American Idol 11 - Top 12 Perform - Live Blog Recap
Tonight, the Top 12 (or Top 11) of American Idol 11 perform "Song from the Year They Were Born" with Will.i.am as the mentor. Idol has posted the complete set list on their Facebook. Yawn. Most of the songs are either done to death, or a total yawn fest.
In case you haven't been glued to the web, Jermaine Jones--aka Gentle Giant--has been DQ'd from the show for lying about his criminal history of what is presumed as violent-related crimes. He has since deleted his Twitter account and is now back in Philly.
Needless to say, tonight's performance show should be interesting. The song choices aren't too exciting, but I'm anxious to see how the show handles the Giant drama. I highly doubt they'll bring anyone back, because honestly, that's an old trick now. I have a feeling they will either not eliminate anyone this week, or continue on and hold off till later to use the no-elimination-this-week trick. I'm pulling for the latter.
I will be live blogging right here, so come back soon and often for my thoughts on the performances. Fingers crossed for Elise, Erika, Jessica, and Colton!
This...is AMERICAN IDOL!
Let's do this! Right off the bat, Ryan addresses the Jermaine controversy. "When doing a live show, anything can happen," Ryan declares. Oh. Snap. Selections range from 1983-1995. Ouch. We get an adorable pic of Randy as a kid in a bow-tie, J.Lo as a youngster, and Steven baring his signature teeth.
Phillip Phillips is up first! As a kid, there was major medical problems. Aww. He had kidney stones recently!!! Tonight, he's singing "Hard to Handle" originally by Otis Redding. His growl is not has annoying tonight. The stage is bathed in red and orange. He's behind the mic. He has a mic issue in the second half...or he got to close to the mic. Lol. He didn't have his guitar tonight and did pretty good. The ladies seem to love him. I need him to hit a roadblock, though, so a girl can win.
J.Lo totally wants in his pants. Check out his full performance HERE.
Jessica Sanchez sings for your votes! She's a 1995 baby. Gosh do I feel old! She's singing "Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estefan, originally by Vicki Sue Robinson. Disco Covers FTW! In some hot sparky pants, she comes down center stage. Her vocals are on point as usual. This just feels a bit...idk. She's off with the rhythm at points. She certainly brings some vocal acrobatics. I'm glad she isn't staying in ballad-land. Wow. She has some amazing pipes towards the end SANG IT, GIRL!
Steven says the rhythm she brought was "a little shady." J.Lo is actually giving some legitimate criticism. FINALLY. Wow. Randy, where did you come from? Has someone been reading the blogs?!?! Check out her full performance HERE.
Heejun Han channels his inner casanova! He's singing "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx. I just love his parents! This should be interesting. His accent always gives him problems singing. He want's will.i.am's autograph!!! LOL. Another ballad. He does have a nice tone to his voice. This is sweet, just a tad bit boring. I do give him kudos for really pouring his heart into this. I want him to make the tour so bad. Can you imagine? Hey, he nailed that key change. Go Heejun!
Randy didn't enjoy it at all and said it was pitchy all over the place. He thinks he was out of breath the whole time. J.Lo felt he was struggling but felt his heart in the song. Check out his full performance HERE.
Next up is Elise Testone! Come on, girl. She needs to nail tonight! She's singing "Let's Stay Together" originally by Al Green. They are giving her some personality with Obama! She's sitting on the piano. Gosh, I love her tone! She's tender where she needs to be. Oh, then it picks up. Wow! She's singing her heart out. Ok, that's a bit stan-ish, but seriously, she smoked that! VOTE VOTE VOTE!
SHE'S BACK. J.Lo says that was showing America who she was. It was right. "Elise is back!!!" Randy shouts. She's dope. Check out her full performance HERE.
Deandre Brackensick is up! He was a crazy kid. He's singing "Endless Love" by Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross. Oh. Interesting. I need him to be good. He's in a white tux suit. He really knows how to work the camera. He seriously has a great voice and his lower register is lovely to listen to. As long as he doesn't take a long walk in his falsetto, I'm good. This isn't very exciting. The vocals are good, yes, but.........zzz. He hit his signature falsetto at the end. That's how to use it sparingly, dude.
Uh oh, J.Lo started her critique with "baby." She thinks Jimmy steered him wrong with the song choice. DRAMA! Check out his full performance HERE.
Shannon Magrane takes the stage! She's the pride of Tampa! She is the underdog tonight. She needs a comeback! She's singing "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. Big shoes to fill! The give her advice about breath control. She's standing center stage in a sea of fog. So far, she's not overdoing it. I love this song, but it's such a boring choice. What gives?! She has a lot of potential. She should have waited a few years. Holy pitchiness batman! She needs to stay away from songs with key changes.
J.Lo was terrified for her, but says she did a beautiful job. Oh, Randy name drops Mariah Carey and says she shouldn't have taken on a big monster. UM WHITNEY HOUSTON LAST WEEK! Sigh. Check out her full performance HERE.
Let's go Colton Dixon! Him and Chris Daughtry have hooked up. Heh. Aww. He's singing "Broken Heart" by White Lion. Oh. This is at least different. Kudos! He's in a white light and dressed up all in black. We get it, you're emo. Heh. I've always been a fan of his, but I don't really see him as a hard rocker. He's doing his thing, though. This is like pop-rock-lite. He nails the high note. He's definitely my favorite guy of this bunch. GO COLTON!
J.Lo calls him a lover. LOL. Check out his full performance HERE.
OMG. Erika Van Pelt is up next! She's a 1985 girl! She's doing "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. YES! I love this song. Oh, holy fashion upgrade...and...leather pants? Her husky alto is perfect for this song. Sure, it's a boring song choice, but her voice is just so good. Towards the end, there were a few moments there were a little off, but overall, it was pretty good.
J.Lo and Steven didn't like the arrangement. It left them wanting more. Check out her full performance HERE.
OMGGGGGGGG. Ryan is addressing the Jermaine drama. We have some footage with the producers. There's Nigel! CONFRONTATION!!! Jermaine says that there wasn't any fighting and that he fell and has screws in his foot. OMG.
He gets a sing out package and we see his Tuesday rehearsal. Aww. Check out his performance HERE.
Next up is Skylar Laine! She used to bang her head alot on the sidewalk as a kid. LOL. She's singing "Love Sneakin' Up on You" by Bonnie Rait. Jimmy suggests a bunch of other songs. She stuck with her gut! Woo! She has such stage presence. I'm actually really diggin' this. It definitely has a different vibe than anything she's done before. BRING THE FIRE!
Steven just loves the country in her. J.Lo thinks she "really killed that." Check out her full performance HERE.
Joshua Ledet is up! OMG shellfish! What is happening right now?! He's singing "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge. Ugh. I hate this song. So many covers. Oh, Joshua looks quite dashing tonight. He even has a rose. There's no denying this guy has an amazing voice. Take us to church! He really digs his teeth into this material. I feel his emotion dripping like crazy. He hits into his falsetto for the key change. Whoa. He takes off his jacket. At some points, it was a little over the top and shouty, but it was definitely one of the best.
The judges give him a standing O. J.Lo thinks it was the best thing she's ever seen on Idol. Well considering this is only her second season, I can see that. LOL. Check out his full performance HERE.
Hollie Cavanagh gets the pimp spot! OMG, her parents are so adorable! She's singing "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion. Predictable choice, but I love this song. I don't want her to get Pia'd this season. She's in a lovely gold sparkly dress. She's channeling Celine! OMG. She's pitchy in some spots, but I'm not hating this. She needs to show some diversity in her performances. They are really pushing for her to be in the final two with Jessica. Oh, the last note was...pitchy, dawg.
J.Lo thinks they saved the best for last. Randy thinks she "blew it out the box." Check out her full performance HERE.
Well, that's it folks! Tonight, we got some lame song choices and a few awesome performances mixed in.
Top 2: Elise, Joshua
Middle: Colton, Erika, Hollie, Jessica, Phillip, Skylar
Bottom 3: Shannon, Heejun, Deandre
I think either Shannon or Heejun will go this week! Or, will they actually eliminate someone?
Who are your picks?