idol choices

Do not adjust your computer screens.  Yes, this is Wednesday night.  Yes, Idol came on tonight.  And yes, you are reading this Idol recap without the benefit of a results show recap following right behind it.  Tried to do this last week, on Wednesday, and was just flat out too tired... but tonight, I'm ready, its early, and its time...

THIS IS

AMERICAN

IDOL

FINAL THREE

Tonight's big theme is the hometown visits, as Jessica Sanchez heads back to California, Joshua Ledet heads to Louisiana and Phillip Phillips goes to Georgia... the Idol crew will tape their returns, showcase the "[insert idol name here] Day in [insert idol hometown]" ceremony, and at least one of them will cry at the overwhelming amount of support and love of their respective communities... as it always happens.

The judges come out, followed by that ol' faker, Ryan Seacrusty, and a pan of the crowd shows off Colton Dixon, My Former Next American Idol Elise Testosterone and even Hey Jun! (he'll take a sad song and make it better).

Next Tuesday, the performance show.  Next Wednesday, the live finale.  And guess what?  I'll blog both the night they air, just for you people.  I do it all for you.

First round is going to be songs picked by the judges, then round 2 gives us the Idols picks, then round 3 is songs picked by Jimmy Iovine, the music mentor.

ROUND ONE... THE JUDGES CHOICE

Randy the Dawg is picking the song for Joshua Ledet, choosing "I'd Rather Be Blind" by Etta James.   With the old style, rectangular hand held mic, Joshua Ledet does his thing, and sounds superb doing it. 

The judges are gushing over him, and deservedly so... that was really good.

And now, its J-Sanch... J-Lo picked her song, and it's "My All" by Mariah Carey.  Featured on 1997's "Butterfly" album, its a song that came after Mariah's skankification, as it was a follow up to the skank turn of "Honey".  Not one of my favorite Mariah songs... I know why J-Lo picked this for J-Sanch, to hear her hit the big notes and the runs and such... but I would have loved to hear something upbeat like "Emotion" or maybe even "Dream Lover", which would have not only shown off J-Sanch's voice, but also give her a chance at personality.

That being said, she's doing the song some severe justice.   The judge gush. 

I would listen to the song "Begging" as performed
by Mankind.  Just sayin'.

Next up, its Creepy Uncle Steven Tyler, who is picking the song for Phillip2, the song "Begging" by... Mad Con? Mad Kahn?  Madeline Kahn?  Man Kind?  Like the wrestler?  Mankind?  That would be awesome...

Okay, so a quick look on the Algore's interwebs shows me its Madcorn, "Begging". 

Dude, the song was awesome.  P2 was jamming like a boss on the guitar, he had his groove on, and though the other two were enjoyable, I will remember THIS song tomorrow.  Good times.

The judges gush.

Round One goes to... my pick is P2... Randy the Dawg says Joshua Ledet... J-Lo says P2... Creepy Uncle Steven says he can't decide... The Lovely Steph Leann goes Joshua Ledet...

ROUND TWO... THE IDOLS CHOICE

Its the video clips of going home, as Joshua Ledet heads back to Louisiana via a private jet.  Surprisingly, the airport crowd meeting him is kinda small... we see Westlake Baptist Church, a tiny little church where he visits his church family, and then him in a parade through his hometown, ending up at Westlake High School.   Okay, so I'm not saying nothing, but I do observe compared to previous finalists crowds, Joshua's crowds are rather small... though he does finally get a bunch of people in the arena nearby.

Back to the Idol stage, here's Joshua Ledet singing "Imagine".  Okay, maybe I've discussed this before, but I really am not a fan of this song.  It seems very anti-God to me... imagining there is no Heaven, no God, and all the people here live for their own lives.   Think about who wrote it--John Lennon, not a known Christian philosopher--and the free love and worship whatever you want kind of time period... just not a good message all wrapped up in a cutesy little tune.  Bleh.

Creepy Uncle Steven Tyler said it was a beautiful song, even saying, ironically, it was a "thank you God moment", which is completely NOT what it is.  J-Lo loved it.  Randy the Dawg says it was brilliant, dude, brilliant.

Jessica Sanchez headed back to Chula Vista, CA, for her hometown visit, as she leaves LA in a flippin' helicopter.  I reckon Chula Vista is close to San Diego, as she spends a few minutes in the Padres ballpark, where she auditioned. 

J-Sanch's crowds are huge.  She gets to her home, and the tears come as the family wraps her up... and now its off to see more big crowds.  She has her parade, visits the local high school, and is mobbed by the people... and she gets her "Jessica Sanchez Day in Chula Vista" plaque.  She even does a mini-concert outside of a San Diego docked battleship. 

And back to the Idol stage, she has chosen Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" as her 2nd song.  The Lovely Steph Leann says "uuuggghghhh..."  I wonder how intimidating it is to perform this song in front of StevZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

As she sings, "I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep..." I pipe up, "I don't want to fall asleep either, J-Sanch... stop singing."

The Lovely Steph Leann:  Its almost like they Muzaked that song.  It was already cheesy anyway, but that sounded like it was music at a grocery store.

While the judges gush, I think that was terrible.

Finally, to end Round 2, its Phillip2 who went back home to Leesburg, Georgia.  Big crowd at the airport, big crowd following his limo.  Saturday brings him to the pawn shop where he works, withe more huge crowds, then a tearful reunion of he and his dad.

He gets his parade, then a mob of people chicks as he nears the stadium where he is going to perform his concert.

His song for the night, though, is "Disease" by Matchbox Twenty.  And though I'm very sleep and starting to drift, I can pick up on the Rob Thomas flair of the song... and his other song was better, but this song from P2 is very good.

J-Lo called it "easygoing" but she didn't care for the song as much.  Creepy Uncle Steven liked it okay enough.  Randy the Dawg says he didn't care for it either. 

Round 2 goes to... Well, I'll have to say Phillip2... The Lovely Steph Leann says the same.  No judges picks.

ROUND THREE... JIMMY'S JAMS

The final round of the show had Joshua Ledet getting a text from Jimmy Iovine, who picks a Mary J. Blige joint called "No More Drama".

The piano starts, and The Lovely Steph Leann pipes up and says, "They did this on The Voice to.  Its the tune from "The Young and the Restless'"   That's why I married her.

Bonus The Lovely Steph Leann:  He's jumping.  Why is his jumping?  Its very distracting.

Despite the jumps, it was very good.  Not great, but he really did the song right.  And he really gave the song all he had. 

The judges gush.

Seacrusty then teases us with the worst possible upcoming performances ever... Lisa Marie Presley and The Unambiguously Gay Adam Lambert.  Really?  You have two shows left after this, in one of the best seasons you've ever had, and this is who you choose to perform?  Yikes.

Jimmy tells Jessica Sanchez that he wants to hear her sing "I'll Be There" by The Jackson Five.   And for whatever reason, there is a big honkin' ferris wheel in the video screen behind her.   Even The Lovely Steph Leann comments, "Whats with the random amusement park in the background?

Dear goodness... this song is soooo boring.  Like, my interweb blipped and I had to restart, and I didn't even pause the song to get the laptop to reboot.  Nothing to say.

Creepy Uncle Steven says, "Get to the chorus, don't bore us..." and I think that J-Sanch only did one of those things successfully.  J-Lo gushed.  Randy the Dawg said it was just okay alright.
 

Have I ever talked about my affection for this show?  Perhaps I should,
though its been so long since I've watched an episode, it would be
nothing but positive recollections.  Maybe thats the way it should be.

And now, wrapping up the show, its Phillip2 getting his product placement AT&T package at home, telling him that he'll be singing "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger, sans the Silver Bullet Band.  This is truly a great song, one I fell in love with during an episode of The Wonder Years, where Winnie Cooper had shunned Kevin Arnold, but had fallen sick, and he climbed into a tree to check on her, and she spots him, sort of smiles and the song plays in the background.

P2 sits on a barstool, non-blind black piano player behind him, and even gets a violin chorus behind him.  Not a bad rendition... and it had life, personality, emotion behind it, three things that have been missing from everything Jessica Sanchez has done the entire season.

Randy the Dawg says it was his best performance on the show, ever.  The others judges gushed too. 

Round Three is a tie between Joshua Ledet and Phillip2... and honestly, if there is any justice on this show, which we all know there isn't many times, but if so, the finals should be a battle between Phillip Phillips and Joshua Ledet. 

Now, something I haven't been able to say for months... TOMORROW, the results!!!

Best to Worst:  Phillip2's "Begging"... Joshua Ledet's "I'd Rather Be Blind"... Joshua Ledet's "No More Drama"... Phillip2's "We've Got Tonight"... J-Sanch's "My All"...  Phillip2's "Disease"... Joshua Ledet's "Imagine"... J-Sanch's "I'll Be There"...  J-Sanch's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"