American Idol Recap, Round 3

Well, I missed last week’s post due to some traveling, and as with the first week, I was 2 for 3 on my predictions. While I wanted Kris to make it through, I thought his lack of previous airtime would have done him in. Looks like I was wrong, though, and his cuteness compensated for his lack of previous exposure.

For this week, we were once again dosed with a healthy helping of the good, the bad, and the bizarre. That’s why we love Idol, right? This was a blander, more tame show, lacking the absolute train wrecks of Group 1, and lacking, well….the Norman Gentle of Group 2. It also lacked any real knock-out performances, though there were a few good ones.

Von Smith, whose name sounds like he’s a German rocket scientist, opened the night with Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need to Get By”. He didn’t scream throughout the song, which made the performance okay, if not a little boring. He did supply us with an array of crazy faces, though, so we would know it was still him. The judges gave him mixed reviews, and compared him to Clay Aiken. Since Aiken made the number 2 spot, that should be a compliment, but Smith has neither the voice, nor the “aw-shucks” awkwardness that made Clay so lovable. It seems that this season, everyone has a sad personal story showcasing the obstacles they or their family have had to overcome; blindness, death of a spouse, single mothers, multiple personality disorders…we’ve had it all. And with one quick camera shot of the audience we learned of Von Smith’s family tragedy…his sister’s teeth. OMG! It was frightening, actually. Hopefully, Smith will take whatever money he makes from his Idol journey and get dear sis some veneers. As for his hopes, though, his progression seems doubtful. He was by no means the worst this week, but he won’t be making it through tonight. His wildcard odds aren’t all that great, either.

Next up, Taylor Vaifuna, with Alicia Keyes’ “If I Got You. It was an okay performance. Nothing to write home about, but also nothing that had me turning down the volume. The most notable thing about Taylor is that she looks to be about 12 feet tall. Since it’s not likely she will be with us in the top 12, perhaps she should have her agent (I’m sure they all have one by now) contact the WNBA.

Then came the night’s fun! Alex Wagner-Trugman graces the stage to perform “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues” by Sir Elton John. According to Alex, he’s been working out. Sure, Alex. So have I. Alex’s voice isn’t bad, but his dancing is perhaps the worst Idol has ever seen. It’s a rare cross between Kevin Covais and John Peter Lewis. Seriously, someone should tape his arms to his sides and nail his feet to the floor. He growls through parts of the song and I can’t help but laugh inside. Then, in a calculated “to cool for school” move, he rips the mike off the stand and appears to toss the mic stand down. That causes me to laugh outside. He claims it was accidental, I think otherwise. In any event, it was the greatest moment of the night. He’s funny, but I don’t think we will be seeing him around anymore. There are too many other guys that are much better.

Arianna Asfar, of “as cute as a button” fame, performed Abba’s “The Winner Takes It All”. It wasn’t great. The song seemed to drag on and on, and then on and on. And just when it was almost done, it drug on some more. The song has a few glory notes which Asfar was unfortunately unable to pull off. Simon said it sounded like he was at a funeral, it may well be Arianna’s Idol funeral. If the winner takes it all, I’m afraid Arianna will be left with nothing, well except for that cute as a button thing.

Ju’Not Joyner is next singing the Plain White T’s “Delilah”. This song has been all over this season in the earlier rounds, and I actually quite liked his performance. He’s loving him some Luther Vandross and it comes across in the performance. He went for a shot of sympathy, quite literally, when he revealed that he had just gotten a cortisone shot in the butt to help his voice. He apparently has asthma. We’ll see if that shot is enough to give him a shot in the top 12. This one could be close. If not tonight, he has some wildcard hopes.

Then we have dear, sweet Kristen McNamara performing “Give Me One Reason to Stay Here” by Tracy Chapman. The performance was pretty good, but not great, so she got the standby we like you but didn’t like the song choice with an added dash of “we don’t know who you are as an artist” for good measure. Kara loves that line and is starting to throw it out as often as Randy does “dawg”. She confesses to the judges that she doesn’t know how to dress and has trouble with her style. Honey, we know that…but admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. There were better and worse female performances so she won’t be making it through tonight. She may have give the judges enough reasons to let her stay here, though, so we’ll see if she makes a wildcard appearance on Thursday night.

Nathaniel Marshall sings “I Would Do Anything for Love” by Meatloaf. It wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be (as for some strange reason I like the song). Adam Lambert would have performed this song much better. He still had what I’m guessing he’s hoping to become his signature head-band on, and that lead to more discussion about the head band than his performance. I’m not sure what the fascination with the head-band is, really. His outfits are always much worse than the head accessories. If he hopes to pull off the emo, punk look he’s trying for, then he needs to lose about 30 pounds. He’s as full of cheeseburgers as he is drama. The tight jeans and tops on his figure are not in the least bit flattering. He won’t be making it through tonight but he’s quirky enough that the judges may let him perform again on Thursday.

Felicia Barton should just be happy to be here. Squeaking by due to the disqualification of Pacitti, she was already on her second life. She looks kind of a mess with her bad hair and flashy dress, but the performance isn’t as bad as her look. She sang “No One” by Alicia Keys. I don’t think she had the vocals to make it through tonight, and doesn’t really have the personality to make it in the wildcard. This cat only has 2 lives. Sorry.

Scott MacIntyre sang Bruce Hornsby’s “Mandolin Rain”. It was a good performance and let’s face it, he could have come out there singing like Nick Mitchell and still made it through. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but he’s blind. Definitely the best obstacle overcoming story in the history of idol. Not even the kid who nearly lost his voice during a tracheotomy can top it. What most impressed me during the performance was that he didn’t look too blind. The camera team did a great job making it appear he was working the cameras. Paula commented “I want America to see you play and sing.” Kind of a mean thing to say to a guy that can’t see. He’s as good as gold to make it through tonight, though. And if not, the judges will definitely place him in the top 12 by way of the wildcard.

Following Scott comes Kendall Beard. This girl’s country with a k. In other words, kuntry. She sings Martina McBride’s “This One’s for the Girl’s”. Well, this one was for the girls that like country indeed. The vocals were decent, and each season has to have its country girl. She won’t make it through tonight, but has a good wildcard chance thanks to sticking to her country music vibe.

Jorge Nunez takes the stage to perform “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”. This song has been performed by two of my Idol favorites, Clay Aiken and David Archuleta, in the past so I had pretty high expectations. Jorge didn’t disappoint. It was good. There was banter back and forth about his accent, blah, blah blah. Then, as the discussion turned to his being “born to sing”, Jorge bursts into tears of happiness and all America cheered him on. I like the guy. I want to trim his eyebrows (or rather have someone trim his eyebrows) but aside from that, yea Jorge! I think he has a good chance to make it through tonight. If not, I’m praying for a wildcard return.

Finally, in the spirit of saving the best for last, Lil’ Rounds hops up and sings Mary K. Blige’s “Be Without You”. It was very good. The judges went wild about it. Paula made the pun of the night saying she thinks we will see her for many more “lil rounds”. I groaned. I wanted to tell Paula to keep her day job, but I don’t really want that either. As a side note, this girl might be the definition of ghetto booty. Yikes! Perhaps a name change is in order as those rounds ain’t so little. Regardless, she was clearly the best female vocal and is a shoe-in for the top 12. But seriously, Lil, let’s change the name.

Who should make it through based on last night’s performances- Lil Rounds, Ju’Not Joyner, Jorge Nunez.

Who I want to make it through based on who I want to make it through- Lil Rounds, Ju’Not Joyner, Jorge Nunez.

Who I think will make it through based on America’s vote- Lil Rounds, Jorge Nunez, Scott MacIntyre.