Idol Live with Nicole! Top 12 Girls!

Well tonight we get to hear the girls sing, and I hope after a lackluster night last night, they are better than the boys. I just noticed how nice it is not to hear Randy boo any of the judges as they are introduced now that Simon is gone! Steven seems to get the most cheers from the crowd though, he is probably my fave too :). On with the show!

Ta-Tynisa Wilson "Only Girl in The World"- This is the girl that somehow made it to the Top 24 even though she forgot her words quite frequently during the Hollywood rounds. She needs to bring it tonight, especially since she is the first to go and most people forget about them by the time the show is over. Her vocals sound good enough, but it almost seems as if the music is louder than her singing. Great energy on stage though. Pretty good performance, and she didn't forget her lyrics this time! Steven said it was a beautiful way to open the show. Jennifer said she started off a little shaky, but she brought it home. Randy differs and thinks it was just okay. He said it paled in comparison to Rihanna's version. Randy is most definitely playing the Simon role this season and telling it like it is. It only took 10 years for him to make any sense!

Naima Adedapo "Summertime"- Well this is a risky song for her to take on since Fantasia had such a memorable performance with this way back in season 3. She was one of my faves from the earlier rounds so hopefully she does good. Her dress kinda reminds me of curtains. She is sounding pretty decent, but nowhere near as memorable as Fantasia. Pretty good stage presence. Ending was pretty good. Jennifer tells her she is like an exotic flower in a rose garden, tells her really good job. Randy said it was a little "lounge acty". Brings up the Fantasia performance, but says she nailed it at the end. Steven calls it early Ella Fitzgerald. He loves her a lot and he liked her a lot tonight.

Kendra Chantelle "Impossible"- Okay so I don't really remember this girl too much. She is singing this pretty well though. Sounds a little bluesy with her tone. Pretty nice performance and she did a decent job on the high note at the end. Randy was worried when he saw she picked that song, but he really liked it. Steven said everything was hot. Total package. Jennifer said she fought her way into the Top 12 and says we are just scratching the surface with her so she hopes she can make it to the next round.

Rachel Zavita "Criminal"- Well she sure isn't nervous on the stage. Not a big fan of her vocals though. She is a good performer, but not great singing from her tonight. Okay I am apparently wrong, because the audience gave her a standing ovation. Steven called her a little two Broadway, I AGREE!! Jennifer asks if she wants America to see her as a Broadway performer or as a recording artist. Randy says it wasn't great then says it wasn't good. He didn't recognize the song (nor did I). Guess I wasn't wrong, I stick with my original opinion!

Karen Rodriguez "Hero"- Ballsy move picking a Mariah song, especially this one. After one line into the song she starts singing in Spanish. Then back to English for the chorus. Hmm I'm not sure if I like that. Sounds pretty decent on the chorus. Oh back to Spanish now, this is too confusing. Now back to English, and she sings the last line in Spanish. Count em up and you have six language changes. Jennifer of course loves it since she sings in both Spanish and English too. Called it amazing. Randy likes that she made it her own, called the Spanish better than the English. Steven calls her a one of a kind singer. Tells her to sing it with Jacob. Calls her fantastic. Good vocal performance, just too many language changes for me.

Lauren Turner "Seven Day Fool"- I am pretty sure I have never heard this song before. Another girl that has great energy on the stage. These girls don't seem to have the nerves that the boys did the night before. She is sounding pretty good, just don't know about the song choice. She also hit the high note at the end. Seems to be a theme tonight with these songs. Randy says "yo" three times and then says "that's how you do it man". Calls it Amy Winehouse meets Florence and the Machine. Steven called it beautiful, he loved it. Jennifer says her voice is undeniable. Says she was physically holding back though. I thought she did pretty well with moving around the stage though.

Ashthon Jones "Love All Over Me"- Another one of my faves so far. I haven't heard this song before either. She is singing it darn good though. My favorite of the night so far. Very good R&B voice on her. She also gets a standing ovation from the crowd. Steven says she has the confidence of a queen and says "we found one". Jennifer says she has all the makings of a diva. Says her confidence is breathtaking and her voice is amazing. Randy says he feels like she has been doing it forever, but didn't like the song choice. He thinks she could go bigger.

Julie Zorilla "Breakaway"- Very pretty girl, but she starts off a little shaky. The judges don't look like they are enjoying it. The end gets better than the beginning, but still not great. Her fellow contestants didn't even stand for her. Jennifer liked it but she doesn't feel it is the best we have seen her do. Doesn't think she connected to the performance. Randy doesn't think she brought anything new (that's his theme of the season I think) and says she didn't sing it nearly as good as Kelly Clarkson did. Steven says it would've been better if she took it up a couple keys. Hmm she is like able, but she will probably be going home. 

Hailey Reinhart "Fallin"- Also a pretty girl, but I haven't been a fan of her voice. This is also a hard song to sing on this show since the original is so good. Yea I can't say I am loving this too much. As the song goes on, I like it less and less. Not a fan of the growling thing she has going on. Alicia Keys isn't much of a growler so it doesn't sound good on this song. Ending wasn't bad, but overall, EH. Randy says the song doesn't do anything for her. Calls it karaoke. Steven heard just the right amount of style and just the right amount of sexy. He liked it a lot. Jennifer agrees with Steven. She liked the growl. Tells her to get out of her head a little bit. God help me, I am agreeing with Randy mostly this season.

Thia Megia "Out Here On My Own"- One of the youngest contestants of the season. Wow she is getting the special lighting and acapello on the first night! Impressive! Music kicks in after the first couple lines, but the singing is still dominant. Very nice vocals. Very controlled and smooth singing. My new favorite of the night. Steven says her pitch was so perfect it doesn't matter what she sings. Jennifer agrees with Steven. She loved it. Called it really special. Randy says her tone reminds him of Michael Jackson? WTF? Anyways he ends by saying this is what hot singing is about. Yea I am calling her safe for sure!

Lauren Alaina "Turn On the Radio"- Poor Lauren has to follow that so good luck to her. She is the country girl of the season apparently. Cute girl and she also works the stage pretty well. Nice singing too. Great energy. Good performance over all by her. Jennifer says she doesn't even have to try, calls it effortless. Is amazed by how much of a natural she is. Randy says she has a natural gift and he doesn't think she even knows how good she is. Says she reminds him of Kelly meets Carrie. Steven loves her and says we haven't seen the best of her yet. She will also be safe I predict. She then calls Ryan "peaches", apparently because he is from Georgia. She is very like able so she SHOULD do well in this competition.  

Pia Toscano "I'll Stand By You"- Well this should be good since she gets the pimp spot. I love this song, and she is singing it pretty well. Very simple and straightforward, not too over the top at all, but very nice. Very smooth performance and she hits the high notes at the end. Loved it! Standing ovation by the judges, and just about everyone else. Randy says she just put herself in the top with some of the most amazing performances in the past 10 seasons. Steven says it was gorgeous. Jennifer says she was saving that performance for when it counts, says it was out of this world. She will also be SAFE!! If not by America, then for the wildcard pick for sure!

Well I am calling Pia, Lauren A., Ashton, and Thia safe. Possibly Karen and/or Lauren T. too. Maybe Hailey...The first four I mentioned should be safe though...hopefully! Guess we will find out tomorrow!!

Idol Live with Nicole! Top 12 Boys!

Finally time for America to start voting for their picks! I'm going to be honest and say I already have a few faves (Stefano and Tim) so I am hoping they will do good during this round so they can make it to the Top 10. According to Ryan only 5 will make it through this week! Hoping even more that they do good! Ryan tells us to take a look at the stage...doesn't look much different to me than last season though. Ohhh apparently there will be wild card picks so it looks like 6 guys will make it through. Ohhh I did notice something, looks like they are starting in the big theater this season right away instead of waiting for the Top 12. I do like this stage much more. Apparently this week's eppys aren't live until the results show seeing as how Ryan just swore and they bleeped it pretty accurately.

Clint Jun Gamboa- "Superstitious" Clint I liked during his audition, but not so much during Hollywood week. I am willing to bet that Randy says something about his red shoes. Pretty decent vocals and great energy, but I can't say I'm a big fan of the Adam Lambert screaming. Steven says he started and ended strong, called it brilliant. Jennifer said his jitters didn't affect his performance, said it was good. Randy said there's no karaoke singer with that kind of vocal talent in the world. Randy let me down but not commenting on this shoes though. I guess this really is a singing competition this season like he said. Apparently you can now vote online also....plenty of box stuffing going to be going on this season!

Jovony Baretto -"I'll Be" Nice to look at, decent vocals, but not my favorite. He does look a little nervous though so I will cut him some slack tonight. Did a good job of holding the note, voice didn't crack at all. Not too bad, the audience seemed to love it. Steven said "Holy Shipyard". Said he brought it. Jennifer is really happy and said he did it. Randy didn't really get it, said it felt karaoke. Said he didn't bring anything different or unique to it, it was just okay. OMG, I hope I don't share the same views as Randy all season!

Jordan Dorsey-"OMG" This guy has decent vocals, but had a crappy attitude during Hollywood week. A little too cocky for me. Okay Jordan, if you are going to sing this song, you need to have a lot of energy and you don't have so much. My least favorite of the night so far. He is no Usher, that's for sure. Not a fan of that performance at all. Steven said he has the moves, but it wasn't OMG over the top for him. Jennifer said she doesn't think that's who he really is as an artist and he agrees. (Why did you pick it then?!). Randy said it was pitchy all over the place and it pales in comparison to the original. Jordan keeps saying the songs not him, but I don't know why he even picked it then...stupid move! I really hope he gets booted!

(Sidenote: A little advice for future Idol contestants, never choose OMG again. It can only be done by Usher without sounding annoying)

Tim Halperin- "Streetcorner Symphony". Okay this guy didn't get too much airtime during the auditions, but I LOVED him during Hollywood. Hope he does good tonight!Hmmm starts off a little rough, he kinda sounds slower than the music. Chorus gets better, he seems nervous too so I will cut him some slack also. Love this song, but not a great choice for him. Steven says that song didn't do him any justice and he let him down. (Agree). Jennifer doesn't think that's his strength. She doesn't want to lose him over that (me either). Randy says he has been much better before and he didn't bring anything exciting or new to it. I agree with them all, but know he has been better before so I hope he makes it through (fingers crossed!!). I may just have to vote for him to keep him safe...(yes I am one of those people :)).

Brett Lowenstein- "Light My Fire". This kid seems like a sweet kid. Well he isn't too loud with this song, although it does pick up a little. Pretty good vocals. He is whipping his hair around a lot. He must've listened to Willow Smith's song before he performed. Steven says he brought it home. Jennifer says that was more hair tossing than her and Beyonce put together in the last 10 years. She liked it. Randy says there was 14 hair shakes, Brett said he didn't know he was doing it. Says there was pitch problems in the beginning, but he fixed them. Umm is his hair brown now?! I'm pretty sure it was red before, but it looks awfully brown now. He is pretty likeable and that was a decent performance so I am calling him safe.

James Durbin-"You Got Another Thing Comin'". I liked this kid during his audition, but didn't like him all that much during Hollywood. Not a fan of all the screaming either. I didn't like it that much when Adam Lambert did it and he actually sounded better than James at it. He has good energy during his performance, but he makes some weird facial expressions while singing. Vocally he is doing good though and this is a singing competition after all. Oh and there's the trademark scream (#1). Actually fit in the song pretty well though, Screma #2 was a little much though at the end. Steven said that was "bleep" crazy good. He loves that he's over the top. Jennifer loves the way he performs, says its insane. Randy said "this is how you do it!". He asks him whats up with the scarf tail and James says he needs something to make him stand out. Also compliments him on not overdoing the screaming. Pretty good performance. He will be safe I'm sure.

Robbie Rosen- "Angel". Okay I am going to predict this before I even hear him sing and say he will be safe. The kiddies need someone to vote for and I think he will be the one to get their votes, not positive though. Hmm I am not a fan of the beginning at all. Seems like he is going faster than the music. He reminds me of a Jonas brother. Yea I am not liking this very much at all. Especially towards the end when he tries to go high. Yea I think I liked that just a little bit more than OMG from earlier. Steven says it was beautiful (WHAT?!). Jennifer says when he sings he feels every single word. She seems to have loved it too! Randy differs (THANK GOD). Doesn't think it was a great performance and says it was really pitchy. OMG I am agreeing with Randy more than anyone else so far. Apparently Simon's seat is the only one where people can hear correctly! Well since Steven and Jennifer liked it and he is the kiddie vote, I am calling him safe (even though that was not too good).

Scotty McCreery- "Letters From Home" Kudos to Scotty for not picking a Josh Turner song. I wonder if it was even an option. This guy sings country REALLY WELL, but God help him when they get to the other genres. Since this is a country song, he is singing it pretty well though. Also its pretty patriotic so he's got that going for him. He makes some weird facial expressions too. Not bad, could be safe since he is by far the most country of the season. If not, he will most likely have a career in country music. Steven says he couldn't have picked a better song. Jennifer says that right there is why she didn't cut him after Hollywood week. Randy loves that he switched it up? (what?!) He loves the lowness in his voice. Hmm I will call him safe since he picked a good song for his voice.

Stefano Langone- "Just The Way You Are" Ohh Stefano thank you for picking Bruno Mars, but you aren't doing that well with it :(. Beginning was pretty rough, but it gets a little better as it goes on. Watching Steven watch these people cracks me up. Aww Stefano cracked on the high note. Still love Stefano and think he's adorable, but that was pretty rough. Steven loved it and said he is so good. Jennifer says he is so consistent and theres nothing awkward about him up there. Randy called him out on the sharpness of the high note, but he loved it too. Umm WTF judges, I love Stefano and I thought that was kind of bad. Hmm I think he may have the kiddie vote after all. Let me call him safe too??

Paul McDonald- "Maggie May" This guy has quite an interesting tone to his voice. Okay I don't know that I like the fact that he chose this song. Little too old school and old in general for me. He is doing pretty well with it so I guess he knew what he was doing. His teeth also seem to look very white... Such a unique voice!! Didn't like the song, but great choice for him. Steven said he loves the character in his voice. Jennifer loves the way he moves and also points out his nice white smile! She said it was a good performance. Randy loves that he is so unique and different from anyone else that has been on the show.

Jacob Lusk- "A House is Not a Home" Okay this guy was wayy too much for me in Hollywood. His looks are kinda creepy during this performance. At least he is a little bit more restrained during this song though. Good vocals on him. Nice R&B voice and he didn't go over the top like I was expecting him too. Nice job! Steven is honored to be in his presence. He loved it. Jennifer is happy that we have Jacob now that Luther Vandros is gone?? Randy says there isn't anything he can't sing, he is so proud of him. Well he is safe and if he isn't saved by America he will be the judges wildcard for sure.

Casey Abrams- "I Put A Spell on You". Well he starts off pretty strong. I'm surprised he didn't play an instrument this week though. He really seems to get into his performances. Goodness he seems as if he is getting mad at the song! Well that sure was interesting. Pretty good though. Steven says its as good as it gets. Jennifer says he is sexy (okay?). She says he wants it bad. Randy loves how he transformed himself. Loves his uniqueness.

Well first off, I feel bad for Tim and Jordan since they are the only people that Steven seemed to not like. I still think Tim is a great singer so I hope he makes it through, but I don't have high hopes for him, especially since only 5 will get through. Let me make my prediction right now and call Jacob, Casey, Stefano, Brett, Scotty, and either Paul, James, or Robbie safe including the judges wildcard pick. Pretty sure Jordan, Clint, Javony and TIm :( are going home. I won't be said if Tim makes it through though! Who were your faves and who do you think is going home??

CSN Stores Review

Time for another review of the great CSN Stores! CSN is amazing because you can find pretty much anything you are looking for there. Sometime in the very near future, I am hoping to get a LCD TV, therefore I will need a new LCD TV stand. Here are some of the lovely ones I found that I just love!

I like all the little storage areas with this one. Plenty of room for the DVD player, Wii and cable box.

 

Love the look of this one!

They also have many different fireplace TV stands which I just adore right now!

I will be looking at all my choices so when I do get my new TV I can get the perfect stand to go along with it :). Be sure to check out CSN for TV stands and anything else you may need!

Weekly Song Wednesday!

Well it looks like this week I am bringing back all of my old topics! Now if only I could get back my old traffic, it'd be great :). Well today its back to "Weekly Song Wednesday" and I think I have a pretty good one. Today's pick is "Marry You" by Bruno Mars. I seriously LOVE everything I have heard by Bruno Mars and even though his first two songs are more overplayed than anything else, I still love them. This guy is becoming my new favorite artist. I think he will be around for a long time to come! Enjoy!!

YouTube Tuesday!

Well I decided after seeing this video on Facebook, that I had to bring back "YouTube Tuesday" for this week too! Its pretty funny, although some of you may have seen it already since it was pretty popular last week. Enjoy!!

My 5 Monday! Favorite Superbowl Commercials!

It's the return of "My 5 Monday"! For this week at least :). So every year during the Superbowl, everyone looks forward to the commercials. Now I myself pretty much only pay attention to commercials during the Superbowl. Most other times I will channel surf just so I don't have to watch them. Every year there are some great commercials during the game, and this year didn't disappoint. Even though I like multiple ones, I will play by the rules (that I basically made up) and narrow it down to 5!

1. Chrysler

So I love me some Eminem and I am from Michigan so I love anything that features Michigan in a positive light. Therefore when I saw this commercial it instantly became my favorite of the night. Completely, 100% true too!

2. Best Buy

Let me just say Ozzy Osbourne cracks me up. I used to watch his show on MTV and it would always make me laugh. When I saw this commercial I actually laughed out loud and it became my favorite of the night...until the Chrysler one and then it became a close second. My favorite part: "What's a Bieber?!" The above video is actually an extended version and therefore funnier than the one I saw originally!

3. Teleflora

Well this commercial just made me laugh. Seriously!

4.Doritos

So Doritos had multiple commericals throughout the Superbowl. The dog one was cute, the finger licking guy one was creepy, but this one was just funny. I had multiple goldfish die when I was younger and if I knew that sprinkling Doritos into the bowl would bring them back to life I would've done it :)

5. NFL Fans

Okay this commerical I just loved. How they were able to get all these old and new TV show clips and edit them so they are all wearing football clothing with football items in the background  just amazes me. LOVED IT!!

So somehow I was able to narrow it down to just 5 great commericals even though there were many more including the Bridgestone, Darth Vader child, and the truck that was supposed to be Lassie just to name a few.

I also loved the intro:

and of course you have to have this:

Idol Live with Nicole! Hollywood Week Pt.1

YAY!!! Finally time for Hollywood. No more auditions! Sorry for the lack of recap on yesterday's show. I got home late and missed the first 20 mins of the show so I didn't think it was worth it. There were a few great singers so hopefully they will do great in Hollywood too!

The first round for Hollywood is apparently sudden death. Go big or go home I guess. Starting off the round is Brett (the kid I said looked like a mix between Blake Lewis and Shaun White (or Carrot top, can't remember)). After letting us all know he is extremely nervous, he sings "Let it Be". Not too bad, but I have heard it better fro previous contestants i.e. Brooke White and Kris Allen. He is the only one we actually get to hear in this group. He makes it to the next round, along with 4 or so other people who we didn't hear anything about. Rachel, Thia, and Casey all sing next. They also all move onto the next round.

Victoria, the uber happy young girl with the strange speaking voice, is up next. Don't really know what she is singing, but she doesn't appear nervous at all. She however, does not make it through and is headed home. She's still smiling though!

James, the guy with Asperger's, and Paris, the young mother with the special needs daughter are up next. Paris sings "My Heart Will Go On" and sounds pretty great. Almost as good as the original! James sings something I don't know and does pretty well. He reminds me of Adam Lambert when he sings though :/. Also in this round are Lauren, who sang "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" and Stormi "Miss Teen USA". Stormi sings "Stay". She sounds louder than she did in the audition, but still a little shaky. Lauren sings "Unchained Melody" and does pretty well. James, Lauren, and Paris all make it through. Stormi is sent home. Chris,the guy with the disabled fiance (aka sob story of the season), is next. He picks "You and I Both" and sounds good until he messes up. He still makes it through to the next round though.

Hollie, the girl who cried because she was so nervous during her audition, Jacee (the chubby young kid who kinda sounded like Justin Bieber when he sang), and Robbie, who has been picturing himself on stage since he was seven are next. Jacee sings "Bless The Broken Road" and does good. Robbie also does good with whatever he sings and Hollie belts out whatever it is she sings. Apparently nerves didn't get the best of the kiddies since they all move on to the next round. Steve, the accountant, is next. He sings "Just Haven't Met You Yet". Sounds decent to me, but the judges disagree and send him home. We are then treated to many other contestants who don't make it through.

After the Ford commercial within the show, Ryan talks to various contestants who talk about their nerves. We then get to see lots of contestants messing up very badly. Rob and Chelsee, the broken up couple, who were featured in the earlier audition shows are next. They haven't got back together, but they are each bunking with the same sex member of the other couple that are still together (if that made sense?). Rob sings first and he has an interesting tone to his voice at certain parts. Chelsee also does pretty good ad they both move on to round two. The couple that are still together, Nick and Jacqueline, are next. Nick goes first, and I'm not too big of a fan at all. Jackie does much better though. Nick ends up going home while Jackie makes it. That kinda sucks for them, but she deserved to move forward. Nick begs to sing more, but the judges remind him of the rules about "ONE SHOT". Kind of feel bad for him. That is until he starts singing as he is walking out of the auditorium scream singing. He then asks Ryan if he is just washed out emotionally since he has been there for 10 years. I guess he thought Ryan should be heartbroken too.

Scotty, the young guy with the deep country voice, is next. He decides to sing the same song he auditioned with. He does it well, but I don't know if I like that he picked it again. Apparently, other contestants had the same idea though. Jackie and Jerome also decide o give encore performances. Worked out well for all three of them since they all move on.

Tiffany, the girl with the stars on her bra, is up first. She then says, and I quote, "I'm gonna be honest. I'm tired of seeing people TRY to do what I know I CAN". Seriously biatch, you better knock it outta the park now! She then gives the most DRAMATIC over the top performance ever. Its not bad, but I hope she gets booted since she is way too obnoxious. Travis, the kid who lived in shelters for a couple years, is next. He sings "This Love" and it's not bad, but not great either. Based on personality he needs to move on over Tiffany though. Unfortunately, cute and sweet Travis is sent home, while Tiffany moves on. I am almost positive she will piss off whoever the poor souls are that are stuck in a group with her though. Hopefully she won't last long! In a total of about 30 seconds we see more contestants that advanced to the next round, including the white house intern and one of my favs Stefano, the car accident victim :).