Oct 28 2007
Tarisai on Toast
….or as my daughter says, “Tarisai straightens her hair while Marty straightens out his act”.
This week’s Australian Idol edition had an Australian song theme, due to the ARIAs.
Firstly, I have to comment on the fact that Marcia did NOT say “dug” once (I must be a web 2.0 devotee, because I have to squelch the instinct to spell dug with 2 “g”s – digg it?).
Matt performed “20 Good Reasons” by Thirsty Merc. He claimed he was nervous and his fingers weren’t working properly. Mark suggested he look up from the piano, so the girls at home could see his eyes; Dicko reckoned he’s working on “one level” and that he should work on a “starter”, a “show stopper” and an “encore”; Marcia thinks he’s an “introverted” performer, but did like his performance and Kyle said something about highs and lows, but I can’t make sense of my notes.
Natalie performed “Boys in Town” by the Divinyls. Wow, I think she absolutely deserved a touchdown from Mark. Very energetic performance and I loved that she stood up on the piano! Natalie gets wild and rocks it up.
(ok so the bitchy side in me says if last week’s dress made her butt look big, why would leggings be an improvement? And hello – those earrings – big enough to be hula hoops for a skinny chick?)
Marcia said she was an outstanding entertainer; Kyle said that he’d heard “one session with Mark Holden will change your life forever”; and as if we knew it wasn’t coming – a TOUCHDOWN from Mark, with a “yowser, yowser, yowser”.
Marty performed “These Days” by Powderfinger, and reluctantly I have to say that I didn’t hate it. However, it just sounded the same as pretty much every other Marty performance.
Marcia said it was “emotive”; Kyle “nearly had a tear”; Dicko reckons he’s an “Idle Australian”, not an “Australian Idol”, but that it was “beautiful, pure and simple” (isn’t that a non-stick spray? Well I still hope it works and Marty doesn’t stick). Not sure what Mark said, but I think it was positive – hey he was coaching the contestants this week.
Tarisai – hmmm, what is going on here? Apparently she’s been hauled over the coals this week on talk back radio for being “fake”. Tarisai performed a song by the Veronicas (I think, don’t know the name), and I wasn’t impressed. Even Marcia was speechless – she didn’t even “dig it”!
Kyle was perhaps the kindest saying that he sees the “real you”, that she has to get used to the fact that people aren’t going to like her, that she is a “nutter” and she should be who she is and not use a persona. Mark announced “to me – fake” which Tarisai claimed was not fair. Then Dicko added insult to injury saying she was like an “angry Bratz doll” and “fake” and that Tarisai doesn’t listen to the judges, but just says “thank you” (though, at the end of the show, doesn’t he completely contradict this?).
OUCH! I have a sneaky suspicion that Tarisai Vushe may be going this week….
Carl performed “Reminiscing” by the Little River Band”. Awwww. I enjoyed it. Mark suggested he keep working on his vocals and in a “Mossopism” (tautology) declared him an “entertaining entertainer” – is there any other kind? Dicko enjoyed claiming if he booked a concert he’d have “women turning up in droves”, Marcia liked his use of the stage, and Kyle declared Carl as one of his favourite artists of the year.
So that’s it for this week. IF I were the betting type, and given Marty’s track record, I’m going out on a limb and stating that Marty will be safe for another week, and that Tarisai will be out.
Although I’m wondering, given there’s only five left, if they’ll still have a bottom three?
15 Responses to “Tarisai on Toast”
Kin – LOL – 8 minutes, what took you so long (or 4 hours, what took me so long)?
It’s so different on the “little screen”. I usually listen again on Monday (didn’t know they were up already).
I have to say that I tend to agree with you, I think it might well be down to Matt and Carl at the end.
I think Matt’s getting a bit nervous as the numbers are dwindling (though I don’t think it showed in his performance) – I think being in the bottom 3 really rattled him. The kid is only 16, so it’s not surprising that the voting aspect can get overwhelming. I think if he just had to “perform” minus the “competition” he’d be absolutely cool.
I know what you mean about the guys at the pub.
Actually I watched the first (Silverchair?) performance on the ARIAs and thought, “you know he’s (as in Marty) probably no worse than a lot of guys who are making a living out of it”, just when you compare to what’s on offer on Idol, it doesn’t seem to make the grade. I think a lot of luck (and mixing) goes in to making an “star act”.
CB – I’ve been an advocate of Tarisai all along – and I don’t think she’s “fake” either. Perhaps a little unsure how to handle the whole situation. I just don’t think the last couple of weeks have done her any favours. As you know, I’d be equally happy to see Marty go – I just have this sneaky suspicion…
Oh I’ve been waiting for your post LOL.
I missed the first 3, but caught them on the website just before.
I’d be willing to be Tarisai will go. Of the 5 performances the only ones I really liked were Matt and Carl’s. The first time I thought Tarisai’s was good, but on repeat viewing it didn’t hold up. Matt was a little flat I thought, and I didn’t believe Natalie (see what happens when I actually watch the show?)
I agree with the judges opinon of Carl – he’s more than a singer, he’s a musician and entertainer. Which is why I think he and Matt will be the final 2. They’re both talented in their own ways, musicians and entertainers. I don’t get Natalie, Marty is no better than the guys that sing at my local pub (I mean they’re good, but not Idol good) and Tarisai I think lost herself tonight…
I just can’t bring myself to predict Tarasai out – though you could be right.
I don’t think she’s fake – I just think she really is that annoying!
At least she’s entertaining to watch unlike Agro… Marty has to go.
I think they’ll still have a bottom three..
And I would put Marty, Tarisai and Matt in it.
Natalie was pretty smoking, and I still think Carl is awesome.
I think Tarisai is gawn! Which is rather unfair, I think, because people will be voting on the spectacle, rather than what’s going on with her voice and performance.
But, that said, she was a bit weak last night.
On the whole, it was a weakish night. But I really liked Carl. He’s a big suprise
I thought Tarisai was awful singing that song. I think, you’re right, she’ll go. Still wasn’t excited by Marty but he was much better than in other weeks.
All I can say is GO CARL!!!!
Looks like Carl IS the older woman’s choice 😀
*ahem*
I am very much the spring chicken……;) and I still like Carl
So is Alyndabear AND Tiffany, I just mean “older” than the teeny-boppers (sure to be Matt fans, even if he didn’t sing to them last night)!
Ah, understood!
p.s Isn’t it sad that once you hit 20-odd nowadays that automatically puts you in the ‘older’ category!?!
Hey Meg,
Lucy again.
Okay, yes, Tarisai is SO fake!! She needs to go!!! (More than Marty does!!) Didn’t mine him this week.
Was Matt going to cry??
Top 3, definitely Matt, Carl and Natalie
Hi Lucy! Matt did look a little upset. Kyle was certainly in touch with his “sensitive” side in picking up on it!
[…] I’m taking a bit of a leaf out of Meg’s book with my own Australian Idol review (although mine has a better […]
The thing is that every single one of them messed up. Nice of you to quote what the judges said, but the judges were masquerading what the singers actually did. They were nowhere near as critical as they should have been.
Matt – totally messed up his song, fingers on the wrong notes, singing off key, didn’t go high enough, deep enough, out of tune, and he said that he expected to be knocked out. Was the worst performance he’s ever done on Idol, and the worst of the 5 that performed.
Natalie – the only one that didn’t mess up, monotone Natalie who produced yet another Walt Disney song for us all to hear. Her walking slowly up steps on to the piano was a classic falseness. I am simply amazed that the judges don’t notice her fakeness. She should be singing Veronicas, not Divinyls. Touchdown is just a joke for such a weak performance. But then again technically the best performance of the night.
Marty – messed up his song almost as badly as Matt did, but wait he had an excuse – it was “emotional” for him. Ah, so that’s why he couldn’t get up high when he was supposed to, or down low when he was supposed to, and missed a few words. Good lying there Marty. He should be applauded for lying at the right times at least. He probably thought that Matt was going to go too.
Tarisai – what was she doing with that hair? And what on earth is she doing singing Veronicas? That’s so beneath her talents its not funny. Technically very correct, and for the first time ever the whole song was sang at the same tempo, she was giving her all for the first time ever. But it just wasn’t a good song. It wasn’t her and you could tell. Nonetheless, she’d finally listened to the judges and done everything they asked. Such a pity that not a single judge actually commented on her actual performance. It was a very good base for her to improve in future weeks. Finally getting over that little problem that she had had for so long.
Carl – he claimed to have a sore throat, which was what prevented him from getting as high as he needed to or as low as he needed to. Slightly better than Matt and Marty, but very monotone, as is his trademark. As with Marty, he came up with a fake excuse for why he messed up so badly.
On merit, the order was:
1. Natalie
2. Tarisai
3. Carl
4. Marty
5. Matt
But what was with the judges? Praising people for messing up? Sure it was ARIAS night, and they had the nerves, and only having one song, and such a small timeslot, but they all really messed up, every last one of them. Natalie messed up the least, but hers was hardly perfect.
Its one thing to casually mention some fake tag that comes up in the media, but what was Kyle doing going on about it so much? And then that comment from Mark was just stupid. And then Dicko “putting the boot in” had no place. Where was the talk about the actual song? Not one of them commented on her hair, which was a massive change. Not one of them talked about the actual song. For the amount of effort that she put in, someone should have said something about the song.
But if you saw the buzz going around, so many people were behind Tarisai that it shouldn’t have mattered. It was the buzz going around, you either loved her or you hated her. But she had more people love her than anyone else, and on Idol you get voted on not voted off, so she was bound to get in, in first place for the week at least, destined to finish runner up overall if it kept up.
But then she was still voted off.
I can’t believe that she was voted off. I think that they did something with the counting. My count had her winning last week, not coming 5th. Based on the responses from people around the country.
Or are they compensating for the Hillsong rigging of the competition perhaps?
Not to mention that she was easily the best singer in the comp. But hey nobody seems to care about that side of things. Its only whether they have improved and what they are like.
Yeah if you watch the show.
Thats why an elimination show is stupid for a singing comp. It should just be one off see who sings best, and that’s it. Or perhaps hear a few songs and that’s it. All that we learn from lots of songs is who can backstab who and who the judges like to destroy more than the others.
This was worked out and it was methodical and this just put in to question the whole validity of the show.
Hi Adrian
Thanks for stopping by with your very thorough review. In my (unqualified) opinion, Tarisai is very talented, but she’s been going a bit downhill for the last few weeks.
At lot of what people objected to was the whole package, which included her personality. Noticeable idiosyncrasies tend to cause a strong reaction, which is what happened to Tarisai. She lost a lot of support over the last few weeks, not so much because of her performance, but because of her interaction with the judges. It’s fickle, but that’s the entertainment industry.
I agree that the commentary of the judges had nothing to do with her performance and as such was not particularly constructive.
I didn’t do a “count” but the murmurs I heard were that it was time for Tarisai to go – more so than Marty.
I really dismiss the whole “Hillsong” connection – either to the fact that those contestants were still there, or that they have subsequently been eliminated, but hey, you never know…
At the end of the day, who is the best judge of “talent”? We all have our different measures, likes and dislikes. What makes one artist more popular than another? Quite often it has very little to do with talent, and a lot to do with personality, performance and packaging.