Marksworld: Multimedia Adventures of Mark Davis

TOP 11 DUAL VOTE-OFF:

Gotta fill an hour to get to the thirty seconds of the news we crave, so this week’s gimmick involved sending contestants out in pairs.
Scotty and Lauren put a wonderful touch on “I Told You So,” the great Randy Travis record covered by Carrie Underwood in 2007. proved one thing, though- he’s better than she is.
Then came Naima and Jacob, tackling Ashford and Simpson’s “Solid As a Rock,” proving that she is better than he is. But SHE winds up in the Bottom Three? Come on, America.
Then we got a reminder of why previous winner Fantasia has been so promptly forgotten. I remember thinking she was fairly deserving when she won, but she has developed a Macy Gray meets Georgia Engel squeak that sent me to the fast forward button.
Then it was time for Thia, Pia and Haley to swing through Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” Anybody notice Thia didn’t get a verse to herself? Bad omen, as she got booted to the Bottom Three.
Then came the “band” made up of the remaining dudes. Not a good moment for Paul. McCartney, I mean, who had to hear his classic “Band On the Run” largely slaughtered. Contestant Paul was truly awful, Stefano not much better. Casey was more than adequate and James showed why he may just win this thing.
Then time to round out that Bottom Three with one of them. Whittled down to Stefano and Paul, I figured Stefano would take a seat.
But what do you know? America is wearying of Paul, just like I am. I knew that rasp would only snow people for so long.
`More filler time as Jamie Foxx and will.i.am wasted our time with a crappy performance of a crappy song from that crappy upcoming animated “Rio” movie.
(Animated movie time-out-- “Mars Needs Moms” is surprisingly great. “Rango” is okay, but too talky and outright scary for really young kids.)
Okay, bottom line. Naima and Thia go home. I would have liked seeing Naima for a few more weeks, but the voters essentially got this right.

NEXT WEEK’S STORY LINES: Can Paul fend off the ticking clock? Who else will start to wear out a welcome? Syrupy Jacob? Haley, who has been in the Bottom 3 twice? And can anyone rise to the consistency of Pia, Scotty and James?

TOP 11 DUAL VOTE-OFF:

Gotta fill an hour to get to the thirty seconds of the news we rave, so this week’s gimmick involved sending contestants out in pairs.
Scotty and Lauren put a wonderful touch on “I Told You So,” the great Randy Travis record covered by Carrie Underwood in 2007. proved one thing, though- he’s better than she is.
Then came Naima and Jacob, tackling Ashford and Simpson’s “Solid As a Rock,” proving that she is better than he is. But SHE winds up in the Bottom Three? Come on, America.
Then we got a reminder of why previous winner Fantasia has been so promptly forgotten. I remember thinking she was fairly deserving when she won, but she has developed a Macy Gray meets Georgia Engel squeak that sent me to the fast forward button.
Then it was time for Thia, Pia and Haley to swing through Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” Anybody notice Thia didn’t get a verse to herself? Bad omen, as she got booted to the Bottom Three.
Then came the “band” made up of the remaining dudes. Not a good moment for Paul. McCartney, I mean, who had to hear his classic “Band On the Run” largely slaughtered. Contestant Paul was truly awful, Stefano not much better. Casey was more than adequate and James showed why he may just win this thing.
Then time to round out that Bottom Three with one of them. Whittled down to Stefano and Paul, I figured Stefano would take a seat.
But what do you know? America is wearying of Paul, just like I am. I knew that rasp would only snow people for so long.
`More filler time as Jamie Foxx and will.i.am wasted our time with a crappy performance of a crappy song from that crappy upcoming animated “Rio” movie.
(Animated movie time-out-- “Mars Needs Moms” is surprisingly great. “Rango” is okay, but too talky and outright scary for really young kids.)
Okay, bottom line. Naima and Thia go home. I would have liked seeing Naima for a few more weeks, but the voters essentially got this right.

NEXT WEEK’S STORY LINES: Can Paul fend off the ticking clock? Who else will start to wear out a welcome? Syrupy Jacob? Haley, who has been in the Bottom 3 twice? And can anyone rise to the consistency of Pia, Scotty and James?

Share what's interesting to youTOP 11 DUAL VOTE-OFF:

Gotta fill an hour to get to the thirty seconds of the news we rave, so this week’s gimmick involved sending contestants out in pairs.
Scotty and Lauren put a wonderful touch on “I Told You So,” the great Randy Travis record covered by Carrie Underwood in 2007. proved one thing, though- he’s better than she is.
Then came Naima and Jacob, tackling Ashford and Simpson’s “Solid As a Rock,” proving that she is better than he is. But SHE winds up in the Bottom Three? Come on, America.
Then we got a reminder of why previous winner Fantasia has been so promptly forgotten. I remember thinking she was fairly deserving when she won, but she has developed a Macy Gray meets Georgia Engel squeak that sent me to the fast forward button.
Then it was time for Thia, Pia and Haley to swing through Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” Anybody notice Thia didn’t get a verse to herself? Bad omen, as she got booted to the Bottom Three.
Then came the “band” made up of the remaining dudes. Not a good moment for Paul. McCartney, I mean, who had to hear his classic “Band On the Run” largely slaughtered. Contestant Paul was truly awful, Stefano not much better. Casey was more than adequate and James showed why he may just win this thing.
Then time to round out that Bottom Three with one of them. Whittled down to Stefano and Paul, I figured Stefano would take a seat.
But what do you know? America is wearying of Paul, just like I am. I knew that rasp would only snow people for so long.
`More filler time as Jamie Foxx and will.i.am wasted our time with a crappy performance of a crappy song from that crappy upcoming animated “Rio” movie.
(Animated movie time-out-- “Mars Needs Moms” is surprisingly great. “Rango” is okay, but too talky and outright scary for really young kids.)
Okay, bottom line. Naima and Thia go home. I would have liked seeing Naima for a few more weeks, but the voters essentially got this right.

NEXT WEEK’S STORY LINES: Can Paul fend off the ticking clock? Who else will start to wear out a welcome? Syrupy Jacob? Haley, who has been in the Bottom 3 twice? And can anyone rise to the consistency of Pia, Scotty and James?

TOP 11, version 2:

TIme for two people to go home. Adds some pressure. Elton John week may add particular challenges.

Countrified SCOTTY MCCREERY would seem to face an obstacle here, unless he massages one of Elton’s best early records, “Country Comfort” from 1970, into one of his best performances. It was tremendous. But how many more theme nights will Scotty be able to overcome?

NAIMA ADEDOPO picks one of Elton’s thoroughly ordinary songs, 1983’s “I’m Still Standing,” and gives it a reggae tilt that worked wonderfully, no matter what J-Lo and Randy say. Engaging stage presence, better singing and dental work have her on the upswing.

PAUL MCDONALD picks another Elton John gem, “Rocket Man,” and gives it a subtle acoustic spin that suits his engaging rasp very well. Might not be his best, but it felt like the kind of material he would do if he were putting out his own records.

PIA TOSCANA just looks like a star. But is “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me?” smart in view of her endless string of ballads? She seemed a little wooden at first, but hit a groove and knocked it out of the park. Girl can SING. But the diva persona leaves me lukewarm.

STEFANO LANGONE enters the night trying not to go home. His very strong voice does not overcome a Jersey Shore stage aura that I just don’t like. But he hit the high notes nicely on a horrible arrangement of “Tiny Dancer.” Are the producers trying to sabotage him?

LAUREN ALAINA needs to stay away from the buffet lines during the week, but brings that sweet voice every Wednesday, and it will keep her around for a while. She seemed nervous at first on “Candle In the Wind,” but finished very strongly on one of Elton’s best songs ever. if she can keep this up, she’s Top 4 material.

Swear to God, I knew JAMES DURBIN would do “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting. Elton’s biggest rocker just fit the most raucous contestant. Only problem: it kind of sucked. Judges loved it, but maybe this song is just wrapped too tightly around my brain. Maybe some songs need to be done only by Elton. James is safe, but takes a major hit for me.

“Daniel” is a nice fit for sweet little THIA MEGHIA, but she just continues to bore me. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing compelling either.

I’m on pins and needles for CASEY ABRAMS. Does his last-place finish last week mean he’s doomed? Sure, he got the save, but how long will that last? “Your Song” is a nice choice to calm him down and stifle the grunts. And it was great. Because under the wacky persona, he has a very nice voice. Just what he needed to mount his comeback.

“Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” seems like a great fit for the overdramatic JACOB LUSK. But wow, this degree of weepiness and overkill was enough to gag a horse. Powerful voice, but man, I just can’t take this guy any more.

HALEY REINHART growled and mugged her way through “Bennie and the Jets,” unable to pronounce “around” and “sound.” It was kind of a mess, but I was oddly entertained. She may be bottom three again, but she’s ot going home.

MY LEAST FAVE THREE: Thia, Jacob, James

BOTTOM THREE WILL BE: Thia, Stefano, Naima

TOP 11 VOTE-OFF:
March 24, 2011

AMERICA GOES NUTS; CASEY GETS SAVED

Well, at least I had Thia correct in the Bottom 3. Bless her heart, she’s not long for this world, and neither is Stefano, who joined her there. Neither of them has another gear to shift into, so they will be enjoying home cooking before long.
The shock is that they were joined by Casey, who I’ve always wondered about as the winner of it all, but certainly saw as a Top 3 finisher. And he may yet be, but it will come after facing the brink of elimination. He was the lowest vote-getter and had to “sing for his life,” but the judges stopped his lifeline song within seconds to inform him that the save would be used and he would live to compete another week.
But how much longer? Bottom 3 status means he may not have the fan base I would wish for him. But maybe folks thought he was safe and voted to keep others afloat. Best best is Casey suffered from a phenomenon identified some time ago by Producer Jeff Williams-- you never want to go first. Gives people time to forget you once the show is over and the phones open.
So we’ll see how long Casey’s new life lasts. Two people go next week, and it would certainly seem that it would be Stefano and Thia, unless someone else tanks.
Also: Sugarland is great, but that latest song of theirs is cornball nonsense. In the opening number, the contestants were truly great again with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and what a gas it was to see Stevie Wonder glide out for “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
Admit it: this show still works. Do we miss Simon? Absolutely. But at this point it is contestant-driven, and I’m hooked like a trout, ready to see what follows.

IDOL TOP 11
March 23, 2011

Motown week. Like some of the other specific genre weeks, this is going to work well for some, not so well for others.

CASEY ABRAMS’ choice of “Heard It Through the Grapevine” was superb. The performance? Only a B. Im ready for less grunting. He’s still great, though.

THIA MEGHIA desperately needed to do something up-tempo, and with “Heat Wave,” she did. But her limitations as a 15-year-old are really mounting. Her journey may be nearing its end.

JACOB LUSK seems like an instant winner on Motown week, and “You’re All I Need to Get By” was his best performance. But that may not be saying much. He hits high notes with nice reliability, but doesn’t hit some of the others as skillfully. He’s just not consistent.

I keep looking for LAUREN ALAINA to burst beyond good and get to great. Not quite, with “You Keep Me Hanging On.” Nothing wrong with it, she’s safe, but not exceptional enough to win unless she finds another level.

STEFANO LANGONE may be the best pure singer in the group, and he hit all the right notes on Lionel Richie’s “Hello.” (But do we really need Motown records from 1984?) There is just something so hokey and forced about him. Thing is, that may just be about me. America may love this guy. Probably safe.

I like HALEY REINHART more than America, since she seems to have a weekly appointment in the Bottom three. I think her “Really Got a Hold On Me” was a solid B. But if the voters aren’t digging her, she’s probably bottom 3 again, even though the judges liked it. (Loved the outfit, too.)

SCOTTY MCCREERY finds himself on the dark side of the moon for Motown week, so his task was to find a song he could countrify. “For Once In My Life” was a good choice, and he was good enough to avoid what might have been a dangerous trap.

PIA TOSCANO has proven she has pipes. But after her umpteenth ballad, she has to step out of diva mode and show some versatility.

PAUL MCDONALD makes a great choice with “Tracks of My Tears” and gives it a nice folk flavor. But I’m reaching a conclusion that an interesting voice is not the same as a great voice. And it doesn’t help when you screw up the words.

So am I supposed to give NAIMA ADEDOPO bonus points for dancing during “Dancing In the Streets?” Well, I don’t. But I do give her props for singing better than the past two weeks. And she is fun to watch. But did it spare her a return to the Bottom 3?

JAMES DURBIN hits a double home run, picking a great Stevie Wonder song. But more importantly, “Livin’ For the City” shows the rock boy can soar in other genres. Best of the night, and the first evidence that we may have a winner.

NOTE: Is it fair when certain contestants get special tricked-up embellishments for their songs, like a choir, background dancers, or veteran Motown session men accompanying? Just saying.

The performances were better this week, meaning the Bottom 3 will contain at least one performance that was not so bad. That would be Naima.

BOTTOM 3: NAIMA, HALEY, THIA

TOP 12 IDOL RECAP:

First of all, NAILED IT. Bottom three, ejectee, whole shebang. Thanks, now to the details.
In her farewell tape montage, Karen revealed why I was glad to see her go. Well, in addition to her meager talent, that is. Her quote was: “America needs a Latin American Idol.” Well, honey, guess what? No, we don’t. We need the best person to win. If that person happens to be a Latina, or a black guy or a Lithuanian or an Eskimo, that’s great. But this is the kind of identity politics that needs to fall out of favor from the halls of power to the corridors of reality TV.
Pretty weak show. The Lee DeWyze performance was dull, the new Black Eyed Peas record was just weird, and Fergie looked like someone slipped her a roofie. Any time the cheesy contestants’ number is the musical highlight, it’s a problem.
And tonight it was. Someone wrote a pretty nifty mashup of “Born to Be Wild” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” and the contestants handled it well. And I suppose they don’t lip-sync that number after all, since at least three of the mikes were not up when the time came.

NEXT WEEK’S STORYLINES:

Can Naima and Haley hang on with knockout performances? Can Paul get a song that plays to his strengths? Can Pia get out of annoying diva mode? Can Thia show some versatility? What kind of wacky thing will Casey pull?

TOP 12
March 16, 2011

So this week’s premise is “songs from the year the contestants were born,” guaranteeing us choices from the soulless black hole of the late eighties and early nineties. Instant problem, but good performances can fix anything. Let’s see if that actually happens.

Not with NAIMA ADEDOPO it didn’t. “What’s Love Got To Do With It” was a perfect song choice for the funky Bohemian chick. But if you are handed a great song choice, you have to actually hit the notes. This was a complete disaster. It also signaled the first evidence that Steven Tyler is stone deaf. “A sorcerer’s grasp of melody?” Steve, are you back on the dope? It was sorcery, all right. She made the song disappear.

PAUL MCDONALD has a problem if America is reacting the way I am. He now annoys the hell out of me. That little rasp of his that gave him some quirkiness now officially annoys the hell out of me. His trippy mess on Elton’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” was like those unlistenable Kidz Bop CDs sung by Donald Duck. He may have a future fronting some band doing original material, but I’m ready for him to go. America will probably keep him around a little longer.

THIA MEGHIA still has the voice of an angel, but not even a strong vocal could save the horrible decision of having a 15-year-old do “Colors of the Wind” from freaking “Pocahontas.” She needs things to give her an appeal beyond her years, not shackle her with the fact that she was born just two presidents ago. She’ll be fine, but she needs to get hip in a hurry.

JAMES DURBIN is the first guy who is actually getting better as this thing rolls along. I have very little use for Bon Jovi, but his “I’ll Be There For You” was a knockout. And his banter with Tyler-- saving an Aerosmith song “for the finale,” where Tyler says he’ll sing with him-- makes me think he may well be there. I love this kid even as he throws down the abject nonsense of 1989 as featuring “some of the best music ever.”

HALEY REINHART is a lovely girl, and she can actually sing. But wow, what an example of the whole amounting to less than the sum of the parts. And maybe it works with the voting audience, but I have had it up to here with Whitney Houston songs. Bless her heart, the bright lipstick on her chin made her look like she had some kind of nasty skin allergy once she was done...which she soon will be.

STEFANO LANGONE roars back with a magnificent take on “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” which of course is from 1972. No remakes on “year you were born” week! The Simply Red version is great, but this was a Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes classic. He nailed it, and joins the slim ranks of those who are improving.

I suppose PIA TOSCANA is improving too, but it was hard to fight through the jarring upbeat arrangement of “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” Yecch, more Whitney. But this girl can belt it, and if she becomes more interesting-- always a long shot-- she may be a real threat.

SCOTTY MCCREERY shocks us all by doing a country song. Kidding, of course, but the boy has got to bust out of this mold soon. But it was another great effort by a young man who will be opening for major country acts on arena tours within a year.

KAREN RODRIGUEZ beats us over the head with her bilingual bit again, this time on Taylor Daye’s “Love Will Lead You Back. Not good at all. Time to pack the old maleta, chica. The clock is ticking.

CASEY ABRAMS’ decision to growl through Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was risky, and the performance startling. Know what? Doesn’t matter. He is fun to watch, and he will be around a while. Cruel double standard: when contestants who suck try different genres, they are accused of “not knowing who they are.” But if you are good, and more important, interesting, you are “fearless.”

LAUREN ALAINA desperately needed to rebound from last week’s underwhelming effort. So she gets the flu. Yikes. But it gives her Melissa Etheridge’s rasp and she does a great job on “I’m the Only One.” Shows some versatility, too. Still not sure she can win, but her fate improved mightily.

JACOB LUSK tries to mix it up by belting out “Alone,” by Heart. I applaud the departure from his comfort zone, and once he got past a shaky start, the big bombastic chorus actually suited his over-the-top gospel quaver. The judges continue to love this guy, and I love his personality, but I’m about done here.

For a group that was supposed to be so rock ‘em sock ‘em great, another disillusioning week.

BOTTOM THREE: Naima, Karen, Haley.

ADIOS: Karen.

TOP 13 RECAP:

So my bottom three featured Stefano, Ashthon and Paul and I got rid of Stefano. Well, America must have enjoyed his cheesy Stevie Wonder more than I thought. Ashthon’s elimination was no surprise, but Karen and Haley in the bottom three is an eyebrow-raiser. It will be interesting next week to see if Karen can get through an entire song without lapsing into Spanish, and as for Haley, I think she’s very good. Maybe this is just one of those cases where I’m out of step with America. Usually when that happens on matters of pop culture tastes, I wear that like a badge of honor.

NEXT WEEK’S STORYLINES: Lauren and Paul really need to show they are worthy of a long run. Pia needs to come off the diva cloud and do something earthy. Scotty and Jacob needs to show some versatility. If these things don’t happen, James may just vault to the top of the early expectations derby.
We’ll et performances next week from the Black Eyed Peas, who will do their latest, “Just Can’t Get Enough,” and from last year’s winner Lee DeWyze, who will enjoy a night off from his job as a waiter in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
And have aliens kidnapped Crystal Bowersox? Wasn’t she supposed to have a career by now?

IDOL TOP 13:

Starting with LAUREN ALAINA is promising, since she was an early favorite of mine. Not any more. What a stilted, weak effort on Shania’s “Any Man of Mine.” She’s not going home, but she ain’t gonna win this thing either.

Different story for CASEY ABRAMS, who lives up to his potential and then some with a courageous tilt at the iconic Joe Cocker version of “A Little Help From My Friends.” What a personality, what comfort onstage. I don’t know if he can win, but he is my favorite by far.

Tough night for the early girls. ASHTHON JONES fires off an obscure Diana Ross record (“When You Tell Me That You Love Me”) that smacks of a high school beauty pageant. Not good.

Hey, some of these people are great, some just okay. I thought PAUL MCDONALD was great. Now I wonder. Ryan Adams’ “Come Pick Me Up” is unfamiliar to the voters and it was in too low a key. Risky. But he’ll survive.

PIA TOSCANO benefits from some huge judge overpraise. She was good on “All By Myself,” but the high notes were kind of screechy to me. Is anyone other than Casey going to meet expectations tonight?

JAMES DURBIN rolls out one of my favorite songs ever, McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed.” It got a little cheesy but largely successful. Didn’t like the arrangement, but that’s not his fault.

HALEY REINHART tackles the LeAnn Rimes yodel on “Blue,” and achieves sufficient success. She could be a real threat with some versatility in the coming weeks.

JACOB LUSK picks a perfect song for the voters with R Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.” And it was okay. But he has to burst beyond the Luther starter kit black crooner mold. What’s next, James Ingram? Jeffrey Osborne? I’m bored. Even with an accompanying choir. (And is THAT fair?) More judge overpraise. What a likable young man, but I need to see something different next week.

What a charming thing for 16-year-old THIA MEGHIA to tackle a venerable classic like “Smile.” But she should shoot whoever concocted that goofy mid-tempo jazzy pop arrangement that threatened to ruin it halfway through. But she is great, and is now officially the best female contestant-- and maybe more.

If STEFANO LANGONE wants to do Steve Wonder, that’s a nice fit. But not if it’s a song no one knows, and not if he sucked. Which he did. This is a very talented young man who overlooked ten Stevie songs he could have knocked out of the park. Huge mistake. I hope it doesn’t cost him.

Okay, I get it. KAREN RODRIGUEZ is Hispanic. Spanish verse on “Hero” last week, and a Selena record this week. She’s good, but next week, I need to hear something in the gringo lingo.

SCOTTY MCCREERY is a huge talent. But no one shackled to country is going to win this thing. That’s a shame, because his treatment of Garth’s “The River” was simply sublime.

NAIMA ADEDOPO is an interesting girl, and Rihanna’s ”Umbrella” was a bold choice. A little too bold, as it turns out. She just wasn’t up to it. But I’d like to see what she beings in the next few weeks, and we should get the chance.

SO WHO’S OUTA HERE? Stefano.