American Idol Season 10, Episode 34: Top 4

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

As Ryan Seacrest dutifully reminded us at the start of the episode, tonight is the most important of the season: tonight four contestants sing two songs, and the three that emerge victorious get to do their big, fancy hometown visits.

The first song theme was “Songs That Inspire You,” and I felt that this was all kinds of cheesy, and with the exception of Lauren Alaina’s song, everything seemed so poorly chosen. The second batch of songs were from the Leiber and Stoller songbook, and were brilliantly mentored by Lady Gaga. I’m shocked to admit that she is miles away the best mentor that American Idol has ever seen. She brought out some fantastic performances, but seemed to really relate well with the contestants.

My favorite of the night was Lauren Alaina, who I feel not only chose the only appropriate song in the first round, but also gave the best all around performance of the first round. She sang Martina McBride’s “Anyway” and dedicated it to the people whose lives have been affected by the destruction after the tornadoes in the South. Her voice was at its biggest, she hit the bold notes the judges have wanted her to hit, and it was a long overdue performance of excellence from Lauren. She needed this badly.

Her second performance of Elvis’ “Trouble,” wasn’t as strong as her first, but she came out with a sense of confidence that we haven’t yet seen in her. Jennifer said that she was on the “attack,” and I completely agree. The gospel section wasn’t incredible, but she didn’t back down the way she would have in weeks past.

James gets the default second slot in my mind, because he is the most consistent contestant on the show. He always gets on stage and delivers a fun, high-energy performance. His first performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” was a little too cliché for me (must everyone always cover this song?) and was a little too screamy and yelly for my tastes, but his second performance of “Love Potion No. 9” was standard James fare: he rocked the stage, inserted dramatic pauses, and sang really well. It wasn’t anything bold or new for James, but it was entertaining.

In true Haley fashion, her performances get the “best and worst” split. Her first performance of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” was easily the night’s worst, and quite honestly, one of her worst performances in recent weeks. Sounding like she was screaming for half the song wasn’t bad enough, but the song wasn’t much of a “hit” for her, as the judges reminded her.

What potentially did Haley in was her back and forth bickering with Randy over his very harsh criticism. I don’t like when contestants get a little too full of themselves and fight back, because it never portrays them in a good light. I totally understand that emotions are at such an intense high at this point, and she is trying to fight for survival and prove to the audience that she did a good job, but arguing is never a good move on this show.

Shockingly, Haley somehow conquered her tears, and put her anger to good use, as she belted out “I Who Have Nothing,” in potentially the night’s best performance. It was as if she wasn’t completely demoralized by the judges just twenty minutes earlier, because after this performance, they were giving her a well-deserved standing ovation. Lady Gaga wanted her to bring the drama, and she did, along with some of her best vocals to date.

I know that many bloggers and American Idol pundits believe that Scotty will win the title, but I really feel that he was the worst tonight, and that he should go home. Why should Scotty get praised for “knowing who he is as an artist?” while Pia and Jacob were sent home for being too one-dimensional, even though they certainly knew the artists they each wanted to be? His first song, which he said he sang because he’s proud to be an American, Alan Jackson's post-9/11 song, "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?" was timely, but it wasn’t great. First of all, I found the lyrics to be ignorant, but this isn’t about attacking the original song, it’s about me not thinking it was appropriate for Scotty to be singing. I will always be wary of using 9/11 as a means to appear more patriotic, but it did not sit well with me to have someone who could not have been older than seven on 9/11 sing such a mature song about how those events impacted him on a deep level. I may be entirely alone in this, and I am okay with that, but I found Scotty’s performance to be offensive. On a musical note, his singing wasn’t that great, and his performance was just as phony as it normally is.

His second song, the Coasters’ “Young Blood,” was slightly better, if only because it showed that Scotty has somewhat of a sense of humor. I couldn’t really hear the vocals too well, presumably because of his annoying way of holding the mic, but it was an energetic performance for him, which I feel he really needed. I hate that the judges think he’s such a lock, because I really don’t see it. I see nothing remotely interesting or genuine about Scotty McCreery.

I think Haley is in danger of going home, if only for her fighting back to Randy, but I really wish it would be Scotty.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 34: Top 4

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

As Ryan Seacrest dutifully reminded us at the start of the episode, tonight is the most important of the season: tonight four contestants sing two songs, and the three that emerge victorious get to do their big, fancy hometown visits.

The first song theme was “Songs That Inspire You,” and I felt that this was all kinds of cheesy, and with the exception of Lauren Alaina’s song, everything seemed so poorly chosen. The second batch of songs were from the Leiber and Stoller songbook, and were brilliantly mentored by Lady Gaga. I’m shocked to admit that she is miles away the best mentor that American Idol has ever seen. She brought out some fantastic performances, but seemed to really relate well with the contestants.

My favorite of the night was Lauren Alaina, who I feel not only chose the only appropriate song in the first round, but also gave the best all around performance of the first round. She sang Martina McBride’s “Anyway” and dedicated it to the people whose lives have been affected by the destruction after the tornadoes in the South. Her voice was at its biggest, she hit the bold notes the judges have wanted her to hit, and it was a long overdue performance of excellence from Lauren. She needed this badly.

Her second performance of Elvis’ “Trouble,” wasn’t as strong as her first, but she came out with a sense of confidence that we haven’t yet seen in her. Jennifer said that she was on the “attack,” and I completely agree. The gospel section wasn’t incredible, but she didn’t back down the way she would have in weeks past.

James gets the default second slot in my mind, because he is the most consistent contestant on the show. He always gets on stage and delivers a fun, high-energy performance. His first performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” was a little too cliché for me (must everyone always cover this song?) and was a little too screamy and yelly for my tastes, but his second performance of “Love Potion No. 9” was standard James fare: he rocked the stage, inserted dramatic pauses, and sang really well. It wasn’t anything bold or new for James, but it was entertaining.

In true Haley fashion, her performances get the “best and worst” split. Her first performance of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” was easily the night’s worst, and quite honestly, one of her worst performances in recent weeks. Sounding like she was screaming for half the song wasn’t bad enough, but the song wasn’t much of a “hit” for her, as the judges reminded her.

What potentially did Haley in was her back and forth bickering with Randy over his very harsh criticism. I don’t like when contestants get a little too full of themselves and fight back, because it never portrays them in a good light. I totally understand that emotions are at such an intense high at this point, and she is trying to fight for survival and prove to the audience that she did a good job, but arguing is never a good move on this show.

Shockingly, Haley somehow conquered her tears, and put her anger to good use, as she belted out “I Who Have Nothing,” in potentially the night’s best performance. It was as if she wasn’t completely demoralized by the judges just twenty minutes earlier, because after this performance, they were giving her a well-deserved standing ovation. Lady Gaga wanted her to bring the drama, and she did, along with some of her best vocals to date.

I know that many bloggers and American Idol pundits believe that Scotty will win the title, but I really feel that he was the worst tonight, and that he should go home. Why should Scotty get praised for “knowing who he is as an artist?” while Pia and Jacob were sent home for being too one-dimensional, even though they certainly knew the artists they each wanted to be? His first song, which he said he sang because he’s proud to be an American, Alan Jackson's post-9/11 song, "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?" was timely, but it wasn’t great. First of all, I found the lyrics to be ignorant, but this isn’t about attacking the original song, it’s about me not thinking it was appropriate for Scotty to be singing. I will always be wary of using 9/11 as a means to appear more patriotic, but it did not sit well with me to have someone who could not have been older than seven on 9/11 sing such a mature song about how those events impacted him on a deep level. I may be entirely alone in this, and I am okay with that, but I found Scotty’s performance to be offensive. On a musical note, his singing wasn’t that great, and his performance was just as phony as it normally is.

His second song, the Coasters’ “Young Blood,” was slightly better, if only because it showed that Scotty has somewhat of a sense of humor. I couldn’t really hear the vocals too well, presumably because of his annoying way of holding the mic, but it was an energetic performance for him, which I feel he really needed. I hate that the judges think he’s such a lock, because I really don’t see it. I see nothing remotely interesting or genuine about Scotty McCreery.

I think Haley is in danger of going home, if only for her fighting back to Randy, but I really wish it would be Scotty.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 33: And Then There Were Four

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I’m not at all shocked by tonight’s outcome of American Idol. In fact, I’ve been calling for Jacob’s elimination for quite some time, and given the fact that he performed the worst on both songs on Wednesday night, now was as good a time as any for Jacob’s elimination.

I’ve always thought Jacob has a beautiful voice, and I still believe that, but I don’t feel he’s performed consistently well on a show that should demand that. I haven’t been a big fan of his song choices recently, or the way he’s performed them. And while I’ve found myself growing more attached to some contestants, like Haley, who I never would’ve guessed to be a strong contender for the title, I’ve also found myself growing less attached to Jacob. I respect his positivity throughout the entire season and especially tonight, and do agree with him that he can and will make a record reminiscent of Luther Vandross, and hopefully, when he is focusing entirely on songs that he wants to be singing, the amazing Jacob that blew me away in January will return.

What I’m not a fan of is the way Ryan Seacrest brings the contestants to the point of nervous breakdown leading up to their judgment. I think it was inappropriate to ask Scotty to choose which duo – Lauren and Jacob or Haley and James – were in the bottom. And seeing Lauren Alaina overcome with sheer terror and sobbing for half the episode was incredibly difficult for me to watch. I’m sorry, Ryan Seacrest, but I derive absolutely zero pleasure from watching a seventeen-year-old girl bawl her eyes out for half an hour.

Lauren’s fear was incredibly present tonight, and I think Jimmy is right when he offers her some criticism that an inability to conquer her fears and finally believe in herself will cost her a chance of winning a title that she actually can win. I’ve always believed that Lauren Alaina has the best voice of the competition, hands down, but while other contestants – again, Haley immediately comes to mind – develop and grow, we see moments of brilliance from Lauren, and more moments of apprehension and nerves. I’m not very surprised by this. It’s an emotionally overwhelming and draining show, and she is the youngest person up there at this point. I just really hope that this week’s stint in the Bottom Two is the motivation Lauren needs to come out of her shell and blow everyone away like I know she can. Unfortunately, I can see it also having the opposite effect.

Tonight’s drawn out results show also marked Jennifer Lopez’s big performance of her song “On the Floor.” It was everything I imagined it to be--over the top, flashy, filled with great dancing and distracting backup dancers. Jennifer’s reemergence into the musical world makes me wish for two things for her: for her to stick to judging American Idol, and for her to get back to making guilty pleasure romantic comedies (because I will never not love a Jennifer Lopez movie).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 33: And Then There Were Four

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I’m not at all shocked by tonight’s outcome of American Idol. In fact, I’ve been calling for Jacob’s elimination for quite some time, and given the fact that he performed the worst on both songs on Wednesday night, now was as good a time as any for Jacob’s elimination.

I’ve always thought Jacob has a beautiful voice, and I still believe that, but I don’t feel he’s performed consistently well on a show that should demand that. I haven’t been a big fan of his song choices recently, or the way he’s performed them. And while I’ve found myself growing more attached to some contestants, like Haley, who I never would’ve guessed to be a strong contender for the title, I’ve also found myself growing less attached to Jacob. I respect his positivity throughout the entire season and especially tonight, and do agree with him that he can and will make a record reminiscent of Luther Vandross, and hopefully, when he is focusing entirely on songs that he wants to be singing, the amazing Jacob that blew me away in January will return.

What I’m not a fan of is the way Ryan Seacrest brings the contestants to the point of nervous breakdown leading up to their judgment. I think it was inappropriate to ask Scotty to choose which duo – Lauren and Jacob or Haley and James – were in the bottom. And seeing Lauren Alaina overcome with sheer terror and sobbing for half the episode was incredibly difficult for me to watch. I’m sorry, Ryan Seacrest, but I derive absolutely zero pleasure from watching a seventeen-year-old girl bawl her eyes out for half an hour.

Lauren’s fear was incredibly present tonight, and I think Jimmy is right when he offers her some criticism that an inability to conquer her fears and finally believe in herself will cost her a chance of winning a title that she actually can win. I’ve always believed that Lauren Alaina has the best voice of the competition, hands down, but while other contestants – again, Haley immediately comes to mind – develop and grow, we see moments of brilliance from Lauren, and more moments of apprehension and nerves. I’m not very surprised by this. It’s an emotionally overwhelming and draining show, and she is the youngest person up there at this point. I just really hope that this week’s stint in the Bottom Two is the motivation Lauren needs to come out of her shell and blow everyone away like I know she can. Unfortunately, I can see it also having the opposite effect.

Tonight’s drawn out results show also marked Jennifer Lopez’s big performance of her song “On the Floor.” It was everything I imagined it to be--over the top, flashy, filled with great dancing and distracting backup dancers. Jennifer’s reemergence into the musical world makes me wish for two things for her: for her to stick to judging American Idol, and for her to get back to making guilty pleasure romantic comedies (because I will never not love a Jennifer Lopez movie).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 32: The Girls are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

On Now & Then night of American Idol, wherein the Top 5 chose a contemporary song to sing and one from the past, I found myself missing Simon for the first time this season.

It took going to a rock concert recently for me to realize how utterly cheesy James Durbin’s stage antics are, and how Simon would never let him scream, “I want to hear you scream!” to get the audience involved in the first thirty seconds of performing. Don’t get me wrong, I like James, and I like how he commands the stage, but on Wednesday it just seemed cheesy. His first performance, a rendition of 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Closer to the Edge,” was incredibly off pitch, and failed to compare to the original.

His second song, Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” was slightly better, if only because it was more personal and emotional, and I like seeing James connect to the music on such a personal and subdued level. Vocally, on the other hand, I don’t think it was his best.

I don’t dislike James. I actually like him, and have always felt that he could win the season and it wouldn’t be a head-scratching victory, but neither of his performances on Wednesday night seemed winner-worthy, even if the judges think he has the title on lock.

Another place where I disagreed with the judges was on Haley Reinhart’s first performance. I know it’s gutsy to sing a song that no one knows, but it’s just as gutsy – if not more – to sing one that everyone knows incredibly well. Here’s my thought on the matter: If you get handed an unreleased, unrecorded Lady Gaga, and have the blessing from Lady Gaga herself to sing the song, you do it. Why not? That’s a huge vote of confidence from a record exec and the world’s biggest pop star, and isn’t that what this show is all about?

Haley sang the Gaga song well, but her shining moment was in her show closing rendition of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” which was one of the best moments of the season on American Idol. I have chills just thinking of how truly fantastic she was, and how perfect the song seemed for her.

I’m not surprised in the slightest that Jacob Lusk chose to sing both sides of a duet. That just seems like the type of contestant he’s always been. I don’t think singing Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s “No Air” was a good choice. Jacob, whose voice is normally quite fantastic, sounded terrible on it. His dancing, in which he imitated a grinding male stripper (the same thing that did Stefano Langone in earlier this season), wasn’t much better. His second performance of “Love Hurts,” was similarly messy and not up to Jacob’s normal talent. The judges, who’ve seemed incapable of giving a poor yet deserved critique all season, didn’t seem to improve their track record, choosing to find little things, like a super high note, to highlight.

Lauren Alaina is finally heating up, and finding the power that the judges knew all along that she has in her voice. She first sang Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor,” and I thought it was fantastic. She was lively, she was energetic, she powerfully hit all the right notes. It’s the perfect direction for her musically. Of course, I also always want more from Lauren, because I think she’s capable of it, but I was pleased.

Her second performance was a beautiful version of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” and I loved it. She chose a song that everyone knows well and sang it really well. It probably won’t be what she’s remembered for this season, but it was good.

Scotty McCreery gave typical Scotty McCreery performances, first with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone.” I liked it more than I like Scotty’s normal performances, since it seemed different, despite being country. It was another song that reminded me that Scotty is actually a talented guy. His second performance was not shockingly, Elvis’ “Always On My Mind,” and it was again, typical Scotty. He plays it safe every week, but it also works for him. However, the true shocking bit of Scotty this week was discovering that he actually has a Puerto Rican grandmother, and that he wasn’t just pulling J Lo’s leg when he said he was a quarter Puerto Rican back in the auditions.

My Bottom Three: Jacob, Scotty, James. Finally! Do I think it’ll wind up this way? Not necessarily, but last night I realized that the girls are “in it to win it,” to borrow Randy’s overused phrase.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 32: The Girls are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

On Now & Then night of American Idol, wherein the Top 5 chose a contemporary song to sing and one from the past, I found myself missing Simon for the first time this season.

It took going to a rock concert recently for me to realize how utterly cheesy James Durbin’s stage antics are, and how Simon would never let him scream, “I want to hear you scream!” to get the audience involved in the first thirty seconds of performing. Don’t get me wrong, I like James, and I like how he commands the stage, but on Wednesday it just seemed cheesy. His first performance, a rendition of 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Closer to the Edge,” was incredibly off pitch, and failed to compare to the original.

His second song, Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” was slightly better, if only because it was more personal and emotional, and I like seeing James connect to the music on such a personal and subdued level. Vocally, on the other hand, I don’t think it was his best.

I don’t dislike James. I actually like him, and have always felt that he could win the season and it wouldn’t be a head-scratching victory, but neither of his performances on Wednesday night seemed winner-worthy, even if the judges think he has the title on lock.

Another place where I disagreed with the judges was on Haley Reinhart’s first performance. I know it’s gutsy to sing a song that no one knows, but it’s just as gutsy – if not more – to sing one that everyone knows incredibly well. Here’s my thought on the matter: If you get handed an unreleased, unrecorded Lady Gaga, and have the blessing from Lady Gaga herself to sing the song, you do it. Why not? That’s a huge vote of confidence from a record exec and the world’s biggest pop star, and isn’t that what this show is all about?

Haley sang the Gaga song well, but her shining moment was in her show closing rendition of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” which was one of the best moments of the season on American Idol. I have chills just thinking of how truly fantastic she was, and how perfect the song seemed for her.

I’m not surprised in the slightest that Jacob Lusk chose to sing both sides of a duet. That just seems like the type of contestant he’s always been. I don’t think singing Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s “No Air” was a good choice. Jacob, whose voice is normally quite fantastic, sounded terrible on it. His dancing, in which he imitated a grinding male stripper (the same thing that did Stefano Langone in earlier this season), wasn’t much better. His second performance of “Love Hurts,” was similarly messy and not up to Jacob’s normal talent. The judges, who’ve seemed incapable of giving a poor yet deserved critique all season, didn’t seem to improve their track record, choosing to find little things, like a super high note, to highlight.

Lauren Alaina is finally heating up, and finding the power that the judges knew all along that she has in her voice. She first sang Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor,” and I thought it was fantastic. She was lively, she was energetic, she powerfully hit all the right notes. It’s the perfect direction for her musically. Of course, I also always want more from Lauren, because I think she’s capable of it, but I was pleased.

Her second performance was a beautiful version of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” and I loved it. She chose a song that everyone knows well and sang it really well. It probably won’t be what she’s remembered for this season, but it was good.

Scotty McCreery gave typical Scotty McCreery performances, first with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone.” I liked it more than I like Scotty’s normal performances, since it seemed different, despite being country. It was another song that reminded me that Scotty is actually a talented guy. His second performance was not shockingly, Elvis’ “Always On My Mind,” and it was again, typical Scotty. He plays it safe every week, but it also works for him. However, the true shocking bit of Scotty this week was discovering that he actually has a Puerto Rican grandmother, and that he wasn’t just pulling J Lo’s leg when he said he was a quarter Puerto Rican back in the auditions.

My Bottom Three: Jacob, Scotty, James. Finally! Do I think it’ll wind up this way? Not necessarily, but last night I realized that the girls are “in it to win it,” to borrow Randy’s overused phrase.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 30

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

The Top 6 tackled songs from the immense Carole King songbook, which included some ubiquitous classics, and some hidden gems, and for the most part, all contestants showed – to borrow a phrase from Randy Jackson – that they were in it to win it.

I find it a bit odd that James Durbin’s fans allegedly requested that he sing “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” which was Carole King’s first big hit, written for the Shirelles, because it’s not a song I would’ve imagined him singing. I’m glad they did, because not only was it my favorite of the night, but it’s been my favorite James Durbin performances of the season, and likely one of my favorite performances of the season period. Last week I thought he was far too over the top, and I’ve been growing tired of the theatrics associated with a James Durban performance, so I was so impressed to see him start off a song singing a cappella. My one critique is that I preferred the beginning to the end, and wish that there was more tenderness throughout the song.

I also find it a bit odd that Scotty McCreery did so well on a night where he said he was going to step out of his comfort zone. Scotty is another contestant whose performances I’m getting sick of – not because they’re over the top, but because they’re predictably cheesy. He scrapped his deep country tone, and showed that he actually has more depth as a singer than I expected. I really enjoyed his performance of “You’ve Got a Friend” because it wasn’t country Scotty; it reminded me of just how awesome his voice is.

Haley Reinhart has somehow become one to beat in the competition, and I really liked her performance of “Beautiful,” even if it got off to an awkward start thanks to technical difficulties and lack of time. The song was the perfect opportunity to show off the power of her voice, and I really enjoyed her performance.

Last week the judges told Lauren Alaina that she is great, but she can be even greater if she pushes herself harder, so the producers brought in her idol Miley Cyrus for a little pep talk. Personally, if I hear Miley give one musical recommendation, I’d be inclined to do the opposite, but actually Miley’s advice was pretty spot on and excellent for Lauren: Do it for yourself. And Lauren did. She sang a fun, lively performance of “Where You Lead,” which I joked that every girl in my generation knows as the Gilmore Girls theme song, and even if it involved awkwardly bringing a guy on stage, I liked it. I really like Lauren Alaina, and like the judges, I want to see her do the huge things she’s capable of, and this was a step in the right direction.

I hate to say that I’m no longer sure what Casey Abrams is trying to do on this show. I’ve always liked Casey, but I’m finding that I’m liking him a bit less, and his performance of “Hi-De-Ho That Sweet Roll” performed by Blood, Sweat & Tears is the perfect example of that. Musically, there was nothing wrong with his performance. He knows who he is as an artist, he pushes himself to grow and experiment, and he sounded fantastic. What is beginning to bother me about Casey Abrams is that it’s seeming to be more gimmicky than genuine, which I know isn’t his intention, and that’s a problem. I feel that Casey is trying to be the contrarian of the Idol stage with week after week of out of left field performances, and I think he needs to dial it down. Casey should take a note from Scotty and James this week and do something simple and raw next week.

I think it is finally Jacob Lusk’s week to go home. He started the show off in a bright clown suit, and sang a choir-backed rendition of “Oh No Not My Baby,” which was fine, but not his best. Vocally, he sounded a bit all over the place, but not bad. Unfortunately, every other contestant gave memorably great performances, so it seems Jacob might be in some danger.

The duets were fine. Casey and Haley were great, though not as great as their duet from the other week. The two have such good chemistry and a similar growly quality to their voices, which make their duets such a treat. Lauren and Scotty were pretty good, though the song choice seemed a bit weird for the two of them. James and Jacob were also fine. On the whole, I felt the show could’ve done without these filler performances.

My bottom three predictions: Jacob, Casey, Haley (and undeservedly so).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 30

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

The Top 6 tackled songs from the immense Carole King songbook, which included some ubiquitous classics, and some hidden gems, and for the most part, all contestants showed – to borrow a phrase from Randy Jackson – that they were in it to win it.

I find it a bit odd that James Durbin’s fans allegedly requested that he sing “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” which was Carole King’s first big hit, written for the Shirelles, because it’s not a song I would’ve imagined him singing. I’m glad they did, because not only was it my favorite of the night, but it’s been my favorite James Durbin performances of the season, and likely one of my favorite performances of the season period. Last week I thought he was far too over the top, and I’ve been growing tired of the theatrics associated with a James Durban performance, so I was so impressed to see him start off a song singing a cappella. My one critique is that I preferred the beginning to the end, and wish that there was more tenderness throughout the song.

I also find it a bit odd that Scotty McCreery did so well on a night where he said he was going to step out of his comfort zone. Scotty is another contestant whose performances I’m getting sick of – not because they’re over the top, but because they’re predictably cheesy. He scrapped his deep country tone, and showed that he actually has more depth as a singer than I expected. I really enjoyed his performance of “You’ve Got a Friend” because it wasn’t country Scotty; it reminded me of just how awesome his voice is.

Haley Reinhart has somehow become one to beat in the competition, and I really liked her performance of “Beautiful,” even if it got off to an awkward start thanks to technical difficulties and lack of time. The song was the perfect opportunity to show off the power of her voice, and I really enjoyed her performance.

Last week the judges told Lauren Alaina that she is great, but she can be even greater if she pushes herself harder, so the producers brought in her idol Miley Cyrus for a little pep talk. Personally, if I hear Miley give one musical recommendation, I’d be inclined to do the opposite, but actually Miley’s advice was pretty spot on and excellent for Lauren: Do it for yourself. And Lauren did. She sang a fun, lively performance of “Where You Lead,” which I joked that every girl in my generation knows as the Gilmore Girls theme song, and even if it involved awkwardly bringing a guy on stage, I liked it. I really like Lauren Alaina, and like the judges, I want to see her do the huge things she’s capable of, and this was a step in the right direction.

I hate to say that I’m no longer sure what Casey Abrams is trying to do on this show. I’ve always liked Casey, but I’m finding that I’m liking him a bit less, and his performance of “Hi-De-Ho That Sweet Roll” performed by Blood, Sweat & Tears is the perfect example of that. Musically, there was nothing wrong with his performance. He knows who he is as an artist, he pushes himself to grow and experiment, and he sounded fantastic. What is beginning to bother me about Casey Abrams is that it’s seeming to be more gimmicky than genuine, which I know isn’t his intention, and that’s a problem. I feel that Casey is trying to be the contrarian of the Idol stage with week after week of out of left field performances, and I think he needs to dial it down. Casey should take a note from Scotty and James this week and do something simple and raw next week.

I think it is finally Jacob Lusk’s week to go home. He started the show off in a bright clown suit, and sang a choir-backed rendition of “Oh No Not My Baby,” which was fine, but not his best. Vocally, he sounded a bit all over the place, but not bad. Unfortunately, every other contestant gave memorably great performances, so it seems Jacob might be in some danger.

The duets were fine. Casey and Haley were great, though not as great as their duet from the other week. The two have such good chemistry and a similar growly quality to their voices, which make their duets such a treat. Lauren and Scotty were pretty good, though the song choice seemed a bit weird for the two of them. James and Jacob were also fine. On the whole, I felt the show could’ve done without these filler performances.

My bottom three predictions: Jacob, Casey, Haley (and undeservedly so).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 28: The Top 7 Sing Songs From This Century

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

American Idol songs from the 21st century started off oddly enough: with the fallen contestants coming out to sing a pretty terrible rendition of Pink’s “So What.” I thought the filler performances were reserved for Thursday night to waste space… not prime competition Wednesday night.

Scotty McCreery kicked off the actual for-vote performances, with an insanely cheesy version of LeAnn Rimes’ “Swingin.’” In the video intro before his performance, the rest of the cast made fun of the way Scotty holds his microphone like a flute and winked a lot, and he came out doing that even more than usual. Was he being self-aware and poking fun at those poking fun of him? It doesn’t really matter. His performance was cheesy, it was tired, and there had to have been a much better song for him to choose. I’m tired of Scotty, and I feel that this may be his last week.

In the night’s performance that Simon Cowell would’ve hated, James Durbin performed Muse’s hit “Uprising” in some post-apocalyptic looking costume as he entered from the rear of the Idol-dome with a marching band. I get that Muse is all about the theatrics in their live show, but this seemed to be a bit over-the-top for an Idol performance. I liked what he did, and what he tried to do. I think Muse is a great band, and James has been a consistently good performer, but something didn’t quite click with me tonight. It should’ve been better than it was.

Haley Reinhart made a gutsy move when electing to sing the veritable song of the moment, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Not only is the Adele song (and album!) so amazing as an original (and is everywhere!), everyone seems to be making covers of this song. Jennifer Lopez was right, Haley took a huge risk with this song, but personally, I think it paid off. There were moments where it wasn’t great, but there were moments where I felt that Haley found the perfect type of artist to strive to be after Idol ends.

In the most emotional performance of the night, Jacob Lusk sang Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father,” dedicated to his father who passed when Jacob was only twelve. All season, Jacob has been compared to Luther, so it was interesting to see him tackle a Luther song already. When Jacob faltered in the beginning, I thought it was because the emotions were getting to him, but apparently, the track in his in-ear device wasn’t working properly. Vocally it was simultaneously great, and not his best, which seems weird to say, but really is a testament to how talented Jacob is. I would’ve liked him to do more with the song, and be less restrained, because that’s when his voice is at its best.

Casey Abrams wore a new performer hat with his rock-fueled performance of Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe.” It was good, but again, not my favorite of his. It seemed a little forced and weird, to be perfectly honest. I like Casey, I’ll always root for Casey, but I’m not sure if this was the right direction for him. I like seeing him try new things, since he’s so unbelievably talented, but the angry rocker is not the best look for him.

While Stefano Langone’s performance was not as good as last week’s, it was better than he’s been most other weeks, even if he wore a distractingly stupid outfit and danced like a stripper. The judges congratulated him for finally showing some swagger, but really, I was just uncomfortable. So another good, but not great, Stefano Langone performance.

Lauren Alaina closed out the show with a cute performance of Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly.” It worked for her. She had a lot of energy, she sang it really well, and it was just very uncomplicated. It was another good, but not great, performance in a night that seemed to be entirely riddled with them. I really like Lauren, and like the judges, I think she’s capable of doing incredible things vocally (I honestly believe she has the best raw voice in the competition), but she seems to doubt herself and get nervous a bit too much, and hold back as a result. Maybe her show-ending heart to heart with the judges will be the affirming nudge she needs to really start tearing it out of the park. I’d like to see Lauren win the whole season, but she needs to start getting bigger and bolder if she wants that to happen.

My predictions for bottom three: Scotty, Stefano, Jacob.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 28: The Top 7 Sing Songs From This Century

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

American Idol songs from the 21st century started off oddly enough: with the fallen contestants coming out to sing a pretty terrible rendition of Pink’s “So What.” I thought the filler performances were reserved for Thursday night to waste space… not prime competition Wednesday night.

Scotty McCreery kicked off the actual for-vote performances, with an insanely cheesy version of LeAnn Rimes’ “Swingin.’” In the video intro before his performance, the rest of the cast made fun of the way Scotty holds his microphone like a flute and winked a lot, and he came out doing that even more than usual. Was he being self-aware and poking fun at those poking fun of him? It doesn’t really matter. His performance was cheesy, it was tired, and there had to have been a much better song for him to choose. I’m tired of Scotty, and I feel that this may be his last week.

In the night’s performance that Simon Cowell would’ve hated, James Durbin performed Muse’s hit “Uprising” in some post-apocalyptic looking costume as he entered from the rear of the Idol-dome with a marching band. I get that Muse is all about the theatrics in their live show, but this seemed to be a bit over-the-top for an Idol performance. I liked what he did, and what he tried to do. I think Muse is a great band, and James has been a consistently good performer, but something didn’t quite click with me tonight. It should’ve been better than it was.

Haley Reinhart made a gutsy move when electing to sing the veritable song of the moment, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Not only is the Adele song (and album!) so amazing as an original (and is everywhere!), everyone seems to be making covers of this song. Jennifer Lopez was right, Haley took a huge risk with this song, but personally, I think it paid off. There were moments where it wasn’t great, but there were moments where I felt that Haley found the perfect type of artist to strive to be after Idol ends.

In the most emotional performance of the night, Jacob Lusk sang Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father,” dedicated to his father who passed when Jacob was only twelve. All season, Jacob has been compared to Luther, so it was interesting to see him tackle a Luther song already. When Jacob faltered in the beginning, I thought it was because the emotions were getting to him, but apparently, the track in his in-ear device wasn’t working properly. Vocally it was simultaneously great, and not his best, which seems weird to say, but really is a testament to how talented Jacob is. I would’ve liked him to do more with the song, and be less restrained, because that’s when his voice is at its best.

Casey Abrams wore a new performer hat with his rock-fueled performance of Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe.” It was good, but again, not my favorite of his. It seemed a little forced and weird, to be perfectly honest. I like Casey, I’ll always root for Casey, but I’m not sure if this was the right direction for him. I like seeing him try new things, since he’s so unbelievably talented, but the angry rocker is not the best look for him.

While Stefano Langone’s performance was not as good as last week’s, it was better than he’s been most other weeks, even if he wore a distractingly stupid outfit and danced like a stripper. The judges congratulated him for finally showing some swagger, but really, I was just uncomfortable. So another good, but not great, Stefano Langone performance.

Lauren Alaina closed out the show with a cute performance of Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly.” It worked for her. She had a lot of energy, she sang it really well, and it was just very uncomplicated. It was another good, but not great, performance in a night that seemed to be entirely riddled with them. I really like Lauren, and like the judges, I think she’s capable of doing incredible things vocally (I honestly believe she has the best raw voice in the competition), but she seems to doubt herself and get nervous a bit too much, and hold back as a result. Maybe her show-ending heart to heart with the judges will be the affirming nudge she needs to really start tearing it out of the park. I’d like to see Lauren win the whole season, but she needs to start getting bigger and bolder if she wants that to happen.

My predictions for bottom three: Scotty, Stefano, Jacob.

American Idol Season 10 Episode 27: Goodbye, Rose suit

Television review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Each week I write about the importance of voting for your favorites on American Idol, since it seems as if this is going to be a complete crapshoot of a season. On Wednesday night I forgot to vote for my favorite, and now, Paul McDonald has been the first male contestant of the season to be voted off.

I blame myself.

Now with online voting, it’s too easy to cast a vote, and too silly not to. I’ll miss Paul’s flashy suits and his blinding white smile; I’ll miss his raspy voice and his “quirky” vibe. But at least I got to hear him sing “Maggie May” as his perfect send off song, as I began to hope that his stint on ‘Idol’ helps propel his band to some sort of fame. I’ve always said that Paul McDonald might not be the perfect American Idol contestant – and clearly he wasn’t – but he’s perhaps the only person in the history of the show whose post-Idol career excites me. I can see myself listening to his music, seeing his concerts, and really appreciating what he does as an artist that he could not do on the ‘Idol’ stage where he’s limited by theme nights, restricting song choice lists, and instrument usage caps.

Joining Paul in the bottom three were Haley and Stefano, neither of whom were particularly surprising. Haley didn’t give a strong performance the night before, and while Stefano really did, he hasn’t been performing as well as the other ‘Idol’ hopefuls in recent weeks.

It was a bummer to see Haley in the bottom after what was her best performance on the ‘Idol’ stage to date. Moments before being banished to the silver bottom three chairs, Haley and her rumored-beau Casey Abrams took the stage to sing a jazzy duet of Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” – the perfect song for them to showcase their growly voices and their jazzy vibes. The duet is actually one of the best things I can recall seeing on ‘American Idol’ in quite some time – so look for a video on YouTube if you just tune into the last five minutes of the results show.

Stefano, Paul, James and Jacob sang Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” which was great and lively and upbeat, but also made me miss Casey James and wish he joined them on stage. If Kelly Clarkson could be there, then so could Casey James.

I feel that barring a huge misstep from either Lauren Alaina or Haley, the two girls will be in the show for a while more. I honestly can’t see the American Idol producers letting there be one girl with so many guys still left in the competition.

American Idol Season 10 Episode 27: Goodbye, Rose suit

Television review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Each week I write about the importance of voting for your favorites on American Idol, since it seems as if this is going to be a complete crapshoot of a season. On Wednesday night I forgot to vote for my favorite, and now, Paul McDonald has been the first male contestant of the season to be voted off.

I blame myself.

Now with online voting, it’s too easy to cast a vote, and too silly not to. I’ll miss Paul’s flashy suits and his blinding white smile; I’ll miss his raspy voice and his “quirky” vibe. But at least I got to hear him sing “Maggie May” as his perfect send off song, as I began to hope that his stint on ‘Idol’ helps propel his band to some sort of fame. I’ve always said that Paul McDonald might not be the perfect American Idol contestant – and clearly he wasn’t – but he’s perhaps the only person in the history of the show whose post-Idol career excites me. I can see myself listening to his music, seeing his concerts, and really appreciating what he does as an artist that he could not do on the ‘Idol’ stage where he’s limited by theme nights, restricting song choice lists, and instrument usage caps.

Joining Paul in the bottom three were Haley and Stefano, neither of whom were particularly surprising. Haley didn’t give a strong performance the night before, and while Stefano really did, he hasn’t been performing as well as the other ‘Idol’ hopefuls in recent weeks.

It was a bummer to see Haley in the bottom after what was her best performance on the ‘Idol’ stage to date. Moments before being banished to the silver bottom three chairs, Haley and her rumored-beau Casey Abrams took the stage to sing a jazzy duet of Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” – the perfect song for them to showcase their growly voices and their jazzy vibes. The duet is actually one of the best things I can recall seeing on ‘American Idol’ in quite some time – so look for a video on YouTube if you just tune into the last five minutes of the results show.

Stefano, Paul, James and Jacob sang Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” which was great and lively and upbeat, but also made me miss Casey James and wish he joined them on stage. If Kelly Clarkson could be there, then so could Casey James.

I feel that barring a huge misstep from either Lauren Alaina or Haley, the two girls will be in the show for a while more. I honestly can’t see the American Idol producers letting there be one girl with so many guys still left in the competition.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 24: The Top 9 Tackle Classic Rock

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Sometimes I wonder whether this season’s Top 9 is significantly more talented than say… last season’s Top 9. The test is easy: How difficult – or easy – is it to pinpoint a Bottom 3 and who should ultimately go home.

Based on the performances of Wednesday night’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theme night, the answer is that this is an incredibly talented season. Choosing a Bottom 3 is hard – which is a thought that immediately has inspired me to vote for my favorite.

Now that that’s done, it’s time to assess a night of solid performances.

Paul McDonald closed out the show with my favorite performance of the night. He sang a wild and crazy rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” complete with clapping, foot stomping, and dancing around the stage as he played his acoustic guitar in a suit that somehow reminded me of Johnny Cash (or at least Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk The Line.”) His performance reminded me yet again that Paul McDonald is the best performer of the bunch, and he seemed so emotionally invested in his song choice and the act of performing, that it was an episode ending high point.

James Durbin gave another of my favorite performances of the night, with a rare, subdued performance of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” As entertained as I am by his high-energy performances, seeing James sit down and sing a song that clearly mattered to him emotionally, and think of the words as he emotionally connected with the audience and showed his sensitive side was a beautiful thing. It was also incredibly surprising, because I had imagined that the man who sang Judas Priest on American Idol would love something high-energy tonight.

This was also finally the week for Scotty McCreery to crack my personal Top 3, with his rap swagger (Jennifer Lopez’s thoughts, not entirely mine) infused performance of his childhood hero, Elvis Presley’s, song “That’s All Right Mama.” Again, this song was so special to me because I saw an emotional connection, and the song fit his voice so perfectly.

I was incredibly excited for Pia Toscano to sing something upbeat, with her rendition of Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” which I thought was amazingly performed on “Glee” earlier this season. While I was so distracted by her atrocious outfit and awkward dance movements, I loved her voice doing something fun and upbeat, and hope she doesn’t immediately revert back to her ballad safe-zone.

Casey Abrams sang one of my favorite songs of the night, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” with his stand-up bass. I enjoyed it because it got back to quintessential Casey: interesting musically, great vocally, and filled with his passion for music. Saving him was the best part of the season so far.

Perhaps one of the most perfectly chosen songs of the night was Haley Reinhart’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” – the perfect song to show off her growly, raspy voice. She danced around, stomped her feet, and seemed to really get carried away with the song in a good way. To me this proved that Haley isn’t a meek girl with a shockingly big voice, but an artist who can command the stage.

While Lauren Alaina’s performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” was good, it was almost a bit of a let down to me. She sang an incredibly difficult song really well, but it wasn’t the best she’s ever done, and it certainly wasn’t the best of the night. It also wasn’t the best time this song has been performed on ‘Idol’ in the past. I liked it, and I acknowledge that she went on a serious limb to sing one of the toughest songs of the night.

I’m very glad that Jacob Lusk chose not to sing “Let’s Get It On,” since that song is not him at all – personally, I don’t get any sort of sexual vibe from him – and also because it would never top Matt Giraud’s performance of the same song a few years back, which is a favorite ‘Idol’ performance of mine. Instead, Jacob sang Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” in an all-white outfit. It was good, not great, but certainly better than the alternative.

Again, my least favorite of the night was Stefano Langone. Tonight with Percy Sledge’s eponymous hit “Let’s Get It On” he showed off that he does have a great singing voice, but I found the performance to be too awkward, too rushed, and too high pitched to really convey any romantic undertones the song should have.

My Bottom three: Stefano, Jacob and Lauren. And I do honestly believe that this is finally Stefano’s week to go.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 24: The Top 9 Tackle Classic Rock

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Sometimes I wonder whether this season’s Top 9 is significantly more talented than say… last season’s Top 9. The test is easy: How difficult – or easy – is it to pinpoint a Bottom 3 and who should ultimately go home.

Based on the performances of Wednesday night’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theme night, the answer is that this is an incredibly talented season. Choosing a Bottom 3 is hard – which is a thought that immediately has inspired me to vote for my favorite.

Now that that’s done, it’s time to assess a night of solid performances.

Paul McDonald closed out the show with my favorite performance of the night. He sang a wild and crazy rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” complete with clapping, foot stomping, and dancing around the stage as he played his acoustic guitar in a suit that somehow reminded me of Johnny Cash (or at least Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk The Line.”) His performance reminded me yet again that Paul McDonald is the best performer of the bunch, and he seemed so emotionally invested in his song choice and the act of performing, that it was an episode ending high point.

James Durbin gave another of my favorite performances of the night, with a rare, subdued performance of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” As entertained as I am by his high-energy performances, seeing James sit down and sing a song that clearly mattered to him emotionally, and think of the words as he emotionally connected with the audience and showed his sensitive side was a beautiful thing. It was also incredibly surprising, because I had imagined that the man who sang Judas Priest on American Idol would love something high-energy tonight.

This was also finally the week for Scotty McCreery to crack my personal Top 3, with his rap swagger (Jennifer Lopez’s thoughts, not entirely mine) infused performance of his childhood hero, Elvis Presley’s, song “That’s All Right Mama.” Again, this song was so special to me because I saw an emotional connection, and the song fit his voice so perfectly.

I was incredibly excited for Pia Toscano to sing something upbeat, with her rendition of Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” which I thought was amazingly performed on “Glee” earlier this season. While I was so distracted by her atrocious outfit and awkward dance movements, I loved her voice doing something fun and upbeat, and hope she doesn’t immediately revert back to her ballad safe-zone.

Casey Abrams sang one of my favorite songs of the night, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” with his stand-up bass. I enjoyed it because it got back to quintessential Casey: interesting musically, great vocally, and filled with his passion for music. Saving him was the best part of the season so far.

Perhaps one of the most perfectly chosen songs of the night was Haley Reinhart’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” – the perfect song to show off her growly, raspy voice. She danced around, stomped her feet, and seemed to really get carried away with the song in a good way. To me this proved that Haley isn’t a meek girl with a shockingly big voice, but an artist who can command the stage.

While Lauren Alaina’s performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” was good, it was almost a bit of a let down to me. She sang an incredibly difficult song really well, but it wasn’t the best she’s ever done, and it certainly wasn’t the best of the night. It also wasn’t the best time this song has been performed on ‘Idol’ in the past. I liked it, and I acknowledge that she went on a serious limb to sing one of the toughest songs of the night.

I’m very glad that Jacob Lusk chose not to sing “Let’s Get It On,” since that song is not him at all – personally, I don’t get any sort of sexual vibe from him – and also because it would never top Matt Giraud’s performance of the same song a few years back, which is a favorite ‘Idol’ performance of mine. Instead, Jacob sang Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” in an all-white outfit. It was good, not great, but certainly better than the alternative.

Again, my least favorite of the night was Stefano Langone. Tonight with Percy Sledge’s eponymous hit “Let’s Get It On” he showed off that he does have a great singing voice, but I found the performance to be too awkward, too rushed, and too high pitched to really convey any romantic undertones the song should have.

My Bottom three: Stefano, Jacob and Lauren. And I do honestly believe that this is finally Stefano’s week to go.

American Idol: Season 10, Episode 23: And Now There is Finally Nine

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

My bottom three predictions have been quite accurate – even if I keep on throwing Stefano in there. Last night, in a not-so-shocking double elimination, Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia, were both sent home.

I predicted a while back that both of these ladies, who admittedly I liked quite a bit, would consistently be in the Bottom Three until they got eliminated. I had predicted Thia and Stefano would be the ones to go home last night, since I felt that while Thia has a beautiful voice, she has never been particularly exciting, and a beautiful voice can’t carry a two-dimensional personality and slow performances much longer. It seemed that she was too young for the show.

I’m not a big Stefano fan. I think he performs like a cheesy lounge singer, and isn’t close to being the most talented or the most interested guy. On the other hand, he has a huge fan in Jennifer, and as a talented, attractive guy, he could stick around a while longer.

Naima’s elimination shouldn’t come as a surprise. She was too polarizing a contestant: you either loved her or you didn’t. You either are familiar with reggae, or you’re not. There’s not really a middle ground with Naima. It was just a matter of time until the contestants dwindled and a love it or hate it contestant would falter.

However, the thing I was unhappy with, but unfortunately, not terribly surprising, is that Paul McDonald was in the Bottom Three. I am a huge fan of Paul McDonald. I like his raspy voice, I like his quirky vibe, and I’m absolutely confident that I’d like the type of music he releases as an artist. He’s a performer, and I think he has a place in the industry and can appeal to a range of fans – fans that might not be fans of American Idol. And that is something that might come to hurt him.

Paul won’t sing a ballad like Jacob, or light up a piano and shimmy on it like James. He’s the most subdued performer left in the competition, but voters, don’t let that be a deterrent. He’s a contestant with huge music industry staying power.

Next week we’re back to single elimination, and in another not shocking turn of events: there are six guys left, and three girls. So Haley, Pia, and Lauren, it’s time to raise your game.

American Idol: Season 10, Episode 23: And Now There is Finally Nine

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

My bottom three predictions have been quite accurate – even if I keep on throwing Stefano in there. Last night, in a not-so-shocking double elimination, Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia, were both sent home.

I predicted a while back that both of these ladies, who admittedly I liked quite a bit, would consistently be in the Bottom Three until they got eliminated. I had predicted Thia and Stefano would be the ones to go home last night, since I felt that while Thia has a beautiful voice, she has never been particularly exciting, and a beautiful voice can’t carry a two-dimensional personality and slow performances much longer. It seemed that she was too young for the show.

I’m not a big Stefano fan. I think he performs like a cheesy lounge singer, and isn’t close to being the most talented or the most interested guy. On the other hand, he has a huge fan in Jennifer, and as a talented, attractive guy, he could stick around a while longer.

Naima’s elimination shouldn’t come as a surprise. She was too polarizing a contestant: you either loved her or you didn’t. You either are familiar with reggae, or you’re not. There’s not really a middle ground with Naima. It was just a matter of time until the contestants dwindled and a love it or hate it contestant would falter.

However, the thing I was unhappy with, but unfortunately, not terribly surprising, is that Paul McDonald was in the Bottom Three. I am a huge fan of Paul McDonald. I like his raspy voice, I like his quirky vibe, and I’m absolutely confident that I’d like the type of music he releases as an artist. He’s a performer, and I think he has a place in the industry and can appeal to a range of fans – fans that might not be fans of American Idol. And that is something that might come to hurt him.

Paul won’t sing a ballad like Jacob, or light up a piano and shimmy on it like James. He’s the most subdued performer left in the competition, but voters, don’t let that be a deterrent. He’s a contestant with huge music industry staying power.

Next week we’re back to single elimination, and in another not shocking turn of events: there are six guys left, and three girls. So Haley, Pia, and Lauren, it’s time to raise your game.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 22: The Top 11 Sing Again

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I always have mixed feelings about Elton John night on American Idol. I like seeing the contestants be stuck in a fairly narrow theme to see how they handle it, and how they “make it their own,” but the songs tend to be on the slower and cheesier side, and I think that tends to be American Idol at its worst.

I think the contestants realized how high pressure the night was, because in a surprising twist of events, a contestant who has firmly been in the Bottom Three or close to it gave a performance that might put her in the Top Three. Haley Reinhart closed out the show with a growly, upbeat performance of “Benny and the Jets.” Sure she flailed her arms around awkwardly, but her energy was high, her voice was incredible, and her range never ceases to amaze me. Randy called it the best of the night, and quite honestly, it might have been.

Other contenders for best of the night: Casey Abrams, whose near-elimination last week inspired him to trim his bushy beard and hair, and sing a truly beautiful and subdued version of “Your Song.” His performances have gotten a bit weird and quirky the past two weeks, and he got the least amount of votes, so by sitting near a piano and singing something stripped down, he just reminded America how good his raw voice is.

Paul McDonald consistently is one of my favorites because he is not your typical Idol contestant. He picked up his guitar and sang a dreamy and understated version of “Rocket Man,” and was likely my personal favorite of the night. Contestants can only play instruments three times this season, and Paul is already up to two, but they’ve been worth it.

I knew James Durbin has a crazy voice that blends classic rock screamers with Adam Lambert, and somehow bundles it together in a more likable package with a scarf tail. His performance of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” would’ve offended Simon Cowell – James started in the balcony with the audience and made his way to the stage, before climbing on a piano that caught on fire – but it didn’t seem like he was competing in the Top 11. It didn’t seem like he was competing at all. He played a rock concert and I was riveted.

Lauren Alaina surprised me by her choice to sing “Candle in the Wind.” I for sure pegged Pia to sing this one – and wanted to hear Lauren sing “Tiny Dancer” – but I liked it. I think Lauren sounded a bit uneasy singing a ballad in a ball gown at first, but she got into it. The performance was the complete opposite of everything Lauren has done on the Idol stage thus far: It was restrained, it was controlled, and it was beautiful. It proved that this girl really can do anything, and that her voice is even more amazing than I ever thought.

Jacob Lusk’s performance of “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” made me miss fallen contestant Robbie Rosen. I liked it, but Jacob proved that he can’t do restrained vocals too well, and that’s fine: He has a big voice full of soul, but it’s not terribly interesting to me anymore.

Another week, another beautiful, but boring, Pia Toscano performance. I feel I’m going to write a basic Pia paragraph, and copy and paste it in each recap until she gets eliminated (or wins). Even though the judges begged her to choose something upbeat, Pia naturally chose another ballad, with “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” She stepped it up a bit, and seemed more energetic with her choir background vocals, and it sounded beautiful, but I’m getting really bored of Pia’s interchangeable performances.

Vocally, Thia Megia gave one of her best performances of the season with her sensitive arrangement of “Daniel,” however, despite its beauty, the performance was rather safe and boring.

Naturally Scotty McCreery found an Elton John song with country in the title and to tug at America’s heartstrings, dedicated it to his grandmother (the one who told him to tell J.Lo that he’s ¼ Puerto Rican?) who was in the audience. Again, Scotty will never be my favorite contestant since I’m just not a fan of authentic country music, but I cannot ever deny how incredible and powerful his voice is, and how impressive his confidence and comfort on stage is. I also liked him playing his guitar, as it made him seem like a fuller package.

Somehow, Naima found a way to infuse reggae flavor to an Elton John song. She sang “I’m Still Standing” with a heavy reggae beat and a rasta colored jumpsuit. She knows who she is and is consistently the most interesting and refreshing contestant, and that should count for something. But she gave another love or hate it performance, and I don’t think it worked at all.

As I’ve already mentioned, Stefano Langone sang “Tiny Dancer” and I wish anyone else had tackled that song. He always comes across as awkward and too much of a lounge act to ever please me. He’s certainly getting better and more engaging, but he’s far from being the best.

My picks for bottom three: Stefano, Thia and Naima. A safe selection.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 22: The Top 11 Sing Again

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I always have mixed feelings about Elton John night on American Idol. I like seeing the contestants be stuck in a fairly narrow theme to see how they handle it, and how they “make it their own,” but the songs tend to be on the slower and cheesier side, and I think that tends to be American Idol at its worst.

I think the contestants realized how high pressure the night was, because in a surprising twist of events, a contestant who has firmly been in the Bottom Three or close to it gave a performance that might put her in the Top Three. Haley Reinhart closed out the show with a growly, upbeat performance of “Benny and the Jets.” Sure she flailed her arms around awkwardly, but her energy was high, her voice was incredible, and her range never ceases to amaze me. Randy called it the best of the night, and quite honestly, it might have been.

Other contenders for best of the night: Casey Abrams, whose near-elimination last week inspired him to trim his bushy beard and hair, and sing a truly beautiful and subdued version of “Your Song.” His performances have gotten a bit weird and quirky the past two weeks, and he got the least amount of votes, so by sitting near a piano and singing something stripped down, he just reminded America how good his raw voice is.

Paul McDonald consistently is one of my favorites because he is not your typical Idol contestant. He picked up his guitar and sang a dreamy and understated version of “Rocket Man,” and was likely my personal favorite of the night. Contestants can only play instruments three times this season, and Paul is already up to two, but they’ve been worth it.

I knew James Durbin has a crazy voice that blends classic rock screamers with Adam Lambert, and somehow bundles it together in a more likable package with a scarf tail. His performance of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” would’ve offended Simon Cowell – James started in the balcony with the audience and made his way to the stage, before climbing on a piano that caught on fire – but it didn’t seem like he was competing in the Top 11. It didn’t seem like he was competing at all. He played a rock concert and I was riveted.

Lauren Alaina surprised me by her choice to sing “Candle in the Wind.” I for sure pegged Pia to sing this one – and wanted to hear Lauren sing “Tiny Dancer” – but I liked it. I think Lauren sounded a bit uneasy singing a ballad in a ball gown at first, but she got into it. The performance was the complete opposite of everything Lauren has done on the Idol stage thus far: It was restrained, it was controlled, and it was beautiful. It proved that this girl really can do anything, and that her voice is even more amazing than I ever thought.

Jacob Lusk’s performance of “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” made me miss fallen contestant Robbie Rosen. I liked it, but Jacob proved that he can’t do restrained vocals too well, and that’s fine: He has a big voice full of soul, but it’s not terribly interesting to me anymore.

Another week, another beautiful, but boring, Pia Toscano performance. I feel I’m going to write a basic Pia paragraph, and copy and paste it in each recap until she gets eliminated (or wins). Even though the judges begged her to choose something upbeat, Pia naturally chose another ballad, with “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” She stepped it up a bit, and seemed more energetic with her choir background vocals, and it sounded beautiful, but I’m getting really bored of Pia’s interchangeable performances.

Vocally, Thia Megia gave one of her best performances of the season with her sensitive arrangement of “Daniel,” however, despite its beauty, the performance was rather safe and boring.

Naturally Scotty McCreery found an Elton John song with country in the title and to tug at America’s heartstrings, dedicated it to his grandmother (the one who told him to tell J.Lo that he’s ¼ Puerto Rican?) who was in the audience. Again, Scotty will never be my favorite contestant since I’m just not a fan of authentic country music, but I cannot ever deny how incredible and powerful his voice is, and how impressive his confidence and comfort on stage is. I also liked him playing his guitar, as it made him seem like a fuller package.

Somehow, Naima found a way to infuse reggae flavor to an Elton John song. She sang “I’m Still Standing” with a heavy reggae beat and a rasta colored jumpsuit. She knows who she is and is consistently the most interesting and refreshing contestant, and that should count for something. But she gave another love or hate it performance, and I don’t think it worked at all.

As I’ve already mentioned, Stefano Langone sang “Tiny Dancer” and I wish anyone else had tackled that song. He always comes across as awkward and too much of a lounge act to ever please me. He’s certainly getting better and more engaging, but he’s far from being the best.

My picks for bottom three: Stefano, Thia and Naima. A safe selection.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 20: The Top 11 Sing Motown

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Motown night is always my favorite night of the entire American Idol competition. Like so many of the contestants, I too grew up listening to Motown, and hearing people who love these songs really put contemporary spins on them, and – dare I say it – do them justice, is never a bad thing.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how this group of contestants stacks up to past seasons, and I figured that Motown night would be a good barometer of talent. Everyone gave a good performance. No one was offensively bad, and no one did anything that warrants being sent home immediately, so I believe that the voting off will be based on all of the performances to date.

The problem with all of the contestants giving great performances is that it’s really difficult to pick a favorite of the night. I think of one name, and then think back through everyone, and can list seven favorites.

However, I can choose a favorite, and that is Paul McDonald, whose rendition of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears” was one of the least Motown-y performances of the night. The original song is one of my favorites, but I really liked that he finally picked up his acoustic guitar and gave a raspy voiced, Rod Stewart-esque performance to such a soulful song. He is the consummate performer of the group, he knows who he is, and I love everything about him.

I also really loved James Durbin’s performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Livin’ For The City.” Steven Tyler told him that he thinks “It takes a little bit of crazy to make a difference in the world,” which seems like some sage-like wisdom for a young performer who has Steven’s voice and his energy. James danced, he interacted with his fans, and he sang the hell out of an incredibly strong song.

I felt Lauren Alaina had one of the most perfectly chosen songs of the night, with The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hanging On.” She looked great, and seemed truly confident and comfortable up there, going so far as to give the camera some well-deserved attitude. I’ve been a fan of Lauren since day one because I think her voice is beyond powerful, but I just really like the way she comes across on television.

Casey Abrams and Jacob Lusk both gave really solidly strong performances, and both looked like they were having fun on stage paying tribute to a genre of music that seems to have inspired both tremendously. Casey tried to be suave with some brushed, slicked back hair and a suit as he sang Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” which was such a departure from last week’s Nirvana performance. It just goes to show the breadth of Casey’s talent and musicality, and that he can nail any genre thrown his way.

Jacob Lusk gave an incredibly restrained performance of Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need To Get By,” but you could tell just how much fun he was having actually performing the song solely by looking at his face. I like Jacob’s voice, but I think he tends to get a bit too carried away with his vocal runs, so a more dialed down performance was a welcome addition to Jacob’s performance repertoire.

Pia Toscano gave yet another great performance of Stevie Wonder’s “All In Love Is Fair.” I love her voice, and I love how each week Pia takes the stage and somehow looks like she’s already a superstar diva, but I’m getting really tired of her singing ballads.

Thia Megia is a contestant whose inclination to sing ballads and nerves might have unfairly hurt her, and it might make it difficult for her to recover. I’ve always loved Thia’s voice, because it reminds me of Adele, who is one of my favorite female vocalists of the moment. Going uptempo with Martha & The Vandellas’ “Heat Wave” was a brilliant move for her. She had fun, she was energetic, and I think it’s the best she’s ever been, so I really hope she’s safe.

On the other hand, Naima Adedapo knows upbeat songs that she can dance to are her strong point, so she did just that with Martha & The Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Street.” She listened to the judges and spent time with her singing, so she wasn’t pitchy like she’s been in the past.

I was nervous to hear what Scotty McCreery would do with Motown night just since it seems so far from who he is as an artist. He sang a country-inspired version of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life,” and somehow it really worked. It wasn’t the best performance of the night, and it wasn’t his best performance ever, but it impressed me.

I liked Haley Reinhart’s performance of Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold On Me,” even though she started off a bit shaky, which I completely attribute to nearly falling off the stairs, but she really got into it as the song progressed. She has the best vocal range of the competition, and hearing her sweet soprano voice and her deep growl play so perfectly with each other in one song was a great treat.

My least favorite performance of the night was Stefano Langone’s version of Lionel Richie’s “Hello.” First of all, how has Stefano never heard this song before? Has he never seen the video where the blind lady builds Lionel Richie’s head out of clay? This song is quintessential Lionel, but I digress. I didn’t like this performance because it felt too much like a cheesy lounge act. The words felt over-annunciated, but still sounded weird. David Cook’s performance of the same song a few years back is an ‘Idol’ classic, and this doesn’t remotely come close. I hate when I hear a song on ‘Idol,’ and immediately think back to a vastly superior performance of the same song.

Picking a bottom three was hard, but to me, I think it’ll be: Haley, Thia and Naima. If I was forced to add a male to this mix, I think Stefano has got to be in it.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 20: The Top 11 Sing Motown

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Motown night is always my favorite night of the entire American Idol competition. Like so many of the contestants, I too grew up listening to Motown, and hearing people who love these songs really put contemporary spins on them, and – dare I say it – do them justice, is never a bad thing.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how this group of contestants stacks up to past seasons, and I figured that Motown night would be a good barometer of talent. Everyone gave a good performance. No one was offensively bad, and no one did anything that warrants being sent home immediately, so I believe that the voting off will be based on all of the performances to date.

The problem with all of the contestants giving great performances is that it’s really difficult to pick a favorite of the night. I think of one name, and then think back through everyone, and can list seven favorites.

However, I can choose a favorite, and that is Paul McDonald, whose rendition of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears” was one of the least Motown-y performances of the night. The original song is one of my favorites, but I really liked that he finally picked up his acoustic guitar and gave a raspy voiced, Rod Stewart-esque performance to such a soulful song. He is the consummate performer of the group, he knows who he is, and I love everything about him.

I also really loved James Durbin’s performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Livin’ For The City.” Steven Tyler told him that he thinks “It takes a little bit of crazy to make a difference in the world,” which seems like some sage-like wisdom for a young performer who has Steven’s voice and his energy. James danced, he interacted with his fans, and he sang the hell out of an incredibly strong song.

I felt Lauren Alaina had one of the most perfectly chosen songs of the night, with The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hanging On.” She looked great, and seemed truly confident and comfortable up there, going so far as to give the camera some well-deserved attitude. I’ve been a fan of Lauren since day one because I think her voice is beyond powerful, but I just really like the way she comes across on television.

Casey Abrams and Jacob Lusk both gave really solidly strong performances, and both looked like they were having fun on stage paying tribute to a genre of music that seems to have inspired both tremendously. Casey tried to be suave with some brushed, slicked back hair and a suit as he sang Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” which was such a departure from last week’s Nirvana performance. It just goes to show the breadth of Casey’s talent and musicality, and that he can nail any genre thrown his way.

Jacob Lusk gave an incredibly restrained performance of Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need To Get By,” but you could tell just how much fun he was having actually performing the song solely by looking at his face. I like Jacob’s voice, but I think he tends to get a bit too carried away with his vocal runs, so a more dialed down performance was a welcome addition to Jacob’s performance repertoire.

Pia Toscano gave yet another great performance of Stevie Wonder’s “All In Love Is Fair.” I love her voice, and I love how each week Pia takes the stage and somehow looks like she’s already a superstar diva, but I’m getting really tired of her singing ballads.

Thia Megia is a contestant whose inclination to sing ballads and nerves might have unfairly hurt her, and it might make it difficult for her to recover. I’ve always loved Thia’s voice, because it reminds me of Adele, who is one of my favorite female vocalists of the moment. Going uptempo with Martha & The Vandellas’ “Heat Wave” was a brilliant move for her. She had fun, she was energetic, and I think it’s the best she’s ever been, so I really hope she’s safe.

On the other hand, Naima Adedapo knows upbeat songs that she can dance to are her strong point, so she did just that with Martha & The Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Street.” She listened to the judges and spent time with her singing, so she wasn’t pitchy like she’s been in the past.

I was nervous to hear what Scotty McCreery would do with Motown night just since it seems so far from who he is as an artist. He sang a country-inspired version of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life,” and somehow it really worked. It wasn’t the best performance of the night, and it wasn’t his best performance ever, but it impressed me.

I liked Haley Reinhart’s performance of Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold On Me,” even though she started off a bit shaky, which I completely attribute to nearly falling off the stairs, but she really got into it as the song progressed. She has the best vocal range of the competition, and hearing her sweet soprano voice and her deep growl play so perfectly with each other in one song was a great treat.

My least favorite performance of the night was Stefano Langone’s version of Lionel Richie’s “Hello.” First of all, how has Stefano never heard this song before? Has he never seen the video where the blind lady builds Lionel Richie’s head out of clay? This song is quintessential Lionel, but I digress. I didn’t like this performance because it felt too much like a cheesy lounge act. The words felt over-annunciated, but still sounded weird. David Cook’s performance of the same song a few years back is an ‘Idol’ classic, and this doesn’t remotely come close. I hate when I hear a song on ‘Idol,’ and immediately think back to a vastly superior performance of the same song.

Picking a bottom three was hard, but to me, I think it’ll be: Haley, Thia and Naima. If I was forced to add a male to this mix, I think Stefano has got to be in it.

"American Idol" Season 10: Episode 19

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Last week I felt that the American public got their elimination correct. Ashthon Jones gave the weakest performance of the night by far, and she got sent home.

I didn’t even predict Karen Rodriguez to be in the Bottom Three because I have always found her to be so insanely likable, and really quite talented. While her performance from Wednesday night certainly was in the bottom half of the night, I don’t think it warranted elimination.

However, the other two in the Bottom Three, Naima and Haley, I felt deserved to be there, and barring some incredible performances in the coming weeks, I think the two of them will be fixtures in the Bottom Three until they each go home. I think Naima chooses some of the best songs and puts some of the most unique spins on them, but her voice is consistently pitchy and she’s proven herself to be the weakest singer of the competition.

I’ve always wondered about Haley, and have not always been her biggest supporter. Sure, I think she’s likable, and I like the raspy growly quality to her voice, but I think she makes the poorest song choices of the competition.

Back to Karen, the girl who got sent home too soon. In her sing for her life swan song, she completely blew it, but personally, I’m always astounded when contestants give the performance of their life in that crushing, high pressure moment. After being told that I received the least votes, I’m not sure that I could get on top of my emotions and sing for safety. To me, this made her even more endearing to me. The judges debated, it wasn’t an unanimous vote, but they elected to not save her. Not surprising. It is far too early in the competition to save someone (unless, that person was say, Casey Abrams or Pia, who just happened to not connect with the viewers, but have been consistently stellar).

Thia promised to do better next week, and not go further down a path where she is seen as a one-trick pony who can only sing ballads. Does this mean that next week she’ll sing something upbeat? Or just come across as a little more animated?

I foresee either entirely female, or at least female dominated, Bottom Threes for the next couple of weeks. I can’t imagine who will be the first male to crack the bottom, because with the exception of Lauren and Pia, the guys have proven themselves to be the most consistent performers of the season.

Last year’s off-key winner Lee DeWyze hit the stage, giving a lackluster performance, and probably looking at the pool of male talent this year, thanking his lucky stars he was on the show last year.

"American Idol" Season 10: Episode 19

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Last week I felt that the American public got their elimination correct. Ashthon Jones gave the weakest performance of the night by far, and she got sent home.

I didn’t even predict Karen Rodriguez to be in the Bottom Three because I have always found her to be so insanely likable, and really quite talented. While her performance from Wednesday night certainly was in the bottom half of the night, I don’t think it warranted elimination.

However, the other two in the Bottom Three, Naima and Haley, I felt deserved to be there, and barring some incredible performances in the coming weeks, I think the two of them will be fixtures in the Bottom Three until they each go home. I think Naima chooses some of the best songs and puts some of the most unique spins on them, but her voice is consistently pitchy and she’s proven herself to be the weakest singer of the competition.

I’ve always wondered about Haley, and have not always been her biggest supporter. Sure, I think she’s likable, and I like the raspy growly quality to her voice, but I think she makes the poorest song choices of the competition.

Back to Karen, the girl who got sent home too soon. In her sing for her life swan song, she completely blew it, but personally, I’m always astounded when contestants give the performance of their life in that crushing, high pressure moment. After being told that I received the least votes, I’m not sure that I could get on top of my emotions and sing for safety. To me, this made her even more endearing to me. The judges debated, it wasn’t an unanimous vote, but they elected to not save her. Not surprising. It is far too early in the competition to save someone (unless, that person was say, Casey Abrams or Pia, who just happened to not connect with the viewers, but have been consistently stellar).

Thia promised to do better next week, and not go further down a path where she is seen as a one-trick pony who can only sing ballads. Does this mean that next week she’ll sing something upbeat? Or just come across as a little more animated?

I foresee either entirely female, or at least female dominated, Bottom Threes for the next couple of weeks. I can’t imagine who will be the first male to crack the bottom, because with the exception of Lauren and Pia, the guys have proven themselves to be the most consistent performers of the season.

Last year’s off-key winner Lee DeWyze hit the stage, giving a lackluster performance, and probably looking at the pool of male talent this year, thanking his lucky stars he was on the show last year.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 18: The Top 12 Sing Songs From the Year of their Birth, Otherwise Known as '90s Night

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

On Wednesday night the "American Idol" Top 12 sang songs from the year they were born. With this group, that meant lots of hits from 1989 and the '90s, and right now I feel a little old.

Tonight, Casey Abrams tackled my favorite song of my lifetime, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” To be perfectly honest, I was terrified to hear what he’d do with it. I know Casey is probably the most talented contestant up there, but a Kurt Cobain clone he is not. He played his electric bass, which was a definite help for such a rock anthem, and with his crazy eyes, he really shifted his persona and did a great job. I feel it’s going to be a love or hate it performance, but at least it’s going to be memorable.

Jacob Lusk sang another one of my favorite songs, Heart’s 1987 hit “Alone.” This song choice was totally surprising and completely welcome from the very soul oriented, Luther-in-training, Jacob. It is only a testament to how incredible a singer he is that he can sing something so far out of his comfort zone and sound great. It wasn’t my favorite of the night, and I don’t think it was as good as Alison Iraheta’s performance of the same song a few years back, but I really appreciated it. I just wish Lauren Alaina got a chance to tackle this song this season, since I think it’s perfect for her.

Since Lauren Alaina was born in 1994, she of course did not have a chance to tackle the 1987 hit. Instead she had perhaps the best song choice of the night, and one of my favorite performances of hers to date. Lauren Alaina sat on stage with a mask as she’s sick with the flu, however, as Steven pointed out, maybe the flu did wonders for her voice. She sang Melissa Etheridge’s hit “I’m The Only One” flawlessly, and interacted with the audience. She’s just so fun and likable, I hope she’s in this contest for a long time.

Pia Toscano was great, as expected, but thankfully for those of us growing tired of her usual ballads, she sang something slightly more up-tempo. Seeing her effortlessly tackle “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” made me think that she is a strong contender to be crowned as champion.

Stefano Langone had another standout performance with a cover of Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” As much as I would’ve preferred to hear him go with something upbeat, this was so well done, and sounded so accurate to the original.

I loved Paul McDonald’s performance of Elton John’s 1984 hit “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.” I think other than Lauren Alaina, Paul is the best performer of the group. He engages the audience, he works the entire stage with his gangly legs, awkward dance moves, and million watt smile. He may have been a little pitchy, but as Randy pointed out, he has such a fantastic, raspy, Ray LaMontagne quality to his voice, and I know that I will buy any record that Paul McDonald puts out.

James Durbin gave an energetic performance of Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You,” but it was not my favorite performance of his. Personally, I think it was one of his weakest to date. The original song is so great, and I don’t think he did it justice. To borrow Randy’s favorite phrase, when he made it his own and did his trademark Adam Lambert screech, I really warmed up to it. He was at his best when he was bantering with Steven Tyler after the performance, but likability gets you votes on this show.

Both Scotty McCreery and Karen Rodriguez played it safe and gave solidly good performances. They each know their identities and the type of performer they want to be, and they make strides to get there. It’s very well played. Scotty gave an expected performance, but I was surprised that Karen Rodriguez didn’t go with any Gloria Estefan hit from 1989, because that was a big year for Gloria.

It’s always gutsy for people to tackle the big diva performances, and tonight, with the exception of Pia, the girls who elected to sing Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, and Vanessa Williams fell short.

Naima Adedapo’s version of “What’s Love Got To Do With It” was pitchy and a little awkward, which was unfortunate, because with the right voice, it would’ve been a great Idol performance. As Randy pointed out, she was also pitchy last week, which really doesn’t bode well for her in a competition with consistently strong vocals like Pia and Jacob.

Thia Megia sang Vanessa Williams’ hit “Colors of the Wind” from the Disney movie Pocahontas. It seems appropriate that the show’s youngest contestant sang a song from a Disney movie, come to think of it. She was certainly the best of the three girls by a long shot, but as beautiful as her song was, it was very boring and sleepy. She needs to do something upbeat and memorable next week.

Haley Reinhart sang Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight” with red lipstick all over her face and strategic growls to remind the crowd that she actually has a ridiculously strong voice. The song was pitchy, poorly chosen, and just leaves me wondering how she even made the Top 12.

My pick for bottom three: Haley, Naima, and Thia.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 18: The Top 12 Sing Songs From the Year of their Birth, Otherwise Known as '90s Night

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

On Wednesday night the "American Idol" Top 12 sang songs from the year they were born. With this group, that meant lots of hits from 1989 and the '90s, and right now I feel a little old.

Tonight, Casey Abrams tackled my favorite song of my lifetime, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” To be perfectly honest, I was terrified to hear what he’d do with it. I know Casey is probably the most talented contestant up there, but a Kurt Cobain clone he is not. He played his electric bass, which was a definite help for such a rock anthem, and with his crazy eyes, he really shifted his persona and did a great job. I feel it’s going to be a love or hate it performance, but at least it’s going to be memorable.

Jacob Lusk sang another one of my favorite songs, Heart’s 1987 hit “Alone.” This song choice was totally surprising and completely welcome from the very soul oriented, Luther-in-training, Jacob. It is only a testament to how incredible a singer he is that he can sing something so far out of his comfort zone and sound great. It wasn’t my favorite of the night, and I don’t think it was as good as Alison Iraheta’s performance of the same song a few years back, but I really appreciated it. I just wish Lauren Alaina got a chance to tackle this song this season, since I think it’s perfect for her.

Since Lauren Alaina was born in 1994, she of course did not have a chance to tackle the 1987 hit. Instead she had perhaps the best song choice of the night, and one of my favorite performances of hers to date. Lauren Alaina sat on stage with a mask as she’s sick with the flu, however, as Steven pointed out, maybe the flu did wonders for her voice. She sang Melissa Etheridge’s hit “I’m The Only One” flawlessly, and interacted with the audience. She’s just so fun and likable, I hope she’s in this contest for a long time.

Pia Toscano was great, as expected, but thankfully for those of us growing tired of her usual ballads, she sang something slightly more up-tempo. Seeing her effortlessly tackle “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” made me think that she is a strong contender to be crowned as champion.

Stefano Langone had another standout performance with a cover of Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” As much as I would’ve preferred to hear him go with something upbeat, this was so well done, and sounded so accurate to the original.

I loved Paul McDonald’s performance of Elton John’s 1984 hit “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.” I think other than Lauren Alaina, Paul is the best performer of the group. He engages the audience, he works the entire stage with his gangly legs, awkward dance moves, and million watt smile. He may have been a little pitchy, but as Randy pointed out, he has such a fantastic, raspy, Ray LaMontagne quality to his voice, and I know that I will buy any record that Paul McDonald puts out.

James Durbin gave an energetic performance of Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You,” but it was not my favorite performance of his. Personally, I think it was one of his weakest to date. The original song is so great, and I don’t think he did it justice. To borrow Randy’s favorite phrase, when he made it his own and did his trademark Adam Lambert screech, I really warmed up to it. He was at his best when he was bantering with Steven Tyler after the performance, but likability gets you votes on this show.

Both Scotty McCreery and Karen Rodriguez played it safe and gave solidly good performances. They each know their identities and the type of performer they want to be, and they make strides to get there. It’s very well played. Scotty gave an expected performance, but I was surprised that Karen Rodriguez didn’t go with any Gloria Estefan hit from 1989, because that was a big year for Gloria.

It’s always gutsy for people to tackle the big diva performances, and tonight, with the exception of Pia, the girls who elected to sing Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, and Vanessa Williams fell short.

Naima Adedapo’s version of “What’s Love Got To Do With It” was pitchy and a little awkward, which was unfortunate, because with the right voice, it would’ve been a great Idol performance. As Randy pointed out, she was also pitchy last week, which really doesn’t bode well for her in a competition with consistently strong vocals like Pia and Jacob.

Thia Megia sang Vanessa Williams’ hit “Colors of the Wind” from the Disney movie Pocahontas. It seems appropriate that the show’s youngest contestant sang a song from a Disney movie, come to think of it. She was certainly the best of the three girls by a long shot, but as beautiful as her song was, it was very boring and sleepy. She needs to do something upbeat and memorable next week.

Haley Reinhart sang Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight” with red lipstick all over her face and strategic growls to remind the crowd that she actually has a ridiculously strong voice. The song was pitchy, poorly chosen, and just leaves me wondering how she even made the Top 12.

My pick for bottom three: Haley, Naima, and Thia.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 17: When 13 Becomes 12

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

My predictions for the bottom three were two-thirds right: I should’ve known that Stefano is too attractive to be in the bottom three so soon. I clearly forgot the voting demographic of "American Idol."

I guess Ryan Seacrest got used to having two hours to eliminate contestants, rather than one hour, and he only brought up less than half of the contestants before announcing that Karen, Haley and Ashthon were in the bottom three. It made the whole night seem a little rushed and anti-climactic.

While I didn’t have Karen in my guess of the bottom three, I didn’t find her inclusion to be particularly surprising. She didn’t give as impressive or as memorable a performance as she could have, and it was very apparent that she was having a rough night.

Ashthon got the bad news, and after her swan song, which was an improvement on Tuesday’s weak performance, Jennifer Lopez called upon her other career as an actress to deliver the bad news. Why was a deliberation even necessary? The judges save should never be used in week one, especially for a contestant who had already been saved by the judges.

It all makes me wish that someone more deserving of the Top 13, someone like Robbie Rosen, had gotten saved last week over Ashthon. I really don’t think Robbie would’ve been sent home tonight.

In an actually surprising turn of events, Lauren Alaina broke down into tears when acknowledging her performance from Tuesday was not good. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Lauren! And shame on you, Ryan, for allowing a perfectly talented and young girl reduce herself to tears due to your shameless prodding. It’s true: her performance on Tuesday wasn’t her best, but it still was easily in the top half of performances that night.

Other news to keep an eye on: Casey Abrams is back in the hospital. As soon as the Top 24 was announced two weeks ago he was hospitalized, and unfortunately, he’s returned. I really hope nothing is serious, and that he makes a speedy recovery. I don’t want to imagine this competition without Casey Abrams.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 17: When 13 Becomes 12

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

My predictions for the bottom three were two-thirds right: I should’ve known that Stefano is too attractive to be in the bottom three so soon. I clearly forgot the voting demographic of "American Idol."

I guess Ryan Seacrest got used to having two hours to eliminate contestants, rather than one hour, and he only brought up less than half of the contestants before announcing that Karen, Haley and Ashthon were in the bottom three. It made the whole night seem a little rushed and anti-climactic.

While I didn’t have Karen in my guess of the bottom three, I didn’t find her inclusion to be particularly surprising. She didn’t give as impressive or as memorable a performance as she could have, and it was very apparent that she was having a rough night.

Ashthon got the bad news, and after her swan song, which was an improvement on Tuesday’s weak performance, Jennifer Lopez called upon her other career as an actress to deliver the bad news. Why was a deliberation even necessary? The judges save should never be used in week one, especially for a contestant who had already been saved by the judges.

It all makes me wish that someone more deserving of the Top 13, someone like Robbie Rosen, had gotten saved last week over Ashthon. I really don’t think Robbie would’ve been sent home tonight.

In an actually surprising turn of events, Lauren Alaina broke down into tears when acknowledging her performance from Tuesday was not good. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Lauren! And shame on you, Ryan, for allowing a perfectly talented and young girl reduce herself to tears due to your shameless prodding. It’s true: her performance on Tuesday wasn’t her best, but it still was easily in the top half of performances that night.

Other news to keep an eye on: Casey Abrams is back in the hospital. As soon as the Top 24 was announced two weeks ago he was hospitalized, and unfortunately, he’s returned. I really hope nothing is serious, and that he makes a speedy recovery. I don’t want to imagine this competition without Casey Abrams.

"American Idol," Season 10: Episode 16: The Top 13 Sing

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Hey, "American Idol," does the sing your idol theme night have to really mean sing a boring slow song?

The Top 13 for the most part all sounded good, but it was an incredibly boring night because mostly everyone chose a slow ballad. Showing off your vocal chops does not always mean that you need to sing something slow and powerful. I shouldn’t have loved Naima Adedapo’s version of “Umbrella” so much, but by the thirteenth performance of the night, I was desperate for something upbeat. Truth be told, I also really loved her insane reggae interlude and how hyped up she was throughout the entire performance. As fate would have it, the producer she worked with on the track, Tricky Stewart, also produced the original version. It was such a high point of the night because of how welcome it was, not because it was vocally the best, since it wasn’t even close to that.

I loved Paul McDonald, and appreciated his choice to sing Ryan Adams’ “Come Pick Me Up,” a song that I can see a lot of ‘Idol’ fans not knowing – Jennifer Lopez had never even heard of Ryan Adams. I felt this song was perfectly chosen for him, his raspy voice sounded impeccable, and I loved his awkward dancing.

Similarly, and not surprisingly, I also loved Casey Abrams, who gave a really energetic performance of Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help From My Friends” that far surpassed last season’s off-key, uninspired, and unimpressive duet between Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox at the finale. Jennifer Lopez said that the performance blew her away, and I have to agree.

Lauren Alaina and Pia Toscano were both great, and both played to their very different strong points. Lauren sang Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine,” an upbeat song that got her dancing and playing to the crowd and cameras in a big way. She always sounds great, and this was no different, but I agree with the judges in that I was hoping she’d be more kick-ass.

Pia Toscano, on the other hand, knows that her strength is nailing beautiful ballads, and she sang Celine Dion’s classic “All By Myself.” I always think it’s gutsy when someone tackles a Celine song as iconic as this one, especially so early in the competition, but Pia proved her vocal prowess by really nailing this song. Her hand movements were a little too choreographed and annoying, but really, when she’s singing so powerfully, it doesn’t really matter. I actually prefer last week’s rendition of The Pretenders, but I think that comes down to actually preferring that original song over anything Celine Dion.

I liked James Durbin and Scotty McCreery tonight because to me, each of them went against their normal performance inclinations. James’ version of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” was subdued for him, and it showed raw emotion, and how pitch-perfect his singing is at all octaves. Scotty, on the other hand, opened up and came across as youthful and engaging in his version of Garth Brooks’ “The River.” I always viewed Scotty as really closed off and not at all playful, which made him seem older and not right for “American Idol.” Tonight on top of hearing him sing a familiar song incredibly well, I saw his personality, and I really liked that. I was worried that both James and Scotty weren’t coming across as versatile, and felt that might be a hindrance later on in the competition, but after tonight, I’m a bigger fan of both of them.

Thia Megia and Karen Rodriguez suffered from opposite problems, but ultimately, I feel both girls deserve to be safe. After Randy told her last week that she sounds like Michael Jackson, Thia sang Michael Jackson’s “Smile.” It started off beautifully, when it was her voice gently singing along to a guitar. She is at her very best when the production is very simple. However, halfway through the track, the drums kicked in and she sounded pitchy as she sang along to what seemed like a Muzak track. Not her best work.

Karen, on the other hand, clad in a Selena-inspired tacky sequin belly-baring suit, started off slow with Selena’s hit “I Could Fall in Love.” Unlike Thia, she sounded shaky and uneasy throughout the song, especially on the pitchy low notes. However, she improved as the song went along, and I always feel it’s better to end great than to start great and end not so great.

While I felt that Karen would sing Selena (or Jennifer Lopez) on idol night, I was most excited to guess who Jacob Lusk would sing. He chose R. Kelly’s hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” which was at once surprising (I was thinking he’d go with another Luther Vandross song, or even Diana Ross), but totally expected and cliché at the same time. His performance wasn’t surprising: it was pitch perfect, incredibly moving, and over-the-top. It also was backed by a choir, which is usually reserved for much later in the season.

Stefano Langone sang Stevie Wonder’s “Lately” and my sole thought throughout the entire performance is “Why is there an awful techno thumping beat?” The judges chalked that up to him making the song his own, which I guess is accurate, but I thought it was terrible. He started bad, and made it halfway decent, with no thanks to the Jersey Shore inspired techno beat.

I wasn’t surprised by Haley Reinhart singing LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue,” even though it’s a song I thankfully don’t think of very often at all. I also wasn’t surprised that this was one of my least favorite performances of the night. I don’t like that song at all, I don’t think it was right for her, but I like Haley’s interesting voice, and hope that a boring performance and a terrible song choice don’t send her home.

Also not surprising was Ashthon Jones’ performance of Diana Ross’ “When You Tell Me That You Love Me,” especially given the judges advice to play to her diva side and sing Diana Ross after last week’s Top 40 disaster. It wasn’t great. It was better than last week, but I agree with Jennifer in that she should’ve gone with a Diana Ross song a little more recognizable, maybe a little more upbeat, and certainly not as big.

My predictions for bottom three: Stefano, Ashthon, and Haley.

"American Idol," Season 10: Episode 16: The Top 13 Sing

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Hey, "American Idol," does the sing your idol theme night have to really mean sing a boring slow song?

The Top 13 for the most part all sounded good, but it was an incredibly boring night because mostly everyone chose a slow ballad. Showing off your vocal chops does not always mean that you need to sing something slow and powerful. I shouldn’t have loved Naima Adedapo’s version of “Umbrella” so much, but by the thirteenth performance of the night, I was desperate for something upbeat. Truth be told, I also really loved her insane reggae interlude and how hyped up she was throughout the entire performance. As fate would have it, the producer she worked with on the track, Tricky Stewart, also produced the original version. It was such a high point of the night because of how welcome it was, not because it was vocally the best, since it wasn’t even close to that.

I loved Paul McDonald, and appreciated his choice to sing Ryan Adams’ “Come Pick Me Up,” a song that I can see a lot of ‘Idol’ fans not knowing – Jennifer Lopez had never even heard of Ryan Adams. I felt this song was perfectly chosen for him, his raspy voice sounded impeccable, and I loved his awkward dancing.

Similarly, and not surprisingly, I also loved Casey Abrams, who gave a really energetic performance of Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help From My Friends” that far surpassed last season’s off-key, uninspired, and unimpressive duet between Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox at the finale. Jennifer Lopez said that the performance blew her away, and I have to agree.

Lauren Alaina and Pia Toscano were both great, and both played to their very different strong points. Lauren sang Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine,” an upbeat song that got her dancing and playing to the crowd and cameras in a big way. She always sounds great, and this was no different, but I agree with the judges in that I was hoping she’d be more kick-ass.

Pia Toscano, on the other hand, knows that her strength is nailing beautiful ballads, and she sang Celine Dion’s classic “All By Myself.” I always think it’s gutsy when someone tackles a Celine song as iconic as this one, especially so early in the competition, but Pia proved her vocal prowess by really nailing this song. Her hand movements were a little too choreographed and annoying, but really, when she’s singing so powerfully, it doesn’t really matter. I actually prefer last week’s rendition of The Pretenders, but I think that comes down to actually preferring that original song over anything Celine Dion.

I liked James Durbin and Scotty McCreery tonight because to me, each of them went against their normal performance inclinations. James’ version of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” was subdued for him, and it showed raw emotion, and how pitch-perfect his singing is at all octaves. Scotty, on the other hand, opened up and came across as youthful and engaging in his version of Garth Brooks’ “The River.” I always viewed Scotty as really closed off and not at all playful, which made him seem older and not right for “American Idol.” Tonight on top of hearing him sing a familiar song incredibly well, I saw his personality, and I really liked that. I was worried that both James and Scotty weren’t coming across as versatile, and felt that might be a hindrance later on in the competition, but after tonight, I’m a bigger fan of both of them.

Thia Megia and Karen Rodriguez suffered from opposite problems, but ultimately, I feel both girls deserve to be safe. After Randy told her last week that she sounds like Michael Jackson, Thia sang Michael Jackson’s “Smile.” It started off beautifully, when it was her voice gently singing along to a guitar. She is at her very best when the production is very simple. However, halfway through the track, the drums kicked in and she sounded pitchy as she sang along to what seemed like a Muzak track. Not her best work.

Karen, on the other hand, clad in a Selena-inspired tacky sequin belly-baring suit, started off slow with Selena’s hit “I Could Fall in Love.” Unlike Thia, she sounded shaky and uneasy throughout the song, especially on the pitchy low notes. However, she improved as the song went along, and I always feel it’s better to end great than to start great and end not so great.

While I felt that Karen would sing Selena (or Jennifer Lopez) on idol night, I was most excited to guess who Jacob Lusk would sing. He chose R. Kelly’s hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” which was at once surprising (I was thinking he’d go with another Luther Vandross song, or even Diana Ross), but totally expected and cliché at the same time. His performance wasn’t surprising: it was pitch perfect, incredibly moving, and over-the-top. It also was backed by a choir, which is usually reserved for much later in the season.

Stefano Langone sang Stevie Wonder’s “Lately” and my sole thought throughout the entire performance is “Why is there an awful techno thumping beat?” The judges chalked that up to him making the song his own, which I guess is accurate, but I thought it was terrible. He started bad, and made it halfway decent, with no thanks to the Jersey Shore inspired techno beat.

I wasn’t surprised by Haley Reinhart singing LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue,” even though it’s a song I thankfully don’t think of very often at all. I also wasn’t surprised that this was one of my least favorite performances of the night. I don’t like that song at all, I don’t think it was right for her, but I like Haley’s interesting voice, and hope that a boring performance and a terrible song choice don’t send her home.

Also not surprising was Ashthon Jones’ performance of Diana Ross’ “When You Tell Me That You Love Me,” especially given the judges advice to play to her diva side and sing Diana Ross after last week’s Top 40 disaster. It wasn’t great. It was better than last week, but I agree with Jennifer in that she should’ve gone with a Diana Ross song a little more recognizable, maybe a little more upbeat, and certainly not as big.

My predictions for bottom three: Stefano, Ashthon, and Haley.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 15: The Top 13 Revealed

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

The biggest shock of the announcement of the Top 12 is that the Top 12 is actually the Top 13… and there are more females than males in it.

It took Ryan Seacrest nearly two hours (plus the world premiere of one Jennifer Lopez video) to send 11 contestants home. While some of my early favorites are in that grouping, there’s really not much to complain about regarding the Top 13--the contestants still there are all deserving of their spots.

There weren’t many shockers about who made it in, but in a situation like this where there were more than 13 talented and deserving contestants, the shockers seem to be in who’s going home. Early favorite Julie Zorrilla, the girl who Jennifer Lopez called the “winner” after her first audition, was sent home without even being offered a chance to sing for a Wild Card slot. It just goes to show that a poor song choice could be absolutely crippling to an otherwise great stint on the show thus far.

I’m also sad to see Robbie Rosen and Brett Lowenstern go, as I appreciated both their talent and Brett’s endearing quirkiness. Robbie was given a chance to sing for the Wild Card and he sounded near-flawless – I think choosing Naima Adedapo over him for the last slot was a shocking mistake, and the one head-scratching contestant in the Top 13, although she did give an incredibly moving performance in her shot at the wild card.

The other member of the Top 13 that I haven’t always been a huge supporter of is Scotty McCreery, who I think is far too one-note for this competition. But when it comes down to it, he can probably be a hugely successful country singer, and judging from fan reaction online, he’s incredibly likable. I need to give him a more objective listen when he sings on Wednesday night.

While I liked Haley Reinhart a whole lot, she’s never been among my favorite girls, and part of me wishes that Lauren Turner could be up there instead of her. Haley has perhaps the most interesting female voice in the competition, and I hope she picks some soulful songs to show off her raspy voice.

Otherwise, I think the Top 13 is great. My favorite guys Paul McDonald and Casey Abrams are both safely included, and I hope they last an incredibly long time, since I find their voices and musical stylings to be so unique and needed on this show.

I hope Pia Toscana’s brilliance from Wednesday night can be replicated week in and week out, because her lead performance has become a huge ‘Idol’ moment, and deservingly so. I really like her, and I really think that if she’s consistently that good, she can easily win the competition--she’s very personable, she’s stunningly gorgeous, and she sang beautifully.

I’m excited to see how well the youngest competitors, Lauren Alaina and Thia Megia, do, and am so thrilled to see both of them up there, even though I was confident in believing that they were both locks.

It was tough seeing six people sing for Wild Card spots knowing that only two or three would actually be receiving them. It must be incredibly tough to sing for your life on zero notice, but all six sounded incredible. I honestly had no clue who would receive a Wild Card, even though I felt I’d see Stefano Langone get one.

Here’s the not very surprising Top 13: Casey Abrams, Naima Adedapo, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Ashthon Jones (a recipient of a Wild Card slot), Stefano Langone (another Wild Card winner), Jacob Lusk, Scotty McCreery, Paul McDonald, Thia Megia, Haley Reinhart, Karen Rodriguez, and Pia Toscana.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 15: The Top 13 Revealed

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

The biggest shock of the announcement of the Top 12 is that the Top 12 is actually the Top 13… and there are more females than males in it.

It took Ryan Seacrest nearly two hours (plus the world premiere of one Jennifer Lopez video) to send 11 contestants home. While some of my early favorites are in that grouping, there’s really not much to complain about regarding the Top 13--the contestants still there are all deserving of their spots.

There weren’t many shockers about who made it in, but in a situation like this where there were more than 13 talented and deserving contestants, the shockers seem to be in who’s going home. Early favorite Julie Zorrilla, the girl who Jennifer Lopez called the “winner” after her first audition, was sent home without even being offered a chance to sing for a Wild Card slot. It just goes to show that a poor song choice could be absolutely crippling to an otherwise great stint on the show thus far.

I’m also sad to see Robbie Rosen and Brett Lowenstern go, as I appreciated both their talent and Brett’s endearing quirkiness. Robbie was given a chance to sing for the Wild Card and he sounded near-flawless – I think choosing Naima Adedapo over him for the last slot was a shocking mistake, and the one head-scratching contestant in the Top 13, although she did give an incredibly moving performance in her shot at the wild card.

The other member of the Top 13 that I haven’t always been a huge supporter of is Scotty McCreery, who I think is far too one-note for this competition. But when it comes down to it, he can probably be a hugely successful country singer, and judging from fan reaction online, he’s incredibly likable. I need to give him a more objective listen when he sings on Wednesday night.

While I liked Haley Reinhart a whole lot, she’s never been among my favorite girls, and part of me wishes that Lauren Turner could be up there instead of her. Haley has perhaps the most interesting female voice in the competition, and I hope she picks some soulful songs to show off her raspy voice.

Otherwise, I think the Top 13 is great. My favorite guys Paul McDonald and Casey Abrams are both safely included, and I hope they last an incredibly long time, since I find their voices and musical stylings to be so unique and needed on this show.

I hope Pia Toscana’s brilliance from Wednesday night can be replicated week in and week out, because her lead performance has become a huge ‘Idol’ moment, and deservingly so. I really like her, and I really think that if she’s consistently that good, she can easily win the competition--she’s very personable, she’s stunningly gorgeous, and she sang beautifully.

I’m excited to see how well the youngest competitors, Lauren Alaina and Thia Megia, do, and am so thrilled to see both of them up there, even though I was confident in believing that they were both locks.

It was tough seeing six people sing for Wild Card spots knowing that only two or three would actually be receiving them. It must be incredibly tough to sing for your life on zero notice, but all six sounded incredible. I honestly had no clue who would receive a Wild Card, even though I felt I’d see Stefano Langone get one.

Here’s the not very surprising Top 13: Casey Abrams, Naima Adedapo, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Ashthon Jones (a recipient of a Wild Card slot), Stefano Langone (another Wild Card winner), Jacob Lusk, Scotty McCreery, Paul McDonald, Thia Megia, Haley Reinhart, Karen Rodriguez, and Pia Toscana.

Thia Megia

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 14: Top 12 Girls

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I planned on starting this recap with this thought: I don’t think it’s fair that there have to be an equal number of guys and girls in this competition; I think the twelve best contestants should make it regardless of their gender. It took at least half the episode for me to see that the girls could be just as good, if not better, than the guys, who largely excelled the previous night.

My favorite last night was easily Pia Toscano, a girl who I have consistently been impressed week throughout Hollywood week. Her rendition of The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You” visibly moved even competitors, and she was rewarded with the greatest fan compliment--the first standing ovation of the season. Her effortless singing sounded amazing, she looked stunning on stage, and she had a big finish. It was a perfect ‘Idol’ moment.

The youngest two girls of the competition, Thia Megia and Lauren Alaina, were the other best performances of the night. I don’t think there are two contestants as drastically different as the two young ones. Thia took a soft approach to her first performance on the big ‘Idol’ stage. She sang without much musical accompaniment and stood in the center of the dark stage and just sang. It was a small performance, but it was a powerful one, and it shows that she has one of the best voices of the entire competition.

Lauren Alaina on the other hand could probably never be soft and quiet, but I think that’s why she’s so well loved. She bopped and shimmied around the stage, working the crowd and winking at the judges throughout her entire fun and upbeat performance. The judges showered her with praise, saying that she’s a hybrid of the two most commercially successful ‘Idol’ winners, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, and told her that she doesn’t even know how good she is, which is probably completely true. She’s really great.

When Karen Rodriguez started singing the opening notes of Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” I simply wrote “GUTSY” in my notes. It’s never a good idea for a contestant to sing such a big ballad on their first night (or ever, really), but somehow this was a great choice for her. She sang some lyrics in Spanish, which sounded better than the English line, but it also achieved what the judges want these contestants to do so desperately--she made the song her own. I loved it, I really like her, and I hope to see a lot more of her.

Even though neither Lauren Turner nor Haley Reinhart are among my favorites yet, I still really like the two of them. Both of these girls have big soulful voices and appropriately chose songs that would allow them to flex some vocal muscle. I think Lauren definitely has the edge in the competition based on tonight – her performance led Randy to say she could be a hybrid of Amy Winehouse and Florence and the Machine, which is a great compliment as far as talented vocalists go.

I was let down by Julie Zorrilla, someone I’ve been loving since her first audition, where Jennifer proclaimed “Winner!” (in a non-Charlie Sheen-like way). She sang Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” and instead of making the song her own, she failed at copying Kelly Clarkson. Normally she sounds so beautiful, and while this was still better than some performances, her poorly chosen song could really hurt her chances.

Ashthon Jones and Naima Adedapo both gave solidly good performances. While Naima hit every note on her rendition of “Summertime,” it was a bit too reminiscent of a lounge act, and not the best rendition in ‘Idol’ history. However, I think she’s been consistently strong, and while she’s never been among my favorites, people seem to generally like her. I really liked Kendra Chantelle’s performance, but she seems to be a bit too forgettable at this point. Every time I see her, I ask myself, “Who is this person?” only to realize I always ask that when it comes to her. She’s a great technical singer, and always comes across as sweet and likable, but I feel that both Ashthon and Naima are on the bubble

I thought Rachel Zevita’s caberet-take on Fiona Apple’s brilliant song “Criminal” was an ‘American Idol’ atrocity. She stripped out of a cloak into a tight dress, something Simon would’ve attacked her for, and turned the performance into a cheesy lounge act. She needs to go.

The worst of the night--Ta-Tynisa Wilson. Contestants, stop singing current mediocre radio hits. It doesn’t do you any favors.

My Top 5: Pia, Thia, Lauren Alaina, Karen Rodriguez, Lauren Turner. I think the wild card will go to Julie Zorrilla, who has consistently been one of the best, but gave her weakest performance to date. I feel the bubble contestants are Ashthon Jones and Kendra Chanelle.

Thia Megia

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 14: Top 12 Girls

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I planned on starting this recap with this thought: I don’t think it’s fair that there have to be an equal number of guys and girls in this competition; I think the twelve best contestants should make it regardless of their gender. It took at least half the episode for me to see that the girls could be just as good, if not better, than the guys, who largely excelled the previous night.

My favorite last night was easily Pia Toscano, a girl who I have consistently been impressed week throughout Hollywood week. Her rendition of The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You” visibly moved even competitors, and she was rewarded with the greatest fan compliment--the first standing ovation of the season. Her effortless singing sounded amazing, she looked stunning on stage, and she had a big finish. It was a perfect ‘Idol’ moment.

The youngest two girls of the competition, Thia Megia and Lauren Alaina, were the other best performances of the night. I don’t think there are two contestants as drastically different as the two young ones. Thia took a soft approach to her first performance on the big ‘Idol’ stage. She sang without much musical accompaniment and stood in the center of the dark stage and just sang. It was a small performance, but it was a powerful one, and it shows that she has one of the best voices of the entire competition.

Lauren Alaina on the other hand could probably never be soft and quiet, but I think that’s why she’s so well loved. She bopped and shimmied around the stage, working the crowd and winking at the judges throughout her entire fun and upbeat performance. The judges showered her with praise, saying that she’s a hybrid of the two most commercially successful ‘Idol’ winners, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, and told her that she doesn’t even know how good she is, which is probably completely true. She’s really great.

When Karen Rodriguez started singing the opening notes of Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” I simply wrote “GUTSY” in my notes. It’s never a good idea for a contestant to sing such a big ballad on their first night (or ever, really), but somehow this was a great choice for her. She sang some lyrics in Spanish, which sounded better than the English line, but it also achieved what the judges want these contestants to do so desperately--she made the song her own. I loved it, I really like her, and I hope to see a lot more of her.

Even though neither Lauren Turner nor Haley Reinhart are among my favorites yet, I still really like the two of them. Both of these girls have big soulful voices and appropriately chose songs that would allow them to flex some vocal muscle. I think Lauren definitely has the edge in the competition based on tonight – her performance led Randy to say she could be a hybrid of Amy Winehouse and Florence and the Machine, which is a great compliment as far as talented vocalists go.

I was let down by Julie Zorrilla, someone I’ve been loving since her first audition, where Jennifer proclaimed “Winner!” (in a non-Charlie Sheen-like way). She sang Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” and instead of making the song her own, she failed at copying Kelly Clarkson. Normally she sounds so beautiful, and while this was still better than some performances, her poorly chosen song could really hurt her chances.

Ashthon Jones and Naima Adedapo both gave solidly good performances. While Naima hit every note on her rendition of “Summertime,” it was a bit too reminiscent of a lounge act, and not the best rendition in ‘Idol’ history. However, I think she’s been consistently strong, and while she’s never been among my favorites, people seem to generally like her. I really liked Kendra Chantelle’s performance, but she seems to be a bit too forgettable at this point. Every time I see her, I ask myself, “Who is this person?” only to realize I always ask that when it comes to her. She’s a great technical singer, and always comes across as sweet and likable, but I feel that both Ashthon and Naima are on the bubble

I thought Rachel Zevita’s caberet-take on Fiona Apple’s brilliant song “Criminal” was an ‘American Idol’ atrocity. She stripped out of a cloak into a tight dress, something Simon would’ve attacked her for, and turned the performance into a cheesy lounge act. She needs to go.

The worst of the night--Ta-Tynisa Wilson. Contestants, stop singing current mediocre radio hits. It doesn’t do you any favors.

My Top 5: Pia, Thia, Lauren Alaina, Karen Rodriguez, Lauren Turner. I think the wild card will go to Julie Zorrilla, who has consistently been one of the best, but gave her weakest performance to date. I feel the bubble contestants are Ashthon Jones and Kendra Chanelle.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 13: Top 12 Guys

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Each season, whenever the contestants first sing for votes, it takes some time for them to find their groove. Even if they sang for crowds, none have ever performed on a stage this big, or really this important. After the votes, half of the guys who performed Tuesday night will be going home. They really were singing for their lives.

Without question, my two favorites of the night were Casey Abrams and Paul McDonald, two guys whose presences seem a bit unexpected for ‘American Idol.’ I thought Paul’s decision to sing Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” was easily the best song choice of the night. It was hard to imagine either of these two on stage without an instrument, but I found myself not caring, which to me shows that these guys are talented singers in addition to being talented musicians. Given that singers can only have instruments just three times in this competition, this is key: Would last year have turned out the way it did if instrument usage was seriously limited? That said, in addition to being talented, Paul McDonald is a true performer. He was the most engaging with the crowd, even starting off his performance with a cheerful, “What’s up TV-land!?” shout. He sang while he performed. He looked perfect up there. The one thing that might hurt him with a young voting population: He seemed noticeably older than all the other guys up there, but I felt that was a great thing.

Casey Abrams is the unlikely favorite in my eyes. He sang “I Put a Spell on You,” originally by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and had a little pseudo-sultry dance move and strong gaze to go along with it. It was incredible and the perfect way to end the episode. The judges told him that he is going to “redefine” the whole competition, and I completely agree.

Another expected home run belonged to James Durbin, who sang Judas Priest on the ‘Idol’ stage for the first time in history. I didn’t know the song well to begin with, but that’s perhaps what made it so great for me. He sang it effortlessly, and he seemed so comfortable singing that type of song on such a big stage.

The two youngest contestants, Robbie Rosen and Brett Lowenstern, were both great. I’ve been cheering for the two of them since the very first time I saw each of them, and I thought they were great tonight. Brett, the “red apple in a pile of green apples,” has such a quiet, gentle soul and voice, but man, can he sing. I was surprised to see his sultry hair whips, and such a gentle voice singing The Doors’ “Light My Fire,” but it really worked. He’s so likable.

Robbie Rosen played to his strong suit and sang Sarah MacLachlan’s hit “Angel,” and proving that he’s grown up with ‘American Idol’ and knows how to play the game, he switched up the song’s arrangement and really made it his own. I think it sounded beautiful, and I love being reminded of why I’ve been such a big supporter of his since day one.

Unless Tim Halperin becomes this season’s Tim Urban, I think he messed up by singing such a terrible, cheesy song. He has a beautiful voice normally, and has come across as such a talented musician and songwriter, and opting to perform an overplayed, mediocre Top 40 song (“Come On Over” by Rob Thomas) might have been a fatal mistake. However, he is an attractive guy, and let’s be honest, that’s what kept Tim Urban around as long as he was.

Clint Jun Gamboa was great, but by the end of the episode, I had totally forgotten that he sang – and that he was great. From his experience as a karaoke host, he really knows how to command a stage and perform energetically for an audience. Clint’s decision to sing Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” was one of the better song choices of the night, and he did a solidly good job with it.

I find Jovany Barreto and Stefano Langone to be virtually indistinguishable: They’re similar looking, they’re similar sounding, and tonight they both chose terrible pop songs to perform. Out of the two, I guess Stefano’s rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” was the better performance – I found Jovany’s “I’ll Be” to be not at all unique, and unfairly enough, that song is performed too often and without a new slant.

In terms of voices and genres that are out of my comfort zone, I found Jacob Lusk and Scotty McCreery to both be fantastic, in their drastically different ways. Admittedly, non-crossover country music is not my strong suit, but what I can tell from Scotty’s performance is that he has tremendous confidence when he’s singing a country staple. My fear for him is that he’s kind of shy, and his voice really makes him a one-trick pony in a competition that’s not geared for country singers.

Jacob Lusk, on the other hand, knows that his strong suit is when he’s singing a powerful soul ballad. His rendition of Luther Vandross’ “A House is Not a Home” was truly incredible. He brought Jennifer to tears, and Randy paid him perhaps the best compliment a male singer could be given: Luther Vandross would be very proud of him. I think Jacob will go on in this competition because he’s so likable, his talent moves people, and I think that if he wanted to sing a different genre, he’d still do that well.

The lowest point of the night was Jordan Dorsey singing Usher’s “OMG.” This is the only time I have ever wished for Simon to be back on the panel, because he would have ripped that trite, cheesy and terrible performance to shreds. Jordan strutted, he stripped his blazer off, and he instantaneously admitted that it’s not him. Then why on earth would you sing that song? Did you agree to it at gunpoint? You blew it, Jordan.

My guesses for Top 6 guys--Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, Paul McDonald, Robbie Rosen, Brett Lowenstern, James Durbin. I think Tim Halperin, Clint Jun Gamboa, or Stefano Langone could be on the bubble and might be an upset, but I can’t begin to imagine which of those six doesn’t deserve to be in the Top 12.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 13: Top 12 Guys

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Each season, whenever the contestants first sing for votes, it takes some time for them to find their groove. Even if they sang for crowds, none have ever performed on a stage this big, or really this important. After the votes, half of the guys who performed Tuesday night will be going home. They really were singing for their lives.

Without question, my two favorites of the night were Casey Abrams and Paul McDonald, two guys whose presences seem a bit unexpected for ‘American Idol.’ I thought Paul’s decision to sing Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” was easily the best song choice of the night. It was hard to imagine either of these two on stage without an instrument, but I found myself not caring, which to me shows that these guys are talented singers in addition to being talented musicians. Given that singers can only have instruments just three times in this competition, this is key: Would last year have turned out the way it did if instrument usage was seriously limited? That said, in addition to being talented, Paul McDonald is a true performer. He was the most engaging with the crowd, even starting off his performance with a cheerful, “What’s up TV-land!?” shout. He sang while he performed. He looked perfect up there. The one thing that might hurt him with a young voting population: He seemed noticeably older than all the other guys up there, but I felt that was a great thing.

Casey Abrams is the unlikely favorite in my eyes. He sang “I Put a Spell on You,” originally by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and had a little pseudo-sultry dance move and strong gaze to go along with it. It was incredible and the perfect way to end the episode. The judges told him that he is going to “redefine” the whole competition, and I completely agree.

Another expected home run belonged to James Durbin, who sang Judas Priest on the ‘Idol’ stage for the first time in history. I didn’t know the song well to begin with, but that’s perhaps what made it so great for me. He sang it effortlessly, and he seemed so comfortable singing that type of song on such a big stage.

The two youngest contestants, Robbie Rosen and Brett Lowenstern, were both great. I’ve been cheering for the two of them since the very first time I saw each of them, and I thought they were great tonight. Brett, the “red apple in a pile of green apples,” has such a quiet, gentle soul and voice, but man, can he sing. I was surprised to see his sultry hair whips, and such a gentle voice singing The Doors’ “Light My Fire,” but it really worked. He’s so likable.

Robbie Rosen played to his strong suit and sang Sarah MacLachlan’s hit “Angel,” and proving that he’s grown up with ‘American Idol’ and knows how to play the game, he switched up the song’s arrangement and really made it his own. I think it sounded beautiful, and I love being reminded of why I’ve been such a big supporter of his since day one.

Unless Tim Halperin becomes this season’s Tim Urban, I think he messed up by singing such a terrible, cheesy song. He has a beautiful voice normally, and has come across as such a talented musician and songwriter, and opting to perform an overplayed, mediocre Top 40 song (“Come On Over” by Rob Thomas) might have been a fatal mistake. However, he is an attractive guy, and let’s be honest, that’s what kept Tim Urban around as long as he was.

Clint Jun Gamboa was great, but by the end of the episode, I had totally forgotten that he sang – and that he was great. From his experience as a karaoke host, he really knows how to command a stage and perform energetically for an audience. Clint’s decision to sing Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” was one of the better song choices of the night, and he did a solidly good job with it.

I find Jovany Barreto and Stefano Langone to be virtually indistinguishable: They’re similar looking, they’re similar sounding, and tonight they both chose terrible pop songs to perform. Out of the two, I guess Stefano’s rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” was the better performance – I found Jovany’s “I’ll Be” to be not at all unique, and unfairly enough, that song is performed too often and without a new slant.

In terms of voices and genres that are out of my comfort zone, I found Jacob Lusk and Scotty McCreery to both be fantastic, in their drastically different ways. Admittedly, non-crossover country music is not my strong suit, but what I can tell from Scotty’s performance is that he has tremendous confidence when he’s singing a country staple. My fear for him is that he’s kind of shy, and his voice really makes him a one-trick pony in a competition that’s not geared for country singers.

Jacob Lusk, on the other hand, knows that his strong suit is when he’s singing a powerful soul ballad. His rendition of Luther Vandross’ “A House is Not a Home” was truly incredible. He brought Jennifer to tears, and Randy paid him perhaps the best compliment a male singer could be given: Luther Vandross would be very proud of him. I think Jacob will go on in this competition because he’s so likable, his talent moves people, and I think that if he wanted to sing a different genre, he’d still do that well.

The lowest point of the night was Jordan Dorsey singing Usher’s “OMG.” This is the only time I have ever wished for Simon to be back on the panel, because he would have ripped that trite, cheesy and terrible performance to shreds. Jordan strutted, he stripped his blazer off, and he instantaneously admitted that it’s not him. Then why on earth would you sing that song? Did you agree to it at gunpoint? You blew it, Jordan.

My guesses for Top 6 guys--Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, Paul McDonald, Robbie Rosen, Brett Lowenstern, James Durbin. I think Tim Halperin, Clint Jun Gamboa, or Stefano Langone could be on the bubble and might be an upset, but I can’t begin to imagine which of those six doesn’t deserve to be in the Top 12.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 12: And then there were 24

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

This might be my favorite "American Idol" Top 24 in a few seasons, and I feel I accurately predicted so many “surprise” additions and omissions, but for the most part, I don’t think anything was too shocking. The people who deserved to get in made it in, and the people who didn’t make it in were largely urged to try again next year, which is not only a tremendous vote of confidence in them, but shows the strength of the pool as a whole.

I’m still not sure why Thursday’s episode lasted two hours, when really, it could’ve been edited down to a half hour, unless they wanted us at home to feel some of the anxiety the contestants were feeling in the waiting room. And then leading every contestant who got moved onto the Top 24 to believe that they were getting eliminated got old incredibly fast.

Thankfully next week, real singing (and voting!) begins.

For the second year in a row, my early favorite is a guy named Casey. Before a very quick vote of yes, Randy told Casey Abrams that there has never been a musician as talented as him in the history of "American Idol," and that when he sings and plays his any instrument, he’s like three people in one. I agree. I can’t fairly describe how amazing a musician I think Casey Abrams is and how likable I find his personality (before singing his solo song, he told viewers, “I’m here to prove that people like me can be sexy”). I think Casey has set the bar in the competition, and unlike last season, I really think this year’s Casey is the true talent. However, before I get ahead of myself, TMZ is reporting that Casey Abrams was hospitalized a few days ago for stomach problems, and notes that if he is not up to performing on Friday, he will be eliminated from the competition, and I will miss him terribly all season.

Another addition to the Top 24 very highly complimented by veteran judge Randy Jackson was Jacob Lusk, whose performance of “God Saved the Child” was described as one of the best single performances in ‘Idol’ history. In my opinion, I think that’s a totally fair statement to make.

Robbie Rosen was an early, quick yes, assuring that one of my other early favorites will sing for our votes. I think Robbie Rosen has one of the best voices of the competition, and I’ve always been pulling for him. Other not surprising votes into the Top 24--Karen Rodriguez, Julie Zorrilla, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Pia Toscano and James Durbin.

Thia Megia and Jessica Cunningham were the final two girls to make it in front of the judges, and they were told together that only one would continue. I knew it would be Thia. Even though she faltered a tiny bit in Las Vegas, she’s been consistently excellent, and she’s the young phenom American Idol has been looking for. However, Jessica being the show’s sole rocker and veteran auditionee – this is her 7th time! – made me think for a tiny second that the veteran might make it in. The judges made the right decision in the even-tempered Thia, as the leather-clad Jessica stormed off stage, gave the camera the double finger, and made me believe that she will not audition for an 8th time.

Three guys came in at the very end for only one remaining spot, and looking at Jacee Badeaux, Brett Lowenstern and Colton Dixon standing together, I knew the spot had to go to Brett, the skinny boy with the gentle soul and fiery red hair. Sure enough, it did, not without the judges emphatically urging both Jacee and Colton to try again in the future.

I think Jacee and Colton are both incredibly talented, and feel that Colton is a bit more “American Idol” than Jacee at this point in time, but Brett just had such a big, memorable personality, and I think he’s really going to resonate with the viewers. I felt all along that Jacee is too young for this competition, and as adorable as I find him, I’m glad I won’t have to get misty eyed every time he comes on screen. Although, Brett’s incredibly kind words and tremendous sensitivity – he simply nodded to tell his parents he made it since the other two guys were sad – make me think that Season 10 will be an incredibly emotional one.

Bring it on.

"American Idol" Season 10, Episode 12: And then there were 24

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

This might be my favorite "American Idol" Top 24 in a few seasons, and I feel I accurately predicted so many “surprise” additions and omissions, but for the most part, I don’t think anything was too shocking. The people who deserved to get in made it in, and the people who didn’t make it in were largely urged to try again next year, which is not only a tremendous vote of confidence in them, but shows the strength of the pool as a whole.

I’m still not sure why Thursday’s episode lasted two hours, when really, it could’ve been edited down to a half hour, unless they wanted us at home to feel some of the anxiety the contestants were feeling in the waiting room. And then leading every contestant who got moved onto the Top 24 to believe that they were getting eliminated got old incredibly fast.

Thankfully next week, real singing (and voting!) begins.

For the second year in a row, my early favorite is a guy named Casey. Before a very quick vote of yes, Randy told Casey Abrams that there has never been a musician as talented as him in the history of "American Idol," and that when he sings and plays his any instrument, he’s like three people in one. I agree. I can’t fairly describe how amazing a musician I think Casey Abrams is and how likable I find his personality (before singing his solo song, he told viewers, “I’m here to prove that people like me can be sexy”). I think Casey has set the bar in the competition, and unlike last season, I really think this year’s Casey is the true talent. However, before I get ahead of myself, TMZ is reporting that Casey Abrams was hospitalized a few days ago for stomach problems, and notes that if he is not up to performing on Friday, he will be eliminated from the competition, and I will miss him terribly all season.

Another addition to the Top 24 very highly complimented by veteran judge Randy Jackson was Jacob Lusk, whose performance of “God Saved the Child” was described as one of the best single performances in ‘Idol’ history. In my opinion, I think that’s a totally fair statement to make.

Robbie Rosen was an early, quick yes, assuring that one of my other early favorites will sing for our votes. I think Robbie Rosen has one of the best voices of the competition, and I’ve always been pulling for him. Other not surprising votes into the Top 24--Karen Rodriguez, Julie Zorrilla, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Pia Toscano and James Durbin.

Thia Megia and Jessica Cunningham were the final two girls to make it in front of the judges, and they were told together that only one would continue. I knew it would be Thia. Even though she faltered a tiny bit in Las Vegas, she’s been consistently excellent, and she’s the young phenom American Idol has been looking for. However, Jessica being the show’s sole rocker and veteran auditionee – this is her 7th time! – made me think for a tiny second that the veteran might make it in. The judges made the right decision in the even-tempered Thia, as the leather-clad Jessica stormed off stage, gave the camera the double finger, and made me believe that she will not audition for an 8th time.

Three guys came in at the very end for only one remaining spot, and looking at Jacee Badeaux, Brett Lowenstern and Colton Dixon standing together, I knew the spot had to go to Brett, the skinny boy with the gentle soul and fiery red hair. Sure enough, it did, not without the judges emphatically urging both Jacee and Colton to try again in the future.

I think Jacee and Colton are both incredibly talented, and feel that Colton is a bit more “American Idol” than Jacee at this point in time, but Brett just had such a big, memorable personality, and I think he’s really going to resonate with the viewers. I felt all along that Jacee is too young for this competition, and as adorable as I find him, I’m glad I won’t have to get misty eyed every time he comes on screen. Although, Brett’s incredibly kind words and tremendous sensitivity – he simply nodded to tell his parents he made it since the other two guys were sad – make me think that Season 10 will be an incredibly emotional one.

Bring it on.

"American Idol" Season 10 Episode 11: Las Vegas Beatles Round

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

It took me a long time to figure out how exactly to start this recap--do I start from the very beginning of the episode, or do I come out and mention one of Idol’s more shocking cuts that came at the very end of the episode? In the spirit of the show, which teases shocking outcomes and will draw something out for two hours, I’ll start at the beginning and work my way to the epic conclusion. If it were any other show, I’d report the serious news first, but that seems to go against everything "American Idol" has ingrained in me in 10 seasons.

On Tuesday’s episode of ‘American Idol,’ 61 contestants boarded coach buses and headed to Las Vegas, where they would sing songs of the Beatles in duos and trios on the stage of the Beatles LOVE show. I have a love-hate relationship with American Idol electing to do Beatles theme nights. I love the Beatles, and when someone does a great arrangement of a Beatles song, I genuinely think they’ve shown talent.

I liked this idea in theory, but not in practice. It was cool to bring the group to such a big stage and allow them to perform theatrically, but when you’re introducing the Beatles music to some contestants who have never even heard of the Beatles, you’re asking for trouble. "American Idol," I beg of you, save the Beatles for when there’s only the top contestants.

As predicted last week, Ashley Sullivan would go and do something crazy in Las Vegas. She eloped at the wedding chapel where her idol, Britney Spears, got married (that time to Jason Alexander that her marriage lasted only 55 hours before annulment). She proceeded to threaten to kill her soon-to-be-husband if he got cold feet only before asking the cameraman to sign off as the witness. Suffice it to say, singing was not on her mind, and when she took the stage she struggled and got sent home. She seemed pleased to have made it this far, and has something far more exciting than American Idol to look forward to: marriage.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to some real performers who were memorable for all the right reasons in Las Vegas--James Durbin was expectedly spot-on with his high-pitched rendition of “Get Back,” a song I felt was appropriately chosen. His partner Steffano Langone was good, but not great. To his credit, it’s hard to shine when you’re with James Durbin and he’s singing a rock song.

Karen Rodriguez and Pia Toscano were up next, and ‘Idol’ revealed that the girls were high school classmates at a rigorous performing arts high school in New York City. The girls sang an upbeat, polished, and incredibly well harmonized version of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” For the second week in a row, I’ve been incredibly impressed by Pia Toscano. She has an incredible voice and an even better stage presence, and I think she’s become one to watch this season.

My two stars of the night go to two guys who have been given very little attention this season on "American Idol"--Tim Halperin, and Paul McDonald. I remember liking Tim Halperin at his initial audition, but never hearing from him again, and I don’t remember ever hearing Paul McDonald sing. These two were the high point of the evening for me. While Tim’s voice is more traditional, I thought he sounded near flawless behind the piano, and paired with the always-excellent Julie Zorilla, I knew he would do well. Paul’s voice on the other hand is unique and raspy, and I just love him. He’s what the Idol judges would call a singer-songwriter (read: he’s somewhat quirky and plays the guitar), and every time he sang, you could hear a judge say “I just love his voice” beneath their breath.

The semi-shocking bits of Beatles nights were that consistently strong performers Lauren Alaina, Casey Abrams, Thia Megia, and Chris Medina weren’t at their best. As I mentioned, I think it’s tough to expect contestants to sound pitch perfect when singing the Beatles this early in the game.

As for my favorite young contestants, Robbie Rosen sounded brilliantly amazing as always, and is reminding me more and more of Justin from ‘Ugly Betty.’ Neither Brett Lowenstern nor Jacee Badeaux were featured in the Beatles segment of the episode.

The second hour was devoted to some eliminations, as the group gets trimmed to the Top 24. Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Clint Jun Gamboa, Haley Reinhart, and Ashton Jones will all be singing in the Top 24. The young Hollie Cavanagh will not make it, although she was urged by the judges to come back and sing again – Jennifer even told her that when she’s older and more experienced, she can win the entire competition, and that tremendous vote of confidence is the silver lining to an otherwise tough send-off.

The shocking departure of the night, depending on how you look at things, is that Chris Medina has been sent home. I, for one, wasn’t too surprised by this. From all the teasers of Jennifer Lopez breaking into hysterics and saying she can’t continue voting people off, I knew a fan favorite would be sent home, and I was betting it was either Chris Medina or Jacee Badeaux (who is not safe yet).

Chris Medina hasn’t been consistently as great as he was in his initial audition, and when a clip was shown of his final solo—an off key, off pitch and otherwise terrible rendition of Coldplay’s beautiful song “Fix You” – I knew he was done. The judges gave him words of encouragement and praise for being a talented musician and a real stand-up guy, but right now, this wasn’t the right competition for him. I think they did the right thing. It saved him from going down Andrew Garcia’s path of never living up to an early audition and being strung along too long because of it.

Tonight, the rest of the Top 24 will be named in an especially drawn out two-hour-long episode, and we will see if Jennifer will be able to continue giving people bad news (it doesn’t seem promising).

"American Idol" Season 10 Episode 11: Las Vegas Beatles Round

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

It took me a long time to figure out how exactly to start this recap--do I start from the very beginning of the episode, or do I come out and mention one of Idol’s more shocking cuts that came at the very end of the episode? In the spirit of the show, which teases shocking outcomes and will draw something out for two hours, I’ll start at the beginning and work my way to the epic conclusion. If it were any other show, I’d report the serious news first, but that seems to go against everything "American Idol" has ingrained in me in 10 seasons.

On Tuesday’s episode of ‘American Idol,’ 61 contestants boarded coach buses and headed to Las Vegas, where they would sing songs of the Beatles in duos and trios on the stage of the Beatles LOVE show. I have a love-hate relationship with American Idol electing to do Beatles theme nights. I love the Beatles, and when someone does a great arrangement of a Beatles song, I genuinely think they’ve shown talent.

I liked this idea in theory, but not in practice. It was cool to bring the group to such a big stage and allow them to perform theatrically, but when you’re introducing the Beatles music to some contestants who have never even heard of the Beatles, you’re asking for trouble. "American Idol," I beg of you, save the Beatles for when there’s only the top contestants.

As predicted last week, Ashley Sullivan would go and do something crazy in Las Vegas. She eloped at the wedding chapel where her idol, Britney Spears, got married (that time to Jason Alexander that her marriage lasted only 55 hours before annulment). She proceeded to threaten to kill her soon-to-be-husband if he got cold feet only before asking the cameraman to sign off as the witness. Suffice it to say, singing was not on her mind, and when she took the stage she struggled and got sent home. She seemed pleased to have made it this far, and has something far more exciting than American Idol to look forward to: marriage.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to some real performers who were memorable for all the right reasons in Las Vegas--James Durbin was expectedly spot-on with his high-pitched rendition of “Get Back,” a song I felt was appropriately chosen. His partner Steffano Langone was good, but not great. To his credit, it’s hard to shine when you’re with James Durbin and he’s singing a rock song.

Karen Rodriguez and Pia Toscano were up next, and ‘Idol’ revealed that the girls were high school classmates at a rigorous performing arts high school in New York City. The girls sang an upbeat, polished, and incredibly well harmonized version of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” For the second week in a row, I’ve been incredibly impressed by Pia Toscano. She has an incredible voice and an even better stage presence, and I think she’s become one to watch this season.

My two stars of the night go to two guys who have been given very little attention this season on "American Idol"--Tim Halperin, and Paul McDonald. I remember liking Tim Halperin at his initial audition, but never hearing from him again, and I don’t remember ever hearing Paul McDonald sing. These two were the high point of the evening for me. While Tim’s voice is more traditional, I thought he sounded near flawless behind the piano, and paired with the always-excellent Julie Zorilla, I knew he would do well. Paul’s voice on the other hand is unique and raspy, and I just love him. He’s what the Idol judges would call a singer-songwriter (read: he’s somewhat quirky and plays the guitar), and every time he sang, you could hear a judge say “I just love his voice” beneath their breath.

The semi-shocking bits of Beatles nights were that consistently strong performers Lauren Alaina, Casey Abrams, Thia Megia, and Chris Medina weren’t at their best. As I mentioned, I think it’s tough to expect contestants to sound pitch perfect when singing the Beatles this early in the game.

As for my favorite young contestants, Robbie Rosen sounded brilliantly amazing as always, and is reminding me more and more of Justin from ‘Ugly Betty.’ Neither Brett Lowenstern nor Jacee Badeaux were featured in the Beatles segment of the episode.

The second hour was devoted to some eliminations, as the group gets trimmed to the Top 24. Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Clint Jun Gamboa, Haley Reinhart, and Ashton Jones will all be singing in the Top 24. The young Hollie Cavanagh will not make it, although she was urged by the judges to come back and sing again – Jennifer even told her that when she’s older and more experienced, she can win the entire competition, and that tremendous vote of confidence is the silver lining to an otherwise tough send-off.

The shocking departure of the night, depending on how you look at things, is that Chris Medina has been sent home. I, for one, wasn’t too surprised by this. From all the teasers of Jennifer Lopez breaking into hysterics and saying she can’t continue voting people off, I knew a fan favorite would be sent home, and I was betting it was either Chris Medina or Jacee Badeaux (who is not safe yet).

Chris Medina hasn’t been consistently as great as he was in his initial audition, and when a clip was shown of his final solo—an off key, off pitch and otherwise terrible rendition of Coldplay’s beautiful song “Fix You” – I knew he was done. The judges gave him words of encouragement and praise for being a talented musician and a real stand-up guy, but right now, this wasn’t the right competition for him. I think they did the right thing. It saved him from going down Andrew Garcia’s path of never living up to an early audition and being strung along too long because of it.

Tonight, the rest of the Top 24 will be named in an especially drawn out two-hour-long episode, and we will see if Jennifer will be able to continue giving people bad news (it doesn’t seem promising).