The Top 2 … plus Brenna!

May 22nd, 2007, 9:22 pm · Post a Comment · posted by bgarcia

Season Six has come down to the final two. Who will follow in the footsteps of Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie and (gulp) Taylor? Read on to find out. Plus, Season 5’s Brenna Gethers will be offering her candid take on the show!

Idol Chat is honored to welcome Season 5 contestant Brenna Gethers. Here’s what the lovely and talented Brenna thought about tonight’s show:

The finale is always the most anticipated show of the American Idol season. Although I feel this season was lackluster compared to Season 5, I am really pulling for Jordin Sparks. She embodies what it means to be an American Idol. She is youthful, diverse, intelligent and talented. Blake Lewis did a great job as well. I can see him becoming a pop artist with his own uniquely created niche and style. Vocally, Jordin blows Blake out of the water. The song that’ll become the new single was a bit boring; however Jordin put her signature stamp on it and made it hers. She was clearly living in the moment and was a bit overwhelmed by all the emotions. As the final two, Blake and Jordin deserve credit for handling the tremendous stress from a competition of this magnitude. The show is just the beginning of wonderful careers for both of them. Whoever is selected as the new American Idol will have a chance to grow into a fruitful career. The creators of the show want a huge smash hit for the summer charts. I’m sure they will be looking to the winner to deliver that and more for the years to come. Good luck to Jordin and Blake tonight!

AFTERTHOUGHT: Anyone out there convinced Paula tripped over her dog, Tulip, resulting in a broken nose? If so I have a bridge I want to sell them. Best one liner had to be when Ryan summed up Paula’s accident by saying, “The bitch is ok.” Classic.

Click here to read Idol Chat Editor’s Brandon Garcia article on Brenna and what she’s up to these days.

BRANDON GARCIA: And you thought the Taylor-Katharine face-off was a bore. The judges and producers billed tonight’s bout as “the entertainer vs. the singer,” giving up entirely on trying to mask their season-long favoritism of a certain Amazonian 17-year-old. While I’ve never loved Blake, I really hope by some miracle he overcomes the 50-foot horror that is Jordin Sparks.

MARITZA HAMILL: Wow, it has finally come to this, Blake and Jordan. 50% surprised, and 50% known…. Simon looks odd as usual, Paula….., and Randy is Hu??? Well the show must go on regardless if their stylist got lost on the way to the show. HERE WE GOOOOO!!!

“You Give Love A Bad Name” (Bon Jovi)

BRANDON GARCIA: I see Randy will be starring in Pirates of the Caribbean IV: Dead Man’s Bling. If there’s a performance to be remembered from Season Six, it’ll probably be Blake’s “You Give Love A Bad Name” — but the one from Bon Jovi night, not this one. Tonight’s rendition didn’t produce the high the first one did, and someone forgot to turn up the volume on the guitars, leaving little but the drums and Blake’s tuneless singing. SCORE: 7

MARITZA HAMILL: This song was grrrr8 the first time I heard it.. this time it was good too. Though not as organized. I like Blake. Its gonna be a hard decision.. It was in some ways it better this time, and in some ways better last time he sang it. SCORE: 7.9

GLORIA CHEEVER: This was better than the first time he did this. I think I have to agree with Simon & Randy in that he put on a good performance, but the vocals weren’t all that great. In his defense, I’m sure he is very nervous. SCORE: 7

“Fighter” (Christina Aguilera)

BRANDON GARCIA: With Melinda out of the way, Jordin was free to steal her hairstyle and cool demeanor. Her ungainly hips did a little disappearing act courtesy of a smart blouse, but so did her voice during the middle section of the song. “Fighter”? I see no “Fighter.” All I see is a conniving brat who’ll do anything to get what she wants … you’ll see what I mean. SCORE: 6

MARITZA HAMILL: She sings great, but her voice is too sweet to pull off Christina Aguilera. I did not really enjoy it oo much, but hey, Jordin will probably still win. SCORE: 7

GLORIA CHEEVER: I think she did a good job vocally, but it seemed like she had a barrier between herself and the audience. It’s a little difficult to explain, but basically I mean she seemed disconnected. I will blame that on nerves as well. SCORE: 7

“She Will Be Loved” (Maroon 5)

BRANDON GARCIA: How many argyle sweaters can a self-respecting man own? Blake was wise to include a wistful, earnest song a la “Somewhere Only We Know,” but I think Simon was right about it not making that much of an impact. Plus, when did it become “She ‘Rill’ Be Loved?” Blake’s shaky pitch and howler falsetto notes are going to do him in. SCORE: 6.5

MARITZA HAMILL: I like this this song a lot, but Blake could’t make me love it like I do This song will send you you home Blake…loves. SCORE: 6.342

GLORIA CHEEVER: This was ok. Again, the vocals weren’t all that great. I don’t know why he would have selected this song. It didn’t do much for him. He still did an ok job, though. For the finale, he’s going to have to step it up. SCORE: 6

“A Broken Wing” (Martina McBride)

BRANDON GARCIA: If nothing else, Jordin looks loads better than she did when she was 12, screeching away in braces and an aqua track suit. Jordin took “A Broken Wing” all the way to the Schmaltz City Bank, but even I can’t deny how gorgeous that last note sounded. Like Paula said, she was “in great vocal voice tonight.” Or something. SCORE: 8.5

MARITZA HAMILL: Aww here’s is my American Idol winner… This song really puts her on the map. Go Jordin! WOOOOO WHOOOOOO!!!! SCORE: 9

GLORIA CHEEVER: The vocals were flawless! I think Paula was trying to say she was in “good voice” tonight. I agree. She didn’t have to do much to make this song fantastic. She made it her own, and it was awesome! Round two goes to Jordin. SCORE: 9

“This Is My Now”

CHRIS BENITEZ: (Comprehensive review) As comfortable as Blake is on stage, as unique as some people think he is, his voice is just not good enough. That doesn’t mean he can’t win, anything is possible now. I sing, and have been singing since before I can remember and I’ve always loved great voices. I’m not a jealous person, when someone comes along, male or female and brings the goods, I will become a fan. This is why I was a big Melinda Doolittle fan. A polished, seasoned voice, with a knack for live performance, that’s what I look for. Regardless of what I think of him, he has a career now. SCORE: 7

BRANDON GARCIA: Congratulations, “Inside Your Heaven:” You’re no longer the worst song ever written. That honor now passes to “This Is My Now,” an assembly-line tune so horrendous it could only have been selected by the public. Even the winning songwriters looked ashamed — of course, for Blake, it was the sound of the bell tolling. Blake gave up before he sang a single note, wearing yet another argyle in a pattern too old-fashioned for a nursing home. He started the song on the ledge of the Idol Portal to Hell, and hell is pretty much where the rest of the performance went. All the judges admitted it was a lost cause (“You didn’t have to feel that bad about it,” Randy said). Just give Shirley Temple the crown already and get her out of our lives. SCORE: 2.

MARITZA HAMILL: Sweetheart, you just packed you’re A.I. dreams away. I think Blake got caught up in the lyrics of this song and thought it would suit, but suit it does not …..ZZZzzzzZZZzzzzz….. SCORE: 6

GLORIA CHEEVER: I like that this really showed off his voice. We’re so used to hearing the “beat boxing” Blake, but this was really nice. He did an exceptional job on this. SCORE: 7

“This Is My Now”

CHRIS BENITEZ: (Comprehensive review) Jordin Sparx did sing much better than Blake, will she win, I can’t tell you. It’s a toss up, the best girl went home already. I’ll pick Jordin to win this show, but I really have no clue. I think she should win. I’m not really all that impressed with Jordin, I just think compared to Blake, there is no comparison.SCORE: 8

BRANDON GARCIA: “You’re an angel,” Paula told Jordin at the end of her performance, the heart-tugging tears in her bright little eyes curiously dry by the time she finished singing. Satan was an angel, too, Paula. Jordin’s waterworks, an unbelievably contrived last-ditch effort to win the hearts and souls of Middle America, were the icing on the cake of hatred I’ve been baking all season for Miss Sparks. It wasn’t enough for her to bungle a song that was tailor-made for her cookie-cutter voice. It wasn’t enough for her to emote with all the feeling of a cow in labor. Nope. She had to get weepy. Congratulations, Jordin. Here’s your Daytime Emmy. May God bless your wicked little soul. SCORE: ZERO

MARITZA HAMILL: Is it fair to put this song as the final song for Blake, against Jordin. Not fair but I guess this competition. Jordin super won this competition. SCORE: 9

GLORIA CHEEVER: This song definitely suits her better than it did Blake. You can tell this was absolutely overwhelming for her. She looks beautiful! I think she’s in it to win it. And I agree with Simon…she did do a better job than Blake tonight! SCORE: 10

BRANDON GARCIA: The best performance of the night was actually by Ryan Seacrest, for the lines “So the bitch is OK?” (about Paula’s dog) and “Randy is unpopular.” I think I would literally melt in ecstasy to hear the words “And you’re next American Idol is … Blake Lewis!” Anyone who’s seen the succubus episode of South Park knows what Jordin would do in response. Maybe it’s for the best: Jordin’s going to have to build a career on “This Is My Now.” Best of luck, babe! We’ll have a tent waiting for you at BorderFest ‘08.