Tennessee Whiskey

Faves for the night? Mine are Aaron and Matt.

I love the way they are doing the wildcard this year! Might make it harder for me to choose because usually I only like one or two out of the wildcard bunch but this way is so much more fair.

UBCD

Suzi and Melissa. Matt was way too cheesy for me. Aaron would be my #3

brasha

I liked the top 3 this week....

I was surprised to see some of the faces that are in contention for the WC round.

Tennessee Whiskey

Over all not a bad show but Rex dear you can't do a Kalan song Aaron I him! So my votes went for those two (despite the Kalan song.) Josh ARGH!!! Can we vote him out first? please?! WTF?! ...the girls...um I liked Casey in the top 32 tonight wasn't her best night, I hope she makes it another week. Ashley was awesome!

...best part of the show? SHANE!!! How I missed my Shaney!!

Quarterley

Some of these people's singing are just...... I changed the channel when Jon Dore came on.

Mapledonuts

Shari - Looks like we're totally divided on this issue. I think Rex is one of the better performers and Josh is friggin'amazing. I'm totally better he'll be part of the top 3. He just has that rock star quality.

I really like Suzi as well. Ashley's pretty cool although I'm not sure if I'd buy her CD. Aaron sang a rockin' song but he's too normal for me.

One of the guys (I think his name is Matt) really couldn't take criticism very well. He looked like he was going to have his teeth pulled out or worse.

Did anyone think Sass' top was too low?? Her boobs looked like they could pop out at any moment.

I really don't see the big deal about Amber. She chose such a safe song and I definitely wasn't vibrating like Jake was.

EphramIsHot

I think you're talking about Daryl, he was a huge bundle of nerves. You've gotta hand it to him, though... to be 16 and in this competition has to be tough, so good on him. His voice definitely isn't as strong or as powerful as Kalan's (the singer he identifies himself with, according to his CTV bio) but I think he's got potential. Rein in your nerves, Daryl, and go from there.

My favourite girls had to be Melissa and Ashley. They were both very, very good.

Amber and Suzy were all right, don't get me wrong, but not good enough to make me pick up the phone and vote for them.

I honestly don't like Casey or Emily at all.

Aaron needs a bit of work, I think, but I really like his voice. And I do like Rex - except when he does one of Kalan's songs. Don't get me wrong, he didn't do it horribly, or anything, but he definitely didn't do it up to Kalan's standard that he set last year. The way I see it is, if someone in the years before you on Idol did a wonderful version of a song that they will always be remembered for (for example, Theresa with Good Mother, Shane with The Way I Feel, Jacob with I Want You to Want Me, etc.) then it's just not wise to choose the same song.

Not a fan of Josh at ALL. When he sang 'Hallelujah' it was obvious that he'd learned the Jeff Buckley version, which is a gorgeous version. Josh tried to do all the things that Jeff does, but it somehow fell flat for him. I think, anyway.

I liked the little montage of Canadian music at the beginning - probably just because it showed Kalan. And I loved seeing Shane in the audience!! One nice thing about this year is that last year's Top 5 might come back and perform.

As for Jon Dore? Jon, dear, if you're going to reuse an idea from last year, at least make it funnier this time around.

Jasper1975

Daryl needs to go. Sure he has potential. But he sounds like a little kid on the stage. And whoa, the nerves. Compared to some of the others. He may be able to grow in the coming weeks. But I just feel he's in the junior leagues compared to most of the lineup.

Rex was good. But Kalan did better with the song. As Kalan was able to shock us with his performance. . And I couldn't help but compare. So Rex didn't get my vote. Although I had to vote a few times for my mother LOL.

I liked most of the girls. But felt Suzi was pitchy at best. Very flawed. And with Casey's voice. I felt there were other songs to pick. But I can see where the first top 10 show is very nerve-wracking. Because it's now down to who in the top 10 will win.

Ashley shocked me. I didn't think she had it in her. But she was amazing with the Amanda Marshall song.

I still feel Daryl needs to go. But probably will get the cute boy vote.

Unfortunately!

Quarterley

Daryl's voice is freaky. He opened his mouth and my sis went

I think the problem is he is too young for this even though the minimum age is 16. The looks, the nerves, the singing... It would make a whole lotta difference if he were 21 instead.

EphramIsHot

Definitely. I'd like to see him around for another week or two, just to see if he has the capability to improve. I mean, I'm the same age as him (well, I've already had my birthday, but same difference) and I was actually considering trying out this year, but I found I couldn't. I'm not able to handle that kind of pressure... I'm too young for that. But I'm still proud of him for going out there and doing it.

Jasper1975

But the problem is his voice. He might be able to battle nerves. But he sounds like a little kid. When you have Casey, Emily who are also not that older than Daryl. And they sound so much more mature. Even though they have their flaws as well...

I will never come down on the age limit minimums. Because I do believe there are very talented teens out there. Kalan was a classic example. But there is something about Daryl that questions whether he can make it, in the long run.

Especially when you hear about so many finalists from last year and the year before, getting record deals. And releasing CDs. I really can't see it, from Daryl for several years at least...

The song was a good pick. But he looks like a baby on that stage. He's a definite weak link.

JMO!

UBCD

I really don't have a favourite this year. No one knocks my socks off. Casey or Emily can go. Ashley (she looked like she was about to explode on stage after she sang), and Melissa did very well. Rex was pretty good - the song choice didn't bother me, he has more stage presence at this stage of the game than Kalan did (Kalan obviously had the better pipes though) but I laughed at Zack needing subtitles cuz I was thinking the same thing. Amber was fine, Suzi did well but blew a couple of notes. Aaron doesn't do anything for me. Daryl has a nice voice but it just hasn't broken yet!

jayta

Thoughts on Canadian Idol last night - Top 10

Overall there was a lot of positive performances. I'd have to say. Most of the people chose EXCELLENT songs. Not necessarily ones best for them, but at least people did not choose the OBVIOUS ones that we always hear!

To go down the list of performers:

Aaron: Truthfully I didn't think he did horrible. I have to say it wasn't stellar, but he kept himself in the mix, I think. I had to laugh at Zack's comment of the tophat-frog 'Hello my baby, hello my darling' thing

Amber: I think she definitely has a strong voice. I couldn't believe the clip of her on the Tommy Hunter show. I totally used to watch it when I was a kid I do think she definitely connects with the songs. She feels it - feels the words. I don't know how to describe it. It's a thing that I do, that I can relate to and you can see in the faces of the singers, whether they really 'feel' the song or are just singing the words. She'll stay. But I just don't know that I see her as the new Canadian Idol.

Daryl: I think he's definitely got the voice. He's got a surprising amount of control. You can tell that from his runs. I do agree that he's a bit young and hasn't had time to learn breath support as Farley and the judges were commenting on. But he definitely knows how to choose his songs. I enjoyed his performance. Doesn't have that developed voice that Kalan had, but I think going on through the performances and with voice lessons, I definitely think he could end up a contender.

Emily: Okay, not a huge fan of her. She's got a voice. But really there isn't anything magic or special about her performances. It's just there. Kind of sits like a lump. She just sings it. But there isn't that heart in it.

Rex: Okay, I don't know he's lasted. Maybe he's a rocker. I don't know. But singing the song that he did, it just maybe wasn't right for his voice. It was off-pitch. Horribly so at times. He had no control of his runs and it wasn't much singing than just speaking melodically - and not that much so. I don't know what he's been like throughout the competition, but maybe this wasn't his best performance. I will give him the benefit of the doubt. But I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't in the bottom 3. I just don't see him developing along. I just don't see there being more to develop from.

Suzi: Okay, she's got a nice voice. At times. I have to say that I really am not a big fan of her look. She needs to get one hair color or something. It just makes her look unkempt. I mean, if she's gonna do rock all the time, fine. But this is pop - not rock. And I do have to say that I couldn't believe how off pitch she was in hitting some of those notes. Nerves? She totally had them. The judges just didn't bother to mention it. I couldn't believe they didn't mention how bad some of her runs were....

She nailed it by the end, but I mean, it was a rocky start.

Josh: Okay, this has nothing to do with provincial loyalty. Because I am from very close to where Josh is from. But MAN, I can't believe we have him representing us. Everything about him seems so contrived and a performances. I'm not sure about him. Maybe I'd have to meet him to realize that he is like that in real life. But it irritates the heck out of me!

Apparently the judges bought it. And maybe I should too. He could definitely really feel the music that much and want to reach out to the audience, but across the screen, it just seems really like he was trying WAY too hard.

His look, well it's just so, weird. I hate his hair. Get a hair cut man! Instead of having it in your eyes and we can't see it. And also it's SUMMER buddy! Why the heck are you wearing a scarf?

Throughout the whole judge's comments, I felt like he thought as much of himself as they did! It's the weirdest thing. I've never had that much of a reaction to a person before. Really. I'm not prejudiced provincially cause I'm from SK! I should be rooting for him. But I just don't know, he just rubs me the wrong way. Distracts from the performance. As well, I think part of the problem with him for me was the fact that he sounded like he was trying to IMITATE rather than be INNOVATIVE and CREATIVE and making the song his own.

Melissa: I really actually enjoyed her performance. She was comfortable on stage. I think she has a wonderful voice. I would really love to see more of her. And I guess that's why I voted for her. I do think she needs to bring on a little more of the 'wow' factor in her performance. But if she can kick it up a notch, bring her 'game' on the day, I think she'll go far.

Ashley: I definitely am liking her. I think she would be good in the top 2. I love her voice. She's got a great presence on the stage and she feels comfortable on it to move around and reaches out to the audience. Sent a vote for her too I definitely think we can ask more of her though. I definitely think that she could offer a whole lot more. So we'll have to see if she can bring it.

Casey: At last the last performer. I couldn't believe how raw and young she sounded. The judges were correct in their assessment of her on stage. I couldn't believe how unprofessional she seemed. It was like a child on stage. Which I suppose she is. In the way she swayed back and forth on stage, to her voice. It just wasn't a performance on par with the rest of the top 10.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the performances. I have to say that there were definitely stand out performances though. But nothing was like, 'WOW!' I hope that is to come though.

I also wanted to comment on the judges. I'm really really really irritated with Jake. I didn't hardly agree with a thing he said. I found him pointless and useless. Again it comes down to the question, 'Why do we have 4 judges?' I mean Sass, Farley, and Zack pretty much cover the gambit of opinions. Jake is just a repeat performance of one of them. He just is almost pointless!

As well, I was DEFINITELY DISGUSTED by Sass' top choice. I felt like yelling, 'Cover their poor innocent eyes' - seeing as we have a few youngsters on the roster of competitors. It was like giving them a show. Who wouldn't have been uncomfortable and distracted???? Maybe that's the reason for some of the poor men's performances? I couldn't believe she didn't realize how MUCH she was showing the competitors and the tv viewing audience. I mean, she bends over and leans on the table as well. Yeesh!

And overall, I can't say I was impressed with the judges comments. Not a lot of critique, which would be usefull at this point. I felt they glossed over mistakes made by performers whom they decided to 'praise' instead. The ones that they kept calling 'stars' were off-pitch and tune most of the time. I mean I couldn't believe how they could miss it. As well, I just hated how they didn't pick things apart and seem to say it was great or good. We're not here to be nice. We're here to separate the stars from the ordinary.

These are just my opinions. But that's how I felt how the night went. This is the first time I've really seen any of these contestants. So I think it's a good overall assessment. I've given everyone an unbiased opinion.

brasha

Umm, me? I don't think I said anything about them,,,did I?

Last night I was pleasantly surprised by Melissa and Ashley...although I confuse the two . I thought they both did AManda proud.

My first ones to go have to be: Daryl, Emily and Casey based on last night .

EphramIsHot

You were close, Shari, as to your guesses for the bottom 3!

My bottom three preferences: Emily, Casey, Josh
The most likely bottom three: Emily, Casey, Daryl

And by now, we all know that Emily is gone. I was actually disappointed that Casey was not in the bottom 3, and Melissa was. I think that Melissa was my favourite last night, and she didn't deserve to be in the bottom 3. All the judges thought so too. A 'pageant-singer' is an interesting way to describe Emily, but it kind of fits... she just seems to be there for the show: all smiley, but no heart, you know what I'm saying? Out of her and Daryl, I was hoping it was her to go, so I got my wish there.

As for Daryl... I'm sure you can all tell that I have a sort of soft spot for the kid. (Why am I calling him 'kid'? He's the same age as me, practically!) I think I just feel for him cause of his nerves... although I was surprised that he cried tonight. A few tears, fine... but the guy was practically sobbing, he brought out the Kleenex! He needs to toughen up... but just a little bit, because I do like his shy side. I'm hoping that next week he will have a better hang on his nerves (I swear I thought he was gonna puke tonight, he looked so sick) and will come across with a little more confidence. Personally, I do think he has a nice voice -it's very 'guy pop'... you know, his voice hasn't totally broken yet, so he can still sing the higher-end pop songs (I'm thinking of singers like Jesse McCartney when I type this... if you've heard Jesse, you'll know what I mean). It's not as rich as some of the contenders', which is why I don't peg him on getting any higher than Top 7, but it's nice in its own way. I think he made a very nice song choice last night, though - not too many people would consider singing a Roch Voisine song. I was proud of him for even knowing who Roch Voisine is.

Anyway, that's all just my opinion.