Editorial: "Rising Star" (Week 5) Duels Predictions

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Week 4 of Rising Star was the start of the duels between singers- 6 of the contestants put into groups of two to square off with whoever they're paired with. Before that episode aired, I made some predictions on who would advance to the next round. Was I right? Well, actually, I only got 1 out of 3 predictions right. So, with that said, I promised a story via vlog, which is currently in the making as we speak. (See? I make good on my promises. Well, if I hadn't before, then there's always a first time.)

So after a night of duels last night (7/13/14), the show gave us a new line-up:
Adam James vs. Austin French
April Lockhart vs. Sonnet Simmons
Macy Kate vs. Gabrielle Nicole
So, whom am I predicting to go onto the next round? Well, seeing that I got 1 out of 3 right last time, I'd figured I would try my luck on this next set of singers. Now choosing wasn't easy, because I had to listen to each performance more than once, so that I could fully lock in my predictions.

Adam James vs. Austin French
It took me a while to choose between these two. I mean, they're not bad. They sung powerful renditions to really good songs. However, I felt that Austin French brought more to the table than Adam James did.

I think having a guitar would be one edge that Austin French would definitely take advantage of, besides the voice projection. Plus, this wouldn't be his first rodeo with the singing and playing, seeing that he's part of a ministry.

Adam James, though, gets his inspiration from his late father, and wants to play for his father. I think that's what would keep this guy going, even after Rising Star. So, I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be the last time that we see him.

My prediction: AUSTIN FRENCH

April Lockhart vs. Sonnet Simmons
This pairing-of all three pairings that's been scheduled for Week 5- was the hardest one. I'll admit that I was afraid that this one would turn out to be another "Jesse Kinch vs. Will Roth" incident, where someone anonymous would comment and say that I was "absolutely" wrong about so-and-so. But I went for my prediction anyway.

April Lockhart was very good on her first performance on Rising Star. She looked promising, despite the fact that she has a disability with her arm, which was something that everyone took as a sign that she could still do great things.
However, as far as voice goes, both April and Sonnet Simmons had the talent. That was what made it so hard to choose, because they both sounded great.

Nonetheless, though, I finally decided to put my prediction towards Sonnet Simmons, because I felt that she was more daring and theatrical. In her first performance on Rising Star, she hit those high notes really well. I don't know; something about her says that she could possibly be the next Adele.
Now, to be fair, April Lockhart may still have a chance with her singing career, whether she moves on in Rising Star or not.

My prediction: SONNET SIMMONS

Macy Kate vs. Gabrielle Nicole
After watching both of these performers, I was momentarily stuck between these two powerhouse singers. However, I had to say that Macy Kate sounded more promising.

You may remember Macy Kate as the performer who was hand-picked from the audience on the night of premiere to sing a song in order to raise the wall... in which she did, by outscoring the other performers. Plus, Macy Kate is no stranger to Youtube, because just look her up and see that she really wants this (This was also revealed on the show).

Gabrielle Nicole, on the other hand... she can sing really well, but here's my remedy: if she can outdo Macy Kate with the theatrics and the audience-engagement, then she would've been a stronger pick for me.

My prediction: MACY KATE

Now that my predictions for Week 5 of Rising Star are displayed here, I will now make some proclamations, just as I did last time:
1. If all my predictions are correct, then I will do a review on the Barney In Concert video.
2. If 2 out of 3 predictions are correct, then I will tell you another story via vlog.
3. If 1 out of 3 predictions are correct, then I will do a review on Madeline: Lost In Paris.
4. If all my predictions are wrong, then I will review the Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns... Again! video game (Nintendo DS version).
So, just like last time, this is all opinion-based; and I wish every performer the best of luck to them next week on Rising Star.

Whatsoever Critic
Source: Rising Star

Courtesy: Ken Warwick & Nicole Yaron/ Keshet DCP

Editorial: Week 4 of "Rising Star"- Prediction Results Are In!

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Well, the results are in. We've seen the performances and the eliminations last night (7/13/14) on Rising Star. So how did it go as far as the predictions that I had made in the previous editorial? Well, the results were surprising. I mean, I even surprised myself!
So let's go through the predictions, and then I'll acknowledge what really happened on the show. And just so you know: if I'm wrong on any of these, I'll take it like an adult. But if I'm right, then hopefully there's no hard feelings on anyone else's part. So let's get started!

Jesse Kinch vs. Will Roth

My prediction: WILL ROTH

Who won this round?: JESSE KINCH
Funny story: A few days before Sunday, I had a little birdie sing to me in the comments section of my blog, saying that I was totally wrong about Jesse Kinch, and that I was wrong for predicting that Will Roth would advance to the next round. And yeah, I have to agree that Jesse Kinch is pretty bad-ass when it comes to his singing. And, trust me; rock bands and/or the music industry would be begging this guy to join their band and/or release an album for them.
Yeah, hours before I made my prediction, I looked up Jesse Kinch on Youtube. And I agree that he sings very professional. But the reason why I had placed my prediction toward Will Roth instead of Jesse Kinch, was because Will Roth sounds like he could sing more than one genre- like he could sing in a variety. I feel that in today's world, that's what people would crave for is variety- something that's not just that one thing; and Will Roth gave us that when he sung Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Star" (even though I was kinda shocked by the song choice).
But the people had spoken last night, and so Jesse Kinch goes onto the next round. Congrats!
-The funny part about this is that I typed up most of this bit a few days ago,

accepting my defeat on this prediction, so that the Anonymous commentator wouldn't dare to say something within the lines of "I told you so." That would be my ace in the hole, even though I was horribly wrong on this prediction. But trust me; there's still more aces to come.

Sarah Darling vs. Megan Tibbits

My prediction: MEGAN TIBBITS

Who won this round?: MEGAN TIBBITS
It was a close one between these two singers. I mean, they both sung really well. However, Megan proved her worthiness by picking up a guitar and showcasing her voice to the audience, which was a very good sign that she had improved from her previous performance.
Sarah Darling, on the other hand, I listened well and was split between her and Megan. And look, just because I predicted against her, doesn't mean that I didn't vote for her. I mean that too: both singers were so good that I voted "Yes" to both of them. I voted "Yes" on Sarah Darling's part, only because I felt that her second performance was way better than her first.
But was it enough? Sadly, no. Megan Tibbits took Round 1 in the duels, just as I predicted.

Lisa Punch vs. Alice J. Lee

My prediction: LISA PUNCH

Who won this round?: ALICE J. LEE
Yeah, that was disappointing. I was hoping Lisa Punch would steal this round, although I voted "Yes" to both performances. However, this time around, I think Alice J. Lee may have outsmarted Lisa and decided to go all out, which was surprisingly, yet insultingly, good. I felt that Lisa felt a little intimidated as soon as it was her turn to sing after Alice.
Anyway, Alice stole Round 1 of the duels- a twist that I didn't see coming.

So, now that I revealed my rights and wrongs, I will admit that one, I'm not psychic; two, I admit that I had second thoughts on some of these but didn't change my answers; and three, I will hold my end of the promise that I had made in the previous editorial. So, seeing that I got 1 out of 3 predictions right... I will tell you a story through a vlog. That is my second ace in the hole- telling a story via vlog. And boy, do I have ideas!
Plus, (Ace-in-the-hole #3) to be honest, I voted "Yes" to every performance in Week 4. I voted "Yes" to both contenders in each pair-some.
-I thought all the performances were good. I had no favorites.
Right now, I'm having so much fun with this blog post! You wanna know why? Because I'm not going to let some silly wrong predictions keep me from doing what I do... which leads to my fourth and final ace in the hole: I will make predictions for Week 5 of Rising Star. What was that? Redemption.

Whatsoever Critic
Sources: Rising Star

Courtesy: Ken Warwick and Nicole Yaron/ Keshet DCP

Whatsoever Critic's First "What If..." Segment

What if Skipper were to argue with a phone company? See here!

Dolls Used:
Skipper and Kowalski (Penguins of Madagascar)
LarryBoy (Veggietales)

Audio Used:
Angry Grandpa "Straight Talk Meltdown"

Be sure to check out my predictions for Week 4 of Rising Star on my blog!

Editorial: "Rising Star" (Week 3) & My Predictions for Start of Singing Duels (Week 4)

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Week 3 of Rising Star (7/6/14) was said to be the final live auditions until the singing duels.

So, how did Week 3 fair?
Well, to be fair, this episode was more emotional than the first two. I don't know; the back-stories of these performers were inspirational, very so that it either benefited the performers or made them just another passing Cinderella-story.

But by far, the most inspirational performer had to be Karen Hornsby, a stay-at-home mom who has a daughter who's blind and can't talk because of brain cancer.

She sang "To Love You More," and she was able to score an 82% with her heart-filled performance. Her performance was one of the ground-breaking performances ever made on this show.

Now that America is preparing for Week 4, which is the start of the singing duels, the show gives us the line-up:
Jesse Kinch vs. Will Roth
Sarah Darling vs. Megan Tibbits
Lisa Punch vs. Alice J. Lee

Now the big question is: Who, in each pair-up, would advance to the next level? Well, today I'm going to share with you my predictions on who would succeed and who would go home. Now, just to let you know, I had to listen to these performers over and over on Youtube to make my choices. Plus, these predictions are all based on opinions; and, near the end of this blog post, I'll tell you what I may or may not do, based on my accuracy.

So let's get started!

Jesse Kinch vs. Will Roth
I have to admit: choosing between these two male performers was difficult, because they both sung great. Both of these guys stole the audience's votes. Both of them went all out in their performances. But by far, I have to put my prediction towards Will Roth.

Jesse Kinch was a great singer. But, to be fair, it's obvious that he would work best with metal rock. If he were to attempt another music genre, then he might be disappointed.

Will Roth, on the other hand, would be the better pick, because he's sophisticated; he's outgoing; and he sounds like he can sing in almost any genre. I think that's what the audience and experts (Brad Paisley, Kesha, and Ludacris) would most likely go for in this competition.

Prediction 1: WILL ROTH

Sarah Darling vs. Megan Tibbits
Choosing between these two was probably the second easiest, out of all three pairings for the first set of singing duels.

Sarah Darling... God bless her. I know she's trying to make something of a music career. We know she's trying hard to launch a singing career. However, I just feel that the song-choice wasn't something to showcase on the first performance that one would give us during the audition episodes. Even some of the experts told her that the song-choice was questionable, because it almost failed to showcase what she could really do to win over the audience.
Anyway, I decided to put more of my faith into Megan Tibbits.

Well, for starters, she almost didn't make it to the next round. I mean, if it hadn't been for the West Coast that saved her, she would've gone home. Plus, she showcased more than just singing; she also exhibited use of an instrument, which was perfectly executed with her singing. So, to see and hear the vocals and harp mashed up with each other in the performance was a delight.

Prediction 2: MEGAN TIBBITS

Lisa Punch vs. Alice J. Lee
Of all three pairings for this time around, this one was simple. Lisa Punch. Yep. My money is on Lisa Punch (not that I'm betting real money, because again, this is all based on opinion).
Why not Alice J. Lee?

First of all, look at the body language when she's doing her performance. I just wasn't getting that vibe, and neither did Brad Paisley, who was the only expert, out of all three, to vote "No." Second, she sung Lady Gaga's "You and I"- all I'm thinking about is: Okay, is Lady Gaga herself going to pop out of nowhere and join her in the song? Lastly, in general, I just thought she was trying too hard. Rule of thumb: if you want to succeed in the competition, fine. But first, you have to be true to yourself.

The reason why I'm leaning towards Lisa Punch, because I feel that she can take a song and make it a hit. In her performance, she started with an easy-going pace. Then, as time went on, she executed a great transition from easy-going to bringing-the-house-down fun. I would like to see more of that in the future; and hopefully, she uses that strategy when she goes up against Alice J. Lee.

Prediction 3: LISA PUNCH

And those were my predictions for Week 4. Will I be right? Will I be wrong? Will I get some of them right? Or will I get all of them wrong? Who knows? I'm not psychic.
So, with that said, I would like to make some proclamations.
1. If all three predictions are correct, then I will do a review on the Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns... Again video game (Nintendo DS version).
2. If I get 2 out of 3 predictions correct, then I will do a review on the Barney In Concert video (even though I had promised, on one of the vlogs, that I would be working on that review).
3. If I get 1 out of 3 predictions correct, then I will tell you a story via vlog. (I'm not sure what story to tell you, but I'll get it figured out before next Sunday, when Week 4 of Rising Star comes around.)
4. If all of my predictions are wrong, then I will do a review on Madeline: Lost In Paris.

The reason why I'm making these proclamations, is... Well, it's just something for me to do, since this summer has been slow, and I don't go back to school until this coming August. So, again, this is all opinion-based. And, may the best singer advance to the next level of Rising Star.

Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
Rising Star
Examiner.com

Courtesy: Ken Warwick & Nicole Yaron/Keshet DCP