By April MacIntyre May 4, 2008, 19:51 GMT
Last Thursday’s live taping of MTV's Rock the Cradle at CBS studios was my second week in a row.
Crosby Loggins was deemed untouchable last week, so he won a free pass to next week's finals, where one contestant will win a record deal and $100,000.
Host Ryan Devlin announces each person is prepared to perform two songs that were picked by the judges. All five contestants will sing their first song, but only those who are safe would perform in round two.
No more untouchable status.
Loggins gets "Beverly Hills" by Weezer and two female dancers, he rocks it out, he looks like he is having a ball.
Judge Jamie King calls Crosby Loggins' performance "awesome." There are no number scores for this first round of songs.
The golden boy, Jesse Blaze Snider, gets Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl." He and Belinda have a bit of a go-round. She always comes off very full of herself, and he is no shrinking violet either; funny stuff.
Lara Johnston is assigned "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. She was terrific.
The an emotional scene as Lucy Walsh is given the Evanescence song, "My Immortal" a song filled with lyrics that remind her of dad, Joe Walsh. His B roll with her was really touching.
She is an excellent musician on top of being gorgeous and able to work a song like a pop pro. Lucy rocked Larry Rudolph out of his socks.
A funny moment occurs when Larry Rudolph assigns Chloe Lattanzi "Toxic" by Britney Spears. She cries and looks stricken on camera. You imagine she will hold a seance or black magic ritual off-camera with some dismembered doll parts to strike down the diminutive pop manager Larry, who is the bane of her existence currently.
Chloe frigging brought the noise this week. She was good!
After a second song performance at the piano, then a turn in the crowd, untouchable Crosby Loggins gets two perfect 10s!
Now, it is Lara Johnston and Chloe Lattanzi onstage, and Lara is the first announced to leave us.
Chloe Lattanzi's second song is "The First Cut Is the Deepest" by Sheryl Crow, which she performs while sitting. Not as good as the first song.
She gets respectable scores, again this performance was not as riveting as her "Toxic" turn.
Lucy Walsh and Jesse Blaze Snider are brought forth. Lucy is axed, and she tells everyone to vote for Jesse.
Stepping onto the stage, Jesse Blaze Snider performs The Living End's "Prisoner of Society." He does backflips, twice. He nearly ate the stage on the first one but he is a natural athlete. He has that elusive star quality.
Jesse nails nearly all perfect "10's" and is beaming, as are his perpetually proud mum and dad in the parent box.
And here I was, certainly not optimistic after the previous week’s performances, especially the “Freak” performance by Chloe and the banishing of Al B Sure! and Bobby Brown’s spawn.
It seemed that particular week the entire audience was there for them, and when the ax fell for the two singers, the anger was palpable in the crowd.
I did not expect the show on "Judges' Pick" night to hit its stride, nor see five excellent performances.
Yes, I said excellent! Even Chloe engaged the crowd.
Crosby is a true artist; Jesse is a natural born star; Lara pulled out a fantastic sayonara swan song and Lucy Walsh – even though she was also voted off – has the moon on a string.
Let’s talk about Chloe Lattanzi for a moment.
Initially I was aghast at her earlier vocal performances, and taken back a bit by her look too. But up close, she is lovely, polite and really wants to make a mark for herself in music. She has grown on me.
She told me her musical influences were Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, and other easy listening fare. “This has been a real challenge for me as an artist it's made me grow in such a big way. I like myself as I am and I am not trying to be anyone else but me. I want to do my own songs,” she told me backstage. “I have a whole album done and ready to go.”
Crosby Loggins is very quiet, unassuming, talented and is the anti-Jesse and he knows it. He is there for serious purposes too, and wants to win but he is pragmatic about his chances compared to the golden Snider wunderkind, Jesse Blaze.
“I know that Jesse Snider's probably my biggest competition, and Chloe has her following too, but I just focus on my performances, my style, and take it from there.”
Crosby had a great two performances this last week, and he knew it. “Yeah this week was really good for me.” He also mentioned that he admired and missed A’keiba Burrell Hammer, who was voted off early in the series.
Lucy Walsh was ready to get on with her life, now that her chances have been extinguished by the voting public.
I asked her if she felt the experience was worthwhile.
“It was very worthwhile for me to do this show. I'm really happy. And at first I said ‘no’- because I absolutely hate reality TV and I don't watch television. But as long as it's focusing on talent, I'm comfortable.
I wanted to do the show for the mass exposure that comes from a television spot. And I got what I came for. I've gotten almost 100,000 listens on my MySpace page - and I was already at half a million- since the show started. And I've been doing music my whole life so this was just one step for me.”
Lucy told me about her favorite week. “My favorite song was tonight's. "My Immortal" by Evanescence. And I've been saying this whole week, more than winning to me, I just really want to be able to perform that song because this is the first time in this competition that I have stepped into my performance emotionally...And I went out on a great note."
I was curious to know what lay ahead for Joe Walsh’s baby girl, who got no breaks in the business from dad; a fact she is very proud of.
“I'm going to make a record. I'm going to get on the road. And I will be doing music my entire life. I think that the real artists stand the test of time. And I think that the people with no talent can only go as far as the hype will allow. ..you really have to have the talent to make this your life work."
Walsh was intensely passionate about Snider, but also shared she had familial ties to Crosby too.
“Jesse Snider, obviously I told everybody to vote for him. Crosby came up afterward and he was like, 'Thanks a lot.' (smiles) We have known each other our whole lives and actually my stepfather is Crosby's godfather. And he's a great musician but I think Jesse Snider is an incredible performer. And I think he's the most exciting of the group.”
Lucy told me what she learned from the show.
“To listen to my instincts. It's really terrifying to get up there every week in front of America, on live television and have judges, who don't know you personally, pick you apart. And sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong. I have learned to really believe in myself when I know that I'm doing what's in my heart."
My last question for her was one I didn’t anticipate she would answer, but I wanted her to tell me which judge she cared the least for.
“Oh that would be Jamie King. I think the guy that sat in for him (Brian Friedman) he was incredible and I wish that he had been on the whole season. And he said that he wants to choreograph my tours and I want to tell him to call me. I think that Jamie King, a lot of his comments were very fluff.
He didn't give any constructive notes that you could really work with. And I've never even met the guy. He was the only judge who never made an effort to come meet us behind the scenes."
See you all after the finale.
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