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‘American Idol’ week two: Report card
Another week, another four dream-crushed ‘Idol’ hopefuls sent packing. It was an interesting week, if not a particularly entertaining one. The biggest news was the last minute boy-girl switcheroo, when the guys were forced to perform a day earlier because of Crystal Bowersox’ hospitalization (had she been unable to perform, she would have been eliminated per show rules and there was no way they were letting the best female singer loose this early).
The result was that everyone pretty much upped their game, with a few notable exceptions. Last week I was 1 for 3, but America (mostly) got it right this week, meaning that, by and large, all y’all ‘Idol’ voters more closely agreed with me. The result? This week I was 3 for 4.
Here’s what I predicted:
Guys
Should go: Todrick Hall, John Park
Will go: John Park, Jermaine Sellers
Girls
Should go: Haeley Vaughn, Didi Benami
Will go: Haeley Vaughn, Lacey Brown
This week’s eliminated contestants are John Park, Jermaine Sellers, Haeley Vaughn and Michelle Delamor.
I have to admit that Delamor’s denouncing caught me by surprise. Her performance was not as bad as the judges made it out to be, but she was very static and, as I pointed out, boring. I guess she never made an emotional connection with the audience.
Still, I am pleasantly surprised that both Didi Benami and Lacey Brown live to sing another week. Neither of them will win this competition, but Benami’s got an interesting voice (but an annoying penchant for tearing up — maybe she’s afraid Seacrest is going to grope her again) and I think Brown just needs one home-run performance to connect with voters.
Here’s what I wrote about this week’s losing competitiors:
“Gravity”
Here’s my theory: sometime during Hollywood week, Park (the lead singer of a choral group called Purple Haze, we learn) got replaced with a wax dummy that Kara operates from the judge’s table with an intricate series of wires. If he hopped on the huge Michael Lynch’s lap (seriously — the man makes a guitar look like a ukulele), they could probably do a pretty decent ventriloquist act on Simon Cowell’s new “X Factor” show. Decent vocals, no spark. That’s good, ‘cuz it’d probably melt the wax.
What the judges said:
“I think Purple Haze may get their lead singer back,” Simon
“Way better than last week,” Kara
“It wasn’t as good as the original,” Randy
“There could have been a little more soul in it,” Ellen
My grade: C+
“What’s Goin’ On”
Oh, Jermaine. Not even your buddy Jesus is going to be able to help you when you force a comparison between your over-the-top yet perplexingly weak voice against that of the great Marvin Gaye. We hear what’s goin’ on, and it’s just kind of okay.
What the judges said:
“It just didn’t work for me,” Ellen
“It was just so close, but so far at the same time,” Randy
“The problem is, you’re always doing too much,” Kara
“We’re frustrated and disappointed. You water down the songs,” Simon
My grade: C
“With Arms Wide Open”
Michelle can work the camera and the crowd without coming across as cheesy. Unfortunately, that can lend her performances a cool, calculated air of detached professionalism. Still, there’s no arguing with her soulful, on target vocals — especially on a Creed song — is there? I think if she’s around next week, though, she needs to change it up a little. She’s consistently good, but she’s also kinda’ boring.
What the judges said:
“You just didn’t do enough with it, man,” Randy
“I thought it was really good that you changed it up that much,” Ellen
“My favorite performance of yours ever,” Kara
“To be fair, we give a lot of contradictory advice,” Simon
My grade: B
“The Climb”
Hmm. Two strikes. It’s not that Haeley’s song choice was so bad, but her performance as horrible. And that’s a shame, because I really like Haeley. Maybe she just has one or two songs that she can sing well, and she used them up in auditions and during Hollywood week. This really ought to be the week that Haeley goes home.
What the judges said:
“It was excruciating,” Randy
“I did not feel you connected to the song,” Ellen
“You need about a year of really strengthening your instrument,” Kara
“It was a complete and utter mess,” Simon
My grade: D
It’ll get harder to guess who America will send home now, especially on the girls’ side, where the playing field has kind of leveled off.
Did America make the right call? Did your favorite get dismissed? Who should go next? Sound off!
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