AIV recap, Finalists x 12 (03/14)

Two hours tonight. Brutal.

Stevie Wonder night. Is it me or does he look like Barry Bonds?

01 – Ace, Do I Do
I’m not implying anything, but did anyone else notice how much Ace was touching Stevie during their time together? Ace may not be gay, but his boyfriend might be. Ace was not very good tonight. Very nervous. Didn’t change the song up much. He’ll make it through by his looks, although he may start to lose the female vote if he keeps the ultra-sensitive stuff up. Maybe he was so macho that he took estrogen to become more in touch with himself. And his brother was in the audience. That dude looks like a Cro-Magnon man. Like he could be on the comic strip B.C. Randy said it started off no good and it was a hard song, with all the changes. Paula totally disagreed (big surprise). Simon said he’s lucky because the audience is easily pleased and it was not a great vocal and a bit manic. I tend to agree. He’ll be safe for tomorrow night though.

02 – Kellie, Blame It On The Sun
Being a good old country girl, Kellie was not familiar with Stevie Wonder. And I think it’s really hard to sing a song if you’re just learning it that week. If you don’t know how the song was originally sung, it’s hard to change it up and make it your own. Looked really nice in her black dress and red shoes. I think she looks better with straight hair though. This song was way too slow for her. Did she forget the words at one point? She really does better with high energy songs. The slow song took away her performance moves. I think Kellie also looks like the girl from My Two Dads. You remember that sitcom with Greg Evigan and Paul Reiser as her two dads (Staci Keanan). Her mother passed away and didn’t know/reveal which one was her dad, so they raised her together. Kellie looks more like her on a later show, Step By Step. The modern day Brady Bunch with Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy as the parents with 3 kids each, living together under one roof. Anyway, Randy called it a very interesting song choice and the key was low. Paula said she was nervous and out of her comfort zone. Simon said everything went wrong and it was so boring. I agree, but people are voting not only for her performances but also for her intros and interviews after. Seacrest has so much fun with her because you never know what will come out of her mouth. She was talking about her fake eyelashes tonight that looked like tarantulas. Just funny stuff. Even though she wasn’t great tonight, she should be safe tomorrow night.

03 – Elliott, Knocks Me Off My Feet
Stevie is Elliott’s idol and he teared up a bit when he sat on the piano bench with him. That was a nice moment. Elliott’s voice really fit this song, but he didn’t knock me off my feet with it. Maybe it was his Dumb and Dumber haircut that put me off. Randy said it wasn’t his best performance and it’s hard to bring something new to such an old song. Paula said it was okay to cry. Simon called it the best so far, but he didn’t have the wow factor, nor showed any originality. Elliott should be fine tomorrow night.

04 – Mandisa, Don’t You Worry About a Thing
Her “dogs” were barking so she had Seacrest take off her shoes before the performance. It was a real Al Bundy-type moment. I really like Mandisa, but (as a colleague in the Northwest so cleverly suggested) if this doesn’t work out for her, she can gain employment by performing at the end of games that are already decided. That reminds me of my time at the Bulls. Our entertainment guy would always play “Whoomp! There It Is” when the game was basically over. He was pretty gutsy at times because he brought it out during some close games. We always won them, but I’d always feel safer when I heard that song at home games. And then after Michael retired (for the second, but not final time) they hardly played that song at all. Anyway, Mandisa was very good during some parts of this song and flat in others. Randy said she wasn’t as great as last week, but was the best so far. Paula reiterated Stevie’s assessment that she can sing anything. Simon said now we have a competition because she was the best so far.

05 – Bucky, Superstition
Again, like Kellie, he didn’t know Stevie songs. I think he sang it to get through it and really didn’t do anything special with it. Did wear his hair down tonight and Simon called it Jessica Simpson hair. And his dancing was atrocious. Randy said it was definitely the best song choice for him and even though it wasn’t the greatest vocal, he enjoyed it. Paula enjoyed hearing him do Stevie in his country style. Simon called it one of his best performances (did his others suck that bad?) I think Bucky’s on the bubble tomorrow.

06 – Melissa, Lately
Her intro showed her messing up the words in front of Stevie (and getting a little put off that she messed up). Then she did it again during the live performance. I’m not a fan of Melissa’s and this did nothing to endear me to her anymore. I think that she struggled at times with her voice. Randy mentioned right off that she forgot the lyrics and that she was flat and sharp at times, but she ended strong. He praised her pipes. Paula said she should wear dresses more often (how insightful). Simon called it her best performance so far. He went so far as to call it edgy and contemporary. I didn’t see it at all. I’m hoping she’s off the show soon.

07 – Lisa, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours
Finally we hear an up tempo song from her. I honestly think, in this genre, a ballad would’ve been better for her. She did wear a big belt though. Something that looked like it was from Bongo or Contempo Casuals. Or Wet Seal. Or Forever 21. Not that I shop at any of those places. Randy said the end was hot. Paula said she was a little nervous tonight but liked that she took chances. Simon called it one of the best performances tonight. He loved it. It was a younger, hipper performance for her, compared to the “older” songs of weeks past. I think Lisa will go very far in this competition. She may not win, but I think she should be in the top 2 girls (along with Katharine).

08 – Kevin, Part-Time Lover
Can someone tell me how this kid is still in the competition? Tonight’s performance was almost an anti-Idol performance. It was like (although he is being totally serious) he was mocking the whole competition. Like a bad Saturday Night Live skit. Or like how Mr. Bean as a youngster would perform. And the scary part is, he’s buying into all the hype. He’s actually getting cocky. He does have a better voice than John Stevens, but Finchy never got cocky. He’s a nice kid and all, but he’s got to go pretty soon. If he lasts 3 more weeks, I’ll be okay with it (just as long as Melissa and Bucky go before him). Randy said he sang it good and in tune. Is that the kind of comments that a real American Idol should be getting? Paula called the song a hard song to sing and keep in tune and he did both. Well, whoop dee do. Simon finally got real and called it appalling. Then Kevin said he didn’t expect much out of Simon. Man that was arrogant. I’m beginning to hate this kid now.

09 – Katharine, Until You Come Back To Me
I wasn’t really digging her look tonight. Her eye shadow was a bit much and her dress was kinda funky. But I really dig Katharine. Her voice was unbelievable tonight. And her personality is really cool. Randy called her off the chain. That was hot. Paula said her voice pierces through the heart (I think that’s a good thing). Simon said you’re good and she reminded him (vocally) of Kelly Clarkson. That is a real good comparison in my book. She should be safe tomorrow night. I think she’ll be in the final 4, if not final 2.

10 – Taylor, Living For The City
Man, Taylor dresses so old. And he cannot dance a lick, but honestly, that’s the beauty of it. It’s like Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character in Party of Five (Sarah Reeves). She couldn’t dance, but still did. Taylor did some kind of dancing 360 turn, a few times, and it was pretty cool. Almost like in Can’t Buy Me Love, when Patrick Dempsey’s character did the African Anteater Ritual Dance (which, by the way, Paula Abdul was a choreographer for that movie). Randy called it a hot performance. Paula called him a fun performer. Simon likened him to every dad who ever got drunk at a wedding and danced. I was laughing so hard at his dancing. I really like Taylor. I don’t know if he’ll win this whole thing, but he will be famous after it’s all said and done.

11 – Paris, All I Do
She did a great job with this song. It really fit her vocals. There is no denying her talent, but I don’t think she’s going to win. I don’t think she’s as likable as some of the others. Maybe it has to do with the fact that she reminds me of Fantasia. Randy called her unbelievable tonight and she did it effortlessly. Paula called her a seasoned veteran. Simon called her so confident. Paris should be safe tomorrow night. Don’t get me wrong about her. I like her, just not as much as some of the others.

12 – Chris, Higher Ground
I really think Chris cheated on this one. Like he found a loophole. He admitted that he knew that the Red Hot Chili Peppers remade this song. Chris may not have done an exact version of the Chili Peppers, but it sounded a whole lot more like them than Stevie. I think it went against the whole spirit of the night. I like Chris, but I really can’t ever get into him. He’s too much of a rocker for my taste. I don’t think that he is going to win, but he will definitely get a recording contract out of this. Randy said that every week he figures out a way to make it his own and that he always works it out. Paula sits back and enjoys him every week. Simon said this was the only real world performance. I really think Chris is going to make it, just not as the American Idol.

You know what kind of surprised me was some of the songs that they didn’t pick. Like “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” and “Ribbons In The Sky” and “That Girl” and “Isn’t She Lovely” and “I Just Called To Say I Love You.”

I think the bottom 3 should be Melissa, Kevin and Bucky.

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