American Idol Recap: Round of 8 - April 10th, 2007
It's Latin night on American Idol, and American Idol superfan Jennifer Lopez will be coaching the contestants.
Melinda Doolittle is singing "Sway", a song that Jennifer Lopez has recorded. She tells Melinda to give it a sexy vibe. Melinda's not sure she can pull it off. She does look a little awkard trying to pull of a sultry kind of feel, but the singing is great as usual. It's pretty clear that Melinda is out of her element, but she manages to make a good performance out of it regardless. After the judges review, Ryan Seacrest asked Melinda what she thought of Simon's mildly harsh comments. Ever the nice person, she said "I think he really wanted to say something bad, and I'm glad he got the chance." Is there any contestant as sweet as Melinda. I think not.
Randy: Another solid performance. Not your best, but solid.
Paula: Very sultry, very sweet. Subtle, sexy, and beautiful.
Simon: I didn't like it. That song is all about personality. I found it very lounge/cabaret. The end was very good.
Buzz Score: 8.5
LaKisha Jones is up next, with her rendition of "Conga" Before the performance, Stephanie of Birminghan, AL asked why LaKisha tried out for American Idol. She says that she wanted to build a better world for her and her daughter. J Lo was giving her pronunciation lessons and showing her a few latin dance moves. She's a little out of her element as well, but I think she pulls it off a little better than Melinda. We're seeing a different side of LaKisha tonight. She has the niche of "slow soulful song" down pat, and it's nice to see her break out a little. The song didn't show off her voice very well, but the performance was good none the less.
Randy: You came out and were having a good time. You made it your own. That was hot.
Paula: You look lovely. I didn't feel it as much as Randy. Very safe.
Simon: I agree with Paula. Fun performance. I'm not sure how much fun everyone at home was having. Safe song.
Buzz Score: 8.5
Over the break, we see the commercial advertising AmericanIdol.com for the thousandth time this season. I guess I've never paid too much attention to it, but really, it's just a bunch of close-ups of Simon Cowell with the Daughtry song in the background. Is that really the best way to advertise the website? When they advertising agency was coming up with the ad, did they say "You know what would really bring in the visitors to our website..... close ups shots of Simon Cowell."?
Chris Richardson is the first guy of the night. He'll be singing Santana and Rob Thomas's song "Smooth". A big hit from a few years ago. He starts out on stage with some of the band members out there with him. I always like when they do that. The performance is a little disappointing though. It starts off way too low, and stays awkward until the very end. The judges seem to really like it, but I really thought it didn't come close to matching the vibe that Rob Thomas brought in the original song. I thought the background singers were really lacking too, which contributed to the lackluster performance.
Randy: You did a really good job. Very cool.
Paula: It was a hot performance. You were sexy.
Simon: I'm not going to say it's the best vocal I've ever heard, but I prreferred it to the first two. It was a good performance.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Haley Scarnato is next with "Turn the Beat Around". Diana DeGarmo did a great job of it a few years ago. Can Haley turn out as good of a performance? She wasn't looking too hot in rehearsals, but on stage, she comes out with some emotion and excitement. The real test in this song is when they break it down, and the words come a mile a minute. I had some doubts as to whether Haley could actually pull it off, but she did a decent job. It wasn't fantastic, but I liked it more than I thought I would. Simon tells Haley to have fun performing, because she's not the best singer in the competition.
Randy: That was really karaoke for me.
Paula: It's not a singer's song, but it's a fun song. You had fun up there.
Simon: I think you have a very good tactic. Wear as least clothes as possible.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Phil Stacey is singing the second Santana song of the night with "Maria Maria". Phil starts off on a stool at center stage, with the lights dim. His vocals are great, and the vibe he brings is really nice. My only complaint is that it gets a little boring towards the end.
Randy: You didn't quite connect with the passion of the song.
Paula: Vocally, I thought it was really good.
Simon: You're a nice guy and you chose a good song. No originality. Lifeless and flat.
Buzz Score: 8
If Jordin Sparks could choose any theme for next week, it would be 80s music. In rehearsals, J-Lo said she sounds like Michael Jackson. Singing "The Rythm is Gonna Get Ya", she comes out on stage looking a bit awkward, but she finds her comfort zone toawrds the middle of the song. Of all the contestants, I thought that Jordin would be the best fit for Latin night. Though most of the other contestants didn't fit in exceptionally well, Jordin doesn't fare much better. A little disappointing to me, but overall, not bad.
Randy: Absolutely wonderful. The Yo factor on Blam!
Paula: You're so authentic. You're out there having a great time.
Simon: I feel about you how I've felt all night. Okay performance.
Buzz Score: 8
Blake Lewis has chosen to suck up to Jennifer Lopez by singing a song by her husband Marc Antony, "I Need To Know." He comes out on stage looking exceptionally..... latin. The song starts out good, but he has some pitchy spots near the beginning. The vocals are solid, but he's lacking some passion. He fused some dance moves into the performance, and overall, it was enjoyable. On an off night for the other contestants, it was definitely one of the better performance of the night.
Randy: Bets song choice of the night. Hot performance.
Paula: Very smart performance. It captured who you are. Excellent.
Simon: Best choice of song of the night. Best performance so far.
Buzz Score: 8.5
American Idol's most popular entertainer, Sanjaya closes the show tonight. "The Embodiment of Latin Passion", according to Seacrest , Sanjaya has chosen to sing "Besame Mucho." J Lo says that he really impressed her. Will he impress America? Does it matter?
Sanjaya's spanish accent could use some work, but his vocals are at least as good as the other contestants tonight. In fact, he may be the best performer of the evening. Not only are his vocals good, but his stage presence was great. He was at least as good as Blake, and I actually think he was a bit better. If you had told me an hour ago that Sanjaya would get the highest BuzzScore of the night, I would have said you were crazy, but that's exactly what's happened. Pigs are preparing to fly as we speak.
Randy: You're one of the smartest contestants I've met. That was actually really good.
Paula: On pitch. Smooth. Very nice.
Simon: I couldn't understand a word of it. You sang like a 14-year old. it wasn't horrible.
Buzz Score: 9
It's tough to say who will go home this week. I think it will be either Phil or Haley, but which one? I'm going to go with Haley, but I don't have too much confidence in my prediction.
Melinda Doolittle is singing "Sway", a song that Jennifer Lopez has recorded. She tells Melinda to give it a sexy vibe. Melinda's not sure she can pull it off. She does look a little awkard trying to pull of a sultry kind of feel, but the singing is great as usual. It's pretty clear that Melinda is out of her element, but she manages to make a good performance out of it regardless. After the judges review, Ryan Seacrest asked Melinda what she thought of Simon's mildly harsh comments. Ever the nice person, she said "I think he really wanted to say something bad, and I'm glad he got the chance." Is there any contestant as sweet as Melinda. I think not.
Randy: Another solid performance. Not your best, but solid.
Paula: Very sultry, very sweet. Subtle, sexy, and beautiful.
Simon: I didn't like it. That song is all about personality. I found it very lounge/cabaret. The end was very good.
Buzz Score: 8.5
LaKisha Jones is up next, with her rendition of "Conga" Before the performance, Stephanie of Birminghan, AL asked why LaKisha tried out for American Idol. She says that she wanted to build a better world for her and her daughter. J Lo was giving her pronunciation lessons and showing her a few latin dance moves. She's a little out of her element as well, but I think she pulls it off a little better than Melinda. We're seeing a different side of LaKisha tonight. She has the niche of "slow soulful song" down pat, and it's nice to see her break out a little. The song didn't show off her voice very well, but the performance was good none the less.
Randy: You came out and were having a good time. You made it your own. That was hot.
Paula: You look lovely. I didn't feel it as much as Randy. Very safe.
Simon: I agree with Paula. Fun performance. I'm not sure how much fun everyone at home was having. Safe song.
Buzz Score: 8.5
Over the break, we see the commercial advertising AmericanIdol.com for the thousandth time this season. I guess I've never paid too much attention to it, but really, it's just a bunch of close-ups of Simon Cowell with the Daughtry song in the background. Is that really the best way to advertise the website? When they advertising agency was coming up with the ad, did they say "You know what would really bring in the visitors to our website..... close ups shots of Simon Cowell."?
Chris Richardson is the first guy of the night. He'll be singing Santana and Rob Thomas's song "Smooth". A big hit from a few years ago. He starts out on stage with some of the band members out there with him. I always like when they do that. The performance is a little disappointing though. It starts off way too low, and stays awkward until the very end. The judges seem to really like it, but I really thought it didn't come close to matching the vibe that Rob Thomas brought in the original song. I thought the background singers were really lacking too, which contributed to the lackluster performance.
Randy: You did a really good job. Very cool.
Paula: It was a hot performance. You were sexy.
Simon: I'm not going to say it's the best vocal I've ever heard, but I prreferred it to the first two. It was a good performance.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Haley Scarnato is next with "Turn the Beat Around". Diana DeGarmo did a great job of it a few years ago. Can Haley turn out as good of a performance? She wasn't looking too hot in rehearsals, but on stage, she comes out with some emotion and excitement. The real test in this song is when they break it down, and the words come a mile a minute. I had some doubts as to whether Haley could actually pull it off, but she did a decent job. It wasn't fantastic, but I liked it more than I thought I would. Simon tells Haley to have fun performing, because she's not the best singer in the competition.
Randy: That was really karaoke for me.
Paula: It's not a singer's song, but it's a fun song. You had fun up there.
Simon: I think you have a very good tactic. Wear as least clothes as possible.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Phil Stacey is singing the second Santana song of the night with "Maria Maria". Phil starts off on a stool at center stage, with the lights dim. His vocals are great, and the vibe he brings is really nice. My only complaint is that it gets a little boring towards the end.
Randy: You didn't quite connect with the passion of the song.
Paula: Vocally, I thought it was really good.
Simon: You're a nice guy and you chose a good song. No originality. Lifeless and flat.
Buzz Score: 8
If Jordin Sparks could choose any theme for next week, it would be 80s music. In rehearsals, J-Lo said she sounds like Michael Jackson. Singing "The Rythm is Gonna Get Ya", she comes out on stage looking a bit awkward, but she finds her comfort zone toawrds the middle of the song. Of all the contestants, I thought that Jordin would be the best fit for Latin night. Though most of the other contestants didn't fit in exceptionally well, Jordin doesn't fare much better. A little disappointing to me, but overall, not bad.
Randy: Absolutely wonderful. The Yo factor on Blam!
Paula: You're so authentic. You're out there having a great time.
Simon: I feel about you how I've felt all night. Okay performance.
Buzz Score: 8
Blake Lewis has chosen to suck up to Jennifer Lopez by singing a song by her husband Marc Antony, "I Need To Know." He comes out on stage looking exceptionally..... latin. The song starts out good, but he has some pitchy spots near the beginning. The vocals are solid, but he's lacking some passion. He fused some dance moves into the performance, and overall, it was enjoyable. On an off night for the other contestants, it was definitely one of the better performance of the night.
Randy: Bets song choice of the night. Hot performance.
Paula: Very smart performance. It captured who you are. Excellent.
Simon: Best choice of song of the night. Best performance so far.
Buzz Score: 8.5
American Idol's most popular entertainer, Sanjaya closes the show tonight. "The Embodiment of Latin Passion", according to Seacrest , Sanjaya has chosen to sing "Besame Mucho." J Lo says that he really impressed her. Will he impress America? Does it matter?
Sanjaya's spanish accent could use some work, but his vocals are at least as good as the other contestants tonight. In fact, he may be the best performer of the evening. Not only are his vocals good, but his stage presence was great. He was at least as good as Blake, and I actually think he was a bit better. If you had told me an hour ago that Sanjaya would get the highest BuzzScore of the night, I would have said you were crazy, but that's exactly what's happened. Pigs are preparing to fly as we speak.
Randy: You're one of the smartest contestants I've met. That was actually really good.
Paula: On pitch. Smooth. Very nice.
Simon: I couldn't understand a word of it. You sang like a 14-year old. it wasn't horrible.
Buzz Score: 9
It's tough to say who will go home this week. I think it will be either Phil or Haley, but which one? I'm going to go with Haley, but I don't have too much confidence in my prediction.
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