Final Four Idols

Lots of drama last night as the final four perform hoping to be the TOP THREE next week!  The big prize - the hometown visit - is at stake this week.  They are all headed home, but only three will return to perform next week.  This theme week is a double bonus.  Phase #1 is Songs That Inspire You.  Phase #2 is songs by Leiber and Stoller mentored by Lady GaGa. 

James starts out singing "Don't Stop Believing"  He did a good job and as usual, all the judges ate it up and loved it.

Haley sang an unknown song written by Michael Jackson - The Earth Song.  Wow, did she get the judges stirred up!!  Randy pretty much hated it; J-Lo thought it was not a good song choice; and Steven loved it!  Haley pretty much gave them a major dose of attitude.  I can’t see Haley surviving, and she would be wrong to put all the blame on the judges. Haley has shown in flashes that she is an amazing vocalist and her duets with Casey were highlights of the show. Very much at risk this week.

Scotty sang the 9/11 song, "Where Were You"   He did a good job and got a little emotional.  Scotty gets points for smart song choice. Scotty is only 17 and will be a country legend at some point. Cheryl Crow said it best when she said she can't wait for him to get to Nashville. This young man is the whole package and I can hardly wait for his CD’s and concerts.

Lauren sang "Anyway"  She started out rough but her vocals got much better.  I didn't care for her outfit but of course, Steven did!  The judges loved her.

At the break, Ryan asked JLo who won Round One.  As has happened all year, she wouldn't commit.  But Randy speaks up and picked James, Scotty and Lauren and told Haley she needed to step up her game.  Another attitude moment for Haley!

The second round is mentored by Lady GaGa.  OMG!!  Can't wait to see what advice she gives Scotty!!

First up is Haley singing "I Who Have Nothing"  I love her dress!!  She pulled out the stops on this one .... good for her!!  She got a standing ovation!!  It was one of the best performances of the year.  Like they say, she is in it to win it!!  I’m glad that she finally got the props she deserves.  However, it all feels a little “day late dollar short” from this judging panel.

Scotty sings "Young Blood"  by The Coasters.  His performance was great but I sure wouldn't have picked that song!  But he was very comfortable on stage and you got to see two sides of him.  The thing I noticed in this performance is Scotty appears to be perfecting his stage presence.  The vocal was just another Scotty status quo, but I see growth in his performance.  I think Lady GaGa was a little too way out for Scotty!! 

Lauren sings "Trouble"  After Lauren’s appearance in the bottom 2 last week, she needed to pull out the big guns, and neither of her performances really did it for me tonight.

James sings The Clovers, "Love Potion."  

He gets the props for best stage performance, I will give him that. But he has to be careful because there are always bum notes from him when he gets too excited and jumping around the stage.  And he never gets called on this.  But I will give him credit for the entertainment factor. 

This is a tough week to predict. There’s no clear loser or winner this week. The judges were terribly hard on Haley, so that could send her home. I mean they’re clearly trying to achieve that, especially Randy. But she’s picked up so many fans during the past couple weeks. Lauren was in the bottom 2 last week, so she may be the most obvious person to go home. BUT her fans could’ve been scared into voting after her bottom finish last week. So maybe Haley will actually go home. Or maybe something crazy will happen and James will leave. Nah. It’ll be Lauren or Haley.