Strangely Socialised

Only one week behind this time, and way past my bedtime tonight I’ll probably be working my way through tonight’s actual episode, if I don’t collapse in a heap from Idol-Induced Exhaustion Syndrome (look it up, it’s a real thing) before I get there.

More fashion show with Tommy. I like its brevity, though. And I like that I feel I can skip through everything on the show but the singing without missing anything important. At this point in the game, I just have no interest in the contestants’ hometowns. Actually, I don’t have much interest in them at any point in the game, even the endgame.

7. Phillip Phillips : “Give a Little More” by Maroon 5
I’m just never going to stop feeling like Phillip doesn’t belong on this show. It’s not that I don’t want him to succeed, because outside of this context I think I’d enjoy him and his music quite a bit, but he’s doing well here for the wrong reasons, which Jimmy points out straight up: he’s a good looking guy. I didn’t find this performance interesting enough, ultimately, though it was fine. But on a night like tonight, “fine” is the basement.

6. Hollie Cavanagh : “Perfect” by Pink
I love this song, but I feel like it shouldn’t be this pretty. It should be a little bit fiercer. She doesn’t let go enough for it, it’s too calculated. This is a song you need to get burst out of you a little. She sounds very pretty, and the song arrangement didn’t earn or need that glory note.

5. Skylar Laine : “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You” by Kellie Pickler
It’s always a little weird when they cover songs by previous contestants. This girl is a country star. There are a couple of pitch problems, but that’s about it. She rocks it hard.

4. Colton Dixon : “Love the Way You Lie” by Skylar Gray
I do love Colton best when he’s at the piano. I’m not in love with how he starts the song, though; it needed to be perfect and it wasn’t quite. But after that it finds its groove and he sounds lovely, which isn’t something that I often say about Colton, even at his best. He really shows what he’s capable of tonight.

3. Elise Testone : “You and I” by Lady Gaga
That message from Jason Segal was amazeballs. Elise sounds great again tonight, and of course this song, Haley’s song. I’m totally okay with Elise doing it, though. No one else, just Elise. Because I just know she’s going to kill it. And she does, though there’s a bit of restraint to it that isn’t necessary. I would’ve liked to see her let go with it and see where it took her a little more.

2. Joshua Ledet : “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars
Ha, what a great song choice. I love the pace of it, and he has no trouble keeping up, which is always a challenge covering a song like this live. Oh, I loved that. He pushed it just the right amount, and he did his thing.

1. Jessica Sanchez : “Stuttering” by Jazmine Sullivan
I just can’t imagine Jessica not doing amazing things in the future. I don’t know this song, so it might as well be a Jessica Sanchez original for me. She sounds fabulous. She just owns it.

And then…duos again? Really? Aren’t there an odd number of people? Oh. We get one trio. O…kay then.

3. Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez & Joshua Ledet : “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)” by Kelly Clarkson
This is…odd, and no one sounds their best. I’m not sure I entirely understand what I just watched.

2. Skylar Laine & Colton Dixon : “Runaway Baby” by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson
Quit it with the Colton and Skylar dating thing. Ew. They sound fine, and they harmonize quite nicely, but she just overpowers him on it. And the ending was blah.

1. Elise Testone & Phllip Phillips : “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye
This realy was the week for covers of this song, wasn’t it? This one didn’t have Matt Bomer, but it does have Elise Testone which is even better. They blend much better on this song than they did together last week. I really enjoyed it.

Overall, that was a pretty damn great night of music. Having now heard her sing, I’m even more shocked that Jessica was nearly eliminated. I was never surprised that she was saved, though. Jessica, Elise and Joshua in the bottom three is just…ugh. No.

Yeah, I’m not only writing about this two weeks late, I’m watching it two weeks late. Which is not a comment on the theme, because I heart the 80s, but because there were things in my life that took precedence over watching TV. I know, I can’t believe I just said that either. I’m shockingly unspoiled for song selection, considering how long it’s been since this aired. I guess because I wasn’t on twitter while it was airing. I certainly know who was in the bottom, and who was eliminated. (Can’t be sorry about it. At this point in the show, everyone who goes is someone’s favourite.)

I’ve been way, way off with my predictions this year, but in the good way. If every time I thought someone should go home, I put my faith in America to send them home, I would be right more often. Years of justified cynicism have taken their toll. Heejun deservedly went home last week, and somehow all is right with the world. (Still love ya, baby!)

So. Apparently we’re not just having solos this week, we’re having duets. It seems to be a thing this season. Huh.

8. DeAndre Brackensick : “I Like It” by DeBarge
DeAndre does his thing, which is not my thing and so sometimes I’m not entirely sure what to say. I think it was average? For him, I mean. It’s not my favourite of his, but it’s not his worst either. I think he chose a good song to showcase his voice and what he does. But he had some breathing issues and some rough notes that, even though I wasn’t paying a hundred percent attention to, I didn’t miss.

7. Hollie Cavanagh : “Flashdance…What a Feeling” by Irene Cara
Full disclosure: this song is totally one of my guilty pleasures. Oh dear. She’s just a bit off key in parts, and it just feels like she’s being a little too precise. Trying to hard. Not having fun. Thinking about every move. Which would be forgivable if the vocal was impeccable, but it wasn’t. The timing was just a fraction off too.

6. Elise Testone : “I Want to Know What Love Is” by
I desperately want to hear Elise sing Hallelujah, but she was right not to do it now. And Gwen Stefani loves her, which just makes me feel all warm and weird inside. I’m not sure how I feel about the actual performance, though. I’d still rather listen to her do this than just about anything else on this show, but she’s a little flat or something to begin with, and there’s something just off about the whole thing. I love her little riffs on it, but I think it could have used more of her. There was something that was just not her.

5. Phillip Phillips : “That’s All” by Genesis
I think I would like original music from Phillip, more than I enjoy covers by him. Because I just can’t compare him to other people in this competition. It just seems like such an odd place for him. I keep noticing his bum notes and his tight growls, and things that I would be totally into (or okay with) in concert don’t work for me on Idol.

4. Colton Dixon : “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper
It’s like I like Colton in spite of myself. I try not to, and then he does something I really like again. I love this song so damn much. I wish he’d put a little more soul into it, and the vocals were a little lacking, but I like the arrangement and props for the good decision-making.

3. Joshua Ledet : “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” by Simply Red
Seems odd to start with other people’s voices. I was thrown there for a moment. I fully expect Joshua to sing the hell out of this. I’m missing an emotional connection, though. He’s putting all the bells and whistles in, but I’m not feeling it.

2. Skylar Laine : “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler
I really kind of wished she’d done 9 to 5. I didn’t realise how many memories I have tied up to this song until she started singing it; I guess I haven’t listened to it in a very long time. I’m sorry but I kind of hated the glory notes at the end, because they seemed less about the shape of ths song and more about just showing off. But that said, otherwise it was a lovely performance.

1. Jessica Sanchez : “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston
I kind of love this song choice. It’s fun, but it’s still going to show her off. (Oh my god, are they really flashing cassette tapes in the background?) Her interpretation was a little too on the nose, visually, but she sounded great. She sort of made my number one position by default, because I didn’t want to put anyone else here this week.

And then the duets…

4. Colton Dixon & Skylar Laine : “Islands in the Stream” [Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton]
What a weird choice. I don’t know. They duet better than I was expecting, though, but the whole thing was just lacking energy. And it was really about Skylar’s personality, not Colton’s, if it could be said to have personality at all.

3. Elise Testone & Phillip Phillips : “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” [Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks]
I like Elise on this more than Phillip, but then what else is new? But they seem really comfortable together, and like they’re having fun. It was…I liked the song choice, but I don’t think Phillip would be a good match to do a duet with anyone.

2. Hollie Cavanagh & DeAndre Brackensick : “I’m So Excited” [The Pointer Sisters]
They’re great together on this! What the hell? I mean, it’s totally karoke, but it suits them so well and their voices blend on it amazingly. And go you, Hollie. Way to have fun!

1. Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez : “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me” [George Michael and Aretha Franklin]
Now this was a brilliant pairing, with a fabulous song. They are just on. I mean, just. Wow. I don’t even know what else to say. Number one with a bullet, not just of the duets but of the whole night.

There was a lot of stuff I liked fine this week, but nothing I loved (of the individual performances, at least) and I wanted to love something on 80s night. Alas.

Actually, between the time I started watching/writing this and the time I’m finishing it, I forgot who was in the bottom three and had to look it up. Oh right, Hollie Cavanagh, DeAndre Brackensick and Elise Testone. When I first saw that I was all rage-y that Elise was on the bottom again, but now that I’ve seen the episode, I actually have her ranked there so I can’t complain much. Anyway, DeAndre goes home, and I think it was his time.

Wait, Tommy Hilfiger wasn’t just a one-time thing? So weird. And they’ll be performing in trios? What? What is this show even? But they have Stevie Nicks, so everything is Stevie and nothing hurts.

9. DeAndre Brackensick : “Sometimes I Cry” by Eric Benet
Oh dear, you mean I need to listen to another song entirely in his falsetto? As far as I can tell, he was on pitch. But oh, this hurts me to listen to. I think he ventured into dog whistle territory.

8. Heejun Han : “A Song for You” by Donnie Hathaway.
They’re really milking this ‘change’ in Heejun. I want to see him troll them all. This was what he needed to do this week, though. Look vulnerable and contrite, and sound good. Not particularly special, but good.

7. Hollie Cavanagh : “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood
Not who I would have thought Hollie would be singing, honestly. I kind of wandered away in the middle of it. The opening was a little too low for her, and the rest was a boring rendition of a song I don’t like to begin with. Still, girl has a beautiful voice.

6. Skylar Laine : “Gunpowder and Lead” by Miranda Lambert
She certainly had the energy for this one, but her voice seemed like it was struggling to keep up. It was her type of song, but I actually think I prefer her covering things that are outside of her genre. It’s just more interesting.

5. Colton Dixon : “Everything” by Lifehouse
Hm. Not really enough of a tune throughout much of this to showcase anything, and he’s not always on key. Some songs can be favourites and just not really a good fit for the purposes of the show. It’s not going to matter, because the girls love him, but he’s been much better than this.

4. Joshua Ledet : “Without You” by Mariah Carey (Harry Nilsson)
Thank you for proving that last week was an anomaly. He gave this everything, and we felt it all.

3. Phillip Phillips : “Still Rainin’” by Jonny Lang
Great song choice for him. This might be the most I’ve liked him all season. I would definitely watch and listen to more of what he just did there. I do genuinely like the guy, for saying he doesn’t give a shit about anything other than the music and meaning it. I think I get him better now.

2. Jessica Sanchez : “Sweet Dreams” by Beyoncé
Oh, this is enchanting. She does a great job with this. What a fabulous interpretation and performance.

1. Elise Testone : “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin
I love that she chose Zeppelin. And she sounds fabulous singing with Stevie Nicks in rehearsal–I want a recording of that. She fucking blows everyone away with this. And she’s not up there on stage posing or imitating anyone, she’s just singing the hell out of it, as herself. And that ending. It’s awesome.

Now, how do I even rank the trios? Am I supposed to? Are we factoring them into the performances?

3. DeAndre, Heejun and Joshua : Michael Jackson medley
They produce some surprisingly nice harmonies, but what an odd choice of songs for the medley. It was…watchable, though they lose it some when they hit PYT.

2. Hollie, Skylar and Jessica : Madonna medley
Individually they sound great—well, Skylar sounds a little breathless again—but there’s not a lot of harmonizing going on. Or if there is, it’s virtually inaudible. Performance-wise, it was strong.

1. Colton, Elise and Phillip : Fleetwood Mac medley
Oh, I like Colton much better on this. It doesn’t hurt that I love Landslide so fucking much. Elise is amazing, because she can’t help it. And Phillip was there too. Oh, that’s not fair. He was fine, and the song choice was good for him. They actually sound pretty good together, especially on Edge of Seventeen.

Bottom three prediction: Let’s go with DeAndre, Hollie, and Joshua. I think Heejun is going to slide, even though he deserves to be there. And if Elise is in the bottom three, I’m going to stab America. Going home? Probably DeAndre. He’s hit the bottom before.

I’m watching (and thus, writing) this long after the results show has already aired—it’s just been that kind of a week—so no predictions today, just the rankings. Because I have Top 9 to watch yet tonight too.

Tommy Hilfiger has been all over my reality TV lately. Remember when these icons used to be just names that may or may not have represented real people? Sometimes I miss the mystery. Anyway, as much as I appreciate the acknowledgment that styling is important to what they’re looking for, and as much as I insist that I want to see the process that gets them to the performance too, that whole bit is a little off for me. I’d be happy to just get to the songs and the singing. Which I will do…now.

10. Heejun Han : “My Life”
Oh my god, Heejun and Tommy. I’m dying. I want him to troll the world. He will never be the best singer on the show. In fact, at this point he’s pretty much the weakest, and he’s definitely not entirely on-pitch tonight. He never would have got past the first rounds with this. I don’t care. I want him to entertain me forever. (That said, I like that Steven Tyler suggested that at some point he’ll have to take it more seriously if he wants to be successful in music.)

9. DeAndre Brackensick : “Only The Good Die Young”
He’s he’s swallowing his lyrics again, and the beginning is rough. I buy it a little more once he gets into it, but the whole thing just feels terribly amateurish, especially compared to what I know he can do.

8. Hollie Cavanagh : “Honesty”
Every time I hear Hollie talk I can’t believe she sings the way she does. She sounds fine, but dear god I really need to hear her do a different kind of song. I get that she’s doing what she does best, and I like this song, but oh I’m so bored. (And though this is in her wheelhouse, it’s also not the best she’s done.)

7. Erika Van Pelt : “New York State of Mind”
I’m not sure Erika’s haircut is going to win her any more votes, but damn she looks hot. And I think she sounds great…but. This is a great song, but it sounds dated, and that’s the last thing she needs. People have already been responding to her as being too old for their tastes. This won’t (and, as we already know, didn’t) help.

6. Skylar Laine : “Shameless”
Maybe it’s just me tonight, but I feel like just about everyone is starting out weak. Is it a sound problem? Even people I usually love aren’t sounding great, not just one but most of them. This is adequate, but I usually love Skylar (in spite of not loving her genre) and I didn’t love this.

5. Joshua Ledet : “She’s Got a Way”
Why choose a song you’ve never heard before? (That’s actually not a rhetorical question—I would have liked to have heard the answer to it. Did someone else choose it? Was it recommended to him? Is he not familiar with Billy Joel? Did he just like the title?) And huh…I like his restraint in the opening, but he sounds like he’s wavering off pitch, and the restraint starts to feel less like a choice and more like a limitation. Not my favourite from him, but then my bar for Joshua is set very, very high. I think Jennifer nails it (what? really?) when she says that he didn’t quite connect with the song.

4. Phillip Phillips : “Movin’ Out”
I’m often dubious of the advice that contestants get on this show, but I actually think Phillip got really good advice this week. Most of which he didn’t listen to, but he listened to the relevant stuff which is the point: the real trick is to know what to listen to and what to ignore, and he got that. It got shouty, as he does, but mostly I think he was right on with his interpretation of the song. He sounded great, and it had this really interesting kind of eerie aggression.

3. Jessica Sanchez : “Everybody Has a Dream”
I’m a little disappointed in the song choice, but I cannot deny that this girl has an amazing voice and knows exactly what to do with it.

2. Colton Dixon : “Piano Man”
I’m really glad he did this song. I was worried he was going to try to think outside the box when I really wanted him to rock the piano. I wasn’t as blown away as I wanted to be, but it was definitely superior. Why isn’t this available on iTunes in Canada? I want to pay money for it immediately.

1. Elise Testone : “Vienna”
I’ve suspected it the past couple of weeks, but I’ve decided now: I love Elise. She sounds fabulous, and this was an excellent song choice. I’m so glad she stuck to her guns on this. And that ending. Dear god, I got goosebumps. She was amazing.

And in conclusion, Erika should never have gone home for this, but I am in no way surprised. It was going to be her time sooner than later.

Shut up. SHUT UP. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to be completely wrong. Shannon goes home and all is right with the world. Though I’m appalled about the other two in the bottom three. Erika I called (unhappily, but I called it) but Elise too? Gross, America.

Or, as everyone and their brother’s dog has already pointed out, songs that were covered the year they were born. And also based on the song selection I feel the need to point out: trying to cover duets on Idol has just never gone well. They always come out a little strange as chopped up solo pieces.

Also, was the goodbye package for Jermaine Jones really necessary? They’ve never done that for any other contestant who’s been ousted for legal or other reasons, and there definitely have been a few. Whatever.

11. Heejun Han : “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx
Much as this is a hugely nostalgic song for me, I’m not sure it’s going to do him any favours. I’m still hoping he’ll do something a little more interesting. He has a lovely voice, but it’s not showcased here at all. Heejun, don’t make me get off the train. I think he has enough of a fanbase at the moment to survive this (at the expense of someone who did better), but it won’t last long at this rate.

10. Shannon Magrane : “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
The fact that this wasn’t a train wreck this week doesn’t actually make her good. She had pitch issues and breath control issues and that was not particularly enjoyable.

9. DeAndre Brackensick : “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross [Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross]
What an odd song choice to saddle him with. Not that his own was much better. But of all the songs in 1994…this? Really? He sounds pretty, but he could have done so much better on something else. I would’ve loved to see him rock out with something from the height of grunge.

8. Erika Van Pelt : “Heaven” by Bryan Adams
Another song I have an intense nostalgic attachment to. I still love her voice and I like her on this, but I almost felt like she was singing too hard in parts of it, or not singing to hard but looking like she’s singing harder than she is. Not my favourite from her, but certainly not bad.

7. Jessica Sanchez : “Turn The Beat Around” by Vicki Sue Robinson [Gloria Estefan]
It’s great to hear her do something different, but I’m not sure this was her best. The That said, this is a hard song to keep up with, rhythmically, and she did it. (Judges, please don’t tell her to stick to ballads.)

6. Hollie Cavanaugh : “The Power of Love” by Jennifer Rush [Celine Dion]
Obviously, this was vocally proficient. Nearly flawless, in fact. Girl can sing. But the performance was stiff and I was left a little cold. She doesn’t quite know what to do with herself when she performs, and I’m not won over by a voice that can hold a glory note alone.

5. Phillip Phillips : “Hard to Handle” by Otis Redding [Black Crows]
Finally, something with some kind of a melody that I can gauge his actual singing ability on. This totally worked for me. It’s not that I don’t like his voice or his musical choices, because I think he has a very good musical sensibility, but his strength showed on this one.

4. Colton Dixon : “Broken Heart” by White Lion
In a week of uninspired song choices, I’ve got to reward the guy who actually does something interesting. I was clear about the fact that I had no intention of getting on the Colton train, but it turns out that he’s one of the three or four I look forward to each week now. He pretty much owns it. I’m very surprised by how emphatically Stephen Tyler didn’t care for it.

3. Elise Testone : “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green [Tina Turner]
I adore her voice, that rasp is amazing. And I love what she does with this one, the way it builds and grows and the strength she brings to it. Fabulous job.

2. Skylar Laine : “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” by Bonnie Raitt
Given Jimmy’s questionable song choices for other contestants, good for Skylar for sticking to her guns on this one. Bonnie Raitt is a great choice for her (though she’s already shown the ability to take a song from a different genre and make it fit her). She pretty much nails it.

1. Joshua Ledet : “When a Man Loves a Woman’” by Percy Sledge [Michael Bolton]
I should get on his case for choosing a Michael Bolton song (and kudos for saying “Michael Bolton’s version” and demonstrating musical awareness), but it’s Joshua. He can do whatever he wants, as far as I’m concerned. He sings it like he owns it, and I believe every second of it. Holy fuck this guy is good.

Bottom three prediction: Heejun Han, DeAndre Brackensick, Erika Van Pelt. It should be Shannon, but somehow she keeps getting through so she’s probably got a couple more weeks in her, at least. (Yes, I don’t even think she’ll hit the bottom three.) Which means that it’ll probably be Erika, completely unjustly, because I’m pretty sure both the others have the fanbase to carry them through at this point. That is, if anyone goes in the wake of Jermaine’s elimination.

I can’t talk about this episode much because I haven’t watched it, nor do I plan to. Gradually, over the years, I’ve gone from watching the entire results show to skipping through the boring parts to skipping through nearly everything to simply looking up the results afterwards, unless I’m told that there was a particularly good performance or moment I ought to look up.

However, there’s no other elegant way to report and comment on the results without writing up a post for it. I think, going forward, unless I have something particular to say I’m going to report the results at the top of the next week’s ranking. There are plenty of sources for that kind of information; nobody’s coming here for it.

So. I called Jeremy’s ouster, but not Elise Testone’s trip to the bottom. I mean…WHAT THE FUCK? Given those two options, I think they made the right choice, but she never should have been there in the first place. Every year I go into the finals so hopeful, and ever year I’m completely baffled by at least one contestant’s longevity.

I found the idea of a 2-hour results show, even one with a few performances in it, unbearable, so here’s the bottom line: the top 13 are Elise Testone, Skylar Laine, Shannon Magrane, Hollie Cavanaugh, Jessica Sanchez and Erika Van Pelt; Jermaine Jones, Colton Dixon, Joshua Ledet, Heejun Han, Phillip Phillips, Deandre Brackensick and Jeremy Rosado, which means with the except of Shannon Magrane and Jermaine Jones—but mostly Shannon, I mean, really?—I was just about dead on with my predictions.

Tonight it’s the girls versus the guys—people will vote for the bottom girl and the bottom boy and the judges will decide which one of them is going home—which I find kind of gross and unnecessary at the point of the competition. Aren’t we past that already? The girls are singing Whitney Houston and the guys are singing Stevie Wonder and I can’t help but think this would have been a more interesting show if it had been the other way around.

That said, it was a pretty good night of singing. This week I have a top two, and I have a bottom two, and everything in between them is virtually interchangeable as far as rankings go. In the good way. Everything but the bottom two is really top half of the pack—I honestly can’t remember a time when I was this broadly positive about an episode.

13. Shannon Magrane : “I Have Nothing”
It’s not as bad as I was expecting, actually. She’s swallowing a lot of notes and phrases, though, and when she hits the whole back half, she’s a little breathless and a little flat. It’s okay—it’s not a train wreck, but it’s not glorious. She doesn’t bring it.

12. Jermaine Jones : “Knocks Me Off My Feet”
This was…hm. Competent, certainly, but it’s not interesting. There’s some kind of richness missing from his voice, and there was a lack of connection with his audience. And I don’t think the arrangement was doing him any favours—it felt incredibly dated.

11. Jeremy Rosado : “Ribbon in the Sky”
I’m thrilled that he was chosen as a Wild Card because he absolutely deserves to be here. But this didn’t quite have the power behind it that I think it needed—he gets drowned by the band fairly regularly early on. It should be enough to keep him in the competition, except for the fact that he was a wild card pick so he probably doesn’t have the fanbase behind him.

10. Phillip Phillips : “Superstition”
Last performance of the night, and I’d been waiting for someone to come and rock out a little. Musically, it’s a great version of the song, for my taste. Vocally, he gets completely lost in it; the instruments overpower him, except when he’s shouting. Which he does a lot.

9. Elise Testone : “I’m Your Baby Tonight”
I’m glad she didn’t sing Greatest Love of All, as she’d originally intended, because that had the potential to be very dull, but she’s still not entirely comfortable with this song yet and it shows. That said, she sounds fabulous, and she gives it everything, especially in the back half. When she does her own thing on it, that’s when it’s at its best.

8. Deandre Brackensick : “Master Blaster”
I do enjoy him. The song gets away from him a little, but in general he just gets it, and it’s not an easy song to pull off. It suits him, or he suits it, or something. When he’s on, he’s on, and his falsetto is put to great effect.

7. Heejun Han : “All in Love Is Fair”
I want this dude to be my best friend. His voice is lovely on this, very pretty. But I still wish I saw more of his personality in his singing. I’m hoping it will come in time. Still, he sounds beautiful tonight. His tone is kind of amazing.

6. Skylar Laine : “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”
Whitney Houston took a country song and turned it into a megahit, so I see no reason it wouldn’t work in the other direction. Especially when Skylar gets her hands on it, because when she sings she feels like the real deal. She loves what she’s doing, and she loves what she sings. And she nails the glory moment (not merely a note).

5. Erika Van Pelt : “I Believe in You and Me”
I mean, let’s just get it out there: I’m totes crushing on Erika Van Pelt. She sings like a grown up, and I love that rasp in her voice. I would have liked to see her do something more interesting, but then that’s the limitation of Whitney Houston for me—God love her, I did not listen to her music recreationally. Erika nails it, not a bad note in the bunch.

4. Colton Dixon : “Lately”
Surprisingly, this song and this arrangement does suit him. I’m still quite hit and miss with Colton, but this hit for me. It could have been—and has been—a big miss in other hands. An unexpected choice, but he pulls it off, with a restrained and focused vocal.

3. Hollie Cavanaugh : “All The Man That I Need”
Sometimes I can’t believe that voice comes out of her. There were a few shaky moment, but girl can sing, and she still has a beautiful tone when she pulls it back. This was a surprise for me, because I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Hollie. It was just lovely.

2. Joshua Ledet : “I Wish”
This is the first song of the evening, and this guy is just so good. Some of his endings were a little more clipped than I think he intended, but that’s just nitpicking. He sang the hell out of this song. I could have listened to a whole show of him.

1. Jessica Sanchez : “I Will Always Love You”
This is fucking impeccable. I don’t even know what else to say about it. The opening and the closing gave me chills. My only criticism—and I don’t even care that much in this instance—is that I’m pretty sure it’s virtually a note for note imitation of Whitney, down to the runs.

Bottom two prediction: Should be Shannon Magrane and Jermaine Jones, but will be Shannon Magrane and Jeremy Rosado. If it’s not Shannon, I don’t know what’s wrong with people. And sadly, of those, I think Jeremy will be leaving. He does not deserve to go, but he was a wild card pick who had a good but not great night, and I just don’t think he’ll get the votes. I would love to be proven wrong.

Do we seriously have two girls singing the same song? They actually allowed that? Who thought that was a good idea? Manufactured drama is so Season 10. At least this time the judges are doing exactly what they should, which is also frustrating because I’m not sure they had a single critical thing to say about the (much less interesting) boys’ group.

12. Baylie Brown : “Amazed” by Lonestar
I have a real soft spot for this song. But wow, what a train wreck of a beginning. And middle. And end. Was she even on key once? Not only was she not hitting the right notes, I’m not even sure she was looking for them.

11 Haley Johnsen : “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics
Oh yes, this song. And to be fair, she starts it just right, though she’s no Annie Lennox. It goes downhill from there. She’s off pitch throughout, and this could have used an updated arrangement to make her stand out. Otherwise we’re straight up comparing her to Annie, and that’s just never going to end well.

10. Shannon Magrane : “Go Light Your World” by Kathy Troccoli
Competent, but dull. And that’s a very pageanty gown, to go with a pageanty song choice. Pageanty is one of those overused descriptions when it comes to Idol, but if you look up the word “pageanty” in the Idol dictionary, this is the picture that you’d find next to it.

9. Chelsea Sorrell : “Cowboy Casanova” by Carrie Underwood
Another competent performance. It’s not bad, exactly, but it hasn’t been that long since I watched it and I can’t even remember what I heard. Certainly not something to measure up to some of the other performers. I hate to say karaoke, because that’s another dirty word when it comes to idol performances, but I’m not sure I saw a lot of her personality. Ultimately fairly forgettable.

8. Hallie Day : “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone (among others)
Oh girl. You’re up against some stiff competition with this one. Idol viewers have long memories. She’s not terrible, but she’s not getting there for me. A few parts are flat, and she can wail it when she needs to, but in between belting it out she’s just getting lost.

7. Brielle Von Hugel : “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
This seems like an odd song choice for her. And damn her for starting in her lower range, I’m such a sucker for that and I don’t want to like her. It’s a little too low for her, though, and she’s having some pitch issues. Even this early in the show (fourth) she’s just not quite measuring up. But–BUT–t’s nice to have at least one contestant who’s not just a belter. That might work in her favour.

6. Hollie Cavanagh : “Reflection” by Christina Aguilera
She’s got a pretty voice, but the performance starts a little weak for me. Then she hits some sweet, sweet notes and I’m a little more sold. Overall, very good but a little uneven. She seems to be the darling of the night, from what comments I haven’t managed to avoid, but It wasn’t there for me.

5. Jen Hirsh : “One and Only” by Adele
When she gets into it, she gets into it, but her getting into it might’ve come too late. The song feels like maybe it was shaped a little strangely, ramping up too quickly at the end and too little dynamics earlier on. That said, it was good. Her voice is great. Shame they set her up to sing the same song as their choice for the pimp spot.

4. Jessica Sanchez : “I Love You I Do” by Jennifer Hudson
I really hoped for more from her. She swallows most of her lyrics when she’s not belting. And don’t get me wrong, girl can belt, but I need more than that from my singers. I think I’d be putting her even lower if not for the fact that when she belts, she is on, but this is not a spot that can be maintained without some more demonstrated range.

3. Skylar Laine : “Stay With Me” by Faces
Wow, she’s just a little powerhouse, isn’t she? She’s got her niche and I can’t imagine her not picking up a following. I did like it. It’s not my favourite performance personally, but she’s got it together: she knows who she is and she knows what to do with what she has.

2. Erika Van Pelt : “What About Love” by Heart
I don’t want a top thirteen without her in it. She dominates this song, but still lets it have its tender moments. I love her tone and the power behind her voice. I think this could have been more interesting and shown a little more of her personality, because karaoke would not have been an unfair criticism, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, and her.

1. Elise Testone : “One and Only” by Adele
Am I a sucker for a piano? Maybe a little. But I love her tone, and love how she starts this out. It ends too soon for me–I wanted more of that. I try not to fall for the pimp slot, but she earned my props here. Not a flawless performance, but just what I was looking for.

Preference: Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, Skylar Laine, Jessica Sanchez, Jen Hirsch
Prediction: Elise Testone, Skylar Laine, Jessica Sanchez, Hollie Cavanaugh, Brielle Von Hugel or Hallie Day (that said, if Erika Van Pelt doesn’t get in, I bet she’ll be a Wild Card pick)

In just in time for the results show. Which I probably will not be watching when I get home from rehearsal, for the record. Just give me the names and move me on to next week.

I honestly skipped almost everything except the performances, so if anything interesting happened, I missed it. [ I'm told I missed nothing. ] Straight up, there will be a top 13 this year: 5 guys and 5 girls from the semifinals, plus 3 judges’ wild cards. Okay, that’s fine. We know it works. Just stick with it. No last minute “Oh, we couldn’t decide so have a fourteenth and a fifteenth finalist too.” Okay?

Okay, look. I was so bored. SO BORED. I’m pretty much always underwhelmed by the semifinal shows, so I’m trying not to read too much into this. I don’t even like Kris Allen’s semifinal performance and I think he’s basically fabulous. I can’t really pretend these are objective, because there’s so much meh that “I just liked it” is a much huger boost than it would be in a stronger field.

13. Eben Franckewitz : “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele
Oh, yikes. This is not good. I think he’s not ready for this, and picking an Adele song highlighted it even more. Poor little guy. I have nothing good to say about the vocal on this. Sorry. He basically has no competition for the last place spot: there is a first, and there is a last, and then in the middle there is a whole lot of meh.

12. Chase Likens : “Storm Warning” by Hunter Hayes
You have to water and feed horses? Really, Chase? Wow, I never knew! (Another reason I try to skip everything but the singing. And Heejun Han.) This is…kind of weak. He’s just getting swallowed by the song. It’s like he’s here for the country quota and not because he ever excited anyone, particularly. Ultimately forgettable.

11. Phillip Phillips : “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins
No more Phil Collins. For anyone. As far as I’m concerned, this needed a more updated arrangement, though I’m not sure that would have ultimately helped. The way he performs the song, it practically has no melody at all. Maybe he has a future in spoken word?

10. Deandre Brackensick : “Reasons” by Earth Wind and Fire
Weak start, unfortunately. I do not enjoy this much falsetto. Interesting song choice, at least, and what he does he does well. And he’s adorable. I’ve liked him since last year, but I think maybe I like him better in small doses. I didn’t hate this, though, and didn’t realise I was going to rank him this low in the end. Honestly, almost everything between 12 and 2 is interchangeable anyway.

9. Adam Brock : “Think” by Aretha Franklin
Adam Brock, you do not have a large black woman inside you. He’s a good singer, but there’s something about watching him that makes me uncomfortable, like he’s trying so hard to be something he’s not. But, you know, he hit the notes. And, based on past years, that counts for a lot at this stage. He wasn’t bad…I think maybe I’m just not buying what he’s selling.

8. Aaron Marcellus : “Never Can Say Goodbye” by The Jackson Five
I really enjoy listening to him sing, he seems to know the right amount of emphasis and embellishment to put in it with getting painfully overwrought. But it seemed to be missing something. Like soul. Or something. Vocally proficient but missing some je ne sais quoi.

7. Reed Grimm : “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5
Look, I don’t know why I enjoy him, I just do. Lisp and all. At some point he’s going to get on my nerves, but not yet. He has good control over the song, but it’s a bit boring at first and he’s getting drowned out by the band occasionally. I don’t care, I love it when he hits the drums. I DON’T CARE. Serviceable overall, but not exciting.

6. Heejun Han : “Angels” by Robbie Williams
I want to watch Heejun every week. I also like to listen to him sing, so it’s a good combination. This was not perfect, and not his best performance, but it had its moments. And I think that’s more than a lot of performances this week. Yes, I’m probably ranking him where I am partly based on past performances and personality. I can do that this early in the game, when there’s just not much separating one guy from the next. I just want him to make his performances as interesting as I think he is.

5. Jermaine Jones : “Dance With My Father” by Luther Vandross
Of all of the possible options for who came back, I’m glad it was Jermaine. I do love his voice, though I fear getting bored with what he does. But this is lovely.

4. Jeremy Rosado : “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles
Wow, this is a really good performance. At least at first. He goes sharp at one point, but it doesn’t crash the whole performance. Vocally this is definitely one of the best and I have to give him credit, and ranking, for that. That said, I didn’t particularly enjoy it, on a personal level.

3. Creighton Fraker : “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
The hell? I like this in spite of myself. There are shrieky moments that I don’t enjoy, and I’m not sold on the arrangement, but I like his song choice, and I always need a weirdo in my Idol. The opening in particular was strong, and I felt like I maybe got it for the first time. Whether it will stay got remains to be seen.

2. Colton Dixon : “Decode” by Paramore
He just does not have consistent control over his voice, so sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn’t. This performance, like others, is pretty all over the place. But. BUT. I sort of like what he does here, and there’s a huge niche he’s filling that no one else is even brushing up against at this stage. The smart money’s on him going through, and I don’t really have a problem with that anymore. Actually, I would go so far as to say there’s zero chance of him not getting through. I’m not sure he deserves second place this week–in fact, vocally, I’m sure he doesn’t–but do I put someone up past him who was vocally proficient but boring as hell? This is probably the only performance of tonight that I would listen to recreationally.

1. Joshua Ledet : “You Pulled Me Through” by Jennifer Hudson
The first—and maybe only—really good and consistent guy of the night, in all three of pitch and power and performance. And he’s got this really interesting rasp in his voice, that’s just the right side of shouting when he belts. My surprise of the night, for sure. Who is this guy?

Preference: Joshua Ledet, Colton Dixon, Creighton Fraker (yeah, I still can’t quite believe it either), Heejun Han, Reed Grimm [ though there are others that I would be fine with. I'm just not that invested in the guys ]
Prediction: Joshua Ledet, Heejun Han, Phillip Phillips, Colton Dixon, Adam Brock [ or maybe Deandre Brackensick for being cute ]

Creighton Fraker would probably get through in Canada. Especially if he was from the Maritimes. We like our weirdos. But here, I’m not as convinced. I thought Phillip’s performance was kind of dreadful, but he’s getting so much buzz I can’t ignore it. As for judges’ wild cards…hard to say without knowing who made it through, and without having heard the girls yet.

I hope things get more interesting from here on in. Bring it, girls. Please. For the love of god.