American Idol First Result Show Full of Heartbreak

Tonight marked the first results show of American Idol’s eighth season, but instead of sending just one or two contestants home the night ended with only three survivors.

The show started liked it has many times before.  Ryan welcomes us, telling us that an unprecedented 24 million votes were cast.  He introduces the judges (four this year) and the contestants sing a group number – “I’m Yours.”

After Ryan does a recap of the night before, we are shown the three stools.  But these stools aren’t for the bottom three as they have been in years past.  Instead these stools are for the first three of the Final 12.

Despite all the hype, the show is full of heartbreak.  It was just sad to watch one after another told they are going home.  Even though I wasn’t impressed with many of them Tuesday night, it was painful to watch one disappointed face after another when they got the news. 

Each of the contestants staying got to sing an encore of his/her Tuesday night performance.

The first to take up residence in the precious stools is – no surprise – Alexis Grace.  She proved last night that she has come a long way from her audition.  And in a night full of train wrecks for the females, she was clearly the best of the night.

The announcement of the next survivor was the biggest suspense of the night.  Ryan called up both Michael Sarver and Anoop Desai and told them that one of them would be returning.  It turns out that only 20,000 votes separated the pair so it was really a close call.

When Ryan announced that Michael would be staying, I actually stood up and did a happy dance.  I definitely think both gentlemen would be a good addition to the Final 12, but there’s something about Michael that just stands out for me.  I hope that Anoop will be back in the Wild Card Round.

The final seat came down to Danny Gokey and Tatiana Del Toro.  Normally the decision would be clear cut, but given Tatiana’s staying ability anything was possible.  In the end talent won out over drama – Danny stays.

We also learned that the American Idol Experience has opened at Walt Disney World Resort and that all seven past Idol winners were on hand to perform at the opening. 

Speaking of past performers, Season 7 finalists Carly Smithson and Michael Johns were on hand to perform a duet to “The Letter.”  I thought they both sounded great, but when they sang together Carly overpowered Michael so much that you could barely hear him.

I am happy to say that I called all three of the survivors – Alexis, Michael and Danny.  The results of Tuesday’s poll had two of the three – Alexis, Ricky and Danny.

Next week we see the second group of 12.

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Alexis Finds Some Soul during Idol’s First 12

The auditions are in the bag and Hollywood is but a faint memory as American Idol begins to whittle down the Top 36 to our Final 12.  Tonight, the first 12 contestants pull out all the stops in their first live performance and Alexis Grace comes out swinging.

Alexis proves she's got a little soul.

This year, the road to the Final 12 is quite different.  The Top 36 (not 24) announced after Hollywood have been divided into three groups of 12.  Over the next three weeks starting tonight, each group will perform once in a two-hour edition of American Idol.  The following night all but three – the top male performer, the top female and the contestant with the next largest amount of votes — will be sent home, leaving us with a total of nine performers.  Then in the wild card round three performers will be brought back to round out the Final 12. 

Anyone else think this process is confusing and convoluted?  Me too, but this is what we are stuck with.  Now on to the performances of the First 12.

The Great

When I first saw Alexis Grace in the Louisville audition, I knew that she had a powerful voice, but I wondered if she was going to have what it took to be a great performer.  Tonight she came out of her shell and proved, as Randy put it, that she had some soul.  Alexis put a nice bluesy feel to her version of Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man.”  She is definitely a contender.

Also pleasing the crowd tonight was fan-favorite Danny Gokey.  He proved that he has a nice voice taking on “Hero” by Mariah Carey and earned the praise of three of the four judges.  But I tended to agree with Simon that it was a good performance, but not fantastic.  To me, it just seemed like a weird song choice for him.  However, Danny was still the best of the guys we saw.

The Good

Brent Keith decided to show off his country side by singing “Hicktown” by Jason Aldean and he might actually have a career in country music.  He sounded good, but as the judges said he chose a safe song.  The performance was fun, but we didn’t get to hear anything that really showed us Brent’s potential.

Also putting in a decent performance was Anoop Desai who chose to sing Monica’s “Angel of Mine.”  Personally, I thought the song was all wrong for him.  I like Anoop better we he does upbeat songs, like “My Prerogative” that he sang in Hollywood.  Simon told him that the song was “a bit too grown up” for him.

Wrong song choice put several good singers in jeopardy.  I’m not sure the Gavin McGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be” was the best choice for Michael Sarver.  He did a decent job with the song, but I don’t think it highlighted his talents.  However, he seemed to really have fun with his choice.  I’m just hoping it will be enough to keep him in the game. 

On the other hand, Anne Marie Boskovich put a country flair to “A Natural Woman.”  Personally, I prefer the soul of Aretha’s version, but unlike the judges, I think that this rendition worked for Anne Marie.  She is no Aretha, but she has come a long way from her audition and I thought this performance showed that.

The Mediocre

Unfortunately, not everyone had a good night.  Jackie Tohn led off the show with “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley.  She put her own twist on the song, but it just didn’t compare to the King.  I give her credit for making the song her own, but the growl in her voice just didn’t work with this song.

On the other hand, tonight we finally got to find out that Ricky Braddy has a nice voice since we didn’t get to hear him during either of the two previous phases.  He sang “A Song for You” by Leon Russell and sounded good.  But, alas, I have no investment in him and by the end of the show I’d forgotten all about his performance.

Also not having a great night was Stephen Fowler.  No, he didn’t forget the lyrics again, but it’s not a good sign when Simon says he wished he did.  When Stephen started singing Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You,” I had images of the Love Boat.  The performance improved and turned out to be a fun song, but it just wasn’t enough.

And last on my list of mediocre was drama queen Tatiana Del Toro.  But tonight she was reserved and tried to sing “Saving All My Love for You” by Whitney Houston.  I wanted to hate it, but she didn’t do half bad.  But you can’t choose a song by Whitney and not be compared and Tatiana just didn’t measure up. 

The Bottom

But no episode of Idol is complete without at least one train wreck.  Tonight we had two – and bad song choice was the cause.  Casey Carlson tried to take on Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” while Stevie Wright sang “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift.

Unfortunately, it looks like nerves got the better of the both girls.  They both had weak beginnings and at best sounded like karaoke.  It’s a shame because we have heard much better performances from both.

So the first set of 12 is behind us.  Who will be the lucky three to stay?

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Funnyman Norman Gentle Shines during Idol’s Hollywood Round 1

The most memorable performance of American Idol’s first round of Hollywood Week was not that of a vocal powerhouse.  Instead Funnyman Nick Mitchell – aka Norman Gentle – wowed the judges with his humor. 

Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle makes the judges smile.

But under all that jesting lives a bit of vocal talent, at least enough to send Nick through to the next round.  And for all you that have waited with baited breath – bikini chick will be returning too.  Kara and Paula still aren’t fans of Katrina Darrell, but apparently they were outvoted.

Given the choice between the two, I’d take Nick over Katrina in the Top 24 any day.  At least Nick entertains you.

Season 8 Hollywood Week is now if full swing, complete with boot camp and Barry Manilow as a guest mentor, but alas not much more singing time than before.

Over the last three weeks, we got to meet 61 of the Hollywood contender in eight cities – that’s less than half of the 147 that made it to the Kodak Theatre.  So, we should get to meet some of the rest now that we are in Hollywood, right?

Wrong.  In this round, we got to hear three – yes a mere three – new people sing.

Tonight we met Nathaniel Marshall from the New York City auditions.  He tried to wow the judges with his rendition of “The Anchor Holds” by Ray Boltz.  I think he might have been better served with a more well known tune.  And personally the tears did nothing to win me over, but apparently the judges saw something I didn’t.

Also new to the screen from Stephen Fowler, another New York City auditioner.  Now this guy impressed me.  He had a nice solid voice.  I’m definitely looking forward to hearing him sing some more.

Unfortunately, the third person we met for the first time – FBI agent Erika Wesley – did not make it through to the next round.

Much of the show’s time was spent showing us the judges’ comments for singers we never heard.  But we did get to see a few of our favorites from the auditions.

My picks for females in Round 1 were 16-year-old Jasmine Murray from the Jacksonville auditions and Kansas City auditioner Lil Rounds.  Lil’s got a nice powerful voice, but I hope she doesn’t limit herself to ballads alone.  Jasmine is the whole package – cute, talented, and sweet. 

Rocker Emily Wynne-House and Rose Flack, the orphan from Idaho, still show some potential, but the pressure is clearly getting to them.  Rose struggled in boot camp and Emily switched her song at the last minute.  But they hung in there for the next round.

Jackie Tohn also made the cut.  She has an interesting growl to her songs that might prove enough for her to hang on.

We saw a lot more guys in this round than the girls.  I’m not sure in that’s a sign that the guys are stronger though because there were several I don’t think should have made it.

Roughneck Jeremy Michael Sarver continues to be my favorite.  I don’t know there’s just something about such a tough guy have such a soft voice that if very appealing.  I also liked the aforementioned Stephen Fowler and David Osmond, although we only saw a glimpse of David.

Widower Danny Gokey and Puerto Rico-native Jorge Nunez showed potential.  Hopefully we’ll hear more of them in the next round.  I’m totally undecided about Anoop Desai who auditioned in Kansas City.  We didn’t hear enough of him to gauge.

A few of the guys really shouldn’t have made the cut in my.  Danny’s buddy Jamar Rogers was just over the top and Von Smith is still shouting at us.  The next round should be critical for them.

Although we didn’t get to see them perform, we learned that the sight-impaired Scott MacIntyre, moms Frankie Jordan and Alexis Grace, traveling musician Brett Keith Smith, nanny Anne Marie Boskovich and actor Adam Lambert will be returning for the next round.

 

 

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Confidence Abounds at Idol NY, San Juan Auditions

Confidence was the name of the game tonight as American Idol combined auditions from San Juan, Puetro Rico and New York City before heading to Hollywood.  Unfortunately, much of that confidence was misplaced.

Adeola Adegoke was so sure of her talent that she actually quit her job as a bank teller in preparation of her journey to Hollywood.  Maybe instead of a resignation letter, she should have let her boss critic her version of Jennifer Hudson’s “And I Am Telling You.”  It might have saved Simon the call to ask for her job back.  Who says that Simon doesn’t have a soft side?

Confidence didn’t work for Jessika Baier, a waitress in a 50s café, either.  She won the trip to Puerto Rico to audition in a contest and was sure that was her ticket in.  But after hearing “I Surrender” the judges thought differently.

But the self-assured did win out in a few instances.

Cut up Nick Mitchell, who couldn’t even get through “Amazing Grace” without some antics entertained the judges enough for a second chance.  It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to Hollywood.  But as Kara said, he doesn’t have a shot in hell.

And nine-year-old Christopher had enough confidence to help snag a golden ticket for his sister Monique Garcia Torres.  Her version of the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” resulted in a split vote.  Personally, I liked this girl, but she definitely needs to be choosier about her songs.

Pleasantness just oozed from the very upbeat Melinda Camille who aptly chose to sing “Feeling Good.”  Kara called her a vitamin boost.  However, I have to say that I will remember her bubbly personality more than her voice.

A healthy dose of optimism helped Jackie Tohn through when her first song choice “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz left the judges a bit undecided.  Personally, I’m not totally sold on her either, but she was kind of funky and it’ll be interesting to see what she does later in the series. 

For a couple contestants, their fluency in Spanish was enough to secure them a spot in Hollywood.

The judges were not initially impressed with Patricia Lewis Roman when she sang “I want to Dance with Somebody,” but when she sang in Spanish the judges – all but Paula – were swayed. 

College student Jorge Nunez got a similar reaction when the judges preferred the Spanish version of “My Way” to an English version of “Wonderful World.”

The accent was very alluring in their singing and adds an interesting dynamic to their voice, but I have to wonder how well they’ll fair – especially when they will have to sing on theme nights.

Among the clips of the wild and weird, we were treated to a montage of a trio headed to Hollywood but who we didn’t really get a chance to hear sing – Ashley Hollister, Kenny Hoffpauer and Kendall Beard.

Overall not a bad night of auditions.  Nine tickets were given out in Puerto Rico and 26 in New York.  The only down point was a return visit from Alexis Cohen did nothing but swear in the Philadelphia auditions last year.  I don’t have a problem with her auditioning again.  I hate the Idol gave her more air time.

Next week we start with Hollywood Week.

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