American idol season 12 top performance night was very exciting show. Wednesday's "Idol" show, as intoned to full dramatic effect by an overly earnest-looking Ryan Seacrest...before Ryan of course took almost 90 minutes to get around to making the announcement everyone was waiting to hear. Yes, many viewers tuned in to "Idol" this week not to see this season's remaining finalists warble songs of the '80s and '90s, but to find out just what happened to one of those contestants, who'd never warble on the show again. On Tuesday evening, news had broken on TMZ that Jermaine Jones, the "gentle giant" and sweet self-declared mama's boy who was brought back to the show at the last minute as a "surprise," had been disqualified for being dishonest about his not-so-gentle criminal past. So on Wednesday, "Idol" fans were eager to learn just how this scandal would be addressed, especially since TMZ had titillatingly reported that footage of Jermaine's confrontation with the show's producers would actually air on Wednesday night's performance show.
Jennifer Lopez called it "nasally." What had happened to these people who had gushed waterfalls at some of the most mediocre boys the night before?
"I really want to be electric," offered Erika Van Pelt. Her "What About Love?" had, well, wattage. And, perhaps, so-whattage. It was, just as Sorrell: competent, but no more. It was as if Heart's patent had run out and Pfizer has released a generic.
"Let loose on us," pleaded Lopez.
Jen Hirsh's family knows from loose. They own a vineyard. She has a lady poodle that she refers to as her "dog-hter." And yet despite all this originality, she chose to sing Adele's "One and Only." The most emotive song of the last year was given, regretfully, a lifeless burial. This was tighter than a young pinot. Which is a vast pity as Hirsh promised, from the auditions, to be one of the best and most soulful.
Lopez thought it was beautiful. Steven Tyler at least acknowledged her troubled ending.
Brielle Von Hugel - she of the large-personalitied stage momma - sat on the dock of the bay. She tried to turn Otis Redding's classic into a rocker, which was an interesting, if flawed decision. If you're sitting on the dock of the bay, you're contemplative. You're surely not getting up to do the whirling dervish.
"You got a great sense of the blues," said Tyler. "You are a true performer," declared Lopez, through her astoundingly red lips.
Von Hugel believes she belongs on this stage. Some might feel she believes it a little too much.
Phillip Phillips, “Hard to Handle.” The first bad song choice of the night. BUT surprisingly, Phillip turned it out. He’s just such a natural that he can take anything and make it his own. And he did it again. And fresh off surgery! He’s a star. Plain and simple.
Hallie Day is a peroxide blonde who looks like a relative of Jessica Rabbit. She sang that she was feeling good. But she also sang of a new dawn. Which was difficult to grasp, as there was no originality here. She isn't exactly Nina Simone.
"You lost a bit of control, but you got it back at the end," said Lopez. Still, as Tyler was eager to point out, she is quite pretty. But surely not as pretty as Deandre Brackensick.
Skylar Laine somehow managed to access her inner Rod Stewart, with a country/rock/sort of rendition of The Faces' "Stay with Me." Laine, country girl from Mississippi, is the personification of spunk.
"Dude, you're like the rockin' country girl," enthused Jackson. He felt it was like Reba mixed with Kelly Clarkson. Or like Tina Turner went country, felt Lopez. Tyler couldn't find a comparison that featured a famous singer.
Another Texas country girl, Baylie Brown, followed. The notes, however, didn't. It was as if she'd left her keys in a different purse. Even the members of Lonestar might have been amazed that their song could have taken so many interesting turns.
Surely, at least one of the judges would offer the polite word "pitchy."
"I've heard you sing better...and you're very pretty," was Tyler's fair and unbalanced judgment.
"I felt you could have had a better moment," said Lopez. Jackson obliged with the word "pitchy."
Yet another Texan, Hollie Cavanagh was made up to look like Naomi Watts' stunt double. She began shakily, but somehow found dramatic effect. The song sounded like it was from a children's pageant. But it was actually Christina Aguilera's "Reflection."
Tyler hoped that she would let her hair down next time. No, literally. The other judges kept telling her she was one of the favorites.
Haley Johnsen is good at gymnastics (those little films the contestants make can be very useful). She would need to be, as the sound mix made her own voice disappear several times during "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." At least this showed courage. But her voice leaped the pommel onto the road less traveled.
"I hope America could hear all the special things you were doing with your voice," said Lopez, diplomatically. Again, she offered the absurd criticism that the song might have been too famous. As if all the songs hitherto had been obscure.
"It was a bit of a nightmare, instead of a dream," said Jackson, in a curious bout of candid monologue. Subsequently, he even used the phrase "train wreck."
Shannon Magrane “One Sweet Day.” Finally, a song that doesn’t suck. Of course she’s the last person I’d pick to sing Mariah since she doesn’t have much of an upper range, but whatev. I was OK with the performance. I didn’t love the run at the end that the judges thought were mind-blowing, but that’s OK too.
Jessica Sanchez had sick vocal cords, medically speaking. Yet she braved her way through "I Love You (Perfect Man)" and forced a powerful last note past her strained nodules. The judges stood to applaud.
"That girl can really sing," said Jackson. "One of the best of the last two nights."
This had more rasp. However, Testone lost control and uttered some gutturals that were far beyond melody.
"You blew it out of the water," said Tyler. "You're one to watch," added Lopez. "You're definitely one of the best voices here," smeared Jackson. At least he confessed that it wasn't one of her best performances.
Indeed, the whole night offered a collective disappointment that might have fed into criticism of the show offered by none other than News Corp COO Chase Carey. He suggested this week that "Idol" "can and should provide fresh energy."
This miffed "Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe so much that he took to Twitter and declared: "Maybe if the COO bothers to watch #IDOL tonight he may give us a little more support in the future. Certainly more than he gave us today!!!"
Perhaps - as the long lost Simon Cowell used to say - if Lythgoe watches the show again, he'll realize just how much work he has to do to generate a little excitement. It is, no longer, the one and only.
Colton Dixon, “Broken Heart.” No one on the planet has heard of this song, but I think at this rate, that’s perfectly fine. I still think he should have done “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaac, but what do I know. Nothing! He did his thing with this song, and luckily, his thing is pretty damn good. Colton, right now, is unstoppable. Hopefully on their little date, Chris Daughtry advised him to get kicked off the show in 4th place if he wants a post-Idol career.
TOP SIX: Jessica Sanchez, Hollie Cavanagh, Shannon Magrane, Skylar Laine, Jen Hirsh (for previous performances) and then take your pick.
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