It was the brush-off felt around the world. OK, maybe we’re being a little dramatic, but about halfway through Wednesday’s American Idol, after an awkward duet of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by Joshua Ledet and Phillip Phillips, came the doubly awkward moment when Phillip attempted to hug his onstage collaborator only to have the gesture reneged. The tense exchange incensed Phillip Phillips fans while others watching, including the judges, seemed simply perplexed. What gives? That was one of several burning questions to come out of 60s-meets-Brit-pop week. Read on for more…
Where did the idea to dramatically change up “The Letter” originate? “It was actually something that [Idol executive producers] Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe suggested during the first top 24 week, but I didn’t really want to do it because I never really liked the original version,” Phillip Phillips told THR. “So I just sat down, changed it up the best I could then let my brother-in-law hear it and he liked it. He made a few chords changes on it and I really liked that. Plus having the guys up there jamming out, that’s what its all about.”
Has Phillip ever gone Phishing? This Idol blogger never thought she’d hear the words “jam band” on Idol, but there it was following Phillip Phillips covers of The Boxtops and The Zombies. So has he ever been to see Phish, the undisputed leaders of the genre for 20-plus years? “I haven’t been to Phish, but I’ve seen Dave and some other jam bands that were just killer.” We asked who but Phillip couldn’t remember any names — a sure sign that he’d fit in nicely with that scene.
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So what really went down between Philip and Joshua? “I was scared of what Philip was going to do onstage because backstage, saying ‘I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that,’” Joshua elaborated after the show. “So I was nervous of what he was going to do.” Under the threat of something “horrifyingly embarrassing,” Joshua pulled away. “I was scared,” he said. As for Phillip, he explains the situation this way: “We had to make the best of the situation because we were both, like, ‘Why are we doing this song?’ We didn’t really want to look at each other because we thought it would be weird, so at the end we just said, let’s have fun with it.”
Did Skylar Laine have an appreciation for how politically-charged Creedence’s “Fortunate Son” was when it was released in 1969? “I didn’t really understand the words completely,” Skylar confessed. “I don’t know that much about the meaning of the song. I should look it up. I should’ve known.” One thing that did speak to Skylar however? The Southern Rock vibe of the Vietnam War-era classic. Now if only Idol would have 70s week as a theme. “I wish because that’s when Waylon and Lynyrd Skynyrd was around, but you take what you get,” she said. And who knows, if Skylar sticks around, she just might get that opportunity.
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Was Hollie Cavanagh familiar with Pia Toscano’s rendition of “River Deep, Mountain High” from season 10? “Yeah, I watched Pia do it last year — it was really fun,” she said after the show. “It was upbeat and I felt like it fit my voice.” Her second number, Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love,” was more of a challenge. “At first, I didn’t jump on it,” Hollie revealed. “Because that way I sung it, the phrasing didn’t really match my voice very well.” But once the tempo was slowed, she adds, “it brought a whole dramatic feel to the song and that’s when I fell in love with it.”
Who did Jessica Sanchez have in mind when she sang “You Are So Beautiful?” The 16-year-old described herself as a daddy’s girl, but she dedicated her nearly flawless performance of the Billy Perkins classic to her mom, she told THR. As for “Proud Mary,” it’s a song she’s been singing since she was a wee 7-year-old and there may even be some incriminating video floating out there. “It’s ridiculous — my hair is all curly, I have my boots on and this fringe skirt and I’m like this super shy girl, but it’s hilarious!” she squealed. “I know it’s an overplayed song, but I still love it and feel like it really showed my vocals and that I can perform and run around the stage and not lose breath. I really tried my best.”
We’re moments away from the Final 4, how do you think the last five standing performed on Wednesday and who’s at risk of going home?
Twitter: @Idol_Worship
