Hi there. As on Wednesday's show the format will still be the same for the guys who try to win a spot in the top 20. Once again the action takes place in the Cirque du Soleil theatre at The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to a crowd of 1500 people. We welcome the judges first and then ten of the guys in a group. I must say that Mariah looked beautiful and even Nicki looked good considering she is so flamboyant most of the time. Sadly Nicki Minaj acted like a fool during most of her comments to the contestants.
Without further adieu, let's go.......
Paul Jolley is up first. He opts to sing the Keith Urban song "Tonight I Wanna Cry". Keith is honored that Paul wanted to do his song and feels Paul has alot to offer. Nicki however heard pitch notes and tells him not to overdo his singing. Randy thought this was a risky choice but feels Paul has potential. Mariah agrees with Randy but did like the intimate performance that Paul gave. Personally I liked this alot.
Johnny Keyser is 23 years old and a returnee from last season. His choice of song is "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz. I thought he showed a nice tone at times but was not totally wowed. Keith just says it was good. Here comes Nicki's first antic with her going on and on about how sexy Johnny is. Randy is rough as he calls this just an okay performance. Mariah Carey actually agrees with Nicki about the sexy antic but does add she liked his lower register in the song.
JDA aka Joshua Davila gives us a very dramatic performance of the Adele song "Rumor Has It". Looking more like a girl with a beard shadow, he dances, rolls on the floor and pretty much gives us a theatrical performance. The vocal is not bad and I must admit I was entertained by this person. Once finished with the song, JDA shouts out proudly that he has to represent the gays. Keith Urban feels JDA put on a show and liked the originally. Nicki calls him a superstar in spite of the whiny vocal. Randy Jackson feels the performance overtook the vocal and this is after all a singing competition. Mariah Carey liked all of it.
28 year old Kevin Harris is a father of two. We have not seen much of this guy so I was glad we at least got to hear him sing. I did not like his song choice which is Bryan Adams "Everything I Do, I Do It For You". It started out okay but as the song progressed it fell apart in my opinion. Keith liked the song choice and calls it very good. Nicki loves the control he showed. Randy is once again harsh and says he was bored and it was pure karaoke. Mariah likes Kevin but felt this was not the right song to show his voice off with.
Chris Watson is a 25 year old waiter who dresses quite flamboyantly. Sadly his singing ability of Otis Redding's "Sitting On The Dock of The Bay" was subpar. Keith Urban agreed and says the voice was not good and this was the wrong song for Chris. Nicki who knows nothing about music calls Chris a pretty man and she loved everything he did. Randy loved the look but not the performance. Mariah feels Chris connected with the audience but vocally it was not very good.
18 year old Devin Velez ups his performance a bit by not only singing in English but also in Spanish. His song is Beyonce's "Listen". It was just okay for me but the judges really loved it. Keith connected with his singing. Nicki and Randy both call him amazing. Mariah admired the fact that he brought Spanish into this R&B number.
I was not impressed at all with Elijah Lui in spite of his hip look. He is singing "Talking To The Moon" by Bruno Mars. To my ears the whole performance sounded shakey which Keith Urban brings up as well. Nicki the jerk however calls him a super superstar who is sexy and her new favorite boy. Randy likes Elijah but did not feel the vocal was very good. Mariah gives Elijah some advice about staying in his mid-range when he sings. She liked that part of the performance.
Charlie Askew is definitely a weird one. His song is "Rocket Man" by Elton John. With his attention being more focused on throwing his microphone around I felt his vocals suffered a bit. This was a shame because I have liked Charlie up to now. Keith loved the originality and made the song work. Nicki gives him a standing ovation and feels his weirdness excites her. Randy calls the performance a bit wild and is not really impressed. Mariah compliments him on his song choice.
Jimmy Smith gives us a very bland version of the Radney Foster song "Raining on Sunday". Keith Urban actually recorded this song and thanks Jimmy for singing it and adds good job. Nicki calls the vocal good but she was bored. Randy agrees as does Mariah. Bye Jimmy.
I have mentioned this before but I just do not like Curtis Finch Jr. as a person. I think it is because his focus is always on himself and he never gives encouragement to his fellow performers which has been evident throughout this competition. However the guy can sing and does a nice version of "Superstar" by Luther VanDross. His control was exceptionally good. Keith calls it beautiful but adds he over-performed in parts. Nicki feels he has raised the bar. Randy thought it was sort of old-fashion but calls him one of the best singers this season. Mariah likes him but feels he has to loosen up some with his attire and performance.
Now comes the moment on who will be staying on the show. Curtis Finch Jr. is safe as is Charlie Askew, Devin Velez, and Elijah Lui. A tie-breaker has to be decided regarding Paul Jolley. Jimmy Iovine mentions problem areas but feels Paul is worth keeping around so he takes the final chair.
Going home are Johnny Keyser (he looks mad), JDA (I was kind of sad about this one), Kevin Harris, Chris Watson and Jimmy Smith.
I was glad to see Charlie Askew was staying in spite of his weirdness. Also glad Paul Jolley is getting another chance. As for the others I reserve judgement until I see more of what they have to offer.
I must now end this post hoping to hear your thoughts and wishing you a great week ahead.
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Subject: Guy's Turn - Las Vegas - Part 1 - 2/21/13 
Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:36 am
