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Season 12 American Idol Results Overview (Top 3 Announced)

Before we talk about tonight’s results, I want look back at the past eleven “top 3′s.” Let’s see how this season’s top 3 stacks up with the others.

Season 1: This probably would have been a solid top 3 if Tamyra had made it. Nikki was a cute underdog but she was clearly out of her league against the other 2.

Season 2: This top 3 was absolutely perfect with Ruben, Kimberly and Clay. In fact…I really loved Josh Gracin during that season so I even thought the top 4 was perfect.

Season 3: I know everyone LOVED the “three divas” during the season…but I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of Jhud until Dreamgirls. That being said, the “three divas” being the top 3 would have been better than Jasmine Trias making it. What bunk!

Season 4: This…is not a season I know much about (I know, ironic). So…I honestly don’t know anything about Vonzell. Next!

Season 5: Overall, this was a good top 3. Similar to Jennifer Hudson, I didn’t feel much for Daughtry while he was in the competition. Confession alert: Taylor Hicks was actually my favorite during the season. So…I dunno, maybe this top 3 would have been better if Daughtry had been in there for McPhee…

Season 6: Unlike a lot of people, season 6 is actual a favorite of mine (minus Sanjaya…although he was hilariously bad, unlike some other VFTW picks who were simply bad). I quite liked this top 3. But, I probably would have switched Blake for Lakisha.

Season 7: This season focused so much on “David vs. David” that the third finalist didn’t even matter much. Sorry!

Season 8: Ugh. What was Danny Gokey doing there? Replace him with the wonderful Allison Iraheta and we would have had the best top 3 ever.

Season 9: Season 9 sucked. Top 3? More like top 1 (and that “1″ was Crystal Bowersox.)

Season 10: Solid top 3 but Haley was CLEARLY on another level.

Season 11: Overall good top 3…but I still have very mixed feelings over Phillip Phillips.

So…I think I would say the most “evenly matched” tops 3′s occurred during season 2, season 5, season 6, and the last couple of seasons. Why the long introduction? Just so I could make the declaration that season 12, despite all its problems, has given us one of the strongest, most evenly matched top 3′s in American Idol history. I’m not saying this was a perfect season as a whole. I’m not even saying the top 10 was all that great. But these three girls remaining are (for the most part) the cream that have thankfully risen to the top of my mocha cap.

And I think this is a very diverse top 3. We have Candice who has an R&B Jazmine Sullivan thing going on. We have Angie who is a Miley Cyrus-inspired pop rocker, sort of a female Billy Joel if you will. And then we have Kree: the thoughtful, mature country girl. All three contestants have something great to offer. And…most importantly…THEY ARE ALL GIRLS. I know I know…we’ve known this for 3+ weeks now; but this season is going to give us our first female winner in 6 years. Quelle exciting!

So people can bitch and complain at how manipulative this show has been this season (because American Idol TOTALLY has never been manipulative before). I will be enjoying these fine ladies battle it out until the end. And, while I’m still rooting for an Angie/Candice finale at this point, even the thought of Kree winning makes me smile. I’m happy…

But, a few minutes ago, I was a bawling mess. I usually don’t cry during eliminations. The last few times I remember crying was when Haley was eliminated in season 10, Allison in season 8, and Melinda in season 6 (I also cried after Crystal performed “People Get Ready” in season 9 but that’s different story.) But when my little Amber Holcomb got eliminated, my stomach dropped. And then when she was trying to get through “I Believe in You and Me,” my eyes water. And when her father came on stage to hug her, I lost it. Wooh! Emotions!

This wasn’t surprising. We all saw it coming. Most people believed Amber should have been the next to go. Honestly, I still prefer Amber to Kree but…maybe it was Amber’s time. It was Amber’s time. She had a great run but, quite honestly, I have to compare her to Candice. Candice is simply the stronger, more experienced artist. So if one of them had to go…then it’s good that it was Amber. I wish Amber had grown more during her run…but maybe that needs to happen off the show.

But…she really was a contestant I enjoyed immensely throughout the competition. Some of her performances early in the season still stick in my head (She’s Loving Home – which is definitely making my top 20 list in a few weeks, Lately, What About Love, Love on Top). It’s very impressive that she was able to make it far despite barely being featured before the Las Vegas round. She clearly made her mark with “My Funny Valentine” (her first performance) and that’s impressive enough. Even though she’s gone, she will always be a member of the “original fab 4.”

So…where does she go from here? Who knows? I’m not going to sit here and pretend she’ll be the next Whitney. It seems like fewer and fewer AI finalists find commercial success post tour. But…she still did something a lot of singers would not have been able to do and that’s a reward in itself.

However…if/when she puts out a new single (maybe with the help of Nicki?), I’ll be the first to download it.

Anyway, I think I’m just going to end this post here. A few other things happened but I think everything I needed say was said tonight. See ya next week (…maybe.)

Byeeeez!!!!

2013: 05/02
CATEGORY: american idol
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Season 12 American Idol Quick Recap (Top 4 Perform Again!)

So, here’s the deal: I’m in the midst of exam week and I literally have zero time to watch television (except for Veep of course…yay renewal!) but…I made a commitment to this show. So I’m going to review all the performances…but I’m going to do that thing where I only use 4 SENTENCES for each performance. K? Coo. First up…

Angie Miller: She sang “Diamonds” by Rihanna. Side note: she’s hilarious with Harry Connick Jr. This is my favorite Rihanna song so I won’t be biased. Angie continues to amaze me every week. I prefer the original arrangement more…but I could definitely see myself listening to this version a few more times. And I really can’t complain when someone changes a song and makes it their own.

Amber Holcomb: She sang “Just Give Me A Reason” by Pink and Nate Ruess. Very interesting song choice…definitely a risk. She’s still has problems with diction…I couldn’t understand half the words she was singing, dawg. The uptempo parts were better than the slow beginning. Her voice is still slammin’ good but I don’t think she was fully comfortable with the song.

Candice Glover: She sang “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. This is another perfect performance from Miss Candice. When the beat really kicks in, she truly shines. She is a true professional and just seems so “at home” on stage. Now for a negative thing: I wish she had chosen something more uptempo to show how current she can really be…but that’s just me.

Kree Harrison: She sang “See You Again” by Carrie Underwood. I have mixed feelings: While her voice was excellent and pure…and while she showed some emotion during the performance (much more than last weeks’s)…I still tuned out a little during the performance. It’s probably her strongest performance in a while…but, musically, I still don’t think she’s truly jumped out the box yet.

Here’s how I’d rank the girls so far tonight: 1. Angie 2. Candice 3. Amber and Kree are tied. Kree technically gave a better performance, but Amber’s didn’t bore me (if that makes sense).

Time for the old songs…

Angie Miller: She sang “Someone to Watch Over Me.” I think Angie does two things very well: She’s very classy and sophisticated, but at the same she still has a little rock opera edge towards the end which I always enjoy. It would have been interesting to see her play this on the piano, but I still liked the performance overall.

Amber Holcomb: She sang “My Funny Valentine.” Awww….poor Amber…but Harry Connick Jr. may have a point. Oh geez…Amber is crying. This makes me sad. I think it must be tough to be told all this praise by the judges, and then have everyone hate you because of that praise, and then still end up in the bottom 2 week after week. I think she knows she probably didn’t do enough to make it to the next round. But – still – very good performance.

Candice Glover: She sang “You’ve Changed.” Candice always has such control when she’s singing and tonight is no different. This was just a beautiful, breezy performance with the right amount of subtlety and power. I just love how her voice is able to go through different emotions, volumes and levels…all in one 2 minute performance. Perfection.

Kree Harrison: She sang “Stormy Weather.” Same thing again: Points for voice. Points for maturity and consistency. But demerits for being bland and sleepy. I think this song needed more sass and grit. She just seemed timid here…like she was in her own world (and not in a good way.)

They closed the show with a group performance of “Wings” which…I found funnier more than anything. It was just so cheesy and fake. I especially cracked up at the part towards the end when they’re marching or something. Just…I didn’t get it, TBH.

Anyway…it was nice to hear these girls again. I LOVED Harry Connick Jr. for the most part and…I agree with the majority, I think they should consider hiring him to be a judge. I thought he was incredibly insightful (and hilarious.)

But…now it’s time for the competition to really begin. Time for an elimination! At this point, I’m pretty much rooting for an Angie/Candice finale so I think those 2 should be in the top 2. I wouldn’t mind seeing Amber leave, but I still like her more than Kree who has been boring me recently. However, if Kree must stay another week, I hope she at least gets a taste of the bottom 2 to give her the push she needs. But, yeah, I think Amber’s going.

OK…see ya guys tonight! And I promise, no more rants.

2013: 05/02
CATEGORY: american idol
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Season 12 American Idol Results (Top 4 Becomes…) + another mini rant

Yeah, let’s just get this out of the way. No one is eliminated. Shocker.

But, before we talk about all that…because I pay 25 dollars a year to have my own website domain, I think I have the right to put in my two cents over “producer manipulation.” This is something I’ve discussed at length before. I’ve made the point that this isn’t the first season that TPTB have manipulated results so their “favorite” will win. But, I also admitted that this year the manipulation has bugged me less because we ended up with a really strong top 5 (and we’ll finally break the WGWG chain).

If you’ve been reading my recaps, you know how much of a sweet spot I have for Amber. I think she’s a very talented “underdog”…and I think she’s had her fair share of moments (“She’s Leaving Home,” “Lately”). She was even my number 1 pick at one point before I slapped myself straight and turned my support towards Candice. Nonetheless, I always look forward to her performances. But…I have to agree that the pimping from the judges have gone too far. Last night, she received two “Standing ovations”…but she didn’t really deserve them. They were very good performances (well, at least “Power Of Love” was). But…the judges have not given her the same constructive criticism that the other 3 have gotten. And it worries me because 1.) it prevents Amber from truly growing. And 2.) because people start to turn on her.

After I finished my blog post last night, I was shocked at all the venom thrown towards Amber (directly and indirectly). And here I thought we were all on the same page. I thought we were excited over this top 4 and it wouldn’t matter who won at this point. But, after last night, it seems like people have made it clear that Amber doesn’t belong in this “top group” that’s already being inhabited by the other ladies. “She’s clearly the worst and she needs to go home immediately” is what I read. I’m not going to lie…it made me sad. I guess you never truly know how much you care about a contestant until it seems like you’re the only person who still likes the contestant.

With Candice and Kree getting the shaft last night, and Angie and Amber elevated, there’s a theory going around that the producers want the “skinny girls” to win and the big girls to go home because the skinny girls are potentially more marketable. These are valid theories and I’m not going to say they’re wrong…but I’m also not going to say their right. I just don’t fully believe it. And, yes, maybe this is my way of defending Amber…but I’m going to speak my mind anyway.

First of all, Angie was clearly the best last night. The ONLY performance that truly SHINED and excited me last night was Angie’s “Who You Are.” That was the only performance that deserved a standing O (and she didn’t even get a full one because Mariah only saves her standing O’s for Amber apparently). On top of that, she had a strong duet with Candice. Angie has gotten better and better in this competition…and, on top of her great vocals, does a good job of picking current songs that people under the age of 20 would recognize. Good for her. So let’s keep Angie out of it. She deserved the praise she got last night…and she’s certainly has gotten her fair share of criticism (remember “Shop Around”?)

Not let’s pretend that Amber doesn’t exist for a second…I stand by what I wrote about Kree last night. She was weak. She has a painfully consistent voice and always stays on key. I appreciate her calmness and her maturity throughout this competition. After the last episode, she even took her criticism well…something her fans could learn from. BUT…her first performance was confusing and weird and lacked any emotion. She was just strutting around the stage singing aimlessly to the audience. Her second performance was better…but sure as heck not memorable. Kree has gotten lazy these past few weeks and you wanna know why? Because the judges have been loving her and offering her nothing but praise the weeks prior . This was literally the first week where their comments were even a little critical. And the same goes for Candice.

Are we forgetting “Lovesong”? Are we forgetting what happened after that performance? How the judges literally jumped and started bowing to her like she was a god. How Mariah threw glitter in her face. How Keith Urban swallowed his pride and admitted he made a mistake by not putting her in his top 3 the week earlier? Even Amber hasn’t gotten that amount of cheers.

I just don’t understand how a week of lukewarm praise suddenly means that the producers are out to get Candice and Kree. Am I missing something here? I really do believe that this was the top 4 the producers wanted all along and that they would be fine with any of them winning (and that includes a Kree/Candice finale). So why the Amber pimping?

I think it really started when Amber was in the bottom three after Beatles week. I think the judges were afraid that Amber would be eliminated before one of the guys (particularly, gasp, Lazaro!) Amber, for some reason or other, was underrated by the public early on and I guess the judges were trying to make up for it. But now that we’re down to the top 4…I think the judges have forgotten how far Amber has gone and are still trying to give her praise when she doesn’t need it anymore. What she needs is a judge to tell to her choose better songs to perform.

Look…I agree that Amber is overpraised compared to the other girls…but I also believe that some of the angry reactions this week in regards to her and Kree are going overboard IMHO. And some of the gripes towards Amber has been uncalled for. I don’t don’t understand why people suddenly hate her…but I think those people need to think again. (And I say this as a big bellied 21 year old who would 100% LOVE a Candice/Kree finale…someone who has stood up for Kree since the beginning of the season and Candice since the previous season.)

Since I took so much time to write that mini rant, lemme just quickly go over some highlights from this results show and then, finally what I think of the actual result.

1. The top 4 sang “Girl on Fire” and it was good, but not extraordinary, performance. Another reason why I’ve disliked this anger during the last 24 hours is that it simply takes away from how great this top 4 is and how well they seem to get along. I liked when Kree gave Amber a small smile during the performance, silently saying “We got this, gurl!”

2. Stefano Langone performed his newest single “Yes to Love.” During season 10, Stefano was interesting character. I really liked him in the beginning of the season and saw him as a worthy finalist…but after his sleepy performance of “Hello,” my interest in him waned. Still, I do enjoy “I’m On A Roll” from time to time. This newest song is OK, but a little too generic (and not in fun way like his first single). But…he’s looking good. I liked the glasses during his video package. And, obviously, he still has a very nice voice.

3. My favorite moment of the night was definitely having Drake surprise Candice. She looked SO STOKED. It was great. The other girls were also nuts, particularly Amber and Angie. See? This is what happens when you sing songs from artists who are still famous. They can possibly take the time to visit you during the results show. So…this is the second time Candice has met an artist she covered on the show. But, yeah, the producers TOTALLY hate Candice.

Degrassi fans unite!

4. Ugh…Lee DeWyze…the one win that STILL irritates me. I’m sorry…but I’m not sorry. Anyway, he performed “Silving Lining”[s Playbook?]. Wait…so the judges stand for Stefano, but not this? Sometimes I feel like the judges should just be glued to their seats at all times. This is what’s causing all the problems in the world. Anyway…very “Mumford and Sons”…I loved it. I can’t believe I’m actually going to download a Lee DeWyze single. Help me, Sir. In all serious, I enjoyed that very much. Now, can we invite Crystal to perform next?

And so…finally we got to the results. Kree and Angie were in the top 2 (I’m guessing Angie got the most votes) while Candice and Amber were in the bottom 2 (I’m guessing Amber got the fewest). And, unsurprisingly, no one was sent home because, again, the producers can’t get enough of this top 4 and they felt like this was the best time to not have an elimination. I still think they should have done this last week when Janelle was still on just for the sake of female empowerment…but this was a nice moment for the 4 girls. Angie and Kree seemed genuinely happy. Amber looked relieved and composed (although a little p’ed off when Ryan announced that the votes from this week would be carried over to the votes next week) while Candice was a crying wreck by the end. So…that’s all I need to say about that.

Next week the top 4 perform “then and now.”If you ask me, we’ve had enough “then,” we need more “now.” If got through this long post, thank you so much for reading! I encourage you to, y’know, comment and rate. Man’s gotta eat.

’til next week!

2013: 04/25
CATEGORY: american idol
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Season 12 American Idol Recap (Top 4 Perform)

IT’S DOWN TO THE TOP 4…so excited!

I’ve said this many times but this is truly one of the best top 4′s we’ve had in a long while…probably the last perfect top 4 was in…season 6, maybe? (Although Blake Lewis…debatable). Anyway, I truly look forward to these episodes because I think all 4 girls are great and…I’m genuinely rooting for all of them. I…wish their song choices excited me more but maybe my tune will change after the episode.

Let’s get it on!

The pre-credits mini montage pumped me up…I’m ready! Let’s bring it on. First up…Contestants Choice!

So the top 4 visited the Children’s Hospital of LA which is pretty sweet, if you ask me. A little awkward because I doubt these sick kids are watching American Idol…but good intent nonetheless.

Amber Holcomb: Overall, she seemed to have an enlightening time at the hospital and admitted she was more nervous performing in front of the kids than on stage. Also her dimples are still adorbs. She performed “The Power of Love.” Standing O from the judges (sans Mariah)! This was one of those song choices I wasn’t excited about. And, I still think she could have chosen a better song (or even a better Celine Dion song – Does “Taking Chances” not exist anymore?) But this was a lot better than I thought it would be. She sounded strong and powerful and, well, on key. But, at the same time, she was very composed. And that falsetto thing she did at the end was beautiful. Also, I love her hair. Very nice way to start the show.

Candice Glover: She comments that the hospital is like home and that the kids there are strong. She seemed to have a fun time with the little tykes running around and playing hide and seek. She sang Drake’s “Find Your Love.” Lukewarm response from the judges which surprised me. I thought the vocals were crazy good like usual. I mean, she just shows so much feeling and emotion when she’s performing. The stage was made for her. Was the performance a bit “old fashioned”? Yeah. Sure. But I felt there was enough of a tempo that I wasn’t completely bored. And the current song choice was inspired. I thought this performance was excellent…like every other Candice performance.

Why they doing the 2 black girls first? smh.

Kree Harrison: She got to sing a lullaby to a premature baby with the baby’s mother. The mother was definitely emotional. She sang Susan Tedeshi’s “It Hurt So Bad.” Nicki did not like this performance. She started saying something about smoke blowing up her ass or something but…she was bleeped out. Anyway, there were some very nice things about this performance. Like…IT HURT IT HURT IT HURT SO BAD!! There were moments of grittiness and rawness. However…I was confused…why was she smiling? Why was she wriggling her hips? It’s nice that made an effort to connect with the audience and not look so frozen. But…she forgot how to connect to a song. She’s still inhibited.

Angie Miller: She connected with a cute little toddler wearing the most amazing shirt ever: “Tough Little Dude.” I forget…can Angie play the guitar too? She sang Jessie J’s “Who You Are.” Standing O from the three judges who usually stand! A standing O well deserved. I loved this performance. I loved everything about it. I loved the song choice (even though she apparently sung this during Hollywood week). I loved her piano. I mother friggin’ loved her EMOTION! She was just bouncing up and down like she was having a minor seizure. It was inspiring. And, once again, her voice just soared to heaven. #inittowinit

Let’s rank the contestants based on how they’ve done so far this night: #1. Angie #2. Amber #3. Candice (she’s really tied with Amber but I give Amberan extra point for going acapella) #4. Kree

ROUND TWO! What we’ve all been waiting for: ONE HIT WONDERS!!!

Oh…wait…we have duos…OK, let’s get through these…

Amber and Kree: They sang “Rumor Has It.” They both sounded great…but I don’t think the two of them had a lot of chemistry. And they both looked stiff and scared. But, it was inoffensive nonetheless.

Candice and Angie: They sang “Stay.” Standing O from 3/4 the judges. This was a better duet than the last one. I loved the harmonies. I liked the vocal sparring towards the end. It’s nice that they changed things up a bit…but I didn’t really dig this arrangement. But the energy and passion was all there…something that missing from the last duet.

NOW…ONE HIT WONDERS!!!!!!

Amber Holcomb: She sang “MacArthur Park.” Standing O from Keith, Randy and…Mariah for the first time tonight. OK…I guess Mariah was feeling it. Again, Amber tends to be mushy mouthed when she sings uptempo and tonight was no exception. I also thought there was too much happening around her so sometimes I had a hard time hearing her (her voice is naturally quieter than the others in the competition). And, sort of similar to her performance of “Without You” last week, the very low notes weren’t working. But…I liked that she took a chance and sang uptempo. I was entertained. She was smiley and she had some very nice moments, including those long notes (Side note: Has her teeth always been that big?). I rather have one great ballad and one mediocre uptempo than two great ballads at this point in the season, so I give her props, even if this performance wasn’t a perfect 10.

BTW, I’ve been fast forwarding through Jimmy’s comments. I don’t need a 5th opinion thank you!

Candice Glover: She sang “Emotion.” I wish her back up singers were Jessica Sanchez and Deandre. Anyway…the judges keep talking about next week which leads me to believe that, no matter what, they’re keeping these four for the next week. Anyway…this was a beautiful performance. I have a sweet spot for this song, specifically the Destiny’s Child cover. I could listen to this song on a loop for a long weekend and not get sick of it. It was a breezy, effortless performance…something we haven’t seen much of from her. So I was going with the beat and with her the whole way. I thought this performance excellent. What’s new?

Kree Harrison: She sang “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” Kree’s iPod is probably the complete opposite of mine. I liked this performance. I don’t…really have much else to say. It was just sort of similar to her others. But, I really love her voice. I love how unassuming (doink!) she is, She has a beautiful spirit. I love her hard, rough high notes. It sounds like she’s begging/praying for those notes. It comes across. The connection to this song was stronger than her connection to her last one. It was an improvement…but I don’t know if it was enough to move her up my current ranking…

Angie Miller: She sang “Cry Me A River.” So…no “Take On Me.” These song choices are lame! Anyway, a lovely way to end the show. It was nice, classy performance…with just a dash of that old fashioned Angie spirit and enthusiasm. She did that seizure thing I love so very much. Beautiful performance.

Anyway…I thought Angie was the strongest tonight with the strongest performance of the night (“Who You Are”)…and Kree was the weakest. Candice was more consistent than Amber (and had a better duet), but Amber deserves props for singing the most uptempo song of the evening (even if it didn’t completely work.) I want to see these girls for another week. And, hopefully, the “surprise twist” is that ALL FOUR are staying another week so the season will end on time. So…similar to my promise last week, if someone IS eliminated (probably Amber), I will recap it. ~~If someone isn’t, I’m not going to bother.~~

EDIT: Wow, I just finished reading some other blogs and recaps and…people seem very angry. So, I need to obviously discuss this. So…contrary to what I wrote before, I will be writing a recap of the results. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

I really hope no one goes home because I really like this top 4.

Thanks for reading!

2013: 04/25
CATEGORY: american idol
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Season 12 American Idol Results (Our Top 4 is Revealed…uh…what?)

OK, this was actually one of the more enjoyable results shows of the season. So…let’s countdown the reasons why.

1. Without any dead weight males in the way, the group performance of Donna Summer songs actually sounded really good. Naturally, Candice stood out the most…but really they all had a chance to shine.

2. The Ford Scavenger Hunt video package thingie was really cheesy and corny and scripted…and that’s what made it hilariously entertaining. And it only got better when their mystery celebrity turned out to be…Matthew Morrison! I could maybe see Amber excited, but Candice…girl, she was thinkin’ I don’t watch Glee. Who this be?

3. PAULA ABDUL! WHAAAT?? That semi-random appearance just blew my mind. It’s nice to see that she, I guess, had no hard feelings towards the show that unfairly fired her (esp. considering she was on The X Factor for a year…BTW, I periodically forget that she was ever a judge on that show.) Anyway, Candice looked happy. The judges looked happy. I was happy. Happy days…is my favorite Barbra Streisand song.

4. Idol Family reunion! This episode actually featured a lot of old friends. First we saw a glimpse of Jordin Sparks in the audience which was nice (I loved Sparkle by the way). And then season 2′s Clay Aiken came back to perform one of his signature songs: “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” He sounded excellent and it’s sad that we don’t hear male voices like that anymore. It’s, I guess, out of style. According to Wikipedia, he’s the fourth highest selling American Idol alum (Ruben is 6th BTW). His first three albums did very well, but he’s been on the decline ever since. Oh well. I still enjoyed his presence…the weird Ruben Studdard joke towards the end was the only sour note.

Then we were unfortunately reminded of that terrible results show during season 3 when the three divas (Fantasia, Latoya London, Jennifer Hudson) were in the bottom 3, over the likes of Jasmine Trias and John Stevens (blech!). That was the night when Jennifer Hudson was eliminated. However, we ended up getting a follow up on Latoya London who, despite being wonderful that season, never had the success of the other two ladies. She gave some vague details on a new album, but it was nice to see her again and she seemed really excited to introduce Fantasia.

Fantasia (who, BTW, is the 5th most successful alum) premiered her new single “Lose To Win.” It was pure 90′s R&B and I loved it. She was passionate and emotional and, even if the performance seemed to go on forever, I still enjoyed watching her get into it. I honestly think Fantasia’s a bonafied success. If you consider her genre of music, she is actually still one of the premiere female R&B singers we have right now (and no, Beyonce and Rihanna are NOT R&B).

So now we had to get down to the results and, unsurprisingly, Janelle Arthur got the lowest number of votes…and she’s…going home WHAAAT? So…is this season going to end a week early? I don’t really get this. Honestly, by the time we get to the top 4…there’s no use using the save. It would have been nice to have seen these 5 ladies sing together for one more week. So…this result makes me scratch my head more than anything.

However, as much as I loved Janelle and her spunk and her spontaneity…she was technically the weakest of the girls. But…I really enjoyed on the show. She was wonderful during Hollywood week, she had some rough moments during Las Vegas and semis…but she really redeemed herself with “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and proved that she belonged to stand side by side with the other female powerhouse singers. She was bubbly. She was sweet. And I’ll miss seeing her on the show. Y’know…Kellie Pickler is the 9th most successful alum. If Kellie Pickler can make a Gold Album and become BFF’s with Taylor Swift…then who knows what Janelle can achieve!

So…we are down to four. And…I’m not going to rank these girls…I’m just going to say one good thing about them…and one thing they need to improve on. So…in alphabetical order…

1. CANDICE GLOVER - You’re creativity has really come out these last few weeks. However, singing more current songs wouldn’t hurt. You’ve been lacking in that department.

2. KREE HARRISON - You are terribly consistent and reliable. However…too many ballads. You haven’t truly rocked out for us yet. It’s time to stand out.

3. AMBER HOLCOMB - When you hit those high notes, it’s absolutely beautiful. I know “Love on Top” wasn’t your most popular performance…but ya gotta take more risks like that. Your first album won’t be ONLY Whitney Houston inspired ballads.

4. ANGIE MILLER - Keep doing the Christian thing. Keep doing the piano thing. Keep looking like Miley Cyrus. Just try to connect with your songs more.

There you have it…a strong top 4. And I’m looking forward to next week. I esp. hope they take advantage of “Contestant Choice” and do something really interesting.

Thanks for reading! Bye bye!

2013: 04/18
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Season 12 American Idol Recap (Top 5 Perform) + a mini rant

Who run the world? GIRLS!! GIRLS! Rock it pop it lock it…yeah, I don’t know the lyrics of the song.

Anyway…I have to say I have mixed feelings coming into this episode. On the one hand, I absolutely adore this top 5…definitely one of the strongest top fives in a the history of the show. I just feel so loose and refreshed…I think, at least right now, any of these five would be deserving of the win (including the recent VFTW pick…)

HOWEVER…I took a look at the leaked song list and…I gotta say, I’m pretty disappointed with the boring, bland song choices. (Why is it that Angie has the most interesting/current song on the list?) I will repeat my sentiments from last week…if you’re allowed to sing two songs in one night, then YOU MUST make one of the songs uptempo. This is why I didn’t LOVE Candice’s “Lovesong” as much as everyone else in the world seemed to…it was a ballad that came after a slew of more ballads. When too many ballads are sung in one night, they all begin to melt together and become insignificant. So…unless Amber has turned one of her ballad songs into an uptempo remix, then I won’t be truly satisfied with her.

Now…before I begin this recap, I need to address something. After Lazaro’s elimination last week, I’ve been reading a lot of comments and blog posts that are sort of similar to this sentiment: “The producers (aka TPTB) are so manipulative this year! They purposely paired the girls with AWFUL guys this year so a girl would win. It’s not right! This isn’t the right way to get a girl to win. And, even though I like this top 5, who ever wins won’t TRULY be a winner because of the backstage manipulation. Humph! End of rant!”

Now…’statements like these are bullshit…and I’m going to explain why right now.One, saying that the guys this year were AWFUL is really over-exaggerating it a bit. Yes, the girls were undeniably stronger. But at the same time contestants like Burnell and Devin were quite good TBH. Actually, they each had at least one excellent moment on the show (“It’s Impossible” and “I’m Here.”) Curtis Finch Jr. didn’t choose the best songs but he didn’t have a bad voice. And Paul Jolley, despite his “vanilla flavor,” actually had potential. Lazaro was really bad…but he would have been put through any other season anyway because of his stutter and inspiring story (remember Scott Macintyre of season 8?). The point is…the dudes weren’t that bad.

Two, I know we’ve all been making comments about how the producers purposely stacked the shows with “bad” male singers so a girl could win.,.but it’s mostly been in jest/snark (at least coming from me.) I feel like people are taking this speculation way too seriously. The truth is…there is no hard boiled concrete evidence that this was Nigel’s intention. Yes, maybe they were trying to find male singers who weren’t white and gifted at the guitar for the sake of diversity, but there’s no proof that they were purposely seeking out sucky male singers. This isn’t Superstar USA.

The truth is…if the producers were manipulative this season…they weren’t any more manipulative than they have been the last few seasons. It’s the nature of the show. TPTB choose contestants who they believe will be the most successful post-Idol and pimp them out until they win. This is why contestants like Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery were constantly receiving praise, while all Haley Reinhart had to do was sing one night off key to get an undignified “dawg” from Randy. Joshua Ledet constantly got standing O’s from the judges and Phillip Phillips was given a kick ass coronation song, while Elise and Skylar weren’t given nearly enough credit. And when Jessica made the top 2 what possible coronation song was she given? Exactly.

And what did all this manipulation lead to? FIVE FIVE FIVE WGWG winners in a row. Now, I don’t know how people can bash a historic top 5 all female finale, while being “OK” with the fact that the last five winners have been of the same color, gender and musical instrument of choice. I’m certainly not OK with that. I’m not OK with the fact that Lee Dewyze’s distant stage presence and “awe shucks” routine allowed him to steal the American Idol crown from the spectacular Crystal Bowersox. Season nine was truly an awful season. From Ellen Degeneres to Tim Urban and an overall questionable top 10 to an aloof Simon Cowell, it was awful season. Crystal Bowersox was the ONE THING that made the season watchable. And yet she got second place. I don’t care that she never became a success after the show, she still deserved to win (and it’s not like the actual winner did much better himself…actually he pretty much did worse.)

The show has been downright sexist for the last three years; and I find it a little disturbing that America has finally embraced female singers yet there are people out there who find the need to complain. I think it’s insulting to these 5 women. I’ll repeat what I said last week…these are five TALENTED women. And I refuse to see Candice’s (or Kree’s or Angie’s) eventual win be tainted because there are some pissy thirteen year old girls out there who hate the fact that there’s no eye candy on the show for them anymore. You guys are upset about this season? Well, I’m still upset over the last three.

All I’m sayin’…is that if you think this is the first season Nigel or the producers or the judges have manipulated things…then you’re truly naive. S’all! I be done!

Anyway…let’s review these performances. Uh…I sort of spent a long time on this rant so…four sentences per performance, K?

First the contestants will be performing songs from the year they were born!

Candice Glover: She was born in 1989 so she sang Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” Wow, what a creative arrangement. This is how someone takes an old song and makes it current and interesting. She sounded great – what’s new? Also…I really liked the camera work in this one…it was interesting. (Also…that was very nice of her to give Janelle props for the song choice.)

Janelle Arthur: She was born in 1989 so she sang “When I Call Your Name.” I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, she sounded perfectly pleasant and lovely. However…maybe I’m just not a big country fan…but the song was a little too sleepy for me. It didn’t leave a big impression on me…but she still sounded beautiful.

Kree Harrison: She was born in 1990 so she sang “She Talks to Angels.” I really enjoyed this performance and song. Her voice is perfect…so I think now she needs to work on stage presence. She’s getting better and better with every week…but I think she could still be livelier. I think she’s so concerned with having a nice voice that she pulls back a bit.

Omigod…I love Nicki and Mariah so so much.

Angie Miller: She was born in 1994 so she sang “I’ll Stand By You.” She dedicated it to the Boston bombings. All the judges stand except…Nicki for some reason. Call this blasphemous…but I liked this version more than Pia Toscano’s. While Pia’s was, in my opinion, a little pageanty…I feel Angie really put some new found feeling and edge into this one. I do think this song has become over sung so I’m a bit disappointed with the song choice…but she did her best with what she chose (or was given, whatever).

Amber Holcomb: She was born in 1994 so she sang the Mariah Carey version of “Without You.” (Yeah…I agree, this is sort of a cheat.) Nicki must be in a bad mood or something. Yeah, I agree with her. Things got a little awkward when Amber sang low. But, Amber is so great when it comes to musical climaxes. Her voice just rockets. I really don’t like this song…but she sung it well. I just don’t think it was “on your feet” worthy.

I think Candice definitely won this first round, followed by Angie Miller.

NEXT UP…A DIVA IS A FEMALE VERSION OF A HUSTLA….my lip gloss be poppin’ (Again, I don’t know these songs.)

Candice Glover: She sang “When You Believe” by Mariah and Whitney. Finally Nicki stood up with the rest of judges! Candice is just so effortless. She moves me every time she sings. I simply loved it. You go glen coco.

Have you guys noticed that there is a small band of irrational “Candice haters” who are roaming through the message boards with shit like “She isn’t current enough. STOP VOTING FOR HER!” I don’t know who these people are…but I’m really glad they’re not the majority.

Janelle Arthur: She sang “Dumb Blonde” by Dolly Parton. No! The judges are wrong. Keep doing what you do, Janelle! Thank you for livening things up a bit. She chose a song that very few people know exist. It was fun and peppy and upbeat. She takes risks. And, she sounded great. This wasn’t supposed to be a “moment” and that’s OK. At least she didn’t try to attempt “I Will Always Love You.” I’m starting to like this chick more and more…

Kree Harrison: She sang “Have You Ever Been in Love” by Celine Dion. Yes, this was another ballad…but I feel like this is the performance I’ve been waiting for from Kree. Something that I can truly take in. Something that’s powerful and uninhibited. I think she proved, with this performance, that she’s still in the competition.

Angie Miller: She sang “Halo” by Beyonce. I was hoping she would do the fast version from Glee. And she too gets a standing O from the judges (poor Janelle). Anyway, I love the current song choice. I mean…it’s ridiculous how rare these are this season. In fact, Angie might be the contestant who has chosen the most “current songs” so…I commend her for that. I love how Angie’s voice just soars. It’s so ethereal and beautiful. And I think this song allowed her to do that. She sounded a great without the piano…but it would have been kinda cool to see her play the piano hook herself. Anyway, great job.

Amber Holcomb: She sang “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” by Barbra Streisand. There was a raw maturity in this performance that I hadn’t really seen from her previous ones. Yes, I like it when she’s having fun and acting young (like last week’s “Love On Top.”) But I thought there was something nice about how composed and grown up she was. I think this performance will keep her for another week…

Hm…I think…Angie won this second round. So, I pretty much think Angie and Candice stood out last night. But, really, all five of them did wonderful…and I’m really going to enjoy this season.

So, here’s the deal…if the save is used tonight, I’m not going to post a quick recap or ranking. If the save isn’t then I obviously will. But..,I believe in terms of scheduling, the judges MUST use the save…or else we’ll all die. Even if it’s Janelle going home (and I think it will be her), then I think they still have to use the save despite their clear ambivalence towards her.

Anyway…uh…that’s all folks. Byeee!

2013: 04/18
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Season 12 American Idol Results (Top 5 Revealed…SPOILERS!)

Omigod…that was a close one.

I am in such a giddy mood right now. So…here’s the deal. I’ve been a wreck this whole day. When American Idol gets intense, I can’t help but obsess over the show. I’ve read every online recap…every Youtube comment…trying to understand…trying to pray and hope that the person who should be eliminated ends up eliminated. Every Thursday, I have class until about 8:30…and I was literally in a rut. I wasn’t paying attention. I was in a bad mood.

I was nervous.

I figured two things ~~would~~ could happen.

1. A girl would be the lowest vote getter…probably Janelle or Amber…and she would have been eliminated without the save because…well…at this point, what’s the point, right?

2. Or…a girl would be the lowest vote getter…again, probably Amber or Janelle…and the judges would use the save. No problem.

Both situations would have been awful for reasons that are obvious.

Last night, I predicted that Lazaro would be eliminated…but I thought maybe I was just wishful thinking. I mean, he performed really bad this week…but he also performed pretty bad last week and he was still in the top 3. He clearly had a passionate fanbase who was “inspired” by him. So…it wasn’t a confident prediction…

…but in the end…it was the right prediction.

I really hope I’m not hallucinating right now. I really hope I’m not going nuts. Lazaro Arbos WAS eliminated, right? Like…let me check wikipedia real quick…OK, he was.

I really hope I’m not dreaming right now.

Anyway…what can I say about this? He…showed potential…and promise. He was a nice guy (I guess). And it is pretty remarkable that he’s able to sing without a stutter. He’s an…barf…”inspiration.”

But I (and I don’t recap audition episodes so there’s no way to prove this but still…) NEVER thought he was great. I didn’t think his audition was all that good. And I wouldn’t have put him past Hollywood week. While people (even respected bloggers like Michael Slezak – whom, by the way, I trust and respect more than anyone) were showering him with praise during the early stages of the season…I was sitting back and wondering what people were hearing. I’m not going to pretend that he suddenly had a downfall during the finals. Through my ears, he’s always been “not ready” for this competition. And I’m not going to sit here and offer some insincere praise towards him. It’s not technically his fault. He just played the game. The judges/producers/whoever should have realized this early on and not offer him false praise through the rounds. This is why he got as far as he did. And this is why he’s gotten all this “hate.”

I really hope Nigel can learn from this experience. DON’T JUDGE TALENT BY THE SOB STORY!

So fans of Lazaro…if you’re distressed…then prove us wrong. Support Lazaro. Buy his album. While you do that, I’ll be listening to Crystal Bowersox’s.

In other news…this is the best top 5 we’ve had in a while. AND…we’re finally going to have a girl winner. Yes, I feel a little guilty how it came to this (desperately finding amazing girls to compete against mediocre guys). But…after 5 years of WGWGs (and cough cough 3 undeserved wins), it was time. THESE GIRLS ARE TALENTED. And I think right now, they’re all deserving to win. Even with the backstage manipulation, let’s not pretend we have a sucky top 5. We don’t. Each girl has given at least a couple amazing performances and…I’ve never been more excited for a latter half of a season…coincidentally the last time I felt this way was during season 6…after Sanjaya was eliminated. Hmmmm…

I don’t want to rank these girls…

…let’s rank these girls.

1. CANDICE - OK, she’s finally number one on my list. I tear up thinking about her. Ever since she was unfairly eliminated last season, I’ve been begrudgingly following her on Youtube, wondering if she would ever make it…She’s made it. No matter what happens, I think she’ll be fine. She’ll, at worst, make 60,000 dollars a year performing gigs and making music…and that’s pretty much what one should hope for after leaving American Idol (assuming that’s not what he or she was doing before Idol…)

2. AMBER - She needs to work on diction. But I still love her “Love on Top” performance. I have to enjoy this uptempo break for as long as I can because next week she’ll be back to singing ballads (also,next week will probably be her last week so…)

3. KREE - She’s getting boring…na mean? She’s so consistent…but Candice has also been consistent, yet she’s produced more exciting moments. There might be a time when I’ll stop rooting for her…like when she’s in the top 2 with Candice.

4. ANGIE - I love how, when she has the chance, she chooses Christian songs from semi-obscure singers. I’ll…probably never like her more than my top 3…

5. JANELLE - Keep doing what you do!

So…what else? I pretty much missed the first half of the show, but I did see Kelly Clarkson perform. Her new single is awesome and she sounded great (what’s new?) For a while, because she was a mentor on Duets and The Voice, I thought maybe she was silently turning her back on Idol. I’m glad to see that she still has time to perform on it and act nice…even if (like everyone else) she probably thinks the show should just end. Hey…it’s not like any future winner would overshadow her. She’s unstoppable! I also liked her little back and forth with Mariah…and how the producers were trying to cut to commercial but they couldn’t because Kelly and Mariah are just that awesome. You know…Mariah is a weird/non-present judge…but I like her as a person, y’know? (And her obsession with Mean Girls makes me smile.)

So…does this mean the save is just not going to be used? This will be the first season since the save was first introduced that it won’t be used? Iiinteeerrresting…

Anyway. I’m happy. I’m going to bed. Goodnight, lovelies!

2013: 04/11
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Season 12 American Idol Recap (Top 6 Perform)

I’m about to watch the episode. I’m definitely nervous and excited at the same time. I do want to, at some point, discuss why so many people have been disliking this season (and, I suppose, why the ratings are dipping…even though it’s still doing very well for a show in its 12th season and that if FOX were to cancel the show, they wouldn’t be able to find something to replace it that would be as successful). But…maybe I’ll just hold that off for another time. I do think it’s a little absurd that for all the complaints this show gets about not being current, they decide to have a “Burt Bacharach theme.” Why would Nigel Lythgoe do this? Can we not have a “Songs from the last 12 months” theme? Or maybe a “Songs that have never been covered on the show” theme (that would be hard considering with the billion dollar revenue the show receives, they only have like 100 songs cleared for copyright). Anyway, I’m going on a tangent. Let’s get this over with…

Angie Miller: She likes to make embarrassing Youtube videos with her friends. So don’t watch them while we show you clips. She sang “Anyone Who Had a Heart.” I agree with the judges on this. This was a great performance, like most of her past performances…but there was very little connection to the song. I don’t think she fully understood what she was singing about so, in turn, I didn’t fully understand what the song was about either. I didn’t know if she was sad or…angry or happy or anything. The vocals were excellent. I actually liked when she reached her upper register – so lovely. But…I needed more.

Amber Holcomb: She likes eating frozen shrimp (not raw). Adorbs! Anyway, she sang “I Say Little Prayer.” I really don’t like this song (or I’ve heard it so many times that I have hard time enjoying it anymore.) So the song choice, in my opinion, was a little uninspiring. But still this was a perfectly enjoyable performance. She had some very nice moments/runs throughout. I mean she can SANG! However…because this was one of her most uptempo songs so far, I wish she had moved around more and had more fun with it. She seemed a bit too restrained…like she was too focused on hitting the right notes. I’m not sure if this is performance where she has truly broken out of her shell…but it seems like a nice start.

Lazaro Arbos: He likes four wheelers and he likes to hunt…so people call him the “Spanish Redneck Guy.” He sang “Close to You.” OK…true story. After a weekend of being angry over Lazaro’s top 3 placement in the results, I was ready…I was ready to be normal and not hold any grudges against him for this recap. It’s hard to do that when he’s not even trying. He just slept walked through this performance. I mean…this is already a terrible song (Nigel, these theme weeks are killing me!) but a superior singer would be able to rise above it. This was embarrassing and I shan’t think about this performance anymore.

Kree Harrison: She loves rodeos. By the tone of her voice and her totally not dead eyes, it’s clear that she really loves rodeos. She sang “What the World Needs Now is Love.” This is another song that I have a hard time taking seriously (thanks sitcoms)! But a least Kree made an effort to put some dignity in the song. I like how she started out in acapella. I love the arrangement. It felt so fresh and soothing. She’s just so sincere and she works so hard. I’m not sure if I would qualify as a MOMENT…but maybe that’s not what Kree was going after, which is admirable in its own right.

Janelle Arthur: Her big reveal is that when she was in grade school she was in a play…and she played a BOY. GASP!!! She sang “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” I agree with Keith…I feel Janelle is always doing something new every week…but at the same time she never loses her “country roots.” There were some moments where sounded a little “under the note.” But I actually enjoyed the song (“Promises Promises” is the sh@t) and I enjoy her bubbly, warm personality.

Now, I wish someone had sung “Turkey Lurkey Time.”

Candice Glover: Her big thing is that in her hometown she speaks a dialect called “Geechee.” It’s freakin’ awesome! She’s tied with Amber for the most interesting package tidbit. She sang “Don’t Make Me Over.” Standing O from the judges! Definitely the best Burt Bacharach performance of the night. I loved how the stage was set up. I love the strings. I like how she was on her own platform. Her voice is just crazy amazing. Last week was probably disappointing for her. She wasn’t in the top 3 from America’s votes, and she was snubbed by 3 of the 4 judges. I don’t she think she ever needed to redeem herself…but she did anyway. I think after this show, she could be a relatively successful R&B singer (Jazmine Sullivan, Ledisi, Melanie Fiona). Not bad at all if you ask me. “ACCEPT ME FOR WHAT I AM!!!!”

Next up…the contestants will perform songs they wish they had written…

Angie Miller: She sang Kari Jobe’s “Love Came Down.” First, I love the “obscure” song choice. This is probably a song she had to fight for so I commend her for picking it. Second…this is a freakin’ amazing performance. I will probably never get tired of Angie singing behind a piano. This was a powerful performance and she definitely pulled all the stops. She has a big fan base. She has the country vote. I don’t think she’s going anywhere.

Amber Holcomb: She sang Beyonce’s “Love on Top.” I’m not gonna lie…I was smiling throughout the performance. This is what I’ve been waiting for from her. It wasn’t…perfect though. Especially in the beginning, she got tongue tied in some places (again, she needs to work on diction). There were places that sounded a little mushy-mouthed. And, again, her top register wasn’t always there. But I have to appreciate the risk. I have to appreciate the different song choice (a song I loved before anyway). And, if you allow me to pull a Nicki, I think she looked great up there. She’ll probably…be in the bottom 3 TBH. But, the judges love her and they’ll use the save on her if they have to so…she doesn’t have to worry too much right now.

Lazaro Arbos: He sang “Angels.” Compared to some of his past performances, this wasn’t the worst thing in the world. I have a sweet spot song for this song…especially the Jessica Simpson cover (remember when she used to be a thing?) But…I mean, if I want to listen to this song again, I’m certainly not going to listen to Lazaro’s version. What I’m trying to say is…if he’s not eliminated next week, I will punch an Asian in the head.

Kree Harrison: She sang “Help Me Make it Through the Night.” I don’t understand some of these contestants. If there’s a week where you’re allowed to sing two solo songs, then you don’t make them BOTH ballads. Anyway…I’m gonna be mean here. This was a “Devin Velez” sort of performance. Perfectly on pitch and definitely powerful…but just boring. There just wasn’t much for me to grab on to. I still love her but, man…she needs to step it up. However…she’s most likely going to avoid the bottom 2 or 3 again this week.

Janelle Arthur: She sang Garth Brooks’s “The Dance.” Overall, I liked this performance. I think she clearly loves the song and I could see a connection between her and the song. It’s just…a little forgettable for a contestant that’s usually on the more eclectic side of things.

Candice Glover: She sang The Cure’s “Lovesong.” The judges NUTS, esp. Keith who was on his knees bowing down. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.) Definitely the performance/moment of the night. She’s spectacular and is almost in a class of her own. However…I wish she had chosen something more uptempo to show how commercial and current she could be. I’m not trying to take away from this moment…

…its just that this night was a little more ballad heavy than I had hoped. When 5 of the last 6 songs are ballads, they all sort of mush together unfortunately. However, it was clear that Lazaro is completely out of his league and it would be a pity if a girl is eliminated before him, because I think all 5 of them deserve to be the top 5. So, I’m just going to end this by saying that Lazaro will probably be in the bottom three with Janelle and Amber. And, you know what? I’m going to predict him for the elimination. Is it wishful thinking? Maybe. But I feel like there’s been a lot of hate on the internet directed towards Lazaro and I’m starting to wonder where his fans are coming from. It’s honestly time for him to go. If a girl HAD to be eliminated…then I’d probably choose Janelle. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that though.

I’m tired. Good night.

2013: 04/11
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Season 12 American Idol Results (Top 7 Becomes Top 6…my ranking)

Even Candice realizes this elimination is BS.

Definitely definitely an emotional results show for me.

In my desperate quest for a female winner, I’ve been pretty ambivalent towards the eliminations thus far. Curtis Finch Jr. was unrelatable. Michael Polley was too “vanilla”. Devin Velez lacked connection. These were three eliminations (for the most part) I agreed with.

And…honestly…if Lazaro couldn’t go home (more on that later), I knew it had to be Burnell Taylor. And I’m glad, despite the circumstance, it was Burnell. But…still…so sad. He did really well throughout the competition. He has a beautiful tone and a great personality…and I’ll miss him on the show. I think he needs to work harder on his diction because even during his save-me song (“Ready to Love”), despite how wonderful he was, I still had a tough time understanding many of the words he was singing. But, he should be proud of his journey and…y’know, I’m going to guess he’s not going to be a HUGE Carrie Underwood sized success…but he should still be proud of the experience and realize he did something a lot of people could only dream of doing: performing The Color Purple on the 2nd most popular singing competition in the country.

Now, with all that lovey-dovey crap aside…the top 3 truly spooked me. WHAT THE FRAK, AMERICA??? STOP VOTING FOR LAZARO! TOP 3???? You know why the producers decided to reveal the top 3 this week…to subtle-y tell America to stop voting for this dude. So, everyone, let’s listen to Nigel and create a balls to the wall top 5 with the fierce ladies. I will not be able to fully enjoy this show until this bulge is outtie…K?? K.

A top 3 without Candice is like…a moon without its stars.

OTHER SHIZ:

The show started off with a performance of “Somebody to Love” by the top 7. I’m 70% sure they lip synched this. However, I love how Candice was given the “Mercedes” solo towards the end. Fierce!
Casey James came back to perform “The Good Life.” I honestly disliked season 9 (anyone who claims season 12 as being the worst season has clearly only started watching the show since season 10). The only contestant I truly loved in that season was Crystal Bowersox. But…Casey James is a cool dude and I have to admit, he had a couple better-than-decent moments while he was on the show. Right now, I definitely like this country/laid back thing he has going on. And I enjoyed the performance and song very much.
Carrie Underwood came and performed her newest single “See You Again.” The major pimpage she got was actually deserved considering she’s one of maybe 5 bonafied successes from the show. In fact, she has sold more albums than any other alum. Despite all this fame, it’s nice to see Underwood have such raw appreciation for the show and her journey. Seeing her well up a bit and at least attempt to compliment the rest of the contestants and give them hope was a nice moment from this neck of the woods. She has a nasally voice live…but it’s my nasally voice, and I love her.

OK…that’s all for now. Next week the contestants are singing two songs. One from the Bacharach/David songbook…and the other is pretty much anything the contestant wants. So hopefully, the top 6 uses the opportunity to sing something current (Candice), fresh (Kree), and upbeat (Amber). And…well…on key (VFTW pick).

Let’s rank them:

1. AMBER - The heart wants what the heart wants. I can’t lie to myself anymore. I anticipate her more than the others at this point. But…still she really needs to sing something fun and upbeat. “What About Love” isn’t necessarily a ballad…but she certainly didn’t rock it out like expected. But, for now, I’ll put her at 1.

2. CANDICE - Consistent consistent consistent. I’d like to hear her sing some Jazmine Sullivan. Preferably “Holding You Down” or “Need U Bad.”

3. KREE - I agree with other fans, I think Kree is getting a little too comfortable on stage. That’s why I honestly loved her performance the other night (“Piece of My Heart”) because I felt like there was some genuine struggle in her voice and it was refreshing. I think she desperately needs to sing something from the new millennium quick so we can really see what kind of artist she is.

4. ANGIE - I don’t think she’ll ever be above the top 3 from my picks…but I really do like her and she redeemed herself this week. I would not mind if she won. She’s so good!

5. JANELLE - Cutie patootey. I feel like I’m never giving her the praise she deserves. She’s probably taken more risks than the other girls, I admit that. She’s been wonderful these last few weeks.

6. LAZARO - I think maybe a Bruno Mars song would be a nice change of pace for him. Or maybe even Michael Buble. Also…it’s a travesty that he’s still here.

Thanks for reading!

2013: 04/05
CATEGORY: american idol
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Season 12 American Idol Quick Recap (Top 7 Perform…Classic Rock NO BALLADS ALLOWED)

You can literally crop Lazaro out of this picture

OK, I’m sorry this is coming SO late…and I have some more bad news: I’m going to have to do that thing where I only use THREE sentences for each performance. I’m just super stressed and super busy and…I don’t have time to put much work into this. For the sake of consistent continuity, I’m going to put a recap up…even if it is half assed. (Unfortunate, because I was really looking forward to this night.)

Also, I have to watch the performances through the youtube channel so I won’t be able to make comments on how the judges reacted or how their mentoring sessions went (not that I did that much before anyway.)

OK! Time for some old time rock and roll.

Burnell Taylor: He sang “You Give Love a Bad Name.” There were some nice moments where he showed real grit. However, his diction was off (once again) and he looked mad uncomfortable and winded. Not as good as Blake Lewis…(not fair because that performance was pretty legendary).

Angie and Lazaro: They sang “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Poor Angie. Get that man (and his tight red bulge) off that stage! Again…Angie sounded decent.

Kree Harrison: She sang “Piece of My Heart.” I actually liked this performance for the most part. There was vulnerability (OK, maybe a strain) in her voice that I strangely appreciated. But…it didn’t look like she liked the song much very much.

Candice and Burnell: They sang “The Letter.” Very fun performance. They harmonized really well. Candice was the stronger, more confident performer, but Burnell sort of redeemed himself after his lackluster solo performance.

Janelle Arthur: She sang “You May Be Right.” I’ve never heard this song (interesting). Probably a step down from last week, but I still really liked this performance. It was fun, even though her voice was a little “ouch” in some places.

Lazaro Arbos: He sang “We Are the Champions.” Not giving him the benefit of the doubt. It was still a bad performance. There’s nothing that he can do that will ever convince me he deserves to stay longer. (And this was more ballad than uptempo).

Janelle, Amber, Kree: They sang “It’s Still Rock N Roll To Me.” The parts where they sang together were a little weak. The solo parts were better. Amber stood out IMO.

Candice Glover: She sang “Satisfaction.” (eff ya!) Perfect song for her! You can tell that she has a LOT of fun rocking out, and I love watching her. It’s funny how in the beginning of the competition, people were worried she wouldn’t be able to go uptempo; well, she has definitely proved those naysayers wrong.

Amber Holcomb: She sang “What About Love.” Would have preferred if she had chosen a more uptempo song. She’s stronger in her lower register than higher. Don’t get me wrong…still amazing and strong.

Angie Miller: She sang “Bring Me To Life.” Interesting song choice. I loved it. It was dark and haunting and beautiful all wrapped in one.

So…this wasn’t the greatest night TBH. I think some of the contestants were out of their zone. I think some of the song choices could have been better. And, yeah, the girls far out shined the guys.

Best performance of the night: The last three performances were pretty amazing…I’m gonna go with Candice Glover this time.

Other stand outs: Angie’s at a very close second though. Amber (receiving her millionth standing ovation) was also top tier tonight.

Who Should Go Home: Lazaro. Burnell could also go because I honestly don’t think think either of these guys are as strong as the girls and I’d rather have one of them go than any of the girls. But…Lazaro is by far the worst contestant on the show. Don’t make me irrationally hate him, America!

Who Will Go Home: The bottom three will probably be Lazaro, Burnell, and a girl (obviously). It might be Janelle because she was technically the weakest female tonight. However, it could also be Amber because…well, she’s the only girl to land in the bottom 3 so far and her fanbase may not be as big and faithful as the other girls. In any case, I’m predicting Burnell for the boot. And I don’t think the judges will use a save for him…

OK, see ya tomorrow (tonight) for the results!

2013: 04/04
CATEGORY: american idol
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music
predictions
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An Opinion blog about TV, Movies, award shows, music, books, school, etc…

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