<p>It was a good thing that Caleb had a great second performance cuz that first stunk! Really liked Alex this week and although I thought Jessica was good, I’m predicting she will go. Great voice but no connection with the audience. </p>
<p>I have to say I am wondering about who might be the final 2. Hard to predict as I think everyone is pretty evenly matched and very talented. The judges want Caleb but I have a hard time thinking he will be able to get much radio airtime. </p>
<p>Alex remains my top choice. He is current and has sellable music. I actually love his look and think his style helps define his personality -which is what I think many of us young and old do as well! He has stayed true to who he is - actually, I think both him and Sam have. So when they go, so be it. They will leave on their own terms, being who they are, who they like to be musically and will not be a composite of what the judges want them to be or who they have tried to shape them to be.</p>
<p>I am not on the Caleb train. He may put on a good performance, but take the visuals away and I don’t know that you can sell that type of music on the charts today. The point of the show is a lasting career afterwards. He may have a career, but don’t know if it will be with sellable music on the radio. I do think the judges favor Caleb ALOT. I stiill appreciate that Harry refuses to get out of his seat for any of the contestants. I think that’s kind of classy.</p>
<p>Jessica. She’s not my cup of tea musically , but there is talent there. Definitely. She needs some work but I think especially in country, she will have success.</p>
<p>Jena - first of all, JUST NO to promoting herself as just “Jena”. That’s is really reserved for a select few who can really sell themselves that way. I personally don’t fully love her voice - I think her phrasing can be awful. She has been a little stagnant lately. Def needs to get behind the piano again.</p>
<p>I read something really interesting about Sam yesterday. About how the judges and show have been so gungho on promoting him as the “hearthrob”. The comment said something to this effect: “Sam clearly is not comfortable or wanting to be a hearthrob. He wants to be and is an artist. Let him be that artist.” So truth I think!!!</p>
<p>Sam may leave tonight. At this point in the game good people go. They all have much to be proud of and much to look forward to!!! </p>
<p>I’m really happy that my favorite two all along - Alex and Sam - made it this far. </p>
<p>Alex was good but not great. (I liked his version of “Say Something” but, frankly, there was an acapella version of that song at D’s high school v-show that blew his away.) Sam was okay but not very memorable last nigh, although he definitely gets “most improved” for the entire contest. I find both of them endearing. I think a certain amount of vulnerability adds a dimension to their music that gets lost when someone is too polished. There is that WGWG (white guy with guitar…a VFTW curse) issue for both of them, though.</p>
<p>Caleb is very talented, but his style is just so…outdated. (And this from a 58-year-old mom who still has Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” on her “top 25 most played” iTunes playlist.) I sort of feel the same way about Jena. Plus, both of them just seem a little full of themselves, which make them hard for me to relate to. </p>
<p>Jessica’s second song was very well-suited to her voice and her performance was the best she’s had for a while, but I don’t think it will be enough. I predict she’ll be going.</p>
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<p>Pentatonix is an a cappella group (won the Sing Off) who recently put out a version of that song on You Tube, with their beatboxer actually celloboxing this time. It was far better than Alex’s version, which while not bad, lacked soul imo.</p>
<p>I thought Caleb’s Whitesnake number was as good or better than Whitesnake … but it’s still Whitesnake. </p>
<p>I thought Alex did well with both numbers, especially considering he is not a natural at rappish lyrics. </p>
<p>Jena was really good in her first song, not so much with the second. Her diction sometimes lacks. </p>
<p>I can’t really speak about Sam and Jessica because I view them as in competition for the last spot and my rooting interest gets in the way. I thought she got a song that actually fit her more than either song Sam got but I wasn’t crazy about her performances of either. </p>
<p>Alex’s “Say Something” cracked the iTunes top 50 this morning -so clearly enough people liked it!! Got my download! </p>
<p>I like the “sweeter” side of Alex and Sam. Based on the show so far, it would be hard to root against the chances of Caleb. And this comes from someone who cannot stand the “rocker/screamers” on the Voice. I do not care for the two girls, and especially the punkish-haired one that had all that drama in the elimination round. </p>
<p>Say something is easy on the ears, but Alex will (unfortunately) need a LOT more to emerge in the end. </p>
<p>Despite Caleb’s pitch problems during the earlier part of his first song, I still rank him high together with Alex. I find him talented and I don’t find his stage movements forced or obnoxious at all. If we were back in 1985 he would have won already. Sam is still 3rd for me despite his obvious lack of stage presence. I like the hats he wears. I think it gives him some flavor. Jena, aside from Creep (which is a go to song for us when we played Rock Band 1 years ago), is not really interesting to me but I’ve been rooting for her to step up her game so the other girl will be eliminated first. The other girl I’m referring to is Jessica. The leg-pose she did at the beginning of the Lana Del Ray song was as awkward as Jolie’s red carpet leg frog pose. It wasn’t sexy at all. I liked her duet with Caleb though. My thoughts are: Alex is safe, Caleb MUST be safe, Sam is cross-your-fingers safe. Jena and Jessica is in the bottom. If Sam is booted out instead of Jessica, the only way to console me is if he and Ariana Grande sing a duet together. </p>
<p>Random observation: A few weeks ago, whenever a contestant was called safe, he/she would hug the other remaining contestants. The only one who didn’t do it was Jessica. I didn’t notice it at first. It was my H who told me so I had to rewind that part. She gleefully smiled and promptly left the stage. That’s probably why it’s taking me forever to warm up to her. </p>
<p>I think what they keep doing to Sam is both bullying and doing anything because it’s for the camera. You take a shy teenager and keep calling attention to him when he blushes, say silly things like, “You’re having FEELINGS,” call him the “heartthrob” and make him sing surrounded by girls. You then find out who the contestants celebrity crushes are, and make SURE you have Sam’s there. Make her appear right before he has to perform, and then laugh about how incredibly red his face was.</p>
<p>I was a shy teenager, and one of my sons was extremely shy. This would have been humiliating to me, done in private. I can’t imagine how it would feel in front of millions. Sam is doing an extremely job just smiling and acting like it’s rolling right off of him, and not letting them distract him from singing amazingly well. I personally could not care less if someone can wave their arms around, throw the mike stand, or dance. It’s about singing, and who you’d want to listen to on the radio, and these judges and producers are acting like bullies. It may give them better ratings, but I personally am disgusted.</p>
<p>If he makes it to the finals, I fully expect them to bring Miley Cyrus to the finale, wearing almost nothing, to do what she did on the famed Music Awards show. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.</p>
<p>^^^^^It’s possible he is bothered by this. Then again, just because you would be humiliated by this doesn’t necessarily mean he feels even remotely the same way. He seems to be handling it just fine.</p>
<p>Awww, darn it. :(</p>
<p>That was the most ridiculous thing ever. Why would you ever put the contestants on the spot like that?!! We’re they worried about losing SAMs viewers so they changed the game at the last minute!!? We are JIST making up rules as we go? Putting awkwardness in front of the contestants and make them wonder who voted what?? Ugh, I am SOOOO bothered by this!</p>
<p>But you know, essentially the “twist” backfired. I don’t think they expected the not unanimous votes. Look at Jennifer’s reaction! I think they expected the idols to all show there love for each other and to keep everyone there another week - good job to the two who helped keep,the integrity of the vote. </p>
<p>Most of all, will miss Sam. I hope that he has a great time on tour. Also hope that he considers still going to school and continues making music on the side. He’s an amazing young man who grew fans young and old. And as he sang, “can’t change who I am”!!!</p>
<p>They are always doing stunts like this. There have been times where they make one contestant safe, then group the others and ask the safe one to announce who he thinks is going home. That kind of thing.</p>
<p>Sam is not upset by the attention. He gets embarrassed because that’s his nature but it doesn’t bother him. He’s level-headed and, frankly, his immediate relatives have been there for him. His grandparents in particular are extremely supportive and encouraging (and realistic), etc. He’s really enjoyed this and really likes the other people. </p>
<p>And the family knew this might be coming. He’s done better than anyone rationally expected given he was a 17 year old kid with nearly no performing experience. </p>
<p>I think Harry made the point well: these were kids known only to their family and friends and now they’ve performed live on national TV in front of a huge audience for week after week. They’ve done this with rehearsals for TV, with time to shoot a Ford ad each week, and with studio recording each week. Odds are none of these kids were in a real studio before this and now they each have songs on iTunes. And now they go on tour. </p>
<p>Now I’m not even going to watch. From the sounds of it, this is just going to piss me off.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone who’s truly shy would even consider participating in a TV reality competition, so I have to believe Sam was fine with all the nonsense. I think some are confusing shyness with just having a low-key personality. I’m sure he’ll have a fun summer touring and then four great years at Berklee. If he’d won and been derailed from college, that would have been a real shame.</p>
<p>Many of the people who have not won have sold far more singles and albums than those who have. Winning is a boost, a minute of celebrity. But those who actually sound great are the ones who make the money.</p>
<p>Saw an article yesterday regarding iTunes sales. For instance this week, Alex’s song reached #43 on the iTunes selling chart and Jessica and Sam’s song was in the top #150-ish. It was noted in the article that since the live shows Caleb has not had a song in the top #200 - ever. I just think that’s telling that while he may be good to watch on stage (or in the moment) but that it’s not enough for people to reach out and purchase his music - at this point anyway. Alex and Sam for sure have had several songs chart “high” in the last several weeks. (I don’t follow Jena and Jessica too closely so I can’t speak to their rankings). </p>
<p>More (sorry, I’m kind of an American Idol addict)…</p>
<p>They revealed who voted what after the show last night. Caleb, Sam, Jessica voted “yes”, keep everyone. Alex and Jena voted “no”, send one home. </p>
<p>Alex expressed his displeasure on Twitter last night with the “twist”:</p>
<p>“That twist was not cool. Didn’t make sense at all. Should have just kept it the same. Whatever. Sam HAS a career, he’s about to explode.”</p>
<p>" Everyone voted tonight, knowing that they themselves could go home. No one knew. It is Americas vote, has been for 13 years. It’s ■■■■■■."</p>
<p>“Oh, and who else is going to buy Sams kickass album? I am. He’s one of my absolute best friends. For life.”</p>
<p>Many feel the twist was “uncool” because it attempted to invalidate America’s vote. People didn’t text, dial and click last night just to have votes dismissed. The Save is part of the game, but that should be the only time that votes don’t count if you are being upfront about the rules of the game. </p>
<p>It’s just a little bit of drama. </p>
<p>I think Caleb’s songs don’t sell as well in part because the other ones are more currently popular numbers. Example: he did Whitesnake really well. Anyone think of that band except as a hair band joke? Why buy the song if you don’t listen to that now?</p>