And at least, the season begins in earnest after the pointless cruelty of the audition shows and the pointless time-wasting of Hollywood Week.
On the whole, I'm not happy with the new semi-final format (which is actually the old semi-final format, used during the first few years of the show). It allows mediocre singers to slip into the finals with one unusually strong performance, where the previous format required singers to put together three good weeks to make the final 12. To be sure, the previous format allowed good singers to get cut based on one unusually weak performance, but that will still happen here, and any singer who can't get through a three-week semi-final without cracking probably doesn't deserve to be a finalist anyway.
The new format also takes away our chance to become familiar with the contestants over the three-week period; by the time the finals had begun, we had heard three full performances from each finalist, and (if the singers were smart) there was a good chance we'd heard them in a range of styles. Now, we'll head into the finals having heard each singer once -- maybe twice, for those who get in via Wild Card Night -- and it'll have been a month since we heard the singers who make it to the finals tonight.
Finally, 36 semifinalists is too many. We've never had 24 semifinalists who were good enough to make the finals, so why do we need to increase the number? This new format would work just as well with three weeks of 8 as with three weeks of 12. (Ah, but then, the competition show would only be one hour long instead of two, and we can't ask Fox to give up three hours of Idol airtime.)
There is one plus: We have at least the potential to get away from the rigid gender balance that was required of the final 12 under the previous format. If eight or nine of the best twelve singers are of the same gender, then that's what we should get, rather than the artificial 6-6 requirement. I'm sure that the judges will be under some pressure to even out the genders with their Wild Card choices (the judges, not the public, will choose the three winners from Wild Card night), but at least we aren't locked in to the 6 boys/6 girls thing.
So, the rundown for the night:
Jackie, "A Little Less Conversation" -- It's an interesting bluesy version of the song, especially at the beginning, but she gets shoutier as she progresses and doesn't quite have the voice to pull off the Joplin shtick. And the brief kittenish interlude in the bridge doesn't work at all. The judges are right, though, when they comment on well she controls the stage.
Ricky, "A Song for You" -- Too much melisma (an unusual comment for a male contestant), and his voice is too thick and throaty for my taste. Still, his intonation is superb and his range impressive, with some very nice falsetto work at the end. A very good performance.
Alexis, "Never Loved a Man" -- Let's face it, looks matter. And if you're a tiny pale-skinned blonde girl, you're going to have a hard time being taken seriously as an R&B belter unless you're amazingly good. This was amazingly good. She's got power without shrieking or loss of control; the voice is solid at high or low volume.
Brent, "Hick Town" -- Idol is primarily a show about pop and rock music. A country singer can survive on this show, but he's got to be better than this (and he's got to choose more interesting material, especially in this format where you get only one chance to make an impression). You can hear performances like this from every bar band in Texas on a Friday night. Bye, bye, Brent.
Stevie, "You Belong With Me" -- She's right that the song's youthful energy suits her, but her pitch is never quite in place and she loses power entirely in her lower register, getting very breathy. She also chooses to breathe in odd places, mid-phrase, sometimes even mid-word.
Anoop, "Angel of Mine" -- Pitch problems throughout, and his high notes don't impress the way Ricky's did, sounding slightly pinched. It might be good enough to at least get him through to Wild Card Night, though. The adorable factor will certainly help; I could just melt in those eyes. (I am, however, already sick to death of the "Anoop Dogg" nickname.)
Casey, "Every Little Thing He Does" -- It's not as if The Police are Iron Maiden or anything, but this song does need a bit more of a rock edge than she can bring; it's like the Muzak version. It's harmless and pleasant enough, though her voice does get unpleasantly harsh when she tries to hit the big, long, belty notes.
Michael, "I Don't Wanna Be" -- One shot to impress, and this is the song he picks? It doesn't offer any opportunity for a singer to really shine. It's a dull song, and the performance isn't much better; Michael's utter lack of charisma isn't helping.
Ann Marie, "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman" -- A few small pitch problems, but a spectacular voice, and she finds a way to sell the song without trying to sound like an Aretha clone. One of the better performances of the night, and I am surprised at how negative the judges' comments are.
Stephen, "Rock With You" -- A very dutiful, restrained performance, with none of the joy or abandon the song needs. And the big long high note that's meant to impress us wobbles all over the place. This isn't going to get him to the finals.
Tatiana, "Saving All My Love For You" -- Not horrible, though she has a tendency to push awfully hard, and the lyrics are mostly lost in mush (and no, I don't think that's just her accent). Maybe she slips through to Wild Card Night, but I doubt it.
Danny, "Hero" -- Best of the night, by a long shot. Simon's right that the other judges are going a bit overboard, but only Alexis has come close to this level of performance tonight.
Deserving of the top three spots: Danny, Alexis, Ricky.
Deserving of a second chance on Wild Card Night: Anoop, Ann Marie.
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