Goodbye, Paige...

Finally, for the first time in 3 weeks, the right person was sent home (I still miss you, alex lambert... and toddrick hall). I don't think anyone was surprised that Paige was cut from the tour. In fact, if any one else had been sent home, there would have been outrage. The only big shocker was Katie in the bottom three. No one saw that coming. I thought maybe DiDi would join Tim and Paige, maybe Lee, probably Andrew, but never Katie.

A few thoughts on the show: The group perfmances have become strictly comedy. In no way shape or form to they showcase actual talent. The judges want to criticize contestant for being too "High School Musical" or "Glee"- like when performing, yet they are required to perform "wake me up before you go-go" complete with cheesy choreography. Cystal and Casey sure are good sports about it. Lee, as always, looked in pain.

I was convinced that Miley Cyrus had a wardrobe malfuntion. It looked like she was having to hold her dress up but apparently she just bear hugs herself when she sings (can you call it signing?). She reminds me of that episode on Friends where Pheobe has a cold and has a "sexy" voice. Miley sounds like she has a sinus infection. I like her, but she would never make it through Hollywood week on American Idol...Well, maybe this year she would have.

I have no idea what that nonsense was with Joe Jonas and Demi Lavato was. Has she lost weight? Maybe I'm confusing her with Selena Gomez. But seriously, is this music relevant to our youth? what is happening? I blame you, Britney Spears.

Anyway, it was a bad week for America, but at least the american public had their voices heard in one arena this week. Goodbye, Paige.

American Idol?????

Ok. So, usually I can't wait to discuss the american idol performances, but last night was so awful. It was such a down turn from Rolling Stones week. I kind of don't even want to think about it. So here's my rundown/ranking of last night.

1. Crystal- Amazing! Usually she is so good it just bores me, but tonight i loved loved loved her. Maybe it was the song she performed. Any song that mentions Baton Rouge has a special place in my heart. She's so good and it was nice to see her enjoy her time on stage.

2. uh...a distant 2nd... i actually like Didi. The judges ripped her a new one but she is so entertaining to me. She's beautiful and classy and a has a unique and good voice. What more do you want from an american idol contestant?

3. Casey- middle of the road was better than most of the other contestants this week.

4. Mike- of course he chose 'when a man loves a woman'. of course he did. I'm getting a little tired of Big Mike, i gotta say.

5. Siobhan. not my favorite performance and not near as good as her last 2 performances. But these 5 are in a league of their own.

6. Katie- PERFECT SONG CHOICE.

7. Aaron- he's good, but he IS NOT David Archuleta good and i did not appreciate that comparison last night, Ryan Seacrest.

8. Lee??? i guess he goes in this spot. i still don't understand the fuss. what some people see as shy and uncomfortable, i see as cocky and lazy. i think lee and i just got off on the wrong foot.

9. Tim- smart kid. he's got a fanbase, that's for sure.

10. Andrew- please, Andrew, don't listen to Miley Cyrus ever again. You are brilliant. Do what feels good. I hope he doesn't go home because i know he is capable of making me vote for him.

11. Paige. HORRIBLE. AWFUL. if i were here, i would have quite that performance halway through and resigned my chance at the tour. i was so humiliated for her.

My points for going home are mostly on Paige and some are on Andrew. I hope its Paige. I think Tim will round out the bottom 3 but i won't be shocked if it's a suprise like Didi or Lee.

AI Results Show

Can I just say....David Cook was so much better than Ke$ha and Orianthe. Is this really what kids listen to these days? When I was in Junior High my favorite band was Counting Crows (and still is). Other favorites were Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, Sublime, Weezer. Was I just a really cool kid (doubt it) or has good music been completely replaced by blondes with terrible voices? My husband just kept saying, "No, really, who is this?" and we ended up fastforwarding through both perfromances. Yet, David Cook, an American Idol winner, was actually pretty good. So for those who say this has become a popularity rather than a signing contest, i beg to differ. Tim Urban, the worst this season, is ten times better than either of these artists vocally.

I was sad to see Lacey go, but not near as sad as I was about Alex Lambert last week. I still miss him. I know i should get over it, but i can't. He really added something to the show and i thought he was in it for the long haul. I miss Toddrick too. I can definitely live without Lilly though so i'm not upset about that. I think this is the least talented group ever, no doubt. It makes me think i could try out for this show. I could be a contestant and a judge at the same time.

American Idol Results

I haven't actually watched the Results show yet. I was out for St. Patrick's day last night and I only know what happened because while my husband and his friends were shooting Irish Car Bombs, i was texting my mom to see who got elimated. I put most of my pool points on Lacey, even though I didn't want to see her go. Other points were divided between Tim, Paige, and Andrew. So I had the bottom three covered. I'll watch the show tonight and write more about it later.

Next week's theme is Teen Idol. I have no idea what that means but it can't be good (unless i get to hear some hanson...andrew should definitely do mmmbop. Actually, this could be the perfect week for Andrew...:-). And apparently the judges save is back. I can't complain about this since it was used to save my favorite contestant last year. Hopefully it won't have to be used on Casey this season. Time will tell.

Congrats to my friend Abbi, whose second daughter, Peyton was born yesterday. And also to my bff Talia, who finds out where her residency is today. Thanks for making my life seem so dull and unaccomplished! Did i mention that my cousin is an olympic silver medalist? Well, i've recently started a blog and i have a cavalier king charles, so i think i've got them all beat.

Ranking the top 12 American Idol Performances

Here goes my analysis of how the Top 12 American Idol Contestants fared last night. Again, this is according to how I think they are ranked by votes, not by my own personal tastes.

First off, let me say this: It is obvious the judges want a girl to win. So why pick Rolling Stones as the first finals theme? They do this every year- they pick a cetain theme that is just better suited towards one gender's voice over another and i think it's unfair. That's my speil. Anyhoo, the girls rocked it regardless so props to them. My rankings:

1. Siobhan- Paint it Black- This girl has the drama and entertainment value of Adam Lambert without the migraine inducing screeching (her screechig is actually pleasant).

2. Crystal- Can't Always Get What YouWant- What do you want me to say? The girl is good. Too good. So good that it teters on boring. My brother (who does not typically watch the show)called me afterwards and said 'that blonde chick is going to win'. I do think there is a double standard with the judges for Crystal and Andrew. Andrew is constantly called a one trick pony and is forced to completely change his style, while for Crystal it's "knowing who she is as an artist". Granted, her one trick is way better than his. In the real world, I'd buy both of their albums.

3. Didi- Play with Fire- I'm very impressed, even though she forgot the words. She showed a darker and more intense side. I disagreed completely with Kara's opinion that she missed the intensity of the song.

4. Mike- Miss You- What did he do to this song? Awful arrangement!! I wish Andrew would have done this song instead. Again, I get why people love Mike so much, but it just is not my style at all. It's the opposite of Tim Urban. I don't like Tim Urban as a person or a voice, but he's much more in line with my personal tastes.

5. Aaron-Angie- I doubt he'll actually be up this high in th votes, but I got to give the kid props. Huge improvement. Good vocal, good performance. Very Bryan Adams-esque.

6. Lee- Beast of Burden- I was terrified that he was going to ruin my favorite Rolling Stones song. In a vacuum, this performance was very good. If this was the only time I had seen/heard him, I might even like Lee. However, Overall I still don't get the hype.

7. Casey- All Over Now- Consistent...Good...not much else. Casey' problem is that everyone likes him, but nobody LOVES him. Take Siobhan, people either love her or hate her and there aren't many people in the middle. My fear with Casey is that everyone is in the middle (except for me...and Kara). By the way, I called that he was similar to Johnny Lang before Randy did. I should be a judge on this show.

8. Katie- Wild Horses- She redeemed herself here. PERFECT song choice. Beautiful girl, beautiful voice. Slightly boring.

9. Tim- Under my Thumb- I actually thought his raggae version worked. He was creative and pulled off the Jack Johnson resort music genre. He's a smart contestant. He can sing 3 notes really well and he doesn't go outside of those notes (I guess he learned his lesson with 'Apologize'. Yikes!). And you know what? There is nothing wrong with a simple, pretty voice. Jack Johnson, Matt Nathanson, Howie Day, etc. He won't be a star, but i wouldn't MIND his music, you know? He makes me want to pop open a cornona lite and get a tan, and that's a great combination.

10. Andrew- Gimme Shelter- Oh Andrew...This was a brave performance, to go out and sing without an acoustic guitar. I mentioned earlier the double standard between he and Crystal. He should have done "Miss You" with his guitar and reminded America why they can't resist him. If his voice wouldn't have cracked during the last big note of this song, he might have saved himself. As it stands, I think America is just frustrated. It feels similar to Jason Castro. Like he just gave up. He's better than this and we all know it.

11. Lacey- Ruby Tuesday- I like this girl and I think Amarillo has some voting power, but she is just 'blah' to me. Like Casey James but without the charm. In fact, i think if she went back to her natural blonde locks, she might have a better shot. It just throws me off when she sounds like Dolly Parton but looks like a punk rocker chick. Blonde hair would suit her personality and her voice more. I just get confused looking at her. I expect her to be very confident and sassy and yet she's more of a shy girl next door girl and I think it's throwing people off.

12. Paige- Honky Tonk Girl- Seriously bad song choice coupled with no personality made this a dud for me. She has a great voice but very few likability points for me. I know most bloggers disagree and maybe she has staying power but i just don't see it. Maybe if she were more consistent.

So Overall my favorites are Casey, DiDi, and Siobhan. I think America's favorites are Siobhan, Crystal, Lee, and Mike.

Lacey is probably going home. Tim should probably be going home. Paige should preferably go home. We shall see in a few short hours and after a few green beers.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and My American Idol thoughts

First off, Happy St. Patricks Day (aka best holiday of the year)! I can't wait to celebrate my heritage by drinking green beer... at a Mexican restaurant. Yes, we have to go to a Mexican restaurant for st. patty's day because I live in a small west Texas town who boasts nothing in the way of fine Irish cuisine (aka fish and chips).

On to American Idol. Since I came up with my resolution to start blogging last night after the 3rd time an American Idol judge and I had a substantial "jinx" moment, I did not blog my opinions before the performances. However, I have a good memory and these were my ranking before the show (not according to my tastes, but according to how many votes I thought they'd get). For the record, my votes go to Siobhan (most talented and delightfully weird) and Casey (most marketable).

1. Siobhan- She's my pick to win the whole shebang. This girl is a dark horse in every sense of the word. I can't wait to see what she'll do and every week she grows on me, as I predict she is growing on the rest of America as well. At this point, she hasn't been over exposed, unlike my # 2 gal:

2. Crystal Bowersox- solid, interesting, genuinely cool chick. I just feel this isn't the right stage for her. She's a superstar though and not winning American Idol will be the best thing that ever happens to her.

3. Casey- marketable, talented, likable, consistent. He's in it to stay but needs a "moment" as the judges so frequently like to stay. He's bordering on forgettable but he definitely has the right stuff. I'm backing him until the end.

4. Mike- not my tastes but he's got a touching back story with the talent to drive it home. I like the guy, I just don't like R & B.

5. DiDi- I can't help but love her. She reminds me of Brooke White to the extent that I couldn't tell them apart when there pictures were side by side. She might be able to win it, but at this point, I'm not convinced she has the consistency. I'm a fan though.

6. Lee- ugh. Lee is this years Adam Lambert to me. I just don't get it. When I hear that other people are fans I just say "really?". Kind of like when I first heard that people thought Britney Spears was hot (really? the girl with the pink fuzzy scrunchies holding up her pig tails?) I don't get it at all. A dime a dozen, but like I said, he's got a following so I think he'll do well.

7. Lacey- I don't think she'll go to far, but I like her and she's got momentum. I put her up higher because she's from Amarillo, which is only like 4 hours away from here, which in West Texas makes us practically neighbors. I think Amarillo has some voting power for sure.

8. Andrew- I'm keeping the faith. He's a superstar no matter how well he performs on this show. Kind of like Crystal- not winning will be a good thing for him.

9. Tim- straight up, the guy is a cutie and will stick around because of it. And he's smart. He knows he can only hit 3 notes and he stays there. Song choice, song choice, song choice will keep him around at least a round or two.

10. Aaron- the kid has potential. His biggest problem- he isn't as cute, polished or as talented as David Archuleta. He could go or stay at anytime.

11. Katie- I like her. She's cute and she sings well and this competition needs her. She's a throwback to the days before contestants had to be "artists" and were just kids with a gift and a dream that needed direction.

12. Paige- Good voice, just no real star power.

I'll come back later to report on how my rankings changed after the performances.

Ps. Siobhan is a traditional Irish name (Irish for Jane), so happy St. Pat's to her! Another good reason to like this girl.

Introduction

To be successful in a free market society, you have to anticipate a need and fill it. At a sometimes slow paced job, I find myself anxiously awaiting blog updates commenting on my favorite reality shows (American Idol, Bachelor, The Amazing Race, etc). However, I get annoyed with some of these blogs because they are so harsh and sarcastic and I'm a nice girl who goes by the old adage, "If you don't have something nice to say...". Now, I had a stint as a mean girl back in my high school days, and spent the next few years tossing and turning at night because of it. I know I'm not the only nice girl/person out there who wants the commentary without the snarky and rude undertones, and I am here to deliver. I will call a spade a spade (I'm talking to you, Vienna) but I won't base my blog entirely on making myself feel cool by tearing other people apart.