Semifinal Group 3 - Original Song Choices...What a Concept

One more week. This time we have three shows to sit through before we can get to the Top 12, where the magic happens. Simon says they should have a "Simon Cowell Week" where he picks the songs for the contestants during Ryan's chit-chat session. Yeah, that's just what we need: Another way for Simon to manipulate the show. Nice try, Cowell.

The death spot goes to Von Smith, who's singing Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "You're All I Need to Get By." He starts out remarkably subdued for a change. The notes are in tune, he plays well to the cameras and actually gives it a fairly soulful rendering. Guess what I've finally learned about Von? He can sing! This is a vast improvement over the usual circus of high notes and facial expansions. Well done, Von. Is it just me, or does this performance seem longer than most? Randy says it was hot and better than what he showed in Hollywood. Kara says he's coming into his own. Paula loves it and Simon says Von reminds him of Clay Aiken. Hmmmmm...I wonder what Simon's implying there?

Taylor Vaifanua chooses Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You." Again? We heard that song all throughout Hollywood. Of course, I knew it wouldn't take long to hear a song we were all sick of. This performance isn't good. The low notes sound wrong throughout most of the song, and Taylor's voice just isn't that powerful. Her awkwardness on stage doesn't help either. I'm not feeling it. Sorry. Kara says it's obvious she has a voice, but she wants to see more personality. Taylor's crying. Is it because she realizes she didn't do very well? Paula says she wanted to see something new. Simon calls her generic and bland. Randy says it was boring. Taylor then lets us know that she's crying tears of joy, because she's so happy to be there. How touching. I hope Taylor enjoys her brief moment in the spotlight before returning to Utahn obscurity.

Now it's time for...Alex...Wagner...Truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugmannnnnnnn! I can't wait to see what this guy does. This could be a historic moment in geek history or it could be a trainwreck. Let's hope it's the former. Alex tells Ryan about how he's read the internet and people seem to think he's a dork. Being a dork is a good thing, Alex! He also says he started weight training to look less dorky. This guy has to win. For tonight's first original song choice, Alex is doing Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues." He says it's because he's been in a long-distance relationship for a long time now, and that for anyone who's missing someone he can be our boyfriend. Well, I do have someone I kind of miss, but since I'm a heterosexual guy I'll pass on letting Alex be my boyfriend. He starts out with the same whispery problem I've had with him since the beginning, but when he gets into it he sounds really good. He even throws the mic stand aside for dramatic effect. He's really putting his all into this performance. You know what? I love this, and I'm not just saying that because I want to love it. Alex may not be as good as Von vocally, but he's much more memorable. Paula and Kara both say it was entertaining. Simon says he's like a hamster trying to be a tiger. Randy says it was crazy in a buck-wild sort of way and he screamed too much. Screw you, judges. Alex is getting my vote tonight! Alex, if you're reading this, keep on rocking! Tell your fellow contestants to check out What Not to Sing while you're at it.

Arianna Afsar is going to do the first ABBA song ever on AI. Wow. Not just a new song but a new artist? Will wonders never cease? The judges talk about how incredibly cute she is, and I concur. She's as cute as they come, but is the voice there? She's doing "The Winner Takes it All." Hmmm, a slow one. What can we say about this? Well, it's off-key, her voice cracks a little and she's clearly nervous. Her tone is pretty, but there's just not enough vocal power here to give the song what she's trying to give it. She's clearly got talent, but I think Arianna may have tried out a few years too early. Simon says it was terrible, dreary and too big a song for her. Randy says it was a bad song choice. Kara says she was a beam of sunshine at her audition, but this is too serious. Paula says the song was too old-fashioned. Sorry, cutie. I don't think there's any chance you'll get through tonight.

Ju'Not Joyner is reprising his Hollywood performance of "Hey There Delilah." Contestants have done that a lot over the years. I guess I can understand sticking with what got you there, but it can feel like watching a rerun sometimes. Ju'Not had better hope this doesn't backfire. They pimp his kid one more time in the intro clip, and then it's time for the singing. Wow. Ju'Not's got really good control, and the minimal arrangement really allows you to listen to what he's saying in the lyrics. He's not doing anything over-the-top, but I'm actually feeling what he's saying. Now that's how you make a slow song into a memorable moment and not a snoozefest. This is the best of the night so far. Randy says he showed that he's not just an R&B dude. Excellent observation, Randy. Kara loves the smooth spin he put on the song. Paula says he changed it up and it was a nice vocal. Simon says it was a little safe, but better than he thought it'd be. Good on ya, Ju'Not.

Time for a two-fer! Ryan reminds us that the next two contestants battled in Hollywood. You know, they sing too, Ryan. Seriously, why is it that they can't tell us anything about these contestants except that they were involved in drama during Hollywood week? Call me crazy, but I'm guessing that there's a lot more to a couple of adults than something that happened during two days of their lives.

Kristin McNamara is first. We learn that she's a karaoke host and had purple hair at her audition because of a mishap with her hairdresser. Karaoke? You've come to the right reality show! She sings Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason." Well, it's not exactly an overdone song choice, but it has been done before by Jordin Sparks. I want to like Kristin, but she seems to be lost at times during this performance. Her voice just doesn't have much presence. She hits a super high glory note near the end, which is about the only standout thing she does vocally. Kristin impressed me in Hollywood, but this isn't that good for me. Kara thinks she should've rocked more. Paula says Kristin showed off her range, but she wishes she could've done something like her "Because of You" performance in Hollywood. Simon is puzzled about who she is and Randy thinks she tried to do too much with it. She tells Ryan she sees herself doing Kelly Clarkson/Leona Lewis-type stuff. OK, so why didn't you pick a song like that? She's the best of the girls so far, but that's not saying much.

Now it's Nathaniel Marshall time. He's also trying a new artist. Wow! Two in one night! Who is it? None other than...get ready for it...Meat Loaf. He'll be gracing our TV's with a rendition of "I Would Do Anything For Love." Well, this should be...interesting. From the get-go it's obvious that his voice too weak to compare to Meat Loaf's. He dances around during the fast parts as if it were a disco song and points to the crowd a lot. Instead of traditional melodramatic Meat Loaf it's campy Meat Loaf. This is an odd song choice for sure, but the performance is actually entertaining in a ridiculous way. Simon admits that Nate is a fun person, but he thinks the performance was verging on excruciating. Randy can't see who Nate is as recording artist. Kara wants him to pick a more serious song and Paula thinks it was like a Boy George version of the song. Nate says we should vote for him if we want to have fun every week. Hey, I'm all for that. I won't mind if he gets through, but I'm not sure if I'll be voting for him. Ryan brings Nate over to the judges' table just to make Simon uncomfortable. Oh, the overtones of it all.

I know someone who goes to the same church as the next contestant. Oh yeah, you're jealous. It's Felicia Barton! Her intro clip mostly talks about how she got a second chance at "Idol" after originally being cut, and of course, it mentions her child. She's singing the only song most people have heard her sing: "No One" by Alicia Keys. I'm guessing she chose this song because she's so familiar with it she could sing it in her sleep. Maybe she likes the fact that her name sounds similar to the original artist. So how does Felicia sing Alicia? Well, she loves her runs, and there are a few bad notes in there, but she has the most powerful voice of all the girls we've heard so far. I want to like Felicia more, since I've pledged to vote for her, but I think she needs to tone down the oversinging a little. Overall it's pretty good. Paula says her talent is unbelievable and pimps her to make the next round. Simon says the first half was better than second, and it was all a bit copycat. Randy says she's got a different tone than Alicia Keys and she should run with that. Kara says she noticed her tonight for the first time.

Now it's time for the blind guy, Scott MacIntyre. Come on, we all know this guy's getting through. For the third time tonight we're hearing a new artist. Scott's doing "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby. Hmmm. His tone is really good starting out. He loses the pitch a few times as the song goes on, but I'm actually more impressed by him than ever before. Despite his blindness, he conveys the feeling of the song onstage better than you might expect him to. I'm naturally critical of the heavily-pimped contestants, but I have to give Scott credit for a really good performance here. The crowd won't stop cheering after he's done. Randy says it wasn't the best vocal, but the good parts were great. Kara says he moves mountains when he's onstage and pimps him to the next round. Paula can't wait for people to hear him play the piano. Simon says he wasn't crazy about the song's lyrics, but he'll be amazed if Scott doesn't sail through to the next round. Gee, didn't see that coming. Look, Scott did a good job, but stop treating us like we're idiots who can't recognize talent. Ryan calls him "Scottie the Body." Wha wha what? Now he's stealing Scott Savol's nickname? That's sacrilege! Scottie Mac displays a very likable personality here, so I won't begrudge him his advancement tomorrow.

Next is, as Ryan tell us, our country girl, Kendall Beard. Oh, so that's who she is. Thanks for clearing that up. She has a cute li'l southern accent, and tells us she wants to get through so her father will do the alligator dance again. Isn't she so much fun? Her song is Martina McBride's "This One's For the Girls." Her voice starts out sounding OK, though slightly drowned out by the band. Then the pitch problems set in and it all degenerates into an off-key mess. She does her best to maintain a smile, but the audio belies the video. Sorry, Kendall. I want to like you, but you didn't bring it tonight. Kara says she has a big personality and picked a good song, but there were a lot of bad notes. Paula says she has the best outfit of the night and did a good job. Simon says halfway through it got too shrilly. Randy says it wasn't her best vocal performance. I like her personality, but I can't vote for her out of fodder sympathy. I want Felicia and Alex to get through too badly.

Now it's the Puerto Rican who wasn't cast as a villain: Jorge Nunez. Overdone song choice alert! He's doing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." What is this, the fifth or sixth time it's been done on this show? Lack of originality aside, he does sound really good. There's even some split-screen pimpage action going on during his performance. I can't find anything to complain about vocally. If Simon wants to compare contestants to Clay Aiken, Jorge here might be another good option. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but it's very good. My brother says it's cheesy, but hey, this show as a whole is pretty cheesy. Paula compliments him for working hard to sing well in English, and says he did a good job. Simon thinks he should keep his accent, because it's who he is. Randy says it was really really good. Kara says he was born to sing. Jorge starts crying because he's so honored to be there. Awww. This guy is really likable, but I don't get the impression that he's going to be very interesting stylistically if he continues in this competition. I wish you well Jorge, but you're not getting my vote.

We all knew before the episode began that Lil Rounds would get the pimp spot tonight. It's all too predictable. While Lil has a little of that classy, mature woman thing going for her, she still comes across as cocky in my opinion. She's doing Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" tonight because...she misses her kids! I need to make a list of all the contestants this year who have children as compared to other years. It has to be a record. I don't listen to Mary J. Blige, so I don't know how this compares to the original. I think Lil sounds OK here, but I feel like we've seen the "diva" thing done better in past seasons. She's got the routine down: sassy stage movements, doses of melisma and an unflinching, self-assured look on her face. After a shouty glory note to end the song, we're ready to hear the pimping. Simon says it was brilliant, and he only wishes she'd shown more originality. What high praise! Randy likes that she didn't lose her swagger. How encouraging! Kara calls her a powerhouse. Gee, the judges sure are being nice to Lil, aren't they? Paula calls her "first class," and predicts that we'll see her for "many more Lil Rounds." Oh, that Paula! I can live without Lil, but I doubt she's going anywhere after all that pimping.

My performance ranking:

1. Ju'Not (9 out of 10)
2. Von (8.5 out of 10)
3. Alex (8.1 out of 10)
4. Jorge (8 out of 10)
5. Scott (7 out of 10)
6. Lil (6.5 out of 10)
7. Felicia (6 out of 10)
8. Kristin (4.5 out of 10)
9. Nathaniel (4 out of 10)
10. Kendall (3.5 out of 10)
11. Arianna (2.5 out of 10)
12. Taylor (2 out of 10)

Predictions after the performances:

Top male vote-getter: Scott. Pimped since the audition rounds.
Top female vote-getter: Lil. See above.
Third seat: Ju'Not. Has a kid and sang great.

Whom I voted for: Alex, Ju'Not, Felicia.

Two more days of this mess. We've only just begun!