UPDATE: Burnell Taylor sings for his life. But the judges do NOT use the save. He is eliminated.
I’ll be liveblogging the American Idol results show right here. Carrie Underwood and Casey James are set to perform!
It’s not as if it’s never happened before. There have been many contestants who have worn out their welcome, so to speak. Not terrible people. Just singers who are WAY out of their league. There was John Stevens who outlasted Jennifer Hudson in Season 3. Sanjaya who went much farther than fans believed he deserved in Season 6 and the affable Tim Urban in Season 9 who appeared to be getting by week to week on a slide and a smile.
American Idol is a voting show, and fans vote for all sorts of reasons other than singing talent. So when it was revealed that Lazaro Arbos was not only safe, but in the TOP 3 of the week, did I take it in stride.
HELL NO. I took to twitter to vent. “YOU SUCK AMERICA WHAT THE EFF IS WRONG WITH YOU!” It’s been a few hours, and I’m calm now, and ready to sort out my thoughts.
In lieu of Lazaro’s elimination, Burnell Taylor was the next logical contestant to go. He has spent enough time in the bottom 3 to prove that he didn’t have the fan base to carry him through. Maybe that’s why the judges decided not to use the save on him. They also might be afraid that next week, one of their precious girls would get the boot, and there would be no recourse. Speaking of which…
And let’s face it. The boy is talented. But he’s only 18 and very very raw. He needs a few more years to mature before he’s a credible artist. And my advice to Burnell would be to immerse himself in music–both old and new! Study the masters A voice lesson or two might not hurt either.
Not only was Candice Glover not in the Top 3 with Kree Harrison and Amber Holcomb, but she was left out of ALL OF THE JUDGES LISTS, except for Mariah Carey. What the hell? Girlfriend has been TEARING IT UP on stage week in and week out. Are they actually going to bus her now? Because that little exercise–asking the judges to reveal their personal top 3–was all about telegraphing to America HOW they should be voting. But obviously, America loves their Lazaro. I don’t think hints from the judges are going to influence the voting at this point. In fact, it could have an opposite affect. From now on I’m going to make sure to throw Candice a few votes every week. I think she deserves to be in the Top 3, at least, when all is said and done. But I’m thinking it’s about her marketability. Kree, Amber and Angie are the most commercially marketable of the finalists. Kree an Americana/country singer-songwriter, Amber as a pretty young pop artist and Angie in the Christian/pop crossover market. Nevertheless, the busing of such an obviously talented singer is irritating.
I hated seeing Janelle Arthur in the bottom 2. Lazaro should have been there instead. I was convinced that she had a strong fanbase, so I was a little surprised to see her there. But if I’m being honest–I’m glad it wasn’t Kree or Candice.
Lazaro improved this week. And he stopped whining and crying. So, maybe the voters thought he deserved another chance. All that careful faint praise from the judges, hoping to avoid a pity vote situation, backfired big time. Does Laz have so much momentum at this point, that he could make it into the Top 5 or even the Top 3? There is no way he’ll win. If by some crazy chance he were to go head to head with ANY of the girls, he’d lose. Plus, I can’t imagine his nerves improving. He has to learn TWO songs for next week. I don’t think he’ll be able to handle the pressure.
Maybe this week was a fluke. A weird confluence of factors that added up to mid-pack weirdness. Maybe next week, the cosmos will right itself and Lazaro will be eliminated. Which brings us to…THE SAVE.
Yes, next week is supposedly the last week The Save can be used. And yes, because there were no wildcards, the season will come up short if there isn’t a week without an elimination. That does NOT mean the producers will be forced to save Lazaro if he’s eliminated next week! Because there are no double eliminations to worry about, The Save could be extended a week. Or heck, TPTB could just declare Top 5 “Inspiration Week” and send NO ONE home–an Idol feel good moment! There is NO FREAKING WAY Lazaro will be saved. I would not even think about it. The producers must be rubbing their hands–they got a ton of water cooler mileage out of Lazaro this week. The Top 3 was revealed ONLY because Lazaro was in it.
Isn’t it great to be getting double doses of Idol alums on these elimination shows? The song Carrie Underwood sang was my least favorite of her singles, and she was a little wobbly on the chorus, but over all she looked and sounded great. Casey James has a nice little country career going for him and that’s nice to see. Between Casey and Crystal Bowersox (her new album is FANTASTIC. Go get it.) Season 9 isn’t looking so bad afterall!
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Over 25 million votes came in! Thank you American Idol app!
The Top 7 hit the stage to sing Queen’s “Somebody to Love” – Candice Glover takin’ over the Amber Riley glory note! The performance wasn’t bad, actually.
Top 7 Perform – Somebody To Love – American… by IdolxMuzic
This week’s Ford Fiesta mission is “Who is your Idol”. The finalists create looks based on their musical influences. There was a photo shoot involved with a Ford Fiesta.
IT’S JIMMY IOVINE TIME: Jimmy is baffled by last night. All these musical genres (country, R&B, pop) are related to rock. The problem last night? Nearly every singer picked the wrong song. Burnell got it all wrong. He was so behind the beat…there was so many great songs he could have chose from. At the very least, he’s in the bottom 2. Jimmy felt like he was at a wedding during “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Lazaro and Angie missed the point of the song. Kree picked the right song last night. She sings with dignity, even with a painful pinched nerve. Burnell finally found the right song with “The Letter”. He’s singing great…until Candice came in. He fell through the trap door. Burnell should not sing with Candice again until he does his homework. Janelle did a competent job with “You May Be Right”. She should have gone with John Fogerty or a Bob Seeger song…She came in 4th last night. Lazaro did a reasonable job, but he didn’t like it as much as the judges. He’s in the bottom 2 or OUT. Jimmy hated the Kree/Amber/Janelle trio. It was like something out of Grease. He agrees with Nicki on that one. “Satisfaction” is a great song, but it doesn’t have the melody Candice needs to deliver a great performance (MIND MELD WITH JIMMY!) Amber is improving every week. She’s on her way to being a great singer. In the Top 3. Jimmy was pleased with Angie’s performance. Too bad the wind machine was on tornado setting. There are times when Angie is singing from her head. If she can get out of her head, she could go all the way. Amber, Angie and Kree were in his top 3. But he also loved Candice. Lazaro MUST GO HOME.
Season 9 American Idol alum, Casey James is back! And we see the highlights of his run (shirtless) (awesome guitar playing!). He’s working HARD, becoming one of the hottest new artists in Nashville! Here he is to perform his new single “The Good Life.” Casey is looking and sounding good! Casey forgot his shirt at home. He had to run to the mall to grab a new one. He thought of arriving the way he eventually wound up in his audition, but thought better of it. Aw. He bought gifts for all of the contestants. Very sweet.
Oh. The judges are going to reveal their personal Top 3
Keith – Angie Amber Kree
Nicki – Angie Amber Kree – Nicki is miffed, because she didn’t know her picks would be revealed to the world. Really? Did she think Nigel was just chatting her up?
Randy – Angie Amber Kree
Mariah – Kree Amber Candice – Mariah hated choosing three.
HOLY COW. America’s Top 3 is revealed, and LAZARO IS IN IT. This is getting serious, people. He doesn’t seem surprised at all. Candice looks pissed! Yep. She belongs in that Top 3 for sure.
Next, it’s Carrie Underwood. Old footage of Carrie. Aw. What a cute little farm girl she was! She had never even been on a plane! Now she’s been all over the world. She performs her new single, “See You Again.” She looks beautiful. The wind machine is kept to a gentle breeze as Carrie sings, so pretty. She’s so happy to be back! It’s been 8 years since she took the crown. Aw. She gets teary talking about the show.
Now that Lazaro is out of the picture, I’m thinking the judges will save whomever is eliminated tonight…
More results right now. Candice had to be jabbed to get off of the coach when her name was called. Amber is also safe. The bottom 2 is Burnell and Janelle. Nicki says when you go home now, at this stage, it’s not a failure. Mariah says, whoever is going home tonight, is coming back for the tour. She loves them both dearly.
The person at risk of elimination tonight is Burnell Taylor. Before Janelle takes off, she says to Burnell, “You are going to kill it!” He sings “I Am Ready For Love” by India Arie. Candice is sobbing while he sings. Mariah is really upset too. She turns her chair DRAMATICALLY. Barely able to look at him. He heads over to his fellow Idols and sings his last words to Amber. I think he really does have a crush on her! The judges give him a standing ovation. Nobody seemed to be discussing anything during his song.
In the end—there wasn’t a consensus. Burnell Taylor is sent home.
Top 3 Reveal & Final Results – Sing For Your… by IdolxMuzic
THE SAVE WILL NOT BE USED. The crowd BOOS.
Top 3 will be revealed in NO particular order
- Kree Harrison
- Angie Miller
- LAZARO ARBOS
Safe
- Candice Glover
- Amber Holcomb
Bottom 2
- Burnell Taylor
Janelle Arthur
