Air Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 [8-10pm]
Theme: Motown
I don't have much to say to start off this blog, so let's just get right into it:
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| Source: mjsbigblog.com |
1. Casey Abrams - Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
After coming off of one of the worst Idol performances (with "Smells Like Teen Spirit"), anything Casey did this week would have been an improvement. This song (along with many other Motown songs) has been done a lot on the show, but Casey was able to bring a great tone to it that kept my attention and he breathed new life into it.
2. Thia Megia - Martha and the Vandellas' "Heatwave"
I'm glad she picked a more up-tempo song. A part of me did think it was a little generic, though, but she was able to show a different side of herself - so that's a plus. But at one point it did look like she lost the words; I saw her look behind her as if she was trying to cover it up.
3. Jacob Lusk - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "You're All I Need to Get By"
I will say this upfront - I was too nice on him last week (when he did "Alone") - it was terrible. This genre fits him perfectly, so if he messed it up... I haven't been the biggest fan of his, but he did extremely well. There was more control to his voice, which helped. This may be his best performance to date.
4. Lauren Alaina - The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On"
Jimmy Iovine mentioned that she hasn't been herself lately. I've definitely noticed that. But she shrugged off the criticisms of late and that helped her to be herself last night. This is a great song (and Blake Lewis did his own take on it in season 6) and her voice was top notch.
5. Stefano Langone - Lionel Richie's "Hello"
This was one of David Cook's top 2 best performances back in season 7. So Stefano had a lot to live up to. And last week he became the dark horse. His voice was smooth as usual here. But after the advice he got of keeping his eyes open, they were closed for the last half. Will I remember this after tonight? I'm not so sure.
6. Haley Reinhart - "You Really Got a Hold on Me"
She started off a little rough during the opening, both with her voice and coming down the stairs. And the twang she has in her voice didn't match the song. The last half she stepped it up more and I heard that great tone to her voice that I love. But I wouldn't be surprised if she's back in the Bottom 3 (if not eliminated).
7. Scotty McCreery - Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life"
With someone like Scotty, I thought this was why Nigel Lythgoe didn't want specific genres like this. This was one of his weakest to date. The country in his voice didn't mesh well with the instruments. And it did come off as loungy - Mr. Iovine said it could.
8. Pia Toscano - Stevie Wonder's "All in Love is Fair"
Last week she broke her normal mold, but this time took it right back to the ballads that she always does. Her voice is perfect for them, but with Motown, we could have gotten something different from her. And I'm still not feeling a connection to the audience.
9. Paul McDonald - Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears"
Adam Lambert did a brilliant job with this song in season 8, so it's obviously hard for Paul to match up to that. His voice sounded kind of weak during the first half. But I thought he stepped up at the end - he vibed well at that point. This might be a good studio recording, though.
10. Naima Adedapo - Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street"
She certainly is a performer, for sure. She took the song literally and did an African dance at the end. With what the genre is, it is just right for Jacob and Naima. I heard a huge improvement in her voice; somehow the pitch problems diminished. Is it enough to keep her out of the Bottom 3?
11. James Durbin - Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City"
James continues to make song choices that fit his voice perfectly. The high notes had just the right level to them. He brought out some dance moves with his footwork, and he connected with the audience. I think many of the contestants should look to him to see how a performance should be done.
Compilation Album - American Idol Top 11 Season 10: Click on this link to see the compilation album on iTunes of all of the above songs.
Favorite Performances: James Durbin / Jacob Lusk
My Votes: James Durbin - 40 votes
Bottom 3 Predictions: Thia Megia / Haley Reinhart / Naima Adedapo
Elimination Prediction: Haley Reinhart
You may have noticed that I didn't do my usual blog on the Idol Social media Stats. I'm thinking about including it briefly into Idol-Talk. Below is the stats of the Top 11 as of 3/21/11 at 5:10pm (combination of #'s on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace):
1. Scotty McCreery - 68,306
2. Casey Abrams - 44,482
3. Paul McDonald - 39,675
4. James Durbin - 37,699
5. Lauren Alaina - 34,104
6. Pia Toscano - 33,518
7. Thia Megia - 32,683
8. Stefano Langone - 29,241
9. Jacob Lusk - 20,668
10. Haley Reinhart - 16,000
11. Naima Adedapo - 15,858
The names in blue haven't changed their positions from last week to this week. Pia Toscano and Thia Megia have switched places. Does this spell bad news for Thia? If she's in the Bottom 3 this week, then the answer may be yes. And Haley Reinhart and Naima Adedapo have switched places. Regardless of that switch, I still think Haley will be eliminated and not Naima. But I'm just waiting for James Durbin to move up. He's closing the gap with Paul McDonald, and with the weak performances that Paul's been giving lately, I hope James makes the jump soon.
It think it's pretty obvious that Haley will be leaving us this week. For some reason, I can't really see anyone else being eliminated. She's been in the Bottom 3 every week now, and has the second lowest number of social media followers (as of Monday when I tallied everything up). Naima certainly stepped it up and took a risk by adding in that dance. Regardless of that dance or her performing second to last, there's a part of me that thinks she will make her second appearance in the bottom. She does have the least number of online followers, so there's something to be said for that; obviously not a whole lot of people are feeling the same sort of attachment to her that the judges have felt. As far as that last spot goes, to me it could be either Thia, Lauren, or Paul. I don't think Lauren will be there just yet. At first, I kept coming back to Paul, but he did give a unique take on a great song ("Tracks of My Tears") and sang near the end of the show, whereas Thia was a little generic and performed near the top of the first hour. That placement might not be good for her. Now, I do realize that she has a pretty solid fan base coming on to the show, so that could save her, and I don't think she will be gone just yet either.
I have correctly predicted everyone going into the Bottom 3 every week now. I have this funny feeling that I won't get every spot correct this week. I don't know why, but I have this feeling...I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Tonight, one more is eliminated as we find out who will be hitting the road this summer for the American Idols Live! Tour 2011 (8-9pm). Plus, we will have performances by Idol alum Jennifer Hudson as well as Sugarland. Nigel tweeted that there will be some shocking news tonight. Some people online are thinking it will be a shocking elimination. But I don't think it will be. He didn't say there will be shocking results, but instead shocking NEWS. Who knows how serious this is or if it is more light-hearted (maybe they'll talk about the Idols moving out of the mansion because of the ghost?). See ya then...
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