the top ten vs. the 21st century

the 21st century won.


lisa - "because of you"
randy: "...an okay version"
paula: "we all know you can sing your butt off, but..."
simon: "the song was too big for your voice...it was actually painful"

let's see, first on + hot popular song made completely forgettable and utterly boring = bottom three at best

kelli - "suds in a bucket"
randy: "...puzzled by the song choice"
paula: "you're way better than that song choice"
simon: "some gimmicky rodeo lassoing whatever..."

i've said before that country isn't my thing, but suds in a fucking bucket? huh? actually, it would probably be better if it was "suds in a fucking bucket"
her singing was harmless, i guess. suds in a bucket?

ace - "drops of jupiter"
randy: "you didn't sing it well...i did not like this."
paula: "wasn't my most favorite"
simon: "quite karaoke, actually"

exactly, simon. i wish i had been drunk so i could have enjoyed it the way good karaoke should be enjoyed.
drunk.
he sounded like constantine on an off night. too bad taylor didn't sing this song.

taylor - "trouble"
randy: "didn't let you show off...wasn't the best for me"
paula: "nice to see you just stand behind the mic and sing a song"
simon: "an excellent vocal"

paula was just articulate and accurate - my feet are getting cold.
i think all three judges sort of nailed this one. it wasn't his best and he didn't show off, but it was a very polished, professional sounding performance.
like randy, i was hoping for balls out singing at the end... i wish he had done that drops of jupiter song.

mandisa - "wanna praise you"
randy: "i dunno..."
paula: "40 million people have just joined the church of mandisa"
simon: "a bit indulgent...not for me"

i usually like her voice, but she was a little shrieky for me this week. given her obviously deep religious roots, do you think she might be getting a little worried about the whole idol worship thing going on here? after all, there is a commandment against that very thing. then there's that other one about not desiring your neighbors ox, or his ass...

chris - "what if"
randy: "you were sharp most of that song"
paula: "i'm one of your biggest fans"
simon: "i think you've gone too far with that song tonight"

this was better than a scott stapp vocal, i'll give it that. but creed? ugh. not his best, but they did have the lights going for him again. shiny, pretty lights. i'm wondering if randy and simon were a bit negative after feeling foolish for heaping so much praise on last week's 'tainted' performance?

katharine - "the voice within"
randy: "it was good but you didn't bring anything new to it"
paula: "i wouldn't have changed a thing"
simon: "the best tonight...almost as good as christina"

i enjoy her singing and the overall tone of her voice a lot, more so than any of the other girls this year. she and taylor have been the best so far vocally tonight, but neither performance was amazing. oh, and debbie gibson called. she wants her shirt back. and your boobs.

bucky - "real good man"
randy: "the right song for you"
paula: "be careful of your diction"
simon: "what i call winging it...it was okay"

i've said before that country wasn't my thing, but hey, i actually liked this quite a bit. i like the rasp in his voice, and now that he seems to have learned how to stay in tune for a whole song, he just might make it a few more weeks.

paris - "work it out"
randy: "best performance of the night"
paula: "that was awesome"
simon: "little girl pretending to be beyonce"

the vocal was awesome... everything else was a little mechanical-beauty-queen-creepy for me, even the rump-shaking.
oh, and vanessa huxtable called. she wants her outfit back, but said you could keep the bling.

elliot - "i don't want to be"
randy: "this boy can sing...another hot one tonight"
paula: "you are one funky white boy. unbelievable."
simon: "great song...good vocal"

elliot, paris and chris were the only three tonight that really fucking threw down and sang. thats all you got to do, is sing! he was easily the best of the three, and by far the best of the night. i don't give a shit what he looks like. some of the greatest singers in the world are ugly fuckers. the rest join boy bands, perform on broadway, or are already in bon jovi.


even though i felt paris and chris sang their hearts out, my favorite vocals of the night belonged to elliot, katharine, and taylor.

paula was probably innocently asking about ace's scar, but everyone else watching was certainly thinking something completely different when she said that.
chris looked a little embarassed about the whole live debacle when ryan brought it up. poor bastard.

bottom three? lisa, ace, and mandisa. i'm going out on a limb with her, but i'm not sure who else it would be. i'm always hoping kelli, but i've resigned myself to her sticking around a while longer. her schtick has gotten to be just as annoying as that brenna chick was. at least she didn't say much tonight.

lisa's going home.