The Top 9 took on the songs of Lennon and McCartney this week, if you couldn’t already tell from the headline. In years past, this theme has yielded some stand-out performances from the likes of David Cook, Kris Allen and Crystal Bowersox, among many others.
But how did this year’s finalists handle some of the most iconic songs of all time? Well, it was another mixed bag like last week. Again, the girls are “in it to win it,” as Randy Jackson would say, with the guys having pretty much given up on winning season 12. So is it inevitable that all the girls are safe tonight? Which of the guys are most in danger? And who’s journey on Idol will come to an end?
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DEFINITELY SAFE
The Top 3 from last week, Kree Harrison (she may have been the first to perform, but she already has a strong fanbase that will keep her around), Candice Glover and Angie Miller, are no doubt safe again, as is Janelle Arthur, who for the first time I’m starting to pay attention to. I mentioned before that she has a very generic country voice, and she has to do something to make people remember her. Her performance of “I Will” may have started to do that.
Everyone’s saying that it’s a girl’s year to win, myself included. This is taking me back to season 3 when you had the three “divas,” as they were called: Fantasia Barrino, La Toya London and Jennifer Hudson. One of the biggest early-elimination shockers came from J-Hud. I really hope something like that doesn’t happen this year because I don’t want to see Kree, Candice or Angie end up in the same boat.
IN THE MIDDLE
Lazaro Arbos: I know what you’re thinking: shouldn’t I be putting Lazaro under the “In Danger” category? Under normal circumstances, yes, I would. But this is Lazaro, the contestant who has only made it this far in the competition because of his story. I mean, look no further than Mariah Carey, who yet again only talked about all that he’s had to overcome without actually being the $18 million judge she was hired to be. (Maybe once Paul and Devin are gone, then we can start seriously predicting Lazaro’s elimination.)
IN DANGER
Amber Holcomb: She doesn’t have the pimp spot as a safety net this time. When you think of the Lennon-McCartney catalog, you think of songs like “Let It Be,” “Come Together,” “Eleanor Rigby” — I could go on and on; essentially, all the songs that the rest of the Top 9 performed. But instead Amber sang something not as iconic or memorable, resulting in her giving an extremely boring performance. She has a good voice, no one’s denying that. But a bad song choice like this could doom her chances.
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BOTTOM 3 PREDICTIONS
Burnell Taylor: I’m not going to say that his rendition of “Let It Be” was bad because it wasn’t. In fact, it suited his voice just fine. But he had the second spot of the night, combined with there being more memorable singers throughout the episode. I’m sure it was easy for voters to forget him by the end of the night. If for some reason Burnell does escape the Bottom 2 or 3, I wouldn’t be surprised if Amber took his place instead.
Paul Jolley: Paul had the unfortunate task of trying to stand out following Candice’s “Come Together” and preceding Angie’s “Yesterday.” That’s not a good position to be in.
Devin Velez: He ended up in the Bottom 2 with Curtis last week. Does that mean it’s the end of the road for him now? Performing second to last is what’ll help him against Paul. But again, he might suffer the same sort of situation of having Angie right before him and Janelle right after. The forgettability factor looms large for all three of these guys.
ELIMINATION PREDICTION
Paul Jolley: Oh, Paul: I don’t think you’re going to be all that jolly after tonight’s results show. He keeps saying he wants to be the male version of Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood, but that’s looking less and less likely, not just because he might be going home, but because not everyone’s buying into what kind of an artist he wants to be.
What do you think? Will the bottom of the leaderboard be filled up with all guys for the second week in a row? And who’s in danger of being eliminated? Share your predictions in the comments below.
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(Image courtesy of FOX)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
