American Idol Finalists Revealed And It’s Not A Man’s World After All

May 17, 2012 – 11:00 pm

None of the three finalists want to be homeward bound where their love lies waiting silently for them. Going home is the last thing any of them want to do now. Especially after they’ve come this far. So what was with that song in the opening segment?

The Idol’s opening number, Earth, Wind and Fire’s arrangement of Got to get You Into My Life was perfunctory but competent. At least they can harmonize.

Joshua was up first for review and Jimmy’s comments. Jimmy wasn’t as enthused about his first two performances as the judges were and took the blame for the third song which he didn’t think had enough melody for Joshua to work with.

I am so sick of that commercial with Jordin Sparks.

I was bored by the Ford music video and still puzzled by Phillip’s absence. I wonder what they’ll do next week when his absence will be much more pronounced.

The highlight of the show was the face Heejun made while Ryan was walking next to him. I don't have HDTV so this is the clearest screencap I got of it. I think Elise, who was sitting next to him put him up to it. She's evil.


Lisa Marie Presley’s music career has been stuck on the runway for decades. M It’s long past time for her to give it up. Her daddy was famous. Her ex-husband was equally famous. And yet she is still practically a non-entity in the music world. Give it up already.

Jessica was up for review next. Jimmy wasn’t particularly thrilled by anything she did. As before, he had regrets about the song he chose. Whether she wins or not, she’s going places because Jimmy wants her to and is going to do all he can to take her there.

I noticed in the iPhone ad with Zooey Deschanel that her opening line is, “Is it raining outside?” Has it really gotten to the point where we’d rather talk to our phone than look out the window even when, as shown in the ad, the window is about 4 feet away?

Adam Lambert did his newest single and it wasn’t too bad.

Jimmy was nicest to Phillip. He wasn’t crazy about the first song. Didn’t like the second song at all but gave Phillip props for taking a chance with it. But loved the song he chose for him. He said it was the best of the night. I wouldn’t go that far but I really liked it, too.

Then we got to the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Sent first to the finals was Jessica. So it wasn’t going to be an all male finale. Then Ryan announced that Phillip was headed to the finale. Weren’t we expecting that? Sydney, are you happy?

If I had Nigel’s job, I’m not sure what order I would have announced the results. I don’t know what order would have provided maximum dramatic impact. I think I would have announced Phillip first since seemed to be a shoo in for the last month.

Joshua was sent packing. Then I remembered what I said last night, ” I keep thinking he’s going to be the next American Idol.” So much for my prognosticatory abilities.”

Next week, Phillip is going to blow Jessica away in the votes unless he either screws up big time or she has nothing but “moments” in all her songs. Remember, you can count on me for accurate predictions.

Remember next week the show is on Tuesday. The big finale is Wednesday. And So You Think You Can Dance starts on Thursday. Remember to set your recorders to end the show at least 10 minutes late. It always goes over. No word yet on who will be performing but I’m sure it will be fun but rather unmemorable and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

By Bob | Posted in american Idol | Comments (1)

Hometown Heroes Each Bat .666 In Penultimate Inning on American Idol

May 16, 2012 – 11:13 pm

It’s been a busy week for television for me. Monday How I Met Your Mother and Two and A Half Men (not sure why I still watch that) had their season finales while I was recording the season premiere of America’s Got Talent. Yesterday I watched NCIS while I recorded AGT and two hours worth of Glee(not sure why I still watch that show either). Had I not screwed up, I would have also recorded Cougartown final shows. I’ve been busy so I still haven’t watched anything I recorded. That will come soon enough. But I can’t let anything get in the way of my watching American Idol.

They had two hours to fill. That meant three rounds of songs and lots of hometown footage to pad out the hours. In previous years, didn’t they have 90 minute shows when they got to this point? The first round songs were selected by the judges. The singers got to choose their own songs for the second round while Jimmy Iovine chose the songs for round three.

Etta James’ I’d Rather Be Blind was Randy’s selection for Joshua’s first round. He gave it the usual Joshua treatment with plenty of soul and a smattering of scat singing. Of course, the judges and the crowd approved wildly. As Jennifer pointed out, he’s a throwback to an earlier era of R&B so they gave him an old classic. But as Randy said, they want him to be a modern recording artist. I think they should have tried a little harder to find a more current song for his first round to show us that he actually has more to him than being a kindred spirit with Sam Cooke.

I haven't used any dog pictures lately and well, with Hollie gone, it seemed like it might be time. While I usually scour the internet for cute pictures of German Shepherd puppies, this time I have a rather dull snapshot of a Jack Russell Terrier. While it's not one of my best shots, it's significant because it's the first and probably last shot for awhile where the dog in the picture was in my house while I wrote my review.

Jennifer seemed to be responsible for Jessica’s round one song, Mariah Carey’s I’m Wishing. Jennifer must hate Jessica. Not overtly hate her but secretly wish she would just go away and stop making her (Jennifer) sound like such a hack singer by comparison. Never has Jessica sounded so bad on this show. Her voice sounded wobbly and unsupported. The song was also in the wrong key for her. For some reason the judges lobbed a slow pitch to the middle of Joshua’s strike zone but gave Jessica a curveball to make her stretch on the most important night of her career. I’m calling a foul. (I’m also wondering where all these sports metaphors are coming from.) Even Jennifer noticed that Jessica was struggling through part of it. And yet they all loved it even if she didn’t get the standing O Joshua got. Steven went so far as to predict she’d be the winner. I predict Steven will be wrong.

Steven picked Begging for the melody-resistant Phillip. Jennifer was dancing in her seat and smiling every time the camera was on her. Steven said if he could write his own songs, he could be a new age Springsteen. I’d rather be that than the winner of American Idol. He was the best of the first round.

Joshua is the biggest thing to hit his hometown and probably will be for some time to come. He got the big star treatment. He visited his church, his school and his local coliseum which he sold out. But was it really a sell out. I mean, do they charge admission to see the Idols when they make their hometowns? I hate to be so cynical, but you can’t sell out an arena when the tickets are free.

Not sure why Joshua, the song of a preacher, chose a song whose lyrics include, “imagine no religion.” Even though he edited out what some considered the offensive lyrics, they are still there. Like his previous song, he took it to church. It wasn’t my favorite song of his.

Jessica’s hometown is so close to LA, she got a helicopter ride home. Lots of crowds. Lots of adoration. She was home schooled so no high school visit.

Jessica made a very ballsy choice of Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing. She did a great job with it and I don’t feel like she was trying to suck up to Steven. He gave her a standing O even if nobody else did. Jennifer praised her final note but I thought she blew it. Readers, was it my imagination or did she miss it? Note to Randy: Jessica is not a dude.

Philip’s hometown visit was pretty much like the others. Lots of crowds. Lots of love. I have no insightful, funny or snarky comments about it.

He chose Matchbox 20’s Disease which was a typical Phillip song. He’s never going to deliver the glory notes but he still has his own brand of “moments.” This wasn’t one of them. None of the judges thought so either. At this point, I don’t think it helped or hurt his chances. I think most people’s minds are already made up. If the public voted last night, the results would be the same as they would be after the performances.

Jimmy chose No More Drama for Joshua. This performance gave him a chance to Joshua-ize a contemporary piece and it worked a lot better than his first song. That performance deserved a standing ovation from the judges but he didn’t get one. I keep thinking he’s going to be the next American Idol.

Jessica’s final song was the Jackson Five’s I’ll Be There. I thought it was a bit too simple and plain of a song for her but she managed to put her own spin on it to give it enough meat to make it interesting. Not great but good. It was too much of a straight cover lacking enough originality to make it memorable.

Phillip’s final song was Bob Seger’s We’ve Got Tonight. Jimmy thought it had such a good melody even Phillip would stick with it. And he did. It was actually beautiful. The judges gave him a well deserved standing O. He nailed it and got it pregnant. I wish I knew what Steven really said.

Jessica’s Mariah song was a lot iffier than the judges let on. Her Jackson Five was underwhelming but artistic. However her Aerosmith was great. Joshua’s first and last songs were awesome but his Imagine didn’t do much for me. I think David Archuletta’s version of that song was more evocative. Phillip’s Begging really delivered. His Matchbox 20 was competent and totally Phillip. His Bob Seger was simple but simultaneously amazing. Of the three, I think Jessica did the worst. And I think the judges and Jimmy put a bullet in any chance she had of making it to next week’s finale.

Remember next week’s performance show is on Tuesday and the results on Wednesday.

By Bob | Posted in american Idol | Comments (2)

California Dreaming Wakes Up To The Sadly Inevitable

May 10, 2012 – 9:18 pm

I guess it was a natural for American Idol to use The Mamas and THE Papas’ hit, California Dreaming. Like the legendary sixties group, Idol had two males and two females but oy, did this pale in comparison to the original. It sounded like the singers were augmented by unseen background singers but that didn’t help much. And the choreography, if you can call it that, sucked, too.

When we are down to the final four, Phil’s absence from the Ford “Music Video” becomes more obvious. I have to wonder if Phil’s absence is hurting him in the pocketbook. He’s missing out on work to rest for whatever his health condition is but he must also be missing out on some SAG scale wages for not appearing in the videos.

Hollie was finally eliminated. We've been expecting this night for weeks. Knowing it's coming doesn't make it any easier to accept.

Ryan started the eliminations bringing Phillip up to centerstage only to send him back to the couch after Jimmy’s comments. Hollie came up next to hear Jimmy’s less than complimentary comments. He also didn’t think she understood what she was singing about when she did Bonnie Raitt’s song. Also, Mozart doesn’t have any unfinished symphonies. Haydn does.

I missed David Cook because I was watching Howard Wolotitz marry Bernadette Rostankowski. I keep forgetting to record Big Bang Theory.

Joshua was next up and again, he didn’t get his results. Then Jessica also didn’t get her results. Jimmy didn’t like either of their first songs but liked both of their second songs.

I should have been watching 30 Rock but instead I saw JLo’s performance. But I wasn’t really paying any attention. I was answering an email instead. I have my priorities while waiting for Hollie to get her dreams dashed.

The judges were asked to comment on each singer before Hollie would have her dreams dashed. When Jessica got sent to safety, Hollie’s fate was sealed. No way two girls would be in the top three especially when the other remaining singer was a WGWG and long considered a favorite to win the whole thing. But in typical Idol fashion, we had to sit through a commercial before seeing Hollie barely hold back her tears of despair and rejection. Back from the commercial, Ryan even evoked the name of Daughtry to make us think there would be a surprise here but we all knew better. To her credit, she sang her swansong beautifully.

Only two weeks left. I guess I can make it through without eye candy. But with Hollie gone, I’m glad America’s Got Talent starts next week. It will give me something else to follow. And SYTYCD comes soon after Idol ends. The fun is just beginning.

By Bob | Posted in american Idol | Tagged | Comments (1)