Wednesday, March 30, 2011

American Idol Season 10 - Top 11 Perform (Again)

"Hey Kids!!  Shake it loose together, the spotlight's hitting something that's been known to change the weather.  We'll kill the fatted calf tonight so stick around!"  Welcome to "ELTON JOHN night*" American Idol fans.  And what a night it was.  You really can't go wrong with Elton's "electric music" rocking us all night long.  I think it has been quite some time since the last Elton themed night (season 3 I believe).  I remember Billy Joel night in season 2 and remember being so depressed that THAT crop of contestants were butchering Billy's tunes.  (ugh Josh Gracin, I'll never forgive you for your rendition of "Piano Man")   Anyway, being a singing pianist myself, it was nice to see the piano on stage all night, complete with iPad Sheet Music!  I need to get me some of that!  And for the most part, the contestants continued to impress.  Yes, there were some flubs from a couple of the predictable ones.  And one surprise performance from someone I wished would just go away.  But we'll get to all of that in the recap.  But for now, 2 weeks straight I'm glad I'm back doing this writing gig! 2 go home Thursday night! Let's get on with it.

*Disclaimer: Lyrics by Bernie Taupin on "Elton John Night"   Oh...and this show was brought to you by Coca Cola, NOT Pepsi Mr. Durbin and your Michael Jackson reference!   Don't you forget who is paying for your flaming piano!  (no pun intended, being Elton John night and all) 

The Recap

  1. Scotty McCreary - "Country Comfort" - Well, I've said it before.  I think eventually the country may turn on Scotty.  But, I don't think this week will be the week.  But, I think I am going to have to start the criticism this week.  First of all he's showing his age if he thinks he has to pick a song with the word "Country" in it to make it Country.  Lauren, same age, proved you don't have to do that.  As Jimmy said, most of Elton's music is easy to countrify.  Country music tells stories.  Elton tells stories.  It's perfect.  Anyways...Scotty was fine and his shout out to his grandma in the pre-recorded clip and the live performance sealed the deal for him this week.  His singing was good if a little bit sub-par.  The final low note was off but it won't matter.  Just judging my my wife's reaction, she still loves the guy and he can do no wrong.  I'm going to guess that much of the SOUTH will feel the same way and will keep dialing, texting and Facebooking Scotty to the Top 9.  I still like the guy too, but he needs to step up his game a little if he wants to compete.  There's only so much cushion left before the people will start to turn! 
  2. Naima Adedapo - "I'm Still Standing" - Speaking of that cushion!  UGH, how awful was this? Complete with fake reggae accent?  WHO DOES THAT?  Let's start with the fact that I have absolutely no interest in Naima succeeding on this show.  Let's continue with the fact that she goes out of our way for us to dislike her even more!  The song was ridiculous.  The reggae-ising of one of the tune just didn't work.  And when watching the recap at the end of the show, I just laughed my way through her clips.  BOTTOM 3 and if I have my way she'll be gone.   
  3. Paul McDonald - "Rocket Man" - "Y'all Ready?" and then we were.  You have to love Paul's demeanor while performing.  This is his bread and butter.  Keep things toned down and just play and sing with that unique and soft voice.  It was a beautiful performance.  He definitely didn't reach for the all important high notes in "Rocket Man" though.  TIMELESS FLIGHT.  You gotta go for that.  Even I can hit that Paul!  I think Paul said he couldn't hit them TODAY so maybe his voice wasn't up to snuff tonight.  But he found ways to work around it.  I'm not going to say Paul stood out as much as later performers but I enjoyed his performance and hope that he outlasts some of the consistent under-performers!  And you gotta love that crazy suit!  Definitely fitting for Elton night. 
  4. Pia Toscano - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - So, I've gotten this far into this season's Idol blogging and have yet to tell the story of my wife and I auditioning for the American Idol experience in Disney last December.  When I made it through the first round, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down" was one of the songs I choosed to sing for Audition #2.  (Bohemian Rhapsody being the other one)  The guy told me I was good but they filled their "Rock Guy" quota for the day.  Never saw myself as a ROCKER, but whatever!  My wife made it to the performance though!  That southern country charm wins them over every time.  She was great!  Anyways, to PIA.

    She actually had the same arrangement of the song that I auditioned with so I found that comical.  But WOA....PIA is still amazing.  No one holds a candle to her in the vocal department.  I mean CRAZY CRAZY good.  Yes yes, robotic, too many ballads, shmallads.  She's awesome guys.  Don't kid yourselves.  I will argue until the day she is booted off the show that there is someone who won American Idol with good looks, an amazing voice and many many people talking about her robotical performances.  Do you know who that is?  Only the biggest selling Idol artist (self-proclaimed by Simon Cowell) to come out of the show.  Miss Carrie Underwood.  There is something to be said about seeing these "undiscovered talents" get groomed through the Idol process and even go on to get even more polished.   I think Pia came out of her shell even more this week and promised a more upbeat song next week.  Let's give her the benefit of the doubt.  With a voice that amazing, she isn't going anywhere any time soon.   And it is definitely hers to lose.  And I'm not counting that possibility out. 
  5. Stefano Langone - "Tiny Dancer" - Yes yes Phoebe the TONY DANZA song!  "Hold me close young Tony Danza"   Ironically, and the Mrs pointed this out to me, Stefano sure does look like a young Tony Danza!  Anyway, I'll admit that I got distracted during Stefano's performance and was talking about Tony Danza too much trying to figure out who really WAS the boss?!  But from what I heard I thought he sounded really good.  Seemed like he took Jimmy Iovine's advice to heart and connected with the audience and felt his inner Elton come out (seriously, no pun intended).  I don't think he was the greatest performer of the night but he was good.  Good enough after being in the bottom 3 last week?  I hope so, because there were 2 that were dreadful!   
  6. Lauren Alaina - "Candle in the Wind" - Yes, Mr. Seacrest, Candle in the Wind IS the biggest selling single ever, but not the version Lauren sang.  It's the version that was performed at Princess Di's funeral.  But that didn't change the fact that Lauren really came into her own tonight.  The song was perfect for her and she just knocked it out of the park.  Beautifully sung ballad and showed her true star power.  Enough power to win it all?  We may have thought so all those weeks ago.  I guess there's an outside chance it could happen, but I'm not going to declare that right now.  She needs to string together a few more hits like this.  A few more head turners.  But, I'm definitely past being disgusted with her because of Nigel's tweets promoting her as the next greatest thing.  She is very good and I liked deciding that on my own.  And we must discuss the dress for a second.  The Skirt Cape that she had on was hysterical, but not nearly as funny as Steven Tyler's best line yet on the live shows.  If she keeps singing as good as this she'll be able to "afford the rest of that dress."   CLASSIC! 
  7. James Durbin - "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" - Okay, let's get ONE Glambert comparison out of the way.  When he said "I love putting on make-up" I immediately thought of Adam Lambert telling the world that he loves to play "dress up" and wanting to gag myself!  But I can not say one bad thing about Mr. Durbin's performance tonight.  OUTSTANDING is the word that comes to mind.  The song requires a lot of pizazz and a lot of rocking.  He started off up in the rafters, came down to the stage for the start of the chorus and then did a tour around the orchestra seats all to end up on top of the piano and cueing the piano to light on FIRE!  Pure entertainment, all the while staying in tune and singing fabulously.  This guy is an entertainer and that goes a long way.  Amazing how annoying he was before the live performances and how he as grown on at least me.  Definitely a front runner to stay in this competition for the long haul as well.  BRAVO James. 
  8. Thia Megia - "Daniel" - The minute I heard Thia was doing this I could see those red tail lights leaving L.A.   Don't get me wrong (I'm saying that a lot aren't I?), "Daniel" is one of my favorite Elton John songs and I love singing and playing it on the piano.  But having 15 year old Thia sing it I just knew what we were in for.  And hey, isn't the song about LOSING SOMEONE from the Earthly realm?  Not losing someone who has flown across the country?  I can understand that Thia took the song at face value because she could identify with her brother skipping town.  But yikes, talk about making the song a little less impactful!  Okay, my bad, it's about a blind Vietnam War Vet.  But still!  Here's the difference between doing ballads every week and blowing everyone away vs. doing ballads every week and putting the audience to sleep.  And what was up with that arrangement?   Those crazy drums?  I'm sure they were thinking "Okay band, Thia is not going to help us at all and we need to pep this song up!!!"  I promised I would never use this expression but #EpicFail!!!  It might be time to WAVE GOODBYE Thia just like we could see Daniel doing. 
  9. Casey Abrams - "Your Song" - New Beard, New Look, New Outlook on life.  Casey finally got to business on this one.  Man, I love Elton John's music.  "Your Song" is such an awesome song and Casey really really nailed it.  I felt every word of what he was singing.  You could tell he was really focused on giving a fantastic performance and he did it.  Just enough CRAZY Casey in there with some screamy notes (all in good pitch) but most of the song soft with some nice runs and great emotion.  Perfect Casey performance.  He should be in no danger this week. 
  10. Jacob Lusk - "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" - It's starting to happen, at least for me.  I'm getting worn out on Jacob, folks!  I just couldn't digest it tonight.  It's all starting to sound the same every week.  And let me be the first to say that he really can't pull off the untied bow-tie look.  It just looked like a sloppy half-dressed clown or something.  Sure, the judges praised it.  Sure, he sounded great with the great big voice again.  But UGH, I don't know.  I can't really explain it more than I have.  Just redundant.  He needs to try something different.  But hey, great job meeting Mary J. Blige, I guess.
  11. Haley Reinhart - "Bennie and the Jets" - Ugh, once I heard she was going last I knew we were in for a good performance from her.  Who knew "Bennie" would end up being the absolute perfect song for her style?  She really was great and it pains me to say it.  The growling fit the song and her high raspy notes fit it great too.  Can she possibly turn me into a Haley fan?  It's just one performance folks, it would take a lot more than that!  But, I sure do like an underdog story!  What would be more of an underdog story than turning a complete hater into her biggest fan?  It would be amazing, but I don't see it happening just yet.  

The Pick
So there it is.  Pretty good show!  I have no idea who all 3 of the bottom 3 will be but know with 99% certainty who 2 of them will be.  So let's figure it out. 

Completely Safe: Pia, Lauren, Casey, James, Haley
Completely Unsafe: Thia, Naima
Most Likely Safe: Scotty
I hope is safe: Paul
Who did I leave out?: Jacob and Stefano

Bottom 3: Thia Megia, Naima Adedapo, Stefano Langone  Wildcard: Paul McDonald

Elimination Picks: Naima and Thia - America, please save us from these 2 ever hurting our ears again!  Let Naima know she should stop standing and let's watch Thia wave goodbye!

I just don't see how else this could go down.  I guess there could be a shocker and Paul and Stefano may go home, but really.   If there is any justice in the world it would be the 2 I picked.  I feel like usually after a shocking elimination show things are a little less surprising the next week.   So, it seems like things should go our way! 

Prepare your Fast Forward buttons for Thursday night's show folks.  In keeping true with the Elton John Week theme, they're bringing in Fantasia and Will.i.am.

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Did you piece that together?   Yep, me either.  Makes absolutely no sense.  And what is up with their love for the Black Eyed Peas dude?  2 results shows?  SERIOUSLY!?   And Craptasia?  When will they learn that she is just no good!?   Anyway, that's all I have for tonight folks.  As always we'll see if I have time for a results show recap or else tune into the comments here for my reactions.   Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you when I see you!  

Check Out My New Blog!


I've been recapping any and all TV over at the TV Addicts Blog (www.tvaddictsblog.com).  Mainly The EventFringe and The Walking Dead.  Occasionally, I'll comment on other shows I'm watching.  I'm already looking ahead to some other returning shows this spring as well as some potentially big shows in Fall 2011.  Keep tuning in and join the discussions!   
  • The Event has returned and airs on Mondays 9pm EST on NBC.   
  • Fringe airs on Fridays 9pm EST on FOX (returns April 15th).  The show has been renewed for a 4th season so it's time to catch up on what you're missing! 

14 comments:

Ian said...

Argh. I had a long comment typed up and then it got erased. I'll do my best to recreate it.

First up, my weekly anti-Casey rant: Everyone's raving about how "great" Casey's performance was. The judges are patting themselves on the back because of how "correct" their decision to save him was. His pre-performance video package contained some "funny" comments about how he thinks he could be a model. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here hating him more every time I see him. This week was more of the same old thing. So what if he didn't growl? The tone of his voice is still grating to my ears. I'm sick of having this guy force-fed to me and being told that he's some once-in-a-lifetime talent. I want him gone as soon as possible, but you know he's going to make the Top 5 at least, and he'll be held up as an example of how "necessary" the judges' save is. Oh, how sickening.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the contestants who earned their spot on this week's show.

Scotty was great, and still my favorite. I agree that he'll probably lose some appeal if he doesn't eventually succeed at stepping out of his comfort zone, but there's no denying he excels at country music. As long as he's in the competition I have someone to root for. Go Scotty!

Naima was awful. I thought the arrangement was interesting and had the potential to be good, but her vocals were terrible. I'm totally with you on the fake Jamaican accent too. It just came across as pretending and not being herself. She's probably going home.

I'm starting to like Paul more and more. I thought Steven made a good comment when he said that his not hitting every note was what made him great. I agree. When I hear Paul I don't need perfect pitch, I just need good expression.

Haley was interesting, but overall I thought she deserved a thumbs-down. Acting sexy to "Bennie and the Jets"? Does that make any thematic sense? She did some good stuff with her voice, but she was way overpraised for a performance that had so many flaws.

I like Pia, and she proves every week that she has the best technical chops, but Randy's right: She needs to change things up. She'll never win if she continues to be predictable.

I think right now James is the favorite to win. It sounds strange saying that, as it's still early, but I think he has the right combination of vocal talent, performance skills and likability to take the title. Even though his voice underwhelms me frequently (like this week and on "I'll Be There For You") he owns the stage every time he performs, and that goes a long way on a televised competition. Taylor Hicks understood that, and look how he did.

Believe it or not, I didn't think Thia was that bad. I agree though, that she didn't stand out at all, and it'll probably hurt her. I won't be surprised if she's eliminated.

Lauren, Stefano and Jacob are all talented, but nothing they do particularly excites me. I prefer any of them over that dag-nabbed Casey Abrams though. If one of them gets eliminated, the only thing I'll be sad about is that the obnoxious Seth Rogen lookalike lives to sing another day.

spin doc said...

I am so glad they saved Casey, he's got some raw talent

Mike V. said...

@Spin Doc - I agree. As much as I hate the save, I think he did really well last night.

@Ian - Sorry to hear you lost your post. Something I've learned over the years with blogger comments, always copy everything you typed so if it messes up you can paste it right back in! Of course, I sometimes forget to do this too.

I think the Casey thing just boils down to personal taste. I had made up my mind on Casey's performance before the judges started patting themselves on the back. Yes, they have blown this whole save out of proportion making it into one of Idol's greatest moments. I really don't feel that it was, but whatever. I'm glad Casey is still there and that I thought the image revision and his rendition of "Your Song" were great. I don't think he's going to win, but I'd much rather have him here than Naima and Thia. I'd normally say Haley too but she may have redeemed herself for one week lol

I really wasn't referring to Scotty stepping out of his comfort zone. He should always do country, that's what he was born to do. I just think song selection will be important for him and I just feel that his age is going to start showing. (and already has) And, of course, his performances are cute and sweet and whatever but they're pretty plain. He has charmed America with the southern accent, the aw shucks "hi Grandma" attitude, and that low low voice. But he really doesn't have a lot of range beyond that. I still am in his corner and still like him for all of the reasons I just mentioned. But I just think when the contestant field starts narrowing down, people are going to have to take a long hard look at him and ask themselves if this guy is REALLY the next American Idol. Just my opinion.

No reason to repeat my dislike for Naima! lol

Steven did make some good comments with Paul. Telling him to sing on pitch and on melody is telling him to be someone he's not. Which is why I think, in the end, this competition is probably not the right stage for him. But I still like him!

Eh...I disagree with Haley too, obviously. Like it or hate it, that's who Haley is...jazzy/bluesy/attempting to sexify music lol I thought it worked just fine.

I agree that Pia needs to start picking up the pace with her tunes, but she clearly is aware of that too.

I can't disagree with your opinion on James. Right now he has a lot of momentum.

Thia, ouch...couldn't even stomach that performance but I'm glad someone could lol

I agree about Stefano and Jacob, but I think Lauren has a little extra something that people might be latching onto. I don't think she'll win, but she should be around for a bit.

(BTW...glad i copied and pasted this because i would have lost it too! lol)

Nicole said...

I almost always lose my posts on my first attempt... so copying is second nature to me now.

I don't have much to add. I think Casey was the best of the night. Your Song is so beautiful, and he gave it his own interpretation without disturbing the integrity of the song. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Paul. He castrated the amazing melody too much for my taste. I still loved his look, sound, performance style like I always do... but I didn't like his stylistic decisions with the arrangement. I sure hope he doesn't go home, though!

I LOVED Pia this week, and this is the first time I'm saying that. Maybe because Celine and Whitney songs suck (SCHMALTZY!) and Elton John actually knows how to write ballads and love songs. It was great to hear her amazing voice singing an amazing song.

You are burnt out on Jacob, I am burnt out on Scotty. I can't imagine I'll have much to say about him any more. He's always the same, always pretty good, but that leaves me totally bored.

I really liked Haley this week too, but not as much as the judges did. She sounded fabulous. But I agree with Ian on one point... Benny & the Jets is not a song about sex! Seriously, is that girl going to bring out a stripper pole in her next performance? We could set that on fire, too, maybe.

My husband really liked Naima's performance. I sort of liked it. I thought it was entertaining and I like reggae. But it's just not good enough to keep her around.

I liked Durbin, but not loved. He didn't SOUND that great. But I loved the performance. I will make an Adam comparison there --- it always seemed like Adam had access to more stage set-up than the other contestants. They all just stood there and sang, Adam put on a SHOW with cool effects. Same with Durbin. But, Durbin's voice just isn't anything like Adam's.

Nothing to say about anything else, totally forgettable to me. Yes, including Lauren and Jacob. I don't understand the Lauren love. She is so 2-dimensional to me in every performance.

Oh, and BTW, this is my second post attempt :)

Mike V. said...

@Nicole
Yeah, clearly blogger needs to fix something with their comments sections! lol

Yeah, I hope Paul lives to fight another day. It wasn't his best, wasn't his worst but I still enjoy listening to him.

For Pia - Yeah, I saw a big difference between THIS ballad vs. the other ballads too. I'll always choose Elton over Celine/Whitney any day of the week!

Per the Scotty thing - Yep, that's what I feel is going to happen to Scotty. People are just going to get tired of what he's doing and will get upset that he's outlasting others. I wouldn't go as far to say I'm tired of him yet, but just starting to comment on it is signs that it won't be far from now.

Oh I totally agree that Bennie and the Jets isn't supposed to be SEXY. Unless you go with the Wayne's World interpretation of the lyrics "She's got electric boobs!" lol

Hey there is nothing wrong with liking reggae music. I love it too. Well, I should clarify. I love Bob Marley's Greatest Hits LOL That's about as far into reggae as I get. But what Naima did just seemed very fake and I don't think it will appeal to the masses.

I will agree that Durbin's voice is not as good as Adam's. But I can tolerate Durbin "a little" more than I could tolerate Adam. ooh...those consistent high note shrills. I still shudder at the thought. Yes, Durbin does it too, but I think he is conscious enough to not OVERUSE it throughout the performance. Adam was all "hey guys, look what I can do!? And I can do it again and again and again and again and aGAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!!!!! WAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! (that was my written impression of his screeching. get it? lol)

Lauren - Hey, I'm not gonna argue with the haters. I used to be an eye roller on Lauren too. She has just grown on me over the weeks so I enjoy to see what she's going to do next. And she's a good singer, but definitely not good enough to win. The younger people in the competition rarely are. I still can only think of Jordin Sparks who was 16 and actually deserved to win.

LoRo said...

I always enjoy your comments about the shows and find myself almost always agreeing with you. First of all, I was a little worried about Elton John night...does anyone remember John Stevens singing Crocodile Rock? God awful! I was overall pleasantly surprised by the performances.

Scotty was a lot better than I imagined that he would be. Thank God he avoided the Stevens misstep and chose a more appropriate song. I agree that Scotty's country charm will eventually ware off, and America will end up hating him, much like Josh Gracin.

I thought Naima had a standout performance for the night. Unfortunately it stood out for all of the wrong reasons. I don't enjoy when someone all of the sudden has a Jamaican accent.

I like Paul, but let's be honest, he has no chance of winning. I'm afraid based off his placement on last night's show, and his lackluster performance, will earn him a spot in the bottom 3 tonight.

I still can't get on the Pia train. There's no way she's going home tonight, but I still am bored by her. She's good every time, but all of her performances are the same for me.

I also am not a huge James fan. Yeah his performance was pretty entertaining I suppose, but he's way too much like Adam Lambert. America's already seen Adam and guess what? Adam didn't win. I don't think that James is as good as Adam but unfortunately for me, he will probably be around for awhile.

Favorites: Lauren, Casey, Jacob

Bottom three: Naima, Thia, Paul

Mike V. said...

@LoRo - Thanks for the props! I totally remember Jon/John Stevens and his awful Elton rendition. Season 2 and season 3's Billy/Elton nights were not memorable in the least!

Ironically, Josh Gracin went on to have a hit country single, but as far as his IDOL run goes...yeah the country probably tired of him or he just wasn't as popular as Clay/Ruben/Kimberly Locke. Scotty will also have a nice fat recording contract to go to in Nashville also, so he will not lose by any means. But he definitely should not win Idol.

EXACTLY on Naima! You can't just FAKE a Jamaican accent to make it reggae! She could have done a reggae version without all of those antics. It just made her come off ridiculous, in my opinion.

Agreed, Paul has a shot at the bottom 3. And I would hope no one has delusions that he might win the whole show! lol But I think many, like us, like the dude as well. I just hope since 2 go home tonight that he won't be leaving in place of Naima or Thia.

A very common argument against Pia, but I still stand by my previous statements. Her voice is unmatched by anyone in the competition. If she goes anytime before the final 3, I'll be shocked. Probably even shocked if she didn't make the finals 2. Wouldn't be shocked (at this point) if someone beat her there though.

Adam didn't win for other reasons than his vocal abilities. Let's be honest. Not all of AMERICA is equal in their opinions on certain lifestyles. Much like democrats, I'm sure Adam was very popular in urban areas but was probably reviled in more rural areas of the country. Without getting into some UN-PC territory, that's about all I'll say. James is Adam minus the "Jazz Hands". And I'd say he only has 75% of Adam's vocal ability. It also should be said that Kris Allen was a heart throb for teens everywhere and from the south. There were lots of TEXTERS out there waiting to crown Kris with Idol. It has been a common issue the past few years with Cook, Kris and Lee winning. Although, I'd say Cook's was well deserved.

We'll see how things go tonight!!

Ian said...

Naima's fake Jamaican accent reminded me of people who sing with a twang to sound "country."

You know, LoRo, if you think James is an inferior version of Adam and Adam didn't win, just remember that some people thought David Cook was an inferior version of Chris Daughtry, yet Cook was the one who won the whole thing. There were other factors too, like Cook having less of an ego, but obviously there are no two identical contestants on this show. Still, I stand by my statement that James is the current frontrunner.

Mike, I think Pia ends up going home before the Final 3. LaToya London, who Pia keeps drawing comparisons to, went home in 4th Place, and don't forget Melinda Doolittle going home in 3rd Place either.

Mike V. said...

Ian I brought this up the last time you mentioned those 2.

Pia - good singers, very attractive

Latoya, Melinda - good singers

I know it's shallow but it IS America! :-) I still prefer the Carrie underwood comparison which no one can comprehend because they can't separate Carrie the star from Carrie the idol contestant.

Mike V. said...

Okay, didn't feel like that results show warranted a separate post so here are my quick thoughts!

It feels good to be right!!!! Not just for my own ego, but because we finally have rid ourselves of the "talents" of Naima and Thia. I think Naima was a lost cause with her whole "I'm going to show you all my culture and my roots" strategy. I think if Thia waited a few years to audition she might have won the whole thing. But, at this stage in life, she just didn't have the life experience to bring it on stage. So FAREWELL! I won't miss either of you!

It was sad to see Paul make that bottom 3, but I had my sneaky suspicions (even picking him as my wild card for the bottom 3). I almost got scared that he'd go instead of N or T, but I'm glad he didn't!

The dividing up of the Idols for mini-performances was hit and miss. I'm sure they were looking for a way to feature the Durbin Band without shunning the rest of the contestants out of a performance. Here are my grades:

Scotty and Lauren - "I Told You So" - They did a fantastic job. Carrie Underwood redid Randy Travis's song for her 2nd album and then they later recorded it as a duet and was even featured on an Idol results show. My only argument was that they could have done more harmony, but they did nail the last note in harmony. It was cute and sweet for the 2 young-ens to sing it and they sounded great. B+

Naima and Jacob - "Solid as a Rock" - Oh dear God!! What on earth did our eyes and ears witness there!? They were moving and grooving like it was a reject 80's wedding at the Apollo theater. All they were missing were some COSBY Sweaters. This was AWFUL! The fake smiles and dancing just made it worse. And they both sounded out of tune the whole time. F

Pia, Haley, Thia - "Teenage Dream" - Well, it was nice to see Pia move around to a quicker song! And it was hysterical that both Pia and Haley got part of the verse and Thia could barely be heard for the entire song. It wasn't AMAZING, but it wasn't horrible either. B-

James, Casey, Stefano, Paul - "Medley ending with Band on the Run" - They sounded like what they were...a garage band just jamming. Of course, they had the ACTUAL Idol band backing them up. You could tell that the main guitar intro of "Band on the Run" wasn't any of them playing. But it was still fun to see them perform together and I thought the chorus sounded great. I don't think Steven was actually serious when he said they could open for Aerosmith. But, I guess if the band had 2 opening acts, maybe they'd put them on for a song! lol B

Mike V. said...

And then there was Jamie Fox and Will.i.am and their song for RIO. All I want to know is that they want do Dance. Wait a minute, or did they want to Samba? Naaa, I think it was Dance. No...maybe Samba? Dance? Samba? Dance? Samba? And then the syncronized swimmers and the birdseye view and the marching band drum corps. WHAT ON EARTH WAS GOING ON!?!?! WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ELTON JOHN!? I get that RIO is coming out soon and they need to promote it so whatever. But I also think Will.i.am is getting way too much Idol screen time as of late.

Fantasia - boy did she blow up didn't she? And I don't mean in success and riches! Hey, I'm just saying what we were all thinking! She looks awful!! And, maybe she sang great I dunno. I couldn't stomach it so I fast forwarded. At one point my tivo paused on the most hysterical facial expression and my wife was going to take a picture, but I got it off the screen as quickly as possible. now THAT may have warranted a separate blog post just for the picture! I've never been a huge fan of hers outside of hoping she'd beat Diana DeGarmo in season 3 (because no one is THAT desperate for a non-Fantasia idol winner). So, I had no interest in seeing her on my TV again. Yet every year she seems to be back for one of these results shows. Come on people! Shell out the big bucks and get Kelly and Carrie back!

So that's it. I think the next few people on the chopping block are probably Stefano and Paul. I'd say Haley, but she had a bit of a resurgence this week. It can quickly go away though. I'd even throw Jacob into that list as a possibility. But any of these contestants can have a bad night and it could cost them. We'll see what happens when we return next week!

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always, let's keep the discussion going!

Ian said...

"Cosby sweaters." That's awesome. I agree that Scotty and Lauren's duet was the best one. In fact, I'd say it was the only one I really enjoyed. Jacob and Naima sounded awful, and the others were just forgettable.

It probably doesn't look good for Idol that the first four finalists eliminated were all minority women (Ashthon, Karen, Naima, Thia). Of course, Casey should have gone home, but they insisted on using that worthless save on him.

Mike V. said...

Agreed Ian, Scotty and Lauren were really the only memorable one. And appreciate the props on the Cosby joke. I'm glad COMMUNITY reminded me of Cosby sweaters this season. (awesome show btw)

I hear you on the minority eliminations, and I'm sure people will cry foul. But, besides the past few years, the show had a good mix of winners and/or contenders from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Maybe it's Idol's fault for only letting so many get to the LIVE shows and WHICH ONES get to the LIVE shows. But, after that it ulimately relies on the contestant to deliver the goods and for America to vote for them. And America isn't going to vote for them if they don't like what they're seeing. Ashton, Karen and Naima all played to their stereotypes in cringeworthy fashion, so it doesn't surprise me that they were booted. Thia, well she was just too young. Like I said, she probably could have won it if she waited. Just my opinions though of course.

Man, you really have it out for Casey this year. Ah well..it will make things interesting! lol

Joe Clarkson said...

I could not agree with you more about Paul and his performance. His demeanor and the huge smile he always has on his face is infectious! I think that gives him such an advantage, because the American falls in love with who he is as a person.

Paul reminds me of the Jason Mraz, a talented musician who America has flocked to because of his great aura! I was disappointed that he fell into the bottom three, but I know that a strong performance will put him right back on track!