Oh are you in for a treat tonight. Not only are the remaining five Idols singing for your votes, their going to do it twice! That's right, tonight the Idols have two chances to make a good impression on you--the impressionable voters. Songs will be selected from the Groovy 60's and from the current charts.
As the Idols readied for their double duty, they were learned by Grammy Award winning artist, Sheryl Crow--the one-time backup singer to Michael Jackson and winner of "best lips on tour"...an unofficial award handed out in a ceremony not televised.
The first Idol to do their thing was James who chose "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars...not that I have heard of the song or the group, but I believe this would be James' current song. Am I lame or what?! Don't answer. Regardless of whether I know or like the song, James is the King of Idol Performances...he had pyrotechnics, lasers, and lots of moving around the stage to distract anyone unfamiliar with the song. In the end he rocked it like he pretty much does every week. Steven and J-Lo said he is ready to tour. Randy cleared up any mystery about who 30 Seconds to Mars is--apparently it is Jared Leto's group...oh, yeah, now I get it?! Doesn't matter, James is awesome and deserves your votes, so start dialing...once the lines are open, of course.
After another tough results show, Jacob was ready to win you over with his take on the Jordin Sparks (with Chris Brown) hit, "No Air". To add a bit of difficulty, Jacob is going to sing both parts...Jordin's and Chris'. I thought Jacob started a bit high, but I guess it made sense especially when you consider he was standing in cloud-like fog. I wasn't overwhelmed by the performance, so I think Jacob is going to have to up his game a bit during the next round. J-Lo thought it was a good song choice, but Randy was the voice of reason telling Jacob that he shouldn't try to sing songs that were duets by people like Jordin and Chris...he wants Jacob to find his inner Luther--again! Steven pretty much looked bored and then encouraged Jacob to find his voice...again!
The next Idol wannabe to take on another former Idol winner song was Lauren who decided to try to emulate Carrie Underwood and her song "Flat on the Floor". Lauren employed my favorite fiddle player to help her get the Country Diva thing going...along with the Iron Cross hoops for earrings and assorted other distracting costumey things. I wasn't a big fan of the song or the performance, but the judges agreed it was the right song choice for her...I agree, but I still didn't like the song.
When Scotty's turn came up, he chose a Montgomery Gentry hit called "Gone". Scotty started his performance amongst the Idol audience members...much to their excitement. As he made his way to the stage and what appeared a pretty pedestrian performance, he turned and LEAPED toward the judges and pulled his best impression of Garth Brooks in concert. I've been pretty critical of Scotty the past few weeks, but I have to admit tonight was probably his best performance--again, I wasn't thrilled with the song choice...I just HAVE to believe there are better songs for these Idols to sing, but who knows; and who cares, right? Steven said "tonight, you danced with the Devil" and meant it as a compliment.
The final Idol to do their thing during round 1 was Hailey who sang "You and I" by Lady Gaga...a song that, according to Sheryl Crow, hasn't even been released yet. Interesting...let's see how she does. For starters, Hailey was relaxing on the Idol stairs in sparkly gray, skin-tight pants and a leather vest--looking quite Rocker-chic. As for her performance, next to James, she was my favorite of this round. J-Lo didn't agree with me; she thought it was a bad idea to chose an unknown song...who cares--she rocked it! Randy thought it was a risky song choice. Steven agreed it was risky, but he loved what she did with the song. Mixed results for sure.
For his 1960's song, James selected the Harry Nilsson "Without You" a song which brought out so much emotion in James during his mentoring session that he broke down and couldn't sing it. When he hit the stage, he stood with just his mike and was backed by a string section and grand piano. It was a moving performance, one filled with emotion and honesty. As he ended the song, tears started streaming down his cheeks and he was overcome with feelings that I think the judges, the audience, and the viewers could all feel. Randy had a hard time breaking through the applause to credit James with a great performance, though some of the notes fell flat. Randy said the Idol crown is "yours to lose". After the judges finished telling James how great and amazing he is, the camera pulled back revealing that James was standing on stage without his shoes! Just another thing to love about the resident Rocker!
Hoping for a better showing in Round 2, Jacob was encouraged to sing "Love Hurts" by Jimmy...and he was convinced it was the right thing to do when Sheryl sang the rock song with a much softer edge. With confidence Jacob sang the song accompanied by a harpist, three background singers, a trumpet, trombone, and saxophone. When he hit the chorus, the Gospel came out of him and he hit his stride...and, of course, he finished with a big ol' Jacob note! Steven loved the way Jacob delivered the song and J-Lo thought he brought it home.
Lauren chose one of Simon Cowell's favorite songs of all time, the Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody"--which, according to Lauren, is her parent's song (in case you were wondering). Dressed in a white and teal prom dress and accompanied on stage by a piano player, Lauren gazed longingly into the camera and put her little Georgia twang to the song. I was kind of liking it until she got to the first bridge, but then I kind of wasn't liking it. Oh wait, she's back...no, maybe not. Whoever did the arrangement on that song did a terrible job. J-Lo said "nothing to judge"...what does that mean? The rest of the comments were pretty much missing in action.
Scotty the Body chose Elvis' "Always on My Mind" which you may know better as a Willie Nelson song...did you know that there are over 300 covers of this song including a very successful one by the Pet Shop Boys? Well you do now. As you digest that helpful knowledge, let's check in with Scotty who delivered a less than convincing performance--in my opinion. The judges, of course, threw themselves at him starting with J-Lo who stepped on Randy's time to talk to gush over him. I guess with Stefano gone, she has found her new boy-toy.
The final performance of the night is being delivered by Hailey who chose "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals. Sheryl encouraged her to start the song a capella; which she did (and quite well, in my opinion). When the band joined in on the fun, Hailey stepped down from the stool on which she was seated and made her way to center stage amongst the fog and psychedelic lighting. As she hit the final big note of her performance, she looked into the camera, gave a rye smile, and then watched as the judges gave her a standing ovation. Randy then gave out the award for the "performance of the night" to Hailey.
And just like the ten performances are over and it's your turn to decide who stays and who goes. My guess is that Jacob's time on Idol has come to an end after a less than stellar first song.
Tune in tomorrow to see who your votes send home. Until then, I will continue watching TV so you don't have to...
Charlie
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