Thatcher Planet

The pack is down to 16, and since I'm writing this recap as the results show is going on, I'll just cram it all into one post. Last week, we lost 4 more contestants. Suprisingly, it was the 4 I ranked the lowest. Amazing!

Brenna - Apparently, Brenna thinks coming in 20th on Idol will land her a lucrative show business career. Brenna, why don't you call up Celena Rae and see how her career is going. Except Celena is actually cute, so she's probably not a good role model for Brenna.

Heather - Heather wasn't bad, but she just wasn't very interesting. She just got outgunned by the other contestants. I wouldn't be too surprised to see her turn up on some D-list cable tv show, because Idol has-beens seem to be the cream of the crop of the reality also-rans, and she is very pretty.

David - David had a limited range, and he seemed ready to go home. Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. The kid is only 17 and this show was just too big for him. When I was 17 I could barely walk and chew gum, let alone get up and sing in front of people. So, props to David, who will totally be the most popular boy in the arsty set at school.

Sway - Sway sounded much better on his sing-out. I think he feel prey to nerves and pressure. I think he was a good singer, but he just couldn't connect. He seems like a nice grounded guy, so I hope he does well in whatever he tries.

The Top 16!!!!!
I didn't really think anyone deserved to go home this week, so everyone is a keeper or a maybe for me this week. Sadly, 4 will leave us, though. Here's my take...

Paris - "Conga"
Paris seemed out of breath to me during this song. I still think she needs to "perform" less and sing more. But she is good vocally, and she's cute and spunky. I liked her hair much better this week. And even though I know the dress over jeans look is "so over", I thought it really worked for her. She looked much taller than normal, and the jeans emphasized her kicky dance moves. The green eyeshadow needs to go though.

Lisa - "Here's Where I Stand"
Where is Lisa getting these songs? They are dull! She's a beautiful singer, but she's losing my interest fast. And I didn't like her hair. Why does Idol try to take every curly-haired girl and give them hair like a board? Bring back the curls!! I like Lisa and I think she did a good job, but she needs more pizazz or "wow" or something.

Melissa - "What About Love"
I liked this perfomance by Melissa. I'm not a big fan of hers, but I thought this was her best yet. I did not think she yelled, as Simon said. It sounded good to me, and she really seemed to be throwing her heart and soul into it. Good job, Melissa!! She does seem to like showing us her tummy, though. I'd like to see her in a more flattering top, and a better hairdo. She is pretty, and her audience outfit on boy's night was cute. I'm afraid she might be on her way out this week, though.

Kinnik - "If I Ain't Got You"
Poor Kinnik. She lost her pitch in the middle of this song, and that can be really hard to deal with. I think she could have done a good job with this song, but she just lost it. It can happen to anyone. She seemed already defeated at the end, and I'm afraid she may go home this week, too. It's too bad, because I think she could be better than what we saw on the show.

Katharine - "Think"
Katharine is my favorite girl contestant so far this year. Her voice is just so rich and easy, and she sings pretty straightforward without a lot of distracting runs and junk. She's funny and cute, and she seems like she's be fun to hang around with. Plus, she finally found a more flattering outfit this week, in a simple black long-sleeved tee and jeans. She's the real deal. Loved it!!

Ayla - "Unwritten"
I understand what Randy means about a "singer's song", but this week was actually the best Ayla performance yet for me. Like Lisa, I can agree that's she's a good singer, but she just hasn't really appealed to me. But I liked this performance, I was entertained, and that's important. It might be what keeps Ayla in the finals. She had some kind of crazy hairdo, too. The girls must have a "do each other's hair" party before the show.

Mandisa - "I'm Every Woman"
I usually hate this song on Idol, because the contestants usually let the back-up singers do all the heavy lifting, and they just "wooooaaaa-woooaaa" some. But Mandisa rocked it! She sang the hard parts, and you could hear her over all the backup. Plus, I could actually understand some of the lyrics. This was a great performance, and her pretty hair was back. Yay!!

Kellie - "I'm the Only One"
Kellie is picking better songs, but I'm still not a big fan. She's getting by on cuteness rather than talent. She's not bad, though, and she is a good performer. She gets into her songs and seems to enjoy performing, so that's a plus. I'll excuse her for not knowing what a minx was, since you don't hear that term much these days, but there's no excuse for saying "sal-mon". Come on!!

Gedeon - "When a Man Loves a Woman"
Gedeon sure is an odd duck, but I like him. He enunciates everything so well. And that bit about knowing how to love his mom and grandma was funny. He does that style of music really well, but it would be nice to see him stretch. However, based on my own advice, he shouldn't try to "show another side" for a couple more weeks. How come he doesn't get the "I'm 17 but I sound 50" comments from Simon that the girls get? I guess Simon doesn't care if the guys are old.

Chris - "Broken"
This song was a little dull for me. Chris can certainly sing, but he may have actually hurt himself a bit by being so good last week. I don't know how he's going to improve, but I hope he can figure it out, because I want to see it. But if he sings Creed, then he and I are through. Hate Creed - LOVED the spiky hair - he looked like Seth Green!! Hee!! I love all Chris's shirts - I want to get some for Uncle Tony. They're just regular guy shirts, but they all have some wacky design on them. Super cool.

Kevin - "Vincent"
The audience got whiplash going from Chris to Kevin. I was actually impressed by Kevin's song. I think his voice sounded the best so far for him, in that kind of sweet, folksy genre. I actually said "wow, that was really good" when he finished. He obviously has a sharp sense of humor and is quick witted, so he'd be fun to have around for a while.

Bucky - "Wave on Wave"
Another identical twin. This show sure brings them out. Too bad Becky and her twin are gone, else we could have had some weird trippy doppleganger action going on. Bucky did fine, he's certainly not the strongest singer, but he has a certain charm about him. I don't know if it will be enough to keep him around.

Will - "How Sweet It Is"
Will is certainly no James Taylor, but then again, James Taylor has the voice of an angel sent straight down from heaven, and I am totally serious about that. I think Willl suffered the same comparison that the girls do when the dare to sing Whitney/Mariah/Celine. You just can't compare to James Taylor. That said, Will was way better than a karaoke performance, and he's adorable. Like Katharine, he seems to have a voice that just sails out with no effort. They never strain, their voices just happen. I like that, it makes me feel comfortable and happy.

Taylor - "Taking it to the Streets"
Taylor just leapfrogged all the other guys for me, and for several reasons. First, his voice was perfect for the song, and the song was awesome. I love his song choices and I would love to hear them all season long - it's like my iPod. Second, his "dancing" was crazy nuts. He totally doesn't care if he looks foolish. Like the old saying goes "the worst dancer on the dance floor is usually the person having the most fun". JPL would be proud. But the third reason is the most important to me - I think Taylor totally got that this song was a call to riot against injustice, and even thought the music is fun, the lyrics are totally serious. He didn't smile, laugh or hoot during the song, and it took a few seconds afterward for him to wipe the snarl off his face and get his goofy smile back. I think Taylor truly thinks about the songs he's singing, and he loves music with a passion, more than any other contestant I've seen so far on this show. He would be singing even if he had to do it in the subway for quarters. And that's impressive.

Elliott - "Heaven"
I like Elliott a lot, but this just wasn't the song for him. He'll never make it as a romantic ballad glory note singer, that's just not his forte. He is so good at the songs that are musically complex, lyrically complicated, and technically difficult, he could sing rings around the other guys in that style. I really want him to wow everyone, like Kelly did with "Stuff Like That There". I'm not sure what songs he should sing, because those kind of songs seem to be a thing of the past, but I for one would love to see them make a comeback.

Ace - "Butterflies"
That was one of the weirdest songs I've ever heard. I had to listen to it again because it was just so bizarre. Way too much falsetto, although I liked the really weird part in the middle. This wasn't really pleasant to listen to, but it was intersting, it stood out, and I actually kind of liked it, almost in a morbid kind of way. It made Ace more interesting and less wimpy seeming to me, and he looked good in his little hat. All that fluffy hair is a little distracting. So, good show from Ace.

The only thing tougher than ranking this week, is predicting who will go home!

Keepers:
Mandisa
Katharine
Ayla
Paris
Lisa
Taylor
Gedeon
Will
Chris
Elliott

Maybes:
Melissa
Kellie
Kinnik
Kevin
Ace
Bucky

Going home is a crap shoot, but say it will be Melissa, Kinnik, Kevin and Bucky.