Live
Semifinals: The Girls
March 5
Four heats
later, and we have the top 20. Now they will sing one
more time on the Vegas stage for your votes. Five men
and five women in 48 hours time will continue to
Television City, where dreams become reality, reality
becomes dreams, and we always love to stop in when we're
in LA. Who'll stay? Who'll go? And who will finally
break out of this stupor called season 12?
LAS VEGAS
The Beatles Love Theatre by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage
The women choose any song
that they want. Choose wisely, and you're on the bus to Hollywood.
Choose not-so-wisely, and we'll forget who you were faster than you'll
ever know.
But first, a technical note.
Starting this week, you can vote via phone lines (1-866-IDOLS-xx, with
xx being the number of your favorite), text VOTE to 57xx (same rules
apply), and now by visiting AmericanIdol.com, American Idol on Facebook,
or using the American Idol app (powered by AT&T), you can now cast up to
50 Supervotes any way you wish: be it 20-30 split or all 50 for one.
LAS VEGAS
The Beatles Love Theatre by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage
Leading off the night is
Zoanette Johnson, who blew the house down with "Circle of Life" last
week. How do you possibly follow that up? By doing Tina. The song,
"What's Love Got To Do With It?"
THEY SAY: Keith loves the
way she performs, but he doesn't know if the song worked for him. Nicki
said, "That wasn't... it." Randy thought it was a mess. Mariah ... says
things.
WE SAY: Taking gold and
turning it into crap. Good song choice, atrocious vocal.
Breanna Steer steers us into
the two-spot on a high from last week. Tonight, she shows us what she
can do with Beyonce... "Flaws and All".
THEY SAY: Keith says her
song choices show who she is as an artist, but she needs to find a song
that will take her to her own place instead of mimicking Beyonce. Nicki
completely disagrees with everything Keith just said, saying this was
the wrong song for her. Randy thought the song choice was safe. Mariah
thought it was "lyrically raw" and "real".
WE SAY: Booooooooo-ring.
Aubrey Cleland wants to show
her personality and her love for what she's doing. She hopes not to lose
it on "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie.
THEY SAY: All of the judges
comment on how fantastic she looks (and she really does) and how well
her vibrato sounds. But they said she was too restricted and that she
didn't have many moments.
WE SAY: I smell fear. I hear
pitch problems. I foresee trouble.
Next up, Zumba-instructor-turned-singer
Janelle Arthur survived by the skin of her teeth last week. Can she
regroup this week with Elvis' "If I Can Dream"?
THEY SAY: The judges say
that she's back, calling this her best vocal or even the best vocal of
the night.
WE SAY: I hear you singing,
but I have a problem believing you believing it.
Nicki gave Tenna Torres some
direct advice last week: "Cut (your hair) all off and go bald." ...
Okay. She tries to liven things up with "Lost" by Faith Hill.
THEY SAY: Keith thought it
was a good job, but she needs to just let the camera do the job and
sing. Nicki likes her hair and boobs, but not her personality. Randy
likes the restraint shown. Mariah notes her consistency.
WE SAY: Finally, a
performance worthy of the top 10. It could've stood to be a bit
stronger. But hey, it's good enough for a vote.
Everything's coming up Angie
Miller, but at the same time, no one has seen her perform live. Can she
top her Hollywood performance with "Never Gone" by Colton Dixon?
THEY SAY: Keith thought it
was beautiful. Nicki thinks that she's a lock. Randy says a star is
born. Mariah was blown away.
WE SAY: Impressive vocal
range, but she could've picked a song that we all knew. She's teetering
on the verge of being indulgent, and that's always a bad thing. But
otherwise, a threat.
Amber Holcomb... and her
mother... are getting ready for what could be a game-changing
performance after we see a picture of mom slugging Ryan. Will Amber
knock us out with the Whitney version of "I Believe In You and Me"
(originally done by the Four Tops in 1983)?
THEY SAY: Keith says it was
a perfect song with an exquisite tone. Nicki thought it was a 10...
billion. Randy and Mariah agree.
WE SAY: In a night of
incredibly slow, incredibly dull songs... this... is a full-on
soundalike. Aside from Angie, I'm starting to lose faith that a woman
will win Idol this year.
Kree Harrison knows what she
signed for, and she knows who she is. That's half the battle, but can
she make the connection? The song: "Stronger" by Faith Hill
THEY SAY: Keith makes a bon
mot involving the title of this program, noting his fascination with a
high F over middle C. Nicki thought it was sexy. Randy says she's in it
to win it. Mariah: "How can you top that?"
WE SAY: Infinitely stronger
than any country singer in the contest. Yeah, I'm looking at you,
Janelle. But it bordered on screeching at the end.
Our youngest girl, Adriana
Latonio, commands the stage with the best of them. Will this young girl
from Alaska keep cool with "Stand Up for Love" by Destiny's Child.
THEY SAY: Keith didn't
approve of the song choice, nothing noteworthy in a night of plodding
ballads. Nicki: "I would suggest that you work a little bit and come
back next year." Harsh. Randy thought it was "pageanty". Mariah wants to
say that the song was "too big for her", but can't find the words to do
so. Thanks, Mike Darnell.
WE SAY: ... I'm up... I'm
up... Anyway, the finish was strong, the rest of the song was boring.
Closing tonight is Candice
Glover, who's been consistently showing up. Judging from what we've
seen, and the fact that only five people will move on from this group of
women, she's going to need to show up AGAIN. The show-stopper...
"Ordinary People" by John Legend.
THEY SAY: Keith loves that
she makes old-soul soul relevant. Nicki... does something. Randy calls
it "ridiculous" in a good way and says "America's got their work cut out
for them". Mariah thanks her for sharing her gift.
WE SAY: Calculated risk, but
it's nice to end the night on a groove. She punches her ticket to next
week easily. And it's DIFFERENT!
OVERALL: In a night where we
had more sleep-inducing ballads than ever and more safe performances
than ever, we had two or three standouts. The rest are suitable
substitutes for ZzzQuil.
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT:
Candice Glover
HONORABLE MENTION:
Amber Holcomb
Angie Miller
Kree Harrison
50/50 SHOT:
Tenna Torres
Janelle Arthur
Aubrey Cleland
DON'T GIVE UP YOUR DAY JOB:
Breanna Steer
Zoanette Johnson
Adriana Latonio
We'll see what prescription
America fills on Thursday. Meanwhile, for the guys... IT'S SHOW TIME!
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