or...
"C'mon Seacrest, get ON WITH IT!! I'm sick of this fluff that you guys pad your 2 hour results show with!" - Mort Shuman watching the first part of a THREE HOUR results program
I'm back kids. Here to give you my thoughts about this year's crop of American Idol wannabes. I did get some positive feedback from last year's writings (either that, or you didn't want to hurt my feelings), so I figured I'd give it another go. So let's get on with it, shall we?
Let me first start by saying that there were a few that DIDN'T make it that I genuinely liked. And there were some in the top 24 who I'm still scratching my head about. Part of the problem with a show like American Idol is that they never just show you all the contestants - they pick and choose certain ones to highlight, and thus when we get to this point, there are certain people I have no idea if they can sing or not. The first time I'm seeing them in Hollywood week. I really think I need to start flying out to Cali to attend these auditions in person so I can really get the true experience. Alas, that isn't happening, so I'll just have to go on what I see on the TV.
Here are some that I'm kinda bummed didn't make it:
Tasha Layton - She was the worship pastor who auditioned in LA. I thought her voice as great, and was shocked she didn't make it through. Maybe it was their though of her as not having star power.
Mary Powers - She was the "older rock chick" - sure she was a little cocky, but I looked at that as confidence. I thought she would have made the show more interesting. Although I didn't care for her "Hot and Cold" rendition.
By the way, if I hear "Man in the Mirror" one more time...enough! rip MJ...BUT ENOUGH!
Shelby Dressel - I was disappointed in her leaving. I think she came a long way from when we first saw her, and I've NEVER heard anyone do "More Than a Feeling" on the show before (and did it well!). Good luck Shelby...
OK, and while I'm at it, can I just say that Jessica Furney's rejection was painful to watch. I appreciate her determination, but the judges made a decision. It's OK to be upset, but she just wouldn't leave. I had to fast forward past it.
ANYWAY, here are my brief thoughts on all who made it through, then I'll tell you my top guys and top girls, and who I think will be better this year.
Michael Lynche - "Big Mike"...I liked his version of "Waiting on the World to Change" much better than his version of "I'm Yours", but I agreed with this decision. He's got charisma and can sing.
Katelyn Epperly - Cute girl, and my wife likes her hair. Indifferent on her. Wasn't blown away. Hoping she proves me wrong.
Didi Benami - Solid singer. Could be this year's Brooke White?
Casey James - I'm sensing a little bit of cockiness on his part, but I really like this guy's voice. I called him pretty early on as making it through to the top 24 - that was too easy. Plus, Kara digs him. :^)
Aaron Kelly - While he did have a good performance (can't remember the song, though!), I don't see any star presence. Granted, the kid is only 16, but there have been other 16 year olds who I felt more confident about.
Lee Dewyze - Didn't really see it on the performances, other than a few powerful moments here and there. Again, didn't wow me with anything. And very low confidence walking up to the judges.
Todrick Hall - I like this guy...he's a good singer, dancer and has a great personality. Impressed.
Janell Wheeler - Not really impressed with her voice, but certainly LOOKS the part. Cute girls with great legs too! Seems like a genuine person, as well. I think the judges see potential for her to get better, but I'm going to reserve judgement until I see a few more performances.
Tyler Grady - When I first saw him, I thought it was the lead singer of the Hives! Certainly has the rock and roll LOOK, and his voice was good, but nothing really jumped out at me. I personally wouldn't have put him through, but again, maybe he'll surprise me.
Lacey Brown - I only heard her version of "What a Wonderful World" AFTER they put her through, but I liked what I heard. So sure, why not...plus, she almost made it last year, so she's probably good enough (again, didn't hear much of her to really make a decision...)
Ashley Rodriguez - No idea about her. Again, I need to be in Hollywood so I can hear all of these performances!! Either that, or I should have paid more attention to last week's shows!! I was too busy shoveling snow and questioning whether should go into work. But I digress....
Alex Lambert - Wait, wasn't he the runner up last year? Oh, wait, that was ADAM Lambert. Again, drawing a blank on this guy. Not sure if it was that he wasn't very memorable, or I didn't pay attention well enough. We'll see...
Joe Munoz - See Alex and Ashley...I really need to brush up on this season so far!
Crystal Bowersox - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this girl...easily one of my early favorites. She has rocked every performance I've seen, and I look forward to hearing her throughout this season. Go Crystal!
Katie Stevens - Adorable girl with a nice voice. Solid choice.
Lilly Scott - Goodbye Sandwich making, hello Idol! I loved her first performance, as well as her audition. One of my favorites, "Rich Girl" notwithstanding. I like this girl a lot.
Paige Miles - No idea about her...did I miss a few shows this season so far?
Siobhan Magnus - Kinda reminds me looks wise of Demi Lovato with a little Molly Ringwald 80's fashion sense mixed in. Oh, and I enjoyed her singing as well. Girls got some pipes! Wasn't there a "Siobhan" in Bananarama? This girl just screams 80's! :^)
Michelle Delamore - Don't remember much about her, other than seeing her over and over during the telecast waiting for her results!
Jermaine Sellers - This is the guy who threw the band under the bus! And he sang "Man in the Mirror", I think.
John Park - Flip Flopped on this guy during his initial audition - didn't know if I liked his voice or not. And again, apparently I missed a show last week (or two) because I don't remember him singing in Hollywood! Grrrr.....
Haeley Vaughn - I like this girl, and I'm going to predict she will get better and better as this season goes on. Although, she has two things going against her: 1) She's 16 and that's usually a big question mark how she'll react to the pressure, and 2) those boots - gotta lose those. lol - seriously, she has potential. I think song choice will be key for her (well, that's a dumb statement - it's important for them ALL!!)
Andrew Garcia - Another one of my favorites...his rendition of "Straight Up" was awesome. Really glad that he made it!!
So that's it...wait....that's only 11 guys listed above? Did I miss someone? Now they are recapping the picks at the end credits on tonight's AI....hey! Who is that Dirk Diggler looking guy? He made it? I don't recall seeing him make it. Tim Urban? And wait! STOP THE PRESSES!! When AI takes a wide shot of the guys, it doesn't appear that Tim Urban/Dirk Diggler is there, but this other guy (who I can't remember his name, but he bounced around from foster home to foster home as a kid...) IS there! But there is no mention of him when Seacrest reads the names...hmmmm...did someone already get kicked off and he's filling in? Or was he (orphanage guy) there originally, but REPLACED by Dirk Diggler look alike? I'm so confused...
Who IS this guy (aka the guy from the foster homes)
Quick update - apparently, he was chosen, but then kicked off because he didn't disclose a prior contract?
With that, I'll TRY to pick my top singers, although it's clearly evident that I haven't watched enough of the show this season to know all the players. But based on who I saw, these are the ones I like:
Guys
Casey James
Andrew Garcia
Michael "Big Mike" Lynche
Todrick Hall
Girls
Crystal Bowersox
Lilly Scott
Siobhan Magnus
Didi Bonami
Katie Stevens
Haeley Vaughn
I think overall the girls may be stronger this season, but we'll see how it plays out when we get down to the final 12. There are honestly some people above I have not heard at all, so I may have to adjust this after next week. But I really like Crystal Bowersox, Lilly Scott, Siobhan Magnus, Casey James and Andrew Garcia.
Looking forward to another fun season! Bring it on AI! I promise I'll try to keep these under 1000 words...yeah right!! Lol...see ya next week!
Good observations. I really like Crystal (though she needs some major teeth bleaching) and Andrew Garcia. They are my top two so far. They are both amazing. I predict that they'll both be in the top 5, though I know it's really early.
ReplyDeleteI am also stumped on why they let a few people go and a few people stay. Tasha and Shelby should've been moved to the top 24. I'm stumped. I also liked Thaddeus better than a couple of the guys who they kept (like Lee). I feel like I don't even know a few of the folks who they moved through. And some of the ones they moved through may have been moved just based on looks or style (I mean, Tyler's got a cool style, but not as talented as others).
We'll see...
I love that you go 9 months in between postings! I'll check back in November for your next post. :-)
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