There are always American Idol injustices and Season 15 is no exception. In cutting down the field from 51 to 24, there were some head shakers. I was generally pleased with the results of the Top 24, but I would have liked to see Lindita Halimi and Malie Delgado make it through. Jessica Cabral’s cut was a bit of a surprise too. And I still think John Wayne Schulz should have been in there…
Author: judgingidol
American Idol Solo Round and Round We Go
Ohhhh, too many favorites this season. The solo rounds gave us performances from a fair number of contestants (hey, they only had an hour). And there was a lot to like. I kept saying “oh, I forgot about him” and “yeah, I like her too” throughout. When we got glimpses of the three rooms, I realized how many more unseen contestants are ones I like. This is going to be a tough elimination tonight as they bring the group down to 24. Particularly amongst the girls if they plan to make it even.
Loved MacKenzie Bourg and Olivia Rox’s original songs. Still liking the country girls, Emily Brooke and Shelbie Z and I found myself rooting for Malie Delgado. And there are of course all the others I’ve liked all along, there is a good deal of talent. When I try to pick just 24, I go round and round, it’s not going to be an easy cut.
Photo Credit American Idol/Fox
The sad note tonight was seeing John Wayne Schulz go home. I was very surprised. He seemed like a great choice for Top 24. Keith muttered “what’s missing?” after he sang and I thought “nothing really”, but I guess the judges disagreed. His version of The Dance can be heard at his website JohnWayneSchulz so that’s what we’ve got to hang on to for now.
Who didn’t we see? Quite a lot of people but here are some I really wished we had seen last night:
Jenna Renae, Adam Lasher, Lindita Halimi, Jordyn Simone, Collette Lush – we haven’t seen enough of any of them. There are others I would have liked to have heard (Trent, La’Porsha) but at least we’ve seen a lot of them so far. I had no idea Issac Cole was still there and even Amelia Eisenhauer (who looked like a producer favorite) has been scarce.
Let’s see how it goes tonight!
American Idol Stirring the Pot during Hollywood Week
Picture Credit: American Idol/Fox
The Farewell Season of Hollywood Week was a good balance of successful performances peppered with the usual drama amongst some contestants. I love American Idol’s Hollywood Week. It’s exciting to see if my favorites get through to the next round. And yes, it’s a guilty pleasure, but I also like to watch the complications that always arise during the group round. This season didn’t disappoint. There are a lot of talented contestants and there were some entertaining conflicts.
Who turned out to be the biggest drama queen? Harry Connick, Jr.! I couldn’t believe when he went off on Joy Dove. She has such a positive attitude and wanted to see her group succeed. I resented that Harry made her feel bad for being nice. I also think he gave her bad advice. Joy Dove’s bright personality will benefit her more in this competition than getting in the last long notes in the group number. I’m not sure that last bit did much for Lindita anyway. It’s one thing to tell a contestant they need to show energy and fight for their spot in the competition. But that’s different from saying you should fight to stop your fellow group members from shining. That’s effectively what Harry said.
Then later in the show, the message from J Lo was that you should try to get along with everyone. On American Idol, that’s a better message. The people who were portrayed as bossy or out for themselves got eliminated. The group who didn’t accommodate Anatalia didn’t do anything so horrible. But I think their images may have gotten a bit tarnished. We’ll see if it affects them down the road.
My favorites at this point are Dalton Rapattoni, Trent Harmon, Tristan McIntosh, Tommy Stringfellow, Emily Brooke, Jenn Blosil and La’Porsha Renae. I also want to see more of John Wayne Schulz, Adam Lasher, Mackenzie Bourg and Avalon Young. Kacey Levels hadn’t been on my radar before and was impressive. Gotta also keep an eye on Manny Torres, he’s giving me an Elliott Yamin vibe.
Who are your favorites at this stage?
American Idol Hollywood Week Part 1
On Wednesday’s show, there was a lot of talk about all the female talent this year, but at this stage, it’s still anyone’s game. We saw many talented girls last night. But they held back and didn’t show some of the guys who impressed during their auditions. Specifically, Mackenzie Bourg, Adam Lasher and John Wayne Schulz. Probably to hush any cries of WGWG!
We also didn’t see Amelia, Collette, Avalon, Lindita or Jordan. The one hour format only allows for so much, so maybe I’m reading too much into the absence of the three guys mentioned above. But I don’t think so. Trent Harmon and Dalton Rapattoni already look very strong, so you add in a few more WGWG and it doesn’t look so much like a girl’s year anymore, does it?
But Emily Brooke and Tristan McIntosh also look very strong at this stage. So yeah, it’s still anyone’s game.
Keep in mind that you only need one Scotty McCreery or one Phillip Phillips to run away with everything and win by a mile. That’s the rumor why they don’t release the vote totals, because some years, one person leads the whole time by a landslide. Let’s see how this season plays out.
On to Group Night tonight! Always a guilty pleasure of mine – a little drama can be a lot of fun…
Poll: Who Will Win American Idol Season 15?
American Idol You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
The last auditions from the farewell season of American Idol aired last week. They were somewhat entertaining, but not really compelling. They didn’t make me feel sad that American Idol is ending. Some of the auditions made me feel like we’ve been there, done that and maybe it is time to move on. I do think I will miss American Idol, but it’s the live rounds that I’ll miss, not the auditions. Oh, and yes, Hollywood Week too – I always love Hollywood Week and the group rounds.
During the last audition episode, the judges kept saying how the talent was so amazing. I thought they over praised a number of contestants. Here are the contestants I liked:
Jessica Cabral – lovely voice, reminded me of Taylor “Tell it to my Heart” Dayne.
China Sherrod – I liked her version of the Ariana Grande song and she had an appealing personality.
Collette Lush – Team Ginger. Great voice but may come off as overconfident.
Avalon Young – nice vibe and good set up for style makeover story.
Manny Torres – Cute guy, good performance but may not stand out in the crowd.
American Idol How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
Everything about Wednesday night’s show made me nostalgic for the glory days of Idol’s past. The clips of Simon, Paula and Randy in action were more fun than the montages of the current judges telling us how much fun they are having. Clay Aiken’s takedown of a contestant wasn’t particularly humorous and highlighted how it’s not easy to replicate Simon Cowell’s vibe. Contestant Amelia Eisenhauer made me long for Crystal Bowersox and Kree Harrison. And don’t get me started on why you would even bring a sword to the auditions in the first place.
There’s not a lot of magic on American Idol so far this season. This episode seemed like a struggle, using the past to stay afloat.
How do you keep the music playing? How do you make it last? How do you keep the song from fading too fast?
I’m hopeful that when we reach the live shows, the energy will pick up and the season will get more exciting. There were a few promising contestants tonight:
Poh – I liked her jazzy sound. Poh seemed more conventional than sister Shi, until Poh revealed she took her name from a Teletubbie.
Jenna Renae – She has a lot of potential. They gave her the Kelly Clarkson edit by having her be charming while accidentally breaking the door.
Adam Lasher – I have no idea what kind of artist he is but he sure cleaned up nicely.
Emily Brook – Radio friendly voice and they are building a Kelly Clarkson worthy story of how hard work pays off.
Best in the World? Or just good?
This week, Harry Connick, Jr. told one contestant he was good, but that good wasn’t going to cut it. He said they’re looking for spectacular, the best in the world, not just average. That could have been it for that particular contestant, but this week the judges put him through as well as quite a number of others who didn’t strike me as much better than “good.”
Some of the contestants seemed to be getting through more on their stories than anything else. A lot of filler and contestants who don’t look like they have a chance of going beyond the Hollywood round.
Here are the contestants I liked best:
Jenn Blosil – She’s beyond quirky and makes Joey Cook look conventional. I’m not sure whose children she’s caring for.
Issac Cole – I’m gonna do my A Capella song on the guitar.
Tommy Stringfellow – McDreamy crossed with Jonathan Richman!
John Wayne Schultz – Keith Urban tagged him as the winner. Do you think Jax would say he has inside information?
Jordan Simone – She can saaaaaang – whatever age she really is.
What did you think of the talent levels of this week’s contestants?
Is Clay Aiken right? Are the Idol judges putting you to sleep?
Clay Aiken got a lot of attention for his tweets this season about the Idol judges. Basically he was saying that their comments are boring and that Simon Cowell’s mean remarks made the show entertaining. Is he right? Well, yes and no. Yes, it’s true that the judges no longer have the bite of a Simon Cowell. Simon had the advantage of being unknown. He didn’t start out with any fans so he had none to lose. He made his name as the mean judge. It’s what you expected of him and why you liked him. Subsequent judges had nothing to gain and lots to lose by making harsh comments. Ellen DeGeneres realized this immediately and got the heck out of there. The risk of hurting her image was too great. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj turned on each other. That wasn’t great for their brands either, but it was better than attacking the contestants. Any judge with an existing career in the public eye (sorry Simon) can’t afford to be perceived as really mean. Even Harry seemed to have been asked to dial it back last season when there was buzzing that he was being too harsh. It’s a problem for a show that liked to play it both ways: building up some contestants as the next big thing while tearing down other contestants and mocking them. Given that the show seems to only want successful performers to serve as the judges now, they no longer have anyone who can do their dirty work. So they simply broadcast the auditions they want as comic relief, allowing the judges to make mild comments like “he has a good sense of humor”. I guess now it’s up to the viewer to make any cutting comments.
in comparison, the format of The Voice is pretty harsh. You’re up there singing and no one even turns around. The ultimate cold shoulder. You’re the kid no one wants to pick to be on their team. Ouch. But since it’s just a matter of passive inaction (not turning your chair around) and not a result of aggressive criticism, the judges on The Voice are insulated from appearing mean.
So yes, the Idol judges have no real bite and Simon was entertaining, but no, I don’t think it’s fair to say they’re putting everyone to sleep. Keith is amusing with his puns and singing of tv theme songs. Harry comes up with silly antics, sometimes teasing the contestants but in a gentle way. J Lo isn’t really there to be funny but we’re still interested in what she’s going to say. They’re doing the best they can in a situation where no famous performer is going to take the risk of calling people out in the manner of Simon Cowell. Well, no one other than Clay Aiken anyway. Maybe those tweets were Clay Aiken’s way of advertising himself as a potential reality show judge who’d be unafraid to say what he really thinks!
Bookend to Kelly
We’re looking for a bookend to Kelly Clarkson. Simon might have asked if that was supposed to mean someone wooden or inanimate. But we’re in a kinder, gentler era of Idol judges now. Well, sort of. I mean mocking some contestants as being undateable in J Lo’s phone app wasn’t nice, but let’s face it, we’re talking about J Lo and nobody here’s getting a date, lol.
What comes to mind when you think of Kelly Clarkson? I think of a big voice, but I also think of someone down to earth, humble and likeable. That’s who I think the show is looking for in terms of a bookend.
In past seasons, we often saw a few contestants who seemed very confident and they sometimes came across as abrasive. Some also came across as feeling entitled. In the second episode of this final season, we didn’t see anyone like this going through to Hollywood.
There were two girls who kept apologizing. One was self-deprecating and the other acted overly confident. Only one received a ticket to Hollywood. In this search for a bookend to Kelly, there will be no room for anyone who does not come across as down to earth, humble and likeable.
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