AI:5 - 12 Melodious Maidens

February 22, 2006 · Filed Under popmedia

Ahhhhhh…

Singing. Performing. Personalities. Actual competition.

Now, that’s more like it!

It was a very enjoyable way to spend 2 hours of TV-watching, getting introduced to these 12 girls, hearing them sing & watching them perform. There was good, there was bad, and there was even ugly — both from the girls and from the judges (although I must say that the judges were actually quite palatable & “on the beam” in their comments for the most part…).

And, man alive, this is a group of very attractive girls!

Please, please, PLEASE, get her off of my TV: Oh my, Brenna has just got to go! While I find her less annoying than AI:4’s Mikalah, Miss Brenna still needs to take her posing, attitudinal self elsewhere. I can’t stand it when contestants get sassy with the judges, and Brenna was doing that in spades. It just strikes me as counterproductive & disrespectful, especially when the audience is actively encouraged to boo a judge. Deal with the criticism like an adult — accept it with class & learn from it. Oh yeah, and do a better job of choosing a song to sing, and lose the attempt to cultivate a sob story. Nobody wants to hear about how you overcame adversity by being a beeotch. It ain’t good TV, no matter what you & Simon might think…

The Untouchables — aka, As Safe As Safe Can Be: There were four standouts, IMO, who are in no danger whatsoever of going home. And, oddly enough, they are four of my predicted finalists (imagine that! :wink:) — Ayla, Katharine, Lisa, & Paris. Lisa & Katharine gave the performances of the night — my, oh my, were they impressive! Ayla was only slightly (very slightly) below them — much like the judges, I was very pleasantly surprised by her performance. I really like the athlete’s tenacity that she brings to the table. I honestly can’t think of another contestant — ever — that brings the same vibe as does Ayla. She’s the Darkhorse — I have spoken! :!: Finally, there’s little Paris. I wasn’t thrilled all that much by her look or her performance, but that’s purely a subjective reaction on my part. More objectively, I think she did a very good job, and she’s certainly got talent & charisma to burn; however, she was overshadowed by the other three tonight, esp. Lisa & Katharine.

Safe, but only because there are 12: Becky, Kellie, Mandisa, & Melissa. Kellie gave a very good performance, one that will be quite effective in helping solidify her fanbase. She even went a long way towards proving my skepticism of last week wrong, in that it’s quite likely that if she keeps it up, she’ll be a lock to be a finalist. She’s got the looks, the voice, the likability, and the backstory to be a powerhouse. (Although there’s still that cynical part of me that can’t help but wonder if her naivete isn’t just a bit too genuine to be true… :???:) Melissa is suffering from a potentially devastating problem — no one has seen her until last night. Thus, she hasn’t had any chance to build up the rapport with the viewing public that is necessary for building & sustaining the fanbase necessary for long-term success. Not that it can’t be done, mind you, but it’s just that things are stacked a bit against her, particularly with the level of competition among the girls this season. Mandisa should be safe, primarily because of her personality, fanbase, and overall good voice; however, her vocal performance last night wasn’t as good as I would’ve hoped. I don’t think the song choice did her voice justice. That said, I don’t think she’s in any danger. Finally, there’s Becky. Looks & vocal potential should help her stay safe. The song choice was, again, quite problematic, but I just have a feeling that she’ll not have anything to worry about this week. Next week, however, could be quite different if she doesn’t ratchet things up a few notches.

At risk & in great danger: Brenna, Heather, Kinnik, & Stevie. Brenna, well, I said my piece a few paragraphs up. I just want her gone, and I think her attitude & horrific song choice might just be enough to get the job done. Heather, unfortunately, was done in by her nerves, song choice, & competition. She also suffers from the lack of exposure that hurts Melissa; however, Heather didn’t mitigate that at all by her performance. Her voice was overwhelmed by the music (whether or not that was due to bad mixing, I’m not sure), and her nerves got the best of her. I hope that she gets another chance next week, but I won’t be shocked if she doesn’t. Kinnik, while not being horrifically bad, was by no means all that great either. I didn’t like her song choice, I’m not a fan of her voice/vocal style, and I thought her overall presentation & stage presence was lacking as well. All that aside, it wasn’t too bad. Seriously, though, I don’t think Kinnik has a chance to make it through to the finals. That leaves Stevie, and, well, her performance was pretty darned horrific. She needs to stick with Opera, or at the very least some sort of New-Agey, Enya-like crappy music, ’cause she ain’t a Pop star. Terrible performance — bad vocals, bad stage presence, & just plain bad.