Friday, April 29, 2011 | 1:08 PM

A game of numbers

Okay I admit that I'm too lazy to record all my comments throughout this year's AI. But here's a recap of these few weeks. So Naima, Thia, Pia, Paul, and Stefano are out. I don't think it was difficult to tell what's wrong with Naima. With Thia, I think it's because she didn't have enough confidence and she still doesn't know what kind of artist she will be. For Pia, I also think it was quite obvious. Everyone thinks that she can sing, but she doesn't have the x-factor. She was not that likable, she was not that special, and she was too safe and a little old-fashion. With the judges praising her each time, her fans assumed that she was safe and didn't make the effort to keep her around...so, boom she was out! As for Paul, I think he was a consistently good performer, but he stayed in his comfort zone, grew very very slowly and didn't manage to surprise us. At the same time, Haley and Casey were taking chances and risks, and they made us wanting for more. Lastly, for Stefano, time was just running out. He had a few great performance, he grew better, but he didn't manage to catch up with the rest. His last song choice was just wrong for me. And by exposing his flirty side on a performance night, AI spelled the end for Stefano.

For those who stay, I can really see why they stay. Haley has grown tremendously. I'm glad that she has given up trying to be sexy and now she's just flaunting her greatest asset which is her unique jazzy voice. Lauren is still so likable. She's down-to-earth, genuine, beautiful, and she has the voice. She has to keep growing and she needs a confidence boost to stay in the game because she'll have to fight Scotty for voters. Jacob will probably be safe since he has his own pool of fans apart from the others. Right now, he just has to keep learning how to control his voice and be a little more creative with it. James must be on the clouds right at this point. He keeps receiving good comments from everyone. And I hate to admit that he's a combination of David Cook's charm and Adam Lambert's voice - a deadly combination. My only problem is that he's not as original as Cook. Scotty may have a series of great weeks, but he needs to raise his game right now. His competitors are not laying low. Lastly, Casey stays because he's a great entertainer and he has tons of creativity up his sleeve. But it takes more than creativity to win loyal fans that stick to the end. He has to decide which stream to take. Is it going to be rock, jazz, blues, or a mix of all three? Honestly, at this point I am already a little confused about his music. If he's not picking one (or create one), he's bound to be jumping from one pool of voters to another. It needs luck.

Labels: american idol

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