Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Dennis Lorenzo and Marcio Donaldson await their fate on American Idol. As it turned out, both advanced to the Top 24. (ABC Photo)

Tonight on American Idol, the Top 50 will give showcase round performances in front of a live audience.

Before the night ends, that Top 50 will become a Top 24.

I’ll be grading the performances as they occur. At least in cases where Idol airs a long enough snippet of the performance for me to grade.

Layla Spring, 16, Kentucky: The young lady from Kentucky starts off things on an upbeat note, singing “Proud Mary.” A fun performance. And tons of composure for someone as young as she is. That was a heck of a glory note at the end. Grade: B She advances.

Michael J. Woodard, 20, Philadelphia: Remember, this young man won “Majors and Minors” as a young teen. Interesting song choice, he’s singing Alanis Morissette. Decent performance, but I had trouble understanding about half of those lyrics. Grade: B– He advances. I have a feeling that has more to do with his final Hollywood solo than his showcase performance.

Trevor Holmes: His showcase song is “Slow Hands.” Katy says she’s “over him.” Until the tempo picks up, at which point, she says “maybe not.” We didn’t see enough of that performance for me to grade it. He didn’t make it to the Top 24.

Gabby Barrett, 17, Pittsburgh: Her showcase song is “Church Bells.” Dang, Gabby’s got a lot of power in that voice of hers. It’s still early, but that was a really impressive vocal. At least what we heard was. Katy didn’t seem impressed by the opening, which was didn’t hear. I can only grade what I heard. Grade: B Gabby advances.

Thaddeus Johnson: Back in Season 8, he was cut at this point in the competition. But I’d advance him just on the power of his final Hollywood performance. Yep, this guy is Top 24 unless the Idol judges have lost their mind. He looks like an absolute pro on stage. He’s won me over with his last two performances. Grade: A– Wow, he doesn’t make it. I can’t believe that.

Michelle Sussett, 22, Florida: We didn’t to see much of Michelle’s performance, but she advances.

So does … Alyssa Raghu, Trevor McBane, Ron Bultongez and Dominique Posey. .

Catie Turner, 17, Langhorne, Pa.: She sings Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” for her showcase performance. She gets high points for bravery and risk taking. And Catie has so much personality, there’s no way Idol is going to send her home. She calls herself “the biggest wierdo of them all.” Yep, she’s in the Top 24.

Not advancing: Britney Holmes, William Casanova, Milo Spasoto.

Jurnee, 18, Denver: She dedicates her showcase performance to her wife. This young lady has one hell of a voice and sounds equally well when she sings soft or loud. She advances. Grade: A–

Shannon O’Hara, 17, Mooresville, N.C.: She chose “Unconditionally” by Katy as her showcase song, and she performed a stripped down version, just her and her guitar. Another really great female voice. Oh, yeah, they need to let her advance. That came off very, very well. Grade: B+ Yep, she advances.

Also advancing: Amelia Hammer Harris, Kay Kay Alexis and Brandon Diaz. We see just a tiny part of each of their performances.

Noah Davis, Ark.: He sings Gaga too, “You and I” on the piano. Sorry, not convinced. There were bum notes, he sounded out of breath and at time it was over the top. Grade: D He does not advance. Good decision.

Also not advancing: Lee Vasi, Carly Moffa, Victoria McQueen and Harper Grace.

Ada Vox, 24, San Antonio, Texas: Adam Sanders, aka drag queen Ada Vox, has gotten very little screentime since his audition. Ada is going to sing “Creep” for the showcase round. And this is very, very good. Damn. Now that’s a glory note. Grade: A– He will advance. And he does.

Jonny Brenns: Portrayed as a rocker to this point in the competition, Jonny slows things down for his showcase performance and turns in a very nice performance. And his dad shows up, something the show made an issue of when he wasn’t present for Hollywood Week. Grade: B Jonny advances.

Mara Justine, 15: She’s 15! That stage presence. Damn. She’s singing “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” and is absolutely owning the Idol stage. Don’t know if that vocal was the best we’ve heard, but that performance was the best we’ve seen. Wondered about Mara. We didn’t see much of her in Hollywood. Grade: A She advances.

Caleb Lee Hutchinson: His showcase performance was probably my least favorite Caleb vocal yet, but he deserves to advance based on everything we’ve heard to this point. I won’t grade the showcase because we saw just a few seconds of it. He advances.

Garrett Jacobs: Again, there’s too much voice-over to judge Garrett’s showcase performance of “Knock on Wood,” but he could clearly become a Season 16 heartthrob. He looks like a star. And shows off some dance moves. Garrett advances.

Laine Hardy: He strips it down for the showcase. Again, it’s pretty clear Idol sees him as a potential heartthrob. Looks at all the young girls waving their hands in the front row. Laine doesn’t advance.

Cade Foehner, 21, Shelbyville, Texas: He’s tearing up the stage. Damn. Give it to Idol, they’ve found some sensational talent. Not only is he delivering a great vocal, he serves up an impressive guitar solo. And, like Mara, he owns the stage. Amazing. Grade: A.

Looks like it will be Maddie Zahm, 19, Boise, Idaho, and Effie Passero for the final spot in the Top 24 among the ladies. Maddie’s “What About Us” was pretty good, not great. I’d give it a B–. Effie Passero, 26, Modesto, Calif., sang “The Dance” by Garth Brooks in the showcase round. Oh, yes, she needs to advance. Not to mention, she’s a heck of a songwriter. I’d give her a B+. Effie advances. Maddie doesn’t advance.

Marcio Donaldson, 28, Compton, Calif: Great back story, but I’d not loving his showcase performance. He does, however, show off great range. Grade: B–

Dennis Lorenzo, 26, Philadelphia: If Idol is really going to choose between these two based on these performance, my nod who go to Dennis. He looked super classy for that performance and delivered a rock solid vocal. Grade: B

Yep, expected that curve. They both advance.

And we have a Top 24 on American Idol!