No Real Surprises in First Round of ‘American Idol’ Elimination

After two nights, 24 performances and 28 million votes, American Idol held its first elimination of the semifinals with no real surprises in the results.

The guys knocked their numbers down to 10 by eliminating Leif Garrett Haley and Colton Berry.  Both sang their farewell songs.  And I actually think I preferred Garrett’s swan song to his performance Tuesday.  But maybe that’s just because I liked the hat.

I was a little startled that Danny Noriega wasn’t in the bottom tier, but then I realized that he’s the new Sanjaya.  Hopefully Danny’s run in this title will be short lived.  I’m not sure I’m going to be able to handle many more weeks of performances like Tuesday’s “Jailhouse Rock.”

With so many mediocre performances from the women Wednesday night, a handful of the ladies could have been up for the bottom two spots. 

Since Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella’s song choices for the ‘60s both landed them in the lower echelon, their departure was believable.  If you had any doubts that these two should stick to modeling, their final performances erased them.

In general I’m a little worried about the women.  They were literally following apart after the eliminations were announced.  If they are bawling this hard after the first round, are they going to make it to the Top 12?

The group number was nothing impressive, but I liked the look.  Hair and makeup must have worked overtime.  That’s the best we seen some of the contestants look.

And finally, I must end with a complaint (‘cause I’ve been so positive thus far).  I thought I was watching American Idol, not Relauch Paula’s Career. 

I can live with the fact that she’s a judge and the producer of her new song is also a judge for a show with a ready audience.  But if she’s going to showcase her new song, the least she could have done is perform it live. 

She sits in judgment (if that’s what you call what she does) of all of these contestants telling them that they have to bring their very best to the table for every performance and she hides behind a taped performance.  What kind of example is she setting?

And just for the record, I wasn’t impressed with the song or the video.

Here’s a recap:

Top 12 Men Perform

Top 12 Women Perform

A Closer Look at Top 12 Men

A Closer Look at Top 12 Women

Idol’s Top 12 Ladies Swing to the ‘60s

It’s Week 1 of American Idol semifinals and the Top 12 ladies are strutting their stuff to songs from the ‘60s.  Did the ladies have what it takes to hold the attention of the judges and America?  How did they measure up to the Top 12 guys?

The performances got off to a rough start this evening and I was beginning to wonder if I was in for a long night.  Apparently the flu and bronchitis are making their way through the ranks, but that didn’t prevent Simon from telling the contestants that they needed to give him something to “hold on to.”

But when the talent finally did emerge tonight it came out in spades.  In fact, I have a tie for my pick for best performance – Asia’h Epperson and Syesha Mercado.

I loved Asia’h's rendition of “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” because she took the song and made it hers.  It really made her stand out from all the other people that have tried to do a Janis Joplin song on the show.

And Syesha blew me away with her version of “Tobacco Road.”  It had a nice bluesy feel while still letting us hear the power behind her voice.  It rocked.

Similarly, I was impressed with Alexandrea Lushington.  Her style isn’t really my thing, but I think she did a fabulous job of taking Blood, Sweat and Tear’s “Spinning Wheel” and putting her own personality into it.  She’s got great stage presence.

And I can’t tell if it’s the Hoosier or the rocker in me that likes Amanda Overmyer.  I enjoyed the way she took a song that has been around since 1935 and has been covered by everyone from Van Morrison to Muddy Waters to Aerosmith and personalized it.  The scatting that she added was a cool adjustment and something not everyone could pull off.

Alaina Whitaker and Ramiele Malubay also put in solid performances although neither wowed me.  Alaina showed a lot of pizzazz as she sang “More Today than Yesterday” and Ramiele really belted it out with “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.”  She did a better job of honoring Elvis than either of the guys Tuesday night.

The other half of the girls were mediocre at best. 

I was disappointed by both Kristy Lee Cook who sang “Rescue Me” and Joanna Borgella’s “I Said a Little Prayer.”  The both put in better performances earlier in the process.  Let’s chalk these run of the mill performances up to nerves or sickness and hope it gets better next week.

While Amy Davis’ version of “Where the Boys are” left me wondering why I was listening to it, I have to admit she looked the part.  With the hairdo, I expected to see her at the dock waving to her sailor as he went off to war.  Or maybe she’s the pinup in a WWII calendar.  She is a model after all.

Brooke White’s song choice of “So Happy Together” was a perfect pick for her.  It just seemed to fit her personality.  Unfortunately, the result of her forgettable performance was a discussion by Simon on “wash up soap.”  Then I couldn’t get the song “I’m Gonna Wash that Man right out of my Hair” out of my head.

Now we are left with my picks for who should get the boot tomorrow night – Kady Malloy and Carly Smithson.

Kady took what should have been a sweet little love song and made it so sad that you were glad that this performance was a week after Valentine’s Day.  Phil Collins’ version of “Groovy Kind of Love” was a friend and her boyfriend’s song when we were in high school.  I’m glad they aren’t still a couple, because Kady’s rendition of the song would have broken them up.

And I’m sure I’m a minority here, but Carly’s “Shadow of Your Smile” did absolutely nothing for me.  Despite the hype, I’ve never been a fan of hers.  I did not like her during her audition or in Hollywood.  There’s something about her voice that just doesn’t sit well with me.  And she has these really odd facial expressions – like the eyes popping out her head look when Simon told her during her audition that she wasn’t as good as two years ago – that I find disconcerting.

So which of the ladies made a lasting impression on you?  And which are you ready to say so long to?

Untapped Talent or Experienced Professional: A Closer Look at the ‘American Idol’ Top 12 Women

American Idol has promised one of the most talented groups for its Season 7 Top 24.  But has Idol found an untapped resource of talent or has this cast had plenty of time to hone their abilities?

If it seems like the women in the Season 7 Top 12 look pretty comfortable singing on stage, it’s because they’ve got plenty of experience.

Three of these ladies have been contestants in singing competitions before.  At least four of them have already released an album.  And two have successful modeling careers, although a couple of the others have dabbled in it.

Only two – Ramiele Maluby and Asia’h Epperson – appear to be untapped sources of talent.  And Amanda Overmyer’s experience is limited to playing with local bands.

I already gave you a peek at the Top 12 men and their experience.  Here’s a little closer look at the experience of the Top 12 women.

Joanne Borgella

Named Miss PHAT on the first season of Mon’Nique’s FAT Chance, Joanna went on to become a plus size model.  Her credits include Plus Magazine Cover Model in 2007 and a spread in Essence Magazine.  I didn’t find any examples of prior singing experience though.

Kristy Lee Cook

Kristy was signed by RCA when she was just a teen but at 17 she was dropped when the label put plans for young acts on hold.  Then in 2005, under the name Kristy Lee, she released her first album, “Devoted,” with Red-Hen Records.  In addition to opening for Gary Allan and Neal McCoy, Kristy has done commercials for Sprite and Pier 1.

Amy Davis

In 2007, this model made it to the second round of Nashville Star.  Although she has no record deals, Amy has logged in some serious band time singing with 6^th Element, a cover band in Northwest Indiana.  She also recently started the Amy Davis Trio, an acoustic band and sings backup for the Pink Floyd tribute band, Echoes of Pompeii.

Asia’h Epperson

Asia’h might be cutting her singing chops on Idol.  I could not find anything to indicate she had some past singing or performing experience.  But if her ability to audition right after losing her dad is any indication, she’s got courage.

Alexandrea Lushington

Alex got her start, under the name Miz Alex, as an Apollo Kid on Showtime at the Apollo at the tender age of seven.  According to her bio, she’s now considered an Apollo Legend.  It also says she’s performed on BET’s 106 & Park and Star Search, but I couldn’t find any video of either performance.  Alex has received vocal training from the famed Robin Brown, who has worked with such artists as Usher.

Kady Malloy

A couple of years ago Kady came out with her self-titled debut album produced by Nick Trevisick, the same man that brought you Mandy Moore.  However, the album is nowhere to be found now.  Other than the album, I’ve found little else on the 18-year-old Houston native who does impersonations.

Ramiele Malubay

This Filipino-American, a heritage she’s proud of, started singing when she was 12 and has a voice coach.  This little girl with the big voice seems to be an undiscovered talent with no professional past.

Syesha Mercado

Idol is not Syesha’s first foray into a reality-based singing competition.  She was a contestant on ABC’s The One: Making a Music Star in 2006.  But since the show was canceled before it really got started we have no idea how far she would have gone.

Amanda Overmyer

This Harley-riding nurse’s expertise is limited to singing with several local rock bands to include Steeleto.  Amanda has recently recovered from an automobile accident she had just before Hollywood week.

Carly Smithson

Carly has already hit and fallen from the big time.  In 1999, Carly signed a six-album deal with MCA that included an advance and monthly living expenses.  But when her first album, “Ultimate High,” debuted in 2002 and only sold 379 copies she was dropped.

Alaina Whitaker

Winning Reasor’s Rising Star competition paved the way for Alaina to compete on American Idol literally – the prize was an all expense paid trip to the audition.

But competition is nothing new.  Together with her sister Brittney, Alaina has been performing locally at everything from the Pecan Festival to an Oilers game.  Recently the duo won “My Big Break.”  She’s won a handful of competitions herself.

Brooke White

Brooke is another contestant with an album already under her belt.  She released her debut album “Songs from the Attic,” in 2005 on the New Millennium Records Group label.

It’ll be interesting to see how these newbies stand up against those with all this professional experience.

‘American Idol’ Top 24 Leaked

We still have two cities of auditions to go before we even get to Hollywood, but it appears that the identities of the Top 24 contenders for American Idol Season 7 have already been leaked.

According to Joe’s Place, here are your Top 24 contestants and their audition cities:

For the Men:

David Archuleta – San Diego

Colton Berry – Charleston

Robbie Carrico – Miami

Jason Castro – Dallas

David Cook – Omaha

Chikezie Eze – San Diego

Garrett Haley – San Diego

David Hernandez – San Diego

Michael Johns – San Diego

Luke Menard – Omaha

Danny Noriega – San Diego

Jason Yeager – Dallas

For the Women:

Joanna Borgella – Philadelphia

Kristy Lee Cook – Philadelphia

Amy Davis – Dallas

Asia’h Epperson — Atlanta

Alexandrea Lushington – Atlanta

Amanda Overmyer – Atlanta

Kady Malloy – Dallas

Ramiele Malubay – Miami

Syesha Mercado – Miami

Carly Smithson – San Diego

Alaina Whitaker – Dallas

Brooke White — Philadelphia

Never heard of these names?  Me neither.  But remember we still haven’t seen the auditions for Atlanta and Miami.  And in the other five cities we were only treated to a sampling of those who got golden tickets.

Of this 24, I only remember seeing auditions for seven and there were two more that I thought I caught a glimpse of in their audition cities.  Here’s a recap of the names above:

In Day 2 of the San Diego auditions, 16-year-old David Achuleta performed “Waiting for the World to Change” by John Mayer with Randy providing background vocals.  Simon joined Paula’s praise of the Vermont native telling him that he made a great song choice.

David Cook of Tulsa was my pick from the Omaha auditions.  The rocker had a nice sound and did Bon Jovi credit when he sang “Living on a Prayer.”

I think we might have seen a glimpse of Garrett Haley at the San Diego auditions.

After listening to the Australian born Michael Johns perform Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” in San Diego, Simon called him “a white soul singer.”

Oregon native Kristy Lee Cook sold her horse to pay for her flight to Philadelphia to audition.  But it was this horse training, kickboxer’s rendition of “Amazing Grace” that earned her a trip to Hollywood.

When Kady Malloy, 23, auditioned in Dallas, Simon told her that she was the best he’d seen so far.  Although the Houston native could sound like Whitney Houston Brittany Spears and Carrie Underwood, it was her version of “Unchained Melody” that won over the judges.

When the Irish Carly Smithson, 23, performed “I’m Every Woman” at her audition in San Diego, it was her second time qualifying for Hollywood.  In Season 5, Smithson, then Hennessy, was disqualified when her Visa didn’t come through in time.

Tulsa native Alaina Whitaker sang Faith Hill’s “Stronger” to impress the judges in Dallas.

And I’m pretty sure we saw a glimpse of Brooke White during the Philadelphia auditions.

I have no confirmation that this list is indeed the final 24.  I’ll let you be the judge of the validity of this leak.  In the meantime we have the Miami auditions coming up.

******* UPDATE **********

 This list is indeed correct.  Here’s a closer look at the Top 12 Men and a look at the Top 12 Women and their experience.  I’ll be posting the women later today.

Here’s a recap of the auditions held to date:

20 from Atlanta

17 from Miami

19 from Omaha

23 from Charleston

31 from San Diego

24 from Dallas

29 from Philadelphia