Air Date: Wednesday, May 18 [8-10pm]
Themes: Contestants Choice / Jimmy Iovine's Choice / Judge's Choice
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| Source: mjsbigblog.com |
Ryan reminds of James Durbin's shocking elimination last week. Even though he didn't make the Top 3, he still got a hometown reception after being voted out.
Click on each of the below links to open up those studio performances in iTunes. You will not be charged for clicking on these links, only if you click 'buy' in the iTunes Store. As of this posting, they are only listing three songs from the Top 3 on iTunes. I'm not sure if they only recorded one song each, but I'll update if there's a change.
The first round is the Contestants Choice, with Beyonce as the mentor (no Jimmy Iovine?):
1. Scotty McCreery - Lonestar's "Amazed"
What a surprise that he would choose this song! (Sarcasm fully intended). While I love this song, it's a safe choice for Scotty. His voice was as solid as usual, but at a week before the finale, you need to be great not good, and he was just good. Where's James when we need him?
2. Lauren Alaina - Faith Hill's "Wild One"
This was a great song choice for her. Choosing songs by female country stars like Faith Hill can certainly work to her advantage. I hate to repeat myself from Scotty, but her voice was solid as well. The difference is that Lauren wasn't boring. She's had some confidence problems once in a while throughout the competition, but her confidence was strong throughout this song.
3. Haley Reinhart - Led Zepplin's "What Is and What Should Never Be"
Round 1 goes to Haley! Her voice was great as usual, and the song allowed her to channel her inner rocker. Having her father play guitar will get her family votes, as will the fall as she headed back up on stage. But she got back up and continued on. There were some moments during the chorus where I was worried she got lost in the music, but she just nailed the song.
Round 2 is Jimmy Iovine's Choice, with Jimmy Iovine himself as mentor. The intro video before each singer's performance here revisits their auditions. I love seeing Lauren's audition again, because she had one of my favorite auditions this year.
1. Scotty McCreery - Thompson Square's "Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not"
Because "Amazed" is such a well-known song, it became very apparent that Scotty sounded just like the original. But this one is not as known, so I had a better time with it. So the song choice helped in that way, but it's also a detractor - not the best song to make him stand out and have a moment.
I believe it was after Scotty's performance when Randy and Ryan were joking around. Randy was wondering about Ryan's body waxing, and Ryan, always the quick-wit, came back at him, saying he's waiting for Randy to return it to him. Remember when Ryan and Simon used to do this sort of joking around? I miss it.
Before Lauren's performance, Ryan intro'd her backstage instead of on the stage, because her pantyhose ripped, and they had someone perfecting her legs.
2. Lauren Alaina - The Band Perry's "If I Die Young"
Jimmy picked such a great song. It's one of my favorite current country songs. Overall, Lauren did well with it, but there were a few moments where I wasn't sure, and maybe that was the 'caught up in the moment' thing the judges were talking about. Did she feel the emotion of the song? I'm not sure.
3. Haley Reinhart - Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon"
I loved the start - the control and focus. When the song picked up halfway through, her voice was flat for a while before she got back on track. But once she did, she did well for the rest of the song. It was slower and a nice balance to the rock song earlier.
Beyonce's "Run the World (Girls)" Music Video. Not the best song for someone like Beyonce.
Round 3 is the Judge's Choice, with the Top 3 finding out their song choice during the hometown visit. How come Haley found out her choice while she was in the car, when Scotty and Lauren were in front of huge crowds during the reveal?
1. Scotty McCreery - Kenny Roger's "She Believes in Me"
I'm glad the song picked up some a little way in, because the start almost put me to sleep. This slow song allowed us to focus on his voice, which was strong and solid. I loved the bit after the judges spoke when his father sang ("Baby lock them doors...")
2. Lauren Alaina - Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance"
This song fits Lauren's musical style and voice perfectly. And she didn't let down in the vocal department. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with this performance, but my only criticism is that it sounded too much like the original.
3. Haley Reinhart - Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know"
When the song started, I wasn't sure why the judges picked this song, because she had a hard time with the verses - the low notes were flat. But as the judges said, she was brilliant on the choruses.
Favorite Performance: Haley Reinhart ("What Is and What Should Never Be")
My Votes: Haley Reinhart - 50 votes
Elimination Prediction: Lauren Alaina
Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and My Space). These stats were compiled on 5/17/11 at 11:19pm.
1. Scotty McCreery - 259,261
2. Lauren Alaina - 164,194
3. Haley Reinhart - 136,317
Same order as last week.
Especially after James Durbin was eliminated last week, I know we shouldn't take anything for granted right before the finale and assume certain people will make it into the finale. But Scotty has been unstoppable from day one (and has been #1 online since the beginning as well), I think it would be foolish to think he won't be here next week. When it comes to this week's predictions, it's all about figuring out which girl will be with him: Lauren or Haley.
People are saying that the producers are gunning for a Scotty/Lauren finale. And I might have mentioned this last week, but there has never been in the history of American Idol two people from the same genre in the finale. And Scotty and Lauren are both country. True, they're different types of country (Scotty is more old-school, traditional country; Lauren is more modern pop country), but still country nonetheless. And for that reason, I am predicting it will be a Scotty/Haley finale. I don't think anyone would have predicted she would make it this far when we began the Top 13. But she has been the most improved, the most consistent, and the one who has provided the best live performances (aside from James Durbin). I have no idea how well or not she might do post-Idol, but for now, she deserves to compete for the title. And after the judges' relentless criticisms of Haley over these past weeks, I would love if she could stick it back to them and stay on.
Now, I don't want to discount Lauren at all. All three of the remaining singers are extremely talented and deserve to be here. But if Scotty and Lauren do end up splitting the votes, it will be Lauren who suffers as a result. She has a beautiful voice, and has had her moments a few times this year. And even though I don't know what the winning song will be, it usually fits someone with her voice better (unless they go the season 9 route and just do covers).
Personally, if I was making the decision, I would eliminate Scotty and have a Lauren/Haley finale. But we all know that's not going to happen. So, to recap, I'm going with Scotty/Haley for the Top 2, but not discounting Lauren either.
Tonight (8-9pm), we'll have performance by 50 Cent with Nicole Scherzinger, and Il Volo. And we'll find out which two singers will be here next week at the finale. See ya then...
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