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American Idol Rundown: The Top 10 Girls

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:34:50 -0800

So, might as well just come out and say it: '70s night was not exactly the best for our American Idol ladies. And now I'm really wondering what exactly it is the producers think they're doing this season. After all that promotion telling us it's the most talented group ever, why wouldn't they start without having themes at all, giving us a few weeks to get to know this group as they sing their very best songs?

That said, I'm not sure it was entirely the theme that hurt the ladies on Wednesday. How can you go that wrong with a decade that brought us Carly Simon and Heart? And yet, while there were two or three good performances, the rest seemed to range from "eh" to "ow." Still, a couple of the ladies do have me believing they could give little David Archuleta a run for his money, so to see what went down on Wednesday (and don't forget to vote for which singers will go home tonight), just read more.

Carly Smithson: Fun fact: She's a bartender in an Irish bar. She picked Heart's "Crazy on You," and I'm surprised at how much I liked it, especially because last week had set me up to be disappointed by her. Maybe she's just better with rock songs than ballads. Randy, oddly, came out swinging - maybe to compensate for his overpraise last time - saying it had a rough beginning, Paula could tell she was singing a song she liked, and Simon said it was better than last week, though she still hasn't found the right song.

Syesha Mercado - Apparently she's acted in a bunch of commercials, and she can cry like a creepy baby. She does "Me and Mrs. Jones," except it's "Mr. Jones," and here's the thing: I really like this song, but the version she sang has to be the most boring version I have ever heard. The chorus was OK, but she lost me on the verse. Randy said it was a bad choice, Paula called her out for going off pitch on softer notes, and Simon thought it was indulgent for her to sing a song written for a guy, which is pretty lame as far as criticism goes.

Brooke White - She's a beauty school dropout! She came out looking like a '70s folkie with her guitar and sang "You're So Vain" while looking pretty directly at Simon, who - true to form - seemed to think the song was about him. She sounds an awful lot like Carly Simon, with all the good and bad that that implies; it's nothing new, but it's very pleasant to listen to. Randy liked it though it stayed close to the original, Paula said it was a great song, and Simon loved it. Because it was about him. Clearly.

Ramiele Malubay - She's a hula dancer, but she busted a different kind of move on the stage with "Don't Leave Me This Way." It was the first really disco-sounding song of the night, and it absolutely sold me on Ramiele. I could imagine her voice on the radio right now, it's that smooth and that commercially appealing. She could have put more into her performance, but it's a little early to harp on that. The judges universally thought it was just OK, though, even though Simon's criticism seemed to have way more to do with the song than the singing.

Kristy Lee Cook - I thought we could maybe get through her whole secret without her mentioning horses, but no. Hey Kristy: not a secret. She's back to her crunchier hair and was wearing a whole lot of shiny fabric, but her "You're No Good" sounded better than last week. It's a song that has about five notes and five words, and I was bored by the end, but at least she hit those five notes, you know? Randy called it a 100 percent improvement, Paula said it was a good song for her, and Simon said he wants to know what kind of singer she is; they seemed to decide that she should be this year's country girl.

Amanda Overmyer - Dear lord in heaven, what did they do to her hair? And would it kill them to dress her in pants of a solid color? I know she's "a rocker," but that doesn't mean she should look like she shopped in the discount aisle at a Halloween superstore. The chorus of "Carry On My Wayward Son" was fine, but the verse? Was B-A-D. Like, off pitch, where's the tune, "well, that's how you get picked by Vote for the Worst" bad. Randy said the song had too much melody for her to sing (heh), Paula said the song didn't fit, and Simon said the whole thing was contrived. Sad. I really like Amanda, the rocker nurse bookworm.

Alaina Whitaker - She's one of those people whose food can't touch her other food. She sang "Hopelessly Devoted to You," which is not a song I'm hopelessly devoted to. Her voice was strong enough to pull it off, but there's something about the whole performance that made her seem both 16 and 60 at the same time. Randy thought she had pitch problems, Paula liked it OK, and Simon said everything about Alaina seemed too old.

Alexandrea Lushington - She's a fire department poster child, and - this isn't her fun fact, just something I noticed - she has incredibly long arms. She tried Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now," another one of those '70s songs that I knew by sound but not by name, and she looked like she didn't even like the performance. I didn't think it was that bad, but she tried to do some things with her voice that her voice can't do, and it just hurt her in the end. Randy said it was too safe, Paula thought it was cool to hear a girl do the song, and Simon said that song is a '70s relic, period.

Kady Malloy - She sings opera. She also sang "Magic Man," and not that well. She's not awful (and better than last week, for sure), but she doesn't quite have the power in her voice to really hit the chorus, so she ends not doing much with the song. Randy said the verse was never quite on pitch, Paula said the power notes, at least, were good, and Simon said there's still a gap between Kady on stage and Kady the rest of the time. Then he claimed to have never heard "Magic Man," so whatever.

Asia'h Epperson - She, not totally surprisingly, was a cheerleader and came out looking totally different this time, with hair extensions and a sort of sassy-secretary pencil skirt. She went bold with "All By Myself" and then totally missed the first high note, so I have to give her credit for finishing the song, which got better as it went along. Randy gave her credit for the difficulty of the song, Paula said the ending counts and she made it work, and Simon said he's not a good enough singer to do one of the big diva songs, though she almost pulled it off.

My favorites: Brooke by a mile, then Carly, then Ramiele.

Should be worried: Amanda, unless she's built up enough goodwill to get votes. Kady, Alexandrea, and Alaina, if people forget they exist.

Going home: I actually think there's a chance Amanda won't go home, so I'm predicting Kady and Alexandrea.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Which AI Girls are Going Home? Cast Your Ballot Now!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:30:00 -0800

It was the second part of '70s week on Wednesday's American Idol, as it was the ladies' turn to take on the songs of the disco decade. Ten went in, but only eight will remain after tonight. Which two girls have reached the end of their Idol road? Cast your ballot now!

Snap Judgment: The Top 10 "American Idol" Girls

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:27:43 -0800

This feels like the point in "American Idol" when we're just biding our time until the top 12. The pleasant surprises happened last week, and now we're just waiting for the bad singers (and the good-but-unpopular-or-less-attractive singers) to get booted. The top 10 girls on Wednesday were a lot like the guys on Tuesday: good-but-not-great performances, mixed in with a few stinkers by popular contestants who will stick around longer than they deserve.

Crazy-ometer update: Paula hit about a 6 out of 10 for the two days combined. She was surprisingly snappy with Simon on Tuesday, but by Wednesday she'd reverted to her whole babbling "you're sooo beautiful" brand of "criticism."

You can fill out this ballot to predict which girls are going home, and to read my judgments and picks, read more

Gina Glocksen (at right): Wow, Gina's boyfriend has dyed a little red skunk strip in his hair to match hers. I like her a lot generally, but she sounded a little shrieky, and the backup singer hit the hardest notes for her. Simon spent a lot of time telling her she doesn't look edgy enough, which I think is the last of Gina's problems.

Alaina Alexander: I finally figured out who she reminds me of: an Olsen twin. I'm not familiar with the song she sang, but she did better with it than with the Pretenders last week. I'm not sure if she was off pitch on the chorus, like Randy said; I'm more inclined to go with Simon's opinion that she just ran out of steam.

LaKisha Jones: She did a pretty funky "Midnight Train to Georgia," but she didn't blow me away like she did last week. The judges told her to be less nervous, and then Simon started ragging on her outfit and her dancing, a la Mandisa, Jennifer Hudson, etc. But she'll be around next week.

Melinda Doolittle (at left): I find myself smiling the whole time I'm watching her - I suppose that because she's smiling, it's only appropriate that I reciprocate. Her voice sounded fantastic, and she's classy (almost too classy for "Idol," honestly). The judges loved it, and Simon called it the best vocal of the year.

Antonella Barba: I was psyched to hear Antonella's song dedication - maybe it will be to the person who leaked the racy photos! - but alas, it was just to her brother. She sang a too-fast, off-key, weirdly arranged version of "Because You Loved Me," and the high note wasn't the problem - the rest of them were. She tried invoking Jennifer Hudson after Simon panned her, but honey? You are no Jennifer Hudson.

Jordin Sparks: She apparently took to heart the judges' advice from last week to sing a bigger song, tackling Christina Aguilera - pretty well, I thought, until the last of the power notes, which just bombed. She cried dedicating the song to her brother and was crying again at the end, which seemed authentic coming from her. She rivals Melinda, LaKisha, and Blake for most likable contestant this year.

Stephanie Edwards: Her dedication was all about her parents pushing her to audition for "Idol." Isn't she a little old to have stage parents? She seemed to have some trouble with the tricky rhythms at the start of "Dangerously in Love" but totally pulled it together at the end. Not quite the splash of last week, but still good.

Leslie Hunt (at right): The more she talks, the more I like her; she's kind of a lovable mess. She pulled out our second "Feeling Good" of the week, with an a capella beginning and some surprising scatting at the end. Simon said she's not terribly memorable; Paula said she was "a different flavor of ice cream," and then Seacrest called Simon sorbet. I ... have no idea what happened there.

Haley Scarnato: Well, singing "Queen of the Night" was one way to banish the cabaret vibe. Oh the other hand, she didn't really have the voice to pull it off. At least she had fun this time. Maybe she should try something not sung by Celine Dion or Whitney Houston, though.

Sabrina Sloan: She sang a convincing version of "All the Man That I Need," but I can't really forgive her for breaking my no-Whitney rule for the second time in the night. Simon and I both liked her better last week, but she's clearly in the top half of the group.

Who should go: Antonella, please, and probably Haley, with Alaina a close third

Who will go: Haley and Leslie. Just when I was starting to like her, too.

Your turn! Use this ballot to tell me which girls are going home.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Buzz Battle: What Is the Scariest Movie Ever?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:30:00 -0700

We're almost at the end of our long battle to determine the Scariest Movie of All Time. The two movies left standing are definitely among the classics of the horror genre: The Exorcist and The Shining. We've heard some pretty heavy arguments for each side, (particularly from my girl Fab, a horror aficionado who is on team Shining all the way) - and even the Buzz editors stand as a team divided. In today's Buzz battle, we'll give you our arguments on why each movie deserves the ultimate title.

Editor S will support The Shining while Editor B will make a case for The Exorcist. Don't forget to make your own pick after reading our arguments!

Editor S: As someone's who's long been a chicken about watching scary movies, I tend to get freaked out by a horror flick, and then eventually get over it. I have never gotten over The Shining. It's scary because it's more disturbing than anything; it's not a supernatural story like The Exorcist that you can choose not to believe in; cabin fever could realistically happen to someone - someone you know.
Editor B rebuttal: I will admit that I do think The Shining is terrifying, but it didn't haunt me the way The Exorcist does. That face? That voice? The imagery of a girl crabwalking backwards down the stairs is imprinted in my brain! You can't unsee that kinda stuff, though I wish I could. And cabin fever may be real, but The Exorcist left me believing that maybe possession is real too.

To see the rest of the arguments, just read more.

Editor S: The Shining has just about every horrific horror film element you can think of: gore, psychological disintegration, cabin fever, possession; but none of them define the movie. It's such a complex, well done film with great acting and directing. While there are a few shocks, some of the scariest moments of the movie are the quietest, like when you gaze down an empty hall, see Jack at his desk, working, or discover what's been typed on Jack's typewriter over and over again with his wife. Because the terror is so simmering and pervasive in the movie, there's no time you can stop stressing out, no calm scenes in between the madness.
Editor B rebuttal: The Exorcist has all the elements that make horror films fun and terrifying at the same time. Monstrous images? Check. Creepy child? Check. Excessive amounts of bodily fluids (hello, green bile)? Check. Not to mention the over-the-top campiness, suspenseful moments, and perhaps the scariest theme music of all time. Oh, and levitation. Talk about being stressed out - just when you think there's a safe moment, a vision of the devil flashes across the scene, trying to brainwash us all.
Editor S closing argument: With most scary movies, you can become desensitized to a gory murder scene, tell yourself it's just a movie, but that doesn't work with The Shining. It stays with you more; even as great an actor as Jack Nicholson is, I'll never not see him wielding an axe at his terrified wife. And I'm also irrationally scared of empty hotels.
Editor B: The Exorcist is the kind of movie that you can watch at 10:30 in the morning, surrounded by friends and family, and still be scared to your core. (Ever had a daymare? This is the fast track to get you there). Jack Nicholson went on to find fame with other films, but nobody could ever look at Linda Blair again without envisioning her head turning all the way around.

So, which movie has your vote?