Before starting the show proper tonight, the Idol judges and Ryan made a plea with the viewing public to buy the downloads of tonight's show to donate money to the Red Cross and to benefit the victims of the terrible earthquakes and tsunamis from last week. So if you haven't donated already, here's your chance to help some people half-way around the globe, get a tax deduction in the good old U.S. of A., and enjoy some music as performed by your Idols!
The theme for the show is songs from the year the Idols were born.
Up first, Naima who entered the world in 1984. For her song choice, she went with the Tina Turner anthem that asks the musical question: "What's Love Got to Do With It?" Naima started the song perched upon the Idol staircase and quickly gyrated her way on to the stage where she worked both sides of the audience. I wasn't too into the song--I thought it was a bit tired. Steven disagreed with me, but Jennifer was in my corner (as was Randy) who pointed out that she was all over the note, but never really on it. Could be looking at a reservation on the danger stools come vote tallying time tomorrow night. We'll just have to wait and see...
While you ponder Naima's fate, the quirky one was up next...Paul (also born in 1984) chose to put his unique take on Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues". In what is becoming his signature move, Paul greeted the Idol audience, implored them to "come on, baby", and wandered around the stage like a drunken sailor all while entertaining the judges enough that J-Lo was spotted lipsynching along with him. As the song ended, Paul seemed to have trouble finishing, but he was able to thank the audience and then chatted with J-Lo who sympathized with him for battling a cold and causing him to miss some notes. Randy wasn't as gracious as Jennifer, but did give Paul credit for making the song his own, but Steven had the best line saying Paul resembled a "loose dude in a loose mood".
As Randy asked for clarification on Steven's turn of a phrase, we got to learn a little about Thia (1995)--she wrote her first song at age 6 and truly believes she will sing for the rest of her life. Her song choice was "Color of the Winds" by Vanessa Williams. Joined by a string quartet and a classical guitar player on stage, Thia started flawless in her interpretation of the Oscar winning song from the animated feature, Pocahontas. But the judges had other thoughts. Randy felt it was boring and made him feel like he was at a pageant--sounds familiar...from the past 9 seasons when Simon sat in the third seat. The other judges piled on and asked her to mix up her song styling a bit more.
So with the sting of the judges comments still fresh on every one's mind, our attention turned to the Idol resident rocker, James Durbin, who was born in 1989 and picked "I'll Be There for You" by Bon Jovi. From the first note, James had the audience rocking with him and he did his best Chris Daughtry/Bo Bice walking the mic stand around the stage and then sidling up next to the guitar player who was on stage with him, and finally made his way to the judges table and gave them and the nearby audience a little up close and personal performance. James knows how to rock it, but I thought he sounded a bit off tonight. Steven cautioned him to not get "too poppy on me"...to which James told him he was saving the Aerosmith tunes for the finale...and then he and Steven agreed that Steven would join him on stage if in fact he made it to the finals. Randy interrupted his critique to ask James about some custom studded bandannas wrapped around his boots. And before giving out James' numbers, Ryan confirmed that Steven committed to singing on the Idol stage before the season ends. I guess the show has officially started!
Trying to keep the good vibes rolling, Hailey (1990) hit the stage to sing Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight"...which immediately lead me to question why? Is that really the best song from 1990? Whether it was the best song or not, Hailey put her patented "growl" and "kittenish" play on it. The judges, particularly Randy, seemed to really enjoy Hailey's outfit--red silk shirt on top of skin tight black pants...unfortunately her red lipstick ended up moving to her chin--oops! Ryan must be reading my blog because he stepped in to clean her up. Hair and make up over, Randy was back in judging mode and questioned Hailey's song choice...tonight and every other night--she's done Whitney, Alicia Keys, country...a real mixed bag. But what did you think? That's what really matters.
With Hailey fixing her lipstick, Stefano (1989) was the next Idol to sift through the hits from his birth year including songs by Milli Vanilli, New Kids on the Block, and Tone Loc. At long last, Stefano went with Simply Red's cover of the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes classic, "If you Don't Know Me by Now"--which just happens to be one of the first CDs in my collection which started in 1989 when my brother bought me my first CD (a Sony Disc man for my 25th birthday). But enough about me (is there such a thing?!)...and back to Stefano who put all of his emotion into the song and getting his number 1 fan, J-Lo, to sing along with him. He was doing well until the end when he fell off the final note, but the crowd and judges didn't seem to mind. Randy started his praise by reading and regurgitating my blog knowledge about Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (including the awesome Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals). When he was done stealing my stuff, Randy said Stefano's was the performance of the night.
Now that the bar has been set, it was time for Pia to scan the songs from 1988 and came up with yet another Whitney Houston song, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?". Dressed in a white off the shoulder jumper, Pia started slow, but hit her stride a few bars into the song which was the signal for the audience on either side of the stage to stand, do their clapping thing, and encourage Pia to deliver a very strong performance. Steven loved the way she modernized an older song, J-Lo was excited that Pia finally picked an up-tempo song, and Randy said that "Pia is in this to win it!" But he stopped short of taking away the "song of the night" award he handed out to Stefamo one performance before.
So we have had rock, pop, and R&B, the only thing missing is some country...but wait no longer because Scotty (1993) was up next and he decided to sing Travis Tritt's "Can I Trust You With My Heart". I love me some good country music and Scotty knows how to deliver it...I'm just waiting for the time when he shows up on stage with a 10-gallon cowboy hat--now that would complete the package. The crowd was all jacked up over his performance and the judges seemed to really enjoy the song and Scotty's growth on the show.
The third Idol of the night born in 1989 was Karen who chose Taylor Dayne's hit, "Love Will Lead You Back". While we waited for Karen to sing, we were treated to a wonderful segment about how Karen is her mother's "best prize, her Oscar"--it was a very moving piece. But that's isn't going to help Karen hit the notes and win the votes, she'll have to do that on her own. The first thing I noticed when Karen took the stage was her hair which was in a HUGE bun and her outfit which looked like a metallic suit that looked like it came from the Star Trek wardrobe department. Back to the singing...she did a decent job and even infused a little of her native Spanish toward the end. The judges were happy that she is back on the right path, but still are concerned that she isn't hitting all the right notes.
It was up to Casey to get us back on the right track. Casey was born in 1991 to "older" parents who had a lot of fun kidding around on camera. As they continued to goof around, Casey told us he was going to sing the first Nirvana song on the Idol stage EVER..."Smells Like Teen Spirit". Casey took to the stage playing an electric bass which got Randy's head bobbin'...and when he hit the chorus, Casey got the rest of the audience groovin'. Aside from a slightly awkward finish, Casey did the deed although J-Lo thought it got a little out of control, but still called him "sexy" which totally made his night for the second week in a row. Randy used a different adjective, "fearless", but it had a similar impact on the talented Idol.
An ailing Lauren (1994) was next and chose "I'm the Only One" by Melissa Etheridge. Lauren gave it the old college try, but her voice just didn't have it tonight--that's what the flu will do to a singer. Oh well, the audience enjoyed it and the judges provided some good feedback. J-Lo went so far as to credit her for "making it your own" and Randy and Steven encouraged her to stay sick.
Closing out the night's performances was Jacob who was born in 1987. Before telling us that his song selection ("Alone" by Heart), Jacob's mother tried to take credit for Jacob's singing chops. If her Idol audition was any indication, Jacob was adopted!:) Back to the stage where Jacob was trying to recreate the electricity that sparked many seasons ago when Carrie Underwood turned this song into her Idol calling. For the most part Jacob successfully fused his gospel and R&B vocals with the pure Rock song and delivered a real winner. Randy credited Jacob for going outside his comfort zone, getting back on pitch after losing it for a couple of bars, and said (for the second time tonight) that he is "in it to win it". Steven said that "Gospel had a baby and named it Jacob Lusk". Love that Steven Tyler, he's always good for a couple of good one's throughout the show.
Game On!
And with 12 Idol performances in the can, it's time to vote and figure out who's going home tomorrow. In my B3 are Naima (sub par performance), Hailey (looked good, but struggling with her identity), and Karen (just doesn't seem comfortable on stage). Going home will be Naima...going first hurt her, but an off performance sunk her.
Tune in tomorrow to see how your Idols fare when the votes are counted. Until then...I will continue watching TV so you don't have to...
Charlie
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