Sonic

MikahC

1st Songs

Melanie Amaro - Someone Like You (Adele) - Cuter every week. Someone dressed the dancers like a character from Farscape. Not my favorite, but she's always on point.

Marcus Canty - Ain't Nobody (Chaka Khan) - Wow. Did not like this at all. I challenge anyone to listen to the original and like Marcus's version. I'm convinced I have a bad mix because I don't hear anything they're hearing. He sounds really bad to me.

Rachel Crow - Nothin’ on You (B.o.B. & Bruno Mars) - Liked the low-key intro that showcased her voice.

Josh Krajcik - We Found Love (Rihanna) - Again, on point. I really like his voice. I didn't really feel like the song was him.

Chris Rene - Live Your Life (T.I.) - Simon hit it on the head. He's not the best singer, but he does seem like a good recording artist. In fact, if I were watching the Grammy's and had a choice between watching Chris or, say, Usher, I'd choose Chris. I'd definitely pick him over Marcus, even though Marcus is a better singer.

2nd Songs

Melanie Amaro - When You Believe (Mariah/Whitney) - I could listen to her sing for a whole CD. I didn't think it was great, but it's certainly functional.

Marcus Canty - A Song For You (Donnie Hathaway) - First Marcus performance I kind of liked. But like Simon, I've heard better versions on talent shows (Elliott Yamin from AI comes to mind).

Rachel Crow - Michael Jackson (Music & Me) - I still like her voice, personality, and energy. She belongs on Disney, and I see nothing wrong with that.

Josh Krajcik - Something (The Beatles) - Josh had no knockouts tonight, but he's still on point.

Chris Rene - Where Do We Go From Here (Chris Rene) - This is why I like this show. Proof positive Chris can not only write lyrics, but write (and play) music. No, he's not a great singer, but he consistently comes up with music I think is current and relevant. The song was a bit repetitive, but I still enjoyed it enough not to want to want to turn it off. I've said from the beginning calling him a "rapper" underrates him.

If I had to pick one to go home, it'd be Marcus, except that the worst kept secret in "Hollywood" is Disney wants Rachel, so she'll do fine no matter what. Thus I'd be OK with her leaving now as it'll impact her less. My hope is that Marcus, then Rachel, then Chris (I want to hear more of what he comes up with), then either Melanie or Josh wins, probably Josh because I'm partial to singers who are also musicians.

rkndkn

I really dislike Melanie's personality and how she now has to interject some comment or other. The others don't do that and I DON'T CARE. I hate the kind of songs she sings. I like Josh, but there's something a little serious/tense about him that's a little offputting. Chris is just plain likeable. Rachel's fine and Marcus was actually my first pick to get cut many weeks ago. I don't like to quit in the middle of things and I will see the season through, but I can't wait for "The Voice" to return. The judges are infinitely more entertaining even if the singers may not be my type.

Pizza

That seems to be a growing trend around here. Just check out the Walking Dead thread. It gets pretty bloody sometimes.
As for X Factor, I'm watching it but I'm not totally loving it. Can't stand Nicole Scherzinger. She was really getting into Simon last night. And Simon has been too polite so far with the contestants. Most of the folks I like are gone. I don't know who to root for at the moment. They're all talented though and I'd imagine a good number of them will get deals whether they win or not.

lordwow

Well I think Simon may murder someone. And he may be justified.

SkullOrchard

I've already Tweeted by death threat to Nicole Scherzinger.

Rachel was robbed. That shit wasn't even close.

covenant

Loved the chorus of boos for Nicole. Expect more death threats.

chowderhead

they need to raise the age limit on this show. Having young kids break down over and over because they are eliminated is uncomfortable to watch.
I am the last to defend Nicole but Rachel got the lowest amount of votes, she should have been eliminated.

sauce07

That was awesome

YOU PROMISED ME

covenant

I expect to see Marcus in the bottom two until he is eliminated.

Septemberbaby

Nicole needs to go. She can't even make a decision. She's worthless.

Dragon Tattoo

Whatever. Rachel's going to be a Disney star, which will be many times more profitable than whatever was coming to her from winning this shit show.

DWilson

I love this show for all the wrong reasons. The last ten minutes of Thursday's show was fascinating television: the "gun-shot" look on Rachel's face when she got the word, her collapse, Nicole's breakdown, Simon's obvious anger, and most of all, Steve trying to get control of something so emotionally wrought (in particular, his shooing away Marcus Canty with a "We'll see you next week").

I'm so ashamed but I had to laugh a little bit.

Seriously, though, Nicole deserves all the negative reactions she'll get. While I wasn't a Rachel fan, she just killed that song tonight, and Marcus has a certain "dead fish" odor about him after all these weeks in the bottom (though you know they'll find some point next week to say that "Here's the reason we kept you in the contest!". On the other hand, Rachel's probably got a job waiting for her right now...

sinned

So much drama on this show. Agree that Rachel should've stayed. I figure that Nicole thought that Rachel would have the votes to stay in it, so she took the easy way out. Big mistake. She certainly deserves all the criticism that is going to come her way.

Daytripper

OK, did I watch the same show as you guys last night who thought Rachel sung better than Marcus? Her first performance was o.k. But the second was absolutely terrible. Most of the song was sung off key. Cute can only get you so far. I mean, I agree with those saying she has a career on the Disney channel. So she'll be able to improve on her singing skills. But she deserved to go because she was the worst. Now I'd like to address the drama. I was both laughing and cringing at the same time. Nicole's fake crying, Rachel collapsing and telling her mom "You promised me! You promised me!!", that horrible host with his mugging at the camera and trying to look remotely emotional. This show is such an embarrassing trainwreck. Knew it could only go down hill when Paul ran to the bathroom to throw up for seeing the one contestants's penis during the auditions.

MikahC

I can only hope Rachel was preparing for her Disney acting gig, but unfortunately, I don't think that was the case. Watching her repeatedly exclaim, "You promised me," to her mother after her elimination was painful. That young lady has been through so much in her life, and I'm sure she isn't all sunshine as she portrays. That was her "why me" coming out. Her elimination was just all kinds of awful. There was nothing awesome about it to me. One minute she's asking Nicole not to cry and reassuring everyone she's OK with whatever happens, the next she's on the floor of the stage, followed by a pained public cry seeking reassurance from her mother but realizing at the same time that as much as mom loves her, mom can't undo this.

The talent is there in these young kids, but the ability to handle life isn't.

Right. I see no point in blaming Nicole. She _can_ save someone, but she isn't obligated to. Rachel's gone because she got less votes than Marcus. It isn't just based on the last performance. Nicole simply decided to let the thousands of votes have final say rather than her single vote. Simon did exactly the same thing earlier in the competition and we didn't hear about any "death threats" (they seemed more like death hopes to me) then.

Even if saved, I'm pretty sure Rachel would be leaving next week. No way she's overtaking Josh and Melanie, and probably not even Chris if Chris keeps doing what he's doing. For the record, I saved 1 Rachel performance from the season (I Want It That Way). I didn't save any Marcus performances. I saved Josh's The Pretender, and Melanie's

colour

What's uncomfortable about it? Some of these kids are more mature than the adults, Rachel will be successful and her journey on the show will be an experience that benefits her, she's smart enough to turn this into a positive. Unlike most people who are just plain stupid.

Marcus sucks he's totally outclassed and shouldn't even be on the show at all. Why have a "sing off" if the best doesn't win and clearly Rachel blew away Marcus.

MikahC

Don't believe the hype. Some kids are better at acting mature, but if you scratch surface, you usually find a kid within. None of the older contestants have acted like Astro (he got his out of the way before the actual elimination), Drew, and Rachel upon elimination. That's not a coincidence.

Septemberbaby

As much as we make fun of Ryan Seacrest, watching Steve Jones (is that his name?) makes it obvious just how good Ryan is.

tommy28

she was getting Reassurance from her mother that everything would be ok.

I wonder if Nicole was even crying. she cried on a few show yet she never had any tears.... oh well.

Dragon Tattoo

I love how Marcus' eyes bugged out when found out he was staying.

Yeah, even he didn't expect it.

clckworang

I agree with this. Steve Jones has more of a hunk factor going for him, but he's so blandly serious. He doesn't seem able to really loosen up or ease the situations. This was a great example of this. He could have maybe done or said something to make the incident come off different or to get more of a reaction from a judge, but he was pretty ineffectual.

I have to admit that the show has been a bit of a chore for me. It's actually made me rethink even watching Idol, but I've made it this far and will continue until the end. Despite how cheesy this show often is, there have been some incredible - or at least incredibly awkward - TV moments. The child breakdowns are difficult to watch yet compelling in the rawness. I'm surprised I haven't seen more backlash toward the show because of putting these kids in such a pressure cooker of a situation.

And I agree that Nicole has every right to force America's vote to decide it, but I don't like the chicken shit way she went about it. "I just can't choose!" Please, you're a judge. Make a damn decision. That has felt like a big issue with her pretty much the whole season. She has been utterly worthless as a judge. It's like she's trying to be the second Paula. We've already got one. That's plenty. Get someone in there who is more articulate, has a backbone and has a higher taste level. She has had some of the lamest choices, and it has been her taste that has been questioned by the other judges the most. Plus, the guy she has saved clearly is someone America wants out, considering how many times he has been on the bottom. He's beyond stale, and Nicole could have done everyone a favor, including Marcus who must know he has zero chance of winning this thing, and just get rid of him.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there is some retooling done on this show before a second season.

SkullOrchard

It just seems to me that someone would have already explained to Rachel that she has already "won", and that the outcome of this competition is basically meaningless at this point. A year from now, Rachel will have her own show on the Disney channel, and within a few years she'll be worth tens of millions of dollars.

lordwow

I agree about Nicole. We have a saying at my work when we have to make yes/no decisions. "You get paid to make a decision, so make one."

MikahC

Rachel's Dad has MS.