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We’ll Be the Judge of That! – American Idol 3, March 16by Foxes On Idol Judging Staff -- 03/16/2004
View Printable version of this article We’re finally there – the Top 12. This two-hour show gave our Foxes On Idol judges plenty to think about – and as always they have plenty to say. By now, of course, you’ve already read Sting7’s full recap, so you know what the on-site judges and Sting thought. (And if you hadn’t read it yet, we’ve conveniently given you that link.) Now it’s time to see what the real judging panel thinks. Our panel this week consists of the full set: David Bloomberg, Mike DeGeorge, Donna Reynolds, Bruce Barker, Phil Kural, Betsy Wasser, Paris Cosby, and Gil Sery. LaToya London, “Ain’t Nobody” David: I didn’t like the arrangement – it didn’t do anything good for her voice. I really didn’t like the start either, but she settled into it well and gave an overall very good performance. I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as the on-site judges, but it was a good start to the Final 12. Mike: Wow. She just comes out there and belts it out, like she’s been a recording artist for years. She should have been signed years ago. But who hid the combs and mirrors backstage? Donna: Oh, she’s good. She was so polished and put so much into this performance. I felt as though I were watching someone already established in the business. Excellent job. She is great and I loved watching her dance. She’s going to be tough to beat. Bruce: I thought she started off flat and nervous but quickly slid into it and after she hit a money note or two seemed to really enjoy herself. I’m grading everyone on a 1 to 10 scale tonight and she scored a solid 8. Phil: Well, I just wanna start out by saying that I wasn’t a fan of LaToya during her semifinal performance, and I’m still not. I mean, it was okay, but I don’t think she is as great as everyone is hyping her up to be. No doubt that she has a good voice, but I still don’t see the personality either. All it all, it was just a good performance. Betsy: Hey, Mike, I love LaToya’s new hairstyle, and she looks gorgeous. More importantly, she also sounds fantastic. That said, I thought that at times, the background singers and music overwhelmed her. I wonder if the sound was off? It wasn’t her best performance, but it was still excellent. She’s a natural on stage. Paris: She's very good but it didn't work for me. There's absolutely nothing wrong with her voice or ability but the song blew it for me. I just didn't like the song. It was okay, nothing spectacular. Gil: I didn’t like the song, but her voice is golden. In fact, she’s so good, it’s almost not fair to the less experienced finalists since she’s in a class all her own. I just hope she’s not a victim of the Tamyra Syndrome. 
Amy Adams, “You Make Me Feel Brand New” David: It seemed kind of strange to see the clip about how funny and wacky she was, only to have her sing this song and not really show any of that personality. And I wrote that before Simon said it, so there. She did a fine job singing, but nothing outstanding. Mike: First criticism: get a real dog. Amy’s got a great voice, but – and that’s one problem with the Top 12 this year – she’s waaaaaay outclassed by a few of the singers in this group. Donna: Her voice is very strong and she has a nice tone. I was still thinking cabaret though and she had some pitch problems here and there. Not bad but not wildly impressive either. I really liked her interesting, multi-colored halter though! Bruce: One of my favorite songs and she did it with panache. Her higher range is still too thin, but a very good performance despite her losing it badly toward the end. A 6. Phil: Aww, I love Amy. It’s funny when you think about it. Amy could sing the most boring song (like she did) but it’s still good because you know the personality is there. I mean, when she is done the song, you are still going to get a laugh out of something she will say. I liked the performance. I don’t think it was the right song, but I think she did a good job with it. Betsy: She started off a little bit soft and also seemed overwhelmed by the background music. Her voice is very pretty, but we’ve yet to see her personality in her performances. I wonder if she’s afraid she’ll get branded as cabaret. Paris: I think her personality might get grating after a while. She seems like she could easily get on my nerves. But I thought she had a good performance tonight. She was off on a few notes but overall, I thought she did well. Gil: Wow! Another total package. If everyone is as good as LaToya and Amy, I’m going to run out of superlatives pretty quickly. I agree with Paula though, that it was safe, but I loved Amy’s comeback about America giving her a chance to try better next time. That was very self-effacing and classy. Matthew Rogers, “Hard to Handle” David: I went into his performance fully expecting to dislike it, but I was pleasantly surprised. As Randy said, it was definitely the best we’ve seen of him, he was having fun, and it was a good performance. His vocals weren’t as impressive as I expect others will be, but the fact that he so obviously enjoyed himself and didn’t make any obvious mistakes will keep him around. Mike: I love Matt, I really do. He’s the only one of the top 12 that I could imagine hanging out with, and I look forward to seeing him every week. But I just wasn’t impressed with the vocal performance. He’s got energy and charisma just overflowing from everywhere, but the song just wasn’t there. Simon was exactly right, it was very much like Tom Jones. Maybe Matt can pop Ryan’s head like a zit and take over as host. Donna: What’s with his hair? The song sounded more country than soul to me and I must confess I was having Josh Gracin flashbacks. But Matt was naturally exuberant and the performance didn’t feel as forced as some of Josh’s did. This helped to overcome the less than stellar vocals. View Printable version of this article
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