NBA Power Rankings
I do not know what is the matter with Cleveland. Every time I rank them first, they end up getting bad (I projected them as the NBA champs last year). Last week, I ranked the Cavaliers first and they ended up having one of their longest losing streaks (at three) recently. Losing three in a week shows that the team has lost a bit of its luster. It is quite ironic after they had a big trade which has no effin’ way of making them worse. Losing three, however, does not warrant them the first place. Does this mean that the Lakers get it? But they just lost to the Butler-less Mavs! They also have a worse record in their last ten (6-4) as compared to Cleveland (7-3). Hmmm… this is difficult.
1) Los Angeles Lakers. By a hair. They had a subpar (yes, that is subpar for their standards) last ten games because Kobe was injured for a considerable number of games. They lost when they visited Dallas so they can have the ‘we’re visiting’ excuse. The main reason they are in the top spot was because Cleveland lost three straight.
2) Cleveland Cavaliers. They lost three straight but their team still has more quality players now than it had a year ago. They also obliterated the Celtics in Boston awhile ago. With or without Pierce, it was still a 20-point win at the road for the Cavaliers.
3) Dallas Mavericks. I was about to put the Magic here because they defeated the Cavaliers recently. However, the Mavs beat the Magic and are on a five-game roll. Things are getting bright at the Big D.
4) Orlando Magic. They showed that they are still for real when they defeated the Cavs. It is a close game and it could have gone either way but a win is a win. It just goes to show that they can beat the odds again.
5) Boston Celtics. Because they beat a Kobe-less LA last week. But they are still decent I believe. I think they are just waiting for the playoffs to come.
Not much change from last week’s. Either way, I still believe that both Cleveland and LA are on a tier of their own. Nevertheless, the blue clad teams in Dallas and Orlando have exhibited this week that they should not be counted out. Don’t worry Orlando fans, I will never count your team out after you shattered Cleveland’s dream season last year.
American Idol Power Rankings
Last week, I mentioned that I had last song syndrome on Terrified. Apparently, it just happened to be an appetizer as the main course was Stevie Wonder’s seven minute-song Living For The City. I spoke too soon about Siobhan’s Hollywood performance. I actually fell in love with it by Monday of this week (not exactly sure when but I am sure it was before they performed). Although the original was still better, Siobhan’s Adam Lambertesque performance was actually awesome. Maybe, it was the catchy bass line at the start, or it was when she hit the high notes but whatever it was, it made me feel lively whenever I listen to it. No wonder Simon Cowell called her the dark horse.
To be honest, I should not be doing Idol Power Rankings this week because it was a mediocre week – no, make that an awful week. Most of the contestants went flat while the best performers only had mildly strong to decent performances. When the girls had an overall terrible performance, I thought it could not get worse than that. But the guys were excruciatingly horrible. That was why this year was tagged as a girls’ year – not because they were awesome, but because their male counterparts were worse. Nevertheless, there was still a silver lining on it as there were still notable performances. Here is the ranking according to my observation:
1) Lilly Scott
2) Siobhan Magnus
3) Crystal Bowersox
4) Lee Dewyze
5) Didi Benami
6) Andrew Garcia
7) Casey James
8) Michelle Delamor
9) Joe Munoz
The rest were terrible or forgettable…
Yes, Lilly Scott stole the effin’ show. I knew she had potential last week but I did not expect her to become awesome as early as now. Her rendition of Fixing A Hole just fit the song. Quite old and a bit classic but it was actually great. She was consistent as well because her actions made the performance very believable. It is not pop but that’s why I liked it – it was indie and it stood out. She’s now on the radar for me.
I watched the eliminations awhile ago and as expected, the VFTW picks were not eliminated. You read it right – it is expected. There is still a lot of contestants right now so the VFTW picks (Haeley and Tim) went through. It’s always been an awful site because it roots for the most horrible, just like immature high school brats do. I have accepted it though and I believe it changes the landscape of the voting process. For better or for worse, VFTW ensures that we cringe from week to week.
Since I did not expect the VFTW picks to be eliminated, I think the booted ladies were just right. I expected Lacey Brown but Ashley Rodriguez was not good either (plus she was one of the early performers, right?) so it was just fine. Janell Wheeler was surely the prettiest of the bunch but I did not care when she got the boot. She actually deserved it with a forgettable performance. As for the guys, Joe Munoz was actually the 4th best guy but Simon gave him the kiss of death when he called Joe forgettable. Tyler was meh like most of the male performers so I think there was no shocking elimination. By the way, I think Aaron Kelly was overrated (Archuleta > Kelly any time of the day). And overpimped. This is racist but I think John Park sounded as if he was singing a Korean song. Good thing about it is, he can sing Nobody But You and get away with it. (Uh oh… fangurls are now going to kill me after my last two statements). Big Mike, on the other hand, is starting to be a douchebag.
With regard to judging, I think that all of them sucked this year. Simon was generous in girls’ night especially when she overpimped Paige. You call that the best voice? That was a totally forgettable and boring performance, Simon. I think the judges are trying to avoid overpimping anyone by leveling the field because of what happened last year when they always found something positive to say to Adam Lambert. As for Ellen, it was horrible watching her. Do not get me wrong, she is a very good TV host. But when it comes to being a judge, Ellen Degeneres struggles a lot. She does not know what to say after a performance so she goes on the safe route by praising them even if they are not praise-worthy. Also, she loves saying “pushed.” I cringed when I listened to Paula last year but I think the show was better with her. Either that or just have three judges.
Nevertheless, here are my rankings:
On the cusp: Casey James. I will make a prediction as early as now. Casey will be in the Top 12. No, make that Top 10. Even if he falters in some weeks, I think this guy will still stay because girls will always give him the sympathy vote just like what they did with Kris Allen last year (although it was good he won – Adam Lambert is fast becoming a trainwreck). Trust me, never underestimate the multiple voting fanatics. Nevertheless, I think Casey had a solid performance that may have earned him at least the Top 16 in my books because a lot of the guys were boring thus far.
6. Lee Dewyze. I am having a top 6 countdown instead of 5. This guy deserves an “actual” spot in my power rankings because of his nice rendition of Chasing Cars (although it was nowhere near the original). I think he has a good chance of being the David Cook of this season due to his inclination with alternative music and his tendency to mix things up. He is nowhere near the “David Cook zone” but he has the underdog appeal in him. Watch out for him.
5. Andrew Garcia. From # 3 to # 5. It normally is bad when it comes to rankings but to be honest, I actually liked his performance of Sugar We’re Going Down. I think I will like him better than Danny Gokey last year because Andrew knows how to change the songs. Andrew disappointed Simon but what does he expect anyway? You cannot always top your best shot. Chances are, it goes down at times. What matters is that he was still better than most. Andrew still progressed this week (anyway, he has little competition). Unfortunately, the next four ladies improved better that was why he slipped from 3rd place to 5th place.
4. Crystal Bowersox. Very good performance. I do not care what Simon said about her sounding like a subway musician (for the record this season, it’s not Simon Says. It’s Simon Sucks). Crystal is a superb artist. She may depend a lot on instruments but she has a distinct sound as well. I was actually going to put her in #3 but I realized that the current #3 deserves to at least be there as she is the best this week
2. Didi Benami. Oh Didi… I almost got embarrassed when she almost got eliminated awhile ago (although I do not think she was near the bottom two). I put her in my #1 spot last week and she almost got eliminated. Do I really have a jinx? Nevertheless, I think Didi actually sang well. Simon is really getting it wrong this year when he said that she sounded like 3-4 other female contestants (WTF… you picked her, idiot. It’s not her fault that she is singing with the style she is good at). Simon Cowell = 0-4. Didi proved one thing – she has a distinct and awesome voice. Her performance was not as good as Terrified but it was still decent at the very least. It is not pop music for the general audience but it does not mean that it was terrible. By the way, she is starting to look like Brooke White. That’s a plus for me.
Siobhan’s performance this week made her more interesting to watch because she exhibited a different side of her. Nasally as Kara suggested, but her voice actually had a soothing tone. Siobhan’s performance actually has a better rewatchability factor than Lilly Scott’s. I just hope that she is indeed for real.
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