Real Kato Blog: American Idol, Week 1: The Guys

12 guys sing on the first live-voting show of the season. It's not a terribly good start for the group.

Rudy: 7/10.
Comes out with good energy, but he's got a nasal voice and it's kind of corny. Randy says it's corny. Paula is encouraging. Simon says it's not unique, and it's dated.

Brandon: 6/10.
It's a little bit boring. And it's affected: he's doing all these embellishments that aren't helping. Randy says he did too much. Paula says the same. Simon says it's good, but safe.

Sundance: 4/10.
I had high hopes for him, but ugh, this was very pitchy and awkward. He moves in a strange way; why did he wear that cumbersome outfit? Randy says it's pitchy. Paula says it's the wrong song. Simon says he seems like "dad at a wedding".

Paul: 2/10.
It's very pitchy, and he's got poor breath control. His boy-band movements are irritating. Randy says it's pitchy but he has potential. Paula says he oversang it. Simon says he's ordinary, and that he should put his shoes on.

Chris R: 6/10.
He's got a nasal voice. And he's a little weird. I'm not sure being compared to Justin Timberlake is really a good thing. It's energetic, but the bouncing is irritating. Randy liked it. Paula liked it. Simon likes him, but says his voice sounded small.

Nick: 4/10.
It starts rough and doesn't really get better. It's pitchy, and it's boring. Randy says it's boring. Paula says it wasn't "magic". Simon says it wasn't that bad, but that Nick seemed nervous, like he "lost his spark".

Blake: 9/10.
It's a good start, and an interesting song. There are a few missed notes and sometimes it seems karaoke-ish. He's definitely got some charisma, but he seems to be holding back. Randy liked it. Paula says it's cool and contemporary. Simon says it's the best so far, and the only performance that seems like it belongs in 2007.

Sanjaya: 6/10.
He's clearly nervous, and his voice is flat and nasal. He sings "I don't wanna bore you", but the song is pretty dang boring. Randy says it's a bad song choice. Paula says he needs more force. Simon says it's boring.

Chris S: 7/10.
He's one of my favorites just because of his humor, but this wasn't the best I've seen from him. It's an interesting song, but he looks weird (too much light?), his movements are odd, and sometimes he sounds shouty. Randy says he was ahead of the beat. Paula says the same, but "so what". Simon says it was like a weird student gig.

Jared: 2/10.
It's pitchy and all over the place. I cringed through the whole thing. Randy says it was good except for the ending. Paula wants to hear something more uptempo. Simon says it was nasal and unadventurous.

A.J.: 7/10.
It's an interesting song and a good performance, but he's playing too safe. Randy liked it. Paula liked it. Simon says it's good but not great, like a theme park performance.

Phil: 8/10.
It starts a little weak, but gets better. It's not terribly original, but good. Randy says that aside from the start, it was the best of the night. Paula says the same. Simon says it was just OK.

Standings:
Blake: 9.0
Phil: 8.0
A.J.: 7.0
Chris S: 7.0
Rudy: 7.0
Sanjaya: 6.0
Chris R: 6.0
Brandon: 6.0
Sundance: 4.0
Nick: 4.0
Jared: 2.0
Paul: 2.0

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