Thankfully just a one-hour show tonight revealing this season's Top 12 guys and gals, following a painfully bloated 2-hour show last night. I read that they revealed some of the top 24 last night because of all of the leaks that have gone down this season....technology is a help and a hindrance, no? Cell phones and iPhones and camera phones, texts, tweets, Facebook....hard to keep much a secret these days.
I have a few categories I silently placed tonight's contestants in as they were announced, and in no particular order:
In, And We Knew It: Ashley Rodriquez and Katie Stevens. There was never any question, despite the lack of any significant footage from Hollywood week. We got more film and backstory from Lilly Scott, Crystal Bowersox and Janell Wheeler, but we still knew they were finalists. And despite all of the manufactured "chairs" DRAMA that Fox is so good at, we knew Alex Garcia and Haley Vaughn were shoe-ins for the Top 24. Talent is talent, what can you say!
In, Even Though We Don't Really Know Them: And I could be wrong, but the only time we saw John Park, the noteworthy smooth-as-silk Asian crooner was at his first audition....and nada since. I actually had trouble recalling Tim Urban at all. I knew who he was from his audition, but we saw very little of Tyler Grady in Hollywood. I have no memory of Joe Munez, or the obviously talented Siobahn something or other. But I have to admit I have no recollection whatsoever (even audition footage) of lovely ladies Paige Miles and Michelle Delamor, or of Adam (I mean Alex, sorry) Lambert. Hmm. That isn't a good sign for any of them....
In But We Weren't Entirely Sure: Casey James. I actually think he has a nice voice and he was a bit short-changed with the whole shirt-removal fiasco. Can he deliver? Micheal Lynch is a nice guy, but didn't know which contestant would fill that Micheal-Sarver-adequate-singer-and-nice-guy slot, there were several to choose from this season. Aaron Kelly, the 16yo kid with the Backstreet Boys hairdo made a great impression, but there had to be some kind of quota with the younger set for California child labor laws or something, and he forgot the lyrics like, every time, so wasn't sure he would get through. Jermaine Sellers (Which Jermaine was he?). Tough break for Lacey Brown last year to go up against Megan Joy, but hey -- if you have to go against someone, at least they do well, right? And this might be her year.
Two ladies had particularly tough roads in Hollywood, IMO. Didi Benami, the emotional waitress who lost a friend in college, wasn't a shoe-in to me. Her emotional instability made her seem a bit too vulnerable for the rigors of American Idol (and the producers agreed with me, playing that up before ultimately granting her a rightful spot in the Top 24, girl is painfully talented). I'm not sure I can say the same for curly-topped Katelyn Epperly....she is cute and can sing fine but I'm not sure she can go the distance.
One guy to watch is Lee Dewyze....I still think it's a girl's year, but with that in mind, he is just the kind of sleeper contestant that winner Kris Allen was last year. I like him and can't wait to hear more of him.
In and Out: This category is reserved for contestants who are viewed as what we call 'cannon fodder', meaning they are added to the top 24 for reasons other than talent (demographics, or viewership preferences, perhaps) but are not expected to be true competitors for the title. In this pool I would put Toddrick Hall (annoying), Katelyn Epperly, Alex Lambert since I have no recollection of him whatsoever, Joe Munez, Lacey Brown, and Micheal Lynch.
Out And We are Sad: Okay, how can it be that Angela Martin is talented enough to make it to Hollywood three times in a row and yet not advance this year? She is a very talented gal with lots of spunk and class. I felt her disappointment and I wish her the best. The same to Thaddeus Johnson (but mostly his Mom). I thought he had a great voice, wonderful spirit and vibe.....but the talent pool is so deep this season, tough break. Come back!
Out, And it's Sad, But We Kinda Figured: Some notes leaking over from last night, but I'm still sad for Hope Johnson. I loved her audition and was kind of afraid Hollywood would eat her up. Group rounds were tough for her, and in the end she just couldn't measure up. Best to you!
Bring on the Top 12 ladies!
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