S15.E13: Showcase #3: 2nd 12 Performances

[Tara Ariano]

Showcases continue with the remaining 12 contestants of the Top 24 performing.

[LexieLily]

Aside from Dalton and maaaaybe Olivia Rox, everyone was totally underwhelming

[ShutUpFlanders]

A week ago, I figured this was going to be the group of death because it was stacked. Well… I was right about the death part. Yikes.

 

From Best to Worst:

 

Olivia – Easily the best vocal of the night. Tone is delicious. The staging stuff was a little ridiculous; like don't play the guitar for 10 seconds, meander, then stand at the mic. Choose one of those three for the damn 90 seconds. She and Dalton are the closest I've seen to potential winners in out of the entire 24.

 

Dalton – Best male of the night. Thank goodness someone showed up to play Idol tonight.

 

Trent – Good, not great. I thought the build of the song was good. His affectations with his face were much calmer than before.

 

Kory – He pulls some odd faces, but he is interesting vocally. I could hear version on the radio.

 

Adam – One the better performances of the night. Good gospel tinge to the voice. Interesting.

 

Lee – Surprisingly good from him. I love his tone. I don't know if I see him getting much better before the end of the season however.

 

Amelia – Interesting start, lackluster middle and ending. Bad song choice. Lost the unique raspy quality of her voice.

 

Shelbie – Meh. The performance was the definition of mediocre bar singer.

 

Tristan – Meh. Copy paste comment about Shelbie here, but she's a teen so she'll probably go through. Though choosing a Carrie song on Idol is always kind of

silly.

 

Manny – He's weird, no connection to the song.

 

CJ – Boring and uninspiring. Nothing interesting going on here. Big note off pitch.

 

Jenn – Hideous. I want to like her, but that was terrible. The pitch… yeesh.

 

My verdict: Send them all home except Olivia and Dalton. And somewhat Kory. There's our Top 10.

[AshleyLyn]

Favorite performance of the night was Dalton. Man he was good and he shined and stood out during a night of mostly men performances.

Right after him is Olivia. She got my attention.

Trent was good and I still very much like him but I hope he survives cause I don't want him gone.

Tristan...eh she was ok.

Adam..not bad. I mean not horrible but it was ok.

And those were the only ones I remember as pretty much everyone else was meh.

Oh and uh Shelbie..go away. Thanks.

Dalton I hope doesn't get cut or I'll cut something. Man his eyes and his performance. Oomph.

Edited February 18, 2016 by AshleyLyn

[RaDrCox]

Dalton delivered, like usual. What a great peformance. Rebel Yell is a song that you would expect Dalton to sing traditionally due to his own aesthetic and styling being sort of pop-punk. But he changed it up anyway, because he can.

Olivia's vocals were excellent. But everything else about her makes me cringe. Her persona is a pop artist caricature, like something out of Hannah Montanna. Between the cheesy name and the perfectly-dyed pink streaks..ugh. It's almost like she let her parents craft her into something THEY thought kids would find cool. It's just eye roll inducing. I wish she would just use her actual name (there's no way it's actually Rox give me a break) and I would be more likely to vote for her. She is talented, I just can't deal with her gimmick.

Everyone else bored me.

[Quickbeam]

Shelbie and Jenn, exit door is over there. I thought the judges really nailed Shelbie on her song and key choices. Loved Dalton and ( less so) Olivia.

[Ohwell]

The only one I really liked was Dalton.  

 

I kind of liked Lee Jean but I still can't get over him shushing the crowd the last time he performed.  I know I shouldn't hold it against him but I think it just showed how juvenile he is.  I'd like to see him a few years from now, although I don't know where that would be. 

[thesupremediva1]

It's early but, for me, Dalton is a clear winner. He has it all. He's like the blonde Adam Lambert. And I need one of those.

Trent was also a standout. I've never heard that song before, but he killed it and really wrung out the lyrics, so I'll be YouTubing it tonight.

Unpopular opinion: I enjoyed Shelbie more than Olivia. Shelbie is a natural performer comfortable in her voice and skin. Olivia seems rehearsed to the letter, like she's choreographed every note and move to read "young pop star." And speaking of letters, I cannot abide her pinched vowels. That's just a personal preference - I enjoy round, full voices rather than tinny belters who live in their upper register.

The rest of the night was just middling and forgettable.

Edited February 18, 2016 by thesupremediva1

[Biggie B]

This is only my 3rd episode of the season - I completely skipped the cattle calls and while I actually meant to watch the Hollywood stuff, I simply forgot about the show completely until last week. Thus, tonight was the first time I've ever seen these contestants. I'm a blank slate - I know nothing about their backstories, how they did in earlier episodes, whether they were even shown much or at all in earlier episodes.

 

So...the ONLY one who jumped out at me was Dalton. He is visually stunning - really compelling and captivating. I know physical looks are 100% subjective, and I expect to see plenty of folks posting that Dalton's looks do nothing at all for them. Well, they definitely do something for me. This young man is going to look better with each decade. Look at pictures of Paul Newman through the years - he just got more and more intense in his looks (George Clooney is traveling the same route). ANYWAY, putting Dalton's appearance aside - reluctantly - I did very much enjoy his rendition of 'Rebel Yell.' I'm almost 54 - I know from Billy Idol. As a matter of fact, I just listened to that song yesterday. Dalton definitely got and kept my attention with that version of the song. More importantly, he made me curious to hear more ("more, more" - see what I did there?) from him - and isn't that the point of the competition? And beyond 'Idol,' a singer has to have the ability to make me want to spend money purchasing his/her music, as well as perhaps paying for a live performance. I am now very curious to see who Dalton will be paired with for the duets, and beyond, should he advance.

 

The young lady who sat at the piano was awful. Cringe-worthy, I would say.

 

The 29-year old guy with a lot of tats, and whose underarm sweat stains were unfortunately featured, was beyond lackluster. Perhaps I was biased from the get-go, as I can't stand that song - boring, boring, boring, and done 875 times before. And man, was this guy trying too hard. Jeez, a few times, he reached down towards the crowd and no one reached up in response. That was sort of pathetic (reminded me of Jeb Bush entreating his audience to "please clap."). 

 

The African-American young man seemed OK to me. I'm interested in hearing more from him.

 

No one else made much of an impression, and that's not a good sign. Since I've never seen or heard any of them, I can't just say, "Well, his/her last performance was amazing, so I can overlook this one."

[queenanne]

Eee, are we sure this wasn’t supposed to be the stronger chunk of people?  Not that they showed it, but traditionally, aren’t they trying to save the best for last?

 

Agree with primary consensus on pitchy awful people and blah forgettable people.  Maybe the theater acoustics are bad/deceptive.

 

I’m always embarrassed when the vocal coaches sing badly but… Dalton was not one of 'em.  That kid has got the proverbial “personality plus”.  Way clever arrangement, soak the praise up.  Olivia was good too, but should watch herself perform in a mirror to try to devise some prettier “singing faces”.  The nose scrunch doesn’t suit.  (Also had a brief moment of wondering if maybe, her middle name is “Roxanne”…?  I mean, it’s possible, right?)

[riverheightsnancy]

It's early but, for me, Dalton is a clear winner. He has it all. He's like the blonde Adam Lambert. And I need one of those.

Haven't seen it yet (watched Survivor), but I will be on THAT train for sure!  Can't wait. :) 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Dalton.....combination of Glambert-esque looks and theatrically with a Cook or Allen knack for song reinterpretation. He's not going anywhere. For a while.

Olivia...giving a little side eye as to why she got the closer slot instead of Tristan. She did well, but always seemed seconds away from running the song off the rails.

Tristan...if the mission was to remove any doubt that she's trying to win this as a young female country singer of color, mission accomplished. Her and Olivia should both hear their names called tomorrow night. More fifteen/sixteen-ness!

Missed Trent, I figure he's not going anywhere...

Lee's performances feel very samey. The overreliance on Sheeran songs doesn't help. It would still be a mild surprise if his name isn't called tomorrow night.

Amelia...fodder, didn't matter what she did.

Adam....see Amelia.

CJ....same, but how do you try and prove that you are more than just a bar band singer if you do AI's classic bar singer song?

Korey...not a fan. His facial expressions weird me out and he's too Fradiani like. May go through as the token older dude, and redemption from last season contestant.

Shelbie....purposely missed. Hopefully with Tristan all aboard the country train now, they can cut her lose...

Jenn....WTF was that?

...and I forgot Manny. Yep that seems about right. Buh Bye.

Edited February 18, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[TeeMo]

My top two tonight were Trent and Dalton. I have never heard that song Trent performed but like Keith said, the way he performed it made me really love it. There is something about him that I find really engaging and I love his voice. Dalton hasn't had a bad performance yet, has he? He is not going anywhere. 

 

Surprised to see that so many enjoyed Olivia's performance. She is a little too try hard for me. Everything feels contrived. 

 

I thought Lee Jean was also decent. 

 

I don't even remember anyone else so that can't be good. 

[stcroix]

Who is Olivia Rox's dad that when she hangs around where he works she has the ability to bump into stars such as Aretha Franklin long enough to sing an entire song for her?  How many of these kids have parents in the music industry trying to get them in on AI's last season?!

[waving feather]

Loved Trent. I'm glad he toned down the faces, even though I don't mind it. I'm not familiar with the song and it's not the most challenging song but the delivery was wistful and beautiful.

[RaDrCox]

Who is Olivia Rox's dad that when she hangs around where he works she has the ability to bump into stars such as Aretha Franklin long enough to sing an entire song for her? How many of these kids have parents in the music industry trying to get them in on AI's last season?!

See, this is exactly what bothers me about her. Her parents are obviously in the industry somehow, and they've been crafting her image and preening this little girl for bubblegum stardom for years. She CAN sing, but everything about her image and persona are so try-hard. It's obnoxious. And a little sad.

[MrsMoltisanti]

Well at least we got Shelbie Zed and her mediocre singing and squatching out of the way first - for me that was good. I wonder who she will get paired with tomorrow? I was kind of hoping it was Taylor Hicks and his harmonica so I could enjoy watching that spectacle of weird.

The blond girl on the piano kept reminding me of a sad puppy with big eyes and I did not get it. Dalton was great. I think of him being on broadway too. I drank tea and watched the rest. Tomorrow hopefully will be better. Harry and his out of tune comments made me laugh. I wonder what he really thinks at times.

[Blissfool]

Surprised to see that so many enjoyed Olivia's performance. She is a little too try hard for me. Everything feels contrived.

I liked her singing but i didn't like her performance. She seemed too staged trying to hit each cue....strum guitar, get up, march stage left, acknowledge audience, march stage right, raise arms, and so on. It came off awkward.

Dalton is more natural. His voice is not the BEST but his personality and stage performance make him a favorite.

Does anyone else think he resembles ellen degeneres?

Edited February 18, 2016 by Little Spoon

[Rick Kitchen]

Dammit, our cable keeps cutting out!

 

Was Adam wearing gold shoes?

 

Dalton's eye thing is creepy. Interesting interpretation of "Rebel Yell". JLo's clearly in love.

 

Hm.  I liked Olivia, and I don't want to like her, because of her fake name.

[peach]

I skipped auditions, etc this year, and just started watching the showcase rounds, so I hadn't formed any opinions yet.  I guess I am in a party of one, because I found Dalton's performance revolting, perhaps due to my age.  I grew up on Billy Idol, who seemed dangerous and reckless, and crashed motorcycles through stained glass windows, and was a drug addict who partied with Madonna and David Bowie.  Dalton is the soft Twilight sparkle vampire version.   Just no for me, but what am I doing watching AI anyway?

I read a a blurb about Olivia Rox, and her father wrote some indie movie, starring her, of course, and her character's name was Olivia Roxamillion (I swear I'm not making this up), and she thought it was cute, so she kept it. So yeah, the reference it Hannah Montana is quite apt.  Miley Cyrus used to be named Destiny but she changed it to Miley because of her TV show.  I did like Olivia's singing, but her overall appearance suggested she was going to Catholic high school volleyball practice.

 

It was all superficial and boring, and I'm not sure I can keep up with this last season, even for old time's sake.

[UsernameFatigue]

Olivia reminds me of JAX from last season. Without the fake x in the corner of her eye. But otherwise pretty much a carbon copy. Except Olivia can actually sing. I prefer Tristan over Olivia though. Dalton and Trent were my other two favourites. Dalton is gorgeous. I predict a Dalton/Tristan final. Unless Tristan crashes and burns due to the pressure.

[Asp Burger]

I guess I am in a party of one, because I found Dalton's performance revolting, perhaps due to my age.

 

I don't have anything against Dalton himself, but I didn't like that "Rebel Yell." Back on TWoP, when the site founders were still there, some of the recappers used to describe those indulgent, whiny female singers as "ovaries," and the subsequent male equivalent was "testicles." It would read "Dawson kisses Joey as a testicle sings about 'finding my way back to you'." Well, Dalton was a very sensitive testicle in that "Rebel Yell." I didn't see what it had to do with that song, other than a very mechanical and theatrical version of "making it your own."

 

But the whole hour leading up was so painfully "undercard" that of course he and Olivia Rox seemed great by comparison. It's a shame they can only cut four of these chokers.  

[Neet]

I haven't read any other posts yet, in case I accidentally repeat something said above.

Shelbie Z - I think I chose to forget a whole lot of her performance, but what I do remember is that she barely moved around the stage. I can't stand how she reeks of "karaoke act" or simply impersonates what a country singer looks like in her mind. Wasn't she on The Voice? You'd think the extra exposure would help her perform better. Pure fodder, and yet, I can somehow imagine her going through. Did Keith give exception to Shelbie at the end of the night when saying most of the others were mediocre? If so, why?

Manny - I liked the beat of the instrumental a lot more than what his vocals added to it. Not good enough to move forward, IMO.

Amelia - People rearranging pop songs into a ballad gets on my nerves so badly. I get that changing the melody up is done all the time and can work well, but it's rare that a top 40 dance song can be slowed down and have any kind of impact. When she got to the chorus, it sounded dangerously close to rodeo music to me.

Kory - If he gets through, it may be out of pity for trying out so many times, or by virtue of 5 other people doing worse than him tonight. I didn't hate his performance at all, it was just sort of there. I hope he stays and does something really worthy of attention.

Jenn - Again, another pop song slowed down and brought to the piano while staring into the camera and acting emotionally tortured. I don't think Justin Bieber songs have a good chance of conveying deep feelings, and I've liked the guy for years. Without sugarcoating too much, I hate Jenn immensely due to her (probably contrived) quirkiness and how mentally impaired she seems to be up until she sings, along with the never ending faraway look on her face. Joey Cook was easier to tolerate, and that says a lot. Her performance sounded like it had the same two notes for the entire duration, and was becoming quite warble-y after a while. I'd rather vote for Shelbie until my thumbs were swollen than see Jenn keep going through, although she'll probably be there a while.

CJ - Pretty decent vocal, I thought. He'll probably make it into the top 14, though just barely. He's a good enough singer, but I feel like he's kind of unmemorable. All I remember about him afterwards is that shitty guitar tattoo on his forearm, what a monstrosity.

Tristan - I was wondering why the judges were a little harsh, I thought she did a great job. All I remembered from Tristan before was the army mom pandering, so it wasn't like I was a fan. In terms of giving a performance, I'd put her near the top of everyone tonight.

Lee Jean - Bloody hell, this guy sings nothing but Ed Sheeran. He reminds me of Sonika, who annoyingly picks Ariana Grande for most of her songs, in addition to already sounding like Ariana to begin with. Anyway, he's kind of outclassed by a lot of the other singers, but I didn't mind him tonight for the most part. The guitar playing is distracting, as Harry pointed out that he keeps stopping when a lyric comes up.

Trent - I thought the song choice was obscure and nonsensical, but I was quite interested in watching him perform. No mention of the mono or anything was nice, he had nothing to use as a crutch (producer-influenced or not) and did a great job. He steered clear of making goofy faces until the final closeup, but it wasn't anything too bad. I liked him a lot more than most of everyone else who performed tonight, but he just barely missed being a standout act.

Adam - Everything about this guy screams fodder. I didn't think he was terrible, but I got a Las Vegas vibe out of the whole thing, and not in a good way.

Dalton - I'm sick of the ass kissing he gets for his appearance, though it'll probably continue forever. Jennifer screaming "sexy!" was immature as hell, she constantly acts like a loud child. Anyway, this was an example of rearranging songs done well. I don't like Billy Idol's songs at all, and Dalton did a really good job by making it his own sound. He's clearly in a league of his own and will likely win. Somehow, his entire performance felt 45 seconds long, which sucked.

Olivia - She did way better than I expected, it was quite surprising. I HATE Demi Lovato, and Olivia turned it into probably the #2 or 3 performance of the night for me.

Overall, I think last week may have had the better crop of talent, though it's rather obvious that both pools of 12 had a few winners and a big pile of nothing.
Adam, Lee Jean, Amelia, Manny, and Shelbie or Kory are my predictions for who's getting cut. I know I said I can see Shelbie going through, but it's also hard to believe that up to 4 out of 5 eliminations would be guys.
 

[BogoGog24]

Shelbie - She just does nothing for me. She's a powerhouse vocalist, but she just brings nothing to the table besides that. She's fodder. And please stop with the obnoxious Steven Tyler scarves. Was her "fun fact" really that she doesn't like wet paper? LOL WTF

 

Manny - Same. Good vocalist, decent performer. But I feel nothing when he sings. I basically just sit and wait for him to get off so Dalton can come on.

 

Kory - Snooze. He's a decent singer but this song didn't do anything for him. It didn't go anywhere. Fodder.

 

Amelia - This was a terrible song choice for her. The beginning was unrecognizable to the point that if I hadn't been told beforehand she was singing Wake Me Up, I'd have had no clue that's what she was singing. This felt very high school talent show. She is way too young and sounds way too young for this. She should have at least maybe brought out her violin. Fodder. Talented kid but not ready. Would like to see her on The Voice maybe in a few years.

 

Jenn - I'm gutted she did so poorly tonight because overall she's one of my favorite girls. But she was all kinds of off key tonight. Terrible. 

 

CJ - He deserves to get booted for the song choice alone. I seriously wondered while he was singing if a producer saddled him with this. He sang it well enough (I get Lee DeWyze vibes from him) but this song choice.... 

 

Lee Jean - Does this kid know any other songs besides Ed Sheeran? I swear this is like his 3rd or 4th Ed Sheeran song by now. He sang well enough but I feel nothing when he sings. He's so emotionally disconnected from everything he sings. He's nowhere near ready for this. He has a quite good voice but he needs more emotional maturity. Another one who should return to The Voice in a few years.

 

Trent - Now we're talking. One of the best of the night, I'd say the best emotional performance of the night. I've never heard the song but am now curious to check it out. What a beautiful performance. I wonder if he still has mono though because his voice sounded a bit strange in parts. I hope maybe it's just leftover illness because otherwise he did a beautiful job. Really smart song choice and one of the few great choices of the night. That was just lovely.

 

Tristan - Ugh. Yuck. This song was too big for her. I don't know what she was thinking picking this. At least if she wanted to do Carrie there were dozens of other choices that would have been better, like maybe one of her ballads. I don't even think Carrie herself sounds good singing this. She looked great tonight but the singing was just... no. Terrible song choice.

 

Adam - I think Adam has one of the best voices of the top 24 and is very suited to rock music. This song didn't really allow him to do much though. And the gold sneakers.... 

 

Dalton - Easily one of the top 3 of the night and I would say the best "performance" performance of the night. He looked stunning as he always does. Those eyes! I love that he took a song not normally done on Idol and also flipped it to suit him and do it in an unexpected way. I felt maybe he could have dug even deeper and more dramatically than he did, but it was still overall one of the more solid of the night and I was happy the judges praised him considering they were tough on most of them tonight. I kind of felt they were laying it on a bit thick though with him. Producer manipulation? JLo clearly wet herself over Dalton LOL. Stay away Dalton! His smiles during her gushing over him were adorable though. 

 

Olivia - I would say Olivia had the best vocals of the night. Girl can sing. But I agree her image comes across as too Disney and I HATE it when contestants use an instrument for only 10 seconds of a performance. I absolutely knew Olivia was going to ditch the guitar after the first verse. Ugh. Still, she has some pipes. I'm very impressed with her voice so far. Would rather see Olivia make it as the girls' chosen one over Tristan. 

 

Overall I felt this was a train wreck night. The best performances go to Olivia, Dalton, and Trent, with maybe Lee Jean in 4th. Everyone else was average or terrible. I also thought the performances were WAY too short. We hardly got to see what they can really do squeezed into only 90 seconds. I think it's ironic how the actual performances are squeezed into 1 hour while we have to waste 2 hours tomorrow night on duets that don't matter and results that otherwise take 10 seconds. I would rather see contestants get more like 2-3 minutes so we can see what they can really do. Can't wait until the competition starts getting deeper to the point where contestants either get longer songs or get to do 2-3 songs per night so we can see more of what they can really do. 

 

ETA: I noticed how they stuck all the terrible or meh performances in the beginning and finished the night with 2 of the strongest ones. 

 

I think Tristan is this season's Majesty Rose. Hyped up in auditions and will never live up to it thereafter. Will crash and burn by top 10.

Edited February 18, 2016 by BogoGog24

[peach]

IWell, Dalton was a very sensitive testicle in that "Rebel Yell." I didn't see what it had to do with that song, other than a very mechanical and theatrical version of "making it your own."

 

LOL!  Especially the end, when he ended with a quiet, emo..."she cried...more."  More what?  Xanax??  Guyliner?  That song is supposed to be about wild sex.  Although JLo seemed pretty into it.  She's becoming as much of a lech as Steven Tyler was.  Anyway, that's always, always been the problem with AI singers.  They have no idea what the lyrics ever mean.   With the exception of Adam Lambert, who could make something innocent seem sexy. 

 

I think I'm just over this show.

[BogoGog24]

One of my biggest issues tonight was how bad the song choices were. Almost everyone chose the wrong song for themselves. Just bad bad choices. I was expecting a lot from Group 2 considering there were more of the stronger contestants in this group. I seriously didn't think it was possible that Group 1 would be better. But they were. Brandon Rogers from Yahoo Reality Rocks said the venue they performed at used to be a cathedral and has great acoustics, they are almost too good, which might explain why some of the contestants last week pulled out their in-ear monitors or had pitch problems tonight. 

LOL!  Especially the end, when he ended with a quiet, emo..."she cried...more."  More what?  Xanax??  Guyliner?  That song is supposed to be about wild sex.  Although JLo seemed pretty into it.  She's becoming as much of a lech as Steven Tyler was.  Anyway, that's always, always been the problem with AI singers.  They have no idea what the lyrics ever mean.   With the exception of Adam Lambert, who could make something innocent seem sexy. 

 

I think I'm just over this show.

I disagree. I think Dalton is one of the few contestants who actually understands the lyrics he's singing. Most of the teens clearly have no idea and just sing the notes. But I think Dalton, while not having the strongest voice, manages to make the words come alive and at least for me makes me really listen to the lyrics in songs and makes me think about what they mean. I think he's very good at giving meaning to the lyrics and portraying/emoting the lyrics of his songs. 

[stcroix]

Dalton looks the part, but Rebel Yell in Billy Idol's own words means,''The song is about a passionate one night stand with a woman who wants "more more more!"  (Duh!)  I didn't understand why Dalton sang it so SADLY, I mean the girls crying for more!  It was embarrassing to watch this kid seem depressed she apparently liked him!  Laughing over here at the interpretation.  

 

This show has always been my favorite and I can't believe the last season is so lame.

 

I see where Peach and Asp Burger beat me to it--- testicles, lol!  Perfect.

Edited February 18, 2016 by stcroix

[peach]

I disagree. I think Dalton is one of the few contestants who actually understands the lyrics he's singing. Most of the teens clearly have no idea and just sing the notes. But I think Dalton, while not having the strongest voice, manages to make the words come alive and at least for me makes me really listen to the lyrics in songs and makes me think about what they mean. I think he's very good at giving meaning to the lyrics and portraying/emoting the lyrics of his songs. 

 

So how do you interpret his interpretation? What depth did he find in a groupie coming to his door with a license to love, and it was so great she was screaming more, more, more?  It's Rebel Yell, not Theatrical Whisper.  Dalton needs to get off my lawn.

[peach]

Dalton looks the part, but Rebel Yell in Billy Idol's own words means,''The song is about a passionate one night stand with a woman who wants "more more more!"  (Duh!)  I didn't understand why Dalton sang it so SADLY, I mean the girls crying for more!  It was embarrassing to watch this kid seem depressed she apparently liked him!  Laughing over here at the interpretation.  

 

This show has always been my favorite and I can't believe the last season is so lame.

 

THANK YOU!  However, I can't really say he even looks the part.  It's like the High School Musical version of Billy Idol.  Billy Idol (in the day) looked like he could crawl through your TV and eat you alive.  Dalton looks like Aaron Carter doing a Maybelline ad.  His still shots look like he's hoping to be adopted from an animal shelter.  BUT, I will stop bitching about it, and go listen to my cassette tapes.  lol

[Lonesome Rhodes]

That's the roughest I've ever seen JLo look.  Tired.  It was definitely not the night for her to not have covered her shoulders and arms.  Pasty.  Her LV show is taking an obvious toll.

 

Loved Manny's Davy Jones/Peter Tork top.  Glad he was his usual ordinary self in performance, as well.

 

Keith eviscerated Shelbie with his dead on critique of her choice of key and why she did it!  Arguably the most prescient jidge comments in AI histoire.  I'm thrilled they put her first in the line-up, too.  Out of sight, out of mind.  I am not happy with clone HCJ.  The man lives for charting/arranging and tonal nuance.  Shelbie consciously made that song less than it should have been for a glory note and he has nothing to say?!    

 

My favorite moment may be when HCJ called out Lee for being immature as a performer, and then truthfully said it was OK as he was better than most of the others who had performed.  Yup.  He was.  Both things.  

 

Tristan is the only one I saw who managed to actually sound like a singer throughout a performance.  The first part of her performance, being all nervous about playing a "bad girl" persona was all-too predictable.   15.  Ugh.  

 

Sprinkles continues to dress down.  Dude - you are 40-something and you are rich.  Show it.

 

I didn't think it possible, but last week's bunch blew this week's away.  This was horrid.  Poor Stephany.  If she were placed in this week's contest, she'd have advanced.  Easily.  

 

 

 

 

[peach]

 

 Rebel Yell in Billy Idol's own words means,''The song is about a passionate one night stand with a woman who wants "more more more!"  (Duh!) 

 

It's a very moving song about consent.  lol

[lyric]

I'm not feeling Trent, at all.  I was shocked to hear the judges fawning, and now people here really liked him as well, so I'm a little disoriented.  Seems like a nice guy and all, but his tone and his vibrato are just bonkers to me, he sounds tinny and bleat-y and, I dunno, maybe I'm just inexplicably allergic to him.  I even re-listened and looked away this time, which...helps, yet still - just really unpleasant to my ears.  

 

I still like Dalton though - emo whispering aside...

 

I was so glad to hear HCJ flatly tell Jenn(?) that she was completely off key for half the song - that was brutal on the ears too.

Edited February 18, 2016 by lyric

[blaase]

Dalton's hair style didn't even look good on Ryan Cabrera back in the early 2000's. He is so not rock.

This cast is completely underwhelming.  And the show needs to stop trying to make Tristan happen, if she was 18 and average looking she wouldn't have even made it this far.

I guess Dalton for the win, Olivia close second but she didn't even make it far on America's got talent a few years ago....

[Asp Burger]

What depth did he find in a groupie coming to his door with a license to love, and it was so great she was screaming more, more, more?

 

I will make an effort to interpret the Dalton version.  

 

Last night a little dancer came dancin' to my door

Last night a little angel Came pumpin' cross my floor

She said "Come on baby I got a license for love

And if it expires pray help from above'

 

In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more

With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more

In the midnight hour babe more, more, more

With a rebel yell more, more, more

More, more, more

 

Perhaps his angsty reinterpretation is from the point of view of a theater kid whose female best friend, who's studying dance, is hung up on another guy in their circle. She comes over to his place late at night, wearing pumps, to complain about her problems with her boyfriend. The part about her license to love expiring means she's afraid the other guy is tiring of her, and she hopes not, because she's still really into him. Dalton's character is trying to let her know that he doesn't want to talk about this subject anymore, without giving away that he's into her himself, which he only writes about in his journal. But she's like, "No! You're my best friend, and what you have to say is valuable to me! More!" 

 

Poignant youth drama worthy of Everwood!

Edited February 18, 2016 by Asp Burger

[queenanne]

I'm not feeling Trent, at all.  I was shocked to hear the judges fawning, and now people here really liked him as well, so I'm a little disoriented.  Seems like a nice guy and all, but his tone and his vibrato are just bonkers to me, he sounds tinny and bleat-y and, I dunno, maybe I'm just inexplicably allergic to him.  I even re-listened and looked away this time, which...helps, yet still - just really unpleasant to my ears.  

 

I still like Dalton though - emo whispering aside...

 

I was so glad to hear HCJ flatly tell Jenn(?) that she was completely off key for half the song - that was brutal on the ears too.

 

No, i was hampered by the fact I don't know the song but I do have sensitive ears, I too thought Trent was horribly off key in minimum his first verse also.  He does look less creepy without mono (or with foundation), in retrospect, with the start of mono he looked gray, which is not a good skin color on the living.

[Duke Silver]

After what I felt was a trainwreck LAST week, I chose to not watch this week (other than a couple Youtube clips).  Based on comments I've seen across the interwebs, sounds like I chose wisely.

 

I told myself I'd suck it up & consume the stupid bullshit the AI producers, like little toddlers w/ learning disorders, can't help but give us, as long as the singing is up to snuff.  Well...the singing has been terrible/bland/uninspired, IMO.

 

I understand the creation of fandoms, but I stand w/ those here & SMH at the re-arrangement done by Dalton.  Seriously, going emo w/ a Billy Idol song...LOL.  The thing is, I actually like Dalton.  He's one of the few I don't want to stab through the TV when he's talking.  Slowing down a song is not "making it your own."

 

Olivia is talented, and based on the total shit this show has given us, she might actually make it far if her stage presentation is salvaged.  Typically, I'd say that she won't make long into the top 10 because there's something so robotic about her.  However, due to lack of solid choices, it would not shock me to see her hang out until top 3/4.

 

The rest aren't worth mentioning form the sound of things.  I might try to stomach watching the full episode tonight or over the weekend.

[MarkHB]

I liked Olivia and Tristan, and then Dalton but like many here his interpretation struck me as off, although I think I got what he was going for....

 

So how do you interpret his interpretation? What depth did he find in a groupie coming to his door with a license to love, and it was so great she was screaming more, more, more?  It's Rebel Yell, not Theatrical Whisper.  Dalton needs to get off my lawn.

I took it as more of a gasping pre-orgasmic moan of "more... more... more..." tbh.  But then, I've never had groupies (or if I did, I was a completely oblivious moron).

 

Speaking of that song, I'm surprised that closeup of JLo going "more... more... more..." isn't a GIF yet.

 

And one last comment about JLo: I kept wondering how many hours it took to make her hair look like she had just gotten out of the shower.

 

The judge's remarks seemed like a setup for a Top 8 consisting of 6 or all 7 singers from last week plus however many they need from this week.

[AshleyLyn]

I get some of the criticisms bit in the end Dalton kept my attention. No wandering thoughts, no looking at my phone. He was good and I liked his soundbite before the performance.

He seems very endearing and sweet and funny and I like his singing and his performance and his eyes. He has me hooked and I'll be rooting for him.

Trent looked a lot healthier. He hopefully had a decent chance to recover (sleep like the dead) and hopefully he'll continue to be careful. He reminds me a little of Phillip Phillips in a way. Will continue to root for him.

I liked Olivia's performance. It was decent.

The others had meh, boring, bad and just not good.

Hoping Trent and Dalton survive the cuts tonight.

[goodbyeglittergirl]

Star of the night: Manny's amusing shirt.

[OakGoblinFly]

Ugh!

 

What a steaming pile of dung - I can't believe how awful everyone NOT namede Dalton or Olivia (and maybe Trent) were.  Did anyone sing on key?

 

At first I thought Harry was being extra grouchy, then I realized the bad singing was making him grumpy because it was making me grumpy.

 

 

[marketdoctor]

I liked Rox's voice, but a Disney version of "Complicated" is...[Martin Stein from Legends of Tomorrow voice] problematic.

 

You could make "Rebel Yell" as emo as you like, but you can be emo, or you can be yelling (as per, you know, the TITLE of the song)--both doesn't fit.  If it were "Rebel Whisper", it would have been perfect.  Or it could be a an unreliable-narrator situation, where the singer either doesn't know why she's yelling, or feels angst that he can't help her.

 

That I thought this much about a song I haven't heard in years is a sign he did it well--and more importantly for this show, he was memorable.  Both is good.

 

I thought Tristan made a bold choice with a Carrie Underwood song, since it invites the comparison, but she held her own with it.

 

It's never a good sign for a show when I notice how much I'm fast-forwarding.

 

[/actually keeping the Victor Garber voice, because it sounds cool.]

[BogoGog24]

So how do you interpret his interpretation? What depth did he find in a groupie coming to his door with a license to love, and it was so great she was screaming more, more, more?  It's Rebel Yell, not Theatrical Whisper.  Dalton needs to get off my lawn.

What I got out of his interpretation is that he was trying to give the song more depth beyond just it literally being about sex. Like the girl needs more emotion from him. I obviously don't know what he was really thinking or trying to get across, but just from what I know about him as an artist and a person being a fan of his, I can see him trying to give that song much more depth beyond just the literal meaning of sex. He's artsy and deep like that lol

 

The way I see things is that at least if people don't like Dalton or didn't like this performance, they still remember him and remembered what he sang and how he sang it. He is memorable which is better than being totally forgotten about or making no impression on people at all. He makes an impression on people, even if they end up not liking what he does. 

 

I feel like no matter how he sang the song, some people wouldn't have liked it. If he had done it exactly like the original then people would have just said it was karaoke and copycat. 

Edited February 18, 2016 by BogoGog24

[radiochik]

Can't we just boot 6 tonite and bring back Stephany?  Pretty please?  There was so much suck last night that it brought home for me why I hate this format of splitting them up into 2 groups.  Make it an even playing field and have them all square off together.  Most of the kids from last week would have been put through and most of this horrendous bunch would be leaving.

I am in the extreme minority here but I can't stand Dalton.  The kid just screams fake to me. Then he took all the rock out of a great song and got praised for it?  Ugh.  He is so winning this thing(or at least making it to the finale) so he'll be around to annoy me for the long haul.  

[peach]

Perhaps his angsty reinterpretation is from the point of view of a theater kid whose female best friend, who's studying dance, is hung up on another guy in their circle. She comes over to his place late at night, wearing pumps, to complain about her problems with her boyfriend. The part about her license to love expiring means she's afraid the other guy is tiring of her, and she hopes not, because she's still really into him. Dalton's character is trying to let her know that he doesn't want to talk about this subject anymore, without giving away that he's into her himself, which he only writes about in his journal. But she's like, "No! You're my best friend, and what you have to say is valuable to me! More!" 

 

Poignant youth drama worthy of Everwood!

 

Hahaha.  You truly made my day.

I took it as more of a gasping pre-orgasmic moan of "more... more... more..." tbh.  But then, I've never had groupies (or if I did, I was a completely oblivious moron).

 

Maybe they had to be quiet because his mom was home.

[designing1]

Who is Olivia Rox's dad that when she hangs around where he works she has the ability to bump into stars such as Aretha Franklin long enough to sing an entire song for her?  How many of these kids have parents in the music industry trying to get them in on AI's last season?!

 

Here's her bio from America's Got Talent. She's been primed for this since she was a fetus. She does have an impressive voice. Her performance is incredibly scripted, though -- as are most entertainers' performances these days -- but for all her experience, she's still not experienced enough to make it seem natural.

 

 

Star of the night: Manny's amusing shirt.

 

I guess he ran to the studio direct from his bellhop job. Between that and whichever guy it was wearing the screaming gold shoes it was a rough night for men's fashion...and my ears. From all the performers, there was a whole lot of the AI standard "loud is good", a nearly complete absence of nuance or connection with the lyrics, plus whatever that atonal mess was that Jenn was putting out that made me leap for my mute button.

 

I hope tonight brings some duets that are, if not actually good, at least interesting. Considering the duets are limited to songs the returning idols have performed, I'm not terribly hopeful.

[peach]

What I got out of his interpretation is that he was trying to give the song more depth beyond just it literally being about sex. Like the girl needs more emotion from him. I obviously don't know what he was really thinking or trying to get across, but just from what I know about him as an artist and a person being a fan of his, I can see him trying to give that song much more depth beyond just the literal meaning of sex. He's artsy and deep like that lol

 

The way I see things is that at least if people don't like Dalton or didn't like this performance, they still remember him and remembered what he sang and how he sang it. He is memorable which is better than being totally forgotten about or making no impression on people at all. He makes an impression on people, even if they end up not liking what he does. 

 

I feel like no matter how he sang the song, some people wouldn't have liked it. If he had done it exactly like the original then people would have just said it was karaoke and copycat. 

 

Maybe he's literally never had sex?  Maybe he should have sung Dancing With Myself.  I don't know.  It was memorable for me in that I will remember not to watch this show again.  The only thing that could fix it is, like, a LOT of cocaine.

[Primetimer]

In which all twelve performances are rather dull covers of rather dull songs.

Read the story

[WhineandCheez]

Miley Cyrus used to be named Destiny but she changed it to Miley because of her TV show.

 

That's funny, she narrowly avoided The Pole with her old name just to end up naked on a Wrecking Ball anyway.

 

Billy Idol (in the day) looked like he could crawl through your TV and eat you alive.  Dalton looks like Aaron Carter doing a Maybelline ad.

 

 

THIS is so funny!! But Dalton's winning anyway.  HE is sooo winning.  Better be on your guard, Casper.

 

Loved Manny's Davy Jones/Peter Tork top.

 

I love that I'm not the only ancient person here.  What was missing was that side to side swaying dance. Alternately, he could have benefited with a pillbox hat with an elastic chin strap to accompany it.

 

I'm not feeling Trent, at all. .... but his tone and his vibrato are just bonkers to me, he sounds tinny and bleat-y

 

About 10 years ago there was some crappy young blonde Utah girl that kept advancing that we used to call "Goaty" or "Goat Throat."  I haven't heard that in awhile but Trent brought me right back there.

[proserpina65]

Does it seem to anyone else that the judges were much more critical of last night's performances than they were last week?

 

Shelbie was actually good - UGH, I still hate her.  Please don't let her make top 14!

I liked CJ and Adam, and thought they were harshly judged.  Obviously they aren't on the list to get through to the live shows.  I also liked Jenn but realize her style is polarizing.

Dalton and Olivia were both really good and should be shoe-ins to make the top 14, but we'll see.

Everyone else was pretty meh, but Tristan is totally the chosen one this year given how the judges were so desperate to make sure viewers know how talented she is despite a mediocre performance.

 

And no, J. Lo, the contestants don't have to sing big popular songs.  They have to choose songs which suit their voices and style, and then give good performances.

Edited February 18, 2016 by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

I wish she would just use her actual name (there's no way it's actually Rox give me a break)

 

Her father is jazz musician Warren Hill and her mother is chef Tamara Van Cleef, so no, it isn't really Rox.  But she has been using that stage name for awhile, at least since she was 14.  I see why she'd want to use a stage name, but wish she'd chosen something less pretentious.  I really like her voice, though.