THE FULL MONTY CHRONICLES

It is extremely hard for me to not get emotional about this season coming to a close. 15 years of a legacy stopping tonight. I know that there are rumors of an American Idol 2.0 but it just won't have the nostalgic value that this particular show has. As for Season 15, I can't believe that I got the finale that I wanted. By Top 4, I had an idea of who I wanted in the finals. Season after season, I would have my dreams crushed when my second pick for the finale would get booted out 3rd or 4th place. That may have happened every season. Because I can't let it go just yet, let's take a trip down memory lane: Season 1: Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray (4th) Season 2: Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken (I got my wish) Season 3: Fantasia Barrino and Latoya London (4th but I wanted Jennifer Hudson as well) Season 4: Carrie Underwood and Vonzell Solomon (3rd) Season 5: Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin (3rd) Season 6: Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle (3rd) Season 7: David A...

Well they were able to squeeze 10 songs in this week. Why couldn't Sonika sing last week??? Okay I had to get that out. Just puzzling. We get three songs from the contestants.  A hometown dedication, Scott's choice, and judge's choice. Very interested to hear how they do with each song. As always, I rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Dalton Rapattoni - Everybody Wants To Rule The World : The vocal just suffered so much with the performance quality. The key was too low and the dramatics overshadowed the vocals. He tried to work with what he was given. The beginning in the audience was so odd. It frightened me a little. Dalton Rapattoni - Calling You : I was with in the beginning but things got out of hand quickly. He is out of his league here. His vocals are no where near polished or ready. It was breathy and just not my cup of tea. I am trying to get on board with him but just not a fan of his singing. He doesn't pick songs that allow him to real...

I am very excited about the performances tonight. I am a huge Sia fan. Lots of treasures in her catalog. Very curious to see how the contestants do. As always, I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. MacKenzie Bourg - Titanium : Bland. Boring. Monotonous. This song is not meant for that. It didn't go anywhere. I wanted more energy and power behind it. Just blah. MacKenzie Bourg - Want You To Want Me : On paper, I thought that this would have been amazing. I never got to a spot where I felt any connection to it. It was almost like a throw away vocal. Just stayed soft throughout. Because of the arrangement, it lost the umph and energy. Dalton Rapattoni - God Only Knows : He tries to emote and it comes off okay but I still don't feel connected to him yet. It is probably his vocals. They just don't linger enough for me. With that being said, it was probably his strongest vocal since the finals. Dalton Rapattoni - Bird Set Free : I loved the emotion...

Finally, we are at single eliminations. Double eliminations felt like they were trying to rush through the season. They probably were but let us have something/someone to hold onto lol. 2 songs from each contestant. Well 5 out of the 6. And why do the fans get to choose songs for the contestants??? If I were on the show, I would be curious about the choice but wouldn't want to live by it. The contestants have had no say in a lot of this season. Duets and now song choice. Thank goodness that this is the last judge's save. Think about it....24 contestants and 19 of them have gone home at the hands of the judges. In previous years when we got to top 24, only two went home based on judge's save. Final season....no wonder. Now that I am out of my grouch stage of the blog, let's get to some thoughts on performances. As always, I rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Trent Harmon - Counting Stars : Oh boy.....well you had energy. Manic energy but it was ener...

They are really trying to steamroll through this season. It is like Idol producers are over it already. Or maybe Fox executives are over it. As always, I rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Dalton Rapattoni/MacKenzie Bourg - I Want It That Way : Nope nope nope. I liked the groove of the arrangement. The vocals were all over the place. For some reason, this really showed your vocal weaknesses. UGH. I want so much more for you. I can't get with this. Lee Jean/Tristan McIntosh - I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing : Hmmmmm this was a little bit of a mess. Tristan was shouty and Lee was a little under from time to time. Not a good match all around. I have nothing else to really say about it. Dalton Rapattoni - Eleanor Rigby : Look. I get it. He is fantastic with his creativity and stage presence. Strip that all away. Strip away the lights, the fog, the orchestra, and the "cute boy" factor and just listen to his vocals. Nowhere near the rest of the competit...

Double elimination tonight! More than likely, someone that I was rooting for will be going home. It just always happens that way. I am hoping that they blow me away. As always, I rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Gianna Isabella - If I Ain't Got You : Nope. This song was like something that she probably sings at every family event to show that she has the family talent. She landed about 60% of her notes. No connection at all. Yea I was not feeling this at all. Dalton Rapattoni - Radioactive : I am not digging this arrangement. I appreciate that you want to change up songs. But I think that this was a stretch. The original has a drive that this arrangement did not have. To me, that really showcased your lack of range. I was really bored by it all. MacKenzie Bourg - I Wanna Dance With Somebody : Another arrangement that I could have done without. Something was missing. I appreciate the artistry but it didn't do any favors for you. I thought that the bac...

America listened to me!!!! Yep I am very excited about this Top 10. This is who I wanted out of who was left. So now the games really begin! As always, I rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Gianna Isabella - Listen : Hmmmm......this song was just not right for you. Not helping your cause. She sounded so young on this. I thought that her held notes were under for the most part. This will send you packing really quick. There was too much that she was trying to cram in here. Tristan McIntosh - Nothin' Like You : Ouch.....especially towards the end. Shaky and flat. Didn't quite hit the notes. AHHHH this is frustrating. Her stage walks were definitely interrupting her vocals. Avalon Young - Stitches : Sub par. I wanted so much more from you but it was just too chill and uneventful. This vocal did absolutely nothing for me. This felt forced and contrived. Lee Jean - Skinny Love : Good in many spots. I felt the nerves creep in at moments. I liked the chill f...