AI4 recap, Finalists x 6 (04/26)

So, Anwar is gone. I was not really broken up about it. I liked Anwar, but he really peaked too early. He’d been really average for quite awhile now.

Tonight’s theme: any song from the turn of the millennium on (or basically the last 5 years). Could be a dangerous theme, as anything goes tonight, as long as it’s recent.

Because there are only 6 left, they take some time to do some bios in the towns that the prospective Idols grew up in.

01 – Carrie (Checotah, OK), some Martina McBride song
Small town in Oklahoma that only has one stop light. Real country feel for her tonight, in the song and outfit. Still had the sway going. Straight hair. Kinda shaky at the start, but I’m not too familiar with the song so I don’t know if she changed it up or made it her own. Carrie’s been kinda shaky the last few weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in the bottom 3 tomorrow night. Randy said that he was glad to see her return to her (country) roots but he said her performance was pitch-wise under the whole song. Paula said the song threw away her vocals, but celebrated her style. Simon chose not to comment on the performance (probably because he thought it wasn’t good), but chose to say that he doesn’t understand country music (he’s from England), but thinks Carrie’s fans will still love her.

02 – Bo (Helena, AL), I Don’t Wanna Be (Gavin DeGraw)
Bo has his own house in Alabama and they interviewed his girlfriend, who has hair about the same length as his. He dressed like Lenny Kravitz, complete with a loud skateboarder pull over and those bad Lenny shades. But I’m not complaining, I loved this song, which is the theme song for one of my current favorite shows, “One Tree Hill.” (You expected a long, tedious tangent on One Tree Hill here right? Well, I’ll spare you this time :)) Bo really knows how to perform and really does a number on that mic stand. Great performance tonight. Before the performance there was a Clay Aiken sighting in the crowd. First time he’s been in the audience. And he now has a debit card with his picture on it. Jim Rome went on for a whole segment on how manly it would be to have a Clay Aiken debit card. They should give those out as a hazing ritual when rushing a fraternity house. Randy called him an honest and true rock star. Paula said the song totally describes him. Simon said his confidence was back but the only downside was wearing the bad Lenny Kravitz sunglasses (what about the whole outfit?). When I saw the outfit I expected him to sing that Lenny Kravitz jam that is the theme song for Alias. Man, I almost forgot to mention how hot Bo’s mom is. Looks like a cross between Bo Derek and Rebecca DeMornay.

03 – Vonzell (Fort Myers, FL), Turn To You (Christina Aguilera)
You may remember that Vonzell was a mail carrier in Florida, but they also showed her doing some karate and breaking a board. This was a tough song and I thought that she had a rough start. She hit the big notes, but overall I thought that she was out of key quite a bit. And at the end it looked like she forgot the words and only sang the chorus. But maybe that was how it was supposed to be. We found out after the performance that she doesn’t talk on Tuesdays. She only writes notes when responding to someone. Quirky, but I like that. Like a pitcher who won’t wash his uniform if he’s on a winning streak. I really think Vonzell is pretty; like a young, pre-crack, pre-Bobby Brown Whitney Houston. After watching it back with my wife, she didn’t think Vonzell was out of key, but just didn’t project her voice at the beginning. Randy called it a difficult song to sing, but she SANG it. And he welcomed her to the Dawg Pound. What a thrill for her. Paula said she nailed the song and that she connects with the audience. That she projects a magic before she hits the bridge. Something metaphysical like that. Simon called her flat at the beginning. I’m hoping that Vonzell is gaining some support because she can sang.

04 – Anthony (Trevose, PA), I Surrender (Celine Dion)
As you know, he’s from the Ukraine and his parents played a tape of the first time that he sang, when he was like 1 ½. Brought tears to their eyes because of the tracheotomy thing. Anthony really looked foreign in his childhood pics, but not so much anymore. He wore a nice pinstripe suit tonight. It was definitely his best performance to date. It’s what my wife expected from him from the beginning of the show. Then we found out that he’s been wanting to sing this Celine Dion song for weeks now. I don’t know what to think about that. A guy wanting to sing a Celine Dion song. Because he knows the words, we’re wondering if that has something to do with his comfort level on stage. He must be a slow learner of songs because when he has to sing a song that he’s not familiar with, he seems to struggle and seem out of his element. He was very much in control of his performance tonight. I’ll go out on a limb and say he was in the top 3 tonight. Forgot to mention that Anthony was introduced by Ava, the daughter of Heather Locklear. Heather Locklear is pretty hot still, although I’ve heard that she’s about as smart as a box of rocks (which is funny because there were a few signs for Bo saying “Bo Rocks My Socks” or “Bo Rox My Sox”). When I was growing up there were 2 Heathers, Heather Locklear and Heather Thomas. One was on TJ Hooker and the other was on the Fall Guy. Can’t remember which was which, but I do remember that Heather Thomas had that poster of her in the pink bikini. Donald Hiura had that poster up in his room. His older brothers had the Farrah Fawcett brown bikini poster up in their room. Back to the judges. Randy said that it started a little rough for him but he hit the high notes. Paula said his vocals built up with the song and it was his best performance. Simon called him a very brave man (presumably for singing a chick’s song) then did his “Simon thing” of degrading him, then complimenting him. He said he hated it personally, but he nailed it for his fans. Very Simon-ish. As funny as it sounds, this may have been Anthony’s best performance and she still may be gone tomorrow night.

05 – Constantine (New York, NY), You Remind Me (Nickelback)
Found out he was born in Brookyn to a very Greek Orthodox family. Mother is Constance (hence his name?). Brother Athan. I mistook his brother who has been in the audience for his father. He’s scary looking nonetheless. One of my good friends (Billy Mellis) is Greek and when I was in Chicago his older brother Foti was working at Northwestern in the athletic department and he would take me around to some of his Greek get togethers. The Greeks are like the Japanese in many ways. Very strong sense of family. Strong community ties to the church and festivals. I tagged along to a few of the church festivals around Chicago that first summer. One thing that still bugs me to this day was that there was this set of sisters that all the Greek guys liked. I actually didn’t think they were that hot, but whatever. I met them a few different times and every time they would say “it’s so nice to meet you.” What bugged me was that they had met me like 3 or 4 different times. Now I don’t want to sound arrogant like I’m some memorable guy that you wouldn’t forget, but I was the only Asian guy at those things. The only one. Among Greek people eating dolmas, gyros and drinking Ouzo. And another thing about the Greeks. I love it how they always name the first children after the grandparents. There was one family in Watsonville that had like 5 Annas and 3 Georges. They had to be known as 8th grade Anna and 5th grade Anna, etc. Back to Constantine. My wife yelled “stop looking at the camera” once during the song. And he gave his patented camera kicks (twice!). This song was putrid. He was all over the place vocally. It was like he didn’t commit 100% to this song and was just trying to be positive during it and did all kinds of extracurricular stuff, but really just wanted it to be over. He had all kinds of false hype and over amped the song totally. I’m not a fan of his and this song did nothing to bring me to his side. Randy said he was high on the performance, but low on the vocals. Paula said it wasn’t her favorite song, but he makes it through each genre without any difficulty. Simon called it a very bad imitation of the original. And said that going back to the rocker didn’t feel real. Maybe he isn’t a rocker, but just a cheesy lounge singer. He should be in the bottom 3 tomorrow, but mark my words, he won’t be.

06 – Scott (Shaker Heights, OH), Dance With My Father Again (Luther Vandross)
Boy, his bio was difficult to watch. They were trying to sell you on his “average Joe,” “thought he was going to be a priest” appeal. Scottie wore a huge grey pinstripe blazer with six (6) buttons. That’s a big coat. Okay. I don’t get this song. Tamyra Gray sang this a few years back and it was perfect. Can someone tell me how it is that Luther sings this song? Isn’t it a song meant to be sung by a woman? Am I deaf? Aren’t the words about dancing with her father? Does anyone else have a problem with a guy singing this song? Scott was very pitchy on this song. It was only 5 or 6 notes, but they were big ones. Randy called it his weakest performance in weeks. Paula said the song didn’t do him justice. Simon just said to pack his suitcase. Scott should be in the bottom 3 and out tomorrow night, but stranger things have happened.

Has anyone heard what’s going on with Paula? I saw the cover of People (but didn’t read the article) and it mentioned her surgeries, her pain, her grief. And then the story came out that she had a romantic relationship with Corey Clark, the dude from a few years back that was kicked off the show because he beat up his sister and assaulted some cops in the process. I hated that guy. He sang in a falsetto so high that it was like he got kicked in the nuts right before he went on stage. Supposedly she told him to keep their relationship quiet and in return she’d fund his singing career. Anyway, don’t know what is true or not, but she’s definitely an interesting one right now. I hope the article explains why she claps like she does…

Top 3 tonight: Bo, Vonzell, Anthony

Bottom 3 tomorrow: Scott, Constantine, Carrie, but Vonzell or Anthony could easily be there too.