S14.E26: Top 5 Perform

[designing1]

 

I think the dress was totally inappropriate for this TV show (which I was trying to watch with my kids, who kept commenting on her boobs and giggling like Beavis and Butthead), but I have to admit, I thought her boobs looked amazing. The red eyeshadow? Not so much.

 

Sheer skirt aside, I thought the dress was gorgeous...but yeah, that neckline needed to be closed another two or three inches (as usual for JLo). She'd still have a bit of cleavage showing but in a way that's still elegant, rather than showy. Red eyeshadow is only a good idea on Halloween.

[WhineandCheez]

. I think he has a future as a fashion stylist--that kid knows how to rock the outfits like nobody's business!

 

Quentin IS a fashion sales associate, so I hope its in a funky store, not THE GAP. I too think he has  a super style and shoudl put together a blog or even have a fashion line.  WHICH REMINDS ME-- Clark actually said that he had changed after he worked with the stylist and movement coaches.  So therefore:

1.  We all wondered if the budget for these coaches were gone and the kids were on their own.  So I guess they are not and

2.  The Clark we are looking at is POST STYLIST and POST MOVEMENT COACH.  And he's still dull as dishwater. What, did they buy him button down cotton shirts that buttoned right to left instead of left to right? Mix it up there.

[Rick Kitchen]

Critiques were weird tonight. Even Harry didn't notice that there was a serious band sync issue with the beginning of "Harder To Breathe" that really hobbled the whole performance? Nick had to bring that up himself? Until he said something, I was thinking it was just me. They also praised some flat performances and were surprisingly tough on Clark's "Boyfriend," which I thought was much better than his "Yesterday" (which seemed to be there to give him another chance to ace a standard-type ballad, and it was an improvement over "Moon River"). 

 

Rayvon's "Don't Stop" was one of his worst -- he was ragged until the glory note, and inaudible down low -- but there was lingering bad juju over Quentin's scene last week, and Rayvon's "I'm Not The Only One" had been stellar. Quentin's very good save-song performance was not enough to overcome all that. I liked the funky rhythm of the verses of his "Light My Fire," but it had nowhere to go on the choruses, and he didn't really fill the song out with charisma. You just can't see someone sing that without thinking of Jim Morrison. Tyanna seems adrift (great raw vocal material, not there yet), and I'm not getting JAX. A weak female side this season. Nick is this year's solid and inoffensive Casey James type whose triumph will be hanging around into the top five. 

 

I really like the personalities of both Rayvon and Clark. They're good singers and seemingly pleasant people. There is a warmth and niceness about them. That will matter less post-Idol, but I imagine it is endearing them to the audience.

 

Simon, I just wanted to say that your critiques are very interesting, and thanks for this.

[CloudySky]

Quentin has an amazing style and stage presense. Unfortunately his voice is just too weak and I don't think he deserved top 5 because of that. It's weird because I remember his voice being stronger in the earlier rounds...

 

Strangely, Rayvon has turned into my favorite contestant since he's been in the bottom 2. With Tyanna in second place. She needs to grow some more but they could make her a star. Jax is so inauthentic her performances make me cringe. Nick is forgettable although he's gotten better. Thousands of others just like him or better out there though. And Clark is overrated. He gets shouty a lot and his performances range from boring to bad with maybe 1 or 2 standouts throughout this season where I thought wow, maybe there's something there after all.

 

It's beyond annoying that the same people always get the same criticism whereas other people get undeserved praise. Harry's stupid jokes are awkward and annoying too...I'm kind of over this judging panel. The only one who can stay is Keith.

[yourpointis]

I think TPTB got excited with Harry vs Quentin last week and decided to give him more airtime this week with his hilarious drawings and ribbing of JLo and Keith. Not. They are trying so hard to be the Voice and they aren't. They were the original Voice but that ship (and judging panel) has sailed. I do appreciate HCJ sometimes has other critiques than Keith and JLo. 

 

 

This bears repeating on a weekly basis.

 

 

Harry is too try hard with his comedic antics and its falling like a lead balloon. If I took a drink every time that Keith did his shoulder shimmy, I would have permanent liver damage. JLO will never be a "just one of the guys" type of woman and Harry really needs to stop trying to include her in his lame jokes. Production has more than likely asked the judges and Ryan to amp up their silly antics because the cast this season are pretty much charisma free with the exception of Jax, who comes off as affected, Joey, who is polarizing to the core audience, and now Quentin, who before was always "yes ma'am, no ma'am" is reduced to "angry black man" (yes this is the consensus around the net and not my opinions of these three). 

 

 

I agree with the poster upthread that said Rayvon would be better served being a back up singer. IMO most of these contestants could fall easily into that category. Tyanna has no muscial identity. Clark is Dave Matthews reincarnated. Nick is Chris Daughtry lite minus the vocal power or range and the douchiness (and I actually like Chris). Harry thinks Rayvon is only a ballad singer and I agree, but he needs to include Jax as well. She tries to pull off punk/rock, but she doesn't have the gravy so to speak for that genre. Even though I cannot stand the tone of her voice, I can give credit to her performances when she is singing ballads. That's her sweet spot and that only. Of course this is just all my opinion. 

[MrsMoltisanti]

I have always been of the mind that Harry gets stupid and juvenile to show everyone that the show has been reduced to this.  He is smart like a fox.  They are not allowed to truly critique; the show is biased towards who the producers want in the final two; they are more than likely not allowed to really point out someone's shortcomings if they are the chosen ones; they have to tongue bathe the chosen ones; they have to pretend that these kids are more than uber talented when in actuality these judges know how hard it really is out there. 

So near the middle of the show, Harry just starts to be silly because he can't really do the job he was hired to do.  It's passive aggressive in a way.  I think he is laughing all the way to the bank because his hands are tied.  So he goofs off because the whole show is a joke.   The whole show is just a big veil of smoke and Jax is being pushed through by Borchetta and the gang. 

[Guest]

Critiques were weird tonight. Even Harry didn't notice that there was a serious band sync issue with the beginning of "Harder To Breathe" that really hobbled the whole performance? Nick had to bring that up himself? 

In my own defense, I can rarely tell when they screwed up because they mess with the songs so much to begin with, it's hard to tell if the weirdness was intentional or a goof.  They skip verses and change melodies and start in the middle and end wherever and add notes and change words.  

 

Several times this season including last night I was afraid someone blanked on the lyrics because they missed the cue, but come to find out they were just 'making it their own'.  I missed a whole performance of Jax's because for the first few lines she sang "la la la la" or something, and I thought she'd blanked and didn't want to see it so I fast forwarded it.  I guess that was either how the song starts or her own embellishment, though, because no one mentioned it.  Heh.  

 

I listened close to Harder to Breathe just now and I have to give Nick credit for knowing which lyric to start on, to catch the band.  He skipped the first 3 words of the song, I think.  He also might've had to really rush some syllables to catch up.  But by a few seconds in, he was ok.  Which probably did throw him.  

 

Can't they do a "1-2-3..." thing?  Too garage band?  Do actual live bands use some kind of 3-light countdown or something?  Someone on the DWTS thread there it's some audible cue but sometimes the dancers often can't hear it due to crowd noise.  It seems like all the shows could use a visual cue.    

[mojoween]

They played Queen when the soccer players came out and one I was all excited that Adam Lambert was popping out of those doors so that was a grave disappointment and two I thought them playing Queen was a portent of what was going to happen during the show so the entire endeavor was just a big bummer all around.

Also, I've had the chorus of "Boyfriend" going through my head all damn day and I really resent Clark because of it.

[SunFun]

Rayvon and Quentin standing there at the end looked like Tom and Huey from the Boondocks.

 

That comparison, my friend, is Hall of Fame worthy.

 

I couldn't get all worked up over the Quentin/Harry (and Ryan) exchanges that probably cost Q a trip home. All three over-reacted. I also won't assume Q's (or Harry) an ass because of it. Post-AI, some the "nicest" past contestants haven't been true to their show-contrived personality, and some of the so-called arrogant ones have proved to be nice. Time will tell the truth.

 

In any case, I liked to watch Q because he was interesting. Baffled by his pitch issues being hammered, while Clark's and others' pitch issues aren't. At this point, I'm at a loss as to which of those left would make a compelling winner.

 

*edited to get Clark's name correct.

Edited April 23, 2015 by SunFun

[MrsMoltisanti]

Can anyone tell me because I might have missed it, but did JAx DaD have something to do with 9/11 as a first responder?

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Can anyone tell me because I might have missed it, but did JAx DaD have something to do with 9/11 as a first responder?

 

LOL  mentioned EVERY.SINGLE.SHOW.

[Ohwell]

Well, Quentin knew his goose was cooked.  I find Rayvon to be rather bland but I am happy that he made the tour. 

 

I still can't look at Clark.

[MrsMoltisanti]

LOL mentioned EVERY.SINGLE.SHOW.

Tee hee I know I couldnt resist. They only include the whole 9/11 story every time Jax opens her mouth to mew.

[BogoGog24]

This episode reminded me of earlier seasons where the point of the critiques by Randy, Simon, Paula was all about influencing the vote. Much of the judges' critiques seemed less than genuine to me. This was especially the case when they criticized song choice. The contestants don't have that much control over song choice. And this week's "theme" was crazy. Stadium Anthems? what fits that category, and what doesn't? the singers were supposed to guess, and then told, "nope, you guessed wrong." But we all know they had received some guidance on the category while choosing songs.

I would almost agree except they gave Clark, the perceived front runner, a negative critique, and on a song that he rearranged himself, that was current, and far better than the performance they actually raved over.

[Guest]

I actually had forgetten Jax's 9-11 connection, but I do fast-fwd a lot.  I hadn't heard it mentioned in quite a while.  

[Biggie B]

This show is hard to watch now. I feel embarrassed each time I watch it (yet I still do!). They've got to know that it's almost a joke now and that so many people hate-watch the show. It is virtually impossible to take any part of it seriously.

 

Anyway, those general sentiments aside...I had a hard time watching Clark sing 'Yesterday." First, on the shallow side, I thought his jacket was bizarrely small. I don't know if that's a current style or fashion, but it looked several sizes too tiny and I thought it would rip if Clark moved. Second, his facial expression was severely robotic. There was perhaps one moment, maybe two, where I thought I glimpsed some actual animation/emotion coming to the surface, but for the most part, he seemed to be lifeless. The song is full of regret and pain and longing. I saw none of that. It was weird to watch. I would never in a million years pay money to see him perform in person. What would be the point? He is so non-dynamic. Nothing about him is compelling or captivating. When they showed him with Scott B. at the big theatre, there was a brief moment right at the end where Clark swept his arm out in front of him in the direction of the vacant seats. That's the most lively I've ever seen him and it was all of about 1/10 of a second. 

[Village]

Is that Clark guy being held captive by American Idol and trotted out to perform every week? Because that performance of "Yesterday" was tortured.

[thefog]

If I don't ever hear about the Quentin/Harry drama, it will be too soon.  This nonsense morphed into such a distraction.  They were both wrong and both have long moved on.  The Top 6 elimination was one of the weakest shows.  The song choices did not fit the Arena Rock anthem theme and the performances were all over the place.  Jax's White Flag was the standout.  I also liked Rayvon's I'm Not The Only One.  I did not like either of Tyanna's performances. 

[Stratego]

I would almost agree except they gave Clark, the perceived front runner, a negative critique, and on a song that he rearranged himself, that was current, and far better than the performance they actually raved over.

In Idol-speak, they Melanied him.

[niklj]

And lets face it, most arena anthem songs are what huge arena audiences want to shout along with and aren't exactly good vocal showcases, so why go there?

 

True, but they could showcase the other facets of being an American Idol, which is that X factor, that ability to get a whole audience on the same page with you--like I'm thinking "Radio Gaga" type of interaction between the singer and the crowd. The times when I've been at a concert and THE song that everyone knows and can sing along to comes on (hallmarks of an anthem) are always some of the best moments and that's when the singer almost becomes sort of a god. It could've been a really exciting show.

 

So I have no idea why half of these were ballads.

 

And I feel really, really old that Tyanna said she didn't even know the song "Heaven" had existed before that day. Whaaaaaaat?

Edited April 25, 2015 by niklj

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Never, and I mean NEVER, have I seen such contortions outside of an America's Got Talent audition.  Keith and HCJ have completely sold out now.  That was, by far, the worst alleged Top 6 of all time.  Yet, the jidges almost literally fell all over themselves trying to come up with platitudes.  There was not a single performance worthy of Hollyweird Week, let alone the tour. 

 

I am trying like crazy to think of a year when I would place any one of these over any other single contestant who ever made it to the Top 6.  Nope.  Not a one.  Just horrid.

[Jezebel97]

nm

i think this sums up this season, "for me for you"

[Foghorn Leghorn]

 

First, on the shallow side, I thought his jacket was bizarrely small. I don't know if that's a current style or fashion, but it looked several sizes too tiny and I thought it would rip if Clark moved.

 

I just said the same thing on another forum about a young actor's jacket but it actually was tighter than Clark's so it must be the fashion but what do I know!!

[Guest]

Speaking of jackets I don't understand why Scott has that stupid "Music has Value" slogan stamped on all his sleeves.  Who has ever said it doesn't?  Is that his way of making sure everyone around him knows he's in the industry?  

 

He just seems like a giant phony douche.  Watch him stare into the camera with heaped on sincerity after his little intros with Ryan.  At least Jimmy Iovine had a sense of humor about the show.

[howmanywords]

The Music Has Value quote has been used by Taylor Swift and a lot of artists ever since Taylor pulled her music from Spotify.  Its their way of saying music should be purchased and not given for free. There's a whole line of clothing with the logo through Big Machine.

[Guest]

Thanks for explaining.  I wish she'd pull her music from the radio, too, to be honest.  

[TheGreenKnight]

It just kept Rayvon around 4 more weeks than he should have been there.  I HOPE he goes next week, proving that America as a whole still wants him gone.  If they keep the save, just call it the Rayvon Owen Honorary Save.  I find him meh and that screechy glory note he throws into every song just grates.

I thought Rayvon’s second performance was a trainwreck, too. I could tell they wanted Quentin to go because of their glowing comments following that dreck (the same reason I can tell they want Jax to make it to the top). That screechy note surprised me because it's the first I’ve heard Rayvon deliver in one of his performances, which made me think he was trying to throw it to Quentin for some reason--although I’m not sure why, since he’d be losing tour money. Or maybe he decided to do it since the judges/audience clearly love it when Clark screeches and he thought it might help his votes? Anyway, I just found it funny that the two worst performances opened and closed the show. I'm guessing the ratings will be down again next week. lol

 

I was thinking that the only contestants I'd want an album from are Rayvon and Quentin. I'd probably pick up Tyanna's and Clark's, too, since they can at least sing moderately well (which gets more and more unique on this show). I would flat-out refuse Jax's mess and Nick's Nickelback/Daughtry song rejects. Of course, another irrelevant and below-par white guy like Nick would be what this show deserves.

Edited April 25, 2015 by TheGreenKnight

[TiredMe]

Poor Quentin. Now that's he's out, so am I. I just can't continue with the boringness of those left.

[ari333]

That was a tough life lessen for Quentin (no tour  and tour $ -- likely maybe bc of the ..... incident) even though I thought he was in the wrong to go there - at all even with Sprinkles' prompting..

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I wondered who Clark reminded me of appearance wise and it came to me yesterday while watching Mr and Mrs Smith: Brad Pitt!  

Edited April 26, 2015 by Foghorn Leghorn

[Ohwell]

That was a tough life lessen for Quentin (no tour  and tour $ -- likely maybe bc of the ..... incident) even though I thought he was in the wrong to go there - at all even with Sprinkles' prompting..

I agree, it was a tough life lesson, because Quentin was a shoo-in to make the tour before the "incident."  He probably was thinking of ideas for his costumes for the tour.

[realdancemom]

The tour is going to be so boring!!  Rayvon is usually technically good but his second performance was horrid.  He was all over the place.  Even his glory note sounded off.  But the judges loved it.  I felt the same way last week with Jax's Beat It.  She was terrible but it was all raves.  Quentin is sometimes off pitch but at least he was interesting.  Nick, Clark, and Rayvon are really boring.

Edited April 27, 2015 by realdancemom

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The only thing of any consequence last week was the tour.  I am loving that the ONE person that 19E could not afford to drop, got dropped.  Any bets on a "Special Guest" being added?  :)

 

This bunch couldn't fill a 1,500 seat hall in Branson if Shoji and The Haygoods promised an invite to a personal pool party at their homes afterwards.

[drafan]

I agree, it was a tough life lesson, because Quentin was a shoo-in to make the tour before the "incident."  He probably was thinking of ideas for his costumes for the tour.

Uh....I think he should've been practicing singing in key.

[MrsMoltisanti]

The only way I would go see this tour is if they added Harry Connick Jr as one of the acts. 

[27bored]

I agree that Rayvon is more of a back-up singer than anything. He's sort of the all-purpose singer: session vocalist, demo singer, backup singer, wedding/event singer, even singing coach. But he's not a star. Too mannered, too polished, too safe. He's basically the Karreuche Tran of American Idol.

[OakGoblinFly]

The only way I would go see this tour is if they added Harry Connick Jr as one of the acts. 

 

Well, Harry will be performing during this week's (April 29th) show.

[backformore]

I think TPTB got excited with Harry vs Quentin last week and decided to give him more airtime this week with his hilarious drawings and ribbing of JLo and Keith. Not. They are trying so hard to be the Voice and they aren't. They were the original Voice but that ship (and judging panel) has sailed. I do appreciate HCJ sometimes has other critiques than Keith and JLo. 

I agree about The Voice.  I think Harry does too, as he has mentioned that he wishes he could mentor/coach the singers, instead of just judging them.  Once The Voice took off in popularity, AI has been trying to do the same thing -  there is a lot more banter and hi-jinks between Keith and Harry than they've had on previous panels.  (remember Simon and Ryan teasing each other about being gay? and Paula drunk?  how far we've come!)  

 Anyway, The Voice has taken the place of AI for a lot of the TV audience, and AI keeps trying to get back on top, by trying to have Keith/Harry be more like the Adam/Blake "bromance".  

 

Maybe it's just me, but it does seem like The Voice gets better talent.  And the coaching really seems to make a difference, when the coaches are invested in having a team member win. 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I tune into The Voice on occasion and agree the singers seem better but I can't abide them all getting standing ovations and the OTT praise!  It is overwhelming. GMAB 

[BogoGog24]

The thing is there were plenty of great singers who auditioned this season that did not advance past Hollywood Week, or Top 48, Top 24, etc. Even the top 10 we did end up with seemed overall like a decent, eclectic group that had something for everyone. But what we are left with is underwhelming and for sure some contestants were eliminated too early over others. That, and I think having eliminations on the same night as performances just hasn't done the contestants any favors at all. Even those that seemed so promising have fallen in these last couple weeks. They must be exhausted or something.

[TheGreenKnight]

Maybe it's just me, but it does seem like The Voice gets better talent.  And the coaching really seems to make a difference, when the coaches are invested in having a team member win. 

I've heard this said pretty often, but I've never agreed until this year, tbh. The Voice's current lineup blows these contestants out of the water. Compare the resident 16 year old's--Daniel v. Sawyer. What a colossal difference.

 

The Mariah/Nicki year showed me that the show could still find quality talent if they wanted to. But for some reason they keep going for people who "look" the part, but aren't the best singers. Basically, JLO's career model. They should just accept that they aren't going to make stars anymore and go back to promoting the best singers (regardless of what the look like).