Pulling into the station

March 31, 2004

Week 3

Mo-Town

The Funk Brothers � a Motown staple � was the honored band. They would accompany the ten remaining contestants.

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson are this week�s guest judges. You might have heard �Ain�t No Mountain High Enough� and �Ain�t Nothing Like the Real Thing.� That�s them.

First to sing was Camile with a Stevie Wonder hit, �For Once In My Life.� Camile� So many off notes! So many squeaks! Tip: stop trying to dance and sing. You can�t do it. She comes across out of breath when she dances and sings. Paula may not say it out loud, but she doesn�t think Camile is all that. Did anyone catch the slip-up with Paula calling her Carmen? You all remember Carmen from last season.

Next to the stage was JPL with �This Old Heart of Mine.� Does this guy love what he�s doing or what? Still a little Kermit the Frog-like and pitchy, but I think this was one of his better performances. While you know I have nothing but love for JPL, I have to agree with Simon. He�s just not shining yet, not turning into THE American Idol. (I love the jacket, JPL.)

Third with �Ooh Baby Baby� was LaToya. Normally not one to say negative about LaToya, I had to cringe a couple of times. She put too much power into some parts and it really played with her voice. For once, I agree with Randy completely � she started off shaky but had a good ending.

Amy was �Dancin� in the Street� next. Was it just me or did she not get much range? It seemed like she was singing the same notes� At least they were all in tune. (Til the ending part, ooh, that was sharp.) Amy is improving more and more each week. She�s solid, which is good and bad. She needs to work on the wow with her voice. And I don�t see the Jay Leno thing, Simon.

Fifth up was John Stevens and �My Girl.� Someone please, please send him home. That was the worst rendition. Ever. Flat, sharp, just plain nasty. And I had my doubts on whether or not he was remembering all the words. If I had been playing the drinking game, his performance alone would have got me plastered. Worst performance from John, and possibly the worst of anyone on the show to this point.

Jennifer and her straight hair were back with �Heat Wave.� She started off a little pitchy and rough. But the end was passion and energy and my God where do these people get those lungs?! Randy said she was a little over the top� Okay, maybe, but she was only making up for the lack of oomph that John gave. Even Simon liked it.

Seventh with �All I Need to Get By� was Jasmine. (A song from the guest judges, by the way.) She started off so strong, but the end was weaker than I had hoped for her. She sounded a little off key and almost out of breath. Still a great voice on her, though. I don�t understand the heels with capris�

�Do You Love Me� asks Diana. I hated the song choice. Diana� Diana� No one was really on key tonight, but I was so hoping that she would be. Her voice is strong and yes, she does have the energy. But this song just was wrong. Not her best, but not the worst of the night.

Fantasia �Heard it Through the Grapevine.� Whatever she heard on that grapevine lied to her about the sweater. Good lord, yellow and puffy� no. When the pitch it on and the singer is most excellent, I have nothing else to talk about BUT her clothes.

And last up for the night was George, singing �Ain�t Too Proud to Beg.� We have a nickname for George. The Big Bopper, named so because of the dance he does. They obviously saved the best two for last. George nailed it. He hit the notes � even the high ones that just aren�t natural. George can die a happy man now � Simon retracted a previous critique.

Twenty million votes and 24 hours later, we arrive at the third elimination show. The ten remaining contestants broke out into song together in their second group performance. They sang �Ain�t No Mountain High Enough.� What a difference two weeks makes. This second group performance was a huge improvement over the last one.

In the bottom three this week are: Amy, Jennifer, and LaToya. Shockingly, John Stevens makes it to anoter week. I am having memories of Carmen�s strange survival rate from last season. So I breathe easy knowing that eventually she, too, was sent home. Sadly, Amy Adams will not be joining us again next week.

American Idol 3 - Week 3 stopped here at 8:59 p.m.

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