To me Jon doesn't have the range to go far, plus he looked really awful singing his song. He's got a very low Q factor.

I thought Elizabeth & Amy were the two best last night.

I also didn't think Latoya was good. Why do the judges love when a contestant screams throughout their song ?
Why didn't Randy rip her song selection like he does everyone else ? "All By Myself" ? Please.

I also didn't like Fantasia, who the judges loved as well.

I want to hear Fantasia & Latoya sing some Neil Sedaka songs or songs where you can't scream your way through.

I still have my doubts about the honesty of the producers when it comes to who got how many votes.

For that reason, I'm almost certain it's going to be LaToya and Eric. I think LaToya and Amy will receive the most votes, but I think Eric will be the "surprise" winner this week just like that Rose Bowl guy was last week.

It makes for better television. It's more exciting. It keeps you guessing. And it keeps the final group from being entirely female. All things that make the show better and keep viewership high.

Just my two cents.

I still think my top 3 will be the top 3 on the show tonight (Amy, Latoya and Eric).

I don't hear where Latoya "shouted" or "screamed" at all. That was some powerful singing.

http://www.hawaiian-punch.com/images/clown-badge.gif

ok we have not been following this show religously. we did see the ep. where they gave this one girl(don't remember her name) about being too Kim Caldwell. whatever happened to her? has she already performed?

I'm close to agreeing. I thought that she lost a little control at one point, perhaps going a little too strong. But I didn't think think she just yelled.

She was my #1 for the night. To take a page from Simon, I don't care who is #2. And that's disappointing considering that I had higher hopes for last night than the previous two.

What's up with that Clay Aiken guy (ok, he doesn't really look that much like Clay, except for the ears)? They show some producer telling him not to wear this purple striped shirt because it's too much like Clay, and then he apparently ignores the advice and used the shirt in his photo op.

I think Latoya's in the final 12 for sure. If not, I have to believe she'll win a wild card. One thing for sure... they did a much better job this week than last. I think the first week, the judges criticized most of the group for chosing "safe" songs. In the second week, we see a bunch of people choosing songs that just weren't right for them (or that they didn't have the talent to pull off), and they sounded awful. Going into these elimination rounds, I'd rather pick a "safe" song I know I can sing well, then a song that's out of my range or doesn't suit my look...

That's why I felt bad for that Hawaiian guy. Being from Hawaii, my wife was ready to vote for him no matter what, but just couldn't after his performance. The audience wasn't into him at all, either...

I also don't think LaToya was "shouting." But it was just too much too soon.

The thing that always impressed me about Clay Aiken last year was that, despite the power of his voice, he never let it overwhelm the song. He understood that sometimes restraint is much more powerful than letting everything go.

I still like LaToya's voice and stage presence, and wouldn't be upset if she moved forward to the next round. But I really hope she will focus on the song at hand next time instead of the grandstanding.

As for the suprisingly warm reception of the judges towards Leah, just take it as a warm-up for next week's performance from the swimsuit model. It expect mediocrity followed by glowing praise for her "star quality" and little mention of her vocal talent one way or the other.

To me, it felt like Latoya was singing at a 3 on the volume level, and then in a matter of seconds, she got all the way up to 11 when there was nothing in between to bridge the song together.

My top three were:

1) LaToya
2) Amy
3) Eric

Elizabeth got killed with her outfit choice. My god that was ugly. I'd still hit it, but I'd make sure she'd wear something else first.

Of course, none of this matters to me unless they bring my baby Katie Webber back. :drool:

Agreed. Maybe you people had your TV's turned up too loud!? ;)

What's up with Simon telling that guy over and over he's like Clay without the personality. WHAT personality!?

Latoya started off sounding like Oletta Adams. Very pure, but effective. And her performance just built from there. There was no screaming or yelling. She's just got some serious pipes on her. I watched it three times in a row (Tivo). The woman brought the house down. And the judges aren't usually swayed by the audience reaction. They gave her a standing o for a reason.

Let's just say that I'm not ready to crown Latoya the next American Idol just yet. I find some of these standing O's so premature at this point in the competition. Plus I've seen some standing O's in the past that left me befuddled at the judges's reactions.

Based on all the performances I've seen thus far, I'm ready to sign her to a record deal ;)

No doubt regarding the pipes but my disagreement lies in the phrase "her performance just built from there." That's the problem. It didn't build. It was a drastic, entirely uncalled for jump. As if Emeril had just thrown a pound of Cayene on her (BAM!). She turned Eric Carmen into Pagliacci.

Yeah, and Reuben's "Flying Without Wings" in last year's final really deserved it as well. (sarcasm should be noted)

They throw the standing o's around liberally whenever they want to sway votes. And, unfortunately, too often, the audience buys into it. "Gee..they stood up. I must have been wrong...she really was good after all."

It's because it was a shortened version of the song, I think. I also think she was smart to sacrifice the flow of the song since this contest isn't about the songs but potential. She started out understated and ended dramatically to show the judges that she has the range to sing a variety of songs. Before the judges said anything about her, I closed my eyes so I could really listen and thought she was great. Maybe she lost a little control at the end, but I thought she was much, much better than anyone else except maybe Fantasia (who I thought had a really quirky, but attractive quality to her voice.)

tasha

Given the time constraints they're dealing with, it was hardly "uncalled for".

All by Myself has always been an overly-dramatic song, starting out in a whisper and ending with a full-blown, over-the-top chorus. Because they don't have time to sing the whole thing on AI, once you cut out the middle portion of the song, that's what you're left with.

Given that inherent problem with the dynamics of the song, I thought Latoya nailed it. And I'm sure she could've handled the whole song perfectly, complete with the "transitional" elements that were missing.

:lol:

bwahaha...you have the nerve to make fun of Scorcho for being in the Real World thread when you are in an American Idol thread yourself!!?!

:p

No argument regarding the time constraints. But the jump was less than subtle and just came across as jarring to many (myself included).

As for the dramatics of the song, I have to both agree and disagree. While dramatic, it isn't overly dramatic. Carmen actually stays on a pretty even level of intensity, as does the orchestra, from chorus to chorus throughout the song. The only build in intensity is from verse to chorus. And with Carmen, it earns the shift...the verse and chorus contrast past idealism with sad reality. It is ultimately a song of melancholy...not building pain. Nothing inherent in the lyrics calls for the gradual build over the song.

But LaToya played it more like a song of pain, like Nilsson's "Without You," and it didn't fit. Esp. trying to rush it within the span of 1:30.

If she had stayed within the dynamics of the song, it would have worked much better, IMHO, and not seemed too overdone.

Oh no! Carmen Rasmussen is back?!?

-ptth-

Simon's very wishy-washy. His opinion changes often on the outcome.

He said Reuben's album is outselling Clay Aiken's. I don't see that at all. In total sales or the rate of sales.