American Idol 4, April 5: A Bit too Broadway?

Anthony Fedorov – “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” (The Sound of Music)

Randy – I did not like that… it was like sharp and flat all over the place.

Paula – I liked what you did with it… I really enjoyed it. You made me listen to the lyrics. I think you did a good job.

Simon – Hideous. Everything about it was horrible.

Donna - The stylists have had their way with Anthony again this week. I guess the glasses are gone for good. He starts out a bit breathy, and doesn’t seem to know where he is going with this performance. He builds momentum, but misses some notes, and goes in and out of tune. He manages to put a good bit of oomph into the finish, but overall, this was not a good choice for him.

Nikko Smith – “One Hand, One Heart” (West Side Story)

Randy – You keep it contemporary. You’re always trying to keep the thing alive. Good job, not your best.

Paula – You’re the comeback kid, Nikko. This is one of my favorite songs. You are the real, true epitome of R&B to American Idol.

Simon – All you guys are doing these performances with these big notes at the end believing that we’re not going to hear the first part of the song. Honestly, the first part of the song sounded out of tune.

Donna – I like the arrangement, starting off with the acoustic guitar. Nikko does something that is often talked about, but seldom really accomplished. He has taken this old song and made it 100 percent his own. The performance was not perfect, but it was remarkable in its originality. I say you rock, Nikko.

As we cut to commercial, we get a shot of celebrity Idolhead Neil Sedaka in the audience. Is he ever hooked!

Anwar Robinson – “If Ever I Would Leave You” (Camelot)

Randy – Welcome back, baby. You are one of the best singers here…

Paula – The second you smile, it melts America’s heart. Technically you are the best singer on the stage. Congratulations, you were brilliant.

Simon – You seemed very comfortable.

Donna – Anwar took the judges advice from last week, and keeps it up a little higher. The performance is a bit choppy, and feels a bit forced, but Anwar may just have bought himself another week with this one. He really does have a fabulous voice and he’s so much fun to watch.

Bo Bice – “Corner of the Sky” (Pippin)

Randy – Yo man… once again consistently great, dude. You are one of the dawgs.

Paula – You are in this competition. You deserve to be on the stage. You are a winner.

Simon – I personally think you’ve had two bad weeks. I thought that was a mess. I think you are going the wrong direction. You’d better pick yourself up next week.

Donna – I love Bo, but this song was really, really bad. Not his performance, mind you, but the song itself. He wasn’t feeling it, that’s for sure, and that’s the kiss of death for a performer like Bo. This time, I have to say I agree with Simon. But I don’t think this is a permanent condition!

Nadia Turner – “As Long as He Needs Me” (Oliver)

Randy – Great performance.

Paula – Absolutely beautiful.

Simon – I would say this is the strongest you’ve been in three weeks, but I am going to ask Ryan not to choose the musical themes anymore.

Donna – Wow. This has to be Nadia’s breakout performance. She does everything right, from the dress, to the controlled vocals, to the powerful finish. The song is absolutely perfect for her voice. I think this is the best she’s done so far. Now if she could work on the faces!

Now I know that my cohorts may disagree, but I thought this was an exceptionally good show. So good, in fact, that I had to go through and listen to most of them again just to sort it all out. I am normally not stumped when it comes to picking the best (and worst) but this week, it was tough. This is how I see it.

Nadia
Carrie / Vonzell (a tie)
Nikko
Bo
Scott
Constantine
Anwar
Anthony

This week, the bottom three should be Anwar, Constantine, and Anthony, but I expect Scott will take Constantine’s place. But clearly, it is Anthony’s week to go home. I thought so last week, and I can’t believe that he made it through over Jessica. I hope that people will vote this week based on performance, not on perception. That would be too bad.

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Donna Reynolds is an Assistant Editor for the RealityNewsOnline family of websites and a freelance writer based in Syracuse, NY. She is also the creator of “That’s Entertainment,” a weblog on syracuse.com. Whether you agree or disagree, Donna welcomes your comments, and you can email her at foxydonna@earthlink.net.