Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Season 11 Girls Top 12 Reactions

1. Jessica Sanchez
2. Jen Hirsh
3. Hollie Cavanagh
4. Shannon Magrane
5. Hallie Day
6. Chelsea Sorrell
7. Baylie Brown
8. Haley Johnsen
9. Elise Testone
10. Erika Van Pelt
11. Skylar Laine
12. Brielle Von Hugel

Details:

Chelsea Sorrell. Solid, good voice. A bit pinched on the high end. I wonder if she can hit high notes.

Erika Van Pelt. Same problem I've heard before, that her voice is kind of stuck in her chest somewhere.

Jen Hirsh. A bit disappointing as I know she's skilled. Finesse girls should skip Adele. But she gets points for doing stuff.

Brielle Von Hugel. And they couldn't find a black girl instead of this? Really?

Hallie Day. Surprisingly sultry tone, but couldn't quite take it to another level. Maybe she should try Blondie. Or be an actress like Kathleen Turner.

Skylar Laine. Just doesn't have much of a voice. Too small and shallow.

Baylie Brown. Oh my. Beauty Pageant version. Disappointing. I'm voting for her anyway. So there.

Hollie Cavanagh. Not everything is big in Texas. Hollie is a tiny blonde. Trouble in the lower notes, but then did some really good belting for a little girl. Vote for the Liverpool accent as well.

Haley Johnsen. Is a better gymnast than a singer. Belongs in a Viking movie.

Shannon Magrane. Well, she's tall. She puts a lot into her singing. She's pretty good.

Jessica Sanchez. Little Filipina-Hispanic girl singing like a black girl. What's going on? But what is that song for a 16-year-old? I don't know. I prefer the sweet innocence of Filipina Thia Megia.

Elise Testone. I've just never liked her voice. I still don't.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Season 11 Guys Top 13 Reactions

1. Phillip Phillips
2. Deandre Brackensick
3. Heejun Han
4. Joshua Ledet
5. Jeremy Rosado
6. Colton Dixon
7. Reed Grimm
8. Aaron Marcellus
9. Chase Likens
10. Creighton Fraker
11. Eben Franckewitz
12. Jermaine Jones
13. Adam Brock

Details:

Reed Grimm, Cheesehead. Nice jazzy interpretation, poor execution.

Adam Brock, Master of None. Didn't Think about his song choice. Awful.

Deandre Brackensick. What were his Reasons to choose that song. He has a great falsetto with great range, but Phillip Bailey was a bit out of his league. Still, a good try.

Colton Dixon. Not bad, but underpowered for that kind of song.

Jeremy Rosadao. Nothing to sneeze at. Very nice, but needs a little more power.

Aaron Marcellus' set was so dark, I could hardly see him. I'm also in the dark as to why Jennifer championed him.

Chase Likens didn't give me a reason to like him. A storm with no thunder.

Creighton Fraker has an annoying voice, speaking and singing. The judges must be deaf to have included him. He is skilled, no doubt, but what does it matter if there's not a voice to go with it.

Phillip Phillips can really deliver on his interpretations. Definitely a Pawn Star.

Eben Franckewitz is too young and weak to be singing Adele. And he's the fourth guy to sing a girl song.

Heejun Han shouldn't be able to sing like that, but somehow he does. He is Korean, by the way. Pool Boy Paul Kim from Season 6 was also Korean.

Joshua Ledet can raise the roof, no doubt, but if you don't like that style and the harsh quality of his voice, it's hard to judge.

Talk about a huge mistake AGAIN. Johnny Keyser has enough talent to win Idol. I wonder what he did to tick them off.

Jermaine Jones was not worth bringing back.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Season 11 Cuts To 24 Part 2 Reactions

Adam Brock gets through. Yuck.

Jeremy Rosado, a smooth-singing Teddy bear.

Shannon Magrane doesn't look 16 because she's so tall. But if she has the competitive drive of her pro ball player father, that will help her.

Scott Dangerfield is like, what up wid dat? And out he go.

Skylar Laine is too country and too strained in her singing. Even when she talks.

Deandre Brackensick must have the best falsetto of any guy ever on Idol. We've heard a lot of lame ones, like Jacob Lusk and Michael Lynche.

Jermaine Jones should go team up with Richie Law as a singing comedy duo. At least Jermaine has the record as the tallest contestant ever.

Hollie Cavanagh has a vowel missing to her last name. She's cute, competent, but in the end kind of vanilla.

David Leathers and Eben Franckewitz should both have been thrown out. They both look and sound too young. Like Baby Idol.

I guess Idol realized that they could not risk letting Johnny Keyser head over to X Factor. No reason to give Simon Cowell such a gift.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Season 11 Cuts To 24 Part 1 Reactions

Jen Hirsh is like a large Haley Reinhart with a little Siobhan Magnus mixed in. Certainly deserves to have a chance with the voters.

Creighton Fraker I've said all along is too thin in every way. I'm not sure why the judges like him. He is skilled, no doubt, but it's not appealing.

Lauren Gray reminds me of Allison Iraheta and Adele. Pretty ridiculous to not include her.

Joshua Ledet has plenty of voice, but I find it a bit harsh.

Haley Johnsen I didn't get much of a read on, which probably means she's not very distinctive, except that she looks a bit like a Viking girl.

Neco Starr is like a Bruno Mars Jackson. Bad decision to cut him.

Elise Testone's voice is powerful, but kind of deep and manly. And she sang "It's a Man's Man's World."

Reed Grimm is skilled, but annoying. Comparing him to Casey Abrams is not exactly good. Casey would have finished 11th if not for the judges' save.

Erika Van Pelt is another girl with a big deep voice, totally unneccessary with Elise there already.

Chelsea Sorrell is more like it. Pretty girl, pretty voice.

And Bailey Brown too? Oh my, gotta save for Tour tickets.

Richie Law served his purpose, but was totally expendable. Thanks for the laughs. He would make for a great used car salesman.

Heejun "Deadpan" Han is such a puzzle. How does he sing like that given who he is. Actually he explained it: He's channeling somebody. I wonder who. I don't think he'll cause "Hansanity," but I hope he goes far.

Jessica Sanchez (half-Filipina) seems a bit too Vegas-ready, overtrained. Seems much older than 16.

Phillip Phillips doesn't have Johnny Keyser to worry about anymore. Very unfair. Phillip is like a reincarnation of Joe Cocker, even though Cocker is still here. I guess I should have said clone.

Colton Dixon must have improved a lot from last year, because he was an easy choice to get through. Can he challenge Phillip?

Brielle Von Hugel doesn't appear to have any redeeming qualities. How did she get through?

Adam Brock's gravel pit of a voice annoys me. His missing his kids while pursuing his dream also annoys me. Leaving it for tomorrow was really stupid. Who cares?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Season 11 Hollywood Week Part 4 Reactions

From Las Vegas.

More groups? Who cares about harmonies?

Send the kids through, fine with me. And the eccentric girl (Angie) barely makes it through, but how long can she last?

The problem with groups is you can't really tell how they really sing when they're singing short fast parts. But the Reed Grimm group had longer solos, which is the right way to do it.

Richie Law and Jermaine Jones formed an odd outcast duo. Ebony and Ivory on the left side of the piano. And both got through.

Bailey Brown from Season 6 has gotten farther than last time, but is she strong enough to make it to the voting?

Filipina Ashley Robles was cut, but half-Filipina Jessica Sanchez got through.

The four guys in black were kind of indistinguishable from each other. Great for a group, but terrible if you're trying to form an identity with the audience.

I have this recurring image of Shannon Magrane on the Idol summer tour already. I don't think she's so great, but I think she'll get votes.

The girl group in purple I thought all would be cut, but two made it through. Yet I liked the one who was cut better than the two who made it.

Lauren Gray showed she can actually sing tender, kind of. I would have cut both her two friends.

Phillip Phillips still growled on a smooth song, but at least he dialed it back. Heejun Han, however awkward he is, is the best Asian guy ever on the show.

The Jen Hirsh crew did it wrong, too much harmony, short solos.

Angie gone already (see above).

Favorite Jonny Keyser gone already. Huge mistake. Head over to X Factor.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Season 11 Hollywood Week Part 3 Reactions

So many contestants said Group Day sucks, and they're right. It sucks. It's cheap, lame and worst of all, it accomplishes nothing. It seems Idol spent a lot of money on emergency services that would have been better spent on helping to create and manage the groups. If Idol cannot take the groups seriously, how can we? We saw, like last year, parent-managed groups doing better.

Cop Girl is gone, Barf Boy is gone, Tent Girl is gone, Stage-fall Girl is gone, Expectant-father is gone.

And you could see the extreme difference once they moved on from Group Day after the first hour how senseless Group Day is.

MIT "Most Irrational Team" did everything they could to shoot themselves in the head, yet they all made it through, and rightfully so. I guess Heejun Han, when he was apologizing, did not notice Richie Law extending his hand, or maybe Heejun kept his hands firmly behind his back on purpose to signify a b.s. apology.

Favorite Johnny Keyser put himself at serious risk with his loser group, but made it through, alone.

*---

Solo Day:

Joshua Ledet was great but could use a little better upper register.

Colton Dixon is compelling but underpowered.

Phillip Phillips "kidney stones" singing in pain again. He's got to show some other style.

Jen Hirsh has a lot going for her, but is also underpowered.

Creighton Fraker is too thin in every way. Highly skilled, but send him home.

Shannon Magrane tries really hard for a tall skinny white girl, so send her through to the summer tour.

Grimm Reed got to breathe some rare cleansed Hollywood air, but it didn't clear his head. Hiding behind the drums was the solution? Moron. But he did surprisingly well.

Skylar Laine is too country. So is Rachelle Lamb. But I'll take Rachelle because country needs life experience.

Adam Brock has too much gravel. Makes me want to dump him.

*---

Elimination:

Room 1 - Saved. Lauren Gray, Adam Brock, Joshua Ledet.
Room 2 - Saved. Phillip Phillips.
Room 3 - Knew they were in the wrong room.
Room 4 - Saved. Heejun Han, Bailey Brown.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Jennifer Hudson Sings Tribute To Whitney Houston Alone

Chaka Kahn reportedly pulled out of a Whitney Houston tribute just an hour before the Grammys, leaving Jennifer Hudson to go it alone. Hudson performed an emotional, heartfelt, soulful rendition of "I Will Always Love You." According to reports, Hudson had trouble getting through it during rehearsals, frequently breaking down. Hudson did well to get through it on a live broadcast.

Whitney Houston's movie "Sparkle" with Jordin Sparks is set to be released in August.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Finally, The Full Pia Toscano Video

Last year, RingFever.com put out a video of Pia Toscano performing at a gala in October, 2011, but it was only very short clips. Now, they have finally put out the full 21-minute video:

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Season 11 Hollywood Week Part 2 Reactions

Here we go again with "Dumb Group Night." Useless, fruitless, ridiculous nonsense.

Recall that Steven Tyler is a veteran of falling off the stage himself. He was probably having flashbacks.

I wonder what happened to Ethan Jones, though.

I don't why the cop girl didn't just pepper spray and cuff some people to form a group.

Tent girl should have just folded up and left rather than infecting others. But she was wise to get away from the cop girl.

"The cowboy kid is crazy." Heejun speak truth.

Phillip Phillips gets kidney stones. No wonder he sings in agony.

In all, what a huge waste of time this episode was.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Season 11 Hollywood Week Part 1 Reactions

Nice job using the stage fall the entire show to keep us interested. Wonderful.

Johnny Keyser is too good. Send him home.

Heejun did Michael Bolton AGAIN. Oh well, good enough.

Elise Testone sounds like she's got some testosterone.

Baylie Brown needs to stay on. We need the pretty.

Hallie Day was kind of superfluous given the other two.

Jen Hirsh was just competent for me.

Lauren Gray is loud, rough and scary and could the best rocker girl ever from Idol.

Phillip Phillips was too tight. Can he sing any other style? He needs to do better to challenge that cocky Johnny Keyser.

Reed Grimm was annoying, like he belongs in a circus.

Travis Orlando did good enough to advance. Maybe there was something else going on with him.

Adam Brock kind of reminds me of lower-voiced Danny Gokey.

The joke was on Jane Carrey, but she doesn't need Idol.

Shannon Magrane gave me a migraine. Send her through, though.

David Leathers is too freaky for me. Almost a man, still a boy, singing like a girl. Send him home.

Jessica Phillips needs to be more than just another stereotypical black girl singer.

Erika Van Pelt is still, like, swallowing her notes.

Ceighton Fraker is still too thin for me, voice and all. Send him home.

Aaron Marcellus takes over for Jacob Lusk.

Girls like Lauren Mink should avoid "Alone" unless they can really bring it, which she can't.

Jeremy Rosado takes over for Stephano.

Symone Black's stage dad picked a lame song, but she's got a really good voice, then she fell off the stage to provide a rough segue to the next show. Nice.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Siobhan Magnus vs Melanie Amaro

It turns out that the Masterclass Lady herself, Rosanne Simunovic of MasterclassLady.com, likes BOTH Siobhan Magnus and Melanie Amaro.

First, Masterclass Lady in Season 9 said of Siobhan:

"Here at MasterclassLady.com, we are not confused by brilliance. We applaud it and cherish it, feeling privileged to discover a rare and exciting talent such as Siobhan Magnus."

Also, "... we can celebrate the birth of a new and exciting star."

Also, "You are an extraordinary artist and extraordinary people will come knocking at your door post-American Idol."

Also, "... thousands upon thousands of fans love and treasure your extraordinary artistry."

Then, Masterclass Lady said of Melanie Amaro's audition:

"Quite frankly, I have never heard anything quite like this in any audition in any show. This young lady is superbly gifted and trained. She has an extraordinary vocal gift but beneath it all is a skilled vocal support system."

Also, "... note the seamless phrasing, breathing skills and circular mouth on her impeccably sustained vowels. It does not get any better than this."

But then, who is more talented, Siobhan or Melanie? It's Siobhan, because of her versatility. Melanie has a tendency to use the same vocal techniques for every song, while Siobhan can drastically change her approach from song to song depending on how she feels. She can do this because she has the ability to do this. She has more ability than Melanie, therefore she is more talented than Melanie.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Season 11 Week 3 Thursday Reactions

From St. Louis

Johnny Keyser didn't impress me as much as he did the judges, but I'll wait to hear him on stage. It's just that his voice started off so high, he was singing in girl range. But then, so was Adam Lambert.

Rachelle Lamb's got a kind of nasty demeanor, and a nasty look, but has a nasty good voice to match.

Reis Kloeckener was smooth, silky and ready to beat down the competition.

Ethan Jones needs to cut his fingernails after his bout with self mutilation. But he's got the DNA for music and trouble.

I was a big fan of Madonna back in the day, but she's kinda old now. Older than me.

Mark Ingram is a human report generator, but sounded like he ate paper before auditioning.

Lauren Gray, another girl with a rocker dad, like Haley Reinhart and Siobhan Magnus, has a powerhouse voice, but it's coming from an odd place, like a ventriloquist.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Season 11 Week 3 Wednesday Reactions

From Portland, Oregon

Brittany Zika almost succumbed to gravity walking in, but showed an interesting pop-with-country tone.

Ben Purdom was pitchy in more ways than one, grossed us out in more ways than one, and should have stayed home.

Jermaine Jones is about the same height as Magic Johnson, but did not have magic pipes. I guess he's worth another look, however.

Britnee Kellog, who looks a little like Britney Spears, is pretty dumb not to understand what basketball players are like, but she's got a good smokey voice.

Sam Gershman, even though she was too Broadway, should have been given another chance at Hollywood. Or they should have at least asked her to sing a different song.

David Weed has a perfect name for Portland, but his singing wasn't worth a small fries.

Romeo Diahn sounds a bit like Andrew Garcia. Naomi Gillies sounds like a real singer.

Ben Harrison looks like Bob's Big Boy's little blond brother. But it looks like he never matured past the crib.

Jessica Phillips reminds me a bit of Natalie Cole. But going for Idol is kind of a way for her to run away from her stricken bo.
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