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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2005 > March > 15 > Entry
March 15: The final 12 do… okay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There were no performances you’ll necessarily remember a year from now but given the finalists were on a new bigger stage with a bigger band and studio audience, that’s understandable. Here are my crack rankings. I can’t believe I’m ranking some of these finalists in this order. I placed them not necessarily in amt of likely votes but just how I thought they did. Either way, Lindsey is the likely goner. Jessica is probably the other one of the bubble but Vonzell, given how weak her support is on the AOL poll of fans, could be gone any week no matter what her performance is.
The ghost of Mario lingers. And still no clue really why he left (he denies health or skeletons in his closet) though I’m sure the NY tabs are furiously trying to find out!
1) Nadia Turner “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” I’m showing my blatant bias here to Nadia but she has such a textured, fine voice and stage presence. Tonight, she glammed up to good effect, too.
2) Bo Bice “Spinning Wheel.” The Bice Squad should be happy tonight. He was in total command from start to finish. The fact he has sung this song before and wasn’t cold on it helped big time and the fact the theme was any 60s song helped him go rock.
3) Constantine Maroulis “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.” Go rockers! He really surprised me. He embraced the new environment and showed off a voice we wondered was even there.
4) Scott Savol “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Personally, anything off the “Big Chill” soundtrack is overplayed to me. But Scott sang this with a certain panache and skill. As Simon said, he did better than expected.
5) Vonzell Solomon “Anyone Who Had a Heart” I haven’t been a big fan of hers but she not only looked amazing but more in control than I’ve seen her up to this point. Her vocals are still a little all over the place, as Randy noted, but she’s improving.
6) Anthony Fedorov “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” I wonder if the sound where the judges are is different from what we hear on TV because I didn’t think Anthony was that bad. He had confidence and control, even if the song was paced a tad slow.
7) Mikalah Gordon “Son of a Preacher Man.” Good song pick which enabled her to show off her personality again. I still hate her enunciation and she was a little off pitch at times, but I enjoyed it. And she looked better than she has the past three weeks.
8) Anwar Robinson “A House is Not a Home.” Wow. I never thought I’d rank him this low but this was a dullish performance compared to the past and I couldn’t help but think of Idol 1 Tamyra Gray’s powerhouse version of this. Anwar’s paled. He seemed to lack heart on this one.
9) Jessica Sierra “Shop Around.” She was technically fine but the performance and song were pretty blah. She could be on the bubble to being voted off Wednesday.
10) Nikko Smith “I Want You Back.” He must have picked this for thematic purposes. Considering he probably had very little time to prepare, he did a darn good job but his vocals were all over the map. I suspect his fans will make sure he lasts this week. He’s thanking Mario for sure!
11) Carrie Underwood “When Will I Be Loved” Where’s the energy? The commitment? This felt really underwhelming and actually boring. Like “Pieces of My Heart” two weeks ago, she didn’t do well with the uptempo tune. She’s so good at ballads that her inability to do something upbeat is disconcerting. I can’t believe (like with Anwar) that I’m ranking her this low but I know for sure there’s zero chance she’ll be voted off Wednesday.
12) Lindsey Cardinale “Knock on Wood.” Showing my age, I know the disco version better from the late 1970s. Lindsey simply lacks stage presence. She looked stiff and couldn’t get the crowd even into this usual crowd pleaser. Most people have picked her at the bottom even before tonight and this will simply amplify her chances of leaving Wednesday night.
Here’s my ranking of who I think at this stage will be voted off, last to first 1) Anwar 2) Carrie 3) Bo 4) Nadia 5) Constantine 6) Anthony 7) Nikko 8) Scott 9) Jessica 10)Mikalah 11) Vonzell 12) Lindsey
Comments
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By Cheryl
March 16, 2005 08:14 AM | Link to this
I think the final 2 will be Nadia and Bo. Then it will be a hard decision. Both are superb.
By A AI Fan
March 16, 2005 08:30 AM | Link to this
You did rank well. I don’t like either of the two or three blondes on the show, they are totally forgetable. Nadia Turner is a force to be reckoned with, her amazing stage presence and comfort up there is impressive. Anwar has a great voice, just played it safe this week. Disappointing. Constantine is exactly what Simon says, Smoldering. He really came through this week and showed off his voice. Bo worked the crowd pretty good with his rock rendition. Vondell to me looked uneasy on the stage, not natural. The others, like Randy said, Ehhhhh. There is much more boy talent in this competition that their is girl talent. Nadia is the only one with great talent of the girls. With the guys, you have a lot of different talent. I am hoping it will be a rocker’s year.
By Lara
March 16, 2005 10:32 AM | Link to this
Oh please let this be a rocker’s year! Bo totally rocked the stage last night, and I voted for him as many times as I could get through. Constantine really surprised me as I was worried when I heard his song choice, but man, he brought it. Although I will admit to not being a fan of Nadia, man, she was amazing last night and I really enjoyed her performance, she does have a presence. Anwar, what happened? His voice is so nice, his performance was so boring…..
By Tray
March 16, 2005 10:58 AM | Link to this
loved BO! was impressed w/Constantine Nadia is always consistent in my book. Scott surprised me Anwar bored me, he has to show his personality Yeah Lindsey should be gone
By Nia
March 16, 2005 01:26 PM | Link to this
Everyone was so so last night. No one is sticking out like last year. The show overall was a snooze. However, I was shockingly surprised with Constantine. He is usually in my bottom 5 and he is in my top five this week: 1) Nadia 2) Bo 3) Anwar 4) Constantine 5) Nikko And for good measure 6)Vonzell
By Dee
March 16, 2005 01:55 PM | Link to this
WOW! I’m not really a fan of rock music, I’m more R&B and Jazz. But I liked my man Bo Bice from the start! He’s got the look, the style, the stage presence…he’s got it all. I want him to definatly win this thing…Rock on Bo!!!!
By KENDRA
March 16, 2005 03:48 PM | Link to this
I LOVE SCOTT!!! I KNOW HE WILL BE IN THE TOP 2!!! BO WILL BE MY 2ND PIC AND THEN CARRIE…. BUT I LOVE SCOTT!!
By Jenny
March 16, 2005 04:40 PM | Link to this
I never watched the show until this season. I saw Constantine in Rent and recognized him one night. It’s thanks to him I’m hooked and he happens to be my favorite. I’ve seen his versatility and I hope he repeats this week’s exceptional performance throughout. Nadia and Bo are also amazing!
By Melissa
March 17, 2005 09:09 AM | Link to this
Nadia and Bo most definately need to be the top 2!!!!!!!!!!
By Gwen
March 17, 2005 12:55 PM | Link to this
This group is no way better than last year, but Nadia and Bo where great and so was Anwar I love them and they have a great voice, becoming a fan of Vonell also.
By Jan
March 18, 2005 09:21 AM | Link to this
…nadia is incredible, she stood out tremendously, I also like Bo…these two should be in the finals, if its based on talent