Tonight on The X Factor the final eight contestants compete for spots
in the Top 6, and Mario tells us that acts have to really “dig deep” this week.
Thanks for that. This happens right before the hosts read from the
teleprompter, realize they were supposed to walk to the center of the stage,
then awkwardly walk and continue to kind of read from the teleprompter. Oh
hell. Just bring on the performances.
Act: Diamond White
Team: BritneySong: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston
More Whitney? Why? Are there a limited number of artists the
contestants have to choose from each week? This kid sang “I Have Nothing”
during the live shows already. Sigh. Diamond starts seated on a set of stairs
singing a very slow (but pretty) version of the song….then she tells everyone
to get up, and the dance music kicks in. She looks incredibly uncomfortable
with the second half of the song, but Brit Brit is right – a 13 year old can’t
sing ballads every week and win the show.Judges Say: LA gives her an “A” for effort and a “B” for execution. Demi loves that Diamond had fun but she needs to bring more to it. Simon thinks Demi is crazy because Diamond took on a challenging song based on the tempo and choreography. Britney is very proud and would dance with her anytime.
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Act: Vino Alan
Team: LA
Song: “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by The Righteous Brothers
Vino initially wanted to sing “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” but after several rehearsals, LA was not having it. Honestly, this isn’t much better than what we were seeing in rehearsals. If LA wasn’t satisfied with Vino’s number 3 spot last week, I imagine he is going to be all sorts of pissed off this week.
Judges Say: Britney says we
see the same thing every week, and we need something fresh. Demi was not
entertained at all (which is fine because she haaaaates Vino anyway). Simon says Vino has a great singing voice, but this wasn’t
the song for him. LA completely disagrees with everyone. Of course he does.
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Act: Paige Thomas
Team: DemiSong: “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley
Paige and Demi fought about how Paige would perform this song – Demi
wanted a stripped down version and Paige wanted to dance. I guess they compromised
because the song starts off slow (well, the first 15 seconds of it), but then the beat kicks up and Paige works a
wooden beam like a stripper pole. She is joined by backup dancers as she makes
her way to the middle of the stage, and I really, really like this. I hope she
is safe tomorrow and is able to make her own choices next week.
Judges Say: LA has an ear to ear grin and says that
this was by far Paige's best performance. Britney thinks what Paige did with the
staging and dancing worked well for her tonight. Agreed, and Paige should be very proud of herself for telling Demi to stuff it. Simon thinks this is the first night Paige
has looked and sounded like a legitimate pop star, and he really liked what she did with the performance. Demi says that when she and Paige
work together, the performance really clicks. Translation: when I listen to you and it
works, I take partial credit.
Act: Fifth Harmony
Team: SimonSong: “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)“ by Kelly Clarkson
Poor Ally lost her grandfather this week and is going through an array
of emotions as she prepares for this performance. I feel for her. There’s
nothing like an awesome, supportive grandpa. She holds it together here and seems
very empowered by the song, and really…I love their performance. I was hoping they
would work the stage a little but that is a very minor complaint. Well done,
kids.
Judges Say: LA thought the
performance was good but not groundbreaking because he is a jerk. Britney thought the song really
worked for them. Demi says this is one of the group’s best performances but
also notes that they should have moved around more. Simon tells them they gave
a fantastic performance and Ally’s grandfather would be very proud.
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Act: Carly Rose Sonenclar
Team: BritneySong: “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele
I worry about this. I really feel like the Adele covers should stop. However, Carly Rose is so good. SO good. There’s really nothing about her rendition that I don’t like, but I still don’t encourage Adele covers on these singing competitions.
Judges Say: LA says this
was not her best performance, but even her second best is better than everybody
else’s first best. At least that's still a compliment. Demi thinks she is amazing. Simon tells her the first half of
the song was good and the second half of the song was sensational. Britney
thinks Carly Rose took the competition to the next level.
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Act: Tate Stevens
Team: LASong: “Somebody Like You” by Keith Urban
Tate plays the guitar! Not that I needed another reason to love him,
but now I have one. He’s having a great time with this song and really just
fits the role of a country star so easily – almost in a Garth Brooks kind of
way. This is my favorite performance of his, hands down.
Judges Say: Britney is
convinced Tate will be accepting a country music award someday. Demi loves how
much fun Tate had on stage tonight. Simon tells Tate that he is back with
passion (because coming in #2 last week instead of #1 is grounds for needing a comeback?). LA says Tate is lovable and the performance was great.
-----------------------------------------Act: CeCe Frey
Team: Demi
Song: “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera
Whoa. I feel like Lyric 145 just completely hijacked CeCe’s performance, because this
takes me back to their “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” debacle a few weeks
ago. There is just SO much going on here. Furniture! Props! Dancers! Confetti! My
brain is going to explode! But the kicker is – her vocals are pretty much on
point tonight. What to do?
Judges Say: LA says CeCe is
a fighter, and he really enjoyed the performance. Brit Brit thinks CeCe stepped
it up a notch. Simon felt like he had eaten 62 portions of chocolate cake,
meaning there were too many distractions. He tells her to pack her bags. Demi
says CeCe came out swinging and she’s very proud.
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Act: Emblem3
Team: DemiSong: “I’m a Believer”…seems to be Smash Mouth’s version
I definitely understand why the boys got the pimp slot at the end of
the show. Sure, this is a little over the top, but unlike poor CeCe’s
performance, there is nothing desperate about it. The guys are overwhelmed because
they keep getting recognized in public (where a camera crew is following them
around….they’re not exactly just taking a stroll incognito), but I do think
they are on the path of One Direction and The Wanted. Good for them.
Judges Say: LA says the
guys have “the x factor” and he would sign them immediately. Britney is a fan
of the group, but she didn’t like the song choice. Demi says she isn’t sure
what Simon is doing with them and thinks the guys are predictable every week….but
will still get votes because they are young and good-looking. Simon thinks Demi
criticizing him is ironic. “I’ve sold over 300,000,000.00 records, sweetheart.”
She has no response for that. Clearly. Simon then says the guys have turned
into real pop stars.
-----------------------------------------It's been quite a night. We had the world premiere of Will.i.am and Britney's new music video "Scream and Shout," and I'll say that it was nice to hear the return of the words "it's Britney, bitch." It was comforting in a very strange but wonderful way. We also saw Simon really shut Demi up for the first time this season. I can't believe he hasn't made her sit next to LA yet.
The X Factor will lose two more acts during the results show,
and for crying out loud (no pun intended), I hope Fifth Harmony makes it
through – they were only one spot ahead of CeCe last week. However, will CeCe
head home this week for sure? Did LA screw Vino with the song choice? Was
Diamond’s performance graded an “A” for effort but an “F” because it’s easily
forgettable? We’ll find out tomorrow. Til then!
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