Ah, the show I've been waiting for. The kids sing the music of Queen. Let's see what they do.
Bucky Covington makes "Fat-Bottomed Girls" into a good country-rock song, and he's relaxed and charming. He's finally got his hair right -- loose and wavy and not too styled -- and he's wearing a leather jacket that's distractingly nice. Really, I ended up thinking about the jacket more than the song. Anyway, he didn't embarrass himself.
Ace Young is singing "We Will Rock You," and we see him trying to tell the members of Queen to play the song his way. Change the drumbeat! They decline. Simon: "It was 'we will rock you gently.'" Ryan: "What do you think of that." Ace (in a gentle voice): "I, uh, think I rocked." Well, maybe if the arrangement had been changed, it might have suited him.
Kellie Pickler gets to do "Bohemian Rhapsody." She was okay in the soft parts, but frightening in the hard parts, because of the horrendous singing but also because she started prancing in her stiletto boots up the stairs and along the narrow runway. I worried a lot. Simon, liked it and says: "On paper, it should have been completely hideous..." And she's all: "On paper???"
Chris Daughtry. The song is "Innuendo." Great! There's a lot of talk about whether it's a good song. Why didn't he do one of the hits? As if maybe he doesn't deserve votes because the song was not sufficiently familiar. Weird. But it should light a fire under his fans and get him plenty of votes.
Katharine McPhee decides to do "Who Wants to Live Forever" so she can just stand there and sing. She's heavily made-up, perhaps spoofing the over-the-top 70s style. She makes me think of Karen Carpenter for a minute, but then only to notice the lack of style and feeling. The judges are nice to her in a way that often spells doom on the show.
Elliott Yamin does "Somebody to Love." He gets some soaring high notes in.
Taylor Hicks picks the perfect song for him "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." Very entertaining. Simon: "Taylor, are you drunk? I thought it was ridiculous."
Paris Bennett sings "The Show Must Go On," a song that just feels ugly to me. She's all glammed up in a way that looks like dress-up on this sweet 16 year-old. She's got some good high notes toward the end. They're running out of time for the judges to talk, and Simon just blurts, "I found it all a little weird," and then music cuts him off.
Bottom 3? I'd say Katharine and Ace, for sure. Then maybe Paris will be unlucky again.
Safest: Taylor and Chris. Probably Kellie (she was funny talking to the judges, and she did that song everyone wanted to hear).
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Wow - the guy I posted earlier already has Bucky's mp3 and a screen shot up. I think it sounds great! I love his rough voice singing.
I can only see the top half of the jacket, though.
Kellie was laugh-out-loud funny when she said she couldn't understand Simon's accent. He said the same thing about hers.
Never watched Idol before and I missed "Fat Bottomed Girls"? Jennifer - Can you point me to the mp3? I'd like to hear it.
Oh Lord - Ace made it his own, that's for sure. I like somebody else's better.
My husband thinks he looks like a clean Eddie Vedder. That cracks me up.
I couldn't hear all of Kellie because I kept giggling. I can't wait to actually see it. I wish we had gotten the thunder bolts and lightning part.
Sure al, check out http://www.rickey.org/
The Chris Daughtry mp3 is messed up right now - it's got Katharine's song. The rest are good.
When I think "American Idol" I think "Nepali theme night!"
Yeah, that was wall-to-wall suck. I hated all of it.
Chris is my favorite, but he chickened out tonight. Pick a song no one knows and you don't sound bad in comparison to Freddie Mercury.
I thought it was weird how Ryan asked Ace about the "uncomfortable moment" at the end of his song... put him on the spot, why don't you??? (pretty harsh comment for Ryan, too.) Ace did suck though, poor thing.
"Taylor, are you drunk?" is second only to "You look like the Incredible Hulk's wife!" in the Simon Cowell Hall of Fame.
Tiggeril: LOL. (Too bad I took out the Nepali spam.)
Bunkergurl: Yeah, I liked Kellie's outfit too. Do you think that was a wig, or did they get her regular hair to do that? At one point she clutched her head as though she either had a headache or was going to rip off (what I thought was) the wig.
Word verification: ikpop. Yes, that's "American Idol," ikpop.
I don't think that's a wig on Kellie, either. I'm only looking at a still shot, though.
I think it looks like a wig because they teased in some volume along with attacking it with a straight iron.
Brylin: Thanks. That was a great antidote. It's hard to watch that and not think constantly how sad it is that he's gone.
Do you think it's good or bad that they didn't say that he died of AIDS? I've heard some mixed opinion on this question.
Ann: I know Freddie Mercury resisted making it public that he had AIDS until the very end. Was it just because he didn't want people to know he was sick? Or did he not want to be associated with AIDS?
That would make a difference to me on whether I thought it was good or bad that they didn't mention it on the show.
Nathan: me too... "over it"
Ann:
Given that great and moving Queen video that featured Freddie's face smudged out (not a negative thing, quite the opposite) after he died of
AIDS--as a statement that both he, as a person, and his talent was snuffed prematurely by AIDS, I want to say, in that context, that we should acknowledge the disease that snuffed out both.
All these years later, and it's still "a shame"?
But I understand--in the sense that I know why--that this fact wouldn't be included in context of "AI."
Can't say what I wanna, so I'll stop there.
'
Jennifer: The show generally has a homophobia problem. It's mild, but it's there. They soft-pedaled Mercury's persona. Not saying he died of AIDS could be seen as part of a big picture of not respecting gay people. And clearly the show has lots of gay fans. Some think Mandisa got voted off prematurely because she said some things that were perceived as homophobic.
Ann, you mentioned Katharine being all glammed up...did you notice Chris's mascara / eye liner? Perhaps they were spoofing Freddie...or maybe the fashion consutants has some of Taylor's 'water'...heh.
I really thought Chris was bad. Not as bad as Ace or Kellie, but quite disappointing. I thought Bucky was the most entertaining, but that Elliot was the best singer.
It wouldn't surprise me if Kellie, Ace and Chris were the bottome three. Ace, I think, is finally going home.
Seriously, there are 2 songs I would not touch unless I were Freddie Mercury incarnate: We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. As anthems, you have too much to lose if you don't pull them off. I think Chris may have been able to pull off We Will ROck you, but even then, it runs the risk of being indulgent as Simon says about a lot of Chris's songs.
"It's hard to watch that and not think constantly how sad it is that he's gone."
Right on. What a brilliant character and musician he was. Thanks for letting us know that video was up there, brylin. It was good to watch that after all these years.
Freddie did try to hide his illness, though whether that was because he didn't want to reveal that he was sick in general or dying of AIDS in particular I don't know. He was not very secretive about his homo/bisexuality, so I don't think he was particularly upset about AIDS and its almost exclusive association with homosexuality at that time. The fact that the cause of his death was revealed at all (his manager announced that he had AIDS the day before he died) seems to support that; it was still quite common at the time for AIDS deaths to be announced either as deaths from other causes or vaguely- "so and so died after a long illness".
I am amazed by how many people complain about how fake and boring Katherine is, but love Kellie. It's like I'm living in an alternate universe. Have the Cubs won the World Series, too? Weird.
Katherine is going to have absolutely no trouble finding a music career once she's voted off. I don't think Kellie will find it as easy. (Assuming that Chris or Taylor will win and therefor both girls will be voted off eventually). If you listen to just the mp3, Kellie's weak.
Hmmn...thanks Palladian and Ann for the background.
The homophobic vibe bugs me. Its irritating that what passes for humor sometimes is "Ryan - you're gay ha ha" "No, Simon - you're gay ha ha". Lame!
If this wasn't a nod to Freddie Mercury's discretion, than I think it's too bad they glossed over AIDS. I wonder if the other members of Queen were tuned in to the treatment before they signed on.
Ann, I think you're right, American Idol probably didn't mention the cause of Freddie's death because they didn't want to invoke the "dark specter" of homosexuality, not because of AIDS in particular. But come on! This is Freddie Flippin' Mercury we're talking about here! Do they think that there is one single person out there who doesn't notice that he was a flaming, fabulous Queen? As Freddie himself said: "I am as gay as a daffodil, my dear!" Why devote a show to their music if they're ashamed of that fact? Doesn't make sense. It's like trying to protect the manhood of Clay Aiken.
It's like trying to protect the manhood of Clay Aiken.
LOL!
Is it just me? I thought Katharine was screaming instead of singing, and not quite on pitch, to boot.
Thought Elliott sang very well, but not the song for him. Hopefully he'll survive, but I think it will be close...It's more than past time for Ace to go home.
Chris was okay - I thought Simon was correct, he needed to do something standout and chickened out.
Taylor is just too much, too frantic, trying too hard. But I'm curious, why isn't anyone allowed to criticize him? Every time Simon tries to, he seems to get stopped. I wish he'd go home, too.
Tonight, actually, I kinda hated all of them, and wished they'd all go home.
Like I said - I never watched Idol before and probably won't watch it again but I had to see how Queen's music were presented. Most of the singing was ok, some excellent, but the only performance that was enjoyable (from the Queen fan point of view) was Kellie. The presentation was Freddie. Nowhere near as good as Freddie but she tried to put together the total package and I think she did an excellent job. Ace, otoh, should be slapped.
I should note that i've never watched American Idol, so I don't really know how the show works, other than from Ann's entertaining posts about it. But the idea of a homophobic vibe coming from Ryan Seacrest... titter. Ryan, your tie is so big and pink! (Windows Media clip)
Palladian: It is pretty ridiculous. I'm no expert, but if you ask me, Ryan Seacrest is doing the "No, no I'm not gay - see I make fun of gay people" bit.
I thought it was weird how Ryan asked Ace about the "uncomfortable moment" at the end of his song... put him on the spot, why don't you??? (pretty harsh comment for Ryan, too.)
Actually, Ace misunderstood. Ryan was asking about the uncomfortable moment at the end of the clip (where one of the Queen band members refused to do the song Ace's way).
If anyone's interested in seeing the last video Freddie made with Queen, only a short time before he died, it's on the YouTube site brylin linked to earlier. The song- "These are the Days of our Lives", doesn't appeal to me except that it becomes a sort of farewell from Mercury, who must have known that the end was near. It's really quite poignant to watch how he delivers it, and how the band interacts with him.
I may have imagined it, but I thought there was a hint of joke being made when Ryan responded to Bucky's comment that it was a tough position to be behind Freddy Mercury. I thought I saw a twinkle in Ryan's eye when he said something like "yeah, you can say that again."
See, now Deb and I thought that Taylor was without question the single worst performance of the night;the one that was easily chosen.
Then again, you are right to name him safe, as he will be. Too many fans who will vote for him even if he sings the phonebook badly.
Mark: Ace was trying to say it's tough to sing a song that Mercury did and he awkwardly said something like "You don't want to come up behind Mercury." Ryan tried to call attention to the double entendre.
About Chris's eyeliner: I thought it looked great, even aside from the usual favoritism I feel for Chris, who is my clear favorite this season.
Overall not as bad as I thought it could have been. I was disapointed Chris didn't take on a more popular song, I really didn't feel like he was doing Queen by picking an obscure track. How about "Keep Yourself Alive" Chris?
Katharine haters will get another week to hate her. Ace deserves to go and I can see Bucky and Paris in the bottom three
Prefatory remarks: It's really weird to call your band Queen if you don't have Freddie Mercury. Nirvana without Kurt Cobain? No. Rolling Stones without Jagger? No. Queen without Freddie Mercury? No.
And what was up with Bad Company guy's Freddie-esque moustache? Also: No. Also, please don't pair Freddie-esque moustache with Freddie-esque unbuttoned shirt over white t-shirt.
Goss I heard: they shot the segments with the Queen guys before Mandisa (sp?) got voted off, and she was said to have totally rocked. My friends say they plan to look for the Mandisa Queen segments on the cable broadcast of Idol outtakes..? Whatever that is, I have no idea. (I'm not a devotee, and this was the first show I saw since Fantasia sang Summertime the first time.)
None of these kids have any idea about the meaning of the word "flamboyance".
Onward:
Fat Bottom Girl dude was okay. I liked his look and he made an excellent song choice for his ability.
Ace Young blew, and should be voted off.
Kellie Pickler was v. intense w/ her Bonnie Tyler look. I liked it. I don't like dumb people on TV tho' and she should keep her mouth shut when she's not singing. The recipe for success when you're dumb and pretty and on TV: Nod, and smile. That's it.
Chris Daughtry gave me wood but he's not Idol material at all. Bad song choice. Regardles, he should stay.
I liked Katherine McPhee when she was singing... but maybe a little too Celine for me. During the recap at the end of the show tho', the thought entered my mind that she was phoning it in and I didn't feel as good about her.
The music and backup singers seemed to overwhelm poor Elliott. I bet it sounded better to the live audience. Still, kid's got heart and I really liked the intensity he brought to the beginning of the song. And that's always been one of my favorite Queen songs.
Taylor Hicks...okay, he looks like someone's dad. Someone's cute dad singing Queen and embarrassing his kids. He's Home Depot Dad Idol, not American Idol.
I really liked Paris Bennett... except for those few scary moments when her weirdified glammed-out dress-up gave me flashes of JonBenet Ramsey (sp?) in those creepy pageant videos they played of her over and over when she was recently dead and more popular than ever. A black adolescent JonBenet Ramsey doing Freddie Mercury. You gotta luv this country.
While a good time was had by all, we were sad Chez Chuck B. noone opted to sing the theme song from Flash!
Maybe they glossed over Freddie's illness to assuage the Zoroastrians.
Also: I think Paris does get in "costume" too much for all her songs.
Chuck B: The JonBenet Ramsey idea was hilarious.
Chuck b: Great mini-critiques, but you're wrong about Kellie's playing dumb. She's made herself the star of the season by acting like that. She's trying to do Goldie Hawn, who was loved for playing an idiot on TV, and she's doing rather well at it. "On paper?" really was funny.
I think it's going to come down to Bucky, Ace & Katherine in the bottom three... Out of them I think Ace should go, even though my (5 yr. old Girl) thinks he’s cute......
She's trying to do Goldie Hawn, who was loved for playing an idiot on TV, and she's doing rather well at it.
You could tell, however, that Goldie was pretty smart. Even as in idiot, her intelligence shines through. Does the same thing hold true for Kellie?
After pledging to watch, I looked at the clock at 8:30 and realized time had slipped by. Oh well. Maybe they'll do Air Supply next year. That would be Must See TV.
You could tell, however, that Goldie was pretty smart. Even as in idiot, her intelligence shines through. Does the same thing hold true for Kellie?
I don't think so. I don't think she's playing dumb. Frankly, I think she is kinda dumb. You can tell whenever they didn't script something for her, because Ryan will make a comment to her and she'll just stare blankly back at him.
I do think she is playing the ahm-jess-a-cunchry-gurl thing way over the top.
I think she started off trying to channel Carrie Underwood. But, now she does seem to be moving into the Goldie Hawn thing, like Ann mentioned.
What I wonder is where her fans are from. Is anybody who is actually from the South buying her act? Or is she just channeling what other Americans think Southern Belles are really like?
'"Do you think it's good or bad that they didn't say that he died of AIDS?"
I think it is good. I never like seeing someone become identified by what killed them.
People forget that Lou Gehrig was, quite possibly, the second best baseball player of his era. '
I don't know about that. At least as far a Lou Gherig is concerned. Normally, who does remember the 2nd best of anything? You have Ty Cobb / Cy Young. Anyone besides true fans remember Tris Speaker or Christy Mathewson?
The people that transcend their 'appointed' place by service or tragedy are often remembered (James Dean, Elvis Presley, Roberto Clemente, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Rocky Blier) long after they passed from the world or thier field of excellence, much more so than people that stayed in their box. And even when many of those people who's work in their field was better.
Were Freddy Mercury at this point a doddering ancient singer the best he could hope for is to be Steven Tyler or Mick Jagger. That is not how I wish to remember him (See note at the end before flaming me about being selfish). The songs, the vid clips are of a singularly vibrant and charismatic showman. His legacy will not diminish with time, and dying of AIDS did not diminsh it either.
NOTE: To be sure, Freddie may have chosen to live a long life out of the public eye than to die of AIDS. I would certainly have wished he lived a healthy life regardless of his talents. I think we all have lost something from his premature passing.
I only got in partway through, but based on the recaps, I agree that Ace should be in trouble. Paris... was weird. Katherine I liked the first time I heard it, but on the recap I caught the fact she was flat on the high stuff. Chris... maybe he was the victim of a bad song. Oh well. Didn't hear enough of Bucky to make a judgement.
Taylor was terrific - we pretty much agreed that this was "Elvis Presley version" of the song. Elliot is likewise safe - in places he sounded like Freddie Mercury.
"Katherine I liked the first time I heard it, but on the recap I caught the fact she was flat on the high stuff."
Just an observation: Usually the recap shots / audio is from the rehersal. If you pay close attention, you'll notice the back-up singers aren't dressed the same, and occaisionally the facially expressions are different enough to notice using TiVo...
Innuendo is hardly an obscure song. It was a British number one hit, one of only three that Queen achieved (the others were Under Pressure and Bohemian Rhapsody). It is a pity much of their later work is not given the same credit in America as some of their '70s output.
Okay, I listened to the mp3's saw a couple of videos. My verdict.
Gold: Elliot, needs to cut out the gospelizing, it's cheap and he doesn't need it. He makes me like the song more than I ever did before and I'd like to hear the whole thing instead of one goddamned minute and a half (with a producer who can keep him in line). My favorite voice in the group. Endearingly clutzy on stage.
Silver: Chris, offbeat choice, realizes as most of the rest don't, that the better known a song is, the more dangerous it is (the guy who chose 'we will rock you' is proof of that). I never heard the Queen version of this and he was fine.
Bronze: Paris. Odd interpretation in places but she's the best of the weak female lineup. But too young. She needs to finish high school and sing a lot for a couple of years and then she'll be something.
Rest, bleh, Bohemian Rhapsody without Gallileo, Gallileo is like a giant size cracker jack box with no special surprise, who eats that stuff for the taste? Bohemian Rhapsody should have been a _group_ number for all of them. But I suppose the rigors of the format and commercial tv nixed that idea.
They all need to learn that less is, in fact, sometimes more.
I was all set for an hilarious night...these guys singing Queen??? Ha!
But I was most surprised by Pickler...she did well, looked great.
Elliott was amazing..that's a damn hard song. He's so endearing.
Chris...well, good, but it's the same ol' way he sings...pretty one dimensional....angsty rock star.
Taylor...ditto. Good, but, geez, enough with the rockabilly, bluesy, weird dancer stuff.
Bucky...he's the one I'd want to have a beer with. I'll betcha voters feel the same way.
Paris...talent, but needs aging.
Katherine...next to the worst
Ace...the worst.
Ace, Kellie, Katherine, Bucky - they were all "pitchy" as the judges so love to say. It doesn't matter how good the performance was if the singing is off and makes me cringe, and only Elliot and Paris sounded great vocally at all to me. Taylor and Chris were pretty good. Chris is one of my favorite but suffered from a repetitive, uncatchy song.
What is up with the judges copying eachother's comment? "You worked it out" "You were pitchy" can't they think of anything new (and helpful) to say?
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