Thursday, March 13, 2014

AI Season 13- Top 11 Elimination 03-13-14




This show wastes more time recapping episodes than I do. We see pretty much everything that aired last night, only a lot more quickly and efficiently. Tonight Ryan is wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt and a white pocket square. I am inordinately excited to see that he's wearing black shoes. JLo is wearing a white jumpsuit and very odd hair. She has a wide bandana tied headband-style on her head, and yet she also has a scraggly ponytail. Below the neck, she's Resort Casual, above, it's all Unwashed Hippie.

The Post-Show Vanterview (though more accurately, it's a Limerview tonight, since all 11 can fit into one stretch vehicle) thoroughly covers the fact that HCJ has not yet given anyone a Standing O.

Ryan gets things rolling by calling down:
CJ: Faded denim jacket
Caleb: Black blazer over a brown paisley shirt
Dexter: Blue plaid shirt and jeans

Ryan immediately sends Caleb to safety. And then in the next breath, he tells CJ and Dexter that they're both safe too. I would have been very surprised if this had not been the case.

The kids all imitate Keith's accent and fist pumping. No one cuts their hair in solidarity with him.

HCJ performs two of his new songs tonight: One Fine Thing, and Come By Me. He's wearing a blue wool suit with a fleur de lis lapel pin. With the orchestra backing, the first song is smooth and cool. For the second, HCJ sits at the piano and plays an upbeat jazzy song, Retro Nawlins. The man is a true musician. During the performance, I notice that the orchestra appears to be playing *sheet* music displayed on iPad screens.

The kids imitate HCJ with glasses and musical minutia. Caleb does a fairly good scatting/singing imitation of HCJ's style.

And then we waste more time with long-ago rejected auditioner Manfarid, the one with a man crush on HCJ, who once again carries him bodily. Sigh.

Next Ryan calls down:
MK: Still with spiked blonde hair, camo pants, and a gray wool baseball jacket
Ben: Black and white plaid shirt and a black vest which looks like a jacket with the sleeves cut off
Majesty: Blue and gray print jeans and a gray short sleeved tee shirt with a red neck ribbing
Malaya: A white shirt with a bold black design that sort of looks like a circuit drawing

Ryan sends a very happy Malaya back to safety. And then he sends an exceedingly relieved MK back to the lounge. And then he surprises Ben and Majesty by sending both of them to the stools.

The kids imitate JLo with a wig, GOOSIES, dancing, and a propensity to call everyone Baby.

So, JLo is inflicting a hip hop singer named Mali Music, on us. In a knit cap, and sporting an beard in dire need of a trim, Mr. Music sings a song called Beautiful. I am prepared to mute the TV (not a fan of hip hop, me) but the song is actually rather ballad-y, with a Reggae-reminiscent beat. I'm not about to buy his album, but all in all, it's a pleasant performance until he sits at the piano and pounds out something dissonant that has absolutely nothing to do with anything else that is happening on stage. At least that interlude is short. He smiles and JLo smiles, and everyone applauds.

Then we see a short clip of JLo's new song and video, which appears to be called Aye Low You Poppy. (I jest). In this instance, I rather suspect that the aforementioned Papi is not intended to represent JLo's father.

Next up:
Alex: Brown leather jacket, cuffed jeans, boots (Note: I cannot see whether or not he is wearing socks)
Jessica: Jeans and a purple print top
Sam: Off white Henley with brown long sleeves
Jena: Light denim shirt over a red tee, and a short print skirt

Jessica is safe. Alex is safe. Jena is safe.

Well, I called The Bottom 3, but I really thought Sam's young girl voters would keep him safe. And so they did- Sam is sent back to the others.

Ryan says that there was less than .07% difference between Ben's and Majesty's votes. Majesty got the slight lead.

Ben sings something weak and wavery as a farewell, and of course the judges have no intention of saving him. I liked Ben some of the time, but this is the right outcome.

Next week, Billboard Top 10 Lists, which historically has meant any song on any of Billboard's infinite number of Top 10 Lists, throughout the history of Billboard itself. So once again, any damn song the kids feel like singing.

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