‘American Idol’ top 4 results recap: who is out on ‘Idol’ and who made the top 3
Phil Phillips will be flying to his hometown Leesburg this weekend, paving the way to a possible win. CREDIT: Michael Becker/FOX
Loading ...Hollie Cavanagh had a great run but picking a Bonnie Raitt song did her in.
There were 70 million votes, 10 million more than last year. Jessica Sanchez was the first announced to be safe, followed by Joshua Ledet. Hollie joined Phillip Phillips for the final minutes, but Ryan Seacrest never said he was necessarily in the bottom two so he probably wasn’t.
Jessica, Phillip and Joshua are now guaranteed hometown visits. For the second time in two years, Georgia gets a hometown visit. Last year, it was Lauren Alaina.
Hollie, when she made it to the semifinals, was one of those half-dozen blond women, virtually indistinguishable. For a time, her performances were just so so. She had a good voice but her interpretation skills were a bit stiff. Then a few weeks in, her competitive juices kicked in, she took advice and began singing better, with more confidence. Her top 7 “Rolling in the Deep” received plaudits, as did her “The Climb” top 6 and “Bleeding Love” top five.
Even though she may have picked the wrong song Monday night, she definitely wins the “Idol’ award this year for most improved. And how could you not love her Texas/British hybrid accent?
Next week’s results show will feature Adam Lambert and Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa Marie Presley?
Jimmy Iovine’s comments:
Phillip: “[On first song, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," where he had Miss Saxy] He’s hearing his voice in his head. That’s a magical thing to watch. [Song two: "Volcano"]. He finally delivered on the promise that we’ve been looking for all year. He sang the song like he wrote it, understood it.”
Hollie: “[On "Faithfully] All the thing that concern me about Hollie – over singing, over dramatizing, actually aided her in this song. This is a very dramatic song. This kind of worked for her.” [On "I Can't Make You Love Me"] I thought she understood the core of the song. She did not. She didn’t have the personal experience or professional experience.”
Joshua: ["You Raise Me Up"] It might have worked if he had kept it simple. But instead, he went for the full glorious gospel rendition. That didn’t work. I’d try to talk him out to put songs like this on the album… he can’t use that trick on every song. ["It's a Man's Man's Man's World"] He created a piece of magic you rarely see on the ‘American Idol’ stage… it was so so captivating. I want to see it again again and again. That’s the first time I’ve felt that way. Now how can we find an original song that good on his album? Heck, let’s just do that song.”
Jessica: ["Steal Away"] Was impersonating a great older jazz blues singer a good idea? No. She ended up going back to that trick of hers when she was five years old. Everyone knows the rabbit’s going to come out of the hat. ["And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going"] This she brought her artillery in the right proportion.. she brought her power, the dynamics. It was flawless. She murdered it. As a matter of fact, Tommy Mottola emailed me and said, ‘I’m going to her first concert.’ It was shock and awe.’ ”
Last year, he noted, he knew Scotty was going to win. This year, he’s not so sure. Indeed, I have no idea who’s going to win. It could be any of the final three. And that’s a good thing for “Idol.”
In other “Idol” news:
Phillip Philips told E! he plans some major surgery to help his kidney stone problems before the tour starts. Aerosmith will perform on the “Idol” finale. “Idol” ratings slipped last night to around 16.5 million viewers and a 4.5 18-49 rating.
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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462 comments Add your comment
Sam-A
May 11th, 2012
11:23 am
Flav: JT may not sing the phone book as well as Jessica, but I’d put money on the table he could blow the dreadful Joshua outta the house! Who couldn’t (well, the equally dreadful season 3 “winner” Fword couldn’t, for sure). Even Lee Dewyze could.
JTesla
May 11th, 2012
11:25 am
Really “this girl can sing the phone book”… what does that even mean? Just about everyone can sing the phone book, it has no meaning. It is a lame cliche like “dawg”, “pitchy”, “in it to win it”, “blew it out of the box”, “we got a hot one here tonight”. etc.
Alex
May 11th, 2012
11:26 am
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:15 am
I’m not paid and exhorbitant amount of money to be a cheerleader….er….uh….judge for any contestant. I don’t have a favorite, yet I also don’t want a supposed “expert” being such a hack with over-the-top praise.
Best singer in America?
Best singer in 50 years?
Best singer in my entire life (64 years)?
Seriously?
I pretty much live by the old adage “I may not know art, but I know what I like”. I think most American are that way. When the judges stormed the beaches of Normandy…..uh, I mean stormed the stage and admonished America for such a stupid thing then when they saved 7th place finisher Jessica the entire season when right down the crapper.
Joshua screams “in my opinion”. He even screamed on the folk song “California Dreaming”, or in Joshua’s case, “California Screaming”.
Jessica growls “in my opinion” on every song and has a warbling (for lack of a better term) thing that does not register with me.
Most of the folks on this blog who like Joshua even confess to the judges going overboard.
Perhaps you’re the kind of person who claps your hands and chants “Hercules, Hercules, Hercules” everytime Screamin’ J performs, but I don’t.
JTesla
May 11th, 2012
11:28 am
For the record: I think it should be Joshua and Jessica, of course it will be Phillip and the runner up, but that is a different matter.
Just because I agree with who the judges are pimping it doesn’t follow that I like pimping.
Alex
May 11th, 2012
11:30 am
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:20 am
I’ll need smoke on the stage, some bitching lights, digital overdubs and 37 stage dancers for my performance. You know, a real JstankHo extravaganza.
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:31 am
JTesla,
You probably couldn’t sing it well, but I’m sure it would be entertaining in some form or another..lol!
My point on the judges, is I don’t really pay them much attention. I agree that they are over the top. I don’t think the judges on The Voice are any better. My point is, the judges don’t influence my opinion of the contestants. We all have musical taste and we like what we like, regardless of what others think about it.
bknsty14
May 11th, 2012
11:33 am
I agree with the Jessica warbling thing. I’ve even said that she adds runs where they aren’t needed just for the sake of adding a run. She did it in her first line of California Dreamin’. A great song that just needs to be sung. They butchered that song. I blame whoever arranged it because they gave the wrong parts to the people who sang it, IMO.
Alex
May 11th, 2012
11:34 am
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:31 am
“We all have musical taste and we like what we like, regardless of what others think about it.”
Agreed. But what would you say if the judges ripped Joshua every week about screaming his songs?
bknsty14
May 11th, 2012
11:35 am
The Judges on the Voice have a rooting interest, so at least when they go over the top they have an excuse.
JTesla
May 11th, 2012
11:35 am
I hear you Flav.
Take note: I can use cliché’s but the judges can’t.
missnadine
May 11th, 2012
11:37 am
Alex – I’ll be able to send this in a few days. I think she will be home over the weekend. She has had some really cool ones over the years, and it will be a real blast from the past for some of you, from the days of Paula and Simon. I haven’t watched this season but I did this year, just to see if I could spot her in the audience. At 52, she is past the age where the camera will pan her way, but a couple of years ago, she was seated behind Kara (? – was that her name, the 4th judge). She was in every shot then LOL.
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:38 am
Alex,
If you can put that production together, you’ll get more youtube views than Jessica Sanchez.
bandmom09
May 11th, 2012
11:41 am
I think Juliette’s version of ‘It’s a Man’s World’ was hands down better than Joshua’s. He tried to hard. He has a great voice, but I would never day that was the best performance in Idol history. But it’s just a matter of taste in music. Nothing to do with race. Yes JLo needs to go. Performing on stage by rotating her pelvis and feeling up her boyfriend and then sitting back down and acting virginal for the rest of the evening. Don’t cry for Hollie JLo. You constantly ripped her up all season. She go on to do great things, w/o having to feel up any men in the process on national TV.
G
May 11th, 2012
11:49 am
When you know how to properly place them, growls are fine. Jessica is an excellent vocalist that knows how to use them as accents (not cheat markers) to help add emotion to a song. PP uses growls as a note when he gets stuck. That’s cheating and it doesn’t sound good at all.
Alex
May 11th, 2012
11:51 am
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:38 am
Who?
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
11:53 am
missnadine, if you haven’t already heard from Rodney, just go ahead and send him the link anyway. Rho@ajc.com
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:55 am
Alex,
I would disagree with them. But i wouldn’t come on and rip Holly and PP, because the judges are ripping the contestants I think are talented. So Alex, explain to me why you constantly say Joshua screams and Jessica growls, but every single guest mentor has praised them in their sessions. Are you saying that all of these professional musicians are wrong about these two?
Mable
May 11th, 2012
11:55 am
Why does it always have to boil down to race if you don’t like someone’s singing? It has nothing to do with race. I think Joshua oversings; even Jimmy mentioned it in his review last night. Jessica needs to find a way to express herself rather than just stand there. It isn’t just about the voice; it’s how can they entertain. To compare Joshua to Freddie Mercury and Steven Tyler…no way.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
11:56 am
JT: Rage quit from a blog… I hadn’t seen that one before.
We saw a couple just last night.
Dick, Jt is right, Rodney has no control over the filter and the filter is weird. sometimes you can type to words like “boost” then “it” and the filter will see the last to letters with the next word and block it.
G
May 11th, 2012
11:56 am
I like hard rock about as much as I like r&b/soul. However, I think Juliet and Joshua both performed that song to an A+. Not to say Joshua was better than Juliet, I just “prefer” his version by a couple of points. It’s only a matter of a 96 vs 98. Really, no big deal.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
11:57 am
“two” words…
missnadine
May 11th, 2012
11:58 am
Hi Deirdre. Thank – I just did. I was able to cobble together a few from her friends Facebook page, but only have about 5. My sister is the only person I know without Facebook. I checked on her daughter’s facebook (she is 14) but she is not a big idol fan.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:01 pm
G….speaking of that song….Juliet sang it the week before the Voice finals according to a review I read, which means Joshua would have already picked it before Juliet sang it. No conspiracy!
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:03 pm
You’re welcome, missnadine. I hope Rodney can use them.
Alex
May 11th, 2012
12:09 pm
Flav
May 11th, 2012
11:55 am
Perhaps you should direct your questions to the MANY posters here who do not like the voice quality of Screamin’ J and 7th place finisher Jessica.
Rickster
May 11th, 2012
12:10 pm
“Next week’s results show will feature Adam Lambert and Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa Marie Presley?”
Great! No Holly. The annoying “Hometown Hero” parades… and those two performing?
Looks like I get an hour of my life back next Thursday night!
Rickster
May 11th, 2012
12:12 pm
But I’m looking forward to seeing who survives on Grey’s.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:12 pm
Alex
May 11th, 2012
12:09 pm
That leaves me out…I love them both!
G
May 11th, 2012
12:12 pm
That window of time is grey and small. Randy made a point to add mustard to his praise of Joshua on his rendition of that song. He made a point to say that was the best he’s heard…….on ANY SHOW. Randy’s fat mouth let the cat out of the bag.
My point is that the talent on The Voice has made Idol take notice and respond. There is no reall competion in ratings between Voice and Idol, but the talent……..The talent is dead even. Regardless of the ratings, The Voice has created a lot of buzz with Juliet, Jamar, and Jermaine.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:16 pm
Not grey and small at all. Chris Sligh gave this blog a lesson in how the songs are picked and he told us that the contestants get the song lists at least 2 weeks before they sing. It gives them time to review music they may not know very well and also to work at getting a song approved that may not be on the list.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:18 pm
Apparently your name must begin with a J to even have a chance on the Voice.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:18 pm
G
May 11th, 2012
12:20 pm
Don’t forget bald too.
Rickster (putting on his Swami hat)
May 11th, 2012
12:21 pm
My Grey’s predictions:
Arizona dies. After her tearful “don’t go anywhere” farewell with Callie – and kicking Karev off the the flight (Ritchie Valens, anyone?) – she’s toast.
Lexie almost dies. The accident reminds McSteamy how much he still loves her so they get back together.
Karev: Upon Arizona’s demise, he’s the new peds guy.
Yang: Reminded how much she still cares for Owen. They get back together.
Kepner: With Arizona’s demise, that salary can now re-hire Kepner.
McDreamy: The crystal ball is getting cloudy……
Meredith: Sorry… the crystal ball has gone dark.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:23 pm
Rickster!!!!!!!! dammit!!!!!
bknsty14
May 11th, 2012
12:26 pm
I agree with Rickster on all accounts. I was hoping it would be Callie. Never liked her.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:31 pm
Please, please, please put spoiler alert before you talk about plots that people may not have seen yet!!!!
Grrrrr!
Pitchy
May 11th, 2012
12:33 pm
Good morning…
But aren’t you glad annoying April is gone (Grey’s).
missnadine
May 11th, 2012
12:39 pm
Deirdre, my email is info@spotonconsulting.com if you want them sent to you.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:41 pm
Thanks Pitchy! I think I’ll sign off for the day…or was that the plan?
JTesla
May 11th, 2012
12:41 pm
Spoiler Alert: everyone will die, eventually.
Deirdre
May 11th, 2012
12:42 pm
missnadine, thanks but I can’t do anything with them for the blog so I’ll just let Rodney handle it.
Alex
May 11th, 2012
12:43 pm
JTesla
May 11th, 2012
12:41 pm
Yep, death and taxes…..
Rickster (putting on his Swami hat)
May 11th, 2012
12:51 pm
I didn’t tell what happened. Just what I thought would happen to folks.
Rickster (putting on his Swami hat)
May 11th, 2012
12:54 pm
Hey… at least I didn’t talk about Owen losing his grip while trying to rapel down from a helicopter to save Christina and plummeting to his death.
Neg's Lost Interest
May 11th, 2012
12:55 pm
I think my days of caring about talent shows may be behind me. I didn’t care who won X-Factor, liked Juliet on the voice but wasn’t emotionally invested, liked Hollie best on Idol but not enough to be outraged when she was eliminated. The Top 3 on Idol are of so little interest to me I’ll just go through the motions of watching.
Maybe it’s singing competition burnout, or, maybe it’s just none of these contestants connect with me. I was deeply invested for Crystal in Season 9, and even more addicted to Haley in Season 10, but nothing has captivated me since. They were both very unique, retro-oriented artists that strongly connected to my own personal tastes, but how often will that happen? Maybe never again.
Who knows what the future may bring, but as of today I’ve got nothing left in my talent show tank but fumes.
Rickster (putting on his Swami hat)
May 11th, 2012
12:55 pm
uh oh…. SPOILER ALERT!
Alex
May 11th, 2012
1:01 pm
Neg’s Lost Interest
May 11th, 2012
12:55 pm
“…I’ve got nothing left in my talent show tank but fumes.”
So you’re fuming over the talent shows?
Actually, I didn’t connect with anyone big time this year either. There were some good contestants and moments (Elise’s “Whole Lotta Love” topped the season for me), but for me it was more about who I DIDN’T want to win. And I’m still hoping Screamin” J nor 7th place finisher Jessica win out.
Rickster
May 11th, 2012
1:02 pm
I agree with Neg.
My interest in the show has declined steadily through the season. The incessant cheer leading by the judges. The unbelievable amount of filler in a two-hour performance show. Hollie & Skylar were the only two remaining contestants that I enjoyed.
With them gone… it looks like my interest is too.
missnadine
May 11th, 2012
1:09 pm
Neg, same thing with me. The last time I watched the whole season was the Lee/Crystal year. I think it is burnout, the awful judges, even hearing the same songs now for a decade. I think the Carrie/Bo season was the best, and really have not cared much either way since. It is not just AI – it is all talent shows.