(For the sake of some semblance of organization...yay, accidental alliteration...twice!...I will try to organize this into the Good, Bad, and the Judges. The fact that I just put the Judges where the Ugly normally goes may or may not be significant, depending on how they do this season...)
The Good...
- Holy Jennifer Hirsh! She is my favorite finalist by far, which a love that just may (sniff, sniff...) surpass that of last season's feisty, delicious (with a terrific album now out, Brandon not-so-subtly advertised) Allison Iraheta. OK, maybe it's a tie...I can never decide between people in these situations...but anyhow, Jennifer's audition (at least the 30 seconds they showed of it) was singularly brilliant. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that scat-fueled jazz music and "American Idol" would meet without the Apocalypse occurring or a horrible trainwreck happening, but dear Ms. Hirsh has proved me wrong. Her version of "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" was fast, furious, on pitch, and unendingly confident, and gave me hope that a jazz singer could actually go somewhere in this competition. (Megan Joy was close, but people hated her and her live performances after "Rockin' Robin" were somewhat ungainly. Still, fingers crossed for a CD! I love her.) I have to stop my gushing before you all get bored, but really...for the love of Ellen DeGeneres, let her get to the semifinals so I can vote for her like it's going out of style (which jazz is NOT, haters)! (Side note: She's put out a CD...don't worry, it was independently, so we don't have another Joanna Pacitti on our hands...and the tracks I've heard are gorgeous. Hmmm, I should find something bad to say about her to at least try to be objective...ooh, I know, she could have worn something modest. There. That works. :) )
- There were other people I really liked too. I promise. (But no one as much as Jennifer.) Case in point: Tyler Grady. I was expecting the long-locked young man with screws in his arms (he fell out of a tree...nice) to be somewhat obnoxious. (After all, another blonde-ish guy with long hair went a few auditions before him, rambled on about his ability to "touch America" with his voice...ewww....and promptly was very underwhelming. ) Thankfully, I was wrong...his version of "Let's Get It On" was pretty dang good. He has a smooth, simple, and soulful (oh, you know I love my alliterations, people) tone that's not too in your face, but still packs a punch. I'm hoping this kid goes far, it's about time there was a guy in the finals I actually could truly root for. (Kris doesn't count, I only started voting for him because Allison left--well, he was great, I just loved Allison more.)
- I've become slightly cynical about "Idol" sob stories, mainly because they always seem to be superficial and manipulative, or the singer turns out to be bad, or even worse, Danny Gokey. (Or even worse than that, "It's Only" by Danny Gokey.) But the package that accompanied sweet 16-year-old Katie Stevens was tender without beating me over the head...her grandma speaks Portugese, awww! And her pipes...wow. The only thing I noticed about her smoky, subtly powerful audition (where she sang the notoriously difficult-to-nuance "At Last") that I didn't really like were the numerous runs she threw in. Katie, your voice is amazing...don't do a Matt Giraud and sell it short with too many pop affectations. That said...go, Katie! She could rather easily go far in the competition.
- Oh, and she's 16. Also in the teenage-wonder department...the shy but excellent Maddy Curtis, the 9th child of 12 in a family with 3 (completely endearing) Down Syndrome-inflicted brothers. She was nervous as all get out, and she's very soft-spoken as well...but that's probably why I liked her quite a bit. Those are problems I deal with myself on a regular basis performing and going through life, and I really identified with them--and hopefully a lot of others will. As for her performance of "Hallelujah," it went a little flat at the chorus, and her phrasing was a bit too formal in spots, but otherwise was tender, emotional, and beautiful. Maddy just needs to keep working on the nerves and perfect her gift a bit, so she doesn't fall in danger of a Hollywood Week flame-out.
- The lovely and supremely talented Jennifer Hirsh may have wowed me with red-hot scatting, but the jazziness in the Boston auditions didn't end there. Leah Laurenti's sultry, lovely version of "Blue Skies" was reminiscent of the aforementioned Megan Joy, but with (sorry, I still love you, MJ!) vastly better pitch and vocal control. It was a fiery way to end the night, and it really caught my eye...or rather, my ears. There were a few tiny bumps in the road, but otherwise...welcome to Hollywood, Leah Laurenti. May you make it very, very far...and like Kara said (gosh, I'm referencing Kara?!?!), you DO need to know you're good. Because you sure as Helsinki are.
- Honorable Mentions (this might force me to be concise!): Justin Williams, the charming LDS guy who recovered from cancer (at first I was taken aback when he called it an "interesting" experience, then realized he was probably looking at the positive...), with his pleasant, smooth version of "Feeling Good", and Bosa Mora, whose mother should get a show all to herself with her beyond excellent hat and traditional attire, who has a nice voice but all too easily could get lost in the shuffle.
- There were a few people sent through to Hollywood that kind of underwhelmed. Luke Shaffer came off as a bland, poor-man's whiny-rock singer, with his version of the teenage girls' favorite "Fall For You" doing even worse than the lamentable Secondhand Serenade original. Joshua Blaylock was a nice enough guy...as with Maddy, I really identified with his shy, non-assertive nature...but his take on "Bless The Broken Road" was flat and tried too hard to be Rascal Flatts. He put no original spin on the song, and it took a toll on his performance quite heavily. (And Simon's near-excruciating quest to get Joshua some assertiveness was painful, rather than helpful. It was almost hard to watch.) Amadeo DiRicco was unfailingly charming...and the down-home Italian family dinner shown in his intro package caused me to both salivate and smile...but his performance was scandalously devoid of notes, and when pitch decided to actually show up, it was rather off. And although she only got about 20 seconds of screen time, for some reason Jess Wolfe's muscular version of "People Get Ready" rubbed me a bit the wrong way. She wasn't completely off, though, and it showed a bit of promise. Still, I'm afraid she's rather expendable at this point.
- The more atrocious bunch...those folks who just were BAD...well, I'll try to keep this short, to reduce the risk of heartburn and upset stomach. Andrew Fenlon...oh my, what can I say about him? He was ultra-disturbing, and Kara was right on with her "I don't like you. At all" assessment (then she went typically south with an inexplicably awkward "You need a spanking!" comment). I was surprised to find his voice was actually not too bad. But his incredibly abrasive interaction with the judges killed any love I may have had for it. I think that's probably the only awkward auditioner I'll comment on...I will say that I had to turn the channel twice. Like Rex from Toy Story, "I don't like confrontations!" Especially when they involve pleading and begging on one side, and a haughty British accent on the other.
- Simon wasn't too bad in Boston. It was almost like a return to his good-judging roots...he displayed a nice balance of "dreadful" barbs and softie moments. Still, he had a few "cruise ship" moments...his last-minute symbolic yes vote to the creepy Andrew was pointless, for example. Well, baby steps, baby steps...
- Pretty much like always, Kara was a mixed bag. She alternated between "fun judge full of useful critiques and interesting sound bites" and "crazy, annoying dead weight who doesn't know what the heck she's talking about." Her aforementioned exchange with Andrew was a microcosm of these two elements...I started off thinking, "you go, girl!" and ended up thinking, "you GO, girl. Now. Please." OK, maybe that's not exactly what I was thinking...but c'mon, Kara, you're supposed to IMPROVE on last season...not get significantly worse.
- Randy...can I just say "no" and have him go away? Please?!?!? OK, I will say...he was just as pointless and idiotic as usual. What did he have to add? He didn't even offer any memorable moments (at least Kara threatened to spank someone...wow, I never thought I would be using that as a positive example...). I propose Randy change his name to Simon Cowell. Then HE can leave after this season, and there will be joy in the world.
- Victoria Beckham, AKA Posh Spice, was a serviceable guest judge, albeit a little too focused on fashion and overall appearance ("you have a nice look"). Still, I will say Posh did a great deal towards humanizing herself. She was warm, engaged, and at many times charming. I came into the episode expecting her to be something of an ice queen...but she was anything but. While she wasn't the best judge, I definitely like her much more now as a public figure. Though I do hope she eats some more, once in a while.
