Tag Archives: semifinalists

The X Factor Semifinals: Did You Like Their Way?

Four semifinalists. Eight songs. One magical evening. The remaining X Factor performers took to the stage last night, attempting to earn your vote via renditions of such classics as “Hey Jude (Emblem3) and “Imagine” ( Carly Rose Sonenclar ). Who will move on to next week’s finale? One of the two groups? A 13-year old protege? An aspiring country singer? Watch all eight performances now and then vote for your favorite:

Read more:
The X Factor Semifinals: Did You Like Their Way?

American Idol Semifinalists: Revealed!

http://www.youtube.com/v/7X8wmRi7h9E

Read more here:

On last night’s edition of American Ido l, five of the final 24 contestants were announced. Congratulations are in order for Naima Adedapo, Clint Gamboa, Ashthon Jones, Paul McDonald and Haley Reinhart. Now, thanks to the magic of the Internet, the identities of the next 19 – to be officially revealed tonight – have also been leaked. Did you favorite make the cut? Find out below: Tim Halperin Audition… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Hollywood Gossip Discovery Date : 24/02/2011 20:03 Number of articles : 2

American Idol Semifinalists: Revealed!

Paul McDonald Brings Nashville Cool To ‘American Idol’

Scruffy top 24 semi-finalist wowed judges and became a Twitter trending topic after Wednesday’s Las Vegas episode. By Adam Graham Paul McDonald performs on “American Idol” Wednesday Photo: FOX The coolest contestant of season 10’s “American Idol” has stepped out in the form of Paul McDonald. The 25-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, was voted through to the “Idol” top 24 on Wednesday’s (February 23) episode, and his laid-back, easygoing style makes him an early standout among the semifinalists. The scruffy-bearded McDonald, who auditioned for “Idol” in his hometown of Nashville, was first seen on Wednesday singing the Beatles’ “Blackbird” during the Las Vegas round with his duet partner Kendra Chantelle. McDonald’s smooth vocals — which have sort of a Jason Mraz-meets-Mike Posner quality — caused judge Steven Tyler to exclaim, “Yeah! I love his voice,” mid-song, while Jennifer Lopez turned to Tyler to show him the goose bumps on her arm. Lopez later praised McDonald’s “soft, beautiful tone,” saying it “cut right through” and made him stand out. His voice wasn’t the only thing that made McDonald stand out. For his final audition, McDonald sported a white Nudie Suit, complete with embroidered roses and that looked like something out of Jeff Tweedy’s closet. Not only that, but he chose to forgo popular logic and sang an original song for his final shot in front of the judges instead of a cover. The guy couldn’t blend into the background if he tried. “I’ve gotten this far based on, you know, just doin’ my thing, and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” McDonald said in voiceover. It was meant to be: In his final sit-down with the judges, they praised his unique qualities and said while they’re not quite sure where he’ll land in the competition, it will be those same attributes that could potentially take him far. “We’re gonna bank on that and put you through,” Lopez told him. McDonald took the news in stride; raising his arms in victory, he let out a hearty laugh before thanking the judges. And while he said he’s spent the last few weeks “relaxin,’ hangin’ out,” now, he admitted he’s got some work ahead of him. “I gotta learn some songs!” he said. While he works on those new songs, his fanbase is already starting to grow. By the end of Wednesday’s episode, McDonald was a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, and he already had at least one former “Idol” contestant in his corner. “Paul McDonald is the man,” “Idol” season-eight finalist Matt Giraud tweeted . “Really impressed me.” What did you think of Paul McDonald? Let us know in the comments! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Read the original post:
Paul McDonald Brings Nashville Cool To ‘American Idol’

The Betty White Meme: When The Internet Stopped Making Sense

Link: http://www.cracked.com/blog/more-like… Betty White is a talented comedic actress who has been in the entertainment industry for over 50 years, so why is she just starting to be appreciated now? Cracked investigates. Read

Bad Romance: Dueling Choirs

Semifinalists in a televised Finnish singing competition sing the most epic cover of “Bad Romance” ever—as dueling choirs. Watch

‘American Idol’ Experts Predict Who’s Going Home Tonight

Things aren’t looking good for Paige Miles and Aaron Kelly. By Gil Kaufman Paige Miles Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images This year’s “American Idol” top 12 will be revealed on Thursday night’s (March 11) show, but not before the final four semifinalists are shown the door. Unlike previous weeks, when it was fairly obvious which two guys and two girls would be leaving the show, the competition has finally begun to get tighter, and making the call this week is a bit harder. The decision seems pretty clear, though, to MTV News’ “Idol in 60 Seconds” honcho Jim Cantiello. “Paige Miles blew it,” he said of the singer who has been touted as having the strongest voice in the competition by the judges during the live shows after getting next-to-zero screen time in Hollywood. “For two weeks, we’ve heard the judges go on and on about her big voice. Then she finally tries to share it with America and chokes!” Cantiello was referring to Miles’ uneven, off-key cover of “Smile,” a song written by silent-movie star Charlie Chaplin, which was one of Michael Jackson’s favorite tunes. “Take her lack of preseason screen time and add it to her dreadful ‘Smile,’ and you have a Paige farewell in the cards.” He suspected Miles would be joined by old-before-her-time teen Katie Stevens, who he said “floundered in the semifinals with bad song choices and a lack of identity.” Cantiello said Stevens’ cover of original “Idol” Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” on Tuesday night “not only had the unfortunate opening spot [on the show] … but it was also Katie’s weakest vocal to date.” He also predicted that fellow identity-deficient high-schooler Aaron Kelly had worn out his welcome on the show with a “goat-y vibrato and a song that swallowed him whole,” speaking of a wobbly take on Lonestar’s “I’m Already There.” On the show, judge Simon Cowell said the vocal wasn’t great, but he liked the song, while Kara DioGuardi felt the 16-year-old didn’t sell her on a lyric about a dad calling home to his kids. “Plus, he’s from a super-small town [Sonestown, Pennsylvania] so he doesn’t have that organized support system some of the other contestants have set up.” Though Todrick Hall surprised everyone with a cover of Queen’s bombastic “Somebody to Love,” Cantiello thinks it’s curtains for the dancer. “I haven’t come across too many Todrick fans on the Web (other than, randomly, season eight’s Matt Giraud), so his days were numbered regardless of how he performed on the boy’s show,” he opined. “Incidentally, I dug what he did with that Queen song but not sure it won him any new fans, though.” Our other “Idol” expert, MJ Santilli, who runs “Idol” fan site MJsBigBlog.com , agreed with Cantiello on Miles and Kelly but diverged on the other two picks. “Stick a fork in her, she’s done,” Santilli said of Miles. “Paige needed to come out this week with a strong performance, but her WTF rendition of ‘Smile’ sealed her deal. A sad waste of potential.” As for Kelly, she said his pitchy performances didn’t really connect emotionally with the audience. “He needed a couple of more years of maturing to be ready for prime time,” she suggested. “And as tween fodder, he’s competing with Tim Urban and Alex Lambert.” Santilli’s pick for the other guy going home was a surprise: Lee Dewyze, a perennial favorite of Cowell’s who sang a Dave Matthews-ish folky version of Owl City’s “Fireflies” that the judges generally agreed was good enough to get him through to the top 12. “The judges like Lee, but the grunge rocker’s pitchy, tentative performances haven’t really connected with ‘Idol’ viewers,” said Santilli, whose site features hundreds of comments from show fanatics on the week’s performances. Santilli also predicted that Texas singer Lacey Brown would be sent packing. “Her excellent performance Tuesday night of Brandi Carlile’s ‘The Story’ was too little, too late.” Do you agree with our experts’ picks? Let us know by leaving your comments below. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

Go here to see the original:
‘American Idol’ Experts Predict Who’s Going Home Tonight

‘American Idol’ Unveils Seven Top-24 Contenders, Including Casey James, Michael Lynche

The rest of the semifinalists will be revealed on Wednesday’s show. By Eric Ditzian Michael Lynche on “American Idol” Tuesday Photo: Fox Tens of thousands of potential “American Idol” winners became 181 Hollywood Week hopefuls who were then considered, criticized and often condemned until 71 singers gained passage to the next round at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre. Tuesday night’s (February 16) show saw that number winnowed once again as the first crooners of the top 24 were announced by Simon Cowell and his fellow “Idol” judges. Early notable contestants Casey James (he of the shirtless Denver audition), Michael “Big Mike” Lynche (the hulking guy who skipped the birth of his child in favor of a stay at Hollywood Week) and Didi Benami (who sang Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” in memory of her deceased best friend) all made the top 24. Joining them are dancer-turned-singer Todrick Hall, curly-haired Duffy-ite Katelyn Epperly, high-schooler Aaron Kelly and singer-songwriter Lee Dewyze. The fates of early favorites like 17-year-old Katie Stevens (tipped by Kara DioGuardi as a possible champ), Andrew Garcia (the acoustic impressario of “Straight Up” renown) and Crystal Bowersox (she of the blonde dreads and the soulful growl) were left up in the air until Wednesday’s show, when the rest of the top 24 will be announced. With the reality-show circus of the audition rounds and the manufactured drama of group day behind us, one could not be faulted in thinking Tuesday’s episode would focus, finally, on the music. Yet the show oddly skipped over nearly the entire round of tunes — as contestants sang for the first time with a backing band — in favor of 10- or 15-second flashes of a chosen few contestants. The result was an overall disjointed viewing experience, denying us true insight into everyone’s performances and leaving us frustratingly detached from the tension of the elimination. For all the actual music “Idol” producers aired, the show rightfully should have lasted as long as a network sitcom rather than the two-hour snoozefest Fox offered up as entertainment. What little we did see veered from the enticing to the forgettable. Casey James did his cowboy-cool singer-songwriter thing with a cover of Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” and 19-year-old Siobhan Magnus came out of her shell of shyness during a lively version of Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.” Crystal Bowersox hauled out the harmonica for a powerful take on Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy.” Coming off his funky rejiggering of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up,” Andrew Garcia stuck with the female artists as he busted out Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” competently, if considerably less memorably. Meanwhile Alex Lambert flubbed a ukulele-driven channeling — a la Jason Castro — of Jason Mraz, and both Jermaine Sellers and Thaddeus Johnson found themselves struggling to stay on the same page with the band. Mom-rocker Mary Powers’ rendition of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold” had Simon saying, by way of the most backhanded of compliments, “I think she’s interesting because she’s old.” As all this action zipped by at a frenzied pace, the contestants bided their time in one of three holding rooms and the judges traded photos of them in an attempt to cull their choices. One of the rooms, we were teased all episode, would be eliminated. To begin, judges visited room one, which housed Casey James, Lilly Scott, Katie Stevens and Siobhan Magnus. After a not particularly convincing bit of you-might-be-going-home misdirection, Ellen DeGeneres announced, “Ya’ll are going through!” Room two was not as lucky — when it was Simon’s turn to deliver the verdict, he told singers like Mary Powers, Charity Vance and Hope Johnson, “It’s bad news. You haven’t made it.” The judges then popped over to room three to let those contestants — among them Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez and Shelby Dressel — that they were still in the running for the coveted top 24. “It’s really hard to tell you this, but you guys are going to stay,” DioGuardi said. At the end of this round of elimination, 46 contestants were left sweating it out. They wouldn’t have another chance to flex their vocal cords — rather, the judges gathered onstage at the Kodak to call each singer one by one for a face-to-face elimination round. The question of why the show had to have two rounds of elimination on Tuesday — stretching the show to two hours instead of one — should hardly need to be answered after nine seasons of “Idol.” In all, seven of the top 24 singers were announced. While Big Mike was called onstage first and made the cut, reports indicate he has in fact been booted from the competition after his father was said to have broken the show’s confidentiality agreement. Didi Benami and Kaitlin Epperly, the second and third contestants brought in front of the judges, became the first and second women to make it through to the top 24. Casey James sauntered up in a paisley button-down and bounded away a fist-pumping, Kara-hugging member of the semifinalists. Sixteen-year-old shy guy Aaron Kelly battled through ups and downs during Hollywood Week but ended the night on a high note. Lee Dewyze, accused by Simon of having no charisma, nonetheless convinced the judges he had the confidence to go far this season. Only two singers were sent home: Shelby Dressel (who suffers from partial paralyzation of her face) and two-time Hollywood Week bootee Jessica Furney. The remaining 17 contenders in the top 24 will be revealed on Wednesday. “The drama continues tomorrow night,” as Ryan Seacrest put it at show’s end, just before the screen flashed to an image of a closed bathroom stall behind which a heartbroken contestant had fled to bawl his eyes out. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Read more here:
‘American Idol’ Unveils Seven Top-24 Contenders, Including Casey James, Michael Lynche