'American Idol's Top 11 finalists drastically improve, two girls and two guys get the judges on their feet

American Idol's Top 11 performance show was better than last week's show by leaps and bounds, and two girls and two guys rose above the competition during Wednesday night's broadcast on Fox.


Following a rough show last week in which judge Harry Connick Jr. basically bashed all the talent and judge Jennifer Lopez kept repeating she needed to see breakout performances, the Top 11 finalists seemed to take the criticism to heart and set out to prove to the judges and audience they want to and could win Idol's thirteenth season.

Wednesday night's show featured the finalists each singing a song from the cinema, paying a tribute to Hollywood. The songs had to have been written for a film or heavily featured in a movie.

Although mostly every contestant improved over the course of the week, four finalists wowed the judges -- C.J. Harris, Caleb Johnson, Jena Irene, and Malaya Watson. Both guys got judge Keith Urban on his feet for a standing ovation, while the two girls got both Keith and Jennifer up out of their chairs.

C.J. took the stage with "Can't You See" from the movie Blow.


"I think you just picked and sang your way back to the forefront of this competition. That's the C.J. that we heard on the first day. I feel really good about tonight because that was very, very strong -- very strong. Nice job," Harry told the singer.

"C.J., it was killer, man... You got to be who you are in whatever [theme night] context we throw at you and you completely nailed that right then. I know exactly who you are," Keith said.

"We love it! You saw me. I was celebrating the whole time because I was so proud of you. From the first moment you walked in, I thought that you could really, really shock the world -- like you said, change the world with your music. You have that talent; You have that ability. You started showing it right there. I'm so proud of you, baby!" Jennifer explained.


Caleb performed "Skyfall" from the movie Skyfall.

"Man! Harry said last week -- [he] said something really cool -- that there's a fine line between dependability and predictability. That was not predictable at all, but it was fully dependable. You have such a great vocal gift and I thought that was an amazing choice and great restraint performance of that song. Great power, man, really good," Keith said.


"We're seeing great performances tonight, so I'm very excited. This is what I've been waiting for from you guys. I mean, really, I loved that. That was a perfect song choice for you from a movie. It did take us away from the rock thing but it still was you, and that's what I loved about it. It was great," Jennifer told him.

"I said something last week. That this is my favorite group of contestants out of all 12 years this show has been on the air, and I stand by that, because we have heard what each of you can do. The competition, as far as I'm concerned, started tonight. That was fantastic. You're going to be very hard to beat," Harry explained.


Jena sang "Decode" from the movie Twilight and the audience roared with applause.

"Jena! Jena! Good Lord. So obviously the crowd hated it. I love when you play the piano... There's a ferocity about the way you perform and it's like hurdling along the edge of a cliff in a car and you're like, 'I don't know if we're going in or we're going to stay on the cliff. I don't know what's going on.' Its exhilarating. I loved the way you performed, Jena," Keith told the artist.

"I don't know what you were doing in the bottom three last week. I mean, honestly, you have one of the best voices here with the most dynamics. You give great performances. America, please get onboard with this!" Jennifer announced. "This girl is the real thing. You're the real thing, baby. Great performance! Best performance of the night."


"I'm a huge Hayley Williams fan from Paramore... and I always wondered, 'What are you going to do? Are you going to be able to match that?' But it was different, it was just as good, and you do your own thing. It's nice to hear. I thought that was very, very strong, Jena. Nice work," Harry added.


Malaya belted out "I Am Changing" from the movie "Dreamgirls."

"Yes! Yes! Good girl, Malaya! Baby, listen, that's a perfect song for you -- a perfect way to end the show. I enjoyed all the performances tonight. America's going to have a really tough time, but that was killer. That was killer! You have an amazing voice, oh my God," Jennifer said. "You're so blessed."

"I've heard people on the street come up to me and say, 'This year, there's no real big belter among the group.' I've heard that... Again, this is the most diverse group I think Idol has ever seen, and you just showed everybody that there is a big belter. And I look forward over time -- over the course of this competition and over the years -- your sound is just going to get thicker and bigger and it's going to be a pleasure to watch. Nice job," Harry explained.

"Malaya, you've got a really good understanding of the songs that play to your strengths. That song was perfect to play to your strengths, baby," Keith added. "What you've got inside there that's just going to blossom is magnificent."



One of the Top 11 finalists will be eliminated during Thursday night's live results show on Fox. The remaining 10 individuals will automatically earn a spot in Idol's summer tour.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski