Tossing Salt Is American Idol - April 4, 2012

Tossing Salt Is American Idol
April 4, 2012
Doug Maynard

It's a sad, sad day for American Idol. Last week, the Clown Prince of Idol, the one and only Heejun Han was the man who received the least number of fan votes and was voted off the Island. I'm going to miss him. He had spunk! Let's have a moment of silence for this amazing talent.

And now, it's Week 5 of the search for the 2012 American Idol. Last week, the Idol contestants performed songs by their own personal idols and as I mentioned earlier, Heejun's version of Leon Russell's "A Song For You", which I personally feel was his best musical performance thus far, was good but not good enough and he's outta here. Actually, last week everyone was at the top of their game and did a great job. I hope tonight goes just as well.

Tonight, the Idolettes will be doing songs from the 1980's. I hope that someone sings either "Take On Me" by Aha or "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners. Some "Human League" songs would be nice too. I love that music genre. And I'm pretty sure we'll get some duets or group performances too. It should be a good night. By the way, the host of the show is Ryan Seacrest. Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez are the judges. Jimmy Iovine and Gwen Stefani & Tony Kenall from the group "No Doubt" are the mentors.

And me? I'm Doug and I'm a big fan of Alice Cooper, so when are we going to get an "Alice Cooper" night? Inquiring minds want to know! Let's do this...

By the way, if you ever get the chance to listen to "I Saw Red", a duet by Gwen Stefani (before No Doubt) and the late Bradley Nowell (from Sublime), check it out. It's pretty damn amazing and off the charts. It's on YouTube. Find it.

We start off with "Hairboy" DeAndre Brackensick and he's performing "I Like It" by DeBarge. I don't remember this song, but DeAndre did a really good job performing tonight. He was comfortable on stage and really showed off his vocal range, going from a more real, regular voice to the high notes and back again. J-Lo liked it as well and said that DeAndre looked as if he felt super comfortable and very natural and that he sounded amazing. Randy said that somewhere, DeBarge is saying "OMG" and that DeAndre could easily be the 2012 version of DeBarge. Randy also called it one of DeAndre's best performances. And Steven called it "totally captivating" and "exceptional".

Next up was Elise Testone who performed "I Want To Know What Love Is", by Foreigner. In my opinion, she was okay, but I couldn't really feel the song with her version. It sounded more adult contemporary than rock & roll. J-Lo said that Elise looked beautiful, but commented that Elise has a "powerhouse voice" and the song wasn't quite right. Randy remarked that it's a difficult song to perform and Elise never quite got the pitch right and that the song was all over the place. Steven said that it wasn't the right song, but he loves Elise's voice.

The next performance was the first of four boy / girl duets as Skylar and Colton did a fantastic rendition of "Islands In The Stream", which was originally performed by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Despite their different styles, Colton and Skylar sounded really well together and did a good job. I'd love to hear them sing more duets together. Randy agreed that they did a really great job and called Skylar beautiful and Colton great. J-Lo said that it was perfect for Skylar and that Colton was the perfect partner for her. Amd Steven said that it was a match made in heaven and beautiful.

Phillip Phillips was the next man on stage and he brought his brother to play with him as he did a really unique version of the Genesis song "That's All". It was pitchy in places, but Phillip is so real and raw, it doesn't matter. He did a great job and really took the song and "Philliped" the hell out of it. J-Lo said that the beginning wasn't great but towards the end, Phillip brought it home and was pretty great. Randy loved the "brotherly love" thing and called it another great performance. And Steven noted how he loved Phillip's individuality, calling him a "wildflower" and said that he can tell Phillip loves being who he is and that's what makes him great.

Another duet as Hollie and DeAndre performed the classic "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters. It was okay, but I just don't think that they looked very comfortable up there on stage together. There just wasn't that chemistry between them that I could see. Randy called the performance very nice and impressive. J-Lo said that it was really good and sounded good. And Steven called it a beautiful duet that sounded great.

Joshua Ledet is next to perform and for the second week in a row, he wins the award for the butt-ugly jacket. Who the hell dresses this boy? Joshus perfomed "If You Don't Know Me By Now", originally done by Simply Red. And well... it was okay. He seemed a bit restrained at the start and then was playing vocal games instead of singing at the end. High notes are fine and good, but sing the damn song. Geez! J-Lo called it spectacular, while Randy commented on how "mature" Joshua was and how he was "so in your zone". Steven called it outstanding and the "perfect beautiful song".

And here comes Jessica Sanchez who's trying to capture lightning in a bottle by doing another Whitney Houston song, "How Will I Know". Jessica has a great voice and loves doing these hard, power songs. I think it was okay, but not the best she's done so far. J-Lo said that Jessica was a natural performer whose vocals make everything go away and is really, really good. Steven said that Jessica's voice is so fantastic and that everything she does is beautiful. And Randy said that Jessica did an amazing job and that "she's gotta have it!".

Another duet now as Phillip and Elise did a super-fantastic version of one of my favorite songs, "Stop Dragging My Heart Around", a duet from Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks. I love this song and have to admit, I'd love to see Phillip and Elise release this some day as a single. They sound really good together and did just an amazing song. J-Lo called this duet "great music sung great!". Randy said that it "sounded amazing" and was "very nice". Steven said that it was "outstanding" and "couldn't be better" and that it was "as good as it gets!"

Hollie Cavanagh was the next performer to come onstage and she performed "What A Feeling" from the "Flashdance" soundtrack. I think it was Irene Cara who originally sang this song and if Hollie had been smart, she'd have left it with Irene. I wasn't impressed. Her voice just doesn't fit her look and body. J-Lo noted that Hollie just needs to let it all go more and not think so much. Randy noted that Hollie has the talent, but there was a couple of pitchy moments and that Hollie needs to quit thinking and start living it. Steven said that the pitches were all over the place and that it took Hollie a while to get there, but she got there at the end.

And for the final duet of the night, it was Jessica and Joshua doing a "anything you can do, I can do better" duet of "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me", the truly iconic and classic duet by George Micheal and Aretha Franklin. It was hard to get used to Jessica's voice in the beginning doing the Aretha parts, but she really did a great job and made it her song. And Joshua dropped the ugly jacket to just come out and sing and the two of them really meshed well with this song. J-Lo said that maybe they were looking at the finals with Joshua and Jessica. (I don't think so.) She said that they were "something amazing!". Randy said that they "both looked fly" and it was one of the best performances on the show. And Steven said that it was "so far over the top, it defies judging and is only to be enjoyed."

Colton Davis came up next and he did a classic Cyndi Lauper song. I was hoping he would do "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" or "She-Bop", but he played it safe and did an amazing version of "Time After Time" instead. They sped the song up slightly and he put his own "Colton-style" spin on the song and what can I say? He was damn good (and he's cute too.) Boy needs to eat a sammich or two though - he's too skinny! J-Lo said that Colton was in sync with the band and it was amazing. Steven said that Colton's voice is so good, he's ready to make an album now. He nailed it. And Randy said that Colton took the song and made it his own. Colton is "so current" and "ready to go".

And then, for the last song of the night, it was Skylar Laine who did her version of the Bette Midler classic, "Wind Beneath My Wings" from the movie "Beaches". Love the song and love the movie, but so far as Skylar's version of this song goes, it was okay. I know the judges loved it and thought it was great, but some songs just are not meant to be sang with a country twang. I'd love to hear Jessica sing this song and see what she could do with it. But for Skylar, I just couldn't really feel it or get into it. J-Lo said that it was solid and we can't count Skylar out. Randy called it the best performance on the show tonight. And Steven said that it was the beginning of a great career and beautiful.

And that's the show. Not a bad show, but I never did get to hear anyone sing "True" by Spandeau Ballet. My feelings are hurt. It wasn't the best show so far this season and a few people made a few screw-ups here and there, but nothing was really bad and the kiss of death. So who gets to be in the Bottom Three tomorrow night? Last week, it was hard to decide since everyone did so well. This week, the decision isn't quite as hard.

My picks for the "Bottom Three" for this week will be... Elise Testone, Hollie Cavanagh and Skylar Laine. And who will go home on Thursday night? Hmmmm? They need to send Joshua home just for wearing those ugly jackets, but I think he'll be safe this week. I may be wrong, but I don't think so. I think that Hollie Cavanagh has sang her last song for this competition. She's hit and miss most weeks anyhow, but this week was mostly miss and I think it's going to cost her and end up causing her to get voted off the Island.

So there you go. That's Idol for tonight. Thoughts and comments can be sent to Doug28352@yahoo.com. Thank you for reading and I'll catch you later, gators. Have a great night.

Ubuntu!