Thursday, March 29, 2012

Top 9 Results

Welcome back. Tonight we will learn the fate of one contestant. We will know if they are 9th place or if they are the lucky recipient of The Judge's Save. Last night was a pretty solid night. Even weaker performers(Heejun and Deandre) weren't that bad. So I can definitely see the Judge's saving any of these 9 contestants, which is scary when there are so many talented competitors. We shall see what happens. We picked Heejun, Deandre and Hollie as Bottom 3, with Deandre going home. As always, let's get to it:

Interactive Ford Music Video
To make things more "interesting", the Ford people have put some special  icon in the music video and if people can spot it they can win something. So I guess the hope that people were rushing out buying Fords for the music video alone weren't quite accurate. Now we get a game to go along with these videos. Awesome.

Move to Hollywood Hills
We see the Top 9 move into their  new home,  a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Not too shabby. The contestants drive up(in their Ford of course)to a huuuuge mansion. It's like they live in their own apartment building. The house has an elevator, a pool, a pool table, crazy big rooms, and a movie theater, just to name a few things.

Results #1
Elise, Phillip and Hollie
Elise:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Did herself and American Idol a lot of good. Her hair, clothes, vocal ability all came together. She has the opportunity to have several great weeks in a row. She was a dark horse, but not anymore, she's coming on strong.

Phillip:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Stevie Nicks believes in this guy, and he has the potential to be a big big star. Flawless last night. 

Hollie:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Did a beautiful job, but lacks experience. Technically she's right but emotionally behind the pack. Jessica has the edge when compared to one another. She has the pieces but needs to fill in the blanks.

Safe or Not? 
Hollie is Bottom 3
Phillip is Safe
Elise is Safe

Nicki Minaj Performs
Not gonna lie, Nicki Minaj's new song "Starships" is easily one of my favorite songs of 2012. I love the whole performance.That dress was crazy. Let's just say that it accentuated a certain area in a crazy way. Jumping up and down was a little dangerous, but she pulled it off. It was a lot of singing to her pre-record, and just moving around a lot on stage, but honestly, I don't care. I love the song.

Results #2
Colton, Heejun, Joshua

Colton:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Colton was good, but not good enough. Didn't have enough poise to control the crying at the end. He didn't hit all the points that he needed to.

Joshua:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Has so much talent, but only delivered 85% last night, he lost it at the end so he didn't win the night. During his trio medley he killed that because he was so relaxed. 

Heejun:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Great to see him comeback. I don't think he sings as well as the other 8 at this point in the show. 

Safe or Not?
Colton is Safe
Joshua is Safe
Heejun is Bottom 3 


Scotty McCreery Performs
As I always say, it's nice when former Idols come back to the show. I may have rooted for others more than Scotty *cough*Haley*cough, but it doesn't take away that he was the most consistent performer last year and did deserve the win. He's had a lot of success in such a short amount of time. He sounds great, it's a fun performance. 

Results #3
Skylar, Jessica, Deandre
Skylar:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Always gives something that is exciting. Picked a character song, rather than melody. Needs more song with melody rather than just bits and pieces of it. Was great during the trio.

Deandre:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Not going crazy, but not disliking him either. There's still something missing. Needs more experience. Falsetto is beautiful. If people don't buy into him he'll be in trouble.

Jessica:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
At 16 it sounds like she has been doing it for years. People doing it for 20 years have trouble doing things that she does with her voice. Encourages voters to buy into this girl.

Safe or Not?
Jessica is Safe
Skylar is Bottom 3
Deandre is Safe

 

First To Safety?
Skylar is Safe
Hollie is Bottom 2
Heejun is Bottom 2
 

Safe/Possibly Going Home?
Hollie is Safe
Heejun is Lowest Vote Getter 

 
Does Heejun Get Saved?
No. Heejun does not get saved. I'm a little shocked but not floored. After getting a standing ovation yesterday, he doesn't get the save. There's still too many talented contestants on this show, is what I'll guess is the explanation behind not using the Save.



Final Thoughts:
*I am actually going to give the judge's some credit. They aren't basing their judge's save decision on last night, but on the course of the season, and who is left to use it on. There are still so many talented voices, and with Skylar in Bottom 3, and Hollie in the Bottom 2 this week, they might need the judges to help them sooner rather than later. So it seems that thus far, the judges have learned from their huge mistake last year, when they gave the save to someone who wasn't going to the win the show(Casey),and then lost someone that possibly could win the show(Pia), the following week.

*I liked Heejun but I completely agree with what Jimmy Iovine said. He said that it's a numbers game and the other 8 voices in this competition are stronger than his at this point. Heejun was a fun character, but you can't compare him to front runners like Jessica, Phillip and Colton. Again, just like Erika last week, Heejun gets to go on tour so that's a pretty nice parting gift.

Well that's it. It was a different night then what I expected, but this time in a good way. As always we have posted our favorite performance from last night. Hope you enjoy. Next week is 80s week, and given that only 2 of the remaining contestants were even born in the 80s it should be interesting. Until next time, see ya!



Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Top 9 Perform: Songs From Their Idols


Welcome back. Hope everyone had a great week. Well we are down to the Final 9. This week the Top 9 perform songs from their own personal Idols. This is a pretty wide open category, unlike the first few weeks which kind of pigeonholed the contestants. This week's mentor is Stevie Nicks. Should be interesting to hear her thoughts on some of these contestants. Last week was a down week for Joshua, Hollie and Skylar so we'll see if they can rebound and if Deandre and Heejun can survive another week after some pretty bad performances. All those questions will be answered soon enough, so let's get to it:

Solo Performances #1:
Colton Dixon(Everything-Lifehouse)
Stevie Nicks tells Colton to never cut his hair off and he agrees.This guy really knows his voice and genre at this point. This song sounded like he wrote it for himself. There were a few pitchy moments, but he sang it just as consistently as he has been since the competition began. He gets pretty emotional by the end of the song, it all really hits him I guess.
Steven=A dream come true for an Idol judge. Sing a song like it should be sung. Perfect pitch and star quality.
Jennifer=So emotional and moved by the performance. Just hearing the song, nothing crazy. Done beautifully and controlled.
Randy=Has complete believability. Feels his heart and passion. Doesn't hide anything, he puts it all out there.
Grade=A-

Skylar Laine(Gun Powder and Lead-Miranda Lambert)
Stevie Nicks really helps Skylar with the melodies, even singing with her at one point. I haven't seen Skylar as enthusiastic and having as much fun since the Top 24. She always sounds pretty good, but tonight she had attitude and drive and seems like she was having fun. It was a much more dynamic performance than the last few weeks for sure.
Jennifer=Unbridled energy. Perfect song choice. Won over the crowd for sure.
Steven=Over the top. Sounded like she was singing to an old friend. Beautiful.
Randy=Loved it. Great performer with great range. Powerhouse singer.
Grade=B+

Trio Performance #1

Colton, Elise & Phillip
They are paying tribute to Fleetwood Mac. Colton starts off singing "Landslide" with the other 2 being a bit more than background singers. Elise then goes and starts singing "Edge of Seventeen". Phillip then goes and sings "Don't Stop". I guess it was cool. Their voices were really cool. Not sure if I understand these performances, other than filling time, but they did a great job with what they did.

Solo Performances #2

Heejun Han(A Song For You-Donny Hathaway)
So last week Heejun went nuts and ran around the stage, took off his clothes. This week he just stands at a mic and sings his ballad. Although I'd prefer this Heejun over last week's, he is starting to be confusing. I don't really know who he wants to be. His voice is much more in tune, but in all honesty this performance was a little too boring for me. He has to find a better middle ground between last week and this if he wants to stay in this competition for awhile. He might have saved himself another week with this performance. The judges give him a standing ovation.
Steven=Turned it around.Made the song alive like no one else can. Keep it up.
Jennifer=He's here because he can sing this way. Most beautiful bravado. When you let go and connect you move people.
Randy=Wasn't perfect, but has that beautiful tone that finally came out. Welcome back.
Grade=B 

Hollie Cavanagh(Jesus Take The Wheel-Carrie Underwood)
Stevie Nicks wants her heart to come out of her. Stevie Nicks actually starts to get emotional and tears up during Hollie's rehearsal. I enjoyed this performance. I can see this kind of song and tone be in Hollie's future. She also gets pretty emotional at the end of the song.
Randy=Did a really good job. Wasn't perfect in her lower range. Impressed, pretty good job.
Jennifer=One of her best performances. Connected to the song and put all the emotion into it.
Steven=Felt the emotion but didn't like the song choice that much. Just okay.
Grade=B

Deandre Brackensick(Sometimes I Cry-Eric Benet)
Stevie Nicks tells Deandre to slow the song down so it'll sit better for his voice and allow a better connection. This is definitely more in Deandre's wheelhouse than Billy Joel was last week. He is able to use his falsetto all over the place. Not sure if people will connect to this performance. It was solid, not gonna say it wasn't. But it could be perceived as kinda boring in some places. Much better than last week. The judges give him a standing ovation, and I'm not sure if I agree with this one. It was good, but not standing ovation good.
Steven=100% passion. That was what your voice is made to do. Gave Prince a run for his money.
Jennifer=One of the most special voices in the competition. People vote for Deandre! Need to hear this voice some more.
Randy=Happy to see him comeback to his R&B roots. He is back!
Grade=B-

Jessica Sanchez(Sweet Dreams(Beautiful Nightmare)-Beyonce)
Stevie Nicks loves that Jessica slowed the song down to more of a ballad than a fast tempo song. And after listening to this, I totally agree. I don't know if I understand the stage with all of the doors, I'm sure it's a metaphor, but it went over my head. Either way, I loved that the slowed down aspect of the song, and relatively soft instruments, allowed us to really focus on her voice. This is also dangerous, because you could hear a few pitchy moments, but she overpowered that and made the song her own. Really wonderful job.
Jennifer=Really great rendition of the song. Loved that she left us wanting more. Beyonce should do this version in her next concert.
Steven=Great performance, beautiful dress, a star no matter what. Did it again tonight. Really knows her notes.
Randy=Stars are born. Even at her young age she just innately has this wonderful talent. Loved the resolve into changing the song into a ballad. Unbelievable. She's in it to win it.
Grade=A-

Trio Performance #2

Joshua, Deandre and Heejun
They are singing a medley of Michael Jackson songs. They start off singing "Lady in My Life" and then go into "Rock With You" and finish it up with "P.Y.T(Pretty Young Thing)". They made it more of a group performance than 3 individual performances, so more cohesive than the first group. I guess. Since these performances really don't mean anything, I don't really think it matters who was better or worse.

Solo Performances #3

 Phillip Phillips(Still Rainin-Johnny Lang)
Stevie Nicks tells Phillip that he thinks that he would have been asked to join Fleetwood Mac if he was around back in the day. If you like Phillip then this was the performance for you because he did his thing. It's getting hard to decipher a difference from week to week. I can't tell if he's improving or staying the same. But he seemed pretty pumped for this performance. The judges give Phillip a standing ovation. What is going on?
Jennifer=Let's the music speak for itself. Makes everything other than the song go away. Amazing performance.
Steven=Every song he owns. Thinks there is even more to come out.
Randy=Happy to hear him sing this song. Love every-time he comes out and his individuality.
Grade=B+

Joshua Ledet(Without You-Mariah Carey)
Jimmy and Stevie thinks that this is one of the most challenging songs ever. Stevie wants the performance to look effortless because if it doesn't look right or sound right then he is a goner. He definitely seems more into the performance this week than the lackluster performance he gave last week. The beginning was a little boring not gonna lie, but when it hit that chorus he just blew it out the box. He also gets emotional and a standing ovation from the judges.
Randy=Mariah would be proud. Love you, the voice. Flawless. Was emotional and helped there be a connection.
Steven=Pushed himself beyond the limits. Got caught all up on it.
Jennifer=A Phenom. Angel from Heaven. That voice is God sent,
Grade=B+

Trio Performance #3

Hollie, Skylar and Jessica

The three girls are singing songs from Madonna. Jessica starts off by singing "Like a Prayer" and Hollie and Skylar join in. They then transition into "Borderline" and finish up with "Express Yourself". I liked this girl group. All 3 of them are powerhouses so it was a cool combination of voices.

Solo Performances #3 

Elise Testone(Whole Lotta Love-Led Zepplin)
Stevie Nicks tells Elise not to change a thing. Then Stevie Nicks end up singing "Dreams" with Elise. That's pretty freakin' cool. Stevie Nicks says she felt a kindred spirit with Elise. The first thing I am going to say about this performance was that Elise looks great. She carries that microphone around like she is playing with her band at a gig. Didn't think her voice could go as hard rock as this, but it does and it's awesome. It just is. She plays on the stage and seems so comfortable. Last week was her break out week and this week she is building on that momentum. She kills it. And that end part was so fierce. When the audience thought she was done but she had so much more to go. Killed it. Standing Ovation NUMBER 5! This one was so deserved.
Steven=Wasn't sure she could pull it off but did. 
Jennifer=Elise made her get up for another standing ovation. Real rock star stuff. Crazy.
Elise=One of the hardest songs to sing, and that was an amazing job.
Grade=A

Predictions:

Bottom 3
Hollie
Deandre
Heejun

Going Home(If Not Saved)
Deandre. It's a tough one because they didn't give him any bad critique. I am just thinking about his relatlblity factor and if people thought it was boring.

Final Thoughts

 *Solid night tonight. No crazy bad performances, but several really great ones. Elise, Jessica, Joshua, to name a few.

*Other than being a time filler, what was the point of the trio performances? Honestly, I know FOX is short on 30 minute TV shows, but these performances shows really should only be 90 minutes not 2 hours, and the Results shows should be 30 minutes not 60 minutes. I guess I kinda liked the trio performances, but just don't understand what I'm supposed to do with it. Is it supposed to sway me to vote for someone more? Or not vote for someone? Whatever I guess.

*Um, 5 standing ovations? Really? I get the Joshua Ledet and Elise Testone standing ovation, but by standing up 5 times it definitely loses its value. The standing ovation should be used only on rare occasion when that performance is beyond unbelievable. They should stand only when the performance was unique and special. Standing up 5 times proves that the person wasn't unique. The specialness and value of the standing ovation is gone.

*Me thinks the Judge's Save will be used this week. Just a hunch. But there were a ton of really good performances and the "weaker" performers and performances weren't that bad. Last week's Bottom 3 participants, Deandre and Heejun, both got relatively undeserved standing ovations from the judges, proving that the judges are back on their side. So I feel that if either of them is the one to go home that they will be saved. If they were voted home last week I don't think they would have saved them, this week is different. I think any of the other contestants would get the Judge's Save anyway. So that's my guess. Judge's Save is getting used tomorrow.


Well that's it. Come back tomorrow after the show to check out our thoughts and feedback on the show and the newly eliminated contestant or if the Judge's Save was used. As always please vote for your favorite and least favorite performance of the week. Until next time, see ya!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Top 10 Results

Welcome back. Tonight we will learn which contestant will be sent home, as long as the Judge's Save is not used. I can see the Save being only used on Jessica, Phillip, Hollie, Colton and Joshua. I think any of the other 5 would be sent home right away. It's another 1 hour show tonight, and it seems that because FOX has no other half hour shows, that for the entire season every results show will be 1 hour. So that means tons of filler time, tons of Ryan Seacrest "Fake Outs", and tons of performances that they call live but are in fact pre-taped. Last night we predicted, Heejun, Deandre and Hollie in Bottom 3, with Heejun going home. Let's see what happens:

Top 10 Perform:
The 10 contestants sing Billy Joel's "Longest Time". This is actually one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. Casey Abrams sighting in the audience, he kinda looked like a woodsman. I was wondering what he's been up to. I actually liked this performance.  I must be losing it. But it was actually quite enjoyable. Usually this many voices, and personalities don't work, but it did this time.

Ford Music Video:
The Top 10 is playing Hide and Seek in this brand new video. Good stuff. Makes me want to be a brand new Ford for sure.

Results Part 1:
Hollie, Skylar and Elise
Hollie:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Thought she would have trouble interpreting the song, and she did. By far her worst night in the competition. Looked beautiful, and has a great track record with the audience, so she should stay.

Skylar:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Wasn't her best performance. Has to get more creative to win this thing. Stalling out a little, too good for that. Needs to grow.

Elise:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Something transformed in her. He got goosies. Elise goes straight to the top of the heap this week.

Safe or Not?
Hollie is Safe
Skylar is Safe
Elise is Safe


Lana Del Ray Performs:
This "Live" performance was actually taped after last week's results show. For those who don't pay attention, you can tell these are pre-taped when Ryan isn't near the stage, the contestants aren't on stage, and the camera doesn't pan to the judges. Those are some tips if you are looking to see if the performance is taped or not. The performance was fine though. I'm not her biggest fan, but she's different, so that's a good thing I guess.

Happy Birthday Suprise for Steven Tyler
As a suprise for Steven, Joe Perry, Steven's long time Aerosmith bandmate, comes out a plays "Happy Birthday" on guitar while the Top 10 sing to him. Very cool.

Results Part 2:
Deandre, Joshua and Jessica
Deandre:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Tried to have a good time, but he was frolicking too much. Needs to know these songs. Not his best night and it will really hurt him.


Joshua:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Didn't understand the song, over-sung it at times. Needs to grow to win this thing. He needs to figure his stuff to go further.


Jessica:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Did a great job, took a simple song and expanded it. Totally behind last night's performance. A's across the board. 

Safe or Not?
Jessica is Safe
Joshua is Safe
Deandre is Bottom 3


Haley Reinhardt Performs
Singing "Live", Haley is back. There's no denying or hiding it, Haley was my favorite last year. She's debuting her brand new single "Free". They put her in this enlarged bird cage thing, but her voice is still stellar. She still has that little growl, but you can hear her voice has really matured since last year. Really nice job.


Results Part 3
Erika, Heejun, Phillip and Colton
Colton:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Billy Joel said that Colton did a great job and he did. Everything was right. Colton might be that third horse to win this thing next to Jessica and Phillip.

Phillip:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
In this competition take all the advice you can get.  The Beatles had a stylist so should Phillip.


Erika:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Bold and brave to cut her hair like that. Erika's singing was at the top of the batch.


Heejun:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Thought Heejun disrespected the process. Was like 4 minutes of a bad Adam Sandler movie. He was out of breath. The winner gets a large contract, and the record company isn't giving it to something like that.

Safe or Not?
Colton is Safe
Erika is Bottom 3
Phillip is Safe
Heejun is Bottom 3


First To Safety? :

Deandre is Safe


Bottom 2/Who Might Go Home?

Heejun is Safe
 Erika is Bottom Vote Getter

 

Is The Judge's Save Used?
No. Erika is Going Home. This is incredibly unfortunate. I liked Erika a lot. I don't think she was going to win, but she deserved another week, especially over Deandre and Heejun.


Final Thoughts?:

*So the audience has had two opportunities to get rid of contestants and they have chosen both times to get rid of a female. If we remember the judges eliminated Jeremy during Top 13, so we'll never know if Elise was the lowest vote getter. We've known for years now that the voting audience is primarily teen girls, and they obviously didn't connect to Erika, since she was in Bottom 3 every week, and wasn't chosen initially for Top 10. The people voting obviously would rather have funny boys(Heejun), or cute boys(Deandre) rather than someone with some more talent.

*Heejun makes a mockery of the competition and stays, Erika gets a new style, changes up her hair, puts her heart into the show, but then gets kicked off. This is just wrong. The way the voting is done needs to change. There needs to be a limit of how many votes per person or computer. Unlimited voting ensures that a certain gender(male) and age(young) will win. There's no playing around anymore, something needs to be done, the show is already a shell of its former self, but now it's just getting unwatchable. If it were up to the judges like the first week, and it was down to Erika and Heejun there's no doubt in my mind that Heejun would be gone.

*I know nothing can be done now about the voting process, but all I can say is that those judges better hold on to that save because those remaining girls are in trouble. Hollie, Skylar, Elise and Jessica are at a disadvantage every week when compared to those guys. They have to almost do 2 times as good as every one guy has to do just to balance out. The judges need to ensure that the save is used at a proper time because any of these girls are in danger, despite if they have a great performance or not.

As always our favorite performance is located below. Please check it out. Come on back here next week for Top 9 week. Hope you all have a great week. Until next time, see ya!























Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Top 10 Perform: Billy Joel Night


Welcome Back. After a relatively quiet week on the Idol front we are back to see how the Top 10 perform songs from Billy Joel. Given that the average age of these contestants is around 20, I'm sure we'll learn tonight that at least a few of them have easily never heard of Billy Joel. It's kinda like a few years ago when they first had Beatles week, and many of the younger contestants either didn't know who The Beatles were, or couldn't name one song. And for that they needed to be locked in a room and only listen to them for hours and hours. There are certain people or bands that aspiring singers and songwriters need to know, and The Beatles and Billy Joel are two of them. Billy Joel is one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever, so if they didn't know him before they will at least know him now.

Tonight should be interesting. Jessica Sanchez had a big night 2 weeks ago, Joshua Ledet had one last week, we'll see if either of them or someone new can have a big night. Diddy is helping Jimmy Iovine out with the mentoring this week. We also will get to see Tommy Hilfiger meet with the contestants for some fashion tips.  Should be an interesting night, let's check it out:

Performances:
Deandre Brackensick(Only The Good Die Young)
I get the fun that he tried with this song, but he sounded out of breath early on. Never really felt the groove that he tried to put out there. I think going early can make this performance incredibly forgettable. Nothing really was memorable about it.
Steven=Thought it was at first too happy, but that's the way it should be.
Jennifer=Great way to start the show. Nice mix. Like the islandy feel of it.
Randy=Wasn't jumping up and down, because it didn't show anything special. But it was Ok, nothing great.
Grade=C+

Erika Van Pelt(New York State of Mind)
Erika came out with a totally brand new hairdo. Gone is her longish blonde hair, it is now short black hair, she looks like a completely different person, but her voice still shines through. It's a crazy transformation, but it distinguishes her from some of the other blondes on the show. She kinda looks like Gina Glocksen from a few seasons ago(if you remember that name). Anyways, tonight's performance was much more solid and balanced throughout. I don't think she over-sung like Jimmy and Diddy worried that she might. It sounded great. One of her best performances in awhile.
Randy=Love the look. It's hot. Loved the vocals. One of the best singers in the whole competition. Beautiful. Only advice is to take some more liberties and make it your own at the end.
Jennifer=Beautiful beautiful vocal.  Let loose more throughout your body. The vocal was beautiful though.
Steven=Coulda put more character into it, but she did an outstanding job.
Grade=B

Joshua Ledet(She's Got A Way)
I liked some of the things he did to make the song his own, but he seemed almost bored by his own performance. Joshua got about 10 backup singers this week, that was something, kinda like a choir. I think he did a solid job, but nowhere near as good as last week. He just seemed out of it. Not sure what's up.
Jennifer=Didn't think he felt connected to the lyrics. Felt like he was singing but not singing it. Still beautiful though.
Steven=Took a song like this and put life into it. Never heard the song before.[Interesting]
Randy=Jump in and make this song your own, don't be fearful of it.
Grade=B-

Skylar Laine(Shameless)
Well for one thing, she made the song her own, she put her country spin to it for sure. It didn't even sound like a Billy Joel song anymore, it sounded like it was written in a studio in Nashville. When she hit the chorus it was good, some of the more wordier parts of the song weren't so great, she was a little off key.
Randy=Great song, the front was a little pitchy, but the middle of the song was great. It was pretty good. Not her best.
Jennifer=Love her attack. By the end of the song the whole audience is with her.
Steven=Amazed at the chorus when she hit it with conviction. The beginning was a little pitchy, but she brought life to it.
Grade=B-

Elise Testone(Vienna)
Jimmy and Diddy are worried about this performance, and so am I. The song is a lesser known Billy Joel song. But ya know what, she sang it great. She made a song that I was unfamiliar with and really made me enjoy it. She seemed like she had fun on stage and really killed it. The judges give her a standing ovation. Very much deserved.
Steven=That melody was so fantastic. Brilliant, lot of heart. Beautiful.
Jennifer=So happy for you. All the different things she did with her voice. Really saw her personality tonight for the first time.
Randy=Made the song her own. She is unbelievably talented. That vocal performance was easily the best of the night.
Grade=A-

Phillip Phillips(Movin' Out)
Diddy told Phillip to put his guitar down, literally.  But Phillip brought the guitar back on stage. He completely changed the song, the beginning didn't sound like the song at all, at least not until the band kicked in. I like when people change songs around to make them better, but this was a bit too much. The song didn't need to be that different from the original. A little intense for me. This is a high paced, fast moving song, but he made it like an indie rock version, which I'm not that pleased with.Was it terrible? No, but I didn't connect to this version at all.
Jennifer=Took out aggression. He is who he is. Awesome. Great rendition.
Steven= Took that song and did a beautiful job with it.
Randy= You know who you are. One of the best renditions ever. Stick to your guns. Brilliant.
Grade=B-

Hollie Cavanagh(Honesty)
While accompanied by a 10 piece orchestra, Hollie goes for a song she never heard before. Although she's young and doesn't seem like she should connect to the lyrics, she seemed like she felt it. Tonight was a little less than she usually puts out, but it was still pretty good. The moments that were good were very good, the moments that were bad weren't horrible, but weren't that great either.
Steven=One of the grand singers, but tonight was a little pitchy. It was good.
Jennifer=Need to know every single note of the song, and tonight didn't really get there. She didn't nail it every time tonight.
Randy=Can be really great, but tonight was underneath that. Can see that she was over thinking it a bit tonight.
Grade=B-

Heejun Han(My Life)
I'll give this guy some credit. I thought he messed up in the beginning, but he pulled one over us and instead got rid of his suit and had on this t-shirt and beanie cap, and made into a high tempo performance. Was it a fun performance? Sure . But the vocals weren't so great. It was all over the place. Will people vote for him because he's fun? Highly possible. But his tone was off and he was off key for the majority of the time. I like that it wasn't a ballad like he has been doing, but this was like going from being a funeral director to a circus performer in 1 week. Not believable and this was just not so good Heejun.
Jennifer=Loved that he brought some fun. But because he was running around his vocal wasn't hit like it should have been. But it was very entertaining.
Steven= The music business will kick his ass, and he should take it more serious.
Randy=He showed he had and can deliver a good time, but the vocals were kinda rough. Entertained though.  
Grade=D+

Jessica Sanchez(Everybody Has A Dream) 
I'm gonna be honest, I have never heard this song before. Diddy and Jimmy didn't believe Jessica's version at first but became believers by the end.  Tommy Hilfiger did a good job with Jessica, she looked great, young and very stylish. I don't know have anything to compare it to, but Jessica had a little gospel spin to the song, and made it very soulful, while keeping her strong powerful voice. She gets accompanied by the 10 member choir just like Joshua, but as opposed to Joshua, Jessica looked very pumped and into her performance. That song could be her own. Just unbelievably good. She's so consistent, week in week out. Last week was still one of the best of the night, despite supposedly having an off night. As opposed to Diddy and Jimmy initially, I believed her all the way through and I know for sure I want that song on my IPod right now.
Steven=When God was giving out vocal chords you were at the front of the line. Thanks for letting me her you.
Jennifer=That song was written for you. I feel that song is you. She's living that song.
Randy=She has a moment every time she steps on stage. It was perfect. It was flawless. Perfection!
Grade=A

Colton Dixon(Piano Man)
I was waiting for someone to get behind the Piano for Billy Joel night, and Colton got to do it. Piano Man is a tougher song because in essence the song is a story, and Colton gets less than 2 minutes to tell a story. I love this version though. He made sure all the well known, and hooky parts of the song were there. He told a different story, but he told it really well. It was just Colton and a piano for the majority of the time. No 10 piece orchestra or choir, just a man and a Piano and a little band at the end. Kinda like Billy Joel himself.
Jennifer=You sing with pure feeling. Goosies from the beginning to the end.
Steven=Choice of chords was stunning. Great musician and singer.
Randy= Gave a sensitive, touching, moving performance. He's an individual and should stay that way.
Grade=A-

Predictions:
Bottom 3
Heejun Han
Hollie Cavanagh
Deandre Brackensick

Going Home?
Heejun Han

Final Thoughts:

*I was relatively disappointed with the night. I thought a lot of the performers were kind of laid back and not giving it their all this week. I think the judges weren't as concise or critical. There were some great moments, like Jessica and Elise. But there were some subpar ones as well.

*With as large as the Billy Joel songbook is, and how diverse some of his songs could be, I thought some people played it too safe. Hollie, Joshua and Skylar had off nights for sure. Don't get me started on Heejun. Erika and Elise rebounded. And Phillip, Jessica and Colton continued to be consistent. It was a very odd, unbalanced night.


That's it. Interesting night. Check us out here after tomorrow night's show for all the Idol news and to see which contestant was sent packing. As after every performance recap below this blog is a poll for your choice for Best and Worst Performance of The Night. Let us know what ya think. Until tomorrow, see ya.



Thursday, March 15, 2012

Top 11 Results

Welcome back. With the elimination of Jermaine Jones from the competition we were down to the Top 11. So already we are at the results show for the Top 10. Meaning that this person will not be making the Summer Tour. If we all recall, it was at this point last year that the Judge's saved Casey Abrams. Now I don't want to beat a dead horse(which is extremely harsh and I suggest you don't do that), but they used it, then only 2 weeks later front runner Pia Toscano was gone. I can only hope that if the Judge's Save is in play this year(which we will learn later in the show), that the Judges have learned from that mistake and intend on holding onto it until someone that could potentially win the whole thing is potentially eliminated. Right now it appears Jessica, Joshua, Phillip and Hollie and maybe Colton are front runners to win the whole thing. So we'll see what happens with all of this.

Last night we predicted Hee Jun Han, Erika Van Pelt, and Deandre Brackensick in Bottom 3 with Heejun going home. Heejun is a likeable guy, and both Erika and Deandre were Wild Card picks so who knows what will happen. Let's check it out, and let's get going:

Image Advisor
Tommy Hilfiger is going to help the contestants with their images. Yep. They spent 5 minutes on how Tommy Hilfiger intends on shaping these contestants into presentable singers, rather then the messes they were before they met him. Maybe I'm exaggerating, or maybe I'm exaggerating.

Judge's Save Is In Play!
Ryan informs us that the Judge's Save is back meaning the judges can rescue 1 person from elimination this season, but it expires at the Top 5. At least it gives the judges a chance to do the right thing. But it also gives them a shot of being dumb again. We'll see which one they are this year.

Ford Music Video
They went to a haunted house. Nice. When I think of Ford cars I think of American Idol contestants running around a Haunted Mansion.


Results Part 1:
Phillip, Skylar, Elise and Joshua
Phillip:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Far beyond the call of duty[with his kidney operation]. Proud of him. Rooting for him.

Skylar:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Has a lot of faith in her. The song wasn't right for her. Could've done better last night. Will work better next time.

Elise:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
She killed the song. Owned it. A big resurgence of epic proportions. She got it all. Blew his mind. In it for the long haul.

Joshua:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
You don't sing that song much better than that. Joshua had the big moment this week, like Jessica did last week.

Safe or Not?
Joshua is Safe
Phillip is Safe
Skylar is Safe
Elise is Bottom 3


Demi Lovato Performs
Good stuff. She performed live, which is always a good thing . Not a fan, nor am I against her voice, just don't really connect. But she sang well and looked great.

Results Part 2:
Colton, Shannon, Deandre, Jessica
Deandre:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Might have been a wrong song choice but he sounded decently enough. It's the singer's choice at the end of the day.  Didn't deliver despite doing well in rehearsal.


Colton:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
Not the best song choice. Didn't get Randy's opinion about how the song didn't matter for him but matters for others. It's a middle of the pack kind of week for Colton. He'll get through.

Shannon:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
When she doesn't push too hard she's at her best. But she pushed too hard last night. Has extreme potential though, so maybe she can turn it around. 


Jessica:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments

Supported her in doing an uptempo song. Maybe a wrong song choice, she screamed and lost her breath then her rhythm. She's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Safe or Not?
Colton is Safe
Jessica is Safe
Deandre is Safe
Shannon is Bottom 3


Daughtry Performs:
My favorite performances tend to be when former Idol contestants come back to the show. So seeing Daughtry again is always good stuff. Plus they are a great band and he has shown that not being the American Idol winner could potentially mean nothing, I mean if he and Jennifer Hudson don't prove that nothing will. Also the song is really good, so great performance tonight.

Hollie, Heejun and Erika
Hollie:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments

Straight A's. Sounded fantastic. Has enormous amount of confidence. Only flaw is how she's dressed, she's only 18.

Heejun:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments
He's got himself boxed in with the songs they are singing. People will get bored and stop voting for him.

Erika:
Jimmy Iovine's Comments

Over singing is what she might have done. Doesn't agree with Randy on never listening to Jimmy and doing catchy jerky arrangements, because they have worked with some contestants in the past.

Safe or Not?
Hollie is Safe
Heejun is Safe
Erika is Bottom 3

Results Part 3: 
Safe or Not?
Elise is Safe
Erika is Bottom 2
Shannon is Bottom 2



Bottom 2/Who Goes?
Erika is Safe
Shannon is Potentially Eliminated


Judge's Saved?
Nope. Shannon is Eliminated.  C'mon now.  I thought others had a worse week than Shannon, but since she's in this position you knew they weren't gonna save her. There's too many more performers that are further and better than her at this point. I thought she was a likeable contestant, and had some potential to go a bit further, but her voice wasn't ready to get much further than pretty much this spot.



Final Thoughts:
* So 2 guys are eliminated(1 by the voters the other by his own stupidity) the first two weeks and to retaliate the voters decided to make it a 3 female Bottom 3. These are the exact Bottom 3 ladies that were in the Bottom 3 last week. Guess none of them did enough to get any more votes. Elise and Erika better figure their stuff out because this is not a good start for them.

*Overall I was pretty pleased with some of the Judge's comments this week. Some of them were insane(Randy), but Steven woke up from his 2 year nap and actually gave some decent feedback. Jennifer had her moments of sane and lunacy. Overall not terrible, oddly enough.

As we have been doing, our favorite performance of the week is located at the end of the blog. Please check it out. It was a great one. Hope you have a great week, and we'll see you next Wednesday. Until then, see ya!