The Many Faces of Hayes

Hayes likes to fool around with the camera, so to keep him occupied at Becca's basketball game last week I started snapping pictures while he was sitting on my lap.  

Here's my little goofball:

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                  

I'd show you the ones he took by himself, but they were either the back of people's heads or straight up my nose.  And no one wants to see that.

Happy Friday!

American Idol - Top 16 - Guys

Lee - Fireflies  I liked it.  Good performance from him.  Good grief with all the "moment" comments.  Everybody has to have a "moment" this week.  How many times did we hear that last night?

Alex - Trouble  Ok it's time for him to just step up and shake off the nerves and get on with it.  He still looks uncomfortable but not like he's going to throw up, so I guess that's progress.  It didn't blow me away, but I thought it was pretty good. 

Tim - Hallelujah  I'm liking the acoustic guitar and I think he did a good job.  I love that Ellen went up to hug him.  Maybe it was his moment. 

Andrew - Genie in a Bottle  Ok, right off the bat I'm thinking this is a weird choice for him and a guitar.  But he killed it with Straight Up, so who knows?  I seriously didn't hate it!  ha!  I kind of liked it.  I think I need to hear it again to say I loved it, but I definitely liked it.

Casey - You'll Think of Me  Good choice for him.  Not his best performance but he sounded great.  He's in it for the long haul.

Aaron - I'm Already There   Yikes, it's starting out rough.  Definitely not as good as last week.  Might have been too big for him.  The end was a lot better than the beginning for sure. 

Todrick -  Somebody To Love  Well, right off I'll just say nothing beats the Glee version of this.  I'm a teeny bit obsessed.  That said, I'm not crazy about this.  I don't know why but there's something I don't like about him.  It was better than anything else I've seen him do though.

Michael - This Woman's Work   Best of the night.  By far. The end. Amen.

I think Alex and Aaron are in trouble.  What did you think?

American Idol - Top 16 - Girls

Let's get right to it. 

Katie - Breakaway  Don't know if this was the right song choice for her or not.  She seemed flat? sharp? something to me.  Not crazy about this.

Siobhan - House of the Rising Sun  Girl's got pipes.  I love that you never know what she'll wear or sing.  Such an original, that girl.

Can you tell they're trying to cram this into an hour show? No video clips and Ryan and Siobhan barely got off the stage before Lacey started singing. 

Lacey - The Story  I really like her voice.  I don't think this will be the best performance of the night, but I liked it a lot.  She seemed relaxed and in her element with this song.

Katelyn - I Feel the Earth Move  Karaoke comments?  Any bets?  Not as good as last week by far but I think the vocals were good.  They should be since she's top 16 and all but I totally agree with the judges.  Too safe and she didn't seem like she was competing.  Bummer.  And I think Simon's restaurant comment counts as karaoke.

Didi - Rhiannon  I SO love her voice. WAY better the Lean on Me last week.  Great song for her.  I loved it.  Loved it.  Love the bag, love the shoes, love everything. (Movie?)

Paige - Smile  This was a little rough.  Shaky and pitchy, right?  Yikes. 

Crystal - Give Me One Reason  HOW does this girl not already have a contract?  I like this better than the original.  Killed it.  And love her earrings. 

Lily - I Fall To Pieces  Seriously just go ahead and put her and Crystal in the finals.  Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.  Straight to the finals. 

Paige and Katie should go.  Maybe Katelyn.  And after that, seeing any of these girls go will be a tragedy.  Ok, maybe tragedy is a little dramatic.  But sad, it will be sad.

Time to get Lost!

American Idol - Top 20

Couldn't watch the guys last night so I decided not to blog.  I watched this afternoon, so here are a few thoughts. 

Loved Michael and Casey (Hayes asked "Is that a boy or a girl?").

Liked Alex, Aaron, Lee, and Kara's dress.

Did NOT like Jermaine calling God his "Homeboy." 

And seriously with Alex and his made-up language? And the TMI about throwing up.  Oh bless.

Jermaine's onesie?  No. Words.

-----------------------------------

Let's just get right to the girls.

Crystal - Long As I Can See The Light - So you'd never know she was sick yesterday.  Somebody sign her NOW.  If I didn't have this laptop on my lap, I'd stand up and clap.  BRAVO.  (Is 'misunderestimate' a word, Simon?  My spell check says No.)

Haeley - The Climb - Good call on a younger song (haha I typed younger smile the first time).  My husband is going off on her short skirt and her mom for letting her wear it.  I tend to agree.  I think the song was kind of rough.  Not good.  Maybe she has a career in making hair accessories?

Lacey - Kiss Me - Way better than last week.  She's working out her nerves.  I like her voice a lot.  Loved. It.

Side note:  The judges (Randy, I'm looking at you.) are driving me crazy with their comments.  Change up the song too much, they get slammed.  Don't change it up enough, they get slammed.  I don't have a solution to that or anything.  It just gets on my nerves.

Katie - Put Your Records On - I think this was a great song choice.  I liked it immensely.  Boo for the judges.

Didi - Lean On Me - Am I the only one who rolled her eyes at this song?  Next week, Friends are Friends Forever.  Song choice aside, I LOVE her voice. 

Dang, Kara is harsh tonight.  She needs to quit sitting beside Simon.  I definitely do not think she was screeching.  Is the sound so different in the studio?

Michelle - With Arms Wide Open - Um, Madonna circa 1984 called and she wants her outfit back.  Not crazy about this.  I liked the song and the way it was arranged but not so much the vocals.  There were some good parts, but mostly I didn't like it as much as others tonight.

Lilly - A Change is Gonna Come - I agree with Ellen, she has IT.  Whatever IT is, Lilly has it.  Awesome, awesome.

Katelyn - The Scientist - A little boring to me, but her vocals are great tonight.  And I love somebody who can play the piano, so points for that.  I liked it mucho much.

Paige - Walk Away - I did not know that Kara wrote that song.  I liked it.  Good performance and she looked like she was having fun.  Hey, Ellen said the same thing!  Randy is so grouchy tonight.  This song has too many words.  The last song was so slow.  I know they are judges and are supposed to critique but he's such a Negative Nelly. 

Siobhan - Think - I keep forgetting how to say her name.  She really is an interesting person, isn't she?  Of COURSE she had a mohawk!  She's screaming a little, but overall I like it.  Ellen's Snuggie comment had me laughing out loud. 

To sum it up: The girls KILLED it.  They redeemed themselves this week. 

Crystal and Siobhan were my favorites.  I think Haeley and Michelle are in trouble.   

American Idol - Top 24 - Guys

The boys are singing tonight.  Hopefully we won't have to worry about any skintight leggings or crocheted sweaters.  You never know though.  I'm blogging from my parents' house so who knows how this will go.  I'm used to it just being me and Daniel in the room.  Maybe I'll include everybody's comments.   Participants include my parents, my brother Clay, his gf Natalie, and Becca.  Hang on. 

Todrick Hall - Since You've Been Gone  Ok seriously what is this arrangement?  I'm not even sure what I think about it.  It's distracting me from the vocals.  I think I'm Switzerland on this one.   Natalie says: "you just never know when you'll need a whistle."

Aaron Kelly - Here Comes Goodbye  Clay says: "Boo."  Natalie says: "That's just because he (Clay) doesn't like Rascal Flatts."  Mom says: "He's a cute kid."  I think it was pretty good.  Becca likes him and Dad just keeps making fun of Randy. 

Jermaine Sellers - Get Here  Not loving this.  Some rough parts.  Ok a lot of rough parts.  Nobody in the room liked it either. 

Tim Urban - Apologize I think this is good.  What a cutie.  Wow, Simon is harsh.  Ok I really didn't think this was as bad as the judges did.  Poor guy.  I think he needs a hug. 

Joe Munoz - You and I Both  Not loving his man scarf.  Natalie says: "He smiles a lot.  That was good."  I thought so too.  For me, for you dawg, good job. 

Tyler Grady - American Woman  Mom says: "Well, I hate that."  ha!  Natalie says: "Simon's going to kill him."  I didn't like it either.  I agree with Ellen, he doesn't have much stage presence.  She basically called him a poser.  To the mall!

Lee Dewyze - Chasing Cars  A little pitchy in places, but I like him.  Clay says: "I wanted to like him."  His voice reminds me of David Cook, so I hope he makes it through.  Simon agrees with me.  So there.

John Park - God Bless the Child  The room didn't like it at all.  Not crazy about the song anyway.  Sorry Shania, not good.

Michael Lynche - This Love  I like this song.  Is he even playing the guitar?  It bugs me when people touch the microphone with their lips.  Do they clean it off before the next person?  Can you even sterilize that?  Anyway, I liked it ok but it didn't blow me away.  Side note:  How long can his wife use the whole you-missed-our-daughter's-birth thing? I'm thinking that's got a lot of mileage on it. 

Alex Lambert - Wonderful World    He looks scared.  Ok, is it just nerves?  That wasn't good.  Uncomfortable is the right word, Simon.  Oh bless him.  I like his voice though. 

FYI, Becca and Dad went to bed and Natalie is asleep in the chair. 

Casey James - Heaven   Ok, isn't Kara married?  I liked the beginning without the band.  Nobody else has done that tonight.  It was good.  I think they are just making him uncomfortable now.  He's going to go far because of his looks alone, but he has a great voice too.  Ryan's joke about Kara's HR meeting cracked me up.

Andrew Garcia - Sugar We're Going Down   Anybody else getting a Danny Gokey vibe?  Seriously the best of the night for me.  Hands down.  I don't know this song, so maybe that's why.  The judges didn't like it but I think vocally it was the best tonight. 

Just realized that I didn't absolutely love any of these guys.  It was kinda rough I thought.  Maybe first night nerves.

My faves for tonight are Casey and Andrew.  And I think maybe Tyler and Jermaine are in trouble.  

Later peeps!

American Idol - Top 24 - Girls

Well, it's American Idol time.  Time for cute little Kris Allen and his Ford driving self to give up the title of YOUR American Idol.

Has anyone really missed Paula?  I haven't.  I think Ellen was a great choice.  She definitely brings the funny.  And I'm finding I don't really miss the crazy. 

It's funny Kara's talking about America knowing this group already.  I don't think I even know any names yet. 

Paige Miles - "It's Alright Now" I'm not loving this.  I didn't like the beginning but it's getting better.  Gorgeous eyes.

I'm loving that car that can record your CD's. 

GLEE!!!

Ashley Rodriguez - "Happy"  There were some good moments and some not so good moments.  Nerves, maybe?  She's such a pretty girl. 

Janell Wheeler - "What About Love"  Not sure she has the voice for this song.  I really liked her song in Hollywood with the guitar, so I hope she stays.  And I so want to put an "e" on the end of her name.  It just looks like it needs an "e".  Not that she cares what I think.  But still.

Lilly Scott - "Fixing a Hole"  I've never heard this song and I had to rewind my DVR twice to figure out the title.  That said, even though I think the song is as weird as the title, she did a good job.  I like her, so original.  I also had to rewind to hear what Simon said at the beginning of his comments.  What?

Katelyn Epperly - "Oh Darlin'"  Girlfriend has some hair.  Wow, that was great!  I liked it.  I think Randy needs a blue watch.

Haeley Vaughn -"I Want To Hold Your Hand" Although shouldn't it be "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"?  Apparently she's a fan of the headband.  I like this arrangement, although she's a little screechy at times. 

Lacey Brown - "Landslide" (aka The Girl They Let Go To Keep Megan Joy Last Season)  Big mistake. Big. Huge. (Name that movie.)  I just didn't like her and she was not very good in concert.     She's kind of all over the place.  Yikes.  I'm not loving that. In trouble. 

Seriously if you're not watching Glee, I have a question for you.  WHY??

Michelle Delamor - "Falling"  With that song, it could have gone bad quickly.  But I thought it was great.  And hey, what's a corporate singer?  Anybody?

Didi Benami - "The Way I Am" Ok, now I do remember her and I liked her singing Terrified.  I remember laughing at Simon liking the song even though Kara wrote it.  Speaking of Megan Joy she kind of sounds like her.  I like Didi's voice WAY better.  Love her.  And a shout out to grandma for making the sweater.

These Old Spice commercials are cracking me up.  "Did you know that I am riding this horse backwards?"  

Siobhan Magnus - "Wicked Game"  She has a great voice.  I might like this better than the original.  Definitely quirky girl.  

Crystal Bowersox - "Hand in My Pocket"  She's kind of in a league of her own, huh?  I really like her.  Aaaand I'm tired of typing. 

Katie Stevens - "Feeling Good"  All I can think of is me at 17 and then I just laugh.  And say bless my heart.  Who has that much confidence at 17?  Whoa.  I agree she needs to BE 17.  

I think Lacey and maybe Janell-no-e are in trouble tonight.   Not sure I'll be blogging tomorrow night since I'll be at my mom's.  But I'm going ahead and calling Casey James as a fan fave.  And by fan I mean girls. :)

Jen. Out.

Oh bless

I looked in Hayes' room to check on him a few minutes ago.  I'd sent both kids to their rooms for some quiet time. 

Here's what I saw:

                  

"I'm sitting in my toy box, Mom." 

You don't say.