March 3 , 2004 - A New Attitude

Judge Simon Cowell said she was good but not very original and that he felt she was forgettable.

It's possible that he's right and that most of America had forgotten about her by the end of the program.

Then there was John Preator, who started and ended weak, with poor pitch and a wobbly delivery. Even Randy Jackson and Paula, known as the nicer judges, pointed out flaws. Simon said that he could see John performing in an ice dancing musical.

Kim Caldwell look-alike Heather Piccinini had changed her look so as not to remind Americans of the previous American Idol contestant. But image only goes so far. She gave a very odd rendition of "New Attitude" which was kind of country and very forced. All the judges were disappointed with her performance, with Simon going so far as saying that she looked ugly when she performed.

John Stevens gave a nicely nuanced, sweet version of "Always a Woman," but he had the same problem Simon had pointed out previously, which was that he really isn't a pop singer. He's really more of a crooner. Much as they may like his voice, Americans might agree.

From Hawaii, 17-year-old Jasmine Trias seemed nervous but gave a strong performance and received a lot of praise from the judges. She may well be one of the judges' favorites from the evening, but will it be enough? It hasn't been for everyone (think of poor Leah LaBelle last week).

Then George Huff took the stage, the perpetually smiling singer who won praise from Randy, who said he has the strongest male voice in the competition. Simon, however, compared him to a background singer and questioned whether he had the star quality to win.

George is a lucky man. He originally wasn't chosen for the final 32, but when contestant Donnie Williams was arrested for drunken driving shortly before the competition, he was dropped and George was in.

He could be a contender, since he has both a strong voice and a great personality, and that's been an important factor for other finalists.

Next up was Lisa Wilson, who chose a Melissa Etheridge song, "Come to My Window." I thought that was a brave choice at first, because it was a brave thing to perform a song which wasn't a diva song. And yet, the way she performed it was so harsh it was like she was trying to be Melissa Etheridge but had no subtlety. She was pretty roundly criticized by the judges, justifiably.

Last up was Tiara Purifoy, who performed "I Want to Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston. She really showboated with a number of runs that left the judges confused. Randy and Paula both agreed that they liked her voice but felt the runs were just showy. Simon went so far as to say he didn't see how she could get through after a performance like that. Of course, it's possible that Americans will take that as a challenge and vote against Simon once more to let her through.

Overall, the performers in the final eight weren't quite as strong as the previous week. Most of them were good, though, which will make it a tough voice. I'm guessing the top three will be Jasmine, George and Tiara, with John Stevens the wild card. It's really anyone's guess who's going to make it through.

Other Musings by Alyce on American Idol:

American Idol Index

Moral:
If someone calls you a great ice dancing singer, it's not a compliment.