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Tuesday, March 1: This was our first opportunity to see how smooth new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler could be in a live show. For some reason, this was taped on Friday, so there was opportunity to make edits, but the two seemed comfortable alongside now senior-judge Randy Jackson. Thankfully, unlike in previous years, the previously-taped video packages didn’t rehash the sob stories of some of the contestants’ backgrounds, focusing mainly on their singing ability.
1. Clint Jun Gamboa: “Superstition”/Stevie Wonder. The usually powerful vocalist--who unfortunately wears coke-bottle glasses reminiscent of the Japanese during World War II—gave a loud performance. Lopez noticed his nervousness, and her comments were restricted along the lines of, “See, isn’t it great that you got that [nervousness] out of the way?!” Jackson enthused that it wasn’t a karaoke performance, and it was “brilliant.”
2. Jovany Barreto: “I’ll Be”/Edwin McCain. The singer, who looks like he failed the audition for “The Jersey Shore,” made the best of a dreary song. Jackson, who got the last word, said he didn’t want to “break up the applecart”—uh, actually, it’s “upset the applecart,” dawg!—but Barreto didn’t bring anything new to the song. Lopez interjected, “I disagree, it was great,” sounding like Paula Abdul to Simon Cowell’s “final comments” of the past.
3. Jordan Dorsey: “O.M.G.”/Usher. OK, I could not stand this pompous ass from day one, so I loved his messed up performance. He couldn’t control his low notes (an Idol cliché) or falsetto. And it was uncomfortable watching him trying to dance. He’s too tall, thin, and lanky, with little coordination. Nothing about his effort jelled. All three judges agreed this wasn’t his best. When Lopez asked him, “Is that who you want to be as an artist?” he responded: “No, no no!” Then why the hell did you do it? Lopez explained that she thought of him as a balladeer ala Nat “King” Cole. Jackson said Dorsey didn’t hit the notes well and his version paled in comparison to the original. To nervous laughter, the contestant admitted, “Yeah. It’s not me. It’s not me. No, it’s not me. It’s not me.” When host Ryan Seacrest asked him what we could look forward to hearing from him if he made it past this round, Dorsey answered: “Oh, you’re gonna see a whole lot better from me! Because I’m not a jumpy, jumpy singer!” So again, why did you agree to do that song?
4. Tim Halperin: “Streetcar Symphony (Come On Over)”/Rob Thomas. Halperin gave an energetic performance, but Jackson asserted he added nothing new to the original version. Tyler said “it really let me down.” Lopez felt it didn’t show viewers who he really was.
5. Brett Loewenstern: “Light My Fire”/The Doors. When I tuned in to watch the first season of “American Idol” back in 2002, I was constantly surprised that no matter what Justin Guarini performed, the judges called him the second coming of Christ. I found him incredibly boring, and when his first album was released and flopped and he soon became the punch line of “Where is he now?” jokes, I felt justified in my original assessment of him. Well, Loewenstern’s the Justin Guarini of Season 10. His voice is weak, and since the judges always put a premium on “being yourself” on stage, how could they praise this nerd for trying to act sexy and tossing his red curly locks 14 times during his lame performance of “Light My Fi-yahhhh?”
6. James Durbin: “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”/Judas Priest. Thank God we didn’t have to see old tape of him crying over losing his job and having a son with his girlfriend (hey, buddy, you ever heard of condoms? No sympathy from me). Durbin’s one of the ugliest contestants in recent memory—even when he’s not crying. Get rid of the cap so you can unleash as much hair as possible to cover your symmetrical face and offset the dumbo-sized ears. But the guy can wail like Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert and rockers like Steven Tyler himself. He rarely does wrong because even when he gets into his upper register, he falls short of screeching.
7. Robbie Rosen: “Angel”/Sarah McLachlan. I give credit to the teenager for making this dreary, too-often performed song more bearable with touches of falsetto. Tyler and Lopez liked it, with the latter saying she felt every word he sang and believe he made better vocal choices than the original artist. But Jackson felt there was too much falsetto and that he was too often off pitch.
8. Scotty McCreery: “Letters From Home”/John Michael Montgomery. Traditional country’s not my thing. But this 17 year old with the deep voice does it well, so he deserves acknowledgment for that. The judges loved that he’s being true to himself.
9. Stefano Langone: “Just The Way You Are”/Bruno Mars. The Seattle-based singer gave a joyous performance, doing a nice turn of the melody in the chorus that startled Lopez. All three judges loved his performance with Jackson saying, “this kid could be on the radio right now!”
10. Paul McDonald: “Maggie May”/Rod Stewart. I was happy when this unique-voiced singer made the cut, but was disappointed with his rather fragile-voiced rendition of the older woman screwing up an inexperienced boy-tale. Tyler said he “had a real character in your voice.” Lopez loved that he smiled throughout the song. Jackson was encouraged that someone “really quirky and different” could make it on the show.
11. Jacob Lusk: “A House Is Not A Home”/Dionne Warwick. Lusk and Dorsey were two of the most annoying contestants who made it through to the Top 24. After performing “God Bless the Child” during Hollywood week with Randy Jackson inexplicably—and undeservedly—calling it the single best performance he’d ever heard on “Idol,” the contestant ran into the arms of his relatives and broke down crying as if he’d just run a marathon… or found the cure for cancer. Too full of himself. Cliched gospel singer who kept adding a punctuated “hah!” at the end of his phrases. Having said that, he gave a relatively restrained performance of the popular song revived by Luther Vandross in the ‘80s. Lopez tearfully revealed that Vandross was her favorite singer of all time. “He’s gone. But now, we have you.” Wow. Tyler exclaimed, “I am honored to be in your presence. You make me cry when you sing.”
12. Casey Abrams: “I Put A Spell On You”/Screaming Jay Hawkins. This curly haired red head/red beard almost didn’t make it to the taping as he had to be rushed to the hospital complaining of stomach pains. You wouldn’t have known it as he growled out the classic and took command of the stage. All of the judges loved it. Tyler said it was “as good as it gets.” Lopez told him he was sexy. Jackson asserted the original artist was “jumping up and down” in support.
Verdict: Based on their performances tonight and feedback from the judges, the five men who should make the Top 10 are: Brett Loewenstern, James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, Jacob Lusk, and Casey Abrams. Wildcard (each of the judges will get to add a guy or gal who failed to make the cut, resulting in a Top 13): Clint Jun Gamboa and Paul McDonald or Stefano Langone.
An in depth and accurate take on American Idol talent, and the judges' reaction and comments. Aoki is a real pro when it comes to the music business. Thanks MJ
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