Well, half of the Top 12 have been picked. Three more America picks and then the Judges pick the balance but I'm still going with each judge picked a person so I think we are really going to have a Top 13 this year. Anyway, here's how last night played out:
First up is Von Smith. What is up with his knit hat? Come on...it ain't that cold in California right? He sings Marvin Gaye's "You're All I Need To Get By." Actually, America is what you need to get by. I was thinking the same Clay Aiken reference that Simon mentioned but he's not nearly as good as Clay was. Clay was probably even offended by saying Von sounds like Clay. I actually thought this guy did average at best. His mouth when he sings is so painful to watch as he opens and closes his mouth so wide. My jaw almost hurt watching him. I personally, am not a Von fan so I already made my car a bumper sticker - Von Is Gone !
Following Von was Taylor Vaifanua. She didn't stand out much in the auditions so she really had to wow the audience and America to garner some votes. She made the first mistake by choosing Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" which is way too powerful of a song for Taylor. She was over her head before the first note. Again, it was another average at best performance. Do you remember Julia Demato from one of the earlier seasons? I thought so. That is why you won't remember Taylor Vaifanua in a few years. Hopefully she's sent our her college applications as she's gonna need to figure out a career other than singing if she wants to make any money in life.
Then came Alex Wagner-Trugman. He's the dorky nebbish who has a good voice and who I was hoping could become a better version of Kevin Covias (aka Chicken Little). Alex performs Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues." He had a golden opportunity to shine as he has a good voice but he totally botched his performance. I'm not sure what he was doing on the parts of the song when he wasn't singing; he was sort of try to change his voice to be rockish and he failed miserable at it. It was almost like if John Stevens tried to sing Barry Manilow while trying to impersonate Metallica. Trugman ain't a rock star so I'm not sure what he was thinking trying to be one.
Arianna Afsar was next to hit the stage. They keep on saying that she's "cute as a button" but I'm not sure what they are talking about? Are buttons really cute? What about zippers? Do they have any appeal? Yeah, she's cute but not as cute as all the cute talk she gets. Lindsey Cardinale was cute but she didn't go past the 12 slot one year. Arianna would be lucky, extremely lucky, to make it to 12. She signs ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" which at first I thought was a good choice until she started singing it. It was so boring and slow. The song didn't show off her voice at all. When typing this, I had problems remembering who she was. I knew her name was Arianna but I kept on picturing the chick from 90210 when I heard that name.
Then came Ju'Not Joyner who sings Plain White T's "Hey There, Delilah" and I can't stand that dumb, boring song. I felt totally opposite what the judges thought of him. While they thought he did a great job, I was ready to kill myself. It was boring, and I thought it was out of tune. I didn't quite understand the hoopla over his performance. I certainly Ju'Not vote for him and, despite what the judges said, I don't think he'll make it to the next round. Basically, this was one big "Huh" for me.
Following that snoozefest was Kristen McNamara who had annoyed me in earlier rounds but I was going to listen to her with an open mind as I recall her having a decent voice. I'm so glad she got rid of that purple s**t from her hair. She decides to sing Tracy Chapman's "Gimme One Reason" which I'd like to hear the reason she chose this song? It's not a good song to sing when trying to show off your vocal range. I feel Kristen could do much better than she did and she's the perfect candidate for a second chance in the wildcard round.
Okay, here we go. Next was Nathaniel Marshall. She (he) disgusts me. He's more annoying that Daniel Noriega and Mikelah Gordon combined. Right when I saw him, I immediately thought Olivia Newton John (which Simon referenced) mixed with John Waite mixed with Pat Benetar mixed with Simon LeBon. Dude...it's not 1980, we are near 30 years past that so get with the new millennium dudette. I don't understand the look and the piercings under his lips to look like fangs or something. What message is he sending looking like that? It sure ain't a fashion statement. I'll make the message for her. She looked ridiculous up there, like she was dressed up for Halloween or for an 80's costume party. I'm officially changing his name to Nachelle. He sings "I Would Do Anything For Love" by Meatloaf. It was quite painful and annoying to watch. I didn't get it? Was I watching a bad video on MTV? At almost seemed like a joke. I can't stand this guy but, biting my tongue, I know he was a better voice than what came out of his mouth. I pray that he doesn't get asked back for the wildcard round.
Felica Barton, Joanna Pacetti's replacement, was up next. She actually looks a bit like the Arianna of 90210. We don't know much about Felica as she didn't get any time in the auditions or Hollywood Week so I was interested in hearing her sing. She decides to sing Alicia Keys' "No One" which is a really hard song to sing. I'm torn on Felica. Parts of the song I thought she was good and parts, she just couldn't hit those "Keys". But, for seeing her for the first time, I'd clap my hands a few times as it was better than some of the other females we've seen. I think what could hurt her is that no one really knows who she is due to lack of screen time.
Next up was Scott MacIntyre who I originally thought was going to end the show but my second choice was at the end anyway. Scotty is my choice to go DEEP, I'm talking top 4. It's not just the blind factor, it's the originality of him. We have three blind artists that we really know growing up - Ray Charles who is the bluesy guy, Stevie Wonder who is the R&Bish guy, and Andrella Bochelli who is the opera guy. We don't have the pure pop blind guy yet so he satisfies a need.l Plus, once he gets behind the keyboard, he'll be even better. Scott's choice for the evening was Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain" and he changed it up nicely. Yes, he did botch a few notes but nerves, matches with not knowing where he was on the stage and not being in front of his keyboard could have thrown him off a bit. But, the notes he did hit was dead on. The guy will get better each week and there will be a lot of weeks we'll be seeing him despite him not seeing us.
Kendall Beard was probably not happy to follow fan favorite Scott. She's a very cute girl. She reminds me a bit of Carmen Rasmussen, less the acne. She performed Martina McBride's "This One's For The Girls". I thought she was going to be terrible, ala Casey Carlson, but she surprised me. She was far from great but she was decent which I guess is a bit better than average. She definitely had some pitch problems but she has the look and the marketability. I just wish she was a bit older to get a bit more polished.
Our favorite Puerto Rican, Jorge Nunez was up next. I remember in season two, Clay Aiken performed "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and it was amazing. I haven't heard anyone perform it until Jorge gave it a shot. While it wasn't quite as good as Clay's, it was still pretty damn good. I think he has a very good shot to advance. If not, look for Jorge to be a lock for a wildcard spot.
Finally, there was Lil Rounds who was a lock for the final spot if it wasn't going to go Scotty. I like this girl. She has personality. She has a cute look, similar to LaToya London. She's got a story. And she got pipes. She sings just like Mary J. which showed when she sung her song - "Be Without You" and I loved it. I'm not a big Mary J Blige fan but I liked what I heard. It would have been nice to hear her do someone other than Mary J but she's a lock for the Top 12 just like I had previously advised.
So, the top vote getters will be Scott and Lil. As for the third spot, I would think it would be Jorge.
Well, that's it. It's time for the wildcard and then the real competition finally begins. I'm curious who's coming back for the Wildcard but I'm hoping they give Jamar and Osmond a chance as well. Let the guessing game begin.
Until then, Birdman Out.
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