Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Copyright 2006, Fox Broadcasting

Ace Young and Bucky Covington

On last night's American Idol, just as the women had done the night before, the guys revealed little known secrets about themselves before performing.

The six guys who advance tonight will become part of the final 12. It's no secret that some of them will sail through, but two will go home.

Gedeon McKinney started off the night with revealing that he also enjoys painting. He then held up a very amateurish looking painting, explaining that it was a combination of a record and the world, with the sound of music making the world go round. The way he described it sounded so simplistic that when he began to sing, "When a Man Loves a Woman," it was hard not to scream, "Sing, Forrest, sing!" That said, his performance was solid, if a little bit like a jukebox.

Judge Randy Jackson said he'd liked the painting, and he called him an old soul. He also said he liked the ending. Nice judge Paula Abdul called him unique and complimented his showmanship. Tough judge Simon Cowell said that Gedeon is "quite odd" but the performance was good, if a bit cabaret. He said that he's interesting and that he does what he does well.

Next up Chris Daughtry revealed that he used to style his hair like host Ryan Seacrest but cut it all off when he started losing his hair. They showed some highly amusing pictures of Chris with moussed up, highlighted hair. He performed "Broken" by Seether, which was a more mellow ballad that he still infused with passion.

Randy complimented him for knowing who he is and said he's ready for a record deal. Paula called him an amazing artist and said he's true to who he is. Simon, however, wasn't as impressed. He called the song boring and cautioned Chris not to take the competition too seriously but to have fun.

Everyone's favorite runt pig, Kevin Covais, revealed that he loves rap artist Kanye West. Fortunately, he chose not to sing a Kanye West song but instead to go with "Starry, Starry Night" by Don McLean. This performance reminded me of Fievel from the animated classic "An American Tail." If he doesn't make the top 12, he certainly has a future doing voice work for Disney movies.

Randy joked that he always knew Kevin was hip-hop. He called it a weird song choice but said, "You can really sing." Paula said she has "nothing but love for you." She called ballads his "ticket" and complimented his sincerity. Simon said that people would love his performance the same way they like watching puppies play. He told him that he'd gotten the granny vote but that the performance was "very juvenile."

Amusingly, country boy Bucky Covington revealed he has an identical twin, Rocky. He performed a scratchy version of the country song "Wave on Wave." If he doesn't get cut this week, he's likely to destroy his voice within a couple weeks, singing as harshly as he does.

Randy complimented him for knowing who he is, which seems to be what he says now if he's got nothing else to say. He said it wasn't a great song to show off his vocals. Paula called him "unpretentious" and "raw." Simon said that it was OK but not exceptional and called it adequate.

Peter Brady himself, a.k.a. Will Makar, revealed he also has (gasp!) a nerdy side and is studying Japanese. He ended the segment by urging 11-year-old girls around the world to unit, which was an amusing reference to Simon's assertion that only 11-year-old girls are rooting for him. Unfortunately, his performance of James Taylor's "How Sweet It Is to be Loved By You" only rose to the quality of a high school talent show. And the juggler would win.

Randy called it "not good" and said it sounded like bad karaoke. Paula said that she's a fan and complimented him for "stepping up" and raising his game. Simon said that Paula must have been starved of entertainment as a child, calling the performance completely, utterly average. He predicted he'd get the middle-aged vote this week.

In his videotaped segment, Taylor Hicks wore an Easter bunny costume as he revealed that was one of his first jobs. I laughed long and hard after this segment, which is one of the few times I've laughed at anything on "American Idol" that wasn't at somebody's expense. His highly energetic rendition of "Taking' it To the Streets" by Michael McDonald showed that he's back! His quirky dancing was the only drawback to the song, but his uniqueness is also a major part of his appeal.

Randy called it a good vocal but criticized the dancing, referring to his repetitive movements as the "dog wind up." Paula joked she'll use some of those steps in her next choreography. She called it her favorite performance of the night and said she was blown away. Simon joked that Taylor could single-handedly kill the music video industry but called it a great performance.

Elliott Yamin, surprisingly, revealed that he has hearing loss in his right ear. He performed "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. All I can say is it's pretty sad when you can't even compare to Bryan Adams.

Randy, though, said he would record with him. Paula called him phenomenal and said she was "beside herself." Simon called the song a cop-out and said it was the first time he felt a disconnect between Elliott and the song.

Pretty boy Ace Young revealed the bland fact that he's worked as a roofer. He performed a Michael Jackson song, "Butterflies," wearing his "beanie" cap. Much of it was in falsetto, which he did surprisingly well, if it wasn't my favorite performance.

Randy said he pulled it off and called it "hot." Paula called it an incredible job. Simon said that he made it work but that parts of the vocal were not great. He said the middle was just OK.

While Chris Daughtry is considered by many to be the guy to beat, Taylor stole the show with his performance. Gedeon also delivered.

The weakest performances of the evening were by Will and Kevin, so they should probably be packing their bags. Ace didn't do great, but his fan base will save him this week. If Kevin's fan base pulls him out of the fire this week, it will most likely be Bucky going home. Elliott could also be in danger, since he doesn't have much of a following, despite his talent.

More on American Idol:

Musings on American Idol Season 5 (2006)

Musings on American Idol Season 4 (2005)

Musings on American Idol Season 3 (2004)

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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