Cheech Marin/Al Jarreau. The pre-song clip told us where Cheech's head was at, being a Top Five contender. "I'm gonna have as much fun as possible." And he did, as he and Al riffed and scatted their way through "We're In This Love Together." So he made a few mistakes in his performance, I couldn't have cared less because he reminded me of an uncle or family friend who always grabs the mic at get-togethers and sings just because they can, not because it's perfect. Marie said "I love you, Cheech, and I'm gonna give my time to David Foster." In other words, that's all she had to say on the matter. "I didn't know you could sing jazz. I'm very surprised," claimed Little Richard. David told us that he had a vested interest in this one, "It's not exactly the way I wrote that song, but nevertheless, you gotta lotta _______ (TV censored) to get up there and sing with Al Jarreau. I really love you for it. You did okay."
Alfonso Ribeiro/Chaka Khan. Alfonso also chose to do a David Foster song. "It's a risky choice, I know," but he had to step up his game in order for him to win. It was hit and miss for me watching at home. When he was on, he was sizzling, which made the shakier parts of his vocals stand out even more. Judge David finally got to comment first for a change. He thought "he was great and had no complaints." Marie thought he and Ms. Khan "could have sung together for years." "You sounded better than I thought" said Little Richard.
This concluded the singing portion of the show. Or, at least for the contestants, that is. Each episode has brought various changes to the non-contest segments of the show, like fine tuning it. Let me tell you, I dug it. Totally.
For example, after all contestants sang, Patti LaBelle came back on and sang "All Alone" with Wayne Brady. Not only was it a lovely touch, but the two performed well together and they also received a warm reception from the audience.
Finished with his duet, and with his host hat back in place, Wayne reminded everyone of which phone numbers to dial for each NSC as they ran highlights of the performances. One last prod to vote and a reminder that two would leave on the next show. That will leave three for the season finale next week.
Article comments
1 - Brent McKee
"I still think that Jai is the one to beat for the top prize."
Boy did you get that one wrong! Not that I think you were wrong (Hal should have been dropped along with Cheech) but the people who voted in this thing obviously thought differently.
2 - tink
LOL...you are right Brent!! I think that's why these types of shows intrigue me so much...the difference between what I think and what the viewing public thinks.
Still, I do feel that Jai was the best on the show, always consistent in bringing his top game to each performance...which didn't give him much room for improvement. Sometimes that factors into the end results...you just never know.
Thanks for reading...I look forward to hearing what you think about the final two shows next week.
3 - Ash
I think America is deaf in one ear, lucy Lawless is an awful singer. Her voice lacks character and is extremly thin. Jai should have stayed, he actually has a great voice. I wish he would have sang Over the Rainbow instead of Lady Marmalade that night.
4 - tink
Ash, Hi! As you can tell, I do love the Jai too, but Lucy wasn't all that bad to me, looked like she was giving it her best shot each time up at bat which goes a long way in my book. Not J-Rod quality of course, still...
looking forward to hearing what you think about next week's shows...
5 - Monte4amy
"Lady Marmalade" was not Patti LaBelle & Wayne Brady's duet, it was the song Jai and Patti LaBelle sang together, the first song of the night. Patti came back to sing "All Alone" with Wayne Brady and they REALLY smoked it and yes, the audience was screaming because of Ms. Patti's vocal chops and Wayne was great, too. They could have released it as a single.
6 - tink
Thanks for pointing that out, Monte4amy!!! The powers-that-be here at BC have done their magic and fixed my error.
I agree with you, that was a killer duet. I'm hoping, since American Idols Simon Cowell is exec. prod. on Celebrity Duets, that he'll take another page out of the A.I. book and release some of the best songs from the season on cd.
Thanks for reading, too!!