AI 11 - 4-4-12

I finally had a chance to view the recording of last week’s results show and while I am happy America sent Heejun home, I am sad DeAndre did not even make it into the bottom 3. My winning streak continues to crash but once again, I did pick two-thirds of the bottom three correctly.

The result shows continue to irritate me with their foolish filler. The opening videos are getting more dramatic by the second. The only bright spot for me besides Heejun leaving was the video about the mansion. I freaking want to move in myself. Can someone please tell me how what Nicki Minaj is doing is considered music? I just do not get it. The entire thing was terrible and her lip-syncing sucked! I have never really liked Scott McCreery but I did enjoy his performance and the surprise platinum album award.

Tonight there are only eight performances but we still have a two-hour program but at least Gwen Stefani along with Tony Kanal are back as guest mentors. The theme tonight is music from the 80’s. Let us dish the dirt.

DeAndre Brackensick – “I Like it”

The best I can say about this performance is that it was not a total train wreck. I guess I simply do not get his appeal and why does he always have to rely on that falsetto voice. Perhaps that is my problem because at my age hearing those high notes is near impossible. Overall, the vocals were fine.

Jennifer – The whole thing was natural.

Steven – You have become who you are and you wear it well. (Perhaps he is referring to that damn hair).

Randy – You could be the 2012 version of DeBarge. (Who cares and given how he uses that falsetto I think he is trying to replace Robin Gibb as part of the Bee Gees).

Elise Testone – “I Want to Know What Love is”

Elise originally wants to perform “Hallelujah” but Gwen, Jimmy and Tony convince her to go with this Foreigner ballad. Elise should have stuck to her choice because this song did not really give her the chance to rise to the occasion as she did last week. The performance was okay and the vocals were fine. Elise does make interesting vocal choices but the song went nowhere. Even the gospel choir did not help. I was laughing hysterical when all the pocket watches were swinging behind her when she got to the lyric, “take a little time.” Really - American Idol producers!

Steven – I love your voice but I am not sure this was the right choice for you. It was a true 80s song.

Jennifer – It was not totally right at every moment but your heart is in it.

Randy – I love the song, which is hard to sing. You were pitchy the whole time until the end. You were just under the pitch. You should have focused more on the pitch than the runs.

We are having duets this week to fill up time because nothing screams “American Idol” like a duet. Colton and Skylar are up with “Islands in the Stream.” Colton and Skylar have no chemistry and they seemed to be spending more time mugging for the camera than singing to each other. This was not a performance, which provided any fun.

Randy thought it was interesting.

Jennifer thinks it is perfect.

Steven thinks it was a great match and showed both singers’ individuality. Ronald is just shaking his head at the judges.

Phillip Phillips – “That’s All”

I did not like this performance one bit. Phillip fell off the beat multiple times in the beginning and as he reaches for the end of the verses, he stops supporting his vocals. The arrangement was a nightmare and there was no connection to the meaning of the song.

Steven – You are a wildflower. I love you.

Jennifer – You were not in your comfort zone at the beginning but it might be because your brother-in-law was playing so loudly.

Randy – I like the song choice. (Where is the criticism about being flat?)

Our next duet is Hollie and DeAndre with “I’m So Excited” and I was just so excited for it to end. It was loud and did not really show case the singers’ voices. What was Hollie wearing? It was nice to see her do something upbeat but the poor girl cannot dance and given how her partner does not know when to stand still it was just a very comical and horrible performance.

Steven – It was nice seeing Hollie let go and get excited.

Jennifer – It was an iffy choice of song but I like it and praises their dance moves. (Really?)

Randy – I was impressed.

Joshua Ledet – “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”

Joshua gave a stand out performance. This was absolutely note perfect and emotional. Joshua has confidence and he can sing! This performance was deserving of the judges standing ovation.

Jennifer – We asked for a powerhouse performance and that is what we go. I thought you were holding back at the beginning but you were still comfortable. It was spectacular.

Steven – The choir “nestled” you. “It wasn’t too much over-the-top and it was way over-the-top.”

Randy – I felt like standing up the whole time. You fulfilled what I said, if you sing it well song choice does not matter. You “gotta have it”.

Jessica Sanchez – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”

This was not Jessica’s best vocal performance of the season. I did not think she sounded great on the power notes and all that moving around was creating severe breath issues and so she lacked support for them. I think there were multiple sharp and flat notes. On the other hand, the performance itself was fun to watch, Jessica was clearly enjoying herself. Getting the audience to buy it is half the battle.

Jennifer – Your choices come so natural for you. You are a little girl and a woman at the same time. I really liked the performance.

Steven – You always sound good and everything you do is beautiful.

Randy – You worked this song and you sing just as effortlessly as Whitney does. You “gotta have it,” too!

The next duet is Phillip and Elise with “Stop Dragging My Heart Around”. I really liked this performance. Their voices really worked well together and they were having fun. The duet was better than their individual performances.

Randy – Welcome back Elise. I thought you and Phillip sounded awesome together.

Jennifer – I want to hear more.

Steven – It was good.

Hollie Cavanagh – “What a Feeling”

This was my fingers down the chalkboard performance of the evening. Words cannot even describe how horrible this truly was. The weakness of her lower register came shining through and I am not sure that she once was in tune. This was a scary performance to watch along with that horrible frilly blue dress. I think fate was trying to tell Hollie to go rushing off the stage given how they could not get power to the keyboard even before she started.

Steven – You always get to where you need to go. You had pitch problems tonight.

Jennifer – I know you are listening to what everyone tells you but you just need to let go. The song did not sound like a pop song at the beginning. You did not release enough. You have to stop thinking and feel it from your heart.

Randy – He agrees with Steven and Jennifer. It was not your best performance.

Our final duet is Jessica and Joshua with “I Knew You Were Waiting for me”. This was by far the best pairing of the night. They sounded fabulous together and I do not think I have ever seen them so relaxed. This was by far my favorite performance of the whole evening. The judges gave the performance a standing ovation. I hope this song ends up on ITunes because I will definitely download it. It will be my first of the entire season.

Randy – You are two of the best singers to ever appear on the show. This was awesome.

Jennifer – I think we may be looking at the two finalists. You were amazing.

Steven – This was “so over-the-top it defies judging.”

Colton Dixon – “Time After Time”

Hell froze over because Ronald was enjoying a Colton performance. I am not sure if it is because I love this song or Colton was good. It was a very solid performance. I liked the arrangement and the vocals were good. I hate what he did with his hair and what he was wearing but for the first time during the finals, I was happy with the song choice and the vocals. Color me surprise this may be another song I download from ITunes.

Steven – You voice is good enough that you could do a record right now.

Jennifer – You were in sync with the band. The music is a journey and I felt different things, and there was a climax.

Randy – Colton, Joshua and Phillip all made their songs their own. You are current and I love seeing what you will do every week.

Skylar Laine – “Wind Beneath My Wings”

Skylar originally wanted to go with “9 to 5” but ultimately chose this tune. I did not like this performance as much as the judges seemed to like it. Skylar got where she needed to go but I thought the beginning of the song sounded flat and she really did not shine until she reached the big notes. The judges gave her a standing ovation, which I do not believe was deserved.

Randy – I like your look and I knew you needed a good performance this week and you delivered. This was the best she has ever sounded.

Jennifer – You just told America not to count you out. Beautiful.

Steven – This was the perfect song both for your voice and for the finale spot. This is the beginning of a great career for you.

I hate to admit has much as I adore Gwen Stefani I do not believe the mentoring was that effective or even worked for the contestants.

Can anyone tell me who is dressing Randy? I found his shirt very distracting. In addition, Randy I do not have to hear that you worked with the original version of the song being used by the contestants. We understand why you are sitting at the judges table. It just sounds so desperate when you keep talking about it.

I was happy the contestants were given longer times to sing their solos but there is no reason to fill up two hours.

Predicting who will go home becomes difficult because America is so fickle and I like Jimmy being honest about young girls voting for the pretty boys.

The bottom three will be Elise, Hollie, and DeAndre. As much as I want, DeAndre to head home the worst solo performance of the evening was Hollie so I will predict she will head home.