The Rushfield Review: The Top 12 takes shape

All will be revealed is the promise of many a current television epic, but Wednesday night’s "American Idol" featured enough curtain lifting to keep the online Idolsphere’s collective head whirling for a year.

Not only did we, as expected, fill out the final slots in the Top 9 (with the predictable Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds -- pictured at left on Tuesday's show -- and Jorge Nuñez) but the most puzzled-over mystery of the season was finally cleared up: The identities of the wild card contestants were unveiled.

Actually, this was the first truly suspenseful results show thus far.  While the sudden death element of each week of the semifinal rounds raised the stakes immensely, the contests ended up completely lopsided, with at least two of the three weekly chairs almost certain to go to the huge favorites (Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, MacIntyre, Rounds).  Due to whatever quirk of fate, the distance between the favorites and the field each week has been a mile.

On the flip side, each results show, we have been treated to the spectacle of those many, many who had fallen in their performance nights, trotted out to the death couch -- a grim march to  certain execution. It was, for instance, beyond tragic to watch the once-effervescent but now utterly deflated 16-year-old Arianna Afsar, whose trembling lips and tear-stained eyes gave no doubt she knew what exactly Angel of Death Ryan Seacrest had in store for her, forced to tell the Reaper, “Obviously, I have regrets.”

Thinking about what kind of Top 12 this season’s altered format will produce, it can be said that the above favorites would likely have made it to the big stage in any season in which they appeared, while the jury is very much still out on the remaining three (Nuñez, Michael Sarver and Kris Allen).

Phil Stacey blog: Is it rigged?

As we come into this American Idol episode tonight, I’d like to say that I hope they return to regular format next season.  This would be the last week of semi-finals, but we have yet another on Thursday featuring the contestants who did not get our attention the first time around.  Many of my favorites from this season, including Anoop Desai will have another chance to make it into the finals – and I am glad for them.  I just feel that in the regular format, people like Anoop would not have been voted off in the first place.

Speaking of Anoop, some of his fans made a great video for him that I thought you might like to check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es5EDO0G0hc&fmt=18

Well I’ve decided after tonight that the show is RIGGED!  The dorky kid, Alex Wagner-Trugman, sounded good to me!  I liked the growl!  Sure, the appearance was a little awkward…  But I thought it was funny.  Come one, they appreciated the humor of Norman Gentle…  But I guess if you can sing then you aren’t allowed to use humor.  So what if he isn’t he best singer this season.  I think he does a great job and I believe they over criticized him so there was no threat of him beating out one of their favorites for a top 12 spot.  I’m just saying…

Well many contestants tonight talked about how much fun they had and how “magical” it was to be on that stage.  I for one would like to say that I HATED singing on that stage!  Don’t get me wrong – I love to sing – it’s what I do.  But – there is nothing in this world more nerve wracking than making one's self that vulnerable in front of so many people.  We don’t do American Idol because we enjoy singing on that stage, we do it so we can sing for a living.

All in all, it was a mixed night for me.  I thought many contestants showed some great potential.  I think the clear winners for the night are Lil’ Rounds and Scott MacIntyre as declared by the judges.  I think there are many possibilities for the third spot.  Von Smith did great and so did Jorge Nunez.  I also like Ju’Not Joyner’s performance.  Felicia Barton had some shaky spots but that voice was AMAZING.  I think if she can get her nerves in check, she could be a contender for the crown this year and I am not joking.  But there are only three spots given each week, so your guess for the third spot is as good as mine.  Between those names – I think whoever does not get that third spot will be back next week during the wild card round.

What do you think?

- Phil Stacey
photo: Fox

The Rushfield Review: The last of the 36

We have now seen our next American Idol.  After all the buildup, one by one, all 36 warriors of competitive singing have been paraded before us. Somewhere in that lineup stood our next pop overlord; the one who 12 weeks from now will stand anointed in the footsteps of Clarkson and Underwood, Sparks and Cook.

It has been a shaky preseason, with semifinals rounds heavy on the train wrecks. The work of sorting the wheat from the chaff in this new format, having to pull out three singers from the pool of 12, has at moments over the last couple of weeks felt like work.  But in the final night of the semifinal rounds, "Idol" delivered a pool overall worthy of its legacy. 

The preseason has been short on "Idol’s" trademark star-is-born moments, but finally, in the very last performance of the semifinals, we got one and a star was born in tornado survivor Lil Rounds, who delivered a drop-dead Mary J. Blige that will live forever in "Idol" lore.

Here then is a roundup of the night:

Top 12-bound:
+ Lil Rounds (pictured): Belongs to the world now.

+Scott MacIntyre: "Idol’s" first legally blind contender delivered a solid if not earth-shattering “Mandolin Rain.” His Forrest Gump-like naïve, unguarded earnestness won the room though.

+ Jorge Nunez: "Idol’s" first great Latin heartthrob’s waterworks should melt enough hearts to see him through.

+ Ju’Not Joyner: Little seen in the preseason, which may mean he had too far to come tonight to win over the voters, but his quietly effective performance was one of the night’s best.

Wild card maybes:

+ Von Smith: Grated on America’s nerves in the preseason, but delivered well tonight with few traces of prior shoutiness. 'Tween appeal means he can’t be counted out.

+ Arianna Afsar: A favorite of the preseason delivered a misguided somber Abba rendition.  Her vocal skills and winning persona may earn her a second chance on Thursday.

+ Felicia Barton: Recalled after the Joanna Pacitti dismissal, Barton proved that she deserved a place in the Top 36, but is up against too much talent to break through this week.

+ Kendall Beard: Bubbly heiress to the Kellie Pickler country gal throne.  Likability could carry her through despite a so-so performance.

Heading home

+ Taylor Vaifanua: Very likable but stepped into the classic "Idol" teen pitfall of shooting for Celine Dion instead of Katy Perry.

+ Kristen McNamara: The Napa karaoke hostess was solid and likable, but that likely won’t be enough to see her through against a strong field.

+ Alex Wagner–Trugman: L.A.’s local nerd instantly cast himself into Vote for the Worst territory.

+ Nathaniel Marshall: The designated train wreck of the week came in as over-the-top as could be hoped for.

So it should go, but the "Idol" electorate works in ways mysterious it's wonders to behold. Will they follow the playbook?  We'll see Wednesday night, when the final pre-wild card seats are filled.

NOTE: Please join us tomorrow, Wednesday at noon PT for our post-game chat here at latimes.com/idoltracker.

SECOND NOTE: A previous version of this piece referred to the song Scott MacIntyre sang as "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me."  Thanks to commenter Daniel M. for catching that and alerting us.

 

-- Richard Rushfield

Photo:Fox

Handicapping the winners - The Top 36

Only a fool would try to predict the ultimate outcome of American Idol without having seen all the contestants.  But these times make fools of us all.  So try I must. My complete tip sheet will be coming soon, but before too much time expires I wanted to go on the record with my predictions of who will win and who will lose and in what order.   Last year, I predicted Syesha would win it all, so that should show what my track record is worth.  In any event, for the historical record, here is my prediction from first place to 36th where the brave souls of Season 8 will finish.   

(Of course the order of finish for contestants eliminated in the semi-final rounds has little real meaning since we do not know the order of finish at those levels, but let these rankings represent my rough sense of where in the Idol firmament they stand.)

36. Nathaniel Marshall

35. Nicholas Mitchell

34. Matt Beizke

33. Jeanine Valies

32. Casey Carlson

31. Stevie Wright

30. Felicia Barton

29. Alex Wagner-Trugman

28. Tatiana Del Toro

27. Ricky Braddy

26. Allison Iraheta

25. Brent Keith

24. Von Smith

23. Kristen McNamara

22. Jackie Tohn

21. Junot Joyner

20. Arianna Afsar

19. Ann Marie Boskovitch

18. Kendall Beard

17. Jasmine Murray

16. Steven Fowler

15. Kai Kalama

14. Kris Allen

13. Anoop Desai

And to see my Top 12, continue after the jump.

Phil Stacey Blog: Few surprises in the Top 36

The chair episode is the most difficult episode of the entire "American Idol" season for the contestants.  Think about it.  You don’t even perform from the time you make it into the final Hollywood group until you sit in front of the judges to find out if you’ve made it to the semifinals or not.  This year, it will be a little different, as I will explain in a bit.

There were a lot of surprises for those of us on my season.  I can’t even begin to tell you the amazing talent Season 6 had that you never saw — simply because they weren’t what the producers were looking for.

Anoop Desai is first, and it is no surprise to see him sail through to the semifinals.  Anoop is an amazing singer and I predict that he will make the top 12 pretty easily.

Von Smith is next.  As I have predicted, Von makes it to the final 36. I think he will have to learn to be an artist as opposed to a performer if he wants to be a pop star.  He reminds me vocally of Robbie Williams — the original artist who recorded "Angels" — a great voice with a little theatrical edge. I think he could do well if he learns to balance those ingredients.

This year, they have introduced a sing-off between contestants, and the first sing-off is between Cody and Alex.  I don’t know about you, but this is pretty exciting to me....

Alex is very reminiscent of Clay Aiken, singing a song that Clay nailed in Season 2, "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me." He wins the sing-off and Cody goes home.  I like the whole sing-off thing, but it does feel a little uncomfortable.

Meet Your Top 36: The List

Here they are, with links to more info.  Somewhere in the column below, is the name of our next champion.

Kris Allen
Arianna Asfar
Kendall Beard
Anne Marie Boskovich
Ricky Braddy
Matt Breitzke
Casey Carlson
Megan Corkrey
Tatiana Del Toro
Anoop Desai
Stephen Fowler
Matt Giraud
Danny Gokey
Alexis Grace
Mishavonna Henson
Allison Iraheta
Junot Joyner
Kai Kalama
Brent Keith
Adam Lambert
Jesse Langseth
Nate Marshall
Scott MacIntyre
Kristen McNamara
Nick Mitchell
Jasmine Murray
Jorge Nunez
Joanna Pacitti
Lil Rounds
Michael Sarver
Von Smith
Jackie Tohn
Alex Wagner Trugman
Taylor Vaifanua
Jeanine Vailes
Stevie Wright

--Richard Rushfield

Photo:Fox

Idoltracker Review: Hurray for Hollywood Week

“I want this more than anything. It’s under my skin and it bursts out when I’m on stage.”

The immortal words of Nathaniel Marshall, American Idol Hollywood Week aspirant, are a fitting tribute to what is the most exciting week of the most important program in entertainment.

Along the American Idol trail -- a slow, arduous climb up an increasingly steep cliff -- Hollywood Week represents a sudden detour into a demolition derby.  For the rest of the season, contestants will be executed at a gentlemanly once-a-week pace (or a bit more in the Top 36 rounds), but for this one segment, death does not take a stately stroll across the Idol set, but rampages across, a rabid dog unleashed seeking to bury his fangs in any victim at hand.

As the curtain rose on the Kodak stage -- the platform where Sparks and Underwood received their coronation -- we saw 147 young hopefuls, plucked from absolute obscurity and dropped at the gates of immortality.  By the end of the night, 43 of their number, a full quarter, had been cast out and told that the kingdom would never be theirs.  They have been called forth from the seas of people who flooded America’s stadiums for a chance at this dream; astounded to be 1 of 147 chosen out of tens of thousands.  But for most of those, the gates of the kingdom are as close as they will ever come.  And this is the drama of Hollywood Week.

Phil Stacey Blog: Welcome to Hollywood

Hollywood is my new favorite part of the "American Idol" season.  I remember how awesome it was to be there, watching all the other people sing and trying to guess which contestants would become finalists.

The episode starts with Ryan introducing the Kodak Theatre, which is where the finale is generally held.  Almost 150 people have made it this far.

The contestants are split into two groups.  One group goes sightseeing, and the other stays to perform. 

On the first day of my own "Hollywood Week," I was in the sightseeing group. We did all kinds of cool things, including previewing "The Simpsons" movie.  Many friends were made and it was a joyous occasion for all.

Back at the theater, Lil Rounds is the first to perform.  She’s amazing and you can bet that we’ll see her again.  I would be SHOCKED if Lil Rounds doesn’t make it through Hollywood.

Several contestants are shown making it through the first day, but the ones I’d like to focus on are Von Smith and Nick Mitchell.  Von is the guy with the extraordinary vocal range.  After he sings, Simon tells him it is indulgent nonsense.  I can tell immediately that not only will he make it through, but he also will go pretty far because Simon is making people sympathetic toward him.

Norman Gentle — or Nick Mitchell, whoever he is — goes next and his schtick is getting a little old for me.  But there is no justice in the world and he makes it through.  I hope he comes out and just nails his song next time because I do like the guy — you kind of have to, you know?

After the auditions: the 12 front-runners

So the auditions are behind us.  We haven't seen everyone yet, but we've seen a lot of them.  And on the basis of that half-information, we are prepared to make some predictions. 

Tens of thousands were summoned by the "Idol" trumpets.  We predict that when the dust settles and the curtain rises over the Idoldome in five weeks, it will be these 12 warriors of song onstage prepared to seize the mantle of history.  (Actually we couldn't narrow it down to 12, so we threw in one extra.)

In no particular order.  Listed by name, (audition city), age, hometown.  Audition song. Interesting fact. Link to check them out (while they last).

1. Lil Rounds: (Kansas City) 23, Memphis TN. Sang "All I Do."  Family made homeless by a tornado.  Audition video here.

2. Adam Lambert (San Francisco) 26, Hollywood, CA. Sang  “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Was in the cast of "Wicked"; looks like Ewan McGregor. Remnants of MySpace page here.  Audition video here.

3. Rose Flack (Salt Lake City) 17, Rathdrum, ID. Sang Carole King's “I Feel the Earth Move." Recently orphaned, barefoot hippie girl. MySpace page here. Audition video here.

4. Jackie Tohn (New York) 27, Silver Lake, CA. Sang Jason Mraz's "I’m Yours." Rocker since childhood.  Audition video here. Personal site here.

5. Scott MacIntyre: (Phoenix) 22, Scottsdale, AZ. Sang Billy Joel's "And So It Goes." Legally blind.  Audition video here. Personal site here.

6. Joanna Pacitti. (Louisville) 23, Philadelphia, PA.  Sang Pat Benatar's "We Belong." Had earlier recording career on A&M Records. Audition video here. MySpace page here.

7. Jorge Nunez. (San Juan) 20, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Sang  "My Way” and "What a Wonderful World." Charmed the judges when he sang in Spanish.  Audition video here. 

8. Meghan Corkrey. (Salt Lake) 23, Sandy, UT. Sang “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.”  Heavily tattooed single mother. Audition video here.

9. Kai Kalama: (San Francisco) 26, San Clemente, CA.  Sang "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."  Cares for ailing mother.  Audition video here.  MySpace page for former band here.

10. Leneshe Young: (Louisville) 18, Cincinnati, OH. Sang original song.  Raised in homeless shelters.  Audition video here.

11. Von Smith: (Kansas City) 22, Greenwood, MO. Sang  "Over the Rainbow." Wore goofy hat; "attempts things most guys don't attempt to sing." Audition video here. MySpace page here.

12. Danny Gokey (Kansas City) 28. Milwaukee, WI.  Sang "Heard It Through the Grapevine."  Grieving recently deceased wife. Audition video here.  MySpace page here.

13. Michael Castro (Kansas City) 20. Rockwall, TX.  Sang "In Love With a Girl." Brother of Season 7 giant Jason Castro.  Audition video here.   

Whom have I left out?  Please share your thoughts!  Hollywood Week is coming fast.

-- Richard Rushfield

Photo: Fox