soul patrol!

soul patrol! soul patrol! soul patrol! soul patrol! soul patrol! soul patrol!

and a big "woooooooooooo!"

congrats, taylor.

there can be only one!

katharine - "black horse and a cherry tree"
randy: "you sang it better this time"
paula: "it was a fun opening"
simon: "good with a small g...the occassion tonight is bigger than that song"

ah, i disagree with randy, it was not as good as the first time she sang it. i agree with simon and paula though. it was fun, but i think at this point we're beyond cutesy. that performance didn't get her any new votes.

taylor - "living for the city"
randy: "you always make it your own...america, that was a hot one right there"
paula: "way to go, way to open up the show"
simon: "a great way to start the show...round one to you"

that was...funner than kats, and vocally better. oh yeah, and the song is a classic most everyone knows. i agree with simon, he's taken the first round of songs.

katharine - "over the rainbow"
randy: "you worked it out...that was hot"
paula: "you've made everyone proud...you owned it up there"
simon: "this was your best performance of the competition so far"

now this was better than the first time she sang it, and that's saying a lot. this was great, and easily her best vocal of the year. kudos for singing acapella in key with no guide, and handling it like a pro. she probably got some new votes with this performance.

taylor - "levon"
randy: "it was a little pitchy"
paula: "i don't think it was pitchy"
simon: "katharine has taken the second round"

i didn't hear any pitchiness here. this actually wasn't as good as it was the first time he sang it, but it still rocked. he seemed to be straining at times though... i'm sure they're both losing their voices at this point. again, i agree with simon, though she hardly won by the margin taylor took the first round with.

katharine - "my destiny"
randy: "you look amazing...you sounded really good...i did not like the song"
paula: "you are brilliant"
simon: "you went from brilliant to quite good within one song"

ummmm, judges? judge. no pitch comments?!?! she was off the entire song... if she wasn't off key, she was ahead or behind the music. plus the key was NOT a good one for her; how can it be the end of the competition and they haven't figured out what key to put her damn songs in yet? terrible vocal, MUCH, MUCH, worse song.

taylor - "do i make you proud"
randy: "no matter what the song is, you know how to make it into a taylor hicks vehicle"
paula: "i couldn't agree with randy more...soul patrol!"
simon: "assuming i was right and the show was tied, then you have just won american idol"

another fucking horrible song, but when he was singing the first few lines, taylor gave a grin that seemed to say he knew it. once it kicked in as a 'taylor vehicle', this was another great performance from him. he finally went all out like elliot had been doing all along, and shit, taylor sounded better doing it.



soul patrol!!! taylor had two and a half good performances to katharines one, and that's just counting this show. through the entire competition, taylor stayed true to himself, and managed to inject at least a little bit of soul into every song he sang. I love katharine's voice, but i don't think she was nearly good enough to win this thing... i'm sure the vote will be 'closer than it's ever been', but after last night, it should be taylor in a landslide.
(i still think it should have been between taylor and elliot, but now i sound like one of those chris fans that is still upset he's gone, so i'll shut up about that)
i know they need to sell their singles, but they really need to rethink this finale crap. throughout the entire season the judges harp on the song choices, and those choices certainly lead to some early exits from great singers.
after all that, they end the show by serving up two of the cheesiest pieces of shit i've ever heard, with the grand specatcle of a gospel choir serving as the silk hat on the pig. after the judges reaction to the songs tonight, maybe this will all change.

SOUL PATROL! SOUL PATROL!

ell-ee-ot!

aw, man, i was really hoping for a sing-off between you and taylor.
you're the poster boy for how listening to the judges can get you far. took every bit of constructive (and not-so-constructive) criticism, and worked on it, and it made you a much better singer.

come out with a decent first album, okay?

the top 3 vs. clive davis, the judges, and themselves

elliot - "open arms"
randy: "you worked it out...feel free to take chances"
paula: "excellent voice tonight...you did a great job"
simon: "you have got to loosen up"

this was an awesome vocal for a tough song, and i agree with simon, he seemed stiff again, like the first few weeks of the top twelve. nerves, i'm sure.

katharine - "i believe i can fly"
randy: "it wasn't quite the right thing for you"
paula: "you look beautiful"
simon: "you kind of created a bit of a moment for yourself"

well, she certainly made it her own. it didn't sound anything like the original. i thought the arrangement was terrible, though, and the band was loud as hell over her again.

taylor - "dancing in the dark"
randy: "that was hot"
paula: "you're incredible"
simon: "that was okay"

very cool, i enjoyed it a lot. but paula is no courtney cox.

elliot - "what you won't do for love"
randy: "you were a little sharp most of the song"
paula: "you've got amazing soul"
simon: "i thought you sang that pretty good"

whats up with the hating, randy? this was awesome. i love that he always gives it his all... he took the criticism and loosened right up for this one, too.

katharine - "somewhere over the rainbow"
randy: "the best vocal of the season for you...that was brilliant"
paula: "you tapped into your beautiful, natural self"
simon: "the single best performance of the competition to date"

amazing. maybe a little forced, but finally a showstopper from this season.

taylor - "you are so beautiful"
randy: "you did the song proud"
paula: "you are a star"
simon: "far and away your best performance...loved it"

my favorite performance of the entire season. i've been waiting for some cocker from him.

elliot - "i believe it to my soul"
randy: "you can definitely sing, man"
paula: "soulful...you're a funky white boy"
simon: "you are a great singer"

great, great vocal. i really wish the finale coulda been between him and taylor.

katharine - "i ain't got nothing but the blues"
randy: "this was okay..."
paula: "you still did a great job"
simon: "it was okay"

yeah, it was okay. maybe a little better than just okay. doesn't matter, somewhere over the rainbow was good enough.

taylor - "try a little tenderness"
randy: "your new name is 'have a good time funky taylor'"
paula: "i waited all season for you to sing this song and you did an incredible job"
simon: "good performance...i'll see you next tuesday"

this guy rocks. i want him to win it all... everyone performing music should have this much fun.



well, we know what's happened by now...
what i woulda wrote (and will anyway), is that i thought all three songs from both taylor and elliot were great; but the two standout performances of the night were you are so beautiful and somewhere over the rainbow.

shock and awwwww

hey chris, i know you were surprised, but a little humility would have been classy.
maybe thank your millions of fans for getting you this far?

i really don't think idol treated you fairly - they pushed you so hard i think it turned some people off (well, least one that i know of), and made you think you were a shoo-in. america felt you were safe too, and didn't cast enough votes for ya.

i think elliot and kat have better voices, and taylor is a better performer, but dude, you got nothing to worry about. you'll be able to live in comfort with your wife and step-kids for the rest of your life thanks to idol. i can't feel that sorry for you.

again though, that whole lack of humility thing. not cool - a seventeen year old handled it better than you last week.

the top 4 vs. the king

taylor - "jailhouse rock"
randy: "that felt good, didn't it?"
paula: "you were phenomenal"
simon: "a terrible impersonation of elvis presley"

terrible impersonation? huh? this actually sounded like taylor to me, singing an elvis song. you know, like they were supposed to do. i loved it, even though it's one of my least favorite elvis songs.

chris - "suspicious minds"
randy: "it was kinda nice"
paula: "see you in the finals"
simon: "i thought that was great"

how can you call taylor's performance karaoke, and not this one? at least taylor was mixing it up. this is one of my favorite elvis songs, and it sounded like a total karaoke performance to me. he's got a good voice, but this was boring. however, i'm tired of chris and am probably not being fair to him, as i've said before.

elliot - "if i could dream"
randy: "that was hot, baby!"
paula: "the best vocal performance you've done this entire season"
simon: "that was the best performance so far"

simon was right at the beginning of the season. elliot is the best male vocalist they've had on the show so far. this was outstanding. sure, he sweats a lot and ain't too pretty, but he can sing his ass off. and he does it every chance he gets, unlike some of the others.

katharine - "hound dog/all shook up"
randy: "what happened in the middle?"
paula: "it was really fun"
simon: "a desperate manic audition"

a decent idea, blending the songs... wasn't executed too great, though. she's at a disadvantage tonight, the only female left, and she has to sing elvis against a few guys. not her best vocal, but not her worst either.

taylor - "in the ghetto"
randy: "that was hot, america!"
paula: "showed how well rounded of an artist you are"
simon: "you have just sung your way into the semi-finals"

another of my favorite elvis songs, and i'd buy this single from taylor. awesome. my favorite performance of the night.

chris - "a little less conversation"
randy: "that was hot" (how much does randy get paid for this, anyway?)
paula: "i adore you"
simon: "i thought your first song was a lot stronger"

blah. and the rock screams at the end didn't help. at all. he also seems to be getting arrogant. it's probably just me...

elliot - "trouble"
randy: "that was your best performance ever"
paula: "this was your best performance ever"
simon: "you deserve to go through to the next round"

i love taylor, and i really wish he would go all out the way elliot is tonight. elliot is batting 1.000 with his game on the line. sadly, that probably won't be enough to save him. do the right thing, america, please? get this guy to the top three.

katharine - "can't help falling in love"
randy: "that was better than the first song"
paula: "you have a lovely voice"
simon: "it was too much"

yet another of my favorites (they sang my top three tonight, very cool). i thought this was a great vocal that was totally overshadowed by a loud, crappy arrangement. will being the only girl left help or hurt her?


if we're just going by tonights performances, then it should be the end of the road for katharine, (as much as i - and probably every guy that watches this show - would hate to see her go) or chris. I felt this was his worst week overall, but i'm afraid america will end up voting off the best male singer the competition has ever had. i'd love to see a taylor/elliot final, but i'll probably have to settle for a taylor/chris final.
you know who i'll be voting for.

i guess we won't always have paris...

seeya, pipsqueak!

the top 5 vs. billboard & birth years

elliot - "on broadway"
randy: "very nice dude, very nice"
paula: "you have such a rich voice...way to go"
simon: "it was a bit disjointed"

great song, great vocal. i think elliot has the best voice in the competition.

paris - "kiss"
randy: "i liked it"
paula: "i love it when you sing songs from a past era"
simon: "screechy and annoying"

she thought paula was giving her a compliment, but she wasn't. i wouldn't have either... fairly lame rendition of this tune. she has a good voice, but this just wasn't great.

chris - "renegade"
randy: "a hot one"
paula: "outstanding"
simon: "a great choice of song"

i'm not gonna be fair to chris anymore. sorry. i liked him a lot at first, but i've come to realize that although he's a rocker, he's not the kind i dig. i'm sick of his light shows and his goat-like vibrato. i know it's not his fault, but now i don't want him to win because the people behind the show obviously do want him to win. i also don't want him to win because i think elliot, katharine, and taylor have better voices.

katharine - "against all odds"
randy: "it got okay at the end"
paula: "not my favorite performance"
simon: "it was a mess"

it was a mess. she was playing catchup with the band, and when the arrangement is only about 45 seconds long, you don't have time to catch up. this was her worst performance in the competition.

taylor - "play that funky music"
randy: "i felt like i was in a bar and i had a couple"
paula: "the taylor we love"
simon: "like a horrible, horrible wedding performance"

fuck you simon. this was awesome... best performance of the night. elliot may have the best voice, but taylor is the best entertainer, hands down.



other than elliot and taylor, i didn't enjoy this first half at all. all the arrangements were too short and everything seemed rushed. i usually love the band, but the guitar playing in renegade was too loud and not all that great, and the mess of against all odds was due partly to the band as well.



elliot - "home"
randy: "nice choice baby, nice"
paula: "the richness of your voice can melt me"
simon: "i'm a little concerned"

don't know or particularly like the song, but it was a good choice for him. maybe not lyrically, as they all pointed out, but he sang it great.

paris- "be without you"
randy: "all in all...you rocked it"
paula: "i love your voice"
simon: "she did rather well"

i thought this started out pretty good, but she kinda lost it along with her breath by the end. i think she'll be leaving us tonight.

chris - "i dare you"
randy: "i'm not sure i love that song for you"
paula: "song wasn't my favorite"
simon: "it was not a great song...your voice is going"

wow. that song sucks. or was it just chris? or is it just this live/creed/staind vibe? blah. boring. lame. just not my bag, baby.

katharine- "black horse and a cherry tree"
randy: "that's the katharine i love"
paula: "i love the...intimacy"
simon: "it was a good choice of song"

this was great! maybe one of her best performances so far. she seems to have a lot more personality when there's someone else on the stage she can work off of and play to... could have something to do with being in musical theatre before this, where you tend to connect more with your co-stars than the audience.

taylor - "something"
randy: "a nice tender moment from you"
paula: "you just did it great"
simon: "you're a very good singer"

probably my favorite beatle song, definitely my favorite george harrison song. amazing job. he had the joe cocker thing going here... i want to hear him sing - no, perform! - with a little help from my friends, cocker style. that would be amazing.

the second half was certainly better than the first. i think taylor and elliot were the only two that were great both times.

paris is going home tonight (but i've said that before).