Sonic

Wednesday (8/7c, Fox) - 11/30/2011

7 contestants
Melanie Amaro
Drew Ryniewicz
Rachel Crow
Astro
Marcus Canty
Chris Rene
Josh Krajcik

2 will be eliminated on Thursday night 12/1/11 (8pm/7c) . Performance theme will be Michael Jackson. Should be a fun theme to watch (hopefully).

DRG

Could be interesting, or could be same old, same old. Honestly none of them have really been surprising me lately. They've all sort of settled into their styles to the point where the themes are meaningless.

Melanie has her choice of the big ballads, although I'm assuming "Man in the Mirror" is off the table since she just did it a few weeks ago. The Mariah version of "I'll Be There" seems like something Simon would pick for her.

I could see Drew doing a stark take on "Earth Song" or "Human Nature", although I'm hoping she'll be a little more daring this week. Not completely off course, just surprise me a *little*.

Astro will rap to the beat of something like Jay-Z's "H to the Izzo" that samples a Jackson song.

Rachel, Marcus, and Chris probably have the most viable options here. Rachel will probably get something poppy and fun, although hasn't she already done a Jackson 5 song? Marcus will most likely get something lively and danceable - I could see "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" or "Wanna Be Startin' Something" working for him. Chris Rene I could see doing something in the vein of "Black or White" with his raps worked in.

I just hope Josh doesn't do the Chris Cornell/David Cook version of "Billie Jean". So sick of that take on the song and it would be hopelessly predictable.

DJariya

Hopefully it's a fun night. I could see Marcus really excelling at this theme.

I really want Melanie to mix it up and try something different for a change. So far she seems to be in cruise control with mid level to power ballads.

Josh really won me over last week. It will be interesting to see what he and Nicole decide on this week.

SkullOrchard

So, Melanie is keeping that really fake sounding Jamaican accent and pretending that her real voice was actually her fake voice?

That is some seriously silly shit.

Sonic

Maybe she thinks it's a cool thing to do since Rhianna and Nicki Minaj got accents too.

covenant

Meh, she's actually from Tortola.

Marcus focused too much on his dancing and his vocals suffered for it. Regardless, I think Rachel and Chris gave their weakest performances.

Eddie W

I had to laugh at Simon's criticism of Josh being over-produced. Isn't this show the very definition of over-production?

Were those really MJ's kids or was that some sort of SNL parody? At least Blanket seems to be carrying on the legacy of being weird as shit.

SkullOrchard

That's probably because he was molested the most.

Holydoc

For the first time, I was disappointed in Josh. Thought that was his worst performance yet. I hate that since he has been my favorite.

Also DirecTV cut Astro's talk and performance off half way through it so I could not judge it.

Very weird choice of songs for Drew. Why choose a song about a child that you do not know is your son?

I think they did a disservice to Rachael by not giving her a more popular, older Jackson 5 song.

Melanie was as strong as ever. She made a song I never heard enjoyable.

Finally I agreed with Simon about Marcus, too much dancing and not enough controlled vocals.

Now for my bottom two:
Chris - Thought the song went up too high for his voice. I actually cringed at times.
Marcus - Doesn't have the support and tried too hard last night.

Worried about:
Drew - Song choice was strange. Could turn many off.
Josh - Just not his genre and it showed big time.

celmendo

Really wondering about Simon's decision making lately. Drew's song was just wrong. She sang very well and still love her but I am so sick of the same thing over and over and the song choice made no sense for a girl.
Rachel could have done any of the early Jackson's songs with a lot more success. That song was so off for her and I agree with all the other judges. She was really trying but it was not a good fit.
And then you see Simon sitting there like he's just accomplished the best thing ever and look at how great I am even though everyone is telling him the emperor has no clothes.

Josh didn't bother me that much. It was not a great night for him but he did pretty well for a genre that obviously didn't excite him.

I can't even get through a whole Astro performance anymore.

Melanie did the best IMO.

MikahC

Josh Krajcik - Dirty Diana - 6/10 - Definitely a different version. Pretender was 9/10.
Astro - Back or White - 7/10 - Flow was nice. Not my favorite Astro song. Will have to go back and watch it with CC's so I can see what lyrics he came up with.
Drew - Billy Jean - 8/10 - Let her be what she is, and be good at what she is. My favorite Drew performance.
Rachel Crow - Can You Feel It - 5/10 - Just seems to be such a good person. On to the performance. Really? Simon _picked_ this song out of the catalog?
Marcus Canty - PYT - 5/10 - Voice was close to female territory at the beginning. (As if that ever stopped Michael). Chorus was stronger than the verses. If he's going to be a dancer/singer, he needs to take a dancing (hip-hop) class. He's a good "nightclub" dancer, but he would really benefit from just a little professional training.
Chris Rene - I'll Be There - 8/10 - I thought he was doing Rockin' Robin, which was destined to suck. Um, no. One of Chris's best. One of the best of the night. The softness of the song fit the softness (weakness?) of his voice. The type of urban flavor I've wanted to hear in other competitions (not Marcus Canty).
Melanie Amaro - Earth Song - 9/10 - Couldn't wait for her to get to "What About Us?"

MJ's kids looked like they couldn't have been more bored.
The band is really good with coming up with current arrangements.

EDIT: I didn't like Josh's performance this week, but he did not disappoint me. He has too much cachet built up. Of the whole show, Pretender is what I've replayed the most.

Sonic

I agree. The song was way too off, and I kept thinking Billie Jean sounds so bad. But she had a nice voice though, her performance was just awful.

covenant

Man, that was brutal tonight.

Sonic

I think the judges made the right decision tonight. Because even though Marcus peformance was mediocre, Drew's performance was bad, really bad, her vocals were terrible when she was climbing up the stairs while performing.

Looks like people got tired of Astro, I don't blame them. Astro reminds me too much of Kriss Kross. Which is kinda played out.

I think the winner is going to be Josh.

covenant

Yeah, Drew got desperate, tried too hard and overcooked the vocals. All Marcus had to do was settle down and sing, which he can do quite well when he's not distracted with choreography.

Dragon Tattoo

If there's a better way to sound like someone who knows nothing about rap, I don't think I've come across it.

Kriss Kross? Fucking really?

DJariya

How many mainstream kid rappers have come out in the last 10 years? Granted Kriss Kross was about 20 years ago, I cannot think of a single kid rapper who was played on Top 20 radio...if there was even one.

DJariya

Astro is finally gone!

Brutal vote tonight. I actually felt bad for Drew. But, she choked in her final song. She tried way too hard and her voice started cracking several times. Marcus had alot more confidance and swagger.

at how pissed Simon was at the vote.

As of right now, I think it's going to be Melanie and Josh in the final 2. Absolutely loved her rendition of Earth Song.

The whole accent thing with Melanie is just weird. I'm not sure I buy that she was faking the other speaking voice.

mphtrilogy

despite how mediocre the show has been melanie v josh in the family is a good finale....
rachel crow is the sleeper...

Dragon Tattoo

Uh, Lil' Bow Wow? Little Romeo?

His style of rap is nothing like Kriss Kross. If you can't tell the difference between Kriss Kross and Astro, jesus, no wonder you don't like the kid.

You remind me of my 80 year-old grandmother who, when Astro came on, said "He's just speaking words! Anyone can do that!"

Holydoc

Well put me in the crowd of glad to see Astro gone. Confidence is one thing. Cocky is another.

I was worried about Drew and that song choice. Though Marcus did much better in the sing-off, I do worry about keeping him in the competition since he has been at the bottom twice. Though I like him, I do not think he has the fan base.

DJariya

I initially liked Drew alot and still think she's talented, but she did the same boring and sleepy songs week after week. I thought it was funny 2 nights ago, Simon was so adament that he made the right choice to do a sleepy rendition of Billie Jean and that it played to Drew's strengths and then last night he reverted on everything he said and said it was his fault that Drew was in danger of getting voted out.

One thing that is starting to bug the shit out of me is the bias the judges have for your groups. I don't recall the judges even saying 1 bad thing about their contestants. At least the American Idol judges are a little more impartial.

sinned

I really hate the host - always hurrying up the judges when they are making comments then making some ridiculous questions when faced with too much time. Mama jackson, how did you like the show? Prince, Paris, how did you like the show? Drew how do you feel now that you're in the bottow two? Drew, what do you feel now that you're eliminated?

Loved it when Simon gave him the brush off when Drew was eliminated.

DJariya

^^^ The reason Jones has to cut off the judges or tell them to hurry up is because the Producer is screaming in his ear to have them hurry up. The Producer of X Factor needs to keep the show on time in it's on-air window.

Simon is the creator and Executive Producer of the show, but he's not a Line Producer, who is responsible for timing out the segments and making sure the show stays within it's 90 minute or 1 hour window.

lordwow

I would be willing to listen to the judges' explanations for 5 minutes over pretty much the other 55 minutes of the show.