The X Factor USA – Recap and Live Blog – Live Show #4 – 11/20/2013 - Video
Join us for the live blog and recap of The X Factor USA Live Show #4! I'm hearing PauCharo is hiding this week's check under her seat!
Welcome back for another edition of #PauCharoWednesdays! Yours truly, Trey will be covering the first hour of the Live Show #4 while my friend Nick Roman will be covering the second half.
Last week I Lost my beloved Sweet Suspense. Now this week I'm still Team Josh Levi, of course as well as rooting for my girl Khaya Cohen! We got to get keep her this week!
It's a British invasion week! They say that they are singing songs from One Direction's homeland. Uhmm. Mario even comes out while One Direction's "Kiss You" is playing. They are really shoving them down our throats as the modern day Beatles. I'm not here for that.
Opening the show is....JEFF GUTT (view performance)
- Jeff says he can't plateau this far in this competition. He may be too late. Jeff's definitely not going to be finals material, but that's just my opinion. He sings "Bohemian Rhapsody." He brings "rock" to the show but it's all just a bit meh. I love this staging though. It's a bit over the top and I feel like he's yelling.
- PauCharo says she loves rock & roll!! LOL. She says the music transitions were a bit off though, I agree! Demi says that it was his best performance yet. Simon says it could have been great or a disaster and it was his performance. Simon loved that it was over the top. Kelly is so proud and says he rocked this week!
PauCharo's next "Super Besh Talen and supah awsum voice" is TIM OLSTAD (view performance)
- Tim is pretty ticked off that the judges aren't getting him anymore. He wants to hop on the piano since Alex plays his guitar. We see staged segments of Paulina pretending to mentor. Simon says he's boring. Will hard work pay off?
- He sings "Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word." I'm actually liking this from Tim. Still boring of for the most part. But more intriguing than normal. I like the song! Maybe when he performs an upbeat song he'll be less boring. Diamond White's version of this song was better.
- Kelly says he stepped it up a couple notches and enjoyed the element. Demi says he didn't need the piano to be sexy. She says he sounded like Robin Thicke and it doing R&B and soul well. WHAT DEMI!?!!?!? OK BYE. Simon says he is a singing hamster and the others want him to be a singing lion - and he's not. I agree. He says his future is more cabaret or broadway than a recording artist. I agree.
Up next is KHAYA COHEN (view performance)
- Khaya had to sing for her life last week. Demi has her singing "Let It Be." Eh. I don't know. Let's see!! First off, hair is laid. It's starting off tame. I'm waiting for her to sing her face off. Wrong song, Demi. She's killing the parts that she's allowed to shine at though. Yes girl you better sang!! She is going awfffffff!! *waves church fan* The false at the end!? She murked da track!
- Kelly loves the power and strength in her voice. She wants her to round some of the vowels off though. PauCharo says tonight was the best she's done. Simon thought the beginning was okay, then she got her stride halfway. Simon says the fact she was in the bottom two last week was a joke because she is such a great singer with so much potential. Preach!
JOSH LEVI is next (view performance)
- The frontrunner for me. He's excited he got so many good reviews last week. He doesn't want to let his mom and sister down since how moved out to LA with him. Josh is such a star. Perfect song choice with "Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This." He kills these type of performances and is singing so well! Dubstep production is allowing him to dance too. As far as artistry, Josh and Alex & Sierra have taken it to a level that hasn't been on the show since my girl Drew in season 1.
- Kelly is jealous that Paulina is his mentor. She thinks he is so incredibly talented. Demi says he has the potential to be big and reminds her of a younger Chris Brown. Simon says he looks forward to him every week but says that his mentor is mad because the dancing policeman scene was outrageous. Next week he wants to see him one stage by himself next week. Josh did awesome! He should be the front-runner. The most commercial act. Vote Josh!!!
ALEX & SIERRA are next (view performance)
- I'm glad! I thought Restless Road would be one of the last acts I'd cover tonight. They've been working on this dream as long as they have been dating. They are singing "Best Song Ever" by One Direction. Finally a new song. I love the staging. The X Factor is so great in that aspect. A&S are doing such a great job. I do wish it would have been more up-tempo though.
- Demi and Simon I don't know about al that though. Kelly says this week Alex sang better than Sierra this week, not that Sierra did bad but they have to be spot on. PauCharo feels them when they look at each other. She calls the bridge staging corny though. Demi disagrees and says she is going home and downloading it on iTunes. She says Sierra was a tiny bit pitchy in places but she stood up for them! Simon says it was cool, laid-back and disagrees that Sierra was off. He says that the difference between them and other people in the competition is that was original and commercial.
Well this is all for me. Passing the Pau touch to Nick for the rest of the show! Thanks & enjoy it!
Alright, Nick Roman here! I've just had a lot of coffee, though I'm not sure if wine might not have been a better idea when faced with the prospect of enduring a night of PauCharo.
RION PAIGE is up next! (view performance)
-Rion misses her little brother, and we get to see her talking with him and spending time with him, and it's all incredibly sweet. Seriously. She says she wants to show her little brother that anything is possible. Oh, and she's doing "Your Song"! That was my song suggestion for her on last week's edition of Week In Review! Simon worries that "Your Song" won't help her country voice, but I disagree.
-Rion performs the Ellie Goulding version of "Your Song," and it's my favorite performance of hers so far. I also love how they're styling her. I don't know why they chose "Flower child" for her look, but it totally works. Unfortunately, they truncate the song a bit, completely cutting off the powerful build of the bridge into the final repeat of the chorus, which is the biggest moment of the song. Still, I loved this performance far more than anything Rion has done so far.
-Kelly says these contestants aren't messing around, and states that she loves her. Paulina agrees, and Simon says she was absolutely fantastic, adding that she didn't need anything else on stage. Demi admits to getting emotional because she could feel the passion in Rion's voice, and Simon cuts in that Rion just can't be 13. She just can't.
CARLITO OLIVERO is up next! (view performance)
-Much like the first pair of Uggs of the holiday season, here's Carlito Olivero. He talks about being homeless after his initial record deal fell through, and says that this is simply another mountain for him to climb, since this isn't just a competition, it's his life. Even though I'm not crazy about him, I can't pretend that Carlito isn't a likable guy.
-He sings "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones, and I'm guessing the mentors read Week in Review, because this is yet another song choice straight out of my suggestions. And he does a pretty good job with it too! I really liked the video screens with a dancing Carlito. It should have been corny as hell, but it totally fit with the rest of the performance, which was easily Carlito's best of the competition so far.
-Kelly says it was a huge step-up from last week, but she still feels there's something missing from his performance. She really likes him and thinks he has star quality, but she just wants to see it all come together for him.
-Demi "kind of" agrees with Kelly, saying that the end was on fire and crazy sexy when he started dancing at the end, and adds that he should embrace his Latino heritage a bit more by singing in Spanish. She asks him to be more like Ricky Martin, which...yeah, I don't even know. Simon thought the staging was sensational, and says that Carlito is a MAN, that he admires his drive and his determination. He says he respects Carlito and hopes America keeps him around, adding that he wants to see Paulina give him a proper song.
-Carlito shouts "FINALLY! It's about time, Simon!" with a big, goofy smile on his face, which I found kind of endearing despite how annoying it kind of was. Paulina says she wishes Carlito would smile more, since he never smiles when he sings. A keen observation, actually. He's so dour and serious that it makes it even harder to connect with him.
LILLIE MCCLOUD is up next! (view performance)
-Kelly gives Lillie "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush...and Lillie admits having never heard it before! How do you make it 50+ years on this Earth without having heard "This Woman's Work"?! Even just the Maxwell version?! Kelly's reaction ("WOOOORD?!") makes me wish she'd been a panelist since season one.
-Lillie worries that the song, while she loves it, may be out of her comfort zone. Simon agrees, saying it's completely the wrong song. However, Kelly is convinced audiences will be riveted from beginning to end. Lillie says that while she misses her grandkids, she doesn't want to go home. It's the first time, in my opinion, where Lillie has expressed just how badly she wants this.
-Lillie knocks this performance out of the ballpark. Seriously, I have NO idea why Simon thought this wouldn't work, other than to simply suggest it wouldn't to heighten the drama for the performance. What's funny about this, however, is that Lillie's eyes keep wandering towards her arm. She doesn't have lyrics written there, but she looks like she's reading her forearm. Loved this performance though, although her vocal runs at the end bordered on silly. But they didn't diminish the overall excellence of this performance.
-Paulina loves how Lillie gives them something different, while Demi wishes there had been a big note at the end. However, Simon says he feels Lillie has arrived, stating that by any standard, she was excellent. He adds that it's easy to take for granted just how great of a singer she is, and I don't disagree there. Kelly adds that it's amazing that Lillie is getting the opportunity to share her gift with the world, even well into her fifties.
ELLONA SANTIAGO is up next! (view performance)
-Ellona was proud of her performance last week, but feels she needs to show off her voice more. Demi gives her "Burn" by Ellie Goulding, but during rehearsal, Demi tells Ellona that the vocal is a mess. Ellona is concerned about her confidence, since she normally gets over her doubts by singing and dancing, yet this week is all about her voice. Demi says that, for the first time, she's worried about Ellona. However, Ellona insists that going home is not an option.
-You know, I kind of hated this song choice for her when I first heard it, but she totally works it out. It's far from perfect, as she's flatter than Simon's perfectly-starched shirts during the chorus, but I like this arrangement and vocal about a thousand times better than the original. Of course, they get to the midway point of the song, and they ditch the more interesting, low-key arrangement in favor of seguing right into the original arrangement, a decision that just drives me up a damn wall. Why would you want to have her just deliver a copycat vocal? Come on, now!
-With that said, I still really enjoyed it, and she manages to keep on pitch while body-surfing at the end. Kelly liked the vocal but felt something was missing, however it's still a mostly positive critique. Paulina says Ellona shouldn't worry about dancing, as great as Jamie King is, since she's a very good singer. Simon says that while there's no doubt Ellona is a great performer, he feels he's watching an actress playing a role, comparing her to a dancing, singing puppet. Simon suggests that Demi should let Ellona pick all the material next week, since Demi doesn't seem to have any real grip on who Ellona is, and I don't disagree. My favorite Ellona performance was the one in which Demi had no say: "Titanium".
-Demi, naturally, disagrees with Simon and says that she's proud of Ellona, who responds that she doesn't want to be seen as a singing/dancing puppet, but as a strong artist.
RESTLESS ROAD closes the show! (view performance)
-Restless Road is here to get their pimp on, and Simon enthusiastically introduces them by saying he's saved the best for last (?_?).
-Simon worries that Zack is too awkward onstage, so Colton and Andrew take him cruising for chicks. And because they're finalists on The X Factor USA, nobody has any idea who the hell they are. But one girl gives them her number, which helps Zack loosen up. Little victories?
-They sing "Fix You" by Coldplay, which I wish would be retired from singing shows. It's a great song, but it belongs in the retirement home with "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)," "I Believe I Can Fly," "Dance With My Father," "Alone," all non-deep cuts from Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, 80% of the Beatles catalogue, and a sizable majority of Elton John's.
-With that said, it's a much better performance than last week, although the harmonies are a bit off to me. The individual segments are pretty good though. However, I'm not sure the vocal deserved the standing ovation Simon gives them.
-Kelly says she expects a lot for Restless Road, and feels they needed more cohesion this week, stating that it needs to be even tighter. She adds that Zack needs to be even looser, because he's too tight onstage. Paulina loves how they "sing together," but feels they don't show themselves, implying they lack connection. She says that the only downside for them is that they're not on her team. I can't with this, right now.
-Demi felt the harmonies were off and that they weren't blending well, but then goes in the opposite direction by saying she wishes Simon had spent more time on the performance than on the vocals. Simon calls the other three judges the Gloom Sisters, saying he thought they did a great job with a massive song, and reminds everyone that they've only been together about five weeks. He says it's about finding stars, not karaoke singers, and this causes a shouting match between Simon and the other judges on the panel, an argument that eventually gets cut off by Mario interviewing the boys, who say they respect everyone on the panel.
-Mario asks Simon who should be worried tomorrow night, and Simon asks how much time they have, as he singles out Tim, Carlito, Lillie (Kelly: "WHAT?!"), and Ellona. By throwing them under the bus, I wouldn't be surprised if she just guaranteed Tim and Carlito's safety. I have a bad feeling about tomorrow night's show.
-And that's it for me! Check out Rickey.org for videos of tonight's performances! Thanks for hanging out, guys!