Kelly Clarkson has never been one to bite her tongue. She has fought the music industry powers that be, even earning Simon Cowell's wrath at one point, and also probably robbing herself of even more stardom. She has also been repeatedly candid about her tumultuous love life, and has openly confronted questions about her fluctuating weight but she finally hit a nerve regarding one subject you are always guaranteed to hit a nerve with a sizable faction over: politics.
In a very surprising development, Clarkson opted to weight in on the 2012 presidential election cycle. That alone isn't terribly newsworthy. After all, celebrity endorsements are hardly anything new. However, it was the recently beleaguered Ron Paul from Clarkson's native Texas she threw her support behind that has resulted in a political firestorm on her Twitter and Facebook accounts. Mr. Paul has been under intense scrutiny over allegations of matters ranging from racism to private behind the scenes anti-Israel foreign policy rants.
I am personally unaware of her previously disclosing her political affiliation before now but one thing is clear: Kelly Clarkson, thru her own social media accounts, has made it abundantly clear that she is a registered Republican with Libertarian leanings although she also disclosed that she crossed party lines during the last election. Clarkson did however break with her party's political orthodox and declared her opposition to one party stance on one major issue.
This is a huge blow to the credibility of the Paul family on matters of race. While waging his successful senatorial campaign for the then retiring Jim Bunning's seat in Kentucky, Paul's son Rand Paul got himself into hot water over comments made to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow about the civil rights movement. It remains unclear so far if this will be a blow to Ms. Clarkson's credibility too. Will fans forgive her for being too uninformed because of the recent allegations or will they not give her the benefit of the doubt because they will feel she did know and tried acting otherwise? They could also pounce on her for not knowing, especially because of Congressman Paul's son's own problems last May, and also because Ms. Clarkson and Mr. Paul are both from Texas and there might be an additional expectation of substantive familiarity. Mr. Paul, in what is expected to be his last congressional term, represents the 14th district in Texas while Michael Burgess represents the 26th district and Joe Barton the 6th district, both districts covering Ms. Clarkson's native Fort Worth. Incidentally, both Mr. Burgess and Mr. Barton are members of the Congressional Tea Party Caucus.
Clarkson was immediately bombarded with angry Facebook comments and tweets. One user badgered the pop star more than once, starting with her decision to weight in as a celebrity in the first place, taunting her to the point where he finally received a defiantly upset response. It triggered another nasty rebuttal before Clarkson decided to stop engaging the dissenting aggressor altogether. Elliott-Jones continued on but I'll leave it to any curious parties to do their own research for the time being.
Clarkson did issue an apology later on while pleading with her fans to respectfully disagree with her after a whirlwind of shocked fans attacked her for supporting an accused homophobic racist and anti-Semite. Ms. Clarkson also denied knowing anything about the allegations of Mr. Paul engaging in racist behavior as well as harboring homophobic tendencies. One of the last tweets of the night from Clarkson was the James Patrick Kinney "The Cold Within" and after responding to a few more tweets, she probably quite happily retired for the evening. Himay Co. tweeted a question for her but at the time of this blog publishing, there had yet to be any reply from Ms. Clarkson. Himay Co. would also like to extend an open invitation to Ms. Clarkson to discuss her thoughts and responses concerning her foray into the political arena in a completely unfiltered manner as well as to promote her most recent effort Stronger which includes the hit title track. Himay Co. will continue to monitor this breaking story.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: Finale Recap
First off, congratulations to a very deserving Melanie Amaro. She did one hell of a job this season and she was quite deserving. It's also quite noteworthy that she also didn't suffer the same fate as Pia Toscano on American Idol when most of us just assumed she was rolling her way to the final and ended up going home much sooner than that.
There's a lot to get to but although I still feel that the season finale results show of this past season of American Idol was still quite superior, tonight's finale still provided plenty of memorable moments.
1) The entire Top 12 came back to sing Lady GaGa's "The Edge of Glory" as an ensemble one final time. I alluded to the Season 10 finale of American Idol when Lady GaGa herself rather theatrically performed her smash hit quite spectacularly. It did seem like quite the crowded field and it was another noticeable reminder about how hard it is for these acts to break through to any level of major stardom.
2) The three oddly placed individual Christmas songs for the three top finalists struck me as odd. Why not one group performance and then move on? Instead, they opted for three songs, followed by family and friend montages which made all three quite visibly emotional (Josh Krajcik kept his composure the best).
3) Right afterwards they had Justin Bieber come out (with surprise guest Stevie Wonder) to collaborate on "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire" before Stevie literally had sliding doors close on him as he exited. Bieber immediately transitioned into "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" in which the least suspenseful moment of the evening, the inevitable Justin Bieber-Drew Ryniewicz duet was minimized to the very last part of the latter song. Bieber hugged Ryniewicz repeatedly but I can't help but feel we were al cheated, including Drew, to see that dream of hers be so abrupt.
4) By the time all that had finished, it was about 30-40 minutes gone by the wayside just on mostly Christmas oriented festivities. Luckily, we got back to the results. Chris Rene was announced as the third place finalist and I pretty much knew at that point that Melanie Amaro had won it. Although stylistically different from one another, both Chris and Josh play guitar and piano and cater to the all important female vote, both younger and older alike. Like I predicted earlier tonight, a Melanie Amaro victory almost certainly was going to mean a split vote between the two males.
5) Leona Lewis came out to sing her cover of Snow Patrol's "Run" to a season filled montage behind her onscreen. Lewis, certainly not accidentally there (especially because of eventual champion Melanie Amaro), provided a very clear guide for how Simon Cowell plans to harness Melanie's talent and her career direction. Lewis sang as beautifully as you'd expect her to and also served as a very deliberate reminder of Cowell's star making ability.
6) After Leona Lewis brilliantly sang "Run" they showed a very predictably lame L.A. versus Simon montage in one last season's attempt to play up the show's manufactured judge rivalry. They later played a somewhat more amusing "Cry Off" montage between Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul in which the former ended up pulling comfortably ahead of the latter in the montage of waterworks from this past season.
7) The other contestant-guest performance that occurred was the 50 Cent and Astro collaboration in which Astro joined midway through the performance, much to 50 Cent's delight. He was certainly relishing the talented attitude of the young rapping prodigy. Don't be surprised to see an album collaboration between the two at some point. Astro (real name Brian Bradley) is a true star in the making and he could actually end up being the biggest star of all that the show produces from this season.
8) Pitbull and Neo were next and they did a rather modestly impressive turn although I can't help but feel like after watching Astro hang with 50 Cent that something was lacking; an ironic twist given that Astro is the recently former contestant and all three of the other aforementioned are already all established superstars.
9) What followed was the Melanie Amaro-Josh Krajcik victory lap rendition of David Bowie's classic anthem "Heroes" which is one of my personal favorites of Bowie's (which is saying something given how his catalog is deep with amazing material). They both sang with such genuine joyfulness, with such an honest appreciative gratitude of what they had accomplished up to this point and what's next to come. For me this was a personal highlight of the show.
10) Finally, the crowning moment of the evening and season. I'm sure I'm not the only person to have noticed that they twice featured the now familiar Pepsi commercial about who will be featured in the next Pepsi ad to be debuted during the next Super Bowl in February. (I still care far too much more about the actual game, regardless of the teams, than the ads although they are still a very enjoyable side entree for the most part. Last year's was fairly weak after a pretty strong showing the year before. Fortunately, the games themselves of late have been exciting and well played Super Bowls. Anyway, enough of my side commentary. That's another topic for a future blog post of mine.) When they showed the three finalists I knew it wasn't accidental or inadvertent timing on their part. One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to determine the deliberate nature of it.
Still, the evening culminated in a sea of emotion, as foreshadowed during the family and friend montages from their individual Christmas theme performances, with Melanie Amaro physically shaking and sobbing in celebration of her victory. Josh Krajcik and Chris Rene both exhibited class and graciousness in their runner-up placing, which is that much tougher given that unlike the other shows, $5 million was at stake. Still, Krajcik seemed to have authentically been smiling and applauding for Amaro.
All in all, while I do feel like Krajcik's musical versatility should have given him the edge for the title, I am very pleased that America still ultimately got it right with a very, very deserving victor. Even though Chris Rene was by far the least consistent of the final three, he peaked at the right time and he showed his own artistic and musical versatility down the homestretch and he unequivocally demonstrated that he has the makings of a true star and the fact that he did a couple of his own compositions should give him an unusual advantage coming off the show part of his proverbial journey.
Josh Krajcik actually becomes the biggest mystery now because Chris has that original song angle going for him in one of the two most dominant genres in all of music these days. Javier Colon, the winner of the first season of NBC's The Voice, has reportedly only sold over 10,000 copies of his post-Voice album. Simon did tell FOX 5 New York's Julie Chang (who he was interestingly very kiss-friendly with) that Chris and Josh would both get deals "immediately" so Simon is very intent on creating more than one star from this season. (I also enjoyed watching host Steve Jones and Drew Ryniewicz with Chang, although Chang seemed to have abruptly cut off Ryniewicz just a minute into talking to her and if you saw it too you noticed how taken aback by it Drew seemed to have been about it.)
Well, that's it. We have our Season 1 winner. I will be writing more pieces on this season, as well as its contestants, and I do have so major collaborations in place with some of the artists from this year with an eye on doing more with more of them. (Hint: I'm looking to do regular work with and for these artists too.) I will do another list of my favorites from this year as well as how I'd improve these shows, make even more stars from them, and many other pieces. Plus, we have both The Voice and American Idol coming back soon so there's plenty more to write about. I still have some Season 10 pieces of American Idol to finish so this is now a great time to get back to that as we shift back into American Idol mode.
Plenty more to come from me so please stay tuned. In the meantime, Happy Holidays!
- Jamie
Follow me on Twitter.
There's a lot to get to but although I still feel that the season finale results show of this past season of American Idol was still quite superior, tonight's finale still provided plenty of memorable moments.
1) The entire Top 12 came back to sing Lady GaGa's "The Edge of Glory" as an ensemble one final time. I alluded to the Season 10 finale of American Idol when Lady GaGa herself rather theatrically performed her smash hit quite spectacularly. It did seem like quite the crowded field and it was another noticeable reminder about how hard it is for these acts to break through to any level of major stardom.
2) The three oddly placed individual Christmas songs for the three top finalists struck me as odd. Why not one group performance and then move on? Instead, they opted for three songs, followed by family and friend montages which made all three quite visibly emotional (Josh Krajcik kept his composure the best).
3) Right afterwards they had Justin Bieber come out (with surprise guest Stevie Wonder) to collaborate on "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire" before Stevie literally had sliding doors close on him as he exited. Bieber immediately transitioned into "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" in which the least suspenseful moment of the evening, the inevitable Justin Bieber-Drew Ryniewicz duet was minimized to the very last part of the latter song. Bieber hugged Ryniewicz repeatedly but I can't help but feel we were al cheated, including Drew, to see that dream of hers be so abrupt.
4) By the time all that had finished, it was about 30-40 minutes gone by the wayside just on mostly Christmas oriented festivities. Luckily, we got back to the results. Chris Rene was announced as the third place finalist and I pretty much knew at that point that Melanie Amaro had won it. Although stylistically different from one another, both Chris and Josh play guitar and piano and cater to the all important female vote, both younger and older alike. Like I predicted earlier tonight, a Melanie Amaro victory almost certainly was going to mean a split vote between the two males.
5) Leona Lewis came out to sing her cover of Snow Patrol's "Run" to a season filled montage behind her onscreen. Lewis, certainly not accidentally there (especially because of eventual champion Melanie Amaro), provided a very clear guide for how Simon Cowell plans to harness Melanie's talent and her career direction. Lewis sang as beautifully as you'd expect her to and also served as a very deliberate reminder of Cowell's star making ability.
6) After Leona Lewis brilliantly sang "Run" they showed a very predictably lame L.A. versus Simon montage in one last season's attempt to play up the show's manufactured judge rivalry. They later played a somewhat more amusing "Cry Off" montage between Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul in which the former ended up pulling comfortably ahead of the latter in the montage of waterworks from this past season.
7) The other contestant-guest performance that occurred was the 50 Cent and Astro collaboration in which Astro joined midway through the performance, much to 50 Cent's delight. He was certainly relishing the talented attitude of the young rapping prodigy. Don't be surprised to see an album collaboration between the two at some point. Astro (real name Brian Bradley) is a true star in the making and he could actually end up being the biggest star of all that the show produces from this season.
8) Pitbull and Neo were next and they did a rather modestly impressive turn although I can't help but feel like after watching Astro hang with 50 Cent that something was lacking; an ironic twist given that Astro is the recently former contestant and all three of the other aforementioned are already all established superstars.
9) What followed was the Melanie Amaro-Josh Krajcik victory lap rendition of David Bowie's classic anthem "Heroes" which is one of my personal favorites of Bowie's (which is saying something given how his catalog is deep with amazing material). They both sang with such genuine joyfulness, with such an honest appreciative gratitude of what they had accomplished up to this point and what's next to come. For me this was a personal highlight of the show.
10) Finally, the crowning moment of the evening and season. I'm sure I'm not the only person to have noticed that they twice featured the now familiar Pepsi commercial about who will be featured in the next Pepsi ad to be debuted during the next Super Bowl in February. (I still care far too much more about the actual game, regardless of the teams, than the ads although they are still a very enjoyable side entree for the most part. Last year's was fairly weak after a pretty strong showing the year before. Fortunately, the games themselves of late have been exciting and well played Super Bowls. Anyway, enough of my side commentary. That's another topic for a future blog post of mine.) When they showed the three finalists I knew it wasn't accidental or inadvertent timing on their part. One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to determine the deliberate nature of it.
Still, the evening culminated in a sea of emotion, as foreshadowed during the family and friend montages from their individual Christmas theme performances, with Melanie Amaro physically shaking and sobbing in celebration of her victory. Josh Krajcik and Chris Rene both exhibited class and graciousness in their runner-up placing, which is that much tougher given that unlike the other shows, $5 million was at stake. Still, Krajcik seemed to have authentically been smiling and applauding for Amaro.
All in all, while I do feel like Krajcik's musical versatility should have given him the edge for the title, I am very pleased that America still ultimately got it right with a very, very deserving victor. Even though Chris Rene was by far the least consistent of the final three, he peaked at the right time and he showed his own artistic and musical versatility down the homestretch and he unequivocally demonstrated that he has the makings of a true star and the fact that he did a couple of his own compositions should give him an unusual advantage coming off the show part of his proverbial journey.
Josh Krajcik actually becomes the biggest mystery now because Chris has that original song angle going for him in one of the two most dominant genres in all of music these days. Javier Colon, the winner of the first season of NBC's The Voice, has reportedly only sold over 10,000 copies of his post-Voice album. Simon did tell FOX 5 New York's Julie Chang (who he was interestingly very kiss-friendly with) that Chris and Josh would both get deals "immediately" so Simon is very intent on creating more than one star from this season. (I also enjoyed watching host Steve Jones and Drew Ryniewicz with Chang, although Chang seemed to have abruptly cut off Ryniewicz just a minute into talking to her and if you saw it too you noticed how taken aback by it Drew seemed to have been about it.)
Well, that's it. We have our Season 1 winner. I will be writing more pieces on this season, as well as its contestants, and I do have so major collaborations in place with some of the artists from this year with an eye on doing more with more of them. (Hint: I'm looking to do regular work with and for these artists too.) I will do another list of my favorites from this year as well as how I'd improve these shows, make even more stars from them, and many other pieces. Plus, we have both The Voice and American Idol coming back soon so there's plenty more to write about. I still have some Season 10 pieces of American Idol to finish so this is now a great time to get back to that as we shift back into American Idol mode.
Plenty more to come from me so please stay tuned. In the meantime, Happy Holidays!
- Jamie
Follow me on Twitter.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: Top 3 Performance
The remaining three contestants vied for votes for the last time Wednesday Night and the field is still as genuinely wide open afterwards as they were headed into the night. I thought that Josh Krajcik would have a slight momentum edge going into the final night but Melanie Amaro, singing in the final and often called "pimp spot" last night, just might have sealed the deal.
The guest stars tonight were curious choices although I do believe that Alanis Morissette made more sense than the other two collaborations. R.Kelly, given his past troubles, being paired with the older teenager Melanie Amaro seemed slightly creepy but Amaro actually outshone her much older costar last night.
Chris Rene singing with Avril Lavigne made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I personally have a love-hate relationship with Avril Lavigne because there are things about her I like and others that drive me crazy but I have mostly positive feelings about her. That aside, she made no sense with Chris. They couldn't have gotten a rapper? Kid Rock would have made the most sense but I wonder if he would have gone anywhere near a reality singing competition show.
1) Josh Krajcik (with Alanis Moirisette) ("Uninvited")
Singing an Alanis Moirisette song with Alanis, Josh was far too overshadowed by his guest collaborator. I could barely hear Josh's voices under Alanis' vocals. A strange way to decide a final but still interesting. I do agree with Simon's critique however. He did seem intimidated but this was really the first time any of the contestants have been able to actually sing with an established act. I still believe it was a reasonably solid performance although it certainly wasn't overwhelming.
L.A. - Wow, that was surreal. I mean it was such a natural, uh, pairing for you to sing with AM. She made my favorite album of all-time, Jagged Little Pill and you seemed right at home. This is going to be a long night because you just started at the top. That was great.
Paula - Josh, I couldn't think of a better way to open up this competition tonight. Alanis backstage, I hope you hear - you are remarkable; always have been remarkable. And Josh, i know that you know that youw ere singing with rock royalty but I'm most proud of you because not only did you hold your own, you kept your identity and your dignity and your integrity throughout and that's worth five million dollars. Love you. Good luck to you.
Simon - Uh, yeah look, uh, we've got to judge this, um, Alanis or without. Alanis, amazing - looks cute by the way - um Josh, I thought that you were a little intimidated at the beginning - a little bit - I would be - but you know there's a lot at stake here. Then when the song got into gear then I heard the old Josh back. But you know, you've got a second song now later on coming up to nail this, um, but it was a, uh, eight out of ten. (Josh: But I would say to that is she's completely disarming in her beauty and in her talent) again - (so I'm not surprised that maybe you felt that way but it was an honor for me so I enjoyed it.)
Nicole - Intimidated - call it whatever it is. I think the sign of a great artist is when an artist is able to come out and not only get to the audience but to get to the other artist and to acknowledge the other people up there onstage. And that just shows how giving and how wonderful you are as an artist Josh so beautiful job and Alanis, we are just honored by you. Thank you, we love you.
2) Chris Rene & Avril Lavigne ("Complicated")
How this pairing came to be is beyond me. Again, Avril's vocals are so vastly superior to Chris Rene's that all it does is steal their thunder and highlight some of the deficiencies in the artists' own vocal arsenals. I really felt this performance hurt Chris.
Nicole - Well Christopher. It-it was a little shaky in the takeoff but you came out on top and I couldn't help it. I couldn't help it - by the end - your energy - and the light around you - was so flipping infectious. I just - I love you Chris and I love that you put yourself out there, you're vulnerable, and you always - you make it your own. You shined up there. (Chris: Thank you!)
Paula - This competition isn't about note for note being perfect. It's about an energy that connects with an audience that proves relevance. You just sang with AL. What a wonderful, current, feel good performance. I've got to tell you something Chris; That song "Complicated" is the antithesis of what your foundation is built on. You're built on simple, transparent truth and that truth has carried you all the way. You deserve to be here, the best of luck, I love you. (Chris: I love you too. Thank you.)
SImon - Um, Chris - I think we're going to have to accept that all the artists coming on first of all (fan yells "I love you!") - I know that - are going to be a little nervous but then when it kicked in, particularly when you introduced the rap, what I felt was - and I think everybody else felt it -was your total joy and confidence of being here and that could be a record. That could be a record. Well done. (Chris: Thank you Simon.)
LA - Oh man. You know what? You look really at home with Avril. You guys look like you're cut from the same cloth. Two stars who really complimented each other and I agree with Simon. That could be a record that'd be released tomorrow and it'd be a number one hit.
3) Melanie Amaro & R. Kelly ("I Believe I Can Fly")
Melanie gave an unusually lackluster performance tonight. Perhaps it was that intimidation factor that Simon alluded to, perhaps even strategically because he sensed something going on with his own team's singer, but it was probably the weakest performance Melanie has ever given.
L.A. - First of all, that is one of the most important songs written in the last 50 years so you're really lucky to sing that with him really. That's a great one. Uh, if I'm to be honest, and you know that I love you, but I felt like you got a little bit overshadowed by R. Kelly on the song. I don't know if it was in your key. I didn't get the full on Melanie that I'm used to getting. It was great but I expect more from you.
Nicole - I think that she did the best she could in that key. Obviously it's R. Kelly's key, that's the key that he wrote it in and she did the best that she could and she got to shine on her ad libs at the end. (L.A.: But wait, wait - we can't make excuses - this is a $5 million contest; we can't make excuses.) There is no excuses; she put a 1000% into that performance and you know what? It only takes one person, my love, to believe in you and to make it and that's you. And Simon, guess what? Remember at the beginning when I said that song gave you wings? That's what I'm talking about; that song - she soared on it.
Paula - What a privilege to be singing a song that will go down in history - it already has - as one of the most prolific, uplifting, inspirational songs. It's fitting that you were singing it with R. Kelly and you know what? The conviction that you have Melanie, even though it was a good vocal - I wanted more emotion, your conviction thru this whole competition has made us believe in you because you believe. Thank you. Best of luck to you, girl.
Simon - Okay well I wouldn't listen too much to Grumpy and Dumpy too much over there because LA, that's what 's called showing respect tot he person you're singing with (L.A.: Yeah, yeah yeah.) and the fact that to me that was an incredible duet and most importantly Melanie, you didn't look like - you didn't look like somebody in a talent competition there; you looked like someone who could be a really important established artist. It was a fantastic version of the song. I'm feeling very good for Melanie Amaro right now.
4) Josh Krajcik - "At Last" (Etta James)
Singing his audition song, while perhaps simultamously paying homage to the terminally ill legend, Krajcik performed a solo acoustic version of his monumental audition song and absolutely killed it. This performance made him the frontrunner going into Melanie Amaro's final performance.
L.A. - Well, Josh. I'm proud, man. You look so at home up there, you know. The first time I ever saw you I envisioned you just like that. You are such a rock star, man. You are such a rock star. And you made it yours, you took your guitar, you made it your own, and you know that's what this is all about. That's what stardom is all about; making it your own. Congratulations -again. (Josh: Thank you, L.A.)
Paula - Josh I'm going to add to that, L.A. that you are one o fthe most authentic, real, kindhearted people I've ever met. You're wonderful. I gotta tell you - whether it's fully loaded, orchestrated, or striped down and unplugged -it's undeniable that you own that stage. Great job tonight. Great job tonight.
Simon - Josh, I've got to hand it to you. You know, this is what we called the 5 m song. This is the song that's going to determine your fate and the fact that you took that massive risk with the guitar, didn't play the piano, it - and what I liked about it was it was all about you; what we liked about you in the first place. This is going to be a very, very close call tonight; I can feel that. Congratulations. (Josh: Thank you Simon.)
Nicole - Josh, form Day 1you have shown that just by being you anything is possible. You've been you, yourself, you've delivered every single performance - I just - I watch you up there in awe and honored to be part of this journey with you; music loves you, Josh. Music loves you. America, if you believe in Josh Krajcik, the flipping Krajcik Magic, like I do, please vote for him because he is deserving of it, he's worked his whole life for this; I am so proud of you.
5) Chris Rene ("Young Homie") (Chris Rene Original)
Chris gave a very good performance of his original song "Young Homie" from his audition and the one huge advantage he has over Josh and Melanie is that there isn't another version of it out there for it to be compared to so he really can't be penalized all that much. I'm not sure one way or another if this performance solidified him into a particular position for Thursday Night's results. If they voted for the performance, he wasn't hurt, and was actually helped coming off a much weaker first performance. If the song carries him, he could very well win it all.
Nicole - Chris. I love. We all have a purpose in life and you are serving your purpose right now with that song. That is- that is your and our "I believe" anthem. Thank you so much for that gift.
Paula - Chris, Chris, Chris! You are magic! Does anybody have a shred of doubt that you are not a contender in this competition, that you're the consumate singer-songwriter-performer. You make everyone fall in love with you. That's what it's about.
Simon - Chris, that was your 5 m song. And you know Chris, I want to say something to you. I remember when we sat in that auditorium many, many months ago and I asked you to look me in the eye and I said if we're going to do this, you're going to keep to your deal. And you- you stuck to your deal Chris and not only are you a man of your word, you are a brilliant performer and I can say this from all the time I've spent with you, you are a true gentleman and a really nice guy and I hope America gets behind you. (Paula: Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote!) I really believe that you deserve it.
L.A. - You know what? You poured all of yoruself into that song. I have never seen you pour yourself into a song so well. I love what you just did and I hope that everybody got it and will vote for you. I'm proud of you Chris. (Paula: Vote! Both songs!)
6) Melanie Amaro - "Listen" (Beyonce)
Melanie once again killed it and she did so in the all coveted pimp spot. She had won the right to choose her performance placing in the random draw at the press conference for finale week. It might have just paid off rather handsome financially. She was right on top of her game and she might have just taken a slight lead for the crowning of the first ever winner of the U.S. version of The X Factor.
L.A. - That is the Melanie that I love, right there. That wasn't a $5 million dollar performance; that was a $50 million performance.
Nicole - I told myself that I wasn't going to do it. We saw thousands and thousands of people and you showed up and you were the very first person that I felt connected with and you brought tears to my eyes and you know what? Melanie, you made me feel in that moment that I wasn't alone and you empowered me and that's what music is all about, honey. Thank you.
Paula - Melanie, take it all in; these are precious moments. You delivered a stellar, stellar performance; so gorgeous, so gorgeous. You owned it. Thank you. Beautiful.
Simon - Melanie, I am - I am so, so proud of what you just did there and I brought this show to America because I believe that some of the greatest singers in the world are from this country and you just proved that. And Melanie, let me tell you something; after this you're never going to get teased again. You are the person you are Mel, and I think you, based on that performance tonight, to me should be the winner of The X Factor because you're going to represent this country all over the world.
PREDICTIONS:
I really have three different predictions. I honestly can't decide who might win. Here's my summarized take:
1) Chris Rene - If his original song still resonates then he has a very good chance of winning. If all the young girls and women are still drawn to him, then he might just win. It's also important to keep in mind that R&B/Hip-Hop (along with country) currently dominate the charts and that won't change anytime soon. And he's multi-instrumental like Josh, has peaked at the right time, and he's shown off his musicianship at the right time too. His post-show viability screams Kid Rock crossover appeal so we'll see how he does post-X Factor.
2) Melanie Amaro - If it's about who is technically superior and who has tackled the most difficult singers' catalogs then Melanie is the hands down favorite to win. Plus, she's been consistently great and that poises a challenge to Josh and if Chris and Josh split the [young] female vote, then she could even pull off a slight to modestly comfortable margin of victory.
3) Josh Krajcik - If it's about who has been the most consistent, the most vocally unique, and who has shown the most instrumental versatility (and the most), it's definitely Josh. He's also the everyman of the competition and he and Melanie are probably the most deserving because of their consistency although Chris has indeed turned it up recently.
Well, we shall see what happens tonight and I'll be back later to give my summary of what goes down!
The guest stars tonight were curious choices although I do believe that Alanis Morissette made more sense than the other two collaborations. R.Kelly, given his past troubles, being paired with the older teenager Melanie Amaro seemed slightly creepy but Amaro actually outshone her much older costar last night.
Chris Rene singing with Avril Lavigne made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I personally have a love-hate relationship with Avril Lavigne because there are things about her I like and others that drive me crazy but I have mostly positive feelings about her. That aside, she made no sense with Chris. They couldn't have gotten a rapper? Kid Rock would have made the most sense but I wonder if he would have gone anywhere near a reality singing competition show.
1) Josh Krajcik (with Alanis Moirisette) ("Uninvited")
Singing an Alanis Moirisette song with Alanis, Josh was far too overshadowed by his guest collaborator. I could barely hear Josh's voices under Alanis' vocals. A strange way to decide a final but still interesting. I do agree with Simon's critique however. He did seem intimidated but this was really the first time any of the contestants have been able to actually sing with an established act. I still believe it was a reasonably solid performance although it certainly wasn't overwhelming.
L.A. - Wow, that was surreal. I mean it was such a natural, uh, pairing for you to sing with AM. She made my favorite album of all-time, Jagged Little Pill and you seemed right at home. This is going to be a long night because you just started at the top. That was great.
Paula - Josh, I couldn't think of a better way to open up this competition tonight. Alanis backstage, I hope you hear - you are remarkable; always have been remarkable. And Josh, i know that you know that youw ere singing with rock royalty but I'm most proud of you because not only did you hold your own, you kept your identity and your dignity and your integrity throughout and that's worth five million dollars. Love you. Good luck to you.
Simon - Uh, yeah look, uh, we've got to judge this, um, Alanis or without. Alanis, amazing - looks cute by the way - um Josh, I thought that you were a little intimidated at the beginning - a little bit - I would be - but you know there's a lot at stake here. Then when the song got into gear then I heard the old Josh back. But you know, you've got a second song now later on coming up to nail this, um, but it was a, uh, eight out of ten. (Josh: But I would say to that is she's completely disarming in her beauty and in her talent) again - (so I'm not surprised that maybe you felt that way but it was an honor for me so I enjoyed it.)
Nicole - Intimidated - call it whatever it is. I think the sign of a great artist is when an artist is able to come out and not only get to the audience but to get to the other artist and to acknowledge the other people up there onstage. And that just shows how giving and how wonderful you are as an artist Josh so beautiful job and Alanis, we are just honored by you. Thank you, we love you.
2) Chris Rene & Avril Lavigne ("Complicated")
How this pairing came to be is beyond me. Again, Avril's vocals are so vastly superior to Chris Rene's that all it does is steal their thunder and highlight some of the deficiencies in the artists' own vocal arsenals. I really felt this performance hurt Chris.
Nicole - Well Christopher. It-it was a little shaky in the takeoff but you came out on top and I couldn't help it. I couldn't help it - by the end - your energy - and the light around you - was so flipping infectious. I just - I love you Chris and I love that you put yourself out there, you're vulnerable, and you always - you make it your own. You shined up there. (Chris: Thank you!)
Paula - This competition isn't about note for note being perfect. It's about an energy that connects with an audience that proves relevance. You just sang with AL. What a wonderful, current, feel good performance. I've got to tell you something Chris; That song "Complicated" is the antithesis of what your foundation is built on. You're built on simple, transparent truth and that truth has carried you all the way. You deserve to be here, the best of luck, I love you. (Chris: I love you too. Thank you.)
SImon - Um, Chris - I think we're going to have to accept that all the artists coming on first of all (fan yells "I love you!") - I know that - are going to be a little nervous but then when it kicked in, particularly when you introduced the rap, what I felt was - and I think everybody else felt it -was your total joy and confidence of being here and that could be a record. That could be a record. Well done. (Chris: Thank you Simon.)
LA - Oh man. You know what? You look really at home with Avril. You guys look like you're cut from the same cloth. Two stars who really complimented each other and I agree with Simon. That could be a record that'd be released tomorrow and it'd be a number one hit.
3) Melanie Amaro & R. Kelly ("I Believe I Can Fly")
Melanie gave an unusually lackluster performance tonight. Perhaps it was that intimidation factor that Simon alluded to, perhaps even strategically because he sensed something going on with his own team's singer, but it was probably the weakest performance Melanie has ever given.
L.A. - First of all, that is one of the most important songs written in the last 50 years so you're really lucky to sing that with him really. That's a great one. Uh, if I'm to be honest, and you know that I love you, but I felt like you got a little bit overshadowed by R. Kelly on the song. I don't know if it was in your key. I didn't get the full on Melanie that I'm used to getting. It was great but I expect more from you.
Nicole - I think that she did the best she could in that key. Obviously it's R. Kelly's key, that's the key that he wrote it in and she did the best that she could and she got to shine on her ad libs at the end. (L.A.: But wait, wait - we can't make excuses - this is a $5 million contest; we can't make excuses.) There is no excuses; she put a 1000% into that performance and you know what? It only takes one person, my love, to believe in you and to make it and that's you. And Simon, guess what? Remember at the beginning when I said that song gave you wings? That's what I'm talking about; that song - she soared on it.
Paula - What a privilege to be singing a song that will go down in history - it already has - as one of the most prolific, uplifting, inspirational songs. It's fitting that you were singing it with R. Kelly and you know what? The conviction that you have Melanie, even though it was a good vocal - I wanted more emotion, your conviction thru this whole competition has made us believe in you because you believe. Thank you. Best of luck to you, girl.
Simon - Okay well I wouldn't listen too much to Grumpy and Dumpy too much over there because LA, that's what 's called showing respect tot he person you're singing with (L.A.: Yeah, yeah yeah.) and the fact that to me that was an incredible duet and most importantly Melanie, you didn't look like - you didn't look like somebody in a talent competition there; you looked like someone who could be a really important established artist. It was a fantastic version of the song. I'm feeling very good for Melanie Amaro right now.
4) Josh Krajcik - "At Last" (Etta James)
Singing his audition song, while perhaps simultamously paying homage to the terminally ill legend, Krajcik performed a solo acoustic version of his monumental audition song and absolutely killed it. This performance made him the frontrunner going into Melanie Amaro's final performance.
L.A. - Well, Josh. I'm proud, man. You look so at home up there, you know. The first time I ever saw you I envisioned you just like that. You are such a rock star, man. You are such a rock star. And you made it yours, you took your guitar, you made it your own, and you know that's what this is all about. That's what stardom is all about; making it your own. Congratulations -again. (Josh: Thank you, L.A.)
Paula - Josh I'm going to add to that, L.A. that you are one o fthe most authentic, real, kindhearted people I've ever met. You're wonderful. I gotta tell you - whether it's fully loaded, orchestrated, or striped down and unplugged -it's undeniable that you own that stage. Great job tonight. Great job tonight.
Simon - Josh, I've got to hand it to you. You know, this is what we called the 5 m song. This is the song that's going to determine your fate and the fact that you took that massive risk with the guitar, didn't play the piano, it - and what I liked about it was it was all about you; what we liked about you in the first place. This is going to be a very, very close call tonight; I can feel that. Congratulations. (Josh: Thank you Simon.)
Nicole - Josh, form Day 1you have shown that just by being you anything is possible. You've been you, yourself, you've delivered every single performance - I just - I watch you up there in awe and honored to be part of this journey with you; music loves you, Josh. Music loves you. America, if you believe in Josh Krajcik, the flipping Krajcik Magic, like I do, please vote for him because he is deserving of it, he's worked his whole life for this; I am so proud of you.
5) Chris Rene ("Young Homie") (Chris Rene Original)
Chris gave a very good performance of his original song "Young Homie" from his audition and the one huge advantage he has over Josh and Melanie is that there isn't another version of it out there for it to be compared to so he really can't be penalized all that much. I'm not sure one way or another if this performance solidified him into a particular position for Thursday Night's results. If they voted for the performance, he wasn't hurt, and was actually helped coming off a much weaker first performance. If the song carries him, he could very well win it all.
Nicole - Chris. I love. We all have a purpose in life and you are serving your purpose right now with that song. That is- that is your and our "I believe" anthem. Thank you so much for that gift.
Paula - Chris, Chris, Chris! You are magic! Does anybody have a shred of doubt that you are not a contender in this competition, that you're the consumate singer-songwriter-performer. You make everyone fall in love with you. That's what it's about.
Simon - Chris, that was your 5 m song. And you know Chris, I want to say something to you. I remember when we sat in that auditorium many, many months ago and I asked you to look me in the eye and I said if we're going to do this, you're going to keep to your deal. And you- you stuck to your deal Chris and not only are you a man of your word, you are a brilliant performer and I can say this from all the time I've spent with you, you are a true gentleman and a really nice guy and I hope America gets behind you. (Paula: Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote!) I really believe that you deserve it.
L.A. - You know what? You poured all of yoruself into that song. I have never seen you pour yourself into a song so well. I love what you just did and I hope that everybody got it and will vote for you. I'm proud of you Chris. (Paula: Vote! Both songs!)
6) Melanie Amaro - "Listen" (Beyonce)
Melanie once again killed it and she did so in the all coveted pimp spot. She had won the right to choose her performance placing in the random draw at the press conference for finale week. It might have just paid off rather handsome financially. She was right on top of her game and she might have just taken a slight lead for the crowning of the first ever winner of the U.S. version of The X Factor.
L.A. - That is the Melanie that I love, right there. That wasn't a $5 million dollar performance; that was a $50 million performance.
Nicole - I told myself that I wasn't going to do it. We saw thousands and thousands of people and you showed up and you were the very first person that I felt connected with and you brought tears to my eyes and you know what? Melanie, you made me feel in that moment that I wasn't alone and you empowered me and that's what music is all about, honey. Thank you.
Paula - Melanie, take it all in; these are precious moments. You delivered a stellar, stellar performance; so gorgeous, so gorgeous. You owned it. Thank you. Beautiful.
Simon - Melanie, I am - I am so, so proud of what you just did there and I brought this show to America because I believe that some of the greatest singers in the world are from this country and you just proved that. And Melanie, let me tell you something; after this you're never going to get teased again. You are the person you are Mel, and I think you, based on that performance tonight, to me should be the winner of The X Factor because you're going to represent this country all over the world.
PREDICTIONS:
I really have three different predictions. I honestly can't decide who might win. Here's my summarized take:
1) Chris Rene - If his original song still resonates then he has a very good chance of winning. If all the young girls and women are still drawn to him, then he might just win. It's also important to keep in mind that R&B/Hip-Hop (along with country) currently dominate the charts and that won't change anytime soon. And he's multi-instrumental like Josh, has peaked at the right time, and he's shown off his musicianship at the right time too. His post-show viability screams Kid Rock crossover appeal so we'll see how he does post-X Factor.
2) Melanie Amaro - If it's about who is technically superior and who has tackled the most difficult singers' catalogs then Melanie is the hands down favorite to win. Plus, she's been consistently great and that poises a challenge to Josh and if Chris and Josh split the [young] female vote, then she could even pull off a slight to modestly comfortable margin of victory.
3) Josh Krajcik - If it's about who has been the most consistent, the most vocally unique, and who has shown the most instrumental versatility (and the most), it's definitely Josh. He's also the everyman of the competition and he and Melanie are probably the most deserving because of their consistency although Chris has indeed turned it up recently.
Well, we shall see what happens tonight and I'll be back later to give my summary of what goes down!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: Top 4 Results
I've literally waited six days to write anything on The Top 4 Results show so there's no reason to stop my halfhearted treatment of it. There was no real surprise. Marcus Canty finally went home and now we're going to find out who the public really wanted all this time. As for who I think should win it all, I'll just continue my lazy streak and defer to Yahoo!'s Lyndsey Parker instead of actually having to write anything myself before they perform tonight. At this point, why bother, right?
I will editorialize later about tonight's performance finale but I do agree with Parker's assertion that Josh Krajcik deserves the unprecedented $5 million prize. It was equally interesting watching his mentor Nicole Scherzinger perform live on the show although the idea of her not wanting to be pretty anymore is beyond laughable on so many levels. She did probably help herself out however by performing on the show, reminding everyone that she is in fact still a performer in her own right.
I must say I really enjoyed Florence and The Machine's performance. They are fast becoming one of my favorite new artists of the past several years. Florence Welch has everything going for her that the remaining three contestants are all vying for; talent, charisma, and crazy good music to perform. I'll leave the Top 4 Results recap at that since there was really nothing else noteworthy going on. I never bought Josh Krajcik being in any real danger. That was definitely the producers causing trouble and it was the only hint of "suspense" they could really conjure up but they weren't really fooling anyone.
This should make for one of the closest results in the history of these singing competitions but truth be told, nothing would really surprise me. I'm already expecting anything to happen so I'll be back later with my recap of the Top 3 performances. The order will be Josh, Chris, and Melanie and it all starts at 8:00.
I will editorialize later about tonight's performance finale but I do agree with Parker's assertion that Josh Krajcik deserves the unprecedented $5 million prize. It was equally interesting watching his mentor Nicole Scherzinger perform live on the show although the idea of her not wanting to be pretty anymore is beyond laughable on so many levels. She did probably help herself out however by performing on the show, reminding everyone that she is in fact still a performer in her own right.
I must say I really enjoyed Florence and The Machine's performance. They are fast becoming one of my favorite new artists of the past several years. Florence Welch has everything going for her that the remaining three contestants are all vying for; talent, charisma, and crazy good music to perform. I'll leave the Top 4 Results recap at that since there was really nothing else noteworthy going on. I never bought Josh Krajcik being in any real danger. That was definitely the producers causing trouble and it was the only hint of "suspense" they could really conjure up but they weren't really fooling anyone.
This should make for one of the closest results in the history of these singing competitions but truth be told, nothing would really surprise me. I'm already expecting anything to happen so I'll be back later with my recap of the Top 3 performances. The order will be Josh, Chris, and Melanie and it all starts at 8:00.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: Top 4 Perform
Well, tonight's Top 4 was billed as being a continuation of all the hangover drama from the past two weeks with Nicole Scherzinger front and center in her role as the lead antagonist. She did seem to have psychologically recovered somewhat from that and perhaps going on Jimmy Kimmel Live (search for the three video segments on there for some great TV viewing) with the other three judges was just the right therapy she needed in adjusting to her role as the lead villain.
Still, this competition's focus remains on the talent itself and not much has changed from the past weeks despite two consecutive shocking eliminations. We finally had Chris Rene talk a little bit more at length about his father and his passing and we also saw him switch from guitar to piano. He performed decently, albeit not overwhelmingly but his increased profile of musical versatility is a sure sign of his competitive firepower and the ruggedly potent every man Josh Krajcik might be looking over his shoulder much more so these days as the vocally superior Melanie Amaro remains at the top of the class although it remains to be seen if she's still shown enough personality to topple her competition. Only Marcus seems truly vulnerable again and without the possible save now, he could finally be seeing his time on the show end.
1) Marcus Canty - "I'll Make Love To You" (Boys II Men)
After performing somewhat better last week, I'm not quite sure if Marcus really did anything to get himself into the conversation. It was perfectly acceptable vocal wise but Simon Cowell nailed it; it just didn't stray far enough from the original and it was very cliche R&B.
Nicole - Marcus. You are bringing sexy back. Even though I know you're getting all these girls excited out here - you still do it in a really classy way and you just look like a gentleman. Good job tonight, babe. (Marcus: Thank you. Thank you so much Nicole.)
Paula - Marcus. I can only always count on you giving 150%. You are the entertainer of this group and you didn't let anybody down. I'm so proud of you. (Marcus: Thank you. Thank you so much Nic - Paula, thank you.)
Simon - Uh, Marcus. You didn't choose the song. Um - my - you sang it well. My only issue is - I haven't said anything yet - I haven't said anything - boo me after. Um, your mentor is responsible for this staging with the rose, the zombie dancers - it didn't fit. You know it was like you were trying to do all these things at once. For me it was very distracting, very corny, um, and for me the problem is you didn't change the song enough, L.A. (Marcus: Okay, I'll take that Simon. I appreciate that, I appreciate that, I appreciate that.)
L.A. - Alright Marcus. It takes great taste to know great taste. You did a great job. I could not be more proud of you. You're a three time save me song champion and you're still here and you're still giving it your all, and I stand by you. Keep doing your thing. (Marcus: Thank you, thank you.)
2) Chris Rene - "Fly" (Sugar Ray)
Felt that Chris' vocals were very stagnant and subdued, made even more odd by the fact that this is where he needs to be peaking, and after possibly the strongest overall week of all the singers last week I'm not really sure if he continued that momentum. However, it still feels like Marcus' time to finally go and Chris should advance to the finals next week.
Nicole - Chris You know what I love about you and what I think America loves about you so much? Is you just make us feel good - whether we're offstage or onstage. Chris Rene! Chris Rene! [??] get the viewer's vote. You're obviously the viewer's pick right now. Congratulations, honey. You look like a million bucks. (Chris: Thank you, darling.)
Paula - You know what? You don't look like a million bucks - you look like $5 million bucks after taxes. (Chris: Oh! Oh!) You know it Chris, plain and simple. You have the gift to communicate to the world, your heart resonates with the world, that's your gift, keep on spreading it. (Chris: Thank you so much.) You're welcome.
Simon - Chris, I-I love[d] the choice of song - I've got to say the Pepsi audience has done a great job on this. Was it the best vocal I've heard from you so far? No. It was a good performance, it wasn't a mega vocal. Chris, here's my advice - there's $5 million at stake here. You've got one more song. You've got to come out next time with a lot more conviction, a lot more focus, you've got one more chance to nail this. That was a 7 out of 10. (Chris: Okay, thank you - I'll do that.) (Paula: Excellent job.)
L.A. - Listen, Chris. You have the sparkle of a star right now. You look like a major star. I've watched you grow and grow and grow. Just keeping doing it what you're doing. It works. $5M. See you on the next song (Chris: Holla!). My man.
3) Melanie Amaro - "Hero" (Mariah Carey)
How fitting it was that Melanie sings a song called "Hero" sung by her actual her Mariah Carey. Easily the most overpowering vocal so far. While it didn't really mix it up all that much, as L.A. correctly pointed out, it was indeed every bit as "bloody fantastic" as Simon said. She's "in it to win it" as Randy Jackson would say. There's pretty much zero chance of her going home tonight.
L.A. - Hey Melanie. Melanie, that was really, really good. Um, and again, I can't criticize the song choice. And you know I think it's predictable but I can't criticize it because America chose the song, right? But what did concern me was when you started, I didn't feel your usual passion. I didn't feel your usual love for the song. But you - but you did take it there. (Melanie mumbles, "Thank you.")
Nicole - Hi Melanie. I loved that America chose this song for you. I love, love, love the message of the song and I think that it's perfect and fitting that you're singing this song because we all knew that you had your amazing talent from the beginning but what's so special about you now is that you've grown into the woman that you are . You - you have your own power, your own strength up there, you're inspiring to all of us and you're liberating to all of us. (Melanie mumbles, "Thank you.")
Paula - Melanie, I just want to say your voice is impeachable and it inspires me all the time. (Melanie: "Thank you.") And I wanted to surprise you - I've invited a friend of mine - Walter Afanasieff who wrote the song "Hero" and he's in the audience - I don't know where he is - but that's - Walter he wrote it. And I want to say something - I will say this - your voice - as I said is impeccable but I do I-I've got to be honest and say that the arrangement - you changed the major chords to minor which takes that uplifting message to a more sad and somber one. Having said that, you made it work though but it wasn't - it didn't allow for that happiness.
Simon - Uh Paula, L.A. - what that wasn't - it wasn't karaoke. It was actually- it was, unlike the first song we heard tonight, that is what you'd call putting your stamp on a song, being original, you'll be remembered for that version. I've said it before, I'm going to say it again, that was bloody fantastic.
4) Josh Krajcik - "Come Together" (The Beatles)
Covering The Beatles' "Come Together", Josh casually strutted across the stage. His vocals have been very decent lately but I fear he's lost some of the staggering momentum he had built up. Right now he's just sounding very solid as opposed to overwhelming. Still, it was a perfectly decent performance and I look for him to be in it next week.
L.A. - Hey Josh. So, um, I rather enjoyed that. I actually enjoyed it. Um, it's the best I've seen you in a few weeks honestly, because as far as I'm concerned, you're one of the best in the competition and I've always pictured [you] as a guy who could win. The last couple weeks I felt it went down a little bit but this time you made it return. So congratulations to you. (Josh: Thanks, L.A.)
Paula - Josh, when you sing you have the ability not just to affect souls but you attack our souls; you get into us. It's unbelievable with every nuisance of your vocals is brilliant and I've gotta tell you something; the industry isn't just about selling records - it's about do you want to pay tickets to see people perform onstage and I will pay anything to see you play on stage. You are brilliant. Brilliant.
Simon - Josh, I've got to hand it to you. I totally agree with L.A. You've come back and you've come back strong this week and this is what we like about you. This is an honest performance. You know the good news is that you don't have Cruella deVille [Nicole Scherzinger] anymore putting weird dances around you anymore. It's just you, a song, and I think it would be a massive shame if you don't make the final next week.
Nicole - Cruella is actually the one who took the dancers off; just so you know. Anyway, you (Simon: You put them on in the first place) - what I love about - what? (Simon: You put them on in the first place.) (Paula: Oh God.) (Simon: You put them on in the first place.) No I didn't. (Simon: Yes you did.) You know what? It's about Josh right now - (Paula: It's about Josh right now. It's about Josh.) - and you know what Josh? What I love about you and what I appreciate about you is you're never rehearsed no matter how many times I work with you, you come onstage [and] something else comes over you and you're just like - you're just living and breathing like that fire and I was just in awe. And you know what, Simon? (Laughing) Don't give me that look. You know how you said he gets that look in his eye? (Simon: Yup.) You know, last week? (Simon: Yeah.) Do you know what I realized that look was? That was the look of steel, honey. (Simon: What the hell are you talking about?)
5) Marcus Canty (2nd Performance) - "Careless Whisper" (George Michael)
While I felt his vocals were okay, I thought his arrangement of "Careless Whisper" was a very shred move on L.A.'s part. He had to mix it up somewhat and go for the jugular at this point and he had nothing left to lose. While the song itself might have been not have been the right choice, I felt that "horrific" and a "joke" were neither kind or particularly accurate descriptions. Marcus had no choice but to mix it up and even if it wasn't the greatest performance or song choice, I certainly felt that he did enough to make it passable. I still think he's going home tomorrow night but Simon was very much out of bounds and I'm not one to normally level that against him at this point of the competition on these shows.
Nicole - Marcus! Marcus. Mar-cus! Mar-cus! Mar-cus! I will say that is an unexpected song but i love that you did your thing on it. It kept growing and growing and um, I loved the production - I loved the dancers and everything. Beautiful job, Brian and your team. (Paula: This was - this was well done.) You - you - every - I don't know - to me you're already a champion and a winner, honey. (Marcus: Thank you. Thank you, Nicole.)
Paula - Marcus, I loved- and by the way - good, good choice. I love how you took a classic song -a ballad and made it up tempo. It was contemporary; it worked. The whole thing worked. Proud of you. You did a really great job. (Marcus: Thank you Paula.) You're welcome.
Simon - Um, Marcus, you know I've really got to know you, I like you, I respect the fact that you come bouncing back week after week; you haven't sulked. But I'm going to be honest with you. That was horrific. The song was absolutely wrong, the grotesque performance which was like being in a Vegas show in 1983 with the confetti - (Marcus: Damn! Damn!) - Marcus honestly, not your fault but this was a joke; (Paula: No it wasn't. You know what? That's really rude. That's rude.) an absolute joke and you deserve better than that. And seriously, L.A. (Paula: I thought it worked.) that was as bad as I've ever seen. (Paula: No it wasn't.) (L.A.: Wow.) (Marcus: Damn...) (Paula: No it wasn't.)
L.A. - I-I-I I don't - I really don't know what to make of that comment - I'm not sure where that comes from because what I just witnessed whose come out here week on week (he meant to say week after week) (Paula: Yup.) and given an absolute fabulous performance (Paula: Yup.), including this week, and I think that even though you've been in the bottom three times, you've come back swinging each time. In some ways I can think of you as an underdog but tonight you looked more like a champion. (Paula: Yes you did.) (Marcus: Thank you, man.)
6) Chris Rene (2nd Performance) - "No One" (Alicia Keys)
L.A. Reid knows what he's doing with Chris. While Simon's timing with Drew Ryniewicz was ill-fated, L.A. has recognized how invaluable Chris' talents are as a musician. The intro piece showcased Chris' father's passing, only mentioned more briefly before, and sporting a tie and a sweater, and tickling the ivies, Rene has now put himself into a position to win the whole thing. Vocally, it was very okay but it was still very competent.
Nicole - Chris, I'm going to have to keep it real with ya. I'm gonna keep it real alright? You - I'm going to have to agree with Simon. You don't have the best voice in this competition and you took on Alicia Keys. But that's not what this competition is about. And I sit there and I watch you and I say, "What is it about Chris Rene that makes everybody want to chant 'Chris Rene'?" and it's your spirit. Your spirit transcends across the universe because you believe "I believe". It's because you believe I believe and we believe in you and I love it when you're up there, you['re] just transparent, your vulnerable, your transparent, you['re] just being you, you ain't trying to be anybody else. Thank you. (Chris: Thank you.)
Paula - Chris? Plain and simple - I love you. I love everything about you. I embrace you. You know what? Your confidence and your transformation is awe-inspiring. This is worth a performance to get you into the finals, my dear. I truly believe.
Simon - Uh Chris, you know, I said on the earlier song you've got to come out and deliver and you just delivered big time. Let me tell you something, Chris. You know that film I just saw - you know - your dad would be incredibly proud; not just of that performance but how you've turned things around and you've got heart, Chris. You really have. And you deserve everything that's going to come this way and you maybe the dark horse in this competition. Good for you. (Chris: Thank you, Simon.)
'
L.A. - I'm so proud of you. You know Chris - stardom was never about singing. Stardom is about lovability. And you know what? You have lovability. Am I right? All you need are the votes. (Chris: Thank you.)
7) Melanie Amaro (2nd Performance) - "Feeling Good" (Various Artists)
Melanie tackled "an old school classic" as Simon not so subtly put it and I think this will be a huge payoff. Melanie's tone and emotions were not terribly high impact worthy but they were still delightfully controlled. I think it will be just the right tone for Melanie going into next week and the last notes she sang were fantastic.
L.A. - Melanie Amaro. I know why you're the only female left because you're the greatest female that's ever graced this stage. (Melanie: Thank you.) You have everything - everything and I love the song choice - really great song choice - it was not predictable and you killed it, girl. (Melanie: Thank you. Thank you.) Great job, Simon. Great job.
Nicole - Girl, it's a new dawn, it's a new day and it's a new life for you. You should be feeling so good right now. (Melanie: I'm feeling good.) That right there was the Melanie Amaro anthem - your freedom anthem. (Melanie: Thank you.)
Paula - Bravo, bravo, bravo - well done, Melanie. You know what? You're letting go and we love it. I love it. I feel you. It feels good. Raw!
Simon - Mel, this is why we brought the show to America, right? Because I always dreamt that we would find somebody like you; a bit of an underdog. You-you were thrown out of the competition - my mistake - (Melanie: L.A.!) - Mel, your greatest performance of the show so far. (Melanie: Thank you, thank you.) (Melanie: Do you remember that - when you said that?) (L.A.: Oh-Oh Oh I remember it. And I stand by it because you are the truth, young lady.) (Simon: Mel-Mel, I want to just say something and I want to just say please to America. You saw what happened last week. You've got to please, pick up the phone and put this girl in the final purely based on talent. We've got to see you next week, Mel.
8) Josh Krajcik (2nd Performance) - "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen & Various Artists)
What a risky choice of song for Josh but his vocals are so conducive to pulling it off with the right amount of emotion and control. Manning the piano but slowing it down even a little bit more so than the Rufus Wainwright and Leonard Cohen versions (Cohen of course wrote it), this song will probably cement a very large female following that has surely been following him up to this point.
L.A. - Hey Josh. I think we've established that I'm a huge fan of yours. Um, I have to be honest and tell you that that lacked excitement for me, right? It's a great song but it lacked excitement and my advice for you going into the finals is stop looking back on where you've come from and just look ahead to where you can go because you know you have the goods but you've got to believe in yourself.
Paula - L.A., how can you even say that? This guy's a performer that opens up his heart and gives every ounce of himself to the public and makes every song sound original. I-I've never seen a contestant quite like you Josh and you know what? What you did tonight on this stage, if it were the finals, you're the one to beat. Please keep voting; you have to keep voting, everyone. No one's safe. You did a beautiful, brilliant performance. (Josh: Thanks.)
Simon - Uh, look Josh, I've got to be honest with you, right? This is all about the final next week, there's a lot of money at stake, I've got to be fair here and I'm going to have to agree with Paula. I think you did what we knew you should do. You came out with a great song, you sang it with great emotion, it was sincere, and I think that song has put you into the final next week. Congratulations.
Nicole - Thank you so much Paula and Simon for recognizing the simple truth - which is what you are tonight. That was like a beautiful prayer and you're just a gift to all of us. That was breathtaking. Thank you. (Josh: Thank you.)
PREDICTION
For what must literally be about the fourth week running, I'm predicting that Marcus will finally see his luck run out. I will be curious to see who will be in the bottom with him, whether it will still be a random match-up, and what the viewers will read into it and therefore how it will possibly affect the actual voting if fans of the remaining contestant besides him react to that visual. It actually could help that singer's chances in actuality. Still, despite Marcus once again being the obvious pick to go home on the surface, it's no guarantee. The fan bases are all extra revved up now at this point of the competition and nobody is truly safe. Tune in tomorrow night to see if I'm right and to hear Nicole Scherzinger perform live.
HIGH NOTES: While I am not at liberty to say so right now, I am in serious negotiations to do some writing and marketing work for a notable X Factor singer from this season. I'll have a better idea if this is still viable within the day or two. (Hint: This person made it to the live shows round.) I also continue to work on a project involving another X Factor contestant who also made it to the live show. In other news, I am developing several creative projects of my own and I will be blogging about them in the days to come.
In non-artist and music news, I am hoping to write a blog on my feelings about the recent explosion of concussions in sports, especially the NHL and in regards to fighting, in light of the brilliant three part piece done in The New York Times by John Branch. I have linked the first, second, and third parts of the three part series of the sad and tragic story of NHL heavyweight enforcer Derek Boogaard as well as this companion video from the esteemed newspaper's website. I have always enjoyed sports, especially baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and hockey and I have been looking for the right opportunity to start blogging about them and unfortunately the recent tragic deaths of NHL enforcers will be one of the first I do on this blog.
LOW NOTES: Speaking of sports, in the aftermath of Milwaukee Brewers star and otherwise model citizen Ryan Braun's positive drug test result, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports cynically but accurately captures the truth about performance enhancers in sports, particularly in baseball, and how they will never truly go away. I've always had more "controversial" views on steroids and other performance enhancements for reasons I'll blog about at some point as well.
Still, this competition's focus remains on the talent itself and not much has changed from the past weeks despite two consecutive shocking eliminations. We finally had Chris Rene talk a little bit more at length about his father and his passing and we also saw him switch from guitar to piano. He performed decently, albeit not overwhelmingly but his increased profile of musical versatility is a sure sign of his competitive firepower and the ruggedly potent every man Josh Krajcik might be looking over his shoulder much more so these days as the vocally superior Melanie Amaro remains at the top of the class although it remains to be seen if she's still shown enough personality to topple her competition. Only Marcus seems truly vulnerable again and without the possible save now, he could finally be seeing his time on the show end.
1) Marcus Canty - "I'll Make Love To You" (Boys II Men)
After performing somewhat better last week, I'm not quite sure if Marcus really did anything to get himself into the conversation. It was perfectly acceptable vocal wise but Simon Cowell nailed it; it just didn't stray far enough from the original and it was very cliche R&B.
Nicole - Marcus. You are bringing sexy back. Even though I know you're getting all these girls excited out here - you still do it in a really classy way and you just look like a gentleman. Good job tonight, babe. (Marcus: Thank you. Thank you so much Nicole.)
Paula - Marcus. I can only always count on you giving 150%. You are the entertainer of this group and you didn't let anybody down. I'm so proud of you. (Marcus: Thank you. Thank you so much Nic - Paula, thank you.)
Simon - Uh, Marcus. You didn't choose the song. Um - my - you sang it well. My only issue is - I haven't said anything yet - I haven't said anything - boo me after. Um, your mentor is responsible for this staging with the rose, the zombie dancers - it didn't fit. You know it was like you were trying to do all these things at once. For me it was very distracting, very corny, um, and for me the problem is you didn't change the song enough, L.A. (Marcus: Okay, I'll take that Simon. I appreciate that, I appreciate that, I appreciate that.)
L.A. - Alright Marcus. It takes great taste to know great taste. You did a great job. I could not be more proud of you. You're a three time save me song champion and you're still here and you're still giving it your all, and I stand by you. Keep doing your thing. (Marcus: Thank you, thank you.)
2) Chris Rene - "Fly" (Sugar Ray)
Felt that Chris' vocals were very stagnant and subdued, made even more odd by the fact that this is where he needs to be peaking, and after possibly the strongest overall week of all the singers last week I'm not really sure if he continued that momentum. However, it still feels like Marcus' time to finally go and Chris should advance to the finals next week.
Nicole - Chris You know what I love about you and what I think America loves about you so much? Is you just make us feel good - whether we're offstage or onstage. Chris Rene! Chris Rene! [??] get the viewer's vote. You're obviously the viewer's pick right now. Congratulations, honey. You look like a million bucks. (Chris: Thank you, darling.)
Paula - You know what? You don't look like a million bucks - you look like $5 million bucks after taxes. (Chris: Oh! Oh!) You know it Chris, plain and simple. You have the gift to communicate to the world, your heart resonates with the world, that's your gift, keep on spreading it. (Chris: Thank you so much.) You're welcome.
Simon - Chris, I-I love[d] the choice of song - I've got to say the Pepsi audience has done a great job on this. Was it the best vocal I've heard from you so far? No. It was a good performance, it wasn't a mega vocal. Chris, here's my advice - there's $5 million at stake here. You've got one more song. You've got to come out next time with a lot more conviction, a lot more focus, you've got one more chance to nail this. That was a 7 out of 10. (Chris: Okay, thank you - I'll do that.) (Paula: Excellent job.)
L.A. - Listen, Chris. You have the sparkle of a star right now. You look like a major star. I've watched you grow and grow and grow. Just keeping doing it what you're doing. It works. $5M. See you on the next song (Chris: Holla!). My man.
3) Melanie Amaro - "Hero" (Mariah Carey)
How fitting it was that Melanie sings a song called "Hero" sung by her actual her Mariah Carey. Easily the most overpowering vocal so far. While it didn't really mix it up all that much, as L.A. correctly pointed out, it was indeed every bit as "bloody fantastic" as Simon said. She's "in it to win it" as Randy Jackson would say. There's pretty much zero chance of her going home tonight.
L.A. - Hey Melanie. Melanie, that was really, really good. Um, and again, I can't criticize the song choice. And you know I think it's predictable but I can't criticize it because America chose the song, right? But what did concern me was when you started, I didn't feel your usual passion. I didn't feel your usual love for the song. But you - but you did take it there. (Melanie mumbles, "Thank you.")
Nicole - Hi Melanie. I loved that America chose this song for you. I love, love, love the message of the song and I think that it's perfect and fitting that you're singing this song because we all knew that you had your amazing talent from the beginning but what's so special about you now is that you've grown into the woman that you are . You - you have your own power, your own strength up there, you're inspiring to all of us and you're liberating to all of us. (Melanie mumbles, "Thank you.")
Paula - Melanie, I just want to say your voice is impeachable and it inspires me all the time. (Melanie: "Thank you.") And I wanted to surprise you - I've invited a friend of mine - Walter Afanasieff who wrote the song "Hero" and he's in the audience - I don't know where he is - but that's - Walter he wrote it. And I want to say something - I will say this - your voice - as I said is impeccable but I do I-I've got to be honest and say that the arrangement - you changed the major chords to minor which takes that uplifting message to a more sad and somber one. Having said that, you made it work though but it wasn't - it didn't allow for that happiness.
Simon - Uh Paula, L.A. - what that wasn't - it wasn't karaoke. It was actually- it was, unlike the first song we heard tonight, that is what you'd call putting your stamp on a song, being original, you'll be remembered for that version. I've said it before, I'm going to say it again, that was bloody fantastic.
4) Josh Krajcik - "Come Together" (The Beatles)
Covering The Beatles' "Come Together", Josh casually strutted across the stage. His vocals have been very decent lately but I fear he's lost some of the staggering momentum he had built up. Right now he's just sounding very solid as opposed to overwhelming. Still, it was a perfectly decent performance and I look for him to be in it next week.
L.A. - Hey Josh. So, um, I rather enjoyed that. I actually enjoyed it. Um, it's the best I've seen you in a few weeks honestly, because as far as I'm concerned, you're one of the best in the competition and I've always pictured [you] as a guy who could win. The last couple weeks I felt it went down a little bit but this time you made it return. So congratulations to you. (Josh: Thanks, L.A.)
Paula - Josh, when you sing you have the ability not just to affect souls but you attack our souls; you get into us. It's unbelievable with every nuisance of your vocals is brilliant and I've gotta tell you something; the industry isn't just about selling records - it's about do you want to pay tickets to see people perform onstage and I will pay anything to see you play on stage. You are brilliant. Brilliant.
Simon - Josh, I've got to hand it to you. I totally agree with L.A. You've come back and you've come back strong this week and this is what we like about you. This is an honest performance. You know the good news is that you don't have Cruella deVille [Nicole Scherzinger] anymore putting weird dances around you anymore. It's just you, a song, and I think it would be a massive shame if you don't make the final next week.
Nicole - Cruella is actually the one who took the dancers off; just so you know. Anyway, you (Simon: You put them on in the first place) - what I love about - what? (Simon: You put them on in the first place.) (Paula: Oh God.) (Simon: You put them on in the first place.) No I didn't. (Simon: Yes you did.) You know what? It's about Josh right now - (Paula: It's about Josh right now. It's about Josh.) - and you know what Josh? What I love about you and what I appreciate about you is you're never rehearsed no matter how many times I work with you, you come onstage [and] something else comes over you and you're just like - you're just living and breathing like that fire and I was just in awe. And you know what, Simon? (Laughing) Don't give me that look. You know how you said he gets that look in his eye? (Simon: Yup.) You know, last week? (Simon: Yeah.) Do you know what I realized that look was? That was the look of steel, honey. (Simon: What the hell are you talking about?)
5) Marcus Canty (2nd Performance) - "Careless Whisper" (George Michael)
While I felt his vocals were okay, I thought his arrangement of "Careless Whisper" was a very shred move on L.A.'s part. He had to mix it up somewhat and go for the jugular at this point and he had nothing left to lose. While the song itself might have been not have been the right choice, I felt that "horrific" and a "joke" were neither kind or particularly accurate descriptions. Marcus had no choice but to mix it up and even if it wasn't the greatest performance or song choice, I certainly felt that he did enough to make it passable. I still think he's going home tomorrow night but Simon was very much out of bounds and I'm not one to normally level that against him at this point of the competition on these shows.
Nicole - Marcus! Marcus. Mar-cus! Mar-cus! Mar-cus! I will say that is an unexpected song but i love that you did your thing on it. It kept growing and growing and um, I loved the production - I loved the dancers and everything. Beautiful job, Brian and your team. (Paula: This was - this was well done.) You - you - every - I don't know - to me you're already a champion and a winner, honey. (Marcus: Thank you. Thank you, Nicole.)
Paula - Marcus, I loved- and by the way - good, good choice. I love how you took a classic song -a ballad and made it up tempo. It was contemporary; it worked. The whole thing worked. Proud of you. You did a really great job. (Marcus: Thank you Paula.) You're welcome.
Simon - Um, Marcus, you know I've really got to know you, I like you, I respect the fact that you come bouncing back week after week; you haven't sulked. But I'm going to be honest with you. That was horrific. The song was absolutely wrong, the grotesque performance which was like being in a Vegas show in 1983 with the confetti - (Marcus: Damn! Damn!) - Marcus honestly, not your fault but this was a joke; (Paula: No it wasn't. You know what? That's really rude. That's rude.) an absolute joke and you deserve better than that. And seriously, L.A. (Paula: I thought it worked.) that was as bad as I've ever seen. (Paula: No it wasn't.) (L.A.: Wow.) (Marcus: Damn...) (Paula: No it wasn't.)
L.A. - I-I-I I don't - I really don't know what to make of that comment - I'm not sure where that comes from because what I just witnessed whose come out here week on week (he meant to say week after week) (Paula: Yup.) and given an absolute fabulous performance (Paula: Yup.), including this week, and I think that even though you've been in the bottom three times, you've come back swinging each time. In some ways I can think of you as an underdog but tonight you looked more like a champion. (Paula: Yes you did.) (Marcus: Thank you, man.)
6) Chris Rene (2nd Performance) - "No One" (Alicia Keys)
L.A. Reid knows what he's doing with Chris. While Simon's timing with Drew Ryniewicz was ill-fated, L.A. has recognized how invaluable Chris' talents are as a musician. The intro piece showcased Chris' father's passing, only mentioned more briefly before, and sporting a tie and a sweater, and tickling the ivies, Rene has now put himself into a position to win the whole thing. Vocally, it was very okay but it was still very competent.
Nicole - Chris, I'm going to have to keep it real with ya. I'm gonna keep it real alright? You - I'm going to have to agree with Simon. You don't have the best voice in this competition and you took on Alicia Keys. But that's not what this competition is about. And I sit there and I watch you and I say, "What is it about Chris Rene that makes everybody want to chant 'Chris Rene'?" and it's your spirit. Your spirit transcends across the universe because you believe "I believe". It's because you believe I believe and we believe in you and I love it when you're up there, you['re] just transparent, your vulnerable, your transparent, you['re] just being you, you ain't trying to be anybody else. Thank you. (Chris: Thank you.)
Paula - Chris? Plain and simple - I love you. I love everything about you. I embrace you. You know what? Your confidence and your transformation is awe-inspiring. This is worth a performance to get you into the finals, my dear. I truly believe.
Simon - Uh Chris, you know, I said on the earlier song you've got to come out and deliver and you just delivered big time. Let me tell you something, Chris. You know that film I just saw - you know - your dad would be incredibly proud; not just of that performance but how you've turned things around and you've got heart, Chris. You really have. And you deserve everything that's going to come this way and you maybe the dark horse in this competition. Good for you. (Chris: Thank you, Simon.)
'
L.A. - I'm so proud of you. You know Chris - stardom was never about singing. Stardom is about lovability. And you know what? You have lovability. Am I right? All you need are the votes. (Chris: Thank you.)
7) Melanie Amaro (2nd Performance) - "Feeling Good" (Various Artists)
Melanie tackled "an old school classic" as Simon not so subtly put it and I think this will be a huge payoff. Melanie's tone and emotions were not terribly high impact worthy but they were still delightfully controlled. I think it will be just the right tone for Melanie going into next week and the last notes she sang were fantastic.
L.A. - Melanie Amaro. I know why you're the only female left because you're the greatest female that's ever graced this stage. (Melanie: Thank you.) You have everything - everything and I love the song choice - really great song choice - it was not predictable and you killed it, girl. (Melanie: Thank you. Thank you.) Great job, Simon. Great job.
Nicole - Girl, it's a new dawn, it's a new day and it's a new life for you. You should be feeling so good right now. (Melanie: I'm feeling good.) That right there was the Melanie Amaro anthem - your freedom anthem. (Melanie: Thank you.)
Paula - Bravo, bravo, bravo - well done, Melanie. You know what? You're letting go and we love it. I love it. I feel you. It feels good. Raw!
Simon - Mel, this is why we brought the show to America, right? Because I always dreamt that we would find somebody like you; a bit of an underdog. You-you were thrown out of the competition - my mistake - (Melanie: L.A.!) - Mel, your greatest performance of the show so far. (Melanie: Thank you, thank you.) (Melanie: Do you remember that - when you said that?) (L.A.: Oh-Oh Oh I remember it. And I stand by it because you are the truth, young lady.) (Simon: Mel-Mel, I want to just say something and I want to just say please to America. You saw what happened last week. You've got to please, pick up the phone and put this girl in the final purely based on talent. We've got to see you next week, Mel.
8) Josh Krajcik (2nd Performance) - "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen & Various Artists)
What a risky choice of song for Josh but his vocals are so conducive to pulling it off with the right amount of emotion and control. Manning the piano but slowing it down even a little bit more so than the Rufus Wainwright and Leonard Cohen versions (Cohen of course wrote it), this song will probably cement a very large female following that has surely been following him up to this point.
L.A. - Hey Josh. I think we've established that I'm a huge fan of yours. Um, I have to be honest and tell you that that lacked excitement for me, right? It's a great song but it lacked excitement and my advice for you going into the finals is stop looking back on where you've come from and just look ahead to where you can go because you know you have the goods but you've got to believe in yourself.
Paula - L.A., how can you even say that? This guy's a performer that opens up his heart and gives every ounce of himself to the public and makes every song sound original. I-I've never seen a contestant quite like you Josh and you know what? What you did tonight on this stage, if it were the finals, you're the one to beat. Please keep voting; you have to keep voting, everyone. No one's safe. You did a beautiful, brilliant performance. (Josh: Thanks.)
Simon - Uh, look Josh, I've got to be honest with you, right? This is all about the final next week, there's a lot of money at stake, I've got to be fair here and I'm going to have to agree with Paula. I think you did what we knew you should do. You came out with a great song, you sang it with great emotion, it was sincere, and I think that song has put you into the final next week. Congratulations.
Nicole - Thank you so much Paula and Simon for recognizing the simple truth - which is what you are tonight. That was like a beautiful prayer and you're just a gift to all of us. That was breathtaking. Thank you. (Josh: Thank you.)
PREDICTION
For what must literally be about the fourth week running, I'm predicting that Marcus will finally see his luck run out. I will be curious to see who will be in the bottom with him, whether it will still be a random match-up, and what the viewers will read into it and therefore how it will possibly affect the actual voting if fans of the remaining contestant besides him react to that visual. It actually could help that singer's chances in actuality. Still, despite Marcus once again being the obvious pick to go home on the surface, it's no guarantee. The fan bases are all extra revved up now at this point of the competition and nobody is truly safe. Tune in tomorrow night to see if I'm right and to hear Nicole Scherzinger perform live.
HIGH NOTES: While I am not at liberty to say so right now, I am in serious negotiations to do some writing and marketing work for a notable X Factor singer from this season. I'll have a better idea if this is still viable within the day or two. (Hint: This person made it to the live shows round.) I also continue to work on a project involving another X Factor contestant who also made it to the live show. In other news, I am developing several creative projects of my own and I will be blogging about them in the days to come.
In non-artist and music news, I am hoping to write a blog on my feelings about the recent explosion of concussions in sports, especially the NHL and in regards to fighting, in light of the brilliant three part piece done in The New York Times by John Branch. I have linked the first, second, and third parts of the three part series of the sad and tragic story of NHL heavyweight enforcer Derek Boogaard as well as this companion video from the esteemed newspaper's website. I have always enjoyed sports, especially baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and hockey and I have been looking for the right opportunity to start blogging about them and unfortunately the recent tragic deaths of NHL enforcers will be one of the first I do on this blog.
LOW NOTES: Speaking of sports, in the aftermath of Milwaukee Brewers star and otherwise model citizen Ryan Braun's positive drug test result, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports cynically but accurately captures the truth about performance enhancers in sports, particularly in baseball, and how they will never truly go away. I've always had more "controversial" views on steroids and other performance enhancements for reasons I'll blog about at some point as well.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: Top 5 Results
After Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger got it ridiculously wrong last week, I fully expected more shenanigans. I certainly wasn't disappointed. Well, to be fair and honest, I absolutely was disappointed. I should really say I fully expected it. I was right to and my unfavorable suspicions were once again confirmed.
I knew early on that something was wrong again. They were too eager to put Josh Krajcik and Chris Rene through quickly. I immediately began to wonder if Melanie Amaro might actually be in trouble but I sincerely felt that it was probably about 30-70 percentage wise in terms of the odds of that happening. I correctly predicted that Marcus Canty would be in the Bottom Two again and in between Lenny Kravitz and Mary J. Blige guest performing (did anybody else find it odd that Lenny Kravitz broke out of his most recent single "Rock Star City" in order to go into the much older "Are You Gonna Go My Way?") I basically saw things play out according to plan.
I wasn't totally shocked to see the precocious but predictably emotionally fragile young teen Rachel Crow end up in the Bottom Two. We are, after all, down to the home stretch of the competition so we were inevitably bound to see some top notch talent flirt with elimination. Chris Rene might have just hit his stride at the right time and I'm beginning to think that he at worst has post-show viability as a recording artist. We are getting to one of my favorite times of the year, New Year's Eve, and I could absolutely see him appearing on the New Year's Eve shows, particularly the taped portion of ABC's Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve, and they generally get a lot of the biggest stars in the music industry to partake in it and Chris Rene is exactly the kind of artist they tend to get and generally prefer to book anyway.
This was definitely one of the best sing-offs yet, if not the best, and Marcus definitely sang better than he had in some time. It just felt like Rachel still sang that much better and she has after all been a far more consistent singer than Marcus on the show. Rachel mightily struggled to keep her composure, giving a very valiant effort in trying to keep it together but it would end up being Nicole Scherzinger sealing her fate by refusing to choose between the two singers.
It's unclear what Nicole's intentions were. My guess is that she was trying to take the easy way out, opting to wash her hands of any elimination blood, but in the process it backfired terribly. Exactly what she was trying to avoid ended up coming to fruition and it's pretty clear now that Astro is no longer the show's number one villain. Not even the perpetually awkward Steve Jones comes close to holding that dubious distinction and now we'll see if Nicole's sole contestant pays the price for his mentor's recent theatrics.
What is clear is that Nicole's judging duties are now taking a very huge psychological toll on her. She probably feels she can't win no matter what she says or does and whenever you have an artist as a judge, especially one of her stature, it must weigh on her that much more and the possible ramifications to her own personal and professional reputations (and the monetary effects it could have) are certainly at the forefront of her mind now. I wouldn't be surprised that if things don't change for her before the end of the competition that she might exit the show.
L.A. predictably chose Marcus, ditto for Simon with Rachel, and Paula was pleasantly lucid enough to pick the far more consistent Rachel over Marcus. Steve Jones tried asking Nicole for her thoughts but she despondently declined. The booing she received during her deliberation and as she refused to speak to Steve was pretty harsh. As Rachel fell to the stage, and Steve coldly prevented Marcus from consoling her (although I suspect it was more of his socially clueless tactlessness), it only reinforced the disconnect between Nicole and both the studio and home audiences.
Ironically, Nicole might end up being somewhat sympathetic because if she continues to seem emotionally damaged then she might walk away from the season, or perhaps the show, and viewers and fans could begin to feel for her and she might not end up facing quite the backlash in regards to her own music, career, and reputation as would seem to presently be the case. And let us not forget that this is still just a very bad two week stretch for her and we very short term memories for these things if they do not last for more than a month or two.
They haven't announced anything yet but there surely is another double elimination week coming up and we certainly will be seeing Marcus Canty finally exit. It's now a three person race with Melanie Amaro, Chris Rene, and Josh Krajcik all with a very legitimate chance of winning. I'm not sure if there is one contestant left sans Marcus who probably can't win it at all, and I have to imagine that the voting will be the sole decider for the final week, but we are almost at the point where we will soon find out who will have his or her work cut out and breaking through the post-show haze that often befuddles and roadblocks even the winners of these TV singing competitions. With Simon Cowell at the helm, and desperate to put various types of distance between himself, his former show American Idol, and NBC's The Voice, I wouldn't count any of the singers from the first season of the U.S. version of The X Factor out just yet.
HIGH NOTES: I happened to catch part of Drew Ryniewicz's UStream broadcast late last week and she was in noticeably higher spirits than the night of her shocking elimination. She talked about how much her parents have sacrificed for her dreams, and how she is still a total Belieber, and she even asked her audience if she sounded country to anyone while she hummed the Jeopardy! theme music while waiting for a response. She also declared her love for One Republic, calling them the "most talented group of guys I've ever seen" and saying they are "the bomb" but also informing everyone that she also finds them to be "really attractive" so she reminded us that she's still about to become a 15 year-old girl. She also revealed that she's been compared to "that chick [Dolores O'Riordan] from The Cranberries" and that it's "actually an honor" which this blogger completely agrees with. She also displayed some rather amusing facial expressions throughout the broadcast...It hasn't been announced yet but Drew and her fellow eliminated Top 12 contestants will all be coming back to perform on the finale on December 22nd. Drew also saw, and cautiously retweeted a link to a petition about there being a wild card but you have to imagine that if there had been one, it would have been discussed already on the show and by Simon Cowell in particular, and that she at least would have received a phone call from him about it. Improved spirits or not, it still proves that the sting of defeat is still with Drew right now. And finally, it's quite interesting how another ballad heavy to meet the same shocking elimination fate had a mutual respect fest on Twitter with Drew. It started with Pia Toscano declaring her admiration for the similarly fated Drew Ryniewicz. Drew responded by informing Pia that she's somewhat of a hero to her and that she's in her own iPod with Pia closing it out by thanking her. Toscano had also just a little time before then given a tweet of encouragement to Rachel Crow following her own elimination. Rachel graciously replied more simply before Pia once again closed it out so to speak. It's quite telling how much of an overall comradery and kinship these singers all have with each other. It's certainly a very special brethren of talent given how very few people know what it is like to experience what they have all experienced.
I knew early on that something was wrong again. They were too eager to put Josh Krajcik and Chris Rene through quickly. I immediately began to wonder if Melanie Amaro might actually be in trouble but I sincerely felt that it was probably about 30-70 percentage wise in terms of the odds of that happening. I correctly predicted that Marcus Canty would be in the Bottom Two again and in between Lenny Kravitz and Mary J. Blige guest performing (did anybody else find it odd that Lenny Kravitz broke out of his most recent single "Rock Star City" in order to go into the much older "Are You Gonna Go My Way?") I basically saw things play out according to plan.
I wasn't totally shocked to see the precocious but predictably emotionally fragile young teen Rachel Crow end up in the Bottom Two. We are, after all, down to the home stretch of the competition so we were inevitably bound to see some top notch talent flirt with elimination. Chris Rene might have just hit his stride at the right time and I'm beginning to think that he at worst has post-show viability as a recording artist. We are getting to one of my favorite times of the year, New Year's Eve, and I could absolutely see him appearing on the New Year's Eve shows, particularly the taped portion of ABC's Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve, and they generally get a lot of the biggest stars in the music industry to partake in it and Chris Rene is exactly the kind of artist they tend to get and generally prefer to book anyway.
This was definitely one of the best sing-offs yet, if not the best, and Marcus definitely sang better than he had in some time. It just felt like Rachel still sang that much better and she has after all been a far more consistent singer than Marcus on the show. Rachel mightily struggled to keep her composure, giving a very valiant effort in trying to keep it together but it would end up being Nicole Scherzinger sealing her fate by refusing to choose between the two singers.
It's unclear what Nicole's intentions were. My guess is that she was trying to take the easy way out, opting to wash her hands of any elimination blood, but in the process it backfired terribly. Exactly what she was trying to avoid ended up coming to fruition and it's pretty clear now that Astro is no longer the show's number one villain. Not even the perpetually awkward Steve Jones comes close to holding that dubious distinction and now we'll see if Nicole's sole contestant pays the price for his mentor's recent theatrics.
What is clear is that Nicole's judging duties are now taking a very huge psychological toll on her. She probably feels she can't win no matter what she says or does and whenever you have an artist as a judge, especially one of her stature, it must weigh on her that much more and the possible ramifications to her own personal and professional reputations (and the monetary effects it could have) are certainly at the forefront of her mind now. I wouldn't be surprised that if things don't change for her before the end of the competition that she might exit the show.
L.A. predictably chose Marcus, ditto for Simon with Rachel, and Paula was pleasantly lucid enough to pick the far more consistent Rachel over Marcus. Steve Jones tried asking Nicole for her thoughts but she despondently declined. The booing she received during her deliberation and as she refused to speak to Steve was pretty harsh. As Rachel fell to the stage, and Steve coldly prevented Marcus from consoling her (although I suspect it was more of his socially clueless tactlessness), it only reinforced the disconnect between Nicole and both the studio and home audiences.
Ironically, Nicole might end up being somewhat sympathetic because if she continues to seem emotionally damaged then she might walk away from the season, or perhaps the show, and viewers and fans could begin to feel for her and she might not end up facing quite the backlash in regards to her own music, career, and reputation as would seem to presently be the case. And let us not forget that this is still just a very bad two week stretch for her and we very short term memories for these things if they do not last for more than a month or two.
They haven't announced anything yet but there surely is another double elimination week coming up and we certainly will be seeing Marcus Canty finally exit. It's now a three person race with Melanie Amaro, Chris Rene, and Josh Krajcik all with a very legitimate chance of winning. I'm not sure if there is one contestant left sans Marcus who probably can't win it at all, and I have to imagine that the voting will be the sole decider for the final week, but we are almost at the point where we will soon find out who will have his or her work cut out and breaking through the post-show haze that often befuddles and roadblocks even the winners of these TV singing competitions. With Simon Cowell at the helm, and desperate to put various types of distance between himself, his former show American Idol, and NBC's The Voice, I wouldn't count any of the singers from the first season of the U.S. version of The X Factor out just yet.
HIGH NOTES: I happened to catch part of Drew Ryniewicz's UStream broadcast late last week and she was in noticeably higher spirits than the night of her shocking elimination. She talked about how much her parents have sacrificed for her dreams, and how she is still a total Belieber, and she even asked her audience if she sounded country to anyone while she hummed the Jeopardy! theme music while waiting for a response. She also declared her love for One Republic, calling them the "most talented group of guys I've ever seen" and saying they are "the bomb" but also informing everyone that she also finds them to be "really attractive" so she reminded us that she's still about to become a 15 year-old girl. She also revealed that she's been compared to "that chick [Dolores O'Riordan] from The Cranberries" and that it's "actually an honor" which this blogger completely agrees with. She also displayed some rather amusing facial expressions throughout the broadcast...It hasn't been announced yet but Drew and her fellow eliminated Top 12 contestants will all be coming back to perform on the finale on December 22nd. Drew also saw, and cautiously retweeted a link to a petition about there being a wild card but you have to imagine that if there had been one, it would have been discussed already on the show and by Simon Cowell in particular, and that she at least would have received a phone call from him about it. Improved spirits or not, it still proves that the sting of defeat is still with Drew right now. And finally, it's quite interesting how another ballad heavy to meet the same shocking elimination fate had a mutual respect fest on Twitter with Drew. It started with Pia Toscano declaring her admiration for the similarly fated Drew Ryniewicz. Drew responded by informing Pia that she's somewhat of a hero to her and that she's in her own iPod with Pia closing it out by thanking her. Toscano had also just a little time before then given a tweet of encouragement to Rachel Crow following her own elimination. Rachel graciously replied more simply before Pia once again closed it out so to speak. It's quite telling how much of an overall comradery and kinship these singers all have with each other. It's certainly a very special brethren of talent given how very few people know what it is like to experience what they have all experienced.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: Top 5 Perform
This week already had the carry over dramatic effect from the lingering bitterness of the shocking Drew Ryniewicz elimination from last week so it was going to be interesting how the voting dynamics would change, if at all, on the heels of it. Would Marcus be punished as a result? Would somebody else be sent home unexpectedly? We're getting down to the final weeks of the competition and here's how I saw it unfold.
1) Melanie Amaro - "Someone Like You" (Adele)
I certainly wasn't expecting a dance version of Adele's "Someone Like You" but I felt that while the vocals were incredibly strong that the ultra-Donna Summer like vibe was just abundantly cheesy. Still not quite sure just how exactly Adele constitutes as dance music anyway.
L.A. - Hey Melanie. So, um, that was really good. The only thing that bothered me about it is that it was really good. Congratulations.
Nicole - Girl, it's a big risk taking on the song you know. And you looked and sounded like the rock star diva that you are tonight.
Paula - First of all, you look absolutely stunning. And happy. You should be. That was a great way to open up the show. It was too short; that's my only complaint.
Simon - Thanks for that. Melanie, you know what? That was - what I loved about that was - it wasn't karaoke. It was taking a track, doing something different with it, and the change in you, and I think it's all happened ever since that - you kind of revealed the real you a couple weeks ago, you've got confidence, you sound like a diva, and you know what? You'd have a hit record with that version.
2) Marcus Canty - "Ain't Nobody" (Chaka Khan)
While I still don't think he was good enough to beat the remaining top performers left in the competition, tonight was definitely much better than the past few weeks. Having said that, I'm not quite sure that's still a very favorable standard the way that Marcus has performed lately.
Nicole - Marcus. Honey. Marcus, you took us to church and a dance club at the same time. I love, love, love that you chose that song. Brilliant job, L.A. Reid. Chaka Kahn the best. You have earned your spot to be here today and I am so proud of you. God has a plan for you.
Paula - Marcus, you look fantastic and as far as I'm concerned, it's an even playing field and you performed like it's the first time we saw you. Good job. (Marcus: Thanks Paula. Thank you so much.) You're welcome.
Simon - Marcus. (L.A.: Okay!) (Marcus facetiously groans.) I shouldn't - I shouldn't be very happy with you, should I? (Marcus: Uh-oh.) But...I have to - to be fair - judge you within the competition. And I have to say that was a very, very good performance. (Marcus: Oh!) And I have to give you credit. You know what? I like people who-who don't act like victims or blame other people. You came back strong, proved a point, good for you. (Marcus: Thank you, Simon.)
Marcus - My man. What we need now are people to vote. So if you really love Marcus the way I did tonight - vote, vote, vote, vote, vote.
3) Rachel Crow - "Nothin' On You" (B.o.B.)
After a surprisingly lackluster week, at least from an energy standpoint, Rachel rebounded quite nicely. Although there was nothing overwhelmingly stellar about the performance in terms of its energy again, I thought it was a rather strong vocal showing.
L.A. - You're such a little star. (Rachel: Thank you!) You are such a star. (Rachel: Shut up.) That was very good. I have one concern and it was a lyrical concern. You're singing "beautiful girls they've got nothing on you" - who you - who are you singing to on this record? (Rachel: I was singing to Paula and Nicole.) Ohhh! Got it. Got it. Okay. Good answer. What can I say? Thank you. (Rachel: I just love him.) (Nicole: Okay.) I just needed to know. You're odd to me.
Nicole - I'm just waiting for the Rachel Crow doll to come out. Wait - complete...complete with your own bathroom. (Rachel: Woo! Yes! I'm all for it.) That was the perfect song for you. It was fun, it was youthful, and you're a star. (Rachel: Thank you very much.)
Paula - Rachel. You are - just beautifully fearless. And it doesn't matter how young you are because your vocal depth transcends all generations. I think this is your best performance in the whole competition. You were up tempo, you nailed it, and I'm so proud of you. (Rachel: Thank you very much.) It was a great song; a great song. You are so up and (Rachel: Thank you, Paula.) I love you.
Simon - Um, yeah, and I'm waiting for the Nicole doll to come out; the voodoo doll. (Paula: Ohh.) (Rachel: Oh.) You know you'd buy it. (Nicole: "You're a mean one...Mr. Grinch.") (Paula: You know you'd buy it.) Rachel, you know what? Uh, someone told me that you also do standup comedy years ago, right? (Rachel: Who told you that?) I know everything. But I don't know, uh, but I like that because it kind of makes you like a triple threat and that was a good comeback from L.A. (Rachel: Thank you.) I also - I like the fact that this - kind sometimes with girls your age - you have to sell to grandmas - that's what happens on these shows. You shouldn't. You should be selling to teenagers so that was a great choice of song. Well done. (Rachel: Thank you. Thank you, Simon.)
4) Josh Krajcik - "We Found Love" (Rihanna)
I'm not sure this was my favorite Josh Krajcik performance. There was nothing about it that was either great or awful. It was very standard and after the past few weeks in particular I fear that it might have brought him back down to Earth a bit.
L.A. - Josh. You always sing good. We know you can sing. In the recording world I could never really see you doing that song. I love the song; Rihanna - great song, I love it. But I could never really see you doing it so I just didn't believe it. I didn't buy it. You were great as a singer. I don't buy that song for you.
Paula - You know what? Josh. I couldn't disagree with you more because the kind of artist that Josh is. You can take any song and make it believable as a dance hit. You changed it, the production on it was really brilliant, and I think you nailed it. Way to go Josh. I never in a million years would have thought that. (Josh: Thank you Paula.) You're welcome.
Simon - Uh Josh, uh, you know I agree with L.A. I think you have a really good voice but the song was completely inappropriate and what made it worse (Nicole: No.) is the fact that unfortunately you were surrounded by a ridiculous dance routine - in my opinion had absolutely nothing to do with the song - was distracting, and actually, this is the second time it's happened. You're very, very lucky you have a second song tonight because twice in a row, Nicole, you've got this absolutely wrong and maybe if you spent more time back in America than England you'd do a better job.
Nicole - I am, I am so happy right now because you just showed - unlike some of the other artists - how versatile, relevant, and current you are right now as an artist. And you just killed it, and I'm sorry, but like Paula just said - he actually made this song his own. (L.A.: Ohh. No, no, no, no. He never made it his own. No, no, no, no, no. No he didn't) Brilliant job. (Josh: Thank you Nicole.) (Simon: How many times have I heard people say, "You made that song your own?")
5) Chris Rene - "Live Your Life" (T.I.)
Chris was probably better than he has been lately but it certainly wasn't mind-blowing by any stretch in terms of vocals although it definitely wasn't awful either. Having said that, Chris got to pick up Astro's mantle so to speak and he showcased some rather strong original lyric range of his own. Still not sure if he's going home or not but perhaps he is starting to come on strong at the right time.
Nicole - Look L.A. Reid, I ain't got nothing but love for you, okay? (L.A.: I love you too.) I'm going to teach you something about love. (L.A.: I love you too.) You go ahead and live your life. We're living it right there with you. Josh (Obvious faux pax on Nicole's part), I love you. I love your spirit, I love your energy, and you know what? I love that you wrote the verses. It sounds like - you did so good it sounds like you wrote the hook as well. It sounds like it's your own song. (Chris: Thank you Nicole.)
Paula - It's nice to see you out there Chris, doing your thing. To me this was one of the most fun performances I've seen and you had - you had that crowd going. I loved it. I loved it. (Chris: Thank you!) I love you.
Simon - Chris, you know what? I saw the look on your face when you got through last week because you didn't think you were going through. And I think the fact that the public are supporting the kind of artist like this on this show is really important because I'm not going to say you're the best singer - because you're not - but as an overall potential recording artist - with charisma, with presence (Paula: With heart.) - I think that you are doing brilliant. (Paula: Yes he is.) Brilliant. (Chris: Thank you, Simon.) It didn't help, however, that why put the moving travel ?? on, he nearly fell off the stage, L.A.
L.A. - Listen...all I know - all I know is this. We're entering the semi-finals and you keep improving each week, right? I loved your song tonight. You took it, you made it your own, you wrote your own lyrics - you wrote your own lyrics - I want to make that a point - and all you need now is votes, my man and you'll be here.
6) Melanie Amaro (Second Performance) - "When You Believe" (Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey)
While a completely different feel from the first song, I found Melanie's second song to simply be an extension of her first song and perhaps a victory lap of sorts given her the strength of her recent overall performances. If the competition is now about mass appeal, Melanie could still be in danger of not winning the competition given how well Rachel and Josh have consistently performed and the seemingly Teflan resiliency of Marcus Canty and the reemerging Chris Rene. If it's about pure talent, Melanie should be a clear frontrunner with Josh Krajcik there too.
L.A. - Alright, Melanie. So of course that was great, you're always great. You really thought of that last night and it was that good today? I mean, that was like unbelievable. (Melanie: Thank you.) Alright, that was amazing - safe, but amazing.
Nicole - Hi Sweetie. Um...alright...you gave me goose bumps like all over. And what was so special about that performance is that you didn't just sing the song but I felt like you were speaking the song to each and every one of us and you believed every single word that you were saying. I've watched you grow so much in this competition. I'm in awe of you right now. (Melanie: Thank you.)
Paula - It's when I close my eyes I can hear Whitney, I can hear Mariah, and I can hear the greats and it's pretty amazing. This is a performance that worked because this is where less is more totally works. It was beautiful. (Melanie: Thank you.)
Simon - Um, I just have to say L.A., you think singing a Mariah song and a Whitney song with 24 hours notice is safe? Give me a break. You know what? (L.A.: Listen, it's not the first time she's done a Whitney song.) (He also might have said "ballad" but I'm still unsure.) Give, give this girl some credit. You know what? She just sang that incredibly and - and actually, a very, very good friend of mine is in the audience tonight - um, the guy who actually signed Whitney Houston - the legendary Clive Davis. So that was outstanding - remember what happened to me last week - you've got to pick up the phones, please because if this girl ends up in the pirannah pool, she's out.
7) Marcus Canty (Second Performance) - "A Song For You" (Leon Russell)
I found his first performance to be much more upbeat and vibrant although he probably showed much more passion and soul with this one. Is it enough to avoid the Bottom Two? I seriously doubt it.
Nicole - Marcus, Marcus - thank you for reminding us all why we fell in love with you from the start. It was so honest and so much grace and so much poise - you remind me of a young Al Green and that means your talent is timeless. That was beautiful. (Marcus: Thank you so much Nicole.)
Paula - One of your best performances that I've witnessed. Honestly. It was an honest performance. There's something - your eyes do not lie, Marcus and you are a storyteller and that goes beyond any superior voice - it's everything. You encompass it. (Marcus: Thank you, thank you so much, Paula.) Yes, I love you. Thank you.
Simon - Uh, I thought it was good - I'm not jumping out of my chair to be honest with you - because - I'm not and I'll tell you why - because I've heard that kind of version of that song so many times on these shows. I would have like to have heard a little twist. I thought you were much more comfortable on the first song but your likable and that's important but I'm not going to lie and say that's the best thing I've ever heard because it wasn't - it was a bit boring. (Marcus: I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it.)
L.A. - Listen man, Mohammed Ali got knocked down twice - and he came back like a champion. You've been at the bottom twice and you came back like a champion. I'm proud of you, don't listen to the nonsense, don't let him get into your head, keep your head on straight - do what you do, I've got your back. My man. (Marcus: Thank you, thank you.)
8) Rachel Crow (Second Performance) - "Music and Me" (Michael Jackson)
I actually thought she was even better the second time around tonight. The precocious teen showed even more resolve and fortitude and she definitely deserves to advance tonight.
L.A. - Hey Rachel. (Rachel: Hi.) You know what? I love that you picked that song for yourself. I really love how (Rachel: Ha! Thank you!) you see yourself. Your vision for you is really inspiring. It really is. (Rachel: Thank you very much! Thank you!) And I also - I hear rumors, and I'm not supposed to talk about this, but I hear that Hollywood is circling the wagons and I hear all kinds of rumors. You know what? You're the star that we always thought that you are. You really are (Rachel: Thank you so much!). God bless you sweetheart. (Rachel: God bless you! Thank you!)
Nicole - Baby, you're like an old soul in a 13 year-old. (Rachel laughs. "Thank you!") I don't know how you do it. You did a beautiful job. (Rachel: Thank you.) You should be very proud. My mission is just to inspire the kids. That's all I want to do.
Paula - You are such a great role model. (Rachel: Thank you Paula.) You're a wonderful role model. You're every girl's best friend and every parent's daydream. (Rachel: Thank you!) (Rachel laughs.) You're amazing, Rachel. You're fantastic and magical. (Rachel: You're fantastic.) Well, you are amazing. (Rachel: Thank you.) (To Simon) You're very lucky to have this one. (Rachel: Thank you so much.)
Simon - Just, just keep away from her Paula. She's doing just fine, thank you. (Paula: Oh, you're so funny! She needs more of you.) (Rachel laughs.) Uh, I like, I like the fact that you chose the songs this week; I think it's really important that someone your age is choosing the material because both songs worked. Um...and I agree with Paula ; you are like an old soul, you know? Because sometimes it can be quite annoying (Nicole: What do you mean?) when you've got - what? (Nicole: That was me. I said that.) (Rachel laughs.) (Nicole: I said that.) I was agreeing with you. (Nicole: You said Paula.) (L.A.: No, she wants credit for her line.) (Simon: You're both insane.) (Rachel laughs.) (Paula: It's all good.)
9) Josh Krajcik (Second Performance) - "Somethin' In The Way" (The Beatles)
Josh masterfully handled his second song tonight and what was a clear cut vast improvement over his first song tonight. Had it only been a one song performance tonight Josh might have been in serious trouble for the first time in the competition but as it stands, Josh was able to harness his second opportunity into stabilizing his near-guaranteed spot in the semi-finals. Great performance, great song choice, and great vocal execution for Josh the second time around tonight; he is probably still one of the two finalists and tonight he was fortunate enough to have the chance to rebound and virtually assure that becoming reality.
L.A. - Josh. Thank God you had a second song tonight really because that's the Josh that I love. When you sing that way that's what I love. I thought it was really good; ever so slightly karaoke but really good nonetheless. (Paula: Not at all.)
Paula - Josh. You know adjectives don't describe your brilliance anymore. They-they just don't measure up. I just think that you are so special and I'm so grateful that we found you. (Josh: Thank you Paula.)
Simon - I've got to tell you Josh, compared to the first song this was a massive improvement. Um, I think that when you watch this back it might be the fact that you're under pressure; you looked actually insane halfway through. It was like your eyes were rolling (Nicole: That's called - ), um, but that's okay. Um, my advice, my advice (Nicole: That's called getting lost in the music and just letting yourself go.) Well put, Nicole, why don't you get lost for the moment and let me finish? (Nicole laughs.) What I - What I'd suggest is (L.A. Reid gives a facetious standing ovation) - here's my advice: do not allow, if you make it through, anymore of this crazy choreography around you. Do what you do best. You are a singer-songwriter. Adele doesn't need any props nor do you.
Nicole - That's right, Simon. Josh is like the male Adele (Paula: Yes he is.) in the industry right now and that is a little something that I like to call Krajcik Magic. (L.A.: Did you think - Did you think it up by yourself?) I just thought of it. (Paula: I want to be your campaign manager because I felt like it was like a presidential election.) (L.A.: I was just curious.) I just need America to not let the real thing right here; a real musician, a real artist, please vote for Josh. (Paula: Yes.)
10) Chris Rene (Second Performance) - "Where Do We Go From Here?" (Original Song)
Conspiracy theorists unite! The sudden "error" on the show allowed Chris to break out his own original song and he pulled it off with flying colors. I have been exceedingly critical of Chris for quite some time and just last week I was calling for him to break out his guitar and remind people of his often forgotten musicianship and I'm glad that I was able to telepathically communicate this to Chris in time. I enjoyed watching Chris being the musician many have perhaps forgotten he is and hearing him show off his equally overshadowed vocal range. This was by far his best live performance night of the competition so far and he just might be gaining some late momentum at just the right time.
Nicole - Chris...where do we go from here? Ya know what? Sky's the limit with you, baby. Sky's the limit. Congratulations. (Chris: Yes!) That was amazing. I want you to take this moment in right now. That was amazing. (Chris: Thank you.)
Paula - You know the universe works in mysterious ways, Chris. Had that glitch not happened, you wouldn't have been singing this song. And you know what? You have to trust the universe because it always works out right. This is what I've been waiting for and I applaud you - this show allowed your originality...God bless...(Chris: Thank you.)
Simon - You know Chris, we've got[ten] to know each other a long time now but at this stage of the show, you've got five million dollars at stake, you're one step away from the semi-final, and you decide to sing your own song. (Paula: Yup.) So it's either stupidity or a stroke of genius. (Paula: Yeah.) And I'm gonna be honest with you Chris because I like you and I said from Day One I'm never going to lie to you - that was a stroke of genius.
L.A. - Chris Rene! I'm so proud; so proud of you. The night that we met you - the original audition - you did an original song, you've traveled this entire journey only to come back to where you started, doing music that you wrote, that you sang from your heart and I could not be more proud. Congratulations to you. (Chris: Thank you, L.A.)
I didn't get a chance to finish this before the Results Show but I predicted Marcus Canty to be in the Bottom Two again with Chris Rene, despite the fact that he gave his strongest performance of the competition so far by a mile. Often, especially at this point in the competition, it comes down to "voter turnout" of the singer's fan base. I felt Josh's first performance still might not make him immune to the bottom and given how Rachel survived already that she too might be in danger. Still, I felt Marcus was the frontrunner to go home. For my thoughts on the final result of the week, please read my Top 5 Results Show recap blog.
1) Melanie Amaro - "Someone Like You" (Adele)
I certainly wasn't expecting a dance version of Adele's "Someone Like You" but I felt that while the vocals were incredibly strong that the ultra-Donna Summer like vibe was just abundantly cheesy. Still not quite sure just how exactly Adele constitutes as dance music anyway.
L.A. - Hey Melanie. So, um, that was really good. The only thing that bothered me about it is that it was really good. Congratulations.
Nicole - Girl, it's a big risk taking on the song you know. And you looked and sounded like the rock star diva that you are tonight.
Paula - First of all, you look absolutely stunning. And happy. You should be. That was a great way to open up the show. It was too short; that's my only complaint.
Simon - Thanks for that. Melanie, you know what? That was - what I loved about that was - it wasn't karaoke. It was taking a track, doing something different with it, and the change in you, and I think it's all happened ever since that - you kind of revealed the real you a couple weeks ago, you've got confidence, you sound like a diva, and you know what? You'd have a hit record with that version.
2) Marcus Canty - "Ain't Nobody" (Chaka Khan)
While I still don't think he was good enough to beat the remaining top performers left in the competition, tonight was definitely much better than the past few weeks. Having said that, I'm not quite sure that's still a very favorable standard the way that Marcus has performed lately.
Nicole - Marcus. Honey. Marcus, you took us to church and a dance club at the same time. I love, love, love that you chose that song. Brilliant job, L.A. Reid. Chaka Kahn the best. You have earned your spot to be here today and I am so proud of you. God has a plan for you.
Paula - Marcus, you look fantastic and as far as I'm concerned, it's an even playing field and you performed like it's the first time we saw you. Good job. (Marcus: Thanks Paula. Thank you so much.) You're welcome.
Simon - Marcus. (L.A.: Okay!) (Marcus facetiously groans.) I shouldn't - I shouldn't be very happy with you, should I? (Marcus: Uh-oh.) But...I have to - to be fair - judge you within the competition. And I have to say that was a very, very good performance. (Marcus: Oh!) And I have to give you credit. You know what? I like people who-who don't act like victims or blame other people. You came back strong, proved a point, good for you. (Marcus: Thank you, Simon.)
Marcus - My man. What we need now are people to vote. So if you really love Marcus the way I did tonight - vote, vote, vote, vote, vote.
3) Rachel Crow - "Nothin' On You" (B.o.B.)
After a surprisingly lackluster week, at least from an energy standpoint, Rachel rebounded quite nicely. Although there was nothing overwhelmingly stellar about the performance in terms of its energy again, I thought it was a rather strong vocal showing.
L.A. - You're such a little star. (Rachel: Thank you!) You are such a star. (Rachel: Shut up.) That was very good. I have one concern and it was a lyrical concern. You're singing "beautiful girls they've got nothing on you" - who you - who are you singing to on this record? (Rachel: I was singing to Paula and Nicole.) Ohhh! Got it. Got it. Okay. Good answer. What can I say? Thank you. (Rachel: I just love him.) (Nicole: Okay.) I just needed to know. You're odd to me.
Nicole - I'm just waiting for the Rachel Crow doll to come out. Wait - complete...complete with your own bathroom. (Rachel: Woo! Yes! I'm all for it.) That was the perfect song for you. It was fun, it was youthful, and you're a star. (Rachel: Thank you very much.)
Paula - Rachel. You are - just beautifully fearless. And it doesn't matter how young you are because your vocal depth transcends all generations. I think this is your best performance in the whole competition. You were up tempo, you nailed it, and I'm so proud of you. (Rachel: Thank you very much.) It was a great song; a great song. You are so up and (Rachel: Thank you, Paula.) I love you.
Simon - Um, yeah, and I'm waiting for the Nicole doll to come out; the voodoo doll. (Paula: Ohh.) (Rachel: Oh.) You know you'd buy it. (Nicole: "You're a mean one...Mr. Grinch.") (Paula: You know you'd buy it.) Rachel, you know what? Uh, someone told me that you also do standup comedy years ago, right? (Rachel: Who told you that?) I know everything. But I don't know, uh, but I like that because it kind of makes you like a triple threat and that was a good comeback from L.A. (Rachel: Thank you.) I also - I like the fact that this - kind sometimes with girls your age - you have to sell to grandmas - that's what happens on these shows. You shouldn't. You should be selling to teenagers so that was a great choice of song. Well done. (Rachel: Thank you. Thank you, Simon.)
4) Josh Krajcik - "We Found Love" (Rihanna)
I'm not sure this was my favorite Josh Krajcik performance. There was nothing about it that was either great or awful. It was very standard and after the past few weeks in particular I fear that it might have brought him back down to Earth a bit.
L.A. - Josh. You always sing good. We know you can sing. In the recording world I could never really see you doing that song. I love the song; Rihanna - great song, I love it. But I could never really see you doing it so I just didn't believe it. I didn't buy it. You were great as a singer. I don't buy that song for you.
Paula - You know what? Josh. I couldn't disagree with you more because the kind of artist that Josh is. You can take any song and make it believable as a dance hit. You changed it, the production on it was really brilliant, and I think you nailed it. Way to go Josh. I never in a million years would have thought that. (Josh: Thank you Paula.) You're welcome.
Simon - Uh Josh, uh, you know I agree with L.A. I think you have a really good voice but the song was completely inappropriate and what made it worse (Nicole: No.) is the fact that unfortunately you were surrounded by a ridiculous dance routine - in my opinion had absolutely nothing to do with the song - was distracting, and actually, this is the second time it's happened. You're very, very lucky you have a second song tonight because twice in a row, Nicole, you've got this absolutely wrong and maybe if you spent more time back in America than England you'd do a better job.
Nicole - I am, I am so happy right now because you just showed - unlike some of the other artists - how versatile, relevant, and current you are right now as an artist. And you just killed it, and I'm sorry, but like Paula just said - he actually made this song his own. (L.A.: Ohh. No, no, no, no. He never made it his own. No, no, no, no, no. No he didn't) Brilliant job. (Josh: Thank you Nicole.) (Simon: How many times have I heard people say, "You made that song your own?")
5) Chris Rene - "Live Your Life" (T.I.)
Chris was probably better than he has been lately but it certainly wasn't mind-blowing by any stretch in terms of vocals although it definitely wasn't awful either. Having said that, Chris got to pick up Astro's mantle so to speak and he showcased some rather strong original lyric range of his own. Still not sure if he's going home or not but perhaps he is starting to come on strong at the right time.
Nicole - Look L.A. Reid, I ain't got nothing but love for you, okay? (L.A.: I love you too.) I'm going to teach you something about love. (L.A.: I love you too.) You go ahead and live your life. We're living it right there with you. Josh (Obvious faux pax on Nicole's part), I love you. I love your spirit, I love your energy, and you know what? I love that you wrote the verses. It sounds like - you did so good it sounds like you wrote the hook as well. It sounds like it's your own song. (Chris: Thank you Nicole.)
Paula - It's nice to see you out there Chris, doing your thing. To me this was one of the most fun performances I've seen and you had - you had that crowd going. I loved it. I loved it. (Chris: Thank you!) I love you.
Simon - Chris, you know what? I saw the look on your face when you got through last week because you didn't think you were going through. And I think the fact that the public are supporting the kind of artist like this on this show is really important because I'm not going to say you're the best singer - because you're not - but as an overall potential recording artist - with charisma, with presence (Paula: With heart.) - I think that you are doing brilliant. (Paula: Yes he is.) Brilliant. (Chris: Thank you, Simon.) It didn't help, however, that why put the moving travel ?? on, he nearly fell off the stage, L.A.
L.A. - Listen...all I know - all I know is this. We're entering the semi-finals and you keep improving each week, right? I loved your song tonight. You took it, you made it your own, you wrote your own lyrics - you wrote your own lyrics - I want to make that a point - and all you need now is votes, my man and you'll be here.
6) Melanie Amaro (Second Performance) - "When You Believe" (Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey)
While a completely different feel from the first song, I found Melanie's second song to simply be an extension of her first song and perhaps a victory lap of sorts given her the strength of her recent overall performances. If the competition is now about mass appeal, Melanie could still be in danger of not winning the competition given how well Rachel and Josh have consistently performed and the seemingly Teflan resiliency of Marcus Canty and the reemerging Chris Rene. If it's about pure talent, Melanie should be a clear frontrunner with Josh Krajcik there too.
L.A. - Alright, Melanie. So of course that was great, you're always great. You really thought of that last night and it was that good today? I mean, that was like unbelievable. (Melanie: Thank you.) Alright, that was amazing - safe, but amazing.
Nicole - Hi Sweetie. Um...alright...you gave me goose bumps like all over. And what was so special about that performance is that you didn't just sing the song but I felt like you were speaking the song to each and every one of us and you believed every single word that you were saying. I've watched you grow so much in this competition. I'm in awe of you right now. (Melanie: Thank you.)
Paula - It's when I close my eyes I can hear Whitney, I can hear Mariah, and I can hear the greats and it's pretty amazing. This is a performance that worked because this is where less is more totally works. It was beautiful. (Melanie: Thank you.)
Simon - Um, I just have to say L.A., you think singing a Mariah song and a Whitney song with 24 hours notice is safe? Give me a break. You know what? (L.A.: Listen, it's not the first time she's done a Whitney song.) (He also might have said "ballad" but I'm still unsure.) Give, give this girl some credit. You know what? She just sang that incredibly and - and actually, a very, very good friend of mine is in the audience tonight - um, the guy who actually signed Whitney Houston - the legendary Clive Davis. So that was outstanding - remember what happened to me last week - you've got to pick up the phones, please because if this girl ends up in the pirannah pool, she's out.
7) Marcus Canty (Second Performance) - "A Song For You" (Leon Russell)
I found his first performance to be much more upbeat and vibrant although he probably showed much more passion and soul with this one. Is it enough to avoid the Bottom Two? I seriously doubt it.
Nicole - Marcus, Marcus - thank you for reminding us all why we fell in love with you from the start. It was so honest and so much grace and so much poise - you remind me of a young Al Green and that means your talent is timeless. That was beautiful. (Marcus: Thank you so much Nicole.)
Paula - One of your best performances that I've witnessed. Honestly. It was an honest performance. There's something - your eyes do not lie, Marcus and you are a storyteller and that goes beyond any superior voice - it's everything. You encompass it. (Marcus: Thank you, thank you so much, Paula.) Yes, I love you. Thank you.
Simon - Uh, I thought it was good - I'm not jumping out of my chair to be honest with you - because - I'm not and I'll tell you why - because I've heard that kind of version of that song so many times on these shows. I would have like to have heard a little twist. I thought you were much more comfortable on the first song but your likable and that's important but I'm not going to lie and say that's the best thing I've ever heard because it wasn't - it was a bit boring. (Marcus: I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it.)
L.A. - Listen man, Mohammed Ali got knocked down twice - and he came back like a champion. You've been at the bottom twice and you came back like a champion. I'm proud of you, don't listen to the nonsense, don't let him get into your head, keep your head on straight - do what you do, I've got your back. My man. (Marcus: Thank you, thank you.)
8) Rachel Crow (Second Performance) - "Music and Me" (Michael Jackson)
I actually thought she was even better the second time around tonight. The precocious teen showed even more resolve and fortitude and she definitely deserves to advance tonight.
L.A. - Hey Rachel. (Rachel: Hi.) You know what? I love that you picked that song for yourself. I really love how (Rachel: Ha! Thank you!) you see yourself. Your vision for you is really inspiring. It really is. (Rachel: Thank you very much! Thank you!) And I also - I hear rumors, and I'm not supposed to talk about this, but I hear that Hollywood is circling the wagons and I hear all kinds of rumors. You know what? You're the star that we always thought that you are. You really are (Rachel: Thank you so much!). God bless you sweetheart. (Rachel: God bless you! Thank you!)
Nicole - Baby, you're like an old soul in a 13 year-old. (Rachel laughs. "Thank you!") I don't know how you do it. You did a beautiful job. (Rachel: Thank you.) You should be very proud. My mission is just to inspire the kids. That's all I want to do.
Paula - You are such a great role model. (Rachel: Thank you Paula.) You're a wonderful role model. You're every girl's best friend and every parent's daydream. (Rachel: Thank you!) (Rachel laughs.) You're amazing, Rachel. You're fantastic and magical. (Rachel: You're fantastic.) Well, you are amazing. (Rachel: Thank you.) (To Simon) You're very lucky to have this one. (Rachel: Thank you so much.)
Simon - Just, just keep away from her Paula. She's doing just fine, thank you. (Paula: Oh, you're so funny! She needs more of you.) (Rachel laughs.) Uh, I like, I like the fact that you chose the songs this week; I think it's really important that someone your age is choosing the material because both songs worked. Um...and I agree with Paula ; you are like an old soul, you know? Because sometimes it can be quite annoying (Nicole: What do you mean?) when you've got - what? (Nicole: That was me. I said that.) (Rachel laughs.) (Nicole: I said that.) I was agreeing with you. (Nicole: You said Paula.) (L.A.: No, she wants credit for her line.) (Simon: You're both insane.) (Rachel laughs.) (Paula: It's all good.)
9) Josh Krajcik (Second Performance) - "Somethin' In The Way" (The Beatles)
Josh masterfully handled his second song tonight and what was a clear cut vast improvement over his first song tonight. Had it only been a one song performance tonight Josh might have been in serious trouble for the first time in the competition but as it stands, Josh was able to harness his second opportunity into stabilizing his near-guaranteed spot in the semi-finals. Great performance, great song choice, and great vocal execution for Josh the second time around tonight; he is probably still one of the two finalists and tonight he was fortunate enough to have the chance to rebound and virtually assure that becoming reality.
L.A. - Josh. Thank God you had a second song tonight really because that's the Josh that I love. When you sing that way that's what I love. I thought it was really good; ever so slightly karaoke but really good nonetheless. (Paula: Not at all.)
Paula - Josh. You know adjectives don't describe your brilliance anymore. They-they just don't measure up. I just think that you are so special and I'm so grateful that we found you. (Josh: Thank you Paula.)
Simon - I've got to tell you Josh, compared to the first song this was a massive improvement. Um, I think that when you watch this back it might be the fact that you're under pressure; you looked actually insane halfway through. It was like your eyes were rolling (Nicole: That's called - ), um, but that's okay. Um, my advice, my advice (Nicole: That's called getting lost in the music and just letting yourself go.) Well put, Nicole, why don't you get lost for the moment and let me finish? (Nicole laughs.) What I - What I'd suggest is (L.A. Reid gives a facetious standing ovation) - here's my advice: do not allow, if you make it through, anymore of this crazy choreography around you. Do what you do best. You are a singer-songwriter. Adele doesn't need any props nor do you.
Nicole - That's right, Simon. Josh is like the male Adele (Paula: Yes he is.) in the industry right now and that is a little something that I like to call Krajcik Magic. (L.A.: Did you think - Did you think it up by yourself?) I just thought of it. (Paula: I want to be your campaign manager because I felt like it was like a presidential election.) (L.A.: I was just curious.) I just need America to not let the real thing right here; a real musician, a real artist, please vote for Josh. (Paula: Yes.)
10) Chris Rene (Second Performance) - "Where Do We Go From Here?" (Original Song)
Conspiracy theorists unite! The sudden "error" on the show allowed Chris to break out his own original song and he pulled it off with flying colors. I have been exceedingly critical of Chris for quite some time and just last week I was calling for him to break out his guitar and remind people of his often forgotten musicianship and I'm glad that I was able to telepathically communicate this to Chris in time. I enjoyed watching Chris being the musician many have perhaps forgotten he is and hearing him show off his equally overshadowed vocal range. This was by far his best live performance night of the competition so far and he just might be gaining some late momentum at just the right time.
Nicole - Chris...where do we go from here? Ya know what? Sky's the limit with you, baby. Sky's the limit. Congratulations. (Chris: Yes!) That was amazing. I want you to take this moment in right now. That was amazing. (Chris: Thank you.)
Paula - You know the universe works in mysterious ways, Chris. Had that glitch not happened, you wouldn't have been singing this song. And you know what? You have to trust the universe because it always works out right. This is what I've been waiting for and I applaud you - this show allowed your originality...God bless...(Chris: Thank you.)
Simon - You know Chris, we've got[ten] to know each other a long time now but at this stage of the show, you've got five million dollars at stake, you're one step away from the semi-final, and you decide to sing your own song. (Paula: Yup.) So it's either stupidity or a stroke of genius. (Paula: Yeah.) And I'm gonna be honest with you Chris because I like you and I said from Day One I'm never going to lie to you - that was a stroke of genius.
L.A. - Chris Rene! I'm so proud; so proud of you. The night that we met you - the original audition - you did an original song, you've traveled this entire journey only to come back to where you started, doing music that you wrote, that you sang from your heart and I could not be more proud. Congratulations to you. (Chris: Thank you, L.A.)
I didn't get a chance to finish this before the Results Show but I predicted Marcus Canty to be in the Bottom Two again with Chris Rene, despite the fact that he gave his strongest performance of the competition so far by a mile. Often, especially at this point in the competition, it comes down to "voter turnout" of the singer's fan base. I felt Josh's first performance still might not make him immune to the bottom and given how Rachel survived already that she too might be in danger. Still, I felt Marcus was the frontrunner to go home. For my thoughts on the final result of the week, please read my Top 5 Results Show recap blog.
Friday, December 2, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: Top 7 Results Show
I don't even know where to begin. Trying not to piss on anyone. Trying to keep my cool on this one. And then there's that giant but to go along with that. The idea that Drew Ryniewicz, even in a week in which she still doesn't change up the tempo and just sits in a chair, wasn't still the obvious choice to be advanced is utterly ridiculous. Simon Cowell, albeit at the last minute, finally owned up to his responsibilities as Drew's mentor, and tried a last minute mea culpa to no avail. Nicole Scherzinger and his long time sparring partner Paula Abdul were having none of that.
I'll get to why they are wrong in a minute but the blame still lies first and foremost with Cowell. L.A. Reid can say he was just looking for the best performance possible and not who is on what team, but even if that is genuinely his real disposition on it, it still doesn't ring true. He might honestly believe it too but we all are guilty of partaking in the subconscious decision making process. It's human nature. And I don't fault L.A. for one minute for picking Marcus. All things being equal, and they actually weren't but it was still reasonably close enough in L.A.'s mind at least, he had to pick his own prodigy. That's all true and on point but Simon was still the one who ultimately set this entire course of events into sequence and so he still harbors the majority of the responsibility for everything.
Marcus has been wildly inconsistent for weeks; missing notes and hitting an upper register he really doesn't possess in the first place. Drew, while consistently low keyed and overly reliant on ballads (with Pia Toscano being the obvious comparison for both singing and shocking elimination reasons), still vastly outperformed Marcus on each night and had yet to have a bad performance. She was far and away one of, if not the most consistent performer of the entire competition. I'm not just talking about the live rounds either - the entire competition. And you're going to eliminate her despite that? Paula and Nicole are not owning up to their share of the responsibility they have to exercise the proper judgment and look at the totality of the two singers. And they clearly did it to spite Simon. They found this as a chance to get back at Simon for al the sparring they've engaged in during the show this season.
Drew was the most consistent performer of the entire competition. Marcus had been off kilter for weeks. He had already been in the bottom and my guess is that he had already been close to it before. Marcus really has had no realistic chance of winning the competition. Drew was a virtual lock for at least the Top 3, if not Top 2, and she was one of four people with a realistic chance of winning it all. Only Rachel Crow, Melanie Amaro, and Josh Krajcik have realistic chances of winning and that was still true with Drew in the competition. Marcus Canty and Chris Rene, who far and away has been the weakest contestant for about three or four weeks running now, are clinging to survival. They must now hope they can get enough of Astro's fans, assuming they even still stay tuned in, to jump over to them. Either that or the voting audience is nowhere near to being as sophisticated as the voters for The Voice and American Idol. Well, to a much lesser extent with Idol because let's face it, girls and women have ruined that show's voting process. They just vote for their favorite man candy otherwise Pia Toscano, Haley Reinhart, or James Durbin (my personal pick - he was by far the most dynamic singer in the competition and unique along with Casey Abrams and perhaps even Haley Reinhart) would have won it all last season.
You can't talk about this without being accused of being, or just actually being sexist about this process. You look at L.A. and Simon on this show, or Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Cee Lo Green on The Voice, or Randy Jackson and even the always adoring Steven Tyler on Simon Cowell's former show on American Idol, and they don't betray their emotions. It's kind of ironic actually that the women on the two shows that are accused of being meaner have the judges most likely to be ultra soft and weepy. The nicer show, The Voice, has the most emotionally even keeled judge in Christina Aguilera. Paula, Nicole, and Jennifer Lopez are all incredibly emotional judges and eliminations are always automatic triggers for water works. And the irony is that the visibly shaken Drew is normally the type to generate sympathy among the judges but it leads to the other problem that these shows have; the girls and women at home vote for the man candy and all this does is affirm that reality and it's pretty clear that Nicole and Paula both looked at the more visually appealing option to them, who they think that other girls and women would vote for, and they are probably so far in their own denial about this that they probably don't have the foggiest idea or clue that they are even doing it. Call me cynical all you'd like to but how many female winners have we had recently on these shows? Not many, I know.
Simon had the right idea in hopes of preventing more Pia Toscano like episodes from happening but the other unfortunate irony in this week's results is that the very fail safe trigger mechanism intended on preventing those kind of Chris Daughtry like disasters was its very undoing. Sure, it's even possible that those girls and women helped to outvote Drew had it gone to the tiebreaker (you know, that will of the people thing - even if the people themselves would have possibly have gotten it seriously wrong anyway), but the whole point of it is so that they save the most deserving person, not the least deserving mentor when there is fault to be assigned as Cowell himself finally manned up to, and we all know that the artists themselves on the show don't get to be total artists because they really don't have the final say in these matters and since we do all know it, let's stop punishing them for it.
This is also where The Voice might continue to fill a void in these competitions. Yes, it's still impossible for me to not have more loyalty to American Idol. It's still the mother of them all, and that will always make it special or even more special than the others, but the way that The Voice stands out isn't even the difference in temperament, and how much cozier it is between and with its singers, judges, and fans in how they all interact with each other (although Carson Daly, normally very loose and charismatic is surprisingly wooden on it). It's the voting structure. They take in consideration the voting the way it should be. The people get the majority say but the judges get a voice too - pun intended. They actually balance it. And yet, Paula, who went to the voters when it was two of her own acts, didn't do the same for Drew and Marcus last night. It's pretty clear that she knew that in all likelihood Drew was staying had that been the case and that she and Nicole were not going to tolerate that outcome.
Drew will be okay. In fact, like Pia Toscano and Chris Daughtry before her, it might end up helping her in the long term in terms of her post-show viability. And there's no doubt that her exit was a very painful trial and error exercise in how the eliminations are carried out on the show. So in a very screwed up way it might end up working out great for everyone and there's still very much of a chance of having a "no harm, no foul" like quality to this mess. Still, there are no guarantees and anybody, especially somebody who was not just viable but a favorite, for a guarantee in the form of a guaranteed five million dollar contract, has every right to be upset about such an injustice. And it's still just that; a major league injustice.
There's not that one entity to assign total blame to and the whole purpose is not to just create water cooler fodder for its viewers the next day at work. Sure, it's fun at the end of the week to begin your weekend discussing the latest outrage but at the end of the day, and perhaps Simon had to (even somewhat deservedly) learn this harsh lesson the tough way, it could be just enough for him to reconsider both this ultimately flawed elimination procedure and the entire purpose of the show and steer it back towards what he made it his $5 million mission to do in the first place - find the next major music star. He's probably learned that he and the show had already started to stray from its own genuinely authentic mission. Fortunately for both Simon and the rest of us, he still has the final say on that.
I'll get to why they are wrong in a minute but the blame still lies first and foremost with Cowell. L.A. Reid can say he was just looking for the best performance possible and not who is on what team, but even if that is genuinely his real disposition on it, it still doesn't ring true. He might honestly believe it too but we all are guilty of partaking in the subconscious decision making process. It's human nature. And I don't fault L.A. for one minute for picking Marcus. All things being equal, and they actually weren't but it was still reasonably close enough in L.A.'s mind at least, he had to pick his own prodigy. That's all true and on point but Simon was still the one who ultimately set this entire course of events into sequence and so he still harbors the majority of the responsibility for everything.
Marcus has been wildly inconsistent for weeks; missing notes and hitting an upper register he really doesn't possess in the first place. Drew, while consistently low keyed and overly reliant on ballads (with Pia Toscano being the obvious comparison for both singing and shocking elimination reasons), still vastly outperformed Marcus on each night and had yet to have a bad performance. She was far and away one of, if not the most consistent performer of the entire competition. I'm not just talking about the live rounds either - the entire competition. And you're going to eliminate her despite that? Paula and Nicole are not owning up to their share of the responsibility they have to exercise the proper judgment and look at the totality of the two singers. And they clearly did it to spite Simon. They found this as a chance to get back at Simon for al the sparring they've engaged in during the show this season.
Drew was the most consistent performer of the entire competition. Marcus had been off kilter for weeks. He had already been in the bottom and my guess is that he had already been close to it before. Marcus really has had no realistic chance of winning the competition. Drew was a virtual lock for at least the Top 3, if not Top 2, and she was one of four people with a realistic chance of winning it all. Only Rachel Crow, Melanie Amaro, and Josh Krajcik have realistic chances of winning and that was still true with Drew in the competition. Marcus Canty and Chris Rene, who far and away has been the weakest contestant for about three or four weeks running now, are clinging to survival. They must now hope they can get enough of Astro's fans, assuming they even still stay tuned in, to jump over to them. Either that or the voting audience is nowhere near to being as sophisticated as the voters for The Voice and American Idol. Well, to a much lesser extent with Idol because let's face it, girls and women have ruined that show's voting process. They just vote for their favorite man candy otherwise Pia Toscano, Haley Reinhart, or James Durbin (my personal pick - he was by far the most dynamic singer in the competition and unique along with Casey Abrams and perhaps even Haley Reinhart) would have won it all last season.
You can't talk about this without being accused of being, or just actually being sexist about this process. You look at L.A. and Simon on this show, or Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Cee Lo Green on The Voice, or Randy Jackson and even the always adoring Steven Tyler on Simon Cowell's former show on American Idol, and they don't betray their emotions. It's kind of ironic actually that the women on the two shows that are accused of being meaner have the judges most likely to be ultra soft and weepy. The nicer show, The Voice, has the most emotionally even keeled judge in Christina Aguilera. Paula, Nicole, and Jennifer Lopez are all incredibly emotional judges and eliminations are always automatic triggers for water works. And the irony is that the visibly shaken Drew is normally the type to generate sympathy among the judges but it leads to the other problem that these shows have; the girls and women at home vote for the man candy and all this does is affirm that reality and it's pretty clear that Nicole and Paula both looked at the more visually appealing option to them, who they think that other girls and women would vote for, and they are probably so far in their own denial about this that they probably don't have the foggiest idea or clue that they are even doing it. Call me cynical all you'd like to but how many female winners have we had recently on these shows? Not many, I know.
Simon had the right idea in hopes of preventing more Pia Toscano like episodes from happening but the other unfortunate irony in this week's results is that the very fail safe trigger mechanism intended on preventing those kind of Chris Daughtry like disasters was its very undoing. Sure, it's even possible that those girls and women helped to outvote Drew had it gone to the tiebreaker (you know, that will of the people thing - even if the people themselves would have possibly have gotten it seriously wrong anyway), but the whole point of it is so that they save the most deserving person, not the least deserving mentor when there is fault to be assigned as Cowell himself finally manned up to, and we all know that the artists themselves on the show don't get to be total artists because they really don't have the final say in these matters and since we do all know it, let's stop punishing them for it.
This is also where The Voice might continue to fill a void in these competitions. Yes, it's still impossible for me to not have more loyalty to American Idol. It's still the mother of them all, and that will always make it special or even more special than the others, but the way that The Voice stands out isn't even the difference in temperament, and how much cozier it is between and with its singers, judges, and fans in how they all interact with each other (although Carson Daly, normally very loose and charismatic is surprisingly wooden on it). It's the voting structure. They take in consideration the voting the way it should be. The people get the majority say but the judges get a voice too - pun intended. They actually balance it. And yet, Paula, who went to the voters when it was two of her own acts, didn't do the same for Drew and Marcus last night. It's pretty clear that she knew that in all likelihood Drew was staying had that been the case and that she and Nicole were not going to tolerate that outcome.
Drew will be okay. In fact, like Pia Toscano and Chris Daughtry before her, it might end up helping her in the long term in terms of her post-show viability. And there's no doubt that her exit was a very painful trial and error exercise in how the eliminations are carried out on the show. So in a very screwed up way it might end up working out great for everyone and there's still very much of a chance of having a "no harm, no foul" like quality to this mess. Still, there are no guarantees and anybody, especially somebody who was not just viable but a favorite, for a guarantee in the form of a guaranteed five million dollar contract, has every right to be upset about such an injustice. And it's still just that; a major league injustice.
There's not that one entity to assign total blame to and the whole purpose is not to just create water cooler fodder for its viewers the next day at work. Sure, it's fun at the end of the week to begin your weekend discussing the latest outrage but at the end of the day, and perhaps Simon had to (even somewhat deservedly) learn this harsh lesson the tough way, it could be just enough for him to reconsider both this ultimately flawed elimination procedure and the entire purpose of the show and steer it back towards what he made it his $5 million mission to do in the first place - find the next major music star. He's probably learned that he and the show had already started to stray from its own genuinely authentic mission. Fortunately for both Simon and the rest of us, he still has the final say on that.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
X Factor Spotlight: The Top 7 Perform
With members of the Jackson clan actually in the audience tonight during Michael Jackson Night, the seven remaining acts came out but really, only a few truly stood out in my mind. Josh did a great cover of "Dirty Diana" and Drew did another very safe (and bizarrely orchestrated) song, albeit unique for "Billie Jean" itself. However, the real star of the night, besides perhaps the memory of Michael Jackson himself, was show closer Melanie Amaro. For the first time in the competition, I not only felt that she could win it, but that she could very well be the favorite now. I think this threatens Rachel and Astro more than Josh and Drew. The latter two will definitely be right there at the end barring unforeseen circumstances. After tonight, I think the momentum has now shifted dramatically to Melanie and Simon will now have to worry about how he will manage Drew given how safe he's played it with her up until now. And with Rachel's very blah performance tonight, he now has two bad headaches and one good one.
The Top 7
1) Josh Krajcik - After much hyped manufactured self doubt played up by the producers, Josh took the stage with his electric guitar slung behind his back with red wearing sexy dancers strutting their stuff across the stage. He actually gave a decent performance of "Dirty Diana" but his guitar soloing was probably the highlight of the song since he was able to show even more musicianship and range on the heels of his crazy awesome piano only cover of The Rolling Stones. It was one of the best three performances of the night in my opinion.
L.A. - Yes, Josh. That was cool, man. So that was the first time I've seen you really step out of your comfort zone. I'm really proud to see you do it, right? I know there was a little struggle because it wasn't comfortable but guess what? You landed on your feet, my man.
Paula - Some of the best performances come from that discomfort. And you learned how to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. It was a show-stopping performance and all I can say is that you continue to raise the bar but that doesn't mean anything if people don't vote so you gotta keep on voting, and voting and voting. Great job, Josh. (Josh: Thank you Paula.) You're welcome.
Simon - As a - as a spectacle, taking everything into account it was great. However...however...you were overproduced. You got lost in all the choreography This is very much - sorry - this is very much - this is not you on the stage - this is what Nicole wants to be. And that's why you had to be in the cage with all the dancing and I think this was your weakest performance so far. I do.
Nicole - Simon, unlike how you mentor some of your contestants, we actually like to take risks on this show. (Paula: Thank you, Nicole.) And you know what? Michael is so inspiring, we feel him in our veins, he's powerful, he's dangerous, he's bold and that's exactly what Josh did this week and I am so proud of him.
2) Astro - Rapping "Black and White", Astro's cover came off as being incredibly awkward. In a strange way, this bizarre twist probably helped him get past some of the more controversial stirrings of the past couple of weeks. Now, with another week removed from his public relations disaster, he will now be talked about again just based on his performance. But was it enough?
Nicole - Astro. That was bad. That was bad b-a-a-d bad. I don't know if this was my favorite performance by you but will say that I love the lyrics that you wrote specifically and this was the first that I felt that you really enjoyed yourself and you hreally had fun onstage.
Paula - Astro, I think you're extradionary. I think your words are important, I think you're influential, and inspiration and you amaze me every time. And I hear people saying that you're the future but you're more than that. You're our past and you are our present and that's the best compliment I can give you. I think you can win this competition.
Simon - I'm going to start off by completely disagreeing with....Nicole. (Nicole: What a surprise.) Because that's what somebody your age should be doing - is taking a classic song - it is one of the greatest pop songs of all time - making it younger, making it fit a new generation, and what I loved is - I loved that new hook you put on the end, and Astro you looked like you're enjoying yourself and I'm so happy the public kept you. You deserve to be here. (CONFIRM)
L.A. - Yes. You know what? I'm proud. I'm proud of you. I'm always proud. I'd like to think that the Jackson Family is as proud as I am of you because that was truly, truly amazing. You took it, you made it your own, you paid tribute to a great, and I just couldn't be happier for you.
3) Drew Ryniewicz - Simon can claim all he wants about "mixing it up" when it comes to Drew but at the end of the day, placing Drew in a chair while drastically slowing down "Billie Jean" just further played into the criticism of her as a singer and contestant. Simon is clearly banking on the fact that Drew is probably too unstoppable of a force to not be in the Top 3 - at worst. I still think he's holding back so he can pull that rabbit out of the hat late in the game when they'll need it most. Taking away dancers and fancy stage designs alone is not mixing it up and Simon can downplay all he'd like to but that's not diversity. "Trust me" might not cut it. It's a shame because her vocals were really strong.
L.A. - Okay. Hi Drew. Okay, so...I'm in a really, really naughty mood but I have to tell you that you took "Billie Jean", you made it your own, and it pains me to say this - it pains me - but I liked it.
Nicole - Oh, I'm on? I like you. The whole chair thing, like, never got to come up from the chair. I just don't - I don't understand that. (Boos) No, Simon...I'm sorry. You sounded beautiful and it's what I expected but Simon, you're playing it safe with Drew. But you - you my love - you showed range this week - you showed your voice had lots of range - and you had passion, I loved it - I wanted you to get up from the dang chair!
Paula - Drew, I will say this: This was your best vocal performance - without question. However, however...on a week of Michael Jackson, you chose to have no - nothing visual - and in paying homage to Michael - it's all about visual as well. So Simon, I think you should have a little more fun. And you're - the gravel in your voice and the power in your voice - do you ever want to do an up tempo? (Drew nods yes.) Please do an up tempo; Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson. Please do it.
Simon - Uh Paula, let me remind you - because of too much dancing is why your acts are out of the competition right now. (Paula: Oh, let me remind you, Simon. Let me remind you.) Because sorry, this was incredibly disrespectful (Paula: It's not disrespectful.) The point is - The point is - (Paula: It's not disrespectful.) - Nicole, you're talking absolute nonsense, what you said. (Paula: That is not true.) You know, and I-I-I really mean this, the whole point tonight - (inaudible as Nicole interrupts) (Nicole: she, the artist actually wanted to stand up.) - paying tribute to a great artist (Paula: Yes, Simon.) by doing it simply, by singing the song beautifully (Nicole: Oh!) and that's what you did. (Nicole: Simon!) (Paula: Simon.)
4) Rachel Crow - Rachel rather ironically sang "Can You Feel It?" because it was truly one of the most lackluster efforts I've ever seen, much less from this high-energy bundle of precociousness. Not so sure I was able to feel this performance. It wasn't great. It wasn't terrible. It wasn't even in between. It was just kind of...well, there. I'm not quite sure what the song choice was all about or the excessive amount of weirdly almost Tron-like clothed dancers were about as well. Still, I seriously doubt she's in danger but if she's going to leave at all, especially at this far in the competition, this could be it. Josh, Drew, and Melanie would all have the most to gain by a still somewhat early departure.
L.A. - Hi Rachel. So this was probably the only time I've watched you and didn't believe that you were really having a great time. It didn't - it didn't translate. You know I love you and everybody loves you but that wasn't - that wasn't the best I've seen you. (Rachel: I felt it as much as I could and I love Michael Jackson so I tried to do as best singing as I could.)
Nicole - Pumpkin, I thought you did a really good job. I didn't feel the connection between you and what the world that was created around you going onstage. I'm going to have to agree with L.A. on this one. Normally you shine all the way to the sun and back and tonight I don't know if I felt that you felt it but I guess you did feel it so thank you (?).
Paula - I'm going to start off Rachel by saying I absolutely adore you. I really do and you know that - you know that - but I will say this: I don't feel this song gave you justice [to] just how serious a singer you really are because you transcend generations and it's time to get back to what you want to do...what you want to do. Having said that, I love you.
Simon - Well it's obviously anti-Simon Night tonight so I wouldn't take any notice. Um, actually, what I love about you is - is that you always put on a show. You look like a pop star, you're having the time of your life, and luckily squiddly, diddly, and whatever doesn't vote (Paula: And Tweedle-Dumb. Tweedle Dumb.) - the public vote. (Nicole: Not tonight.)
5) Marcus Canty - Singing "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" off of Thriller, Marcus donned his best M.J. outfit and actually sported some halfway decent footwork, although of course nothing that measured up to the loftiest of expectations, but while it was great watching Marcus recapture a lot of his confidence it's unclear whether it will be enough to save him, at least vocally. The backflip however might. That hasn't been done before on the show and while it possibly could have been rather gimmicky, it was still a brilliant touch.
Nicole - Marcus, let me tell you. I love you P.Y.T. I do. I hope America recognizes and appreciates you for that amazing talent that you are, all that you offer and the spirit and the hard worker that you are. You're the whole package and I hope that America really, really votes to make sure that they keep you on this stage (?). (Marcus: Thank you so much Nicole.)
Paula - Marcus. What a beautiful monage to the late great Michael Jackson. I mean, just watching the look on your face, the perspiration, the exhilaration, you left it all out there. And you know what, Marcus? You are the whole package. You need to be a whole package to be an X Factor. You are the whole package. You are the entertainer of this show.
Simon - Uh, Marcus - I agree with everything with which Paula just said other than the vocals weren't very good; that was the problem. (Paula: It's not that the vocals were wrong.) And the problem is that when you do a routine that involves a backflip - which is probably the best part of the routine - (Paula: Oh please.) you're going to run out of breath. (Paula: Oh, that is not true Simon.) And therefore, when I hear this back at home - I don't think the vocals are going to be good at all. (Nicole: You don't know - you don't know half of what it takes to be up there, to do all of that of what he is doing. You have no idea. Paula: He is the consummate, professional entertainer. Simon: I do. I'm just telling you.) (Paula: You're a ?? Marcus, remember that.)
L.A. - You know what? It was an inventive, ah, arrangement of the song? You did a great job. That flip that you did? I hope it flips you into some votes. My man.
6) Chris Rene - Revealing that his grandfather cowrote "Rockin' Robin" was an astonishing revelation. Gina also reappeared on the show for the first time since we heard her on the other end of the phone when Chris called to say he made it to the live round. It was her first on screen resurrection since he was eliminated during Boot Camp. Singing "I'll Be There" definitely took a back seat to his video introduction. Everything about the performance just didn't capture anything. Even L.A., normally doing his double pointy thing with the ultra intense facial expressions, looked around the crowd nervously and his feedback was short, to the point, and hardly reinforcing or aspiring confidence. You'd think that of all people, L.A. would be the one to oversell it and yet he didn't. He really showed no inclination to pretend otherwise either. If I had to guess, I'd have to say that Chris is probably going home Thursday Night.
Nicole - Chris, what's so amazing about Michael Jackson s that you always feel his spirit thru his music. You feel his sprit. And I felt your spirit tonight and it was so beautiful. And I just - I loved you up there tonight. You had your own fresh spin on it; your beautiful and clean cut look. And you know what? You sounded the best you've ever sang and you should be very proud of yourself. I'm glad you - you stretched yourself.
Paula - First of all, you looked the best you ever looked and I've gotta tell you something; you manifest with abundance in the heart department. You really do. Because you're not only connecting with mine but you're connecting with the whole public. And you know what? You did this great and I think the reason why you have a tough time trying to find the right song, Chris, is because you Chris are a writer who writes songs for yourself and over ten million people wouldn't be downloading your audition "Young Homie". I think - I cannot wait until you have an album out so I can buy it.
Simon - Manifest in the heart department. (Paula: Yes, he manifests in the heart department; something you really wouldn't know much of.) I have no idea what that means. Uh, Chris, you know what, uh, I think you of all the artists, you were going to have a really tough week. I think L.A. was clever, that kind of Fugees take on it, the vocal was a little bit shaky at the top, then when the rap kicked in, much, much better, then I kind of felt it at the end. I think you're going to have, I think you're going to need a lot of support from your hometown to survive this. (Paula: Keep on voting, keep on voting.)
L.A. - Listen, I think the performance speaks for itself. You know you are the truth. Great job.
7) Melanie Amaro - Perhaps in a little behind the scenes rebuttal to Haley Reinhart's Season 10 American Idol version of the song, especially given how Simon said "it's not a song you normally touch", Melanie performed "Earth Song" with extradionary competence in the pimp spot to close out the broadcast to a standing ovation.
L.A. - Melanie. For one second, I forgot - I forgot that we were in a competition and I felt that we were at a Melanie Amaro concert. You were amazing and maybe the best of the night. I'm sure that it had nothing to do with Simon but that was good.
Nicole - Melanie, not only was it the best of the night, it was one of the best performances I've seen on this entire show. And you know what? If that performance doesn't save a small country somewhere, I don't know what will.
Paula - It was simple. It was flawless. And you are gorgeous up there and you nailed it. I'm proud of you!
Simon - Melanie, I-I could not be more proud and - I- from all of us - the fact that the Jackson Family is sitting here tonight, came out, we paid tribute to Michael, and I couldn't think of a better way (Melanie: I absolutely love this song. I love this song.) to pay tribute to one of the greatest artists in the world. Thank you very much indeed. You are amazing.
Predictions & Final Thoughts
Pretty easy call this week as far as I'm concerned. Chris Rene and Marcus Canty are probably going home with Astro possibly still being third person in the bottom. I had initially thought that Josh should have sung "Beat It", especially with his guitar, but after awhile I began to think that who really should have done it - with guitar - was Chris Rene. He's a rapper now but many have already forgotten that he started off a punk rocker in life. If he wasn't already suspecting he was in trouble coming into this week, especially given the stage of the competition, who else is left, and on the heels of some rather sub-par performances, he should have assumed he was. And L.A. Reid sure as hell should told him to act accordingly. Breaking out the guitar, singing, and putting on a very solid performance with dancers reenacting the dance moves of perhaps my personal all-time favorite music video (it's certainly in the running at the very least), would have been just the right shot in the arm and momentum that he so desperately needs at this point. He would have ended up peaking at the right time after all.
I actually changed my mind about Rachel from the time I initially wrote this to the time I was ready to publish it. This is what I originally intended to say: "Had Rachel's performance been next week or the week after, she might be in trouble but she should survive with impeachable ease this week. It'd be shocking to see her in trouble." Right now, I'm sure she's safe but I don't think she's quite the lock right now to avoid the bottom 3. We are down to just seven now anyway and it would be the perfect storm for that still somewhat early exit of hers. Provided I'm right, the competition down the stretch will just as fierce as the final weeks of the last American Idol season but the outcome for this finale will be much, much wore wide open. There truly could be a photo finish and all five expected Top 5 finalists all have a legitimate chance of winning it all. The competition is finally reaching its climatic finish and then we'll just have a month to go before American Idol starts back up and we get to do it all over again.
The Top 7
1) Josh Krajcik - After much hyped manufactured self doubt played up by the producers, Josh took the stage with his electric guitar slung behind his back with red wearing sexy dancers strutting their stuff across the stage. He actually gave a decent performance of "Dirty Diana" but his guitar soloing was probably the highlight of the song since he was able to show even more musicianship and range on the heels of his crazy awesome piano only cover of The Rolling Stones. It was one of the best three performances of the night in my opinion.
L.A. - Yes, Josh. That was cool, man. So that was the first time I've seen you really step out of your comfort zone. I'm really proud to see you do it, right? I know there was a little struggle because it wasn't comfortable but guess what? You landed on your feet, my man.
Paula - Some of the best performances come from that discomfort. And you learned how to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. It was a show-stopping performance and all I can say is that you continue to raise the bar but that doesn't mean anything if people don't vote so you gotta keep on voting, and voting and voting. Great job, Josh. (Josh: Thank you Paula.) You're welcome.
Simon - As a - as a spectacle, taking everything into account it was great. However...however...you were overproduced. You got lost in all the choreography This is very much - sorry - this is very much - this is not you on the stage - this is what Nicole wants to be. And that's why you had to be in the cage with all the dancing and I think this was your weakest performance so far. I do.
Nicole - Simon, unlike how you mentor some of your contestants, we actually like to take risks on this show. (Paula: Thank you, Nicole.) And you know what? Michael is so inspiring, we feel him in our veins, he's powerful, he's dangerous, he's bold and that's exactly what Josh did this week and I am so proud of him.
2) Astro - Rapping "Black and White", Astro's cover came off as being incredibly awkward. In a strange way, this bizarre twist probably helped him get past some of the more controversial stirrings of the past couple of weeks. Now, with another week removed from his public relations disaster, he will now be talked about again just based on his performance. But was it enough?
Nicole - Astro. That was bad. That was bad b-a-a-d bad. I don't know if this was my favorite performance by you but will say that I love the lyrics that you wrote specifically and this was the first that I felt that you really enjoyed yourself and you hreally had fun onstage.
Paula - Astro, I think you're extradionary. I think your words are important, I think you're influential, and inspiration and you amaze me every time. And I hear people saying that you're the future but you're more than that. You're our past and you are our present and that's the best compliment I can give you. I think you can win this competition.
Simon - I'm going to start off by completely disagreeing with....Nicole. (Nicole: What a surprise.) Because that's what somebody your age should be doing - is taking a classic song - it is one of the greatest pop songs of all time - making it younger, making it fit a new generation, and what I loved is - I loved that new hook you put on the end, and Astro you looked like you're enjoying yourself and I'm so happy the public kept you. You deserve to be here. (CONFIRM)
L.A. - Yes. You know what? I'm proud. I'm proud of you. I'm always proud. I'd like to think that the Jackson Family is as proud as I am of you because that was truly, truly amazing. You took it, you made it your own, you paid tribute to a great, and I just couldn't be happier for you.
3) Drew Ryniewicz - Simon can claim all he wants about "mixing it up" when it comes to Drew but at the end of the day, placing Drew in a chair while drastically slowing down "Billie Jean" just further played into the criticism of her as a singer and contestant. Simon is clearly banking on the fact that Drew is probably too unstoppable of a force to not be in the Top 3 - at worst. I still think he's holding back so he can pull that rabbit out of the hat late in the game when they'll need it most. Taking away dancers and fancy stage designs alone is not mixing it up and Simon can downplay all he'd like to but that's not diversity. "Trust me" might not cut it. It's a shame because her vocals were really strong.
L.A. - Okay. Hi Drew. Okay, so...I'm in a really, really naughty mood but I have to tell you that you took "Billie Jean", you made it your own, and it pains me to say this - it pains me - but I liked it.
Nicole - Oh, I'm on? I like you. The whole chair thing, like, never got to come up from the chair. I just don't - I don't understand that. (Boos) No, Simon...I'm sorry. You sounded beautiful and it's what I expected but Simon, you're playing it safe with Drew. But you - you my love - you showed range this week - you showed your voice had lots of range - and you had passion, I loved it - I wanted you to get up from the dang chair!
Paula - Drew, I will say this: This was your best vocal performance - without question. However, however...on a week of Michael Jackson, you chose to have no - nothing visual - and in paying homage to Michael - it's all about visual as well. So Simon, I think you should have a little more fun. And you're - the gravel in your voice and the power in your voice - do you ever want to do an up tempo? (Drew nods yes.) Please do an up tempo; Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson. Please do it.
Simon - Uh Paula, let me remind you - because of too much dancing is why your acts are out of the competition right now. (Paula: Oh, let me remind you, Simon. Let me remind you.) Because sorry, this was incredibly disrespectful (Paula: It's not disrespectful.) The point is - The point is - (Paula: It's not disrespectful.) - Nicole, you're talking absolute nonsense, what you said. (Paula: That is not true.) You know, and I-I-I really mean this, the whole point tonight - (inaudible as Nicole interrupts) (Nicole: she, the artist actually wanted to stand up.) - paying tribute to a great artist (Paula: Yes, Simon.) by doing it simply, by singing the song beautifully (Nicole: Oh!) and that's what you did. (Nicole: Simon!) (Paula: Simon.)
4) Rachel Crow - Rachel rather ironically sang "Can You Feel It?" because it was truly one of the most lackluster efforts I've ever seen, much less from this high-energy bundle of precociousness. Not so sure I was able to feel this performance. It wasn't great. It wasn't terrible. It wasn't even in between. It was just kind of...well, there. I'm not quite sure what the song choice was all about or the excessive amount of weirdly almost Tron-like clothed dancers were about as well. Still, I seriously doubt she's in danger but if she's going to leave at all, especially at this far in the competition, this could be it. Josh, Drew, and Melanie would all have the most to gain by a still somewhat early departure.
L.A. - Hi Rachel. So this was probably the only time I've watched you and didn't believe that you were really having a great time. It didn't - it didn't translate. You know I love you and everybody loves you but that wasn't - that wasn't the best I've seen you. (Rachel: I felt it as much as I could and I love Michael Jackson so I tried to do as best singing as I could.)
Nicole - Pumpkin, I thought you did a really good job. I didn't feel the connection between you and what the world that was created around you going onstage. I'm going to have to agree with L.A. on this one. Normally you shine all the way to the sun and back and tonight I don't know if I felt that you felt it but I guess you did feel it so thank you (?).
Paula - I'm going to start off Rachel by saying I absolutely adore you. I really do and you know that - you know that - but I will say this: I don't feel this song gave you justice [to] just how serious a singer you really are because you transcend generations and it's time to get back to what you want to do...what you want to do. Having said that, I love you.
Simon - Well it's obviously anti-Simon Night tonight so I wouldn't take any notice. Um, actually, what I love about you is - is that you always put on a show. You look like a pop star, you're having the time of your life, and luckily squiddly, diddly, and whatever doesn't vote (Paula: And Tweedle-Dumb. Tweedle Dumb.) - the public vote. (Nicole: Not tonight.)
5) Marcus Canty - Singing "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" off of Thriller, Marcus donned his best M.J. outfit and actually sported some halfway decent footwork, although of course nothing that measured up to the loftiest of expectations, but while it was great watching Marcus recapture a lot of his confidence it's unclear whether it will be enough to save him, at least vocally. The backflip however might. That hasn't been done before on the show and while it possibly could have been rather gimmicky, it was still a brilliant touch.
Nicole - Marcus, let me tell you. I love you P.Y.T. I do. I hope America recognizes and appreciates you for that amazing talent that you are, all that you offer and the spirit and the hard worker that you are. You're the whole package and I hope that America really, really votes to make sure that they keep you on this stage (?). (Marcus: Thank you so much Nicole.)
Paula - Marcus. What a beautiful monage to the late great Michael Jackson. I mean, just watching the look on your face, the perspiration, the exhilaration, you left it all out there. And you know what, Marcus? You are the whole package. You need to be a whole package to be an X Factor. You are the whole package. You are the entertainer of this show.
Simon - Uh, Marcus - I agree with everything with which Paula just said other than the vocals weren't very good; that was the problem. (Paula: It's not that the vocals were wrong.) And the problem is that when you do a routine that involves a backflip - which is probably the best part of the routine - (Paula: Oh please.) you're going to run out of breath. (Paula: Oh, that is not true Simon.) And therefore, when I hear this back at home - I don't think the vocals are going to be good at all. (Nicole: You don't know - you don't know half of what it takes to be up there, to do all of that of what he is doing. You have no idea. Paula: He is the consummate, professional entertainer. Simon: I do. I'm just telling you.) (Paula: You're a ?? Marcus, remember that.)
L.A. - You know what? It was an inventive, ah, arrangement of the song? You did a great job. That flip that you did? I hope it flips you into some votes. My man.
6) Chris Rene - Revealing that his grandfather cowrote "Rockin' Robin" was an astonishing revelation. Gina also reappeared on the show for the first time since we heard her on the other end of the phone when Chris called to say he made it to the live round. It was her first on screen resurrection since he was eliminated during Boot Camp. Singing "I'll Be There" definitely took a back seat to his video introduction. Everything about the performance just didn't capture anything. Even L.A., normally doing his double pointy thing with the ultra intense facial expressions, looked around the crowd nervously and his feedback was short, to the point, and hardly reinforcing or aspiring confidence. You'd think that of all people, L.A. would be the one to oversell it and yet he didn't. He really showed no inclination to pretend otherwise either. If I had to guess, I'd have to say that Chris is probably going home Thursday Night.
Nicole - Chris, what's so amazing about Michael Jackson s that you always feel his spirit thru his music. You feel his sprit. And I felt your spirit tonight and it was so beautiful. And I just - I loved you up there tonight. You had your own fresh spin on it; your beautiful and clean cut look. And you know what? You sounded the best you've ever sang and you should be very proud of yourself. I'm glad you - you stretched yourself.
Paula - First of all, you looked the best you ever looked and I've gotta tell you something; you manifest with abundance in the heart department. You really do. Because you're not only connecting with mine but you're connecting with the whole public. And you know what? You did this great and I think the reason why you have a tough time trying to find the right song, Chris, is because you Chris are a writer who writes songs for yourself and over ten million people wouldn't be downloading your audition "Young Homie". I think - I cannot wait until you have an album out so I can buy it.
Simon - Manifest in the heart department. (Paula: Yes, he manifests in the heart department; something you really wouldn't know much of.) I have no idea what that means. Uh, Chris, you know what, uh, I think you of all the artists, you were going to have a really tough week. I think L.A. was clever, that kind of Fugees take on it, the vocal was a little bit shaky at the top, then when the rap kicked in, much, much better, then I kind of felt it at the end. I think you're going to have, I think you're going to need a lot of support from your hometown to survive this. (Paula: Keep on voting, keep on voting.)
L.A. - Listen, I think the performance speaks for itself. You know you are the truth. Great job.
7) Melanie Amaro - Perhaps in a little behind the scenes rebuttal to Haley Reinhart's Season 10 American Idol version of the song, especially given how Simon said "it's not a song you normally touch", Melanie performed "Earth Song" with extradionary competence in the pimp spot to close out the broadcast to a standing ovation.
L.A. - Melanie. For one second, I forgot - I forgot that we were in a competition and I felt that we were at a Melanie Amaro concert. You were amazing and maybe the best of the night. I'm sure that it had nothing to do with Simon but that was good.
Nicole - Melanie, not only was it the best of the night, it was one of the best performances I've seen on this entire show. And you know what? If that performance doesn't save a small country somewhere, I don't know what will.
Paula - It was simple. It was flawless. And you are gorgeous up there and you nailed it. I'm proud of you!
Simon - Melanie, I-I could not be more proud and - I- from all of us - the fact that the Jackson Family is sitting here tonight, came out, we paid tribute to Michael, and I couldn't think of a better way (Melanie: I absolutely love this song. I love this song.) to pay tribute to one of the greatest artists in the world. Thank you very much indeed. You are amazing.
Predictions & Final Thoughts
Pretty easy call this week as far as I'm concerned. Chris Rene and Marcus Canty are probably going home with Astro possibly still being third person in the bottom. I had initially thought that Josh should have sung "Beat It", especially with his guitar, but after awhile I began to think that who really should have done it - with guitar - was Chris Rene. He's a rapper now but many have already forgotten that he started off a punk rocker in life. If he wasn't already suspecting he was in trouble coming into this week, especially given the stage of the competition, who else is left, and on the heels of some rather sub-par performances, he should have assumed he was. And L.A. Reid sure as hell should told him to act accordingly. Breaking out the guitar, singing, and putting on a very solid performance with dancers reenacting the dance moves of perhaps my personal all-time favorite music video (it's certainly in the running at the very least), would have been just the right shot in the arm and momentum that he so desperately needs at this point. He would have ended up peaking at the right time after all.
I actually changed my mind about Rachel from the time I initially wrote this to the time I was ready to publish it. This is what I originally intended to say: "Had Rachel's performance been next week or the week after, she might be in trouble but she should survive with impeachable ease this week. It'd be shocking to see her in trouble." Right now, I'm sure she's safe but I don't think she's quite the lock right now to avoid the bottom 3. We are down to just seven now anyway and it would be the perfect storm for that still somewhat early exit of hers. Provided I'm right, the competition down the stretch will just as fierce as the final weeks of the last American Idol season but the outcome for this finale will be much, much wore wide open. There truly could be a photo finish and all five expected Top 5 finalists all have a legitimate chance of winning it all. The competition is finally reaching its climatic finish and then we'll just have a month to go before American Idol starts back up and we get to do it all over again.
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