This is (an) American Idol...blog!
Welcome to the first Off the Mark Thoughts American Idol Final reaction post. We (Mark and Mel) will be your guides through the 11th (really?) season of FOX's biggest talent show.
This week it's boys vs. girls, with the boys singing Stevie Wonder and the girl cover the topical, Whitney Houston. The eliminations this week will be judges choice (about time!), but it will only be done once.
This is where we disagree with AI, and feel that they should be closer to "So You Think You Can Dance", with the judges eliminating until a certain point. But, alas, Idol won't change.
Once again, our judges are Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, and the mentor is Mary J. Blige (OK, I guess?). Let's get started:
1. Joshua Ledet -- "Wish"
Mel: "Joshua, of course, was good. His song choice didn't surprise me. Too safe I feel. It will get him through this week."
Rating: 7/10
Mark: "First performance, and I remembered how much the show misses Ricky Minor's orchestration of the background music. Joshua was solid, not overwhelming, but I felt the song would have been better with a stronger arrangement. He could be a dark horse, but he needs to not get over confident with the up-tempo and forget what makes him good."
Rating: 6.5/10
2. Elise Testone -- "I'm Your Baby, Tonight"
Mark: "My ears, my ears. She is nowhere near good enough to pull off Whitney. I hope this isn't predictive of the rest of the night. Last note was pretty bad."
Rating: 4/10
Mel: "My thoughts exactly."
Rating: 5/10
3. Jermaine Jones -- "Knocks Me Off My Feet"
Mel: "Solid performance will get him through again."
Rating: 7/10
Mark: "Very deep and smooth voice. Sometimes relies too much on the low register, but it was the perfect song choice. They seem to be going to a soul vibe this season."
Rating: 7/10
4. Erika Van Pelt -- "I Believe In You and Me"
Mark: "Going for the Adele fans, I see. All kidding aside, it's a shame they made Whitney night the first night. It was really unfair for the contestants. She held her own, but I hope she makes it next week so I can see her with a different song."
Rating: 7/10
Mel: "I love Whitney, but I will cut my ears off if all the girls start thinking they ARE Whitney. She did a good job and restrained herself from over-singing. Much better than the first girl."
Rating: 6/10
5. Colton Dixon-- "Lately"
Mel: "LOVED him."
Rating: 7/10
Mark: "First one to make the song his own, and I absolutely loved it. Definitely would buy the single on iTunes. But I still hate the dead skunk on his head."
Rating: 7.5/10
6. Shannon Magrane -- "I Have Nothing"
Mark: "I hate to sound like a broken record, but these girls keep trying to hit these note that they have no business attempting. This is why Randy says to avoid Whitney, Mariah and Christina songs. She's purdy, though"
Rating: 6/10
Mel: "Her nerves did get the best of her. A for effort."
Rating: 6/10
7. DeAndre Brackensick-- "Master Blaster"
Mel: "No, Mark, he's purdy. Better than his last performance. I think he'll go far in the competition."
Rating: 7/10
Mark: "He'll definitely get the teen girl vote, Mel. His voice is pretty good, but nothing out of the ordinary. He has the stage presence, but I'm curious to hear a more vulnerable song."
Rating: 6/10
8. Skylar Laine -- "Where do Broken Hearts Go"
Mark: "I guess this could be the reverse "I Will Always Love You" with Skylar playing the role of Dolly Parton. Finally, someone does it their way and didn't try to imitate. Head and shoulders above the other girls tonight."
Rating: 8/10
Mel: "Favorite so far."
Rating:8/10
9. Heejune Han -- "All is Fair in Love"
Mel: "Like Randy said, it wasn't perfect but it was really good."
Rating: 7/10
Mark: "Most controlled singer of the night. First one I felt could sing anything. Despite his talent, I don't know the market for him in top 40 music, so I'll need some time to see where he will be successful"
Rating: 7.5/10
10. Hollie Cavanaugh -- "All the Man I Need"
Mark: "Best voice of the night, but didn't separate herself from Skylar enough. Should have tried to go further. Probably the only one who could have survived in Whitney's range. My pick so far."
Rating: 8/10
Mel: "She was very good, but will be great when she finds her song."
Rating: 7/10
11. Jeremy Rosado -- "Ribbons in the Sky"
Mel: "Meh."
Rating: 6/10
Mark: "He's nothing special, and should not have been saved. I don't get why Jennifer had tears in her eyes. I predict he's in the bottom 2, but will be saved. I feel bad for the girl who finishes last."
Rating: 6/10
12. Jessica Sanchez -- "I Will Always Love You"
Mark: "Songs like this can either be a 4 or a 9. They either kill it or it bombs. Jessica MURDERED it. Best performance in 2 years. Favorite in the clubhouse. Wow, just wow."
Rating: 9.5/10
Mel: "Best of the night."
Rating: 9/10
13. Phillip Phillips -- "Superstition"
Mel: "Very predictable"
Rating: 7/10
Mark: "This song choice was too obvious. Reminds me too much of Casey from last season, but he has a good enough voice to succeed without all of the extracurriculars. He showed that tonight. Solid performance, it's a shame he had to follow Jessica."
Rating: 6.5/10
Going home:
Mark: Elise Testone
Mel: Elise Testone
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