It’s time for another live performance show of The X Factor. The top 11 acts will strut their stuff across the stage alongside the ever so suave Steve Jones. We’ve got a theme tonight, folks. It’s movie night! Grab your popcorn and Jujubes and prepare to possibly chuck them at your screen.
Why the movie theme? Well, the contestants had the opportunity to go to a big time movie premiere! Yes, Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill! Well … the red carpet was the “big time”; the movie itself was probably reminiscent of a smaller, 32″ screen. OK, now let’s get to business.
Stacy Francis — ‘Queen of the Night’ from ‘The Bodyguard’
Nicole Scherzinger wants to take Stacy out of her element tonight with a diva number. She has backup dancers, a fitting red leather dress, and is showing off her own moves. There’s no knocking her vocal ability, but keeping up with singing while dancing around the stage does not come easily. I don’t believe she’s reached this level of “diva-dom” just yet. Maybe we could rename it “Sort of Okay Performer of the Night.”
Marcus Canty — ‘I’m Going Down’ from ‘Car Wash’
L.A. Reid says we’ll see a different side of Marcus with this number. But first off, we can’t see too much of him at all with all the smoke on the stage. The kid has a good voice, yet his efforts to spice it up a little weren’t necessary. Keep it slow and smooth. Let it flow, know what I mean? Liked it, just didn’t love it.
Drew Ryniewicz — ‘Fix You’ from ‘You, Me and Dupree’
Okay, who else loves this song? I love Drew’s outfit tonight. She’s like the second coming of Cindy Lauper. As for her voice, it works well with the song. She made it her own and conveyed emotion to the audience. I’ll agree with L.A., though: it would be great to see her do something totally outside of her comfort zone.
LeRoy Bell — ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ from ‘The Runaway Bride’
Nicole listened to LeRoy this week and chose a song from his favorite band, U2. He looks comfortable, therefore he looks good up on stage and sounds pretty good. I believe he’s on the right track, but can it stand up to everyone else fighting to get into the top 10?
Lakoda Rayne — ‘Wanna Love Somebody Like You’ from ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’
I could have possibly figured out what it is about Lakoda Rayne that I just do not understand. Maybe they try too hard? It comes off a bit showy and cheesy for my tastes. I love girl groups and I do believe they have nice voices, but it just doesn’t come together well enough to see it through to the end of the competition.
Astro — ‘Lose Yourself’ from ‘8 Mile’
How predictable can one be? Astro‘s giving us another original lyric, though. The kid is able to make an Eminem track his own and toss shout-outs to the late Joe Frazier and Heavy D. I don’t want to put it in writing, but you cannot deny his talent. Astro is good.
Melanie Amaro — ‘Man in the Mirror’ from ‘This Is It’
Working through a sore throat, Melanie belts out this MJ classic just fine. A very simple performance with a single mic and graphics on the screens behind her, she and the choir easily take the audience to church. It wasn’t too much and it wasn’t too little. I would love to see her sing something out of the ordinary just to prove that she can sing anything.
The Stereo Hogzz — ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ from ‘Get Smart’
Dear Paula Abdul, why would you give a male R&B group a Christina Aguilera song? Now, they adjusted the lyrics to fit appropriately, thank goodness. Simon Cowell says it best, they aren’t singing what they would be recording. Sure, they work hard and they look and sound fantastic, but these songs are going to put them back in the bottom two. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!
Josh Krajcik — ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ from ‘Across the Universe’
Everyone knows this guy has a great voice and can own the stage. That fake wind blowing his curls about has got to go, though. Just give him a microphone and let him do his thing. Soulful and heartfelt as always, Josh is one of the best tonight, by far.
Chris Rene — ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ from ‘Dangerous Minds’
Sorry, it’s “Pastime Paradise.” Chris is in his element, though. It’s good to see him go back to what America fell in love with. When he’s comfortable, he’s great and like L.A. says, he’s back home.
Rachel Crow — ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ from ‘Cadillac Records’
Simon is right, this could be a game changer for little Rachel. This is an old school, deep-down-in-your-soulful-gut song that is most likely way over a 13-year-old’s head. She picked her own song and she has worked it out. “A mini little Beyonce,” Rachel’s called.
Movie night is over, so get to those phones, computers, iPads or whatever else you can come up with and vote! I, personally, am not really sure who I would vote for tonight. Everyone was sort of safe; no one truly stepped out of their comfort zone to WOW me. The Stereo Hogzz were definitely tossed into a different spotlight tonight and they did their best. Leave comments below and let me know what you all think!
Tomorrow on The X Factor, tune in for the elimination show featuring performances by Willow Smith and Jessie J.
Jilliane Johnson
Contributing Writer
(Image courtesy of FX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
