Idol Insider

Steven Tyler sleeps on the job & American Idol suffers: Trying to get over thePia Toscano disaster

Pia Toscano's elimination still hangs over "American Idol."
Paul McDonald's performance of "Old Time Rock and Roll"
Photo by Michael Becker/Fox
Is Steven Tyler sleeping or judging?
James Durbin singing "Heavy Metal"

After last week’s disappointing elimination of Pia Toscano — an occurrence I blame almost solely on the American Idol judges; more about that in a minute — the movie-themed Top 8 night needed to lift the spirits of Idol nation.

And did it? Sort of.

Let’s start with the good: Casey Abrams stole the show with his delicate, haunting, bass-accompanied cover of Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy.” Producer Jimmy Iovine tried to steer him towards Phil Collins’ more mainstream “In The Air Tonight” (huh?), but like a handful of other contestants, Casey stuck to his ground, and it paid off in spades.

These are the performances that keep me glued to Idol — the ones that disregard the “pop star” parameters of the show and simply showcase raw talent.

James Durbin similarly took a stand against Iovine with his high-energy performance of Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal.” He didn’t deliver his best vocal of the season — he would have benefited from a little more melody to navigate through — but his mixture of (appropriate) confidence and authenticity drove the song home. Props to him for standing up to Iovine in a classy, endearing way — “Give metal a chance!”

Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery and Jacob Lusk fell somewhere in the middle of the pack with decent but safe performances. Lauren sounded at home with a pretty rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb,” but I wrote in my notes, “she could do this with her eyes closed.” She needs to start finding songs that challenge her tremendous talent — remember fellow 16-year-old Jordin Sparks’ showstopper, “I Who Have Nothing”?

Scotty and Jacob both went with their bread and butter, the former with a “King” George Strait tune and the latter with a gospel-esque standard. Unfortunately, neither truly impressed. For the first time this season, Scotty’s vocals sounded affected on “I Cross My Heart,” and he fell flat and out of synch with the background singers in a couple of areas. Jacob chose Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” a song that surely melts even the hardest of hearts, but he unsurprisingly cooked it with just a bit too much of …everything. (And I’d watch your back, Jacob: Clay Nation is vicious.)

Paul McDonald, Haley Reinhart and Stefano Langone fell into my personal bottom three as well as the public’s bottom three, taking the stools of doom on Thursday night’s elimination episode. Paul’s manic performance of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” was somewhat of a delight to watch, seeing as he sang it with his signature reckless abandon charm, but its ratio of good to bum notes is not something I can get behind.

Haley attempted the highly stylized Blondie’s “Call Me” and failed to lift it above karaoke standards. (I will say that her “Moanin’” duet with Casey on the elimination show was stunningly good.)

And Stefano? His take on Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road’ (yes I have that on my iPod and no I am not ashamed) felt just a little out of his league, like he was straining to keep up with the power ballad. He also has a tendency to infuse an accent into some performances and not others, which I find distracting.

In the end, America chose to send Paul packing, an elimination that was much easier to swallow than last week’s disastrous results.

About that:

Dear Jennifer and Randy,

…I mean, really, how shocked can you be at Pia Toscano’s early exit, guys? (I refuse to address your friend Steven Tyler, who might as well sleep through the live shows.) You’ve been consistently praising every contestant without giving any sort of assessment of the state of the competition — remember that, the competition? — other than “it’s anyone’s game.”

Look, it’s great that you’re able to find something you love about every contestant, and it’s heartening that your critiques are sincere and passionate. But we need a definitive voice. We need you to take a stand. We need you to inject a little cutthroat into this race if you expect the great to float to the top.

Otherwise, why even show up?

Sincerely,
Tara
imisssimon.com

Get more of Tara Seetharam's pop culture musings on her website taraseetharam.com and follow her on Twitter @TaraAshley.

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Movie Review

Fun visuals can't save The Magic Faraway Tree's meager plot

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids — Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) — are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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