American Idol 15 Semifinal 2 – Take the Polls!

AMERICAN IDOL: Contestant Dalton Rapattoni in the “Showcase #3: 2nd 12 Performances” episode of AMERICAN IDOL airing Wednesday, Feb. 17 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2016 FOX Broadcasting Co. Cr: Ray Mickshaw / FOX.

I expected this week’s performances to be better than last week’s. But that’s not how the night turned out. The judges were right–there were a lot of strange song choices. But before we lay the blame solely at the contestants’ feet, a little behind the scenes info would be enlightening. Was there a song list the Idols chose from? Was the list really short? Did producers persuade singers to choose particular songs? I had the same questions last week, none of which were answered. Interestingly, I have not seen any of the eliminated singers from last week pop up for interviews.

Also. Jennifer. Tonight’s song choices didn’t need to be more FAMILIAR. Singers need to choose songs that will showcase their gifts, and allow them to stand out, period. Jenn Blosil, Kory Wheeler, Trent Harmon and Olivia Rox did the best job choosing the right songs.

The judges seemed tougher this week, too–particularly on their favorites. Except the praise for Dalton Rapattoni was ridiculously outsized for what he did on that stage. The critique had me travelling to the world of oppositeland. Daltonizing? Really? He’s cute. Charismatic. Can sing and perform. If he happened to win the competition, I don’t think mentor Scott Borchetta would mind, terribly. It would give him an opportunity to launch a male pop star, finally, after that “Who is Fancy” fail.

The best performances of the night for me were Jenn Blosil, Olivia Rox and an honorable mention to Kory Wheeler. I realize that Jenn Blosil Justin Bieber cover was kind of messy, but I believed every word she sang, and I LOVE her voice. Olivia has been proving lately that she’s an appealing performer as well as a talented musician. And, while many of the contestants tonight appeared out of sorts, Kory seemed really comfortable on stage, doing his thing.

So, what say you? We don’t get to vote contestants into the Top 14. But you CAN take our polls`

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About mj santilli 35085 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!