Hi there. Well our time together in this section is almost at an end. Tonight our top three finalists are taking the stage and performing three different songs. The first is their favorite from the season, the second is a duet with a celebrity and the last is a judge's pick. Let's welcome the judges and the hosts before we get to the performances. One last note is I so appreciated the top 13 paying tribute to the sad situation at Sandy Hook Elementary by singing "You Are Not Alone" by the late Michael Jackson. I must also add I loved the tribute also on The Voice when they sang "Hallelujah". Both were very touching. Now on with the show.......
In the number one spot tonight is Carly Rose Sonenclar. Her first number is "Feeling Good". I felt she shined on this number although sometimes her lower register is not as good as when she belts out those big notes. Hard to believe this talented teen is only 13 years old. L.A. Reid felt Carly had a defining moment. Demi was inspired and feels Carly will inspire many teens. Simon felt Carly sang this better than the first time they heard it. My grade: B+
Sadly Carly's second song did not go so well. She sang a duet with Leann Rimes on the song "How Do I Live". This was completely a mess mainly because Leann over-shadowed Carly in most of the song and not very well I might add. Leann looked like she was drunk and took credit for the kudos Carly received from the judges. Also Carly seemed very uncomfortable with this whole performance. My grade: D-
Carly's last number went better with her looking like an angel as she performed "Hallelujah" with a full choir backing her up. I do think this song is being done way too much on these reality shows but Carly gave it a fresh performance although once again her lower register suffered. L.A however did call it an angelic moment. Demi was very impressed with the vocals. Simon says beautiful song, beautiful version and feels Carly has had a good night. Britney of course thinks Carly has won it all and thinks Simon should get out his checkbook. My grade: B+
Tate Stevens in the second spot tonight seems tired I think. His first song is "Anything Goes" by Randy Houser. The vocals were very good but I did miss the oomph that Tate has demonstrated in the past. Britney thinks he is right down the middle country and liked it. Demi calls this a stadium performance (not quite Demi). Simon feels Tate is authentic and loves how he kept his integrity throughout the competition. L.A. of course is proud of his act and feels he is just as loveable as when he first performed this number. My grade: B+
Tate's duet turns out to be with the band Little Big Town. The song is "Pontoon". I liked how Tate seemed to be having fun with this number. My only beef would be that Tate seemed to let Little Big Town do most of the singing, however when Tate did sing it was quite good. The judges were very complimentary with comments we have heard before. My grade: B+
The last Tate sings is "Tomorrow" by Chris Young. Once again the vocals are fairly good. However I again notice how tired Tate seems. L.A. tells Tate he is glad his family pushed him into doing this show. Britney calls him great. Demi respects how talented Tate is and feels sad that this is his last performance. Simon thinks Tate has represented country very well in this competition. My grade: B+
Fifth Harmony takes the stage to once again perform the song "Anything Can Happen". It was a carbon copy of last week's performance. Very cute and fairly well done in the harmony however I noticed that some of the solos were not as good once again. L.A. however called it magical. Britney feels this was a good song choice. Demi is really impressed with how far these five girls have come in the competition. Simon likes them and calls them special. My grade: B+
I wasn't that thrilled with this group's second performance as we have seen it before from them only this time Demi Lovato is added to sing her song "Give Your Heart A Break". I think the group performed it better before without Demi. The remaining judges however give big kudos with Simon adding that Demi is great and could easily become a sixth member of Fifth Harmony. Overall it was just okay for me. My grade: B
Again I am not impressed with this girl group singing "Let It Be" by The Beatles. Very little harmony and mostly solos with some being rougher than others. I know these five can sing but this was not their best effort in my opinion. The judges felt differently. L.A. feels magic is happening. Britney admires how they have blossomed. Demi feels they have evolved on the show. Simon of course is like a proud papa with his act. My grade: C
At this point I am not sure who will receive the 5 million dollar contract. Each of the acts had their good and bad I feel. Guess it all depends on the fans who vote. I know all my votes went to my guy Tate Stevens. I do think however that each of these acts will get some kind of contract regardless of who wins the competition.
The guest singers on the results show will be Pitbull and One Direction. I am sure the young girls will be thrilled. One last thing I did not add during my re-cap was that each act had back-up scenes from their hometowns with the exception of Fifth Harmony whose only back-up shown was from Ally Brooke's neck of the woods. I could have lived without this support as most of the speakers were shouting their praises too much. Oh well, I am sure the contestants appreciated it.
Time to end this re-cap and I will be back tomorrow with the results. Have a wonderful day all!
Front Page 
Subject: Finale/Part 1 - 12/19/12 
Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:36 am
