“Grito de Independencia” Mexican Independence

September 13, 2008 - Bucklin Park - 6pm-10pm

This event is being put on in partnership with the Mexican Consulate!  Bring your family out for fun evening to commemorate Mexican heritage. “Grito de Independencia” Mexican Independence. Event will be an evening of traditional celebrations and ceremony.  Event includes artistic performances, food, “Ceremonia del Grito,” games, activities, jumpers and Folkloric Ballet.  Live musical performances from Grupo de Rock, Cantante Ranchero Edgar Valentin (Ranchero Singer Edgar Valentin), Cantante Ranchero Mary Carmen Reyes con Mariachi (Ranchero Singer Mary Carmen Reyes with Mariachi Group), Ballet Forklorico de Bellas Artes, Mariachi con Ballet Forklorico and Banda Imperial. For more information call 337-3858 or visit www.cityofelcentro.org

Wow after near four years since my last visit I am back home! I graduated from Yuma hIgh in 1996. I moved to Houston Texas in 1997, where I met my husband and had 2 additional kids. I am home visiting until the 7thg and was so thrilled to see myfoxyuma. I am a big blogger and fan of myfoxhouston. Back home we have had blogger picnics where we meet an open public spot. Have you guys done anything like that? I am really intersted in what my home town has to say and now I can check in when I am back in Houston.

AMERICAN IDOL Final 02 in Review…

By ImTHEIdolNerd!!!

05/20/08

Web address:  myfoxyumaelcentro.com

Final 2 – Tonight the song selections will be from Clive Davis, the COO of BMG; from the top 10 songwriters submissions; and the contestants choice…this should be interesting…And live from the Nokia Theater, the show starts off with a fight scene, or rather the introduction of the two David’s as if they were fighters…after all, this is the battle of the David’s so it makes sense…it was cute in a stupid sort of way…Ryan tells us that David Archuleta won the coin toss and has chosen to go last…smart choice…First song up will be Clive’s choice…

SONG ONE – Clive Davis’ pick:

01 – David Cook-Sang – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” – I sure hope this song isn’t prophetic…Well David’s off to a great start, nice clear vocals, pure in sound.  He seems a bit nervous at first but then loosens up and goes into the audience making a connection with them.  I’m surprised that he didn’t try to change up the melody at all, but then again, when a song is good to begin with I guess you just don’t try to mess with it…He is in top vocal form tonight and was pitch perfect.  He also had a nice strong ending and I loved the way he went up with the note at the end.  This song showcased his vocal range and challenged him to leave it all out there.  David didn’t disappoint me with this one…although the judges weren’t too thrilled with this performance I thought he proved why he is in the finals and why he deserves to win…David C. has a unique sound that will translate to lots of CD sales.

02 – David Archuleta – Sang – “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” – A ballad…of course…but that’s ok…that’s what David A. likes and where his comfort level is…he starts off nice and silky smooth.  No change up with the melody either, but that’s ok too…his voice is amazing.  I’m not really thrilled with this song choice but this is a song that David can sing well, and let’s face it, he could sing the phone book as a ballad and make little girls swoon.  This kid has talent, that can’t be denied, but now we are at the end of this competition and I still have no idea what kind of CD he will make.  I know whatever he does he will do it with passion and it will be beautiful, I just don’t know how long that will sustain a career though…David did a wonderful job with this song, but I have to disagree with Simon and give round one to David C.

SONG TWO – Contestants choice from the top 10 Songwriters Submissions:

01 – David Cook – Sang – “Dream Big” – I like that he picked a nice upbeat song and that he brought his guitar along for the ride.  The words are kind of sappy, but he’s putting a good beat and melody into this one…it’s more pop than rock though so I’m not sure how true to himself he is being with this song.  Maybe with more time he could have changed it up more to suit his style.  I like that he is using his vocal range to its full potential, those key changes are pretty challenging and he rises to the occasion nicely.  He’s really pushing himself vocally and leaving it all out there again…unfortunately I don’t think this song did him justice.  If this was the best he could find out of the top ten submissions then I think AI needs to re-think this whole songwriter contest thingy next season.  Anywho, David did the best he could with what he had to choose from…his danger on this one is that David A. will more than likely pick an even sappier song and will hit the heartstrings of every female listening. 

02 – David Archuleta – Sang – “In this Moment” – Yup…an even sappier song, with a lot of emotion…sticking to the ballads is a smart choice for David A.  He is really pouring his heart out in this song and I love the melody…I like this song choice better than David C’s.  This is just an amazing performance from David and one that really touched me…I actually got a little misty with him at the end of this song too.  It’s really hard to compare two very different styles of singing, but if I have to pick between the two #2 songs, I’ll have to say, round two goes to David A.  Nicely done David A.  Nicely done.

SONG THREE – Contestants Choice:

01 – David Cook – Sang – “The World I Know” – Brave choice picking a new song versus singing one that he’s already performed, such as Hello…that would have been a really good choice, but I give David kudos for daring to pick something new.  It really shows his diversity as an artist.  I like how the song starts out with just the guitar and then the gradual intro of the band.  It lets us hear his beautiful vocals.  David C. has a unique sound that will definitely translate to record sales.  I just love this song.  He, once again, left it all out there on that stage, I think even more so than with his other two songs.  He is singing for his life and the emotions are really shown in this performance.  Awww, he’s crying!  He is raw right now and you could just tell that he really, really wants this.  I’m glad he took this risk and sang something new.  For me this performance touched my soul.  I get him…and I hope everyone else does too.

02 – David Archuleta – Sang – “Imagine” David is playing it very safe tonight...he stuck to ballads (safe) and he is singing a song that he has already performed (safe).  However I think the first time he sang it he sang it better.  He had a shaky start, but got much better as he got into the song.  There was no wow factor for me with this song though because we’ve already heard him sing this one before…and, truthfully, the first time he sang it, it was much better.  I wish he would have picked something different…something that would have shown us who he will be as a recording artist.  The kid has talent and an amazing voice…but I don’t think that will sustain him over time.  I think he should have taken more of a risk with his song selection….I disagree with Simon…I don’t think this was a knockout, and I think round three goes to David C.

I have to disagree with Simon tonight.  I think tonight showed us who will be the better artist in the long run…We know that David C. is contemporary and will produce songs that will have a wider audience appeal.  David C. has sustainability in the music industry…I’m afraid that David A. will be a one-hit CD artist and will get lost in this business…This entire season David A. has managed to get through almost every week without singing anything contemporary (he tried once but that didn’t go over so well)…and he never really made any of the songs he sang sound contemporary.  I’m afraid that David A. will go the way of Taylor Hicks because he is so one dimensional…and that would be a shame because David A. has real talent…I just think he needs to wait a year or two to gain some maturity and be able to reach a wider audience.  David C. is ready now.  David C. is who this competition is all about…it was fate that got him into the contest in the first place.  He was at the auditions to support his brother and it was the producers that told him he needed to enter the competition…and so he did…on a whim…I think fate brought him to us and his skill as a singer should make him the winner.  The producers saw something in him and I do too…I hope that David C. is crowned the winner of Season 7.

Song 1 – Goes to…

1.  David Cook

2.  David Archuleta

Song 2 – Goes to…

1.  David Archuleta

2.  David Cook

Song 3 – Goes to...

1.  David Cook

2.  David Archuleta

My Overall:

1.  David Cook

2.  David Archuleta

Until next year, Nerd out!

AMERICAN IDOL Final 3 in Review…

By ImTHEIdolNerd!!!

05/14/08

Web address:  myfoxyumaelcentro.com

Final 3 – Judges Choice/Contestant’s Choice/Producer’s Choice – 05/14/08 –

After a season filled with old songs and has-been influences, I was hoping for a good night tonight.  I mean, this is the FINAL 3!  We should be excited by this point.  After all, this has been the season that was filled with the most talented top 12 of all the seasons…The producers really had an opportunity to make this the best season ever and they blew it with one poorly picked theme after another…2 weeks of the Beatles, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Mariah Carey, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of fame…sigh…and the contestants didn’t do any better with themes that could have been made to feel more contemporary…like with the Inspirational night and the year they were born…And tonight we were back to the oldies…again…between the Judges and the Producer’s choices (& even some of the contestant’s choices!) I just don’t know what they were thinking…Oh well…tonight just goes with the rest of the season…old, stale and just a bit boring.  The only real stand out tonight was David Cook…at least he took the songs he was given and tried to breathe new life into them…David Archuleta’s voice is fantastic so that saved him, and the only song that made Syesha’s night was the Producer’s choice when they selected a Rhyanna (spelling?) song for her…I’m not saying the show was awful and I’m not saying that the performances were bad…in fact most of the performances were very good...it was just a bit disappointing that the songs were not more current with the times…Right now we have to pick our next American Idol and in order to do that we need to know what style of album they will produce…and tonight David Cook was the only one that showed us what we can expect down the road…That said, let’s get on with the show…

SONG ONE – JUDGES CHOICE:

01 – David Archuleta-Sang – “And So It Goes” – This was a beautiful start to the night, just David singing “A Cappella”…and then a nice intro of the strings.  Kind of gives a haunting quality to this song.  His voice is just full of beauty and this kid is truly talented.  Paula picked a song for David that was true to his style…a nice ballad with a haunting melody.  I would like to hear the studio version of this song.  I don’t think he could have sung it any better and I think the judges (Randy and Simon) were being just a little too harsh with him…He did a very nice job of it and kept it true to his style…

02 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “If I Ain’t Got You” – I think this song is too low for her.  She tends to lose power in her vocals with this type of melody.  This was just ok for me.  If anything this song showed her vocal limitations.  She had a chance to make this her own and change it up a bit and didn’t…A missed opportunity I’d say…This didn’t do it for me…

03 – David Cook – Sang – “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” – Beautiful start…this is showing off his vocal range and he has changed this song up enough to put his stamp on it.  I really loved this and thought he was totally awesome.  He just showed us why he should be the winner.  I liked hearing something a bit slowed down from him…shows us his diversity as a singer…he doesn’t have to be hard rock n roll all the time, and besides, I’m sure he’ll rock it out for us a bit later in the night with his song choice.  Nice job…Round 1 goes to David Cook.

SONG TWO – CONTESTANTS CHOICE:

01 – David Archuleta – Sang – “With You” – I don’t think he picked a very good song to showcase his voice.  Of course he is singing on key…wouldn’t expect anything less…But I think this song is just not his style and he seems a bit awkward.  Kudos to him for trying something different…it’s just that at Final 3 he should be making smarter song choices rather than taking such a risk with this song selection.  Nice job, but not his best.

02 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “Fever” – Well, we knew she’d pick a song she could “perform” I just can’t believe she picked such an old song to do it with…She’s in her comfort zone with this performance (& the chair) and she is really enjoying herself, I’ll give her that…she’s even singing it well…it’s just that this is not American Idol material…What she did do is show us that she wants to be on Broadway, not in the recording studio.  Oh well, we all know it should be a David Final 2 anyway…I think this just clinched it for the 2 David’s.

03 – David Cook – Sang – “Dare You to Move” – Now this is David’s kind of song, and I think a sampling of what we can expect from his first CD.  I love that he went back to the guitar and I just love his voice.  He did have some pitch problems, but overall this was a good song choice for him.  Finally someone shows us something current.  Based on the other two contestant’s performances for this go-round, and even with the pitch problems, Round Two also goes to David Cook.

SONG THREE – PRODUCER’S CHOICE:

01 – David Archuleta  – Sang – “Longer” – So far this is just like the original version…he made a few change ups with the melody, but not enough to make it sound current.  He does better towards the end.  Overall this was nice, but not fantastic…No wow factor.  Still, he definitely deserves to be in the Final 2.  The Producers didn’t do him any favors picking this song, and hopefully it won’t hurt him in the votes…You usually want to leave the audience with your best performance, and unfortunately, his first song was his best.  I just hope the voters remember that, and remember his overall track record for this season…This song was just too old for him and he does not have enough experience to fool around with the melody the way David Cook does…that will come with time I’m sure…He deserves Final 2, but I think that David Cook will ultimately win.

02 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “Hit Me Up” – Now this I like…This I can see her recording…finally…the Producer’s picked a good song for her to sing.  This is one of my favorites from Syesha, she finally sounded young and fresh, and it’s about time…unfortunately I think it is too little too late.  The judges don’t love this, but I finally do…Still, I don’t think it will be good enough to get her to the Final 2.  Sorry Syesha, but I think we’ll be saying buh-bye to you on Wednesday.  It’s good that you made it this far, be proud of that.  So, tomorrow night, if the stars are aligned and the moon is right, it will be the 2 David’s battling it out next week.

03 – David Cook – Sang – “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” – Ok…he needs to change this up if he wants to keep true to himself…He finally does change it up a bit and puts a little Aerosmith into it…Thank Goodness, I was getting worried that he wasn’t going to change the arrangement up!  I think he managed to save the song in the end, but just barely…He’s still the best tonight though…I declare the winner to be David Cook…We’ll see what the voters decide.  It’s been a weird season so who knows what will happen.

Song 1 – Goes to…

1.  David Cook

2.  David Archuleta

3.  Syesha Mercado

Song 2 – Goes to…

1.  David Cook

2.  David Archuleta

3.  Syesha Mercado

Song 3 – Goes to...

1.  David Cook

2.  Syesha Mercado

3.  David Archuleta

Overall:

1.  David Cook – Final 2

2.  David Archuleta – Final 2

3.  Syesha Mercado – Buh-Bye

Until next week, Nerd out!

AMERICAN IDOL Top 04 in Review…

By ImTHEIdolNerd!!!

05/06/08

Web address:  myfoxyumaelcentro.com

Top 04 – Theme - Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame – 05/06/08 –

Ok.  So I was really looking forward to tonight…it’s finally a theme that doesn’t involve the failing career of someone looking to make a comeback.  With over 500 songs to choose from you’d think they would all pick something that they could make their own, make current, and  just wow the socks off of us.  Even if the song selections are still not of today, you’d think that there was SOMETHING they could sing that sounds current…well, wouldn’t you?!?  Nope…They finally had the chance to make tonight more current with the times…and they failed to deliver.  Tonight turned out to be another disappointment in a Season filled with old crap…yes crap…I was really hoping to hear some fresh takes on some old classics.  No one delivered that tonight.  David Cook came close with two solid performances (better with his second song); David Archuleta came close, also with two solid performances (and also better with his second song); Jason Castro could have been great tonight…if he hadn’t forgotten the words on his second song-instead he just crashed and burned; and Syesha was out there auditioning her butt off for a Broadway producer-while still being quite lovely and very entertaining.  Here we go…

ROUND ONE:

01 – David Cook-Sang – “Hungry Like the Wolf” – David is in great vocal form tonight, but the sound is off…I don’t know if it’s the band, the mic, or what, but the acoustics are off on the Set.  Even so, David delivers a solid performance with this song, although he didn’t take the opportunity to change it up…So while he was great vocally, he was a little boring.  I wish he would have done his own arrangement with this song…did he learn nothing last week?  He needs to step up his performance factor.  I still love him, but he can’t be slacking off this late in the competition.  This was the week he really needed to “bring it” – and he didn’t do it with this song.  Vocally he was still great, but entertainment factor was about a five.

02 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “Proud Mary” – I predicted that she would sing a song that showcased her performance factor and her personality, and she did not disappoint…hips swirling and smile beaming, she performed the heck out of this song…it’s just too bad that the vocals didn’t back up the performance…but who knows…maybe no one was paying attention to her voice as she shimmied her way around the stage.  She started off great in the beginning, but lost a little bit on the upbeat part of the song.  It verged a little on the screamy side, but only a little.  All in all it was not a bad effort…Not her best, but certainly not her worst.  I’ll say this for her…if some Broadway producer out there doesn’t snatch her up they are nuts.  This girl has star factor written all over her…Just not American Idol star written all over her.

03 – Jason Castro – Sang – “I Shot the Sheriff” – My Jason is back.  This is the Jason I fell in love with…I love the Island flavor that he brings to his songs.  He’s got Folk Rock written all over him.  I think Jason is unique and I think he did a good job with this song.  I do want to point out that Randy just told Syesha that he was glad she had fun with her song…yet he just told Jason that he was having too much fun with his song and wasn’t being serious enough…So, what?  It’s ok for Syesha to have fun, but not Jason?…What do you think the people like about Jason so much?  The people like that he does have fun, he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and all he really wants to do is just sing and entertain.  I find no fault with that.  I liked this performance.  The judges really do have to stop being so blatantly in favor of Syesha in order to get folks to keep her…It just might backfire on them and garner Jason more votes.  On second thought…keep bashing my boy judges…You might just bash him right into the finals yet.

04 – David Archuleta – Sang – “Stand By Me” – Smart song choice…After all, David A. is the ballad king…and he chose a song that a lot of people really love.  He has great vocals on this song and I think is the best so far tonight.  He really put a lot of emotion into this song.  Round One to David A.  Here’s a footnote for you…David A. has only sung 1st one time (Top 7).  Most every other time he was towards the bottom, and quite a few times he was 2nd from last, and, he has been last 3 times.  I just found that interesting that’s all.

My Picks:  Round One

1.  David Archuleta (Truly the ballad King)

2.  David Cook (Great vocals, but boring performance)

3.  Jason Castro (Love the folk rock…he’s just fun to watch and listen to…You either love him or hate him…guess which category I fall under?)

4.  Syesha Mercado (Bad Tina Turner impression, but No. 1 in stage presence)

ROUND TWO:

01 – David Cook – Sang – “Baba O’Riley” – He is showing great vocal control.  This is so much better than his first song.  I just love this performance.  I think he managed to save the night with this song.  I would love to hear the entire song.  To quote Simon, “Welcome back David.”  He had me a little worried there with his first song.  Whew…(wipes brow and smiles).

02 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “A Change is Gonna Come” – This is just beautiful.  She has strong vocals, and you can really tell she is emotionally into this song.  She is singing with conviction and I think this was just beautiful from beginning to end.  She did drop the note a little at the end, but I think that can be forgiven.  Randy is really confusing me tonight…I don’t think he was really listening to her…This was an emotional song for her and now he’s gone and made her cry…ya big meanie Randy!  Although, the tears you caused just might work in her favor in getting her some sympathy votes, not that she’d need them after this performance…Still, I don’t think she’s out of the danger zone tonight…she’s been in the bottom a lot and she may not have the fan base she needs to stick around another week.

03 – Jason Castro – Sang – “Mr. Tambourine Man” – Ok.  Now this is great…Oh (insert bad word here)!  He forgot the words?@?@  Are you freakin’ kidding me?  (insert another bad word here).  I still love him, but geez…he just crashed and burned on this one.  What started out pretty darn good just turned into his worst nightmare…maybe he was channeling a bit of Brooke tonight eh?  If so, it might not be that bad for him…after all, Brooke made it through every time she forgot the words…I don’t know though…the judges were pretty harsh with him tonight…and this certainly didn’t make it any better…His only saving grace now is if he, A.  Gets the sympathy vote; B. Has a BIG fan base; or C. The Vote for the Worst (dot com) folks pull out the votes for him.  Toss up as to whether or not he or Syesha go on Wednesday.  This ones gonna be a nail biter that’s for sure.  Cuz we know it ain’t gonna be one of the David’s going home.

04 –  David Archuleta-Sang – “Love Me Tender” – This is really pretty.  He is true to form in delivering a ballad.  I really hated this song growing up…I had to play this song so much in my younger years in band that I never wanted to hear this song again…but David actually made me like this song again…I didn’t know that was possible.  Very nice job David…very nice…You really stepped it up tonight.  Thank you!

It’s going to come down to the wire as to who goes home on Wednesday…it won’t be the David’s…at least it better not be one of the David’s!  I believe it is all going to come down to who has the bigger fan base…Jason or Syesha…

My Picks:  Round Two:

1.  David Cook (I loved the vocal control that the song he sang showcased)

2.  David Archuleta (I’ll say it again…he is the ballad king…and oh so cute!)

3.  Syesha Mercado (I just loved the raw emotion she showed in her 2nd song)

4.  Jason Castro (He forgot the words…ok?  I have no choice but to put him last)

Overall View of the night:

1.  David Cook (Our next American Idol-extremely marketable.  My top pick overall)

2.  David Archuleta (No one can sing a ballad like David…Smart of him to play to his strengths tonight…)

3.  Syesha Mercado (Doesn’t deserve to go based on tonight’s performance, but I don’t know if her fan base will be enough to save her…Based on the entire competition I think it’s too little too late, and that she should not be in the Top 3 – Go ahead and boo me now, and then say “I told you so” when she does make the Top 3)

4.  Jason Castro (He tanked tonight with song #2-and if you’re the judges, on song #1 as well.  I really do love him though and I will be rooting for him to stay.  Not the popular vote I know…but I’m not just basing my vote on tonight.  I’m basing it on the entire competition…based on that I think Jason deserves to be in the Top 3)

No matter who makes the top three, I believe it will be a battle of the David’s for Final Two…

Until next week, Nerd out!

AMERICAN IDOL Top 05 in Review…

By ImTHEIdolNerd!!!

04/29/08

Web address:  myfoxyumaelcentro.com

ROUND ONE:

Top 05 – Neil Diamond – 04/29/08 – I can’t believe we are having Neil Diamond night…and gee, how coincidental is it for Neil that he’s about to put out a new album and go on tour?…Can we just stop using this show to try to resurrect careers that need to stay in the past?  I really think they need to go back to picking a style of music for the theme instead of picking artists whose time in the limelight has gone, and should stay gone for the most part, as the theme.  Sigh.

01 – Jason Castro-Sang – “Forever in Blue Jeans” – Well, I like that he went back to the guitar, but that’s about all I like.  He’s staying on key but he doesn’t have the power he needs to bring the song to a good build-up; and since he didn’t do any type of re-arranging to this song to make it fit his style he loses points tonight for originality.  Everything so far tonight, including this song, seems too hurried…the song was rushed and over before you knew it.  This performance was uninspired for lack of a better word.  Let’s just hope that song #2 will redeem him because this song did not showcase his style or his personality.  I have a feeling that no one is safe tonight…

02 – David Cook – Sang – “I’m Alive” – And another guitar comes out.  This is ok for me.  I’m glad he didn’t pick a song that was well known so there are no comparisons to make.  That said, he did manage to put his stamp on it, but this song too seems rushed…What?  Are they only given like 45 seconds to try to sell a song and showcase their talent?  There is simply no time to grab the audience and hold them.  Song’s over too fast.  All in all, an ok performance, but we’ve heard better than this from David.  I hope he too sings a better song for his second choice.  So far I’m pretty bored with the way things are going.

03 – Brooke White – Sang – “I’m a Believer” – And yet another guitar…Well I’m not a believer of this song…The register on this song is way too low for Brooke and this is yet another uninspired performance that fails to deliver and falls flat.  She does manage to make it better towards the end, but the end came too soon and the performance is over.  There was no time to grab the audience…she waited way too long to begin to let this song build and then, BAM…Song’s over.  Another disappointing performance.

04 – David Archuleta – Sang – “Sweet Caroline” – This is also just ok for me.  David has good vocals, but the song kind of jumps around a bit.  He could have done so much more with this song…I think if he had interjected a little acapela in there it might have been more memorable.  Another rushed song and another disappointment for me.

05 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “Hello Again” – Now this is nice.  I think one of Syesha’s better performances in fact.  I think she managed to pull the audience in with her sweet vocals.  One of the top performances for round one tonight.

My Picks:  Round One

1.  David Cook

2.  Syesha Mercado

3.  David Archuleta

4.  Jason Castro

5.  Brooke White

ROUND TWO:

01 – Jason Castro-Sang – “September Morn” – This is better than his first song.  This has a nice smooth quality, but it didn’t blow me away.  He doesn’t have the power vocals so it is really important that Jason arrange the songs he sings to fit his vocals.  This song was not “Jasonized” in the least.  This was not him and it was not unique.  He will be lucky if he is safe from elimination.  He blew the chance to make this song suit his vocals and his personality.  I think he’s going to find himself in the danger zone.

02 – David Cook – Sang – “All I Really Need is You” – And all we really need is David Cook.  This is very nice.  I really like this song & I feel he could record this song today.  It had a great beginning, middle and end…Finally! Someone delivers a solid performance.  I’m so glad he saved this song for his 2nd choice.  Best tonight by far.  Now that Michael and Carly are gone, there really is no competition left for him.  Winner…David Cook.

03 – Brooke White – Sang – “I Am I Said” – Glad she’s back at the piano…She’s much more comfortable there.  This song is more to her liking & it suits her style.  This is much better than her first song, and you can tell that she really is trying to step it up.  To quote Simon tonight, “Well done.”  But, was it good enough to make you forget the first song?  I don’t think so…Danger zone for Brooke tonight.

04 – David Archuleta – Sang – “America” – Smart song choice for David.  He has strong vocals, but there is nothing unique about his performance or this arrangement.  I don’t dispute that he has a great voice, but he does lack originality.  This was a solid performance, but not a standout performance.  He’ll stay; after all, he’s really the only competition that David Cook has left.

05 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “Thank you Lord for the Nighttime” – I’ll give her a B+ for her vocals, and an A+ for stage presence.  If not for the runs in this song, there wouldn’t be much of a key change, but overall I’d say she did a nice job with this song.  She showed us once again that she should be in the Theatre, not in the recording studio, with this performance.  She’s a much better performer than she is a singer.

It’s a toss up on who will get eliminated.  Right now I think it’s a battle between the David’s for top two and the others are just window dressing until we get there.  But what do I know?  I thought for sure Carly was safe last week, and I thought Michael would be in the top five.  I had Brooke and Syesha gone a long time ago.  We’ll see Wednesday night won’t we?

My Picks:  Round Two:

1.  David Cook

2.  David Archuleta

3.  Brooke White

4.  Syesha Mercado

5.  Jason Castro

Overall View of the night:

1.  David Cook (Our next American Idol)

2.  David Archuleta (He will have the teen market but will not be as sustainable a star as David Cook)

3.  Syesha Mercado (Should go eventually, but not based on tonight’s performance…unless America wants to get her to Broadway quicker she’ll probably stick around another week)

4.  Brooke White (I pick Brooke to go.  Her time has come)

5.  Jason Castro (I think he deserves a little more time in the competition…if for no other reason than the fact that he is unique…not that it showed tonight…But I think he’ll be able to come back next week with something special for us…at least I hope so…I do like him)

Until next week, Nerd out!

AMERICAN IDOL Top 06 in Review…

By ImTHEIdolNerd!!!

04/22/08

Web address now:  myfoxyumaelcentro.com

Top 06 – Andrew Lloyd Webber – 04/22/08

01 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “One Rock ‘n’ Roll too Many” – She started off the beat but recovered quickly enough to save it.  She had some flat notes and lost some volume on the lower register, but overall there really was not a whole lot wrong with this song…but…and you knew there would be a but…But…she sounds very ordinary as far as  Idol contestants go (especially with the competition she is up against)…Syesha, I’ve decided, is not a recording artist…I truly believe her place is in the theatre…She has great stage presence; you don’t want to take your eyes off her; & the camera loves her…but I feel her voice fails to deliver as a recording artist.…As a performer on stage I think she could be quite magical.  I couldn’t put my finger on it before tonight…but when I heard her sing tonight it finally clicked, her niche is stage or screen…that’s where her true talent lies…Even she thinks so…she was so excited when the judges gave their critiques and said she belonged on stage in the theatre, she totally agreed with them…I think she would much rather follow the footsteps of Jennifer Hudson than any other Idol.  Not a winner in this competition but she does have a very bright future ahead of her…

02 – Jason Castro-Sang – “Memory” – This is a beautiful song, and as a guy singing it I feel he did an ok job.  I love this guy, but I gotta be real here…This was not his strongest performance.  He did have some good moments in the song though…For instance, I thought he sang with some good emotion and I liked the little “catches” in his voice that lent credibility to the emotion this song should invoke.  All in all he stayed true to himself, as best he could with the song choices he had, and I think he managed to keep his “unique” factor with his softer version of this song…And of course…He’s still just a little ray of sunshine…If you want to compare his performance to Syesha tonight, Syesha did out-sing him, but his uniqueness as a true recording artist makes him a more credible contestant.  I truly believe he has a shot at the top three if you keep in mind his overall performances in weeks past.

03 – Brooke White – Sang – “You Must Love Me” – Sigh…what can I say…when you have to start over it’s never a good thing.  I think she started off with some beautiful emotion, and then just lost it when she forgot the words and had to start over.  She had some good moments in the middle and actually surprised me when she showed some power behind her vocals, but she lost the fluidity (is that even a word?) when she had to power down.  I think nerves got the best of her and I could not fully enjoy this performance.  I couldn’t just relax and let the music flow over me…I kept waiting for her to forget the words again; overall…well, this was just disappointing.  And can I just say…when the judges critique her after a performance…what the HECK is she doing with her mouth?  I’m sorry…I don’t usually attack someone’s physical peculiarities, but it is really getting to be such a distraction and very annoying.  Sorry to digress, but it just had to be said…I think after this performance Syesha can go relax on the couch another week…The talent left in this competition is too tight for mistakes like this.  I think the only way Brooke will stay over Syesha is if others think Syesha needs to get that Broadway career going now.  Buh Bye Brooke…Sorry.  I really like you, but the others have you beat.

Ok…Half way through the competition tonight and I gotta say that at this stage in the competition we should be hearing musical events, not musical numbers.  With the talent we have left we should be getting blown away by every single performance every single week.  So far, tonight, I’m feeling a little let down…I just hope the 2nd half of the competition gets better.

04 – David Archuleta – Sang – “Think of Me” – I have to totally agree with Lord Webber…David does need to open his eyes when he sings…but darn it…now I’m afraid that is going to distract me from his singing…I’ll just have to close my eyes when he sings tonight so I can listen to him without the distraction.  Ok…here we go…I don’t think I like this song very much.  I wish he would have picked a more powerful song to show off his amazing vocals.  He’s good but this was not his best for me.  Sorry “Dawg” (Randy) I have to disagree with you buddy…this was not the “bomb” in the way that you meant it…tonight was a miss as far as song selections go…this was just ordinary for David…because he truly has a gifted voice and this song did not showcase that.  I hope that, like Jason, everyone takes into account his past history on this show and supports him to continue…He deserves to be in the top three by shows end.

Still feeling a little let down…I just hope that Carly and David can “bring it” and save the show.

05 – Carly Smithson-Sang – “Jesus Christ Superstar” – She just started singing, and can I say “THANK YOU JESUS” without sounding too cliché?  For me, the show just began!  O MY GOD!  She is great tonight!  She is using her voice to its full potential and I am thoroughly enjoying this!  This is Carly’s night tonight!  This girl has star power.  I would love to see this type of performance from her every week.  She has the capability, now she just needs to keep picking the right songs.  I am so glad that Lord Webber made her change her song selection…I don’t know what Randy is hearing tonight, but I don’t think we are at the same show…At least Simon is keeping it real…this was a great performance from her tonight and the best by far tonight.  I’ll widen my top picks to place her in the top four…my boys already have the top three locked up...In my opinion.  Carly will be, or at least should be…last girl standing.

06 – David Cook – Sang – “Music of the Night” – Oh Lord!…This…is…great!  Totally different than Carly’s performance but equally as good…Holy Cow!  He just sang the most awesome power note!  Goosebumps all over!  Can I please be the 17-year old girl Lord Webber was pretending to be?  Can David please look into my eyes and sing to me like that?!!??!  Oh to be young again!  Oh my God!  What a killer ending…LOVE that he went for the higher note at the end…This was just wonderful!  There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe just how good this kid is…he is true talent and just what American Idol is all about…Can you guess that he’s my number one pick of the top three guys?  Way to end the show…

So tonight to summarize…there were two amazing performances, two good performances, one ok performance, and one who’s time has come to say goodbye, or rather, see you on the Summer AI Tour…

My Picks: 

1.  David Cook (He’s all the good words in the dictionary...Can I just marry him off to my daughter to get him in the family?   I’d make him sing at every family gathering…or just invent reasons to have family gatherings to hear him sing live all the time!  You know, like, Hey!  The dog lost a tooth, come over and sing David; or, Hey!  It’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday…come over and sing David…Ok, that’s a little much…I’d give him one day off, I’m just not sure which one.  Can you tell by now he’s my pick to win!?!?!)

2.  Carly Smithson (Amazing voice!)

3.  David Archuleta (Every teenage girls crush…He’s gonna capture a lot of hearts this one.)

4.  Jason Castro (Such a wonderful and unique talent-He’s my little ray of sunshine…!)

5.  Syesha Mercado (She’s headed for Broadway folks!)

6.  Brooke White (A talented singer, but not in the same league as my top four).  My pick to go.

Until next week, Nerd out!

AMERICAN IDOL Top 07 in Review…

By ImTHEIdolNerd!!!

04/15/08

Web address now:  myfoxyumaelcentro.com

Web Address soon:  myfox9online.com

Top 07 – Mariah Cary Songs – 04/15/08

Can't start tonight without saying how much I miss Michael Johns...I still can't believe he got cut last week and tonight just won't be the same without him.  It's hard to lose someone so talented so early...You will be missed tonight Michael!

01 – David Archuleta – Sang – “When you Believe” – Wow!  David is really in top form tonight.  He even threw a little growl in there.  Nice falsetto too.  This was one of my favorite performances from him.  A very compelling performance.  There is no comparison to Mariah on this one.  He made it is own and he owned the stage.  His vocals were right on and he delivered a very strong performance.  Should stay.

02 – Carly Smithson-Sang – “Doing without You” – Wow again!  Another powerful performance.  This is really good!  I couldn’t even write during this performance…Just had to sit still and listen.  I just love her voice.  This was really good beginning to end.  Simon and Randy got it wrong tonight.  This was a beautiful and powerful performance.

03 – Syesha Mercado – Sang – “Vanishing” – This is nice.  Not spectacular…just nice.  The runs were not good; they were a little “screamy” and off-key.  I think she should have stayed away from the runs…because other than that this was a nice performance.  Not her best…Just ok.  This song just might make her vanish.  Ok…Gotta say this after listening to the judges…What the heck are they talking about?  This was certainly NOT better than Carly…They pretty much tore apart Carly’s performance.  Oh, I see what they are trying to do though....They are trying to keep her out of the bottom three tonight…hopefully the peeps will see through this and vote accordingly.  I can also pretty much guarantee that Kristy will be torn apart too…whether or not she is good…I got their number tonight and I gotta say I’m a little angry about it…

04 – Brooke White – Sang – “Hero” – I like this version of Hero.  She is showing some growth tonight and taking chances going out of her “safe” range vocally. This is a nice surprise.  She still infused “Brooke” into the song, but changed it up a little.  Overall pretty darn good…I’m glad she changed it up tonight, if only slightly…hopefully that will be enough to keep people interested.

05 – Kristy Lee Cook-Sang – “Forever” – This is just beautiful!  I’m pleasantly surprised…I was really dreading her singing a Mariah song, but I gotta say she pulled it off…she managed to keep this unique to her style and just sang beautifully.  I didn’t realize she had this vocal range.  Very nice…Ok…now here it comes…just like I said earlier…Randy and Simon are totally dissing her…Randy made a backhanded complement then tore her down…Simon just tore her down.  Thank goodness that Paula kept it real and told the truth.  Kristy did beautiful tonight and she should get the credit she deserves when she does this well.  Hope she stays over Syesha…Kristy proved she deserves another week.

06 – David Cook – Sang – “Always be my Baby” – Another hit!  Mariah is right, this is a haunting performance.  Shut the door and turn out the lights…we have a winner!  He was brilliant tonight.  He is original, talented and entertaining.  I like that he kept this performance about his singing rather than going for the sympathy vote by brining his brother into it…Nice that they showed his brother after his performance.  David is a class act.

07 – Jason Castro-Sang – “I Don’t Wanna Cry” – I love his interpretation of this song.  I love that he “Jasonized” it…He made this song totally his; he is totally recordable and has a totally unique “sound.”  I think I see a fierce battle between David and Jason in the works.

My Picks:  Tonight, hands down, the boys out-sang the girls…

1.  David Cook (The real deal…he’s here to stay!)

2.  Jason Castro (Totally unique and entertaining…and still sunshine and joy)

3.  David Archuleta (Such a wonderfully talented boy…he has such a gift!)

4.  Carly Smithson (She could sing the phonebook and have it go to number 1 on the charts-phenomenal voice!)

5.  Kristy Lee Cook (She really shined tonight.  Has the unique factor going for her)

6.  Brooke White (Tonight she went a little out of her comfort zone vocally, but was it too little too late?)

7.  Syesha Mercado (Is not really showing any growth…nice voice, but does not have a unique sound)

Until next week, Nerd out!

AMERICAN IDOL Top 08 in Review…

By ImTHEIdolNerd!!!

04/08/08

Web address now:  myfoxyumaelcentro.com

Web Address soon:  myfox9online.com

Top 08 – Inspirational Songs – 04/08/08

Well tonight was about inspiration but what it turned out to be was mostly uninspired.  Overall, the song choices were not the best, and there were really only two that stood out tonight with “inspired” performances; David Archuleta with the song “Angel,” and surprisingly, Jason Castro who sang “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”  The normally strong performers did not make the smartest choices with regards to what they sang, and the weaker performers as a result stood out a little bit more…Kristy even gave a somewhat inspired performance with Martina McBride’s “Anyway.”  That said, of all the weeks to-date, this was still my favorite week.  The competition is tight, and even just one wrong note can mean disaster for someone…Let’s just hope the strong performers have built up enough of a fan-base to carry them through.  If I sound somewhat disappointed, well, I am, I was hoping for so much more…that said…the vocals tonight were great, but the song choices left me wanting…

01 – Michael Johns – Sang – “Dream On” – I think that Michael stayed true to his rock roots tonight with this one, although I wouldn’t normally think of this as an inspirational song.  He sang the heck out of it, but at the end hit some bad notes.  His stage presence was right on, his vocals were strong (until the end), but this was not the inspirational song I would have chosen for him to sing.  I do like his message though, which was that dreams do come true, and if you just don’t lose sight of them they are attainable if you just keep on it and follow through.  He should be safe with this performance.

02 - Syesha Mercado – Sang – “I Believe” – Her take on this song is that if you just believe in yourself you can do anything, but it has to start with you believing in yourself.  I have to say that I think she is singing this beautifully…but when you compare it to the passion that Fantasia sang it with, I find it lacking just a little bit.  Still, she did a nice job, and truthfully, this was one of her better performances.  She only hit a few flat notes, but overall she did ok.  I think she’ll be safe, but I think she may fall into the bottom 3 because I don’t know if she has enough of a fan base to carry her past the normally stronger performers.

03 - Jason Castro-Sang – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – Well now, this was certainly a surprise, I actually expected Syesha to sing this one since she has the sweet vocals to do this up right, but I gotta say I am blown away by his performance of this song.  I absolutely love the ukulele and I absolutely love him.  He has such a passion and joy about him when he is on stage…I truly think that is where he is happiest and most comfortable.  This performance should carry him through this week.  This might actually be his money song, it will definitely be remembered.  Jason is just pure sunshine up on that stage.  Well done Jason, well done!

04 - Kristy Lee Cook – Sang – “Anyway” by Martina McBride – Very ambitious to sing this song…She is really trying to fight to stay in this competition, and based on this performance she is not going down without a fight.  She certainly is no Martina McBride but I thought she did the song justice…a few pitch problems here and there, but overall this was very nice and a good performance from Kristy, certainly her best to-date.  She took a big risk with this song; let’s just hope for Kristy that the risk pays off with another week.  Based on tonight’s performance she should remove her name from one of the bottom three seats and put her name on the couch.

05 - David Cook – Sang – “Innocent” – Well, I have to say that this is the weirdest song I’ve ever heard…I’m not loving this song at all, I don’t know if it’s because it is totally unfamiliar to me or what, but the beginning really sucked for me.  It did get better towards the end, but the end was just repeating the chorus over and over again, so to me this really didn’t inspire or show much vocal range.  I did like the end when he showed his palm to the camera and it said “Give Back.”  That was a nice touch…And I do have to say I like his message of being comfortable in your own skin and that ultimately everyone does have a good heart.  With that I think he is in no danger of going, he just didn’t have one of his more stellar performances.  It left me a little let down, but ok in the knowledge that he will be back next week to battle it out once more…she says, fingers crossed.  One thing I’ll say about David is that he always stays true to himself, and I think that in and of itself will garner him enough votes to stay.

05 - Carly Smithson-Sang – “The Show Must Go On” – Again, I am really surprised by her song choice.  I really thought she would have tried to pull at some heartstrings with something from her native country of Ireland…I think then she would have had her money song.  That said, her vocals were spot on, and she performed the heck out of it.  But I don’t think the mood of the song actually did anything to capture the theme of the evening.  I thought the song was a little angry in tone myself.  I really wanted something more inspirational from her…this would have been a good week for her to bang out a ballad and really stand out from the rest of the pack.  Instead this was a good performance that ranked somewhere in the middle of the pack tonight.  She should be safe based on her talent, but then again she has ended up in the bottom before.  She may be in danger this week.  I predict bottom 3.  With the tone Idol was trying to set in getting people in the mood to give and give big on Idol Gives Back, she missed the mark, and I felt let down.  I still love her, but I think the votes may not be there to keep her out of the bottom three.

07 - David Archuleta – Sang – “Angels” – I actually looked up songs that David had sang in the past to see if I could pick a song that he should sing…and lo and behold he actually sang one of my choices for him…I thought he should sing either “You Raise Me Up” or “Angels” so I was not disappointed when I heard his song selection…I was actually excited about this one and I hung on every note.  I think I had goosebumps throughout the entire song.  This was true bliss start to finish.  David is such a blessing and I’m so glad that I got to share in his gift tonight with the rest of America.  This performance will be remembered.  This was the best and most inspirational performance of the night.  He will be back…No doubt about it.

08 – Brooke White-Sang – “You’ve Got a Friend” – I figured she would sing either a Carly Simon song or a Carole King song.  She picked the perfect song for her voice.  This was not a stand out performance, but it was very nice…expected.  In the scheme of things tonight I think she should have stepped it up just a bit, if only just to take some creative license with the song and do something unexpected with it…Instead she gave a solid, yet predictable performance, and for me it was lacking just a bit, not based on her vocals, her vocals were great…she just needed to shine a little more tonight.  She should be safe though, but just barely.

My Picks:  The only two I’m sure about after tonight’s performances are the top two; so, based SOLELY on tonight’s performances here are my picks…

1.  David Archuleta (Just a little piece of heaven tonight…The Angels were certainly with him)

2.  Jason Castro (Pure Sunshine and joy!)

3.  Michael Johns (Still yummy, always will be)

4.  Kristy Lee Cook (I know, surprises me too)

5.  David Cook (This kills me to put him here…He’s still my pick to win the show though)

6.  Carly Smithson (Very disappointed tonight…I wanted more from her.  I feel a little cheated)

7.  Syesha Mercado (Nice, sweet and very likeable…nothing personal about this ranking at all…She’s better than this, but this is where