American Idol: Someone's Bound to Get Burned

On tonight’s episode of American Idol, the Top 3 ladies duke it out in what may be the closest race for the finale in a very long time. The contestants will take on three songs tonight: one chosen by Jimmy Iovine, one chosen by the judges, and one chosen by the producers. Nice to know the singers have so much input… Let’s get to it and see if any favoritism resurfaces with these choices.

ROUND 1

Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song:  “Perfect” by Pink

While Hollie Cavanagh was wonderful when she performed this song last season, I kind of also enjoy the country-ish version Kree gives us here. Not my favorite Kree performance, mainly because we mostly just get the chorus over and over again, but I’m looking forward to her other two songs tonight for sure.

 

Judges Say: Keith reminds us that Kree is country. Nicki’s voice at this point is just like nails on a chalkboard to me. She thinks Kree should try wearing flat boots so she can move around more….which makes total sense given Kree was not singing an up tempo dance tune. Randy didn’t love the song choice (not her choice, Randy) and thought it fell a little flat. Mariah feels that it’s difficult to have the song chosen for you, and she feels like Kree was connected and did the best she could.

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Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “One” by U2

Candice’s rendition reminds me of the Mary J. Blige take on the song from a few years ago. This is meant as a compliment, and honestly, I think Candice might even do it better. The song takes off immediately and stays powerful throughout the entire performance.  Jimmy did a much better job with Candice’s selection than Kree’s. Interesting.

Judges Say: Nicki’s boobs do a Q&A with Candice and then Nicki tells Candice she did the song justice. For the second time tonight, Randy begins his critique with “yo” and then compliments Candice on her emotional connection to the performance. Mariah is still trying to figure out how Candice has been working as anything other than a singer because she is a professional. Keith loved the song choice and says the power in her makes everyone feel what she feels when she sings.

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Contestant: Angie Miller
Song:  “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” by Elton John

Someone else is playing the piano for Angie in Round 1 and I’m actually really glad. As much as I like it when Angie gets all fiery when she’s playing, I think her subtle set up is perfect for this song. I’m also not seeing any pageant-y nonsense either, so all in all, I really like this performance.

Judges Say: Randy thoughtfully asks Angie if it was hard for her to sing that song without the piano…because, you know, Angie can’t really sing without the piano…and the judges love the piano. Angie says “no” with a smile and Randy talks some more about the piano and how much he likes Angie with the piano. We finally move on to Mariah who feels that this was one of Angie’s best performances. Keith thinks Angie could have held back more (Really? Did he want her to whisper?) and choose her big notes carefully. Nicki loves Angie’s outfit and believes Angie has stepped up her game.

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ROUND 2

Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “Next to Me” by Emeli Sande

I love this song. I may have spent several days with it on “repeat” on my iPod when it was first released. Much like her Bruno Mars cover last week, this performance is all about storytelling for Candice. It’s great to see her doing something upbeat as well and she looks like she’s having a great time. Glad to see that smile, because her hometown video footage was just unreal. Sooooo much emotion, and the whole thing was very moving.

Judges Say: Mariah feels that Candice was re-energized with her trip home and has nothing but good things to say. Keith said he was “in” from the opening lyrics. Agreed. Nicki is still emotional from watching Candice’s trip home which gets Candice crying too. Randy mentions how great it is that American Idol provides the opportunity for people who come from nothing to be successful, saying “kudos to us!” Thanks Randy. I’m sure Candice’s immense talent hasn’t contributed at all.

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Contestant: Angie Miller
Song: “Try” by Pink

Wow. Pink is getting all sorts of attention tonight. Amber covered her last week as well. I’m not complaining though…these are all good songs. Incidentally, if you have never seen Pink perform this live, you must do so as soon as possible. As for Angie, I’m enjoying what she’s doing with the verses but I feel like she’s yelling (rather than belting) the chorus. Granted, she doesn’t do the upbeat songs too often, and the judges tend to criticize her when she does… but I much preferred her Round 1 performance. Just me.

Judges Say: Keith loves that Angie didn’t play the piano. At this moment I kind of want to set fire to Angie’s piano so we can stop hearing about it. He thinks she has never looked more comfortable sans piano. Nicki agrees with Keith, asking Angie what has changed about her. Angie attributes her confidence to her trip home to Boston. In watching the video footage, it was really nice to see that her visit brought some bright moments to the people there amid all of the recent tragedy. Randy ruins this idea for us by giving kudos to the judges again and saying Angie is in it to win it. Mariah thinks Angie was moving freely during the performance and she is finally “at home” on stage.

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Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song: “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts

Have mentioned that Kree is a country girl? Just wanted to be sure. This performance, by the way, is just beautiful. I swear I’m going to flip out if any of the judges say anything about Kree lacking emotional connection here. Given that her hometown visit was a tear-jerker filled with stories about Kree’s parents (who both died separately in accidents), the song choice is brutal. I’m so proud of her.

Judges Say: Nicki notes that when Kree went back home she regained her strength when she went home and she tells Kree her parents are watching over her. Randy thinks this is one of the best Top 3s we’ve ever had on Idol and then gives another shout out to the judges. Mariah thinks the performance was more than brilliant and Mariah is overwhelmed by Kree’s purity and realness. Keith says Kree sang the song just right and felt it just right.  

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ROUND 3

Contestant: Angie Miller
Song: “Maybe” by Emili Sande

Was the list of artists for this week limited or something? Two songs from Pink and Emili Sande? Shrug. Angie is back at the piano, which one would think is a good idea… but this performance is even more shouty than the last one. Her vocals are a little shaky too. Uh oh, Angie. Not the best way to end the night at all.

Judges Say: Randy says Angie sang her heart out and he thinks it’s interesting because Angie performed two songs without the piano and one with the piano. How is that interesting? Is it also interesting that sometimes Ryan is on stage and sometimes he isn’t? Mariah thinks the song was hard to sing but compliments Angie on no longer being a pageant queen. Keith jokes that next week Angie should sing a song under the piano. Nicki believes Angie has come full circle. So…they didn’t witness the same performance I did.

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Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song:  “Better Dig Two” by The Band Perry

Really? The producers are giving Kree a song about digging two graves? Good Lord. If she makes it to next week, why don’t we just place pictures of her parents directly in front of the mic stand and on the screen behind her? The song is too low for Kree at certain points, but she still manages to give the performance some energy. Round 2 was definitely her best...it’s a shame she couldn’t end her night with that one.

Judges Say: Mariah likes that we got to see a wild side of Kree but likes her sorrow more than her anger. She can’t cry all the time, Mimi. Keith didn’t think the song was the best choice for Kree. Nicki thinks whoever chose the song should be stoned. Randy said the song was too ordinary but she did her best.

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Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “Somewhere” from West Side Story

LOVE. THIS. Best of the night…best of the season. How can this girl not win?

Judges Say: Standing ovation that lasts for a while. Keith has the best line of the show, saying “If you want to vote for Candice, dial the number on your screen. If you don’t, call your doctor because you probably don’t have a pulse.”  Nicki tells Candice she’ll see her next week. Randy says this was one of the greatest vocals in Idol history. I feel like Randy says things like this way more than he should, but in this case I do not disagree. Candice has made Mariah cry again. Mimi tells her she can sing any type of song.  

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So with that, it’s clear that the Idol producers love Candice and could flip a coin on who joins her next week. Candice was given a moment… no… a MOMENT in Round 3, and Kree and Angie were given songs that did them no favors whatsoever. Jimmy’s choices were okay, but I think the judges’ picks in Round 2 were the most fair.

 

Tomorrow night we will find out who moves on to the finale. I’m personally pulling for Kree to make it through but Angie is definitely the most improved contestant of the season. Jimmy was spot on when he called her a dark horse in the beginning of the live shows. We’ll find out what happens during the results show. Til then!

American Idol: Almost, But Not Quite.

Tonight the Final Four become the Final Three as the American Idol 2013 finale lingers just around the corner.  Aside from surviving another week, the ladies moving on tonight will also visit their home towns and enjoy the parades, ceremonies, keys to the cities, and so on. There are sure to be tears, shrieks of joy and moments of disbelief. Let’s find out who the lucky contestants are…

David Cook is in the house tonight to perform “Laying Me Low,” and we do a quick check in with Constantine Maroulis via  a pre-taped video package...but he's not taking the Idol stage tonight. I guess we have run out of former contestants at this point because our other performances tonight come from Will.I.Am and Harry Connick Jr.   The sometimes Black Eyed Pea performs “Bang Bang” from The Great Gatsby soundtrack (greatly entertaining by the way) and Harry sings “Every Man Should Know.” Fortunately for us, Randy and Nicki are not allowed to critique his performance.

Results! Our top 2 tonight are Candice and Angie…leaving Kree and Amber in the bottom. After tallying America’s votes for the past two weeks, Amber is eliminated. Everyone is emotional. She ends the show with her rendition of "I Believe In You and Me," and I honestly don't know how she is able to get through it given how many tears are being shed throughout the venue. It's a nice way for her to go out though, and I truly wish her the best.

 

So with that...our Final Three are set to travel home and continue on their emotional journeys. We'll find out soon who will battle Candice in the make it to the finale the week of May 15th. Can't believe the 2013 season is coming to a close already.

 

My apologies for the delay in these last two posts. I did have a good reason for having to catch up on Idol though - I was in Boston seeing the great Kelly Clarkson perform with the Boston Pops. It was truly amazing to be in the audience while she sang with an orchestra of such caliber. Some people wait a lifetime?

 

American Idol: Stormy Weather

As the remaining American Idol finalists fight for a spot in the finale, and as the ratings sink for the show, Idol is scrambling to pick up momentum for the remainder of the season. For starters, the producers have brought back Harry Connick Jr. to be a guest mentor, and dude is just funny and charming. I know he has been in the running for a seat at the judges’ table for some time now…which begs the question…why the hell hasn’t he been hired yet? Is the television audience really better off with “in it to win it" and fake English/southern/whiny accents? Sigh. The Final Four will sing two songs tonight: Songs of 2013 (woohoo!) and Standards (zzzzzzzzz). Let’s get going, shall we?

ROUND 1

Contestant: Angie Miller

Song: “Diamonds” by Rihanna

The first performance of the night features Piano Angie mugging for the camera. For the most part she sounds pretty good, but this isn’t one of those “Angie is lost in emotion while she plays the piano” moments. This is more of a “hey look at me singing at the piano” performance, which is entirely distracting from the singing…

Judges Say: Keith isn’t sure that Angie needed to put the different spin on the song. Nicki says this piano performance was different from other piano performances because it was bland and lackluster. Randy agrees with Keith, and that’s all I need to know. Mariah agrees too and thinks Angie played too much to the camera. Nicki wants to make sure Mariah agrees with her as well, and Mariah specifies that she agrees with the entire panel…that singing a #1 song is a tough because “not everybody has that.” HA!!!!!!!! Take THAT Nicki!

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Contestant: Amber Holcomb

Song: “Just Give Me A Reason” by Pink and Nate Ruess

Amber’s session with Harry consisted of her not knowing the words to the song. At all. Super. Amber sounds fine in the performance, but she’s awkwardly dancing around and smiling as though she would be elated if the song ended early. Me too. Not the right song for her at all....

Judges Say: Nicki thinks the Amber in the rehearsal package was more connected to the song (even though she didn’t know the words) than the Amber that just performed. Randy says he could tell that Amber was distracted and not singing her heart out. Mariah agrees and thinks the audience needs to see a performance that is beyond stellar. Keith loves the clarity in Amber’s voice and thinks it’s okay that she was distracted because she’s still growing as a performer.

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Contestant: Candice Glover

Song: “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars

Candice takes on a song written from a man’s point of view and keeps the lyrics the same…tonight she is a storyteller. I'm really glad she chose to stick to the original words - the gender/persepective honestly doesn't matter when someone is as talented as Candice is. She feels what she is singing regardless and I just love her.

Judges Say: Randy notifies us that this is a singing competition and yells “Yo, that song right there? That’s how you sing a song!!!!” Thank goodness we've cleared that up. Mariah says Candice can take any song a make it suit her. Keith says it was a winning performance. Nicki calls out the entire judges’ panel for not giving a standing ovation…so they all stand. For a second I think I might be on board with Nicki tonight…but she then says Candice looks good because maybe she’s lost weight. Shut up, Nicki.

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Contestant: Kree Harrison

Song: “See You Again” by Carrie Underwood

Taking on a song Carrie Underwood just performed on the show a few weeks ago is gutsy. Kree sits on a stool with a guitar player and it looks like the eye of Sauron is on the screen behind her. That being said, I think she does a great rendition of the song. This isn’t an improvement on the original (I mean, it’s Carrie Underwood) but I love how vulnerable Kree is during this performance.

Judges Say: Mariah thinks Kree was very connected to the song and loves her authenticity. Keith still doesn’t like Kree and it’s pissing me off. Nicki loved the performance because “she sang with her eyes.” Randy enlightens by saying “somebody’s going to win this thing” and then tells Kree she did a good job.

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ROUND 2

Contestant: Angie Miller

Song: “Someone to Watch Over Me”

Piano Angie peaces out and leaves us with a subtle, lovely Angie in this performance, and I’m digging it. Her passion is far more genuine here than in Round 1, and I’m really hoping she makes it through to the Final Three.

Judges Say: Keith says Angie sang the song beautifully.  Nicki can see Angie as either a Disney princess or a Broadway star. Randy loved the beginning of the song but did not enjoy the arrangement in the middle. He then tells Angie she can sing. Mariah’s mom is in the house! She disagrees that Angie needs to have Disney princess moments and Nicki gets a Q-Tip out of her bag and asks Mariah to clean her ears. And we wonder why the ratings have gone down, huh?

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Contestant: Amber Holcomb
Song: “My Funny Valentine”

Amber does know the words to this song but can’t possibly explain to Harry what the song is about. Thank goodness all of that changes when the performance begins, because Amber is completely connected to the song and gives one hell of a performance. My favorite Idol rendition will probably always be Melinda Doolittle’s, but this is easily my favorite Amber performance. Well done, kid.

Judges Say: Standing ovation from all four judges. Nicki says a subtle spirit took over Amber and Amber starts to cry. Randy thinks Amber gave an unbelievable performance and Mariah says Amber’s spirit is bigger and better than ever. Keith thinks the performance was stellar.

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Contestant: Candice Glover

Song: “You’ve Changed”

Um, yes. Just watch it.

Judges Say: Mariah is the first one up, but Candice gets a full standing ovation. Randy says Candice is in it to win it and I hope Harry storms the table and beats Randy senseless…it doesn’t happen. Mariah says there is no critiquing and tells Candice she will be downloading the song ASAP.  Keith says Candice had amazing power and control in her performance. Nicki has nothing to add and I am overjoyed.

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Contestant: Kree Harrison

Song: “Stormy Weather”

Out of the four songs chosen for Round 2 I feel that this one had the most potential to be an absolute snoozer. Between Kree's fantastic vocals and the amazing orchestra behind her, I am wide awake and loving the song. Candice wins the night for me (for her, for Randy), but I think Kree was solid this evening as well.

Judges Say: Mariah would have liked a more bluesy approach to the song but thinks Kree did give a beautiful vocal. Keith thinks Kree’s instincts are beautiful but he would have chosen a different song. Nicki basically says Harry coached the girls wrong….and again I wait for him to run to the table. Randy agrees with Nicki and the camera cuts to a very pissed off Harry. The Dawg continues and Harry (finally!) makes his way to the judges' table to defend his coaching. I love Harry.

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During the results show we will say goodbye to one of these lovely ladies, and it’s kind of a shame. I think each girl gave it their all tonight. My personal preference would be to see Candice, Kree and Angie advance with Kree and Candice facing off in the finale. We’ll see if any of this pans out shortly. Til then!