May 10, 2009 
Picture Courtesy Of AmericanIdol.Com
Top 3 already? Where did those four months go? It seems like yesterday that I was writing those quick recaps during the preliminary auditions.
Yet, here we are, moving with trepidation and anxiety toward the Grand Finale next week, as the three remaining singers – Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen – battle it out for a coveted spot in the Final 2 tomorrow evening. Adam, Danny and Kris will be performing two songs apiece – one of their own choice and one chosen by the judges specifically for each of them.
And, after weeks of not receiving spoilers for any of the Top 13 shows until an hour before showtime, here we sit with all sorts of Top 3 news and innuendo to keep our mouths salivating and “chomping at the bit” until Tuesday evening’s live telecast.
It appears that the majority of the Top 3 leaked songs are the real deal, but then who really knows until the show airs tomorrow evening? Anything could happen!
However, this is what we have so far, thanks to MJsBigBlog.Com and Idolforums.Com.
So, as always, I welcome your company on this singer-friendly site. Have fun and embrace the moment, for, in just 10 days, it will be all over for another season. (tears! sniffles!)
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MCL, the season’s highlight will be the American Idol Tour. It is such an exciting event for all fans 8-80 years. With so much going on, I hope you will have an opportunity to meet the Idols again this year!
I am still feeling deprieved of not seeing a third performance. Since Clive doesn’t seem as involved this year, why couldn’t the show have presented a FAN’S CHOICE selection process?
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Kariann1, a fan’s choice would be pretty cool!
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Kariann 1,
What would be your Fan’s Choice for each of the remaining Idols?
Mine:
Kris – Waiting for the World to Change (John Mayor)
Danny – Song by Nickleback, wouldn’t matter what.
Adam – I’ll have to think on him for a little while!
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KariAnn – I love this idea!
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With the fourth judge and all the other silliness they seem to have to put on each week, there is not time for three songs each.
This season has been a mess in terms of organization. We fans are the ones being cheated and if this keeps up, viewership will go down.
Go Adam, go!
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It’s been rumored that Adam’s song choice from Simon is U2’s “One.” At the risk of sounding “indulgent” I would love to hear Adam sing this or at least one song acapella before the season is over. No Idol contestant since the wonderful Bo Bice has attempted an entire song acapella (Katharine McPhee’s beautiful “Over The Rainbow” started off acapella but then integrated the full orchestra) and Adam has the voice, the presence and the showmanship to pull it off. Just a fantasy of mine, but it would certainly be and AI “moment.”
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MCL, I’ve been lurking all season and wanted to thank you for your amazing reviews of the contestants each week.
I’m really clueless when it comes to vocal technique and ability, and wondered if you (or one of your readers) could tell me about Adam’s range?
I read that he has 16,5 steps, at least when taking into consideration what he’s done on the show so far, but how many octaves does that make? I’ve heard that he has a little over 2, but that doesn’t sound like much…although I must admit I’m not even sure what an octave is.
And has he shown all of his range on Idol yet if you take his earlier performances on youtube into consideration?
Thank you again for the insightful articles you write. They have made this season even more fun to watch.
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I love the idea of “fan’s choice.” However, it makes me nervous because it would probably be decided by some online voting process or telephone voting process. I could totally see some fans of one contestant voting for terrible songs for other contestants – and if the sabotage effort was large enough, it could really impact the results.
Although, I suppose the producers, judges, and Clive (back when he used to pick) do a good job of sabotage as well
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Kelsey, I love what, “Dancing With the Stars” does in a Fan’s Choice for a dance, dancers, song, and costume design. The viewers vote – only once – on what they want. Of course, DWTS does have a good system for voting.
I am not sure how this could be done, but I am not buying the fact that there are four judges now; therefore no three songs. There could be a system whereby for each contestant, one of the judges would say something like, “Great job,” “Your best performance yet,” “Too pitchy but good try.” You know, nice and short.
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ITA, Maryann. I have said this is American Idol’s worse season ever. I am so sincere about this. I am not saying the singers are the worse ever. So many mistakes and costly errors. Changes that don’t make sense. Too bad, because Season 7 was awesome!
KLP, I am in the same boat, so please know there are others who are learning! My main experience when I post has a lot to do with the fact that I have been watching since the show began.
Vonnie, my choices probably wouldn’t be anything current because of my limited knowledge.
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KLP – On Adam’s range:
He has actually shown a good 2.5 octaves or so (from C#3 to A#5), slightly more. (From C#3 to C#5 is two octaves, to A#5 is slightly more than half an octave)
I have not heard too many of Adam’s non-Idol performances, but I can’t imagine him singing much higher. However, it is possible that he has sung lower in the past. And actually, in opera, the expected usable range of singers is about two octaves.
I actually answered a previous question about range here:
I actually have multiple posts there. Search for all the instances of “octaves” using CTRL+F on your browser. 😉
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Sylvia –
I completely agree with your comments about Adam singing One by U2 or any other song, totally acapella. I think you are reading my mind. I was thinking about it last night, and I believe that this is the time for Adam to pull out all the stops. Singing a song acappella all the way through is not easy, but who better than Adam to do it! It would definitely be a “moment”.
I remember Bo Bice’s performance so well. That’s why I wanted him to win. Also, David Archuleta sang “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel, starting off acappella and then integrating the accompaniment. I think he went in and out of acapella throughout the song. It was as close as we got to full acapella last season.
I remember Katherine McPhee’s performance of “Over the Rainbow” well and the gorgeous acapella beginning is one reason why it is one of my favorites.
I will be hoping along with you. I don’t think it’s indulgent at all. I think it’s a brilliant idea and would make for a genuinely moving performance.
Thanks for your comments.
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ADAM!!!!
Where did this season go? I feel like I have missed a great portion of it! I’m glad to have this site to update me on everything!!!
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If I’m picking songs for the contestants… heck, why not a few choices for each of them?
Adam:
“Lover, You Should Have Come Over” by Jeff Buckley
“Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS
Kris:
“The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice
“So Sick” by Nee-Yo – Jamie Cullum did a really cool cover of this with just a piano.
Danny:
“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” by Otis Redding
“Three More Days” by Ray LaMontagne
That’s just off the top of my head.
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I know some of you have been enjoying a bit of Britian’s Got Talent this year. I just caught up on watching this week’s videos and have a few to share!
I just love these shows!
The absolute innocence is this man’s beauty (much like Susan) http://talent.itv.com/videos/playlist/id_17.htm
http://talent.itv.com/videos/video/item_200163.htm
This fellow is just unbelieveable … in a way you’re not going to expect!
http://talent.itv.com/videos/video/item_200165.htm
He plays rugby, and a huge player from the other team stood on his head and perforated Shaun’s eardrum, so he’s singing with only half of his hearing!
Enjoy!
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sylvia, for the record David Archuleta wanted to do ASIG acapella but the request was denied by the producers *sigh*
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perhaps i should have addressed my comment to mindy,
sorry sylvia!
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I just want to say that I am impressed (and yes, jealous) of those of who know all these songs off the top of your head! Where have I been all these years? Well at least it’s part of my continuing education – you mention ’em, I look ’em up on utube. Thanks! (Erin – I do love Damien Rice – have his music on my ipod)
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Aniita, thanks for those links to BGT. That last one, Shaun Smith …. made me cry. There really is so much talent around, isn’t there. BTW – last year’s runner-up on AGT, Eli Mattson – I thought he was so great and would have loved to see him win and hoped he would be well promoted and become more well known. If he tours I would definitely go to his concert. Any other fans of his here?
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Nanine–yes, I LOVE Eli Mattson!!!!!! I periodically check the web to see if he is touring anywhere other than the Midwest. The last thing I read about him indicated that he had gone to California to record a CD. Do you know anything more recent about him? I would love to see him in concert too.
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KLP and J regarding Adam’s range: just wanted to point out that that C#3-A#5 range is what he’s performed LIVE flawlessly. I’m assuming he’s got a bit more on both ends and stays a smidge away from his limits for live performances.
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Louise, I also check Eli’s site periodically … and nada in my part of the world. He does have his music there — I haven’t downloaded anything yet but when this AI madness is over I will make that ny next priority :-)). Looking forward to his CD and will continue to keep track of him. I hope this is not another situation of a winner who doesn’t have the right management or team to keep the momentum going. Imagine him on AI – he would have been quite a worthy challenger. Leon Jackson, who won the XFactor in ’07 I think, is someone who appears to have suffered from either bad luck or incompetent management or simply the vagaries of the music business. I discovered him through my utube meanderiengs – he did one video “Creative” which I love in a Michael Buble way but I read that he was just dropped by his label and lots of dates have baen dropped from his upcoming tour. It’s so sad to me that someone goes through all it takes to compete and win in these shows and then their balloon gets popped. These people deserve better than that!
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“Jayne said: sylvia, for the record David Archuleta wanted to do ASIG acapella but the request was denied by the producers *sigh*”
Where did you hear this? This season several insiders have said that while they can advise contestants about their performances, the contestants have the final say on arrangements, visuals, etc.
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My son was in the acapella choir–I love the sound, but it is not so-called “hip.” Isn’t that strange how so many of us in here digs the sound and I am wondering if Adam would be popular if he didn’t look hip? David A probably would have won and David Cook won because he was hip. But again, that is not true because Bo Bice did not win and Carrie did.
I am just babbling, I guess I have nothing really to say at this point but I will after tonight’s show, that would be really da bomb.
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I will take that back. I dig watching the four judges, they are entertaining and funny with Ryan uin the mix. The reason we do not have 3 songs each or even longer hours is because of the economy OR a strategy. They WERE losing some of their popularity and it was getting “old.” Thus, Kara. And again, it could be that singers or contestants cannot practice 3 songs and expected to get it done in a week along with a parade at their hometown. Hello.
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Or do you think that the hometown parade is necessary? I wonder about that.
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karen, perhaps this season is different, lucky Season 8 contestants 🙂
I read that in Dean’s e-book that he published last year.
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Yeah, but couldn’t Danny’s fans still vote for a bad song for Adam and vice versa? (Just highlighting that particular “fan war” because it seems to be prevalent.)
I think a hometown visit is wonderful. I just think it needs to be specific to the contestant. I think what Adam had is great. It is unlikely that in California, a huge crowd would have shown up for a more typical homecoming, so what he did made sense. He had smaller visits to his school and to other places he cared about. I think each contestant’s homecoming should be to places they care about and not just be focused on numbers. Adam’s visit helped me “get to know” him more than I had before, and I loved that. I think this would eliminate issues like the poor attendance for Katherine McPhee’s homecoming. And truly, I think that guys have an advantage over girls in the homecomings anyway, because female hormones go a long way towards getting girls (and women) to show up for these things in a way that guys just don’t typically do.
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Let me 1st say, I was annoyed that Simon on Oprah mentioned who he believes will win. I just don’t think he should air his opinion. I believe he should promote that all 3 have a chance. As much as I love Adam, there are 3 contestents and each are good in some form or fashion. Obsiously, since there were 60M+ votes. Since Allison is off the voting platform. let’s just say for the sake of argument, there will be 15 million votes up for grabs. Who will garner those votes? I do believe this is a close race and it is nerve wracking.
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Thanks, Nanine! I’m a bit of a music junkie – since I’m not a great singer myself, I settle for listening to great singers instead. Heh. And just now I’m realizing how awful and smug the, “That’s just off the top of my head” comment could have come off, even though you didn’t respond as if you’d read it that way. I only meant to say, “I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into these choices.” 🙂
And yes, Damien Rice kicks all kinds of butt.
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Oh, and also — I love the hometown parade, too. And I think the only reason the contestants aren’t doing three songs tonight is because of the addition of Kara to the judge’s panel. Add that to the fact that the judges have been consistently long-winded this year, and I think that is absolutely the reason we aren’t getting three songs. It’s also the reason we didn’t get two solos from everyone last week and had duets instead. The show NEVER had a problem fitting 8 performances into one hour until this year. I blame the judges’ inability to come up with a coherent, concise critique, and also the producers for not telling them to can it.
Why else would they have gone to the format of, “Tonight, only two judges will critique each performance,” the week after they ran 8 minutes too long?
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Erin, no no – I didn’t hear any smugness at all, only sincerity. I too have no singing voice but love to listen. I’ve been on to these talent shows since I was a kid, though I now pick and choose what I make time for. Adam’s doing it for me on AI; if not for him and my need to track him all over the internet I’d have a lot more time for doing things like, concentrating on my clients’ work LOL. Then again I wouldn’t have found this wonderful form, made friends, and stepped out of my confort zone here and elsewhere.
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When the contestants did three songs per night, was the length of each performance shorter than they are now?
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Here’s an article about Adam that’s pretty interesting… 3 San Diego opera experts rate Adam! I really enjoyed reading it. Hope you do too!
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-12/things-to-do/opera-experts-rate-american-idols-adam-lambert
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Here are a couple of interesting articles about Idol too:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30625458/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30688230/
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Thanks for that interesting article, Katillac! I find it interesting how you get both extremes in the description of his voice. One expert says “I imagine he’s a baritone but he masks that with a terrific head voice (falsetto) that is incredibly well trained…” The other says “Adam is a Broadway-style lyric tenor[…] He also doesn’t rely on falsetto tricks in the upper register; he’s really singing the notes with his full voice.” The third expert summed up how hard it is to pin down Adam’s voice by saying that he has “tenor-like qualities along with some of the darker shadings of a baritone.”
Maybe the only one who really knows is Adam. His voice is hard to pigeonhole because of technique he uses. Adam sings differently in his low to mid-range than most people do (and definitely not the way opera singers do), so for me, anyway, it is hard to categorize his voice without hearing him sing in a way that allows for a frame of reference.
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Katillac…Loved the article, Thanks!
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Remeber hearing that Scott had a kidney transplant prior to AI, and that he never brought it up … obviously, he couldn’t hide the fact that he is blind. Well, two pieces of news!
1) Paula set Scott up with his first guide dog!
2) Scott’s also-blind little sister recently had a kidney transplant (is the eye problem and kidney disease a two-in-one problem?).
Video for both stories here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30690477#30690477
What a great guy!
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I dig watching the four judges, they are entertaining and funny with Ryan uin the mix. The reason we do not have 3 songs each or even longer hours is because of the economy OR a strategy. They WERE losing some of their popularity and it was getting “old.” Thus, Kara. And again, it could be that singers or contestants cannot practice 3 songs and expected to get it done in a week along with a parade at their hometown. Hello.
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Seriously Surely, they’ve never had a problem doing three songs at this stage in previous seasons.
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I understand, Erin but don’t you think that they did not do as well with the 3 songs that they most likely not to heard of it or to practice in a week? Kathleen McPhee did “Over the Rainbow” and did not quite nailed it and I think that is how she lost the crown. Of course, this is just my opinion, I welcome yours. :))) That is why contestants really have to be prepared; after all, they are young people not realizing the harsh ramifications of a singing career. Of course, I would like to make Adam an exception because he had already tried in the music business and probably really practice (obviously). (same with Hicks, Bice, Constantine and Dougherty)If you think of someone else, pls remark. Somebody said that Danny does better with the gospel business but AI is really not the place for that genre IMHO–that goes for the same for Kris as he is about in the same boat with Danny. There is no real strong market because only 6% of the world are Christians. Bear in mind that I am not trying to be a know-it-all, I welcome any beg-to-differs.
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One hour and a half until the greatest show on earth 🙂
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GOOD LUCK TO ALL THREE! THE BEST TO THEM!! I DIG ALL OF THEIR TALENTS!!
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J said, “Adam sings differently in his low to mid-range than most people do (and definitely not the way opera singers do), so for me, anyway, it is hard to categorize his voice without hearing him sing in a way that allows for a frame of reference.”
J, can you please clarify what you mean when you say he sings differently in his lower range?
Thanks!
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Seriously Surely – Although I agree with you that Katharine McPhee’s performance of “Over the Rainbow” during the top 2 week was not as stunning as her first rendition, I don’t think the main reason for that was having to perform three songs. I mean, consider that two of her songs that week were reprises (“Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Over the Rainbow”); the only new song was “My Destiny. The main reason was that Katharine was very ill that night; I remember reading that she had to take a cortisone shot because of it. She had to sing “My Destiny” in a lower key than she’d recorded it, and the low notes were slightly out of her grasp. And then of course, there were (and are) many other theories as to why she lost. Taylor Hicks had never been in the top 3 during his run, so his win was not surprising to me (even though, at the time, I was rooting for Katharine). I felt that Katharine was the underdog going in.
Jeanne – For context’s sake, I feel that this is where criticisms of Adam’s tone come from—the fact that he sings differently in his lower range. At least in our Western culture, we are used to hearing male singers milk the full darkness of their voices in that part of their range.
I mean, it’s clear that Adam sings with a brighter sound color in his low to mid-range than, say, David Cook. Yes, one factor is that Adam’s voice is probably lighter than David’s (i.e. his vocal cords are thinner), but the main reason is Adam’s technique. Adam chooses to sing with a sound based more off of “head voice,” and he also chooses not to darken his sound as much as other singers conventionally do. His sound is not as chesty.
In opera, for example, male singers like to get as much fullness and richness out of their notes as they can, but Adam chooses to sing in a slightly lighter coordination. I feel that that’s the main reason for the brightness of his tone in that part of his range. In his upper range, the brightness is to be expected; males singing that high will always sound bright!
Here is a reference point. I feel that this singer (Chris Keller) has a very similar voice type to Adam: http://www.youtube.com/user/CHRISK3LL3R
When he sings his higher notes, I feel that his tonal quality is very reminiscent of Adam’s sometimes, but you can notice that despite his voice being similarly light, Chris’ lower range is not as bright. (He sings “Whole Lotta Love” very differently from Adam, so maybe pick a different song, lol.)
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I was not aware that David Archuleta was specifically told by the producers or anyone, that he could not sing “And So It Goes” acappella all the way through. I thought that was an artistic decision on his part and I actually think it worked quite well.
I can’t claim to be an expert on what constitutes a “moment” on this show. I am just hoping that Adam does something unexpected once again and blows everyone away. It’s like he is peeling layers of his voice every week, showing us one thing, then another and another. It’s always exciting for me.
I found the articles from opera people about Adam’s voice, very enlightening. It is interesting to see the difference of opinion. Maybe Adam defies categorization.
J – I do hear what you described with Adam’s lower register. When I first heard him, I thought it was an unusual tone. Your explanation of the brighter sound color in his low to mid-range makes a lot of sense. I wonder why he chooses to sing this way. He is technically skilled, so it must have been a conscious decision on his part.
Also, what is “fortissimo”? I think I know, but wanted to hear from someone with more knowledge than myself.
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Mindy –
Exactly, this is the golden question for me as well. The bolded part is key. Witnessing his technical skill in his upper register, I’ve come to the conclusion that Adam probably chooses to sing with this sound in his low to mid-range because he feels that it represents him the best, not because he is unable to sing with a chestier sound. It is really stylistic preference.
Also, “fortissimo” is a “very loud” dynamic (ff in musical notation). “Forte” (f) means loud. “-issimo” is the superlative form. Related terms: “mezzo-forte” (mf) means “medium loud” (mezzo means “medium”). For very, very loud dynamics, the term “fortississimo” (fff) is sometimes used, but “fortissimo” is already very loud in itself.
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Gokey looked good. Thought he sang well and clear.
Kris—Simon was right, Randy and Kara should have helped him with what arrangement they wanted….guitar and not piano.
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I’m at a loss as to why everyone loves it when Kris sings with his guitar. To me it sounds like he is playing a ukulele … just strum, strum, strum across all the strings, to the rhythm of the song … like we did around the campfire at summer camp. When a member of the band does a little guitar intro or solo, you can hear them pick out little bits of melody or harmony, but never with Kris …
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Anita
Thank so much for that link about Scott, Paula, and finding a guide dog for him. I am such an animal lover and am wowed by what these skilled canines can do for people on a physical and emotional level. I am so happy that Paula has arranged this for him and hope he find the perfect canine companion.
Also, prayer to Scott’s sister than she continues to improve. Handicapped and chronically ill family members/children can bring much stress so; I know since I have a disabled child. My best warm light goes out to them to be strong for each other.
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I wish that they did not have the skit about AI gives back with boring Carrie (again); it took up too much time (hello!) and I felt that the show was rushed. Are they showing the parades tomorrow? I think this time, the judges did not entertain me as much as they usually do. I think Kara should not be there (after much thought, and I liked her in the beginning and I still do) but I notice that both the women do not communicate with each other like they did in the beginning. Why fix something that ain’t broke? I am beginning to agree with you who wanted 3 songs and that is more entertaining. Galen, did you like the show tonight? I thought Gokey did well and was very likable; what you see is what you get kind of a dude. I really dig the “You are so Beautiful! woot!
Did you like “Dance Little Sister”? strange choice by Paula.
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Karen – Kris is actually quite a skilled guitarist and you can see that in several of his homecoming videos, but what he was doing with “Heartless” was play rhythm guitar, which is exactly how most bands handle it. The singer plays rhythm and a separate guitarist plays lead. The main reason is because it’s almost impossible to play lead and sing at the same time.
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Thanks for that helpful explanation, Erin! I am very knowledgeable about vocal technique, but my guitar skills don’t even reach “rudimentary” status. =P
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It does sound like Danny is losing his voice. Maybe he just needs to rest it for awhile?
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What has happened to your articles written between February 4 and May 10? I thought they used to be available to read online, but now I can’t find them.
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Jane – there is a Masterclass Calendar in the right sidebar.
Also, there is Previous Articles tab there as well (under the Top Posts) – I have to move it to a more prominent position, but you can find it there for now.)
Also, if you scroll to the bottom of the screen, you will see an “older entries” option under the last blog topic. It will be located toward the left of the screen.
Hope this helps.
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