S20.E08: Hollywood Duets Challenge

[helenamonster]

Original airdate: 4/3/22

[Annber03]

I liked that first duet, those two sounded nice together. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

25 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I liked that first duet, those two sounded nice together. 

The judges went nuts but I found it a little annoying.  I'm asking my singer brother what he thinks.

It was one of those performances where even though I know the song really well, I had no idea what they were singing until they got to the chorus.

I'm already really upset about

Spoiler

Tyler Fagins

 

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm already really upset about

  Hide contents

Tyler Fagins

 

Same :(! I'm sad to see him go, I think he could've lasted longer. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Well, the first duet I really liked is these two pregnant mothers who sang "Dancing on my Own" by Robyn and one was already kicked out.  Sigh.  I'm not going to like this episode.

[Annber03]

Yeah, I wish they'd both gone through, ,they sounded nice together. 

Katy bonding with them over becoming moms was sweet :). And congrats to them both on having their babies, too!

[LennieBriscoe]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Same :(! I'm sad to see him go, I think he could've lasted longer. 

Ditto x Infinity! 🤔

Edited April 4, 2022 by LennieBriscoe

[Annber03]

That "How Sweet It Is" performance, when it started, sounded like it belonged on a soundtrack to a twee indie film :p. 

And wow, the drama over the two who were struggling to work together! 

Also, I couldn't help giggling through the "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" performance just 'cause it made me think of a line from a "Frasier" episode: "First, Gil and Noel did a charming duet of 'Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better'. They were both wrong." :D. 

[LennieBriscoe]

I seriously  can't believe the mediocrities who were sent through AFTER that, to me, shock elimination. 🤬

[LennieBriscoe]

Tristen and Cameron!! 👏👍💯 LOVED how Cameron HAD TO MOVE with the music!😍😍

[Madding crowd]

Betty seemed really condescending to Kelsie and I didn’t think they sounded that great. I like hearing the duets but I always think they are unfair because there is often one person steamrolling over the other.

[LennieBriscoe]

WTBloodyH?! Forgetting the words and STILL  goes through?! Simonnnnnnn, come baaaaack......!!!

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Lots of very hard cuts this week.  It was harsh.  The fantasy of the show finally came to a close this episode.

I wrote down every song that was performed.  Some were performed more than once.  I starred my favourite performances.

Performed:

Locked out of Heaven - Bruno Mars (x2)
Lean on Me - Bill Withers
Dreams - Fleetwood Mac. (So funny when the guy sang "Who am I to disagree" like it was Sweet Dreams by The Eurythmics.)
Dancing on my Own - Robyn **  (The Watermelon Smugglers)
Shallow - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
July - Noah Cyrus / Leon Bridges
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival ** (Both Crazy or Both Nuts, LOL)
Anything you can do I can do Better?  - Ethel Merman?
Rewrite the Stars - The Greatest Showman
How Sweet  it is to be Loved By You - Marvin Gaye/ James Taylor
The Prayer - Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli **. (The 2 Italian people with the big voices)
Just give me a reason - Pink, Nate Ruess --- I love Kelci.  News to no one.  **

 

 

I tried to write down as much as I could see on the white boards.  I am a big fan of the Gotye song.  Unfortunately no one took it on.  I think these kids are too young to even know that song.  Sigh.  Lots of good songs here like the Harry Styles and the Silk Sonic and the Dua Lipa song.

White Boards:

(Some songs were marked as 18+ only or 21+ Only)

Shallow - A Star is Born
Sign of the Times - Harry Styles
Somebody that I used to now - Gotye & Kimbra
Something Bad - Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
Steal my Love - Dan and Shay
Stuck with U - Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber 
Sucker - Jonas Brothers

That's What I Want - Lil Nas X
Leave the Door Open - Silk Sonic
July - Noah Cyrus / Leon Bridges
Let her Cry - Hootie and the blowfish
Levitating - Dua Lipa
Like a Lady - Lady A

32 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

Betty seemed really condescending to Kelsie and I didn’t think they sounded that great. I like hearing the duets but I always think they are unfair because there is often one person steamrolling over the other.

I thought Kelsie (sp?) sounded great but she can do no wrong to me.  Betty (?) did not sound great but they couldn't not put her through after she basically talked Kelsie off the ledge and coached her through.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[LennieBriscoe]

I was crying with Lionel at Kelsey's and Betty's duet! 👏👏👏👏 So beautiful!

[Annber03]

18 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I am a big fan of the Gotye song.  Unfortunately no one took it on.  I think these kids are too young to even know that song.  Sigh. 

*Blinks at that thought*

Oooookay, as if I didn't have enough reasons for this season to make me feel old...:p. Wow. 

(I love that song, too. I love Gotye's work in general.)

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 minute ago, Annber03 said:

*Blinks at that thought*

Oooookay, as if I didn't have enough reasons for this season to make me feel old...:p. Wow. 

(I love that song, too. I love Gotye's work in general.)

I only really know that song, and the other song: "Heart's a Mess" which I learned from both "So you think you can Dance" and the original Gossip Girl.  I love that one too, I just think that "Somebody" is a modern classic.

Do you have more song recommendations?  I will definitely listen.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Annber03]

Just now, Ms Blue Jay said:

I only really know that song, and the other song: "Heart's a Mess" which I learned from both "So you think you can Dance" and the original Gossip Girl.  I love that one too, I just think that "Somebody" is a modern classic.

Do you have more song recommendations?  I will definitely listen.

LOVE "Hearts a Mess". Such a gorgeous song. That's the one that ultimately made me decide to check out more of his work in general :D. 

And yeah, I'll send you a PM here soon with some song recommendations! *Gets on making a list*

[Ms Blue Jay]

Just now, Annber03 said:

LOVE "Hearts a Mess". Such a gorgeous song. That's the one that ultimately made me decide to check out more of his work in general :D. 

And yeah, I'll send you a PM here soon with some song recommendations! *Gets on making a list*

So kind of you, thank you.  He's awesome.

[Madding crowd]

I did get a kick out of the one woman trying to explain the plot of A Star is Born and said the female character is a drag queen and the man is a drug addict. Not quite how I would explain it lol!

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I did get a kick out of the one woman trying to explain the plot of A Star is Born and said the female character is a drag queen and the man is a drug addict. Not quite how I would explain it lol!

By the end of her explanation I am sure he still did not understand what the song was about.  That didn't exactly explain it.  LOL

[Gemma Violet]

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

Betty seemed really condescending to Kelsie 

On the contrary, I think Betty treated her with great kindness and patience.

[Ms Blue Jay]

The Kelsie thing is so over the top, and she always sounds so good, that I can't help but think that part of it is an act, but I guess I'm just so cynical now.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Vermicious Knid]

I'm sure there were performances we didn't see. But I miss the group rounds, rather than pre-determined duets. Anything You Can Do was a pleasant surprise as a song choice, and they really went over the top. Because I'm old, I was reminded of the Muppet Show.

[Maya]

I’m sorry but can they just put Kelsey out of her misery now?? She is painful to watch. She has a nice voice, but she is so not ready for this. 

[Babalooie]

Call me jaded, but I think that the Kelsie story is producer hijinks.  I've seen a photo of her that looked nothing like the way she is being presented.  Last night, which was a very important night, she was wearing a stretched-out sweater that looked like she borrowed it from her Granny with her bra strap sticking out.  They paired her with a former Miss America.   Watch for the caterpillar to butterfly transformation in the next few weeks.

[Babalooie]

Call me jaded, but I think that the Kelsie story is producer hijinks.  I've seen a photo of her that looked nothing like the way she is being presented.  Last night, which was a very important night, she was wearing a stretched-out sweater that looked like she borrowed it from her Granny with her bra strap sticking out.  They paired her with a former Miss America.   Watch for the caterpillar to butterfly transformation in the next few weeks.  

Spoiler

Well, I just read that she is pregnant, expecting a boy in August!  The storyline changes...

 

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I did get a kick out of the one woman trying to explain the plot of A Star is Born and said the female character is a drag queen and the man is a drug addict. Not quite how I would explain it lol!

I've never seen the movie but even I was like I don't think that's right lol.

I actually liked all the duets tbh. I think pretty much everyone is so talented even if I don't particularly care for some of their styles and whatnot.

The Both Nuts duet was just amazing. Cameron came off completely unhinged in the most adorable way lol.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Babalooie said:

Call me jaded, but I think that the Kelsie story is producer hijinks.  I've seen a photo of her that looked nothing like the way she is being presented.  Last night, which was a very important night, she was wearing a stretched-out sweater that looked like she borrowed it from her Granny with her bra strap sticking out.  They paired her with a former Miss America.   Watch for the caterpillar to butterfly transformation in the next few weeks.

Yeah, her sweater is completely wrinkled, her hair is wet and messy.

And yet, she seems to know exactly how to use her voice and do little tricks here and there.

Last year there was some redhead called Madison or something and they called her someone fresh off the bus.  Meanwhile she already had a music career with an album and a video.

And if Idol is pulling the same hijinks with Kelsie, then they are the ones that are cynical, not us, because they are lying to us and insulting our intelligence and hoping that we lap it up.   Instead of trusting us with the truth.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[sempervivum]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

The Both Nuts duet was just amazing. Cameron came off completely unhinged in the most adorable way lol.

They were very entertaining, even though I'm sooo tired of that song. 

I love Nicolina's voice, but ye gods, those pants made her look like Tweedledum (or -dee). Christian is way too 'runny' and his voice generally sounds really strained or forced to me, unpleasant to listen to. 

That Kelsie/MIss USA pairing sucked. Kelsie has such a poignant, plaintive little voice and-whether she did it on purpose or not- Miss USA was really overpowering vocally. She did seem nice, though.

Interesting that this 'Jordan' dude dropped from the sky to sing with Kennedi-we never saw him before, right? He looked freakishly like Cade ('Mr. Gabby Barrett') from S16.

[TheGreenKnight]

I really enjoy Noah's voice... One of the very few country guys they've found that I like. I mean, they've found plenty of great country women over the years, but very seldom have I liked the guys they've put on this show. Laine Hardy was another one. I can only really think of Aaron Kelly besides that, unless I cheat and include Casey James (he put out a country album despite his sound on the show).

I can't believe the guy who sung with Nicolina on "The Prayer" was that bad... I mean, he was just awful to me. The last show, even though his genre isn't one I'm much interested in, his voice was pretty impressive. What a turn-around there. I'm glad Jay, Nicolina, Kevin, and Kenedi made it through. I don't get what is so well-liked on the show about the country woman who was part of "Backwood Mac"... She seems as if she's going for a Miranda Lambert vibe, but I don't think she sounds very good...

I believe this is the first time I've seen the girl who was in the duo where the guy was too loud and was sent home. She did have a good voice from what little we heard of her. It'll be interesting to hear something else by her in the next round. I liked Fitz last episode, but Leah (I believe that's her name) totally oversang him here. Sometimes being the guy in a duet can be a thankless role. I don't like Leah, I'm not sure why; I hope Fitz'll do better on his solo performances coming up because that duet on "Locked Out of Heaven" was horrid to me.

15 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I did get a kick out of the one woman trying to explain the plot of A Star is Born and said the female character is a drag queen and the man is a drug addict. Not quite how I would explain it lol!

That reminds me, the guy who was helping Jay and his partner rehearse came across incredibly rude. Maybe it was just the editing that made it look worse, but it was like the guy was going at them a mile a minute. When he asked the question about what the song is about, it felt more like he "gotcha'd" Jay without barely giving him any time to process the question and respond before starting to lecture him. Could've been something done for faux TV drama, but that guy kind of made me mad, especially since his notes were put through to the judges apparently, with Katy bringing it up.

Edited April 4, 2022 by TheGreenKnight

[TheMediumBopper]

My thought on Kelsie is that they hoped they can make a Cinderella story of her, but it's not going to happen. For one thing, Kelsie is stubborn and doesn't want it. She enjoys singing, but she obviously hates every other aspect of being on the show, and I really don't think she's going to last much longer.

Betty surprised me with her kindness and encouragement last night. Her singing was pretty dreadful though.

I was sad to see Cole go; he has so much charm, and I thought he harmonized well. 

[Zanzibar]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

They were very entertaining, even though I'm sooo tired of that song. 

I love Nicolina's voice, but ye gods, those pants made her look like Tweedledum (or -dee). Christian is way too 'runny' and his voice generally sounds really strained or forced to me, unpleasant to listen to. 

That Kelsie/MIss USA pairing sucked. Kelsie has such a poignant, plaintive little voice and-whether she did it on purpose or not- Miss USA was really overpowering vocally. She did seem nice, though.

Interesting that this 'Jordan' dude dropped from the sky to sing with Kennedi-we never saw him before, right? He looked freakishly like Cade ('Mr. Gabby Barrett') from S16.

Betty was Miss America, not Miss USA.  Per her Instagram stories that she filmed during Hollywood week (but couldn't post until now), she was sick leading up to the duets.  She won the talent portion at Miss America with an opera performance, so she knows how to belt out songs.  From watching her over the years, she is very talented but really overdoes it on the belting part, probably because of the opera training. She is better suited for Broadway or Disney vocals than a recording career, IMO. I don't see her going much further at this point. Kudos to her for the patience and help she gave to Kelsie; wish more people had been considerate of their partners (I'm looking at you, Scarlet.)

[SnarkAttack]

1 hour ago, Zanzibar said:

Betty was Miss America, not Miss USA.  Per her Instagram stories that she filmed during Hollywood week (but couldn't post until now), she was sick leading up to the duets.  She won the talent portion at Miss America with an opera performance, so she knows how to belt out songs.  From watching her over the years, she is very talented but really overdoes it on the belting part, probably because of the opera training. She is better suited for Broadway or Disney vocals than a recording career, IMO. I don't see her going much further at this point. Kudos to her for the patience and help she gave to Kelsie; wish more people had been considerate of their partners (I'm looking at you, Scarlet.)

This.  She over-acted.

16 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Lots of very hard cuts this week.  It was harsh.  The fantasy of the show finally came to a close this episode.

I wrote down every song that was performed.  Some were performed more than once.  I starred my favourite performances.

Performed:

Locked out of Heaven - Bruno Mars (x2)
Lean on Me - Bill Withers
Dreams - Fleetwood Mac. (So funny when the guy sang "Who am I to disagree" like it was Sweet Dreams by The Eurythmics.)
Dancing on my Own - Robyn **  (The Watermelon Smugglers)
Shallow - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
July - Noah Cyrus / Leon Bridges
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival ** (Both Crazy or Both Nuts, LOL)
Anything you can do I can do Better?  - Ethel Merman?
Rewrite the Stars - The Greatest Showman
How Sweet  it is to be Loved By You - Marvin Gaye/ James Taylor
The Prayer - Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli **. (The 2 Italian people with the big voices)
Just give me a reason - Pink, Nate Ruess --- I love Kelci.  News to no one.  **

 

 

I tried to write down as much as I could see on the white boards.  I am a big fan of the Gotye song.  Unfortunately no one took it on.  I think these kids are too young to even know that song.  Sigh.  Lots of good songs here like the Harry Styles and the Silk Sonic and the Dua Lipa song.

White Boards:

(Some songs were marked as 18+ only or 21+ Only)

Shallow - A Star is Born
Sign of the Times - Harry Styles
Somebody that I used to now - Gotye & Kimbra
Something Bad - Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
Steal my Love - Dan and Shay
Stuck with U - Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber 
Sucker - Jonas Brothers

That's What I Want - Lil Nas X
Leave the Door Open - Silk Sonic
July - Noah Cyrus / Leon Bridges
Let her Cry - Hootie and the blowfish
Levitating - Dua Lipa
Like a Lady - Lady A

I thought Kelsie (sp?) sounded great but she can do no wrong to me.  Betty (?) did not sound great but they couldn't not put her through after she basically talked Kelsie off the ledge and coached her through.

Love me some Hootie and the Blowfish.  Darius has a very distinctive voice, always know it's him.

[Ilovepie]

Wow, Betty was just WILLLLLING Kelsie to stick it out through that performance. And while I do expect a massive makeover if she gets on the live shows, I really hope the story line with her is real. If not, that is another level of producer manipulation. I don't think it is though. The shakes she had on her first Hollywood week performance seemed real to me. This girl also seems like she has zero performing experience. As far as Betty is concerned, the patience and kindness she showed Kelsie wins her some points in my book, even if she sings as if she is still competing for the Miss America crown. She needs to be given the same advice they have been hammering Tristan with - she needs to tone it down - waaaaay down. And sing something that is not so pageant like. Even that pink song seemed pageant-adjacent with all the pathos and over emoting.

My favorites were the Crazy guys and the the Italian named pair. I was surprised by Kennedi's choice. I think she could have picked someone stronger, but oh well. The rest, mostly fine, but forgettable. I miss the groups.

I just do not understand Luke's obsession with Hunter Girl. She sounds so mediocre to me. And she needs a make-under - the eye make up is distracting. And Fleetwood Mac? Huh? If they are both country, why didn't they pick something country to sing? Neither sounded great to me.

The two crying over missing their families - have they ever been away from home before? Neither seems that young. Sheesh. I thought he should have gone through to at least the next round - she didn't sound any better than him to me, but I do remember her original audition and I liked her. I hope she picks something that suits her better the next round.

I liked the other pregnant gal more than the one they kept, but oh well. Not sure how she would have navigated this with a newborn.

Some of these songs were arranged in such a way I didn't even recognize them. I had no idea that first pair (the quirky pair) was singing Locked Out of Heaven. Did not even recognize it until I heard the lyrics I recognized. I cannot stand either one of them. He's too emo-whiny and she's just too extra. They'll probably both make it. Blech.....

The one singing Rewrite The Stars that sang I don't know what should have been sent packing. And his crappy partner. I have no idea how you have all night and can't memorize the lyrics. If you didn't know the song at all why would you pick it? But if he deferred because his partner wanted it, he should have locked himself in his room and listened to it 100 hundred times. When that movie came out I bought the soundtrack. By the 10th listen I knew the words! I just don't understand how that happens.

[tinkerbell]

On 4/3/2022 at 10:50 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

The Kelsie thing is so over the top, and she always sounds so good, that I can't help but think that part of it is an act, but I guess I'm just so cynical now.

It is a bit hard to believe that she didn't have any clothes that were even a little bit "dressed up" to wear when she knew she'd be on tv. 

[TheMediumBopper]

(Unpopular?) opinion: I don't think Kelsie's voice is even that remarkable. It's a pleasant voice. If you saw this girl singing in a high school talent show, you'd say, "That girl has a nice voice." But it's not a voice that's record contract-worthy. It's refreshing to hear someone who doesn't sing in an affected way, but I can't see her ever going beyond the coffeehouse singing circuit at best. Not that I think there are many coffeehouses in her corner of West Virginia.

[MissPriss]

As much as I enjoy singing contests, exploiting people like Kelsie turns my stomach. They pretty much shined a spotlight on her inabilities rather than her abilities. In the real world this is NOT acceptable. It’s bullying wrapped in BS. Nobody does it better (or worse) than AI. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 4/6/2022 at 3:05 PM, TheMediumBopper said:

(Unpopular?) opinion: I don't think Kelsie's voice is even that remarkable. It's a pleasant voice. If you saw this girl singing in a high school talent show, you'd say, "That girl has a nice voice." But it's not a voice that's record contract-worthy. It's refreshing to hear someone who doesn't sing in an affected way, but I can't see her ever going beyond the coffeehouse singing circuit at best. Not that I think there are many coffeehouses in her corner of West Virginia.

But I think that's why I like her.  It's a very pleasing voice.  It's just pleasant to listen to.  I don't see that as a bad thing.  If it was so easy to find people like that there'd be many of them in the competition but there just isn't.  A lot of female singers scream, wail, yell, or are way too affected.  Kelsie sounds effortless.  She just sounds really nice.

I guess I like that coffeehouse kind of singing.  I've always liked artists like Feist and Suzanne Vega.  Sheryl Crow even started out being that kind of artist but she became such a big star.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[tinkerbell]

On 4/4/2022 at 9:32 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Last year there was some redhead called Madison or something and they called her someone fresh off the bus.  Meanwhile she already had a music career with an album and a video.

I didn't see much of last season. But I will always remember that Carrie Underwood was introduced on AI as a girl who sang to the animals on her granpappy's farm. But she had opened for some big name acts in Branson. 

[ljenkins782]

On 4/8/2022 at 10:30 PM, tinkerbell said:

I didn't see much of last season. But I will always remember that Carrie Underwood was introduced on AI as a girl who sang to the animals on her granpappy's farm. But she had opened for some big name acts in Branson. 

She also had a recording contract at 13, it fell through due to label restructuring or something, but she obviously had enough connections to get that far to begin with.

Quote

As much as I enjoy singing contests, exploiting people like Kelsie turns my stomach. They pretty much shined a spotlight on her inabilities rather than her abilities. In the real world this is NOT acceptable. It’s bullying wrapped in BS. Nobody does it better (or worse) than AI. 

I'm not sure I feel quite as strongly, but I agree that these stories are tough to watch if you know the show's pattern well enough to know how they'll end. The show loves an underdog to root for in the earliest rounds, but they don't really want those people to make the final rounds if they really are too scared to perform.

So I knew Kelsie's days were numbered, but I still rooted for her. I did side-eye the choice of Betty as her duet partner, it was like taking someone's worst nightmare and bringing it to life. Betty is someone who's always looking to be noticed and in the spotlight, probably constantly doing selfies and instagram videos. That can be tortuous for someone who avoids the camera. 

If this were some kind of Starting Over-esque show where someone signed up for it with the intention of making some changes in their personal lives, that divergent pairing might make sense in terms of learning from someone else's strengths. But in THIS environment where there was already stress around the performance itself, it seemed like too much to pile on.