Bk1234 Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 19 hours ago, miss denise said: Oh? I was just going to embed an audition from an eliminated contestant to show you why I liked them early on. Not sure the risk, but I don't have to. I hope you’re referring to Laila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss denise Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 On 4/17/2021 at 3:33 PM, Crisis said: We'll see what happens tomorrow night. Unfortunately, I accidentally came across the theme while looking for something else. If the video doesn't have anything about the current contestants, I'll check it out. I look forward to your thoughts on tonight's show! Oh no, sorry about that. I was spoiled by the discussion thread title stating the theme, but then the show was on so I guess I would have remained in the dark only a few more minutes. Ah yeah, it's just the audition of an eliminated contestant, but you have me all scared now. I'll rewatch before posting. On 4/17/2021 at 3:35 PM, Bk1234 said: I hope you’re referring to Laila. I'm not actually ( ) but she did have a great audition! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 Oscar Night Tonight was Oscar Night! Which contestants gave performances that were worthy of the red carpet treatment, and which contestants made you wonder how they were nominated in the first place? We'll find out. But first... Lionel is nowhere near the singer he once was, but it was a nice way to open the show and set the tone until... Bobby Bones is back?!! Ugh, things were going so well this season. Now for the contestants: Top 9 Grace - Happy I said Grace is the one contestant who was capable of producing an Idol moment; however, she had to pick the right song. Unfortunately, this wasn't it. Happy is a fun song, but it doesn't allow anyone to shine vocally. Grace tried to have some vocal moments towards the end, but it felt out of place. In addition, for such a lively song, she appeared to lack energy during the performance. I think this was her weakest effort thus far. Hopefully, she'll pick a better song in two weeks. Caleb - On The Road Again The only interesting thing about Caleb tonight was his deadpan response to Bobby Bones revealing he was nearly blind in one eye. Performance wise, this was the usual for him. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't anything great either. If anything, the performance came across as something anyone can see in a country karaoke bar. The one positive thing I'll say about him is he knows who he is as an artist, which is something teens struggle with on the show (I keep forgetting he's only 16), and that will serve him well as long as he's around. Hunter - Falling Slowly I haven't all that impressed with Hunter so far this season. That changed tonight, however. I think he picked the right song and he probably had his best vocal moments this season. With that said, I still thought he looked nervous and there was the end where he messed up some of the lines. I won't say too much about him crying over messing up because it happens to even the most seasoned performers. However, I'm sure that played a huge part in him survive the cuts tonight. Oh, and LOL at Graham appearing with his family in the video! Chayce - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You This performance was a tale of two halves. The first half was really lackadaisical and disappointing because I thought this song should've been perfect for Chayce on paper. However, he came alive somewhat in the second half and brought the emotion the song is known for. Another positive is that he didn't sound like he was pushing his voice too hard like he did the previous couple of weeks. I want to say he's capable of more, but as of right now I'm not sure if he really is. Alyssa - This Is Me Well, it started off nice. I was waiting for the moment when she would lose control because she tried to do much, but it looked like she was going to give a restrained and controlled vocal performance all the way through. Then came the end, and she didn't disappoint as her lack of control and focus came about. With all of this said, I thought this was her best performance so far this season, and it appears she's taking baby steps regarding her voice. DeShawn - The Way We Were Is the song old-fashioned? Yes. Did DeShawn's performance come across as old-fashioned? Also yes. However, this was a really nice performance of a great albeit old-fashioned song. I felt more than anyone this evening DeShawn displayed great vocal technique, and this was the most connected he was to a song thus far. I'll go as far as saying it was my favorite performance of the night. As of right now, I don't have anyone who I consider a favorite, but I'm rooting for him to go far because he seems to be the contestant that is predicted to leave but hangs on each week, and I love a good Idol underdog story. Casey - Somewhere Over The Rainbow I had to watch this on YouTube because my stream stopped working. Admittedly, I raised an eyebrow when I saw this song choice, but it's not because I didn't think she was capable of singing it. It's just that it's such a departure from what she's done up to this point. With that said, I expected some kind of rock type of arrangement and for her to rock out on it. However, she sang the song straight and showed she is capable of doing more than rocking out. She has certainly come a long way since her first performance and her upward trajectory seems to continue. Cassandra - Writing's On The Wall Ugh, Sam Smith. With that said, I'm putting my bias aside for the singer and song to focus on Cassandra. For starters, she looked more confident on stage than the past couple of weeks. As for the performance itself, was it perfect? No; I thought she missed a few notes towards the end. Despite that, this was a strong showing for her. I felt she connected to the song well and had some nice vocal moments. I hope this is the start of her becoming more confident on stage and giving stronger performances. Willie Spence - Stand Up More than anyone, Willie has been the most consistent for me. With that said, I have to say I wasn't all that impressed with him tonight. Technically, he was very solid; however, for such a powerful song I felt he could've injected more emotion into the performance. He added some of it in the second half, but I felt it wasn't enough. Having said that, he's still one of the best singers this season, and I don't think this performance will hurt his standing in the competition. Eliminated Ava - City Of Stars I didn't expect Ava to be eliminated this soon, but I guess she wasn't as popular as initially thought. I think Ava gave a solid and controlled performance, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to survive. I think she has a lot of promise and hopefully she will take this experience and use it to help her develop as an artist. With that said, the one good thing about her elimination is that I no longer have to hear the judges say she's only 15; I was getting shades of Randy telling Jordin she was only 17 all over again. Beane - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life Well, the tradition of the wildcards being among the first booted during the ABC seasons continues. As I've said, I'd rather do away with the wildcards and have the top vote getters advance. Having said that, Beane didn't do himself any favors with his performance. It started off interesting enough with the acoustic guitar arrangement; however, he had to put the guitar away and go with the more up-tempo original version. Unfortunately, it came across as campy and something that can be seen on cruise ships. He would've been much better off sticking with the acoustic arrangement he had at the beginning. At least it looked like he had fun. Madison - Run To You When I heard she was doing a song from The Bodyguard, I was going to put my fist through the screen if she picked I Have Nothing (except not really because I don't want to hurt myself and replace my screen. I still wouldn't have been happy, however ). With that said, this song choice wasn't much better. As usual, she whiffed on the key change and while she wasn't that bad outside of it, I didn't think she was up to the challenge of handling this song. At least it seemed she was grateful to be there, and to be honest I preferred her to Alyssa. Best of luck to everyone who's time on Idol has ended. So tomorrow the S18 contestants vie for a spot this season? I'm not a fan of this, but it's here. At least they'll have the opportunity to perform on stage with a live band, even if it's a one-time thing for all but one. Since I know Arthur is one of the contestants, I have a feeling he'll win that spot; nonetheless, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss denise Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Yay, your thoughts are here! I am determined to stay caught up and on top of things. Here are some of my thoughts. - Oh my at starting out by critiquing Lionel. - I mostly disagree with you on Grace again, so this may be our trend. I definitely raised an eye at the song choice, but I thought she had great energy and confidence and made the song sound vocally bigger than expected. Not the song to have a moment with, but I still thought she was solid. - I do agree with you on Hunter for the most part. I didn't pay him too much attention (I only have eyes for one Hunter ), but he made me take note on this performance. I thought it was great. I didn't even notice he messed up the lyrics and thought he was emotional from the song. Either way, I don't care and liked this way more than expected (especially since I was unamused with the song choice at first since I forever attribute it to Kris ). I don't know that he would have been in danger without that moment, but it didn't hurt him any. And LOL I saw so many comments about Graham but never saw him myself. - Regarding Alyssa... "Then came the end, and she didn't disappoint as her lack of control and focus came about." The irony that those critiques mean she didn't disappoint. - I also thought DeShawn was great. The song doesn't excite me but he captured my attention with his vocals. - You watched Idol on a stream instead of TV? Sorry you missed some. I don't want to say much about Casey's performance but the judges comments on it really show how contradictory their comments are from one contestant to the next, IMO. - I was also very surprised by Ava's elimination. I wasn't a fan so it didn't bother me, but definitely unexpected. And I had the same reaction when I heard the movie Madison's song was from... but thankfully it wasn't rendition of IHN. - No ranking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 50 minutes ago, miss denise said: Yay, your thoughts are here! I am determined to stay caught up and on top of things. Here are some of my thoughts. - Oh my at starting out by critiquing Lionel. - I mostly disagree with you on Grace again, so this may be our trend. I definitely raised an eye at the song choice, but I thought she had great energy and confidence and made the song sound vocally bigger than expected. Not the song to have a moment with, but I still thought she was solid. - I do agree with you on Hunter for the most part. I didn't pay him too much attention (I only have eyes for one Hunter ), but he made me take note on this performance. I thought it was great. I didn't even notice he messed up the lyrics and thought he was emotional from the song. Either way, I don't care and liked this way more than expected (especially since I was unamused with the song choice at first since I forever attribute it to Kris ). I don't know that he would have been in danger without that moment, but it didn't hurt him any. And LOL I saw so many comments about Graham but never saw him myself. - Regarding Alyssa... "Then came the end, and she didn't disappoint as her lack of control and focus came about." The irony that those critiques mean she didn't disappoint. - I also thought DeShawn was great. The song doesn't excite me but he captured my attention with his vocals. - You watched Idol on a stream instead of TV? Sorry you missed some. I don't want to say much about Casey's performance but the judges comments on it really show how contradictory their comments are from one contestant to the next, IMO. - I was also very surprised by Ava's elimination. I wasn't a fan so it didn't bother me, but definitely unexpected. And I had the same reaction when I heard the movie Madison's song was from... but thankfully it wasn't rendition of IHN. - No ranking? Nice to see you try to stay caught up. I won't post anything about tomorrow's episode until a day or two afterwards. - No one is spared! - It appears Grace is the IDF It Girl, and except for maybe a few, I tend to have differing opinions from everyone else regarding them. With that said, I don't dislike her. I guess I have high expectations because of her status here, and maybe that's unfair to her. - I wonder which Hunter you have eyes for. I'm pretty much in agreement with everything else. - - Too bad about the song not exciting you. At least you thought he was great. - Yeah, the TVs were occupied, so I had to watch a stream. From the look of things, it appears you weren't impressed with her performance. - That's right, you weren't much of an Ava fan. I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I thought she was one of the more intriguing contestants this season. It's a great thing she didn't sing that song; besides, it wouldn't have helped her much anyway. - Not this time. Maybe the next episode, and not regarding the S18 contestants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss denise Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 20 hours ago, Crisis said: Nice to see you try to stay caught up. I won't post anything about tomorrow's episode until a day or two afterwards. - No one is spared! - It appears Grace is the IDF It Girl, and except for maybe a few, I tend to have differing opinions from everyone else regarding them. With that said, I don't dislike her. I guess I have high expectations because of her status here, and maybe that's unfair to her. - I wonder which Hunter you have eyes for. I'm pretty much in agreement with everything else. - Yeah, the TVs were occupied, so I had to watch a stream. From the look of things, it appears you weren't impressed with her performance. - That's right, you weren't much of an Ava fan. I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I thought she was one of the more intriguing contestants this season. It's a great thing she didn't sing that song; besides, it wouldn't have helped her much anyway. - Not this time. Maybe the next episode, and not regarding the S18 contestants. I'm doing my best. Oh okay! I can't decide if I'll watch tonight or just go to sleep. - - Oh, I see. I understand having high expectations and I hope she can live up to them for you soon. I just love her voice. - - Ahh that's too bad but at least you got to see it. Oh lol well I was more annoyed with the judges but the performance was okay for me. I didn't love it like everyone else (and although you mentioned Grace as the favorite, it seems everyone here loves her as well). - I wasn't and didn't enjoy her performances. She was interesting, but yeah. That is true. - Okay, whenever you want to do them is fine, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 20, 2021 Author Share Posted April 20, 2021 20 hours ago, miss denise said: - Ahh that's too bad but at least you got to see it. Oh lol well I was more annoyed with the judges but the performance was okay for me. I didn't love it like everyone else (and although you mentioned Grace as the favorite, it seems everyone here loves her as well). Oh yeah, Casey seems to be beloved as well. I guess there are two IDF It Girls this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 On 4/18/2021 at 11:35 PM, Crisis said: lackadaisical I had no idea this was a word until now. On 4/18/2021 at 11:35 PM, Crisis said: Madison - Run To You When I heard she was doing a song from The Bodyguard, I was going to put my fist through the screen if she picked I Have Nothing (except not really because I don't want to hurt myself and replace my screen. I still wouldn't have been happy, however ). With that said, this song choice wasn't much better. As usual, she whiffed on the key change and while she wasn't that bad outside of it, I didn't think she was up to the challenge of handling this song. At least it seemed she was grateful to be there, and to be honest I preferred her to Alyssa. Best of luck to everyone who's time on Idol has ended. ROBBED QUEEN On 4/18/2021 at 11:35 PM, Crisis said: Despite that, this was a strong showing for her. I felt she connected to the song well and had some nice vocal moments. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 S18 Comeback Round If this post comes out kind of funny, it's because of any side effects from the COVID vaccine. Before I get into last night performances, I thought more about this S18 returnee twist. If the show wanted to do something like this, it would've been better to announce the S19 Top 24 first, then do this episode right after that and whoever wins the joins the others thus making it a Top 25. This way, the contestant can compete from the beginning with everyone else and should said contestant make the Top 10, it would be looked at more favorably. As it is, it appears to be unfair that whoever wins this comeback round earns a spot in the Top 10 over the eliminated contestants who were there from the beginning this season. Harry Connick, Jr's performance: I don't know what I watched there. Jimmie Allen, Tori Kelly, and now Lauren Daigle. It's hilarious how Idol's trying to claim fame to contestants who didn't make it to the voting rounds as their own when they didn't need Idol to have the careers they're having. With that said... Contestants Cyniah Elise - Edge of Midnight Before getting into my opinions on the returnees, I peeked in the episode thread to see how others reacted to the contestants. Well, the majority of IDF and I are on different wavelengths right off the bat because I didn't think she was as bad as she was made out to be. I thought she was confident on stage and had some nice vocal moments in the performance. The only really rough part was her going sharp in the ending. I was meh towards Cyniah last season and didn't care for her semi-finals performance, but I liked this one for some reason. Nick Merico - City Lights (Original) Nick was my least favorite S18 contestant mainly because I didn't think he was up to par with the rest of the contestants. After last night's performance, I unfortunately feel the same way. For starters, it's always a risk to do original songs because of the lack of familiarity with them. In addition, if the song doesn't grab the audience's attention, you're pretty much in dead man's land, and I felt that was the case here. Even in his original song I thought he wasn't strong enough vocally and although he tried to show some stage presence, it looked like he ate from Alyssa Raghu's pasta bowl because he tried too hard. I don't think he did himself any favors with this performance. Aliana Jester - I'll Never Love Again Admittedly, I didn't recognize Aliana at first. Gone were the braces and afro, and it appears she is blossoming into a beautiful woman. Last season, I felt she wasn't ready and thought it would've been better for her to be cut before the semi-finals and return in a future season. As for last night, while it appears she improved since last season, I still think she has ways to go. There were parts that sounded lovely; however, there were areas in which she was nervous because her voice sounded shaky. With that said, while not great by any means, I think she was solid. Franklin Boone - Meant To Live I'm probably the only person who liked Franklin last season. I liked his musical vibe and enjoyed his Everybody Wants To Rule The World (I'm the only one who did and besides, I'll take it over what Colin did this season). For some reason I thought he was over the age limit and thus ineligible to compete this season; I guess not. His performance was definitely something different! He shed the coffee house image he portrayed last season and tried to rock out. I was interested to see how he'd do, plus I absolutely love the song. Unfortunately, Franklin could not live up to the song's energy. He's too laid back to pull something like this off. He missed a lot of high notes and the song ate him alive. The end was somewhat better, but it wasn't enough. It's too bad because I wanted to see him do well. Faith Becnel - Cry Baby Faith was someone who I wasn't much of a fan of last season because I didn't care for her singing or performing style. With that said, she did have a solid semi-finals performance because she toned it down somewhat (although she had to because of the format). As for her performance, I'll just say I liked her better last season. The problems that plagued her up the Top 20 were in full force last night. She was vocally all over the place and looked liked she had no idea what she was doing on stage. In addition, she lacked the emotional drive the song required. The one positive thing I'll say is that she at least remembered the lyrics to the song this time. With her, less is definitely more. Arthur Gunn - Iris Ah, Arthur. I mentioned earlier the biggest problem I had with him returning was due to him being the runner-up last season. I can understand the others because they didn't make it far (well Louis and Makayla went farther than everyone else). I feel this gives him an unfair advantage. I think Kimmy or Lauren should've been here instead. As for his performance, well it just epitomized my opinions of him last season. I like that he tries to do something different with his performances, but most of the time it falls flat. There's making the song your own and making it unrecognizable, and I felt Arthur did the latter for me. Singing wise, he still hasn't controlled that strong vibrato, and he pretty much stripped away the song's melody. With this said, it was still one of the more interesting performances of the evening. DeWayne Crocker, Jr. - Voice Of God I've always liked DeWayne's voice and feel he's underrated. The problem last season was he completely picked the wrong song to showcase his voice the best. Last night, that was certainly not the case. For one, I like that he knows what direction he wants to go in musically, and he picked the perfect song to guide him down that road. He gave a very strong and powerful vocal, and it was easy to see the song meant a lot to him. I'm 50/50 on contestants starting at the piano before leaving it to walk on stage; in this case, I think it enhanced his performance. This was definitely one of the strongest performances of the night, and I was happy to see DeWayne redeem himself after last season's debacle. Makayla Phillips - Anyone Here we have the one contestant that drew the biggest buzz outside of Arthur. I didn't know what to think when she picked this song because it's a song that falls flat if not sung properly. Did Makayla do so? Yes, for the most part. With that said, I didn't think she gave an Idol performance for the ages that it appears this performance is made out to be. She was good, but she wasn't THAT good, and this is coming from someone who likes her. I thought the beginning was weak because she started too low. The song did pick up later, however, and I felt the choruses were the best parts. With all of this said, this was one of the best performances of the evening. I'm interested to see should she be eliminated again. If that's the case, it would be the third time which would tie her with Matt Giraud (still Matt would be #1 because his were all in the same season). Olivia Ximines - Say Yes What can I say, I enjoy watching Olivia perform. I felt more than anyone last season she was hurt from performing at home. She's not a stand still, belt to the rafters type of singer. She's someone who's more at home with more room to roam (hey, that rhymes), so I was looking forward to how she would fare on stage. I don't think she disappointed. Granted, it wasn't the most challenging song to sing and Olivia is not the strongest singer, but she went out and gave a fun performance. The dance breakdown was great to watch; in a way she reminded me of Naima (who I liked a lot). It's too bad TXFUS isn't around anymore because she would've been a natural there. As it is, she brought something different to the show, which I very much appreciated. Louis Knight - Maybe That (Original) I was not a Louis fan at all last season. He had a strong audition but went sharply downhill after that. I didn't enjoy any of his performances with Can You Feel The Love Tonight being my least favorite. With that said, he wasn't bad last night. One thing I got from him was he is someone who is much better on his original songs than covering songs from others. Also, I think performing on stage helped him because he didn't look comfortable at all performing from home. Unlike Nick, Louis didn't try to do too much and stayed in his lane. With that said, I'm not the biggest fan of his voice, and I think he's a better songwriter than singer. Nevertheless, his performance was one of the better ones. Rankings: 10. Nick Merico 09. Faith Becnel 08. Franklin Boone 07. Arthur Gunn 06. Cyniah Elise 05. Aliana Jester 04. Louis Knight 03. Olivia Ximines 02. Makayla Phillips 01. DeWayne Crocker, Jr. Overall, it wasn't the strongest night. With that said, however, I have to keep in mind this was the first time these contestants performed on stage because they were denied that opportunity last season. This season's contestants performed on stage a few times already and therefore had more experience, which may be why their performances appeared to be better. As for the votes, it appears Arthur is the clear favorite for the final Top 10 spot, with Louis and Makayla having the best chance to take it from him. If I were to base it solely on the performance, DeWayne would be my pick because I felt he was the best. We'll see what happens two weeks from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss denise Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I don't have a ton of thoughts on the comeback performances. I didn't recognize over half of them (yet I can still name semi-finalists from the first few years of the show ). I am rooting for Louis to come back, of course, but if it's someone else... I'll just be meh and have no opinion. Actually, I forgot about Olivia but when she came on, I remembered how much I liked her last year. Her performance was so fun. So, her and Louis were/are my favorites. Also, this was the audition I wanted to show you if you are okay with watching it. There aren't any other contestants featured besides Liahona and her brother. I may have been her only fan around here, but she really caught my attention from this audition and I rooted for her since then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 5 hours ago, miss denise said: I may have been her only fan around here, but she really caught my attention from this audition and I rooted for her since then. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayden98 Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I was also a big Liahona fan Also, I've yet to catch up on the most recent episodes, but I'll try and respond to your thoughts sometime! I enjoyed reading them! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarmenSandiego Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 11 hours ago, miss denise said: I don't have a ton of thoughts on the comeback performances. I didn't recognize over half of them (yet I can still name semi-finalists from the first few years of the show ). I am rooting for Louis to come back, of course, but if it's someone else... I'll just be meh and have no opinion. Actually, I forgot about Olivia but when she came on, I remembered how much I liked her last year. Her performance was so fun. So, her and Louis were/are my favorites. Also, this was the audition I wanted to show you if you are okay with watching it. There aren't any other contestants featured besides Liahona and her brother. I may have been her only fan around here, but she really caught my attention from this audition and I rooted for her since then. I was a fan of her as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 25, 2021 Author Share Posted April 25, 2021 20 hours ago, miss denise said: I don't have a ton of thoughts on the comeback performances. I didn't recognize over half of them (yet I can still name semi-finalists from the first few years of the show ). I am rooting for Louis to come back, of course, but if it's someone else... I'll just be meh and have no opinion. Actually, I forgot about Olivia but when she came on, I remembered how much I liked her last year. Her performance was so fun. So, her and Louis were/are my favorites. Also, this was the audition I wanted to show you if you are okay with watching it. There aren't any other contestants featured besides Liahona and her brother. I may have been her only fan around here, but she really caught my attention from this audition and I rooted for her since then. Heh at not remembering the current seasons' semi-finalists but remembering the ones from past seasons. I figured Louis is the one you're rooting for the most. I pretty much agree about Olivia! I know she has no shot at being the comeback pick, but I wouldn't mind if she were. Since it appears to be safe, I watched the audition. I saw the appeal in Liahona and felt she was definitely better than her brother. Based on that, it makes sense why she advanced farther than he did, and it's the first time (if not one of the rare times) the female advanced farther than the male because it's usually the other way around. 14 hours ago, Bk1234 said: Considering you're the one who started her fan thread, it makes sense to feel left out. 10 hours ago, hayden98 said: I was also a big Liahona fan Also, I've yet to catch up on the most recent episodes, but I'll try and respond to your thoughts sometime! I enjoyed reading them! I look forward to your thoughts should you post any. Happy to see you enjoyed reading mine! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted May 3, 2021 Author Share Posted May 3, 2021 Top 10 - Disney Night Ah, Disney Night. A night that has been a staple since the ABC reboot. Which of the Top 10 were sprinkled with pixie magic, and which had performances that should be locked in the vault never to see the light of day again? Well, we'll find out. The night opens with Sofia Carson singing A Whole New World. Here I am remembering Ruben singing this in S2 and Maddie and Caleb doing a duet of this during S17. I don't know who this is, but she sounded a bit nasal to me. It ended with the remaining contestants appearing with her on stage singing background. Speaking of the contestants... I'm not the best at math, but there are only nine contestants. But wait, isn't this supposed to be a Top 10? Yes, for the winner of the S18 Comeback Round will fill the final spot. The winner is none other than...Arthur Gunn. This was a given when he was part of the comeback group. Here we have last season's runner up competing against contestants who except two (Louis and Makayla) were eliminated after one round. As I've said before, I don't think he should've been part of the twist because of him being last season's runner up; however, I'm not shedding tears over him getting the spot either. He competed with everyone else and the voters decided they wanted him to return, and to quote Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that. Contestants Caleb - Real Gone I had a feeling he was going to pick something from Cars; at least it wasn't Life Is A Highway. Performance wise, you can copy and paste what I said about his previous performances because tonight was more of the same. With that said, he had more energy than normal. He's a sedan who isn't going to wow anyone with high horsepower or insane specs, but he'll get to the destination with little to no trouble. He's starting to remind me of another Caleb who coasted his way to a second place finish, except that one had one standout performance and more personality. Willie - Circle Of Life When learning he was going to sing something from The Lion King, I knew it would be Circle Of Life. However, that doesn't mean I wasn't hoping for something different such as Be Prepared or Just Can't Wait To Be King, oh well. Willie has been a steady and consistent performer this season and this for the most part was no different. He was fine vocally; however, until the end this performance felt stagnant. This was a problem for him last week as well, and it's something he needs to be aware about going forward. Casey - When She Loved Me Well, Casey's steady rising in the competition continues. Not only was the song sung well, she did a good job connecting to it, or at the very least appeared to be connecting to it. I like that she's been mostly understated the past couple of rounds. I think she'll go back to her rock roots next week, but it's good for her to show she can do more than rock out. Chayce - Baby Mine This was unexpected from him. To his credit he managed to arrange the song to fit his style. I don't think he connected to the song as much as he could have, but it wasn't a bad performance by any means. I liked the slow intro he did before getting to the more fast pace the rest of the way. As with Caleb, Chayce knows his lane and it appears he's going to stay in it as long as he can. In other words, don't expect any fireworks or changes from him anytime soon. Oh, and is Graham going to travel across the country and appear with a different family every week?! If so, I'm all for it! Arthur - Remember Me Admittedly, I chuckled when he said he hadn't seen Coco. I haven't been a fan of any of Arthur's performances and have explained what my issues, if you can call them that, are regarding him. However, I have to say this performance wasn't all that bad. The strong vibrato was still present, but it wasn't as annoying as it was in his previous performances. His rendition wasn't as good as Michelle's, but it was better than Alejandro's. Overall, I would say this is my favorite of his. Hunter - You'll Be In My Heart Even with him messing up his lines at the end, I liked Hunter's last performance. However, I can't say the same this week. It wasn't poorly sung and he appeared to put some emotion into it; however, I found myself bored. I think the performance lacked the impact the song should have and because of that, the song went absolutely nowhere. Moreover, I wasn't a fan of his diction; the way he enunciated some of the words made me raise an eyebrow or two. Nonetheless, he has the sensitive singer-songwriter thing down and appears to be fairly popular. However, with the competition becoming less crowded, I don't know how long this will last. Grace - Into The Unknown The biggest issue with Grace this season hasn't been her voice. Rather, it's been her song choices. Tonight, however, she picked her best one yet. When learning she would sing this song, I thought she would finally give a performance that showcases her vocal talent. The result: she ALMOST did. There were a couple of spots where she missed some notes; outside of that, however, she did a fine job on a very challenging song. Hopefully next week she'll pick another song that will allow her to really get to that place because she took a huge step in the right direction tonight. Eliminated Alyssa - A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes I've had my fair share of criticism of Alyssa, but it appeared she was improving each time she took the stage. This performance was no different. In fact, I would say this was her best performance of the season. She still had moments where she was out of control vocally; however, they weren't as bad as they were in the past. Another thing was this performance was also on the boring end if I'm to be honest. Still, it was her most controlled performance and a somewhat positive note for her to leave on. Cassandra - Go The Distance Ever since they've had Disney Night, I was hoping someone would sing this song. I never expected Cassandra to sing it. When I heard Hercules, I was expecting I Won't Say I'm In Love. I got strong Florence + The Machine vibes from both the arrangement and singing. This wasn't Cassandra's best vocal showing; there were times her vibrato was out of control, especially on the held notes. However, this was the most comfortable she appeared on stage. If this was a longer season and not many multiple eliminations, I think we would've seen her gradually become more confident each time out. She appeared to be a lovely person not to mention kind of cute in a weird way, but I had a feeling this would be her last week regardless how she did. DeShawn - When You Wish Upon A Star The one week I don't expect him to leave he does, go figure. This is an iconic song, and it's a huge risk to change it up. With that said, I will give him credit for trying to do something different, and I have to say the jazz arrangement was intriguing. However, it didn't pay off. He came across as a cheesy cruise ship singer in both singing and presentation, plus it didn't help the band drowned him out during most of the performance. He did well to get this far, but unfortunately the magic dried up and his underdog run came to an end tonight. Performance Rankings: 10. DeShawn 09. Alyssa 08. Hunter 07. Cassandra 06. Chayce 05. Caleb 04. Arthur 03. Willie 02. Grace 01. Casey Overall, it was an OK night; not bad but not great either. The Top 7 consists of 5 males and 2 females; I'm sure IDF is thrilled with that ratio (it's a joke in case anyone's wondering ). Next week will be another staple in the ABC version with Mother's Day and Coldplay. Of all the bands/singers, they dedicate a theme to Coldplay? The only positive thing is their songs will be sung by anyone other than Chris Martin. With that said, while I don't think it'll happen, I hope someone sings X Marks The Spot. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 Top 7 - Coldplay and Mother's Day Tonight, the hopefuls reach the point where they have to sing two songs. They tried their hands at Coldplay for their first performances before they dedicated songs to their mothers for their second. How did they do? We'll see. The biggest disappointment: no Graham visiting any of their mothers. Contestants: Casey: Paradise (Coldplay) On paper, this should've been a perfect song for Casey because of the subject matter and it should've fit her voice. However, this was very underwhelming. For starters, the band was too loud and from the parts I could hear her she wasn't consistent vocally. In addition, she looked uncomfortable on stage for the first half of the song before showing more stage presence during the second half. After showing steady improvement over the past couple of weeks, she took a step back with this performance. Ironic (Mother's Day) Well, this song isn't one that comes to mind when thinking about mothers. Regardless, this was a nice bounce back performance for her. She was much better vocally and her stage presence was much better. It appeared she was having fun on stage which was great to see. It was good to see her return to her rock roots after the previous three performances and while it looked like she might have been in trouble, she managed to make it another week. She can't afford to have any more performances like Paradise or she may not be so lucky next week. Chayce: Magic (Coldplay) First, I'll say this is the most upbeat arrangement Chayce has had in any of his performances. In addition, this was probably the most dynamic he has sounded all season as he showed different sides to his voice. With that said, I still wasn't excited about this because the song was repetitive and on the boring side (as is the case with most of Coldplay's songs). At the end of the day, Chayce did his thing and didn't really hurt himself. Mamma (Mother's Day - Original) I thought Chayce got off to a rough start because Chayce sounded kind of odd. However, he was able to find his footing and delivered a sincere performance of his original tune. The lyrics seemed like they came straight from the heart and seeing that it's an original, he really captured the heart of the song. As I said last week about him, Chayce knows who he is and appears he will continue to do his thing. Since there is an audience for that thing, he appears to be in good standing and it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the finale. Willie: Yellow (Coldplay) A couple of things came to mind when learning of this song choice. First, Brooke White's cover is my favorite rendition and I listened to it after watching Willie's. Second, Willie was only a year old when this song was released?! These ABC seasons are making me feel older every minute. Anyway, I thought this song fit Willie perfectly like a well-tailored suit. I thought he sounded great throughout the performance, and I especially like how his voice soared towards the end. Last week I said he needed to be careful of his performances sounding stagnant through the majority of them. I felt that wasn't the case here. Overall, it was my favorite Coldplay performance of the night. You Are So Beautiful (Mother's Day) This was another great performance from Willie. He had a strong emotional connection to the song, and I could tell he really appreciated his mother during it. I loved the vocal dynamics in the middle of the song; however, I can't help but feel he sounded off towards the end. Regardless, it wasn't bad enough to ruin the rest of the performance. Willie was 2 for 2 with his songs and I felt he had the best night overall. I understand there are rumblings about him sounding the same every week, but to me it's no different from Chayce or Caleb. In the end, if it's a genre people prefer, I don't think it matters much, and that appears to be the case for Willie and the others. Caleb: Violet Hill (Coldplay) This was the most interesting Caleb performance this season. First of all, the heavier and darker arrangement was very intriguing and fit the whole rebel country singer image Caleb has been trying to convey throughout the season. Vocally it was no different from what he has done this season, at least from the moments I could hear him. As with Casey's Coldplay performance, the band was too loud to the point where Caleb's vocals were drowned out by a sea of noise. Regardless, I think Caleb did what he needed to do to make it past this theme. Mama Said (Mother's Day - Original) What do you know, another original song. He took off the hat for this one. This one is a guitar ballad and a nice change of pace from his first performance. He seemed to emotionally connect to the song; however, there were parts where I felt he sounded a bit high pitched. Caleb did what he needed to do on both of his songs and he's just chugging along in the competition. One would think he needs to do something different in order to have a real chance at winning; however, I'm not sure if he does. He's the lone country contestant and appears to have a decent sized voting bloc. We'll see what happens with him next week. Grace: Fix You (Coldplay) Unfortunately for me, the first thing that came to mind after learning of this song was how Ashley wasn't voted into the finals after giving a solid performance of it (granted, she didn't do herself any favors with her WC performance, but that's not the point). This was the most vulnerable and restrained Grace has sounded this season. Although she is known for her glory notes, she didn't use them here. However, the one issue I had with this performance was the arrangement didn't fit with the singing. It felt that it was meant for Grace to go big at certain parts but she didn't do so, and that made the performance feel kind of off. Still, it wasn't a bad performance by any means. Finally, I would've liked to hear how she would've done with Hymn For The Weekend. When We Were Young (Mother's Day) First, Grace was serving some serious Jessica Rabbit realness with her dress! Well, as with Casey I don't see how this song choice fits the Mother's Day theme. Oh, this is one of her mother's favorite songs, so it kinds of make sense in this case. Adele can be really difficult to sing, but if anyone this season could sing her songs, it's Grace. I have to say she sounded fantastic on this song. She didn't struggle with it or appeared to miss any notes which was an issue last week. This may be her best technical showing of the season. However, the one thing missing was a lack of connection. I didn't really feel anything from this performance which is too bad. I think she's almost to the point where she's able to put everything together, but time is running out for her. Eliminated: Arthur: In My Place (Coldplay) Was this song In My Place? If it was, it sure as heck didn't sound like it. Back when he sang Iris, I thought he made the song unrecognizable. However, that was nothing compared to what he did here. In My Place is one of the few Coldplay songs I enjoy, and Arthur took everything from that song and turned it into something completely different. It could've worked if the performance was good, but I didn't think it was. I found myself preferring Louis' version which isn't a positive thing because I didn't like his version either. Simple Man (Mother's Day) This was better than his Coldplay song but not by much. Here he kept the arrangement as close to the original version as he could, which is the only positive thing I have to say about this performance. He didn't even try to sing the melody in the verses; it sounded as if his timing was off and it made the song sound incohesive. This song has been done well in past seasons, and needless to say I don't think Arthur's version is going to threaten any of the best renditions. Well, it appeared the twist was a waste of time. I had a feeling he wasn't going to win and thought he would either leave this week or the week after. If they did this at the beginning of the semis, it may be a different story. I'm not a fan of his, but at least he was able to have the opportunity to have the real Idol experience for a couple of weeks. Hunter: Everglow (Coldplay) Funny enough that Chris said this song was inspired by Bonnie Raitt because it sounded a lot like I Can't Make You Love Me. Hunter was his usual tender self except for the voice crack somewhere in the middle. Now I understand why he's been so hesitant to push his voice higher. Outside of that, he wasn't too bad and I felt this was the better of his two performances. The River (Mother's Day - Original) Wait a minute, all three WGWGs did an original song for the Mother's Day theme? What are the odds of that happening? Well, Hunter's was my least favorite of the three. For starters, maybe it was just me but there was nothing in the song that had anything to do with mothers. Also, I didn't like Hunter's voice on the song. He sounded whiny and it was difficult for me to understand what he was singing. If there was one positive, he appeared to be earnest. Hunter appeared to be a nice guy, but I felt we weren't going to see anything more from him and he was someone who didn't really register with me throughout the season. Performance Rankings: Coldplay 7. Arthur 6. Casey 5. Hunter 4. Chayce 3. Caleb 2. Grace 1. Willie Mother's Day 7. Arthur 6. Hunter 5. Caleb 4. Chayce 3. Casey 2. Grace 1. Willie Overall 7. Arthur 6. Hunter 5. Casey 4. Caleb 3. Chayce 2. Grace 1. Willie I am not a Coldplay fan, so the first half the show was hard to get through. I don't know if I would've dedicated an entire theme to them, but it is what it is. Oh, they have a new single and album coming out; that makes sense. The show picked up somewhat during the second half with the Mother's Day theme. Overall, it was an OK night. I don't know what to make of this season at this point. It isn't bad, but it isn't anything to get excited over either. Hopefully things will pick up over the final two weeks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted May 13, 2021 Author Share Posted May 13, 2021 The current hot topic of S19 is the disqualification of Caleb Kennedy due to a Snapchat of him appearing with someone who is wearing a KKK hood circulating across the Internet. I waited a day to gather my thoughts because of the sensitive nature of the subject. Now I’ll share my thoughts here. I’m sure most of us know what the KKK is, but here is a brief explanation for those who aren’t familiar with them. The KKK, or Ku Klux Klan for short, is a White supremist hate group formed after the abolition of slavery that has harassed, tortured, and outright murdered people of color (POC), most notably African Americans, due mostly to their skin color for well over two centuries. Members of the group are known for wearing white robes and hoods with pointed tops, just like the one that person posing with Caleb wore. As someone who is Black, seeing that stirred some very uncomfortable feelings within me. I’ve heard horror stories from relatives and family friends about some of the atrocities this group has committed, which included losing friends and family members. I have personally never witnessed anything of that level and I sincerely hope I never will in my life; however, I have a memory of a near close encounter with someone in this group. When I was I want to say 12, I hung out with this White kid both at school and outside of it; I considered him to be one of my best friends. We often visited each other’s homes and got to know each other’s families. His family always welcomed me and treated me with respect whenever I visited and it was the same for him and my family. One weekend, however, I visited his home and saw that his paternal grandparents were in town and staying over. I went to use the restroom and on the way back I stumbled across his grandfather’s suitcase which happened to be open. My curiosity got the best of me, so I peeked in his suitcase and absolutely froze at what I saw. In it was unquestionably the familiar KKK robe and hood. After what felt like an eternity I gathered myself, returned to his family, and told them I had to leave. I walked out of there as calmly as I could and waited until I felt I was a good distance from their sight then hightailed it home so fast I probably could’ve given Usain Bolt a run for his money. Going back to Caleb and AI, the latter and ABC had no choice but to disqualify and wash their hands of him, if only to send a message saying something like this is unacceptable. This is especially true in today’s climate with everything going on with BLM and the disturbingly increasing hate crimes against Asian Americans. I could only imagine the backlash and tarnishing of their brand if they allowed him to continue despite knowing about this. It also begs the question how much does Idol vet any potential contestants. I know they have allowed contestants to take part despite having questionable pasts; however, this is something that could not be overlooked under any circumstances. Finally, there’s Caleb himself. As a contestant, he was someone who I was mostly indifferent towards. I was meh towards his preferred music, but I thought he had potential as a songwriter based on the originals he performed. As a person, outside of the tidbits they showed of him on TV, I can’t say I really know him. One thing I will say is I sincerely hope he learns a valuable lesson from this. Fortunately for him he’s still young, so there’s a chance he can grow as a person and understand the gravity of the position he put himself in. I don’t wish for him to be tarred and feathered, but I would’ve tuned out for the rest of the season and possibly longer had he not been removed in some capacity. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 On 5/10/2021 at 12:36 AM, Crisis said: I am not a Coldplay fan, so the first half the show was hard to get through. I don't know if I would've dedicated an entire theme to them, but it is what it is. That part of the show was dreadful (no shade to the contestants), and that’s not even counting the guest performance... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 Top 4 - Personal Idols, Original Songs, and Reprises The penultimate episode is upon us! Four contestants vie for the three finale spots. Who will reach the finale and who gets left out? First things first. This is what Idol pretty much did to Caleb: I wondered if they would address it on air in some form. Outside of Ryan saying Caleb is no longer part of the competition, they decided to pretend he never existed. It appears anything Caleb related has been erased from anything associated with Idol. As the late Freddie Mercury sang, the show must go on. Did my eyes deceive me or was that a Laine Hardy sighting? The ABC Idol acknowledging one of their winners? This has to be a prank. Well, he just talked about his new single and that was it. It reminded me of Trent appearing in S16 (I refuse to call it S1) only to plug his album. But wait, Michael J. Woodard also appeared? So he's signed to Katy's label and his single debuts this Friday? It seems Michael still has that quirky energy people came to love during his season. Good for him; no matter my personal opinions on the contestants, it's always good to see them do something after the show. With that said, is it just me or did he get more time than Laine? Finally, I'd rather have him or Laine perform than Luke. Contestants: Chayce: Colder Weather After telling Finneas he would forego the guitar in rehearsal, he appeared with one during the performance. I guessed he changed his mind at the last minute. The performance itself started off nice enough; however, I felt it became rough somewhat when the band kicked in and Chayce sounded like he was shouting so he could be heard over the music. It wasn't a great performance, but it wasn't a bad one either. 23 (Original) I haven't listened to the singles yet, so this episode is the first time I heard something from them. Chayce's sounds like your usual pop/country song. It's catchy but nothing to be considered groundbreaking. As for the performance itself, there were times I could barely hear Chayce, and I have to admit hearing him sing about drinking in the chorus is kind of jarring seeing that he has a DUI to his name. Apparently, it's doing well on streaming sites, so it's one people definitely relate to. You Should Probably Leave With Caleb out of the picture, Chayce is really pushing for that country vote isn't he? Before getting into the performance, the contestants performed their remaining two songs consecutively, flashback to S3's Top 5 Night. Now, my opinion of this performance pretty much mirrors my Colder Weather one in that it was good, not great. With a lane to himself and possibly gaining even more support, Chayce is in great position to become the S19 Champion. All he has to do is keep the ship steady and not make too many waves because he hasn't needed to throughout the season. Grace: A Moment Like This I definitely raised some eyebrows with this song choice. This has been the thing with Grace all season. I think she has the best voice, but her song choices leave a lot to be desired. Singing an Idol winner's coronation song almost never goes well. The only one I can think of that was passable was Amber Holcomb's version of this very song during S12. With that said, outside of a shrill note in the middle and a not so smooth key change into the final chorus, Grace didn't completely embarrass herself. It was an OK performance, but there were better Kelly songs to choose from if she had to pick one. Also, she was only one when Kelly won? Stop making me feel old Idol! Love Someone (Original) Well, it appears to be a mid-tempo number. Of the four original songs, this one caught my attention the least. It seems to fit Grace's voice well as there are some parts especially in the chorus that allows her to belt. Maybe this one will grow on me after listening to the full length version. Her performance of it was just there. Overall, I was ambivalent to the whole thing. Father From the looks of everything, it appeared she was going to sing Anyone, which would not be the first time that song was sung this season. The beginning was soft and subtle before she went big on the final chorus. Unlike A Moment Like This, the transition was smooth and her gradually getting bigger was nicely done. If I were to have one criticism, it's that the performance ended abruptly after the last line; I expected at least one more piano chord to punctuate the song. Regardless, this was Grace's best performance of the night. As for her standing, I think more than anyone where Grace ends up depends on her song choice. A bad one will easily cement her in third; however, the right one could give her a chance to win. She's the wildcard contestant, so it'll be interesting to see what she does next week. Willie: Glory To be honest, I'm not really a big fan of this song. However, it's one that fits right in Willie's wheelhouse, or at least it should have been. The beginning of the song was on the boring side, and I nearly tuned out from it. To his credit, he brought it home during the end; nonetheless, there was a lack of emotional connection throughout the performance. It's probably my least favorite performance of his, and I know he is capable of better and has shown so in the past. Never Be Alone (Original) This was a gospel-influenced inspirational ballad, i.e., right up Willie's alley. The verse was fine enough; however, I felt the chorus was repetitive and uninteresting. With that said, it appeared Willie put some feeling into the song. The difficult thing about these original songs is that their performances are too short; therefore, it's difficult to really assess them without hearing them first like I did. Maybe this is another one that'll grow on me after a full listen. I Was Here I'm not much of a Beyonce fan. I don't dislike her, but I wouldn't consider myself a member of the Beyhive. Furthermore, I Was Here is not one of my favorite songs of hers. With that said, this was a much better showing for Willie. The first half was decent enough, but going from that to the bridge was kind of off because it lacked that buildup the original song has. However, Willie exploded in the last chorus and brought the performance home. As with Chayce, Willie just needs to do what he's doing now if he wants a chance to win. It's too late in the game to change things up now, so he doesn't feel the need to do so. Eliminated: Casey: wish you were gay This was a rather interesting song choice, especially given the title. I think Casey did well enough with it. She looked comfortable on stage and the performance built momentum as it went on. The problem, however, is that despite the momentum building it pretty much went nowhere. It stayed at the same level, and for the most part it's difficult to take songs of that nature and really build on them. With everything said, she had the best performance during the Personal Idols round. Love Me, Leave Me (Original) This song seems to suit Casey well. It's in the pop/rock vein and sort of reminds me of Avril Lavigne. It sounds catchy and it's definitely the most energetic of the original songs. Again, these original songs are cut too short, so it's difficult to really get a feel for them. This is especially the case for this one because I really wanted to see where it would go. As it is, it's the song I'm looking forward to listening to the most. Live Wire I'm a classic rock fan; however, Motley Crue is a band I never got into. With that said, it was really cool to see one of their songs performed on the Idol stage, and Casey definitely did it justice. The stage presence and energy was all there, and it appeared the band had a blast with the number. With all that said, my favorite part was Lionel playing the air guitar. All in all, Casey had a decent night all things considered; unfortunately for her it wasn't enough. As far as her elimination is concerned, I think the thing that hurt her the most was unfortunately her versatility. The remaining contestants except for maybe Grace stayed in their lanes all season and therefore, they were able to build strong bases that know their styles and what to expect from them. Casey, on the other hand, ventured from rock to ballads to pop, and as a result may not have been able to establish such a base. Also, her being the youngest and least experienced may have had a factor in this regard. She's still young and has a lot of potential, so hopefully she'll continue to grow as an artist, and I wish her the best of luck. I don't know who will win because an argument can be made for any of the remaining three. It'll be interesting to see how things will look in next week's finale. 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Bk1234 Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 10 hours ago, Crisis said: As far as her elimination is concerned, I think the thing that hurt her the most was unfortunately her versatility. The remaining contestants except for maybe Grace stayed in their lanes all season and therefore, they were able to build strong bases that know their styles and what to expect from them. Casey, on the other hand, ventured from rock to ballads to pop, and as a result may not have been able to establish such a base. Also, her being the youngest and least experienced may have had a factor in this regard. She's still young and has a lot of potential, so hopefully she'll continue to grow as an artist, and I wish her the best of luck. I guess that’s the nice way to explain it. We all know the two ladies were the bottom vote-getters last night. You can probably connect the dots from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 2 hours ago, Bk1234 said: I guess that’s the nice way to explain it. We all know the two ladies were the bottom vote-getters last night. You can probably connect the dots from there. While the voting demographic tends to learn towards the male contestants, I don't think it's as black and white as it appears. Sure, Chayce and Willie has done the same thing every week; however, the thing they've done resonates with voters. Grace is the most frustrating contestant to me this season. She has the best voice and has the potential to deliver a showstopper, but due to either poor song or vocal choices she hasn't fulfilled her potential. With that said, she's the classic big voiced contestant Idol voters are familiar with. Where does that leave Casey? I thought she was the closest Idol contestant in a while to have the "growth arc" of getting better every week to the point where she potentially win. However, I felt she took a step back last week with her songs and performances and while both were better last night and I enjoyed them, they probably weren't going to appeal to the main voters. Having said that, Casey was the most interesting contestant of the Top 4, and while it was disappointing to see her leave, I had a feeling it would be her. A few things I forgot to add to last night's write-up: - The Voice shade from Finneas and Willie was absolutely hilarious! With that said, unfortunately, Idol is slowly becoming more and more like The Voice. - Both duets were nicely done. I thought Grace and Willie's voices complimented each other well, and while Casey and Chayce sounded nice together, I felt Casey was the better of the two. - Speaking of Casey's elimination, the way it was handled was awkward. The show just cut off with Ryan and Casey standing on stage not knowing what to do. At least the other eliminated contestants were able to acknowledge everyone before walking off stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 44 minutes ago, Crisis said: While the voting demographic tends to learn towards the male contestants, I don't think it's as black and white as it appears. Sure, Chayce and Willie has done the same thing every week; however, the thing they've done resonates with voters. Grace is the most frustrating contestant to me this season. She has the best voice and has the potential to deliver a showstopper, but due to either poor song or vocal choices she hasn't fulfilled her potential. With that said, she's the classic big voiced contestant Idol voters are familiar with. Where does that leave Casey? I thought she was the closest Idol contestant in a while to have the "growth arc" of getting better every week to the point where she potentially win. However, I felt she took a step back last week with her songs and performances and while both were better last night and I enjoyed them, they probably weren't going to appeal to the main voters. Having said that, Casey was the most interesting contestant of the Top 4, and while it was disappointing to see her leave, I had a feeling it would be her. That’s true. Casey’s songs choices probably didn’t appeal to the main demographic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss denise Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 On 4/24/2021 at 4:41 AM, Bk1234 said: On 4/24/2021 at 8:24 AM, hayden98 said: I was also a big Liahona fan Also, I've yet to catch up on the most recent episodes, but I'll try and respond to your thoughts sometime! I enjoyed reading them! On 4/24/2021 at 10:21 AM, CarmenSandiego said: I was a fan of her as well. I'm embarrassingly late in seeing these posts but aww I'm so glad to hear you guys were fans too. Yay! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss denise Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 On 4/24/2021 at 7:23 PM, Crisis said: Heh at not remembering the current seasons' semi-finalists but remembering the ones from past seasons. I figured Louis is the one you're rooting for the most. Since it appears to be safe, I watched the audition. I saw the appeal in Liahona and felt she was definitely better than her brother. Based on that, it makes sense why she advanced farther than he did, and it's the first time (if not one of the rare times) the female advanced farther than the male because it's usually the other way around. Considering you're the one who started her fan thread, it makes sense to feel left out. Yep, that's me. And yes, he was. That twist didn't turn out to amount to much anyway though, so oh well. Yay, I'm so glad you watched and enjoyed it. She got a lot of flack around here in the later rounds, so I just wanted to highlight why some people became fans. Interesting point. I really only thought of Sanjaya and his sister. I never saw her fan thread. Sorry @Bk1234! I just saw the hate for her in the episode discussion threads. Okay, I have a lot to catch up on in here, but... I owe you something else in the other thread so I'm going to work on that first. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss denise Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 On 5/2/2021 at 8:43 PM, Crisis said: He's a sedan who isn't going to wow anyone with high horsepower or insane specs, but he'll get to the destination with little to no trouble. He's starting to remind me of another Caleb who coasted his way to a second place finish, except that one had one standout performance and more personality. When learning he was going to sing something from The Lion King, I knew it would be Circle Of Life. However, that doesn't mean I wasn't hoping for something different such as Be Prepared or Just Can't Wait To Be King, oh well. Oh, and is Graham going to travel across the country and appear with a different family every week?! If so, I'm all for it! Moreover, I wasn't a fan of his diction; the way he enunciated some of the words made me raise an eyebrow or two. She appeared to be a lovely person not to mention kind of cute in a weird way, but I had a feeling this would be her last week regardless how she did. Next week will be another staple in the ABC version with Mother's Day and Coldplay. Of all the bands/singers, they dedicate a theme to Coldplay? The only positive thing is their songs will be sung by anyone other than Chris Martin. With that said, while I don't think it'll happen, I hope someone sings X Marks The Spot. I'm not sure how to take this sort of shade, yet also a compliment, to S16 Caleb, who I love. Oooh those other song choices you picked out would have been so interesting to see. I'm not actually surprised you say this about Cassandra. OMG yikes at the Chris Martin diss. Although, I'm not a huge Coldplay fan either and wasn't crazy about the theme. I'll also add here - yay for giving Grace props on her Disney performance. On 5/9/2021 at 9:36 PM, Crisis said: The biggest disappointment: no Graham visiting any of their mothers. A couple of things came to mind when learning of this song choice. First, Brooke White's cover is my favorite rendition and I listened to it after watching Willie's. Second, Willie was only a year old when this song was released?! These ABC seasons are making me feel older every minute. He didn't even try to sing the melody in the verses; Hunter was his usual tender self I LOVE Brooke's version of the song too. And ugh at Idol and all their age references. It needs to stop. 22 hours ago, Crisis said: Did my eyes deceive me or was that a Laine Hardy sighting? The ABC Idol acknowledging one of their winners? This has to be a prank. Well, he just talked about his new single and that was it. It reminded me of Trent appearing in S16 (I refuse to call it S1) only to plug his album. But wait, Michael J. Woodard also appeared? So he's signed to Katy's label and his single debuts this Friday? It seems Michael still has that quirky energy people came to love during his season. Good for him; no matter my personal opinions on the contestants, it's always good to see them do something after the show. With that said, is it just me or did he get more time than Laine? Finally, I'd rather have him or Laine perform than Luke. I wish Laine got to perform. I'm happy Michael got his time on stage, but Laine should have had just as much. My commentary here is kind of sporadic, but I don't have a ton of thoughts on the performances. I still love Grace and all her performances (happy to see you consistently ranking her in the top 2 ). Willie is my second favorite, although I would love to see him do something uptempo. I don't mind Chayce, although prefer the other two. I was never big on Casey, which is an unpopular opinion around here. I really enjoyed both duets last night though. Wow me completely catching up in both threads tonight? I really do deserve a prize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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