Thursday night on X Factor 2012, the Final Four were announced as two more acts were sent home based on America’s votes and the judges’ input.

CeCe Frey was eliminated first as the act with the least amount of votes. That means that Demi Lovato’s Young Adults team has been wiped out. Later in the night, Diamond White was also eliminated, leaving Britney Spears with just one person left in her teens group.

So that leaves us with this Top 4: Tate Stevens, Carly Rose Sonenclar, Emblem 3 and Fifth Harmony.

The rest of the episode was mostly filler. It all started with a huge filler flashback about all the performances from the night before. That was followed by the return of last season’s X Factor winner Melanie Amaro, who debuted her new single.

Following Melanie’s performance and a break, Mario and Khloe got the show on the road. The person with the least amount of votes and first person to go home was announced, and as I said above, that was CeCe.

After CeCe’s elimination, the acts saved by America were sent on to the Top 4 in random order: Emblem 3, Carly Rose and Tate.

That means Fifth Harmony and Diamond White were made to sing for the last spot in next week’s Top 4 performance show.

After a horrible performance from Kesha, the Bottom 2 acts take the stage.

Up first was Fifth Harmony with Mariah Carey’s “Anytime You Need A Friend.” It was a good performance for them. They were harmonizing, which was L.A Reid’s big problem with them. Will he look past their past performances and save them?

Diamond White took on “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. This was a surprising song for her, but she handled it well. She seemed to feel the song more than Fifth Harmony. This is a tough one.

Next up was the judges’ decision and here’s how that played out:

• Simon votes to eliminate Diamond.
• Britney votes to eliminate Fifth Harmony.
• LA Votes to cut Diamond White.
• Demi makes it official as she votes to cut Diamond White.

This week’s Ranking:

• 1. Tate Stevens
• 2 Carly Rose Sonenclar
• 3. Emblem 3
• 4. Fifth Harmony

What did you think of this week’s results? Did America and the judges get it right?

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Sorry Drew fans, Paula and Nicole were still alive on Wednesday night’s “X Factor.”

At first I was excited that the show opened with a recap of last week’s drama, including this quote from Simon: “If they want a war, they’re going to get a war.” But in typical Simon fashion, he didn’t play their games. He stuck what he does best and that’s being honest. He was critical when he needed to be and he issued praise when someone deserved it. He’s never arbitrary. The other three judges really should take a lesson.

OK, I’m tired of talking about the judges and their stupidity. Here’s to hoping next season they drop the mentor business and work on making us not hate the show.

This week, I’m recapping each performance as usual, but since there are two performances each, I’m only going to issue an average grade for each. That would just be too much math. Sheesh.

ROUND ONE: Dance songs

Melanie Amaro,” Someone Like You.” What an interesting remix of the current hit by Adele. I thought Melanie handled it very well and did the song justice. It was a risky choice on more than one way, but it paid off. It actually works as a dance song. A+

Marcus Canty, “Ain’t Nobody.” For the second week, Marcus  is trying to shed the church boy image and replace it with sex, but it still isn’t working. He’s a great performer and this performance was actually pretty decent. But the stage show and his wardrobe were a  little weird after the image he’s painted of himself. B+

Rachel Crow, “Nothing On You.” She’s kind of losing her luster if you ask me. This performance was kind of windy and mumbly. It was a good song choice for her, however, but she didn’t quite deliver. I’m sure America still thinks she’s cute as a button though, so she’s going to be safe. B-

Josh Krajcik, “We Found Love.” Rihanna? Really? Who knew? It actually wasn’t as awkward as I thought it was going to be. I actually kind of liked it. It definitely showed his versatility. Surprisingly well-done. A-

Chris Rene, “Live Your Life.” This wasn’t Chris’ best vocal ever, but he showed a lot of energy and made the performance fun. It’s a good thing there’s another song to sing. B

ROUND 2: Songs of their choice (after some glitch the show failed to explain to us properly)

Melanie Amaro, “When You Believe.” First of all, she looked great. Secondly, she sounded amazing. Of course it was  a bit predictable for her but still great. But then she goes all off into left field AGAIN with some weird speech that where she rambles on and takes time away from the clock and makes me feel really uncomfortable. I mean, are these strokes she’s having when this happens? What is it? A

Marcus Canty, “A Song For You.” He showed great emotion with this song. I thought it was another solid performance from him, but I think America might think it was a bit boring. Voters don’t seem to be in love with him. so it may have been a bad song choice. B+

Rachel Crow, “Music  & Me.” Zzzzzzzzzzzzz. I’m sorry. I want to like her. My mom likes her. Everyone likes her. But I can’t. I’m bored by her. And I don’t like hearing children sing. I just don’t. B-

Josh Krajcik, “Something.” This was the perfect song for Josh. I thought he nailed it. His heart and his soul were showing during this one. I think it was one of his best. A+

Chris Rene, “Where Do We Go From Here.” Of course I’m only guessing that was the title since that’s a Chirs Rene original. I’d pick this as the best performance of the night. Sure Melanie had the best vocals of the night, but Chris wins for best performance. It was just him and his music. And seeing him with a guitar makes him even more legit. When he does his own music, he really shines. Skip the rest of the show and sign him to a label now. He’s ready. A+

I think it’s safe to say that Marcus will be the one mostly likely to go home this week. But who will he share that bottom two spot with? Josh? Rachel?

What did you think of the night’s performances? Who’s at risk this week?

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It was Michael Jackson week on “The X Factor” and could the Jackson kids have been  more bored? Every time the camera (stupidly) focused on Prince, Paris and Blanket, they looked extremely bored and/or confused. Of course the last thing I want to do is get into the psychology of Michael Jackson’s children so I’ll leave it at that.

Aside from the Jacksons, we also had the typical L.A Reid/Simon and Nicole/Simon bickering. I really wish they’d all just shut up. L.A. and Nicole picking on Drew just to annoy Simon is really getting ridiculous and insulting to everyone.

And aside from all that, the performances were somewhat lackluster. As always, I’ll recap each performance and assign grades in four categories.

In order of performance:

Josh Krajcik, “Dirty Diana.” Could this song choice have been more predictable? I knew  he’d sing that song. Overall he sounded decent, but he definitely seemed out of his comfort zone. He didn’t even seem to want to be on stage and it kind of made its way through some of the vocals. He’s a great showman, but this wasn’t one of his best efforts.

Style: C Stage Presence: C Song Choice: B- Vocals: A- Average: C+

Astro, “Black or White.” OK. I’m officially tired of Astro completely stripping down a great song and throwing in his own rap lyrics to what’s left of said great song. And I know I’m going to sound like a 65-year-old grandmother from the 80′s, but I can’t understand ANYTHING he’s saying. Like ever. His voice is just too immature to work that way. Unlike Eminem or even his fellow contestant Chris Rene, Astro’s lyrics are just hard to follow. So that coupled with his obvious bad attitude probably means it’s time for him to go.

Style: C Stage Presence: B Song Choice: A Vocals: D- Average: C+

Drew, “Billie Jean.” It was more of the same for Drew this week, but I’m OK with that. I don’t understand why the other judges are always criticizing Drew and Simon by saying she needs to do something younger and upbeat. What’s wrong with doing what you do best? Especially if your best is as good as Drew’s? I would like to hear her do something upbeat but I won’t be upset if she doesn’t.

Style: A Stage Presence: B- Song Choice: A Vocals: A+ Average: A

Rachel Crow, “Can You Feel It.” This performance wasn’t good or bad. It just kind of was. This was an overall “B” performance if there ever was one. I think she probably would’ve been better suited with a Jackson 5 song instead of The Jacksons, but whatever. It just wasn’t one of Rachel’s best. And this was a crucial week. Hopefully her youth and cuteness will keep the votes coming in for her.

Style: B Stage Presence: B Song Choice: B Vocals: B Average: B

Marcus Canty, “P.Y.T.” It was a very smart move on L.A. Reid’s part to talk Marcus into sexing up his act. After landing in the bottom last week, his goody-goody church boy persona just wasn’t cutting it. The ladies (and some of the guys) prefer their boys a little on the bad side. So showing some muscle and throwing in some sexy backup dancers was a good move. Unfortunately, Marcus’ vocals weren’t top notch. Maybe that kick-ass backflip will help save him. He is the best overall performer on the show so I hope he can somehow escape the next double elimination. But that’s doubtful.

Style: A+ Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: A+ Vocals: C- Average: A-

Chris Rene, “I’ll Be There.” I was completely expecting Chris to pull out “Man in The Mirror” but he didn’t (surprisingly no one did). It just would’ve been too cliche for a former drug addict to sing that. So smart move. His version of “I’ll Be There” was definitely Fugees-ish like Simon compared. What I really love about Chris is he takes a song and WEAVES himself into it. He doesn’t completely tear it apart and leave it nearly unrecognizable like Astro. That is why Chris has an edge on the younger rapper.

Style: A+ Stage Presence: A Song Choice: A Vocals: A Average: A

Melanie Amaro, “What About Us.” In what I think was the best performance of the season, this little to say about it. Because it was that good. It was powerful but completely effortless. It makes me still think about how close she was to not being on the show. I’ll say it a hundredth time: Simon made a smart move putting her back in. Oh and after her style flop last week, she looked amazing this week.

Style: A+ Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: A+ Vocals: A+ Average A+

So I think it’s safe to say Melanie and Drew and probably Rachel are safe. But with three people at risk and two going home, it’s hard to say who the others will be. It’s probably a safe bet that Marcus will be in the bottom and likely will go home. But who will join him? Astro? Chris Rene? Josh Krajcik? Ack. I don’t like those last two possibilities. I actually don’t like the thought of Marcus going home either. It’s going to be tough from here on out.

What are your thoughts? Who’d you love Wednesday night? Who’s going home Thursday?

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For the first time this season, two “X Factor” acts were sent home and both were  based only on America’s votes.

Before I get into all that, I’ve got to break normal routine and discuss what happened to me Wednesday night. I experienced the ultimate spoiler when I saw Marcus Canty at The Grove in Los Angeles after the live show was over. Keep in mind we’re three hours behind here so I still had plenty of time to get home and watch the West Coast re-airing.

Marcus was not in a very good mood and from the things I was overhearing, I knew he either landed in the bottom or was actually eliminated. I normally do everything I can to avoid spoilers, but that was one chance I didn’t want to miss.

OK, this blog isn’t about me, so back to it (sorry about that). In a special double elimination, host Steve Jones got down to business right after Kelly Clarkson’s opening performance. He pulled Lakoda Rayne and Drew to the stage and teased us with “which one of these acts will go home?” Um, really? As if it wasn’t 100 percent obvious. The first act going home was based on the absolute lowest number of votes. And it was obvious that it had to be Lakoda Rayne. And it was. So they’re sent packing right away.

I was happy when one of the members of Lakoda Raybe barked at Steve after yet another sample of his horrible hosting. He actually said to them said “the dream is over.” Who says that? “The dream is NOT over,” she said. Good for her. Steve, I wish we were sending you home.

After Bruno Mars took the stage, Steven brings back the remaining acts and starts releasing them to safety. In random order, he relieves Chis Rene, Rachel Crow, Josh Krajcik, Melanie Amaro and Astro to join Drew in the safe zone.

So that leaves Marcus Canty and Leroy Bell to battle it out for the final safe spot.

Marcus took the stage first and delivered an emotional and strong performance. He was really connected with the song and you could see the emotion in his eyes.

Leroy gave us another soulful and smooth number. And it was as emotional and well-sung as Marcus. I honestly couldn’t choose between the two based on their performances. Both were equally good and both are equally deserving to be on the show.

The judges came to a deadlock when L.A. and Simon voted to send home Leroy while Nicole and Paula chose to kick Marcus to the curb. So for the first time, we get to know who actually got the least amount of votes (well, in this case, the second least amount of votes since we already knew Lakoda Rayne got the least).

Steve reveals that Leroy Bell had the least amount of votes and would be leaving the competition.

And now some afterthoughts:

Can the mentors voting on one of their acts just spit out their decision? It’s obvious that a mentor is NEVER going to send home one of his or her own. Quit wasting our time and quit making Steve press you to shut up because that just makes me hate him more.

Also, I liked Leroy a lot. And I Lakoda Rayne was growing on me. But I do think I liked Marcus more. So while I’m disappointed with the results, I guess it could’ve been worse.

What are your thoughts? Did America make the right decisions?

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I’m really not sure which part of “The X Factor” I dislike more. Host Steve Jones’ HORRIBLE attitude and hosting abilities or the judges’ bickering interfering with the show.

Seriously, if Steve lasts more than one season as host, I’ll be shocked. And can someone please reformat this show before the judges ruin it? I’m so annoyed at hearing the judges bicker and then cut down good contestants just to get to their fellow judges. L.A. and Nicole are the worst. Simon does it to an extent but most of what he complains about is true. I can’t stand it. The only one not guilty of this is Paula.

OK, let’s get down to it. It was rock night and while almost none of the contestants embraced the genre there were still some pretty decent performances. As always, I’ll review each performance and assign each one grades in four different categories. In order of performance:

Leroy Bell, “We’ve Got Tonight.” This was a great song for Leroy. I’m not sure, but it sounded like he may have flubbed some of the lyrics. At any rate, he just kind of seemed absent during the performance. He sounded as good as always, but there was just something off. Style: A Stage Presence: C Song Choice: A Vocals: A Average: B+

Rachel Crow, “Satisfaction.” Rachel handled the song well. Actually, much better than I had expected. She also had a lot of energy and made the performance fun. I’ll never get past her being so young and I’m starting to sound like a broken record with that. So I’ll try to stop mentioning it. Style: C Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: B Vocals: A Average: B+

Chris Rene, “No Woman, No Cry.” This was a rock song? Not really, but that’s OK, because Chris turned it out. I think it’s his best performance since his audition with “Young Homey.” Style: A Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: B- Vocals: A+ Average: A

Stacy Francis, “It’s All Coming Back To Me.” I just want to scream “Stop trying so hard!!!” every time she performs. Just sing, Stacy! Stop trying to force your way into divadom. This was by far her worst performance. What was with that new weird vibrato? It was so so bad. All of it. And black leather gloves with a white sequined cocktail dress? I just don’t understand what she’s doing wrong. We’ve heard her sing well. She must just be that she is trying too hard and losing track. And standing on  the stage with a sourpuss face is no way to get votes. Bad stage presence. Style: D Stage Presence: F Song Choice: C Vocals: D  Average: D

Melanie Amaro, “Everybody Hurts.” It was good to hear Melanie without all the unnecessary production. And even though it was basic and stripped down, it was still one of the most powerful performances of the night. She’s just got it. Style: A Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: A Vocals: A

Josh Krajcik,”The Pretender.” I like Josh. And I like the Foo Fighters. But I did not like this performance. It sounds like I might be the only one. But I like Josh when you can actually hear him sing. Sure it’s good to just thrash out to a hard rock song, but most of those singers aren’t really great vocalists like Josh. I just thought he kind of wasted his talent. Style: C- Stage Presence: A Song Choice: C Vocals: B- Average: C+

Astro, “Every Breath You Take”/Astro hybrid. I still don’t know how I feel about him changing 90 percent of the lyrics to every song he does, but whatever. It works. Astro is incredibly talented. Like Rachel, I still wish he sounded as mature as he acts. And L.A. Reid, his performance might have been one of the best, but it was also the one that was the LEAST rock. It was not rock at all. Sure that song was once a rock song. But not the one he sampled from. Style: A Stage Presence: A Song Choice: B- Vocals: A Average: A

Lakoda Rayne, “Your Love/ Go Your Own Way.” Their performance was fun, energetic and well-sung. I like this group and hate to see them go. Because that’s probably what’s going to happen, depending who else lands in the bottom two with them. Which is pretty much inevitable. Style: B Stage Presence: B Song Choice: B Vocals: A Average: B

Drew, “With Or Without You.” While I really hate to agree with L.A., Drew is kind of sounding the same every week. But is that really a bad thing? Is there something so wrong with sticking to your style or genre? Anyway, her performance of the U2 hit was a good one. She sounded as great as always and actually looked better this week. So far, her styling has been more miss than hit, but this time it improved. As did her stage presence. It was good to see her without the awkward dance moves. Style: B Stage Presence: B+ Song Choice: A+ Vocals: A+ Average: A-

Marcus Canty, “Piece of My Heart.” Marcus was one of only two to actually truly embrace the genre and he did it very well. I was completely surprised at how much I liked it. And at how natural it was. I thought it would be odd hearing him sing Janis Joplin, but it worked. I think it was the best of the night, actually. Style: A Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: A Vocals: A+ Average: A+

It’s probably a given that Lakoda Rayne will be in the bottom two, but will they go home? I think there’s a chance the judges might keep them if they’re in the bottom with Leroy Bell. I think that might be their only hope.

What are your thoughts? Who were your favorites? Who’s going home?

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“The X Factor” Top 11 took on songs from obscure unpopular movies and if I can get past the terrible styling I might be able to write a recap.

I normally wouldn’t let contestant styling even play into a recap, but as I’ve said before, this show is about much more than just singing. And that being said, who is styling these people?

Aside from the bad wardrobes, I’m also kind of tiring of Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid’s “feud.” Is it real or is it fake? I don’t even care I just want it to stop. It takes up too much time and it’s pretty unfair for some of the contestants. Someone as talented as Melanie Amaro doesn’t deserve nit-picky criticism from L.A. just because Simon is her mentor.

On to the task at hand. Like last week, I’ll review each performance and assign each one grades in four different categories. In order of performance:

Stacy Francis, “Queen of the Night” from “The Body Guard.” Bring back her bangs! I hate to sound like a complete jerk, but did anyone else see that forehead? I wish I could sound less jerky by praising her performance but I can’t. I thought it was SO bad. Stacy is so not a pop singer and it showed. She over sang and did so badly. By far this was her worst performance to date. Style: D- Song Choice: F Stage Presence: C Vocals: C- Average: D

Marcus Canty, “I’m Going Down” from “Car Wash.” He was soulful and classic and even with this performance stripped down and simple, he shined. He lights up the stage. So with that presence and that voice, the stage is clearly where he belongs. Style: C+ Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: A Vocals: A+ Average: A

Drew, “Fix You” from You, Me and Dupree.” First of all, I’ve never heard of this song and I’ve barely heard of the movie. But whatever. Drew was phenomenal. She’s so relevant and sweet. She should stick to singing instead of designing clothes, but whatever. Her voice is what will make her a star. Style: F Stage Presence: B- Song Choice: A+ Vocals: A+ Average: B+

LeRoy Bell, “I Still Haven’t Found” from “Runway Bride.” LeRoy’s performance was kind of boring for me, but his vocals were spot-on and his tone was as rich as always. And I still can’t believe he’s a grandfather. He looks fantastic for 60. Style: A Stage Presence: B Song Choice: A Vocals: A Average: A-

Lakoda Rayne, “Somebody Like You” From “How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” The song was cheesy but it actually worked for them. I think they sound great as a country group (with pop tendencies). Not only are their harmonies amazing, but their solos were good too. I haven’t thought much of them until this show and, for now at least, I’m a fan. Style: A Stage Presence: A Song Choice: B Vocals: A Average: A-

Astro, “Lose Yourself” from “8 Mile.” OK, so it’s really just a sample of “Lose Yourself” with Astro’s lyrics. And I must say, I’m pretty impressed by that. This kid is for real. He’s serious. I still think he sounds like a kid rapping so it might take me about two years to be able to appreciate him fully. But right now we definitely has my respect. Style: A Stage Presence: A Song Choice: A Vocals: C Average: B+

Melanie Amaro, “The Man in The Mirror” from “This Is It.” Melanie just has something about her that makes me smile. Sure her voice is AMAZING, but there’s just something else that does it. She has this positive energy or something. Her vocals, as usual, were flawless. And I think she has the best stylist of anyone on the show. She always looks fantastic. Style: A+ Stage Presence: A+ Song Choice: A Vocals: A+ Average: A+

The Stereo Hogzz, “Ain’t No Other Man” from “Get Smart.” The fact that a group of five men needs back-up singers should tell you something. And that’s that there are four too many people in this group. The lead singer should be a solo act and it shows. He’s the only one of them who can sing. When they all sing together it just sound messy. They look good on stage, but that’s about it. Style: A Stage Presence: A Song Choice: D+ Vocals: C- Average: B-

Josh Krajcik, “With a Little Help From My Friends” from “Across the Universe.” I’m a fan of both The Beatles’ and Joe Cocker’s versions of this song. But not Josh Krajcik’s version. I thought it was a HORRIBLE arrangement, especially the weird beginning. And we know Josh can sing, so why wasn’t he singing? All I heard was screaming. Of course the screaming was pitch-perfect but still. Sure Cocker does some shouting in his version of the song, but he also actually sings some lyrics too. I was pretty disappointed. Style: B- Stage Presence: B- Song Choice: A Vocals: C+ Average: B-

Chris Rene, “Gangsta’s Paradise” from “Dangerous Minds.” Like Astro, Chris’ own lyrics were used in his version and it made for a pretty good performance. Chris was definitely back in the zone. And I have to say, he did it a little better than Astro for one big reason: Chris can sing on top of rapping. Actually, his singing voice is quite nice. Style: B+ Stage Presence: A Song Choice: A Vocals: A- Average: A-

Rachel Crow: “I’d Rather Go Blind” from “Cadillac Records.” Everyone was right. This is the kind of song Rachel does best on. Her voice, with a song like this, is very mature. And that ends up looking kind of awkward coming out of a teenager dressed like a toddler. That’s why I think she’s probably better suited as an actress right now. She can be a singer in two or three years when she’s matured completely. Or she can at least get some proper styling. Style: C- Stage Presence: C Song Choice: A Vocals: A- Average: B-

So unless you’re busy plotting my death for not liking Stacy or Rachel, tell me what you thought about the show. Who’s performance was your favorite? Who’s going home this week?

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