idolreview.net - Blogging American Idol | X Factor | The Voice | 2012

A Three-fer

Laura L — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:04:57 +0000

Tonight is “threes” night. Three contestants, three songs, three judges. The judges get to pick round one, the contestants chose their own fate in round two, and Jimmy picks round three.

1. JOSHUA LEDET

I’d Rather Be Blind by Etta James

Randy chose this song for him which was an excellent fit. He appeared to show more control than we have seen in recent weeks, where he just ripped the head off the songs in a down and dirty way. The control and phrasing were done like a pro, and save for a few sharp notes, the pitch was great, as well. He is off to a great start!

RATING:

2. JESSICA SANCHEZ

My All by Mariah Carey

Weeeellll…I was not a fan of her on this song at all. The song never peaked, it sounded too challenging for her, especially in a week of learning three songs and hometown visits. I don’t fault her, because she gave it her best go. (I mean honestly, J. Lo, I’d love to hear your best shot at this one…)

RATING:

3. PHILLIP PHILLIPS Begging by Madcon So the judges were the most successful in picking Phillip’s song. He was in his groove, jamming out, a typical Phillip performance.	RATING:
4. JOSHUA LEDET Imagine by John Lennon I loved his rendition of this song that has seen many great performances on the Idol stage. He feels each song in his soul, and this translates well even through the tv.	RATING:
5. JESSICA SANCHEZ I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith I don’t usually praise arrangements on Idol (only criticize the bad ones) But for an idol edit, this was a great version. There was great build, it didn’t feel chopped up, and I was captivated throughout. Plus it is pretty ballsy to sing an Aerosmith song in front of Steven.	RATING:
6. PHILLIP PHILLIPS Disease by Matchbox 20 I can’t fault him for song choice, because he seems to know what suits him. There are no surprises or wow moments with him. But it was definitely competent.	RATING:
7. JOSHUA LEDET No More Drama by Mary J. Blige He looked like a freaking jumping bean. I mean, the vocals were freaking phenomenal, but he was making me dizzy!	RATING:
8. JESSICA SANCHEZ I’ll Be There by The Jackson 5 I LOVED her singing this song. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Jimmy was successful in finding a young song for her, but something also associated with the big diva voice of Mariah. She gave a flawless performance, as well. Tonight, I think Jessica put her best effort forward.	RATING:
9. PHILLIP PHILLIPS We’ve Got Tonight by Bob Seger For once, I have to give Phillip props on his vocal. This was a great song for him with an excellent arrangement. Even though his spot in the finale was inevitable, at least with this performance he earned his spot.	RATING:

I know Jessica has about a three percent chance of making it to the finale next week, but she can’t say she didn’t put forth a valiant effort. That said, Phillip definitely earned his spot tonight rather than making it a complete gimme. I am losing hope for women on this show… But both Phillip and Joshua deserve to make the finale . (In a futile effort, I will be throwing votes towards Jessica, though!)

Were you wow-ed tonight? Disappointed? Surprised? Let me know in the comments…

Results Show: J Lo Pimpage Edition

Laura L — Fri, 11 May 2012 02:35:53 +0000

I have a feeling that tonight is going to be the least surprising results show in a while. First place is essentially wrapped up (Enter: white boy with guitar.) Fourth place is wrapped up (Enter: not-well-defined white girl with big voice.) So I am pretty much looking forward to next week which will determine who will sing along side Phillip in the finale.

Uncle Nigel clearly decided to embrace the major voting demographic of this show by bringing throngs of teenage girls clad in Forever 21 on stage as “paparazzi” (sans camera flashes) during the introductions.

GROUP SONG

California Dreamin by The Mamas and The Papas

The Forever 21 girls hung on stage during the appropriate group number for the remaining gender mix. Unfortunately, the vocal was male dominant, and it was no surprise that Joshua carried the vocals. Too bad the ladies couldn’t get more involved.

FORD COMMERCIAL

Feeling So Good by Jennifer Lopez

On par with the goal of extra J Lo pimping, the Ford commercial soundtrack (featuring a new electric vehicle?) was a J Lo number. I quite enjoyed the little “making of” video before the actual video, and would love to see more behind the scenes videos like this in the future. Also, did anyone else notice Phillip’s absence? Maybe he and Jimmy are already working on his coronation song.

RESULTS #1

Phillip: Jimmy thought his CCR song was OK, but Volcanowas phenomenal.Hollie: Jimmy thought her second performance crashed and burned, but her Journeynumber was ok.Neither gets results yet.

ALUMNI PERFORMANCE

The Last Song I’ll Write For You by David Cook

Oh Mr. Cook. Remember when I watched you win? Then saw you sing with Ms. Underwood? So nice to see you again. Aside from a few bum notes, this was a good performance, and a nice, radio friendly song. I wish he would have gotten a post-performance chat with Ryan.

RESULTS #2

Joshua: Jimmy didn’t love his rendition of You Raise Me Up. But his Man’s World he thought was EPIC.

Jessica: Jimmy thought her Steal Away was too copycat, but her Dreamgirls song was awesome.

GUEST JUDGE PERFORMANCE

Dance Again by Jennifer Lopez

I wonder if Jen’s contract stipulates the number of minutes she must be featured in the results show throughout the season? I mean, it was sort of hot, there was confetti, whatever. I don’t know if this was done live (maybe?) but there was definitely lip syncing. Understandably, with all of the bombastic dancing, there wasn’t enough oxygen left for singing.

RESULTS #2

Ryan hands out three round-trip tickets plus a lone one-way. Tonight, Jessica, Joshua, and Phillip get booked on the roundtrip flights, while poor Hollie gets a one-way ticket to Texas. So much for complete domination from the Idol Belt.

HEADING HOME TONIGHT: HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

Well I can’t say it wasn’t overdue. It was. In fact, Hollie should have headed home two weeks ago instead of Elise. Then last week instead of Skylar. So she squeezed out a few more performances, which honestly, she needed to have more than those two previous one-way ticket holders. However, she still never succeeded in telling me what kind of music she would make after the show. I “get” everyone in the top 8… except her. She needs to work extra hard and hopefully she hooks up with a great management team that can help her thrive in this cut-throat industry.

So Jessica, Joshua, and Phillip head home. And next week we find out who will be competing with Phillip in the Ph-inale (You see? Phillip+Finale? NO? Not so much? Ok, glad I got that out of my system.)

So were you surprised tonight? Totally expected? Let me know in the comments!

California Dreamin’ (Top 4)

Laura L — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:41:29 +0000

After Miss Skylar’s untimely ouster last week, each of these kids needs to prove they deserve to be here.

Tonight’s theme is California and Songs You Wish You’d Written. Didn’t they already do inspirational songs week. Running out of themes, Uncle Nigel?

1. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

Have You Ever Seen The Rain by CCR

Two weeks in a row Idol rocks the CCR. For Phillip, he seems so awkward without his guitar. I can’t imagine he would ever perform without it in the real world. I’m glad he mentioned in his video package that Time of the Season was a rough go last week. This was much better than that, even though it was kind of awkward.

RATING:

2. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

Faithfully by Journey

I really wanted to like this song for her, but she didn’t show any range and her runs are way too calculated. She needed to (in the words of Randy Jackson) SLAY it. And I don’t think this song did it for her. Technically proficient (per usual), but not her moment.

RATING:

3. JOSHUA LEDET You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban It was good, there was the choir, blah blah blah. It was going to be hard to top last week, and I don’t think that quite happened with this performance. But some of those runs at the end? Those were outstanding! Overall great but not as good as last week.	RATING:
4. JESSICA SANCHEZ Steal Away by Etta James Well, round one goes to Ms. Sanchez! It was so great to hear her voice doing a bluesy jazzy piece. Very fun, and she does it with such ease and maturity beyond her age. Very impressed with her so far.	RATING:
DUET: JOSHUA AND PHILLIP This Love by Maroon 5 Well it was better than their duet last week, but a little awkward. The bi-racial pianos matching the bi-racial duo were a bit much for me. Again, Joshua carries the vocal stylings of this matchup (but Phillip brings the squealing girls)	RATING:
DUET: JESSICA AND HOLLIE Eternal Flame by The Bangles OMG they are on swings. I will call this Cirque du Duet. They had better harmonies than the guys, but the whole thing was way off. Next…	RATING:
GROUP SONG Waiting by Foreigner They are asking so much of these kids for the performance shows. This number seemed very unrehearsed again. I can’t blame them…it was probably thrown at them this morning. The whole thing was worse than a Ford commercial.	RATING:
5. PHILLIP PHILLIPS Volcano by Damien Rice Jimmy may think Phillip came into his own this week, I, for one, am pretty sure he still sounds like Dave Matthews. That said, this is one of his best performances and is the most I have enjoyed him in weeks.	RATING:
6. Hollie CAVANAUGH I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt Remember when Carrie auditioned with this song? That with no instrumentation was insanely better than this. All of the progress I felt she made these last few weeks was out the window on this performance. It was very robotic.	RATING:
7. JOSHUA LEDET A Man’s World by James Brown I’ve been listening to Kat McPhee’s version from Smash on repeat for the last week. Joshua’s performance, however, was just out of control. In a good way. Wowzers. (Still love him more from last week, but this is pretty close!)	RATING:
8. JESSICA SANCHEZ And I Am Telling You by J Hud/Jennifer Holliday OMG. Best performance of this song on Idol. A-freaking-mazing. Her passion is insane and emotions are raw. i don’t know how she gets this emotional maturity but she has everything that Hollie lacks.	RATING:

Jessica definitely wins the night. Wow. Joshua was a close second, but Jessica takes the cake this week. I realize that with the idol voting demographic, Phillip will likely win, but Jessica and Joshua have some seriously amazing vocal chops, and I can’t wait to see what they do after this show is over. Additionally, I think it is a pretty sure thing that Hollie will finally meet her journey home this week.

I’m just going to throw out a thought (Spoiler Alert: It’s my newest epiphany)…Instruments were not allowed to be played on idol until Season 7. Before they were allowed, women were 4 of 6 of the winners. Assuming Phillip wins (which seems to be what people are predicting), after instruments were allowed, the ladies are 0 for 5. Plus, all of the guys who won (or will win) play guitar. I don’t know what this means. Perhaps we need to give ladies more guitar lessons? Maybe they should try another instrument-less season and just focus on singing? Not really sure, but ponder this and then respond in the comments. Would LOVE to know what you think.

Top 5 Performances: Daffodils and Crustaceans

Laura L — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:20:33 +0000

Tonight is essentially a throwback night. Round 1 is the 60s then round two is Brit Pop. Which considering that British Invasion happened in the 60s there will be some serious overlap. Mentors? Steven Van Zandt, aka Little Stevie from the E Street Band. Rockin!

1. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

River Deep Mountain High by Tina Turner

This was the most fun we’ve seen her have on this stage. It may not have been as good as my beloved Glee version with Santana and Mercedes, but I agree with JLo that it was great to see her lead a production and have the stage presence to handle a song like that. She’s making progress!

RATING:

2. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

The Letter by The Boxtops

Whelp, this was absolutely not my favorite version of this song. I am also annoyed that he said “she done wrote me a letter.” It just lost any of the hook the song was supposed to have. I will not be humming this one tomorrow. Meh. (Also, how does JLo not know “The Letter”??)

RATING:

3. SKYLAR LAINE

Fortunate Son by CCR

LOVED her singing this song! I have never heard a country arrangement of this, but there should be. And she should cover it on her first album. She is so entertaining on the stage. Not going to lie…I’d go see her in concert.

RATING:

DUET: JOSHUA AND PHILLIP

You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling by The Righteous Brothers

Despite the slight awkwardness it was acceptable. Except Joshua obviously carried the major vocal stylings with Phillip singing backup.

RATING:

+1/2

4. JESSICA SANCHEZ

Proud Mary by Tina Turner

Two Tina songs tonight? This is some serious nerves these girls have. It was probably the best Proud Mary we’ve seen on Idol…But it was slightly manic and perhaps what Simon would call “self indulgent.” Vocals were good, dancing wasn’t quite up to Beyonce standard.

RATING:

5. JOSHUA LEDET

Aint Too Proud To Beg by The Temptations

As much I am not a big fan of the music that he would make after the show, his voice is the best gospel voice that has come out of this show since Fantasia. This performance was amazing, the vocal was spot on, and I was thoroughly entertained. Nice work Joshua (and the choreographer!)

RATING:

6. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis

A nice solid performance for her. Considering her run on the show, she is peaking at the right time. While I had her pegged for heading home tomorrow, she definitely deserves another week after tonight.

RATING:

+1/2

7. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

Time Of The Season by The Zombies

Ugh, Phillip is 0 for 2 tonight. He cannot pull off the falsetto, and his face when he is straining is just painful to watch. Off key, unexciting, and venturing towards Hot Mess. Yikes.

RATING:

TRIO: SKYLAR HOLLIE AND JESSICA

Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson

It was ok – good big voices, they all sang well, but there could have been a more amazing song for them to sing.

RATING:

8. SKYLAR LAINE

You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me by Dusty Springfield

The park benches? The street lamps? Did they get the leftovers of a production of Music Man on the cheap? It is all a little too much to handle. But I will try to focus on the vocals. Which were spot on, btw. I just can’t get over the park bench couple. Staging is getting weirder and weirder…

RATING:

9. JESSICA SANCHEZ

You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker

This ballady performance was a great contrast to her first Tina number. Her voice is perfect and her delivery is insane. My only complaint is she is getting a bit predictable at this point in the competition.

RATING:

10. JOSHUA LEDET

To Love Somebody by The Bee Gees

OMG. OMG. OMG. I was fist pumping and jumping of my sofa – This performance was amazing, and it was the first time Joshua got the honor of my rewind to watch again (the equivalent of a standing O from me). I may not love the album he will inevitably make, but in the world of Idol, he is a rock star.

RATING:

Based on tonight’s performances alone, Phillip deserves to go home and Joshua deserves to win. While Hollie is making an effort to get back in this thing, there is no way she will be singing in the finale. Jessica and Skylar both had one solid performance and one ok one. I would imagine they will both make it through the week, but who knows in this crazy competition. Personally I am rooting for Skylar to take the crown. Not sure how realistic this is, but I would love to see her get a hometown visit!

So what did you think? Tell me I am not crazy to rewatch Joshua (twice. don’t judge.)

A Killer [Queen] Top 6

Laura L — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:49:27 +0000

We kick off the night with a Wednesday night medley! A Queen medley with Roger Taylor and Brian May … Sah-weet! This was pretty awesome and definitely one of my fave medleys of the season.

1. JESSICA SANCHEZ

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

I’m not gonna lie, I loved her voice on that song! She sang the crap out of it, and had complete control the entire time. Many have attempted that song on idol, and I would venture to say she is one of the best (if not, THE best.) Maybe she needs to rock out more often.

RATING:

2. SKYLAR LAINE

The Show Must Go On by Queen

Finally some non-twang from this girl! This was a great, belty powerhouse performance, and I loved that she went up there and put everything on the table. It showed some versatility, and that she is truly equal parts rock and country. There were a few weird notes at the bottom of her range that weren’t on point, but it was not bothersome for me to complain about it.

RATING:

3. JOSHUA LEDET

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen

It wasn’t bad, but Mantasia just can’t live up to Fantasia! Also, after the first two somewhat awesome performances, I don’t think Joshua deserved a standing O – especially after the ladies didn’t get that love.

RATING:

+1/2

4. ELISE TESTONE

I Want It All by Queen

Really with the graphics, Nigel? I can hear her…I don’t need the words flashing in my face. But back to Elise, the vocal was crazy amazing. Loved her with the band, would love to see her in concert, blah blah blah. Amazing night so far!

RATING:

5. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen

I feel like his background singers were pulling him back up to the pitch–which is a good thing in my book. The arrangement was a little awkward, too. The vocal was just, well, Phillip. I concur with Randy that I was not jumping out of my chair either.

RATING:

6. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

Save Me by Queen

Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It was good, not great. I almost saw her start to feel the song a little more, but not completely. Still waiting for her breakout moment.

RATING:

7. JESSICA SANCHEZ

Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross

She is such a talented vocalist! This song should probably be banned on Idol, but she can probably override any banned song because she can pretty much outsing any previous idol contestant.

RATING:

8. SKYLAR LAINE

Tattoos On This Town by Jason Aldean

Ah, I knew that twang wouldn’t be gone for long. She is going to rock out the country charts…I can only hope they market her well and get her some great songwriters that can show off her voice. Another strong vocal performance!

RATING:

9. JOSHUA LEDET

Ready For Love by India.Arie

Dude, what a great song choice! Love that song…and it is a perfect choice for him. The vocals were great, and his leather jacket was hot, but the song was a perfect fit.

RATING:

10. ELISE TESTONE

Bold As Love by Jimi Hendrix

I worry that this wasn’t the greatest song choice for her…I know she wants to be the lead singer of a band in the real world, but she also has to play the Idol game and be a strong solo artist. It was fine, but not that memorable.

RATING:

11. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

The Stone by DMB

AAAAnd that literally could have been Dave on the Idol stage. The performance was a blatant ripoff–zero originality. As a huge DMB buff, I am obvs familiar with the song, but is the rest of the idol audience familiar? Not sure. JLo seemed to think it was too obscure. I thought it was too DMB cover band. He does gain a few points from me for bringing DMB and Idol together….

RATING:

12. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

The Climb by Miley Cyrus

It was good but not that moment. I’m happy for her that the judges were happy for her because the poor girl needs a confidence boost, but IMO it still wasn’t up to snuff. She sang it as well as she could, but she just lacks that emotional connection that the other ladies have, and you just can’t teach that.

RATING:

Tonight was a great night of idol. This may be the highest percentage of “smileys with teeth” that I’ve ever doled out in one episode! That said, there still has to be a bottom three tomorrow. My prediction? Hollie, Elise, and Phillip. As far as who goes home, I have no idea. I would guess either Hollie or Elise, but who knows.

I have to echo the sentiments of the judges in that the talent this season is far and wide. It is hard to send anyone home at this point. So what do you think? Great night of Idol?

Results Show: Do or Die Edition

Laura L — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:08:16 +0000

**Sorry for my lack of screenshots tonight–my software is a bit out of sorts**

No more saves! Tonight, America really decides who goes home. I wonder if it will be a shocker!

GROUP SONG

Dancing In The Streets by Martha and the Vandellas
Waaay better than last week. I love the addition of dancers and musicians on stage! Although the balloons seemed a bit premature – don’t we normally save that celebration for the Nokia? In the words of Randy, the group songs are back tonight! They’re back, baby, they’re back!

FORD COMMERCIAL

Stars
‘Astronomy Turned Astrology’ should be the title of this one. Not a very enlightening commercial, but I learned Jessica is a fellow Gemini.

RESULTS 1

BFFs Joshua and Hollie are up first. Jimmy likes Joshua for the finale. He thinks Hollie took a giant step this week but still has a long road ahead. Joshua is safe, Hollie heads to the stools of doom.

ALUMNI PERFORMANCE

The Vision Of Love by Kris Allen
Aw I love Kris so much. And during season 8 I can’t say I was always on the Kris bandwagon, but he won me over! This was a nice performance, and the song seemed catchy enough. Not too sure if I loved the rotating piano though.

RESULTS 2

Skylar and Elise are up next. Jimmy thinks Elise will be bottom three because of her song choice, and he thinks Skylar is the best performer in the competition. Per usual, Elise heads to her vacation home in the bottom 3, and Skylar is safe.

GUEST PERFORMANCE

Sorry For Partyrocking by LMFAO

The sound went out so many times during their performance I thought I was watching Springer. And while I enjoy some LMFAO, This song was pretty obnoxious.

RESULTS 3

Phillip, Colton, and Jessica are up last. Jimmy likes Phillip, thought Colton was horrible last night, and thinks Jessica needs to pick younger songs. Jessica and Phillip are safe, and Colton is in the bottom 3.

Ryan sends Elise back to the couches, leaving Hollie and Colton. And Colton ends up getting the boot.

HEADING HOME TONIGHT: Colton Dixon

I am sad to see him go, but it is true, he did have an off night. His sing out didn’t do him any favors in terms of solidifying his record deal either – he sounded like crap tonight.

But in an amazing advancement for the ladies, Hollie and Elise squeeze out another week. Go girl power! For those of you keeping track at home, the girls outnumber the guys 2:1. Pretty good odds to get to that finale, huh?

So, are you surprised at the result? Happy you won’t have to hear Colton’s nasaly voice anymore (and happy to stop hearing me cheer him on?) Let me know, of course.

Top 7 Redux

Laura L — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:03:33 +0000

Holy crap, everyone is singing twice! That is 14 performances in a two-hour episode. Man, Nigel is taking notes finally, huh? I think it is making up for the season with Kara and Ellen where there were 14 minutes of singing in two hours.

Anyway, the theme for tonight is “Then and Now” – The first song will be post 2000, and the second is…Soul Train? Should be interesting.

1. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

Rolling In The Deep by Adele

Honestly this was one of her best performances. Was it as moving as Skylar or Jessica? Not quite. Being in the dead man’s spot she is going to be in trouble no matter what.

RATING:

2. COLTON DIXON

Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

I sort of loved this arrangement. I understand that it might rub people the wrong way, but I loved the arrangement and the take on this. The performance itself, however, was just ok. It wasn’t his best, but he definitely gets points for creativity.

RATING:

3. ELISE TESTONE No One by Alicia Keys It was an unexpected choice for her, and she sang it well. Her emotion on stage is fantastic, and I always feel like she is taking us on a journey.	RATING:
4. PHILLIP PHILLIPS You Got It Bad by Usher Excellent interpretation of the song. He sounds so Dave Matthews-y because he keeps playing with this chick on the saxophone. This week, however, I am aboard the Phillip bandwagon. He appeared to be on key enough to not annoy me.	RATING:
5. JESSICA SANCHEZ Fallin’ by Alicia Keys First the red doors, now the red umbrellas. She is going to have a load of momentum behind her this week, but honestly, I wasn’t that impressed with this performance.	RATING:
6. SKYLAR LAINE Born This Way by Lady Gaga This is a fun version of the song, and it worked for her. I would love her to indulge me in a real rock song, just for fun. I know she’s country blah blah blah. But she could do it, and it would be awesome. Just once, Skylar! Sing Heart! Sing Benatar! Something!	RATING:
7. JOSHUA LEDET I Believe by Fantasia Pretty sure he messed up the words at the end…oops. I was also disappointed the choir wasn’t wearing robes…it just doesn’t have the same effect without the robes. That said, what a great song. His version of it was pretty good, but I’m pretty sure if I did a CompShop between him and Fantasia (not to mention Syesha and Diana DeGarmo) Fantasia still wins. Can’t top the original!	RATING: +1/2
8. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH Son of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield This is Hollie’s best night on Idol. She appears to have found her groove. This probably means she is going to leave tomorrow, as most eliminated people have gone home on their best night this season.	RATING:+1/2
9. COLTON DIXON September by Earth Wind and Fire I don’t know how I feel about the emo version of this song…it was just kind of weird. I totally agree with the judges on this one, surprisingly enough.	RATING:
10. ELISE TESTONE Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye It was nice and grovelly and hot, and while it may not have shown off her voice as well as another song could have, I didn’t think it required as much criticism as was given by the judges. But I understand they want her to be vulnerable. She needs to have her moment on the stage…she has had a few moments, but she hasn’t had that memorable 5 seasons later moment. Her Fantasia-Summertime moment. And she is going to need to find that right quick.	RATING:
11. Phillip Phillips Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett His vocal had that pesky under pitch thing going on again with this performance. He also seems super awkward on the stage without his guitar. Yikes. This was the hottest mess of the night so far.	RATING:
12. JESSICA SANCHEZ Try A Little Tenderness by Otis Redding WOW! Jessica! That was amazing! This vocal was insane, and she reached deep into her soul and pulled this one out. The judges were critical of her but I loved this performance. Wooo.	RATING:
13. SKYLAR LAINE Heard It Through The Grapevine by Gladys Knight More fun from Miss Skylar. But please refer to my previous notes on singing Heart or Benatar. Sans the twangy fiddle. I’m not going to lie, though…I look forward to putting some Skylar Laine on my workout playlist.	RATING:
14. JOSHUA LEDET Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke It was ok, but all I could do was compare it to Adam Lambert’s version which was insane. I thought this was a sandbagging performance from him… To me, Joshua has had a really off week.	RATING:+1/2

So maybe I’m insane (likely…very likely) But I thought Jessica’s second performance was awesome. Additionally, surprisingly enough Hollie had the best week she has had on the show with two solid performances. I thought Joshua had a pretty bad week, and everyone else was sort of in the middle. This being said, I still think Hollie is in trouble. She went first, plus people have been going home on their best performance week.

What did you think of Now and Then week? And the insane amount of actual vocals! And who do you think is headed home?

Top 7 Results — with Two Alumni Performances!

Laura L — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:13:09 +0000

Apparently it is going to be a “huge shocker” according to TMZ–they say that it is a producer favorite with the lowest number of votes. My guess is Joshua or Jessica.

GROUP SONG

Raise Your Glass by P!nk
You guys know I love cheesy group songs but this was way over the top even for me. It was awkward, Phillip was stroking Colton’s hair, it looked very messy and unrehearsed with really bad “step touch” moves. Ryan’s photo bomb at the end really was the frosting on the cake of this horrid performance. Take it back, please.

Ford Commercial

Great Escape
I was suckered in by the graphics, but did anyone notice they didn’t actually film a commercial…it was all video gymnastics accompanied by the contestants singing in unison. Guess they’ve been spending too much time with Tommy Hilfiger and can’t commit time to their Ford Commercial.

RESULTS 1

Jessica and Hollie are up first. Jimmy is a fan of Jessica but not a fan of Hollie. Hollie is in group 1, Jessica is in group 2. Someone’s getting Huffed tonight!!

ALUMNI PERFORMANCE

Higher Than Heaven by James Durbin
OMG I can’t even handle the ridiculousness. This faux rocker business needs to stop. I wasn’t a big JD fan last season, and this performance hasn’t won me over.

RESULTS 2

Phillip and Elise are up next. Jimmy is not a fan of either of their performances from last night. Phillip joins Hollie in group 1, and Elise joins Jessica in group 2.

ALUMNI PERFORMANCE 2

Think Like a Man by Jennifer Hudson

Wow, she gets more and more amazing as time goes on, I think. She was fabulous. Take note, contestants. NeYo was ok, but what was up with his shirt?

RESULTS 3

Colton and Joshua are up next. Jimmy was on board with them both…Joshua goes with Jessica and Elise, Colton joins Hollie and Phillip. And Skylar gets HUFFED! She is declared safe, refuses to pick a group (smart girl), and placed in group 1. This leaves Joshua, Jessica, and Elise in the bottom three.

Joshua and Elise are safe, and Jessica is in danger of going home. This was not a shock because of the TMZ report. And before she finishes eight bars of her “save me” song, JLo runs on to stage and pronounces her saved. This came as no surprise, as Steven already redeemed the save before it was announced Jessica was the bottom vote-getter.

HEADING HOME SAVED TONIGHT: JESSICA SANCHEZ

I don’t like that the judges ruined her sing out moment by coming out and grabbing the mic – that moment creates momentum and great TV and they totally ruined it.

It was fitting that J Hud performed tonight because she was eliminated during Top 7 (wherein George Huff was Huffed.) If the save existed in season 3 I’m sure it would have been used on her.

So will this create momentum for Jessica? I’m not sure. I never felt she really lost momentum, it is just a tough season with good contestants who have solid fan bases. With this wake up call, I think Jessica should consider doing some sort of crazy unexpected song next week.

Shocked Jessica was the lowest vote-getter? Shocked she was saved? Let me know what you think of these crazy events!

CompShop: You and I

Laura L — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:01:20 +0000

You know this is rough, but it had to happen!! I love them both. But which one do you like best?

Elise:

Haley:

Take Our Poll

Songs since we’ve known Lee DeWyze (Top 7)

Laura L — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 05:32:52 +0000

;

The theme is: Songs from the last 2.4 years, a.k.a. the covert mission to prevent Hollie from singing any Celine Dion this week. Nice work on that Uncle Nigel! The kids are singing their performance, plus doing either a duet or trio. Gotta fill this two-hour time slot with something, huh? I can’t complain, at least they are filling it with more singing rather than product placement for something.

1. SKYLAR LAINE

Didn’t You Know by Kellie Pickler

I think this was a SMART choice for her. She pulled off an unknown song that could be hers. She played the guitar (not loud and it was basic chords, but it didn’t matter) and it showed versatility. Oh yeah, and she sang the crap out of it. Everything about it worked, and she gets props from me!

RATING:

2. COLTON DIXON

Love the Way You Lie by Skylar Grey

I am on the Colton Bandwagon,and I know I get crap for this. But this was a TOTAL SNOOZEFEST. I wanted to like it, but I was just bored…If this was a game changer, it wasn’t shooting him towards the finale. He sang it alright, and I like his voice and his tone, but it was just meh.

RATING:

DUET: Elise and PHILLIP Somebody I Used To Know by Gotye Elise was pretty good, Phillip was just sailing through, but overall i was pretty bored with this, too.	RATING:
3. JESSICA SANCHEZ Stuttering by Jazmine Sullivan She did the same thing as Skylar – pulling off an unknown song that could be her own. She was fabulous, per usual. I have to agree with JLo (what? I know…) in that it would be fun to watch her take us on a journey and dig a bit deeper. She needs to ensure her projection doesn’t become stagnant.	RATING:
4. JOSHUA LEDET Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars OMG Fantasia to Mantasia!! It was nice to see him change it up and be more current, but it was definitely not his best performance. There is a whole lot of fawning over him but I don’t think he is as good as Jessica…	RATING:
DUET: SKYLAR AND COLTON Dont You Wanna Stay by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson Colton seemed really off in his harmonies, especially at the beginning of the song. They appeared to get on track near the end. Skylar did have some moments where she didn’t hit the nail on the head with those big notes, but you need to have serious chops to even come as close as she did. I can’t fault her — at least the goes balls to the wall every time.	RATING:
5. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH Perfect by P!nk I really wanted to like this – I was like Oh, look, Hollie’s doing something current! And it started great, but I just didn’t feel like it went anywhere. I just don’t think the arrangement lends itself to TV either. I think she is definitely headed home this week.	RATING:
6. PHILLIP PHILLIPS Give A Little More by Maroon 5 He was back to his solid happy place this week – not doing bad crap, but not doing anything amazing. I just can’t get over the Dave Matthews look alike and sound alike performances.	RATING:
TRIO: JESSICA, JOSHUA, AND HOLLIE Stronger by Kelly Clarkson Lots of big voices, its difficult to figure out who sings what when…It was good, but a bit chaotic…	RATING:
7. ELISE TESTONE You and I by Lady Gaga Perfect choice for her! She sang it great just like Haley sang it great last year. She still may have some issues being in the bottom 3, just because there are only seven left and someone has to be there…but it won’t be based on performance.	RATING:

It is definitely time for Hollie’s departure tomorrow. If it is anyone else, I bet the judges use the save. Hollie just hasn’t shown the growth and versatility the others have. It is definitely not for lack of effort, but at this point you’ve either got it or you don’t. And Hollie seems to lack an X Factor that the other six seem to possess in some form or another.

As for the other bottom 3 members, I would say Colton might make an appearance there, as well as Elise, who should just bring a personalized stool along with her maracas. It’s not that she isn’t good, but I just can’t imagine her fan base is as strong as the others.

So, do you agree? Disagree? Want to complain that I don’t finish writing this until the middle of the night? Sound off in the comments…

idolreview.net - Blogging American Idol | X Factor | The Voice | 2012

A Three-fer

1. JOSHUA LEDET

2. JESSICA SANCHEZ

3. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

4. JOSHUA LEDET

5. JESSICA SANCHEZ

6. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

7. JOSHUA LEDET

8. JESSICA SANCHEZ

9. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

Results Show: J Lo Pimpage Edition

GROUP SONG

FORD COMMERCIAL

RESULTS #1

ALUMNI PERFORMANCE

RESULTS #2

GUEST JUDGE PERFORMANCE

RESULTS #2

HEADING HOME TONIGHT: HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

California Dreamin’ (Top 4)

1. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

2. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

3. JOSHUA LEDET

4. JESSICA SANCHEZ

DUET: JOSHUA AND PHILLIP

DUET: JESSICA AND HOLLIE

GROUP SONG

5. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

6. Hollie CAVANAUGH

7. JOSHUA LEDET

8. JESSICA SANCHEZ

Top 5 Performances: Daffodils and Crustaceans

1. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

2. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

3. SKYLAR LAINE

DUET: JOSHUA AND PHILLIP

4. JESSICA SANCHEZ

5. JOSHUA LEDET

6. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

7. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

TRIO: SKYLAR HOLLIE AND JESSICA

8. SKYLAR LAINE

9. JESSICA SANCHEZ

10. JOSHUA LEDET

A Killer [Queen] Top 6

1. JESSICA SANCHEZ

2. SKYLAR LAINE

3. JOSHUA LEDET

4. ELISE TESTONE

5. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

6. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

7. JESSICA SANCHEZ

8. SKYLAR LAINE

9. JOSHUA LEDET

10. ELISE TESTONE

11. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

12. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

Results Show: Do or Die Edition

GROUP SONG

FORD COMMERCIAL

RESULTS 1

ALUMNI PERFORMANCE

RESULTS 2

GUEST PERFORMANCE

RESULTS 3

HEADING HOME TONIGHT: Colton Dixon

Top 7 Redux

1. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

2. COLTON DIXON

3. ELISE TESTONE

4. PHILLIP PHILLIPS

5. JESSICA SANCHEZ

6. SKYLAR LAINE

7. JOSHUA LEDET

8. HOLLIE CAVANAUGH

9. COLTON DIXON

10. ELISE TESTONE

11. Phillip Phillips

12. JESSICA SANCHEZ