The “American Idol” Top 7 took on songs from the 21st Century and the overall show was way better than I ever thought it would be. I was very impressed with the opening number from the eliminated contestants. What an amazing idea that was. Pia Toscano even had great stage presence! I think that’s something they should do from now on once or twice a season. I’m calling this the best show of the season.
Now on to the performance recaps. As always, I’ll review each performance and assign the letter grade I think it deserves.
In order of performance
*Scotty McCreery, “Swingin'” by Leann Rimes. Scotty really sang a 1983 song by John Anderson but was able to pass it off as a 21st Century song because Leann Rimes covered it. Was that a clever move or a deceptive way to dodge the theme? At any rate, it’s a silly song. And the Top 7 isn’t the time to be pulling out silly songs that have no depth. But I guess when you’re Scotty you can do whatever you want. People are in love with him. I still get it, but I still think he might be getting too confident. If he wants to win it, he HAS to branch out. Carrie Underwood branched out. Look at the list of songs she sang. She did Phil Collins, Pat Benetar, Donna Summer. That’s how she reached beyond the country fans. Scotty is still good. I’m not cutting on him. I just really want him to take some risks. B
*James Durbin, “Uprising” by Muse. What the what? That performance was insane. Insanely good. That’s not even my kind of music but I loved it. This season has really opened my eyes ears to genres I never gave the time of day. This truly is one of the best seasons of “Idol” ever. I do have one little thing to pick at. Can any of them REALLY decide they want a drumline or a piano fire for their performance? Is James the only one with that kind of vision or is “Idol” playing favorites? Oh well, best performance of the night. A+
*Haley Reinhart, “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. A (very close) second-best performance of the night (for me) goes to Haley. Not only was her song choice completely brilliant and timely, she performed it perfectly. Haley made a smart move with Adele. She is so huge right now that Haley was probably able to get some votes in her pocket that otherwise wouldn’t have made it there. I think it’s her best performance to date. A+
*Jacob Lusk, “Dance With My Father,” Luther Vandross. Well, Jacob didn’t do what he had to do to interest me. And that’s sing something modern and upbeat. Instead he tried to put me to sleep. Again. At least that’s better than making my ears bleed. I guess I’m just never going to like this guy. I’ve tried. His performance was still solid and kudos for coming right back after that opening technical glitch. Oh, and now we officially know Jacob isĀ a diva. Everyone said it. I’ve been saying it all season. So now no one has the right to attack me for saying it. B
*Casey Abrams, “Harder to Breathe” by Maroon 5. Did he really pick that song or was I dreaming? I wasn’t dreaming, was I? It wasn’t a bad performance, it was just weird. All of it. His movements, the arrangement, his stilted singing. I didn’t like it at all. He’s way better than that. Oh well, he has nothing to worry about. Especially after all that extra airtime with the joking and fake JL0 flirting. Steven even singled him out at the very end of the show. Enough with the Casey pimping! C+
*Stefano Langone, “Closer” by Ne-Yo. I’ve always been a Stefano fan, so this is a hard review to write. I thought this performance was his worst and the worst of the night. Note to TV viewers: Moving all around the stage and dancing like a Chippendale’s dancer does not equal great performance. It’s a singing competition and he BARELY sang. And when he did sing it was pitchy and screechy. The backup singers did most of the singing so he could dance. And he’s not even a great dancer. It really came off as male stripper/Napolean Dynamite. I struggled with the grade to give Stefano. I originally gave him a D+ but I think that’s too harsh. C-
*Lauren Alaina, “Born to Fly” by Sara Evans. I’m not sure why this was the pimp spot. I guess because they can’t give it to James every week. Anyway, I don’t think this was Lauren’s best. It wasn’t even her third of fourth best. It was just OK. I think she would’ve been better off picking a song or artist more people know. She’s still an effortless performer. It’s never bad, it’s just sometimes boring. Like tonight. B+
And now, the impossible task of trying to figure out who will go home based on America’s votes. As always, these picks are based on just that — NOT my personal opinions, but what I THINK the outcome of America’s votes COULD be.
(Note: I have a strong feeling about this Bottom 3, so I’m just going to go ahead and put it on record despite how wrong I could be)
100 Percent Safe: Scotty McCreery, James Durbin
Most Likely Safe: Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart
Possibly the Bottom 3: Stefano Langone, Jacob Lusk, Lauren Alaina
Possibly Going Home: Jacob Lusk
My thinking: I think most people will think Stefano is going to be heading home. And he might be (I’m not saying I’m going to be 100 percent correct). But I think some new 15-year-old girls may have noticed him tonight. I also think Haley’s song choice could’ve pushed her ahead of Lauren, which puts her in the Bottom 3 for the first time. I guess if Haley doesn’t change places with Lauren, Casey could, but I seriously doubt that. Not with all the pimping.
What do you think will happen Thursday night and how ’bout that Top 7 performance show?
I like Scotty!!
i like stinky cheese! but it stinks. like scotty did tonight.
For a singer to stink, he/she would have to miss notes, forget words, and/or have a bad voice to start with. Scotty did not, did not, and does not, in order. One might not like his song choice, his genre, and his refusal to try something different, but to say he stank is, to be charitable to you, hyperbole.
I agree with jazzyjeff. That was Scotty worst performance, but those damn teeanger girls will keep voting for me "big sigh"
You all stink. And I am not even a teenager i am in my 30ties. And scotty will win it
I wouldn't say he stunk… but considering how much everybody else is improving, he is rapidly starting to look like that Volvo in the slow lane getting passed by everyone. James is Taking it to a whole nother level, Haley is finally coming into her own and controlling her performances and voice, Casey is starting to find his old magic again, Lauren is starting to get that confidence… Hell even Stefano and Jacob were improved tonight (too little too late though for at least one of them if my guess is correct)… Scotty better do something to wow people quick or else all the country fans will be tossing their votes to Lauren here soon.
He didn't "stink" because he does have a decent voice but it seems one dimensional and he has become predictable and boring in both his singing and "stage presence."
In addition, he did not sing a 21st Century song. That song goes back to 1982 and cover versions by LeAnn Rimes and Chris Young in 2010 still don't make it a 21st Century song.
I thought Scotty stunk tonight too…and I think he's in love with himself…I can't see him as an Idol…sorry!
Yankeetexan…..
…..totally agree. Scotty is one dimentional…..He can't change it up because thats the best he can do. If Scotty should happen to win this year, it will be another boring singer and I think enough is enough. We need a performer with a great voice and stage presence to win this year…..Yes, they think he's cute like Kris A. and Lee D. but they are boring entertainers…..please America
get it right for once in a long time…
JAMES FOR THE WIN!!!!!!
I like Scotty a lot and vote for him, but last I have to agree that he did not try hard to get out of his comfort zone, I wish he would sing something else. I am not a teenager, but vote for Scotty. I am afraid Scotty will be in the bottom 3. Everybody has improved except Scotty. It's sad. If he does not get sent home, he has to change next week. I hope he does. I have never been so involved with AI. Scotty made me follow AI this season.
scotty sucks and everyone knows that hes just a country nobody that has such a weak voice he sounds like girl go haley !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHES THE BEST
GO HALEY YOUR AMAZING
Casey C and Scotty B? Really?
Come on!
agreed. casey rocked it.
casey was way better than a c!
No he didn't but the back up was good. His words were not clear and sometimes it was hard to hear him at all. I think Casey should be in the bottom three.
Why all Casey pimping? because he can't sing?
BEST of the night
1)James
2)Casey
3)Lauren/Haley
4)Lauren/Haley
BOTTOM 3
5) Scotty – love him, but BORING and safe
6) Jacob
7) Stefano – awful, just awful
My bottom 3 would be:
1. Casey/Scotty
2. Jacob
3. Lauren
JACOB should GO HOME!
My bottom 3 would be:
1: Jacob
2: Scotty
3: IDK, at this point I love all, but I guess Casey I don't love as much as the others.
He is still one of the best 3 singers left.
I hope Jacob goes home too…he deserve to.
Stephano deserves to go home more than Jacob does
Scotty in the bottom 3, won't happen
it should
Agree with Maryse. He should be in the bottom 3 based on his performance!
Scotty is safe…
WELL HES CRAP
bottom 3 was definately l
Lauren
Haley
Sefano
Lauren is not in the bottom 3.. not this time
Haley isn't in the bottom this week. But I think Lauren may make an appearance.
Haley gave one of the top two performances of the nigh and both she and James were more current with their song choices than the others.
Haley chose the #1 song so far this year in the US and was great.
She has the best combination of stage presence, vocal range and control of all the female singers that were in the top 13.
haven't watched the performances yet, based on what i've read – am lookin' forward seein' james' & haley's performances
not so sure scotty is safe tomorrow. nor should he be.
Should he be? No. Will he be? Probably. All the girls will be voting for him and Stephano, even though the two of them should be the next two to go home.
You can't base it off one performance. Last night wasn't great for Scotty, but overall he's great. He has fans that love him and will vote for him regardless of if he had one mediocre performance. Gotta base it on their overall ability throughout the whole competition. Scotty is still in the top 3 overall. Jacob, Stefano, and I think Casey will be in the bottom 3. Casey is a great musician but he comes off as really creepy. Stefano's performance last night was awkward, to follow up and few mediocre performances over the last few weeks. Jacob has done the same thing every single week – slow, boring, nothing to get anyone into it. Sing the same genre every week, I don't care, but show some variety within your genre.
James was the only performer I couldn't take my eyes off of. His performance was riveting.
agreed!
James was brillant! And a great song choice!
That was the only thing I did for him tonight ….seeing him…….cause I couldn't hear him. I turn off the volume. You call that signing??
yup!!! very good singing!!:P
I do. Very few people could both sing that high for an extended period of time AND make it sound controlled and in tune
Exactly what Adam said. James nails notes that nearly nobody out there can hit. Tonight was the first night he did anything that should draw any comparisons to Adam Lambert… but you know what… I'll actually say this, tonight he outdid Lambert at his own game. Which surprised me, I was intrigued by the choice, but figured it was gonna be "Adam would done it better, he's trying to be Adam" fodder… but he really did absolutely slay that song, and when he wasn't hitting the high notes, he again showed just how amazing he was in a normal range as well. He didn't need that Durbanesque high note for this performance, it was just extra icing on an already iced cake.
It was freakish. I think it is sad he could not support his wife and child but he had plenty of time to listen to rock and heavy metal instead of working at MCDONALD'S.
totally! he should at least pick up a spatula while he's revolutionizing the most popular tv show in history!
WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS! SO ,COME ON!!I watched it 6 or 7 times-Was not a James fan until tonight!! LOVED IT!!
Scotty sung the most hated song I have ever heard by anyone!!Why?Watch out!
I think we are going to see James D and Steven T doing that duo down the road and i think it will be great………….
I hope so Dean!
Lauren wont be in the bottom 3!so ur bottom 3 is wrong!
I think Brandon nailed it with the bottom 3 and also with Jacob going home!
I think Branden nailed the bottom 3, but I don't think Jacob goes home, yet. It's Stephano's time to leave
She should be.
SHUT UP IDIOT GET A LIFE LAUREN SUCKS GO HALEY
Stefano was a great singer and he proved it tonight. He should stay. I am voting for you 500x. You're in it to win it!
I really wish I could lock up your phone and throw away the key…Stefano sucked tonite (even more than usual)
I agree with you, Laura. Stefano was not good tonight. His kiss of JLo got him points with the judges, but the singing was just karaoke.
Stephano didn't kiss J-Lo, Casey did…who I'm really kinda over! He is really talented but getting on my nerves.
That is nice mommy,your word is golden??
Casey kissed JLo not Stefano
Stephano showed tonight that he would be a great male stripper, but not a singer. His backup singers sang better than he did.
Scotty is a gifted natural talent…it really doesn't matter what songs he choses or if he does or does not dance, move around on stage nor is it necessary for Scotty to take that 'chance' with moving out of country as the judges call (comfort zone)…Scotty is a natural talent…it doesn't really matter what any of the judges, producers may suggest for him as…Scotty is a born Star…he truly is the BEST talent on American Idol…
I want the finale to be between Scotty & Lauren!! but lauren is my one to win!
A Scotty and Lauren finale? You definitely are a huge country fan. That's the only way to explain that. Neither of them branch out or do anything risky. They sing their soft country songs and call it good. Several contestants are better than those two.
AGREED LAURENS NOT THAT GREAT AND SCOOTYS VERY BAD AHH WOW COUNTRY FAN FANATIC go HALEY!!!!!!!!!
Dear Marie, So sorry but I think you are over-exaggerating when it comes to Scotty. Honestly I am unable to share yr sentiments when it comes to him. Yes, Scotty is gifted as you so aptly put across but if you compare him to David Archuletta who was runner up couple of yrs back, he stands nowhere. A true artiste should be able not only to sing country but move out to other genres namely Rock, Ballads, etc. Look at Carrie Underwood. At any rate, again my apologies for being frank. My friends and colleagues in Singapore all share same opinion……
I'm sorry, but David Archuletta has the personality of a sponge. He sang songs protesting things he had no clue about.
Being an ardent admirer of Asian women, I find it hard to disagree with you Ivy and your Singaporean colleagues. However, I think Scotty is more likely to be a commerical success than David Archuletta. I agree with you that David's voice is superior to Scotty's or, for that matter, almost everyone else's on Idol -ever. Howevr, I think his shortcoming is as Matt suggested – that along with the rancid song choices.
I agree Scotty will be a MUCH bigger success than David A! Scotty is about the same age David A was when he was on idol and A. was really clueless whereas Scotty is cool, cute and has personality and I'm not a teeny bopper.
I agree. Do you remember a song that said somthing bout "when we get behind closed doors?" Or a song that had the line in it about "Sunday morning coming down and finding my cleanest dirty shirt, and there is nothing like a Sunday to make a body feel alone?" Both singers had deeper voices sort of like Scotty's. These would be ideal songs for him to sing to shut the judges up. Country singers don't dance especially if they play a guitar, but they do keep time with there feet. The judges lack knowledge of all genres, especially country.
Hi Wynn,
Well said…I agree wholeheart the judges really don't know real country…I do truly admire Scotty for he is never swayed into changing up as the Producers have tried to do with him…he knows who he is…and that's a beautiful thing…he truly is a Born Star!
OMG are you crazy? How could they not know Country? Tell me that? Steven Tyler has sung, Rock, Rap, Country "Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll", the Blues, what else do you need for him to be more versatile? He has even Performed on CMT with Toby Keith. Learn what your talking about please.
Scotty is talented, and he sang a great song that I was humming 25 years ago. If this is your Idol winner I would be pretty upset that he chose that song over ALL of the other songs that have been sung in the last 10 years. He showed a total lack of TRying, Consideration to todays music performers, and all of the others on the Show who could have picked an OLd song that was Covered in the last 10 years.
Wynn, Johhny Case sang sunday coming down, and Charlie Rich sang When we get behind closed doors"
Really the only judge who lacks knowledge, especially about country is JLO.
JLO is a ditz.
Most beautiful woman in the world???? That's ridiculous.
Wynn, Jude is correct. Neither of those men had voices as deep or, for that matter, as good as Scotty's. Cash, in particular, is an example of how one can become a star without vocal talent. That being said, "Behind Closed Doors" would be a good song choice for Scotty. However, I would like to hear him try a Vince Gill (the exact opposite kind of country voice from Scotty) song like " Nobody Answered (When I Called Your Name)" just to see how he could adapt.
Randy Jackson has worked with and produced some of the top artistes and groups of the past 25 years, including C&W.
Steven Tyler has been the lead singer with one of America's top bands, was part of a tribute last Dec to Paul McCartney in which he sang songs from the Abbey Road album and he appeared with Carrie Underwood at this years ACMA and they sung her "Undo It" and the Aerosmith classic "Walk This Way" together.
JLo may not have the pedigree Jackson and Tyler do but she does like Scotty.
The problem with Scotty is that he has become a bit boring, predictable and, in the last few weeks, cocky. Last week he called Jimmy I dude and it was not in a polite way either.
I liked Scotty because he was a neat, polite and humble kid who has a great voice but it is not unique in the world of Country music so he does need to step up his game and stop riding on the fact that he is cute and has a good bass quality in his voice.
Scotty wasn't good. Not fully bad but certainly not good and an easy song. Jacob went off key and screamed out of tune at the end, he wasn't good. They pimp Casey a whole lot but he wasn't that good either, I couldn't make out his words, and he acted freakish. Stefano was pretty good, regardless of what Brandon says. Haley did a great job on that Adele song. James was pimped out in attire that he surely didn't purchase. He will be safe but he screams too much. Lauren was okay but nothing special. sometimes it was hard to hear her words. She acts scared.
Bottom three-Jacob, Casey, Stefano–Jacob goes home.
Scotty should be in the bottom 3.he was boring.Casey was more entertaining
I agree totaly
so ppl should be in bottom 3 because he's boring.. that's ridiculous.. casey's vocals was all over the place yet the judges praised him… it's like nirvana all over again… great job judges..
Dear Branden'
This is NOT NOT NOT one of the best seasons ever!!!
Just for comparisons sake – Is James even one-half as good as Adam Lambert? Seriously, and I'm one who voted for Kris Allen over Adam. That said, This cannot be one of the best seasons ever not matter what they — Ryan, Randy or Branden say.
James is no comparison to Adam Lambert! Adam was just AMAZING!
thank you
adam is no comparison to james. James is amazing. i'll take rock over diva runway shows any day.
@jazzyjeff:
adam is WAY better than james. adam has control, james does not. he is just too all over the place.
I am a very hard core Adam fan but i can tell you this, Adam also had alot of coaching and experience before he ever came to American Idol. James didn't. He has been a genious with song choices and stage presense! I think if you asked Adam, he would agree LOL
Well said Julie!
You have got to be kidding me. I was a HUGE Adam Lambert fan but James is bringing sheer genious to the stage. I was still undecided b4 tonight but what he did up there was brilliant and amazing. He locked in my vote for THE American Idol tonight.
Yes – I don't care what anyone says – this IS the most talented group ever on AI.
Scotty is a gifted natural talent (and I don't even like country) who can sing anything, make it sound great, and still be true to himself.
Haley is an up and coming superstar who is just finding herself. She brings a lot of soul to rock and roll with that amazing voice – and is a whole lot sexier than Janis Joplin š
Casey is not a great singer, IMHO, but he is a great entertainer.
Jacob is definitely not my cup of tea and he can go home if you ask me, but he definitely can sing and has talent.
I was sorry to see Pia go home – she was deserving of being in the top 3 with that incredible voice.
Brooke friggin White! If I were to admit to a celebrity crush it would be her. Don't ask why, I don't know. Her performances for me were riveting. Maybe that's creepy, it probably is. Carly Smithson and Michael Johns were two of the best rockers Idol has seen. Kristy Lee Cook was a little forgettable but I think on par with Lauren. Syesha is doing braodway but she had a voice! Jason Castro (dreads if you don't recall) has a few singles out and is probably one of the most 'real' contestants ever. It was a good year no question.
@ Julie: You may want to check into the background of James because it is not dissimilar to that of Adam Lambert.
He went to Musicscool, a music school run by Dale Ockerman who is a well known musician and song writer who worked with the Doobie Brothers when they were a top group.
James has performed with two groups of Dale Ockerman's:
1. The While Album Ensemble
2. Guitarmy
Five years ago, he was in a theater group called Kids on Broadway and played the lead role in Beauty and the Beast and Singin' in the Rain.
Then he played Tony in West Side Story and Oscar in Sweet Charity — both leading roles.
He was the lead singer in The Hollywood Scars, which is a heavy metal band and has also done country music.
So, James is far from being the novice you seem to think he is and has a lot of experience in stage craft, just as Adam Lambert did.
Thank you Paul for informing me of James'background! I guess I should do my homework before I say something. I guess since they mentioned Adams background a few times during his season and haven't mentioned anything abt James' I made the assumption.
I am constantly wondering WHY the judges don't grasp that James is merely a screamer and cannot hold a candle to Adam or Chris Daughtry. The screams Adam did were in tune and weren't merely screams. James will never sell beyond his first album which surely isn't going to be too many. Plus, is there a market for heavy metal??? I think NOT!!!
Hell yea there is a market for it! There is a market for any type of music these days! And if what you call James doing is screaming, you shoulld listen to some real true screamo bands that you cant even understand 1 word they supposably are "singing"
Even I think Lambert was beter on AI than James is. He was more polished a singer. James is rawer and rougher. He also has much more room for improvement. However, to seasons of AI together would one not need to compare more than two people? I thought Lambert should have beaten Allen, but thought Allen was okay for vanilla and that there were 3 or 4 other commerically viable singers. However, I cannot think of another season where there was so much depth or variety of talent.
The only other one that is even close is season 7. The entire top 8 were fantastic.
Please refresh my memory as to who comprised that group.
@david p – i agree, season 7 also had so much talent
@oldster – that year the top 8 were david c, david a, brooke white, michael john, syesha mercado, jason castro, carly smithson & kristy lee cook š
You have to remember that Adam Lambert was older than James when he came into AI and he was a seasoned stage performer so his experience on the stage and performing far out weighs James. So you can't really compare. I love Adam and was glad he didn't win. But I love James as his take on Rock is far different to Adam's so again, you can't compare. And James is a great singer and a performer and wihtout a doubt will have a career in the music industry win or loose and I will buy his albums as I love his take on songs. Scotty needs to be in the bottom 3 to get a reality check as I think he is becoming a bit too big headed. Jacob needs to go as he is becoming such a stuckup diva. Pity he has a great voice. Unfortunately Sefano will never be huge….too cheesy and no stage presence. As for the girls, well I think they will both do well in the USA, not outside. As for Casey, well, not sure….
Thank you for refreshing my memory. I thought both Davids were extremely good. I was not that crazy about the rest of the top 8, though. The White girl was pretty, but I thought her voice was thin. The Cook girl was just so skinny I could not concentrate on her singing. I wanted to feed her. The rest were forgetable to me and, as far as I can tell, to the entertainment industry as well.
@ Debbie:
James is 22 and Adam Lambert was 27 when he was on AI but James has a similar musical and theater background to that of Adam Lambert.
He went to music school run by Dale Ockerman, a well known musician and song writer who worked with the Doobie Brothers – among others.
James performed with two of Ockerman’s groups:
1. The While Album Ensemble
2. Guitarmy
In 2006 he was in a theater group called Kids on Broadway and played the lead role in Beauty and the Beast and Singin’ in the Rain.
The following year, he played Tony in West Side Story and Oscar in Sweet Charity — both leading roles.
He was the lead singer in a Heavy Metal Band called The Hollywood Scars and has also done country music.
James may be younger than Adam was at this stage but has a lot of experience in stage craft, just as Adam Lambert did.
James is so much better than Adam…he has a great personality, great stage presence and an amazing voice…he should win the whole thing.
Adam = Porsche
James = Neon
Season 7: Amanda Overmyer. Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Chikezie, David Archuleta, David Hernandez, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado with David Cook winning.
Actually Templar
Adam = Porshe 911
James = Dodge Viper
Seems a better, more accurate comparison.
In terms of numbers I'd say this season has more talented singers than past years. In terms of the best, I don't think any have shown David Cooks, Lamberts or even Allen's ability to make a song their own.
And for good measure I'll add, I can't tell if I'm sick of Casey or sick of the over-the-top, unearned praise.
You are right, James isn't one-half as good as Adam… after tonight, he has shown that he is better.
Guys, cmon now. James/Haley finale would be awesome right? I know, wishful thinking. Scotty will still get all the votes even though his performance was beyond corny and he got twice as much air time as anyone else did in the clips. Ok, I figured out what really bothers me about James. He needs to either get that tooth fixed or have them shoot from the opposite side. I'm glad they called him out on the tail though xD.
1. James
2. Haley
3. Lauren
4. Casey
5. Scotty
6. Jacob
7. Stefano
Just my opinion.
I agree with your finals hopefuls, if that matters at all. BUT PLEASE LETS GET JACOB outta here!!!!!!! Please. I do not like saying this but I have a few times–Jacob is creepy! Something ain't 'right' about 'him'.
i totally agree with your order for tonight. i agree james and haley would be a great finale, but yes..no matter how bad scotty does he will get to the final two..
Scotty deserves to be in the bottom three. Don't get too excited, he probably won't. I say this simply because of the fan base he has that will simply vote for him no matter how well (or poor)he does that night. Tonight was a long way from his best. I sincerely believe the vote tally won't show any different than his normal +-23% of the vote. I'm just saying it wasn't earned tonight.
James and Haley were my favorites out of several good performances tonight.
Scotty was crap tonight, but he still was better than Jacob, Stefano and Casey. So no to him being in the bottom 3, but he needs to get his game on.
FYI – The Scotty fan index is at 23% Thursday morning. This is not surprising, but I just wish he had earned it.
Haley deserved more votes for that performance than she appears to have received.
I agree with the order of your picks. James and Haley have first and second place secured. James' singing and stage show was great. Last week, Haley showed dramatic improvement, and this week, she surpassed Scotty, Stefano, and Lauren.
This evening Stefano was so boring. The same holds for Scotty. Same ole country music. Just to echo what others have said, Scotty needs to pick another genre of music. He doesn't have to since fans love him, so he can sing keep singing whatever he pleases. Jacob was just blah. *yawn* It would be cool if he sang a James Brown song, but that might be too racy for him and it would require him to move around the stage more. Can he?
Casey was better than last week. Naughty boy kissed Jennifer López…big deal. Another snoozer was Lauren. She has not shown any improvement in the past weeks.
The opening number was horrible. It just underscored how poorly some of these former contestants sing. What were Paul and Pia singing? Why were they even allowed to come back and perform?
James and Haley is my desired finale right now. They are the only two that have been consistently great for several weeks in a row now. Everyone else is very up and down. Yet I will probably end up cursing one or the other or both by having them as my favorites, but hopefully your similar vote will counter that out.
I agree with your list pretty much David, although I personally would put Jacob last on the list.
I didn't care much for Haley earlier, but I am starting to like her more and more. Haley seems to be bringing it more than guys like Scotty, Jacob, Stefano, and even Lauren.
I use to like Scotty, but he is becoming a little boring as of late. Swinging was just a terrible song choice for him.
My bottom three in order would be.
1. Jacob
2. Casey
3. Stefano
my choice of bottom 3 is
1. Jacob
2. Casey
3. Stefano ( only becuz he's been there every wk)
Jacob goes home!
We are hoping you are right!!!
Agreed. Jacob is the one to go HOME!
Brandon you are killing me. I look forward to your comments with the same passion I look foward to the show. Saying James had the best performance is insane, i am not a fan of him (but I respect his talent, and I am getting mentally prepared to accept he will win the competition). But Tonight I fast forward his performance
Sorry to disappoint, Gina š
He is a great performer but the singing tonight wasn't as good as other nights. Great performer…very interesting.
Totally agree Gina. Though I'll agree with James' fans he could be the furtherest along in both voice control and performance, there's more moderate music voters than Metal/scream fans.
Totally give Branden credit for "daring" to label the 'Great' Casey appropriately–mediocre. I been preaching that Casey is very clever (like Naima was) to disguise moderate singing ability by packaging it as "jazz artistry" done in a quirky way that elicits praises of "Genius" from sheep-like fools.
I have to say, James always knows what he is doing, and he never forgets why he is there. Good job tonight James as always!
are u kidding me.casey C+?? branden always hate casey!
Branden is not alone.
Right on.Casey was one of the better ones
Casey A+ for the JLO kiss…:)
Casey is just Danny Partridge grown up. He is a talented guy on musical instruments, but he is only average as a singer.
At this point, I think James is the best this year. I also have changed my tune on Haley, she is fast becoming a favorite of mine.
Lauren and Scotty have started to disappoint as of late.
Bottom though is still Jacob for me.
Well said Frank on all notes (I place Haley above James though in likability). Good description of Casey ala Danny Partridge. And Jacob has got to go home!
Great show tonight!!!!!
The best performances was James,Stefano and Lauren.
The worst performances was Jacob,Scotty,and Haley.
Jacob going home.
Haley was almost the best. Are you insane???
who ever puts haley in there bottom 3 after tonight's perfomance should be shot.
For sure, Haley is in her element. She has found who she is as an artist. Only problem I had was Jennifer stole her thunder by giving Lauren almost the exact same critique about her voice. Lauren has a nice tone, she's cute, but no where near as 'colorful' and creative as Haley.
JLo always steals Haley's thunder because Haley is a direct challenge to Jlo's fame–being beautiful and a good singer. JLo has the better curves and dance moves, but Haley is equal in American beauty and better in singing versatality. JLo really can recognize talent, and that's why she simplifies Haley's performance–JLo Is Jealous. All the ladies can see that for sure!
Oh bill… I think having him shot would be a bit extreme… maybe just get a couple of big ol guidos over to their place and slap them around a bit.
coondog, I totally agree with you on JLO being jealous of Haley.
It is just my opinion, but I think Haley has better curves than JLO, plus I think Haley is much prettier than JLO.
And probably the most important aspect of all this is Haley is a way better singer than JLO ever dreamed of being.
With you there Wynn – she was possibly equal #1 last night with James and at worst #2.
I told my wife last night that I think JLo is trying to put Haley down.
Let's face it, JLo is not the most beautiful woman in the world and is not particularly a good singer.
Haley has the package. She is good looking, has a drop dead gorgeous figure and can do almost anything she wants to do with that voice.
She has sung Country, Jazz, Rock and last night the #1 record of 2011 so far and has put her own distinctive sound and personality into each one.
Tyler spends the three minutes she is on stage, undressing her with his eyes.
JLo spends the time trying to work out how she can be bitchy without making it obvious.
Randy? – well in the UK, randy means horny so maybe he does what Tyler does but less obviously.
Whatever they do, they are not hearing the talent this gal has and, whatever happens tonight or over the next few weeks, Haley has a great future ahead of her.
Based on recent performances, I would love to see a James/Haley final simply because it would be between the most talented male and female, both of whom can put on a show.
you are insane… haley was one of the best, if not the best.
Here, here, Wynn, David, Bill and Andrew! Why all 3 judges are INTENT on giving Haley lackluster praise is beyond me. I think a lot of people here just mimic what they hear the judges say if it fits their agenda. Are these people LISTENING with open minds???
Btw, I dropped all love for Casey a long time ago, and tonight I thought he was the BEST. (With my girl Haley 2nd best.) I would have called James #3, not #1. I love his melodic, softer tones tonight, but not the high-pitched yowls . . . didn't seem to work with that song for me.
And that reminds me, there wasn't one growl out of Haley tonight. So for once we won't have to hear from all the people who habitually complain about that.
No way Haley was in the bottom 3 performances. She was in the top 2 along with James. This is coming from a person who 4 weeks ago despised Haley.
Stefano showed he works out in the gym but vocally, he was weak.
I like Lauren but thought that was one of her worst performances. I love Sara Evans and thought her song choice was good but, for some reason, she seemed almost too shy to sing it.
Haley gave one of the top 2 performances of the night and showed a vocal range and control as good as any we have heard this season.
Who knows how the votes will go but, based on last night, they should be:
Scotty (if only to shake him up)
Stefano (vocals were weak)
Jacob (sounds like the same song every week)
I think either Jacob or Stefano will leave tonight.
My ratings for tonight:
#1 James he should be the next American Idol
#2 Haley wow! she is coming on strong
#3 Lauren lukewarm song and accompaniment
My bottom three
#5 Stefano
#6 Casey
#7 Jacob, Jacob and Jacob..the Vote For the Worst folks love this guy! They are the reason he is still here creeping out everybody. PLEASE PLEASE don't anyone vote for this….guy (I think).
This will be the second VFTW pick. Paul had it until last week. Everyone that is still there has survived w/out VFTW which is saying something I think.
Anyone who could even think of comparing Jacob's voice to Sanjaya's, Taylor Hicks, or any of the other favs of VFTW has to be totally tone deaf.
There's been a lot of VFTW picks including Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson. I guess the jokes on them.
totally agree, haley is growing stronger and stronger every week. I especially loved her "CALL ME" studio recording last week. It was the best of the bunch. š can't wait for her studio recording of 'rolling in the deep'!
you guys shud check them out.
In those two cases, VFTW was/were tone deaf, huh?
I believe Jacob is going home too…
Agree with post stating no comparison is James to Adam Lambert…Adam Lambert is an amazing performer with a much better singing voice.
I disagree with your comment on stefano. It was a refreshing performance to watch although I've never been a fan of him. Giving him a C- which is lower than Scotty's is absolutely absurd. I had fun watching stefano tonight to be honest.
It's a really bad song with very little vocals. It was as bad as Scotty but Scotty doesn't need to do good as stated by one of his fans above. He's just a natural artist and doesn't need to put himself out there or try hard or perform well to win this competition.
They all need to put them seleves out there! Thats what a competition is abt! All you Scotty lovers…if he doesnt do something diffeent soon…he won't be there….trust me! All of us who truly take the show seriously will be voting for the one who has put their heart and sould into it all!
Most people on this site know that Scotty is my favorite, but tonight I wanted to slap him silly. For starters his song choice was a total cop out. Secondly, I wanted to botox his eyebrows. And lastly, I wanted to put a neck brace on him. He was absolutely goofy tonight.
Templar, I'm giving you high marks for having the courage to box the ears of your favorite a bit there. I like Scotty and country also, but I don't respect him constantly playing it safe. He should be experimenting now while he's not in danger.
The best thing that could happen to Scotty would be to get a Bottom 3 scare–no danger of going below Jacob. My hope is that would scare him to branch out, or at least do a more difficult, crowd pleasing song like Alan Jackson's "Chattahootchie"!
I had to knock my fav Haley a little last week for missing high notes in "Call Me", but at least she's versatile and tries things.
Scotty – agreed with the judges; he needs to step it up a notch or two. Even the way he dressed is dull. That's how I dress to go to the grocery store. He's got a great voice but that's not enough.
James – that is not how I dress to go anywhere! Great performance, vocally and theatrically. I love the variety that he brings — last week: heavy metal — the week before: a ballad.
Haley – she's getting better in my estimation and this was a very good performance.
Jacob – beautiful vocals and beautiful suit but agree with Randy — I want to see something more.
Casey – just great again; he never bores me. I never know exactly what to expect. He was dressed like I dress to go to the grocery store but I didn't even notice until after his performance.
Stefano – good job; the song was just right for him.
Lauren – so adorable but that was kind of a yawn. The fiddler was more entertaining.
my votes are going to James and Casey tonight
bottom three: I'm gonna guess Jacob, Stefano and Lauren; and Jacob goes home although I think it should be Stefano.
You must have been watching and listening to a different show because Casey at times was barely audible. I think it would be wise to go back to the contestants just singing by themselves. It makes it harder to determine if they are good or the backup singers are good. In this case Casey wasn't good but his backup was.
Andi, I agree. Casey did not do a good job tonight.
You wear a $1k leather jacket to the grocery store?
LOL
Yeah, don't you?
I think you gave Stefano a wrong rating -it was definitely a "A" where did you get yours.
I agree. Stefano did great.
definitely agree wit u two. stefano deserves to be in top 6:x
i absolutely have no clue where brandon got that rating of his for stefano. He definitely wasn't the best but he's definitely not the worst as well. He deserved a B something rating while Scotty deserved a C… just for tonight for these 2 guys!
Well I think the girls stole the show from the boys. I haven't been a Haley fan, but she was my favorite one tonight! Smart song choice for her voice!
Lauren was in her element and did a very good job too. She just needs to push herself a bit and gain some confidence and she'll be golden.
We're brain twins on Scotty; he did good, but I want him to challenge himself and branch out some more. I dare him not to do a country song or a song that has the word country in it and put his own twist on it.
I was on the fence about Casey, but I'm leaning slightly towards liking it. He's very entertaining, but I want him to focus more on singing.
Like you I've always been a Stefano fan, but he disappointed me a bit. I liked his performance, but the first half was better than the second for me. He lost his edge by the end of the song… he needs to keep that energy up through the entire song and focus on his singing.
Jacob was just ok… it was nice that he chose a song that meant something to him, but it was pretty boring.
James had a great song choice, but he was my least favorite. I thought he was out of tune and screechy through most of the performance, especially those high notes. It also didn't help me being distracted by the cast of Drumline.
Who I think should be in the bottom 3: Stefano, Jacob, and James
Who probably will be in the bottom 3: Stefano, Jacob, and Lauren
Who will go home: It's hard to tell, but I'll guess Stefano or Jacob
Sorry, but James was great.
Haley was also great.
Lauren is getting a bit boring, as is Scotty.
Haley sang great of course, but she'll steal some of Lauren's "Nice Girl" votes because of her red and white polka dot innocent girl dress (to combat the Haley Haters calling her Cutesy-slut for tight skirts, LOL). But, I think Lauren also looked and moved good tonight, could have belted it out a tad more though.
What an awesome surprise with the eliminated contestants! The show is so much better this year! As far as I'm concerned, I can't take any more of Scotty's sideways holding of the micrphone. I had to ffwd through that, it literally makes me sick. So predictable, so safe, so boring. Why did he even come out tonight? They could have just rerun one of his previous performances.
hahahaha….good one paul!I agree…..same ole, same ole!
Agreed Paul!..not just the sideways holding, but his facial mugging 4 the camera is coming dangerously close to an 'icky',cheesy Elvis impression…once u get the 'ick' factor…well, its been a season of shockers so u never know.
With that Howdy Doodie face, no way can Scottie ever do an Elvis impersonation. I'm not hating on Scotty, he just will never have that Elvis swagger, look, or stage presence.
Frank, I agree. No one has ever been as cool as Elvis onstage. No one will ever match Elvis' voice. Elvis was one of the two greatest baritones ever recorded, the other being Frank Sinatra. And Elvis had a greater range than Sinatra.
Templar, can I get drugs directly from you or is it your supplier I need to talk to.
LBSuite102 Sure, I can hook you up, but you'll have to have cash cause this guy won't front you.
Templer, glad to see another Elvis fan here.
I would like to see James or Haley take on one of Elvis's classic rock and roll songs.
Frank: I'd like for James to do "Evil" from King Creole. I think he'd just lay waste to the place, Haley might be a bit tougher to call.
I agree with a lot of things in the article posted above..I am a huge casey fan…but he certainly wasn't the best…Personally i found Haley's performance the best…Then James and then casey..I shall get into the details now..
James- Great song choice…excellent performance and decent singing…I quite honestly dont give a rat's ass about James's singing talent on thsi show because i have seen what he can do in terms of a metal song (judas priest) and i have complete faith in him…he will slay metal songs..However i would like to hear more metal songs from him..
Scotty- I like the guy…i do..He has a deep voice..and when he sings, he really does sound like he's telling a story…he is a throwback to old country and i love that..I hate country pop.. I honestly didnt like this performance that much..but he really is unique..
Haley- Loved her..A lot of people here are complaining about why judges are always criticizing haley whereas they heap praises on Casey..Here's why…
Haley can sing like a bird, a very hot bird. but apart from moanin and god bless the child, i haven't found her performances to be authentic…She's isn't bad..she's great but there is so much more inside her..The potential in her is unbelievable and i do strongly believe that if she harnesses that potential, she will blow everyone else out of the water..Hands down she will be one of the greatest things to come out of American idol.. She sang Adele great and i wont compare both of them because nobody can sing an Adele song except for Adele. But something was off.. i dont know exactly what but i feel like there is so much Haley can give us but she hasn't realized it yet.. i have seen her you tube videos and even there she isn't sure who she really is..She sung a few pop songs, a few jazz songs and even a reggae one. She has to find out exactly which genre to fit into and then expand from within..
Jacob- He can sing…people telling that he is terrible are just plain out stupid…Jacob can sing the %$#& out of a song.. I personally don't like his genre but i respect it and i know that there are many who love it..
Stephano- He should leave…i have nothing against him but he pales in comparison to other contestants… He doesn't a hook.. i really don't think that he will have a bright career…i am sorry but i really don't.. i have only liked his audition performance…nothing else…
Casey- i love this guy…but i was disappointed with his performance today..i loved when he got into the middle of the stage and started stomping the ground..that was insane..his scatting along with the bass notes were awesome…but his voice broke off here and there..and out of all his performances i really didn't find that special Casey factor in this song… When is he breaking out his sitar?
Lauren- She should leave too. She has an amazing voice but oh my god, she is so boring… If she gets into the industry now, she will be another miley cyrus…that's all…because she's a kid.. a great music artist has to be either born a great musician or he/should go through various experiences in their personal lives to become one.. Every great singer or musician out there has paid his/her dues.. it would the best thing for her if she leaves tomorrow..she cries during every single elimination show..she's just a kid.. come on… let her grow up a little before he starts tackling the insane pressure and stress that will come with the singing career… Allow her to grow..she deserves that much…
You certainly put some thought into your post. I agree with most, especially your thoughts on Lauren. I have said before that I think she needs maturity and that she is not ready for stardom, yet. The judges said she lacks confidence. Well, how many 17 year olds have the kind of confidence they are talking about. That is one of the things that sets Scotty apart. I do disagree with you, slightly, about Stefano. If he tries to be contemporary, he will fail. He has an old fashioned voice and style. He either does not realize it, or is fighting it. He should take notes from Harry Connick, Jr. and Michael Buble. They have old fashioned voices and styles. I would like to have the money they have made with them. So should Stefano.
Lauren was 16 on Nov. 8, 2010
and the rest of them are what 1 or 2 years older than Lauren? I think she is good, and personally i like Myley Cyrus too. Just saying…..
I thought Lauren had been appearing for years at fairs and rodeos pretty much like Carrie Underwood did for many years just to get some audience experience and get her name out there.
Mary
I'm not saying Lauren is bad..I really do believe that she has an awesome voice and that too at such a young age…
by what you have written i am guessing that you're a young kid… if so, i have to tell you that what i have written about Lauren can be stated as a fact rather than an opinion… Other contestants are 2 or 3 years older than her..yes but they know exactly who they want to be… Lauren doesn't.. And there's nothing wrong with that..it doesn't take away anything from her… All i am saying is that she needs to go through certain life experiences to truly unlock her potential…If she does she will be a great singer…
i agree with you too about haley and lauren. Haley is truly exceptional in her own way, but its clear that she needs more time and guidance to truly unleash the immense potential she has. I have great confidence in haley and my vote is still for her. She has been growing every week, and showed that she can take criticisms, can take failures and still bounce back strongly, and stay true to herself. I love her style, her swagger and her distinct voice. She has the whole package.
oldster
Your thoughts on Stephano are exactly what i said… You said that he should go less contemporary and be old school..but he still hasn't showed that side to us and so i can't honestly comment on something that i haven't seen so far… I have no idea what kind of a singer he is.. which genre will he excel in? i quite honestly dont know..If he sticks around for next week i do genuinely hope that he shows that side…
P.S- i really didn't put much thought into what i wrote…i just wrote right off the bat…heh hee… š
The writing space is so small on this site..i find it hard to write properly…
Well, as we say here in Tennessee, you done good. IMHO.
oh you're from Tennessee? thats cool..i have never known anyone from Tennessee before….yay!!! š now i know…
Yep. That is why I think I can speak to country music talent as much as I do. I have heard it ALL my life – the good, the bad and the ugly.
very well put @Gautham š
i found myself agreeing on almost all that you're writing here.
haven't really checked the full performance as it will reach our tv tonight, but as much as i love casey, i'd put haley and james on top tonight.
and i love the way you're being very objective. some people here are being very harsh on jacob, while like you his genre is not particularly what like, man how that guy can sing.
love your post!
Thank you… Even i believe that we should judge on the talent….not genre wise, relevant wise, looks etc… Its sad to see so many people commenting the way they do…
I think JLO picks on Haley because Haley is prettier and sexier than JLO. JLO feels threatened and rightfully so.
I still can't believe she was named the most beautiful woman in the world. It makes my stomach turn.
Tyler likes Haley though.
still agree with you Frank regards JLo and why she only gives lackluster praise to Haley (jealousy).
JLo is beautiful though. What turns my stomach is that Catty Woman way of handling her perceived threat–Haley–to JLo's beauty and singing. That's a character flaw on JLo's part, and so unfair to Haley.
Coondog, you guys are young and delusional–you perceive crap that isn't even really happening. J Lo has praised girls on the show far more beautiful than Haley. Jealous? For real?
Good bye casey. Bye bye. That's fot you gautham
Casey will go of course….laughing all the way to the bank…. Scotty wills till be playing the flute…
That's for you oh sweet Lucille.
I thought that all were good. In fact, I think all are good. I cannot see anyone of these kids earning anything lower than a B on any objective scale. I do not care for James' music or the showmanship. However, I hope I am neither stupid nor compleley deaf (yet), which I believe I would have to be to not greatly appreciate his performance. It was, simply, great and one of the best ever (the best still being, Summertime, by Fantasia who I never liked before or since). I just cannot warm up to either of the remaining girls. I find neither special. The are good, even very good – just not special. Stefano is just out of the era for his voice. He should be singing Sinatra, Dean Martin and Andy Williams-type music. You know, urban pop stuff. Scotty is steady and consistent. These characteristics can also be seen as boring. Casey, on the other hand, is never boring. He is very creative. He needs to be as he does not have the vocal instrument of any of the others. I have rooted for Jacob because I believe that he has the best and technically sound voice of them all. However, something was missing tonight. I believe that James, Casey and Scotty are safe and any of the other 4 could go home. However, I believe, also, that any of the 7 could win. I would not be unhappy with any of them winning.
That was very nice, oldster! Very well said and I agree!
Oldster, I don't always agree with you, but I usually totally understand your opinions or rationale for them. But not this time!
You fairly agree that James is very talented–as do I–but not your or my cup of tea. But for you to understand that and not see what is "special" about Haley, I don't get. She's the whole package deal, but especially got the key ingredient–diverse and talented singing abilities! I think you're missing something old friend. And it's also pretty obvious to most that Lauren will only get better with a few more years experience.
Coondog, I agree with you about Lauren – at least as far as the probability that she will get better with maturity. I do believe that Haley is a good singer and sexy. Perhaps that is my problem with her – that finding a girl that young as sexy as she is makes me feel guilty. I really should not think a woman is sexy until she is at least 50.
ha,ha. fair enough Oldster.
Casey may be safe because of all the pimping they gave him. But performance wise, he should be in the bottom 3.
Oh man! I wish I had known the eliminated contestants would be on tonight, they're the ones I'd rather see but I didn't tune in early enough and when I did I was not really into it or watching but giving it my divided attention.
The writer says Pia even had good stage presence tonight–well welcome to the club, now you know what many always knew and had seen before. Sorry, I prefer singing talent to personas. Good news is that they plan to change the voting system next year—guess it might be broken.
Yeah, I'm sure that is going to make Chris Daughtry real happy. They change things up for a pretty but big nosed singer who cannot sing anything but ballads. I wonder if she isn't Nigel's step-daughter!
Hee hee! Daughter should be happy he didn't win…better for his career!
James was incredible, so as Haley. Casey is a great musician, singer and performer. I would pay to see a show from one of these 3 person. But never I would give a penny to see a show by Jacob, Laureen, Stefano or Scotty. From the 4 , I think Stefano is the one that most improve this week
Sadly Stefano was off key tonight….without a shadow of a doubt…and should be voted off….I miss Simon because all these judges do is praise everybody, except Randy….who gets boo-ed when attempting constructive criticism & thus seems reluctant to critique anyone…..diva or not Jacob sang fine…trust me, he has fans in spite of what is being said here on this page…..Adam was another diva who made out just fine…..in fact James seems to be copying Adam's scream….Pia should've won this year & that being said, I hope Lauren wins.
With all due respect, Pia should NOT have won this year. Oh My Gosh….would you people get over the whole Pia saga!!!! She was not the best performer on this show. She could hit the big notes for sure, but beyond looking sexy in JLo knockoff dresses, that was all she had to offer.
Pia may have won if she got out of her comfort zone. I voted for Pia every week until she was eliminated.
Pia's downfall was the fact that she continued singing the same old same old.
I saw her tonight and she performed extremely well and had a very good stage presence. She should have brought that when she was still in the running.
To me, Pia still had the best voice of all the contestants, she just became a bit too boring.
agreed. lookin forward to those 3, especially haley!!!!
I've always found Stefano boring, but thought he had great control and interpretation of his songs. His singing suffered some tonight, but I thought he more than made up for it with his swag as they say, his confidence, liked the shorter haircut, and good stage presence. So, I think he bought himself another week, maybe two as more and more people get off the Casey bandwagon–Branden called him correctly. Jacob's out tonight, and Stefano can battle Casey for next week.
I think everyone have underestimated Stefano–he's got a bad rap and he will definitely go places. I predict that Jacob,Haley,and Scotty will in the bottom three with Jacob going home. Haley needs to change her songs-to outdated–boring.
Keith
I thought the song Haley sang tonight was a current hit. Is that outdated?
Haley sang a CURRENT hit you inglorious fool.
inglorious fool ?
i love you for coining that term….respect…
Inglorious fool is a nice way of saying inglorious bastard! LOL (I think Oldster can handle a bit of joshing!), but Andi–I think you've invented a new form of Tourette's syndrome where you just text the first thing your mind synapses to your fingers?! Funny, though!
Andi, I assume that you were not referring to me as I had said the same thing you did about a half an hour earlier.
BTW, I can handle joshing. I just have trouble when I am being joshed inappropriately. I was responding to the post that said that Haley was singing outdated songs. As I was not sure, as I had never heard the song before, I was asking if the song was not a current hit as the judges had suggested. Therefore, inglorious or not, the fool is not me, but Andi, if he were referring to me in his reply. He needs to add reading comprehension to this list of things to improve.
isn't it obvious?
Andi was replying to Keith Simms…
Gautham: I thought Andi was responding to Keith, but just wanted clarification. We old people can be overly sensitive at time, you know.
The song Haley chose is from the currently #1 album. Outdated, what? Scotty's song was outdated and Stefano's wasn't even really a song.
its a current hit! my god… and whether its outdated or not, does it matter? SHE SANG IT BRILLIANTLY!
Keith, Haley was pretty damned awesome tonight. I have not always been a fan of hers, but she is starting to win me over. Song is not out-dated.
I have not seen the show, because I am overseas. But, I have a faith in Branden's comments, Jacob is B, Stefano is C-. So I believe we have to say goodbye to Stefano this week, maybe Jacob next week.
I don't think so, I think Jacob is going home.
Yeah, Jacob first. Then Stefano or Casey, and I think Stefano gained ground after tonight. I haven't felt this confident for Haley's safety in a long time!
Botton 3:
Lauren, Jacob, Stefano
Stefano- going home
i had a bad feeling that james will be eliminated, a surprising elimination, . but STEFAno going home
no way will james being going home anytime soon!
I think I've had enough of Jacob. I really need to see him leave tonight. He really turns the stage into one lame soap opera shows. The song choice was hideous, though..
Personally I don't get the Casey exaltation. I thought his performance was awkward tonight. And Scotty should try to change that sideways microphone thing, it's getting on everyone's nerves. Other than that I thought they all did a decent job. But my favs were the old contestants. What a cool idea!
It was cool. Looked like Paul and Pia were a couple.
I thought it was a pretty good night overall, but I thought that Casey, James and Haley were the best. Haley is the best SINGER remaining, in my opinion. Casey and James are quite the PERFORMERS, and their singing is pretty good in their own styles. Scotty and Lauren both fell this week, I think. Scotty picked an ANCIENT song (21st century, just because LeAnn Rimes did it????) that is easy to sing, silly, and boring. Lauren sang "scared" tonight for the first time, I thought. Jacob and Stefano were middle of the road.
I've been trying to get through to vote for Haley, but "all circuits are busy." So I wonder if something is wrong with the phones, or if that many people are voting. I hope she advances, but I'm not sure about her voting base.
In the big picture of the entire season, both Jacob and Stefano should go before her, but I'm not sure they will.
i agreeee! haley's been consistently doing amazing!
I agree with your post except for Casey. He did not do a very good job at all tonight.
Frank
I do agree that you may have your reasons to hate Casey's performance…but do check out the studio version…
my opinion…
Scotty: i like scotty but he was very safe tonite and could be in trouble. C
James: wow. all i have to say, in a good way. A
Haley: this girl is my fav and she was at her best tonite, although i think she can do better if she finds away to let loose but not let her growling get out of contral like last week. A
Jacob: he isnt bad, but he comes off as so smug, ever since he made that "look in the mirror" comment, i've really just hated him no matter how great he sings, and this was i think, his weakest performance so far. So… bye bye jacob in my opinion. C
Casey: I don't think Casey is a great singer, but he is a great artist. B
Stefano: i like stefano, but this performce was another boring one, although he did change it up so i think he'll barely make it again. C
Lauren: she has so much potential, but evey performance for me is always just good. not great. when she can be great, and that kind of bothers me. B-
Based on TONIGHT…
Top 4:
1. James
2. Haley
3. Casey
4. Lauren
Bottom 3:
5. Scotty
6. Stefano
7. Jacob
With jacob going home.
BWAKAKAKAKAKA my prediction is right!! HAUHAUAHUAHUA
Scotty (B)…??? yikes. So plagiarism is a B in Branden wikipedia. Nice 1 LOLOL š
Lauren (B+)…??? wekssss. Flat out performance is a B+ in Branden wikipedia. Good job LOLOL š
Casey (C+)…???!!! OMG!!! Different arrangement for becomin a true artist n givin a great performance that steer the crowd is a C+ in Branden wikipedia. FANTASTIC JOB WELL DONE LOLOL š
Can you please explain to me what ANY of what you said means????
I am lost? " Couch arm critics" I could be wrong? Not!
It means that the criteria for which you are judging the contestants is flawed…
Gautham, I wasn't aware OPINIONS could be flawed. In that case, maybe yours is.
After reading LOLOL for a while now I might be able to translate. He thinks Scotty gave a copycat halfassed performance and that's a B for you. Lauren was super boring which must be criteria for a B+ in your book. Casey was original and gave an amazing performance but you only gave him a C+?! What?!!
I could be completely wrong, but I gave it my best shot :P.
heh?? i love how defensive you get… i just stated what LOLOL wrote… You asked what it meant and i answered…
Jeez- You help a guy out in today's world and you get blasted… š
The post i wrote above was meant for Branden..
It's okay Gauth, we still love you… in that completely hetero kinda way.
Awww kDub
That's sweet of you…. but i learned my lesson..i'll never be nice again… š
Sorry, Gautham, One tends to get defensive when you have hundreds of people blasting you on a weekly basis for merely stating your opinion. People who hide behind blog comments can be freaking mean.
Brandon
Its cool…I understand… š
I only ask one favor…If Casey goes before the final three, i will be writing some very harsh comments on people who will dare to put "Thank god" and "Casey is gone" in one sentence..i'm talking total destruction.dust to dust and ash to ash stuff..so i was wondering if you could…ummm….look the other way during that time…wink wink..strange expressions strange expressions… š
Gautham, you do know the applicable old saying, right, "No good deed goes unpunished?"
LOLOL Your proctologist called. Your head showed up on the x-rays.
OMG, that was Funny!! Nice one Templar.
yupz Templar and it show in the x-ray i still have a brain in my head heheheh LOLOL š
how bout u Templar,have u already check yet? heuheuheuheu š
DANG Templar! How long you been saving that one for until just the right moment?! I'm only relieved I didn't get it for one of my less lucid comments! Sorry, LOLOL that you had to take one for the Team Stupid–that we've all been a member of at times.LOL
Templar, you best watch your back, cause LOLOL might be gunnin' for ya!
Yeah, I LOL'ed.
coondog: I'm pretty sure that lolol is a member of the gang that couldn't shoot straight. If LOLOL thinks a brain shows up on an x-ray, I'm not too worried.
Templar
I don't wanna be that guy but brains do show up on X-Rays…
If an x-ray of anyone's ass revealed their brains, I would go out on a limb and say that person is some major trouble.
This was the most entertaining string of comments I have ever seen posted about anything (I ususally am involved with comments on the Govt, politics and the economy, though, and there is never anything funny there anymore).
oh x ray of someone's ass….I'm sorry i kinda missed the ass part when i read the above posts…Damn!!!
I read the "yupz Templar and it show in the x-ray i still have a brain in my head heheheh LOLOL" part and replied…..
but why would LOLOL's proctologist call Templar? and why would she need to take an x-ray of his/her ass? hmmmmmm? I shall go outside and ponder for a while…
Based on TONIGHT…
Top 4:
1. James
2. Stefano
3. Casey
4. Lauren
Bottom 3:
5. Scotty
6. Haley
7. Jacob
With jacob or haley going home. Preferably Haley
disagree, haley was amazing tonight and deserves to stay.
i agree with lisa, the fact that u would even consider putting haley near the bottom 3 after her performance tonight is awful.
i agree. haley was phenomenal tonight. top 3 not bottom 3!!!!
Haley did well tonight…but I have a feeling she's in bottom 3 instead of Lauren.
Booo!! That is all…
You're fired! How can you not like Haley after tonight? And last week? And the week before that? And the week before that?
I think somebody got an x-ray of their ass and their brains are running down their leg. Haley has consistently chosen very difficult songs and performed them to near perfection. The level of difficulty should be factored in to the judging. All of the remaining contestants have merit: easy songs in comfort zones don't cut the mus-turd. Singing is like like diving…triple gainers with a twist are harder to perform than a swan dive/belly flop. Haley should win this thing if it really is a "singing" competition.
Man, I thought my job sucked. Just glad I'm not the X-Ray tech having to take shots of so many "asses"!
Do not understand the judges thinking on Casey. Seems like nice enough guy, but performances are not something I would pay to see. My choice for 2011 winner would be James or Casey or Lauren.
Stefano to win all the way.
HALEY did another fine performance. she continues to show her talent and the judges know how talented she is. Thet do not want it going to her head. she will slowely work her way to the top 3 and after that anything is possible, haley is the best
I think the worst for the night are Stefano and Jacob. I used to be a Jacob fan b4, but he has been going down hill of late: kinda boring.
As for Stefano, he did very little singing. I think he was focusing more on his dancing, flirting and stage management that he forgot it was a singing competition. But, I think he is gonna be here next week cos IA is not about talents.
James rocks! He is the most innovative and captivating. He puts a lot of effort into his performances AND IT SHOWS. I think he is gonna be here to the end: he and Scotty. Not that Scotty deserves it, he just has a lot of following.
Poor Haley. She has a very unique and strong voice. But looks like she is giving up though. She keeps on getting bad reviews and ends up undeservedly in the bottom 3 always.
Casey is awesome. But I feel the judges are hyping him a lot just to show the world that their decision to save him was a wise one. But don't get me wrong, he is good. Not the best, but good.
Don't worry about Haley. She may be in the bottom 3 but the performance tonight was great and her duet last Thursday will most likely boost her numbers. Even if she is sent home 7 isn't a bad number and she will take it in stride. Haley is going places w/out using famous dancers to get there.
David, you are so right. Haley has never been my fave, but she won the night.
I have to disagree. I do not think Haley is giving up. Yes, she is always getting ripped by the judges, except by Tyler, but she is coming on strong. JLO doesn't care for Haley because when Haley is there, JLO is not the prettiest woman on AI.
Stick that in your pipe and suck on it JLO.
I went to a Crystal Bowersox concert last night and it was fantastic. She almost overcame the gender bias thing last year because she is such a unique and talented artist. That uniqueness is (or should be) the key to who has "idol" potential. Crystal and Adam Lambert both had "it" and will not be held back by America's failure to push them over the top on AI.
I have been listening to the performances with sound only and imagining hearing them for the first time on the radio. I highly recommend this approach to anyone who wants to pick out star quality.
So who, in the remaining seven, has this uniqueness and talent? Pia had a great voice, but no more uniqueness than a Stepford wife. She has little chance of stardom, IMHO. Others who also have to such chance are Stefano and, I'm sorry to say, Lauren. Sorry because she is so lovable!
Next to eliminate would be Jacob and Scotty. Jacob has unusual talent but isn't all that pleasurable to listen to. Scotty has a certain country charm, but doesn't really lead the listener to crave more.
That leave James, Haley, and Casey. In a just world they would be the last three standing. I think they all have star quality that DOES lead me to crave more.
James has a phenomenal rocker voice and persona. When he finishes a performance, I am immediately put in the mood for more, more, more.
Haley is very underrated. She does "crazy good" things with her perfectly in-tune voice and I'm always eager to see what she will do next. Many seem to dislike the little growl in her voice. But I think it is infectious and delightful. Her stage presence continues to grow week by week and I fully expect her to have a fabulous career.
Casey is uber-talented and has a certain nerdy charisma and grit that I think is a huge draw. He is true to his artistic vision and succeeds in making me want to see what he'll come up with next.
I'll consider it a successful season if any of those three wins the crown. But I don't expect it to happen this year any more than it did the past two years. We'll see…
Are you joking-Stefano was one of the better ones and put a lot in too his performance- his voice was very strong. Give me a break man.
agree 100% plus another 50% bonus… Stefano will be safe, don't you worry David…
Lauren got my vote tonight.Scotty will go big someday without the show.Lauren needs to win to grow.tonight Stephano done good job but whole season i been wishing he would go home.I hope the final two will be Scotty and Lauren.
You know I have to stop watching this show, because honestly, I must not hear what everyone else does especially the judges. I must have crap in my ears. First I like James alot and I thought he was not good at all tonight, Casey I was like what the hell is that, Lauren and I am country did not do Sara justice at all, Jacob nothing good to say about him, Haley I thought was ok, Stephano ok, and I am a huge Scotty fan and I voted for him, and I thought his performance was good. No one tonight moved me at all. And the judges just piss me off, just do me a favor and be consistant don't praise all season long and then out of nowhere throw the rug out from underneath people when they are doing what you praised them for in the beginning. One other note why is it that Scotty got the dreaded first spot twice in three weeks. If my memory serves me never was in the pimp spot, but yet gets the dreaded one spot twice. What the hell is that? Are they trying to say, you need to be put down a notch. No more votes for you. And Steven Tyler, so unprofessional, just slap every contestant in the face already and just say Casey should win. It's getting to be a real joke. Just tell me Idol, judges and producers who you want to win, so I don't have to bother watching.
Aww, Scotty finally gets a little criticism and people get all butt hurt. If he's really all that he'll grow from the experience like the other contestants.
Im not hurt about that at all. It just wasn't him. the judges always do this in the end. they should do it from the beginning and through out. Be consistent. they never are
Honestly no one thrilled me tonight. I thought it was the worst yet on idol. but again, I must have some serious crap in my ears because I don't get what everyone heard. And olster is right my ears are my own and they must be extremely different then everyone elses because this whole night wasn't great.
Ok Dawn I agree with you and apologize for my less than friendly post above. They should be using constructive comments to help build the contestants. Scotty, Jacob and Casey especially get a free pass with almost everything they do. This does them no favors, it makes them think they don't need to grow when really they do. I'm really not a Scotty hater, it's mostly the judges fault that he hasn't really pushed himself to the next level. That being said he should bring it next week (because of course he will still be there) not because he needs more votes but because people that are really putting themselves out there are going home. Out of respect to them he should strive to be better each week. End rant.
I agree David, they should bring more each week and the judges should of started their constructive comments awhile ago, especially with the young ones. And no need to apologize you were just stating an opinion that was your right to do so, but thanks anyway it was sweet.
to Dawn J
"I must have some serious crap in my ears because I don’t get what everyone heard."
thats your quote…
You said yourself that you didn't get what everyone else heard…You also said that you should stop watching the show…
So stop watching the show…heh hee..i mean nobody's gonna stop you.. If you think the show is boring and the judges are lame..stop watching A.I..wait for x factor to air…or the voice…
Gautham I don't think the show is boring at all, I just don't like the inconsistency of the show, that's why I stopped watching it long ago. I only started watching again because my son was watching the auditions and I sat down one night with him and I was like wow there is some great talent. The judges say one thing, and then they say something entirely different the next week. Just be consistent is all I am saying. I really don't think anyone give a flying crap if I watch the show or not. I was just venting.
Dawn J
That's a beautiful name by the way…Could you expand on the inconsistency you mentioned about?
I definitely see the inconsistency of the judges. They are all over the place with their comments and they don't really guide the contestants with any kind of real constructive criticism. You can't grow without some thing to push you. Not telling Scotty what he needs to work on and then all the sudden dropping the bomb on him is pretty cold. Haley does everything they tell her to do and gets mild praise if any when she does it. Lauren has plenty she can work on and they don't really help her or point out what it is. The list goes on and on.
in terms of Scotty there was nothing wrong with the way they delivered it..here's why..Today's theme was 21 st century..the whole point of teh theme was to see what the contestants could do with current songs..Scotty sang a very old song that was only covered recently by an artist… So he did in fact go for the safest choice…Every other week, it was fine because the theme fitted well with his genre…
Does it really matter who the judges want to win? Does it sway anyone opinon? If so, Pia would still be there. Just know that music is like art. You cannot describe what is good, but you know it when you hear it. So, since your ears are yours and not the judges, you know what is good, too.
hmmm,when they pimp Scotty in Elvis song n his basketball clip or even still put him through after he totally forgot the lyrics in Hollywood Weeks,hmm… i never see u complaining…thats weird >< š
and when J-Lo said with Casey performance that he sounds a bit screechy (I agree with J-Lo in that time too) u look like a 6 years old that soo happy jumpy to see that Santa Claus is givin u a present hueheuheuheu LOLOL š
They pimp almost everyone in clips if they have them and Scotty if I remember correctly was not in the pimp spot once this season, he was in the middle with Elvis, I believe.
And everyone at one time or another forgets lyrics of songs they don't know. That means nothing to me. this show makes them sing songs by other people, it never allows them to be themselves and true artists.
so ure sayin AI is lookin for a copycat? being true with himself and become a true artist like Adam Lambert in season 8 is wrong,is that what ur sayin?
Gautham, all i mean is the judges give praise for doing something they have been doing all along, and then for some strange reason all of a sudden they throw the rug out from them. If they think they are being safe, or boring, or sticking to one genre, and so on they should tell them from the beginning, not at the end when it counts the most (I believe they do this because they want to sway the audience as to the winner) Every week the judges praise praise praise and then you bring the same thing and then all of a sudden the bottom drops, what the hell is that? It's wrong and completely inconsistent. And then if they do listen and they do something different they get nailed by the judges and say, that wasn't for you. It's a joke sometimes. And I believe the show this year is getting alot of crap because of the so called girl/woman vote. which I totally disagree with, but again I am the one with crap in my ears so what do I know. I'm middle aged and far froma tinny bopper. But if you were being serious about my name, thanks, if not oh well.
in terms of Scotty there was nothing wrong with the way they delivered it..here’s why..Today’s theme was 21 st century..the whole point of teh theme was to see what the contestants could do with current songs..Scotty sang a very old song that was only covered recently by an artist… So he did in fact go for the safest choice…Every other week, it was fine because the theme fitted well with his genre…
I was serious by the way about the name though i cant find any reason why you thought otherwise..
Dawn, I totally agree with everything you're saying about the judges and producers trying to sway the judges too much. Of course, that's kind of the judges' job, to influence voters based upon the judges' expertise.
But, like you, I've been especially struck with how unfair they are in this regardless of whether or not I like the contestant. It really is as if the producers "hint" to the judges who they want to get hammered or unduly praised depending upon the producers' agendas.
Of course, there's nothing illegal in Game Show Rules about doing that. I'm sure it's written somewhere that the only thing that has to be totally neutral is the counting of the votes. But the producers can tell judges how to lean, judges can intentionally sway what producers want, and we know that that makes crucial differences. Repeating myself, but you're right about what's going on with Judges following Producers' agendas. My hope is that Steven Tyler will up and admit that sometime in future just when he's a bit "high" and chatty. He's a pretty open guy, so it's hard for him to maintain "classified information". Sorry, too long.
I agree about Loren, she did not do a very good job with the Sara Evans song. She sounded tentative and should probably go home after Jacob and Casey.
Her little dance with the band was clumsy and awkward. She is young and needs to work on stage presence and taking chances.
Everyone come on and vote for Stefano he is fantastic. A+ A+ A+ A+ Rating–Just listen to his beautiful voice.
Uhhhh….no. Sorry.
boooo
don't you worry david, i have my 500 votes for him & so with the whole group, that makes it thousands & thousands…
Stefano gets my vote.
We get it. Stefano gets your vote. Why don't you start 12 more threads saying so? And by the way, Stefano was NOT very good tonight, and his voice, which can be "pleasant" within a narrow range, is NOT powerful at all. He strains at the upper end. And he did more dancing (or something akin to dancing) than singing tonight. This was definitely one of his worst nights. Very karaoke.
Did you hear what Randy said, he was thinking Stefano''s performance will turn out karaoke then later he said, it turns things around…
Best of the night:
James
Haley
Casey
Worst:
Stefano
Jacob
Lauren
Lauren should be in the top of the pack with her amazing vocals but she seems to losing more self-confidence each week. Scotty also has an amazing voice but is playing it way too safe—don't know if the teenie-bopper vote will keep his boat afloat. Jacob is just a shadow of his former self from the first weeks of this season. And Stefano is nowhere near the talent of the rest of them and I am hoping will be starting his wedding-singing career this week.
Sandy, we think alike so I think you are a genius! My only disagreement is that I think you are really harsh on Stefano. I say that even though I agree with Branden that tonight was Stefano's worst performance. My point is that I HAVE heard him sing beautifully many times before. I am betting that he was so focused on proving he could be "sexy" (and hence, "dance") that he lost the proper focus on his vocals.
I am hoping we lose Jacob tomorrow.
Would I be very far by stating that if Anyone Other than Jacob goes home tomorrow, it'd be as big a shock as when Pia departed? Can you imagine if Scotty was sitting there with Jacob and Stefano–and Scotty went home?! It'd be a great HORROR moment again! I sign off as most folks–Jacob's Gotta Go!
I think the pace and the strain is getting to Lauren. I wish they would make 18 the minimum age to try out. The ones who are still in school have to pick new songs, learn and rehearse them and still keep up their schoolwork. And 16 & 17 years olds still need more sleep than adults. It must be a horrific grind for them.
I wished Scotty sang Josh Turner real country but he was good. James really sounded incredible, his singing voice is really good you could hear it in that preformance, (not the high scream) Stefano did a good job I have a soft spot for him and I liked Lauren, my 2nd fav. Haley?? I don't know, I have never been a fan so she can't win me over. Casey is putting me on the fence, the angry face is not him, don't know why he thinks he has to sing like that. Jacob is a great gossipal singer and will do very well in that field. I think Jacob will be going home this week. Scotty, James and Lauren will be the last 3. I thought Scotty had it down but James might steal it away. He is an inspiration for everyone out there with a disability. A great American Idol!!!!
Again, I really like James he is my second fav and I thought his performance tonight was not good at all. I couldn't understand a word he was saying, maybe I'm to old but both my favs tonight did nothing for me.
Lauren should go before Haley. Lauren has become extremely boring. Her stage presence is pretty bad, and her safe type singing is not winning her any fans. She may have a good voice, but she didn't sound very good tonight singing a great Sara Evans song.
Branden honey, are you insane? You said that Stefano was pitchy and screechy. Time to visit the doc and see about the wax in those ears of yours. While I don't think it was his best performance, there was no problem at all with his intonation.
Slinky, I listened to it twice. I had people in the room trained in voice listen and agree with me. I'm a Stefano fan, but this is how I heard things. Why do you care what I think? Vote for Stefano and he'll be fine. But don't question my sanity. You don't know me.
way to go Brandon….we are all hear reading ur opinion to begin with and I thank you for this opportunity for us all to express our own opinions. Everyone just vote for who you like and thank Brandon for his opinions!
Sadly people who vote are not trained in voice listen…
My gosh Branden of course I don't really think you're insane – my comments to you were tongue in cheek. I'm surprised you took it seriously but then my Mum once got really angry with me once when I asked her if she was 'mad'(as in insane) so my delivery must be waaay off and I guess I'll have to stop doing that…Apologies if you were offended – seriously not my intention. Oh and I studied voice for nine years so I know a wee bit about singing and I just didn't hear any out of tune notes from the kid.
Stay in there Branden.
Yeah, Slinky, I imagined you had been trained in voice. Not everyone knows the word "intonation." Tone on comment threads is hard to figure out, so yeah, you do need to be careful with your wording. And I need to be less defensive. But after weeks and weeks of hundreds of people blasting me for merely stating my opinion, that's hard to do.
I was blown away by James! Scotty is my all time favorite but he needs a bigger range in genre
james was awesome shut the front door i would sit in the front row at his concert..do you think casey planned the kiss.
You bet.
DUH Lauren in the BOTTOM 3? I don't THINK so! GOODBYE JACOB. ( I hope)
Solid Scotty and Lauren are getting wobbly. A top can only spin so fast for so long w/out another push. They really need to step it up. Sure, stick to country, but neither of them make it their own song. Neither of them do anything new with the songs they sing, they are generic at best. Really need to get the led out and mooove it, ya know what I'm sayin?
Agreed!!!
Yes, I agree, goodbye Jacob, he's so boring…
…and the winner is- James Durbin. He is the real thing. No one can stop him from becoming the American Idol.
Lauren is a promise and Scotty is a friend. Casey should be disqualified for a "funny" kiss of a judge.There are boundaries, it's not a free-for-all party. Casey shows contempt for the rules.Does he expect that he can secure JLo's vote? He is a bad singer and a disrespectful contestant.
Agreed.
Lauren should be in the bottom 3. But Jacob is the one that should go home.
Ok my take on tonight. I thought Scotty's performance was very boring! I agree with the judges that he needs to try something different, even if country will always be his style. He picked a bad song choice and to me I thought he acted a little cocky after the judges gave their comments. He will be safe for a few more weeks.
James was brilliant! I know alot of you take his voice as screaming but like I said in a previous post….go listen to a screamo band and you will see that he's just hitting high notes! He really has picked great song choices and he has awesome stage presence (isn't that really what an AI is suppose to be?)he will be safe for sure!
I am not a Haley fan, but I thought she did a great job tonight! Bravo for the song choice and I think she will be safe.
Jacob didn't do anything for me tonight and I usually like him. I think he picked the wrong song. It was to slow and sort of boring. Also the fact that he screwed up at the beginning will definitely hurt him. He will be in the bottom 3 and I think will be going home tomorrow.
Casey…oh Casey lol. I am not a fan but I thought he did ok tonight although the wholoe kiss to JLO was stupid….IMO. I still keep scratching my head wondering why nobody has played any instuments besides him! I think he will be safe.
I really love Stefano's voice but i didn'y hear much of it tonight. I like the song he picked but as he was spending so much time wooing the girls and not enough vocals. I think he will be in the bottom 3.
I didn't like anything about Lauren tonight but her hair and the guy next to her playing the violin :). She picked a bad song and she didn't wow anyone! I think she will round out the bottom 3.
Hiya Julie and All:
Yup, James was amazing. What a show he puts on. See, he can do more than hard rock or heavy metal.
I swear the judges are reading these posts. We complained they weren't critiquing and guess what? They did tonight.
Haley was also amazing. If she picks the right songs she is to be reckoned with.
First time I think Scotty got some negative feedback and I agree with the judges. Same old and move them feet. I too thought he seemed a little cocky. Judges always praised him and never critiqued him and obviously he has a good fan base. Maybe going to his head?? Who knows!!
Casey, well I liked his peformance and I'm definitely not a fan. I usually don't care for his growl..umm technique. I think his cutesy routine with Lopez is a bit much. She says he's sexy. He's kissing her. Maybe they should get a room. hahahaha
Jacob, well he just doesn't do it for me. Personal preference.
Stephano. Singer, or trying to audition for Chippendales(sp)to-night.
Lauren didn't do it for me tonight at all.
I usually prefer Lauren to Haley but not tonight. Haley was dynomite.
Thanks for reading carol and responding! looks like we are on the same page š
Julie: I never joined anything like this before. I chuckle about it all the time. I love reading all the different opinions. Yes, I think we are on the same page too.
One thing though. Others have played guitar.
Hope I replied to YOU and not to ME. What a loser I would be. lol Just learning here.
Yep you replyed to me Carol! š
Lauren will not be in the bottom! she has a huge fan base and they will keep her out of it! š
Thanks Julie: I'm rather techno dumb dumb.
Some great feedback here this mornin. Really enjoy reading everything.
Casey plays and instrument in his performances often, but James has played a couple of times when they were in groups.
Oh yes…good point wellen, but I dont remember any in their indivual performances but Casey? š
The only winners who make it big are those who know music, read music and/or play an instrument. Remember Rueben, he could sing but he had to hear music that had all ready been recorded. He couldn't do new songs because he didn't read music, nor could many others. So, far I know Jordon does, David Cook has a degree in music and Carrie Underwood reads music and plays several instruments. I think maybe Adam does, too, and little David, and Kris Allen has a music degree and is into Christian music. I think Kelly reads music,too. But many winners don't and when they have to record an album of new songs it can be pretty difficult to get done.
Not disagreeing with you, but there have been some pretty successful singers & even musicians who didn't read music: Elvis Presley & Eric Clapton, for example.
I thought James was the best tonight. Casey and Haley right up there. Jacob and Scotty were boring, as usual.
Dial Idol has Haley possibly in the bottom 3 right now. I hope everyone keeps voting for her. She has an amazing voice and great stage presence. Remember that duet last week? She is never boring and has such a cool voice. Keep voting for #3!
Nuu, with Casey as the VFTW pick she may leave us. Sad day.
Casey isn't a VFTW pick..Stephano is… i checked… i actually read their articles kinda regularly…They are very funny…They love Casey btw…they think he's weird..lol.. I honestly don't care..as long as Casey gets at least into the top three…whatever it takes for real music to win…heh hee
Just double checked and Casey is definitely VFTW pick this week. It was almost Scotty. If it was no one else would have a chance. Teens, grandmas, country folks AND VFTW pick? It would be like a nightmare.
I read their articles as well…very funny indeed. And now they are supporting Casey saying "vote for Casey Abrams,…. It's time to reward Casey for performances like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and everything else he's done. Now keep up the good work, Casey, and don't lose your testicles again. Because we want to keep supporting you for a long time. We'll take it away if you start being a p** again."
I agree with them, Casey was good…so was Jason!!! My favourites!
@ Braden, there's no need for your grades anymore, we know the ones to whom you are going to give As. So biased!
I think you guys miss the point. Yes they love Casey because they think he's that bad. They love his antics and they love his craziness and they love that he's so terrible that they will choose him. I love Casey because he's a great musician (not talking about his bass) and his creativity is off the charts. VFTW is like the smiling crocodile. It's not a good thing, run away.
I am a country music fan. And for a while I found Scotty entertaining. But everytime he goes out there he gets more and more cocky and comes off more and more "produced" And for gods sake if tonight didn't tell you enough…You look like the pied piper with the freaking mic. Many of the things we found cute in early stages are only cute now if you have yet to go through puberty. What the heck is all the love for…he sings the same song every week with different lyrics basically.
Casey your growl is now more overused than Haley. She has two things on you…she has some pipes and she's cuter (three…she doesn't kiss J Lo as a "gimmick" to keep votes). Casey is a risk taker and has mucho talent in terms of playing several instruments…but tonight I actually was scared someone was going to get their teeth knocked out by his guitar as he was so aggressively trying to "reach out" to them.
Haley-I admit there have been times when the growl has been over done, but in the last several weeks she has reined it in and used appropriately. And let's be real how many people do you know who could pull off the range of things she can with her voice without being pitchy. Not many. No that doesn't mean use them all at once, but she deserves credit for her ability to do it. And IMHO since Bennie and the Jets she has rocked. And I really didn't agree last week I thought she did "Call Me" justice.
Jacob….I feel for the emotion behind this song, but for all the emotion we saw in the studio, it didn't register on stage. Also, I didn't need the entire cast of idol to tell me you were a DIVA. Sorry dude. Today was numbered ZERO for you. I think you may be the next departure.
Stefano. Good effort, but more singing less dancing. If you could carry your flirty, confident and carefree spirit to the stage with you I think you would shine. Still a bit stiff for me. For me, Stefano is hindered by nerves and not lack of talent. Do I think he's the winner under the best circumstances??? No. But I think he could hang around if he figure out how to harness the off stage bravado and use it on stage.
James…seriously, love love loved it.
Lauren, good…not the best but good enough to be safe (may hit bottom 3, but won't go)
Most in danger…Jacob and Stefano. Maybe Casey.
Oh, and could they have tortured poor Paul anymore out there?? So What??? Really. Poor guy sounded like he had laryngitis as well. I still think he should have stayed one more week and the person who should have gone last week will go this week. Jacob. He eeked it out last week which was shocking he should have been bottom 2 with Stefano and IMO would have been the one to go.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for Haley. She is the only one who I think may wind up lower than she should.
good narrative. But yeah, regards Paul being tortured out there. He looked so bad in relation to the girls, and he sounded horrendous compared to their harmonizing. They just wanted to get all the "elimos' in , and Paul came off looking terrible! Must be others just feeling sorry for him not to comment, or just the real part of the show is too important tonight.
Thank you, Kelly for getting it right on SCOTTY. Dear Lord dial idol has him at 24 million plus votes, I went to bed sick last night. I'm sorry , but he deserves to be in the bottom.I promised myself after Adam and Crystal lost, I would never watch this damn show again. You can't beat the teenagers. Until the voting changes it will be always end up like this. I hope by the grace of God, my James Durbin wins !!!!!!
Haley did an awesome job. I'v been playing the video over and over again. She does smth really special with her voice which no one else can do. Her voice has a lot of undertones and "textures." She is greatly understated. Go Haley go! We love you.
Agree 100%
I have to admit, at first I didn't like Haley. But she has won me over the past few weeks. I originally liked Lauren better, but not anymore.
Haley is sultry, sexy, and her voice is starting to grow on me. She is the most improved contestant in the finals.
I like her attitude and to hell with the judges that continue to berate her, especially that no talent JLO.
Check out the studio version of Haley's performance on youtube – it sounds like a pro, excellent – she is ready to be a recording artist – perfect song for her voice, and she does sing.. oh my gosh…
James: I can love him, he makes some great performances.
Hayle: I loved her to. She was wonderful tonight and sang very, very well. She reminds me of Betty Boop in that costume.
Casey. very well,he hed a great performance.
Stefano: Good
Lauren: Pretty much, I do not know.
Scotty: Same as always nothing new.
Jacob: Ready to go home
Haley is very interesting and has never played safe. She took a big risk tonight (as almost every Wednesday) by singing a well known song, and did it very well. Why I wonder is how many people hate her (maybe too pretty, like Pia?). All these idols are amateurs and are learning a lot, but Haley is the one that shows much more progress every week. I like all of them, but Haley is the one that I enjoy more. Hope she stays more weeks (or win).
And it is amazing to me that Haley has kept her mouth shut about the judges' idiotic critiques. I am positive I would have slit my own throat by now and let loose on them at minimum with a little catty remark. Haley has done nothing like that! She is handling all of that crap beautifully.
agreed'
I agree. Haley is very talented, good stage presence, personality and voice. So is Stefano. But America doesn't seem to like either one. I don't know why.
If I could pick the final 3 today…these are the ones I would pick based on the entire season (only remaining contestants) in no specific order…
Haley, James and Lauren.
Each of them has shown a good amount for versatility, have genuine personalities and allow their tastes to appear within their song choices. Very rarely do I feel they have been led to their choices (except Joplin…but really who cares she smoked it). And each week you feel they get more confident.
Here is my take on the others.
Jacob…never takes risks or shows any change outside his comfort zone.
Scotty…even the people who adore him have to admit he has changed the least over the course of the season. He is banking on the been there done that vote. So far it's working, but I don;t think he has the range to contend in the REAL world outside of the old school country genre. And I'll take the original Josh Turner over his gen-next replacement. Sorry Scotty.
Stefano- not bad but has yet to figure out who he is artistically and therefore seems to go through the motions
Casey-trying too hard to be edgy and it is starting to come off as FAKE. And dude, you almost wiped out half of the front row with the guitar hanging around your neck. Negative points on that one.
Hakey, keep fighting and always maintain the professionalism you seem to have going. I think you don;t get enough credit for your unique qualities. Anyone who thinks you don't have talent should probably get a hearing aid. Or perhaps watch so you think you can dance. and Dancing with the stars. And Judges could you for once give this girl some love. I hope that you are hard on her because you think she's great, but every once in a while could you say something nice without qualifying it with an insult. You all picked her for the show, and now it seems you have so little faith in her. She has more than anyone improved each week and seemed to take ALL of your criticisms and put it to work for her.
that's a great point Pup. Maintains her cool, and just lets it roll on by . Smart, and plays well with the voters by just smiling and being friendly about it, and even agreeing when she knows–woman to woman–that JLo is jealous and being Catty by diminishing Haley's performances. Nuttin' an old Coondog hates worse than a "Catty B—-"! Grr-Owff!
Great top 3 James Haley and Lauren….yeah
Well you all say Haley is good but the fact is that the vote in not on her side. If you really like Haley not to be out soon then vote. Action speak louder then words no point saying she is good but you don't vote for her so who is to be blame if Haley goes home, its you all are to be blame for not voting Haley.
I voted for Haley and James. They are the only 2 that I thought were worth votes tonight.
I said the same thing about Pia when she got voted off but of course that was the producers and judges fault. When Haley goes home, though, it will have been because no one voted for her? Hmm…
Totally agree – Haley's performance last night was the best… JLO continues to put her down – totally jealous, I think Haley is the singer JLO always wanted to be, but cannot…
Why did Casey kiss JLo…? oh that was awkward!
Because Casey has no taste. I wouldn't kiss JLO if they offered me money.
Well, me hates the 'B' part of J-Lo, but ain't nuthin more pleasurable to an Old Coondog than good booty–sniff sniff!
Yeah right….guess what that ain't gonna happen anyway except in your dreams
where I can see the recap?
Mybe on fox.com tomorrow. Not 100% sure š
Hi there. Wetpaint.com should have all performance videos up by now. š
I don't understand why there are a lot of people out there don't like Haley and say she sang horrible and these people are tone deaf and you can see from the votes and the comments. It is really hard for her she always get bad comments from the people out most of the time and also get harsh comments by the judges that is the problem its hard for her to be in the top 3 when people do not like her and won't vote for her no matter how good she sing and I really pity this gal although she will not win American Idol but even top 3 is impossible for her cause she is most of the time in the bottom 3 because of the votes no matter so what happens I really hope she will have a good career ahead of her.
I'm with you, ukn!
Thanks Pup. God bless you.
She was joint #1 with James tonight.
Totally agree Paul.
Scotty, if you're reading this – PLEASE CHOOSE A DECENT SONG next time, k? THat had to be the WORST country song you could have picked. You are forgetting who your audience is – and it ain't just country folks.
Stefano's song was awful, as was Jacob's. James & Haley were fairly good tonite; Casey was ok, but… the JLo kiss? I guess you're thinking you'd better get one in before you get booted off š Lauren, my dear, i know you have a nice voice, but you need to learn to handle your stage fright better if you want to win.
If you don't think the judges are totally pimping Casey, watch Casey's performance again. Jlo knew he was going to kiss her because she had her cheek turned, waiting for it before he ever got to that point in the song. I cry foul.
Eh, I don't think so. I think she had her face turned because of one of two things
1. He might have needed a mint, or
2. It was too embarrassing to be sung to nose to nose like that.
duh!!! wow.. you did not know that…you really think Jenifer Lopez will really allow someone to just come out and kiss her cheeks.. that would a dangerous precedent..
maybe they rehearsed it..who knows lol!
Corny and totally inappropriate.
Tonight was a good show and I am going to love to see the posts after this but tonight was the first time I enjoyed Jacob. I just caught my self tapping my foot along with him as he sang and I have not been able to sit thru one of his whole performances this season.
James did another Amazing job showing how versatile he is going from heavy metal to Muses fusion of progressive/alternative rock song about Revolt. He is truely an out of the box thinker when it comes to stage presence. And that is the only comparison to Adam Lambert I can make to Durbin. Just because they sing the same music does not make him a wannabe. If so does that make Lambert a Daughtry wannabe? Both came in second and are doing great musicly.
Casey gave James a run for his money tonight. Great performance and he sang that song very well.
I agree with the Judges on Lauren and she just does not know how well she can really do, I wanted her to tear that song apart but you could feel her holding back again. But she did very well.
Haley sang…
Stefano held up a spot on stage tonight and I hope that he find a boy band to join soon.
Good ole Scotty, well he pissed me off tonight bottom line. i have made the jokes about him comming out and farting on stage and tonight I wish he would have. He took a song from the 80's and tried to pass it off tonight when he could have made believers out of soo many more people. He has the potential to be so talented but tonight he just came out and said "hey yall" and was done. For him to be the leader of the pack on the polls he truley showed more arrogance than Jacobs comment about looking in the mirror. A dip in the bottom 3 would do him good, I dont want him gone just woken up some.
Bottom 3
Lauren, Stefano, Jacob..Stefano to go. based on tonight.
So Jacob was wonderful and Haley just sang???? Yikes! I think you were having a nightmare.
Like I said I was pretty amazed myself, this is the first time I liked Jacob. He could have Over done that song soo much and I figured that he would. but he didnt.
And for Haley I just dont have anything either way to say so I left it at that.
Wellen…..Chris Daughtry actually came in 4th not 2nd.
Julie thanks for that I do get confused at times. But I did mean that they both didnt win and are doing great.
They sure are! 2 of my very favorites! I once pointed out here (maybe last week) that I actually prefer my favorite NOT to win it all because they seem to have a better future! But here is where they get discovered. David Cook was the only idol I actually picked to win and did..and I truly love all his stuff!
I totally agree about your assessment with Scotty. Sure the kid can sing but he really needs to step it up. Someone is going home tomorrow that's not him and that's what he brings? He should have just farted into the mic it would have been better than what he did.
Yepp! Good ole Scotty's fart (as U described!) is not that loud….muted, in fact & thus even more stink!! Lol!
Wellen, you nailed it again. Almost dead on what my thoughts with a couple of minor exceptions.
I may not have liked Jacobs performance quite as much as you did, but I do agree that it was a dramatic improvement over his previous performances.
And I also thought Haley absolutely slayed it tonight. I actually had to toss some votes her way. I think she is rapidly becomming a dark horse in this competition if she can only survive for one more week to wow us again.
Yup on Scotty. made the same point myself regards getting a wakeup call in bottom 3. Too bad Casey and Stefano will get those calls. Jacob might as well hit the snooze button 'cause he's going home–his mirror be missing his reflection!
before i could not pick a favorite between james, scotty and lauren. after tonight i have no doubt that james is my favorite! wow, wow and one more wow for james. i was very disappointed with scotty and as always i loved laurens voice but she picked a crappy song. i never liked haley at first but her last 4 performances has changed my mind.
1.james
2.haley
3.lauren
tonight was the first time i ever gave stefano any votes.
i voted 45 times for james, 15 for scotty, 20 for lauren, 15 for haley and 5 for stefano. i am still standing by scotty even though i thought he sucked tonight. i hate country and 'swinging' is one of the country songs i hate the most. i hate country but i still vote for lauren and scotty faithfully. if scotty dont pump it up he is gonna lose my votes.
worst
1.jacob
2.stefano
3.casey
This is exactly why the voting system is a failure and doesn't do what it is supposed to.
at first oi only voted once for my 3 favorites and then i found out most people vote a lot of times for their favorites and hence that is why my multi-voting started.
oh my haley!!! she sang my favorite song… i'm in tears…
GO JAMES GO!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
My prediction for bottom 3 are Jacob, Stefano & Casey/Haley. I don't think Lauren is in bottom 3.
I think Jacob would leave.. but personally I want it to be Stefano
Me tooooo, want Stefano GONE. Love Casey and James is fabulous.
I have to agree about Jacob.. I record it then watch it and he drives me nuts.. so boring.. first I heard the Diva thing but you hit it on the head.. I so hope he goes home ..
I was blown away by Casey and Haley tonight!! Casey was unbelievable (and I never thought I’d say that tonight, but he was!!) And Haley was absolutely terrific singing one of the songs I recommended for her this week. Wow!! (Again, the judges were lukewarm to her. Cannot believe it, as her vocals were so strong!)
I didn’t think I liked Lauren (the judges obviously weren’t crazy about her performance tonight–mainly because of the song. (I did not like it–a little corny and too twangy for me.) But in hearing the playback at the end, I heard how sweet she sounded. Really fine voice, but I always knew that.
Stefano became someone else tonight–or maybe the real him. I kinda liked the shy, retiring Stefano. Now I loved the sexiness, but not the “too slick” guy so much. Okay, now, about his voice: (Hahaha!) It was good. Not super. But good.
I actually missed Scotty’s performance, so only got to see the playback. I’ll watch on YouTube later. But not a great song choice for my taste. And that odd mike-positioning habit (which, I know, has been harped on too much) seems to have finally overtaken what I see and hear when I watch him. A little creepy for me. His voice? Well, have to say, I need to hear the whole thing. But the snippet I caught was just not my cup of tea. Too corny for me.
James, well . . . the critiques all framed how good of a “performance” it was. And what the judges meant was all the staging, etc. I actually loved his voice when he sang softly and melodically. When he hit those “Jamesian” high spots, I wasn’t as impressed. Didn’t come across the way I think he wanted; didn’t add to the song imo. I WANT to like him, and I do! But I wish the overall was not marred by what seemed to be bowing to what was expected of him rather than what was best for the song itself. (Which I had never heard before but liked.)
Lastly, Jacob was just adequate. The judges as much as said so. It surprised me, because I thought he was going to nail it. Maybe too much pressure to sound like Luther, I dunno.
So my top two picks are Casey and Haley tonight.
My bottom 3 would be Jacob, Scotty and, ruefully, Stefano.
I like how you phrased that "Jamesian" I might borrow that sometime. But I love how he cant hit that full voice and them bring it right back into that deep calm.
Well, that was a nice description of Jacob's power and control. I will listen for that if makes it through to the next round. Hoping the richness of his voice returns, though. Something happened tonight to that . . . missing altogether, imo.
Bottom 3 – Jacob, Stefano & Haley
Going Home can be Jacob or Stafano but Haley might be going home too cause she has fewer fans vote so she might be going home don't be surprise cause the people out there do not like her and not voting for her as for Lauren she has a lot of votes from her fans as well as Pia fans.
I was thinking Jacob or Stefano, but I too have this feeling Haley would go home tomorrow
I hope both of you are wrong. I voted my fingers off for Haley, but added votes for Casey, James, Lauren and Stefano. (Stefano just had a bad night, I think. People always underrate him. He has done remarkably well on many songs prior to tonight.) Lovine said the word "sexy" to Stefano, and I think this was Stefano's way of proving he was. Lovine should have been clearer–we want sexy in his VOICE!
I wonder if some of these videos haunt former contestants. Can you imagine being a laughing stock because of a fool move you made in front of millions of viewers? Maybe that is what Lauren is afraid of doing.
It is not about who is right and who is wrong here the fact is that the people who vote so you can see that Haley, Stefano & jacob has the fewer votes that is the fact you should check out the vote ranking then you know how the people vote. Lauren she has a lot of fans that voting for her and she also has Pia's votes unlike Haley she always in the bottom 3 and you can see that every week most of the time although Haley has a husky voice and she can sing but still those people out there want her to be out soon and I really pity this gal but no matter what I know she will have a good career.
I really wanna hear Lauren do a ballad , such as How would I by Leeann Womack.
And Casey should definitely hit up some John Mayer.
James should slow it down , and do What you give by Tesla.
Haley should ease up on the growls and do something softer.
Scotty needs to do something newer , but with power and emotion. Like a guy version of when you say nothing at all.
Jacob should surprise everyone and do Hurt by christina.
and Stefano should just leave.
Haley didn't growl once tonight!
i know , i just want her to open up and be more comfortable. Ballads really get to people if done right.
I agree about ballads. I like them, too. It may be everyone is afraid of doing them after Pia hammered them to death.
If you want to hear Haley sing a ballad, you have simply got to watch this YouTube (see below for link) of her in 2008. It blew me away and I think anyone who sees it will love it–and her, even if they previously disliked her.
Well, she did, but they were so subtle and well placed that they didn't stand out and just accented her voice. Which just goes to show how far she is progressing as a singer. A few weeks ago she wouldn't have done anywhere nearly remotely as well on this song.
ahh…..brianna…..or Love Song by Tesla for James! What I love abt him the most is that he's picking some really good songs that nobody else as performed.
Hurt by anyone would make me cry lol, just a beautiful song but oh so sad!
Hurt? by Nine Inch Nails?
Wellen that would be a great song for James!! š
I was referring to the post Hurt by Christina Aguilar, but Hurt by NIN would be awesome and very haunting!
Oh ok, I was wondering for a second. I would honestly like for Scotty to do the Johnny Cash version.
Love song would be great too. Tesla is so underrated but they have great songs! I think James could really pull it off.
Haley did not growl – that is Casey's forté – and knocked the socks off a great Adele song.
Haley does growl , actually.
Oh, and I am hoping it is Jacob that leaves us tomorrow night.
Jacob or casey should sing I wanna know , by Joe !
Stefano wasn't that bad tonight, although I'm a bit disappointed in his song choice. I was hoping he'd sing some Musiq Soulchild, like "Just Friends" or "Teach Me". I hope he doesn't leave, I love that guy way too much. His interview section was the funniest. Oh, and he's smokin.
Scotty: B
James: B+
Haley: A
Jacob: B-
Casey: A
Stefano: B+
Lauren: B
Stefano WAS good tonight. I don't know why America doesn't like him though. He has the total package of looks, stage presence, personality & voice. Even if he doesn't win I think he'll get a recording contract.
The past 2 weeks Stefano seems to have improved alot to me. It's probably too little too late though.
scotty: C-
James: A+
Haley: A+
Jacob: B-
Casey: D
stefano: C+
Lauren: C-
If it were one vote per person, Haley & Lauren would be fine after tonight's performances. But, with the junior high girls voting massively, I'm afraid Haley & Lauren are just about done —joining Pia.
not Lauren!
Ok, so I'm a bit later in writing this this week than I usually am, so some people might think I disappeared, but here I am. First off, there are 3 individuals that I was really impressed with tonight. Steven, Jennifer, and Randy. THEY ACTUALLY JUDGED THE CONTESTANTS TONIGHT!!!!! They didn't kill them, but they gave most of them advise on how to be better as we've come down to crunch time! Ironically enough, there were three contestants that I thought totally kicked trash tonight, as you will see here. I personally did not think that this was the best show of the season. I actually thought tonight was a little more boring than usual.
Scotty- I actually rather enjoyed his arrangement of the song. He did a good job. I actually enjoyed how all the contestants in the video poked fun at his way of holding the mic. But I have to agree with the judges. We're in the top 7 here with 7 amazing singers and in order to win this, you have to blow us out of the water. This was very safe for Scotty tonight and by the time the next performance happened, I had forgotten all about Scotty's.
James- Oh my flippin' goodness. That setup for this song was the best setup out of all 10 seasons. No joke. The colonial drummer people and James's suit that he had on was beyond brilliant. To add that, James really showed off his incredible voice tonight. If anyone didn't know how high he could sing, they do now. Not only did he sing really high, but he sang really high for quite some time. And not only did he sing really high for quite some time, but it was very controlled, too. Nice job James! If you aren't in the finale, then America is really dumb.
Haley- If you have payed attention to my comments this season, you will know that I love Haley. And tonight was just beautiful. She wasn't her wild crazy self that I love running around and doing crazy things, she just sat there and sang and did a great job.
Jacob- Now Jacob's performance tonight was very emotional. Singing about wanting to dance with your Dad once more was a sweet tribute to anyone who has lost their father, so you really can't jump on Jacob too hard, especially since he worked through those technical difficulties pretty well. With Jacob its a love – hate relationship. Either you love him or you hate him and I am on the opposite side of Branden in really enjoying him. However, I don't think this performance was strong enough to win over any haters, so it didn't do him a whole lot of justice. I thought his performance last week was much better.
Casey- Ok, let me get this off my chest. J-LO IS NOT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD! I was sick of the "I'm in love with J-Lo" crap… the very first episode, so you can imagine my annoyance right now that it has dragged on the whole season. I could give you a laundry list of girls that are more beautiful than her and our two remaining female contestants would sure be on that list. With that out of the way, I did applaud Casey for that kiss. That was crazy and brilliant. As far as his song goes, it was surprisingly the only song that I knew extremely well, which surprised me because I expected to recognize more songs being that I like a lot of music from this past decade. So I was comparing Casey to Maroon 5 and during the first half of the song he was failing because Maroon 5's original version was much better, but the last half was redemptive. Casey gave it a complete rock spin to it and actually made it his own instead of being a Maroon 5 wannabe. I ended up enjoying it. This performance and last week's results show duet Haley in my eyes made up for Casey's horrible performance last week.
Stephano- This sucked. Stephano was trying to put on a show for the ladies this week as seen by his attempted sexy stage presence or whatever this was called. Come on, Stephano. This is not America's Next Top Model, this is American Idol. He only sang like half the time and when he did sing I was enjoying his backup singers a lot more.
Lauren- At least she didn't do another Miley Cyrus type performance again. I was afraid that she was going to be the one to bust out a Lady Gaga or Katy Perry performance and was quite nervous, but she played it safe and stuck with a soft country song. It was good, but I wasn't blown away. My mind actually wandered a bit during her performance, which isn't a good sign. Once again, this is the top 7. I've heard Lauren's voice before and she can belt it out like Pia did every week if she wants to, but the thing is that she doesn't. Which troubles me.
So bottom 3? Once again I think if you claim that certain people are 100% safe or most likely safe, I think you are completely wrong. No one is safe.The title for this season is completely up in the air. However, I do think for the first time this season we are starting to see two or three singers that have begun to separate themselves from the others. As of me typing this right now, I have only read Branden's post and not any comments, so with that in mind my bottom three are:
Jacob, Lauren, and Stephano.
And as far as who goes home, I really think that it's Stephano's time to leave. He's not horrible, but he's the weakest contestant right now and should've gone home weeks ago. I think this week is the week he finally goes home.
Loved what you said abt James! yea!!
My top 7 in order after tonight:
1- James Durbin
2- Haley Reinhart
3- Casey Abrams
4- Jacob Lusk
5- Lauren Alaina
6- Scotty McCreery
7- Stephano Langone
PLEASE let it be Jacob going home!!!! I'm sick of him, his flat notes that none of the judges will call and his total lack of style.
Listen to the original Muse song. It is a song about REVOLUTION!!! It is meant to be screamed and shouted. Revolutions are not quiet! James did a great job!
It was a brilliant song choice and he nailed it!
Donna, I will go back and listen to it. Thanks for that post!
C+??? Casey had one of the best performances of the night.
If you watch Lauren's top 24 and top 13 performances, she had confidence!! What the heck happened?? She has voice, and could definately win this whole thing, she has got to pull it together. I voted for 2 hours straight..hope it kept her safe. She is the best female left. Haley was good tonight, but I'm not a fan of her style.
haley haley,love you girl
bye jacob or stefano
how can stefanos xing such a stupid song oh goddd im so mad
he may takejaob with him
jacob is sooo stubborn and boring
BYEEEEEE
Wonder if Steven Tyler got a smack on the hand (joke) for saying the "F" word. That was hilarious. As if no one could read his lips when he said it. Then Randy goes and repeats it.
Yes people!! I do have a warped sense of humour.
As for Paul tonight…Oh my word he sounded awful. Like a sick frog. Maybe he was sick.
If not, they should have picked a song that all could sing. Pia looked and sounded great. She will be singing on that Dancing With the Stars show next week.
Some folks know I feel sympathy for sick frogs, i.e. poor old Froggy of Little Rascals of yesteryear (heard tell from Mike or Farside he died at age 16 on motorcyle), and so I feel sorry for Paul "sick frog" who after last week's classy exit, just 'died' on stage amongst the girl troupe's dancing and harmonizing! Also, was not classy to allow Naima to showboat dance more than other girls.
Honestly, I just don't get Casey. I also don't get the judges comments about him. I thought James really rocked tonight. I have been trying not to like him but just find him so talented. Great arrangement and performance. Scotty who has always been my favorite let me down tonight, where did he get that song?
I thought Stefano really improved tonight. Jacob the Diva, please just send this one home. I can't even watch him as he sings yawn! Haley wow, great tonight.
Lauren just needs better song choice and more confidence, she has the pipes!
James should go home. All he does is S-C-R-E-A-M. Every time he performs, he does what is expected of him, scream his lungs out in a falsetto and pass it off as powerful. I'd pick Casey over James anytime. Although Casey's voice is not something to wow about, he is much more talented.
finally someone agree's with me about james! the hype about him is unbelievable. its watching adam lambert again..james is pathedic !
I like Adam, and I like James, but I do not like the frequency of James' screams as I am not a Metalhead. Adam's were more appropriately sequenced, and so enjoyable. But if you're the minority that love's Metal, then James is your man, no doubt.
do you guys think steven tyler just screams too? i love stevens screams and james screams.
Hey Sc, good to c u. I love Tyler's screams, but grow weary of James. sorry.
oh please shut up!James is amazing!!
schooled! I agree
Don't worry about them, just people that prefer to use their Singers as a cure for Insomnia and are realizing that James is about to bury their favorite on his way to an American Idol Victory.
I don't have an Idol favorite, sorry. But the fact that there are people who agrees with me that all he does is scream/screech/wail/caterwaul, then there is nothing wrong with my ears. I only mentioned Casey because of his musical talent, and I did mention that his voice is not something to wow about.
I agree about James and his screeching. I don't think he can sing high without screeching. It would be okay in a rock band but not as a single performer. Casey has never gotten my vote even though he certainly has talent. Something about him is a BIG turnoff.
Stefano can sing miles around those two.
Any of the contestants could win at this point so they are getting more "micro-observed" and little things that shouldn't matter about each contestant are now becoming part of the determining factor whether they get a person's vote or not. With that being said:
Scotty: Hold the microphone "normal" and not at that weird two-hand angle. It's now sooooo annoying to watch.
James: Like his singing but hate the screech. Can't he sing high without it?
Haley: Nothing to complain about other than she is probably making the young girls in America jealous.
Jacob: Too much of a Diva like the other contestants are saying. It really comes through on stage. Looked nice tonight.
Casey: I never liked him or his growls. Really needs to pull up his pants and wear them like a man.
Stefano: Coming up in the world. Hot performance tonight and can't figure out why more people don't vote for him. Don't like his style of dress (hanging suspenders). You are an adult, dress like one.
Lauren: Great voice but needs more confidence and longer skirts.
My vote for the bottom three tomorrow night: Lauren, Jacob & Casey. But I've never been right yet. Ha ha
That's funny that you made notes about the clothing a bit. I did, too, posted this on the earlier blog tonight (that appears to have died at this point):
About the clothing tonight:
Lauren looked really nice! Loved her outfit–fit her age and looked really cute on her!
Stefano looked hot (something about those hanging suspenders)!
James and Haley both dressed perfectly to fit their songs. Both looked great!
I thought Jacob was dressed nicely, but perhaps a little too nicely, if you follow. A little too suave of a look for him (how old is he?), in spite of the “Luthering” attempt tonight. But then I didn’t like the “play clothes” he wore previously, either. Not sure how I would dress him, if I were his stylist, but something more “with it.”
Scotty looked rather nondescript.
And I have no recollection of what Casey wore. Either I was totally focused on the song he was singing or his guitar simply obscured his attire. Both!
Really Brandon the Casey hate from you has gotten pathetic.
I have Casey best of the night with James a very close second and Haley a very close 3rd. Those 3 should be the final 3
Casey is a great entertainer and he never misses a note his phrasing is great he is the whole package, I'd pay to go see him.
James of course is great and I love his hard metal edge. Definitely would pay to see him
Haley was smokin hot tonight and the judges piss poor review was maddening. Especially when they gave Stefano such a glowing review when he sucked.
Scotty chose the wrong song and is getting boring but his fan base will keep him in there. I would like to see him in the bottom 3 maybe it would light a fire under him to step it up. Do some Montgomery Gentry "Hell Yeah" or some Big and Rich maybe. Instead of the same ole same ole
Jocob same ole same ole, time to go
lauren so so. They keep saying how great she is but she keeps failing to step up and do what she needs to to prove everyone right. Time to move on from Lauren and focus on Haley who is in it to win it!
Stefano was just awful, started slow then got very choppy and mechanical and progressed in to that boring whine. Time to go.
So I had it
Casey
James
Haley
Lauren
Scotty
Jacob
Stefano
Jacob or Stefano will go home, Scotty will probably not be in the bottom 3 but should be. Might be lauren.
agree with most Hawk, except regards Branden. I thought he showed great courage in giving Casey the poor grade even in the light of all the hype and pimping Casey's been getting. Would not be surprised to see Casey taste a bottom 3 again. Why? Because for all the hype both James and Casey get from posting people here, most of voting public are not that "taken" with Casey's artful Jazz/Rock and James' excessive screams.
top 3 James, Haley, Casey, Jacob to go home
scotty:his performance tonight was super boring…dont really expect much from him cuz its the same thing over and over again
james:not really a fan but his performance blew me away! i love muse and he really rocked that song…KUDOS to james
haley:she has been my favorite from the beginning and her performance was incredible!! keep on growling haley
jacob:was a fan a first but now im realizing wat a boring stage he gives us every single week
casey:worst performance of the night for me…nuff said :/
stefano:very different than wat i was expecting but entertaining yet weak…he has a lot to prove cuz hes already been in the bottom i think 4 times already
lauren:nice voice and all but america really doesnt need you right now so take your boringness and go home as well as scotty
i dont get the hype about scotty..it irks me >.<
My favorite tonight was for sure Haley. As always, pretty much. She's been my favorite through the whole season, and I'm glad more people are starting to realize how good she really is. James and Casey were tied for second for me. I was nervous when I heard Maroon 5! I HATE Maroon 5, haha. I liked Casey doing it though, sounded better than the band! James doing Muse was pretty awesome, they are one of the best rock bands out there. I've always wanted to hear Haley do Adele or Amy Winehouse, and she finally did, and it just justified why I've always favored her and backed her. She has her own unique style.
1. HALEY (That's my girl!)
2. Casey/James (James is an explosive performer.)
3. Casey/James (Casey is sooo extremely talented. A real musician.)
4. Lauren (Beautiful voice as always, not a great song choice.)
Bottom 3;
5. Scotty (Yaaaawwwnnn…step it up, country boy!)
6. Jacob (Booorrriiinggg!)
7. Stefano (Enough with the whining, please! I can't take anymore whining from him!!! His version doesn't hold a candle to Ne-yo's…sorry.)
Yeah, and that about sums it up for me.
I've been a huge Haley fan all season long and I'm ecstatic to see that more and more people are starting to like her. Way to go girl!
You should look at the vote ranking that the highest vote top 3 are Lauren, Scotty & James.
Bottom 3 are Haley, Stefano and Jacob.
If Haley is in the bottom 3 again, then it is a popularity contest because she was one of the best two performances and the ONLY one who took a chance and sang a song that is current NOW!!
I love Adele and Haley did her and herself justice with her version.
once again scotty picked a country song. Predictable boring mundane. And that cocky attitude that is all of a sudden appearing on stage. What is that. He's becoming scotty Mcreeepy. Yuck i really wish this guy would go swingin out the door. And Stefano dancing on stage was just scary. I dont know what was worse his dancing or his singing. He needs to go dancing out the door as well. James blew me away with that Muse song he sang WOW WOW WOW. Im a Fan! š As always Loved Lauren and Haley. Casey is a great Muscian. I almost forgot about Jacob he's sweet but kind of forgetable. Sorry Jacob. Love you though.
Poor recap Branden. You don't know much about music. Sorry.
Please Michelle enlighten us.
You're all crazy..The real talents in this whole thing are Casey and Stefano!!
your a effin retard!
na she's realy not, casey and stefano are the best
Best at what? Do they have some talent at like Knitting or Backgammon that I wasn't aware of?
Just for the record there are 2 Franks on this board.
I happen to think Haley and James are the best of the bunch.
I like this upbeat for Stefano for a change, that's where he belongs and he's good at it.
I really hope & pray Stefano survives.
Get rid of Scotty, he is so arrogant, he doesnt think he will ever get booted off, I can hardly wait for THAT show.
Too much favoritism for Casey, not fair for judges (i.e. Steven to favor Casey at the end of the show…shame on you).
Jacob time to go home.
Stefano, can you sing something a bit different than your usual type of song? Not much actual singing tonite, but does seem that more and more young gals are voting for him.
Overall, love Stefano, Stefano and Stefano for the win but it's tough to compete with fire, and other special effects and musicians.
How come so much difference in accompaniment, special effects, etc? Stefano go for it, if you have access to it.
Nice that they are confident, but I sure dont like the arrogance of some. Bye Scotty, Jacob and Haley.
I don't think Scotty is arrogant, I just think he's a bit over rated. He seems like a nice kid.
Tonight Ryan Seacrest said that it is up to the performer on what accompaniment they get. I do know that Chris Jericho a pro Wrestler and Front man for Fozzy, got Zakk Wylde to play for James so I dont know how those work. But the fog, lighting and other stuff is up to the performer.
Awkward moment for Ryan (so he flossed over it quickly) when he remarked to Casey after losing his faux beard, "So this is what it feels like to be a Real Man!" in falsetto:"Awwwk–ward!"
Dora, i really hope & pray Stefano survives. Branden hates him since day 1…
i love haley…why they dont like haley its because she is a total package…i hope lauren and scotty goes home! not deserving to become american idol! goshhhh i think american idol wants to become american sucks idol!
I think james is good but I think is already a showoff and he already has a big enough ego as it is, so you can guess how big his ego is going to get if he wins. His head will not fit inthe room. For this reason alone, I don't think he could handle fame.
you are a waste of air
i agree with idolfan12.
Not all of the air.. just the Oxygen.
did you mean Scotty?
i was rather bored with the show tonite. Being older, i did not recognize any of these songs. Anyway, CASey has got to go——Corny kiss with jlo at end-yuck- He just think he is so cute-most people that i hang out with says the same-casey needs to go-
Funny you mention that. My Old Man was watching it tonight, he is of the opinion that they stopped making good music sometime around 1980. lol
But tonight even he sat through it and even complimented James and Haley (which surprised me coming from him)
Wow! Haley and James rocked it! I'm downloading them to my ipod. Their performances were the best of the season! Just great.
I love country; but tonight's performances by Scotty and Lauren were karaoke at best. They both have amazing voices, but like a good wine, need to mature to become great artists. Note to Scotty; Please quit holding the mic like a flute while you tilt you head the other way… it looks really goofy!
The little girls will love the bubble-gum offered up by Stephano, and they are why he's still in the competition.
Although I really liked Casey in the past, well he's just gotta' go! That kiss was creepy, and he always looks so angry when he sings. I didn't get why everyone loved it so much. When JLO turned her head, all I could imagine was dragon breath!
Thanks Haley and James for the great show. I can't wait to see both of you in concert when your drop your first albulm!
So I was totally stoked that Haley and James sang the exact songs that I had called for them to sing on the song prediction post!
Scotty- Song had no depth. He didn't sing it bad it was just a horrible song choice. B-
James- Brilliant. He sang the song great which is one of my faves by one of my fave bands. The drumline was a great touch. A+
Haley- She did a great job tonight I thought. A
Jacob- I actually liked that he was toned down a little tonight. I thought he did pretty well. B+
Casey- I loved it. I have no idea what Branden was thinking giving this a C-. The song choice was great and Casey was great. A+
Stefano- When I first saw him with the black t showing off his muscles and the red suspenders all I could think was "where is the fire for him to put out?" His dance moves were not good either. As a person who can pop & lock his attempt was awful. Singing for the bad fireman dancer wasn't amazing either. C
Lauren- I actually liked her performance. This is definitely the kind of music she will be singing when she embarks on her career. B+
Bottom 3: Stefano, Jacob, Haley
Going Home: Jacob
There's a pecking order at this point so unless someone completely flubs up Casey, James, Lauren and Scotty will be in the top 4. Unfortunately it's just how it is.
Casey Blew Ass!
Actually, that was J-Lo's face, but I can see how you would make that mistake. š (kidding, kidding!)
relax man!!! Pia is gone… its fine…let it go…
Oooh! Kdub, I think that Zing equals the one Templar blindsided LOLOL with earlier! And JLo deserves it for her petty downgrading of Haley always.
~tips hat to coondog~ thankya sir. š
James and Haley were leaps and bounds better than the rest tonight! I think people really need to get off the Scotty horse. Yes, hes a nice young kid and he's great, but there is no wow factor there. James is truly unique and a much better vocalist. Also, Haley is coming up strong and I'm hoping we'll get lucky soon and have a "wardrobe malfunction!"
for the first time ever i find myself in agreement with all of branden's reviews, except i would scale everything down a grade lower (james and haley get an A, lauren gets a B, etc). saves me the effort of having to post my own.
durbin doesn't have the most unique voice, but he more than makes up for it with his showmanship. haley might have the most distinct and versatile voice we've ever heard on Idol. this week's performances just reinforced those early assessments of mine.
james and haley should make the top 2. otherwise, Idol needs to change its voting system.
Agree with you 100% Tyler.
:Thumbs up:
4got, She's "hot" too!
Totally 100% a million times agree with your top 2 pick. My choice would also be James & Haley, but we all (secretly) know its prolly gonna be James & Scotty. For me, a nightmare finale would be Jacob & Casey. I have no idea why the judges keep pimping them up so much. Jacob uses vibrato all throughout the song which makes it seem as if he's always about burst into tears. And Casey? Overactor
i disagaree with what you said about Casey! This guy is the most talented and his voice is very distinct. You can really identify that he is Casey with his voice and style. James is a copycat of Adam. And Adam is better than him. Haley has also a unique voice and distinct. Scotty is very boring and one trick pony. And he does not challenge himself. I'm tired of his performances. You got poor taste snakebite313. Sorry
Casey did better last night, but I still just don't like his voice. Besides that, I don't think he is idol material …neither is Jacob. I thought they all did very well last night. Scotty was off his game, but he will survive. I do agree that Lauren needs to step it up. I have never been a big fan of Haley's, but I think she is probably the most improved. Stefano had great eye contact and connection last night, but I don't think he will make it to the end.
Going hone tonight? Stefano or Jacob.
Michelle: Casey has a distinct voice? Hmmm… lemme close my eyes and listen…..
Sounds like Jack Black with the flu. No actually Jack Black with the flu sounds better.
The original artists whose songs were covered by Casey weren't at all pleased at how Casey growls & grunts their songs (ask Dave Grohl)while James' covers have all been applauded.
Copycat of Adam? Ermmm I just can't imagine James singing "Time for Miracles" or "For Your Entertainment".
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah… sorry i was just thinking about when u said Casey is the most talented
Snakebite, I very much agree with you about Casey. I for one fail to see how he has a single fan who is outside of is immediate family. People say he is the most talented musician. So what. His voice and stage presance are by far the lowest of all who is left. Yet the judges praise this guy. I guess so they do not have to feel like idiots for wasting there save on him.
The true nightmare finale is not possible now, (Jaycee, and Jacob would be really boring)
To me the nightmare finale possible right now is Jacob and Scotty or Stefano and Jacob
I was really not sure Haley could pull off Adele, in fact, I wasn't convinced anyone could pull off Adele. She's so unique and her voice is so powerful, I didn't think Haley could bring it out. But I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely Haley's best performance, her pitch was good the whole way through, and cut back on the growling. Definitely what she needed at this point.
I want Lauren to break out though! I know she can sing so much more powerfully, you can hear it every now and again.
Bottom 3 (I hope): Jacob, Casey, Stefano, with Jacob going home. He's been boring since day 1.
I agree.
I agree James is a good stage performer. Which is important. But, I doubt many people stop and immediatley thought his voice was something special or unique the first instant they heard it. But, throw in all the fireworks, sizzeling guitar work (which he does not do) and even lighting piano on fire and one can say his performance is good. But, the question people must ask is … how good would James be without all the razzel dazzel?
Actually his voice on While My Guitar Gently Weeps was awesome, no flash just him sitting on a stool killing it!
Tyler….I've been saying that all along…James & Haley in the finale and last night proved it!!!!!!!!! They are the two most exciting, what are they going to sing tonight, performers……They deserve to be there….
Personally, based on last night's performances. Jacob, Casey or Scotty should be in the bottom three but Casey probably won;t be due to all the loving the judges give him….BOGUS…he's not all that great..
Phyllis, I couldn't have said it better myself. I think the reason Casey gets pimped up so much is because the judges wanna be able to sleep at night as they try to convince themselves that saving Casey was the the right decision. Of course we all know the judges dropped the ball there. Did you see their faces when Pia got booted? Their eyes spelled regret at using the save too early. They knew they made the wrong decision, they just dont wanna accept it. And thats why they hold Casey on a pedestal… in order to feel good about themselves and their reputations
I'm glad you finally agree with me, Tyler. Ha.
Casey, Jacob, and then Stephano need to be the next to go. They are a waste of air time.
yeah, stephano should be the next to go. he doesn't have much to offer at this stage in the competition. as a singer he's middle of the pack at best, and its just awkward to watch his weird facial expressions, for lack of a better word. he tried to bust a couple of moves, but he was as stiff as a poker on that stage.
Casey would be way better off as a producer. as a singer he doesn't quite cut it for me.
Jacob i don't mind staying for a couple more weeks. its a singing contest, and he's easily better than the two i've mentioned above.
If this was really a singing contest Tyler, Scotty would have gone home weeks ago.
I agree! If this is a singing contest, scotty and lauren should have go home first. They aren't as versatile as the others. But sad to say its a popularity contest. Casey is the best in all aspects of what an AI should be!
I loved Stefano last night. what feeling he has.
You're wasting virtual space…
Hee hee!
How true.
I really agree with branden on James and Haley. Also I agree with putting Casey in the bottom. I don't think Stephano did quite as bad as he says, but he's still bottom 3. I thought Lauren was also bottom 3, although Jacob was a close bottom 4.
I agree with u there…I had a gut feeling James would do esp well on this one & I dont think Stefano did that bad at all. I think Casey or Jacob should go home.
Haley is such a babe! I love those legs!! Show me more baby!!!!
I love her legs too.
She is smoking HOT and the best singer, also she owns that stage when she is on it.
She has the best stage perfomance of them all.
For everyone who likes to say that James is just up there screaming. If you care to, you should check out Front men like Tommy Shaw (Styx, Damn Yankees), Axel Rose (Guns N Roses), David Coverdale (Whitesnake), Joe Elliot (Def Leppard)and Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) just to name a few. I hope you can enjoy.
Maybe James singing the chorus one octave higher was too much for somebody .. for them I recommend to listen the studio recording version on Youtube. Just awesome. But I loved his high notes in live performance.
Amen to that, Wellen—
And let us not forget my oh, so personal favorite—the "Deamon of Screamin" himself—Stevie T. He's built his 40+ year career on some amazing, bad-ass screamin'. 63 and still touring and making music since 1964. Yeah, there's a following for scream, for sure!
Did you coin that phrase Debbie2–Deamon of Screamin? I like it regardless. And to me, Steven's screams are just right, but I can't tolerate the frequency and level of James–I just don't have the Metal for it!
Of course I'm refering to Steven Tyler
Agreed. James is not even screaming tonight. He's actually SINGING those high notes! Every word was crystal clear no matter how high his register. F'ing AMAZING!!!
Exactly, When other artists go up and hit their falsetto, James just goes up and nails the note… unbelievable talent on this kid.
no matter if he sings or screams, still love him though
I was going to stop posting due to all the negativity, but I do agree with you Wellen. James was outstanding last night singing "Uprising" by Muse. Haley was really good as well She nailed the song by Adele.
—-Coonie-D—–
Love to take the credit for Steve-the-T.'s more descriptive name. Fans and media dubbed him this much like "The King of Pop", "The Boss", "The Fab Four"; you get it. His legal name is Steven Victor Tallarico of Italian and German descent on his father's side, and Russian and Yugoslavic on his mum's. As a fan, (sans the option,) I've researched some. (It's not JUST eye-sex!)
Gettin' scary! LOL. good info
Also wanted to add that last night James was brilliant the way he would sing a phrase in his low register (smoothly and clearly) and then sing the next phrase in his high register (also smoothly and clearly). Like a light switch – not many performers can do that. He's excellent – the next rock star for sure!
Unbelievable how everyone on this sight "chooses" not to recognize Jacob's great vocal ability. No one can honestly say that Lauren was better than Jacob tonight. She was flat out boring. Based on tonight's performances, in the bottom three should be: Lauren, Stefano & Scotty. But we all know that this is a popularity, not singing contest so I predict Stefano will go home.
I will give Jacob this. Randy's advice is pure insanity. This newer restrained Jacob is ten times better than the vocal cannon he was before. The past 2 weeks have been leaps and bounds of improvement. The only problem is it seems like everybody else is getting better as well (except scotty, who skipped a beat tonight, but meh, who cares, his fans are rediculously loyal) If Jacob had started out like this I might have a better liking of the guy as a performer, I just still admittedly have a hard time getting over the first 5 weeks of amazing vocal power but no control.
He and Stefano are my 2 pics to leave tomorrow overall (not just based on tonight but as a body of work and how the artist is progressing) even though both have been much better over the past couple weeks, the others have just really distanced themselves too much imo.
Jacob has incredible vocal ability. Can't deny that. However, I can't stand to watch the guy. He looks like he's about to burst into tears every night. He has not done anything upbeat and fun, everything has been slow and sleepy. He's not doing anything to get anyone excited about his performance.
Yes, Scotty's performance tonight sucked. Lauren's was a bit boring, but I think once she hits her stride, she's going to be absolutely amazing. She just needs to get some confidence. But they're still fun to watch. They get the audience into and that's what takes you from being a singer to being an entertainer.
That's why everyone wants Jacob to go. Not because he can't sing, because he obviously can sing, very well. He can't perform to save his life.
People want jacob to go home the same reason they didn't vote adam the winner last time. adam was so much better than anyone last season. after adam i didn't care to hear anyone else. but kids vote the most and kids wont vote a gay person a winner. jacob is gay and that is why he can't win.
And you know he is gay ho? I really doubt he is gay, hr just grew up around alot of girls.
Sorry, I CAN honestly say that, for me, Lauren WAS better than Jacob last night, and has been every time. I cannot stand Jacob's voice. HONESTLY.
Am in the Middle East so will view this tonight but judging from last week totally agree with who will go, Jacob and the bottom three. think the top 4 at the end will be Scott, James, Casey and Hayley. Love Casey but maybe a bit too off the wall for American audiences. Still think it has the most talented performers ever.
In my opinion, the best 2 performances of the night were James and Haley.
Frankly, much as I like him, Scotty probably was boring and the weakest but he is safe because he is judged on his looks and cuteness. That being said, he has become complacent and a bottom three appearance may wake him up!!
Funny Branden said Stefano was like a Chippendale Dancer because my wife said exactly the same and I will defer to her judgment as I have never seen a performance by a Chippendale Dancer, which begs a question of Branden – Just Kidding!
My bottom 3 in my opinion, based on last night, should be:
Stefano
Scotty
Casey
However, based on all the pimping the judges have been doing for the past 3 weeks to justify their saving Casey and the popularity vote for Scotty, it will probably be:
Stefano
Jacob
Lauren
If that is the case, then Stefano should go but I suspect Jacob will be ousted.
By the way, Pia dominated the opening performance, which I thought was a great idea because, after all, they will all be on the tour and are part of the best American Idol as far as overall talent is concerned.
pia and the gang sux big time
in my opinion, pia was outshined by the rest of the ladies in that number- naima, pia, ashton and karen. She pales in comparison when it comes to stage presence as if she's not even there…
The only one with more stage presence was Naima. Paul wanders around as if he were drunk. Vocally I think we all know who really pales in comparison. Honestly, that segment was a huge waste of time
b/c she has a solo & a duet w/ paul in the performance. so unfair for the others!
I can't stand Casey. He is stuck on himself. I almost barfed and felt for Jlo when she had to put up with him stuck in her face and he acted like he is the best thing there ever was. I can't stand him. As for Scotty, he is wonderful. He is himself and not trying to impress others with phony acting….like Casey. I don't kmow why they ever saved Casey…what a wasted vote. Scotty is not cockey, he is just sure of himself as a person. I think he has a great voice and I would love anything that he would chose to sing. He is so cute too!! He doesn't need to to dance all over the place!!
I didn't feel for her… it's her own damn fault that he is still there. LOL (That said, tonight we finally saw the old Casey that looked like a frontrunner to start the competition, this is what he should have been doing since week one.)
I am confused because I feel that there is so much talent on these last contestants..but I will be sad to see a few of them go..I am not crazy about Haley,it's not so much that she can't sing..she can,but I find her personality not very likable..I love James Durbin..he is incredible and I have liked him from the start..but Scotty..oh my god..he is not only a sweetheart,but he can sing like nobodys business! I love Jacobs voice,but actually liked it better when he was less restrained..Stefano..he is really good,but I don't think he will make it..and Casey…..hmmmm..he was wonderful last night,but I have not been overly impressed with his growling along the way..I think it will come down to James and Lauren…if Lauren kicks it up a notch…when she belts out a song..she is absolutely amazing!!
Hello! Are you taking drugs? Everything you said about Casey is untrue! Casey has the voice, talent, passion, musicality, versatility, fearlessness, and distinct quality that your Scotty does not have. I can't even stand your Scotty since the beginning. He is very boring, does not challenged himself, holds his mic so awful, and his facial expressions sucks! Scotty is so cockey 100%! No great voice at all! Sorry! Scotty always stimulate my stomach to throw up with his awful songs! Casey deserves the SAVE! He is the best there is, the best there was and the best that will ever be!
I agree with others that say Casey should never have been saved. And the judges are looking loke fools with there praise for him every week.
Michelle: Poor taste you say? I bet its eating you up inside while you scroll down reading one comment after the other and realizing that your precious Casey annoys the hell out of most people. Especially after his bound-to-be oscar nominated performance when the judges stopped him midway through his supposedly "lifesaving' song after America gave him the boot. He was like a mother finding out her son had been killed in the war. He stumbled around a bit, looked dizzy, grasped his heart and sweated through his suit. OVER-ACTOR
Snakebite….Casey already has about a million fans.. You are just flat out stupid…You go to any respectable jazz musician and ask them why Casey is considered to be so good.. His performance of Marron 5 was a little off, i agree…but listen to the studio version ad tell me its bad…Don't talk about things you possibly cant fathom.. Casey annoys people…Big woof.. People get annoyed by anything and everything these days..People get annoyed that James has facial ticks, people get annoyed that Hailey looks sexy, people get annoyed that Scotty holds his mic like a flute…most people are stupid…If you want to debate on the musicality of Casey..why don't we debate here? You can reply below..but do i will be able to reply only after two days.. i have to go somewhere today…and so write down your thoughts and i will destroy you in two days.. š
Cheerio…
This was a really weak night overall for this season.
All I can really say after watching these performances is that I'm really missing Pia and Thia.
Aside from Scotty, who even had a bad night tonight, the remaining group just doesn't seem to have have the ability to produce a full blown hit song. James and Lauren are close, and I think they might come out with something that blows me away, but thus far have not. Right now, I'm hearing songs that are at best weak filler songs for an album.
The majority of the talent of this season was already voted off and I think it's starting to show.
As far as tonight's performances, Jacob, James and Casey all had their best performances to date. Despite that, Jacob was still weak, and Casey still came off as amateur. James, on the other hand, really showed some great potential, but he still needs to kick it up another level before I can really endorse him as a great rock singer. Tonight was Scotty's worst performance, which was still passable, but really weak for him. Haley and Lauren were about average. Stefano had the overall worst performance of the night.
You must be watching a different show than the rest of us. This is the best talent I have ever seen on Idol. I am sure even Simon, who I totally miss would think so. I do not think the judges are fairly assessing the singers however which is why I miss Simon! I do not like the holy rolling of Jacob, or the angriness of Casey either or both could go home and I would be happy. Pia will be famous and Thia, she just is not made for the pop rock stage maybe a Disney Star.
Why I think Stefano should go. By Wellen
He has very little talent compered to the rest of the cometitors at this point. He tried to do some Americas Best Dance crew/Kareoke tonight. He has consistantly been unable to perform week to week. Im a guy so his looks dont mean anything to me. He reminds me of someone who just got out of a Boy band with very little stand alone ability.
I think Stefano has sooo much personality. He deserves to stay.
I disagree with you, Wellen. I think Stefano i very talented and deserves to remain on the show.
I find Stefano a really good & not boring performance, better than Jacob, Lauren and Scotty who have just safe and always-the-same song choice, there is no variety. Stefano did upbeat, with dance moves… which is entertaining…
i was very happry that scotty finaly received negative feedback from the judges, i wish paul and pia were there in my opinion the were great, paul was my favourite, i was sad when he left, well my bottom three should be stephano, scotty, jacob/lauren, going home stephano
hf
Hopefully Jacob or Lauren will go. They were th worst tonight.
My Opinion only. Last nite was as boring as the movie week. There was no outstanding moment . From anyone. Tyler needed his mouth taped and while on the subject use some on Jlos mouth. She never shuts up. And in prior blog from doent know who, what makes her a music expert. There a cheat sheet telling whose song belongs to, who sang it etc. Another boring, predictable hour Why not a jazz nite a rock nite country nite or ballad nite>?
I believe Scotty takes his criticism and will be back with a better performance next week. He wrote that in his Twitter.
I am a Scotty fan and I don't like his performance this week, to be honest. But it's not horrible or watch or hear. And once being criticized like this, he has to, and he will, bounces back better.
Based on vocal ability, I am starting to like Jacob more. He sings one of my favourite song this week. I don't know what people think about it, but he delivers it well in my opinion. Though it's not really creative, just stick to the original.
Dialidol is not that reliable. But Scotty is still leaving everyone behind. And I can image someone at the first spot will be voted out, even in the bottom 3 is impossible too. We have previous experience with Pia, but she's in the 3 position. Scotty's leading busy signal and ranked 4 in terms of raw numbers. He will be safe. People who love him are voting very hard for him. Certain number of his fans get disappointed, but like me, they believe in his comeback next week.
He's a nice kid who has a lot of room for improvement. He's best at singing traditional songs where he doesn't need to do much with minimum music and accompanying vocal involved.
Let him sit or give him a standing mic with a guitar, hm, and a hat maybe. He will fill the room with his warm and deep vocal. I don't recall people complaining about his voice at all when he covers the River, I cross my heart, Letter from home, Country Comfort, Can I trust you with my heart.
Boring, distracted as many may think about him, he has good vocal that can improve with time. He's nice with other contestants and talking calmly, comfortably with Idol staff/judges. He knows how to grasp teen's and gramma's heart. That's why he has a very large fanbase, much larger than some other contestants and never be put in bottom three.
Just can't imagine using the word "hate", "loathe" on any contestant in general and Scotty in particular. None did anything immoral to deserve that.
um, I can' imagine someone at the first position of Dialdol like Scotty being voted out tomorrow. So wrong typing
Yeah, I can't imagine people really hating on him… I mean, I kid because his fans are sometimes just way too fun to poke fun at, but he seems like a genuinely good guy. The issue I have is that his performances have not once ever made me feel energized or really driven any feelings for me. George Strait, Garth Brooks, Lonestar, Alabama, Hank Jr… all those were able to stir the soul and drive emotion from their audience… Scotty just doesn't have that for me yet. (Lauren is getting there, though. She seems to be starting to "get it") He has a great voice, but his limitations are starting to show and his performances need to start energizing… tonight was a good attempt, and he is thinking along the right lines, but he just picked the wrong song.
melp…. that was beautiful! i agree 1000000%
as a scotty fan it is soooo nice to hear something that indept about him, again very nicely put š
let me guess.. are you a 13 year old girl who thinks scotty is super cute and hot? scotty is boring. his performances all sound and look the same. he certainly does not deserve to be there. week to week, i see no improvement. it's the same monotone performance over and over again. seriously.. who would want a monotone vocalist as an american singing idol? that would be an insult to all the great singers out there.
hmm…..Agreed….Scotty is the most boring contestant we have right now. He does the same thing week, after week. I don't think he can step it up. What you see and hear is what you get!!!! Nice kid, will get a country contract,will be mentored by the right people but no AI……He is no Carrie or Kelli P……No real pop in his performance except with the mic.
although i'm huge fan of SCotty but i have to say he is not good tonite.
i'm not a fan of Haley but her performance is the best of the night. she looks beautiful too
am i the only one who think that James always got special treatment in his performance? his performance always has huge background. that's not fair.
Even Lauren and Scotty didn't do well tonite but i still hope they're safe… my bottom 3 should be SCotty, Stefano and Casey based on their performance
It's perfectly fair, if any of the other contestants asked for the same kind of stuff, they would get it as well. James just thinks bigger and outside of the box more than they do.
That does not him a better singer when you rely bigger back ups to quell the noise
all i hear from james is shrieks and screams. take those away, he's a mediocre singer. what more if we take away the extra special stage effects?
James does it up good, he has the" total package," for a hard rocker…he has the the screams, the dress, the moves, and of course the showmanship…that is what sets him apart from the others.
i super duper agree!
I beg to differ — James is not screaming. Offhand, I only can think of three rockers who could do what James is doing — Tyler, Mercury, and Plant.
Totally agree with you..James is the rocker. He has proved he can sing all kinds of music…..Scotty is one dimensionaly…..
James is an entertainer not just a singer…..I'm waiting to hear him and Steven in the finale…..Should be a show of shows.
Clive: I have a strong feeling that when you mentioned Mercury and Plant, they have no idea what you're talking about. Its a pop-world nowadays, thats why to them James is only screaming & shrieking. And for those who claim to be rockers and also think James is screaming and shrieking… you better stop calling yourselves rockers. If James' voice doesnt remind u of Robert Plant, Freddy the Great, or even Bruce Dickinson… then ur not rockers, you're just sad emo-punks
They all get to choose the type of background they want, it was James' idea, they all have the right to be creative with their performances, so maybe James is more creative in that way.
Anyone can ask for special effects but few choose to do anything.
Think back a few years to Adam Lambert and remember the shows he put on with special effects.
My list for April 20, 2011:
1) James – Amazing, nailed it
2) Casey – Cool and fun – rocked it out
3) Stefano – much improved, smooth
4) Haley – love her, but had some diction probs
5) Jacob – growing tired of this bleeding heart
6) Loren – really like her, but tonight too weak
7) Scotty – like him, but tonight pure corn
I REALLY want Jacob to go home tomorrow. Even though I think his performance last night was better than Loren and Scotty. Historically, I prefer Loren and Scotty to him. And I'm getting tired of his cry baby/vibrato sound. Judges keep comparing Jacob to Luther Vandross, Personally he reminds me of an 80's singer named Aaron Nevil – and to use an 80's term: LAME
you need your hearing checked
jacob's an amazing vocalist. he actually SINGS. and lauren is one of the best singers there, imo. her tone is very rich and unique, very sweet to hear. š but i absolutely agree with you about scotty. he should go.
I agreeStefano was great. So much emotion.
hmm – no need to defend Lauren to me. I think she's terrific! My list is based on last nights performance – not on her body of work. JLo's comments about her stepping it up were spot-on, I believe Lauren can hit those high notes and could be outstanding, she just needs to come out of her shell. Lauren has a unique voice WHICH I LOVE!
Yea James nailed it . All i can say is Wowowo!!!! His voice sounded amazing singing the Muse.
tnx for da update people on sunday i can put my actual 2 cents in but for now i think you're maybe spot on it culd be jacob or stefano going packing from what ive seen last week spk to u 8ta
bye…bye………….
Sherry I am from cape town as well. Its just a pity we can not vote. My winner will remain the same till the end. Scotty to win
Right this is what I think casey had a junk song. Stefano good choice. Haley junk song. Jacob a safe song. James a safe song. Scotty a safe song not impressive. Lauren a safe song but good.bottom 3 is casey. Haley. jacob. Leaving would be casey if by any chance not casey it would be jacob. But I think its end of the road for casey
yeah, casey should go. he did not deserve the save from the judges.
Haley sang the #1 song at the moment and did a great job.
Scotty crooned a song from 1982 when it was supposed to be a 21st century theme night and he was predictable and boring last night.
—-WOW—
3 Great Performances (at least on my T.V.)
The group-sing really started the show with a Bang! Lots o' hi-octane, get up offa yo' ass, Pink-a-licious, hullabaloo fun! It made me want to go dancing so I grab my keys and go for the door,
BUT WAIT…
Here comes a mini marching band and a (what the heck) Kaiser?? OH!—-No, it's James! (What do I know?) O.K., now I'm a"muse"d then blo-o-wn away. That was not a performance, it was a CONSUMMATION!Loved it. The other 6 might just as well punch their time cards and go home!
All right, now I'm in the mood for a concert, so again I make for the door.
BUT HOLD ON…
My #2 fella, Casey's on. I'll go when he's done.
Wow, glad I waited! Good song opt. He always delivers for me and never disappoints. Gotta love THAT in a man.
And "So What" if he kissed the most beautiful thing in the world? I'd judge-kiss, too. Darn-tootin'. I'd be scamperin' over to Stevie T.'s "Oh-So-Kissable" lips for some very serious lockage! No "Howdy-do" cheek-peck for ME, Casey.
Randy'd call out, "Best performance of the NIGHT!"…
Seacrest would mumble something about cutting to a commercial,
and JLo wouldn't notice anything…she just found her mirror.
So now I don't know where I should be,
WHEN LOOK…
Here comes Stephano. Not a fan, but Princess was right; it WAS ladies night. A "Chippendale" comment is way, way better than a "boring" comment. He tricked me into paying more attention to his singing–which was good. Not top 3 but…
Now I have the urge to see dancers of the male persuasion! Too much testosterone. I'll most likely get out of hand, so here I am instead, finishing my rant.
Debbie really????
Did you go and make a coffee when Haley performed, now that was the best performance of the night.
Thank you
@Brick—
Yeah, I watched everybody and always do so with an open mind. I have nothing personal for or against any of them–it's just a T.V. show for me, so I'm not biased, I just know how I feel. She was good, but …..?
Her stylist should be shot for making her dress like Wilma Flintstone!
Debbie….my fellow kite flyer….Long time…nice to see you here…
To Casey Fans
Check out the Casey Abrams Harder to breather studio version…I was surprised..it kicks ass…I honestly didn't expect it to be so good….Check it out… You too Coondog…as a favor please…
Shucks Gautham, I would except I don't surf internet too much beyond this and email–I'm just an Old Coondog. But out of professional courtesy to you, I encourage others–including the Casey Doubters like myself–to give it a shot. Casey's alright, I think he's actually very aware of where his Limits are–he's good, but just not as good as the judges want him to be, which gives him pressure–and ulcers.
I am desperate, so give me your email and i will send it to you…
Sorry for copy pasting the above but like i said i am desperate…just listen to it and if you still think it sucks…well i will accept it with a smile… Remember..i may be a casey lover..but at least i'm not a haley hater…. š
Casey suffers from Ulcerative Colitis, which is a very debilitating disease.
Gautham good bye casey. Bye bye
hmmmmm…i do hope you're writing this in good humor…I hate haters…
Goodbye Scotty! You suck!
It's not that Scotty was bad , he just showed a lazy performance last night. That song didn't do any justice for him at all. I think Scotty is cute but he needs to tone those eyebrows down, they are getting out of hand. lol
Let me ask a dumb question.
Where are these studio versions you speak of?
go to youtube and then search for studio versions..once you done that go to any youtube to mp3 converter websites and paste the youtube link in them to get the audio file…
I am desperate, so give me your email and i will send it to you…
Thanks!!
Gautham, I will await Alan's opinion as a courtesy to you! Remember, I'm not a Casey-the-Singer Hater. I'm just an Anti-Casey-Flirting-with-Haley kind of guy. No self-respecting Coondog would like an old Hounddog "marking" his territory! (seriously, this yardsale giveaway computer won't even open up pictures my sister sends me from family gettogethers. lol). And don't worry, poor old Jacob will be everyone's Patsy tonight–Or Will He!?
coondog
hahahahaaa…yardsale giveaway computers have character…
Just click on the above link..and listen…also while you're there…check out haley's studio version too…This year's studio version are amazing…
It's gonna be nauseating to watch, but I'm afraid Stephano is gonna squeak by AGAIN this week and Jacob will go home. Grrr… There's nothing special about this guy at all and yet he keeps getting sent back to that damn couch! That said, I'm tired of Jacob. He's a talent but there's something missing and I think his time is up. Scotty's starting to lose me a little. He's made this rock n roller like country music, but he was weak and boring tonight. Last week too. His mic hold and head turning is starting to bug me. He's coming off as overconfident and too sure of himself. Need to see him get out of his comfort zone. Lauren would have the prize if she were just a little older and more self confident. Casey was Casey and that's what I love about him. He's such and overall talented ARTIST. He won't win, but he's so entertaining to watch as he mixes it up week after week. Haley was terrific. Loved her song choice and hopefully this will be the week she's not in the bottom three. James — I love his story, I love his spirit and passion, and most of all I love that voice. He killed that Muse song tonight. He nails it every week. Can't wait to watch him rock it out with Steven Tyler sometime soon.
Sheri I have to agree with you..I think James Durbin is amazing..when he hits those high notes it gives me chills and is a little reminiscent of Adam Lambert…who could also hold a note perfectly in that high octave…overall I think he is the most entertaining and talented…but I do love Scotty too!
casey's performance tonight reminded me of jack black in school of rock.. maybe because of the guitar and the lots of growling… his song is one of my fave maroon 5 songs… not a fan of Casey's but i love his version of the song! not the best tonight but still good…
Listen to the studio version….its flat out amazing…
just heard of Casey "Harder to Breath" itunes…this guy sense is out of this frikin world. A complete different arrangement. The beginning of the song its like Led Zeppelin "Kashmir" and when the times he start to scatting part its like the hard guitar beat in the Puff Daddy "Come With Me"… CRAZY!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!
i've got to say..im sorry Maroon 5,i like this rock version much better ><
maybe thats why Steven Tyler enjoyed it LOLOL :). Classic rock touch…
Its Kick ass!!!!! Woo Hooo…
yeahhh,Casey f'ing amazing!!!! š
Casey is the best in AI. No question with that. He doesn't fail to surprise and amaze me every week. Always something new to the table. And he does it all great! Awesome talent!
and his stunt of kissing J-Lo in the cheek will be 1 of the most memorable stunt in AI history. This guy know of a requirement for the best performer. That is…memorable.. this guy crazy good!!! š
Yeah, smart stunt kissing Jlo–I'll give him that. Not sure who Jlo will punish more next week though–Casey or Haley–since Casey's breath probably still had the sweet smell of Haley in it. And JL0's a jealous girl of Haley!
Actually this arrangement has been done before but it IS better than his TV performance. His voice still reminds me of Jack Black though
Come on…Admit it..Snakebite…. You liked it… š
His voice may not be perfect but the things he does it is kinda amazing…listen to the studio version of "with a little help from my friends"…that ones brilliant too… every studio version of his except for nirvana and the grapevine song is very good…
Also i would like to ask you where you heard this arrangement before..i personally loved it and would love to hear the original version of that arrangement… If you know the bands name, could you please post it here?
Best of the night- should go to the performance by those who's been voted out earlier (Pia, Paul & Thia etc.)
Haley is the best contestant tonight! It's the 1st time I enjoy her singing (with minus 99% of growls that helps, I guess!)She picked the perfect song!
James is the 2nd best, I didn't like the first few mins of his vocal, perhaps the key is a bit too low!
Others
Casey must have a bad breath & thus JLo turns her head…lol! Well, he maybe multi-talented on instructments, but I still think he's a bad singer.
Jacob seems better & didn't over-sing (well at least not the first half of the song)
Stefano- trying to change his image to "lure" teenies, I guess! But he's not as bad as Branden described (IMO)
Kauren-Great voice but poor stage performance & bad song choice!(See? Pia is not the only one has a poor stage performance!!)
Worst of the night
Scotty- His posture & facial expression on stage is getting from bad to worst….just like his name McCreepy….almost as creepy as Ryan's rail-less forehead….yuk! Wish he concentrates more on his singing!
My bottom 3: Scotty, Casey & Stfano
I guess Americans will send home: Stefano
Jacob will go home
I totally agree with Branden's analyses. Great night… I just went to youtube to hear the original clip by Adele that Haley sang and the JLo said it was not great – what? I liked Haley performace better than this Adele's… very hard song to sing and Haley totally nailed it. I am not sure about James' performance though – reminds me of Adam Lambert's overated theatrical performances – not my style. As for Scotty, I kinda of have fun with his performances – he is so young and fresh, anything he does is cool… I loved that Swinging song – very light and age appropriate for the demographics of the show. Stefano cannot choose the right song – ever – for him and Jacob is lost in the competition. As for Casey, I think he knows he will never win American Idol, so he is just doing whatever the heck he wants… who cares…
BY THE WAY – youtube also has all the studio versions – hd – awesome!!!!
wow!! Haley did better than Adele??????
i totally disagree! i like the original than Haley's rendtion. imo, too much growling.
I didn't hear one growl from Haley in that song! You're just repeating a criticism you've heard mentioned before.
@Pup.. well, it's just my own opinion & i'm intended to it, right? maybe i just don't like Haley's voice & it seems like she always growls in her performances. again imo!
Who told you that Casey will never win? Kiss your ass out!
I personally thought Scotty did a good job but does need to step it up next week. He has a very pure strong voice and is confident. I think they need to give each Idol whatever they need to enhance their act. Scotty commented in rehearsal he needed a girl swinging in a swing. They could have added a lot with this. I agree he needs to step out in the next performances and show his ability to be versatile and strong. Go Scotty!!!!!!
My ranking tonight:
1.) James- I am not a James fan but this is one of my favorite songs and he did it justice. I always thought the reason James shouts is because he can't reach the high notes but tonight he proved me wrong. Because of this performance, he made it easy for me to pick who I want to be the next American Idol.
2.) Haley- powerful voice tonight and great song choice. I am quite surprised I picked Haley and James tonight as my Top 2.
3.) Jacob Lusk- Surprisingly, I was moved by Jacob's performance tonight and him putting in a lot of emotions (w/o overdramatizing the song) paid off. Still, I don't see him as an idol material and wouldn't mind not seeing him next week.
4.) Stefano Langone- Stefano is my early favorite and until now I'm secretly hoping America would not send him home YET. I've loved him ever since I heard him sing "I need you Now" but he has struggled all throughout this competition. He's not the best vocally although his charisma with the ladies has kept him safe. Sure, he won't win AI but you gotta admit this guy has got the moves.
5.) Casey Abrams-This guy is a natural and he doesn't even have to try. I think tonight was not his best performance but I still think overall the perfomance is enough to make him safe next week.
6.) Scotty Mccreery- I swear I want to love this kid but I just can't force myself. He isn't the best singer and the best performer and I've never been a fan of any of his performances and tonight I just proved myself right. Still, I must admit this kid has got the natural born charisma and could possibly make it to the Finale.
7.) Lauren Alaina- Her perfomance was my biggest disappointment tonight. I love Lauren and I remember commenting before that I think James and Lauren would come face to face in the Finale with Lauren winning American Idol. It was just so boring that I can't wait for the song to end.
My Bottom 3: Casey, Scotty, Lauren
Possibly America's Bottom 3: Jacob, Stefano, Lauren
Possibly Going Home: Jacob
You are so right about James!!!! I hope James is the next American Idol.
Scotty chose a song last night that did not due him justice. BUT he is still the most popular singer on american idol. yes James is good but all the time screeching ugh. it will still come down to James and Scotty for american Idol and with all the fan's scotty will WIN. He has away about him that all the young girl's like and everytime he sings we want him to keep on singing so GO SCOTTY
I would say Scotty is the most popular person on AI this year but by no means is he the best singer and last night's crooning of a 1982 country classic was his worst performance to-date.
That being said, because he has the popularity vote, he will cruise through for a few more weeks but, as others are eliminated, unless he steps it up, he may not get those spare votes.
I TOTALLY DISAGREE!! THE SONG CHOICES WAS ALL WEIRD TONIGHT. NO one was good.. Waste of time..
I miss Pia!!!!!!!!!!!!!
she was there… I guess she was so boring again that you missed her
oiiiii!!!! Good one Suz…
Hilarious Suz.
WTH – you go served.
I meant…
WTH – You GOT served.
sPellinG!!
AI has just finished airing in Australia and I thought it was generally quite a good show.
1. Scotty; I actually was a little bored with this song tonight and thought he could've done better, I know he wont end up in the bottom 3 and he will come back strong but it certainly wasn't his best performance.
2. James; He slayed it tonight, this guys vision with his music is fabulous and he loves to perform. Muse is one of my most loved bands and while this wasn't my fave arrangement you have to give it to James for hitting the high notes and singing well in the rest of the song. He didn't miss a 'beat'.
3. Haley; Best performance by her so far in my opinion. She was very strong tonight, she doesn't deserve to be in the bottom 3.
4. Jacob; Too much of the same drivel again, sorry but he just bores me! Poor Pia 'apparently' got voted off for just standing there and singing ballads, well hello…….. bottom 3 for me Jacob.
5; Casey; Now I am not usually a Casey fan, but he surprised me tonight with a better than usual performance. He will be safe.
6; Stephano; Very ordinary performance and weak song choice in my opinion, sorry but probably his time is up, still not enough stage presence for me.
7; Lauren; I think this was her weakest song choice and performance by far. Her start was slow and she just never seemed to get going.
Bottom 3
1.Lauren
2.Jacob
3.Stephano
Going home hopefully Jacob!
I agree with your assessment 100%.
I agree with all except the weakest performance…should go to Scotty. Always the same old stuff….if he knew criticism was coming, then he should have stepped up to the plate a little better
100% agree with you! š
If it wasn't for James last night i would have gone to bed. He brought down the house.
i think the best performances are from the eliminated contestants… š
you must have fallen asleep…cause you dreamin'
Haley was brilliant but the eliminated's performance was ATROCIOUS imo!,as much as I like Paul he was totally out of tune,the armony of the girls was bad too.
agree on all counts
No kidding, right?
yeah, Paul's voice sounded way out of tune, stuck out like a sore thumb
scotty performance is so boring…..
yes, boring once again.
and please, the deep voice he used when talking with ryan, was just plain desperate.
what a joke
I agree. Scotty bores me a lot! Nothing new to the table! Boring!!!
I aqree!
I believe the bottom 3 could be Stephano, jacob and Casey. Hopefully it will be jacob that goes home tonight. I just can't look at him and not think of how he dissed American!! NOT COOL. Stephano has gotten so cocky. NOT COOL EITHER. I love a humble performer. Lauren has always been my pick!!! She has an incredible voice, even though she doesn't always shine. She's humble and has a precious spirit!!
Where r all the Stefano fans huh?? A few weeks ago lots of ppl were praising him and sticking behind him now it's all 'he should go home'? What's going on!? His performances are getting better.
Stefano has improvrd sooo much. I think he did great!
We're here, always on Stefano's side. Every week, all he experts here say he's going home. Am glad they are all wrong, he's safe. He gets bashed all the time and he survives every now & then. I am confident, he'll be fine tomorrow's result.
We're still here! Stefano is amazing, and I'm hoping he doesn't leave AI tonight!
Well, once again James rocked the house last night. We expected it but not quite as much as he delivered last night. He's truly talented and a great performer and he prooved himself once again. Thoroughly enjoyed last nights show. Even Scotty made me smile. Steven Tyler seems to be siding with Casey. Did you notice? I think he doesn't want to admit that maybe the "save" wasn't so necessary.
I disagree. Casey deserves the vote.
I mean Casey deserves the SAVE!
WRONG!!!
Casey and James will be the top 2. When you're judging idols you have to consider not only the voice, but also Stage Presence and Connection to the audience. Both Casey and James are the best at all three. Hayley comes in third. Followed by Lauren, Scotty, Stefano, and Jacob (who should be going home tonight). Hayley and Casey Are very similar artists, they proved that with the BEST PERFOMANCE ON IDOL I've ever seen last week. I'm rooting for Casey, but James is my prediction as the winner of this one.
Nice comment. I definitely like Casey and James and Haley too. But James always into rock. he brings nothing new to the table. I hope Casey and Haley makes it to the finale! š
That would be nice too.
I wish they had recorded that jazz duet with Casey & Haley because it was by far the best I have heard on any idol season.
Yea i think James should win this hands down!!
Did anyone notice how Casey and Haley were kind of stand offish from each other last night? Big difference from last week.
Avoiding media hype perhaps?
In this order last night
James
Haley
Casey
Lauren
Scotty
Jacob
Stefano
James rocked the stage…but I want one of the girls to win and I like them both. I loved Haley lad night but Lauren chose the wrong song….I still like her though. I would be likely to buy a record from either of these girls. I don't think I would buy a James record but…gotta admit he does own the stage and I wouldn't be disappointed if he won. I have trouble even remembering the others….but I'm ready to lose Jacob. I hated that version of Dance…I miss Luther's smooth tones
Go home Jacob
I second that (go home Jacob)
i gotta say Casey stunt of kissing J-Lo cheek will be 1 of the most memorable stunt in AI history. James with his stunt of climbing into the judges table last week. Hailey sit n sing with the judge in the back of her like shes in her own concert today..
a great performer = memorable… FANTASTIC NIGHT!!!
Where r u Stefano Langone fans???
ehem! here!
Here,Here,Here,Here Love him.
I was surprised in those short clips where the contestants spoke about their competition. Not that AI had a piece like that, because they like to pit the contestants against each other. But that James actually could play (for lack of knowing what the heck it's called) the mouth keyboard. So we now know he can play the guitar and keyboard, put on a show (whether you like his music or not) and sing.
Melodica is what that thing is called.
In my opinion, Jacob is the best. Jacob, Jacob is the winner.
Casey FTW!!! He is the best! š
My Last Night Rankings:
1. James
2. Haley
3. Casey
4. Jacob
5. Scotty
6. Lauren
7. Stefano
My Overall Rankings to Date:
1. James
2. Haley
3. Scotty
4. Lauren
5. Casey
6. Stefano
7. Jacob
I love James every week. People saying it's a singing competition, but I think it's more than that. I think performance is important too.
I love Haley's voice and her style.
I really liked Scotty at the begin of the competition, but he's starting to getting boring.
Lauren is needs more confidence. She be a good country singer some day, but she's not an American Idol
Casey is very talented, but creepy
Stefano has lasted too long. I can't believe he's still in it and Pia is not… ridiculous!
Jacob has a good voice, but it he always seems like he's going to cry. I get tired of listening to him.
I think last night was more tense since everyone is getting closer down to the wire. But here is my take:
All I ever remember are his last two notes, and his marching soldiers – I'm so done with the "rock star".
Lauren needs to do what the judges say – if she really can.
The cob has a stunning voice and that's it.
Country boy "looks" better on an album (CD).
Growly girl is a repeat – but highly talented.
Sleepless in Seattle has "Seattle" pretty sleepless (worried).
The only one left deserves my vote – yeah for Case! The kiss on JLo's cheek is very sweet – but a little over-the-top IMO – but he connected the best overall.
Brandon wrote about Stefano: "The backup singers did most of the singing so he could dance."
Let's not go there. There have been other contestants that have allowed the lead guitarists, or sax players play an extended measures instead of them singing. You are going to get on Stefano's case for interacting with the crowd? If you are going to comment about how a singer interacted with a crowd and didn't sing much, then you should think about watching some of these other contestants and how they give lead guitarists or other musicians an extra eight measures of solo time. Yes there were quite a few early on in this competition. No one commented on it except for me and you are now commenting on lack of singing.
Pay attention to the overall performance.
Oh, and I'll critique your article…Use a spell checker!!
I don't really see Lauren going to the bottom three mostly because she was last and people are used to voting for her.
Scotty is frustrating, but he knows he can play it completely safe for another few weeks, so don't look for anything to change there. He is looking like the second-place finisher to me ala David A from a few years ago. The teeny-bopper vote can get him that far. If he is interested in winning, he needs to broaden his horizons and bring in others, but he may not realize that or may not care.
Stefano has made a career out of finishing second-last, but I think it is the end of the road for him tonight.
As long as Jacob, Stefano or Casey goes home I will be content. Casey shouldn't have been saved, and Stefano and Jacob should have gone home before either Thia or Pia.
Think of how different the competition would have been without male contestants.
Based on last night's performances…….Bottom three should be Scotty, Jacob and Lauren but the fan base is set and people hear what they want and probably Stefano will be going home…JMHO
JAMES & HALEY ROCKED THE STAGE….As of right now they deserve to be in the finale…..Casey does absolutely nothing for me…..He's all puff and smoke. The judges have to boast his ego because they saved him way too early in the competition. JMHO……
agreed haley and james were spectacular both my favourites go both of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i hate scotty hes not good at all
James' performance was bad. He just screamed to reach those high notes.
You're insane in the membrane dude. Even if you don't appreciate his style of music (that's cool) he killed those high notes with such control and nuance it was absurd! Like Haley, he's grown leaps and bound every single week. Tough choices to make over after Stephano and Jacob go home.
I completely agree.
The theme was 21st Century Songs and one of our two Country singers just squeezed in and the other was nearly 20 years out.
Years of US release of each song are:
2011: Rolling in the Deep
2009: Uprising
2008: Closer
2003: Dance with My Father
2002: Harder to Breathe
2000: Born to Fly
1982: Swingin'
Haley & James picked the most recent songs – both by British Artistes – and they were the two I enjoyed the most last night.
At the bottom is the selection of Scotty and I think that is where he was last night. Obviously, he will survive but that was not a 21st Century song even if LeAnn Rimes and Chris Young released versions of it in 2010.
Just my take on the song performed by the "Gone but Not Forgotten:" The girls sounded very, very good. Things were going well, and then Paul showed up. His voice, what there is of it, is too difficult for many to harmonize with it. The girl from Loudon, TN who sang Blackbird withhim is the only one who has been able to do so successfully, to my ear. Being charitable, his voice is too distinctive, unique and unsual for easy harmonizing. Being honest, his voice is just too weak, squeaky and scratchy sounding for anybody to really want to.
I went to YouTube today…to review and listen to the studio recordings…James, Haley, and Casey were entertaining to say the least. I love Lauren but OMG…what a boring song choice last night. The rest were just blah! And James CAN sing….but I want a girl to win!
Why? What do you have against men?
James is the only one I think is idol material…but I usually enjoy listening to the female voice more…just a personal preference. LOL….I don't have anything against men
In the first 6 seasons we had 4 female winners and 2 male. Since then it has been all male with only one female getting into the final – Crystal last year – so if Haley or Lauren win this year, it will equal it out 5-5. š
You blame that on the explosion of teens with cell phones.
I have all of Kelly clarkson's music, Carrie underwood's first album, and I just bought crystal bowersox' new album. On the other hand, I have never purchased a cd from any of the male idols…just sayin'
scotty had to have approval for the song before he could sing it. also i think he did a great job of it. the judges were to harsh, what happened to '' if it ain't broke don't fix it''.
For the voice that scotty has, he shouldn't be singing a silly song like Swingin. Him singing that song was almost arrogance on his part. Scotty isn't idol material. Has he ever done anything but stand in one place and sing. This Is American Idol and he isn't it.
Scotty has an amazing voice for country music. However, he is young and has some maturing to do.
He needs to sing "Everyone's Talking At Me". When I thought he might sing that 2 weeks ago, I was so excited. That is a great song and he would sing it terrific. My next favorite is Casey. Anyway, they're all great. This has been an awsome Season!
I'm 63 years old and I appreciate all the talent this time around.
I thought Scotty was going to sing something by Josh Turner… I was so wrong!
He's the same age as Jordin Sparks was when she won.
I agree that the talent is excellent this year.
The one who has improved the most, IMHO, is Haley.
I thought everyone did at least alright last night. That said, I think MY bottom three has to be Jacob, Stefano, Scotty/Lauren. Normally it'd be Haley as Scotty is usually closer to the top for me, but her song choice was possibly as good as ever. Who do I want to go home? Jacob.
As for what I THINK the bottom three would be, well, I guess it'd be the same. Coincidentally, that's basically the same as Branden's lol. Who do I think will go home? Jacob or Stefano.
Question: Is this the Youngest Top 7 ever in American Idol??
Casey turned 20 on 02/12/11
Lauren turned 16 on 11/08/2010
James turned 22 on 01/06/2010
Stefano turned 22 on 02/27/2010
Jacob is 23. His 24th is 06/23/2011
Scotty is 17. His 18th 10/09/2011
Haley is 20. Her 21st is 09/09/2011
So in years, the average age is 20 and if the oldest – Jacob – leaves tonight as most seem to be predicting, it will drop to 19½ for the top 6 and James will become the "Old Man." :):)
Sorry I typed the wrong years for James and Stefano:
James turned 22 on 01/06/2011 and Stefano on 02/27/2011
Scotty- It's his weakest performance
James- again he was AWESOME, but enough with the screaming
Haley- her best performance. I don't know if I like it because she sang an Adele song or maybe because she is just darn good.
Jacob- same as always. He is probably falling on the bottom 3
Casey- I like what they did to the arrangement of the song and his performance was really entertaining
Stefano- based on his performance tonight, I think he is trying to get more votes from the girls. I think he is going home tonight
Lauren- she is starting to get boring. I think she is going on the bottom 3 for the first time
Thia- again, she didn't get a solo on the group performance tonight
James Durbin will always be the best!!!! God Bless You James!!!
I am ecstatic that so many people are coming around on Haley. The part that I find amazing, though, is how many people say how "improved" she is. The fact is that her simple singing "accuracy" of notes, her control of her voice, its power and range are the best on the show, and they have been since day one!
Go back and listen to "Blue," which she absolutely slayed. Her Joplin, her "Fallin," her "Bennie and the Jets," and now her Adele. Listen to her original audition in Milwaukee and her Hollywood week rendition of "God Bless the Child." And her scattin' duet with Casey was absolutely killer.
She can sing country, jazz, blues, reggae, and she can definitely rock out — all with equal ease. NOBODY else on the show either can do or has done that. NOBODY has sung her variety.
I really blame the judges' lukewarm critiques the first two or three weeks for swaying people wrongly. (I like these judges, but I swear I think there's a TON of manipulation going on, with them saying what they say to "lead" the voters. People on this board and other boards can't believe the disconnect between the realities of some of these performances and their critiques each week.)
You know what I think it is, though? I think that the judges actually think of her as amazing, and that leads them to have expectations for her they don't have for the others! I really think that she sets the bar that high.
The fact is that the country voters would vote for Scotty and Lauren if they mooed like cows, because country fans are unfailingly loyal. (And I'm not saying that they aren't talented, because they are.) And James has his rocker vote, Casey his quirky vote; Stefano, the schmoozy-crooner vote, and Jacob, the Gospel vote.
So I've been worried that Haley is so versatile, that she doesn't fall into any real "category," and thus she may go home any day, including tonight.
But I will think it's a real travesty if she doesn't end up in the final (and I don't think she will, unfortunately).
I would love to see her and James throw it down for the finale. C'mon people — Wouldn't y'all? š
I mean, even if you love Scotty (even after that silly, boring version of the TERRIBLE song "Swingin'," which is a very EASY, unchallenging song to sing), you gotta admit that Haley has power and range and VERSATILITY that Scotty can't touch.
Kudos to Haley for overcoming the challenges of being in the bottom 3 often, for taking the judges comments in stride and with class, and moving on.
She's the one whose album I could most easily buy, and the one whose 2-hour concert I could best sit through. I just hope she gets the chance.
I simply have to agree with what you are saying. I am surprised, angered even, by the fact that no one noticed Haley until 'Bennie and the Jets' came along. I was blown away by her control on 'Blue' and the judges pretty much panned the performance (bearing in mind 'panned' is a very loose term this season).
agreed haley wasnt noticed and deserves some blimmin attention she's a good singer and deserves to be safe every week
hahahahah! Told all of u Lauren wouldnt be in bottom 3! LOL dont u feel dumb for being wrong!
shutup lauren was crap and needs to go so i would be quiet if i was you cause haley will knock her of her perch
Casey Haley and James were the best
Wow – I feel that each time I listen to James. He is letting us know the kind of live show he will have – You really get an idea of what he will do. And I love the clothes he wore. I also liked Haley – great song. She is getting noticed at the right time. Think she is the dark horse. Although I liked Casey and Scotty they were second best and Lauren – once she lets go – and really lets it out – that is what we are waiting for. Australian fan. We are loving this years Idol. The best one.
i was shocked when lauren chose Born to fly by Sara evans. Sara is one of my favorite and i know about sara evan's song and ability. But i guess born to fly should be sang by sara alone.
Kelly Clarkson via twitter..
(Way to go Hailey Reinhart! You did really well on Idol tonight! I love Adele! Great song choice! Can't wait to hear a record from you!)
Adam Lambert via twitter..
(Just caught up on idol via YouTube… HALEY!!! Heads and shoulders above the rest. Gave me chills. Effortlessly badass…)
James is the one, he has been so amazing week after week and he will always put that xtra mile in.Scotty is in the wrong place here and how he stayed this long I dont know, he has to go, hes not even good any more hes to sure of himself so isnt even trying.Casy was good but hes dropping back again and lauren is better of with scotty in a country contest.Jacob is god but he is a good party singer and Hayley is a good singer but not up to James standard.Hurry and make a cd Jmes, my husband is giving up watching sports to watch you.
jacub is best,has strongest voice,can sing anything,low or high sound.american idol should proud of him.
jacub should sing with jenifer hudson or celin dion,or sing just solo.amazing and out standing voice.
JAMES DURBIN has a TRADEMARK…..go go go for the top. KEEP IT UP JAMES…GOODLUCK…..!!!!
yes, as usual the Bootcamp , zele UV,