Tag: Jimmy Iovine

Elimination Night Proves to be Heejun Han’s Swan Song on March 29, 2012

On March 29, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Thursday, March 29, 2012, Fox, 8 p.m. (ET) Steven Tyler said it best, in dismissing Heejun Han from “American Idol”: “You saw this coming last week. Unfortunately, after talking, we’re going to have to let you go, man.” And so Heejun Han exits “American Idol” in 9^th place.

The rest of the show consisted of “flashbacks” to how the contestants had done on Wednesday night’s performance night with Jimmy Iovine critiquing. Jimmy Iovine’s observations were right in tune with my own. He criticized each performer’s performance as the trios of singers were called to the fore to receive the bad news, and his critiques parallel my own in most cases.

The first set of 3 was Elise, Phillip and Hollie. As I had feared, Hollie was in the lowest three. The second trio, comprised of Colton, Joshua and Heejun, delivered Heejun to his fate; he looked glum and did seem to “see it coming,” as Steven Tyler put it. It’s always best not to get on the wrong side of the judges, and Heejun had done that.

The third set of three, Skylar, DeAndre and Jessica, delivered the only surprise of the night, for me, when Skylar have received fewer votes than the other two. I did criticize her awful outfits, but I thought her singing went well. Perhaps the Hispanic/Filippino vote for Jessica is coalescing? I noticed, with a smile, that the short Skylar couldn’t quite make it onto the elimination stool, so she just stood there beside it. (Why don’t they give these poor kids a chair that they don’t have to perch on?)

I thought that Jimmy’s remark about DeAndre (“I’m sitting right in the middle on Deandre. He needs more experience. If enough people buy into it (his falsetto), he’s okay. Otherwise, he’s in trouble.”) Going forward, I would agree with that assessment. Eric Benet came out in person to congratulate DeAndre on his performance. I had said that Benet’s SONG was not that well-known (when compared to “Whole Lotta’ Love,” which Elise performed) but someone took me to task for not knowing who Eric Benet is. How can any of us not know that he was married to Hallie Berry. He also hasn’t had a really big hit since 2000, so that means that, when Eric was at his hottest, DeAndre was about four years old, since he’s still in high school.

Jimmy also mentioned the crying jag many of the contestants were on Wednesday night, saying, “When you cry, your voice closes.” He gave Colton no props, saying, “I don’t think he sings as well as the other 8 contestants at this point in the show” declaring him to be ‘behind on points.” (Ouch!)

On the other hand, Jimmy Iovine boosted Elise Testone’s stock by saying she was a dark horse and “comin’ on strong.” Of Hollie, Jimmy said, “I don’t believe you win this on technique. You win it on passion.” He also praised Stevie Nicks’ belief in Phillip Phillips saying, “I’ve been around Stevie Nicks for a very long time, and she’s very rarely wrong.” We also had Steven Tyler announcing a new Aerosmith tour, the Global Warming Tour, to kick off June 16^th in Minneapolis.

Nicki Minaj performed a routine for her new release “Starships” that featured her falling out of her bra-like top and sounding like a chipmunk. Her hair was bleached blonde and she had on a dress with a train (a la Jessica Sanchez on Wednesday). She pranced more than dance and announced she’d like to come back as a guest judge. Her performance was almost as noteworthy as her grim, sacrilegious Grammy turn.

Going forward, I would expect the strongest contenders to be (in no particular order) Elise, Joshua, Jessica and Phillip, while the also-rans list, for me, is formed of Skylar, Colton, Deandre and Hollie.

Shannon Magrane Is Eliminated from “American Idol” on the Ides of March (March 15th)

By Connie Wilson

On March 16, 2012

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Thursday, March 15, 2012, Fox, 8 pm (ET) The singer sent home this week was sixteen-year-old Shannon Magrane. Justice was not done, but it is true that Shannon had a bad week last week and could have justifiably been sent packing on March 8, 2012.

Lowest Vote-Getters

Host Ryan Seacrest called the eleven contestants to the front of the stage in two sets of four and one set of three. The first four (Phil, Elise, Joshua and Skylar) had all done well, but Elise was in the bottom three. Of the second quartet (Deandre, Jessica, Shannon and Colton) Deandre had arguably done the worst job, but it was predictable that a girl, rather than a boy, would be the lowest vote-getter. That girl was Shannon. The final trio consisted of Hollie, Heejun and Erika. Erika—who had done a very good job—was the third contestant said to have garnered the fewest votes.

Entertainment

Demi Lovato sang and Daughtry, the band formed by Season Five contestant Chris Daughtry, sang the single “Outta’ My Head” from their new album “Break the Spell.” It hardly seems possible that six years have gone by since Chris Daughtry was unceremoniously booted from Idol.

Shannon’s Swan Song

Shannon Magrane was given the opportunity to sing her song one more time and she did a wonderful job. The judges chose not to use their one-per-season “save” and Shannon was gone. She can truly leave with her head held high.

Comments

Jimmy Iovine, one of the two celebrity coaches responsible for helping the contestants select so many loser songs this week, was in the audience, dressed in a windbreaker and a baseball cap. He’s a 59-year-old record company executive who once had a romance with Stevie Nicks (although he has been married and divorced and fathered four children with someone else). Why doesn’t Jimmy dress in a slightly more age-and-station appropriate fashion? Does he think dressing like he’s going out to walk the dog makes him look “cool” or younger? We had Tommy Hilfiger announce that he is going to coach the singers on how to make their best and most appropriate appearance, while Jimmy was shown in the audience, looking like he was going to immediately go for a jog after the show (coronary health permitting). Jimmy also criticized the way contestant Hollie Cavanagh was dressed, saying she was dressed “too old.” While I understand Jimmy’s point about the gorgeous gold brocade gown with cut-outs that Hollie wore (she looked great, but she is only eighteen), it seems interesting that Mr. Iovine has such insight into the age-appropriateness of clothing others are wearing, but so little insight into what he is seen wearing on national television. You can argue that he is not a “contestant” but his image is still being beamed into millions of homes. He looks like he is dressed to sweep out the garage. (It doesn’t make you look any younger, Jimmy. It just seems a bit desperate.) At one point, Jimmy was heard saying, to Randy, “Nice jacket,” in reference to one of Randy’s typically fashion-challenged outfits. Maybe Tommy Hilfiger can do something with Randy and Jimmy while he’s working with the contestants? It’s probably not going to work for Steven Tyler, who can fall back on his rock star persona as an excuse for some of his get-ups (an interesting hat, this week). And, while we’re on the subject of Jimmy Iovine, how many 60-year-old men who are NOT from the South still go by “Jimmy”? (Just wondering.)

Contradictions

With so many of this week’s contestants, the judges’ comments were, “It was not the right song for you.” They said this to Jessica Sanchez, Heejun Han (Steven Tyler: “It’s too far out of your range.”) and Deandre Brackensick (“Endless Love”). Yet, when Colton Dixon sang a song that nobody knew (“Broken Heart” by White Lion), judge Randy Jackson said, “Oh, well, the song doesn’t matter. Now we’ll just think of it as a Colton Dixon song.” It also seemed a bit unfair to show Colton hanging out with Chris Daughtry, who reportedly is a fan. Will the other contestants get equal time? Can Joshua Ledet secure a picture with Percy Sledge (whose song he sang) and have that flashed onscreen? This speaks to the unfair way in which Jermaine Jones was squeezed back into the competition, when he had been eliminated earlier, but no similar “extra” female contestant was chosen. Why was that, when there were plenty who were worthy?

Here’s another contradiction. How many times have you heard the judges criticize the contestants for sounding “too much like the original artist”? Yet, when a few contestants on Wednesday night tried to truly make the song original, they were criticized for it. Most notably, Erika Van Pelt, who sang Bryan Adams’ “Heaven” was told (by Steven Tyler), “You’re too busy all over it.”

So, which is it?

Should the contestant try to deliver the song in an original way, or should the contestant just sing the melody, as many were urged to do by the judges on Wednesday night?

Two things are certain: Heejun Han deserved elimination this week more than Shannon Magrane; I think he recognized that fact. Secondly, as Ryan Seacrest put it after Shannon’s Swan Song, “You stood out here fearlessly and gave it your all.” Yes, she did, and it’s too bad that she wasn’t kept in the competition while Heejun Han, who gave a breathy off-pitch performance on Wednesday night, continues.