Another 12 semifinalsts took the stage last night on American Idol. It’s season eight so you’d think by now everyone on the show–judges, host, and contestants alike–knows what to do to deliver an awesome episode. Well, that was true for some contestants….no one said they made the episode awesome by being great, though.
The new batch of performers had some early favs like Los Angeles native Adam Lambert, single mom Megan Corkrey, super-commercial Jasmine Murray, and no one can forget the guy with the multiple personality disorder Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle.
This week’s theme was again hits from the Billboard Hot 100 (lazy much, Idol producers?) so, again, the song choice pond was deep. And, again, some great singer fell victim to the dreaded wrong song selection.
So let’s take a look at how it all went down. Who sounded a mess, who picked the wrong song, and did Nick perform as himself or that hawt spicy Norman Gentle?
Jasmine Murray – Love Song: Jasmine is the girl with it all: super young, good look, good voice. So why was she so….bad last night? Taking on a song like Sara Barielles’s “Love Song” shouldn’t have been such a task, and she didn’t sound a complete mess, but nothing about it said “pick up the phone and vote for me!” The judges were ultra-disappointed. They’d been rooting for her to do well since she’s so “commercial.” Too bad. There’s no way she’s making it through.
Matt Giraud – Viva La Vida: Dueling pianist Matt got the side-eye from me the day his audition aired. Simon had the nerve to compare him to Elliott Yamin from season 5. (Type in Elliott Yamin in the search bar to your right and you’ll see the way I feel about the E-man.) So, he had a lot to prove to me. When that familiar sound of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” began, I feared for poor Matt. I was right to be fearful–and his extremely nervous shaky voice didn’t do much to ease the fear. But even still, there were some GREAT moments in there, though overall it fell flat. Matt, you’ll never be Chris Martin. You’re a soul singer. Go with it! The judges and I hope he’s given a second chance.
Jeanine Vailes – This Love: Jeanine didn’t get a lot of TV time prior to her performance, so she walked on stage with one strike already against her. She earned the next strike by choosing Maroon 5′s “This Love” to sing. She delivered the final strike with a pitchy, all over the place performance of the song. Hopefully someone out there takes notice of her great legs (like the judges) and votes based on that. Yeah….not gonna happen. Bye Neener!
Nick Mitchell – And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going: Truth be told, I was looking forward to Nick’s performance strictly to see if he’d perform as himself or his alter-ego Norman Gentle. I needed to know how the hell he made it this far. Norman Gentle was all up and through the house as he took the stage wearing a white coat with tails, shiny shirt, and knee baring shorts. He made a complete mockery of the show rolling on the floor, making sweet love to the Idol logo, and begging for America to let him stay on the show in his remixed version of “And I’m Telling You…” America, be smart. Let him go! Norman Gentle has run his coarse.
Allison Iraheta – Alone: Allison, Allison. One thing you just don’t do on Idol is sing Heart’s “Alone.” Carrie Underwood now owns that song after her perfect performance in season 4. This is all what I said BEFORE Allison actually hit the stage. The minute she started, I was in her trap. The 16-year-old, though nervous through some of the performance, showed amazing range, control, and showmanship. I’m officially a fan. LOVED it and so did the judges. Top female spot = taken!
Kris Allen – Man In The Mirror: I see this is going to be a running theme during the semifinals. People! You don’t touch Michael Jackson songs!! Ya just don’t! Unlike my rant for Allison, I didn’t change my mind when Kris began singing. I kept squinting because he reminded me so much of an older David Archuleta but he totally didn’t have the pipes to go with the look–not last night anyways. His talent was lost on the cheesy performance and song choice. But surprisingly, Simon backed him up saying he showed personality. Yeah…not going to save you though Kris.
Megan Corkrey - Put Your Records On: Everything about this performance should have been epic. Megan picked a great song that, in theory, would work with her voice well, she looked gorgeous, and performed barefoot in a cute little white dress. But somehow, nothing about the vocal was good. It never felt like she settled into the song, and the dancing. ARGH! Horrid! The judges laid it on thick because they know like I know Megan deserves a spot in the top 12 base on her past performances and potential. But uhh, maybe someone should have done more to help Stevie Wright, too.
Matt Breitzke - If You Could Only See: it’s such a blur. I was so bored I can only faintly remember his lackluster, karaoke to the max performance. Far too forgettable. Not gonna cut it, buddy!
Jesse Langseth – Betty Davis Eyes: Jesse has a really, really great voice. What she suffers from is that damn lack of “it.” Her performance was enjoyable, but nowhere near exciting. She’s not exciting–as Simon put it, it was “too cool for school.” So cool that it’ll sail right through America’s memories.
Kai Kalama – What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted: I’m broken hearted that Kai’s performance was so karaoke, cheese-fest deluxe. I just knew with hair like that, he’d become the new Sanjaya but with real talent! Not gonna happen. He’s outta there after that weak performance. The judges agreed.
Mishavonna Henson – Drops Of Jupiter: FINALLY! A surprising song choice yields positive results. The 18-year-old Mishavonna rocked the Train hit. She used her vocals to  turn it into a soulful, jazzy number while mostly keeping to the original arrangement. Too bad her personality put the judges off. Simon said he was left “cold”–Paula said it might have been the drops of Jupiter making him cold. She made a punny! There has to be top 12 hope for Misha!
Adam Lambert – I Can’t Get No Satisfaction: Drama king Adam split the judges during his audition. Simon was convinced he was too theatre-ish to make a good recording artist, but Adam was sure he could change his mind. He didn’t do that during Hollywood week, even though the other judges ate him up. I mostly disagreed with Simon on Adam–until tonight. Simon was right on the money when he said Adam’s performance of the Rolling Stones classic would either be loved or hated because some parts were great, others were terrible. I hated it. It was shrieky, whiny, pitchy, and over-dramatic. Doesn’t matter, though. With the rest of the judges’ butt kissing, he’s sure to secure the top male spot.
Predictions: Adam is in, so is Allison. Megan is a good choice too.
See if we’re right tonight when the results are announced!
you’re dead on about Adam. He showed he’s got a wide vocal range, but as a performance of “Satisfaction” I thought it was horrible, way overdone and shrieky.
Gotta disagree about Norman though – I love the idea of an Idol performer satirizing Idol itself (which is why I think Simon hates him so much).
KRIS Allen is my top pick because he shows what kind of person he was and he choose the best song w/ good message. for me that is the real and true American Idol!
Good luck Kris, I know you will make it and the whole world pray for you and to be the next American Idol.