Idol 2012: Top 11, Songs from the Year They Were Born

Or, I should say, "Idol 2012: Top 11, Songs Done to Death"

Seriously, these themes! So overdone.

• Phil Phillips - Hard to Handle (by Counting Crows) - Obviously restrained, but 100% for the better. Great opener.
• Jessica Sanchez - Turn the Beat Around (Gloria Estefan) - Somewhat of a forced performance, but she handled it decently.
• Heejun Han - Whatever It Takes (by Richard Marx) - I think we get the picture, Heejun.
• Elise Testone - Let's Stay Together (by Al Green) - Started strong, got awkward. Love her tone though.
• Deandre Brackensick - Endless Love (by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey) - On autopilot? No connection. Blech. 
• Shannon Magrane - One Sweet Day (by Mariah Carey) - Safe and predictable, yet seemingly desperate. Seemed forced.
• Colton Dixon - Broken Heart (by White Lion) - Here's a kid that knows what he's doing. Well done.
• Erika Van Pelt - Heaven (by Bryan Adams) - Loved the song choice, but disappointing. Messy. Too much.
• Skylar Laine - Love Sneaking Up On You (by Bonnie Raitt) - Not Skylar's best, but bravo for holding her ground.
• Josh Ledet - When A Man Loves a Woman (the Michael Bolton version) - I like the passion, but a bit OTT for me.
• Hollie Cavanagh - The Power of Love (by Celine Dion) - Nothing new here. Some pitch/screaming issues. Moving on.

The Jermaine Jones ordeal… awkward and tasteless. Why not just have Ryan break the news at the top of the show, say the 'Idol family' is sad to see him go, then move on? The whole tease and confrontation just reeked of a ratings ploy. Sad.

Overall, an uneven night. Some bad choices, some good. Some bad performances, some standouts. So, just another Idol night.

I did find it interesting that no definitive plan was laid out about this week's elimination. Seacrest said that the lowest vote getter would be "in danger" of being voted out. Given the whole TV schedule being laid out, guess this means the save is back in the picture. Oh joy.

Winner of the night... For me, I'm going to go with Colton Dixon. He made an unknown song memorable, which is always a good thing. That said, I'd say Josh Ledet is the ultimate winner of the night, with a solid performance and the judges slobbering all over him. Honorable mention to Phil Phillips, too. I love that guy.

Better watch out... Shannon Magrane. Didn't do anything for me to take her out of this category, unfortunately. Heejun and Deandre are probably down here, too.

Idol 2012: Top 12, The Songs of Stevie & Whitney

Whitney/Stevie week. Probably the two most over-done artists in Idol history, in one night. Love it. And dueling themes! Guys do Stevie, girls do Whitney. Doing the opposite would be too interesting and unexpected. Ah well. Here goes nothing.

• Joshua Ledet - I Wish - Dug this completely. Nice change of pace from last week.
• Elise Testone - I'm Your Baby Tonight - Struggled to make it her own. Kind of got screwed…
• Jermaine Jones - Knocks Me Off My Feet - Song sat right in his voice, but awkward performance.
• Erika Van Pelt - I Believe in You and Me - Played it straight, but trusted her stuff. Well done.
• Colton Dixon - Lately - Pitch issues, but I don't care. Such honesty, such tenderness.
• Shannon Magrane - I Have Nothing - Didn't listen to coaching. Voice crack aside, not organic enough.
• Deandre Brackensick - Master Blaster - I really don't get Deandre. 
• Skylar Laine - Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Hands down, the best of the night so far.
• Heejun Han - All Is Fair in Love - Sleepy and super dramatic, but not bad. Not my favorite.
• Hollie Cavanagh - All the Man That I Need - Nailed it, but I wasn't enthralled for some reason.
• Jeremy Rosado - Ribbon in the Sky - I felt nothing from this performance, positive or negative. Meh.
• Jessica Sanchez - I Will Always Love You - Wonderful, yet by the numbers. Simultaneously awesome and disappointing.
• Phil Phillips - Superstition - Strange performance. Definitely made the song his own, but… yelly.

Decently strong, entertaining night, all things considered. I really wish they'd retire these themes, however… I mean, Whitney had to have her own theme this year, but talk about played out. Anyhoo. Going on.

Oh, random sidetrack. Last week, someone said something about a contestant singing their own stuff, and how awesome it must be (after Elise Testone was declared safe, I think? I'm not 100% sure). This week, Jimmy Iovine had Colton Dixon sing an original piece to get into the right mindset to sing his Stevie song. Disregarding how silly (yet effective) that is... are these signs that we are going to see an original song theme this year? Fingers crossed!

On topic!

Winner(s) of the night… I'm going to go with, for the guys, Colton Dixon. Josh Ledet's performance was better, I think, but he went first, which is not a good thing for him. The obvious choice for the girls is Jessica Sanchez. She did *THE* song and brought the house down with it. Skylar Laine is a closer than expected second for me.

Better watch out… Shannon Magrane and Jeremy Rosado. Neither blew me away last week, and turned in meh performances. Elise Testone, Jermaine Jones and Deandre Brackensick are also towards the bottom for me, as well.

Idol 2012: Top 13 Revealed (with Wild Cards!)

I again opted to skip watching the live show tonight, so I'm writing this after the fact (again with help from mjsbigblog.com). My thoughts…

Top Ten

• Phillip Phillips
• Joshua Ledet
• Heejun Han
• Colton Dixon
• Jermaine Jones
• Jessica Sanchez
• Hollie Cavanagh
• Shannon Magrane
• Skyler Laine
• Elise Testone

No major surprises here, really. On the guys side, I'd have to say my top four based on Tuesday night are through, with Jermaine Jones thrown in as well for some reason. I guess I shouldn't be surprised Jones is there, given the whole "special wild card" thing. The girls side is a bit tougher, simply because there were a bunch of them worthy of moving on. None of the names voted through are surprising, but I do wish Erika Van Pelt and Hallie Day were among them.

"Sing for Your Life"rs

• Jen Hirsh - Oh Darling (by The Beatles) - Sleepy yet indulgent version of an exciting song. Disappointing.
• Jeremy Rosado - I Know You Won't (by Carrie Underwood) - Like "Gravity", just a different song. Oversung, but tender.
• Brielle Von Hugel - Someone Like You (by Adele) - Yay Adele karaoke! Screamy, but nothing really new here. 
• Deandre Brackensick - Georgia On My Mind - Better than Tuesday… but ugh, indulgent is the word.
• Erika Van Pelt - Edge of Glory (by Lady Gaga) - Best so far. Poured her heart into this. Bravo.
• Reed Grimm - Use Me (by Bill Withers) - Waste of a wild card chance. Underwhelming and annoying.

I skipped over the spoilers of the recap blog post, so I'll make a prediction here. I'd absolutely put Erika Van Pelt through, with Jeremy Rosado and Jen Hirsh to round out the top 13. I would have loved to see other people get the chance to sing instead of some of the selected people (Reed Grimm? Really?), but that's what I have to go with.

Wild Cards

• Erika Van Pelt


• Jeremy Rosado


• Deandre Brakensick

Ugh. Well, fortunately, Deandre is likely cannon fodder.

This shall be an interesting season of Idol...

Idol 2012: Top 13 Girls

Well well well. It's absolutely a girl's year on Idol this year, apparently. I've said that before, I know, and I know how "America" votes, but there's very little competition here. The performances from the girls tonight were MUCH better than the guys last night. Without further adieu, my 10-words or less reviews...

• Chelsea Sorrell - Cowboy Casanova (by Carrie Underwood) - Bad song choice. Could be better, hard to judge vocals.
• Erika Van Pelt - What About Love (by Heart) - Interesting tone, confident performance. Safe song choice. I liked, though.
• Jen Hirsh - One and Only (by Adele) - Too sweet sounding for the song. Loved the high note.
• Brielle Von Hugel - The Dock of the Bay (by Otis Redding) - Someone wants to show she has a big voice… Meh.
• Hallie Day - Feeling Good (Michael Bublé version) - Yes, yes, yes. Confident, sexy, intelligent, strong. Spot on.
• Skylar Laine - Stay With Me (by Faces) - High energy, but vocals could have been more consistent. Player.
• Bayley Brown - Amazed (by Lonestar) - Holy train wreck, Batman. Looked great, but that's about it.
• Hollie Cavanaugh - Reflection (by Christina Aguilera) - Isolated pitch issues, but overall, bravo. Girl can sang.
• Haley Johnsen - Sweet Dreams (by The Eurythmics) - Interesting vocals, didn't really fit the song, though. Sloppy.
• Shannon Magrane - There Is a Candle In Every Soul - Sleepy performance, but strong vocals. Good first impression.
• Jessica Sanchez - Love You I Do (by Jennifer Hudson, from Dreamgirls) - Hot vocals, but borderline yelling. Careful with the chords, girl.
• Elise Testone - One and Only (by Adele) - Some pitch issues, screamy at times… but girl brought it.

Again, I'm not going to name a winner for the night or anything like that, beyond that the girls destroyed the guys. That's all. I shall start that whole schtick next week.

I do believe I'll make a post tomorrow, when the top 13 is announced.

Idol 2012: Top 13 Guys

IDOL IS BACK.

Now, I know Idol's actually been back for a while, but it's actually back for me now. I tried to watch the auditions, I did... but I can't handle them. They keep drilling that Idol is a singing competition, yet the audition episodes are at least 80% filler and gags. After an hour or so, I grow tired of the schtick. I had planned on watching Hollywood, but things came up and I didn't get around to it. I actually am more than happy to start my Idol journey here: I'm not going to be influenced by the endless Idol sob stories or biased editing and/or difficult behavior in Hollywood. At least for these semi-final rounds, I'm going in almost 100% cold (I am vaguely familiar with a few people on the show, but basically only know their names).

I plan on once again posting regular blogs with my Idol thoughts. I am going to try something new, though, and keep my thoughts to 10 words or less. If you are a regular reader you know I'm wordy, however, but I shall still try.

Disclaimer for tonight's episode: I spent time with the usual crew tonight, so I am watching the show by way of Youtube clips provided by mjsbigblog.com.

Without further adieu, the top 13 guys!

• Reed Grimm - Moves Like Jagger (by Maroon 5) - Strange musical choices, simply adequate vocals. Brave, but meh.
• Adam Brock - Think (by Aretha Franklin) - Safe, boring choice. Fine performance, but meh.
• Deandre Brackensick - Reasons (by Earth Wind and Fire) - WAY too much falsetto, WAY too much conditioner. Blech.
• Colton Dixon - Decode (by Paramore) - Some pitch issues, but otherwise LOVED IT.
• Jeremy Rosado - Gravity (by Sara Bareilles) - Oversung a bit early, but nice tenderness.
• Aaron Marcellus - Never Can Say Goodbye (by Jackson 5) - Mostly well sung, but not all that original or memorable.
• Chase Likens - Storm Warning (by Hunter Hayes) - Somewhat boring, but could be worse. Love the song.
• Creighton Fraker - True Colors (Cyndi Lauper) - Oh hey, overdramatic, what's up? Too much.
• Phillip Phillips - In the Air Tonight (by Phil Collins) - Interesting arrangement, but again too much. Didn't hate it, though.
• Eben Franckowitz - Set Fire to the Rain (by Adele) - Holy attrocious song choice, Batman. 
• Heejun Han - Angels (by Robbie Williams) - Nervous, but I dug it. Needs work on presense, though.
• Joshua Ledet - You Pulled Me Through (by Jennifer Hudson) - Close to the OTT line, but just shy. Well played. 
• Jermaine Jones - Dance With My Father (by Luther Vandross) - Strange disconnect in this performance. Highly underwhelming.

As is usually the case with the semis... a mediocre mixed bag. Tough to judge completely, because people are still feeling out all the extraneous stuff at this level (the big stage, the crowd, the cameras, the band, etc). I'm not going to name any "winners or losers" for this round for that reason. Interesting start to Idol this year, I can't wait to see where it goes from here (it can only go up!).