moocher

I'm glad to see some west coasters finally chiming in and seeing what I saw in McPhee last night. As you can see from all the smileys in my posts, I was dumbfounded at all the "she was flat", "she was off pitch", "she was all over the place", "she was overrated on Over the Rainbow" comments. Fact is she put on quite a show last night, is a very talented singer, and deserves the finals with only one truly bad night all year long.

Taylor is going to be another one of those polarizing winners similar to Fantasia. Like the Taylor detractors here, I saw absolutely nothing special about Fantasia. Both her personality and singing style were grating. Yes, she turned in a few above average performances but most nights she was average to horrible. (Latoya London should have run away with it that year.)

Taylor is really a great singer. It's his spazzed out dancing that makes him seem amaturish. I've said it before but ironically it is the "drunk uncle" dancing routine that has endeared him to so many this season and will carry him to the top. However, the reason he has gone so much farther than JPL is that he can actually sing. If you listen to some of his performances against the original (listen only - not watch) he actually sings them better. I'm sure some will disagree here but I have actually compared on a few and I find his versions to be better. I have no problem with Taylor as the winner of AI5.

scoot95

I HATED HATED HATED HATED Elliot last night...then again, I have all year. I love "Open Arms" but his version was awful. Never even heard the final two songs he sang before. He absolutely bored me to tears.

Taylor and Katherine were very good in my opinion with Kat giving the performance of the night with "Somewhere over the Rainbow".

Now, if Chris were there instead of Elliot, last night would have been a night for the ages. Instead it was aiight...


By the way, right before Taylor brought Paula on stage, I turned to my wife and said how funny would it be if Taylor did that. Then they did that same dance as the video....that was classic.

Big Quasimodo

I agree that Taylor is not only the front-runner, but he has been the most dominant front-runner in AI history. Never voted into the bottom 3, and usually a clear #1 vote at dialidol. I also agree that he is a very good singer and on certain songs is excellent. His stage presence is more polished than most contestants (possibly due to experience) and he knows what works for him, both vocally and with dancing, facial expressions, and wardrobe. He also was quick to consolidate and promote his "soul patrol" schtick and has been good with the judges. Personally, however, he has more than a few aspects that, while they work for him and his constituency, really grate on me (soul patrol, whooping, drunk dancing, seemingly painfully shy and awkward during interview portins (although this seems to have improved).

I never liked Kat that much until recently, but I honestly think her upside is greater than is Taylors (I know her backside is ) She is not as polished onstage or vocally, but honestly, she's a lot younger and less experienced onstage. I will be rooting for her to perform to the best of her capabilities if she gets another week so that I can hope she has a chance to win. If she doesn't knock it out of the park next week (assuming she even makes it), Taylor will roll (because the guy has been nothing, if not consistent).

Charlie Goose

Kat was good on her second song, although it was a little bit too theatrical. It proves that she should lay off the annoying vocal gymnastics on other songs. She's good enough to just sing. Still, for some reason she just seems unlikable.

When Taylor pulled Paula up on the catwalk, it would've been great television if the exertion made her start throwing up booze and undigested pills.

magiccmom

I think Elliot has a very pleasant voice and can do some songs really great, but I dont think his voice is versatile enough. He doesnt have any power behind it.

I didnt like Kat's first song. Yes, she has a powerful voice, but sometimes it borders on screaming for me. It's funny how she ends the song, and thinks she did amazing, just to hear the judges slam her. SHe looks shocked. It's pretty arrogant to think you shouldnt get the same feedback everyone else has gotten through this competiton. However, I thought she would butcher "Over the Rainbow" but I thought it was her defining moment, and it was an awesome performance. (maybe because the band was toned down...they ruined so much this year) Her accupello (sorry for the spelling) was amazing, and I was impressed. BUT, I dont think she has anything to make her stand out as an individual performer (I'm talking voice wise here!).

So that leaves Taylor for me. I thought he was really good last night in all his songs, and he kept his dancing pretty toned down. He has his own style and brings his own personality to his performances. I did think he seemed like a politician last night though, selling his soul patrol, and dancing with Paula. What? No babies to kiss? I think he will bring this home, hands down, since he has never been close to being in the bottom of anything during this whole competition.

That said, it has been a great year of AI. It had it all...the geeks, the eye candy, the rocker, the country bumpkins, and the soul.

bradler

im a big elliot fan, but i admit that there was nothing special about his performances tonight. very...blah. maybe its my bias, but i got really mad when ryan seacrest and the judges were arguing and acting very childish, only to end it with "...and heres elliot yamin." got me completely out of the mood, yet it is the singer's job to catch you back in (which he unfortunately didnt do)

and i agree that katharine did bad-great-good on her performances, but her comments didnt help at all. was i the only one that expected her to jump on top of the piano and start swinging her clothes during her last song? oh well

and i know taylor is extremely popular, making him an easy target for "i dont see what the hype is all about," but the guy does do a great job and seems very consistent. imo, hes always good, sometimes great, but never bad. can always count on him for a good performance

based on last night, i gotta admit that elliot should leave and he will fade away into obscurity as previously mentioned. but then again, katharine was all wiggidy wack her last 2 performances, so we'll see.

either way, im too lazy to ever vote

das Monkey

I think the reason Taylor is the front-runner, is that he has been consistently above average every single week. He takes no chances, sings songs easily within his range that anyone with a halfway decent voice could sing, and he performs them with energy. Meanwhile, everyone else is trying new things and sometimes failing and often nervous at stepping outside their comfort zone (and nervous looks bad). If there were someone great in the competition, that strategy likely wouldn't work, as that person would outshine him by taking chances, but since McPhee is so inconsistent and Elliot is so boring, he'll probably above-average his way into victory.

das

SoSpacey

And last night proves it.

Kat was very very very good last night. Her first and last songs were very good yet she got so much slack from the 2 of them. They obviously dont like her and make it clear. I am glad she stuck up for herself last night.

Simon got it right on the first song.

When I first heard she was doing "Over the Rainbow" it was the most iffy of the three for me. But it was the best song of hers on the night and the best of the year in my opinion. She took a standard that everyone has done before and made a new song out of it.

Elliot is a bore.

I have been on Taylor's bandwagon all year but I will say this....

Forget comparing his last song to the original. It wasn't even as good as the dude who sang it in the Commitments. Compare it to that version and he falls way short.


My Night...

Elliot....... decent, good, decent
Kat.........very good, Excellent, Good
Taylor......Good, Excellent, Good

Elliot needs to go home.

Randy is obviously rooting for Taylor
Paula obviously for for Elliot.

Maybe without Elliot we can get an honest opinion out of Paula again.

mphtrilogy

Paula did Elliot no favors with that Song choice. Simon and Randy teed it up for McPhee and Taylor though, two great choices and they both nailed them.

McPhee was 2/3 taking no risk on song #3, Taylor was 3/3 home run on all 3, and Elliot was solid on all his but other than Open arms his last two songs were not memorable songs on there own.

Simon's comments were all pretty much right on target.

And Taylor showed once again while he will win this thing, its a combo of personality and singing, and Dancing with Paula in the Courtney Cox role was one of the great moments on Idol.

SoSpacey

I dont think anyone mentioned Kat's red shoes during "Over the Rainbow".

Nice touch.

SBrooks1

She has feet??!!??

Patman

The problem with Kat is that she doesn't have a signature voice that's easily identifiable for a solo singer.

Elliott might find a niche in R&B.

Taylor just seems like a man-child in his expressions and mannerisms. He might put out a decent album but I don't think he'll have a long career in the music biz as a headliner.

Bill Needle

Taylor is the only one left I find entertaining enough that I would remotely consider listening to or watching him perform. That's enough for me. He is better than the others in the same way Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and yes, Joe Cocker are better than the others. They are singers who people love to listen to even though they would never get past the initial audition stages of American Idol. I am certainly not saying Taylor is in the same league as those guys, but I enjoy him far more than Elliot or Katherine for similar reasons.

wlmowery

I think part of Taylor's problem is that he does not know what to do with his body when he doesn't have a guitar or keyboard in hand/in front of him. He's an execellant overall musician, and many people (myself included) get lost when they lose the security of a musical instrument at hand when on stage.

Elliot is too bland overall for me to see any success in the future for him.

Kat is well, Kat. She looks good, damn good, and sometimes sounds it too. But she is very hit or miss vocally in a live setting (her backstage rehearsal shots are much more consistent), so I am not sure the package of looks and on stage performance ability is truly there. I think she could put out a great recording and then suck in live stage shows (aside from her looks).

Taylor is the most "complete" package for live performance and has the potential to be even better when you get a damn instrument back in his hands to control the spasms.

kantonburg

Thats why Simon, the shows creator, has said more times that I care to count that this show isn't a singing competition.

Bugg

Last night pretty much summed up this year's AI contestants in a nutshell. Bland mediocre and thoroughly unspectacular.

Taylor is a novelty act that lacks the range and soul of the singers he most loves to immitate.

Katharine has a nice vocal range but does not seem to have learned how to sing yet, often times she seems to be crudely shifting vocal gears at random, There are no smooth transitions between the mellower moments and the power vocals, she is a very herky-jerky singer.

Elliot is so lacking in stage presence that he risks being upstaged by the microphone stand. He has sort of a smooth vocal yet seldom seems to perform songs that could showcase it.

This is weakest final three so far on American Idol. Sure none of these people are as bad as Jasmine Trias or Nikki McKibbin, but none of them are finalist material that could of stood a chance against any of the past winners.

Joeboo835

Regardless of what you think of hte contestants, AI needs to get the band from RockStar:INXS to play for these guys. The band they have is awful.

Ok, i know that band wouldn't fit with AI, but seriously, the band they have is really bad.

johnnysd

Totally agree. Clive was right that Katherine needs to find her "voice". Unfortuantely, I think that the direction Clive saw is similar to the direction Kat wants to go and that is the big Whitney Houston type singer. However, I think she is better when she is softer and more melodic. Her best perfomances were Tunstalls "Cherry Tree" and "Over the Rainbow". Kat could really be awesome with a subdued kind of "tweener" pop rock sound with folk and country rock influences (but more towards rock) kind of a combination of Tunstall, modern Emmylou Harris (though she will never be as good as Emmylou), Linda Rondstadt, Kasey Chambers, Lucy Kapalansky, Mindy Smith. I do not think she will go that way on her album but will go R&B influenced power ballad pop, which is not right for her, and will be very generic and not give her the "voice she needs.

BassDude

Anoher great night for Kat and Taylor. I'd love ta see them in the finals, but..ya know... Can't count on the voting to come out the way ya want it.

Any more dialidol results?

SoSpacey

chowderhead

Carrie Underwood was never in the bottom three and though there was no dialidol last season, I will bet she was leading in the vote for most if not all of last season.
Taylor is a spaz and will go the same route as Fantasia. There is a chance that Taylor is so polarizing that he has maxed out on the people that will vote for him. If the vast majority of the votes that went to whoever is eliminated goes to whoever survives tonight's elimination, then it will be enough to overtake Taylor - god I hope this happens!

prp2

Of course, this also takes into account that DI was only counting two out of the three numbers last night due to "technical difficulties," so there are still three other phone lines unacccounted for.

rkndkn

I actually thought Bobby Caldwell's song was PERFECT for Elliot.

I hope Taylor wins, but my heart isn't in it after Chris left. What a boring night it was last night.

twikoff

an hour long show tonight?
ugh

Patman

Kat won't be packaged as "pop", instead, her niche is "Adult Contemporary".

Try watching him sing with the mute button on, I dare you. I predict that his niche is bluesy-rock, or whatever category Michael McDonald is in nowadays.