The Top 11 Perform - American Idol 2012

Oopsie! I forgot to post this last week, so here ya go!

The theme for the week was Songs from the Year the Contestant was Born.

First of all, Jermaine Jones got booted because he has 4 active warrants, which he did not disclose to the show’s producers.  How in Goober’s name do you expect to go on a T.V. show that is watched by millions with 4 arrest warrants, and not expect to get caught?  Not cool, big guy; not cool at all.

Phillip Phillips - Hard to Handle - Phillip had kidney stones this week and had surgery, and dude still came out and spanked this song.  This was the perfect song for him, kinda rock and kinda soul.  He performed without his guitar, which was refreshing and showed that he’s not hiding behind his instrument.

Jessica Sanchez - Turn the Beat Around - Jessica wore the most awesome pants I’ve ever seen, which I’m pretty sure she stole from Steven Tyler.  The judges criticized her timing and seemed to want her to sing yet another ballad.  I personally enjoyed the up-tempo song, and let me tell you:  this gal knows how to work a crowd.  She added a little break and then a key change that she performed flawlessly.  Her confidence for a teenager is phenomenal, and I totally disagreed with the judges on this one.  Ballad after ballad gets boring and will get you kicked off prematurely.













Heejun Han -  Right Here Waiting For You - Well, it wasn’t perfect, but I’m in love with the tone of his voice.  He sounds so much like Michael Bolton, who really melts my margarine when he sings.  Heejun is also a wonderful singer, and I hope he does better next week.

Elise Testone - Let’s Stay Together - I loved this!  I thought her voice was soulful, and her timing was impeccable.

Deandre Brackensick - He sang Endless Love, and ahhhhhh…..I felt like I was at a wedding back in the 1980’s, complete with mauve bridesmaids dresses.  Was it old-fashioned?  Yes, but he sang it well.

Shannon Magrane - One Sweet Day - Well, the girl’s got balls.  She went from Whitney Houston last week, where her voice cracked, to Mariah Carey and Boys 2 Men this week.  She had some nice runs and some excellent high notes that I didn’t know she could hit.  However, I think she’s falling into a bit of a rut of singing only ballads.

Colton Dixon - When I heard he was singing a song by White Lion, I was excited.  Then he started singing Broken Heart, and my heart broke just a little bit.  What the hell?  I’m a rock fan, and I’ve never heard this song.  My husband is a rock fanatic, and he hasn’t heard it.  Colton, please sing something that normal people know.  It was a bit whiny sounding in places, and I just wanted to forward through it.

Erika Van Pelt - Heaven - Erika has a great voice, but she was trying to change the song up too much.  It was very choppy throughout.  Also, why is she dressed as a first-year student at Hogwarts?

Skylar Laine - Love Sneakin’ Up On You - She stayed in tune the whole song, but that’s about the best I can say about it.  She seemed to growl every other word, which just seemed rather desperate.  The judges loved it, but I was just kinda “meh.”  

Joshua Ledet - This dude sang so hard he had to take his jacket off about halfway through the song.  He’s definitely got a great voice, and the judges said it was the best thing they’ve ever seen on American Idol.  I tend to think he oversang it quite a bit.  Ok, y’all can yell at me now.

Hollie Cavanaugh - Power of Love - This girl is definitely talented, but she hit a couple of notes that were flat, and the last note was kind of wobbly.  Somehow, the judges just ignored this and carried on like the girl cured cancer or something.

Results:  The bottom three, per America’s voting, were all girls:  Shannon, Elise, and Erika.

My tall girl, Shannon, was sent home.  {sniff, sniff}

DWTS 2012 - Week 1

Last year's DWTS was about as exciting as a glass of tepid water.  I thought this was going to be another season of Dancing With Some Random People Who Are Marginally Known, but I was pleasantly surprised!

First up were T.V. Host Maria Menounos & Derek Hough - I had no idea who Maria was, but it turns out that she's the host of Extra.  Does anyone still watch that show?

Derek’s students are always well-prepared, and Maria was no exception.  Their cha-cha was very solid with no major mistakes.  And most importantly, she didn’t look awkward, which you will learn is a pet peeve for me.  And for that alone, I give her an 8.  And here are the scores from the judges:
Carrie Ann - 7
Len - 7
Bruno - 7


Actor and Singer Jack Wagner and Anna Trebunskaya - Wagner is mostly known for soap opera roles, but he’s also done some made-for-TV movies and recorded some albums.

Jack and Anna performed a foxtrot that was cute and charmingly cheesy, but their costumes were horrid and reminded me of attire from a 1982 prom.

Fashion faux pas - Exhibit A

Jack's arms started out awkward, but got better as he went on.  He was very suave, but he needs to watch his feet.  I give him a 7.
CA - 8
L - 7
B - 8


Super Bowl Champion Donald Driver & Peta Murgatroyd  - Donald is a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers.

They performed a nice cha-cha.  Raymond had great moves and was a lot of fun to watch.  The man knows how to use his legs and booty, and I don’t think he learned that on the football field.  His arms and legs got a little wild a couple of times, so I give him a 7.
CA - 7
L - 7
B - 7


Singer and Songwriter Gavin DeGraw & Karina Smirnoff - I didn’t immediately recognize his name, but when I looked him up, I actually know (and like) his music.  I was impressed that they actually got somebody contemporary on the show.

They had a good sweet performance in the foxtrot, but Gavin had spatula hands and was a bit stiff.  I give him a 7.
CA - 7
L - 6
B - 7


Disney Star Roshon Fegan & Chelsie Hightower -  Roshon was in Disney’s Camp Rock.  “Yay!  I’m a star because I met the Jonas Brothers!”

Dude had some pretty sharp footwork and great musicality in the cha-cha.  He threw in some Michael Jackson moves, which was very smooth and cool.  I give him an 8.
CA - 8
L - 7
B - 8


T.V. Host and Actress Sherri Shepherd & Val Chmerkovskiy - Sherri is one of the hosts of The View, but I won’t hold that against her, because she actually has a sense of humor.  She also recently played Lula in the movie “One For The Money,” which is based on one of my favorite book series.  I adore her and can’t wait to see what she’s gonna say each week.

She had some very elegant moments in the foxtrot, but her feet did get twisted up a couple of times.  Her performance value was superb!  I want to give her a 9 because she’s so dang precious, but if I’m honest, her footwork merited more like a 7.  So I’m giving her an 8.
CA - 8
L - 7
B - 8

T.V. icon Melissa Gilbert & Maks Chmerkovskiy - She was Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, and was also in about a gazillion Lifetime made-for-TV movies where someone was getting abused or kidnapped or something.  

Laura Ingalls has traded in her prairie dress for a hot little black number, of which Ma would not approve.  In fact, she and Maks both looked HOT in their cha-cha.   Melissa’s timing was off a little bit, but this choreography was very difficult.  She needs to work on her hips for the next Latin dance, but overall a very solid routine.  I give her a 7.

CA - 7

L - 6

B - 7

Actor William Levy & Cheryl Burke - William is a super hot Cuban.  I’m not sure what movies or TV shows he’s been in, and I don‘t really give a shit.  I just like looking at him.  In case you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here is a picture:  

That's right, ladies!  Bookmark this page for future use.

William and the very lucky Cheryl performed a cha-cha.  He had super hips, and I really didn’t notice anything else.  Except for maybe his muscular arms.  It took forever to get all of the women, and even some of the men, in the crowd to quiet down after his dance.  Holy dear Lord Jesus!  He’s sexy and I know it.  I look forward to seeing much, much more.  (William, if you’re reading this…call me!)  I give him a 12.

CA - 8

L - 8

B - 8

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova & Tony Dovolani - She is a breast cancer survivor and the most decorated tennis player of all times.

Her hands were awful in their foxtrot, and she seemed quite awkward, but she looked beautiful!  She seemed very nervous and hesitant, but maybe that was because she says she hasn't worn a dress in like 20 years.  So far she was the worst of the night, but she does have potential.  I give her a 6.
CA - 7
L - 6
B - 7

Classical singer Katherine Jenkins & Mark Ballas - I've never heard of Katherine, but apparently, she's a big deal classical singer from the U.K.

This is one beautiful girl, gorgeous face and fantastic body.  She seemed to be made for the foxtrot, and she had graceful arms and wonderful head position and posture.  The dance was super smooth, and Katherine just radiated sunshine.  I give her a 9.  Yes, a 9!

CA - 9
L - 8
B - 9

Music legend Gladys Knight & Tristan MacManus - How gorgeous did Gladys look?  She’s the oldest competitor, though I thought she didn’t look a day over 50, and that red dress was stunning!

Work it, sistah!!

Gladys had a naturalness about her that was just fabulous!  She occasionally flailed her arms, but she didn’t miss a single step in the cha-cha.  The ballroom went wild, and she was immediately greeted by hugs from the other competitors when they went upstairs.  You go, Gladys!!!!  I give you a hearty 9!  (She probably was more of an 8, but I just can’t help myself because she just impressed the crap out of me.)

CA - 8

L - 7

B - 8

T.V. star Jaleel White & Kym Johnson  - If you’re like me, you’re probably asking who the hellz Jaleel White is?  Why, he’s none other than Steve Urkel from “Family Matters,” that’s who.  An interesting note:  Jaleel’s first television role was as the son of Flip Wilson and fellow DWTS contender, Gladys Knight, on “Charlie and Company.”

When Jaleel and Kym got through dancing the foxtrot, I squeaked, “Did he do thaaaaat?“  Yes, yes, he did.  OMG, people!  Urkel done got debonair up in that ballroom!!!  He was very smooth and elegant, and I give the anti-Urkel a 9!

CA - 9

L - 8

B - 9

The contestants will dance again next week, before any eliminations.  I think this is shaping up to be a great year!  Especially with this going on:

Just another gratuitous shot of William Levy - you're welcome, girls!

The Top 13 Perform - American Idol 2012

Welcome back to another round of American Idol.  This week, the female contestants sang Whitney Houston songs and the males sang Stevie Wonder songs.  They were mentored by Jimmy Iovine and Mary J. Blige. 

The bottom male and the bottom female contestant, according to America's votes, were revealed, and then the judges made the final decision on who was to go home.  But we'll get to that in a few minutes.

First up was Joshua Ledet, who sang I Wish.  He dropped the gospel-ish tone for this song, which was refreshing.  He did a really great job and set the bar high for the other contestants.

Elise Testone was going to sing Greatest Love of All, but Mary J. and Jimmy nixed that and told her to sing I'm Your Baby Tonight, instead.  When she started out, she did NOT have her usual spunk and confidence. It was kind of like someone had made her eat raw liver right before she stepped onstage.  She really picked it up and started performing about halfway through the song, but the judges were not impressed.  I personally thought the judges were a little harsh; at least she stayed in tune.

Next was Knocks Me Off of My Feet, by 6'8" contestant Jermaine Jones.  He really loosened up this week and started performing like a pro.  He put a nice groove to the music, and really got his big sexy on with this song.  He totally made me smile!

Erika Van Pelt was worrying me a little, because Whitney songs do not really seem to suit her voice.  But I guess she proved me wrong, because she was actually superb singing I Believe in You and Me.  There was a great buildup to the chorus, and then she pulled it back at the end for a little touch of softness.  The ending was a nice changeup from her usual power vocals.

Next up was Colton Dixon, who the judges insist on calling "a rocker."  Seriously?  AC/DC is rock. This dude is way too soft to be a real rocker.  He sang Lately, and the last note was really beautiful.  Other than that, I was pretty bored with Colton.

My girl, Shannon Magrane, looked awesome in a short black jacket and sparkly black fitted pants while singing I Have Nothing.  However, she missed one of her biggest notes, which I haven't heard her do before.  I guess it's pretty intimidating to sing Whitney Houston, and her nerves got the better of her.  The rest of the song was okay, but she just never seemed to relax.

Deandre, on the other hand, still looked like one half of Milli Vanilli (go look it up, youngsters!).  He sang Master Blaster with a reggae beat, and showed great timing and rhythm.  He is great onstage for his young age, and this rendition really allowed him to show off his swag.  And his hair.  His gorgeous, gorgeous hair...not that I'm jealous or anything.

Skylar Lane was next, and I'm generally not a huge fan of hers, but this girl brought it with Where Do Broken Hearts Go.  She made a Whitney song country, and it actually sounded like the song was written like that.  I still think the stylists need to get ahold of that tacky ass Loretta Lynn hairdo of hers, though. 

Heejun Han, the funny man of the Top 13, sang All in Love is Fair.  He started out kinda soft and smokey, and honestly, it was a little slow to develop for me.  But by the middle and the end, Heejun was bringing it on home! 

Hollie was next with All the Man That I Need, one of WH's signature blow-your-eyeballs-out classics.  Could cute little Hollie measure up?  *Standing ovation*  Really.  I'm standing here clapping for this chica....which is making it really hard to type.  Needless to say, she was fab!

I'm not really sure why Jeremy Rosado was dressed like Mr. Rogers on his way to the bowling alley.  I was really a bit confused, and slightly disturbed, by his attire.  He sang Ribbon in the Sky, and while it made me want to skip through a grassy meadow, it was not very exciting.  He should join a boy band as the not-so-sexy-but-lovable one in the group.

Jessica Sanchez took the biggest risk of the night by singing I Will Always Love You.  Holy Hell, that takes some guts!  This girl is the real deal, though.  She had the audience (and me) totally mesmerized from the very first note.  She took that song and kicked it right in the ass.  Randy deemed her "one of the best talents in the country," and I must agree, Dawg!

Phillip Phillips rounded out the night with the classic Stevie Wonder tune, Superstitious.  He did a kind of amped up rock verson of the song that really showed a lot of intensity.  He was my favorite male performance of the night.








Ok, they named the bottom 3 guys:  Joshua, Jeremy, and Jermaine.  I guess people don't like contestants with names that start with J.  Of these three guys, Jeremy Rosado was the lowest vote-getter.

The bottom 3 girls were Erika, Elise (something against E's?), and Shannon.  Elise Testone was at the bottom of the pile for the ladies.

When it came down to Elise vs. Jeremy, the judges chose to keep Elise and send Jeremy home.  I think this probably pissed JLo off because she seemed to have some kind of weird crush on Jeremy.  Oh well, she'll get over it by the next episode.

I'll see you fine folks back here then!

American Idol 2012 - Live Semifinalist Round - The Women Perform

The night was kicked off by Chelsea Sorrell, singing "Cowboy Casanova."  Here's today's tip to the contestants:  don't sing Carrie Underwood songs.  Please.  You will only make yourself sound stupid.  Chelsea is a beautiful girl, but she was flat for most of the song, and she wasn't breathing in the right places.

The second lady to sing was Erica Van Pelt.  Her rendition of "What About Love" was belted out with her signature power vocals.  And she sang ON KEY!  Also, I had mentioned during one of the audition posts that she needed a new hairdo, and apparently the show's stylists had their way with her, and she now looks FAB!  I love to be right!

Jen Hirsh went third and sang "One and Only".  There aren't many who do justice to Adele songs, but Jen pulled it off perfectly.  However, the song was very slow to develop and bored me slightly until near the end.  Not that it's a bad song....it just didn't butter my bread, so to speak.

Young Brielle Von Hugel sang an old song, "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay."  This girl thinks she's a lot better than she actually is.  Some of the song was pretty good, but some of it was truly BLECH!  For some reason, she reminds me of the annoying girl who always gets killed first in horror movies.

Hallie Day sang "Feeling Good."  Holy crap, she looked gorgeous!  She sang well with a good mix of spunky and sultry.  On a side note, does that song make anyone else want to do a strip tease?

Li'l country gal, Skylar Lane, was up next with "Stay with Me."  Something about this girl gets on my nerves.  It's not her voice, because she stayed in tune.  Maybe it's the trailer park hairdo.  She was a great performer, though.

Baylie Brown, also in the country genre, tried to sing "Amazed," but she was off key throughout the entire song.  She is a beautiful girl and looks great on camera.  I think she needs to get an agent and try to get into movies.

Hollie Cavanagh was next with "Reflection," and holy hell!  This tiny, unassuming-looking girl blew this song right out of the water.  Fabulous!

Haley Johnson sang "Sweet Dreams," with some kind of spacey-sounding background vocals that were very distracting.  At one point I actually went outside with a gun to shoot the panther attacking a family of kittens outside.  However, there was no panther and no kittens...it was just Haley's screeching.

Next was Shannon Magrane with "Go Light Your World."  I just love this 6-foot-tall beauty!  She was adorable in her little intro video, plus....the girl can SANG!  She's only 16, but she showed so much maturity onstage.

Jessica Sanchez was next, singing, "Love You, I Do."  She said that her voice has been sore and hoarse all week, but I think she's full o' poo, because she was near perfect!  She has wonderful projection and some big ole pipes.  What's up with these young chicks this week?  WOW!

Lastly, we saw Elise Testone with yet another Adele song.  Ok, people...there are other singers out there besides Adele, okay?  Let's move on and find something else to sing, PLEASE!  But I digress.  We were discussing Elise, who started out at the piano and then got up and started working the crowd.  She had a great bluesy feel and sang with a lot of passion.  Overall great job!



And on to the results.  The top 5 girls for this first week were:

For the Wild Card Round, three guys and three girls were asked to sing a song of their choice.  Then each judge got to choose one contestant to save.  The girls who were chosen to sing were Jen Hirsh (who was awesome), Brielle Von Hugel (who was pretty sloppy), and Erica Van Pelt (also awesome).  If you'll remember from the last post, Steven and Jennifer both chose a guy as their Wild Card.  Randy, however, chose Erica as his, unfortunately letting the wonderful Jen Hirsh go.

American Idol 2012 - Live Semifinalist Round - The Men Perform

iOk, I know I've been missing in action, but I actually have a good excuse:  My darling daughter dropped my laptop (which contained all of my blog info) and broke it.  It is now in the repair shop, and I hope to have it back soon.

So, we are skipping the rest of the auditions and going straight to the first week of the live shows.  On Tuesday evening, the Top 12 men performed.  Actually, there were 13, because the judges brought one male contestant back, but we will get to that later.

First up was wacky dude, Reed Grimm, who sang the popular song "Moves Like Jagger."  He sang a jazzy version of it, which totally made this modern song sound rather old-fashioned.  Strangely enough, I kinda dug it, man.

Adam Brock was next, and sang "Think."  Though it was an Aretha Franklin song, he sang it with masculinity and incredible soul.

Deandre Brackensick, aka Milli (or was it Vanilli?) sang "Reasons" by Earth, Wind & Fire.  His falsetto, hip swaying, and gorgeous hair will turn this young guy into a lady-killer.  And a superstar! 

Much ado has been made about Colton Dixon.  First of all, his Vanilla Ice 'do gets on my last nerve.  Then he said that everyone was used to seeing him at the piano, but tonight he was going to shock people.  Ready for the shocker?  He started out at the piano, and then he STOOD UP!  OMG!  Shocking stuff right there.  The singing (he sang "Decode) was decent, and the judges kept saying that he's a "relevant artist."  I say, "Meh."

Next up was Jeremy Rosado singing, "Gravity."  He has such a silky voice, but showed very little power.  He did a nice job, though.

Aaron Marcellus sang "Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5.  The judges loved him, but he didn't really blow my britches off.  I think he would fit it well with an R&B group like Boys 2 Men.  But solo R&B artists are a dime a dozen, and he doesn't really stand out amongst the big dogs.

Chase Likens is a country performer who sang "Storm Warning."  He didn't show a lot of range with this song, but with his unique look, he's very appealing as a performer.

The next singer was Creighton Fraker.  This dude is so dorky!  He sang "True Colors," and managed to sound even more girly than Cyndi Lauper.  He reminds me of my goofy uncle when he tries to sing Patti Labelle at karaoke night.  I probably should mention that I think "True Colors" is one of the most boring and over-rated songs of all time.  It makes me want to hit myself in the head with a hammer everytime I hear it.  Sorry, Creighton, but I'm not a fan.

Now, this next guy....I'm a big fan!  Phillip Phillips sang "In the Air," but did it with a smokey, bluesy vibe.  I liked the chorus much better than the verse because he stayed truer to the melody.  But I can't wait to hear more from this fellow.  He's a true original!

Eben Franckewitz sang "Set Fire to the Rain."  His rendition was nowhere near as good as Adele's.  He didn't hit all his notes, but good try, kiddo.  You did show great confidence.  Get rid of the Justin Beiber hairdo and that snazzy blazer, and you might be a bit more appealing.

Next was Heejun Han, who cracks me up everytime he is interviewed.  He sang "Angels," and I felt like he was holding back a bit at first.  However, when he let loose, it was beautiful.  I agree with the judges that his vocal range wasn't fully expressed with this song.  Step it up, Heejun!  I want you around longer, because you make me smile!

The last of the original Top 12 was Joshua Ledet, who sang, "You Pulled Me Through."  Josh took us to church, and then brought us back home and fed us Sunday dinner.  It was a bit gospel-ly for American Idol, but there's no denying that the boy sang the shit out of that song!








And lastly, the guy that the judges brought back was:

Jermaine Jones!  Awwww, I love this big ole fella!  He sang "Dance With My Father."  Ahhhhh, not many people can jam some Luther, but Jermaine did it with style.  I coulda done without the ginormous purple plaid bow tie, though.





I'm gonna do a separate post for the ladies, so I will go ahead and give you the results for the men now.  The top 5 guys were:

But wait!  It's not over yet!  Each judge gets 1 wild card choice, so they asked the following guys to sing again:  Jeremy Rosado, Deandre Brackensick, and Reed Grimm.  Jennifer chose Jeremy, and Steven chose Deandre. 

You'll have to wait for the results from the ladies to see who Randy picked.