My take on tonight:
James - he did fine on the Journey song. Nothing wrong. But it was sounding karaoke until near the end, when he turned around a few notes to “make it his own.”. I didn’t think he did enough of that. He was perfectly fine but slightly boring. The judges jammed up their praise a bit much.
Haley - that first song, that MJ song, was the most stupid song choice ever. She was told to choose hits, so the audience could relate to her, and she chose a song that Michael Jackson didn’t even live to perform live. She screeched through it, she growled for at least a straight minute, and she sounded absolutely horrible. She has a knack for ruining her chances and making the worst of her singing talent. She is becoming unbearable.
Scotty - loved the 911 theme, good choice. Loved that he used a song with some religion it it. His voice sounded great, as usual, and he really seemed to feel the emotions in the song. Liked. He is dang adorable.
Lauren - you all have said enough about the mullet dress. Ugh. And I am not a fan of the stripy hair with black and blonde in it (though obviously every woman in her family disagrees with me), but the girl Brought It. She was bold, confident, and sang like a dream. We knew to send Haley home, Lauren would have to step it up, and she did. She sounded fantastic and strong.
Now for the Gaga portion of the show. Gaga has rarely looked worse, and that is truly an achievement.
Haley went first, and I already knew before she went that the judges were going to gush all over her to redeem her, no matter what she did. She did that “I who have nothing” song which I had never heard, actually, and I did not like it. There were parts that she performed well. And parts where her voice sounded good. But she is so annoying and phony. And when she gets loud, it kind of ruins everything.
Scotty did the funny song “Youngblood.”. He was very entertaining. It didnt show off his voice at all but it showcased his utter comfort with his performing as well as his sweet sense of humor. Made me love him all the more. He is indeed ready to be a recording artist and have a versatile, varied tour repertoire. And he will be doing so for 50 years, at least. The world is his oyster for sure.
Lauren - did the Elvis song and did a good job. Not as good as the first song, but she still turned on the charm and was sweetly sexy if not even close to evil! Her voice is flawless.
James - finished the show with “love potion no.9” and slayed it! He made it his own and rocked the house. He deserves to win the whole thing. I loved his version of it; he gave the old song a very new feel. Simon was always asking for that: taking something old and giving it a contemporary feel. I think Simon would have loved James.
Going home should be Haley if all is right with the world.
Screaming Mimi (She's still in this?) (Oh look, a Catherine McPhee sings from the floor moment…) Round 1: How many backup singers are required to rescue this mess? In other news, …. Oooooh, sparkly!
Scottay Round 1: Safe, but I'd buy it. FTW.
Pickler II Round 1: And that's when I fell asleep.
no, seriously. I fell asleep…
” My take on tonight”
Nice summary. Agree with your assessments.
Gag - Gag is living proof that aliens are here.........
P.S. Scotty s quick quips about his visit with her are reason enough for him to stay....
Weird wardrobe choices for the gals in the opening. Lauren looked liked she was in a high school production of Gone With The Wind, and Haley looked like she was starring in a contemporary version of Peter Pan.
I've never "gotten" James..don't relate to him, but it's obvious that as a stage performer, he's head and shoulders above the others.
Haley should be going home tonite ( BIG sigh)and Lauren will no doubt follow next week. However, Haley's got a career. I can even see her on Broadway. She's cute, perky, petite, and has a BIG voice. I was thinking Kristin Chenowith, but actuall, she's more like Linda Ronstadt ( before she gained 100lbs) Long ago I saw Linda in "Pirates of Penzance" and she was awesome.
Final, Scotty v. James....won't even be close...iT's James.
Tom Jones did I Who Have Nothing. My dad played sax for Tom Jones more than once. Tom Jones stuffed his slacks - my dad saw him do that before the concerts. Sue me, TJ. I’m sure other musicians saw it too.
http://www.tmz.com/2011/05/12/lady-gagas-shoes-penis-american-idol-fox-mentor-james-durbin-haley-reinhart/
Last night fans got to watch Lady Gaga mentor the "American Idol" contestants, but one thing they didn't see ... her clear plastic penis heels.