Wednesday, February 29, 2012

It All Started With a Monkee

"I'm sure you saw the news by now of who died."

That is how I started February 29, 2012. It sent me into a bit of a panic because I hadn't yet seen the news or anything about any celebrity death. Most of the shocking celebrity death news I receive these days is usually courtesy of Twitter, but thankfully I had not yet checked the feed before reading my best friend's FB message.

In retrospect I am glad. I am glad someone I loved gently broke the news to me rather than a glaring, shocking trending topic, because this celebrity death is one that hits me really close to home.

You really can't get any closer than your first love.

This is who Davy Jones will always be to me. It was a true star-crossed love story doomed to run a very short course. He was a celebrity, I was an elementary student, and of course we had never met except through a TV show that was rerunning ten years after it originally aired.

But my budding romanticism caught fire when I saw this cute and funny Brit who sang about the mysterious glory of starry-eyed love. Just like all the girls he made swoon on his TV show I was a goner from the very first time he opened his mouth.

He set the standard of all crushes that would follow. I wouldn't just settle for cute. I needed the whole package. I wanted someone a cut above all the rest. I wanted someone who could make me laugh as easily as he could touch my soul. I wanted someone unashamed to share cheesy, ooey gooey romantic love.



I was a true fan. One of the very first albums I owned was "More of the Monkees" and I played that vinyl treasure over and over again until I wore out every groove. I knew every word to every song and watched every episode of the Monkees with grand fascination that happens only once in a lifetime.

The first in your lifetime.



I was unaware that this band was manufactured or even past their 60s heyday. I didn't care. I was a Monkees devotee and fairly certain the day would come I'd marry a short English cutie with dark eyes and floppy hair.

Of course the late 70s gave way to the 1980s and I'd move on to other idols, quite dejected to find that my first crush was a married man in his 30s and the show was nothing more than a rerun.

But you never forget your first crush, as I've learned from all the other women I've known who share Davy with me. I can't count how many times I meet fans of other idols who confide their first celebrity crush was none other than my celebrity crush. Turns out he made several generations fall in love with him the same way he made me fall in love with him. Today we all mourn something very special in our lives. This is more than just a celebrity death... this is a significant part of our collective childhoods that means more than we could probably ever express in words. He did more than sing some songs... he made daydream believers out of all of us.

So thank you Davy for being the first. I will carry a little bit of you with me always whenever I remember what it's like to be a starry-eyed girl swooning over the boy of her dreams.

American Idol Semifinalist Guys: Live Performances

The official live performances began on Idol, sending the vote to the public on who should stay and who should go from the top 24 25 top semifinalists. In an unprecedented move, the judges brought back an extra guy to add to the standard 24, which was revealed during tonight's live telecast.

On the whole the show was fairly ho-hum, as the early live shows tend to be. The cream hasn't completely risen to the top and no stars have yet to emerge; what you get mostly are many a'iight performances that are neither spectacular or true train wrecks.

This results in a virtual lovefest from the kinder, nicer generation of AI judges. This doesn't help make the steep cut of more than half of this field of 13. Those who had a lot of screen time during the audition process have a slight advantage over those we haven't yet met. Worse, the earlier performers who don't do much to stand out are easily forgettable by the time we get to the producer favorites stacked at the end of the show.

I have my favorites (Team DeAndre!) but the show itself demonstrates many of these guys are running neck and neck for your vote. To predict a final 5 out of the 12 13 presented poses a bit of a challenge.

So let's get cracking.

The Guys could sing any song they chose (always a dangerous proposition) and were instructed to take a camera to their hometowns so that we might get to know them just a little better.

First up was Reed Grimm from Wisconsin.


This Wisconsin native brings personality to spare to the show, as well as the first (?) drummer to grace the AI stage. I like drummers. They are a breed of musician unto themselves that go by such nicknames as "Machine Gun" and "Animal."


He has a real zest for life and a creative streak, as demonstrated in his jazzy rendition of "Moves Like Jagger."

I'm not entirely certain how such a rendition will go over with the AI crowd, but he sang it with conviction. This off-screen goofball turns into a smooth operator on stage, which makes him a memorable contestant. This could save him from the curse of first.

The judges loved him but they loved everyone. As the show wore on my beleaguered hubby lamented on how much he missed Simon because these judges aren't as rough around the edges when it comes to delivering "constructive criticism." Randy mentioned that Reed was reminiscent of Casey Abrams of last season, but I think Reed may be a little more mainstream. This could help propel him into the finals.

Vocals: 4
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 5
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 4
Total: 22
Probability of moving on: Good

Adam Brock (new dad, chef, renaissance, large black woman trapped in a white guy) took the stage next with an Aretha Franklin tune (obviously.)


He's a cuddly bear with a lot of soul and has been featured pretty heavily throughout the audition process. That, coupled with his non-fast-forwarded performance (courtesy of my hubby Steven) makes Season 11's "White Chocolate" a possible audience favorite moving forward.

Vocals: 4
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 5
Individuality: 4
Song Choice: 5
Total: 22
Probability of moving on: Good

Seventeen-year-old DeAndre Brackensick was grouped in with beginning performances, which can spell trouble for these new faces for the voting audience.


We don't know much about DeAndre given his lack of screen time over the audition process, despite the fact he's been on both Season 10 and Season 11. I remembered him from last year because I think he's extremely commercial and his voice takes the best of artists like Prince before him to a new place for such a young soul. I was really concerned that his placement in the lineup could cripple his chances to move forward, especially when he began to sing "Reasons" from Earth, Wind & Fire. While the Phillip Bailey falsetto was dead on, the song may be a little old school for his target demographic (young girls.) But from the screams he got when he finished, I feel a tad more confident that we'll see more from my early favorite of Season 11. He's got a commercial look and his voice is pure liquid gold. Please, America... let's see what this kid can do.

Vocals: 5
Style: 5
Stage Presence: 5
Individuality: 4
Song Choice: 4
Total: 23
Probability of moving on: Good (please, please, please)

*tip* think about losing the hair flip; it's a quirk that can get old really fast if you're not careful.

Colton Dixon has been a familiar face throughout the last two seasons.

He has a standout style and he's a musician, which makes me root for the guy just on a talent-only basis. That he was never supposed to be on this season at all makes his appearing in the semifinals pretty remarkable. Unfortunately, though I love anyone who can bring any kind of rock to the Idol stage, I didn't care that much for his performance of Paramore's "Decode." It felt a little white bread to me. Maybe the hype over the last couple of years prepped me to expect a little more, or maybe this was just not my style of music as I'm way more classic/hard rock than alternative. (Usually though, I can see past that.) Despite that, I think the audience has connected with him enough by this point to try to get him through. I just don't know if his voice shares the same distinction as his alternative look.

Vocals: 4
Style: 5
Stage Presence: 5
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 4
Total: 23
Probability of moving on: Strong

Jeremy Rosado is the first contestant I had to struggle to remember from earlier auditions, which makes me kinda sad because I think he's a good kid up against a really tough playing field.


He doesn't really have a standout niche like Colton, Reed or even DeAndre. He too chose a song made famous by a female, "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles. He sang it well and if this 19-year-old had any nerves he managed to mask them convincingly. Though beautifully sung, this middle of the pack performance didn't do much to make him stand out and he kinda had to.

Vocals: 4
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 4
Individuality: 4
Song Choice: 4
Total: 20
Probability of moving on: Questionable

I'm afraid the same fate may befall another middle-pack performer Aaron Marcellus, a contestant that J-Lo herself championed through to the semifinals.


His rendition of "Never Can Say Goodbye" didn't do enough to set him apart (or above) other bluesy singers, which is a shame. He certainly has the pedigree to add performance to his impressive vocals, but this particular song didn't do much to give him a chance to shine apart from one glory note. One Night One, you need more than that. So despite the crowd reaction to the note and the judges' standing O, I think this is another contestant in serious danger going home.

Vocals: 4
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 4
Individuality: 4
Song Choice: 4
Total: 20
Probability of moving on: Questionable

Brendan Fraser doppelganger Chase Likens also had the misfortune of running with a mid-pack performance.


He was a virtual blank slate for all of us who sat through the arduous audition rounds to pick out early favorites for the live performance shows. I don't recall ever seeing him perform until tonight, and with that mug I think I really kinda woulda. This 21-year-old college student from West Virginia actually did something the other two performers before him were unable to do: he distinguished himself from the pack by singing a completely different genre. He went country.

Country has always been pretty good to Idol contestants and there's no denying this guy has a very commercial look. He sang "Storm Warning" which had the added benefit of being an upbeat performance, which subtly gives a measure of excitement to the middle of a show that really kinda dragged with blah up to this point. The voice is there, but the performance style could use a bit of work to steer away from the cheese department. This, however, isn't a deal breaker as proven by last year's winner, Scotty McCreary.

Vocals: 4
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 4
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 4
Total: 21
Probability of moving on: Fair to Good

Creighton Fraker has been an early favorite of mine because I think he does have a voice that stands out from the pack.


I love finding distinctive voices and he has a quirky personality to match. This preacher's kid from South Dakota found his place in the world in weird and wonderful New York, which on a personal level immediately endears me to him.

In fact I love his fabulousity so much I can ALMOST forgive him for singing one of my least favorite Cyndi Lauper tunes, "True Colors."

Let your rainbow, shine, honey. I'm rootin' for you!

Vocals: 5
Style: 5
Stage Presence: 5
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 3
Total: 23
Probability of moving on: Good


Phillip Phillips
performed next and I have to be honest: it's a chore not to be annoyed by his name.


I like him well enough and I like his voice well enough but the whole double moniker is a wee bit off-putting. I fear it may get more cloying as the weeks go by because Idol has a nasty little habit of running bits into the ground.



That they decided to get even MORE cutesy with the captioning of their family photo as the "Phillips Phamily Photo" didn't have me in the most generous mood when he did his version of Phil Collins' 80s epic "In the Air Tonight." It definitely put his very unique fingerprint on it but I was not a fan. On the plus side, his voice is very distinctive and he's very likeable. I doubt he'll be sent home... so I'll just have to get over my lil pet peeve.

Vocals: 5
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 4
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 3
Total: 21
Probability of moving on: Good

Finally the judges had to earn a paycheck when they had to break it to sweet little Eben Franckewitz that his performance was the weakest of the night.


Of course they didn't say that but it was pretty obvious to those of watching the show. There were a lot of flat notes easily recognized by some of us with no musical training, so this early favorite who normally sings like an angel should thank his lucky stars that he was placed toward the end of the show when voters are more likely to remember him. It is also fortunate we already know he can do better from all the exposure he got in the earlier rounds. While the Adele tune didn't do him any favors, he'll likely get another chance to wow America.

Vocals: 3
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 4
Individuality: 4
Song Choice: 4
Total: 19
Probability of moving on: Fair to Good

The jury is still out for me for Heejun Han.


I love his voice but his personality seems a bit... editorially enhanced. His battle with the obnoxious cowboy during group round made him seem a bit whiny, and added to that his low self-esteem these are not attractive qualities for an American Idol. I did like the fact he owned up to the things he said right to the person, which showed honor - so let's see more of that. And more of his playfulness. And more of his vocal prowess. I think he's had enough exposure that his strong performance tonight will send him through to the next round.

Vocals: 4
Style: 4
Stage Presence: 4
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 5
Total: 22
Probability of moving on: Strong

Joshua Ledet is another early favorite.


He won me over with a gospel flavored "Jar of Hearts" during the Hollywood auditions. Another young guy with an old soul, he resurrects the blues and gospel greats who have come before him by singing with such conviction he's no longer simply singing. He's bearing his soul. Normally I don't like to see hopefuls use the songs of other Idols for the live performances, but that it was a JHud song makes it forgivable. I love when singers tackle songs from artists of the opposite sex because it brings something inherently new to the music. And with Joshua, it is ALL about soul. This is how you put your fingerprint on a song and make it stand out from the pack, rather than just sing a song well like earlier contestants did.

And apparently it makes J-Lo wanna punch ya. An Idol first?

Vocals: 5
Style: 5
Stage Presence: 5
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 5
Total: 25
Probability of moving on: Strong

While Joshua earned the coveted Pimp Spot, the producers decided to throw their latest curve ball at us by revealing the guy they brought back for the semifinals. I had a feeling it would be our gentle giant, Jermaine Jones.


Can I just say... I want to hug this man. What a teddy bear - gentle giant, indeed. There's just something about him that touches my heart. Maybe his relationship with his mother, or the tender rendition of the Luther Vandross song, "Dance With My Father," but I'm right there with him emotionally. He made me cry last week and twice this week. So let it be known I'm rooting for him just from a very personal place that has no objectivity.

Bear all future critiques of him (because I'm sure there will be more) with that in mind.

Vocals: 5
Style: 5
Stage Presence: 4
Individuality: 5
Song Choice: 5
Total: 24
Probability of moving on: Strong

So who's going home? There's really no way for me to tell. Eight guys are going to go home and talent has little to do with it at this point as it's pretty evenly distributed. It makes me sorely miss the good ol' days when the semifinals lasted more than just one week. I could see letting two go, maybe even four. Eight?

There's no way to call this.

I know who I want to stay (DeAndre, Creighton and Jermaine) and who SHOULD stay (Joshua)... but everything else is a crap shoot up to the American voting public.

(Be afraid... very afraid.)

Saturday, February 25, 2012

American Idol Season 11 Top 24

I think Season 11 can be summed up in two words: Second Chances. We have several in the top 24 that didn't quite make it in Season 10, including Brielle Von Hugel, Colton Dixon and Hollie Cavanagh, whose emotional journey cut short last year strangely wasn't even touched upon during the audition/Hollywood Week. (Unless I missed it, which is entirely possible. There's a lot going on this year hence why I'm so late with my annual Gab Fest about one of my favorite shows.)

For me, however, I'm most excited to see what's going to happen with DeAndre Brackensick. I was upset last year when he didn't make it because I thought he had the total package. There was such promise during Hollywood Week when the Minors OWNED Queen's classic "Somebody to Love."



There was such promise I couldn't wait to see what he'd do next. Sadly he didn't make it to the live performances and the nationwide vote.

So this year when he once again stunned during the preliminary performances in Las Vegas, I was so excited not only to see he'd returned BUT that he could still just knock that falsetto out of the park.



Goosebumps, I tell you. GOOSE. BUMPS.

I'm really excited to see what he's going to do.

Some of my early favorites include Creighton Fraker, Eben Franckewitz, Jen Hirsh, Joshua Ledet, Jessica Sanchez and of course Reed Grimm, who looks like he's going to be loads of fun.

So bring it on top 24 (25?.) I am SO ready for the live shows.

(Go DeAndre!)