Just a few lazy comments on the first round of semi-finals, shown on TV live last night, viewed by me at about 1 am this morning on the Australian Idol website...
Clearly the standout again was Wes Carr, who delivered a sold enough performance of "Times Like These" that should easily see him through to the Top 12 and maintaining his status as competition favourite.
Picking a next best is somewhat tougher. Likeliest to go through is "big girl" Chrislyn Hamilton, but I'm not so sure if she was actually all that good last night. Sure, she has a great energy about her and she can hit some big notes, but that song (which has become almost a cliché on Idol now) has been performed better by our own Idol alumnus and current co-host Ricki-Lee Coulter, and on American Idol, most memorably by the controversial Trenyce, but also in an audition by Season 3 winner Fantasia. To me it seemed like Chrislyn was holding back - and I get the feeling that I like the other "big girl" of Idol this year, Natalie Colavito, slightly more. Anyhow, she was still good, and, as I said, the likeliest other than Wes to progress.
Nicole Banks, the vivacious Melbourne redhead, and Olly Corpe, the competition's token Frenchboy, are then probably the two kids who will receive a call back to the wildcard show. The jury is still out for me on Nicole - she's bubbly and bright and with personality - I wish the same could be said for some of the other contestants - but her performance of "Black and Gold" last night was anything but convincing. Olly, on the other hand, started similarly flat during his rendition of "Wonderful World" but gathered momentum when the big notes came. It will be interesting to see if Olly, who surely as a French guy has more tween sex appeal than the ubiquitous Tom Williams, will get through on viewer vote as a result of the young female's passion for text messaging.
That leaves Jaden Dowd and Mitchell Steele. Jaden has been dissed to death on the Idol forums for her hideous outfit - and really, it was a shocker - but I don't think her vocal performance was all that bad - it was certainly better than Nicole's in some parts. Who would vote for her, however, is a question I really can't answer. As for Mitchell, I really am tiring fast of his cowboy dweeb and his performance was flat and dull. He's the only one I can see definitely not making it through.
I realise that the judges' comments often sway viewer perception and having not heard these, I can't say for certain what the outcome will be tonight - then again, you never really can with Idol. But if I had to bet on it, Wes will make it through followed by Chrislyn or Olly - with Nicole and the loser of those two getting a wildcard, and Jaden unlucky to miss out.
Finally, just to prove that it's been done better, here's Trenyce with Proud Mary in perhaps its best Idol manifestation.
peace :)
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What I don't get (or do really if I think about it hard enough) is how much harder the judges are being on the girls at the moment than the boys. I thought Olly and Mitchell's performances last night were barely scraping by and yet they hammered Jaden. Granted, it looked like she was channelling a bastardised version of Krystle AND Alexis from Dynasty but her singing was better.
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