AIVI recap, Finalists x 3 (05/15)

So it’s the you pick, judges pick and producers pick night. Clive Davis used to be involved in this but I guess not this year. It also features a trip to each finalists’ hometown, which is totally cool for them.

The first songs are the judge’s choice.

01 – Jordin, Wishing On A Star (Rose Royce)
I don’t know who Rose Royce is, but I thought this song sounded very ‘80s-ish, like it could’ve been sung by Brenda K Starr or Mercedes or one of those other R&B ‘80s girls. Then I found out that The Cover Girls covered this song in 1992, which is close enough to that ‘80s vibe. I liked this song. Found out on Wikipedia (don’t you LOVE Wikipedia?) that Rose Royce didn’t really hit it big with this song, but they also did “Car Wash” and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.” Randy said it was a very good vocal and that the run at the end was hot. Paula called it a beautiful job (you could tell early on that she was out of it tonight and would offer zero productive comments). Simon, who picked the song, said she sang it beautifully, but didn’t like the jazz arrangement.

02 – Blake, Roxanne (The Police)
Paula picked this song and it was given to him by the mayor of Bothell, WA, who looked like he was 25 years old. Whenever I hear this song, I immediately think of Eddie Murphy singing it in the jail cell in “48 Hours.” How classic is that movie? They, of course, ruined it with “Another 48 Hours,” but are sequels ever as good as the originals? Except for maybe “The Godfather, Part II” which wasn’t better, but equally as brilliant. No beat box for Blake in this song, which was a good thing because it wouldn’t have worked with this song. Randy called it a great performance. Paula said he did her proud and Simon called it good, but not as good as the original.

03 – Melinda, I Believe In You and Me (Whitney Houston)
This was an interesting choice by Randy because the hard and fast rule is that you never, ever pick a Whitney Houston song. But he chose to challenge her tonight. This was also an interesting Whitney choice because it was when Whitney was in her “soundtrack” phase (see also “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting To Exhale”). Her first two albums were masterpieces (“Whitney Houston” and “Whitney”) but then she hasn’t really matched those efforts to date. So, I guess what I’m getting at is that this song wasn’t a pure Whitney song. It was more gospel-based (from a remake of “The Bishop’s Wife”) and thus maybe easier to sing. Regardless, Melinda changed it up enough to own it. It was a smokier version and the a cappella/falsetto part at the end was real cool. Randy wanted to throw her a curveball and she blew it out the box. Paula called her fantastic. Simon said it was a very difficult song, but it was her best performance in the last 4 weeks. And gave round 1 to Melinda.

04 – Jordin, She Works Hard For The Money (Donna Summer)
This was the producers’ choice and I will say this again and again. I can’t believe she’s only 17. She really sang this song well and really the only week she’s been off was the Bon Jovi week. Randy said that she can work it out for any song. I’m going to start to not write what Paula said anymore because all she kept saying was “fantastic.” Simon called it a very good performance.

05 – Blake, This Love (Maroon 5)
When I heard this song, I immediately thought to myself, “beat box alert.” And he didn’t disappoint. This song is pretty annoying, but it’s in Blake’s element. He did a cool version and danced and beat box/scratched it up pretty well. Randy said it was a good vibe for him. Simon said it sounded very comfortable and he preferred it to his first song.

06 – Melinda, Nutbush City Limits (Ike and Tina Turner)
I think the producers were forcing the Tina Turner angle on this one a bit. But, as usual, Melinda delivered. Randy called it another great star performance. Paula again stated the obvious by saying she looked like she had a blast. Simon said that he loved that side of Melinda.

07 – Jordin, I Who Have Nothing (Shirley Bassey, among others)
This started the contestants’ choice of songs. She redid this song from British Invasion night. She might have sung this better tonight than earlier. I still can’t believe that she’s only 17. She has such a powerful voice and this rendition was chilling, almost haunting. Very good. Randy called it another great performance and her best of the night. Simon said she sang it very well, but complained about a 17 year old singing a 60 year old song. I’m getting the feeling that he likes Jordin, but wants Melinda to win. Personally, I don’t really care who wins, but I would like to see a Melinda-Jordin finale. A Melinda-Blake finale would be okay too, just as long as Melinda is in the finale.

08 – Blake, When I Get You Alone (Robin Thicke)
His intro showed him beat boxing and scratching with Sir Mix A Lot. That was a sweet thing to see. This song was interesting because it was a cover of a song by Alan Thicke’s son and it had a sample of Beethoven’s Fifth in it. He did have a little scratching at the end. I’m glad that he incorporated it tonight because he didn’t overuse it. Randy called it cool, but liked the Maroon 5 better. Simon said he really liked it, especially since he doesn’t play it safe, he takes risks and looks like he’s having fun.

09 – Melinda, I’m A Woman (Peggy Lee)
She wore a cool 3 piece suit that she basically turned into a 2 piece suit because she dropped the jacket with the quickness. I liked that she featured the background singers during the song. Randy liked seeing the range and said it was hot again. Simon said that she consistently, week after week brought it and deserves a spot in the finals.

I am unabashedly in support of Melinda. I’m okay with Jordin winning too, but my money is on Melinda. I can guarantee this though. Blake will be in the bottom 3 tomorrow and Melinda will be in the top 3.

And on my new obsession, Dancing With The Stars (DWTS), I’m hoping that Apolo Anton Ohno wins. Their semi-finals was VERY good. Two perfects for Joey Fatone (who I also like and can see winning) and Laila Ali (who can also win). Apolo got dinged for a “raunchy” version of the cha cha with his partner, Julianne. The thing I like about Apolo is that he matches his partner’s steps. The other celebs feature their partner a bit more, but he is there step by step with Julianne. And she’s a cute little thing too. She’s only 18 and looks like Paris Hilton (but not trashy). Her choreography is very creative, maybe a bit too creative for Len, the stuffy judge. Ian Ziering is okay, but I think that he is clearly 4^th out of the 4. His partner, Cheryl Burke, is the two-time defending champ though (with Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith). Laila had Muhammad Ali on last week and it was a transcendent moment. How much of an icon is The Greatest? His Parkinson’s is so tragic because he used to be so full of energy. Anyway, we’re totally hooked on that show now.