American Idol: Final 12 Compete

It coming down to the wire, fellow fans.

Last night, the final group of 12 performers gave it their all for a spot in the Top 12. Now you’d think this group had 2 weeks to prepare, see the prior groups’ performances, mistakes, etc. They should be some stand out performances shouldn’t there?

Yeah, not so much.

I just don’t understand it. What compels these contestants to choose what is obviously a wrong song choice for them? I’m sure they are told or at least advised that a song is too big, or not right for them, but almost all of them don’t listen. On top of that, they pick songs we’ve heard 1,000 times before on Idol, and the only reason to do them again is to do them differently.

On a note from last week, I did not see Kris Allen getting through at all. Talk about coming from left field! Judging by his reaction, he had no idea he was going to make it either. I’m not that unhappy with him getting through, because lack of exposure or not, he was one of the better singers from last week.

So before I get to the individual reviews, it’s time for my weekly pleading for readers to take a minute and join the blog as a follower. I need to have a certain number of subscribers or followers to my blog before I can submit it to an international TV blog site, so I need you guys to sign up! I can name names if I need to!! Okay, no more pleading this week.

Tomorrow, we actually get one extra night of Idol goodness. They are calling it the Wild Card round, but I don’t see how it’s going to work. It’s only an hour, and they still haven’t revealed how it works. Do the judges just choose the contestants they want to bring back? Do the fans? When do the fans vote? Or do they not vote this round and it’s strictly judges’ pick? I will not write an extra blog this week covering that, but I will mention and give my thoughts about it in next week’s blog.

In case you’ve forgotten, I break down my assessments of each contestant with 4 categories, based on their chances of making into the Top 12; NO CHANCE, SLIM, GOOD, EXCELLENT.

So begins another week, and we jump in, starting with:

1) Von Smith – sung "You're All I Need to Get By” – Von surprised me this week. I think I agree with what all the judges said about him; he actually listened to their advice, especially Simon’s, and toned it down. Instead of over-singing his performance, he pulled it back, and only bumped up the power of his voice when it was needed, and not just because he could. So I will give him props for that, since he was bordering on annoying during Hollywood week. Saying that, I wouldn’t go so far to say his performance was as good as the judges made it out to be. Compared to Hollywood week, it was fantastic, but it wasn’t the best song choice. Still, because of his humility, and his strong vocals, I think Von has a decent shot to get into the Top 12, though it may not happen tonight. I see him coming back during the Wild Card round, and possibly edging out a spot then. Based on last night’s performance I find his chances good at a runner-up spot, but not excellent. On a side note, Simon mentioned that Von reminds him of Clay Aiken. I see what he means. Von has that same sort of subtle, yet big booming voice that Clay made himself famous for. Chances: GOOD

2) Taylor Vaifanua - sung "If I Ain't Got You” - First off, song choice; we’ve heard this song so many times on Idol, I think it should be retired. Secondly, I agreed with Simon 100% on his comments on Taylor, when he said he didn’t have an idea who she was, and the song was very boring. I like this song normally, but somehow, Taylor sung it with little or no passion. Add to the fact that she has a serious case of “no-exposure-itis”, and you can see her chances of getting into the Top 12 disappear. I mean, I couldn't even find a picture of her from last night's performance, but I found everyone else! I don’t get it, you know you haven’t had the exposure that some of the other contestants have. Why not pick a song that would blow people away? Or at least, stand out in some way. Clearly, this was Taylor’s last performance, because I don’t really see her getting a chance in the Wild Card round either. Chances: NO CHANCE

3) Alex Wagner-Trugman – sung “I Guess That's Why They Call Them the Blues" – How adorable is Alex? As a fellow geek/dork, I need to be supportive of Alex and his attempt at stardom. But if I need to be objective, this was a pretty abysmal performance. What kills me is actually what the judges pointed out too: Alex actually has a very good voice. For some reason, his “growling” of some of the lyrics last night totally pulled down his chances for the top 12. It was distracting, because some of the parts of the song he actually sung pretty well. It was sort of like enjoying a song on the radio, only for it to be interrupted by static in-between. While I don’t think he ruined his chances completely, I think the way he performed last night has definitely made it a lot harder for him to get into the Top 12. The only thing that might save him is the fact that the judges gave him fairly positive reviews, but they were mostly about how they were entertained, and not his singing. Normun Gentle was entertaining too, and we know how he fared. Chances: SLIM

4) Arianna Afsar - sung "The Winner Takes it All” – I am a fan of this song, and it's actually one of my all time favorite ABBA songs. To hear it...ruined...like it was...irks me. How in the world did this girl think she could handle this song? It was way too big for her, and the way she changed it around made it completely unlistenable. Forget about the fact that the judges said it was dreary and depressing, I just think it was sung badly. The melody was all off, and sometimes the song got away from her. At one point it seemed as though as was struggling to keep up with the music. I was really disappointed, and considering this is another contestant suffering from “no-exposure-it is”, the chances of me seeing this girl next week are not good. Chances: NO CHANCE

5) Ju'Not Joyner – sung "Hey There Delilah" – He surprised me. He really did surprise me. I did not expect his version of this song to be very good, but I have to tell you, I really dug it. It felt eerie, and surreal. I wasn’t sure when I first heard the opening lyrics, but as he got into the meat of the song, I really started feeling a great vibe. Slowing the song down really worked for Ju’Not, whose voice has a nice smooth tone that perfectly suited the way the song was arranged. I would have easily gave him a slim chance, partially due to his non-exposure, but I think this performance made a real difference. I think he has a great shot at being the runner-up this week. Chances: GOOD

6) Kristen McNamara - sung "Give Me One Reason" – The judges and I seem to be in sync this week, because I agreed with what most of them were saying. Kristen does have a very good voice, but due to a poor song choice, it really didn’t show us how good she is. The song was sped up way too fast, and she was doing way too much with it. This was a simple song that should be sung properly, but this version kind of put me off. It’s not so much she sung it badly, because like I said, she does have a good voice; it’s just that the arrangement didn’t work, and in turn, gave her a mediocre performance at best. Compared to some of the other female singers so far, she does stand out a bit, but is no where near as good as the last singer to perform. (more on that later) Chances: SLIM

7) Nathaniel Marshall - sung “I Would Do Anything for Love" – Oh dear me, it’s the drama queen’s chance to shine. I will give him this much; he was man enough to admit he is a drama queen. His performance was a bit manic for me. I agree with Simon that some parts of his performance were excruciating. Meatloaf would not be pleased. Of all the judges, I find myself agreeing with, of all people, Paula. She called Nate’s performance a “Boy George version” of that song. And I think that’s what was wrong with it the most; it just doesn’t work in that sense. Seriously? I think Nate could actually have a serious shot if he toned down the drama, get rid of the Olivia Newton-John “Physical” headband, and get a decent hairstyle and wardrobe. Why? Listening to some parts of that song, he really does have a pretty decent voice. But then you might say, “that would take away what makes Nate, Nate”. Possibly, but cleaning up your style and a new look is not unusual in show business. A new look would also make us forget the drama queen we remember from Hollywood week. With any luck he won’t completely break down tonight, because I don’t see him having a decent shot at the Top 12. Wild card? Possibly. But he may surprise me. Perhaps he’s the “Kris Allen” of this week, and I’ll be wrong again? Chances: SLIM

8) Felicia Barton – sung “No One" – This was the girl who replaced Joanna Pacitti, the original girl who made it into the Top 36. (she got kicked out) Right from the get go, Felicia goes in with a disadvantage, since she was already eliminated, and now she has to prove herself all over again, not only to the audience, but to the judges as well. I think she tried a little too hard to impress the judges, because I think she over sang the song a bit. It wasn’t a bad performance, but it did nothing to make me remember her. It was sort of safe, and considering she didn’t impress anyone I don’t see her impressing anyone enough to vote for her. Chances: NO CHANCE



9) Scott Macintyre – sung "Mandolin Rain" – I want to say upfront, I’m definitely a Scott fan. I was rooting for him since I saw him audition. (Remember? His cute brother/friend brought him in—and hey, there he is in the audience too!) That being said, being objective as I can, I did not enjoy his performance that much tonight. I thought it was a bit boring, and his vocals weren’t that spot on. Thing is I know he’s better then this, because I heard some of his vocals from Hollywood week. Some parts were out of tune, but I will give the guy props...and even the judges pointed this out...his passion and emotion just pours out of him with every lyric he sings. You could feel emotion with each word, and you can tell how much he loves this. The judges all agreed that when Scott gets in front of a piano, the magic really happens. I think audiences will agree. Most people I talk to are rooting for Scott, so I think he’s one of the only ones tonight I can say truly has a great shot at the Top 12...and I couldn’t be happier.
Chances: EXCELLENT

10) Kendall Beard – sung "This One's For the Girls" – It wasn’t really memorable, was it? I will remember Kendall as the “country girl”, and she’s very pretty. But her performance was really a bit forgettable. It was a bit pitchy at times, and Kendall sometimes looked downright uncomfortable. I will agree with the judges, at least Kendall knows who she is, and what type of singer she wants to be. It’s strictly country for this girl, so at least she knows where her strength lies. Her performance had a lot to be desired, so I don’t think her chances of making it to the Top 12 are very good. Chances: SLIM




11) Jorge Nunez - sung “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me" - Oh my God, I want to trim those eyebrows. Sorry, but they are almost distracting to me, almost as much as Nathaniel’s headband. But putting that aside, I didn’t think Jorge was half bad. He has amazing range, a lot more that I expected. And his accent is adorable, and makes him stand out. I don’t recall Idol ever having a contestant with as much a pronounced accent as Jorge’s, but it brings something new to the show. I rather enjoyed Jorge’s performance, more then I thought I would. Add to that his sincere tearful response to the judges’ praise, and you can definitely see how Jorge will get some votes. His singing, plus the emotional, but honest reaction (see Tatiana? THAT was real.) gives him a great shot at runner-up.
Chances: GOOD

12) Lil Rounds – sung "Be Without You" - This girl impressed me all the way back in the audition round, so I’m very happy to see her blow me away in this round. I agreed with the judges, that maybe she should have picked a song that wasn’t so like her voice. Being compared to Mary J. Blige, then actually doing one of her songs doesn’t really make you stand out to much. But you know what? She really rocked it out. What an amazing range and vocal control Lil has! I know she has a big voice, since I remember her performances from Hollywood week, but she pulled back this week, and it sounded incredible. My gut was telling me this girl was bound for the Top 12, and I think after seeing last night’s performance it’s definite. Chances: EXCELLENT


Well, that’s it for the final round, my readers.

What did you guys think? Who really impressed you last night? Were you surprised as I was about Kris Allen’s advance to the Top 12 last week? How about this week? Who has a really decent shot? Am I right in my assessments, or am I waaay off? My predictions?

Guy with the most votes, going to the Top 12: Scott Macintyre
Girl with the most votes, going to the Top 12: Lil Rounds
Runner-up going to the Top 12 choices: Von Smith, Ju'Not Joyner or Jorge Nunez

My pick? Ju'Not Joyner (although I would not be surprised if it’s Jorge either)

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Until next week readers!