What do A.J. Gill, Charles Grigsby, John Stevens, Anthony Federov, Bucky Covington, and Sanjaya Malakar all have in common? You can't figure it out? Well, I'll tell you. Each of these gentlemen made the Top 12 each of the first 6 seasons on American Idol and each of these 6 guys seriously damaged my ear drum as I had to painfully listen to them each week until they were finally eliminated.
That brings me to last night were the boys kicked off the real part of the competition for Season 7. They actually gave this round a theme - 60's - for the first time. I'm not sure I liked that they had to sing music that isn't their style at this stage of the competition but hey...I don't make the rules. So, here's how it played out:
David Hernandez kicked it off singing "The Midnight Hour". I thought he did a good job to start it off as it can't be easy to be first. He has a good voice. He has a good look that girls are going to love and a smooth voice ala Elliot Yamin. He should make the Top 6 guys but that will depend on how much of an impact the Vote For The Worst sites have on the singers that are really bad. So, good start Dave !
Chikezie Eze is up next. Before he even sang a note, his name is against him already. He reminded me a bit of Ruben Studdard but not nearly as good. I hated his reddish/orange suit he was wearing. What was that? He looked like he should have been singing on some float in a parade. He sang "I Love Your More Today Than Yesterday." Actually, I loved him less the more I heard him. And, who the heck is gonna buy a Chikezie Eze CD. Try and say that fast 10 times. His voice was definitely pitchy and I HATE when contestants go back and fourth with the judges. Take the criticism and let America decide to give you the boot. This guy could easily be booted this week.
Next up was David Cook. David was one of my early favorites in the audition round when I had said "we could be looking at the next American Idol." I won't say that he will win the competition but he is going to go very far. He comes out and sings "So Happy Together" and made it his own sing. There was a few parts I didn't love but his voice is solid and he has good stage presence. He's a lock to be in the Top 6 boys.
Following David was Jason Yeager who got minimal air time in the auditions and Hollywood round. He sang "Moon River" which I'm not a huge fan of. He did an okay job but it was boring. I can see this guy in a dark smoky piano room singing on a mic with a fishbowl for people to throw in dollars. He definitely wasn't the worst of the night but having minimal air time combined with the fact that the performance wasn't that good combined with the fact that it was forgettable the next day, he could be gone this week or next week. Okay, here's a quiz. What is the name of the guy I'm talking about? Don't look at the first sentence and tell me if you can remember this guy's name? Exactly ! That is why this guy is gone!
After that snoozefest was Robbie Carrico. He comes out with a bandana looking like one of those cheesy 80's "metal" bands but he actually pulled it off. He sung "One" and it was one of the best performances of the night. He claims he's a rocker but I agree with Simon that he could be more a pop singer. He's has a nice voice and what I liked about him is that he could sound like a Bo Bice or Chris Daughtry but he could also pull off what Chris Richardson wanted to do last year but couldn't - boy band pop ! Look for Robbie to stay around for a while.
Then came David Archuleta. This guy is a lock to go all the way to the Top 5. Girls love him already. He's very innocent and yeah, he's got this cute thing that will garner votes. He sings "Shop Around". I didn't think it was his best performance. At some parts of the song, I felt that the music was louder than his singing. However, this kid is a performer and looks comfortable like he belongs on stage. His voice also sounds a bit like Elliot Yamin but has a much better look to him. So, the 3rd David of the night was done and all three Davids should have no problem advancing.
So, here came Danny Noriega. She, I mean, he comes out looking like Jessica Alba with a Dudley Moore hairstyle, wearing school boy clothing and a thin guido tie. I'm gonna call this guy Danielle until he's eliminated. He is creepy and is this year's Sanjaya. He will be the one that we scratch our heads each week wondering how he didn't get eliminated. I hope I'm wrong as I couldn't stand this kid in the auditions and now the pain has gotten worse. He butchered "Jailhouse Rock." First of all, I HATE Elvis. Second of all, a guy that looks like a girl should NOT sing Elvis. I think you need to be a bot more masculine to pull off an Elvis tune. Simon hit the nail on the coffin when he called the performance "grotesque." Please, please, please have this thing eliminated tonight. I can't deal with weeks and weeks of seeing this kid sing.
Then came Luke Menard who looks like a cross between Hugh Jackman and Luke Perry. He didn't have a lot of audition air time either. He sang "Everybody's Talking At Me" and it was boring. He had some good notes and bad notes but who really cares. Sorry Luke, the Force is NOT with you this season. He could be gone this week or next week.
And now was time for Colton Berry to shine. He was the one who beat out Klye in the final cut from the Hollywood Round. He sang "Suspicious Minds" which is the one Elvis tune I can bear listening to. He's more a Broadway performer than a recording artist. The performance wasn't as cheesy as Danielle's but it still was cheesy. Think of it as sharp cheddar vs. mild cheddar. However, there has been guys like Colton that have made the Top 6 for boys before. Remember John Stevens and Kevin Covias? He could sneak in that final spot but I'm thinking he'll be gone over the next few weeks.
Next up was Garrett Haley. They didn't show this kid at all in the previous rounds and for good reason. He's terrible. I loved the Leif Garrett / Peter Frampton look comparison but when the microphone covered his mouth, he looked like a girl with a serious need or electrolysis on his lower lip. Shave that peach fuzz off, put on some lipstick, and be a girl. He's probably get more people talking about him if he advanced and came out in drag next week. He sang "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" and it was weak. His voice was shaky and pitchy and it just wasn't a strong voice. It was a very high school performance. He's a lock to go home this week.
Then, there was Jason Castro which was a coincidence that Fidel Castro resigned the same day. I don't believe they are related This kid looks like a Jewish John Stamos with dirty dreadlocks. First of all, I HATE dreadlocks. Take a freggin shower kid and cut the hair. You look ridiculous. He came out with the guitar singing "Daydream." This reminded me of those irritating people in Central Park that sit around in circles and play the guitar and sing. I hate these people. I'm trying to read my magazine and I have to hear dirty people just sit around and strum the guitar and butcher songs that I've never heard of. This Jason kid did okay and I was SHOCKED that the judges really liked him. I didn't quite get it but hey, what do I know. I own 7 New Edition CDs. I can see him on the cusp on the Top 6 but I really don't think he belongs there. I think his playing of the guitar and doing it well can help him.
Finally, as Vanessa Williams once said they "saved the best for last." Michael Johns is his name and this guy is talented. This guy has stage presence. This guy has a look that girls will like. This guy is fine tuned. And this guy can sing. He sang "Light My Fire" and performed it perfectly. It was a great way to end the night. He could be standing there in May's finale but I'll wait until the girls do their thing.
So, here is the 6 guys worthy of making the Top 12:
1. Michael Johns
2. David Archuleta
3. David Cook
4. Robbie Carrico
5. David Hernandez
6. Jason Castro
Going home Thursday Night should be Garrett Haley and Danielle Noriega (even though this clown will probably stick around for a bit just to irritate me.)
Bring on the girls. Until then, Birdman Out.
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