American Idol 8 / Wildcard!
Well gang, it’s wildcard time. So now I know how the wildcard round is going to work. And there’s nothing for us to do — it’s all up to the judges. BE WARNED, WEST COAST — the results go 5 minutes into Hell’s Kitchen. TiVo did NOT get it all.
The eight will sing, and then the judges will be selecting the last three members of the top 12.
1. Jesse – “Tell Me Something Good” is a monotonous and plodding song, but she delivers it pretty well. And what a boon, these wildcards get a live band with backup singers! Lucky little devils. She’s made the judges mostly happy, although Simon found it a little indulgent.
2. Matt G. – Mr. Dueling Piano is going to “wow” us with “Who’s Loving You”. He’s all dapper with a hat and fringed scarf, and you can just see him bluesing his face off. Clearly someone told him to bring it tonight, and it is the thing that is being brought. The judges are mostly favorable, and happy with his song choice and the blues feel.
3. Megan – These pre-song interviews are already painful. She’s doing “one of the jammsiest songs around” … which is apparently “Black Horse and Cherry Tree”. This is a HARD song to do well. And she’s not doing it well. You can hear the nerves in her voice, and her moves behind the microphone stand are limpid at best. OHOH OH it’s bad. Her final note stinks. But despite the vocal being poor, the judges are loving her song choice. WTF?
4. Von – He’s going to be himself. Singing “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”. He’s all sensitive and tender and falsetto. His “so sad” part sounds wonky, but then he shouts the hell out of some of it and it’s okay. Simon calls it boring and serious and earnest and ordinary. Quite a mix. Randy and Kara weren’t crazy about the song choice. I fast-forwarded past Paula.
5. Jasmine – Ugh, these interviews. Of COURSE you hope everyone likes what you do. She’s going to pull some Disney out, with “Reflection” from Mulan. She’s mostly on key, but it all sounds really shouty to me. At least until the very end when she gets all soft and sweet. Judges blah blah blah. Simon and Paula get a little bickery, which is always delicious. And what is Paula wearing? Eww. She’s giving Simon indian burns while he’s giving critique. Classy.
6. Ricky – He’s going uptempo with “Superstition”. And he’s wearing skinny jeans, which look terribly wrong on him. You know it’s not that great when you’ve heard a better rendition at The American Idol Experience. I had this guy figured as country music. Wasn’t he? I’m too tired to look back and see. The judges like it, and say he has good chops. Although Simon throws out the K word, and also calls his performance “clumsy”.
7. Tatiana – her pre-sing interview is, of course, the only one worth watching. Her Puerto Rican accent is out in full force, and she babbles some amazing crazy. She’s singing “Saving All My Love for You”, which … isn’t that what she did in week 1? I seem to recall someone doing everyone’s favorite adultery song, and I thought it was Tats. She does a pretty good job with such a huge song. She blames her accent on when she gets excited, and thinks in Spanish. Yes indeed, it was the same song as before, and the judges all give her guff for it.
8. Anoop – he’s the headliner for the night, and was one of my choices for week one. He’s throwing down “My Prerogative”. He’s singing too low, as so many of them do. And the chorus is mostly covered by the backup singers, while he goes around gladhanding. He does hit a great money note, and closes the night out well. He did this song in Hollywood, but the judges seem to be okay with the repeat from him.
And now, the judges’ picks. Jasmine gets called up, then Randy gets to deliver a classic fakeout. She’s in the top 12. Next up is Ricky, and Kara shoots him down. Megan and Tatiana come down from the couches together, and Paula hems and haws about keeping your dreams alive before she tells us that Megan will be in the top 12. We go to commercial, and the TiVo shuts off.
Fortunately, I recorded Hell’s Kitchen, so I got the last few minutes. Jesse is a no. Von is a no. It’s down to Matt G. and Anoop. Simon immediately tells Matt he’s in. Intriguing. Then the bombshell — they’ve decided to make it a top 13, and Anoop is in too. Everyone goes apeshit, Seacrest out.
