It is going to be a throwdown tonight! Mentored by Beyonce, these kids get some guidance from Sasha Fierce herself!
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1. Scotty McCreery
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“Amazed” by Lonestar – I have to say, I kind of liked this song choice for him. Although the high notes sounded a bit strained, I really enjoyed the simple melody showcasing his voice at the beginning. There were some weird off-tempo backing vocals that overpowered the singing, too. But in Scotty’s defense, sound balance isn’t really his fault.
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2. Lauren Alaina
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“Wild One” by Faith Hill – I liked the idea of this song for her, but she dropped the whole first verse – I couldn’t understand any of it. The chorus was better, but stil fairly unexciting. I can picture her doing songs like this in her inevitable career, but on this idol stage, I am not sure that is enough for top 3.
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3.Haley Reinhart
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“What Is and What Should Never Be” by Led Zeppelin – OMG – Mid song, Haley wiped out! And her Dad played guitar with her! She’s bringing out the big guns. For creative points, Haley wins this round. Was it her best vocal? no. Was this the best song choice for her to make as a recording? prob. not. But she gets points for being fearless in her performance, having a solid rock vocal and changing it up.
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4. Scotty McCreery
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“Kiss Me or Not” by Thompson Square – I’m still not on board with the “Scotty guitar stance.” LOL – he stands the same way every time. It was a good song for him. But nothing outrageously different from what he has done before. In the words of Simon “I’m not jumping out my chair.”
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5. Lauren Alaina
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“If I Die Young” by Perry – I liked her up until the modulation, and it all went to hell after that. The first 2/3 of the song was fantastic, and I loved the soft and sweet part of her voice. But the end she was screaming, off key, and just totally off. Don’t lose focus, Lauren!
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6.Haley Reinhart
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“Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac – I love me some Fleetwood Mac, but I don’t know if this was the right FM song for her. But she had the wind machine and kind of looked like she was in a hair commercial, so there’s a bonus. Her vocals are always spot on. But I guess I wish she would have sung Landslide (not that it was her choice). Perhaps just an all acoustic version would have been better. The tempo change was just weird to me. But FM automatically gets points from me. Iovine gets points from me (OMG I know. What the eff is going on – I agree with Iovine?)
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7. Scotty McCreery
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“She Believes in Me” by Kenny Rodgers – His voice was a little bit strained before, but it was straining in a bad way with this one. The key seemed way too high for him. His voice was waivering and he had pitch problems in the higher notes. But I will vote for Daddy McCreery for his impromptu “Lock Them Doors.”
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8. Lauren Alaina
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+1/2
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“I Hope You Dance” by Le Ann Womack – Nuts of Wonder! Nuts of Wonder! Scotty’s Hollywood performance will forever own this song. But in all seriousness though, this was the most comfortable she was tonight, and I think the pressure was lifted and she could just concentrate on having fun. It was a little generic of a song choice, and the tempo seemed really rushed. But she did what she could.
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9.Haley Reinhart
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“You Oughta Know” – I totally would not have chosen that song for her. The verses are too low, the rhythms are too fast, but that said, she did the absolute best she could with it. She does have a similar yodeling tendancy with her voice like Alanis does, but Alanis songs are hard to cover because they are very stylistically specific. I mean, how do you rearrange that? Again, this song was a bad idea for her. And LOL at the PG lyric edit. But her big voice soared on the chorus.
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Best tonight: Haley and Dad singing Zeppelin. #producerfail for putting that moment so early in the show. But overall I was underwhelmed by this top 3 performance show. Some of the song choices were weird, and some of the performances were just blah. And aside from Haley’s moment with her dad (which was a moment because it was a cool situation moreso than an awesome performance) there was a lack of performance moments, and for a top 3, that is unacceptable.
I honestly don’t know which girl is going to be ousted tomorrow. I think Haley is peaking at just the right time. I can’t see both of them overtaking Scotty, so it will have to be a girl who goes tomorrow.
Tell me what you think of tonight’s performances in the comments!
May 18th, 2011
I spent the entire day preparing to go into mourning over Haley’s inevitable ouster. (ok, fine, I’m being dramatic–maybe just a few hours.) I tried to remain optimistic throughout the show, and when I saw Lauren win one of the gold stools of prosperity, I felt all hope might be lost. Then we had to wait painstakingly through:
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Prerecorded performances with fangirls jumping on the judges’ podium!
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Bad Ford Music Vids!
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Fearing Gaga would fall off the piano bench in those boots!
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Jordin giving a kickass performance of a bad song, but looking hawt doing it!
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Steven’s solo venture vid!
…and finally. After a long wait. And 46 minutes of filler. We find out that Haley is safe. (!!!) Wowzers. At that point, it was pretty obvious that James was headed home (for good) because there was no way that Scotty the Body was getting voted off.
As for the duets tonight, Haley and Lauren obviously win. And they both had moments where they sounded fantastic. The guys duest was just awkward. What was with the little girls? Haley can pull of the country but James is just weird in that format. I think we can guarantee that no one including himself would ever want to hear him sing country again.
Just to dwell a little more on the victory (!!!) of Haley achieving top 3. She is like the little engine that could–she just keeps chugging along. I wonder what type of sabatoge efforts are currently underway to undermine her next week? Perhaps she will get slushied to cross-promote the Glee finale? At any rate, I think there was a bunch of outrage at the judges comments, which coupled with her outstanding and consistent vocal performance, produced a significant rock the vote campaign. Watching Ryan announce Haley had earned a gold stool was not unlike hearing Brian Williams announce Obama had won the 2008 election. (Ok, I’m being dramatic again.) But there was a pretty significant blogosphere grassroots effort to save the growler, and I couldn’t help feeling I contributed with my 200+ text votes.
I think that if the judges would have given equally fantastic feedback to everyone these last few weeks, there would be less outrage and Haley probably would have gotten voted off. So as much crap as she has had to endure during the “judges feedback,” it probably has played a part in her sticking around.
I am also happy for Lauren and hope that she can finally have her idol moment. She will have 3 shots next week. I am looking forward to her steping up her game. If not, she will probably be out next week.
And as for Scotty? It remains to be seen if either of these girls can slay the beast (aka Scotty’s voting block). I’m not sure it can happen. I hope for the sake of my sanity that Scotty has an amazing idol moment, as well, and prove to AI viewers who are not Scotty fans why he deserves to win.
In other words, everyone needs to Bring It next week. Have fun in your private jets, kids!
May 12th, 2011
The big prize – the hometown visit – is at stake this week. They are all headed home, but only three return for next week’s performance.
James almost trips over Lauren’s hoss of a dress on the way out.
This theme week is a double bonus. Phase 1 is Songs that inspire you. Phase 2 is Leiber and Stoller which will be mentored by Lady GaGa (Clearly the most obvious choice for this theme).
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1. James Durbin
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“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey – Finally, James sings a song on pitch! While the song choice was excellent and a very smart, strategic move, the performance itself wasn’t amazing. He just kind of sang it. Fine. Acceptable. But as a song that has been done to shreds in the last few years, it was nothing to write home about.
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2. Haley Reinhart
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“The Earth Song” by Michael Jackson – I don’t think I have ever been more enraged at Randy. I am so frustrated by the inconsistent feedback from the judges. These guys need a rubric! Last week James was told by Randy that his performance was emotionally perfect, and that was enough. This week, Haley was told that she had so much emotion, but that wasn’t enough. I could feel her emotion through my TV screen. I give it to the judges that the song choice wasn’t the best. I get it. She could have picked something that showcased her voice better–something with big money notes. But the more she gets thrown under the bus, the more I want to vote for her.
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3. Scotty McCreery
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+1/2
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“Where Were You When The World Stop Turning” by Alan Jackson – Someone has been taking notes from the Kristy Lee Cook book of patriotic fun! When you go all red white and blue, you usually rock the vote. Like James, Scotty gets points for smart song choice.
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4. Lauren Alaina
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“Do It Anyway” by Martina McBride – Again, it was fine, but I didn’t think it was anything amazing. Round 1 everyone sang ok, and I guess Haley loses for song choice.
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5. Haley Reinhart
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“I Who have Nothing” by Ben E. King – This is Jordin’s song on this stage, but Haley can give it her own spin. And does she. I love the full orchestra, the outfit, and the lighting. The vocal was great, and overall it was pretty amazing. That said, I loved her House of the Rising Sun better. I’m glad that she finally got the props she deserves, though. However, it all feels a little “day late dollar short” from this judging panel.
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6. Scotty McCreery
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+1/2
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“Young Blood” by the Coasters – The thing I noticed in this performance is Scotty appears to be perfecting his stage presence. The vocal was just another Scotty status quo, but I see growth in his performance.
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7. Lauren Alaina
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“Trouble” by Elvis – Is this the song for blonde country girls on L&S night? A vintage Ms. Underwood chose the same ditty, and although Lauren wins for wardrobe, Carrie had a much better performance of this song. After Lauren’s appearance in the bottom 2 last week, she needed to pull out the big guns, and neither of her performances really did it for me tonight.
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8. James Durbin
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+1/2
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“Love Potion #9″ by The Clovers – He gets the props for best stage performance, I will give him that. But he has to be careful because there are always bum notes from him when he gets too excited and jumping around the stage. And he never gets called on this, which bothers me. But I will give him credit for the entertainment factor.
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Best tonight: Haley just edged out a smiley with teeth with her second performance. James’ Love Potion #9 comes in second. Scotty is just Scotty, and I don’t think he stretched himself or took any risks. The same with Lauren, really. I know Scotty will have no troubles this week. And as much as everyone has made it clear that it is Haley’s turn to exit stage left, Lauren is probably in danger, too.
That said, last week was much better overall than this week. Top 5 FTW.
Also, how much did I love GaGa as mentor? Can she make herself available every week?
May 11th, 2011
Another night of results is upon us. I am hoping there is some justice left in the world, and Jacob goes home.
The kids sing “Happy Together.” This group song was just bad. The girls tried to hold it together as much as they could, but the whole thing was a real trainwreck. All I’m saying is that a Haley-Lauren finale would be all sorts of awesome.
The Ford music videos are getting lamer and lamer.
The kids do a stint with the (mean to Stefano’s mom) Gordon Ramsay, where they each had a chance to show off their cooking chops. Lauren wins with the best tasting (and best looking) omlet. Jacob’s “omlet gone wild” is the second best.
Lady Antebellum sings after the break, and they are pretty good.
20 minutes in, and we have no results yet. Just saying…
Finally, some results! James is up first. Jimmy didn’t like his performance last night. And I think someone is getting Huffed! He is asked to start a group on the far side of the stage.
Lauren is up next and Jimmy thinks she will be bottom 2. She is asked to stand on the near side of the stage.
After the break we find out that Lauren and Jacob both hate tofu. I happen to love tofu. And Jen likes to wear shiny pants. I also do not like to wear shiny pants.
It is 8:42 and maybe we will finally get back to the results…nope, a new JLo video. If any results show could have been a half hour, tonight could have been the one. Good god this is a lot of filler!
Will the Huff-ee be Scotty?
Jacob stands with Lauren. Haley is up next and stands with James. That means Scotty is the Huff-ee. He is declared safe. Ryan of course asks him to stand with the safe group. Scotty refuses, and is finally led by Ryan to join James and Haley, who are declared safe. That leaves Jacob and Lauren in the bottom 2. Lauren already sheds a tear.
After the break, Lauren is declared safe and Jacob is sent packing.
Jacob sings A House Is Not a Home, and gives one of his best vocal performances ever (until he is egged on by his fellow castmates at the end and finishes with some signature Lusky Stank for good measure – hahaha).
OUT TONIGHT:
JACOB LUSK
Finally this show has some justice. And for the first time since the top 12, we have gender equality. I had little hope for the women after Pia’s untimely ouster, but these two girlies have held their own. Could they make it to the finale? Could they? I still doubt that, but this is a small victory for female idol contestants of present and future.
Rooting for the girls in 2011! We just got one step closer…
May 5th, 2011
I have high hopes for tonight, despite the theme being half of a bride’s attire. Top 5 week is usually pretty solid, and since Nigel has finally reverted to the days of yore, having each contestant sing twice, my faith has been restored in this show. Almost.
Sheryl Crow gets to be guest judge! I love her so much! I still frequently rock out to her Tuesday Night Music Club album which I have proudly owned since eighth grade. Why hasn’t anyone (except Bowersox in an audition) ever sang her songs on the show? I highly recommend Sheryl Crow song choice for any future auditioners.
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1. James Durbin
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“Closer to the Edge” by 30 Seconds to Mars – Wow, this was just off key nearly the whole song. Per usual with him, the performance was great, but the vocal was just not there. Meh.
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2. Jacob Lusk
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“No Air” by Jordin Sparks – Again with the pitch problems! Most of this was just torture, although the ending was slightly better than the rest of it. What I just don’t understand is J Lo saying things like Jacob’s voice is the best that has ever been on this stage. Seriously? Come on, Jen. And Randy saying that Jacob’s voice is way bigger than Jordin–um, your memory is quite short, dude.
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3. Lauren Alaina
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“Flat on the Floor” by Carrie Underwood – Nice Lauren! finally a performance that was completely on pitch! I loved the energy, I loved the look, and she was just awesome. Fab song choice for her, and a fab performance.
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4. Scotty McCreery
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+1/2
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“Gone” by Montgomery Gentry – Ok, this was such a good performance! As you know, I am not on the Scotty train, but I liked this performance a lot. Perhaps it was because the backup singers gave a nice balance to his twang. But I think I just liked the song (despite never hearing it before).
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5. Haley Reinhart
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+1/2
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Haley – “You and I” by Lady GaGa – Um, thie was pretty much awesome. For the record, the judges are ON CRACK. officially. I swear they conspire throw Haley under the bus during the commercial break. Honestly! I am so mad right now, because her performance, her vocal, and her outfit were all smokin! I guess I will be powervoting for Haley yet again!
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6. James Durbin
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James – “Without You” by Harry Nilsson – Not bad, but there were still some vocal missteps in this one. I get that he was all emotionally connected to the song and all, but that isn’t an excuse to have an imperfect vocal.
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7. Jacob Lusk
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Jacob “Love Hurts” by Nazareth – Well Jacob saying “It Hurts” at the end was fairly telling. Although I didn’t hate this as much as his first performance, it was still mediocre overall. The beginning started ok, while the end just got out of control again. Of course, praise was received from the judges panel, who I’m convinced is not listening to the same show as the broadcast feed. Seriously!
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8. Lauren Alaina
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“Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers – Aw, good job Lauren! This song showed that she has a massive amount of vocal control and solid range. I am grateful that she left her little lacking-in-confidence self back in weeks six and seven, because there was no evidence of that drama, and confident Lauren is way more appealing to me.
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9. Scotty McCreery
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+1/2
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“Always on My Mind” by Elvis Presley – Again, this was a smart song choice for him. Great that he can slow it down and give people a little variety. And I think he is trying to cut back on his antics of weird-mic-holding and eyebrow-raising that drive me nuts.
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10. Haley Reinhart
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“House of the Rising Sun” – Holy CRAP! Awesome Haley–and the judges finally gave her the props she deserves. The acapella intro was brilliant (Thx Sheryl) and the whole thing from beginning to end gave me chills. Awesome. Vote Haley! <– (I have no shame, I know)
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Best tonight: Well there was a whole lot of awesome going on on the stage tonight. None of which was performed by Lusky Stank. I wasn’t overly impressed by James either. But Lauren, Scotty, and Haley were all sorts of awesome. Haley’s pimp sport was well-deserved.
If Jacob doesn’t go home tomorrow I will boycott the show. Well, maybe not, but you know….
Thoughts on tonight’s performances? On the awesome Sheryl Crow? On the Judges and their wonky sense of hearing? Let me know in the comments.
May 4th, 2011
After intros, applause, and a jab at Charlie Sheen, the results show is officially underway. The kids celebrate Wills and Kate (Will you be waking up in the middle of the night? I will, but I will probably find it on youtube, too). None of the Brits know who these idols are.
Carole King medley! So I had a brief vision of a Lauren/Haley final two during the “One Fine Day” portion of the medley. Ha – like when hell freezes over, right? But I can dream. James sounded fantastic – all the other guys were unimpressive.
This Ford music video was the most boring video yet – if it weren’t for the Eames Chair, I would have fallen asleep.
Bow-Er-Sox is back, with a whole new set of teeth! I’m not going to lie – I always found them distracting last season, but it makes all the difference! Kudos to her dentist. And actually, the song was pretty catchy, too.
Haley is up first. She gets pissed at Jimmy Iovine’s comments! Good girl for speaking up. Don’t let him throw you under the bus like that!
Scotty wants to have intimate moments with the audience. But he is sent back to the bench with no results.
Lauren needs to work on not just hearing the negative. She is also sent back to the benches with no results yet.
Casey takes center stage. Says that his growl is because his large passion has to get out a small hole. That is called labor, right? He is also sent back with no results. Ryan, this is just getting dumb.
James gets the same treatment. Jimmy says he needs to pick the right songs (doesn’t everyone?). Ryan declares him SAFE!
Jacob is up and, well, Jimmy says he is in trouble.
Ryan pulls Lauren, Casey, and Scotty back to join Jacob. And Lauren is sent back to safety, leaving Scotty, Casey, and Jacob in danger. I would like to point out, however, that Ryan never said “Bottom 3″. Ryan also confirmed that results were in random order. Nigel wanted to motivate the Scotty base. #conspiracytheory
After the break (and a fake Bruno Mars performance, and another break) Lusky Stank is sent back to safety. Scotty and Casey are sent center stage. An we all know how this will end. Casey finally meets the fate America sent him to 5 weeks ago.
Leaving tonight:
CASEY ABRAMS
And he ends his run with the Best. Singout. Ever. It was a little ADHD, but in a fun way. And he ends with giving his rumored-pseudo GF an eye bonking. Totally the way to end your Idol run, Casey!
But let me ponder this phenomenon for a moment – who the eff is still voting for Jacob? Who are these people? Dude needs to seriously be voted off this show. To tie in all the Fresh Prince references – He ain’t got to go home, but he’s got to get the hell off this stage!
Let me also ponder this…will we get to see these kids each sing twice next week? Back in the day, top 5 sang twice. I would love to see this tradition resumed.
So, are you happy with the results? I would have liked to see Casey hang around until next week and Jacob exiting, like, yesterday. But I knew it was getting to be about his time on this show. I also feel like he never quite lived up to that potential that we saw in Hollywood week, and like others before him (Andrew Garcia, anyone?) that never bodes well. Even after the save, he never took full advantage. But I think he will go on to have a career in music, even if that isn’t necessarily solo performances.
As usual, tell me what you thought in the comments!
April 28th, 2011
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