American Idol - Season 8
Third 12 of 36

Von Smith

Von had trouble during Hollywood week for screaming into the microphone rather than singing smoothly. Von Smith will be performing "You're all I need to get by" as performed by Marvin Gaye.

He seems to be yelling at the microphone still tonight. Not a bad performance but not really a top three performance by any means. He's got a decent look but I don't think he quite has the singing chops yet. Too much yelling instead of the singing.

Randy thinks it was a very hot performance and that he was better than Randy remembers him so far. Kara thinks he looks comfortable tonight. She also thinks he did the song with meaning. Paula thinks it was a memorable first performance (of the show). Simon says Von reminds him of Clay Aiken. Simon questions his dressing but thinks he sang well.

I guess I am bit off tonight as I thought his performance was off tonight. I didn't mean to say it was bad. I just didn't think it was all that good. A decent way to start off the show, as opposed to the previous weeks.

Taylor Vaifanua

Taylor is a 16 year old girl from Utah. She's got a pacific island look too her. She is actually quite old looking fro someone who is only a 16 year old. She will be singing "If I ain't got you" by Alicia Keyes.

She does a pleasant rendition of the song. She pales in comparison to Alicia but that isn't exactly a demerit on her. Alicia is an amazing talent. She doesn't do too much to stand out however and that might be a problem.

Kara points out that she definitely has a voice and raw talent. She doesn't see too much of a personality come across from Taylor. Paula is perplexed by her repeating a song she did in Hollywood. Simon says he does not remember Taylor. He doesn't think the song was bad but he just thinks she wasn't memorable.

A common theme from both Simon and myself. She doesn't stand out. That always hurts the contestants.

Alex Wagner-Trugman

He is a dorky looking 19 year old from California. He does have a bit of the dork aspect to him but that is endearing to him. He will be singing "That's why they call it the blues" by Sir Elton John which I think might be a song fitting to his image.

He sings it a bit over the top. Is his dorky image going to endearing enough to America? I think he is hurting himself by drawing out notes and making odd noises with the words. He won't make it through on his singing but if his personality hits he would have a chance.

Paula calls him a showman. She finds him entertaining. Simon thought it was fun to watch, but not to listen to. He found the growling stupid. I agree with Simon on that as I noted. Randy thought it was crazy and wild. Randy didn't like the vocals tonight. Kara liked that he was himself. The theme was they liked the performance but not the growling of the lyrics.

I couldn't agree with the judges more.

Arianna Afsar

Arianna, a 17 year old Californian, who is adorable and has a good voice. The judges all agree she is "Adorable" and "cute as a button". Lucky for Arianna she will be singing a Martin family favorite band in ABBA. "The winner takes it all" to be exact.

She slows the song down in her arrangement. She sure can belt out the song but other than that the arrangement is a bit questionable. I'm not sure they question her ability to sing the notes but more on how she presents it. I think it was a sub par performance but she does have some skill underneath it.

Simon thinks it was a terrible performance and a dreary arrangement. Randy says she should show her youth and thinks she tried to do more with the song than the song is capable of. Kara says she lost the beam of sunshine that they fell in love with. Kara thinks the performance was too dark and she should've been less serious. Paula thinks there was some bright spots but she was seemed clearly disappointed with the performance.

Ju'Not Joyner

Ju'Not brought in his little son to his audition. That sure didn't hurt his cause. He is singing this years most popular Idol song (at least it seems that way), "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White T's

His arrangement of the song is very slow. It isn't even close to being the best performance of this song that I have heard this year. It sure is different from the others though. He does seem to turn it on at the end. Not sure it was memorable enough however.

Randy likes that he took the song and made it r&b. Kara thinks it was smooth but really wants him to blow it out on the next song and not hold back. Paula loved the song and the change of pace he took. Simon thought it was a bit safe but he was very close to hitting a moment.

Kristen McNamara

Kristen is a 22 year old Californian blonde. Unfortunately they remind us that Kristen was a member of the group with Nathaniel. This isn't a good thing because Nathaniel is wicked annoying, more on him later. Kristen is old looking. She is weird looking and I would doubt that she was actually 22. She is singing "Give me one reason" by Tracey Chapman.

She is a karaoke host back home and I would not be surprised to hear Simon say her performance was karaokeish. She is very uninspiring with this song. The performance is pretty flat. The arrangement has no excitement to it. Pretty boring actually.

Kara likes her hair and likes her singing ability but didn't like the song. Paula mentions Kelly Clarkson, like Kara did, but thought this was safe. Simon is left a bit puzzled by the appearance and the song choice. He is not sure she is comfortable with who she is. Randy thought she was trying to do a bit too much with the song. Randy is the one who drops the karaoke word on her. I knew it was going to come up.

Nathaniel Marshall

I hate this kind. He is always crying. How can someone with so many tattoos be such a whiny little child? I think this kid is the second biggest douche bag (behind Adam Lambert) in this competition. He will be doing "I'd Do Anything For Love" by Meatloaf.

He is wearing a sparkly headband AGAIN tonight. America should hate this kid. His performance is reminiscent of a 80s workout video. I'm remembering Olivia Newton-John and her "Physical video". The performance itself is bland and he doesn't have even close to the strongest voice in the competition.

Simon thinks it was excruciating. HA! Simon mentions Olivia Newton-John's headband as well. He thinks at least he may be memorable, even if for the wrong reason. Randy isn't sure on the song choice but he isn't sure what kind of record Nathaniel would like. Kara thinks he needs to show a serious side of himself. Paula was a bit all over but I think she thinks the song wasn't a good choice but she likes him. I think that is because this was the most unintelligible Paula has been this season.

Felicia Barton

Felicia is a 26 year old stay at home mother. She was told she was cut during the last cuts in Hollywood. She "mysteriously" got a call back. I will leave that drama for other websites. Basically someone was ruled ineligible for the show and she was the fill in. She is singing "No one" by Alicia Keyes.

She actually has a Alicia Keyes look to her which helps out on the song. I like this song and she is doing a decent job. During the middle she gets a little bland with the song. Not bad though.

Paula calls her gorgeous and an unbelievable talent. Simon thought the first part was better than the second and that it was good but a bit copy cat. Randy thought it was hot. Kara said she notice Felicia tonight. That is a good thing.

Scott MacIntyre

Scott is legally blind. Not sure if you have heard about it or not. Ya, that means he can see some stuff but I think in a narrow spectrum. He will be singing "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby.

He starts singing on a stool, not a bad choice since he is limited with his movements since he can't see the edges of the stages. It is a bit odd to see him staring blankly off into space. He also isn't that good of a stage presence because he doesn't move around too much. I wasn't blown away by this performance.

Randy didn't think the vocals were perfect but he thought Scott hit the big notes very well. Kara likes that he sings from his heart. Paula thinks he is one of the finest. Simon wasn't crazy about the song but finds Scott to be growing on him.

Kendall Beard

Kendall is a bubbly little blonde that actually reminds me of Kristin Chenoweth. She will be performing "This one's for the girls" by Martina McBride.

She doesn't quite bang out the chorus like I was hoping she would be able to. I wanted to love this performance but she wasn't able to get it up to where it needed to be. She was still very good and one of the standouts in a night full of just ok.

Kara likes her big personality but thought some of the notes were flat. Paula loved Kendall's outfit. Paula thought the performance was good. Simon thinks she is cute but didn't love the performance, not his cup of tea. Randy liked the song choice but didn't think the performance was her best. She was able to show who she was with this song, that should help her.

Jorge Nuñez

Jorge is a native Puerto Rican. He will be singing "Don't let the sun go down on me" by Sir Elton John.

Jorge definitely sings with an accent. As noted during auditions though, this is one of the reasons that Idol audition down on the island, to find a singer like this. This is easily the best performance of the night. He is singing the song very well and he even has a bit of performer in him. Very good job overall.

Paula is overwhelmingly happy for Jorge. Simon loved the accent and the voice. He was very happy with the performance. Randy thought the vocals were really, really good. Kara says Jorge was born to sing. Simple enough.

Lil Rounds

Lil is a mother of three despite being only 24. She is singing Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" which is a good thing because Randy called her a cross of Idol's Fantasia and Mary J. Blige. She is also getting the coveted final spot so that shows the producers like her.

I'm thinking the performance isn't that great but I think she has some good potential to have better performances down the line. She might be helped out by the fact it has been a lackluster night. It's a good performance but I'm just not blown away by it.

Simon is brief. Brilliant. His favorite of the night but didn't like the song because she sounds too much like the original. Randy also thinks she is one of the best of the season. Kara thinks she is a powerhouse performer. Paula thinks she is first class all the way.

My American Idol Rankings

Tonight was a very disappointing episode. No one really rocked the stage or really stood out. Lil was good but even she didn't have the same feeling as others did in the previous weeks. It was a very bland night which means who knows how America is going to feel about all these similarly uninspiring acts. Just for the record I didn't really like Scott but I think America will like him and the blindness card helps him as well. I was also going back and forth on Kendall and Felicia but it shouldn't matter much since I have them 4th and 5th in either order.

1. Jorge Nuñez
2. Lil Rounds
3. Scott MacIntyre
4. Kendall Beard
5. Felicia Barton
6. Ju'Not Joyner
7. Taylor Vaifanua
8. Kristen McNamara
9. Von Smith
10. Arianna Afsar
11. Alex Wagner-Trugman
12. Nathaniel Marshall

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 10:31:00 PM