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Mike's Columns
 Week One: On Stage Revisited
How is it all going out there, my name is Mike and I will be reporting to you week by week with my weekly column. I'm not a judge but I have voice and thats all that matters to me heh! I really want to get into this real quick, I was real excited about hearing week one with the final 12 is Broadway songs espeically since I just performed in my first show. Our school just completed Les Miserables and it was phenominal. We do our shows right but anyway enough about me, and onto the 12 finalists, who I must say are a a bunch of great singers. It is going to be a tough compeition this time around, a lot of great talent.
Let me start off with Allie, after just finishing up Les Miserables and hearing that really was a disappointment. I thought it was an alright performance though, you really have a nice voice but you rushed a lot of the notes especially in the end, you are suppose to have dramatic pauses in between and they didnt add to what the song is suppose to express. However on the flipside, you have a great voice I think you will do fine. The only problem I had was that you tried to make the song your own, but it just didn't work. Its a hard song but I give you props.
Heather... what a voice, it just sounds so tender. You sound perfect for broadway, but I will agree with Nick the song choice was sorta boring, but you would be PERFECT to be cast on broadway for this role. I really don't have much I have to say against your song, but it just wasnt that great of a song choice, I wasn't feeling it.
Next up was Kyle. Your rendition of "Out here on my own" made me speechless man... SPEECHLESS. I Just saw Fame in the city, man... and wow I am speechless with your performance you blew me away, what a voice man I am going to agree with Stacy, you have that potiental to win this compeition, I think we will definalty see you in the final four without a doubt man, great job.
I never saw Cats, but I hear it was great. I am sure it was, but Nicole, you are new to me but I will say it was alright. It was sorta boring, and was safe to me, I think you can do better but thats my opinion. On the other hand we go to Andrew... that was definatly real great. You had fun with it, you picked a great song, and made it your own man. You have a real nice voice and I am going to agree with the judges on this, you have a great pop voice and I think you will go far in this compeition.
Listening to you Kyle S you really reminded me of my cousin. He was in Oliver and it just reminds me of a great old time musicial. Your job was stellar man, you sounded amazing and I loved it. You and Heather are fit for Broadway no doubt. Fix the static and you'd sound a lot better quality, but your voice supassed that and you proved you can take control of it. Nice job man.
"Think of Me" by Ashley hmm... that is a hard song, and you did fairly well with it girl. It was kinda screecy at some parts but it was good otherwise, not my favorite performance of the night, but props to you and I do see you going far.
Olivia Newton John look out... Crystal is in the house! WOW girl I loved your performance the first time and this was by far the best of the night, you are my bet to win this compition. I have nothing else to say girl but WOW!
Cindy you have hard ass act to follow but you f'n brought it girl! Damn this compeition is so damn strong, your voice is perfect for the song, and you owned it girl. Try to get a better recording quality, and move back a little from the mic but beside that girl, that was really great!
Rina again you have a hard act to follow and you stepped up girl. You have a great voice for broadway, the song was great you did a good job, it wasn't the best of the evening but definalty great job!
Dean-o... great song selection. It was perfect for you, and I just love the songs from Rent and you can sing man. This compeititon has so many great singers it going to be hard to see some people leave, but you did great bro, try not to be as nasal though. Very powerful ending and I'm impressed.
We get to our last performance and it is Lisa, another newcomer. I didn't like it at all girl, You didn't have my vote to move on sorry girl. It was not for me and nothing spectacular. I agree with Stacy, that I don't see you going far, and that is why you were sent home. You were clutch to fill in but someone has to go. Best of luck to you.
So there you have it, and American got it right by keeping Nicole over Lisa and next week should be intresting. I am going to predict that the Final Four of the Compeition will be... now this is tough but: Crystal, Kyle N, Dean, and Cindy. Lets see if I am right heh. Next week we have Back to the Nineties and I hope to hear some amazing talent like this week. You 11 left are great and I know you can bring it.
Favorite Performance of the week: Crystal
Till next week... V singing out.
Week 2: Back to the Nineties
We start the show off with Dean-o. Last week man you were stellar, and
I don; t know if I can say I enjoyed this performance as much as last
week. Savage Garden man? You have a wonderful voice, but this wasn’t
it this week man. The grass wasn’t greener on this side today, not
for me at least.
Heather, steps up to the plate- and hits a double. Nice job, the
beginning sounded like you were a bit to close to the mic and then you backed
up and it sounded a lot better. You hit the note at the end pretty well
and I think you had a nice performance, Sheryl will be proud.
Up next is Ashley, and Ash I think that was not good at all. I don’t
think you can come to par with someone like Crystal or even Dean. I
don’t think you will last much longer in this competition. The song was
boring, and it just was not good for me at all.
Kyle S man, awesome song. I think hear this song and think that movie
with Whoopi Goldberg, Mr Bean, when they are racing for two million
bucks or something. I don’t remember the name, it was so horrible but
nothing horrible about this but the quality of the recording. Your voice
sounds great, risky song. In stocks, you take large risks and its either
a large payout or a large mess you take large risks and win. I
really think you’ll go far man.
Allie, Allie, Allie- last week was on my own, and this week I’m just
a girl. No doubt that No Doubt is rough to do, and in my opinion I
think you fared pretty well. I love this song and your voice really sounds
tender. I defiantly like you a lot more then last week’s performance.
Black velvet, hmm. Rina I know you have a great voice and I really
enjoyed listening to the chorus on this, nothing else. I know you could
probably do a lot better; I just wasn’t into it all. I’d love to hear
you pull take a nice risk and maybe a song with a lot of energy.
Andrew dawg I love this song and I am in love with this version man.
You f****n owned it tonight man. One of the best tonight. I really have
nothing else to say.
Crystal you did it again. You set the bar last week, and you
surpassed it! You bring it every week, I am speechless. That was a flawless
performance. If you don’t win this competition, something is completely
wrong! Amazing girl!
Nicole I don’t know if it was a good idea to go right after Crystal.
The judges gave you a bit of a rough time, and I think they will
continue to do so. Don’t get me wrong you have some pitch problems but I
know you can do better. The song choice was a bit hard for someone like
you to pull of I believe. Next week, I really believe you can blow us
away. Look at how Jennifer Hudson did it, I know you can. Find that right
song, and make them believe you deserve to be here girl.
Kyle N--- again amazing! Speechless! I hope you can make this your
job. You and Crystal are the people the rest of this competition needs to
look up to. You two step it up every week and just bring it. Great job
bro.
Well the run down goes like this. The performance of the week is a toss
up between Kyle N or Crystal but I think I am going to give it to Kyle
N. I am a bit upset Cindy had to leave the competition, I enjoyed her.
My least favorite goes to Ashley. This week was not as good as last
week but we had some good performances. I really hope people can start
opening up and get into the performances a bit more. Pick some energetic
songs and just go all out. Next week is Disney week which should be fun
with some classics. Till next week, it’s Mikey V!
Week 3: Disney Classics!
Here we come, week 3 and down to the final 10 and what a damn way to
start this show!Heather that simply was amazing, flawless, unbelievable.
You really went too perfect with the song and I really believe you
could have been in the movie doing that performance. That might have been
one of the best performances of the season.
After Heather, one my favorites Kyle S. You really have a unique
voice and I think that showed. There were however, some pitch problems in
the beginning, the recording quality was horrendous, and the backing
really did not work for me. This was not your best performance; I think
it was just okay for me.
Nicole my girl, last week I enjoyed you. I know you have potential and
I think you are starting to show it a lot more. Minor problems here and
I am going to agree it was a bit safe. I think you need to break out
and you’ll be fine. I don’t know how much more time left is left in
you but I hope you can stick with it one more and really blow us away.
My girl, Crystal- ah rough. Compared to last week this was very weak.
This was defiantly your worst performance. Don’t get me wrong, its not
the worst of the week, you still have an amazing voice, and can sing,
but this didn’t work for me as much as past weeks. We all have our bad
weeks; maybe it was just the song choice.
Ashley, you come up this week and not much of improvement. That
performance didn’t do much for me, I was not into it at all. I think your
singing a bit too much from your head. I think this might be your week
for the boot, so I’m not going to be surprised to see you at the
bottom.
Dean- Compared to last week man, you stepped it up. I totally forgot
about your savage garden incident because this really made up for it.
It’s not your best performance, but you stepped it up and you’re
getting back to where we know you can be. You are an amazing singer and I
know you’ll be back on top of your game by next week.
Kyle N- hahah! You really are a trip, this was perfect for Broadway,
but my man, this is singing competition, it was more of a play. You have
a great voice man, but this was not your best. If there was more
singing you owned it, but I have to give it to you, you really can act this
song out. You really came through on the chorus but I expected you to
sing more. Not what I expected, but it was good.
And to close the show we have our man Andrew. It really was a great way
to end the show, slowed it down a bit. We heard the song earlier, but
you proved you can pull it off. You have sucha nice unique voice and
this was your performance man. I can’t to hear more of you man. You
owned it tonight, and it was one of my favorites. Great job!
And to the bad news, Rina and Allie had to drop out of the competition.
The numbers are dropping like flies but it happens. I wish you two the
best of luck, I enjoyed you Rina but I didn’t think you’d be able
to step it up with others I think have a better shot. Allie, your time
would come sooner than later. You were good, but you couldn’t keep up
with the others I think.
This week’s worst performance has to go to Ashley. I’m sorry girl,
but you just don’t do it for me. Its really hard to say you even have
a good shot at this compared to the other competition. You got a pass
this week, but if you can’t step it up, its either your or Nicole.
The weeks best performance goes to without a doubt, Heather. You
stepped it up and surprised us. If you can keep raising your game like you
did this week, I really believe you have a good shot at this.
I think I am going to also do something else new and rank the
performance of the week. #1 being the best, #8 being the worst.
1. Heather
That’s it till next week, Mike singing out! Week Four: Duets
Alright once again we are back for another week of Virtual Pop Idol. This week is a very unique week, duets. I never thought this would happen and I am glad that it has. It gives us all some idea of how you guys would sound if you went Nysnc, heh. Lets get to it though.
Andrew and Kyle S, Somewhere out there. First of all, I really didn't like it all that much. It was a bad week for you boys. There were a few notes that were out of a tune, the mic quality needs to get fixed, its starting to really ruin the quality of the song. Andrew you really shined I think this performance. Your harmonies though, were sounded wonderful; very smooth sounding and eloquent. Not my favorite performance, but alright. I'd give you guys a 5 out of 10.
Crystal and Nicole are up next with a current Sheryl Crow hit. When I heard Crystal's voice start this song, I knew it would be good. I really didn't enjoy you last week, but I really think you personally have bounced back this week. Nicole, like I said way back when, I knew you had potential, and finally the judges are acknowledging you for that. You have a tender voice, but I think you over sang some of the notes. You screamed a few of the notes and that turned me off. You did okay, but Crystal really shinned this week for you guys. I'd give you guys a 7 out of 10.
Heather and Ashley are the next girls up. Last week Heather I thought you were the star, and you shined again this week. I would have preferred just you singing it, because just like Nick said, Ashley took away from this song. I need to close my ears at some points. The harmonies were horrible, Ashley was out of tune. I really would have loved to see Heather and Crystal had sung the duet together because I think it would have been amazing to hear those two wonderful voices together. Ashley, I've said it for a few weeks not, but I think this the week your water ran dry. I give you guys a 4 out of 10.
And finally we have Dean and my man Kyle N. You two are personally one of my favorite to watch in this competition. I figured you two would pair together, but my friends why the hell did you choose this song? C'mon a Sarah MacLaughlin song for you two? I expected something exciting, it was just to dull for me guys. You wanted to slow it down compared to your previous songs it seems like but the change was a bit drastic. Don't get me wrong you guys can sing, you sang the song well but I am not fond of the song choice. 6 out of 10.
So the final rankings:
There we have it, another week gone and another twist thrown at us. Heather, you really shouldn't be in the bottom two this week, but you guys choose these pairs. If you hadn't been paired with Ashley you would defiantly not be here. Ash, I am sorry girl but I think its your time to get the stepping girl. You had a luck ride I think, and your charm is all out of luck. To the rest of you, I think the bar you guys have set in past weeks defiantly got lowered. You need to step it up this week and really start shining. Heather and Crystal, you've proved this week you're still on top the game but I think you all gotta bounce back next week. Overall it wasn't the greatest weeks; try to get some songs next week that will really show your show your range. It's getting to the crunch time, and I think more people need to start standing out. Get a song that's gonna express your range and your personality. See ya next week! Week Five: Behind The Scenes
And we are back to another exciting week of competition of virtual pop idol 2. I am glad we are doing Diane Warren songs; she is the work of some great songs along with David Foster. After last weeks duets like I said, a lot of you I think need to start steeping up. Only seven of you are left, and the rightful person was sent home last week, good job America. With that said, let’s get to the first performance.
Andrew, what song is that heh? I’ve never heard of it and along with the judges I am a bit disappointed. It sounded a bit nasal in the beginning, but I am going to say towards the end you picked it up a bit. It was a different performance, but the backup vocals in the background were sweet dude, they sounded really good. Also your ending to me was a powerful, you kept the note for a bit, a little pitchy but really good. To me the beginning was totally different from the end of the song, almost like hearing two different songs. It was not your best performance, but it was alright.
I don’t wanna miss a thing, you hit that on the dot Dean. I wouldn’t wanna miss this tonight. You went with Aerosmith, and I am going to disagree with Stacy. I will agree with her that you did sound a bit nasal but it happens, we have out off weeks. You really made this your own version and I enjoyed it man. It wasn’t your best to date, but it’s up there. There were some pitch problems, but always fixable, nothing horrendous.
WATCH THE FRIG OUT! Heather is in the freakin building. Your voice really sounds amazing girl. You get better and better each week and I look forward to see what you do each week. One negative, I think you could have done a better song but this song fit you I think. I’m falling into you girl.
Kyle N man, kudos man. I love this song, and I enjoyed your performance. You have a great voice for this song, and fit you perfect. Started off a bit shaky but you bounced back man. You do good each and every week and I can see you getting to the final five, possibly four man. Keep it up bro. The only other negative comment I have, back up a bit from the mic a little bit and your set.
One Kyle after another, and Kyle S it’s your turn. I love this song man, and you did well. Technically it sounded a lot better then previously, your voice sounds a lot better this way. Other than that man, you did good but it wasn’t spectacular like I would expect by now. It just didn’t hit me as great.
I love the beginning of all of Nicole’s song hearing that little code. Anyway, when I hear that I know Nicole is in the house. Girl, I knew it! I’ve said it week after week you had potential and you’d shined and girl its happening. The past two weeks have been excellent for you. Great song choice and really great job this week. You have sucha pop voice its perfect for this. Keep it up with pop songs and I really think you can make it into the final four. One thing I think the judges touched on is your breathing. Master that, and I think we have quite a singer on our hands. Watch out for Nicole!
Last but not least, my top dawg, Crystal. Unfortunately I had to hear this song again, and personally it is not my favourite. That really didn’t matter though because your voice is so tender anything you sing sounds amazing. I really have nothing negative to say, you know you’re a contender in this girl. You and Heather are on top of the game.
And there we have it, another week gone and yet another soul is gone. A total shocker once again, I am floored that Crystal is going home. I cannot believe she is not joining us next week, whatever happened I wish her the very best. You really are going to truly be missed girl. With you gone though, Heather defiantly has taken charge and there now there is one spot open one of the others has to fill. Which one will be a top contender along with Heather, or is it Heathers game she has won? I don’t know, whatever next wee is, bring it!
Week Six: Random Requests
This week I really enjoyed the twist in song selection, definatly something challenging. Let's see who has brought it this week. I know its getting down to the wire so it is going to be a bit rougher.
Nicole went up first this week, and you all know she is one of my favorites in the past few weeks, and girl what the hell happened this week. I barely heard the backing, and you were to close to the mic, it was a bit too loud. On the other hand, I really think you tried hard and it wasn't all that bad my friend. You have a real genuine voice and think you should be okay. After Nic Nic, my main girl Heather got up singing an amazing Aguilera song. You really switched it up this week, sped it up went to the latino beat and girl you owned it. I thought I was listening to the real thing, you hit that off. I love the whole transition you made keep it up, I know you have diva-winner written all over you.
There is one song that I cannot stand in this whole wide world, that is so played out its ridiculous and that My Immortal! Why oh why did you pick that song Andrew, damn bro. That song is so boring, and it really was a safe selection I think. It however was a bit interesting to hear a guy pull it off, and I won't bash it to much because it wasn't all that bad. You can sing, no doubt about, but it was safe, I expected you to do something daring and bold like Superman, not there. You go from one of my most hated songs to one my favorite songs of all time. I really love Lonestar, and this song has so meaning to me. Dean my friend, I am stunned dude. You really showed you made this song on your own and this remake I can bet you would be in the top 10 if you re-released it man. I am floored by you this week bro, I know you would be able to stun us, and you raised it this week and I am really hoping it is you and Heather now in the end!
This week so far really has been stellar from everyone and really impressive on all sides of the court. The most fitting way to end this week was the way it ended. Kyle man! Holy shit man, Clay songs are damn hard to do, and you owned it tonight man! Obviously you need training to hit some of the notes, but you made this in strange way your own. I loved the original, nothing can be as good as the original, but you did a damn good job trying to meet up to it. You improve each week and now I think you have a definite shot at making it to at least the final four man. I'm excited for you man, rooting for you dawg that was really impressive.
Each week you guys come to pull out the unthinkable and really this week was my favorite, you all shined in your own way and made this week the best. Great song selections, amazing voices, what else can you say. It really is going to get tougher to see some of these people go because it's so close to the end. Reality is going to hit you guys but just be ready for it.
Each week I have done ranking so far, this week I want to kinda change it up just a little bit and its called "Star-o-meter". The more stars you get, the better. Highest amount is 5 stars! Here we go!
2 Stars goes to Nicole
Its should be rough to see either Andrew or Nicole go, I really like them both. I think they have really tried to stay in the top of the competition, but in all reality the final three of this competition is Kyle, Dean, & Heather. I can't wait to see who moves on into the final four. I really loved to see Andrew move on since he has such a great voice, but that song choice wasn't so hot. I want to see Nicole move on because I think she has improved so much and she has a great voice but it wasn't the best this week either. It wil be tough but it's up to you America. I will be back again next week with more of Mike's Rant and more Stars! Till next week, I'm out!!
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