Reality Rocks‘The X Factor’ Final 3 Recap: Can They Duet?
Earlier in the week, it was announced that the final three "X Factor" contestants would sing with "superstars" this Wednesday--an exercise, I assume, intended to help the finalists elevate their game, kind of like when the "So You Think You Can Dance" contestants pair up with allstars. Or maybe it was all just to elevate ratings. Anyway, soon all the Interweb was aflutter with speculation as to who the A-list duet partners would be. Melanie Amaro had been seemingly set up for a Mariah Carey pairing all season long, ever since Mariah's flight to Simon's Judges' House in France got rained out, and certainly since Melanie started bombarding Mimi with love-tweets all over Twitter. Chris Rene would have been a natural pairing with any big rapper out there, or maybe an R&B-crossover star like Bruno Mars. And I was personally rallying for a Josh Krajcik/Foo Fighters collabo, since Josh's Foos cover was one of his best performances of the season.
But, no. Instead, Josh sang with...Alanis Morissette. Chris sang with...Avril Lavigne. And Melanie sang not with Mariah but with...R. Kelly. That all would have been awesome if this finale took place in, say, 2001. (Or if Melanie's R. Kelly duet had at least involved a couple chapters of "Trapped In The Closet.") But overall, this was a disappointing lineup. Was Mariah's flight delayed again or something? Was this really the best Simon Cowell could get? And didn't performing with other, more established stars, regardless of who they were, distract from the contestants' talent? This seemed like an odd shift of focus on the most important night of the season, and maybe the most important night of the contestants' lives.
Equally perplexing was an intermission-mark group number with the top three, featuring an army of Mylar robots with illuminated question marks on their chests who looked like they belonged in a Stereo Hogzz number. The question marks were appropriate: What the heck was going on here??? Apparently the 'bots were from Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson: Immortal" show, but it was all very jarring (and, once again, distracting) to throw this sci-fi spectacle smack into the middle of the episode. I bet if Michael Jackson's kids had been sitting in the audience, they would have had the same annoyed expressions on their faces that they had when they were dragged to the top seven night. And I wouldn't have blamed them.
But in the end, this show was not about the special celebrity guests. Or about robots. It was about Josh, Chris, and Melanie. So, which one of them is going to win? I'm still not sure about that, since they all had their high and low moments on Wednesday. "This is the closet competition I've ever judged in my life," Simon stated at the start of the show, as the final three prepared to sing for the $5 million record contract that's been dangled, carrot-like, in front of their faces for months now. And Simon was right. With three very worthy, and very different, contestants in the mix, it seemed like any of them had an equal shot at that 5 mill. And I still felt that way by the end of the night. Thursday's finale is going to be suspenseful indeed.
JOSH KRAJCIK
For his first song, Josh did Alanis's orchestral ballad "Uninvited," performing it in the "Idol"-esque tradition of starting it solo before the guest of honor "surprised" everyone by joining in midway through. (I suppose it was a surprise to anyone who'd stayed off the Internet that day, but the word was already out.) I was bummed that Josh did "Uninvited"--not an easy song to sing, and one that didn't quite seem to suit his gruff, gravely tone. I would have much preferred to see him do "You Oughta Know"--the gender-reversal on that would have been awesome and original and even a little bit subversive, and that song certainly would have allowed him to rock out a bit more. But Josh did his best with it, after a shaky start that he later admitted was due to him being starstruck. (So I guess HE was impressed by the Alanis booking.) "That was surreal," L.A. Reid said, meaning that as a compliment. "That was such a natural pairing!" Said Paula Abdul: "I can't think of a better way to open this competition. You were singing with rock royalty, but you not only held your own, you kept your identity and your dignity." Said Simon, who gave the performance an "eight out of 10": "I thought you were a little bit intimidated at the beginning, then as the song got into gear, I heard the old Josh come back."
Well, the old Josh REALLY came back when he got to do his second song, an acoustic revamp of the song that put him on the "X Factor" map in the first place, Etta James's "At Last." This was just Josh and his guitar--no cage dancers, no pyro, no brides of Dracula--and it was just about perfect. It was sort of a "Heartless"/Kris Allen moment, the kind of game-changer that wins singing competitions. This was a 10 out of 10. At last, indeed, his time had come along. "You look so at home up there. The first time I saw you, I envisioned you just like that. This is what stardom is all about," said L.A. "You are one of the most authentic, real, kind-hearted people I've ever met. You own that stage," raved Paula. And Simon declared: "This is what we call the $5 million song. The fact that you took that massive risk, it was all about you and what we liked about you in the first place." I hope it's a risk that pays off for Josh, in votes, because this was great.
CHRIS RENE
The day after the eight-month anniversary of his sobriety, Chris celebrated by dueting on "Complicated" with Avril Lavigne. Why'd they have to make things so complicated, indeed? This was not a good song choice for Chris, and he was not at his best here. Even the rap in the middle wasn't as good as when Lil' Mama rapped on Avril's "Girlfriend," and that's saying something. But Chris performed with his usual vivaciousness and looked like he was having the time of his life with Avril, so it was hard to hate on him too much. "It was a little shaky in the takeoff, but you came out on top. By the end, your energy and the light around you was so flippin' infectious. You shine up there," said Nicole Scherzinger. "This competition isn't about note-for-note being perfect, it's about an energy," is how softie Paula excused Chris's flawed "feelgood" performance. Even Simon went easy on Chris, saying, "I was nervous at first, but when it kicked in and you introduced the rap, what we felt was your total joy in being here. That could be a record."
Well, what really could be a record is "Young Homie," Chris's original signature song. Like Josh before him, Chris revisited his first audition this week, and this time he performed "Young Homie" like it was a hit single in an arena setting, with some big, bombastic choir backup and fleets of dancers. This, unlike "Complicated," worked. Chris looked, sounded, and acted like star. "We all have a purpose in life, and you are serving that purpose with that song," raved Nicole. "You are magic! You make everyone fall in love with you," said Paula. "That was your $5 million song," Simon said, sort of repeating what he told Josh. And Chris's mentor L.A. said, "I have never seen you pour yourself into a song so well." I have to agree. This was a full-circle moment, and if Chris wins this show, it will totally be because of this performance.
MELANIE AMARO
Melanie is an amazing singer, the best singer of these three...but honestly, I could really live the rest of my life without ever hearing R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" on a reality singing competition ever again--even if L.A. Reid bizarrely thinks it is "one of the most important songs of the last 50 years." (Whaaat?? Um, no. Just no.) Once again, Melanie gave a performance that was technical flawless but lacked passion and emotion. I will say this, though: Melanie was the only contestant of the three who easily outsang her celebrity duet partner. She almost made R. Kelly look like an amateur. (It was the first time R. had ever done "I Believe I Can Fly" as a duet, and it might be the last.) L.A. was completely wrong when he told Melanie, "I feel like you got a little bit overshadowed by R. Kelly. I don't know if it was in your key." (Um, any song is in Melanie's key. Seriously.) Paula was more enthusiastic, saying, "You made us believe in you because you believe." And her mentor Simon told her, "You didn't look like someone in a talent competition; you looked like someone who could be a really important, established artist." I agree, but I still wish she'd done one of the unreleased new "Trapped In The Closet" installments. I'm sure Chapter 23 would be a great coronation song!
Melanie brought much more fire and personality to her second song, an evangelical reprise of her audition number, "Listen" by Beyonce. It seemed like the walls she talked about, the walls she put up after being teased as a girl, came crumbling down on that stage as she emoted. I remember her first "Listen" audition being phenomenal, of course, but this was even better. Before this, I thought Chris or Josh had a really great chance, but after seeing Melanie sing "Listen" in the "pimp spot," I am not so sure. This just may have been the performance that sealed Melanie's $5 million deal. "That wasn't a $5 million performance, that was a $50 million performance!" L.A. declared. "A stellar, stellar performance, so gorgeous!" cried out Paula. And Simon told her, "After this, you're never going to get teased again."
So now, it is prediction time. And really, if there were such a thing as a three-sided coin, I'd just toss it. At first I thought Josh had it in the bag with "At Last," then I thought Chris clinched it with "Young Homie," and then, after Melanie brought it home with "Listen," it was really hard to imagine her losing. The going consensus in the blogosphere/Twitterverse is that Melanie will prevail, but I wouldn't rule out Josh or Chris just yet--especially Josh.
Tune in Thursday to find out who wins, on what just might be the most suspenseful reality TV finale ever. EVER!
Related links:
Craziest moments of the season
Backstage with the final three
