best songs John lennon ever had a hand in. Mooks took it back to it’s original herky jerky blues roots ( the melody is based on an old blues tune). I loved it, although I’m sure some Beatles fans were going ” What the fuck?”
Theo took on one of the Beatles great piano songs in ” The Long and Winding Road”. And he nailed it. Soaring vocals, great piano lines, heartfelt. He wows me week after week.
Mitch tackles ” In My Life”. It’s one of the greatest Beatle balleds, one massacred by Ramiele on AI. Mitch does a credible job, but was pitchy at moments.
Drew has the daunting task of delivering the exquisite ” While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. And he was at his best. Great guitar playing, great vocals. Zack even got on his feet.
It’s going to be a tough elimination this week, but I predict the bottom three will be Drew, Mitch, and cursed at first Earl, with Mitch heading back to the east Coast.
Canadiana week is always my favorite week. It’s all about the Tragically Hip, Sarah Slean, Feist, Joel Plaskett, Big Wreck, and Steppenwolf.
This week our mentors are three fifths of Simple Plan, including Pierre. They are a great Canadian success story. Better than freakin’ Nickelback, that’s for sure. And they seem to love our Idols. They give heady praise to them all, but are not afraid to bring them some constructive criticism.
Amberly starts off with ” 1,2,3,4,”, and it suits her pretty well. It seems vocally pitchy, and she’s sometimes ahead of the tempo, but first is a tough spot. I also feel like some of the charm of the song is missing. The judges aren’t as effusive as they have been. Zack said something about Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Whatever. The eye makeup was heavy, though.
Theo comes out to the iano and nails Sarah Slean’s ” Sweet Ones”. that is one of my favorite songs. Love it. Loved theo sining it. Loved Theo’s piano. Loved Theo’s voice. Loved Theo kicking that piano stool away and nailing that ending. Love. Love love love. Zack brings out the big gun comparison- Rufus Wainwright.
Mitch tackles Joel Plaskett’s ” I Love This Town”, and does a pretty credible job. His vocals are still shaky.
Earl is just- cool. Tries to out do Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip on ” Little Bones”. A mountain of a job, particularly, as Jake pointed out, since Gord’s phrasing is beyond complex, but Earl does pretty good. And no rambling Gord Downie type soliloquies. Cool.
Drew tries hard with ” That Song” by Big Wreck, but falls short until the end, where his voice shines without the band drowning it out.
Mookie revitalizes a forty year old Steppenwolf song and hip hop makes it’s way to an Idol stage. Turntables on Idol? Kickass. mookie is also too cool, and I loved this song. Freakin’ awesome!!!!! He was even rocking the John Kay glasses and leather.
Bottom three will be Drew, Mitch, and a toss up between Amberly and Earl. I’m still trying to figure out Alberta voters. It’s gonna keep getting tougher.
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?????????????????????????????????
Tom Jones!!!!!!!
I’m done.
Mark. Poor Mark. He think’s he’s Leona Lewis this week. And his ” Bleeding Love” was mediocre at best. The judges were way to kind.
Mitch. John Lennon’s ” Jealous Guy”. Yeah, I know. I kinda liked it, but wasn’t overly enthused. Not a big fan of the arrangement.
Drew. If you are going to tackle Radiohead, good on ya! And so he launches into ” creep” and was- pretty good. No big on that arrangement as well, but the judges were pretty effusive.
Theo- ” You Had Me” by Joss Stone. Zack is right- Theo just slammed it down and said ” Come and get it if you really want it, bitches!” That was really great.
Mookie. I love Mookie. And Mookie is tacking ” Lola”, from one of my top five bands of all time, the Kinks. Yes, sir, the Kinks are being sung on Canadian Idol. Not only that, a song about a transvestite. And it was a bit shaky on the lower register ( a little too low, frankly), but he kicked that song all over the stage when he hit the higher register in the chorus. Loved it. Tossing the coin on who I loved more, Theo or Mookie. Earl is still to come.
Amberly is going with Corrine Bailey Rae’s ” Put Your Records On”, a song I love. And it suits her really well. I think this is my favorite Amberly performance yet. Some vocal shakiness in the chorus. The judges were positive.
Earl! Clapton! ” Change The World”- no. I hate that song. But Earl makes me not want to jump off a bridge. Judges loved it.
All right, I guess, not mindblowing.
Be back tomorrow with more.
Crush made it’s debut today. Listen here.
All thanks to MJ’s Big BLog for this one.
Right to business- no long winded judge/host banter, into a pretty good group sing. ” My Generation” indeed. I like the Sebastian snark attack on Zack there.
Overall, impressive.
No jacket for Benedict tonight. The judges all look great and normal. Zack gets a plaug in for Haymaker ( his band), as they get an album release today.
Recap… nothing new to add.
I really liked Gavin’s performance of ” Love Remains The Same”. I liked Bush in the 90s, but I really liked this song. Enough to perhaps ITunes it.
Announcement! Another mentor- Anne Murray! Canadian awesomeness! ( Just no one sing ” Snowbird”).
Jully! Love Jully. And she’s funny. And the Idol manse is speactacular. I wanna live there.
Bottom three time:
Earl…
Mark…
Drew…
Earl and Drew are safe, Mark finally cracks the bottom three.
Theo… safe.
Mitch… safe.
Sebastian… welcome back to the bottom three.
Amberly…
Mookie…
That’s not fair, guys, come on… Mookie in the bottom three. Damn Toronto.
Jake calls out the Idols on playing it safe ( he’s right).
Sass refuses to believe anyone in the eight should go home. Poor delusional Sassafrass…
And the person going home is… Sebastian. So long McHotCanuck. We will miss your hotness.
Next week we get- The British Invasion, with TOM FRICKIN” JONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just noticed that the goodbye song was Simple Plan’s ” When I’m Gone”. Am I crazy or has that been it all season?
Noticed in the lead up- CTV is doing heavy promo of Gavin Rossdale’s solo album. Why? Well, that’s because he’s the mentor tonight on CI! The theme- Unplugged. Broad topic leading to many excellent choices, I’m sure. Last season’s Unplugged night was memorable, so I have high hopes.
I notice a couple of fashion choices- Ben is sans jacket, Farley is wearing what looks like Raspberry Satin, and Zack belongs on my Christmas tree.
Gavin Rossdale, who is still very hot, is hawking the record. Sell it, CTV! Sell it!
Up first, Sebastian, singing ” Lucille”. No. He has lost me completely, and this was actually better than the last two weeks. I know he’s pretty, but that isn’t enough. Damn it! The band sounds awesome, though. The judges all agree it’s better, but Zack is the only one to say that Sebastian ought to be going home ( still pissed about Katherine, Zack?)
Did I just hear Ben say that next is a Ryan Adams song? Are my ears decieving me?
Turns out- no. Well, this warrants my favorite quote in history-
Fuck me gently with a chainsaw.
Earl comes out and sings Ryan Adams’ “Two” and it is official, I am an Earl Girl. It’s between him, Mookie, and Theo. Yeah, I know I’ve said that every week, what of it? It was wonderful- Tom Waitsish ( Zack mentioned John Hiatt during his critique and I went ” Fuck, yeah! John Hiatt”. Hiatt wrote one of the greatest songs ever, ” Angel From Montgomery”).
Mark “VFTW Newfoundlander” Day tackled Sugarland’s ” Stay” and I wanted to hide, but it turned out to be not horrible, so… whatever.
Mitch launches Bad Company’s ” Oh, Atlanta” ( I suspect the Alison Krauss version was more an inspiration), and I thought it was great. Sass agreed with me in the opinion that he kicked it, but the men of the panel were less enthused. It was fun, dudes! Come on!
Amberly tackles a recent hit, Ingrid Michaelson’s ” The Way I Am”, a song I am actually thouroughly annoyed with. And it was pretty, but I found it bland. I’m still thinking sh’es the Albertan in the most trouble. I’m not as in love with her as the judges are, and I wish I knew why, because I will never deny she has real talent.
Mookie went Canuck on us with the Band’s “Ophelia”, and it was AWESOMENESS!!!!!!! He looked like he belonged with Levon and Richard and Robbie and Garth… and have I mentioned that Mooks’s song selection is perfection? Not a single wrong move. Loving it… Sass threw out wicked and cool. Zack told Toronto to get their asses in gear.
Drew is a chameleon, versatile, and sings well. His version of ” Sunday Morning” by Maroon Five was a copycat, down to the yeahs, and he sonded exactly like Adam Levine vocally. The guys are all right in questioning his choice in song, wardrobe, and personality. Sass seems to really like him.
They pimped Gavin’s album enough? Nope, one more time!
Theo tackles Serena Ryder’s ” Weak In the Knees”, and I was blown away. Just Theo and a piano. Perfection. I’m getting all fangurly! Judges? Zack- performance of the night. Jake- agree with Zack. Sass- you’re great. Farley- we should be standing for you, haven’t made a mistake yet.
Whoot! Theo!
Can I say that CI group numbers may suck less than AI’s, but that don’t mean much…
Yeah, Jaydee’s on tonight. Before all we Albertans go all postal on Newfoundland for Mark Day, remember, this guy was ours.
The half hour result show goes quickly, I’m kinda stunned how quick it is. Recap of last night, judges introductions, the group number- all in the first five minutes. Economy is the best thing, AI. Really.
Ooooh, Sebastian…noooooo… don’t sing Hottie McCanuck.
Ayeyiyiyiyi… Jaydee. I am going to go to my fridge right now and grab a Pamplemousse and drink it fast. Maybe I’ll be knocked out and then it won’t…matter…anymore… Why isn’t he as annoying as he was last year… ( again, not saying much, but still… I guess he’s trying not to be Elvis this time).
It’s dragging a bit right now… slowing the show down ( hey, that was Jaydee’s specialty, making five minutes seem like forever).
Mentors- Simple Plan ( Canadiana week), Gavin Rossdale ( Unplugged Week), Bryan Adams( Bryan Adams Week), Tom Jones ( UK Week). Cooler than Barry Manilow, Mariah Carey, and Neil Diamond ( because tom Jones is awesomeness personified!)
Safe… Earl, Mark…Theo… Mookie… Drew…Mitch… all safe.
Amberly, Sebastian, and Katherine are the bottom three.
Amberly-SAFE! ( I knew of the three Albertans she was in the most trouble).
Sebastian- safe! ( Wha?)
Katherine St. Laurent is leaving us. Amberly looks devestated, and we are down to a single girl.
I predicted the girls would be in trouble often, and it looks like I was right. Poor girl. ( She reminds me of a Quebecois accented Kim Caldwell.) And next week is Unplugged week ( which was the most amazing week last year).
Can’t wait!
Bonus points to the person who tells me what the title of this blog references to.
Dead Rock Stars.
Mulroney’s right. There is no nice way to put that.
The usual suspects are being trotted out- Cobain, Lennon, Morrison, Hendrix, Joplin (Zack manages a shout out to Karen Carpenter and Keith Richards.) Either way, minimal judges and host time this episode means we get to Theo Tams early.
Theo Tams singing Bob Marley’s ” No Woman, No Cry” and not sucking? A miracle in it’s own right. He’s fabulous and I love Theo as a my GBFF. ( Sorry, Slezak). The judges are loving the vocal. Zack’s also loving the look.
Jeff Healy gets a shout out by Mitch ( and promptly Canuck fans start collective sobbing). Mitch, though, is horribly off key in the opening verse. Helay had a rich blues voice. Mitch can’t pull that off. Disappointing. The makeover is looking for him, too, though. Sass was favorable ( she was a personal friend and played with Healy often), Farley acknowledged the downfalls. Zack was in my camp. Jake praised the uniqueness of his voice. I’m not thrilled.
” Light My Fire” makes an appearance with Earl on stage being awesome. The man is just so… cool. And awesome. How many times can I use the word awesome in this paragraph? Earl rocked it. I love him. The audience goes wild. The judges are falling over themselves. Awesomeness. AWESOMENESS!!!!!!!!! AWESOMENESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
” Love Me” is being done by Sebastian, and he’s so pretty. I’m not wowed by the vocal. But I like looking at him. Oliver is so much better a singer. But at least it wasn’t an obvious Elvis song. The girly girls are screechy. The judges aren’t impressed with the vocals, but all stress how pretty he is.
Katherine is obsessed with 80s rock. The only explanation I have for what she did to Janis Joplin’s ” Move Over” is the fact Katherine loves Pat Benatar. I hate this song. She is doing nothing to make me like her, honestly. Sass is throwing out ” you look great” comments. All the judges are encouraging. Why? I don’t like her.
” No Rain” !!! Woot! Drew doing Shannon and not quite hitting me right. It’s not bad ( a little boring), but not really good- it just seems so wrong somehow. Not quite vocally what it should be. The judges are kinda liking it. Zack was right about the hippy dippy groove of the song.
Mookie rocking out James Brown. I really loved it. But I love Mooks so I guess I’m biased. My Google alerts have been all about Mookie’s mom’s car ( pimped out with Mookie stuff). A really great version of ” I Feel Good”. The judges are loving it. Zack calls it cool ( and very not bar mitzvah). Love it love it love it!
Amberly is also doing Bob Marley. Why? ” Redemption Song”? Oh, God, girl, you have balls. And it’s pretty good. Of the two girls, she’s my favorite. That’s not saying much, though. She’s being steamrolled by the boys. Theo’s Marley I liked more. The crowd is on her side, though. Zack talks about Joan Baez, etherealness, and how great the sixties folk singers are. Jake reminds everyone it’s a protest song, and that she hit the right notes. Sass talks about the clarity of Amberly’s voice, and Farley talked about the accuracy of her choice. I’m not as in love with her as the judges.
Mark Day. You have Newfoundland and VFTW on your side. Singing ” Dance With My Father”, Luther Vandross’ last masterpiece, is another ballsy choice. Mark sounds the best he ever has on the show, but I’m not sure it’s really enough judging the brilliance of the others tonight. He’s just not good enough in this field. Mom looks like she’s about to cry. Jake likes it, Sass loved it, Farley pointed out he got national votes, and Zack points out that he’s lovable. And then the bugger makes me almost cry.
Tough choices- Sebastian, Drew, and Katherine are my least favorite. My choices for the bottom three, although Mitch can be there as well. I’m picking Katherine to go home. Sorry, Quebec.
Let’s do a short and sweet one. It’s only a half hour show… pimping out Flashpoint! ( Watch CTV and CBS Friday. Really good show and Hugh Dillon is awesome! Plus- Toronto is Toronto in this one. RCMP uniforms and everything. It’s CANADA!). Basically, the group number was what you’d expect- cheesy and pointless ( although I loved Mookie during it- he’s so cool). I’m still trying to figure out what Jully Black’s job is ( besides be awesome- can we get her to sing ” Seven Day Fool” every week? Please?). Ben is Ben is Ben is Ben. The judges ( universally praised by the commenters at MJ’s Big Blog, where the video of tonight’s show is up.) are the greatest in the world.
Waiting… Telus gave them free phones! Coolness ( Hate Telus).
Now we get to it… Earl, Mitch, Mark… Mitch is safe… Earl is safe… Mark is SAFE (motherfucker!). Sebastian, Drew… Drew safe, Sebastian safe…( okay). Mookie…Amberly… MOOKIE’s IN THE BOTTOM THREE. That’s Fucked up. Katherine… Adam…Theo… Theo is safe… Katherine is safe… Adam is the bottom three.
Sebastian, Adam, and Mookie. WTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTF. Farley calls Toronto to task- vote, dumbasses. So does Zack. ( This happens every year. But this year, Toronto has some one to vote for, so WHY AREN’T THEY VOTING. I mean, I’m splitting my votes four ways right now equally because I love Alberta boys Earl and Theo, but I also love East Coaster Mitch and TAHRAHNAH’s Mookie. Come on, people.)
The bottom three stand there… looking handsome as always, Sebastian. So who’s heading home… Canada voted.. and it’s Adam Castelli. Sadness. He rocked pretty good. Really liked him. And next week is Dead Rock Star Week. ( Ben tried to be diplomatic, but you really can’t). And Adam plays some ” rebel REbel” out for us.
David Bowie is a personal God, and I’ve always been wary about those who attempt his masterpieces on stage. ( Jacob Hoggard remains the lone exception to the ” Never Bowie” rule.) I’ve been at turns excited ( ” Yay! Good music on an Idol show!”) and apprehensive ( ” Shit! Good music on an Idol show! How are they gonna fuck it up?”). this is gonna be a trainwreck or heavenly. How nervous am I? Very, to be honest.
Zack is wearing silver eye makeup. Typical.
Drew wright opens the show, sitting behind the drums and playing them well, I might add. He’s also got two different color eyes in honor of the man himself. His version of ” Five Years” is actually pretty good. I’m wondering if it would hold up over the evening. Wait and see is always a good plan. He sings it well enough, the drumming is quite impressive. Jake wishes he would play drums on an off night, Sass loved it, Farley said it needed more animation, Zack didn’t like it one bit.
Adam rode his Harley onstage ( how awesome? Too awesome!) and launched into a really good version of ” Rebel Rebel”, which was one of the songs I thought of for him before deeming it too obvious. He did a really great vocal that justifies my trumpeting him. Sass loved it, Farley called it good, Zack called it credible ( which is high praise from Zack if you aren’t a Barbie look alike), and Jake loved it, but reminded Adam to wear a helmet when riding, even on stage. Ben got a funny out ( seriously, he’s not that funny). And then they cut to Mark Day, dressed in a vest and T-shirt with a faux hawk going. Sad, really. I cracked up hardcore.
Mark decides to sing the very worst of all David Bowie performances ( save for ” The Laughing Gnome”) and “rocked” out ” Dancing In the Streets”. Terrible doesn’t begin to describe it, and the judges can’tr say anything without laughing. They all still manage to tell him he’s a great singer, though.
Mookie delivers a version of ” The Man Who Sold The World” that reminds people that Bowie did it first and Nirvana did it definitively. It wasn’t perfect vocally, but I really liked it. He did less of that weird mouth twisting thing he usually does. The judges were split- Jake wasn’t loving it, Zack was, Sass was loving Mooks, and Farley was loving the variation.
Amberly tries her hand at ” Space Oddity”. A brave choice, considering the only female sung version I have heard is Natalie Merchant’s, and I’m not a fan of it. Lo- and- behold. She goes with the Merchant version and is… adequate. The judges aren’t blown away by it, save for Zack.
Sebastian- less i say the better. He’s still pretty.
Earl takes on ” RockN’ Roll Suicide”, which is one of my favorite Bowie songs. Is it me, or is he dressed as Tom Waits? I love Tom Waits, too, so, whatever. I love this version, I love Earl. Love this. It’s not pitch perfect, but it’s cool. The judges are falling all over themselves with praise.
Katherine does not wow me with her ” Cat People”. Never was a fan of that film or it’s soundtrack. Judges praise her again. What are they hearing that I’m not?
Theo Tams! My pick to win.And he goes obscure and picks from Bowie’s first album- before ” Space Oddity” and everything. ” Silly Boy Blue” coming from Theo was awesome. My notes consist of ” wow!” written fifteen times. Amazing. Save for Zack, who’s an idiot at times, much like Simon, the judges are equally speechless.
Mitch MacDonald is turning into a polarizing figure. On message boards, you wither love him or hate him. I really like him. But ” Moonage Daydream”? Really? All right. He does a really good version of a song I find forgettable at the best of times. Sass and Farley are all liking it, Zack is loving it, and Jake was liking it, too. Mitch- most improved for sure.
Tough, but my bottom three-
Mark Day
Adam Castelli
Drew Wright ( cursed at first).
Mark Day should go home, but it might be poor Drew.
Canadian Idol Top Ten- 2008
The day of means it’s time for what I think the Idols should sing. David Bowie is one of my all time faves, so this was hard.
Sebastian Pigott- he’s a gifted performer with a good, not great voice, and a tonne of charisma. He also leans naturally to the blues. I would love to hear his take on ” The Man Who Sold The World”.
Mark Day- I want him to sing ” The Laughing Gnome” and get bounced out. Seeing that’s impossible, tackle ” Space Oddity” and get bounced out. Avoid the blue jumpsuit.
Adam Castelli- I’m thinking something upbeat- ” Rebel Rebel” seems to obvious, ” Modern Love” too sixties pop jazz. ” Diamond Dogs” could work.
Theo Tams- ” Life On Mars?” How pretty that would be…
Drew Wright- He’ll probably stick with the obviousness of a hit like ” china Girl” or ” Modern Love”.
Katherine St Laurent- the girls have it tough. ” Changes” has been covered successfully by women. I’d like to see if this girl really has the voice the judges says she does. I haven’t heard it.
Amberly Thiessen- ” Ashes To Ashes”, just so I can dirty her up by getting her to say ” junkie”.
Mookie Morris- ” Fame” seems built for him, doesn’t it?
Mitch MacDonald- ” All The Young Dudes”. Many people don’t know it was a Bowie song made huge by Mott The Hoople…
Earl Stevenson- Since he seems to be one, ” Starman” might be appropriate.
Tis the results night in Canada, and not a creature was stirring, except for our top sixteen and the four judges… and everyone at the theater… and the Tangerine One.
What’s this weeks show gonna be like? Group numbers? Encores? What could it be…
Nothing. A recap. Then straight to the eliminations.
Mark v. Martin. Gary v. Drew.
VFTW’s wet dream came true. Mark is safe.
Gary goes home… Drew is safe.
Long journey video… Martin being nice and British, Gary being whatever. ( He is a great guitarist, BTW. GREAT.)
Mookie and Theo. Katherine and Earl… Mookie is THROUGH!!!! Yay Mooks! Theo… wait… for Earl and Katherine… EARL’S THROUGH!!!! Now, we get Theo and Katherine ( still don’t like her voice…)
WHOOT!!! My two main picks made it through. I’m feeling relief.
Amberly and Omar. Mitch and Katelyn. Ooooooh… Bye bye, Omar. So sad. Loved your voice. Mitch beats out Katelyn. ( Whew. I like Mitch, so sue me.)
Adam, Marie-Pierre, Sebastian, and Oliver hit the stage. Adam is safe, Marie-Pierre is out. The Pigotts stand side by side now… that’s low… and Ben cuts to the adverts… stupid Ben… come on… what’s going to be the twist tonight… this is killing me… is it true only one Pigott will stay?… WTF is wrong with Canada?… Mark Day gets in… WTFWTFWTFWTFWHATTHEFUUUUUUUUUUCK… come on…Sebastian! Wow!
Can I just say thatis so wrong- Oliver Pigott out, Mark Day in.
Wrong.
This is it, folks. The last of the semis.
Ben is channeling seventies smarm with the shirt undone.
The judges are in a mood.
The performers:
1. Mitch MacDonald ” Blue”- secret out- I love the Jayhawks, and this song is my favorite. I thought he did a great job. He sounds a bit like Mark Olson.
2. Gary Morrisette ” House Of the Rising Sun”- one of the greatest songs ever. I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t boring. The judges seem to agree with me.
3. Katelyn Dawn ” Zombie”- odd song choice. Does this girl ever listen to the lyrics of her songs? Does she know what she’s singing? And she didn’t sing it well. And only Dolores O’Riordan and Dilana from Rockstar: Supernova seem to be able get away with the ” eh-eh-eh”’s in the chorus. The judges are all over the place.
4. Oliver Pigott ” Lean On Me”- I liked it. So sue me. Or kiss my ass. Judges loved it.
5. Sebastian Pigott ” Bring It On Home To Me”- he really doesn’t have the greatest voice, but he does use what he has well. And his charisma is off the charts. I liked it as well. Harmonica solo! ( A good one. Chikeze can learn from that one).
6. Earl Stevenson ” Like A Rolling Stone”- a song I’ve never been convinced I would ever hear on an Idol show ( Dylan + Idol= pipe dream- plus, how’d you cut it down?) Not a great singing vocal, but a great Dylanesque vocal. And he needs to be tied down a bit. I kind understand the lyrics better now, too. Judges are heaping praise on the guy. He deserves it.
7. Katherine St. Laurent ” Love Is A Battlefield”- another AI7 retread. And it’s terrible. So terrible. Not good at all. Someone stop it, please… Even the backup singer sounded like a strangled cat. Awful. Awful. Awful. I want what the judges are smoking. Seriously. That was pitchy, screechy, off tempo… God. The judges are pimping her hardcore. Need a Quebecois contestant…
8. Drew Wright ” The Reason”- pimp spot? Really? Okay… perfect song choice for him, in my opinion. Lyric mess up, but still good vocal. End was a little weird. Zack was whateverness, the others liked it more,
My picks to go home:
Night one- Marie-Pierre, Martin, and Mark ( please, God. Mark. Let VFTW find someone else).
Night two- Katherine, Katelyn, and I’m thinking Mitch might be in trouble ( Gary might be the other).
If that’s the case, Amberly will be the only girl left in the competition.
PS- moment of Ben I like #1- Ben eating cookies on air. Funny.
There will be six eliminated this week. And the pimping was huge this week.
1. Martin Kerr ” Fix You”- I liked it. The judges don’t want him there.
2. Theo Tams ” Bubbly”- Let’s face it, the guy is pure talent. I’m calling this season for Theo Tams. And we haven’t even gotten out of the semis.
3. Amberly Thiessen ” The Word”- looks like an extra from Fast Times At Ridgemont High. I hate this song. Not impressed.
4. Adam Castelli ” If I Were A Carpenter”- far from vocally perfect, but sincere. I still really like the guy. The mix was bad, the bandzilla made an appearance. The judges are on crack.
5. Marie Pierre Bellrose ” Piece Of My Heart”- she can’t pull it off. She lacks the grit, the soul, the blues. Zack’s ambivalence says it all.
6. Omar Lunan ” If Tomorrow Never Comes”- odd choice. His performance is his weakest yet. Pitchy, odd phrasing, poor choices.
7. Mark Day “Against All Odds”- no. Stop. VFTW is possibly having an orgasmic moment right now.
8. Mookie Morris ” Valerie”- Mooks is fond of the Brits. I love his style. Hate the weird mouth thing still.
Tomorrow- the Pigotts and the rest.
Results night!!!!!
Wonder what they’ll do this week?
Encores of the judges faves? I likey.
And first up is Theo Tams ( big shocker… I can’t even pretend to be stunned.) And he was still good.
Amberly Thiessen was next. I still hate Bread, I still hate this song, but that’s two Albertans so far. And she’s good ( I think she’s the best girl).
Oliver Pigott has made a come back. He gets an encore of ” Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” and I am still blown away by the guy. GAWD!
Omar Lunan gets the last encore, and I agree with the judges. Amazing.
And then the bottom threes- Lisa, Marie-Pierre, and Paul from Monday, Jesse, Jessica, and Adam from Tuesday. Paul goes first, Jesse second. Then Lisa goes backstage, then Jessica goes. ( Whew! I’m still an Adam fan).
Shot of Mark Day sobbing.
Quick and dirty. Just how I like it.
Second half!!! Whoot.
Sorry it took so long to post. Long day yesterday.
This is a live blog of a Taped show… does that make sense. I only have 45 minutes before I live blog the results show…
So I’m skipping Ben altogether. Show’s better already.
Adam Castelli ” Gone ‘Til November”- I liked his audition with a Fugee song. And I liked this. I’m a little weird, so whatever.
Jessica Sheppard ” Umbrella”- I’m sick of this song, and I’m not loving it. What key is she trying to sing in. She’s all over the place.
Jesse Cottam ” Iris”- first, he’s making me weepy. Sniff. ( I wish that was snark. It’s not) It’s a little shaky in the verse… a bit pitchy in the chorus. Good, not great. ( Farley was nice, Zack was whatever dude…, Jake made an excellent point, and Sass was talking about tiredness. Judges are whacked!)
Theo Tams ” Collide”- I love him in a totally musical way.
Katelyn Dawn ” She Talks To Angels”- Not bad at the start… waiting.. waiting.. chorus is lacking a certain thing… oh, wait, EMOTION! It’s lacking emotion. Chris Robinson is aching when he sings that chorus. Katelyn sounded like a pageant contestant.
Mitch MacDonald ” I’m Yours”- a song from 2008? Wowza. Does anyone know this song? ( Sweden, apparently.) But I like it. Not Theo rated, but a solid vocal. Second best so far.
Katherine St. Laurent ” The First Cut Is The Deepest”- I love me some Cat Stevens. Not this one.
Omar Lunan ” Ain’t No Sunshine”- One of my favoritest songs ever. And I liked it. So there.
Earl Stevenson ” Something to Talk About”- the dude is weird. But he can perform and sing. In a weird way. That I kinda appreciate.
Oliver Pigott ” Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”- Elton! Has this song ever been done on an Idol. People seem to favor the more standard. But I love this song. I love Oliver’s version. I love Oliver. In a completely musical way.
Be back in a minute with the results show.
Ben Mulroney is not funny. I wish he would stop thinking he was funny. It would save me a lot of head banging on the wall while he cracks lame jokes about Archie comics and stuff.
That is it for the anti-Ben this week. No, not really.
1. Mark Day ” In Love With A Girl”- can I say Gavin DeGraw annoys me? Can I say Mark Day annoys me? Can I say the whole number last night really, really annoyed me? He’s just not suited for the pop-rock thing. The judges basically concurred ( Sass did it nicely…)
2. Paul Clifford ” Apparitions”- I love this song ( I’m a huge Matthew Good fan). But Paul’s voice is so different from Matt’s that I at first really hated it because it just didn’t sound right. On further inspection, i’ve decided that it’s actually very nice- not spectacular by any means.
3.Drew Wright ” The Grace”- WTF, Zack? Anyone who has listened to Canadian radio and watched a Canadian video channel is very familiar with the Never-ending White Lights song Drew sang. His falsetto was good, went sharp a bit in the chorus/outro, but really good.
4. Marie-Pierre Bellrose ” Beautiful Goodbye”- what, is it Canadiana week? Not overly impressed, but I’m not a huge Amanda Marshall fan. Her lower register was a mess.
5. Mookie Morris ” Naive”- I am very tired of the Kooks, since it is played constantly in my store. But since this song isn’t one of them, I am not feeling the desire to stack boxes of Nikes. Pretty good.
6. Sebastian Pigott ” Daydream”- another revisit to AI season seven. I loved Jason Castro’s version. Sebastian’s was alright for me ( ewww…. Randy Jackson channeling…).
7. Martin Kerr ” In Your Eyes”- my favorite song of all time. And Martin did a good job. So Yay Martin!
8. Lisa Bell ” Sitting On the Dock Of The Bay”- Did NOT Like It At All.
9. Gary Morrisette ” Mr. Bojangles”- I liked it. I really liked it. And I hate that song. Good for you, Gary. The rasp in his voice is actually natural.
10. Amberly Thiessen ” Everything I Know”- I hate Bread. But she sang it well, so… whatever. The girl’s from freakin Seven Person’s, Alberta. Even I, Albertan born and bred, had to look it up! ( just outside of Medicine Hat).
Overall, I wasn’t overly impressed. Maybe tonight will be better.
What I love about the results shows- they’re only half an hour. They don’t ever feel padded with crap.
What I hate- sometimes someone who goes home isn’t the right one.
Tonight:
The Tangerine One announces that CI is doing something a little different. No cheesy dance routines. No, Brunton and co. decided to break out top 24 into smaller groups and have them sing songs a la TAHRAHNAH week. To start off, Martin, Lindsay R., Shaun, and Paul come to show us the glory that was their cover of ” Have You Ever Seen The Rain”, and it was sublime.
Next, Lindsay B. and Adam Castelli rip through a soulful ” In the Midnight Hour”. To those who have read the TV FAn Idol blogs, you know that sing is one of my all time favorites. And I loved their version.
Jessica, Mookie, Earl, and Mark. An odd grouping. Mark seems out of place in the competition as a whole. But a really nice version of ” Old Time Rock And Roll”. They are really impressing me in these group settings. Mookie’s mouth is irritating. But Earl- oh, Earl. I love Earl. Musically.
Jesse redeems himself, with Amberly , Mitch, and Katelyn and a really pretty version of ” Yellow”. Hometown boy not making me mad tonight. Ben even pointed out the prettiness of their version. I hate it when I agree with a Mulroney.
Omar, Gary, and Drew deliver a really nice version of ” Heard It Through the Grapevine.” They’re all redeeming themselves! Stop it! I need a train wreck every once in a while, folks! Omar sounds much better tonight than last night. I’m still trying to pinpoint what makes Gary tick.
The Pigotts and Tetiana deliver an inventive and exquisite ” Fly Like An Eagle”. I admire the artistry these guys bring even when they fall. It speaks volumes to their true talents.
And my friend Rose and I have decreed that ” Imagine” should never be sung again by anyone ever. It was my least favorite vocal of the night ( Theo, Lisa, Marie-Pierre, and Katherine aren’t really meant to sing as a collective- and notice the distance between Lisa and Marie-Pierre…) Theo’s piano was gorgeous though, and I give him props for being such a gifted pianist.
Then, it’s time. And with no punches being pulled, Ben calls down first Tetiana and Lindsay B., then Shaun and Lindsay R., and tells them they are all going home. No muss, no fuss. That is how one should do an elimination. The four going home all say their peace and goodbyes.
Seriously, AI can learn some more from CI.
There are six girls left, and fourteen guys. This is a little silly. But stay tuned for next week, and hope everyone learned a valuable lesson about song choice.
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