161 replies to this topic

[montferrat]

Phillip's first performance was great! Second was good. Third was meh.

Jessica's first performance was weak sauce. She's no Mariah Carey that's for sure. Lower register is ass. Her second performance was alright. And her third was better.

Joshua was good on the first song. Great on the second, and eh..on the third.

I have no idea who's getting the boot tommorrow. But I'd rather see a competition between Phillip and Josh to be honest. I just think Jessica should have waited a few years. Her voice isn't full bodied yet, and she has the perfomance skills of a drama club member at the local high school.

Edited by montferrat, May 16, 2012 @ 9:10 PM.

[katycat74]

"We've got Tonight" was physically painful to listen to. And this is from a PP fan. Have no idea what the "judges" were listening to, but yikes that was bad.

[pk124]

Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Huh? It's over? Geeze, was this the longest episode of AI ever? Sure felt like it.

I don't think I've cared less about a final three since, well, ever. And that includes the unforgettable Casey/Crystal/Lee trifecta of S9. Usually I have someone to root for even if I don't have a favorite, but this year I just.don't.care. None of these three have any real shot at mainstream success so what's the point?

Phillip's last performance has to be the most awkward performance I've ever seen by a contestant at this stage. Between the vacant stare and the constant leg-rubbing, it was hard to watch. Just kind of proves how much of a crutch the guitar is. His other two performances were the same old. He's gonna win because duh.

Did not like Jessica's first performance of the Mariah song. I just don't like that type of singing with all the runs and stuff. And she would be the first person to sing an Aerosmith song in front of Steven during the live shows. That song's been done 163423 times on AI, and she was outsung at least half of those times.

Joshua. I recognize that he's mad talented but it's just so outdated. I almost don't want him to win just to see the judges' heads explode. I feel like he's Ruben 2.0, both in style and level of judge pimpage.

I guess Jessica's going home because she's female, but really it's gonna be close.

Also, I thought some of Shannon's faces/reactions in the audience were hilarious.

[lleykian54]

Best part of the show for me was watching the reactions of the booted contestants, especially the interactions between Shannon and Hollie. Shannon pretending to swoon over Philip with Hollie fanning her was adorably presh. And I see Elise continues to look as unimpressed as ever...love her.

I don't know if Jessica is tired but man, there was like no fire in her tonight. None of her performances were particularly memorable. Phillip was Philip so I guess there's that. Didn't get the tongue bath over We've Got Tonight (and I will forever crack up over hearing how hitting the notes doesn't matter, when critiquing a singing competition) but thought his first performance was cool. Joshua too was Joshua and I must confess I did appreciate the bsc ending to No More Drama because it was very apropos. You cannot sing that song and not lose your mind. It's like a law.

Edited by lleykian54, May 16, 2012 @ 9:14 PM.

[Babalooie]

I didn't get all of the accolades the judges were throwing at PhilPhil for that last performance. I still believe that he is too ill to become the winner with all of the stress that it entails.
On another note, "Beggin" by Madcon was originally by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons from the sixties. They should have acknowledged that.

Edited by Babalooie, May 16, 2012 @ 9:15 PM.

[kems28]

Phillip did not deserve that standing ovation. That performance, in the words of Randy Jackson, was just alright for me (dawg). I liked his first one the best, it was all downhill from there.

If the judges had to give a standing O, they should have given it to Josh's "No More Drama." I've been critical of the judges constant over-praise of Josh all season, but that performance truly deserved it. Amazing stuff. He literally took it to church with the, "Do I have anybody in here who doesn't want drama?!" I loved it!

Jessica was just okay. Once again she straight up copied the phrasing of original versions. I couldn't believe she actually tried to do all the different voices in "I'll Be There." Randy was right, she should have done the Mariah version. And if you'll excuse me, I now have to wash my mouth out for agreeing with Randy.

[CK17]

That was a terrible Top 3 show. Bad song choices all around.

Joshua - 1st performance was his best still too shrieking and churchy for me. LOL @ Randy calling him current.

Jessica - My All? Good job JLo, that has to be one of the most boring choices ever, what terrible song for singing competition. Don't Want To Miss A Thing was also boring. 3rd song was her best, but wasn't that great.

Phillip - 3rd song was a choice by Jimmy. 2nd was really terrible, 1st was the prototypical Phillip song. Steven saying "It doesn't matter if you hit the notes or not," sums up the Phillip Phillips experience.


Well Phillip's obviously making the Top 2 as he's a WGWG. Would love to see the judges faces if Joshua and his 15 Standing O got sent home, but it'll probably be Jessica.

Edited by CK17, May 16, 2012 @ 9:16 PM.

[roydenlea]

It looked like Jessica and Phillip were battling it out for the evening's most boring performance. It's a hard one to call. My heart sank a bit when it seemed that Jessica didn't recognize 'I'll Be There'. But I had to laugh when, once again, the judges were left with congratulating Phillip for being able to stick to the melody. Considering that Jessica was REALLY boring and she's not a WGWG, I think Jessica wins by a nose.

I thought poor Joshua was stuck trying to bring some talent and excitement to the longest two hours in television. He sang beautifully (even though I think 'Imagine' is one of the most over-rated songs in musical history) but the guy isn't a miracle worker.

Edited by roydenlea, May 16, 2012 @ 9:36 PM.

[Diana Berry]

I'm up for a Phil/Josh finale.

I noticed the contestant that colored her hair black( her name escapes me) has gone back to blonde. Also, Elise still seemed to have an attitude even in the audience...love it.

Edited by Diana Berry, May 16, 2012 @ 9:17 PM.

[rustyspigot]

Jessica kind of took a mulligan. She lacked energy.

Phillip really liked the feel of his pants fabric in that last song.

Stop fucking hopping, Joshua! Mantasia indeed.

Little Hollie made me smile in the audience. I hope someone explained the meanings of the songs to her.

[TryDelta]

In "The Brady Bunch Movie" the running gag was that Mr. Brady's architectural designs all ended up looking exactly like the Brady house. I feel Phillip Phillips is the singing equivalent of Mr. Brady. I don't know what the hell kind of moment Randy Jackson was talking about on the last song. That was just flatlining from start to finish

Jessica really mangled "My All" and again I didn't quite get the judges' praise. And I'm a fan! but she did great with the other two.

Joshua probably had the best night out of the three.

Edited by TryDelta, May 16, 2012 @ 9:25 PM.

[Chicken Wing]

Good Lord, that was dull.

I too have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. Each contestant had good and "eh" songs. I will guess Jessica will be saying goodbye only because the boys are both from the South, and we know how ardently the Southern folks like to vote.

[ArithAlphamale]

Jessica
Jessica probably had her best night of the competition. "My All" was a great, stripped back song for her, thanks Randy for forcing her to not power through a song for two straight minutes. I think this paled to P2 & Joshua's first offerings because of their songs being more memorable ("Beggin") or full of glory notes ("I'd Rather Go Blind")

I loved her voice on the karaoke classic, "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing", although I wish she had chosen a different song. Once again, props to Jessica to sticking to the songs already on the cleared list.[/sarcasm] Ever since she went to get "Stuttering" cleared and ended up at the bottom in votes, she refuses to take a risk.

"I'll Be There" is an ancient song, but I loved it for her...she sounded great, and I think her studio version will be better. I'd love to see her again next week.

Joshua
He emerged as the winner of the night for me (on a weaker night, at that), pretty much doing a decent job on each song. I wasn't a fan of him choosing "No More Drama", but it's whatever. I think his best performance of the night was "I'd Rather Go Blind", mainly because I HATE "Imagine", and I'm tired of the Mary song (even with it being song on idol for the first time.)

If I could have Joshua AND Jessica in the finale, I'd love to see that happen. Too bad it can't happen, with...

Phillip
LOVED his first performance of "Beggin", and then everything then on was just standard Phillip Phillips. I've been tired of hi shtick for WEEKS. 'd rather be suffering through the nasal stylings of Colton at this point, at least he switched it up. I know that singing isn't just about glory notes and belting, but P2's lack of range is unfortunate, and out of all of the finalists, he is the one who really hasn't improved during the course of the season. His low performances don't even seem that bad because even at his best, it's somewhat mediocre, or in need of an assisting vocalist ("Volcano"). Still, he'll probably bring the 'suckitude' during next week's finale.

What I'd Like:
Phillip Going HOME

What I Predict
Jessica will leave us, or Joshua for the shock boot and Phillip will be standing with him in the villain role.

Edited by ArithAlphamale, May 16, 2012 @ 9:21 PM.

[proserpina65]

So Joshua 1) screamed at me, 2) shat all over John Lennon (thank god Julian wasn't in the audience this week) and 3) screamed at me some more. Jessica was 1,2&3) vocally very good and completely boring. Phillip was 1) great, 2) better than the judges said and 3) managed to get through We've Got Tonight without struggling too much with the higher notes.

Okay, so really Joshua was very good on most of I'd Rather Go Blind although he did start screaming at me by the end. Imagine is one of the songs where singers should just sing the melody and not play around with it too much - he sucked giant monkey balls on it. The more subtle moments in No More Drama were quite good but again with the screaming, although it did suit the song better.

Jessica proved what an excellent mimic she is with the Mariah song. She obviously didn't get the Diane Warren crapfest that is Don't Wanna Miss A Thing, but vocally it was alright. I'll Be There was just there, with no real emotion behind it.

Phillip did a terrific job with Beggin' (another song I'd never heard of before tonight), best of the night and right up there with Volcano as his best all season. He was much better on Disease than the judges gave him credit for, but it was lower energy than his first song, and I think that was probably their issue. Bob Seger was a good choice for him but I really with Jimmy had given him Turn The Page instead; the lower range would've suited him better. Still, he only struggled with the higher notes there at the end, and did fine with the rest.

So all in all, I think Joshua will probably come out on top in tonight's battle to finish second to Phillip in the final, and I'm fine with that. For me, Phillip has been the most engaging singer even if vocally he isn't the best, and Joshua, while not really my second choice (that was Elise), is definitely a better performer than Jessica.

[Rickster]

I too must have been watching a different P2 performance on the last song than the judges. Melody? He talked his way through it. Really weak, although I thought his first two performances were OK.

Really hard to pick a winner, they all have their weaknesses. I'd probably go for the all male finale.

[LennieB]

P2's last song was the like Holmesian dog bark: The growl that wasn't there. Interesting revelation.

For me (for you), the best moment was Joshua's (seemingly) spontaneous "Do I have anybody in here who doesn't want drama?!"

[montferrat]

don't know if Jessica is tired but man, there was like no fire in her tonight.

That's exactly what I felt about her performance of "My All".

"My All" was a great, stripped back song for her, thanks Randy for forcing her to not power through a song for two straight minutes.

In my opinion, it lacked the powerful, strong vocal that Mariah finishes that song on. And the performance suffered greatly in my opinion because of that. Well and also because Jessica stank up the joint with her horrible lower register and vastly over-simplified the lower range vocals in the verses. Jessica was chopping notes and words left and right in them. Blah...going to listen to Mariah's version now.

Edited by montferrat, May 16, 2012 @ 9:26 PM.

[Ohwell]

I never thought I'd say this about Phil for two weeks in a row but...I liked him. I'd never heard "Begging" before but Steven did him a big favor having him sing it. The 2nd song was meh--never heard of that one either--but he nailed the last one (the thigh rubbing was distracting though). When he cuts out the faux Dave Matthews crap and doesn't screw up his face so much, I can actually detect some talent there.

Joshua did Joshua and Jessica did Jessica, but neither one made me sit up take notice.

I don't care who winds up in the F2 but I'm pretty sure one of them will be Phil.

DeAndre!

[Wurlitzer]

Talk about a snoozefest. I reached so hard to find something to make this night worthwhile, but it didn't happen. Loved Phil's first performance, though.

This poor season is ending with a wimper. Terrible song choices all around for the most part. Tonight could've been a big night if Jimmy and the judges picked songs that could've made Josh and Jessica look relevant - but they didn't. I was really hoping for Josh to do another Bruno Mars tune.

I feed the poor on Tuesdays so I won't get to see the performance show, but I could not care less. Here's to my dream of Skylar and Joshua singing a very ironic version of "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" at the finale.

Edited by Wurlitzer, May 16, 2012 @ 9:33 PM.

[mojoween]

Did I hear Ryan correctly? Lisa Marie Presley is performing tomorrow? Why?

[GreatHerringWar]

I thought Jessica was a complete void. "My All" was TERRIBLE. I know it wasn't her song choice, but it was shaky, flat, and awful. One of the worst performances I've seen at this stage. (I've been around since Nikki McKibbin came in third, if that means anything.) The next two weren't much better. So, so generic. I couldn't pick her voice out of a crowd. What happened to the girl from the Vegas group round? Honestly, I know it landed her in the bottom but I liked her when she did "Stutterin'."

Phil was surprisingly great on the first song. The second two were zzzzzz.

I LOVED Josh's No More Drama. Loved, loved, loved. Liked Imagine. I'd Rather Go Blind was eh for me. I enjoyed his home visit footage the most.

I really missed Hollie's voice tonight.

Edited by GreatHerringWar, May 16, 2012 @ 9:35 PM.

[Sedruol]

I found a few songs I liked well enough to rewind / relisten to, so I would say this was a pretty decent outing for Top 3.

Joshua's "No More Drama" was probably the most exciting performance of the season...he totally sold the emotion of the song.

I was surprised to really, really like P2's "We've got Tonight" ... he seemed nervous with the hand fidgets on his leg, but his voice was so tender and sincere - I bought it. I also thought he did great on his first song.

Jessica seems like a nice girl but she doesn't have the stage presence or originality to really be convincing on some of the songs she's been given. Also I still can't get past that the only reason she's still around is the judge's save - so in a way, I don't think she's earned her spot in the way the other two have. (I wish they'd just get rid of the save - America should decide, for good or ill).

I'm hoping for a Joshua / P2 final 2.

[Bad Thoughts]

I felt that this week would be Jessica and Joshua battling to see who would face PP in the finals. Jessica fell flat on "My All." She concentrated on the ornamentations but didn't provide the fragility the song required--she got the details, but not the big picture. her other songs did not do much for her. Joshua's "Imagine" was a throwaway, and I'm sick of covers of the song. "No Drama" was effective as an exercise in extremes, going haywire crazy before pulling it back. I think Joshua's going on and Jessica's going home.

[sandrajane]

Tonight just really showed how much Jessica just mimics the original singers voice. That whole drop into a mans singing voice on I'll Be There? Her "My All" performance was pretty lackluster and not good at all. She couldn't hit the low notes, and seemed to just struggle trying to sing it exactly like Mariah did. She also should have laid off the vibrato. I'm also thinking she left off high belting not because the judges wanted to hear Jessica sing softer (in a song with such high belting) but because she couldn't do it.

Josh has a very good voice in there, but he just too over the top for me. He reigned it in somewhat on Imagine, but still went over the top with it. I wish he had kept it the way it was originally done, like Phillip did with his Jimmy pick.

Phil always sounds like ass, but I thought he had the best song choices. And they showed him crying? That just sealed the deal for the win.

[Ketzel]

I don't know why it's taken me so long to realize that Randy, Jennifer and Steven are simply not all that smart. They may have some musical talent and some professional instincts, but they have no ability to analyze a performance or articulate their reactions in an intelligent, understandable way. And to save their lives, they can't offer actual constructive criticism.

Does Randy not understand that "you have to pick the right song, and that wasn't it," and "great singers can sing the phone book and you are a great singer" is all just pointless nonsense when he says it TO THE SAME PERSON? Does Steven understand how absurd it is when he (and occasionally Jennifer) assure the contestants that it doesn't matter if they hit the notes as long as they FEEL the song? Do Jennifer and Randy not get that if they keep urging singers to "have a moment" (which they seem to define as big shrieking runs of notes) it's stupid to then criticize the singer for not showing enough restraint - especially when the moment the singer tries to rein it in, both of them start chastising them for not "having a moment"?

All of that nonsense was on full display tonight, and the singers it has influenced are a pretty sad lot at this point. Joshua channels a mishmash of Sam Cooke and James Brown on every song, Jessica karaokes songs she's too young to understand and too weak in the lower register to produce, and Phil is just, well, bad, while plainly thinking he's a star in the making. It's hard to care who wins, because none of these singers have developed in any way through this competition and none of them were all that to start with.

[Ohwell]

I usually don't like to comment on how the contestants interact with each other on stage because they might be nervous or who knows what they're thinking. But I couldn't help noticing at the end when Phil reached behind Ryan to touch Joshua on the shoulder, he didn't react or acknowledge Phil. It's almost as if he were thinking "yeah, pat me on the back you SOB because you know you're in the F2 and Jessica and I had to battle it out for the other spot."

Edited by Ohwell, May 16, 2012 @ 9:45 PM.

[Nedsdag]

Did I hear Ryan correctly? Lisa Marie Presley is performing tomorrow? Why?

She has a new album coming out.

Tonight's show is prolonging the inevitable: Pee Pee's coronation next week.

It should be interesting to watch Pee Pee bowel movement straining, I mean, singing the winner's song next Wednesday.

Enjoy Lee DeWyzzzze 2.0, AI producers.

Edited by Nedsdag, May 16, 2012 @ 9:47 PM.

[roydenlea]

I really wish they had brought back the theme nights this season. Some of them were unbearably corny but it was good to see singers taken out of their niche and attempting songs they would never consider singing. I think it would have been even more beneficial this season with singers like Phil, who refused to even change his clothes. Of the final three, Joshua is the only one who has tried something new. I think 'Imagine' was obviously an answer to all those who have said that Joshua can't pull it back (even though he has already done that, and very well too, with 'Ready for Love'). I loathed Colton, but after this very boring final three when it appeared to me that Joshua was the only one who even bothered to put an effort into this thing, I appreciate Colton a bit more. At least with Colton, he kept you wondering what he was going to do.

[trojan69]

The going home vignettes used to guarantee some good TV. This year's was more boring than Randy talking about Journey. Oh well, at least Mama Yamin gets to retain the trophy for awesomest homecoming evah.

Jessica is done. I'll give Jimmy credit for at least choosing an age-appropriate and melodious song for her. JLo did a phenomenal job protecting her Peepee. What the holy hell is that song? She ripped Joshua for singing a subdued piece and made damn sure she picked one for the only female remaining. Time to move from this hood, Jenny. Enjoy your world tour, which as we all know, is the best possible environment in which to raise young children as a single parent.

I honestly think that Simon would have punched any judge who decided to stand for Peepee after that abortion of a finale. Jimmy must not like the dude too good. A song that demands the richness of a voice like Seger for the reed thin voice of WGWG? Sabatoogey, plain and simple.

[the macguffin]

Jessica really, surprisingly, kind of fell apart tonight. I guess she really is ONLY 16!!! That Mariah song was especially poor, she clearly doesn't have the breath control or range to tackle that one.
Joshua is so professional, he's a bit out of place with the other two. I can't say his first 2 songs moved me- plus I detest 'Imagine'- but No More Drama was excellent. I got a kick out of his showmanship at his hometown concert. He's gonna be great on the tour.
I confess, I changed channels for PP. I can't stand him. Somebody on VFTW commented that Jess and Josh looked like they were going to prom and PP looked like he pulled on a dirty tee shirt to go down to the corner for some weed. You don't care, PP, neither do I.