It's Motown week!!
Casey opens, singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. He gets some good advice on his singing, but obviously no wardrobe advice. As always, he gives a great performance - goofy, funky, and crazy talented! But someone needs to give him some serious guidance in the hair and clothing departments.
Thia sings "Heatwave" by Martha & The Vandellas, trying to show her range. It's an upbeat song, as opposed to the usual ballad, and she does a good job, except in the few seconds where it looks like she forgets the lyrics, or doesn't think the song is continuing --- she looks quizzically to the back-up singers, but continues, only missing 1/2 a beat. She's wearing a great dress, but I'm starting to think she has excellent pitch and vocal range, but maybe she's too young to be able to put any emotion in her songs.
Jacob chooses "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell. Awful jacket, he keeps tugging at it during the whole performance, and too much vibrato for me, but still, this kid can sing. Not sure he can give us any other sound other than "gospel singer singing (fill in the blank)".
"You Keep Me Hanging On" by The Supremes is Lauren's choice of song. Her dress is gorgeous, she looks confident and gives a strong performance. I think she's done listening to the critics and is going to walk her own path from here on out.
Stefano chooses "Hello" by Lionel Ritchie. My household considers this song more of a bad 80's moment, but I guess technically it's Motown because of the label. Stefano has the ability, but it sounds a little like a lounge act to me.
Haley sings "You Really Got a Hold on Me" by Smoky Robinson & The Miracles. Her outfit is dreadful --- she looked like she was going to break out tap-dancing at any moment. And her Tammy Wynette version of this song has me ho-humming. I'm over her.
Lil' country Scotty sings "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder. I'm a little worried, because even though I like this kid, he's pure country. However, he puts me at ease by country-fying the song just right!
Another Stevie Wonder song, "All in Love is Fair" is sung by Pia. She has a shaky start, and added to the fact that I totally miss any emotional connection I hardly recognize this song. It's almost as if she's singing it in a completely different, but harmonic, key than the band is playing in. She's a robot.
Paul chooses Smoky Robinson & The Miracles' "Tracks of My Tears" to sing, accompanying himself with the guitar. It's "all Paul", he puts his special brand on it, and touches our hearts when he gets all touchy-feely at the end.
Naima's choice of Martha & The Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" has me a little worried. She's already proven she's not ready to sing and dance at the same time, she's had a couple of rough weeks, and it sounds like she's going to be shoveling dirt into her own grave. However, she manages to pull it off. Finally no pitch problems, she looks great, she engages the audience, and she puts some great moves out there without the performance suffering.
James closes the night with Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City". He sings, he dances, he swaggers (maybe just a little too much for me), but he's smooth as buttah! A little cocky, but smooooth.
I predict tomorrow's Bottom Three will be: Haley, Stefano, and Thia. And I think Haley will be going home.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
One Voted Off
Ryan announced that Lee DeWyze would be on the show, singing his new single in addition to the Black Eyed Peas, singing their latest hit for the first time.
Don't forget to text 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross!
Next up was the "group sing" --- evidently it's not ALL lip-syncing, as Jacob demonstrated with his gigantic flub. There were technical problems throughout this number, making it even more dreadful than usual.
The Ford music video was cheezy, but cute.
Next, we were treated to video montages of "what defines our idols"?
Jacob, Lauren, and Casey were ushered to center stage. Jacob was told he was safe, Lauren was also told she was safe, and Casey is also told he is safe.
Haley and Paul were summoned next. Haley was declared to be in the Bottom Three, and Paul was told he was safe.
A quick pan across the audience showed us the Marc Anthony was in attendance.
Lee DeWyze took the stage and made me remember why I was such a big fan of his. He's developed so much confidence in the past year, it only made his performance better.
Scott, Pia, and James were called to center stage. Scotty was declared safe, Pia was also declared safe, and James, too, was declared safe.
Stefano and Naima were called up next. Naima was told she, too, was in the Bottom Three, and Stefano was sent back to the couches, safe.
Karen and Thia were last to be called out. Thia was told she was safe, leaving Karen in the Bottom Three.
The world premiere of "Just Can't Get Enough" by the Black Eyed Peas was next. It was very different for them, but I liked it.
Karen, Naima, and Haley were again called to center stage. In a surprise to me, Naima was told she was safe, Karen was told she was in danger, and Haley is also told she was safe.
Karen sang again, but it simply wasn't a strong enough performance for me. The judges voted; the decision was NOT unanimous but they did not use their "save".
Cue the farewell montage and Karen was gone.
Even though I was sure Naima would go home, I knew Karen would be going home soon, so in the end it makes sense.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Top 12 Perform
In tonight’s episode, contestants were asked to sing songs from the year they were born.
Naima was born in 1984 and chooses “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” by Tina Turner. As always, she looks good, but again this week she’s pitchy throughout the whole performance. It’s a hot mess.
Paul, too, was born in 1984 and he selects Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues”. I have a love/hate relationship with this guy. There’s something about his voice that I don’t like, but there’s more about his voice that I do like. He’s a perky Rod Stewart, he moves like a dork, but somehow he makes it work. He’s hoarse tonight, his voice starts wearing out, and there’s a pitchy spot.
Vanessa Williams’ “Colors of the Wind” from 1995 is Thia’s song choice. She’s highly influenced by Michael Jackson --- the evidence is found in her vocal style, but she has a true, clear, singing voice and sounds lovely, but just lovely --- nothing extraordinary except the quality of her voice.
James chooses Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There for You” from 1989. The tail’s back, his voice sounds slightly weak at the end and he has one pitchy spot, which is really uncharacteristic of him.
Haley, who was born in 1990, chooses Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight”. I love the quality of her voice; there’s sometimes an old-timey jazz singer quality edge to it. I like the song, but the judges want her to find out who she is.
Stefano’s choice is Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know me By Now” from 1989. It’s a great performance right up until his voice cracks every so slightly on the last note.
Whitney Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” from 1988 is Pia’s choice of song. Her outfit is dreadful, but her voice is beautiful. However, there’s no heart or emotion there for me.
Scotty sings Travis Tripp’s “Can I Trust You With My Heart?” from 1993. It’s simply perfect --- he stayed true to the song, yet made it his own and reached a little further this week than he has in the past.
Karen sang “Love Will Lead You Back” by Taylor Dane from 1989. This performance was just okay to me.
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from 1991 was the song Casey chose. He took a HUGE risk, but I think it was successful for him.
Lauren sang “I’m the Only One” from 1994 by Melissa Etheridge. It was a great performance, especially considering she has the flu.
Jacob wrapped up the show with 1987’s “Alone” by Heart. I like Jacob, I really do. But this was a little like listening to Josh Groban sing pop. It just didn’t work for me.
Despite the unexpected bumps in several of tonight’s performances, I’m predicting with no doubt that Naima will be going home this week.
Naima was born in 1984 and chooses “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” by Tina Turner. As always, she looks good, but again this week she’s pitchy throughout the whole performance. It’s a hot mess.
Paul, too, was born in 1984 and he selects Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues”. I have a love/hate relationship with this guy. There’s something about his voice that I don’t like, but there’s more about his voice that I do like. He’s a perky Rod Stewart, he moves like a dork, but somehow he makes it work. He’s hoarse tonight, his voice starts wearing out, and there’s a pitchy spot.
Vanessa Williams’ “Colors of the Wind” from 1995 is Thia’s song choice. She’s highly influenced by Michael Jackson --- the evidence is found in her vocal style, but she has a true, clear, singing voice and sounds lovely, but just lovely --- nothing extraordinary except the quality of her voice.
James chooses Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There for You” from 1989. The tail’s back, his voice sounds slightly weak at the end and he has one pitchy spot, which is really uncharacteristic of him.
Haley, who was born in 1990, chooses Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight”. I love the quality of her voice; there’s sometimes an old-timey jazz singer quality edge to it. I like the song, but the judges want her to find out who she is.
Stefano’s choice is Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know me By Now” from 1989. It’s a great performance right up until his voice cracks every so slightly on the last note.
Whitney Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” from 1988 is Pia’s choice of song. Her outfit is dreadful, but her voice is beautiful. However, there’s no heart or emotion there for me.
Scotty sings Travis Tripp’s “Can I Trust You With My Heart?” from 1993. It’s simply perfect --- he stayed true to the song, yet made it his own and reached a little further this week than he has in the past.
Karen sang “Love Will Lead You Back” by Taylor Dane from 1989. This performance was just okay to me.
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from 1991 was the song Casey chose. He took a HUGE risk, but I think it was successful for him.
Lauren sang “I’m the Only One” from 1994 by Melissa Etheridge. It was a great performance, especially considering she has the flu.
Jacob wrapped up the show with 1987’s “Alone” by Heart. I like Jacob, I really do. But this was a little like listening to Josh Groban sing pop. It just didn’t work for me.
Despite the unexpected bumps in several of tonight’s performances, I’m predicting with no doubt that Naima will be going home this week.
One Voted Off
Okay, so here’s what happened. I jumped on the laptop while the show was recording to take a gander at Ancestry.com and totally got sucked in. Not only that, I caught sight of an online headline saying that Ashton was voted off. It kind of took away the excitement of watching. That combined with finding out some fascinating things about my family tree stopped me from watching last week.
However, being the stickler I am, I vowed to watch the show eventually and write some kind of recap before going on to the next show.
So, here it is.
Diddy Dirty Money (Sean Combs’ current incarnation) and Adam Lambert were announced as guest performers. And 30 million people voted last week.
We got a peek at the Idol Mansion. Some of the kids were so overwhelmed they were moved to tears. It’s a gorgeous setup!
Next up was the dreaded group sing --- a hot, lip syncing, I’m watching a cruise ship stage production mess. I truly hate this portion and wish they’d do away with it.
The Ford music video was pretty cute.
Amanda Seyfried was in the audience, promoting her film "Red Riding Hood". The parts of the movie we saw in this segment were good. . . too bad the movie bombed last weekend at the box office.
Ryan moved quickly to the results, calling Jacob, Karen, and Stefano onstage. After the usual boring review of last week’s performances, Jacob and Stefano were declared safe. Karen was told she’s in the Bottom Three.
Adam Lambert sang an acoustic version of his song "Aftermath". It was okay.
Lauren, Ashton, and Haley were called up next. Lauren was told she was safe, then Ryan abruptly announced that both Ashton and Haley were the others in the Bottom Three. The remaining nine were caught offguard when he told them they were all safe.
Ryan briefly mentioned that Casey was in the hospital. I heard this week that he has ulcerative colitis and had a couple of blood transfusions. WTH??
Diddy Dirty Money was up next, singing a song featuring Skylar Grey. I heard other reviews of this performance over the past week, and almost none were favorable, however, I enjoyed it even if Diddy can’t figure out who he is.
Ashton, Karen, and Haley were called onstage again. Karen was told she was safe, Ashton was in danger, and Haley was safe.
Ashton chose to sing Diana Ross again, and she butchered is worse than the first time she sang it, if that’s possible. Jennifer told her "Not this time, I’m sorry."
Jennifer fought to keep her composure. They showed a montage of Ashton’s time on the show accompanied by David Cook’s "Don’t You Forget about Me".
And Ashton was gone.
No surprise, and I hope isn't a trend for the season. I want some surprises this year. I want some performances that make me gasp. I don't want to be so sure of who's going home each week.
Bring it!!
However, being the stickler I am, I vowed to watch the show eventually and write some kind of recap before going on to the next show.
So, here it is.
Diddy Dirty Money (Sean Combs’ current incarnation) and Adam Lambert were announced as guest performers. And 30 million people voted last week.
We got a peek at the Idol Mansion. Some of the kids were so overwhelmed they were moved to tears. It’s a gorgeous setup!
Next up was the dreaded group sing --- a hot, lip syncing, I’m watching a cruise ship stage production mess. I truly hate this portion and wish they’d do away with it.
The Ford music video was pretty cute.
Amanda Seyfried was in the audience, promoting her film "Red Riding Hood". The parts of the movie we saw in this segment were good. . . too bad the movie bombed last weekend at the box office.
Ryan moved quickly to the results, calling Jacob, Karen, and Stefano onstage. After the usual boring review of last week’s performances, Jacob and Stefano were declared safe. Karen was told she’s in the Bottom Three.
Adam Lambert sang an acoustic version of his song "Aftermath". It was okay.
Lauren, Ashton, and Haley were called up next. Lauren was told she was safe, then Ryan abruptly announced that both Ashton and Haley were the others in the Bottom Three. The remaining nine were caught offguard when he told them they were all safe.
Ryan briefly mentioned that Casey was in the hospital. I heard this week that he has ulcerative colitis and had a couple of blood transfusions. WTH??
Diddy Dirty Money was up next, singing a song featuring Skylar Grey. I heard other reviews of this performance over the past week, and almost none were favorable, however, I enjoyed it even if Diddy can’t figure out who he is.
Ashton, Karen, and Haley were called onstage again. Karen was told she was safe, Ashton was in danger, and Haley was safe.
Ashton chose to sing Diana Ross again, and she butchered is worse than the first time she sang it, if that’s possible. Jennifer told her "Not this time, I’m sorry."
Jennifer fought to keep her composure. They showed a montage of Ashton’s time on the show accompanied by David Cook’s "Don’t You Forget about Me".
And Ashton was gone.
No surprise, and I hope isn't a trend for the season. I want some surprises this year. I want some performances that make me gasp. I don't want to be so sure of who's going home each week.
Bring it!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Finalists Compete
Tonight, each contestant got to sing a song by their OWN personal idol.
Lauren was up first. Her idol is Shania Twain and she chose to sing "Any Man of Mine". I hated Lauren's outfit --- I don't think it flattered her at all, and she sang well, but I just wasn't wowed. This girl has more in her, I just know it. I hope we get a chance to see it.
Casey decided to sing "A Little Help From My Friends" by his idol, Joe Cocker. Casey's outfit was subtley cool and he also sang well, but I felt he was a little restrained. I expected more from him than we got tonight.
Diana Ross is Ashton's idol, and the song she chose was "When You Tell Me that You Love Me". Ashton, Ashton, Ashton --- pitchy and just plain unsure of herself, just not good. And her dress was awful, too. And, I've heard enough of her "hey's".
Paul's idol is Ryan Adams and he sang "Come Pick Me Up". His outfit was downright funky cool, he can't move onstage to save his life, but his voice is so unique, I just love him!
Pia's idol is Celine Dion (what a surprise) and she chose to sing "All By Myself". Her outfit was awful, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate this song, but she sang it well.
Paul McCartney is James' idol and he sang "Maybe I'm Amazed". I love this song (it's one of my ringtones). I was pleased that James left his tail in his dressing room and was blown away by his rendition of this song.
Haley sang her idol Leann Rimes' song, "Blue". Her dress was lovely, and she did a good job singing the song, but it just wasn't what I wanted to hear her sing. I have to agree with Randy; it was just boring.
Jacob's idol is R Kelley and he chose "I Believe I Can Fly". Jacob's outfit was "blah", his performance started out okay, he got a little lost in the middle, but he ended well. Not my favorite performance by Jacob.
Thia sang "Smile" by her idol, Michael Jackson. Her dress was way cute, and I loved the way she sang this song, funky arrangement and all. I'll even forgive her for not knowing who Charlie Chaplin was.
Stefano sang one of Stevie Wonder's songs (his idol), "Lately". His outfit was a mish-mash --- untucked shirt, tie, long leather vest, but this kid is crazy talented and I was amazed at how well he sang this song.
Karen's idol is Selina (another surprise) and she chose "I Could Fall in Love with You". Her outfit was okay but her performance --- the beginning was too low, she was pitchy throughout. She ended strong but. . . I just don't see what the judges see in her.
Garth Brooks is Scotty's idol and he chose to sing "The River". Boring western-ish shirt, Scotty. Kudos, though, because being the sensible young man he is, he decided to sing the song without making any changes. I seriously am NOT a country music fan, but this kid's talent slays me. He is unbelievably good.
Naima's idol is Rhianna and she picked "Umbrella" to sing. I hate, hate, hate this song. Naima's outfit was the best, most suited to her of the night. But she was pitchy through the whole song, and sounded rushed, too, as if the tempo was too fast for her. I like her, but she's just unpredictable.
That said, I thought Ashton's performance was the weakest. I predict she'll be going home tomorrow night.
I don't think any of them pushed themselves this week. I think they ALL played it safe and were just trying to get by. I'm hoping they all got comfortable with themselves and with being on the big stage and am hopeful that they'll ALL step up and push themselves next week.
Lauren was up first. Her idol is Shania Twain and she chose to sing "Any Man of Mine". I hated Lauren's outfit --- I don't think it flattered her at all, and she sang well, but I just wasn't wowed. This girl has more in her, I just know it. I hope we get a chance to see it.
Casey decided to sing "A Little Help From My Friends" by his idol, Joe Cocker. Casey's outfit was subtley cool and he also sang well, but I felt he was a little restrained. I expected more from him than we got tonight.
Diana Ross is Ashton's idol, and the song she chose was "When You Tell Me that You Love Me". Ashton, Ashton, Ashton --- pitchy and just plain unsure of herself, just not good. And her dress was awful, too. And, I've heard enough of her "hey's".
Paul's idol is Ryan Adams and he sang "Come Pick Me Up". His outfit was downright funky cool, he can't move onstage to save his life, but his voice is so unique, I just love him!
Pia's idol is Celine Dion (what a surprise) and she chose to sing "All By Myself". Her outfit was awful, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate this song, but she sang it well.
Paul McCartney is James' idol and he sang "Maybe I'm Amazed". I love this song (it's one of my ringtones). I was pleased that James left his tail in his dressing room and was blown away by his rendition of this song.
Haley sang her idol Leann Rimes' song, "Blue". Her dress was lovely, and she did a good job singing the song, but it just wasn't what I wanted to hear her sing. I have to agree with Randy; it was just boring.
Jacob's idol is R Kelley and he chose "I Believe I Can Fly". Jacob's outfit was "blah", his performance started out okay, he got a little lost in the middle, but he ended well. Not my favorite performance by Jacob.
Thia sang "Smile" by her idol, Michael Jackson. Her dress was way cute, and I loved the way she sang this song, funky arrangement and all. I'll even forgive her for not knowing who Charlie Chaplin was.
Stefano sang one of Stevie Wonder's songs (his idol), "Lately". His outfit was a mish-mash --- untucked shirt, tie, long leather vest, but this kid is crazy talented and I was amazed at how well he sang this song.
Karen's idol is Selina (another surprise) and she chose "I Could Fall in Love with You". Her outfit was okay but her performance --- the beginning was too low, she was pitchy throughout. She ended strong but. . . I just don't see what the judges see in her.
Garth Brooks is Scotty's idol and he chose to sing "The River". Boring western-ish shirt, Scotty. Kudos, though, because being the sensible young man he is, he decided to sing the song without making any changes. I seriously am NOT a country music fan, but this kid's talent slays me. He is unbelievably good.
Naima's idol is Rhianna and she picked "Umbrella" to sing. I hate, hate, hate this song. Naima's outfit was the best, most suited to her of the night. But she was pitchy through the whole song, and sounded rushed, too, as if the tempo was too fast for her. I like her, but she's just unpredictable.
That said, I thought Ashton's performance was the weakest. I predict she'll be going home tomorrow night.
I don't think any of them pushed themselves this week. I think they ALL played it safe and were just trying to get by. I'm hoping they all got comfortable with themselves and with being on the big stage and am hopeful that they'll ALL step up and push themselves next week.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Here Are Your Top 10. . . Plus 2 Wildcards. . . and One More
When I realized last week that the 24 hopefuls would be mowed down to 12 this week, I had no idea how I'd ever be able to choose just 12. The talent this year is so crazy good! Surely each of them is thinking, "Why didn't I try out three or four years ago? Why this year when it seems EVERYONE is great??"
So, when the guys performed on Tuesday, there were only a couple of surprises for me: Robbie seemed to be lost and where has Paul been all season? I was able to pretty quickly form my personal top six guy list: Clint, James, Jacob, Scotty, Casey, and Paul. I pretty much agreed with the judges' comments for the guys.
On Wednesday, I felt like I hadn't even watched the same performances as the judges. I didn't think Ashton's performance was as strong as the judges felt it was, I didn't see what they were hearing in Kendra, and I thought Karen's performance was bland.
It was a little harder to form a personal top six list of the girls, but I decided on: Pia, Lauren A. Thia, Haley, Lauren T., and Ashton.
I was extremely shocked that Clint wasn't immediately voted into the final group, and surprised again that the judges didn't ask him to sing again. However, I was happy that they asked Stefano to sing again, because I was totally underwhelmed by his performance Tuesday night and totally blown away by his performance tonight. I chose Stefano from the judges' three second-choice performers.
I was equally disappointed that Lauren T. not only wasn't voted in by America, but wasn't asked to perform again. Of the three girls who did sing again, I selected Naima to continue.
I expect Scotty and Naima to be eliminated pretty quickly, as I don't think Scotty has the versatility needed for this competition, even though I adore him (and I like country music the least). I think Naima will fold under the pressure very soon.
I'm excited to see what they ask of this wildly talented group this year.
So, when the guys performed on Tuesday, there were only a couple of surprises for me: Robbie seemed to be lost and where has Paul been all season? I was able to pretty quickly form my personal top six guy list: Clint, James, Jacob, Scotty, Casey, and Paul. I pretty much agreed with the judges' comments for the guys.
On Wednesday, I felt like I hadn't even watched the same performances as the judges. I didn't think Ashton's performance was as strong as the judges felt it was, I didn't see what they were hearing in Kendra, and I thought Karen's performance was bland.
It was a little harder to form a personal top six list of the girls, but I decided on: Pia, Lauren A. Thia, Haley, Lauren T., and Ashton.
I was extremely shocked that Clint wasn't immediately voted into the final group, and surprised again that the judges didn't ask him to sing again. However, I was happy that they asked Stefano to sing again, because I was totally underwhelmed by his performance Tuesday night and totally blown away by his performance tonight. I chose Stefano from the judges' three second-choice performers.
I was equally disappointed that Lauren T. not only wasn't voted in by America, but wasn't asked to perform again. Of the three girls who did sing again, I selected Naima to continue.
I expect Scotty and Naima to be eliminated pretty quickly, as I don't think Scotty has the versatility needed for this competition, even though I adore him (and I like country music the least). I think Naima will fold under the pressure very soon.
I'm excited to see what they ask of this wildly talented group this year.
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