IDOL UPDATE: TOP 9 GRADES....& WOW! WHAT A GREAT SHOW!

Randy was right last night, there was something in the air! It was one of the best performance shows on Idol I’ve seen in a long, long time. One performance after another , especially the last 4 of the night, were just outstanding! The Idol contestant's sang "Songs of their Idols", and it was a night to remember. America certainly has it's work cut out for them tonight as one contestant will be eliminated, but it's really not going to be as hard as it seems, so let's separate the 'Contenders' from the 'Pretenders' and go from there. Drum roll please....dim the lights.....here we go.....
THE CONTENDERS:

Elise Testone Rocks on Idol

BEST OF THE NIGHT: Elise Testone, with her version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love".....WOW! Big song to take on for a female voice and she made it work. This girl reminds me so much of Haley Reinhart last year, because she's picking up momentum at just the right time, will pick up votes that Erika Van Pelt was getting before, and is really showing how talented she really is. Way to go Elise, great song choice, super vocals and a fun performance to watch! In case you did note see it, here it is Whole Lotta Love GRADE: A

RUNNER-UP: Jessica Sanchez, with her slowed down version of Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams".....a musical and vocal masterpiece by this young girl! She's got 'IT'.....plain and simple, this girl has what it takes to be great, the makings of a real STAR! Hard to choose between Elise and Jessica last night, both amazing! Here's Jessica's performance of Sweet Dreams GRADE: A

BEST OF THE REST:
Phillip Phillips......performed an obscure song "Still Raining" from his Idol, Mr. Johnny Lang, and it was really good. But there's still something that bothers me abut Phillip....I call it the 'Lee DeWyze' factor. He's just too plain-jane like Lee DeWyze, winner of Season 9, and like DeWyze....I just don't see Phillip selling a lot of records after Idol. Here's Phillips Still Raining performance...GRADE: A-
Joshua Ledet.....who sang the Mariah Carey version of Harry Nilsson's big hit, "Without You", & did a nice job with a BIG and risky song choice. Really took it to another level at the end! GRADE: B+
Colton Dixon.......took a big risk in the 'opening spot' last night by doing a song nobody knew called "Everything" from Lifehouse......thought it was pretty good, but after all the other contestants, it was just OK.....Colton could be in trouble tonight, but trust me, even though he might be pulling the 'religion and faith cards' out a bit too much, he's not going home....GRADE: B
Hollie Cavanaugh.....took on a BIG song with Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel", and sang it pretty good, but it wasn't her best. Hollie could be in trouble tonight as well, wouldn't surprise me at all to see her in the dreaded "Bottom 3". She needs to act, dress and sing younger, more energetic songs, and stay away from all the ballads. GRADE: B-

THE PRETENDERS:

Skylar Laine......sang a Miranda Lambert song "Gunpowder and Lead" and on a night when many folks gave amazing performances, hers was NOT one of them. Bottom 3 tonight and could go home! GRADE: C+
DeAndre Brackensick........sang another song that I'm sure not many folks are familiar with in "Sometimes I Cry", and it was probably DeAndre's best in many weeks, just too much falsetto for me. Could be in trouble tonight and in the 'Bottom 3' after all the other crazy good performances of the evening. GRADE: C
Heejun Hun.......sang a heartfelt ballad with "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway, and though it might have been his best so far, it's still nowhere near close to being as good as any of the others in the competition. Bottom 3 tonight and hopefully going home! GRADE: C-

OK....so, there you have it, and it seems that the BOTTOM 3 'should' consist of a combination of Heejun, DeAndre, Skylar or Hollie tonight....but something tells me there will be a BIGGER surprise and name in the mix.....and I say it's Colton Dixon that gets shocked! Big EI supporter Pete "YB" Rosendale thinks that a 'judges save' is in the air tonight. If it's Heejun, DeAndre or Skylar singing for their lives, no way any of the three should be saved, it's not worth using it up and a contestant that has no chance of winning it all. If it's any of the others, then YES.....they are worthy of a 'judges save' at this stage of the game. We shall see what happens tonight on FOX!

Also.......performing live on tonight's show is Niki Minaj (sorry, not a fan at all!) and last year's Idol Winner, Scotty 'The Body' McCreery. Speaking of last year's contestants, the music video for Haley Reinhart's debut single "Free" is out. The song is already available on iTunes, a great song, just love it, and today the video for the song was released. Check it out here....Haley Reinhart's "Free"

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 9 TO PERFORM.....& WHY IDOL NEEDS TO CHANGE

TOP 9 Season 11, American Idol

It's TOP 9 time and this week the music performed by the remaining nine Idol contestants should be more current and a bit more interesting than the past few weeks, as they get to sing songs from their own Idols. Of course, some may have 'idols' that are a bit older than others, like 28 year-old Elise Testone.

Erika Van Pelt Sings for her life on Idol

Speaking of older, we lost that 'other' 28 year-old contestant last week when Erika Van Pelt was sent home, despite being much more talented than Heejun 'The Horrible' Hun and singing " I Believe" pretty well as she sang for her life with the judges save. Seeing Erika get cut and Heejun staying on is yet another reason why at some point, Idol rules simply need to change, and in my opinion, it could start with a pretty simple fix.


Once the TOP 12 or TOP 13 are announced, Idol can continue to have America vote and place three contestants with the lowest number of votes in the dreaded 'Bottom 3' each week. After sending one of the three to safety, let the judges then decide which of the bottom two with the lowest # of votes should be sent home. This would eliminate something like last week from happening with Heejun staying on for yet another dreadful performance this week, while someone much more talented like Erika gets sent packing. Don't think there would be any need for the infamous 'judges save' and a contestant 'singing for their life' to even be a topic of conversation until at least the TOP 5. That's my suggestion anyway, and yes.....it does take it out of America's hands to some extent, but would make for it more fair and equitable for all each week, and avoid advancing less talented contestants to yet another week on the show.

OK......that's all for now. More from Eddie Idol coming soon with grades and critique of the TOP 9 after they perform 'Songs of Their Idols' on a 2-hour show from 8-10 PM tonight on Fox....so stay tuned!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 10 GRADES...and WHO GOES HOME?

The IDOL TOP 10 took pages from the Billy Joel Songbook last night, and there were some outstanding performances, but many that were just OK as well. I'm going to be a little tougher than most critics were on the contestants last night because I'm a Billy Joel fanatic, love his music since I was a teen, and have seen him 6 times in concert.

So....who really nailed his songs and who missed out? Who's in the dreaded 'Bottom 3' tonight? And who's going home tonight? Let's get into each performance here, hand out some grades, and go from there.....dim the lights.....here we go...

• DeAndre Brackensack....Pulled the dreaded kiss of death opening spot and sang "Only The Good Die Young".....great song, but I knew it before he started, a poor song choice for him. If I was Jimmy Iovine, I'd have suggested "All You Wanna' Do Is Dance" for DeAndre, but...too late! GRADE: C- and in the Bottom 3 tonight
• Erika Van Pelt......a new hair-do (suggested by Tommy Hilfiger, who by the way became VERY annoying as the 2-hour show wore on!) and a new look, and a great song choice with "NY State of Mind".....she sang it well and didn't over-sing it, and made it her own song....well done! GRADE: B+.....just not sure she'll get enough love from America to be safe tonight, but I truly think she should be!
• Joshua Ledet....chose to sing "She's Got A Way"......and I think it was way over the top, esp with the choir joining him on stage. He's probably the most talented male vocalist, but last night wasn't his best....GRADE: C+......and wouldn't be shocked if America finds a way to put him in the bottom 3 tonight, but I think he should be safe
• Skylar Laine.....sand "Shameless"....and as much as I know Billy Joel's music, I also know Garth Brook's music....sorry Skylar, this wasn't Garth Brooks night last night, way too country for me and just not very good vocally...GRADE C-.....and Bottom 3 tonight for me
• Elise Testone....chose to sing a rather obscure Billy Joel song with "Vienna", which could hurt her, but she really sang it with a flair and style that made it current and made it her own! Thought for sure she would have been behind the piano last night, but, a very solid performance none the less....GRADE: B+.....but will America place her in the 'bottom 3' for the 3rd straight week? I hope not.....she certainly does NOT deserve being there!
• Phillip Phillips......as I thought he would do, he picked a Billy Joel classic with "Movin' Out" and really made it his own, and 'Phillipized' it! Great job! GRADE: A-
• Hollie Cavanaugh.......chose to sing a Billy Joel ballad with "Honesty", great song choice for her, but the only problem is, she didn't do it any justice vocally. Odd beginning, hard to understand her lyrics, and certainly not her best performance. And 'oh by the way, Tommy' you did her NO favors in dressing her for the night, horrible look! GRADE- C 
• Heejun Hun......chose to sing "My Life", a fun song....surprised everyone with his outfit, going from a suit to a wild shirt and danced all over the stage and in the audience....but still wasn't good at all vocally....GRADES: A for effort and FUN, D- for vocals....Bottom 3 tonight!
• Jessica Sanchez.....sang a rather obscure Billy Joel song from the album "The Stranger" with "Everybody Has a Dream".....worried about the song choice for her, but she absolutely nailed it with great vocals and stage presence! 2nd best of the night! GRADE: A

•   Colton Dixon......stayed true to himself and chose the 'ultimate' Billy Joel classic with "Piano Man".....only contestant of the night to really also stay true to the Piano' Man's music with a performance that was truly magical.....BEST OF THE NIGHT......by far! GRADE: A+

So who's in trouble tonight and should be in the Bottom 3?
Heejun Hun, DeAndre Brackensack and Skylar Laine.......in my opinion anyway....but America always finds a way to screw it up, so don't be at all surprised if either Elise Testone or Erika Van Pelt is here again sitting in a bottom 3 chair for a 3rd straight week!
Who Goes Home? Without a doubt.....it SHOULD be Heejun Hun......but again, America just might be stupid enough to put him thru 'safely' for the 2nd consecutive week! Good Lord I hope not!!

Also on the one hour results show tonight......HALEY REINHART.........singing her first single "Free" off her debut album, so I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite girl from last season's Idol, who finished 3rd in last year's competition.

So….who do you think goes home tonight? Who’s your favorite guy and gal this year? More from Eddie Idol after the TOP 9 are announced after tonight's show. As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter…….after the show!

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 10 TO PERFORM BILLY JOEL SONGBOOK

Idol Season 11: The Top 10 Touring Group

Last week's Idol shows gave us our TOP 10 who will make up the Idol group who gets to Summer Tour across the USA, and Idol also gave us a few surprises during Thursday's single elimination show. I wasn't shocked that Shannon Magrane was in the bottom 3, but was shocked that America was stupid enough to send her home with the lowest # of votes, yet vote enough for Heejun 'The Horrible' Hun to put him into the TOP 10. What a joke! UGH!! I hope folks who voted for him and attend the summer shows cringe when he sings on tour.

Also a surprise was seeing Elise Testone, after a great performance last week, end up yet again in the dreaded 'bottom 3', along with her 28-year old friend Erika Van Pelt, who also sang well last week. Seeing this trend two weeks in a row tells me that neither girl is a threat to win this season, most likely because of their age (both at 28), and that both will be going home before too long in the coming weeks of competition. That's too bad, because I think that Elise especially, is quite talented.

Heading into tonight's how, here's how I would rank the remaining 5 girls and 5 guys that are left, based on vocal and overall stage talent shown so far, and NOT what America thinks:

Girls: 1) Jessica Sanchez 2) Hollie Cavanaugh 3) Elise Testone 4) Skylar Laine 5) Erika Van Pelt 

Guys: 1) Joshua Ledet 2) Phillip Phillips 3) Colton Dixon 4) DeAndre Brackensick 5) Heejun Hun

Singer/Songwriter Billy Joel

Tonight should be a great show as FINALLY, and for the first time on the Idol stage, we get to hear contestants perform songs from the Billy Joel Songbook. Should be a BIG advantage for Colton Dixon and Elise Testone, both piano players that surely will shine with a classic BJ song, and also Phillip Phillips, who I'm sure will make one Billy Joel classic his own and could outshine everybody tonight. I expect big things from all three on the stage this evening!

We'll see if I'm right, as I'll be posting comments after the show, so stay tuned!

  

IDOL UPDATE: TOP 11 (Not 12?) RECAP....and WHO GOES HOME?

Another busy work week, and spring projects with the warm weather, so for the 2nd straight week I’ll keep last nights two-hour TOP 11 performances on Idol brief. Last night's Idol show came with a new and interesting announcement that one of the TOP 12 contestants would be disqualified....WOW!?
Later on in the show Ryan and Idol's producers announced that Jermaine Jones, the 'Gentle Giant', would be going home early because of as many as four outstanding warrants against him. So, looks like Jermaine isn't such a 'gentle giant' after all.

Which makes tonight's one-hour show on Fox VERY special, because after tonight's single elimination, it'll be the TOP 10 who are left and, of course, it's these contestants who will make up your IDOL TOURING GROUP who participate in the upcoming summer concert tour across the USA.

So......as we count down the hours until the TOURING TOP 10 is officially announced tonight.....drum roll please and dim the lights, here we go.....

The BEST performances from last night:

Wasn't even close last night! JOSHUA LEDET was the BEST, and he brought down the house with an incredible version of Michael Bolton's "When A Man Loves A Women"......standing ovation worthy and an A+ Grade! Also performing very well last night, and ending up in my TOP 4 were: Elise Testone, Hollie Cavnaugh and Phillip Phillips.

Next 4 and all should be SAFE for at least another week:
Grading with B's last night with solid performances were: Colton Dixon, Erika Van Pelt, Jessica Sanchez and Skylar Laine

Who's in Trouble tonight and 'should be' in the BOTTOM 3?

Grading out in the C's or D's and most likely to end up in the dreaded BOTTOM 3 tonight are: Shannon Magrane, DeAndre Brackensick and the absolute WORST OF THE NIGHT.....Heejun Hun......these three should all be worried heading into tonight's single elimination, but I will NOT be surprised if Erika Van Pelt is in the BOTTOM 3 instea of one of the others mentioned here.

Who Goes Home?

If America has ANY ears and sense of GOOD vs. BAD vocal talent on this show, HEEJUN HUN should be sent packing and NOT become a part of the TOP 10 TOURING GROUP.....please!!.....send him home and end the misery here! 

So….who do you think goes home tonight? Who’s your favorite guys and gals in the TOP 11? More from Eddie Idol on the TOP 10 are announced after tonight's show. As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter…….after the break!

IDOL UPDATE: AND THEN THERE WERE 12!

Goodbye to Jeremy Rosado

Not going to crow too, too much, but.....gotta' say I had it picked exactly the way it unfolded last Thursday night on Idol! Only twist by Idol was still doing the bottom 3 for both the gals and guys, but I did pick the 'Bottom 2' spots for the girls and guys per my previous post before Thursday night's show. The bottom 2 girls were Elise Testone and Shannon Magrane, and the bottom two guys were Jeremy Rosado and Jermaine Jones. After Jermaine Jones and Shannon Magrane were declared 'safe' by Ryan, that left Elise Testone and Jeremy Rosado as the bottom two vote getter's, after which the judges decided which of these two would stay, and which one would go home......and the judges saved Elise, as I thought....and sent Jeremy packing.....just as I predicted! :-)

Will this trend of the judges getting involved in the final decision on who goes home continue? Based on the opening comments to the show Thursday night by Ryan Seacrest, this was a 'one night only', meaning we will not see it again this season unless the judges use their one and only 'save' in the coming weeks once they get inside the TOP 10.

In other Idol news......Lauren Alaina performed her new single "Georgia Peaches" off her new album as a guest singer Thursday night on Idol. She looked and sounded good, other than some technical difficulties on the Idol stage with wiring and earphones. Yikes!

This year's 'goodbye song' for Idol contestants voted off is Scotty McCeery's "Please Remember Me", a nice choice by Idol as we heard it last night for Jeremy's goodbye at the end of the show. 

More on IDOL coming this week before the next show, so stay tuned!  

TOP 13 RECAP....and....WHO GOES HOME TONIGHT?

TOP 13 of Idol, Season 11

Because Eddie Idol’s a bit under the gun with work and projects this week, I’ll keep my usually lengthy recap of the last nights two-hour TOP 13 performances on Idol short and sweet here. Last night was Idol's 400th show, and arguably the BEST show so far this year. It also came with a new and interesting twist announced that is on for tonight's one-hour elimination show on Fox. It's the GALS vs. GUYS, and the lowest vote getter will be announced for both the girls and the guys tonight, then it will be up to the judges, who will then decide which of the two goes home. Eddie likes it!

So......as we count down the hours until the TOP 12 is officially announced tonight.....drum roll please and dim the lights, here we go..... 

The BEST performances from last night:

Once again, for the 2nd consecutive week, Jessica Sanchez takes TOP honors! She nailed Whitney's "I Will Always Love You", and got a standing ovation from the judges! WOW! She's without a doubt the front-runner for the ladies so far. Also performing very well last night, and grading out with A's were: Joshua Ledet, Erika Van Pelt, Hollie Cavnaugh and Phillip Phillips.

Should be SAFE for at least another week:
Grading out in the B's last night with solid performances were: Colton Dixon, DeAndre Brackensick, Skylar Laine and Heejun Hun....yes....I said Heejun, who as Randy said, 'wasn't perfect, but very good'. There....I gave him props!

Who's in Trouble tonight?

Grading out in the C's and most likely to end up in the dreaded BOTTOM 2 tonight are, for the Girls....either Elise Testone or Shannon Magrane.....and for the Guys......either Jermaine Jones or Jeremy Rosado....these four should all be worried heading into tonight's single elimination.

Who Goes Home?

If it comes down to either of the girls mentioned, I think the judges save the GIRL and eliminate a guy, and I think that guy will be......Jeremy Rosado.

So….who do you think goes home tonight? Who’s your favorite guys and gals in the TOP 12? More from Eddie Idol on the TOP 12 after tonight's interesting show. As always, stay tuned for more ‘Eddie Idol’ chatter…….after the break!