Idol Needs Simon: Top 8 Perform

Showing posts with label Top 8 Perform. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

8 Perform – James

Well, the producers definitely saved the best for last this week. You are saving the show's rating this season, James. There is no more complete performer in this year's competition. You are this season's Adam Lambert – actually rocking the house. Zakk Wylde was a special part unlike so many of the stage-cluttering messes we've witnessed this evening. If you want to win though, James, you've got to take a few risks the next couple of weeks. You and Scotty may be facing off in the finale, but he will edge you out if you cannot show another dimension or two. I have always thought you were the guy to beat, and I stand by that for another week. Great job, keep it up!

Afterthoughts
What if Ryan asked Simon, "You've faulted others for failing to take advice and then you love what James has done?"
That's the whole point of advice. You listen and you learn and you act. There's an art to following advice. You have to have confidence in yourself to follow what's good and ignore what's bad. Most importantly, if you have something good going, you can stay true to it. It's the difference between Casey and James. Casey doesn't have a good thing going, James has an amazing thing going. Now, I'd still say to James again, he's got to do a simple, no tricks, no gimmicks, no fire, sit on a stool and tear our hearts out moment performance in my book to win and not just to win but to launch a career. At his age, with his talent, with his emotional comprehension of the music, he could be a huge, huge star. He's going to need to break free a little from his reliance on this affection for heavy metal and screeching – sorry, but he's bigger than that. I believe he could deliver one of the most moving songs of all time. I saw it in him last week. He is stunning.

8 Perform – Jacob

Your biggest problem, Jacob, was that you had precisely zero real emotional connection to this song. I have no idea what Steven Tyler's comments meant. All, I can say is that was the worst performance of the night. Randy needs to take out his ear plugs and really listen. Dogs and cats won't sleep tonight the world over. I don't have anything constructive to say at all. Time to go back to the drawing board. You've got zero star quality. After last week's outrageously poor performance, it would have been wise for you to look in the mirror and come up with something the opposite of this rubbish.

What if Ryan asked Simon, "What should Jacob do to salvage this?"
Frankly, I doubted he'd be here this week. I guess you cannot count him out, but based on tonight and the summation of his journey, I'd say this will be his next to last performance. I can still see a spark of hope in some of the other contestants, but I've seen nothing to lead me to believe Jacob is going to get any better in six weeks. Give the other guys and girls a chance. Jacob would seem to have squandered any remaining good will. Like I said before, there's just no star quality in his performances. If he gets another week, I already said time to go back to the drawing board, but I really mean just that.

8 Perform – Haley

I find it fascinating that the judges finally gave a realistic critique this many weeks into the competition. It's unfortunate they picked you for it especially after Jennifer's plea to save the girls. Ironically, I wouldn't have been as hard on you as they were. You picked a very tough song, you are certainly not Debbie Harry, but compared to Lauren's poor Miley Cyrus, you were fantastic. You brought much more of a full package performance working the stage and commanding the audience than any other performance this evening so far. I liked you, and I think America's going to keep you around for a while. Take the criticism and grow. What do you grow from more, puppy love or tough love?

Afterthoughts
What if Ryan asked Simon, "Wow, is that the first close to a love critique you've given this season?"
I don't give love critiques. I just tell people honestly how it is. Haley's performance was one of her personal bests when it comes to overall stage presence and stage management. Were her vocals a little shaky in the beginning? Maybe, but there were three before her that were worse and were told nothing. I thought Haley was charming showed great showmanship. People talking about wanting to buy front row tickets, this was a performance worth selling. The question is, was this her one hit wonder or a window into what will be to come.

8 Perform – Casey

"Nature Boy"? Casey, well you know I wouldn't have saved you. As much I've prayed you'd get a proper shave and haircut, I now see that, like, Sampson, gone with the hair went not only your ability to sing but to perform. That was absolutely horrendous, self-indulgent, and unforgivable. If Randy and Jennifer have to continue to justify you by saying you're an artist, which sadly this season has become a euphemism for "too terrible to even describe in words in the English language", and you're like some fringe performers who've sold many albums, you should realize something's not working. If you get a next time, listen to the professionals, and make better choices. Try to grow the hair back fast. I never thought I'd say that. More than anything you need coaching on stage presence. Watch your tapes and look at your face. Your expressions and motions look completely detached from what you're doing. It's like watching amateur hour and this is too late in the competition for amateurs, I think.

Afterthoughts
What if Ryan asked Simon, "Do you think you are being too hard on Casey?"
If I wanted Casey to go home next, I'd tell him he was an artist. No, I don't think I'm too hard on him. Do you want him to improve? Look, after ten seasons one thing is obvious, America can't stand self-indulgent people or people who come across that way. Look, we all liked Crystal Bowersox last year, but she lost because she never was able to break it to us that she was just as interested in her own untested artistry and our ability to spot true artistry. Casey's in this same category. You can ignore all the advice you want, but if you end up in the bottom three again, you'll know why. If you get sent packing you'll understand.

8 Perform – Scotty

My first comment is that whomsoever decided to populate the stage and consequently your rendition with all that extraneous commotion and vocal pollution doesn't get the point of this competition. Not only was that a tremendous song choice for you, but Randy and I finally agree, Scott, you are a truly rare talent. I cannot say you've got pop star talent, but you've got more stage presence than our previous country idol winners added together, with all due respect to Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks. You're a little like a time warp, but you are brilliant.

Afterthoughts
What if Ryan asked Simon, "Can anybody beat Scotty?"
That's a stupid question, Ryan, come on. Of course, someone can beat him. Anyone still in the competition can beat him if they do the right things. If the panel of judges would give the others something to work with to grow. Scotty is great. He's a baby Andy Williams or George Straight all in one package. But, is he vulnerable, sure, he could trip up next week trying to do what everyone tells him and that's break out and do something off the cuff. It could hurt him to deviate too much from his comfort zone.

8 Perform – Stefano

Stefano, Randy thinks you slayed the song; and I agree, the song is dead. I have one word for you, and it's 'forced'. From your outfit to your final note which you failed to attenuate even once, the whole performance was just too much effort. You looked intermittently like randomly selected body parts were in a vice and a clumsy marionette. Were you better than last week? Yes, but will you be in the bottom three again? Yes.

Afterthoughts
What if Ryan asked Simon, "Is Stefano going home in your opinion?"
Ryan, I don't have any delusions that Stefano will be going home empty-handed, but it's too early in the show to say, yes or no to that question. I'd say his performance wasn't great. It's too bad really, he's taking the wrong advice. If I had to speculate, I'd say he's been told he can get the teenage girl's vote if he just looks sad and emotional. Obviously, we'll find out tomorrow if that was good advice. My guess is it's not.

8 Perform – Lauren

You know what I love about Lauren, that no one on this panel has an honest bone in their bodies. This was a poor song choice not because you couldn't have sung it well, nor because it's not a great song, but because you should have known you would have been too nervous which accounts for the shaky beginning and horribly mis-arranged ending. I did agree with Steven, you moved me to tears, just not the good kind. You're a beautiful girl who has potential, but you've got to be careful if you hope to have more weeks here let alone a real singing career.

Afterthoughts
What if Ryan asked Simon, "What should Lauren have done, Mr. White Tee?"
Ok, let's keep the comments on the contestants, Ryan, please. Ok, Lauren, seriously, you're young, but you're coming across as so young it's almost desperate. If you watched the TMZ crew go toe to toe with James when was it last week? There was one guy who told James he needed to tone it down when it comes to how he reacts to other celebrities. It's a maturity thing that when you start to break into the business you just don't go gaga all over your childhood idols. It's not dignified and it makes you look so juvenile. It's not your fault they aired all that stuff about you and your affection for this song and Miley Cyrus, but it just made you look so desperate, and that came through in your entire performance. What should you do, Lauren, sorry, but you need to grow up. You can sing, you really can, and there were glimpses of it in your performance tonight. You've got to gain confidence in yourself to ever make it here.

8 Perform – Paul

Are you all asleep? There's no way you were watching what I just saw? If I were in a third-rate Vegas lounge that's not only the type of performance I'd expect, but that outfit's the pattern I'd expect to see on the wall paper. Come on Paul, you're better than this and better than your performance. I'm going to be brutally honest, Paul, but your showmanship has seen better days, and if people lift a finger to vote for you it will be based on previous weeks. That was boring and the commercials up next may be more entertaining.

Afterthoughts
What if Ryan asked Simon, "What does Paul need to do to improve?"
That's a great question. Paul in so many ways doesn't fit with this group. He's the oldest now that Naima's departed, yet he doesn't seem to be capitalizing on experience when it comes to staging his performances. Tonight's was all over the place, erratic, like a child's wind-up toy, a frenetic wind-up toy. This whole performance just reminded me of that old computer game, "Lounge Lizard Larry" was it? Something like that. If it had been me, I would had done something incredibly moving this evening. I would have planted myself on a stool, gotten rid of all the trappings, and done something like the theme from "Evergreen". I would have shown my sensitive side, but also something that really showcased my voice and my ability to command the audience with something just powerful not gimmicky.

Top 8 Performance Show: Intro

I'd like to start by saying I don't see why everyone was so surprised and there was such an uproar about Pia's elimination. First, this is a competition to find America's next Idol. That means someone's going home each week. Second, the judges used the save in week three on Casey. Don't cry over the loss of Pia when you used the save to keep a guy who looked like a cross between Michael J. Fox's Teen Wolf and an ordinary dust mop; and, sorry, he didn't perform much better. Pia's gone and somebody else will be going home this week. Get over it.

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011