It took us a couple weeks, but there were finally some cuts. While Naimia and Thia weren’t going to win the whole shebang, it was still a little sad to see them go. Naima was probably the most creative of the contestants and it just shows that while the judges want you to make things your own and branch out and go left, the voters don’t always like it. As for Thia, she’s probably a year or two too young and it showed. While she didn’t seem nervous, she never had an A+ performance. You can have a great voice, but if you don’t have that stage presence, it looks phony. She looked phony.
Let’s get to the hotlist.
Hotlist
1. Jacob Lusk – Let them hate homey.
2. Lauren Alaina – She’s starting to show consistency.
3. James Durbin – He’s going a little goofy on us with the wrestling stuff, but come time to performance, he brings it.
4. Pia Toscano – She’s bordering boring.
5. Casey Abrams – He’s starting to show his chops again.
6. Scotty McCreery – He’s starting to bore me too.
7. Stefano Langone – This is not the time to be shaky Stefano.
8. Paul McDonald – He hasn’t had that great vocal performance yet.
9. Haley Reinhart – Hot mess.
The Defeated
1. Poor Young Ashthon Jones
2. Poor Karen Rodriguez
3. Poor Naima Adedapo
4. Poor Thia Megia
Finally, we’re down to 90 minute shows. It’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame night.
J. Lo Booty Alert
They didn’t even show the judges walk on stage.
For whatever reason, will.i.am is coaching the gang on rock ‘n roll night. Coaching them at what, I’m not exactly sure. Jacob Lusk is up first with Man In The Mirror. He tried to get preachy in his intro. Not good Jacob. Don’t do that stuff! If Michael Jackson was about 75 pounds heavier with a deeper voice, he would sing the song this way. Jacob added some hip grinds and some skipping to his performance which weren’t all that necessary. He did a fine job and vocals were on point as usual, though his performance was way quirky. Siedah Garrett sang with Jacob. She co-wrote the song. Steven says every time he sings, he shows another piece of himself. J. Lo says he can do anything in this world and it was perfect. Randall says it was hot.
mrbjorke says:
This is the first time I’ve liked Jacob in weeks. Good song choice. #idol10
Haley Reinhart is singing Janis Joplin’s Piece Of My Heart. It’s a very spirited performance, but I have no idea why the judges want to hear her growl. She has a very solid singing voice and her growls seem very forced now. J. Lo says she’s a contender. Randall says welcome back. Steven says he couldn’t find nothin’ wrong with that.
jflorez says:
Haley could be good if she was…more serious? Older? #idol10 #idol
dysfashional says:
Is #RandyJackson in black patent leather/vinyl a display of how obsessed he was with being on the Jackson’s Victory Tour circa 1984 #Idol10
Casey Abrams is doing a little CCR with Have You Ever Seen the Rain. Ok, I don’t think he’s in the bottom three this week. He was very reminiscent of his early performances which were full of charm and character. It’s not the most recognizable song in the world, so I hope that doesn’t hurt him. Randall says Casey was revolutionary by making the upright base work in pop music. Steven says he’s a full musician. J. Lo says she’s paying top dollar to be in the front row to watch Casey play bass.
mikewoolfolk says:
Casey’s upright bass is back along with his signature sound. #Idol #Idol10 #AI
slaubr says:
Credence Clearwater? Seriously? I haven’t had this good of time since forever! #Idol10
Lauren Alaina is singing Aretha’s Natural Woman which is super interesting to me. She can show off a bit of soul. Even though she looks like a glamour child thanks to Gwen Stefani’s horrendous L.A.M.B. clothing line. Lauren goes fairly low key with the vocals and it sounds really nice. Not as memorable as I would’ve thought though. And for whatever reason, Christian Slater was clapping her on. Steven says she came in an immature girl and today she’s a natural woman. J. Lo says she’s amazing. Randall says she took a difficult song and did a good job.
mamayuen says:
@AmericanIdol Lauren sang #naturalWoman technically fine but don’t think she connected w/ the song Kelly Clarkson still the best on idol.
James Durbin is next with While My Guitar Gently Weeps. This is a bit of a change of pace for him and it might be his first miss of the competition for me. He’s all energy and there wasn’t much energy here. J. Lo says he showed another dimension and it was a great choice. Randall says he loved seeing the emotional side. Steven says it should’ve been a proud moment for him.
tati1120 says:
James sounds good when he holds back, and doesn’t shout. #idol
Scotty McCreery is singing Elvis’ That’s All Right. It was corny as all hell, but also the most fun I’ve had watching him perform in a little while. Actually makes me want go put on the original and listen to it. A bunch of young girls ran onto the stage. One of them looked like a 12-year old Rudy Huxtable. Randall says he’s in it to win it. Steven says he did it well. J. Lo says he’s fun. Scotty pulls of that aw shucks move better than anyone on the show. That’s taking him far.
cake_gal says:
I’m so over Scotty. Thinkin his days are very numbered. #Idol10
Pia Toscano is singing River Deep – Mountain High and it’s her first uptempo track. I wanted to see her sing something different than just a ballad because I wanted to see a little vulnerability. Now I know she’s not going to win this competition. While Haley forces the sexuality a bit, at least she tries. Pia is a pretty gal, but she comes off less than sexy. And she seems to either dress oddly, or someone is dressing her oddly. Steven says she killed it. J. Lo in a very super positive way says that she needs to work on her performance. Randall tells her to work on the movements. I hope she doesn’t study Mariah Carey’s running man in the Someday video.
mlsoliman says:
Randy says, “Scotty’s in it to win it.” Now “Pia’s in it to win it.” Someone needs to write Randy some new lines. #idol10
Stefano Langone is singing When A Man Loves A Woman. Uh oh, lots of falsetto for Stefano. I liked it. He did his best Elliott Yamin impersonation here. And to me, that’s a good thing. J. Lo says it was beautiful and amazing. Randall says he liked it but he wasn’t jumping up and down. Steven says to keep playing with his range and he nailed it.
stresscase says:
JLo needs to stop blowing smoke up Stefano’s ass, get a room & send him packing. I’m over it. #Idol
Paul McDonald is singing Folsom Prison Blues. His Taylor Hicks is coming out strong. I don’t know if I liked his vocals all that much, but the performance was fun and goofy. Randall says he loved it. Steven says he’s a perfect imperfect boy and he loved it. J. Lo says it was a perfect way to end the show.
aerocat says:
I can’t stand Paul doing Johnny Cash. I CAN’T STAND IT. this is not an upbeat, happy tune. #AmericanIdol
This is tough because there were a couple who did solidly, but I’m not sure anyone really killed it. If I have to pick a bottom three, I think Pia could be in trouble, along with Paul and Haley. Stefano could be in trouble too. I think Paul or Haley goes home. Seacrest out!
Photo credit goes to Michael Becker from FOX.
11 comments
blerd says:
Apr 7, 2011
You mention 12-year old Rudy HUxtable, and I have to ask: did this kid have a sweet mustache?
Andrew says:
Apr 7, 2011
Overall impression of the show – great performances from just about everyone.
Lauren’s version of Natural Woman didn’t do much for me – it was simply a’ight dawg…
Casey was – Casey. And I think that’s going to become more and more of a problem for him, vote-wise. He’s TOO quirky to win. He’s going to be hitting the bottom three a lot from here on out
Haley did a fine job impersonating Janis Joplin – and that’s the problem with what she did. She did Janis on a Janis song. I’d be much more impressed if she Janis’d a completely unexpected song, like one of Pia’s ballad discards
Speaking of Pia – ummmm… That was NOT an “uptempo” song – at least, not the way she did it. Tina’s high-energy, non-stop dance marathon makes River Deep Mountain High feel uptempo, and to see Ms Turner perform it without seeming to break a sweat is what makes it an iconic song. Pia’s slow orbit of the judges table simply allowed her to claim fulfillment of the judge’s demands for some sort of movement. Simply sung, without committing her entire being into the performance a la Tina – the song is just a mid-tempo rocker that Pia sang just like any of her ballads. Celine Dion’s infamous karate chops are more energetic than Pia’s entire catwalk last night.
I thought Stefano brought his best performance of the season last night – the falsetto start was strong, he threw a nice run and great high notes into the mix at just the right moment, and he hit that final note absolutely perfectly. Pitch, tone, attack – everything was just incredible
Bottom Three tonight – Haley, Casey and Lauren
GG says:
Apr 7, 2011
@blerd
I didn’t get that close. But she rocked the pulled back pony tail and showed off the white teeth with a big smile. Dead ringer.
GG says:
Apr 7, 2011
@Andrew
Do you think your girl Pia is still going to win?
jflorez says:
Apr 7, 2011
Maybe *I* was having the off night, but I thought last nights’ show was easily one of the season’s worst for these performers talent-wise. I don’t know if the judges were hearing the songs differently because it was live for them, but for me…on TV, it sounded really bland. I think the judges have become more “fans” than judges and no longer are able to seriously measure the quality of the performances. I mean,(to channel Lee DeWyze), how did they not tear apart Scott McCreary and his awful rendition of Folsom Prison Blues?! And they had been harping on proper interpretation of songs sung and what the lyrics behind them meant, and yet most of the songs last night were uptempo when they shouldn’t have been, light where they shouldn’t have been. And c’mon, I know “Hailey is Hot” is a common perspective of most guys watching the show, but aside from her one performance a couple of episodes ago she has been a train wreck. My 13yr old son said he didn’t think she did that badly, and I responded that it was only because he had never heard Janis Joplin sing that song. Rather than getting better each week, I think they are getting progressively worse – and I blame the judges and gimmicks like will.i.am “coaching” the contestants on “rock and roll” night. Whatever.
GG says:
Apr 7, 2011
This is most definitely an interesting season. On the judging aspect, I think what they’re noticing as that fans in general like the “nice” judges.
How’s this for a positive critique? J-Lo saw what we saw last night with Pia. The girl can’t move. And J-Lo is a dancer first. But she gave her the most positive critique I’ve ever heard.
I think they are definitely pushing “fun” performances. The crew is fairly likable this year and without Simon there, no sour pusses after the show either. I wonder if the ratings stability holds.
I think the key to this season is Lauren. She’s the most like Kelly and Carrie, the two most successful Idol artists ever. In fact, if Simon were on this show still, I think he’d be pushing her harder than anyone else on the show. I know we all liked Simon’s critiques, but first and foremost, he was pushing the people he liked and thought he could sell.
Monnie1976 says:
Apr 7, 2011
You cracked me up with the MC running man statement. Last night was the first time Hailey didn’t make me want to roll my eyes so I guess that’s a plus. Pia swagger jacked Celine Dion without the swagger and very little jack. Vocally she’s awesome but she’s almost too put together. I didn’t like Jacob’s condescending comment either but his Michael Jackson take was actually very good if a little awkward visually. Casey was excellent, Durbin was moving and my favorite girl is Lauren is definitely coming into her own. Paul is so damn likable and I think he sounded good last night. I just think his performance seemed off for the song. He’s a cool guy though. Scotty is absolutely adorable and he’s got a career no matter what. His performance was a little corny but as soon as he grows into himself he’s going to be pretty unstoppable.
jflorez says:
Apr 7, 2011
I think my issue with the judging is that AI made a point to say that this year they were going to try to help “develop” the contestants into better performers, and by extension, their talent. To their credit, I think they did that with the former, but not the latter. And, it’s too uneven. As you said, with Pia, they’ve (J-Lo) been very negative with her, but then in the same breath let some of the others slide on consistently mediocre performances (J-Lo and Stefano…hello?!). That’s where I miss Simon to “keep it real”. And, I think it hurts the performers in the long run by telling them how good they are without pointing out their areas for improvement. I agree that Lauren is the most marketable and has the best chance when the season is over, but they (the judges) aren’t helping her by not telling her where she needs to improve. But, as you point out, if they continue to beat the competition in ratings, it doesn’t matter in the short term.
GG says:
Apr 7, 2011
@Monnie1976
It seems like Paul is pretty polarizing. Some like his fun performances while others think he’s a drunken sailor. I’m sort of in between.
I figured that’s where Pia got her take.
GG says:
Apr 7, 2011
@jflorez
My guess is that the critiques come off camera. That’s where Jimmy and crew step in. He’s very real with the artists on how they should look at the songs. I just can’t believe that their development is only in the 90 minutes we see on TV.
You’re right though. They did make it a point to say they were going to do a better job developing the talent. Maybe we just don’t see that part?
GG says:
Apr 7, 2011
How’s this for an awesome critique. Melinda Doolittle with some seriousness!
http://www.hitfix.com/articles/melinda-doolittle-critiques-the-american-idol-top-9-for-hitfix