American Idol: The Top Five girls are easy to pick

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><h2 class="subhead" itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">American Idol recap: On Tuesday night, the 10 women competing to make the American Idol finals were unevenly matched. Some excelled, others left viewers wondering how they made it to Vegas. Did your Idol favorite shine?</div></h2><div class="sByline" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">By <a class="ui-author" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/About/Staff/Jodi-Bradbury" style="color: #205d87; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Jodi Bradbury</a>, <span class="ui-staffline" style="font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/About/Staff/Jodi-Bradbury" style="color: #205d87; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Contributor</a></span> / March 6, 2013</div><div class="sByline" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"><img src="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2013/0306/american_idol030513/15195293-1-eng-US/American_Idol030513_full_380.jpg" /></div><div class="sByline" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">When the show starts with American idol host </span><a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Ryan+Seacrest" style="color: #205d87; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Ryan Seacrest</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> standing in a hallway, bathed in techno pastels you just know it's going to be a good night.</span></div><div class="sByline" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">On Tuesday, the Top 10 girls performed and for the first time this season, <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/United+States" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">America</a> was able to vote for their favorites. Another first, not just for the season but for the series, is the new <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/American+Idol" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">American Idol</a> app that allows people to log their votes during the course of the show and submit them at the end. Each viewer is given 50 votes to split amongst the contestants as they see fit. It's nice to see American Idol trying to really embrace social media and technology more but there's something about it that seems vaguely wrong, like when your grandparents open a <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Facebook+Inc." style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Facebook</a> account.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Did you struggle with who should get your 50 votes? Well, the good news is that the talent (or lack thereof) was so unevenly distributed amongst the American Idol girls that it should have been relatively simple to decide who deserved to go home; what might have been a bit harder was choosing five girls who deserve to stay. Watching the performances on Tuesday, it was hard to believe that anyone in their right mind would ever group these individuals in a Top 10, suggesting that they were even in the same hemisphere when it came to talent.</div><div class="promotion-tag" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="promotion-tag-p" style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">RECOMMENDED: <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/TV/2011/0310/How-much-do-you-know-about-American-Idol-Take-our-quiz/Jessica-Sanchez-alter-ego?nav=637705-csm_article-promoLink" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">How much do you know about American Idol? Take our quiz.</a></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">The most obvious example of this was <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Zoanette Johnson</b>. Listening to Zoanette attempt to cover<a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Tina+Turner" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Tina Turner</a>'s, "What's Love Got to do with It," was all in all a painful experience. Painful to listen to, painful to watch. and perhaps most painful was to think about the fact that Zoanette actually took up a slot in the coveted Top 10, displacing one of the tens of thousands whose talent was more deserving of that opportunity. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">The American Idol judges all agreed that the performance was terrible. <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Randy+Jackson" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Randy Jackson</a> called it a mess and <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Mariah+Carey" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Mariah Carey</a> lamented that America couldn't see all of Zoanette's little moments off stage - as if any degree of charm and enthusiasm could excuse the judges for their ridiculous decision to keep Zoanette around for this long. <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Nicki+Minaj" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Nicki Minaj</a> added that she could watch Zoanette all day but that the "regular person" may not agree. By regular, we can only assume Nicki means one who isn't suffering from delusions.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Another girl whose performance made viewers wonder how she made it this far, was that of <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Adriana Latonio. </b>Adriana sang, "Stand Up For Love," by <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Destiny's+Child" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Destiny's Child</a> and by the end, Nicki had written her off, telling her to work at her singing a little bit and come back next year. Ouch. Although whether that comment was as insulting as Nicki's catty, "I like your little ball gown," is questionable. </div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">So with Zoanette and Adriana out of the way, the task of deciding which girls to put into the American Idol Top 10 becomes 20 percent easier - no matter what Mariah tries to tell us. Speaking of which, does anyone really know exactly what Mariah is trying to tell us? Her addition on the panel makes it crystal clear that the four-judge format has never really worked for Idol and the fact that Mariah is the forth and final judge to speak only makes her superfluousness even more evident. Next season Idol should give America the opportunity to vote for their favorite judges - chances are it would save us a lot of time and American Idol producer <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Nigel+Lythgoe" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Nigel Lythgoe</a> a lot of money.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">As easy as it was to identify Zoanette and Adriana as the worst of the night, calling the best of the night was equally easy. There were four girls whose talents surpassed that of the rest of the group so clearly that it is unimaginable that they were ever considered to be in the same league. The first to remind viewers why everyone keeps saying it is a girl's season was <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Angie Miller. </b>Although her song, "Never Gone," by former Idol contestant <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Colton+Dixon" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Colton Dixon</a> was a touch on the too-earnest side - perhaps even reminding viewers why they chose to send Colton home last season - there is no denying Angie's talent as a vocalist. She could be a favorite to win, although her likability factor is still a work in progress.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Kree Harrison</b>, on the other hand has no issues with likability, especially in Nicki's eyes. Nicki, who refers to Kree as her "wife," is infatuated with Kree's effortless sexiness. Others are infatuated with Kree's absolutely amazing vocals and relaxed confidence. Randy called her one of the best vocalists in the competition after her performance of <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Faith+Hill" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Faith Hill</a>'s, "Stronger." (Has anyone else noticed that Kree is a spitting imagine of <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Melanie+Lynskey" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Melanie Lynskey</a>, the actress who played the not-so-wicked stepsister opposite <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Drew+Barrymore" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Drew Barrymore</a> in <i style="font-style: oblique; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Ever After?)</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Following Kree and Angie in the stellar performance department were <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Amber Holcomb</b> and <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Candice Glover. </b>Amber earned a standing ovation from all four judges after her rendition of <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Whitney+Houston" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Whitney Houston</a>'s, "I Believe in You and Me," forcing Randy to declare that Amber was "in it to win it." Although Candice's song choice, "Ordinary People," by <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/John+Legend" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">John Legend</a>, was a touch more obscure than Amber's, her vocals are such that it hardly mattered. Every time she opens her mouth to sing it's easy to see that she will be one to beat this season.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Then there were the others:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Breanna Steer</b> sang <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Beyonce+Knowles" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Beyonce</a>'s "Flaws and All," which pretty much summed up her performance.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Aubrey Cleland </b>just may have done enough to earn herself the fifth spot in the top five. Although her performance of "Big Girls Don't Cry," by Fergie wasn't flawless, the judges all agreed that they loved her vibrato almost as much as her dress.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">One of the moments that left viewers confused no doubt, was the judges' accolades for <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Janelle Arthur</b>. Her rendition of, "<a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/If+I+Can+Dream" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">If I Can Dream</a>," by <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Elvis+Presley" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Elvis</a>, did not even come close to earning her the redemption she needed after being chosen over Rachel Hale for a spot in the Top 10. Nicki calling her one of the best vocals of the night made less sense than her calling her a "little marshmallow."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Finally there was <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tenna Torres</b> who sang,"Lost," by Faith Hill. Although all of the judges enjoyed it, Tenna just didn't do enough to earn herself a spot in the top five - despite how much Nicki liked her hair and "boobs." You can't help but feel sorry for Kree, trapped in a marriage to someone so disrespectful.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">The final prediction for the top five don't quite require a soothsayer but let's make them anyway:</div><ol style="margin: 0px 0px 1em 1.25em; padding: 0px;"><li style="line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px;">Angie Miller</li><li style="line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px;">Kree Harrison</li><li style="line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px;">Amber Holcomb</li><li style="line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px;">Candice Glover</li><li style="line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px;">Aubrey Cleland (This is the only one on this list that is dubious, but the great white dress should be enough to earn her a spot.)</li></ol><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Do you agree with these predictions? Feel free to make your own in the comments below and tune in Wednesday night when the Top 10 boys compete for their place in the Idol finals.</div><br /><br /></div>

American Idol American Idol: The Top Five girls are easy to pick

American Idol recap: On Tuesday night, the 10 women competing to make the American Idol finals were unevenly matched. Some excelled, others ...

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‘American Idol’: Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban unveiled

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">By </span><span class="author vcard" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;"><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lisa-de-moraes/2011/03/01/ABj0TKL_page.html" rel="author" style="color: #0c4790;">Lisa de Moraes</a> From: </span></span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/">http://www.washingtonpost.com</a><br /><img src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/tv-column/StandingArt/AI12_NY-Auditions-Day1_0200.rc.jpg?uuid=JB9etGABEeKwWmBVKPa3Eg" /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><span class="imgfull" style="float: left; margin: 4px 10px 10px 0px; width: 454px;"><span class="blog_caption" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 14px;">Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson at the New York auditions. (Michael Becker - Fox)</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">“American Idol” is going to bring us it’s A game this season because it took a licking in the ratings last spring.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">History has shown us that an American Idol can do anything, show host Ryan Seacrest says, by way of reminding us “Idol” churns out star — well some seasons anyway — while the other singing shows have yet to cough up a single one.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">To prove his point, we see pawn-shop staffer Phil Phillips perform his hit “Home,” and Carrie Underwood winning things, and Carrie Underwood thanking fans, and Kelly Clarkson winning stuff too.</div><a href="" name="pagebreak" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: underline;"></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px;"></span><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">You know who else Can Do Anything? Jennifer Hudson! Except, of course, win an “American Idol” competition, which “Idol” is too polite to point out.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">This season we’ve got all new judges – except Randy, who got to stick around when some better idea fell through.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">Keith Urban is the competition’s first country judge – about time. And Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey can fight anywhere – even in the elevator, on the way to the first day of auditions, over a drum majorette hat. Mariah doesn’t think Nicki should be allowed to put her plumed hat on the judges’ desk unless Mariah gets to bring her dog to work.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">Nicki, conversely, doesn’t think Mariah should be allowed to give her hat nasty looks in the elevator.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">They also have a strong disagreement over the finer points of the flick “Mean Girls.” And they’re miles apart on the relative importance of “All I Want for Christmas.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">Mariah finally warns Nicki that if she calls her anything that “starts with a ‘B’ and ends with an ‘itch’ — I rebuke it!”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">“It’s the dawn of a brand new season — together we’ll take the journey that defines a nation,” Seacrest explains.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">When not busy catterwauling, the judges audition some wannabe Idolettes.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">In addition to the virtually all-new judge panel, “American Idol” unveils another new feature: American Idol Ambush, in which someone who had no intention of auditioning for the show is dragged out of a bar in which they were happily performing, given an “Idol” audition number, slapped in front of the judges and then….rejected!</div>

American Idol news ‘American Idol’: Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban unveiled

By  Lisa de Moraes  From:  http://www.washingtonpost.com Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson at the New York auditions....

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