Thursday, March 31, 2016

American Idol: Season 15 - Top 3 Perform

Hello American Idol friends!  We're back for our final non-finale week of recapping!  Next week we're getting "treated" (there is a time when I'd say tortured, but it's the last week!) with 3 episodes starting on Tuesday with a retrospective.  Wednesday will be the performances of the final 2 (and I'd assume the elimination of the 3rd).  Then Thursday the all out 2 hour bash of a series finale with tons of cameos of Idol's past.  Should be a good time!  But, we have things to do this week before we get there.  And as per usual, my schedule is hectic so I'll be bringing my thoughts to you in real time!  Here we go:


Recap
Performance 1 - Hometown Songs
  1. MacKenzie Bourg -  "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen - Ahhh memories of Jason Castro!  Perfect song for MacKenzie though.  He did his thing with it.  Like really really good.  I don't really remember Castro's version except that the song saw a huge sales spike after he sang it.  But MacKenzie was amazing!  It'll be a shame if he goes home based on my prediction.  
  2. Dalton Rapattoni - "Calling You" by Blue October - Good performance as always.  Vocal still week.  I know I've heard that song before, but forget if he did the same type of version or mixed it up.  Keith said he "daltonized it" I guess he mixed it up! 
  3. Trent Harmon - "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton (and many others) - When Chris had his big coming out party at the CMA Awards last November, I became a quick fan.  And Chris Stapleton's version of Tennessee Whisky is fabulous.  Trent is pretty much covering it as Chris did, but he still sounds amazing on it.  Hysterical that his family surprised him out there.  
  4. La'Porsha Renae - "Glory" by Common and John Legend - She's still a front runner if she makes it out of any surprise eliminations this week.  Great performance. 


Performance 2 - Scott B's song choices
  1. Dalton - "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen - Okay, so before he started I said, "he's going to do this slow and use his puppy dog eyes."  He did for the first half, then he punked out!  It was pretty good actually.  Still not the greatest vocal, but he certainly commands that stage.  Pretty funny that JLo said she would've been his Courteney Cox.   The judges speak to the way he interpret the lyrics.  It's a really fair point to bring up.  It definitely keeps him relevant in the competition. 
  2. La'Porsha - "Stay With Me" by Lorraine Ellison - There's just not much to say about her performances without repeating myself.  The only thing that has be thinking she may NOT win is because the other 2 are showing growth in the competition, but she's kind of already there.  I didn't pick up on her not feeling the lyrics too much.  
  3. Trent - "Drink You Away" by Justin Timberlake - Justin really won me over at the CMAs last November when he sang this song with Chris Stapleton.  No, seriously.  Timberlake and Chris performed both of Trent's performances tonight back to back at the CMAs.  Surely, they did that intentionally, right??  Nice family song about drinking your ex lover away.  He still rocked it out though and man his voice is crazy good! 
MVP of the night - the guy in Keith Urban's band playing the iPads,


Performance 3 - Judges' Choices

  1. Dalton - "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears - It was okay.  Probably his weakest performance of the night.  And it's performances like this that make me think it's really a 2 person fight at this point.  If it wasn't for his popularity...I'd say this is definitely for his week.  I agree with JLo and Keith that the key was too low.   
  2. La'Porsha - "Hello" by Adele - I don't know. Something seemed a bit off about that one too.  It was fine, but I think I prefer Adele's rendition!  Her commentary about the difference between this song and "Stay With Me" was a nice and humorous touch for her though.  Doesn't hurt that she had her baby during that whole performance.  Maybe the 3rd cutest child in the world.  (I live with the other 2 obviously!)  
  3. Trent - "Waiting Game" by Parson James - Had chills on those high notes! This guy is on a roll the past couple weeks.  He's peaking at the right time. 

Eliminations
Top 4 Elimination
My Bottom 2 (elimination pick in bold): MacKenzie, La'Porsha
Actual Bottom 2: Mackenzie, La'Porsha

Eliminated - MacKenzie Bourg - It was a process of elimination thing.  It was MacKenzie's time but at least he went out with a great performance in round 1!  Farewell MacKenzie! 

Top 3 Elimination Pick:

Dalton Rapattoni - I like the guy, and I'm sure he has a lot of supporters.  This competition is pretty tight between these 3 I have to imagine.  But with La'Porsha's front runner status and the amazing run Trent has been on I just can't see the final 2 going any other way.  Well, I can see it, but I don't think it's going to happen.  We shall see! 

Whew, the tears almost caught up with me with all of this "last time on this stage" business they were discussing tonight.  They move to the big theater next week for the finale, so things are getting real folks.  The end is near!  By Idol blogging days are FINALLY almost over after 11 years of trying to quit!  Even though I've longed for this day, I knew it would be bittersweet.  Well, I'll save my goodbyes for next week.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week! 

7 comments:

Leslie said...

I'm just not a Trent fan. I don't care for his voice or the way he looks when he sings, and I get the feeling sometimes that he feels entitled and has more of an ego. I really like La'Porsha and Dalton's stories and think they feel grateful and humble. NO, Dalton doesn't have the strongest voice, but I would watch him on stage any day over watching Trent! I figure La'Porsha will win, but it would be nice for Dalton to come in second.

Mike V. said...

I really don't feel much towards ANY of the contestants to be honest. But they're all pretty strong at what they do. I really could see any of them winning. But yeah..it seems like it's La'Porsha's to lose. The only thing I'm concerned about is turning around my 2nd half series losing streak with the winner picks! lol

I think I'll have a winning record overall regardless but the whole WGWG debacle really screwed with my head year after a year with my picks! And there is no way Nick Fradiani should have won last year. He was/is horrendous!

I'm looking more forward to the closing ceremonies next week for the entire series and the retrospectives than I am who of these 3 wins! Personally for me, it's a celebration in endurance in both watching the show and writing about it for all of these years!!

Leslie said...

Totally agree on Nick! He was just as difficult to watch as Trent with his weird facial stuff!

I didn't start watching Idol until towards the end of the first season after I started hearing more and more about it, but have watched every season since. I didn't find your Idol blog until I found your LOST blog.......and the rest is history!!

The show has had a good run, but it's time for it to go! Like you, I'm looking forward to the walk down memory lane!

Mike V. said...

Very good point on Nick vs. Trent. But at least Trent has a voice! I was never impressed with nick in any category (vocal, stage presence, demeanor)...he is just a goofy guy.

I was writing about Idol probably before LOST, but I started both blogs at the same time. I had email distributions for both (still have Idol's until the final recap that will go out next week!) It all started with emails for both of them. I was emailing groups of people at work and they got a little too lengthy and maybe not very "professional". Then I discovered blogs and thought it was the perfect outlet for my unending need to spill words out of my keyboard!

I've definitely kept this one under wraps because the crossover between LOST/Idol fans was probably slim and didn't want to ruin my "street cred" lol But the people that did find it appreciated my commitment to this crazy show I think! Though, my interest has wavered a lot since maybe season 6/7 and eventually when the judging carousel started. Something kept me tuning in and needing to recap!


Now...the whole art of TV blogging is dying I think. With binge TV and me not being interested in reality shows I think we're being phased out! I'll keep the TV blog going, but once TWD and GoT are done...I'm not sure I'll be seeking out a new show to recap! :/

And of course, Leslie, I appreciate you coming in and picking up the slack on comments on this blog!! :)

Leslie said...

Happy to! This still has been one of the shows I try to watch the night it airs. This and TWD. And, okay, Dancing with the Stars. Yes, I'll admit it! My TV watching habits have changed since I got married, so I don't watch as many things on the evening they air. Some things we watch together and some I watch on my own time that he could care less about! But, he has enjoyed watching Idol with me. I got him into this one! I don't comment on your Addicts blog as much anymore because I don't watch most of what you guys comment on anymore, but I still check it out for TWD and to see what you guys are discussing!

Anonymous said...

It appears that the judges picked the winner last week and continue to push their choice.. Trent should win, she needs to get a job and the judges need to let both have a fair run. Their comment to him was "you gave her a good run". That pretty much sums up their feelings. The is not over, so why sway the voters.. I hope the viewers vote for the contestant that will definitely have have a career in the industry and be sucessful. It's sad that so much talent in Trent goes by the wayside because the judges have their favorite. I do hope that a record label grabs him. He does have talent. As in previous years the best does not always win. Daughtry is a great example. There have been many great winners and many great non winner that are very successful. Let's hope for the best here. Let the Viewers decide, but now listening to the judges again, they have indicated their choice.. I only hope for a miracle and Trent earns what he deserves. American Idol

Mike V. said...

Final recap is up. You may be biased on one over the other but they were both really good tonight! Sure the judges will push their fave, but I don't really know how much say that has over the voters. Kelly Clarkson tweeted who she's voting for and I'm sure that has more impact than what the judges say! (They were pretty fair in my opinion) I'm happy with either winner.