The X Factor: We've Gone Country

Tonight’s finale of The X Factor awards a $5 million recording contract and a lifetime supply of Pepsi (something like that) to one of our Final Three acts. Will it be Tate “Family Man” Stevens, Carly Rose “Alien Child” Sonenclar or Fifth “I Should Have Been a Soloist” Harmony? We have a long wait to find out the answer, but the evening does not go without a few high points….

 

The Final Three got in the holiday spirit and all tackled Christmas songs, with Tate singing “Please Come Home for Christmas,” Fifth Harmony choosing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” and Carly taking on “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Out of the three I would say I enjoyed Fifth Harmony the most…because their performance was the cheeriest. And that’s right - even Simon can love Christmas with the right song.  

Pitbull joined us this evening as well, performing "Don't Stop the Party," and the audience went absolutely crazy when One Direction took the stage to sing "Kiss You." You know somewhere in the studio Emblem3 was taking notes...or having someone take notes for them because their arms were full with multiple skateboards. Both performances were entertaining, but my favorite of the night was definitely Tate and Carly’s duet. They sang Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” beautifully. She’s just being Carly? Watch below.

 

Additionally, I’m not usually one to get excited about all of the video montages and tributes during these episodes. In fact, I used to enthusiastically fast forward through most of them (too much filler) before I started this blog. However, the clip show of Britney’s faces throughout the season is priceless. She is seen cringing while it plays, but I hope she understands that she has been the highlight of the season for many viewers. The collection of facial expressions is posted below as well. Fantastic.  

Results! While Carly did spend several weeks as the front runner and Fifth Harmony hoped to pull off an underdog win, Tate Stevens emerged victorious tonight. Carly finished in second place(bummer) with our young girl group coming in third. So, I am 0 for 2 this week with the winners for both The Voice and The X Factor, but I’m not super disappointed. Tate has been touted as the blue-collar family man with a dream all season, and it’s not a huge surprise to see him win regardless of the results I wanted.

And with that, Season 2 of The X Factor comes to an end. I’ll say that the addition of Britney and Demi made this season marginally better than the first, and for the show’s sake I hope they stick around. However, Brit Brit might be so pissed off that her girl lost, she might take an umbrella to anyone trying to offer her a 2013 contract in the near future. I wouldn’t blame her really. Should the show find new hosts? Absolutely. Preferably individuals who are slightly more literate and can sense where the cameras are by at least the 2^nd live episode. As for LA's announced departure after this season, I had initially been pleased....but now that he proved that the "old people" category can produce a winner (come on - that's really what they should call it), would it be better if he stayed? I think so, but that's just one opinion.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season, and I look forward to American Idol’s return in 2013!

The X Factor Finale: Anything Goes

Finale aside just for a moment, Simon addresses the TV audience and expresses heartfelt condolences on behalf of The X Factor to the victims, families and loved ones of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The Top 13 open the show singing Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone,” dressed all in white and looking very angelic. As Carly Rose sings the last verse, a children’s choir joins them in front of the judges’ table as the names of the fallen are revealed on the screens behind them. Very classy and very well done. Thank you.

 

Mario and Khloe join us now, telling us this is it and our final three will be competing for first, second and third place. I know. Math is hard. So is the English language. Each act will perform a duet with another artist, a song they have already sang this season, and a new song. There are apparently some surprises in store for us as well (please tell me Khloe has a wardrobe change coming) so let’s get going!

 

 
Act:        Carly Rose Sonenclar
Team:    Britney
Song:     “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone

Carly blew everyone away when she sang this song during auditions. Hell, Simon even gave her a standing ovation then. Tonight she is more polished, more confident, and is “in it to win it” as Randy would say. I enjoy the staging and the arrangement, and honestly her vocal is even better than it was the first time we saw her. Awesome.

 

Judges Say: LA tells Carly she is in a tough spot because she needs to top everything she’s done….and she did. Demi thinks Carly is going to inspire so many young girls to follow their dreams. Simon thinks tonight’s rendition is even better than her audition. Britney point blank says “we’re gonna win this.”

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Act:        Tate Stevens 

Team:    LA

Song:     “Anything Goes” by Randy Houser

 

So, Carly just improved upon her audition song, but will Tate do the same? I’m not sure I would go that far but I do find his performance enjoyable. He is always pleasant to listen to, but I’m not really “wowed” by him with this song.

 

Judges Say: Britney says that when Tate does “right down the middle country” he is at his best. Demi is still a huge fan saying Tate turned the song into a stadium performance. Simon agrees with Demi (wow!) and congratulates LA on Tate’s evolvement. LA compliments Tate for not changing who he is as the competition as wore on.

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Act:        Fifth Harmony

Team:   Simon
Song:     “Anything Can Happen” by Ellie Goulding

Okay, I am all about the encore round – I think it’s important for the voters to recall certain turning points in the competition. However, Fifth Harmony could have switched it up just a little. This is pretty much a carbon copy (costumes, staging, props) of last week. That being said…they sound amazing, so I’m not going to be cranky about this for too long.

Judges Say: LA says the group is magical, and he no longer believes they are the underdogs. Britney believes this was the perfect song choice for the encore. Demi thinks the girls work so hard and hopes America pulls through for them. Simon compliments the work ethic of the girls and believes something special will happen if they win the show.

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Act:        Carly Rose Sonenclar and Leann Rimes

Team:    Britney
Song:     “How Do I Live” by well, Leann (though Trisha Yearwood’s version is better)
 

This is an interesting choice of duet partner since Carly is not a country girl. I guess they are going for the “one former teen phenom to new teen phenom” thing, but why not just have her sing with Britney? This is actually less of a duet and more of a competition, and Carly absolutely out sings her. And dude, Leann is scaaaaary. I worry that she might abduct our front runner when the show ends.

 

Um... a lil help for Carly? Please? I've never been so happy yo see our hosts arrive onstage.

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Act:        Tate Stevens and Little Big Town

Team:    LA
Song:     “Pontoon” by Little Big Town
 

Now that’s more like it. Tate is right at home with this song and fits right in with Little Big Town. He’s having such a good time, and he’s clearly a fan of the group. He’s even busting out some pretty snazzy dance moves. Get it, Tate!

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Act:        Fifth Harmony and Demi Lovato
Team:    Simon
Song:     “Give Your Heart a Break” by Demi

The girls looooooove Demi, and Demi really seems to genuinely love the girls too. As amazing as they all sound together, my favorite part is when Demi descends the stairs in front of the judges table and sings directly to Simon with sass. This, by far, is the best of the “duets” and might actually be my favorite performance so far tonight. Simon gives them a standing ovation and I giggle because I think he means it.

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Act:        Carly Rose Sonenclar

Team:    Britney
Song:     “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
 

Uh oh. This is the song The Voice used as their tribute to Sandy Hook Elementary School two nights ago. Granted, Carly was probably working on this performance before Monday, but it’s a tough situation. She also had to change the “how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya” lyrics. However, she sings the song incredibly well, and though this tune is used far too often in these singing competitions anyway, I still appreciate what Carly does with her performance here.

 Judges Say: LA says Carly had a really angelic moment and didn’t over sing it. Demi believes that Carly sang like “a ridiculously talented angel.” Simon says she looked great and sounded great and Carly had a beautiful rendition. Britney tells Simon to get out his checkbook. Ha!
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Act:        Tate Stevens

Team:    LA
Song:     “Tomorrow” by Chris Young
 

Whether Tate, Carly or Fifth Harmony become the act to win it all tomorrow, I truly hope that Tate is taken care of in the country music industry. He has so much to offer, and this is his best performance of the night. He’s still not a stand out for me, but I do love him. How could I not?

Judges Say: Britney always enjoys Tate’s performances. Demi is going to miss seeing Tate perform on this stage every week. Simon reminds him not to worry about his day job. LA says Tate comes out every week and consistently delivers, and he thanks Tate’s family for pushing him to audition.

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Act:        Fifth Harmony
Team:    Simon
Song:     “Let it Be” by The Beatles
 

I love this song. Always have. I also loved it LAST WEEK when TerryMcDermott sang it on The Voice. This duplicate could have easily been avoided. I do enjoy the first half of the song, but when the choir kicks in (not sure why a group of five needs a choir for this….and how many choirs do we need tonight?), they start to stray from the melody and I’m not as much of a fan. Just me.

 

Judges Say: LA says the girls have come so far and they did the song justice. Britney thinks the performance was great. Demi is very proud of them. Simon tells them they are five great singers and they deserve to win.

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That’s it! Now it’s up to America. I’m pulling for Carly Rose Sonenclar for the win, and she’s been my favorite for a while now. I think she is an incredibly talented kid who can join the ranks of other teens “in the business” who are actually role models and not train wrecks. Would I be upset if either of the other two acts win? Nah, probably not. But we’ll see who lands themselves a $5 million contract tomorrow – til then!

The Voice: Finale, Part 2

Welcome to the final 2012 episode of The Voice! Tonight we sit through 2 hours of various performances and video montages, and we also finallllllly crown a winner. Our final three anxiously await the results, as do their coaches, Blake and Cee Lo. But in the meantime, here are some highlights from the evening.

for starters, Cee Lo showed up in a pimped out sleigh dressed as Jesus to give cars to Cassadee, Nicholas and Terry. Now THAT'S what I call holiday cheer. I'm not exaggerating. He then wore some sort of white armor off and on for the remainder of the show.

The Top 20 returned as well and engaged in some nifty (and also some painful) group numbers, but we were additionally treated to some guest performers this evening. Rihanna performed a rather fierce rendition of “Diamonds,” and The Killers sang "Here With Me." Terry McDermott was joined by Peter Frampton to sing a lovely version of "Baby I Love Your Way," and Cassadee Pope (predictably) shared the stage with Avril Lavigne for "I'm With You." They were almost the same person? Regardless, Nicholas David had the best duet partner as he and Smokey Robinson were pretty amazing with their rendition of “Cruisin.” Watch Below:

 

 

My favorite performance of the evening (duh) was seeing the newly engaged Kelly Clarkson perform “Catch My Breath” with Terry and Cassadee. Pure awesomeness. Incidentally, Kelly is engaged to Blake’s manager, so they are just one big happy family….and I’m jealous? Also, when Christina Milian talked to Kelly later on in the show, she referred to her as “the biggest artist on the planet.” I would have paid good money to see Xtina’s reaction at that moment. I rewound the performance and tried to catch a glimpse of Xtina to see if she was throwing anything, but I was unsuccessful. Here’s the video (awesomeness): 

 

 

As we welcome a new victor to The Voice family tonight, we are also saying goodbye to two of our coaches as Xtina and Cee Lo will be leaving next season. Xtina will be going on tour and Cee Lo is apparently working on a new TV sitcom. No word yet on whether his animals will be featured. They will be replaced by Usher and Shakira (no fighting) when The Voice returns in 2013. To send them off in style, all four coaches sing: Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” This is my favorite collaboration of these four by far. Fantastic.

 

 

Results! Our final three – Cassadee Pope, Terry McDermott and Nicholas David were fierce competitors for these past few months, but in the end, Cassadee emerged victorious. Team Blake actually finished first and second place, with Cee Lo’s Nicholas finishing third. I would have loved to have seen Terry win it all, but I can't say Cassadee didn't earn it. Her performances last night kind of say it all. Congrats!

Season 3 Winner Cassadee Pope!!!

This by far was my favorite season of The Voice. This combination of coaches/judges is hands down the best on television, and I will greatly miss Xtina and Cee Lo when they move on next year. I can't say I'm thrilled about their replacements either....  

But with The Voice and The X Factor ending this week, blogging goes on a bit of a hiatus until the American Idol live shows start. With those judges reportedly already feuding, that should be a good time. Til then!