Guest Post: American Idol Recap - Top 6

Guest Blogger Daniel recaps American Idol - Top 6!

The top six contestants started the night with a medley of songs by the rock band “Queen”

Ok. Life on Idol without Colton Dixon starts now. In case you didn’t know, last week America voted off Colton Dixon, who in my opinion was by far the best contestant this season and one of the best I’ve seen ever. Even worse, America decided to vote the 20 year-old rocker from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, out right before Queen week. Dixon, who was a highlight every single week, would have been especially phenomenal this week. But I have to push through. Colton said that had he made it to the next round he would have sang “The Show Must Go On.” Well it's true. Even without the kid who was clearly the best this season, the show must go on.  In addition to the Queen songs, each contestant will sing a song of their choice. At the start of the show they all sing a medley of Queen songs with two of the original members of Queen. The medley included “We Are The Champions” which made me think, “no Colton’s the champion. How could America do this?” Anyway let's get to the recap because the show MUST GO ON.

Guest Post: American Idol Recap - Top 7, Again

Here's a new American Idol recap from Guest Blogger Daniel:

So, just to catch you up last week, Jessica Sanchez was the low vote-getter and the judges used their one save on her. That means we have yet another week of the top 7. Tonight, they will each be singing two songs. One from then, an old song, and one from now, a current song. Not only is this a lame theme but it is pretty similar to the theme we had last week. C’mon American Idol! One more thing before I start. For their first performances, 5 of the 7 contestants looked ridiculous. I’m not a big fashion guy but I know when someone looks ridiculous, and they looked ridiculous. Below you can see a picture and in the comments for the first performances I will not only discuss the performances but how ridiculously they were dressed. Anyway, lets get down to business.

Round 1: "Now" Songs

Hollie Cavanagh                    Rolling In The Deep

Last week, Hollie got out of her slump and sang well. This week, she sang amazingly. This was Hollie at her potential. Starting the song a cappella was brilliant. She really showed off her voice in the chorus and sang the verses with a terrific intensity. Great job Hollie. It was kind weird though to have the backup singers on the screen behind her. Anyway, Hollie sang great but looked strange. She wore these weird billowy pants and her shirt didn’t cover the side of her body. This might be the look she was going for, but I thought it looked weird. Anyway, she sang great. A+

 Colton Dixon                         Bad Romance

As you know, I am a big Colton fan, but during this performance he looked terrible. He was wearing a weird jacket that fell behind him like a cape, and he also wore red leather pants! He even put some red into his hair! C’mon! Anyway, he took on a big song, but after hearing his song choices for the past few weeks, flinching, and then watching the incredible performances that followed, I didn’t get worried. Colton was nailing this one as per usual until he got to the line “I want your love. And I want you revenge.” He went waaaay to low there and couldn’t hold the note. While that wasn’t good, he still totally nailed the chorus, especially when he sang “whooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOoo” and the “raaa ahhh raa ma ahhh” parts. Overall while this was Colton’s worst performance on the show it was still pretty great. A-

Elise Testone                         No One

Elise was wearing a weird drape-y orange dress that made her look like a gourd. Just terrible. Anyway, great song choice. That said, Elise didn’t really do anything interesting with it. She sang it pretty well, it just wasn’t especially interesting. It didn’t really have a sense of artistry. It was like good karaoke. But she did sing well. A-

Phillip Phillips                                    U Got It Bad

When I heard Phil would be singing an Usher song, I was very excited because it meant he was going to do some real creative re-arranging and really put his stamp on the song. And it was good I guess. Surprisingly, it wasn’t really special. He sung it ok, but even with all the changes, I wasn’t excited by it. Still, I give him props for a solid performance and for tremendous originality. Also, congrats on being one of the only contestants to be dressed ok during their first performance. B+

Jessica Sanchez                      Fallin’

I found it sickening the way the judges rushed up onstage after Jessica got eliminated, saved her, then practically told the world that she was the best singer ever and that you should “vote for the best” and that the best was her. IT'S OUR CHOICE LEAVE US ALONE. I actually wouldn’t have minded seeing Jessica go home. She has been boring me a bit lately. Her performances all seem kinda the same, and last week she was definitely the worst. Tonight, Jessica was ok. She didn’t do anything special or anything we haven’t seen before. It was kinda similar to her performance last week, but it was a little better. While she wasn’t dressed badly, her hair looked atrocious. She looked like she had just come out of a wind tunnel. B+

Skylar Laine                           Born This Way

Skylar sang the country version of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way and it was fantastic. She was totally in her element. She performed with a great energy as usual and hit all the notes with a power that no other girl in the contest has. This was an American Idol winner caliber performance.  To top it all off, she didn’t look bad the way most of the contestants did during their first songs. A+

Joshua Ledet                          I Believe

Big song to take on, but Joshua did a good job. It showcased his powerful voice and he was really in his comfort zone. Nothing new here though. Nothing we hadn’t seen before though. Just Joshua singing the kind of big song that he specializes in. And there was a little more emotion than there usually is. Oh, and his fashion problem. 2 words: red jacket. A

Round 2: “Then” Songs

Phillip Phillips provided one of the high points in round two singing “In The Midnight Hour”

Hollie Cavanagh                    Son Of A Preacher Man

This was good-not-great and not as good as “Rolling In The Deep” was. Hollie didn’t seem as committed to this song as she was to “Rolling In The Deep.” Her vocals were still solid though. And still better than what she was doing a few weeks ago. B+

Colton Dixon                          September

This is the Colton we know and love. Colton changed up “September” and really made it his own. It was well sung and very sincere. There was just something right about watching him sit at the piano and sing his heart out. I don’t get why the judges didn’t like it. It was flawless. A+

Elise Testone                         Let’s Get It On

This was just a mess. Terrible song choice and she didn’t sing it very well. She was growling and squeaking and it just sounded awful. I would say this probably puts the nail in the coffin for Elise. Nothing else to say. C

Phillip Phillips                                    In The Midnight Hour

Phil did some really fantastic singing here. He put his soul into this song and it showed. He didn’t growl too much, but he growled at all the right times. Most importantly, he appeared to be having a ball up there, and if the performer is having fun, the viewer has fun. Really great performance by PP. A+

Jessica Sanchez                      Try A Little Tenderness

This was pretty bad. I’m not sure what Jessica was thinking when she chose this song. She shouldn’t be singing a song about young girls when she is just a 16 year-old girl herself. Also she put on this raspy voice that was clearly fake. Jessica is very talented, but this really makes me wish the judges didn’t save her. Not even the judges could deny how bad it was, but because they can't say anything bad about Jessica, instead of actually critiquing they made long rambly comments that made no sense. After last week, I know she won't go home, but after what she did tonight, I think maybe she should. C-

Skylar Laine                           Hear It Through The Grape Vine

This was good. Skylar brought her signature flair and country twang to this often-covered Marvin Gaye classic, and the results were good. She totally changed up the melody and sang the verses with fierce passion. Skylar did a really good job. Also, I believe this is the only song to be sung during a live performance on American Idol for the last three seasons. In season 9 it was sung by Andrew Gracia, last year it was done by Casey Abrams, and this year Skylar took a stab at it and managed produce a totally original result. A

Joshua Ledet                          A Change Is Gonna Come

Joshua sure has pipes. He has a truly fantastic range. He is insanely talented. But the judges are doing him a disservice by complimenting him incessantly. I think he really has a shot at winning (right now I have him in 4^th) but if he is going to win, the judges need to back off a bit. A

Run Down

Skylar Laine’s “Born This Way” was the best performance of the night

Best Performance Of The First Round: Skylar Laine, “Born This Way”

Worst Performance Of The First Round: Jessica Sanchez, “Fallin’”

Best Performance Of The Second Round: Philip Phillips, “In The Midnight Hour”

Worst Performance Of The Second Round: Jessica Sanchez, “Try A Little Tenderness”

Best Performance Of The Night: Skylar Laine, “Born This Way”

Worst Performance Of The Night: Jessica Sanchez, “Try A Little Tenderness”

Contestant Who Had The Best Night: Skylar Laine

Contestant Who Had The Worst Night: Jessica Sanchez

What The Bottom 3 Should Be

Hollie, Jessica and Elise with Elise going home.

Predicted Bottom 3

Phillip, Hollie and Elise with Elise going home.

Guest Post: American Idol Recap - Top 7

Guest Blogger Daniel recaps American Idol - Top 7:

Colton Dixon delivered one of best performances of this season in “Love The Way You Lie”

American Idol is down to the top 7. Wow. Time flies. We have a really good group this year. They are very talented and they are clearly all pretty close. The theme tonight is songs from the last 3 years. Wow! Great theme. And the guest mentor is Akon. In addition to their solos, they all performed with one or two other contestants. I’ll grade the multi-contestant performances first cause they weren’t too good so we can get them out of the way. As a fun bonus to the pre-performance videos, we get to see the reaction of the people in each of the contestants hometowns to them being on American Idol. Also, I would like to make a quick comment before I start. The producers are clearly trying to push Jessica and Joshua because they want a conventional powerhouse voice to be the American Idol. That said, while they are both very good, I don’t think either of them are the best in this competition. It has greatly annoyed me the way the judges have lathered them with enthusiastic praise and comments like “best ever” while they get outshone by other contestants. I would like to officially say that my ideal top 3 this season are Colton Dixon, Skylar Laine, and Phillip Phillips. Again, I’m not saying I don’t like Joshua and Jessica, I am saying that they have been drastically overhyped. I still say they are both very talented. Also, just know, I will likely ramble at least a little about this for every post until I think it has been fixed.

Multi Contestant Performances

Colton Dixon and Skylar Laine provided the best duet of the night yet again

Elise/Phillp                            Somebody That I Used To Know

This is a great, great song. I suggest watching Gotye’s live performance that he did on SNL with Kimbra because even though I hadn’t heard of him until it was announced that he would be on SNL, I think he is insanely talented. Also, watch the music video. And the SNL Digital Short starring Andy Samberg, Taran Killam, and Gotye himself, parodying the music video. Anyway, it was ok. The beginning was really good but when the band joined in for the first chorus, things fell apart a bit. Also, they chose a song that was originally a duet but they didn’t sing it the same way. It’t not like they were taking a normal song and turning it into a duet, but the way they arranged it you wouldn’t have known that it was originally a duet. Anyway, not great. B-

Skylar/Colton                                 Don’t You Wanna Stay

The pre performance video was really funny. Just in case you didn’t see it, Colton did his best country boy impression, and they made it clear that they were not dating; Colton jokingly claiming it was because Skylar owned a gun. Anyway, they took on “Don’t You Wanna Stay”, a country duet by Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean. Colton, once again, showed how versatile his voice is. However, he didn’t really have a chance to shine during this performance. Skylar was good generally but she was a bit pitchy at time. Overall, really good, but not perfect. Also, they “made love to each other on stage???” Really Steven? Really with Seth and Amy?!? A-

Jessica/Hollie/Joshua                       What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)

I would like to say that Hollie is super cute. Also the idols are good at doing the little comedic bits this season. This was just a train wreck. Joshua sounded good when he first sang the beginning of the first verse on his own, but then Jessica came in to do her part of the verse and sounded awful. Hollie didn’t sound much better. Then trying to listen to Joshua and Jessica try to harmonize with each other was painful and so was Joshua trying to harmonize with Hollie. Joshua’s strong start is what keeps this from failing. And of the judges mindlessly praised them because the judges cant speak ill of Joshua or Jessica. D

Solo’s

Skylar Laine                           Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You

Skylar is coming off a monumental performance and she was able to follow it up very nicely. She sang beautifully. She also played the guitar, which I think really added to her performance. She’s definitely a contender and usually the people that win aren’t the favorites at the beginning of the season. While Colton is still my favorite, I would be very happy with Skylar winning the whole thing. She is by far my favorite girl in the competition. Also, she is too cute. A-

Colton Dixon                          Love The Way You Lie

It was really cute watching that little kid give him self a “Colton” hairstyle. Anyway, when I heard what song he was singing I was seriously concerned. It's one of my favorite songs ever but it is also a hard song to sing, and I wasn’t sure how he would get around the rap part. I should have known better. This is Colton Dixon. He cleverly combined “Love The Way You Lie” with “Love The Way You Lie Part II” to avoid the rap because in part II the verses are sung. And that’s just what he did with the arrangement. Colton delivered one of his best vocals to date. The reason I love this song so much is it’s so intense and it really tells an intense story. Colton used the awesome intensity he has brought to so many of his performances to tell the story differently then Eminem did, differently then Rihanna did, and differently then Skylar Grey did, yet without straying too far from the song. That is the mark of a true artist. The best part though was at the end when he hit the big note with “Our memories” and finished the song just him and the piano. It was a great decision to start off just him and the piano and end just him and the piano. And yet, no standing o from the judges? I’m not going to say anything, because you know what I’m thinking. Buy this one on iTunes. Anyway, I’m inventing a new grade for this one. A++

Jessica Sanchez                      Stuttering

Jessica is very talented, but this was a very sleepy, boring performance. In choosing a song that isn’t very well known, she took a big swing and quite frankly, I think she missed. In spite of all of the BS the judges spouted after her performance, I think this early favorite is starting to fall back. Not really much more to say here. B-

Joshua Ledet                          Runaway Baby

It’s really cool that Joshua got that birthday message from his idol, Fantasia. I always like when they do those kinds of things on Idol. Joshua chose an up-beat Bruno Mars song. Good choice for two reasons. One, because he hasn’t sung an upbeat song in his solo performance since Stevie Wonder/Whitney Houston week. It’s also cool because I said that Bruno Mars would be a good direction for Joshua to go when he wants to throw a change up. Anyway, he more then held his own here. He put his stamp on this song without getting lost in it or loosing his breath the way some ballad singers can when they sing faster songs (think Jessica singing “Turn The Beat Around” or Hollie singing “Flash Dance.”) Joshua didn’t fall into the trap that they fell into; although Jessica also proved she could nail a fast song last week. Surprise, surprise! The judges stood up for him. I don’t mind it that much this time in part because they didn’t go over the top saying anything like “I saw G-d come out of your eyes” (Steven) and because this performance was fantastic. A+

Hollie Cavanagh                    Perfect

She has been really off her game lately. She’s super cute and I love the way she said that “pehfect by p!nk would be the pehfect song for her to be pehfect” with that strange Texan-British mix accent. Was she great? No. Was she much better then she has been for the past 3 weeks (not counting the duet she did with DeAndre)? Yes. And the last not, as Jimmy predicted, was fantastic. I will say though that she might have dug herself a hole that she can’t dig herself out of. If she makes it, she still has a ways to go if she wants to get to where she was earlier in the season.  And with such a good group this season, she needs more than a B+, especially coming off a three-week slump. Bottom line, while she ended her slump, she wasn’t exactly the old Hollie that we loved in the first few weeks. B+

Phillip Phillips                           Give A Little More

This was ok, but Jennifer was absolutely right when she said that it seemed kind of familiar. He also had a few notes that just landed a little flat. At this point, in my opinion, Phillip has fallen behind Skylar. B-

Elise Testone                             You And I

Wow. What a lame setup to play the video Jason Segal sent in telling Elise that he was a fan. Basically, she said that on her day off she went and saw Segal’s new movie “Jeff Who Lives At Home” (which I saw by the way and is fantastic) and that she was such a big Jason Segal fan and sometimes she wondered if he ever watched her. And cue the tape! LAME! Anyway Elise talked about how she missed Charleston but the map showed her hometown as Kinnelon, NJ. The American Idol website says she’s from Charleston, SC though. Confusing. Anyway, Elise chose “You and I” by Lady Gaga which was actually debuted last season on American Idol by Haley Reinhart, who nailed it. Interesting song choice because I actually think of Elise as an arrogant, very poor mans Haley. I liked Haley and I think Elise tries too hard, but they have similar styles. At first, Elise had the dreadful idea of trying to do the entire performance from behind the drums. Thankfully, Jimmy was able to talk her out of it. That said, it was just mediocre. She sounded really bad until she got to the chorus and that was already halfway into the song. Elise is definitely at risk. At this stage you are expected to be more consistent then she is. This wasn’t just one off-week. She goes back and forth every week. However due to both Jessica and Phillip having off-nights, this was not the worst performance of the night. B

Guest Post: American Idol Recap - Top 8

American Idol - Top 8 Recap from Guest Blogger Daniel:

Skylar Laine soared to the top of the pack with an Epic rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

We are really at the heart of the American Idol season: the Top 8. The theme for Top 8 week was songs from the 80’s, and the mentors were Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal (who?) from ‘No Doubt’. Also, in addition to the solo performances, all the contestants could be performing duets with another contestant. I will grade the solo performances first and then the duets. Without further ado lets get recapping.

DeAndre Brackensick                       I Like It

Wow, Jimmy was pretty harsh on DeAndre predicting he would be in the bottom three. Anyway, the performance was really good. He did a good job of not over using his falsetto and he just performed very creatively, starting out in the audience and then walking through the aisles to the stage giving high fives to everyone he passed. The whole performance just had a great energy to it. Also, Ryan does a pretty good DeAndre impression. A-

Elise Testone                         I Wanna Know What Love Is *Worst Performance Of The Night*

Thank God she didn’t sing Hallelujah. She just doesn’t have the voice for that song. Anyway how did THIS give Gwen Stefani “goosies”? During the chorus, her voice was kind of overpowered by the back up singers and the verses just sounded sloppy. She had a few good moments, but generally Elise missed the mark with this one. B-

Phillip Phillips                                    That’s All

Phil did a really nice job here. I agree with Randy that Tony Kanal made a great call telling Phillip to stop playing for that last chorus to give it a sense of intimacy. It was also really cool that he was playing with his brother-in-law and he seemed to be having a lot of fun. It may have had something to do with his brother-in-law playing with him, but he seemed more comfortable on stage then he usually is. A

Joshua Ledet                          If You Don’t Know Me By Know

It looks like Joshua sent a lot of his crawfish to his family! That’s nice, but don’t they live in Louisiana? Don’t they have plenty? Anyway, Joshua took on another song that was sung perfectly by Stefano Langone last season. The other song was “When A Man Loves A Woman”, which he nailed. This one was very good too, just not as good as Stefano’s last season, or the original, or most of Joshua’s previous performances. Reading that back I realize I made it seem like it was bad, which it wasn’t. It just wasn’t as good as it could have been. The judges are crowning him and Jessica though and it's kind of annoying me that they are raving about those two while giving Colton almost unenthusiastic praise. I don’t think Colton has gotten a standing O all season and he is by far the best in the competition. I will get back to this later. Bottom line though , Joshua was really good. A-

Jessica Sanchez                      How Will I Know

This was a fantastic performance. As usual, she sang great, but this week she walked the stage with a new swagger. Considering the song, it was a cool little move to start the performance surrounded by boys. I don’t really like her calling herself “BB Chez” though. People that young should not give themselves alter ego names. That aside though, Jessica cleared a major hurtle with this performance. She sang an up-tempo song really well. Her only other previous attempt at a up-tempo song was “Turn The Beat Around” which was something of a mess. Bottom line, this was a big week for Jessica, but in my personal rankings she still trails Colton, Skylar and Phillip. Anyway…A

Hollie Cavanagh                    Flash Dance

In five weeks of live performances, this is the first time Hollie is singing an up-tempo song, unless you count the duet she did with DeAndre. While that was great, this was a train wreck. She was pitchy for the entire song and she seemed to be trying too hard. Below, I will talk about how, after seeing her duet, I thought she was “back” after two bad performances. I also said, as did the judges, that she is better when she just relaxes and sings, because she has a beautiful voice and she just needs to show that to everyone. However , she did not relax. In fact, she seemed tense and verging on desperate. You could see her thinking too much but in the duet she was just singing and it was amazing. I’m not sure if she will make it, but if she does, then I hope she pulls it together because she has a gorgeous voice and it would be a pity for someone as talented as her not to live up to her full potential. D

Colton Dixon                          Time After Time

When I heard what Colton was singing I was a bit concerned. However, he Colton-ized it and he nailed it. I will repeat that to let it sink in. Colton nailed a Cindi Lauper song. His vocals were superb and you could really feel his passion. And the drum thing in the middle was perfect. Still, no standing O from the judges? To quote Gob Bluth “C’mon!”. Seriously though, if you don’t give a standing O for Colton’s “Piano Man” though, then you are impossible to impress and it would appear that they fall in that category even though they haven’t said a bad word about Colton the whole season They just wont give him the props he deserves. I’m starting to get really frustrated about this. Why will the judges almost never name Colton as one of the best at the end of the show when he clearly is? Why won’t the judges appreciate him? This is a kid with incredible talent, who really loves music and who is ready to be a star and if they don’t want him to win, that’s they’re loss. It’s times like this I really miss Simon, who would have seen through all this nonsense and judged honestly. I’m starting to think that Colton might be too good for American Idol and that it might be good if he doesn’t win so he can sign with a producer that appreciates him. I repeat, its not that he’s not good, it’s that the producers don’t want him to win. This has been the most producer-manipulated season of American Idol ever, and I’m at the end of my rope. Oh, the performance? Right. A+

Skylar Laine                           Wind Beneath My Wings *Best Performance Of The Night*

It has been a fantastic night of performances but this one takes the cake. Skylar not only nailed a classic but she showed another side of her. She dropped every note during the verses perfectly and hearing her belt the “Did I ever tell you you’re my hero” part was, quite frankly, heavenly. It was such a great performance I’m not sure how to describe it any further. All I’ll say is, I saw in her something that, before this point, I’ve only seen in Colton (that's right, not Joshua or Jessica). That is an American Idol Winner caliber performance. Skylar looked gorgeous and sung her heart out. A+

Duets

Colton Dixon and Skylar Laine performed the top duet of the night with “Island In The Stream”

Skylar/Colton                                    Islands In The Stream

This was fantastic. Of course, Skylar nailed it cause it was right up her ally, but what really surprised me is how well Colton sung this country classic. They had great chemistry on stage too. Too bad they’re not dating cause they’re good together. This was positively flawless. Possibly the best performance of the season. I do not think we will be seeing a better duet tonight. Also Colton doesn’t look bad with blonde hair. A+

Hollie/DeAndre                     I’m So Excited

This was great from beginning to end. DeAndre had an exciting entrance there. They both sounded great and I wasn’t sure how Hollie would sing an up-tempo song, especially considering that she has been slumping for the past couple weeks, but she was great. When she sang her first solo at the end of the 1^st verse, I thought that she had come out of her slump (I hadn’t seen her solo performance yet). I agree with the judges that Hollie let go here and that’s what she needs to do. Either way, with this performance Hollie reminded us all what a beautiful, powerful voice she has. DeAndre sang really well too doing some awesome little ad-libs and bringing the same energy he brought to his solo to this performance. They both looked like they were having the time of their lives. This was incredible, but not as incredible as Colton and Skylar were. A+

Elise/Phillip                                       Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around

This is a hard performance to judge. The vocals were ok I guess. That said, there were a lot of really strange things about this performance. For one, what was with the fan backdrop? It was distracting and strange to have two fans spinning in the background while they were singing. The other main problem was that they had no on-stage chemistry. They looked very awkward around each other. They actually looked a lot more comfortable when they spread out on stage than they did when they were next to each other. OK vocals+all that weird stuff=B

Jessica/Joshua                                               I Knew You Were Waiting For Me

For the duets, the two power voices got paired up. They’re not just the two power voices actually, they are the two contestants that the producers are really trying to get into the finals. I like them both, but the producers are clearly rooting for them and it’s annoying me. I know it’s not their faults, but still. They are getting the praise that should be going to Colton. Anyway, this was good but a bit over the top. It wasn’t incredible though, and watching the judges predict a possible final between those two and gush over what was really just a solid performance made me sick. A-

Guest Post: American Idol Recap - Girls Top 12

Here's another American Idol Recap from Guest Blogger Daniel!

 

Skylar Laine’s energy, folksy charm, and powerful voice made her a stand out last night

Last night on American Idol the top 12 girls performed after a good showing by the top 13 guys the other night.

Chelsea Sorrell                      Cowboy Casanova

She is cute and she is very country. There’s the good. The bad? Her performance was plain boring. She didn’t really do anything interesting. She didn’t even have one of those solid, well-sung but unoriginal performances that we see so often (see Baillie Brown). This was just not at all interesting. Oh, but there are a few more good things, they just don’t have to do with her singing. THE JUDGES WERE HONEST. Or at least sorta. I applaud them because the other night they just loved everything the guys did and over exaggerated their praise for every song the guys sung. Also happy to see that Idol is still doing those backstage interviews they started last season. And in this interview I really admired Chelsea’s positive attitude after not great comments from the judges. C

Erika Van Pelt                                    What About Love

Uggg. Her. I literally can't believe she’s made it this far. I would not have put her through the audition, when she sang a pathetic “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow."  She didn’t impress me at all in Hollywood, so I was all set to hate her. When I heard she chose “What About Love” I thought “Great song, but will she be able to sing it?” and to her credit she did a good job. Now let me be clear, I still think she stole a top 24 spot from Ariel Sprague and various other more deserving girls, but this was actually pretty good. Also congrats to the J-Lo and Randy who made a real critique yet again! B+

Jen Hirsh                                One And Only One

I know from Hollywood week that she is talented, but quite frankly this performance was a bit of a mess. At times her voice sounded a little weak and once or twice it sounded like it was on the verge of cracking. I didn’t like it at all. However, as I said before, I know Jen has talent and I hope she makes it to the next round. If she isn’t voted in, I think the judges might save her, depending on who else makes it and doesn’t make it. D+

Brielle Von Hugel                  Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay

I remember her from last season, and I liked her. I was glad to see her come back, but this year we are getting a lot of her mom, who is super annoying. Anyway, Brielle did a really great job I thought. Great, gutsy song choice. I liked the way she started with the guys on the stage. That said, at the beginning it sounded like the key might have been too low for her. But she pulled it together and earned our first ‘A’ of the night. Interesting that the guys first ‘A’ also came from the 4^th singer of the night, Colton. Oh and I like her personality from her bubbly backstage interview to her telling America what her numbers were. A-

Hallie Day                               Feelin’ Good

I wanted to hate her because she has no personality. She is so boring. Really boring. That said she has a good voice and she sang well. While a few notes were kinda flat, overall she was good. She should make it to the next round, however, if she actually wants to make it, let alone win, she has to be at least relatively interesting as a person. Another problem: her facial expressions are so wooden. At times she seemed almost Mitt Romney-like in her blandness. Almost.  It wasn’t THAT bad. And like I said, she sang generally well. Also Randy said something about Lana Del Rey, right? It would certainly seem that her atrocious SNL appearance has certainly made her famous. Anyway Hallie. Um. A-

Skylar Laine                           Stay With Me *Best Performance Of The Night*

Take notes Chelsea Sorrell. Skylar did what you were aiming for. Wow. She went out there with energy and flair. She worked the stage tremendously and she showed off her SUPER powerful voice. Nothing else really to say now. She just nailed it. A

Baylie Brown                         Amaze

I enjoyed it. There was nothing particularly outstanding about her performance but it was solid and very pleasant. She had some good moments. And, as the judges said, she did look gorgeous. And wait? Did Steven Tyler just make a critique? B

Hollie Cavanaugh                  Reflection

Aww. Cute Dog! Anyway Hollie sang very well. It started off a little slow but when she got into it she really got into it. Her song choice really allowed her to show her at her best during the chorus. She clearly has talent, which, as I said before, is all we are really looking for at this stage. And she’s really cute! I loved how she let her hair down backstage. Sorry, I got lost in her adorableness. I totally agree with Randy: it wasn’t perfect, but the good moments were really great. I’ll want to keep an eye on her. A-

Haley Johnsen                                   Sweet Dreams *Worst Performance Of The Night*

Oh my God. This was truly terrible, verging on scary. C’mon! That was awful.

Don’t make me fail you Haley. I like you, I really do. I don’t wanna do this. How should I say this? Ah here, Randy just said exactly what I was thinking. It was a bit of a nightmare instead of a dream. God Bless you Randy Jackson for bringing a dose a reality to the judges panel. Anyway, I will end on a good note. As I said before, she seems like a really sweet girl. With that… F

Shannon McGrane                Go Light Your World

I really like her. She’s been one of my favorites since the auditions. I also feel like I can relate to her with the whole sports-homework balance thing. Also, she’s really pretty. They did some fun banter with her dad and Steven (of course). I was expecting big things from Shannon, and she did not disappoint. Her unconventional song choice perfectly showcased her big, beautiful voice. Also, loved her backstage reaction. A

Jessica Sanchez                      Love You I Do

Another one who seems really sweet. I liked it. That said, I wasn’t as impressed as the judges seemed to be. Don’t get me wrong, she has a great voice and she sang really well but I think the judges exaggerated a little. The only problem I had was the beginning seemed a bit off. I could tell that she had been sick recently or was getting sick. Then backstage, we learn she was sick earlier in the week! B+

Elise Testone                         One And Only One

Oh no! They doubled up on songs. That is never good. I’m not gonna blame Alice, she might have chosen the song first and Jen might have copied her. Either way, Jen didn’t do too well so its not really a bad thing. I like Elise and especially considering she was singing last I was expecting big things. Was it good? Yes. But I was a bit disappointed. At times she had too much rasp and at times she seemed out of breath. Either way, I know that she’s talented, even if this wasn’t her best performance and she seems really nice. I liked her room service flowers. Anyway, looking forward to next time Elise, because I think there will be a next time, and I think you are capable of much more than what you showed last night. B-