American Idol Reboot

The Dawg is already gone, Ms. Mariah needs more than tight
dresses to stay at the judges table. Ryan - aint goin' nowhere.
Nicki? We all know she's already gone. Keith Urban, the only
one I would want to see again next season.

I've been watching American Idol since the beginning. I have to admit, the past few years have been a challenge - lackluster contestants (with Adam Lambert being an exception and probably Philip Philips) and a parade of 'celebrity' judges who have not earned their large paychecks. With the lowest ratings in the show's history for this past season, Idol producers need to take note. Do something different. Do something completely different.

So what happened?

I get it. A lot of reality shows thrive on tension and drama ... but American Idol isn't one of those shows. The immature conflicts between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey was painful to watch. So guess what? A lot of people opted not to. Take a look at The Voice which has benefitted from the great and positive chemstry between judges (and a note to Voice producers, keep this foursome!).

Out of the four, the only one I could possibly see coming back would be Keith Urban. Randy has already bowed out. Nicki Minaj has ticked so many people off that she won't be back and really, I know she's 'Mariah' but I don't think she needs to be back either. The best judge isn't even a judge, it's Jimmy Iovine. He knows what he's talking about and gives targeted feedback.

Then there are the contestants. It ended well, (love me some Candice) but getting there was at times painful. Zonette? Really? Some of the people that made it to the live shows had me questioning the judges' train of thought.

Suggestions

Go back to basics. When Idol started, no one knew who Simon Cowell or Randy Jackson were. I'm pretty sure they didn't break the bank to get Paula Abdul. Yet, it became the #1 show. AI made Simon and Randy stars and revived Paula's career.

Find several industry-insiders who can provide some Jimmy Iovine-style credibility and personality and put them at the judges table. Add a star that is past their heyday, but who has some knowledge and put them at the table. Yes, this would be a Paula Abdul-like role, but don't look for the next Paula Abdul.

Save the Drama for your Mama. And truth be told, your mama probably doesn't want to hear all that mess either. Have judges that actually get along.

Enough of the Judges Already! American Idol is at its best when it operates as a singing competition. In other words, make it about the contestants again and less about the judges. Find contestants that the audience can root for. We should be tuning in each week to see what the singers are going to sing not which diva is going to act the bigger fool.

Current Theme Weeks: After this season when the contestants relieved their painful ignorance of archaic, little known acts like The Beatles, I propose losing the decade-based themes. Instead go with different kinds of themes: Best Break-Up Songs, Diva Week, Acoustic/A Capella Week, Best High School Song.

If Idol wants to dominate the ratings again, they will have to do more than a little tweaking.

American Idol: Minaj vs. Mariah - Round 1

OMG! We are just as surprised as
everyone else that we don't get along.
We were expecting to be besties!

Is anyone surprised by the feuding and fighting (well, almost fighting, definitely threatening) between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey? As far as I’m concerned, that’s part of the reason they were hired. Everyone knows the ratings for American Idol, while still awesome, have been declining. This is an easy way to boost them by bringing some Real Housewives kind of crap (and by crap I mean high school-ish drama) to the show.

For me, although the judges are entertaining, I watch for the talent. Maybe efforts should be spent on getting a more exciting mix of contestant and finding more relevant theme weeks. Those are changes that I could get behind. Hot messes and emotional  train wrecks have never been of much interest to me.

I Love Music!

Even with Adam's moves like Jagger,
The Sing-Off managed to edge out
The Voice out as my favorite singing
competition.

As I prepare to watch The Voice tonight, I’m thinking about how much I love a good music competition. It started with American Idol and maybe because I’ve been with that one the longest, I’m beginning to feel that it’s run it’s course.

I mean, exactly how many country-crooning Carrie Underwood-wannabes can one Top 10 take! Jeez! Enough Already! Plus the bland and lackluster winners of the past few years haven’t helped. The most exciting thing to happen to AI in the past few years is Adam Lambert and he didn’t even win.

Oddly, I’m not missing Simon and I haven’t missed him since he left. I never watched AI for the judges, I have always watched for the talent and Jessica and Phillip notwithstanding, I just don’t have a lot to root for this season.

Where I am rooting is over at NBC at The Voice (and not just because Adam Levine is there). I just love the dynamic of the show: four chart-topping current artists mentoring and working with a group of singers. They get involved in a way that Idol could only hope.

I look forward to The Voice much more than I do Idol. The judges and contestants look like they are having fun. And, I’m having fun watching them.

I also have a lot of fun watching The Sing-Off. These are a capella groups that are solely in it because they love to sing. The talent and the enthusiasm is catching. Of course, by the time The Sing-Off started, they knew that having a good trio of judges was key. When Sara Bareillis replaced Nicole Scherzinger and joined the boys (Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman of Boys II Men fame), I had my doubts, but she pulled it off. Of all of the singing shows I think this would be my favorite.

New to the game this year was The X-Factor. Since I never really missed Simon, it’s no surprise that I wasn’t super-excited about seeing him back. After The Sing-Off and The Voice, I had gotten used to judges that were fun. The tension Simon brings is unnecessary, however, I actually did like the show. I didn’t have the same anticipation for it week-after-week, but I watched and will probably watch again this year.

So if I had to put my favorite singing competitions in order, I’d rate them…
1. The Sing-Off
2. The Voice
3. American Idol
4. X-Factor
(3 and 4 are virtually tied).

What's Missing



Steven Tyler isn't that funny.
Bring back the bad auditions!

I'm about to watch tonight's episode of American Idol. While ratings have fallen off a bit, it's still the #1 show in it's time slot and it still rakes in some killer numbers. Yet something is missing ... and no, for me, it isn't Simon Cowell and it certainly isn't Paula Abdul. For the audition shows, what is missing for me is humor. What is missing is the fun.
In past seasons, I've looked forward to Idol audition shows for the mixture of auditions ... for the highs and the lows. Part of the fun of the audition shows is watching the bad auditions, just like part of the fun of Hollywood Week is watching the drama and group implosions.

This season has been light on bad auditions and very heavy on sob story packages for the contestants that made it through. The packages are part of the auditions that I hate the most and it seems like we've had them in droves. I mean the girl that lived in the tent, the boy who was born without ears. Really???

Stop trying to tug at my hard strings and bring back the bad singers!

American Idol: Back in Time Again

I was hoping when Idol got 'revamped' this season, we'd have more current theme weeks. I mean singing songs from The Rat Pack era or even the 50s, 60s and 70s really doesn't resonate with contestants who were born in the late 80s or 90s. Yet, here were were again, stuck with songs from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.  They had their heyday in the 50's and 60's with songs like Stand by Me, Yakety Yak, Hounddog, Love Potion No. 9 and Jailhouse Rock. Tonight, the Idols had to sing these oldies but goodies while being mentored by Lady Gaga. What a way to mix the old and the new!

But first, the kids were asked to perform an inspirational song.

When I hear inspiration, I automatically think of Mariah, Whitney and Celine. I also think of dozing off. James kicked things off and woke me up with a cover of Journey's Don't Stop Believing. He missed a couple of notes but brought it home at the end.

Haley paid hommage to Michael Jackson with What About Us. I didn't like it at all and neither did Jennifer or Randy. It isn't one of Michael's more popular songs and I didn't feel it suited her voice at all. Next!

And next up was Scotty. He sang Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning by Alan Jackson. The song addresses the events of 9/11. He sang it well and it's definitely an inspirational song. Yet, he and Haley really reminded me of why I dread inspirational songs. I think the timing might have been perfect in light of the recent death of Osama Bin Laden.

Last up was Lauren who chose Anyway by Martina McBride. She dedicated it to the people who were surviving the devastation of the tornadoes and storms in the South. Again, she sang it well and had a timely message (like Scotty) that would probably get people to the phones to vote.

Haley was up with the first song of the second round. Working with Lady Gaga she chose I Who Have Nothing which Jordin Sparks nailed the season she won. Gaga asked Haley to 'get a little psycho' and indulge in a little drama. It made all the difference. Haley nailed it.

Scotty sang Youngblood and like with Gone  last week, got to have some fun with it. He and Gaga's interactions were funny. She definitely had the little Christian boy blushing! He came out and gave a solid Scotty performance. It wasn't a standout but one thing about Scotty is that he's consistent.

Gaga had her work cut out for her coaxing the bad girl out of Lauren who was having difficult with the word 'evil' in her song Trouble. At the end of the package, we weren't sure if Lauren was going to pull it off; but as soon as she stepped out onto that stage, we saw that she had it. I don't know if a 16-year old girl should be working the sexy but she definitely worked it.

James and Gaga worked on Love Potion No. 9. Gaga and her pantsless outfit helped James move his hips; but when it comes to performance, James is the best out of the four. When he stepped out on the stage, he proved it, killing on Love Potion No. 9. The decision to open and close with James was a good one.
Since there are just four people left, instead of predicting a Bottom 3, I'm going to pick a Top 3. If I have my way, the Top 3 in order would be:

1. James
2. Lauren
3. Scotty

with Haley going home.

American Idol Results: Down to Four

This cat finally ran out of lives!

We started off predictably enough. Ryan plugged Steven's book and J. Lo's upcoming performance. We had a average group number (Happy Together) followed by the weekly Ford commercial (is it me or do they get worse by the week?). There was a cutesy two-part segment with the Idols cooking for Gordon Ramsey.

Ironically, there was a solid performance from Lady Antebellum, Just a Kiss. Why the irony? Because the female lead for Lady Antebellum, Hilary Scott was rejected by American Idol when she auditioned for the show. She didn't even make it in front of the judges, striking out in the preliminary round. Now, she's with a Grammy-winning group performing on Idol!

For the elimination, Ryan started forming two groups. James on the far side of the stage and Lauren on the near side. Jimmy Iovine said, James was usually a nine or a 10. He called last night's performances an eight. He criticized Lauren for wimping out of the big note in Unchained Melody.

But before we continued with results, there was Jennifer Lopez performing On the Floor. She was singing with a track but she showed the Idols what it is like to put on a show ... costume, dancers, set. She was on it. We also got a preview of her new singe, Into You.

Next up more results. Jacob came up for his critique. Jimmy said it seems as if he lost some of his confidence as both of his performances last night were off. Jacob joined Lauren on the close side.

As for Haley, Jimmy said he had her pegged in fourth or fifth place until last night's peformance of House of the Rising Sun which she nailed. He gave her a perfect 10 for that perfomance. She joined James on the far side.

It all came down to Scotty. Jimmy thought his version of Gone was stellar; but that he came up a little short on Always on my Mind. Ryan mentioned that Scotty had never been in the bottom and tonight would be no different. He was safe. Then Ryan asked him to pick the duo he thought was safe.

Scotty didn't want to do it so Ryan walked him over to James and Haley. They were safe and Jacob and Lauren were the Bottom Two. Lauren started the water works right then and there but it would be Jacob that was going home.

In his final remarks, he mentioned how America had fallen in love with him (Huh?) and he looked forward to making some good R&B music. Anyway, he sang A House Is Not a Home and kept it going all the way through the credits.

Alas, there will be no more Lusky Stank!

American Idol: Now and Then

Seems like only yesterday we had 13. Now it's down
to five, soon to be four!

It seems like this season has flown by. Five contestants remain and each sang two songs for Now & Then week. They had to pick a current song and another from the 60s or 70s. For me, Scotty and Lauren pulled out front with James in the middle and Haley and Jacob definitely in the bottom (and one of them probably going home).

So here’s how everything shook out.

James kicked off the night with 30 Seconds To Mars’s, Closer to the Edge. Once again, James was big on showmanship; but sometimes I think I’d like him to focus more on the vocals. Randy and company were psyched, with Randy telling him that the competition was his to lose. For his second song he chose Harry Nilsson’s Without You. He teared up during rehearsal and almost during his performance because the song reminds him of his wife and son. His version was good but I’m not too crazy about the song. Speaking of not too crazy…

Jacob was up next and tackled the duet No Air by Idol winner Jordin Sparks and anger management poster child Chris Brown. I didn’t like the song when those two did it and I didn’t like Jacob’s screechy version of it either. The judges agreed with me. They said they’d hoped his second song would be better. For his back-in-the-day song he went with Nazareth’s Loves Hurts. Vocally he was all over the place but he did manage to make an emotional connection to the song which should count for something (take note Stefano Langone).

Lauren Alaina channeled her inner Carrie Underwood for Flat on the Floor. She did a great job with the Idol winner’s song and it was easy to see that this kind of song is exactly the kind of song she’d sing if she won Idol. She came out with a song her parents love for her old school classic, The Righteous Brothers Unchained Melody (also known as the ceramics song from the movie Ghost). She looked gorgeous in her flowing white dress. I would be surprised if she was sent home. I could see this kid in the top two.

Scotty kept it country (again) for both songs but he did manage to step up his performance game. He delivered an energetic, crowd-pleasing rendition of Gone by Montgomery Gentry. He worked the audience, jumped around the stage and even tried to get the judges involved. For his second number, he chose Elvis’s (and Willie Nelson’s) Always on My Mind. I’ll be honest, I don’t even remember much about this performance and that should tell you something.

Rounding out the top five was Haley Reinhart. For her first song, she took a big chance on an unreleased Lady Gaga song You and I. I guess she did it well, having never heard the song, I have nothing to compare it to. The judges, especially J. Lo, weren’t sure it was a good idea to go with an unknown song at this point. For her second number, she picked a very well known song, House of the Rising Sun by The Animals. I couldn’t help but compare her, not to The Animals but to Siobhan Magnus, who killed this song last year. Haley didn’t slay it.

Bottom Three? How about which two will be safe. For me that’s our country duo: Scotty and Lauren. Jacob, James and Haley, have a seat on one of those uncomfortable-looking stools because one of you will be going home … probably Jacob. Then again what do I know, I've been predicting that Jacob's going home for week's now. The kid has more lives than a new-born kitten!

American Idol: Six to Five



He tried to put a spell on the voters,
but it didn't work.

The Top Six performed a medley of Carole King songs. Let's just say, the train wreck that was last night's performance show carried over into tonight's opening number.

After the lackluster opening, we had a performance from last year's runner-up Crystal Bowersox. While Crystal is a great performer, I never saw her (or winner Lee DeWyze, for that matter) as a chart topper. Crystal's indie performance sort of proved my point.

After a cutesy Q & A with the group, each contestant was brought up individually for their results. Haley was first. She was criticized for not knowing who she was as an artist and was clearly frustrated by that. Ultimately though, she was safe.

Next up, we heard feedback about Scotty from Jimmy Iovine. Jimmy defended the consistency that some people are starting to call boring. But before we could get his results, Ryan brought up Scotty's country counterpart Lauren. Jimmy liked her poise and predicted that Lauren would be in it for the long run. The last in the trio to be called up was Casey. Jimmy called him out for all the damn growling saying, "The family dog doesn't vote," (and Marty wouldn't vote for him anyway). All three had to wait for their results.

After the break, James was up. Jimmy praised the diversity of his song choices. And not so surprisingly... he was safe and joined Haley over on the sofa. Last (and quite possibly least) was Jacob. Jimmy hated his outfit too and said that right now he was on banana peels. Out of the four, Lauren was sent to safety. Leaving us with Jacob, Casey and Scotty (for the first time) as the Bottom Three.

But we had one more performance, this one for Bruno Mars. I don't like all of his songs, but I did like this one. Don't Want to Do Anything was playful, laid-back with a reggae feel. However, I was ready for someone to go home (and I just knew that person would be Jacob).

Of course, one of the final three would be sent to safety. To my surprise, the safe one was ... Jacob. He looked about as surprised as I was! This left Scotty and Casey at the bottom. And the one the judges saved, got the boot.

He left on a rousing, growling version of I Put A Spell On You. I can't say that I'll miss him!

American Idol: The Earth Did NOT Move

This week American Idol featured the music of Carole King. Of course, King’s best years were behind her by the time the oldest Idol was born. After last week (Songs from the 21st Century) I was kind of hoping that they would do more contemporary stuff but no… The judges got into their time machine and went back to the 60’s and 70’s (yawn). Carole King has a lot of good songs but the Idols had a hard time picking them.


Jacob kicked off the night with Not My Baby. The song? No. The arrangement? Didn't work. The outfit? What in the hell?? It was a blue plaid jacket with a yellow shirt and a bow tie. Jacob looked like a tricked out member of the Nation of Islam. Wrong, wrong, all wrong! I’ve been a Jacob fan but outside of the scatting, it was a piping hot mess of a performance. If he doesn’t go home tomorrow, I’ll be shocked.

Next up was young little Lauren. She sang Where You Lead. Let me put it this way, where she was leading, I wasn’t trying to follow. I was bored. In fact, I sort of hated it. She’ll be safe another week, but after two of these performances I didn’t have much hope for Carole King night.

Because there are six contestants and the Idol producers are hell-bent on keeping the show’s 90 minute running time, the individual performances were augmented by duets. First up were Casey and Haley. They sang one of King's biggest hits, I Feel the Earth Move. They had good chemistry (especially since they are rumored to be an item). I like Haley’s voice more than Casey’s and I think she shone more on this than he did. Let me add. Haley looked amazing. Casey looked like he’d shopped at Goodwill with an ill-fitted black jacket and matching equally ill-fitted black pants with a white tee. So wrong.

Scotty did a slowed-down, country-fied version of You Got a Friend. My dog was watching with me, or so I thought. It was at this point that I heard Marty snoring (a cute little toy poodle snore). I guess he wasn’t impressed either. If Scotty wanted to be my friend, he’d have to agree to never sing that song again.

James dropped the rocker vibe (I don't think you could have a rocker vibe with Carole King) and went with Will You Still Love You Tomorrow. I wasn't sure given the way the show was going. However, he came out and did the beginning acapella. Then went into his own interpretation of the song. It was pretty good. Not an amazing vocal but good. For for first time during this show, I wasn't bored. Marty still slept.
 
Next there was another duet. This was the third duet between Scotty and Lauren. It was a tepid version of On the Roof. There wasn't much else to say.
 
Casey came on with a bluesy Hi Dee Ho. I give him credit for always coming out with something different. And this was different.Bluesy and, as Randy said, reminiscent of his home town in Louisiana. Still, I just can't seem to get into Casey.
 
Haley did Beautiful. At least, it was upbeat and kind of peppy. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. The beginning was rocky but got much better by the end. Steven said he 'saw God' in her song. I think it must have been the drug relapse talking.
 
The final duet between James and Jacob was next. I was curious as to how this duet would turn out. Given the overall tenor of the evening, my expectations were low. They did, I'm Into Something Good. It's a cheesy song on a good day. The boys came out in blue blazers with white pants and shirts. An extra slice of cheese. They sang it like they were competing over the girl in the song. A big hunk of cheese. Finally, they went over to the judges table and serenaded Jennifer. A pound of smelly Muenster cheese!
 
Bottom Three
Oh hell, I don't know but I do know Jacob is going home!

Glee: Super-size Me!

Kurt and Karofsky bury the hatchett.
I didn't mean that the nasty way.

After last week’s 60 minutes of suck, I approached this week’s 90 minute super-sized episode of Glee with some trepidation. I tuned in with crossed fingers but I really enjoyed this episode (except for the dreadful Barbra Streisand number!).

For months now, we’ve known that Lady Gaga’s Born This Way would feature prominently in an episode. It was fitting since the topic was self-acceptance. After getting nailed in the nose by Finn, Rachel had the opportunity to get a nose job. It was tempting. While the club members objected, Rachel seriously considered getting her nose done. But she didn’t want just any nose, she wanted Quinn’s nose.

The two of them together at the plastic surgeon’s led to a nice mash-up of West Side Story’s I Feel Pretty and TLC’s Unpretty. Speaking of unpretty, Lauren decided to run for prom queen and decided to dig up some dirt on Quinn. It turns out that our resident pretty girl wasn’t always pretty. In junior high, she was a fat, frumpy brace face with bad acne! In a move that was completely mean-spirited, Lauren plastered the school with Quinn’s old junior high school photo. However, the humiliated Quinn had the last laugh when Lauren’s trick backfired. Quinn ended up getting the respect of her high school classmates for being able to change her image. At least Lauren did apologize.

Meanwhile, Santana decided if the team wanted a shot a nationals they needed Kurt back. Of course, before he’d come back, they’d have to deal with the Karofsky issue. After what she’d overheard last week and then catching Karofsky checking out another guy’s backside, Santana put her plan in motion.

She had a come to Jesus with him where she revealed to him that she was gay too. She offered to be his beard and not to out him, if he convinced Kurt to come back. First Karofsky apologized to the glee club and then to Kurt and his dad directly. Eventually, (after Kurt told him he’d have to help him start a gay support group) Kurt agreed to come back.

We had one more song from The Warblers as they came to say goodbye to Kurt. Blaine got a little choked up singing Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know. I hope Kurt’s return doesn’t mean we’ve heard the last of The Warblers.

Meanwhile everyone tried to convince Rachel to keep her nose. Finn told her she was beautiful. Kurt and Puck orchestrated a flash mob at the mall around Duck Sauce’s Barbra Streisand (worst song of the evening, the season and just about the whole damn series).

Back in adult world, we didn’t even have as much as an appearance from Sue, but we did get the whole Will and Emma (Wilma? EmIl?) relationship back on track. To teach the self-acceptance Will wanted all the kids to wear t-shirts that featured what they needed to accept about themselves. Finn’s said Can’t Dance. Rachel’s said Nose. Mercedes’s said No Weave (yeah, I didn’t get that one either). Will wanted Emma to wear one that said OCD and set an example for the kids. She backed out and went with Ginger because she’s a red head. Emma ended up talking to a therapist and actually taking the first step to deal with her OCD.

Overall I really enjoyed the super-sized episode. I have to go on record being frustrated with Finn. On the one hand, he’s telling Rachel she’s beautiful and looking at her with longing. On the other hand, he carries a wallet-sized photo of the Junior High version of Quinn and talks about how much he loves her regardless of her appearance. The writers need to give this boy some clear direction.

American Idol:

Stefano Langone is gone.

Usually  I like it when the Idol Results show bypasses the insipid group opening number. I welcome the duets, trios and other incarnations of contestants. These smaller group numbers normally are well done and come off more professional and polished. Not tonight.

Lauren, Haley, Stefano and Jacob did Train's Hey Soul Sister. It's a charming song and I loved the way The Warblers did it on Glee, but here? Tonight? On American Idol? Not so much. Their voices just didn't blend. It didn't sound good at all.

Next, the three fellas were up: Scotty, James and Casey did their version of Coldplay's Viva La Vida. Their trio didn't do much better than the quartet that came before them. I guess maybe it's up to song choice and choosing contestants that sound good together.

Then it was on to the eliminations. The first up were Casey and Jacob. And Jacob became the first person in the Bottom Three. But ... before we got more results, we had a musical break from David Cook. I like David Cook but I didn't like this song and I seriously don't expect to ever hear it again.

Up next were Lauren, Stefano and James. ... Stefano joined Jacob on the stools.

Again,... before we got more results, we had another musical break. This time it was from Katy Perry. I like Katy Perry but I didn't like this song but I seriously expect to hear it ad nauseum for the next several months.

Finally, there was one seat left and it came down to Scotty and Haley ... Haley took the third stool. And just as quickly as that happened, she was sent to safety.

So there were just two guys left and for the second week in a row, a guy was going home. I just knew it would be Jacob. Imagine my surprise when after the longest pause ever ... Ryan ... Seacrest ... announced ... that ... the ... one ... going ... home ... would ... be ... (wait) ... (wait for it some more) ... (and now this is just f**kin' annoying) .... (just say it damn it) ... .... .... Stefano!

American Idol: 21st Century

The Idols were challenged this week to pick a song from this current century. It definitely beats having these teens and twenty-somethings sing something from the Rat Pack era. Instead of getting straight into the contestants, the show kicked off with a performance of Pink’s So What? from all the Idols who’ve been voted off (Paul, Pia, Karen, Thia, Naima, and Ashthon). It was an energetic performance but seeing almost all the girls on stage like that at once was jarring.

And then the real show began.

Scotty kicked things off with another country song I’d never heard before. It was Swingin’ by LeeAnn Rimes which actually seemed to have something to do with swinging in a swing and not something more –ahem – adult themed (I need to get my mind out of the gutter). What can I say? It was a safe Scotty performance. Not his best but I don’t think it was his worst. He’ll be safe to swing another week.

James Durbin took on Muse’s Uprising, walking through the audience with a cadre of marching band drummers behind him. James put on a show and had a rocker song that really allowed him to focus on his vocals. With the energy and the spectacle, this should have been the opening number. Scotty and his swing should have been second.

Haley took on Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. It’s a song about heartache and I wasn’t sure usually peppy and perky Haley would be up to the challenge but she attempted to interpret the lyrics. Albeit, I don't think she ever fully connected to them. At least she didn’t try to imitate Adele which would have been disastrous. Picking such a currently popular song though is a risk. After seeing the opening with a number from all those voted off girls, tomorrow night might not bode well for Haley.

Jacob came out (well not really) with Luther’s Dance with My Father. He’s been compared to Luther but he’s no Luther. I’m not saying that in a bad way, he’s not Luther. He’s Jacob. Anyway, the song has a lot of meaning because he lost his dad when he was 12. Personally, I wouldn’t advise someone to sing a song that personal and emotional but he managed to pull it off. It was a good interpretation but I have a feeling, it won’t be enough. Jacob could be going home.

Casey decided to cover my favorite band Maroon 5. To be honest (maybe a little too honest) I sort of threw up in my mouth a little when they said he’d be doing a Maroon 5 song (I tend to eat a late dinner). He chose Harder to Breathe and actually did a pretty good job with it until the end. The scatting was okay but after that it descended into hot mess category ... including the kiss to J Lo. People can try to sell me on Casey all day long but he's not all that as a singer and when it comes to looks and sex appeal, he is no Adam Levine!

Stefano went with Ne-Yo's Closer. This was the best song choice he could have made. The song was squarely in his vocal range. There was no deep connection he needed to make with the lyrics (because so far he's been terrible at that). He got to move around the stage and actual do a dance step or two. For the first time in this competition, I really enjoyed a Stefano performance.

Lauren Alaina, like Scotty, sang a country song I'd never heard before, Born to Fly by Sara Evans. She and Scotty must be reading from the same play book. Like Scotty she sang it well and played it safe. I thought she was boring. She could be headed for the Bottom Three.

Bottom Three:
Jacob
Haley
Lauren

Going home ... Jacob

Glee Is Back ...

I’ve literally been counting the days down to this new Glee episode. In fact, during another epically stressful day at work, at time, the only thing that was getting me through was the new episode of Glee. When it was all said and done? It was a let down.

New Directions needed money to go to New York but several members of the club (Mike, Tina, Artie, … and Brittany) were also members of the academic team, the Brainiacs, who couldn’t afford to attend their championship in Detroit. So New Directions decided to show support for their teammates by raising money for the Detroit trip first.

Shue who seems perennially stuck in his 90’s high school heyday, came up with the brilliant idea to sell salt water taffy. However, Holly Holiday (another appearance by Gwneth Paltrow) had the idea for a fund raising concert around a Night of Neglect theme (more on that later).

When Sue got wind of the concert idea, she gathered together her trifecta of Glee club terror known as the Legion of Doom made up up Sandy Ryerson (former glee club advisor), Dustin Goolsby (head of Vocal Adrenaline) and Will’s ex Teri. She decided to take down New Directions by having Dustin go after Holly and Sandy set up hecklers in the audience at the show.

Bright Spots
I’ll start with what I liked best because that’s the shorter list.

•  Brittany saving the day at the Brainiac competition with her encyclopedic knowledge of cat diseases.
• Mercedes singing Aretha Franklin’s Aint No Way
• The promise of the League of Doom
• Santana, Blaine and Kurt standing up to Karofsky (so does Santana know his secret now???)

Everything Else

 We knew Gwyneth was in for a short run so to have her relationship with Shue begin and end on the same episode was silly. If they were going to do a relationship arc, they should have at least stretched it over three episodes. Likewise, we did have Carl for a handful of episodes but with that blink and you’d miss it throwaway line about Carl wanting an annulment, it was a crappy way to tie up the Emma/Carl storyline. It’s John Stamos! Didn’t he at least deserve a final scene?

 

The whole Night of Neglect concept fizzled. Was it about artist neglected by New Directions (like Aretha Franklin)? Was it about one hit wonders like Eric Carmen (okay he had a couple hits All by Myself and Hungry Eyes from Dirty Dancing)? Gwyneth was singing Adele who is anything but neglected.

 

Out of nowhere Sunshine Corazon (Charice) shows up to 'help' and to sing. However, after promising her help and filling the seats with her 600 Twitter followers, she folds and doesn't show for the performance (neither do her Twitter friends). I know the girl has pipes. However, I don't know if it's her acting or her character but whatever it is it isn't working for me. The show has enough singers and if that is the extent of her contribution, they don't need her either.

 

Outside of Dustin Goolsby/Sergeant Handsome’s attempt to seduce, the League of Doom was just done.

 

And, I’ve said it before but it bears repeating, Mercedes needs a storyline that doesn’t revolve around her whining about not getting more solos. Even Tina and Mike have better storylines than Mercedes. The whole thing about her having outrageous diva demands was annoying. And while I'm at it, Lauren is just plain annoying.

 

Well, we do have a 90 minute episode to look forward to next week. 

American Idol: And the Award for the Lowest Number of Votes goes to ...

Those teeth! So bright!
So white! So straight!

Tonight, I have to be brief. This will be the quick and dirty (well not really dirty) version of tonight's results show. Thankfully, there was no big group open, just three performances throughout the hour. First up were Scotty and Lauren who sang a Lady Antebellum song and sang it well. I think these two could record a hit country duet.

Next up Casey and Haley did a jazzy song called Mornin' (or was it Mourin'). Haley's voice lends itself naturally to a jazzier feel. As much Idol tries to force Casey on me. I just don't get it. He is not a great jazz performer.

So the two duos were the first to face elimination and Ryan informed us that one of them was not safe. As our first duo (Scotty and Lauren) made it back to the sofa, it was either Haley or Casey who'd be taking a seat on one the the Bottom Three stools.

Next, we got another taste of country flavor when we heard from Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean. Our duets gave way to a quartet as the guys (Jacob, James, Paul and Stefano)  performed several songs from The Graduate: Sounds of Silence and Mrs. Robinson.

When it came to the four of them, it was no surprise that James was the first to be sent back to the safety of the sofa. What was sort of surprising is that Jacob was the next one sent to safety. The Bottom Three was complete with Haley, Paul and Stefano.

Next we had a slow song from Rihanna. I like some of her songs but I'm not a huge fan. I'll give her credit though, she was good. I have to say that I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate the red hair. Bozo the Clown has never been sexy.

Anyway, back to the Bottom Three. So far, as Ryan reminded us, since the Top 13, only female contestants have been eliminated. So when Haley was sent to safety, it was clear that the first male contestant would be going home. And, it was ... Paul.

Unlike last week's tearful exit. Paul went out with his Pepsodent smile and a rousing version of Maggie May.

American Idol Goes to the Movies

Tonight's show was more flop than
blockbuster.

The Top Eight took on songs from the movies tonight. So far this season, I have been impressed by this crop of contestants but tonight ... not so much. I wish instead of movies, they could do songs from TV. I bet Jacob could do a mean cover of the Jefferson's theme song. I digress.

Paul McDonald kicked things off with Old Time Rock-n-Roll. Okay, I think I'm sort of over Paul. I still like his energy and his smile but his voice is starting to work my nerves and please, lose the floral suits! I've heard his band Grand Magnolia and he's a solid singer with his group. But as an Idol contestant, I'm over him. If it doesn't work out with his band, maybe he could do commercials for Orbitz gum or Crest White Strips.

Lauren Alaina had an uphill battle with Miley Cyrus's The Climb. I hate this song but I usually like Lauren ... not tonight. She bored me. Sure, she hit some big notes at the end, but it was too little and too late.

Ironically, it actually could be The End of the Road for Stefano Langone. He can hit the big notes but for me his interpretation of the song is always off. Tonight, it felt rushed to me. The judges loved it but me? Meh. And what was he wearing? He looked like he was taking a walk down Sesame Street!

Scotty McCreery was going to sing Everybody's Talking At Me and I thought that would have been a great song choice. However, he changed it up and decided to do George Straight's Cross My Heart. Don't know the song but he seemed to do it justice. I always feel off-center watching Scotty. The way he tilts his head and his mic are just odd.

Casey Abrams went creepy jazzy with Nat King Cole's Nature Boy. The jazzy feel was nice. It was actually a bold choice. He gets a few points for that. However, he loses points for the weird grunts, the creepy glances and the scatting. Of course, I could be wrong, after all, he ended up getting a standing ovation!

Hayley Reinhart channeled her inner Debbie Harry and sang Call Me. As a huge Blondie fan, this song is actually harder than it seems to pull off. She started off well but by the end was way too screamy and screechy for me. Loved the dress and the boots though.

Jacob did his version of Bridge Over Troubled Water. I loved the dressing down Jimmy Iovine gave Jacob in his intro package. Jimmy asked, "How is he going to lecture 24 million viewers about The Man in the Mirror when you haven't even recorded a record yet?" Jacob needed to be humbled and he was. He emerged this week more restrained and not so full of himself. I sort of hoped he'd do the Aretha version of the song but I'm sure he didn't want to alienate people by going too gospel.

James Durbin closed the show with Heavy Metal. Jimmy and Will.i.am had a few different song suggestions for James but in the end he went with his gut. I'm not sure whether or not that was a good choice. He nailed it but it was really heavy metal so I don't know if he might have turned a few people off.

My picks for the Bottom Three:

1. Lauren
2. Haley
3. Stefano

American Idol Results: Full of Surprises!



Talk about a stunner!



Last week's duets were a nice change of pace, but this week we were back to our amusement park-like opening number - a mash-up of I Love Rock n Roll and My Baby Wrote me a Letter.

I was ready for some results ... but not so fast. We had a package featuring Russell Brand who dropped by to teach our Idol wannabes about stage presence. Well,at least they seemed to enjoy him.

The first three to learn of their fates were Lauren, Casey and Stefano. Lauren was the first to return to safety, followed by Casey. It was a bit awkward when Ryan revealed that Kelly Clarkson had a crush on him. He had nothing to say, a wise movie, especially if the rumors of he and Haley being an item are true. Stefano, well he wasn't safe, he was sent to one of the three ominous stools.

After the break, we heard from Season 4 alum and Tony Award nominee (Rock of Ages) Constantine Maroulis. He did a rock take of Unchained Melody. For me it was an odd rendition. On the bright side, he looked good.

Next up we were treated to a package about yesterday's feature stylist, Gwen Stefani. If you were wondering what the hell Lauren was thinking in those scrunchie shorts, or why Pia looked like a Jersey Girl heading to Studio 54 circa 1977, you got your answer.

The next three facing elimination were Paul, Pia and Scotty. It wasn't a surprise that Scotty was the first of the three sent to safety. However, I was completely surprised when Paul was safe and Pia was the second one sent to the Bottom Three.

Since this episode seems to be pretty package happy, we had another package where the Harvey and his team over at TMZ gave the Idols a little media training. It was funny but I was ready for some more results.

The final three were James, Haley and Jacob. Poor Jacob he looked devastated. He looked as if he knew he'd be in the bottom three and ... he was right. So there were had our troubled trio: Stefano, Pia and Jacob.

Of course, we couldn't just get to the results. We had to hear from a resurrected Iggy Pop who cavorted around the stage shirtless singing Wild One. He actually looked pretty good for his age and for not being dead (I really did think he was dead).

The first person sent to safety with a major fake-out by Ryan was Jacob. I was stunned. However, the real stunner was what happened next. Stefano was safe and Pia was sent packing.

The audience erupted with boos. The judges were ticked off. Randy was mad. Steven was upset. Jennifer was stunned. I thought the save was wasted on Casey and this proved it. She should have been saved.

She went out with class and sang, I'll Stand by You. I had her making it to the top five if not top three. Damn.

American Idol: Cleveland Rocks!

On the banks of luscious Lake Erie
sits the jewel of Northeast Ohio, the
Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

I was born and raised in Cleveland, and there aren't many occasions where my hometown gets a lot of love. However, we do have the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame going for us. Tonight our Fine Nine had to choose songs from Hall of Fame inductees. The great think about the Hall is that there are all kinds of inductees from Elvis to Johnny Cash to Run DMC. Everyone should be able to find a song that fits firmly in their wheelhouse (even Scotty). This would be an interesting evening.

Jacob Lusk didn't disappoint. He kicked off the night with Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror. He's been listening! Less facial contortions and a more restrained performance. The only issue I had was at the end of his introductory package he said something about if he was in the bottom three it wasn't because he didn't sing well but because America wasn't ready to look in the mirror. That arrogance will cost him some votes.

After being compared to her all season, Haley Reinhart decided to tackle the Janis Joplin classic, Piece of My Heart. The judges loved it but I didn't think she did Janis justice. If anything, she showed how much she isn't like Janis to me.

Keeping up the classic rock vibe was Casey James. With his upright bass in tow, he took on Credence Clearwater Revival's Have You Ever Seen the Rain? This was actually a good choice for him as he actually sounded a little like CCR's lead singer, John Fogerty.

Lauren Alaina put a country spin on Aretha Franklin's Natural Woman. The irony is that Gwen Stefani, who helped style the Idols this week, made sure she didn't look like a natural woman! LOL! She had her faux-hawk, and heavy make-up with bright red lipstick. Her version was sung well but it was a bit lethargic. I wanted more energy.

Energy is something we usually get from James Durbin in spades. This week he toned it down and tackled The Beatles While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Since Rock-n-Roll night was firmly in his wheelhouse, I didn't know what to expect from James, but I didn't expect this. It was a bold choice and he sang the song well and saved the scream for the end. Restraint paid off again.

Channeling his inner Elvis, Scotty shunned his country shenanigans and went straight rock. He seemed to have a good time with That's Alright. He got the crowd involved and even had an Elvis like gaggle of girls run up on stage at the end.

Pia Toscano promised she'd go more uptempo if she made it through last week. She kept her word. She went with Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High. She's a solid singer so she nailed it vocally. However, I've seen trees on a day with no wind that aren't as stiff as that girl. She needs to get some moves!

Finally! Stefano Langone actually connected with the lyrics. He sang Percy Sledge's When a Man Loves a Woman. For I think the first time this season, he seemed to have an emotional connection with the words.

Closing the show was Paul McDonald. He made a curious song choice, Johnny Cash's Folsom County Prison. Okay.... Paul's unique voice didn't quite seem suited for Johnny Cash. Yet he took the stage with his guitar and a few other musicians and made it feel like a concert. He actually made it work

Predictions for the Bottom Three:
Hayley Reinhart
Jacob Lusk
Stefano Langone

American Idol (Results Show): And then there were 9

They scrapped the amusement park-like group number (yeah!). Instead of doing the group number, they broke the contestants into groups and each group performed their number before facing elimination. Lauren and Scotty went first. They did a duet called I Told You So. The country kids did a great job. I could actually hear that song as a single. Needless to say both were safe.

Next up was a duet by Jacob and Naima. They did a soulful rendition of Ashford and Simpson’s Solid. It was a solid performance .. but Ryan told us that one of them was in danger. It was no surprise when Naima was sent to one of the Bottom Three stools. Jacob was safe, at least for another week.

Fantasia sang her new song, Collard Greens and Cornbread. The song had a really smooth old school feel. The blonde hair? Not the greatest look but she did her thing including giving a little love to Steven Tyler at the end.

Next up were Pia, Thia and Hayley. The trio gave their take on Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. For the first time, I got that this is the Idol show at Disneyworld feeling. Pia was sent to safety and it came down to Thia and Hayley. Thia joined Naima in the Bottom 3 (and so far I was two for two!).

Paul, Casey, James and Stefano did their rendition of Band on the Run. They struggled with some of the harmonies a bit but the guys gave a good performance. Of course, Casey was safe. And so was James. It came down to either Paul or Stefano. Could I be three for three with my predictions? Well, I was WRONG! Stefano was in the bottom three!
 
Before we could find out Will.I.Am and Jamie Foxx took the stage with their new song Rio from the movie,... Rio, a new animated family film. Wasn't crazy about the song but they get an A for effort. They had Brazilian dancers and drummers and even had a couple of guys doing Capoeira (the Brazilian form of martial arts).
 

Since two were going home tonight, it was all about who was safe. After that one walked to safety, the other two would be eliminated. So Paul made the walk back to the seats, leaving Thia and Naima to say their goodbyes.

So my bottom three was off by one (I had Stefano and not Paul), but I did pick the two that went home. I should probably play the lotto tomorrow and see if my lucky streak continues!

American Idol Recap: Time to Crocodile Rock!



Tomorrow two Idols are eliminated.

 I'm a huge Elton John fan and he's got enough songs to accomodate all of the Idols. So I was looking forward to what would happen ... especially since this week two people will be going home. So without further ado...

Scotty McCreery: As long as he can find a country song, he's alright. He even managed to find an Elton John song that he could countrify. I had never heard Country Comfort before, which might be a good thing, because I did not like what some other contestants did with some of my favorite EJ songs (see below). I could see this guy in the top three.

Naima Adedapo: I'm a big fan of I’m Still Standing; but I'm not a big reggae fan. I do give Naima credit for being one of the biggest risk takers we’ve seen on Idol since Adam Lambert. It was very mellow (almost too mellow) and I agreed with Randy when he said it was kind of corny. Let me add this: I would not have been standing if I had to wear those platforms!

Paul McDonald: Like Paul. Like Rocket Man. Didn’t like his interpretation or voice on this so much. Again, I’m agreeing with my dawg Randy that he did have some pitch problems. Will he make the bottom three, I'm not sure, but I think his chances are greater this week than they have been.

Pia Toscano: Despite what the judges told her last week, I just knew she’d be back with yet another balland. She nailed her version of Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me. She also looked amazing in her short sparkly dress. She promised if she’s back next week (and I don’t doubt that she will be) that she’ll pick up the tempo a bit.

Stefano Langone: His version of Tiny Dancer left something to be desired. The judges noticed that he connected more with the audience. In other words, he walked across the stage and didn’t just sing with his eyes closed. Yet for me, he lacked emotion. He didn’t connect with the song. He could take a lesson from Casey and Jacob on how to interpret a song with feeling and meaning. He could be in the bottom three.

Lauren Alaina: Like Pia, Lauren nailed her song. She chose Candle in the Wind and put a country spin on it. Surprisingly it worked. She should be safe for at least another week.

James Durbin: No matter what, the boy’s got energy. He chose Saturday Night’s Alright. He walked through the audience and interacted with the judges. In previous seasons, Simon would have called his performance ‘indulgent.’ But the judges ate it up. Not a great vocal but a damn good performance.

Thia Megia chose Daniel because she has an older brother she’s close to. Nice sentiment. Nice girl. Nice performance … but I need her to go home. It’s time.

Casey Abrams: I’m sure last week gave him a shock. So this week he did a little soul searching. He got a haircut and trimmed up his beard. He also dialed down his performance of Your Song: less histrionics, fewer growls and a more measured performance. We got to hear him sing. His performance showed that the judges didn’t waste their save.

Jacob Lusk seemed to have taken a few cues from Casaey because he delivered a more subdued performance of Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word. This could have been a hot mess of oversinging and drama but he calmed down and his performance was better for it. Now if we could get him to dial back some of the facial expressions he makes while singing.

Hayley Reinhart: I had little to no expectations for the perennial bottom dweller but she surprised everyone by giving one of the best performances of the night with Bennie and the Jets. He was good. She got the crowd involved and she was actually a good way to end the show. It’s very possible that she won’t be in the bottom three this week.

Bottom Three

Naima Adedapo
Thia Megia
Stefano Langone

Going home Naima AND Thia

American Idol: Here's Your Top 10 ... or 11

He put a spell on the judges!

They started with 13, but making the Top Ten is what matters. Only the top ten will go on the Idol tour and make a little bit of Idol money. Eleven through 13 are just out of luck.

The dreaded opening musical number wasn't that bad this week. The Idols looked great, the boys dapper in black suits and the girls in silver dresses. They sang Ain't No Mountain High Enough ... but what really got me is what happened next. Stevie Wonder came out of no where to sing his Happy Birthday song to Steven Tyler. I loved it. I mean who doesn't love Stevie Wonder?

I didn't love Sugarland. What was up with the green pants?? Scotty has got me to have a greater appreciation for country music but not that much.

The first three up for elimination were Pia, Scotty and Lauren. Luckily, and to no surprise, all three were safe. Next, we had to sit through some weird package about James being a big wrestling fan but it all made sense when he and Paul stepped up next for their results. James's hero Hulk Hogan appeared to tell them they were both safe. By the look on his face, I don't know if he was happier to be safe or to meet Hulk Hogan!

The next trio to face elimination were Stefano, Jacob and Thia.  Jacob was safe while Thia and Stefano faced possible elimination. And then there were three ... Naima, Haley and Casey ... and one seat left over in the bottom three. Naima was safe and then it was down to Haley and Casey. Surprise! Casey was in the bottom three.

But before we could get the results, we had a performance from Jennifer Hudson singing her new single, Where You At? She looked beautiful and sounded even better but I thought the the black dress made her look a little hippy.

Against everything I believed in, Thia was safe, making it into the Top Ten leaving the two boys. As Ryan would say, "America voted and Stefano, ... you're safe. Casey you're going home."

Maybe.

But first, he had to sing for his life. Yet, before he got through the first verse, Randy stopped the music. It was unanimous. The judges were using the safe on Casey.

I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He wasn't just shocked or stunned or speechless, he was flabbergasted (and I don't know the last time I've used THAT word). Ryan added that this meant that two people would be eliminated next week, but the good news the producers decided that the tour would include all eleven finalists.