Come on admit it. You know you watch it. Read this blog to feel better about yourself knowing that there's someone else out there inexplicably more obsessed than you are!
Maybe I blew the prediction on purpose! I'm sorry but getting 100% 2 weeks in a row is just too much pressure! I should've known once I took Kris out of even my bonus picks that it would come back to haunt me. Oh well in the great words of Jim Steinman sung by the plethora of protein himself, Meatloaf: 2 out of 3 ain't bad! Ladies and Gentlemen...meet the next 3 of your Top 12!
Top 12 Finalists from group 2: Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert
My Picks: Allison, Adam, Matt Giraud
Dialidol.com Picks: Allison, Adam, Matt Giraud
I think it's safe to say Matt will be back on Wildcard night. We're still not even sure what that means. Simon gave a little blurb about it that they will bring back people who they feel deserve a second shot (and a couple from tonight). But what gives? Do they sing again and get judged on the spot? Or do they call them back on Thursday and then just send some packing? I would think some kind of performance would need to be in store. And since America isn't voting, they can just make a decision. You guys ready for 3 nights of Idol next week? Ugh, I'm not. But it's okay, we're into Top 12 territory after that, and finally we can get down to REAL blogging!
Anyway, not much to say about our Top 12 finalists from tonight's results show. We figured Allison and Adam were in after their performances. It was kind of predictable to pit Adam against Norman/Nick for the final seat. It was Danny vs. Tatiana all over again. Let me guess, Lil Rounds (ugh, don't get me started on her) vs. Nathaniel Marshall next week? I seriously don't know which one of those 2 would be worse in the top 12, but I just assumed Lil will be there.
So all there is to talk about is our very own little Man in the Mirror. The man with a whisper of a voice. But somehow he was able to turn on the ladies with his dimples and his boyish charm of a voice. Really ladies, there is nothing special about Kris Allen! Okay, let me rephrase. Based on his performance of "Man in the Mirror" there is nothing special about him! Kara has gone on about the range he has. Well, if he has range, why does he suffer on the low notes and not even go for the high notes on Michael Jackson's broad melodic tune? He'll be this year's Chris Richardson (did we even have a Chris Richardson in season 7? I dunno). He'll get by on his boyish good looks and decent voice for a few rounds, but then that'll be it. I'd like to say he'll be the first to leave. But let's see the full line-up first! The guy just can't compete with the power vocal chords and personalities that are in this top 12 already. Danny and Adam will drown him out. I guess there's always Michael Sarver that might not be able to go the distance in the top 12 too. I'd say he and Kris are on equal playing field right now.
But, I'm off my soapbox. It's not like anyone else really deserved the spot tonight anyway. We'll see what happens on Wildcard night!
Other lowlights from the excruciatingly 1 hour long results show:
First off, while we're on the subject, we were promised half hour results shows this season by the way. I'm keeping count. yep -> big goose egg. Everyone keep track at home!
The group performance? Oh my, and I thought them singing an Adult Contemporary song like "I'm Yours" was bad. They took on Ne-Yo's "Closer"? Really??? Yikes. The funniest part was watching Nick Mitchell and Matt Breitzke pretend to know the words when they had no clue. Ahhh good times. (Okay, so I hate these performances, that doesn't mean I can't laugh!!!)
Brooke White and her co-written song "Hold Up My Heart" Hey, I like Brooke White and everything. But, um there really wasn't much to that song was there? I was half hoping she'd start to perform it, crack her voice then ask permission to start over!
Oh, and you make us sit through an hour of TV to find out 3 people get in, and you have the audacity to make us watch a sentimental retrospective clip show from the season premiere to fill some of the LIVE time??????? That was an all new low! I mean, give me a Coke or Ford Commercial instead!
Speaking of commercials, Ryan Seacrest and the Idol producers are now working to solve the DVR/TIVO commercial fast-forward dilemma. The Resolution? Put auditions of contestants we'll never ever care about in the middle of commercial breaks! BRILLIANT! (okay, I'll admit it. I stopped to watch, but I didn't see any commercials in the process!)
Whew....aaaaaaand I'm spent!
Group 3 is next Tuesday and Wednesday. The performers? Oh well, you know...
Lil Rounds (ugh)
Kristin McNamara (eh)
Nathaniel Marshall (gag)
Scott MacIntyre (cool)
Von Smith (barf)
Taylor Vaifanua (too many 16 year olds)
Kendall Beard (no good expression comes to mind but awesome last name for a girl)
Ju'Not Joyner (the parenthesis bit is getting old,but this guy may be decent too)
Jorge Nunez - (better than Anthony 'Sergei' Federov's version of "Angel") Any opportunity to make fun of Sergei again is still a good time for me!
Felicia Barton - (fill-in for Joanna Pacitti)
Arianna Afsar - (still can't remember her!)
Alex Wagner-Trugman - (Geek Patrol!!!)
That's all I have for you guys tonight. You can continue to check out any potential discussions going on here as well as on Gather.com. Hope my ramblings were enjoyable as always! See you next week!
Hello everyone and welcome back to Idol, a day late mind you! I've already expressed my sentiments about the pre-empting by the Non-State of the Union Address, so I will say no more on it (except one thing did anyone notice the DOW STILL dropped today?! Stop talking man! Just fix it!) Anyway, so between this and the LOST Blog, I'm double booked tonight. But I will try my best to give both blogs a strong effort! Even if I have to stay up until dawn doing it!
Not sure why I'm wasting my time with the Idol one though. This whole reverting back to season 1 to 3 Semi-Final Format is really taking it's toll on the show. I don't understand why they tried to fix a format that wasn't broken. Sure, they say they had more talent to show America and to have them vote for, but I'm really not seeing it! Out of the past 2 weeks we've seen a couple decent singers and then marginal talent. And the big issue? No one is getting a second chance to sing. So people like Matt Giraud may get hurt, when they would have a pretty good shot of getting through in last year's format. (if they messed up the first week, they'd get the advice, and then do better the next week) Sure, the judges are going to put 3 through next Thursday. But I find that kinda cheap too. I mean, they did that in season 2. And look where Carmen Rasmusen is now!
Anyway, I'm sure all will be forgotten in 2 weeks when we have a top 12 of decent singers and the REAL competition starts. In the meantime, I am still here for your entertainment!
Tonight, we were "treated" to more tunes from Billboard's Hot 100 over the years. But the big buzz on the street...the judges switched their seating arrangements. And not only that, but they changed critiquing orders with each song. Ugh, 4 judges is starting to get old! No fear, my local news is chiming in on the rumors that Paula may be out after this year. But....who on earth would I make fun of next year then?! Riiight, there's still Randy!
Okay okay, I'm boring you guys, let's get onto the performances. My picks for Results show, as always, are below.
Jasmine Murray - 17 from Columbus, Mississippi- As most people know from my hundreds of previous Idol blogs, I am not a big supporter of the 16/17 year olds contestants. (Exception being Jordin Sparks in season 6 because she was the only one I could seriously see winning!) Jasmine was starting to grow on me over the early rounds this year. And just when I decided to pick her for the top 12, she decides to mail in her performance of "Love Song." Combine that with going 1st? Not looking good Jasmine! I'd say that maybe she'd get called back for the wildcard night. The judges are big fans, and I'm sure she already has a lot of fans out there. But it's gonna be a packed house with other Judges' favorites from previous rounds. This was kinda disappointing and again a reason why I'm not a fan of this semi-finals format. Oh well, we'll see.
Matt Giraud - 23 dueling pianist from Kalamazoo, Michigan - When I saw this guy in Hollywood week behind the keyboard and jamming to "Georgia" I thought this guy was a shoo-in for the Top 12. Now, I'm conflicted. Alright, I get it. Chris Martin from Coldplay is a piano guy too. Hey I'm a piano guy. But that doesn't mean I'm going to jump around and start singing a crazy song like "Viva La Vida" and expect to be taken seriously! Especially, if I'm a bluesy dueling pianist like Matt Giraud. I think he still has a chance for getting some sympathy from America, but I'm not so sure they'll be voting based on tonight's performance! He sang in tune and everything. I thought maybe a little too much vibrato and looked really ridiculous in the whole process! But, I'm still a fan and hope American or the judges bail him out in this crazy season! He needs to get to the Instrument round! Which reminds me, why on earth can they not use instruments in the Semi-Finals? I thought they did last year. The conspiracy continues to if the Band is hidden in this year's semi-finals or if they're cutting costs and using pre-recorded tracks. Could the recession be impacting Idol too?!
Jeanine Vailes - 28, Bartender from Washington D.C. - Well, I guess I could just join the judges and talk about Jeanine's legs. I mean, what on earth was this?! She admitted herself that she was trying to overcompensate for lack of publicity. Well, over-singing isn't the way to do it. It just makes you look ridiculous. Her version of Maroon 5's "This Love" was all over the place. And her endless begging of the American Public to vote for her just worsened her chances of getting voted in. And poor Paula. How could they make her do the first critique on this one? That was priceless, but painful at the same time! "Great Legs, it's American Idol season 8! Simon?" classic.
Nick Mitchell - AKA Norman Gentle, 27 - Okay okay. I've enjoyed the comedy of Norman Gentle. And I think the producers forced the judges to bring this guy to a Live show. Well, we've done it! Time to move on! The crowd really did dig the performance though, unless it was just applause for the ridiculousness of it. I barely take this show seriously as it is, but I really don't think I'd be able to if Nick makes it any further! However, I'm sure http://www.votefortheworst.com/ is on alert!
Allison Iraheta - 16 from Los Angeles- When this girl started her interview segment with Ryan, I just wanted to blow her off. 16 year old, crazy red hair, don't know her too well at this point. Oh, and she's singing Heart's "ALONE." No one has really done the song justice since season 4. And why would you dare want to take on Idol's most successful Idol? Case-in-point:
I had already written the girl off. But Allison really brought her game! This girl can SANG! Totally caught me off-guard. Don't get me wrong, no one is gonna top Carrie on the song, but Allison was great at it for different reasons. She brought more of a rock/raspy feel to it. And she immediately made herself a contender this year. I still fear song choice issues with 16 year-olds. But some kids just beat the odds. Let's see how she does down the stretch. But I think she's definitely making it through.
Kris Allen - 23 from Conway, Arkansas - Well, what can I say? Kris wasn't BAD, per say, with his rendition of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (apparently written by Glenn Ballard and some other songwriter I don't know!). He did a suitable job on the song. But come on, it's not Michael! This guy, that had barely any screen-time up to now, needed to be great. I thought he was good. Now, based on everyone else that performed tonight, well, maybe it was just enough to squeak by. But if I have to put him vs. Matt Giraud for the next highest vote of the night? I gotta go with Matt. But there's another one in the marginal list that could compete for that 3rd spot. (yes, I already have picked my top guy for the night. I mean seriously, is there any doubt who it is?)
Megan Joy Corkery - 23 from Utah - Megan has got some kind of appeal to her. The judges tried to call her a "package artist." They did everything but say "hey, you're a pretty girl, but your voice? It ain't quite there." And that's how you sum it up. Personally, the tattoos were a little too Carly Smithson for my taste! She had some kind of nervous tick when she sang too. Her whole body was shaking like the little girl in The Exorcist or something! I mean, she didn't sing TOO bad. Her voice is very unique (well, in that it sounds like Duffy or Amy Winehouse), but she may just not appeal to the vast population of the United States (tried to think of a different way to say American Public! How'd I do?) I agree with Paula though, she definitely picked the right song for her voice and persona ("Girl, Put Your Records On") I guess she can be content with that.
Matt Breitzke - 28 from Bixby, Okhlahoma - Oh poor Matty. I do love Tonic's "If You Could Only See" but Matt kinda just went through the motions on this one. I guess having both of our Blue Collar guys make it to the top 12 was asking too much. We got Michael Sarver, and I guess that's enough. Matty was a good time though. You gotta love the big bald guys singing some tunes on the stage! You never know. There are a lot of people out there that probably like Matt and will vote for him. But, I think there was enough decent talent out there that did better. This is likely the end of the road for Mr. Breitzke.
Jesse Langseth - 26 from Minneapolis Minnesota - This was the girl that barely made the top 36 and Simon would've said no to her after her sing-off. She sang "Betty Davis Eyes" and I thought she actually did a decent job on it. The judges weren't so thrilled about it, well except Paula (that makes me feel good about my opinion!). My gut reaction was that Jesse really sang the tune well. But the judges I guess were saying that she was "too cool for her own good." Well I like to think America is kinda cool too. Maybe a lot of people dug it! But, she's another one that didn't get a lot of publicity. So, no judges backing, and only me and Paula supporting her? Not looking good!
Kai Kalama - 27 from California - This guy....I don't know what it is, but when he started singing "What becomes of a Broken Heart," I almost fell off of the couch in laughter. He's a likable guy, yes. He's a decent singer, but the way he sang the song so seriously thinking that it was his ticket to the top 12. Oh man, I just couldn't stop laughing! As Simon said, I guess it was just a little bit too corny for my taste. And maybe for most of America's taste. It's not looking good for ol' Kai.
Mishavonna Henson - 18 from Irvine, California - Well, you know, it's about time that we start getting nicknames for people. And I hope Mishavonna gets in because, I have already given her a nickname that is SURE to stick! It all started with a typo in the Hollywood Blog. Ladies and gentlemen and fellow Idol Addicts...meet MY SHARONA HENSON!!! Whew, was it worth the wait? I wasn't thrilled with the song choice of Train's "Drops of Jupiter" a contender for most overplayed song in Top 40 Radio history. (I love how My Sharona talked about how she picked the song to be different! Yes, way to pick the most popular song ever! Ugh...teenagers!) And while the arrangement of the song was kinda goofy, I still found that My Sharona sang it pretty well! If anything, I could tell she had a good voice. The judges weren't very thrilled about the performance. I think they were more concerned that Paula sneezed on live TV! (I mean, how does that not happen more on live TV?!) Oh well, it's anyone's guess who the 3rd person to make it through will be, and by the end of this blog I need to make one!
Adam Lambert - 27 from Hollywood, California - Once again, placement of the contestants seems intentionally weighted in American Idol's Favor. We ended last week with fan favorite Danny Gokey on an inspirational note with the judges salivating over him. They salivated to the point that I'm not sure if I can even root for him anymore. I really wanted to support him too! Oh well, like I said, once the top 12 starts it's a whole new ball game! Anyway, Adam (aka Mr. Theatrical) pulled out a rendition of the Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction." One indication that we're supposed to like it? Paula was dancing! Call it what you want, love him or hate him, man that boy has some range! This top 12 wouldn't be complete without him. He can sing. He is still very theatrical, but hey, Freddie Mercury was theatrical and one of the greatest live performers in ROCK history. Am I suggesting that Adam can pull of the same kind of career? Surely, not at this point. But, what I am saying is, there is a place for him in this competition and anyone that thinks he will not be getting the popular male vote (some could suggest he might get the top female vote but let's not go there) is off their rocker!
Whew, man, is anyone still reading? Okay, so we know who the top spots are going to. So, the suspense is in my #3 pick. Last week I went 3 for 3 for the first time I think EVER (the Sarver pick being where I impressed myself!). Can I do it again? Doubtful, but here goes nothing!
Top Male Pick: Adam Lambert Top Female Pick: Allison Iraheta Next Top Vote Getter: Matt Giraud
Bonus Picks (just in case): Jesse Langseth, My Sharona Henson (but just because of the name!)
I changed my mind on Kris Allen. I gotta stick with my gut. He wasn't "stand-out" enough for his first major appearance to America. So last week, a 2nd guy got in, so does a 2nd girl get in this week by default? Eh, I dunno. It's really up in the air! My vote for Matt is based on what I HOPE happens. If it doesn't, I have faith the judges will bring him back.
Well, that's it folks. Hope you've enjoyed my ramblings as always! And I will be here tomorrow with the my reflection on the results!
One more sidenote of business. I am going to be publishing my blog on Gather.com from now on too. Feel free to check it out and join in any discussions that may arise there! If you don't check it out, then I'll still be here too! See you tomorrow!
Anyone that has read this blog regularly enough knows that I've struggled over the years to make a prediction that was 100% accurate. So, it comes to my surprise in a year where they've twisted up the semi-finals, that I am able to get the 1st live week of Season 8 absolutely correct! I better be careful, people are going to start thinking I know what I'm talking about! Anyway, here are the first 3 of our top 12:
Danny Gokey, Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace My Picks: Danny Gokey, Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace Dialidol.com Picks: Danny Gokey, Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace
FYI, if you believe in the accuracy of Dial Idol, then everyone should point out that Danny Gokey's score was ridiculously higher than everyone else's. (23.74 vs the next highest being Michael Sarver's 4.36. The girls were all in the 3's.) That's what great publicity can do for you folks! I'm now conflicted on whether I keep rooting for a guy that is so clearly being hyped up by the Idol machine or look for someone else to root for. The problem is, I still like the guy. Ugh, that's an internal battle for another day. Today, we celebrate my 100%! Before I pat myself on the back TOO hard, I will say that Danny and Alexis were obvious. I prided myself on the Michael Sarver pick. Between him, Anoop and Tatiana, it was a tough call. But how priceless was it to see Del Toro crying at the end? I know, mean of me, but come on! She is a nutcase! I have no doubt that she will return Wildcard night to cause us more trouble!
Anyway, here are some other highlights from the results show:
"I'm Yours" performed by Group 1. Seriously? We're starting the group performances THIS early? Now I'm a big fan of the Jason Mraz tune, but why do they have to go and cheese it up? You could tell they put a lot of work into that choreography and the harmonizing and memorizing their parts of the song and all of that jazz. You would think if they dedicated a little less time to that, there would have been more time dedicated to their song choices and performances!
Michael Johns and Carly Smithson were there to sing their new duet of "The Letter." Man was that a lot of cheese! But how about Carly wearing a jacket and covering up the tattoos? Hmmmmm perhaps someone told her it was unattractive??? Maybe she found a website that talked about it.
We got a sneak peak into the American Idol Experience Premiere in Disney World. I had heard about this from a David Cook interview on one of those morning talk shows. So you can bet I had already found all of the performances and all 7 Idol winners together on youtube! (just search American idol experience premiere you'll find it too!) So it was cool to see Carrie and Cookie jamming out on a tune. But if I hear Carrie sing "Go Your Own Way" one more time, I'm going to lose it!
And that's about all I got. So, we were reminded again that Idol is WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY next week. You can once again thank the new President and his love for the camera. Seriously? A State of the Union-type address after 1 month in office? Oh well, I don't write blogs about politics. And everyone should be thankful. It's not my forte! But I know a headcase when I see one! Why do you think I write all of THESE blogs!? I love the attention! I'll remind you one more time....next week's blogs will be a whole lot shorter. At least this is happening only during the semi-finals!
If you want to see who is in next week's group check out this site. It should be updated eventually to show the group 2 people. (interesting how they didn't reveal who the 2nd group was until tonight isn't it? Almost like they needed to know who made it in in group 1! Too much control in the producers' hands this year! Ugh drives me crazy!) Well, I'll save more conspiracy theories for next week. For now, I'm glad I could help everyone out and pick the right people this week. We'll see if I can keep it up next week! See you then.
Welcome everyone to LIVE Idol! Whew, I'm excited to be back in my element. We start narrowing down the list of people, giving me a chance to grown bonds with our finalists, and find all sorts of ways to make fun of them! And of course, inch closer and closer to my prediction of an Idol winner. Although, the happy news of LIVE Idol comes with some disappointing news as well. For some odd reason, Idol performances will be next WEDNESDAY instead of Tuesday with a results show on Thursday. You have GOT to be kidding me! I can only assume this has something to do with our new president looking for more reasons to put his mug on camera yet again and ruin February sweeps! I went on a rant here about my thoughts on this, but deleted it figuring I'd lose at least 45% of my readership (get it???). My bigger beef with this move to Wednesday is that it will cause me to not give my all to the Idol blog next week. It's just too much to balance a performance blog and the LOST blog in one night! (especially a 2 hour episode of Idol! I have to sleep at some point!) Just so you know...you've been warned!
Anyway, that's next week. Let's talk about what happened tonight! Well it was the first night of 4 judges live. It started off a little rough with Kara just repeating everything Randy said, but she grew a set of her own by the end (kinda). For the most part, instead of Tweedle Dee (Randy) and Tweedle Dumber (Paula) fighting the battle against Simon...we add Kara and her insight to the mix. In the end though, it all seemed to make Simon sound even smarter! Almost like a "THANK YOU someone is finally saying what I'm thinking!"
With that said here was the advice our judges gave to the contestants:
Randy: yo dude...be in it to win it! Kara: I'm nervous!!! But don't let the nerves get to YOU! Paula: Blueberries!!! (never gets old!) Simon: No 2nd chances this year. 3 people going through. Odds are stacked against you! Love the new hair Ryan, you're stalking me.
So we finally got the rules for how these wacky semi-finals are going to work. Highest Girl vote gets a top 12 berth, highest Guy vote the same. Then the next highest vote getter gets in. Huh??? So if 3 guys do great, a girl still gets in? Sounds like we will have a lopsided top 12, but not TOO lopsided. I don't know about you guys, but I'm sensing something very fishy with the way this season is going. And I'm not liking it one bit. The producers seem to have way too much say in who is getting into that top 12. They've arranged the the 3 groups of 12, arranged the order in which everyone sang, and are allowing the "JUDGES" to pick 3 contestants. Hmmm very fishy indeed. All of this is making me not very excited about blogging this season. But since I'm committed, I'll continue. Next year depends on how the rest of the season goes!
Oh and I was told I had to give a shout out to the FLASHY NEW IDOL MICROPHONE! Oooohhhhh Silverrrrrrr. Consider it SHOUTED!
Here is my critique of the 12 performances. Predictions to follow.
Jackie Tohn - 28 from New York - I had high hopes for Jackie coming into this week. She was my REVISED 12th pick for the top 12 after Joanna Pacitti was given the boot (she was deemed ineligible...duh I could have told you that!). I'm not going to say Jackie's rendition of Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation" wasn't entertaining. It sure was. But I think the big red belt and High Top sneakers were MORE entertaining. The girl has pep and is a ball of energy. But we got the impression she was going to be a rocker chick. This rendition of the Elvis tune just seemed a little corny. She was giving some flirty looks to the camera and she let out a scream at one point. She might be a wildcard pick. But I think there's going to be someone else that misses the top 3 tonight that they'll want to give another shot. Too many Judges/Producer favorites in this bunch for poor Jackie to make it. Such a shame. But you never know!
Ricky Brady - 26 from North Carolina - Could this be the most boring guy we've never met? Sure his voice was practically flawless. But he had no charisma and he told us a boring story about serving chicken fingers. This is not the way to make a first impression after practically no airtime prior to tonight. Then he went and sang a song that Elliott Yamin made his own in season 5? "A Song For You" The kicker for me was that I liked the guy, right up until he sang "THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU" for his final note. Really?????? That was just obnoxious. Maybe I forget that this is a lyric to the song, but I think that was Ricky just trying to be spontaneous. And sorry Ricky, it fell very flat.
Alexis Grace - 21 from Memphis, TN - Based on the competition, she's going to get through tonight. And I did pick her for the top 12! Why? Because she put pink in her hair, and I'm convinced we need someone with pink hair in the top 12 since we've been lacking it since season 3! I thought she sang Aretha's "Never Loved a Man" really well. Great soul, great voice, bluesy. You name it. But she STILL has a hard time pulling off a star image. And I'm sorry Simon, you jumped the gun comparing her to Kelly Clarkson at this stage in the game. That girl was in a league of her own in season 1. And she still blows away this bunch. And before this blog is over, there will be a You Tube clip of her proving this fact! (As it was also pointed out to me, Simon also said Kellie Pickler reminded him of Carrie Underwood. Okay...both are successful in country music. But come on! Carrie is in a different stratosphere!). I'm reserving my judgement until I see Alexis hold her own with the rest of the top 12.
Brent Keith - 29 Blanchester, OH works at a Home Improvement Warehouse -Our resident country boy sang "Hicktown." This was a karaoke performance with a capital CRAP! Had to love that body wiggle he had going on. Bounce up....bounce down...wiggle a bit, back to bouncing. Yikes. Train wreck! He's relying on country music fans to keep him alive. Can I get a show of hands from our Country fans out there who voted for him? (.....crickets.....)
Stevie Wright - 17 from Phelan, CA - She wanted to be on show since show began when she was 9. Ouch, that made me feel too old to be watching this show, let alone blogging about it! Here's a funny idea, let's enter a singing competition and perform a lesser known song by a very popular country artist who is known much more for her songwriting than her awful singing abilities. That's right, Stevie possibly sounded worse than Taylor Swift could ever sound on "You Belong With Me." Brilliant Idea Stevie! Are you sure you're not STILL 9? I felt like i needed a hairbrush and a mirror and....well...hair of course! (I'm just about out of that!) This was ABSOLUTELY AWFUL! And I didn't think it could get much worse. (stay tuned)
Anoop Desai - 22 from Chapel Hill, NC - What is up with all of the dudes singing girl songs this year? Anoop picks a very bizarre choice in Monica's "Angel of Mine," a late 90's pseudo hit. Does anyone ever remember Monica? For some odd reason, I do. This was the most bland performance ever. Granted, everyone loves Anoop. He got a lot of publicity and is a producer favorite. Were you not sure? All 4 judges were HOPING fans would be merciful and vote for him. This show is disgusting me big time. I don't know though. It's going to be tough. I believe he'll be vying for that "next highest vote count." We'll see. And can I get another show of hands who will be following the judges' lead in continuing to call him Anoop Dawg? (.......................more crickets......................)
Oh and how about Anoop giving mad props to the band? Did anyone see the band out there? Were they hidden somewhere or did they just help with pre-recorded arrangements? Eh, whatever. I'm sure for the top 12 the stage will be even more ridiculous than last year and the band members will be sitting IN FRONT of the contestants this time around. Ryan will be lowered down from the ceiling on some crazy futuristic platform and fly around the studio pointing out all of the new 1080P 1000 inch HDTV Screens all over the room that no one at home will ever see! (ahhh is anyone getting excited? whew...I'm getting sidetracked!)
Casey Carlson - 20 Minneapolis, MN Bubble Tea Maker - Yep, worse than Stevie Wright. Lots of people had hoped Casey Carlson was going to be more than a pretty face. Sorry Shania Twain, that's all SHE is! (please tell me someone out there got that!) She tried to pull of The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" And she failed with a 60's hairdo, awkward facial expression, 60's dance moves and a very weird smile between lyrics. The singing was bland. I don't have as strong a stance as the judges on Police Tunes. Sure they're a great band and Sting is a famous musician. But come on....the dude isn't GOD as much as he thinks he might be. Casey definitely will not be gracing our top 12 this year. Just awful. Flat out awful!!
Michael Sarver -27 from Jasper, Texas Oil Guy! - Well, Mikey's another producer favorite. But I can't lie. The dude IS a likable guy. He's not going to be winning any Idol crowns or anything. But I think people want to see more of him. I think if anything, Anoop doing not so good only helped his changes of getting in. His rendition of Gavin Degraw's "I Don't Wanna Be" was decent. He was kinda off pitch, as Randy said. The judges expected him to be a little more soulful. This is a tough call. Someone has to get in from tonight, so maybe Michael makes the cut? We'll see.
Ann Marie Boskovich - 22 from Nashville, TN - I had her picked as a top 12'er based on blog commenters and outside opinions. I should've stuck with my gut on this one. I'm sorry, anyone that watches Idol should know that NO ONE should EVER try to perform "Natural Woman" again on the show. I can never fairly critique anyone that attempts it. That being said, she did not do herself any service by trying to take it on. Why do I react so strongly? See Exibit K.C.:
Stephen Fowler - 26 from Cleveland, OH - Musician. He promised not to forget the words. And he sure didn't. I really expected to be blown away by Stephen. Not sure why. But when he went ahead and did Michael's "Rock With You" I knew we were NOT in for a treat. Hasn't anyone learned that singing Michael on the show just does NOT work? He wasn't comfortable singing without his piano. So his plan was to rock it out with disco Mike? Sorry, I'm not comfortable writing any more about this!
Tatiana Del Toro - 24 from San Juan, Puerto Rico- Okay, what on earth happened tonight? I am scared out of my mind that Tatiana may actually EARN a spot in the top 12 and not just get there because of Vote for the Worst (naturally, they will help her get in). She went from crazy to serious and back to crazy in a matter of minutes. I couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing. And I'm sure that's what the producers are going for. Starting with the moment she picked yet ANOTHER Whitney Houston song "Saving All My Love for You." Here's the thing, if you get past the craziness, she really isn't a bad singer. The whole thing is just bizarre. The judges are encouraging the crazy to come back out. Ryan is enticing the viewers to vote for her to continue her crazy story. And then Tatiana lets out a little speech at the end " Vote for me America. This is my dream and it's up to you to keep it alive." This girl just has some serious issues in the head. Leave it to Idol to endorse it! There is one spot still up for grabs Wednesday night. And I hate to say it, but she and Michael Sarver might be duking it out.
Danny Gokey - 28 from Milwaukee, WI - If there was any foregone conclusion for the night, it would be Danny Gokey getting into the top 12. They put the guy last, he's the Season 8 poster boy. And I know, I've had his back since day 1 too. But I have to side with Simon on this one. His rendition of Mariah's "Hero" (another female song, but David Cook pulled off Mariah, although he totally changed it up though!) was very good. But Randy, Paula and Kara's reaction to the performance just made me even more disgusted with how season 8 is transpiring. Clearly, they want this guy around for awhile, if not to win it all. And they just totally showed favoritism towards this guy. Paula even said "I have 2 words with hyphens. Sold-Out Arenas" (ummmm Paula???) Wasn't Paula the one who criticized Simon for declaring Carrie the winner and the one who will go on to become the biggest selling Idol winner ever very early in the top 12? Not only was Simon right about Carrie, but Paula...SEMI-FINALS really? The whole thing just smelled fixed. I'll go on rooting for Danny because he is a good singer. But come on Idol! Tone it down a bit!
Whew. I'm exhausted. And I still have to do my picks! Here goes:
Top Male - Danny Gokey Top Female - Alexis Grace Next Top Vote - Michael Sarver Bonus Pick - Tatiana Del Toro
Probably will Wildcard in 2 weeks - Anoop Desai
I just couldn't do it! I cannot in good conscience put Tatiana in the top 12! And I half expect her to end up there. I have hope in America that they will know she's a nutcase. But I know that there are a lot of people out there that despise Idol and want to encourage Tatiana's appearance on the show for the love of train wrecks. And you know what? I can't say I blame them. Especially this year when the show has shown their hand way too obviously! But those are my picks. I like Michael Sarver and I hope he can continue on.
Well that's it kids. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and hope you will forgive me next week when I ramble just a tad less!
Please share your thoughts on what you thought of tonight! I'll be here briefly Wednesday night for my take on the results. See you then!
Hello friends! Well, we finally have our top 36! New twists this year. No elevator of doom. We have singoffs and the judges' mansion. It was as boring as it usually is though! At least we go live next week and I can write better blogs finally!
Notes below were taken in real-time while watching, with a few last minute changes (it's a busy blog night!!) After we found out who was in week 1, I had to change some picks, so it will be a miracle if I get this all right!
Here are the Top 36 (My Top 12 picks highlighted in Blue)
Anoop Desai -He still Rocks! (week 1)
Von Smith - The screamer. Yikes. Went against his parents' advice and picked his own song and made it in. Still not a fan. Will America be?
Alex Wagner Trugman - Singoff with Cody Sheldon - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down" He sang better than Cody, but still a weird dude!
Adam Lambert - Simon: "It's not good news........pause......It's great news." ugh...how corny and predictable was that? I'm a fan of Adam's, but we'll see if he wears on people with that high voice!
Taylor Vaifanua - 17 - Don't remember much about her except that she was in Danny Gokey's
Jasmine Murray - 16 - I'm sure she'll make it
Arianna Afsar
Casey Carlson -Only really heard her in the audition. I was going to take a random guess and pick her to make the top 12, but once I saw her competition in week 1, it's not looking good. Even for a wildcard! (week 1)
Megan Corkrey - I'm picking her instead of Casey.
Mishavonna Henson
Stevie Wright - (week 1)
Joanna Pacitti - Record Label girl, forgot all words in Hollywood. The FIX is in folks! Just seems like the producers want to cause controversy! I don't know if America is going to support her though! If they don't, the judges can always put her in with a wildcard. NOTE: After posting this blog, we have found out that Joanna Pacitti was disqualified and determined ineligible! Looks like my comments above weren't far off!
She is being replaced withFelicia Barton who I can't say I remember! Therefore I will pick a new top 12er in Joanna's place and mark it inBold Green!
Kendall Beard - Good Audition, bad Hollwood round. Can she rebound?
Kristin McNamara - Singoff with Jenn Korbee - "I Will Always Love You" Love Kara's comment "What is she wearing?!" Simon disagrees with the putting her through. I don't think either were that good. So we'll see how far she gets.
Alexis Grace- A little pink hair, so we have to put her in the top 12!(week 1)
Scott Macintyre - American will probably resonate with his story. He's a likable guy. And he's not too bad of a singer/piano player.
Lil Rounds - Since my track record of getting the top 12 predictions correct is pretty bad, I'll put her through!
Jesse Langseth - Singoff with Frankie Jordan - Sang a weird song. I was shocked. We didn't see much or at all of Jesse so I figured they'd go with Frankie. Guess we'll see her at least once more!
Allison Iraheta - sang "Because of You" and that sounded pretty awful. And she's 16. That's a bad combination in my book! They say she has raw, natural talent. I'll need to see more before really judging.
Danny Gokey - Still a fan! His buddy Jamar didn't make it. That last Hollywood performance did him in I think. (week 1)
Ricky Braddy - Who? (week 1)
Matt Giraud - Still a fan of this guy too!
Ju'Not Joyner
Jorge Nunez
Brent Keith - (week 1)
Stephen Fowler - They let him in even though he walked off the stage when he forgot the words. He must be pretty good! (week 1)
Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle) - WHAAAAAAT??????? Oh my. Look out for votefortheworst.com That's all I have to say!
Jackie Tohn - She's kinda nuts. And I was scared of Amanda Overmeyer part II. But her toned down performance of "I Hope You Dance" with guitar wasn't too bad! (week 1) She's a late top 12 pick for me now that Joanna is out. And she's a week 1, so she'll probably have to be brought back for wildcard day. And if that's the case, only her or Michael Sarver would probably make it with my current guesses. Good thing Sarver is a Bonus pick!
Tatiana Del Toro - Oh dear...this has to be a joke! One of these bozos (Norman) just might make that top 12! I'm going to hold onto hope that America will do the right thing though! She'll have some stiff competition to get through in week 1 though. (week 1)
Nathaniel Marshall - Singoff with Jackie Midkiff - we finally got his story. His mother is in Jail. Sings "Already There" Best I heard him sing, but he still is really annoying!
Jeanine Vailes - We've never seen her I don' t think.
Kai Kalama
Ann Marie Boscovich - I was told that she's pretty good by a few people. I guess I just missed it! I'll take the people's vote on this one! (week 1)
Kris Allen
Matt Breitzke - singoff with Michael Sarver - Well if you're taking notes during the show you know both are going to make it in! I like them both, but I think only one has a chance for the top 12.
Michael Sarver - singoff with Matt Breitzke - He has a tiny bit of an edge on Matty. After I found out he's in week 1 with the rest of the crew, I'm downgrading him to an Orange Guess (my bonus pick for the top 12) (week 1)
Whew, what a mess. There are always surprises in these crazy semi-finals. Relatively unknowns will step up and some early favorites will fade away. But this week 1 is packed with talent, and I have more than 3 picks for the top 12 already! I'll need the help from the Judges in wildcard week to get it right. Then again, I reserve the right to change my mind on my picks over the next 3 weeks too! Well, I'm just rambling now. Bottom line, all of this means nothing as we head into LIVE TV next week. And the big question will be, as it the show will air live on February 17th, what local stations will stop broadcasting their analog signals (oh yes...the delay until June is only Optional). So if for some reason, you have Internet access, but are still watching TV via Antenna, you might want to go over a friend's house next Tuesday just in case!
Regardless, I'll be here to capture all of the glory of the first live show. See you then!
Hello folks! We're progressing even closer towards LIVE IDOL. We just have to get through this week. And tonight we've seen even more promise for the top 36, and even top 12 (still mostly dominated by powerful male singers). But tonight just seems like a stepping stone to tomorrow's episode when we will reveal our top 36. We split the hopefuls into 4 rooms, had some drama with crazy Tatiana and Norman Gentle. And at the end of the day 3 of the rooms moved on to Round 4. We didn't get an official number but it's somewhere between 36 and 72 (split the difference maybe??) So since tomorrow night we will reveal our top 36 and try to pick our top 12 from that, I'm just going to do a quick highlighting of who is still alive and kicking.
Here goes:
Adam Lambert - 26 - Rocking Theater Guy. I thought he has been great in the Hollywood rounds and tonight I finally remembered him from the auditions. He sounds very Broadway. But he's too good to not let through. And he might just be able to break through that Broadway mold with his talent. Although, his aspirations to take twists on songs you wouldn't expect sounds very David Cook copy cat'ish. Although, I don't think even Cook would've tried to remake a Cher song. He stuck with Mariah Carey tunes exclusively! I can see this guy as a top 12'er but there's some stiff competition.
Matt Giraud - 26 - Dueling Piano guy. Well, finally seeing this guy behind the piano sold it for me. He is AWESOME! His rendition of "Georgia" and his skils on the ebony and ivory (or plastic in this case) are fantastic. Definitely a new one to watch, and I may be rooting for him!
Jamar Rogers - 26 - Danny Gokey's friend took a step down in my book this week. Not that he's been fantastic all the way through, but his version of "Hey There Delilah" left something to be desired. What was with the short notes in some spots? Did he think that sounded good? Apparently the judges did too! Oh well, top 36'er most likely, but he may be parting ways with his buddy before the top 12.
Danny Gokey - 28 - Still awesome. Interesting choice of doing "I hope you Dance" (or maybe it's just called "Dance"?), but it would seem they only had so many songs to choose from. And he nailed it, and got Paula to start making her googly eyes and stand-up/arm raised poses and dreaming of watermelons and strawberries and everything under the rainbow! Danny has been the favorite for me so far, and I think Matt Giraud just pulled up to even keel for me. Let's see how this pans out!
Anoop Desai - 21 - Man, I like this guy too! He likes pulling out the old school jams, Boys II Men, Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" and he knocks them out of the park. This guy HAS to be a top 12'er too. I'll be disappointed if he isn't.
Jorge Nunez - 20 - Didn't see a lot of this dude, but i think Idol is pimpin him to stick around for a bit. We'll see. (I struck a nerve with an anonymous commenter when I said he was better than Anthony "Sergei" Federov on Jon Secada's "Angel" so since I struck that nerve, expect me to give this guy even more compliments just for the heck of it! Because if there's one guy from the past that I don't mind continuing to make fun of...it's ol' Sergei!)
Scott Macintyre - 23 - We finally got to see the partially blind Scott in his comfort zone playing piano and rocking out to Daughtry's "Home." (well...maybe not rocking) He sounded good and I'm sure he's a shoo-in for the top 36 (maybe even top 12), but I can't say his voice or piano skills were as polished as Matt Giraud. But it's tough to compare the 2 since one is blind and the other is not. It makes me look shallow to even try! So, for now I will continue to support Scott! (and also because he sang Billy Joel in his audition!)
Kendall Beard - 23 - didn't see much of her but she sang Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" I have in my notes that she auditioned in Puerto Rico but she's from Texas and my reaction to the snippet was "...eh..."
Stevie Wright - 16 - Did Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" and sounded okay. Not much heard again.
Lil Rounds -23 - one word in my notes for her version of Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You" ...."ugh"... She's a top 12'er and I already hate her.
Kristin McNamara - 22 - butchered Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" but it's okay, she survived the drama from Group night so she gets a pass from the judges! She will probably be a top 36er that no one votes for.
Misharonna Hensa - 18 - Season 7 Hollywood Girl continues her dream for one more day. We'll see if she continues. I didn't hear much either way to be able to judge her. I don't even know if I spelled her name wrong. But her first name sure looks like "My Sharona!"
Tatiana Del Toro - 23 - I've had enough of this girl. But the judges haven't apparently. I guess she can carry a tune, but she does it in an annoying way, and her personality is a "-23" on a scale from 1-10.
Alexis Grace - 20 - Didn't see much but she did a decent rendition of "Before He Cheats"
Kenny Huffpaur - 16 - Weird rendition of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours"
Jasmine Murray - 16 - okay version of Jordin Spark's "Tattoo" but she's been good up until now, so she gets a pass. But remember, she's only 16! Any sign of weakness is a bad one!
Nathaniel Marshall - The male counterpart to Tatiana. Get rid of this guy. He keeps singing girl songs like Rhianna's "Disturbia." Oooh he tried to butch it up with the guitar. Didn't work man. Why don't you put that music back in your skin!? (I mean seriously, who says that???)
Joanna Pacitti - 23 - If she continues to progress towards that top 12, she will continue to be criticized even more for having a previous record deal (even Kara recognizing her during the audition!). It will be interesting to see if the masses will vote for her knowing her prior experience. Or if the masses won't care, or don't remember! Oh and she forgot her lyrics but continues on.
Casey Carlson - 20 - Forgot lyrics, but continues on.
Stephen Fowler - 26 - Sang David Cook's "Time of My Life" but pretty much forgets ALL of the words. He plays piano though and is a decent singer. We'll see what happens tomorrow!
Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle) - Seriously, they let him through again? If they send him to the live rounds, they better watch out! Vote for the Worst will have a field day with him!
Ann Marie Boscovich - 22 - Didn't hear much.
Ju'Not Joyner - 26 - Interesting take on "Hey There Delilah." I kinda dug it.
Kai Kalana - 26 - Lost his voice, but got through.
Michael Sarver - 27 - Oil guy is still sounding good and moving on. Looks like he'll be singing for his life tomorrow night.
Others who we saw make it in but not really featured:
Arianna somebody, Frankie "I think I'm Amy Winehouse", Matt Breitzke (Baldy), T.K. Hatch, Jackie Tohn, etc....
Farewell to:
India - rapper girl
Leneshe - Slumdog Natti-airre
Jason Castro's Brother - Michael?? Eh who cares he's gone!
So I wonder if it's safe to say the 25 we saw featured will be in the top 36 or if they're going to throw some unknowns at us? I know I've developed some favorites already so we'll see if any twists come with tomorrow's new format to unveil the top 36. I'm also not sure if we have to stick to the same rules as we have been sticking to since season 4. Ever since then, we've had 6 guys and 6 girls in the top 12. But they ensured this would happen by splitting the girls and guys up in the semi-finals. It appears we will be returning to season 1-3 format where all spots are up for grabs. And if that's the case, get ready for 11 guys and ugh...Lil Rounds! I know I know...I exaggerate, but probably not by much!
I think I've blabbed on enough for tonight. Tomorrow's blog will be short and sweet (hopefully!). It's a 2 hour episode, but I will list the Top 36 and pick my top 12 and then we'll move on to bigger and better (or potentially worse) things! See you tomorrow!
Okay, so we got through the group round. As always, it provided for much entertainment. Lots of drama, catfights (not just with the ladies!), and some decent performances. As I'm only concerned about finding the talent and not recapping the episode, there's not too much to write about. So let's check out the groups and see what happened!
Group: White Chocolate (India Morrison, Justin Williams, Kris Allen, Matt Giraurd) - They all sounded good together, India threw in a little rap. Whatever. I'm sure they're all decent, but nothing really stood out to me.
Nick Mitchell (Norman) and Jorge Nunez live to see another day but we didn't hear anything from them. Unfortunately the guy I tagged as the second coming of David "The Artichoke" Archuleta is already eliminated. I'm sure nicknames will come to me for someone though!
Alex Wagner Trugman and Anne Marie Boskovich are in from their group. Again, not really seeing anything eye opening from them yet. The Pink Hair tradition for a top 12 finalist will continue to not exist since season 3 as Emily Hughes did not make the cut. So much for my "she will rebound from round 1" prediction!
Clearly again, Team Danny Gokey is topping anything else we're hearing. And he continues to get on my good side by singing my favorite Queen song "Somebody to Love." I'll even continue to give props to his buddy Jamar who is a nice sidekick for now. They even made 16 year old Taylor Vaifuna look good. Not so sure about Girl #4 who never was given a name, but she at least makes it through this round. How awful is that by the producers to not even give this girl her 15 minutes with a name?!
We saw 4 featured in different groups that stood out - Jeremy Michael Sarver (still a fan of the oil guy!), Adam Lambert (The Rock with the high voice and high note. I kinda dig him too!, Matt Breitzke (Baldy. I always have to support the bald folk! Dude can sang! ), and Jesse Langseth (I don't remember her from the auditions and she was okay.)
Team Diva - woo lots of drama in this one. Bikini Girl made her last stand and took down some casualties with her including Rose Flack (even though she was really out of her league). What was up with the camera crew invading Bikini Girl's hotel room without permission? At least Simon finally put an end t0 his support which you could clearly tell was a joke for him from day 1. Jasmine Murray was the only one from Team Diva to continue on and she sounded really good on Duffy's "Mercy" (and how about Idol getting current with the music?! A sign of things to come?) And yes, Jasmine is still 16 so I'm worried about her holding up. But she's continuing to impress me.
Then there was Team Tatiana with even more drama than Team Diva. Tatiana Del Toro is just an awful person to try and take in. The laugh, the insane'ism (yep insane enough for a made up word!). Her team even referred to her as Satan! She tried to change groups into another drama team and then came back. Anyway she and Muna Hiluf - 16 continue on in the competition. I thought both sounded awful. Group member 3 and 4 made it through too but weren't named.
Team Compromise - This group probably had the most drama. Nancy Wilson, Kristin McNamara and Nathaniel "the music is in my skin!" Marhsall. The 3 ladies (whoops!) together could've powered the entire city of Los Angeles with their combined animosity. Kristin was the beginning of the drama when she tried to welcome in Tatiana and then when she wanted to take a break. Apparently, she really didn't need to rehearse because she did just fine getting through on her own! How about that high note she hit? Pretty nuts. Not sure if she'll stick around forever though. And I sure hope Nathaniel isn't sticking around long. I cannot take much more of him. Then again, if he does...he might just be my nickname candidate. So many possibilities! But it turned out to be Nancy Wilson who was the one to be shown the door. She did seem to be the one causing the most drama. Well, besides all of Nathaniel's waterworks.
From the previews we also see that Anoop and Scott McEntyre are still alive and well. Looks like the instruments will come into play in Round 3. And then we might be back to the "4 Rooms" elimination next Wednesday instead of the "Elevator of Doom" that has been a staple for the past few seasons. Good times. Well, hope you enjoyed my quick blurb on the night and I'll see you next week for the last week of pre-taped episodes!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Hollywood rounds! Is it better than the auditions? I'd say just a smidge so far. There wasn't much to get excited about in Round 1. But with the group performances drama coming up tomorrow, maybe we'll get some more excitement. For now, we got some snippets of the people that made it through round 1. Out of 147 that made it to Hollywood, we still have 104 going into Round 2.
The kids, for the first time, performed in the Kodak Theater for the Hollywood rounds (where the finale will take place) They claimed to have a twist this year with giving them all stylists this early in the game. Also Vocal Coach seminars. My favorite was when they showed people taking Barry Manilow's notes down with such determination. Yeah, because THAT'S going to make you win the competition. I'm sorry, you either have the gift or you don't! The only thing you can do is fine tune your skills throughout the process!
It's not only the stylists coming in early this year. They've even started the shameless promotion of FORD a few weeks early this year.
But anyway, not much to really highlight here. I'm going to try and categorize the good, the potential, and the people i dislike. We'll see how that changes throughout the competition:
The Good
Danny Gokey - 28 - This is the guy whose wife passed away. While I don't like him using that story to make the world feel bad for him, I'm convinced it's the Idol producers that are milking it. And I can't help but like this guy. He did a great job with the snippet of "Kiss from a Rose" that we heard. So far, he has been the only person that has made me take notice when he sings. And thinking back to the audition blogs, he's the only one that I even noted as "someone to watch." So let's keep watching!
Jamar Rogers - 26 - Danny's buddy. I'm sure they're going to keep this 1-2 punch going for a while. He did a pretty darn good rendition of "California Dreamin." Didn't really see enough of him, but you can tell the dude can sing.
David Osmond - 28 - Well, he's an Osmond. It's in his genes. They're going to keep him around too. But we really didn't hear much tonight.
Anoop Desai - I'm liking this dude too. He's got some pipes!
Stephen Fowler - - The guy that did the Stevie tune that made Randy say "dawwg...WHAAAT????" He was good too, but I don't remember seeing him in the auditions. I won't hold that against him yet.
Scott McEntyre - Didn't hear one note from the blind guy tonight. But I'm sure he's still a favorite.
Jasmine Murray - 16 - I remember just dismissing her because she was 16. Well, she is still 16, but I can't deny that she sounded good in her snippet. Of course maybe I just liked the performance because she sang a Kelly Clarkson song and didn't do an awful job on it! I'm sure she'll disappoint soon enough!
Jury is still Out
Nathaniel Marshall - 18 - This is the dude with the crazy piercings that sang the unknown song and started crying about music being in his skin! Whaaaat? Why did they let him through? I guess they like his voice. We'll see.
Rose Flack - 17 - I know the girl is an orphan, but I still don't know why they let her through. She can't really sing well! And it was showing in hollywood. I can't remember if she sang "Dock of the Bay" in her audition but she definitely did it tonight. They let her continue, but I don't see her lasting very long. Still a likable person though.
Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle) -27 - this dude is one bizarre guy and he loves putting on the Norman Gentle act. But no one can deny that he can actually sing. They just need to know when to pull the plug on him if he keeps up the charade. We don't want another Sanjaya situation on our hands! I do have this feeling though that the guy can play it serious. It's just a risky move!
Jorge Nunez - He sang Jon Secada's "Angel." I remember him from the San Juan auditions. He really did a great job on it. Almost made me forget of Anthony Federov singing the tune, thankfully. But when he's not singing, he just seems like a weird guy. I'm not sold on him quite yet.
Frankie Jordan - She continued but we didn't hear her sing.
Jackie Tohn - 28 - Crazy rocker girl or Amanda Overmeyer Part 2. I just don't know with her. I'm sure she's better than Amanda but right now she sounds the same as her to me. The judges say she's really good. I need to hear her more in her element with her guitar and some backing music. Stay tuned!
Jeremy Michael Sarver - Oil Guy - I thought he sounded good. He probably should be in the "good" section, but I'm too lazy to move my notes so he'll stay here!
Emily Wynne-Hughes - Crazy color hair girl that sang No Doubt's "Excuse Me Mr." even though she didn't rehearse it. She's being granted a 2nd chance and will probably wow the judges, but for now we'll leave her here.
No Thanks
Lil Rounds - 23 - I'm still not sold on this person and I don't think I ever will be. I hate when the judges all get behind these "POWER VOCALISTS" like they're sent here from heaven to entertain us with their heavenly voices. Kara giving the standing O and talking like Randy with the "That was Hot" nonsense. And come on, she did the biggest "no no" in the book. Sing the most overplayed song in movie history "I Will Always Love You" - the Whitney Houston version. (Okay maybe Celine's "My Heart Will Go On" has it beat but they're both equally annoying!) Worst thing about it? She really didn't sound good. But it doesn't matter. She has top 12 written all over her and there's nothing we can do about it.
Von Smith - This guy just overdid it and I don't think he's going to have what it takes going forward. He may find a way to make it to the Top 36, but who will vote for him? Yikes.
Katrina Darrell -21 - Bikini Girl - I'll admit that I laughed at them keeping this thing going from the audition. Girls judges hate her, the Guy judges sympathize with her. But Come on! This is so obviously staged! She isn't a good singer, and hopefully in the end Simon and Randy will redeem themselves for the sake of the competition.
Obviously there are tons of other decent contestants that we probably didn't see featured tonight. There were some people that we saw continue to round 2 but there were no performance clips. I just was too lazy to include them! I'm sure we'll get to them over the next 3 Hollywood rounds! But for now, that's what I have! Group Competition tomorrow folks! See you then!
