American Idol Season 10, Episode 38: Scotty and Lauren are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

As Randy Jackson would have us all believe, America, Lauren AND Scotty are both in it to win it. For any American Idol fan – or even people who have seen Randy judge one performance, as the case may be – this shouldn’t come as a surprise… everyone is always in it to win it. But an hour before show time, TMZ ran a post that said that Lauren Alaina might drop out of the contest since she had no voice, and that producers were trying to find Haley.

Lauren didn’t have laryngitis, as initially reported. Instead a doctor explained that she blew out a vocal cord when trying to hit a high note. As a result, while she sang really well, she was lacking some power that she could’ve used, and her voice sounded a bit raspy toward the end of each of her songs.

Before I get into assessing the three “rounds,” I just want to express a general sense of disappointment at this entire finale. This has been such an exciting, interesting season full of talented performances, yet tonight just seemed lackluster and anticlimactic. Lauren wasn’t at 100%, I don’t care for Scotty, and the contestants seemed too young and too country to hold my interest. I really wish James or Haley (especially Haley) was singing.

First up, they each sang their favorite song from the season, which both sang during the Top 5 week, and were met by tremendous praise for their performances then. Good moves for both Lauren and Scotty.

Scotty opened the show with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone,” which was a really good decision on his part, because it was so full of energy. It was one of my favorite songs that Scotty performed all season, since it seemed different for him, and tonight was no different: he walked through the audience and he had a confident stage presence. It was the ideal way to kick off the show, and it shows that Scotty can perform on big stages really well, which was a fear I had with him. His performance this time around was so much better than his Top 5 night performance, which shows his tremendous growth as a performer in just a few short weeks.

Lauren then sang Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor,” which has been one of my favorite Lauren Alaina performances to date. I imagine her “I Hope You Dance” was too recent to reprise, but I’m glad she went with something so fierce and high energy. As much as I enjoy Lauren when she sings a ballad and we’re treated to hearing the unique tones of her voice, I really believe she’s at her best when she’s doing something fun. Her voice sounded scratchy at points, but she sounded better than I thought she would based on early reports of her vocal condition.

The judges give a slight edge to Scotty, which I think is fair. Lauren gave a great performance, but Scotty was fantastic, and it takes a lot for me to give Scotty the edge.

Next, they each had their idol pick out a song for them to sing. Scotty had George Strait select a song, and George chose his own “Check Yes Or No,” which I found a bit weird. It’s a huge vote of confidence for an artist to tell someone to sing their original song, but I’m more surprised that Scotty chose someone as old school as George Strait. Then again, he doesn’t seem as mainstream country as someone like Brad Paisley, so maybe not terribly surprising. I liked that Scotty played the guitar, because it toned his phony performance movements down a few notches. It sounded good, but not dynamic, or as good as his initial song.

Carrie Underwood selected Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis” for Lauren, which was an interesting choice as well. I have zero familiarity with this song, and I know the judges always criticize the little known song selections. However, in her glittery cupcake dress, Lauren sang beautifully. Her voice sounded raspy at points, but it seemed almost intentional and worked for the song. This was a perfect song for Lauren’s voice, and she seemed like she came into her confidence a bit through it.

The judges gave an edge to Lauren in this round, which I wholeheartedly agree with.

Finally, the contestants sang the song they will release as his or her first single should he or she win on Wednesday night. Both were slower country songs, and in all fairness, I didn’t really love either, and am glad I don’t listen to radio stations that would play either.

Scotty sang a song called “I Love You This Big,” which was distracting at first, thanks to a violinist with an even creepier gaze than Scotty himself! Who knew that was possible? I didn’t love the song, but I can imagine it being a huge hit, and I can imagine it being played at every Southern prom (or weddings for ’16 & Pregnant’ couples that make it). It was a really pretty, sentimental love song, and that just seemed strange coming from Scotty; he still feels too young to sing a song that big and old. It was a great song for his voice, though, and his confidence was at such a high, which helped in the delivery of a more mature song.

Lauren sang a song, “Like My Mother Does,” dedicated to her mother, who has been very visible throughout the show. The song was beautiful, she sang it amazingly, and although I wished her voice was 100% to completely slay the big power notes, I still felt her tone was perfect. Ryan Seacrest, being the rare gentleman, led Lauren down the stairs to her mother, who Lauren hugged without missing a note! It was a beautiful, emotional, poignant American Idol moment, and the absolute perfect way to end the episode.

Jennifer Lopez told Lauren, “you may have just won” based on that song, and I honestly agree with that assessment. The judges showered Lauren with praise, saying that she had heart, emotion, and feeling in that song, and that it was totally present, which it was. I felt all those things were missing a bit from Scotty’s, which isn’t terribly surprising: Lauren is one of the most emotional contestants on this season, if not the most, and Scotty seems the most stoic. And again, I find it difficult to honestly believe a 16 year old singing a love ballad, whereas a 16 year old who is close with her mom singing a song dedicated to her just feels so right.

The judges gave round three to Lauren, which, if you’re keeping score at home means that the judges in theory gave the title to Lauren, since 2/3 rounds (or 3/3 rounds if you’re Steven Tyler) is the majority. Of course, they played diplomatic and professed their love of Scotty, which is only fair, but I feel the title will be even closer than predicted.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 38: Scotty and Lauren are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

As Randy Jackson would have us all believe, America, Lauren AND Scotty are both in it to win it. For any American Idol fan – or even people who have seen Randy judge one performance, as the case may be – this shouldn’t come as a surprise… everyone is always in it to win it. But an hour before show time, TMZ ran a post that said that Lauren Alaina might drop out of the contest since she had no voice, and that producers were trying to find Haley.

Lauren didn’t have laryngitis, as initially reported. Instead a doctor explained that she blew out a vocal cord when trying to hit a high note. As a result, while she sang really well, she was lacking some power that she could’ve used, and her voice sounded a bit raspy toward the end of each of her songs.

Before I get into assessing the three “rounds,” I just want to express a general sense of disappointment at this entire finale. This has been such an exciting, interesting season full of talented performances, yet tonight just seemed lackluster and anticlimactic. Lauren wasn’t at 100%, I don’t care for Scotty, and the contestants seemed too young and too country to hold my interest. I really wish James or Haley (especially Haley) was singing.

First up, they each sang their favorite song from the season, which both sang during the Top 5 week, and were met by tremendous praise for their performances then. Good moves for both Lauren and Scotty.

Scotty opened the show with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone,” which was a really good decision on his part, because it was so full of energy. It was one of my favorite songs that Scotty performed all season, since it seemed different for him, and tonight was no different: he walked through the audience and he had a confident stage presence. It was the ideal way to kick off the show, and it shows that Scotty can perform on big stages really well, which was a fear I had with him. His performance this time around was so much better than his Top 5 night performance, which shows his tremendous growth as a performer in just a few short weeks.

Lauren then sang Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor,” which has been one of my favorite Lauren Alaina performances to date. I imagine her “I Hope You Dance” was too recent to reprise, but I’m glad she went with something so fierce and high energy. As much as I enjoy Lauren when she sings a ballad and we’re treated to hearing the unique tones of her voice, I really believe she’s at her best when she’s doing something fun. Her voice sounded scratchy at points, but she sounded better than I thought she would based on early reports of her vocal condition.

The judges give a slight edge to Scotty, which I think is fair. Lauren gave a great performance, but Scotty was fantastic, and it takes a lot for me to give Scotty the edge.

Next, they each had their idol pick out a song for them to sing. Scotty had George Strait select a song, and George chose his own “Check Yes Or No,” which I found a bit weird. It’s a huge vote of confidence for an artist to tell someone to sing their original song, but I’m more surprised that Scotty chose someone as old school as George Strait. Then again, he doesn’t seem as mainstream country as someone like Brad Paisley, so maybe not terribly surprising. I liked that Scotty played the guitar, because it toned his phony performance movements down a few notches. It sounded good, but not dynamic, or as good as his initial song.

Carrie Underwood selected Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis” for Lauren, which was an interesting choice as well. I have zero familiarity with this song, and I know the judges always criticize the little known song selections. However, in her glittery cupcake dress, Lauren sang beautifully. Her voice sounded raspy at points, but it seemed almost intentional and worked for the song. This was a perfect song for Lauren’s voice, and she seemed like she came into her confidence a bit through it.

The judges gave an edge to Lauren in this round, which I wholeheartedly agree with.

Finally, the contestants sang the song they will release as his or her first single should he or she win on Wednesday night. Both were slower country songs, and in all fairness, I didn’t really love either, and am glad I don’t listen to radio stations that would play either.

Scotty sang a song called “I Love You This Big,” which was distracting at first, thanks to a violinist with an even creepier gaze than Scotty himself! Who knew that was possible? I didn’t love the song, but I can imagine it being a huge hit, and I can imagine it being played at every Southern prom (or weddings for ’16 & Pregnant’ couples that make it). It was a really pretty, sentimental love song, and that just seemed strange coming from Scotty; he still feels too young to sing a song that big and old. It was a great song for his voice, though, and his confidence was at such a high, which helped in the delivery of a more mature song.

Lauren sang a song, “Like My Mother Does,” dedicated to her mother, who has been very visible throughout the show. The song was beautiful, she sang it amazingly, and although I wished her voice was 100% to completely slay the big power notes, I still felt her tone was perfect. Ryan Seacrest, being the rare gentleman, led Lauren down the stairs to her mother, who Lauren hugged without missing a note! It was a beautiful, emotional, poignant American Idol moment, and the absolute perfect way to end the episode.

Jennifer Lopez told Lauren, “you may have just won” based on that song, and I honestly agree with that assessment. The judges showered Lauren with praise, saying that she had heart, emotion, and feeling in that song, and that it was totally present, which it was. I felt all those things were missing a bit from Scotty’s, which isn’t terribly surprising: Lauren is one of the most emotional contestants on this season, if not the most, and Scotty seems the most stoic. And again, I find it difficult to honestly believe a 16 year old singing a love ballad, whereas a 16 year old who is close with her mom singing a song dedicated to her just feels so right.

The judges gave round three to Lauren, which, if you’re keeping score at home means that the judges in theory gave the title to Lauren, since 2/3 rounds (or 3/3 rounds if you’re Steven Tyler) is the majority. Of course, they played diplomatic and professed their love of Scotty, which is only fair, but I feel the title will be even closer than predicted.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 37: There Will Be an All-Country Finale

Television Review

By Catherine Fuentes

I’m not terribly surprised by the outcome of American Idol, but I’m incredibly disappointed. After the performances of her life, Haley Reinhart has been eliminated, meaning that Scotty and Lauren will comprise the youngest finale in American Idol history.

Looking back through my extensive notes from the season and some past recaps and I’m absolutely pleasantly stunned that Haley made it this far. I was shocked when she made it into the Top 11, and shocked when she defied elimination week after week. And somehow she grew up before our eyes, and became this confident, engaging, funny, and brilliantly talented diva. Somewhere along the American Idol journey, I went from scratching my head, wondering why that curly haired girl was there, to becoming one of her biggest supporters.

I’m disappointed that Haley is gone, especially because on Wednesday night she was utterly fantastic. I’m disappointed that her growly voice and rocker chic-hippie vibe won’t be there to mix up the finals about – now it’ll be all country, all the time. I’m disappointed because out of the three left standing, I think she has the most genuine confidence; she rocks out, she plays with the camera, and even though she seems to have a temper on her, she seems to be the most interesting to watch. Case in point: after she had gotten over the look of death shock after she learned of her elimination, she rocked out like a true professional. This will not be the end of Haley Reinhart’s career, only the beginning.

But again, I’m not very surprised. Scotty McCreery is the heartthrob with an entirely memorable voice that in all truth, is one that I haven’t yet heard in contemporary music. I don’t like him as a contestant, and I don’t like the type of music he will make as a recording artist, but I can’t doubt how truly talented he is. I have to give credit where credit is due, and Scotty McCreery can SING.

Lauren Alaina, on the other hand, has long been a favorite of mine. She’s upbeat, she’s bubbly, she’s personable – she’s everything that Scotty isn’t – and her voice can give someone chills. I hope next week she can conquer her nerves, and have the confidence it takes to kill all of her performances. She can win if she sings the way she did with “I Hope You Dance” unless her nerves get the best of her. Hopefully she’ll also keep it interesting with at least one non-country (or country-lite) song, to keep the finale from being straight off CMT.

It doesn’t matter what they do on Tuesday night, because I am firmly in Lauren Alaina’s court. I’ve loved her since her first audition. I watched her audition the other night, and was blown away all over again (and then I felt so proud of her, which may have been a little bit weird).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 37: There Will Be an All-Country Finale

Television Review

By Catherine Fuentes

I’m not terribly surprised by the outcome of American Idol, but I’m incredibly disappointed. After the performances of her life, Haley Reinhart has been eliminated, meaning that Scotty and Lauren will comprise the youngest finale in American Idol history.

Looking back through my extensive notes from the season and some past recaps and I’m absolutely pleasantly stunned that Haley made it this far. I was shocked when she made it into the Top 11, and shocked when she defied elimination week after week. And somehow she grew up before our eyes, and became this confident, engaging, funny, and brilliantly talented diva. Somewhere along the American Idol journey, I went from scratching my head, wondering why that curly haired girl was there, to becoming one of her biggest supporters.

I’m disappointed that Haley is gone, especially because on Wednesday night she was utterly fantastic. I’m disappointed that her growly voice and rocker chic-hippie vibe won’t be there to mix up the finals about – now it’ll be all country, all the time. I’m disappointed because out of the three left standing, I think she has the most genuine confidence; she rocks out, she plays with the camera, and even though she seems to have a temper on her, she seems to be the most interesting to watch. Case in point: after she had gotten over the look of death shock after she learned of her elimination, she rocked out like a true professional. This will not be the end of Haley Reinhart’s career, only the beginning.

But again, I’m not very surprised. Scotty McCreery is the heartthrob with an entirely memorable voice that in all truth, is one that I haven’t yet heard in contemporary music. I don’t like him as a contestant, and I don’t like the type of music he will make as a recording artist, but I can’t doubt how truly talented he is. I have to give credit where credit is due, and Scotty McCreery can SING.

Lauren Alaina, on the other hand, has long been a favorite of mine. She’s upbeat, she’s bubbly, she’s personable – she’s everything that Scotty isn’t – and her voice can give someone chills. I hope next week she can conquer her nerves, and have the confidence it takes to kill all of her performances. She can win if she sings the way she did with “I Hope You Dance” unless her nerves get the best of her. Hopefully she’ll also keep it interesting with at least one non-country (or country-lite) song, to keep the finale from being straight off CMT.

It doesn’t matter what they do on Tuesday night, because I am firmly in Lauren Alaina’s court. I’ve loved her since her first audition. I watched her audition the other night, and was blown away all over again (and then I felt so proud of her, which may have been a little bit weird).

American Idol, Season 10 Episode 36: The Top Three Are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Tonight the American Idol Top Three each sang three songs a piece – the first of their choosing and was coached by Beyonce, the second of Jimmy Iovine’s choosing, and the final song was of the judges’ choosing. After each “round,” the judges were asked to declare a winner, which I will be doing as well, although spoiler: I feel Haley won the whole night.

First up, Scotty chose to sing Lonestar’s “Amazed,” which reminded me of middle school dances and made me wonder if Scotty was even alive when this song became entirely played out (he was). While his performance was filled with his normal phony and creepy eye glances, it was a great song for him. I’ve come to terms with the fact that Scotty will always look creepy and disingenuous when he sings.

Next, Lauren Alaina sang “Wild One,” by Faith Hill, which was an upbeat and fun song. I agree with Beyonce in that I am happiest with Lauren when she’s doing something fun and energetic, but this wasn’t her best. It was really good, but wound up being her weakest of the night.

Finally, Haley Reinhart came out, tripped a little, but absolutely tore up the stage and rocked out to Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should Never Be,” with the help of her dad shredding on the guitar. It was a beautiful family moment that was only enhanced by Haley dancing and giving the performance of her life. This was the night’s best performance, and why the judges unanimously crowned Haley the winner of Round 1.

I felt that Jimmy Iovine gave the contestants some incredible song choices, which is I guess why he’s paid the big bucks to be chairman of Interscope: the man knows what he’s doing when it comes to producing a hit record.

First, he gave Scotty “Are You Going to Kiss Me Or Not” by Thompson Square, which was my favorite Scotty McCreery song of the season thus far. It was the only song of the night that I was unfamiliar with, but I thought it was Scotty at his best: he played the guitar, he was charismatic, and he was very radio friendly. This was also pop idol Scotty, and I think it will be a big hit with the tweens who adore him.

Next, Lauren sang “If I Die Young” by the Band Perry, a big hit from the only country band I am remotely interested in. I felt that this was a perfect song for Lauren: it was emotional, it was mature, and it would push her limits, and it was successful in all of that. Her voice is better than the original because as Jennifer mentioned, the tone in Lauren’s voice is absolutely incredible.

Haley closed out the round with one of my favorite songs, Fleetwood Mac’s “Rihannon,” another song that I felt was perfectly chosen for Haley. It was interesting seeing videos of their audition before this song, because Haley seemed like a young, simple girl, and in this performance she seemed like a powerful woman diva. Her dress was perfect, her makeup was flawless, the wind machine blowing her hair back was great television production. I truly felt that Haley Reinhart was an Idol superstar at this moment – it didn’t hurt that she sang a great song really well.
While I feel this round was a lot closer than round one, again I have to go with Haley on this one. She was the only contestant to seem like a true superstar and veteran musician, and to me that made all the difference. Her maturity – and the other contestants’ young age – really came across in this round. That said, this was one of my favorite Scotty and Lauren performances today, but Haley still takes it.

Finally, they showed glimpses of the Top Three’s hometown visits, which will be shown in greater detail during the results show. As per usual, each contestant received a text message from the judges on their AT&T phone, informing him or her of their song selection.

First, the judges selected “She Believes In Me” by Kenny Rogers, which was really good for him, but my least favorite performance of the night. To me, it was so hard to follow up his round two song, and this just didn’t do it for me.

Next, Lauren sang “I Hope You Dance” by LeAnn Womack in a perfectly sparkly princess prom dress. To borrow a term from Randy, this was Lauren’s “moment.” This was the moment where she took all the judges’ constructive criticism to heart, and went for the big notes and the big, memorable runs, and just gave her best performance to date. She developed and grew exactly the way they’ve wanted her to, and this was perfect.

Finally, Haley sang Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” which I feel may have been a bit of a sabotage moment for Haley. (Yes, last year’s terrible John Mayer selection which threw Casey James under the bus is still a hard moment for me to grasp, so I am very cautious with the judges during this all-important selection.) Sure, she absolutely killed it on the choruses, and I like seeing angry, amped-up Haley tear into a song, but she sounded a bit off in the fast-paced verses.

Winner of round three was without a doubt, Lauren Alaina.

I think it’s really possible for any permutation of singers to appear in next week’s final, and there may not be any logic to the selection. Based on tonight’s performances (and my personal preferences), I think that Haley and Lauren are the two that most deserve to be there, but it’s hard for me to imagine Scotty not in the Top Two (or even winning it). Come to think of it, it’s hard for me to imagine any of them not there next week, even though I cast my votes for Haley and Lauren. It’s a huge contrast to last season, where after the Top Three night, we knew who wouldn’t make it and who would win the whole season without any doubt, and I was a totally biased Casey James fan. This year the closeness of the competition is actually making it incredibly exciting to watch.

American Idol, Season 10 Episode 36: The Top Three Are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Tonight the American Idol Top Three each sang three songs a piece – the first of their choosing and was coached by Beyonce, the second of Jimmy Iovine’s choosing, and the final song was of the judges’ choosing. After each “round,” the judges were asked to declare a winner, which I will be doing as well, although spoiler: I feel Haley won the whole night.

First up, Scotty chose to sing Lonestar’s “Amazed,” which reminded me of middle school dances and made me wonder if Scotty was even alive when this song became entirely played out (he was). While his performance was filled with his normal phony and creepy eye glances, it was a great song for him. I’ve come to terms with the fact that Scotty will always look creepy and disingenuous when he sings.

Next, Lauren Alaina sang “Wild One,” by Faith Hill, which was an upbeat and fun song. I agree with Beyonce in that I am happiest with Lauren when she’s doing something fun and energetic, but this wasn’t her best. It was really good, but wound up being her weakest of the night.

Finally, Haley Reinhart came out, tripped a little, but absolutely tore up the stage and rocked out to Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should Never Be,” with the help of her dad shredding on the guitar. It was a beautiful family moment that was only enhanced by Haley dancing and giving the performance of her life. This was the night’s best performance, and why the judges unanimously crowned Haley the winner of Round 1.

I felt that Jimmy Iovine gave the contestants some incredible song choices, which is I guess why he’s paid the big bucks to be chairman of Interscope: the man knows what he’s doing when it comes to producing a hit record.

First, he gave Scotty “Are You Going to Kiss Me Or Not” by Thompson Square, which was my favorite Scotty McCreery song of the season thus far. It was the only song of the night that I was unfamiliar with, but I thought it was Scotty at his best: he played the guitar, he was charismatic, and he was very radio friendly. This was also pop idol Scotty, and I think it will be a big hit with the tweens who adore him.

Next, Lauren sang “If I Die Young” by the Band Perry, a big hit from the only country band I am remotely interested in. I felt that this was a perfect song for Lauren: it was emotional, it was mature, and it would push her limits, and it was successful in all of that. Her voice is better than the original because as Jennifer mentioned, the tone in Lauren’s voice is absolutely incredible.

Haley closed out the round with one of my favorite songs, Fleetwood Mac’s “Rihannon,” another song that I felt was perfectly chosen for Haley. It was interesting seeing videos of their audition before this song, because Haley seemed like a young, simple girl, and in this performance she seemed like a powerful woman diva. Her dress was perfect, her makeup was flawless, the wind machine blowing her hair back was great television production. I truly felt that Haley Reinhart was an Idol superstar at this moment – it didn’t hurt that she sang a great song really well.
While I feel this round was a lot closer than round one, again I have to go with Haley on this one. She was the only contestant to seem like a true superstar and veteran musician, and to me that made all the difference. Her maturity – and the other contestants’ young age – really came across in this round. That said, this was one of my favorite Scotty and Lauren performances today, but Haley still takes it.

Finally, they showed glimpses of the Top Three’s hometown visits, which will be shown in greater detail during the results show. As per usual, each contestant received a text message from the judges on their AT&T phone, informing him or her of their song selection.

First, the judges selected “She Believes In Me” by Kenny Rogers, which was really good for him, but my least favorite performance of the night. To me, it was so hard to follow up his round two song, and this just didn’t do it for me.

Next, Lauren sang “I Hope You Dance” by LeAnn Womack in a perfectly sparkly princess prom dress. To borrow a term from Randy, this was Lauren’s “moment.” This was the moment where she took all the judges’ constructive criticism to heart, and went for the big notes and the big, memorable runs, and just gave her best performance to date. She developed and grew exactly the way they’ve wanted her to, and this was perfect.

Finally, Haley sang Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” which I feel may have been a bit of a sabotage moment for Haley. (Yes, last year’s terrible John Mayer selection which threw Casey James under the bus is still a hard moment for me to grasp, so I am very cautious with the judges during this all-important selection.) Sure, she absolutely killed it on the choruses, and I like seeing angry, amped-up Haley tear into a song, but she sounded a bit off in the fast-paced verses.

Winner of round three was without a doubt, Lauren Alaina.

I think it’s really possible for any permutation of singers to appear in next week’s final, and there may not be any logic to the selection. Based on tonight’s performances (and my personal preferences), I think that Haley and Lauren are the two that most deserve to be there, but it’s hard for me to imagine Scotty not in the Top Two (or even winning it). Come to think of it, it’s hard for me to imagine any of them not there next week, even though I cast my votes for Haley and Lauren. It’s a huge contrast to last season, where after the Top Three night, we knew who wouldn’t make it and who would win the whole season without any doubt, and I was a totally biased Casey James fan. This year the closeness of the competition is actually making it incredibly exciting to watch.