American Idol Season 7

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Tonight the top 12 ladies gave it their best shot hoping to crack into the final 12. So let’s begin the rundown of the first half…

Kristy Lee Cook had a lot of buzz when we first saw her at the auditions. Tonight she opened the show with “Rescue Me” despite having the flu and bronchitis. Her sweet country voice was nice but nothing special. Paula gave props for toughing it out but the judges were not all that impressed.

Now JoAnne Borgella may remind you of Jordan Sparks, but in all honesty she just doesn’t compare. She sounded a little nervous, breathy and there was a bit of shrieking in certain spots.

Look out for Alaina Whitaker, America. This gorgeous gal gave an amazing performance. And even though Simon said he hated the song, he told her that if she can make a song like that sound good then she did well.

Amanda Overmeyer should have been right in her element performing a song from the Janis Joplin era, but something was kind of lacking on this one. I found her scatting to be pretty terrible at times and personally, the guitar solo sounded better than any of her vocal work. All that aside, Amanda is still a cool cat and the judges really dig her.

It will probably be a miracle if Amy Davis makes it to the top 12 finalists. Her performance was very pitchy and her voice cracked in a few places. It wasn’t the end of the world or anything, but it certainly wasn’t great. Even Paula called it “a little lackluster”.

Brooke White is 100% sweetheart. “Happy Together” was a great song choice; she sang it well. Simon calls her ‘too nice’ but I don’t think there is anything wrong with that!

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 The second half of tonight’s show began with the ”fabulous” Danny Noriega performing “Jail House Rock”. I don’t care what Simon says about this kid, he can sing. He may be a tad bit annoying but he definitely brings attitude and a good voice to the competition. Simon called it “hideous” and, you guessed it, the judges began arguing. Paula should probably lay off the sauce because she couldn’t even get her words out. Danny snaps back at Simon but you can tell by his face that he is clearly disappointed.

Who is Luke Menard? Probably the most forgettable performance of the night. He was boring at best.

Colton Berry tells us that when he gets nervous he sings the Telletubbies theme song quietly to himself. Seriously? That was verging on creepy. He takes the stage and makes a lot of funky faces and sings just okay. Colton pulled the ending off nicely but I don’t see him lasting too long in the competition. Simon says that people need to spend more time worrying about their voices than their hair. Ouch!

We finally get to see more of this Garrett Haley kid tonight. He’s a real sweet fellow but Garrett’s “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” was hard to listen to! The vocals were immature and reminiscent of Alfalfa’s courtship to the so-beautiful Darla. Randy calls the performance boring and in a hilariously honest tone, Simon tells the kid to get out and get some fresh air because he looks like he’s been locked up in his bedroom for a month.

Things quickly turned around when Jason Castro AKA ‘that guy with the dreadlocks’ performed with his guitar. After hearing him tonight I am officially a fan! He was fun, laid back and sounded amazing. Simon called it one of the top 2 performances of the night.

Michael Johns did a re-take of his version of The Doors’ “Light My Fire”. I figured he would have gone with something that we haven’t heard him sing before, but he still sings it perfectly with loads of conviction. And who can resist an accent like that?

Tomorrow night will showcase the top 12 girls. Stay tuned!

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American Idol is now down to its top 24 for season 7 and it is shaping up to be an interesting one. There are lots of great singers this year so you can rest assured that we won’t have another Sanjaya - PHEW! Tonight, the top 12 guys performed with high hopes that America will vote them into the top 12.

Tonight’s theme? Songs of the 60’s. (Gripe: The judges have been known to moan about performers not being ‘current’ enough for today’s music charts. So why on Earth do they always make them sing old-timer songs? Anyway…)

David Hernandez had a real strong, powerful start. This guy’s got a very unique voice that sounds pretty good even though it has a hint of boy-band-ish-ness to it. (Yes, I made that word up.) Simon said it was better than he thought it would be. So that’s a good thing, right?

Note to Chikezie Eze: I want to like you. I really do. It’s just that when you step out on stage in a salmon colored suit trying to work it like a pimp, I lose a little hope for you, dude.

The beginning of the song was absolutely terrible but it did get better towards the middle once he put some ‘oomph’ in it. Unfortunately, the suit and even the guy’s name is so distracting that the sub-par vocals don’t even hold up. Simon hated the whole thing. But I have a feeling this guy still has a shot if only because of the way he defended himself by mouthing off to Simon. That and you can’t possibly forget a suit like that!

Anybody else think that Paula had a little too much to drink before the show tonight? She seemed to be swaying and fumbling with her words more than usual. Hmmm.

Once again, David Cook tried hard to follow in Chris Daughtry’s footsteps but while he manages to do well singing, his personality and performance seems to be lacking.

Jason Yeager seems like a real nice guy. It’s too bad that his performance tonight was corny, weird and downright boring. He seemed disconnected from the song and I could be wrong here but it felt like he rushed in certain parts and the tempo was off.

Simon didn’t really know whether to believe Robbie Carrico’s rock singing since the guy actually opened for Britney Spears in a boy/girl band once. His rendition of “One is the Loneliest Number” was great in my opinion. He rocks it out and clearly has fun. Three cheers for his falsetto being spot on!

Rounding out the first half was my personal favorite, little David Archuletta. I told you that this kid was amazing before? Well he was at it again tonight. David showed off his lower register and proved he is comfortable, confident and having a blast. He is incredibly goofy and awkward when he’s not singing, but I think it adds to his charm. The judges love him and I wholeheartedly agree.

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It was a very emotional show tonight as the top 50 contestants were whittled down to the top 24.  The judges had to make some really difficult decisions and while some people received incredibly good news, there were many tears shed and hopes shattered tonight. 

Each contestant nervously awaited their verdict as one by one, they each faced the judges in a private room.  From there, Randy, Paula and Simon delivered the good and bad news and explained the reasons behind each decision.

Carly Smithson was the first to make it through.  Followed by David Cook, Amanda Overmeyer, David Archuletta, Kristy Lee Cook, a very emotional Brooke White, Danny Noriega, Ramiele Malubay and Michael Johns.

It boiled down to four contestants at the end, two men and two women.  Colton Berry and Kyle Ensley were asked to come together in front of the judges to find out which one would make the cut.  After much explanation, Colton goes through but Simon says he completely disagrees with the decision.  It’s kind of surprising to see Simon defending Kyle after all of his previous snide remarks.  It seems that Kyle’s last audition where he mimicked Josh Groban is what opened Simon’s eyes.

Then it came down to Cardin McKinney and JoAnne Borgella.  It was another tough decision for the judges but they decided to send JoAnne to the top 24 and say goodbye to Cardin. 

And in case you are wondering… Josiah Leming was let go.  That perfomance of “Stand By Me” totally killed his chances.  The judges told him that he should continue growing and offered their support but the poor kid was devastated. 

So now we are down to the top 24!  Here it is:

Top 12 Girls

Carly Smithson

Amanda Overmeyer

Kristy Lee Cook

JoAnne Borgella

Brooke White

Ramiele Malubay

Syesha Mercado

Kady Malloy

Asia’h Epperson

Amy Davis

Alaina Whitaker

Alexandrea Lushington

Top 12 Guys

David Cook

Michael Johns

David Archuletta

Danny Noriega

Chikeze Eze

Robbie Carrico

Colton Berry

Luke Menard

Jason Castro

Garrett Haley

David Hernandez

Jason Yeager

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Round two of Hollywood Week gave all the rejects from round one another chance.  The only catch?  They have to sing accappela and they only have a few seconds to prove they have what it takes. 

Suzanne Toot and Perrie Cataldo, both single parents trying to make a better life for their kids both get the axe tonight.  I thought the decision was really harsh.  I was rooting for both of them.

Then the ever-annoying Amy Flynn got her second chance and blew it singing “Love Will Bring You Back”.  She tries to rely on being cute but it doesn’t work thankfully.

Idol favorite, Kristy Lee Cook decides she had better stick to singing “Amazing Grace”, the same song that got her to Hollywood in the first place.  Meanwhile, the always optimistic Jeffrey Lampkin tries cheering everybody up.  Angela Martin, the single mom whose daughter suffers from a disabling disease got the horrible news that she lost her father right before going to Hollywood.  I was really rooting for her … and unfortunately she didn’t make the cut.  However, Kristy and Jeffrey move on through.

David Archuleta is someone we all need to keep a close eye on.  I am already a huge fan of this 16 year old.  He has a heart of gold and an amazing raspy and pure sounding voice.  Simon says he’s got the whole package.  The judges think he is incredible and I do too!

Nerdy Kyle Ensley comes back with Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up”.  Surprisingly he did a good job of it but it’s still in that over-theatrical category.  Simon apologies for walking off earlier and tells him that this one was a great audition.

Jeffrey Lampkin blows it on “A Whole New World”.
 
Syesha Mercado can’t even talk let alone try to sing for American Idol.  But she somehow pulls off “Chain of Fools” with tremendous energy and belts out every note perfectly.

Carly Smithson is dubbed as one of “the top 3 vocalists this year” by Simon Cowell.
 
Asia’H Epperson wowed everybody.  Simon stopped her mid-song to tell her how much he loved it!

Now here is an interesting twist.  Brooke Helvie has a great voice but screws up her song towards the end.  Randy says no.  Simon actually says yes.  And the decision is left up to Paula.  Of course Paula will let her go through, right?  NOPE! Paula totally rejects her.  Now that is a first.

Finally Josiah Leming, the kid living in his car with the British singing accent is back again.  He comes into this one unprepared running on barely any sleep.  In a strange fashion, he thanks the band and asks them if they would kindly leave. 

He tries to sing “Stand By Me” but he sounds really nervous.  His voice is shaky and there is a lot of yelping. The judges decide to judge him based on his previous performances and give him one more shot.

So now it’s down to the top 50 and the judges have to choose the top 24.  The suspense is killing me!

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Welcome to Hollywood week, America!  As you know from previous seasons - this is where many dreams are made and many more are shattered.  So grab some Kleenex and join me as we review some of the highlights of tonight’s show.

Remember Brooke White, the girl who has never seen a rated-R movie?  She did very well singing “Beautiful” and playing the keyboard.  She is so sweet, you just have to love her.  3 yesses for Brooke!

Jake Mellema’s “Hooked On A Feeling” was so corny it almost made me gag.  I mean, it was nice and all but could you hear this guy on the radio?  Nope.  Simon said the only redeeming quality of the performance was when he stopped it early!
 
So I don’t remember seeing David Hernandez in the auditions but this guy totally blew me away tonight.  He was totally comfortable, sang beautifully and his performance was a whole lot of fun.  I’m keeping my eye on this fellow.  The judges adore him.

We all remember Amanda Overmeyer, the badass rock & roll nurse.  Turns out she was in a really bad car accident which left her with 12 stapes in her head and a few cracked ribs.  You would never even know it by listening to her sing though.  This woman is full of energy and has a killer rock voice. 

The show turns to Simon who gives all of the Idol hopefuls a good talking to.  He warns them all to remember the lyrics but of course Buck Smith forgets them.  And then Cardin blows it.  Then Natasha just kills it.  Now that has to be embarrassing.  
 
Ghaleb, that sickeningly “romantic” *cough*CREEPY*cough* guy who kisses everybody is back.  He performs terribly.  The end is way off pitch and he murders a Bryan Adams song.
 
The comeback kid, Josiah Leming got on keyboard tonight for a performance that was very Coldplay yet incredibly unique.  Simon said he would actually remember the performance which was really saying a lot. 
 
Now we had already heard some Bryan Adams earlier in the night but the string of “Everything I Do’s” that followed were nauseating.  David Cook does the song justice with a little rock flair.

Then Robbie Carrico does Bryan Adams. Then Jessica Brown too!  Then Perrie Cataldo.  Then Syesha Mercado.  Then Colton Berry…. FIND A NEW SONG, PEOPLE!!

Round one came to a screeching hault when Kyle Ensley performed the corniest song and dance number of a lifetime.  It is so bad that Simon actually walks out during the judging. 

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American Idol left off with Alesha who was given a second chance if only she could hurry up and learn a Dolly Parton song.  She comes back to perform, “Islands In The Stream”, a song she had never even heard prior to her first audition!

She manages to do a wonderful job and her voice actually does have a really nice tone to it.  Randy calls her vocals sweet and pure and Alesha makes it through!  Afterwards, Simon reluctantly admits that she actually does sound like Dolly and he is really disappointed that she sounded good.  What a guy!

Joshua Moreland thinks he’s a real smooth operator but does he have what it takes to become the next American Idol?  Well, first off, this kid has an enormous mouth which you might think would be a sign of a great-big-fantastic voice, right?  Ehhh.

His voice was nice but there were more runs and crazy falsetto than anything else.  It wasn’t a train wreck like Lady Morgue or anything, but it was still way too gimmicky for the judges.  After the audition, Simon does the crew a favor by sweeping up the glitter and flower petals that Joshua had thrown during his performance.  That Simon Cowell sure is swell (when the cameras are rolling!).

Things got even funnier when Idol played a montage of Simon getting a whole lot of contestant’s names wrong.

And speaking of odd names, Chikezie Eze came back to Idol after being turned down last year.  This time he’s bringing the goods with Luther Vandross’s “All The Woman I Need”.  Chikezie has a real nice upper range and knows how to add just the right amount of power behind the notes.  The second time turned out to be the charm and I’m sure we won’t be forgetting his name anytime soon.

Another familiar face showed up at the end of the show, 17 year-old Danny Noriega.  He’s a bit young, a bit nervous and a bit flamboyant but all that aside, he sings Proud Mary with conviction.  It was totally unexpected but boy can this kid sing!  He sounds a bit like Jason Mraz which is great in my book as well as the judges.  Randy, Paula and Simon all agree to send Danny to Hollywood.

This wraps up the season 7 auditions, but no need to fear because the contest is actually just starting to heat up!  Next week is Hollywood week where we finally get to see the best of the best compete.

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Here were are tonight - FINALLY - at the end of the tedious (and often painful) auditions process. Next week, the competition moves to Hollywood at last! So for tonight, American Idol is showcasing the best and worst of the auditions.

The first highlight of the night came when Tiffany McCambell showed up to belt out her “gift from God”. Well she shows up dressed like a grandmother which doesn’t exactly scream ‘contemporary’ if you catch my drift. Her voice was excruciating because of some serious pitch problems. Simon joked that if God gave him that kind of voice he would give it back. Ouch - now you know that one must’ve hurt!

Keeping it in the family seems to be Chris and Cory Lane’s motto. The twins not only look alike, but they even mess around with the same girl. The fellas audition an original rap, one lays down the beats while the other fumbles over the words. It takes about 10 tries before the kid remembers what he is supposed to be rapping about. I thought that my head was going to explode if I heard, “alright, here we go” one more time!

After that disaster came the boys’ girlfriend Ashley Lawing, the 19 year-old cutesy country gal who brings in her puppy for good luck. Simon loves the dog but thinks Ashley is horrendous. The judges want her dog, Panda to go through to Hollywood but won’t even consider Ashley.

20 year-old Cardin Lee McKinney from Nashville, Tennessee performs the Dreamgirls hit, “One Night Only”. I thought she had a very pretty voice, though Simon found her to be a little too theatrical for the competition. Randy and Paula have her back and give her the green light to the next round.

JoAnne Borgella really reminded me of last year’s Idol, Jordan Sparks. She is a plus-size model from Hoboken, New Jersey with an awesome voice. Look out for her later because I think she just might go far.

Alesha Stehlz knows she was born to be a singer and describes her voice as very unique. But her version of Celine Dion’s “Surrender” is just SO over the top that Simon can’t stand it. I kind of thought she sounded a bit like a chipmunk although her voice did have some nice qualities. Paula and Randy believe she just chose the wrong song. They tell her she sounds like Dolly Parton and send her out to learn a Dolly song and come back for a second audition.

Can Alesha pull it off? Come back and find out how she does!

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Eva Miller has all the confidence of a star but not enough talent to back it up.  She says she has that “special edge” and that she is in love with Simon but she really didn’t impress him with her performance.  Eva dances around so much that she actually falls over!  I couldn’t contain my laughter and just when I thought it was over for her, she hopped right back up and picked up where she left off.

Simon wants to know if this girl is actually serious and Eva replies, “No this is not no joke!”  The poor girl truly thinks she has talent, tsk tsk.  She gets upset and the judges have to let her down gently.

“MyFunny Valentine” never sounded better than when 16 year-old Alexandrea Lushington sang it tonight.  This girl definitely has star quality and a very unique sound to boot!

Nathan Hite is not just your average apathetic, gothed out 16 year-old.  No wait… he is.  This kid is laid back and doesn’t seem to really care about anything or anyone.  I am certain that Finger Eleven must have been appalled by the way Nathan performed their hit song tonight.  His vocals just don’t cut it and he is out of breath followed by a bit of shouting.  Simon calls his act a “bedroom audition” and Nathan disagrees by trying to have the upper hand.  Outside he tells Ryan, “maybe it’s the fact that I refuse to spoon with him so he’s not lettin’ me through”.  What a punk.  Go back home, kid.

One of the biggest surprises of the night came when Amanda Overmeyer, the nurse by day and motorcycle badass by night belted out Janis Joplin’s “Mean Woman”.  I really didn’t think she was going to have the pipes because her outfit was outrageous, but this woman has one mean rock voice and sings with pure passion.  Amanda lands herself 3 yesses to Hollywood.

Finally, Josiah Leming gets his chance to shine for the judges.  He is an 18 year-old high school dropout living out of his car.  He sings an original song called “To Run” for the judges.  Josiah can sing pretty well but he’s got this funky British accent that comes through which, as Randy points out, is quite an oddity considering the kid is from Tennessee.  Regardless of the kid’s strange pronunciations, the judges still put him through to Hollywood and give him hope for a brighter future.

All in all, 20 hopefuls were picked up in Atlanta.  Tomorrow night is the last round of auditions so it should be pretty good show!

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Tonight the American Idol auditions came straight from Atlanta, Georgia - the home of former superstars Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia Barrino… and Ryan Seacrest too!

First up is Josh Jones, a handsome 26 year-old who works with glass. His version of Queen’s rock classic, “Don’t Stop Me Now” was a little bit strange. Josh has a good voice but an annoying singing style. Simon makes him stop because he can’t stand the “slightly demonic thing” he is doing with his eyes. The judges make Josh turn around and go through his audition once more. Somehow he still manages to squeeze by to Hollywood.

Wondering what happened to Napoleon Dynamite? Guess what - I think I found him. Except he changed his name to J.P.! This kid is a total dweeb. He is supposedly majoring in music with an emphasis on singing but his version of the Rascall Flatts song, “Me And My Gang” was nothing short of horrible. This kid never had a chance. Simon tells him his “pen has more charisma”. Ouch.

It was a truly emotional moment of triumph for Asia’H Eppersin tonight whose father tragically died in a car accident just two days before her audition. She dedicates “How Do I Live” to him and sings it brilliantly, all the while trying not to burst into tears. Paula is choked up and the judges just adore her.

Miss South Florida Fair, Brooke Helvie is flaky and annoying but boy can this girl sing! She comes to the auditions to prove to Simon that pageant girls can actually sing, but nobody thought this girl was for real. Surprisingly, she’s got a great country-pop voice that even the judges can not resist.

Stay tuned for part two of the Atlanta auditions!

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