A morning hodge podge.

[maveness]

First, I must say, the idea of Steve Martin as Perry White does not repulse me. As long as he doesn't get too hyper, that could work. Of course that's only a casting rumor, but still...

Second, SuperheroHype has new X2 production stills.

Wolvie. Belt buckle. BIG belt buckle. Massive. It's...it's...huge! Gargantuan! ::swoon::

*g* That was for you haremmistressdd.



My first thought was "ooohh, Gladys Knight, sweet." But after watching, while I thought she did a much better job than Lamont, well, what's the point of a celebrity judge when they won't give an honest assessment? Huh? She even candy-coated one of those that really, really needed to be told how hideous the performance was. *coughjuliacough*

Corey

He still makes my ears bleed. And that's considering I muted him *before* the screeching. I love, love, love that song. My personal opinion about that song is that it's a great one to do a remake of, because the song is timeless and incredible (like Simon said, it's a 9), and there's a strong chance of making it better. And before anyone gets up in arms, while Phil Collins is a great musician and has the ability to choose songs well, his voice isn't as strong as some of these kids.

Needless to say, I was really hoping Clay would choose this song. Ah well.

But Corey? Needs to go. Be gone ye bastion of evil!

Ruben

::swoon:: Clay is fabulous but Ruben...he is so the man. Yeah, he oversung a bit at times, but damn. I'm still not sure how, but he managed to not sound like Peabo. Granted, Ruben's voice is a bit deeper and a bit more gravely, but the potential was there to sound a whole hell of a lot like Peabo.

*sigh* Ruben is just so cute and fab. I do adore him.

Trenyce

Trenyce is a brave, brave girl, and I think this time it paid off. She's not quite Tamyra, but Trenyce is taking risks and making everyone pay attention to her. She refuses to be in the shadow of Clay and Ruben. And I like that.

But I also agree somewhat with Simon about her outfit. As soon as she was on stage at the beginning, it was evident that she was going to sing Whitney. Her clothing screamed "Diva Song!" She does need to come back a bit younger. Be a kid. It's interesting to me that while all of the young'uns in pop music try to dress older or play up their sex appeal or try to be adult in song and style before their time, Simon seems more concerned that they be young, be themselves. Now if he could articulate that better....

Clay

*g* Clay is such the sweetie and that was such a great performance. I love the fact that one week Ruben can kick royal ass, and the next Clay can be tops. Those two are the nicest guys and they consistently raise their game in competition. This performance was also great. And my favorite line from Simon came in response to this song..."I'll choose a song about mice." *snort*

Charles

For the life of me I can't remember if Charles was the one who came after Clay or not, but I'll address his performance now.

Dude. The Wiz? That song from The Wiz? Ugh. It was bad. The one thing about this performance (that puts him above Julia in my book) is the fact that he's starting to get a tad more comfortable on the stage, and we saw his personality a bit more. While it was an abysmal choice, he at least had something on his side. Because believe me, I was looking for something.

Kimberly Caldwell

Kimberly consistently runs middle of the pack for me. She has much better stage presence than anyone else, which earns her kudos, and she looks good, but her voice isn't as strong. Nor does she have the vocal range. I think she was smart to choose a Cher song, because Cher has a smokey voice like Kimberly, but I'm sure there are other songs by Cher that have appeared in movies. Because that one? Not so much the right choice. Although I can applaud her for wanting to have fun and entertain. She was pretty good, although later in the competition that won't cut it.

Josh

*g* I haven't read anyone else's opinions about last night's show, and when it comes to Josh...I don't care.

Folks, I love this boy. I love the fact that he realized who he was musically. I love the fact that he didn't try a cop out of playing to what the judges most likely would want (i.e. pop). I love the fact that he didn't care that it was a national competition and might hurt him to change genres all of sudden.

I love the fact that the boy is country and admits it. And if you don't like country and don't see the appeal of his performance or the twang, well, for the country fans let me tell you - he's good. He's damn good. He *is* country music.

Of course I also felt great that at least for the night, Simon seemed to be on board and supportive. I don't know if he'll stay with the support, but for last night, he seemed to appreciate the fact that Josh had found himself and was going with it, judges be damned.

Carmen

I have a theory on contestant placement that I'll address in a bit. But Carmen is part of it.

Carmen is in a specific class called country pop. She's a country singer that has deluded herself into thinking pop is the only genre that suits her. She *wants* to sing pop and likes it best, but her voice just won't go there.

All in all it usually makes for crappy music. It takes bubble gum to a whole new level.

Carmen's song choice wasn't surprising (Olivia Newton John, another psuedo country singer), and it fit her age. That part made it a really good choice. And she had less of the break in the song too, although the break fit in this instance.

But Carmen was off key part of the time, a good part of the time, and as Paula said, her makeup was too bright. Makeup artists? Tone it down. Way down. Natural colors, not the bright ass ones.

Rickey

Rickey is such a big dork. Don't get me wrong, dork is cute. But he doesn't do well with those fake interviews. When he's being himself, he's much more relaxed. Note to producers: don't do scripted with Rickey.

Rickey is getting better and better. I really like this boy's singing. I don't think he'll win, but he's consistently upping his game and refusing to go down without a fight. That song was very nice on him (jeez, I'm quoting Randy now) and he's not moving out of a song genre that works for him.

Julia

I...I...what is there to say? Please, put me out of my misery. Boot her tonight. You got rid of Vanessa to keep this?

Julia has no stage presence. None. She's terrified of being up there. She doesn't know how to show emotion in her voice when singing. I honestly think she freezes up on stage. She might record well, and her rehearsals indicate that maybe in an intimate setting she's fine, but to be in front of an audience...No.

Get that girl out of here. (Plus her outift and hair were hideous. Yeesh.)

Kimberly Locke

I was worried for about five minutes that she might sing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" again. *g*

I liked the song choice for her, even though my mom hated the song. There were a few notes where she seemed to be straining. I'm curious about Kimberly. Earlier in the competition she did a lot better. The final 12 her voice hasn't been as strong. Granted, we've mostly heard her sing SOTR, but still...is the strenous schedule hurting her voice? I wonder.

I think she looks great on camera no matter what, but I do agree with Simon that that dress was wrong. It made her look fat, even though she's not. It was not a good choice. She is curvy, but it's a good curvy. I'd kill to have that kind of curvy. They need to play up that hourglass figure, not try to hide it.

My Order Of Ranking
Last night's order based on their performances. Obviously the person last on the list needs to go.

1. Clay Aiken
2. Ruben Studdard
3. Trenyce
4. Josh Gracin
5. Rickey Smith
6. Kimberly Locke
7. Kimberly Caldwell
8. Carmen Rasmusen
9. Corey Clark
10. Charles Grisby
11. Julia DeMato

One thing I'm noticing about the placement of various singers. There are four singers that can be placed near each other (if they're doing the pairs, or after commercial breaks) and they won't diminish the other's performance. Those are...Ruben, Trenyce, Clay, and if she's on, Kimberly Locke. They have similar power to me, and similar style that keeps them from trouncing each other. Of course if Kimberly Locke is off, then she suffers big time. But I'm thinking that the placement of some of those near each other is on purpose. At least it seems that way.

Josh and Carmen seem to be placed near each other too as a means of counteracting each other. Maybe it's coincidence, but two country singers back to back? Hmmm. Of course it highlights how much better Josh is than Carmen, but still...

My personal favorites have now grown to three. Ruben, Clay and Josh. They just have that great Goosepimpliness vibe going.

Comments

[devildoll.livejournal.com]

Wolvie. Belt buckle. BIG belt buckle. Massive. It's...it's...huge! Gargantuan! ::swoon::

*g* That was for you haremmistressdd.
Hee! You know what they say about big buckles...

The first thing I did when I got home last night was put that baby up in the buckle gallery. It's a verrrrrry nice shot. *g*

[maveness.livejournal.com]

It is, it really really is a nice shot. *g*

Although my question now is...what the hell kind of shirt was he wearing? Pink paisley?

Re:

[devildoll.livejournal.com]

Although my question now is...what the hell kind of shirt was he wearing? Pink paisley?
That's what it looks like. An interesting fashion choice for a feral badass, I have to admit.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

Only a man truly confident in his sexuality would were that shirt.

Of course that man could be confident that he was gay or straight, but still...