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May 8, 2007: Bringing Back the High-waisted Pant
Those were the good old days. Probably long before most of you were born. But I remember them well. And I remember The Brothers Gibb, aka the Bee Gees, and Saturday Night Fever. Skinny guys in high-waisted white pants with matching jackets. It’s time to bring them back!
Barry Gibb, who has possibly the highest voice I have ever heard on a grown man, was happy to have the four remaining Idols sing not just four, but eight of his songs. Eight songs, you say? Whoa, boy….
I’m lining them up two-by-two, praying for an early night.
Melinda kicked off the show declaring, “Love You Inside and Out” and she reminded me of Gloria Gaynor (that’s a huge compliment)! I’ve got no issue with Melinda’s version of the song. You know how I love this gal. Randy said it was a “solid performance.” Paula said, “It’s hard to critique you,” which isn’t saying much. Simon said, “I expect incredible tonight,” and it was “more of the backing vocal” performance, and not a “star song.” What does he know? Oh, yeah, Il Divo. Need I say more?
Melinda came back in the second half of the show and asked “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.” Barry was worried for her because of the difficult chords, but didn’t anyone tell him she’s the resident pro? Worry not for Melinda, Barry. We’ve got her back. I loved her dress. Randy said, “You got it.” Paula said she reminded her of Stephanie Mills, though I disagreed. She also “didn’t think it popped.” Simon had something nice to say: “The second half of that song has put you into the semifinals.”
Haley “Legs” Scarnato was in the house. Wonder if she ever got that Nair commercial.
Blake ordered “You Should Be Dancing” and chose not only to sing it, but to beatbox it to death. I must take a moment to note that everybody is singing so high tonight; and I don’t mean like “I inhaled” high, I mean falsetto-y. Even Melinda did it a bit in her song. I am not a fan of Blake, but he is original, I’ll give him that. And I liked what he was wearing for the first song. Randy felt he was at a “weird discotheque in a foreign country.” Paula said Blake had “true musicianship [and it] showed why you are unique.” Simon found it “absolutely terrible,” but was silenced by the “you’re done” music. He shouted through it, “I’m not finished!” I guess, sir, you are.
Blake arrived a second time (in that awful argyle sweater from a few weeks back) with “This Is Where I Came In." Never heard of that song? Neither had anyone else, and it’s often not a good idea to pick a song no one knows. I threw my hands up hollering, “Stop with the beatboxing, already!” But he didn’t hear me. I was bored and ready to send the boy home. Randy was “still not jumping up and down — you don’t have to beatbox on every song,” and I for one am darn glad he said that. Paula titled him the “contemporary rebel in this competition,” and said she “enjoyed you singing it,” because he sang on key. Simon, my new hero, said it was “completely tuneless.” I couldn’t agree more. However, the young girls differ.
The judges were mean tonight!
LaKisha hoped she would be “Stayin' Alive” by singing a slower version of Mr. Gibb’s song. He said he “liked what she’s done with it." LaKisha was on fire! She never did actually go up on that last note like Barry suggested, but it was OK. Randy thought it was “weird for me. Baby, it wasn’t working.” Simon swore, “No kiss for you tonight,” and added that Kiki’s “performance was verging on scary.”
LaKisha’s second chance was to “Run to Me” (not ‘me’ exactly). Barry thought she would rise to the challenge of two key changes — though I only heard one. She wore a beautiful and quite flattering green and black dress, which was better than the first outfit. Her voice was breaking, but key changes sell tickets. I admit, I got a chill or two…. Randy wasn’t thrilled, but Paula said she is “still a champ.” Simon prophesized that she and Blake were “vulnerable.”
Jordin just wanted “To Love Somebody.” Barry was having a hard time imagining a girl singing the song. (Did anyone else notice that he referred to the female contestants as "ladies" or "girls" throughout? Talk about old-school.) I thought if she does as well on stage as she did in rehearsal, we’ve got our winner... well, not so much. It didn’t translate well. But she sounded good. Randy, Paula and Simon agreed it was the “best vocal so far.”
Jordin returned as a “Woman in Love” (as performed by Babs herself).
Barry was all atwitter about Jordin, saying she “is going there. This is going to be one of our greatest female performing artists.” Wow! That’s something to say. I thought she looked gorgeous in that blue-green dress, but Simon said she looked “pageant-y” in it. This song had more melody than any of the others tonight, and Jordin did it fairly decent justice, though her voice was breaking as well. (What are these kids going to do when they are on tour and have to sing several songs a night?) Randy found it “pitchy” and offered “props to Barry Gibb” for his great songs. Unfortunately none of the contestants handled them extremely well (as a whole). Simon loved the song and hated the outfit.
The best part of the show for me was when Judge Judy said she and Simon were twins separated at birth — now that’s funny!
So wow, LaKisha or Blake, Blake or LaKisha? This is a hard, hard decision…. All right, not that hard: Blake is adored by the young gals, and they vote faster and more frequently than LaKiki’s voters. So he’s probably going to be safe. LaKisha, you’d better wear those gold lamé boots tomorrow because they’re probably gonna do a little walkin’.
Let’s go to sleep tonight with the hope that the results show is only a half hour. Ah, to dream.
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May 9, 2007 3:05 AM
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In my opinion, tonight's performances really did not matter that much. Polls last week showed who is leaving this week no matter what.
I, unfortunately, missed a good portion of it, but I am relying on you all to let me know what I missed.
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Edited by jayhawk at 05/09/2007 6:10 AM
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May 9, 2007 3:26 AM
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Not a great night for the contestants. No one really had a stand out performance. I think this is headed for a Jordin-Melinda finale. I just don't see either of the other 2 denting that.
I personally am hoping that Blake goes. I am just sick of hearing the beat boxing. I am glad that Randy said something about it. Lakisha will probably be the one to go though. It amazes me that she still never listens to the mentors. Barry gave her a suggestion for one of the songs and she ignored it as usual. I think viewers notice that. I certainly do every time she does it.
It was just a strange night overall. They rushed through it at times. Barry did seem to have a good sense of humor. I liked his comment about his voice. Some good signs as well. I think one of them said-Disco Doolittle. Clever. Good seeing Haley. Still hot.
Prediction going home-Lakisha. It seems to me that it is looking more and more like a Jordin victory. I just think people respond better to her than Melinda. Jordin did a lot better this week compared to last week. Melinda had another solid week, but I am getting a feeling that she bores some of the audience and judges. That's too bad. And Ryan brought back his "Seacrest out" thing. God help us.
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May 9, 2007 4:10 AM
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Im getting so sick and tired of Blake beat boxing on every song that he has done. It was fine in the begining but now its getting really old. Blake is becoming one dimensional. On his first song, he sounded like a broked record(or a scratch cd). Can you imagine if he put out an album and all he was doing was beat boxing? Good Grief.
Anyway Melinda was wonderful as always. So was Jordin. KiKi was ok, but she didnt hit it out of the park like she did last week.
Like I said before I want Blake to go. I dont think I can take another week of him beat boxing.
And by the way I cant stand his hair. He needs to go back to being a blond.
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May 9, 2007 4:35 AM
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In a small defense of Blake, he does not beat-box on every song. Last week was the first time since the Brit Invasion night. This week, I didn't like the beat boxing in either song, but I did like the Jazz-Scatting he did on the first song. Also, with the first song, I was surprised how strong his voice sounded when doing the sorta falsetto. I was bored by Melinda this week. Her first song was not very good, and her second was ok. Lakisha was terrible last night on Staying Alive, and not much better (especially when her voice cracked) on the second song. Jordin was very very good with her first song, but her voice seemed a little tired on the second song. She sounded better in her rehearsal with Barry than on the stage. Considering who was left, I was surprised none of them sang If I Can't Have You, Emotion, How Deep Is Your Love, and Too Much Heaven. All of those songs seem to be much more appropriate than the songs Lakisha and Melinda sang. I'm glad Paula said it last night, I thought Blake should have sang Jive Talkin as well. I think due to her more direct competition with Jordin and Melinda that Lakisha will be going, but it could very well be Blake. ~ÐL
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May 9, 2007 7:04 AM
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The first half of the performance last night bored me until Jordin sang "To Love Somebody." She knocked that song out of the park. It is hard to believe she is only seventeen. Although she was pitchy during her second performance, I believe that she is going to be the one to beat. Although she had Barry's blessing, I didn't like how Melinda change the lyrics to "How to Mend a Broken Heart". I know Melinda you don't think yourself as a loser but that line is in the song for a reason.
The person I see going home tonight is LaKisha. Sometimes she comes cross as I know better than what the mentor is telling me. She prove that again last night when she didn't listen to Barry.
Blake's beat box is great and I wished I could do that, but this is a singing competition; not a beat box competition. Both Blake and LaKisha are vulnerable, but I feel it will be LaKisha who will sent her walking papers.
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May 9, 2007 7:58 AM
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The first song Blake sung this season may have been unique, but every song he sings now sounds alike and he's become boring. Same with Lakisha...every song somehow comes out sounding the same, and the two of them do the same "moves" regardless of their song or the song's tempo. Boring.
It should be Melinda and Jordin in the final, and while Melinda is certainly the better singer and performer of the two (some of that likely due to age and experience), Jordin is more "idol" type and would do better with the demographic and ticket sales. Of course, whoever produces her albums would likely pressure her to lose weight and conform (sadly) to the industry's standard.
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May 9, 2007 8:24 AM
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I've never been a Bee-Gees fan. That whole falsetto schtick they did in the late 70s was like nails on a blackboard to me. It didn't even sound human most of the time. How anyone ever considered that pleasing to the ear is beyond me. So, I wasn't having a great time watching the show.
I don't think there is anything unique or special about Blake. His insistence on beatboxing all the time has been driving me crazy (and the gimmick is not new at all--it's only a bastardized version of jazz scat singing, going back about 70 years). I'm glad Randy told him to give it a rest! Blake actually sounds good when he sings straight, and gives his voice a chance to shine. Why does he feel he has to give a "contemporary" feel to every song?
Melinda and Jordin should be a lock on the finals. If they aren't, there's no justice in the world!
Lakisha once again demonstrated her arrogance by totally ignoring the advice of the mentor. Even when she nods her head and agrees to follow a suggestion, you know by now she's thinking, "yeah, right, like you're gonna tell me how to sing." Get her out of here. She needs to be humbled.
By the way, Paula, you made mention of how Barry Gibb referred to the female singers as "ladies" and "girls" and how that was "old school." WTF? Have I missed something? Are the words "ladies" and "girls" not among those used anymore in reference to females? I'd like to hear your suggestion of what you would have him call them.
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May 9, 2007 8:27 AM
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darclyte, I was thinking the same thing - there's 40+ years of music from Barry Gibb and the Bee Gees to choose from - where were all the ballads? For the girls: "Emotion" by Samantha Sang? "Heartbreaker" by Dionne Warrick? Kudos to Blake for picking something newer like "This is Where I Came In" from the late 90's - early 00's. But if he were going to beat box I think Jive Talkin' would've have been a better choice.
And why oh why did Jordin pick a song to set herself up for a comparison to Barbra Streisand? Of COURSE your voice is going to give out when you are 17 trying to emulate one of the powerhouse voices of the century recorded in her more vocally mature 30's. In the Jordin/Melinda debate the age factor might be what gives Mel the edge.
I hate AI when it gets to this point - they are ALL good and you hate to see any of them go....
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May 9, 2007 8:31 AM
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Great posts, so far! Ok...here's my deal.
The inconsistency amongst the judges is really bugging me. I don't remember what song it was that Blake sang ~way back~, but he didn't do the beat-box thing and the judges told him that he should use it as it's his 'thing'. Well, since then, he has pretty much used a bit of it on every song, with stronger emphasis on the Bon Jovi/Barry Gibbs nights. Last week, he was praised up and down for being original and creative. This week he was slammed against the wall. Now, I am not a Blake-lover (nor a 'hater'), but how on earth are you supposed to please the judges if they change their minds so frequently? Another example goes back to when Chris Sligh was still around. He was blasted for taking a familiar, well-loved song like 'Endless Love' (I'll vote for familiar but well-loved??) and making it into his own thing. Blake does that with Bon Jovi's song last week, totally changing it and they think he's a God. The moral of this rant is that sometimes, no matter what you do, you just can't win. But you keep on moving on!!
Last night...hmmm...I thought that Melinda was awesome as usual and then Jordin, although I was really hoping she would hold out that really, really long note/measure that Babs does on Woman in Love. Dang, I love that song!!!
I think Kiki is heading home tonight. (and Hon, please don't wear leggings anymore. I have big legs, too and it's just a no-no.)
And Paula, I have to agree with Garry. What's up with the 'old school' thing about Ladies and Girls? Maybe he should have said, "the female vocalists"? I guess we all have things that ruffle our feathers. Would love to know why those words ruffled yours. I mean, if you want to share and all.  )
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May 9, 2007 8:39 AM
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I agree with the poster who wrote that Blake doesn't beat-box every week and that last week was the first time he had done it in a looooong time - and it really paid off for him last week.... This week on the other hand - I do agree that it was too much - but I do love his originality.
The thing that stood out for me last night was when Barry Gibb talked - he reminded me of the Geico cavemen when he talked! 
I think there may be a shocker of a send-off this week - I think Melinda is in trouble...
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May 9, 2007 8:45 AM
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This was one of those nights where no one really stood out. Jordin was the best and Melinda while never bad, wasn't that great. I didn't care for Blake's first song, I thought the second one was decent though. Lakisha was better than Blake this week, but nothing spectacular. I would have to say 90% chance of Lakisha going home tonight and 10% it is Blake.
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May 9, 2007 8:46 AM
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Wow, I thought I may have missed a pretty fun week with the whole Bee Gees thing, but it does not sound like there was a stand out. Thanks for the updates and comments. I guess I still think LaKisha will go home -- based on polls and comments from last week.
Did Barry Gibb make a good mentor...or was that lackluster as well? Has anyone seen Jimmy Fallon's spin on him in "The Barry Gibb Show" on SNL? Too funny,
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May 9, 2007 9:05 AM
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Unfortunately, jayhawk, it was very hard for me to put that out of my mind!
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May 9, 2007 9:14 AM
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Kelbir23:
It's funny how Barry Gibb sounded like the Geico cavemen to you--to me, he sounded exactly like Sean Connery!
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May 9, 2007 9:15 AM
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