Idol Chatter & Voice Views

For the second straight night, producers saved the best for last on American Idol.

Shannon Magrane, Jessica Sanchez, then Elise Testone.

Wow, what a way to end the show.

But Wednesday’s Idol episode also made me regret all over again that we haven’t heard more from so many of these talented female singers.

Because before Shannon took the stage, the night was marked the a combination of OK performances and interesting misfires.

And, before it was all over, at least a half dozen females I’d rather hear sing again than judge on that one single performance.

Editor’s Note:  Here’s the link to the photo gallery from tonight’s show.

Best of the night:  Producers knew what they were doing when they gave Elise Testone the final spot of the night.  Her makeup isn’t the typical recipe for success on Idol. For one thing, she’s 28.  The last time Idol had a female finalist that old was back in Season 6 when Melinda Doolittle finished third.  Idol has had only one female finalist as old as 26 since then.  Have no doubt, Elise Testone belongs in the finals.  She tackled an Adele song on Idol and won.  That’s a tall order.  And I loved the explanation of the flowers in her hair almost as much as her performance, so she gets an A for personality, too.

Runners-up:  She might have had sore vocal cords, but Jessica Sanchez still displayed a big voice on “Love You, I Do.”  It was so good, it earned a standing ovation from the judges on a night when they weren’t so easy to please.  Between the dress and the song, Shannon Magrane came off a little pageanty to some Idol followers, based on the Twitter comments I was reading.  Perhaps.  But she displayed the same strong vocals we’ve seen from her since this competition began.  Bottom line folks: Compare these 16s to the teens who were on the show last year.  I think they compare very favorably.  They might even be better.

Surprise of the night:  Two contestants sang the same Adele song, “One and Only.”  That would be Jen Hirsh and Elise Testone.  Now, I know the contestants were supposedly allowed to select any song from any genre they wanted, but I’m surprised Idol let it happen.  Bottom line:  It didn’t turn out well for Jen Hirsh, who came into Wednesday night as one of the favorite among the ladies and was running a distant second to Elise in best version of an Adele song by the end of the night.

Worst of the night:  It pains me to write this, but the only bad performance on Wednesday came from Baylie Brown, the gorgeous gal from Krum, Texas.  She did what I feared she would do:  She sang a ballad while the other two country singers went young and fun.  Worse, she didn’t sing well at all.  Judging from the pre-Idol music I’ve heard, I’m sure she’d do better if her fans somehow get her into the finals.  But she’ll have to be voted in; I can’t imagine she’d be a wild card pick after tonight.

Deserves to go home:  Brielle Von Hugel.  Idol painted her as annoying during Hollywood Week.  On a night marked by interesting misfires, her performance was just a misfire. She simply didn’t sound that good singing “The Dock of the Bay.”

Please keep her:   Hollie Cavanagh.  I just like this girl.  Partly because of how determined she was last year with the way she gutted out her audition after breaking down in tears.  Partly because she has shown none of those nerves this year.  Partly because she got zero screen time prior to the last night in Vegas, which seemed awfully unfair of Idol given her unexpectedly big voice.

Judges’ line of the night:  Randy Jackson admitting the judges might have been too lenient on the guys Tuesday night.  More on that development later.

Baffled by the judges:  Not baffled.  Amazed that they finally started judging.  More on that development later.

Pick five:   Oh, my, this is tough.  After Elise, Jessica and Shannon, I awarded the best grades of the night to Jen Hirsh and Hallie Day.  But I’d have to include Hollie Cavanagh in my list for the reasons listed above.  And I’d round out my list with — surprise — Haley Johnsen and Skylar Laine.  Neither was vocally perfect Wednesday night.  Far from it, in fact.  But both gave high-energy, dynamic performances.   And I’ll take entertaining over technically flawless but boring almost every time.

Who the fans will pick:  Jessica Sanchez, Shannon Magrane,  Jen Hirsh (who got ample screen time pre-semis), Skylar Laine and, maybe Elise.  Here’s a guarantee:  If Elise doesn’t get voted in by fans, she’s one of the three wild card picks.

Go here for tonight’s song by song blog, but the grades were as follows:

Elise Testone:  A
Jessica Sanchez: A-
Shannon Magrane: B+
Hallie Day: B
Jen Hirsh: B
Erika Van Pelt: B-
Skylar Laine: C+
Hollie Cavanagh: C+
Haley Johnsen: C
Chelsea Sorrell: C
Brielle Von Hugel: C-
Baylie Brown: D+