American Idol 2012

[Brooke]

It's supposed to be one of the last four from last Thursday. Jermaine Jones, Johnny Keyser, Richie Law, or David Leathers Jr.

[Topkat]

I want it to be Johnny Keyser. JLo was raving about him at his audition, but they didn't even show his elimination from Vegas. The other strong possibility is David Leathers, who I think was a tough elimination for them..

[Topkat]

Here's Johnny's audition. JLo loved him. She says "He's sexy" the minute he left the room!


http://youtu.be/XY1n2J8sjFs

[Brooke]

Well, I thought they were all very good. I don't even know how I would choose if I had wanted to vote!

Three of my picks to go would be Heejun Han, Jermaine Jones and the really young kid towards the end (Eben, I think). I just didn't think they stood out.

[Topkat]

Of the girls last night, I thought the best were Erika Van Pelt (sang What About Love) Hallie Cavenagh (sang Reflections) and Elise Testone ( sang One & Only- Adele song)
I didn't vote, so we'll see what the public voted tonight. Should be an interesting evening

[sodascouts]

I didn't get a chance to watch the show again - was working late - but from clips I saw, Skylar looked good and Hayley was struggling.

[Brooke]

I really liked Skylar, Erika, and Elise too.

Something I noticed last night, the judges were really critiquing the girls and the night before with the guys they were just watching and telling them all how great they were. They did add a couple comments during the last couple guys, but I thought last night that that was pretty unfair.

Then I went back and watched the first part of the show, which I had dvr'd because I was late, and Randy did mention that they had been too soft on the guys the night before. JLo chalked it up to being the first night and all.

For what that was worth! lol

[Topkat]

I didn't like Skylar at all. I thought she totally ruined that Faces song, UGH...
I hope she goes home tonight, but she may have pulled in votes, who knows.
Yes, they were a little tougher on the girls, & I think they were making it clear who they want to go to the Top 13. With the guys, it was a real Love Fest!
They should be critical, that's their job. I didn't necessarily agree with everything they said, but they are the "experts"

[Henley Honey]

You have to give them a lot of credit. They had to battle their fears while trying to find a good balance between having the right amount of enthusiasm and energy without being too hyped up in order to give their best vocal performance. Not an easy thing to do when you're as young and inexperienced as they seem to be.

[sodascouts]

HH - I hear ya. These are brave kids. It makes me sad when they bomb, even if I find them annoying, and I hate to see the sad looks on their faces when they have to go home.

That said, I went back and watched their performances online, and the only one who got eliminated tonight that I really wish would have stayed was Jen Hirsh (the brunette who performed "Oh Darling" tonight when she was "singing for her life"). I sure wish they had chosen her as their third "wild card" choice instead of Deandre, the guy with big hair. He annoys me. His falsetto is not all that and he doesn't have the passion Jen has. Oh well, so be it; he won't be there much longer, methinks.

The other finalist I don't agree with is Heejun. I think he's getting by on his charm and personality, because his voice isn't nearly as good as the others up there. That will only last so long, though. As Jimmy Iovine said, "This is American Idol, not American Comedian."

Currently, my top 3 are Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, and Elise Testone. Of course, it's still very early.

Here are my thoughts on their performances from earlier this week:

Girls

Erika Van Pelt "What About Love" - anybody who can pull off this difficult song has talent. It was a little trembly and it could have been more powerful, but I liked the little changes she made and she made it work. She's in my top 5.

Skylar Laine “Stay With Me” – cute little country rocker with a lot of sass! Perhaps trying too hard a bit when playing to the audience, but I liked her.

Hollie Cavanagh “Reflection” – she’s got a great voice, but she’s not quite there for me. I feel like she’s always on the verge of losing it.

Shannon Magrane “Go Light Your World” – she wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really doing it for me. I think her nerves were getting in the way because her voice was a bit trembly, too.

Jessica Sanchez “Love You I Do” – she started out nervous but then really got into it. I like her.

Elise Testone “One and Only” – she really impressed me, singing so beautifully while playing the piano. There was a lot of emotion in her voice. I really like her a lot!


Boys

Jeremy Rosado “Gravity” – seems like a sweet guy and my heart broke for him when he cried tonight after "singing for his life", but I just don’t think he’s got what it takes vocally.

Phillip Phillips “In the Air Tonight” – There’s something really sexy about this guy’s intensity when he sings. That said, I adore the original song, and hearing him change an awesome melody to something… not as awesome wasn’t thrilling me. Still, this guy is a favorite. He’s the kind of vocalist I like – passionate. Plus, on a shallow note, he reminds me of Paul Rudd who played Phoebe's husband on Friends and who I have found attractive ever since I first saw him in Father of the Bride.

Joshua Ledet “You Pulled Me Through” – This guy has stood out to me since the cattle call. His voice and passion is amazing. Right now, he is my favorite of all the finalists.

Heejun Han “Angels” – not that great, sorry.

Colton Dixon “Decode” – I love the pianists, but he’s a bit over the top for me. I like drama, but his was gratuitous and distracting. Definitely not the strongest vocalist of the guys.

Jermaine Jones “Dance with my Father” – he’s got a lovely voice, but he doesn’t really capture my attention. Maybe different song choices will make him more interesting.

Deandre Brackensick “Reasons” – I don’t really go for the screechers; he has talent, but it’s not my kind of voice.

PS Good riddance to Adam Brock, Mr. "White Chocolate." Gag me!