The Top 7 Perform Songs They Actually Know!

Article first published as American Idol: The Top 7 Performance Recap on Technorati.

There’s just something about that guy Ryan Seacrest.  I think he’s really going places.   Kidding of course – King Seacrest is by far the biggest star Idol has ever produced….and had the best line of the night, and possibly the season, but we’ll get to that later.  The show opens up tonight with this season’s Idol castoff’s doing a group number and reminding us exactly why they were the ones to go.  I’m glad to see that Paul is continuing to rock the rose-embroidered suit.  I love that guy.

Scotty’s kicking things off for us tonight with “Swinging,” the Leann Rimes tune.   He’s really cheesing it up tonight with the facial expressions and the performance.  I don’t think it’s his best work, and surprisingly the judges (AKA the “Pep Squad”) do call him out a bit on song choice.  Maybe this is a harbinger of things to come?  Maybe the judges will actually judge this week instead of just cheerleading for everyone? Such high drama!

So James is up next with Muse’s “The Uprising” but in typical Idol style, the arrangement inexplicably includes a marching band drum corp. There’s that, and James is wielding the mic stand around like a cattle prod or riding crop and wearing what looks like some sort of post-Apocalyptic soldier’s outfit.  Oh, the theatrics.  JLo loves it, or at least loves the theatrics and the screeching.  Randy gives him nothing but love. Tyler loves the get up and calls it “Mad Max meets Storm Troopers on Melrose.”  Where does he get this stuff?  Admittedly, he does sound good if oyu like that kind of music and he’ll be 100% safe.

Haley is up next with Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep” and has decided to do it dressed like Betty Boop. Ok.  She sounds good and even manages to work in a bit of her signature growling and yodeling, and while I think her performance is a bit stiff, her vocals were some of her strongest.  The judges are dying to keep at least one female in the hunt, so they are very complimentary of her all around.

Fourth at bat tonight is Jacob.  I’m guessing he’ll do something mellow and really subdued tonight.  NOT.  Not surprisingly, he goes with the Luther Vandross song, “Dance With My Father.”  The judges ramble on about how great and emotional his performance was, but then Randy actually offers some criticism. Pray tell?  Did the Pep Squad drink some grumpy juice today?  They think he should have brought more to the party.  I couldn’t agree more.

Casey is next; I’m not sure that landing the 5^th slot bodes well for him but we’ll see.  He does Maroon 5’s “Harder To Breath.”  So, I am an unabashed Casey fan and that is one of my favorite 21^st century tunes, and I did not love it.  I’m guessing that means a lot of others didn’t either.  He seems to scare JLo little bit by walking right up to her singing in her face, and then he kisses her. For real.  So naturally, she loved it.  Randy gives him mad props. Tyler says something really profound, but we cannot hear it because the decency police bleep it out.  Interesting.  Even Ryan gets onboard the Casey train and (briefly) sports an Amish beard to look like Case.  And then, he utters Idol’s best line EVER, “Is this what it feels like to be a man?” Clearly the producers have decided that since they’ve used their one-and-only save on Casey, they need to keep him around for a while and make it count.  I totally love that Ryan throws himself under the bus to boost Casey’s street cred.  Nice work.

Stefano is our penultimate performer tonight and chooses Ne-Yo’s hit, “Closer” with a fair amount of swagger.  The judges all eat him up.  I didn’t love it, but I don’t get his whole Boy Band appeal at all.  Enough about him, I’m bored already.

Finally, Lauren closes out the evening with Sarah Evan’s “Born To Fly,” and a fiddler.  It’s ok, but she seems overwhelmed on the stage and under-confident.  The judges give her a good pep talk instead of actually critiquing her, but I think she lost a bit of her luster tonight .

Predictions are going to be tough this week, but here goes.  I think James and Lauren are totally safe.  I’m going out on a limb and guessing that Casey and Haley could both be safe too, which would give us an intriguing bottom 3 of Stefano, Scotty, and Jacob.  If that is how it plays out, then I think Jacob will have hammed it up through his last song on Idol.  I’d be totally happy with that result.  I could also see Casey, Haley and Stefano bringing up the rear, with Casey going home.  Or even Stefano going home.  What do you think?  I’d honestly be fine if any of those singers departed us at this point. Tonight should be interesting!  Stay tuned to FOX to see what happens:  http://www.americanidol.com/.

                   

The Top 11 Perform Again...A Night of Neverending Ballads

Article first published as American Idol: Top 11 Perform Again on Technorati.


The Top 11 Redux begins with a montage of last week’s show with a prophetic pre-results Casey saying they will not use the save – it’s too early.  Ryan takes us through all the drama that was last week’s results show, and then, we’re ready to get started.

The Idols come out and the first thing I notice is that Paul is AGAIN wearing his Rose-embroidered suit.  Somebody should really take that guy shopping.  Maybe it’s a lucky token, like the stuff superstitious athletes wear over and over.

Jennifer looks lovely tonight but I did notice that her earrings seem to get bigger with every week.  Maybe she’ll be able to hula-hoop through them by the finale?  I think I could slide the current ones pretty far up my leg, and that’s saying something!  Also, Ryan has something odd going on tonight with his whole hair and make-up combo.  What is happening behind the scenes here?  Ok, back to business…

I have high expectations for what Jimmy can do with these kids this week, as I adore Elton John’s entire catalog.  But first, we get to see the young idols glam it up with the stylists at the fashion shoot…yada yada yada.

Finally, Scotty is up first.  He does “Country Comfort” very authentically, and I love the slide guitar. I really like that Scotty is totally just himself.  More than almost any other contestant, he knows exactly who he is as an artist. (Uh oh – I sound like Randy). I’m not a country fan but I really respect his commitment and his vocal talent.  The judges agree.

Naima is next with a reggae version of “I’m Still Standing”.  Hmm….bold choice. OK – she introduces the song and dedicates it to troubled folks out in the world, but she does it in a Jamaican accent.  Why?  Maybe she’s thinking that adding a British accent worked for Madonna?   I give her props for trying it, but she’s really cheesy.  J.Lo  and Randy didn’t dig it either, saying it was corny.  Steven begs to differ and says something like “boom shakalaka laka baby.” Wow, I just can’t get enough of him.

Next up is some songwriter who has something to do with a Coca-cola commercial that I believe Idol is crowdsourcing.  Maybe? I don’t really know because my daughter wanted to debate the merits of Justin Beiber, and I just couldn’t let that go, so I was distracted.  Alright, back to the singers.

Onto Paul who goes with “Rocket Man.”  Nice. One of my top 3 Elton tunes.  He’s really in his element on this kind of song, with his guitar.  I wanted so badly to love it as much as the young girls in the audience do, but I’ll give it’s a little off. I did like that he steered clear of his stage jig, which was a plus. Randy is a bit lukewarm on it as well.  They all agree that he has to take it farther, and then – Steven comments on the suit!  Awesome!  I love that he got called out on wearing the same thing 3 times now, but it is a little ironic coming from Tyler, who’s wearing yet another slightly metallic leopard print.

Pia is next and shares with us that she’s totally comfortable getting glam.  Is there anyone out there who hasn’t already figured that out?  She already looks like she could own a Vegas stage.  As for song choice, she chooses yet another ballad, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” but I think it’s a good choice.  Jimmy advises her to take it somewhere between “Fergie and Axl Rose”.  How would that sound?  Seriously? Like P!nk maybe?  Pia sounds more like Celine than P!nk, but she’s good and they give her the full choir just for good measure.  Tyler adores her and digs the rendition. So do the others.  She’s not going anywhere and can get used to getting glammed.  By the way, I don’t usually pay attention to the mini-interviews backstage after each break but I caught Pia’s and she told us that she’s doing “River Deep, Mountain High” next week.  Spoiler alert! Does that mean Tina week?

Stefano, the comeback kid, decides to take on “Tiny Dancer.” Yes, another ballad.  I don’t love it, but what do I know.  I think you have to be a teenager to fully appreciate his charms.  He ends stronger than he started, and you have to give him credit for kissing up to Jennifer with the hand squeeze at the end.  Naturally, she applauds him.  Randy thanks him for keeping his eyes open and Steven says his voice is “sweet.”

Lauren is all sorts of glammed up this week.  She really has a Real Housewives’ vibe working.  She’s going with “Candle in The Wind” in a very stripped down country-western way with a piano that sounds terrific.  The judges eat her up, she’s so cute and Randy tells her it was one of her best performances.  Steven and Ms. Lopez are also on board the Lauren train.

Next is James, indulging us with “Saturday Night’s Alright.”  Good choice for him.  He’s really trying to bring home this year’s bad-boy title by tossing the mic stand, climbing on the piano, using pyrotechnics and throwing in his signature scream on the last note.  He’s pulling out all the stops.  Tyler loves it – it’s totally in his wheelhouse. Randy and “Hoops” Lopez both concur.  Ryan calls him fearless, but then quickly regrets it when James makes reference to a possible Pepsi moment with the stage fire and his hairspray.  Ryan rapidly has to dance around the P-word and remind us that Coca-Cola is the main sponsor of Idol.  I’d truly have loved to be in the production booth at that moment.  Great TV.    

Thia tries for “Daniel” and Jimmy wisely coaches her to sing from her heart and get in touch with the poignant lyrics.  I’m no fan of hers, and while I think it’s a little safe and boring, it’s spot on pitch-wise, and she is visibly trying to connect with the song.  J. Lo says it was beautiful.  Randy’s feedback was mixed – saying that it was a good song choice, but safe and pitchy (I didn’t hear the pitch problems myself, but I didn’t play with Journey and Mariah, so I’ll take his word).  Steven says unenthusiastically that she sang it well.

Casey’s up next.  No pressure, right? He’s got to prove that the judges didn’t waste their one-and-only save on him last week.   He picks “Your Song” which is one of my all-time faves.  Oh, and he gets his beard trimmed.  He no longer looks like Zach Galifianakis.  It’s tender and powerful and notably, on key.  The judges all pat themselves on the back for saving him and give Casey his due for the performance.   I think Casey’s back!

Jacob is next and Ryan prepares us for a “softer, gentler Jacob.” I remain skeptical because I don’t think it’s physically possible for him to sing anything restrained.  He chooses “Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word,” the Mary J. Blige version.  She even shows up in his practice studio to cheer him on.  Jimmy warns about over-dramatizing the song, securing his spot for me as Idol’s Best Mentor Ever.   I wouldn’t say that it was restrained, but it was restrained for Jacob.  The judges adore him.

Oddly, they’ve given Haley the pimp spot tonight.  I’m really curious what she’s bringing, because she’s been in trouble before.  Not surprisingly, she shares how at home she feels getting the glam treatment, like she’s finally being treated as she’s always deserved.   She does “Benny and the Jets,” undoubtedly my favorite Sir Elton number.  She really gives it her all, and while I thought it was a little cartoon-y, it certainly had its moments and the judges are all enthralled.  Randy calls it the best performance of the night.  Tyler says, she “sings sexy.”       

 Okay, so Bottom 3 is a tough call tonight.  I think Pia, Lauren, Scotty, and James are totally safe.  I think the audience will rally behind Casey for his dramatic improvement and I’m betting that Jacob and Paul both have loyal enough standing fan bases to stick around for another couple of weeks.  That leaves Haley, Naima, Thia and Stefano.

I’m going with Stefano, Naima and Thia, because I think Haley showed dramatic improvement and I believe there’s an advantage to going last.  I’m not totally confident though this week.  Paul could be on the bubble too. Honestly, nobody was terrible, which makes it really tough to choose.  I’m going out on a limb and guessing that Naima and Stefano will need to pack up and move out of the plush Idol crib.  Tune into Fox Thursday night to find out for sure.

Top 11 Elimination Show Shocker!

Article first published as American Idol: Top 11 Elimination Show on Technorati.

It was a big night on American Idol for anyone who didn’t catch the action.   Here’s how it went down.  They kicked off last night’s results show with some nonsense from Mark Antony and teasers about the upcoming performances from Sugarland and Jennifer Hudson .  The Idols then performed a Motown number…badly, except for James Durbin. Then, lo and behold, Stevie Wonder himself graced us with his presence.  Pretty cool.  Steven Tyler did yet another secret product placement for Chico’s women’s wear, sporting multiple animal prints and the latest trends in jewelry layering.  He actually wears woman’s wear pretty well.  Like an oddly hot, but slightly masculine, Bea Arthur.  Weird, right?  Anyway, it’s his birthday so Stevie sings to him, and they presented him with a cool Warhol-ish painting.   

Ok, back to the couches of dread…by the way, the idols ALL looked amazing last night, like they’re dressed for a bunch of Vegas weddings!  First up, Scotty, Pia, and Lauren were called into the spotlight.  Ryan tried to tease us, but we’ve watched this show before so we’re not totally naïve….they’re safe (of course).   Then before more results, we’re treated to a new song by Sugarland – something about uh oh and glue.  They sounded good in their uniquely twangy way, but I can’t help but think their last album made a lot of money, so why isn’t she dressed better?  I know that at least Hudson will bring us some fashion tonight because she is showing off her new Weight Watchers body.  You go girl…Next we were subjected to the week’s contestant video package – it seemed to be about wrestling and general mayhem at the Idol Mansion. I’m not sure that it made any of the Idol wannabe’s more appealing, but maybe that’s just because I’m not a WWE fan?  

Next it’s back to results, with James and Paul at center stage.  Seacrest tried to tell us they’re not safe, toying with us yet again, but the joke’s on us, because then came Hulk Hogan to tell us they both ARE safe, but Ryan isn’t.  Some really terrible fake-punching ensued, and at least now I get the wrestling tie-in from the video segment.  I personally think Idol just jumped the shark.  What about you?  The Hulk?  For real?  The one thing about this stunt that was actually funny is just how puny Ryan looks next to Hulk.  The good news is that Paul and James are now safely cradled in their tour-worthy safety seats.

The next victims were Jacob, Thia, and Stefano.  They don’t keep us in suspense long on Jacob – he’s safe.  Both Thia and Stefano are in the Bottom 3.

The last Idols, Naima, Haley and Casey were called up.  Naima is told she is safe, completely blowing my prediction (and my faith in the American electoral system!).  Then we got our first REAL shocker of the season – Haley is safe too and Casey is in the Bottom 3.  Wow – did not see that coming.  I agree that last night, Haley was better than before, and that Casey wasn’t as good as usual, but seriously?  My husband was ecstatic by the way as he’d much rather look at Haley’s legs for the next few weeks than Casey’s mug (I earlier said he looked like Seth Rogan, but now I’m thinking more Zach Galiflanakis.  Do you agree?)

Ok, so the lowest votes this week were for Thia, Stefano, and Casey.  Who will get to take their summer off?  Who will go on tour?  Who else will they haul out on stage tonight to relieve our boredom? Oh wait, they introduce a couple of Nascar people whom I totally don’t recognize as a stall tactic.  Then, out comes Idol’s own Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson, for whom the “Judges’ Save” was invented after she got robbed several seasons ago.  She had an odd look on her face throughout her performance, like perhaps she was still bitter about the fact that back in her day, there was no “save” option. But, other than the grimace, she looks completely gorgeous and sounds amazing.  By the way, she also makes Ryan look puny but that may be because of her 8-inch heels.

Back to the results, Ryan sent – NO WAY – IT CAN’T BE – he sent Thia back to safety.  Truly unbelievable!  I’m again reminding myself that when I make predictions, I need to keep in mind that it’s primarily 14 year olds who know how to text fast enough to actually vote multiple times.  Of course, all those teens and tweens love Thia, no matter how lukewarm the judges are on her.  Aye yi yi…

So, last night’s big loser was Casey, or was it?  We’re then told that Stefan is safe and that means that Casey had to do a sudden death sing-off for the judges and hope for their mercy.  He picked “I Don’t Need No Doctor” and doesn’t even get through the first verse, when the judges stopped him, saying “we know who you are Casey” and USE THE SAVE!  I genuinely thought Casey was going to hyperventilate.  He barely keeps it together, he’s so overcome with gratitude.  Ms. Lopez schooled him on what she thought happened and coached him to “just be the musician that you are, and don’t bring any antics” or something like that.  That actually sounded like good advice – rock on J. Lo. 

Anyway, there you have it – nobody went home, so next week, we’ll have the Top 11, Part Deux.  That means however that 2 people will go home next week so everyone better step it up!  Casey included.  I know I’ll be there to see it all go down.  How about you?

For more recap information, thoughts and weekly updates, check out another favorite site, American Idol Net at:  http://americanidolnet.com/.