Tonight signaled the return of the celebrity mentor. I do believe Will.i.am sitting in on Jimmy Iovine’s little chat session with the contestants was not a fluke. Nigel’s a smart guy. He must realize what terrible TV Jimmy is. Will.i.am was at least entertaining, and had some good advice for the kids. The result was the best episode so far of all the live shows.
Having said that…judges? Could you at least throw some constructive criticism out there? Not only is it boring listening to you blow smoke up the kids asses, telling them how “beautiful” and “amazing” they are, but you aren’t helping them in the end.
Every performance tonight could have used a little constructive criticism. The highlight of hilarity was Randy calling Casey’s use of the upright bass “revolutionary”. Steven calls everything and everyone “beautiful”. I don’t know what happened to Jlo this week, her nuanced appraisals of the last few episodes disappeared. Maybe she missed dress rehearsal.
The two Idols I had at the bottom of my Power list–Stefano and Paul performed last, and Stefano had help from heavyweight Ryan Tedder. I don’t know….we could lose another girl/minority this week, which would have the media types collectively wringing their hands. I wouldn’t blame sexism/racism, though. The majority of female voters do tend to vote for the guys, but the producers used their save on a guy, and have chosen to help out two guys this week who have been languishing at the bottom. Then, there’s Jacob Lusk not helping himself at all by taking America to task for putting him in the bottom 3. Really Jacob? If you end up in the B3 this week it’s because I refuse to “look at myself in the mirror?” Sanctimonious much?
Gwen Stefani’s fashions for the girls were mostly damn fugly. Holy hell, get the regular stylists back, stat please.
Pia? You sing beautifully, but you could take a few charisma lessons from Scotty. But then, Carrie Underwood performed like a petrified tree stump during her Idol run, and it didn’t hurt her any. Still. I find Pia’s cold perfection numbing.
My favorite performances were Paul McDonalds lively and energized Johnny Cash cover. His vocal troubles seem to be easing up, and Haley Reinhart, who sounded bluesy and awesome singing Janis.
Tomorrow night, Constantine Maroulis sings the classic “Unchained Melody”.
Tonight’s American Idol performance show is only 90 minutes long!
The American Idol Top 9 tackle songs from the Rock & Roll Hall of fame and features an all-star cast of mentors, including Will.i.am who helped the kids pick their songs, Gwen Stefani who helped with styling and Ryan Tedder who produced Stefano Langone’s performance track.
Live blog and Video after the JUMP…
Ryan and the Idols come out from backstage together. Everyone is ready to RAWK!!! Jennifer Lopez decided on the form-fitting cream and gold outfit.
Oh…Gwen Stefani is styling the girls in her Lamb line. Of course, she’s pimping something! Steven Tyler narrates a film package on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was honored in the 90s. “Maybe this will put an end to…aren’t you Mick Jagger?” Poor Steven gets no respect. Judging Idol probably isn’t helping.
What the hell IS Randy wearing? It looks like a space suit.
Jacob Lusk – “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson – “Let’s Get in On” – Will.i.am helped produce Jacob! The producers wanted him to sing Marvin’s “Let’s Get it On”. But heck. That’s not him. He’s a guy with a moral code! So he’s singing “Man in the Mirror” And America? If you put Jacob in the B3 this week. IT’S BECAUSE YOU CAN’T LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR. Yep. Jacob really said that. Way to commit IDOL SUICIDE DUDE. The performance? He dialed back the over-singing, there were some good moments. But, I can’t get past the lecture. Hip thrusts? Must be left over from the Marvin song. “Mirror” co-writer, Siedah, sang backup with Jacob. Jennifer: Every time you sing you bring another little piece to the party. You make everybody know that if you believe in yourself, you can do anything. Randy: Dude I’m so proud of you. (for sticking to his convictions) There were moments all over that. 1-866-436-5701 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Haley Reinhart – “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin – Will.i.am must be sitting in with all the kids. Nigel has figured out that Jimmy Iovine is terrible TV. I think the celebrity mentors are back for good. Leather pants instead of short shorts this week (thank you Gwen, she doesn’t need the distraction this week.) Haley is finally…KILLING IT. Wow. She’s made to sing rock. She needs to dial back the growl a little, some of her phrasing is sloppy. But, man this is impassioned. Good stuff. Jennifer: We’re off to a strong start here. You’re a contender. they need to be careful with Haley. You’re going to be around for a minute. Randy: We were referring to that bluesy soul thing that you have….that’s the Haley that we loved when we first saw you. Welcome back. Steven: I couldn’t find nothin wrong with that. You’ve taken it up a few notches. You nailed it. 1-866-436-5702 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Casey Abrams – “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival – He canned “Every Little Thing is Magic”. OHHHH Smart dude. That song never fails to be a trainwreck on Idol. Will.i.am thought it sounded too Vegas. So Casey switches to Creedence. He’s singing with his upright bass. Guitarist on a mandolin. Nice vocal, bass is a nice touch. Casey really has great phrasing. So musical. Good job, considering he changed his song last-minute. Randy: You made CCR proud. You made the upright base cool. This is revolutionary (uhm. not really Randy) Steven: You are a true musician. Every time you sing you bring something different. Jennifer: That’s where you belong, with your bass. I’m paying top dollar to sit in the front row. Casey says he feels like he has to give 150% after his elimination. 1-866-436-5703 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Lauren Alaina – “Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin – R&B and Country is magic, says Will.i.am. There’s not much country going on in this arrangement. But it doesn’t really matter. This has been done a lot on Idol and beyond. It’s really hard to bring something new to the plate–she didn’t. But still a solid job, showcasing her big ole’ voice. Steven: I love you. Tonight you are a natural born woman. Jennifer: She’s amazing. Randy: You picked one of the most difficult one. You did a good job on it. There were some people on this stage before you that really laid it out. 1-866-436-5704 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Killing time with the judges!
James Durbin – While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison – James wants to take a risk this week. Strings for James. This is that sit-in-a-chair and show us you can sing moment for James. He hits a big ole’ high note to finish off. The performance felt oddly unfocused at times, but it had some very nice moments. Aw. James is crying! Jennifer: It’s nice to see that other side of you. It’s so special to watch. A great choice. Randy: I loved seeing the real true emotional side of James Durbin. You have to take chances in order to be an artist. You won, you did a good job. Steven: It’s really good to see that not only your guitar gently weeped, but you did as well. 1-866-436-5705 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Scotty McCreery – “That’s All Right Mama” by Elvis Presley – Jimmy tells Scotty to give it a rock edge. “It’s not going to be that country Scotty” this week. Sounds pretty country to me. He also sounds like an Elvis impersonator. the vocal is nothing special, but Scotty has a ton of charisma on stage. His ease, for a kid is amazing. OMG staged bit with some girls rushing him on stage. Randy: Scotty is in it to win it. Anyone who thought you were a one trick pony…this was like a new Scotty. Steven: I thought you were all hat and no cattle….but you brought Elvis into it…You did well. Jennifer: You’re having fun with it…you’re funny. I feel a little bit of flavor in there (she must be referring to Scotty’s weird hand signals) 1-866-436-5706 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Christian Slater pimps his new FOX show.
Pia Toscano – “River Deep Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner – Wow. Gwen, you got something against Pia? That outfit is FUGLY. Pia finally goes uptempo tonight, proving she can do it. She’s got an incredible instrument. But all those polite suggestions from the judges to study the greats? Methinks it’s really about the fact that she lacks charisma on the Idol stage. What she really proves is that the “it” factor is so much more than a great voice. Steven: Murderer! Murderer! You killed it! Jennifer: That was amazing. Vocally you proved to us that you can sing an uptempo. I’m going to keep pushing you. You need to study all of the great entertainers. You are spectacular, but keep studying. Randy: All you need to do is work on the movement. Pia is in it to win it. 1-866-436-5707 VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Stefano Langone – “When A Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge – Ryan Tedder helped produce this song. The producers are coaching him on his phrasing. He needs it. This is a very very good vocal. It’s much better if I listen to him without looking. His phrasing has improved, but the stage persona is still tres cheesy. Outstretched hand? Eep. Jennifer: I knew you had it in you. That was beautiful. I loved it. I felt it for the first time. That had another layer of emotion to it. Amazing. Randy: I wasn’t jumping up and down. The first half felt a little jerky to me. Steven: I liked the old timey feel…I liked where you took it. A lot of passion. Beautiful. 1-866-436-5708 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
Paul McDonald – “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash – Jimmy tells Paul to sing it like he’s “out of his f*cking mind”. Don’t tone it down! (VFTW 4 the WIN heh) Paul’s on acoustic guitar, He’s got two guys on stage with him. His vocals sound MUCH better this week. His performance is energized this week in a way it hasn’t been since the finals began. Wow. Paul is in rare form tonight. Maybe last week’s trip to the B3 shook him up a bit. Or maybe he’s getting more sleep. Great performance from Paul. Randy: three words: I LOVED IT. You’re such a crazy character. A perfect imperfect boy. A perfect way to end the show. Good job. Right in your lane. 1-866-436-5709 – VIDEO – PERFORMANCE
And the show ends with a…HOOTENANNY! – VIDEO
