Idol Chatter

American Idol: Season Seven; Top Girls

February 27, 2008—Back on the Idol stage tonight, one of my favorite singers, Carly Smithson, opens the show with Heart's, "Crazy On You." Unfamiliar with the song, I nonetheless felt as though watching a performance from an already established recording artist. Her vocals were so incredibly on point, along with her makeup and hair, that she no longer seemed a contestant. She became a polished female artist who was
performing for fans that paid money to see her. She was fearless and owned that stage as if it were going to be her last time singing: Flawless.

Next was Syesha Mercado, who sang "Mr. Jones." Although I like this girl, and think she's got a great vocal presence, the song doesn't really go anywhere. Mercado never finds that moment where she can belt out a note that makes you go, "Wow." Just an obvious mistake in song choice, but she does the most that she knows how with it. She's not going anywhere--she's really got to start picking songs that she can sing the shit out of.

Brooke White follows, perfectly positioned, sitting in a chair on the stage with an acoustic guitar. The first few notes, I immediately recognize as Carly Simon's, "You're So Vain," and I'm wondering if she's got the balls, or vagina-balls as it were, to pull it off. The thing with White is that she's so incredibly safe and cute, you almost wonder if everything in her life are rainbows and fluffy clouds. Other than that, she delivers a decent vocal, but more so, the picture she's painted works really well: blonde-haired girl, acoustic guitar, simple hairdo and makeup, singing a female angst-ridden song in that not-so-aggressive way. The judges enjoy her performance, and although I wasn't dying for more, she deserved the accolades.

Ramiele Malubay, who's also one of my personal favorites, was next. She's the tiny little Asian girl with a very calm manner about her that makes you wonder if she's ever nervous while she performs on that stage. She chooses an Evelyn Champagne King song, and I'm completely let down as it's another one of those bad song choice situations. It's not that she doesn't sing it well, because she absolutely does, it's just one of those songs that are best left in the '70s. All in all, she looked adorable as always, and sang well. She just didn't choose "that wow song." Unfortunate, but not bad enough to be eliminated, thank God. We'll see her next week.

Kristy Lee Cook, America's favorite horseback rider looks a little edgier than last week in her shimmering silver top. Then again, she has Carrie Underwood hair, so it all sort of evens out. She chooses, "You're No Good," and surprisingly, compared to the previous week, does a solid job. The only thing with Cook is that she lacks some personality qualities that the others have down pat. She's a southern country girl, rides horses, and a self-admitted "tomboy," which is all fine and dandy. I'm just looking for something other than what we've already seen a hundred times before. Regardless of that, she pulls this one off nicely, and the judges agree.

I'm also secretly rooting for Amanda Overmyer, but her performance was disastrous. It's clear that she was aware of that, judging by her facial expressions. First of all, whoever is styling these poor people is taking things a little too far. I'm hoping that these contestants realize they don't have to wear whatever they're told to wear, and that they maintain some sort of individuality throughout this whole show. If you're not yourself and you don't feel comfortable, it's going to show on camera. Overmyer's hair resembled a wind-blown Cruella DeVille in the worst way possible. Her jeans were just a little on the overboard side. On top of her styling being completely over-the-top, her vocal performance was just tragic. It really broke my heart as she just could not find her notes anywhere. This unfortunately may be the performance that sends her home.

Alaina Whitaker, the young 16-year old chooses something that all the red states will immediately recognize as Olivia Newton John's, "Hopelessly Devoted." This is another blonde who tends to play it a little more on the
safe side. Yet this performance was almost too pre-packaged in the sense that she's been watching Miss America pageants all her life. Everything was so calculated and structured that you forget how young this girl really is. The vocal is definitely there. It's just the overall image of Whitaker seems off. For her, I would've chosen something a little younger, more hip. Then again, when it's '70s Night, that's almost
impossible to do.

Alexandrea Lushington, who's another vocal powerhouse, chooses a song that I don't know or care for. Her wardrobe styling is totally awkward, just like Overmyer's, but her vocals are practically flawless. Again, this is an example of a lame ass song choice. That's all I
have to say about that: Lame song, bad wardrobe, and great vocal ability.

Kady Malloy delivers, or attempts to deliver, a song, I think. It's so bad and her outfit is so frumpy (think muu muu with polished stones outlined in glue down the front) that I'm completely lost. I don't even get this one because it's so off. She claims that she's "having fun," but, quite frankly, I wasn't. There's something about Malloy that seems like she'd be a complete and total bitch; the camera angles catch her having the most pissed-off looks on her face. Note to Malloy: If you want America to vote for you, maintain composure at all times no matter what the judges say to you. Smile, nod, say thank you and walk away. Save the ugly face for later. We don't need to see that (think delivery of Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish in "The Comeback").

Moving on to the last female, Asia'h Epperson. I noticed extensions, which definitely ages her a little. In addition, she wears a gray high-waisted pencil skirt and a white blouse paired with a patent leather belt, which I'm totally feeling. She attempts Celine Dion's version of, "All by Myself," and I immediately sink in my chair not knowing whether she's going to pull this one off. This song is one of the hardest
songs to pull off, and although I'm a fan of this one, I'm a little unsure. She begins, a little shaky at first, but those notes that count, the ones that take you home, are fantastic. Simon seems to think the song is bigger than her, and I look at it as she took a risk and had the balls, or vagina-balls as it were, to show her stuff. I say, good for you! She's definitely Top 12 material, and mark my words, she will sail right on through.