Lucky 13

*photo courtesy of mtv.com

The 8th season of American Idol has been marked with several changes and revisions to the show’s mechanics right off the bat. The most evident being the addition of Kara to the AI judges and the longer Hollywood week period leading up to the final 12 finalists that will compete to become the next American Idol. Well, well, well… I admit, I fell for it. I had been reading lots of spoilers but the announcement of a final 13, instead of 12, was so spontaneously done that I shared Anoop’s reaction.

To provide a little context, 8 contestants who failed to garner enough votes during the first three rundown of the top 36 contestants to determine the top 12, were given a second chance in their so-called Wildcard phase. The best feature about this stage of the competition is that it is the judges who get to decide which singers make it through.

One episode was dedicated to allow the top 12 (or 13, now that we already know it) another shot at performing, and impressing, the judges to show they have what it takes to be the American Idol (as they often bill it.. pardon me for the cliche). Some were impressive, while others nailed their own coffin. But the results were pleasing for my part since two of my bets made it through… Megan Joy Corkrey was chosen over the-girl-who-just-won’t-stop-crying-that-she-starts-to-get-on-my-nerves Tatiana del Toro. Huh, even her attempt to mimic Jorge’s “when I get emotional, I turn into Spanish” plea did not do much.

Last, but certainly not the least, to perform for the night was Anoop Desai. I had to agree with Simon that it wasn’t the best vocal performance, but Anoop never fails to charm the audience. So, it came as a total shock when Anoop was about to leave the stage after Matt Giraud was announced to be the 12th finalist, and Simon announced that they just made a decision to make it a top 13 instead of 12.  13 wasn’t such an unlucky number, was it for Anoop?

Now that Anoop’s part of the pack, I look forward for more exciting weeks at AI. Keep voting guys!

Kick-off: American Idol Hollywood Week

And so, we’re off to Hollywood. One of the biggest change in Season 8 of AI was to cut short the crappy audition pieces (which was rather some of the more entertaining parts of the show) to lengthen the Hollywood Week part of the season. Talk about trying to roughen it up! Anyways, Hollywood Week was entertaining, funny at times, but definitely full of drama. Gladly though, a few genuine talent shone through.

First day of Hollywood Week consisted of performances that screened through the contestants that will make it through the next round. To be honest, there is just too much people involved that it’s hard to pinpoint who’s who, so this stage did not stood out that much. Though I was glad Michael Castro safely skirted through.

The second part of Hollywood Week proved to be the more entertaining one, since it is a Group Sing. This allowed the contestants to not only showcase their vocal capacity but also their flexibility when working as a team. Ahuh. Some groups held it together, while others fell apart due to clashing personalities.

The Team Diva, oddly enough, proved to be such divas but minus the lackluster performance. It consisted of orphan girl Rose, Bikini Girl Katrina Darell, Jasmine, and another one whom I forgot the name of. There was too much drama, springing around (surprise, surprise!) Katrina. Even Kara could not withstand her boisterous attitude. I’m glad she’s gone for good in my next American Idol viewing sessions.

There were quite a few standout from the performances and I’m too tired to mention them all, so I’d rather list them down here:

*Adam Lambert – His experience in theatre really proved itself here. Belting out those high notes was rather a pleasure to watch. And damn, he made those black eye-liners look sexy!

those killer eye-liners!

*Jeremy Michael Sarver. Another impressive vocals! Boy, could he sing! I’m no good at predictions, but he’s one of those few real talents I’ve got my bet on to make the top 36.

*Danny, the young widower. Hah, forgot his name. I tend to mix the contestants up for now. But he’s good, cited as one of the best auditions by the judges. So, there’s no surprise he makes it through.

Michael survives Hollywood.

*Michael Castro. He made it, but I was rather sad he did not get that much air time. Is this some sort of conspiracy? Or was he too much of a hands-on favorite that it’ll be not worth the air time? Whichever way it is, I was not pleased. *sobs*

Looks like this is the guy’s season right here. Not too many impressive showing from the women, although I expect that to change in the coming weeks, especially as the number of contestants slim down. Speaking of women, the good ole catfight between Kara D. and bikini-girl Katrina is on yet again! But this time, with Kara having the last say. Ever the poser that she is, Katrina did not let it get her down as she even managed to pose for the camera. No, I don’t find her annoying, instead she’s amusing. Anyways, the crappy stuff are over and AI looks to be more exciting in the coming weeks. Till then!

sibling rivalry?

dreadlocked Jason.

He might not have the most powerful vocals out of the season 7 batch of American Idol wannabes, but he managed to swoon as many audiences (and voters) as needed to get him to the top 4. Dreadlocks? Soulful voice? The good looks? Dreamy eyes? Yes. I know you know who I’m talking about. Jason Castro might have missed a few notes along the way but he did captivate fans with his endearing performances and irresistible charm that goes whenever he steps into the center stage. And he kept that smile on even when he received a few reprimand during his not-so-good performances. He was with a talented bunch but Jason stood his ground.

As American Idol returns with yet another season and lots of surprises, we though it’s the last we’ve seen of the Castro’s on American Idol. However, the musically inclined family is back with another equally talented brood, in the form of Michael Castro. Watching the auditions with my family, my mom pointed out as Michael was being interviewed before he steps into the audition room: “He’s the more good looking one.”

Being the loyal Jason fan that I am, I chided in Jason’s defense: “Jason’s got the soulful voice and eyes.” Just when I was about to launch a series of defense for Jason, Michael started singing his audition piece, a Gavin de Graw song I was not familiar with. If Michael’s claims were true at all, knowing that he begun singing only 20 days before the auditions, then you know there’s a natural talent there. He is one of the greatest finds of this season and even the judges were impressed that they couldn’t hide how pleased they were with his performance. I had to admit, he might actually do better than Jason when he’s already this good at this stage of the competition. He’s got more spunk, more attitude, more confidence, as compared to Jason’s shy demeanor.

faux-hawk, junior Michael Castro.

But no, Michael isn’t going to ride the coattails of his older brother’s success. In fact, he brings a fresh new style into the table that I might find myself watching more American Idol this season.