American Idol – Hollywood Week - Rounds 1 and 2

Hell week begins.

It’s time for the infamous Hollywood rounds, and the drama was so ridiculously high, it was comedic. You’ll find this week’s review not as long as usual, mostly because there’s not much to say about the Hollywood rounds. I mean, really, what really can you say about them?

I will point out a one major thing, though; boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong on some of my picks from last week. People I thought had the potential to go to the Top12 either messed it up for themselves, or the judges surprisingly turned them down. I am a bit angry though, because some people that like to play up the drama got through. This is a singing competition, not a soap opera. (hmm...well, then again.)

I am so DONE with some contestants already, and maybe that was the point of keeping them in; to play up the drama. But still, some of these people have gotten on my last nerve.

The contestants were treated to a celebrity mentor in the form of Barry Manilow, who gave them all a pep talk and pointers. It’s actually disheartening to know some of these kids have no clue who Barry is.

First night marks the solo night. In groups of eight, they will go on stage, sing, and once done, the judges will pick and choose who stays and who goes. The second night, the infamous group night, the remaining contestants will split up into groups of 3-4, and perform a song from a list the judges have given them. This honestly never made sense to me since in the history of Idol. Contestants never had to come up with and choreograph their own musical number on the actual show. But I digress.

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Okay, I think I begged you enough, lets get to the good stuff:

Night One: Single Rounds

How can I go about reviewing this round? It’s difficult enough doing the auditions, but with so many more contestants, I can’t possibly do this individually. So I’ll do this much; I’ll point out who stood out that made it to the next round, and who was surprisingly (or thankfully) told to go home.
That work for you guys?

Here goes:

Lil Rounds – You remember her. She was the mother who didn’t know how really good she was. She sings "I Will Always Love You," and totally impresses the judges. She’s through to the next round, however, I thought she over sang it.

Dennis Brigham - I don’t remember this guy too much, but I only mention him because he decides to argue back to the judges after he was told he didn’t advance. Honestly, he didn’t sound that great at all, so the judges made the right call on him. And arguing with the judges and making a spectacle of yourself afterwards? Let’s just say that your musical career will be tough to start after producers see how you conduct yourself. One word Dennis: dignity.

Nathaniel Marshall – Ugh. He’s gotten on my nerves already. It’s not the fact that he’s more effeminate then some females friends of mine. It’s not even that odd ball piercing he has on his lower lip. It’s the fact that he’s a complete an utter drama queen. He cries at the drop of a hat, and I’m pretty sure if he actually makes to the final 12, he’s gonna have a nervous breakdown. Somehow, he made it through to the next round.

Anoop Desai - I still can’t believe that voice is coming from him! He’s good, REALLY good. Curious if he’s going to make it to the end.








Von Smith – Oh dear lord, his performance was so over the top it bordered on annoying. In fact, Simon agreed with me when he called Von’s performance "indulgent nonsense," and "really annoying." How the heck he made it through, I’ll never know. He best learn to tone it down a bit.

Nick Mitchell, aka Norman Gentle - Can someone please tell me when this joke is over? I mean, enough is enough. His performance was comedic and not very good. And yet? He gets through to the next round. How?! Drama is fine, but this joke has gone too long.

Jackie Tohn - I like the way this girl sounds, but for some reason, I find her irritating. I don’t know if it’s her personality or the way she talks, but something is bugging me about her. She makes it through the the next round.

Jamar Rogers / Danny Gokey – I’m putting these two guys together because they are best friends and they are absolutely incredible singers. Danny, however, blows me away. You remember Danny...he’s the guy who had just lost his wife, and auditioned just a few weeks later. They both make it through to the next round, though I have a strong feeling Danny is going to go further then his buddy.




Katrina Darrell - Don’t remember who she is? One word: bikini. Remember her now? Yeah, thought so. This was a complete farce, as (yet again) she makes it through on her charms/beauty, thanks to Simon and Randy. Seriously, this girl is not that good, insults Kara and thinks she can still get by on her beauty. Can someone please give this girl a reality check?



Jeremy Michael Sarver - The guy who works on an oil rig. He’s not bad sounding, and he makes it to the next round. One thing though; anyone else notice how his head is smaller then his body? Yes? No? Just me then?

David Osmond – The guy who comes from the legacy of the singing Osmonds makes it through to the next round. Not surprising, considering how good he was.

Night Two: The Groups Round

DEAR LORD, the drama. I can’t take it. It was like watching a bad train wreck.

You know the drill by now; several groups are formed, friendships are made, and plenty of drama to be had. I seriously think I figured out why Idol has a group day; so they can have a great night of drama for the cameras.

At the end of this round, some real surprises went home. And some who should have gone home stayed.
Here goes:

Katrina Darrell,(Bikini)/Rose Flack /Jasmine Murray/Lauren Barnes – What a mess this group was. Of the four, the only one I couldn’t remember was Lauren Barnes. Rose was the poor kid who lost her dad and mom in the span of 3 years, who lives with her best friend’s family. Jasmine was the girl with an amazing voice who came to the auditions with her sisters.(I think)
And of course, we all know Katrina by now. This group seemed doomed from the start, but it especially went downhill when Katrina got too tired and decided to go up to bed. Leaving the others to figure out their routine. The next morning she basically tells her group she wants to sleep. She then has the nerve to show up later and ask them to teach her what she missed. Wow. Pure cockiness. The routine was awful, resulting in Rose forgetting the words, and Katrina pulling her poses to try to get by. It wasn’t going to work this time. FINALLY, the judges make the right call and eliminate Katrina, along with Rose and Lauren; Jasmine makes it through to the next round. While I do agree with Lauren and Katrina’s elimination, I have to say that Rose should have been given a chance to get through. She was really good in her audition. Alas, there’s always next year.

Michael Sarver (the oil rig dude)/Adam Lambert (the theater dude from Wicked)/Matt Brietzke/Jesse Langseth - These guys were very good. I didn’t really remember who Matt and Jesse were, but the other two I remembered well. I thought Adam was particularly good, but I have say, this boy wears way to much eye liner. I mean, be a rocker, yes, but damn, that eye liner was extremely over the top. They all get through to the next round

Tatiana Del Toro - Lordy, if this psychotic mess makes it through to the final rounds, I may have to skip Idol this year. I was that done with her. She’s manipulative, selfish and has quite possibly one of the most annoying laughs I have ever heard in my life. Not only does she dump her original group and begs to join another, but she then leaves said group to back to her original. If I was either group, I would have left her in the cold. After much more drama, and Tatiana’s self-centeredness, she tries to woo the judges at the end of the group number by trying to sing “ I wanna get through”. The judges quickly warned her not to pull something like that. To everyone’s surprise, they all make it through to the next round, which prompts Tatiana to thank everyone who was breathing for getting her through. I say again. What. A. Psycho.

Nathaniel Marshall (drama queen with the lower lip piercing)/Kristin McNamara/Nancy Wilson – I had trouble remembering the two girls, but Nathaniel I remembered because of his annoyance factor. Big shock, there was major drama on this team. Not only did Nathaniel have a major meltdown, but Kristin broke down because Nancy yelled at her. In the end, their drama reflected in the way they performed, and was painfully obviously to the judges. They decided to let Kristin and Nathaniel through, which sparks Nancy into a powerful dramatic performance of cursing Kristin out as she walks off the stage. Wow. Did you ever think, Nancy, that if maybe you would have just concentrated and just sung your song you would have got through? No? There’s always next year.

Danny Gokey/Jamar Rogers - I have no idea who the girls were singing with Danny and Jamar, but damn did they knock this out of the park. By far, the best group performance of the night. They took a risk and sang acappella, but it paid off big time. It definitely makes me want to root for Danny to get through. His voice was amazing.

Shocker of the night? David Osmond is eliminated. Wow. Have to say didn’t see that coming. He had the looks and the sound. I wonder how he messed up?

So that’s it!

Another week is down the drain. Are we satisfied with who went home? Who should have gone home, but wound up staying around? Who seems to stand out at this point?

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Until next time, my fellow Idol watchers.