Casey finally got the boot last week. What was a surprise was the "bottom three"... that wasn't really a bottom three. Seacrest never said that the three remaining were the lowest vote getters, which reeks of producer manipulation. I'd be willing to bet that Scotty's vote totals weren't as high as the producers liked, so by having him appear to be in trouble, they can encourage voting. They do this pretty much every year... it must work, or else they wouldn't do it.
Anyhoo, this week... now and then. Everybody gets two solo songs, one contemporary, one from the 60s... though looking at some of the song choices, apparently "1960s" was just a guideline. Either way, should be interesting... I'm watching via rickey.org, so I don't have the judges comments... though I did get running commentary from Rachael during the show (thanks!) and was following along on Twitter, so I got the gist of everything. My thoughts, after the jump!
James
"Closer to the Edge" - 30 Seconds to Mars
James has never met a pitch he couldn't miss, eh? His pitch was all over the place, especially when he went out into the crowd. Messy, messy, messy.
"Without You" - Harry Nilsson
I saw this one live. Major pitch problems again, but this time due to his emotions. Remember a few weeks ago when Jacob sang "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross? The judges slammed what I thought was a pretty decent performance because the emotions got the best of Jacob. Yet, here, the very same issue is praised. I don't get it.
Jacob
"No Air" - Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
Whoever told Jacob this was a good idea is clearly a sadist. What a trainwreck. Also, dancing Jacob = lols.
"Love Hurts" - Nazareth
Jacob? Overdramatic? What? For me, this performance came off ridiculously desperate, almost as if Jacob was desperately trying to remind the voters why he made it on the show in the first place. Predictably, the performance was an over the top mess, full of screeching, awkward moaning noises, overdramatic stomping and hilarious facial expressions galore. I saw the judges comments live, and naturally they called it passion... I call it a swan song.
Lauren
"Flat on the Floor" - Carrie Underwood
I've always had a problem with Lauren on sassy songs... but this one totally worked for me. At times the performance felt really awkward and rather disjointed.... but it's very clearly a product of editing the song to maybe a minute. Not nearly Lauren's best, but definitely a strong performance.
"Unchained Melody" - Righteous Brothers
I read that Sheryl Crow questioned if Lauren had the emotional backing behind this song... and she's spot on. The vocals are great, the runs completely and utterly fantastic. But when done well, this song punches you in the gut... Lauren's version doesn't do that. The vocals, though? Awesome.
Scotty
"Gone" - Montgomery Gentry
Not a bad performance. I like the softer, understated, sincere Scotty we saw last week... but he definitely looks comfortable with performance songs like this one. Not the best vocals by any means, but overall, pretty decent.
"You Were Always on My Mind" - Brenda Lee
Read my comments on "Gone"... my comments here should be pretty obvious. This is the Scotty that will get him to the finale, and could well win the thing.
Haley
"You and I" - Lady Gaga
Saw this one live.... and loved it. I didn't know a contestant could pick an unreleased song, but I like it. The song let Haley do what Haley does well, showcasing her strong vocals and that gritty growling. Loved it.... but the judges were COMPLETELY ridiculous. It's fairly obvious who the powers that be want gone in this competition, as ridiculous as that decision is. Hopefully the voters recognize the judges are completely and utterly useless this season and ignore them completely.
"House of the Rising Sun" - The Animals
Awesome. Two extremely strong performances from Haley tonight.... one panned by the judges, one proclaimed the best of the night. I liked her Gaga performance better, to be honest, but this one is the same thing: great choice that let's Haley be Haley. Great stuff.
Summing up the night: the judges are useless. Completely out of their minds, they are a waste of time this year. I had such hope for Steven Tyler in the auditions, but the producers have obviously urged him to keep it clean and sane, creating a trio of bobble heads that do nothing but praise (except to occasionally run someone over with a bus from time to time, killing a person's shot at going on... see: Halperin, Tim; Zarilla, Julie; and if she goes home this week, Reinhart, Haley.)
Winner of the Night: I, for one, can fully ignore the judges. Haley all the way. Two brilliant performances... here's to hoping America sees the light.
Loser of the Night: Again ignoring the judges, all Jacob. Like I said, his second performance was all about desperation, and fell horribly flat.
My Prediction: Jacob going home.... weeks too late, yes, but finally, going home. It wouldn't surprise me to see another non-bottom 3 kind of thing, since they tend to stop that around this time in the competition, so I'm not going to bother with a bottom 3. Jacob Lusk, peace out.
