May 20, 2014 
Picture Credit: American Idol
Well, here we go! The Top 2 Performance Finale for American Idol Season XIII will air on FOX Tuesday, May 20th, followed by the Results Finale on Wednesday, May 21st at 8:00 PM.
Vying for the American Idol crown are retro rocker Caleb Johnson and multi-genre artist, Jena Irene.
At this point in time, Jena deserves to win – so that means Caleb will snag the crown and then American Idol will spend the rest of their dwindling dollars trying to figure put how to market a totally unmarketable and non-media savvy artist.
So, good luck with that!
On the upside, all the elements associated with the production of this show – the judges, the host, the musicians, the coaches – have been first class all the way.
Now, they need to hold a think tank to figure out how to cultivate, not only the very best talent, but also singers who exude a genuine and marketable personality.
Case in point: someone who was watching American Idol with me last week made this comment when the Top 13 took to the stage to publicize the upcoming two-part Finale: “This is the Top 13? What a dismal looking bunch of kids”. Ouch!
I have to agree. Most were clothed in a sloppy and disheveled manner and looked like deer in headlights.
If anyone thinks this was the best of the best, then I am going to throw in the towel. I long for the Taylor Hicks/Katharine McPhee days and who can ever forget the Battle Of The Davids (Archuleta and Cook) during Season 7?
Someone out there has to do damage control to bring this show back to the days of yore because the present format is not working.
TOP 24 Semi Finals for the win!
Comments are now open for business.
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Well, if I had my druthers I would say Alex or Sam for the win, but since that’s not an option I will say Jena’s gonna win…Yawn!!!
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Oh Vonnie how I wanted Alex or Sam. Either the judges are hearing something I am not as I left both opening performances were off pitch and dreadful. What a miraculous recovery Caleb has made. What normally takes months to heal is better in a week?
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Aubry,
Lol…Modern Medicine is Ah-Mazing!!! I’m not even watching…that is too funny that he has recovered just in time for the finale, phew!!!
Wouldn’t it have been more enjoyable with Sam and Alex???
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Oh much more enjoyable and much more current with voices that are on pitch and not screeching. I can’t believe the Idol PTB want either one. Hoping Sam and Alex get record deals. Their music I would buy. Caleb or Jena not a chance
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Neither coronation song will chart. YUCK The song Alex performed at his Homecoming that is rumored to have been his coronation song is current and would have done well. Oh what could have been.
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Well to me it seemed like the judges were pulling for Jena. Methinks they read the bad press for Caleb and reality sunk in.
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I thought it was too close to call and I am not a Caleb fan. I did begin to understand that having the contestants sing a repeat on a three song night means they and the band only have to learn two new songs. I think that ups the level of the production, the comfort level and stamina of the contestants, and the overall performance. (I remember Jimmy Iovine taking Angie Miller to task, or so it seemed to me, for not using the piano on Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word. Angie said she only had time to learn one song on the piano. And I remember just how spent they all seemed at the end. The top three didn’t seem that tired this year.)
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I think they pulled the plug on Meatloaf prior to the home town visits, J-Lo’s gooseys not withstanding. You should be left with a warm fuzzy feeling after seeing the outpouring of love from the contestant’s family and friends and a lot of that is in the hands of the Idol producer and editor. Alex and Jena had a nice visit… They even showed a little bit of Jess’s brief visit home but Mr. Loaf may not have been helped much by his visit footage and family night on Idol.
Looking back on the season, I think it has been Jena’s to loose. They have invested more in her than any of the other contestants in terms of wardrobe, hairstyles, performance skills and even trying to make the glow stick thing happen. She has mastered self promotion with You-Tube and social media, which looks to be a big part of the future for the music industry. If she will target the young listener with her writing and live performances and grow with them as Taylor Swift has successfully done, she may have a future.
Neither contestant was impressive tonight for me, but on the season, Jena should win. I’m only interested in the duets for Alex Jessica and Sam tomorrow night.
Hopefully they are on the path to resurrecting this show in a new weight class. And like DWTS has successfully done have the best season ever next year.
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I absolutely loved Jena’s performance of Elvis’ song! She might have oversung it a little bit, but thought it was quite beautiful. I didn’t care for either of their singles. I sure hope Alex’s gets released. Alex should have been in that Top 2 in the first place. It would have made for a better finale for one thing I think. I agree MCL that they are going to have alot of trouble marketing Caleb. Alex is more marketable than either Caleb or Jena. And I think I think if a record company could take Sam under their wing and work with him on confindence and stage presence, he will also sell more than the Top 2. To me, hands down, Alex and Sam have the most beautiful voices of the season!
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Well. I watched the show, but it was one as-expected Caleb blur and one as-expected Jena blur. Nothing whatsoever stood out for me, it was all quite meh.
I do think TPTB are pushing for a Jena win–but they don’t always get what they want, so we’ll see how it goes. For myself, I don’t really care–and I don’t think the results will impact on their future careers: Jena is trying to enter an overcrowded field, and Caleb is trying to enter a time warp. On the other hand, Alex’s genre is one that relies on having a larger number of smaller stars, as does Sam’s.
(BTW, when I try to comment using the WordPress login, or using my email and name, I get a message saying the comment can’t be posted. Don’t know what that’s about!)
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One of the things that I would like to see idol do next year is:
Do away with airing the Auditions, Hollywood Week and the Green Mile to selecting the top 30! Because none of that amounts to a hill of beans anyway! Most of the ones you like they end up cutting or you never get to hear some of them even sing!
Start the Season with the top 30 give us 5 at a time let us vote through two each week thus getting the top 12 and sending the top twelve on tour! 2 shows per week either instant elimination or the next week!
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ReReader – ugh. Another WordPress glitch? Their App is a nightmare. I am tired of their glitches when posting an article. And just writing a comment here – in the App – is an absolute train wreck. I will try to find out the reason behind your posting difficulty.
I agree with everything you said. I can’t see either of them achieving success on a grand scale but we shall see what happens I guess. Neither are my type of artist. Sam and Alex are more so and will continue to be.
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Vonnie – I think the problem with eliminating the earlier auditions would be even lower ratings. Those audition cities bring in fans from those areas of the Country and are necessary I feel.
I think the Top 24 Semi Finals was the best format ever. 12 guys compete one night, 12 gals the next and then 2 from each group are eliminated for three weeks in a row until you have the Top 12.
This allows the fans to really get to know the singers and it assists the singers to slowly become accustomed to the live shows. We would not have David Cook as the winner were it not for those semi finals and his signature “Hello” number during the semis!
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People have said that Jena reminds them of Angie Miller. I do like Jena, but I’ve always liked Angie so much more, and felt she certainly did an even more impressive job than Jena did this season. Of course though, like this season, TPTB got the final 2 they wanted all along.
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Anita – Angie had a more appealing voice. Jena’s often sounds garbled – no ring to the sound. That being said, she is a strong performing vocalist. Once she discovers the beauty of her head voice, she will further develop her sound to the point where it rests easier on the ears of the listener.
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MCL-Some didn’t like the brightness of Angie’s voice, but I always loved it and found her voice even more beautiful than Jena’s. I do agree that Jena’s voice get better with time.
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OMG. The brightness is what drew me to her. Jena’s sound is too chesty for my taste. I worry that she is misusing it quite frankly.
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What???
Congratulations Caleb!!!
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Was there ever any doubt? He is a going to be a handful of trouble to market and handle
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Oh, well, there’s a Vegas or Broadway music box show in his future, if he’s lucky.
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Lee DeWyze must have been speed dialing to get himself out of the Idol basement!
The bottom line for Idol is they can sign any of the others they want at bargain basement discount prices. I hope they are smart enough not to sell their publishing rights for their original songs if there are contract offers.
Malaya’s duet with John Legend may have been the only pleasant surprise of the night.
J-Lo must have missed the memo that Idol is a family show.
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Hahahaha at everything Gene and ReReader said. How true. Sadly, how true!
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Tune in today to “As the idol bus gasses up” where we ask the hard questions!
Why does JLo get more camera time than the contestants?
How exactly will idol market Caleb?
Was Richard Marx mad?
Will Ryan be on next seasons bloopers?
And finally…Can idol find a replacement next season for JLo?
Stay tuned and find out the answers to these pressing questions on this airing of “As the idol bus gasses up”
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Also! Wouldn’t it be grand next year if idol did an All Star show? Bring back the top two from each season?
I would seriously watch that?
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Vonnie,
An all star competition has a lot of potential. There is no reason to wait on American Idol to do it either. If you wanted only Idol contestants you could call it “Five Feet From the Confetti” or what ever you liked. Or you could open eligibility to top 10 contestants from any year of any of the singing competitions. It would be unlikely that any of the highly successful ones would, or could compete but it should only be those who continue to sing publicly.
“The Voice of America’s X Idol’s.”
Alumni from the other shows could enter as well but I couldn’t work them into the name of the show!
No judges. Spend the money on the band, our favorite vocal coach and get Slezak to do his great interviews with the contestants.
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Gene!
Road Trip to LA…
What a Marvelous Idea!!! When do we Launch?
Just imagine if some of the big hitters came…Adam, Carrie, Kelly, Taylor, David C., Ah! The possibilities are endless!
If we did have judges…my three would be; Elton John, Paul McCartney and Tina Turner! With Gladys Knight and Diana Ross as mentors!
Each contestant could bring their own band!!!
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From last night’s results show, I thought the Jason Mraz-Alex duet was the best of the guest star duets. For one thing, they had clearly practiced, and not just for a few minutes either. Also their styles melded beautifully–they sounded wonderful together. And it was a real duet, with the verses shared out between them and eye contact and it looked like they were both really enjoying themselves. All kudos to Jason Mraz to sharing out his very, very new single like that (and a very good one, I must say!) and for treating it like a real working gig, unlike some of the other guests.
Me, I would probably skip an All Stars show–for the ones I want to hear, I buy albums and/or go to shows, and the rest I don’t want to hear again. It’s not like these are unknowns that I’m deciding whether I want to hear more of or not!
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Oh, and the judges’ jam! When Harry and Keith got going on their respective instruments they totally burned down the place! (….What does JLo do again? Aside from forgetting to put her costume over her undies in her first performance, and forgetting to put on her undies under her costume in the second? 😉 That was some weird singing she did on True Colors there.)
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Rachel-I’m getting quite sick of JLo’s oversexed persona on this show. Like Gene said, this is a FAMILY show. One thing I’ve always loved about Kelly Clarkson is she can be sexy and also be classy at the same time! Why can’t JLo try that?
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This show is clearly on the wrong track. From J-Lo’s over sexed persona to the edgy singers that TPTB are trying to pump, I am so fed up. Family show? I don’t think so.
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I don’t know why JLo (and so many other female stars) thinks she has to project such an oversexed personna to succeed in the music world. Some manage without that!
There’s a nice article on the Hollywood Reporter website from a backstage Q&A with Jason Mraz after he performed with Alex in the Finale. From it:
Mraz said that in the future, he would love to work with Preston.
“We have been talking back and forth about having him come down, do some writing and jam,” said the singer-songwriter. “I think it will work out.”
Mraz said he has high hopes for the 21-year-old New Hampshire musician, but “he has to go to work.”
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Absolutely ReReader. And it sends such a negative signal to our younger viewers.
That is a great comment from Jason Mraz. I think Alex will enjoy a career blessed with longevity and artistic recognition. 🙂
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The discussion about J-Lo interests me. The first year she was a judge, she was still married to Marc Antony. She dressed very modestly that year, and it was refreshing to me since I thought Paula Abdul had always dressed very provocatively. But J-Lo began to change her image after the divorce. And she continues to be more provocative every year. The first time I ever saw J-Lo was in a movie. I had no idea who she was but thought she was quite beautiful. She was a better actress in that film than she is a singer or performer. I wish she would tone it down too. I think she is trying to pretend that she isn’t in her mid-forties, and it’s not working!!!
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Louise,
You are spot on with your thoughts about JLo, she is a much better actress than singer/performer, judge!
My sweet Auntie always said…you can’t teach class!
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Vonnie,
What an appropriate comment about J-Lo! Your Auntie was a smart lady!!!
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