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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Dancin' and Believin' and Stalkin' (aka Lets Send Haley Home)

Well, I still love Scotty, but the kid is on his own tonight.  Haley is my new heroine.  I sent an email to some of the blog followers early in the week regarding the judge's song choice being a  set up to sabotage Haley. And I am not sure that even Led Zeppelin's personal intervention on her behalf, or Iovine's unrequited love for Stevie Nicks is going to help her overcome the contrast between psycho stalker lyrics that no one  could understand (which had to be changed because the original lyrics are not fit for prime time) that have no melody and have to be *sung* at lightning speed and the easy melody and feel good lyrics in the songs the judges chose for the Bobbsey Twins.  If you thought Haley didn't sing the verse well on *You Oughta Know* and  go watch Alanis Morisette sing it on youtube.  She doesn't do it any better than Haley did tonight.   The wrong song for the wrong night and only Haley could even attempt to pull it off.
 
I know you all doubt me when I say *I predicted that* but once I knew the songs the judges had chosen, I knew the order of performance would be contestant's song choice first, Jimmy's song choice second, and judges song choice last.  There was no way they were going to let Haley have the last word with a great performance a third week in a row.  And there was NO way she was going to make an impression with the judge's song choice compared to sunshine lollipops and rainbows. 

So..I'm going to go round by round in performance order:

Scotty goes first.  Its not the best place to be but if the Dial Idol results are even remotely accurate, the kid is getting votes at a ratio of 2 to 1 over his closest competitor and is running away with the competition.

Scotty's choice:  I do not even remember the name of the song.  My notes say I was smiling and that I was happy he went up in his range.   I still love Scotty. The judges loved it

Lauren's choice:  *She's a Wild One*.  She got to mention her best friend and the song talked about her singing at three on her daddy's knee so everyone would know she is still just a baby and Jennifer affirms that by calling her *our baby*.  It was fine.  Judges offer some advice to her but then say she was wonderful.  So..advice in and out in Lauren's 16 year old mind.

Haley's choice:  *What is and What Should Never Be*.  A Led Zeppelin hit from the late 60's.  I didn't know it because I was listening to the Monkees in the late 60s.  I am sure that disillusioned James' fans will think she is pandering for his fan's votes because she went rock.  Think again.  She has covered it before with her little home town band.  Think again once more.  According to Haley's parents, after Haley sung House of the Rising Sun, Robert Plant and the other guy from Zeppelin called Idol and offered their entire songbook to Haley to sing ONE song ONE time. The only other contestant Zeppelin cleared a song for was Adam the Great.  

Did you know Haley had parents?  I didn't.  We know all about Lauren's dogs, and Scotty's baseball team and James' sad life, but no one has ever told us who Haley is and where she came from.  Because no one ever thought she would make the top 13 let alone the top three. Come to find out her parents are musicians too, but have day jobs.  Her daddy has worked double shifts and done gigs at night to earn money for the plane tickets for them to come see her perform the few times they were able to put the money together.  I saw them speak on an internet video at the Wheeling Town Council meeting where they thanked the town for the homecoming the town gave Haley.  You would want to know them.  They sort of reminded me of the J's.  The mom is all bubbly and talkative and the dad is more reticent.     I'm glad they let him play with her.  

She nailed that song...falling down and all.  Randy and Steven give her her 4th standing O.  Jennifer sits there thinking *oh shit...she's going to be the next most beautiful woman in America and she didn't even have autotune!*  As Steven is finally saying something besides *it was beautiful* and getting ready to give Haley huge Steven compliments, Jennifer interrupts him in case he goes too far in praising Haley.    Go Haley!  (No wonder they didn't put the contestant's song choice last).

Judges give the round to Haley and so do I.

Second round..Iovine's choice

Scotty sings *Are You Gonna Kiss Me*.  I thought it was fine but I   I actually liked the first song (which I don't remember the name of) better. 

Lauren sings something about dying young and wearing pearls.  I will give her this...as she ran out of breath at the end of each phrase...it was somewhat realistic.  For once, the judges say she missed a note or two.  

I have now decided that Iovine is in love with Haley.  Rumor is that back in the day  he had an unrequited love for Stevie Nicks and he chooses Rhiannon for Haley. I wish Haley hadn't said she was worried about remembering the words because I was holding my breath the whole time she sang it. Haley sings it exactly like Jimmy tells her too and remembers the words.  Much talk about the wind machine from the judges because we cannot talk about how well Haley performed the song.

Judges say Scotty/Lauren won the round...I say Haley did. 

Third round Judge's choice.

Scotty sings *She Believes In Me*.  Very well.  I got tears in my eyes but I have a soft spot for Scotty.  

Lauren gets her text message and practically dances in glee because she knows she got the easiest and most appealing song in the world singing *I Hope You Dance*.    She looks nice in her blue dress.  She sings it ok but still runs out of breath at the end of every phrase.   She gives Jennifer goose bumps. I thought it was ho-hum.  But I never got the Lauren love.

Judges choice for Haley?  A song about a stalker whose love left her for another.  A song that the lyrics have to be changed for prime time.  A song with no melody in the verse with too many words.  A song which Alanis Morisette cannot sing well.  Lots of praise for how Haley sang the chorus.  The chorus is the only part of that song that has any melody to it!  

The judges verdict?  Only Steven is honest in choosing Haley.  The other two go for Lauren and her pageant performance of *I Hope You Dance*. 

Predictions?  Scotty is never going to go home.  Confetti next week for him.  Haley should be in the finale with him.  But I don't know if she can overcome the sugar sweet gal from Rossville, Georgia.

If Haley goes home she went home fighting.  Had three hard songs to sing this week.  Nailed them all.