Top 12 Battle For Votes - 11/7/12

Hey there! So glad the election is over so hopefully television will get back to it's normal schedule plus I was so sick of seeing all those ads. I am so glad I have youtube as this week both The Voice and The X-Factor were on at the same time Wednesday. I prefer the X-Factor this season but thankfully was able to catch Cee Lo's group on youtube (they are the only group of singers I like this season on The Voice).

Okay, enough with useless chat, lets get to tonight's show. Our top 12 will be performing "songs from the movies". Oops a new addition as our judges decided to bring back a contestant that was eliminated last week. Diamond White from the teen category can thank her lucky stars for getting this second chance. This week rather than go step-by-step how the show went down I will group the categories as I have in the past, here goes:

to all!

TEENS - BRITNEY SPEARS ACTS

Arin Ray is up first with his rendition of the Estelle song "American Boy" from the movie "Obsessed". I must say Arin is a terrific dancer and had lots of energy for this number. His vocal ability however was just okay for me overall. L.A. Reid thinks he showed good vocal identity. Demi Lovato felt his performance was smooth and he looked like a star. Simon Cowell thinks Britney did a good job with this kid and appreciated his performance. Britney gives her usual comment of how proud she is of him. My grade: B

Beatrice Miller really interested me in the beginning of this competiton but with her last few performances I have to say she is losing my interest. Tonight was no exception to that with her cover of "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls which hails from the movie "City of Angels". She looked like a frumpy housewife with her outfit and the vocal came off kind of scratchy and off-key to my ears. I will give her a slight edge since she has had a sore throat for a few days. The judges however were full of mostly praise. L.A. thinks her tone is a hit (huh?) while Britney thinks she is special. Demi feels she pores her soul into each song she sings. Simon does mention the vocal issues but feels she did fairly well. My grade: C

Diamond White who gets a second chance opts to sing Whitney Houston's classic "I Have Nothing" from "The Bodyguard". Diamond is no Whitney for sure although overall her vocal was not bad. I just felt the song was too big for her. L.A. calls it an ambitious choice. Demi gets emotional because the song tugged at her heart and she is a huge fan of the late Whitney. Simon felt it was a great vocal while Britney feels she did Whitney proud. My grade: B

Carly Rose Sonneclar is the one from this group who I could actually see becoming a star. She is singing "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars from the movie "Twilight". I did feel the beginning of the song was done a little too softly but once she got to the chorus the passion came soaring through which even brought young Carly to tears. L.A. calls it heartfelt and he loved it. Demi calls it incredible. Simon feels there is a star in the making while Britney feels no one could follow this performance that well. My grade: B+



YOUNG ADULTS - DEMI LOVATO ACTS

Paige Thomas opts to look like an angel coming down from the ceiling as she sings "Take My Breath Away" from the movie "Top Gun" and sung originally by Berlin. I honestly do not know why people do not think this girl is a good singer as I felt her effort was done fairly well. L.A. thinks the production was amazing but was not blown away by the vocal. Britney thought the beginning was the best part. Simon cautions Paige not to become too theatrical and feels Demi did not do well by Paige. Demi of course argues with Simon about his remarks before she tells Paige that she was beautiful and amazing. My grade: B

Another argument ensues between Simon and Demi over young 15 year old Jennel Garcia who is doing "I Love Rock & Roll" by Joan Jett. This girl seems too sexy beyond her years in my opinion with her moves and sort of off vocals. L.A. did not see anything original while Britney calls Jennel hot. Simon does not like the new look of Jennel and thinks this straight cover was just okay. Demi defends her actions regarding Jennel and tells her she was good. Sorry have to agree with Simon on this one. My grade: B-

CeCe Frey is the last of the this category and frankly looks ridiculous in her garb which reminded me of a spacey punk rocker. Her song is "Eye of The Tiger" from "Rocky III". To my ears the song came off kind of boring although CeCe was trying to give it her all but her vocals were on the pitchy side. L.A. felt the end note was strong but was not blown away. Britney tried to be kind by saying she was like a little rebel. Simon and Demi clash again as Simon calls it horrible and Demi defends the song choice. It did not help that Mario Lopez (host) asks CeCe to clarify how to say her last name. CeCe looked angry while her voting number was given out. My grade: C-



OVER 25'S - L.A. REID ACTS

Vino Alan gives a hearfelt renditon to the song "When A Man Loves A Woman" from the movie of the same name. I think Percy Sledge would have liked this alot. I did not care for the suit he wore but the vocals were spot on. Britney thinks his voice was stripped down and great. Demi calls him phenomenal. Simon thinks he went from zero to hero in one week. L.A. of course thinks he nailed it and so do I. My grade: A

Tate Stevens choice this week is "Wanted Dead or Alive" which comes from two movies; 1991 Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man or current Rock of Ages (I thought Tom Cruise did justice to this song in the movie). Of course Tate is not Bon Jovi by any means but with his country flair I thought he did quite well on this number. I so loved how he got the audience to participate in the number. Brit calls this 37 year old dad a true cowboy. Demi thinks he is a sweet guy and has what it takes to become a star. Simon thinks he is back in the competition (did he ever leave I ask?) while L.A. is proud. My grade: B+

I think L.A. made a mistake with the song choice of "I Believe I Can Fly" for Jason Brock. Amid hundreds of candles Jason sings this R Kelly song from the movie "Space Jam". Not that the vocal was terrible but it was not a song that truly showed how good Jason can be when he sings a ballad (last week was so much better). Both Britney and Demi thought it was kind of like a Vegas lounge act. Simon calls it cabaret while L.A. thinks Jason was excellent. My grade: B

One last note before I get to the last category. Demi Lovato keeps referring these three guys as "pop" artists which they clearly are not. She does not think they would be good "popstars". I do not either but let's face it Vino is a rocker, Tate is a country gent and Jason is like a Broadway entertainer so I think Demi needs to figure out the genre issue if you ask me. Moving on.......



GROUPS - SIMON COWELL ACTS

Emblem3 is up first with a combination of songs which include "My Girl" from the movie of the same name and Katy Perry's "California Girls". They did show alot of energy but vocally it was not so good in my opinion. That is why I found the judges comments ridiculous. L.A. calls it perfect (okay, what is he on?). Britney feels they made the songs theirs. Demi does not like that this group is compared to the current girl crush of One Direction and feels these three guys should stand on their own. Simon of course is pleased and calls them outstanding. Boy, guess I need to look up that word again because these three guys were not in my opinion. My grade: C

Lyric 145 takes on "Supercalifragilsticexpialidocious" from the movie Mary Poppins. Boy that word is a mouthful. This was not bad considering they were rapping the song but frankly as good as this group is I tired of this genre quickly. L.A. hated the song but thought the group was good. Britney loves the theatrics. Demi felt hyped up by the number. Simon calls them bloody fantastic. My grade: B

Lastly is the group who has gone through several name changes. They are now called "Fifth Harmony". Their song choice is "A Thousand Years" originally sung by Christina Perri from the movie "Twilight". It was overall a good vocal. L.A. is impressed. Britney thinks they shined while Demi comments how she loved the vocals. Simon thinks the group is incredible and exciting. My grade: B+

Moment of truth. I would definitely send CeCe Frey home but do feel that possibly Jason Brock is in trouble this week. On the results show One Direction will perform. Be back with that re-cap later. Until then take care!