And this guy above? Marcus Canty? Ain’t my favorite. Look. Marcus is a nice guy. He’s obviously talented — all the five remaining contestants on The X Factor are, in order to be able to get this far. But he landed in the bottom two last week for the second time. And I’m just saying (based on his performances last night) “Exit, stage left.”
This go round, the contestants had to sing a “dance routine” number, as well as their own choice as a follow-up. Host (and I use that term very sarcastically) Steve Jones told us there was a “glitch” yesterday, in terms of the original plan. It seems we were “supposed” to see the contestants sing songs voted on by viewers in the “Pepsi Challenge,” but there was some Major Issue just yesterday. What exactly that issue was remained mysterious and ambiguous throughout the hour and a half, but it led to some last minute hysterics for the final five.
By the way? These last few weeks of two hour, and hour and a half extravaganza airings are just killing me. They’re unnecessary. So many ads and needless drama! My patience is just about done with it, and I’m looking forward to more people getting booted at this point just so I don’t eat so many pretzels. But that’s neither here nor there.
Now I’ll tell you my thoughts between crunches about each of the last ones standing. (I mean, um … singing.)
Melanie Amaros: Okay, here’s the deal. Melanie just needs to sing her perfect songs in her perfect voice, and otherwise shut her yap. First, we saw her come out with that strange transformation into “Jamaican Sophia Varga” a couple of weeks ago. I was so perplexed by that! Here, the girl has been speaking in a “normal” American accent all these months, and then she busts out and has this major revelation and has turned into someone completely different.
Hey! Before you get on me about the right to be diverse, just hear me out. The accent she’s using now? The one that she claims is really the true her? It sounds completely forced to me. It appears to be a gimmick to me. And! I’m not digging all these speeches after her performances. Her little “Can I just say something?” Then we have to sit through some utterly ridiculous speech about her “believing in herself” and blah blah.
You can do that sort of stuff when you’re as seasoned and popular as Barbra Streisand or Bono. It will still annoy me to no end, but at least you’ll have earned the right.
Rachel Crow: I don’t get her. Sorry, I just don’t. I want her to go, but she’s still got the teeny bopper vote so she’s safe. The crowd loves her. The judges love her. I just don’t love her. She’s reaching for notes a lot of the time. She’s flat constantly. She can’t move onstage for anything. Her reactions to the judges and Abysmal Steve are fake and over-the-top Annie-esque Broadway. I know! I know! She’s young. But I gots ta calls ‘em as I sees ‘em.
Chris Rene: I thought I’d call Chris out as the one to leave this week. But I have to say … this guy changed my mind with the song he wrote and performed acoustically. Wow! L.A. Reid has really done him a disservice. He’s much better as a Jason Mraz type singer than as a rapper. Bravo!
Josh Krajcik: Oh, Josh. The “dance routine” portion was just so hard to watch. But we all knew it would be with him. He’s simply the polar opposite of that type of genre. He gave it the ole college try. He had to. And I was cringing for and right along with him. Geez! The ridiculous dancers on this show!
Also, as I’ve said before it doesn’t help that he has the worst spray-tanned mentor in Nicole. Ack! Between her terrible song choices for her contestants in the past, her corny comments (“We’re living your life right with you.” “The sky’s the limit for you, baby.” “I want you to just get lost in this moment.”), and closing her eyes and swaying and crying? Let’s just say I would gladly rip off her false eyelashes if I saw her. And stomp on them. Then I would punch her in the boob and run away.
However, Josh has gotten past her and he’s always been my pony. He did a fantastic rendition of “Something,” and he’s not going anywhere. In fact, I’ve always picked him or Melanie to take this whole thing.
Which brings me to Marcus Canty. If you’re still here and following along. (And if you are, here’s a pretzel!) He’s gone. Let’s wave bye bye. He’s just … forgettable. I totally disagreed with the girl judges last night when they commented on his emotions being so clear when he sings. I just saw “acting.” Watch Ray Charles perform “Song For You” and then tell me Marcus did it with any sort of feeling.
So, there you have it.
Who do you think is biting The Musical Farm tonight? Let’s discuss!
Clacked by Tara Shrodes
on Dec 08, 2011 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
. . . . .
Rachel is, without a doubt, cute. And she can sing. But we’ve seen a transition over the course of the weeks in her that has left a bad taste in my mouth. All of a sudden, she’s playing to the camera and the audience. Her “Thank yew! Thank yew very much!”-es have become forced, fake and overly-animated. But she’s got a following and she’s not going anywhere.
Josh’s first tune was horrendous. Period. That’s just not him. At the other end of the spectrum, all his light came shining out with “Something” … including that light of insanity Simon mentioned he sometimes possesses. S’aight. Dude’s going to win it.
Marcus Canty must leave. Please. This week. No exceptions. We would all be a happier audience of looky-looers if he can hit the road, Jack.
I correctly predicted when Leroy and Lakoda Rayne were eliminated, but it didn’t count because I didn’t leave a comment anywhere! Saying “I knew it!” to myself afterwards was not satisfying. :-) So I’ll make a prediction now and risk looking like an idiot tonight. I’m guessing that Marcus and Rachel will go home, and the final three will be Chris, Melanie, and Josh. I would be happy with any of those three winning the competition. Chris doesn’t have a great singing voice, but I just like him. I like his spirit – genuine, humble, and joyful (MAJOR contrast to Astro). I like his story and I like his original songs. Melanie has won me over with her powerful voice, not her epiphanies (although I have to disagree about her accent being fake – people from the islands sometimes adopt normal English when in the U.S. but use their own dialect when speaking to each other; I like hearing what she considers to be her real accent). Josh has been great every week, except this week. When he makes crazy faces while singing, I sometimes think of Jack Black. But regardless, he would be a worthy winner.
Well, I cheated. I put the performance on DVR just to trim the epic show into performance and judging sound bites. [Lotsssss less pretzels that way, especially when one hand is on the remote hitting fast forward.]
But I waited to read your review until after I viewed the show [at least relevant parts of the show] and found myself agreeing with you pretty much down the line.
Cantry, go home; Rachel, get real; Josh, stick with what works; Melanie, quit talking. The only place I really disagree is that I can’t get into Chris’ singing OR writing. [I found the lyrics to his second song heart-felt, but at a 6th grade poetry writing level.] I’m glad he’s clean and sober, and I think his life-changes are inspirational. But he is in the final five because of his commercial value, not artistic.
Hey Gurl, I totally agree with you about the accent and speeches of Melanie’s. Very annoying!!! but Rachel I do like and I was so sorry she got booted. I have to say I am surprised Josh is still around not because of him but because of Nicole’s stupid choices. But I hope he wins. I am so ready for Idol. It is a much better show.