Top 4 Archives

American Idol 2011: Top 4 results show recap – James Durbin exit a shocker

America was shocked Thursday night when “American Idol” favorite James Durbin did not make the coveted Top 3. Most fans expected one of the remaining female contestants to go but for the first time since Season 6, there are two girls in the Top 3.

So your Top 3 is Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart and Scotty McCreery.

I was a bit shocked that James was eliminated. I was pretty sure it would be Lauren, but I never really thought it would be Haley. Speaking of Haley, this couldn’t have played out any better for her. Had Lauren gone home, she’d never have made it into the Top 2. But since James was sent packing, she’s almost certainly going to make the Top 2.

Here’s why: Next week Scotty and Lauren will probably split the country vote and Haley will get all the votes from the voters who aren’t country fans (if for no other reason than they have no other options), propelling her into the finale. It’s a pretty simple thought. Who of the country teens will join her? Scotty. A Haley vs. Scotty finale. Who would’ve thought. That just sounds so weird.

I had grown to like James, but it’s not the end for him. Remember, as Ryan Seacrest pointed out, Chris Daughtry went home in fourth place as well. And he’s been a huge success.

Earlier in the episode the guys opened the show with a lackluster country duet. I  did enjoy watching their interaction with the crowd, but I didn’t like the song or their version of it. The girls were much better with their “Gunpowder and Lace” duet. I found it hilarious that Haley had to sing all the “risque” lyrics.

Ryan then reveals the Top 3 stools and pretty quickly sends Lauren to safety first. At that moment, I knew James was done. That’s followed by a canned performance by Lady Gaga and a terrible performance by Enrique Iglesias.

Then we get Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks back on the Idol stage. At some point between her season and now, she transformed into a bad Beyonce impersonator. Then we get judge Steven Tyler’s new solo video. And I only have three words to say about that: stick with Aerosmith.

It’s time again for results. Ryan mentions that most of the talk this season has been about the guys, yet two of the Top 3 are girls, meaning Haley is safe. The shock on Scotty’s and James’ faces spoke volumes to me. They acted as if they were completely untouchable. I’ve never seen such an obvious display of crushed cockiness. Their reactions kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

Then Ryan reveals that Scotty gets the final spot in the Top 3. And please take note that not one time did Ryan say the guys were the Bottom 2, so don’t presume Scotty had fewer votes than the girls.

I’m not even going to get into my thoughts on James’ reaction and statement, because I don’t want death threats. Let’s just leave it at this: I liked James’ performances and he is going to be fine. His fans will be fine when he puts out his album. Just be sure to be there to support him.

What are your thoughts on the shocking elimination?

 

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American Idol 2011 Results: Top 4 Elimination

Tonight on American Idol 2011 another singer will be sent home while the newly formed Top 3 will be whisked away on planes to their hometowns for a tour de force of screaming fans and photo ops. Nigel tweeted earlier that there were over 70 million votes so we know there are tons of fans out there waiting to meet their favs.

About an hour before the show I saw a commercial for tonight advertising Enrique Iglesias would be on the show along with Steven Tyler but made no mention of Jordin Sparks. Sparks just tweeted that she just finished rehearsing “I Am Woman” though so I guess we get three performances along with the Idol results tonight.

With just four Idol Hopefuls left in the mix it’d be surprising to get a Bottom 3, but maybe we’ll get a Bottom 2 for a little added drama and suspense. Right now I know there’s a lot of expectation for Haley Reinhart to be cut after her Round 1 lashing last night, but I think that might have been exactly what her fans needed to pick up their phones and vote. My elimination prediction: Lauren Alaina.

See what other Idol fans are saying right now on our Idol Facebook page and then join us in the Idol Net Chat room while we review tonight’s live show.

Ryan just added that we will also get a performance from Lady Gaga. So that’s two extra performances tonight. Idol needs to work on getting these details out better…

More dates announced for the American Idol 2012 auditions. They’ll have stops in San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Houston in addition to the previous locations.

Instead of a Bottom 3 we’ll get a Top 3. Ryan reveals Lauren is the first to secure a spot in this season’s Top 3. So either James, Scotty, or Haley will be cut. Wow, it seems kinda obvious at this point, right?

Whoa! I did not see this coming. Haley joins Lauren in the Top 3 and either Scotty or James will be sent home tonight! Scotty joins the Top 3 which means…

American Idol 2011 Top 3:

  • #1: Lauren Alaina
  • #2: Haley Reinhart – Whoa!
  • #3: Scotty McCreery

American Idol 2011 Top 4 Elimination Results:

  • Eliminated: James Durbin

Definitely some shocking results. I thought this season was James’ for the taking. I guess not anymore. Do you think Ryan Seacrest jinxed James with that comment last night about Top 4 being the week Chris Daughtry was eliminated?

You can download all of this week’s performances on iTunes or you can get the original artists’ performances for free with Real’s SuperPass trial.

Did America get the vote right this week? Share your thoughts!

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Haley Reinhart Earns Praise From Nigel While Top 4 Earn Over 70 Million Votes

Did you get the feeling that Haley Reinhart took a little extra heat from the judges yet again last night after her performance of “Earth Song”? Well you’re not alone and you might even have some company in high places. American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe went to Twitter last night with some authoritative praise for the targeted singer along with some big voting news.

Nigel sent out three Tweets last night with only two of those having any praise for the Top 4 and yes, both put Haley on the receiving end:

@dizzyfeet: “I, Who Have Nothing” was my favorite performance tonight.”

@dizzyfeet: “I personally feel Haley is the most improved contestant.”

So was Nigel trying to keep things a little more balanced with some support for Haley or would these Tweets have hit the interwaves regardless?

The other big news from Lythgoe was that this season hit its highest vote count yet. More than 70 million votes were registered across the phone lines, texts, and online voting. Pretty impressive, but the finale vote should be even higher.

I wonder which fans were moved to put in that many votes. Could it have been Reinhart’s? That just might spell the end of Lauren on American Idol 2011.

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American Idol 2011: Top 4 performance show recap – Second round better than first

Can we please just pretend the first round of “American Idol’s” Top 4 performance show never happened? From the incredibly boring and lame songs to Randy Jackson’s nasty attack on Haley, I thought it was going to be the worst “Idol” I’ve ever seen.

Why does Randy seem to really have it out for Haley. She’s the only person to receive bad critiques from him for weeks.

Luckily, things got much better during round two. So as usual, I’ll review each performance and assign the letter grade I think they deserve. Please note that from now on, I’m grading on song choice, stage presence and vocals. We know by now they can all sing, so that’s not enough to be judged on alone.

In order of performance

*James Durbin, “Don’t Stop Believing.” I love this song. But it’s kind of time for it to take a break. From “The Sporanos” finale to the “Glee” premiere, it’s kind of overdone. And it’s a big song from a great big amazing voice (Steve Perry). So there’s no way you can sing that song and not be compared to Steve. Especially when you don’t try to switch it up any. And even though I like James, he doesn’t compare to Steve Perry. His vocals were better than last week, though. So that’s good. B

*Haley Reinhart, “The Earth Song.” I’ve never heard this song. I expect a lot of people haven’t. It turns out that it’s a very boring song (And I don’t care if Michael Jackson did write it so don’t bother pointing that out to me) I’ve grown to really like Haley, but I didn’t like this song choice at all. It’s definitely a song I’d skip on my playlist regardless of who recorded it. Actually, I’d probably delete it from my playlist. Her vocals were good, but like I said earlier, at this point, that’s not quite enough.  B+

*Scotty McCreery, “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning.” Oh Scotty, why didn’t you just sing “Ding Dong bin Laden’s Dead”? Or “The South’s Going to Do it Again.” Sorry, I like Scotty, but I hated this song. I thought it was gimmicky, preachy and hickish. But worst of all, it was boring. Scotty never has a bad vocal though and that’s the important thing. But if I’m grading on all points, it wasn’t good. B

*Lauren Alaina, “Anyway.” Lauren had a rough start with the song, but it got way better. Her vocals were better this week and she gets the best song choice of round one. A-

*Haley, “I (Who Have Nothing).” I actually picked this song for Lauren, but I’m glad Haley did it instead. She slayed it. It was one of the best performances of the season. I can’t believe I actually agree with Jennifer on something. Way better than round one. A+

*Scotty, “Young Blood.” I’m usually way more into Scotty performances but tonight he did nothing for me in either round. This one came off as boring and just weird. He was kind of prancy and prissy and that just looked weird from him. It was vocally good, as always, but I just didn’t like the performance. B+

*Lauren, “Trouble.” I’m so happy someone finally went out of their comfort zone this season. I’m very proud of Lauren for not being too self-righteous to think America is going to think she’s evil just because she sings it in a song. That thinking was one of the reasons why I disliked Jacob Lusk. So props to Lauren. On top of that, it was also a good vocal and a good show. A

*James, “Love Potion No. 9.” Once again, better this time around. Better vocal, better song, better show. Round two was so much better than round one for everyone. A

The Averages

James: B | A | B+

Haley: B | A+ | A

Scotty: B | B+ | B

Lauren: A- | A | A

And before I’m called out for being a big mean jerk for my reviews, please note that the grades aren’t even bad. My words may have been tough, but if I took away the poor song choice factor and only graded on vocals, everyone would’ve received As.

And now, the impossible task of trying to figure out who will go home based on America’s votes. As always, these picks are based on just that — NOT my personal opinions, but what I THINK the outcome of America’s votes COULD be.

100 precent safe: Scotty McCreery

Not 100 percent safe: James Durbin, Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina

Possibly going home: Lauren Alaina

My thinking: This is a tough week to predict. There’s no clear loser of the week. The judges were terribly hard on Haley, so that could send her home. I mean they’re clearly trying to achieve that, especially Randy. But she’s picked up so many fans during the past couple weeks. Lauren was in the bottom 2 last week, so she be the most obvious person to go home. BUT her fans could’ve been scared into voting after her bottom finish last week. So maybe Haley will actually go home. Or maybe something crazy will happen and James will leave. Nah. It’ll be Lauren or Haley.

What’s your prediction and overall thoughts on tonight’s show?

 

 

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American Idol 2011 Top 4 Performances & Phone Numbers

I’ve got my top hat and monocle ready for tonight’s 50′s music! Wait, that might not be the right era. Well too late now because I’m not getting my deposit back on this tux after spilling all that salsa. Supposedly we’re going to hear some freedom in the secondary song selections tonight (read: modern), so lets hope that’s true.

Phew! Ryan just announced that round one of songs will be “inspirational” choices and the second set of songs will be the oldies from Leiber and Stoller.

See what other Idol fans are saying right now on our Idol Facebook page and then join us in the Idol Net Chat room while we review tonight’s live show.

American Idol 2011 Top 4 Performances – Inspirational Songs:

  • James Durbin – Don’t Stop Believin’ – 1-866-436-5701 & 5705
  • Haley Reinhart – Earth Song – 1-866-436-5702 & 5706
  • Scotty McCreery – Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning – 1-866-436-5703 & 5707
  • Lauren Alaina – Anyway – 1-866-436-5704 & 5708

American Idol 2011 Top 4 Performances – Leiber & Stoller:

  • Haley Reinhart – I Who Have Nothing – 1-866-436-5702 & 5706
  • Scotty McCreery – Young Blood – 1-866-436-5703 & 5707
  • Lauren Alaina – Trouble – 1-866-436-5704 & 5708
  • James Durbin – Love Potion No. 9 – 1-866-436-5701 & 5705

You can get these songs on iTunes or the originals for free from SuperPass.

Tomorrow night we’ll find out which singer earned the least votes and that singer will be eliminated so vote wisely and be sure to cast your unofficial vote in our Idol poll below (poll to be posted after the ET broadcast so no complaining about the votes!) and then share your opinion on tonight’s performances!

poll by twiigs.com

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