Idol 2012: MY Finale

Remember how all season long, I've been pulling for a Kree/Candice finale?

:)

I'm recapping tonight slightly differently.

The Top 2, Song 1: Simon Fuller's Choice

Kree Harrison, "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan

Candice Glover, "Chasing Pavements" by Candice Glover

I'll give this round to Candice. Both song selections were pretty decent, all things considered, but the arrangement of Kree's really hurt her. Not to say that the arrangement of "Angel" was bad... quite the opposite, really. The problem was that it didn't allow for Kree to have that special moment to stick in your head. "Chasing Pavements" had moments for Candice, and as always, she nailed them. Both performances were very strong, but I'll give the edge to Candice just because she was more memorable.

Song 2: The Potential Winning Singles

Kree, "All Cried Out"

Candice, "I Am Beautiful"

After last year's delightful "Home", we return to underwhelming, sappy, generic winning singles. Oh well, at least they aren't about climbing mountains or magic rainbows or something random. Once again, Candice's song allowed her to shine a bit more, perhaps because there was more connection there for her. Not sure. Both girls sounded absolutely fantastic, however. I would give the edge to Candice, but not a major one. I would probably buy Kree's first. How's that for indecision?

Song 3: Finalist's Favorite Performance

Kree, "Up to the Mountain" by Patty Griffin (from the Vegas round)

Candice, "I (Who Have Nothing)" by Ben E. King (from Top 10 week)

What a way to end the season. Hot damn. Kree's song was new to me (I started watching after Vegas), and she completely sang her face off. Her runs were spot-on and completely real (I have written down "buttery"), and she had her MOMENT. By far Kree's best in weeks. Candice, on the other hand, reprised the song that made me realize she was the future champ. I can't say that I liked this as much as I did the first time she did it, I certainly cannot deny that she once again slayed it. It's shades of Adam Lambert's "Mad World"... perhaps the unpredictable nature of the first performance gave it the edge for me. I would give this round to Kree, but again, a very narrow edge.

Wrap-Up

Great finale. Sometimes finales can be duds, but this one was great. Both finalists sang their faces off, raising the bar each time. Great stuff. Great end to what I'm going to call a solid season. I know I'm in the minority there. But whatever. Can't wait until tour!

Timm's Votes

I've tried to base my votes this season on the actual performances. For the most part. I know I've failed, but whatever. This week, I'm voting for who I want to win... which doesn't exactly match up with how I evaluated the night. Based on tonight, I'd probably go the reverse, but I'm not.

Kree - 30

Candice - 20

I'm going to guess it's the difference in the music styles... and Kree is right up my alley. 

I will say, however, that Candice should be the winner. She absolutely slayed this season, with the domination not really seen since Adam Lambert (I would say). And yes, I know he wasn't named the winner. But he should have been (coming from a big Kris Allen fan). 

Great season.

Idol 2013: The Top 3, as Projected

I think, to this point, this might be the most predictable season of Idol yet. Has there really been one actually surprising development yet? Maybe Lazaro lasting as long as he did... but even then, there wasn't anyone that could have won that left for him to stay (a la Jasmine Trias in season 3).

That is, until this week. I'll bet Kree is next to go, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her survive (and for the record, I obviously think she should).

Anyhoo, on to this week's theme-less show. Producer's choice, Judge's choice, Jimmy's choice? Fun stuff. Except when they use the show uses their song choices to sabotage contestants (see: Allen, Kris). Good times.

Top 3, Song 1: Jimmy's Choices

Kree Harrison "Perfect" by Pink

Not surprising that they would give Kree a song where she can't really shine. Girl's a country singer that doesn't always click with her material... let's give her a sincere rock ballad! C'mon man. Honestly, it came across somewhat karaoke, though sung with Kree's usual awesomeness. 

Candice Glover "One" by U2

This was pretty much exactly what you'd expect from Candice here. I admit that I don't know the Mary J Blige version, but I can hear it in Candice's version. She did a good job with it, but really, it's a lazy song choice by Jimmy.

Angie Miller "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" by Elton John

Can a song choice be simultaneously lazy and wonderful? It's painfully obvious why this song was selected for Angie, for her to do exactly the same performance she's done about 50 times. But for once, she didn't do that, and it came off great. Not perfect, but this was one of Angie's best, I would say.

Top 3, Song 2: Judge's Choices

Candice "Next to Me" by Emili Sandé

HOT. Perfect.

Angie "Try" by Pink

And... yelly karaoke. Definitely a disappointment after her first performance. She seemed comfortable, sure, but her usual musicality was missing.

Kree "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts

Not a perfect vocal, mostly because she kind of mangled the big note... but that was, without question, the most connected Kree was to a song so far. And the result was one of her best so far. Fantastic.

Top 3, Song 3: Contestant's Choices

Angie "Maybe" by Emili Sandé

Ah, here's that Angie performance. But you know what? I liked this more than all the other ones. Maybe it's the song (note to self... check out Emili Sandé), or maybe she just sold this one better, but I liked. Wasn't her best vocal, but I still liked it.

Kree "Better Dig Two" by The Band Perry

Not the type of song that Kree excels on, but she did with it what she could. Was that the sound of the bus being thrown into reverse?

Candice "Somewhere" from West Side Story

I don't get this song choice from a pop music standpoint. But oh. my. goodness. 

Wrap-Up

Great week. Great. Week.

I would give round 1 to Angie... round 2 to Kree... and round 3 to Candice. Round 2 was close, but the other two rounds weren't close.

This is going to be a great finale next week, whatever the pairing is.

Timm's Votes

I'm actually not going to vote this week. I got the top 3 I wanted, and I'll be happy with any finale pairing. And really, I'd probably just split my votes three ways, and give Candice the remainder. 

I'm still reeling from that "Somewhere".

Idol 2013: The Top 4 (Yep, Part 2)

What's to review from last week? Nothing. Predictable.

A now and then theme for this week? I can't wait to head more of the same... then see what Idol's definition of "now" is. The Adele catalogue is "Now", right?

Top 4 (Again), Song 1: Now, which is 2013

Angie Miller "Diamonds" by Rihanna

Same old same old, but a great re-arrangement. But that high note? Yikes. Bet the judges will single out the note as being brilliant, though. Or ignore it completely, because telling the truth would be criticizing the producer's favorite! Can't have that!

Amber Holcomb "Just Give Me a Reason" by P!nk and Nate Ruess

What we have here is a really good karaoke version. Amber sang the song well enough, but there was absolutely no connection to the lyrics. The original song, like all of P!nk's ballads and mid-tempo songs, are so personal and heartfelt... but Amber performed it like an Idol victory song. 

Candice Glover "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars

Idol is trolling us by putting these two songs back to back, right? Candice takes a song that doesn't apply to her at all, and still connects to it in a way that makes it seem like her song, all the while singing the hell out of it. As usual, another master class by Candice. 

Kree Harrison "See You Again" by Carrie Underwood

You know, this is probably my favorite song on Carrie's album... and Kree improved on it, in almost every way. You can see it in Kree's face that she got the song and was singing it from where it should be sung from. Spectacular.

Top 4, Song 2: Then

Angie "Someone to Watch Over Me"

Terrible arrangement. Angie doesn't have the vocal prowess to do what this arrangement required, and it showed. Such a simple song, and this take on it ruined it all.

Amber "My Funny Valentine"

Harry Connick, Jr. for the win. Him calling out Amber for not knowing what she was singing was absolutely perfect, and was completely right. I'd dare say this was Amber's best performance so far, the first time I've ever bought into the judges hype. I don't know if this performance will win her votes (and she should still be the one to go home), but in the moment, this was fantastic.

Candice "You've Changed"

I vote that Harry Connick, Jr. replace Jimmy Iovine, and mentor the contestants each and every week. His tips here are, again, spot-on, leading to complete and utter perfection. By the end of Candice's run on the show (and if this was her end... shame on you, America), I don't think you'll be able to pick out a 'best performance'. Girl is a star.

Kree "Stormy Weather"

Alright, now here's where Harry stumbles a little bit. I totally get and agree with him about how runs and singing songs straight... but there is a line between showy runs and making a song their own. The little licks that Kree uses at the end of some phrases, to me, would be perfectly fine for standards. Runs, not so much. Personal preference, I suppose. I do think Kree got a little bit in her own head here, trying to strike that balance. Overall, the result was quite good, but could have been better if she was freer, if that makes sense.

Wrap-Up

Overall, this week completely made up for last week's stinker of a week. All four contestants brought their A-game (for the most part). While I don't quite understand the value of having a standards theme on Idol (I never have), they are almost always my favorite. This season is no different.

And the judges weren't blatantly throwing contestants under the bus for no apparent reason this week! Huzzah!

Timm's Votes

I'm throwing all my weight behind a Kree/Candice final. I've been pretty clear with that from the get-go. 

Kree - 25

Candice - 25

I will freely admit Candice won this week, but Kree needs my support. 

I would guess that Angie is safe... and I'll pick Amber to go home. Who will be in the bottom 2, I don't know. 

Idol 2013: The Top 4 (Part 1?)

Poor Janelle. She deserved it after last week... and if anything, she's a gone a week early... but still. Sadface.

But what's interesting is the judges not using the save... Obviously, the producers can do whatever they want, but the "established" rules of the save render it null and void after Top 5 week. And the finale has been publicized as 4 weeks from now. So unless the finale is going to be a 4-hour Candice Kree solo concert... something screwy has to happen. Yay screwy!

As we begin (and I'm watching on an hour delay... enabling fast forward through crap. Yay!), I literally have no idea what the theme is. So that's a first for me.

Top 4, Song 1: Contestant's Choice!

Amber Holcomb "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion (GASP! Sigh.)

At the beginning of the season, some Idol pundits online generated a list of most over-done and therefore terrible song choices in Idol history. As it turns out, Amber apparently took that list as a challenge, and is running the gamut. And the performance was exactly like all her other ones... strong vocals, but absolutely nothing new. It's the top 4. Come on now.

Candice Glover "Find Your Love" by Drake

Candice is back. Maybe it's because I've never heard this song before, but whatever. Fantastic.

Kree Harrison "It Hurts so Bad" by Susan Tedeschi

Definitely Kree's best in a number of weeks. The runs were great, the feeling was there, the performance as loose as Kree gets.... what the hell the judges were watching, I have no idea. It actually kind of smells like the annual bus-job the Idol producers judges partake in around this time annually... 

Angie Miller "Who You Are" by Jessie J

Let me start by saying I really liked this performance by Angie. In fact, I'll go as far as saying it just may be her best yet. But everything Angie does comes across perfectly choreographed, well rehearsed. She knows how to work the camera, something Kree struggles with a little bit. So naturally, the judges wet their pants over her constantly. I like Angie, but I feel like she's being jammed down my throat by the Idol producers (though, to be fair, the judges didn't mess their pants for this as I expected them to, naturally making my mini-rant kind of silly... but I ain't deleting it!).

Oh, duets again? Looks like my fast forward button is stuck. Oh damn. I will read about the reaction to the performance before I write my wrap-up...

Top 4, Song 2: One Hit Wonders

This could be FUN. Probably won't be. But it could be.

Amber "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (though I'd love to hear Richard Harris sing this arrangement...)

I don't get it. But then again, I don't get disco. I missed the singing/dancing cupcakes from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Broadway, though.

Candice "Emotion" by Samantha Sang

Probably the most boring Candice song yet. The bit after the key change was pretty good and she does her thing with it... but I don't know. Maybe it's just my distaste for the song. 

Kree "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum

I didn't connect to the song, personally, but Kree sure did. And she sang the hell out of it. Great week for Kree.

Angie "Cry Me a River" by Julie London

Perhaps my rant from the first performance is more applicable here. Good, but rehearsed and made for the cameras. But good.

Wrap Up

It seems like every year around this time, the judges make an abrupt about-face on a contestant for no apparent reason and become overly harsh on them, while blowing all sorts of smoke up another's ass for the slightest thing. Unfortunately, this year, the person under the bus is the incredible Kree Harrison. And the person with their tires being pumped is the Angie with a side of Amber. Is it my bias showing? Maybe. But either way, I hate it. HATE it.

Also, Seacrest announced a twist that will be announced tomorrow.... GEE, I wonder what it could be???

Timm's Votes

I'm making a very transparent attempt to offset the bus-job. And yes, I know my 50 votes won't make a dent. But I'm doing it anyway.

Kree - 50

Sorry Candice. Love you, but Kree got the bus, so she gets my 50 votes. 

I would put someone on alert as I normally do... but I'm not going to bother. I doubt anyone will be going home tomorrow. 

Back here next week!

Idol 2013: Girl Power

Damn it, Idol stole my title for their hashtag. Bah.

All girl top-5? Finally, some justice in the Idol world!

That's all. I'm watching on DVR on Thursday again, so my votes aren't actual votes. Lame on me, I know.

Top 5: Songs from the Year They Were Born... Or, "Idol Makes You Feel Old!"

Candice Glover "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul (1989)
I'm all for doing songs in totally different styles, and this was a pretty strong performance from Candice. Not her best, not the most exciting, but strong. BUT. Is this the only song that could be changed up like this? Because this exact thing was done with this exact song by Andrew Garcia, what, three years ago?

Ooo, a Jimmy Iovine instant reaction? What a novel concept that only took years to figure out!

Janelle Arthur "When I Call Your Name" by Vince Gill (1989)
I can appreciate what goes into doing an old fashioned musical performance like this... but this really felt too old fashioned to me. Sure, Janelle sounded great, but I can't see this performance resonating with the voters. I didn't feel it. Thanks, Keith.

Kree Harrison "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes (1990)
Not my favorite performance by Kree. I absolutely love the sound of her voice, but something about this performance didn't ring true. And I think the judges are kind of hitting on what I'm talking about... Kree almost seemed distracted by all the crazy bells and whistles Idol has. I definitely see what Nicki was saying about Kree sounding completely current, however.

Also, can we get a catfight on live TV? PLEASE?

Angie Miller "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders (1994)
Haven't we seen this same exact performance by Angie before? Except with more confidence, the right lyrics, and better vocals. Very disappointing. And the judges and Jimmy freaking out about the performance? Fishy...

Amber Holcomb "Without You" by Mariah Carey (1994)
I never knew Amber could do ballads that require belting and riffing and all that! I'm shocked! This was good... but absolutely nothing new. Sigh.

Divas! A theme that totally wasn't planned before Lazaro was eliminated, right?

Candice "When You Believe" by Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey

Oh Candice. Candice has come back to Earth a bit. This is falling right in line with some of the other performances this week: all well and good, great vocals, all that... but nothing new. Candice is a star, but this week was a disappointment... an expected disappointment, sure, but a disappointment nonetheless.

Janelle "Dumb Blonde" by Dolly Parton

I'm now scared for Janelle. I know these performances are planned in advance and this isn't the case, but this seemed like Janelle took Keith's criticisms of her first performance and over compensated to appease him. Kind of a mess. 

Kree "Have You Ever Been in Love?" by Celine Dion

Here we go. Again, not my favorite Kree performance, but she did a great job of making the song her own without doing too much. She doesn't seem lost or overwhelmed, she's just just sanging [sic]. Much better. 

Angie "Halo" by Beyoncé

If you told me that this was a totally different performer than Angie's first performance, I'd believe you. Literally night and day different here... Still not at the level of a Candice or a Kree, but this is the type of performance that shows her regular top-3 appearances aren't necessarily way off base.

Amber "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" by Barbra Streisand

See Janelle's first performance. Sure, strong vocals, good performance, all that... but so old fashioned. And rather boring, honestly. 

Wrap-Up

I'll be completely honest: I kind of regret watching Idol tonight. I know I would have regretted it had I skipped, but there wasn't a ton here tonight that made it worth while. 

Timm's Votes

Candice - 25

Kree - 20

Angie - 5

I do think Candice came back to the pack a little bit tonight, but not a huge amount. Angie gets some votes for her Boston shoutout and for a good 2nd effort. Woo.

Bottom 2 should be (and probably will be) Amber and Janelle.... but I could see either going home. I'll go with Amber.

Idol 2013: Watching Late Again

This week, the Boston Bruins played at 7:30 on Wednesday night. There's something about a 7:30 Bruins start time that makes me want to do absolutely nothing afterwards.... 7:00 is fine, but 7:30? Pass. So, I skipped watching Idol live (obviously) and on DVR, so I'm watching Youtube clips after the Bruins game on Thursday night. So, the results are already in.... but I'm going to go in blind. You'll have to take my word on it. But I am.

Last week... Lazaro in the top 3? Of course he was. Ugh. I had Burnell on my list, and he was absolutely the worst last week, so it's not a shock. He is going home early, but not crazy early. So, whatever. Initially, I thought maybe the save could be in play with Burnell, but then I thought better of it: that save is obviously reserved for a situation that jeopardizes a Kree/Candice finale. MAYBE a Kree/Candice/Janelle final 3. This is not that challenge.

This week's themes are the Bacharach/Hal David Songbook and "Songs You Wish You Wrote". Ugh. Aka, songs from the 60s/70s and a bunch of ballads. Gotta love it.

Top 6: The Burt Bacharach / Hal David Songbook...

Angie Miller "Anyone Who Had a Heart"

For someone that struggles a bit with performances being a little overdramatic, this arrangement doesn't do Angie a whole lot of favors... but other than that? Solid. They picked a great key for Angie's voice, and she sounded great, but the performance did seem to be on autopilot a little bit. Solid base for Angie to build on later tonight though.

Amber Holcomb "I Say a Little Prayer"

Of course someone would do this song... and it's done exactly as you'd expect it to be done. I absolutely love the song, don't get me wrong... but I'm so over it. The song Amber put on during the second verse, though? HOT. But not really the right song for that. But HOT.

Lazaro Arbos "Close to You"

Yikes, old Lazaro is back. Weak song choice, and massive pitch problems throughout. Add into it the usual Lazaro diction/performance issues, and this is a new low for Lazaro.

Kree Harrison "What the World Needs Now"

This performance is a bit of a mixed bag for me. The very beginning started off quite exciting, but the second part was a bit of a drag, the key change was fantastic, then the ending wasn't up to the OMGKREE level. Perhaps it's the saccarine song. I don't know. I'm very excited for a second Kree song tonight though.

Janelle Arthur "I'll Never Fall in Love Again"

This is EXACTLY the song I wanted to hear from Janelle... but I'm underwhelmed. I've heard some great, re-imagined, pure country versions of this song, and this wasn't one of those. I really hate to say it, but this was very lounge singer like. Unfortunate.

Candice Glover "Don't Make Me Over"

And then we have Candice. Candice's Burt Bacharach is literally on a completely different level than anyone else. Candice sings the song in the original style, then fast forward to completely current with ease. Absolutely spectacular.

Top 6: ...and Songs They Wish They Wrote

Angie "Love Came Down" by Kari Jobe

THAT'S the Angie that I love. While I am a little concerned that this was very similar to her Colton Dixon performance, it won't matter. Wonderful.

Amber "Love On Top" by Beyoncé

I didn't feel this performance at all. I didn't like how the song sat in Amber's voice, didn't like the staging, didn't like the look, didn't like anything. Not the worst of the night (ahem), but probably the worst from Amber so far (for me).

Lazaro "Angels" by Robbie Williams

Lightyears better than his first performance of the night, but still pretty bad. Can the judges use a reverse save, and just give him the boot right now?

Kree "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Kris Kristofferson

Pains me to say this, but I'm not feeling this performance either. A little sleepy for my tastes, and she didn't look too confident as she was performing. I understand it wasn't a big vocal song, but Kree felt to be holding back. Disappointing.

Janelle "The Dance" by Garth Brooks

This is, unfortunately, a very similar performance, results-wise, to her first performance. I was very excited to hear her sing this, but I was disappointed in the execution. I really wish Janelle made it her own a bit, as the karaoke approach didn't work for me. I'm nervous for Janelle. 

Candice "Lovesong" by The Cure

You know, I typically hate when they proclaim something 'one of the greatest performances in the history of Idol', as Randy Jackson did... but you know what? That's accurate. Sure, she took a page from the Kris Allen Playbook (borrowing the Adele arrangement of an older song), but I don't even care. This was easily the best Idol performance in years.

Wrap-Up

I was previously holding out for more of two-woman race, but after tonight, there is a clear-cut front runner, and her name is Candice Glover. This is the Candice show and everyone else is jockeying for second place. What a night for her.

Also, what a night for Lazaro. In the other direction. Eek.

Timm's Votes

Well, what my votes would have been had I watched live.

Candice - 40

Kree - 10

I wanted to put 50 for Candice, but Kree's night wasn't a failure. I'd also throw some votes Angie's way, but I don't want to take any more from my girls. So, 40/10.

I'd probably name Lazaro, Janelle and Amber my bottom 3, with Lazaro going home. That said, Lazaro was SO BAD and the judges SO honest that he'll surely get a wave of sympathy votes. God, I hate America voting. 

*checks results*

Kree/Candice? Then Janelle/Angie? Then Amber/Lazaro? And Lazaro is mercifully cut? I take it back... America, sometimes, you get it right. 

Also, how fabulous was KELLY CLARKSON?!?! 

Shut up, it's my blog, I can fangirl Kelly if I want to.

Idol 2013: Rock 'n' Roll, Woo

I suppose I don't really need an "intro" this week, since I don't have results to discuss. So...

Calling it now: this week's show is going to be trainwreck-city. Here's to hoping it's fun trainwrecks, not just painful ones!

The Top 7: Rock Week, Sans the Pesky Ballads

Burnell Taylor "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi
Well, at least Idol put the person that will struggle the most up first. And struggle he did. Complete trainwreck, and Burnell obviously knew it. Too bad, could have been LOL-worthy. The kick was a good start, though (if way too late).

Lazaro and Angie sing Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"... Lazaro is every bit as train-wrecky as you'd expect, and Angie shows her theatre-roots again. She wins this battle. Oh, it's supposed to be a duet? Oops. Wrong show.

Kree Harrison "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
Eargasmic. I seriously don't think Kree can do any wrong. I wouldn't say this was the best of Kree so far, but still damn good.

Candice and Burnell sing a duet of some sort... but I continued fast forwarding. Oops.

Janelle Arthur "You May Be Right" by Billy Joel
When the song choice was announced, I cringed a bit... but this was fantastic. Not the best vocal by Janelle, but the arrangement was just country enough to make everything just right. Well done.

Lazaro Arbos "We Are the Champions" by Queen
This season's Sanjaya is past the point of judging the vocals, but in all, not a bad job tonight. Entertaining performance, as far as Lazaro performances go. So there's that.

Janelle, Kree and Amber singing my favorite song ever. And it's as awkward as any forced trio arrangement would be. Sigh.

Candice Glover "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones
There is absolutely nothing about this performance that wasn't AWESOME. Hot vocals, hot lighting, great stage set-up everything. Completely obsessed.

Amber Holcomb "What About Love?" by Heart
Oh hey, Amber, what's up? HOT vocals, but I really didn't feel anything behind this performance. That said... best vocals of the night. Hot damn.

Angie Miller "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence
Not really a fan, if I'm being honest. I'm really not a fan of that song, and Angie's version came off somewhat second rate and karaoke. Sad face.

Wrap Up

Not NEARLY as trainwreck-y as I was expecting! I can't say there were a whole bunch of performances that blew me away (besides the usual suspects), but overall, a good week. I really liked the "no ballads" stipulation, which was a particular breath of fresh air this season. I totally look forward to next week... Whitney week? Maybe Celine week? Maybe just "all ballads"? DO IT UP!

Timm's Votes

Candice - 15

Kree - 15

Janelle - 15

Amber - 5

I have my trio. I support my trio (who were all fabulous this week). And Amber gets 5 votes so my vote totals are simple (and her vocals were HOT).

I'm going to venture a guess that the bottom 3 will be Lazaro, Burnell and, unfortunately, Amber. Lazaro should be going home... but I'm thinking he'll end up being the "safe" one. Ugh. 

Idol 2013: Idol Goes to Detroit

Yep, Paul voted off last week. Not a surprise, as I had him on alert, but still: he was cut too early. I like that Idol has obviously worked hard to not have another "white guy with a guitar" win the show, by avoiding anyone with a guitar... well now they got rid of the last white guy. Not to say Paul could have won, but it is humorous anyway.

I missed the show this week, actually. And I didn't feel like watching my DVR recording until Friday morning. That's what I think of Motown week. So, this recap won't have some of the same features as my usual recaps.

Oh, sorry, it's Detroit week! Anyone from Detroit is fair game? I can't WAIT to hear who takes on "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. Surely, they'd change it to "Detroit Week" from "Motown Week" for a reason, right?

The Top 8: Motown Week Songs from Detroit

Candice Glover "Heard It Through the Grapevine"
Probably one of the better versions of this song done on Idol. And there's a hell of a lot of them! If I had to guess, I'd guess this song has been done every single year. Unfortunately, I'm holding that against Candice. But I love her.

I'm not even bothering with the duets and trios. Sorry Idol.

Lazaro Arbos "For Once In My Life"
Much better than recent efforts. Still not great, but much, much better. At least he doesn't look like he's going to burst into tears!

Janelle Arthur "Keep Me Hanging On"
Absolutely phenomenal. I'm sure Motown purists hated this... but Janelle took yet another tired song choice and warped it into something totally new, contemporary, and fantastic. Brilliant.

Devin Valez "Tracks of My Tears"
Idol's resident lounge singer was a trainwreck on this song. It's one thing to not quite connect with a song's lyrics, it's another thing entirely to completely ignore them. A mess and a half.

Burnell Taylor "My Cherie Amour"
What a strange performance. Burnell does some completely fantastic things vocally here... but also constricts his voice really weirdly at times. Hard to explain, but it's almost like he's trying to add a quirkiness to his voice that does not need to be there. Still, overall a good performance.

Angie Miller "Shop Around"
What even is this? I understand that Angie probably wants to show she can do more than the Colton Dixon type stuff she shines on... but make sure you can pull something off before you try to do it. This performance was a mess in almost every way possible. Yikes.

Amber Holcomb "Lately"
I'm glad this week had Stevie in it. He's really under-represented on the Idol stage. This performance was pretty fantastic, but not exactly anything new from Amber. Wonderful vocals as always, but she's just not the most exciting contestant.

Kree Harrison "Don't Play That Song"
Drop that mic, Kree. Those runs in the choruses? No big deal, just whatever. Just Kree. I do feel like she was holding back a little bit... but when you do what she does week in and week out, why bring out the big guns now?

Wrap Up

Kree and Candice continue to pull away from the pack, and Janelle hops on board the leader train too. Angie bumped off? I'd say so.

Speaking of trains, the Devin train hit a wall and was sent packing, and rightfully so (based on this week, anyway). Lazaro will probably get the boot last week, leaving a top 6 that is probably as it should be. 

Coincidence that the guys are getting picked off one-by-one? Not at all. The girls are just that much better than this season... which I'm sure is by total coincidence, right Idol producers?

Timm's Votes

Obviously, I didn't vote this week, but if I had....

Janelle - 20

Kree - 17

Candice - 13

I like to think week-to-week with my votes. Janelle was the clear cut winner for me this week, with Kree and Candice rounding out my top 3.

As for my bottom three... Devin, Angie and Lazaro, with Lazaro going home (based on the body of work... because he was the best of those three this week).

Idol 2013: The Beatles

Justice served last week. Goodbye Curtis.

Also, the sing off for the tour? Yippee! I totally didn't even bother to watch the performances, because the whole concept is silly. But good for Aubrey, I guess.

I know I bemoan tired themes... but Idol ALWAYS needs a Beatles week (or Lennon/McCartney week... whichever this actually is). I do, however, reserve the right to bitch about obvious/uninspired song choices in the theme. So, there.

The Top 9: The Songs of John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Kree Harrison "A Little Help from My Friends"

Dead. Not my favorite Beatles track, but Kree killed it. As usual. I would have really enjoyed her doing something like "Oh! Darling", but then again, I'll listen to her do anything. Turn down the backup vocalists, Idol! 

Burnell Taylor "Let It Be"

You know someone would do this song. Let's just be glad it wasn't Curtis, because he obviously would have. But honestly, there was a lot to love about this performance by Burnell. For the most part, he trusted what just may be the greatest melody ever written, which I absolutely appreciate. And riffs he did add worked just right. Well done.

Amber Holcomb "She's Leaving Home" 

Bravo to Amber for not choosing one of the big hits that everyone and their mother knows.... I fully acknowledge that I have never heard this song before. Though that said, I'm not sure going off the beaten path helped her too much. Amber seemed tentative at points, and her pitch struggled a little bit because of it. I do love the sparkle in Amber's voice when she really nails the notes, which is quite often.

Lazaro Arbos "In My Life"

Ho boy. Mess and a half. There isn't much working for poor Lazaro here. He's completely out of his element in this competition.

Candice Glover "Come Together"

Dead. Absolutely dead. Absolutely perfect in every way.

Paul Jolley "Eleanor Rigby"

Paul would do the most theatrical of all the major Beatles songs. Probably not the best song choice, but I found it mostly enjoyable anyway. I really wish he found a song he could really connect with, as opposed to a song he could perform... you know?

Angie Miller "Yesterday"

Fact: I did not know Angie was from Beverly, MA. Good stuff. It's fitting that Angie "revealed" during her pre-performance interview that she was a theater kid in high school, because this song was her most dramatic so far. She said she needed to go simple... but I don't think she succeeded. Great vocals, but I'm not so sure I totally dug it. And why wasn't she on piano for this song? Also, I loved Randy's comparison's to Haley from Paramore and "old girl" from Evanescence. 

Devin Velez "The Long and Winding Road"

This would be Devin's song choice. Devin is a great vocalist, but that's about it. Boring, predictable performance... you knew exactly what it was going to be like from the get go. He's not exciting.

Janelle Arthur "I Will"

Now this is the exact opposite of Amber's song. Janelle took a largely unknown song and turned it into a star performance. Sure, there were a few shaky notes here and there, but it doesn't even matter. Perfection, a great way to end this show. Well done!

Wrap Up

Overall, I'd call this a pretty strong night. There was only one complete dud, which is a pretty good percentage from this crop of contestants! And I was actually pleasantly surprised with the song selections this week... some questionable choices, and all the usuals were present, but overall, big upgrade from last week. 

Timm's Votes

Candice - 18

Kree - 18

Janelle - 8

Paul - 3

Angie - 3

I'm sad that I limited myself to 50 votes... not sad enough to up the limit and work the phones, but still. Candice and Kree are in a completely different competition from the rest of this year's finalists, which is reflected in my vote totals. Actually, can we eliminate the other 7 contestants of this show, and just make the remaining 8 weeks* of the show a sing off between Candice and Kree? We can leave Janelle, Angie and Paul for flavor, but it really continues to look like a two horse race. 

Lazaro really should be gone this week, but given that he was in 4th place last week, it looks like his story has been effective. Because of that, I'd put Amber and probably Paul on alert (sadly)

*Not a mis-count. There are 8 weeks left. Good thing that save is in play... meaning Kree & Candice are safe!

Idol 2013: Songs That Need to Be Banned

Yeah, so I'm not all that surprised by any of the cuts from last week. Burnell making it through was a slight surprise, but not really enough to make me ask why. So, I won't dwell. Top 10!

The Top 10: Celebrating the Songs of Prior Winners

Curtis Finch, Jr.  "I Believe" by Fantasia Barrino
I'm jealous of Nicki Minaj for not having to watch that. There was absolutely nothing redeeming about that performance. Ho boy. Ho boy.

Janelle Arthur "Gone" by Montgomery Gentry (done by Scotty McCreery)
Pretty much as good as this could have been, given the arrangement. This is not the type of country music Janelle should be doing. Had she re-worked the song a little bit into what she does, this would probably be better... instead, it came off as forced karaoke.

Devin Velez "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood
Ho boy. Devin says he wants to prove he "can do more than just the ballads"... by doing a ballad? This really isn't my favorite Carrie Underwood song, and I like it even less when it's done in the style of a second-rate lounge singer.

Angie Miller "I Surrender" by Celine Dion (done by Kelly Clarkson)
Ugh. Celine. I get this performance... I do. Angie surely wants to show she doesn't need to be at the piano, and that she can be a powerhouse vocalist. The problem is that she really does need to be at the piano, and she really isn't a 'plant your feet and belt your face off' kind of singer. This performance was rather sleepy and came across rather forced. Unfortunate.

Paul Jolley "Amazed" by Lonestar (done by Scotty McCreery)
I really love Paul's tone, but so far his vocals really haven't been quite there... and this is more of that. The song choice is horrible (as it always is). Also, Jimmy Iovine using the whole Broadway singing thing as an insult? C'mon now. Let's just say it... Paul comes off a bit too flamboyant for country music.

Candice Glover "I Who Have Nothing" by Ben E. King (done by Jordin Sparks)
HOT DAMN.

Lazaro Arbos "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson
I really, really like Lazaro. I'm pretty sure it's impossible not to. But that was pretty bad. I really hate to say this, but it's kind of stating the obvious: I'd be really surprised if he's not, at best, the bottom 2 survivor tomorrow.

Kree Harrison "Crying" by Roy Orbison (done by Carrie Underwood)
Kree's tone is an absolute thing of beauty. The upper notes at the end of the song weren't as strong as the rest of it, but that's totally fine. It's only the top 10, but this already seems like a two-horse race. Sidenote: this would have been a good song for Janelle to do.

Burnell Taylor "Flying Without Wings" by Westlife (done by Ruben Studdard)
I'm sorry. If I'm being completely honest, I zoned out for the duration of this performance... just like I did for all of Ruben Studdard in season 2. Perhaps there's a connection.

Amber Holcomb "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson
The end of the intro package was about how Amber wants to make this song into her own... she does it by runs and rushing through it. Well played. It was alright. The top notes were a bit yelly, but maybe it's just me.

Wrap-Up

Two requests from the Idol producers:

1. Please choose new themes. I'm aware this is a new theme... but it's a theme that demanded contestant rehash "Idol standards". Come on, man. Or, at the very least, create a banned songs list. Please.
2. Please set up a live camera on Mariah Carey at all times. The looks on her face when Nicki says/does Nicki things? Absolutely incredible. 

Timm's Votes

Candice - 25

Kree - 20

Paul - 5

Candice slayed a beast of a song, Kree rocked, and I like Paul. My votes are pretty straightforward. Done and done.

Idol 2013: Guys Turn

Girls last night, guys tonight. I look forward to finding this year's safe, somewhat generic white dude, likely playing a guitar, that will win the whole thing! All that said, I'm fine with that. Typically. Anyhoo. Let's go.

Guys Night in Vegas: The Top 10

Elijah Liu "Stay" by Rihanna

Sleepy, pretty boring performance. Adequate vocal I suppose, but nothing that really wows me or really makes me want to see more. The judges liked his song choice, but I really don't think it did him any favors.

Cortez Shaw "Locked Out of Paradise" by Bruno Mars

The problem with doing a song like this in it's original style is that it will always sound like the original, and will always pale in comparison. That's the case here. This was a performance you'd expect to see at any karaoke bar.

Charlie Askew "Mama" by Genesis

Was there nobody else at the auditions or through the Hollywood rounds? Or are the producers trying to make a funny? Also, I'm legit in pain over how awkward the post-performance interview was.

Nick Boddington "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls

I totally get what Nick is trying to do with this song, and as I said last night with Angie's performance, I typically love it. But this was really messy, all over the place. Good song choice, but the vocals weren't there, often times not even close. The honesty and feeling was there, but that's about it.

Burnell Taylor "I'm Here" from The Color Purple: The Musical

This song is such a terrible choice for Idol. There's no chorus to really show the singer off, save for the final note. And also, Burnell brought nothing really new to the song. Pretty generic. And he's done it before on the show? Risky indeed. Also, watch the hand gestures!

Paul Jolley "Just a Fool" by Christina Aguilera

Easily the best so far, and not even close. Pitch issues on the top notes, but got a lucky draw with the background vocalist being too loud. If he works that out, though, Paul could be onto something. Great tone. And look. And I completely get the pop-country path for him. More pop. For obvious reasons.

Lazaro Arbos "Feeling Good" from The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd

Worked the song out in a huge way. This is a song done to death post-Bublé, but Lazaro totally made it work for him. Strong vocal, and equally strong performance. Good stuff! But Mariah is right: a song that sits better in his voice would have made this even better.

Curtis Finch, Jr. "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly.

REALLY? Why do contestants chose this song? It's an automatic tune-out for me. When the opening notes are played, you know exactly how it's going to be sung... and Curtis does it exactly how you'd expect. Pass. Un-PC comment: Good to know Idol filled it's gospel singer to jam down your throat quota! 

Devin Velez "Somos Novios" by Andrea Bocelli

Obviously I'm the wrong demo, but the whole Spanglish thing totally turns me off, puts me at such a distance. Capable enough vocals, but the whole thing seemed so generic to me. 

Vincent Powell "The End of the Road" by Boyz II Men

Again with the predictable, overindulgent, saccharine song choice. I enjoy that he just gave up singing the song by the end and just went for all sorts of vocal tricks and gimmicks. Annoying.

Wrap-Up

I've vaguely followed along with assorted Idol bloggers from the beginning of the competition, so I had a very general idea of what to expect coming into this. I'd read that the guys were a rough bunch this year, but I figured that was overstating it a bit. Boy, was I wrong. Eek. There may be a few guys here that could blossom into a good contestant, but I can't see too much more than that. Hopefully I'm wrong, but this seemed mostly like tired gimmick after tired gimmick.

I guess there is a way for the producers to avoid yet another "white guy with a guitar" winning the thing... don't bring any to the voting round!

THAT SAID, I do have some favorites...

Timm's Votes

Elijah - 5

Nick - 5

Lazaro - 15

Paul - 25

I could get used to supporting Paul. While Lazaro seems like he could be a product of his story, I really enjoyed him tonight, so he gets some love. I threw some votes to Elijah and Nick, because I wouldn't mind seeing what else they can bring to the table. All that said, I'm fully, 100% expecting that Curtis will go through, no problem at all. Hell, he'll probably be the one that is trumped up as the favorite all season long until his "SHOCKING!" elimination in the top 4. But I'm so over that. Vincent will probably go through as well. Devin's got an endearing mother... him too. Hopefully, at least Paul can cut through the noise.

Idol 2013: It Begins!

Idol has finally begun! Well, for me anyway. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, this is where I'm beginning Idol. I could continue to write an intro, but it'd really end up being exactly what I wrote before. So, let's get to it:

Ladies Night in Vegas: The Top 10

Zoanette Johnson  "What's Love Got to Do With It?" by Tina Turner
It's fitting that the Vegas set Idol is working with tonight reminds me of The Voice... because this performance reminded me of The Voice. You know: loud, messy, pointless.... Eek.

Breanna Steer "Flaws and All" by Beyonce
I don't know what that was. I'm going to call that a terrible song choice, because I have no idea what Breanna is capable of going by this performance.

Aubrey Cleland "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Nerves? Too big a song for her voice? Hard to tell. The verses were fine, but her voice didn't soar like it should have in the chorus. Best of the three so far, but not spectacular.

Janelle Arthur "If I Can Dream" by Elvis
Randy calls for her to do something more throwback and classic-country... agreed completely. He meant it as a compliment, but I don't. The song is so simple, and Janelle tried to do too much to make it too modern, which didn't work for me. Definitely the best so far, but again, that's not saying a whole heck of a lot.

Tenna Torres "Lost" by Faith Hill
I think a more fitting title for this performance might be "lost lyrics"... It seems to me that Teena cared more about how her voice wrapped itself around the song than the diction. And that wrapping (which is how I can best describe it) was kind of sloppy. Interesting.

Angie Miller "Never Gone" by Colton Dixon
Now this is what I'm talking about. Give me an artist sanging what they believe in at the piano (yes, sanging), and I'm happy. While her tone did some weird things (perhaps it was the song, which I don't know), that performance was fantastic. Call me a sucker, but I loved that.

Amber Holcomb "I Believe in You and Me" by Whitney Houston
Whitney is such a boring, predictable choice. Always with the Whitney! But in any case, Amber sounded pretty good, overall, if a tad inconsistent. At times she sounded like she was trying to emulate Whitney (you will fail), at times she sounded a bit amateurish. But at times, it clicked in a big way. Next time... move away from Whitney.

Kree Harrison "Stronger" by Faith Hill
There it is. Not a perfect vocal by any means, but definitely the best vocal of the night so far. And I love the natural-feeling confidence Kree exudes... I can't even explain it. Loved me some Angie, but Kress is my favorite so far.

Adriana Latonio "Stand Up for Love" by Destiny's Child
Rough. It seems like the whole performance was built around the big moments of the song, and it was really shaky otherwise. And even the big parts didn't work.

Candice Glover "Ordinary People" by John Legend
Not my style of music, but Candice nailed this performance. Absolutely nailed it in every way possible. Sorry Kree, Candice wins tonight.

Wrap Up

Some contestants absolutely nailed it tonight: big ups to Candice, Kree and Angie. But a big 'ole eek to Zoanette, Adriana and Breanna. We shall see how things work out, but there's a pretty clear separation, at least at the top end.

Before I reveal how I'll be voting, I need to touch on two new things to Idol 2013: the new judges and the app.

The Judges. As I wrote before, I really dislike Nicki Minaj. But you know what? I'm eating crow tonight. While I still don't like her whole schtick or whatever you want to call it, I absolutely loved her as a judge tonight. I found myself agreeing with her almost every single time, and I loved how she got her opinions across: shockingly succinct and often hilarious. I also enjoyed Keith Urban, but it did seem like he was coming across as the dreaded "nice judge". I would comment on Mariah... but she was on the other side of Randy, who gets fast forwarded through. Sorry Mariah.

The App. This thing is a beauty. When Seacrest first started chatting it up, I was reminded of the pretty crappy X Factor app, but the Idol one is lightyears better. Why? BECAUSE IT WORKS. Even though I was watching the show on DVR, the live-sync feature works beautifully, giving me all sorts of info on the contestants and the songs they were singing (which is good, because I didn't know a number of them tonight). The app also allows very simple voting, something I'll be taking part in this year (fun fact: I've only voted for Idol once, the season 9 final. Kris Allen all night long, baby.). Also, because of the way you allot votes, that is how I'll be "scoring" each night on Idol. So without further adieu...

Timm's Votes

Janelle - 3
Angie - 14
Kree - 16
Candice - 17

Candice won the night, but I can already tell Kree and Angie will likely emerge as my favorites. I also threw a few votes Janelle's way, because I appreciate a good country singer. Obviously, I would move those three on, with the fifth advancing female being Amber. And really, it's not even that close for me. Naturally, I'll be horribly, horribly wrong. But whatever.

American Idol Season 12

So, if you're a regular reader of the site (I'm huge in the UK, you know), you'll notice that I haven't blogged a word about the new season of American Idol. And there's a good reason for that: I haven't watched a single minute.

Why? Well, I really dislike Nicki Minaj. I don't get her in the slightest. I have no interest in watching her on my television screen. But, I love American Idol... what a dilemma!

So for this season, I've opted to completely skip the non-live portions of the show. I decided that I really don't have to watch the finely edited shows where it's all Nicki, fake feuds and pimping of early producer favorites. Sure, all three obnoxious Idol sideshows are all present when the show goes live, but at least it's in a show filled with music ("filled" used lightly, of course).

Now don't get me wrong: I fully acknowledge that she could be a decent judge on Idol. That may be, and I fully allow for that... but I have no interest in it anyway. At least with the live shows, I've trained myself to almost completely ignore the judges.

Apparently, this week and next week, Idol is in Vegas with the top 40 contestants... so I'll probably start watching this week. Perhaps I'll put up a blog at some point about it. Assuming I don't give up on the Nicki Show after that, expect regular recaps to start up once voting starts (which, I read, is March 5).

Idol 2012: The Final 2 (plus, my prediction!)

I'll admit: I was a little surprised at last week's results. I honestly don't know which pairing I expected for the final, so I probably would have been surprised by any of them... but no matter.

On to the final.

Simon Fuller's Choices (aka, craptastically boring song choices that took 3 seconds to choose & clear)

• Jessica Sanchez - I Have Nothing (by Whitney Houston) - Well that was predictable. Jessica do a Whitney song? Who cares if she's done one already, and if she performs every song like a Whitney song? And this is just like every other Jessica performance: boring, predictable, and vaguely sound-alike. Snooze.
• Phillip Phillips - Stand by Me (by Ben E. King) - Sad to say it, but this one matched Jessica's snoozer of a performance. More of the same old Phillip performance here... but at least he does some original stuff in it. 

"Round 1" winner: nobody. This round served absolutely no purpose, if you ask me. Waste of time.

Favorite Performances (aka, we need a third song, but don't want to make you learn another one)

• Jessica Sanchez - The Prayer (by Celine Dion) - Meh. I don't even recall Jessica doing this song, but I figured she probably did. It's a Jessica song.
• Phillip Phillips - Movin' Out (by Billy Joel) - *headtilt* Of all the songs Phillip rocked on the show... he chooses this one? Weird. That said, this was better than I remember it being. And this was a very memorable week for me. 

"Round 2" winner: I'll give a slight edge to Phil. Slight. I think this is the dumbest of the three song choices for the finale... especially when both performers are doing "stand there and sing" type songs, what's the point?

Winner's Songs

• Jessica Sanchez - Change Nothing - *yawn*. Another ballad? Somebody's coasting to the end... And how she went all sharp and shrieky in the middle didn't help anything. And Jessica wanted to pick a "winner's song"? Sing about magic rainbows next time.
• Phillip Phillips - Home - If I didn't know better, I'd guess this was a Mumford & Sons song... but Mumford & Sons are awesome. That said... this is Phillip. Heartfelt, just the right vibe, just the right feel... perfect. Took 5 performances in the finale, but FINALLY someone rose to the occasion. 

"Round 3" winner: Phil in a landslide. 

Prediction: to be completely honest, before watching these performances, I was expecting to write something to the effect of "Jessica brought it tonight... and while I'm not sure any female can beat a white guitar playing good looking young male, Jessica should be the winner". Really, I was. It just seemed to me that she did the same thing for so long, she has to have SOMETHING else to use that voice for, plus Phillip has turned in some GREAT performances of late, he's due for a let-down... but nope. I can't do it. With his final performance, Phillip ended the competition. Not only does he fit the usual Idol-winner mold, but he deserves it more than Jessica. 

Idol 2012: Top 3, Hometown Visits

Last week's result was something that should have happened weeks ago. Sure, Hollie turned on the jets big time in the past few weeks, but she really shouldn't have had that opportunity (as bad as that sounds).

I have nothing else to say about last week.

Round One: Judge's Choice

• Josh Ledet - Randy's Choice: I'd Rather Be Blind (by Etta James) - Until the end, this seemed like a song that was given to Josh with the message "sing this". That's it. He did the whole Josh wailing thing at the end that's put him where he is, but meh. Seen it before. Of course, the judges gave him a standing ovation, but we knew that was going to happen, right? Right.
• Jessica Sanchez - JLo's Choice: My All (by Mariah Carey) - Jessica performed ballads as Beyonce for so long now I'd actually thought it was her style too. Silly me. Here, she was Mariah Carey. I've said it before: girl has one hell of a voice, but she's boring. And this performance (along with her prior Beyonce ones) shows she's a great mimic. Of course, the judges praise her originality, but we knew that was going to happen, right? Right.
• Phillip Phillips - Steven's Choice: Beggin' (by Madcon) - What? Josh and Jessica get songs in their wheelhouses, Phil gets something off the wall (for him). I hate this show sometimes. That said… Phil ROCKS it, showing why I love this show. Funny how things change so fast on Idol. 

There's no competition here. Phil took what appeared to be a clear sabotage attempt (to put on my tin foil hat for a moment) and turned it around, making it an Idol moment if you will. If I'm Josh and Jessica, I'm pissed at the clowns on the judges panel.

Round Two: Contestant's Choice

• Josh - Imagine (by John Lennon) - A lounge-y arrangement of a most overdone song is probably not the best choice, Josh. The performance was incredibly restrained considering the vocalist, almost to the point of being by-the-numbers, very karaoke. Not a bad song choice, just not the best choices within the performance.
• Jessica - I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (by Aerosmith) - Interesting song choice, but this seemed to me to be a direct answer to Josh's performance. Nice vocals, sure, but by the numbers. Karaoke. The only "chance" taken was the pop diva ending to the song… which she didn't quite nail as much as the judges raved about. But, as noted before, I expect that of the judges. Sleepy.
• Phil - Disease (by Matchbox 20) - Ah, here's the bus! Phil delivers a very cool performance, changing up the song a bit to fit him, as Phil typically does. A bit by the numbers and karaoke again, but at least he does it well. And the judges trash him for it. Every year at this point in the competition, the judges go out of their way to put through their favorites to the finals (and typically they get their way, save for season 8… but that's neither here nor there). It seems Phil's been put under that bus, let's see how far the judges go in Round 3.

In all, a sleepy, karaoke-like round. I'd definitely say that Phil was the best of the three, but I'm thinking the judges might have neutralized him for the round. Ugh.

Round Three: Jimmy Iovine's Choice

• Josh - No More Drama (by Mary J. Blige) - To me, this is a repeat of Josh's first performance. The first half of the performance was uninspired, then Josh started wailing. There was a difference, though: I wasn't feeling the wailing. In fact, I felt like I was being yelled at. The whole thing seemed very choreographed, very preachy, very yell. This performance was completely lost on me. I'm SHOCKED there was no standing ovation! I would kill to have Simon's reaction to this one…
• Jessica - I'll Be There (by The Jackson 5) - Apparently tonight is Jessica's foray into karaoke land. Sure, she sang it well, but what did she bring to the song? Nothing! I get what Jimmy was trying to do with the song choice, but boring. 
• Phil - We've Got Tonight (by Bob Seeger) - This performance takes me back to season 8, when Kris Allen pulled out the song "Falling Slowly". He did the song pretty much as written, but brought this tenderness, this sweetness, this… brilliance to the song. To me, it was the performance that propelled him to winning the whole show (with other brilliant moments later on, but this one started it). Phil's "We Got Tonight" is his "Falling Slowly". I was absolutely enchanted with this performance. We'll be seeing Phil next week. For sure. And FINALLY, the judges get something right with their ridiculous standing ovations.

Absolutely no competition whatsoever. Phil just gave what may wind up being my favorite performance of the season (much like Kris's "Falling Slowly").

I am not even going to do my winners and losers tonight. Phil was heads and shoulders better than Josh & Jessica tonight, and I'm not even doing an Idol Judge overstatement here. I have honestly no idea who will be eliminated tomorrow, but if there is any justice in the world whatsoever, it won't be Phil. Tour de force evening in my book.

Idol 2012: Top 4, California Dreamin' & Songs They Wish They Wrote

Ugh, Skylar. Gone too soon. I get why (she was pretty meh last week, while Hollie shined), but still not good. Too bad.

I'm feeling wordy tonight. So, sorry. Also, I write this little intro thing after the episode, and apparently I am feeling subconsciously ornery. I blame the absence of Skylar.

• Phillip Phillips - Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (by CCR) - As I stated last week, I love Phil's style, and I enjoyed this performance. But I'm not blind or deaf: Phil does basically the same thing week in and week out, and this performance is no exception for the most part. I'm not saying he's coasting, because I don't think that's the case... I just wonder if Phil's style doesn't really have that extra gear you sometimes see from contestants at the end of the competition (see: Kris Allen, Haley Reinhart, even Hollie this season). Perhaps he's just shown everything he has to show?
• Hollie Cavanagh - Faithfully (by Journey) - This performance is exactly why I can't fully get behind Hollie. Sure, she sang this song well... but she didn't bring anything new or different to the song. You're told Hollie is doing "Faithfully", and you can already hear the entire performance in your head. Girl has come a long, long way in this competition... but I'm just not seeing anything consistently special in her performances.
• Joshua Ledet - You Raise Me Up (by Josh Groban) - Oh, come on. Why this song? Of everything Josh could pick... this song? Nothing new here. In fact, I'd put this song towards the bottom of the "Josh highlight" reel, if you will. I got the whole gospel approach to the song, but the arrangement came off a bit weird, the performance shaky. Not really up to Josh's high level. I think the best part of this performance was afterwards when the judges were reacting, the camera was clearly aimed for the ubiquitous standing ovation from the judges that didn't happen. I'm shocked the judges didn't stand anyway.
• Jessica Sanchez - Steal Away (by Etta James) - Again, nothing new. Like Phil, I'm pretty sure we've seen everything there is to see from Jessica. Unlike Phil, I wasn't ever enamored with Jessica. Big talent, sure, but never drew me in. 
• Phil & Josh - This Love (by Maroon 5) - Good stuff. I hate Idol duets.
• Hollie & Jessica - Eternal Flame (by The Bangles) - LOL, swings. Oh, Idol 2012. Keeping you guessing even when the contestants typically don't shock.
• All Four of Them - Waiting for a Girl Like You (by Foreigner) - Oh goodie. Group number. I didn't pay attention to this, sorry. I'm a bad wannabe Idol blogger.
• Phil - Volcano (by Damian Rice) - I don't know this song at all... but perhaps I was wrong about Phil not having another gear. This performance was, quite simply, Phil's best of the competition. It's easy to see that this is the type of music Phil is going to be making, and he has a chance to be as successful as this genre allows. Great stuff. Now see, I knew I could effect the show with my idle musings that don't get posted until after the show. 
• Hollie - I Can't Make You Love Me (by Bonnie Raitt) - before the song: If Hollie doesn't feel this song, like she did with her Leona Lewis song last week, this will fall completely flat. after the performance: Yep! There were moments where Hollie connected, but they were fleeting, almost artificial feeling. 
• Josh - It's a Man's World (by James Brown) & Jessica - And I'm Telling You (from Dreamgirls) - these songs, to me, go hand and hand (along with other some other songs you see EVERY year). These songs are what you could call 'judge bait': meaning, do them capably, and the judges of whatever show you are on will go NUTS. You don't have to do anything new to them, either. Just perform them as written, swing your arms around, add in some growls if they are in your repertoire, emphasize the changes to the dynamics of the songs... and bam, pant tents in all of the judges, standing ovation, and statements like "best singer ever on this show" or "best singer of the last 50 years" (both statements used by Jennifer Lopez in the past two weeks). Formulaic, really. As for tonight, Josh and Jessica were both solid tonight with their songs. Neither brought anything revolutionary to the pieces, but as noted, who needs to? Both received standing ovations. Josh even moved JLo to yelling in Spanish. Neither performance deserved the ridiculousness, but they sure got them.
  
  Damn it, do I miss Simon Cowell.

Ok, had to get that mini-rant out of my system.

Winner of the night... I'll go with Phil, mostly for his second song. I know the judges will insist on Josh or Jessica, but they can't be trusted with anything, they've shown. While the two Js screamed through their judge bait songs, Phil did a somewhat off-the-map tune and showed once again what kind of artist he is. 

Better watch out... Hollie. I'm writing this line at 10:41PM, just 41 minutes after the show ended. Maybe it's because the other three got me worked up... but I don't remember much about Hollie tonight (which is another reason why I blog, incidentally). That doesn't bode well at this stage in the competition. But who knows, maybe she has legions of fans that I don't understand. 

Idol 2012: Top 5, British Pop and Songs of the 1960's

Elise :(

I knew it was inevitable. Hell, I even knew it was at least a 50/50 chance it would be last week. Still doesn't make it ok.

• Hollie Cavanagh - River Deep, Mountain High (by Ike and Tina Turner) - Innnnnteresting, possible train wreck of a song choice… the result isn't really a train wreck, but definitely lacking the spark the song needs. I didn't hate it, but didn't love it.
• Philip Phillips - The Letter (by The Box Tops) - I don't think I know that song… but I really don't care. That was fabulous. I love Phil's vibe and style, so I'm pretty sure I'd love anything he does that is true to what he does.
• Skylar Laine - Fortunate Son (by CCR) - Very interesting performance. On one hand, I loved the energy Skylar brought to the song and the vocals were great, both as usual… but as a whole, the performance didn't work for me. I don't know if the song didn't translate to the required countryfication or what, but I didn't love this as I usually do Skylar's performance.
• The Boys - You've Lost That Loving Feeling (by The Righteous Brothers) - I don't think Phil and Josh could have any less chemistry. A Phil duet without Elise makes me sad. All that said… this duet got better and better as it went on. Also, Phil cracks me up.
• Jessica Sanchez - Proud Mary (by Ike and Tina Turner) - Yeah, that was a good time. You know from my previous reviews of Jessica that I'm not the biggest fan, but I was definitely a big fan of this performance.
• Joshua Ledet - Ain't Too Proud to Beg (by The Temptations) - Joshua just makes it look easy. I know, I know, that is Josh's genre, but damn. So easy. 
• Hollie Cavanagh - Bleeding Love (by Leona Lewis) - For my money, the best performance of the 6 so far. Wonderful vocals, spot on tendernesss and connection. Just beautiful. Hollie is making this competition very, very interesting.
• Philip Phillips - The Time of the Season (by The Zombies) - Predictable performance… even a bit boring. Interesting that Phil hints that he wanted to play more guitar in the song…
• The Girls - Higher and Higher (by Jackie Wilson) - The only thing more silly than duets on Idol… trios! They are especially useless when the songs aren't written as trios, so it literally becomes a rotation of solos. Which this was. Skylar comes off the best. 
• Skylar Laine - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (by Dusty Springfield) - Another very interesting performance. This song was a return to form for Skylar in parts… but at times, it almost seemed like a desperate contestant trying to cling to her chances. That said, more hit than miss. 
• Jessica Sanchez - You Are So Beautiful (by Joe Cocker) - And a return to the beautifully sung yet super boring Jessica. We get it, you can sang. brb, nap time.
• Joshua Ledet - To Love Somebody (by Tom Jones) - I generally don't like all the things Josh did in this performance. The gyrations, the screaming, the judges giving yet another standing ovation… but screw that. Easily the best performance of the night, and by far my favorite performance from Josh this season. The first time I've truly bought into the Josh hype. 

I don't want to do my own version of a power rankings system, but if I did... I think I'd move Josh to the top this week. I wouldn't go as far as proclaiming him my favorite for the season, but I can easily see him winning at this point. Onward.

Winner of the night... Josh. Definitely Josh. Hollie is also up here in this category. 

Better watch out... You know, I have NO idea. As I wrote after her second performance, Hollie has made this competition very interesting. I could easily envision a scenario where any of the five contestants could go home this week (Hollie was underwhelming for SO LONG. Josh has been over-hyped to the point of nausea. Skylar is been in the bottom 2/3 multiple times. Phil was very safe this week. Jessica has been eliminated once already.). So, I'm not going to do this category this week. All five contestants better watch out.

Idol 2012: Top 6, The Songs of Queen (plus Contestant's Choice)

Aw, Colton. It's getting the point in the season where anything can happen, and all the contestants are so close that that gets amplified... so things like Colton going home happen. Disappointing, but the name of the game.

I love Queen. That's all the introduction this week needs.

Idol group numbers are always so awkward, usually hilariously so. This one isn't all that hilarious, but still awkward. I think the problem with these is that you have a large number of solo singers trying to stand out, which leads to a whole big mess, and usually one person dominating everyone else. Tonight? Elise. Everyone else, shut it, let Elise rock Queen.

• Jessica Sanchez - Bohemian Rhapsody - What's with the black and wh--DISEMBODIED FLOATING HEADS. OMG. Yeah yeah, usual Jessica performance, both upbeat and ballad, whatever. Let's talk the extra Jessica heads. That was amazing.
• Skylar Laine - The Show Must Go On - YES. I have nothing more beyond that. YES. 
• Josh Ledet - Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Good stuff. Probably my favorite Josh performance in a while… but WTF is with the constant standing ovation for Josh? Every. Single. Week.
• Elise Testone - I Want It All - Oh man. This is going to be a fantabulous episode of Idol tonight, isn't it? JLo says it right: everything came together here. This is Elise's element. 
• Phillip Phillips - Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen isn't exactly Phil's wheelhouse, but that was fun. Good stuff. Nowhere near Phil's best, but he weathered the theme, if you will, without doing the usual Phil performance. 
• Hollie Cavanaugh - Save Me - Speaking of usual performance… same old same old from Hollie. Sounded fine, but that's about it. 
• Jessica Sanchez - Dance With My Father (by Luther Vandross) - I thought for sure Josh was going to sing this… anyhoo. Wonderful job. I've never really loved this song, but I loved Jessica's take on it. For a change.
• Skylar Laine - Tattoos on this Town (by Jason Aldean) - I didn't love the song to be honest, but Skylar singing actual country is always a treat. This girl is going to have a hell of a career. 
• Josh Ledet - Ready for Love (by India.Arie) - Another song I've never been crazy about, but another song sung well from Josh. And, shocker, another standing ovation! 
• Elise Testone - Bold as Love (by Jimi Hendrix) - Elise just does her thing, is awesome, and calls it a night. No big deal. 
• Phillip Phillips - The Stone (by Dave Matthews Band) - I've never been crazy about music by DMB, and this is no exception. I liked the performance as a whole, but meh to the song.
• Hollie Cavanaugh - The Climb (by Miley Cyrus) - Who knew Hollie would pick this song? Oh, everyone, right. That said… wow. EVERYTHING that was blah or meh about Hollie earlier tonight was fixed in this performance. Easily her best of the competition, just may be the best performance of the night. Oh, Hollie, how to complicate things!

I love this season of Idol. There, I said it. I liked last year, but this year is about 10x better. It's not quite season 8... but what is?

Winner of the Night... Skylar. Hollie will also get a big bump in this "category", because she hit a homerun going last, but Skylar. I'm not convinced a girl will win this season, and am really not convinced a country girl can win again... but if anyone can, it's Skylar. I love her.

Better watch out... I honestly have no idea. I'd say Phil had the weakest night tonight, but I see him as the front-runner, really. Hollie based on past performances? Elise based on past result shows? Jessica? Hollie is probably 6th if I were to do some sort of 'power ranking' thing, but who knows after her 2nd performance. Could be another zomgshocker tomorrow.

Idol 2012: Top 7 (Part II), Now & Then

OMG A SAVE?!? SHOCKER! I DIDN'T THINK IT'D BE USED!!!! OMG!!!

Except that if you count the weeks, you see that it had to be used. So, there's that.

The question: is America sick of Jessica, or is it voter complacency? I'm leaning towards the latter... but who knows.

"Now & Them" week. An Idol standby. But a decent enough theme.

• Hollie Cavanaugh - Rolling in the Deep (by Adele) - I never would have guessed Hollie would do this song! /sarcasm… A good performance, though, probably Hollie's best. 
• Colton Dixon - Bad Romance (by Lady Gaga) - I get what Colton was trying to do… but misfire. I wasn't digging that. Maybe it was the compacted performance, but everything seemed rushed and not fully realized.
• Elise Testone - No One (by Alicia Keys) - A safe song choice, sure… but flawless, effortless vocals. FLAWLESS.
• Phillip Phillips - U Got It Bad (by Usher) - I initially thought this was a train wreck waiting to happen… but not the case in the slightest. Quite the opposite, actually. Just might be Phil's best performance to date. 
• Jessica Sanchez - Fallin' (by Alicia Keys) - This performance was nothing new. Strong vocals (as usual), Beyonce-like focus and vocals (seen it), random red things all over stage (seen it). Boringness got her voted out last week… then this. 
• Skylar Laine - Born This Way (by Lady Gaga) - Performing with Sons of Sylvia! Niiiice. I continue to not really enjoy the country Born This Way… but this performance was spot-on. As the judges gushed about, this is Skylar's third straight powerhouse performance. Loved it.
• Josh Ledet - I Believe (by Fantasia) - Good, I guess. I've never really 'gotten' Fantasia, and didn't really 'get' this performance. Josh definitely felt it, though.
• Hollie Cavanaugh - Son of a Preacher Man (by Dusty Springfield) - Meh. A bit of a return to the underwhelming Hollie of old. The judges loved this, but we know they can't be trusted.
• Colton Dixon - September (by Earth, Wind and Fire) - Giant tree! A bit safe, but Colton made an iconic song his own. Personally, I liked this better than Bad Romance.
• Elise Testone - Let's Get It On (by Marvin Gaye) - Underwhelming after the master class she put on earlier. The song choice could have been MUCH better. Trying to have a discussion with the judges about critique is usually a kiss of death, too… eek.
• Phillip Phillips - In the Midnight Hour (by Wilson Pickett) - Phil sans guitar! Fun performance, if a bit un-Phil-like. Both smart decisions. Good night for Phil. "Brilliantly awkward" indeed, Steven.
• Jessica Sanchez - Try a Little Tenderness (by Otis Redding) - MUCH more interesting performance to me by Jessica. Good stuff.
• Skylar Laine - Heard It Though the Grapevine (by Marvin Gaye) - More Sons of Sylvia, and more awesomeness from Skylar. Good night for Skylar, too.
• Josh Ledet - Change Is Gonna Come (by Sam Cooke) - Good stuff, sure… but easily the most obvious performance of the night. 

Winner of the Night... Skylar. Easily, Skylar. Phillip also had a very good night, but Skylar turned in two finale-calibur performances.

Better watch out... Elise or Hollie. I'm biased so I'll say Hollie will get booted. The third member of the bottom three will be interesting to see...

(The return of) Loser of the Night... Sons of Sylvia. Like two years ago, they were being pushed as the next best thing in country music, with a plum spot on Carrie Underwood's album and an opening gig for her on tour... and now they are backing up an American Idol contestant with no credit given. Eek.

Idol 2012: Top 7, Songs from the Last Three Years

Last week went as it should have. Good.

How random of a theme. They call it "Songs from This Decade"... but my title is more descriptive.

• Skylar Laine - (by Kellie Pickler) - Fantastic. Everything about this performance was fantastic. Bravo. Skylar going first though… that's a concern.
• Colton Dixon - Love the Way You Lie (by Skylar Gray) - broken record: Fantastic. Everything about this performance was fantastic. Bravo. A little safe perhaps, but I don't care.
• Elise Testone & Philip Phillips - Somebody I Used to Know (by Gotye) - Elise pretty much kicked Philip's ass on this… but that's ok. I hope this is on iTunes…
• Jessica Sanchez - Stuttering (by Jazmine Sullivan) - I'm starting to lose any interest I had in Jessica. Hella talented, absolutely… but I'm bored.
• Josh Ledet - Runaway Baby (by Bruno Mars) - I'm 100% certain the judges have never heard this song before. Josh did the song as written aside from needlessly wailing the end of it… but he's dynamic and a performer! Go him! 
• Colton Dixon & Skylar Laine - Don't You Wanna Stay (by Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson) - This is like a genre flip that's throwing me for a loop. Sad to say… this was an unfortunate mess. 
• Hollie Cavanagh - Perfect (by P!nk) - A noble attempt, but Hollie's too… rigid for midtempo pop music. Unfortunate misfire.
• Philip Phillips - Give a Little More (by Maroon 5) - I almost didn't recognize this song, but in a good way. I totally admit my bias here, but I kinda loved this. He does do pretty much the same thing every week, so he needs to be a bit careful.
• Josh Ledet, Jessica Sanchez & Hollie Cavanagh - Stronger (by Kelly Clarkson) - Ah, when a trio sings an duo arrangement. Third voice, just wail in the background. The third voice consistently sounded good, the two voices in harmony sounded weird, and the solos were all meh.
• Elise Testone - Yoü and I (by Lady Gaga) - LOVE Elise at the piano. Strong performance overall, but a bit safe for me. Nothing spectacular or really new from Elise. Great vocals as usual, but pretty much as expected.

Overall, this was yet another strong night for the contestants. This is a strong season, methinks. BUT… everyone was rather safe tonight. There wasn't a single moment where you sat back and say "wow, I wasn't expecting that". Or, at least, I didn't have a moment like that.

Winner of the Night… Skylar? Colton? I'll call it a draw between the two of them. Them going so early might even it all out, though.

Better watch out… Hollie. No question. She's likely a goner. The rest of the bottom three will be interesting, though. It seems to me that everyone is pretty bunched up, so there could be a surprise here… but it'll probably be an all-girl bottom 3, because that's how the voters role: Hollie, Skylar and Elise. Unfortunate for the last two, but that's hot it goes.