Well, ladies and gents, here we are at another exciting, yet sure to be dramatic, Hollywood Week in Idol Land. 181 contestants have flown in from around the country to compete against one another for a spot in the coveted top 24 (12 guys, 12 gals). As we have seen in the past, Hollywood Week is where it gets REAL- we see who can REALLY sing and who is REALLY annoying. The drama that goes down here is always on full blast and we get to see the contestants for who they truly are.
For the first time ever, we get to welcome Ellen Degeneres to the Judges panel. After Paula's unexpected departure, Idol scrambled to fill her shoes by having celebrity guest judges during the auditions, such as Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, Kristen Chenoweth (GLEE), Shania Twain, Joe Jonas, and Neil Patrick Harris. They were merely OK, in my opinion, with Victoria Beckham (strangely!) and Neil Patrick Harris standing apart from the herd. In order to effectively fill Paula's role, they needed someone with just the right amount of star power, stage presence, and comedic input to balance out the monster that is Simon's personality. Ellen was a great pick for this. Many people questioned her as the new judge because she's not involved in the music industry. She does, however, know how to entertain large rooms of people and has a straight forward, yet still respectful, way in how she gives her criticism. It doesn't come off as brash as Simon, or as condescending as Kara, or as nonsensical as Randy. She is showing that she is taking this job seriously, but still willing to have a good time at it. I think I'm going to like her a lot on the panel.
Now, onto the contestants!
After weeks of surprisingly lackluster auditions, with more talent-less fodder and hacks than actual singers, I was beginning to grow weary with the contestants of this season. They just didn't seem to have the same level of skill that we've see in years past. Even the one's that were given the golden tickets to Hollywood didn't strike any chord in me.
Thank God for Hollywood week.
I was surprised to see as many good performances as I did. With a little extra confidence after their initial audition proved successful, and being able to play an instrument if they desired, the contestants were able to show their style and what they could bring to the table during the competition. The standouts from Round 1 that were aired on the show were, in no particular order:
Andrew Garcia- The Latino Danny Gokey with the guitar is a shoe-in for the top 24 and, dare I say, further. This guy can straight up sing...get it?! Straight up! *crickets* Ok... His cover on the Paula Abdul's 80's smash hit was "genius" according to Kara, and I'm going to have to agree with her. This dude seems like he has the chops and creativity to go far in the competition. Rearranging songs has always been something that contestants would do to stand out from the pack, but like David Cook, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen, expect Andrew to be the guy we see do this the most often. The judges love him and he's not as pompous/cheesy as Gokey was last year. At the moment, he is the guy to beat.
Didi Benami- This girl reminds me of a slightly better Brooke White. She is the waitress who is singing in memory of her best friend who passed away. I wasn't blown away in her initial audition, but that changed when I heard her sing "Terrified," a song penned by our very own Kara (much better than "No Boundaries"...fail). Was it the greatest, showstopping vocal performance of all time? No, but it was incredibly endearing and definitely got everyone's attention. She has the ability to relate to a song very well and express it in her performance, something not seen as much thus far this season. She has a similar style to Colbie Caillat and Taylor Swift, two pretty popular artists in the music business right now. Look for her to attract that demographic and gain some steam in the weeks to come.
Katie Stevens- This is the 17 year old brunette with the grandmother who has Alzheimer's. She seems like a natural up there. When everyone else seemed to be collapsing under the pressure, she goes out there and confidently sings a song that impressed the judges. It was a safe song, and I don't think she scratched the surface of what she can really do with her vocals, but she seems to be a lock for the top 24.
Casey James- This blond, hippie looking guy, who we saw go shirtless for an opportunity to go to Hollywood, is actually quite good. Armed with his acoustic, he ripped into a blues tune that fit his voice and style perfectly. We have yet to see a blues singer on the show and I think that it would be a very refreshing change to the norm. Even though it was only a 30 second clip of a song, you can tell that his guitar playing is well above what most contestants do on the show. His Mark Broussard vibe will click with a lot of people and, with the judges behind him, he could go far.
Lilly Scott- This is the platinum blond/white haired girl who sang Ella Fitzgerald's "Lullaby of Birdland" near flawlessly. She has an old school voice that I like a lot. I don't remember her getting much, if any, screen time during the initial auditions, but I think that she sang this song well enough to garner some attention. Lock for top 24.
Crystal Bowersox- This is the girl who kinda killed Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" on the acoustic. She had that raw, natural talent that came effortless. Singing Aretha effortlessly is no easy feat, so expect some more big things from her. Simon was right in saying that she's infectious. She's the kind of girl that you want to pull for to do well because she is real and seems like she could be one of your friends. She's good and she knows it, but it doesn't come off as cocky. Barring some unforeseeable disaster, I think she will make the top 24.
Michael "Big Mike" Lynch- This is the body builder who's wife went into labor during the first round of Hollywood. I really like this guy. He seems like he's got a great personality and not a bad voice either. It was funny watching him play that guitar though. He's so big that he made it look like a ukelele! I would say he was a lock for the top 24, but there is a rumor that his father leaked to the press that his son had definitely made the top 24. This is a big Idol no-no and there are multiple reports that he has been disqualified from the competition. If this is true, it would be sad, since he sacrificed his first child's birth to be there, only to have it taken away by his loud-mouth dad.
Janell Wheeler- This is the girl who sang an acoustic version of "American Boy." This was another good spin on a pop song (expect to see that much more this season) that showed some creativity, but still left a little to be desired vocally. I think she'll make the top 24, but that can be up in the air. Oh, and apparently she is Tim Tebow's ex-girlfriend!
For the first time ever, we get to welcome Ellen Degeneres to the Judges panel. After Paula's unexpected departure, Idol scrambled to fill her shoes by having celebrity guest judges during the auditions, such as Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, Kristen Chenoweth (GLEE), Shania Twain, Joe Jonas, and Neil Patrick Harris. They were merely OK, in my opinion, with Victoria Beckham (strangely!) and Neil Patrick Harris standing apart from the herd. In order to effectively fill Paula's role, they needed someone with just the right amount of star power, stage presence, and comedic input to balance out the monster that is Simon's personality. Ellen was a great pick for this. Many people questioned her as the new judge because she's not involved in the music industry. She does, however, know how to entertain large rooms of people and has a straight forward, yet still respectful, way in how she gives her criticism. It doesn't come off as brash as Simon, or as condescending as Kara, or as nonsensical as Randy. She is showing that she is taking this job seriously, but still willing to have a good time at it. I think I'm going to like her a lot on the panel.
Now, onto the contestants!
After weeks of surprisingly lackluster auditions, with more talent-less fodder and hacks than actual singers, I was beginning to grow weary with the contestants of this season. They just didn't seem to have the same level of skill that we've see in years past. Even the one's that were given the golden tickets to Hollywood didn't strike any chord in me.
Thank God for Hollywood week.
I was surprised to see as many good performances as I did. With a little extra confidence after their initial audition proved successful, and being able to play an instrument if they desired, the contestants were able to show their style and what they could bring to the table during the competition. The standouts from Round 1 that were aired on the show were, in no particular order:
Andrew Garcia- The Latino Danny Gokey with the guitar is a shoe-in for the top 24 and, dare I say, further. This guy can straight up sing...get it?! Straight up! *crickets* Ok... His cover on the Paula Abdul's 80's smash hit was "genius" according to Kara, and I'm going to have to agree with her. This dude seems like he has the chops and creativity to go far in the competition. Rearranging songs has always been something that contestants would do to stand out from the pack, but like David Cook, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen, expect Andrew to be the guy we see do this the most often. The judges love him and he's not as pompous/cheesy as Gokey was last year. At the moment, he is the guy to beat.
Didi Benami- This girl reminds me of a slightly better Brooke White. She is the waitress who is singing in memory of her best friend who passed away. I wasn't blown away in her initial audition, but that changed when I heard her sing "Terrified," a song penned by our very own Kara (much better than "No Boundaries"...fail). Was it the greatest, showstopping vocal performance of all time? No, but it was incredibly endearing and definitely got everyone's attention. She has the ability to relate to a song very well and express it in her performance, something not seen as much thus far this season. She has a similar style to Colbie Caillat and Taylor Swift, two pretty popular artists in the music business right now. Look for her to attract that demographic and gain some steam in the weeks to come.
Katie Stevens- This is the 17 year old brunette with the grandmother who has Alzheimer's. She seems like a natural up there. When everyone else seemed to be collapsing under the pressure, she goes out there and confidently sings a song that impressed the judges. It was a safe song, and I don't think she scratched the surface of what she can really do with her vocals, but she seems to be a lock for the top 24.
Casey James- This blond, hippie looking guy, who we saw go shirtless for an opportunity to go to Hollywood, is actually quite good. Armed with his acoustic, he ripped into a blues tune that fit his voice and style perfectly. We have yet to see a blues singer on the show and I think that it would be a very refreshing change to the norm. Even though it was only a 30 second clip of a song, you can tell that his guitar playing is well above what most contestants do on the show. His Mark Broussard vibe will click with a lot of people and, with the judges behind him, he could go far.
Lilly Scott- This is the platinum blond/white haired girl who sang Ella Fitzgerald's "Lullaby of Birdland" near flawlessly. She has an old school voice that I like a lot. I don't remember her getting much, if any, screen time during the initial auditions, but I think that she sang this song well enough to garner some attention. Lock for top 24.
Crystal Bowersox- This is the girl who kinda killed Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" on the acoustic. She had that raw, natural talent that came effortless. Singing Aretha effortlessly is no easy feat, so expect some more big things from her. Simon was right in saying that she's infectious. She's the kind of girl that you want to pull for to do well because she is real and seems like she could be one of your friends. She's good and she knows it, but it doesn't come off as cocky. Barring some unforeseeable disaster, I think she will make the top 24.
Michael "Big Mike" Lynch- This is the body builder who's wife went into labor during the first round of Hollywood. I really like this guy. He seems like he's got a great personality and not a bad voice either. It was funny watching him play that guitar though. He's so big that he made it look like a ukelele! I would say he was a lock for the top 24, but there is a rumor that his father leaked to the press that his son had definitely made the top 24. This is a big Idol no-no and there are multiple reports that he has been disqualified from the competition. If this is true, it would be sad, since he sacrificed his first child's birth to be there, only to have it taken away by his loud-mouth dad.
Janell Wheeler- This is the girl who sang an acoustic version of "American Boy." This was another good spin on a pop song (expect to see that much more this season) that showed some creativity, but still left a little to be desired vocally. I think she'll make the top 24, but that can be up in the air. Oh, and apparently she is Tim Tebow's ex-girlfriend!
Other notables that stood out to me from the initial auditions/first round of Hollywood are night pastor Tasha Layton, rocker-mom Mary Powers (who was annoying during group round), premature country singer Haeley Vaughn, and Ashley Rodriguez. Ashley hasn't gotten much screen time since her initial audition, but she was who I liked a lot. She has the right combo of vocals and look to get far, so hopefully she can be another dark horse in the competition like Kris Allen was last year.
After the first round, the crowd of 181 was wittled down to 96. From here, it was on to round 2- the dreaded Group Round. It's always fun to watch the drama unfold as people who are all striving for the same goal have to work together, while still competing against each other. There seemed to be less drama this year than in years past, but Idol did manage to find enough to make an intertaining show out of. The first storyline showed how Mary Powers was doing her best dictator impression and verbally abusing everyone in her group. She is the token rocker chick on the show, but the way she was acting definitly did not help her with the public. I think the judges will put her through to the top 24, but I don't think America will vote her much further.
The second storyline consisted of two groups who were both singing Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." The two groups were Team Neapolitan and Destiny's Wild. For most of the show, it looked like Destiny's Wild, which was comprised of little known contestants Jared Liewer, Todrick Hall, Theri, and Siobhan Magnus, had a clear advantage over Neapolitan, both vocally and in delivery. Team Neapolitan, which consisted of Thaddeus Johnson, Jessica Cunningham, Liz Rooney, and Paige Miles, just seemed to be a catty bunch of haters. With both groups practicing in the same area, competition flared as both groups tried to out-sing and out-melisma each other time and time again. When it came down to the performance, Team Neapolitan was up first and opted to do an a cappella arrangement, something that Destiny's Wild claimed that they did originally and had copied. With both groups singing the song moderately well at their respective performances, and the judges seeming to enjoy both (even though Ellen thought Destiny's Wild was "a little weird"), each contestant went through. The one's who shined above the rest were Todrick Hall, Siobhan Magnus, Thaddeus Johnson and Jessica Cunningham. Siobhan is one girl that we have yet to see at all, but from the clips I saw, it seems like she has some pipes! If she could get some more face-time, and people can remember her name, I think that people might like her a lot.
Group round proved to be much more successful than years past, with 75 of the 96 contestants making it to the next round. That means the next rounds will be incredibly tough to cut it down to the top 24. At this point in the competition, everyone is good, so all it takes is one slip up to get sent packing.
All in all, I thought that the first two rounds of Hollywood week were a success. My faith in season 9 was restored and I think that we could be in for a good year. Ellen, as I stated previously, was very good in her newfound role and I think that she will add an interesting dynamic to the judges panel. Look for some cat-fights between her and the Brit.
What do you all think? Are there any notable contestants that I left out? Who are your favorites? Is Ellen doing a good job as a judge? For those new to the site, this is an open dialogue, so feel free to express your opinions, which can include, but not be limited to: 1) Billy, you are AWESOME, or 2) Billy, shut up...you don't know what you are talking about. Though, I prefer the first. :)
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
1 comment:
Billy, you are awesome. I will tell you one person who stepped his game up for season 9: the AI junkie. This was probably your best post ever and a great breakdown of where we stand in the competition. Like you, I was skeptical after enduring the nearly interminable auditions for weeks on end. But this week definitely instilled confidence that AI is not going to let Simon's last season on the show go out with a whimper. What David Cook, Adam, Lambert, and Kris Allen have done over the past few years by instilling creativity into the performances is really having a trickle down effect on what the audience and judges are looking for in the next Idol. I think this is good and is going to make for a very entertaining season.
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