By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday April 21, 2015
At this stage, it really is Clark Beckham's competition to lose. Over the past month, he has been at the top of my Power Rankings and nothing changed this past week courtesy of a surprisingly scat-worthy "Superstition."
The big question is who will go home. The bottom two will likely be Rayvon Owen and either Quentin Alexander or Tyanna Jones. I lean toward Quentin but his battle with HCJ last week might have generated him enough votes to keep him in the top 4 - or turned people off. Who knows? I think either Quentin or Tyanna will beat Rayvon in the head to head. That's hedging my bets. I'll say Quentin vs. Rayvon with Rayvon going home.
1. Clark - He hasn't had a truly bad moment in a month and while he isn't the most emotive singer visually, he has been a wonder vocally. His path to victory seems almost assured at this stage (and gamblers agree). (1)
2. Jax - She isn't as consistent as Clark but more interesting. She will have to carry the "quirk" torch now that Joey is gone. (2)
3. Nick - He seems to be coming out of his shell just in time and had two great performances last week. Might he peel votes away from Clark? (4)
4. Quentin - He didn't do himself any favors going after Harry Connick Jr. But he did funnel his anger quite impressively with his "Sounds of Silence" last week. (3)
5. Tyanna - She is doing okay but I'm afraid she's peaked in a way that won't get her past No. 5. I suspect her youth is working against her that way. (5)
6. Rayvon - He is a fighter but his fortunes may finally run out this week. (7)
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Melinda Doolittle on Reality Check below made some interesting observations about the Quentin/HCJ battle and Rayvon. She said Quentin started it by going at him during his song "Are You Gonna Go My Way," throwing HCJ's papers up in front of his face. She also thinks people have been saving Rayvon on Twitter but forgetting to vote for him afterwards.
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TV Line provided the spoilers for tomorrow if you are curious. These are themed as arena anthems.
Clark is doing Justin Bieber. Is that a blatant effort to draw younger voters? I do like Quentin's picks. And Jax doing Jet? I'm in! And Nick always reminded me of Adam Levine so Maroon 5? Perfect!
Quentin Alexander – The Doors’ “Light My Fire”; Florence + The Machine’s “Shake It Out”
Clark Beckham – The Beatles’ “Yesterday”; Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend”
Nick Fradiani – Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May”; Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe”
Rayvon Owen – Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”; Sam Smith’s “I’m Not the Only One”
Jax – Dido’s “White Flag”; Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”
Tyanna Jones – Bryan Adams’ “Heaven”; Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”
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Kelly Clarkson will perform on the upcoming Billboard Music Awards on May 17 on ABC. Atlanta's Ludacris will co-host.
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Clay Aiken's third episode of the Esquire docuseries "The Runner Up" airs tonight. Last week, he prepped for a debate with a condescending Renee Ellmers who liked to call him "an entertainer" in a disparaging way and schooling him on Congressional voting rules when he mixed them up. Ultimately, he did well and polls showed he had closed the gap. He also understandably complained during the episode about how much time he had to spend fundraising, a daunting task nowadays against an incumbent.
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Adam Lambert will release his third album "The Original High" on June 16. His first single "Ghost Town" comes out today.
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Top "Idol" alum new chart contender is (surprise!) Carrie Underwood with "Little Toy Guns" at No. 13 on the country chart.
Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" has peaked at No. 18 on the top 40 chart and No. 6 on the Hot AC chart.
Iggy Azalea's 'Trouble" with Jennifer Hudson peaked at No. 32 on the top 40 chart. Jordin Sparks' "Double Tap" peaked at No. 39 on the rhythmic chart.
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