Hollywood Round – Part Three
I Recap The Green Mile
The Top 44 kids gather at the Pasadena Civic center to learn their fate. Twenty four contestants will move on–twenty will go home. In rather excruciating detail, the cameras follow the contestant’s reactions as they make their way to and from the judges room.
The first seven contestants to sit in the chair are are cut. Jessica Santos, Bobby Bullard, Brooke Barretsmith, Nick Whitten, Stephanie White, Crystal Stark (left) and Bobby Dillard are cut loose in the first 5 minutes of the episode. At least we get to hear a little of Crystal’s a cappella audition from Hollywood week. She’s a very talented singer–more talented than some they keep on. From what I heard, there were quite a few raised eyebrows when Crystal didn’t make it through. All seven are gracious and handle the news well.
Katharine McPhee is the first yes of the day, (not before she bitches to Ryan that the talented Crystal Stark should have advanced) and she goes rather crazy–kissing each judge right on the lips–when she learns that she’s made it through. We see a clip of Katharine performing a run-filled version of “My Funny Valentine” during Hollywood week. As usual, Katharine goes for the glory note and sounds a bit strained. The judges tell Katharine that though they loved her audition, the Hollywood rounds got “a little tough for you.” The producers obviously want this girl to succeed if they are editing out the bad singing. I predict Katharine will come out of the gate running when the competition starts next week, but then won’t be able to keep the momentum going. I have a gut feeling this girl’s a one-trick pony.
Ace Young learns his fate next. And did any of you doubt for a minute he’d get through? Even without the spoilers, it’s pretty obvious this boy’s a favorite considering all the screen time he’s gotten–and all the praise for his weak breathy singing. There is no doubt that he’s cute and the kind of contestant that will attract lots of female fans. Teen idols don’t necessarily have to sing very well. Ace sings Michael Jackson’s “She’s Out of My Life” a cappella and while he manages to stay on pitch–that voice is just too tentative and lacks power. And I freaking hate the faces he makes when he sings.
Antonio Bridges is cut, with very little fan-fair. Who was he again?
Eugenia Littlejohn is the first contestant to get really upset when she’s cut. Paula tells her she can sing. Thanks for the bulletin, part deux. I don’t think we heard Eugenia sing at all. Eugenia feels her dream is over now that Idol has rejected her, and that at 26 years old, she’ll never get another chance to succeed. Idol can be a fast way to fame, but it’s not the only way. The only performers who make it whether on Idol or not, are those with drive and self-confidence–Eugenia appears to have neither.
Poor unpimped Bobby Bennett makes it to the Top 24. This guy has barely appeared on screen, and we’ve never heard him sing. Unless he totally hits it out of the box on Wednesday, he’s toast. The first to go are always the unpimped ones. And what a surprise, because Bobby, while maybe not handsome, has tons of personality and likability. I actually can’t wait to hear him sing. I have NO idea what he sounds like or what he sings. Though, on his Fox bio he lists Barbara Streisand and Barry Manilow as his favorite singers. Methinks Bobby may be a wee bit too “Broadway” for Simon.
The fabulous Mandisa makes the cut and then “makes up” with Simon in an obviously scripted bit. You may recall Simon making some cracks about her weight after her audition, after she had left the room. He said they’d “need a bigger stage” if she made it through. First thing she says when she sits down is “You didn’t need a bigger stage but you could have gotten a bigger chair.” She then tells Simon that he made her cry but that she’s forgiven him, and oh, by the way, did ya all know that Jesus died for our sins? The preacher in her couldn’t resist I guess. She and Simon hug and then they get down to business. Mandisa makes it through, and it’s all good–she’s one of the contestants who’s there because she can actually, you know, sing….
Melissa McGhee, like Bobby Bennett, is one of the unpimped. She’s neither been seen nor heard, and in the shortest possible segment, the judges tell her she’s on to the next round. An early cut from the Top 24 is more than likely.
Also given short-shrift is Mark Adam Locklear, who is told in about 10 seconds that he didn’t make it.
Sixteen year old Lisa Tucker makes it to the Top 24. Her a cappella audition is incredible. She’s young, but probably out of all the young contestants, she has the experience and the poise to handle the pressure well, despite her youth. David Radford, also 16, could have probably used a few years to develop his talent. He doesn’t have a unique style yet, but it probably won’t matter ’cause the girls already love him.
According to Sway’s mom, it’s his birthday. He’s 28 years old. Wow, his mom looks really young. Sway makes it through to the next round. Apparently, Sway has the Filipino American vote sewn up, just like Jasmine Trias did two years ago. Is this the reason the producers are so interested in him? I’ve yet to hear him sing anything well. That includes the snippet of his a cappella audition featured here. I’ve never heard anybody sing the word “key” in three distinct syllables. When he switch
es from falsetto down to a lower register, it’s actually uncomfortable. I don’t get it.
Elliott Yamin (right) makes it through. Hooray. He’s definitely one of the talented ones.
Next, Brenna Gethers makes it through to annoy us for another day. After she hears the good news she says, “Let’s go, lets do it, let’s make good TV.” Heh, at least Brenna knows exactly why she’s there.
Marcy Smith, the whiny, somewhat insecure contestant who had so much trouble getting along with Brenna during the group rounds does not advance. And neither do the next four contestants, who whiz
by so fast, they don’t even get any chair time on camera. Nicole Ortiz, we never knew ya. David Avram (left)–dang, I really wanted to hear this dude sing. Oh well, another contestant that made it far without any screen time. David, you really needed to work up that backstory! Now it’s too late. William McCoy departs and then Brianna Taylor who, in the 2 second soundbite tagged on to the end of the Austin episode as a preview to Boston, appeared to have a really fantastic voice.
Ohhh Gedeon McKinny knows what it takes to be a star! He’s climbing the stairway to success! He’s ready for America to see what God has done (??!!!) Or, so he tells us. He’s also over-singing the hell out of “Let’s Stay Together, ” a cappella style. Inexplicably, Gedeon makes it through.
Stevie Scott, who was recently seen for the first time during the group auditions makes the cut. She’s another contestant who’s going to have to hit it out of the park big time in order to avoid an early departure.
Ayla Brown, sounding better a cappella than she did during her audition, advances to the next round, of course. Apparently Ayla’s upset because people are saying all kinds of mean stuff about her on the internet. Like, like she can’t help it if she’s rich and pretty and stuff! She can’t help who her parents are! But even the judges make a crack about her life on “easy street.” Poor, poor Ayla just can’t catch a break.
, sounding better a cappella than she did during her audition, advances to the next round, of course. Apparently Ayla’s upset because people are saying all kinds of mean stuff about her on the internet. Like, like she can’t help it if she’s rich and pretty and stuff! She can’t help who her parents are! But even the judges make a crack about her life on “easy street.” Poor, poor Ayla just can’t catch a break.
Chris Daughtry (left) gets stuck on the elevator on his way up to see the judges. I’m sure that was just a coincidence. Right. Also one of the talented ones, Chris moves on to the Top 24. In a clip from the group rounds, Chris managed to infuse some real feeling into the the insipid Barry Gibb song, “Emotions.” Now that’s pretty impressive. I hope he makes the Top 12.
gets stuck on the elevator on his way up to see the judges. I’m sure that was just a coincidence . Also one of the talented ones, Chris moves on to the Top 24. In a clip from the group rounds, Chris managed to infuse some real feeling into the the insipid Barry Gibb song, “Emotions.” Now that’s pretty impressive. I hope he makes the Top 12.Becky O’Donohue is by all accounts a really sweet girl. She’s also extremely beautiful, and has an identical twin. When she auditioned in Boston, Simon said that she was “very commercial” which is the reason I suspect the judges advanced her to the Top 24, despite her unremarkable vocals. I’m not convinced she’s Top 12 material.
Heather Cox is beautiful and blond. She makes the cut. April Walsh is neither. She doesn’t make the cut. That’s pretty much all there is to say about that.
Bucky Covington (right) has been seen but barely heard. Who knows, maybe he’ll bust out the way Bo Bice did last year with very little advance exposure and wow everyone. So for Bucky’s sake, since he’s had so little screen time, I hope he’s got a “Whipping Post” tucked away somewhere that he can pull out. He’s going to need it. It’s an uphill battle for the unpimped.
Patrick Hall, he of the unusual looks and pretty voice, was recently under the radar until the Hollywood rounds where he finally got the Big Bag ‘o Pimp treatment from the producers. I’ve said this before–there’s just something about this guy that I like, despite the fact he’s not conventionally handsome and that his musical taste isn’t mine. More will be revealed, I’m sure.
If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t have believed that Kevin Covais could advance past the Hollywood round. But here he is in the Top 24. I would say he’s in direct competition for votes from both David Radford and William Makar. Kevin is not as cute as David nor as good a vocalist as Will. I can’t see him making the Top 12.
Paris Bennet who’s lost a little bit of her luster (but not too much) since her incredible audition squeals with delight as she’s put through to the next round. I hope this talented girl doesn’t wilt under the stress. I can already see her crack a little, and the hardest part hasn’t even begun.
Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were both sprung from separate pokeys to find out they were dis-invited from the Top 44. Idol takes a few minutes to detail the Brittenum’s misdeeds and explain why they were disqualified and that’s the end of the twins. Good riddance to bad rubbish and all that.
Kellie Pickler has been featured prominently since her audition–probably due to a combination of a compelling backstory (mom abandoned her, druggie dad in prison) and her blond good looks. In the vocal department, she tends to shout and over-sing. She cries at the drop of a hat, and when she learns she made the cut, she turns on the waterworks again. That could get old. Some of the statements she’s made–for instance, that she’s never performed in front of people–are greatly exaggerated. She’s competed in pageants and was a contestant on a TV show called “Gimme the Mike.” She’s not exactly the hayseed she plays on TV. She has amassed quite a following already and I expect that she’ll make the Top 12.
I may be the only person on earth who found Taylor Hicks’ little stroll into the judges room playing the harmonica a tad precious. Yeah Tay, we get it. You sing da blues. Having said that, I love Taylor, I really do. I think he’s a gifted performer and will be really disappointed if he doesn’t make the Top 12. And he’s so not suited to this competition, but at the same time he’s also a breath of fresh air, so I’m glad he’s there. My hope is that he makes it to the Top 12 and can stick around long enough to make an impression, but not too long that he winds up with a craptastic Idol contract that forces him to record music that’s completely beneath him. see Bice, Bo. The little snip we got of him singing a cappella sounds incredible. I want more.
Four contestants are left–two girls and two boys. Unfortunately for them, since it’s the end of the line, they have to sit in pairs to learn their fate. First up are Kinnik Sky and Megan Bobo. The end of the line sucks because the contestant left standing is not in a position to revel in their victory with the person they beat out sitting right next to them. We hear snippets of both Kinnik and Megan performing a cappella and they are both really good. Honestly, based on what little I’ve heard from both, it’s hard to tell who is more talented. Kinnik gets the nod and a mixture of relief and sadness washes over her face as she turns around and hugs Megan.
Finally, Syd Harcourt (left) and Will Makar make their way to the judges room. Man, if the producers were going to promote any one of these contestants just based on looks, I think Syd should have been the guy. He’s absolutely stunning, and I feel a little cheated that we didn’t see or hear more of him. Will is a doll, and the best singer out of all the teen boy singers, in my opinion. Will gets the nod and his jaw drops. He might have been surprised that he beat out an older and more experienced contestant.
And there you have it–the Top 24. Monday night I’ll be posting a guide to the contestants that will include bios and links to news stories, websites and message boards.
The last moments of the show features all 24 contestants dancing in the dorkiest way possible. Heh. I love it.
