AI Top 7

I just realized I never posted my comments from last week here.  This is what I posted on Facebook last Tues. night:

Disco night--always a scary thought but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Most of them, I thought, put their own spin on it.

1. Lil [I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan]--Not updated or original and not the best vocals. It was too much like the original but she paled in comparison to Chaka Khan so it was a flop for me.

2. Kris [She Works Hard for the Money by Donna Summer]--GREAT arrangement! He really made it his own in a style that is so....him. Glad he was back on the guitar; his vocals were really good.

3. Danny [September by Earth, Wind & Fire]--Good song choice for him (for having to pick from disco). I thought he gave it a touch of his gospel flare and contained his usual high energy. Great vocals and riffs.

4. Allison [Hot Stuff by Donna Summer]--I really liked the slow beginning and her vocals were awesome. She made it current and I liked the arrangement.

5. Adam [If I Can't Have You by the Bee Gees]--Great version, so original. LOVED the beginning but didn't totally love the middle-end--too much screaming/screeching for the soft feeling of the rest of the song--but I liked it overall. And I respect how he gave Michael Orland props for helping him come up with the arrangement.

6. Matt [Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees]--I wouldn't have picked that song but I liked the little bit of R&B feel he brought to it with all his riffs. I thought his vocals were pretty good and I found it to be very entertaining--I liked the dancing/movement around the stage.

7. Anoop [Dim All the Lights by Donna Summer]--I didn't really know that song and didn't like it or the cheesy band arrangement. I didn't mined the vocal arrangement, though, and I thought he sounded great (if you could separate him from the band). It was just a flat performance for me, though.

My top three: Kris, Danny, Adam
My bottom three: Lil, Anoop, ??

I'll be shocked if Lil doesn't go home and I think Anoop will probably go but, who knows, it could be Matt.

AI Top 5

Rat Pack standards, Jamie Foxx as mentor.  I thought Jamie Foxx was a great mentor--I really liked that he cared enough to bring Matt back in to give him some real feedback.  I have to say, though, that every time I see him, I always see Wanda (from In Living Color)--makes me laugh every time!

1. Kris [The Way You Look Tonight]--Loved the suit, loved the rendition, LOVED the last note!  It was a great performance with really good vocals--showed range and passion.  Not my fave performance of his, though.  Really good but I wasn't blown away.

2. Allison [Someone to Watch Over Me]--Vocally, it was a great performance but I just didn't get the feeling that she really connected with the song.  I kind of agreed with Simon that it seemed a little "mechanical".  It was a teeny weeny tiny bit on the boring side for me.  I can't say I didn't like it, though--just wasn't my fave of the night by far.

3. Matt [My Funny Valentine]--Great rendition but not the best vocals--a bit pitchy at the beggining of the song.  I loved the arrangement, though, and thought the ending was super.  I felt an emotional connection and liked it for the most part, it just didn't blow me out of the water.  I was shocked that Simon thought it was "absolutely brilliant."  I do love me some Matt, though!

4. Danny [Come Rain or Come Shine]--I thought it was an awesome arrangement.  I loved it from the first not he sang.  Great vocals, he sounded amazing, and I adored his version of the song.  The ending was FABULOUS.  I'd buy that song in a minute and listen to it over and over again.

5. Adam [Feeling Good]--It was very smart to use the stairs as an entrance to the stage--it looked awesome and fit the mood of the night.  I LOVED the beginning of the song but then it got just a bit too theatrical for me.  And the tongue wagging--EEEW!  I can't stand it!  I wasn't in love with the last part of the song.  I'd rather watch that performance again, though, over Allison's and maybe even Kris' or Matt's.

My bottom two: Allison and Matt
My fave of the night: Danny
Who I think will go home: Allison (only because I just don't think she's made a real connection with enough of the viewers)

This is hard because I really like everyone left in the competition.  I will be sad to see any of them go.

AI Top 7

Quentin Tarantino as mentor--not my favorite; he bugs me and I didn't agree with some of the suggestions he made (like to Anoop and Danny). I liked all of the performances but didn't TOTALLY LOVE any of them.

1. Allison "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"--There were a lot of flat notes in her lower register in the beginning then, in the middle of the song, a lot of her vocals seemed forced. It got better towards the end. I thought it was a good performance, not great.

2. Anoop "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You"--I think it was a good song for his voice and his vocals were great--very controlled and in tune.

3. Adam "Born To Be Wild"--A bit too theatrical for me and on the cheesy side; it was definitely energetic, though! Simon hit the nail on the head when he said it was like watching the Rocky Horror Show Musical. I definitely didn't like his performance tonight as much as I did last week's. There had to be a better song on the list for him to choose!

4. Matt "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman"--Loved his voice on this song and his version of it but it wasn't his best vocal performance--he tried to do too much; but I liked it OK for the most part.

5. Danny "Endless Love"--It was a beautiful, emotional performance. Great vocals after the 1st verse. I really liked it.

6. Kris "Falling Slowly"--Very heartfelt and sweet; I really liked it. It started a tiny bit rough but his vocals just got better and better as the song went on; I love his falsetto.

7. Lil "The Rose"--Once again she changed her hair completely! It made her look older, which fit the old-fashioned song she chose. At least she FINALLY made a song a little more her own and she sang OK--except for that last note, ouch!

My top 3 (almost too hard to choose this week): Danny, Anoop, Kris
My bottom 3: Lil, Allison, Matt

I think Lil might go this week but wouldn't be surprised if Allison did just because she doesn't seem to have as big a fan base as others. I hope they all bring better game next week!

Princess Party & Family Dinners

I've been meaning to post these videos from a dinner at my parents house two Sundays ago:

Brenna not wanting to stand on the ground--hilarious!!!


Ben playing tea party with Belle--he's crazy!


Brenna doling out kisses--she's so sweet!


A quick clip of Ben's British tea impersonation:


Last Sat., I had a busy day! We had to be at the church at 8am for a youth basketball tournament. I stayed until noon and cheered on our girls (who smoked the other team--there was only one other girl team); Jared had to coach one of our boys' teams (he coached the younger team, who lost all their games, but our older boys won the tournament). I drove to my parents' house for Belle's 4th birthday party--a princess fashion show. It was so cute! After the party, I drove home and was home for maybe 20 min. before I had to go to someone else's house to watch a Young Women broadcast. Here are pics from the party:

{Belle, in one of her princess costumes, after jumping on the trampoline}:

{Belle modeling one of the dresses on the runway}:

{Hamming it up}:

{The super cute cupcake cake}:

{Ben & his girls}:

{Brenna playing after the party}:

The next day (Sunday) was also very busy. Jared had to be at church early for meetings and I got there a little early to play sacrament prelude music. We were at church the normal 3+ hours, then went home for a VERY quick bite to eat, then went to a Catholic church were I sang in the Livingston Parish Adult Choir. We left straight from there to go to my SIL's parents' house for a birthday dinner for Belle. We had steaks an all the fixins. It was a very busy but very fun weekend. We sure were pooped by the time we got home Sunday night, though!! Some pics from Sunday:

{Belle petting the bullfrog her Daddy caught for her}:

{Brenna & her Uncle Jared--both cute! :) }:

AI Top 9

OK, I'm a little late posting this here but I did post this on Facebook Wed. night:


Most of the performances tonight underwhelmed me. Here's my take on each:

1. Anoop [Caught Up by Usher]--I did not like this song for him--not in the least bit! He's trying SO hard to be something he's not and it is extremely off-putting. I didn't like the arrangement and didn't like how he sang it--boring! I nodded my head in agreement to Simon's "wannabe" comment.

2. Megan [Turn Your Lights Down Low by Bob Marley]--Ack! HORRIBLE, boring, out of tune, painful to watch... She actually gets worse and worse each week! I know I've said it time and time again but I just can't avoid mentioning her horrid, weird, distracting body movements. Yuck. Please go home now.

3. Danny [What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts]--I thought it was a great choice for him and I liked that he chose a ballad. It was heartfelt and I love his voice. Great arrangement and vocals.

4. Allison [Don't Speak by No Doubt]--I liked her spin on it and her on the guitar; she brought power and attitude to the song. Was it my favorite performance of hers? Nope, but it was good.

5. Scott [Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel]--Really good choice for him! He sounded great and looked cute, too. I liked that it was just him on the piano, no band--it allowed him to be more musicall.

6. Matt [You Found Me by The Fray]--I liked him standing at the keyboard. It did have a shaky start but got better and had a pretty good ending. I liked it but didn't think it was his best--it wasn't the type of song I thought he would/should do. I still like him, though.

7. Lil [I Surrender by Celine Dion]--Before the song even started, I was like "Celine Dion??? What the???" She sounded more nasally than usual. The song choice did even more to confuse me as to what kind of music she would do on her own. The performance was so boring and out of tune and I could not wait for it to end! Her little girls sure are cute, though.

8. Adam [Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry]--At the beginning, I thought that it was a bad song choice and that it was cheezy. I really don't like how his tongue sticks out when he screams the high notes. The song did get better for me as it went on and the ending was way better. Not my fave performance of his, though.

9. Kris [Ain't No Sunshine]--Fabulous song choice and rendition! Wow! Great vocals, hot performance! Loved him on the keyboard. Fave performance of the night.

My top 3 of the night: Kris, Danny, Scott
My bottom three: Megan, Anoop, Lil
I really hope Megan goes home but I think Anoop is probably in trouble