Real Kato Blog: Television: Idol Update, Week 8

The results of "Queen" night.

(First of all, sorry about the late posts yesterday. I'd actually written all the posts in the morning but forgot to complete the final step in actually publishing everything.)

Queen presents a lot of challenges; Freddie Mercury had a very high and powerful voice, and there's a fairly limited set of songs that these kids will be able to pull off.

Katharine McPhee: 9/10. Overall=9.0.
"Who Wants to Live Forever". She changed her mind at the last minute to sing this, and it was a good choice. It fits her style and her voice. She starts very strong and very clean; she's got a great voice. She misses one or two notes here and there, but it's a dramatic and powerful performance. Simon says this might have been her "moment". I think she continues to improve every week. She should be absolutely safe.

Kellie Pickler: 8/10. Overall=7.8.
"Bohemian Rhapsody". I was worried that this song would be too big for her, as did all the judges. It's a challenging song for anyone, and after Constantine's performance last year, there were some big shoes to fill. But the change in her look and song style shows courage and versatility for her; it's almost enough to make us forget that "Suds in a Bucket" thing. It starts a little hesitantly, and it's a bit pitchy in parts. The shortened arrangement is distracting, but that's not her fault. She does entertain, though, and dang, people just plain like her. She should also be safe.

Taylor Hicks: 7/10. Overall=6.7.
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love". I specifically didn't pick this song for anyone because I thought of all the Queen songs, this was the one that was most in danger of becoming a karaoke performance. But it fits his style, and he works it. It's entertaining, if a bit sloppy. The finish is very strong, and manic the way we like him. (Simon asks Taylor, "Are you drunk?") He should be safe because people like him, but I'm not sure teenage America will like this song as much as I did.

Paris Bennett: 7/10. Overall=6.3.
"The Show Must Go On". She looks a little bit Tina Turner tonight. The song is a little bit too big for her voice; she needs to put on a growly rock voice for this, and I'm not sure she's got it. Sometimes she's drowned out by the instrumentals, because she doesn't quite put enough power behind the song. She finishes strong; this might have been as well as she could have done in this genre, but it's clear that she's out of her element. Simon says, "I thought it was all a little bit weird." She's got a chance of seeing the bottom three this week, but I don't think she'll be voted out.

Chris Daughtry: 5/10. Overall=6.3.
"In the Window". This is an obscure song, and not a very good one. It's starting to seem like he's more interested in maintaining his cred than being entertaining. Or as Simon would put it, he's being "indulgent". The song makes him strain a little, and the vocal comes out a bit shouty. And the song is just boring. Simon says he had a chance to make a mark with a really great Queen song, and he missed it. I agree. I think people believe in him, and he should be safe one more week, but he's dropping alarmingly fast.

Elliott Yamin: 6/10. Overall=5.7.
"Somebody to Love". I thought this was a song they should have avoided like the plague; it's just not suited to a live performance. It's very karaoke-ish, and he looks awfully goofy singing it. The vocal itself is pretty good, but the performance is boring, and bordering on hideous. He should be in the bottom three this week.

Ace Young: 3/10. Overall=4.7.
"We Will Rock You". Are you kidding? It doesn't fit his style, it's not a singer's song, and it's just a little bit too much of a cliché. He starts sharp and stays there. It's a dull karaoke performance, a complete mess. Simon says, "We will rock you gently." He should also be in the bottom three.

Bucky Covington: 4/10. Overall=3.7.
"Fat Bottomed Girls". This is the only song choice prediction I got right. He tries to get everyone clapping at the start, which says to me, "I don't think you're gonna clap unless I get you started". And then the clapping seems to distract him. He starts sharp, and the words are muddy (as usual). He's just uninspired and uncharismatic; it's like he's just resigned himself to going through the motions until he gets voted out. Which, hopefully, will be this week.

Permalink 2 Comment

Posted by Ken in: television

Comments

Comment #1 from Ken (realkato)
2006 Apr 13 - 8:07 am : #

Well, when I'm right, I'm right. Elliott, Ace, and Bucky are the bottom three. And Bucky is out. WHOOOOO!

Comment #2 from Phil (Guest)
2006 Apr 13 - 4:15 pm : #

Not to mention that "Somebody to Love" is a song that many people have already learned to love in its George Michael version, too. Lots of challenge, there.

I can't believe they even considered "We Will Rock You". Might as well have chosen anything by the Chemical Brothers.

Still -- it seemed like a good idea for a show theme. Sorry I missed it.

Comments are closed for this post.

Search This Site