Posted by kitiwiti on Mar 8, 2010 in
Uncategorized Top 10 Guys Night
Still a lot of shivery, shakey vocals from the guys, so only a few really impressed me.
Standouts MICHAEL LYNCH , JAMES CASEY (woooah hot guitar work right there! – but i still like Elliott Yamins take on I Dont Wanna Be),
Meh: Aaron Kelly, Lee Deewyze
Backwards Step: Andrew Garcia, Jermaine, Todrick,
I really like: Jason Mraz soundalike : Alex Lambert
Goodbye John Parks, Tim Urban!
***What’s sad is John keeps getting bad reviews week after week, despite okay performances. He just keeps getting ripped because they cannot connect to him. Maybe his facial expression, being typically Asian, is too controlled for these American judges. I know the AI audience voted him off, not the judges; however, they are always influenced by the panel’s critiques. Did they not think about the fact that he’s Asian/Korean and that his “feeling the song” style of singing may not be the same as how Americans sing??
—-
Top 10 girls Night
Standouts: Crystal Bowersox (who recovered from her hospital scare), Lilly Scott , Siobhan Magnus
Meh: Haeley Vaughn, Katie Stevens,
I really like: Lacey Brown, Didi Banami, Katelyn Epperly (despite making Coldplay even more boring)
***I thought Lily went slightly slightly flat althroughout her performance but i still very much love her, possibly more than Crystal. But Simon gave a similar critique and said Lilly was probably not as good as Crystal tonight. Maybe Lilly will bounce back next week.
We’ll see !
Tags: american idol
Posted by kitiwiti on Mar 7, 2010 in
Uncategorized 
1. TODRICK HALL – the guy who auditioned with his original song, pretty cool! He now does SEASON 1 AI winner Kelly Clarkson and does an R&B take on Since you’ve been Gone. AMAZING! The judges gave bad reviews though ; Simon even going Todrick murdered the song. However, I disagree with Simon (for ONCE!) … I believe he did an even nicer version than the original, as Clarksons song was too shouty for me.
2. AARON KELLY – 16yo boy who forgot the lyrics to ANGEL (!!!!) tackles a Rascal Flatts song kind that makes him old. And shouty. And annoying. He seemed to have killed the country ballad but…too Jonas Brothers for me. Sorry. Judges gave good reviews though. He’s sure to get through to next week.
3. JERMAINE SELLERS – Apparently, he’s a church singer. His GET HERE started off a bit weak. His arrangement was too ambitious with all the runs and belts that it made him a bit offkey in parts. The judges thought he was trying too hard, too.
4. TIM URBAN – Jonas Brothers look-a-like did really bad falsetto on Maroon 5’s TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE. Too bad. He IS sweet to look at.
5. JOE MUñOZ – he reminds me of zachary quintos. I DO NOT LIKe the Adam Lambert-esque scarf look though. His singing came off weak and nervous. Not a standout performance at all. The judges liked him though (except Simon).
6. TYLER GRADY – I dont really like him much. Too affected. Simon (and the other judges) finally came around and said he’s a fake rocker. possibly true. LOL
7. LEE DEEWYZE – snow patrol, good. pitchy beltouts, bad. he’s got a good tone. but err, quite common, like david cooke & daughtry. Surprisingly, judges trashed him EXCEPT ellen & simon. Full praises from Mr Grouchy. wow.
8. JOHN PARK – On his take on God Bless the Child. Nice tone. He doesnt sound Korean. I thought his execution was flawless. The judges however bashed his choice, saying it didnt give the connection. Kara went so far as stealing Simons INDULGENT…
9. MICHAEL LYNCHE – Maroon 5’s This Love was very safe for him, and he’s a very consistent performer. Simon noticed this and told him he was, in essence, forgettable.
10. ALEX LAMBERT – he sounds like a raspy(Macy Gray?) Jason Mraz. Slightly pitchy. MAjorly scared.
Judges take? Good voice, bad case of nerves. Ellen degeneres likened him to a Banana thats not quite ripe.
11. CASEY JAMES – The guy who slightly looks like Brad Pitt. The one Kara asked to take his shirt off. Yes, that guy! He sings Bryan Adam’s HEAVEN (which Simon once called Elliott of season5 on it for being quite Karaoke, almost indulgent) however, the judges gave him mad love, of course.
And why wouldnt they? He has a bruce Springsteen’s tone. He was consistent. He’s so talented he played guitar. And he is so cute. He made Kara sputter and blush.
12. ANDREW GARCIA – The raspiness of his voice reminds me of last years Danny Gokey. Some parts were pitchy (the song was too high for him, I think) The judges let it slide, because the guy really is likable and talented. He did do the Paula cover in Hollywood week, and that was AWESOME!
All in all, a disappointing bunch, but I knew my favorites would still stand out and they did.
What did you guys think?
**************
MY FAVORITES: lilly scott, crystal bowersox, casey james, andrew garcia
MAYBE: paige miles, didi banami,
PRAYING: alex lambert, todrick hall
Tags: american idol
Posted by kitiwiti on Mar 7, 2010 in
Uncategorized You guys didn’t think I wouldn’t get into the whole AI this year huh? Come on! I’ve been trying to write about AI for 4 years now! I felt bad I didn’t get into it sooner, but because of the trip to the Philippines, exhibit, etc etc, I couldnt sit down to download the videos and make my critique.
Lots of talent this year, with every other kid bringing in an instrument (or two). Mad talent, as Randy would say. The kids get more airtime, and the more we get to delve into their lives and backstories, the more you get sad when they get kicked off. At the end of the day, though, it’s all about talent, originality, and projection.
So without further ado, here is my first AI critique for AMERICAN IDOL 2010!
1. PAIGE MILES – weak beginning, big voice i agree, but really bad song choice. i hope she sticks around til top 12.
2. ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ – im not feeling her, and possibly bad song choice… but she can sing, sure. Kind of offkey … and the judges said she was too karaoke
3. JANELL WHEELER – Heart again? Oh dear. Inconsistent and kinda weak compared to the older idol hopefuls whove done the exact song before.
Mental note: download more HEART…I kind of miss them.
4. LILY SCOTT – love her! and hello? Did a BEATLES song from SGT PEPPER? ++++ pretty points! One of my top 5 favorites, possible on top.
5. KATELYN EPPERLY – cute blonde, big voice. i thought the oldie song was a bad choice at first, but she put her own thing into the song and was quite believable. very soulful. Good. Lose the lipstick tho.
6. HEELEY VAUGHN – its a bit surreal to see a black girl play with a guitar. Cute song, beatles… but she got a bit shouty…maybe wrong note to sing it in? She’s original too though. i just cant stand her massive lipgloss emphasizing her upper lip. Oops, sorry for the catty observation LOLz Ellen loved her freshness but Simon was apoplectic.
7. LACEY BROWN – nice tone, slightly pitchy and shakey . The judges are not appreciative of Stevie Nicks LANDSLIDES either. Too bad. i so want her to make it because shes a good example of perseverance pays (or maybe theres a better cliche for that) her parting shot looks like the girl gremlin. but shes normally a cute girl.
8. MICHELLE DELAMOR – This girl did Alicia Keys and once again got a ‘too-karaoke’ lecture. She did great, but again, the judges have a point.
9. DIDI BENAMI – I really liked her rendition of Kara’s song during the first night in Hollywood. She sounds too karaoke , like the original, but cute. Indulgent almost, Simon called it. It was a steady performance. Hope she does something cooler and original next time tho.
10. SIOBHAN MAGNUS – No ones ever done a Chris Isaak song on the show before, and i think that’s one of the reasons why she’s been considered the dark horse. The song did well to showcase her pipes whenever she does the high notes (she did the song in a higher key from original)…very controlled, cause she didn’t scream and did not falsetto. Gotta agree on Kara saying she was nasal at parts, but all in all a surprising surprise.
<included a Youtube vid of Siobhan but Fremantle already removed it a day after the post>
11. CRYSTAL BOWERSOX – I dont remember anyone ever doing Alanis Morissette on the show… or anyone playing guitar AND harmonica. She pulled it off alright, with personality, charm and a steady husky booming voice. The judges didn’t think it was super great but are always impressed with Crystals performances (sans Simon, who thinks is karaoke/sound-a-like). I think she’ll be safe for now, however, if she doesn’t take a song and put an original spin to it, she’ll be in trouble soon.
12. KATIE STEVENS – Cute 17 yo does Michael Buble. Too low, maybe bad song choice. She did the song well, but it made her sound old. Judges also found it too conservative/not current and , in Simon’s view, annoying.
I ALSO BELIEVE IT WILL BE A GIRL WINNER THIS YEAR. So keep your eyes peeled and let’s see if this prediction of Simon’s and mine will be correct. 
Share your comments, come on!
********************
MY FAVORITES: lilly scott, crystal bowersox, casey james, andrew garcia
MAYBE: paige miles, didi banami,
PRAYING: alex lambert, todrick hall
Tags: american idol
Posted by kitiwiti on Mar 4, 2010 in
Uncategorized Before I had migrated abroad in 2009, I had REPEATEDLY made follow up calls on my case re: recomputation of my final balance. OF COURSE when the your client, bank/credit card is being inconvenienced by their paying clients, it is so easy to ignore calls such as those that i made. Needless to say, nothing came out of my calls out of 5 years of follow up calls. A few days before my flight, I had cancelled the credit card service altogether to close the account. I even have a witness in the room who overheard me make my call.
As far as my records are concerned I do not owe your client a single centavo, and I had refused then and still refuse to pay for the erroneous overcharge and the interest that it accumulated in 5 years time that amounts to P19,000.
Spare yourself the hassle. You’ve dissolved debts that amount to much more than this; I know for a fact that banks have the budget for instances like this, it is already computed into the % interest and annual fees that we paid for while the card was still in use, and can easily “write off” certain debts, under certain circumstances.
Given the “inefficiency” of your client’s bookkeeping, I believe I am entitled to that “write off” scenario, especially since I paid more than 150% of my debt already.
Kindly give your client a copy of this letter and may they stop HARASSING my household with demand letters from your firm, otherwise, I WILL have another firm countersue you FOR HARRASSMENT, EXTORTION AND INEPTITUDE!
***
Now how will i send this? Oh, I actually still have their customer service’s email address Great!
Posted by kitiwiti on Feb 17, 2010 in
Uncategorized Such a shame that a lot of pinoy singers of today are way overrated. Stopped by a restaurant earlier where they were playing the Cd of a certain bossa nova singer. Her voice is really pretty…it just falls flat as it lacks je ne sais quois.
Pain and angst really plays a big part in giving texture to a singers voice. take a look at Elliott Yamin, from American Idol 5. His AI singing used to wobble from sharp or flat and he also went overboard with the vibratto …but it was his texture that drew me in. 4 seasons later, he is still my fave (loser) idol. (Not to mention his post AI album did very well on the charts.)
Once, I let my former boss who is a pretty good jazz guitarist listen to a CD of a local acid jazz group. They were majorly tight with the instrumentation and he agreed. “However”, he said, “the singer needs angst.”
True enough, it seems as though these people, from sheltered upper middle class origins, rarely experience real pain. It sounds like they are just mouthing off their sentiments in a singsong manner.
On another note, I’m not a fan of emo and all that whining and shrieking is an exaggeration of expressing angst (mainly bec i feel their source of angst is shallow, based on their lyrics) but you have to agree that expression is also an auditory experience & extends beyond talent, good ear & creativity.
I can totally tell is a singer is sincere in his song or not. Sinead o connor is sincere. Paris hilton is not.
I may not appreciate some of the new bands because of this, but hey, a girl’s gotta have standards so as not to fill up the music memory banks!
Who am i to judge what good music is? I just know what i know from experience …its similar to driving on the road and encountering a reckless drunk in front of you. Some of them are pretentious pricks who drive Priuses to get on the carpool lane. Some of them ride the bus.
You just kind of know you’re better off :p
