MJ’s Take: The Top 4 Lack Movie Magic
This week’s theme, songs from the cinema, should have offered a wealth of tunes for our remaining Top 4 contestants. Instead, the Idols had a list of 50 songs to choose from, and as you can see, the list is made of pure Velveeta cheese.
That’s why I laughed when Simon Cowell kept complaining about the kids’ terrible song choices — reminding them of the thousands and thousands of songs they had to choose from. I can only imagine the contestants biting their tongues as they stood on the stage listening to that nonsense. Actually, I think the contestants chose as well as they could considering the slim pickings.
‘American Idol’: On the scene for Top 4 performance night
Last night was only my fifth visit to the Idoldome, and already a wave of Groundhog Day déjà vu has taken hold of me. Is Corey the Warm-Up Comic really asking two young women to show off their best Beyoncé moves yet again? Is the Casey-Kara-cougar relationship really still a topic of conversation this late in the game? And is Lee really going to perform Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” only three weeks after Big Mike sang Chad Kroeger’s rip-off “Hero”? (Listen to the two superhero songs and convince me they aren’t identical twins separated at birth). But despite feeling like my time in the Idoldome was some sort of glitch in the Matrix, it’s impossible not to feed off the excitement of all the audience members around you. As Corey reminds us each week, this is the No. 1 show on TV, so lighten up, John, and bask in Idol‘s soothing, repetitive warmth.
‘American Idol’ recap: All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt
This just in: The producers of American Idol are about to take control of all your favorite reality shows. On Top Chef, contestants will be asked to create a tempting amuse-bouche made from clams, pearl onions, and at least three flavors of Skittles. On Project Runway, the designers will be making functional evening gowns for their mothers using fetid animal hides and barbed wire. And on America’s Next Top Model, the girls will carry flaming batons while they walk a fashion tightrope that’s hoisted over a giant, kerosene-filled pool.
You’ll love these changes, America, because at the end of the day, there’s nothing more entertaining than seeing a group of ambitious and talented young people get set up for abject failure! Or, then again, maybe not.
More Recaps after the JUMP…
‘American Idol’ Recap: Crystal Bowersox And ‘Caddyshack’ Win Movie Night
Watching “Songs of the Cinema” night on “American Idol” was a lot like eating a large popcorn at the movies. Some of the kernels were close to perfect, with salty flavor and crispness balanced perfectly (Crystal). Others were stale, as if the concession workers had just dumped a new batch on top of one that had been sitting around since the theatrical run of “Kindergarten Cop” (Lee). And others were inexplicably soggy, which totally makes you gag ’cause Lord knows you didn’t order any butter (Michael). (If Aaron was still on the show, I’d also talk about the kernels that were too young to pop.) And when the end credits rolled, you felt so bloated you regretted buying popcorn to begin with.
Crystal Bowersox Shines On ‘American Idol’ Movie Night
Would it be a blockbuster or a bomb? That was the key question heading into Songs of the Cinema Night on Tuesday’s (May 11) “American Idol, ” a theme whose approved song list heavily favored a perplexing mix of tunes from golden oldies, ’80s action flicks and Disney cartoons. And while this Hollywood-centric episode might not be the stuff of awards-season glory, the “Idol” crew handled themselves well in front of the camera. Crystal Bowersox shined like a seasoned A-lister and made Lee Dewyze look like a breakout star during their duet. Meanwhile, Casey James and Michael Lynche proved they just might not be bankable solo stars at this point in the competition.
‘American Idol’ Season 9 Final 4 Perform, Jamie Foxx Gives Out T-Shirts: TV Recap
Week four is an important one for American Idol. This is the week Chris Daughtry was booted from the running four years ago. Anything can happen. (Ironic that Daughtry will perform Wednesday night.)
The theme for duet week was songs from the movies. Helping the contestants along was Jaime Foxx, star of television, film and the recording booth. To inject some inspiration, he brought two types of T-shirts for the Idols: contestant or artist.
Ann Powers: Who needs movies when you have real life?
Music, as mentor Jamie Foxx stated near the start of Tuesday’s “Idol” throwdown, provides the soundtrack to our lives. It also usually does so for movies. But that little detail didn’t seem to matter much to our Top Four, whose song choices Tuesday night reflected little thought about how a song can feed a film’s drama (or comedy) or whether others may have gained greater meaning from a connection with a cinema classic.
Idol’s Top 4, Under the Eye of Jamie Foxx
First off, thanks to Jamie Foxx for this black American Apparel t-shirt with CRITIC splayed across the front that I’m wearing as I write this. The other option he presented me with was SCOLD, which was just ungenerous. It’s as if he hasn’t been watching the show this season.
Why else would he engage the final four contestants with such vigor, such grace? Watching Foxx mentor the largely hapless bunch on movie-song night verged on excruciating — not because of his orgy of eye contact and his staging of camera shots while still in the frame, but because up against him, Lee, Casey, Mike and Crystal came off like meek third graders, wowed by a guest speaker on career day.
Movie night with Jamie Foxx is an ‘Idol’ dud
On “Songs of the Cinema” night, it was Crystal Bowersox who earned the “American Idol” Oscar.
She was the only singer to come through with a noteworthy solo performance, which got her more effusive praise than she’s earned over the past two weeks. Indeed, after Bowersox finished her hit-worthy cover of “I’m Alright” from the movie “Caddyshack, ” Simon Cowell told her she was “back in the game.”
‘American Idol’ Loses Its Shirt At The Movies
Tonight’s ‘American Idol‘ focused on songs from the movies, or at least songs from movies’ officially licensed tie-in soundtracks. Leading their charge this evening was the night’s mentor Jamie Foxx, who presented each contestant with a dilemma involving T-shirts, artistry, and their desire to break through and put their actual mark on the competition.
It was basically a gimmick where Foxx proffered two shirts, one that said “contestant” and one that was emblazoned with the word “artist.” And he would tease the contestants over whether or not they had “earned” their shirts based on their performance during the one-on-one training session; while this somehow seemed to be a pretty good motivating technique for the remaining four singers, all of whom definitely wanted the “artist” tees, I’m not sure if we really needed to watch that bit of the process up close.
Blake Lewis: ‘Waiting for someone to have an amazing performance’
Tuesday, Jamie Foxx mentored the top four contestants on American Idol. This was his second time being on the show giving advice. He did a really great job and they actually listened.
Lee DeWyze was first up to bat, singing Kiss From a Rose. I didn’t like it. I’m a big fan of Seal, and Lee didn’t do anything to the arrangement. He was flat at times, for instance, but at least he took Jamie’s advice and focused his eyes toward the cameras.
Jamie Foxx gets ready for his close-up on ‘American Idol’
Jamie Foxx, last season’s winner of Worst ‘Idol’ Mentor Ever, has been asked back because, some news reports say, he’s under consideration to replace Simon Cowell as the show’s Alpha Judge.
“He made such an impact we asked him back” show host Ryan Seacrest gushes at the start of the show.
Once again, Foxx doesn’t coach the Idolettes – he creates camera angles for himself as he acts out scenes from his new movie, “Jamie Foxx: The Return of the ‘American Idol’ Mentor.”
‘American Idol’ Recap: Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze Soar on ‘Falling Slowly’ Duet
With Oscar winner and R&B crooner Jamie Foxx as their mentor, the “American Idol” top 4 tackled songs from the movies tonight. Sadly, no one picked the awesome “Ghostbusters” theme that was on the list of cleared songs, but there were still plenty of eye-brow raising choices. Here’s how the gang fared.
Final Four: “Some Out of Tune Moments”
Ah, Movie theme night, one of my favorite weeks on Idol, not because it’s good, but because it’s almost guaranteed to suck. I’ve enjoyed trainwreck Idol Movie Nights ever since Clay Aiken butchered a Fievel Mouskewitz song way back on Season 2. And don’t bother writing to tell me he sang it well. I didn’t actually listen to the song because I was laughing too hard. But we also got another reminder that an Idol Dueling Duet night would be awesome. We could tell the difference between the contenders and also-rans in half the time.
This sucked harder than Ishtar: AI9 Top 4 Songs of the Cinema Recap
It’s the episode you’ve all been waiting for! Season 9’s Top 4 contestants sing some mostly terrible songs from movies mostly released before DVDs ever existed. American Idol is analog, baby! If your playlists mirror your favorite easy listening station and your movies look best on VHS, this is THE place to be for Songs of the Cinema!
Ryan Seacrest says only one of the four remaining contestants will realize their dream of becoming the American Idol. Is this so, Ryan? Can you not read the misery tattooed on all their faces? The only one who really WANTS to be an American Idol is Michael Lynche. Its why he waves with both hands when walking out onto the stage. Waving to a throng of strangers with two hands is international sign language for I want to be the American Idol.
American Idol Recap: Who Gave Us Movie Magic?
The final four. Three of these American Idol contestants win a victorious trip home, ticker tape, and a bust of Randy Jackson from the mayor, while one retreats to a life of inevitable obesity. Is there any stopping the judges’ call of a Bowersox-DeWyze final two? Or are we in for a surprise tomorrow night? We’re breaking it down fairly, ranking “Songs from the Cinema” night’s performances (including the duets) from worst to best. Videos included! Spoiler: Die, Randy.
American Idol Recap: Jamie Foxx, Movie Star and T-Shirt Dispenser
Last night’s episode of American Idol featured the top four performing the “songs of the cinema” with the help of guest mentor Jamie Foxx. His mentoring stint last season might have been a bust, but last night he actually bared more teeth than any other mentor this season. The actor showed up with two piles of T-shirts, one labeled “Contestant” and the other labeled “Artist.” He told each singer to prove to him during rehearsals that they deserved to get the Artist tee, someone “who you want to see in concert, whose records we’re going to buy.”
‘American Idol’ And ‘Falling Slowly’: Making A Great Song Not Quite Work
Last night on American Idol was movie night, and because there are only four contestants and there were 60 long minutes to fill, there were two duets added to the usual solo performances.
This, of course, spared us either additional Ryan Seacrest banter, which would have been regrettable, additional Ryan Seacrest-Simon Cowell banter, which woudl have been regrettable and probably kind of gay-panicky, or more footage of Jamie Foxx as the world’s creepiest and least helpful mentor. So in that sense, the duets were a good idea.
“American Idol” recap: Down to the final four
It is more than clear that Season 9 of “American Idol” is going to end with a whimper and not a bang, despite the fact that this is Simon’s last season with “American Idol”. Even Simon’s demeanor this season has been one of seeming apathy, a shrug of the shoulder and an implied, “So what?”
Last Tuesday night’s ratings were the lowest since 2003 and the show was beat out by the cringeable “Dancing With The Stars.”You know a show is in trouble when it is beat out by the likes of Niecy and Erin Andrews (the woman who needs to stick to sports casting).
Baby Aaron Kelly was sent packing, blankie and all. He should return in a couple of years after he’s reached puberty. He had some potential.
