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11 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Alexis Grace, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Annop Desai, auditions, Brent Keith, Casey Carlson, Danny Gokey, entertainment, Fox, Hollywood, Jackie Tohn, Kara DioGuardi, Kodak Theatre, Michael Sarver, Music, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ricky Braddy, Ryan Seacrest, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Stephen Fowler, Stevie Wright, Tatiana Del Toro, Television, tv | Permalink
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Alexis Finds Some Soul during Idol’s First 12

February 18, 2009

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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13 Comments | American Idol, Pop Culture, Reality, Television | Tagged: Alexis Grace, American Idol, Anne Marie Boskovich, Annop Desai, auditions, Brent Keith, Casey Carlson, Danny Gokey, entertainment, Fox, Hollywood, Jackie Tohn, Kara DioGuardi, Kodak Theatre, Michael Sarver, Music, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, reality show, Ricky Braddy, Ryan Seacrest, Season 8, Simon Cowell, Stephen Fowler, Stevie Wright, Tatiana Del Toro, Television, tv | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Idol Announces Top 36, Joanna Pacitti Disqualified

February 12, 2009

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

February 11, 2009

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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