February 12, 2008I think I saw Adelee!I think I caught a glimpse of Floyd resident Adelee Mitchell during the previews for Wednesday night's episode. I'm excited to see if it's her. Let's keep our fingers crossed!! Another sort-of local, Colton Berry of Staunton, made it into the top 50. We'll see who makes the top 24 on Wednesday. The cream of the cropDavid Archuletta (the 16-year-old who had a voice problem younger in life): David stood out as the judges favorite, by far. He's got a solid voice and just the right amount of confidence. I fear he could get a little boring as the auditions progress. He seems to favor the slower ballads. Syesha Mercado. Syesha had some sort of weird laryngitis thing going on for most of the audition process. She didn't make it through the first round and somehow eked it out during the a capella round. Syesha was the first competitor to give me chills tonight. She showed the judges exactly how much she wants this thing by saving her voice all day and then belting out a spine-tingling version of "Chain of Fools." A---kicking! Michael Johns, the Australian rocker guy. His voice is a mix between Eddie Vedder and Gavin Rossdale. Solid performance, great looks. He'll go a ways, but I don't know how far. Carly Smithson. Another chills-inducer. Anyone who can sing Heart like that (aside from Heart) has my vote. She nailed it. And the judges totally agreed. Asia'H Epperson. I kept looking for her all night. Asia'H's father passed away only days before her initial audition in Atlanta. Her courage during that audition was heroic. And the passion in her voice coupled with the talent got her a unanimous yes from the judges. And Asia'H didn't fail to impress in Hollywood. She's a contender. Complete surprisesAngela Martin was booted. Angela is the single mom whose daughter is ill, and during this episode we found our her father passed away only days before the audition. The shocker here? She should've made it through, especially over Jeffrey Lampkin and Kyle the politician. Suzanne Toon, also a single mom (the one who resembles Alicia Silverstone). She didn't make it through the first round, but her a capella performance was solid. To no avail. Perrie Cataldo, single dad whose wife recently passed away. Perrie brought it during the a capella round, but apparently the judges didn't think so. No surprises hereThe IN list that didn't surprise us: Daniel Noriega, the kid with the big voice. Holy Josiah!Can this kid sing or what?? Even with that Madonna-esque fake English accent. Paula had it just right when she said he had this "magical thing" about him. He's completely entertaining, talented and charming in his own way. Aside from the overstressed freak-out before his final audition of "Stand By Me," which I didn't think was as bad as the judges, this kid can go all the way. Over and way overplayedContestants who got way too much airtime: David Hernandez (he was the first guy to make it through): Very good voice, but I think he could get boring as the audition process continues. Ghaleb Whatever: The Venezuelan guy who hugged and kissed Paula during his auditions in Miami. How did you know this guy just wasn't going to make it? He may score with the ladies, but he crashed and burned on stage. And they spent way too much time talking about him (as am I). Amy "Abstinence" Flynn: The 16-year-old jazz team captain with a hint of psycho-ness who told Simon the song she sang was for him. She didn't make it through the first round but automatically had a second shot. She (and her voice coach who clearly shouldn't have been the voice coach) blew it. A little bit of rock 'n' roll goes a long way"Rock n' roll nurse" Amanda Overmyer proved her courage by making the trip to Hollywood after suffering injuries in a car accident only a short time before. She didn't let the staples in her head and cracked ribs stop her from pushing through, however. Amanda's got a cool voice but even cooler style (OK, maybe her style isn't going to win the competition for her, but still, she'll be fun to watch ... the rockers always are) New format, new outlookI liked the new Hollywood week format. Unlike the past seasons of "Idol," the contestants didn't have to perform in groups. I always felt like someone got robbed because the rest of the group sucked. And with this new format, everyone had a second chance. Not a bad deal, considering all those cases of nerves that sometimes just need a second shot.
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