Early stage Over the Rainbow thinkies.

[burntcopper]

2nd week of live show.

preliminary thoughts on who they want and audience manipulation. (this is half the fun of watching the show) Haven't watched the results show yet, but as the voting is done on the first show...

Amy - *clearly* put in for an early exit. Tall glamour model type for Dorothy? Audience will vote her out immediately, no matter how good her voice/acting is. And then you put her in a very cleavage-y short dress with lads mag makeup and hair. Out in the first week, there's a surprise. Still, she got good exposure so will probs be showing up as a Legally Blonde understudy sometime soon...

Emilie - The audience wild card vote. Cannot sing. Gawky, but given decent outfits and popular songs and can dance a bit. ALW revealingly said that his teenage daughter loves her, so that's her audience. Not sure how long they'll keep her in, but doubt they want her for the role.

Sophie - I love this girl to pieces, but they've so far been emphasising the sexy image for her (her natural image is utterly fine for Dorothy) and the song choice this week was iffy. I can't see her as a front runner, and need to see her acting.

Steph - they've been emphasising 'party girl' for her which is... interesting. And got a great song after ending up in the bottom last week, showing off her stage presence and dancing skills. Which makes me think they want to keep her for a good while yet. This year's Ben, maybe? (for those who don't remember ADWD : Ben was given crap songs to make sure he'd end up in the bottom two so ALW could thin the herd, as he'd always wipe the floor with others on musical theatre songs, then a really good song the following week. it was a pretty shitty thing to do to Ben, but really showed him off and he's got a good career out of it.)

Jessica - decent-ish songs, roundly praised by panel, but mugs something chronic and moves like someone's cut her strings. horrible costuming and hair. But she's regularly given centre stage for group, so... scratching head.

Jenny - being praised a lot and nice voice, songs of different types (even though the Pink song last week was horrendous). Hmm. I think she's in there as outside bet if the others don't work out.

Bronte - great voice, cute look, given a good song last week, but an iffy one this week, and horrible outfit and hair. Clearly sabotaged as a threat to the favoured since she went out this week.

Dani - good song choice, good voice, good general look but a bit off. Think she's being put into the category of back-up.

Lauren - gorgeous voice, potato sack dresses but in a good colour, great songs. Look is damn near perfect (dark hair, slight build, pale skin). However, she came off as a bit arrogant this week which put the audience off. I think she's in as back-up, possible emphasis on understudy.

Scouse Stephanie - Great voice. suits the look, given Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile' this week which screams Garland. Cute, sunny, not overly adult dresses, often with an edge of vulnerable in the makeup. VT emphasising her energiser bunny and little kid-likeness in having no idea how to do the laundry (but not to the point of annoying). One of the favourites.

Danielle - decent stage presence, great look, good voice, brilliant song choice, emphasising her teenage nature but professional with it. ('Just a Little Girl' is *so* 'get the audience to think of her as Dorothy') 'Reserved but loud, honest.' And then we come to the audition shows. Where her rendition of Black Velvet was given pride of place in a very unfussy way after a series of speed-throughs, and she was shown to be humble and awed but very articulate. What Lee comparison? I know not of what you speak. You won't win any money on her odds...

Of course, this is early days, but we'll see.

Comments

[alysscarlet.livejournal.com]

Good summary. Personally I don't think Danielle has much stage presence (she's the one I have trouble picturing) but she was praised by the judges. I think Sophie is getting a raw deal all round, although her song this week really did lack spark. Scouse Stephanie comes across as a bit brassy to me, but I think she's a favourite.

For me Lauren is the stand-out one (despite the sack dresses!) but she was definitely presented as cocky this week and received a big slap down by being in the bottom two. I suspect she'll 'learn humility' next week.

Dani I think is a good prospect if she can just pull it all together.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

checked Ladbrokes and they appear to have much the same opinion as me - at this stage I think unless there are major changes they're going to engineer it so it comes down to a fight between Stephanie and Danielle, and employ either Jenny or Lauren as understudies. Was amused by ALW's praising of Bronte but ruthlessly cutting her out when she threatened Lauren.

The major problem with the stage presence thing is that what the judges are seeing could be very different from what the viewers are - tv vs in person. Ben, for instance, has frightening stage presence but you couldn't tell that from tv.

[alysscarlet.livejournal.com]

Good point about the stage presence and TV. But in the end it is the viewers who will decide so they'll have to find someone who has both TV and stage presence.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

Now I think about it, I'm wondering if they deliberately styled Bronte horrendously so ALW could use her to kick one of the weaker contenders out, but it backfired when Lauren came across too arrogant.

[alysscarlet.livejournal.com]

They did style Bronte horrendously, but they also did the same for Danielle.

Your theory could well be correct, but do you think if Charlotte hadn't pointed it out that people would have registered Lauren's arrogance so strongly?

[samphirette.livejournal.com]

First week Bronte wears a nightie, second week she wore badly cut pyjamas ... wasn't a winner for me, along with her facial expressions.

Although I can't for the life of me fathom how Emilie is still there .....

I like Lauren, Jessica, Stephanie