Cinco de Idol
And then there were 5.
It could have been my mood last night, but damn, Constantine's absence has drained a lot of color from American Idol 4. More than any other epsiode, last night's seemed nearly joyless, with everyone looking slightly uncomfortable performing with Constantine's ghost (or was that musk?) still in the air. Even Ryan Seacrest seemed amazed at the tepid applause from the audience and was forced to egg them on like some pre-show warm-up guy.
There's also the subject of...the exposé (which airs tonight on ABC following Idol on Fox). Did anyone else catch Paula's "Jesus, Ryan" headshake and Simon's winking reaction at Seacrest's offhand comment about audience members who might've "just got hooked?" Despite that, Paula looked great last night. She was so clear-eyed and lucid that she was practically radiant. For the record, I never suspected Paula of being "on drugs" when on the air. Drunk as B&O hobo, yes, but not "on drugs."
Surprisingly, Carrie showed she could loosen up a little. Both her performances last night showed a lot more attitude and style than her "Love Is A Battlefield." At least Simon finally got around to giving her some criticism on her Kraftwerk-inspired hip-shaking.
Anthony and Scott are battling it out for who goes home first. Scott was, in truth, better than Anthony this time around, but he crossed the line from confidence to smugness with his commentary. This guy behaves as though every valid criticism lobbed his way somehow turns into his Dad's naysaying bark by the time it reaches his ear. Say what you want about Bo's limited range or Carrie's stiffness, it's their genuine humility that helps them to endear and endure.
Given that, in the fucked up world of American Idol Anthony and Scott will probably cancel each other out and that means Vonzell will get the axe. Which would be a shame, because she's really good, but not last night, despite Randy's increasingly Paulaesque boosterism. Like Constantine, Vonzell's achilles heel might've been her song choice. She did a fun Elvis Presley cover but for some reason decided to sing "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" in the second half of the show - which was also sung - twice - by the "top 10" in previous episodes. It was nice hearing the song with once voice (it has a beautiful melody), but to me her choice seemed lazy and the performance a little shrill. Randy's proclamation that she's sung a "perfect vocal" might've lanced his credibility some.
I'm an avowed member of the Bice Squad and I'm still backing Bo all the way. He's got a voice like wood-aged whisky and given the right songs, a Bo Bice album could, um, rock the house. Given the wrong songs, he could easily head straight for Michael Bolton territory. As for me, I'd love to hear him cover Tom Waits' "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You."
It could have been my mood last night, but damn, Constantine's absence has drained a lot of color from American Idol 4. More than any other epsiode, last night's seemed nearly joyless, with everyone looking slightly uncomfortable performing with Constantine's ghost (or was that musk?) still in the air. Even Ryan Seacrest seemed amazed at the tepid applause from the audience and was forced to egg them on like some pre-show warm-up guy.
There's also the subject of...the exposé (which airs tonight on ABC following Idol on Fox). Did anyone else catch Paula's "Jesus, Ryan" headshake and Simon's winking reaction at Seacrest's offhand comment about audience members who might've "just got hooked?" Despite that, Paula looked great last night. She was so clear-eyed and lucid that she was practically radiant. For the record, I never suspected Paula of being "on drugs" when on the air. Drunk as B&O hobo, yes, but not "on drugs."
Surprisingly, Carrie showed she could loosen up a little. Both her performances last night showed a lot more attitude and style than her "Love Is A Battlefield." At least Simon finally got around to giving her some criticism on her Kraftwerk-inspired hip-shaking.
Anthony and Scott are battling it out for who goes home first. Scott was, in truth, better than Anthony this time around, but he crossed the line from confidence to smugness with his commentary. This guy behaves as though every valid criticism lobbed his way somehow turns into his Dad's naysaying bark by the time it reaches his ear. Say what you want about Bo's limited range or Carrie's stiffness, it's their genuine humility that helps them to endear and endure.
Given that, in the fucked up world of American Idol Anthony and Scott will probably cancel each other out and that means Vonzell will get the axe. Which would be a shame, because she's really good, but not last night, despite Randy's increasingly Paulaesque boosterism. Like Constantine, Vonzell's achilles heel might've been her song choice. She did a fun Elvis Presley cover but for some reason decided to sing "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" in the second half of the show - which was also sung - twice - by the "top 10" in previous episodes. It was nice hearing the song with once voice (it has a beautiful melody), but to me her choice seemed lazy and the performance a little shrill. Randy's proclamation that she's sung a "perfect vocal" might've lanced his credibility some.
I'm an avowed member of the Bice Squad and I'm still backing Bo all the way. He's got a voice like wood-aged whisky and given the right songs, a Bo Bice album could, um, rock the house. Given the wrong songs, he could easily head straight for Michael Bolton territory. As for me, I'd love to hear him cover Tom Waits' "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You."
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