register |  login
› DENVER
Loading Ad
Visit Other Hubs:
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Tower
Blog
Blog Entry 67 of 79 BroFax Cosmonaut
Denver rocks.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~TruthOrConsequences

American Idol Power Rankings: The Girls (March 5)

Contributed by: Eric Lubbers/Sarah Blomstrom   on 3/6/2008

It's round two for the American Idol Power Rankings, and this time, it's Girls + 1980s = Ten Pounds Of "Meh" in a Sixty-Minute Bag. Combine the lackluster performances, personalities that aren't nearly as fun to snark/analyze as the guys (I mean, come on, the dudes have strippers/angsty gay teens/adorable little go-getters/dreadlocks/foreign dudes!) and the fact that I'm fighting what I'm pretty sure is the Spanish Influenza Redux and what you get is shorter and sweeter analysis. Let's rumble! ( Looking for the guys' rankings? Click here)
1. Brooke White / "The Vaguely Creepy Kind Of Talented PG-Movie Watcher"
Eric: I resisted liking her from the beginning. She's got that "little bit crazy" look in her eye and she seems like she could snap under the pressure at any time and just start screaming Carly Simon lyrics at Ryan Seacrest. But she has yet to turn in a bad performance, and in this case, she sounded really good on a super-stripped down "Love Is A Battlefield." It sure is, Brooke. *sniff* It sure *choke* is.

Sarah: She really does strike me as kind of insane...but probably more in a kooky, absent-minded art teacher way than in a psycho killer way. Which, now that I put it that way, isn't so bad I guess. I've probably been too rough on her thus far. She seems like a nice person...though any person that doesn't have the crazy urge to rush around watching as many R-rated movies as possible after they hit 17 (hey, it was my dream as a kid and I'm having a fine time fulfilling it now...yeah, I dream big) freaks me out. Oh well, I guess. If I'm being honest, she's had one of the least problematic performances for two weeks straight (I had a fine time giggling at last week's though; she just seemed so happy and good-natured on the chorus of "You're So Vain"...it was like "Hey, I really like you and just think it's so darn cute you're that vain!").

Original Artist video©
Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =j9J9rTZJBmw
2. Carly Smithson / "McFavorite"
Eric: The Irish wunderkind was great, but as Simon said, she is "... a million times better than the song." Which song was that? Some Celine Dion via Cyndi Lauper song called "I Drove All Night," which included such creepy lyrics like "I crept into your room/to make love to you." If a dude sang that, it would be sexual harassment. But Cyndi Lauper does it and it's romantic? I'm raising a glass of Guinness in hopes of Carly choosing better songs.

Sarah: I saw some real passion here, a spark of fire, and that's what I like to see in 80s music. Much to my dismay, very few people picked songs that showcase the hardcore angst of that decade (the Aussie tried for that last night and failed, in my opinion). Carly, however, threw a lot into this performance and ended up sounding pretty good despite the weird song. But all the high notes kind of made me uncomfortable (she's usually pretty good about hitting them and everything...but her face wrinkles up in this kind of frightening way when she sings them. And I'm not a big fan of high note overdoses anyhow, which is one of many reasons why this show and I don't play well together). I'm confident she'll be pretty terrific if she can find better songs (I'm crossing my fingers she throws down some Mary J. Blige at some point; Eric isn't convinced but I think this could be the key to unlocking her full potential).

Original Artist video©
Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =7bR46ibN7Rw
3. Syesha Mercado / "The Cute 'Fro"
Eric: Syesha's my most consistent favorite, but she, like Carly, can't pick a song to save her life or singing career. Tonight she went last, which means she got lots of praise, but it wasn't her best. She'll keep doing well because 1) She's awesome 2) Someone will help her choose better songs, right? and 3) She's awesome.

Sarah: Syesha is cute and sassy and I like her quite a lot. Remember when she lost her voice during Hollywood week and had to write on cards to communicate? Howfriggin' adorable was that? She's like the female Jason Castro! Not to mention, she kind of reminds me of the ultra cool Nadia Turner from a few seasons ago, who threw down one of the best renditions of Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" I've ever heard ( the only other Idol performance that has come close to equaling its awesomeness for me was Mr. Blake Lewis' version of The Zombies' "Time of the Season" last year) . Nadia ultimately lost momentum and came off as unrelateable or something (because she was more talented than everyone that season and didn't come off as a moron...which audiences of course mistook forsnobbiness), but I think Syesha could go far. This wasn't so great, but I've got oodles of faith in the girl.

Original Artist video©
Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =I_esJmpDcLM
4. Amanda Overmeyer / "She Will Beat You Senseless With Her Voice"
Eric: Amanda has one trick, which will make it hard on her for the rest of the competition, but in her defense, she does that one trick really really well, as she did on Joan Jett's (don't forget the Blackhearts) "I Hate Myself For Lovin' You." Girl can work the crowd, but I'm not sure how it will work when the inevitable "Hall & Oates Night" comes around. But everyone loves them some blues.

Sarah: I get the feeling I'm not as impressed with Amanda as everyone else. She comes off as genuine and nice (not vaguely forced and pretentious, like a certain David Cook) and I definitely think she has talent...but I just feel myself starting to grow weary of her voice already. It's tough when someone has such a distinctive voice and style on this show; they inevitably end up contorting songs from every lame theme night to fit them and I always end up getting kind of annoyed by it. I mean, remember Chris Daughtry? He had more range than Amanda but kept twisting things to suit him and remember what happened? He got his shiny head booted out of the competition before even reaching the final 3! Granted, he's gone on to be way more successful than most of the actual winners of the show (see " Fantasia 'Not just a Disney move' Barrino" and " Ruben who?" and " That one gray haired dude" for examples), but I'm betting Overmeyer won't have the same fate. I'm guessing the judges are going to start complaining about not seeing more variety in two to three weeks and then Simon will probably start saying she's forcing it...and then she'll leave. Or she could always surprise me (stranger things have happened). Despite my doubts about her future, I have to give it up and say this performance was pretty good and one of the best of the night.

Original Artist video©
I hate my self for loving you - Joan Jett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =vJeB0iEXMBI
5. Rameile Mulaby / "The Really Short One"
Eric: In some crazy-high heels that still made her look dwarfed by 5' 8" Ryan Seacrest, Rameile sang Phil Collins' "Against All Odds." And it was exactly what you'd expect. Phil's second victim during '80s week did a believable job, which is about all you can say about a Phil Collins song. She'll make it through.

Sarah: I always kind of forget about her...which is kind of weird. She's that super tiny girl with the huge voice, right? Remember how they drilled that through our heads in her first audition? Yeah, I kind of remember (but still not really). This performance, likewise, was pretty forgettable for me. She has a nice voice though and I assume she'll go far (though she really should stop lending her glasses to Danny Noriega; I bet he talks trash about her behind her back...for what, I'm not sure, but I bet he's come up with something mean to say about everybody).

Original Artist video©
Phil Collins - Against All Odds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =sjt0av-GWak
6. Kady Malloy / "The Impressionist/The Hot One"
Eric: Kady is still my favorite overall person on the show, because she's hilarious in interviews, does amazing musical impressions and, like any self-respecting person, doesn't seem like she even really wants to be on the show anymore. She sang a Queen song that was kind of boring and one I didn't recognize (Really, any other song by them would have been way better). Call me when she busts out "Somebody to Love."

Sarah: If it were up to me, her nickname would be "The Hot One" (Eric's quite the nickname hog). I wasted no time in declaring her my favorite after her first audition; she was ultra pretty and her impressions were super cool (her Britney, as you probably know, is brilliant) and her real voice sounding pretty good at the time (though, in retrospect, it might have just been great compared to what I assumed it was going to sound like). And then she made it into the top 24 and everything went downhill. She still comes off amazingly in interviews (she's quite witty and still has her great impressions and she also sings opera, which is pretty sweet), but the singing just isn't there anymore. I think she's got a classic case of "beautiful person self-doubt," which happens a lot on reality shows. It's a staple on America's Next Top Model (the most conventionally attractive contestants always end up doubting themselves and becoming awkward and taking the worst photos) and it's nothing new for this show either (heck, remember Colorado's own Ace Young? Not to mention this season's unfortunate Luke Menard?). If I had to theorize a reason for this, I'd say that extremely pretty people might be less sure of their talents and feel more pressure to prove themselves outside of the physical attractiveness arena and this makes them all nervous (they probably have nightmares about hearing, "You look great, but...")and then they end up being uncomfortable to watch even though they should be quite pleasing to watch (maybe...its just a theory).Kady now sings like she's Canadian (in a bad way, not an amazing Leonard Cohen way) and scrunches her face up all weirdly while performing and just looks so darn uncertain of herself (and it doesn't help that she's always being accused of not having a personality by Simon, despite being so terrific in interviews). I'm guessing she'll be leaving us tomorrow, but I think she's expecting this (hey, she was expecting it last week) and will be relieved to go. And then she can return home and get her self-esteem back and do the opera thing or whatever and become awesome again. I believe in you,Kady!

Original Artist video©
Queen "Who Wants to Live Forever" (High Quality)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Zo52T7uKOJ
7. Asia'h Epperson / "The Unnecessary Apostrophe"
Eric: I don't get her. She's passable and bland, which might be great for this show, but, man, I just don't know. Plus, she fell in the Luke Menard trap of picking the cheesiest, most dated song possible: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." I almost changed the channel, but she was the first performer and I wanted to trudge through it.

Sarah: I'm not sure anyone can pull off the tight-legged, high-waisted pants (unless you're Gisele or somebody wildly predictable like that. I was just trying not to mention the obvious), and Asia'h is no exception. Ugh. And her whole outfit kind of summarizes the way I feel about her: overly perky, contrived, pretty annoying. The song was terrible. I've seen her sing decently in the past, but ultimately I just can't get behind her.

Original Artist video©
I wanna dance with somebody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =YYTD6hQh6xs
8. Kristy Lee Cook / "Caffeine-Free Carrie Underwood Lite"
Eric: Boooo! I just don't like her at all, and she country-fied a Journey song, which I just can't ever buy, but she's, to quote Simon, "forgettable." The best part of the whole show last night came during her judging, when former Journey member/current moron Randy Jackson said, "Well, to me, no one sings it like Perry *pause* Steve Perry." He NAME-DROPPED STEVE PERRY. That is all.

Sarah: Blah. I didn't like her in the beginning but then I couldn't stand her after she saved herself from being cut in the Hollywood auditions by singing "Amazing Grace" for the second time in the competition. And the thing America was supposed to be surprised to find out about her last week was that she's a tomboy? That goes camping and breaks horses and wrestles or whatever it is that she does? Seriously? Come now, that's all we've heard about her from the beginning of the season. I disagree that she's forgettable (I always tend to remember the ones I don't like, and besides, her extremetomboyishness is forever etched in my mind) but she is super bland. And I don't think she should have ever made the top 24 (but neither should a lot of other people...what else is new?). I hope she's going tomorrow.

Journey-Faithfully
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =OKorl7Ouht0
9. Robbie Carrico / "He Wears A Wig"
Eric: Again, Robbie defies gender and the fact that he's already been voted off to take the last place on the list. Great job, Robbie!

Sarah: Hooray! My favorite phony loser! I miss you, buddy!
Hey, you got a problem? Leave us a comment. If you dare.


SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above blog



Talk Back : submit comments to the blog

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Showing 1 of 1 comments
Submitted By: Tracey Fanning
posted on 3/6/2008 @ 11:51:37 AM
(Not Rated)
I do find Brooke white creepy,and better yet she's a nanny! I differ on your opinions of Carly Smtithson.I think she is NOT that great of a singer.She is a favorite because of her association with Randy.I think the judges have been biased for her and if she can't find a shirt besides a tank top to show off her horrible tattoos,I suggest we take up a collection.The tattoos are hideous and poorly done.I think she is way over rated. Actually this is the most boring American Idol season I've watched.No one stands out except David Archuletta.
[Report as objectionable]
Showing 1 of 1 comments
SAVE AND SHARE THIS BLOG ENTRY
BLOG ENTRY RSS FEEDS
BLOG LIST
WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?
Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is  register,  then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyonewhat events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

Loading Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

This YourHub.com community is produced by The Denver Newspaper Agency
Web Development and Channel Analytics provided by Indigio

terms of use //  privacy policy
the staff //  advertise //  help & faq
buy photos