So, this season is all about the ladies on American Idoland um, yes, it is. However, a few guys are desperately trying to throw a wrench in the female domination. And while a few are definitely in the mix, they still pale in comparison to the fairer sex. That said, I was impressed by the improvement of a few and the confidence of the one guy we know is gonna go far, Lazaro. That adorable kid who is overcoming his stutter and confidence issues to be a real star is the only guy that I’m 100% confident is going thru to the finals next week. But, I do have my favorites and I think some of them have a shot. Just who are they? Take a look at my rankings for Guys Night below.
American Idol Rankings 3/6/13~ The Guys
1. Paul: my favorite male singer in the competition is serving up theatrical pop country and I’m loving it just as much as I love RuPaul’s Drag Race (which is a lot, lol). He has a great voice and improved greatly over last week with his cover of the Christina Aguilera/Blake Shelton duet “Just a Fool”. (Yes, I love when Paul sings the divas like Carrie and Xtina!) I really think he could go far if he just really embraces who he is. Paul also is one of only three white guys in the race and there is always at least one white guy in the finals. It’s gonna be Paul. 2. Devin: now this guy has a beautiful voice with a glorious tone and he gave arguably the best vocal tonight on Perry Como’s “Impossible”. His bilingual shtick could get old, but he’s so good at it and he totally has the Latin vote. His personality was also shining brighter tonight as he seemed genuine and humble. Well done. 3. Lazaro: well, someone is certainly coming out of his shell these days. Easily the most popular guy in the race right now, Lazaro also gave his best performance to date on “Feeling Good”. While it was miles behind the brilliant take Adam Lambert did a few years back, it was quite assured and felt natural for Lazaro. I’m glad he is continuing to grow as a singer and performer. And yes, he’s adorable like a puppy! 4. Curtis: ok, let’s be honest. I can’t stand this arrogant affected guy or his stank faces and I am not buying the Jesus juice he is selling. However, damn the guy can sing. His performance of R. Kelly’s # 1 smash “I Believe I Can Fly” started off cheesy, but then he took it to church and soared to the rafters. I think he’ll move on pretty easily. However, he needs some humility stat. Take a lesson from last season’s Joshua Ledet please Curtis! 5. Burnell: there is just something compelling about Burnell and his lovely and subtle take on “I’m Here” from The Color Purple was very good. He was out shown vocally by a few guys tonight, but he is quite likable and I’m excited to see what he’ll do next. 6. Nick: this talented guy is sorely lacking in star quality unfortunately. But he did have a strong performance with his nice reworking of the Goo Goo Doll’s massive 1998 hit “Iris”. He sits right in the cozy Hot AC wheelhouse that Idol vets (Kris Allen, David Cook, Phillip Phillips, Daughtry) do so well and that could help him. Yet, I still feel like he may suffer under the weight of bigger personalities. 7. Vincent: one of those bigger personalities, Vincent, had a great week last week. However, he squandered it all with an off pitch and plodding version of Boyz II Men’s # 1 90′s classic “End of the Road”. All the good will he won a week ago is not likely to carry him through to the finals if you ask me. 8. Cortez: well, this guy looks and acts like a star. I just wish he performed and sounded like one too. While I liked his take on Bruno Mars’ recent chart topper “Locked Out of Heaven”, it wasn’t all that memorable and even a little karaoke. Sorry Cortez. 9. Elijah: while tonight’s performance of Rihanna’s current top 5 hit “Stay” was a million times better than last week’s train wreck, Elijah still has no chance in hell of moving forward. He’s just not even on the same level as the other guys (who aren’t even on the same level as most of the girls to boot). 10. Charlie: um I don’t really want to throw salt on his wounds, but Charlie’s take on that Genesis song was horrifyingly bad. I hope his experience on the show doesn’t wound him for life, but luckily it should be over tomorrow.
Predictions~
Sailing Through: Lazaro Likely Going Through: Curtis, Devin I think they’ll make it: Paul, Burnell Fighting for a wild card: Vincent, Nick Buh Bye forever: Charlie, Elijah, Cortez
So, the boys did much better than I thought they would. But really, it’s not gonna be enough to stop the lady train… At least, not yet… So, who do you think was the best tonight and might be able to keep up with the girls? Sound off below and watch American Idol tomorrow night for the results and to see who is lucky enough to grab a “secret” wild card spot too.
Grammy winning pop music icon and longtime LGBT rights supporter Cyndi Lauper held a special benefit concert this weekend in New York with all the proceeds going to help LGBT Youth. She supports a ton of organizations like her True Colors Foundation that work towards equality, youth programs and other LGBT causes. She is a true ally and an incredibly talented one at that. Check out her amazing duet with Grammy nominee Adam Lambert on his signature tune from his run on American Idol, “Mad World” below. Simply brilliant! And head to Cyndi’s website here for more information on her upcoming performances, an appearance on the sitcom Happily Divorced starring Fran Drescher and all of her charities. It’s the holidays people, it’s the perfect time to help out.
This summer Grammy nominated American Idol vet Adam Lambert is joining up with Rock n Roll Hall of Famer icons Queen for several dates in Europe. The concerts will be benefitting organizations that fight AIDS and HIV, the disease that claimed Queen’s original and legendary front man Freddie Mercury. The first show was held in the Ukraine on June 30th and now the whole concert is online. Check it out below. Adam does a wonderful job honoring Mercury’s legacy with a fantastic performance alongside the amazing men of Queen. Enjoy! … And to donate to the fight, head to the Elton John AIDS Foundationwebpage here.
Queen + Adam Lambert~ Full Ukraine Concert from June 30, 2012
Grammy winner John Mayer and newly crowned American Idol winner Phillip Phillips share a lot in common. Both are attractive, guitar strumming, raspy voiced white guys, and now they’re both making waves on the Billboard Charts... Mayer lands his third # 1 album with his latest, Born and Raised, which sells 219,000 copies. Phillip’s compilation album from season 11 of American Idol debuts at # 11 while the combo-album from the season finale episode, American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP, featuring his competition (and the girl who should’ve won) Jessica Sanchez also debuts at # 21. Sanchez’s season competition album debuts way down at #126. Two other Idol contenders also hit the charts as season 10′s third place finisher Haley Reinhart barrels in at # 17 while season 8 champ Kris Allen disappoints with a # 27 debut for his sophomore album. He may have won that season but he has been upstaged time and again by that season’s runner-up Adam Lambert who hit # 1 with his sophomore album, Trespassing, last week…. For more on all these albums and the Billboard 200, head here and check out the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Born & Raised- John Mayer (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 3)
4. Apocalyptic Love- Slash (debut)
5. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 10)
6. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 9)
7. The Hurt & the Healer- Mercy Me (debut)
8. Once Upon Another Time EP- Sara Bareilles (debut)
9. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 6)
10. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)
And other American Idol contenders on the BB200 (along with Carrie Underwood above) ….
11. Journey to the Finale- Phillip Phillips (debut)
12. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (lw~ 1)
17. Listen Up! – Haley Reinhart (debut)
21. American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP- Phillip Phillps & Jessica Sanchez (debut)
27. Thank You Camellia- Kris Allen (debut)
33, Stronger- Kelly Clarkson * a former # 2 album that just passed 800,000 copies
73. Clear as Day- Scotty McCreery * a former # 1 album that has sold over 1 million copies
126. Journey to the Finale- Jessica Sanchez (debut)
Back on the Hot 100 SinglesChart, Philips also makes an auspicious debut as his coronation single “Home” hits the top ten debuting at # 10. This makes him the first Idol winner to hit the Hot 100 top ten with their coronation single since season 7′s David Cook. He also becomes the 13th Idol alum to hit the top ten on this chart following Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, David Cook,David Archuleta, and Adam Lambert…. Perhaps, I may have to eat my words about Phillips but I am still very skeptical that he will ever have any real pop hits with his upcoming debut album. That said, he’s off to a nice start. We’ll see how things turn out…. Holding onto # 1 is Gotye while Carly Rae Jepsen fights hard in the runner-up spot. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here.
Top Ten Singles on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) * 7 weeks at # 1, the longest chart topper of 2012
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 2)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 3)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 4)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 6)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (debut)
And here’s the lead off single from Mayer’s new album, “Shadow Days”
Some of you readers may have wondered why I didn’t post anything after last week’s American Idol finale…. Well, the reason is, which may come to you as no surprise, that I was just upset and annoyed. I needed some time away from Idol for a bit. I was incredibly frustrated, though not surprised, that the wrong person won again! This was the fourth year in a row when a lesser contestant (Phillip over Jessica, Scotty over Lauren, Lee over Crystal, Kris over Adam) won the show and the fifth year in a row that a white guy with a guitar won the show (David Cook completes the quintet). So, when Phillip Phillips was named the winner, I was honestly pissed off… Ok, I get that he has a big fan base and he’s incredibly attractive and charming. But he’s not a very good singer people! And in a singing competition, shouldn’t the best singer win? If that were the case, Jessica Sanchez would’ve easily took home the crown… Alas, we all know this is a big popularity contest along with a singing competition and you can’t deny the power of the tween girl texters who have powered all these boys to a win…. Now, despite my anger over the outcome, I wish Phillip well. His songs are selling decently on iTunes for the time being (comparable to Lee’s and Scotty’s but below Cook’s). I do wonder how he will do once his album arrives. I think it could sell well, but I highly doubt he will ever have any hit pop songs. His Dave Matthews-type music has a certain audience but it isn’t the type to get radio airplay these days… That task we will leave up to Jessica who will certainly get a record deal and if Jimmy Iovine and the people at Interscope treat her right could have a huge pop star on their hands. She’s that good. She just needs the right guidance and songs. (As we all know, and even I will admit, song choice was not her strong suit in the competition… nor was it the producers or judges…)
So, as we say goodbye to a really good season that brought us some phenomenal talent, I will say I foresee record deals for Phillip and Jessica of course, along with Joshua Ledet (who could do well in the gospel and R&B arena), Colton Dixon (who has a great contemporary Christian career ahead of him) and especially Skylar Laine who has a wonderful shot at a fantastic country career. I am also curious to see what happens to perennial underdog Hollie Cavanagh. She has an incredible voice, but needs some more guidance and experience…. We’ll see how they grow as performers and artists this summer on the American Idol tour.
Now, there are some things Idol needs to do next year to get its edge and influence back. Here are my suggestions~
1. Ban guitars and instruments… Go back to singers singing if you want to see a different type of winner…
2. Get new relevant and current themes. The producers need to wake up and do contemporary themes because those are the ones that connect with the young audience they so crave… (And hello, trotting out those old artists on the finale like Neil Diamond, John Fogerty and Chaka Kahn, who are certainly wonderful in their own right, was a big mistake. The young audience doesn’t know who they are for the most part and doesn’t relate to them. You need to keep your guests more like Rihanna if you want bigger ratings…)
3. Switch up the judging panel~ Dump Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler. Randy is useless and Steven, while entertaining, is a hot mess and only gives a real critique one out of every 15 tries. He also clearly has no idea what “Over the Top” really means cuz he used it wrong constantly…. They can keep J. Lo for star power and her sometimes useful critiques. But she needs to study up on the history of the show because she is constantly proclaiming things that are totally wrong. For example~ she stated she’d never seen anything like Phillip’s performance of “Home”. Hello, check out Lee Dewyze’s finale performance from two years earlier)… Then, they need to add Jimmy Iovine to the judging panel for some real, honest critique…. Finally they have to add a younger artist the singers might relate to better for the third choice~ perhaps a former contestant? I’m open to ideas for that third spot.
4. Get some new producers… As I said before, the producers are using the same old tricks with the themes and guests… They need to mix it up big time.
5. Put a limit on text and phone votes like Dancing with the Stars... 5 calls per house or phone or something will make it a lot fairer.
Ok, so those are my brief thoughts for the time being. I really enjoyed this season for the most part which gave us some incredible performances, fun personalities and villains (argh Heejun Hahn!), lol … Before I go, please enjoy the two best performances from the finale featuring the girl who should’ve won it all, Jessica Sanchez.
Jessica Sanchez “I Will Always Love You” (Idol finale)
And the undisputed performance of the night from Jessica and Tony and Grammy winner Jennifer Holiday on “And I Am Telling You”
Two of my favorite music artists are back with hot new albums and great new videos. Last week, Grammy nominated American Idol alum Adam Lamberthit the top of the Billboard 200 with his second album, Trespassing, and now the latest clip from the record for the incredible new single, “Never Close Our Eyes” just hit the web. Check it out below… Then, scroll down a bit for the wonderful new clip from Grammy nominated dance pop group Scissor Sisters for their current single, “Only the Horses”. It’s the first track from their amazing new album, Magic Hour,which hits iTunes and digital retailers today. Get it Now!!! Enjoy.
Grammy nominated American Idol alum Adam Lambert blasts on to the top of the Billboard 200 Albumschart this week with his sophomore release, the awesome pop-dance record Trespassing(which I give an “A” grade to by the way). In doing so, he makes some history. Not only is this the first time an Idol alum has succeeded another Idol at the top of this chart (as Lambert replaces Carrie Underwood after two weeks in the pole position), but he also becomes the first openly gay recording artist to debut at # 1 on this chart. Sure, other gay artists have topped the Billboard 200 like Elton John and George Michael, but they weren’t out at the time. So, kudos to Adam! I’m thrilled and I hope the record continues to sell well because it’s incredibly good and a marked improvement from his quite good debut, For Your Entertainment which has sold almost 900,000 copies to date (which basically triples the amount that season’s winner, Kris Allen, sold). With his debut, Lambert becomes the 7th Idol winner to hit the summit of this chart following Underwood (who’s done it 3 times), Kelly Clarkson (who’s done it twice), Chris Daughtry of Daughtry (also twice), Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Scotty McCreery… Other debuts this week come from the Glee cast, Tenacious D and some group I’ve never heard of called Bloom…. For more on Adam’s achievement, head to Billboard hereand take a look at the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 1)
4. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)
5. Rize of the Fenix- Tenacious D (debut)
6. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 4)
7. Bloom- Beach House (debut)
8. Glee, the Music: Season Three – The Graduation Album- Glee Cast (debut)
9. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 3)
10. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 7)
Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, not much is going on as Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” holds on top for a 6th week. However, next week, Canadian Idol finalist Carly Rae Jepsen may shake things up as her debut single “Call Me Maybe” comes within striking distance of the top. And she may have to fend off this year’s Idol finalists as the debut singles from Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez will also be eligible to chart and often land in the upper regions of the Hot 100 in their first week. Stay tuned!
Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) *6 weeks on top
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 4)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 2)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 3)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 6)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 5)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Drive By”- Train (lw~ 10)
And before I go, enjoy Adam Lambert’s fabulous performance of his current hit single from Trespassing, “Never Close Our Eyes”, on last week’s Idol results show.
All season long on American Idol, Jessica Sanchez has been the premiere singer with pristine and perfect vocals and wonderful performances. Tonight on the finale, she did it again. With three tremendous performances, she absolutely schooled her competitor and the likely front-runner affable, southern guy Phillip Phillips. While both of these singers have good futures ahead of them, only one truly deserves to win the crown and only one is likely to become a pop superstar. That one is Jessica. The question is… can she actually win? Despite out-performing and easily out-singing Phillip throughout out the race, the white guy with a guitar has remained the fan favorite and has a huge tween girl/soccer mom (and probably some gay guys too) following because of his looks and charm. He is just the kind of guy who has won this show for the past four years (David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee Dewyze, Scotty McCreery) despite whether he’s worthy or not. Did he deserve to be in the finals in my opinion? No, maybe top five, but that’s it. However, we all know my opinion differs from America all the time or Carly Smithson, Adam Lambert, Crystal Bowersox and Pia Toscano would’ve been Idol winners…. So, just what is going to happen with tomorrow’s results? Let’s take a look at my rankings of the performances and my predictions below.
American Idol Season 11 Finale Performance Rankings~ 1. Jessica- “The Prayer”: with easily the best and most spine tingling vocal, Jessica blew me away with this gorgeous rendition of her song that was her “Contestant Favorite” choice. It was a simple heartfelt performance that soared into the heavens. I have no idea why the moronic judges were not on their feet… (Oh yeah, it was probably because it wasn’t in the script the producers clearly gave them for the night). 2. Jessica- “I Have Nothing”: with another powerhouse vocal, Jessica slayed the Whitney Houston classic from 1994′s The Bodyguard that was Idol creator Simon Fuller’s song choice. It was dramatic, flawless and fierce. This girl is amazing. 3. Phillip- “Home”: this was one of Phillip’s best performances of the season. Was it a get out of your seat moment, as it was for the judges? Absolutely not. The drummers and production were a rip off of winner Dewyze’s finale performance and the song was a total Mumford & Sons clone. Now, that’s actually a good thing because it sounded good on the whole. It just was no winning moment in my eyes… Oh and J.Lo, you’re a moron if you don’t know songs that sound like that. Just listen to the artists Randy mentioned right before your comments (Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes) or turn on the radio or watch the Grammys, hello! 4. Jessica- “Change Nothing”: with her assigned single song, Jessica gave another strong performance. She added a nice R&B swagger to this generic pop ballad that made it stand out from several other finale ballads in the past (Ahem, Jordin Sparks‘ “This is My Now” anyone?).. It was so frustrating to hear the judges rip apart Jessica for the song when it wasn’t her choice. Judge the singer not the song, especially when she wasn’t responsible for it. And she sang the song great! 5. Phillip- “Stand by Me”: Phillip’s song from Fuller was the Ben E. King classic and it was much better than I thought it was going to be. That said, it was just kinda blah. 6. Phillip- “Movin’ Out”: why on Earth did Phillip pick this Billy Joel song that he destroyed and ruined the first time for an encore? It was just as un-melodic and annoyingly- Dave Matthews-y as before. And yet, the judges praised it? Are they nuts? … Um, yes they are.
Predictions~ Will win: Phillip Should win: Jessica
So, I still think Phillip will win. I just hope I’m wrong because any rational person would agree that Jessica should and deserves to win. As my roommate Dave said, if only people voted with their ears instead of their eyes, then Jessica would be a shoo-in…. However, she may have to settle for being the better singer who ends up having the bigger career than the winner ala Adam Lambert (who just debuted at # 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart with his second release, Trespassing, by the way!) and Clay Aiken… But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. She still has a shot. I think both singers have rabid fan bases and Jessica could pull an upset. I know I’m voting for her. Are you? Let me know below and watch the results show tomorrow night on Fox.
And for further proof Jessica SHOULD win, watch her sing “The Prayer” one more time… Hello, goosies!!!!!
Well, for one of the best final threes in the show’s history, American Idol‘s top three performance show sure was a disappointment. It was a whole lot of blah ballads and bad song choices. However, one contestant shouldn’t take any blame for it, and that’s the show’s best singer, Jessica Sanchez. She rose above the crappy song choices that the judges and Jimmy gave her to deliver three very good performances. However, those bad song choices may hurt her in the end as she fights with Phillip and Joshua for a spot in the final two. So, will she make it? Let’s take a look at my rankings and predictions below and see…
American Idol Performance Rankings 5/16/12~
Round 1: Judge’s Pick 1. Joshua- “I’d Rather Go Blind”: despite this being a very obvious choice by babbling blunder Randy Jackson, Joshua sang the heck out of it. It was nothing new or interesting, but the best one in this round which was the worst round of the evening. (Hello, the judges are morons sometimes). 2. Jessica- “My All”: singing the most difficult song of the night which was a # 1 hit for Mariah Carey in 1998, Jessica gave her all. She did a very good job on this monster of a track, but you could tell she was reaching at times. She admitted backstage she would never have chosen it for herself. Hello, she’s smart. And clearly J. Lo is dumb or just a big giant jerk for giving it to her. Why are these judges so against the best singer making the finale? Ugh, I want to smack them. And then they give just decent criticism for this good performance. I mean none of them could do anything close to that vocal. Color me frustrated, but Jessica was a gallant trooper. 3. Phillip- “Beggin’”: singing some song I’d never heard of before by Madcon, Phillip did his usual thing turning the song into a Dave Matthews clone. It was fine, but snore…
Round 2~ Contestant’s Choice 1. Jessica- “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”: singing Aerosmith’s only # 1 song, Jessica absolutely slayed it. Her vocals were wonderful and she gave arguably the best performance of the night on it. Wonderful and she somehow made the song seem relevant almost erasing memories of Steven Tyler & Co’s original Armageddon anthem. 2. Phillip- “Disease”: I actually thought Phillip did better on this one than the judges for once. It was right in his vein and it actually sounded a little NOT like Dave Matthews 2.0. That’s good because I’d rather have him sound like the song’s original singer Rob Thomas (of MatchboxTwenty) anyway. 3. Joshua- “Imagine”: um, holy crap, that was bad. I’m sorry, I don’t know what the judges were thinking liking that. It was the most disconnected and strained version of the song ever. He clearly had no clue what the song was about and over sang it into oblivion. You know it’s bad when it had me thinking about Madonna‘s version of the iconic John Lennon tune from her ReInvention tour where she out sang Joshua tenfold and actually interpreted the lyrics as they were meant to be sung. (Yes, I did just write that sentence).
Round 3~ Jimmy’s Picks (easily the best round) 1. Jessica- “I’ll Be There”: while I wish he had picked something more current for her like Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music”, Jessica still nailed this Jackson 5 treasure. Her vocals were pristine, beautiful and luscious throughout. It was a restrained and lovely performance. 2. Phillip- “We’ve Got Tonight”: while I wasn’t jumping out of my seat like the judges for this one, I did think it was one of P2′s best of the season. I give him props for not singing like himself, sticking with the melody of the song and actually connecting to the true emotion of it. However, I have to say it paled in comparison to Bob Seger’s original and especially my favorite duet of it by Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton. 3. Joshua- “No More Drama”: or more like more contrived drama… Sorry, Mantasia but this was so by the numbers forced and predictable. Not only was he off vocally in the first half of the song, he didn’t really communicate the message of the song. He just took us to church but without delivering any real message. Instead it was just vocal highjinks and jumping around in that terrible scoop neck t-shirt.
Overall Rankin for the Night:
1. Jessica
2. Phillip
3. Joshua
I think Mantasia may finally have over sung for the last time tonight. It’s unfortunate because I would’ve loved to see the vocal acrobatics that a battle between he and Jessica would bring. Unfortunately one of them will be facing off with the season’s likely winner, the cute white guy with a guitar clone of the year Phillip… On the whole, I’m rather disheartened with tonight’s show. I think the judges really screwed the contestants with those bad choices and Jimmy messed up with his pick for Jessica which could hurt her. I hope not. Hopefully her great vocals will mobilize her fan base and she will also pick up Hollie’s leftover fans. We shall see tomorrow night on the results show which also brings the return of another Idol alum who should’ve won his season but was stopped by a cute white guy with a guitar. Yes, I’m talking about Adam Lambert...
When I heard the Idols would be singing the songs of Queen (along with a song choice of their own) tonight on American Idol, I was a little nervous. I mean could anyone really do justice to their rocking anthems the way Adam Lambert did in season 8 or even Carly Smithson in season 7. Well, heck ya they did. In fact five of our top six singers all excelled at these classic songs and most of them had strong nights overall… So, just who did the best and who might see a random song choice lead to their last dance with the silver stools? Check out my rankings below. (And sorry in advance for the short recap, I’m prepping a film shoot this weekend and it’s been an insane week. Thx!)
American Idol Performance Rankings 4/25/12
The Songs of Queen~ 1. Skylar “The Show Must Go On”: she killed it and she should be killing it all the way to the finale. 2. Jessica “Bohemian Rhapsody”: her vocals are incredible and she rocked it out! 3. Elise “I Want it All”: I want all of her songs to be like this: fantastic! 4. Joshua “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”: great vocal as always, but I didn’t really buy the performance as an authentic interpretation. That said, super entertaining. 5. Hollie “Save Me”: girl has pipes for days. ~ the one blah one 6. Phillip “Fat Bottomed Girls”: I love that he chose this song. I just wish he could actually sing it… He was kinda sexy making a mess out of it though.
Songs of their Choice~ ~the great 1. Jessica “Dance With My Father”: Simply Astounding. What on Earth does she have to do to get a Standing Ovation from these nincompoop judges? 2. Hollie “The Climb”: it was wonderful and is a close second to last week’s “Rolling in the Deep” as Hollie’s best of the season. ~ the good 3. Joshua “Ready for Love”: I was surprised he picked this beautiful and melancholic India.Arie ballad. However, he sang the crap out of it. ~ the decent 4. Skylar “Tattoos on this Town”: the first half was just ok, but she delivered big at the end. ~ the ok one 5. Elise “Bold as Love”: she sure is bold for picking a song that no one has heard of. However, that bravery may be her ticket home as it was also just a serviceable take on the tune. She needed a wow factor and didn’t get it on this one. ~ the sleep inducing one 6. Phillip “The Stone”: Phillip clearly has some big stones to sing a song with no melody that very few people have heard of (especially fans of this show). And he sounded exactly like the guy he copies each week Dave Matthew on Matthews’ own track. In a word: BORING.
Predictions~ Bottom 3: Hollie, Elise, Phillip (but who knows anyone could show up it seems and I think Joshua might be the surprise here) Bottom 2: Elise, Phillip Going Home: Elise
So, that’s my quick two cents on tonight’s American Idol. Again, I apologize for my brevity, but I have to get to bed and prep for our Dirty Talk film shoot. (Yes, that was me tooting my own horn about the short film I’m producing and co-starring in this weekend.) So, instead of my babbling, I want to know who you think rocked it tonight. Who was your champion? And who just might bite the dust? Sound off below.
So, this season is all about the ladies on American Idol and um, yes, it is. However, a few guys are desperately trying to throw a wrench in the female domination. And while a few are definitely in the mix, they still pale in comparison to the fairer sex. That said, I was impressed by the improvement of a few and the confidence of the one guy we know is gonna go far, Lazaro. That adorable kid who is overcoming his stutter and confidence issues to be a real star is the only guy that I’m 100% confident is going thru to the finals next week. But, I do have my favorites and I think some of them have a shot. Just who are they? Take a look at my rankings for Guys Night below.
