No Idol Live :(

So there won't be any live blogging tonight during Idol. It takes all my attention and I am multi-tasking this week while watching Idol. However you can follow me on Twitter @nikkimbt02 and find out my opinions in 140 characters or less. Idol Live with Nicole will should be back next week though :)

Idol Live with Nicole! Top 5- Results!!

Okay well this post is going to be much shorter than previous ones. I will just be hitting the highlights of tonight's show, no long play by play of every performance. I don't know how many people are still actually reading these recaps, so it's really too much work to type out a detailed report when only a few people actually read it. If you are one of my loyal readers, like Nicole :), than THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

• Top 5 perform "Happy Together". I'm really glad they got rid of the lip syncing. They are much better when they actually sing.
• Ford Music Video to "Be Yourself". Features the Ford Focus that parallel parks itself for you. Totally want that!!
• The Top 5 visit Hell's Kitchen and cook for Gordon Ramsey. The Idols have 10 minutes to make an omelet. This is actually pretty amusing because most of  the omelets look horrible and he actually tells them that. Lauren's actually looks pretty good though and she gets good remarks from Gordon..very impressive!! Jacob then yells "this contest is rigged" which he will probably be saying if when he gets voted off tonight. Lauren wins best omelet and Jacob gets the award of second best. He then jumps up and down and is giddy like a school girl as if he actually just won anything for real. Apparently the contest isn't over as we get a "to be continued...". Gordon should be a judge, he would at least be honest probably. Not tell them they are one of the greatest singers to grace the stage when they just did one of the worst performances ever.  
• Lady Antebellum performs their new song "Just a Kiss". I really like them. They do a nice job. The lead male singer is pretty darn good looking too. Scotty and Lauren look like they are really enjoying it while the rest of the contestants look like they don't really care. They do get a standing ovation from the judges and contestants though.
• The contestants let us know about the song choice process for each of them. They then tell us how they choose what they will wear. This is pretty funny because they all make fun of the plaid jacket Jacob wore last week.
• Results time!!! Ryan tells us we MIGHT be surprised. I better not be surprised Ryan!! Like last week, we once again get to hear Jimmy's opinion of each performance. This is actually nice since he actually will give criticism if it is necessary. Jimmy rated James an 8/10 last night. James is sent to the far side of the stage to start the first group. Jimmy thinks Lauren will be in the bottom 2 because she held back on the highest part of "Unchained Melody" last night, due to fear. Lauren is told to stand on the opposite side of the stage as James. She could actually be bottom 2.
• The continuation of Hell's Kitchen is on now. Jacob and Lauren have to go head to head in a blind taste test to see who can get the most foods right. Jacob says "It's me and Lauren in the top 2". I bet that is his hope for the actual show and not this little cooking competition. Lauren wins because Jacob doesn't get "hot dog" right. He thinks it is sausage or pepperoni. After finding out it was hot dog, Jacob says "Hot dog is a type of sausage". I will not make a comment there...Gordon tells them they all have great futures in the restaurant business...as customers.
• Jennifer Lopez performs "On the Floor" with Pitbull. Kudos to Jennifer for actually singing and not lip-syncing like Paula Abdul did. Lots of dancing too. Nice job by Jennifer. I actually enjoyed that :). After commercial we also get a teaser of Jennifer's new music video for "I'm Into You", which features a very buff, good looking guy!
• More results!!! Jacob is up next and he better be in which ever group is the bottom. OMG the recaps are a reminder of how horrible he was last night. Jimmy said he had a rough night (ya think!). Jimmy thinks he was a 6/10 last night. Jacob joins Lauren. Basically wherever Scotty goes is the top I'm sure. Which is why Haley is next. He gives Haley a 10 for last night. I give her a 9. Haley joins James. Scotty is next. Jimmy says he will have an extraordinary career whether he wins this show or not. Scotty is SAFE!!! Ryan lets us know he was NOT in the bottom 2 last week (told ya!). He is forced to pick the group he thinks is also safe. This happens every season. Of course he says he can't do it so Ryan pushes him to James and Haley. Scotty lets us know this since he says to Haley "no he pushed me". James, Haley, and Scotty are all SAFE!!! Jacob and Lauren are BOTTOM 2!! Poor Lauren is crying. Ryan tells us "Please, don't move".
• FINAL RESULTS!!! Lauren is still crying. THE PERSON GOING HOME IS..........JACOB!!!! YAY!!!!! So happy about this!! Jacob says "I think America has fallen in love with me". Well this American hasn't. Can't speak for the rest of the country though. Jacob sings "A House is Not a Home" as his sing out song. I'm guessing to remind us that he is the next Luther Vandros. His sing out performance was actually pretty good....until the ending, which was just over the top.

Okay so I am happy by tonight's results (obviously). A little surprised by Lauren being in the bottom 2, but the only thing that would really surprise me now is if someone other than Scotty and James ended up in the finale.

Idol Live with Nicole! Top 5!!

Good news...we are down to the five remaining contestants. Bad news, the show is still 90 minutes long because tonight the contestants are singing two songs. Don't get me wrong, I love the show, but I'm ready for it to only be an hour. I don't need to hear two songs from each one. Tonight's theme is "Then and Now" "Now and Then". Contestants will be singing a song from today (don't know what "today" actually means though) and a song from the 60's.

Ryan starts off the show by letting us know that Top 5 week is one of the most important weeks. Randy tells us this is true because the judges, as well as America, is wondering who is in it to win it. I was wondering that from the beginning, but I guess Randy is just wondering now. Sheryl Crow is the mentor this week with Jimmy. She thinks tonight will be the most interesting show. It has to be better than last week's that's for sure.

James Durbin- "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars- OMG this song is currently a hit on the radio TODAY. Amazing! Jimmy said what he heard on this song during his rehearsal is really promising to his future. Okay James is probably my fave contestant left, but this isn't his strongest performance. Starts off kinda quiet actually, which is strange for him. He is walking through and high-fiving half the audience though. Chorus is better than the first half. His trademark scream is added in the middle. Second half is much better than the first. Really surprised by the lack of props for this song...although there was pyro at the end. Not bad, but not my fave of his. Steven said he kicked the song's ass. Jennifer said the past few weeks he has been showing America he wants it. Randy fills us in on who 30 Seconds to Mars is (Jared Leto's band). I'm thinking more people recognize that song than last week's selections. (I know I do at least). Says "James is in it to win it" and then adds a bunch of hyper nonsense. Wonder how many times he will say that tonight.

Jacob Lusk- "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. Jacob says he thinks he can win this, but still feels like an underdog. I don't think he can. I am betting he will be bottom 2 this week, before he even sings. Okay his rehearsal is not good. Why isn't he singing the lower register Chris Brown part?? Oh apparently he is going to sing both parts. OMG the beginning is horrible!!! Way too high pitched!! Pitchy too! Horrible dancing too. Wow this isn't getting better at all. I sincerely hope this is the worst performance we hear tonight because it was absolutely awful! He's all smiles afterwards though. Jennifer says there is no doubt that his voice is one of the best that has ever been on the stage. Okay WTF??? Is she hearing something different than me. I can think of at least five people who are better than him without thinking more than 10 seconds! She says he needs to pick songs that represent him better. Randy says he is one of the greatest singers here but that isn't the direction for him. Said it was corny and most of it was sharp. He doesn't see him as Chris Brown or Jordin Sparks. Says he needs to be the new Luther. Okay I like Luther, but I don't think Jacob is him at all! Steven is waiting to find Jacob's niche. Says he did a great job. Okay that was the worst feedback ever. Jacob says he thinks he is an artist that appeals to everybody. Um NO!! Back talks a little to Randy, which hopefully will get him voted off. People tend to not like when the contestants get too cocky.

Lauren Alaina- "Flat on the Floor" by Carrie Underwood. Okay somehow I have never heard this song. Well this is her niche, so of course she is doing pretty good. Lots of energy and she looks good. Cute outfit. Ending was a tad rough, but pretty good overall. Very confident with her performance this week. Randy says that is the direction for her. DUH Randy!!! He thought it was amazing. Says "Lauren is in it". Is that different than "in it to win it"??? Steven said he thinks she's it, the sky is the limit. Jennifer says she has to rise to the top like that every time.

Scotty McCreery- "Gone" by Montgomery Gentry. Sheryl told him he has a big career in front of him. Starts off walking through the audience. He's got his deep babylockthemdoors voice going in the beginning. Goes a little higher after the first verse though. He also has a lot of energy tonight. Well this is also his niche, so he is doing pretty great. Best of the night so far. Very fun performance. He is in it to win it!! Steven says up until now he has been a Puritan, but he saw him dance with the devil tonight. That's a good thing apparently. Jennifer said he owned the stage. She liked the growling. Says that's American Idol stuff there! Randy felt like he was sitting at a Scotty concert. Yells "This guy's in it to win it too"!!!! Okay so everyone is in it so far except Jacob. Agreed!

Haley Reinhart- "You and I" by Lady Gaga. Let me just say that I have LOVED the Adele song Haley did a couple weeks ago ever since I heard it by her. Great choice!! This week she is doing an un-released Lady Gaga song. She got Lady Gaga's blessing to do this song. Well she doesn't have the same tone as Lady Gaga, but she is doing pretty good with this song. Just the right amount of growling. I'm liking it a lot. I liked the first half better than the second, but still pretty good throughout. Jennifer loved the end, but she isn't sure about doing that song. Seriously?! She liked Jacob, but she didn't like that?? Randy said it's not that great of a song. Wow burn to Lady Gaga. Says its risky to do songs that not a lot of people know. Seriously?! What about last week's theme? WTF was that?! Says that song didn't do her any favors. Steven said he loved it. Says she is one perfect song away from being the American Idol. Well the judges threw her under the bus (except Steven). Guess they want her gone. 

James Durbin- "Without You" by Mariah Carey Harry Nilsson. Okay James is a hard rocker, heavy metal guy one week and then crying to songs the next. Very vast range of emotions there. Says this song reminds him of when his fiance and son come to visit and then have to leave. If he cries during the performance that will just get him bonus points. Starts off pretty nicely. Okay well I am used to hearing this song by Mariah Carey so of course she goes for the big notes. James isn't doing that so it sounds different than I'm used to. Not bad, just different. Not my favorite by him this time either, but he had some tears at the end so that will get him even more votes than normal. And yes my lovely readers, I am aware that a couple weeks ago I said if Jacob cried during his performance it would annoy me. Clearly I am biased :). James cries a good couple minutes at the end. Randy said for him to give a vocal like that was emotionally perfect even though it wasn't vocally perfect. Says this competition is his to lose. I agree. I think James will be in the final two no doubt. Steven says that was as beautiful as it gets although it was pitchy. Jennifer says everyone knows he can sing, but he has the heart and soul to back it up. Says he is amazing.

Jacob Lusk- "Love Hurts" by Nazareth. Jacob didn't like the song until he heard Sheryl sing it. I am not looking forward to this performance at all. Okay this is way too high for me. Although it is better than the last performance by him so kudos to that. Now we drop down 8 octaves and then jump up 10 and now back down 8. WTF?! I'm not liking it anymore and he totally just cracked. He is now stomping his foot on the stage to add emotion...and screaming. The backup singers sounded good though. Oh good, one last shriek at the end. That was horrible!! Steven says he got lost in the song a little, but said was a beautiful thing. Says everyone got lost in him. Umm no Steven, not everyone! Jennifer says he brings out the tricks at the end. Says it was really good. Randy says he redeemed himself on that song. Says very nice job, congrats. Okay I am completely aware that I don't like Jacob, but was I hearing something totally different than the judges. I found that horrible!!

Lauren Alaina- "Unchained Melody" by Righteous Brothers. Starts off great, but anything has to beat the performance before hers. Love the prom dress she is wearing too! Middle isn't as good as the beginning, but the end is pretty nice. Lots of slow songs for the second half of the show. Beautiful vocals by Lauren. Jennifer says it was beautiful. Randy says she can sing like a bird. He likes this other side of her. Steven says her voice is so ripe. Says he can listen to her all night.

Scotty McCreery- "Always On My Mind" by Elvis Presley. I'm not gonna lie. I didn't know Elvis did this song, I remember hearing it from Willie Nelson. Well this starts out beautifully!! This could be my new favorite of the night. It's not perfect the entire time, but pretty close to it. I loved it!! Jennifer says he shows what a well rounded artist he is. Called it beautiful. Randy says he is their youngest veteran. Says if its not broke don't fix it (unless of course its "too safe"). He loved it. Steven says America loves his voice. Called it a beautiful rendition of that song. Says everyone has been s great tonight. NOOO not everyone!!

Haley Reinhart- "The House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals. Well she gets the pimp spot, but the judges also threw her under the bus earlier. Okay I totally know someone did this a season or two ago and did great with it, but can't remember who. Help me out readers!!! Starts off acapella and hopefully continues that way. Very nice. Thought she was gonna have a Bo Bice performance there, but of course the music kicks in. She is making this very seductive. Is it supposed to be seductive?? Loved the ending though!!! Nice job Haley!! Wow standing ovation from the judges!!! Randy says she gets the award for the best performance of the night. Called it amazing. Steven said she sold it to everybody tonight. Jennifer said that song has never been sang like that before.

Fave of the night: Scotty and Haley

Bottom 2: Jacob and Haley with Jacob being eliminated (hopefully). Haley doesn't deserve to be in the bottom especially after the last performance, but I can't see James, Scotty or Lauren being in it.

So tell me this (in the comment section pretty please!): Am I the only one who thought Jacob was completely horrible tonight??? Who was your fave of the night?? Who sang "House of the Rising Sun" in a previous season??

Leave me some love!!!

YouTube Tuesday!!!

A while back I posted a cover of the song "Love the Way You Lie", which I just loved. You can find that post HERE. Well I discovered yet another great cover featuring Tyler Ward, who was featured in that first video. This time it is a cover of the song "Price Tag" by Jessie J. and B.O.B. Love it!!! Check it out and let me know what you think!!

Child of the 90's!!!- Part 1 TV Shows

Well my lovely followers, I am aware that I haven't been doing mch updating lately other than my Idol recaps so I thought I would change that by posting a new multi-post segment called "Child of the 90's". Now I was born in 1984, which means I spent the majority of my childhood in the 90's. Let me just say I think it had to have been the best decade to grow up in! We had great FAMILY friendly tv shows, movies, music and we spent a majority of our free time playing OUTSIDE with friends. It was the decade that the internet became popular, but not as time consuming as now. People also had cell phones, but for the most part they were all over the age of 18. You didn't see 8-11 year olds walking around with their OWN cell phone. Nope, back in my day we had to use the old landline to get in touch with friends or actually use our two feet to walk or ride to their house. I actually sometimes miss being a kid. Life was so much easier when you only had to worry about going to school and doing homework. No worries about bills, no $4 gas prices, no terrorism worries. Life was so much simpler back then!

The first part will be dedicated to the great family tv shows that came out of the 90's (or late 80's that were still popular in the 90's). Now I'm sure you all know that I am a reality show junkie! I love me some American Idol, Deadliest Catch, The Bachelor, Biggest Loser, The Voice, etc, but I think I can count on one hand how many scripted family shows there actually are these days (that aren't on the Disney channel or Nickelodeon). So without further ado, here are my favorite (family centric) shows from the 90's (in no particular order):

1. Home Improvement

Home Improvement followed the lives of TimTaylor, his wife Jill, their three kids Brad, Randy, and Mark, co-worker Al, and neighbor Wilson. I was seriously addicted to this show as a child. I absolutely LOVED Jonathan Taylor Thomas, or JTT as all of the posters on my wall said. This show came on in 1991 when I was 7 and ended after a successful 8 seasons in 1999. This was a great family show. I remember watching this every Tuesday night, never missing an episode. Of course there was adult humor in it, but I never understood it. Now watching the DVD collection that I am almost through buying, I get to re-watch them and actually understand the jokes that were being made by Tim and Jill. Funny for adults, yet safe enough to watch with the kids. Definetly a classic!!

2. TGIF on ABC

Okay well this was the best thing ever back in my day. Two hours dedicated to family comedies. Friday night used to be the best night of TV for me. Now TV shows are basically doomed if they move to Friday nights. Here are a few of my favorites that made the TGIF lineup:

A. Boy Meets World

Probably my favorite show ever from TGIF. I used to LOVE Rider Strong on this show. I actually recently started watching this again on the ABC Family channel in the mornings. I remembered how much I loved it, that I even started buying the DVDS. Great show that was just the right amount of cheese, without going overboard at all. Oh and I loved when Matthew Lawrence joined the cast for the last few seasons. He was just too good looking!! Ran for seven seasons from 1993-2000.

B. Step By Step

The 90's answer to The Brady Bunch. Like the Brady Bunch, featured two people marrying that each had three kids of their own. Of course this one was a little more realistic because the kids didn't instantly get along with their new siblings or even their new step parents. Ran from 1991-1998 (last season was on CBS).

C. Full House

Well even though this show didn't stay in the TGIF lineup for it's entire run, it was there for its first four seasons before moving to Tuesday nights. Full House was the story of a recently widowed father with three young daughters who had his brother in law and best friend move in with him. Of course this show was one of the cheesiest of the 90's, but it is still a classic and was one of my faves as a child. Also seems to have made a good career for the Olsen Twins and featured hottie John Stamos as Uncle Jesse. Unlike some other shows, Full House never aged the kids or made one of them suddenly disappear. The core cast members were played by the same actors for the entire series. Full House ran for eight seasons from 1987-1995.

D. Family Matters

Family Matters was a spin-off of another TGIF show "Perfect Strangers". It centered around the Winslow family and of course their nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel. The Winslow family featured father Carl who was a cop, mother Harriet, children Eddie, Laura, and Judy (who vanished from the family with no mention whatsoever), Harriet's sister Rachel and her son Ritchie and Carl's mom "Mother Winslow". Fun fact: Family Matters is the second longest running show featuring a predominatly African-American cast (The Jefferson's is #1). The show lasted 9 seasons from 1989-1998 (the last season was on CBS, along with Step by Step).

3. Roseanne

Roseanne certainly wasn't as wholesome as some of the other shows, but still focused around a blue collar family that loved each other. The show followed Dan and Roseane Conner along with their three children Becky, Darlene, and DJ and Roseanne's sister Jackie. Becky's husband Mark and Darlene's boyfriend/husband David (also Mark's brother) also were regular cast members for a majority of the show's run even though they were never featured in the opening credits. In the final season of Roseanne, the family wins the lottery and the show kinda took a bad turn. The last few episodes returned to the family dynamic that everyone loved though. In the final season it was revealed that the entire show was actually a book being written by the character of Roseanne. During the last few lines of the show, we learn that in the supposed real life of Roseanne Conner, Dan actually died from his heat attack and Becky was married to David while Darlene was married to Mark. If that confused you, thats how I remember feeling while watching it :). Roseanne aired for 9 seasons from 1988-1997.

Now of course I am aware that other great shows came out of the 90's. Friends, ER, Seinfeld (not a personal fave, but still incredibly popular), 90210, etc., but I mainly wanted to focus on family comedies since they don't seem to exist anymore.

Check out this fun little original song. Nice little trip down memory lane too!!

What were some of your favorite shows from the 90's?

Next post: 90's Toys!!

Idol Live with Nicole!! Top 6- Results!!

So this week I AM sticking with my prediction from last night and calling Haley, Casey, and Jacob bottom 3, with Jacob being eliminated. Bruno Mars and Crystal Bowersox will also be performing tonight.

No mystery typer for the intro tonight, just Ryan Seacrest talking. Contestants are in a different order tonight than last night: James, Scotty, Haley, Lauren, Jacob, and Casey. Its like they are standing in the power list order of the day or something because I totally believe James is the one to beat now with Scotty being second. Casey and Jacob are for sure the bottom two too. Ryan tells us that "a lot of fans are going to be disappointed with tonight's result". Okay well I was disappointed last week so I better not be one of those fans this week too! It better be Jacob!! Or Casey. I'm really hoping there aren't any more duets tonight after last night. I can't handle having to see or hear James and Jacob duet again. Really filling time this week by letting is know that Steven is on the cover of Rolling Stone and featured in People. He lets us know that he may be a good boy, but when he's bad he's even better. Great...that actually was clever. Oh good as if I hadn't heard enough about the Royal Wedding EVERYWHERE else, we now get a tribute to all things British. Various British actors and figures are shown. Jacob once again sends out a sign that he isn't into women by letting us know the decorations are purple. Call me crazy or mean, but I am NOT reading too much into all of these subtle little hints he is giving out! Well the only thing relevant to Idol and Brit Week would be Simon Cowell...the only judge that knew how to say something mean, but true! No Simon cameos though. Oh good now we get a group performance of a medley of Carole King songs. Included in this medley are a whole lotta songs I don't know at all. Oh I recognize one..."One Fine Day". Well at least they are really singing and not lip syncing. Wow another song I know, "It's Too Late". James did pretty good with that one. I am sticking with my guess and predicting him to be the winner, or at least top 2.

Ford music video this week is "Our House". Cute video once again, although I miss seeing cutie Stefano in it :(. Performance of "Riding With the Radio" from Crystal Bowersox. Good performance and not a bad song. True to the style of Crystal from last season. Okay so far we have had performances from Crystal, Lee, David C., Adam, Fantasia, Kelly, etc. Where is my Kris Allen performance?!!? He can sing anything he chooses, I just want to see his cute self (I like his voice a lot too :))!!

More filler!! Questions from ATT users now. Casey says he would do a duet with Oscar Peterson (famous jazz musician) if he could do one with anyone. Jacob says he discovered his vocal range when he was 6 or 7. Lauren says the hardest thing about being a finalist is missing people from back home. She sends out her sympathy to all those in the south dealing with all the tornadoes, as does Ryan after she does. Scotty says he used to work at a grocery store and tanning salon before Idol. James says he has played with a few bands before Idol. Haley says her all time favorite past Idol contestant is Adam Lambert, Siobhan Magnus, Kelly Clarkson, Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox. Ryan then dogs on Taylor by saying "what no Taylor Hicks". Nice Ryan...although I do agree. Goodness time for results finally!! Haley is called up first and we get a video recap from last nights performance. We could totally make this show half an hour now. Jimmy says Haley's problem as an artist is that she doesn't know who she is yet. Haley then must've said something vulgar because she gets bleeped. Haley is SAFE!!! Wow that means we have a new member to the bottom 3 club!! Unless they only do a bottom 2. Scotty is next. Jimmy says Scotty is a phenom. Scotty is.... Ryan makes him wait to hear the results. Lauren's turn now. Jimmy says Lauren only hears the negative in her critiques. She agrees with Jimmy. Ryan also makes Lauren sit back down before hearing if she is safe or not. Casey is next. Jimmy says he is a great musician but he was disappointed last night with the growl. Says Casey needs to realize that the family dog does not vote on this show. BEST CRITIQUE EVER THIS SEASON!!! I guess the are having Jimmy voice his comments so the contestants can actually get constructive criticism for once this season. He predicts Casey is safe. Once again we don't get to hear his result. Haley is the only one safe so far that we know of. Ryan tells us we may be surprised who is safe and who is not. Well obviously either James, Lauren, or Scotty are bottom 3 this week since Haley is safe. With the recaps, we really didn't need to watch last night.

James is on stage after the break. Jimmy says when he sings heavy metal he isn't always believeable, but when he sings songs with a rock feel he is. Says there's no doubt in his mind he can win this. James is SAFE!!!! YAY :) Jacob's turn now. Jimmy says that the Dancing with the Stars stage is right next to the Idol stage and when he says Jacob's outfit last night, he thought he went into the wrong dressing room. LOVE JIMMY!! Says you need the whole package for this show. Says he thinks Jacob could possibly go home tonight. He then adds that we need to stop comparing the contestants to themselves each week and start comparing them to each other, there is only one winner. JIMMY NEEDS TO BE THE ONLY JUDGE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON!!!! Ryan has Casey, Lauren, and Scotty join Jacob back in center stage. LAUREN IS SAFE!!! So this makes it seem as if Jacob, Casey, and Scotty are the bottom 3. HOWEVER, he never mentioned those words at all. Clever Ryan! Let me just say that my BFF Becca called me earlier today and predicted that they were going to make it seem as if Scotty was bottom 3. Kudos Becca!!!

Bruno Mars is next performing his hit "The Lazy Song". Love the musicians!! They are just chilling on some random, raggedy couch on stage...with a dog!! A real dog at that :). I love me some Bruno Mars!!! That man can do no wrong when it comes to music! Well of course I loved that performance!

Results time!! Ryan reminds us that the results are in RANDOM ORDER TONIGHT. Therefore, Casey, Scotty, and Jacob aren't necessarily the actual bottom 3. JACOB IS SAFE!!!! BOOO!!!! Scotty is SAFE!!! Casey is ELIMINATED!!! He didn't look too shocked by this at all. I wouldn't either if I were standing up there with Scotty. Well the judge's save lasted an extra 5 weeks so that's not too shabby. Still think they wasted it though when they could've used it for Pia!! After watching is goodbye video, I do have to say Casey is a pretty great MUSICIAN with all the different instruments he plays. Looks pretty happy during his video. Way to take it like a man, just like Stefano did last week. Next week when Jacob is eliminated I bet he won't take it as well. Casey sings "i Put a Spell on You" for his sing out song. As he is singing he kisses a bunch of random girls in the audience. There is way too much growling in this performance. It was pretty entertaining though:)

So no real surprises tonight. I guarantee Scotty wasn't actually a member of the bottom 3 and I really, truly hope that Jacob leaves next week. I have had about 3 or 4 weeks more of him than I cared to.

Leave me some love!!!

Idol Live with Nicole!! Top 6!!

So I'm gonna be honest with you. With Pia and now Stefano being gone, and the fact that tonight's theme is "Songs of Carole King", I wasn't going to do this blog. However, being that my Idol blogs are the most read entries of my blog, I decided I would...for you!!! Feel free to leave me some comments this week as thanks :). So like I said, tonight the contestants will be singing songs from Carole King. I think tonight's eppy won't be one of my favorites. Guess we will see though!!

Hmm the way order the contestants are introduced tonight is Scotty, Lauren, James, Jacob, Haley, and Casey. Think the producers think that's how the elimination order is going to go? I can almost guarantee they have the top 3 right. Switch around Jacob and Haley and that would be my order of elimination. Ryan reminds us that there is less than a month until the finale :). We then get a little video package highlighting Carole King and her music writing/singing career. Cameo of Constantine Maroulis in the audience. Babyface is mentoring the contestants this week with Jimmy Iovine. I do have to admit that I like Babyface's music, although I don't think I've heard anything from him recently.

Jacob Lusk- "Oh no, Not My Baby" by Carole King. YAY Jacob is singing first....that generally isn't a good thing on this show, especially when you have made bottom 3 visits previously. Hopefully tomorrow will be the last week I have to see him on this show until the finale. Rehearsal didn't seem to go too well at all. Jimmy tells us he is an incredible singer...I disagree. Starts off kinda high for my liking. Sounds a little shrieky. Continues to stay too high pitched. Has a long glory note in the middle, but that also sounds too high. He starts taking us to church at the end. Yea that was my least favorite performance of his I do believe. Steven says that was beautiful. He liked that character with the dancing and the voice, says that's what they're looking for. Jennifer says there were little spaces where it wasn't perfect, but he killed it. Randy says it was a little sharp in a couple of spots. He called the scatting incredible. Says hopefully America will give him some votes and he can stick around. I disagree all around. Pretty sure I can't give an un-biased opinion of him anymore though...I'm calling him BOTTOM 3!!

Lauren Alaina- "Where You Lead" by Carole King. During rehearsal she says she is nervous about hitting the high notes that the judges want her to. Halfway through her rehearsal, Jimmy surprises her with a visit from Miley Cyrus. Which is amusing since two weeks ago he was telling Lauren how she is a much better singer than Miley. MIley tells her she will have some mean comments (clearly not from these judges, they don't give anyone mean comments), but to just ignore it. She is doing pretty good. I can't say I ever remember hearing this song, but she is putting her country twist on it and it sounds like something that could be played on country stations today. She pulls some random guy up on stage and sings to him. At least he is age appropriate. She then sings the entire ending of the song sitting next to him on stage. Jennifer says she is so proud of her for pushing herself. Jennifer liked that she heard her voice crack. Randy says she came out with a little extra swagger. He doesn't know if he loved the song, but he loved that she came out with a vengeance. Steven says she shined when her voice broke. Ryan pulls the guy she was singing to back on stage and asks how old he is. Turns out he is 19, but at least hes not 39. She will be SAFE.

Tonight's eppy also features duets from the contestants. Looks like Haley and Casey are paired up and I'm going to assume Scotty and Lauren are, which means James and Jacob will be also. Their voices don't exactly mesh.

Haley and Casey- "I Feel The Earth Move". Casey says he likes growling with her. This is actually a decent duet. I think I prefer her more than him, but neither are bad. Their voices match up pretty well. Towards the end he sounds like he is shouting though. He always makes scary faces when he sings too. Looks kinda stalkerish. Steven asks how much in love with Haley Casey is. Says it showed. Says there wasn't anything about it he didn't like.

Scotty McCreery- "You Got a Friend". Ryan says Scotty stepped out of his comfort zone this week, but I don't know if I agree. Yes, he chose a song that wasn't made famous by a country artist, but he sounds pretty much the same on it as he does with everything else he sings. That being said, he is doing pretty good with it, like always. Ending was my favorite part, where he added his little twist to it. Gotta say that's my favorite of the night so far. Its also the only song I have known (as a solo performance) so that might sway my opinion a little. Randy says the beginning was flawless, says not to fall off the high notes so rough though. He loved it though. Screams "Scotty is in it to win it"...obviously. Steven says he found his "just right song". Jennifer says he is getting much better with the high register of his voice. Says he told the story beautifully. He will be SAFE!!

James Durbin- "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". James seems to get the Coke sit downs a lot. He compliments Scotty by saying he was amazing. 100 times better than dress rehearsal. Says he got requests on AmericanIdol.com to do this song. James says no marching band or flaming piano this week, he's just going to be himself. Jimmy says Carole King and James Durbin were made to come together. Okay Jimmy, we will see! Unlike Scotty, James does something a little different every week which makes him a pretty well rounded performer. It could also give him the edge to actually win the whole competition. Playing guitar this week. He sings the first few bars of the song acapella and its pretty amazing. He's great for the whole song actually. Even his little shrieky/ screaming high parts seem pretty in place for the song. KUDOS JAMES!! I'm sure America will still love you tomorrow. Steven says he really liked the beginning...me too! Says he didn't like the rock part at first, but then he grew to like it. Says that was the first song he ever made out with a girl to. It's kinda strange that he specified that it was a girl. Jennifer said it was magical from the beginning. Says he will be the star of the night with that. I agree. Also says he has had a strong week every single week...also true Jennifer. Randy says he proved he wasn't a great ROCK singer, but a great SINGER. Ends by saying "THIS GUY JUST MIGHT WIN THE WHOLE THING". I find myself agreeing with Randy again. He then says the word "crazy" at least 20 times. Lots of praise for James from Ryan also. He will be SAFE!!

Scotty and Lauren- "Up On the Roof". Ryan says this is their third duet and asks what is going on with them. Scotty says they are like brother and sister. These two just are too funny together during their video package.  Of course these two sound good together. Never heard this song, but they are doing well with it. I'm loving the little city skyline silhouette background they get too. Jennifer said it was beautiful.

After the break, some little blond girl is sitting on Steven's lap. Somehow Ryan makes no mention of this either...

Casey Abrams-"Hi-De-Ho". Okay when I heard the title of this song I immediately thought of Wilson from Home Improvement! The beginning is pretty good vocally. Not liking the creepy faces he starts making once he gets past the opening part though. I'm liking it less and less the further it goes. He also has about 20 or so other people on stage with him too playing all kind of instruments and backup singing. I do like the growling in this song, but the faces freak me out. Okay so it turns out it was only about 10 or so people on stage with him. Randy says he loves that he always keeps the show different. Says it took him back to New Orleans. Yes, that sounds like a good comparison actually. Steven says he found his niche. Says he made his scalp itch it was so good. Jennifer said he was in his element, but wants to see him loosen up a little more with his body. Says to loosen up his legs a little bit. Pretty sure Randy was also saying "less growl" during Jennifer's comments. I'm calling him

BOTTOM 3, especially since James, Scotty, and Lauren SHOULD all be safe. 

After commercial, Ryan talks to someone in the audience that I'm pretty sure is Roseanne. If not, she could be her impostor.

Haley Reinhart- "Beautiful". Well I thought Haley got the pimp spot, but since Jacob and James still have to duet, I guess the pimp spot goes to them. Technical issues before Haley performs. Seem to have been fixed though. She sounds pretty good, so I'm guessing they did fix the technical glitches. I've got to give Haley some major props. The last four weeks or so she has actually been one of my faves, which is pretty great considering she was one of my least faves when the show started 2 months ago. Nice job Haley!! Who would've thunk that she would be one of the two remaining girls. Not me!! Steven says she is as beautiful as that song is. Apparently he heard God in her voice. Well I don't know if I would go that far. Jennifer called it beautiful and says she has one of the best voices in the competition. Randy didn't like the beginning, but he liked the end. Said the beginning was a little boring. Hmmm she was pretty good, but I can't see Scotty, Lauren or James being in the Bottom 3....I'm torn. 

James and Jacob-" I'm Into Something Good". Apparently they weren't too thrilled to find out they were going to have to duet together. Imagine that. Color me amazed, they are actually doing better than I thought. Jacob's dance moves crack me up though. Kinda reminds me of Carlton's from Fresh Prince. They serenade Jennifer. Jacob goes way too high. At the end they try to out-shriek each other. Obviously I prefer James, but that could be my biased mind again. Steven says that wasn't award winning. They say they were going to church with it! 

Faves of the night: James and Scotty

Bottom 3 prediction: Haley (by default), Jacob, Casey

So a couple weeks ago I was sure that it would be a Scotty/ Lauren finale. However, after tonight, I think James could win the whole thing. He will be in the finals with either Scotty or Lauren though. 

Bruno Mars and Crystal Bowersox on tomorrow's results show!!