Real Kato Blog: 2008 February

Well. We've got our top 24 contestants for American Idol Season 7.

Unfortunately, only half of them have received any significant air time on the show. The rest are virtually unknown. It's hard to handicap the contestants without seeing a little more of them.

But with that being said, my early money is on these contestants:

Amanda Overmyer. She's this year's resident rocker. She can belt it out, she's edgy and unique, and she seems genuine. Best comparison to previous contestants: Gina Glocksen from Season 6. Possible weakness: ballads might be tough for her.

Michael Johns. He's ruggedly good-looking, he's got a good voice, and he's got that Australian accent going for him. Best comparison to previous contestants: Ace Young from Season 5. Possible weakness: might have a tendency to choose "safe" songs.

Syesha Mercado. She's pretty, she impressively fought through hoarseness during the Hollywood auditions, and she's got some soul. Best comparison to previous contestants: Nadia Turner from Season 4. Possible weakness: a tendency to sound old-fashioned.

Ramiele Macrowon Malubay. This might be a stretch, since we haven't heard much from her, but tiny and cute goes a long way. Best comparison to previous contestants: Jasmine Trias from Season 3. Possible weakness: it'll seem weird seeing anything but pop songs come from her mouth.

I'll be able to provide a much better evaluation once we get through live performances with all the contestants next week.

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Posted by Ken in: television

Super Bowl Commercials

Tuesday, 2008 February 5 - 10:44 pm

I went back and re-watched all the Super Bowl commercials. I think this year's crop was unspectacular, overall. I don't think the problem is that our standards are too high: I think the problem is that ad-writers have latched onto tired cliché formulas instead of making anything truly edgy and funny. There were some things that were funny, and some that were clever, but none that had the "wow" factor of, say, Apple's 1984 commercial.

Best Ad: Talking Stain from Proctor & Gamble, for Tide to Go. Funny, interesting, different.

Honorable Mentions: Pigeons from Fedex; Stone Circle from Cars.com; Mouse Trap from Frito-Lay (Doritos); It's Mine from Coca Cola.

Peculiar but Interesting: Follow Your Heart from Careerbuilder.com; Talking Baby from eTrade.com.

Pointless and Dull: What Is Love by Pepsi; Fiesta Platter by Taco Bell.

Offensive or Disturbing: Language of Love from Bud Light, for offensive racial stereotyping; Thrillicious from Sobe Vitamin Water, for creepy lizards doing a Michael Jackson dance.

Other ads ranged from decent to forgettable; I liked the Bridgestone ads and the Careerbuilder.com ads, but I was "meh" on a lot of the others.

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Posted by Ken in: television

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