Tag: Hollie Cavanagh

Jessica Sanchez

The inevitable occurred tonight on the elimination night of “American Idol.” Hollie Cavanagh, who had been in the bottom three so many times previously, was finally kicked off. Just before the announcement was made, you could see in her eyes that she knew she was being cut from the competition.

The remaining three contestants are Phillip Phillips, Jason Ledet and Jessica Sanchez. The Big Question of this year’s competition is whether it is going to be an All-Male Final Two, as one steady watcher thinks it will be, or if it will be the two strongest voices, Jessica Sanchez and Jason Ledet.

Phillip Phillips has all the teeny boppers on his side, and he is, indeed, charming. His vocals are not as strong as either Joshua’s or Jessica’s, but he is certainly an original, interesting, unique performer, and he seems to resonate with the voting public, much as Scotty did last year with his bass country-and-western vocals.

I don’t honestly have a horse in this race. I could live with any of the three winning, for a variety of reasons. The raw emotion registering on the faces of fellow contestants (especially Joshua) and judges, alike, (Jennifer Lopez) was touching as Hollie sang her final song. She did a great job with the lyric and melody that talked about how there are always other mountains to climb.

Carry on, contestants!

April 11, 2012 “American Idol:” Loud with Signs of Trouble for Phillip & Hollie

By Connie Wilson

On April 11, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

"American Idol" Judges

Wed., April 11, 2012, Fox, 8 p.m. (ET) Tonight’s “American Idol” performance night, with just 7 remaining contestants, was a lot of “sound and fury, signifying nothing,” to steal from William Faulkner. It was disappointing to hear so few dynamic touches as the contestants sang songs from 2010-2012.

First up was Skylar Laine from Brandon, Mississippi, who sang a Kellie Pickler song with her usual flair. Two comments: Skylar would look better if she wore sleeves and the song was dynamically uninteresting, as it consisted of Skylar singing country as loudly as possible while playing guitar. Judges’ comments were good: “Crazy hot! Crazy good! Just great!”

Second singer was Colton Dixon who sang a Skylar Gray song, “Love the Way You Want It.” Colton was heavy on the fog and whine, as per usual. He played a white baby grand piano while staring soulfully into the camera. The judges liked it, with Steven Tyler even calling him “such a rare talent.” I’m not sure if Colton and Phillip are competing for the girls’ votes, but, if so, the judges were favorable towards Colton.

Elise and Phillip Phillips sang a duet where Elise got to demonstrate how bossy she can be. The song, “Somebody that I Used to Know” earned a “good for you for pickin’ that” from Steven Tyler.

Jessica Sanchez sang Jasmine Sullivan’s “Stuttering” while wearing a patterned jacket with puffy shoulders. The judges said: “You slayed the biggest fish of the night.” (Jennifer Lopez) “We know that you sing like nobody we’ve ever heard before.” (Jennifer Lopez) “You slay it every time.” (Steven Tyler)

Joshua Ledet from Westlake, Louisiana, wore a white jacket that was at least 2 sizes too small while singing “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars. It was a fast, danceable tune, and went over well. Joshua reminded me of Jackie Wilson from the 60s.

Skylar and Colton dueted on “Don’t You Want to Stay Here For A Little While.” I agreed with Randy, who pronounced it “Just okay for me.”

Hollie Cavanagh of McKinney, TX, sang Pink’s “Perfect.” Randy said, “It wasn’t perfect, but you were so much better than you were last week.” Translation: Hollie is in trouble again.

Phillip Phillips’ choice of Maroon 5’s “Give It A Little More” did not find favor with the judges, who pronounced it “underwhelming.” Although Steven Tyler compared Phillip to Steve McQueen and Johnny Cash, he is probably going to be in the bottom 3 this week.

After a power ballad of “Stronger” by Joshua, Jessica and Hollie—3 of the competition’s biggest voices—Jennifer Lopez pronounced this “the season of the big voice.”

Elise finished the night singing Lady Gaga’s “You and I.” The judges liked it, saying, “Elise is back” and calling it “the perfect song” (Randy Jackson).

The 3 lowest this week will probably include Hollie Cavanagh and Phillip Phillips, with either Skylar Laine or Elise Testone as likely targets for third, simply because they are girls. Stay tuned for elimination night tomorrow.

Who Is Most Likely to Win “American Idol”? DeAndre Brackensick Leaves in 8th Place

By Connie Wilson

On April 5, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Thursday, April 5, 2012, Fox, 8 p.m. (ET) The inevitable happened on “American Idol” on elimination night. High school student DeAndre Brackensick, he of the fly-away Botticelli locks, bit the dust. He had been in the bottom three nearly every week, so his departure as the eighth contestant to leave the show was not unexpected.

Ryan Seacrest, host of "American Idol," at the IHeartRadio show in Las Vegas (9/24/2011).

Neither was the fact that two girls, Elise Testone and Hollie Cavanagh, were in jeopardy. They were also named to the bottom three after “pitchy” performances on Wednesday night. This was predicted by most viewers, me among them. Jennifer Lopez was firmly in DeAndre’s corner, however, staunchly defending his falsetto performances. She admitted that she cast a vote in his favor to retain him when he sang his last song, while the two male judges voted to give him the boot.

The remaining seven contestants, in the approximate order of their potential to win it all are as follows: Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Elise Testone, Skylar Laine, Colton Dixon and Hollie Cavanagh. Some may argue that Joshua is the front-runner, and I would not argue with that observation. Girls are voted off the competition in much higher numbers, since it is primarily young girls who will vote for their favorites repeatedly from home. With that reasoning, Joshua would be the stronger contestant, simply because he is male.

The continuing popularity and consistency of Phillip Phillips is not to be under-estimated. Every week, Phillip stays true to his vision of himself and selects a song that perfectly suits his Dave Matthews-like talents (although I don’t think he has actually delivered any of Dave Matthews’ actual songs, yet, singing, instead, Genesis and other artists). And, although Elise Testone has been up and down, as one of the more seasoned contestants, she can really deliver the goods when she picks the right song, as we saw when she sang “Whole Lotta’ Love.”

After the elimination night of April fifth, I wouldn’t hold out much hope that Hollie Cavanagh has a legitimate chance of making it into the top two. And, for me, I agree with Jimmy Iovine that Colton Dixon doesn’t have the pipes of his competitors. Setting those two aside as contestants who will probably not be around that much longer, the real question becomes, “Will Jessica Sanchez pick her songs as wisely as Joshua Ledet has done?” The answer to that question could become the answer to who is the ultimate winner.

“American Idol” Results for March 15, 2012: The Ides of March

By Connie Wilson

On March 15, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Fox, Wed., March 15, 2012, 8 pm (ET) “American Idol” contestants had a hit-or-miss night. Most of the misses seemed to hinge on the young performers giving in to the advice of their elders (Jimmy Iovine and Will i.am.) to sing alternate songs. Each performer was to sing a song from the year they were born.

Standouts of the Night

Definitely the standout performer of the night was Joshua Ledet, who has the best male voice. Singing next-to-last, Jennifer Lopez commented that the show had “saved the best for last” as Joshua delivered a soulful rendition of “When A Man Loves A Woman.” Randy Jackson even said that, somewhere, Percy Sledge, who originally sang the song (Ledet sang Michael Bolton’s version), was smiling down. “You gave it up so big God came through your eyes.” Jennifer Lopez went so far as to say it was “the best thing I’ve ever seen on ‘American Idol.’” Steven Tyler spared the hyperbole, but did note that Joshua was in the same class as Jessica Sanchez last week, when she did an incredible job with Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.” With adjectives like “phenomenal” and “incredible” Joshua stood out.

Performers Who Did Well

The final performer of the night, the petite Hollie Cavanagh, who sang Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love,” did well, as did Phillip Phillips, who survived very recent kidney stone surgery to do his Dave Matthews schtick. Others who should be safe include Skylar Laine, (one of the few Idols who stuck to her guns and sang the song she wanted to sing), Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Sneakin’ Up On You.” Also good this night was Erika Van Pelt. She sang a bluesy version of Bryan Adams’ “Heaven” and earned kudos for her performance and appearance from two of the three judges (“You look amazing tonight.”) Shannon Magrane, who sang Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day”, also did well, and the judges seemed to like Colton Dixon’s “Broken Heart” by White Lion. Elise Testone scored with an Al Green song that President Obama crooned recently, and earned praise for making it her own.

Performers Who Did Less Well

Although Jessica Sanchez is arguably the best female vocalist in the competition, her choice of Gloria Estefan’s “Hard to Be Around” did not serve her well. Likewise, Heejun Han faltered with Richard Marx’s “Right There Waiting.” He seemed to be out of breath. Randy called it “pitchy in at least five or six spots.” Deandre Brackensick of the flyaway hair let the judges talk him into “Endless Love.” The judges all agreed it was the wrong song to showcase Deandre’s falsetto. Randy picked Heejun to get the axe.

Unluckiest Idol

The performer who definitely had the worst night was Jermaine Jones. He was kicked off “Idol” for failing to disclose four active arrest warrants. Elsewhere on the Internet, rumors ran rampant that Jermaine had also lied about being abandoned by his father in childhood. From the rehearsal tape, Jermaine’s version of “Somewhere Out There” would have been very good, but it was always odd (and unfair) that he was allowed in as the thirteenth male contestant, when no “extra” girl was allowed into the competition.

Top Twelve Female Semi-Finalists Perform on Feb. 29, 2012

By Connie Wilson

On March 1, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, Fox, 8 pm (ET) The twelve female contestants on “American Idol” performed tonight. Smart money will be on these six to make it through:

Jessica Sanchez

From the first time she sang, it was apparent that this 16-year-old from San Diego was something special. Even with swollen vocal cords, she delivered a wonderful performance of “Love You, I Do” that caused Randy Jackson to say, “Crazy! Oh, my God! That girl can really sing. One of the best of the last two nights. Unbelievably talented.” Jennifer Lopez praised her saying, “So beyond your years, it’s crazy” and Steven Tyler mentioned her exceptional timing and pitch-perfect voice.

Elise Testone

Elise is twenty-eight and from Charleston, North Carolina. She began at the piano and then sang Adele’s “One and Only,” while attired in a black dress with an irregular hemline. Steven Tyler said, “You blew it out of the water. Nice goin’.” Jennifer declared her to be “One so special and different. Maybe the best singer here. You are one to watch.” Randy Jackson agreed that Elise was, “Definitely a force to be reckoned with” and called her, “One of the best voices.”

Hollie Cavanagh

Hollie is a little slip of a blonde girl from McKinney, Texas. She sang “Reflection.” (“When will my reflection show who I am inside.”) Attired in a short, glittery dress, she really delivered and the only criticism, from Steven Tyler, with which I agree, was that she should have worn her hair down. He called her, “One of my favorites from the start. Just beautiful.” Jennifer said, “If you came back, I thought you could win it.” Randy said, “You’re one of our favorites. I love your vocals. You tried to slay one of the biggest dragons tonight (referencing Christina Aguilera’s version). The parts that worked were genius.”

Skylar Laine, 18, from Brandon, Mississippi; Shannon McGrane, 16, from Tampa, Florida; Jen Hirsh.

These three are less “sure things.” Skylar gave a spirited C&W rendition of “Stay with Me” by Faces and received good feedback as Randy called her a “rockin’ country girl” with comparisons to Reba McIntyre, Kelly Clarkson and Tina Turner. Steven Tyler said, “Keep that up, girl.” With the popularity of country music in the land, Skylar has a good chance.

Shannon McGrane sang “I Left Your World” and looked lovely in a white dress with a sparkly belt and sparkles on the left shoulder of the Grecian-style dress. Jennifer praised her “passion,” Randy said, “Way to bring it.” Steven said, “You started Gospel-ly and then took it upstairs and it went beautiful.”

Jen Hirsh, who sang Adele’s “One and Only,” was praised by Jennifer Lopez as having done “a really good job” and Randy pronounced her, “One of the greatest singers in the competition this year,” but Steven Tyler noticed “a little trouble with the last little thing.”

I thought that Erika Van Pelt, who sang “What About Love?” and Brielle VonHugel (“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”), the contestant with the overbearing stage mother, did as well as Jen Hirsh. The two who should be going home were Baylie Brown, who sang Lone Star’s “Amaze” and Haley Johnsen. Baylie is a beautiful blonde and was wearing a coral dress. She seemed to be trying to get by on her considerable good looks. That did not work. The other contestant who massacred a song was Haley Johnsen, 23, of Beaverton, Oregon, who took on Annie Lenox’s “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This,” eliciting the accurate assessment from Randy Jackson, “It was a bit of a nightmare, instead of a dream. A little train-wrecky for me today.”