American Idol - 2008 (merged)

[Purple Reign]

Here is my Ranking as we head into the regular season, now that the Pre-Season is over:

PURPLE REIGN'S TOP TWELVE
1. David Archuletta
2. Syesha Mercado
3. David Cook
4. Carly Smithson
5. Brooke White
6. Michael Johns
7. David Hernandez
8. Ramielle Malubay
9. Jason Castro
10. Chikesie
11. Kristi Lee Cook
12. Amanda Overmyer

For the most part, a pretty ordinary group. As an addition here is where this group ranks compared to previous seasons.

1. Season 3 (2004) - Fantasia, Diana DeGarmo, Latoya London, Jennifer Hudson
2. Season 2 (2003) - Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken and Kimberly Locke
3. Season 5 (2006) - Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Kathering McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Paris Bennett
4. Season 6 (2007) - Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, LaKisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle
5. Season 4 (2005) - Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice
6. Season 1 (2002) - Kelly Clarkston, Justin Guarini, Tamayra Gray

I am anticipating Season 7 falls between Seasons 6 and 4.

 

[VF21]

I didn't get to see the guy's live performances and I'm still learning to remember to set "Dexter" (yes, I named my DVR) so I can't really grade them. I've now got ALL the shows set to record so I shouldn't run into any more problems.

 

[SLAB]

1: David Cook...Based on personal music-style preference.

2: Micheal Johns...See above.

3: Carly Smithson...My early pick for the girls is still proving me right.

4: Syesha Mercado...She's good, not my cup of tea.

5: Jason Castro...Voice could get him farther, but his one dimension would seem to only apply to the 60's folk-rock festival goers.

6: David Hernandez...His performance last week took him from an unknown to a definite sleeper.

7: David Archuleta...I can't stand him. He has a good voice, but he needs to act his age.

8: Ramiele Malubay...Good look. Good big voice. She needs to lose the shyness and return to early form.

9: Kristy Lee Cook...Country is not my style in the least, but maybe the country listeners all push her.

10: Chikeze...Another one who needs to act with the times...Seems way to mature in his style to be only 22.

11: Amanda Overmyer...Last week took her from instant-emination to possibly even climbing my charts higher with a repeat performance.

12: Brooke White...Another one I can't stand...She just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Bballkingsrock]

My Top 12:

1. David Archuleta
2.Ramiele Malubay
3. Brooke White
4. Jason Castro
5. David Hernandez
6. David Cook
7. Amanda Overmyer
8. Michael Johns
9. Syesha Mercado
10. Carly Smithson
11. Chikeizie Eze
12. Kristie Lee Cook

People will be all over my 12, but the all the competitors are all almost equal around the top 10 for now.

 

[Merdiesel]

This $*** is making me sick!...
You never cover Beatles songs. EVER.

 

[VF21]

Here's the deal. I am a child of the 1960s. The Beatles had more influence on my life than any other musicians or song writers. And I KNOW these songs. My head knows them and my heart knows them. There are events in my life that are remembered in association with more than one of these songs. My daughter knows all of them because she heard me playing them so many times when she was little. So in all honesty my impressions are somewhat influenced by whether I felt they did justice to the songs themselves.

1. Chikezie - She's A Woman - Very creative. Talk about an improvement.

2. Michael Johns - Across the Universe - Really tough song to sing. Gutsy selection. Solid performance.

3. Carly - Come Together - John Lennon would have liked it.

4. Brooke - Let It Be - Excellent selection. Honored the song and put some of herself into it, but kept it simple.

5. Jason - If I Fell - One of my favorite ballads and he sold it.

6. David Cook - Eleanor Rigby - I didn't like it anywhere near as much as the judges. He really rushed the first part and oversang the last part.

7. Ramiele - In My Life - Nothing special. Of all the songs credited to Lennon/McCartney, this was about the worst thing she could have chosen with the possible exception of maybe Revolution 9.

8. Amanda - You Can't Do That - Enough originality to put her above Archuleta, Hernandez, Kristy and Syesha.

9. David Archuleta - We Can Work It Out - He actually forgot part of the lyrics at the beginning. He didn't look comfortable and it showed in his performance. Just not a good choice for him.

10. David Hernandez - I Saw Her Standing There - Horrible choice and one of the songs - much like She Loves You - that I didn't expect to hear. He made it way too lounge lizard for my tastes.

11. Kristy - Eight Days a Week - Totally forgettable. Nothing bad but nothing really special either. She's not gonna be the next American Idol.

12. Syesha - Got to Get You Into My Life - Wrong song, simply didn't do it justice at all.

Although I put Syesha at the bottom, I suspect it will be Kristy going home.

 

[Rockmeister]

I didn't see Idol last night. I actually feel asleep around 8:00p.m. After reading VF's post, I'm going to say Kristy Cook will be eliminated. In fact, she hasn't been that impressive since day 1.

 

[SLAB]

Quick notes before work.

Chikeze blew me away! What a complete 100% change, and he did EXACTLY what I thought he had to do to stay around this competition.

Kristy Lee Cook has a decent country voice, but even my country loving sisters thought that the music was over the top hokey and terrible. I felt bad for her though, as even Paula flat out said "I didn't like it."

David Cook is still my favorite, and he did one of my favorite Beatles songs, and of course I loved it. Still my number 1.

And as good as Jason Castro is voice-wise, he needs to broaden up and go a little more mainstream if he wants to be a serious player.

Two questions, also...What is the theme next week? And how many people get eliminated tonight?

 

[BuenoBeno]

One person will get eliminated tonight.

 

[kennadog]

Loved David Cook (altho he started weak) and Brooke. Hernandez was awful. Kristy was pretty bad. Biggest surprises: Chikezie did a great job; Archuleta was a mess and it may be his age and inexperience showing.

I think Hernandez should be gone...he was so bad.

 

[vj9999]

I'm getting tired of randy and Paula. Only person worth giving any opinion is Simon.

Randy is bored if somebody does an excellent rendition of a song with great vocals, just because they didn't take a risk. If somebody takes a risk and does a decent job, they criticize them for changing the song too much.

Somebody medicate Paula please!! She was at least more entertaining when she was spewing nonsense for a reason. Now she can't put a decen sentence together not because she is drugged up, but because she is illiterate (and not very smart).

Phew. Feel better after ranting

 

[Purple Reign]

One person will get eliminated tonight.

I will give my last night analysis after tonight. But my prediction is that Kristy Lee Cook will be eliminated.

 

[SLAB]

America got it right tonight.

David H. just sounded way to karaoke for my tastes last night. Tis' a shame, though, because he proved a few weeks back he could sing with the best of them.

1: David Cook.
2: Carly Smithson
3: Micheal Johns
4: Jason Castro...I don't think he'll stick this long, unless he gets more mainstream.
5: David Archuleta
6: Chikeze...I really hope for some repeat performances...He was awesome on Tuesday!
7: Brooke White
8: Amanda Overmeyer
9: Ramiele Malubay...She needs to step up...Big time...She has the voice, and needs to start using it again.
10: Syesha Mercado
11: Kristy Lee Cook

 

[Purple Reign]

Power Ranking Week #1
1. David Cook - Performer of the Week. Better than Daughtry
2. Carly Smithson - Very Good. She is a pro
3. David Archuletta - My man has a lot of work to do
4. Brooke White - Sincere. But not entertaining, can sing
5. Chekese - Is getting better every week. Lots of energy this week
6. Michael Johns - Performance was flat, song was not good
7. Syesha Mercado - Whitney Houston clone. Very vanilla for a sista'.
8. Amanda Overmyer - For second week, picked a great song. Not a fan
9. Jason Castro - Get rid of the guitar!! Let's see what you really can do
10. Ramielle Malabay - "Lull-a-bye" and good night.....sheesh
11. Kristi Lee Cook - She is trying to country her way to win. Song sucked.

 

[VF21]

My power ranking:
1. Carly Smithson - tied with Michael Johns for me. GREAT voice.
1. Michael Johns - I really like him. He needs to be very careful of his song selections, however.

3. David Cook - Not THAT impressive. He needs to kick it up.
4. Jason Castro - If he can step out of his mold, he could surprise everyone.
5. Brooke White - Has the talent but maybe not the personality.
6. David Archuleta - Not that big a fan.

7. Amanda Overmyer - She won't win but I like her. Reminiscent of some of the really great female rockers.
8. Ramielle Malabay - She absolutely must let loose and let her voice soar.
9. Chekezie - If he's anywhere near as good as he was with "She's a Woman," he could move up further.
10. Syesha Mercado - She was much better when she was fighting laryngitis. She's dropped every single performance.
11. Kristi Lee Cook - She's not Carrie Underwood and I suspect she may be the next to go if she doesn't get away from the twang.

 

[Purple Reign]

We need about three more power rankings to make this legit.

 

[VF21]

I'll get Kingsgirl4's after the game. She's really into this show...

 

[VF21]

For Kingsgirl4:

1. Carly
2. Michael
3. Chikezie
4. Brooke
5. Ramiele
6. Amanda
7. David A.
8. David C.
9. Jason
10. Syesha
11. Kristi

 

[Rockmeister]

I haven't really watched much of Idol, however, I'll make a guess based on some of the posts that I've read as well as a few minutes of the show that I have watched so far.

1. Michael
2. Brooke
3. Carly
4. David A.
5. David C.
6. Amanda
7. Chikezie
8. Jason
9. Syesha
10. Ramiele
11. Kristi

 

[Bballkingsrock]

1. David Archuleta
2.Ramiele Malubay
3. Brooke White
4. Jason Castro
5. David Hernandez
6. David Cook
7. Amanda Overmyer
8. Michael Johns
9. Chikeizie Eze
10. Carly Smithson
11. Syesha
12. Kristie Lee Cook

 

[Purple Reign]

OFFICIAL KINGSFANS.COM POWER RANKING - Week #1
1. Carly Smithson - 54 points (2 first place votes)
2. Michael Johns - 51 (1)
3. David Cook - 49 (2)
4. Brooke White - 47
5. David Archuletta - 46 (1)
6t. Chekeze - 34
6t. Jason Castro 34
8. Amanda Overmyer - 31
9. Ramielle Mallubay - 28
10. Syesha Mercado - 16
11. Kristy Lee Cook - 6

WEEKLY TREND - Kristy Lee Cook is our hands down consensus worst of the group. She got six last place votes.

 

[Rockmeister]

I forgot how you got those numbers. Carly has 54 points. How did she get that number?

 

[Purple Reign]

I forgot how you got those numbers. Carly has 54 points. How did she get that number?

11 points for 1st
10 points for 2nd
9 points for 3rd.....and so on.

 

[SLAB]

New Rankings.

1: David Cook --- I just dig the rock...Unfortunately, I think he may go the way of Daughtry, and have an early exit as the mainstreamers take his rightful position.

2: Carly Smithson --- I have loved her voice from day one. Showed a different side of her, and at the same time didn't bore me with the ballad.

3: Jason Castro --- A step towards being more mainstreamish. He'll have his old-style 60's folk-rock concert hippie aura around him all the time, IMO, but he modernized it just a bit today.

4: Chikeze --- The judges didn't like it, but these last two weeks have shot him up my board. Every critisizm I had of him has been dashed and dystroyed, and he's just being entertaining now.

5: Micheal Johns --- Voice-wise has Top 3 Talent, but his song was pretty bizarre tonight. I didn't hate it, but some others have shot past him for the time being.

6: David Archuleta --- He's better than this. He really is, but I can't bring myself to like one thing about him. Like Simon says, this can turn into a "Popularity Contest" and he's my popular casualty.

7: Amanda Overmeyer --- She just does her thing. Not good enough to win the contest. But good enough to make a name for herself. I like how shes come out of her post-song shell in recent weeks too!

8: Ramielle Malubay --- Started showing what she can do this week...Took a step in the right direction, I guess...S?he really needs to find her style, because she has a great voice.

9: Sayesha Mercado --- Her voice sounded good...That is the only positive, and I cannot forgive her for completly butchering the way "Yesterday" should sound. Thats a song you just have to sing the way it was meant to be sung, and I thought it was terrible.

10: Brooke White --- Another popularity casualty for me...I just can't bring myself to like her.

11: Kristy Lee Cook --- The least talented. Does she go the way of Haley Scarnado and just look hot her way through a few more weeks of being the worst? With todays contestants not being great (Or really all that good at all) I think her looks will save her one more week, at least.

Bottom 3: Kristy Lee, Brooke White, Amanda Overmeyer.
Eliminated: Brooke White

 

[Gary]

Whats with everyone waving their arms back and forth? I don't get that. Isn't it a church thing? Why is the audience doing it on AI?

 

[Rockmeister]

I guess we will be listening to Kristy Lee Cook for another week.

 

[Purple Reign]

Right now, I have to say Kristi Lee Cook may be around for awhile . Although amanda was not my cup of tea, she is waaaay better than "Lil" Kristi Mae Clampett. America got it wrong this week.

 

[SLAB]

Right now, I have to say Kristi Lee Cook may be around for awhile . Although amanda was not my cup of tea, she is waaaay better than "Lil" Kristi Mae Clampett. America got it wrong this week.

Im gonna miss Amanda...She brought something different to the table, and was pretty entertaining to watch.

I won't complain to much about Kritsy sticking around a bit longer...As long as she doesn't mess with the Top 5 or 6 I won't mind her gracing my screen for a few more weeks! She's adorable, IMO.

 

[VF21]

I don't think Amanda would have won but I would have liked to see her around a bit longer. I couldn't believe Carly was in the bottom three...

My new rankings:

1. Carly Smithson - I still think she's the one to beat.
2. Michael Johns - He picked an incredibly difficult song. His talent should carry him through, provided he starts thinking more about the impact of his song selections.
3. David Archuleta - I could see him going all the way, even though I'm just not that impressed.
4. Chikezie - He continues to find his voice. He should make it several more weeks.
5. David Cook - A good candidate but not an American Idol.
6. Jason Castro - He's becoming a one-trick pony. He needs to show some variety.

7. Brooke White - The talent drop-off starts here.
8. Ramielle Malabay - Some people audition well but just can't bring it at crunch time. I'm beginning to fear Ramielle is one of them.
9. Syesha Mercado - Still think she was much better when she was fighting laryngitis.
10. Kristi Lee Cook - I think Amanda should still be here but at this point we're talking about also-rans anyway.

I will say, however, that this is the strongest top 10 I think I've ever seen. Their group performance last night was really good and I think their tour will draw in a lot of fans. Their voices blend well - and I did notice they had to pretty much work around Amanda, who just didn't fit into their range or style. So maybe Amanda not being in the top 10 worked for "the greater good"?

 

[Purple Reign]

GET THOSE RANKINGS IN!!!!

Power Ranking Week #2
1. David Cook - Dude is the best performer in the competition in my mind.
2. David Archuletta - Much better this past week.
3. Carly Smithson - Not as good, but still shines.
4. Chekese - Never thought I would say this but..consistent
5. Syesha Mercado - Also better this week. Enough to move up two slots
6. Michael Johns - Performance was forgettable.
7. Brooke White - She is very up and down. This week very down.
8. Jason Castro - Got rid of the guitar....still not impressed
9. Ramielle Malabay
10. Kristi Lee Cook - It's a shame that she is going on tour. Not tour material