Dear Top 10: My Predictions

Dear Top 10,

Okay, so here are my predictions for tonight.

Tim, you will be in the bottom three. I can only hope you go home. It is your time! I am hoping Simons reverse psychology on America worked and you will be leaving tonight.

Siobhan, I hope you are in the bottom three. You deserve it from last night. I am not sure what kind of following you have, so I don't know if you could have been saved after that performance. But I doubt you will be the one with the fewest votes. If you are, there is a good chance the judges would use the save on you; however, they might want to hold on to it in case something like that happened to Crystal.

Katie, I am hoping it is you who rounds out this bottom three. I don't necessarily think you were one of the three worst last night, but I haven't ever been wowed by you and I think that deserves the bottom.

Didi, there is definitely a chance you will be in the bottom three tonight. I hope not, and if you are, I really hope you aren't the one with the fewest votes.

Aaron, there might be an ever so slight chance for you to be in the bottom three tonight, but I doubt it.

Let the results begin!

Sincerely,

Dear Top 10: My Predictions

Dear Usher: Thank You

Dear Usher,

While R&B is not my absolute favorite genre, I have always liked you, Usher. I have had your albums since your very first one way back in the day. But this letter isn't about that. It is about thanks.

Thank You! You know, as I watched last night, I thought, "Wow, R&B is a much better theme for these guys." Then I thought for a second and realized that made no sense. Last week was Billboard number ones. Those are great songs. The contestants, save one, were all the same...what was different? You! You are the different factor.

I think you gave advice to contestants that actually improved them. Three contestants in particular stood out to me. Katie was much improved. Andrew was back to Andrew. And Lee came out of his shell. Fabulous all around.

If I review the definition of mentor:

Noun. An experienced and trusted adviser...an experienced person...who trains and counsels...

I think you proved you can be trusted. You definitely have experience. And you were able to help and train as much as possible in that short amount of time.

As we were watching, my husband, who isn't a huge "music" person, commented that your comments were making him appreciate music more.

Thanks for a much improved night, Usher.

Sincerely,

Dear Usher: Thank You

Dear Andrew: Your Moment

Dear Andrew,

This was so great. Such a moment for you. Loved it.

Here it is with Usher's suggestions and the judges commentary:

And because I will want to listen over and over without all the commentary:

Loved it. Did I mention I liked it?

Sincerely, 

Dear Andrew: Your Moment

Dear Readers: In Case You Missed It

Dear Readers,

In case you missed the singing tonight, here is a video from YouTube highlighting it very quickly.

Sincerely,

Dear Readers: In Case You Missed It

Dear Top 10: Woot Woot!

Dear Top 10,

Wow. Tonight was SO.MUCH.BETTER. than last week. Usher, I will sing your praises in your very own letter, but let me just say you are awesome and you obviously did something right. Do you think it is any coincidence that the week Miley was the, um, "mentor" it was basically the worst week American Idol has had in a long time? Hmmm? I don't. Usher showed us all what it means to be a mentor.

Okay, let's discuss the performances tonight.

Siobhan: I wonder if I will ever be able to type that name without looking it up to be sure. Okay, not good at all. Painfully flat. More screaming. Definitely one of the worst of the night.

Casey: Remember how earlier today I said I could possibly come to like you? Tonight you earned some liking. I thought this was the best performance you have done yet. It seemed very "you" and was a great job. I also noticed there was no head shaking. Maybe you only do it with your hair down? Gotta shake the hair out of your face? *shrug*

Mike: This was also a good performance. Your voice sounded great. However, I have to say I did not like you sitting behind the judges. What was the point of that? Were you trying to get closer to that guy in the far back corner so you could connect easier? And if you are trying to connect to the audience, why did you keep your back to, I don't know, about 10% of them the whole time? That little platform can be nice to visit sometimes, but it isn't a place to camp out.

Didi: I think the judges are unnecessarily harsh on you week after week. I thought your voice sounded good. I do think it would have been much better if you had your guitar, though. I do agree that you should reach to your singer/song writter self. Your voice mixed with the instruments did not work. It was off. The song also seemed too fast for you. You seem intent on showing us all that you are "diverse." There are lots of problems with that. One is that your voice does not lend itself to "diversity." Another is that this isn't a show of "look what I can do." It is a show to find the American Idol--a singer you can get behind and look forward to buying a record from. If people don't know what they will get from your record, they won't get your record. Do you remember Matt Giraurd from last season? Do you remember him switching styles often? It didn't work for him and it won't work for you. I want you to stay. Choose yourself and stay there.

As for Ryan...good job avoiding his questions and you were funny with him.

Tim: So much, Tim. So much. So much was funny about that. A lot of it was the things my husband was saying off to my side (more on that later). A lot was what the judges said. Ellen was right; you did look like you were trying to sneak. You were walking so carefully and you weren't in heels. And I have never laughed so hard watching American Idol as I did at Simon's comment. He is so spot on. It doesn't matter what they say. Not only do you have Vote for the Worst on your side, but likely lots of little girls. Keep in mind little girls move on when they get a bit older, so your fan base won't hold. Little girls grow up and gain real musical opinion--plus you will grow up and lose your teenage charm.

Andrew: Andrew! Yes! LOVED THAT. Best of the night--although Lee was also awesome. So great. I will be buying that off iTunes. That is the Andrew I have been cheering on. And yes, I have been voting for you the entire time I have been writing this post. Fantabulous (yes, I made that word up). I also loved you telling your mom to behave. That was great.

Simon said you were boring and pointed out that Tim is getting through based on personality alone. Well, I don't think you are boring, but I do think you could show more of your personality. Unfortunately, it isn't all about singing right now, so show us that fun side.

Katie: Vocally, that is the best you have sounded in a long time. But it was all a bit too theatrical. You tried to look serious and instead looked semi-mad. Last week, it probably would have landed you in the upper section of the ratings, but this week everyone else stepped it up, too, so you haven't really budged. With Tim taking up Vote for the Worst, you might be in trouble.

Lee: Another fantastic performance. Really great. I really think you will be in the final three. I will also be buying this performance off iTunes. I will also vote for you a few times tonight.

Crystal: That was okay. I wasn't as impressed as the judges were. I was impressed that you can play the piano. I am always impressed to see ability with instruments. But I remember this song sung by Paris Bennett back in the day, and I think she did it better vocally. The shoes were a bad choice. You seemed scared to walk in them and made sure to keep a hand on the piano as you moved. It wasn't authentically you. I mean, you did well and one of the better ones of the night. But if I am comparing you to yourself, not great.

Aaron: You seemed nervous. I think the choice of song wasn't a good one. You sounded good, but it has been done so much on American Idol. It was good, but paled in comparison to many of the others.

Time for my rankings:

Top Three:

1. Andrew
2. Lee
3. Casey

Middle of the Pack:

1. Crystal
2. Michael
3. Aaron
4. Didi

Bottom Three:

1. Tim
2. Siobhan
3. Katie

All in all, it was a much improved night and makes me excited for the future. Hopefully they bring you some good mentors in the future.

Sincerely,

Dear Top 10: Woot Woot!

Dear Casey: Head Shaking

Dear Casey,

While I am on the topic of quirks, I have noticed a funny quirk about you. You shake your head "no" while singing. If I was a fan, I might find it endearing, but I am not really, so I find it slightly annoying.

But I will say that I do see you as someone who could grow and potentially win me over as a fan. At this point last year, I wasn't crazy about Kris--he was pretty much off my radar. So I am open if you earn it.

Sincerely,

Dear Casey: Head Shaking

Dear Kara: Kissy Face

Dear Kara,

So, I don't know if you have noticed this yet. When you are, I don't know, thinking, listening intently, whatever, you make this kissy face. It is kind of funny and really quirky.

I hate to tell people about their quirks because they will usually change them if they know, but this was so interesting I had to point it out. I like it because I know you are really thinking at that moment.

Sincerely,

Dear Kara: Kissy Face

Dear ????: Who chose that?

To Whom It May Concern,

I am curious...who is in charge of choosing group number song choices? After all of the complaining from the judges about the song choice of the contestents, who thought it would be a good idea to do this 1984 hit? As Simon would say, of all the thousands of songs you could have chosen, why that one?

But you know what I noticed? When Katie is lip singing, she is remarkably on pitch. Here it is in case you missed it:

What I am saying is, I am not really sure about the song choice, man.

Sincerely,

Dear ????: Who chose that?

Dear Randy: Stop Booing!

Dear Randy,

I don't know what your deal is. You have done this for as long as I can remember and it is quite annoying. You need to stop booing Simon every time he is introduced.

Okay, I get it. You are jealous of how popular he is. His applause is louder than yours. Contestants say over and over that they respect his opinion while seeming to forget you are even at the table.

But it is just sad to watch you week after week boo him when he is introduced. You are literally the only person in the room booing him. You aren't increasing your popularity, nor are you decreasing his. Just stop. I think the only think I like about the "corny" way the judges are introduced on performance night is that I only have to listen to you boo one night a week instead of two.

Sincerely,

Dear Randy: Stop Booing!

Dear Paige: So Long

Dear Paige,

Farewell to you. You really seem like a sweet and nice girl. Of course, this isn't "American Sweet & Nice." You know what I noticed? Last night you sang so much better when you knew you were eliminated. I think the pressure of the competition really got to you. It is too bad. Good luck with your future endeavors!

Sincerely,

Dear Paige: So Long

Dear Bottom Three: I Called It

Dear Bottom Three,

Well, if you read my reactions to performance night for the top 11, you know that you three were my personal bottom three. I was definitely happy to see my bottom three in the bottom three. I think we, the people, got this right.

Paige, you did the worst of the night. Tim, you were a close second. I find it odd that you wouldn't change it just because you had fun. I don't know what your goal is on American Idol, but if it is "to have fun" then I think you should pull yourself out and let people whose goal is "to win" compete. Katie, you were also in my bottom three. If you could pull your pitch problems together, you would do much better. Of course, if you end up with a recording contract, you can use computers and such to fix all of that, so what do I know?

Sincerely,

Dear Bottom Three: I Called It

Dear Top 11: My Reactions

Dear Top 11,

Oh man. Overall, last night was pretty much aweful. Pretty much. And you know what? It wasn't Miley that made it aweful (aside from the smacking of her gum with her mouth wide open all night). She was actually much better than I thought she would be. Do I think she qualifies as a "mentor"? No, but she could maybe be called "helper."

The show started with lots of jabbering among the judges and Ryan. I had to wonder what they were stalling for?

Then came the singing...

Lee:

You did really well. Your voice sounded good and it was technically great. You had some good stage presence. But I also thought it was very strange. You sang Jazz. I might be wrong, but my impression is that you would want to be a Rock singer, not a Jazz singer. Your "rock" fans aren't going to be all excited over a "jazz" performance. Imagine this as you choose your next song. Imagine you aren't in a singing competition and you are just going out on a stage and singing for people. What would you sing? If you could record a song, how would you do it? This is time to show us what we would get if we vote for you.

Paige:

Oh Paige. Okay, I liked the mix up of the melody (even though it wasn't your idea). But the singing was aweful. You just haven't sung well in so long. It really was painful to listen to. Really. I thought you might get through this week after that because I thought you would surely be the pick for Vote for the Worst...but you aen't.

Tim: 

This was not good. As I was watching it, I 100% had the image of Hairspray pop into my head. I was so happy Kara said something. Bad. The sliding was bad, the making yourself into some big superstar was bad. But you are the pick for Vote For The Worst, and you were better than Paige, so I think you will live to see another day. 

Aaron: 

This was really good. This was one of the best of the night. You did really, really well.

Crystal:

This was good, also. I don't ever get excited over your performances because you just aren't my thing, but you are a good singer and defintely deserve to go far in this competition and in the industry.

Michael:

I thought this was really good, also. I absolutely love the song "When A Man Loves A Woman." Love it. You did well and I think the judges were harsh. But the thing is, while I was watching you I couldn't help but think of Ruben Studdard--winner of Season Two. That isn't really good. First of all, we already have a Ruben. Second of all, he hasn't done well in the real world.

Andrew:

Oh dear. This was not good. Not good at all. You were borderline bottom three. If I had watched for the first time last night, I would have thought you were aweful.

Katie:

Again, not good. The pitch was so off I was uncomfortable. You also swallow your sound a lot. I don't think you were the worst of the night, but definitely low.

Casey:

In the context of the show, this was good. It was actually one of my favorites by you. But Simon was right. It wasn' different. See my comments to Paige. You need to sing and choose songs like you would if you were doing a concert right now.

Didi: 

I thought you did a really good job. The judges were overly harsh on you. I really liked it. I thought it sounded current. You actually took the song and made it modern to our day. Loved it.

Siobhan:

Um, I didn't like it. Not really surprising because you are just not my style. At all. You have a good voice, but the screaming at the end of songs is grating on my nerves. Screaming a high note is not the same as singing a high note--even if you are attempting a rock edge. Not ao fan of that.

Okay, my bottom three are:

1. 
   
   Paige
2. 
   
   Tim
3. 
   
   Katie

My top three are:

1. 
   
   Crystal
2. 
   
   Aaron
3. 
   
   Michael

My middle pack are:

1. 
   
   Didi (close to making top three)
2. 
   
   Lee
3. 
   
   Casey
4. 
   
   Siobhan
5. 
   
   Andrew (close to making bottom three)

Sincerely,

Dear Top 11: My Reactions

Dear Producers: Huh?

Dear Producers (or to whom it may concern),

You know, if I were Lacey Brown right now, I would be thrilled that I didn't have to be "mentored" by Miley Cyrus. Huh? Miley Cyrus? A mentor?

Okay. My degree is in English. I thought I knew what "mentor" meant, but you threw me for a loop. So I pulled out my Oxford American Dictionary, flipped to the "Ms", and found the word "mentor."

Ahem.

Noun. An experienced and trusted adviser...an experienced person...who trains and counsels...

Emphasis mine.

Okay. Let's look at this realistically. Noun. Yep. She got that. She is as noun. What about experienced and trusted? Is she qualified to train and counsel?

Sorry, but no. I am going to ignore the fact that Miley is sub-par. I think in order to train someone, you need to be good at it yourself...although I guess the saying goes, "those who can't do, teach."

I am just going to focus on the experience part. She is barely 17 years old. She has really been in the industry for about five years (if I am being lenient). Some of these contestants have been trying to break into the business longer than five years!

If you are looking for a female country singer, there are lots of people who would qualify as a mentor who could give sound advice. Let's see...Faith Hill? Reba McEntire? Wynonna Judd? Martina McBride? Trisha Yearwood? I would even take LeAnn Rimes or Shania Twain. I could go on and on. These women all have experience worthy of being trusted to train and counsel. I can't believe all of these people would have said no. Let's be real--Carrie Underwood has been doing this for about as long as Miley Cyrus! Couldn't you have pulled some Idol card to get her to do it?

This is verging on desperate--not only on your part, but hers. It was bad enough watching her "sing" last year, now I have to sit through her "counseling" these poor contestants? All I have to say is thank goodness for DVR.

Dear Producers: Huh?

Dear iTunes: I'm Irritated

Dear iTunes,

I am irritated with you in enough ways right now that I really must write you a letter. First, I have to say that I think you overprice stuff. I noticed the other day that you have some songs for 1.49 per song. This is getting to be a bit much. .99 used to be good enough for you. I don't know if you are getting greedy or what, but 1.49...that is almost twice what one song used to cost. Did you know you can buy songs off Amazon quite easily at the Amazon MP3 store? And did you know that Amazon will automatically put songs you buy into iTunes for you? And in most cases, Amazon is cheaper.

Of course, Amazon doesn't get the exclusive tracks like you do for things like American Idol. And thus I am forced to turn to you at times.

Yesterday I tried to purchase Alex Lambert's tracks. You had taken them down! I don't know if this is your doing or American Idol's doing, but I was frustrated. Frustrated enough to write you this letter and complain about it--along with a couple other gripes I have had. If you have any say, I say put them back up. I guess I should have purchased the tracks right away.

Sigh. At least we have YouTube videos.

Sincerely,

Dear iTunes: I'm Irritated