New Idol Rule Couldn’t Save Jorge, Jasmine from Elimination

The first elimination of American Idol’s Top 13 saw the birth of a new rule and sent two hopefuls home after nearly 33 million votes.  Now the field has narrowed to the traditional 11 contenders and the judges still have a save card they can play.

Kelly Clarkson courtesy of American Idol

The biggest news of the night was the new Judges Save rule.  Up until the Top 5, the judges can save one person from elimination.  They can use this save just once and the decision must be unanimous.  That week no one will be eliminated, but the next week two will be eliminated (so in theory, the save could just be temporary).

The reasoning is that if the judges had this rule before they could have saved the likes of Michael Johns, Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry from leaving the competition too early.  But you have to wonder, if they’d stayed another week would any of these contenders gone on to win the contest or would they have just lived to be eliminated another day?

I wasn’t watching back when Hudson or Daughtry were eliminated so I can’t really comment on them, but I don’t think a reprieve would have led to a Johns’ victory in Season 7.  But it would have been nice to look at him a little longer.

Personally, I think if they are going to change the rules, they should have let everyone know at the beginning of the season.  However, it’ll be interesting to see if this rule has any real impact.

It’s no surprise that the judges didn’t use their one save of the season tonight, so early in the game.  And I think it’s going to have to be a pretty strong contender for all four judges to agree.

While on whom and when the save will be used is still a mystery, the roster for the bottom four was no surprise to anyone watching Tuesday’s show – Jasmine Murray, Megan Joy Corkrey, Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez. 

Three of these four were added during the Wild Card round which doesn’t say much for the quality of contestants we got during that round.  But in the end the Js were sent packing.  However, I would be surprised if we didn’t see Jasmine or Jorge again next season.

The evening led off with a medley of Jackson 5 hits performed by the Top 13.  Let me just say that I have high praise for Scott MacIntyre for even attempting the group number choreography.  We’ve see even those with all their senses intact struggle with the footwork before.  Didn’t someone even run into a camera last year? 

But as much as I’m impressed with Scott for stepping up to the challenge, I am equally awed by the other contestants’ willingness to help him find his spacing and direction during this numbers.  I’m so glad that they can put their competitiveness aside; it makes for a better group number.

We were also treated to performances by Grammy winner Kayne West who say his hit single “Heartless” and by first season Idol winner Kelly Clarkson who sang her new single “My Life Would Suck Without You.” 

Kayne’s performance didn’t do anything for me, but it’s just not my taste in music.  On the other hand, I usually like Kelly’s work, but this song just didn’t strike a chord with me either.  What did you think of her song

The rest of the night was filled with the standard filler, a review of the previous night performances, encore performances by those exiting and the first Ford Video of the season to Queen’s “We will Rock You.”  Normally I like these videos (mostly just because it’s less time we have to listen Ryan talk), but this was nothing special, just singing heads on buildings while a car drove by.  Ford has definitely had better videos with Idol contestants.

We also got a peek into the finalists’ new digs.  And all I can say is wow!! What a mansion!  When will they have time to rehearse with distractions like pool, steam room, Jacuzzi, basketball court, bowling alley, and home theater?  After seeing this place, I’m thinking about auditioning just so I can stay there, but the fact that I can’t sing a lick will probably axe any chance I have of taking up residence in this mansion.

 

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Adam Shows the Race for the Idol Title isn’t ‘Black or White’

Finally, we’ve gotten to the part of American Idol I love – when the real competition begins.  The performances tonight were a huge step above what we’ve been tortured with the last three weeks.

Lambert proved to be a hard act to follow

I don’t know if there is less pressure now that the mass cuts are just a memory or if there was just too much dead weight in the Top 36, but we have some real contenders here and they came out tonight singing the songs of Michael Jackson to prove that the winner if far from decided.

Rocking Out

Leading the pack in the race for the title tonight was Adam Lambert who has really come into his own in the last couple of weeks.  He turned around the judges who thought he was too theatrical at first. 

And if you don’t mind his eccentric style, he’s fun to watch and he can definitely rock out.  Tonight he proved that he could make a song his own with a slightly new arrangement of “Black or White” that had Paula and the audience dancing.  With the judges now behind him, he can be a real contender.

Also rocking out tonight was Alexis Grace and Allison Iraheta.  Alexis got down with “Dirty Diana” while Allison sang “Give in to Me.”  Both girls have a nice rock edge, but Alexis definitely put in the better performance.  This girl can sing and she can rock.  I cannot believe Alexis is the same girl that we saw audition.  She’s got confidence and style to go with her voice now. 

Allison, on the other hand, tried a little too hard tonight.  I didn’t like this performance nearly as much as her Heart number.  I thought she shouted more of the song than she sang.  She definitely has a rocker voice, but I thought she tried to do too much with this song tonight.  However, the judges loved her.

Bring out the Instruments

Tonight marked the return of instruments and three performers took advantage of this rule.

It was nice to see Scott MacIntyre back behind a piano where he is obviously more comfortable.  But let me say that I think he did a great job with the group number last week which had to be tough learning the choreography with his disability. 

That said, I think that being back at the piano gave Scott a chance to concentrate of his vocals and it showed.  “Keep the Faith” was a good song choice for him, but he’s going to have to strive harder to stand out among all the rockers.

Matt Giraud had to find out the same thing when he literally followed Adam with “Human Nature.”  Matt put in a nice solid performance and he looked great behind the piano, but as Simon put it he just paled in comparison to the previous number. 

It was a tough break in the order for Matt, but I think his performance was still strong enough to keep him for another week.

A guitar was the instrument of choice for Kris Allen who put in a fun performance of “Remember the Time.”  Even though Simon didn’t like the guitar, I really liked the rock twist Kris put on the song.  I wanted to get up and dance.  And to learn that Kris spent a lot of his time this week helping the other contestants, make me like him even more. 

Solid Performances

Aside from the standouts, most of the contestants put in nice, solid performances that made you feel good about them being in the Top 13.

It’s clear that Michael Jackson songs are not Lil Rounds’ strong suit, but I have to say that she stepped up to the challenge and delivered a nice rendition of “The Way You Make Me Feel.”  I’m not sure Lil made it as new as Randy made it sound, but she definitely put her seal on the song.  However, like Simon, I liked the second half of the song better than first.  But unlike Simon, I liked her outfit.  I thought it looked nice on her.

And when Danny Gokey started to sing P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) I have to admit that I was afraid he was going to do another sappy song, but he turned it around and we got to see another side of him – both vocally and in his life.  I liked that we got to meet his family in this week’s clip instead of more about his recently deceased wife (no offense intended).  How cool was it that his parents use to make a song out of homework and chores.  I’m going to have to try that with my own kids.

In general, I’m not a big Danny fan, probably because of all the hype (I like underdogs), but I really enjoyed his performance tonight.  Seeing Danny do an upbeat song really gave us a chance to see more of Danny’s abilities and I don’t think his dancing was as bad as Simon made it out to be.

And speaking of the back stories, I loved seeing all the roughnecks cheering for Michael Sarver.  There’s something about the idea of all those tough guys watching Idol that makes me smile.  And so did Michael’s performance.  ”You Are Not Alone” was a great song choice for him.  It really let him show his passion and amongst all the rockers, I think it helped make him stand out.

Standing out was just what Jasmine Murray was trying to do when she chose “I’ll Be There.”  Personally, I think she sounded more like Mariah Carey than Michael Jackson but it worked for her.  She has a powerful voice for such a young girl. 

I’m not sure Jasmine is going to go the distance, but she will have some great experience behind her when she leaves.

Struggling with Jackson

Not everyone can sing Michael Jackson and despite the overall feeling of the show being better than anything we saw the last three weeks, we still saw a couple people struggle tonight.

If you asked me which song I’d pick for Anoop Desai, I’d have said “Beat It” because it just that kind of energetic song that goes with his personality.  The judges hated that he chose that song, but I didn’t find the performance nearly as bad as they did.  Sure he didn’t do anything new and exciting with the song, but he had fun with it.  If anything, I’d have liked to see him try a few moves just because he’s such a fun guy.  But gauging the reaction of the judges, this decision is going to cost him.

Also struggling with song choice was Jorge Nunez.  I know that Jorge is very popular, but I find his performances forgettable and tonight wasn’t any different.  It doesn’t help that he was really unfamiliar with “Never Can Say Goodbye,” the song that he chose.  I almost felt sorry for the guy, but I have to agree with Simon that the performance just sounded corny.

And poor Megan Joy Corkrey.  She picked the perfect song to go with the stupid little dance she does.  Unfortunately, “Rockin’ Robin” gave us no insight into her vocal ability at all.  And this late in the game, cute dancing (for those of you that like it) just isn’t going to be enough to be save her.

Now, normally my pick for the bottom three would be Allison, Jorge and Megan.  But given the little nugget that Ryan threw in at the end, I’m going to make my bottom three as Anoop, Jasmine and Megan, with Megan and Anoop going home.

For those of you that missed it, Ryan told us that that there will be a last minute rule change announced during the results show on Wednesday that will be game changing.  Nothing like changing the rules in the middle of the game, huh?  But if I were a betting woman, I would guess that the judges are going to get a say (at least in part) in who gets booted now.

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No Surprises in American Idol’s Second 12 Results

Why it takes American Idol an hour to give us three names, I’ll never understand. The results of the second 12 group were predictable and boring. The fact that I have correctly guessed the three survivors for two weeks in a row has little to do with my prediction abilities and more to do with the limited talent pool in Season 8.

Of course the hour had the standard filler. We learned that 25 million votes came in Wednesday night. Then we got the “how they got here” clip followed by the group number to “Closer” by Ne-Yo. And, of course, we got another look at the highlights from Wednesday before we even got to the results.

But the repeat of the Idol retrospective to “What a Wonderful World” was a new low in filler. Let’s just cut the results show back to half hour. Please, I’m begging you!

And if you thought the results themselves would pull you from the dullness of the fluff, you were wrong. No matter how Ryan tried to spin it, there just wasn’t any suspense in the announcement of the three contestants that will be moving through to the Final 12.

It was absolutely no suprise that Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert were the top picks. Their encore performances all showed why they were chosen.

The highlight of the evening was the return of Season 7 finalist Brooke White who sang her first single “Hold Up My Heart,” which she cowrote.

 

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Allison Iraheta Rocks Idol’s Second 12

After a rocky start, Allison Iraheta proved that the second group of the Top 36 wasn’t without some talent as American Idol vets its second 12.

This little girl has a big voice

But before we get to the performances, let’s talk about the changes this week from last week.  First, they got rid of the uncomfortable parent interviews following the performances.  Like what else are parents going to say but that they thought their son/daughter did a great job?

The judges also had some changes.  First, they sat in opposite order.  Secondly, they alternated who critiqued the contestant first.  I actually liked this format better.  You get a different perspective each time.  My only complaint is when Paula goes first.  She still doesn’t make much sense.

As for the contestants, several of them we have heard very little from going into the night so it was a little hard to predict what we’d see.  Unfortunately, too many of the performances were forgettable.

The Best

I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have anyone stand out tonight.  But then came Allison Iraheta.  This girl might only be 16, but she can rock.  We haven’t seen Allison since her audition so I wasn’t sure what to expect when she said she’d be singing “Alone” by Heart, but I have to say I’m impressed.  The beginning was a little shaky, but we can chalk that up to the stage fright Kara mentioned.  But once Allison found her grove, she proved that she’s a contender.

Also impressive was Kris Allen’s version of “Man in the Mirror.”  I’m not a big fan of contestants doing Michael Jackson, but I thought Kris did a really good job.  He was personable, entertaining and the vocals were great.  Kara said the performance didn’t measure to those he did in Hollywood, but since we didn’t get to see most of them I can’t comment on the comparison. 

While this episode might have had a rough start, it definitely had a solid ending.  Adam Lambert took on The Rolling Stone and I have to say that his version of “Satisfaction” was very satisfying.  Sure it might have been, as Randy said, a little manic, but hey it’s the Stones.  I definitely think that Adam has improved since his audition.

The Clown

But as good as the above three were, the most memorable performance goes to Nick Mitchell, aka Norman Gentle.  Unfortunately, as entertaining as Nick’s version of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls was, he vocals just didn’t shine tonight.

I think it’s about time for Nick and Idol to part.  But I really hope this guy gets some kind of gig out of this experience, because he really is funny.

The Rest

The other eight performances were average.  I don’t think anyone totally bombed it, but overall the performances were forgettable.

Jasmine Murray led off the night with “Love Song” Sara Bareilles.  It was a nice fun song with a little spunk, but it just didn’t do anything for me and I’m a fan of Jasmine.  She had a rough beginning and just never really recovered.

The dueling piano player has dueling song personalities.  Matt Giraud wants to sing pop songs like Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”.  But I – and the judges – like him better when he’s singing the blues.  I also like seeing him behind the keyboard better.

Overenthusiasm got better Jeanine Vailes.  She wanted to get noticed.  Instead she just overdid “This Love” by Maroon 5.  She just tried too hard.

But enthusiasm worked for Megan Joy Corkrey.  The judges really liked her version of Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On.”  I think she’s got an interesting voice, but the weird dancing thing was just distracting.

And when will the contestants learn to pick the right song?  Even after the judges told him it was the wrong song, Matt Breitzke said he would have still picked “If You Could Only See” by Tonic.  I really like this guy’s voice, but I have to agree with Simon that the performance was boring.

Jesse Langseth also picked her favorite song – Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes.”  But her performance just didn’t measure up to the original.  I think she sounded better than in the sing off from Hollywood Week, but it just wasn’t memorable.

Standing out was also an issue for Kai Kalama who’s version of “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” by Jimmy Ruffin was a little old fashion for Kara.  This guy definitely needs to find something more hip to sing if he wants to avoid comparisons to a wedding singer.

Mishavonna Henson also came across as much older than her 18 years.  While I like Train’s “Drops of Jupiter,” Mishavonna’s performance just fell flat for me.  I think Kara nailed it when she told Mishavonna to loosen up.

My picks for those who will be returning are Allison, Kris and Adam.  We will find out on Thursday who makes it.

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Idol Announces Top 36, Joanna Pacitti Disqualified

It was do or die time on American Idol as Hollywood Week came to a close and the judges informed the final 54 who made the cut for the Top 36.  Among the surviving were three that have been very visible during Hollywood Week – drama queen Tatiana Del Toro, funnyman Nick Mitchell and the emotional Nathaniel Marshall.

This final round played out slightly different than in past years.  For starters, the cut was down to the Top 36, not 24 as in years past.  And some contestants who were borderline had to perform in a sing off with one other contender in which only one survived.

Louisville and Phoenix tied for the audition city the produced the most finalists – seven each.  San Francisco and New York City also had five contenders each.

Twenty-three was the magic number for contenders – nine of the Top 36 were that age.  The next two most popular ages were 16 and 27, which had five of each.

But what you really want to know is who made the cut.  So without further ado, here is your Top 36.

Annop Desai, the 21-year-old college student that we first met at the Kansas City auditions.  We caught a glimpse of him in Round 1 of Hollywood and last night he sang “My Prerogative.”

Von Smith sang “Over the Rainbow” in his Kansas City audition.  But we haven’t seen the 22-year-old singer since Hollywood’s Round 1.

Alex Wagner-Trugman won a sing off against pal Cody Sheldon for his spot.  During the Phoenix audition, Alex told us about how he taught himself to sing in a closet, but had to stop because the mold made him sick.  Since then we haven’t seen the 19-year-old college student.

Adam Lambert was in the cast of Wicked before he auditioned in San Francisco.  But we only got to see the 26-year-old stage actor perform once during Hollywood – in Round 3.

Taylor Vaifanua’s parents moved back to the mainland so that the 16-year-old high school student could get her break.  She impressed the judges in her audition in Salt Lake City and we got a glimpse of her again during as a member of the Rainbow Coalition on group day in Hollywood.

Jasmine Murray came to the audition in Jacksonville with a lot of family support among her sisters.  But the 16-year-old high school student has wowed me during every round of Hollywood.

Arianna Afsar is the 16-year-old who told us in Phoenix about the Adopt-a-Grandfriend program she started.  While she was impressive during her audition, we haven’t seen her perform during Hollywood.

Casey Carlson is a 20-year-old bubble tea maker we met in Kansas City when she sang “A Thousand Miles.”  We got to see her again during Round 3 where she struggled with lyrics.

Megan Corkrey, a 23-year-old font designer going through a divorce, auditioned in Salt Lake City, but we haven’t seen her since.

Mishavonna Henson, the 18-year-old we met for the first time in Round 3, audition in Phoenix this year.  Last year she made it as far as Hollywood before getting cut.

Stevie Wright was told by Simon in her Phoenix audition to grow some teeth.  We haven’t seen the 16-year-old in Hollywood to know if she’s taken that advice to heart.

Joanna Pacitti was recognized by Kara during her Louisville audition as having had a previous record contest.  But the 23-year-old struggled with lyrics during the Hollywood Round 3.

Felicia Barton got a last minute reprieve and got added to the Top 36 after Joanna got disqualified.  Felicia auditioned in Louisville, but we haven’t seen the 26-year-old bar singer and mom during Hollywood.

Kendall Beard hasn’t had much screen time.  The 23-year-old college student auditioned in Puerto Rico

Kristen McNamara, who auditioned in Louisville, beat out Jenn Korbee in a sing off.  The 22-year-old survived the group day drama to sing Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You” in Round 3.

Alexis Grace, the 20-year-old stay-at-home mom wowed us during the audition in Louisville, but we didn’t get to see her again until she took on Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” in Round 3.

Scott Macintyre, the visually impaired pianist, auditioned in Phoenix.  But the 23-year-old looked very comfortable behind the keyboard when he performed in Round 3.

Lil Rounds told us about a tornado that hit her home when she auditioned in Kansas City.  Since then the 23-year-old customer service representative and mom of three has proved that she’s a vocal powerhouse with performances in Rounds 1 and 3.

Jessie Langseth beat out Frankie Jordan in a sing off.  Unfortunately, the sing off was the first time we’ve seen this 25-year-old perform.  She auditioned in Kansas City.

Allison Iraheta is a 16-year-old who auditioned in San Francisco, but we haven’t seen her in Hollywood.

Danny Gokey recently lost his wife and auditioned in Phoenix with his friend Jamar Rogers who got cut tonight.  The 28-year-old music teacher has had solid performances through all three rounds of Hollywood.

Ricky Braddy is a new face.  Although the 25-year-old auditioned in Louisville, tonight is the first time we’ve seen him.  We have not yet heard him sing.

Matt Giraud, the 23-year-old dueling pianist, auditioned in Louisville.  During the group round he was part of the impressive White Chocolate group and he sang “Georgia” in the third round.

Ju’Not Joyner auditioned in New York City, but the first time we got to see the 23-year-old was in Round 3.

Jorge Nunez impressed the judges with his accent during the Puerto Rico auditions.  We also saw the 20-year-old during Round 1.

Brent Keith is a traveling musician who auditioned in Louisville. However, we haven’t seen the 28-year-old during Hollywood week.

Stephen Fowler auditioned in New York City, but we didn’t get to hear him sing until the first round of Hollywood.  While Round 1 was impressive, the 26-year-old struggled during Round 3.

Nick Mitchell has entertained the judges since his New York City audition with alter ego Norman Gentle.  We saw the 27-year-old don the persona again in Rounds 1 and 3 and apparently the judges like it because they told him they expected to see it during the rest of the competition.

Jackie Tohn’s start in the music business began at a young age when her father taught her the piano.  And although she carried a guitar to the audition in New York City, we did not see the 27-year-old actor/singer use it when she performed in Round 1 of Hollywood.

Tatiana Del Toro auditioned in San Francisco with a creepy laugh.  Since then the 23-year-old singer/actor/model has brought nothing but drama to Rounds 2 and 3.  She left this round with a ring from Paula.

Nathaniel Marshall beat out pal Jackie Midkiff in a sing off.  The 18-year-old auditioned in New York City, but we didn’t see him for the first time until Round 1 where he begged the judges for a reprieve.  Despite the drama of the group performance he survived to perform in Round 3.

Jeanine Vailes auditioned in San Francisco, but we have yet to hear the 27-year-old sing.

Kai Kalama plays music at night so he could take care of his ailing mother.  The 26-year-old auditioned in San Francisco and performed during Round 3.

Anne Marie Boskovich actually auditioned twice in Jacksonville.  After her first try, Simon told her to come back and show them who she really was.  We’ve also seen the 22-year-old nanny perform in Rounds two and three.

Kris Allen auditioned in Louisville, but the only time we’ve seen the 23-year-old perform was during the White Chocolate group performance.

Matt Breitzke took a chance from his family responsibilities to audition in Kansas City.  The only other time we’ve seen the 27-year-old welder perform was during the group round.

Michael Sarver auditioned in Phoenix.  Since then we’ve seen the 27-year-old roughneck sing in all three Hollywood rounds.  He’s my favorite male contender.

From here, the contestants will perform in groups of 12.  First up are Casey, Stephen, Jackie, Ricky, Anne Marie, Brent, Alexis, Michael, Stevie, Danny, Tatiana and Anoop.

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Drama Queen Survives Idol’s Hollywood Round 3

It looks like more faces survived this third cut of American’s Idol’s Hollywood week than didn’t as the judges sent contestants of only one of four rooms home.  Many of the top favorites put in stellar performances to seal their fate.  But also among the surviving was drama queen Tatiana Del Torro.

Should she have survived?

In her audition, she scared us with the creepy laugh and last week we saw Tatiana torpedo two groups with her drama.  Tonight, I was sure she’d be gone.  Her performance was mediocre, but what was really weird was how much she congratulated herself afterwards.

But if the judges wanted to see how far they could push this girl, they nearly succeed in sending her over the edge when they played musical rooms with her.  In the end, she got at least one more reprieve.

Overall, the evening moved quickly as we were shown glimpse of many of the final Hollywood solo performances.

The men put in strong performances to kick off the night.

Stage actor Adam Lambert chose to sing Cher’s “Believe.”  While I thought the song choice was a little weird he held his own and will be back tomorrow night.  Anoop Desai put in a decent performance of “My Prerogative.”  Jorge Nunez also put in a solid performance.

My favorite male is still roughneck Michael Sarver who sang Westlife’s “All or Nothing.”

Buddies Jamar Rogers and Danny Gokey will also be returning.  Jamar surprised me with a decent rendition of “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T.  I’m not a big fan of Jamar’s but I think his performances are improving.  However, I liked Ju’Not Joyner’s version of the song better.  Tonight was the first time we’ve seen the real estate consultant who auditioned in New York City.

Danny also chose a song that was better sung by another contestant.  But then again I thought Lee Ann Womak’s “I Hope You Dance” was a weird song choice for him to begin with.  I don’t think it highlighted his talents. 

However, I did think the song was better suited for Anne Marie Boskovich who will also be retuning.

Several of the contestants took the opportunity to add an instrument to their performance.  Maybe it was the keyboard that saved Stephen Fowler (he was in the first room to get the good news) who struggled with his solo performance.  Also returning was Nathaniel Marshall who played the guitar to Rihanna’s “Disturbia. 

But looking really at home behind that keyboard was pianist Scott MacIntyre who would have made Chris Daughtry proud of his version of “I’m Going Home.”

But MacIntyre wasn’t the only contesting banking on the hit of a former Idol for a pass to the next round.  Among the best was Jasmine Murray’s rendition of Jordin Spark’s “Tattoo.  Murray remains one of my favorites.

Kristin McNamara made it through with her version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You.”  Outside of last week’s drama, we got to see that McNamara doesn’t have a bad voice.  And Alexis Grace put in a solid performance of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheat” to return.

Lil Rounds, singing Jennifer Lopez’s “Baby I Love You” proved that she is a contender too.

Others were feeling the stress.  Despite struggling with lyrics, Joanne Pacitti, the contestant that had a previous contract, and bubble tea maker Casey Carlson will be returning tomorrow.  Kai Kalama was also reprieved even though he was having some issues with his voice.

The other big surprise of the night was Nick Mitchell who put on his Norman Gentle persona for “Georgia” and earned a reprieve.  The performance was funny, but the man can sing.

And although we didn’t get to hear them sing we learned that Arianna Afsar, Jackie Thon, Jackie Midkiff, Cody Sheldon, Matt Breitzke, Alicia Barton and T.K. Hash were also in the rooms that got the good news.

In the dreaded Room 3, we say goodbye to Michael Castro, Kaylan Loyd, Lenesha Young and India Morrison.

I really liked this round because we got to see more contestants sing.  However, the way they left the decision to the end made it difficult to see how everyone faired.

Tomorrow they cut the list to the Top 36.

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Bikini Girl Blows Idol’s Hollywood Round 2

Drama was the name of the game during the second round of American Idol’s Hollywood phase as contestants team up and the competition turns cut throat. 

A real diva is hiding behind that smile. Photo courtesy American Idol

Catfights, name calling, everything but hair pulling made this round of Idol look more like an episode of Survivor instead of a talent contest.  We endured 30 minutes of squabbling before we ever got to see anyone sing.

Producers might think that conflict sells, but we want to see it on stage!

Two familiar faces were leading the drama during rehearsals.

Showing her true side – and let me tell you it wasn’t pretty – was none other than Bikini Girl.  First Katrina Darrell bails on rehearsing with her team because she was “tired.”  Then her team had to come to her room to find her the morning of the performance and she blows them off.  Finally, at the last minute she shows up. 

And when Jasmine Murray became the only one in their group to make the cut – and Jasmine deserved it – Katrina refused to congratulate her.

But stirring up trouble worked out a little better for Tatiana Del Torro.  No sign of her creepy laugh as she jumped ship from her group during rehearsal, joined another group and then abandoned them to return to the original group.

However, everyone in Tatiana’s original group made it through to the next round including two that we saw for the first time – Kaylan Lloyd from the Louisville auditions and Muna Hiluf who auditioned in Phoenix.

The group that Tatiana joined temporarily did not fare as well.  Team Compromise was less than impressive, but the judges let through two of its three members – Nathaniel Marshall, who performed better tonight than in Round 1 and a new face from the Louisville auditions Kristin McNamara. 

Many others did not survivor Group Night including Emily Wynne-Hughes who bailed on her girl band to audition for Idol and Rose Flack who forgot the words.

But the most shocking cut was David Osmond.  What was so bad that the Osmond got cut so early in the competition?  We don’t know.  They never showed his team perform.

But among the wreckage a couple groups rose in harmony.

White Chocolate made an awesome quartet.  India Morrison from Kansas City along with Louisville auditioners Matt Giraud and Kris Allen joined a fresh face – Justin Williams from the Phoenix auditions – to make sweet music.  If these guys don’t make it on Idol, they should form a group.

The only other group we saw unanimously passed was the Rainbow Coalition that included buddies Danny Gokey and Jamar Rogers and 16-year-old Taylor Vaifanua.  I didn’t catch the name of their fourth member.

A few others we saw survived their group included Austin Sisneros, J.B. Ahfua, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Anne Marie Boskovich, Michael Sarver, Adam Lambert, Matt Breitzke, and Jesse Langseth.

In all 75 made the cut and will remain for Round 3.

 

 

 

 

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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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Idol Jonesing for Talent in Jacksonville

I’m starting to get a bad feeling about Season 8 of American Idol after watching the slim pickings at the Jacksonville auditions.  Only 16 tickets were given out tonight.

Let’s face it the judges were more entertaining than the Day 1 contenders.  First they mixed it up with Simon sitting next to Kara and Randy to the right of Paula.  They really mixed up the seating arrangements later when Paula sat on Simon’s lap and Ryan sat on Kara’s because the friend of an auditioner sat on Randy’s lap.

We were also treated to a weird scene were Paula pretended to give Kara a kiss for what seemed no apparent reason.  And during another audition, Paula got up and walked out when no one asked her opinion on the singer.  Anyone else see foreshadowing there?

Due to some technical difficulties with my local Fox station, I didn’t get to see the first few minutes and judging by what the judges let through that first day I’m not sure I’m missing anything.

I tuned in in time to see Joshua Ulloa add a few sound effects to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” to win a spot in Hollywood.  Personally I just thought it was weird.

Next up Sharon Wilbur asked Simon to hold her dog Sasha while she sang “Superstar” by Karen Carpenter.  Simon must have gotten really attached to that dog, because I still can’t figure out what the judges saw in that performance.

But the judges were definitely seeing or at least hearing something I wasn’t because then they put through beauty queen Julissa Veloz whose performance was anything but flattering to Whitney Houston.

Even the rejects were boring for Day 1, but things were looking up the next day when we met three real contenders.

Accompanied by her adoring sisters, Jasmine Murray showed us that “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”  Not only did she have a nice voice, but as Simon put it, she was cute and commercial.

Also winning a ticket was two-time auditioner T.K. Hash.  I don’t remember having seen T.K. audition before, but I liked him tonight.  Randy thought his version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” was over the top.  I was more impressed with it that I was with Archuleta’s last year.

And the last golden ticket winner we saw was Anne Marie Boskovich.  The judges actually made her come back twice.  I don’t know why since she obviously had strong enough voice to be a real contender.  They told her she need to show her inner star and she did with Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly.

The second day was much better than the first in Jacksonville, but overall the talent was pretty thin.  Tomorrow Idol heads to the home of last year’s runner up David Archuleta – Salt Lake City.

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