12/14/11: X FACTOR USA RECAP; SEMI-FINAL PERFORMANCES

WHO WILL WIN THE X FACTOR?

The X Factor opened tonight with a recap of last weeks heart wrenching elimination of Rachel Crow.  Her meltdown was the talk of the town and the video was shown repeatedly throughout the week.  But in the end, she probably would not have made it through the semi-finals anyway.  She reportedly has a new deal with Disney so no more tears for Rachel.

During the opening of the show Nicole Scherzinger received a chilly reception, with boos coming from the audience.  They obviously were not pleased with her decision to allow for the deadlock last week.  This makes sense, they have a job to do and should be able to select a contestant to send home.

This week the contestants were given songs from the Pepsi viewers to sing during the opening round.  It seems like a good idea on paper, but why ask non-professionals to select a $5 million dollar song?  This is the semi-finals, which leaves them no room for error and a lot is at stake.  With this being the most important week of the competition, the mentors should have selected their songs.  At least they had two songs to impress.

ROUND ONE RECAP

Marcus Canty opened the show with a Boys To Men classic.  Once again he sang it well but somehow fell short. Finally after weeks of watching him, it occurred to me he is just not unique enough.  Hundreds of others singers have his same singing abilities and delivery.  He basically is not authentic and should pack his bags tonight.

Chris Rene is still one of the favorites to win.  The fans cheered him on and shouted his name in unison when he was done singing his first song.  The song selection was not familiar enough and was a bit safe.  As Simon said, “it was not his best performance” and it did not have a “wow” factor.  But his fan base is huge, so he should make it into the finals with no problem.

Melanie Amaro is the last female remaining in the competition.  We could not have asked for a better representation.  Her first song was “Hero” and she sang it slowly, methodically and in perfect pitch.  She is definitely one of the most consistent of them all and deserves to be in the finals.  L.A. Reid was completely off when he said he “did not feel her passion”.  Maybe he should get his ears checked.

Josh Krajcik just has what it takes to be a star.  He is authentic, unique, likeable and passionate about his craft.  Once again, he took a song and delivered it a stand-out performance.  It was a surprising song choice, which made me certain the viewers were given a limited selection to choose from.  But as usual, he pulled it off and sounded like a professional singer.  If he does not make it all the way…I will eat my shoes.

ROUND TWO RECAP

Marcus Canty was lucky to make it this far.  His second song gave a glimmer of hope, but that soon fizzled.  It really was a terrible final song choice and he looked like a singer on “The Love Boat” with his white suit and flashy stage.  Singing the classic George Michael song, “Never Gonna Dance Again” with a disco beat and back-up dancers, made it seem cheesy.  Simon was actually spot on with his critique calling it “a joke” and the worst he’s ever seen.   What was L.A. Reid thinking?  Certainly not…winner!

Chris Rene brought out his secret weapon during his second song.  Not only did he share the loss of his dad with the viewers, he showed his skills on the piano.  This was by far one of his best performances and should seal the deal for him making the finals.  It is not that he sings well, it’s the emotion he puts into the song.  My only critique is they should have let him play the piano longer, while singing the Alicia Keys song “No One”.

Melanie Amaro continued with her perfection during her second song.  She first shared a tweet from Mariah Carey sending support and then blew the song out of the ball park. Singing “Feeling Good” showed her vocal range and was another stellar performance.  Simon is lucky he kept her in the competition, seeing she is his only female remaining and he hates to lose.  Melanie deserves to be in the finals so hopefully the viewers voted her in.

Josh Krajcik could sing a poorly written song and make it sound like a hit.  When you think he can’t get any better, he surprises us with another amazing performance.  The second song choice “Hallelujah” was a crowd favorite which allows singers to interpret it in so many ways.  As he played the piano and performed it with “no frills”, it was memorable and gave chills to anyone watching.  Except L.A. Reid, who once again probably needs a new hearing aid.  Obviously he was on the rag tonight.

The final contestants all shared touching moments in their lives and gave incredible performances, which will make it tough to choose.  But the one who will likely leave is Marcus, although he is a great singer, winning $5 million takes more.  It should be down to Josh, Chris and Melanie, which could then be anyones game.  They all deserve to win and have proved it throughout the competition.

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2011: X FACTOR USA; SIMON COWELL IS A BULLY

The X Factor USA is heating up as the final 5 contestants fight it out to the finish.  But the judges are also at war, and during the past few weeks one thing has become more clear…Simon Cowell is a bully! 

It’s amazing to watch just how angry Simon gets when the other judges don’t agree with him whole heartedly.  He has been especially cruel to Nicole, bashing her every move.  She seems on the verge of tears just about every week, after he hits hard with his punches.  But he also recently told Paula to “shut up” when she tried to give her opinion on one of his mentee’s performances.  Since she is used to his “bully mentality”, thankfully she seems more immune to him now. 

L.A. Reid seems to get under Simon’s skin, but he is fearless when taking his abuse. This obviously does not sit well with Simon, because you can practically see steam coming out of his ears when L.A. gives it right back.

The problem with Simon coming across as a bully, is that he hired the judges to offer feedback.  But when they try to do exactly what he pays them for, he pounces on them.  Why doesn’t he just judge for himself and get rid of the others if only his opinion counts?

While I like Simon Cowell, his fame and power has obviously gone to his head.  If he does not back off a bit, he may just find himself all alone next season.  Or maybe he will replace them with weak “Yes Sir” judges who have no backbone and repeat everything he says.  Then he can continue to be a bully and run the show.

Simon, if you want to meet your match, look me up.  I’m up for the challenge and bullies don’t scare me!  And you may want to read this message to bullies…to put you on the right track.  It would be good if you show your judges a bit of respect and let them judge, this is why you selected them.