Idol Watch

Idol Top 24 revealed -- with surprise ending

American Idol picked its Top 24 this week, but ended on a cliffhanger. One additional guy, a 13th, will get the nod next week among those who had been cut. Will it be Fort Lauderdale's Johnny Keyser, David Leathers Jr., Richie Law or Jermaine Jones?

Of the four, Jermaine, the self-described "mama's boy" with the rich baritone is my favorite by far. But I think he'll have a longer career opportunity in musical theater than in the disposable world of Auto-Tuned pop. As painful as it would be for him to hear he's not the lucky one, it MIGHT be a favor if the judges urge him to pursue theater with his commanding voice.

Richie, the obnoxious cowboy, said last night, "So so won't cut it." Richie is more than a country mile away from being even close to the level of so-so. He's entitled, rude, obnoxious and a walking cliche in his ten gallon hat. The only good thing is Idol judges probably will feel they have country covered so they don't really need him. That's my hope.

I wish I could remember our homeboy, Fort Lauderdale's Johnny, but I really can't. He didn't leave an impression in the few times he appeared on TV.

This leaves 17 year old David. I thought for sure he was a finalist and I think he deserves to be IF he can come up with something other than Michael Jackson karaoke. He's an agreeable young man, decent voice, a nice energy, but he's not fresh at all on the Jackson trip. My guess is he gets the pick in a narrow squeak over Jermaine (altho the judges seemed more crushed by Jermaine's departure than anyone else.)

Here is the one sure thing, the Season 11 American Idol Top 24: (So far, tho she's not the greatest vocalist, the little Reba, country singer Skylar Laine, has struck me the most. If she keeps it country she could become a viable artist. Something authentic about Skylar.)

For more pop culture, Idol and other stuff follow @HowardCohen on Twitter.

American Idol goes to Vegas

American Idol sends its numerous (TOO numerous) advancing contestants from the Hollywood rounds to Vegas tonight for more weeding out and whatnot. South Florida is still in the running with Angie Ziederman  
and Johnny Keyser hoping to advance into the semifinals.

I won't be live commenting on Idol tonight. Will catch up later on Twitter @HowardCohen

 

Madonna to premiere new video on American Idol

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American Idol's Season 11 audition shows have been tanking, quality-wise and ratings-wise, but Fox could experience a bump in viewership Thursday when the Fox show premieres the new Madonna video, Gimme All Your Luvin, during the broadcast.

The song is the first single from Madonna's forthcoming MDNA album and features appearances from Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

Fox has to hope this cross promotion can boost ratings as the series has dropped 27 percent in the 18-24 demo they covet. Madonna might not be the younger set's first choice but, really, who isn't at least a little curious to see what her new video looks like? I'll be watching and offering live commentary on Twitter @HowardCohen for the Thursday show.

American Idol auditions

Here's your playground, Idol Watchers, for more auditions. Can we all agree that this audition thing has grown stale and needs to be over?

American Idol Sunday broadcast

Fox plans to air a third episode of American Idol this week, tonight at 10 after the NFL game. 

Sunday's a busy TV night and I don't enjoy the audition shows so it won't be a priority. But if anyone wishes to post comments on what they see, have at it.

Follow @HowardCohen on Twitter.

American Idol Auditions: Pittsburgh

Thursday night televises auditions from Pittsburgh for another two hours. While you await tonight's slog, here's some more news from last night's Season 11 debut:
While ratings fell, social media postings on sites like Twitter, using the #Idol hashtag, spiked to impressive numbers.

And it turns out "Tent Girl" Amy Brumfield, (above, Fox/Idol) who had the requisite hard-luck story and, thankfully, somewhat decent vocals, has a past, ie, an arrest record according to TMZ research. Read here.

Meantime, follow me on Twitter @HowardCohen for live commentary, soon as I get back from assignment, and have fun in this playground, Idol Watchers.

American Idol hits low note in ratings war

Photo: Fox/American Idol

The King of Reality Competitions has fallen but still remains mightier than the rest.

The Season 11 premiere of American Idol, which introduced fans to a likely finalist in Philip Phillips Jr. (or Phillipx2 in Twitterspeak), drew 21.6 million total viewers and a 7.2 demo rating, dropping 18 percent in total viewers and 26 percent in the coveted 18-24 demo from last season's bow.

The numbers represent Idol's biggest between-seasons percentage decline ever.

Not surprising, of course. Idol is the senior on the block and few shows not named 60 Minutes boast ratings increases when they are this long in the tooth. South Florida DirecTV customers also had a WSVN blackout to contend with in the onging rate dispute. Plus, there is a glut of music programs on TV. People seem to have had enough if the rapidly declining ratings for scripted shows like Glee or the collective yawn that greeted the reality competition upstarts, the blatant Idol rehash X Factor and the silly The Voice, are an indication. 

But for all the gloaters in the The X Factor and The Voice camps, those retread shows still can't command half of Idol's viewership or impact in the music industry. The Voice winner's debut album came and went in a week's time, for instance. South Florida X Factor winner Melanie Amaro should release her debut some time this year. Will it achieve Idol Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery's crossover popularity at retail and radio? The Magic 8 Ball here says: outlook isn't favorable.

And despite a bloated two-hour audition show Wednesday, with yet another month of tiresome audition shows to come, including two more shows tonight and Sunday, Idol still is a more watchable enterprise, with more engaging judges, than its recent competitors. Perhaps a Season 12 quick fix might be to scrap all these audition shows and condense them into one two-hour broadcast, shorten the season and get to the finalist's competition that much sooner.

For more followhttp://twitter.com/HowardCohenon Twitter

American Idol picks its Season 10 Top 24

 
 
American Idol judges selected 12 guys and 12 girls for a Top 24 bunch of finalists for America to vote on, just as in previous seasons. So much for the big changes that we were promised. Oh, and as for the big cliffhanger last night? JLo pulled herself together and won't quit after all. Did anyone think she really would?

One plus: there appears to be some real talent in the crop this season. Even the weaker contestants are better than any of the Top 12 last year. Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze and runnerup Crystal Bowersox wouldn't have made it through Hollywood week this year. Kudos to the judges who treated the process with more concern and care than the bored-with-it-all Simon Cowell and fellow judges last season.

That said, Idol appears headed back toward a time when oversinging was championed above all else. Two of the alltime worst offenders in this regard, James Durbin and Jacob Lusk, won over the judges and plenty of fans in the Twitterverse with their hysterical, screeching displays of vocal excess. Of the two, James is the worst. He studied Season 8 runnerup Adam Lambert and only remembered the squeals. Unlike Adam, James has no vocal range, can't sing the verses well, has no charisma, looks or IT factor. He screeches. That's it. Jacob can sing but is a migraine inducing pain in the you know where.

My biggest disappointment of the season thus far: The judges cut 15-year-old Jacee Badeaux. An explanation wasn't given, but he probably was too young and unseasoned in their eyes, but he had a sweet, in-tune voice. He was confident enough in his abilities that he didn't need to resort to screaming or oversinging to fool anyone. He sang for the joy and musicality of it and he was never less than a pleasure to listen to on the show. In addition, he had class. Jacee should try out again next year and keep on studying the craft of singing. One day he'll get to do what he loves to do. His family should be proud.

Jacee was cut, along with Colton Dixon, in the final round when three guys competed for one remaining seat. The winner: Brett Loewenstern, the likable 16-year-old from Boca Raton. All three should have advanced into the finals in place of Durbin, Lusk, Tim Halperin or Robbie Rosen. I would have liked to see the good-natured cowboy John Wayne Schulz become the second country singer in the finals, too. There was room for two country talents this season.

Here are the judge's picks:

THE GUYS

1. Brett Loewenstern (He's different, should make the Top 10 and the tour)
2. Stefano Langone (A survivor)
3. Casey Abrams (Hospitalized on Wednesday, must perform in Friday's taping to remain. Randy Jackson thinks he's the most musically talented contestant ever on the Idol stage. Overpraise, but the 19-year-old jazz fan is certainly skillful and talented and unlike anyone we've seen on Idol thus far)
4. James Durbin (Irritating in every conceivable category. What were the judges thinking?)
5. Jovany Barreto (The abs man. Probably an early dismissal)
6. Jordan Dorsey (The definition of ordinary)
7. Scotty McCreery (Suddenly becoming my favorite of the guys. He turned me off at first with his Josh Turner karaoke -- and he did Turner again in his final audition, but the 17-year-old has shown vocal range and he does have that amazing baritone. Even better, he has humility and the class to admit when he makes a mistake. Aside from Kelly Clarkson, Idol's greatest success has been in the country field with Carrie Underwood and this guy is the real deal. Hope he makes it to the upper half.)
8. Clint Jun Gamboa (Good voice. Competitive. But I don't like him. Not someone I'd root for)
9. Robbie Rosen (Melodramatic vocals sound like subpar Marc Anthony. Maybe that's why JLo put this non-star through. So far, I don't get the appeal)
10. Paul McDonald (This generation's Kenny Loggins? He's got the plush voice and facial hair. Can he write songs, too?)

11. Jacob Lusk (Beyond overrated. Randy said his God Bless the Child was the best he ever heard on the Idol stage. Randy's a sucker for melismatic singers -- he produced Mariah, after all. Only Durbin annoys me more than this guy so far)
12. Tim Halperin (Forgettable)

 

THE GIRLS

1 Lauren Alaina (If she can stay consistent, she could win it. She's the whole package. Voice. Looks. It factor. And producers wanted a 15-year-old and she fits that bill too)
2. Karen Rodriguez (Good voice)
3. Pia Toscano (One of the vocal standouts)
4. Rachel Zevita (gets a JLo lecture, another Steven Tyler fakeout [knock it off, Steven!] and makes it on the quirky card)
5. Lauren Turner (Can't quite recall her, could that make her the Kelly Clarkson? Will she begin to standout in the finals?)
6. Kendra Chantelle (Was good in harmony with Paul)
7. Ashthon Jones (Good voice, not sure about her yet)
8. Naima Adedapo (Presence and a voice)
9. Julie Zorrilla (Not much to say yet)
10. Haley Reinhart (Overdoes the vocals)
11. Ta-Tynisa Wilson (Don't remember her)
12. Thia Megia (Another 15-year-old and she could make the tour)

For more, follow on Twitter @HowardCohen