Live-blogging the Top 3!
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Round 1: Contestant’s Choice
Round 2: Jimmy Iovine’s Choice
Round 3: Judges’ Choice
This week’s mentor: Beyonce (Could that be because Idol is debuting her new music video tonight? )
Tag: Scotty McCreery
Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery & Haley Reinhart Find Out Judges’ Song Picks
Over the weekend, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, and Haley Reinhart aka American Idol’s Top 3 had an opportunity to their respective hometowns.
While they were there, they each found out what the judges picked for them as one of their song selections this week. Check out the video below! (FYI: Lots of screaming/cheering)
Lauren Alaina
Scotty McCreery
Haley Reinhart
The judges’ picks are:
Lauren Alaina – “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack
Scotty McCreery – “She Believes in Me” by Kenny Rogers
Haley Reinhart – “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
What do you think about the judges’ picks? If given the chance, what would you pick for the contestants to sing this week?
Josh Turner Surprises Scotty McCreery During Hometown Concert
Yesterday afternoon in Garner, North Carolina, Scotty McCreery was in the midst of performing “Your Man,” the song that put him on the map this season on American Idol, during his hometown concert, when he was surprised by onstage by country star, Josh Turner.
Check out the video below!
Scotty’s reaction was priceless! I can’t wait to see more footage from each other the Top 3’s trips back home this week.
Idol Wired >> And Then There Were Three
This week on American Idol, James Durbin was eliminated from the competition. Shocking? Eh, not really.
Personally, I never saw James getting past the Top 5. But, I figured Randy Jackson had probably pissed off every Haley Reinhart fan Wednesday night to the point where they probably voted until their thumbs were numb.
I figured when it came down to it, we were going to see either Lauren Alaina or James head home. Yesterday when Ryan Secrest tweeted, Tonight will be a VERY interesting #americanidol. Good luck @LAlainaAI10, @JDurbinAI10, @SMcCreeryAI10 & @HReinhartAI10,” I knew Haley had to be safe and that there was going to be a “shocking” elimination.
I felt for James, because as soon as Haley was declared safe last night and it was between him and Scotty McCreery going home, you could just tell that he knew his time was up. However, I do think it was time for him to head home.
The thing with James, and season 8 contestant Allison Iraheta kind of touched on in her guest blog on The Hollywood Reporter website yesterday was that we never truly saw a James Durbin performance. We saw a lot of knock off Adam Lambert performances.
“With James, as far as song choice is concerned, it was hard for me to hear it because we had to sing “Don’t Stop Believin’” on the season 8 tour so many times – it was a group number. And to hear Adam Lambert sing that same song night after night… well, it’s hard not to compare the two,” Iraheta said in her blog.
Idol Wired >> One Last Growl
You know, I was all set to praise how wonderful this season’s American Idol Top 5 is, especially since for the first time since season seven, two girls are in the mix. I mean, it seemed like nothing could get in the way of the best possible Top 5 that we could have with the remaining contestants. And then this happened.
Are you kidding me? Casey Abrams goes home, instead of Jacob Lusk, who was predicted by most Idol fans to be heading home. I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m disappointed. Was Casey going to win? Probably not. But, I can tolerate his personality and his performances a lot more than Jacob’s.
Let’s face it, the ship sailed on me ever becoming a fan of Jacob a couple weeks ago when he boldly told America, “If I end up in the bottom three, it won’t be because I sang the song bad, it won’t be because I sang the song wrong, it will be because everybody in America wasn’t ready to look at themselves in the mirror.”
Sorry bro, I’m totally over you being on this show.
After last night’s Idol results, my Twitter feed was full of angry fans wondering who in the world is voting for Jacob? Personally I don’t care who you vote for, that’s your decision. My hope is that people are only voting for one contestant, instead of splitting their votes among several contestants, because that is how you take part in eliminating someone that had at the very least one more week left. Just sayin’.
I have to say that Casey definitely went out with class, and had put on quite the show during his final Idol performance of “I Put A Spell On You.” Plus, how adorable was he when finished the song off by singing directly to Haley Reinhart? I’m on board with Team Caley!
Moving on, next week the Top 5 will each sing two songs; one current song and one song from the 1960’s.
So Idol fans, what did you think of last nights results? Did the right person go home? And what would you like to hear the contestants sing next week?
Originally posted on Blogcritics.
Idol Wired >> Everyone’s In It to Win It
I never thought I would ever make the following statement this season, but I thought each of the remaining contestants actually did pretty good last night. Who knew that “Carole King Night” on American Idol would bring out the best in the contestants? I surely didn’t.
Let’s just go down the line and start with Jacob Lusk, who sang “Uh Oh Not My Baby” last night. Other than the last note getting kind of weird at the end, I thought this was the best Jacob has sounded all season. I don’t think singing first last night is going to do him any favors, in fact, it will probably send him packing tonight. And taking a nose-dive into Steve Urkel’s closet wasn’t help him out either. What in the world was that outfit? Definitely plaid gone wrong.
Following Jacob up was Lauren Alaina, who sang “Where You Lead,” which once upon a time served as the theme song to the show Gilmore Girls. What was it with the outfits last night? Lauren looked tragic. I thought her vocals were alright. I think this was a great song choice for Lauren, but I think she needs to let go and stop trying to please the judges. And if anyone else’s voice would have cracked trying to push for a high note, they would have been called out for it in a in a non-loving fashion…last season, anyways.
Idol Wired >> Stefano is LanGONE
I figured as soon as the first guy was eliminated from season 10 of American Idol that they would start falling like dominoes, and as it turns out, that’s the only prediction I’ve made this season that’s been on point.
Following Paul McDonald’s exit from Idol last week, Stefano Langone was
eliminated from the competition last night. I’m not too surprised that Stefano was eliminated this week, it’s just too bad that it had to happen the night after he had what I considered to be his best performance in weeks. It takes me back to when Carly Smithson had an amazing performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” during season seven, then got knocked off the next night, except I definitely wasn’t as upset.
This may be a little surprising to most who read Idol Wired, but I would have preferred Stefano to stay one more week if it meant Jacob Lusk was going home. I cannot believe Jacob has made it as far as he has in the competition. And Jacob’s performance in comparison to Stefano’s was definitely the weaker of the two performances.
Alright, I have to say it; I was super disappointed to see Haley Reinhart in the bottom three. C’mon, America! Haley had the best performance the other night, she deserves your votes.
Also, did anyone else catch Stefano totally snubbing Scotty McCreery when giving out hugs last night? What in the world was that about?
Switching gears over to the return of David Cook to the Idol stage. David performed the first single, “The Last Goodbye” off his highly anticipated sophomore album, This Loud Morning.
I thought that once David shook off his initial nerves, his performance was excellent. It must be a trip to return to the show that made him “more than a name or a face in the crowd” to debut his new single. I love that he’s kicking off his album with something upbeat and lyrically catchy. I’m really hoping that you, yes you and everyone you know hopped on iTunes and downloaded his single. I am all in favor of supporting former Idol contestants, especially ones named David Cook.
If you didn’t get a chance to watch David’s performance of “The Last Goodbye,” or you just want to watch it again, check it out below!
What did you think of last night’s Idol results? Are you liking David Cook’s new single? Also, what do you think of the Idols singing Carole King songs next week?
Originally posted on Blogcritics.
Idol Wired >> Shock Elimination!
I’m sitting here in just absolute shock. Pia Toscano has just been eliminated from this season’s American Idol.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Pia should have made it all the way to the final two this season. But instead she went out in ninth place. American Idol is now down to two women and all six men. C’mon now.
Pia was in the bottom three tonight with Stefano Langone and Jacob Lusk, who was my prediction to bite the dust this week.
Earlier today, I re-watched everyone’s performances and the last person I would have predicted in the bottom three was Pia. Granted, she needed some work in the stage presence department, but her vocal performances, including last night, have been absolutely flawless this season.
I think a lot of people are going to blame Pia’s elimination on voter complacency, which to be honest, definitely must have something to do with tonight’s shocker. However, the judges need to accept that part of Pia’s elimination is on them.
During Wednesday night’s performance show, not one of them said anything overtly negative to the contestants about their performances. Part of the judge’s job is to let the audience know which contestants rock and which ones need to get it together. When everyone’s receiving praise, the voting public doesn’t know what to do.
That said, judges get your heads back in the game and do what you are overly paid to do, which is to critique these singers. Jennifer Lopez needs to find her inner “Jenny From the Block” and let the contestants know what’s what. Steven Tyler needs to altogether wake up and start making comments that are useful. Not every performance is “beautiful.” And Randy Jackson, I expect you to call it how you hear it. Don’t dial back your feedback; it is so needed.
Pia has been receiving high praise from the judges all season long, and maybe her fans thought they could ease up on the power voting.
Whatever the case may be, it’s was completely disheartening to see such a huge talent be sent home way before she should have been. It is unfortunate that the “Judges’ Save” had already been used this season, but that’s the nature of the game. I don’t think the judges ever thought that Pia would ever need to be saved. I guess they haven’t been watching the past couple seasons, where female contestants have been picked off before the men repeatedly.
So, the moral of this story? Judges, please do your jobs and judge the contestants. Fans, vote to keep the talent in the competition. Don’t ever think your contestant is safe.
My last thought for the night: It’s now Scotty McCreery’s competition to lose.
Alright Idol fans, let me hear your thoughts on tonight’s insane results.
Originally posted on Blogcritics.
Idol Wired >> Top 12 Standings
I reviewed last week’s performances, and I think it’s pretty safe to say that the females of American Idol season 10 are having a bit of a hard time this season. Take a look at my current standings for this season’s Top 12 as of last week’s performances.
12. Karen Rodriguez
Karen’s star is fading awfully fast. Blaming her pitchy performance of Selena’s “I Could Fall In Love” on a “couple technical difficulties” during the results show last Thursday was eye-roll inducing. For Karen to survive this week, she’s going to have to step outside of her Selena/J-Lo repertoire, sing something that gets people talking, and sing it well.
11. Jacob Lusk
It’s time for Jacob to realize that his performance of “God Bless the Child” was his season 10 shining moment. He has now tried to re-create this moment twice, and it is not paying off in his favor. I think he is going to need to rein in his vocals and try something a little more subdued. Sometimes the quieter performance can be quite powerful (i.e. Kris Allen’s performance of “Falling Slowly” during season eight.)
10. Haley Reinhart
I like Haley, I really do. She’s been able to show the versatility in her voice this season in her past couple performances. That aside, she seems to lose her nerve midway through her performances, which causes all sorts of pitch problems. Haley needs to stay confident in her ability to continue to survive each week.
9. Thia Megia
I seem to be the only one that doesn’t get the weird, old fashioned tone to Thia’s voice. Personally, I don’t think she has a voice that will go over well on the radio. Singing-wise, Thia needs to adapt her style and show that she can be current. Personality-wise, I’m sure she has one, but I’m just not sure why she’s opting to operate in robot mode all the time.
8. Lauren Alaina
Oh, how quickly they fall from grace. Lauren’s problem last week was that her performance was boring. She can definitely sing, but she has to work on her stage presence. I suggest finding space in that mansion that the contestants are currently living in and practice on moving while singing. If she can match her stage presence with her singing, she will probably save herself from an early ouster.
Continue reading Idol Wired >> Top 12 Standings
Idol Wired >> The Top 12 Guys Kick Off the Semifinals
I have to be honest, the Top 12 guys made me fairly excited for this season of American Idol. After the show ended tonight, I felt better about this show than I have all season long.
The guys, who pre-taped their performances on February 25, brought a lot to the main stage, including big stage jitters and every so often, some talent.
Up first was the Hollywood round bad boy himself, Clint Jun Gamboa. Gamboa chose to sing Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” This song needs to locked away with Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now),” and Elton John’s “Dont’ Let The Sun Go Down on Me,” and never be allowed to be performed on Idol again. “Superstition” has not done any favors for contestants in the past couple seasons.
Gamboa’s vocals were nothing special. At this point of the competition, the contestants should be showing the audience why the judges picked them. I think Gamboa failed to prove the judges’ point with his performance. Of course, based on their praise of his performance, one had to wonder what concoction had been mixed in their Coca Cola cups.
Gamboa picked an overused song that I believe will send both him and his Harry Potter eyewear packing. He will be the boy who didn’t live to see the finals.
Next up was Jovany Barreto, who performed Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be.” For someone who exudes so much personality on his Twitter account, this was such a boring song selection.
I must say for the most part Barreto had an okay vocal; I did really like his final note. He was met with a divided judges’ panel. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez loved him, whereas I sided with Randy Jackson, who found the song to be “karaoke.”
I am not entirely sure what possessed Jordan Dorsey to pick one of the most obnoxious and auto-tuned songs to sing in the semifinals. His performance of Usher’s “OMG” made me just cringe. From his vocals to his outfit, OMG indeed.
Continue reading Idol Wired >> The Top 12 Guys Kick Off the Semifinals
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