I'm not really blogging "American Idol" this year, but I just wanted to say that I actually enjoyed one of the performances this week — which almost never happens — David Cook singing "Billie Jean." He sang it the Chris Cornell way — check that out here — so it wasn't all that original, but it was quite entertaining.
I also like Jason Castro, and the song he did, "Fragile," means a lot to me. Unfortunately, idiots in the audience clapped along atrociously. The song has no pronounced rhythm and dear sweet Jason was singing it in a low key delicate way that would have been entirely appropriate but for that horrible clapping. Anyway, here's the original from Sting.
Michael Johns singing "We Are the Champions" was okay. There's no way to approach the original though, is there?
There were a bunch of others, but I'm not in the mood to write about them. Feel free to talk about them. That one girl who needs to go home was wily enough to sing that "God Bless the U.S.A." thing to win extra votes from undiscerning patriots. Ah, but I wasn't going to talk about the rest of the crowd...
March 25, 2008
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I always think of mushrooms when I hear We are the Champignons. Michael Johns is a fungi but he should be sent home.
If it was KLCook who sang God Bless the USA -- well, that's the song type that really suits her country voice. So it was a good choice in two different ways.
Has Camille Paglia has ever invoked that video in her cultural écritures?
With Freddy Mercury's chest hair and that gold neck-chain and the black and white scoop-neck unitard...
Well, it seems right up her alley.
Mmm, scroll down "related videos" and there's Abba's Dancing Queen--Dancing Queen--except that the icon is not from the Dancing Queen video, it's from Take a Chance on Me (as any idiot would know).
Click it anyway, and there's a whole slew of related Abba videos, including The Winner Takes It All where Agnetha presages the earthy beauty of Virginia Madsen in the movie Sideways by almost 30 years.
Plus, that stunning blue eye-shadow.
There really hasn't been enough posting about the Wisconsin Law School lately.
Is there something happening at the law school that I should be blogging? I'm not really there much these days...
I'm simply enjoying the "Kevin Lomax" sobriquet. That, alone, is enough for me to wish that entity would make an appearance more often.
***
On Sunday, I had a teen-ager (female sophomore) ask me if I'd ever heard of the song "Fat Bottomed Girls," because the Marching Band leader at her high school had said he was considering adding it to the choreographed half-time show for next fall and she wasn't really familiar with it. Would this be a fun song to perform, she asked?
I was struck speechless there, for a moment, and then smoothly moved into my alternate persona of few words, carefully selected, as opposed to the more frequent one. Not just because I graduated from high school in '79, but on account of other reasons, and visions, which flashed through my mind.
Plus, I know her mother.
Let's call it a three-way tie between Jason, Michael and David Cook and start cutting some albums. Okay?
Ah! Brooke White was born on the exact same day as me! Now I love her even more! How could you not even notice?
(Birthdays were the theme, so she starts out her clip by saying, "I was born June 2nd, 1983.")
Kristy Lee Cook does God Bless America. Last time they did that song on American Idol was at the beginning of the Iraq war. Doesn't make sense to use a pro-war message now to win everybody over, since most people now think that war was a mistake. But then, midway through the performance, I realize she's using it as a Jeremiah Wright response. Now, that will win people over. Simon picks up on it too and says, "That was the most clever song choice I have heard in years."
Kind of a knee-jerk liberal reaction to associate "God Bless America" with "pro-Iraq war," isn't it?
But yes, as a response to Jerimiah Wright, it was a very clever song choice.
Kristy Lee Cook does God Bless America
The song was "God Bless the USA" not "God Bless America". Two very different songs. IMO it's a huge stretch to label it pro-war. It's pro-USA - which I guess it some peoples minds could be considered pro-war. As for KLC - she should have been gone a few weeks ago.
David Cook is the best in the competition at this time.
a three-way tie between Jason, Michael and David Cook
So if they split votes 3 ways, 2 of them go home before getting into the final 3. No way will the final 3 be those 3.
Ya gotta love Brooke... just for her looks and personality. She can sing, but the last couple of weeks she's shown a serious lack of confidence.
You don't have to be "pro-Iraq war" to take offense when someone says "God damn America" or like it when a pretty girl sings "God Bless the USA".
It will buy her another week or so. At this point I am mildly interested in David Cook, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson and Brooke White and have no interest in the others.
Madison Man, AI doesn't "split" votes. People can vote for all their favorites, so it's entirely possible those 3 could be the final 3.
IMO, though, David Cook gave a master-class performance, and all the rest were mediocre. I did enjoy "God Bless the USA" though... maybe because I'm in the minority of those who don't think Iraq was a mistake.
One other thought for Christopher... Kristy Lee wasn't really singing to the entire AI audience. She was singing to the portion of the audience which is likely to enjoy her style of singing (country-influenced to say the least) and I'd wager that sector of the audience is not as down on Iraq as you might be...
Those yahoos in the audience who are waving their hands, or clapping, or cheering, are really so very far beyond annoying.
Bottom three: Carly, Cha-cheese-ie and the hot midget chick who will be sent home. Sob.
David Cook will not win because they will cook the books if they have to. They don't want another old white guy. The older white dude is always praised but somehow doesn't quite make it. Chris Daughtry, Bo Bice. The only time they let it happen it was a fiasco. Notice how you haven't seen the grey haired spastic anywhere. He has been disappeared so fast I think Jack Lemmon is still searching for him. It's Brooke's game to lose because they definitely want her to win and are setting the table for her.
I also think it's time for Ramiele to go home. She can join Danny Noriega singing on a cruise ship somewhere. And I agree with your bottom 3 -- Carly is sinking fast under poor song choices, and Chikezie really needs to sing songs that show him cherubic. This week's choice did not.
I don't think Brooke will win (sorry CAC!) because she is just too uncomfortable on the stage. She doesn't look like she belongs there.
Christopher Althouse Cohen said..."Ah! Brooke White was born on the exact same day as me! Now I love her even more! How could you not even notice?"
Either I was TiVoing through commercials and missing some of the intros or I'm a terrible mother.
"Doesn't make sense to use a pro-war message now to win everybody over, since most people now think that war was a mistake. But then, midway through the performance, I realize she's using it as a Jeremiah Wright response."
Also to Michelle "I'll be patriotic when you make my husband President" Obama.
Anyway, it doesn't matter what "most people" think. She just needs a set of people who really care about her. She's the country girl, working the same phone dialers that made Carrie Underwood a winner.
Brooke is to Chris as Rush Limbaugh is to me!
I also loved David Cook's performance. I'm so out of it I didn't even know Cornell did it first, nor did I know of Cornell himself!
Man, I don't need to hear the We Are the Champions song ever again. Please, stop.
I'm glad Kristy got a good performance in before she gets booted off. I also don't see how that song is a pro-war song unless you think a patriotic song should not be sung while there's a war on. Or I guess you could substitute Rev. Wright's words -- G** D*** the USA. Catchy!
Wait a minute, Brooke isn't fat. Or on drugs. I hope you are referring to birthdays because if you are jonesing for Rush like Chris is for Brooke that's gonna make a lot of people's head explode.
Actually that would be fun. Fire away!
Anyone else find Carly painful to watch? I enjoy her much more if I'm just listening.
Well she has the Irish girl hunched over cause I don't want the fooking nun to call on me crouch going on. Not a good look.
The bottom 3 from dial idol are Chikezie, Jason (!) and Ramiele.
Sorry, I wrote the title wrong. It was done in a pro-war way originally on the show. They did the song right when the Iraq war was starting, and song has some pro-war lines ("I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me / And I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today"). It came across that way enough so that Kimberley Locke refused to participate in the group recording of it.
Doesn't make sense to use a pro-war message now to win everybody over, since most people now think that war was a mistake.
I'm not buying into that carefully crafted leftist meme. The same number of people are opposed to the war who were always opposed to it. As for the "mistake" part, yes, there are those who believe it was mishandled. In any number of ways. Including many who believe the problem is that we weren't aggressive enough.
I told a friend that "God Bless the U.S.A." was going to save the Cook girl, and we both sighed.
I watch American Idol more for the contestants' story arcs than for the music, which I don't usually like -- too much Whitney-and-Mariah-style caterwauling for me. But last night was different, with several performances -- actually quite a few of them -- that were enjoyable enough that I looked them up later on Youtube to hear them again.
Also, the range of backgrounds in the families of the contestants was amazing to see: multiracial, Latino, Nigerian, Colombian, Filipino, WASP (in appearance at least) ... families from everywhere here in America, watching their talented kids compete on a show called American Idol. It ought to be enough to make even Michele Obama proud of her country, for once.
If anyone's still reading this thread, let me just say, if you think Syesha's performance was good, compare her to the far superior and less show-off-y version of the same song that Tamyra Gray did in the first season.
Here's Tamyra:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJcNp9YfjDg
And here's Syesha:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6xehq8bZE1A&feature=related
The problem with Syesha is that she is super phony and it shows. The actress mannerisms are off putting to most who can tell she is full of it. Just like Archuletas wide eyed gee whiz you really like me act and the midgets crying jags are not wearing well.
But Syesha has a great voice and might score big on Dolly Parton night with that "I will always love you" song. I just can't wait for David Cooks cover of the Motorhead cover of 9 to 5. That's entertainment.
Motorhead cover of 9 to 5
LMAO
I suppose someone will have to sing I will always love you and I hope it's Brooke, as she (or KLCook) would probably do it like Dolly, not like Whitney and I like Dolly's version better.
None of the people left have a voice anywhere remotely like Dolly's so next week will be interesting.
Brooke will do Coat of Many Colors.
KLC will sing The Seeker and Ryan will sing Potential New Boyfriend to David Archuleta as they go into the commercial break.
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