Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The two best things about The X Factor’s first Boot Camp episode …

1. The episode was only an hour and a half long.

2. The focus was on the performances, not on the drama, once the contestants split into groups.

But, seriously, did we see anything new?

I mean, that episode was simply Idol’s Hollywood Week with a different name. Oh, and a logo change.

Contestants lined up to sing a few lines, and half were eliminated.

Some pleaded for another chance. Some (like J. Mark Inman) went a little bonkers over their elimination.

Then the judges threw a party. And some of the contestants stayed up too late. A little plot device that hasn’t been exploited to its fullest. Yet.

Then came group day. Contestants fretted. Contestants forget the words. The X Factor got another chance to highlight its favorites.

Supposedly, we’re left on the edge of our seats, wondering who has survived and who hasn’t so we’ll tune in for another two-hour marathon Thursday night.

Except I’m not on the edge of my seat. And this show goes the DVR path on Thursday.

Life is too short to sit through that many commercials for so little original entertainment.

OK, I might tune in for the final half- hour to see who makes the final 32. But for blogging purposes only.

Some general impressions of select performers after Wednesday night.

* If Siameze Floyd makes the final eight of the boys after the YouTube videos I’ve seen … well, let’s just say he shouldn’t. All style. Very little substance.

* Brock Wade and McKenna Sullinger sound really, really good singing together. Given the dearth of groups, they should make the final eight easily.

* Rachel Crow, 13, is a cute kid with tons of charisma. She should not be a candidate for a $5 million record deal.

* Tiah Tolliver might benefit more from narrowly advancing from the audition round than any of the show’s contestant. With Simon in her corner, she made a convincing argument to be among the final eight girls singing “Feeling Good.”

* Phillip Lomax belongs off Broadway, not on a show looking for the next star to crack Billboard’s Hot 100.

* Stacy Francis, the 42-year-old with the booming voice, will make the over 30 category. Otherwise The X Factor has wasted lots of airtime on her.

* Brian Bradley, the young rapper, is among the most annoying contestants we’ve met. Here’s hoping Mr. I Don’t Dance doesn’t advance.

* Dexter Haywood has probably met the end of his comeback road. He was clearly dancing to the tune of a different drummer during his group’s performance.

* Melanie Amaro has a fine voice, but does she have the “wow” factor to stand out in the most competitive category — girls under 30?

* Paige Ogle has a fine voice, too, with a  unique tone. Of course, getting to sing a song like “Desperado” helps.

* Nick Dean looked like a potential teen heartthrob among the young guys, until he forget nearly all of his lyrics.

* Josh Krajcik, the 30-year-old driven to the auditions by his mom, looked like an early favorite among the over 30 set. And still does.

* Three singers I’m pretty sure we just met for the first time sounded very good, too. That would include Dani Knights, 22; Audrey Turner, 53; and Chesi Spriggs. Audrey was wife to the late Ike Turner. In his post-Tina Turner days.

* And I really, really feel for contestants like Chelsea Musik, Ben Rue, Robert Cruz and Caylie Gregorio, who weren’t featured at any point during their groups’ performance.