There's no overly dramatic pre-credits sequence tonight. Well, there is, but in a different way. Instead of crazy editing and titles, it's just a slice-of-life moment of Jimmy Iovine in the studio's control room while Janelle is in the recording booth. Only Jimmy can't hear her. As the Godfather theme cues up, Jimmy explains to the hapless recording engineer about the scores of other assistants he once fired for not being able to hear people in the booth. "Do we understand each other?" he asks. They do. Fortunately for the assistant, they can also understand Janelle a second later. "Put that in your fucking show," Jimmy cackles. And clearly someone was too terrified to disobey.
After the entrance of the judges and Ryan and a glimpse at the top nine, Ryan promises performances by Jessica Sanchez, Casey Abrams, and also maybe some results. But first, time for Jimmy's weekly truth-bomb. Jimmy starts his clip package by complaining that the judges were too positive across the board. I bet Lazaro and Paul wouldn't agree. Jimmy does think Kree is great, but needs to dial it back a bit once in a while. He also liked Burnell's tone, but isn't happy about the lack of preparation shown by, you know, not knowing Beatles songs. And I mean, nobody expects everyone to know "Savoy Truffle" or whatever, but if there are ten Beatles songs that every English-speaking aspiring pop musician should know, "Let it Be" is probably two of them.
Jimmy declares Lazaro the worst of the week, and busts him for claiming to Ryan last night that he learned the song the night before when Jimmy worked with him on it back on Saturday. As for Amber, Jimmy says that she picked "She's Leaving Home" on her own, probably because of the lyrics (and probably because everything else she would have chosen was off the table for one reason or another), and thinks it was wonderful. He thought Candace gave the best performance of the night, and wants her to keep doing what she's doing. He still thinks Paul has a really good voice but isn't ready for prime time, and thinks he'll be in the bottom three. Comfy out on that limb, Jimmy? He says Angie has the recent high-school grad's tendency to overdramatize, but could still win if they fix it. He ranks Devin in the middle of the pack, saying he needs to work on delivery and consistency. And he thought Janelle made a great song choice and has "explosive restraint," whatever that means.
Time to start some results. Ryan has Amber stand up, and plays back some video of her in rehearsal attempting to negotiate the fog-covered staircase, which the stagehands "fixed" to make a fog-covered Amber instead. Ryan tells her that America voted, and her results are... something she's going to have to wait a while longer for. Which probably puts her in the middle third, right?
After the ads, we're dropped directly into a group sing of "Got To Get You Into My Life." Except it's only the four remaining guys, I assume because they're all going to be gone in three weeks and forty-two minutes anyway. Afterwards, Ryan sends them back to the bleacher-couches except for Paul, whom he presents with a large framed proclamation of Paul Jolley Day in Dresden, Tennessee. The bad news is it was last Saturday, so he missed it, and the worse news is that Paul's in the bottom three. Always lead with the bad news, Ryan.
We return from the break with Ryan behind the judges' table to introduce Casey Abrams. Apparently he's released an album since being on a season of the show I didn't watch. Tonight he's rocking a high ponytail and some hipster-slash-19th-century-president facial hair, but he's sticking with the Beatles theme, playing his standup bass with a jazz combo to perform a version of "I Saw Her Standing There," with a lot more scatting than this song normally calls for and then winding up with some James Brown-type vocal gymnastics. Keith and Randy give him a standing ovation for some reason. Also, I think he's really high.
Now the girls get to do a group sing, what will probably be the first of many whether anyone likes or not, because they'll be the only ones left by this time month. They're doing "Here, There, and Everywhere." And can I just say how nice it is not to have to be Googling lyrics all the time this week? Ryan invites them all to sit back down and dims the lights, then has Devin stand up. Ryan asks Devin what he needs to do to connect like Keith wants him to, and Devin gives a totally circular non-answer, which is fine because it's not like anyone even knows what that means, including Keith. Ryan tells him that after the vote, he is...in the bottom three. Devin crosses the stage to join Paul, and Ryan moves on to Lazaro. He asks him if the judges were too hard on him last night, and Lazaro says he agrees with what they said, and he needs to stick to singing songs that he loves. But he's safe either way, so there you go. Not looking good for Burnell right now.
Ryan introduces some October 2011footage of a San Diego audition by one Jessica Sanchez. She's living the dream now, modeling and singing and more modeling and getting a gig on Glee and giving a concert in Manila and recording an album, which includes "Tonight," featuring Ne-Yo, and getting a freaking twenty-minute intro reel on American Idol. She and Ne-Yo are performing their song for us tonight on the stage. It's a poppy dance-club song, not bad for what it is, but there's no way in hell she ever would have done a song like this during the competition last year. And I just have to say it: It's not as good as "Home." Suddenly I'm a little worried about what Joshua Ledet is going to sing week.
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By M. Giant
Now the girls get to do a group sing, what will probably be the first of many whether anyone likes or not, because they'll be the only ones left by this time month. They're doing "Here, There, and Everywhere." And can I just say how nice it is not to have to be Googling lyrics all the time this week? Ryan invites them all to sit back down and dims the lights, then has Devin stand up. Ryan asks Devin what he needs to do to connect like Keith wants him to, and Devin gives a totally circular non-answer, which is fine because it's not like anyone even knows what that means, including Keith. Ryan tells him that after the vote, he is...in the bottom three. Devin crosses the stage to join Paul, and Ryan moves on to Lazaro. He asks him if the judges were too hard on him last night, and Lazaro says he agrees with what they said, and he needs to stick to singing songs that he loves. But he's safe either way, so there you go. Not looking good for Burnell right now.
Ryan introduces some October 2011footage of a San Diego audition by one Jessica Sanchez. She's living the dream now, modeling and singing and more modeling and getting a gig on Glee and giving a concert in Manila and recording an album, which includes "Tonight," featuring Ne-Yo, and getting a freaking twenty-minute intro reel on American Idol. She and Ne-Yo are performing their song for us tonight on the stage. It's a poppy dance-club song, not bad for what it is, but there's no way in hell she ever would have done a song like this during the competition last year. And I just have to say it: It's not as good as "Home." Suddenly I'm a little worried about what Joshua Ledet is going to sing week.
We come back to Paul and Devin still over on the loser-stools at far stage right, while Lazaro sits all alone further upstage where the safe people go. Ryan announces the safe person by inviting, "Take a look" as real-time video of Kree Harrison pops up on the big screen, twenty feet from where Kree is currently sitting. Also safe are Candice Glover, Angie Miller, and Janelle Arthur. That leaves Amber and Burnell, one of whom is safe and one of whom is in the bottom three. Demographically Burnell should be in trouble, but it turns out he's safe, and Amber is the first girl to land in the bottom three. Randy expresses shock that Amber is there. As for Amber herself, she looks a little embarrassed to be among the bottom three like some kind of... guy.
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By M. Giant
Coming back, the conversation about Amber not needing to be in the bottom three continues at some length, and every second it goes on communicates to Devin and Paul, "Eh." It's academic anyway, because the one with the fewest votes is, no shock, Paul. They cue up Heart's "Alone" for the charade of his performance hoping for the judges to save him, which we all know isn't going to happen. They at least do him the courtesy of whispering to each other during his performance, even if they're obviously talking about where they're going to get dinner afterwards. He gets a standing ovation from the audience and the soon-to-be-top eight, but not from the judges, as if we needed another sign. Ryan reminds us that the judges have to decide unanimously to use their save, and Randy reports that it wasn't unanimous. Oh, I imagine it was, just not in the affirmative. They play Paul's farewell reel, which I think the editors knew all along they weren't going to have very many weeks to work on, and Ryan says week's theme will be songs from Detroit. Can't wait to hear Janelle's rendition of Eminem's "Lose Yourself."
M. Giant is a Minneapolis- based writer with a wife, a son, and a number of cats that seems to have settled at around two. Learn waaaay too much about him at Velcrometer, follow him on Twitter, or just e-mail him at m.giant[at]gmail.com.
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