THE TOP 15 GIRLS (sorta)
AMERICAN IDOL REVIEW - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
In a week where much of America was in an uproar over NBC reporter Christin Cooper driving Olympic medal-winning skier Bodie Miller to tears with repeated questions about his dead brother, the first episode of American Idol’s “Rush Week” yielded another deeply-uncomfortable nationally-televised ordeal. I hurried home from work to see as much as I could of the Top 15 girls’ performances (missing first contestant Majesty Rose’s performance by a whisker), only to find I would actually be seeing the Top 10 girls. Turns out the judges whittled the fifteen who made it out of Hollywood down to ten who they really wanted to see perform again (the same will happen with the “Top 15 guys” on Wednesday); the others are left with brave smiles and shattered dreams. All the girls were crowded together in a backstage room called “The Chamber”, and they all technically had the same chance of getting to perform, but some names were called and some weren’t. Those plucked from their seats had to perform through the incredible relief of at least having a shot, and the piercing nerves of their first-ever live performance. Of those 10, five will be voted into the Top 13 by America, and up to three of the others could be chosen by the judges to continue on despite lower vote totals. Great for them, but that left five girls (Jillian Jensen, Kenzie Hall, Andrina Brogden, Brandy Neely and Austin Wolfe) without even the chance to sing, to try and win votes.. Yeeeaaaah, that’s awkward.
**Honestly, I was really, really disappointed and irritated by this big twist for AI, my first complaint about what has been an exciting journey back into Idol fandom for me. How can they drag five people along for months, prepping and getting excited and having their friends and family ready to vote, and then…nothing? It’s true any one of the fifteen could have had that devastating fate befall them, but the fact is ten of them got to perform. For five of them, the AI semifinals were actually over before they even started. (Worse, these five homebound girls weren’t even given their due, but for a quick chance to stand alongside Ryan Seacrest on stage. There was no goodbye montage video, no chance for a speech or even parting words. I suppose AI is aiming to be a little more like The Voice, where the stakes are typically higher all the time and elimination looms with much more unpredictability, but, still, it was just a plain yucky feeling. Did they waste their time? Without even a halfway-decent send-off, it’s an inescapable thought.).***
Nurse Kristen O’Connor is super cute and super likeable. As she proved in her “Turning Tables” Adele cover, she has a big voice and a good sound overall—though she admittedly lacks the sheer power of some of her fellow contestants. She seems like she could adapt well to different genres, so she could be a very solid Top 13 contestant, but I’m worried she doesn’t stand out quite enough to make it that far.
The fact that I couldn’t remember Brianna Oakley’s name, or, even, that she performed? She doesn’t stand out as much as some of the others, either, but she has a great voice and the judges, though a little less than thrilled with her delivery of a toughie song (“Warrior” by Demi Lovato), obviously love her. She’s been an Idol contestant before, though, and it’s possible that previous popularity and sentiment will give her a boost.
Jena Asciutto has a distinct name (“Jean-uh”), a distinct look (real dark hair, tanned skin, really bright eyes and white teeth) and a big personality, and she had one of the more interesting song choices of the night: The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black”. I will say she seemed very professional and comfortable, shooting the camera sultry looks and cradling the mic up close to her mouth as she tapped her into her darker side. Her vocals had a raspy, offbeat, almost metallic edge that was a bit disconcerting at first, but it sounds like the kind of thing that’s popular now. I would bet on Jena making it through.
Those lips! Whether they’re sharp purple, sparkly gold or Ferrari red, the lips are the first thing you remember/think of/notice when Bria Anai Johnson is in the conversation. Bria, just sixteen, has a much older person’s voice, and she proved it rocking Melanie Fiora’s “Wrong Side of a Love Song”. She can hit some crazy notes (though the judges—Harry in particular—called her out for shouting at times rather than singing) and she’s got a fun personality and has proved memorable, so I like her chances of moving forward.
When Marielle Sellars auditioned for the judges, everyone—this guy included—was blown away with her devotion to her late father's musical dream and her fun-loving, early-Miley-Cyrus aura. She disappeared during Hollywood Week only to be happily snatched up for the Top 15 (make that Top 10), and then…yikes! Not only did she not listen to guest mentor Adam Lambert’s instructions to not get carried away singing so fun and uppity a song as Katy Perry’s “Roar”, but she ditched her guitar and then got carried away singing such a fun and uppity song. I mean, she worked the crowd and looked like a fearless professional showman, but it was clearly waaay out of her vocal range, getting her immediately and appropriately slapped with the dreaded “Karaoke” label from Keith Urban. Yeah, major misstep. With the hair, the sweet face, fun personality and Miley vibes, Marielle’s memorable, but she’s now lost almost all the good will she built up with an audition that had the judges falling over themselves, and seems on the outside looking in.
FINALLY! After the drama of a Group Round That Almost Wasn’t, and a pressure-cooker head-to-head sing-off to get into the Top 15, black-and-pink-haired rocker chic Jessica Meuse got to finally put on a singular show. She didn’t listen to Chris Daughtry’s advice to get out of her comfort zone and lose the guitar, but she did sing a song I know well and love: Luke Bryan’s touching “Drink a Beer”. While she sang the song well enough, I felt it was a very safe performance. Jessica’s probably one of the more talented contestants, and she’s had a lion’s share of exposure so far, so I would count on her being either voted in by America or picked by the judges.
She’ll shave you smooth, all right. For the second time, barely-legal Emily Piriz wiggled and strutted to Grace Potter & The Nocturnals’ “Paris (Ooh La La)”, and, for the second time, Harry Connick Jr. thought it was just too edgy and sexual (interesting note: Emily argued that the song is more about female empowerment. Ummmm….).She was probably the second-best showman on the night after Marielle, and her vocals were solid, but she was seriously dissed by Keith Urban, who threw back in her face a comment she made about standing in front of the mirror for three hours making her rocker chick come out (Keith argued she needs to prove what’s really in her, not what she can manufacture—a fair point). Emily’s on the fence; I don’t know if I was really impressed with her vocals, but she’s memorable and she seemed more natural on the stage than some of the others.
Did she embolden Juno actress Ellen Page to come out this week? Much was made of MK Nobilette becoming the first real, honest-to-God gay contestant while still on the show, which is probably going to prove huge, as she could now potentially tap into a large and vocal voting fan base few other Idol contestants have ever really reached. Most any of the others in this Top Ten could out-sing MK in a pinch—or an actual, you know, talent contest—but her performance of John Legend’s “All of Me” was far and away my favorite vocal of the night; earnest and sweet, it was her best so far. It was a gentle, soothing, unshowy song, too (my favorite kind). Keith called it a “perfect” song choice. And I just have to say it: that girl is beautiful—people will think and talk more about her sexual orientation and what she means to the show and to society from now on, but she has a really gorgeous face.
Adorkable? I read this word last week in a description of the bespectacled, braces-wearing tuba player Malaya Watson this week, and it might be true, but dang, that girl can sing. She might have the best outright range of this group, and she brought it in a firing-on-all-cylinders, hyper rendition of Ray Charles’ “Hard Times”. The judges went on and on about how much nerves played a part in a performance that was decidedly over-the-top, but you can’t deny this girl has got spunk. She’s only 16 and she’s got talent, so I’m hoping to see her move forward so she can test her skills at other genres.
**THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN Malaya, fresh off a performance that certainly won the crowd, scampered over to the comfy blue couches where the girls who got perform were sitting; halfway there, she crossed paths with the freshly-eliminated Contestants That Idol Forgot as they made their way to the stage for a brief curtain call with Ryan Seacrest. As if it the whole sucks-for-you dynamic wasn’t bad enough, you saw Malaya stop in her tracks for a second before skirting past them.
Yeah, Ryan Seacrest invited Jillian, Austin, Brandy and the others to take a bow (none of them actually did) and then we were treated to a recap of the people who actually did sing. By the time that recap was over, the Forgotten Five were nowhere to be found. Shame on you, Idol. Shame, shame, shame.
**Well, one other big thing happened tonight—America decided who the 15th of the Top 15 guys will be. They chose wild-eyed country boy Ben Briley over smooth-dressing Neco Starr.
Well, okay, who will America vote for? Well, that’s impossible to predict. Put a gun to my head, and I’d say Majesty, Bria, Jessica, MK and Malaya. Man, that’s five already? If it were up to me, I'd pick Bria, Jessica, MK, Malaya and either Kristen or Majesty, but it's not up to me...
More tomorrow night! See which unfortunately-cursed guys went through all this work for nothing and don’t even get a chance at your votes!!
**Honestly, I was really, really disappointed and irritated by this big twist for AI, my first complaint about what has been an exciting journey back into Idol fandom for me. How can they drag five people along for months, prepping and getting excited and having their friends and family ready to vote, and then…nothing? It’s true any one of the fifteen could have had that devastating fate befall them, but the fact is ten of them got to perform. For five of them, the AI semifinals were actually over before they even started. (Worse, these five homebound girls weren’t even given their due, but for a quick chance to stand alongside Ryan Seacrest on stage. There was no goodbye montage video, no chance for a speech or even parting words. I suppose AI is aiming to be a little more like The Voice, where the stakes are typically higher all the time and elimination looms with much more unpredictability, but, still, it was just a plain yucky feeling. Did they waste their time? Without even a halfway-decent send-off, it’s an inescapable thought.).***
As for the ones who got to perform, well, let’s just say judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban constantly noted how much stress/nerves must be affecting them. I have an old-fashioned, off-beat taste in music, so I had only even heard of three of the songs sung. That aside, it was a decent night.
I don’t know how Majesty did, unfortunately, but she’s been well-liked from her first audition and she’s got a sun-shiny personality. There’s a chance going first in this long evening could make people forget to vote for her, but we’ll see what happens.Nurse Kristen O’Connor is super cute and super likeable. As she proved in her “Turning Tables” Adele cover, she has a big voice and a good sound overall—though she admittedly lacks the sheer power of some of her fellow contestants. She seems like she could adapt well to different genres, so she could be a very solid Top 13 contestant, but I’m worried she doesn’t stand out quite enough to make it that far.
The fact that I couldn’t remember Brianna Oakley’s name, or, even, that she performed? She doesn’t stand out as much as some of the others, either, but she has a great voice and the judges, though a little less than thrilled with her delivery of a toughie song (“Warrior” by Demi Lovato), obviously love her. She’s been an Idol contestant before, though, and it’s possible that previous popularity and sentiment will give her a boost.
Jena Asciutto has a distinct name (“Jean-uh”), a distinct look (real dark hair, tanned skin, really bright eyes and white teeth) and a big personality, and she had one of the more interesting song choices of the night: The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black”. I will say she seemed very professional and comfortable, shooting the camera sultry looks and cradling the mic up close to her mouth as she tapped her into her darker side. Her vocals had a raspy, offbeat, almost metallic edge that was a bit disconcerting at first, but it sounds like the kind of thing that’s popular now. I would bet on Jena making it through.
Those lips! Whether they’re sharp purple, sparkly gold or Ferrari red, the lips are the first thing you remember/think of/notice when Bria Anai Johnson is in the conversation. Bria, just sixteen, has a much older person’s voice, and she proved it rocking Melanie Fiora’s “Wrong Side of a Love Song”. She can hit some crazy notes (though the judges—Harry in particular—called her out for shouting at times rather than singing) and she’s got a fun personality and has proved memorable, so I like her chances of moving forward.
When Marielle Sellars auditioned for the judges, everyone—this guy included—was blown away with her devotion to her late father's musical dream and her fun-loving, early-Miley-Cyrus aura. She disappeared during Hollywood Week only to be happily snatched up for the Top 15 (make that Top 10), and then…yikes! Not only did she not listen to guest mentor Adam Lambert’s instructions to not get carried away singing so fun and uppity a song as Katy Perry’s “Roar”, but she ditched her guitar and then got carried away singing such a fun and uppity song. I mean, she worked the crowd and looked like a fearless professional showman, but it was clearly waaay out of her vocal range, getting her immediately and appropriately slapped with the dreaded “Karaoke” label from Keith Urban. Yeah, major misstep. With the hair, the sweet face, fun personality and Miley vibes, Marielle’s memorable, but she’s now lost almost all the good will she built up with an audition that had the judges falling over themselves, and seems on the outside looking in.
FINALLY! After the drama of a Group Round That Almost Wasn’t, and a pressure-cooker head-to-head sing-off to get into the Top 15, black-and-pink-haired rocker chic Jessica Meuse got to finally put on a singular show. She didn’t listen to Chris Daughtry’s advice to get out of her comfort zone and lose the guitar, but she did sing a song I know well and love: Luke Bryan’s touching “Drink a Beer”. While she sang the song well enough, I felt it was a very safe performance. Jessica’s probably one of the more talented contestants, and she’s had a lion’s share of exposure so far, so I would count on her being either voted in by America or picked by the judges.
She’ll shave you smooth, all right. For the second time, barely-legal Emily Piriz wiggled and strutted to Grace Potter & The Nocturnals’ “Paris (Ooh La La)”, and, for the second time, Harry Connick Jr. thought it was just too edgy and sexual (interesting note: Emily argued that the song is more about female empowerment. Ummmm….).She was probably the second-best showman on the night after Marielle, and her vocals were solid, but she was seriously dissed by Keith Urban, who threw back in her face a comment she made about standing in front of the mirror for three hours making her rocker chick come out (Keith argued she needs to prove what’s really in her, not what she can manufacture—a fair point). Emily’s on the fence; I don’t know if I was really impressed with her vocals, but she’s memorable and she seemed more natural on the stage than some of the others.
Did she embolden Juno actress Ellen Page to come out this week? Much was made of MK Nobilette becoming the first real, honest-to-God gay contestant while still on the show, which is probably going to prove huge, as she could now potentially tap into a large and vocal voting fan base few other Idol contestants have ever really reached. Most any of the others in this Top Ten could out-sing MK in a pinch—or an actual, you know, talent contest—but her performance of John Legend’s “All of Me” was far and away my favorite vocal of the night; earnest and sweet, it was her best so far. It was a gentle, soothing, unshowy song, too (my favorite kind). Keith called it a “perfect” song choice. And I just have to say it: that girl is beautiful—people will think and talk more about her sexual orientation and what she means to the show and to society from now on, but she has a really gorgeous face.
Adorkable? I read this word last week in a description of the bespectacled, braces-wearing tuba player Malaya Watson this week, and it might be true, but dang, that girl can sing. She might have the best outright range of this group, and she brought it in a firing-on-all-cylinders, hyper rendition of Ray Charles’ “Hard Times”. The judges went on and on about how much nerves played a part in a performance that was decidedly over-the-top, but you can’t deny this girl has got spunk. She’s only 16 and she’s got talent, so I’m hoping to see her move forward so she can test her skills at other genres.
**THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN Malaya, fresh off a performance that certainly won the crowd, scampered over to the comfy blue couches where the girls who got perform were sitting; halfway there, she crossed paths with the freshly-eliminated Contestants That Idol Forgot as they made their way to the stage for a brief curtain call with Ryan Seacrest. As if it the whole sucks-for-you dynamic wasn’t bad enough, you saw Malaya stop in her tracks for a second before skirting past them.
Yeah, Ryan Seacrest invited Jillian, Austin, Brandy and the others to take a bow (none of them actually did) and then we were treated to a recap of the people who actually did sing. By the time that recap was over, the Forgotten Five were nowhere to be found. Shame on you, Idol. Shame, shame, shame.
**Well, one other big thing happened tonight—America decided who the 15th of the Top 15 guys will be. They chose wild-eyed country boy Ben Briley over smooth-dressing Neco Starr.
Well, okay, who will America vote for? Well, that’s impossible to predict. Put a gun to my head, and I’d say Majesty, Bria, Jessica, MK and Malaya. Man, that’s five already? If it were up to me, I'd pick Bria, Jessica, MK, Malaya and either Kristen or Majesty, but it's not up to me...
More tomorrow night! See which unfortunately-cursed guys went through all this work for nothing and don’t even get a chance at your votes!!
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