Hopefully we've got two hours of awesome music entertainment ahead of us while waiting to hear who the Season 10 Miss American Idol winner will be. Things got off to a great start with the top 13 finalists coming together again to perform one of the biggest hits of the year so far, Lady Gaga's Born This Way. She was a great mentor for the finalists just a few weeks ago and now her full album is set to sell 850,000 copies in its debut week.
While having Lauren and Scotty in the top two might lead us all to believe that the show was going to be all about country music, but that is not the case at all. The Season 10 Miss American Idol 3rd Runner-Up James Durbin set the house on fire with his hard rocking heavy metal collaboration with Judas Priest. The stage was a flame in leather and studs to put it mildly! We were then treated to a true legendary diva on stage when Gladys Knight performed I Smile. Jacob Lusk was very lucky to be her back up singer.
Jack Black is a very funny comedy rocker so his take on the Queen classic Fat Bottom Girls was very entertaining. Unfortunately it was ruined by the creepy presense of Casey Abrams who was leering and lurking around the stage like a crazed stalker.
The girls from the top 13 then took the stage to perform a fierce medley of Beyonce's greatest hits. Thia was wonderful taking lead vocals on Irreplaceable and Pia was superstar quality at the front and center of Deja Vu. The real Beyonce then joined the girls for a fabulous rendition of Crazy In Love. The girl group medleys continued with T-Boz and Chilli from TLC taking us back old school for their hits No Scrubs and Waterfalls.
Country superstar Tim McGraw joined Scotty on stage to sing his mega hit Live Like You Were Dying. Scotty really did an amazing job keeping up with Tim and his voice fit perfectly with the song.
The Season 10 Miss American Idol 2nd Runner Up, Haley Reinhart was lucky enough to get the opportunity to sing a duet of Stepping Out with the legendary Tony Bennett. He was all class and she was all unintentional comedy.
Being married to one of the American Idol judges gives you the chance to perform on stage for this huge audience and there was no way that Marc Anthony was going to let this slip through his fingers. Jennifer played the role of background dancer while Marc entertained the crowd with his salsa extravaganza.
The boys from the top 13 performed a medley of songs from the Tom Jones greatest hits colelction. Stefano was the stand-out taking lead vocals on Kiss, which everyone really knows as a Prince song. Then Tom joined the boys for the popular favorite It's Not Unusual that is always a crowd pleaser no matter how old it is.
Lady Gaga is on track to being named the 2011 Artist of the Year and this performance of Edge of Glory is definitely a huge contributing factor. She was on top of a platform at center stage belting out this amazing anthem and dancing with a very handsome and sexy shirtless man. It is certain that after this outstanding spectacle she has recruited more montsters to put their paws up and join her!
The Supreme Miss American Idol, season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, was the only member of the Idol Alumni Association to take the stage tonight. Lauren started out with the first verse of Before He Cheats and thankfully Carrie came out to join her. Lauren, unfortunately, seemed very intimidated in the presense of Carrie's greatness so this duet was very one sided.
Beyonce is about to release her fourth solo album and she has been hitting the media outlets hard with promotion. The first single, Girls Rule The World, has been out for a few weeks and even had its video premiere on American Idol last week, but it has still failed to reach the top 10 of the Billboard HOT 100. It's simply not very good compared to her previous jams. And now, she is ready to push another single, 1+1, that she performed tonight, but it's not very good either. Beyonce needs to get some better material.
Dragging out the announcement of the new American Idol a little bit longer, U2 took the stage in a desperate attempt to make their SpiderMan Broadway musical a hit. SpiderMan came flying over the heads of the audience while they sang one of the songs. It was visually interesting, but it didn't sound so fantastic. Finally, Steven Tyler had his chance to get center stage and sing Dream On.
And then the time arrived at last for Scotty and Lauren to stand together in the spotlight and have Ryan open the envelope that revealed that the Season 10 Miss American Idol winner is...... SCOTTY MCCREERY!
He took the mic to sing his new single, I Love You This Big, and went into the audience to hug his family and the rest of the finalists. He seemed very humbled and overwhelmed as the glitter fell all around him.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Top 2 sing for the crown!
Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina will each sing three times as they go head to head for the Season 10 Miss American Idol crown.
Scotty chose to sing his favorite song from the season so far, Montgomery Gentry's Gone. This was a good choice to allow him to show some energy and personality. He worked the entire stage and engaged very well with the audience giving them more of what they have grown to like so much all season.
Lauren chose to sing her favorite song from the season so far, Carrie Underwood's Flat On The Floor. She did her best to overcome her strained vocal chords, but you could tell it was hurting as it was a little raspier than it should have been. She did a pretty good job compensating with her bubbly and youthful style.
Scotty's music hero George Strait selected his own hit Check Yes Or No for him to perform. This is exactly the kind of song that Scotty can do well. It's a nice story of young love that perfectly fits Scotty's image. He stood center stage with his guitar like he was headlining on the main stage of the County Fair.
Lauren's music hero is the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood and she selected the Pam Tillis classic Maybe It Was Memphis for her to perform. She looked very cute and fun in her short poofy skirt and cowboy boots and sounded sweet. Looks like Scotty was the opening act at the County Fair for Lauren.
And the song that was specially picked out for Scotty to be his first single is an uplifting ballad called I Love You This Big. It's a nice appealing little number, but even with his deep voice I'm not sure if he was vocally capable of making it as big as the song and arrangement required. You could see where they were trying to go with this, but I don't think he got there.
The song specially picked out as Lauren's first single, on the other hand, was so perfectly well played that it could probably be called a text book case. The song is called Like My Mother Does and it pulled every emotional string about how awesome we think our moms are that we want to sing about them. Vocally and emotionally, Lauren did exactly what was necessary to win over the undecided voters.
It seemed like Scotty was the front-runner all season long, but Lauren surpassed him tonight by referencing Carrie Underwood liberally and by pushing our buttons just right. My prediction is that Lauren Alaina will take the Season 10 Miss American Idol crown tomorrow night.
Scotty chose to sing his favorite song from the season so far, Montgomery Gentry's Gone. This was a good choice to allow him to show some energy and personality. He worked the entire stage and engaged very well with the audience giving them more of what they have grown to like so much all season.
Lauren chose to sing her favorite song from the season so far, Carrie Underwood's Flat On The Floor. She did her best to overcome her strained vocal chords, but you could tell it was hurting as it was a little raspier than it should have been. She did a pretty good job compensating with her bubbly and youthful style.
Scotty's music hero George Strait selected his own hit Check Yes Or No for him to perform. This is exactly the kind of song that Scotty can do well. It's a nice story of young love that perfectly fits Scotty's image. He stood center stage with his guitar like he was headlining on the main stage of the County Fair.
Lauren's music hero is the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood and she selected the Pam Tillis classic Maybe It Was Memphis for her to perform. She looked very cute and fun in her short poofy skirt and cowboy boots and sounded sweet. Looks like Scotty was the opening act at the County Fair for Lauren.
And the song that was specially picked out for Scotty to be his first single is an uplifting ballad called I Love You This Big. It's a nice appealing little number, but even with his deep voice I'm not sure if he was vocally capable of making it as big as the song and arrangement required. You could see where they were trying to go with this, but I don't think he got there.
The song specially picked out as Lauren's first single, on the other hand, was so perfectly well played that it could probably be called a text book case. The song is called Like My Mother Does and it pulled every emotional string about how awesome we think our moms are that we want to sing about them. Vocally and emotionally, Lauren did exactly what was necessary to win over the undecided voters.
It seemed like Scotty was the front-runner all season long, but Lauren surpassed him tonight by referencing Carrie Underwood liberally and by pushing our buttons just right. My prediction is that Lauren Alaina will take the Season 10 Miss American Idol crown tomorrow night.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Results - 3 become 2
The first performance of the night was from a new group of young guys called IL Doro. I can only imagine how different American Idol would be if they actually had finalists with impressive vocal talent like these guys in the competition. Each of the three guys in the group was exceptionally gifted and it was a very entertaining performance.
A performance by the lead singer of the Pussy Cat Dolls was also thrown in as she is continuing to try and have a successful solo career. It was a lot of glitz and glam, but it wasn't the catchiest song I've ever heard her do. Maybe it will grow on me.....
The rest of the night was all about the three remaining finalists getting the rock star treatment for their trips back home. Haley, Lauren and Scotty went back to their high schools, had home town parades and performed for thousands of screaming fans. It was a once in a lifetime emotional roller coaster.
And then the moment finally arrived when it was revealed that the boy and girl next door team of Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery will be going against each other next week in the Season 10 Miss American Idol finale.
That means that after weeks of being wrong, I have finally gotten my prediction correct and Haley Reinhart is out of the competition. And in the true comedic farce that her run this season has been, for her final performance she played her crazy drunk girl self with her laughable rendition of Bennie and the Jets. Suffering through this hot mess again encapsulated all the insanity she brought to the stage every week.
So how on earth did she make it all the way up to the Final three!??? What has caused the standards of the American voting public to sink so low? I don't know what it is, but I expect to see a well-rehearsed finalist with exceptional talent who is striving for perfection and Haley just doesn't come close. So when she ends up winning the Grammy for Best New Artist and when her debut album becomes the best seller of the year, I will be the first to step up and admit that I have mis-judged her potential. It's written here and you can all hold that over me when it happens.
A performance by the lead singer of the Pussy Cat Dolls was also thrown in as she is continuing to try and have a successful solo career. It was a lot of glitz and glam, but it wasn't the catchiest song I've ever heard her do. Maybe it will grow on me.....
The rest of the night was all about the three remaining finalists getting the rock star treatment for their trips back home. Haley, Lauren and Scotty went back to their high schools, had home town parades and performed for thousands of screaming fans. It was a once in a lifetime emotional roller coaster.
And then the moment finally arrived when it was revealed that the boy and girl next door team of Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery will be going against each other next week in the Season 10 Miss American Idol finale.
That means that after weeks of being wrong, I have finally gotten my prediction correct and Haley Reinhart is out of the competition. And in the true comedic farce that her run this season has been, for her final performance she played her crazy drunk girl self with her laughable rendition of Bennie and the Jets. Suffering through this hot mess again encapsulated all the insanity she brought to the stage every week.
So how on earth did she make it all the way up to the Final three!??? What has caused the standards of the American voting public to sink so low? I don't know what it is, but I expect to see a well-rehearsed finalist with exceptional talent who is striving for perfection and Haley just doesn't come close. So when she ends up winning the Grammy for Best New Artist and when her debut album becomes the best seller of the year, I will be the first to step up and admit that I have mis-judged her potential. It's written here and you can all hold that over me when it happens.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Top 3 Perform
The Top 3 finalists will each perform three times tonight: 1. Their own personal song choice 2. a song selected by music producer Jimmy Iovine 3. a song selected by the judges. Pop music superstar Beyonce helped them work on their own personal choices:
Lonestar spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 2000 with Amazed. Beyonce thought this song would allow Scotty McCreery to show more of his vocal range so he went for it full force. But even with throwing in some higher notes this song didn't feel like a natural fit for his style and personality.
Faith Hill had a hit in 1993 with Wild One and Lauren Alaina did her best to get over her nervous nature and sing her little heart out. Even Beyonce could notice that she is surrounded by uncertainty every time she tries to sing. She was doing her best to let go, but it came off as strained and screaming in a few places.
Led Zeppelin included What Is and What Should Never Be on their 1969 epic album Led Zeppelin II. Beyonce was very generous in praising the courage of Haley Reinhart for making this selection. Haley has many of the qualities necessary to be a star, including courage, but the fact remains that all the guts in the world isn't going to make up for the lack of talent. She is just a kid getting up there on stage and play acting.
Jimmy selected Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not by Thompson Square for Scotty. One of the best things to be said about an Idol finalist is that he sang the song better than the original and once again, that can not be said about Scotty's rendition. It was good, but it didn't come close to the fun and frolic to be found in the one we can see on CMT any time we want.
Jimmy selected If I Die Young by The Band Perry for Lauren. This one got close to being better than the original from the vocal range stand point, but it fell short in the area of emotional connection. In addition, her performances are always marred by her lack of confidence.
Jimmy selected Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac for Haley. Along with her lack of talent this performance showcased her complete lack of an interesting personality. Stevie Nicks is an iconic persona where Haley is just a mess.
The judges selected the Kenny Rogers #5 hit from 1979, She Believes In Me, for Scotty. He's such a good kid with a full deep bass that sounds pure and clean. It would be nice if he had some personality traits with some energy or a performance style that was interesting, but he's so bland. He did a very good job with the song, but he has no texture to his voice to really make it special.
The judges selected the 2000 Grammy winner for Best Country Song, I Hope You Dance, for Lauren. She's a really sweet girl that would be lots of fun to go shopping at the mall with, but she has zero stage presence. Even when she hits a few nice notes she still appears scared and unsure of herself. This truly is one of the best songs ever and Lauren was just going through the motions.
The judges selected Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know for Haley. This song let her scream her heart out and it didn't matter that she has no talent. I didn't think it was possible, but Haley's version was even more dreadful than the awful original.
Now more than ever I am convinced that Haley is only on the show this season because of some high powered connection that bought her this opportunity. I can't even begin to be able to predict which two will make it to the finals as none of these three have completely won me over. So I'm just going go with the boy and girl next door team of Scotty and Lauren making it through and predicting that Haley will finally be taken out of the running. But what do I know??????
Lonestar spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 2000 with Amazed. Beyonce thought this song would allow Scotty McCreery to show more of his vocal range so he went for it full force. But even with throwing in some higher notes this song didn't feel like a natural fit for his style and personality.
Faith Hill had a hit in 1993 with Wild One and Lauren Alaina did her best to get over her nervous nature and sing her little heart out. Even Beyonce could notice that she is surrounded by uncertainty every time she tries to sing. She was doing her best to let go, but it came off as strained and screaming in a few places.
Led Zeppelin included What Is and What Should Never Be on their 1969 epic album Led Zeppelin II. Beyonce was very generous in praising the courage of Haley Reinhart for making this selection. Haley has many of the qualities necessary to be a star, including courage, but the fact remains that all the guts in the world isn't going to make up for the lack of talent. She is just a kid getting up there on stage and play acting.
Jimmy selected Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not by Thompson Square for Scotty. One of the best things to be said about an Idol finalist is that he sang the song better than the original and once again, that can not be said about Scotty's rendition. It was good, but it didn't come close to the fun and frolic to be found in the one we can see on CMT any time we want.
Jimmy selected If I Die Young by The Band Perry for Lauren. This one got close to being better than the original from the vocal range stand point, but it fell short in the area of emotional connection. In addition, her performances are always marred by her lack of confidence.
Jimmy selected Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac for Haley. Along with her lack of talent this performance showcased her complete lack of an interesting personality. Stevie Nicks is an iconic persona where Haley is just a mess.
The judges selected the Kenny Rogers #5 hit from 1979, She Believes In Me, for Scotty. He's such a good kid with a full deep bass that sounds pure and clean. It would be nice if he had some personality traits with some energy or a performance style that was interesting, but he's so bland. He did a very good job with the song, but he has no texture to his voice to really make it special.
The judges selected the 2000 Grammy winner for Best Country Song, I Hope You Dance, for Lauren. She's a really sweet girl that would be lots of fun to go shopping at the mall with, but she has zero stage presence. Even when she hits a few nice notes she still appears scared and unsure of herself. This truly is one of the best songs ever and Lauren was just going through the motions.
The judges selected Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know for Haley. This song let her scream her heart out and it didn't matter that she has no talent. I didn't think it was possible, but Haley's version was even more dreadful than the awful original.
Now more than ever I am convinced that Haley is only on the show this season because of some high powered connection that bought her this opportunity. I can't even begin to be able to predict which two will make it to the finals as none of these three have completely won me over. So I'm just going go with the boy and girl next door team of Scotty and Lauren making it through and predicting that Haley will finally be taken out of the running. But what do I know??????
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Results - Lady Gaga
Scotty and James opened the show with a performance of the Brad Paisley and Keith Urban duet, Start A Band. James was able to add a convincing musical interpretation to the lyrics as this is something that he has clearly been striving toward for his entire life, while Scotty was just going through the motions. Lauren and Haley followed this up with their best effort of the Miranda Lambert anthem Gunpowder and Lead. The fact is, though, that clearly neither of these girls has the spit fire composition to live up to the premise of the what little girls are made of in the song.
Lady Gaga performed a live concert on HBO this week and the You and I clip from it was shared with the American Idol audience. It was nice to see this song done well after the mess that Haley made of it a couple of weeks ago.
Lauren was then the first of the remaining finalists to secure a spot in this year's top three.
The Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks, has enjoyed some wonderful well-deserved success since getting the crown. She has consistently reached the top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 with singles, No Air, Tattoo and Battlefield. Tonight she made the debut of her latest single, I Am Woman, which is an empowering dance throw down. Hopefully this year's finalists were watching closely and learning a lesson about how a very young and talented singer should look in order to have pop music success. Jordin looked and sounded amazing.
Enrique Iglesias made his way back to the upper portion of the charts last year with his dance club friendly songs like I Like It. Tonight he is hoping to get more success with his release Dirty Dancer.
In an unpleasant twist, it was announced that Haley would be the next person joining Lauren in the top three along with Scotty. That left the most impressive singer with the best vocal range and stage presence, James Durbin, to be the one eliminated this week.
Needless to say, I was not right with my prediction at all this week and Haley is continuing to move another step closer to winning the Season 10 Miss American Idol crown.
It seems like James Durbin is set to follow in the footsteps of Chris Daughtry who was eliminated at this same point during Season 5, but went on to release the top selling album for all of 2007.
Lady Gaga performed a live concert on HBO this week and the You and I clip from it was shared with the American Idol audience. It was nice to see this song done well after the mess that Haley made of it a couple of weeks ago.
Lauren was then the first of the remaining finalists to secure a spot in this year's top three.
The Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks, has enjoyed some wonderful well-deserved success since getting the crown. She has consistently reached the top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 with singles, No Air, Tattoo and Battlefield. Tonight she made the debut of her latest single, I Am Woman, which is an empowering dance throw down. Hopefully this year's finalists were watching closely and learning a lesson about how a very young and talented singer should look in order to have pop music success. Jordin looked and sounded amazing.
Enrique Iglesias made his way back to the upper portion of the charts last year with his dance club friendly songs like I Like It. Tonight he is hoping to get more success with his release Dirty Dancer.
In an unpleasant twist, it was announced that Haley would be the next person joining Lauren in the top three along with Scotty. That left the most impressive singer with the best vocal range and stage presence, James Durbin, to be the one eliminated this week.
Needless to say, I was not right with my prediction at all this week and Haley is continuing to move another step closer to winning the Season 10 Miss American Idol crown.
It seems like James Durbin is set to follow in the footsteps of Chris Daughtry who was eliminated at this same point during Season 5, but went on to release the top selling album for all of 2007.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Top 4 - Lady Gaga
The top 4 finalists are once again singing twice. The first time they are selecting a song that inspires them and for the second song they will get guidance from mega-pop performance art superstar, Lady Gaga.
Journey created a timeless classic when they first charted with Don't Stop Believin' at #9 in 1981. The song was already a consistent top download on itunes 30 years later, but then the cast of Glee performed it and breathed even more life into it. Now that James Durbin has done a fantastic job singing it, Don't Stop Believin' isn't going to stop being a fan favorite for a long time.
Michael Jackson had the ability to take a lyric about respect for our fragile planet and make it into a sweet and powerful anthem. Haley Reinhart has no similar capacity whatsoever. Her vocal ability is weak and once again she was more of a caricature than an artist. The screaming was completely unpleasant and her look and style was cartoonish.
Scotty McCreery knows how to appeal to his fans as he selected Alan Jackson's Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning. He did exactly what he had to do to make them happy.
Lauren Alaina finally selected the perfect song to showcase her voice at its best. Martina McBride's Any Way allowed her to have an emotional connection to both the song and the audience. It's a little late in the game, but she finally found herself.
Lady Gaga encouraged Haley to give in to her crazy drama and give the audience an over the top dramatic interpretation of I Who Have Nothing. Lady Gaga could easily see that Haley doesn't really have the vocal skills to pull this song off. It's a fantastic power ballad if you've heard a talented artist sing it, so all Haley could provide was a painfully comical parody.
Lady Gaga really pushed hard to get Scotty to express a sense of humor and have some personality with his rendition of Young Blood. Once he got on stage it was clear that he had taken her advice but still stayed true to his bland and conservative self.
Lady Gaga had the difficult challenge of getting Lauren to transform into the "good girl gone bad" performer for her performance of Trouble. But after all these weeks, Lauren has finally gotten comfortable on stage with her genuine good girl persona that this was all a little too much too soon.
James Durbin was actually pretty apprehensive about getting face to face with Lady Gaga, but in the end she was even able to help him take it up a notch. His arena rock extravaganza of Love Potion #9 was nothing short of amazing. He truly knows what he is doing on stage and his vocal range is simply outstanding.
America has got to get a clue and not allow Haley to make it into the top three. If there is any basis of reality and respect for talent my prediction of the bottom two will be accurate: Haley and Lauren should be in the bottom two and Haley should seriously, finally go home. I mean, Haley was truly awful tonight.
Journey created a timeless classic when they first charted with Don't Stop Believin' at #9 in 1981. The song was already a consistent top download on itunes 30 years later, but then the cast of Glee performed it and breathed even more life into it. Now that James Durbin has done a fantastic job singing it, Don't Stop Believin' isn't going to stop being a fan favorite for a long time.
Michael Jackson had the ability to take a lyric about respect for our fragile planet and make it into a sweet and powerful anthem. Haley Reinhart has no similar capacity whatsoever. Her vocal ability is weak and once again she was more of a caricature than an artist. The screaming was completely unpleasant and her look and style was cartoonish.
Scotty McCreery knows how to appeal to his fans as he selected Alan Jackson's Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning. He did exactly what he had to do to make them happy.
Lauren Alaina finally selected the perfect song to showcase her voice at its best. Martina McBride's Any Way allowed her to have an emotional connection to both the song and the audience. It's a little late in the game, but she finally found herself.
Lady Gaga encouraged Haley to give in to her crazy drama and give the audience an over the top dramatic interpretation of I Who Have Nothing. Lady Gaga could easily see that Haley doesn't really have the vocal skills to pull this song off. It's a fantastic power ballad if you've heard a talented artist sing it, so all Haley could provide was a painfully comical parody.
Lady Gaga really pushed hard to get Scotty to express a sense of humor and have some personality with his rendition of Young Blood. Once he got on stage it was clear that he had taken her advice but still stayed true to his bland and conservative self.
Lady Gaga had the difficult challenge of getting Lauren to transform into the "good girl gone bad" performer for her performance of Trouble. But after all these weeks, Lauren has finally gotten comfortable on stage with her genuine good girl persona that this was all a little too much too soon.
James Durbin was actually pretty apprehensive about getting face to face with Lady Gaga, but in the end she was even able to help him take it up a notch. His arena rock extravaganza of Love Potion #9 was nothing short of amazing. He truly knows what he is doing on stage and his vocal range is simply outstanding.
America has got to get a clue and not allow Haley to make it into the top three. If there is any basis of reality and respect for talent my prediction of the bottom two will be accurate: Haley and Lauren should be in the bottom two and Haley should seriously, finally go home. I mean, Haley was truly awful tonight.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The Results - Now & Then
The Turtles took Happy Together to #1 for three weeks in 1967 and the top 5 finalists showed that they are not able to harmonize together at all with this sloppy opening performance.
Thankfully, Grammy winning super group, Lady Antebellum took the stage to debut their brand new single, Just A Kiss, to demonstrate how well three distinct voices can sound wonderful together. The song follows the winning formula of their smash, Need You Now, but it tells a more upbeat story of the fun and anticipation of a new relationship. It is sure to be one of the biggest hits of 2011.
American Idol judge, Jennifer Lopez, then performed her latest song, On The Floor, that has brought her back to the upper portions of the Billboard HOT 100 after being gone for quite a few years. It's a trendy dance pop jam with a rap by Pitbull that the 5 finalists should pay attention to - this is how to perform a hit, get radio airplay and sell singles.
Haley, James and Scotty were revealed to be safe, leaving Jacob and Lauren in the bottom two. With this being the first time Lauren was in the bottom, the tears were streaming down her face, but she must have been very relieved that Jacob was actually the lowest vote getter and he is being sent packing.
I correctly predicted that both Lauren and Jacob would find themselves in the bottom and was right that Jacob would be going home.
Thankfully, Grammy winning super group, Lady Antebellum took the stage to debut their brand new single, Just A Kiss, to demonstrate how well three distinct voices can sound wonderful together. The song follows the winning formula of their smash, Need You Now, but it tells a more upbeat story of the fun and anticipation of a new relationship. It is sure to be one of the biggest hits of 2011.
American Idol judge, Jennifer Lopez, then performed her latest song, On The Floor, that has brought her back to the upper portions of the Billboard HOT 100 after being gone for quite a few years. It's a trendy dance pop jam with a rap by Pitbull that the 5 finalists should pay attention to - this is how to perform a hit, get radio airplay and sell singles.
Haley, James and Scotty were revealed to be safe, leaving Jacob and Lauren in the bottom two. With this being the first time Lauren was in the bottom, the tears were streaming down her face, but she must have been very relieved that Jacob was actually the lowest vote getter and he is being sent packing.
I correctly predicted that both Lauren and Jacob would find themselves in the bottom and was right that Jacob would be going home.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Top 5 sing Now & Then
Each of the top 5 finalists will be singing two songs tonight. One that is current and contemporary while the other is a classic oldie. They got some guidance from 1994 Grammy winner for Best New Artist: Sheryl Crow. After each review this week I will be giving two scores on a scale of 1 to 10. One for stage presence and another for vocals. (1 is really bad and 10 is exceptional superstar talent)
30 Seconds to Mars had a huge hit last year called Closer To The Edge that was a perfect choice to show how James Durbin can connect his classic heavy metal energy to a fresh and current sound. He completely owned the stage like he was entertaining to a sold out arena. Without You was a #1 smash in 1972 for Nilsson and then it was a huge hit again hitting #3 in 1994 for iconic superstar and 1990 Grammy Winner for Best New Artist, Mariah Carey. James further demonstrated his emotional depth with his raw and tear-jerking interpretation of this outstanding song. To say he gave the audience chills only scratches the surface. Stage Presence: 9. Vocals: 9
The Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks had a huge #3 hit with No Air in 2008. Jacob Lusk completely butchered this passionate R&B slow jam with his over dramatic screeching vocals. Rock group Nazareth hit #8 in 1976 with Love Hurts and Jacob did his best to show some range by taking on this power ballad, but once again the vocals might have been strong, but they were totally out of control and he looks awkward and dresses all wrong every time he is on stage. Stage Presence: 3. Vocals: 5.
The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood included Flat On The Floor on her second multi-platinum album, Carnival Ride. Lauren Alaina gave it her best effort, but the fact remains that she has no personality to speak of no matter how she dresses or what she does on stage. The Righteous Brothers truly created a timeless classic when they first charted with Unchained Melody at #4 in 1965. It's an emotional powerhouse vocal extravaganza and Lauren managed to put in her best vocal performance of the competition so far with this effort. But the reality is that she threw away many opportunities to showcase her voice with weak choices. The world has heard many many better versions of this song leaving hers to be completely forgettable. Stage Presence: 4. Vocals: 7.
Scotty McCreery used the Montgomery Gentry song, Gone, to try and show he can do something uptempo and move around the stage. He then used the 1982 Grammy Winner for Song of the Year, Always On My Mind, to demonstrate his tender side. Either way, Scotty ended up falling short of the mark. There is nothing exceptional to say about him. Stage Presence: 5. Vocals: 5.
Lady Gaga performs You and I as part of her live concerts and Haley Reinhart had the honor of bringing this unreleased song to the American Idol stage. Lady Gaga will definitely benefit from the exposure on the top rated show on TV, but she has nothing to be threatened about with the way Haley did it. This girl gets up on stage and does every corny and comical mannerism that comedians use to mock Casino lounge singers or cruise line entertainers. It's impossible to take her seriously. The Animals spent three weeks at #1 in 1964 with The House of the Rising Sun. Haley had some small moments of vocal talent buried under this performance but you had to get past the feeling that she is part of the show this season playing a big joke on all of us. Stage Presence: 3. Vocals: 6.
From the scoring system, it's plain to see that James Durbin is the clear front-runner, but all of the others seem to be competing very hard to be the next one eliminated. My prediction for the bottom three this week is Jacob, Lauren and Scotty with Jacob finally going home.
30 Seconds to Mars had a huge hit last year called Closer To The Edge that was a perfect choice to show how James Durbin can connect his classic heavy metal energy to a fresh and current sound. He completely owned the stage like he was entertaining to a sold out arena. Without You was a #1 smash in 1972 for Nilsson and then it was a huge hit again hitting #3 in 1994 for iconic superstar and 1990 Grammy Winner for Best New Artist, Mariah Carey. James further demonstrated his emotional depth with his raw and tear-jerking interpretation of this outstanding song. To say he gave the audience chills only scratches the surface. Stage Presence: 9. Vocals: 9
The Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks had a huge #3 hit with No Air in 2008. Jacob Lusk completely butchered this passionate R&B slow jam with his over dramatic screeching vocals. Rock group Nazareth hit #8 in 1976 with Love Hurts and Jacob did his best to show some range by taking on this power ballad, but once again the vocals might have been strong, but they were totally out of control and he looks awkward and dresses all wrong every time he is on stage. Stage Presence: 3. Vocals: 5.
The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood included Flat On The Floor on her second multi-platinum album, Carnival Ride. Lauren Alaina gave it her best effort, but the fact remains that she has no personality to speak of no matter how she dresses or what she does on stage. The Righteous Brothers truly created a timeless classic when they first charted with Unchained Melody at #4 in 1965. It's an emotional powerhouse vocal extravaganza and Lauren managed to put in her best vocal performance of the competition so far with this effort. But the reality is that she threw away many opportunities to showcase her voice with weak choices. The world has heard many many better versions of this song leaving hers to be completely forgettable. Stage Presence: 4. Vocals: 7.
Scotty McCreery used the Montgomery Gentry song, Gone, to try and show he can do something uptempo and move around the stage. He then used the 1982 Grammy Winner for Song of the Year, Always On My Mind, to demonstrate his tender side. Either way, Scotty ended up falling short of the mark. There is nothing exceptional to say about him. Stage Presence: 5. Vocals: 5.
Lady Gaga performs You and I as part of her live concerts and Haley Reinhart had the honor of bringing this unreleased song to the American Idol stage. Lady Gaga will definitely benefit from the exposure on the top rated show on TV, but she has nothing to be threatened about with the way Haley did it. This girl gets up on stage and does every corny and comical mannerism that comedians use to mock Casino lounge singers or cruise line entertainers. It's impossible to take her seriously. The Animals spent three weeks at #1 in 1964 with The House of the Rising Sun. Haley had some small moments of vocal talent buried under this performance but you had to get past the feeling that she is part of the show this season playing a big joke on all of us. Stage Presence: 3. Vocals: 6.
From the scoring system, it's plain to see that James Durbin is the clear front-runner, but all of the others seem to be competing very hard to be the next one eliminated. My prediction for the bottom three this week is Jacob, Lauren and Scotty with Jacob finally going home.
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