THE FULL MONTY CHRONICLES

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...

This is where the fun really begins. America gets a say in this...FINALLY! Not a fan of saving 4 right from the jump. Clearly the judges want them to be the Top 4. The other contestants are going to have to play catch up. Kind of unfair but I guess you have to go with the punches. So with La'Porsha , Dalton , Trent , and Olivia safe, the remaining 10 have to sing for American's vote!  As always, I will rate performances from least favorite to favorite. Jeneve Rose Mitchell - Ring Of Fire : Nope nope nope. I can't get with this. Her vocals were so underwhelming. There was not a second of this that I enjoyed. Especially when she attempted to go higher in her register....nope nope nope. Manny Torres - Master Blaster : Well this just showed your vocal weakness IMO. It was choppy and inconsistent. Very talk sung. I didn't get anything new or different from that performance. When you held out the note towards the end, I put my hand over my mouth because it was pretty un...

What are they doing with this season??? I just read that they already taped tonight and tomorrow's episodes. Apparently, the judges will pick 4 to "fast pass" through to the top 10. The other 10 will reprise.....UGH....songs from a previous round and then I guess America will get to vote in the rest. You would think, that in the last season of Idol, TPTB would give more opportunities for the public to vote. SMH...Anyway....I am going to tell you what I think of the Top 14 by giving you the first word that pops in my mind and how they have done thus far. American Idol 15 Top 14 Jenn Blosil - Quirky. Showed a lot of promise in her Hollywood rounds. Bombed during Top 24 week. MacKenzie Bourg - Cool. Impressed many with his original song, Roses. Had a fairly good showing during Top 24. Trent Harmon - Style. Even in his sick stage, he managed to show us something of promise. Both of his performances were strong during Top 24. Gianna Isabella - Vibrant. Didn't...

As much as I enjoy seeing former idols come back, I would enjoy these much better if they weren't being judged. Just not fair to current contestants. I wasn't too impressed with last week's decision. Let's see if the judges can redeem themselves. Tristan McIntosh & Kellie Pickler - Best Days Of Your Life: Whew....my ears were seriously hurting. I wanted to like it. I really really did but the combination of tones were so piercing. Tristan was very awkward in movement. I don't ever want to hear this again though. Jenn Blosil & Constantine - My Funny Valentine: Just no. Notes were all over the place with both performers. I did not understand the love for this performance. Constantine is not my favorite vocalist. Jenn was trying. I can appreciate that. This duet....yea just didn't do it for me. Manny Torres & Jordin Sparks - No Air: Well Jordin sang circles around him. He just got swallowed up IMO. He just didn't deliver enough with the voc...

Alright so now we are onto to the second set of 12 singers. Singers that we have no say in lol. Crazy that everything until wildcard is in the hands of the judges/producers. Where is the trust after all of these years??? Anyway, there are a few in this group that I have been looking forward to. Let's hope that they can deliver. I am ranking the performances from least favorite to favorite. Amelia Eisenhauser - Wake Me Up : Nothing. Nothing at all. I didn't feel a single thing. I wanted more from her but I wasn't getting anything. Her voice has potential but this was not a good showing. She seemed out of sorts the entire time. Including the beginning. Jenn Blosil - Sorry : Wow...I expected so much more from this performance. The beginning was so off the rails. I felt like the performance never landed in the place that it should have. Yea, she pulled it together in the latter half. The arrangement didn't do much for me. All she did was slow it down. Hmmmmm....her duet...

Tonight we get duets with former Idol contestants/winners....yay (sarcasm should be oozing from your screen lol). It is way too early in the game for this. I don't even know their voices. Now I have to listen to them as they try to keep on par with some seasoned pros that came from the show. Ugh..those poor contestants. On one hand, it is extremely cool. On the other hand, they just threw under the bus, down a hill, and in a pit of fire. Let's see how they fare. Ranking the performances from least favorite to favorite. Thomas Stringfellow & Nick Fradiani - Man In The Mirror: Nope nope nope. Both of their voices were put out in the forefront as weak. AND THOMAS....NO MORE YELPS! I know that it was a Michael song but so unnecessary. I felt absolutely nothing. I was waiting for it to be over. Jeneve Rose Mitchell & Scotty McCreery - Gone: Hmmmmm I was trying so hard to get into it. Unfortunately her quirky awkward movements totally distracted me. Vocally, I thought t...

Well from what I have been reading, the top 24 will be split into two groups. They will sing a solo and then duet with a former idol contestant. The judges will then decide on 7 from each group to move onto the next round. From the 14 contestants, America will vote in 8 contestants and the judges get to choose who gets the final two spots. From here on out, I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Let's get going! Emily Brooke - I Am Invincible : Trainwreck material unfortunately. She should have chosen another song. The lower part of her range was struggling big time. The held notes were good in the upper register but her pitch never settled. Jordan Sasser - All By Myself : Hmmmm I didn't feel this at all. He went for notes and riffs that he did not own. Horrible song choice as well. Most of his notes were so strained and unsupported. It hurt me to watch him. Gianna Isabella - I Put A Spell On You : This performance had moments but this was so immatu...

Pretty excited about this episode! First things first, Michelle Marie is the thumbnail for the episode and THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!!! Let's get down to it! Again, I will do a YES or NO for each contestant. Stephany Negrete - After her first line, she instructs the audience...pet peeve. Other than that, her vocals were very nice. Strong and unique tone. YES Shelbie Z - I hope that there is significant factor with the scarf. It takes away from her performance IMO. Great voice but I feel like she has some limitations. NO Michelle Marie - I ADORE MICHELLE MARIE! Yes I know her story but man she has the spirit and drive that I still strive for. How awesome to see her give her all on that big stage! Her vocals were superb! This cut hurt a lot. More than I thought. YES I would have taken her into the Top 24. I am shaking my head at this decision. The maturity level is beyond amazing! She took that No with so much poise and stride. Wow. Sorry I am totally at a lost for words because I th...

Howdy! This is where they show if they are ready. I am ready for it! I will writing about each contestant and giving them a YES or a NO.  Stephany Negrete - Right song choice for your voice! It added a different texture to the song. Powerhouse vocals. YES Thomas Stringfellow - Lots of cracks. Wrong song choice IMO. NO Avalon Young - Another horrible song choice for her voice. I think that she could have picked a better song for her. YES Olivia Rox - I liked the original song. Bold move but it worked in her. YES John Wayne Schultz - I dig his personality. I think that there is a disconnect when he sings for some reason. His voice is pretty good. YES Mackenzie Bourg - Yea I felt this! I would buy a song from him. Wow I was mesmerized. YES Shelbie Z - She delivered. Her vibrato got a little carried away at times. YES Kory Wheeler - Nothing about him is exciting. NO James VIII - 10 points off for the name lol. I feel like he is limited in his vocals....

The infamous group rounds!!! Here is where my AI journey ended in Season 3. It is tiresome. It can be frustrating. Let's see how the last season played out! Wow soooooooo much drama from the jump. Really Poh?????? How do you just give up and leave in the middle of this??? It is the last season!!!! Why not just give it a go??? La'Porsha is my favorite so far. That takes a lot to just up and join another group. Morning rehearsal seemed to be absolutely horrible. I am hoping that they can pull it together. Kory/Kelsie/Jenna/Jordan FANTASTIC!!! Each one showed their own unique style and strengths. Harmonies and ad libs were on point. All 4 should easily go through! Jenn/Sara/Lynnzee/Bri Seemed a little unsure but pulled it off. I would send Bri home. She seemed the most unsure to me. Amelia/Tristan/Lee/Avalon/Jeneve They all seemed to shine in their groups. No one was horrible. I am still not sold on Jeneve. Chyna/Terrian Those harmonies!!! Get it! Trent Crazy ...

Well here we go folks!!! Let the drama commence! I rarely blog about Hollywood week but since this is the last season, I might as well. I need each contestant to BRING IT!! The Line of 10 round *Jordan Sasser - I rarely comment on look but he looked very disheveled. Dude you are on Hollywood week. Get it together! On to his singing, It was okay. I didn't feel a sense of solidity with the song. I would say NO. *Dalton Rapattoni - I still get nothing stand out from him. I would say NO. *Jaci Butler - I like her tone. Would have picked a better tone. I would say YES. *Jenn Blosil - Love her!!! Her tone and musicality. I would say YES. *Thomas Stringfellow - His vocals aren't strong enough for me. I would say NO. *Olivia Rox - She has it!!! I would say YES. *Jessica Cabral - Her tone is AMAZING!!!I need her in the finals! I would say YES. *Melanie Tierce - Nice tone and conviction! I would say YES. I couldn't believe that they let her go. WHAT IN THE WORLD????...

Season 5! One of my favorite seasons! After watching this season, I wanted to get back into performing. These contestants really inspired me. There were at least 5 that I really enjoyed throughout the season. This is also the first time that I did not agree with the final outcome. More on that later. THE FINALIST MELISSA MCGHEE Her tone was so lovely. So warm. Unfortunately she could never get the preparedness game under wraps. KEVIN COVAIS He needed a couple of years IMO. His voice hadn't quite matured. I wasn't convinced that you knew who you were as an artist. LISA TUCKER Her voice had so much potential but she had a horrible ear. She was always flat or sharp. Never right on the note. MANDISA She was a powerhouse vocalist. I think that song choice got the best of her. She was easily one of my favorites. BUCKY COVINGTON He was a good country artist but I didn't get the hype. ACE YOUNG Looks over voice at times. He delivered some good vocals but never ...

THE VERY LAST AUDITION EPISODE EVER....wow it is kind of hitting me right in the feels. Even though it has had it's ups and downs, American Idol shaped a generation of singers.  In case you haven't checked out my blog before, here is how I write about the audition episodes: THE GOOD - obviously the contestants that blow me away or that have a lot of potential for growth in the season and get through to the next round THE BAD - horrible singing and don't get through to the next round THE WHY NOT - IMO, great singing and potential but don't go through to the next round THE WHY - Not my cup of tea but somehow made it to the next round Let's get started THE GOOD Jessica Cabral - She is SO READY!! I could listen to her all day! The tone was so mature and beautiful. Reminded me of Erika Van Pelt.  Brian Dale Brown - Nice!!! I think that I am more excited that after 10 years of auditioning, he finally got his shot. Very nice voice. Maybe too much but I know that...

Episode 5. Getting more and more antsy for the last season to really kick off.  In case you haven't checked out my blog before, here is how I write about the audition episodes: THE GOOD - obviously the contestants that blow me away or that have a lot of potential for growth in the season and get through to the next round THE BAD - horrible singing and don't get through to the next round THE WHY NOT - IMO, great singing and potential but don't go through to the next round THE WHY - Not my cup of tea but somehow made it to the next round Let's get started THE GOOD Miranda "Poh" Scott - Way better than her sister IMO. Yes definitely a sense of abandon to her vocals and performance. I am expecting great things from her.  Amelia Eisenhauer - Her voice is golden! That rasp. That emotion. Loved everything about the audition. Joy Dove - Boisterous energy and it came through in her vocals. I am interested to see what comes up for her.  Mackenzi...

I remember this season well. It was during my first year of teaching. I had a tally chart in my classroom and got my students involved. I loved the format of the show. It allowed for us to see more of the contestants week after week. It was also the answer to a female dominated Season 3. I wish that they would go back to this format. Season 4 was definitely a more versatile bunch. I believe that we had a singer to fit every mold. THE FINALIST LINDSEY CARDINALE I love a husky tone and she had it. She just didn't know how to really pick the right songs for herself. MIKALAH GORDON She was a prime example of personality over voice. Vocally had potential but she couldn't hang with her fellow contestants. JESSICA SIERRA Another husky tone. I just don't know where she went wrong. She didn't come across as likable for some reason. NIKKO SMITH He was so good! Underrated IMO. Great R&B voice and always picked the right songs that suited him well. NADIA TURNER ...