Finally the wait is over on American Idol.The top 24 has been picked, and next week we get to start seeing some great performances. Our voices will be heard (and for most of us, probably ignored too). But first we had the inevitable one hour trip up and down the elevator of doom.
First up the elevator was Sanjaya Malakar. He said the audition process was easier as he had his sister with him for emotional support. Unfortunately she didn't last through the Hollywood rounds, which was hard for him to handle. Paula Abdul asks him about how it's been with his sister. He said it was hard and bittersweet. Paula says he'll need to call on her for more moral support as he made it on.
Anna Kearns, who was called a giraffe by Simon Cowell was up next. She tells Simon she heard that comment. Simon tells her he's sorry, but Anna says he shouldn't be, as the giraffe is a beautiful animal. Randy Jackson tells her she didn't make it. Anna is upset and shocked, as she really thought she was unique. Simon asks her if it was just because she was tall, and basically the answer was pretty much a yes.
Bernard Williams, Eric Davis, and pedi-cab driver Tami Gosnell all get a quick boot. And we're on to background singer Melinda Doolittle. She says that it was an awakening for her, after singing background for so long. Simon tells her the reason why she is a backup singer is because normally someone else is better than you. He tells her that she'll be surprised to hear that she's good enough to stand at the front of the stage. He adds the vote was unanimous. Brendan Rogers, the other background singer, was also told he can stand at the front of the stage.
Gina Glocksen says it's been a long journey for her, as she didn't quite make it last year. Paula mentions that she's been through this before. Paula says it's tough and not fun for any of them. Gina tells Paula it's okay, and Paula says it is, because she made it through. Jimmy McNeal and Erick Johnson both get cut though. This is followed by two very quick entrances to the top 24 by Haley Scarnato and Philip Stacy. Phil missed the birth of his daughter to audition if you recall.
We're treated to a brief glimpse of what the guys did during the Hollywood week. Apparently they went to a sneak preview of The Simpsons Movie. They were then treated to a glimpse of how it was made. This led to the guys group that impressed all - Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, Thomas Lowe, and Rudy Cardenas. Naturally Chris made a joke of it all, walking into the room and telling the judges that they were probably wondering why he called the meeting today. Simon tells him he is probably one of the most popular contestants as he has a great personality. Chris, Blake, and Rudy all made it through, but Thomas did not.
Paul Kim promises that if he is put through we'll see him with barefeet every cut day. He also says he has a pair of lucky underwear (which I hope gets washed in between). Paula tells him the decision was split, but he'll have to come back. Jordin Sparks was also going to have to look at the judges some more.
Getting the quick cuts were Olivia Quiba-Hurst, Tatiana McConnico, and Monique Vieras. AJ Tabaldos, who auditioned for the fifth time, wasn't getting cut though. Neither were Stephanie Edwards, Leslie Hunt or Nick Pedro.Nick called his little sister with the good news that he made it. It was apparently her birthday present.
Alaina Alexander, the struggling artist who couldn't decide whether to give up and go to school or not, will have to struggle a bit more. She made it through after a talk about her nerves. Chris Richardson and Sabrina Slone also went through. Meanwhile more quick cuts went to Jerome Chism, Joelle James, Matthew Buckstein (the cowboy returnee from last year) and Princess Johnson all got cut.
Single mom Lakisa Jones (remember she was the one with the three-year-old) will have to be separated from her daughter some more as she is going on. Her daughter turns 4 soon, and she said if she didn't go on she would just go back to her daughter and her job at the bank. Simon tells her she's a great singer and that's why she made it through. Joining her in the top 24 were Nicole Tranquillo, Jared Cotter,adn Amy Krebs.
Finally we were down to the last four. Marisa Rhodes and Antonella Barba went in the elevator together. Antonella went down happy while Marisa was upset because everyone told her she should have gone through. I agree that she was better than Antonella, not to mention Antonella's word problems.
Then we were down to Jason Sundance Head and Tommy Daniels. Sundance was better at the auditions and weak through Hollywood, Simon said. But that wouldn't keep him from the top 24. He went on while Tommy went home.
*note* I've added links to the auditions where each one is mentioned. If there is no link, there was no mention of the contestant. Hopefully this might help jog a few memories of who is who.
I posted this reply on previous page but this page is more suitable. OK, alzheimers is kicking in how did they do the 24 last year? 1 night girls, next night boys, and vote on 3rd night? or girls and boys perform in one night and vote on the next night? I can't remember. If anyone sees my memory hanging out somewhere with theirs.....SEND MINE HOME. lol
My top 3 girls:
Melinda Doolittle
Haley Scarnato
Antonella Barba
My top Guys:
Chris Sligh
Sanjaya Malakar
Brendon Rogers
I dont know if its my view only but it seems that a lot of black male singers were quickly given the boot. Even the one whom Simon called "little Rueben". It is that they do not perceive the black male as a legit American Idol?
Curlio you amaze me with how you keep everything on these recaps! Kudos to you!
Overall I am pleased with the top 24. I was very happy that Sundance made the cut and he really isn't one of my faves. I agree with Curlio's previous comment that cocky really turns people off. I though Thomas was really cocky going into that elevator and showed his self when he was going back down. It goes to show you can't take anything for granted. Thomas was the better singer, but that attitude got him cut!
My top guys right now based solely on appearance, personality and backstory ('cause we really haven't heard enough to know if they can sing):
Chris Sligh ...too funny
Paul Kim ...I have a thing for asian guys
Sanjaya Malakar ...oh he is just too precious.
My top pick for the girls based more on singing and not hormones
Lakisha
Melinda Doolittle
I think the guys are way stronger than the girls, BUT I think we are more familiar with them. I saw a lot of girls that I had no clue who they were!
Now the fun begins......
edit: shellybean - 2007-02-14 23:31:26 GMT -
If you can't be a good example, then be a horrible warning!
AreU4Real said: I posted this reply on previous page but this page is more suitable. OK, alzheimers is kicking in how did they do the 24 last year? 1 night girls, next night boys, and vote on 3rd night? or girls and boys perform in one night and vote on the next night? I can't remember. If anyone sees my memory hanging out somewhere with theirs.....SEND MINE HOME. lol
It was guys on Tuesday, girls on Wednesday, and results show on Thursday...the year before, the girls were on Tuesday and the guys were on Wednesday. They lose two per week for three weeks to get down to the top twelve, and then they go to the standard Tuesday show with the results on Wednesday.
I don't think I know these contestants well enough to pick a top three of each yet! I was impressed by Melinda and Lakisha's auditions, and Chris, Rudy, and Blake all impressed me with their auditions and then blew me away with their group performance.
I'm really looking forward for the real fun to begin!
Note to Shenova - thanks, I had it in the notepad version, must have missed the bottom line
Shellybean, I agree we've seen alot more of the guys. I love spoilers, so I was working with a spoiler list. Out of the guys, all but two were mentioned in the audition rounds. From the girls it was five who weren't mentioned. Perhaps that's why they focused more on girls during the Hollywood round?
AreU4Real - The guys perform one night, the girls the next and the result on the third night (this year it's Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 2 hours each night for performances, 1 hour for results show, 2 guys and 2 girls leave each week). Dusty will be bringing you the results show, as I work Thursday nights If you have any other TV show scheduling questions, my directv search goes a week or two into the future
"Now you know why lions eat their young" Capt. Phil Harris
Guest said: I dont know if its my view only but it seems that a lot of black male singers were quickly given the boot. Even the one whom Simon called "little Rueben". It is that they do not perceive the black male as a legit American Idol?
Oh PUUULLLEASE!! May we not play the RACE CARD? Ruben has not been the forceful personality that Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and even Fantasia have been. Time will tell if Taylor can hold up or not. My guess is not...
Maybe a more accurate statement is that they don't perceive the MALE (race inclusive) as a legitimate American Idol.
Personally, I'm delighted to see the diversity amongst the men including three black, one Asian, one Hispanic, one Indian...that's at least half that are fully minorities.
Looking at the top 24, i normally have a good feeling of whom could be the next american idol. This year however I don't have a faintest clue who could even be in the final 4.
If Chris Sligh's humor is really always as pictured on the few shots on the show, he might become the first Idol Contestant that ends up having his own Comedy Series.
Outside of that i think the reason why they changed this year was to avoid all the critics saying that the ones that got the most airtime are most likely to win. By eliminating a lot of hollywood, the playing field is levelled more. Less fun for us, because we get to know people less. But in the end it MIGHT be more fair for all the contestants.
They know before the first show who the top 24 are. Why can't they make sure that we see all 24's first audition as well as all 24 in Hollywood, plus some kind of interview with them - friends, family, hometown, something. I think that would be fair.
I had no problem when AI Pimped Carrie Underwood. From her very first audition, I knew she was special. AI Producers Pimped her with the nice back story on the farm. She got a lot of time of camera, and they picked the right one to pimp.
Last season, the AI Producers spent a lot of time pimping Kellie Pickler. We first wanted to "Pick Pickler", but after hearing her talk a lot, we eventually wanted to shank her with a very sharp object. Bad Pimp, bad pimp.
This season, the AI Producers seem to think Sundance Head is the messiah. Maybe. Maybe not.
I agree with Dusty, the pimping seems to be a little less blantant this year.
I'm looking forward to next week, it's wide open for me. I like Melinda and Chris Sligh, but I'm not especially thrilled about any of them like I was 2 years ago for Carrie or last season for Kat Pee.
I was upset with this episode. I did not remember over half of the contestants. I had to keep asking my wife who people were as if I was supposed to remember a person from three weeks ago. The drama of who was getting cut and who was not was severely lacking. Reason number one is I didn't know who these people were. Why do I care if AJ gets cuts? Who the heck is AJ? Can he sing? I wouldn't know. Second, during the "After the break" promos, they would show someone like Jordin Sparks or Lakisha Jones crying while saying something like "Will they be cut?" Of course not! Why spoil it! It was fake drama.
Quick notes:
My favorite line of the night was near the beginning of the show: "Well, if Bernard didn't make it, what chance do we have?" Who the heck was Bernard? We just saw three seconds of Bernard and no backstory recap like "Remember Bernard from X city?" I asked my wife who he was and she had no clue either. Fake drama.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Melinda. She has a memorable face and is really likable and can sing well. A close second is the Jack Black Osbourne, I mean Chris Sligh. Great pipe and personality. I am also intrigued with Nicole Tranquillo even though I saw her sing for three seconds.
A guest stated, "I dont know if its my view only but it seems that a lot of black male singers were quickly given the boot." While watching the show, my wife and I thought the same thing in the beginning. Obviously, by the 50% diversity rate on the male side, there is not racism on AI's part. I think it was poor editing yet again, which has been the theme of this season so far. Plus, the males seem to be weak as Shenova pointed out, as well as the fact that we did not get to see anyone really sing. So, when there is over a half hour between black males getting through (and I do not know if AJ is black or mixed or non-black), while folks like Bernard are getting the boot in three seconds or less, I can understand the perception.
Speaking of bad editing. I like how they whisked the Pedi Cab driver away in three seconds while giving us no explanation why she was not good enough. And Fidel Castro was shown for two seconds on yesterday's show and that was it since his awesome audition. The editor if this season really needs to be fired.
Wow, I can't wait for next week! I think we have an overall good crew. Don't know if the best of these is going to do better than Carrie or Hewhowould or Kelly C., but we haven't really even heard then do their thing yet. I have a blank slate for my voting and otherwise, being I am starting out blonde free and all. LOL.
Sprout is so insightful, for his age, he will make a great King!!
I didn't mean to insult anyone except to say with so little to go one if says you make "snap" decisions. I guess you think I make "snap" decisions blonde-wise!!! LOL
I am looking forward to another great season of idol. Each year the show gets better and better.
I feel they have chosen great contenders. As a judge of talent myself, I could listen to the auditions and tell who will make it.
The men, once again are the ones I believe will give us the show this year. There will probably be many makeovers and hairdos this season among the mena nd the woman.
The ladies who come on strong and want it bad enough will proceed as contenders for the latter shows.
Either way, everyone who auditioned are winners in my book, if just for the effort.
The advice I have for all of the 24 is "Sing Children".
Have a great time on a great show.
I agree that we don't enough information on many of the singers pick any favorites as yet. However, based on what I saw last night some of the ladies do look very weak and vulnerable.
We should start seeing some separation from next week.
Okay, I'm annoyed. I didn't know who half these people were. I didn't even see them in the hollywood round or audition until the very end when they were sitting in the room. Lame.
And I am annoyed that Marisa Rhodes lost out to Antonella Barba. She was much better than Antonella. She had stage presence, her voice was better, she didn't screw up, and if it's about looks, she was just as pretty as Antonella (almost) and she had sex appeal. Pretty much everything you want in a commercial artist. So what the heck? I felt so bad for her. When they told her she didn't go through, she looked like she was shot. The other girls that got in better be really amazing.
Oh, and what's with Sundance Head? That guy was really bad in hollywood. His final song must have been killer. But then at the end he tells the other guy that got cut that if he makes it big, the guy could be his bodyguard? What? No class.
As far as why some of the "better singers" were cut, I've come up with 2 conclusions
1. Looks, as usual, are a huge factor. Let's face it if Antonella looked like me and sounded like herself, Marisa would easily have made it through over her.
2. The AI producers are trying to avoid 12 Ushers and 12 Christina Aguileras. They don't want 12 good to awesome R&B male singers. Nor do they want 12 good to awesome female pop singers. So some of the "better" singers had to be eliminated to allow some of the "weaker" singers of a different type in.
I hope AI will have learned their lesson for next year though. We need to go back to the usual 2 weeks for Hollywood (or 4-6 hours, however they decide to do it) as 2 hours just isn't enough. I'd rather have a week less of the auditions and more Hollywood in order to bond with the contestants. They know who will be in the Top 24 before the show airs (as someone else pointed out) so just eliminate the whole "I didn't get highlighted" by making sure most of them get 10-15 minutes throughout the auditions and the Hollywood phase.
"Now you know why lions eat their young" Capt. Phil Harris
Oh, I went ahead and added links to each audition where everyone was mentioned. As I state above, where there is no link, the person was not mentioned (though they may have appeared onscreen without AI actually given us a name). As I was working with a spoiler list to begin with, I had all of that researched before last night's show. I decided to go ahead and include it since I wasn't the only one going... "Haley who?".
"Now you know why lions eat their young" Capt. Phil Harris
2. The AI producers are trying to avoid 12 Ushers and 12 Christina Aguileras. They don't want 12 good to awesome R&B male singers. Nor do they want 12 good to awesome female pop singers. So some of the "better" singers had to be eliminated to allow some of the "weaker" singers of a different type in.
I had the same thought. I wondered why we didn't see more of Ebony, the strong-voiced "car hop", but they probably didn't want 12 Whitney Houstons either, and Lakisha clearly has the stronger voice in that category (although Ebony has the looks).
Obviously, the producers do what they do for the commercial appeal, not to truly find the best singer. Its their show and we're just along for the ride...
After all that is said and done, it is interesting that there are seven people out of the 24 who have not been seen before tonight. I believe that Hollywood Week took place back in November, therefore giving the editors of the show over a month to insert those seven people's auditions into the respective audition shows. I do not see how they miss the boat on this time and again. It will be interesting to see how long those seven people last through the semis.
As well, if there is over a month plus to edit the show, there is also a month plus for AI to do background checks. Background checks do not take four+ weeks to do. Therefore, this would eliminate situations like the guy who brought his cousin along and sang well enough to get to Hollywood. Then, a day after the show airs, it is learned that he was disqualified because he did not reveal that he was busted for drug possession. One, it is obviously wrong that he did not reveal this information in his application, but it doesn't make it right for AI to play the moral authority and humiliate him even further by showing his audition. They knew that he got the boot from the show. Why show his audition to us so he is exposed to the media? This makes no sense.
The same is true with Fidel Castro guy. He got the boot because he supposedly did not want to conform to AI's fashion guidelines. AI knew back in November that he was not going to make it. Why show him in the first place? Even worse, why show his audition and his uniqueness, and then dismiss him in a two second image overlay during Hollywood Week. Again, it makes no sense.
This show frustrates me, but I still love it. Total love/hate over here.
I agree, it's been over 200 years now, so LET IT GO!
Shenova said: [...]
Oh PUUULLLEASE!! May we not play the RACE CARD? Ruben has not been the forceful personality that Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and even Fantasia have been. Time will tell if Taylor can hold up or not. My guess is not...
Maybe a more accurate statement is that they don't perceive the MALE (race inclusive) as a legitimate American Idol.
Personally, I'm delighted to see the diversity amongst the men including three black, one Asian, one Hispanic, one Indian...that's at least half that are fully minorities.
Finally the wait is over on American Idol.The top 24 has been picked, and next week we get to start seeing some great performances. Our voices will be heard (and for most of us, probably ignored too). But first we had the inevitable one hour trip up and down the elevator of doom.
Anna Kearns, who was called a giraffe by Simon Cowell was up next. She tells Simon she heard that comment. Simon tells her he's sorry, but Anna says he shouldn't be, as the giraffe is a beautiful animal. Randy Jackson tells her she didn't make it. Anna is upset and shocked, as she really thought she was unique. Simon asks her if it was just because she was tall, and basically the answer was pretty much a yes.
If you have any other TV show scheduling questions, my directv search goes a week or two into the future 
