Melissa vs. Rex
In CI3 Showdown
The competition reached it's pinnacle Tuesday night on Canadian Idol 3 as Melissa O'Neil and Rex Goudie fought it out for the title. Singing three songs apiece, they each had ample opportunity to show what they got. After several weeks of lackluster performances, there was a marked improvement this week. While it definitely wasn't the best set of Top 2 performances in Idol history, it was much better than anticipated. Throw in appearances by past Canadian Idols and some classic Jon Dore humor, and Tuesday's show was quite a fun diversion.
Here's the It's Destiny! panel's take on this week's performances.

Melissa O'Neil "Angel of The Morning"
Tammy: How can I not make fun of this song choice? It's so hokey! But then again, so is this show, so maybe it's a good fit. As for Melissa, I thought the song was much too low for her. She shines when she hits the higher notes, but there aren't that many high notes in this song. All in all, it was nice. Nothing to rave about.
Score: 7.6

Liza: Hokey song or not, I thought it was beautifully done. The judges picked a perfect song for her - it's so suited for her voice, and she sang it nearly flawlessly. I would have liked to hear her hold her notes a little longer in the chorus, but that's minor. Score: 9.0

Destiny: I, too, wanted to hear her bust it out in the chorus a little more. Yes, she evokes emotion, but the performance was a bit too melancholy for me.
Score: 8.0

Rex Goudie "Alive"
Tammy: It's never a good sign when you have to force yourself to pay attention to a performer. Though this song is better suited for Rex than most, I wasn't crazy about it, mainly because of Rex's vocals. The boy really needs a vocal coach, stat. His stage movements need work too. There was a leg kick during that song that was entirely too feminine if he wants to give off the 'rocker' vibe.
Score: 7.6

Liza: An Idol winner's song that's not a hokey ballad but a rock song? And a fairly catchy one, at that? Color me stunned. Actually, let me amend that. Color me SHOCKED because Rex gave his best performance of the year by a mile. I could see him having a hit with this song. What a time to bring it, Rex! (and, boy, are you lucky you didn't get a ballad this year!).
Score: 9.0

Destiny: Is this song Ryan Malcolm-ish or what? Really would like to hear him sing it. As for Rex, what was most notable in this performance was the way he worked the cameras. Nice move on his part, because that's pretty much all it will take to rack in the votes.
Score: 8.3

Melissa O'Neil "A Broken Wing"
Tammy: This is a song that Melissa has no problem with. It's money in the bank for her. What I don't understand is why the arrangement cut off the glory note at the end of the song. The whole song builds up to that note! Annoying.
Score: 8.3

Liza: I find it very interesting that she picked this song after having "Angel of the Morning" picked for her. Two country-pop ballads in a row? Not very strategic unless you're Carrie Underwood. And is she going to be singing this type of music in the future? I would have liked to have seen something more diverse from her in this round, since the two songs were somewhat similar, and again, I think she could have benefited from holding her notes longer in the song. She sang it well, but I found her version to be inferior to the ones we've heard on American Idol from Jessica Sierra and Diana DeGarmo.
Score: 8.0

Destiny: I agree with both of you. Why choose this song, especially considering the other two that were prescribed for her. She needed something more upbeat and funky. What happened to fun, sassy Melissa? That being said, she did a good job singing the song, but not great. I, too, thought she lacked the glory notes needed.
Score: 8.5

Rex Goudie "Bulletproof"
Tammy: Another 'meh' from me. I just don't think Rex knows how to adequately interpret a song, or even sing it. Every song from him sounds the same. Painful. Thankfully we'll all be put out of our misery soon as the show concludes.
Score: 6.0

Liza: No, he doesn't have the best voice in the competition, but tonight he's doing what works best for him, and he picked a good song for his abilities. If he doesn't win Idol, perhaps he could start a Blue Rodeo cover band, because he's really good at singing their songs. He's really stepped it up tonight.
Score: 8.0

Destiny: Ah, vintage CI song choice. Rex really worked his swoony factor during this performance- it's obvious that he is totally trying to win as many votes as possible. The fact that he actually has it in him to play it up that way makes me respect him more than I have in recent weeks. I love that he showed that he is totally in it to win it, stepping up his game trying to get the votes.
Score: 9.2

Melissa O'Neil "Alive"
Tammy: Melissa was channeling some Hillary Duff, right there. I can actually imagine myself hearing that song on the radio. It's one of those songs that you don't really love, but you wouldn't change the station if it came on, either. Melissa was showing the most energy I've seen from her. She was in the zone.
Score:8.9

Liza: I got the same Duff-ster vibes from this too. But for me, that ain't a good thing. Hillary Duff represents all (well, almost all) that is bad on radio today - light, airy, pop princess crap with zero substance. Melissa is so much better than that! The girl can emote! But when she sings this song, it turns Rex's Ryan Malcolm/Billy Klippert-esque rock tune into a Casey LeBlanc-esque fluffy pop tune, and I don't like the song as much. I like the girl's stage presence, but I wish she had channeled her inner Ann Wilson/Bonnie Tyler like she did in the earlier rounds.
Score: 7.0

Destiny: Melissa is totally adorable. She sounded really good on the song. However, she didn't go all the way, vocally or performance-wise. I want her to win and make Zack's prediction right, but I don't know if she did enough to win. She didn't have enough fun onstage this week. She's lost a lot of her joy that made her a standout earlier in the competition.
Score: 9.3

Rex Goudie "Superman"
Tammy: I do not understand the tonguebath the judges gave Rex after this performance. While it wasn't terrible, it really wasn't that hot, either. Rex looked uncomfortable, like he couldn't wait to dart backstage. He didn't deliver the song with the emotion necessary to really convey the lyrics. Nice jacket, though.
Score:7.0

Liza: I'm not sure that it was a tonguebath but more of a let's-not-end-the-show-on-a-bad-note-bath. I think the judges did him no favors with this choice, but at the same time, Rex did himself no favors either. He hit a few dud notes, and he never looked comfortable or took command of the song. The arrangement was awful - it was WAY too fast. It's too bad he had to end on this song because he had a great night otherwise. I am glad that the judges were kind.
Score: 6.0

Destiny: I totally disagree. I think the judges did him a huge favor by choosing this song. In fact, I think they just handed him (maybe unknowingly) the title just with the song selection alone. On top of that, Rex totally played up to the cameras and gave a good performance. Good for him.
Score: 9.0

Who Should Win:
Tammy: Eh. Melissa, I guess.
Liza: Melissa, but I would much rather hear Rex's "Alive" than hers
Destiny: Melissa
Who Will Win:
Tammy: Melissa
Liza: Rex
Destiny: Rex

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