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Hi there friends!
Well, tonight's "American Idol" was interesting. The theme of tonight's show was "Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine." I must admit that I was a bit surprised by the theme. I didn't know that they had more than one hit song. Surprisingly however, I knew a lot of the songs that the contestants sang tonight. (It's kind of like Michael Jackson. I wouldn't have called myself a fan until I heard some of his albums and realized that I knew a whole bunch of his songs. His music is good for parties.)
(Gloria Estefan's appearance hasn't changed much since 1988, has it? I remember watching a "Miami Sound Machine" special on HBO at around that time.)
Like Elton John night, I had the feeling that this evening's songs would be a little rough on the contestants.
*******random observation:***********
Tonight, Paula had her thumb bandaged. Previously her arm had been in a sling. I wonder if she's trying to be the next Les Nessman (from the TV show "WKRP in Cincinatti.") Viewers will play "spot the bandaid" when she's on TV. ...college kids could make a drinking game of it.
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THE PERFORMANCES:
1. Fantasia Barrino- I didn't really appreciate her pandering to the "avenge Jennifer" crowd. It seems like a transparent vote-grab.
Tonight's song didn't really work with her voice. Grade: C-
2. George Huff- After two lackluster performances in-a-row, George delivered an improved -although not fantastic-performance.
For the song that George chose to sing, an artist has to "own the stage." I don't think that he did this time. Grade: C+
3. LaToya London- She was the first of the evening's singers who looked like she belonged there. I really liked her performance. I'd bet that it was really hard to dance in her heels that she was wearing. Grade: B+
4. John Stevens- The first line of his song was actually in-tune. I was literally shocked! The rest was possibly the worst I have ever heard on "American Idol." Grade: F, but I am sure that the rest of America will give him an "A," making him (once again) the top vote-getter, passing him on to next week.
5. Jasmine Trias- She looked fantastic tonight. How cute! I liked her song alright. My wife (who is familiar with the original song) didn't like it. She said it was "painful in spots." Grade: C.
6. Diana DeGarmo- I was expecting her to do pretty well tonight. "Miami Sound Machine" sings happy songs, and Diana is a happy girl. Her song turned out well. Grade A-
OUR PICKS
Best Performance: Jamie-Diana; Kazuko-Diana
The John Stevens Award (previously known as: "The worst performance of the night"): Jamie-John; Kazuko-John