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Latest American Idol update: Who is going home first?
We finally get through all the preliminaries and reach the point where America gets to vote for the favorites on Idol. All I can say is: about time.
Kelle and Craig handed me the keys to the blog for the night. (Mom, Dad: I promise I will be careful.)
Idol changed the way we get to our 12 finalists. For each of the next three weeks, a mixed group of 12 contestants performs. The top male singer and top female singer each advance, as does the third-highest vote-getter each week. That gets us to nine finalists, and the remaining three will come from a wildcard show.
Here’s my rundown of the 12 contestants:
Jackie Tohn draws the first slot and sings Elvis Presley’s “Little Less Conversation” to show off her rock skills.
My take: I thought her singing was off, and her outfit was way off. I think it’s one and done for Jackie.
The judges’ take: Randy, Kara and Paula thought the vocals were a bit off but praised Jackie as an entertainer. Simon sided with me, saying, “I don’t think you did yourself any favors tonight.”
Ricky Braddy is up next and belts out a Leon Russell tune that he nails. He even has his own early fan club, The Braddy Bunch, even if it is just his parents.
My take: It’s not what you think you are going to hear when you listen to him in the pre-song interview, but it’s a pleasant surprise.
The judges’ take: Amazing and unbelievable are comments from Randy, Kara and Paula. Simon agreed to a point on the vocals but said Braddy lacked star quality.
Alexis Grace tackles Aretha Franklin’s “Never Loved a Man.”
My take: She surprised me with the depth of the vocals. An excellent performance.
The judges’ take: Randy, Kara and Paula loved what’s come out of Alexis, “and what’s inside of you is so large,” Paula said. Simon agreed and compared her to Kelly Clarkson at this point eight years ago. High praise indeed.
We get a chance to root for a fellow Ohioan when Brent Keith of Blanchester takes the stage. He sings “Hicktown” for what he called a “good, rocking country song.”
My take: It was a so-so performance that simply isn’t going to cut it. I was hoping for more from the guy with ties to our region.
The judges’ take: Randy, Kara and Paula thought Keith played it safe but was true to his country roots with the song. Simon said, “It’s not safe, it’s forgettable.”
Next up is Stevie Wright, one of the youngest competitors in the show’s history. She picks “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift.
My take: It started out rough for me, and suddenly I am reminded why I think Swift is a good performer live but not a good singer live. Stevie just had too many problems to make it to another round.
The judges’ take: Randy, Kara and Paula wanted Stevie to pick a younger song, but they thought this one still wasn’t the right one. Simon, in his usual, charming way, summed it up: “There is zero chance of you making it through to the next round.”
The Noop Dog, Anoop Desai, chooses “Angel of Mine” by Monica.
My take: I thought the vocals were fine for the most part, but the song choice wasn’t the best for him. I had hoped for more.
The judges’ take: Randy, Kara and Simon all say Anoop has massive likeability and pull for him to make it through, despite not loving this performance. Paula was more positive than the other three.
Casey Carlson tries The Police and “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.”
My take: Casey will need some magic to advance. It was a bad song choice, bad vocals and bad stage presence, but good that it finally ended.
The judges’ take: It was unanimous that the song choice was all wrong, and they didn’t think the vocals were much better. Kara agreed that the dancing was “so overdone.”
Michael Sarver, the oil rig worker and family man we grew to love in earlier weeks, picks “I Don’t Wanna Be” by Gavin DeGraw.
My take: I wanted him to be better because I really liked him, but the vocals were average and the performance so-so.
The judges’ take: Randy, Kara and Simon thought Michael picked the wrong song and had trouble, but they rooted for him to keep going because he is so likeable. Paula disagreed with the rest, saying, “I thought you did a realy good job.”
Ann Marie Boskovich attempts to tame “Natural Woman.”
My take: A big song that makes me wonder if she can handle it. Uh, no, not really. She just didn’t get it done.
The judges’ take: Ann Marie is just not good enough for that song, Randy, Kara and Simon agree. Paula thought it was actually better than her earlier performances.
Another Ohioan, Stephen Fowler of Cleveland, is up next. He’s the one who forgot the words during Hollywood Week. He picks Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You.”
My take: I thought he was generally OK, but I don’t think it will stand out enough to get him through to the next round.
The judges’ take: Let’s just say I went easy on Stephen. Not much nice coming from the judges. Kara said, “I got more from you at the piano when you forgot the lyrics.”
Tatiana Del Toro, the most talked about contestant this season, is up next with “Saving All My Love for You” by Whitney Houston.
My take: I’m hoping this will be as bad as I think it will be so this painful part of the show will be over. Oops! Tatiana doesn’t tank as much as I would have hoped.
The judges’ take: The consensus was Tatiana had some moments where she showed she could sing. Said Simon, “Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad at all.”
Danny Gokey, the widower and the guy we all pulled for through Hollywood Week, gets the coveted final slot of the night. He aims high with “Hero” by Mariah Carey.
My take: He’s vulnerable and genuine, but I still wish he hadn’t chosen this song. He pulls it off. I think he’s likely to get one of the three slots to move on, which is just fine by me.
The judges’ take: Rave reviews from three of the four. Randy shouted, “The redeemer of the night right there.” Simon really liked it but wasn’t ready to declare Danny the winner yet. “You are a very, very good singer,” Simon said.
I think the top woman is Alexis Grace, the top man is Danny Gokey. My wildcard would be Anoop Desai or Michael Sarver, both based more on past performances than on this show’s efforts.
So, who do you think will be the top vote-getter for the men, the woman? Who gets the wild card slot?
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Comments
By Kim
February 18, 2009 4:24 PM | Link to this
Ben - I also wondered how the people got selected for each night. It is even guys & girls, so it was manipulated by the producers somehow - but they could have drawn numbers for all I know. I am guessing they distributed it to suit themselves. What I do know is that it doesn’t have to be an even number of men and women at the end - we just know that there will be at least 3 of each gender because they are doing boy/girl for the top 2 on the first 3 shows. I have no idea how they are doing the “wild card” thing. Heather - I agree - I really hated to see Jamar go and think he could have performed better than half of those guys last night! And Hillary - I understand that you don’t understand Danny - ha! Different tastes make the world go round! I just shake my head at the praise the Braddy dude gets because I see nothing but a big zero there. Music is such a personal thing - one man’s junk is another one’s treasure! :)
By Hillary
February 18, 2009 3:42 PM | Link to this
Yea, I’m with all of you on the format too. I hate that they might be losing people that really could be good because a so-so person got through instead.
By Ben
February 18, 2009 3:37 PM | Link to this
Kim, I don’t like the new format either. Does anyone know if they ever said how they decided on the groups of 12? Was it random draw? If so, what would have happened if you had 10 women and 2 men?
By Heather
February 18, 2009 2:26 PM | Link to this
I was disappointed in a lot of the performances last night - particularly the girls. Alexis and gulp Tatiana were the only ones that were worth a thing. I was quite upset that Tatiana didn’t tank. I’m just hopeful that America is as irritated with her as I am and that they don’t vote for her. I would absolutely love to see more of the guys from last night go thru. Ricky was great - totally unexpected. Anoop was good as always. Danny was good, though I don’t think it was his best. (I personally think his friend Jamar could probably have gone further). And it would be nice to see Brent go through since he is local, but I don’t think it’s going to happen with that performance/song from last night! And Kim, I’m with you on the new format. I just know that we are going to lose some really good performers along the way…
By Kim
February 18, 2009 11:20 AM | Link to this
Danny is definitely the top man for me - his performance level seems much higher. I was with you - I groaned when I heard the song he was doing. #1 - it’s Whitney which is nearly always bad, #2 - I just really hate that stupid song and don’t ever want to hear anyone sing it. But hmph - he actually managed to give me chills. Alexis was the best female for me and dash it all - Tatiana did turn out a decent vocal on a tough song. I have this terrible fear that Casey will get voted through based on her looks, but I think her performance was the worst by far. My teen referred to it as “tragic karaoke”, which I thought was very appropriate -ha! I think/hope that Anoop will be the 3rd person because we just like him - and I think his performance was second best - at least for me. I would have to rally behind Brent as my 4th choice. I also agree that I was really disappointed in some of the performances - I had hoped for more - but there isn’t room for all my faves from this group anyway. I really hate this new format they are going with because I don’t think it means that the best 12 will get through to the finals. A #4 or #5 person on one night could be better than a #2 or #3 person on a another night. I don’t know - we’ll see how it all plays out!
By Angie
February 18, 2009 11:02 AM | Link to this
My fav’s of the night were Ricky, Brent and Danny. The girls were disappointing and I wish all the spots could go to the guys. Tatiana did do the best but she drives me nuts! She is a drama queen as the judges pointed out and I hope she’s gone soon.
By mike
February 18, 2009 10:46 AM | Link to this
I see it breaking down like this… Tatiana hands down had the best female performance. she gets through. I think Danny was the best of the night, hands down. And I think the other person getting through as the “wild card” will probably be our local boy. There really were a lot of sour songs by girls last night…the guys definitely stole the show.
By mike
February 18, 2009 10:45 AM | Link to this
I see it breaking down like this… Tatiana hands down had the best female performance. she gets through. I think Danny was the best of the night, hands down. And I think the other person getting through as the “wild card” will probably be our local boy. There really were a lot of sour songs by girls last night…the guys definitely stole the show.
By Jill
February 18, 2009 10:30 AM | Link to this
I agree that Danny Gokey doesn’t have the jaw-dropping pipes of some previous Idol winners — at least at this point. I remember David Cook starting off a little rough as well. Danny is by far the best of the bunch from last night, though, and my 7-year-old went to bed shouting, “Vote for Danny for me!” (The fact that he missed last night’s performance due to bedtime notwithstanding.) I thought it was interesting that Danny’s buddy in the audience (Jamar?)looked more sad than supportive. It is tough being a cheerleader, I guess.
By Hillary
February 18, 2009 10:09 AM | Link to this
Seriously… I just don’t understand the Danny Gokey thing… Yes, it’s sad that his wife died. But that fact alone doesn’t make him a good singer. The sympathy vote only goes so far. He’s not a bad singer, but he’s not great. I thought (though he could’ve given us more with a better song) Michael Sarver did better and I actually liked Brent Keith’s performance. Ann Marie irritates me. She’s not that great a singer and something about her personality gets on my nerves. I was a little shocked by the comments on Anoop’s song choice. When the judges indicated it wasn’t a well known song I had to wonder if they listened to the radio in the 90s at all… I thought he did great as well. I wish those three guys could go through. The girls, eh. I think Alexis Grace did the best of the girls, but I’m not sure it’s good enough for the end result.
By Mandy
February 18, 2009 9:09 AM | Link to this
I am a danny Gokey fan all the way….Would love to see him win this…He gives me chills everytime he sings…
By Lia
February 18, 2009 1:09 AM | Link to this
NOOP-DAWG for the win!!! Anoop’s Clefhangers version of Angle of Mine is much better. It’s on youtube. I think the band deserves some fault because no one sounded great. The backup singers were way to loud. I’m hoping Danny will get voted off for like 7th place. Good thing he didn’t bring up his dead wife today, it’s getting to be too much.
By Shantei
February 17, 2009 11:06 PM | Link to this
Hi Ben! My take on the show is it was not really good today and really boring! I agree with you on everyone and with that being said My man would be Danny for sure and woman is Alexis or…gasp…Tatiana! She was better than every girl in her group except Alexis. I personally don’t care for her, but she wasn’t bad. Just a little off. The wild card would be Anoop for sure.