'American Idol" on April 18, 2012.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012, Fox, 8 p.m. (ET) Performance night on “American Idol” with just 7 contestants still standing. The four girls and three boys still remaining in the competition sang 2 songs each: one current song from 2010-2012 and one soul song.
Who did well?
The biggest winners, from the standpoint of judges’ reactions, were probably Hollie Cavanagh, Skylar Laine, Joshua Ledet and Phillip Phillips.
Who was off their game?
The three that seemed lackluster this night, or simply failed to find favor with the judges or the audience were Colton Dixon, Elise Testone and Jessica Sanchez. Perhaps that Judges’ Save, used to prevent Jessica from getting the axe last week, won’t make any difference.
Most Improved
It should be pointed out that Hollie Cavanagh, who has consistently been in the bottom three, did a good job on Wednesday night with her rendition of Adele’s “Rollin’ in the Deep.” It was a good song choice, and, while her performance was not perfect, it was “very well done,” as Randy admitted. (Steven Tyler declared it “perfect.”) Later, Hollie sang “Son of a Preacher Man” while wearing a short pink dress and Randy said, “Dude, you worked it out,” while Jennifer Lopez said that Hollie “showed a new composure.”
Skylar Laine also did herself proud, singing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” in a country arrangement, which Jennifer Lopez declared she had never heard before, while adding, “A more perfect song for you does not exist.” Steven Tyler pointed out the voting bloc that loves country, saying, “A lot of people with a drawl will vote.” Randy said: “Dude, you’re so ready.” There are 2 things that one can say consistently about Skylar: 1) she will always give a peppy, spirited rendition where she emotionally connects to the material and (2) she almost always will have on a horrible outfit. Only once has she looked really lovely in a long, flowing gown. The bared arm dress she had on this night was horrid. For her second song, Skylar sang Marin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” causing Steven Tyler to declare her to be “somethin’ else” and “a wild horse that cannot be tamed.”
Floundering:
Colton Dixon sang Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” The judges gave him acceptable comments for his first song and Jimmy Iovine pointed out the teeny-boppers will vote for him (unless they, too, are put off by his apparent narcissism). His second song of the night was an “Earth, Wind & Fire” song, and that is where things started to go downhill for Colton. Steven Tyler dubbed it “a bad song choice” and Randy said, “You sounded good, but it’s not as exciting as we would have liked.” Jimmy Iovine pointed out weeks ago that Colton does not have the pipes of a Joshua or a Jessica; he was right.
Elise Testone also had a rough night. First, she sang “No One” by Alicia Keys wearing an attractive orange dress and with a breeze blowing through her long, blonde extensions. Steven Tyler criticized the song choice, while Jennifer Lopez chose to encourage her to smile more (“When you smile when you sing, your eyes come alive.”) Elise’s second song of the night was Al Green’s “Let’s Get It On” and Steven Tyler commented, “You need to take it up a notch.”
Jessica Sanchez.
The third rockiest performer, in terms of her ability to electrify the audience, was Jessica Sanchez. She opened with “Fallen” by Alicia Keys. While her singing earned raves from the judges, they all noted her apparent remoteness and distance from the material. Later, when she chose to sing “Try A Little Tenderness,” she had on one of the worst outfits of the night. The Jodhpur pants and the overpowering necklace obscured one of the best girls’ bodies in the competition. I fear the Judges’ Save will not matter on Thursday night.
Hanging In There
Phillip Phillips, wearing his trademark gray, sang “You Got It Bad” by Usher and earned a standing ovation from the judges. Steven Tyler said, “With you, we never know what we’re gonna’ get. It was great tonight, great. “ Jennifer Lopez pronounced Phillip’s performance “Sexy” and said, “It shows your versatility.” Randy said, “I smile every week. This year, we have a true artist on the stage.” It does seem that Phillip knows he does best and to his own self is true. His song choices are good; he doesn’t let the constructive criticism throw him or deter him from delivering on his music. He always seems connected with what he sings and is engaging to watch. Phillip’s second song of the night was “In the Midnight Hour.” He came out from behind his guitar and actually danced a dance which Steven Tyler declared “brilliantly awkward.” Phillip is very likeable. He is the one remaining boy in the competition who is handsome, humble, hetero (for the teeny-bopper girls) and sings well. He is also very original. A dark horse (gray, of course).
Joshua Ledet sang “I Believe” by Fantasia and received a standing ovation. Randy declared Joshua, “Truly one of the most gifted singers we have ever had on this show. Love you. Love your voice.” Jennifer Lopez praised Joshua’s commitment to the material he sings, saying, “You leave it all on the floor every time.” Steven Tyler declared, “You could sing the phone book.” For his second number, Joshua did a rousing rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna’ Come.” He displayed more dynamic touches than the other competitors, starting softly, and was praised for “holding back and then letting go.” Joshua sounds a bit like Sam Cooke and looks a bit like Johnny Mathis.
Bottom three?
Elise, Colton and Jessica. Either girl could go home.
Reno Lovison, a friend from my membership in MWA (Midwest Writers’ Association) in Chicago, prepared the trailer for my newest release, The Color of Evil. MWA is an organization for nonfiction writers, but many of us write both fiction and nonfiction.
