Things are really heating up on American Idol now that we are down to the last 7 contestants. Paul McDonald went home last week, and along with the other 5 of the original 13 contestants who have been eliminated, Wednesday’s show started off with his performance. It was good, and they all looked happy, which makes us all feel better about sending them home, right?
The contestants tonight sang songs from the 21st Century. It started out with Scotty McCreery doing his rendition of Swingin’ by Leanne Rhimes, which was originally written and recorded by John Anderson. I hate to say it but I really wish Scotty would get sent home. He is a one-trick pony and if it weren’t for his teenage, country fan base he wouldn’t have lasted this long. He did an OK job tonight, but Randy said it was ‘safe’ and ‘boring.’ Jennifer thought Scotty should have picked a different song, and Steven Tyler, in his usual laid-back manner, commented that it was good, blandly. I wouldn’t be surprised if Scotty doesn’t finally end up in the bottom three, at the least.
Up next was James Durbin who rocked the house with a hi-tech song by Muze. Dressed in a somewhat steam punk, goth outfit, his performance came complete with a group of marching band drummers all decked out in uniforms, as was James. Randy predicted it would be the best performance of the night, Jennifer agreed, and Steven told James to ‘stay out of his closet’ and that the performance was ‘crazy good.’
Haley Reinhart outdid herself tonight. Dressed in a sexy but classy red polka-dotted dress, Haley sang Adele’s #1 hit, Rolling in the Deep. She blew the song out of the water, even sounding better than Adele in places, in my opinion. Steven said Haley’s performance was ‘beautiful.” Jennifer said Haley ‘really shined.’ Randy said Haley had finally chosen the perfect direction for her singing and that it was a ‘great performance.’
Jacob Lusk followed Haley with a Luther Vandross song, Dancing with my Father. As has been his habit since the very beginning, Jacob cannot control the emotional aspects of his singing. Though he does have a beautiful voice, he lacks discipline an artist requires. Randy and Jennifer both commented on this, saying the performance was ‘beautiful emotionally.’ I predict that Jacob will at least be in the bottom three tomorrow night, if not go home. Enough emotional blubbering is enough.
Casey Abrahms next hit the stage with a song by Maroon 5, and after his performance he kissed Jennifer Lopez on the lips! She was flustered and stuttering, but said Casey did a great job. Steven told Casey he was a ‘cult hero’, accompanied by a bunch of bleeps. Randy said Casey always surprised him, and that he loved that Casey wasn’t afraid to take chances.
Next up was Stefano Langone and for the first time Stefano truly hit his stride. Jimmy gave him great advice during rehearsal that Stefano obviously embraced. Jimmy said that Stefano didn’t need to plead, he was a good-looking guy. That really pegged what I hadn’t been able to put my finger on about Stefano that bugged me, he lacked true confidence. Not tonight! He wooed the ladies with I Just Can’t Stop by Neo. Jennifer spoke for the women in the audience when she said it was great. Steven said Stefano was ‘all up in it.” Randy said, “WOW!” and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe this will bring Stefano back from the brink? We’ll see tomorrow night, although I fear he will once again be in the bottom three. Everybody has locked in tightly to their favorites by now, so Stefano should have brought it a long time ago.
Last and certainly least tonight was Lauren Alaina. Boy, talk about country, the dress, the music, the song, everything was more hick than country. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Lauren is the one to go home tomorrow night. The judges were kinder than I would have been, Randy commenting that Lauren could sing anything. Jennifer told her that she has such special characters in her voice, but Steven asked if she would sing more Alison Krause and Shania Twain.
Tomorrow night’s result show is going to be VERY interesting, that’s for sure, and upsetting for a big chunk of fans, no matter who goes home. Heck, it’s even going to be interesting to see who ends up in the bottom three!
{ 1 comment }
Reading this made me wonder if we even saw the same show. First, regarding James performance, Jennifer and Randy both said it was probably going to be the best THEATRICAL performance of the night. Second, Casey did not kiss Jennifer on the lips, but rather, on the cheek. Jacob had some initial sound problems with his ear piece, but I saw nothing to indicate his emotions overcame him.
Comments on this entry are closed.