Season 11 - Week 1 - The Girls

Last night, I gave you my run down of the guys' performances. Now, it's the girls turn. I'll try not to be too biased or fall in love with any of these girls...as you know, in the past, I've kinda had some crushes on some of these ladies, but I can assure you each one could sing. I swear...

Going to do it a little different from last night - I'll review each performance in the order they appeared. A little easier that way. Here goes.

Chelsea Sorrell - I don't remember this girl from Hollywood. I can't really tell you what I notice first (hard to miss), but once she settles in, she's not bad. A little pitchy in some spots, but overall, a good performance. It's not something I'll remember in particular, but then again, I don't remember most of the previous season's performances! Good job Chelsea.

Erika Van Pelt - Full disclosure here. Erika reminds me of Molly Ringwald for some reason. So I'm pre-disposed to like her. But she can definitely sing - in fact, she was one of my favorites from her first audition. She takes on Heart's "What About Love" from the mid 80's. She looks REALLY different from her previous auditions - I love her new look! And it's a strong performance. I agree with J Lo - she could have gone even bigger with the song, but it's still very good. Solid and professional. I hope she sticks around because she seems like a very polished, seasoned performer who will get stronger each week she is around.

Jen Hirsch - So from one of my favorite performers to another. LOVE Jen - was a big fan from Hollywood. I don't think this performance was as good as I know she can be - her big voice finally shows up towards the end of the song, but I was hoping for more of that throughout the song. Having said that, I have no doubt whatsoever that this girl can sing. And she'll get even better as this competition goes on (just like Erika). I just hope she makes this first cut. Still a big fan, Jen.

Brielle Von Hugel - My friend Karen claims that Brielle is this season's Haley - that is, someone that she can't stand. I liked her performance tonight, with the exception of her pronunciation of "Georgia". :^) Steven thought that part was great. Eh. But I thought it was really good. Sorry Karen! As J Lo said, it was entertaining.

Hallie Day - As much grief as I gave Adam last night for being a Steelers fan, I GOTTA give much love to my hometown girl Hallie Day, who undoubtedly supports the AFC North Champion Baltimore Ravens. Ok, taking sports out of this, she sings "Feelin' Good" by Nina Simone, which seems to be played at least 10 times each season. While I won't say she slays the song, she does a really good job with it and finished very strong. I see a bright future for this girl - keep it up Hallie! Oh, and GO RAVENS! BALTIMORE baby!! :^)

I have not heard a truly bad performance yet! What's going on here?? Uh oh...did I just jinx the girls coming up??

Skylar Lane - I didn't like this girl at all during Hollywood, but I'll give her credit. She REALLY gets into "Stay With Me", turning it into a country romp. Even thought Country really isn't my favorite genre, she has fun with this song, and I like it. Sure, she goes a little "off the rails" (first time using that term this year!!), but it's hard not to love her energy. Mini-Reba kicked some behind tonight.

Baylie Brown - While there is little doubt she is a very attractive young lady, her performance of "Amazed" by Rascal Flatts is, to me, the first dud performance of the evening. Pitchy -and at times painfully so. You can see the look on the judges faces. Not good. Sure I've heard worse, but compared to the other performances so far this evening, nowhere near as strong. But wow, she should be on a Soap Opera. And when Steven criticizes you (well, for him...if you can to call it criticism), you know it's bad. All 3 judges said she looked really good. Again, not a great sign.

Hollie Cavanagh - After Baylie's performance, Hollie's is a breath of fresh air. She's got a really strong voice, and while the song itself is not one of my favorites, she really does a great job. You can clearly tell she's got a powerful voice. Great job Hollie. Just pick a better song next time! Oh, and she's cute too...darn it, I said I wasn't going to comment on the looks!

Haley Johnsen - I have a feeling this will be the worst performance of the night. Awful song choice and an even worse execution of it. She's basically just screaming most of "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics. Ugh. I have nothing left to say except she shouldn't come back based on this dreck. Yuk!!!

Shannon Magrane - Hard to believe she's only 16 - wow. I think I said the exact same thing last week. While the song was unbelievably boring, Shannon does a good job with it. Not as polished at certain points during the song, she really belts it out at other times. I have no doubt she should stick around because a) she's young, b) she's attractive, c) she can sing and d) she's so much taller than Ryan, and it's funny looking at her standing next to him. Very nice work Shannon!

Jessica Sanchez - While she gets off to a rocky start, she really picks it up and ends up with quite a powerhouse performance. Always find it amazing when these big, powerful voices come out of some of the smallest people in the competition. She really does a great job with this, and could be a front runner if she keeps this up! Great job Jessica - completely surprised me.

Elise Testone - Sitting at the piano, singing the same Adele song that Jen Hirsch sang, Elise really impresses me. I really love her dark, husky voice. She will be a force to reckon with, I believe, in this competition. Great job Elise - way to end the show on a very, very high note!

Wow...how do you pick just 5 from this lineup?? Nearly impossible. But if I had to do it, I'm going with Erika Van Pelt, Jen Hirsch, Hallie Day, Jessica Sanchez and Elise Testone. VERY closely behind would be Shannon Magrane and Hollie Cavanagh and Skylar Lane. With honorable mention to Brielle (that's for you Karen!).

Tune in tomorrow to see who the top 10 plus 3 wild cards are!

Season 11 - Week 1 - The Guys

Hey everyone...back for a quick (well, not really...) posting about tonight's performances. Overall, wasn't very impressed with either the song choices or the delivery of most of these songs. Thinking the ladies tomorrow night will do MUCH better that most of the guys tonight.

A few did stand out, though. Here were my favorites:

Joshua Ledet - Hands down, best performance of the night. If he doesn't make it through, there is something wrong with the voting system they have there, and he would certainly come back as a wild card. Dude was great in Hollywood and Vegas, and he really was great tonight. A much better singer than the gospel guy they had on last season. Not even close.

Reed Grimm - I liked his jazzy interpretation of "Moves Like Jagger". Yes, I know if you're a fan of the original, you probably hated it. And plenty will not like this guy because I can see him getting under people's skin. But I am entertained by his performances, and I just enjoy seeing the obvious joy he gets while being on stage. I don't think it's an act (well, they are ALL acts...).

Creighton Fraker - Sure, he's a little over the top, but at least he breathed some life into the song. Good performance - better than most tonight! Somewhere Adam Lambert is smiling.

Jermaine Jones - If I hear the words "Gentle Giant" one more time. The rich, smooth sounds of JJ worked tonight. Good job - glad they brought this cat back, although I was also hoping for that kid who looked younger than 17 who went up against that Eben kid came back as well. Regardless, I don't think Jermaine will stay, but he could get a wild card vote because he really is different (in a good way) from all the other guys. Can you imagine a Jermaine and Deandre duet? Wow...that would be...interesting.

Phillip Phillips - Or, Phil Phillips. Or Dave Matthews. Serious, the Dave Matthews spastic leg has got to stop. I thought I would hate this when he started and I still didn't really think it was a good song choice when he was done. But nothing he did tonight convinced me otherwise that PP shouldn't stick around, at least for another week. Hope he picks a fun song next week.

Now onto the "eh" performances:

Heejun Han - Heejun and I could hang out and be friends. He's hilarious, seems like a really nice guy, and while he picked a song that to me is "blah", I still think he should stick around. Not a great performance, but nowhere near as bad as the judges made him out to be. I mean, they practically gushed over everyone else, but gave him a little crap for his work tonight?!

Aaron Marcellus - Decent job of Never Can Say Goodbye...at least he had some energy, and has a very good voice. But didn't really stand out to me as a great overall performance.

Adam Brock - Uninspired. I liked Adam in the previous shows, but he took on a really big song tonight and it just didn't work for me, except for a strong ending. Siobhan Magnus sang this a few seasons back, and sang it a lot better in my opinion. Plus, I found out he's a Steelers fan (sorry Karen), so that's a strike against him! :^) Seriously, I found his lack of stage presence not doing him any favors tonight. Far from bad, but also far from amazing (even though it should have been).

Colton Dixon - I don't buy this guy. Yes, he's a servicable singer, but I just can't get past the hair and the look. It just screams to me "I'm going to be that alternative rock star guy...". I liked his sister much more, but that's another story. :^) He's not bad, just doesn't blow me away.

Jeremy Rosado - Eh. Another who put me to sleep. Good voice, but boring song. He won't be here next week.

And now the bleeding ears performances:

Deandre Brackensick - Trying to sound like Phillip Bailey of Earth, Wind and Fire is a dicey proposition to begin with (because you need to be REALLY good to pull it off), and I think he failed miserably. Didn't care for this one bit. Yuk.

Chase Likens - Ugh. How did this guy get on the show?? No idea - he really was horrible tonight. No personality, and his voice was so BORING. I just don't get it. And before you say I don't like country, that's not true. I like Shania Twain and Faith Hill. :^) And Demi Lovato. Oh wait...she's not country. Still...me no likens Chase Likens. If he makes it through, I stop watching. And the Michael Jackson kick? What was THAT??!

Eben Franckewitz - Look, he could be on Disney Channel next week, guest starring on "Shake It Up" or "Big Time Rush" (wait, is that Nickelodeon?)...he's got the Bieb's hair, and I'm sure the young girls all think he's dreamy. But he's not ready for this. Didn't care for him trying to sing Adele (!) - didn't work at all, and at times, sounded awful Should have never made it to the top 12 Guys, but I understand why they did it. I just don't agree.

So there you go...I could see any of my top 10 listed above moving on, but please don't let Deandre, Chase or Eben through. Ugh.

American Idol - Season 11...The standouts so far...

Welcome back to my American Idol Blog - I will be honest and tell you I didn't watch too many of the auditions this year. After 10 seasons, I'm tired of having to hear the horrible singers during the audition rounds - singers that the producers KNOW are bad, but put them on for entertainment purposes. It's a tired formula, and having someone like Ryan Seacrest continue to act surprised and fake a rapport with some of these "singers" is a joke. Lizard Lick Towing is more realistic. Ok, maybe not. Still, enough with the Seacrest crap.

I have been watching since Hollywood, though, and I think I have a pretty good feeling on who my favorites are so far. I would bet that most of these people will make it to the top 24. That could also be because the Idol producers have focused on many of these people, but then again, these people are talented (at least in my eye). Some really good singers so far...can't wait for the Top 24 to take the stage!

One more thing - I just want to go on record and say that it's a shame that Schyler Dixon got booted - I really liked her, and thought she clearly deserved to go on. Not a huge fan of her brother, who will probably make it to the top 24. I also think Eben Franckewitz could be on the Disney Channel right now, but as a singer, he's not quite there yet. But he'll probably make it as well since he's marketable.

Anyway, onto my favorites so far....

The Guys

Adam Brock – Soulful voice, in the tradition of Joe Cocker…reminds me of a more polished and older Casey Abrams.

Creighton Fraker – The starving artist from New York is just enough over the top without being obnoxious. This guy has some pipes…

David Leathers – The 17 year old who looks like he’s 12, this guy has the style and charm to go far. He doesn’t sleigh like some of the others, but he’s good.

Heejun Han – This guy is quite a character. Really smooth, distinctive voice. I think he’s a lock to make it to the top 24, especially since they have been focusing on him for so long (and rightly so).

Jeremy Rosado – Guy’s got a smooth voice…I’m impressed. That’s all I have to say.

Joshua Ledet – I think I would buy this guy’s album tomorrow…what a voice. Awesome, soulful, unique.

Phil Phillips – A younger version of Adam Brock (Casey Abrams), with a little Dave Matthew’s feet kickin’ thrown in for good measure. And with THAT name, how can he NOT move forward??

Reed Grimm – I think this dude is awesome…yeah, he’s a bit over the top, but he’s extremely entertaining. I suspect he’ll turn a lot of people off, though. It’s a love him or hate him thing…I think he’s pretty darn good. Another Casey Abrams type.

The Girls

Erika Van Pelt – Really liked her since day 1…the wedding singer who kinda reminds me of Molly Ringwald, in some way. I dig her…

Hallie Day – She’s from my hometown (Baltimore), she’s good looking and she can sing. What is there not to like?

Jen Hirsh – Just an amazing voice…will be STUNNED if she doesn’t make it through to the top 24…wait, no, the top 12!! Go Jen! Maybe my favorite girl so far…

Shannon Magrane – wow…she’s 16?!!? This girl can SING. She’s very cute and talented…she’ll make it through to the top 24. I really liked Steven Tyler calling her hot, right in front of her dad, former MLB pitcher Joe Magrane! Classic….

Wendy Taylor – She really impressed me in the last round…powerful voice.