Air Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 [8-9:30pm]
Theme: Now & Then
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| Source: mjsbigblog.com |
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.
The first round tonight will be the contemporary songs (aka the Now in Now & Then)...
1. James Durbin - 30 Seconds to Mars' "Closer to the Edge"
He started off a bit rough; since he's in his element in the upper register, the low notes at the start were flat. But he soon kicked it back up and delivered more solid vocals the rest of the way.
2. Jacob Lusk - Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown's "No Air"
Jordin Sparks has put out some great songs, and this is one of those. Jacob had the potential to do well with it, but failed miserably. For most of the song, he sang in extremely high notes; it seemed he tried to go even higher, but couldn't (as evident by his voice cracking). It felt to me as if he was trying to outdo James with those notes. And what was up with the wiggling motions he made with his body? If this is what he wants to do post-Idol, then he won't make it.
3. Lauren Alaina - Carrie Underwood's "Flat on the Floor"
I cringe whenever they do Idol covers, and I was curious to see if Lauren could pull it off (especially since both Carrie and Lauren are pop/country). And she just let loose and brought it. I love the song, and this is what Lauren should be doing. If she stays like this, she has a chance at the Final 2.
4. Scotty McCreery - Montgomery Gentry's "Gone"
Two excellent performances in a row! Scotty bores me many times, but when he delivers the way he did here, I'm a fan. If he continues along these lines, I could be on board, both on the show and after. His voice was perfect, he showed personality and proved why he should win.
5. Haley Reinhart - Lady Gaga's "You and I" (unreleased song)
Haley and Gaga in the same sentence? But you know what? It worked! I don't get why Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson were bashing her choosing this song. She brought her own style to the song, and I didn't really find anything wrong with it. I hope die-hard Gaga fans come out against the judges for what they said about the song.
And the final round will be the older songs (aka Then)...
1. James Durbin - Harry Nilsson's "Without You"
I love him choosing all different styles of songs. And to get emotional - it shows a deeper side to him than just the heavy metal/rock n' roll. In terms of the vocals, he was all over the place, flat on the low notes, sharp on the high notes. But he'll be here next week, especially since he'll gets sympathy votes. On a related note, Kelly Clarkson brilliantly sang this song back in season 1 (and I have to say that this one still goes to Kelly).
2. Jacob Lusk - Nazareth's "Love Hurts"
Now, that was much, much better than the first song. Even though this one also had a lot of high notes, he kept them more in check this time around. Depending on how the rest of the night goes, this could save him. But I hope it doesn't
3. Lauren Alaina - Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody"
Whenever I hear this on Idol, I think of Simon, since it's his favorite song. Would he have approved? Who knows, but Lauren delivered some beautiful vocals. However, the overall performance was just okay. The high note in this song is one of my favorite parts of the song, but Lauren didn't even try to attempt it, which was disappointing. And I wish she would have injected more emotion into it.
4. Scotty McCreery - "You're Always On My Mind"
With both Lauren and Scotty, their first songs should have been in this round, to save the best for last. Just when I put praise on him, Scotty has to go and return to the boring. He brought nothing new to this overdone song.
5. Haley Reinhart - The Animals' "The House of the Rising Sun"
I hope she's here next week, because this was one of the best performances of the night. The a capella at the start was beautiful, and she didn't lose anything when the music began accompanying her. What a great way to end the night!
Compilation Album: Top 5 Season 10: Click on this link to see the compilation album in iTunes of all of the above songs.
Favorite Performances: Haley Reinhart (both songs) / Lauren Alaina ("Flat on the Floor") / Scotty McCreery ("Gone")
My Votes: James Durbin - 60 votes
Haley Reinhart - 20 votes
Bottom 2 Predictions: Jacob Lusk / Haley Reinhart
Elimination Prediction: Jacob Lusk
Below is the latest Idol social media stats (the combination of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace). These stats were compiled on 5/3/11 at 10:10pm.
1. Scotty McCreery - 197,501
2. James Durbin - 140,331
3. Lauren Alaina - 126,290
4. Haley Reinhart - 92,866
5. Jacob Lusk - 55,703
The names in blue haven't changed their positions from last week to this week. The order remains the exact same as last week, so I don't really have much to add on this.
Jacob Lusk is guaranteed a spot in the Bottom 2. But the other spot may not be as easy to predict. I personally would not pick Haley to be there, but with the criticisms she received from the judges and the fact that she is usually in the bottom, that's why I'm going with her. There's a chance that James could join Jacob, but even if he is, he'll be safe because of receiving the sympathy votes for crying. Could Lauren and Scotty end up there? I doubt Scotty will be, but it could go either way with Lauren. But back to Haley for a moment. She was unfairly criticized by the judges, and I hope her fans came out in full force last night. This was actually only the second times this season where I voted for someone other than James (but of course I can't skimp on voting for James either), because she certainly deserves to stay, especially after giving the best performances of the night.
We've been waiting for weeks for Jacob to leave. Last week was just ridiculous that Jacob outlasted Casey. Scotty, James and Lauren have strong, solid fan bases. Haley stole the show last night. So that leaves Jacob, who was almost unbearable to listen to last night. If he stays, I am just going to be speechless. And when he is eliminated tonight, then we'll have a really solid Top 4 with a lot of talent to go around.
Tonight, we'll find out who makes the Top 4 (8-9pm). Can you believe we're almost at the finish line?! And there will be performances by Lady Antebellum and Jennifer Lopez. See ya then...
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