American Idol 12 – Semifinals Round, Part 2 – Live Blog and Recap – 2/21/2013

Welcome to the live blog and recap for “Semifinals Round, Part 2 — Guys Perform” episode of American Idol Season 12.

Ten guys perform in front of a studio audience in Las Vegas, and the judges will cut five! Commence SausageFest 2013!

Credit: FOX

8:00 PM

-We’re coming to you from the Mirage in Las Vegas (well, they are. I’m coming to you live from somewhere in Pennsylvania, where I’m freezing my ass off).

-Mariah mentions how hard it was to cut people last night, talking about the astonishing talent on display in the show.

8:03 PM

-Without further adieu, Ryan introduces the men who will be performing tonight:

Charlie Askew
Chris Watson
Curtis Finch jr
Devin Velez
Elijah Liu
Jimmy Smith
Johnny Keyser
Josh “JDA” Davila
Kevin Harris
Paul Jolley

PAUL JOLLEY is up first!

-We recap his story so far, including his heartfelt connection with his grandfather that I would have thought would have been a bigger part of his narrative. I’m certainly glad that his emotional arc isn’t what defines him. Let’s see if his singing can measure up…

-He performs Keith Urban’s own “Tonight I Wanna Cry”, and he has a really nice tone throughout, even if the performance itself is kind of a snoozer. I do love that song though.

-Keith says it’s a huge honor when someone does one of his songs, and thanks Paul for that. He tells Paul that, should he go through, he shouldn’t overlook the understated tone and quality of his voice.

-Nicki says that Paul’s other performances wowed her more. She adds that while his voice is definitely there, he might have over-performed it a little bit.

-Randy likes that Paul is a country singer with serious range, as he doesn’t know many male country singers with that kind of power in their voice.

-Mariah agrees with Randy and felt he gave an engaging, emotional performance.

-Randy asks Paul about his performance, and he reveals that though he was nervous, he felt that he really had it under control. It was certainly a nice performance, but I really don’t know if it’s enough to get him through. Much like Jenny Beth Willis last night, Paul’s chances correlate directly with how well the other nine contestants do. He still could get through on merit, but that was kind of a listless performance to really rank among as one of the five best of anything, unless the next nine contestants all do different variations on “Dancing in the Street.” I guess we’ll see soon enough.

JOHNNY KEYSER is up next!

-He was upset to get cut last year (in Vegas, ironically enough), but he’s back and he truly feels he’s meant to be here.

-He sings “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz, and this is really one of those songs that lull you into a sense that the singer doesn’t have control of the vocal until the chorus kicks in, since the verses are pitched so low. But Johnny really impresses me here. It’s not a vocal that’s going to set the world on fire or anything, but he has a really rich tone, and his runs are pretty effortless.

-Keith says that this was the best Johnny was sung, and mentioned that it sounded effortless, although he seemed nervous at times.

-Nicki disagrees, saying that he didn’t seem nervous at all, he had a confidence that was actually pretty sexy. And she felt it was a solid vocal, even if she doesn’t feel he has the best voice in the competition. (She also gets him to finally answer the question of whether or not he has a girlfriend: he does not).

-Randy didn’t really feel the performance, as it didn’t really convey the sense that “this is a guy who has to have it!”

-Mariah doesn’t want to get in trouble with her husband, but she does feel Johnny brings the masculinity and sexiness. She understands that he has to show off his voice, but she feels he deserves to be around.

-Ryan congratulates Johnny on the performance, telling him that it’s good that we finally have SOME masculinity on this stage.

JDA is up next!

-He talks about his individuality and wanting to be true to who he is, which is admirable, if nothing else.

-He sings “Rumor Has It” by Adele, and while his voice comes perilously close to sounding like he’s on helium at points, it’s actually my favorite performance of the night so far. He’s wearing a slit-legged dress and tons of makeup, and it generally gives off the impression that he’s trying too hard, but I can’t front on his voice. He’s definitely unique, if nothing else.

-Keith says that JDA felt right at home on the stage, and commends his originality and humility, and thanks him for putting on a show. However, he does tell JDA that he wishes he hadn’t been able to notice him “counting steps”.

-Nicki tells him to “Work it, girl.” JDA responds that he’s got to represent for the gays, because he loves the gays. Nicki likes his fearlessness and his command of the stage. Unfortunately, she didn’t actually like the vocal, as she felt it got a bit whiny in places, and that he sounded better in the past.

-Randy feels that if they were giving a Best Performance Award, they would give it to JDA. However, he didn’t actually like the vocal, feeling that he was probably too keyed-in to the performance aspect.

-Mariah disagrees, saying that JDA was spot-on. She liked the vocal because she felt JDA was doing a lot, and that he pulled it off.

-Ryan and JDA talk about the performance, and JDA mentions how he’s always been this way: he’s always needed the makeup, mirrors and lights. Ryan adds that they haven’t seen this much glitter on Idol since Adam Lambert.

8:33 PM EST

-Back from break with the girls who made it through last night. Ryan asks Angela Miller how she celebrated, and she mentions going out to dinner and then passing out, since last night was so emotionally exhausting.

KEVIN HARRIS is up next!

-He reiterates in his pre-performance video that he’s doing this for his children, to show them that if daddy can do it, they can too. Oh, and his designated nickname? “Butter.” Sure, I guess.

-Kevin sings “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams. This has always been a guilty pleasure song of mine. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty unspectacular vocal from Kevin (well, except for a few crazy notes or two towards the end).

-Keith compliments Kevin on his “crazy range”, though he has mixed feelings about when a performer decides to go for broke at the end of a song. However, he appreciates that he’s trying to show his range.

-Nicki feels that every choice he made in his performance was perfection. She doesn’t know if people are going to connect with him because his personality doesn’t really pop out, but he’s the first guy tonight whose performance really reached her.

-Randy feels tonight is going to be a night where the judges all agree to disagree, saying that he wasn’t “blown out” by that performance at all, and adds that if Kevin wanted to show off his voice, he should have picked a song that would have given him an opportunity to do more than just a few notes at the end.

-Mariah liked his voice, and she loves the song itself, but wishes he’d have done something different.

-Ryan and Kevin chat briefly after the performance, and I don’t know, he seems like a great guy, but he reminds me a lot of Anwar Robinson from Season 4. And Anwar was just never my cup of tea.

8:43 PM

-I love how the commercial for next week’s show describes Melinda Ademi as “leggy”. That just seems like such a ridiculous adjective to describe someone who, from all appearances, is really short.

CHRIS WATSON is up next!

-Chris talks, in his video package, about how he believes in the laws of attraction, and that he attracted this opportunity with all his hard work (waiter by day, playing gigs at night).

-He sings “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, and it’s this weird rock-funk fusion that strangely works, for me. He’s dressed like a cross between Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix, yet he sounds like he’s going for Lenny Kravitz with the vocal. This is all a long way of saying that I think he can actually go far if he gets the chance.

-Keith feels this is more of a “connection competition” than a singing competition, and while he didn’t feel the voice was all there, he likes Chris.

-Nicki wants to marry Chris’ vibrato, and says he’s the prettiest man she’s ever seen in her life. Nicki adds that she doesn’t care if anyone else agrees, she loves everything about Chris. LOVES him.

-Randy likes Chris, but he’s still waiting for someone to show him something tonight. No one seems to be really measuring up to the songs they choose, as he says that Otis Redding had so much to his voice, yet Chris’ performance left him strangely bored.

-Mariah feels Chris is a survivor, and she can see and hear the pain in him. She enjoyed the performance.

-When interviewed by Ryan, Chris talks about the process of picking the song. I do like Chris, and I hope he gets through. He’s unique, but not cloyingly so.

8:54 PM

-Ryan tries to facilitate a “kiss-and-makeup” with Mariah and Nicki. When he fails, he quips “Maybe by the end of the season.” I appreciate that the feud narrative hasn’t overwhelmed this season.

DEVIN VELEZ is up next!

-Devin talks about working as a barista at a coffee house. In addition, his mother has come out to Vegas with him, and having her around is a tremendous help to him.

-He sings “Listen” by Beyonce, breaking off into Spanish for half of the song. It’s a really tight vocal…until the latter half of the song, when he seemingly starts to go hoarse (to say nothing of the band overwhelming him, at points). But he picks it back up and finishes really strong at the end.

-Keith is really impressed, and was glad that Devin showed him who he is.

-Nicki feels that he made an excellent choice to sing in Spanish, and to show his artistry.

-Randy absolutely loved it, and agreed with Nicki about the Spanish.

-Mariah feels Devin was critiquing himself at the end of the performance, and tells him not to do that. Like the other judges, she loved the Spanish, and she can’t wait to see what a producer does with him in the studio.

-Ryan keeps things moving, skipping over the interview with Devin (probably because there will be other chances, since he’s likely to make it through).

Devin Velez – Sudden Death – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

ELIJAH LIU is up next!

-He talks about singing for the ladies, and he has this peculiarly endearing kind of confidence.

-In addition to looking like an Asian Bruno Mars, he decides to sing Bruno Mars as well, singing “Talking to the Moon.” It’s just okay. There are nice moments to it, particularly his understated falsetto, but it’s just not really a “top five” vocal.

-Keith thought it was a perfect song choice for him, although he felt it was a fairly shaky performance. However, he loves that Elijah looks like a pop star, and that there’s something very current and relevant about him.

-Nicki doesn’t care about the song, she feels that he’s a “super-duperstar”, saying that she wants to have his babies, adding that he’s eighteen, sexy, marketable, and her favorite boy at the moment. She would sign him NOW! RIGHT NOW.

-Randy didn’t feel it was a great vocal, but he still sees potential in Elijah.

-Mariah likes his vocal control when he goes into his softer voice, adding that she loves that he’s Mexican and Chinese, since that’s a great combination. I’m not disagreeing, but I don’t know what that has to do with anything right now.

Elijah Liu – Sudden Death – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

9:06 PM

-Back from break with “Man for all Seasons” Charlie Askew. Ryan interviews Charlie about his confounding choice of wardrobe, a polyester number with what look to be suede pants with a diamond-encrusted belt he got from JDA. He also has a golf club, for some reason. Charlie Askew may be the illegitimate white son of The Most Interesting Man in the World.

CHARLIE ASKEW is up next!

-We get a recap of his journey so far, and how he “glorifies weirdness.”

-Charlie sings “Rocket Man” by Elton John, starting the performance on one knee (and ending it there too, strangely enough, though he wanders the stage in between). The poor kid seems terrified, as his hands are shaking so hard he can’t keep the mic still. But his voice has a really nice tone to it. Seriously, he might look like a poor man’s David Cassidy tonight, but he’s really got a set of pipes on him. Unfortunately, he kind of goes overboard with it towards the end, but the reaction from the live crowd reflects his already-considerable fanbase.

-Keith said that no matter what people are saying at home, he doubts that anyone left their TV screens. He says it’s like if Freddie Mercury had a love child at Woodstock (um, Keith…you do know that Freddie was a “friend” right?). He loves Charlie’s fearlessness and confidence.

-Nicki, who gave Charlie a standing O, says she wants to cradle Charlie in her arms. He reminds her of her little brother, yet she appreciates that he’s a young guy who doesn’t rely on the cute factor. She loves his originality.

-Randy doesn’t know what to make of Charlie (Charlie: “That’s how I like it!”). Randy loves Charlie, but felt the performance was a little bit “stage school.” Every time Randy tries to critique him, Charlie cuts in with some shout-out or other to the audience. He’s clearly basking in all of this, and it would be disrespectful in any other circumstance, but this is Randy he’s interrupting. Who really cares? When Randy says that it wasn’t all that great, Charlie responds “We’re in Vegas, baby!” Exasperated, Randy gives up and half-jokes “Sure, why don’t we all just perform? Who cares about singing?”

-Mariah, like the other judges, loves Charlie and everything he brings to the table.

-Ryan doesn’t interview Charlie so much as thank him for entertaining us.

Charlie Askew – Sudden Death – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

9:21 PM

-Back from break with Ryan recapping Nicki’s various declarations of love from tonight.

JIMMY SMITH is up next!

-In his video, Jimmy says he’s here to see what American Idol can do for country music. You’d think he’d know, given that just about every country artist who’s ever been on this show gets signed (although I’d have to double-check on Bucky Covington).

-Jimmy keeps with the Urban motif of the country vocals tonight, singing Keith’s own “Raining On Sunday.” It starts out shaky, but it ends up being one of the night’s better performances when it’s all said and done.

-Keith says it’s really hard to critique someone who just sang his own song (though, technically, Keith adds, it was a cover song). He says that he really enjoyed Jimmy’s performance.

-Nicki wasn’t feeling it all. She felt it was just boring.

-Randy agrees with Nicki, as he just didn’t really get it.

-Mariah says she’s fought for Jimmy before, and while she doesn’t think it was his best vocal, she still feels like there’s something about him that America should get the chance to see.

-In his interview with Ryan, Jimmy says that he’s honored for the opportunity to perform.

Jimmy Smith – Sudden Death – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

9:29 PM

-Back from break with Ryan saying we’re moments away from results. But first, we have one more performance to go…

CURTIS FINCH, JR. is up next!

-Curtis talks about giving back as a tutor, and he seems like an okay guy, but I feel like the damage has been done after Hollywood Week exposed his diva attitude. Of course, it’s somewhat understandable to be peeved when your fate in the competition depends on someone who’s too sick to rehearse, and his tantrum might not have gone over as badly if it had been directed at anyone but Charlie.

-He sings the Luther Vandross version of “Superstar” by The Carpenters, and I guess I can give up on my hope of his not getting through, because this is terrific. Seriously, best of the night. And it isn’t even that I dislike him as a performer but, and this will probably get me in hot water with The Man Upstairs (to say nothing of you fabulous readers), but I’m kind of over gospel singers. More so than country singers, since they tend to go far for reasons that don’t entirely make sense to me.

-Keith is a fan, applauding him for his performance.

-Nicki loves his register, and praising him for what he accomplished onstage.

-Randy loved it, though he warns Curtis not to get too old with his performances. He’s 25-years-old, he should be able to keep it a little younger.

-Mariah says she was moved to tears, but she also agrees with Randy, saying that he could loosen up his tie a little and let loose. But she reiterates what a spectacular voice he has.

Curtis Finch – Sudden Death – American Idol 12 by IdolxMuzic

-Ryan announces that the decision is now in the hands of the judges, and states that in the event of a deadlock, the tiebreaking vote goes to Jimmy Iovine.

9:40 PM

-Back from break, as Randy announces that they have one split decision. Nicki says she fought for a couple of her favorites.

Results, pt. 1

Curtis Finch, Jr.: ADVANCES!

Jimmy Smith: ELIMINATED

Kevin Harris: ELIMINATED

Elijah Liu: ADVANCES!

JDA: ELIMINATED

Paul Jolley is up next, and we learn that Paul is the deadlocked decision, so we go to Jimmy for the decision. He felt it was a case of a good singer with the wrong song, comparing it to Paul singing Keith Urban while auditioning for Phantom of the Opera (wha–? I don’t even…). He feels Paul still has a lot to give, so he has recommended that Paul continue in the competition.

Paul Jolley: ADVANCES!

Paul is shocked and ecstatic, and I honestly don’t know if I’d have put him through. He’s not a bad singer at all though.

Guys Results 1st Group – Sudden Death… by IdolxMuzic

9:52 PM

So three spots are spoken for. I can’t imagine Devin wouldn’t take one of the remaining two spots, but is the last spot a slam-dunk for Charlie? Or will Nicki be a Keyser pleaser and give him good news? And what of Chris Watson?

I honestly hope there’s a wild card round at some point, if only to give a small, though infinitesimal, chance we’ll see some of these people again.

Results, pt. 2

Chris Watson: ELIMINATED

Charlie Askew: ADVANCES!

It comes down to Devin and Johnny, with whom Ryan speaks in the holding room. Devin feels he knows where his talents lay, while Johnny feels he did all he could to make it through to the next round.

Johnny Keyser: ELIMINATED

Devin Velez: ADVANCES!

And that’s that! Next week, it’s ten more guys (Lazaro! Turbanator!) and ten more girls (ZOANETTE!) competing to advance to America’s vote.

Guys Results 2nd Group – Sudden Death… by IdolxMuzic

The five guys who made it through to America’s vote are:

That’s it for me tonight. Thanks for hanging out, and don’t forget to keep refreshing the page, as videos will be added as soon as they become available.

See you next week!

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