American Idol Finale - Scotty vs. Lauren

3 Rounds, no filler. One winner. Let's go!

Favorite Songs of the Season

Scotty - "Gone"
Good relaxed performance. As good as anything he's done.

Lauren - "Flat On the Floor"
Restrained, but good.

Idols' Idols
Scotty - "Check Yes or No" from George Strait
Wow...this is the most boring Idols finale ever.

Lauren - "Sure Felt Right" from Carrie Underwood
Good, but again, just not a moment.

1st Single
Scotty - "I Love You This Big"
The song was good, but it seemed a bit safe. Not that it wasn't sung well, but the buildup didn't happen like I hoped.

Lauren - "Like My Mother Does"
Wow...just when you think she might not have one this season, she had her moment. She nailed it. Just when she needed it.

Round 1
Scotty, by a hair.

Round 2
Lauren, solidly.

Round 3
Lauren, solidly.

If the girl vote doesn't kill her chances, Lauren will be your next American Idol.

Teen Idol Dreams Come True

When I was a kid, I would come home from school and do my homework in front of the TV while my Mom watched her "stories." She was pretty faithful to her CBS soaps and would do housework to Young and the Restless, Search for Tomorrow, As The World Turns, and Guiding Light. Before long, I too was hooked on the one show I would catch the tail end of. In the early 80s, supercouples were just coming into being and GL had its own with Kelly and Morgan. This is John Wesley Shipp, the actor who played Kelly Nelson.


At least this is how he looked when he was at Laurel Falls with Morgan. I didn't know I was gay then. Didn't know what the word meant. I DID know, I LIVED for the days when he was in his Speedos at Laurel Falls and not in his doctor's scrubs.

Today, hubby, our friend Kathy, and I went to dinner and just happened to run into him and his costar, Amanda Pays at a tiny little out of the way restaurant. He was in town for Dallas Comic Con and having dinner with friends and I managed to catch sight of him on the way to the restroom. When he returned, Kathy stopped him and he was absolutely wonderful. Gracious and kind, he took the time just to chat with us and sign autographs. Here is what he looks like today:



(sans beard...I just liked the shot!)
He has certainly aged well, and made a man old enough to be past them, feel butterflies in his stomach at just meeting him.

Thanks for being a wonderful example of not only how to treat fans, but just being a great guy.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

American Idol Top 3 - SemiFinals/Homecoming

The Idols are down to the Top 3: Lauren Alaina, the country powerhouse in-waiting, Scotty McCreery, the old soul country crooner in the 17 year old body, and Haley Reinhart, our blue-eyed soul/blues wailer. They all got a chance to visit their hometowns this week and received the heroes' welcome and get a taste of home before two square off next week in the finale.
This week is three songs: Artist choice, Jimmy Iovine's choice, and Judges' choice. Let's see what they can do...

Oh...and they got coached by Beyonce'

Scotty - "Amazed"
Effortless. He has a very natural flow, and his performance quality has improved. Very nice.

Lauren - "Wild One"
Wow...when she is confident, she is a belter! Go girl! Full of power, control, and confidence.

Haley - "What Is and What Should Never Be"
Fun rock performance. Indulgent as hell, but she went for it! She had a small slip, but didn't miss a beat!

Round 1: Haley, just for the fearlessness.

Jimmy Iovine's Picks

Scotty - "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?"
Again, another solid performance. He is a natural performer.

Lauren - "If I Die Young"
Again, another rock solid performance. I think she really is starting to believe in herself and it shows such confidence.

Haley - "Rihannon"
Haley is fighting her ass off! She said they are not gonna vote me the hell off!

Round 2: Scotty

Judges' Pick

Scotty - "She Believes In Me"
The Judges raved, and i think he did a good job with a boring song.

Lauren - "I Hope You Dance"
She is killing tonight! So far, for me, she's the one to beat.

Haley - "You Oughta Know"
It had such potential, but for me it felt awkward.

Round 3: Lauren

I think Haley's going home. I think she peaked too early in the show, the last song wasn't her strongest, and sadly, I think the country music audience will band to keep their artists on the show.

Idol Top 4

Songs that Inspire and the Songbook of Lieber and Stoller + Gaga!!!!

Inspiration
James - "Don't Stop Believin'"
He breezed through it kinda effortlessly. He sounded great!

Haley - "Earth Song"
The voice was there, the build-up wasn't. Felt truncated. Randy said it sounded screamy. I just think it wasn't a great song choice.

Scotty - "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turnin'"
Scotty never ceases to amaze. The difference between this performance and Haley's was it was the perfect song choice and the perfect performance.

Lauren - "Do It Anyway"
Fantastic vocal! Fantastic choice! If she ever truly believes in herself, she could win it.

Lieber/Stoller (Coached by Gaga)
Haley - "I Who Have Nothing"
Way to come back swinging!
She had a moment. She delivered the song beautifully!

Scotty - "Young Blood"
Scotty's facial expressions when he sings a fun song are kinda scary. Vocally was great. Side note: wonder how many votes he picked up/cast off with his attitude with Lady Gaga.

Lauren - "Trouble"
She embraced the character and I appreciated it. Vocal throwaway, but she took Gaga's notes and it worked.

James - "Love Potion #9"
He is amazing to watch! He is so comfortable up on the stage and such a vocal powerhouse, he's the one to beat!

Top 2
James and Lauren

Bottom 2
Scotty and Haley

No one truly failed. Haley had one less effective song, but her 2nd song was a standout. If there was any justice, Scotty would go. He'll have a country music career. What will probably happen: Haley's gone.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

American Idol - Top 5 (Now and Then Night)

Sheryl Crow is the mentor of the week for the Idols.They get to sing a song from the past and a song from the last 5 years. Here we go!

Contemporary
James Durbin - "Closer to the Edge"
I was hoping for a better performance. He sounded kinda strident. He loves working the crowd, but vocally it wasn't awesome.

Jacob Lusk - "No Air"
Jacob, you are an underdog not because you look AWKWARD when you perform. Strong vocally, but visually disturbing. Oooh Boo...don't dance. You need not shake the pear-shape badonkadonk like Jordin!

*Lauren Alaina - "Flat on the Floor"
Look at what happens when you believe in yourself! Effortless and controlled.
And she seeemed to believe she could rock it out. Great job!

Scotty McCreery - "Gone"
Scotty sounded great! Even the odd ghetto swagger was working for him. Youthful, yet still like he was in control. And THANK GOD the jokes about the mic control, took.

*Haley Reinhart - "You and I"
WHAT?!? Unreleased Lady Gaga?!?
I LOVED it!!! That was wonderful! Jennifer?!? Randy?!? WHAT? THE? FUCK?
It was a great performance! And you didn't have ANY issues with the 30 Seconds to Mars BULLSHIT that James sang that was so nichey.

Oldie
James Durbin - "Without You"
Depth. A really good performance. He was an emotional wreck and it was all over his face when he sang.

Jacob Lusk - "Love Hurts"
He had me for the first 2/3rds of the song. This was the only way to totally redeem himself from "No Air" He mostly did that. Some will beat him up for the "chu'chiness" of the end.

*Lauren Alaina - "Unchained Melody"
This just pissed me off! The first 90% of this song was FLAWLESS! It was so well done and she caressed every note and did it so well that when she punked out at the end and didn't hit "the note" it hurts.

Scotty McCreery - "You Were Always on My Mind"
Not bad, not explosive. Meh. Consistent, but not an Idol moment performance.

*Haley Reinhart - "THe House of the Rising Sun"
OMFG! Haley just murdered that song! Vocally, it was OUTSTANDING!

Top 2
Haley and Lauren

Bottom 2
Jacob and vaguely, James

Jacob will prolly go home tomorrow.

I love Brittany S. Pierce!

and Lord Tubbington, too!