Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The dreadlocks won me over

OK, so here's my chance to be open-minded. Colton Berry is up next and I'm going to do what I can to get over this horrible bias I have against him for taking my adorable dork's spot. Granted, he independently annoyed me earlier tonight, but it's still early enough that I can turn it around, that I can maybe root for him at some point.

But then he starts talking about singing the teletubbies theme song when he's nervous. What 18-year-old even admits to knowing the Teletubbies theme song, let alone to singing it out loud? OK... I'm being too quick again... it's just so easy to dislike him.

Oh yeah... he sings Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds." You can't get much better than that in song choice (especially since the Beatles are not yet in the mix). You know who he reminds me of? A good portion of you will likley have no idea who I'm talking about, but when he smiles, he reminds me a little bit of a very young Luis Miguel, an extremely famous Mexican singer. Not a lot - Luis Miguel is quite handsome - but just a tiny, tiny bit. But anyway, back to the singing, I must admit, it's very good. OK - that's it. That's all I'm willing to give up tonight.

Randy says it was pretty good. Paula says it was nice to hear a different side of him - she says it wasn't his best performance but that he made an eager and fun attempt. Simon said it was OK, but that he wasn't listening to a recording artist, that he didn't represent himself and that it was all a waste of time.


Garrett Haley is a bit of a mystery and I have to admit, I have no interest in him at all. He's a bit like a modern-day Leif Garrett, and just by the looks of him, you can tell already that he won't be selling any records. I realize I'm getting meaner, but it's 2am and my patience tends to thin as I get tired. And really, I just can't imagine that he'll be so good that I'll change my mind on it.

I was right... He takes one of my favorite songs, Neil Sedakas's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and just slaughters it. He actually slows it down and ,makes it ballad - I mean, what could he have been thinking??? I mean, his voice is lovely - I don't want to take away from that. And the song choice would have worked for him, if he had done it at the right speed. It's just so dull. I'll be completely floored if he makes it through to next week.

Randy says it's a great song but that he didn't do anything with it. Paula tells him to take chances and Simon reiterates that it was boring and that he looked terrified and that he's very pale. Not sure why that's relevant, but whatever.

Jason Castro is interesting and kind of stunning with his beautiful bright eyes (are they blue or green?), flawless skin and funky dreadlocks. I mean, he's got a different energy than the rest of the contestants - kind of sexy, but not in an obvious way like Luke Menard. Just a very cool, good-looking guy.

He's the first to play an instrument - he plays the guitar while he sings Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream" and he's got something - I don't know what, but he makes you want to watch him. I found myself totally engaged, I completely forgot to listen to the lyrics of the song so I could look up the title - I had to rewind my TiVo. I think I fell in love a little bit - he's delicious, I think.

Randy tells him he loved the guitar, and that it was all right. Paula says he blew her away, that his take on the song was so minimal, effortless and really joyful. Simon says it was in the top 2 performances of the night. He says that he, like David, just has it. He's great with the camera, great song. He makes the song sound current, he has charisma and agrees with Paula and says that it was indeed effortless.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The original "Breaking Up is Hard to do" by Neil Sadaka was actually recorded by the man himself as a ballad, and it was quite popular. It was also sung that way to much praise by Ruben Studdard. Do your homework!