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TV Review: American Idol - The Final 12
By Kelly West: 2007-03-08 23:05:02
America voted and four more people were given the boot on tonight’s episode of ‘American Idol.’ I can’t say with all honesty that all four deserved to go but at the same time, I’m already starting to forget their names so the evening wasn’t a total tragedy. On the up-side, after weeks of auditioning, we finally have the twelve ‘Idol’ finalists! It seemed to take an eternity to get to this point and I’m starting to wish Fox would cut the city-to-city auditions down to four or five episodes so we can get to the real show a lot sooner.
The four sent packing this week were Antonella Barba, Sabrina Sloan, Jared Cotter and Sundance Head. Of the four, two I would’ve been fine with seeing in the top 12. The other two probably shouldn’t have made it as far as they did. I’m speaking of Antonella Barba and Sundance Head. Unfortunate name aside, Sundance showed promise in the early auditions but he struggled in the semi-finals. He couldn’t seem to find the right song and though many wanted to see him succeed, this just wasn’t his year. With Barba, I’m not sure what it was about her besides her looks that prompted the judges to allow her into the semifinals to begin with. I have to wonder if she regrets going as far as she did on the show, considering the recent media coverage of her alledged girl-gone-wildish exploits. Regardless of how the Jersey-girl feels about the experience, she was out of her league in terms of talent and its for the best that she got the boot now rather than later. As for Sabrina and Jared, both were talented vocalists but, as my husband put it, they got Nadered out of the competition. Neither stood out enough against the other performers. They were too middle-of-the-road in terms of their song choice and vocal style. For Sabrina, she had to compete with seasoned performer, Melinda Doolittle and budding diva, Lakisha Jones. If there’s a lesson to be learned here it’s that if you’re going to choose a Whitney or Aretha song, you better rock our socks off. There is no half-way with that type of music. So that covers the losers. Gone from the show but not from our hearts (oh, who am I kidding…) Now on to the top twelve:  Melinda DoolittleBrentwood, TN She seems to have had no problem transitioning from doing back-up vocals to being a lead performer. If she can keep the momentum going by outstripping most of the competition week after week as she did in the semifinals, I wouldn’t be surprised if she made it to the final three.  Stephanie EdwardsSavannah, GA While she’s talented, I have to admit, Edwards hasn’t really left an impression on me yet. I think if she wants to make it past the first few rounds, she’ll need to have one or two stand-out performances to get the voters attention away from some of the other amazing female performers.  Gina GlocksenNaperville, IL Gina has the rock-diva role pinned down at this point. She seems to be really comfortable on stage, which makes her performances easy and entertaining. She was on the right track with the Evanescence song but her performance was a bit too screamy. Going forward I think she might want to tone down the vocals slightly so we can really hear her vocal talents but other than that, I think she’ll go far.  LaKisha JonesFort Meade, MD Between her humble personality and her flawless vocals, she should definitely do well in the show. Smart song choices and outfit selections that flatter her as a performer will only serve to improve her game even more.  Blake LewisBothell, WA I thought his beat-boxing skillz would’ve gotten annoying by now but honestly, they haven’t because he seems to have the sense to know when to throw them into a song. I also love the fact that he’s chosen some original music to perform thus far in the competition. I hope he continues to do that for as long as he’s around. It’s refreshing to hear a little 311 or Jamiroquai every now and then.  Sanjaya MalakarFederal Way, WA Oh Sanjaya. He’s so cute but unfortunately, that’s all there is. He’s just too timid to be standing among this group. Maybe in a couple of years he’ll have the vocal strength but for now, he’s just not ripe enough for ‘Idol.’ Hopefully the voters will be merciful and let his elimination be quick and painless.  Chris RichardsonChesapeake, VA Great voice, good style, just needs to not try to be too much like Justin Timberlake. There is only one Timberlake. As long as he find his own style and avoid forcing people to compare him to the great J.T., he should be fine. He’s definitely got the talent to go far in this competition.  Brandon RogersNorth Hollywood, CA Unlike Doolittle, I cant say that Brandon’s broken away from his back-up singer style. He hasn’t done much to really stand out, vocally just yet. This is not to say that the guy is untalented. He can certainly sing and with his looks and charisma, he should be able to earn a spot in many a voter’s speed-dial for at least a few Wednesday nights.  Haley ScarnatoSan Antonio, TX Who? Sorry but Simon was right this week when he said he couldn’t even remember her name. Between her and Sabrina Sloan, I would’ve gone with Sloan. Scarnato can certainly carry a tune but she hasn’t had any luck with her song choices nor has she found a way to stand out among the other very talented females. Her only chance at surviving the first couple of weeks is if the guys continue to fall short in the earlier rounds. Who knows though, there’s a chance she could turn it all around but it’ll take a couple really memorable stand-out performances to do it.  Chris SlighGreenville, SC I like Sligh. He’s got a great personality, a fun quick wittiness to him and a fantastic voice. I wont go as far as to say that he’s got the best voice in the competition but I do hope to see him make it to the final few rounds. With his voice I think he could handle a Roy Orbison tune or even Meatloaf. There’s a certain rock-operatic quality to his voice that really works for him.  Jordin SparksGlendale, AZ On paper, she’s the token teenaged girl of this season but on stage, she’s anything but. I still can’t believe she’s only17 years old. I wouldn’t say she’s one of the strongest female vocalists of this season but she does have great potential.  Phil StaceyJacksonville, FL The guy can really belt out the notes which is great but the judges are right, he needs to work on his lower register – a lot. Either that or he needs to stop choosing songs that start off low. I get why he does that – it gives him the opportunity to hit those higher notes and really take the song home at the end but those rocky starts are going to catch up to him eventually. Also, please stop wearing hats. What do you think of this season’s top 12? Anyone have a prediction as to who will be this season’s American Idol?
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