On Second Thought ...

So, it seems that coffee is the great equalizer. It clears the mind and heightens the senses (I'll seek treatment for my obvious addiction to the java juice later). I must have been a little clouded following the ladies night debacle that even the slightest hints at brilliance positively wowed me. Thus, I must amend (just a little) my comments from last night.

First, I neglected to mention that, in addition to their insipid, colorless, not to mention threadbare performances, the girls make lousy cheerleaders. If they are going to make the decision to show solidarity and support the guys, then DO it. If you're not going to do it with any virve, then you may as well not do it at all. Every now and then, the camera would capture them [during a performance] looking like it was all they could do to stay awake. Melissa McGhee, in particular, looked like a dime-store mannequin standing there devoid of expression and making only half-hearted attempts to clap to the beat of the songs. Annoying.

Also, the judges need to stop blowing sunshine up Kevin's you-know-what. It's not like them to coddle someone this much. He's got an OK voice, I guess, but it's not anything special or even moderately distinctive. I think that he's gotten where he is by displaying guileless geeky charm (there's no questioning his "regular kid" appeal). But if they're going to tear Sway apart after what was a basically decent performance (definitely in the bottom three for me and he just pales in comparison to most of the other guys, but still OKAY), then they need to be consistent. Every season, the show features someone who goes further than they really should because the American Public feels their character has earned them the right. Case in point: Josh Gracin (a Marine in a show just after 9/11 ... VERY sympathetic), John Stevens, JPL, etc. This year, I'm sure this role will be filled by Kevin Covais.

Taylor Hicks Redux: I think I may have gotten a little over-excited about Taylor's performance last night. Don't get me wrong ... I really enjoyed it. But it was too, well, EASY (pun 100% intended). There are others who have correctly taken him to task for asking the audience to "Get Up". Don't do that. Also, there were far too many "whoos" interspersed in the performance ... it was almost like he had scripted where they should go. Now, I think this guy's the real deal, but if Paris Bennett has taught us anything, it's that even the best can't afford to get lazy. I think Taylor should sing Ray Charles' I Got A Woman or something by Joe Cocker (though his physically twitchy style might make this look like a parody). So, I still liked the song, but after further consideration, I felt it seemed too processed.

Elliott: Still loved it. But did you really need to point to your eye? That just smacks of the cheesy karaoke clubs from whence you came. You are better than that. How about hitting us with a little Jamiroquai next week?

The only other thing that I have to offer is that David's performance was even worse than I thought it was (which was already pretty bad). I still stick with my see ya' later predictions from my last two posts, which are:

Heather: 100% gonzo alonzo
Brenna: 85% (if we click our heels three times and think happy thoughts)*
David: 99.5% (he looked so deflated last night that he needs to be put of our misery)Sway: 100% Ciao, bello.

*(if Brenna is to be saved, it'll be because Kinnick just wasn't convincing enough as a cowgirl).