A few of the details might’ve varied, but tonight’s installment of American Idol was, at its coal-black, mercenary heart, a less dusty reenactment of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.
Oh, sure, Ryan Seacrest went with his standard, “This…is American Idol!” intro (as opposed to the more ominous “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dyin’ time’s here“). And no, there weren’t any feral, bloodthirsty ragamuffins in the front row (just some smiling or occasional booing family members of the contestants). But there was indeed a chiseled Australian dude (sporting better highlights, a more exacting ear, and a shaper sense of humor) and a dominatrix overlord (played by Nicki Minaj instead of Tina Turner).
Make no mistake, though, the “two men enter, one man leaves!” carnage was no less brutal or bloody. Ten wannabe Kelly Clarksons entered the Las Vegas stage that typically houses The Beatles: Love show, but only five advanced to the semifinals and a chance to find out if America’s speed-dialing populus wants to hold their hands, so to speak.
Over a 120-minute telecast that featured only a few full-fledged train wrecks, but three or four performances which hinted that — with a little improvement/confidence boost — our Season 12 winner might possibly be in the house, the secondary story arc was the exceptionally salient feedback offered by judges Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj (and occasionally Mariah Carey). Let’s hope these highly paid individuals continue to “knock it out of the park” and earn their salaries instead of falling back on empty “that was beautiful”/”you look beautiful” platitudes favored the last two years by Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. As for Randy Jackson, on a night where blood spilled freely as a Game of Thrones battle scene, the “fourth judge” somehow managed to avoid being told “goodnight” by Keith and sent to a hasty, tearful retreat down the exit ramp of doom. Oh well, there’s always Thursday night, or one of next week’s episodes, right? (Yes, Nigel Lythgoe, it’s never to late to trim the panelist whose feedback is merely a haphazardly welded combo of whatever Nicki and Keith already said.)
Anyhow, let’s cut to the set list for the first “sudden death” episode in Idol history — along with my letter grades for every performance:
Jenny Beth Willis: Trisha Yearwood’s “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love” | Grade: C+
Tenna Torres: Natasha Bedingfield’s “Soulmate” | Grade: C
Adrianna Latonio: Aretha Franklin’s "Ain't No Way" | Grade: B+
Brandy Hotard: Travis Tritt’s “Anymore” | Grade: B-
Shubha Vedula: Lady Gaga’s "Born This Way" | Grade: B
Kamaria Ousley: Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All” | Grade: D+
Kree Harrison: Patty Griffin’s “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)” | Grade: A-
Angela Miller: Jessie J’s “Nobody’s Perfect” | Grade: B
Isabelle: Billie Holiday’s "God Bless The Child" | Grade: C
Amber Holcomb: Rodgers & Hart’s "My Funny Valentine" | Grade: B
RESULTS
Put through to the Top 20 by the judges: Tenna, Adrianna, Kree, Angela and Amber.
Eliminated by the judges: Jenny Beth, Brandy, Shubha, Kamaria and Isabelle.
Robbed: Shubha (Okay, the performance was a little peculiar, but at least it wasn’t dull!)
I’ll be back overnight to update this post with full reviews of all 10 performances — bookmark, refresh, and enjoy! — but until then, let me turn things over to you. What did you think of the first Vegas round of American Idol Season 12? What did you think of the judges’ feedback in a live setting and how did you feel about their decisions? Who was your favorite? Did Shubha get robbed? Sound off in the comments, and for all my Idol-related news, recaps, interviews and videos, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSlezakTV!
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