American Idol 7 – Top 12 Men – 2/19/08 Semi-Finals

I am so psyched about tonight whether or not the singers are any good because I get to vote. My fingers need the exercise and I have my cell phone and land line ready to go, verified numbers are all still programmed.

Being back in the studio feels like being at home and it really got my heart pounding and I was smiling big time. Can I say once again how excited I am about getting to vote!

Our top 12 men are up tonight with the ladies tomorrow. On Thursday the bottom two men and women are heading home.

We once again hear about how great this season’s contestants are which I think really puts pressure on these people to live up to they hype. I hope they don’t crack under the pressure.

Since we have two hours of time to fill up we get a montage of how the top 12 men got to this point.

We have a theme tonight, Songs of the 60’s.

David Hernandez 24

It must have been hard to go first of all the 24 contestants. David looked pretty good and his clothes were age appropriate, however, I have to say it was the wrong shirt to wear, I realize it was the design but it looked like it was covered in dirty spots and it hadn’t been cleaned, it was very distracting to me.

David chose “In the Midnight Hour” and I really liked how he changed the arrangement and gave it a very gospel/rock type sound. The music was too loud but David rose above that. He has a great sounding voice, good clear tone. He fumbled at the end with the high note but that may have been nerves. While David was technically good, there was no true feeling, this is a song I need to believe and he didn’t sell the emotion of it. The performance didn’t move me even though the vocals were outstanding except for the one fumble.

Randy – started out with a gospel vibe, really good job, my advice is to watch the long phrasing

Paula – it is unnerving to go first but I fell for you, brilliant vocals, beautiful vibrato and it was “very cool”.

Simon – it was better than I thought it would be, the beginning was terrific, the middle was like a “rabbit in the headlights” and I didn’t like the ending, you lost the note, you need to loosen up, you were a little stiff.

Chikezie 22

First of all, what is the going to a one name moniker please he is not Madonna or Cher and don’t even get me started on how stupid this name is or I could write a dissertation on the ridiculous names parents stick on their kids.

Second of all, what was up with that hideous, disgusting, burnt orange suit, what was he thinking about, the sad thing is it had to be in his wardrobe because it is only the top 12 which get a budget for clothes each week. Scary!

Mr. Chikezie was not good. I hated the arrangement; he was totally off-pitch at the beginning although he rallied for a solid close to the number. Chikezie definitely has a great smile and he appeared to be having a good time but the overall feel of the performance just didn’t work for me.

Randy – it was pretty good, the problem is you are an old fashion singer; you need to make it new/fresh, it was alright

Paula – you have come along way, you look great and if people didn’t realize it, he has lost weight; you are a throwback to great R&B (not even close Paula).

Simon - I hated the whole performance (right on Simon and he was booed with that comment) The suit is hideous, it was too old fashion and cheesy.

David Cook 25

David dressed the part of the rocker and it worked. He went with “Happy Together” and I think it was a good song choice, it started a bit rough and the band was overpowering him but once we got past the first chorus the man can sing. He was in perfect pitch and has great stage presence; he seemed very comfortable which is important. The end note sucked the big one but overall I liked the performance. For those of you who have read my blogs you know what is coming next. Yes, David was using the dreaded mike stand, please; please don’t get in that habit holding on to the stand, it doesn’t work. You lost points from me.

Randy – it started off weird, but you rocked it, there was an edge, it was crazy, good

Paula – it was worthy of great praise, you made it original

Simon – you shouted a bit in the middle but you almost made it believable.

Jason Yeager – 28

Jason went with “Moon River”. Jason has the cute factor going along with his very adorable son Nathan and was that a dedication to his dead grandmother, oh my. He was dressed with a suit jacket, jeans, and shirt but had killer shoes. Jason has a nice voice but this was a boring performance. He started out sitting and I knew exactly what Simon would say. Jason didn’t stand out and since we had really never heard him before this isn’t good. There wasn’t anything technically wrong with his vocal it just wasn’t an old my god, wow!

Randy – pretty good dude, couple of pitch problems in the middle and it is a tough song to sing, my advice concentrate all the time when you are singing

Paula – agrees with Randy’s advice, a simple song can be hard to sing, the song has special memories for me, I did my first ballet recital to that song, say it with me everyone, AH!

Simon – you appeared much older, very cruise ship (here I thought we were getting the old lounge singer, cabaret comment) it was neither here nor there, it was middle of the road, young people listening will go, what?

Robbie Carrico – 26

Oh the poor guy while in his previous unsuccessful boy band experience he got to tour with Britney Spears.

While I realize Robbie now wants to be a rocker it is ridiculous to have to put on the whole mystic, I hated the bandana or do rag, the unkempt hair, and that stupid pocket chain, come on let’s be original. The fringe on the shirt was over the top as was the way too many jewelry accessories.

Robbie chose “One” which was a great song choice. The vocals were pretty good but what Robbie had was great stage presence, he really rocked the house. He totally lost it at the end and the note cracked several mirrors I am sure but overall a good performance.

Randy – nice one, you moved me

Paula – you picked the perfect song, you are authentic, vocals not too over the top, perfect

Simon – it is the only performance we’ve seen so far which has any semblance of making sense, it is the only current performance but I question your authenticity, are you a rocker or a pop singer?

David Archuleta – 17

What can we say about David? David seems to have it all; he has the cute/adorable factor, that sweet persona which will have all those young adolescent girls texting for hours.

David was dressed age appropriately and he went with “Shop Around” which was a great choice of song. David has a very interesting tone to his voice and can the kid sing, he has great phrasing, he is unbelievably talented. The entire performance was spot on, David is very engaging, had the audience in his hand, and took absolute control of the stage. David is SO very safe tonight! I hate though how he can be so damn happy all the time, okay I am jealous of his ability to be so positive all the time.

Randy – I am a big fan, really brilliant, you have a gift, you sang very maturely for a 17 year old.

Paula – it was a brave, bold choice, I forget how young you are and I admire your confident, older soul, great job

Simon – when you got, you go it, it was the best performance by a mile

Danny Noreiga – 18

I am just happy to see he has lost that lip piercing he had when he tried out last year. Danny wants to be true to himself and he clearly was. All I could think of was he was “fierce”. Danny was dressed in some very tight black jeans, white shirt, skinny black tie, and some awesome shoes. He was so ready to go clubbing.

Danny went with “Jailhouse Rock”. He started at the top of the stairs and then hit the stage with some clear pent up energy. I thought it was a bit manic and way over the top but he has a good voice and he was definitely in tune but his movements were a bit much. Danny knows how to perform that is for sure. I think Danny has talent and good performance skills but this number didn’t allow him to show his vocal range.

Randy – you know how to have a good time, the vocals were okay but you didn’t show off your voice but the performance was “kinda hot.”

Paula – the performance was almost “scalding” but it was a safe song but it allowed him to just be a performer, then Paula rambled about a lot of color coming out or some such nonsense that for the rest of the night was banter between Simon and Paula about what color each performer was

Simon – I found the performance verging on the grotesque, it was hideous

Luke Menard – 29

I hated Luke’s jacket, it didn’t work. Luke went with an interesting song choice (A song I really like I might add) “Everybody’s Talking”. They went with an interesting arrangement to the song. Luke was just a bit stiff, he stood behind the mike the entire time, and there was no stage presence. The band was way too loud and overpowered him much of the time which wasn’t all bad. Luke had some clear pitch problems and the vocals were all over the place. It wasn’t my favorite performance of the evening.

Randy – it was very pitchy, consistently sharp, it wasn’t great

Paula – I agree with Randy, not the best song choice, you have good range which we have seen before, pick better songs

Simon – pitchy or not, it was forgettable, you fell into the worst trap, you have to stand out but you didn’t, no one will remember you

Colton Berry – 18

Colton there was no need to tell us about how you look like Ellen Degeneres from certain sides and I also didn’t have to know you hum the Teletubbies theme song when you are nervous because you are setting yourself up for some rude comments. I hated the color of his jeans and what was hanging from underneath his shirt, were those suspender straps, come on. Colton chose “Suspicious Minds” (one of my favorite Elvis songs) and they chose an interesting arrangement for this one as well. Vocally Colton was okay but there was no wow, he had some very cheesy dance movements if that is what they were suppose to be. Colton’s musical theater background was evident but didn’t help him much.

Randy – pretty good job, it started rough but you worked it out

Paula – nice to see a different side of you, not your best performance but it was eager/fun

Simon – okay, not as bad as the other Elvis song, it was karaoke, it isn’t relevant, and I wasn’t listening to a recording artist

Garrett Haley – 17

Garrett, Garrett, Garrett we are not in the 70’s, fix the hair dude! Garrett chose “Breaking Up is hard to do”. Do I have to be reminded of how old I am? I have the Carpenter’s version, the Partridge family version and of course Neil Sedaka’s version on a 45 record at that. I totally disliked the arrangement of the number, it was too freakin’ slow. Garrett has a strange voice; it was pretty thin, I am not sure he was on key because it was hard to hear him over the band. The performance was lackluster at best.

Randy – I love the song but you didn’t do anything with it, there were a couple of pitch problems, kinda boring

Paula – it stayed at a slow tempo, it is okay to talk to the band director and ask them to mix it up, be courageous

Simon – it was boring, you looked terrified, it looks like you were locked up in your bedroom for months, pale, it was verging on “haunted”, you are not relevant, young, or current.

Jason Castro – 20

Jason I hate the “dreadlocks” they have to go. The outfit was okay. Jason went with “Daydream” and accompanied himself with a guitar. I think the guitar worked for him. The song choice was fine and overall I liked his voice but there were several times he tried for some vocal theatrics which weren’t necessary and it was during those moments he had some severe pitch problems and can we talk about the cracked note at the end but overall he has a nice mellow but not boring manner and he has one heck of a smile.

Randy – I like your accent, you were interesting, liked the guitar, it had some pitch problems, and the high note was sharp, it was okay but I wasn’t blown away

Paula – you did blow me away (but of course Paula, he is young, single, and you are thinking about something other than singing) good song choice, joyous, less is more

Simon – like David you just got it, one of the top 2 performances of the night, it would have worked better without the band, you made it sound current, and it was effortless, terrific

Michael Johns – 29

Michael gets the money spot, last! What was up with the stupid scarf tied around his neck? It totally did not work. Michael went with “Light My Fire” and it was a great choice of song. This was a great performance, the vocals were spot on, Michael had command of the stage, and he knows how to move. The only criticism I have is that stupid fire background was back and it is only the first performance show, note to producers, kill it, I hate it. Unless Michael fumbles terribly he is a safe bet for the top 12.

Randy – I loved you, you throw caution to the wind, da bomb, hot

Paula – it’s an excellent way to end the night and you really did set everyone on fire (Paula rein it in)

Simon – You are the most consistent performer; I liked “Bohemian Rhapsody” better but you have the charisma of a lead singer, “you have just got it”.

Well it is time. I spent two hours voting last night and the lines were busy. I only managed to get in 160 votes over the two hours. The majority went to David Archuleta and Michael Johns and the balance to David Hernandez, David Cook, Jason Castro and Robbie.

I did not like the theme for the semi-final rounds it really doesn’t allow the contestants to be themselves. I don’t think it worked. We will see what the ladies can do tonight.

I think the worst performances came from Chikeze and Garrett with Jason Yeager and Luke Menard following. It is always interesting to predict who may go at this early stage I will take a stab at it anyway.

For performance alone it should be Chikeze first but I think he will make it at least another week.

My choices for the first two men are Garrett Haley and Luke Menard. Jason Yeager is a possibility as well.

Until tomorrow…