as i've mentioned before in a previous bloggy entry, twelve contestants had been picked but only eight will be selected to perform in front of the cameras during the wildcard show. However, i was still unprepared to learn of the actual selection process; After a number of days of gruelling rehearsals whereby each contestant continued to receive supervision & advice/criticism from the three eminent judges, four unfortunates were singled out to go home, LIVE on national television during the show itself. As if this wasnt humiliating enough, they were NOT given sufficient justification as to why they had to leave. And this is why I am abit peeved with the whole AI format this year... It's like evrything is about ratings, ratings and ratings... and the producers are more than happy to crush the dreams & hopes of these youths in order to draw audiences to the goggle-box. Where has those days gone when a talent competition is nothing else but about pure, unadulterated talent???
So Lisa Leuschner, Marque Lynch, Tiara Purifoy & Eric Yoder were all dismissed without a second thought; Lisa probably because she was fat & had a large ass (despite having one of the best voices in the competition), and Marque because he had a stage voice (although it was a darn good one). So what about Tiara & Eric?? well, they probably weren't goodlooking enuff or sumthing because vocals-wise, they're tons better than some of those who were selected to stay. It IS indeed a cruel world out there but is it wrong to demonstrate at least a modicum of compassion? *haiz*
Nevertheless, the show must go on and it did. Numero uno, Jon Peter Lewis showed us that not only could he belt a very convincing cover of elvis presley's A Little Less Conversation, but he's got some fancy dance-moves too. However, i'd rather NOT see him do that little jig of his; the accompanying facial expression was way too scary! He's no cover-boy either (Jon always looks as if he has just woken up straight from bed) but he makes up for it with tons of personality and a distinctive vocal tone. Second to perform Elizabeth Letendre may be blonde and buxom, but she's got enough chutzpah to carry roberta flack's The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face, proving once and for all that she can sing. Unfortunately, it was only a mild and tender performance... nothing too amazing. Katie Webber, on the other hand, is not only blonde and buxom, she's quite the sexkitten too; prancing around in a shimmering blue miniskirt whilst belting whitney houston's retro disco hit So Emotional is definitely too kitsch for my tastes. Furthermore, Katie was abit pitchy (which, bytheway, is a word with no real meaning although used excessively by the judges) in some parts. Seriously, did she really think her vocals were up to par to carry a whitney song??? Au contraire, George Huff 's impressive vocals shone resplendently sans glittery attire in Al Green's Lean On Me. All his performance needed was an accompanying gospel choir and it would have been PErfect... Nonetheless, his tall, lanky figure was all-over the stage and it reminded me of the clumsy scarecrow character from wizard of oz. If there's anyone who needs an image overhaul, it would have to be dear George! ;p
Suzie Vulaca's previously-distracting afro was pulled back for her rendition of gloria gaynor's I Will Survive and she was certainly appropriately dressed for the song too. On top of that, it was an almost flawless performance of a very difficult song. Anyone else would probably have carried it off with more camp and less taste but Suzie was all classy and chic. I was mesmerized by her thick and rich vocal tone which was reminiscent of Kimberly locke from last season. Suzie is unique and has loads of potential but i'm afraid she had been pretty sub-par up til this point so I'm not sure if she could pull the votes somehow. Talking about votes, I'm pretty sure though that Matthew Matzger wouldnt have any trouble garnering them because, let's face it, he is quite cute despite having a very inadequate voice. okie okie.. i must concede that he started off When I see You Smile pretty well but seriously, it just fell flat in the later parts of the song. Leah Labelle however, can sing much better than Matthew and she did a very credible version of Let's Stay Together. But what's UP with that flower in the hair ala Jasmine Trias??? And she's got a weird sense of dressing... (a black tube dress worn over jeans??? hello???!!) On the whole though, i much prefer Trenyce's version from last season; Leah's was just not spectacular enough. I had been waiting to be blown away all night.. so thank god for Jennifer Hudson; she completely threw me off my seat with her eye-popping pink dress which unabashedly accentuated her... erm.. more than ample curves. hehe.. Seriously though, her take of whitney houston's I Believe In You & Me was incredible! The thing about Jennifer, i think, is that she's able to engage audiences somehow with her dominant stage presence and carries them along as her song builds up to a dramatic crescendo. Plaudits for Jennifer's excellent performance but double thumbs down to whoever gives her such appalling fashion advice week after week... LOL
And that's it folks.... your quintessential review of the wildcard show, unembellished by ryan secrest's increasingly lame jokes, paula's saccharine compliments, Randy's incomprehensible musings and simon's scathing remarks~! I'm rooting for jennifer hudson this time around and keeping my fingers crossed (and even my toes) that matthew metzger does NOT get in. YES i'm prejudiced against picture-perfect toy-boys who cant sing for nuts and think they deserve a shot at superstardom. . . MUahahaha
