First Group of 12 Performances, Recaps, and Predictions

It was a night of high hopes, big dreams, last shots, and poor song choices on American Idol last night. The first dozen of the Top 36 sang, starting off what Idol promised to be the most talent-filled year yet…too bad nobody mentioned to the contestants to bring their “A” games. Weeding out the greats from this group won’t be terribly difficult…of course, that’s taking for granted that America wasn’t too generous with their pity votes last night!

As Kara DioGuardi claimed being on Idol has changed her life, Paula Abdul (in true Season 7 style) tried to invoke her {failed} wisdom on contestants with her confusing advice: “You gotta hit that center stage and make magic happen in a minute and twenty seconds and if you don’t….look to the right, look to the left…whoever’s better…you’re gonna go home.” [crickets] There’s something to look forward to in Season 8...more cooky Paula-isms! Woohoo. Simon of course reminded the contestants they’ve “got one shot.” Oh, and he likes Ryan’s hair this year…mmhmm.

Jackie Tohn ~“Little Less Conversation” by Elvis.
Jackie prefaced her performance saying her “goal is to get Miss Abdul up on those feet.” She has an Amanda Obermeyer sound to her voice, except that unlike Amanda, we can actually make out the words Jackie’s singing. She was entertaining, jumping around and I thought she rocked the white/black polka dotted dress she was wearing…wait a minute…that was no dress. The camera zoomed out and the lights glistened off the chest-high spandex leggings and pleather 6-inch wide red belt…what the…? I thought, okay, she took a risk, but when her high-top sneakers took up more TV screen than she did, I tragically toned out her voice and flashed back to Paula Abdul’s video for “Opposites Attract.” You remember, the cartoon cat that she danced with had on a leather jacket and Ronald McDonald-sized high tops…yup, Jackie’s were that big.

Randy: ‘Wasn’t blown away,’ but was entertained.

Kara: Told Jackie she can ‘work a stage, girrrrrrrl.’

Paula: Liked her trousers (oh, we’re calling them trousers now??!) and thought Jackie showed she’s a ‘true performer.’

Simon: Thinks she has a ‘good voice,’ but that Jackie ‘played the clown tonight.’ He thought her ‘performance ungainly, song a bit gimmicky,’ doesn’t think she did herself any favors, and he ‘didn’t like the trousers or what your wearing tonight,’ as he eyed her huge high-tops.

I: Agreed with Simon…100%. She went for the funny and when that’s put up against what we all expected to see from the other girls’ potentially powerful performances, we thought she’d fade to the background…little did we know…


Ricky Braddy ~“A Song For You” by Leon Russell.
In the 37 or so seconds that Ricky Braddy has appeared on the previous audition episodes, I don’t think we heard him sing for more than 10 of those seconds…Last night, Ricky sang well. A little show-tuney for my taste, but he can sing some big notes!

Randy: Thought Ricky was ‘unbelievable,’ had ‘beautiful tone,’ and that ‘THIS was the start of season 8 right here.’ Ooooookay.

Kara: Told Ricky he ‘killed that,’ and described his performance as ‘amazing’ and ‘effortless.’

Paula: Mentioned his lack of on-air time in previous weeks, but was ‘proud that America gets to see how talented’ he is and that he ‘deserves to go very far in this competition.’

Simon: Wasn’t jumping out of his chair. He doesn’t think Ricky ‘has, at the moment, any star quality.’ He told him he has a ‘great voice, but you don’t have self-belief or charisma right now to be what we would be looking for this year.’

I: Agreed with Simon again. He said ‘at the moment this is a nice, shy guy with a very good voice.’ True dat. All I knew of him going into this performance was that he’s a Danny Gokey look-a-like when he wears his glasses. Ricky didn’t have his glasses on last night…but I’m thinking maybe in the future (if he has a future on AI) he should wear glasses, and hope to get some Danny Gokey votes by accident.


Alexis Grace ~ “Never Loved A Man” by Aretha Franklin.
At Alexis’ first audition before the judges, their advice for her was “to dirty yourself up.” She came to them a cute, petite, blonde mommy but they were looking for hair-dyed sexy mama…and she delivered. She must’ve gotten out some of her daughter’s kool-aid and framed her face with strawberry flavored mix, probably took a pole dancing class, and voila, AleXXXis Grace was born. Alexis did sing well, and definitely dirty…she had soul in her voice, believed what she sang and delivered a great performance.

Randy: Told her she ‘done found the dirt, done found the soul.’

Kara: Was ‘diggin’ it’ and commented on what a pleasure it has been to watch Alexis come outta her shell.

Paula: Thought Alexis was ‘fantastic, with a quiet confidence’ that she loves.

Simon: Said she was ‘by a mile, the best contestant’ out of the 3 thus far. He used her as an example against Ricky Braddy that she has the self-belief and confidence he’s lacking and told her she could be the ‘dark horse’ of the competition, and was reminded of Kelly Clarkson 8 years ago at this same stage of the competition.

I: Think Alexis definitely gave them what they were looking for, but I don’t know if she’s the ‘one to watch’ like Simon said…there are only so many songs she can snarl her lip at and get dirty with…eventually, she’ll have to be serious and composed, and I wonder if the judges will like what they see then. Meanwhile, I realized my DVR makes the TV picture jump crazily when there is a lot of white on the screen (note to self: call TWC!), and the picture jumped more than my kids did at the BounceZone when Alexis was on the screen. Somebody get that girl to a tanning booth!


Brent Keith ~ “HickTown”
I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little skeptical when it comes to Brent Keith. He’s had previous shots on a country music reality show and has recorded one song that I know of, hence the skepticism…why hasn’t this guy “made it” already? He’s got a country look to him, right down to the dimples and scruffy facial hair (think young Josh Lewis on Guiding Light), but his song choice was definitely one that didn’t showcase his vocals. It was just a fun crowd pleaser without any range.

Randy: Thinks Brent has ‘a new edge to country with the old country swagger,’ that he’s a ‘very good country artist’ and pictured him at a chili cookoff…with Simon on the steer. Thanks for THAT image, Randy!

Kara: Told him she thinks he played it ‘a little safe tonight’ it ‘wasn’t rangey enough’ and she wished he’d taken more risks.

Paula: ‘Wants America to remember his {previous} auditions’ and told Brent he should ‘go for more risk.’

Simon: Said Brent’s performance ‘was not safe, unforgettable,’ and he was the first of many contestants that he told ‘may have just blown a massive opportunity’ by being forgettable.

I: Agreed with Kara mostly…although Brent replied to Simon that he ‘doesn’t think the country fans will forget that performance.’ And maybe, they won’t…but I think I already did.


Stevie Wright ~ “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift.
Let me just start by saying that nobody can do Taylor Swift songs but Taylor Swift…and I’m not entirely sure that is a compliment. Taylor has a unique voice, albeit rather baby-ish, and not vocally strong at all. I love her songs, but listen to them more for the lyrics than to be blown away by her powerful pipes. Stevie Wright has powerful pipes, but she stifled them with this too fast, too low, too whiney, breathless song. It was a total 180 from when she sang “At Last” for her auditions and the judges told her she was trying to be too old. 17yr old Stevie then chose a song sang by a teenager and this is what she got:

Randy: ‘Wasn’t feelin’ it’ and told Stevie if they’d seen that song the first time, he didn’t know if she’d ‘be there right now.’ Ouch.

Kara: Agreed with Randy, and thinks Stevie may be in an ’identity crisis.’

Paula: Agreed with them both and critiqued the ‘low range was too low’ for Stevie.

Simon: Thought ‘it was terrible’ and told her there’s ‘ZERO chance’ she’s making it through to next round.

I: Agree with the summation of the judges’ comments…I wouldn’t say there’s zero chance, because there are definitely enough pity votes floating around…and the judges have given her some very confusing feedback about her songs, but this song choice was terrible. Doogie Howser and Ted Danson didn’t seem to enjoy it either. And what is up with everyone wearing sneakers??!


Anoop Desai ~ “Angel Of Mine” by Monica.
AnoopDogg is in the house, as Randy says. I think he could sing any song, and his voice is definitely unexpected. I have yet to read up on his southern barbeque thesis, but will have to do that soon. He played it a little safe on this song, not many runs, and should watch that he doesn’t lose control of his tongue, but overall, it was a good performance.

Randy: Has ‘mad love’ for Anoop, but ‘the whole thing was a little sharp’ for him. He told him it ‘wasn’t your best, but I’m still a huge fan.’ Ditto, Randy!

Kara: Thinks Anoop has ‘great potential’ and she feels like he’s ‘connected to what he’s singing about.’

Paula: Told him he ‘has a Brian McKnight feel’ to his voice.

Simon: Asked Anoop why he chose that song; he thought it was ‘too grown up’ for him, and a ‘bit too serious,’ but he’s ‘got massive likeability.’

I: Still think he’s great…I’m definitely massively in like with Anoop. He told Simon he chose that song because it’s all about thanks to the people behind him, and he gave credit to the band and his parents. He’s just a thankful guy, I guess…and yes, massively likeable.


Casey Carlson ~ “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police.
Only slightly more disturbing than Casey’s song choice was the faces she made while singing. She set her jaw so many times while over exaggerating the words that at one point, I thought her jaw had locked open. And we can add a #6 to when the list of things Randy does when the audition is going horribly…The Yo.

Randy: “Wow. Yo. Uh, uh, er, uh, ooh, a, oh. That was not good for me,” and he thought it ‘was weirdly karaoke.’

Kara: Told Casey that ‘everything about that was wrong’ and told her ‘nobody goes near those songs.’ She described the ‘weird dancing and motions’ as ‘so overdone’ and thought the performance ‘fell really flat.’

Paula: Thought the ‘phrasing was weird’ and that Casey wasn’t connected to the song.

Simon: Flat out told her the ‘singing was just atrocious’ and ‘doesn’t tell us or anyone what kind of artist you want to be.’

I: Agree. It was just BAD. And Ryan told her maybe she’d get the chance to do better next week. Helloooo, that’s not the way the show works this year, oh, host of ours.


Michael Sarver ~ “I Don’t Wanna Be” by Gavin DeGraw.
The gentle giant tried to go rocker, and I don’t know if he quite pulled it off. Michael has sung mostly slow songs in previous auditions and his rocker-scrunched faces, weird stomping and passing his microphone hand-to-hand 23 times in his minute and twenty seconds was a bit distracting.

Randy: Thought it ‘started out a little rough pitch-wise’ and likes Michael better on the ‘soul thing.’

Kara: Didn’t think it was his best performance, but he did ‘connect with the audience.’

Paula: Was also distracted by the mic passing

Simon: ‘Heard a lot worse tonight,’ and told Michael ‘if you get through, it’s because people like you’ (and not necessarily because his performance was great).

I: Hoped it would go better for Michael, but I’m now wondering what Matt Breitzke will do when he performs in upcoming weeks.


Anne Marie Boskovich ~ “Natural Woman”
Which is sort of an ironic song choice because judges had previously asked her to be less natural and more “star.” Anne Marie pulled off some high notes, but didn’t really connect with her eyes.

Randy: “Yo,” (see, I told you that’s not a good sign!!) he told Anne Marie that’s ‘not the right song choice’ and called it ‘subpar.’

Kara: Said it all ‘feels a bit old-fashioned.’

Paula: Thought Anne Marie was ‘less safe’ and ‘better than previous auditions.’

Simon: Told her she would win a contest for the best hotel singer in California.

I: Did see a wider range than in previous performances, a bigger voice, so to speak…but still wasn’t loving it..and who didn’t giggle at her clumsy plop down on the hard wood part of the sofa…and the awkward joking about it from Ryan. Oops.


Stephen Fowler ~ “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson.
Ryan introduced Stephen as “the guy who promises not to forget the lyrics tonight.” And immediately I thought he jinxed him…but alas, he did remember the horrible lyrics to this awkward song filled with goofy grins and squinty eyes.

Randy: “Yo, it wasn’t even in the right place for you,” he said as he explained Stephen’s pitchiness.

Kara: Didn’t think Stephen was connected.

Paula: Thinks choosing to sing this song was a ‘kiss of death’ because ‘it belongs to one artist.’

Simon: Wished Stephen had forgotten the lyrics and told him he thought it was a ‘pointless performance’ of a ‘terrible song’ with a ‘terrible arrangement’ and ‘awful keyboard’ and he even threw in ‘atrocious’ and ‘corny.’

I: Hated it.


Tatiana Del Toro ~ “Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston.
The incessantly dramatic, giggly girl definitely saw herself in a different light when she watched back the past few weeks of episodes, I think. She started the song quite low, but did great on the high notes, and does have a powerful voice hidden underneath her psychotic demeanor and horrible dresses. The whole hip-shaking as she sang ‘making love the whole night through’ was very disturbing.

Randy: Thought she ‘had some moments.’

Kara: Thinks it’s ‘like a roller coaster ride’ and isn’t sure where this ‘reserved Tatiana’ fits.

Paula: Deemed Tatiana the most talked about contestant this season, and isn’t ‘used to demure Tatiana.’

Simon: Told her she’s a ‘complete and utter drama queen desperate to be famous.’ (Well, duh, isn’t that why they’re all here…to be a famous performer??!) He thought Tatiana’s performance ‘surprisingly wasn’t bad’ and was ‘better than expected.’

I: Agree with Simon about it being better than expected, but cannot believe the judges were all begging her to be crazy Tatiana again, as they tee-hee’d her off the stage.


Danny Gokey ~ “Hero” by Mariah Carey.
It was a very smart move by Idol producers to have Danny sing last. Many fans were probably only tuned in last night to see him perform. When he goes for the big notes, it’s great. He was a little pitchy at times, but had many awesome riffs…and left Kara screaming like a…uh, never mind.

Randy: Proclaimed Danny as the ‘redeemer of the night’ with his ‘blazin’ hot’ performance.

Kara: Told Danny he ‘is the hero and gives us all hope.’

Paula: Thinks he was ‘stellar’ and ‘has two words with hypen: sold-out arenas.’

Simon: Said it ‘wasn’t fantastic, it was good’ and left Ryan talking about human organs…we’ll go with hearts.

I: Agree wholeheartedly with Simon. There’s a lot of hype to the Danny Gokey likeability factor, based on the sob story that Idol producers crammed down our throat repeatedly. I like Danny’s voice, I think he’ll go a long way in this competition (if not all-the-way, based on sympathy votes), but I think when he and the judges (and you) watch his performance back today, it won’t be as stellar as they thought…there were some harsh points.

My Predictions ~

Top Girl: Crazy Jackie Tohn, who was surprisingly one of the best female vocals last night (and funner to watch than Alexis Grace, the other top female), unbeknownst to us in the first five minutes.

Top Guy: Danny Gokey gets the votes.

Next Top Vote Getter: I’m hoping Anoop Desai, based on likeability…but I’m sure he’ll be back in the wild card round if America happens to vote for what’s-his-name with the best vocals…oh yeah, Ricky Braddy.

What about you?? Care to make a prediction?!