Another off week for our intrepid finalists, largely because Elton doesn't write the type of music most of these kids excel at. There were a few diamonds in the rough, of course, but for the most part, another disappointing night, made more so by the fact that Elton didn't stick around to guest judge.
THE WINNERS
Tonight, George proved that he can bring his own unique attitude and style to virtually any song. The challenge for him in this performance was to prove that he can sing well in genres of music that his voice is not necessarily built for, and he met it head on with a rendition of Take Me to the Pilot that both respected the original recording and made it his own. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the competition is the versatility required to excel each week in often vastly disparate musical styles. On top of the great show he put on tonight, we've yet to see his excitement and enthusiasm for the show flag. Many of the singers looked flat-out tired this week and last, but George is every bit as punched-up as he's been since we first met him back in February. While none of the contestants this season has been consistently great, of the nine remaining finalists, George has come the closest. If you assume, as many have, that votes for LaToya and Fantasia will eventually begin to cancel each other out, George could easily become the front-runner to finish at the top of the heap this summer.
After more than one sub-par week, Jennifer bounced back in a big way tonight with a Broadway-worthy version of Circle of Life. It was a dangerous song choice for her as the performance could have veered very easily into a cheesy, showy mess. It's a testament to her control and skill as a performer that she managed to let the song work to showcase her voice rather than the other way around. By keeping the effusive hand gestures and facial expressions to a minimum, Jennifer kept herself in check enough to please both the judges and the audience. It will only help that she performed last tonight and will thus be at the forefront of most voters' minds as they begin dialing in votes. Based on her track record, there is still an outside chance she'll end up in the bottom three. Based on tonight's performance, she's in the top three, no question.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i like john stevens' voice but i just couldn't get over the song selection.
Crocodile Rock? what the hell was he thinking?
2 - Scott Pepper
Agreed--that choice was just disasterous. Elton John has no shortage of slower songs (like "Daniel" or "Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters") that would have been much better for John.
3 - IluvIdol
Good link to that MSNBC article about voting.
Considering how the voting works (we get to vote people to remain in the competition, and not vote people off)
I predict that JPL and John Stevens fans will try to save him. I cannot see how Camille, Jon, and JPL will be the bottom 3 when you taking the voting system into account.
Also, I think Jon's fans are like Nikki McKibben fans of AI1. Nikki's fans saved her when she did bad, and then when it was down to 4, Nikki brought her A game, did better than Tamayra, and her fans continued to vote like crazy insuring Tamayra's doom. Jon's fans are saving him, hoping an "old school [big band]" night is coming where Jon will shine and his fans will vote like crazy for him and someone else will be off.
I think the bottom three will be:
Camille, JPL, and Diana Diguarmo, with the final 2 coming down to Camille and Diana. I say Camille because I don't think her fans are strong enough to keep voting for her, and I think more Jon Stevens fans will try to keep him alive over JPL. I don't think Diana has a strong enough fan base yet. This has nothing to do with Diana's performance, but I see her as the Amy Adams of this week: the voting system could cause Diana to fall through the cracks.
The final two will be Diana and Camille, with this being Camille's last night. Watch and see.
4 - Scott Pepper
I cannot see how Camille, Jon, and JPL will be the bottom 3 when you taking the voting system into account.
Wishful thinking? Actually, the voters appear to be quite fickle this season. Having LaToya and Jennifer in the bottom 3 last week could be a call to action for their fans to overtake the JPL and John Stevens groupies. I mean, really, how many of them can there actually be?
5 - Eric Olsen
Good job Scott, thanks! I think the winners were George, Jennifer, LaToya and Fantasia. Jasmine was pushing too hard the whole song, as Paula noted.
Overall, the night was a diasaster, probably the worst I have ever seen in a finals. I understand the judges' exasperation - even Paula - and poor Elton John: his songs were brutalized for the most part. It shows you how good and flexible a singer her is - those huge jumps in so many of his songs are just about impossible to bring off. What were they thinking in the song selection?
No wonder Sir Elton didn't want to sit through the mess.
6 - boomcrashbaby
Diana DeGarmo -But there was no doubt something off for her....Diana didn't even seem to know exactly what was off
Paula Abdul's comments on her were, 'I know that you aren't healthy but...' leading me to believe that Diana was sick with the flu or something.
I imagine when Camile was performing, Amy was in the audience crying because life isn't fair.
Fantasia is a star, I just love the uniqueness of her voice and I can't wait to hear her single/album whether or not she becomes an Idol.
7 - Eric Olsen
I agree Fantasia is the class of the group, although George is growing so much each week, he may end up in her class himself. I think the final will (and absolutely SHOULD) be between those two.
8 - Michelle
i think Fantasia Barrino was the best of the night, and i fear Camile is gonna drop out, but i like her very much and the tone of her voice.
9 - IluvIdol
"I cannot see how Camille, Jon, and JPL will be the bottom 3 when you taking the voting system into account.
Wishful thinking? Actually, the voters appear to be quite fickle this season. Having LaToya and Jennifer in the bottom 3 last week could be a call to action for their fans to overtake the JPL and John Stevens groupies. I mean, really, how many of them can there actually be?"
So who was that with the Wishful thinking? I predicted (based on how voting works, not who "should" be in the bottom 3) 2 out of the 3 that were actually in the bottom. Jasmine to me is no surprise because she is doing good, but not in the same class as George/LaToya/Fantasia. Thus she isn't getting nearly as many votes as the stars or the other people who happen to have a large loyal following.
I thought JPL fans would finally die out, but I guess not. It looks like no matter what Jon and JPL are here to stay. Thus one can't help but think that with the two Jon's and their fan base (And the voting system where you vote who you want to remain in the competition), next week's bottom 3, regardless of the singing, will be:
Jennifer Hudson (already a bottom 3 person before)
Diana Diguarmo (already a bottom 3 person before)
Jasmine Trias (already a bottom 3 person before).
If people have already proven they will not rally around these 3 before, what makes anyone so sure that this isn't next week's bottom 3 even before the show airs?
We already know JPL and Jon Stevens fans will vote like crazy so they won't be in the bottom 3, and George and Fantasia always get enough votes to avoid the bottom 3, and LaToya hasn't been in the bottom for a while now, thus leaving Jennifer/Jasmine/Diana.
10 - MONALISA
jENNIFER HUDSON CAN REALLY SING, NOMATTER WHAT EVERYONE SAYS ,SHE'S A SOULFUL SINGER.HOPE SOMEONE AGREES WITH ME