With 17-year-old Scotty still the front-runner, 'Idol' hopefuls Lauren and Haley will need to soar through three song selections tonight.
By Eric Ditzian
"American Idol" top three
Photo: FOX
The land of "American Idol" is flooded with spoilers this week, but inside the MTV Newsroom, we're plugging our ears, avoiding certain websites and concentrating on all the unknowns headed into Wednesday's (May 18) top-three show.
That's not to say we're going in completely blind. We know, for instance, that despite his ardent fanbase and easily the most creative performances of season 10, James Durbin is no longer battling it out against Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart for the "Idol" crown. And we know, as is usually the case on "Idol," each contestant will be singing three songs: a judge's choice, a producer's pick and their own selection.
That means the singers most likely will be shooting from genre to genre and generation to generation, seeking to live up to the how-to-win-it-all edict of Randy Jackson, who told MTV News this week, "[They] gotta slay it, dude, out of the park. Now it's time to take all the gloves off, yo."
With those lovely Randy-isms in our heads, let's push on to one of our last "American Idol" previews of 2011.
Lauren Alaina
After a brief scare in which she landed in the bottom three, Lauren bounced back last week with one of her strongest performances of the season during a cover of Martina McBride's "Anyway." Lauren seems to have fully recovered from the shaky nerves that plagued her for too long and there's no reason to suspect her fanbase won't come out in force to support her. Plenty of "Idol" winners and runners-up, like Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, have fallen into the bottom with only weeks left in the competition. Lauren could still take this thing. What she'll have to do is find country tunes in her tempo sweet spot: not too fast, not too slow, but just right to leave her vocals room to soar.
Scotty McCreery
Does it feel like Scotty doesn't have a care in the world? Even if the pressure is getting to him, the kid has managed to project a charming confidence that not only leads to been-doing-this-all-my-life performance proficiency but reinforces the perception that he's untouchable. Scotty had long since left behind any criticisms about his lack of artistic growth, because the 17-year-old arrived on the "Idol" stage so fully formed. He should, however, take note of the reasons behind his least successful songs this season, like Elvis Presley's "Always on My Mind." When singing his version of a country ballad, Scotty can lose his connection to the song and to the camera; the performance ends up coming off as sleepy at best and dreary at worse. If Scotty can bring some energy to his ballads as well as his uptempo tunes, he's a lock to make the final two. Who are we kidding? He's a lock to make it regardless.
Haley Reinhart
Haley's fate is entirely in the hands of voters, who have shown an admirable ability to disregard the often slanderous commentary of the judges and support the contestant they dig the most. So regardless of what Randy and company have to say to the 20-year-old, she's got to ignore everything and concentrate on delivering three stellar performances. But let's be honest: Haley has been far from perfect this season. While we applauded her take on Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" last week, for example, that sort of tune doesn't play to her strong suit. Whether she goes for a straight-rock tune or an R&B-tinged number, Haley's got to remember that it's her bluesy instrument that has gotten her this far. Bring the soul, connect with the material, use the growls judiciously, and Ms. Reinhart could find herself a surprise member of the final two.
Who do you think should go home on "Idol" this week? Tell us in the comments!
Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664113/american-idol-preview.jhtml
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