American Idol wrapped up its three day telecast this week by introducing its Top 13 Finalists.
The reality show behemoth changed things up by giving the Top 25 only one performance to try to get as many audience votes as possible. This week's result show marked the announcement of the five boys and five girls who got the most votes from the first round of live shows. The judges then had to decide which of the remaining 15 contestants would get a chance for a wild card performance. After which the judges need to decide on the three contestants to round out the 13 slots.
The singing competition's format change can be unforgiving to some contestants, especially those who don't have big personalities and have yet to make much of an impression on American audiences, or those who didn't get quite as much screen time as the others. There were actually a few who made it to the Top 25 that I didn't recognize or remember from the previous audition, Hollywood or Vegas rounds.
I think I'll reserve my rant about the sound mixing and judges until I watch the rest of the season, and I compose my wrap-up for American Idol Season 11. Although, I do have to note that it was great that they brought back Jimmy Iovine early, and his unfiltered comments about the contestants were a welcome change, especially when the judges tend to be off the mark and praise what shouldn't be praised.
Here are my thoughts on the contestants. :)
The Top 5 Boys and Top 5 Girls with the Most Votes
Philip Phillips, Jr. - Ever since he sang Michael Jackson's "Thriller" during the auditions, this was a no-brainer. He just needs to make sure that he always has a guitar on him. His hands become manic when empty of instruments.
Jessica Sanches - The half Filipina half Mexican wasn't featured until the Vegas rounds, which was a surprise considering her pipes. Showing that she can take on songs both mellow and upbeat (aka the downfall of Thia Megia), the former contestant of America's Got Talent is now being touted as the one to beat vocally. Nope, not even strained vocal chords slowed her down during her performance. Can somebody just make sure that she only wears her hair like she did on results night, though? The big, curly mess during Vegas rounds made her look old.
Hollie Cavanagh - Totally looked scared while singing Christina's "Reflection", but you could hear she had a strong voice.
Joshua Ledet - The love child of Fantasia Barrino and Jacob Lusk. Still can't get over his performance of Christina Perry's "Jar of Hearts" during Hollywood week. Always has the big finish. Really big.
Heejun Han - Best soundbites ever!! Heejun has a decent voice, but sometimes sounds like he's out of breath. He also needs work on the accent, which can be heavy depending on the songs that he's singing.
Shannon Magraine - Hot, humid and happening, according to Steven Tyler. She has a decent voice, but I don't think she'll win the entire thing. Especially since she chooses songs that not a lot of people know. Obsessing about her height, though.
Skylar Laine - She had the most fun performance during girls' night. I didn't know the song, but I was entertained all throughout. She exhibited something that a lot of the other performances didn't, which was to feed off of the energy of the audience to give a really engaging performance.
Elise Testone - Great voice. She and Jen Hirsh had the same song, and came out on top big time. This one's my number two girl pick after Jessica.
Colton Dixon - I may not agree with his performance of Paramore's "Decode" as a great song choice for him, and I'm still on the fence with his hair, but it seemed that Colton appreciated just how big this week was. Kudos for the effort. You're still cute.
Jermaine Jones - The man the producers are touting as the gentle giant was the surprise 13th boy. While the producers forgot to explain why they decided to bring someone back and why they only brought back a guy, I was happy they chose him over the arrogant cowboy and the pretty boy (who didn't even make it past Vegas round). He had a pretty solid performance, though I feel like he won't survive the pressure.
The Wild Card Winners
Jeremy Rosado - One of the best male vocals in the group. Jeremy's only problem is that he has a very kind, yet unassuming, presence which needs several episodes and more exposure to get people to want to vote for him.
Erika Van Pelt - She really brought down the house with her wild card round performance of Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory", which I think was what put the final coffin on Jen Hirsh's American Idol dreams. Needs serious styling though.
Deandre Brackensick - Uses his falsetto with deadly precision, until he sang an Earth, Wind and Fire song with the worst case of sound mixing that I've heard of in years in American Idol. He needs the training to rein in the wildness of his performance sometimes, which Jimmy Iovine can help him with. He also needs to rein in the hair sometimes, which I don't think Jimmy can do anything about.
The Wild Card Losers
Jen Hirsh - What happened to you, Jen? What happened to your powerful voice during the Hollywood and Vegas rounds where I really, really took notice of you? Both her girls' night and wild card performances were a letdown. Her voice was thinner and shriller.
Brielle Von Hugel - You can't sing Adele's "Someone Like You" convincingly without showing the proper emotions. And no, the growling doesn't help. I think what hurt Brielle the most was the footage of her taking the lead during Hollywood week's group night, and her mom's comments about Brielle and some of her teammates.
Reed Grimm - I couldn't take this guy seriously. He was a good singer. He was good with a lot of instruments. He just didn't convince me that he was taking it all seriously. And I think his wild card chance should have gone to Creighton Fraker.
As for the rest...
Chasen Likens - The token country dude. Unfortunately, he's very much forgettable.
Hallie Day - Great voice and great background story. I think she put people off because she always looked morose, even when she was telling Ryan Seacrest that she's happy.
Adam Brock - No, you did not really make us believe that you had a black woman trapped inside your body. Your baby is cute, though. I would have wanted to see more of her.
Chelsea Sorrel - Much like Chasen Likens, she was forgettable. And was totally outstripped by Skylar Laine in the country genre.
Baylie Brown - Another what-the-hell-happened-to-you moment. She had a strong run prior to the live shows, and people were rooting for her because of her status as a victim of Hollywood group night of years past. Nerves and a tight dress were her downfall.
Aaron Marcellus - He had a nice voice, but there was no way he was going to get in with Joshua Ledet in the house.
Creighton Fraker - Totally robbed of a wildcard chance. He actually had one of the best performances during the boys' performance night.
Haley Johnsen - Made a nightmare out of the Eurythmics's "Sweet Dreams" and she actually thought it was good.
Eben Franckewitz - He's a cute and nice kid, and I'm sure the producers thought they could turn him into a more mellow Justin Bieber. I still think, though, that he robbed David Leathers, Jr. of his rightful spot in the Top 25. And he chose to sing Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" with a voice that is nowhere near powerful enough to do the song justice. No. Just no. I suggest that he wait a few years and train, then try out for The X Factor US.
The Top 13 will begin the next phase of the competition next week, starting with Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston song choices.
Happy viewing!!Labels: American Idol, FOX, Musings, Must-Watch, Reality, Singing Competition, TV, TV Series
