Idol Season 7 Top 7 Mariah Carey Week – What Should the Idols Sing?

I Love Mariah lol

I think:

Syesha- My All
Carly- Without you (Already know)
Jason- One Sweet Day
Brooke- I’ll Be There or Against All Odds
David A- Hero (I’ll die from predictablity if he does)
David C- We Belong Together or Someday
Kristy- I bet she’ll be cheap and pick one of Mariahs Christmas songs off her Christmas album like Silent night or Hark the herald angels sing lol Unless shes not allowed then probably, Always be my baby.

For the record, this week could be a disaster of epic proportions. MC week plays to powerbelters, big voices, smarter contestants.

My picks…

Carly: “Without You”…she’s golden. It’s up to her to make it work now. The red carpet has been laid out. She just has to prevent herself from tripping. If she can nail it, and I think she can, she’ll get the inevitable…”as good as Kelly” comparison. She might save herself with this.

KLC: “Always Be My Baby”…She can countrify this. “Hero” has too big of a range for her to try (at least 1 1/2-2 octaves…which she doesn’t possess…at least in respect to keeping it in tune).

Brooke: “Thank God I Found You”…small range for a small ranged singer. Can be done without much melisma. This song, IMO, was totally overproduced to start. Brooke could pare it down to the pretty melody and sing it with feeling. She has someone to sing it to, after all.

Syesha: Crap. “Vanishing” (just like her chances of remaining on this show). Not too much range or melisma required. A much loved, but never released song from Mariah’s earlier work. But my guess…Syesha will go for an iconic song, “Vision of Love” (since MJ is gone), “I Don’t Wanna Cry”, “Emotions” (god forbid). Either way…she’s going to try to out-Mariah Mariah and it will be hilarious.

Jason: “Don’t Forget About Us”. Personally, one of my favorites from MC’s later work. Small range. Not much melisma. Catchy chorus. Can be done acoustically. Jason, IMO, is probably one of the most limited contestants in terms of what he can do. But he can nail this.

ArchuD2: “Hero”, “One Sweet Day”, “I’ll Be There”. I’ll bet money he’ll go for one of these. Heck, I’d pay money to hear him cover “Loverboy”. But I know he’ll go for what he’s comfortable doing…aka. a ballad. It doesn’t matter. He’s safe.

Cook: Wow…If he’s gunshy, “Bringing on the Heartache”, “Beautiful Ones”..two of Mariah’s better known covers. But he should NOW know that he has to cover a song that lots of people know. He could do well with “My All”, “If It’s Over” (which is what I though MJ should do, given the bluesy undertones of the original…but it can be made into a convincing rocker angst ballad too).

Bottom line: Cook needs a wow performance. I think he can do it…God knows he has the voice to pull this off. ArchuD2 will be safe on Wednesday. That’s it.

I’d like to be hopeful, and maybe the contestants will surprise me, but I am pretty sure this week is going to be a hot mess of performances. Obviously Carly and Syesha will be closer to their element, but I think Syesha will be overconfident in her abilities and try to sing whatever she chooses exactly like Mariah, as will Carly. Hopefully the others will have fun arrangements, which will make for an interesting week.
I’m not exactly sure why but I could totally see KLC singing “Always Be my Baby”

Jason/Brooke should try an acoustic version of We Belong Together or anything acoustic for that matter.

I’m interested in how DCook, Jason, and Brooke do this week. It’s probably a good thing that they’re expected to suck. Carly and Syesha, on the other hand, will be panned unless they do really well.

mj, Thanks for placing the blame where it belongs. I was unaware that it was her fault. It reminds me of the way figure skating has changed. Have you ever seen old film footage of Olympic Champion Peggy Fleming doing a spin? She herself has said she would never have been able to skate the way they do these days. The bar has been raised excessively high. Singing has sort of been affected that way, too. Back in the good old days, a singer could stand at a microphone and croon a straight melody without any fuss and get all the appreciation in the world. Now if you can’t do all those vocal gymnastics… well… no one’s going to be impressed.

I’m totally unfamiliar with Mariah’s songs except Without You because I was 13 when it was a hit for Harry Nilsson.

I am not as worried for David Cook as some other folks are. He can holler with the best of them. I’m sure he’ll do great. He’ll probably find some blow-you-away cover version of one of her songs, and have a great night.

I AM worried for Brooke and Jason, though. They are NOT belters, like everyone else is, and it maybe difficult thinking up a new arrangement that suits their style. Brooke could end up pulling off another “Pat Benatar” moment and be fine. Jason is great at thinking outside the box, so WHO KNOWS what he may come up with? :cool1_tb:

Holy crapola…….this is so gonna suck…….I really don’t think I know a single Mariah Carey song off the top of my head…

That video you posted, Primeminister is a good idea….oh man…my favs are going to be in trouble this week for sure……

GAR!

I HATE YOU AMERICAN IDOL!

The only Mariah song I found that doesn’t make me want to throw up is “My All” (although it would sound better with 800 fewer runs) so I’d like DCook to sing that. He could probably do a decent rock version of “Someday” and get called smug for it. I think he’ll sing a ballad.

I think Syesha should sing something upbeat for once – maybe “Emotions”

David A or KLC will probably sing “Hero” or “Thank God I Found You”

Jason and Brooke, as long as they don’t mess up their vocals on whatever they choose, will be “original” for playing Mariah on an acoustic guitar. I think they will be fine. Brooke will probably be judged a little more harshly in comparison to the other girls, although Jason is ripe for a “not as good as last week” too. I can hear either of them doing “Always Be My Baby” or “One Sweet Love.”

This is all based on my knowledge of the first 10 to 20 seconds of the songs on Mariah’s Greatest Hits album. I really have no idea.

There really aren’t many covers of Mariah out there, either. Just random guys with acoustic guitars on YouTube. Maybe it’s because Only Mariah Should Sing Mariah Songs. Stupid TPTB

Nice choice, cheese. I can see Brooke/Jason doing Always Be My Baby like this.

My journey into Mariahdom took me to this video.

I think she should remember this moment when judging the idols. She sucked compared to Pavarotti. His pained expression when she starts says it all.

I hope all the contestants remember this is a singing competition and not a melisma or screeching competition or they could have a MJ falsetto moment. Whatever they do will be better than Mariah for me. I don’t like her style.

I am so not looking forward to Mariah week. I, like Steve-o, don’t know any Mariah songs off the top of my head. While I agree that Jason will definitely get a “not as good as last week” from Simon, I think expectations will be low for him and hopefully, his fanbase will pull him through this week (vote! vote! vote!).

I actually think Carly and Syesha may be in the most trouble because they are the most likely to try and sound like Mariah and fail miserably. Especially if Mariah is really going to be a judge, in addition to a mentor. With her sitting right in front of them, I think Carly will choke and Syesha may appear arrogant. (I said “appear”, Metta! I read your defense of her the other day and you are right, of course, LOL)

Whenever we expect trainwreck something good usually happens. I am not a fan of latter day Mariah. She’s bugged yo. I did like her very first cd. If someone doesn’t do Vision of Love, sans bird whistle at the end it will be a missed opportunity. Since Syesha has never really crashed an burned I don’t expect it this week. She will do fine, this is her genre, and also her lower register is prettier than Mariah’s as is her upper register. Carly needs to take is easy and relax. She will also do fine. I wish she hadn’t chosen the I am trying to please Simon song. It could backfire. Kiss asses and suck ups sometimes piss off their peers. The guys are all creative enough to know to just pare it down. It won’t be bad. See how high I’ve raised the bar?

Ya know, I keep seein all these blogs that show no respect for Kristy Lee Cook who will probably turn out the most successful idol of this season.Her super version of God Bless the USA and her amazing performance last week of Anyway will propel her to a lucrative country western recording contract, and along with her looks could make her a star in Hollywood as well.

- david archuleta, carly and syesha will sing the mariah tunes as written.
- david cook will perform a fresh take on a mariah tune.
- jason and brooke’s fate will depend solely on song choice.
- kristy must hang on by tooth and nail, per usual.

i think the idols be most successful with:
david a: “one sweet day” (he could do very well here, very r&b-ish)
syesha: “hero” (throwback mariah def. suits her personality)
david c: “my all” (he could really crank it up at the chorus, a la “billie jean”)
jason: “i’ll be there” (it suits his whispery tone and relaxed vibe)
brooke: “petals” (it could be lovely, just her and the piano)
kristy: “forever” (she could do with this what leann rimes did with “blue”)

i’m actually v. giddy to see what tuesday night brings

Won’t do Carly since we know what she’s doing, which by the way I think is perfect for her. Actually I think a lot of the contestants can do arrangements on certain songs that will fit them, and I think it could potentially be a good week, or at least a lot better than most are expecting. Here’s my choices:

Syesha-Dreamlover (perfect for her voice, and she really needs to do an upbeat song, and this one would work.)

David A-Hero (Seriously this song is tailor made for the stuff he likes to do, he wouldn’t need to change it at all.)

Jason-Always Be My Baby (I’ve been thinking about this one for him since I knew it was Mariah week. I could totally hear a folksy stripped down version of this song working great for him.)

Brooke-I Don’t Wanna Cry (I think a more folksy interpretation of this song like Jason would work, she just would have to stay far away from trying to hit any of those Mariah dog whistles on the song.)

David C-Bringing on the Heartbreak (Ok, so this is kinda cheating, but hey so is Carly. I really can’t see David being able to do an arrangement that suits him on any of Mariah’s own songs, so if he does a more modern, harder version of the Def Leppard original, that’s his best shot that I can think of.)

Kristy-Fantasy (I don’t know for her, but I could maybe see her having a decent shot of countrifying this song, which is what she’ll have to do to survive this week. But honestly I can’t stand that she’s still there, so I really don’t care what she does.)

Whenever we expect trainwreck something good usually happens.

So very true! Was gonna say the same thing, but you beat me to it. I think this has happened on Idol more than once.

I am no fan of Mariah. Her ick factor is just too high for me. She does have a voice, but that type is just not for me.

I think some of the performances may surprise us — in a good way. (Ok……I hope).

Carly Smithson is singing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Without Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Don’t you mean Ken Lee!!! :lol_tb:

(I said à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“appearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , Metta! I read your defense of her the other day and you are right, of course, LOL)

LOL – And after my defense of her, watch her oversing and then argue with the judges about it.

david cook will perform a fresh take on a mariah tune.

Fresh = emo?? lol

Like some of you, I’m only familiar with her early stuff. But I think they will all need to change things up a bit to do well. Except Syesha, who gets panned no matter what she does. (Sorry – couldn’t resist :devil_tb:)

KristiVA – Hilarious!

Jason/Brooke should try an acoustic version of We Belong Together or anything acoustic for that matter.

Hey, that could work for Jason! Or maybe this one (from the same youtube guy) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWchL4i5aPU

I think Jason could do a similar, but better, job on this. I would also like it since this is the only Mariah song I remember really liking. Heh. Others may find it a little boring, though.

He could probably do a decent rock version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Somedayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and get called smug for it. I think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll sing a ballad.

Or maybe Jason could sing this instead. I remember him saying in one interview that he would want his album title to be “Someday” (he likes it a lot) so if he’s anything like KLC and chooses based on the title of the song, he would do this one. Heh. Of course, I have no idea which Mariah song this is. Good thing youtube is my friend, so off I go to see… ;p

Thanks Metta!! It always makes me and my husband laugh!!

Here is a pretty good acoustic version of “One Sweet Day.” After hearing this, I could see DC or JC doing this song. Their vocals would be better than this guy’s, but it shows that it can be done.

purplesmile, I like the verison of “Love Takes Time” that you found.

My faith in tomorrow night is building as I hear all of these YouTube covers!

“My All” – guy sings w. guitar.

I don’t know if I BLAME Mariah, any more than I blame Whitney or Aretha or Patti LaBelle or Chaka or anyone else with a supersonic voice who is imitated by the less talented.

I think I blame record labels for putting out records that are oversung and unmusical. And radio stations that no longer play Anita Baker, or even LaBelle or Toni Braxton or Norah Jones to kids.

Let’s not forget, Mariah had the good taste to say she couldn’t touch “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” when Carole King herself suggested she sing it. Instead, Mariah asked for and cut a new King original. Mary J. Blige of course went right on ahead and sang “Natural Woman.” You see my point above illustrated here.

Mariah can do it. It was everyone else’s job to tell other girls, you can’t do it.

That said, I do think there are contemplative songs in the Mariah songbook that don’t have to be boomed out vocally. That’s why I’ve been trying to hijack threads here and there to see if Brooke might be led to try “Music Box,” a gorgeous little ballad that doesn’t have a big finish. It’s too late now to make suggestions, though. Oh, well.

4got à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ thanks for that link. Pavarotti seemed delighted with her. He smiled huge at the end, and kissed both of her hands. Not as good as the song Celine did with the opera guy. If Pavarotti and Mariah had been singing the same language, it would have been so much better. This way, it seemed like they clashed with each other… but perhaps the audience did not feel that way.

I personally find it comforting to be in the company of so many others who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know Mariahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s work. :blush_tb: I thought it was just because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m an old fogie.

abbysee Apr 14th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Whenever we expect trainwreck something good usually happens. I am not a fan of latter day Mariah. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s bugged yo. I did like her very first cd. If someone doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do Vision of Love, sans bird whistle at the end it will be a missed opportunity.

Was the bird whistle bad? Because Jason has a song he whistles on, if Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not mis… yes, he does. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a song he wrote. That would be à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“unpredictableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  enough for Simon, I think.

pattispage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ I agree. Kristy Lee most likely has a great career ahead of her. All she needs is some great songs to sing, like Carrie Underwood has.

My inside sources are telling me that all did not go well with Mariah and Syesha.

As soon as they met Syesha told Mariah, “hey, you are my Idol.”
Mariah said, “I thought Fantasia was your Idol?”
Syesha said, “That was last week, You are my Idol this week.”

And without further ado Syesha launched into her version of ‘I Have Nothng.’
Half way through Mariah exclaimed, ‘But that’s a Whitney song!!!.”
Syesha said “Oh, it is?? Well I guess Whitney is my idol.”

Mariah then stormed out of the rehearsal and Syesha finished singing ‘I Have Nothng.’ Apparently her version of that song is even better than Kat’s. Can’t wait to hear it.

Here’s my wish list (even though I know Carly is singing “Without You”):

David A – Hero. Right in his “wheelhouse,” yo!

Jason – We Belong Together. Mariah’s biggest recent hit, and Jason’s voice could give it a fresh twist. Plus, after hearing him sing Rihanna at IGB, I think he has more pop capabilities than we’ve seen so far.

David C – My All. He could easily give this song a “Hello” treatment.

Kristy Lee – One Sweet Day. I think this song lends itself to a country arrangement. Maybe because it’s about dead people. She and David A could easily swap song choices, though.

Syesha – Vision of Love. You know she’s dying to do this. If not this song, then she might try “Emotions” or try to wrangle “My All” or “Hero” away from the Davids.

Carly – Fantasy. She needs something fun, flirty, and upbeat. Badly. And this song lends itself to the belting that Carly excels at.

Brooke – Butterfly. Could work for her if stripped down to a simple piano arrangement, plus it’s got the lyrical positiveness that Brooke tends to gravitate toward.

Mariah then stormed out of the rehearsal…

:shock_tb: That CAN’T be good. :shock_tb:

purplesmile, I like the verison of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Love Takes Timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that you found.

I can also hear David C doing it a little bit like that… ;p

I just went to listen to Someday. Didn’t like it. :s

The best version of “Someday” is a club remix that is based on the disco record “Doctor Love” by First Choice. I don’t know if anyone other than Syesha is really appropriate for that.

Hey look what I found!
Don’t know how true it is.

David Cook, whose sense of credibility was shaken by the reaction to his rather Valentino (and I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean the famous lover) white jacket last week, is insisting on performing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll Be Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , originally made famous by the Jackson Five.

Pond Culture
I LOVE that song. David will definitely do a great job of it, if that indeed is the song he is doing.

For Adam, maybe? I’m teary-eyed even now.

Okay I’m sure those spoilers with Syesha and Mariah are fake but they would be funny if true.

Jason: “Love Story” I found a very Jasonish version on you tube and I think it would be a great song for him to sing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlzWYBb1E8wn

Carly: Without you–we already know this

David A: Hero–but I hope he sings something else. I think he should just sing “Touch my Body” and see what happenes. IT would make the show interesting at least.

Syesha: Emotions–Do you really think those Mariah runs last week weren’t intentional? It was a preview of what we will hear next week. *rolls eyes*

Brooke: Anytime you need a friend–it was my pick the day we found out that Mariah would mentor this season and it’s my pick now.

David C: Butterfly–I’m sure that he could do a very emo version of this, in some ways it sounds emo. I’m not making fun of the song I really like it actually.

Kristy: I hope she bows out of the competition but if she doesn’t I guess “My All” woudn’t be terrible.

The “I’ll Be There” “spoiler” for David C looks like a joke to me (I think they were referencing him covering Bille Jean, another Jackson song). Plus, they have Carly singing Emotions. The blogger is just making fun of Carly and David. Which I guess is easy to do after last week. Sigh.

I’m relieved, too. I’m hoping the collective will of the blogosphere and Cooktardville somehow gave him the unconscious suggestion to sing “My All” or something similarly smoldering. That boy needs to stand still, get his eyes on the camera, and do some glory noting. (Although the verses in that song are kind of scary. How do you sing it if you can’t put 16 syllables into the word “feel”?) *shakes fist at Mariah*

KristiVA :laugh_tb: :laugh_tb: :laugh_tb:

That is hilarious!!! How in the world did you find that!

That boy needs to stand still, get his eyes on the camera, and do some glory noting.

Hell yeah, cheese. That is when DC is at his best! I love those eyes, but that simle (esp. that little smirk) could melt glaciers.

Put me in the “I don’t know a single mariah song” category. The only Dolly song I knew was 9-5 and IWALY, so I’m at an even worse disadvantage this week. If I hear the judges say “you should not sing Mariah” this week, I’ll explode. Because they say that every year, and now they are forcing them to. Pointless.

MC covered Journey’s “Open Arms” on her Daydream album. That could work well for someone. We all know how Randy feels about Journey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1zbAqmwJgc

Steph – OMG, the combination of Mariah and Journey would certainly warrant a molten!hot! from Randy. DC should do this and accompany himself on bass (I know he plays) and then Randy’s head would explode and we would never have to listen to him again! Randy plays the bass! He was in Journey! Mariah1!1!

Actually, I think no one should ever sing Open Arms on this show again. It usually turns out badly. If Rami were still around, she would totally pick it (or did she sing it?)

I’d like to see David Cook sing “Vision of Love”, now that his mate Michael won’t be needing it…*sobs*
I can’t say I’ve ever been a big Mariah fan. But, after seeing her guest presenting on The Friday Night Project, (late night comedy show), I’ve really warmed to her.

She was engaging and funny and did’nt seem to be afraid to take the mickey out of herself, as this song shows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_laB0yIThUQ

I’m sure she changed a lot of peoples’ opinions of her after appearing on FNP, and I’m kind of hoping she gets to show something of that side of her personality on AI.
And I didn’t realise what a dirty laugh she has too, lol!

Loved early Mariah songs, not so much on post-One Sweet Day Mariah songs. I was looking around YouTube for fan versions of her songs and there are quite a few that have a solid melody once stripped down to the basics…so there is something to work with for the non-belters (who will have to get creative anyway.) The people I see in most trouble are Carly and Syesha as they’ll probably just go for straight renditions and then get torn down for not being Mariah. (So can Syesha go home yet?!)

If DC does My All I will a)dissolve into a puddle of goo or b)spontaneously combust. Vision of Love would be a nice choice too but I’ll be reminded MJ is gone

I’m actually really interested to see what they all do with Mariah week!

I’m just so completely bummed that Michael is gone. I would have LOOOVED to hear his blues version of “Vision of Love”. I’m so depressed.

That boy needs to stand still, get his eyes on the camera, and do some glory noting.

ITA. Man I can’t wait till the TMZ spoilers come and hopefully see that his choice was MY All. I will get all hand flutterly and scream like a banshee.

Cheese…I swear you are my sistah from anotha mistah!!

Hell I grew up during Mariah’s hey days and for the life of me can’t think of one song of hers. I guess if I heard them then I might, but really don’t care.

Hope tomorrow is not a complete trainwreck, but then again it might be fun…:)

DC should do this and accompany himself on bass (I know he plays) and then Randyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s head would explode and we would never have to listen to him again! Randy plays the bass! He was in Journey! Mariah1!1!

LOL, cheese. My thoughts exactly.

If DC does My All I will a)dissolve into a puddle of goo or b)spontaneously combust.

Michelle, I will be melting/combusting right along with you!

I have some time off and will be visiting the grandparents through Thursday (i.e. no computer available), so no spoilers for me. I am going to be going crazy all day Tuesday! AND I will be melting/combusting in the presence of my grandma Tuesday night!

Cookie: I would love to see Cookie sing *My All*, that could be a moment! Love Takes Time, don’t really know why, just think he could pull this one off.

(As for *One Sweet Day* if anyone sings that on Tuesday I will be a blubbering mess with Adam sitting in the audience.)

Jason: All I’ve Ever Wanted, slow pretty song.

Brooke: I Still Believe. She could really do nice on this sitting at the piano if she changed up the higher notes. Maybe *Through the Rain*, again, changing up the higher notes.

Babychuleta: I’ll Be There. BC will sing this to his fans, reach his hands out to them, the heavens will part & all the handwaving moshpit fangirls will fall over in a dead faint. Actually I would pay good money to see that happen, heh.

KLC: I predicted last week that KLC would sing *Hero* (if she can beat babychuleta out of it) and I will still predict I will toss my dinner.

Syesha: Butterfly, vocally she could pull this off, emotionally maybe not.

Carly, well we already know.

Not one of these 7 can hit the notes Mariah can, so hopefully they have some help this week getting a lower arrangement of these songs.

…BTW, Mariah is on Oprah singing her new song. Sure hope this is not what she is going to sing on Wednesday night. Turning channel…..now.

That boy needs to stand still, get his eyes on the camera, and do some glory noting.

Hell yeah, cheese. That is when DC is at his best! I love those eyes, but that simle (esp. that little smirk) could melt glaciers.

Dammit, he does. That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with him — his amazing ability to connect with the home audience. *cough* Anyway, considering Adam is going to be in the audience, he’ll probably just stay still in one spot, whip out his AC Les Paul, and do something heartbreakingly emo. Of what song, I have no idea. I hope it’s not “Hero”, though. I actually like that song, but as cheese said on another thread, it would sound weird coming out of him unless his backstory is revealed.

I’m in the boat of people who don’t know many MC songs. The only ones I know from the top of my head are “We Belong Together” (top of the charts when I was graduating elementary, and I quickly got sick of it from everyone around me constantly playing and singing it off-key with the earsplitting falsetto and all) and “Hero”. I’m not up for YouTube-ing her, either, since MC is just not my cup of tea. Great range and all, but I just don’t like her. Too many forking vocal runs.

Can anyone direct me to “softer” MC songs that won’t make my ears shatter? I want to at least educate myself, somewhat, so it won’t be all surprises come Tuesday. “My All” is one Brooke could pull off, apparently, so I’ll check that out now…

“Babychuleta: Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll Be There. BC will sing this to his fans, reach his hands out to them, the heavens will part & all the handwaving moshpit fangirls will fall over in a dead faint. Actually I would pay good money to see that happen, heh.”

Yesss…preferably they’ll stay ko’d for the whole 2 hour voting period (i keed, don’t stone me arch angels!)

OMG, Michelle, if he sings that damn song, I just might vote for him the entire two hours. That is the song! I just might faint, lol, and I ain’t no darn tween! LOL! But seriously that is the best unMariah song, cause it’s a cover! Yay. Gonna put that on my wish list, along with anything not Hero. I know someone is gonna do it, and that person I will despise for the week, lol. Even Archie.

ETA: Mariah was horrible on Oprah today. Well actually her singing was. I actually kinda like her personality, but that song, Syesha would indeed sing the sh*& out of that Mariah doesn’t do live so good anymore, cause that song wasn’t even alot of heavy lifting and it sucked.

Cookie: I would love to see Cookie sing *My All*, that could be a moment! Love Takes Time, donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really know why, just think he could pull this one off.

I consulted with my coworker today who is a big Mariah fan and she gave the thumbs up to these two songs for DCook.

She especially thinks he could kill with “Love Takes Time.”

As for me, I am not familiar with Mariah outside of “Hero” (I hate this song with the passion of a thousand suns. My archenemy in showchoir sang it as a solo once. Ruined it for me forever. Not that I ever really liked it to begin with.), “One Sweet Day”, and “We Belong Together.” And I have no desire to go listen to any of the songs either. I’m sure they’ll have a nice little intro package with enough glory notes to last a lifetime tomorrow night.

Idol’s Music Director Discusses How the Contestants Will Do This Week

Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s associate musical director Michael Orland sat in on the session, and tells Us the male performers are in for a rough week vocally. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“This week is tougher musically because Mariahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s songs are so much better suited for a female vocal. This is when the guys are going to get to prove [their worth],à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Orland says.

However, with guidance from Carey, Orland is optimistic each of the contestants will shine. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“They are all like sponges; they just canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait to hear what you have to say. I am excited to see what Mariah has to offer them and they are loaded with questions,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Orland confirms. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“They want to know what kind of prep she has to do, what she has to go through.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Orland says the contestants kept emotions in check if one of their peers selected a song they had been eyeing.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“This [selection] was pretty open to anything Mariah has recorded. So it was pretty wide. A lot of contestants contemplated doing one of the lesser well-known ones, but ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a risk. If you do it differently and bring something new to it, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think it matters how well known it is for a Mariah Carey song. Originally, when the contestants first hear the songs, the grab the familiar. But as they listen to more, they go, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Maybe that is not right for me.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no secret that judge Randy Jackson is a Carey pal and colleague, but how will Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell react to the top 7à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s selections? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait see if the judges are going to say à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think you should be singing Mariah,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and for the contestants to say à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a choice!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Orland jokes.

One of Orlandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s picks to wow Cowell & Co. Tuesday night? None other than Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s boy wonder, David Archuleta. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It is so natural,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  he says of the 17-year-old fan favoriteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vocal talent.
à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s always hard to sing a Mariah song – she is like the queen of vocals. And I love all the contestants, but David is trying new things, and everything he tries à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ even just fooling around and playing – works. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Where is that coming from?!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

————————————————–

So, it’s going to be a tough week for the guys, but Archuleta is going to be fantastic. Shoot. That only leaves 2 other guys.

*@$! me, do we really need pre-show ArchuIdol pimping from Idol employees? If David is really “trying new things” he wouldn’t sing the same damn ballad every week. I had better hear “Touch My Body” out of him this week to justify this comment from Michael Orland. Or at least something uptempo with no wheezing or lyric-forgetting or crapped out high notes.

If DC and JC had started taking vocal lessons in the womb, they would sound more like Mariah, too. I’m really glad they didn’t though. I lurve their imperfect, untrained voices.

/rant over. LOL.

I can’t wait for some real spoilers. I’m not even try to predict what they might sing because I’ve never been a fan of her style and don’t know her songs. And thanks for the info, PM. I’m getting ready to power vote.

ETA: right on, Cheese!

Mariah is fine for Boy Wonder but tough for CC? Let the de-pimping begin.

And I love all the contestants, but David is trying new things,

LMFAO. Please enlighten me more, Michael Orland. What “new things” has he tried? A different inspirational “message” song every week?? WOW!! I’m sooooo impressed!!!

Aren’t the Idol contestants coached by either Michael Orland or Deborah Byrd? For instance, last year, Deborah would coach Melinda, and Michael had Jordin. Is it possible that he hasn’t heard everyone?

Cheese and Sarah- I too LMAO at Orland comments. Still racking my brain to remember when and/or Little D has done different.

Message Song- Check
Angelic voice- (subjective) Check
Boring Ballad- CHECK!!!!

Soooooooo….what has been so different or risky or out of his “wheelhouse” during Idol?? Oh I forgot, Week 1 he sang an uptempo song….(smacks head….DUH!!!!)

GwendolynD, it sounds like he’s basing this on his sitting in on the rehearsals with Mariah. Either way, the pimping of little D before the show is a bit much, IMO. Whatev!

Picture of Mariah and the Idols

(…I don’t know what to think about Jason’s shirt.)

I think the lumberjack look is hot.

Well, it’s a little better than this look for him.

http://media.americanidol.com/photos/245/30314.jpg

primeminister
Apr 14th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Picture of Mariah and the Idols

Ok- showing my age here, but DC is looking all kinds of Richard Chamberlain hot!

Also-are they purposely trying to make Pagent Boy look 12?

LOL, pm. That shirt is almost OTT at this point, for me. I think I liked the normal shirts, actually. The farmer thing is just…yeah.

Message Song- Check
Angelic voice- (subjective) Check
Boring Ballad- CHECK!!!!

HAHA. Right on, bax!

How about this look?

Jason’s monogrammed look.

Mariah has her perfect pose on. That drives me INSANE!! Yikes!! Head angle check, hair flop check, half smile check… ok, take the picture now!

…I think the url on that page made me laugh even before I saw the outfit. LMAO.

Either way, the pimping of little D before the show is a bit much, IMO.

I think the pimpage of anyone before the show comes is always too much. From the looks of it, he’ll whip out another ballad. The kid needs to loosen up and have a little more fun like he did during Top 24 week. That’s been his only (semi-)good uptempo performance so far, IMO.

Awww guys, it may be my guilty pleasure but I love Mariah. I agree, her new stuff definitely does not strike a chord with me. But classic Mariah is great pop…in one of my opinion, she has one of the best voices of all time, and I was shocked to learn that she either wrote or co-wrote all of those great (catchy!) melodies. Here are my picks:

Carly – Without You

Syesha – Music Box (I always liked her falsetto, when she’s not pushing it and being all shrieky)

Kristy – Open Arms

Brooke – tough call. I think she could do I’ll Be There or Vision of Love really well.

David Cook – My All. It will definitely be a stretch though.

Jason – Always Be My Baby. I’m actually really excited to see what he’ll do, I hope he does take this week seriously.

David Archuletta – Hero, obviously!

Carly Smithson- “Without You”

David Cook- “Against All Odds”

David Archuletta “When You Believe” from the Prince of Egypt Soundtrack

Brooke White- “Butterfly” and she’ll talk back to the judges saying she’s a young naive butterfly spreading her wings

Jason Castro- “I’ll Be There” played on guitar in a sweet and somber ambience

Kristy Lee Cook- “Hero” – she’ll make it country and dedicate it to her horse

Syesha Mercado- “Vision of Love”

Don’t know enough Mariah songs to comment intelligently.

But I do know fashion. That is a flannel shirt not a lumberjack shirt. There’s a difference. Neil Young wore a flannel shirt on Leno show during his Harvest Moon phase and Leno laughed at him, wondering why he couldn’t dress properly for the show.
And I’ve been thinking if Neil was to appear on AI, Jason would be his personna. Heck, if I were to appear on AI, Jason would be my personna.

So here’s to flannel.

LaFonda…..Please don’t take this personaly…..BUT HELL TO THE NO….DC is not to sing Against All Odds…….that song is known as the kiss of death on show. How many times have we watched an IDol attempt this song and get bashed left and right.

Just NO NO NO NONONONONONONONONONONNO….

Ok…I’m better. Just had to get that off my chest.

LOL, JSG. I buy my dad a flannel shirt every year for Xmas. It’s now a running joke. This year I “didn’t” and he was upset…. until he realized the gift from my brother was really from me. Gah, we’re a geeky family.

But in honor of my Dad, JSG, Jason, and Neil Young (with a little Kurt Cobain for good measure), I’ll toast to the flannel.

My .02…

Archie: “Make It Happen”
KLC: “Dreamlover”
Jason Castro: “Can’t Let Go”
Syesha: “Emotions”
DCook: “Hero”
Brooke: “Butterfly”
Carly: We know her choice but I wish she was singing “Someday” instead.

Man i’m worried for Syesha, I bet she’ll get the boot this week. She either has to do amazing or thats it, she’ll get picked to pieces by the judges. Brooke and Jason are gonna get praised because like everyone says, they’ll be doing Mariah differently because the havn’t got very good vocals. David A will get praised for being David A. Carly, dunno, i think a good week. And David C nahh, second bad in a row i think. I already predict a Syesha, David C and Kristy bottom 3. I’ll die if Syesha goes before Kristy. Unjust I say.

Mariah with the Idols HQ- Full picture

Well I’m at a loss. I can’t pick a clear good-song-choice for ANYONE. All I know is that if I think about David A. singing “Touch My Body” I go into awkward giggling fits. So, so wrong on so many levels. hahaha!

Cheese…we do what we do best. He does do slow songs best. He did a phenomenal job with Shop Around. His bending over and the crowd goes wild, that I love, and then his natural vibratto

Just Remember Whitney, and even Mariah for that matter do ballads best. 90% of them are just that. They can pull up a chair and belt out a ballad better than anyone.

Would you wanna see Madonna do that….NOT.

But you wouldn’t wanna see Whitney sing what she had to while doing all of Madonna’s dancing.

Take Care All,
Go David A

Eric, sure, that’s all fine and dandy, but on a show that supposedly celebrates a contestant’s ability to be “versatile”, it’s a bit hypocritical for the judges to constantly praise one contestant for doing the same. damn. thing. every week, while criticizing others for “not getting out of your box”.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bit hypocritical for the judges to constantly praise one contestant for doing the same. damn. thing. every week, while criticizing others for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“not getting out of your boxà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

Amen, dadgummit.

Contestants who are “versatile” can also run the risk of being criticized for not “knowing who they are” depending on how they show that versatility. Step out the box, the contestant is criticized for not “knowing who they are”; get back in the box and they are praised briefly for bringing the “hotness back” or whatever, then criticized the next week for trying something different. (That very thing happened to MJ last week.) Or are criticized for doing the same sort of thing and being criticized for being indulgent.

I think the trick is to perform a good song with confidence and technical proficiency within a certain style, while varying the types of songs selected, but don’t stray too far from the signature style of performance. Seems like the most successful contestants are those who showed development over time while not altering their basic performing style.

This is some speculation going on regarding Archuleta’s song choice (from a Mariah fan who posts at IDF):

Mariah said on an interview that he is singing a song that she didnt write and that was NOT a number one. She did NOT say it was a cover song.

So all of that points to WHEN YOU BELIEVE.

I guess there was another hint somewhere pointing to the same song. It does sound like a coronation ballad, so I guess it makes sense. What 17 year old boy doesn’t want to take on Whitney AND Mariah on Idol? I hope this means KLC will sing “Hero” and go home.

So eric, you’ll buy an album of David Archuleta singing ALL inspirational ballads? Contestants NEED to change it up to keep them interesting.

Thanks, cheese. I was just about to bring that over.

I love that song…on Prince of Egypt. Not on Idol. There’s no doubt he’ll it sing well, but does EVERY week have to be inspiration week for this boy? Sigh.

cheese
Apr 15th, 2008 at 9:50 am
This is some speculation going on regarding Archuletaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s song choice (from a Mariah fan who posts at IDF):

Mariah said on an interview that he is singing a song that she didnt write and that was NOT a number one. She did NOT say it was a cover song.

So all of that points to WHEN YOU BELIEVE.

I guess there was another hint somewhere pointing to the same song. It does sound like a coronation ballad, so I guess it makes sense.

Could he just add a beat to it? I won’t be mad at him if he does.

I’m fully expecting inspirational/contemporary Christian/Christian pop out of this boy. He’ll be the male equivalent of Jaci Velasquez, Stacie Orrico, and Rachael Lampa.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m fully expecting inspirational/contemporary Christian/Christian pop out of this boy. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be the male equivalent of Jaci Velasquez, Stacie Orrico, and Rachael Lampa.

For this performance or his future CD? If you’re talking about his CD, I don’t think he’ll make it in CCM because he’s mormon. Just my opinion, of course.

If David A is really singing “When You Believe,” Orland’s comments seem even odder. Maybe he’s going to make it into a rap?

I think his CD will probably be along the lines of most of the winner’s CD’s – plenty of maudlin ballads and a couple of potential radio songs (except I don’t see him having a hit like Tattoo or No Air). Diane Warren is probably digging up the dreckiest of her dreck for him.

I completely forgot about “When you believe” I wonder who is going to sing hero

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll make it in CCM because heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mormon.

Aren’t they considered Christian? Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, right? Besides, on his Idol questionnaire, he lists Kirk Franklin as one of his favorite artists.

Of course, this is just a guess on my part.

Eric, sure, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all fine and dandy, but on a show that supposedly celebrates a contestantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s ability to be à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“versatileà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bit hypocritical for the judges to constantly praise one contestant for doing the same. damn. thing. every week, while criticizing others for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“not getting out of your boxà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

The judges never seem to be consistent, Sarah. If you venture out of the box they want you in, they’ll criticise but if you stay in it, you’re predictable. It’s hard to win with them unless you’re the current tco.

I’ve noticed that even though I’m sad not to see Michael sing VofL tonight, it’s rather freeing not having to worry about song choice and performances. I will watch tonight but without the worry.

I don’t really know any mormons in contemporary christian music right now.

I highly doubt a Mormon would succeed in CCM because Christians consider Mormonism a cult.

That spoiler chick is back at EW. She was right last week. Here’s what she says:

Archie will sing about supernatural occurrences. Jason will put his own spin on “I Do Wanna Laugh”. More spoilers for you detectives.

Er can anyone give me the link to the song “I do wanna laugh” I’ve never heard it before.

She’ll never give an outright name of a song. You’ll have to figure it out from her clues.

Jason will put his own spin on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I Do Wanna Laughà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

Hmm, it’s probably “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” I can hear Jason doing that one… sort of?

Can someone provide the link to the EW comments? I never could find them last week.

ETA: Thanks, gwendolynD! You should copy this to the new spoiler thread, too. : )

For cheese:

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/04/idol-mariah-car.html

I started a spoiler thread…

I don’t wanna cry is kind of slow for Jason..but we shall see.

I just don’t think it was ever written in the books that this show was about versatility, it is about singing and no one here can deny David A. has the best voice . Even the ones who said they will take David C’s IMPERFECT voice

Besides David A IS versatile, playing guitar, piano, etc

I hope we all realize how trivial this is and not get upset it takes a lot for me to but I try Being diagnosed with cancer a month ago, the last thing I want to do is get upset with another person on here over a tv show.

I am very passionate over DAVID A but it shouldn’t be over another person.
I hope we all realize this

Can someone answer this objectively tho. This is clearly not a DAVID A site, if you know what I mean, is it ?? more into other singers. Where is you look around there are other sites into him, right???

take care everyone.
ERic

could someone give me the link of the site that posts the songs throughout the day that they will definitely sing

thanks again
E