00:10
Unknown
After a nearly year-long process that winnowed 75,000 people down to just two, the first night of the American Idol finale turned out to be an evenly matched competition. Going first: Jena Irene, the 17-year-old from Farmington Hills, Mich., who's the first female wild-card contestant to make the Top Two. Closing the show: Caleb Johnson, a rock belter who tried out for Idol twice before this year.
Ryan Seacrest billed the battle as "The Wild Card vs. the Wild Child" in front of 7,000 people at Los Angeles' Nokia Live.
The show broke down into three rounds. In the first, Idol creator Simon Fuller picked tunes for each contestant. In the second, they each reprised favorite performances from past weeks. Finally, they each performed the song that would become their "winner's single." And the one who wins, Seacrest announced, will release a debut album on Aug. 12, before the end of the summer tour. (Note: Idol made a similar promise last year, then didn't actually put out winner Candice Glover's album until February of this year.)
Jena won the coin toss and chose to go first. Here's how it went from there:
Jena Irene, Dog Days Are Over (Florence + the Machine).
The Florence + the Machine tune gives Jena the chance to showcase everything she has learned during the season. After strutting past the line of drummers, she works the entire edge of the stage and shows little to no effect on her vocal control. Later, she hits her knees for dramatic emphasis. She's off to a strong start.
"The way that you owned that stage is so good," Keith Urban says. "That's the sign of a real pro." He notes some adrenaline-related issues with breath control, but he's impressed. Jennifer Lopez adds, "I could feel the heebies-jeebies coming out. It's fine." Halfway through, she could feel Jena loosen up and get comfortable. Harry Connick Jr. praises her internal rhythm and the way she performed. Grade: A-
Caleb Johnson, Dream On (Aerosmith).
Fuller didn't give Caleb the most original choice in the world, but Caleb may not need it. Dream On is packed with dramatic moments and big notes, along with instrumental breaks that give the singer a chance to whirl his mic stand and let the fringe hanging from his sleeves fly. When it comes to Dream On, the only thing that really matters on Idol is getting the scream at the end right, and Caleb just tears that up.
"That's what you gotta do!" Lopez says. "You gotta come on, and you gotta deliver. You gotta seize the moment." Connick notes that he nailed the scream, but tells Caleb that on the early, lower parts, "you're like a GT that has so much power. Don't forget to take the same focus, the same energy you have on the end of the tune at the very beginning of the tune." Urban says Caleb had him from the opening phrase: "I thought the way that you arced the whole thing was exceptional." Grade: A
Jena Irene, Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley).
Pulling out the Presley tune was an inspired bit of magic a couple of weeks ago. But will it work as well the second time around, minus the element of surprise? It's still a lovely performance. It's also a big stylistic shift from her first performance, and staking out a wide range of musical territory might be a smart idea for the finale, when casual viewers may be tuning in for the first time in weeks, or maybe for the first time.
"I can very clearly hear the influence on this song," Connick tells her. What separates Jena from others is that she can set those influences aside and come up with something original and special. He thought it was beautiful. Without naming her, Urban notes that Jena inspired The Voice's Christina Grimmie to cover the song, and that ability to lead is the mark of a true artist. Lopez says, "Your soul comes through on that song when you sit at that piano. … It makes me feel things, makes me do things that I've never done before." Grade: A
Caleb Johnson, Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney).
Caleb's first pass at this song was perhaps his single most impressive vocal performance of the season. But after the histrionics of Dream On, frankly, McCartney's ballad comes off as a bit of a letdown. He still sings it well, of course.
Urban calls it a real, deep emotional song and cautions him not to get caught up in the gymnastic aspects of it. Lopez feels his power is undeniable, but "at the end of the day, when the soul comes through, that's what's going to really give the goosies." Connick shares their sentiments and compares Caleb and Jena to heavyweight fighters. He and Urban think Caleb won Round One, but Connick and Lopez think Jena Irene won Round Two. "I do not envy the voters." Grade: A-
Jena Irene, We Are One.
Jena's potential winner's single is a pedestrian dance anthem, as instantly forgettable as most Idol coronation singles (but not as embarrassing as some). On the low notes, Jena's voice disappears into the background, but it soars on the high ones. Again, she gladhands as many fans as possible on her way to a small circular stage in the center of the hall. "I think it was a nice finish to the show," says Lopez, noting that the judges have to hurry their comments. "It was just as strong as when you did it in the studio," adds Connick. "It's perfect for you," Urban says. "It's great." No, it's not, but you can't say that at this point in the competition. It's like calling every charge and hack in the final seconds of the NCAA tournament final. Grade: B
Caleb Johnson, As Long As You Love Me.
"We were looking for love in all the same places/ Infected with the same disease"? Surely I'm not the only one who hears those lines and thinks, "Ewwww." Musically, this is exactly the sort of music Caleb should — and probably wants — to do, but the song is flat-out dumb. The energy and the performance might just take him to the top tomorrow, though.
Connick starts: "The way I look at it, you're like Joe Frazier, Jena is like Muhammad Ali. This is a puncher vs. a boxer." Urban's dying to see what happens tomorrow night and congratulates him. Lopez says, "I felt that you put it all out there and you went for it." Maybe it's just me, but they seem to be trying really hard to avoid saying something negative about this performance while not actually complimenting him. Grade: B-
POST ORIGINATED FROM http://www.usatoday.com
Ryan Seacrest billed the battle as "The Wild Card vs. the Wild Child" in front of 7,000 people at Los Angeles' Nokia Live.
The show broke down into three rounds. In the first, Idol creator Simon Fuller picked tunes for each contestant. In the second, they each reprised favorite performances from past weeks. Finally, they each performed the song that would become their "winner's single." And the one who wins, Seacrest announced, will release a debut album on Aug. 12, before the end of the summer tour. (Note: Idol made a similar promise last year, then didn't actually put out winner Candice Glover's album until February of this year.)
Jena won the coin toss and chose to go first. Here's how it went from there:
Jena Irene, Dog Days Are Over (Florence + the Machine).
The Florence + the Machine tune gives Jena the chance to showcase everything she has learned during the season. After strutting past the line of drummers, she works the entire edge of the stage and shows little to no effect on her vocal control. Later, she hits her knees for dramatic emphasis. She's off to a strong start.
"The way that you owned that stage is so good," Keith Urban says. "That's the sign of a real pro." He notes some adrenaline-related issues with breath control, but he's impressed. Jennifer Lopez adds, "I could feel the heebies-jeebies coming out. It's fine." Halfway through, she could feel Jena loosen up and get comfortable. Harry Connick Jr. praises her internal rhythm and the way she performed. Grade: A-
Caleb Johnson, Dream On (Aerosmith).
Fuller didn't give Caleb the most original choice in the world, but Caleb may not need it. Dream On is packed with dramatic moments and big notes, along with instrumental breaks that give the singer a chance to whirl his mic stand and let the fringe hanging from his sleeves fly. When it comes to Dream On, the only thing that really matters on Idol is getting the scream at the end right, and Caleb just tears that up.
"That's what you gotta do!" Lopez says. "You gotta come on, and you gotta deliver. You gotta seize the moment." Connick notes that he nailed the scream, but tells Caleb that on the early, lower parts, "you're like a GT that has so much power. Don't forget to take the same focus, the same energy you have on the end of the tune at the very beginning of the tune." Urban says Caleb had him from the opening phrase: "I thought the way that you arced the whole thing was exceptional." Grade: A
Jena Irene, Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley).
Pulling out the Presley tune was an inspired bit of magic a couple of weeks ago. But will it work as well the second time around, minus the element of surprise? It's still a lovely performance. It's also a big stylistic shift from her first performance, and staking out a wide range of musical territory might be a smart idea for the finale, when casual viewers may be tuning in for the first time in weeks, or maybe for the first time.
"I can very clearly hear the influence on this song," Connick tells her. What separates Jena from others is that she can set those influences aside and come up with something original and special. He thought it was beautiful. Without naming her, Urban notes that Jena inspired The Voice's Christina Grimmie to cover the song, and that ability to lead is the mark of a true artist. Lopez says, "Your soul comes through on that song when you sit at that piano. … It makes me feel things, makes me do things that I've never done before." Grade: A
Caleb Johnson, Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney).
Caleb's first pass at this song was perhaps his single most impressive vocal performance of the season. But after the histrionics of Dream On, frankly, McCartney's ballad comes off as a bit of a letdown. He still sings it well, of course.
Urban calls it a real, deep emotional song and cautions him not to get caught up in the gymnastic aspects of it. Lopez feels his power is undeniable, but "at the end of the day, when the soul comes through, that's what's going to really give the goosies." Connick shares their sentiments and compares Caleb and Jena to heavyweight fighters. He and Urban think Caleb won Round One, but Connick and Lopez think Jena Irene won Round Two. "I do not envy the voters." Grade: A-
Jena Irene, We Are One.
Jena's potential winner's single is a pedestrian dance anthem, as instantly forgettable as most Idol coronation singles (but not as embarrassing as some). On the low notes, Jena's voice disappears into the background, but it soars on the high ones. Again, she gladhands as many fans as possible on her way to a small circular stage in the center of the hall. "I think it was a nice finish to the show," says Lopez, noting that the judges have to hurry their comments. "It was just as strong as when you did it in the studio," adds Connick. "It's perfect for you," Urban says. "It's great." No, it's not, but you can't say that at this point in the competition. It's like calling every charge and hack in the final seconds of the NCAA tournament final. Grade: B
Caleb Johnson, As Long As You Love Me.
"We were looking for love in all the same places/ Infected with the same disease"? Surely I'm not the only one who hears those lines and thinks, "Ewwww." Musically, this is exactly the sort of music Caleb should — and probably wants — to do, but the song is flat-out dumb. The energy and the performance might just take him to the top tomorrow, though.
Connick starts: "The way I look at it, you're like Joe Frazier, Jena is like Muhammad Ali. This is a puncher vs. a boxer." Urban's dying to see what happens tomorrow night and congratulates him. Lopez says, "I felt that you put it all out there and you went for it." Maybe it's just me, but they seem to be trying really hard to avoid saying something negative about this performance while not actually complimenting him. Grade: B-
POST ORIGINATED FROM http://www.usatoday.com
TOP NEWS SITES
CNN NEWS , CBS NEWS
, ABC
NEWS , REUTERS NEWS , BBC
NEWS
WORLD NEWS ,
MSNBC NEWS
, FOX
NEWS , USATODAY NEWS ,
Posted in: Entertainment
0 comments:
Post a Comment