Crushable » lil rounds

Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds on Regis and Kelly

Jeanne — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:02:30 +0000

Most recently eliminated American Idol finalists, Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds, were on Live! With Regis and Kelly this morning where they talked about life after leaving the show and performed.

Anoop sang “You Were Always On My Mind” and it really reminded me of what a good singer he is. He had a little more facial hair but I’m not sure that I like the look for him. Regardless, I thought it was a good appearance (he could work on handling the microphone a little better but I digress). Watch Anoop sing and their short chat with him and Lil at the end of the show:

Lil Rounds sang “Be Without You” and I wish she had performed more like that when she was on Idol. Maybe it was because she sang accompanied only by the piano but I just thought she sounded excellent and a lot less “busy.” Know what I mean?

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Anoop and Lil Discuss Life After American Idol

Jeanne — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:22:09 +0000

American Idol’s most recently eliminated contestants, Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai, have been talking a lot about what their life is like now that their journey on the show is over.

“It’s easier to go through it with someone else,” Desai said of the double elimination. “We can joke to each other. Neither of us is really wallowing all that much.”

Both Anoop and Lil talked about the harsh criticism they faced from the judges, particularly Simon Cowell.

“I didn’t think it was my worst performance,” said Anoop. “But you know, that’s the Simon Cowell that America expects. He’s very superlative driven. I wasn’t offended at all.”

“I kind of got to the point where I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t know if I can win with them,’” Lil said. “I can honestly say I went up there and gave it everything I had each time my foot touched that stage.” And what about all the talking back that Lil did? “I would not take that back,” she said. “It wasn’t to go toe-to-toe with the judges or get into a heated argument. I just wanted them to understand that I was being an artist. They kept saying, ‘Give me you,’ and I’m like, ‘But I am!’ It was kind of weird.”

Lil talked about how her stint on the show has changed her life with her husband and three children: “It really does blow my mind. I was displaced from my home when I first got to the show and now we’ve actually gotten a three-bedroom townhouse. American Idol has done what I knew it could do for me and my family, and that was really bring us back together and get us back in a home.”

Throughout the competition, I had always wondered if Anoop would go back to the University of North Carolina to finish his graduate degree if he got eliminated from the show (Carrie Underwood won the competition and still went back to finish her schooling). I was disappointed to learn that he has other plans in mind (although, I completely understand): “I plan on pursuing any record deal I can get. Right now that’s my no. 1 priority. My only priority. My wildest dream was that I would be a pop star. And thanks to this show, that dream is going to become a reality. I have faith in my own ambition.”

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American Idol 8 Disco Week Results Show

Jeanne — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:22:03 +0000

The results show from Disco Week on American Idol got underway with a group number choreographed by judge, Paula Abdul. It felt like something from a dance show because they showed Paula training the contestants. When the performance was over, Paula was presented with a bouquet of flowers. It felt a little… strange (?) to me. What did you think of that?

Lil Rounds was the first to be sent home tonight in a very quick elimination. Ryan asked her to go over to the other side of the stage and as soon as she got there, he told her that her journey on the show had ended. She did a much better job singing “I’m Every Woman” but I still don’t think it would have been enough to keep her safe.

Next, Disco legends Harry Wayne “KC” Casey, Thelma Houston and Freda Payne. I’m going to just to respectfully say that I love the songs but the performances were… interesting. I’m going to just blame it on the Idol stage curse and call it a night…

Kris Allen was the first person named to the Top 5! Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey are also safe. Anoop Desai was named to the bottom three. Allison Iraheta joined him and I was totally shocked.

David Archuleta sang “Touch My Hand” and he was so energetic and amazing. I really loved him tonight. What did you think?

Anoop Desai was eliminated and I’m so sad. It’s not that I don’t like Allison but he’s got such a good voice but he made some bad song choices. I hope he has a bright future ahead of him because he’s got a great personality and look.

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American Idol 8 Top 7 Lil Rounds “I’m Every Woman”

Jeanne — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:08:34 +0000

Lil Rounds chose to sing “I’m Every Woman” for Disco Week and I think it was a smart choice but I didn’t love the delivery. I don’t know what to think of Lil. She’s got the voice, the look and everything she needs to be a star but she continues to make weird decisions. I did not love the vocal arrangement.

Randy said she got the party started but that the performance sounded wild and still failed to show the kind of artist she could be. Kara agreed with Lil and said that she’s been every woman but herself. Paula said that yesterday Lil was on complete vocal rest and made a great recovery but she still didn’t tap into her inner goddess. Simon said that he thinks it is Lil’s last week because there was no originality and the vocals were a mess.

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American Idol 8 Top 7 Lil Rounds “The Rose”

Jeanne — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:02:47 +0000

Lil Rounds sang “The Rose” and I really was surprised that she picked the song. She began the performance with an arrangement that is similar to the original but then she finished the song with more of a gospel feel to it.

Paula said something that I really didn’t understand. Simon said that the song was too soft, too middle of the road and that there were nice moments but she is not the artist that they met weeks ago.

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American Idol 8 Lil Rounds “What’s Love Got To Do With It”

Jeanne — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:42:28 +0000

Lil Rounds was born in 1984 and she chose to sing Tina Turner’s song “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” I think it was a good song choice for her voice but I would have liked it better if she sang something that was a little more challenging although she did try to power through the middle and end of it.

Paula said that Lil looks really hot tonight but said that she didn’t make the song her own. Simon said that it was too much of a copycat performance and that it feels like they’ve lost her. Randy said that it seems like Lil is not listening to their advice. Kara said that Lil’s lower range really suffers.

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American Idol 8 Motown Week – Recap

Jeanne — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:16:33 +0000

It was Motown Week on American Idol and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Honestly, in the past there have been some real disasters in the past with this genre but it was pretty good.

Matt Giraud kicked off the night with his rendition of “Let’s Get it On” and, I thought it was pretty good, but I did think there were some flaws. Still, I love Matt’s voice but I just don’t find him all that exciting. The judges really liked his performance, though.

Kris Allen followed with a quirky, adorable version of “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” as he accompanied himself on the guitar. Kris is kind of like a dark horse for me. I really didn’t pay too much attention to him before but these past couple weeks he’s really shown what a great singer and artist he is.

Scott MacIntyre sat behind the piano and, I’m sorry folks, I did not like this very much at all. I like Scott and respect him as an artist but I have felt that, in the past, the judges have been a little lenient on him and I don’t agree with that. This week, Simon voiced what I was thinking and Randy and Kara kind of agreed.

Megan Joy sang “For Once In My Life” and it looked like she had a reasonably good time but she also sounded lost and overwhelmed. I didn’t like it very much (I didn’t like her outfit either) and the judges weren’t too impressed either. I think she’s really in danger this week.

Anoop Desai surprised me yet again by singing “Ooh Baby, Baby.” For much of the competition, he’s picked uptempo, less serious songs but for the past two weeks, he’s cranked out the ballads and done very well with them. Randy challenged him to bring some of the fun back while keeping the strong vocals and I hope he does.

Michael Sarver sang “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” and he said that he originally planned to sing it a certain way but mentor, Smokey Robinson, told him he needed to put more aggression and desperation into the performance and it looked like he tried – and failed. Michael’s been sick this past week too, which is unfortunate, so I hope he doesn’t go home.

Lil Rounds sang “Heatwave” and I just didn’t like her song choice. As Simon pointed out, she could have sung something like “Heard It Through the Grapevine” and it would have been amazing! I just felt like it sounded like she was yelling towards the end.

Adam Lambert shocked me yet again but, this week, he toned down him image. There was no makeup, no spiky hair and no nail polish (he kept the earrings) and his voice was so soft and tender as he sang “Tracks of My Tears.” I liked him for the first time last week and this showed me a whole side of him that I didn’t know existed.

Danny Gokey gave a very energetic performance with “Get Ready” and I really liked it. Simon didn’t like it (Kara and Randy weren’t jumping out of their seats either) but Paula loved it. I thought he did a good job.

Allison Iraheta ended the night with her rendition of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and it was really good. I didn’t go as crazy for it as the judges did but considering the fact that this girl is only 16 years old, it very well done.

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American Idol 8 Top 10 – Lil Rounds “Heatwave”

Jeanne — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:25:54 +0000

Lil Rounds chose to sing “Heatwave” and I have to give her some real props for going all out with her old-school Motown-inspired dress and hairstyle. While I love Lil’s voice and think this was a decent song choice for her, I felt like she oversang it at times. The last few bars of that song were sung at full tilt and I am not sure it was a great thing.

Randy said that the beginning of the song wasn’t great and it wasn’t the right kind of song for her. He said uptempo songs may not be best suited to her vocal style. Kara said that Lil looked great but it wasn’t the right song. She said it sounded like Lil was screaming at times. Paula said she looked like a throwback to classic Motown but her vocals felt fresh. Simon said her performance was an authentic tribute to Motown but that it was not the right song choice for her.

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American Idol 8 Names Top 10 Contestants

Jeanne — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:10:51 +0000

The Top 10 contestants from the eighth season of American Idol have been named. Now we know who you’ll be seeing if you go to see one of the shows when they go on tour!

Here’s the Top 10 (listed alphabetically):

Adam Lambert
Allison Iraheta
Anoop Desai
Danny Gokey
Kris Allen
Lil Rounds
Matt Giraud
Megan Joy
Michael Sarver
Scott MacIntyre

What do you think? Do you agree with this list?

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American Idol 8 Top 11 – Lil Rounds “Independence Day”

Jeanne — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:02:34 +0000

Lil Rounds chose to sing Martina McBride’s big hit “Independence Day” and, while I absolutely love Lil, I wasn’t a huge fan of this performance. The crowd seemed to enjoy it but I wouldn’t have picked that song for her.

Randy said it was an interesting and ambitious song choice but it didn’t seem like she was comfortable. Kara gave her props for standing her ground in terms of song choice even though it wasn’t the best performance. Paula said that Lil looked and sounded amazing but that she shouldn’t have done two verses. Simon started by calling her “Little” and struggled to say “Lil” and argued that Lil was short for Little. It was funny. He didn’t like the performance because he thought the song didn’t suit her.

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