The Final 12 Take Their Turn - American Idol
Most seem lil' next to Lil.
I'm not sure what was going on with the American Idol judges last night. Did Ryan slip some happy pills into those oversized Coke cups? Were they told to temper their tempers? Could they sense that after four hours and 24 contestants we were going into Idol fatigue - a condition where all the contestants and all the songs start to blur together in one giant "Vote for Your Favorite" stream of bleh? Whatever the reason, the judges turned on the nice last night - making kind comments to even the worst of the bunch. And there were some bad ones.
The night actually got off to an OK start with Von Smith, whose "You're All I Need to Get By" was decent - or maybe it just seemed that way in comparison to his awful suit, which I'm pretty sure he got on a Men's Wearhouse clearance sale. Von drew comparisons to Clay Aiken, but neither he, nor Ryan, nor the audience at home (i.e. me) could tell if that was a good thing.
This year's resident geek, Alex Wagner-Trugman, and reigning drama queen, Nathaniel Marshall, tried to bring the fun. For a moment, I was like "Yes. Vote them through, America. They're so cute, and peppy, and endearing." But then I remembered that neither of them are stellar singers and that this actually not a competition to see who would be the most fun at karaoke.
There were a handful of decent performances. I thought Kristen McNamara did a nice job with "Gimme One Reason," making the song her own and showing off her impressive vocal talents. The judges still seem stuck on her outfits and supposed identity crisis, which I can see given her flip from Wet Seal Gone Wild to Bingo at Shady Pines. But I think she's got the "raw talent," as Kara likes to say and I'd like to see her make it to the Top 12.
Felicia Barton also showed she's got some singing chops. The previously-booted contestant, who was called back up to the show after Joanna Pacitti was dismissed, was on a mission to prove she deserved to be among the top contestants. Her new look is great, but her rendition of Alicia Keys' "No One" was overly-hyped and at times pretty off. But she's a good story, and Paula is in love with her, so I could see her returning for Thursday's Wild Card Round.
Scott MacIntyre and Jorge Nunez struck an emotional chord with the judges. OK, fine, with me too. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I will, because I'm amongst friends here (yes, I like to think we're friends), so I'll tell you I got a little misty eyed at both Scott and Jorge's performances. I'm not really sure what that says about these men and their chances to advance to the Top 12 (both performances were good but not great), but I don't think I was the only one gettin' watery, and where there are tears there are usually votes.
The night's best performance came from - not surprisingly - Ms. Lil Rounds. The rousing Rounds showed she was anything but Lil, blowing away her fellow Round 3 competitors by a clear mile. Her "Call This Show" lyrics substitution was a little cheeky, but she was the best thing I saw all night, so I was willing to forgive her that cheek.
Obviously, I think Lil is in to the Top 12. I'm thinking Scott might also nab a spot with the third spot going to either Ju'Not or Jorge. Then again, country cutie Kendall could sweep in and snag a spot.
I'm guessing it's not the last we've seen of Kristen, Nathaniel or Felicia, either.
For all the AI action, check out our roundup below:
Lil Rounds, Felicia Barton, Scott MacIntyre Bring It. [mtv]
'American Idol' recap: Underdogs To the Rescue? [ew]
Some good, others terrible, and the rest just one big, unwieldy glob. [buzzsugar]
Only about four of them make me not want to kill myself. [tvsquad]
American Idol -- The Most Fertile Show on Television. [huffingtonpost]
