Here it is! The top 13 contestants on American Idol, Season 11, have been determined. Here is the top 10 that America voted in:
Phillip Phillips
Jessica Sanchez
Hollie Cavanagh
Joshua Ledet
Heejun Han
Shannon Magrane
Skylar Laine
Elise Testone
Colton Dixon
Jermaine Jones
Wild Cards (Judges’ picks):
Erika Van Pelt (Randy Jackson’s pick)
Jeremy Rosado (Jennifer Lopez’s pick)
Deandre Brackensick (Steven Tyler’s pick)
I have to say, I was very satisfied with America’s top 10 choices….with one exception. The “Gentle Giant”. He is awkwardly big and doesn’t have much of a personality. I don’t think he is a good singer and I think America just took pity on him. Why? I don’t know!
I really like what they did to determine the rest of the 13. The girls they picked to sing were good. As long as Erica Van Pelt made it in, I didn’t really care about anyone else. I think America made a mistake by not voting her into the top 10. Too many country girls this time around!
As for the boys they picked to sing for their lives, I strongly disagreed with one. Deandre Brackensick is by far the worst singer in the competition. Yes, he can sing in falsetto, but the way he sings is too weird for me. He sings low, he sings high and the in falsetto, then he screams. I can’t take it an I can’t take the hair flipping and strange faces he makes. I hope he doesn’t end up as one of those people that stays around because 13 year-old girls are voting for him! I was surprised they didn’t have Adam Brock sing to stay in the competition. I was under the impression that all of the judges loved him and thought he has a great voice. I sure did! Better than Deandre, that’s for sure! I was disappointed Reed didn’t take his opportunity to redeem himself seriously. The way he sang was a joke, and, as a result, he’s on his way home tonight. I liked him a lot. Jeremy Rosado definitely deserved to be in this competition. Not only is he a great singer, but also a good person!
I can’t begin to express how excited I am that next week the girls are going to sing Whitney Houston. I can’t wait! And I always love my Stevie Wonder songs. Next week’s show should be off the charts!!
Jen
P.S. Word to the wise: If you want to stay in the competition, DO NOT sing an Adele song!! That goes for Mariah too!
American Idol is back! So far I am really enjoying the auditions. It seems they are cutting out a lot of the scary mental institution people and filling the hour with the talented singers! No one has completely wowed me yet, but there are a few people worth mentioning. I enjoyed both the auditions Jen mentioned; Phillip Phillips (amazing name) and Heejan Han who surprised me with his voice.
I also really liked Reed Grimm who sang the theme song to Family Matters. When a contestant actually pulls off a crazy idea and makes it work, they always seem to succeed during Idol. He seems like he would be an entertaining contestant to watch and someone a lot of people would be rooting for.
Eben Franckewitz, the adorable 15 year old also had an amazing audition. He does have that “Justin Beiber” look to him and had a beautiful voice. The only thing with the young ones is that they seem to crack under the pressure, so let’s see how he does in Hollywood!
Erika Van Pelt, a wedding singer and a mobile DJ (very cool) also had a stellar audition. I really liked the tone to her voice. The wedding singer practice also will help with her confidence on stage.
Shannon Magrane, a very tall 15 year old also impressed me. For some reason, I thought she would be terrible coming into the audition but she had a great voice and interesting look.
Colton Dixon auditioned last year with his sister and made it to the 40, but was cut before the live show. I thought he deserved to make it last year, so I have a feeling he is a lock-in for the top 24. He is cute and talented. His sister also auditioned and I just don’t think she is as good as he is.
No one really worth mentioning from San Diego auditions, except Jane Carrey, Jim Carrey’s daughter. I do not think she will make the top 24, but I really enjoyed hearing her story and was shocked how normal and down to earth she was. Her personality was what got her through, and the fact that Jim Carrey is her father didn’t hurt
Tonight the auditions are in Aspen Colorado and I hope they continue focusing more on the talented performers then the crazy ones!
Idol is back and better than ever!! This is our “bread and butter”! Amanda and I are SO excited that Idol is on because this show was the driving force to get our blog started. What a great way to start the new season!!
The show kicked off Wednesday night with a two-hour premier. The judges, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez (is she back with Marc Anthony the cockroach!?), and Steven Tyler traveled to Savannah, Georgia. They started with some great auditions, and to my disbelief, as I watched, each one got better! I loved it! Usually, I’m not a huge fan of the auditions because they always show the really bad ones, and after a while, it gets stupid. As the two hours built up excitement for what is to come, it ended with the best audition of all. On my incredible TV screen, appeared Phillip Phillips. (Yes, that’s his name. It’s not a typo!) He not only sang “Superstitious”, by Stevie Wonder, amazingly, but then he got his guitar and sang an acoustic version of “THRILLER”!!!!! Better than MJ himself! Check it out:
This is a video of some of the best auditions of the night, ending with Phillip Phillips.
Thursday night was a one hour show. The judges’ second stop was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Once again, another great show with great auditions! Maybe the producers finally got the clue that showing bad auditions with a few good ones here and there was pissing people off. The star of Thursday night was Heejun Han….the very first audition. From his story and looks, I thought he was going to be so terrible! When he opened his mouth to sing, my sister and I almost fell off the couch. He was amazing! He sang “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”, by Michael Bolton (not one of my favorite songs or singers). See for yourself:
Heejun Han
I would have to say that this year’s premier was way better than any other Idol premier in the past. I am excited for the rest of the cities since they seem to be showing mostly good auditions. Now, maybe I will actually know most of the people during Hollywood week! Don’t forget that there is another episode on Sunday night, right after the Giant’s/49ers game!
I am quite happy to announce Melanie Amaro has won The X-Factor! Watching her entire journey on the show has been one of the highlights and looking back and thinking about it, I believe she deserves it!
I didn’t love the X-Factor finale as much as I normally enjoy the American Idol one. This just didn’t have enough of the contestants being featured.
I was happy to see a few of my other favorites last night though including Astro, Lakoda Rayne and Drew, who I hope will also have careers as well as Chris Rene and the runner-up, Josh Krajcik who truly deserved his second place finish. I have a strong feeling he will end up being successful and I look forward to seeing how his career progresses in the future.
It will be interesting to see what steps Melanie Amaro takes next. I read she already has four different recording companies interested in her and plans to sign something by today. I am hoping she ends up making an exciting mainstream record that shows off her beautiful voice and heads more in the pop direction. One of the best parts of last night was watching her video montage and seeing how far she has come and of course, her fabulous performance of Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas”
Another great part of the finale was watching Drew take the stage with her idol Justin Bieber; you could just feel her excitement!
All in all, I enjoyed the X-Factor and I think the show will just get bigger & better next season! Next up in January..American Idol!
Last night was the first time “The X-Factor” went live and it was certainly interesting from the moment it started, which appeared like an exact replica of American Idol, even mimicking how the judges were introduced minus Ryan Seacrest. Since this was the first time we saw the X Factor Host, Steve Jones live, I can certainly now say this guy is seriously pale in comparison to Ryan Seacrest. He actually comes across obnoxious, bored and extremely annoying. If this show lasts another season, they should replace him pronto!
The boys went first and overall I think L.A Reid did a great job with this group, but he also has a lot to work with. All of them were pretty good, but my personal favorites from the group are Astro, the 14-year-old rapper and Marcus Canty, who really reminds me of young Usher.
Chris Rene also did a pretty decent job, but I didn’t love the song choice. He however, is really likeable and I said from the beginning which I believe now even more, he is going to have a huge amount of fans. Philip Lomax pulled the short end of the stick on this one, his song choice (not picked by him) was terrible & cheesy, and it almost seemed like L.A Reid set him up to leave. Out of the 4 boys, he was the weakest link though and L.A Reid did end up picking him to go home.
Paula went next with the groups and I can’t believe I am saying this, but she really did a great job with the groups and she looks amazing! All the groups actually showed huge potential and it was sad to see any of them leave, but I think she made the best choice sending The Brewer Boys home, not because they aren’t talented or entertaining but because between the other three groups, there is just not an outlet for them. The biggest surprise for me was InTENsity, who all of a sudden meshed together pretty well! Of course, I am a bit biased since they sang Footloose (one of my favorites) but I think it was a genius move, since that movie is very hot again right now and I think kids, who probably are watching this show will go wild for them!
I think the Stereo Hogzz could end up doing very well in this competition. They are a bit outdated but have great potential. I actually enjoyed their performance. Lakoda Rayne, the other manufactured group did not have the best song choice but they sounded good and really look like a girl group, which I think will go a long way for them. There is nothing really like that out there right now, so this could be a huge chance for them if they keep working at it.
The Over 30′s were an interesting group. Dexter Haygood went first and I am at a loss of words for this performance. He sang a mix of Brittany Spears & Katy Perry, but I think the word “sing” is being used to loosely, since there was no singing involved in this performance. He actually continues to creep me out, but he is entertaining at the same time. Simon said it best when he commented “It’s like the weirdest milkshake in the world. I kind of liked the taste of it. You’re interesting and unpredictable” I think this guy is not all there though and it’s starting to show even more.
LeRoy Bell, the best looking 60-year-old in the world went next, and I am just shocked this guy is not already an established performer. He has a beautiful voice and knows exactly what to do with it. I didn’t love the song, but this guy is a winner regardless of what happens on this show.
Stacey Francis is an interesting one. I have had mixed opinions on her since I found out she was on Broadway, which keeps rubbing me the wrong way (I wonder what she thought of the Footloose performance!) She has a good voice, but I have to agree with Simon on this one. I hated her outfit and the song did her no justice.
Josh Krajcik sang a beautiful understated version of “Forever Young” and I think Nicole nailed it with this song choice for him. He really sounded fantastic and soulful. I think he outshined the rest of his group along with Leroy Bell, those two are the ones to watch.
At the end thankfully, Nicole eliminated Dexter who had no idea what was going on. I think it might be time for him to check back into the institution he came from.
Simon was up last with the girls and I was looking forward to seeing what he did with them, considering a few of his interesting choices. Simon Battle went first, and I get it, she looks like a pop star but there are a lot of really pretty girls out there, who may look the part but have no talent and after this ridiculous performance, she might actually fit into that group. I thought this was terrible and I agreed with everything L.A Reid said about her. Simon keeps defending her but when he goes back and watches this performance, I would have to think he must realize this was terrible,embarrassing and the worst performance of the entire night.
A much slimmer Rachel Crow went next for the girls ( She lost 15 pounds since the audition process!) and she is just adorable, pretty much all personality. Her voice didn’t sound as good as it has in the past, but I think it was a fun performance and showed a funkier side to her. This kid has a tremendous amount of potential and I am excited to see what she does next.
Drew was next up (now only going by her first name) and she gave; in my opinion the best performance of the night. It was smart, sophisticated and really showed her range as a performer. I can’t believe she is only 14. Simon actually said “This is why I wanted to be on American T.V, to find someone like you.” I think she might be the one to beat right now, I am extremely impressed with her vocal ability, and overall, she is one of the most likable & humble contestants.
Tiah Tolliver gave a weird creepy performance that reminded me of a really immature version of thriller. I understand her appeal more than Simone, she is more interesting and has a better voice but I still don’t really get it, and neither do any of the judges besides Simon.
Melanie Amaro closed the show and I am so happy Simon brought her back! She sang Whitney Houston and really did the song justice. She also looked amazing! I have a feeling she will end up being a big fan favorite as well.
Simon ended up letting go of Simone & Tiah, leaving Rachel, Melanie and Drew to advance, which was a wise decision. Next week, America starts voting and there are 5 ways to vote! My gut feeling is that Stacey Francis, depending on how she does could be the first to leave next week, but I guess we shall see!
I could not agree more with Jen’s post regarding Simon. At first, I was beyond shocked that he decided to let Melanie go, considering how incredibly talented she is. I was impressed when he realized his wrong decision, and actually went to Florida to let her know in person that he wanted her back on the show.
I also am perplexed by Nicole’s decision regarding Dexter considering how she went with him over someone like Christa Collins, who has proven herself during this competition. We have not even really seen him sing yet, only screaming with frightening dance moves. I am not sure what Nicole was thinking but hopefully during the live shows, Dexter will improve or I don’t think he will be lasting long. LeRoy and Josh are spectacular choices and I was pretty confident that Stacey would go through to the live shows as well, even though she has more experience then the show is telling us (She had a lead role in the Broadway show Footloose awhile back which I happened to see!)
L.A Reid & Paula made fabulous decisions! I am thrilled Paula went with both InTENsity and Lakota Rayne, I am so excited to see what a little coaching will do for both those groups. I also love The Brewer Boys & Stereo Hogzz, and believe they deserve their chance in the spotlight!
L.A Reid might have the best group out of all the judges. Astro (Brian Bradley) and Marcus Canty are extraordinarily talented and I am excited with the choice of Phillip Lomax, as I believe he has a really unique voice & look, and I can’t wait to see how he does! The other choice, Chris Rene might come in with the most fans since we have seen so much of his back story and I think a lot of people will be rooting for him, since it’s impossible not too.
Simon made some interesting choices but no big surprises besides not taking Melanie to begin with, and he did redeem himself with that decision. Thankfully, he took Drew, who is just incredible and could be one of the most outstanding contestants I have ever seen on one of these singing competitions. I can even understand Simon’s other choices. I had a feeling he would take Simone ( or Simoneeeeeee) since she fits the description of a pop star, even though she may not have the best voice. Tiah Tolliver is also growing on me, and she is actually quite entertaining when she performs. Rachel Crow, although only 12 deserves to be up their competing, not only is she adorable but a naturally talented singer who is going to end being famous, despite how she ends up doing on this show.
I also agree with Jen regarding the host, Steve Jones. He does not have the same charisma and charm as Ryan Seacrest, who has won us over on American Idol.
Overall, I am pleased and excited with the choices, and was mostly accurate with my guesses, despite Dexter, InTENsity and a few of the girls. Since Jen already listed the full group, I won’t repeat but take a look at these fabulous glamour shots from the group! So excited to see them perform live next week!
The biggest shocker of the night was not who actually made it into the top 32 (no big surprises there) but who Nicole & Paula are coaching! Nicole will actually work with the over 30′s and Paula will be working with the groups. I was pretty shocked by that revelation; but subsequently, that is what the producers decided to go with. It will be amusing to see how that plays out! Last night, they continued with the groups, then went from 100 to 70 contestants. The remaining contestants each had one more chance to sing infront of the judges as well as a live audience. Then the judges narrowed it to down to 8 girls, 8 boys, 8 over 30′s and 8 groups. Another twist was at the end, after annoucing who made it through, they called back 14 of the boys & the girls and put them into groups, which rounded out the the top 8. That aspect will be interesting, since these people have never performed together, and who’s know how they will do as a group, but regardless it will be entertaining. My gut feeling is that a boy or girl will most likely win based on how other talent shows have gone in this country, but hopefully I am wrong!
After last night, I am officially excited about this show. Besides an alarming number of talented contestants, I like the idea of L.A, Simon, Paula & Nicole mentoring them and seeing what kind of an impact they will have, especially Simon since we never got to see that side of him on American Idol. Next week, the remaining groups will visit their prospective judge at their home to begin the mentoring; then ultimately, the judges will narrow it to to 4 per group; leading to the live shows. Next week we we really see who the strong players are! If you haven’t started watching yet, now it a good time to check it out!
Here are the top 32:
Girls:
Caitlin Koch
Tora Woloshin
Simone Battle
Drew Ryniewicz
Rachel Crow
Jazzlyn Little
Melanie Amaro
Tiah Tolliver
Boys:
Brennin Hunt
Brian Bradley
Skyelor Anderson
Nick Voss
Tim Cifers
Phillip Lomax
Marcus Canty
Chris Rene
Over 30′s
Elaine Gibbs
Tiger Budbill
Leroy Bell
James Kenney
Josh Krajcik
Krista Collins
Dexter Haygood
Stacey Francis
Groups:
2 squared
4 Shore
Stereo Hoggs
Brewer Boys
IllusionConfusion
The Anser
See the video for the additional groups they are forming!
After hearing a mix of criticism regarding the X-Factor, I had no expectations when I sat down to finally watch the auditions. Exactly like American Idol, the audition process is long & boring, and despite a few incredible performances, I am looking forward to watching the real talent and not the crazy psycho pants dropping contestants we have seen so far. Watching the X-Factor made me realize how much I missed Simon on American Idol. I love his facial expressions and fabulous smite comments he consistently makes throughout the show. So far I like both L.A Reid & Nicole Scherzinger. Nicole is a great choice since she actually was on one of these type shows before and L.A Reid is an incredible writer & producer, while Paula is you know…Paula.
Since Jen posted many of the worth watching videos, I won’t repeat here but instead highlight a few of my favorites so far!
Melanie Amaro from Miami sang “Listen” from Dreamgirls and her voice was seriously outstanding. I had chills when I was listening to her. I will be curious to see how she does throughout the rest of the show.
Caitlin Koch, a rugby coach who auditioned in Dallas. I thought she looked familiar, so I looked around and saw she was actually on American Idol, season 10 but didn’t make it past the group round. I thought she was very good and original.
Stacey Francis, a single mother from New York who sang “Natural Woman” being 42, she would be too old to audition for American Idol, so I like that someone like her would get a chance like this because she had a killer audition.
Marcus Canty-who sang “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder. I didn’t think he had the best voice on the planet, but the combination of his dancing & vocals would provide ample entertainment throughout the show.
Makenna & Brock- a country duo. I surprisingly really liked this audition. They both had a lot of passion and sounded really good together.
Josh Krajcik ( aka the one who needs a shower-could not agree more Jen) this guy was hard to look at, and his mother could not have been more annoying but he has a beautiful voice.
Brain Bradley, the 14-year-old semi obnoxious kid who rapped a very catchy song called “Stop hitting on my mom” He was beyond irritating but extremely entertaining.
Cari Fletcher, a pretty blond who sang “Alone” by Heart ( my audition sing if I could actually sing) She has a good voice and the right look, but didn’t show a huge amount of personality just yet.
Brennin Hunt, who sang an original song. Besides being good-looking, he actually has a beautiful voice and he knows how to play the crowd.
Jazzlyn Little who sang “I’m goin down” Being only 16, I was actually blown away by her audition, she is extremely soulful and while confident when she was singing, she had no confidence when she was talking. That act can get really old if she doesn’t play it right.
Based on the auditions so far, I am really not sure what to expect from this show. It is a combination of American Idol & The Voice where each judge will mentor a different group. I agree with Jen’s guesses, Nicole will totally have the groups and Paula will have the over 30′s. The aspect of the live audience during the auditions was interesting but the show has a long way to go to prove its the best vocal reality show out there.
