Josiah Leming is a Sour Grape

NOT!!!

These media people are starting to piss me off. They'll do anything to generate more traffic and buzz, normally at the expense of some unknowing celebrity who's just decided to be honest.

Take this crap for instance:

Click here to read the People Watch magazine article, titled "Idol Contestant Josiah Leming Calls Show ‘Glorified Karaoke’"

If you read the article, the words "sour grape", "ungrateful", and "arrogant" will come to mind. The article reeks of controversy.

Now, read the full MTV article, where People watch magazine got its source:
Click here for the full MTV article.

Doesn't it all come into better perspective in the full article? Josiah Leming on the full article is merely voicing out what he feels. Yes, he says "It's like glorified karaoke." But he also says, "I did it and it was great. I love those people there. They were great to me, and it gave me a great kick-start to my career." True, he still gave American Idol some lip. But hey, isn't there some truth in it?

The kid's got an attitude, but it's not so bad and it definitely isn't sour graping. "There's something in me — call it ambition, call it arrogance, call it cockiness, it doesn't bother me because it's necessary to my music."

It just reminds me of Jason Castro's "controversy" regarding the balloons, where the media put the dreadhead in an ugly light, implying that he didn't appreciate the gift. Seriously, after all the weeks we've come to know him through his video clips, and interviews, do you really think that's true?

Bottom line: take everything you read with a grain of salt. Because these articles are a whole load of bull crap coated with an intelligent choice of intriguing vocabulary.

In defense to Jason Castro

After youtube hunting and reading articles about Jason Castro and the general opinion on him, I am put in a position where I am obliged to say something in defense to him.

Not simply because he is quite good-looking (an observation all female fans alike have realized), but based on his overall package. For me, American Idol is all about people with 1) great, magnetic personality, 2) a unique melodic style, and 3) a good voice. Castro possesses all three of them.

Let me elucidate. If you close your eyes and listen to a Castro-sung song, you can immediately point out that it's the dreadhead singing. If you close your eyes and listen to a Sayesha performance, you will probably have a hard time guessing.

And if you are asked to recall the greatest performances of this season, I would bet that you would remember Hallelujah and Somewhere over the Rainbow, because of how different and beautiful it was interpreted. Not saying that these are the only memorable songs, because I am a true blue Cook fan as well, and I believe that Cook is still more deserving than him.

What I find unfair is when Castro is judged as not wanting it enough, based on the norm of what "wanting it more" is. Castro has always been laid back, and always will be. That's him. Just because he doesn't tell the judges how much he's put his all into the songs doesn't mean he wants it less. Just because he doesn't close his eyes and bob his head and belt doesn't mean he's less passionate.

The main attraction w/ Jason, for me, is exactly the fact that he is different. We don't need replicas of current pop stars, we need new talents. Castro is a new talent. He's a fresh new face, a fresh new voice, and I believe he should be praised for that. He's had his ups and downs in AI, but his uniqueness has always been prevalent in each performance. That's all that should matter.

Neil.... Diamondzz.zzzz...zZZzz...zZZzzzz....

I didn't expect much from this week. For one thing, I didn't know who Neil Diamond was. The only tiny thing I knew about him was that he sang "I'm a Believer", a song which I wouldn't pick out of a hypothetical 200,000-mp3 collection.

I did, however, expect that the week will be decent. Instead, I almost dozed off in the middle of the show, and in my disgust, I left my favorite couch and decided to go back to my work.

Yes, you heard me right. Work was more pleasant than watching the whole AI Neil Diamond episode.

For one thing, Neil Diamond wasn't much of a coach. His deadpan, albeit deep and soulful voice could hardly enthuse you to look forward to the performances; he didn't give any good feedback and criticisms to the contestants. The songs were just as disappointing, the melodies were way too simple... bordering on mundane.

It's not a surprise, therefore, that none of the top 5 pulled off a hot performance, despite what Randy said of David Cook and Archuleta. All the performances were lukewarm, some of them just a tad warmer than the others.

All I can say is that after being disappointed by this week's episode, I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I have no idea whatsoever who is going to get canned. Maybe it should be Paula Abdul instead, for being more of a psycho this week than any other.

I'm still rooting for Castro and Cook though, and I'd very much like to forget this night and pass this off as a nightmare.

A HOT AI Night!

This week the males were HOT! They wowed the judges, including the ever critical Simon. And they certainly wowed me!

The night started out okay with Luke Menard. I have nothing against him, but the problem is I have nothing to praise him about either, aside from his similarity with Orlando Bloom. He is, as Simon said, forgettable. Which is why I think he is in grave danger of being cut this week. David Archuleta followed, with a very goose-bumpy performance of an Eric Clapton classic. The judges didn't like it as much. I'd have to disagree with them. I believe that this was one of my favorite David Archuleta moments. I liked the whole piano thing he did at the beginning, until he just focused on his singing. A few pitch problems here and there but he really made the song different. Danny Noriega followed and I was rendered speechless! He must have outperformed and outsassed all the ladies. Vocals weren't quite good, Simon wasn't feeling it again. The arrangement was actually pretty funky.

Then the night was really set on fire! There was David Hernandez singing a female-popularized song and owning it (although it pales in comparison to his hot interpretation of "Papa was a Rolling Stone"). Then there was Michael Johns' deep rough voice and unique stage antics. I'm very glad he's back in the game - last week was a disappointing night for him. David Cook's rendition of the Lionel song was extremely unpredictable and he did a great job! I'm glad Simon is starting to warm up to him. He is one cool guy. And his voice is perfect for that rock scene!

Then there was Jason Castro! He was the absolute highlight of this night, in my opinion. Just as Paula said, he showed his vulnerability, and his phrasing is really what sets him apart. I also love his voice! It has this accent that really makes me want to listen to him sing over and over again. Personality wise, he is a cinch to be my favorite. He is this shy, funny guy type with a bit of a flirtatious side to him. He is ADORABLE!!! I find myself smiling whenever I listen to his interviews and his singing.

Chikezie was the last to perform and I must say that I am starting to get annoyed by his cockiness. Simon asked him a painfully simple question if Whitney sang the song, and he had to show off his musical memory by telling him who remade the song, yadda yadda. His vocals this week wasn't all that good either. Very pitchy. I couldn't relax as I was always trying to adapt to the tone.

All in all, I like 5 out of the current 8 so here's to hoping that the 5 I like get through! Way to go, guys! Go beat the females, who I believe are sorely lacking in diversity this season.