Tough Idol

It’s hard to say who will or should go home after last night’s top 8 guys performed.  Starting with who’s absolutely safe, you have David Archuleta, who has a fine voice and all, but needs to become entertaining and not keep slowing down songs to death.  He also wasn’t as note perfect.  To his credit, I liked his rendition better than the original.  He’s going nowhere.

Chikezie was good and has demographics in his favor.  However far he gets, he has a great future.  Perhaps a better one if he doesn’t win, which he won’t.

I hate when the judges concentrate on who did a cover version of a song and often don’t even know who did the original.  I’m torn between hate and amusement for the handicapping Simon was doing, and the other ways in which they push so hard for people to vote the outcome they want.  I’m not sure they don’t want Danny Noriega to make it to the top 12 at least, for Sanjaya value.  I hate when they have so much “trouble” with sound quality and consistency during broadcast of selected (oops, I mean totally random) contestants.

Jason Castro is too good and likable not to get through.

I think Michael Johns had enough Early momentum and entertainer appeal to get through.  He was decent enough, taking the risk of doing an iconic song.  It bothers me they keep comparing him to Michael whassface I never knew existed until he killed himself, from a band completely off my radar until and except when I figured out that the funky four letters I saw and thought of as “Inkses” were a two word band name I’d heard spoken, but whose music I’d never heard.  What’s that got to do with Simple Minds?

David Cook we don’t like to look at, but he took a song I love, that has specific wistful associations attached, made it totally his own, rocked it up just slightly in a way I wouldn’t have imagined, and performed it brilliantly.  I hate having to call it arguably best of the night, but it was, and it has to leave him safe.

David Hernandez was amazing, outsinging Archuleta last night, while being more distinctive.  Not sure how the male stripper scandal will play, but he should be going through to the top 12.

We loved Luke Menard.  He was distinctive and entertaining.  He is in danger because enough people have an accumulated dislike for him and really, he was bad enough the first week to go home then and we wouldn’t be discussing him now.  Some wouldn’t like the song choice, even if Archuleta sang it, if he’s capable of singing at other than a crawl.  I think he’ll go.  Zabasearch appears to be predicting him and Chikezie.  If true, the latter would be a victim of slow song boredom and prior questions about his ability and performing sense overriding any demographics that might push him through, or the powers that be not being entirely accurate in their application of the votes.  I’d like to think they don’t do that, because if they ever got found out they’d be through, and it’d be a big secret to keep.

Almost forgot Danny Noriega, speaking of ensuring accidental bad sound production during a performance.  He should go.  He won’t, depending on the power of Worsters and the whole performers versus singers dynamic.  He’s entertaining.  He’s funny.  He chose an interesting song and even did okay with it, despite the whole sound production weirdness.  He won’t win.  He shouldn’t get to the top 12.  He probably will, and someone more deserving will have left.  He’s probably the only one I would not be sad to see go, either on accumulated appreciation, or for being too good to go this week.  Not that there isn’t a history of people being voted off after their best performance.

It’s tough.  It’s pretty sure to be Luke and someone.  Maybe they’re right about Chikezie, despite demographics, the pimp spot, and how good he was.  Luke was in the forget him spot, first to perform, which is the powers that be saying please don’t vote for this guy.  (Not always, but the spot can be wielded that way when they “randomly” assign performance order.  He also made the classic mistake of singing a “leaving song.” He said “go go” and “don’t leave me hanging on,” after all.

Oh well.  It was a decent episode.  They are so good overall that it’s a weird year.  It’s easy to forget that people in the top 24 didn’t stand out this much last year.  At least, I don’t remember them doing so.

1. Personally I don’t like David Hernandez… He tends to sound like a warbling chipmunk (too much squeaky tremelo in his voice). He comes off like a cheesy lounge singer (complete with phony grin) who’s trying to gargle while singing.
   I think he should go.
   I also agree that Danny Sanj… er I mean, Noriega should go.

   - just my two cents

   Posted by  on  03/05  at  10:27 AM  from 

2. I guess I can see that.  I saw it more with the other dude last week.  Already forgot his name!

   One theory is that Hernandez will go this week due to the scandal.  Even without the votes falling that way, which it appears they could have, it’s an easy thing to pull that off if the scandal is considered too hot.  To me it’s not, but I’m not the producers.

   Posted by  on  03/05  at  10:33 AM  from 
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