Tulsan not part of 'Idol' episode
BY JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT World Scene Writer
Thursday, February 21, 2013
2/21/13 at 3:11 AM
No "sudden death" for Zoanette Johnson of Tulsa - not this week.
She wasn't among the first 10 girls on Wednesday's sudden-death episode of "American Idol," the first of the live performances.
The first singer of the night was Jenny, who sang Trisha Yearwood's "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love."
"Not the best song for you," celebrity judge Keith Urban said, with judges Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson receiving boos from the audience for their similar critiques.
The final judge, Mariah Carey, proved to be the Paula Abdul, if you will, of the evening, doling out words of comfort to those who obviously didn't shine as bright as the others.
Unfortunately, Jenny was one of those, and she was the first to be cut from the 10 at show's end.
Despite how much I loved her performance during the Hollywood Rounds, I thought songwriter Angela was going to go home. Alas, she was among the five to stay, having impressed enough with a cover of Jessie J's "Nobody's Perfect."
Although I thought Isabelle did a lovely job with Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," it wasn't enough to keep her from getting cut. Jackson's "a bit old-fashioned" comment of her performance was probably, in retrospect, what did her in.
Brandy's pick of Travis Tritt's "Anymore" wasn't a good song for her, with Urban citing a lack of an "emotional connection."
"He took the words right out of my mouth," Minaj said, adding it was "a pageant delivery of a song."
Also cut was Shubha, who should've stayed on the piano for a softer version of Lady Gaga's hit "Born This Way."
"You crammed a lot into that," Urban pointed out.
"Prepare to boo again," Minaj warned, comparing the performance to a "mash-up of Christina Aguilera and the 'Gangnam Style' guy."
Kamaria, who did look fabulous, didn't sound such with first-season "Idol" alum Kelly Clarkson's "Mr. Know It All."
Based on pitch comments from at least two of the judges, Kamaria was cut.
But Tenna made it through with Natasha Bedingfield's "Soulmate," and Adriana totally sealed it with Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way."
My favorite two of the night, though, were probably Kree and her "Up to the Mountain," which garnered a "natural born singer" compliment from both Urban and Jackson.
"You don't over-try ... It's authentic," Urban added before Carey wrapped it up with "it was amazing."
She could've said the same thing for Amber's "My Funny Valentine," which was perfectly soulful and showcased her pipes fabulously.
"You just made it timeless," Urban said, with Minaj commenting her vocals were an "A-plus-plus-plus ... ."
Next up: Ten of the 20 remaining guys compete live from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday on Fox, channel 23.
