Perfectly Petersen

American Idol: Top 5 Week - 4/29/2008

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

It was a pretty mundane night on Idol, except for the judging. The singing was pretty blah, but the judging was spectacular. This was the first week of double songs, so it was jam-packed with 5 singers singing 10 songs in an hour. First, the judging issue:

After the singers sang their first songs, they stood in a row for a quick rundown of their performances. Randy made it really quick with 2-5 words per singer, and then the fun started with Paula.

She started with Jason Castro and said, “Your first song… blah blah, but your second song left me feeling empty.” The guys leaned in toward her and informed her that he’d only sung one song. She had this “deer in the headlights look” and started stammering that she thought he’d already done two songs. Them she made a lame excuse that she was looking at David Cook’s feedback and thought they were both for Jason.

It didn’t fly with me. Here’s what I think happened: Paula was smashed. A producer who sat in on the dress rehearsals gave her what to say so she could read them and make sense of things with the busy timetable. She got caught with her dress up or some clothing metaphor for a washed out pop singer.

On with my reviews, speed-style, just like the judges:

Jason Castro: Sucked. Doesn’t seem to care. Go home. 7.4

David Cook: Fabulous as usual. I didn’t like the songs, so I won’t be to iTunes, but he was great. 9.8

Brooke White: The first song was sooooo karioke, I can’t describe it. I really liked the second song. My average: 8.8

David Archuleta: Well, he is a prodigy. Neil Diamond said so himself. 9.8

Syesha Mercado: First song was so-so. I really liked her showmanship for the second. 9.5

Bottom Three: Jason Castro, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado

More »

American Idol: Top 6 Week - 4/22/2008

As I mentioned yesterday afternoon, last night’s show was Andrew Lloyd Weber Night on American Idol and it was HAWT! I knew it had the potential for being a big night for everyone with a big, Broadway voice, and I was not disappointed. In fact, someone’s screw up made me as giddy as a schoolboy, much to my wife’s dislike about my cheery disposition and rewinding the DVR twice to watch it again. /sigh… It’s the small things in life, I tell you. On with the review!

Syesha Mercado started the show off with some steam with a cherry red dress on top of the grand piano. She walked her way across the stage and generally acted like she owned the stage, the building, and the town and was letting you know she was the star of the night. Oh, and the singing wasn’t bad, either. She set the bar pretty high for the night. Let’s see how I think the others did following her act. I gave her a 10.0 for the night.

More »

Andrew Lloyd Weber Night on American Idol

You’ll have to watch tonight to see if anyone feels like tackling “The Big Ones” that the judges are always warning to stay away from for comparison’s sake:

“I Don’t Know How to Love Him” from Jesus Christ Superstar, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” from Evita, “Memory” from Cats, and “The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera.

Townhome Update: 7 Weeks Left

We went back to see the townhome Sunday and spent an embarrassingly long time looking around. We love it! The tile is in, the A/C is installed, and we have a beautiful microwave! Things are really moving along and we just can’t wait to move in and settle down.

More »

Hectic Day, Funny Video

I’ve got a lot to do today, including a client visit, finish up my magazine article, and well work crap. So, in my stead I present to you the very essence of brilliant YouTube-ing - I’ve Got the Terminal 5 Blues. With all the airline cancelations, this is sure to mean a lot to a lot of travelers.

The creator was stuck at the airport and hotels waiting for his luggage… during his wedding rehearsal week. As if it wasn’t enough to lose his luggage, the contents of said baggage contained his bride Sokha Nhim’s wedding dress, his suit, and the best man Andy Baynes’s suit. No wonder he had the blues!

Quick Thought: Presidential Approval Polls

Just a quick thought that I’ve had recently:

If only 25-40% of the nation votes in the Presidential election, how in the world can approval polls be worth anything?

Even if the polls were directed at those “potential voters,” I’d venture that nearly half of them don’t actually cast a ballot.

I think everyone who votes in November should get to put a card in their wallet that gives them the right to complain or brag about how things are going.

Otherwise, shut the heck up!

That’s another dose of Petersen. What do you think about the polls and the bashing and praising? Do you really think your favorite celebrity voted against Bush and is mad that the result? Really?

American Idol: Top 7 Week - 4/15/2008

Ladies and gentlemen, Randy Jackson is in the house and has given his first standing O of the season! I thought it was an overall good show, for the guys, but the girls needed to step it up. They sang ‘alright,’ but it wasn’t hot when you compare it with the guys. With Michael Johns gone, the dudes stepped it up to show what they can do.

I thought… wait a second… let’s just get on with the reviews:

Leading off, David Archuleta did a dang good job with his song. We heard his falsetto for the first time, and I’ve gotta say, it was well-placed. You could say he brought down the house, but he was the first singer. All of the judges thought that he just threw down the gauntlets for the other contestants. I gave him a 9.9 for the night.

More »