American Idol 11 - Top 13 Boys - Live Blog Recap
I cannot tell you how excited I am for the live shows. Tonight, we finally get to see what the Top 12/13 boys of American Idol 11 are capable of. We should also find out who the 13th boy is. Honestly, between Richie Law, David Leathers Jr., Jermaine Jones, and Johnny Keyser, I could care less who gets through. If I had to choose, I would go with David or Johnny.
I will be live blogging all the happenings of the first LIVE show of the season. I'm so excited! So, check back often for my quick thoughts on the talent. Who will rise? Who will sink?
This...is AMERICAN IDOL!
The stage is really bright right now. Looks like Idol is taking notes from the flashy X-Factor counterpart. Heh. "We have finally hit the big time," Ryan says. Ryan informs us that they will be doing a Wildcard pick to round out the Top 13 (of all contestants), and then, he introduces the Top 12 guys. Huh. It is pretty interesting (and quirky) group.
The finalists pick any song they want (Yea, right). First up is Reed Grimm. He's from Wisconsin--famous for cheese curds. He's singing "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 & Xtina. Hmm. He's turned this pop hit into a jazzy arrangement, and he's not moving around crazy. DID THEY JUST BLEEP HIM? Hah! Midway through, he breaks out the drums again. Not crazy about it, but it's OK. He could be in trouble by going first. Randy, of course, compares him to Casey Abrams from last season. Whatever. Check out his performance HERE.
Next up, we have Adam Brock, aka Danny Gokey 2.0, otherwise known as "White Chocolate." He's from Washington, PA. Yup, my friend's best friend knows him, says he's a great guy. We are reminded again about the big black woman in his body. Ugh. OK. He's singing Aretha Franklin's "Think." Whenever I hear a contestant sing this, I immediately think of Siobhan Magnus. Adam is rocking a leather jacket and he has a tail, ala James Durbin. The arrangment is meh. This is quite karaoke to me. Nothing special. Oh look at all the colorful displays behind him. Pretty. He's gonna be in trouble. The judges love him and fail to make any criticisms. Check out his full performance HERE.
Now, Deandre Brackensick takes the stage. He's from San Jose, CA. His sister reminds me of Rachel Crow. Lol. He's singing "Reasons" by Earth, Wind, and Fire. Hmm. He's like all up into his falsetto. I applaud the guy, though, he has some great control over his voice. It's not easy to flip between chest and head voice easily. Something is just a little off about this. I can't put my finger on it. HAIROGRAPHY! Brownie points for that. Randy calls him the most commerical of the guys. Oh. Two girls are onstage giving him hugs. Well, more votes for him! Check out his full performance HERE.
YAY! Colton Dixon is next! He's my fave guy. He's from TN!!! Do this for your sister! I love his hair. He's singing Paramore's "Decode." Oh. He's playing the piano. Yay for cool song choices and something we haven't heard. He gets up and starts working the crowd. Wow, this stage is nutso. HIs vocals are pretty good. He then gets up on the piano. Colton has a built in fan base already, and I think he could win over some new fans with this tonight. GO COLTON! Check out his full performance HERE.
After the break, Jeremy Rosado is up! Hmm. Florida for the win! He's the sicko--who works at the front desk at the clinic. LOL. He's singing "Gravity" by Sara Bareillis. I love this song! Please don't mess it up. He starts on the big stairs. There are shooting stars around him. I love it when Sara sings this song, but this is just OK. He has a sweet voice, but I think he's fodder. Oh, that last big note was good. OK. Nevermind. He might be safe. The judges gush all over him and are pimping him pretty hard. Check out his full performance HERE.
Steven is as confused "as a baby in a topless bar." OK THEN...
Next to take the stage is Aaron Marcellus. He's from Atlanta, GA. Go peaches!!! He teaches voice lessons. He's a regular dude with a big dream. He's singing "Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5. Glee did this. He's rockin' a fedora...or something. His vocals are smooth and definitely in the top % of tonight. He should be safe. He puts in some great vocal runs. I'm really diggin' this. Oh snap, that last note. The judges love him. Why are they so nice to EVERYONE? lol. Check out his full performance HERE.
Country crooner Chase Likens, aka cannon fodder, is up! He's from WV!!!! I'm from there. Hehe. He goes to Marshall University + studies theatre. THEATRE FTW. He likes to whistle. lol. He's singing "Storm Warning" by Hunter Hayes. Great song. He's holding it pretty decently. As the first performance America gets to see, this does nothing really to wow us. He's a goner. Again, the judges fail to give him any legitimate feedback...Check out his full performance HERE.
Creighton Fraker is up! This should be...interesting. He's a former street performer + grew up as preacher's kid in South Dakota. This guy is so lulzy. He's singing "True Colors" by Cindi Lauper. Huh. He's seated simply on a stool. This is a lame song choice. We've heard this a million freaking times. It needs banned. It picks up a little bit midway, albeit a little sharp. Eh. He could be in trouble. I feel like I could say that about most of the guys this year. The judges make me want to puke. They thought it was "beautiful." Apparently singing from the heart replaces creativity. Check out his full performance HERE.
Let's go Phillip Phillips! He's from GA!!! Peaches!!! Filming himself is weird. He's singing "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. WGWG ALERT! There's a jazzy instrumentation to this. This dude has been growing on me. I think I like this? His voice has a nice rasp/gravel quality to it. He's cute...with a guitar...so...he's through. The judges came back from auditions talking about him. Pimp. Check out his full performance HERE.
Eben Franckewitz is next! He's from Cincinnati, OH! His mom makes him do chores all the time. How fun. He's singing Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain." Ugh. Seriously? What does he know about having a broken heart? Ugh. He doesn't have enough grit or passion for this song. Ooo, there are a bunch of flames. Regardless of song choice, this is bad. He's just too young. His voice is thin. The judges refuse to do their job. Boo. Check out his full performance HERE.
Next up is Heejun Han! GO GO GO! His mom dances for the camera. OMG I LOVE HER! She's gonna kick him in the head. LOL. He's singing "Angels" by Robbie Williams. He has a nice voice, and he's quite the character. I think that will take him further than his actual talent. I still like him. It starts a little slow, but midway through, the song picks up. I'm not hating this. GO HEEJUN! VOTE VOTE VOTE! Check out his full performance HERE.
Joshua Ledet is up! He's nickname is "Mantasia." Yup. He's a smoothie maker. He's singing "You Pulled Me Through" by Jennifer Hudson. OMG NO. Sorry, but this is the song she sang after her family was murdered. Anyways, he reminds me of Jacob Lusk. He's definitely talented though, and doesn't quite rub me the wrong way like Jacob did. He has a tendency to oversing. He might pull in a fanbase with this. He really brings it midway through to the end. He gets a standing O from the judges. Work it! J.Lo wants to punch him. LOL. Check out his full performance HERE.
The guy the judges are bringing back is............JERMAINE JONES!
Yup. I knew it. He won't last long. They are so adamant about a girl winning that they bring back a guy least likely to win. He's singing "Dance with My Father" by Luther Vandross. What a predictable song choice. Oh. He doesn't get a video package. Wouldn't they have had time to put one together? He has a great deep voice--which certainly sets him apart. I'm just not sure bringing him back was worth it. At least with Melanie Amaro on The X-Factor, she had an amazing voice. Eh. Check out his full performance HERE.
Well, what a night. There were few great performances. My favorites of the night: Phillip, Aaron, and Colton. My bottom 3: Deandre, Adam, and Creighton. Tomorrow night, we get the GIRLS. Hopefully, it will be more entertaining. I predict a few girls to really bring it.
What did you think about tonight? Feel free to blast me in the comments. :)